The Suicide Squad

Note to readers: I have started going to movies in the theaters, having received my two shots and passed the two-week standby period, wearing a mask at all times and following social distancing. Most of the films I am reviewing are still movies that I watched at home, but I will note in the review if I saw them in a theatre. 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: The Suicide Squad  (2021)  R   The squad of misfit criminals is back on another mission that is bound to get them killed. This time, they join the super-secret and possibly shady Task Force X as they are dropped off on the remote, enemy-filled island of Corto Maltese. I will warn you from the start that this is one of the most bloody and gruesome films I have seen in a long time, and I loved every minute of it. I thoroughly enjoyed that we are dropped right into the film, with no lengthy setup or trying to explain anything. We are just shown and told that the squad of misfit bad guys have another mission that they probably won’t come back from, but a few years will be taken off their sentence if they do. Oh yeah, and that nasty bomb set inside their head will explode if they vary off of their mission. This is nothing like the last Suicide Squad film, as it has a sense of humor, lets Harley Quinn be all her lovable, crazy Harley, and there isn’t The Joker or Jared Leto to gum up the works. The action is almost non-stop, The plot is fun, and there are some great new characters, including a wonderfully deadpanned John Cena as Peacemaker and Sylvester Stallone, who steals the movie as the voice of the stupid but mighty King Shark (think giant shark with legs and a voice). I could go on and on about the cast of the fantastic group of characters that the film contains, but that would spoil the fun. And what fun it is. In the last Suicide Squad review, I said I wanted more Harley Quinn, and this film gave me her, in all her butt-kicking glory. By the way, see this in the theatre like I did because you want those special effects to wash over you and make sure to stay through all the credits as there is a bonus scene you won't want to miss.     My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     The Suicide Squad Website  Now playing in theatres and on the HBO Max platform.

My View: Nine Days   (2020)  R   Will (Winston Duke) is an arbiter who judges souls before they inhabit the bodies in the living. He is interviewing over a span of nine days a group of candidates who have the opportunity to be born. If they are not selected, they will be given a parting memory before their existence is erased. This is one of those films that can truly be appreciated and savored in a time of great anxiety, sickness, and conflict. Nine Days is a film that slowly moves along, letting you absorb its world and its characters. The film explores what it means to live and how we choose to experience our lives. Along the way, you meet a group of people, some of which you will root for and others you just might root against, as they examine what makes up a life and why we make the choices we do. Winston Duke is brilliant as the arbiter who has to make the tough choices, but as, we learn, those choices weigh on him and that he cares, sometimes too much about the people he both judges and watches. Nine Days is a magical movie from a director, Edison Oda, that I can’t wait to see more from.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Nine Days Website   Now playing in theatres.

Family Faire: Vivo   (2021)  PG  Vivo (voiced by Lin-Manuel Miranda), a one-of-a-kind kinkajou, goes on a quest, with the help of a little girl named Gabi (voiced by Ynairaly Simo), to deliver a letter from his owner Andres (voiced by Juan de Marcos Gonzalez) to Andres’s long-lost love, Marta (voiced by Gloria Estefan). Too often, I am disappointed by animated films, especially ones that are musicals, with lackluster songs and stories lacking real emotions or feelings. I am happy to tell you that Vivo isn’t one of those. Instead, we get a beautiful story of a love lost and a quest to reunite that love. As you would expect, Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs are fun, full of rhymes that flow so easily, and tunes that are creative and pleasing. Vivo is a wonderful character that kids are going to fall in love with, and Ynairaly Simo does a fantastic job of not only keeping up with Miranda on the songs but has a great solo one of her own I which might be the best song of the film, though I am sure the love song that Gloria Estefan sings at the end will get some Oscar push). I loved this film and had a great time watching it, especially enjoying all the Latin and Cuban flavored songs, including a song or two from the legendary Juan de Marcos Gonzalez (Buena Vista Social Club). Join Vivo and Gabi on their quest, and you just might find yourself dancing to a toon or two in your living room.  My Rating: Full Price     Vivo Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:  Annette    (2021)  R  Henry (Adam Driver) is a stand-up comedian who falls in love with a renowned opera star, Ann (Marion Cotillard). They form a passionate couple that soon is blessed with a young child, Annette. Annette is a little girl who has an exceptional destiny in front of her and will change Henry and Ann’s lives forever. I was somewhat prepared to see this film, having just reviewed The Sparks Brothers documentary and having seen the director of the film, Leos Carax, work before (the strange and wild Holy Motors). Still, I wasn’t ready for the fact of how much I disliked Henry, a performance comic who makes antisemitic jokes, shows disdain for his audiences, and is so self-centered, he destroys lives whereever he goes. That being said, the music is brilliant and well performed, with a rousing opening number that starts in the studio and ends with the two leads taking off in vehicles on the street. The singing was done live, making the songs feel genuine and heartfelt. There is an almost lusty chemistry between Driver and Marion Cotillard (who has a lovely singing voice), which makes the film work on every level. Not everyone will enjoy this film, with such a dislikable main character, the use of an animatronic doll for most of the appearances of Baby Annette, and a shockingly abrupt ending. Still, I enjoyed this film and the performances of Driver and Cotillard. I do know one thing; I would never want to see Henry do his stand-up ever again.   My Rating: Full Price      Annette Website  Now playing in select theatre and available for rent on the Amazon Prime platform on Aug. 20th.

