Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.

My View: Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul (2022) R  Trinitie (Regina Hall) and her husband, pastor Lee-Curtis (Sterling K. Brown), used to be the king and queen of a prominent Southern Baptist Mega Church. However, that was before a major scandal, and now they must rally and put the pieces back before it all goes away. I loved the performances of the two leads, especially Regina Hall, who dominates every scene she is in. Hall can do more with a look to the camera than most actors can do with a whole speech. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t know what it is. Is it a mockumentary? Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? Most of the film is shot as if it is for a documentary, but there are times when the film isn’t part of the documentary, as in a bedroom scene where the couple attempts to have sex, which makes for a very confusing mess of a film. I will say that there is a hilarious scene during a car ride where the two get into a rather profane rap song, but that’s the film's highlight as far as humor goes. The problem is that the film is a one-trick pony on how a Christian couple is more concerned about their wealth than their souls, and it pounds us over the head with that notion throughout the film.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide and is currently on the Peacock platform.

My View: Love in the Villa (2022)   Julie (Kat Graham) is a woman who always has a plan. After a long-term boyfriend breaks up with her, she takes the ‘romantic trip’ to Verona, Italy, that the two had planned together. Once there, she discovers that the villa she reserved has been double-booked, and she’ll have to share her vacation with a cynical British man (Tom Hopper). Come on, what more do you want in a rom-com than a trip to Italy with two mismatched, great-looking soon to be in love people. Predictable, but with the beautiful scenery, who cares? The first third of the film is a bit rough (a little too much of a grab for humor), but Graham and Hopper give the movie a bit of a spark, and you get an ending that you want. And there are all those shots of Italy.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Love in the Villa Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Gigi & Nate (2022) PG-13   Six weeks away from his first year at college, Nate (Charlie Rowe) suffered a horrible accident, leaving him a quadriplegic. His world seems small and cold in that wheelchair until a unique service animal entered Nate’s life. A tiny capuchin monkey named Gigi. This is a film that is in two parts. The first part is an enjoyable film about a young man who finds hope and solace in a service animal. The film is enjoyable as Gigi and Nate slowly bond, and both Nate and his family begin to heal. The second half of the film takes a hard turn to try to give us a message that seems very heavy-handed, making a statement that it doesn’t know how to deliver without hitting us over the head with it. The film takes a big swing and misses. It's too bad because the first half is winning look at overcoming a horrible thing with the help of love and family.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Gigi & Nate Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

My View: Wire Room (2022)   New recruit Justin Rosa (Kevin Dillon) is working in ‘the Wire Room,’ where federal agents monitor in a remote facility the most dangerous criminals in the world. Rosa is watching a cartel member, Eddie (Oliver Trevena), who he has been told to keep alive at all costs. Things go wrong when Justin sees that a team of assassins has descended on Eddie’s house, and Justin warns the man of the danger. It’s a move that could cost both of their lives. It is tragic this is the last film that Bruce Willis will be in, and it is evident that he was having trouble with lines, with all the one-shots he is involved with, speaking one sentence at a time. Most of the film is horribly put together, with a plot line that stretches any sort of reason. It’s sad that your two leads only have action sequences near the film's conclusion, and then it’s mostly a shoot-out that ends with a whimper. Sad end to what was a great career.   My Rating: Cable    Wire Room Website  Now playing in theatres.

Indiefest: The Good Boss (2021)   With his company up for an award that could save it, Blanco (Javier Bardem) is willing to do just about anything to ensure it happens. First, I went into this film thinking it would be a comedy, but it’s more a drama with humorous undertones. Blanco is a man who is used to things going his way. He is all bluff and bravado, thinking he can talk his way out of anything. However,from the start, we see cracks in Blanco’s life and work. A worker he has let go of is causing a scene right at the film's beginning, and things get worse as Blanco tries to control an out-of-control situation. Blanco's world is slowly crumbling around him, from his right-hand man having a breakdown to a fling that turns horribly wrong. Javier Bardem is brilliant in a role that is very different from most that he has done in the past. This is a performance for the ages, as the more that Blanco tries to put out the fire, the more the flames rise up to bite him. It’s a character that, at first, we like, but as we get to know him, the more we detest his ability to charm. But is Blanco as slick as he thinks he is, or will everything come tumbling down? You will have to watch to find out.   My Rating: Full Price   The Good Boss Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Silvia Prieto (1999) R  Silvia (Rosario Blefari) is a woman in her late twenties who is perfectly happy going from job to job, moving around when she feels like it. It all changes when she finds out a second person is also called Silvia Prieto, and her life changes. Unfortunately, these changes are not what she hoped for. This delightful film from Argentina works because of the performance of Rosario Blefari, who is marvelous in the role of the strange and flighty Silvia. The film is full of wit and an excellent supporting cast. Truly a gem of a film and well worth watching.   My Rating: Full Price   Silvia Prieto Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul: Child Labor Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Barbarian (2022) R  A woman (Georgian Campbell) rents an Airbnb to find that someone else is already renting it. She reluctantly stays the night, only to find that the home has hidden secrets that could cost her more than the rent. The film is getting great word of mouth. The film is in theatres nationwide on Sept. 9, 2022.  Barbarian Info

