Freaky

Note to readers: I currently am not willing to risk my health (I’m 62 and an asthmatic) by visiting a theatre. All films that I have seen for review have been screened in my home. I am not going to tell you whether or not to attend a theatre. Just be aware of the risks, do your research, and follow the instructions to the letter.

My View: Freaky (2020) R  Millie (Kathryn Newton) is just a teenage girl trying to survive the rigors of high school. She becomes the target of The Butcher (Vince Vaughn), her town's infamous serial killer, and then they switch bodies. Millie has 24 hours before the change becomes permeant. Freaky isn’t your typical slasher film as it has quite a bit of comedy in it. Taking a premise stolen from every teenager switches bodies with an adult, this film also makes fun of all the horrible deaths that we see in the normal teenagers are in trouble horror films. Vaughn and Newton are hilarious as they portray each other’s character inside their bodies. Vaughn does a masterful job of playing a man who is now inhabiting a teenage body. The film is buoyed by Millie’s ‘Scooby gang’ of her best friend (Celeste O’Connor), Josh (Misha Osherovich), her gay sidekick, and the boy Millie is secretly in love with (Uriah Shelton). Freaky is fun, sometimes silly, and the plot has a few holes in it, but who cares when trying to bring down a serial killer who is inhabiting your body.    My Rating: Full Price    Freaky Website  The film is currently playing in select theatres.