Indiefest: Ailey (2021)    Documentary that paints an immersive portrait of an icon, the trailblazing dance pioneer Alvin Ailey, through his own words and a new dance inspired by his life. I was very fortunate to see the Alvin Ailey dance company perform while I was in college at the University of Texas in Austin back in the late 70s. It was a unique and inspirational experience. The film wonderfully blends in a ton of interviews that Ailey did throughout his life with footage of his most famous dance creations, some as early as the late 50s, early 60s. We also get some insightful interviews about the man from the people who knew him best, his dancers, and his staff that gives you a look into the world of Alvin and the beautiful and moving work he produced. Fans of dance and of Alvin Ailey will be trilled at all the stunning dance footage that is in this film, and while Alvin was a very private person, we do get some sense of how and why he created the incredible work that he did.    My Rating; Full Price    Ailey Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest:  John and the Hole (2021)  R   John (Charlie Shotwell) is a kid growing up in a family of four, with a loving mother (Jennifer Ehle) and father (Michael C. Hall), and an older sister (Taissa Farmiga). So why would John drug his family and hold them captive in a hole in the ground? We get right from the start that John is a troubled child. He is that kid that doesn’t seem to care about anything or anybody. He lives a good life, but we can see that his family life may have some problems, with a father who would instead buy than show his love to John. John is a kid who wants to be an adult but, at the same time, not have any of the responsibilities of an adult. The movie does drag a bit at times, but I did enjoy the performances in this film, especially Taissa Farmiga, who plays John’s older sister, the one person in the family that tries to understand John and seems to care about him. We never quite get why John does what he does, and that may be the point of the film. John is a person that we may never really know or understand.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     John and the Hole Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Death and the Maiden  (1994) R   When Paulina’s (Sigourney Weaver) husband, Gerardo (Stuart Wilson), unexpectedly brings home a guest (Ben Kingsley) to their house, Paulina believes that this man is the horror that raped her when the government-held her. I don’t want to give away too much from the film's plot as it is slowly revealed to you as the movie moves along. There is a speech by Ben Kingsley near the end of the film that makes this movie worth watching and experiencing. Plus, the film's opening is such a beautiful and moving way to begin a film that it alone is worth the price of admission.    My Rating: Full Price     Death and the Maiden Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Suicide Squad: Witness Camera Wranglers

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Respect (2021) PG-13   The life story of one of the greatest performers we have ever had, the legendary R&B singer Aretha Franklin. Just the fact that Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson is portraying Aretha is enough to see this film, but the cast also includes Forest Whitaker, Audra McDonald, Saycon Sengloh, Marlon Wayans, Tituss Burgess, Kimberly Scott, Marc Maron, Hailey Kilgore, and Tate Donovan, make this a must-see film.     Respect Info

Until Next Time!

