Kraven the Hunter

My View:  Kraven the Hunter  (2024)  R   Kraven the Hunter tells the story of Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a descendant of Russian nobility who has a complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe). Kraven has made himself into the world’s greatest hunter, but he is also one of its most feared. I stopped reading comics a long time ago, so I had no clue who Kraven was. However, after doing some research, I found out he is a ‘supervillain.” Then why the heck would Sony/Marvel make a movie where this character is a hero throughout the film? I mean, maybe he turns bad at the end, but I have no clue other than he gets a new outfit at the end. Russell Crowe tries as hard as he can to lift up this mess of a film, but he is at the mercy of making the film center on one of the worst villains to ever appear in a superhero film, The Rhino. Alessandro Nivola plays Aleksei, a wannabe mobster who finds a doctor who gives him the ability to turn into a man/rhino. Then, he devises a plan to take down Kraven’s dad, Nikolai. Aleksei delivers some of the worst dialogue I have ever heard in a superhero movie, and I have seen Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (RIP Christopher Reeve). I think Aaron Taylor-Johnson could have done something with this role, but we never see Kraven as the great hunter he is supposed to be. I knew I was in trouble when, near the start of the film, a character is talking to a young girl and, in the span of two sentences, says her name twice. I get it. I’m supposed to remember her name, Calypso. The ending of this film is laughable, predictable, and just plain stupid. What was Marvel/Sony's plan for this character? Was he going to do a ‘heel turn,’ where you see a good guy turn bad all of a sudden like you see in WWE? We will never know since this is the end of this character, as he won’t be part of the next version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And no, thank goodness, you don’t have to stay during the credits because this film’s runtime is two hours and seven very-long-minutes. At least the film has that going for it.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  Kraven the Hunter Website  Now playing in theaters.  

My View:  The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim  (2024)  PG-13  The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim tells the story of the legendary King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand. The King and his family must defend their kingdom against an army of Dunledings led by the clever and ruthless Wulf. I am guessing that fans of The Lord of the Rings film series will be disappointed (though there are a few nods to it) mostly because it brings nothing new to the story. I was underwhelmed by the animation, which didn’t give me the splendor of Middle-Earth that we are used to. The animation felt very flat, and too many times, it felt like the film went cheap on the action. I liked that the hero of the story was the King’s daughter, Princess Hera (voiced by Gaia Wise), but the plot of the film feels like it was constructed on a whiteboard, knocking off plot points and characters like they were bit players and not a story worthy of The Lord of the Rings lore. I wanted to be dazzled by the animation and the story. Instead, I got a tale that could have easily been told in less than an hour, not the two-hour-plus run time.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Oh, Canada  (2024)  Oh, Canada tells the story of Leonard Fife Richard Gere), a terminally ill writer and filmmaker who has agreed to tell his story. Leonard was one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War. Remembering the past can be a challenging experience. Oh, Canada revolves around a man telling his tale to a documentary crew. It’s a story full of decisions, betrayals, and people he left behind to run away and reinvent himself. Unfortunately for the documentary crew, Leonard is in the final stage of his cancer fight and his memory is clouded. We see this in flashbacks, sometimes showing Leonard being played by Jacob Elordi, as what Leonard looked like when he was a young man. At other times, we see Leonard in the flashbacks, played by Richard Gere, as the storytelling gets confused. Oh, Canada is aided by a strong supporting cast, including Uma Thurman as Leonard’s present wife and Michael Imperioli and Victoria Hill as the husband/wife team of documentary filmmakers who share a past with Leonard. I never felt close to any character in the film, feeling like there was more to this story than what we were being told. Oh, Canada ends up as a frustrating look at a man we never get to know, and while that maybe filmmaker Paul Schrader’s point, I didn’t enjoy the experience.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Oh, Canada Website Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Carry On  (2024)  PG-13  In Carry On, it’s Christmas Eve, and the airport is incredibly busy. Ethan (Taron Egerton) is a TSA agent who, while at work, gets a call from a mysterious traveler who tells Ethan, let a carry-on bag go through, or your girlfriend dies. They picked the wrong agent. It must be tough to write thrillers that are set in airports. Gone are the days when John McClane could run all over the Dulles International Airport without a care, saying a quip or two, while saving the day. This film tries hard to follow the rules, and for a while, it does. However, during the last third of the film, when our hero Ethan, with the help of a plucky, determined LA cop (Danielle Deadwyler), tries to stop the terrorist plot, things like common sense go out the window. The film’s first half is a fun cat-and-mouse film of Ethan trying to figure out a way to alert someone about the package while our bad guy stays one step ahead of him. Once the package gets through, the film goes downhill with ideas like a cop in an unmarked car being able to get from the highway to the drop-off point of LAX in minutes. Our hero does have some John McClane in him, as he gets beat up and shot a bunch of times, which he seems to forget about because he was a track star in high school. Carry On isn’t a terrible film, I just wish the second half had been as interesting as the first. Much like McClane, Ethan is the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Carry On Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

