The Grudge and Mike's Top Ten Films of 2019

My View: The Grudge (2019) R   A house is cursed by a ghost hell-bent on getting vengeance by dooming anyone who enters will die a violent death. The first The Grudge (2004) was a surprise hit, mostly riding on the coattails of Buffy’s Sarah Michelle Gellar. After two lesser successful sequels, they have decided to reboot the series with this film. While the original movie wasn’t a slam dunk, it did have its scary moments and was worth the watch. I can’t say the same thing about this film. The film does a very clumsy tie-in to the first film and then proceeds to jump back in forth between three or is it four stories (I was too bored to keep track). The film has a bunch of jump out of the dark scares that don’t ever work, and the movie never builds any suspense. I now have a grudge against the writer/director of this film for making sit through ninety-three minutes of boring  My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   The Grudge Website

Indiefest: Cunningham (2019)  PG   Documentary on Merce Cunningham and the history of his iconic dance company. A fascinating film about a cutting-edge choreographer/dancer who created a ground-breaking company that pushed the boundaries of music and dance. When asked if he wrote and performed ‘avant-garde’ pieces, he replied, ‘I don’t describe it, I just do it.’ The film beautifully recreates some Cunningham’s most well-known pieces, often in usual settings such as a forest or the top of a high-rise. There are also behind-the-scenes glimpses of Cunningham at work with his dancers, plus archival footage of the company performing on live television. Cunningham isn’t a film for everyone, but for lovers of theater and dance, it is a must-see.    My Rating: Full Price    Cunningham Website

Forgotten Film: Whale Rider (2002)  PG-13   On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe that they were founded by an ancestor, Paikea, who, when his canoe capsized, he rode to shore on the back of a whale. This New Zealand tribe believes that the first-born sons are the only heirs that can become the chief. Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) believes that it is her destiny to become chief, against the wishes and beliefs of her grandfather, Koro (Rawin Paratene), she fights against a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her place in history. A stirring film of courage, with the unbelievable setting of New Zealand, along with Castle-Hughes giving us a magical and uplifting performance as the determined Pai, make this a film you will want to watch.   My Rating: Full Price    Whale Rider Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Grudge: Special MUFX Show Runner

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Just Mercy  (2019) PG-13   A young Harvard grad lawyer (Michael B. Jordan) could have the pick of any job in the country, but he picks Alabama to set up a law firm specializing in advocating for death row inmates he feels to have been wrongly condemned. He meets and defends Walter McMillan (Jamie Foxx), a man convicted of a notorious murder of an 18-year-old-girl. As I stated before, I will see any film starring Michael B. Jordan.    Just Mercy Website

Mike’s Top Ten Films of 2019

1).  1917   (film comes out Jan. 10th)

2).  Parasite   Parasite Review

3).  Marriage Story  Marriage Story Review

4).  The Peanut Butter Falcon   The Peanut Butter Falcon Review

5).  The Irishman    The Irishman Review

6).  Little Women    Little Women Review

7).  Avengers: End Game   Avengers: End Game Review

8).  Knives Out    Knives Out Review

9).  Apollo 11    Apollo 11 Review

10). The Little Biggest Farm    The Biggest Little Farm Review

Honorable Mention: Honeyland, Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, Pain and Glory, Uncut Gems, Toy Story 4, I Lost My Body, Booksmart, Ford vs Ferrari, Us, Diego Maradona, The Amazing Jonathan, Jojo Rabbit, One Child Nation, Maiden, Late Night, Dolemite Is My Name

Until Next Time!

