The Dink

My View:  The Dink  (2026)  PG-13   The Dink follows a washed-up former tennis prodigy, Dusty (Jake Johnson), who, to survive, has been forced to teach tennis to children at his father’s (Ed Harris) failing country club. After Dusty is injured, his rehab assignment is pickleball, a sport that he thinks is stupid and beneath his talent. Little does he know, pickleball could save both the country club and his self-respect. The Dink is a funny, goofy movie that makes fun of all the sports-themed movies about the underdog coming back from the brink of defeat. The film is silly and pushes the boundaries a bit in terms of believability. Still, with performances by Ed Harris, Aaron Chen, and Patton Oswalt, it keeps moving along, even when we get a little tired of Jake Johnson’s character. The film is buoyed by the absolutely adorable Mary Steenburgen, who lights up the screen and steals every scene she is in. And there is a great cameo by John McEnroe that gets funnier as it goes along, with some great props that reminded me of Airplane! and Top Secret!. So grab a paddle, have a good time with The Dink, and be sure not to go into the kitchen, or you will be mercilessly razzed!  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Dink Info  Now playing on the Apple TV+ platform

Indiefest:  Her Private Hell  (2026)  R   Her Private Hell takes place in a futuristic metropolis where a troubled young actress (Sophie Thatcher) searches for her father to stop his marriage, while a man dressed in leather from Hell is going around killing young women, and a soldier (Charles Melton) is on the hunt to find his daughter, whom he thinks has been kidnapped by the Leatherman from Hell. Well, it’s a cool-looking movie, with gorgeous cinematography and set design. The film makes Charles Melton look like a cross between Bruce Lee and a Greek god. Sophie Thatcher wears a lot of very stylish clothes, and the soundtrack is interesting. The rest of the film: an enormous mess from a filmmaker who makes films to please himself and doesn’t care about the audience. Is it a sci-fi movie or a film about making a sci-fi movie? Is it a horror film or a psychological thriller? Heck, if I know. I have no clue what this film was about, other than some guy with lasers for eyes and dressed in all leather was ripping apart women. Why? Not a clue. When does this take place and where? Your guess is as good as mine. If you want to watch pretty people in stunning lighting and mod settings, then this is a film for you. If you want style and dazzling visuals, here you go. If you want a film to make any sense, this isn’t it. Go see something else.  My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again     Her Private Hell Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  72 Hours  (2026)  R   In 72 Hours, Joe (Kevin Hart) is a 40-year-old ad executive who has lost his touch with what twenty-somethings do and enjoy. After mistakenly being added to a Gen Z group chat, Joe decides to crash their bachelor party weekend to find out what makes them tick. Not one of Joe's better ideas. I knew we were in trouble from the start when our hero, Joe, packed a bottle of hair dye on top of his clothes in the suitcase. This, of course, ruined the clothes, and now Joe has to steal clothes out of the fancy Airbnb house he is renting with the college kids. Which is, of course, being watched by a mobster’s gang via remote cameras. And we are off to fun and hijinks. If you think projectile vomiting after drinking two bottles of Pepto is funny, then this is a film for you. Everything Joe touches goes badly for himself and the four college kids that he has latched onto by paying for their bachelor party weekend. The laughs keep coming with a mobster thinking Joe is moving into the territory because anytime Joe does cocaine, he becomes a bad imitation of Scarface’s Tony Montana. And oh, by the way, Joe finds out that today’s college kids are all about getting in touch with their feelings and scrapbooking. And the film is constantly concerned with male appendages, including those of whales. There isn’t one scene in this sad tale that is funny, and that includes the outtakes that take place during the credits. It’s sad when a film feels as if it takes as long as its title says it is.  My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   72 Hours Website   Now playing on the Netflix platform

