Trap

My View:  Trap  (2024)  PG-13 A father (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter (Ariel Donoghue) attend the concert of a lifetime. However, not everything is as it seems, and something dark and sinister is about to make its appearance at this concert. So it’s not much of a spoiler since it’s in the trailer and kind of on the poster: the father is a serial killer, and a trap has been set to catch him with every cop/FBI agent in the tri-state area in attendance. It's the idea that when you are at a large-attended event, you have no idea what the people around you are capable of. So why not have a serial killer at a pop concert filled with teenage girls? Critics had hoped that filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan had turned the corner and started producing watchable films again. Instead, we get a film that feels like it was written solely to showcase his daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, who sings what has to be at least ten songs in the movie as she plays Lady Raven, the pop star giving the concert. The film crashes to a halt as the plot holes get larger and larger. The film is so out of touch with what happens at a must-see concert, including the fact that it seems most people at this concert leave their seats to wander in the hallways as their favorite artist is performing on stage. The suspense of whether the guy is going to be caught never builds in the film because the security force is idiotic. I loved the notion that if the killer turns on the fire alarm, the FBI agent in charge (played by Hayley Mills) tells her team they will let all the women and teens out of the building but not the men. Yeah, that’s not a recipe for mass hysteria. The last thirty minutes keep getting sillier as M. Night gives his daughter even more screen time. And the final scenes feel as if they were written by a first-year college film major, not by a man who was nominated for two Academy Awards. This is one concert you will want to miss.  My Rating: Cable Trap Website Now playing in theaters.

Familyfaire:  Harold and the Purple Crayon  (2024)  PG  Harold and the Purple Crayon is about Harold (Zachary Levi), who has a magic purple crayon that allows him to create anything he can imagine. Harold has grown up and has now drawn himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world. Is the world ready for Harold and his magical crayon? Harold and the Purple Crayon is a film that only the five-year-old and younger crowd will enjoy. Making Harold an adult, along with Moose and Porcupine, is a little creepy. It doesn’t help that most of Harold’s creations aren’t very imaginative. The film thinks it's funnier and cuter than it actually is. Although the film is safe for children of all ages and has a good heart, most will be bored by the beginning of the second act. I wish they had adapted the book instead of making a sequel of sorts. It just doesn't have the charm or creativity of the beloved book, and that's a shame. In fact, it's almost a crime that they use the title of the book to fool people into thinking it's an adaptation, instead of a whole new story. There is a short bonus scene after the first portion of credits to find out what happens to one of the characters in the film.  My Rating: Cable   Harold and the Purple Crayon Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Kneecap  (2024)  R Kneecap starts on that fateful day in West Belfast when a disillusioned music teacher JJ met two self-confessed ‘low life scum’ and decide to create a band. That band, Kneecap, will change the sound of Irish music forever. The first glimpses of this film give you a sense that this is not an ordinary bio-pic. Instead, you discover very quickly that you are in for an in-your-face, funny, and bold piece of filmmaking, all the while feeling that sometimes you are taking the same drugs the guys in the band are. If big-time Hollywood tried to sell you on this film’s plot, you would go, ‘It never could happen.’ What’s fantastic is that it did, and this hip-hop group, using Irish lyrics instead of English to show their independence and creativity, became a success. Even more impressive is that the three leads are portraying themselves. They bring such energy and honesty to the film that it makes the film flow (though with a whole lot of profanity). Naoise (Móglaí Bap) is dealing with a mother who hasn’t left the house since her husband, presumed-dead IRA operative, disappeared years ago. His best mate since childhood is Liam (MO Chara), who is up for anything. Then, you have JJ, the music teacher (portrayed by DJ Próvai), who became part of the band but must hide his identity on stage to keep his job and his relationship with his girlfriend. Added to the mix is that almost everyone, including the local police and a local political underground gang, wants the guys to stop making music. Adding a mysterious and infamous father (portrayed by the always amazing Michael Fassbender), you have a movie with just about everything, including a rousing end. Turn up the volume and prepare to crowd surf with Kneecap. Maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to speak some Irish by the end of the film.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Kneecap Website Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  Accidents Happen  (2009)  R  Billy (Harrison Gilbertson) and his family have the worst luck. Accidents seem to follow them around like a puppy. The family is a mess. After an accident killed one of his siblings and made another a permanent resident of a hospital. Billy’s father has left and filed for divorce, and Billy’s mom (Gena Davis) is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Billy is just trying to survive, but those accidents keep happening, even when he tries to stop them. Accidents Happen is a black comedy that doesn’t always work but is worth watching for the performance of Gena Davis as the mom who throws out sayings and jabs at a moment’s notice, sometimes to make fun of things and other times to hurt. Some of the accidents are funny, but some are also tragic, sometimes bringing the film to a halt. Still, Davis is remarkable in her role.  My Rating; Bargain Matinee  Accidents Happen Info    The film is available on most online services. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Trap: Set Dec Trackers

