The Lion King

My View:  The Lion King  (2019)  PG  After the murder of his father, Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), the young prince, Simba (voiced by JD McCrary) leas the area to hide. He encounters Pumbaa (Seth Rogan) and Timon (Billy Eichner) who help Simba heal. This is an amazing looking film that utilizes the Disney CGI magic to it’s fullest. There are times that you are going to swear that portions of this film are live-cation but the film is all CGI. Besides how gorgeous the film looks, the other reason to see the film is Pumbaa (voiced by Seth Rogen) and Timon (voiced by Billy Eichner). They steal the film with their antics and their dialogue, which was all improvised. Some of their back and forth banter will have you on the floor laughing. And yes, Beyonce is wonderful as Nala.  While I did like this film, I do have a problem with it. With the ultra-realistic animation, there is very little emotion shown on the faces of the animals. It is hard to tell looking at their faces if they are happy or sad and that takes away from having you related to the animals. But you should go see this beautiful looking film because as they say “Hakuna Matata.’    My Rating: Full Price   The Lion King Website

Indiefest:  Maiden  (2018)  PG  Documentary about Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old cook on charter boats, who became a skipper and led the first-ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. An incredible story of a group of women led by a very determined Tracy Edwards who dare to enter what at the time was an almost exclusively man sport (women might be on board as a cook/servant). Most of the skippers of the yachts felt that the women would not even finish the first let, much less the whole trip of 3000 nautical miles that would take over 160 days to complete. The film does an outstanding job of how the team was formed and then an inside look at what it was like to compete in this race. The film documents the highs and lows of the women as they did what was considered impossible, to not only survive the sea but to be competitive. You will come away from this film admiring the gritty courage that Edwards and her crew displayed.  My Rating:  Full Price    Maiden website

My View:  The Art of Self-Defense  (2019)  R  Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) is beaten by a group of thugs on the street. He decides to enlist in a dojo and learn how to protect himself. The dojo is ur by a charismatic but strange sensei (Alexandro Nivola) who see potential in Casey. These lessons will change Casey’s life forever. This is a dark comedy, sometimes incredibly funny and other times horrific and shocking. Eisenberg is perfectly cast as the weak guy who takes karate classes and transforms into someone else. Alexander Nivola is superb as the very weird sensei that takes a special interest in Eisenberg’s character. It’s a cat and mouse game the two play throughout the film and we wait until the end to see who will be on top. This film isn’t for everyone but if you like strange, dark comedies then you will want to see this film.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    The Art of Self-Defense Website

Indiefest:  Three Peaks  (2017)  Aaron (Alexander Fehling) wants to become a family with his girlfriend, Lea (Berenice Bejo) and her 8-year-old son Tristan (Arian Montgomery). The problem is Tristan doesn’t like Aaron and will do just about anything for break Aaron and Lea up. I enjoyed that the film slowly builds, letting us see the dynamic of the three of them. The problem is that Aaron isn’t Tristan’s father but wants to be. Tristan is conflicted by his loyalty to his father but Aaron treats Tristan well and they have fun together. The tension builds as Tristan slowly starts rebelling against Aaron. Lea, as you would expect the mother to do, often sides with Tristan when he acts out, much to Aaron’s disappointment. By the time we get to the final scenes, the air seems to be crackling with tension. This is not your usual drama and it doesn’t end with us getting all the answers but we don’t need them, we were along for the ride of three people trying to figure out if they belonged together.  My Rating: Full Price    Three Peaks Website

Forgotten Film:  Deep Cover  (1992)  R  A by the books police offer (Laurence Fishburne) is recruited in infiltrating a drug-smuggling organization seeking to expand their reach. The cool thing about this movie is that it not only explores the drug trade but also issues of race and how we see our place in the world. This is reminiscent of the 40’s film noir movies where the hero is drug deeper into a world he wants no part of. Fishburne gives an outstanding performance and is matched by Jeff Goldblum as a crazy drug dealer.    My Rating: Full Price    Deep Cover Info

Weird Credits:  From The Art of Self-Defense:  Action Designer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Art of Racing in the Rain   (2019)  A dog named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) shows us the life lessons he learned from his race car driving master (Milo Ventimiglia).  I am a sucker for movies about dogs, so I am looking forward to seeing this one.    The Art of Racing in the Rain Website

Until Next Time!