My View:  Motor City  (2025)  R   Motor City is about John Miller (Alan Ritchson), who was framed for a crime he didn’t commit, so a local gangster (Ben Foster) could steal John’s girlfriend (Shailene Woodley). Now John is out for revenge, and it’s going to be brutal. If you are a fan of 70s music, don’t like a lot of dialogue but love action films with lots of guns and blood, then this film is for you. Motor City is a film that tells its story through action and music, with little dialogue (I think there are a total of 5 lines, plus a few more names shouted out). Does it work? Sometimes, but not for a full hour and forty minutes. Former White Stripes frontman Jack White picked the needle drops in this film, and I loved most of the music, which fit the film's mood and setting (1970s Detroit). But the storyline isn’t strong enough to sustain, and the characters seem stuck in archetypal roles, such as the evil cop, the gangster, and the down-on-her-luck girlfriend. This makes the film feel like those music videos that used to be on MTV in the 80s, starring a Hollywood star or two as a song plays about a guy and a girl who are down on their luck. Alan Ritchson does kick some butt in the film, but it takes a long time to get to the revenge sequence and then tacks on an ending that doesn’t fit the rest of the film. I give director Potsy Ponciroli and screenwriter Chad St. John the props for trying something outside the norm, but the film takes too long to get to the action and then goes overboard with the violence.  My Rating: Cable   Motor City Website    Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Reading Lolita in Tehran (2025)   Reading Lolita in Tehran is about a Literature professor, Azar Nafisi (Golshifteh Farahani), in post-revolutionary Iran, who continues to teach in secret to six devoted female students about Western literary classics, giving them the freedom to find a world beyond Iran. This film is based on a book that spans 19 years, starting with Azar’s return to Tehran with her husband, who has gotten a job. The film is broken into four sections, each named after a famous Western novel, all of which are still banned in Iran. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a film where the acting far outshines the script. Golshifteh Farahani is extraordinary as the bold and brave Azar, who continues to teach Western literature despite constant threats to conform. I loved that the women who make up the group come from different backgrounds and have vastly different experiences with the government regime. The film, even in the early part of the story when some students are suffering in horrible conditions in jail, never hits home hard enough, making its impact feel less. Every time I felt the film was going to have a greater emotional impact, it seemed to back off and move on to the next chapter. We spend a lot of time with Azar and her followers, but we seem to get only brief glimpses into their lives because there is always another meeting with the professor and the gang. The film is like Azar’s nightmares. We see her suffering from them through the years, but we never get an idea what they are about other than a few repeated phrases that we have heard earlier. Golshifteh Farahani and Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who portrays Sanaz, a young student who is the shyest of the six women, both live in exile in Paris, which makes their performances in the film even more heartfelt and poignant. I wish there were more emotional impact in the story to make the film more compelling. Ultimately, while the performances are powerful, Reading Lolita in Tehran never quite delivers the emotional depth it promises, leaving its message feeling muted and not memorable.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Reading Lolita in Tehran Website  Now playing in select theaters 

Forgotten Film (updated from March 2012): Jason and the Argonauts (1963) G  Jason and the Argonauts is a film that tells the story of Jason, the legendary Greek hero, as he seeks the Golden Fleece to reclaim the throne from the king. Jason assembles a crew, including Hercules, to aid him on his quest. Their voyage takes them through encounters with mythical creatures: harpies, a giant bronze warrior, a many-headed hydra, and, finally, an epic battle with an army of animated skeleton warriors. Master special effects artist Ray Harryhausen used stop-motion animation for these scenes, notably showcasing his skill in the memorable skeleton fight, in which live actors battle animated skeletons. The film is widely regarded as Harryhausen’s masterpiece. At the Academy Awards, Tom Hanks, presenting Harryhausen’s Lifetime Achievement award, famously said: “Some people say Casablanca or Citizen Kane. I say Jason and the Argonauts is the greatest film ever made.” Harryhausen spent three months animating the skeleton battle, which remains a landmark in cinema history. My Rating: I Would Pay to See the Film Again  Jason and the Argonaunts Info Available on Tubi, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Dink:  Pickleball Gameplay Designer

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  I Want Your Sex  (2026)  R  I Want Your Sex follows the adventures of Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), who thinks he has landed his dream job at the art gallery of renowned and provocative artist Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). Soon, Elliot’s fantasies come true as Erika hires him to become her sex slave muse. However, Elliot soon discovers that his life is now full of obsession, betrayal, and maybe even murder. In addition to Hoffman and Wilde, the cast features Mason Gooding, Daveed Diggs, Charli XCX, Johnny Knoxville, Chase Sui Wonders, Margaret Cho, Roxane Mesquida, and James Duval.   I Want Your Sex Website  In theaters on Friday, July 31, 2026

Until Next Time!