Indiefest:  The End  (2024)  The End is about a wealthy family who, after surviving the end of the world and spending years alone in an underground salt mine, a stranger shows up to change their world. This is the first narrative film from director Joshua Oppenheimer, known for his Academy Award-nominated documentaries The Act of Killing (2014) and The Look of Silence (2016). For him to choose a musical about the last possible surviving family on Earth is a little strange but I loved his films, so I was game. With a cast that has Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon as the heads of this peculiar underground family and it is a musical (one of my favorite film genres), you would think that I would love this film. Unfortunately, I tired of it rather quickly, and at two hours and almost thirty minutes, it’s a lot of songs that rarely captivate and are filmed almost entirely in long shots, making a small world seem stagy. A couple of songs stand out, including a fantastic song that George MacKay, as the son, sings about his love for the new stranger, a woman portrayed by Moses Ingram. Ingram is the shining light in the film, as her musical numbers have some punch to them. However, while touching on everything from climate change to the privilege of the wealthy, along with nods to race, The End never fully delves into anything except another song that doesn’t pay off. And then another one starts up, and so on. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The End Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  Rhapsody in August (1991) PG  An elderly woman (Sachiko Murase) living in Nagasaki, Japan, welcomes her four grandchildren to her home for their summer vacation. She attempts to teach them about the atomic bomb that was dropped on her city in WWII and how it killed their grandfather. She learns of her brother’s death and reaches out to his son, an American (Richard Gere), who comes to visit and learn from the woman about her life and city. Rhapsody in August is directed by one of my all-time favorite directors, Akira Kurosawa, whose Seven Samurai is a masterpiece of storytelling. This beautiful, moving film about a woman who wants the past never to repeat itself will bring you to tears. It’s also a love letter to a city that rose from the ashes but never forgot what happened to its people. While not one of his best, it’s still a powerful, exquisite-looking film that will touch you. My Rating: Full Price  Rhapsody in August Info The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Kraven the Hunter:  Fashion Consultant

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  The Brutalist  (2024)  The Brutalist begins in the aftermath of WWII when visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) flee post-war Europe to restart their lives. When László begins working for a wealthy client, Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce), he little realizes how much his life will change. Many film critics feel this role could bring another Academy Award for Adrien Brody. The film was shot in the VistaVision format, a widescreen camera system that hasn’t been used in an American shot movie in over 60 years.  The Brutalist Website  The film will first be released in IMAX in January 2025 and then to a wide release on Friday, January 23, 2025.

Until Next Time!

The Bikeriders

My View:  The Bikeriders  (2023) R  In The Bikeriders, it’s the mid-1960s, and after a chance encounter at a local bar, Kathy (Jodie Comer) becomes involved with Benny (Austin Butler), the newest member of a biker club named The Vandals. The biker club is led by Johnny (Tom Hardy), and under his leadership, the club is starting to change. It’s a change that will force Benny to choose whether to stay with Kathy or The Vandals. I was excited when I heard about this film because you have three Oscar nominees in the cast: Austin Butler (Elvis), Tom Hardy (The Revenant), and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Nocturnal Animals). However, they are all let down by a script that goes nowhere and dominated by a performance by Jodie Comer, who makes this film watchable. Comer is brilliant and captivating as the girlfriend/wife of Benny, a woman who speaks her mind, is in love with her man (from first sight), and is the storyteller of this tale as she is interviewed by a reporter/photographer (Mike Faist) who documents the early days of the biker gang. While Hardy, going full brood, is dominated as the biker gang leader who seems to make the rules up as he goes along, the performance of Austin Butler is a letdown. Butler seems to believe that his character's look is too cool for him to do anything else. Of the three main characters, Benny, the focus of much of the film, is the most uninteresting character in the bunch. Kathy's presence made this film enjoyable and entertaining, even with the subject matter of a violent, rebel-rousing biker gang. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Bikeriders Website  Now playing in theaters.

