Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Familyfaire: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) PG In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the Turtles wish they had ordinary lives, but that will never happen. With the help of Master Splinter (voiced by Jackie Chan) and April O’Neil (voiced by Ayo Edebiri), the guys are ready to take on their next foe. Unfortunately, it’s not just one bad guy, but a gang of mutants, led by a ‘Super Fly’ (voiced by Ice Cube), that want to destroy humans at all costs. The Turtles will need all their skills to defeat these mutants. Most of the TMNT films have been aimed at kids and have been, on the whole, pretty crappy. I am happy to say that through imaginative animation, whip-smart dialogue, a fun voice cast, and a plot that moves along at a fast pace, this film is right there with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as one of the best-animated films of the year. Taking a franchise that has been around for over 30 years and making it seem new and relevant is a challenging undertaking, but this film has accomplished that and more. With a great villain (voiced by a very cool and funny Ice Cube) and a spunky, smart sidekick in April (voiced by the talented Ayo Edebiri), the film hits a lot more times than it misses (a few less vomit jokes, please) and both adults and kids will have a blast. Be sure to stay through the first portion of the closing credits for a bonus scene that fans of the TMNT gang will go nuts over.   My Rating: Full Price  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Website Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Meg 2: The Trench (2023) PG-13   Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), who, after his experience with Megalodon, is back and leading a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the ocean’s depths. Little does the team know that an illegal mining operation is about to unleash something worse than last time: there is more than one ancient creature hiding in the depths. The first half of this film is boring and takes forever to get going, and when it does, the action is done so poorly and so murky that I didn’t even know one of the characters was in trouble. The second half is what you are looking for, with the giant sharks and some bonus monsters going nuts. Statham looks like he was cashing in a paycheck and fresh addition to the cast; Jing Wu does as much action scenes as Jason does. That’s not surprising since making backing is from some Chinese companies, and about an eighth of the dialogue is not in English. The action picks up when we get into the sunlight, but it’s still idiotic, and some horrible editing mistakes jump out at you as big as the Megalodon’s do. So, stay home and watch some docs on dinosaurs or sharks, and you get as many thrills as this film gives you. Probably more.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  Meg 2: The Trench    Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Shortcomings (2023) R   Ben (Justin H. Min) is a failed filmmaker and a manager of a small theatre. Friends will tell you, Ben is a condescending jerk. His best friend, Alice (Sherry Cola), is hiding the fact that she is gay from her parents. They spend a lot of their time in San Francisco complaining about everything. When Ben’s girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), takes an internship in New York, Ben and Alice decide to go on a road trip to the ‘Big Apple’ to surprise Miko. Ben is about to get a taste of his own medicine. Let me tell you right off the bat that you will not like Ben, and this isn’t one of those films where Ben will change because of the ‘right girl’ or where he realizes he needs to change. In fact, I don’t think Ben will ever change, which is fine because the performance of Justin H. Min makes this a film to watch. The interplay between Ben and Alice is a lot of fun, including some witty phone calls between the two, where Alice lets Ben know what a jerk he is being. The film has a lot to say about culture, dating, and how Ben sees himself in the dating world. Shortcomings is a funny but hard-hitting look at a man who thinks the world revolves around him and how he thinks the dating world should work.   My Rating: Full Price  Shortcomings Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Dreamin’ Wild (2022) PG  The story of Donnie (Casey Affleck) and Joe (Walton Goggins), who, in the 1970s, made a record named Dreamin’ Wild. The record flopped, costing their father (Beau Bridges) his life savings and most of the family farm. Now, over 30 years later, a record producer has discovered the album, and the duo has another shot at the big time and redemption. This is a film about second chances, the love of family, and how we don’t want to disappoint our loved ones to a fault. At the film’s core is unconditional love and how chasing fame can be heartbreaking. Donnie is a man full of guilt, and when out of the blue, a record producer shows up wanting to give the brothers another chance of letting the world hear their music, it brings up all the heartbreak and sorrow that the past holds. I loved the soundtrack, with a lot of the film coming from the real Emerson brother’s songs, along with some great songs sung by Casey Affleck and, at times, Zooey Deschanel, who plays Donnie’s wife. Dreamin' Wild has a lot of heart and is ultimately about how love and forgiveness can overcome just about anything, as long as there is a song in your heart.  My Rating: Full Price  Dreamin' Wild Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: A Compassionate Spy (2022)   Ted Hall, who, at the age of 18, was recruited to join Robert Oppenheimer and his team to create the atomic bomb that ended WWII. Concerned that the U.S. would have a monopoly on the most powerful weapon ever created, Hall passed on crucial information about the bomb to the Soviets. Now, through the help of his wife of over 50 years, Joan, Ted’s story can finally be told. A fascinating portrait of a man and his wife who believed what he did was just and right. It’s pointed out that Hall gave the Russians much more sensitive secrets than the convicted and executed Rosenbergs did. This is about a man convinced that if he hadn’t done what he did, the US might have used the bomb on Russia. The film deals with the complexity of nuclear proliferation and how a man could do something that most would consider traitorous. Along with the 1981 documentary The Day After Trinity, this is a fine companion to the Christopher Nolan Oppenheimer film that has dominated the recent box office. It’s up to you to decide if he was a hero or a traitor.   My Rating: Full Price  A Compassionate Spy Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Forgotten Film: The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007) PG  Angus (Alex Etel) is a 12-year-old in Scotland who is trying to ‘be the man of the family’ while waiting for his father to come back from the war (WWII). He lives near a beach with his mother (Emily Watson) and his older sister (Priyanka Xi), where he finds a mysterious egg. He takes it back home, and it hatches a creature with an enormous appetite. Angus names his new friend Crusoe and soon Crusoe has grown too big to hide, so he puts it in a nearby body of water called Loch Ness. The Water Horse is a wonderful family film where the myth of the Loch Ness monster comes alive. Of course, there is a bad guy, a commander of a local unit (David Morrissey), who sets out to capture the monster. Add to the fun is Brian Cox, who plays the narrator, a man who hangs out at the local pub and tells stories about the monster. So sit back and join Angus on a quest to save his best friend.   My Rating: Full Price  The Water Horse Info  Available for rent/buy on Apple TV and Amazon.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: Groom Artists

