King Richard

My View:  King Richard  (2021)  PG-13   From a very early age, Richard Williams (Will Smith) thought his daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) could be the best tennis players of their generation. Against the odds and due to the strong belief in their father, they became superstars. At the center of this film is a story not about how to raise two young women to be great tennis players, but how to raise them to be kind, generous, wonderful people who believe in themselves. Will Smith gives what may be an Oscar-winning performance as a man driven to keep his family alive and healthy in challenging circumstances. Williams knows he is hard on his family, but he is determined that his daughters succeed not just on the court but in school and in life. It’s a magical performance by Smith, giving us a man that we don’t always like or understand; still, we respect his utter devotion to his family, willing to do just about anything to keep his daughters normal, well-rounded and humble. It’s a remarkable story about a man with a dream and two daughters who exceeded that dream. And by the way, you just might sing along with Kenny Rodgers during a road trip with King Richard and his family like the audience I saw the film with did.    My Rating: Full Price   King Richard Website  The film is now playing in theatres nationwide and available on the HBO Max platform.

My View:  The Power of the Dog  (2021)  R  The ranch has always been a team effort between the hard-living Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his brother George (Jesse Plemons). Everything changes when Phil marries a widow, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and brings Rose and her teenage son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), to live on the ranch. Life will never be the same on the ranch as Phil is determined to run both mother and son off his ranch, his domain. Please see this film in the theatre as the cinematography of this film is some of the finest I have seen in the last ten years and deserves to be seen on as big a screen as you can find. I can’t find the words to express just how beautiful and, at the same time, how savage the scenery in this film is. This is a harsh world that these people live in, both in the weather conditions and how others treat each person in this world. Right from the start, there is an underlying tension between the two brothers, which only gets worse when George brings his wife home, a person that Phil sees as an invader into their home and a disrupter of Phil’s very set way of life. There are some great performances in this film. Dunst is the most reserved I have ever seen her on the screen, portraying a woman who feels she doesn’t belong in this way of life and resorts to drinking to escape from it. Cumberbatch is fun to watch as the gruff and set in his ways cowboy, who delights in tormenting Rose and pointing out to his brother how she just doesn’t fit in. Kodi Smit-McPhee is given the challenging role of the young man who doesn’t conform to the cowboy way of life, knowing he is different and doesn’t care who knows it. I felt the performance that made this film was the role of George, played with aplomb by Jessie Plemons. It's a performance filled with small, subtle tells into the mind and feelings for George, who loves his wife, but doesn’t quite know how to tell her his feelings, not quite understanding who she is or what makes her tick. The Power of the Dog is a film that will stick with you long after you see it, wondering what happens to these characters after the film stops.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    The Power of the Dog Website  The film is now playing in select theatres and will be on the Netflix platform on Dec. 1st.