My View:  Thelma  (2024) PG-13  Thelma is about 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb), who gets duped into giving away 10,000 dollars in a phone scam. With the help of a few friends, Thelma decides to go on a treacherous quest across the city to get her money back. This is one of those rare films that is precisely what you think it is: an enjoyable film with some fun performances and a story that isn’t going to win any Oscars but is going to delight a lot of people. Thelma is June Squibb’s first headlining film in her long career. We fell in love with Squibb in her Oscar-nominated performance as Kate, the feisty mom in Nebraska. While Thelma isn’t going to speak her mind like Kate, she is a strong-willed woman, still living on her own, and is determined to confront the people who stole her money. Squibb is aided by an outstanding supporting cast. Parker Posey and Clark Gregg play a married couple, with Fred Hechinger portraying their son Daniel, Thelma's 20-something grandson. Posey and Clark's overreaction to any information about Thelma and her journey is hilarious. I loved how the film portrays Daniel, who loves his grandmother and is on her side (his parents are on the verge of putting Thelma in a home), even when she escapes from his care. The movie features Richard Roundtree's final performance, and it's a delight to watch him on screen with June Squibb. Roundtree is perfect in the role of Thelma’s friend, who provides Thelma with his scooter, but only if he can come along so she won’t get in trouble. And here’s where the fun begins with Squibb going on a road trip (of sorts) that will involve breaking and entering, gunplay, and maybe an explosion or two. So maybe drink a nutritional supplement, put on your best tennis shoes, and get ready to ride with Thelma as she tracks down the bastards who stole her money. And by the way, June Squibb did almost all her own stunts.   My Rating: Full Price  Thelma Website  Now playing in theaters.

Indiefest:  Ghostlight  (2024)  R   Ghostlight is about Dan (Keith Kupferer), a construction worker struggling to deal with life after a family tragedy. He is not talking to his wife, Sharon (Tara Mallen), and has no idea how to relate to his troubled daughter, Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer). Dan finds comfort and community after he stumbles upon a misfit company of amateur actors rehearsing Romeo and Juliet. When Dan joins the company, he realizes that confronting his buried emotions is crucial to becoming the actor he aspires to be. As a former theater kid, I always enjoy watching films that showcase the behind-the-scenes stories of putting on plays, particularly when it's a local production. That’s what we get in Ghostlight, a film that follows Dan, a father who isn’t dealing well with a traumatic event that has affected him and his family. Dan is having trouble sleeping and isn’t communicating well with his wife. Almost every time he tries to connect with his daughter, Daisy, she becomes hostile. Things change a bit when Dan stumbles upon a local community theater group, and they convince him to join their group. What makes this film work so well is the performances of Keith Kupferer and his real-life wife Tara Mallen and daughter Katherine Mallen Kupferer. The performances are outstanding and feel so touching, as all three characters are trying to deal with the tragedy in their own ways. Even when Dan's daughter Daisy tries to bring him into her therapy sessions, he has chosen not to talk about it. Daisy is always angry, and Sharon is just trying to keep the family going while also trying to keep a lawsuit the family has filed on track. Ghostlight is a heartfelt and moving story that lets the cast take us on a journey of discovering and healing, as Dan learns to get in touch with his emotions through his work as an actor. Ghostlight is a film that examines the power of art to aid in healing and comprehending our emotions and feelings. So, study your lines and help Dan and his family put things back together, maybe in time for a performance of Romeo and Juliet.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Ghostlight Website  Now playing in theaters.

My View:  Black Barbie: A Documentary  (2023)  Black Barbie: A Documentary chronicles the journey of three former Mattel workers who questioned why Barbie didn’t look like them and then made it happen. This is the personal journey of filmmaker Lagueria Davis, whose Beulah Mae Mitchell was one of the first Black employees at Mattel and was there when Black Barbie was first released. The film gives us a history of not only how and when black Barbie dolls were introduced but also how those dolls impacted the lives of kids around the world. The film features an interview with Kitty Black Perkins, the creator of Black Barbie, and the individuals who followed her at Mattel. We also receive personal stories from Gabourey Sidibe, Shonda Rhimes, and Misty Copeland about Barbie's influence on their childhood. I loved the behind-the-scenes footage and the fascinating history of the Barbie doll. The movie reveals that Mattel still needs to work on bringing Black Barbie from the shadows to the spotlight she deserves.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Black Barbie Website Now playing on the Netflix platform.