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Strays (2023) R Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell) is a dog whose owner (Will Forte) has abandoned him in the city. A pack of stray dogs led by Bug (Jamie Foxx adopts Reggie), and they are off to find Reggie’s owner and get revenge. Strays is not a kid’s movie (to say the least). Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and written by Dan Perrault (American Vandal), the film will let you know what your dogs are thinking and talking about…and it’s not good.  Caution: The website and the trailer might not be appropriate for all ages.   Strays Website In theatres August 18th.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

My View: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) PG-13  Archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is near retirement and feels the world has gone by him. But evil returns in the form of an old rival, and Indy must don the hat and pick up his whip one more time to keep a powerful artifact from falling into the wrong hands. The question is, will his God-daughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge,) help or hinder this new adventure? The bigger question is this film better or worse than Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? It’s far better than that dud of a movie, but that isn’t saying much. Dial of Destiny is a fun ride that takes you back to when Ford was younger (with the magic of CGI, which I did not dislike but some of my fellow critics hated) and was fighting Nazis. The CGI sequence was longer than I anticipated, but it helped set up the storyline for the rest of the film. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a lovely addition to the cast of characters that Indy has joined up with in past movies (many of which make an appearance or two). Helena is someone Indy loves, but simultaneously can’t always understand her motives for doing what she does. Her character subtlety brings up the idea that maybe what Indy has done for years (i.e., stealing artifacts for museums) is just as bad as Helena stealing them for profit. I loved the action sequences, with a fun and thrilling chase sequence that is a little on the unbelievable side but I still enjoyed it. My problem with the film is the final action sequence, which ends too easily and wraps up too tidily. Still, Dial of Destiny is an enjoyable sendoff to an iconic character that has become part of film history. I loved the last scene, and let’s hope this is Indy’s last adventure. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny allows our hero to kick a few more Nazi butts before riding off into the sunset, and that’s all we can ask.   My Rating: Full Price  Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide  

Familyfaire: Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (2023) PG  Ruby (voiced by Lana Condor) wants to be an ordinary high-school student. However, Ruby learns she comes from a fabled royal family of legendary Krakens and that her destiny lies in the depths of the waters. To make matters worse, Chelsea (voiced by Annie Murphy), the most popular girl in school, is a mermaid, the arch-enemies of Kraken. What’s a girl to do? This is your ordinary DreamWorks film (The Boss Baby, Trolls, The Croods, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar) with a storyline that teaches something and animation that doesn’t dazzle but is well done. In this case, learning how to embrace who you really are. The storyline is basic, and the twist is easy to figure out. Besides a weird little pet creature of Ruby’s, the characters aren’t very appealing, and none stand out. I liked Lana Condor as Ruby, and Annie Murphy does a great job as the popular girl in school who happens to be a mortal enemy mermaid, but both aren’t given much to work with. I think the underwater scenes will entertain little kids, but I wonder if the bad guy at the movie’s end is a little too scary for young kids. Overall, I think kids may have a good time watching Ruby discover who she is, but parents will be bored and watching the clock to signify the end.   My Rating: Cable    Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Familyfaire: Nimona (2023) PG  A knight, Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed), in a futuristic, medieval world is framed for a crime he didn’t commit; the only one who comes to his defense is Nimona (voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen that causes mayhem everywhere she goes. The only problem is that the one who can help the knight prove his innocence, Nimona, is a shapeshifting creature he has vowed to destroy. I loved this movie. It’s a mix of old Arthurian knights mixed with futuristic flying motorcycles and magic. Nimona is not your typical character, as she wants desperately to become Ballister’s ‘sidekick’ while creating as much chaos as she can muster. This is not your ordinary kid’s animated film, as the main character, the brave knight Boldheart, is in a loving relationship with another male knight. That relationship crumbles when Boldheart is seen by everyone murdering the Queen, and Boldheart’s own love, Ambrousisu Goldenlion (voiced by Eugene Lee Yang), is forced to attack him to apprehend him. Nimona offers her help and uses her shapeshifting powers to rescue Boldheart. One catch: Boldheart must accept Nimona as his sidekick. The film is a wonderful tale of finding acceptance and even love for people different from you. What you fear (in this case, monsters) sometimes is just fear itself, and what you feared wasn’t the person but the unknown. Nimona is one of the best-animated characters I’ve seen in the last ten years, full of fun and fight. Nimona is a misunderstood character who wants to be seen and heard, not feared. Chloë Grace Moretz is a favorite of mine, and she lends her voice to a character filled with vitality, unable to contain her feelings and longing to find a place in this world. It’s a brilliant and fun performance. Let’s hope we see more adventures of the good knight Boldheart and his unique sidekick Nimona.   My Rating; I Would Pay to See It Again.  Nimona Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