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Blink Twice  (2024) R  When Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her best friend Jess ( Alia Shawkat) sneak into a big fundraiser party for tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), never in their wilder dreams did they think they would be invited to Slater’s private island to party with his friends. What follows is a dream of wild nights and sun-soaked days that slowly reveals itself to be a nightmare. Zoë Kravitz directs the film and has a cast that includes Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLachlan, and Geena Davis. Blink Twice Website In theatres on Friday, August 23, 2024.

Until Next Time!

Fly Me to the Moon

My View:  Fly Me to the Moon  (2024)  PG-13  Fly Me to the Moon occurs before the first lunar landing. NASA has been having a rough couple of years with its attempts to reach the moon. Due to failed tests, successes by the Soviet Union, and a launch pad disaster that resulted in the death of three astronauts, NASA is in danger of losing its funding. The White House has hired marketing maven Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) to come in and get the public behind the U.S.A.’s race to the moon. With her constant demands and interference, Kelly has made the job of strait-laced launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) even more difficult. Little does Cole know that Kelly has an even bigger task: to stage a fake moon landing as a backup. If you avoid getting too caught up in the plot, which can be insultingly ludicrous, Fly Me to the Moon can be a fun and funny movie. Johansson and Tatum share an incredible chemistry, and it's a love where the two characters are almost opposite but are meant to be together. Johansson is having a great time in this role, which allows her to play with accents while manipulating men with charm and intelligence. Tatum is a by-the-book kind of guy who has a past that haunts him. The problem is that this is a screwball comedy that sometimes gets too serious and pushes the boundaries of believability too far. Still, watching the two characters spar while knowing they will end up together is fun. And yes, spoiler alert, we do land on the moon.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Fly Me to the Moon Website Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Longlegs  (2024)  R  In Longlegs, FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is a gifted new recruit assigned to an unsolved case involving a serial killer and the occult. Agent Harker discovers she has a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again. Film critics, just like the rest of the theatre going audience, can get caught up in the buzz of films coming out. That’s the case with Longlegs, a film that the buzz said the film was terrifying and shocking. It doesn’t help that the film has a plot that isn’t dissimilar to Silence of the Lambs, with a rookie agent on the trail of a serial killer. Well, unfortunately, the film doesn't live up to the hype. The film’s first half is scary and full of incredibly moody cinematography, as we see that Agent Harker has a personal stake in catching the serial killer Longlegs. What I loved about the film’s first portion is that we don’t see Nicolas Cage’s face as the man who is Longlegs. That creates tension and some mystery. The problem with the film is the 2nd half can’t match the intensity of the first half. Cage’s Longlegs looks too weird to be anyone other than an actor in bizarre makeup. The oddness of it makes me believe that Mr. Cage