The 5th Wave

My View:  The 5th Wave  (2016)  PG-13  Four waves of increasingly savage alien attacks have hit earth and have devastated the planet. Cassie (Chloe Grace Moretz) is trying to save her younger brother from the aliens and may be the key to defeating them.  I liked this film, but it does follow the Young Adult book formula (it’s based on a best-selling soon to be trilogy): there is a love triangle, the two love interests for the main girl is a bad boy and a good guy, and kids are going to have to save the world because the adults can’t. As usual, Chloe Grace Moretz gives a satisfying performance, but the film is brought down by some rather stiff dialogue and not enough action. I will say that there was a twist in the plot that I didn’t see coming. Overall, it’s an acceptable film, but it could have been so much more.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The 5th Wave Facebook Page

My View: Dirty Grandpa  (2016) R  Jason (Zac Efron) is an uptight guy about to marry the girl of his dreams. He is tricked into taking his grandfather (Robert De Niro), a retired Army general, to Florida for spring break. After this trip, Jason will never be the same.  I hated this film. I have never seen a movie that uses more F-bombs, and most are when the Efron and De Niro characters interact. If you think jokes about pedophilia, selling drugs to minors and that it’s nothing to get arrested are funny, then this film is for you. Only Zac Efron fans should see this movie, and that’s only because you see a lot of Zac naked or without a shirt.  Oh, and it has one of the worst endings that I have ever seen.  This film is causing me to reconsider my respect and profound love for Robert De Niro.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Dirty Grandpa Website

Indiefest:  45 Years  (2015)  R  Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and her husband Geoff (Tom Courtenay) had to cancel the party for their 40th wedding anniversary, so with their 45th coming up, they plan a big celebration. Kate’s world starts to fall apart when she learns something about Geoff’s past. This is a film that moves slowly but brilliantly, as the relationship between Geoff and Kate starts coming apart closer to their anniversary. Reliving the past is tough on Geoff as he retreats further into his thoughts and spends less time with his wife. Director/writer Andrew Haigh, adapting a short story by David Constantine, has done a masterful job of bringing this moving and heartbreaking film to the screen. He creates tension slowly, as the couple deals desperately with the growing chasm between them. Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay are brilliant together on the screen. Their interaction makes it seem that they truly have been with each other for those forty five years. 45 Years is a touching film that will stay with you for a long time. There is a scene near the end of the movie where Rampling takes your breath away; the look she gives is just so painful to experience. We don’t know if their marriage survives.  We just know it will never be the same.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   45 Years Website

Indiefest:  Ip Man 3  (2015)  Pg-13   When a band of brutal gangsters threaten to overtake the city, Master Ip (Donnie Yen) is forced to take a stand against them. This is one of the best Kung Fu movies I have seen in the past ten years due to the excellent action sequences, a good script, Donnie Yen can act as well as fight, and the camera movement is exceptional. And, yes, Mike Tyson is in the film as the bad guy. He can’t act, but he does have a marvelous fight sequence with Yen. If you like action movies, I highly recommend this film.  My Rating: Full Price   Ip Man 3 Website

Indiefest:  Synchronicity  (2015)  R  Physicist Jim Beale (Chad McKnight) invents a time travel machine. He becomes suspicious of a woman (Brianne Davis) whom he meets.  To learn her motives, he sends himself back in time, potentially stopping the woman from stealing his invention for an untrustworthy venture capitalist.  Synchronicity is a low budget but excellent looking Sci-Fi movie that has a rather complicated love story at its center. It's also a mystery with more twists and turns than you could ever imagine. Some are slightly predictable, but more than once I was fooled and surprised. Writer/director Jacob Gentry never lets the film drag or get static. The film does get a bit complicated at times, but it does an excellent job of keeping us in the know as the movie progresses. I especially enjoyed the two leads of the movie. Chad McKnight, who plays the determined scientist Jim, has an nice presence on the screen and brings us a character that is the hero who tries to save his machine from the clutches of Klaus, yet he is also ready to risk everything for love. He has great chemistry with Brianne Davis who plays the mysterious and possible evil Helen. Davis has a quality about her that makes her the perfect femme fatale, bringing both an air of sexiness and smarts to the screen. Michael Ironside, who doesn’t play a huge part, still brings his menacing style to the screen, making Klaus a man not to be messed with. Synchronicity is a stylish Sci-Fi with a bit of film noir and mystery built in. It's a film that any Sci-Fi fan can get into and truly enjoy. It will keep you guessing on how it's going to end to very last frame.    My Rating: Full Price   Synchronicity Website

