Our Friend

 Note to readers: I currently am not willing to risk my health (I’m 62 and an asthmatic) by visiting a theatre. All films that I have seen for review have been screened in my home. I am not going to tell you whether or not to attend a theatre. Just be aware of the risks, do your research, and follow the instructions to the letter.

My View: Our Friend (2019) R   Matt (Casey Affleck), his wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson), and Dane (Jason Segel) are best friends. Their lives are upended when Nicole is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Their friendship will be put to the test as the three, along with Matt and Nicole's two young daughters, must deal with the impact. Based on a true story, the film constantly tugs on your heartstrings but never finds its center, mostly due to the storyline, which jumps around in the timeline to the point that it becomes confusing. The illness is at the forefront of the story, right from the start, not giving us time to fully understand the relationship of the three people, who are so connected that Dane is just as important to Nicole as Matt is. I would have liked to have seen some of Matt and Nicole's courtship, but instead, we join the story as they have been already married, and Dane is introduced to Matt by Nicole, as Nicole and Dane work with each other in a theater. Both Affleck and Johnson have nice chemistry together, but I wanted more from Dakota Johnson. I wanted to feel more emotion about her character and feel more deeply about how her loss impacts family, but I don’t know if Johnson isn’t up to the task or Affleck just dominates every scene they are in. I did love Jason Segel’s performance, as the man who holds the family together and is so in love with this family that he is willing to wreck any chance for a family on his own. It’s a brilliant performance that makes this film work as well as it does. I never got the emotional moment from this film that I needed and wanted, possibly because I kept seeing Nicole in her different stages, never quite giving us the ending, but instead jumping back in time to ‘before the diagnosis’.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Our Friend Website   Now playing in select theatres and available to rent on participating on-demand services.

My View: No Man's Land (2021) PG-13   There is a 'no man's land' between the Rio Grande and the actual border between Mexico and the US. Jackson (Jake Allyn) is a promising baseball prospect waiting for a tryout while working on his parent's ranch. Out trying to stop rustlers stealing his family's cattle, he accidentally kills a Mexican immigrant boy and goes on the run to Mexico to find the boy's father and find forgiveness. The film has its heart in the right place but tends to make the hero of the story, Jackson, the victim too many times, and its message of, hey, Mexico isn’t so bad as we thought, gets old very fast. I had a hard time believing that a family that grew up on land so close to Mexico had so little knowledge of both the culture and the language. The story throws a lot at us, like Jackson, without knowing the language or even where he is going, is off to find the father of the child he shot, going on an adventure where Jackson is repeatedly shown the goodness and warmth of the Mexican people, all the while being tracked down not only by the father of the boy he killed but a troubled gang leader who, for some reason, goes on a quest to hunt Jackson down. The story goes on forever, with Jackson barely escaping both the law and the men bent on revenge until we get the final confrontation that just doesn’t quite deliver.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee   No Man's Land Website   Now playing in select theatres and available to rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: Identifying Features (2020)   Magdalena (Mercedes Hernandez) embarks on a dangerous journey to find her missing son. Along the way, she encounters Miguel (David Illescas), a young man who was recently was deported from the US. This story of a mother’s love for her son and the need to find out just what happened to someone she loves more than life itself. Mercedes Hernandez gives a powerful, moving performance as she encounters both sides of humanity, the dark side that kills without thought or reason and the goodness, where strangers lend a helping hand and a warm place to lay down for the night. It’s a movie where Magdalena often observes others before she acts or speaks, always moving forward, never giving up until she gets the answers she needs. Identifying Features is a film where the main character doesn’t care about politics, who is in power, or what the dangers are; she just wants the answer to what happened to her son, her beloved son.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     Identifying Features Website     Now playing in select theatres and available to rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: Acasa, My Home (2020)   Documentary on a family of nine children and their parents who live in the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta, right in the middle of a busy city. After 20 years of living off the land, they are forced to move into a tiny apartment in the city when the government decides to make their home a nature reserve. First, let me tell you the cinematography on this film is some of the best work I have seen, making the beauty of wilderness stand out to the life in the concrete jungle of the city. At first, you are amused by this family and how they survive and flourish in the wilderness, but soon reality creeps in, and you realize that their ideal existence isn’t so ideal. The family is living in a shack with no electricity or running water. The kids are running wild and not getting any schooling, and the parents are more concerned about avoiding the authorities than making sure their kids are prepared for the outside world. The tragedy of the film is that while the family is not ready for city life, neither is the government prepared for the family to flourish in this new environment. We watch as this close family falls apart under the constraints of living in the harsh city world, as they wish they were still back living on their island among the wilderness.   My Rating: Full Price    Acasa, My Home Facebook Page  The film is available to rent on participating on-demand services.