My View:   tick, tick…Boom!  (2021)  PG-13   Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) works at a diner but has been trying for eight years to bring a musical that he has written for the stage, worried that he has made the wrong career choice. As he is about to turn thirty, Jonathan navigates love, friendship, and the pressure of life in the big city of NYC as he dreams of bringing his life work to life. Oh my gosh, are fans of RENT going to eat this up! It’s a beautiful musical, full of great songs, some rousing musical numbers, and a winning performance by Andrew Garfield. Garfield brings all the energy and spunk that Jonathan needs to show his passion for writing and singing. Garfield’s enthusiasm is infectious, and you root for Jonathan to succeed right from the start. The film is a celebration of a songwriter who loved life and loved making music. Now, this isn’t a film about the writing of RENT; it’s about Larson’s life before he came up with the idea of that ground-breaking musical. But the film shows us the springing forth of ideas that eventually became that musical. Larson is struggling, both in his writing life and in his personal life. He works as a waiter at a diner, writing songs on the fly, as his light bill is overdue and his friends are quickly dying from the AIDS crisis. All of this became fodder for the writing of RENT, but before that, he had to write this musical, and we are glad that he did. The musical numbers are fun and sometimes moving. The supporting cast is terrific, with Alexandra Shipp playing Johnathan’s girlfriend and Vanessa Hudgens as a friend who helps perform Jonathan’s work, standing out. tick, tick...Boom! is a loving tribute to a talented writer who left us way too early.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   tick, tick...Boom! Website  Now playing in select theaters and on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Julia  (2021)  PG-13  Documentary on the life of Julia Child, the first true cooking star who wrote a cookbook about French cooking when America was all about frozen food and quick meals from cans. Julia became a TV superstar who delighted the world with her unique style and taught that everyone can become a cook. I always was a fan of Julia Child as she brought her knowledge and enthusiasm for cooking to us through the magic of TV. I hope that this film will create a new batch of fans of the woman, who was larger than life and kept working into her 90s. Julia was the first big celebrity cook and changed how Americans viewed both French cooking and home-cooked meals made from scratch. She taught so many people, including me, how to cook in a kitchen and how to not only overcome mistakes in the kitchen but celebrate them. Julia is a beautiful look a strong, passionate woman who wanted the world to not only learn how to cook but to cook fearlessly, just like Julia lived her life.    My Rating: Full Price   Julia Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: India Sweets and Spices (2021)  PG-13  When college freshman Alia (Sophia Ali) comes home from college to her family’s posh New Jersey home, she discovers that she has become tired of the lavish dinner parties and the gossiping that her family is known for. When she falls for a store owner’s son, she discovers that her parents (Manisha Koirala, Adil Hussain) are hiding secrets from their past. First, let me say that Sophia Ali is utterly charming as the bold and brash Alia, a young woman bristling under the strict life that her parents live for. Ali is fun to watch as she brings her character to life, a young woman determined to live life on her terms and not her parents, until she discovers that her mother has much more in common with Alia, hiding a past that has long been swept under the rug. The film is helped by the brilliant actors portraying Alia’s parents, Manisha Koirala and Adil Hussain, who give us characters going on behind their posh, polished facades. The film has a lot to say about a class system, gossip, and how our past can always catch us with us. Still, it’s Sophia Ali that makes this film work with a performance filled with energy and charisma.   My Rating: Full Price   India Sweets and Spices Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: The Pebble and the Boy  (2021)   John (Patrick Nacnamee) learns that his father, who he barely knew, has died. He decides to take a trip on his father’s scooter, a prized Lambretta, bringing along his father’s ashes to scatter them in Brighton. With his new-found friend, Nicki (Sacha Parkinson), John discovers much about his father and his love for the ‘Mod’ scene. This is an enjoyable coming-of-age film about a young man who learns that there was much more to his dad than just riding around on a scooter and listening to certain bands. The film is greatly helped by Sacha Parkinson, who is a bundle of energy on the screen, as Nicki brings life into John’s world, whether he wants it or not. The film is predictable, and we see the ending coming from a mile away, but still, the two leads are fun to watch together, and the soundtrack is a blast to listen to. So climb aboard and head on down the road with John, Nicki and encounter a few characters along the way to discover that the world you thought you knew was a bit more complicated than you thought it was.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Pebble and the Boy Info  Now available on Digital and On Demand.

Indiefest: Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021)  Documentary on the life of author Kurt Vonnegut, the award-winning writer of books Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle and his friendship with filmmaker Robert B. Weide, who documented that friendship over 25 years. My dad always told me to be careful about how much you learn about your heroes, as they might disappoint you. Kurt Vonnegut is one of those writers that I fell in love with when I was a teenager, exploring the world of science fiction, looking for more than just stories about spacemen on Mars. Vonnegut wrote in a style that was both funny and depressing, about subjects that often were horrific, like Slaughterhouse-Five, with the Dresden fire bombings. This documentary is a Vonnegut fan's dream, as filmmaker Robert B. Weide, due to his friendship with Vonnegut, was given access to both pictures and home movies of Vonnegut that provides us with a great insight into his childhood and younger years. We also get to see interviews that Vonnegut made with Weide over the years, along with interviews with Vonnegut's brother, Kurts adopted children, and his own daughters from his marriage with his first wife. Vonnegut was a troubled soul. Slaughterhouse-Five was based partly on his own experience as a POW during WWII, and he witnessed firsthand the destruction of the city of Dresden and he was forever haunted by what he saw. A writer who struggled to make a living until his great success with the Slaughterhouse book, Vonnegut then abandoned his family to move in with a younger woman and seemed to love and crave the spotlight the book gave him. My only problem with this film is Weide has a tendency to turn the camera on himself, often giving us information or stories that didn’t have much to do with Vonnegut. That being said, I still enjoyed spending time with a hero of mine, even if, as I had always suspected, was a deeply flawed man. That’s ok, I still have all those books and the worlds he created to escape into.    My Rating: Full Price    Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time Website  Now playing in select theatres and On Demand.

