Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

My View: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) PG-13  The nation is in mourning after the death of King T’Challa. Queen Ramonda must guide her country to continue to strive to uphold their way of life and defend it from all enemies, even without their beloved leader. One thing that Marvel is good at doing is a tribute to someone who has died. They did it with Stan Lee, and now they have done it with the great Chadwick Boseman. While the film might not be quite as brilliant as the original, Wakanda Forever still is a good, if not great action picture about a nation and a family that is lost without their leader. The film centers on Shuri (Letitia Wright), who is trying to recover from the loss of her brother and King. The film brings back the gang, including Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia and Martin Freeman as our favorite CIA agent, Everett Ross. Along comes Namor (Tenoch Huerta), a ruler of an underwater nation threatening Wakanda and the rest of the world. Queen Ramonda is dealing with a world that wants Wakanda's technology while also dealing with this new threat in Namor and his nation of seemingly indestructible warriors. The film does a magnificent job of letting us mourn the death of T’Challa while still reveling in the wonders and heroics of the Wakandans. It helps that we fell in love with Wakanda and now must move on to the new regime while still remembering the magnificence of King T’Challa and the gifts he left behind. And be sure to stay through the closing credits for a mid-credits scene you don’t want to miss.   My Rating: Full Price  Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Website  Now in theatres nationwide.

My View: Spirited (2022) PG-13  Spirited is a modern-day musical retelling of Dickens's legendary Christmas story, with a miserable, miserly man (Ryan Reynolds) being visited on Christmas Eve by three ghosts to show his past, present, and future. You may never say ‘Good Afternoon’ the same again, but you will love this new Christmas musical addition to your Holiday tradition. This is a joyous retelling of the Dickens tale with a whole bunch of twists, including one amusing cameo. The musical numbers from Benji Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land) are bright and catchy, with both Reynolds and Will Ferrell showing some range in their voices and dance moves. I loved Octavia Spencer as Reynold’s character’s right-hand woman with a gold heart. Only critics with a bit of Scrooge will find this film not a joy to watch.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Spirited Info  Now in select theatres and on Apple TV+ Friday, November 18, 2022

