Jungle Cruise

Note to readers: I have started going to movies in the theaters, having received my two shots and passed the two-week standby period, wearing a mask at all times and following social distancing. Most of the films I am reviewing are still movies that I watched at home, but I will note in the review if I saw them in a theatre. I am not going to tell you whether or not to attend a theatre. Just be aware of the risks, do your research, and follow the instructions to the letter.

My View: Jungle Cruise   (2021)  PG-13   Captain Frank Wolf (Dwayne Johnson) is used to taking some tourists on a typical jungle cruise aboard his boat. But Capt. Wolf has never met Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), a determined explorer on a research mission, has other plans for her trip. Along with her brother, MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), she is looking for a magic cure hidden in the Amazon jungle for centuries. Captain Wolf, Lily and are about to go on the adventure of a lifetime, one that no one has ever returned from. This film reminded me of the classic Walt Disney adventure films of the fifties and sixties like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, with lots of action, a somewhat over-the-top villain, and some really scary henchman that does the villain’s bidding. What makes this film work is the chemistry between Johnson and Blunt. They play off each other perfectly, with lots of charisma but even better, great timing. As with any good romance of this nature, the two don’t get along at first, but we know right from the start that they are made for each other. The action sequences are fast and highly enjoyable with Blunt, using her experience with action-adventure roles from Edge of Tomorrow and A Quiet Place to great effect. Jesse Plemons is terrific as the evil (there is a great bit where Jack Whitehall’s character can’t understand that Plemons character is saying the word ‘jungle’), filling every scene with glee and mayhem. The film moves at a quick pace and is helped by a few nods to the Disneyland Jungle Cruise ride (watch out for those vicious headhunters!). Jungle Cruise is a lot of fun and is worth seeing on the big screen (I wish I had) due to all the wild and wooly action sequences. So go on a bit of a ride down the Amazon with the Captain and Lilly. You won’t need a refund for this trip.    My Rating: Full Price     Jungle Cruise Website  The film is now playing in theatres and is available on the Disney+ platform.

My View:   Stillwater   (2021)  R   An American oil-rig roughneck from Oklahoma, Bill (Matt Damon) travels to France to visit his daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin), who is being held in jail for a murder that she claims she didn’t commit. With no help from her lawyer or the police, both of whom think she is guilty, Bill, in a foreign country, battling language barriers and a system set up to have him fail, is determined to find evidence to exonerate his daughter and bring her back home, to Stillwater. While not quite the Oscar performance that I am sure Damon was hoping for, this is still a good movie due to Damon's quiet and restrained performance as Bill, a man trying to do right by his daughter, who he has failed for most of his life. The film is two parts; one is a father trying to reconnect with a daughter he doesn’t know, and the other is a love story between Bill and the French woman, Virginie, played by Camille Cottin, who becomes at first his friend and then his love interest. Bill is determined to help his daughter in any way he can, if it is just being near to her, so Bill can visit her in prison from time to time. Soon, though, Bill gets it into his head that maybe he can do more; that maybe, just maybe, he can find a crucial person in the murder case that just might get his daughter out of prison or at least, a new trial. The film is helped by the secondary story of Bill getting involved with Virginie and her adorable daughter, Maya (Lilou Siauvaud), as we get to see Bill get a second chance at both love and having a family, making us like Bill more and more as the film goes on. The film drags a bit, feeling every bit its two hour and twenty-minute length, as we wait for the break in the case that we hope (and know) is coming. Overall, Stillwater is a good character study of a man who has sinned in the past and is trying to make up for those sins, no matter what it costs him.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Stillwater Website  The film is now playing in theatres.

