Summerland

My View:   Summerland (2020) PG    During World War II, a single English writer, Alice (Gemma Arterton), is given an evacuee child, Frank (Lucas Bond), to raise as his father fights the war. Both Frank and Alice will discover friendship and how time can repair anything, including past loves. Right from the start, Gemma Arterton steals your heart as a woman whose life is filled with what could have been. Alice is a woman who wants to be left alone to write, but when Frank joins her world, she slowly comes to realize that her life has been missing something. The storyline is fun and has a few cool twists that I didn’t see coming. I don’t want to give too much away, but let's say that this film is filled with love and Arterton’s winning performance.    My Rating: Full Price    Summerland Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Yes, God, Yes (2019) R   Alice (Natalia Dyer) is a Catholic teenager in the early 2000s and her body in inflict with what her religious upbringing is telling her about sex. Her church has a weekend get together for teens, and it just might provide the answers that Alice is looking for, or will it? This delightful and funny film about a young woman who wants to understand the sexual feelings that she has begun to explore. Alice is a confused and sweet teenager that just wants some answers. Unfortunately, the Catholic church isn’t going to give her the answers she needs or wants. What I loved about this film is that Alice is kind of an innocent dunce as it comes to her sexual feelings, and we delight in her discovery that maybe what everyone is telling her isn’t the truth or set in the real world. The film moves along at a quick pace, and though the film can get a little raunchy, it still is a fun time with a character that is a blast to be with.     My Rating: Full Price     Yes, God, Yes Website    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View:  Stockton on My Mind (2020)   Documentary on Michael Tubbs, who in his twenties, the same day that Donald Trump was elected President, became Mayor of Stockton, California. Mayor Tubbs, the son of a teenage mother and a father who was always in prison, decided to use private and public partnerships to create innovative and sometimes controversial programs to improve his community's conditions. Watching this movie, you will admire Mayor Tubbs, and you hope that his ideas work, but we never quite get in-depth with the Mayor or what his voting public thinks about him or his programs. The film and its subject are in the right place and maybe in a few years, we can look back and think about how progressive and great the Mayor’s programs are. The problem is that currently, we don’t know and that makes this film seem not quite finished.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Stockton on My Mind Website    The film is currently on the HBO platform.

My View:  The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020) PG   A widow, Miranda (Katie Holmes), is trying to make ends meets while raising three children and dating her boyfriend, Tucker (Jerry O’Connell). A devastating storm comes to town and brings a mysterious man, Bray (Josh Lucas) into Miranda, and her life will never be the same. I wanted to like this movie, but as the film went on, it got just stupid and created an ending that even the Hallmark Channel wouldn’t consider doing. This isn’t a horrible film, but you have to wonder what happened to Katie Holmes's career that she has to take this type of role. The film is filled with preaching about how the power of positive thinking will change your life, but the only thing positive about this film is that you aren’t going to like it.    My Rating: Cable     The Secret: Dare to Dream Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  The Fight (2020) PG-13    The documentary gives an inside look at the lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and the battles they face during the Trump administration. The film follows four ACLU lawyers, each working on a different case that pits the individual against the government, but each case could have far-reaching results that could go to change how rights are seen. The film does a great job giving us insight into just how the ACLU works as they continually fight for our freedom. The film doesn’t gloss over the idea that sometimes the ACLU fights for the rights of some organizations that most of us don’t approve (like the KKK or radicals), but it also makes the point that is why our democracy works, giving everyone the right to vote, to serve our country and to marry who we want. I will warn you that there a couple of times that you will need a tissue as some of the cases deal with very touching subjects such as parents being separated from their children in detention centers. You may not always agree with who they defend or what those people stand for, but you will understand what a courageous and challenging job it is through this film.    My Rating: Full Price      The Fight Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: Rebuilding Paradise (2020) PG-13   After the devastating ‘Camp Fire’ wildfires in 2018, where 85 people lost their lives, the community of Paradise, California, attempts to pick up the pieces. Ron Howard directed this documentary about what happened to this community in the months after the fire that wiped out over 18,000 homes. The film concentrates on some of the town people, including a former mayor who wants to rebuild a young police officer with a family and a school superintendent who is trying to keep her district alive and working. The film begins with horrific scenes of the fire, including camera phone movies as people evacuated their homes to the fire. The rest of the film explores just how devastating the loss of life and homes was on the people who lived in the area. The film does explore a little bit of the causes of the fire and the environmental damage that people have caused in the area to make the fire more powerful, but the focus is on the people. We get to see just how these people are coping and how hard they are trying to get their lives back together. My Rating: Full Price     Rebuilding Paradise Website    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Forgotten Film:   The Crimson Kimono (1959)   Two detectives (Glenn Corbett, James Shigeta) are on a case to find a stripper’s killer in the Japanese part of Los Angeles. Little Tokyo. Their partnership is threatened when both men fall for the same woman (Victoria Shaw). I love that this film is two films in one, a murder mystery and a romance that deals with inter-racial relations. The film has a great black and white look to it, making it seem very stark and realistic. The murder mystery is a little weak, but the three-way romance more than makes up for it, creating a movie that was way before its time.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Crimson Kimono Info

