Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

My View:  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2  (2017)  The Guardians have a price on their head as Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) family heritage will become clearer. I had a great time watching this movie. I think it’s funnier than the first because now we know these characters, how they work together and react to situations. While Baby Groot steals the film, I also enjoyed Dave Batista as Drax, the mountain of a man who has no filter when he speaks. A major charm of the last film was the soundtrack, and while I did enjoy it, it didn’t always deliver the needed emotion for the scene. The film is a blast to watch and moves at a quick pace. The opening action sequence is brilliantly done and so funny. Save some bucks and don’t see it in 3-D because it wasn’t shot in that format. And yes, stay all the way through the credits due to the five, yes five, bonus scenes.  My Rating: Full Price   Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Website

Indiefest:  The Dinner  (2017)  Stan (Richard Gere), a popular congressman running for Governor, and his wife (Rebecca Hall), invite his troubled younger brother, Paul (Steve Coogan), and his wife, Claire (Laura Linney), to a fancy dinner at a high-priced restaurant. The two families are connected because their sons have committed a terrible crime. This is a film that some film critics are going to like because the director takes chances, but in my opinion, those chances don’t work. An example of this is when Claire is in a room with Paul and a friend.  As Paul reads, not paying mind to the conversation going on, we hear both the conversation between the two women and what Paul is reading. So, trying to understand what the women were talking about was very difficult. There are a number of flashbacks, which makes the film feel choppy and the flashbacks unnecessary.  I did like the performances of the main cast, especially Richard Gere as the congressman who seems to care more about getting a bill passed than his family. Overall, the film makes you work too hard for very little return.    My Rating: Cable   The Dinner Website

Indiefest:  My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea  (2016)  In this animated film, an earthquake causes a high school to float into the sea and begins slowly to sink like a shipwreck. I never could get into this strange film. I liked the look of the animation, with hand drawings, but the tone of the movie was depressing, and I hated the ending. There are some funny scenes, but they are few and far between, and the main character’s sarcasm drags the film down. With sharks tearing students to bits and dead bodies floating around, it’s not a film for kids. I loved the idea behind the movie, but it never quite captured the magic to make it work.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray): The Comedian  (2017)  R  Jackie (Robert De Niro) is an insult comedian who has seen better days. His fans are stuck in the past when he had a hit TV show in the 80’s. Jackie has just about hit rock bottom, so can he mount one last comeback? This movie should have been better, and I think its failing is due to its star. I never believed that De Niro was a stand-up comedian. His delivery is horrible, he looks so uncomfortable up on stage, and he was not helped by jokes that aren’t much better.  The movie only comes to life when Leslie Mann is on-screen as the love interest. There is great chemistry between De Niro and Mann, and the film slows way down when she isn’t in a scene. I did enjoy seeing old pros like Charles Grodin and Billy Crystal gives De Niro’s character some guff, but the film never finds its footing, and I hated the ending (it should have ended 5 minutes before).  If you are going to make a film about a comic, the heckler shouldn’t be the funniest thing.   My Rating:  Cable   The Comedian Website

Forgotten Film: Silkwood  (1983)  Based on a true story, Silkwood is the story of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep), a worker at a plant that makes plutonium fuel rods for nuclear reactors. Karen blows the whistle on dangerous conditions at the plant. Her life, though, is made a living hell by both the company she works for and her fellow workers who are worried their jobs are in jeopardy.  Streep gives another one of her stunning and fascinating performances. Streep’s performance is bolstered by a strong cast including Kurt Russell as her on again/off again boyfriend and Cher as her best friend. What I love about this film is that director Mike Nichols does a lot of long takes, using these actors to their fullest.  It’s a heartbreaking film but a moving performance by Streep.   My Rating:  Full Price   Silkwood Info

Weird Credits:  Credits from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Prosthetic Makeup Artist to Dave Bautista

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Wonder Woman  (2017)  I have high hopes for this film about Diana, Princess of the Amazons, who leaves her home to fight a war to end all wars.  Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was the only good thing in the horrible Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).   Wonder Woman Website

Until Next Time!