Ford v Ferrari

My View:  Ford v Ferrari (2019) PG-13   Legendary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) is hired by the Ford Motor Company to create a race car that can take on the seemingly to defeat Ferrari racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Against Ford’s wishes, he hires the brash and outspoken driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) to drive the car. Can Shelby manage Mlle’s temper long enough to win the race? One of the best films of the year and maybe the finest racing film of all time. The plot is expertly laid out with the two leads at the top of their game, and the racing sequences are thrilling to watch. At no time does this film feel like a movie that is over two and a half hours in length. I loved the relationship that Miles has with both his wife (played by Caitriona Balfe) and his son (Noah Jupe), making Miles a man that you can root for from the start. Damon, as the brash and bold Shelby, holds his own with Cable on the screen, and their fight scene, while Miles’s wife looks on from a lawn chair in the front yard, is one of the highlights of the movie. Even if you aren’t a racing fan, you will love this film for its deep and complex characters and their ever-evolving relationships.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Ford v Ferrari Website

My View: The Irishman (2019) R   The story of Frank “The Irishman’ Sheeran (Robert De Niro) who went from a truck driving WWII vet to the right-hand man of the Bufalino crime family. Sheeran’s claim in the later years was that he was the hitman that killed his long-time friend Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), the former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who mysteriously vanished in 1975. Director Martin Scorsese brings us another gem of a film. This isn’t a film that glamorizes the mob life like The Godfather, Goodfellas or Casino. This is a movie about the dark, bloody life of a man who, through good luck and bravado, makes it to be the right-hand man of a mob boss and a close friend of one of the most powerful men in the country in Teamsters boss Hoffa. Much has been made of the CGI effects used to ‘de-age’ De Niro and Joe Pesci (playing mob boss Russell Bufalino) for a good third of the film, but you very quickly accept it, and it never interferes with the flow of the movie. The performances in this film are just draw-dropping good, and while the film is three and a half hours long, you never notice or feel the length of the movie. I can’t stress how powerful and sometimes moving this film is. Note that while this film is based loosely on real events, don’t believe everything you see actually happened, especially with the death of Hoffa. I think we can allow a master filmmaker like Scorsese to have a little fun with history to create a film that is an instant classic in the making.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    The Irishman Website

My View: Charlie’s Angels (2019) PG-13   A systems engineer, Elena (Naomi Scott), joins Jane (Ella Balinska) and Sabina (Kristen Stewart) to work for the mysterious Charles Townsend. The Townsend Agency is guided by multiple Bosleys (Elizabeth Banks, Patrick Stewart, Djimon Hounsou) to stop the world’s mastermind criminals. Can we please stop making films about crappy TV series from the past? The film is a bloated mess of a movie that has plot twists that you see almost from the start of the movie. Other than Patrick Stewart (who chews up scenery like he hasn’t acted in ten years), Kristen Stewart looks like the only actor in this cast that is having a good time making this film. Djimon Hounsou is absolutely wasted in a small role, and Elizabeth Banks acts like she is in a bad 70s cop show, which is what this film is based on. The film is summed up by a dance sequence near the end of the film that Balinska and Stewart join in on, somehow knowing all the intricate dance moves that contribute nothing to this film but making the running time pad out to almost two hours. If Charlie calls, don’t answer the phone. If you make it to the end, there are bonus scenes during the credits, which a bunch of cameos.   My Rating: Cable    Charlie's Angels Website

My View: The Good Liar (2019) R   Career con artist Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen) meets wealthy widow Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) in an online dating service, and he can’t believe his luck. He begins a courtship with the intent of milking her dry, but he never thought for a moment that he would start to have feelings for her. The performances of McKellen and Mirren can’t overcome a weak plot whose major twist is seen almost from the start of the film. I wish that director Bill Condon and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher gave us a much more vibrant and complex plot, but the film finds its self in a corner at the end of the movie that it quite can’t get out of. I hate it when films let down the actors, especially ones of this talent, but The Good Liar can’t overcome its attempt to fool us.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Good Liar Movie

