Heretic

My View:  Heretic  (2024)  R   In Heretic, two young Mormon women (Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher) have been spreading the word of God door to door without much success. They knock on Mr. Reed’s (Hugh Grant) door, and he welcomes them in, eager to hear what they have to say. The two girls soon learn that they are captive in the house and are to play a game of cat-and-mouse in the home of a madman. Heretic is a highly inventive horror/suspense film that will test your nerves and even your puzzle-solving skills. Hugh Grant gives one of his best performances in years and against type as a man who invites two young women into his home to test their faith and will to live. Grant, as a man who has lots of questions and few answers, is a delight to watch on the screen, as he pulls out all the stops, including some songs from the past and some trivia from the present. It’s a master class in being charming while also being weird and scary at the same time. Heretic is a film where evil thinks it can out-think good, as Mr. Reed pushes the young Mormon missionaries to question their religious beliefs while also putting them through a torturous puzzle of a house that seems always to have one more door to open. If you're not prepared for the constant questions about faith and religion, Heretic may not be the horror film for you. However, if you wait for Mr. Reed to get down to business, there are some excellent scares in your future. Just know that you may want to take a religion course or two at your local community college after seeing Heretic and being a part of Mr. Reed’s lectures. You might also have a craving for blueberry pie. Then again, probably not.  My Rating: Full Price Heretic Website  Now playing in theaters.

Indiefest:  Small Things Like These  (2024)  PG-13  Small Things Like These takes place in Ireland in 1985, where Bill (Cillian Murphy), a local coal distributor, lives with his wife and five children. While delivering coal, he sees a sight that will change his life: a young woman is screaming while being dragged against her will by two nuns and another woman into the church of the convent he is delivering to. Small Things Like These is about a man who has a troubled past and now is confronted with a situation that constantly brings up that past. Cillian Murphy gives us a performance that is all about the silence that almost encapsulates the character as he ponders his childhood and what to do about the young woman he has seen being mistreated by the nuns. Bill is a man with a good heart. He is a wonderful father to five girls and is married to a wife he adores. However, Bill, like the rest of the town, knows that nuns run a home for unmarried women who have become pregnant. As the film progresses, Bill learns more and more about how these young women are being treated, especially the young woman he saw earlier. Bill has to make a decision whether to stay silent and carry on with his business or take a risky action that could lead to significant consequences. Murphy gives us another Oscar-worthy performance, one where his face, often in shadows and in close-up, gives us all we need to know about what he is feeling. It’s a performance that you will not forget.   My Rating: Full Price  Small Things Like These Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest:  Emilia Perez  (2024) R Rita (Zoe Saldaña) is a lawyer who feels that she will never be successful. She gets an anonymous call that tells her if she is willing to meet with someone, she will be richly rewarded. Rita goes to the meeting against her better judgment and discovers that her new client is a cartel kingpin, Juan ‘Manitas’ Del Monte. It's a meeting that will change her and Manitas' lives, for both good and bad. Emilia Perez is a musical in the style of Andrew Lloyd Weber, where much of what the characters think and say is expressed through song. Shot in Mexico by French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, the film stars Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez in a film that takes you on a journey you won’t expect. I loved the performances by all three, especially the opening musical number that Zoe Saldaña does as her character expresses her frustration with being smarter and a better lawyer than her boss. The problem for me was that the musical numbers seemed endless and were often filled with words that didn't quite fit together. The film felt much longer than its two-hour and ten-minute running time, and while the plot certainly gets points for creativity (and makeup), it felt a little too much like watching a very long Telenovela. While I am not enamored with the film, I will tell you that France has submitted it as their official submission for Best International Picture, and it won awards at film festivals across the world, including Cannes. It’s just not my type of film. However, it might be yours. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Emilia Perez Info   Now playing in select theaters and will be available on Netflix on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. 

Sorry I Missed It (A film that I didn’t see when it was first released but have seen recently)   Juror #2  (2024)  PG-13   In Juror #2, Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult), is serving on a high-profile murder trial. Justin faces a moral dilemma that will undoubtedly impact his entire life. Justin is being forced to reexamine a past event that happened to him that could help determine the case’s verdict. This could be the last film that Clint Eastwood directs, which is sad because the studio only gave it a small amount of screens in a few cities. Eastwood, for the last ten years, has been an up-and-down director with some good work (Richard Jewell, Sully) along with some so-so work (Cry Macho, The 15:17 to Paris). I am happy to say that this time out, Eastwood has given us a solid courtroom drama about a man, played by a low-key Nicholas Hoult, who has a huge moral dilemma. He has information that could change the outcome of the trial, but it could also get him into trouble. The film keeps the tension going soon after Justin is picked to be a juror for the trial, as we are let in on what Justin knows. The film puts you in the shoes of Justin, and we have to decide whether to go along with what Justin does with the information or root against him, this family man with a baby on the way. While not a great film, Juror #2 is a solid work that deserved more theaters and promotion for a four-time Academy Award winner. Sorry Mr. Eastwood, Hollywood is a very fickle town.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Juror #2 Website   Soon will be on streaming services. 