My View: Come Away (2020)  PG   Alice (Keira Chansa) and her brother, Peter (Jordan A. Nash), let their imaginations take them on fantastic journeys while enjoying the summer in the English countryside. When their older brother (Reece Yates) unexpectedly dies, Alice seeks temporary refuge going down a wondrous rabbit hole, while Peter escapes the harsh reality of the real world by entering the magical realm of the ‘Lost Boys.’ Come Away is one of those films that you want to love because the premise is so cool, but boy does it fail to capture any magic whatsoever. This is a beautiful looking movie, with some gorgeous scenes, but the story never quite gets on track, making the film seem incredibly long with an ending that is meant to inspire but fails to make sense. The film flirts with both the Peter Pan storyline and the Alice in Wonderland plot, but every time it visits those places, the film just doesn’t deliver the charm and wonder that it needs so desperately. I thought Keira Chansa carried the film, and she needed to because, unfortunately, Jordan A. Nash as Peter doesn’t have the charisma that the part requires. The movie is undoubtedly helped by the presence of David Oyelowo and Angelina Jolie as the parents, but they aren’t the focus of the film, the kids are. Ultimately, the story doesn’t deliver the wonder and amazement that Wendy and Peter deserve.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Come Away Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres and available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: The Climb (2019) R   Mike (Michael Angelo Covino) and Kyle (Kyle Marvin) are best friends, that is until Mike sleeps with Kyle’s fiancee (Judith Godreche). For a while, Mike and Kyle are enemies, but they can’t stay mad at each other too long, and soon they make up their friendship. Now Kyle has a new fiancee (Gayle Rankin), and Mike is determined to break that romance up also. First, let me say that there is one long tracking shot in this movie that has to be seen to be believed. This is a buddy picture where the two ‘buddies’ don’t always like each other. In fact, several times during the film, at least one of the two hates the other. The movie's humor is harsh and biting, as the two men always seem to be on a collision course filled with tension and words that often hurt. Covino and Marvin play off each other with incredible timing, making the film fun to see what they will say or do to each other next. As Kyle’s fiancee, Gayle Rankin almost steals the movie as she is determined to make sure that no matter what Mike does, she will be married to Kyle. The Climb is a film to watch and enjoy, filled with characters that you soon won’t forget.    My Rating: Full Price     The Climb Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: The Life Ahead (2020) PG-13   In a small seaside town in Italy, a Holocaust survivor, Madame Rosa (Sophia Loren), with a daycare business takes in a street kid, Momo (Ibrahima Gueye), who recently robbed her. Sophia Loren gives a beautiful and heartfelt performance as the tough but caring Madame Rosa. Madame Rosa has made her living taking care of the children of local prostitutes, something she has done since she quit the business. Rosa is in need of money when her doctor (Renato Carpentieri) brings the hard to handle Momo to her with a proposition that he will pay Rosa to take in the boy for a few months. Rosa reluctantly lets Momo stay with her, and an uneasy beginning starts a relationship between the aging madam and the street-smart boy. I enjoyed the slow warming between Rosa and Momo, as the two learn about each other, both learning to respect each other’s boundaries, with Rosa treating Momo like a young adult and Momo treating Rosa like a mystery that is needed to be solved. The Life Ahead is sure to bring a tear or two as the story is filled with love and heartbreak, just as it is in life.   My Rating: Full Price    The Life Ahead Website     The film is currently playing in select theatres and on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Ammonite  (2020) R  In 1840s England, Mary (Kate Winslet) lives in a seaside home with her aging mother. Mary is a well-respected fossil hunter. One day Roderick (Jame McArdle) and his wife, Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan), come into Mary’s shop with a proposition. Roderick will pay Mary to teach Charlotte about fossils while he is away on a scientific expedition. That fateful day will change Charlotte and Mary’s lives forever. First, the good: Winslet is terrific as the stone-faced, reserved Mary, who wants to be left alone with her fossils. Winslet often doesn’t speak with words but with just the slightest movement or facial expression, and we get precisely what Mary is thinking and feeling. Saoirse Ronan is up to the task as the depressed Charlotte, a woman who has lost the light inside her that her husband adored. The problem with this film is that it is incredibly predictable. Each move that is made by the characters is so laid out, it takes away from any spark the film has with the chemistry of the two leads. It’s always fun to watch Kate Winslet weave her spell on the screen; I wish I didn’t know what her character was going to do throughout the whole film.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Ammonite Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Fatman (2020) R   Times are hard for Chris Cringle (Mel Gibson), also known as Santa Claus. He takes a one-time deal to deliver some items for the U.S. military, but there is a problem. After getting a lump of coal for Christmas, a kid hires a hitman (Walter Goggins) to kill Santa. Little does the hitman know that this isn’t the first time someone has come after the jolly fat man. I don’t think this film will get you into the mood for Christmas, maybe a trip to the shooting range, but Christmas, no, I don’t think so. Santa is an unhappy old man who is worried that he has lost his touch and is about to go broke. Billy (Chance Hurstfield) is a ‘Richie Rich’ kind of kid who isn’t above hiring a hitman so that he can win a science fair. That hitman is someone who hates Santa (we find out why near the end of the film) and eagerly takes up the hit when Billy gets a lump of coal for Christmas. The film doesn’t always work, especially the second story of Santa having to work for the government. I kind of wish they had just left that out of the storyline. Goggins is just flat funny as the grumpy, Santa-hating hitman, as his character hits the road determined to bring down Christmas and everything it stands for. Fatman is an amusing idea that probably would have been better as an SNL skit, the plot doesn’t justify the feature-length treatment.   My Rating: Cable     Fatman Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres and available for rent on participating on-demand services on Nov. 17th.

