Mother's Day

My View:  Mother’s Day  (2016)  PG-13  As Mother’s Day nears, a group of seemingly unconnected people come to terms in their relationships with their mothers. This is a film that I call a “watch” film.  I looked at my watch convinced that the film was almost over, only to discover that we still had an hour to go. Garry Marshall also directed Valentine’s Day (2010) and New Year’s Eve (2011). If you liked those films, you will probably enjoy this one. For the rest of us, the film is too long, filled with one-dimensional characters, a plot that a fifth grader could come up with and wastes the talents of a cast filled with actors like Julia Roberts, Timothy Olyphant, Sarah Chalke. Britt Robertson and Margo Martindale. Probably the most interesting characters in the film, are the gay couple played by Chalke and Cameron Esposito, and they have the least amount of screen time. I can’t wait for Marshall to bring out his next film. I hear he is choosing between Arbor Day and President’s Day.      My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Mother's Day Website

My View:  Keanu  (2016)  R  When Rell’s (Jordan Peele) beloved pet kitten, Keanu, is stolen,  he and his cousin (Keegan-Michael Key) are out to find who did it and make them give the kitten back.  They may have bitten off more than they bargained for. This film has some hysterical scenes but this is a film that doesn’t always deliver, and there are quite a few scenes that just don’t work as well as they should.  It is pretty obvious that Key and Peele love movies, as there are constant film references throughout the film. And of course, the two comedians work well together on screen but it felt if it was a bunch of skits put together to fill out a movie.  I will say this; the cat is darn cute.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Keanu Website

Family Faire:  Ratchet & Clank  (2016)  PG   The galaxy has become under attack, and it’s up to Ratchet (James Arnold Taylor), a mechanic who dreams of being a hero, and his robot friend, Clank (David Kaye), to come to the rescue. Based on a video game, I found this film boring and uncreative. Fans of the game may enjoy it since they use the actors in the film that play the main characters in the game, but anyone over the age of 9 will go home disappointed. There is nothing in the storyline to keep you awake, and the bad guys don’t seem overly threatening. What is supposed to be the strong point of the storyline, the relationship between Ratchet and Clank, is too simple to be interesting. Take the kids to see Zootopia; even it’s for the fourth time. You and the kids will enjoy it much more than this film.     My Rating: Cable   Ratchet & Clank Website

Indiefest:  Sing Street  (2015)  PG-13  A boy (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), growing up in Dublin in the 1980’s, starts a band to escape his broken family life, a school he doesn’t fit in with and to impress a girl (Lucy Boynton) he has a crush on. I loved this film, especially the performances of the two leads, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, and Lucy Boynton. Walsh-Peele is a duel threat in this film, displaying a fine singing voice with the charisma of a rock star. His character is boyish one minute and mature beyond his years in the next scene, a testament to his acting prowess. Boynton is perfect in the role of the world-weary girl who wants to escape Dublin with the slim hopes of being a model. For a fan of early eighties music (and videos), this film is so much fun to watch. The original songs that the band plays in the film are outstanding and catchy. In a week where I saw a lot of films that were light on character development and plot, it was a delight to watch a film so well written and produced. It reminded me of two excellent films about bands, The Commitments (1991) and more recently, the director of this film, John Carney's Begin Again (2013). If you love music, this is one film not to be missed.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Sing Street Website

Indiefest:  Papa Hemingway in Cuba  (2016)  R  In 1959, a young journalist (Giovanni Ribisi), travels to Cuba to meet his literary idol, the legendary Hemingway (Adrian Sparks). I loved Hemingway, the writer, but not the man, himself. I can say the same thing about this film. The film was written by the late Denne Bart Petitclerc, based on his own experiences with Hemingway, but I feel that the subject matter was probably too close to the writer for him to see the problems with this film. The dialogue feels very stiff and just doesn’t flow naturally as characters don’t talk to each other but seem to make speeches every time they converse. Some of the plot points just don’t make sense which makes the film feel very contrived. Sparks, while looking exactly like Hemingway, doesn’t have the charisma to fill the very big shoes of Papa. Ribisi puts his heart and soul into the role of the hero worshiping reporter but is let down by the script in the big scenes. If you really want to see a film about Hemingway, then rent the excellent documentary, Ernest Hemingway: Wrestling with Life, instead of this film.     My Rating: Cable   Papa Hemingway in Cuba Info

Indiefest: Green Room  (2016)  R  After witnessing a murder, a punk rock band is made to defend themselves against a group of skinheads. This is the movie that Straw Dogs (2011) wanted to be. I will warn you that this film has very graphic violence, so if you are the type of person who has to turn away during an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, then this film isn’t for you. I loved the look of this movie as it almost oozes trouble on the screen as the scenery seems to be muted in an almost dark green glow. The dialogue flows well, and the action sequences are handled with a crispness that I missed (from some films that I have seen in the last two weeks). Patrick Stewart is the main bad guy, and he is full of menace as he uses his calm voice to get over his point that the band is not getting out alive. Of the rest of the cast, Imogen Poots stands out, playing a character that is a far cry from the “girl next door” roles she usually plays. This film will keep you on the edge of your seat from almost the start of the film.   My Rating; Full Price    Green Room Website

