The Equalizer 3

My View: The Equalizer 3 (2023) R  Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has finally found a home in Southern Italy. That home is being threatened by the mafia and its local crime boss. As the mafia flex their muscle and threaten McCall’s new friends, McCall does what he always does: protect his friends by any means possible. So McCall is having a bit of a personal crisis and finds himself in a sleepy seaside town in Sicily. Of course, bad things tend to follow McCall around; in this case, the village that McCall is falling in love with has a Mafia problem. You can imagine what happens next. Plenty of bad guys getting killed in lots of imaginative ways. I loved the first film of the series and enjoyed the second one. This one works because it’s so much fun to watch Denzel on the screen, doing that Denzel thing of saying something ordinary but giving it special meaning. Dakota Fanning is thrown into the mix as a CIA agent that McCall guides from afar. The plot is a little weak, and the whole Fanning side-plot feels thrown together, though there is a nice payoff in the end. I don’t know if there will be another Equalizer film. I hope there isn’t because I would like to think that McCall is having too good a time with his unfolded napkins and tea to disturb him with more killing.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Equalizer 3 Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.  

My View: Bottoms (2023) R  Two lesbian high school friends (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) decide to start a girls’ club after school. It’s all to impress their crushes, Isabel (Havana Rose Lui) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber), two of the most popular girls in school. What starts as a club for girl power becomes a fight club, and then things get really weird. This is a funny and absurd comedy where the football players wear their uniforms with pads to class every day, and horrible deaths caused by the rival high school are just accepted as normal. I loved this film, and the sold-out advanced screening audience I saw it with did, too. It’s goofy and surreal that utilizes the comedy chops of Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri. Sennott, who was terrific in Emma Seligman’s earlier film, Shiva Baby, is brilliant as PJ, who is always thinking of ways for the two girls to find someone to love or at least make out with. Sennott gives us a smart performance that almost dominates the film, as PJ jumps into any and everything without thinking about the consequences. Ayo Edebiri, as Josie, the more responsible of the two, is willing to go along with PJ’s plans because, frankly, they are nuts and desperate. The film has a great supporting cast, including a remarkable performance by Ruby Cruz as Hazel, someone who desperately wants to be apart of the PJ/Josie gang but isn’t confident enough to speak up. The film also has a hilarious performance by Marshawn Lynch as Mr. G, a laid-back teacher whose concepts of history are, shall we say, challenging. I loved the ending, which is as weird and funny as the rest of the film, and I want to see these characters again at college. Hopefully, one as strange and goofy as this high school.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See It Again  Bottoms Website  Now playing in theatres. 

My View: Choose Love (2023)   Cami (Laura Marano) is a young woman who seems to have it all: a great boyfriend, Paul (Scott Michael Foster), good friends, and a fantastic job. However, when a fortune teller tells Cami she has something missing in her life, and the clock is ticking, she starts to feel like it’s true. Cami soon, two guys come into her life. Rex (Avan Jogia) is a rock star, and Jack (Jordi Webber) is an old boyfriend, and now Cami has some choices to make. So this is an interactive film where Cami will talk directly to you and ask you to decide what she should do. Then, you get to see the consequences of what you picked. The film is very short, but it’s meant for you to go back and choose other choices, including who Cami ultimately ends up with. Choose Love is a very plain romantic film, even when you pick the different options. Which will you choose for Cami? The steady boyfriend, the activist boyfriend from the past, or the rockstar that will give Cami a life on the road? Or will you choose all three?   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Choose Love Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

My View: The Good Mother (2023)  Journalist Marissa (Hilary Swank), who, after the murder of her estranged son, forms an alliance with his pregnant girlfriend (Olivia Cooke) to track down those responsible for his death. They are about to travel into a world of drugs, corruption, and danger. This is a film where, once again, the performances are better than the film itself. With a murder that is incredibly easy to figure out, Swank isn’t given much to work with. She is a journalist who has lost her spark, suffering from a death and finding relief only in the bottom of a bottle. When her son, a druggie, is murdered on the street, she and his girlfriend decide to find out what happened. The plot is a cluttered mess as the film loses its way as it tries to be either a whodunit or a sad commentary on how we treat drug addicts, and it doesn’t succeed in either storyline. I liked the chemistry between Swank and Cooke, the girlfriend whom Swank at first blames for her son’s death, but we never get any back story on the girlfriend, and it’s hard to root for anyone in this film. The ending is as messy as the rest of the film, making it feel very unsatisfying.   My Rating: Cable  The Good Mother Website  Now playing in theatres.