Indiefest:  Zeros and Ones  (2021)  R    JJ (Ethan Hawke) is an American soldier in Rome who discovers that his twin brother is caught up in a plot to blow up the Vatican. JJ must try to stop the bombing, even if his brother is involved. I could watch this film five more times and still not know what the heck it is about. A film that was shot at the height of the pandemic in Europe, it's a film that fills its short 86 minutes with a lot of shots of scenery or closeups of Ethan Hawke doing nothing much other than scowling into the camera. I would love to be able to tell you what the plot is, but it’s a huge mystery to me and maybe the filmmakers themselves. I guess the Vatican isn’t blown up, or perhaps it is. I just have no clue and don’t want to try to figure it out. My Rating: Cable    Zeros and Ones Website   Now available on Digital and On Demand.

My View:  The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For  (2021)   Documentary about the rise and fall of Von Dutch, a fashion brand of the 2000s that was a favorite of celebrities like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Justin Timberlake. A brand that was founded and run on sex, drugs, and possibly murder. This three-part documentary is a fascinating look at how fashion brands can quickly catch fire and burn out just as quickly. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that no one can agree on who actually came up with the brand, much less agree on what happened to bring the brand crashing down. The film is filled with characters that if you wrote a fictional script about this, you wouldn’t believe it. There are drug dealers, meth heads, murderers, con-men, gang members, and celebrities who fill out the people involved in the Von Dutch brand. About every ten minutes, someone is interviewed that goes, ‘Oh, wait, maybe I shouldn't say that because it was illegal.’ I remember, at the time, seeing some celebrity wearing a Von Dutch ‘trucker hat’ on some red carpet and wondering what the heck is Von Dutch. After watching this documentary, I still don’t have a clue what Von Dutch was, but I sure had fun watching a film about a bizarre cast of characters that were right out of a Tarantino film that betrayed each other at a staggering speed, destroying a million-dollar fashion brand, and maybe killing a few people on the way.   My Rating: Full Price   The Curse of Von Dutch Website  Now available on the Hulu platform. 

Indiefest: The Feast  (2021)  A young woman, Cadi (Annes Elwy), is hired to serve a group of wealthy guests at a dinner party in a remote house in rural Wales. The assembled guests have no clue that they are about to eat their last meal. This strange and utterly captivating film slowly becomes a horror film but takes its time building up the suspense. Right from the start, you know something is up with Cadi, as she barely talks and is constantly going off on her own to explore the house and the surrounding farmland. Add to the building creepiness, the film was shot using only the Welsh language, which has always struck me as such a weird-sounding language when spoken. To say the family that Cadi will be serving has problems would be an understatement, as both sons are acting up and just give off vibes of troubled souls. I love how as the film moves along, Cadi becomes more and more attractive as she becomes bolder and more powerful in her actions. I will warn you that the film gets pretty graphic in its final act and is quite disturbing in parts, but I loved the ending and the reasoning behind it. Just remember not to have a dinner party right before or after seeing this film.   My Rating: Full Price   The Feast Website   Now playing in select theatres. 