Indiefest: The Green Knight  (2021)  R   The story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s nephew, who is determined to make his own legend as he takes on the Green Knight, a gigantic green-skinned stranger. Filmmaker David Lowery has always been hit or miss with me. I really liked his films Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and The Old Man & the Gun, and I absolutely hated his movie A Ghost Story and wasn’t a big fan of Pete’s Dragon. So, be warned that this is a beautifully told tale of a classic knight of the round table story that is very much what I would call an ‘Arthouse Picture.’ It’s a film that critics will love, including me, but probably won’t find a wide audience because it isn’t a conventional telling but more in line with what the 14th-century poem followed, a tale of a knight on a quest, and it’s up to you to decide if the knight failed or succeeded in that quest. The film is filled with magical images that make the film feel part of all those 14th and 15th tapestries showing knights on their quests to serve King Arthur and the ideal of the honest and brave knight. Interestingly, Lowery has chosen to make Gawain not a knight but a wannabe, a young man who dreams of being a knight but would rather sleep with women and drink. This makes Gawain a flawed character from the start, and Dev Patel uses this to his advantage, making Gawain get by on his good looks and connections (he is King Arthur’s nephew and his mother is a sorceress). The film follows Gawain on his quest, one where he makes many mistakes, almost dies (primarily due to those mistakes), and relies on the kindness of strangers, some of which also can’t be trusted. The Green Knight is a moving, visually stunning film that anyone who loves the classics (like I do) will fall in love with. Now, if you are looking for a knight’s tale with lots of romance and sword-fighting, this isn’t your film, but if you want to go on a quest and experience a fantastic tale, this is a film for you.    My Rating: Full Price     The Green Knight Website  The film is now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest:  Twist   (2021) R    Twist (Raff Law) is a gifted graffiti artist trying to find his way after the loss of his mother. He meets Fagin (Michael Caine), the head of a street gang, and Twist is on his way to becoming an integral part of the gang when an art theft goes wrong, and Twist finds himself caught between Fagin, his love for Red (Sophie Simnett), the police, and a loose-cannon enforcer (Lena Headey). I enjoyed some of this film, mainly the parkour bits where Twist and Red went all over London via its rooftops. Still, the film falls flat with a weak plot that involves what should have been a very clever break-in into a high-security art museum, but instead, we get a lame heist film that never quite jells, even with pros like Michael Caine and Lena Headey in its cast. It would help if Raff Law had some of the star power of his father, Jude, but he doesn’t, and while he and Simnett, playing the tough and agile Red, have some chemistry, it's not enough to help the weak script in its attempt to do a contemporary tale of Oliver Twist.  Dickens Oliver Twist is a great story and has inspired many a wonderful film, but this adaptation isn’t one of them.     My Rating: Cable     Twist Info  Now playing in select theatres.

My View:   Resort to Love     (2021)  PG   It’s been a tough year for Erica (Christina Milian) after she broke up with her fiancé (Jay Pharaoh). Her fortunes look up when she accepts a job as an entertainer at a fabulous Island resort only to find out that she will be the highlighted entertainment at her ex-fiancee/s wedding. Think of this film as a Hallmark Channel film with better music. The storyline is predictable, Millian’s acting wavers a bit (she does well at the drama parts but not with the comedy), and the ending is what you expect, but fans of Millan will enjoy this film because she sings a lot. Sinqua Walls, playing the brother of Jay Pharaoh, is fine as the love interest that we know Erica will end up, and the film gives him plenty of chances to take off his shirt to make the viewers swoon a bit. Resort to Love is a very lightweight film perfect for a Saturday afternoon or maybe a late-night viewing with a glass of wine. In fact, perhaps a couple of glasses of wine and a fast-forward button to get to Millan singing a tune or two.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Resort to Love Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:   Ride the Eagle   (2021)   Leif (Jake Johnson) is left a picturesque Yosemite cabin he inherits from his estranged mother. Her only condition is that he has to complete a to-do list that she has compiled to teach him some lessons about life. I am a big fan of Jake Johnson, having loved him in films such as Drinking Buddies and Safety Not Guaranteed, and I was not disappointed in this film about a guy who has never gotten over the fact that his mother left him when he was young for a cult and never did make amends…until now. Leif, via tapes his mother has left him, has to complete some tasks that his mother has decided will teach Leif about life and how to live it. This is Johnson’s film; he is on screen the whole time and, with the exception of his loyal dog (with whom he talks to all the time), is pretty much on his own, trying to faithfully complete the tasks his mother has left him to do. I loved the phone conversations that he has with an old girlfriend (played by always charming D’Arcy Carden), who Leif has called as part of his mother’s quest. Susan Sarandon plays Leif’s mom (who we only see through those videotapes) and is hilarious as she gives Leif his tasks to undertake. Ride the Eagle is one of those small, independent gems that is worth not only your watch but a wider audience if only to see J.K. Simmons, as one of Leif’s mother's lovers, rage at Leif, calling him a hilarious bunch of names that I can’t publish but would really like to.    My Rating: Full Price     Ride the Eagle Website  Now playing in select theatres and available to rent on available online platforms.