designed it himself. The film also ventures down the path of Satanism, with some voodoo magic thrown in. The third section of the film takes the story further downhill, with a simplified explanation of how the killings were committed. I was all in for the first third of this film, especially with the performance of Maika Monroe as not your typical FBI agent, but someone who can sense evil without knowing why. But then Cage goes overboard, the story gets caught up with the devil, and the plot grinds into almost nothing at the end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Longlegs Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Touch  (2024)  R  Touch spans decades and several continents as Kristopher (Egill Ólafsson) has been told he is running out of time, and he sets off to find his one true love, who disappeared over 50 years ago. The story of finding love in an unexpected place, losing it, and trying to find it again is beautifully captured in this film. The film is broken up into two storylines: one is right before COVID is about to shut down the world when Kristopher searches to find a woman he was in love with that he lost touch with 50 years ago. 50 years ago, there was a love story that took place in the other storyline. What I loved about this film is that we get to see this love story almost in real-time. We are there when the two lovers, Kristopher (Palmi Kormákur) and Miko (Kôki), meet at her father’s Japanese restaurant. Kristopher has quit school and, on a lark, applies to work at the restaurant owned by Miko, her father, Takahashi-san (Masahiro Motoki). Takahashi likes what he sees in Kristopher and lets him wash dishes. Kristopher loves the restaurant, so much so that he learns Japanese and how to cook. Kristopher also has fallen for Miko, who, though she has a boyfriend, is intrigued by the young man from Iceland. As the elder Kristopher travels the world trying to find Miko, in what seems like an impossible task, we see why he is so passionate because we see how in love he was with Miko 50 years ago. Touch is a film that lets things develop, and it’s a film that is full of youthful love and the melancholy that is brought on by old age and loves that have been lost. So bring a tissue or two and go on a journey to find love again.  My Rating Full Price  Touch Website Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Sing Sing  (2023)  R Devine G (Colman Domingo), a man in jail for a crime he did not commit, survives by acting in a theater group with other inmates. This is a powerful and emotional film about a group of men in a hopeless situation who find comfort and power in the theater. Led by an incredibly moving performance by Colman Domingo, we see how inspired the men are to find an outlet for their emotions and thoughts. The cast is made up mostly of former convicts who were in the theater program. Because of the casting, we see how moving and powerful acting is to let the men get in touch with their feelings and emotions in a system that doesn’t always allow you to do so. We get to see the men start the process of finding a play, in this case, written for them, that melds Shakespeare with modern spoken word to significant effect. I was struck by how much this cast made us feel what they were going through, giving us an inside look at a world we can only imagine. Sing Sing is a film about healing, no matter what you have done in the past, and using the power of theater and acting to find that way.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Sing Sing Website   Now playing in theaters.

