The Huntsman: Winter's War

My View:  The Huntsman: Winter’s War  (2016)   PG-13   As two rival Queens and sisters, Ravenna (Charlize Theron) and Freya (Emily Blunt), expand their empires, two warriors, Eric (Chris Hemsworth) and Sara (Jessica Chastain), try to keep their forbidden love alive. After seeing this film, all the critics sitting next to me said “Well, it was better than the first one.” And, while it’s true, that isn’t much of an endorsement. At least this film didn’t try to convince us that Kristen Stewart is more beautiful than Charlize Theron.  While there were things that I did like, especially the fun banter between Eric and Sara, I thought that most of the action sequences were badly done, utilizing quick cuts and jumpy camera work, to mask the fact that Hemsworth and Chastain don’t do action sequences well.  Halfway through this film I really wanted Emily Blunt to play Chastain’s part because we know she can do action films extremely well.  Any film with Blunt, Theron and Chastain can’t be all bad, and this film isn’t horrible, in fact, the middle section of the film is quite good. Unfortunately, the first and last portions of the film don’t work.  Even with that, “it was better than the first one.”      My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   The Huntsman: Winter's War Website

Indiefest:  Elvis & Nixon  (2016)  R   Elvis, the “King,” (Michael Shannon) decides that he needs a Federal Agent at Large badge.  He travels to Washington D.C. in 1970 to get one and meets President Nixon (Kevin Spacey) along the way. This film is as wacky and crazy as that meeting surely was. It’s interesting that Shannon doesn’t do a full-on portrayal of Elvis.  While he does Elvis’s mannerisms, he doesn’t attempt to do the voice. Spacey, on the other hand, goes all out in his impersonation of Nixon, voice and all. This is a fun film to watch and Shannon, as usual, dominates every scene (which is hard when you have Kevin Spacey playing a dead=on Nixon). The film is touching, and, at times sad, but mostly, it’s a blast to watch.    My Rating: Full Price   Elvis & Nixon Website

Indiefest:  Miles Ahead  (2016)  R   Legendary jazz musician Miles Davis (Don Cheadle) hasn’t been heard from in the five years. Wannabe Rolling Stone reporter Dave Brill (Ewan McGregor) connives his way into Miles’ apartment and his life. As Davis and Brill talk, Miles flashes back to his meeting and falling in love with his first wife, Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi). Don Cheadle is amazing in this film, giving a performance that is worthy of an Academy Award.  Unfortunately, he is let down by his own script (co-written by Steven Baigelman), as the film is part bio-pic and part buddy adventure film. I would have loved to see a more in-depth storyline, in particular on the early years as Davis was developing his sound.  Instead, we get a film that moves back and forth in time. The timeline in the 70s is this film’s weak point, as Davis and reporter Brill go off on a quest to get back a stolen item. Too often the humor in that part of the movie is forced and there is almost no chemistry between Cheadle and McGregor. This would have been a much better film if it had just been the rise and fall of the love of Davis and Taylor.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Miles Ahead Website

Indiefest:  Too Late  (2015)  Private investigator Mel Sampson (Academy Award nominee John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone,” “The Sessions”) is tasked with tracking down the whereabouts of a missing woman from his past. Too Late takes the spine of the classic private eye genre and tears it to pieces, weaving it back together into a tapestry of Southern California and the menagerie of eccentric personalities and lost souls who inhabit it. This is a highly inventive film that was shot in five 20 minute continuous segments. The storyline is fascinating, and it kept me guessing where it was going to go next. Hawkes, as a world-weary P.I., is brilliant and stunning. He is in almost every scene, and I just didn’t want the film to end. The film has an impressive supporting cast including Rider Strong, Joanna Cassidy, Dichen Lachman, Vail Bloom, Jeff Fahey and Robert Forster.  The film is being shown around the country in select theatres in 35mm, and it’s worth seeing in all its grainy glory.  My Rating:  Full Price   Too Late Info

Forgotten Film:  Blue Crush  (2002) Three young woman (Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriquez, and Sanoe Lake) struggle with their day jobs as maids in a hotel, as they prepare for a big surfing competition. This film will surprise you with its heart and its intelligent storyline. Of the three actresses, it’s Rodriquez that steals the movie, playing the tough Hispanic woman with dreams of surfing stardom. The surfing sequences are exciting, and the film moves at a quick pace.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Blue Crush Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Huntsman: Winter’s War:  Standby Contact Les Optician

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Papa Hemingway in Cuba  (2016)  In 1959 a young journalist (Giovanni Ribisi) travels to Cuba to meet his literary idol, the legendary Hemingway (Adrian Sparks). Any film about one of my favorite writers is a film that I want to see.   Papa Hemingway in Cuba

Until Next Time!

