Karate Kid: Legends

My View:  Karate Kid: Legends  (2025)   PG-13   In Karate Kid: Legends, Li Fong (Ben Wang) has been studying Kung Fu under Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). Li and his mother are forced to move to New York after a family tragedy uproots them from their home in Beijing. Li tries to fit in, but trouble keeps finding him, and he enters a karate competition to change his path, and Mr. Han arrives to help but sees that Li needs the skill of a karate master. They ask for help from no other than Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). The original Karate Kid (1984) is a favorite of mine, particularly because it gave the world Elisabeth Shue. It was an outstanding against-the-odds, fish-out-of-water story that hit all the right notes and had a tremendous and completely gratifying ending. Following the success of Cobra Kai, the studio decided that the time was right to revive the Karate Kid format, blending the old with the new. For the first two-thirds of the film, this approach works. From watching the trailer (numerous times in theaters), I had no idea how significant a role both Joshua Jackson and Ming-Na Wen had in the film. Jackson plays Victor, a former boxer who now owns a pizza place in the neighborhood where Li and his mother have just moved in. Li makes friends with Victor and his daughter, Mia (Sadie, Stanley), who attends the same school as Li. He gets involved with Victor when he is attacked by some thugs who want the money that Victor owes to the local mobster and LI steps in with his Kung Fu moves to save the day. Victor is so impressed with his Kung Fu skills he begs him to help him train for a fight that he hopes will win enough prize money to get the mob off his back. Li's mother's job as a doctor is the driving force behind their move to New York City. She wants to get Li away from the Kung Fu school that Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) runs and give the two of them a new start, away from something bad that happened to their family (which we find out later). Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ben Wang have fantastic chemistry together, and their scenes are fun, touching and make the first hour of this film work. Sadie Stanley is reminiscent of a young Jennifer Lawrence, with great comic timing and lots of charm. Then, the storyline forces the past to come into the film, with Daniel LaRusso's appearance, and the film begins to unravel. The thing that worked so well in the original was the bonding that went on between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi while he taught Daniel not only how to do karate but also about life and friendship. We don't get any of that when Daniel shows up to train Li for a Karate tournament. The film tries too hard to be light and fun, leading to some cringeworthy scenes of training as Daniel and Mr. Han put Li through the paces. The film attempts to create tension between Mia and Li with a breakup (you knew one was coming from a subway ride away), which is forced and out of the blue. Then we get the tourney, which is completely rushed through, with the fighting sequences over in a matter of seconds, not minutes. There isn’t any tension at all in the tournament scenes, unlike the first film, and the air is let out of any attempt to create some sort of ending other than a happy one. Is Karate Kid: Legends worth seeing? Yeah, I just wish Daniel LaRusso had stayed home in California with Mr. Miyagi’s cars. There is a bonus scene after the first bit of credits at the end.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Karate Kid: Legends Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Bring Her Back  (2025)   R  Bring Her Back is about Andy (Billy Barratt), who has just lost his father and therefore, he and his younger disabled sister, Piper (Sora Wong), go to live with a foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins), and her foster son Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). From the beginning, things start to look odd, and Andy quickly realizes that he and his sister are in danger. I was excited to see this movie because of the great work done by the Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou in the hit 2022 horror film Talk to Me. Like that film, this one also deals with the occult, but in a much more uncomfortable and gruesome manner. I will warn you I am a horror fan, and I am accustomed to seeing some disturbing content, but I had to look away a couple of times during this film. Sally Hawkins is exceptional in the role of the foster mom, who, from the start, we know is up to no good. However, this film is all about grief and how Laura manipulates the two grieving siblings, ultimately for her own plan. The film feels mean-spirited throughout, and the horror scenes aren’t terrifying but just gross and off-putting, making for a distasteful viewing experience. I was both thrilled and scared by Talk to Me. In their follow-up film, I was just troubled and uncomfortable.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Bring Her Back Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Bono: Stories of Surrender  (2025)  Bono: Stories of Surrender traces the life of rock star Bono from his humble beginnings in Ireland to his international fame as the lead singer of U2. I am a fan of U2, but I am not a fanatic. I think that if you saw in person the performance of Bono's stage play, telling stories and singing bits and pieces of his hits, you would have a great time. Unfortunately, the film lacks the dynamic vibe that you need from an in-person performance. The film gives us brief versions of the classics and too much of Bono playing to the audience with stories that seem meandering and sometimes self-serving. Yes, there are times when Bono sings that you are mesmerized by his stage presence and voice, but I grew tired of the staging and the fact that we often get stripped-down versions of his songs, which seemed too vacant, much like the stage he was on. I think only those who are super-fans of Bono and U2 will be thoroughly entertained. The rest of us desire a bit more.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Bono: Stories of Surrender Website  Now playing on the Apple TV+ platform. 

