Crown Heights

My View:  Crown Heights  (2017) R   When Colin Warner (Lakeith Stanfield) is wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend, Carl King (Nnamdi Asomugha), devotes his life to proving that Colin is innocent. Though slow at times, the performance of the two leads, Stanfield and Asomugha, are riveting and insightful. This is a film that will make you angry, at times, due to the injustice of putting an innocent man behind bars with no chance of being released. Stanfield is instantly likable on the screen and does an exceptional job of showing his character's anguish and torment.  Asomugha is even better as CK, a man who sacrifices everything to get his best friend out of jail. Crown Heights is a powerful film that audiences need to see because it will make you think about the justice system in this country.   My Rating: Full Price

Indiefest:  City of Ghosts  (2017)  R  A documentary about the efforts of ‘Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently’ movement showing a group of activists who banded together to show how their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014. The unbelievable story of a group of courageous men and women who hate what has happened to their country and want the world to know about it. The film is as tense as a fictional spy caper because the activists are on the ISIS hit list. The film gets inside why these men are willing to risk their lives for their country and their families. It’s a brilliant and suspenseful film about heroic men.  My Rating:  Full Price

Indiefest:  I Do…Until I Don’t  (2017)  R  Three couples are the subject of a documentary on marriage. The question is, will any of the couples survive the making of the film? I Do…Until I Don’t is an uninspired mess of a film that rarely is funny and mostly dull and tame. Instead of originality, we get a film that seems to use every plot device of a bad TV comedy from the 80s to try and find laughter. The cast is outstanding with Ed Helms, Mary SteenburgenI, Paul Reiser, Amber Heard, Ed Helms, Dolly Wells, and Wyatt Cenac filling out the cast. I just wish the script had lived up to the quality of the cast. I love Lake Bell as an actress and look forward to her next film that she decides to write and direct, but I hope I never have to see this film again.   My Rating:  Cable

Indiefest:  The Fencer  (2015)  Endel (Mart Avandi) is a man with a past that he would like the world to forget. He starts teaching fencing to a group of children, and they want to participate in a national fencing tournament that could endanger Endel. This is a rag-to-riches story about a man who risks everything for his students. He takes children who have never fenced and molds them into a winning fencing team. Avandi is riveting as the world weary Endel, a man who just wants to live his life but is forced to go into hiding in 1950s Soviet Union. Avandi makes the part come alive, and he has great chemistry with the kids whom his character is teaching. I love the fact that the film is based on a true story and that the fencing club he founded is still around. This is a bewitching movie that the whole family can enjoy.   My Rating:  Full Price

Forgotten Film:  Jack & Sarah  (1995) PG   A recent British widower (Richard E. Grant) hires a nanny (Samantha Mathis) for his newborn child. The reason to watch this film is Richard E. Grant, as he makes you root for a very unlikable character. He and Samantha Mathis have great chemistry, and, while predictable, it’s a movie that you can watch over and over again.  My Rating: Full Price

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Crown Heights:  Art Truck Drivers

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Victoria and Abdul  (2017)  Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named, Abdul (Michael Gambon). I’ll see anything that has Oscar winner Judi Dench.

Until Next Time!

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

My View:  The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel  (2015)  PG   The hotel that Sonny (Dev Patel) manages is now a success, so much so they have only one room available, just in time for Guy (Richard Gere) to move in.  I enjoyed the first film, and it was fun to see actors as Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Bill Nighy explore India and its wonders.  This film has very little of that wonderment or exploration.  The film has too many storylines and rushes at the end to tie them all up.  Richard Gere is not given much to do, and Dev Patel’s Sonny is extremely annoying throughout the film.  It’s not a bad film; it just doesn’t bring anything new to the story   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Website  

Indiefest:  Kidnapping Mr. Heineken  (2015)  R   A group of down on their luck men decide to kidnap one of the richest men (Anthony Hopkins) in the world, the heir to the Heineken beer fortune.  The film is based on a true story, and the first thirty minutes are fun and interesting.  There is a great chase scene through the streets of Amsterdam that is thrilling and imaginative.  Unfortunately, the film slows down to a crawl by the time Mr. Heineken is successfully kidnapped.  There is no tension built in the film, and the last portion limps to a very slow and inevitable conclusion.       My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Kidnapping Mr. Heineken Website

