Presence

My View:  Presence (2024) R    Presence is about husband Chris (Chris Sullivan), his wife Rebecca (Lucy Liu), and their siblings Ty (Eddy Maday) and Chloe (Callina Liang), who are moving into a 100-year-old house. From the very first moments in the house, the family is convinced that they are not alone, nor is everything alright with this family. Presence, directed and shot by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, is shown to us through the eyes of the 'presence', a ghost or entity that inhabits the house. The film takes place entirely from inside the house, as we see what the ‘presence’ sees, experience only the conversations they are in the room for, or when the action takes place outside, through the home’s windows. The film opens with the house empty and the ‘presence’ going through the house, room by room. Soon, we are visited by a real estate agent and a family of four. Right from the start, we feel the tension coming from the family members, from the father, who has reservations about buying the house, but his wife demands they make a bid on it right then, to the brother and sister, who apparently have no choice in the matter. Presence is a film where we get bits and pieces of the family’s life, and we discover that this family has a lot of problems, so much so that it could break the family up. Chloe is the only family member at the beginning who senses a ‘presence’ in the house, and we see that the ‘presence’ has also taken an interest in her. While a ghost story, this is more of a mystery film, where we have to put things together by observing and listening to the family as they go about living in the home. The question is, can you put all the pieces together before the family does, and will the ‘presence’ have a role in that? I loved this film and enjoyed trying to figure out where it was going to go. I want to warn you that some moviegoers had a difficult time watching the movie due to the unnerving way it was shot. I found it riveting.  My Rating: Full Price  Presence Website    Now playing in select theaters. 

My View:  Flight Risk (2025) R   In Flight Risk, a small plane pilot (Mark Wahlberg) is transporting an Air Marshal (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As the flight traverses the Alaskan wilderness, tensions rise, and it becomes clear that everyone on board is not who they seem. So I saw the ads for this film, and they stated, “From the director of Brave Heart.” Uh, they don’t mention the name in the ad, but that would be Academy Award winner Mel Gibson. Now, please take a look at the poster for the film. Our star, Mark Wahlberg, looks all tough and hunky in that picture. However, he’s the bad guy of the film and isn’t close to being hunky. A gum-chewing loudmouth who is anything but hunky. He has a giant bald spot and seems to have cut himself a couple of times. Flight Risk could have been something, but the dialogue spells everything out for you, the camera work, full of closeups to give us tension that never develops, and a heroine who is one of the worst marshals the movies have ever seen make this film seem much longer than a 90-minute flight. The film is so sloppy that every cut-away to the plane flying over the Alaskan mountains, the aircraft is either banking on a turn or descending. That's a problem when they make sure we know the plane in all those cut-aways is on auto-pilot, meaning it's flying straight and level. The ending attempts to be dramatic and offer our hero, the marshal, a chance to redeem themselves, but it's too late. By then, I wished they had crashed into the seemingly endless mountains they had kept crossing.  My Rating: Cable  Flight Risk Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest: Inheritance (2025)  R   Inheritance is about Maya (Phoebe Dynevor), who has endured a rough year that includes the loss of her mother. Her estranged father, Sam (Rhys Ifans), arrives and proposes a trip to Egypt, which she accepts. Little does she know her father was once a spy and has given her a key to an international conspiracy everyone wants. Maya becomes a target and must quickly learn her father’s skills, or she will not survive. Inheritance is a film where our heroine travels from country to country, trying to find a way to help her father, while not knowing who to trust, including the father she is trying to save. The film was shot on an iPhone and on location in countries around the world. Interestingly, the film follows Maya as she travels, including scenes in stores and on streets, where everyone but Dynevor and the small crew were not in on that a movie was being made. The plot may be flimsy, but Dynevor is engaging as Maya, a young woman who relies on her wits and instincts to survive. Dynevor commands our attention and we root for Maya almost from the start of the film. The action sequences are well done, especially a motorcycle chase down some very narrow and busy streets. The intriguing camera work and Phoebe Dynevor's performance make Inheritance worth watching. Just try not to think too much about some of the plot holes that keep popping up. The scenery will change soon to keep your mind off of it.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Inheritance Website  Now playing in theaters.