Forgotten Film:   Changes   (1969)  R   Kent (Kent Lane) is a lost young man. As the filmgoers along, we see his life in flashbacks, including his unhappy relationship with his girlfriend, who ended up committing suicide. He crashes his car and then goes on a walking quest to figure out his life. Along the way, he meets people that he thinks can help him, including a journalist (Marcia Strassman). This is one of those films that was made in the late 60s, early 70’s when Hollywood was trying to figure out what would appeal to the young people in a country that was changing incredibly fast. Changes isn’t a great film, much too experimental for my taste, but it gives you a great look at a time when Southern California was changing and Hollywood was trying to keep up. It helps that the film has an incredible soundtrack, including Joni Mitchell singing ‘Both Sides Now and look for an incredibly young Terri Garr in the movie playing a waitress.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Changes Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Jungle Cruise: Men’s Head Cutter

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:   King Richard   (2021)   The story of how Richard Williams (Will Smith) turned Venus and Serena Williams into two of the greatest tennis players in the game's history. The film is from Reinaldo Marcus Green, who gave us the marvelous Monster and Men (2018) and we all know that when given a good part that Will Smith can act, so I am looking forward to this film.      King Richard Info

Until Next Time!

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Note to readers: I have started going to movies in the theaters, having received my two shots and passed the two-week standby period, wearing a mask at all times and following social distancing. Most of the films I am reviewing are still movies that I watched at home, but I will note in the review if I saw them in a theatre. I am not going to tell you whether or not to attend a theatre. Just be aware of the risks, do your research, and follow the instructions to the letter.


Familyfaire:  Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) PG   The son of famed basketball player LeBron James has been kidnapped by a rogue artificial intelligence. Now LeBron must join forces with Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang to win a basketball game to get LeBron’s son back. I am a huge fan of the Looney Tunes crowd, having grown up watching them after-school and on those glorious Saturday mornings. While I am not a fan of the basketball player, I did quite enjoy his performance as the best friend of Bill Hader’s character in Trainwreck. I am not a fan of the original Space Jam, though I understand that it is probably one of your favorites if you saw the film as a child. Warner Brothers has been trying to a sequel to the original for 25 years, but they couldn’t get Michael Jordan to do the green screen again, and other attempts like Spy Jam with Jackie Chan or Race Jam with Jeff Gorden or Football Jam with Tim Tebow all fell through. Unfortunately, this one didn’t fall through, and we got almost two hours of a very boring film that doesn’t have any of the enchantment or humor of those classic Bugs Bunny cartoons. And how much of an ego boost does James need for us to go through what seemed like a ten-minute highlight reel of his career. Instead of space, we go into cyberspace, where a rogue AI played by Don Cheadle plans to take over the world or something (it never was quite clear what his plan was) and challenges James to a basketball game. It takes an incredibly long time to get to the game, so much so that you almost forget that there will be one. The film is full of sad ripoffs of classic cartoons, and the kids that I saw the film with were more interested in figuring out all the Warner Brother characters that were in the crowd of the basketball game (like the Penguin and the weird guys from Mad Max: Fury Road) than in the movie itself. By the end of the film, I didn’t care who won or why; I just wanted someone to say ˜That’s All Folks’ (it does happen, and it’s just as disappointing as the rest of the film). I did see this film in the theatre, but the animation was dull and not worth the trouble of seeing it on a big screen.   My Rating: Cable    Space Jam: A New Legacy Website  Now playing in theatres and on the HBO Max platform.