My View:  The Exorcism (2024) R   A troubled actor, Anthony Miller (Russel Crowe), is known for his past addictions. When he exhibits disruptive behavior on the set of a horror film, his estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) wonders if he has slipped again or if something more sinister is at play. This film marks the return of Russell Crowe to his I've Met the Devil phase of his career, following the release of The Pope's Exorcist in 2023. At least The Pope’s Exorcist had a bit of fun with Russell as a scooter-riding Father sending The Devil packing. In this film, Russell is an actor who plays a priest. Apparently, Tony has ruined his career and his relationship with his daughter by drowning his sorrows in liquor and drugs after his wife's death to cancer. Now, Tony has returned from rehab and is trying to mend fences. He is given the lead role in a film called The Georgetown Project, a knockoff remake of the classic 1973 horror film The Exorcist. Despite its promising beginning, the movie quickly goes off the rails with a plot that is downright silly. The film uses only jump scares coming from the dark because the budget couldn’t afford more than one light at a time. An unbelievable sequence occurs about an hour into the film that brings the film to a crashing halt. I guess we are to think that everyone on the Georgetown film crew thinks that what they see is just something that happens to actors from time to time. At that point, I thought about leaving, but I wanted to see how it ended and if David Hyde Pierce, playing a Priest/psychologist, would say the words “The Power of Christ compels you!” Unfortunately, he doesn’t. Can Russell Crowe please put down the priest collars and make a sequel to The Nice Guys instead?   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  The Exorcism Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  Road to Perdition  (2002)  R  The story of two men, Mike Sullivan (Tom Hanks) and Connor Rooney (Connor Rooney), who are henchmen for mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman). Even though Mike is not flesh and blood related to John Rooney, John sees Mike more as his son than the volatile Connor. After Mike’s young son (Tyler Hoechlin) witnesses a botched killing by the two men, Mike realizes that he and his son must go on the run to escape the mob. However, they won’t be able to escape the past. Road to Perdition is a film with incredible performances and Oscar-winning cinematography but it has been forgotten because Tom Hanks plays a hitman who kills for a living. There is a great supporting cast that includes Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci, and Ciaran Hinds. If you are a fan of gangster films and film noir, this is a film for you.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Road to Perdition Info    The film is available for rent/buy on Apple TV+ and Amazon. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Bikeriders: Principal Fitter

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Didi (2024)  R  In 2008, during the last month of summer before he starts high school, Chris (Izaac Wang), a thirteen-year-old at the horror of his mother (Joan Chen), is constantly shooting videos and trying to make friends, instead of studying. He is a typical American boy, learning to be a teen while trying not to disappoint his Taiwanese family. The film won two awards at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for three awards at the Seattle International Film Festival.  Didi Website  The film will be in theaters in late July.  

Until Next Time!

 