Forgotten Film: A Mighty Wind (2003) PG-13   Co-written and directed by Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show), A Mighty Wind is about a reunion concert of 60s folk singers to celebrate the life of a late, beloved folk promoter put on by the promotor’s son (Bob Balaban. He assembles the New Main Street Singers, the legendary group The Folksmen (Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean), and the headliners, the once power couple, Mitch and Mickey (Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara). This is Levy and O’Hara’s movie and fans of their TV show Schitt’s Creek will love their interactions and as always, amazing chemistry. Levy is hilarious as a man who has serious doubts about his talents and is still broken up about his unrequited love of Mickey. Fred Willard is along for the fun as a washed-up TV star who is only known for his catchphrase, along with a supporting cast that includes Parker Posey, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, and Ed Begley, Jr. The songs are a little too spot-on to be always enjoyable, but the Levy and O’Hara make this a film worth watching.    My Rating: Full Price   A Mighty Wind Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Our Friend: Rope Swinger

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Mauritanian (2021) R   Captured and believed to be the chief recruiter for 9/11, Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) has been in prison for years without a trial or even charges leveled against him. After losing all hope, attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Terri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) come to Slahi’s defense. They are opposed by military prosecutor Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), who eventually uncovers a shocking, far-reaching conspiracy. The cast alone is enough to want to see this film.      The Mauritanian Info

Until Next Time!

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

My View:  The Man from U.N.C.L.E.  (2015)  PG-13   Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) team up with the help of a beautiful woman (Alicia Vikander) to stop a mysterious international criminal organization led by Victoria Vinciguerrra (Elizabeth Debicki).  This is a Guy Ritchie film, and it looks it. It’s very stylish (in a good way) with lots of creative action sequences and witty dialog. There are also some great running gags, including Solo and Kuryakin having such a fashion war that they could be contestants on Project Runway. I liked Alicia Vikander in the role of the German mechanic who can hold her own with the boys, though I wish she had done more action scenes. Both Cavill and Hammer play their roles with perfection. I especially liked Hammer’s tough, Russian vibe that he gave his character.  The film is a little long but has an enjoyable ending that sets the team up for more adventures.  My Rating:  Full Price   The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Website

My View:  Straight Outta Compton  (2015)  R  The film revolves around the rise and fall of the Compton, California hip hop group N.W.A., led by Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), and Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.).  The first part of this film, showing the origins of the three principal rappers, is a blast to watch. I especially enjoyed Ice Cube’s story, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube’s real life son) stands out in his picture perfect portrayal. The movie's concert scenes are fun, powerful and make you feel like you are in the live audience.  The film slows down considerably once (spoiler alert, sort of) when the group breaks up. And, it just seems that the film is just introducing characters like Snoop Dogg and Tupac for the wow factor instead of propelling the storyline. I also would have liked to have seen more of how songs were written and recorded. Fans of hip hop and N.W.A. will enjoy this film as music is used perfectly to set the scenes.  Overall, it’s an interesting film that has some stunning and awesome concert scenes.  My Review:  Full Price   Straight Outta Compton Website

Indiefest:  The End of the Tour  (2015)  R  In 1996, immediately after the publication of his second book, David Foster Wallace (Jason Segal) goes on a five-day book tour with Rolling Stone writer, David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg).  I think that if I had read either of David Foster Wallace’s books I would have enjoyed this more. It’s a movie mostly about two men, both writers, discussing life, writing and being famous. Segal gives a great performance as the rather withdrawn and quite strange Wallace. The film shows that Segal has quite the range, as his performance is brilliant and moving.  I felt that Eisenberg didn’t have to work too hard in his performance, and the film bogs down a little when they guys are traveling by themselves in the car. I wanted to like/love this picture, but like a few of the conversations, it’s a little long-winded and boring. The End of the Tour is a road picture that just doesn’t seem to go anywhere.   My Rating:  Full Price   The End of the Tour Website