Long Shot

My View:  Long Shot  (2019) R  Fred (Seth Rogan) is a writer, Charlotte (Charlize Theron) is Secretary of State and is about to run for President. Fred and Charlotte used to know each other, and they have a chance meeting at a party. Charlotte decides to hire Fred to punch up her speeches.  Can love be far behind? I had so much fun watching this movie. It reminded me of the goofy romcoms of the 80s with the difference is that the man is the shy, goofball and the woman is that smart one that is in control. Rogan and Theron have a blast, and they have incredible chemistry right from the start, making their attraction seem real. You will have to leave your brain at the door for a couple of sequences (especially the final ending which we see in the credits) but that doesn’t detract that this film is funny, warm and surprisingly sweet. I could have done without the drug sequence but it’s a Seth Rogan production, so it’s kind of a given. As with any Rogan comedy, it gets a little raunchy but it fit into the storyline, so it works. Go see this winning comedy. By the way, I believe this is Charlize Theron’s first comedy, and she hits it out of the park. Let's hope she gets to do more like this one.  My Rating: Full Price    Long Shot Website

My View:  The Intruder  (2019)  PG=13  A young married couple (Meagan Good, Michael Ealy) buy an isolated house on several acres of land only to realize that the man that sold it (Dennis Quaid) does not want to give it up. First let me say that the audience that I saw this film with thoroughly enjoyed the film, reacting every time Quaid made an appearance in the shadows or when the main characters made bad decisions that we knew would cost them.  That being said, this is a horrible movie that doesn’t bring anything new to the bad guy is in your house genre. Dennis Quaid gives one of his worst performances as he goes so over the top that the audience, which wanted to believe him as a villain starting laughing at some of his antics. The film is incredibly predictable and follows all the genre’s rules, including the wife that just can’t see the possibility that she could be in danger until it’s too late. Unlike the audience I saw it with, I wasn't ever scared, just annoyed by how badly the film was written.   My Rating: Cable    The Intruder Website

FamilyFaire:  UglyDolls  (2019)  PG  The UglyDolls have been content to live in their little world until a group decides to go exploring. They encounter a world that seems to be perfect and where the UglyDolls don’t fit in. However, soon the UglyDolls learn that perfection isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. With a bunch of forgettable songs (that waste the talents of singers like Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, and Janelle Monáe and a plot, while its heart is in the right place, just is boring and slow. Parents are going to be looking at their watch a lot (as I did) wondering when this film will stop, and kids are not going to be entertained by a bunch of characters that are badly thought out. Unless your kid is a big UglyDoll fan, just skip this film that doesn’t work on any level.   My Rating: Cable     UglyDolls Website

Indiefest:  Red Joan  (2018)  R  Joan is a young brilliant student at Cambridge in 1938. She meets the love of her life, Leo (Tom Hughes), the leader of the university Communist student group. When World War II breaks out, Joan is asked to work on a top-secret project, one that could change the world, but she will also be asked by her former lover to betray her country. The question is will she?  If you are going to see this film because Judi Dench (she plays Joan in 1990) is in this film, you will be disappointed. Dench is merely a supporting player, used to bring the flashbacks of Joan’s life in the 30s and 40s. Dench does a lot of staring off into the distance, as we then travel back to see the 1940s Joan trying to decide to betray her country. The story is hurt by the constant back and forth of 90s Joan and Joan in the past storylines, making the storyline progress in sprits instead of flowing along if they had just stayed with the more interesting plot. I got to the point in the film, where I didn’t care what happened with either Joan, both deserved whatever fate they got.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Red Joan Website

Indiefest:  Ask Dr. Ruth  (2019)  Documentary chronicling the amazing life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who overcame almost insurmountable odds to become the world’s most famous sex therapist.Brilliant documentary on the long and sometimes tragic life of a dynamo of a woman, Dr. Ruth. Dr. Ruth was orphaned at age ten, though she didn’t fully know what happened to her parents until she visits a Holocaust museum in Israel late in the film. Her childhood experiences are told through animation, which helps soften the blow of such a difficult childhood where basically by age 13 she was an indentured servant at an orphanage in Switzerland. Sr. Ruth constantly fought against the odds to get as much education as she could, whether it was being taught by an orphan boy at night or going to graduate school as a single parent, Dr. Ruth was on a constant drive to better herself and get as much information as she could absorb. I loved this film and we get to know Dr. Ruth, though you get the feeling that she is always holding back a bit about her troubled childhood. Go see this year's RBG, you are going to fall in love with this smart woman who fearlessly talks about sex, making us re-examine the way we see ourselves.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     Aks Rr. Ruth Website