Indiefest: Sorry/Not Sorry  (2023) Sorry/Not Sorry is a documentary about comedian Louis C.K., accused of sexual harassment in 2017. The film investigates his comeback and how it impacted the women who publicly spoke out about his behavior. The film is told in seven parts, as you see the rise of Louis C.K. from a standup comedian to someone who was starring/directing movies while producing TV shows, along with his record-breaking standup shows. Sorry/Not Sorry centers on three female comedians, Jen Kirkman, Abby Schachner, and Megan Koester, who all have stories to tell of their encounters with Louis C.K. and the aftermath. Sorry/Not Sorry is a film that will make you mad and possibly make you reconsider if you think his standup is funny. This is a movie about a troubled man who had/has power and, though he suffered for about a year, seems to have done nothing to make up for his horrible treatment of women. The film asks many questions about how we treat women who speak out, how the powerful can go for years doing things that ordinary people would get in trouble for right away, and how quickly they should be forgiven. Sorry/Not Sorry gives us an inside look at what it's like to work as a woman in standup, and it's not pretty. Especially when someone can’t even say sorry with a straight face.   My Rating: Full Price  Sorry/Not Sorry Website  Now playing in theaters and On Demand. 

Indiefest:  Dandelion  (2024)  R  Dandelion (KiKi Layne) is a singer-songwriter whose career is filled with small venues and even smaller towns. Desperate for a gig, she takes a job at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota, where she meets Casey (Thomas Doherty), a guitarist who left his dreams of stardom long ago. Casey will ignite something in Dandelion that she thought was long forgotten. Casey and Dandelion begin to mesh together, and Dandelion starts to believe in herself and her music again. However, Casey isn’t perfect and has baggage that could end things before they get started. Dandelion is a beautifully shot film that lets the scenery tell the story. I enjoyed a terrific scene where Casey and Dandelion collaborate on a song on a picturesque hilltop, which shows their passion for making music. The film’s second half flounders as Casey and Dandelion flirt with romance, but I had trouble getting to know Dandelion and just what she was thinking, especially at the end of the film. KiKi Layne gives us a performance that at times is dazzling, especially in those duets with Doherty, but she is let down by a script that doesn’t let her character grow enough to make the ending satisfying.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Dandelion Website Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  Coach Carter  (2005)  PG-13   Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) is a man of standards and rules. He was a high school record-setting sports hero, had a standout career in the military, and was a successful businessman. Now, Coach Carter has taken the job as basketball coach of a high school. Coach believes that high school is for learning, with sports secondary. The high school doesn’t know what they have gotten into, but they will soon realize that the coach means business. Coach Carter is an inspirational film based on the true story of a man who stood up to the administration and the parents when he ensured his players were students first. Jackson is outstanding as the coach who commands respect from the first whistle but also gives it to those who earn it. My Rating: Full Price  Coach Carter Info  The film is available for rent/buy on Amazon. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Touch:  Tattoo Art

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Trap  (2024)  PG-13  A father (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter (Ariel Donoghue) are attending the concert of a lifetime. However, not everything is as it seems, and something dark and sinister is about to make its appearance at this concert. The film is from M. Night Shyamalan. His daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, portrays the concert performer, Lady Raven, that the father/daughter are seeing.  Trap Website  The film will be released in theaters on Friday, August 2, 2024. 

Until Next Time!

Glass

My View:  Glass  (2019)  PG-13   Three men are being held in a high-security mental institution: David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a former security guard who has somehow supernatural powers, Kevin (James McAvoy), a killer that has 24 personalities and a mysterious man named Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson). The film is much too long, and the middle portion of this film slows down, with Sarah Paulson, playing a therapist, that just sits there and lectures the three men, sometimes alone, sometimes at all three together. Samuel L. Jackson’s character Mr. Glass is in a drug-induced haze for much of the film. Bruce Willis looks puzzled and uninterested. As with his performance in Split, James McAvoy is fantastic as he instantly goes from one personality to another. I had hoped that M. Night Shyamalan had gotten back on track, but it proves once again that when given a big budget, he tries to do too much. Glass is a superhero movie that rarely lets the superheroes be heroic.  My Rating: Cable   Glass Website

My View:  Destroyer  (2018)  R   A police detective (Nicole Kidman), seventeen years ago, went undercover and things went horribly wrong. Now she is exploring her past to make peace. I found the storyline a little weak, and it takes a while to get going, but the reason to see this movie is Kidman. She gives a deep, vulnerable performance as a broken woman who is trying to right the wrongs that she created 17 years ago. I liked the ending of the film, which ties everything up, I wish it had gotten to that point a little quicker.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Destroyer Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  The Old Man & the Gun  (2018)  PG-13      Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) who escaped from San Quentin and then went on to rob over 80 banks while in his seventies. If this is genuinely Redford’s last acting performance, then he goes out on a high note. It’s a brilliant, understated performance that only someone with skill like Redford can do. Redford’s performance is bolstered by the performances of Casey Affleck, the world-weary cop trying to catch Forest, and Sissy Spacek, who slowly falls in love Forest. The film is based on a true story, and I loved the ending of the movie where they used old photos and footage of Redford to illustrate the 16 prison escapes that Forest did over the years.   My Rating: Full Price    The Old Man & the Gun Website