Indiefest: Sam & Kate (2022) R  Sam (Jake Hoffman) has returned to his small hometown to care for his ailing but larger-than-life father, Bill (Dustin Hoffman). While home, Sam falls for a local woman named Kate (Schuyler Fisk). Just when things seem to be going great, Bill starts dating Kate’s mom, Tina (Sissy Spacek), and things will never be the same again. I enjoyed this film about two people that find love and then don’t let it go. First, it’s just fun to watch Dustin Hoffman as a crotchety old man who needs help from his adult son. Bill, as he makes his son call him, loves his son but feels that Sam has never achieved his potential. Sam loves his father but struggles to understand his father. Along comes Kate and her mother, Tina, into their lives. Both Kate and Tina are hiding secrets. Secrets that they don’t want to let other people into their lives to learn. However, Sam is a good guy, charming and warm, who slowly wins Kate over to go out with him. We then wonder if these two people can survive not only dating each other but that their parents are also dating. It’s fun seeing Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek on the screen together, but the real draw is the chemistry between Schuyler Fisk and Jake Hoffman that makes this film work so well. Sam & Kate is one of those small films you fall in love with, containing strong characters, winning performances, and a storyline that lets you think that maybe, just maybe, these characters can find happiness after all.   My Rating: Full Price  Sam & Kate Info  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Falling For Christmas (2022)   It’s a few days before Christmas, and a spoiled hotel heiress (Lindsay Lohan) has a skiing accident and is diagnosed with amnesia. She finds herself in the care of a handsome owner (Chord Overstreet) of a small skiing lodge and his daughter. Love might just catch our heiress, but what happens when she gets her memory back? Hey, you get Lindsay, Christmas, a handsome widower with a young daughter whose business is failing, and add a bit of It’s A Wonderful Life, and you have a delightful holiday movie that will get you in the mood for Christmas. Now the film follows a formula that has been used for years, but it’s helped by the comedic talent of Lohan, who shows she still has the charm and the timing to pull off the physical comedy of a young pampered woman who doesn’t know how to do anything, even make the bed. So get into the Christmas spirit and join Lindsay on a magical romantic holiday film.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Falling for Christmas Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Terrifier 2 (2022)  Years after he was thought dead and gone, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton has returned to Miles County to get revenge on Halloween night. The only thing standing in his way is a teenage girl (Lauren LaVera) and her young brother (Elliott Fullam). I am late to the party on this one, but this is the little horror film that could become a bit of a box office draw. Now I will warn you people have thrown up or have left due to the horrific killings that Art does in this film. However, if you have the stomach for it, this is a horror fan’s nightmare of a good time. Art is a unique character, a clown that doesn’t talk and delights in killing his victims in the most gruesome ways. Lauren LaVera is a force of nature in this film, as her character, Sienna, decides to take on Art and try to bring him down. Terrifier 2 is a horror film that has a bit of a sense of humor but with lots of blood to go with that humor. Not for everyone, but I had a blast watching this film in a somewhat packed theatre on Halloween night. Just as Art intended.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Terrifier 2 Info  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: The Exploding Girl (2009)   Ivy (Zoe Kazan) is back from college on a break and meets up with her friend Al (Mark Rendall), who has nowhere to stay because his parents have rented his room. Ivy and her mom let Al sleep on the couch for the week. Ivy has had a tough year, full of stress, that has brought on her epilepsy to the forefront. It doesn’t help that her mother seems more interested in her job than Ivy, and Ivy can’t get ahold of her boyfriend at all. Not a lot happens in this film (part of what was called the ‘mumblecore’ sub-genre of filmmaking that came out at this time, where characters said a lot but didn’t make lots of points, and films seemed to be just slices of life. The reason to see this film is Zoe Kazan, who director Bradley Rust Gray lets dominate the camera and the scenes with just a look. Kazan shows the flashes of brilliance that we later saw in films like The Big Sick (2017), Ruby Sparks (2012), and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and while the film falters a bit, Kazan never falters in the role.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Exploding Girl Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Fixtures Best Boy

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: She Said (2022) R  Two reporters at The New York Times, Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan), break the story of Harvey Weinstein and his years of sexual assault in Hollywood. She Said is one of the most talked about films of the year, and if it lives up to the hype, it could be a frontrunner for the Oscars.   She Said Website  In theatres nationwide mid-November. 

Until Next Time!

Black Adam

My View: Black Adam (2022) PG-13   Nearly 5000 years have passed since Black Adam was bestowed with the powers of the Egyptian gods and then imprisoned in a tomb. Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson)has been freed and is willing to unleash his form of justice on the world, and the world isn't ready. I don’t know if it's the fault of the writers, the director, or Dwayne Johnson himself, but the character Black Adam is just dull. I am a huge wrestling fan, having started watching it when I was a kid with my dad. My favorite wrestler of all time is The Rock because he was terrific on the mic, had great dramatic/comic timing, and had charisma to burn. Unfortunately, other than the Fast and the Furious films, the things I loved about The Rock have never entirely translated to the screen. In Black Adam Johnson is, to put it bluntly, boring. Maybe it’s because this superhero seems to have very little chinks in his armor, meaning there is little that can hurt or defeat him, other than a ‘kryptonite’ like substance that shows up a few times. The problem is mainly that Black Adam is a one-dimensional character who doesn’t want to be a superhero. That’s what's wrong with this film is that we are constantly being told over and over that Black Adam isn’t a hero by both himself and others. Maybe that’s the problem; if the hero doesn’t want to be one, should we want it just because he looks like one? For someone who fought so hard for this film to be made, Dwayne Johnson looks like a man who doesn’t want to be there. And yes, there is a mid post-credits scene at the end of the film to set up a next Black Adam film.    My Rating: Cable  Black Adam Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide. 