Moana

Familyfaire:  Moana (2026) PG  Moana is about the young, inquisitive daughter (Catherine Laga’aia) of a village chief. Moana has always felt that she was destined to do something great and is summoned by the ocean to undertake a voyage to save her community. She will need help and finds it in Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a legendary shapeshifting demigod who, along with Moana’s dimwitted rooster, Heihei, undertakes a journey that will test her will and belief in herself. I loved the 2016 animated film, saying, “The animation is crisp and gorgeous, taking advantage of the tropical look of the islands,” and loving the message to young girls that you can do anything you put your heart and soul into. So now Disney has decided to bring back the story as a live-action film. Why? I have no clue, other than making money (but with a reported budget of 200 million, that could be in serious doubt). Does this bring anything new to the storyline? No. Unlike the 2025 live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, which did a fantastic job of making changes from the animated film to make it work with live action, Moana is almost a shot-for-shot remake and not for the better. The film feels exactly as if it were shot on a soundstage in front of a green screen. The film fails to capture the beauty, brightness, and fun of the animated film. And it uses animation to bring to life Mona’s pet rooster and piglet, both of which don’t look real and feel like props for the film, rather than bringing fun and life to it as they did in the animated film. And then there’s Dwayne Johnson as the demigod Maui. I loved his character in the animated film, thinking that, while he can’t sing very well, he is perfect as an animated character, bringing fun and life to the storyline. The problem, like actors like Vin Diesel, Arnold, and Johnson, is that they are larger than life, and you sometimes see them not as their characters but as the actors themselves. The animated film let Maui dance and be a virtual ball of energy, bouncing around as Johnson sang songs like "Your Welcome" to our delight. The problem is that the live-action Johnson can’t match the action of animated Maui, and so the songs become more about Johnson posing than dancing around. Your Welcome song still works, but it’s not as much fun as the animated film song; it just can’t recreate it, no matter how much his animated tattoos move around in this version. The bright light in all this is Catherine Laga’aia’s performance, who shines on screen and has a wonderful, powerful voice that makes her solos worth watching the film for. Kids are still going to like this film, especially watching the rooster do his stupid stuff, but I don’t see them falling in love with it as they did with the animated one. The magic just isn’t there, and that’s a sad thing to say about a Disney film.  My Rating: Cable  Moana Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass  (2026)  R   Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass follows Gail (Zoey Deutch), who is devastated that her fiancé has slept with his “celebrity pass” Jennifer Aniston. She goes to a fortune teller, who tells her that to make things right and go on with the marriage, she must sleep with her own celebrity pass. Gail, along with her best friend, Otto (Mile Gutierrez-Riley), travels to Hollywood to find her own ‘free pass’: Jon Hamm. This is a wild and crazy film that reminded me of those wonderful Zucker and Abrahams films like Airplane! and Top Secret!, where jokes and ridiculous scenes came at you at an incredibly fast pace. This is a film where lines like “We have three years’ experience between us” and “I can make you sick” are just thrown out at you at a rapid pace. Zoey Deutch, who is on a roll this summer, is amazing as the incredibly naïve and earnest Gail, who is determined to sleep with Jon Hamm to save her wedding plans. Zoey plays her perfectly as she greets everyone she meets with a “Hi, I’m Gail” and is amazed by the big city of L.A., where everything seems wonderful to her, even when it’s not. The film is full of incredibly stupid and funny scenes, like an overzealous concierge who gets out a map and shows Gail and Otto all the sights they need to see, which include 7-Eleven, Starbucks, McDonald's, and a back alley where you can meet a guy for a good time. Then we see the two going to all these places and acting as if they have just discovered the most amazing city in the world. You have to see the film to understand the plot, but just say there is the old luggage switcheroo, a gang of bad guys after Gail and Otto, and the quest to find Jon Hamm. The film is if the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrams took the Wizard of Oz and turned it into a sex quest with martial arts and bloody deaths. There are so many cameos in this film, you could get drunk taking shots of when someone shows up that doesn’t even say a line. And wait till you see what Jennifer Aniston does in the film! Can Dorothy, I mean Gail, find her celebrity pass and get her long-awaited marriage ceremony back on track? Not without a lot of help and a few dead bodies.   My Rating:  Full Price  Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass Website   Now playing in theaters

My View:  Evil Dead Burn  (2026)  R   In Evil Dead Burn, Alice (Souheila Yacoub) has just lost her husband. Seeking comfort, she visits his family at their secluded home. But grief turns to terror as her in-laws morph into Deadites, monstrous creatures bent on her destruction. Trapped and hunted, Alice’s only hope is a makeshift scrapbook containing the forbidden Book of the Dead. I am a big fan of the original trilogy starring the man, the myth, the legend, Bruce Campbell. The series is now going on without Mr. Campbell, and it loses some of its mojo because of it. This film appears to be using the Evil Dead moniker and the ‘Book of the Dead’ as an excuse for making a film that is incredibly violent (mostly towards women) and almost pointless, other than a knife that the Deadites want to destroy or have (I never quite figured that part out). Not only do the Deadites take a lot of hits (or gunshots), so do the humans they are trying to kill, with an incredible amount of damage that professional wrestlers take fewer hits. The film is worth seeing for one scene in the final ten minutes (kind of right out of the Terminator films) that makes up for most of the mess it is. And yes, by the way, there is a mid-credits scene that is kind of fun. Just wish the rest of the movie was as much fun as its predecessors.  My Rating: Cable    Evil Dead Burn Website Now playing in theaters 