Until Next Time!

Master

My View: Master (2022) R  Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has been named dean at a prestigious New England university, the first Black dean in the school’s history. Jasmine (Zoe Renee) is a new student at the university, and she learns that the students at this school believe that the campus is haunted. Both Gail and Jasmine aren’t just dealing with systemic racism at the university because there is something far more sinister in these hallowed halls. Something that could prove deadly. This is not your ordinary horror film as it only makes up half of this film’s content. The other half is about racism, white privilege, and how institutions of high learning are more about politics and less about higher education. The film follows two stories connected by a sinister force that is alive and well on the campus; the question is, is it a supernatural force, or is it just underlying racism that hides under the surface. I liked this film for the first two-thirds, but then the storyline fails to come to a satisfying ending, leaving me wanting more from its resolution. The film doesn’t quite deliver on the scares, and I didn’t think the character of Jasmine was ever in mortal danger that the film wants you to feel that she is in. Still, there is quite a bit that you will be discussing afterwards about this film and its subject matter.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Master Website   Now playing in select theatres and on the Amazon Prime platform.

Indiefest: The Outfit  (2022) R  Leonard (Mark Rylance) is an English tailor who used to work on London’s Savile Row. After a personal tragedy, Leonard now makes his home in Chicago, in a part of town where only mobsters can afford his hand-crafted suits. Basically, all Leonard wants to do is be left alone to make clothes with his assistant (Zoey Deutch), but his life is about to get complicated when two killers show up on his shop’s doorstep. This is an absolute thrill ride of a film where you are kept guessing until the end. Buoyed by a brilliant performance by Mark Rylance and a script that values words more than actions, this film is a mystery inside another mystery. It slowly peels back its layers of plot woven together better than any other fine suit that Leonard constructs. The Outfit is a film that lets Rylance show us just how good an actor he is, giving us a far craftier and wise character than the people around him. I can’t tell you how much fun I had watching this film, making me think of some of the great Hitchcock films of the 30s and how a character can get them in and out of impossible situations, taking us along for the thrilling ride.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Outfit Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Deep Water (2022) R Vic (Ben Affleck) and Melinda (Ana de Armas), on the surface, have the perfect marriage. However, both love to play mind games, and their marriage is holding on by a thread. Vic allows Melinda to take any number of lovers, as long as she doesn’t desert her family. Their marriage is about to fall apart when one of Melinda’s former lovers is discovered murdered. While I don’t think this is a great film, I still enjoyed going on this weird, strange, and sometimes horrifying journey with two very messed-up people. Directed by Adrian Lyne (Flashdance, 9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction) and based on a book by Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley), this is a mystery/suspense film about two people who are in a twisted and peculiar relationship. The film is sure to be compared to Gone Girl (2014) and possibly the Harrison Ford film Presumed Innocent (1990), this film is about two people who are in a relationship that is complicated, messy, and dangerous. Affleck and de Armas portray to beautiful people that do very ugly things to each other. This film takes a lot of twists and turns, with you wondering if you saw something that was real or fantasy until the very end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Deep Water Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform.

