NOPE

My View: NOPE (2022) R   A brother and sister (Daniel Kalyuua and Keke Palmer) are working on their family ranch that supplies horses to Hollywood films. Things start getting strange on the ranch as it looks like aliens are flying around, and the duo decides to document these occurrences. Consequently, their actions are to the dismay of the forces behind the flying saucers. See this on the big screen. I mean, see it in a theatre on a screen as big as you can with a sound system to match. A UFO lover’s dream come true, NOPE is a fun, well-done thriller with a few scares along the way that will fulfill your wish for a big blockbuster ride. And I will tell you, this film will also shock you, almost from the start. With a great cast, incredible sound effects, and cinematography that fully utilizes the IMAX camera to its glorious beauty and NOPE is a film that will thrill and amaze you. Like any Jordan Peele film, it is filled with humor, some of which is pretty dark but allows you to release a bit of the tension that builds throughout the film. The film has a lot to say, touching on the entertainment industry, our reliance on electronics, our attempt to train animals against their will, and how hard it is to follow our dreams, especially if it's not your own. So please sit down and get ready to be amazed, and I warned you, shocked.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   NOPE website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: The Gray Man (2022) PG-13  Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), whose true identity is known to none, is the CIA’s man when someone needs to die, the Agency-sanctioned merchant of death. After accidentally uncovering dark Agency secrets, Court is being hunted by Lloyd Hasen (Chris Evans), a former fellow assassin, who has been given the task to hunt Court down and take him out. Now the only person he can count on is Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas), but the odds are against him…just the way that Court likes it. I enjoyed this film, but I am a big fan of action films, especially ones that feature a lot of hand-to-hand combat, and this has a lot. Ryan Gosling plays an assassin with a soul who won’t cross a line, even if it means it will piss some people off. Gosling’s agent six is a superhero, someone who can take on an army single handily, fall off a roof with only a few scratches and take a pounding but keep on fighting. He is up against Chris Evans's antihero, a man who doesn’t mind collateral damage as long as he gets what he wants, and in this case, he wants Agent Six dead. Evans is the surprise of the film, playing a creepy bad guy with a fun flair for the dramatic. Ana de Armas holds her own in the action sequences and makes a good companion for Gosling’s deadpanned Agent Six. The film goes on a little too long, but it's a good time with a ton of action sequences, including a thrilling fight inside a giant transport plane as it slowly falls apart. So join in on the action and enjoy the duel between Evans and Gosling.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Gray Man Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform and in select theatres. 

My View: Anything’s Possible (2022) PG-13  Kelsa (Eva Reign), a confident young woman who is trans, is just trying to survive her senior year of high school. All she wants to do is blend in and get this year over with, but love has another idea. However, when a classmate, Khal (Abubakr Ali), gets a crush on Kelsa, he decides to go for it and ask her out, even though he knows they will be the center of attention. I really like this film, with its take on a teen romance, where instead of the hot guy dating the nerdy girl (or visa-versa) causing trouble within their friends, we get the hot guy dating someone that no one see’s coming, Kelsa. The film does a great job of giving us a young woman who doesn’t want to be a trailblazer; she wants to live her life like anyone else. I loved the relationship between Kelsa and her mother, who have a rule that Kelsa and her mother can only discuss things the average mother would ask her average daughter. The two leads are just what you want in a teen romance; adorable, slightly klutzy and have great on-screen chemistry that makes you want their characters to be together. And yes, Kelsa being trans is a big deal in the film, but it’s handled with compassion and with a character that just wants to be seen as Kelsa, nothing else. As it should be.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Anything's Possible Website  Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform.