Weird Credits:   From the credits of Summerland: Marine Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   Kajillionaire (2020) R   Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood) has spent her whole life doing one low-level scam after another with her parents (Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins). Old Dolio’s life is changed when Melanie (Gina Rodriguez) joins the group for a major heist. The film is written and directed by Miranda July, who made one of my favorite movies of the 00s, Me and You and Everyone We Know.     The Kajillionaire Info

Until Next Time!

Fatal Affair

My View:  Fatal Affair (2020)   Ellie (Nia Long) is in a marriage to Marcus (Stephen Bishop), that is having some rocky times. Ellie runs into a flame from her past, David (Omar Epps), and though she is tempted, she does not stray. The problem is that David won’t give up on Ellie, no matter how much she tries to avoid him, and David doesn’t like to be denied. The plot is pretty much what you expect, a crazy stalker goes after a former love and attacks her and her family, first with deception and possible blackmail, followed by stalking and then the final confrontation. Fatal Affair isn’t a bad movie, just a highly predictable storyline that doesn’t bring anything new to the genre, and the chemistry between Long and Epps is nothing spectacular. If you are into the ‘Lifetime’ style plot, you might want to spend the hour and thirty minutes watching this. If this type of genre is not your thing, it’s fine to skip it.   My Rating: Cable    Fatal Affair Website   Available on the Netflix website.

My View:  The Sunlit Night (2019)   After her boyfriend breaks up with her, and her art is rejected by the critics, Frances (Jenny Slate) travels to faraway Norway to help a painter (Fridtjov Saheim) with his latest art project. I love Jenny Slate, and she doesn’t disappoint in this lighthearted and a quirky film. The film is filled with some zany characters like the surly painter Frances is assisting in helping paint an abandoned barn in really bright yellow and orange colors. Zack Galifianakis is funny as an American who somehow has become the Viking chief of the town. A few performers are wasted with smaller parts, like David Paymer as Frances’s father, a frustrated illustrator who is talented but is forced to do illustrations for medical journals and Gillian Anderson, who shows up and says maybe two lines. However, this is Slate’s movie, and she is up to the task as the flighty painter who rediscovers her passion for painting in this weird little town. The Sunlit Night is just a fun time with a character that you will enjoy watching her figure out not only this strange small town but her life as well.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Sunlit Night Info   Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View:  Father Soldier Son (2020) R   Documentary on a former platoon sergeant and his two young sons spanning over a decade, chronicling his return home after a severe combat injury. The filmmakers were given unprecedented access to the family over a span of ten years. We see the Eisch family deal with all sorts of obstacles that test the family is its will to carry on. It was hard seeing a single father (the wife left years ago, never seeing her two young sons) having to leave his sons behind as he gets deployed once again to Afghanistan. That is heartbreaking enough, but the sergeant, a highly decorated soldier, gets severely injured and has to go through years of hard and agonizing rehab. There are some good times, as the family deals with life, but I will warn you, there will be a lot of times you will pull out multiple tissues. The film gives us an inside look on just how tough it is to be a military family, dealing with the aftereffects of war. It’s hard enough raising a family, but this film shows just how almost impossible it is in these tough times. The film will keep you watching as you will want to see how the family overcomes all its struggles.   My Rating: Full Price    Father Soldier Son Website   Available on the Netflix website.