My View: Ghostbusters: Afterlife   (2021) PG-13   A single mom (Carrie Coon) and her two children (Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard) are forced to leave their home behind and move to a decayed farmhouse in Oklahoma, left to them by the children’s late grandfather. Strange things start happening in the town, including a series of earthquakes even though they don’t live anywhere near a fault line. Soon the kids will learn that their grandfather left behind a legacy of fighting and capturing ghosts. It’s hard to capture the magic again from a film over 35 years old, and unfortunately, this film misses the mark. It’s not a bad film but feels like a rip-off of the original and not a sequel, as there isn’t much original about this film. The film takes a long time to set everything up, and while the initial romp with a ghost that the kids chase riding the old Ghostbusters ambulance is fun, the film feels more and more like a retread of the first film. Something we have seen and done before, without much of the fun of the original. And by the way, Paul Rudd isn’t Bill Murray, no matter how hard he tries to be like him. Yes, there is a bonus scene at the end of the first credits at the end, but even it doesn't have that magic.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Ghostbusters: Afterlife Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Forgotten Film:  My Life (1993) PG-13   Bob Jones (Michael Keaton) is living a good life; he has a great job and a wonderful wife (Nicole Kidman) with a baby on the way. That all comes crashing down when he finds he has terminal cancer with four months to live. Bob goes on a journey of self-discovery and mending fences when he decides to start recording talks for his baby, who will grow up without a father. Michael Keaton is brilliant in this film, giving us a clue that he could do more than just comedy and Batman films. The film gets a little too sentimental, and the scenes where Kidman gives birth to their child isn’t great cinema, but overall the film has heart and excellent performances. Speaking of, I wish the film had given more to Queen Latifah, who comes into the final third of the film as Bob’s hospice nurse and brings a bit of fresh air to the movie in a role that needed to be better showcased. My guess is the filmmakers didn’t know that Queen Latifah could bring that much to her role.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   My Life Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of tick, tick…Boom!: Health and Safety Logistics Production Assistant

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) R   A Scottish lord (Denzel Washington) is convinced that he will be King after being visited by a trio of witches. His ambitious wife (Frances McDormand) eggs him on, and Macbeth’s act of seizing power will lead to madness and death. Shakespeare directed by Joel Coen and a cast that includes Brendan Gleeson, Alex Hassell, Moses Ingram, Matt Helm, Stephen Root, and Harry Melling, makes this a film not to be missed.      The Tragedy of Macbeth Website

Until Next Time!

Jungle Cruise

Note to readers: I have started going to movies in the theaters, having received my two shots and passed the two-week standby period, wearing a mask at all times and following social distancing. Most of the films I am reviewing are still movies that I watched at home, but I will note in the review if I saw them in a theatre. 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: Jungle Cruise   (2021)  PG-13   Captain Frank Wolf (Dwayne Johnson) is used to taking some tourists on a typical jungle cruise aboard his boat. But Capt. Wolf has never met Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), a determined explorer on a research mission, has other plans for her trip. Along with her brother, MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), she is looking for a magic cure hidden in the Amazon jungle for centuries. Captain Wolf, Lily and are about to go on the adventure of a lifetime, one that no one has ever returned from. This film reminded me of the classic Walt Disney adventure films of the fifties and sixties like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, with lots of action, a somewhat over-the-top villain, and some really scary henchman that does the villain’s bidding. What makes this film work is the chemistry between Johnson and Blunt. They play off each other perfectly, with lots of charisma but even better, great timing. As with any good romance of this nature, the two don’t get along at first, but we know right from the start that they are made for each other. The action sequences are fast and highly enjoyable with Blunt, using her experience with action-adventure roles from Edge of Tomorrow and A Quiet Place to great effect. Jesse Plemons is terrific as the evil (there is a great bit where Jack Whitehall’s character can’t understand that Plemons character is saying the word ‘jungle’), filling every scene with glee and mayhem. The film moves at a quick pace and is helped by a few nods to the Disneyland Jungle Cruise ride (watch out for those vicious headhunters!). Jungle Cruise is a lot of fun and is worth seeing on the big screen (I wish I had) due to all the wild and wooly action sequences. So go on a bit of a ride down the Amazon with the Captain and Lilly. You won’t need a refund for this trip.    My Rating: Full Price     Jungle Cruise Website  The film is now playing in theatres and is available on the Disney+ platform.