My View:  Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)  PG-13    Star Trek: Section 31 starts when there is a threat unlike anything Star Fleet has seen suddenly appears. Who do they turn to in saving the galaxy, giving them a command of a black ops crew? Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). I am a big fan of Michelle Yeoh, and I enjoyed her role as Georgiou on the TV series Star Trek: Discovery, as we never knew what her character was going to do or say. We knew that most of the time, whatever Georgiou had up her sleeve, it was putting herself first before anyone else. As a Star Trek fan, I was excited that they were going to let Georgiou be the center of a film. Boy, was I let down by this film. I think the biggest problem with this film is that it goes against every other Star Trek movie/series that has come before it. The core of Star Trek has always been to strive for excellence, follow the rules, and assist as many people as possible while exploring the vastness of space. Section 31 is a ragtag group of misfits allowed to break all the rules because if they get caught, Starfleet will not acknowledge them. Add to that the idea that, except for Georgiou, we have no idea who any of the crew members are or what their capabilities are from the start. We get thrown into the mix, and before we can get to know the characters, fights break out, explosions happen, and we spend a lot of time watching the crew fight both bad guys and among themselves. The film seems to think that bigger explosions and lots of fights are better than what Star Trek fans love about the series. Star Trek has always been about characters who are people (of all races and kinds) who we can relate to and care about. I didn’t care about any of these characters except for Georgiou and she never seemed to figure out what she wanted either.   My Rating: Cable  Star Trek: Section 31 Website   Now playing on the Paramount+ platform. 

Forgotten Film: The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013)   In the 1930s, a Berlin doctor moved to the Galapagos Islands to escape the world and its ongoing problems. The issue is that other couples followed suit a few years later, and they did not get along. This is a tale of sex, bad behavior, and possible murder. The film uses extensive footage that was shot by the couples, along with letters and books that they wrote. The film also interviews people who live on the island, letting us into a world that seems all too strange. There is even a silent film that was shot on the island, using the people who were living there at the time as actors. The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden is a fascinating documentary that provides few answers. However, in this day and age of crime podcasts and streaming documentaries on murderers that come out every week, this is a perfect documentary to watch and try to piece together what happened. My Rating: Full Price  The Galapagos Affair Info  Available to buy/rent on Amazon and Apple TV+.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Inheritance: Audio Description Narrator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  I’m Still Here  (2024)  PG-13  In 1971, Rubens Paiva, a former congressman and critic of the Brazilian military dictatorship, is taken from his home by government officials, never to be heard of again. His wife, Eunice (Fernanda Torres), seeks to find out what happened to her husband while trying to keep her family going. Based on a true story, the film has three Academy Award nominations: Best International Feature Film, Best Motion Picture of the Year, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in Fernanda Torres.  I'm Still Here Website   The film will be in theaters on Friday, February 7, 2025.

Until Next Time!