Indiefest: Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose (2023) PG-13 The story of Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose takes place in 1935 when a para-psychologist named Nandor Fodor (Simon Pegg) travels to the Isle of Man, where a British family claims that a mysterious entity on their farm has contacted them. That entity, a talking mongoose named Gef. This strange little film starts and ends with two friends discussing the possibility that a mongoose on a farm can not only talk but can tell you secrets about yourself. The film can’t decide if it wants to be a comedy or a drama, and it unfortunately fails at both. I did like the chemistry between Simon Pegg as the stuck-up professor and Minnie Driver as his put-upon assistant. The film jumps between us believing that Gef can talk (we never see him, just bits of hair and tail) or if it is all a big joke put on by a strange little family. The film never finds its footing, and the mystery (based loosely on a true story) is never solved. Unfortunately for us, the tone of the film is never solved either.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose Website  Now playing in select theatres

Indiefest: Slotherhouse (2023) PG-13  Emily (Lisa Ambalavanar) is a senior and is desperate to be elected as her sorority’s president. She adopts a sloth named Alpha as the sorority’s mascot, hoping that it will help her win. It starts out well, but then the sloth becomes the prime suspect in a series of murders. Well, this is one of those films, which I seem to see a lot of lately, that would work much better as a midnight film at a horror film festival, rather than one that will work well in a midday theatre like where I saw this film. The idea is that this sloth differs from the slow-moving sloths of the jungle. This sloth is fast and a killer, as we see in the film's first scene when she is attacked by a crocodile and not only survives but kills the croc. The film is meant to be funny, but the deaths aren’t creative enough, the script is sloppy, and the movie is never scary. Overall, I got bored by about a third into the film. Because of the success of Cocaine Bear, the Sharknado film series, and the Winnie the Pooh horror film, I think we will see more of these animals gone murdering. I just hope they have better scripts.   My Rating: Cable  Slotherhouse Website  Now playing in theatres. 

Forgotten Film: Career Girls (1997) R Two young women, Hannah (Katrin Cartlidge) and Annie (Lynda Steadman) are former college roommates who are reconnecting after being apart for six years. Hannah still lives in the same apartment in London, and Annie is visiting with the idea of moving back. They will soon realize that nothing much has changed in six years, including how their lives are going. This film is from seven-time Oscar-nominated Mike Leigh (Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year). Leigh likes to give us interesting characters in how they see life, but the stories are more about how they react or talk about their lives than actually live it. In this film, we have two women who come to realize that they may never attain what they thought their lives would become. They aren’t necessarily failures, but neither are they a success. They are just living.   My Rating: Full Price  Career Girls Info Available on DVD. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Bottoms: Conform Editor

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Creator (2023) PG-13   There is a war going on between humans and the forces of artificial intelligence. Joshua (John David Washington) is recruited to hunt down and kill The Creator, the architect of the advanced AI. The Creator has made a mysterious weapon with the power to end the human race, and it just might be the little girl that Joshua has just rescued. The Creator is one of those films creating a lot of excitement for sci-fi fans.  The Creator Website  Arriving in theaters in late September.

Until Next Time!

Haunted Mansion

My View: Haunted Mansion (2023) PG-13 A single mom, Gabbie (Rosario Dawson), has just bought a mansion, and it’s haunted. What’s mom to do but hire a tour guide, a psychic, a priest, and a historian to help exorcise the ghosts? I found this film boring, which is sad considering that the cast includes Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Dan Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Winona Ryder, and surprisingly, Jared Leto as the bad guy, Mr. Hat-Box Ghost. The film felt like one extended promo for the Disneyland ride, and while it has a few fun moments, the film never finds a way to combine a few scares with a few (and I mean few) laughs. I have grown tired of Tiffany Haddish and her limited range, finding her more annoying than funny. LaKeith Stanfield and Rosario Dawson try hard to keep the momentum going, but this ride never makes it past the first hallway of scary pictures.   My Rating: Cable  Haunted Mansion Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Talk to Me (2023) R  A group of friends have come across an embalmed hand with mysterious tattoos. They soon discover that they can use it to conjure spirits, which becomes their favorite game to play. Until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. Talk to Me is one of the best horror films of the year, maybe of the last five years. It’s downright scary without having to resort to ‘jump scares.’ I will warn you I predict some people will walk out of the theatre during the opening scenes because of the extreme and shockingly quick violence. This is a film where the tension builds from almost the beginning and doesn’t let up until the end. I loved we know what the teens are doing will go badly, but they don’t seem to care until it’s too late. Much like the stupid TikTok challenges that can become dangerous, the teens keep on tempting fate because of the rush it gives them, but we know that rush will come at a cost. Sophie Wilde is perfect as our heroine, Mia, who is reluctant at first to take part, but under peer pressure and wanting to fit in, she relents. Things get out of hand, and Mia realizes she must try to find a way out. But is it too late? If you get past the opening sequence, you are in for a very imaginative and scary film that may make you sleep with a light on.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Talk to Me Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