Renfield

My View: Renfield (2023) R Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) has spent centuries doing the bidding of his master and would love to find a way out. After a chance meeting where he saves a feisty, perennially angry traffic cop (Awkwafina), he decides to find a way to escape and live an everyday life. One problem, his master is Dracula (Nicolas Cage). If you are a fan of Nic Cage like I am, this is a film for you. If you aren’t a fan of Mr. Cage (and his non-subtle acting), stay away because this is a full-tilt Cage performance. I loved the opening of this film, where the movie used scenes from the 1931 black-and-white classic Dracula, subbing Cage and Holt into scenes from the film, giving us background on how Renfield became what he is today, the servant of Dracula. Like many of the films in the Dracula films of the 70s/80s, Renfield is campy and has lots of blood pouring out all over the place. Cage, a fan of horror films, is having a blast playing the ultimate narcissist, Dracula, who thinks that the world is his for taking and expects his lackey, Renfield, to bring him a group of nuns or a bus full of cheerleaders for him to feed on. I liked Hoult as the servant of Dracula, who has grown tired of his demanding lifestyle. Renfield happens on a support group of codependents and sees this as a way out from under Dracula’s mighty claws. Along the way, Renfield meets and saves the life of a police officer (played by the always funny Awkwafina), who sees Renfield as a hero and not a monster. The film is fun, a bloody (lots of horrible deaths, some hilarious) play on the horror movie. The film suffers a bit from a relatively weak third act, but hey, Nic Cage in the Dracula cape is all I need. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Renfield Website Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: The Pope’s Exorcist (2023) R Father Gabriele Amorth’s (Russell Crowe) title is officially the Chief Exorcist of the Vatican. Unofficially, Father Gabriele is known as ‘The Pope’s Exorcist.’ Father Gabriele is sent to investigate a young boy’s possible possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy that the Vatican has tried to keep hidden for years. Russell Crowe gives it his all but can’t overcome a clunky script along with very few scares that make this film seem longer than its runtime. Crowe, with a weird Italian accent and an even stranger sense of humor, makes this film at least watchable. However, the film never gets the horror going, and it tries to tie in a rather flimsy plot about the past (wait until you hear that bit) with the grounds of an old Abby being renovated. The ending seems to promise a sequel, but we can only pray to God that it doesn’t happen. My Rating: Cable The Pope's Exorcist Website Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Mafia Mamma (2023) R Kristin (Toni Collette) has a full life dealing with a son leaving for college, a horrible boss, and a husband she has recently discovered is cheating on her. To add to Kristin’s troubles, she is told that her grandfather has died, and she is requested to attend his funeral in Italy. Her friends convince Kristin to attend the funeral because what could go wrong? How about a near assignation because her grandfather has wished for Kristin, his last living descendant, to take over the family business and become a mafia boss? I am a fan of Toni Collette, but I am sad to report that a film that she personally picked and produced is one of the worst of the year. The film is meant to be a comedy, playing on the tropes of mafia movies (I lost count of how many times The Godfather is mentioned), but it sadly misses with horrible jokes hitting on everything Italian, including their love of pasta and affairs. In what must be one of the weirdest attempts of comedy, at one point, a hit-man is aiming a gun at Kristin, about to assassinate her, but first, he wants to rape her, and she kills him in a bloody and horrible fashion that is supposed to be funny. Collette plays Kristin as a dumb American who leaves her cheating husband and literally gets off the plane and starts up an affair with an Italian man she meets in a cab line. It’s like this film is trying to out-bloody the Italian mob films while also trying to hit our funny bones with jokes about sex and meatballs (sometimes in the same sentence). Mafia Mamma is a film directed by Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, where it never figures out what kind of film it is other than it’s not funny. My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again Mafia Mamma Website Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Suzume (2022) A 17-year-old girl named Suzume lives in a small, quiet town when she meets a mysterious man who tells her he needs her help to stop a series of disasters from happening across Japan. Suzume is about to go on an adventure where the two will try to save the world from an evil force that could devastate the land. Suzume is one of the better Japanese animated films of the past few years. The film is an adventure tale of a young woman who goes on a quest to close a series of doors across Japan with the help of a mysterious stranger and a cat who talks. Along the way, Suzume is helped by strangers who go out of their way to keep her trip moving and lend a helping hand. Suzume is a story about courage, love, making peace with the past, and finding goodness in ordinary people, even when it seems hope is fleeting. The animation is breathtaking, and the storyline keeps moving along. Filled with humor, Suzume tells a tale of courage and determination by a young woman whose past has haunted her for her whole life. My Rating: Full Price Suzume Website Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Forgotten Film: Clockwatchers (1997) PG-13 Iris (Toni Collette) is a new temp at an office and is freaked out by office politics and procedures. Iris is shown the ropes by Margaret (Parker Posey), a temp who knows what to do and, better yet, what not to do to survive in this world. Soon, Iris is part of the temp world of workers that includes Jane (Alanna Ubach) and Paula (Lisa Kudrow), a world where no boss knows your name, and if you keep your head down and put everyone who calls on hold, you might survive the day. Things go from bad to weird when someone steals office supplies and personal stuff like pictures. I love this film, and Collette is perfect as the timid Iris, who at the start is so afraid that she waits for hours for someone to get her from reception after being told to wait for a manager. The film was way ahead of its time in pointing out the horrible conditions that people have to work in offices when no one knows your name and, half the time, doesn’t even care if you do anything. Until you didn’t do something, you weren’t told to do. Then it’s your fault, and you’re fired. My Rating: Full Price Clockwatchers info Clockwatchers is available to rent or own on iTunes and Amazon.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Renfield: Drunk Dancers

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Barbie (2023) Living in Barbie Land is the perfect place for a perfect person in a perfect world. That is, until you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. The film sounded horrible until I found out that it’s from the writing team of Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, and it stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as one of the Ken’s (apparently, there is more than one Ken). The movie has been in development since 2009, with everyone from Diablo Cody, Amy Schumer, Anne Hathaway, and Lady Gaga attached to it at various points. I love the tagline “She everything. He’s just Ken.’ Barbie Info Barbie is expected to be released in theatres in mid-July 2023.

Unhinged

My View:  Unhinged (2020) R   After a minor traffic confrontation with an unstable man (Russell Crowe), a woman, Rachel (Caren Pistorius), and her son become a target of his rage. Not exactly the type of film you want to re-open movie theatres with, this feels like it was meant for a drive-in. With a script that is about as thin as the weird accent Crowe tries to use (slightly Southern, maybe New Orleans adjacent), this film has plot holes that a mac truck could drive through. The film opens with a ton of news reports about how society is falling apart and how that is reflected on our roadways. We cut to Russel Crowe, murdering his ex-wife and her partner, then setting their house on fire. Russell is having a bad day, and when Rachel honks her horn at him, it sets him off to make her life a living hell. Crowe gets to go over the top, and it looks like he is having fun with the performance, I just wish the script had given him a little more to work with. The film ends about how you expect, with a cringe-worthy final line that had me wincing. If you have been waiting for theatres to open up to see a new movie, you might want to wait a bit and let a few other films open before taking that trip to your local movie palace.    My Rating: Cable     Unhinged Website     Now playing at a theatre near you.

