Incredibles 2

My View:  Incredibles 2  (2018)  PG  Bob (Mr. Incredible) is playing “Mr. Mom,” taking care of Jack-Jack while Helen (Elastigirl) is out saving the world. While not as good as The Incredibles, the film is still a lot of fun and the ending of the film is as good as any live action adventure film. The film moves at a quick pace and has a few twists and turns to make the film interesting. As with the first film, this is a movie not just for kids but adults as well. The best character in the film is the baby, Jack-Jack, who starts developing super powers that Bob has to deal with while Elastigirl is out saving the world. These are some superheroes that we have missed for thirteen years. The lovely short Bao plays before Incredibles 2 and it's a welcome addition to Pixar short film library.   My Rating:  Full Price   Incredibles 2 website

My View:  Tag  (2018)  R  A group of former classmates get together every year and play the kids game, Tag. One of the members (Jeremy Renner), who has never been tagged, announces he is quitting the game after this year.  I have severe problems with this film. It wants to be a raunchy comedy, but it also wants to be a serious picture about friendship, and it fails on both counts.  The film makes jokes of miscarriages and cancer. I did enjoy the performances of Isla Fisher, who plays the wife of Ed Helms and takes the game too seriously, and Hannibal Buress, who plays one of the gamers who sees a conspiracy theory in everything.   Both actors bring some energy and fun to the film. Unfortunately, both Jon Hamm and Ed Helms bring very little to the picture and take the air out of it in their main scenes. The film never finds its footing and just doesn’t deliver enough laughs to overlook the horrible writing.  My Rating: Cable   Tag Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  Love, Simon  (2018)  PG-13  Simon (Nick Robinson) is a gay high school student who hasn’t come out, even to his best friends. He is in love with an anonymous classmate whom he has only talked to online.  Now, Simon’s life will change in a big way.  This is one of those rare movies about teenagers where the characters on the screen are real people with real problems, ones we can relate to and feel. Nick Robinson gives an intelligent and moving performance as the teenager who is afraid to come out. Simon just wants to last until he is out of high school before revealing he is gay. He also doesn’t want to rock the boat with his closest friends, especially with his best friend, Leah (Katherine Langford), whom he has known since childhood. Love, Simon is a funny and sweet movie that hits all the right notes. At the screening, when the big scene near the end of the film happened, teenage girls jumped up out of their seats and cheered. Go see this film, and you just might do the same.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Love, Silmon Facebook Page

Forgotten Film:  Atlantis: The Lost Empire  (2001)  PG  Atlantis is a rare Disney animated film that doesn’t have any songs or dances. It’s an adventure story of a team of explorers looking for the lost city of Atlantis. The movie is based on a story idea by Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon. The animation looks very different than most Disney movies, with almost a Japanese anime feel to it. The storyline is sharp and it has an ending that delivers. While the film is aimed at kids, adults may also enjoy this movie with its adventure theme.  My Rating: Full Price    Atlantis Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Tag:  Hoagie’s Mom Photo Double

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  A Star is Born  (2018)  R  A musician (Bradley Cooper) who has seen better days, helps a young singer (Lady Gaga) as she becomes a star. His demons get a hold of him as he falls for the young singer, and their relationship suffers. Bradley Cooper also directs this film, and the trailer looks brilliant.    A Star is Born Info

Until Next Time!

Tomb Raider

My View:  Tomb Raider  (2018)  PG-13  Laura Croft (Alicia Vikander) is the daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when Laura was a teen. Laura decides to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance. After discovering the mythical island that was his last known destination is real, she decides to go to the island and find out what happened. Just getting there will be an adventure. I like Alicia Vikander, and she usually can make any film seem interesting but not with this film. The studio decided to make a straight-up action movie, but what was needed was some warmth and humor. There isn’t any joy in this film - it’s just like Laura Croft, gritty and determined, but that makes for a rather dull film. Vikander looks the part; we believe that she can climb mountains and outrun anyone, but she’s made into a superwoman, much like the Rock is in his superhero movies, where she suffers almost no ramifications when falling off a cliff or fighting with a man twice her size. Video games and the action movies they are based on them are supposed to be fun.  This one wasn’t.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Tomb Raider Website

Indiefest:  Love, Simon  (2018)  PG-13  Simon (Nick Robinson) is a gay high school student who hasn’t come out, even to his best friends. He is in love with an anonymous classmate whom he has only talked to online.  Now, Simon’s life is going to change in a big way.  This is one of those rare movies about teenagers where the characters on the screen are real, with real problems, ones we can relate to and feel. Nick Robinson gives an intelligent and moving performance as the teenager who is afraid to come out. Simon just wants to last until he is out of high school before revealing he is gay. He also doesn’t want to rock the boat with his closest friends, especially with his best friend, Leah (Katherine Langford), whom he has known since childhood. Love, Simon is a funny and sweet movie that hits all the right notes. At the screening I attended, when the big scene near the end of the film happened, teenage girls jumped up out of their seats and cheered at the top of their lungs. Go see this film, and you just might do the same.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Love, Simon Website

My View:  7 Days in Entebbe  (2018)  PG-13  An Air France flight from Tel-Aviv to Paris via Athens is hijacked by terrorists and is forced to land in Entebbe, Uganda, the home of a crazy dictator named Idi Amin. The Jewish passengers are separated from the rest of the passengers, and the terrorists demand that Israel release 50 Palestinian prisoners. Israel decides to send a Special Forces squad to attempt to rescue the passengers.  Based on a true event, this film makes an unbelievable story seem bland and ordinary. Even a dazzling actress as Rosamund Pike can’t save the script that plods along. The only interesting aspect in this film is a modern dance troupe that we see practicing a routine throughout the film. When the big raid comes at the end, we see the actual performance that the troupe practiced inter-weaved with scenes from the attack, but that bit of excitement can’t save this film.   My Rating: Cable   7 Days in Entebbe Info