Indiefest:  The Isolate Thief  (2026)  R   The Isolate Thief is set in a snowbound Civil War-era outpost, where a young caretaker, Ada (Mackenzie Foy), isolated from the nearest town,  finds a hidden stash of stolen gold. She must use her wits and perseverance to survive both a deadly winter and a gang of ruthless outlaws who want their gold back. I am a big fan of westerns, a genre that dominated the early days of film but is rarely seen in today’s marketplace. Ada is barely coping with running the outpost because her father, a military man who was in charge of the outpost, has died. This is a film about survival, and Ada uses both her skills and her wits to survive a gang that has come to find a stash of gold. Sean Bean plays the leader of the gang, who at first pose as soldiers, but Ada soon figures out that they aren’t who they say they are. This is a film about surviving in a brutal world where danger is just around the corner, and it takes guts to do so. The story goes on a little too long, but it’s worth seeing for Mackenzie Foy’s performance as a woman who defies the odds to stay alive and Sean Bean as a crafty gang leader who is willing to play the long game to get what he wants.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Isolate Thief Info Now playing in theaters

My View: The Invite  (2026) R   The Invite starts at a point where Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela’s (Olivia Wilde) marriage is going quickly down the drain. When they invite their mysterious neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pina (Penélope Cruz), over for a dinner party, the night quickly spirals into chaos in very unexpected places. I am not a big fan of films where I don’t like the main characters, and when this film starts, I hated Joe and Angela. They don’t like each other and aren’t interested in each other at all. They are just one big fight that starts the moment they see each other. Into this mess of a marriage come Hawk and Pina, a beautiful and cool couple that Joe and Angela have been hearing having deafening sex almost on a nightly basis. At first, only Angela seems to want the other couple in their lives, but as the night goes on, Joe becomes intoxicated by this dynamic couple. This is a hilarious film that continues to push boundaries, making Joe, Angela, and us very uncomfortable as the evening progresses. I loved the performances in this film, with Rogan as the combative Joe, who at first just wants them to leave but slowly comes around to enjoying their company while still trying to push his wife’s buttons. Wilde is hilarious as the overeager hostess who sees every slip-up (like serving ham to the vegan Pina) as a crashing ruin to her night. Edward Norton is so much fun as the overly attentive Hawk, the former “firefighter” who seems overly amused at how uncomfortable the other couple seems, especially Joe. And Penélope Cruz is amazing as the almost overly sexy Pina, who, it turns out, is a sex therapist and is willing to analyze everything at a moment’s notice. This is a sex farce as we find out more about both couples, and as the evening becomes more than just a dinner party. So get ready to laugh a lot and squirm a bit in your seat because it’s going to be a bumpy but highly enjoyable night.  My Rating: Full Price  The Invite Website Now playing in theaters

Sorry I Missed It (A film that I didn’t see when it first came out but have seen recently): Chris & Martina: The Final Set  (2026)  TV-MA  The story of two tennis legends, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who met in tournaments 80 times, with both winning 18 major titles in their careers. Chris was the All-American girl who broke on the scene at age 16 and started winning tourneys right away. Martina was the outsider, having defected in 1975, when she was just 18, from communist Czechoslovakia to the US. Chris was cool, determined, and loved by the media. The media saw Martina as reckless, combative on the court, and sometimes as the villain when they faced each other. What is fascinating about this documentary is that it is not just about their careers but also about their friendship. Chris took Martina under her wing early on, even teaming with her in doubles, and they were friends. Then Martina got serious about winning, and their friendship became combative. Both spent years as the world's number one women's tennis player, and often the other was number two. Then, later in their careers, they became friends again. And then both women had battles with cancer, and that made their bond even stronger. What I enjoyed about this film was watching the two of them together, their matches, and how they get carried away by the emotions of the time. This is a wonderful film about not only two great athletes who changed the face of women’s tennis, but also about friendship and overcoming the obstacles life throws our way.   My Rating: Full Price  Chris & Martina: The Final Set Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform 

Forgotten Film:   The Evil Dead  (1981)  R  Five college students (Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly) go on an outing to a remote cabin in the Tennessee mountains. They find in the cellar a book, “The Book of the Dead,” and a tape recording of an archaeologist. When one of them plays the tape, a legion of demons and spirits are released, and the group starts to suffer from demonic possession. Will anyone survive? Shot on location in Tennessee by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire), the film was shot with almost no money and took over a year to complete, with the cast/crew shooting on weekends and the director turning 20 during the shoot. The film made over 30 million worldwide and spawned a film franchise that is still going today. The film was part horror film, part gore-fest, with a bit of the Three Stooges thrown in. It’s one of my favorite horror films, with some truly stunning scenes and lots of blood splattering everywhere. The Evil Dead is a film that set the standard for the low-budget horror genre with its intense scenes and terrific special effects. The film continues to inspire and amaze film fans and filmmakers worldwide.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Evil Dead Info  The film is available on most online platforms