Forgotten Film:  Last Night at the Alamo  (1983)  This film is credited as one of the hallmark independent films. Directed by the late Eagle Pennell, it’s a film about a bunch of sad sack bar patrons celebrating the bar that they love last night of being open. It’s a stark black and white film that is a harsh look at a forgotten world of Texas honky-tonks, filled with people you are willing to spend a couple of hours with but wouldn’t want to make it a regular thing. I recently saw a newly restored print of this film at SXSW and was struck by how timeless the film looks and feels.    My Rating: Full Price   Last Night at the Alamo Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Papa Hemingway in Cuba:  Laundry Supervisor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Snowden  (2016)  Based on the true story of CIA employee Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who leaks thousands of documents to the press.  The impressive cast includes Scott Eastwood, Timothy Olyphant, Nicolas Cage, Zachary Quinto and Shailene Woodley.  Having seen the Academy Award winning documentary Citizenfour on the subject, I am anxious to see this film.   Snowden Website

Until Nest Time!

Demolition

My View:  Demolition  (2015)  R  Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) has it all. He is a successful investment banker with a beautiful wife and a great home. It all goes away when his wife is killed in a car crash. Now he has to figure out how to put the pieces of his life back together. I have seen this movie twice and can’t totally put my finger on why this film doesn’t quite work. The cast, which includes Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, and Chris Cooper, is first rate and Watts stands out on screen as a single mom, Karen, who works for a snack machine company.  Gyllenhaal is stellar as the man who wants to figure out what to do with his life now that his wife is gone. Gyllenhaal has great chemistry with Judah Lewis, who plays Karen’s son, a troubled young man who Davis takes under his wing. The film never quite finds its footing, trying too hard at times to be profound and meaningful.  I enjoyed some of this movie, especially the scenes involving Judah Lewis but the film never found a way to make its point, if it ever had one.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Demolition Website

My View:  Hardcore Henry  (2015) R  The film is a first person action film in which the audience is the main character.  Henry is a cyber-solider who is trying to rescue his wife from an evil warlord. Right off the bat, if you easily get motion sickness, this film isn’t for you but if you love or like first person video games, see this wild ride of a film. The main character is the camera, so it’s a first person point of view film. This is a movie that doesn’t really care about plot or character development, it just cares about action and this film is full of smash-mouth, in your face, pedal to the metal action sequences. There is one action sequence involving moving cars, trucks and motorcycles that I am still wondering how they shot it. Most of the film was shot with Go-Pro cameras mounted to stuntmen’s heads, so we see what the main character see’s. I had fun seeing this film, several times shouting out with the rest of the audience as the character jumps from one motorcycle to another. It’s not for everyone, but if you want to jump on, it’s one heck of a ride.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Hardcore Henry Website

Indiefest:  Everybody Wants Some!!  (2016)  R  It’s 1981 in a small Texas college town where most of the sports teams of the college suck, all but the baseball team. The team rules the campus and just about the whole town, living in two old houses off campus, where there are only two rules laid down by their coach; no girls upstairs and no alcohol. Needless to say that both rules will be broken within in a few hours of the house manager laying down the law. Into this environment walks freshman pitcher Jake (Blake Jenner), a likable but sometimes too smart for his own good 18-year old who must quickly find his place in this new world of booze, manliness and baseball.  Everybody Wants Some !! is a blast to watch, sort of a sequel to Dazed and Confused, Richard Linklater’s 1993 classic film about a bunch of Texas high school students experiencing their last days of high school. While not the same characters as in “Dazed,” the baseball team does inhabit the same small town Texas world, just a little older but certainly not the wiser.  Linklater has created a film, which while a little shallow at times, is so much fun that you are willing to overlook it's few flaws. While a welcome addition to Dazed and Confused,this is a film that deserves its own place in the Linklater film repertoire. As with Dazed and Confused, which gets better with each viewing, you will want to revisit the baseball team from the small Texas college town for years to come.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Everybody Wants Some !! Website

Forgotten Film:  Serpico  (1973)  R  Serpico (Al Pacino) is a good cop who has never wavered in his duty. When he can no longer stand the rampant corruption in the police department, he blows the whistle on them. His life is now in danger, and it’s not from the bad guys. Pacino gives one of his better performances and the film perfectly captures the New York City of the early 70s. It’s a film that explores how hard it is to fight a system that in so entrenched in its corruption. Serpico is a film that hits hard, and it’s Pacino with director Sidney Lumet that delivers the heavy blow.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Serpico Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Hardcore Henry:  Additional Voices

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Sing Street  (2016)  PG-13  A boy growing up in Dublin in the 1980’s stars a band to escape his broken family life.  This was one of the films that people kept talking about at the SXSW Film Festival. It looks like a film that I can get into.   Sing Street Website

Until Next Time!