Top Gun: Maverick

My View: Top Gun: Maverick (2022) PG-13   Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) has for 30 years served his country but has done it his way, as one of the Navy’s top aviators, pushing the envelope as a test pilot. Maverick has been able to dodge the advancement in rank that would ground him until now. Maverick is back where he started, and he is still flying by the air tower, rank be damned. First, see this film on as big a movie screen as you can find (I saw it in IMAX and am so glad I did) because, incredibly, most of the stunts in this film were done in real planes making the flying sequences an absolute blast to watch. I was physically tired after seeing this film because I felt I was in those fighter jets along with the characters in the movie. Secondly, this is one of the best sequels ever made, and yes, I know it’s 36 years after the Top Gun. The first Top Gun was a fun, enjoyable movie that capitalized on the then-growing movie theme of mixing current top 40 hits with a film to create music videos within a movie. The plot was stitched together (some of it after principal shooting had been done) and leaned heavily on Tom Cruise’s charisma and lots of good-looking young men (sometimes with their shirts off). Not only that, but we kicked the Russian’s butts in a dogfight (something huge in the 80s), and you also had a great cast of primarily up-and-coming stars, including an adorable Meg Ryan. So come this movie, and it blows that Top Gun out of the park. First and foremost, Tom Cruise is brilliant as the man who has lived his life like his nickname, Maverick. After doing what Maverick does, breaking the rules to prove a point, he is forced to return to the school which made him a true fighter pilot, ‘Top Gun.’ He will lead a mission with the best pilots in the Navy that is dangerous and may be impossible, but of course, that is what Maverick does, the impossible. Add to this is a cast that rivals the original. First, we have Jennifer Connelly, playing a former flame of Maverick, who now runs the famous bar that everyone hangs out in, and Maverick has a history of trying to pick up women in. Connely is perfect as the one that got away, someone who can stand up to Maverick’s antics and give him a run for his money. And she is someone who has lived a life both before and after Maverick. Next, we have perfect casting in Miles Teller, who plays a certain someone’s son and is now a pilot who has a big chip on his shoulder because of it. When Miles walks into the bar, our first scene to see him, it is a fantastic moment, which at first, I thought was a flashback. Finally, we have a new ace named Hangman, played with gusto and bravado by Glen Powell, a cock sure pilot who outdoes Mavericks’ old rival, Iceman. Speaking of Iceman, Val Kilmer makes a vital appearance in the film, and they explain his inability to talk normally (in real life, Kilmer had throat cancer, see his documentary Val for more). The plot is fast-paced, hitting all the right notes and emotions, the romance between Cruise and Connely feels real and genuine, the action sequences are truly superb, and there isn’t a bad performance in the bunch. All in all, Top Gun: Maverick is sure to be in my top ten films of the year and is not to be missed. And once again, see it in a big-screen theatre! You won’t be disappointed.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Top Gun: Maverick Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022) PG-13  As The Bob’s Burgers Movie opens, a bank payment is due, and if things can’t get worse, a giant sinkhole opens up right in front of the restaurant. Now it’s up to the kids to try to solve a mystery that could possibly save their parent's place. Truth be told, I’m not a big Bob’s Burger fan (I’ve seen quite a few episodes). That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The songs are a lot of fun, the storyline is imaginative and funny, and the voice cast brings an energy to the screen that makes it an amusing ride. Fans of the show will love this film, bringing some of the best aspects of the series, mainly the songs and the quick, often hilarious, asides that the characters make, combined with a mystery that is entertaining to solve, make this a fun and light film to watch. If you haven’t seen the series, you will quickly be able to follow and fall in love with this strange and hilarious family that, at its core, is all about love and believing in yourself and your family. With a bit of help from your friends and siblings, you can do anything, including solving a crime or two.   My Rating: Full Price   The Bob's Burgers Movie Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Montana Story (2021) R  Two long-estranged siblings (Haley Lu Richardson, Owen Teague) come back home to their father’s ranch as he is on his deathbed. While there, they will be forced to confront their shared painful past, facing a deep and bitter family legacy. One of the things I enjoy about going to film festivals is discovering a film that I didn’t know anything about and falling in love with it. I did this at the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival with this film. This is a quiet, potent story powered by a moving performance by its two lead actors. Owen Teague plays Cal, the son who stayed behind when his sister suddenly left the family and disappeared. Teague brings a quiet presence to the part, a young man trying to do the best he can in a difficult situation and is troubled by a shared past with his long-lost sister. Haley Lu Richardson plays the somber and sometimes fiery Erin, a young woman who wants to do nothing with her father and doesn’t really know why she has come back to a place that has caused her so much pain. Adding to the performances is the cinematography, perfectly capturing the magnificent Montana vistas, where the sky does seem to go on forever, and the mountains seem both welcoming and menacing at the same time. Montana Story is a drama about secrets that a family keeps and how they can tear apart a family, only to be repaired with time, understanding, and deeply filled regret. In addition to the main actor performances, I loved the supporting cast in this film, with some beautiful and meaningful performances brought to the screen by Kimberly Guerrero, the long-time housekeeper and family friend Valentina, and the father’s nurse, played by Gilbert Owuor, a thoughtful and insightful Kenyan Immigrant, there to make the father’s last days as peaceful as possible for both the parent and the kids. Adding to the mix is an entertaining and fantastic storyline of Erin’s attempt to save a horse on the family farm that means the world to her. Montana Story is a family drama that takes its time to reveal the scars and chasms that have long been buried and must be confronted before the two siblings can move on.