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Moana:  Tattoo Artist Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  The Odyssey  (2026)  R  The Odyssey follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), the Greek king of Ithaca, who goes on a long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War and his encounters with mythical beings as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), before Penelope succumbs to a nefarious suitor, Antinous (Robert Pattinson). The film is written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who shot for the first time completely with IMAX 70mm cameras.  The Odyssey Website   In theaters and IMAX on Friday, July 17, 2026

Until Next Time!

Blonde

My View: Blonde (2022) NC-17   The story of Norma Jeane (Ana de Armas), who became the most famous movie star of the 50s and 60s, Marilyn Monroe. From her traumatic childhood through her rise to stardom, exploited by almost every man she knew, Norma Jeane tried to remain herself, which cost Norma Jeane her life. First, a warning. This is the first big Hollywood film to be released with a rating of NC-17 (meaning no one under 17 is admitted). It’s due to some alarming scenes, some involving sex, but mostly, I think, due to some very hard-to-watch scenes of abortions that Norma Jeane had during her career in Hollywood. Ana de Armas is almost a sure thing to get an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Norma Jeane/Marilyn. It’s a brilliant and moving performance by someone who went deep into the role. But the film is tough to watch, as we watch a woman get taken advantage of by everyone, from the ones she loved to the Hollywood/political system. As brilliant as Ana de Armas is, she can’t overcome a stylized filmmaker in Andrew Dominik, who keeps going back to scenes I begin to resent being put through repeatedly. Keep in mind that this is a film based on a work of fiction, a novel by Joyce Carol Oates and not everything that happens to Marilyn in the movie happened to her in real life. The film is overly long (over two and half hours), and you feel that you have been in a boxing match, being pummeled over and over how badly everyone in her life treated her. There is one and possibly only one scene that releases us from the overall film's despair. In a beautiful scene on the beach between Marylin and her new husband, Arthur Miller (Adrien Brody), you see how happy (for a brief time) they were together, away from the spotlight. It's a beautiful scene, and de Armas, wrapped in the famous black and white sweater, is magical. Unfortunately, that scene is fleeting, and very soon, we go back to tragedy. Blonde is a movie that I will never watch again, no matter how great de Armas is in the role.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Blonde Website  Now playing in theatres and on the Netflix platform on Sept. 28th.

My View: Don’t Worry Darling (2022) R  A young housewife, Alice (Florence Pugh), is living in a community with her husband, Jack (Harry Styles), that seems to be perfect. However, this community is hiding something, and the more Alice looks into it, the closer she comes to unveiling secrets that may cost her marriage and maybe, even her life. It will be interesting how this film will do at the box office after all the controversies/publicity it has gotten over the past month or so. Florence Pugh shows us again that she is someone who can carry a film but only so far, with such a weak script. The film starts strong with a look and feel of a movie from the 50s, with the men going off to work and the women staying behind to clean and shop. However, all is not well with this idealistic dream, and the cracks start showing up to Alice, slowly revealing to her that her world isn’t what it claims to be. The film begins to fall apart about midway through and by the end, with the last third that makes no sense and reveals very little. It’s one of those films that makes you work hard to figure stuff out and never gives you the answers you want. Olivia Wilde, whose first film, Booksmart, I liked a lot, is to blame as this film falls apart in front of our eyes. I keep thinking about a scene where Jack, played by an overmatched Harry Styles, has just been given a big promotion by the community leader, Frank, played by Chris Pine. Frank then asks Jack to do a dance, which Frank reluctantly starts to do. This dance goes on and on, so much so that I wanted to call out ‘cut.’ That sums up this film that looked so promising but ended up such a dud.   My Rating: Cable  Don't Worry Darling Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Catherine Called Birdy (2022) PG-13  Lady Catherine (Bella Ramsey) likes to be called Birdy, and the last thing Birdy wants is to be married off to someone she doesn’t love because her father, Sir Rollo (Andrew Scott), needs the money. Conversely, Birdy will lie, cheat, and do anything else she can think of to defeat her father’s wishes. I enjoyed this film while not always enjoying the main character. Birdy is a bit of a brat, constantly pushing boundaries, especially when dealing with her dad, Sir Rollo, who doesn’t take anything seriously until he is told he is about to lose everything because he has run out of money. Bella Ramsey is delightful as Birdy, as she plays the game of figuring out what will get rid of each suitor that comes calling for her hand in marriage. Written and directed by Lena Dunham, the film brings a modern twist to the medieval world, with pop songs filling the film's score and Birdy pushing women's rights to the forefront of a society that saw women as something that could be traded for like livestock. Ramsey gives out one-liners right and left and looks like she is just having more fun than anyone else on the screen. That kind of lightheartedness is what we need more in this world, with a film full of fun while also having a heart.   My Rating; Full Price   Catherine Called Birdy Website  Now playing in select theatres and on the Amazon Prime platform on Oct. 7th.