My View: Ticket to Paradise (2022) PG-13 A long-time divorced couple (Julia Roberts, George Clooney) travel to Bali to stop their only daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) from marrying. They don’t want their daughter to make the same mistake they made 25 years ago. This is one of those films that you will enjoy just because of the cast, even though the script is incredibly weak and the film's second half falls apart very quickly. Roberts and Clooney are obviously having a great time making this slight rom-com of a movie, which helps. Their bickering throughout the film's first half is the highlight, but once the film gets a little warm-hearted, it starts to crack at its seams. The film is incredibly predictable, but that’s ok because Cooney and especially Roberts have the acting chops to make it work. This film would probably be unwatchable if it had been anybody else in the leads. By the way, other than a drunken party scene where Clooney and Roberts are dancing and playing beer pong, the most fun of Ticket to Paradise is during the credits, where we see the outtakes where the two are riffing just to crack each other up, never a good thing.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Ticket to Paradise Website  Now playing the theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Raymond & Ray (2022) R Half-brothers Raymond (Ewan McGregor) and Ray (Ethan Hawke) go on a road trip to bury a father they both hated. It’s a trip where they will learn much about their father and, in return, learn about themselves and each other. I liked but didn’t love this film about two brothers haunted by their past with a father who seemed to delight in making their lives as miserable as possible. I enjoyed the two performances of McGregor and Hawke, who play off each other as two brothers who share a dark past, where the two were very different but bonded over a shared fear of their father and what he would say or do. The film is filled with a cast of colorful characters, sometimes going a bit overboard, but it’s always fun to see how the two brothers will react to each person they interact with. Raymond & Ray is a film about dealing with the past, finding a way to heal, and go forward. Something we could all afford to do at some point in our lives.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee  Raymond & Ray Info Now playing on the Apple TV+ platform.

Indiefest: The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) R  Two lifelong friends, Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), have been meeting for years every afternoon to walk down to their local pub and have a conversation. Until one day, Colm refuses to answer the door, claiming he has no more time to have stupid conversations with Padraic. Things go downhill from there. To say that this film is Irish to the core would be an understatement. At times it’s a hilarious comedy, and other times it goes incredibly dark. This may be the best performance that Colin Farrell has ever done, as Padraic, a simple man who can’t understand why his best friend has decided to shun him. It’s beautiful to watch as Farrel's character stumbles through life, not understanding that what has worked in the past won’t work anymore. As you would expect, Brendan Gleeson is phenomenal as Colm, a man who has decided to change his life and try to accomplish something lasting before he dies. I expect an Oscar nomination for Gleeson, but I want one for Farrell also, who has never gotten an Oscar nod. What makes this film stand out is the supporting cast. The film is richer because of the just outstanding work by Kerry Condon, who plays Siobhan, the sister of Padraic, who is smart and fiery but is constantly reminded by everyone that she has never married. Condon is a delight to watch as Siobhan knows that she will continue to live a miserable life if she stays on the island. And then there is Barry Keoghan, who plays the lovable village idiot Dominic. Dominic isn’t the most intelligent guy in the world, but he is good at telling people what they need to hear, whether they want to hear it or not. So, visit Padraic, Colm, and the rest of the gang on an island that seems to be in its own little world, for better or worse.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Banshees of Inisherin Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: My Policeman (2022) R Set in England in the 1950s, Tom (Harry Styles) and Marion (Emma Corrin) have just started dating when they meet Patrick (David Dawson), a museum curator. The three become fast friends sharing a love of art. However, Marion soon discovers that Tom and Patrick share much more, which could change everything. The film starts in the present time with the older couple (Gina McKee, Linus Roache) bringing stroke victim Patrick (Rupert Everett) into their home. Marion discovers Patrick’s diaries and begins to read and relive their early life. We see how the relationship between Tom and Marion starts, but then we also see that Tom and Patrick share a secret also. Much has been made of late of Harry Styles's acting ability, and to say he is the weak link in the cast would be an understatement. I have a feeling that was known ahead of time, as the older cast does most of the heavy lifting of the storyline. The plot is very thin other than showing off Harry’s butt (at one point accompanied by the singing of Glory), and the ending feels rushed. Other than the fans of Harry Styles, I don’t see many people checking this film out.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  My Policeman Website  Now playing in select theatres and on Amazon Prime on Nov. 4th.