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

My View:  Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore  (2022) PG-13   Professor Dumbledore (Jude Law) has entrusted Newt (Eddie Redmayne) to lead a team of wizards, witches, and one brave Muggle baker to go on a dangerous mission to stop the powerful Dark wizard Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) from seizing control of the wizarding world. Newt and his team will encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s legion of followers to save the world. The question is, just how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines? So this is the third (and possibly final) film in the Fantastic Beasts series. I enjoyed the first film but didn’t like the 2nd one, finding it confusing and lacking the wonder and fun of the first film. I am also not a fan of Johnny Depp, who, after a stellar career early on, has become someone who mails in his performances and brings a campiness to films that don’t need it. I’m happy to say that for this third installment, Depp has been replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in the role of Grindelwald, the villain of the story. Mikkelsen gives a much more restrained version of Grindelwald and makes the villain more menacing than Depp’s cartoonish interpretation. That being said, while I enjoyed this film much more than the 2nd installment, it is very evident that J.K. Rowling, who wrote the script of the first two films and the Harry Potter books, is making this film about the politics of the last ten years and the film suffers for it. I also had trouble with the fact that Porpentina ‘Tina’ (Katherine Waterston), the love interest of Newt and his main supporter in the previous two films, is barely in this film, with almost no explanation. Now, all that being said, I still enjoyed the movie, primarily because of Eddie Redmayne’s performance as Newt, who has this wonderful screen presence, making Newt someone who sees the wonder in the world and wants to protect these fantastic, magical creatures. Also, the film is helped by Dan Fogler, as the love-lorn Jacob Kowalski, the Muggle baker who, with his good nature and humor, helps the team in sticky situations, all the while morning that his beloved Queenie has gone to the bad side. It is rumored that there will only be more Fantastic Beasts films if this one does well at the box office. I’m ok, either way, as this is a fine ending to the Fantastic Beasts saga.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Fantastic Beasts Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Father Stu  (2022) R  Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) has been a boxer and a wannabe actor, constantly failing and getting into trouble. After a near-fatal accident, Stu decides to become a priest. Along the way, Stu will be given many more obstacles to overcome along his journey from self-destruction to redemption. Father Stu is one of those films whose heart is in the right place but can’t deliver the power or emotional impact that this film sorely needs. It is very evident that Wahlberg put a lot into the role of Stuart, and it has come out that Mark also put a lot of his own money into the film. I wish that passion made it to the screen. The film moves along at a barreling pace, packing Stuart's life into a series of ups and downs (mostly downs), including getting drunk a lot and getting arrested even more. The film wants us to love Stuart, but it’s hard even to like the guy, as we wonder what Carmen (played by the fantastic Teresa Ruiz) sees in him, as Stuart clumsily romances a woman who will only consider dating Stuart if he becomes Catholic. The film is helped by an outstanding supporting cast, including Jacki Weaver as Stuart's long-suffering mother and Mel Gibson as Stu’s not-so-loving deadbeat father. The film is based on a true story, and I wish that Stuart’s remarkable transformation from a troubled young man into an inspirational priest was made into a better, more nuanced movie. But instead, we get a predictable film that never captures the magic of what the real Stuart must have been like.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Father Stu Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Choose or Die (2022)   Down on her luck, coder Kayla (Iola Evans) finds a mysterious 1980s video game that has the possibility of having unclaimed prize money. Straightaway, Kayla, with the help of a fellow coder, Isaac (Asa Butterfield), fire up the game, and they step into a surreal world of next-level terror where the game brings pain and death to reality. I think that people who will enjoy this film are the older viewers who remember the early years of computer gaming, where you used a cassette tape and a monochrome monitor to play games that mostly asked you questions like ‘Do you want to go left or right?’. Otherwise, this film is a pretty ordinary horror film where the characters are forced to choose one bad choice versus another bad choice. Like a lot of horror films of the past ten years or so, this is another in a long line of horror films where the hero of the film must make hard choices, often where the hero must decide who dies while trying to figure out how to get the game to stop. While not a horrible film, Choose or Die doesn’t bring much to the horror table other than an initial nostalgic look at a gaming past that kind of sucked.   My Rating: Cable    Choose or Die Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Dual   (2022) R   Sarah (Karen Gillan) has been given a terminal diagnosis and has opted for a cloning procedure. After the procedure is done, Sarah finds out that she isn’t dying. Consequently, Sarah tries to have her clone decommissioned, only to be told by a court that she will be dueling her clone to the death in one year. This is a strange little film about a woman who doesn’t seem to care that she is dying until she realizes her replacement double is a better version of herself and that even her mother likes her more than the real Sarah. This is a dark comedy that doesn’t always work, a film that skims the line too much between being deadpan and outlandish. I am a fan of Karen Gillan, especially her work on Doctor Who, but the film seems to have lost that Gillan can play with her roles, making them seem fun and energetic. Gillan’s Sarah is lost in restraint, and that makes this film feels slow and dull, even in a quite funny sequence where Sarah’s ‘duel’ trainer, played by Aaron Paul, tries out ‘killing dancing’ with Sarah as another way Sarah can attack her double in the upcoming duel. I never could get into this film where the main character was so dull, even when she wasn’t supposed to be.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Dual Website   Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: House of Sand And Fog   (2003)  R  Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) is a woman whose life is slowly crumbling around her. She is a woman who has had a drinking problem in the past, her husband has left her, and now, her family home has been taken away from her. Behrani (Ben Kingsley) is a man who once was successful in his home country of Iran but now works two jobs to support his family here in America. He buys Kathy’s house in an auction hoping that his fortunes have turned around. Instead, the two people are on a collision course that could destroy both their lives. House of Sand and Fog is a film where the two main characters are both right, and that’s the problem. One or both most lose in this game. Jennifer Connelly gives a brilliant performance as the troubled woman who sees Behrani as the enemy, someone who has taken her life from her. As only he can, Kingsley gives us a man who is full of grace until he is pushed to the edge and his family is threatened. House of Sand and Fog is a film that will stay with you and make you wonder who was right and who was wrong.   My Rating: Full Price    House of Sand and Fog Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: Animal Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Top Gun: Maverick  (2022) PG-13  Maverick (Tom Cruise) has for 30 years served his country but has done it his way, as one of the Navy’s top aviators, pushing the envelope as a test pilot. Maverick has been able to dodge the advancement in rank that would ground him until now. Maverick is back where he started, and he is still flying by the air tower, rank be damned. Finally, we get a film that has been pushed back due to COVID for what seems like forever. Can Tom capture the magic again? We all will be there to see it.   Top Gun Website