My View:   Words on Bathroom Walls (2020) PG-13   Adam (Charlie Plummer), halfway through his senior year, has a breakdown in his chemistry class and is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Adam doesn’t just hear voices, he sees the people talking to him. Adam transfers to a new school, with thoughts of graduating and going on to cooking school. He then meets Maya (Taylor Russell), and she gives him hope that together he can make it in the world. Words on Bathroom Walls isn’t your typical teen romance film, as it goes deep into what it is like to be a teenager with schizophrenia. From the start, I rooted for Adam as Charlie Plummer gives us a multi-faceted performance that provides us with insight on a complicated and perplexing world, one that is hard to stay grounded in. It’s a world that most of us can’t even come close to understanding, but the film tries to give us some insight into just how much a scary world it is for someone with this illness. Russell and Taylor have an excellent rapport together and makes the off-kilter romance believable. The film has a few nice twists and turns, making the film moving at an interesting pace, keeping you guessing a bit on how Adam is going to survive high school and the outside world.   My Rating: Full Price    Words on Bathroom Walls Website     Now playing at a theatre near you.

My View:   Chemical Hearts (2020) R   Seventeen-year-old Henry (Austin Abrams) has never been in love. On his first day of senior year, he meets transfer student Grace (Lili Reinhart), and his luck changes when they are picked to co-edit the school paper. Grace is hiding a secret that deeply impacted her life and will come between her and Henry. I enjoyed this film that features Lili Reinhart in an impressive performance as a damaged (both physically and mentally) teen, Grace, who Henry falls for. Sure the film is a little cliched in its plot, but I think fans of Young Adult romance will enjoy the pull of heartstrings at the two young people find love and heartbreak.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Chemical Hearts Website    Now playing on the Amazon platform.

Indiefest:  Desert One (2019)   Documentary on the daring and failed mission in 1980 to rescue the 52 hostages being held in the American Embassy in Iran. The story up to now hasn’t been entirely told, and legendary two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple brings us a documentary that will explore both sides of the story. When student radicals in Iran invaded the American Embassy, it shocked the American public and became a huge story, so much so that the late-night news program Nightline was created to give us a daily report on the crisis. President Carter was running for reelection and was running against a strong and outspoken Ronald Regan, who wanted military action to save the hostages. This documentary explores the little known rescue effort that ended in disaster, with 8 Americans losing their lives and the hostages remaining at the mercy of Iran and bringing Carter an overwhelming defeat, one he never recovered from. The film uses footage from the time and never before heard communication between President Carter and his military advisors, giving us an insider look at an essential part of American history. The film is a fascinating look at how the rescue attempt came about, with incredible interviews with most of the principals, including President Carter, Vice President Mondale, and the soldiers who went on the mission and the families they left behind. It is time that we salute and celebrate the brave men who went willingly on a mission that failed but not because they didn’t give the mission everything, including their hearts, their minds, and in some cases, their lives.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     Desert One Website      Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Tesla (2020) PG-13   Visionary inventor Nikola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) fights to bring his revolutionary electrical system to fruition, battling fellow inventor Thomas Edison (Kyle MacLachlan), who is determined that his system will win the battle to bring electricity to the US. I knew we were in trouble right away when J.P. Morgan’s daughter gave us background information about the main characters of the story using Google. The film isn’t your ordinary bio-pic as it uses unique sets (such as a green screen of cattle on a plain, as Hawke as Tesla, is in front of the green screen offering the cattle an apple) and jump cuts to show us that this isn’t your orthodox story. I have a feeling that some film critics are going to love this offbeat movie that has Hawke, as Tesla, singing a modern-day song, but I found the film taxing and tedious. The film continually hits you over the head that Tesla is an inventor, not a businessman. While he might be smarter than Edison, Tesla has no way to match Edison in money-making or getting publicity. The underlining theme of the film is that greed is bad, that a man like Tesla was doomed from the start because he couldn’t compete with the greed of Wall Street. The film also does a horrible job of letting us know exactly what Tesla was working on and whether his inventions were indeed better than Edison’s ideas. I never felt I never knew what made Tesla tick and, therefore, never quite got in his corner to root for him.   My Rating: Cable     Tesla Website    In theatres and available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View:  The Sleepover (2020)   Two siblings ( Maxwell Simkins, Sadie Stanley) discover that their mom (Malin Akerman) has a big secret, she used to be a high-end thief who has been in the witness protection program. When their mom is forced to pull one last job, the two kids decide to rescue her over the course of an action-packed night. Lately, Netflix has given us some quality films that have been hitting them out of the park; this isn’t one of them. In fact, when Netflix first talked about creating its own movies, I worried that they would go the low budget, low-quality route, and this film gives us just that type of product. The film goes for the easy joke, including a horrible sequence in which Ken Marino, playing the clueless dad, gets sick a number of times, always for the easy, atrocious bit. The film wants to be a poor man’s Spy Kids, but it fails on almost every level, including several fight sequences that feel like the kid actors themselves choreographed them. Kids may enjoy some of the highjacks, but I guarantee that parents are going to bored senseless.    My Rating: Cable      The Sleepover Website    Now available on the Netflix platform.