Forgotten Film:  Birth  (2004)  R  A young boy, Sean (Cameron Bright) shows up at a woman’s (Nicole Kidman) apartment and announces that he is her dead husband reincarnated. Even though her friends don’t believe the little boy, Anna (Nicole Kidman) slowly but surely starts to believe his story that the day he died while jogging, he was reborn as Sean.  This is an intriguing thriller that keeps you guessing how it will end. Kidman is dazzling as the widow. There is an scene where the camera stays on her face while she is at the Opera. In those three minutes, you see her gradually come to the decision that Sean is her husband. If you like thrillers/mysteries, and you love exceptional performances, this film is for you.   My Rating:  Full Price   Birth Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Dirty Grandpa:  Vault Operator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Race (2016)  R  The story of Jessie Owens, who went on to win 4 Gold Medals at the 1936 Olympics in  Nazi Germany.   The trailer looks outstanding and having seen a recent documentary on the subject; I can’t wait to see what they do with the story.   Race Website

Until Next Time!

The Revenant

My View:  The Revenant  (2015)  R  A frontiersman, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), are scouts for a trapping expedition that is hit by Indians. Glass leads the men to an escape path when he is attacked by a bear and left for dead. Glass must now battle the elements to survive.   “The Revenant” is a brutally violent movie, but that violence is not exploited like a "campy" horror film and is shown to illustrate how harsh the world was in that time. The bear attack is horrific and goes on so long it becomes very uncomfortable to watch. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu has created action sequences that are stunning to watch, especially since that scene was done with minimal amount of CGI special effects (mostly to animate the bear) and without “green screens.” Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of his most powerful and captivating performances of his career. If he does win the Oscar for this role, it won’t be because of the dialogue as DiCaprio has more lines in Pawnee than in English. DiCaprio gives this part his all, and we can see it in his face and eyes as he fights for survival.  Overall, this is a film that, on one hand is beautiful and awe-inspiring, but also is a brutal movie to watch as we see men pushed to their very limits in a world that does not forgive. This film is a difficult journey the audience, but the performances of DiCaprio and Hardy make it worth the effort      My Rating: Full Price   The Revenant Website

My View:  The Forest (2015)  PG-13  The Aokigahara Forrest is at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan.  While a beautiful place, it’s known for one thing…where people go to commit suicide. Sara Price (Natalie Dormer) is in the area to search for her missing twin sister.  Sara must now enter the forest to try and find what happened, and it could be the last thing she ever does. Unfortunately, this is another of a long line of your run-of-the-mill horror films. It is rarely scary, relies on  “jump out of the dark” devices to produce the scary scenes. The storyline is simple and too predictable with an ending that you see coming a mile away. Natalie Dormer does a lot of screaming/running but isn’t asked to do too much more. Skip this film and rent “It Follows” instead.   My Rating: Cable   The Forest Website

Forgotten Film:  Places in the Heart (1984) PG   In 1930’s Texas, a sheriff’s widow (Sally Field), with the help of her kids, a black hobo (Danny Glover) and a blind boarder (John Malkovich), attempt to raise, then harvest that season’s first cotton crop. If they can succeed, the widow can save the family farm. The film features three astonishing performances by Glover, Malkovich and especially Field. It’s a story of perseverance and overcoming the odds, and the theme of the importance of family makes this film work so well.   My Rating: Full Price   Places in the Heart Info

In Case, You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray):   Sicario  (2015)  R  An FBI agent (Emily Blunt) is sent to join a task force to aid Mexico in the war against the drug cartels.  As she gets deeper and deeper into the mission, she starts to question the methods used to take down the cartels. Blunt gives a masterful performance in the film, making us root for her FBI agent character. Benicio Del Toro is perfectly cast as a mysterious, menacing consultant who just might be a C.I.A. agent with an agenda of his own. I liked the action sequences which were fast moving and well-choreographed. I just wish the script had been a little tighter, as there are a few plot holes that never get addressed. The film does have a scintillating score that helps create tension. This movie, due to its subject matter, that is hard to watch, though I enjoyed the film, yet it’s not one that I will want to revisit anytime soon.    My Rating: Full Price   Sicario Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Revenant:  Makeup Effects Lab Technician: Beaver Fabricator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The 5th Wave  (2016)  PG-13  Four waves of increasingly savage alien attacks have hit earth and have devastated the planet. Cassie (Chloe Grace Moretz) is trying to save her younger brother from the aliens and may be the key to defeating them. I love Chloe Grace Moretz and think she is one of the better young actresses in films today. Count me in for this one.   The 5th Wave Facebook page

Until Next Time!