Indiefest:  Mr. Turner  (2014)  R The life of legendary artist J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall) considered one of the great painters of the 1800s.  It’s a hard life being a painter and Mr. Turner treats everyone as if they are beneath him.  Mike Leigh wrote and directed this film that takes place over the last twenty-five years of Turner's life. The film plays out in little vignettes, as we see slices of Turner's life. It makes for a rather disjointed film, as you try to figure just how much time has elapsed since the last scene, and Leigh uses his typical character actors to fill out the cast. This allows Spall to dominate the scenes, making his performance even more remarkable. Spall’s performance is outstanding, and it's sad that he didn't get the Oscar nod. Dorothy Atkinson is terrific as the put-upon housekeeper willing to do just about anything to keep her employer happy. Marion Bailey is lovely and a joy to watch as a widow who takes Mr. Turner in first as a border and later as a lover late in his life.  Mr. Turner is a film where the performances are better than the script.  It’s a beautiful film to watch, but there just isn’t enough substance to the script to make this film interesting.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    Mr. Turner Facebook Page

Indiefest:  Human Capital  (2013)    The lives of two families are changed forever when a cyclist is killed on a road by a person driving a Jeep late at night.   This is a stunning film that will keep you guessing until the very end.  The story is interwoven between two families on the opposite sides of the economic and social worlds of Italy.  One family is desperate to become rich; the other family is desperate to keep their lifestyle and status, and both are threatened by the death of the cyclist.  It’s an extremely well-paced and well-written film that keeps the story moving from the first frame to the last.  This is one of those films you will be talking about for a long time.  My Rating:  Full Price  Human Capital Website

Forgotten Film:  The Moderns  (1988) R   A starving artist (Keith Carradine) in 1920’s Paris, is shocked to see the woman he was married to (Linda Fiorentino) is now involved with a ruthless millionaire (John Lone).  The attraction between the artist and his former wife is still there and will complicate their lives forever.  While not a great film, it is an interesting look at a time when the world’s greatest writers and artists all seemed to live in the same city.  Linda Fiorentino gives an outstanding performance as the unlucky in love woman.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   The Moderns Info

Weird Credits:  From The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel:  Crowd Runner

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Salt of the Earth  (2014)  PG-13  Photographer Sebastiao Salgado has taken some of the greatest pictures ever, traveling around the world while witnessing some of the major events of the planet.  Now in this documentary, he goes to discover and document pristine territories of wild fauna and flora.   The Salt of the Earth Website

Until Next Time!

Frozen

Family Faire:  Frozen  (2013)  PG   In the kingdom of Arendelle, there are two Princesses: Elsa (Idina Menzel), who is soon to be Queen and who has the strange ability to make snow and ice out of nothing, and her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell). When Elsa lets her emotions get the better of her, she accidentally triggers a magical winter that freezes the entire kingdom. Elsa, known now as the “Snow Queen,” goes into hiding, and Anna must set out on a journey with a mountain man named, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), and a reindeer sidekick named, Sven, to find her sister and save the kingdom.  This the best Disney film in years with great songs, fun sidekicks and a winning cast.  Both Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel have beautiful singing voices, and several of the songs in the film are breakout hits.  The storyline has plenty of twists and turns, and the animation is eye-popping.  The film is worth seeing in 3-D if just for the opening animated short that is one of the best uses of 3-D animation that I have ever seen.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again

Indiefest:  Philomena  (2013)  PG-13   In an effort to resurrect his journalistic career, Martin (Steve Coogan) agrees to do a human interest story on Philomena (Judi Dench), a woman who is searching for her son and whom she gave up for adoption almost 50 years ago. Judi Dench is amazing in this touching, and, at times, funny film.  Her portrayal of Philomena, a kind-hearted, religious woman who is determined to find her long lost son, is worthy of an Oscar.  She plays her part perfectly and matches up well with Coogan, who plays a hard-hearted journalist who is very full of himself and really thinks her sob story is beneath his talents.  As the film develops, Philomena’s charm works over Martin, and he comes to truly enjoy his time with her.  But, it’s Dench who is the film's star, and she carries it off beautifully.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  Philomena Website

Indiefest:  Nebraska  (2013)  R  Woody (Bruce Dern) is convinced that he has won a million dollars and wants to travel from Montana, where he lives, to Nebraska to collect the winnings. Against the wishes of Woody’s wife, Kate (June Squibb), and brother, Ross (Bob Odenkirk), David (Will Forte), Woody’s youngest son, decides to take his father cross-country to the company that has issued the ticket.  This is a brilliant film and my favorite at this year’s Austin Film Festival.  Dern gives a performance of a lifetime as the broken down, alcoholic Woody.  We never really know what Woody is thinking as Dern plays him as a man of very little words.  Forte does a nice job playing the son who desperately wants to reconnect with his father.  June Squibb steals the film as Woody’s opinionated, speak-her-mind wife.  The film is a road trip film where the people don’t seem to ever move.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Nebraska Website

My View:  Black Nativity  (2013)  PG  After Langston (Jacob Latimore) and his mom (Jennifer Hudson) have been evicted from their apartment, he is sent to New York City to spend the holidays with the Reverend Cornell Cobbs (Forest Whitaker) and his family. There Langston discovers the strength of family and friends.  This musical works much better when the cast is singing as both the dialouge and the storyline are very weak.  I did enjoy the songs, especially when Jennifer Hudson sang but that doesn't make up for the very predictable story.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Black Nativity Website