My View:   Stillwater   (2021)  R   An American oil-rig roughneck from Oklahoma, Bill (Matt Damon) travels to France to visit his daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin), who is being held in jail for a murder that she claims she didn’t commit. With no help from her lawyer or the police, both of whom think she is guilty, Bill, in a foreign country, battling language barriers and a system set up to have him fail, is determined to find evidence to exonerate his daughter and bring her back home, to Stillwater. While not quite the Oscar performance that I am sure Damon was hoping for, this is still a good movie due to Damon's quiet and restrained performance as Bill, a man trying to do right by his daughter, who he has failed for most of his life. The film is two parts; one is a father trying to reconnect with a daughter he doesn’t know, and the other is a love story between Bill and the French woman, Virginie, played by Camille Cottin, who becomes at first his friend and then his love interest. Bill is determined to help his daughter in any way he can, if it is just being near to her, so Bill can visit her in prison from time to time. Soon, though, Bill gets it into his head that maybe he can do more; that maybe, just maybe, he can find a crucial person in the murder case that just might get his daughter out of prison or at least, a new trial. The film is helped by the secondary story of Bill getting involved with Virginie and her adorable daughter, Maya (Lilou Siauvaud), as we get to see Bill get a second chance at both love and having a family, making us like Bill more and more as the film goes on. The film drags a bit, feeling every bit its two hour and twenty-minute length, as we wait for the break in the case that we hope (and know) is coming. Overall, Stillwater is a good character study of a man who has sinned in the past and is trying to make up for those sins, no matter what it costs him.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Stillwater Website  The film is now playing in theatres.

Indiefest: The Green Knight  (2021)  R   The story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s nephew, who is determined to make his own legend as he takes on the Green Knight, a gigantic green-skinned stranger. Filmmaker David Lowery has always been hit or miss with me. I really liked his films Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and The Old Man & the Gun, and I absolutely hated his movie A Ghost Story and wasn’t a big fan of Pete’s Dragon. So, be warned that this is a beautifully told tale of a classic knight of the round table story that is very much what I would call an ‘Arthouse Picture.’ It’s a film that critics will love, including me, but probably won’t find a wide audience because it isn’t a conventional telling but more in line with what the 14th-century poem followed, a tale of a knight on a quest, and it’s up to you to decide if the knight failed or succeeded in that quest. The film is filled with magical images that make the film feel part of all those 14th and 15th tapestries showing knights on their quests to serve King Arthur and the ideal of the honest and brave knight. Interestingly, Lowery has chosen to make Gawain not a knight but a wannabe, a young man who dreams of being a knight but would rather sleep with women and drink. This makes Gawain a flawed character from the start, and Dev Patel uses this to his advantage, making Gawain get by on his good looks and connections (he is King Arthur’s nephew and his mother is a sorceress). The film follows Gawain on his quest, one where he makes many mistakes, almost dies (primarily due to those mistakes), and relies on the kindness of strangers, some of which also can’t be trusted. The Green Knight is a moving, visually stunning film that anyone who loves the classics (like I do) will fall in love with. Now, if you are looking for a knight’s tale with lots of romance and sword-fighting, this isn’t your film, but if you want to go on a quest and experience a fantastic tale, this is a film for you.    My Rating: Full Price     The Green Knight Website  The film is now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest:  Twist   (2021) R    Twist (Raff Law) is a gifted graffiti artist trying to find his way after the loss of his mother. He meets Fagin (Michael Caine), the head of a street gang, and Twist is on his way to becoming an integral part of the gang when an art theft goes wrong, and Twist finds himself caught between Fagin, his love for Red (Sophie Simnett), the police, and a loose-cannon enforcer (Lena Headey). I enjoyed some of this film, mainly the parkour bits where Twist and Red went all over London via its rooftops. Still, the film falls flat with a weak plot that involves what should have been a very clever break-in into a high-security art museum, but instead, we get a lame heist film that never quite jells, even with pros like Michael Caine and Lena Headey in its cast. It would help if Raff Law had some of the star power of his father, Jude, but he doesn’t, and while he and Simnett, playing the tough and agile Red, have some chemistry, it's not enough to help the weak script in its attempt to do a contemporary tale of Oliver Twist.  Dickens Oliver Twist is a great story and has inspired many a wonderful film, but this adaptation isn’t one of them.     My Rating: Cable     Twist Info  Now playing in select theatres.