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Montanta Story Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: 18 1/2 (2021) PG-13  At the height of the 1974 Watergate scandal, it was discovered that there were 18 1/2 minutes of recordings that had been erased. A White House transcriber (Willa Fitzgerald) is thrust into the scandal when she discovers she is in possession of the only copy of the infamous 18 1/2 minute gap in the Nixon tapes. This an interesting little film that is part black comedy, part thriller with a few nice twists and turns. It is important to know that one of the things which brought down the Nixon presidency was it was found out that Nixon had recorded every meeting that took place in the White House Oval Office. Adding to that outlandish fact, it was discovered that in one session, there was 18 1/2 minutes of conversation that the White House clumsily claimed was mistakenly erased by Nixon’s secretary. In this film, a transcriber has discovered a separate tape (recorded without their knowledge) of Nixon and his staff listening to the tape and deciding to destroy it. She decides to go to a reporter, someone she respects and trusts, to let the story out. The film balances comedy with a bit of drama and suspense as the two try to find a way to listen to the tape together before the transcriber has to get the tape back to the archives. They go to a remote off-season resort, and a comedy of errors happens, from a nosy resort manager (played by the always funny Richard Kind) to a group of hippies trying to recruit the two into their party, to a strange older couple who are celebrating their wedding anniversary. I enjoyed Willa Fitzgerald's performance of the woman who wants to do the right thing but doesn't want to get caught up in the hysteria of Watergate. The film does a fun job at capturing the look and feel of a time transitioning from the peace and love movement of the 60s to the more almost paranoid feel of how the government was lying to us about nearly everything and everyone. 18 1/2 flounders a bit in the last act but is still an enjoyable ride that lets the tension build as everything seems against the two from actually listening to the tape.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  18 1/2 Website   Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: A Chiara (2021) R   An 15-year-old girl named Chiara (Swamy Rotolo) is a member of a close-knit family, and she deeply loves her father. Chiara’s world starts to fall apart when her father disappears in the middle of the night, and, consequently, she is determined to find out what happened to him and why. Part mystery, part coming of age film, A Chiara is a story about a young woman who has to grow up too quickly after she decides to go against the wishes of her older sister and mother and delve deep into her father’s past and current life. Swamy Rotolo gives us a teen who is fiercely determined to find out the truth, no matter the cost or how it turns out. Rotolo is a young actress who is able to give us a sweet girl who is concerned about Instagram and her carefree life of the privileged where her family is tight and loving. From the start of the film, it is apparent that Chiara is her father's favorite, and she feels that he can do no wrong. But then, in the middle of the night, she witnesses her father running away into the dead of night, and right after he has fled, his car is blown up. From there, she decides that while no one in her family will tell her the truth, she will discover it on her own. A Chiara is a film that starts as a look at the life of a teen who is surrounded by family and friends, and by the end of the film, it's her against the world as she digs further and further to find out the truth, a truth that could change her life forever.   My Rating: Full Price   A Chiara Website   Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Zero Contact (2022) R  Five people from around the globe are connected only by their devotion to tech titan Finley Hart (Anthony Hopkins). The five discover that Finley has developed a new, secret invention that could end life on earth as we know it, and accordingly, they must band together to stop him. An interesting film that was shot in 17 different countries during the height of the pandemic, where all the actors were on their own, shooting their parts remotely. Part of the plot of the movie is that Finley Hart is responsible for creating a software that allows companies to spy on their clients, and so we are witness to their spying when the principal in the story uses their smartphones, their security systems, and their computers to show us what is happening to each character. The five main characters each have a past with Finley; some knew him, some only worked remotely with him, and one, Sam (Chris Brochu), is the long-separated son of Finley. The five are put together after Finley’s death and must decide to either shut down or fire up a computer system using technology so powerful that it could destroy the earth’s ecosystem in one fatal power up. The film wants to be a thriller with a bit of horror thrown in, but the plot is so twisted and full of holes, where we are to believe that teleportation is not only possible but used without a lot of explanation, that I got lost on what was the plan or what were the stakes if the plan worked or didn’t. Anthony Hopkins is wasted as the mad inventor (or is he) who has created this elaborate plan to activate his last and possibly fatal gift to humanity, though it is fun to see him play the piano and chew a few scenes while speaking on the ills of humanity. Zero Contact is part one of a trilogy, and though the film shows us footage of how they put this film together during the credits, I have no interest in finding out what happens next.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Zero Contact Website   Now playing in select theatres and On Demand.