Indiefest: Carmen (2022) Carmen (Natascha McElhone) has spent almost her entire life looking after her brother, the local priest of a small Mediterranean village. When he dies, Carmen must find a new path to follow, one that just might surprise her village and Carmen herself. This is a sweet tale of a woman finding herself and putting herself first after years of serving her brother and the lord. The film slips a bit from time to time, but Natascha McElhone’s performance is so heartwarming and full of life that it makes up for the sometimes weak storyline. This is a movie about someone finding love and forgiveness and spreading that idea to everyone she comes in contact with. Carmen is one of those stories that you feel better having seen it.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Carmen Website  Now playing in select theatres and On Demand.

My View: Lou (2022) R  When her daughter is kidnapped in the middle of a storm, the mother (Jurnee Smollett) turns to the only person that she knows can find her, a mysterious woman who lives next door named Lou (Allison Janney). The two are about to go on a journey that will test their limits and expose shocking secrets from their pasts. What makes this film work is Allison Janney, who we first meet as she goes about her day, pissing people off right and left with an attitude that she doesn’t care what you think of her, just get out of her way. From the start, we get clues that Lou is more than just a pissed-off older woman; there is something about her that shouldn’t be messed with. The film is an action film with a plot that is pretty easy to figure out (you're given a lot of clues very early), but still, Janney makes this film work as well as it does, giving us a believable performance that probably ten or twenty years ago would have gone to a man like Eastwood. Lou is a fun ride for what it is, and Janney makes it one worth going on the adventure with.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Lou Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

My View: Sidney (2022)   The life story of Sidney Poitier, Oscar winner, activist, and one of the greatest actors of the 20th century. This is one of the best documentaries of the year. The film is told through Sidney Poitier, as he sits and talks to us about his life and career. Produced by Oprah Winfrey, the film is a perfect look at a man who not only is one of the greatest film actors of any generation but also one of the great men of his time. The documentary gives us insight into what made him, how a man became an actor because he saw an ad in a local Harlem newspaper. It’s a remarkable life that Poitier lived, and the film does a fantastic job of giving us scenes from his movies and the context of how and when those films were made. It’s a fantastic look at a remarkable career that I hope gives people, especially ones that don’t know his filmography, to go and watch some of his legendary performances. Sidney Poitier was a great actor, but an even better man, and this documentary lets us explore and praise the man.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Sidney Info  Now playing on the Apple+ platform.

My View: Confess, Fletch (2022) R   Fletch (Jon Hamm) is in hot water as someone has committed multiple murders, and Fletch becomes the prime suspect. Consequently, Fletch must prove his innocence while simultaneously searching for his fiancé’s stolen art collection. When Chevy Chase was a big movie star, he made a film called Fletch (1985), which was a big hit and was quite funny, letting Chase do what he did best, charm while also making fun of people. I was such a fan of the film I read quite a few of the books by Gregory McDonald that the character came from. Now thirty-some years later, Jon Hamm revives the role of Fletch, the wise-cracking, now ex-newspaper reporter, who likes to charm while making fun of people, all while solving crimes. While I enjoyed the Chase film, having read many books, I think Hamm is more what McDonald had in mind. A guy, still good-looking but showing his age a bit and using his charm rather than disguises (like Chevy) did, to fool people into thinking he is something he isn’t. The film is a fun who done it, that has a few nice twists and turns to keep us interested. I wouldn’t mind a few more turns with Hamm playing Fletch, solving a crime or two down the road. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Confess, Fletch Website  Now playing in theatres.

Forgotten Film: Paris Blues (1961)  Two American jazz musicians (Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman) are living in Paris when they meet and fall in love with two American tourists (Joanne Woodward, Diahann Carroll). The film has an incredible cast, with two leads that dominate the screen, but I recommend this film due to an amazing musical number with Louis Armstrong that has to be seen and heard. And the film was shot on location in Paris.   My Rating: Full Price  Pairs Blues Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Blonde: Deliverables Producer

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Call Jane (2022) R A married woman, Joy (Elizabeth Banks), with an unwanted pregnancy, lives in a time in America when she can’t get a legal abortion. She turns to a group of suburban women who have started a grassroots organization to help women like Joy. Having recently seen the doc about this amazing organization, I can’t wait to see this film.   Call Jane Info  Playing in theatres in late Oct.