The Space Between Us

My View:  The Space Between Us  (2017)  PG-13  Set in the near future, an astronaut stationed on Mars, gives birth to a boy, Gardner Elliot. The boy is now a teenager (Asa Butterfield) and has made friends on-line with a girl named, Tulsa (Britt Robertson), on Earth. Gardner is given a chance to go to Earth. There he will experience an adventure of a lifetime. This is almost a sure thing to be on my bottom ten list of films for this year. The dialogue is atrocious, and the plot has holes that you could drive a rocket ship through.  There is absolutely no chemistry between Butterfield and Robertson, making their love story hard to believe. There were several times that I grimaced when a new, unbelievable plot point was introduced, including a bi-plane (that Robertson is piloting) crashes into a barn, and a huge explosion ensues. I was constantly wondering what Gary Oldman and Carla Gugino, two actors whom I like and respect, are doing in this mess of a movie.    My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   The Space Between Us Website

My View:  The Comedian  (2017)  R  Jackie (Robert De Niro) is an insult comedian who has seen better days. His fans are stuck in the past when he had a hit TV show in the 80’s. Jackie has just about hit rock bottom, so can he mount one last comeback? This movie should have been better, and I think its failing is due to its star. I never believed that De Niro was a stand-up comedian. His delivery is horrible, he looks so uncomfortable up on stage, and he was not helped by jokes that aren’t much better.  The movie only comes to life when Leslie Mann is on-screen as the love interest. There is great chemistry between De Niro and Mann, and the film slows way down when she is off-screen. I did enjoy seeing a bunch of old pros like Charles Grodin and Billy Crystal give De Niro’s character some guff, but the film never finds its footing, and I hated the ending (it should have ended 5 minutes before).  If you are going to make a film about a comic, the heckler in the film shouldn’t be the funniest thing in the movie.   My Rating:  Cable   The Comedian Website

Indiefest:  I Am Not Your Negro  (2017)  PG-13 A documentary about race in America as told through the voice of writer James Baldwin. This is an outstanding film that uses the words of legendary writer James Baldwin to examine the issue of race in today’s America. When Baldwin died, he was writing a book about the lives and murders of three of Baldwin’s closest friends, three giants in the civil rights movement, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. The film uses interviews and speeches that Baldwin gave throughout his life, as he spoke about the struggle of black men and women in the 60s and 70s. Sharp editing and moving narration by a toned down Samuel L. Jackson make this a moving and insightful film. Watch this thought-provoking film, and you will see why it has won so many awards and why it’s up for an Academy Award.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   I Am Not Your Negro Website

Forgotten Film:  Jackie Brown (1997)   R   Jackie (Pam Grier) is a flight attendant who supplements her income by smuggling in money from Mexico for an arms dealer named Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). She is caught by FBI agents, and then they convince her to help them set up Ordell. Now Jackie, with the help of a bail bondsman named Max (Robert Forster) is going to run a con on both the FBI and Ordell to get Jackie the money she deserves. This film, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, has some of the best dialogue ever written. Pam Grier gives a performance of a lifetime, and Robert Forster is brilliant as the over-the-hill bail bondsman who falls for Jackie. The film is fast moving and has an ending that perfectly fits this film.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See It Again   Jackie Brown Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD / Blu-ray):  Queen of Katwe  (2016) PG The film follows the life of Phiona Mutesi (Madina Natwanga), a Ugandan chess prodigy from Katwe, who becomes a Woman Candidate Master after her performances at World Chess Olympiads.  This film works because the film treats its subject with such a loving touch. The fact that this is a true story makes it all the more uplifting and impressive. It’s a charming and inspirational film that will have you rooting for the underdog, a young woman with an extraordinary skill and an impressive drive to be the best. A great film for kids of any age to watch!   My Rating: Full Price   Queen of Katwe Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Space Between Us:  Global Director of Motion Picture Logistics

Coming Soon to A Theatre Near You: Beauty and the Beast  (2017)  PG  I was skeptical about remaking the beloved animated film into a live-action movie but the trailer looks beautiful and amazing.    Beauty and the Beast Website

Until Next Time!