Familyfaire: Wolfwalkers (2020) PG  A young apprentice hunter, Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), and his father journey to Ireland to wipe out the country’s last wolf pack. Once there, Robyn befriends Mebh (Eva Whittaker), a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves. Robyn uncovers a secret that could make her turn against her father. The team that brought us the Academy Award-nominated films The Secret of the Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014) bring their animated talents again to the screen to bring us the imaginative and visually striking Wolfwalkers. This is a fun play into the land of myth and legends, as our hero Robyn discovers that there are always two sides to a story. Convinced by her father that wolves are to be killed because they are evil, she soon finds herself alone in the forest, confronting the very beasts her father seeks to kill. This is a dazzling coming of age tale that is perfect for children, especially young girls, to try to understand those who you oppose. Wolfwalkers is a superb film filled with bewitching animation and a brave girl who takes a chance on friendship.    My Rating: Full Price     Wolfwalkers Website     The film is currently playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: The Ipcress File (1965)   Several vital scientists have been kidnapped and, after a few days, are released, with each scientist brainwashed with all of their knowledge gone. The British send counter-espionage Agent Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) to investigate. Palmer feels that he has been chosen for this mission because he feels he is expendable. The Ipcress File is a fascinating spy thriller with a very un-James Bond character. Caine is perfect as a spy with a weird sense of humor, tries too hard to impress the ladies, and isn’t the dapper spy that we think of when picturing a British agent. The storyline is intriguing, and there are plenty of twists to keep you interested. I love this film's feel and look, making it seem more like a film noir type of movie than just a spy caper.  My Rating: Full Price    The Ipcress File Info

Weird Credits: Credits from Come Away: Coffee

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  News of the World (2020) PG-13 Five years after the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) makes his living going town to town as a storyteller, reading from news accounts, telling stories of all kinds. In the plains of Texas, he finds Johanna ( Helena Zengel), a ten-year-old girl who was raised by the Kiowa people as their own. Against her will, the Captain agrees to take Johanna to her relatives in a remote town hundreds of miles away. The two will travel a great distance to meet the tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces to find Johanna a home. Hanks is reunited with his director from Captain Phillips (2013), which is all I need to know to want to see this western.    News of the World Website

Until Next Time!

The Invisible Man

My View: The Invisible Man (2020) R   Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) is in an abusive relationship with her husband (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), and with the help of her sister (Harriet Dyer), and their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge), she escapes and goes into hiding. When her husband takes his own life, Cecilia is the sole beneficiary of his will, leaving her millions of dollars. Cecilia was always told by her husband that he would hunt her down if she ever left him, even from the grave. Now Cecilia is convinced that her husband has figured out a way to become invisible, making her life a living hell. Over the past couple of months, I have seen some incredibly crappy films that have tried, very unsuccessfully, scare me. I am happy to tell you that finally, we have a suspense film (its not quite a horror film) that, through a smart and skillful script, creates scenes that are filled with tension and fear. In the age of ‘Me Too,’ it is refreshing that a film captures the real horror and panic of a woman being terrorized, and no one will believe her side of the story. What I love about this film is that while most of the characters, including some of Cecilia’s closest friends, feel that she is going nuts, we, the audience know that what Cecilia is experiencing isn’t a figment of her mind, but something that is really happening to her. The film deftly treats Cecilia as a strong woman who has legitimate fears of what her husband is capable of, even if it seems that he is attacking her from beyond his grave. Moss is perfect as the everywoman who is determined to solve what is happening to her, even if she has to do it by herself, powered on by only her wits and will power.   My Rating: Full Price     The Invisible Man Website

Indiefest: Emma. (2020) PG  Emma (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a young, beautiful woman, who much to the delight of her father, Mr. Woodhouse (Bill Nighy), refuses to marry. Instead of matrimony for herself, she feels it is her mission to play matchmaker for her friends and family. Emma’s plans don’t always work out, and Emma may find that love may be just around the corner, whether she wants it or not. Anya Taylor-Joy brightens up the screen in every scene she is in, making it so much fun to watch her character weave her magic with her friend's lives. Emma is a beautiful film to watch, filled with luscious scenery and amazing costumes. The film is a delight for not only your eyes but is filled with very amusing situations as Emma tries to influence everyone she encounters with her ideas about relationships. And, any film that has Bill Nighy as a hypochondriac father who is always on the lookout for a draft that he is convinced is in every corner of his household, is worth the price of admission. This Jane Austin adaptation is a film that the words delightful and enchanting kept coming into my mind as I was watching it.   My Rating: Full Price    Emma. Website