Indiefest:  Tornado  (2025)   R  Set in Britain in the 1790s, Tornado tells the story of a young Japanese woman named Tornado (Koki), who travels the country with her father’s (Takehiro Hira) traveling puppet show. When the two cross paths with a gang of ruthless criminals led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son, Little Sugar (Jack Lowden), Tornado’s father is killed, and she escapes into the countryside. Little does the gang know that Tornado’s father was a Samurai who trained his daughter in the ways of the sword, and she has now vowed revenge. I am a massive fan of Samurai films (I even took a class on them in college), so I wanted to see this film in a theater. John Maclean's film looks gorgeous, and it's clear that he has a fondness for Kurosawa in the way he filmed the sword fights. Unfortunately, the film fails to deliver on character development. The film spends a lot of time with Tornado running away, hiding, and getting people hurt who are trying to help her. Tim Roth talks a lot but rarely delivers any excitement to the role, and Jack Lowden, as Sugarman’s son, mostly broods while hiding behind trees and only gives us a glimpse of why he wants to get out from under his father’s thumb. Despite Koki's impressive swordplay at the end of the film, the battles are all one-sided and short. It’s a long cinema walk for a very short climax for this Samurai fan.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Tornado Website    Now playing in theaters.   

My View:  Lost in Starlight  (2025)  PG  Lost in Starlight is set in Seoul in 2050, where Nan-young dreams of following in the footsteps of her late mother and becoming an astronaut. Her mother failed to return to Earth after a mission to Mars, and Nan-young longs to go to Mars, hoping to find a trace of her mother. Jay, a musician, comes into her life just as her dreams are beginning to come true. Will someone who has always dreamed of the stars stay on Earth to be with the one she loves? Lost in Starlight is a brilliant and beautiful love story about two damaged individuals who find each other and then must let each other go to follow their destiny. This is a stunningly visual film with an excellent soundtrack that enables you to fall in love with the two characters as they slowly explore their relationship, all the while trying to overcome the pain of their past. Lost in Starlight is a sweet love story that remains engaging from start to finish, mostly because the two characters are fun to be with, and the love between them feels genuine and authentic. The film is filled with twists and turns as we learn about their pasts, insecurities, and the necessity to overcome them. Ultimately, the two realize that they are committed enough to each other to overcome whatever the future holds. With strong, exquisite animation and a soundtrack that complements the moods of the characters, this is a love story that will touch you and bring a few tears along the way. My Rating: Full Price  Lost in Starlight Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