Forgotten Film: Defending Your Life (1991) PG   Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) unexpectedly dies and is sent to Judgement City where your life goes on trial to determine if you can move on to the ‘next stage’ of existence or are sent back to earth to spend another life as a human. While on trial, Daniel meets Julia (Meryl Streep), who is also there to defend her life. Daniel and Julia fall in love, but it seems that Julia is destined to move on, and it sure looks like Daniel is heading back to earth. One of my favorite movies of all time, Albert Brooks, not only stars in this beautiful comedy/romance, but he also directed and brilliantly wrote the screenplay. I can’t tell you how many lines of this film I can recite, and I have the original movie poster hanging on my wall. The storyline is creative and funny, and the chemistry between Brooks and Streep is off the wall. The film is greatly enhanced by an outstanding performance by Rip Torn as Daniel’s defense attorney. So go on a journey with Daniel, maybe visit the Past Live Pavillion (hosted by Shirley MacLaine) and have fun watching him defend his life.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     Defending Your Life Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Unhinged: Grip Nifty 50

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) PG-13 Bill (Alex Winter), and Ted’s (Keanu Reeves) lives haven’t quite turned out the way that they were told they would. Both are middle-aged dads that have never produced that big hit song they thought they were destined to. Now it’s time for the guys to dream big and fulfill their destiny. I didn’t like the sequel, but I sure enjoyed the first Bill & Ted, and Keanu has been on a hot streak lately, so let’s˜Party on Dudes!’    Bill & Ted Face the Music Website

Until Next Time!

Miss Bala

My View:  Miss Bala  (2019)  PG-13  Gloria (Gina Rodriguez) goes to Mexico to party with her best friend. Next thing she knows, she is involved in a dangerous world of cross-border crime. Now she fights to find her friend and get the heck out of Mexico. Why Gina Rodriquez would agree to make a movie this bad is beyond me. A plot that has so many holes in it the size of the border of Mexico and Texas and an ending that is beyond stupid makes this film almost unwatchable. All you need to know is that the film was directed by Catharine Hardwicke, who also directed the first Twilight movie.   My Rating: Cable   Miss Bala Website

Indiefest:  They Shall Not Grow Old  (2018)  R   A documentary on World War I told in a new way, from the men who fought the battle to save the world. An absolutely fantastic film from Peter Jackson who took over 100 hours of footage and made a movie that is moving and a loving tribute to the men who fought in ‘the war to end all wars.’ The movie is in 3D, so you need to see this in the theatres. It’s a remarkable film, one of the best documentaries that I have seen. The footage has been restored and made to look like modern film, with added colorization to make it, even more, stand out. He also hired a team of lip readers, so throughout the film, you hear what the soldiers were saying on the screen. The film is narrated by men who fought in the war from interviews they did in the 60s and 70s. I will warn you that this film is very graphic in depicting the horrors of war, including numerous shots of dead bodies. This is a film that should be seen by everyone because it is a touching tribute to the men who risked their lives to fight a war to save Europe.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See This Again    They Shall Not Grow Old Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  Boy Erased  (2018)  R  The son (Lucas Hedges) of a Baptist preacher (Russell Crowe) is forced to go to a church-sponsored gay conversion program. If he doesn’t complete the program, his family will kick him out. While Lucas Hedges gives us a passionate and insightful performance as the troubled Jared, it’s the performances of Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman that shine in this film. Crowe, playing the father who is conflicted by his love of his son versus the conviction of his faith that the gay lifestyle is wrong in the eyes of his religion gives a first-rate performance. Kidman is brilliant as the mom who is conflicted by the love of her son and the religious beliefs of her husband. I was let down by this film because it never delivers the emotional punch that the film needs.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    Boy Erased Website

Forgotten Film:  Looker  (1981)  PG  Written and directed by Michael Crichton, the film is about a plastic surgeon (Albert Finey) who is asked to make precise corrections to a bunch of models faces. Once he does the fix, he finds out that the models are being killed off and he decides to investigate their murders. This low budget sci-fi film is a bit looney, but it also is a lot of fun to watch especially Finey’s performance. A really strange little gem.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Looker Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Miss Bala: Temp Colorist

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Us  (2019) A family goes to their beach house for a vacation only to be surprised by unexpected visitors that will turn their vacation into chaos. This is the latest film from Jordan Peale, who gave us the Oscar-winning film Get Out (2017).   Us Website

Until Next Time!