Forgotten Film: The Lacemaker (1977)  R  Pomme (Isabelle Huppert) is a shy, reserved young woman who lives with her loving mother and works at a Parisian beauty salon. Pomme decides to go on vacation with her out-going and fun-loving friend, Marylene (Florence Giorgetti), to the Normandy coast. Almost as soon as they arrive, she is abandoned by her friend, who has found a new man to fall in love with, and Pomme is left alone in a resort town. Pomme soon meets and quickly falls in love with a literature student Francois (Yves Beneyton), and they decide to move into together when they return to Paris. However, Pomme soon learns that falling in love with someone you don’t know well can be risky. Huppert is the reason to see this film as she is striking as the young, innocent woman who wears her heart on her sleeve. The Lacemaker is a tale of a romance where the two lovers are destined to fall apart. Is it that their love is not strong enough to survive, or are the two too young to learn that the road to love lasting is not easy.   My Rating: Full Price   The Lacemaker Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Top Gun: Maverick: Cast Swim Coach

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022) PG   A widowed cleaning lady (Lesley Manville) in 1950s London inherits a big of money, falls madly in love with the dresses of Dior, and decides to fly to Paris and buy one for herself. It’s a tale of adventure that will change her life and possibly the very future of the House of Dior itself. The trailer had me at the start with stars Lesley Manville and Isabelle Huppert.     Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Website

Magic Mike XXL

My View:   Magic Mike XXL (2015)   R   Mike (Channing Tatum) has been out of the stripper biz for three years. He has his own furniture company, and though he occasionally thinks about his past life, it’s pretty much over. That is until he gets a call from the guys, and they decide to go on one last road trip to glory.  I wasn’t a big fan of the first film as I feel it needed more of a storyline and less of a floor show. I also did not like the romantic interest for Tatum’s character, actress Cody Horn, as she wasn’t up to the part. My feeling for this sequel is about the same. While Tatum dances up a storm, and his final dance sequence with tWitch is fantastic, once again the film is let down by a weak storyline. The film’s Director of Photography is the first film’s director Steven Soderbergh, so I thought this one would follow the big, bright scenes the original film had but this sequel is very dim on the screen with some scenes barely visible. The initial meeting between Tatum and his love interest, Amber Heard, is so dark in appearance, I wasn’t sure who he was talking to. While I did like Jada Pinkett Smith in the role of the new MC for the boys, I just could help think how much I missed Matthew  McConaughey's character from the initial film. If you were a big fan of the first movie, you will enjoy this one. If you weren’t, like me, then stay away as it is just more of the same.   My Rating: Cable   Magic Mike XXL Website

My View:   Terminator Genisys (2015)  PG-13   John Connor (Jason Clarke) sends back Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), but when he arrives, nothing is as he expected.  So, what we have here is an attempt to reboot a franchise that seems as old as Arnold. Well, it just doesn’t work. Now if you are an action fan, then you may enjoy this film because it has plenty of action and some cool-looking fight sequences. Unfortunately, the plot, which includes multiple time travels, is a big mess where it looks like the writers and director added every conceivable plot point and hoped it would somehow all make sense. It doesn’t. My other problem with this film is the actress who plays Sarah Connor, Emilia Clarke. She is just too small and  young looking to play the tough as nails, Connor. I never believed that she could hold her own in a fight (unlike Linda Hamilton in T2 who could kick most guys’ butts). It also made it a little creepy that a very bulked up Jai Courtney’s character was meant to hook up with this very young-looking Sarah Connor. Arnold is fun and has some of the best lines, but it’s not enough to make up for such a convoluted storyline. And, it’s not worth the extra money for 3-D as the film was not shot in 3-D. Do stay through the first portion of ending credits though, as there’s a bonus scene.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Terminator Genisys Website

