The Conjuring 2

My View:  The Conjuring 2  (2016)  Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) head to North London to battle malicious spirits that are terrorizing a single mom and her four kids. I loved the first film because it truly was scary and had some great acting, both rare for horror films. While this movie is a slight letdown from the first, it still delivers scary scenes, and it still has Farmiga and Wilson in the lead roles. The film stalls a little in the middle, but the opening and closing scenes are chilling and move at a quick pace. Vera Farmiga gives a stunning performance as the paranormal investigator who can talk to the spirits and demons that terrorize families and homes. If you like horror films. this is the one for you.  You will be in for a wild ride.    My Rating;  Full Price    The Conjuring 2 Website

My View:  Now You See Me 2  (2016)  It’s been eighteen months since the Four Horsemen stole all that money from a Paris bank. They decide to make a comeback appearance, but their plans are thwarted by a tech prodigy (Daniel Radcliffe). He threatens to kill them if they don’t pull off a major heist. I liked the first film, mostly for the magic scenes which I thought were creative and fun. That’s the problem with this film: it’s a movie about magicians that doesn’t have any magic in it. The closest to believable magic in the movie is when the cast throws a playing card around during a heist. The film is boring, predictable and just not much fun. I did enjoy Lizzy Caplan’s performance as Isla Fisher’s replacement in the “Four Horsemen” because she looks like the only one in the cast who is having a good time. Most of the cast look like they are just going through the motions for a big paycheck. It makes me wonder if Isla Fisher didn’t really appear in the film because she was pregnant but because it was such a bad script.    My Rating: Cable    Now You See Me 2 Website

Indiefest:  Maggie’s Plan  (2016)  Maggie’s (Greta Gerwig) life turns upside down when she falls for a “ficto-critical anthropologist” named, John (Ethan Hawke), who is in an unhappy marriage with Georgette (Julianne Moore). John leaves Georgette, but soon Maggie realizes that John just might not be the man for her. She hatches a plan to get Georgette and John back together. While Maggie’s Plan is rarely laughing out loud funny, it is a sly, humorous look at a modern-day woman and the choices she makes in her life. Julianne Moore is priceless as John’s wife, Georgette, who has a personality full of hostility that dominates everything in the room. I am sure that Rebecca Miller wrote this film with Greta Gerwig in mind because I would have a hard time with anyone else in the role. Gerwig has great comedic timing that the movie uses to the utmost. She gives us a memorable performance where she commands you to concentrate on her character even when you have scene stealers like Rudolph and Moore up on the screen. Gerwig gives a performance that, while sweet, doesn’t go overboard, making us root for Maggie even more. Maggie’s Plan is a funny and surprisingly moving film that capitalizes on sharp, witty writing and cast that gives us as a pleasurable and gratifying film centered around a woman. We need more of these type of films, and I hope Rebecca Miller keeps giving them to us.   My Rating: Full Price     Maggie's Plan Website

Indiefest:  Dheepan  (2015)  Dheepan (Jesuthasan Antonythasan) leaves his life as a Tamil Tiger soldier during the last days of the Sri Lankan Civil War. He buys the passport of a dead man and, along with a woman (Kalieaswari Srinivasan) he doesn’t know and her child, travels to France to start over. There he gets a job as a caretaker of a building in a housing project that turns out is its own war zone.  Jesuthasan Antonythasan and Kalieaswari Srinivasan give moving performances that are multi-layered and thrilling to watch. The film is full of brilliant slices of life in an area of Paris that feels more like a war zone than a suburb. This is a film that will stay with you for days because it’s a movie that has complex issues at every turn of the story, and those issues don’t really have a solution. This is a fascinating film that keeps you guessing until the end.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See It Again    Dheepan Website

Forgotten Film:  Stay Hungry (1976)  The mob has bought every house in a district to rebuild it. Every building is purchased but one, a small gym where Mr. Austria Joe Santo (Arnold Schwarzenegger) prepares for a major body building competition. Jeff Bridges plays a rich kid named, Craig, who is brought in to be a patsy to buy the gym. He quickly likes the people in the gym, especially Joe’s friend, Marie (Sally Field). He decides to stand up to the mob with the help of his new found bodybuilding friends. While not a great film, it was the director, Bob Rafelson’s favorite film because they had so much fun making it. Bridges and Field are a delight to watch and have great chemistry. Arnold isn’t the best actor in this film, but it’s fun to see him in his bodybuilding prime.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Stay Hungry Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Now You See Me 2:  Charge Hand Dressing Prop

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Swiss Army Man (2016)  A man (Paul Dano) is stranded in the wilderness and finds a dead body (Daniel Radcliffe) he uses to help him get back home. This film looks and sounds so weird that it has to be seen.    Swiss Army Man Website

\

Until Next Time!