My View:  Pee-Wee as Himself  (2025)  TV-MA  Pee-Wee as Himself is adocumentary on the life and trials of the beloved creator of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Paul Reubens. This is a fascinating glimpse into the man behind the character he created, which ultimately took over his life. Rubens was an extremely private man, someone who stayed in the closet and sacrificed almost everything, including his love life, to become a character on TV and in films. Directed by Matt Wolf, Paul Reubens did over forty hours of interviews with Wolf, but it was not an easy shoot, as Rubens constantly fought with Wolf over control of the documentary, including continually answering questions with more questions, at times avoiding the subject matter or making Wolf and us having to decide what was truth and what was fiction. From an early age, Reubens had a deep love for TV, particularly shows such as Howdy Doody and Captain Kangaroo. He was an art student who gravitated to standup comedy and improv; at one time, he had many characters that he created besides Pee-wee, and some of them even ended up on The Gong Show, an old, bizarre variety game show, which he and his partners kept winning. When he invented Pee-wee, the character and what Reubens was doing with him took off, and almost overnight, Rubens became famous. But here is the rub: he became famous as Pee-wee, not as Paul Reubens. This, as we see in the documentary, becomes something that Ruebens never got over. Pee-wee, the character, was given all the praise and attention; Paul, the man, was left in the background. And how quickly the world came to judge him when he had some trouble with the law, which the media ran with abandon. I learned so much about Rubens and the sacrifices he made to make the world happy with a strange little man called Pee-wee. What is shocking about this documentary is Matt Wolf had no idea that Paul Reubens was battling cancer (for 6 years) and was as shocked as the rest of the world by his death. That we have this documentary, which gives a glimpse into the strange and wonderful world of Paul Reubens, is a miracle in itself. The fact that we were able to visit Pee-wee's world through his live performances, movies, and TV show is a miracle that will remain a source of joy for years to come.     My Rating: Full Price  Pee-wee As Himself Info  Now playing on HBO Max.

Forgotten Film:  28 Days Later  (2002) R  Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up in a hospital bed to an empty building. While walking through the empty streets of a once bustling city, he learns that a virus has been unleashed on the world, causing unimaginable monsters. He meets a couple of survivors (Naomie Harris and Noah Huntley) who explain that the virus has created zombies that are out to kill everyone. This horrifying film is about people trying to band together and survive just for one more day. That’s all they can think about; anything else is inconceivable. 28 Days Later was instrumental in creating a new genre of zombie movies and TV shows. The opening sequence is one of the great film scenes, and the final battle is both horrifying and thrilling. The film has a lot to say about paranoia, how we treat each other in times of struggle, and what is amazing, is still relevant today after our struggles in the world of Covid. 28 Days Later is a gritty film that truly gives you chills throughout.   My Rating: Full Price  28 Days Later Info  Available to rent on most streaming services. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Karate Kid: Legends: Thanks to the Jackie Chan Stunt Team

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: 28 Years Later (2025) R  Almost three decades have passed since a virus was unleashed on the world. A small island that is connected to the mainland by a causeway has been home to one group that has survived. A father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and son (Alfie Williams) leave the island on a mission to go into the heart of the mainland, and there they discover the secrets, wonders, and horrors of the outside world. Danny Boyle has finally provided us with a movie to uncover what transpired after his horror classic 28 Days Later (2002). And I can't wait to see it!  28 Years Later Website   The film will be out on Friday, June 20, 2025.  

Until Next Time!

Becoming

My View:  Becoming (2020) PG   After serving as First Lady for eight years, Michelle Obama goes on a book tour in 2019 for her book ‘Becoming.’ The documentary offers a rare and up-close look at her life, taking viewers behind the scenes of her 34 city book tour. The film gives us plenty of behind-the-scenes footage of Michelle Obama’s massive, area filling book tour. What I enjoyed about the film is that this is about the First Lady giving us insight into her life, as it drastically changed from one of a working woman whose husband wanted to serve the public, to suddenly being thrust into the spotlight of being the wife of the most powerful leader of the free world. We get to see her humor, especially in those behind the scene shots like her kidding her security detail or listening to music with her staff while waiting to go on stage. Becoming is a must-watch for anyone who is a fan of Michelle and her family; you won’t be disappointed visiting a world that we so briefly get to see.   My Rating: Full Price     Becoming Website   The film is currently available on Netflix.

