Dolphin Tale 2

My View: Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) PG  Winter the dolphin and the rest of the gang are back at the Clearwater Marine Hospital. Now it appears that Winter has become depressed and is in need of a companion. Will the rescued dolphin, survive, and will this be the partner that Winter needs? It’s hard to strike lightning twice, and sequels usually don’t .  I thought the first Dolphin Tale was an interesting and moving family film that worked because it focused on the human element. This film doesn’t work because it forgets about that element; instead of focusing on the human storyline, it focuses on the animals. The only part I found interesting was at the end when the actual animals are rescued and rehabbed by the Marine Hospital.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Dolphin Tale 2 Website

My View: No Good Deed (2014) PG-13 Terri (Taraji P. Henson) is a mom, home, alone, with her two young kids. A dangerous escaped prisoner (Idris Elba), claiming car trouble, shows up at Terri’s door. Terri offers to let the man in to use the phone and soon she learns that no good deed goes unpunished.  I enjoyed this film that has a few twists and turns to the plot along the way. The strength of this film is the two leads as Henson and Elba are on-screen together for most of the film.  I especially enjoyed the character development of Henson’s character, who goes from a milk toast soccer mom to someone who can stand up for herself. While not a great film, this is an enjoyable thriller with two outstanding actors.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  No Good Deed Website

Indiefest: Love is Strange (2014)  R  Ben (John Lithgow), and George (Alfred Molina) have been a couple for thirty-nine years and decide that the time is right to get married. When word reaches the archdiocese, George loses his Catholic school teaching job and, now, without an income, the couple cannot afford their apartment. Each of them move into separate homes to stay with friends or families. Will the marriage survive this separation?  This is a moving film about how quickly our good fortune can change at a moment’s notice. Lithgow and Molina make us believe they have been a couple for almost forty years. Lithgow gives an understated performance that perfectly blends with Molina’s portrayal of the more positive and high-strung character. This is a film that shows the power of faith, and family can overcome almost any obstacle.  My Rating: Full Price  Love is Strange

Indiefest: The Drop (2014) R Bob (Tom Hardy) works at a mob-controlled bar, where money is funneled to local gangsters. Bob finds himself at the center of a robbery gone bad and now must use every resource of his neighborhood to get out of this mess. I think Tom Hardy is one of our finest actors, but even his presence can’t make this film be more than just an ordinary mobster movie. It’s sad that this is the James Gandolfini’s last film appearance, and he is not given enough to make his part memorable. I did enjoy the interaction between Hardy and Noomi Rapace, who plays his love interest. The storyline is simple with a script that doesn’t live up to its actors. It’s not a bad film, but it’s not the complex, exciting film that you wanted for this cast.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee The Drop Website

Indiefest: The Man on her Mind (2014) Nellie (Amy McAllister) is a young woman having a secret affair with Jack, a super cool lawyer. The only problem is that Jack is a figment of Nellie’s imagination based on a man, Leonard (Samuel James), whom she went on a blind date with a few months ago. Leonard also has an imaginary lover, based on Nellie. Now the two meet once again in real life. Will they choose reality or keep their perfect imaginary lovers? This film is based on a very successful West End stage play. The problem is it still looks and sounds like a stage play. The acting is overly dramatic, the dialogue is unnatural and too rapid, and the placements of the camera make you feel like you are sitting in row five, center, watching the story acted out in that West End Theatre. The concept was original, but the execution lacked any imagination. My Rating: Cable  The Man on Her Mind Info

Forgotten Film: Bird (1988) R Clint Eastwood directs this bio-pic about the legendary jazz saxophone musician, Charlie Parker.  Forest Whitaker is masterful as the talented but troubled Parker. Eastwood perfectly blends the drama of the story with some of the best jazz music to ever grace the screen. Diane Venora plays Parker’s wife, Chen, who heart is broken trying to save her husband from drugs and his demons.  My Rating: Full Price  Bird Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Love is Strange: Paperwork PA

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Boxtrolls (2014)  PG A young orphaned boy is raised by underground trolls who collect trash. The boy must mount his courage and try to save his friends from an exterminator. This stop-motion animated film is from the same people who gave us the 2009 animated film Coraline.   The Boxtrolls Website 

Until Next Time!

The November Man

My View:  The November Man  (2014) R  An ex-CIA operative (Pierce Brosnan) is brought back into the investigative game when a former colleague returns to create turmoil.  This film is predictable and fits the mold of some really boring 80’s spy films.  Other than Brosnan, the producers of the film didn’t spend any money on the cast, most of which aren’t recognizable.  The first thirty minutes is so confusing that I just kind of gave up trying to figure out the storyline and just watched the action.  As with the rest of the film, the action sequences are just ordinary ones, so overall the film becomes very bland and boring.  This was what I call a “vanity piece,” something an actor does to make himself feel better.  For Brosnan, it was to prove he can still do action films.  He can, just not well.  My Rating: Cable  The November Man Website

Indiefest:  Life of Crime (2013) R Two criminals (Mos Def, John Hawkes) kidnap the wife (Jennifer Aniston) of a corrupt land developer (Tim Robbins).  They demand one million dollars.  The only problem is, the developer doesn’t want his wife back. This is one of the few films that captures the magic of an Elmore Leonard novel.  Funny and sharp, with great performances, especially John Hawkes, the film moves at a rapid pace with a few twists and turns along the way.  Aniston has marvelous incredible chemistry with Hawkes, and Robbins is very funny as the evil husband who doesn’t want to spend the money to get his wife back.  It was immensely fun to watch, and I highly recommend seeing this film. My Rating:  Full Price   Life of Crime Website

Indiefest: The Trip to Italy  (2014)  The two travelers (Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon) go on another trip to eat their way across Italy. This is a sequel to The Trip (2010) but, instead of traveling around to restaurants in Britain, the two go to Italy and eat their way across the country.  Both Coogan and Brydon are basically playing themselves, two actors who like each other’s company and enjoy trying to outdo each other with impressions.  There is an incredibly funny sequence where they do impressions of Christian Bale and Tom Hardy, as Batman and Bane, doing a radio commercial where the people listening can’t understand at all what they are saying.  It’s a funny film that is also gorgeous because of the beautiful Italian scenery. My Rating:  Full Price  The Trip to Italy Website

Indiefest:  Frank  (2014) R  Jon (Domhnail Gleeson) joins a rather strange band led by Frank (Michael Fassbender), who wears a large papier-mâché head 24 hours a day. The first half of this film is a lot of fun to watch but the second half of this film turns very dark and morbid.  I enjoyed some of the performances, especially Michael Fassbender’s, who does more with a paper-mache head on (the whole film) than some actors due their entire career.  But I hated the ending and would have preferred it to have stayed more light-hearted like the first half. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Frank Website

Forgotten Film:   Dog Day Afternoon (1975) R A man (Al Pacino) robs a bank but before he can exit the building, the cops surround him and he has to take the bank employees hostage.  This is one of the better Al Pacino performances and the late John Cazale is mesmerizing as Pacino’s friend.  It’s a film that is full of the New York City summer feel, A  rather gritty film with an outstanding cast.  My Rating: Full Price  Dog Day Afternoon Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Frank:  frank head model-maker

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  No Good Deed (2014)  A thriller about an escaped convict (Idris Elba) who charms his way into a home of a homemaker (Taraji P. Henson) and her two small children.  Elba and Henson, I’m in!  No Good Deed Website

Until Next Time!