My View:   Resort to Love     (2021)  PG   It’s been a tough year for Erica (Christina Milian) after she broke up with her fiancé (Jay Pharaoh). Her fortunes look up when she accepts a job as an entertainer at a fabulous Island resort only to find out that she will be the highlighted entertainment at her ex-fiancee/s wedding. Think of this film as a Hallmark Channel film with better music. The storyline is predictable, Millian’s acting wavers a bit (she does well at the drama parts but not with the comedy), and the ending is what you expect, but fans of Millan will enjoy this film because she sings a lot. Sinqua Walls, playing the brother of Jay Pharaoh, is fine as the love interest that we know Erica will end up, and the film gives him plenty of chances to take off his shirt to make the viewers swoon a bit. Resort to Love is a very lightweight film perfect for a Saturday afternoon or maybe a late-night viewing with a glass of wine. In fact, perhaps a couple of glasses of wine and a fast-forward button to get to Millan singing a tune or two.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Resort to Love Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:   Ride the Eagle   (2021)   Leif (Jake Johnson) is left a picturesque Yosemite cabin he inherits from his estranged mother. Her only condition is that he has to complete a to-do list that she has compiled to teach him some lessons about life. I am a big fan of Jake Johnson, having loved him in films such as Drinking Buddies and Safety Not Guaranteed, and I was not disappointed in this film about a guy who has never gotten over the fact that his mother left him when he was young for a cult and never did make amends…until now. Leif, via tapes his mother has left him, has to complete some tasks that his mother has decided will teach Leif about life and how to live it. This is Johnson’s film; he is on screen the whole time and, with the exception of his loyal dog (with whom he talks to all the time), is pretty much on his own, trying to faithfully complete the tasks his mother has left him to do. I loved the phone conversations that he has with an old girlfriend (played by always charming D’Arcy Carden), who Leif has called as part of his mother’s quest. Susan Sarandon plays Leif’s mom (who we only see through those videotapes) and is hilarious as she gives Leif his tasks to undertake. Ride the Eagle is one of those small, independent gems that is worth not only your watch but a wider audience if only to see J.K. Simmons, as one of Leif’s mother's lovers, rage at Leif, calling him a hilarious bunch of names that I can’t publish but would really like to.    My Rating: Full Price     Ride the Eagle Website  Now playing in select theatres and available to rent on available online platforms.

Forgotten Film:   Changes   (1969)  R   Kent (Kent Lane) is a lost young man. As the filmgoers along, we see his life in flashbacks, including his unhappy relationship with his girlfriend, who ended up committing suicide. He crashes his car and then goes on a walking quest to figure out his life. Along the way, he meets people that he thinks can help him, including a journalist (Marcia Strassman). This is one of those films that was made in the late 60s, early 70’s when Hollywood was trying to figure out what would appeal to the young people in a country that was changing incredibly fast. Changes isn’t a great film, much too experimental for my taste, but it gives you a great look at a time when Southern California was changing and Hollywood was trying to keep up. It helps that the film has an incredible soundtrack, including Joni Mitchell singing ‘Both Sides Now and look for an incredibly young Terri Garr in the movie playing a waitress.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Changes Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Jungle Cruise: Men’s Head Cutter

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:   King Richard   (2021)   The story of how Richard Williams (Will Smith) turned Venus and Serena Williams into two of the greatest tennis players in the game's history. The film is from Reinaldo Marcus Green, who gave us the marvelous Monster and Men (2018) and we all know that when given a good part that Will Smith can act, so I am looking forward to this film.      King Richard Info

Until Next Time!