Indiefest:  Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021) R    A documentary about the legendary chef, writer, and TV host Anthony Bourdain, who traveled across the world searching for great food and exciting cultures after publishing his groundbreaking book Kitchen Confidential made him a worldwide star. The problem with documentaries is you know how they are going to end, and we all know that Bourdain killed himself. I didn’t know too much about Bourdain’s later personal life, just from what he lets us see (which was a lot) in his groundbreaking book Kitchen Confidential that blew the lid off what had been sacred grounds of the upper-crust kitchens of some of the most famous resturants in the world. The film uses a lot of behind-the-scenes footage from his TV series and interviews that he did once he became a media darling with his book. The film does a great job of letting us know what it was to be around the man through interviews with the people that were closest to him, including his two wives, his production crew (some of which were with him almost throughout his TV career) and chefs from around the world, all of whom loved and admired this man and his talent. The first two-thirds of the film is fun and is thrilling to watch this man who had a knack for words find his voice. The film's final third is hard to watch, as he struggled with fame and success, never quite finding happiness and always on the road to find it. I was not too fond of the fact that the film demonizes Bourdain's last girlfriend, Italian actress Asia Argento, who was not interviewed for the film and was made to look like she was a significant contributing factor to his death. Fans of Bourdain will enjoy that behind-the-scenes footage, and all the stories told about him. Still, his leaving behind so many people who loved him and a child he had with his second wife just is such a sad way to end a glorious life, one which brought so much happiness to the world but couldn’t ultimately bring Bourdain that same happiness.    My Rating: Full Price    Roadrunner Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest:   Pig (2021)   R   A famous truffle hunter, Rob (Nicolas Cage), lives alone out in the Oregonian wilderness, isolated from the world he left behind many years ago. When he is brutally attacked and his prized truffle hunting pig is kidnapped, Rob returns to his past in Portland in search for her and the people responsible. I know that in the past ten years, Nicolas Cage has made some strange films, sometimes horrible (Left Behind), sometimes wonderfully weird (Mandy), and sometimes just plain bizarre (Willy’s Wonderland). Cage doesn’t always make the right choices, but he can bring us some fantastic, low-key performances that few other actors out there can deliver. Pig is one of those magical Cage performances, and he is perfect for the part of a man haunted by his past who has escaped the world to live in the wilderness with his truffle-hunting pig. Now, don’t expect another John Wick or Taken thought there is some rather brutal violence in it; this is more about a man who is on a quest to find his best friend, his pig. This is one of Cage’s best performances letting his body language tell most of the story. Cage’s low-key, almost non-verbal performance plays perfectly off of Alex Wolff’s performance of Amir, the high-strung truffle broker who becomes Rob's unwilling sidekick and chauffeur. Pig is one of those films that I feel will get better with another viewing, letting you soak in this strange man who has one task, to find his pig. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Pig Website    Now playing in select theatres.