My View:  Blitz  (2024)  PG-13   Blitz is about nine-year-old George (Elliot Heffernan), who is sent by his mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) to the countryside via train to escape World War II in London. Defiant and determined, George leaves the train and sets out to return to his family in a city being attacked by constant bombing. The film takes place when London was under siege by bombing, and going to a makeshift fallout shelter was a nightly activity. Rita works in a factory making bombs, and she wants her son to be safe. So, against his will, she puts him on a train. George shares the same fate as more than a million other children during the war, being sent to the countryside for safety, but without his family. However, George has other ideas and jumps the train, starting a journey to go home again. Blitz is the tale of two people. George, a young, independent boy, will see and do things that he can’t imagine to get back home. And his mother, Rita, who at first is sad that her only child has been sent away. Rita learns her son jumped the train, and no one knows where he is. The production design and the cinematography of this film are outstanding, making you feel as if you, too, are in London dodging bombs and burning houses. The film is anchored by two exceptional performances: Elliot Heffernan as the tough, determined George and Saoirse Ronan as Rita, the single mom trying to raise her son and keep him safe. Heffernan is perfect in the role of George, who seems almost as if he is from a Dickens story. We see the horror of war through Heffernan's eyes as George brings us along for his adventure full of betrayal, close calls, and death. Saoirse Ronan is remarkable as the young mother who is just trying to survive while loving her son with all her heart. It's a performance that will tear at your heart. Writer/director Steve McQueen takes us on an adventure where the world has been torn apart, and we get to experience it from the point of view of a son and a mother who only want to find each other again.  My Rating: Full Price  Blitz Info  Now playing in select theaters and will be streaming the Apple TV+ platform on Friday, November 22, 2024.

My View:  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024)  PG   In The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Grace (Judy Greer) has been given the reigns of the annual Christmas Pageant. One problem: the Herman kids, the terrors of the neighborhood, are determined to be included in this year’s pageant. Wherever the Herman kids go, mayhem and trouble always follow. Will Christmas survive? I got a very different film than what I was expecting. I thought this would be more of a silly and laugh-out-loud funny film, like A Christmas Story. Instead, we get a wonderful film about acceptance, compassion, and empathy. If you're not looking, you might even get the meaning of Christmas thrown in for good measure. What you see in the trailer is about all the hijinks you get from the Herman kids. This is a film whose message is that the church is for all of us, poor and rich alike. A lovely performance by Judy Greer anchors the film as the mom who takes on the Christmas Pageant and the busy body women who want her to get rid of the Herman kids from appearing in the pageant. Greer works the story with lightness and joy in her performance, making us fall in love with Grace as she is willing to include the kids who everyone else wants gone. The film also has standout performances from Molly Belle Wright as Beth, Grace’s daughter who prays to God to help her mother put on the pageant, and Beatrice Schneider as Imogene, the leader of the Herman kids who is determined that she will play Mary in the pageant. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a film that the whole family will enjoy, and I can see it becoming a permanent part of the yearly Christmas movie-watching experience.   My Rating: Full Price  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Website  Now playing in theaters.

Forgotten Film:  Shade  (2003) R  Vernon (Stewart Townsend) is a card shark, so good that people think it’s magic. Charlie Miller (Gabriel Byrne) and his girlfriend, Tiffany (Thandiwe Newton), see someone they can use to do a con. The man they want to take down is a notorious gambler, Dean Stevens (Sylvester Stallone). It’s going to take a lot to take Dean down. This is a film that has so many twists and turns that it almost makes your head spin. There are some fun performances, including Jamie Foxx and Melanie Griffith. It’s a movie that makes for a good weekend watch, with plenty of surprises to keep you interested.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Shade Info  Available for rent/buy on Amazon.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Heretic:  Breakdown Artist

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  September 5  (2024)  R  During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American sports broadcasting team finds itself covering a hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes. The trailer looks fantastic, highlighting an event when literally the whole world was watching.  September 5 Website  The film will be in theaters on Friday, November 29, 2024. 

Until Next Time!

Joker: Folie à Deux

My View:  Joker: Folie à Deux   (2024)  R  In Joker: Folie à Deux, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), the failed comedian, has caused a lot of trouble and has been put away in the Arkham State Hospital. There, he meets the love of his life, Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga), and they soon embark on a journey of mayhem and romance. Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical by a director, Todd Phillips, who doesn’t like musicals. I say this because all the musical numbers are shot so flatly and without flash that it feels as if there wasn’t a lot of thought put into them. Joaquin (who we know can sing from his Oscar-nominated performance as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line) sings like a man who, even in fantasy sequences, hasn’t found his voice yet. Even the fantastic Lady Gaga sings some of her songs like an amateur at a high school talent show. The tone of the film is set with an opening animation cartoon where The Joker is about to go on stage and is beaten up and thrown in a closet by his shadow, who then assaults a bunch of people and then goes away when Joker is arrested and beat up by police for the crime. Phillips has created a sequel that is almost a hate letter to the fans of his first Joker film, as for most of the film, the Joker part of Arthur is held in check, only coming a few times, mostly during the trial portion of the film. The first film centered around madness and its ability to take over a person and feed on the chaos they create. This film is about trying to control that madness while letting someone else take control. We first see this with how he is subversive with both the guards, especially the main one (played by Brendan Gleeson) and his lawyer (played by Catherine Keener). Then Arthur meets Harley, who wants to be the girlfriend of the Joker, and tries everything she can to bring him to the forefront. This is a frustrating film to watch because there is a good story in there somewhere; maybe if the musical numbers had been more over the top, more fantasy-looking and sounding than they were on screen. Joker: Folie à Deux is a film that feels like the filmmaker is thumbing his nose at all the fans of the first film. One of the hallmark scenes of the first Joker is the incredible shot of Joker dancing down the vast amount of stairs while a Gary Glitter song is blasting. Take a look at the movie poster for this film. It’s a scene on those same steps with Harley and Joker dancing together. That scene never makes it into the movie. See what I mean, thumbing his nose at us.  My Rating: Cable  Joker: Folie a Deux Website   Now playing in theaters, including IMAX.