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch

Family Faire:  Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch  (2018)  PG  T  he Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) lives a solitary life with his loyal dog Max. The cynical grump goes on a mission to steal Christmas from the residents of Whoville. Kids are going to love this colorful and funny film. Adults, especially fans of the old 60s TV special maybe a little bored by the story that covers no new ground. I did love the Grinch’s dog Max, who steals the movie with his antics. Cumberbatch, doing the voice of The Grinch is almost unrecognizable in the role.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Website

My View: The Girl in the Spider’s Web  (2018)  R      Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) is back on the prowl dispensing her style of justice. With journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason), Lisbeth gets caught up in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials. So this film takes place three years after the third book (and the third Swedish films). I really enjoyed Claire Foy’s performance as she perfectly captures the fire and ice of Lisbeth’s personality. It was a little jaring getting used to a much younger Mikael Blomkvist, and though he isn’t given that much to do, Sverrir Gudnason is fine in the role. The action sequences were well done and the several chase sequences are fast and exciting. I am a big fan of the Swedish trio of films starring Noomi Rapace and I think this film is equal to those films. It is certainly better that the 2011 American version.  My Rating:  Full Price   The Girl in the Spider's Web Facebook page

Indiefest: The Great Buster  (2018)  Documentary on who is considered one of the greatest silent film comedians, who at the height of his fame, lost control over his movies and ‘talkies,’ film with sound brought his downfall. Directed by Academy Award nominee and film historian Peter Bogdanovich, The Great Buster is a loving look at one of the greatest filmmakers of the silent era. Using interviews with friends and family, vintage photos and footage from his numerous films, Bogdanovich lets us get to know Buster, warts and all. What I loved about this film, is that Bogdanovich looks at the ten featured films that Keaton did in the 20s, going into detail why each is a masterpiece. I am a fan of Keaton and his films, but I still learned a lot about the man and his movies.   My Rating: Full Price   The Great Buster Website

Indiefest:  Boy Erased  (2018)  R  The son (Lucas Hedges) of a Baptist preacher (Russell Crowe) is forced to go to a church-sponsored gay conversion program. If he doesn’t complete the program, his family will kick him out. While Lucas Hedges gives us a passionate and insightful performance as the troubled Jared, it’s the performances of Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman that shine in this film. Crowe, playing the father who is conflicted by his love of his son versus the conviction of his faith that the gay lifestyle is wrong in the eyes of his religion gives a first-rate performance. Kidman is brilliant as the mom who is conflicted by the love of her son and the religious beliefs of her husband. I was let down by this film because it never delivers the emotional punch that the film needs.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Boy Erased Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  BlacKkKlansman  (2018)  R  Based on the true story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the first African-American police officer in Colorado Springs. With the help of a white police (Adam Driver), Ron infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan, becoming a confidant of the Imperial Wizard himself, David Duke (Topher Grace) and eventually becoming the leader of the local pack. A young woman (Vanessa Hudgens) starts volunteering at a rescue center when she finds a dog wandering on its own on the street. This is one of the best films of the year and probably director Spike Lee’s most mainstream movie he has made. The amazing thing about this film is that almost everything that happens in the film actually happened to Ron Stallworth. I loved the performance of John David Washington, and he and Adam Driver have fantastic chemistry that makes this film a joy to watch. Do yourself a favor and go see this brilliant gem of a movie.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   BlacKkKlansman Website

Forgotten Film:  State of Grace  (1990) R    A New York cop (Sean Penn) is recruited to return to his old neighborhood and infiltrate a mob run by his childhood friend’s brother (Ed Harris). There are some incredible performances in this film, including Ed Harris as the crazy mob boss. There is a rather neat twist that happens around the middle of the film that changes the complexion of the movie. This film was overshadowed by Goodfellas, which came out about the same time. If you are a fan of great acting and love mob movies, this is one for you.   My Rating: Full Price   State of Grace Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch:  Characters Surfacing Supervisor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Widows  (2018) R    Their husbands have died in a botched heist and a drug lord is demanding the money that was stolen from him, three of the widows plan to rob a local politician. The film is directed by Academy Award winner Steve McQueen and stars Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Liam Neeson, Robert Duvall, Carrie Coon, and Colin Farrell.   Widows Website

Until Next Time!