My View: The School for Good and Evil (2022) PG-13  In the village of Gavaldon are two unlikely best friends, Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie). Sophie dreams of becoming a princess, and Agatha of becoming a witch. Under a blood-red moon, the two girls are swept away to a school where fairy tales come true, The School for Good and Evil. I had a good time watching this film about a school which is divided by whether you are considered a candidate to be a ‘hero’ or a ‘villain .’ Other than the Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games, few films have been able to capture the magic and enchantment of the fantasy worlds of YA novels, but I think this does a great job translating the feeling and scope that the author of the books intended. I enjoyed the world this film creates, and it’s helped by a stellar cast that includes Kerry Washington, Charlize Theron, Laurence Fishburne, and Michelle Yeoh. The two leads hold their own as the two best friends are thrown into this world, one who wants to be there and the other who desperately wants to return to reality. The movie is a little too long to hold young kids' attention, but I think fans of YA books will enjoy this film about how you think you fit into the world isn’t how others see you fitting in.  My Rating; Bargain Matinee  The School for Good and Evil Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Decision to Leave (2022)  Hae-Joon (Park Hae-il) is a detective investigating the death of a man who has fallen from a mountain. The death is suspicious, and the main suspect is the dead man’s wife, Seo-Rae (Tang Wei). The mystery has just started, and more deaths may be on the horizon if Hae-Joon can’t solve the case. In the 80s, there was a slew of erotic thrillers where a guy, usually a detective, would get caught up in a relationship with a woman connected to a crime. She was usually the prime suspect, but our ‘hero’ couldn’t resist her and would get caught up in a web of lies and subplots. Well, in filmmaker Park Chan-Wook’s latest film, we have all that, though the erotic part is mostly through glances, small gestures, and even eating. This is a film that you will be asking, ‘did she or didn’t she’ as our hero, an hard-working, married detective who suffers from insomnia, falls for a prime suspect in a possible murder. Decision to Leave is a beautifully shot film where we often go into the detective's mind as he sorts through what this mysterious woman is saying and doing. I loved the chemistry between the two leads, as they rarely even touch, but the pull between the two is so sharp it almost cuts the screen. Park Chan-Wook has given us a movie about obsessive love and the consequences that it can cause. Love can be incredible, but it can also be deadly. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Decision to Leave Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Triangle of Sadness (2022) R  Model Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean) have been invited for a luxury cruise on a yacht full of super-rich passengers. A storm is brewing, and these passengers may find that their trip won’t be as smooth sailing as they hoped. In fact, it just might end badly. I always have a hard time describing a film like this. It’s part comedy, part satire, and at times, way over the top in absurdity. The film deals with many subjects, from the class system, Marxism, and patriarchal and matriarchal societies, with a little bit of Lord of the Flies and a dash of Zoolander for good measure. The movie spends too much of its first half exploring the dynamics of Carl and Yaya, then takes its time setting up the class system on the yacht before things go all to hell. A fair warning, there is a lot of throwing up, among other nasty things, as the boat starts to fall apart. I enjoyed some of Triangle of Sadness, but the almost two and half hours run time was just too much to keep me interested for the whole shebang.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Triangle of Sadness Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Forgotten Film: A Christmas Carol (1951) The Charles Dickens story of Ebenezer Scrooge (Alastair Sim), a man whose only love in his heart is for money, is visited by three ghosts to learn about his life and the error of his ways. I consider this the best of all the ‘Christmas Carol’ movies, with a brilliant performance by Alastair Sim as Scrooge. The film is in black and white, which it uses to its advantage, making the film seem much scarier than others that came after this one. Plus, this film has one of my all-time favorite character actors, Hermione Baddeley, who had a great career, including an Oscar nomination for her role in the 1958 film Room at the Top.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  A Christmas Carol Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Ticket to Paradise: Brushhand

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Spirited (2022) PG-13 A musical retelling of A Christmas Carol starring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, and Octavia Spencer. If the trailer is any indication, this is going to be a fun one. We could all use a funny, delightful Christmas film.  Spirited Info  In theatres Friday, Nov. 11th, and on Apple TV+ on Friday, Nov. 18th.   

Until Next Time!