Indiefest: The Warrior Queen of Jhansi (2019) R  Rani Lakshmibai (Devika Bhise) must rise up and lead her people to take on the formidable British East India Company when it threatens her family and her country with expansion. I saw the trailer of this film and thought it might be a cool film to check out, a warrior queen who leads a group of women warriors to take on the mighty British empire. Unfortunately, this film feels like a poorly made TV docudrama, with long periods of people discussing how to put down the rebellion. The action sequences are too far, and few between and aren’t very exciting. The left me wanting more of this story, never quite delivering what it promised.  My Rating: Cable    The Warrior Queen of Jhansi Website

Indiefest: Frankie (2019) PG-13   Three generations deal with life-changing experiences during one day on vacation in Sintra, Portugal, a historic town known for its water that heals. I enjoyed the performances in this film, especially Isabelle Huppert, who plays the title role, a world-famous actress and the matriarch of the family, and Marisa Tomei, a friend of Frankie who has come to spend time with Frankie and her family. This is a film that is all about conversations between a lot of miserable people. There are a few really touching moments, especially between Brendan Gleeson, who plays Frankie’s devoted and loving husband, and Huppert, a woman who wants to plan out everything in her life and usually gets her way. Spend the day in the beautiful countryside, getting to know this strange and troubled family.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Frankie Website

Indiefest:  Light from Light (2019) A single mom and part-time paranormal investigator, Shelia (Marin Ireland), is asked to look into a possible ‘haunting’ at a widower’s (Jim Gaffigan) home. I really enjoyed this small, quiet film about a mother and son, Owen(Josh Wiggins). While the paranormal aspect of the film is part of the story, the heart of the film is how the mother, son, and the widower are dealing with loss. Marin Ireland gives a multi-layered performance of a mom who may have the gift of being able to contact ghosts but is more concerned about how the widower is dealing with the loss of his wife. Josh Wiggins gives a winning performance as the son who is slow to develop his friendship with Lucy (Atheena Frizzell), a fellow student who shows all the signs that she wants to be more than friends with Owen. Jim Gaffigan gives a moving and restrained performance as the grieving widow who wants to know if his wife really is a ghost in his house or is it all in his imagination. This is a film that I savored every moment it was on the screen and loved getting to know the characters in the movie, pleased in the end how everything turned out.   My RatingRating: Full Price    Light from Light Website

Forgotten Film:  Eureka (1983) R   In the 20s, a prospector, Jack McCann (Gene Hackman), finds a gold mine through mysterious ways. He becomes the richest man in the world, but money can’t always buy happiness. Boasting an all-star cast that includes Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Mickey Rourke, and Joe Pesci, this film is a wild ride of a movie that is part reality and part fantasy. Your job as a viewer is to figure out which part is real and which is fantasy. Hackman is fantastic as the role of a man whose life hasn’t turned out the way he wanted it to, and Theresa Russell is brilliant as his troubled daughter who has fallen for the wrong man (Hauer). This isn’t a great film, but man is it fun to watch Hackman just go nuts with the role.    My View: Bargain Matinee    Eureka Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Charlie’s Angels: Chaperon: Turkey

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) PG-13 The gang (Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan) is back, and this time it’s a rescue mission. In order to escape the most dangerous game, they will have to go into an unknown country full of arid deserts and snowy mountains. The first film was an unexpected pleasure, so let's hope two times a charm.    Jumanji: The Next Level Website

Until Next Time!

Rambo: Last Blood

My View: Rambo: Last Blood  (2019)  R  John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone has been living peacefully and staying out of the man’s gaze. When a friend’s daughter is kidnapped, Rambo crosses the U.S.-Mexico border to bring her back home, but he will find himself up against one of Mexico’s biggest cartels. The cartel has no idea who they are dealing with, but they will soon find out. This reminds me of the days when I would walk into my local video rental store and I would find a straight to video movie that starred an action star that had once been big but now was an afterthought. The big difference between this movie and those has-been pictures of the past is none of those old VHS specials would be this gory. The level of just horrible violence is shocking in this film. Only the die-hard Stallone fans will enjoy this badly written and over the top bad guys filled film. And just so you get the meaning, we get to see the border wall twice right before Rambo kills about 100 bad guys.   My Rating: Cable    Rambo: Last Blood Website