Indiefest: Fire of Love (2022) PG  Documentary about scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who fell in love over their research on volcanoes. They were known worldwide as daredevils who brought us some of the most explosive imagery ever recorded. Significantly, they died doing the thing that they loved. Right off the bat, I’m going to tell you that this film is sure to be in my top ten films of 2022, and I predict it will be nominated for the Documentary Academy Award next year. Yep, this film is that good. The film tells the story of two of the world’s greatest volcanologists, Katia and Maurice Krafft, who just happened to be married. This is not only a story about Volcanos but also a love story between two brilliant and interesting people who bonded instantly over their love of volcanoes. Ninety percent of the footage in the film is from the personal archives of the Krafft’s. To say that there are shots of volcanos that are simply breathtaking is an understatement. The film is summed up by an amazing shot of an erupting volcano, with hot, red lava spewing up into the air, as the two scientists, in silver protective suits, almost dance in front of the awesome display of earth’s mighty power. You can see just from that one shot why they both knew that it wasn’t how they would die but when. However, yes, they did die, but it is very evident from this beautiful and moving film that they died doing what they loved, and they died as they wished, together.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Fire of Love Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Alone Together (2022) R  What happens when two strangers (Katie Holmes, Jim Sturgess) book the same Airbnb during the start of the lockdown of the pandemic. Katie Holmes wrote, starred, and directed this film about two people who are in bad relationships, who then find out that maybe, just maybe, their failed relationships aren’t their fault. This is one of many films I’ve seen in the past year where people are stuck together at the start of the pandemic when everything was shut down, and everyone was told to stay home and not go out. This is a very predictable romance between two likable characters, who we know are meant for each other, and it’s only a matter of time before they both realize it. There isn’t anything new in this film, and both actors are fine in their roles. Holmes does let her character express a few feelings and opinions about being allowed when you are in a relationship, to being yourself and following your dream. The film delivers what you think it will, a romance that finds two people in the middle of a worldwide crisis; I just wish that the plot had a few more surprises in it.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Alone Together website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Murina (2021)  Julija (Gracija Filipović) lives with her parents on a Croatian island, who she increasingly doesn’t get along with. When a handsome older man, Javier (Cliff Curtis), comes to the island, Julija sees it as an opportunity to escape the boredom of her life and her parents. This is a film about a power of wills between a father, Ante (Leon Lucev), and Julija, a headstrong young woman who wants to get as far away from her father as possible, whether it be overseas or in the ocean. Ante is a man who is controlling and has an overpowering ego that won’t take anyway but his. Julija is happiest when she is in the water, it’s her escape from reality. Ante is driven by a visit from an old friend, Javier, who he hopes will buy his land and he and his family can move to the mainland. Julija sees Javier as her savior, someone who can rescue her from her father and his oppressive rule. Julija’s mother, Nela (Danica Curcic), is caught between her husband, whom she has stood by all these years, and her daughter, whom she is proud of. This is a movie that constantly builds the tension between father and daughter, and we know that the hopes and dreams of both are doomed almost from the start. I loved Gracija Filipovic’s performance of Julija, as she continually pushes the boundaries that her father has set for her, whether it’s wearing an old dress of her mother’s against his wishes or leaving out a line about her father in a poem that he forces her to recite in front of a crowd. Murina is a film where everyone’s dreams are seemingly just out of reach, even when those dreams were in the past.   My Rating: Full Price    Murina Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Murder by Numbers (2002) R A 'by the book' police detective (Ben Chaplin) and his loose-cannon partner (Sandra Bullock) are investigating a murder. Little does the detective know that the murder has been committed by two high school kids (Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt) who only did the killing to see if they could commit the perfect crime. This is a forgotten Sandra Bullock film that is quite good. Bullock plays a character a little different from what our Sandy plays typically, a character that you might not like. In fact, I think you will like Ben Chaplin’s character much more than Bullock’s, but that’s why I like this film. Plus, Gosling and Pitt are creepy as heck, making two terrifying and clever criminals who will not be easy to catch. The film also has one of my favorite unappreciated actors, Chris Penn in it.  My Rating: Full Price   Murder by Numbers Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of NOPE: Mask Maker

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Smile (2022) R   After a patient, who claimed she was seeing something that no one else could see, killed herself in front of Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), Rose begins to experience frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. Rose must confront her troubled past in order to survive this new horrifying reality. The trailer looks like it could be terrifying.    Smile Info

Until Next Time!