London Has Fallen

My View:  London Has Fallen  (2016)  R  Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler)is in London with the President for the funeral of the Prime Minister, and Banning doesn’t like what he sees. A last minute funeral means that all the world’s leaders will be sitting ducks in one place on a foreign country’s soil. It’s going to be up to Banning to make sure that the President gets back home alive. This film reminded me of the Chuck Norris films of the 80s like Delta Force; one man takes on terrorists in the name of America. I liked this movie because it just went all out with the action and the one-liners, making it fun to watch. I would love to know the body count of Banning (I know he killed at least 25 on his own in the first film, Olympus Has Fallen) because it’s got to be in the high 30’s. Butler, as you would expect, does an outstanding job with the action sequences, and he has brilliant chemistry on screen with Arron Eckhart, who plays the President whom he is trying to keep alive. The action is fast-paced and fun to watch with some fast and furious car chases through the streets of London. I liked this film more than the first film, which is rare for a sequel. If you like action movies with a little bit of one-liners thrown in, then this film is for you.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  London Has Fallen Website

Family Faire:  Zootopia  (2016)  PG   In a city populated by anthropomorphic animals, a con artist Fox (Jason Bateman) and a rookie bunny cop (Ginnifer Goodwin) must team up to uncover a conspiracy. “Zootopia” is a magical movie that combines the beautiful animation Disney is famous for with a hilarious script that has some serious undertones and messages. While never spelling it out, the film approaches the subjects of racism and profiling. The message never hits you over the head, and the reasons learned are never fully spelled out to the audience, but the message comes over loud and clear. Part buddy film, part mystery, “Zootopia” uses humor at every turn to keep the movie moving at a rather quick pace. There are funny lines and rapid asides that make fun of past Disney films (including one about a “frozen” girl) , so many so that you may have to see the movie several times before getting all the jokes. “Zootopia” is a little long, and very young children may get a bit scared of a few scenes of animals acting ferocious, but this is one film everyone is going to enjoy. And, the DMV scene with the sloths that is teased in the trailer will have you rolling in the aisles with laughter.    My Rating: Full Price   Zootopia Website

My View:  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot  (2016)  R  Kim (Tina Fey) is tired of being behind the scenes and volunteers to be a war correspondent in Afghanistan and Pakistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. She finds a fellow woman reporter (Margot Robbie) who shows her the ropes and lets her know that she may have been a “four or five at home but is a ten here.”  Kim, who always was in the background in the states, is suddenly front and center and has the attention of a dashing war photographer (Martin Freeman). First off, this is not a comedy.  Yes, there are some comedic asides, but it’s mostly to release the tension. And that’s the problem with this film, there isn’t enough tension. Even when out in the field and under fire, I never felt that Kim was in trouble and never really worried about her well being. This isn’t a bad film, and the chemistry between Freeman and Fey is easy going and believable. I loved Billy Bob Thornton as a hard nose Marine general who warms up to Kim’s can do attitude. I just wish the film had a harder edge to it, to give it some realism.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Website

Forgotten Film:  The White Countess  (2005)  PG-13  Set in Shanghai in 1936, a Russian Countess (Natasha Richardson) has fled her country and must work as a bar-girl to survive. She meets Jackson (Ralph Fiennes), a former American diplomat who is blind and owns a classy bar. As the world closes in, they develop a relationship, while curious at first, becomes stronger with time.  This is the last of the famous filmmaking team of Merchant and Ivory and has their trademark of complex characters, intricate plots and luscious scenes that made their films stand out. Fiennes and Richardson make this film worth watching as their characters find a glimmer of hope in each other.   My Take:  Full Price   The White Countess Info   

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)  PG-13  It’s hard for lightning to strike twice.  The first film worked because there was such great chemistry between Nia Vardalos and John Corbett, and Vardalos had such a pleasing presence on the screen that just made you love her.  After seeing the trailer, it looks like it’s the same film, with a few additional characters - which rarely works.   My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Info      

Weird Credits:  From the credits of London Has Fallen:  Russian Arm Operator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Maggie’s Plan  (2016)  R  Maggie (Greta Gerwig) stole John (Ethan Hawke) from his marriage to Georgette (Julianne Moore). Now Maggie realizes that John isn’t the man she thought he was, so she has a plan to get Georgette and John back together, if only Georgette will cooperate.  This looks like a good old screwball comedy and what’s not to love with a cast that also includes Travis Fimmel, Maya Rudolph, and Bill Hader? Plus, Julianne Moore is speaking with some sort of accent!   Maggie's Plan Info

Until Next Time!