Indiefest:  Cop Car  (2015)  R   A small town sheriff (Kevin Bacon) sets out to find the two youths who have taken his police car on a joyride. Director Jon Watts, who co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher D. Ford, brings out the best in his cast. The two boys, Welftford and Freedson-Jackson, play well off each other, and Watts lets the boys be boys, as they have a blast driving around in a police car. Bacon is perfect as the menacing sheriff, and we know the instant that we meet him, he is not to be annoyed. This sheriff is certainly someone who will do anything to survive. The film's second half just isn’t as compelling or fascinating as the first. The film becomes a cat and mouse game with a very ambiguous ending that is downright frustrating.  Overall, the cast and the excellent pace make up for that ending and make the film an engaging and sometimes amusing film with an acute style that slowly creates tension. “Cop Car” is an interesting take on the modern western.   My Take:  Full Price   Cop Car Website

Indiefest:  Fort Tilden  (2014)  R  Allie (Claire McNulty) and Harper (Bridey Elliot) are best friends, and all they want to do is spend a day at the beach, but life has other plans for their day.  Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, who co-directed and wrote the film, have created two lead characters to whom you would hate to be seated beside at Starbucks. Allie and Harper are two young women who are spoiled, egotistical and clueless about how the world works.  Harper is a mixed-media artist who spends most of her days coming up with ideas that will never be realized. Allie, who sometimes is the more level-headed of the two, is solely consumed with her upcoming Peace Corps trip. Harper is convinced that, like many other endeavors that Allie has taken up, that Allie will not go on her trip, afterall. Neither woman has faith in each other; and it's as if they are in an endless cycle of letting each other down, only to forget about the transgression in a short amount of time. This is one of those films that some critics will find endearing and even possibly enchanting. I found the film a little tedious, rarely funny, and I was very often frustrated with the characters and their cluelessness.  My Rating:  Cable   Fort Tilden Website

Forgotten Film:  Newsfront  (1978)  PG  A group of cameramen and reporters struggle in post-war Australia to create newsreels for the movie going public. For a long time, most of Australia got a lot of their news from newsreels shown before the featured movie. The film, while a little low-key, is a poignant look at a proud cameraman (Bill Hunter) who takes all sorts of risks to get the best shot. Hunter is brilliant in the role and makes the film work as well as it does. The movie shows a lot of actual newsreels which gives it a bit of authenticity. It’s an intriguing film about our quick changing world and how it affects people.   My Rating: Full Price   Newsfront Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.:  Costume Cutter

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  A Walk in the Woods  (2015) R   After spending 20 years in England, Bill (Robert Redford) decides to travel the Appalachian Trail to reconnect with his homeland. This film has a brilliant cast including Nick Offerman, Nick Nolte, Kristen Schaal, Mary Steenburgen, and Emma Thompson.   A Walk in the Woods Website

Until Next Time!

   

Sex Tape

My View:  Sex Tape (2014) R A married couple, Jay (Jason Segel) and Annie (Cameron Diaz), try to spice up their marriage by doing a sex tape. They wake up to discover that they have sent their video to the cloud network, where everyone they know can see it. Can they get the video back before the couple is exposed?  Yes, there are quite a few shots of Segel and Diaz having sex, and all the shots are done for comedy, and we mostly just see a tangle of legs and arms.  It’s a comedy that is slightly raunchy, and producers could have taken it farther, but they held back.  There are some funny scenes, especially when the couple visits Annie’s potential boss’s home, but the film quickly runs out of steam and is incredibly predictable.  It’s not a bad film, but it needed to be a whole lot funnier.  And, I never want to see Jason Segel’s butt ever again.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Sex Tape Website