Indiefest: Run Rabbit Run (2023)   Sarah (Sarah Snook) is a doctor and a mother. Sarah had a sister when she was younger who went missing at age seven and was never found. Now Mia (Lily LaTorre), Sarah’s daughter, begins claiming she is Sarah’s long-lost sister. Sarah must challenge her own beliefs and confront a ghost from the past. This film sadly wastes the talents of Sarah Snook, who is asked to constantly give us either a look of horror or surprise every minute or two of the film. The movie never finds a way to keep the momentum, as the film keeps abruptly stopping just as things get interesting. Run Rabbit Run is a film where you never know if what is happening is real or in Sarah’s mind. Most of the film’s horror aspects are either jump-out-of-the-dark scares or foreboding scenes that never pay off. I wanted more scares from this film, but it kept promising them, only to drop them for another cut to Sarah waking up to discover her daughter wasn’t where she was supposed to be. The film became repetitive very early on and never found a way out. I would give this a lower rating, but I loved how much Sarah Snook and Lily LaTorre put into their performances. I just wish the story had more substance.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Run Rabbit Run Website    Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

My View: Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (2023)  Documentary on superstar actor Rock Hudson who was a top office draw for most of his career and a ‘ladies man’ who hid his life as a gay man for decades. The documentary is less about Rock Hudson and his career and more about the Hollywood system that allowed gay men like Hudson to live their lives while the studios projected their stars to the public as heterosexual men who loved women and wanted to get married. The film gives us an inside look through countless interviews and pictures of Rock Hudson’s private life as he seemingly bedded every handsome man in Hollywood for 30 years. I came away from the film with the feeling that Hudson was a man who was loved by many and just was a man who had to hide who he was. Hudson was a man who loved life and lived it to its fullest while carrying on a separate public life as one of the biggest stars of the 50s and 60s. Things changed when in the 80s, the AIDS crisis hit, and Hudson was suddenly in the spotlight. A spotlight that he had hidden for a long, long time.   My Rating: Full Price  Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed Website Now playing on HBO and the Max platforms.

Indiefest: Every Body (2023) R   Every Body is a documentary about three individuals who are part of the intersex population. They make up one percent of the population born with bodies that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female. They have had to overcome shame, secrecy, and unauthorized surgery throughout their childhood to become successful adults. The term intersex isn’t something that comes up in everyday conversation, and more often than not, it’s not even mentioned when speaking about LGBTQ topics. This is a documentary that hopefully helps put members of the intersex community in the open and have a better understanding of who they are. The documentary features three such intersex individuals who have fascinating and sometimes sad stories to tell. The film explores their stories and how they have all dealt with being part of the intersex population. It helps that all three are engaging, funny people you enjoy listening to and hearing their stories and how they see themselves in today’s society. I found the information in this film enlightening, especially how badly the way the medical establishment handles the treatment of intersex children.. All three subjects of the documentary are activists for intersex children. The film is an eye-opener, but it is done with respect for its three activists and love for who they are now. I strongly suggest watching Every Body, a documentary that encourages people to live without fear or boundaries.  My Rating: Full Price  Every Body Website  Now playing in select theaters.

Forgotten Film: A Month by the Lake (1995) PG   At a lake resort in Italy in 1937, a British spinster, Miss Bentley (Vanessa Redgrave), is on holiday when she meets the dashing Maj. Wilshaw (Edward Fox) and falls for him. Unfortunately, the Major only has eyes for a tall, beautiful American, Miss Beaumont (Uma Thurman), who loves to toy with men just because she can. This is a beautiful film, and Vanessa Redgrave is perfect as the older woman who lacks the confidence to think she could compete with a woman like Miss Beaumont. However, Miss Bentley discovers that there is a skill in flirting, and she just might have a chance. A Month by the Lake is a delightful British romantic comedy that we see little of nowadays.  My Rating: Full Price   A Month by the Lake Info   The film is available to rent/buy on both Amazon and Apple TV.

Weird Credits: From Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Balloon Decorator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Meg 2: The Trench (2023) PG-13. I could describe what is going on, but all you need to know is in the trailer. The music is Heart’s ‘Barracuda’ and giant sharks are eating tourists, and Jason Statham is on a Wave runner with a samurai sword. And the poster is epic!  Meg 2: The Trench Website The film is in theatres on Aug. 4th.

Until Next Time!