Indiefest:  How to Build a Girl (2019)   Johanna (Beanie Feldstein) is a sixteen-year-old girl who desperately wants to escape her humdrum life in Wolverhampton. She decides to reinvent herself as Dolly Wilde, a music critic who takes the rock world of the 90s by storm. If you haven’t fallen in love with Beanie Feldstein from her appearances in Booksmart and Lady Bird, well, you will now. Feldstein is a blast to watch as she transforms from the nerdy, book smart girl to a critic that took the London music world by storm. Feldstein is one of those rare actors who can be silly and funny in one moment, and heartbreakingly real in another. Director Coky Giedronyc and writer Caitlin Moran (Dolly Wilde/Johanna in real life) give us a film that is a quirky (Johanna’s wall of heroes pictures continuously talk to her with advice) and amusing look at a girl whose dreams come true but at a price. The film is aided by some stellar supporting roles, including Paddy Considine as Johanna’s father, who still has dreams of being a rock star, and Alfie Allen as a rock star who becomes a good friend to Johanna early in her rock critic career. The film slows down a little when Johanna lets success go to her head, but I loved the ending of the film, and Feldstein is a talent to keep your eye on in both this film and in the future.   My Rating: Full Price     How to Build a Girl Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Clementine (2019)   After a breakup, a devastated Karen (Otmara Marrero) breaks into her ex’s lake house, where she meets and starts a complicated relationship with a younger woman named Lana (Sydney Sweeney). This film has a small and intimate feel to it as Karen works through her heartbreak with the help of Lana, a teen who is a little mysterious, and though she plays the innocence card, it is apparent that her story isn’t as simple as it seems. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Otmara Marrero, who slowly lets Lana and us into her world. The film is understated and lets the tension fill as the couple gets to know each other. The film has a bit of menace in it, as we never quite know what to make of Lana, and there is always the specter of Karen’s ex that hangs over the house, much like the paintings her ex has created throughout the home. The film from time to time misses its mark making the movie seem a little slow, but Marrero, as the headstrong Karen, has a few very moving moments that make the film worth watching.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee    Clementine Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

 

My View:  Bad Education (2019)   Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) seemingly has everything going for him; he’s superintendent of New York’s Roslyn school district, where he is loved by his employees, his students, and their parents as their kids get into the best colleges. He is aided by his confidant and second-in-command Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney). Frank and Pam are hiding a deep, dark secret that is about to be exposed by a high-school-student (Stephanie Kurtzuba) who is about to break a story on the local school paper. Jackman doesn’t disappoint as the vain and overconfident Frank, who depends a little too much on his good looks and his charm to smooth over any problem. Allison Janney, playing the smart mouth financial wizard of the school, dazzles the screen with her brash style of a woman who feels entitled because of how successful the school is. I loved the performance of Stephanie Kurtzuba, who as the student who is given a small ‘puff piece’ for the student newspaper and smells something fishy is going on at the school. Bad Education is one of those films that you start taking sides at the beginning, but you might have to change your mind as the film moves along.   My Rating: Full Price    Bad Education Website  The film is currently playing on HBO.

Indiefest:   Spaceship Earth (2020)  Documentary on a science experiment that captivated the world where a group of people spent two years quarantined inside a self-engineered replica of Earth’s ecosystem called Biosphere 2. This is a fascinating film about something that you continually wonder how this experiment ever even made it to the planning stage, much less successfully building a complex and completing the first mission. It is almost as if your high school drama teacher said ‘Hey, let's put on a play’ and the next thing you know, you are on Broadway. The film interviews most of the participants in the project, including the ‘biospherians’ that lived inside and the people that were in charge of the project on the outside, so we get a feel of what it was like during that time. We get a look into life in the biosphere from the extensive footage shot inside and by the constant news coverage that kept the experiment at the forefront of the news cycle for those 2 years. The film looks at all the controversies, including if the operation itself was part of a cult, whether the experiment was based on scientific principles and how a series of events caused the public to believe that the Biosphere 2 ultimately was a flop. And, wait until near the end of the film, when a twist you couldn’t see coming happens: it will blow you away.    My Rating: Full Price     Spaceship Earth Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Forgotten Film: Police Story (1985) PG-13   A Hong Kong police officer (Jackie Chan) is framed for murder by a drug lord. Now, against the odds, the officer must fight to clear his name all the while trying to protect a woman (Bridgett Lin) from the mob intent on killing her to stop her testimony. As with a lot of Chan films, there is a lot of funny gags and Chan doing impossible stunts that most stuntmen could only dream of doing. While not a great movie, it does have one of the most impressive and possibly the greatest stunt of all time, especially when you realize that Chan did it all on his own without tricks or CGI. After seeing this film, you will wonder how Chan is still alive at the end of the movie.   My Rating: Full Price    Police Story Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Bad Education: Hand Model