My View: Ad Astra (2019) PG-13  Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) undergoes a mission into deep space to find out the truth about what happened to his father (Tommy Lee Jones) who went on a mission 30 years earlier and apparently is still alive and may have a weapon that can destroy half the solar system. Some critics are going to go nuts over this film, but I found that while the film is incredible looking, reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, I found the film void of almost any storyline. After the film finished, I had more questions than answers, making me feel that I had seen an uncompleted film, that the writer and director were going to keep working on the film until it made sense. Howeverr, alas, all you get is this mess of a film.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Ad Astra Website

My View: Downton Abbey (2019) PG  The continuing story of the Crawley family, owners of a vast estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century. The estate is thrown into a frenzy when the family learns that King George V will be coming to visit. I have never seen an episode of the BBC/PBS television series of the same name and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the storyline but after about fifteen minutes into the film, I pretty much figured out the cast of characters and their relationships with each other. After that first section, I really enjoyed this film about a family dealing not only with a royal visit but all the politics and relationships that a house that size has going on. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the performance of Dame Maggie Smith, who as the feisty Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, is brilliant, funny, bringing a much needed comic relief everything she says a sarcastic line.  I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I think the fans of the show are going to think this film is everything they could want in a film about their beloved series.  My Rating: Full Price    Downton Abbey Website

Indiefest: Aquarela (2018)   Documentary where the main protagonist is water. Water and ice are captured on screen from around the world, showing just how powerful water is. This is a gorgeous looking film but I got bored with the film after the first twenty minutes. How many shots of water or icebergs can you watch for minutes at a time? There isn’t any narration or titles for the film, so often you have no idea what you are looking at. After an opening sequence that piqued my interest, the rest of the film was an on-slot of shot after shot of water doing what water does, move on, just like I wanted to.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Aquarela Website

Indiefest: Ms. Purple (2019)   A young woman, Kaise (Tiffany Chu) works as a karaoke hostess in Koreatown. She reconnects with her estranged brother (Teddy Lee) when their father is on his deathbed. This is a story about a family that is torn apart not only from the past but also the present. Both siblings are trying to doing right by their father, but it’s not the life that either one envisioned for themselves. Kaise is a woman who is willing to sell her body and soul to provide for her dying father. Her brother, Carey, can’t seem to do the right thing, even when he is trying to. This is a sad and gut-wrenching film about two people trying to come to terms with their lives while being tortured seeing their father waste away in silence.   My Rating: Full Price    Ms. Purple Website

Forgotten Film: Anatomy of a Murder (1959)   In a tiny town in Michigan, an Army lieutenant (Ben Gazzara) is accused of killing the man who raped his wife (Lee Remick). A local lawyer (Jimmy Stewart), with a loyal staff (Arthur O’Connell, Eve Arden), take on a big city, slick prosecutor (George C. Scott), in an attempt to save his client's life. With a score by jazz great Duke Ellington and directed by Otto Preminger, the film has a feel that it could be set in the present day. Preminger was known as a director that loved to challenge the Production Code, and this film has everything, a possible rape of a wife who loves the attention, a cocksure army man who may be guilty and a lawyer with a lot of doubts about his ability and his client’s innocence. Jimmy Stewart gives a masterful performance as the small-town lawyer, and Scott is perfect as the full of himself lawyer who is confident he will win the case. While the film didn’t win, it was nominated for 8 Oscars, including Stewart, Preminger, and Scott. I love the final scene of the film and you will too.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Anatomy of a Murder Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Downton Abbey: Ballroom Technician

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Irishman (2019) A mob hitman recalls his involvement in the disappearance of Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa. Are you ready for a mobster film directed by Martin Scorsese that lasts 210 minutes and stars Robert De Niro, Anna Paquin, Al Pacino, and Jesse Plemons?     The Irishman Website

Until Next Time!