My View:  Hold Your Breath  (2024)  R  Hold Your Breath takes place in 1930s Oklahoma amid the region’s horrific dust storms. An evil presence named The Grey Man is killing people, and one mother (Sarah Paulson) is determined to stop him from killing her two daughters. This is another of a long line of films recently that have wasted the talents of their leads, this time Sarah Paulson. The film fails to elicit the necessary chills, as it takes an incredibly long time to establish the final third of the movie when things finally come to a head. The film tells too many stories instead of focusing on the feeling of helplessness and fright that is a combination of isolation, loss of loved ones, and the constant threat of blinding dust storms. I think this film would have worked better if it had been a more conventional horror film, then a film where a troubled mother falls into a hole of madness that she has trouble climbing out of. The bogeyman that is promised is never delivered, and instead, we get a tale that provides few chills and even less suspense than it should have.  My Rating: Cable  Hold Your Breath Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform.

Indiefest:  The Outrun  (2024)  R  In The Outrun, Rona (Saoirse Ronan) is a troubled young woman whose life in London was filled with alcohol and mayhem. To get sober, she travels back home to Scotland’s Orkney Islands, hoping that she can find something to bring her peace in its wild beauty and isolation. Once again, Saoirse Ronan proves she is one of the finest young actors in film today. She puts the film on her back and leads us down a very bumpy road to sobriety and appreciation for finding joy in small things you can anchor to. The film gives us flashbacks to how, because of her drinking, she pushed away everyone who loved her and how Rona figures out that she needs isolation to come to terms with her addiction. The film brilliantly lets us see the island’s beauty; even when the weather is brutal, there is still something to admire and find joy in, like recording the howling wind on a bitterly cold night. Even in the flashbacks, we have hope for Rona, and Ronan lets us see glimpses of hope, something that she can build on when she is on the island. The Outrun is a powerful film about learning to love the small things in life and finding hope in the beauty of the world around us.   My Rating: Full Price  The Outrun Website  Now playing in theaters.

My View:  Monster Summer  (2024)  PG-13  Monster Summer is about Noah (Mason Thames) and his friends, who are ready for a big summer of fun on Martha’s Vineyard, but their plans are disrupted when some kids they know are suddenly turned into almost lifeless zombies. Noah seeks the assistance of a retired police detective (Mel Gibson) to embark on a harrowing journey to save their beloved vacation spot. Monster Summer is a fun adventure film for both kids and adults, with a nostalgic feel for the 70s and 80s films that featured ordinary kids taking on supernatural beings. Monster Summer might be the only recent movie with Mel Gibson that is a kid’s film, so at least we have that. The scares aren’t too bad (except near the end) for young kids and adults will enjoy a plot that moves along. It’s a pretty simple film that gives us a little mystery for Noah and his friends to solve, with help from a police detective with his own scary reputation.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Monster Summer Website  Now playing in theaters.

Indiefest:  ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!  (2024)  Casa Bonita is a Mexican restaurant in Denver that was started in the late 70s as a place where families could come for a meal and get lost in all that there was to do, including puppet shows, live performances, Mariachi bands, caves, and cliff divers. It was even featured in an episode of South Park. It turns out the co-creator of South Park, Trey Parker spent many a birthday inside this magical restaurant described as Colorado’s own little bit of Disneyland. Trey and his South Park partner, Matt Stone, discover that the restaurant has fallen on hard times and is being auctioned off. Stone and Parker successfully bid on getting the restaurant and that’s when the story becomes interesting because the two had no idea how much money and time they would have to put into this Denver cultural icon to bring it back to its glory days. I am reminded of a line from the 1986 film The Money Pit, where the Hanks character says: 'Here lies Walter Fielding. He bought a house, and it killed him.' Like that movie, the restaurant the two South Park guys want to save becomes a massive money pit, where every crook and corner of the massive place has hidden problems, like right out of a South Park episode, where things seem to blow up in their faces. I had a great time watching this film, as the two go from being heroes in Denver for saving the restaurant to thinking about giving up on the dream and letting the place die. As you would expect, there are plenty of laughs as the guys tend to deal with problems using their sense of humor when things look bleak. How could you not like a documentary that weaves in South Park flashbacks and scenes from the obscure Elvis Presley film Fun in Acapulco while Trey Parker goes on an extended riff on how the puppet show should be R-rated? Even if you aren’t a South Park fan, you will fall in love with this quirky Mexican restaurant and the people who love it.  My Rating: Full Price Casa Bonita Info   Now playing on the Paramount+ platform.