Dog

My View: Dog  (2022) PG-13  Briggs (Channing Tatum) is a grieving former Army Ranger who wants to get back into the Army. Surprisingly, Briggs is given a chance to prove himself when he is assigned to take Lulu, a retired military working dog, on a road trip to go to the dog’s late handler’s funeral. It’s a trip that will change everything. Everyone who knows me knows that I love dogs. And you can’t go wrong when the dog is the co-star of the film. Ok, there are a few clunkers (Marmaduke (2010) and Look Who’s Talking Now! (1993) comes to mind), but generally, dogs can make a movie better just because we love them, no matter how unruly or damaged they are. We know that love and understanding can make a dog heal (except for rabid dogs like Cujo). That’s the case with Dog, as Channing Tatum goes on a road trip with a dog that is suffering from a case of PTSD and who misses his handler. The film milks the charm of Channing Tatum and the fact that we love dogs, even ones that act up. I wish the adventures that two have were a little more fun and creative. There is an uncomfortable sequence between Brigs, Lulu, and two hippie pot farmers (Kevin Nash, Jane Adams) that just doesn’t work. Still, there are some fun scenes with Lulu acting up in Briggs’ beloved truck, and Tatum makes for a lovable big oaf with a heart that slowly melts for a dog that is as damaged as he is. Overall, this is a sweet story of a man and a dog who find healing in each other.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Dog Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Uncharted (2022) PG-13  Nathan (Tom Holland) meets up with legendary treasure hunter Sully (Mark Wahlberg) to go on an adventure to find the lost fortune of explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Straightaway, a simple heist becomes a race to find the 5 billion dollars in gold before the ruthless Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) can. Every played a video game and thought, ‘hey, this would make for a fun movie.’ Well, that’s what Hollywood has been trying to do for quite a while with the Uncharted video game series, and after what seems like a hundred years and many, many rumors of casting, we finally have a movie. Unfortunately, this film never delivers the goods in this treasure hunting trip around the world. Tom Holland tries to bring his charm and action-adventure charisma to this film, but he is saddled with a horrible miscasting of Mark Wahlberg as his screen mate. In this film, Wahlberg never gives us much, making his Sully character seem charmless and dull. The film tries to spice things up by bringing a third treasure hunter into the picture, with Sophia Ali’s Chloe Frazer, and for a while, she sparks up the film for a bit, with Chloe making the boys keep on their toes for a while. But sadly, she is left out of the fun in the finale, letting Holland do all the heavy lifting of the action sequences while Wahlberg gets to spout a lame wisecrack or two. I was never caught up in the magic that the film wanted to create about finding the pot of gold at the end of the Magellan rainbow. Instead, we kind of got tricked, and a leprechaun wasn’t responsible, just Mark Wahlberg. If you make it to the end there is a post-credit scene to set up the next film (please, no).  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Uncharted Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: The Cursed (2021) R  In rural 19th-century France, a gypsy has cursed a small village and the nearby landowners. Consequently, a pathologist, John McBride (Boyd Holbrook), has come to town to investigate the attacks happening to the town folk. This supernatural menace is something that McBride has seen before with deadly results. I liked this horror film as it tells the tale of a werewolf terrorizing a local village. It reminded me in its plot and style of the old British Hammer films for the 60s and 70s, giving us lots of setup to understand the characters involved and building up the tension slowly, letting us imagine what could happen, then making the attacks more horrifying than our wildest nightmares. I loved the look and feel of this film as we only get glimpses of the werewolf, but we see just how scared the townspeople are, knowing fully what the gypsy curse means to their village. The Cursed builds to a satisfying and horrific conclusion, full of terror and fright. Remember to never cross a gypsy, or you could be next.   My Rating: Full Price  The Cursed Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) R   A group of young friends visit a small, remote town in Texas with the thought that they will buy the town and return it to its former robust glory. Little do they know, inside the town is a building home to a family who has hidden their existence for almost 50 years, the home of a monster: Leatherface. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974 is one of my favorite horror films of all time. Made for a tiny amount of money, the Tobe Hooper classic changed the way horror films were presented, with a killing spree that happens so early in the movie, that you are shocked when it happens. I can’t say the same thing about this film. I was excited when I heard of the plot, with the character of Sally, the only survivor of the original film, coming back to wreak vengeance on Leatherface after 50 years of waiting. Unfortunately, we instead get another run-of-the-mill horror gorefest with Leatherface killing people right and left with either a sledgehammer or his trusty chainsaw (that remarkably fires right up after 50 years). The showdown between Sally (played by Olwen Fouere, taking the place of the late actress from the original film, the late Marilyn Burns) and Leatherface is disappointing, as is the film playing up the gore in its kill-fest, trying to top different ways people can die via chainsaw. Unfortunately, Sarah Yarkin (Happy Death Day 2) and indie fave Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), playing sisters trying to survive the Leatherface onslaught, can’t save this film from being anything but another boring, bloody mess of a bad horror film.   My Rating: Cable   Texas Chainsaw Massacre Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: The Worst Person in the World (2021) R  We follow the life of Julie (Renate Reinsve), a young woman who for four years navigates the troubled waters of her love life and her struggle to find a career. This is a film about a woman who can never find the footing that she needs to live the life she wants to lead. Julie is not your typical heroine as she is going to disappoint you continually with the choices she makes in life, but you will keep hoping and rooting for her to succeed. Julie is a person who thinks that the grass is always greener on the other side and is in a constant look for that side, even if it means heartbreak and burning bridges behind her. Renate Reinsve is remarkable as Julie, giving us a woman who can be in love one minute and then regret that she ever got into the relationship in the first place the next moment. There is a truly magical sequence in the film when Julie runs through town as the world slows down around her. It’s a scene that makes this film worth watching for it alone. But The Worst Person in the World is more than just that scene, with a performance that makes the film watchable from start to finish. My Rating: Full Price   The Worst Person in the World Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Breaking Bread (2020)   This documentary is about a food festival in Israel that pairs Arab and Jewish chefs to collaborate on exotic dishes, changing the world one plate at a time. If you love food and the chefs' passion for making people happy with the meals they have created, then this film is for you. Created by the first Muslim Arab to win the popular Israeli TV cooking show Master Chef, Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, the A-Sham Arabic Food Festival is an attempt to bring the food and cultures of the Arab and Israeli world together to celebrate how the love of food can unite and create friendship and understanding. The film highlights several chefs that bring their stories and recipes of family to be blended to create magic. The film celebrates all the different cultures that make up the region through the food that they are known for. We get mouth-watering behind-the-scenes looks on how the dishes are created and the exchange of recipes and ideas between the chefs as they collaborate for the food festival. I guarantee that you will want to make some homemade humus as soon as you finish this delightful and entertaining look at the chefs trying to change the world one plate at a time.   My Rating: Full Price   Breaking Bread Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Pursuit (2022) R  A hacker, Rick Calloway (Emile Hirsch), has crossed the line with the people he works for, and now his wife is being held until he can complete a mission. Meanwhile, a cop (Jake Manley) is hot on his trail and will do anything to find him. The question is if Rick’s mobster father (John Cusack) is behind the whole thing. If you are watching this film for John Cusack, then don’t bother as most of Cusack’s scenes are either flashbacks to a birthday party for his grandson or his cooking steaks on a grill on the back porch of his mansion. I got lost in the plot, never quite figuring out who was doing what to whom, as Rick goes around killing everyone he can while looking for his wife who has been kidnapped. There are lots of firefights where Hirsch fires a gun in slow motion as he jumps sideways across a room, and he gets captured a lot but always figures some way on how to escape. The film's ending is as mystifying as the rest of the plot, but if you want to watch Hirsch fire a gun and look like a crazy guy in front of a computer, then take this film on. Otherwise, go watch something else from the Cusack catalog of movies.   My Rating: Cable   Pursuit Website  Now On-Demand and on Digital platforms.

