My View: 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. This is a good old fashioned feel-good film that doesn’t disappoint and just might have you pull out the tissues a time or two. The plot is relatively predictable, but that’s ok because it’s precisely what we need in this time of chaos and strife. Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan work well together on screen as the two military wives who head of the choir, with Thomas as the officer’s wife who is all about protocol and Horgan, who is more about making sure the wives are getting the support they need, regardless of the rules. The film is based on a true story, and it is quite inspirational in its showing how war impacts not only the soldiers but also the families they leave behind. The film will feed your soul, and you might sing along to a song or two as you watch it. My Rating: Full Price Military Wives Website Available for rent on participating on-demand services.
Indiefest: The Trip to Greece (2020) Actors Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan travel from Troy to Ithaca, eating their way across Greece following in the footsteps of the Odysseus. So this is the fourth ‘trip’ movie, and if you haven’t seen the other three, the plot is pretty simple; two British actors take a trip, visiting foreign lands as they stop at historical sites and fantastic restaurants all the while trying to one-up each other with impressions and stories. I love these films and have a great time watching them. Brydon and Coogan are playing themselves, and the plots of the movie don’t matter too much. What does matter is both actors have incredible comic timing and brilliant impressionists. I have a feeling that the scripts are pretty small, as most of their back and forth talks are mostly improved. The film takes you across Greece, and the scenery is magnificent, plus you will be envious of the places the two go to eat at. These films aren’t for everyone, but if you like to travel, be apart of great conversations and are a foodie, you will want to see this film. My Rating: Full Price The Trip to Greece Website Available for rent on participating on-demand services.
Indiefest: The Painter and the Thief (2020) Documentary about an artist who befriends the thief who stole two of her most valuable paintings from a gallery in Oslo. When the thief is severely hurt in a car crash, the artist becomes his supporter. This film is the reason why I love documentaries because very often, the truth is much stranger than fiction. With a storyline with more twists and turns than your average movie mystery, this film and its two main subjects will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat throughout the film. Both people are very complex, and the film does an impressive job letting us see their lives both before the paintings are stolen and afterward. I can’t say too much about this film because I want it to be revealed in the movie, but I will say that you won’t be disappointed and probably surprised by how this film ends. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again The Painter and the Thief Facebook Page Available for rent on participating on-demand services.
Indiefest: Lucky Grandma (2019) Set in the heart of New York City’s Chinatown, a recently widowed 80-year-old grandma (Tsai Chin) is told by a fortune teller that her luck is about to change and she decides to go gamble at a casino. She suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of a local gang and employs the services of a rival gang member as her bodyguard. Grandma is about to be caught up in the middle of a Chinatown gang war. Tsai Chin is a trip as the tough as nails, headstrong, chain-smoking Grandma who gets into a bit of trouble. Chin is superb playing a character that, at times, is hard to love, but you end up rooting for anyway. Hsiao-Yuan Ha is very funny and sweet as the lumbering bodyguard Big Pong. This film reminded me of the buddy cop films of the 80s, with Grandma and Big Pong making a tremendous on-screen team. Join the fun and see what trouble Grandma and Big Pong can get into. My Rating: Full Price Lucky Grandma Website Available for rent on participating on-demand services.
My View: The Lovebirds (2020) R A couple (Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani) are accused of murder and now have to clear their name. Will they and their relationship survive the night? I thoroughly enjoyed this funny film with a couple of actors who have such comedy chops they can overcome a plot which is pretty darn weak. Rae and Nanjiani are hilarious as a couple who argue over everything, so much so that they decide to break up. Before they can, they witness a murder, a murder that looks to some bystanders that Jibran and Leilani have committed. The couple decides to go on the run, and with the phone of the dead man, they are determined to clear their name. Throughout the film, Rae and Nanjiani keep up their banter back and forth, sometimes resulting in laughs, often in groans, but it is obvious that the two actors are having fun in the roles. The Lovebirds is one of those films to forget that what the characters are doing doesn’t make a lot of sense and just have fun listening to and watching this couple react to some impossible situations My Rating: Bargain Matinee The Lovebirds Website The film is currently available on Netflix.
Forgotten Film: Eyewitness (1981) R A Vietnam War vet turned janitor, Daryll (William Hurt) is obsessed with a news reporter, Tony (Sigourney Weaver). When a wealthy Vietnamese businessman is murdered in the janitor’s building, Daryll pretends to know about the murder in order to get the attention of Tony, but little does Daryll understand that the killers think he actually does know about the killing and they want to shut him and his reporter friend up. The supporting is worth the price of admission, with Christopher Plummer as a mysterious Israeli agent, James Woods as Daryll’s friend and fellow janitor and Steven Hill and Morgan Freeman as the cops investigating the murder. The mystery is a fun who-done-it, and the characters in the film are full and rich with interesting storylines. Weaver and Hurt have a nice chemistry that gets stronger as the film goes along. While not a great movie, it's still fun to watch all these actors in their prime act on the screen. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Eyewitness Info
Weird Credits: From the credits of The Lovebirds: Rigging Medic
Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Old Guard (2020) R Led by a warrior named Andy (Charlize Theron), a group of mercenaries who cannot die, have fought evil to protect the mortal world for centuries. Led by Andy and a new recruit (KiKi Layne), they have to regroup when their identities are exposed to the world they seek to protect. Anytime Charlize Theron is a lead in an action movie, I will be first in line to see it. The Old Guard Website
Until Next Time!