Forgotten Film:  Citizen Ruth  (1997) R  Ruth (Laura Dern) is an unlikely poster child for the “Right to Life” movement.  She is a drug-sniffing addict who has had four children taken away from her, and the cops know her by name.  When she is arrested again, and a judge finds out that she is pregnant, he orders her to have an abortion.  A group called “Baby Savers” finds out about the judge’s order and they take up her cause.  She then becomes a pawn in the game between the Baby Savers and a pro-choice group.  This is a smart, and, at times, a very funny satire directed by Alexander Payne (The Descendants) that makes fun of both sides of the abortion battle.  Dern is brilliant as Ruth, who really doesn’t care about anything other than her next high.  The film is full of amazing performances and interesting characters who make this a fun film to watch.  My Rating:  Full Price  Citizen Ruth Info

Weird Credits:  From the film Philomena:  Snow effects floor supervisor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues  (2013)  Just in time for Christmas, the further adventures of our favorite TV anchorman (Will Ferrell) who takes the gang to New York to be on a 24 hour news channel.  The big question:  Will we be quoting lines from this film as much as we do from the first?  Anchorman 2 Website

Until Next Time!

Skyfall

My View:   Skyfall (2012)   James Bond (Daniel Craig) must get back to basics to save M (Judi Dench) from a former spy (Javier Bardem) who is out to kill her and destroy MI6. This is a down and dirty, no frills James Bond film, with the exception of the open chase sequence (which is spectacular). It’s a film that is more about characters than gadgets, and James is questioning whether he can continue to be 007, both physically and mentally.  Craig gives us a much more layered performance than in past Bond films, and Javier Bardem is amazing as the complex , former spy who is now out to destroy MI6. I loved this film, with one of the best Bond villains ever, and even if you aren’t a James Bond fan, you will like it.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Skyfall Website

Indiefest:  A Late Quartet (2012) A world-renowned string quartet is faced with a number of issues, including a possible life altering illness that may cause the group to break-up. Christopher Walken plays the leader of the quartet, the man who founded it some 25 years ago. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener play members of the quartet who are also married. And, Mark Ivanir plays the fourth member of the string group, a man who is as brash and confident in his life as he is in his playing . While the performances of the four are excellent, the standout actress in this film is Imogen Poots who plays an up-and-coming violinist whose parents are the Hoffman and Keeners characters. The acting makes this film worth seeing, but I feel the script let the actors down a little bit, going, too many times, for the easy cliché, which made the film somewhat predictable.    My Rating : Bargain Matinee    A Late Quartet Info

Indiefest:  Smashed (2012) Married couple Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Charlie (Aaron Paul), whose love is built on their drinking habits, are tested when Kate decides to get sober. This is one of those films that is very hard to watch, just because the characters go through so much pain. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is outstanding as Kate, who lies at a drop of a hat to cover up her drinking but realizes, after waking up too many times in strange places, that she must change her life. Aaron Paul doesn’t do a bad performance as her husband, but this is Winstead’s movie, and she runs with it. You truly hope that she can get her life together, but you also know that it’s going to take some major changes and sacrifices, including, probably, the sacrifice of her marriage.    My Rating: Full Price   Smashed Info

Forgotten Film: Charade (1963) Audrey Hepburn is Regina, a woman who is about to divorce her husband when he turns up murdered. She finds out that during World War II, her husband was in on a heist to steal $250,000 in gold. Now the men that were in on the heist want the money, and they think Regina has it. She meets a mysterious stranger, Peter (Cary Grant) who is either going to help her, or could be part of the gang that wants the money. This is a fast, funny film with a little suspense thrown in, that has some of the best banter between a couple (Hepburn and Grant) since the screwball comedies of the thirties.   My Rating: Full Price    Charade Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film just Released on DVD): The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) I enjoyed this retelling of the orgins of Spider-Man, with Andrew Garfield playing the Peter Parker role. But, it was Emma Stone who made this movie such a joy to watch. She is perfect in the role of Gwen Stacy, Peter’s first love. My biggest problem with the film was that it took too long to get going (it’s almost 20 minutes into the story before Peter is bitten by the radioactive spider), but Stone makes it all worthwhile.   My Rating: Full Price   The Amazing Spider-Man Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Skyfall: Special effects teeth

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Anna Karenina (2012)  Keira Knightley and Jude Law doing a film written by playwright, Tom Stoppard, directed by Joe Wright, who has already shown that he can do a costume drama (Pride & Prejudice) - count me in.    Anna Karenina Website

Until Next Time!