Indiefest: Beans (2020)   Beans is about the 78-day standoff between the Mohawk community and the federal government when a golf course wants to expand into a tribal burial ground. Beans (Kiawentiio) is a young Mohawk girl who fights with her family for their right to keep a part of their history from being destroyed. A delightful film about a teen trying to find her way in a world that gets turned upside down when a battle ensues between the Mohawk community and the local government, quickly turning into a national struggle. The actress, Kiawentiio, who plays Beans, is fantastic in the role of a girl trying to grow up too fast, too soon, and getting into trouble because of it. Kiawentiio is perfect, playing Beans as an innocent girl whose promising future is being derailed by something much bigger than she can deal with. The film is based on filmmaker Tracy Deer’s own experiences as a young 12-year-old during the standoff and that makes it even more touching and enjoyable to watch.   My Rating: Full Price   Beans Website  Now playing on digital platforms including Amazon Prime.

Forgotten Film: The Hustler (1961) Fast Eddie (Paul Newman) is an up-and-coming pool player who, too early in his career, takes on a legend in the game, Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason), and loses everything in a high-stakes game. Now at rock bottom, Eddie is trying to resurrect his career with the help of the slick and smarmy manager, Bert (George C. Scott). Eddie realizes, possibly too late, that to get back to the top, he will have to risk everything he loves to hit the big time. The Hustler is one of those films that you see why Newman was one of the top actors of all time. He takes an unlikable, ego-driven person and makes you fall in love with him despite yourself, much like Piper Laurie's character in the film. The cast is outstanding, and Newman is a powerhouse on the screen. Newman played Fast Eddie again in the Tom Cruise film The Color of Money (1986).   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Hustler Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Dog: COVID Captains

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  X (2022) R   In 1979, a group of young, ambitious filmmakers go to an isolated set of homes in rural Texas to make an adult-rated film. Their stay will be cut short when things start going wrong when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, and the cast finds themselves fighting for their lives. After the disappointment of the sequel horror film Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I hope this Ti West (The Innkeepers, The Sacrament) will be better at the scares. Add in the fact that Jenna Ortega is one of the film's stars, just off her appearance in Scream and The Fallout and I hope this one will something to watch.    X Website

Until Next Time!

Capone

My View:  Capone (2020) R   47-year-old Al Capone (Tom Hardy) has been released from prison after ten years and is back with his wife at his home in Florida. Al is suffering from dementia and other ailments, causing him to relive his past while at the same time, being watched by the FBI, hoping to find money that Al has tucked away. I love Tom Hardy. His performance in Locke (2013) is one of my favorite of all time. Unfortunately, this film is not Hardy at his best; in fact, it might be one of his worst performances. Heavy with prosthetics and an accent that I have no clue what it is, Hardy gives us a bubbling, stumbling Capone who is on his last legs. The film uses Capone’s perspective quite a bit, so you never know where the fantasy starts and reality ends. If you are thinking about watching this film, hoping for gunfights and bombastic performances, you will be sorely disappointed. The film is frustratingly slow and other than watching Hardy’s Capone waste away, not much happens. I will warn you that it got its R rating for a few very violent scenes, mostly due to Capone’s dementia. Frankly, I was just waiting for Capone to die so that this film would end.   My Rating: Cable    Capone Website       Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  CRSHD (2019)   On the last night of her college freshman year, Izzy (Isabelle Barbier) tries to finally lose her virginity. Still, her only hope is if she and her two best friends can get her into the exclusive, invite-only ‘Crush Party.’ I wanted to like this film, but it felt like a first film from a recent college graduate, which it is. The cast is a little green, though I did like Sadie Scott as the wild child best friend of Izzy, who has a flair for comedy. The film feels like it would be a big hit on a college campus at a university film fest, but it just seems a little shallow and slow in the big world. The film relies too much on gadgets such as a video-game-like map to show the girl's travels and a three-way split of the screen to show when the girls or texting to each other. The production values are excellent, and for a first-time film of such a young filmmaker, it’s a fine-looking film but just never quite gets going.   My Rating: Cable    CRSHD Website       Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Straight Up (2019)   Todd (James Sweeney) is gay and hasn’t had any luck finding love. Rory (Katie Findlay) is an actress who is just looking for a roommate. Rory and Todd discover that they might not be your typical couple, but they might be great at being together. I enjoyed this quirky film about a couple that are perfect for each other, except for the fact that Todd is gay. James Sweeney, who plays Todd, also wrote and directed the film, but he gave the best part in the movie to Katie Findlay, who shines in the role of Rory. Findlay delivers her lines with great comedic timing and dominates every scene she is in. I was reminded of a young Lauren Graham watching Findlay on the screen as her Rory plays off the reserved and ever nervous Todd. The film doesn’t always work, but with Findlay’s performance, you are willing to see it through to the end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Straight Up Website        Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View:  The Wrong Missy (2020)   Tim (David Spade) goes on a blind date from hell with Missy (Lauren Lapkus). Lucky to end the disaster date, three months later, Tim meets a woman, Melissa (Molly Sims), by chance in an airport, and she is everything he could ever want in a woman. He decides to ask Melissa to a corporate retreat and, by mistake, invites Missy instead, and Tim’s life will never be the same. Thank goodness I didn’t see this in a theatre and could stop it every ten minutes to do something, anything else to get my mind off how bad this film is. Please, please Netflix, quit giving Adam Sandler money to finance his friends to make movies. I beg you, stop the madness. I felt terrible for some of the actors in this film, like Lauren Lapkus, who I like as a comedy actress and Sarah Chalke, who I hoped enjoyed the week she got in Hawaii (where they shot the film). David Spade does show some restraint in his part, but the jokes are horrible, the plot is stupid, and watching Rob Schneider mug his way through is performance as a boat captain is painful to watch. Stay away from this one!   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again    The Wrong Missy Website    The film is currently available on Netflix.