Forgotten Film:  Control  (2007)  R    Fascinating film about the troubled life of Ian Curtis (Sam Riley), the lead singer of the legendary band Joy Division. The film gives us insight into why at age 23 he decided to commit suicide. The film at times almost feels like a documentary and is based on Curtis’s wife Deborah (played by Samantha Morton) book on Curtis’s life. The photographer Anton Corbin, whose pictures of Curtis, made him the sex symbol of young, like-minded teens, directed the film. The film is shot in black and white, and the cinematography is just gorgeous. I loved the performance of Morton as Ian’s long-suffering wife in the movie. Her performance is almost magical it is so good. Control is a movie about a man who came to the conclusion that he must end his life to stop his misery.  My Rating: Full Price   Control Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Glass:  Prosthetic Makeup Design and Fabrication: Charlayne Woodard's Aging

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Kid Who Would Be King  (2019)  PG   King Arthur’s half-sister Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) is going to take over the world in 4 days in modern times. Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) has found the legendary Sword in the Stone and is able to pull it out. Now Alex and his friends must go on a quest to find the opening of hell and battle Morgana. The guy, Joe Cornish, who wrote and directed Attack the Block, is back with a new film, so you know I’m seeing this one.    The Kid Who Would Be King Website

Until Next Time!

The Visit

My View:  The Visit  (2015)  PG-13   A single mom (Kathryn Hahn) sends her two young children (Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould) to visit their grandparents (Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie). Something very wrong is going on in the house, and their grandparents are acting strangely.  I love a good horror film, but I hate horror films that use sloppy, lazy screenwriting to create cheap scares with things jumping out of the dark, and this film is filled with them. I used to think that the director/writer of this film, M. Night Shyamalan had talent, but that opinion has long since gone. Every attempt at horror was weak and predictable.  The script has the two young kids spouting out psychobabble like they are freshmen in college who have taken a psychology class and think that they know everything about the human condition.  This is another film in the long line of recent "found footage” films, but this one picks and chooses when to look like a handheld film and when to look like a professionally shot film (there are establishing shots that just don’t make sense). The so-called twist in the film is so predictable and easy to figure out that I was hoping there would be another twist to turn the film into something watchable, but that never happened.  Some critics will praise this film for its mix of comedy and horror. I would suggest that those critics go back and watch The Cabin in the Woods (2012) or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010) as true examples of that genre. This film doesn’t know what genre it is; is it a horror film or a comedy or satire? I have no idea, but I do know that this film does not work as a horror film.  The young girl in the film is a wannabe filmmaker. I would rather see one of her films than any other from Mr. Shyamalan.    My Rating: Cable   The Visit Website

Indiefest:  Steak (R)evolution (2014)  This is a documentary about the search for the best steak in the world. The film goes to France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, UK,USA, Canada, Japan, Argentina, and Brazil to find out what makes a great steak and the different ways that we raise and prepare beef.  While foodies may enjoy this film, I found it a little boring and way too long.  I did learn about how to cook a steak and got to see just how some of the greatest steak restaurants in the world cook their meals. Much like a steak, I found this film could have trimmed some of the fat before releasing it to the public.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Steak (R)evolution Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Friday the 13th  (2016)  This film hasn’t even started shooting (it’s been in development since 2013), and I know it’s a bad idea to try and revive this series. Let sleeping dogs lie, please!

Forgotten Film:  All I Wanna Do (1998)  PG-13   When an all-girls high school is about to go co-ed, a group of girls get together and  hatch a wild scheme to keep their school from changing. This is a funny and charming film set in the 1960’s that highlights girls who have aspirations to be more than just homemakers. The cast is brilliant, especially Lyn Redgrave, who plays the head-mistress of the school and Rachael Leigh Cook, who tries to keep the girls from succeeding. It’s a fun film that is a joy to watch.   My Rating: Full Price   All I Wanna Do Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Visit: Parking PA

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   Pawn Sacrifice  (2014)  PG-13   The legendary battle of wits between American chess champion Bobby Fisher (Tobey Maguire) and the Russian grand master champion Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) at the height of the Cold War. The film is directed by Edward Zwick (Traffic, Shakespeare in Love), and the script written by Steven Knight (Locke).  That’s good enough for me to see this film.  Pawn Sacrifice Website   

Until Next Time!