My View:  The Purge: Anarchy  (2014) R It’s time for the annual Purge, a night where everything is legal, and if you want to survive, you better lie low. A number of citizens, including a young married couple (Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez), get caught out in downtown L.A. How will they survive the night? This is a sequel to the surprise hit, The Purge (2013), but this one is a much better film.  It has far more action and less political talk than the original. This is what I call a video game type of film - one that has lots of fighting and chases but not a lot of heavy dialogue. I enjoyed watching this film, most of which was shot at night on the streets of L.A. It moves at a quick pace, is easy to understand, and it keeps you guessing on who will survive and how.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Purge: Anarchy Website

Indiefest:  Wish I Was Here (2014) R Aidan Bloom (Zach Braff) is a 35-year-old man who is having a mid-life crisis a little early. He is at a major crossroads that will force him to reassess his life, his career and his relationship with his family.  While at times funny and moving, this film too often goes for the easy joke or cliché plot point to make it a really effective film.  Braff is basically playing a less successful version of himself and doesn’t really bring anything new to the screen.  I did enjoy the performance of Kate Hudson, who plays Sarah, the wife of Aidan, who is in love with her husband and has supported his dream of being a full-time actor.  Also, Joey King, who plays the older daughter of Aidan and who is wise beyond her years, brings an honest emotional tone to the film.  I just wanted this film to be better than it is.  It’s enjoyable to watch and, at times emotional, but Braff doesn’t deliver a complete story, as this film feels more like several sketches pieced together.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Wish I Was Here Website

Forgotten Film:  Gone Baby Gone (2007) R A four-year-old is missing in the city of Boston.  The family feels that the cops aren’t moving fast enough and hires two private detectives (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan) to find their baby girl.  The two P.I.’s start digging around and find out that this case is more complicated than just a simple abduction, and it could get them killed.  Ben Affleck directed this smart and tense film that has you guessing until the very end.  The casting is first rate, including Morgan Freeman, who plays a police investigator who is determined to find the girl.  Casey Affleck is at his best in this part, showing great range and bringing an emotional impact to the screen.  Ben Affleck knocks it out of the park with his first directorial job.   My Rating: Full Price  Gone Baby Gone Website  

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Sex Tape: Graphic Designer Specialty Tattoos

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Laggies (2014) R  A young woman’s (Keira Knightley) life is in a rut. She decides to take a week off and lay low.  She meets a teenager (Chloe Grace Moretz) and convinces her to let her stay at her home.  Is it okay for a grown woman to spend so much of her time with teenagers? This comedy film stars Moretz, Knightley, Sam Rockwell, Ellie Kemper and Gretchen Moll, so you know I will be there to watch it.  Laggies Website

Until Next Time!

The Muppets

Family Fare:  The Muppets  (2011)  In this new Muppets film, Gary (played by Jason Segel), has a brother named Walter (voiced by Peter Linz).  Walter is a little different because he looks like a Muppet; but that is good because his favorite TV show is, The Muppets.   Segel, his girlfriend (played by the cute Amy Adams) and Walter go to California to visit the Muppet studio, a lifelong dream of Walters. They find out that not only is the studio abandoned, the Muppets have disbanded and that an evil oil baron (played by Chris Cooper) wants the land where the studio is and will do almost anything to get it.  Walter finds Kermit and persuades him to get the old Muppet gang back together to save the studio.  This is an absolute joy of a film to watch, and I was smiling throughout.  Unlike Happy Feet Two, this film has several memorable song and dance numbers, and Segel (who also co-wrote the script) has a ball performing with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the rest of the gang.  This is by far the best of the Muppet films and is one not to be missed.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   The Muppets Website

My View:  Hugo  (2011)  Martin Scorsese directs this 3-D film about a young orphan (Asa Butterfield) who lives in a train station in Paris in the 1930s. His father left him a mysterious, metal man, an  automaton, a prop used by magicians at the turn of the century.   The boy is convinced that if he can get the automaton working, it will give him a message from his late father, so he sets out to repair it.  A girl (played by Chole Moretz), whose godfather (played by Ben Kingsley) owns a small toy shop in the train station, decides to help him.  The godfather, though, is hiding secrets - secrets that might help the boy solve the riddle of the automaton, and there is an evil Station Inspector (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) who is dead-set on catching the boy and sending him off to an orphanage.  This is a beautiful film and the best use of 3-D since Avatar, but the film is way too long (127 minutes), takes forever to set up any of the story-lines and is just not very interesting.  This is one  of those films that you want to love but just don't really even like.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Hugo Website