Forgotten Film: The Last Run (1971) GP   Harry (George C. Scott) is a retired getaway driver living in a small Portuguese fishing village. Harry has become bored with his life and decides to take on one last job, a job that won’t turn out the way Harry planned to go out. Scott, hot off his Oscar for Patton, wanted to do a ‘Humphrey Bogart’ type role, and he carries it off with style. The film uses incredible locations in Europe, fantastic driving sequences (wait until you see the opening sequence on a tiny mountain road) and a brilliant cast, including Trish Van Devere, who plays a woman who is being used as bait by her boyfriend to get Harry to take the job. Scott is masterful as a man who hasn’t much to live for other than the thrill of driving as fast as he can.   My Rating: Full Price    The Last Run Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Capone: Chef Driver

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Military Wives (2019) PG-13   With their partners away serving in Afghanistan, two headstrong women (Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan) form a choir on a military base. The women in the choir form a bond that transforms their lives and gives them a way to deal with the reality of the everyday fear that their loved ones won’t return from the war. From two-time Oscar-nominated director Peter Cattaneo, this film just might be the uplifting film we need at this time.     The Military Wives Info

Until Next Time!

Crazy Rich Asians

My View: Crazy Rich Asians (2018)  PG-13  Native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) has fallen in love with the man of her dreams Nick (Henry Golding). When he decides to take her to Singapore to meet his family, she finds out that his family is one of the richest in the city and his mother doesn’t think Rachel is good enough for her son. I loved this movie, it’s so much fun to watch. Great storyline and a fantastic ending. I will warn you that you will probably leave the theatre wanting Asian street food because there are some really cool scenes with food. Awkwafina, playing Rachel's best friend, is the breakout star of the film, just dominating the film with her brilliant and hilarious performance. Go see this funny and fun film.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Crazy Rich Asians Website

My View: Mile 22  (2018)  R  An elite American intelligence officer (Mark Wahlberg) is given the easy of smuggling a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country. Making Mark Wahlberg a genius was the first mistake that this film did. The film takes forever to get going. While the story is confusing and the ending is puzzling, I did like the fight sequences that Iko Uwais does, including a brilliant sequence in an examining room. For an action film, there is an incredible amount of dialogue, mostly done by Wahlberg. I just wish there was less talking and more action to this film.  My Rating: Cable   Mile 22 Facebook Page

My View:  Alpha (2018)  PG-13  Set in the last Ice Age, the story of how man developed a relationship with a dog. Letting you know up front that the actors speak a foreign language that requires subtitles. This is a beautiful film that has some great shots of the scenery from the air. I loved the relationship of the dog, Alpha with his fellow traveler Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee), which makes the film work on all levels. It’s a feel-good film that is needed at this time. A word of caution for families, there is some violence at the start of the film and their are several tear jerking moments.  My Rating: Full Price   Alpha Website

Indiefest:  Puzzle  (2018)  R  A housewife, Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) discovers that she has a knack for solving jigsaw puzzles and gets involved with her puzzle partner, Robert (Irrfan Khan). The problem is Agnes is married and has two sons, both of who live at home. I absolutely loved this film. Kelly Macdonald is brilliant as a woman who discovers there is more to life than cleaning the house and making dinner. Macdonald and Irrfan Khan have fantastic chemistry on the screen, and that makes their attraction to each other believable. Puzzle is a quiet but stellar film that is enjoyable from start to finish.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Puzzle Facebook Page

Forgotten Film:  Laurel Canyon (2002) R  A young man (Christian Bale) and his fiancee (Kate Beckinsale) move in with his mother (Frances McDormand), a record producer. While this isn’t a great film, it contains an excellent performance by McDormand, who shines in every scene she is in.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Laurel Canyon Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Alpha: Flint Knapper Adviser

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Operation Finale (2018) PG-13  A group of secret agents are attempting to catch the man who masterminded the Holocaust. I’ll see anything that Melanie Laurent is in.   Operation Finale Website

Until Next Time!