My View:  Apartment 7A  (2024) R  Terry (Julia Garner) is a young dancer living her dream of being in a musical on the stage when during a performance, she shatters her ankle and is now suffering in pain every time she tries to dance. Terry loses her apartment, is hooked on painkillers, and after a grueling audition that she once again fails, she passes outside an apartment complex. A middle-aged couple (Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally) rescues her, who not only nurse her back to health but give her an apartment just down from theirs to live in while she tries to get back into the game. Soon, she discovers that this nice couple have connections that keep giving Terry hope until she discovers dark forces are making those good things happen for Terry. Apartment 7A is a prequel to the 1968 horror classic Rosemary’s Baby, giving us a look into what happened before Rosemary and Guy moved into this same apartment building. That film was shocking for its time with some terrifying scenes, written and directed by Roman Polanski, and was bolstered by outstanding performances by Mia Farrow and Ruth Gordon (who won an Oscar for the role of the next-door busybody neighbor Minnie). It’s a film that is still scaring people to this day. Unfortunately, this film doesn’t. Even with three-time Emmy-winning (Ozark) actress Julia Garner and Dianne Wiest in the Ruth Gorden part, the film fails to have any of the suspense and horror that the original film did so well. The pace of the film is incredibly slow, and unlike Mia Farrow’s character in the 68 film, Terry seems to accept just about everything that she is given, even when things seem way out of the ordinary. What little bits of horror that do show up are poorly done with little effect and create very little foreboding that should be ever present in this tale. The ending is predictable (how could it not be), making this film seem like a poor attempt to jump on the coattails of a classic, and like Terry’s accident in the first part of the film, it suffers from a lame (pun intended) plot. My Rating: Cable  Apartment 7A Info  Now playing on the Paramount+ platform.

My View:  White Bird  (2023)  PG-13  After being kicked out of one school for being a bully, Julian (Bryce Gheisar) is having trouble fitting in at his new school. His grandmother, Grand-mere Sara (Helen Mirren), tells Julian how she, a young Jewish girl, was hidden by a family in a French village during World War II. She tells Julian how a boy she made fun of and bullied became her savior and best friend. White Bird is a sequel to the 2017 film Wonder. We find out what happened to Julian, the bully of that story. It turns out that Julian didn’t learn much from his interactions with Auggie and his Grand-mere decides he is in need of a story. The story is a pretty conventional one, with the Nazis taking over the town and Sara (Ariella Glaser) is saved by the heroics of a young man named Julian (Orlando Schwerdt). Julian was always being picked on at school because of a severe limp caused by polio, and even Sara looked down on him. Through Julian, Sara learns about kindness and how to be more concerned about her fellow man. Glaser and Schwerdt work well together on screen, and they make the simple plot more impactful. The film is also helped by Helen Mirren’s narration and by a subdued Gillian Anderson playing Julian’s mother. The film doesn't go too much into the horrors of the Nazis or the Holocaust, making it suitable for young adults to watch. It's a tale that tries a little too hard to hit the heart strings, but is propelled along by strong performances by the two leads. If you haven't already figured it out, present-day Julian was named after Julian from WWII. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   White Bird Website   Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  A Different Man  (2024)  R  In A Different Man, Edward (Sebastian Stan) is a man with neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes facial tumors that make his face almost unrecognizable. Edward is barely making a living as an actor in corporate videos and dreams of someday impressing his neighbor (Renate Reinsve). Edward’s life is about to change when he is given the opportunity to undergo facial reconstructive surgery that will transform his face. Be careful of what you dream of! This black comedy is about getting what you wished for and then realizing that maybe you were the problem and that nothing has really changed. Edward is a miserable man who hides from others on the subway and doesn't even complain about the leak coming from his ceiling that is growing day by day. Edward gets a miracle treatment and almost overnight, becomes a good-looking guy with a well paying job and even gets the girl of his dreams. That is until Oswald (Adam Pearson) shows up in Edward’s life, and though Oswald also has the neurofibromatosis condition, he is everything that Edward, even the new Edward, isn’t. Oswald is sophisticated in manner and dress, comfortable in any situation, the life of the party, and everyone loves him. Slowly, Edward sees the life he wanted, and it’s Oswald’s. Adam Pearson, an actor who has neurofibromatosis, is brilliant as the cock-sure Oswald, who takes over every room he is in and is the man that Edward always dreamed of being. Pearson is magical on screen who brings depth and meaning to the storyline, with a flair that makes you see why everyone in the movie thinks he is someone they want to be around. Things go from bad to worse for Edward, and we know it wasn’t a bad hand that life had dealt Edward; it’s just that he didn’t know what to do with the cards.  My Rating: Full Price  A Different Man Website  Now playing in theaters.