Summerland

My View:   Summerland (2020) PG    During World War II, a single English writer, Alice (Gemma Arterton), is given an evacuee child, Frank (Lucas Bond), to raise as his father fights the war. Both Frank and Alice will discover friendship and how time can repair anything, including past loves. Right from the start, Gemma Arterton steals your heart as a woman whose life is filled with what could have been. Alice is a woman who wants to be left alone to write, but when Frank joins her world, she slowly comes to realize that her life has been missing something. The storyline is fun and has a few cool twists that I didn’t see coming. I don’t want to give too much away, but let's say that this film is filled with love and Arterton’s winning performance.    My Rating: Full Price    Summerland Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Yes, God, Yes (2019) R   Alice (Natalia Dyer) is a Catholic teenager in the early 2000s and her body in inflict with what her religious upbringing is telling her about sex. Her church has a weekend get together for teens, and it just might provide the answers that Alice is looking for, or will it? This delightful and funny film about a young woman who wants to understand the sexual feelings that she has begun to explore. Alice is a confused and sweet teenager that just wants some answers. Unfortunately, the Catholic church isn’t going to give her the answers she needs or wants. What I loved about this film is that Alice is kind of an innocent dunce as it comes to her sexual feelings, and we delight in her discovery that maybe what everyone is telling her isn’t the truth or set in the real world. The film moves along at a quick pace, and though the film can get a little raunchy, it still is a fun time with a character that is a blast to be with.     My Rating: Full Price     Yes, God, Yes Website    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View:  Stockton on My Mind (2020)   Documentary on Michael Tubbs, who in his twenties, the same day that Donald Trump was elected President, became Mayor of Stockton, California. Mayor Tubbs, the son of a teenage mother and a father who was always in prison, decided to use private and public partnerships to create innovative and sometimes controversial programs to improve his community's conditions. Watching this movie, you will admire Mayor Tubbs, and you hope that his ideas work, but we never quite get in-depth with the Mayor or what his voting public thinks about him or his programs. The film and its subject are in the right place and maybe in a few years, we can look back and think about how progressive and great the Mayor’s programs are. The problem is that currently, we don’t know and that makes this film seem not quite finished.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Stockton on My Mind Website    The film is currently on the HBO platform.

My View:  The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020) PG   A widow, Miranda (Katie Holmes), is trying to make ends meets while raising three children and dating her boyfriend, Tucker (Jerry O’Connell). A devastating storm comes to town and brings a mysterious man, Bray (Josh Lucas) into Miranda, and her life will never be the same. I wanted to like this movie, but as the film went on, it got just stupid and created an ending that even the Hallmark Channel wouldn’t consider doing. This isn’t a horrible film, but you have to wonder what happened to Katie Holmes's career that she has to take this type of role. The film is filled with preaching about how the power of positive thinking will change your life, but the only thing positive about this film is that you aren’t going to like it.    My Rating: Cable     The Secret: Dare to Dream Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  The Fight (2020) PG-13    The documentary gives an inside look at the lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and the battles they face during the Trump administration. The film follows four ACLU lawyers, each working on a different case that pits the individual against the government, but each case could have far-reaching results that could go to change how rights are seen. The film does a great job giving us insight into just how the ACLU works as they continually fight for our freedom. The film doesn’t gloss over the idea that sometimes the ACLU fights for the rights of some organizations that most of us don’t approve (like the KKK or radicals), but it also makes the point that is why our democracy works, giving everyone the right to vote, to serve our country and to marry who we want. I will warn you that there a couple of times that you will need a tissue as some of the cases deal with very touching subjects such as parents being separated from their children in detention centers. You may not always agree with who they defend or what those people stand for, but you will understand what a courageous and challenging job it is through this film.    My Rating: Full Price      The Fight Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: Rebuilding Paradise (2020) PG-13   After the devastating ‘Camp Fire’ wildfires in 2018, where 85 people lost their lives, the community of Paradise, California, attempts to pick up the pieces. Ron Howard directed this documentary about what happened to this community in the months after the fire that wiped out over 18,000 homes. The film concentrates on some of the town people, including a former mayor who wants to rebuild a young police officer with a family and a school superintendent who is trying to keep her district alive and working. The film begins with horrific scenes of the fire, including camera phone movies as people evacuated their homes to the fire. The rest of the film explores just how devastating the loss of life and homes was on the people who lived in the area. The film does explore a little bit of the causes of the fire and the environmental damage that people have caused in the area to make the fire more powerful, but the focus is on the people. We get to see just how these people are coping and how hard they are trying to get their lives back together. My Rating: Full Price     Rebuilding Paradise Website    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Forgotten Film:   The Crimson Kimono (1959)   Two detectives (Glenn Corbett, James Shigeta) are on a case to find a stripper’s killer in the Japanese part of Los Angeles. Little Tokyo. Their partnership is threatened when both men fall for the same woman (Victoria Shaw). I love that this film is two films in one, a murder mystery and a romance that deals with inter-racial relations. The film has a great black and white look to it, making it seem very stark and realistic. The murder mystery is a little weak, but the three-way romance more than makes up for it, creating a movie that was way before its time.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Crimson Kimono Info