Until Next Time!

Love the Coopers

My View:  Love the Coopers  (2015)   PG-13   Four generations of Coopers are getting together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration.  What can go wrong? It turns out just about everything.  This is a comedy where no one in the family is happy, and even the family dog has an eating disorder. A grad student could write his dissertation on all the problems this family has and, remarkably, most are solved by the end of this unfunny film. The only storyline (and there are way too many of them) I enjoyed was where Olivia Wilde’s character picks up a soldier  (Jake Lacy) at the airport bar to pose as her boyfriend. Their relationship is the only one that has any sparks and is the most enjoyable to watch. Diane Keaton and John Goodman,  the patriarchs of the family, are just exhausting to watch as their bickering gets old quickly. There is a scene between Amanda Seyfried and Alan Arkin (she’s his favorite waitress at a diner) that just turns so weird that I couldn't even begin to explain it. If you hate the holidays and want to get depressed, then this film is for you.    My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See It Again   Love the Coopers Website

My View:  The 33  (2015)  PG-13  Based on a true event, thirty-three miners are trapped underground in a mine for sixty-nine days with almost no food or water. The world watches as a rescue attempt does the impossible.  I liked several of the performances in this film, especially Antonio Banderas as the lead miner and Rodrigo Santoro, the mining minister who tries to save them. The biggest problem with this film is that there are three main events:  the collapse of the mine, locating the men, then getting them out. The film never creates enough tension and does a poor job of making us understand how the miners suffered. I never got the feeling of claustrophobia, and that should have been something that was first and foremost in this type of film. There’s a scene in the film that just doesn’t work where all the men start hallucinating about food. The audience I saw it with starting laughing and wouldn't stop till it ended. It's a film that has heart but just doesn't connect fully with its audience.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The 33 Website

My View:  My All-American  (2015) PG   Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) has always wanted to play college football but continues to be turned down.  That is until he caught the eye of the legendary coach of the Texas Longhorns, Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart). Now, Freddie faces the toughest challenge of his life. This is an earnest take on the sports film genre that is both inspiring and sad. I liked the chemistry between Wittrock and Eckhart, and both make their characters likable without creating too much sappiness. The football scenes go on too long, and it takes a while to get the film going. While not a great sports film, this film is still inspiring and one that any football fan would enjoy.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee   My All-American Website

Indiefest:  Spotlight  (2015)  R  The true story of how a group of reporters from the Boston Globe uncovered the huge scandal of child molestation and cover-up by the local Catholic Archdiocese. This is one of the best films of the year and very reminiscent of “All the Presidents Men” where a group of reporters fight both the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and the city leaders to get the facts of a story that has far-reaching implications.  The ensemble cast is brilliant, led by Mark Ruffalo, who plays a gruff investigative reporter and his counterpart, a reporter who sees the good in most people, played by Rachel McAdams. Ruffalo gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a world-weary reporter who won’t give up. The story is riveting and tense, and the sets are perfect spanning between the cramped spaces of the newsroom to the contrast of the lavish Cardinal’s residence. This is an intense and moving film that perfectly captures a dark moment in time.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See It Again   Spotlight Website

Indiefest:  Labyrinth of Lies  (2014)  R   A young and determined public prosecutor (Alexander Fehling) decides, against the wishes of his colleagues, to prosecute a former Auschwitz camp commander in a country that just wants to forget its past.  I liked this film during the first half of the movie, as Johann delves deeper and deeper into a part of Germany’s history that no one talks about. His horror discovering so many people were killed so casually in the concentration camps hits home, and we feel his pain as he realizes that people he knows were involved with the camps in one way or another. The film starts to break down as Johann lets the pressure and the sadness get to him, and he starts cutting relationships with everyone he knows, including his fiancé. This film has been picked by Germany to be their submission to the category of Best Foreign-Language Film at the Academy Awards.  I am sure it impacts Germans much harder than it did me dealing with a horrible time in their country's history. I wanted more of emotional payoff from the film but it never quite delivers it. Good performances offset a script that bogs down in the second half. If the movie could have held the excitement and the pace of the first half of the film, I would have enjoyed it more.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Labyrinth of Lies Website