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The High Note (2020) PG-13   Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross) is a superstar singer who is resting on the popularity of her past hits. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is Grace’s overworked and under-appreciated assistant. When Grace’s push for a new album is shot down by her manager (Ice Cube), Maggie pushes Grace to record songs on her own, and Grace decides that Maggie is just the one to produce them. I’m not a big fan of Dakota Johnson, though I loved her in The Peanut Butter Falcon) and I am a massive fan of Traces Ellis Ross, so I am game.    The High Note Website

Until Next Time!

Happy Death Day

My View:  Happy Death Day  (2017)  PG-13  A college student, Tree (Jessica Rothe), keeps reliving the day of her murder. As she relives the day over and over, she starts to figure out who killed her and how to stop them.  I thoroughly enjoyed this film, which is rare for a slasher genre movie. The film has a sense of humor, making fun of the slasher device in films, as Tree is killed in about every way possible. The film has some twists and turns to keep you interested as Tree (yes that is what everyone calls her) tries to discover who the killer is. Jessica Rothe has a significant screen presence and has a knack for comedy, which helps the film feel light and fun. There are some scary moments; most of them the ‘jump out of the dark' variety but it’s the tongue in cheek humor that makes this film so much fun. It’s not a great film, but it’s enjoyable for its campy theme.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Happy Death Day Website

My View:  The Foreigner  (2017)  R  An ordinary businessman, Quan (Jackie Chan), seeks justice when his daughter is killed in an act of terrorism. They messed with the wrong man as Quan has a past that will help him track down his daughter’s killers.  This is not your typical happy-go-lucky Jackie Chan roll, nor is it your typical Jackie Chan movie. The Foreigner is a grim movie about a grieving father who wants revenge on the killers who exploded a bomb in downtown London. I loved the action sequences with Chan which are fast moving and, as with any film with Jackie Chan, are full of almost impossible stunts. The problem with this film is that it wants to be a revenge film and political drama, which the two don’t mix very well up on the screen. Pierce Brosnan plays a former IRA leader who, for the past nineteen years, has been working with the English government to keep the peace. I wanted more of Jackie Chan and a whole lot less of Pierce Brosnan.  The political stuff is too slow moving and weighs down this almost 2-hour film. I would give this film a lower rating, but Jackie Chan is just too darn good at action scenes to do that.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   The Foreigner Website

My View:  Marshall  (2017)  PG-13   Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown) is accused of raping his employer, Mrs. Strubing (Kate Hudson). NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) is sent to defend him and is forced by the court to use local lawyer Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), who typically works on insurance cases.  Chadwick Boseman is an unmovable force in this outstanding film about a man who continually challenged the system and won. This is a gripping courtroom drama, which, even though I knew the outcome, kept me on the edge of my seat. There is impressive chemistry between Boseman and Josh Gad, who plays a reluctant lawyer who comes around to Marshall’s ideas on how to run a case. The whole cast is outstanding, including Kate Hudson was the woman who filed the rape charges. This film is worth the price of admission to see Chadwick Boseman work his magic, making Thurgood Marshall come alive before our eyes.  My Rating: Full Price    Marshall Website