Indyfest (A Look at a Small, Indie or Foreign Film):  The Descendants  (2011)  George Clooney stars in this film about a father whose life is shattering around him.  His oldest daughter  (played by Shailene Woodley) is in a boarding school and is flunking out.  His youngest daughter is not getting along with fellow students and says things without thinking.  His wife has had a boating accident and is in a coma.  And, to add to the pressure, he is the main trustee of a large parcel of pristine real estate on one of the Islands of Hawaii, and he has to decide who to sell the land to, land that has been in his family for 150 years.  Clooney is amazing in this role, low key and restrained, and this role is sure to get him an Oscar nomination.  But it's Shailene Woodley (Secret Life of the American Teenager) who really shines in this film.  She does an incredible job as a teenager dealing with her mother's coma while trying to re-forge a relationship with her father.  This film is warm and rich and is surprisingly funny, as director Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election) gets multi-layered performances out of the whole cast.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   The Descendants Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All Time):

#30 Best Film  

The Deer Hunter  (1978)  This five time Academy Award winning film (including Best Picture and Best Director) is a film about how the Vietnam War affected the lives of a small, factory town in Pennsylvania.  Three men, Michael (played by Robert De Niro), Steven (played by John Savage) and Nick (played by Christopher Walken) have enlisted in the Army to fight in Vietnam.  Before they depart, Steve marries his childhood sweetheart (played by Rutanya Alda) and Michael, Nick and their friend, Stan (played by John Cazale), go on one last hunting trip.   Little do the three men know that the next time they will meet will be in a Vietcong prison.  This is a complex film that tracks the three men through their tour in Vietnam and the after-effects of war when the three men return to civilian life.  Director Michael Cimino boldly directs this film, using great sweeping shots, and gets every ounce out of an incredible cast that also includes a very young Meryl Streep.  This is a marvelous film and one that shows how a war can affect not only the men/women who fight, but their loved ones, as well.   The Deer Hunter Info

Forgotten Film:  Marty  (1955)  Ernest Borgnine, in an Academy Award winning role, plays Marty, a 34 year old butcher, who has just about given up finding someone to love.  He still lives with his mother, hangs out with his buddies at the local bar and has to be dragged by his friends to a dance.  At that dance, he meets a plain-looking woman (Betsy Blair) and discovers that maybe, just maybe, he can find love.   Borgnine is absolutely perfect in the role, and Paddy Chayefsky (Network) wrote a script that gives him the part of a lifetime.  My Rating:  Full Price   Marty Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Super 8 (2011)   I liked this film from producer Steven Spielberg and director J.J.  Abrams as I felt it was part E.T., part Close Encounters and part Alien with a whole lot of The Goonies thrown in.  It has an impressive young cast that does a terrific job of taking you on a thrilling adventure.  My Rating:  Full Price   Super 8 Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Seen Only in Trailers but Just  Looks Like a Bad Idea): Mirror Mirror   Fairy tales have been all the  rage in Hollywood these days, and this one is the story of Snow White (played by Lily Collins - the daughter of musician, Phil Collins) and the evil queen (played by...wait for it...Julia Roberts) who sets out to destroy the sweet and innocent Snow White.  It's really hard to tell if this film is a comedy (Nathan Lane is the evil queen's servant) or a drama.  I have a feeling I won't really care.   Mirror Mirror Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Hugo:  Personal designer for Sir Ben Kingsley

Flictionary (A Definition of a Film Term):  Tracking Shot  This a shot where the camera follows a parallel path of the object on the screen.  Normally done with a camera mounted on a dolly, it can also be done with a crane or a hand held camera.

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Iron Lady   A film about the life of British Prime Minster, Margaret Thatcher. I only need to say three words: "Starring Meryl Streep."   The Iron Lady Website

Until Next Time!