Weird Credits:   From the credits of Summerland: Marine Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   Kajillionaire (2020) R   Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood) has spent her whole life doing one low-level scam after another with her parents (Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins). Old Dolio’s life is changed when Melanie (Gina Rodriguez) joins the group for a major heist. The film is written and directed by Miranda July, who made one of my favorite movies of the 00s, Me and You and Everyone We Know.     The Kajillionaire Info

Until Next Time!

Race

My View:  Race  (2016)  PG-13  Jesse Owens (Stephan James) is the fastest man on the planet and earns a place on the U.S. Olympic team. He now has to decide if he should compete in Adolf Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympic Games or should he stay home to protest Hitler’s treatment of minorities in Germany. I enjoyed this feel good movie about a remarkable athlete and, even more, an exceptional man. James fills the shoes of Owens with a quiet resolve and charisma that shines on the screen. Jason Sudeikis is phenomenal as Owens College coach who has to adapt his “my way or the highway” approach to much more of a mentor relationship to keep Owens on track. I especially liked the scenes in Germany, as I felt the film did an excellent job in portraying the pageantry and the excitement of those Olympic games. This is a film worth watching about a man who did the impossible and made it seem easy, under some of the direst and conflicting circumstances.   My Rating: Full Price   Race Website

My View:  Risen  (2016)  PG-13  Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), an influential Roman Military Tribune, and his aide,  Lucius (Tom Felton), are asked to solve the mystery of what happened to the body of Jesus after he was crucified. Rumors are racing that Jesus has risen as the Messiah, and a revolution is about to happen. I liked Risen for two reasons: it tells the resurrection of Christ from a different perspective as we are presented what it was like for the Roman side of the event, and it doesn’t hit you over the head with the religious angle. As the story progresses, Clavius is continually confronted with things he cannot easily explain away. By the time the movie ends, he may not be a believer in Jesus as the Messiah, but he is convinced that Jesus and his followers believe in what they preach. A lot of the faith-based films are cast with what looks to be the local Baptist church repertory players, but this movie has an excellent cast with Fiennes, Felton and especially Peter Firth, who plays Pontus Pilate, and Stewart Scudamore, who plays the apostle Peter. I liked this film and the way it presented this often told story of Jesus.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Risen Facebook Page

Indiefest:  Touched with Fire  (2016)  R   Two manic depressives (Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby) meet in a psychiatric hospital. Who knew that love would bloom from such an unexpected place? Writer/director Paul Dalio brings us an unusual love story based on his real-life experiences that give us a realistic insight into the world of the manic personality and how it not only impacts lives but  loved ones as well.  The two leads, especially Holmes, are impressive in their ability to convey such deep emotions and meaning through their many mood swings, some of which are painful to watch. Kirby and Holmes play off each other well, with Holmes’ character more reserved and moodier than the always talkative Marco whom Kirby portrays. While the supporting casts are acceptable in their performances, I did find that their characters were a little shallow, which made it too easy for producers to use the characters as pawns to progress the story.  Though not a perfect movie, “Touched with Fire” feels real, giving us insight into a world of mental illness that we rarely get to explore to this extent.   My Rating: Full Price   Touched with Fire Website