Indiefest:  Professor Marston and the Wonder Women  (2017)  R    The true story of psychologist William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans), who was in a polyamorous relationship between his wife (Rebecca Hall) and his mistress (Olive Byrne). Marston went on to create the legendary and controversial (for its time) comic book character Wonder Woman. This is a movie about the choices we make in our relationships, those choices that sometimes take great courage to make. This film isn’t for everyone as it contains a bit of nudity, along with some bondage. I liked Hall and Evans’ performances, but it’s Rebecca Hall who makes this film worth watching. Playing the hard-headed, opinionated, and brilliant wife, Hall dominates every scene that she is in. I think you will be shocked at Marston’s ideas that he incorporated in his creation of Wonder Woman. This is a complex, moving tale about the exploration of what love means and if it indeed can conquer all that life gives us.   My Rating:  Full Price    Professor Marston and the Wonder Women Website

Indiefest:  The King’s Choice  (2017)  In 1940, the Nazis invade Norway, who, up to that time in the war, had been neutral.  The Norwegian King (Jesper Christensen) must make the tough decision to give in to the German’s demands or fight on and lose countless lives of his own people. The film is the dramatic telling of a King who has to make a hard choice that will have far-ranging consequences. King’s Choice lets us see the workings of not only a Monarchy but how a King deals with a government that can’t come to a decision. We get to know the King’s family, including the hot-headed son, and we also meet the brave soldiers that were fighting for King and country under impossible odds. It’s an entertaining film that lets us see how war affects people, not only the powerful but also the powerless.    My Rating: Full Price    The King's Choice Website

Indiefest:  M.F.A.  (2017)  An art student, Noelle (Francesca Eastwood), gets creatively inspired when she accidentally kills the man who raped her. After her painting is well received, she decides to become a vigilante, killing men who have wronged women on campus, which fuels her creativity. This is an interesting and sometimes brutal look at a woman who becomes empowered by her revenge. The more she becomes a vigilante and rights what she perceives as wrongful acts on women, the more creative she becomes to where it becomes an obsession. Eastwood gives a robust and compelling performance, making it hard to not root for her even though she is killing men right and left. M.F.A. will leave you thinking about how to stop violence against women on college campuses  in this tale of a woman who seeks solace in revenge.  My Rating: Full Price    M.F.A.Website

Indiefest: The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)   (2017)   An estranged family, two brothers and one sister gather in New York for an event celebrating their father, Harold (Dustin Hoffman), an opinionated sculptor. Danny (Adam Sandler), the oldest son, is a recently separated father whose daughter, Eliza (Grace Van Patten) is about to leave for college. Jean (Elizabeth Marvel), the troubled daughter, is an office manager, who has never gotten over her broken childhood caused by her parents' divorce. Matthew (Ben Stiller), the youngest son, is a highly successful money manager that moved to Los Angeles to get away from his family. Writer/director Noah Baumbach brings us a story about a rather strange family, led by the bullheaded and conceited father who feels he never got the success and recognition that his work deserved. Dustin Hoffman is phenomenal as the center of attention-hungry patriarch. Baumbach gives us almost non-stop dialogue where family members try to get their point in while Harold keeps talking about what he wants to chat about. Both Sandler, as the loving father and Ben Stiller, as the slick Matthew, are exceptional in their performances. While given a lesser role within the film, Elizabeth Marvel, still holds her own as the distressed Jean. Emma Thompson, as the alcoholic fourth wife of Harold, is simply superlative in the film. The film is told short stories, centering on each character of the family. This is a funny and moving film filled with eccentric, complex characters whose layers start peeling back before our eyes.   My Rating: Full Price   The Meyerowitz Stories Website

Forgotten Film:  Night Falls on Manhattan  (1996)  R  A newly elected District Attorney (Andy Garcia) finds himself in the middle of an investigation of police corruption that may involve his father (Ian Holm and his father’s police partner(James Gandolfini). This is an absorbing tale where you never know which character is telling the truth. I love James Gandolfini in the film playing the possible corrupt policeman; he is just a blast to watch to perform. It’s a dark film about the intricate workings of a city that is choking on lies and deceit.   My Rating: Full Price   Night Falls on Manhattan Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Happy Death Day: Mascot Mask Designed By

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Snowman  (2017)  R  Detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) gets put on the case of a woman who has disappeared, and her pink scarf is wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman. You had me at Michael Fassbender. The Snowman Website 

Until Next Time!