Indiefest: The Traitor (2019) R  The life of Tommaso Buscetta (Pierfrancesco Favino), the ‘boss of two worlds’ who was a high-ranking mafia chief who became an informant and brought down the Sicilian mafia in the 1980s. I go every year to the Cinema Italy Film Festival here in Atlanta and have seen some outstanding Italian mafia films. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of them. In what seems like a vanity project for lead actor Pierfrancesco Favino, the film is a slow, meandering film that seems much longer than its 2 hours and 25-minute length. I found the movie incredibly dull as I didn’t care what happened to any of the characters in the film and never truly understood why, after years of service, did Buscetta turn state’s witness for a crime family that made him a lot of money. The film wants to be a Godfather-like saga, but instead, we get a watered-down movie that has minimal action and a lot of scenes of courtrooms with very little substance or style. The film has won some awards and was up for the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, how? I have no clue. The only thing I know is I never want to see this film again.   My Rating: Cable    The Traitor Website

Indiefest: Beanpole (2019)   In 1945, post World War II Leningrad, two women (Viktoria Miroshnichenko, Vasilisa Perelygina) who bonded after fighting side by side as anti-aircraft gunners, are trying to put their lives back together when a shocking accident brings them closer and seals their fates. I want to warn you that very early in this film, there is a scene that is extremely uncomfortable and painful to watch. I have a feeling some people may leave the theatre after that scene, and it’s probably for the best because this is a film that is full of pain and misery. The film is about two women who have been damaged, both mentally and physically, by the horrors of war. Is the movie worth staying for? I believe so, mostly due to the moving performances of the two leads who are playing two characters that aren’t always likable, but you still want some piece of small happiness to happen in their lives. I was struck by how this film looked, where an occasional splash of color, like a green dress, seems like a tiny miracle to a landscape of cloudy days and old, dirty wallpaper. I don’t know if I will ever forget these characters, two women that try to survive with the help of each other.    My Rating: Full Price    Beanpole Website

Indiefest: Blood on Her Name (2019)   Leigh (Bethany Anne Lind) accidentally kills a man on her property, which Leigh decides to cover up. Leigh’s life becomes unraveled as she struggles to keep her son safe, her livelihood secure, and the deceased’s girlfriend (Elizabeth Rohm) at bay. Blood on Her Name is a hauntingly beautiful southern film noir movie that never feels the need to explain everything as we are thrown into the mix right from the start when we, along with Leigh, discover a dead body in her place of business. In a film where it seems, everyone is guilty of something and has something to hide, it’s hard to determine who to believe, but we do choose to root for Leigh because she may be involved with something dark and seedy, we can see that at her heart, she is a good person. Bethany Anne Lind gives a complex and multilayered performance as Leigh, that propels the film to its gritty finale. Leigh lives in a world where your mistakes will eventually catch up to you, and you hope that those mistakes of the past don’t cost you your life.    My Rating: Full Price   Blood on Her Name Website   

Forgotten Film: In The Loop (2009)   Shot in mock-documentary style, this hilarious film is about the people who work in the upper elections of government and how one badly miscommunicated statement can mushroom into a major problem. The US and Britain are trying to decide if they will declare war against an unnamed Middle Eastern country. I love this film and its quick and witty dialogue. The cast is brilliant with James Gandolfini, as a US general who is anti-war and Peter Capaldi as the communication director of the British Prime Mister stand out in roles that they just go nuts in. Why this film didn’t do well at the box office is beyond me because there are lines spoken that should be part of the banter of anyone who loves to quote movies.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     In the Loop Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Invisible Man: Head of Music Preparation

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Climb (2019) R   The friendship of two guys (Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin) as seen in a series of different chapters of their lives through the years. The film was the talk of the Sundance Film Festival as it is shot in a series of long takes. My fellow film critics that have seen the movie haven’t stopped talking about it. have seen the movie haven’t stopped talking about it.     The Climb Info

Until Next Time!