Indiefest:  The Witch  (2015)  R  In 17th century New England, a Puritan family lives alone on the edge of a thick, dark forest.  Their newborn son disappears, crops start dying, and the chickens quit laying eggs.  All signs point to witchcraft. Could their oldest daughter be the witch? While I did not find this film very scary, I did find it creepy, and the film did give me nightmares. The tension builds from almost the opening shot and just keeps growing until the very end of the movie. The film impressively gives you what it was like in 1630s Puritan New England, where witches and the devil were always thought to be just on the other side of the forest, and it explores how quickly paranoia and fearfulness can spread in a situation that is isolated. This is a spooky and eerie film that proves what can’t be seen can be much more horrific than what you see with your own eyes. This is a film that will haunt your dreams for a long time.  My Rating: Full Price   The Witch Website

Indiefest:  Son of Saul  (2015)  R   Saul (Geza Rohrig) is a prisoner in the Auschwitz death camp. He is forced to burn the corpses of his own people. One day he finds a young boy who has survived the gas chamber. Could this be his son?  This is a tough film to watch as it pulls no punches to show just how hard and horrific life was in Auschwitz. The film does a fantastic job of keeping most of the ugliest of pictures out of our line of sight, either by keeping the background out of focus or keeping our attention on the face of Saul when bad things happen. The camera centers on Saul throughout the film as we spend time with him when he attempts to find a Rabbi who is willing to do a funeral for his son and then Saul’s quest to find anywhere to bury his son  while the camp has ramped up killings due to the impending Russian army. Rohrig gives a gripping and convincing performance as the father who is determined to bury his son in a proper grave. It’s a compelling, impressive film that will stay with you long after its final scene plays out, worthy of not only the Foreign Language Film Oscar that it will probably win, but a Best Picture nomination that it should have received.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Son of Saul Facebook Page

Indiefest:  A War  (2015)  R  Company Commander Clause Pedersen (Pilou Asbaek) is trying to keep his troops alive while patrolling the Afghan province. His wife, Maria (Tuva Novotny), is back in Denmark trying to keep everything normal for their two children. Clause is about to make a command decision that he will have to live with for the rest of his life. This is a film about the horrors of modern warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq, where you can’t tell the good civilians from the bad ones, and where an attack can come in quick and hard. It also has a fact that modern warfare has become where some want to hold soldiers accountable for actions that they make in a moment’s notice under fire. This film explores the modern life of a soldier and his family, where they stay in contact through Skype, and paints a sympatric portrait of the company commander as he goes through his job trying to get his men to perform in the field while still getting everybody home. The film asks a number of questions about modern warfare, that, to its credit lets the audience figure out their own answers to those questions. While not hitting hard on as many topics as you want it to, A War goes a long way toward showing us life in the modern army of today with all its many challenges.  My Rating:  Full Price   A War Facebook Page   

Forgotten Film:  Prince of the City  (1981)  R  New York City cop Daniel (Treat Williams) is in over his head. He has been doing some illegal things as a cop and is now being questioned by internal affairs. To get a plea deal, he agrees to give information as long as he doesn’t have to name names. This is a gritty tale about how someone can get themselves into situations where there will be no happy ending. Williams is as brilliant in the role as he is on-camera throughout the film.  His is a convincing performance where, on one hand, we don’t like Daniel, and then suddenly we feel for the guy and want him to win, though we know there will be no winners in this film.   My Rating: Full Price   Prince of the City Info   

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Risen:  Drapes Assistant

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  10 Cloverfield Lane  (2016)  I have no idea what this film is about other than it happens after the 2008 film Cloverfield.  The trailer with John Goodman hanging out in a fallout bunker with Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. is fascinating.   10 Cloverfield Lane Website   

Until Next Time!