Forgotten Film: The Wrecking Crew  (1968)  PG  Super secret agent Matt Helm (Dean Martin) is set to see if he can stop a crime boss from cornering the world’s gold. Unfortunately, the British send in their own agent Freya (Sharon Tate) who just keeps making this worse for Matt. In the 60s, the secret agent craze hit movies and TV. Brought out mostly by the success of James Bond, not only were there serious attempts to dethrone Bond but also a number of films went the other route and made fun of the super slick agent that could bed any woman. At the top was the Matt Helm movies, which not only made fun of (in a cool way) the James Bond films but also made fun of Dean Martin’s reputation as a drinker and womanizer. The Austin Powers films took a lot from the Helm movies, all in good fun. This film is distinguished from the other two Matt Helm movies because of a brilliant performance by Sharon Tate. Her portrayal of the bumbling agent Freya is so good, you don’t want the movie to stop. These aren’t great films and are incredibly dated but they are still fun to watch.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     The Wrecking Crew Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Intruder:  16mm Film Projection

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Tolkien  (2019)  PG-13  J.R.R. Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult) was an orphan who had to work hard to get anywhere. He falls in love with a fellow orphan, Edith (Lily Collins) and just when he finds his calling, language, he is swept away in the horrors of WW I. Tolkien has always been one of my favorite authors, so to see what influenced his “Middle Earth’ writings will be fascinating.    Tolkien Website

Until Next Time!

Penguins

Family Faire:  Penguins   (2019)  G  The documentary follows the adventures of Steve the Penguin, as he tries to find love and raise a family. Film over 900 days, the film explores the life in Antartica from the viewpoint of a penguin who is a little small and is rather clumsy. Steve does succeed in finding a mate and they have two chicks, with Steve doing most of the raising. This is a fun film to watch and you will fall in love with Steve and his little family.  My Rating:  Full Price    Penguins Website

My View:  Teen Spirit  (2018)  PG-13   A young girl (Elle Fanning), against the wishes of her mother (Agnieszka Grochowska), enters a singing competition with the help of an ex-opera singer (Zlako Buric). First off, Elle can sing and the songs are catchy. I enjoyed the chemistry between Fanning and Buric whose character becomes both her manager and her father figure. The film has a couple of twists and turns and it moves at a nice pace If you are a fan of singing competitions, then this film is for you.    My Rating: Full Price    Teen Spirit Website

Indiefest:  Little Woods  (2018)  R  Ollie (Tessa Thompson) is just days away from getting off probation. Her sister (Lily James) has become homeless and now Ollie must bring drugs across the Canadian border in order to help out her sister.  Thompson gives a powerful and moving performance of a young woman trying to do the right thing but seemly insurmountable obstacles keep getting in her way. Thompson works well on screen with James who plays her sister who keeps messing up, making everything incredibly complicated. You will be on the edge of your seat until the end of the film, hoping that Ollie doesn’t get caught.    My Rating: Full Price    Little Woods Website

Indiefest:  Fast Color  (2018)  PG-13  After years on the run, a woman, Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) with supernatural abilities returns to her family. While it is about a woman who can cause earthquakes, it is more about family and how decisions from the past can influence the present. Lorraine Toussaint is magnificent as Bo, who Ruth abandoned along with Ruth’s daughter (Sanlyya Sidney).  This is a beautiful film full of meaning and deep emotions. Ruth and Bo will have to work hard to mend the fences in their troubled relationship, that is if Ruth can’t keep the government from taking her away.  My Rating: Full Price    Fast Color Info

My View:  Peterloo  (2018)  PG-13  The story of the 1819 Peterloo massacre where British troops attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester, England. Way too many speeches in this film making the 2 hours and thirty-four-minute film seem much longer. The film takes forever to get moving, as we meet a ton of different characters on both the pro-democracy side and the side of the government. The massacre is hard to watch as not only men were hurt and killed, but also women and children. I also would have liked some sort of graphic at the end of the film to tell us how many died and how many were injured, plus did this incident help or hurt the pro-democracy movement. It is an interesting subject that is brought down by the length of the film.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    Peterloo Website