Indiefest:  Aloft (2015)  R  Nana (Jennifer Connelly) is an artist who recently became noticed for her work. A journalist (Melanie Laurent) finds out Nana abandoned a son (Cillian Murphy) over twenty years ago. The reporter sets up a meeting between the mother and son, and it will change their lives forever. I really enjoyed this film. It has a complex plot that, while complicated, makes the film flow throughout. All three leads are impressive, with Laurent giving a moving and intelligent performance. This is one of those films that is a pleasure to watch from the first frame, even though it deals with some pretty tough subjects, including a child with cancer. The cinematography in the film is extraordinary with the stark landscapes of the frozen north. If you want a film with notable performances and a well-thought-out plot, this movie is for you.   My Rating: Cable   Aloft Website

Indiefest:  A Little Chaos (2014)  R  Sabine (Kate Winslet) is a landscape designer who is commissioned by King Louis XIV (Alan Rickman) to build a garden at Versailles. She must deal with men who aren’t used to being bossed by a woman and work with Andre Le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts), a landscaper to whom she becomes attracted. This is a fascinating film about a woman struggling to make it in not only in a man’s world but one that is also ruled by a class system. Winslet is perfect as the headstrong Sabine, who is willing to move mountains to create her garden. Besides playing the King, Rickman also directs this beautiful and intriguing film. Stanley Tucci stands out as the King’s snobbish brother, and there is subtle chemistry between Winslet and Schoenaerts. If you are a lover of costume dramas and court intrigue, this film is for you. It’s not your typical love story, but it is an enjoyable piece made better because of the performances of Tucci and Winslet.  My Rating: Full Price   A Little Chaos Website

Indiefest:   Eden (2014)  R   Paul (Felix de Givry) is a teenager who spends his nights in the underground scene of early nineties Paris. He forms a DJ collective with his friends, and they get involved with every aspect of the nightlife scene, including sex, drugs and dance music.  I am not a fan of club music, especially the house music that fills this very long and pointless film. The lead character of this story is extremely unlikable as he goes from girlfriend to girlfriend, mooching on his mother’s money and doing coke like it’s a daily vitamin. The story never really gets going and just seems to be one long reason to play some “Daft Punk” music. I think the writer/director, Mia Hansen-Love, spent a little too much time on the dance floor and not enough time working on her script.  My Rating: Cable   Eden Facebook page

Indiefest:   In Stereo (2015)    David (Micah Hauptman) and Brenda (Beau Garrett) are perfect for each other. Everyone knows that, with the exception of David and Brenda. They decide to break up, and both their lives start spiraling down. Will they ever realize the mistake they made?  I enjoyed this very unconventional love story about two people who are going to remain unhappy until they make the choice to get back together. I especially enjoyed the performance of Garrett, who, as the self-involved Brenda, makes her character likable even though she isn’t the nicest person in the world. The film is funny and, at times, touching, which makes it one of those films where you just want to slap the main characters and say “you are with the wrong person.” It’s a very inventive film full of rich and interesting characters and takes a few twists and turns to make you keep watching.  My Rating: Full Price

Forgotten Film:  Missing (1982)  R  A young couple (John Shea and Sissy Spacek) are traveling through Chile in the early 70s when a civil war breaks out. The young man is taken away by government forces with the suggestion that he is a spy. His wife and his father (Jack Lemmon) attempt to find the young man before he gets lost in the system. Lemmon and Spacek are brilliant in this film, worthy of their Academy Award nominations. The award-winning script is smart and bold, and the direction by Costa-Garvas is superb.   My Rating: Full Price   Missing Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Magic Mike XXL: Graphic Designer Specialty Tattoo

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Ricki and the Flash (2015)  PG-13  Hey, any film that has Meryl Streep as a rock-and-roll icon can’t be half bad.   Ricki and the Flash Info

Until Next Time