Indiefest:  Jafar Panahi 's Taxi (2015)   Jafar Panahi is a director living in Iran, where he is banned by the government from making movies. So what does he do? He installs cameras in his taxi and drives around the city to secretly make a movie about social changes in Iran.  At one point in this film, Panahi picks up a man who recognizes him as a director of movies. The man is convinced that everything that happens while he is in the cab is planned and staged by Panahi for a narrative film. When you see this film, you just might think that Panahi has planned it all, because the documentary works so well. It’s an fascinating, prodigious documentary that gives us a taste of what everyday life is in Iran. It’s funny, touching and sometimes you marvel at the humanity of people who are living under a repressive regime. This is one of the best documentaries of the year, and I want Panahi to make more. We could call it Panahi’s Taxi Cab confessionals.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Jafar Panaji's Taxi Website

Forgotten Film:  Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)  R  Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) is a man who created “The Dating Game” and “The Gong Show.”  He is also an assassin for the CIA. In fact, he uses the trips his game show winners go on to travel the world and kill his targets. Any film that has Brad Pitt and Matt Damon as Bachelors 1 and 2 and they don’t get picked is a film for me. You don’t have to believe Barris is a killer; you just have to have fun watching him do it.  My Rating: Full Price   Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Love the Coopers:  Ultimate Arm Driver

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Janis: Little Girl Blue  (2015) Documentary from Oscar winning director Amy Berg about the troubled life of singer Janis Joplin.  This will be a sad tale but one that needs to be told.   Janis: Little Girl Blue Info

Until Next Time!

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

My View:  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) PG-13 It’s been ten years since a virus was unleashed and wiped out most of the human population.  Caesar (Andy Serkis) is leading a group of apes when they come in contact with Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and his small group of survivors.  A fragile peace between the two groups is threatened when a group of humans led by Drefus (Gary Oldman) wants revenge on the apes. Outstanding special effects, great scriptwriting and a lead performance by a man (Serkis) who could get an Oscar nomination for a role done on screen by CGI highlight,t this sequel which is better than the first film. The action sequences are incredible and the details in the special effects, such as close ups on the chimps, are just incredibly detailed.  The film moves at a nice pace, and the storyline is engaging with plenty of twists and turn.  I think it’s worth shelling out the extra money for the 3-D screening as there are plenty of scenes that use the effect. It’s a film I thoroughly enjoyed, and I look forward to more in the future.  Now if we can just get that Oscar nomination for Mr. Serkis, that would be great!  My Rating: Full Price  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Website

Indiefest: Third Person (2013) R  Three  stories that take place in Paris, New York and Rome.  Paris; Michael (Liam Neeson) has left his wife (Kim Basinger) and has taken up with his old flame, Anna (Olivia Wilde).  New York; Julia (Mila Kunis) has been accused of attempting to kill her son and now is in a custody battle with his father (James Franco).  Rome; Sean (Adrien Brody) falls for an Italian woman (Moran Atias) who may be involved with the Mafia.  A dreary film about very unhappy people.  The film is full of couples making each other unhappy, which has the effect of the audience not caring what happens to them.  Most of the cast sleepwalks through the film, with the exception of Mila Kunis, who gives the best performance of what should have been an outstanding ensemble.  If you want to be bored and depressed for over two hours, then be my guest and see this film. My Rating: Cable  Third Person Website

Forgotten Film: Hearts of the West (1975) PGIn the 1930’s a farm boy (Jeff Bridges) wants to be a cowboy, so much so that he sends off for a correspondence course on how to be one.  He decides to take off for the west and, by accident, becomes a part of a movie company making “B” movies.  He’s not the brightest guy around and starts doing stunts that no one else will dare do.  This is not a great film, but it’s a blast to watch and Bridges, as the naive stuntman, is perfect in the role.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Hearts of the West Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  My Man Is a Loser (2014)  R   Two married men (Michael Rapaport, Bryan Callen) get a playboy (John Stamos)  to help them save their marriage.  I couldn’t even make it through the trailer, so I don’t know how I would make it through the whole film.  My Man is a Looser Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blue Ray):  Bad Words (2014)  R  )  I liked this movie about a guy (Jason Bateman) who has never gotten over his bad experiences in school and decides to enter a national spelling bee.  What made this film is the chemistry between Bateman and the young kid he befriends at a contest, Rohan Chand.  Chand shows real comedic timing, and the film is full of funny and interesting characters. My Rating: Full Price  Bad Words Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes:  Fur Groomer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Happy Christmas (2014)  R  The writer / director of Drinking Buddies (2013), Joe Swanberg, a film about a young married couple (Joe Swanberg, Melanie Lynskey) who have a two-year-old son.  The husband’s younger sister (Anna Kendrick) comes to live with them but isn’t what you would call “responsible."  Anna Kendrick and Melanie Lynskey in the same movie?  Can’t get any better than that.  Happy Christmas Website

Until Next Time!