Forgotten Film:  Niagara, Niagara  (1997)  R  Marcy (Robin Tunney) and Seth (Henry Thomas) meet in a store that both are shoplifting from. Marcy has Tourette’s Syndrome but Seth is too shy to acknowledge it. The two misfits start a love affair that is certain to go bad. Both don’t have good home lives, so they decide to run away to Canada. Henry Thomas gives a fine performance as the troubled Seth but this film is Robin Tunney’s and she gives an amazing performance as the girl who is just trying to survive in her world.   My Rating: Full Price     Niagara, Niagara Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Penguins:  Head of Music Preparation

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Long Shot  (2019)  R   Fred (Seth Rogan) is a writer, Charlotte (Charlize Theron) is Secretary of State and is about to run for President. Fred and Charlotte used to know each other and they have a chance meeting at a party. Charlotte decides to hire Fred to punch up her speeches.  Can love be far behind? The trailer looks really funny and is directed by Jonathan Levine, who wrote and directed one of my favorite films, Warm Bodies (2013).      Long Shot Website

Until Next Time!

A Quiet Place

My View:  A Quiet Place  (2018)  PG-13  A family of four is forced to live in silence while hiding from horrible creatures that hunt by sound. John Krasinski, who co-wrote the script and directed the film, has brought us one of the best horror films of the past ten years. The film is almost a silent film, as the family mostly communicates with sign language. Krasinski builds the tension throughout, making it far scarier than most jump-out-of-the-dark horror films. I loved the camera work in this movie, as it’s always giving us exciting angles and continually moving. The creatures in the movie are horrific and scary. The whole cast, which includes Krasinski's wife, Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds and Cade Woodward, are brilliant in this film, with Blunt and Simmonds standing out. At my screening, the crowd was quiet, and one person told me that they didn’t eat their popcorn because they were scared the creatures would get them. Don’t miss out on this unique movie going experience.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again     A Quiet Place Website

My View:  Blockers  (2018)  R  Three parents (John Cena, Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz) will do anything to try to stop their teens from having sex on prom night. The trailer for this film did not do it justice. Now, be warned.  Seth Rogan is one of the producers of this movie, and it’s very raunchy, but man, is it funny. There was almost nonstop laughter in the screening that I went to. People, including myself, were laughing so hard, you couldn’t hear some of the lines. John Cena is priceless in his portrayal of the father with a heart of gold. I loved the three young actresses who played the daughters, with Grealdine Viswanathan giving a winning performance as the jock who wants to lose her virginity. There is a sequence in the film that was so funny, I thought the person behind me was going to explode as they were laughing so hard.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Blockers Website

Indiefest:  1945  (2017)  In 1945, two mysterious strangers arrive in a small Hungarian village. The townspeople think that the strangers are there to take back the buildings they took when the Jewish inhabitants were seized by the Germans to the concentration camps. This film is all about guilt and how each townsperson handles it. As the two strangers slowly move through the town, the tension builds as the town worries that these men are going to claim what was once theirs. It’s a powerful film that doesn’t answer the question of what they are doing in the town until the end of the film.    My Rating:  Full Price   1945 Website

Forgotten Film:  The Hit  (1984)  Willie (Terence Stamp) is an ex-gangster living in Spain because he ratted out his former associates. Two British hitmen (Tim Roth, John Hurt) kidnap Willie to take him back to Paris for execution. On the trip, everything that can go wrong, does. Stamp is mesmerizing, and the dialogue between his character and the two hit men is some of the best of the 80s. This is more of a character study than an action film, but it’s worth checking out.  My Rating: Full Price    The Hit Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of A Quiet Place:  American Sign Language Coach

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  I Feel Pretty  (2018)  A woman (Amy Schumer) who works in a crappy job and is insecure, has an accident and hits her head. When she awakens, she believes she is the most beautiful and capable woman on the planet. She begins to live her life to the fullest and fearlessly. I love Amy Schumer and the trailer is hilarious.    I Feel Pretty Website

Until Next Time!