My View: Happiness for Beginners (2023)   Helen (Ellie Kemper), who year after getting divorced and stuck in a rut, signs up for a week-long wilderness survival course on the Appalachian Trail. Her fellow hikers are a mess, but it does include her brother’s best friend, Jake (Luke Grimes). Can Helen survive long enough on the trail to fall in love? I am a big fan of Ellie Kemper and had fun with this slight, breezy rom-com. This is a film that I call the ‘beach read’ movie. It’s a film that, like those fun novels, you take on your summer vacations to read while getting some sun and drinking a glass or two of wine. There’s not much to the plot as it’s light and predictable, and you have a good time watching it, and as soon as it’s over, you will forget it. Kemper plays an accident-prone woman who has a troubled past and a bad marriage to get past. So, what does Helen do? Why, go on a survival hike with a bunch of strangers. Along the way, she will learn about herself and her fellow travelers and maybe fall in love. There is some good chemistry between Luke Grimes and Kemper, with their will they/won’t they possible romance. The plot is predictable, but then again, don’t we want it to be with this kind of film? So lace up your hiking boots, fill your pack with dehydrated food, and go on a hike to help find Helen a few answers and a romance.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Happiness for Beginners Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Kokomo City (2023) R  Documentary that shows the lives of four black transgender sex workers living in New York and Georgia as they confront the dichotomy between the black community and themselves. Kokomo City is a wildly entertaining, sometimes shocking, look at four black transgender sex workers and how they look at themselves, their work, the men who pay for their services, and how others see them. Shot in B&W and using a bit of animation and play-acting make the film move at a fast pace. The subject matters range from downright X-rated material to almost innocent talks about their lives. These four women know they are living on the edge and that what they do is dangerous and looked down on. Sadly, after the film’s release, one of the subjects was found murdered on the streets of Atlanta. Needless to say, this isn’t a documentary for everyone. Still, if you want to spend some time with four fascinating and unique individuals who graciously let us into their world, it’s an interesting 75 minutes.  My Rating: Full Price  Kokomo City Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: The Unknown Country (2022)  Tana (Lily Gladstone) has just lost her grandmother, who she was caring for. She gets an unexpected call to come to her cousin’s wedding and sets out on a road trip across the Midwest in her trusty car. It’s a trip that Tana will learn about herself and the people she meets along the way. I loved this film primarily due to another brilliant performance by Lily Gladstone. The character played by Gladstone, Tana, travels after her grandma's death to experience the beauty of the land and its people. Tana is Native American, and her family lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This is a film that takes its time, much like the road trip that Tana is on. We get to know not only Tana’s relatives but also the people that she encounters along the way, including a waitress, an owner of a motel, and a convenience store worker. All are not actors, and we get a brief story about their lives, much like if you stopped and talked to them at their jobs for a bit. Tana decides to continue her road trip and find out more about her grandmother’s time in Texas, with only a few pictures to go on. The Unknown Country is a gorgeous film due to the magnificent countryside and the people we meet along the way.  My Rating: Full Price  The Unknown Country website Now playing in select theatres. 