Indiefest:  Oh, Lucy!  (2017)  Setsuko (Shinobu Terajima) is a lonely, chain-smoking office worker in Tokyo who is past her prime. She decides to take an English class and discovers that she can create a new identity through speaking English, a character she calls ‘Lucy.”  She falls for her instructor, an American named, John (Josh Hartnett). When John disappears, Setsuko sets out on a quest to find him and travels all the way to Southern California.  I loved this film and the character Setsuko. Setsuko is a hard character to like, but I give credit to Shinobu Terajima for making us slowly fall in love with Lucy. Terajime gives one heck of a performance as the sad sack woman who is desperate to be loved. Writer/director Atsuko Hirayanagi takes on both an emotional and physical journey, where Setsuko keeps being dragged down by life, but continues to get off the floor for more. Take a chance on Oh Lucy! and on a journey with Setsuko as she searches for a reason to live.  My Rating: Full Price   Oh, Lucy! Website   

Forgotten Film:  Normal Life  (1996)  R  Chris (Luke Perry) is a cop who falls in love and marries Pam (Ashley Judd). Pam is all wrong for Chris as she is an alcoholic and a drug user who likes to spend money. Chris loses his job and is about to lose Pam if he doesn’t quickly do something. The reason to see this film is Ashley Judd. Judd gives one of her better performances as the overly emotional, self-indulgent Pam. It’s a smashing performance that makes you wish Judd would have taken more roles like this one. Perry is the weak link in the film as the part is out of his acting range, and you will only notice him when Judd isn’t on the screen.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Normal Life Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Tomb Raider:  Chargehand Dressing Props

Coming Soon to a theatre near you:  Hichki  (2018)  Hichki (Rani Mukerji) wants to be a teacher but she can’t get hired because she has Tourette Syndrome. After numerous rejections, she gets her dream job at a prestigious school. She soon learns that her dream job is a nightmare because her class is full of misfits and rejects. Instead of giving up, Hichki decides to help her students realize their full potential. The trailer is amazing, so I have high hopes for it.   Hichki Facebook Page

Until Next Time!

Game Night

My View:  Game Night (2018) R    A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves trying to solve an actual murder mystery.  First, don’t judge a movie by its trailer because this film is so much funnier than I thought it was going to be. The film moves at a fast pace, and the humor of the film is outstanding. Jessie Plemons is a riot as a stoned-faced cop who lives next door to Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams. His character wants to desperately be a part of their game night, but they think he is just too creepy to play (and he is creepy). I loved Rachel McAdams in this film as she has a knack for comedy, including physical comedy. The film has plenty of twists and turns, a plot that gets more complicated and funnier by the minute and a sensational cast that gets every drop of joyfulness out of the script. Game Night is a perfect date night film as the center is the excellent relationship that McAdam's and Bateman's characters have.    My Rating: Full Price   Game Night Website

My View:  Annihilation (2018) R   A biologist (Natalie Portman) signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition, going into an area called Area X, where the laws of science and nature don’t apply.  The film is one-thirds horror film and two-thirds sci-fi film. This is a gorgeous film to watch, and the art department did an outstanding job, as plant life and animals have morphed into fantastic looking flora and beasts. The horror aspects of this film are frightening, with one scene that matches the intensity of a scene in Alien. The full cast does a phenomenal job with Gina Rodriquez standing out as a tough as nails paramedic. It’s a very different role than her portrayal of Jane the Virgin on TV, and she makes us believe that she is the toughest of the group. I will warn you that the violence in this film is horrific and graphic, with one scene so gross that a lot of the audience with whom I saw the movie turned away. If you like Sci-Fi films that are a little trippy, and you don’t mind strange endings that don’t answer all your questions, then this film is for you.   My Rating: Full Price   Annihilation Website

Indiefest:  A Fantastic Woman  (2018)  R  Marina (Daniela Vega), a transsexual woman who works by day as a waitress and, at night, sings at a nightclub, is bowled over by the death of her boyfriend.  This is a tough film to watch because Marina’s life and lifestyle are being attacked on almost every side. Her boyfriend’s family doesn’t approve of their relationship and shows it in many ways including violence. Marina is threatened by the police because of the sudden death of her boyfriend and the fact that they don’t believe she was in a long-term relationship with him. Life keeps knocking Marina down, but she keeps getting up and perseveres. Daniela Vega, a transgender woman, and trained singer, is stunning, and gives a meaningful and heart-wrenching performance. It’s a splendid film that is worthy of its Academy Award nomination.    My Rating: Full Price   A Fantastic Woman Website

Forgotten Film:  Waking Life  (2001) R A man (Wiley Wiggins) seems to be stuck in a dream as he meets various people discussing the meaning and purpose of the universe. This animated film is beautiful to watch, and you will get joy from the conversations that happen. The animation is a type of rotoscoping, where they shoot the movie on film and then animate over those images, making the visuals of the film pop on screen. This is a movie that will make you think about life and its mysteries. The great thing about this film is that everyone is going to take something away that is different.    My Rating: Full Price   Waking Life Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Annihilation: Hair Puncher

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Love, Simon  (2018) Pg-13  Simon (Nick Robinson) is a gay high school student who hasn’t come out. He is in love with an anonymous classmate whom he has only talked to online.  Now, Simon’s life is going to change in a big way.  I love the trailer for this film, so I have high hopes.   Love,Simon Website

Until Next Time!