Forgotten Film:  Martha Marcy May Marlene  (2011)  R Elizabeth Olsen (yes, she is the sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley) stars in the title role, as a woman who suddenly shows up on her sister’s doorstep after she was missing for two years.  The reunion, though, is difficult and forced as Martha is hiding secrets, and her deception starts tearing apart the sisters. We discover, in flashbacks, that Martha lived in a cult led by a charismatic man (played by the very creepy John Hawkes). This is a dark film, and you won’t always be able to decipher reality and what is just happening in Martha’s mind. Olsen is amazing. Her appearance changes when she exhibits a remarkable range of emotions as the film progresses, and she gets pulled deeper and deeper into the cult. Hawkes is perfect as the cult leader who never uses physical violence to meld his members. His control is all accomplished with a calm, quiet demeanor that is far scarier. Olsen is almost certain to get an Oscar nomination in this interesting study of a cult mind. When I wrote this review in 2011, I predicted Olsen would get an Oscar nomination. Unfortunately, she didn’t get that nomination, but she received a bunch of critic awards. I am still astounded that she is the sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  Martha Marcy May Marlene Info  The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Joker: Folie à Deux:  Vintage Camera Operators

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Red One  (2024)  PG-13 After Santa Claus (J. K. Simmons), aka Red One, is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) teams up with the world’s greatest bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to find Saint Nick and save Christmas. This looks like a lot of fun with a very in-shape Santa, a talking polar bear, Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. Claus, Lucy Lui, giant warrior snowmen, and a Krampus who loves to fight. The film opens in theatres on November 15th.  Red One Website

 

                                                                        Until Next Time!

Freaky

Note to readers: I currently am not willing to risk my health (I’m 62 and an asthmatic) by visiting a theatre. All films that I have seen for review have been screened in my home. 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: Freaky (2020) R  Millie (Kathryn Newton) is just a teenage girl trying to survive the rigors of high school. She becomes the target of The Butcher (Vince Vaughn), her town's infamous serial killer, and then they switch bodies. Millie has 24 hours before the change becomes permeant. Freaky isn’t your typical slasher film as it has quite a bit of comedy in it. Taking a premise stolen from every teenager switches bodies with an adult, this film also makes fun of all the horrible deaths that we see in the normal teenagers are in trouble horror films. Vaughn and Newton are hilarious as they portray each other’s character inside their bodies. Vaughn does a masterful job of playing a man who is now inhabiting a teenage body. The film is buoyed by Millie’s ‘Scooby gang’ of her best friend (Celeste O’Connor), Josh (Misha Osherovich), her gay sidekick, and the boy Millie is secretly in love with (Uriah Shelton). Freaky is fun, sometimes silly, and the plot has a few holes in it, but who cares when trying to bring down a serial killer who is inhabiting your body.    My Rating: Full Price    Freaky Website  The film is currently playing in select theatres.

