Roma

My View:  Roma  (2018)  R  Two-time Oscar winner (Gravity, 2013) Alfonso Cuaron brings us a tale of a family in transition in the early 1970s in Mexico City. Based on Cuaron’s own childhood the center of the film is a live-in maid named Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) as she tends to a large family. Roma is a beautiful film, shot in glorious black and white. Aparicio is brilliant as the maid who would do anything to make sure the children she cares for are loved and safe. The film takes place over a year as the marriage of the husband and wife falls apart. Cleo tries to make the lives of the children as normal as possible, but she is dealing with a dead-beat boyfriend and a ton of other problems. This was a passion project for Cuaron, and it shows on the screen. This is one of the best films of the year and a shoo-in for a ton of Oscar nominations.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Roma Website

My View:  The Favourite  (2018)  R In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne. Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and a new servant, Abigail (Emma Stone) vie for the attention of the Queen. While Colman, Weisz, and Stone give Oscar-worthy performances, I would like to single out Nicholas Hoult as a snarky Earl who uses any means necessary to obtain power. Hoult’s wisecracks and put-downs are the best part of the film, and there is an incredible outdoor scene with Emma Stone that will have you laughing out loud. The makeup, the sets and the costumes are simply breathtaking. This tale of two women who battle over who can gain the affection and ear of the Queen is brilliant. Think Dangerous Liaisons with a touch of a lesbian War of the Roses.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    The Favourite Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):   Operation Finale  (2018)  PG-13   A group of Israeli secret agents, led by a brash secret agent( Oscar Issac) go after Adolph Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), the man responsible for murdering six million Jews,. Eichmann, under a different name,  is hiding in South America among a group of Nazi supporters. I enjoyed this film, though the first half of the film is much better than the second half. Both Kingsley, playing the unapologetic Eichmann and Issac, playing an Israeli secret agent who hasn’t always done the right thing, give convincing performances as they play a cat a mouse game. And anytime I can see Melanie Laurent, who plays a fellow Israeli agent, on the screen, I’m happy.    My Rating: Full Price    Operation Finale Website

Forgotten Film:  Terri (2011)  R  John C. Reilly plays a high school Vice Principal who takes an overweight 15-year-old boy,  named Terri (played by Jacob Wysocki), under his wing.  Terri’s life is complicated and isolated, as his parents leave him to care for his bi-polar uncle whose moods seesaw from an almost cationic state to a hyperproductive state. Terri has given up on life and school, and in the midst of his depression, only wears pajamas.  He also has a crush on a popular girl but chooses to just stare at her from far away.  With the help of the Vice Principal, Terri starts coming out of his shell and even makes a few friends along the way.  Reilly is good in this small but well-done film, and Wysocki gives a powerfully understated performance.    My Rating:  Full Price    Terri Facebook Page

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Favourite:  Prosthetics Painter

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Cold War  (2018)  R   The story of star-crossed lovers set in Europe in the 1950s. This film is being mentioned by film critics as a possible Best Foreign Language Oscar contenders. The film received a standing ovation of 18 minutes at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.    Cold War Website

Until Next Time!

KIN

My View:  KIN  (2018)  PG-13  A recently released con-man, Jimmy (Jack Reynor) and his adopted teenage brother, Eli (Myles Truitt)  who go on the run with a weapon of mysterious origin. The brothers are being chased by a vengeful criminal (James Franco), the feds and a gang of otherworldly soldiers. I wanted to like this film, but it has serious flaws, the most significant being that we are supposed to root for Jimmy, but he is an unlikeable person who makes one selfless lousy decision after another. How can you root for someone that causes every bad thing to his younger brother Eli. I did enjoy the surprise reveal at the end of the film but it much too long to get there.   My Rating: Cable   KIN Website

My View:  Operation Finale  (2018)  PG-13  A group of Israeli secret agents, led by a brash secret agent( Oscar Issac) go after Adolph Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), the man responsible for murdering six million Jews,. Eichmann, under a different name,  is hiding in South America among a group of Nazi supporters. I enjoyed this film, though the first half of the film is much better than the second half. Both Kingsley, playing the unapologetic Eichmann and Issac, playing an Israeli secret agent who hasn’t always done the right thing, give convincing performances as they play a cat an mouse game. And anytime I can see Melanie Laurent, who plays a fellow Israeli agent, on the screen, I’m happy.  My Rating: Full Price       Operation Finale Website

Indiefest:  The Little Stranger  (2018)  R  Dr. Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) is a country doctor, who is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall, a large estate that his mother once worked at. He begins to visit on a regular basis, and strange things started to occur. This is the type of film that some critics are going to love, but I hated it. Part supernatural thriller, part mystery, the film never worked for me. I found the ending of the film stupid and confusing, but that also sums up the rest of the movie. There is a reason this movie is being released at the end of summer, it’s just not good enough to play anytime else.  My Rating: Cable   The Little Stranger Info

My View:  Searching  (2018)  PG-13  After his 16-year old daughter (Michelle La) goes missing, her father (John Cho) with the help of a detective (Debra Messing) practically search for clues on where she could have gone. This film, if told in a conventional way, might make an OK TV movie, but because it’s told entirely from the view of a computer screen, makes the film exciting and fun to watch. I enjoyed both Cho’s and Messing’s performances, as they desperately search for his missing daughter, and they have good chemistry on screen together (though they are rarely in the same room). While the story was simple, I was entertained throughout the film by the smart and entertaining way the story was told.  My Rating: Full Price   Searching Website

Indiefest:  Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2018)  Documentary about Scotty Bowers, who spent decades as a sexual procurer to the stars in Hollywood. This should have been an interesting film because Scotty holds a lot of secrets about Hollywood royalty of the 40s and 50s. Instead, too much time is spent on Scotty and his wife living in a home that should be on Hoarders. The tidbits that you get on people like Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy (Scotty says both were gay and never slept together) are too far between seeing Scotty doing gardening and sorting through trash to make it enjoyable. My Rating: Cable    Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Website

Forgotten Film:  Albino Alligator (1996)  Three robbers (Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise, and William Fichtner) try to hold up a bar and things go wrong, they take hostages, and they are cornered by police. While the actors are sometimes let down by the script, the performances are top-notch, especially Matt Dillon. While not a great film, if you are interested in characters and how they react to pressure, this is a film to check out.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Albino Alligator Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of KIN:  Tattoo Designer for Mr. Franco

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Lizzie  (2018)  A psychological thriller based on the 1892 murders of the Borden family.  With a cast that includes Chloe Sevigny and Kristen Stewart, who I consider one of the best actresses of her generation, this film should be good. Lizzie Website 

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Until Next Time!