Transformers: The Last Knight

My View:  Transformers: The Last Knight  (2017)  PG-13  In the absence of Optimus Prime, a war has been started between the human race and the Transformers.  To save the world, Cade (Mark Wahlberg) forms an alliance with Bumblebee to try and learn why the Transformers keep coming back to Earth.  If you paid me to explain the plot of this film, I would have to give back your money because I have no clue what this movie is about. It’s a film that introduces a main character in the first 20 minutes and forgets about that character until the last portion of the film. The main Transformer, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) is missing for at least a third of the movie, and you have a character, Sir Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins), who gives us a backstory that is so complicated it would take a flow chart to know what he is talking about. It took six editors to make this film, and I think that’s part of the problem - the film seems like it wants to be 3 or 4 different films, skipping storylines all over the place. This movie is all noise and no plot, at least not one I could figure out. There is an extra scene during the closing credits, but typical of the whole movie, I have no clue what it’s supposed to set up for the next film. The film was shot in 3D, so it’s worth the money to see it in that format, but you really should see something else…or just watch some of the animated series from the 80’s. At least those shows had plots you could follow.  My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Transformers: The Last Knight Website

Indiefest:  The Hero  (2017)  R  Lee (Sam Elliott) is a Western icon whose best roles are in his past.  He makes most of his living by doing voice overs. He finds out that he has cancer, and the prognosis is not good. But Lee has a good friend, Jeremy (Nick Offerman) and a new love, Charlotte (Laura Prepon), who give him something and someone to live for. I loved this film, and saw it at both the SXSW Film Festival and the Atlanta Film Festival. Sam Elliott is masterful as the actor who is known for one iconic film, a western called The Hero that was made over forty years ago. Lee is a role that was tailor-made for Elliott, and he gets every bit he can out of it. Appearing in every scene, Elliott gives what is surely his finest performance of a world-weary man who is near the end of his life, a life that is full of regrets and missed opportunities. Co-writer/director Brett Haley, as he did with the last years I’ll See You in My Dreams starring Blythe Danner, gives Sam Elliott a movie in The Hero he can be proud of and that is moving, funny and full of life. Heck, I would see that western that Lee wanted to make just to see Elliott star in another movie.    My Rating: Full Price   The Hero Website

Indiefest:  The Exception  (2017)  R  Set during World War II, a German soldier (Jai Courtney) is sent on a mission to investigate exiled German Emperor Wilhelm II (Christopher Plummer).  As the soldier begins his investigation, he falls for a maid of the Emperor, Mieke (Lily James). This is a well made thriller with lots of romance thrown in. The chemistry between Courtney and James is amazing and their love scenes are a bit steamy. The plot keeps you guessing on how it will end and it's a fascinating look at a bit of history that is forgotten. Christopher Plummer gives a brilliant performance as the cranky but somewhat lovable German Emperor, he makes buying a ticket to this movie worth it.   My Rating: Full Price  The Exception Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray): John Wick: Chapter Two  (2017)  R  John Wick’s (Keanu Reeves) retirement didn’t last long as he now has to travel to Rome to take on a squad of assassins to defend a former associate who has seized control of the assassins’ guild. The first John Wick film was one of the biggest surprises of 2014, as it was a highly enjoyable full-out action-fest.  I enjoyed this movie as much as the first and love that it tries to outdo the first film on ways to kill the bad guys. The action sequences are fast, well done and, unlike some recent films, don’t rely on the use of “shakycam” to cover up the lack of real action. If you like action films and especially up close hand-to-hand fighting, then this is the movie for you. And, by the way, a third film is in the works.   My Rating:  Full Price   John Wick: Chapter Two Website

Forgotten Film:  The Sterile Cuckoo  (1969)  M  Two college freshman start a relationship that is doomed to failure due to both of their inabilities to connect on a personal level. Liza Minnelli gives a performance of a lifetime as Pookie, a loony, lonely girl who has no family and doesn’t get along with others. It’s a brilliant performance by Minnelli, who takes an unlikable person and makes us want for her to succeed.  Wendell Burton gives an equally profound performance of Jerry, a young man unprepared to be swept up in Pookie’s world.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   The Sterile Cuckoo Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Transformers: The Last Knight:  Rattle Snake Safety

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: War for the Planet of the Apes  (2017)  PG-13  After a raid on his apes by an elite military force, Caesar (Andy Serkis) decides to go on a quest for revenge.  I really enjoyed the first two films, so I am looking forward to the final installment of the trilogy. Could Andy Serkis get an Oscar nomination for this role that is entirely CGIed (Special Effects) of the ape Caesar?    War for the Planet of the Apes website  

Until Next Time!