My View: Come Away (2020)  PG   Alice (Keira Chansa) and her brother, Peter (Jordan A. Nash), let their imaginations take them on fantastic journeys while enjoying the summer in the English countryside. When their older brother (Reece Yates) unexpectedly dies, Alice seeks temporary refuge going down a wondrous rabbit hole, while Peter escapes the harsh reality of the real world by entering the magical realm of the ‘Lost Boys.’ Come Away is one of those films that you want to love because the premise is so cool, but boy does it fail to capture any magic whatsoever. This is a beautiful looking movie, with some gorgeous scenes, but the story never quite gets on track, making the film seem incredibly long with an ending that is meant to inspire but fails to make sense. The film flirts with both the Peter Pan storyline and the Alice in Wonderland plot, but every time it visits those places, the film just doesn’t deliver the charm and wonder that it needs so desperately. I thought Keira Chansa carried the film, and she needed to because, unfortunately, Jordan A. Nash as Peter doesn’t have the charisma that the part requires. The movie is undoubtedly helped by the presence of David Oyelowo and Angelina Jolie as the parents, but they aren’t the focus of the film, the kids are. Ultimately, the story doesn’t deliver the wonder and amazement that Wendy and Peter deserve.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Come Away Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres and available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: The Climb (2019) R   Mike (Michael Angelo Covino) and Kyle (Kyle Marvin) are best friends, that is until Mike sleeps with Kyle’s fiancee (Judith Godreche). For a while, Mike and Kyle are enemies, but they can’t stay mad at each other too long, and soon they make up their friendship. Now Kyle has a new fiancee (Gayle Rankin), and Mike is determined to break that romance up also. First, let me say that there is one long tracking shot in this movie that has to be seen to be believed. This is a buddy picture where the two ‘buddies’ don’t always like each other. In fact, several times during the film, at least one of the two hates the other. The movie's humor is harsh and biting, as the two men always seem to be on a collision course filled with tension and words that often hurt. Covino and Marvin play off each other with incredible timing, making the film fun to see what they will say or do to each other next. As Kyle’s fiancee, Gayle Rankin almost steals the movie as she is determined to make sure that no matter what Mike does, she will be married to Kyle. The Climb is a film to watch and enjoy, filled with characters that you soon won’t forget.    My Rating: Full Price     The Climb Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: The Life Ahead (2020) PG-13   In a small seaside town in Italy, a Holocaust survivor, Madame Rosa (Sophia Loren), with a daycare business takes in a street kid, Momo (Ibrahima Gueye), who recently robbed her. Sophia Loren gives a beautiful and heartfelt performance as the tough but caring Madame Rosa. Madame Rosa has made her living taking care of the children of local prostitutes, something she has done since she quit the business. Rosa is in need of money when her doctor (Renato Carpentieri) brings the hard to handle Momo to her with a proposition that he will pay Rosa to take in the boy for a few months. Rosa reluctantly lets Momo stay with her, and an uneasy beginning starts a relationship between the aging madam and the street-smart boy. I enjoyed the slow warming between Rosa and Momo, as the two learn about each other, both learning to respect each other’s boundaries, with Rosa treating Momo like a young adult and Momo treating Rosa like a mystery that is needed to be solved. The Life Ahead is sure to bring a tear or two as the story is filled with love and heartbreak, just as it is in life.   My Rating: Full Price    The Life Ahead Website     The film is currently playing in select theatres and on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Ammonite  (2020) R  In 1840s England, Mary (Kate Winslet) lives in a seaside home with her aging mother. Mary is a well-respected fossil hunter. One day Roderick (Jame McArdle) and his wife, Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan), come into Mary’s shop with a proposition. Roderick will pay Mary to teach Charlotte about fossils while he is away on a scientific expedition. That fateful day will change Charlotte and Mary’s lives forever. First, the good: Winslet is terrific as the stone-faced, reserved Mary, who wants to be left alone with her fossils. Winslet often doesn’t speak with words but with just the slightest movement or facial expression, and we get precisely what Mary is thinking and feeling. Saoirse Ronan is up to the task as the depressed Charlotte, a woman who has lost the light inside her that her husband adored. The problem with this film is that it is incredibly predictable. Each move that is made by the characters is so laid out, it takes away from any spark the film has with the chemistry of the two leads. It’s always fun to watch Kate Winslet weave her spell on the screen; I wish I didn’t know what her character was going to do throughout the whole film.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Ammonite Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Fatman (2020) R   Times are hard for Chris Cringle (Mel Gibson), also known as Santa Claus. He takes a one-time deal to deliver some items for the U.S. military, but there is a problem. After getting a lump of coal for Christmas, a kid hires a hitman (Walter Goggins) to kill Santa. Little does the hitman know that this isn’t the first time someone has come after the jolly fat man. I don’t think this film will get you into the mood for Christmas, maybe a trip to the shooting range, but Christmas, no, I don’t think so. Santa is an unhappy old man who is worried that he has lost his touch and is about to go broke. Billy (Chance Hurstfield) is a ‘Richie Rich’ kind of kid who isn’t above hiring a hitman so that he can win a science fair. That hitman is someone who hates Santa (we find out why near the end of the film) and eagerly takes up the hit when Billy gets a lump of coal for Christmas. The film doesn’t always work, especially the second story of Santa having to work for the government. I kind of wish they had just left that out of the storyline. Goggins is just flat funny as the grumpy, Santa-hating hitman, as his character hits the road determined to bring down Christmas and everything it stands for. Fatman is an amusing idea that probably would have been better as an SNL skit, the plot doesn’t justify the feature-length treatment.   My Rating: Cable     Fatman Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres and available for rent on participating on-demand services on Nov. 17th.

Familyfaire: Wolfwalkers (2020) PG  A young apprentice hunter, Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), and his father journey to Ireland to wipe out the country’s last wolf pack. Once there, Robyn befriends Mebh (Eva Whittaker), a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves. Robyn uncovers a secret that could make her turn against her father. The team that brought us the Academy Award-nominated films The Secret of the Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014) bring their animated talents again to the screen to bring us the imaginative and visually striking Wolfwalkers. This is a fun play into the land of myth and legends, as our hero Robyn discovers that there are always two sides to a story. Convinced by her father that wolves are to be killed because they are evil, she soon finds herself alone in the forest, confronting the very beasts her father seeks to kill. This is a dazzling coming of age tale that is perfect for children, especially young girls, to try to understand those who you oppose. Wolfwalkers is a superb film filled with bewitching animation and a brave girl who takes a chance on friendship.    My Rating: Full Price     Wolfwalkers Website     The film is currently playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: The Ipcress File (1965)   Several vital scientists have been kidnapped and, after a few days, are released, with each scientist brainwashed with all of their knowledge gone. The British send counter-espionage Agent Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) to investigate. Palmer feels that he has been chosen for this mission because he feels he is expendable. The Ipcress File is a fascinating spy thriller with a very un-James Bond character. Caine is perfect as a spy with a weird sense of humor, tries too hard to impress the ladies, and isn’t the dapper spy that we think of when picturing a British agent. The storyline is intriguing, and there are plenty of twists to keep you interested. I love this film's feel and look, making it seem more like a film noir type of movie than just a spy caper.  My Rating: Full Price    The Ipcress File Info