My View:  Fear Street Part Three: 1666  (2021)   R   We go back to the origins of all the problems to see how the curse of Sarah Fier started, which changed the lives of Shadysiders forever. These days, it is rare to see a terrific horror film, but it's almost a miracle to see three in a row. All three films are creatively connected with the last taking place in the year 1666 when we see the origin of the Fear Street story and how Sarah Fier started her horrible curse. The film uses the actors from the first two films to supply the characters in this one set in the past. Kiana Madeira, who played Deena in the first two films, portrays Sarah Fier, a brash but well-liked woman who lives in a small settlement with her brother and widowed father. She gets into trouble due to her relationship with Hannah (Olivia Scott Welch), and when things start going badly in the settlement (i.e., fruit rotting, pigs eating their young, etc.), she and Hannah are accused of being witches. I don't want to give too much away, but everything that has happened in the first two Fear Street films are connected to this event. The conclusion is one of the best horror film’s endings I have seen in a long time, and yes, there could be more. The cool thing about this film series is you don't have to wait years for it to play out; you can binge-watch it in an afternoon and have a scary good time.   My Rating: Full Price     Fear Street Part Three: 1666 Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:  Summertime (2020) R   The story of what it's like to live in present-day Los Angeles as told by 27 young people over the course of a single day. This is a beautiful homage to a city from the hearts and minds of the people that live in it. Taken from a poetry workshop, the film interweaves the lives of these young people as they tell their stories through rap, spoken word, songs, dance and poetry. All the actors in the movie are the writers of each of their pieces, which makes the performances feel so heartfelt and genuine as they express their hopes, dreams, and hardships living in such a big and diverse city. The film is fun to watch, imaginative in how it intertwines their lives with each other, and perfectly captures the mixed feelings of being young while dealing with what life brings in front of you.    My Rating: Full Price    Summertime Website   Now playing in select theatres.

My View:  Gunpowder Milkshake  (2021)  R   Sam (Karen Gillan) was only 12 years old when her mother, Scarlet (Lena Headey), was forced to abandon her. Sam was raised by the crime syndicate that her mother worked for and was trained to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Now, Sam has chosen to cross the syndicate to save an innocent eight-year-old girl (Chloe Coleman) and must find her mother and her lethal associates to help her take down the syndicate known as The Firm. Any film with Karen Gillan and Lena Headey as mother/daughter assassins is worth watching but add in a cast that includes Caral Gugino, Michelle Yeoh, Paul Giamatti, and Angela Bassett, and it's a sure bet I’m turning on the computer to see this one. The best way I can describe this film is John Wick with a sense of humor, and the women do all the butt-kicking. Karen Gillan is perfect as the deadpanned Sam who decides to protect the little girl who has a contract out on her head. Lena Headey is hilarious as the mother who thought it was a good idea to leave her teenager behind with a group of assassins to raise her. The action sequences are fun, well done, and are so filled with action that it may take a couple more viewings to take it all in. So go on a killing spree with Sam and her mother but just don’t call Sam a serial killer…¦she is just an assassin for hire with a love for guns, nothing more.   My Rating: Full Price    Gunpowder Milkshake Website   Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Forgotten Film:   The Guns of Navarone (1961)  G   When I was a kid, I loved the books written by Alistair MacLean. They were adventure books full of intrigue and high stakes, with a stoic hero leading a team into an impossible situation that was sure to fail, but our hero would somehow, someway succeed and save the day. MacLean wrote a bunch of these books, and many went on to be films, including billionaire recluse's favorite film Ice Station Zebra. The best of the bunch is The Guns of Navarone, about a team of allied saboteurs assigned the impossible task of infiltrating a Nazi-held island and destroying two enormous guns that are keeping 2,000 soldiers from escaping a nearby outpost. The cast is a who’s who of 1960s stars, including Gregory Peck as the leader of the force, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, James Darren, Anthony Quayle, and Richard Harris, who chews up scenery like no one can. The film is a blast to watch and is full of well-made action sequences with an ending that can’t be missed.   My Rating: Full Price     The Guns of Navarone Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Pig: 'Pig' Understudy

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:   Ride the Eagle (2021)   Leif (Jake Johnson) is left a picturesque Yosemite cabin he inherits from his estranged mother. Her only condition is that he has to complete a to-do list that she has compiled to teach him some lessons about life. Jake Johnson is one of my favorite actors, and I can’t wait to see this film that he co-wrote. It doesn’t hurt that the cast includes J.K Simmons, Susan Sarandon, and D’Acry Carden.   Ride the Eagle Info

Until Next Time!