10 Cloverfield Lane

My View:  10 Cloverfield Lane  (2016)  PG-13   After surviving a car accident, a young woman, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up in an underground cellar. She was rescued by a man, Howard (John Goodman) who claims that a worldwide chemical attack has left the Earth’s surface uninhabitable. I enjoyed this suspenseful film that slowly builds the tension as we learn, along with Michelle bits and pieces of information that may mean things aren’t what Howard told us had happened. There are plenty of twists and turns in the film that will keep you guessing until the very end. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is superb as the headstrong woman who keeps questioning what is going on in the outside world. John Goodman gives a smart and multilayered performance as the good Samaritan that may or may not be holding on to a secret. The film is brilliantly written, and I loved the ending to the movie. Think of this film as more of a Hitchcock type genre film then your more typical Sci-Fi movie.    My Rating: Full Price   10 Cloverfield Lane Website

Indiefest:  Knight of Cups  (2016)  R  A writer (Christian Bale) travels around L.A. and Vegas in a search for love. Let me say right off the bat that I am not a fan of Terrence Malick. I just don’t get his films, and this one is not the exception. Don’t get me wrong, his films are always interesting to look at and beautifully shot (cinematography on this film was done by three-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki). I just don’t know what the point of this movie is, other than rich people like houses with lots of windows and they like to swim with their clothes on. Until I read the IMDB synopsis, I only knew that Christian Bale’s character worked in Hollywood, but I had no idea he was a scriptwriter (we never see him work). Bale’s character likes to meet beautiful women, sleep with them and then break up with them (after swimming with them at some point). There isn’t any dialogue spoken by the characters on screen; the whole film is done in voiceover, once again making it hard to figure out what’s being talked about. The film felt like it was a two-hour ad for some sort of perfume or cologne, so much so, I kept waiting for Julia Roberts to show up or for Johnny Depp to bury some jewelry in the desert while wearing lots of eye makeup. If you enjoyed Mallick’s Tree of Life, you might like this one, but for everyone else, I would skip it.  That is unless you like watching pretty people playing for hours on the beach.  My Rating: Cable   Knight of Cups Website

Indiefest:  Only Yesterday (1991)  PG  Taeko is a 27-year old office worker who travels to the countryside while reminiscing about her childhood in Tokyo. This is a reissue of the Studio Ghibli classic animated film in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The film, directed by Isao Takahata, was never released in North America until now. The film is a beautiful and touching tale of a young woman who visits relatives and friends in the country as she thinks about her life as a schoolgirl. As she works happily out in the fields with her relatives, she remembers incidents in her childhood that made her the woman she is today. While all this is going on, she strikes up a friendship with a young local farmer. As they traipse around the countryside, discussing their hopes and dreams, their attraction goes stronger. This is an animated film for adults, and it is as good as any modern day romantic film. The film treats its main subject with a loving respect that gives us insight into a woman who is still trying to understand and discover just who she is and how she fits in this world. The love story between the farmer and the girl is brought along slowly, as you see their relationship building naturally throughout the film. I loved this movie, a timeless classic that is as enjoyable today as it was 25 years ago.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Only Yesterday Website

Forgotten Film:  Dark City  (1998)  R  John (Rufus Sewell) wakes up in a strange hotel room with no memory. He gets a phone call from a Dr. Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland) that a group of beings known as The Strangers are about to capture him. John escapes only to be in a world that he doesn’t understand, and he only knows he must try and stop The Strangers from taking over the city. Much in the genre of Blade Runner, Dark City is part Sci-Fi, part film noir with a few horror undertones. John must make his way in a very dark and dangerous world that seems to be threatening his existence at almost every turn. The film takes a detective story and makes it its own, keeping you guessing until the end. It’s a film that you will want to watch multiple times to understand exactly what transpires (and even then you might still not get everything).   My Rating: Full Price   Dark City Info 

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   God’s Not Dead 2 (2016)  PG  Didn’t we prove this already in the first film? The film is something about a high school teacher discussing Jesus in class and getting sent to the principal’s office.   God's Not Dead 2 Website   

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Knight of Cups:  Source: Harinezumi Camera Footage

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Miles Ahead  (2016)  R   Don Cheadle stars, writes and directs this film about the legendary jazz pioneer Miles Davis. Davis created jazz music that was groundbreaking but was also one of the weirdest cats out there, so this movie should be fascinating.  Miles Ahead Facebook Page

Until Next Time!