Weird Credits: Credits from Come Away: Coffee

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  News of the World (2020) PG-13 Five years after the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) makes his living going town to town as a storyteller, reading from news accounts, telling stories of all kinds. In the plains of Texas, he finds Johanna ( Helena Zengel), a ten-year-old girl who was raised by the Kiowa people as their own. Against her will, the Captain agrees to take Johanna to her relatives in a remote town hundreds of miles away. The two will travel a great distance to meet the tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces to find Johanna a home. Hanks is reunited with his director from Captain Phillips (2013), which is all I need to know to want to see this western.    News of the World Website

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Little Women

My View: Little Women   (2019) PG    In the aftermath of the American Civil War, the movie explores the lives of the March sisters, Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen), all under the watchful eye of their beloved mother, Marmee (Laura Dern). I am a massive fan of the writer/director of this film Greta Gerwig, both as an actor (Greenberg (2010), Frances Ha (2012), and as a director (Lady Bird (2017), which I thought was one of the best films of 2017. Gerwig has done it again, bringing freshness and light to the Louisa May Alcott story that has been adapted to the screen seven times before. I loved the performances of the cast, especially Saoirse Ronan as, Jo, the young woman who is filled with passion for writing and Florence Pugh, as the self-centered Amy. Ronan brings a fierceness to the role; you can see the determination in her eyes as she wills Jo to succeed where almost everyone, including some in her family, feels that she is battling against windmills. Pugh is delightful as Amy, a young woman who is quite as mature as her fellow sisters, sometimes making decisions based on her heart and not her head. Little Women is a beautiful film, full of heart and occasionally, heartbreak, about growing up and having to face the harsh world, but always knowing that your family is there to fall back on. Take the whole family and enjoy the wonderful world of a group of four sisters experiencing the trials and tribulations of life.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     Little Women Website

Familyfaire: Spies in Disguise  (2019) PG   The world’s best spy, Lance Sterling (voiced by Will Smith), is turned into a pigeon; he must join forces with a low-level inventor, Walter (voiced by Tom Holland), to save the world. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this animated feature. A new take on the super spy saving the world genre, this time with a young inventor who thinks there is a better way to defeat the bad guys, with non-violent gadgets. Will Smith is perfect as Sterling, Lance Sterling, a spy who is used to saving the world daily, all the time with an ego to match. Lance is a lone wolf, but when he is set up by the evil Killian (voiced by Ben Mendelsohn) and Lance is forced to team up with Walter, who turns Lance into the ultimate disguise, a pigeon. The animation gives off a cool James Bond-like vibe, and the action is almost nonstop, with quite a few explosions and car chase scenes spread throughout the film. The bit younger crowd may be a bit bored, but the 6-12-year-olds will have a great time going on an adventure to save the world with Walter and his spy partner, Lance the pigeon.    My Rating: Full Price     Spies in Disguise Website

My View: Uncut Gems (2019) R   Howard (Adam Sandler) thinks his life is about to change due to the delivery of an uncut gem that could be worth millions. Howard is all about taking chances, and he starts a series of high-stakes bets that he could win big on or also lose everything. Adam Sandler is an actor that, most of the time, pisses me off. My problem with Sandler is not because of his continual compulsion to make incredibly crappy films with his friends, like Grown Ups (2010), That’s My Boy (2012) and one of the worst movies I have ever seen, Jack and Jill (2011). No, it’s not that, it’s that Sandler can be an excellent, even great actor when he chooses the right material. The list is small but notable with outstanding work in films such as Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Reign Over Me (2007) and Spanglish (2004), where Sandler brings a quiet force to make an ordinary film worthy of watching. Add to the list Uncut Gems, where Sandler plays a man you probably won’t like or maybe even not root for, going so far as to hope that he fails. Still, you can’t deny that Sandler fills the screen with a magical, almost hypnotic performance as a man who is desperate to keep pushing his luck, even if it means he has to beat impossible odds. Uncut Gems is not a film that you will be able to sit back and enjoy, as Sandler and the directors of the film, Benny and Josh Safdie, take you on a journey of the high’s and low’s of a gambler. It’s like taking a ride on a roller coaster but one that rarely takes an uphill break, as Howard’s life quickly moves down from one get rich scheme to another. I loved the cast, including Kevin Garnett, the NBA all-star who plays himself, Julia Fox, who plays Howard’s combative girlfriend and Idina Menzel as Howard’s long-suffering ex-wife, who has seen Howard’s life on the edge in close-up. After seeing this film, you may need to take a few minutes to gather your thoughts and your senses before exiting the theatre.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     Uncut Gems Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD / Blu-ray): Abominable (2019) PG   Yi (voiced by Chloe Bennet), a young girl, finds a friendly Yeti that longs to go back to his mountain. Yi and two other friends make it their mission to help ‘Everest’ return to its homeland. The gang will have to avoid a wealthy man named Burnish (Eddie Izzard) who wants to put Everest in his collection. While very predictable and at times a little slow, the film is a warm look at friendship and how those friends will try their best to make their friend's dreams come true. Abominable is a sweet film that families will enjoy, and kids will love the action sequences. Sure the plot is a little too paint by numbers kids film, but Everest and his buddies may make you forget that.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Abominable Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Dolittle (2020) PG   Seven years ago, the famed doctor and veterinarian of Victorian England, Dr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) lost his wife and has been sequestered behind the walls of Dolittle Manor with his menagerie of animals for his only company. When Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) falls ill, Dr. Dolittle sets out on an epic adventure to find a cure. Just watch the trailer and see if you want Downey to talk to anything, including animals in this film.  Hollywood, quit remaking movies that were bad to begin with. Did I mention the animals talk?    Dolittle Website