Indiefest:  The Painted Bird (2019)   A young Jewish boy (Petr Kotlar) is left with a relative in Eastern Europe during World War II, and after that relative dies, the boy goes on a quest to find his family. I knew that this was going to be an incredibly tough film to watch based on the amount of press the film got at several film festivals where people walked out of screenings and the legendary reputation of the graphic content of the 1960s book the film is based on. I will warn you that it is a hard watch, with lots of very uncomfortable situations that this young boy has to go through to survive the war. I won’t go into detail, but if you get upset over graphic material dealing with the welfare of children, then don’t watch this film. Shot in black and white, which makes the film feel stark and harsh, the film is brought to life by an incredible performance of Petr Kotlar, who almost goes the whole movie without saying a word. It’s a film full of tragic events, but it shows just how much the human spirit will endure to survive.   My Rating: Full Price      The Painted Bird Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Two Ways to Go West (2020)   Gavin (James Liddell) is a recovering addict who survives testing his sobriety on the Vegas Strip. Returning to their hotel rooms, the bachelor party escalates, and Gavin and his friends go down a road he never wanted to confront. I wanted to like this film, but it felt too much like a stage play, as the film is primarily set in one hotel room where three friends discuss life. The plot is incredibly predictable, and the dialogue feels forced. I never really cared about Gavin, a TV star who we quickly see go down a road of self-destruction. The film feels like a student film project that the lead actor wrote to show off his acting talents to other filmmakers. The film ends with a dull thud as nothing is settled or even close to being resolved.   My Rating: Cable    Two Ways to Go West Facebook Page    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Blessed Child (2019)   Filmmaker Cara Jones attempts to finally break free from the cult that she belonged to that dominated her childhood: Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church. The filmmaker was part of what could be considered the preeminent American family that belonged to the Unification Church, as her parents, who had four kids, were high ranking members of the Church. I wanted more from this film, as we are continually told that the Church is a cult, but the film takes such a soft approach to the subject, mostly due to the fact that while all the children are no longer members of the Church, their parents are still heavily involved. The film is a personal look at how the church impacted the filmmaker and one of her brothers, Bow, who in his teens realized that he was gay (considered a sin in the church). I just never quite connected with Jones on her exploration of the church and how it affected her life. There are so many unanswered questions, so much that isn’t explored in the film, that I came away feeling that I really didn’t learn much about the church and why it was such a bad influence in people’s lives.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Blessed Child Info    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  We Are Freestyle Love Supreme  (2020)  Before Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking musical smash Hamilton, he was in a comedy improv hip-hop freestyle group called Freestyle Love Supreme. What a fun film to watch as Lin-Manuel and his friends perform in front of paying adoring crowds or by themselves as they walk down the street. Fans of Miranda are going to love this film as we see just how Miranda found his voice that he turned into Broadway magic. The film covers how the group was formed and goes over some of the group's changes during the years. What never changes is how much fun the cast has and how they delight in each other's performances. Pull up a seat and let these freestyle comedic talents run wild with words and song.  My Rating: Full Price    We Are Freestyle Love Supreme Website      Available on the Hulu website.

Forgotten Film: Last Orders (2001) R   Jack (Michael Caine) was a butcher who, for over fifty years, enjoyed a pint with his friends. Before he died, he requested that his ashes be scattered in the sea. Three friends (Bob Hoskins, David Hemmings, and Tom Courtenay), along with Jack’s son (Ray Winstone), go on a journey to celebrate Jack’s life and respect his last wish. The film is about love and friendship, told in flashbacks, as the four travel. Jack’s widow (Hellen Merrin) goes on her quest to visit a daughter who has been committed to an institution. Great performances by the cast make this a film hit all the right notes.   My Rating: Full Price     Last Orders Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Fatal Affair: Netflix move app operator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Summerland (2020) PG  During World War II, a single English writer (Gemma Arterton) is given an evacuee child to raise as his father fights the war. Both the child and the woman will discover friendship and how time can repair anything, including past loves. I absolutely adore Gemma Arterton, so I can’t wait for this film.     Summerland Website

Until Next Time!