My View: The Beanie Bubble (2023) R Ty Warner (Zach Galifianakis) was a frustrated toy salesman until his collaboration with three women (Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, and Geraldine Viswanathan) grew their idea into one of the biggest toy crazes in history. It’s a story of fame, fortune, greed, betrayal, and Beanie Babies. I loved this film about the man who created Beanie Babies, or did he? Based loosely on a true story, Ty Warner is a man who went from almost nothing to one of the wealthiest men in the world (and still is), and the women who made it happen (sometimes with his help, sometimes dragging his feet all the way to the bank). This is the story of three women who, at various times in Ty’s life, made his dreams come true and then were forgotten because of a man who could not share the spotlight or admit that not every idea wasn’t his. Zach Galifianakis is fantastic in the role of a man who cares only about himself and will stab anyone in the back to get what he feels he is entitled to. I loved Geraldine Viswanathan, whose character, Maya, goes from part-time receptionist to creating one of the first company-based websites that started the Beanie Babies craze. Her character is based on a real person who convinced Ty to get on the internet long before anyone else figured out what it could do. Viswanathan is a force in the film and holds her own with Zach, someone who tends to dominate the screen with his antics. Elizabeth Banks plays Robbie, a fiery woman who has a chance meeting with Ty and goes all in on his stuffed toy company, ultimately falling for Ty. Sarah Snook plays a divorced woman, Shelia, who has two young girls and, against her best instincts, falls in love with Ty. Like Elizabeth Banks’s character, Robbie, Ty has weaved a spell and seduced Shelia. The question is, will Ty ever wake up and reward these women for their ideas and hard work, or will the women have to get revenge? Gather your little stuffed Beanies from your closets and storage units, pour yourself a drink, and find out.   My Rating: Full Price  The Beanie Bubble Info  Now playing in select theatres and on the Apple TV+ platform.

My View: Theater Camp (2023) PG-13 Troy (Jimmy Tatro) is forced to run his mother’s three-week theater camp after his mother (Amy Sedaris) has a seizure during a performance of Bye Bye Birdie and slips into a coma. Troy must rely on staff because Troy has no talent and no idea how to run a camp. But the kids have a ‘can do’ attitude and a song in their hearts, so what could go wrong? The film’s cast is the reason to see it because they are having a blast making it. Co-written by two of the cast, Noah Galvin and Molly Gordon, the film is about an annual camp for theater kids run by a group of wannabe performers who take their jobs a little too seriously. Into the mix walk Troy, a YouTube guy who thinks he can turn the camp into a money-maker just because he thinks he can. The film is funny but very uneven because the dialogue and scenes are improvised. The kids are the best part of the movie, so much so that I wish there was less interaction with the adults and more of the kids doing goofy stuff. Theater Camp gets a little stale by the midpoint, but the last fifteen minutes are just so well done, and much like the show they are putting on, it all finally comes together.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Theater Camp website Now playing in select theatres. 

My View: The First Slam Dunk (2022) PG-13  Seventeen-year-old Ryota is trying to follow his late brother’s dream of being a basketball star. It’s hard to follow in the footsteps of someone who cast such a large shadow. The First Slam Dunk is a must for any fan of Japanese animation or anyone who loves basketball. The film takes place at a championship game while showing us in flashbacks the important scenes of Ryota’s life, and what makes him the person and player he is today. This is an impressive work of animation that lets us experience up close a basketball game while also allowing us into the character’s makeup and what Ryota is thinking and feeling. The movie is filled with amazing shots of not only the basketball game but also Ryota’s life, letting us feel like we are there with him as he goes through all the obstacles that have been put in his way. The game is as exciting as any game seven of the NBA, and it has an ending that is both touching and exhilarating. I think fans of Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk manga series are going to be very happy with his adaptation of this work.  The First Slam Dunk is one of the best films of the year, and I hope it gets recognition by the Academy come award time. So find a seat in the bleachers and get ready to root for Ryota and his team as they try to win a championship. My Rating: I Would Pay to See It Again  The First Slam Dunk Website The film is playing in theatres nationwide.

Forgotten Film: The Day After Trinity (1981)  Documentary on the Manhattan Project and the man behind the creation of the Atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. This Academy Award-nominated film is a great companion piece to the Christopher Nolan film Oppenheimer, with interviews of most of the participants in the research, including Oppenheimer's brother. It goes into great detail on the building of the bomb. The film’s second half goes into Oppenheimer’s fall from grace when he speaks out against nuclear arms proliferation and the hunt for Communists that cost him his clearance. The Day After Trinity is a fascinating film that will amaze and terrify you while giving you a better understanding of the man and the myth.   My Rating: Full Price  The Day After Trinity Info  Available for purchase on Amazon and playing on the Criterion Channel for free through the month of July.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Haunted Mansion: Prosthetics Silicone Runner

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Equalizer 3 (2023)   Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has finally found a home in Southern Italy. That home is being threatened by the mafia and its local crime boss. As the mafia flex their muscle and threaten McCall’s new friends, McCall does what he always does: protect his friends by any means possible. I have enjoyed this series by filmmakers Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington and look forward to seeing this one.   The Equalizer 3 Website  Coming to theatres nationwide in September.

Until Next Time!