Forgotten Film: Children of a Lesser God (1986) R   James (William Hurt) has taught at some of the best institutions in the country but is always looking for a new challenge. James begins teaching at a school for the deaf and quickly notices a young cleaning woman named Sarah (Marlee Matlin), who is deaf, and learning that she has been at the school since she was five. Sarah chooses not to speak, haunted by her childhood, especially her relationship with her mother, who she has not seen in eight years. They begin a slow ride to romance as they learn about each other, and James will soon learn that Sarah does not speak because it allows her to live her life in solitude. As they fall in love, will the divide between the world of the hearing and the deaf be too much for their devotion to endure? The reason to see this film is the Oscar-winning performance of Matlin, as the headstrong, combative and angry Sarah, a woman who doesn’t want to enter into the land of speech, happy to live her life on her terms. It is a moving and beautiful performance, filled with fear, fear of the unknown, and the fear that if she lets someone in, she will get hurt again.   My Rating: Full Price     Children of a Lesser God Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Spies in Disguise:  Fur Supervisor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: A Quiet Place Part II (2020)   After escaping from their home, now the family (Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe ) must go into the outside world and soon realize that the world is far more dangerous than they ever experienced or imagined.     A Quiet Place Part II Facebook Page

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Once Upon a Deadpool

My View: Once Upon a Deadpool  (2018)  PG     You may have seen all the promotional material for this film starring Fred Savage. So the added footage is a tied up Fred Savage being read to by Deadpool, like Savage’s appearance in the classic 1980s film The Princess Bride. It is a very creative idea and hysterically funny. The main story hasn’t changed with the exception of most of the language has been cleaned up, and the violence is not as savage as in the first version. While not quite as much fun as the first Deadpool film, it’s still a blast to watch. Stay through all the credits as there are three bonus scenes, one at the end of all the credits that if you are a Marvel fan, you will want to see.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again    Once Upon a Deadpool Website

My View:    Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse  (2018)  PG   Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) has been bitten by a radioactive spider and has become Spider-Man. When alternate universe Spider-people start showing up, they decide to team up and save the world from Kingpin (Liev Schreiber). Not only is this one of the best-animated films of the year, it’s one of the best overall films of the year. The storyline is highly creative, and the movie is hilarious. I loved all the ‘Spider-People’ especially Peter B. Parker voiced by Jake Johnson, a sort of sad sack Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy, ‘Spider-Woman’ voiced by Hailee Steinfeld and Spider-Ham a ‘Spider-Pig[ voiced by John Mulaney. The ending is satisfying, and I can’t wait to see the spinoffs that they will be doing.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse Website

My View:   Mary Queen of Scots  (2018)  R  Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan), after many years in exile, decides to return to Scotland and attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie). I can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t like this film because Ronan and Robbie are fantastic in the parts of rival queens. I think it may be due to all the talk with minimal action making the film feel all of its 2 hours and 4 minutes length. The film is still worth seeing to see Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie battle it out.   My Rating:  Full Price    Mary Queen of Scots Website

Indiefest:  Vox Lux  (2018)  R  As a teenager, Celeste (Natalie Portman) survives a major national tragedy. At the memorial service, she sings a song that starts her pop singing career. We follow Celeste over eighteen years as her journey takes her on the highs and lows of a global superstar. This is a very strange film that is in three sections.  The first third of the film is the horrific shooting at a school where Celeste (played by Raffey Cassidy) is wounded. She and her sister perform a song that they wrote, and it makes Celeste a star. We then see Celeste get corrupted by the star-making machine. The middle portion of the film is a day in the life of the adult Celeste, played by Natalie Portman, who has somehow acquired a New York accent. This Celeste is a jaded and self-important star who abuses drugs and treats everyone around her, including her daughter (strangely played by Raffey Cassidy) poorly. The last portion of the movie is a year later, and Celeste has cleaned up her act. We then see her perform some of Celeste’s big hits. It’s an interesting way to end the film. I think if I were you, I would wait until this film comes out on DVD/VOD and then skip the middle of the film, just watch the beginning and end.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Vox Lux Website

Forgotten Film:  Holy Rollers  (2010)  R  A young Hasidic Jew (Jessie Eisenberg) is sucked into drug smuggling  As the storyline develops, the young man gets more and more involved in trafficking (turns out he is good at it). The reason to see the film is Eisenberg, as he goes from an innocent, wide-eyed young man to a person who is recruiting other Hasidic Jews to help him bring in more drugs. It’s a powerful performance that only someone as talented as Eisenberg can deliver.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    Holy Rollers Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Once Upon a Deadpool:  Specialty Tattoo Designer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Stan & Ollie  (2018)  PG  Once the greatest comedy team in film, Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Hardy (John C. Reilly) attempt to revive their careers as they go on a stage tour of England. I love the Laurel and Hardy films so you know I am going to see this film.    Stan & Ollie Website

Until Next Time!