Familyfaire: Cheaper by the Dozen (2022) PG  Zoey (Gabrielle Union) and Paul (Zach Braff) are parents of a large blended family, the Bakers. Whoever thought living in this family of 12 would be easy thought wrong. This is the third version of Cheaper by the Dozen. The first is an excellent classic film from the 1950s that stars Clifton Webb. The second was a mildly funny film starring Steve Martin from the 90s. And now we have a modern-day version that is painful to watch. Incredibly dull, not a bit funny, and so long it seems to last for days, this version is an attempt to pack a lot into a film that doesn’t work as a comedy or as a commentary on race relations. Add into the mix some horrible acting by some of the kids and a script that is so poorly constructed I almost got whiplash from the events of the film (the family goes from barely paying their bills to a mansion in an exclusive neighborhood in a matter of days) and you have a film that is just dull to watch. Go watch one of the latest animated films from Disney or the wonderful Mitchells vs the Machines if you want some family fun because this version of Cheaper by the Dozen doesn’t even come close to being entertaining.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Cheaper by the Dozen Website  Now playing on the Disney+ platform.

Forgotten Film: White Fang (1991) PG  The story of a young man who goes to the Yukon to find gold and a dog who was raised by wolves. The two find each other in the wilds of Alaska and make a great team to survive the wilderness together. I loved this book as a kid, and though the film doesn’t quite match the book in the storyline, it’s still a great adventure film. I think we forget just how good an actor Ethan Hawke was at such an early age. The film is one of the better wilderness action films and has a dog you will fall in love with. What more could you want?   My Rating: Full Price    White Fang Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Outfit: Rushes Runner

Coming Soon to Screen Near You: The Northman (2022) R A Viking prince (Alexander Skarsgard) has come back to avenge his father’s death and rescue his mother. From filmmaker Robert Eggers (The Witch) comes an epic tale with a cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Anya Taylor-Joy. Add in Bjork as a character named Seeress, and you have a movie that could be really interesting to watch.    The Northman Website

Until Next Time!

The Best Man Holiday

My View:  The Best Man Holiday (2013)  R When old college friends get together for the Christmas holidays, they find out just how easy it is to pick right back up where they left off, which is good in the romance department but not so much when dealing with a rival.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first film in the series, The Best Man, and while this film isn’t as good as the first one, it’s still a fun movie with a great message about love and family.  It’s fun to watch a film where it's evident the cast really enjoys working together.  Taye Diggs and Regina Hall stand out in this ensemble piece that is both funny and touching.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  The Best Man Holiday Website

Indiefest:  Dallas Buyers Club (2013)  R  A Texas electrician / part-time cowboy named, Ron (Matthew McConaughey), is diagnosed in 1986 as HIV-positive.  When told he has only 30 days to live, he researches and discovers that there are experimental drugs in Mexico and overseas for treating AIDS, but these drugs are not allowed in this country.  Ron figures out a way to get the drugs and help other HIV-Positive patients live longer.  McConaughey is amazing in this film and brings a multi-layered performance to the screen that only he can.  Jared Leto is also outstanding as a transvestite who is, at first, Ron’s contact to the gay lifestyle, but later becomes one of his best friends.  This is a moving and powerful film about overcoming obstacles and working against odds to triumph in life as a better person.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  Dallas Buyers Club Website 

Forgotten Film:  Dark Star  (1974)  This John Carpenter directed black comedy was a student film at one time that became a feature film.  It’s the story of a group of astronauts who are in charge of blowing up unstable planets so that their star systems can be colonized.  The mission starts to go wrong, and just about everything that can happen badly, does, including a “smart bomb” that goes rogue and thinks that it’s God.  This is a crazy, strange film that shows even though you may have a small budget, you can still make well done, interesting movie.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Dark Star Info

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Endless Love (2014) Remake of the 1981 stinker of the same name that starred Brooke Shields.  The 1981 film made my “Bottom 50 Bad Films of All-time” list, so I guess I should hold a spot for this one.  Endless Love Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray):  Man of Steel (2013)  PG-13  I thought this retelling of the Superman story was overly long with a closing fight scene that destroys New York and goes on forever.  It’s not a bad movie but not a really good one either.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Man of Steel Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Best Man Holiday:  Buffalo stunt

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Delivery Man (2013)  Ken Scott co-wrote and directed the French-Canadian film Starbuck (2011), which I really enjoyed.  He is now bringing the same film to American audiences with Vince Vaughn starring as the underachiever who finds out that through a mistake at a sperm bank, he has fathered over 500 kids.   Delivery Man Info

Until Next Time!