Old

Note to readers: I have started going to movies in the theaters, having received my two shots and passed the two-week standby period, wearing a mask at all times and following social distancing. Most of the films I am reviewing are still movies that I watched at home, but I will note in the review if I saw them in a theatre. 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:  Old   (2021)  PG-13    A family is out on a tropical holiday, then they discover after spending a few hours on the beach that something is causing them to age by the hour. If this keeps going, they will be dead by the end of the day. M. Night Shyamalan has always been such a hit (Sixth Sense, Split) or miss (The Last Airbender, After Earth) filmmaker for me. This isn’t a hit or a miss, sort of just sitting in the middle. Could it have been a better film? Maybe. Could it have been worse? Oh, yes. The story is pretty simple. A group of people on vacation are sent to a remote beach and then start growing older as the day goes along. I think maybe this would have been better if it had been shorter, perhaps part of a TV series like the reboot of The Twilight Zone, instead of a feature film as it takes too long for things to happen and then even when they do happen, there is a lot of time before something else happens. I will warn you that some of the scenes in the film are downright gruesome to watch, and other than the kids, there aren’t a lot of likable characters to root for. It helps that there is an ending that does explain a good bit of why and what happened, and that helped me a lot with how I felt about this film. Is it worth rushing down to the theatre to Old (I saw it at home on my computer)? Quite frankly, no, but it’s better than some of his horrible misses.    My Rating; Bargain Matinee     Old Website  Now playing in theatres.

My View:  Joe Bell  (2020) R   After his son is tormented in high school for being gay, Joe (Mark Wahlberg), a working-class father from a small town, sets to walk across America to crusade against bullying. The film is written by the Oscar-winning writing team of Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (Brokeback Mountain (2005)), so I had high hopes for this film, but it falls flat almost right from the start. We see Joe out on his trek with his son, Jaden (Reid Miller), as they talk about life, and Jaden playfully kids his father about knowing lyrics to a pop song. This is one of those films you want to love because its heart is in the right place, but it is so poorly executed that it makes the film feel like it moves at a snail's pace. The film moves back and forth between the present of Joe’s trek and the past as we see how difficult it was to be openly gay in a small-town high school. I think the film is hurt by this back and forth; we keep going to the present where Jaden is slowly guiding Joe to understand what went on in the psst, and then we see that past, and it messes with the message. The focus is too much on Joe and not enough on Jaden, and by going back and forth, it undermines the power of Jaden’s story. It also doesn’t help that the twist in the story is evident right from the start of the film, making the present scenes feel uncomfortable and not honest. I am sorry that Joe Bell is the last work that the late writer Larry McMurtry did. I will choose to remember his better works like The Last Picture Show and Lonesome Dove instead.    My Rating: Cable     Joe Bell Website  Now playing in theatres.

My View:   The Last Letter from Your Lover  (2021)    An ambitious young journalist, Ellie (Felicity Jones), comes across a series of letters and is determined to solve the mystery of a forbidden love affair in London in the mid-60s between Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley), the wife of a wealthy industrialist, and Anthony O[Hare (Callum Turner), a journalist assigned to do a story on Jennifer’s husband. This is a good old-fashioned star-crossed lover’s story with all the pitfalls that you would expect. The story is pretty predictable, especially the secondary love story between the Felicity Jones journalist, who doesn’t want to be in a relationship, and the co-worker she slowly falls for (played by Nabhaan Rizwan). Most of the story centers on Jennifer, played by the lovely Shailene Woodley, an American who too quickly got swept off her feet and is now in a loveless marriage of a man who mostly ignores her. Soon she starts flirting with the journalist assigned to do a story about her husband, and soon their affair starts up. As we all know, the affair is doomed, even though the two are perfect together, and a series of events conspire to keep the two lovers apart. The question is, will Ellie’s investigation of the two lovers story let us know what happened, and did the two lovers ever find each other again?   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     The Last Letter from Your Lover Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Val  (2021)  R Documentary on legendary actor Val Kilmer, who played iconic parts throughout his career, including Ice in Top Gun (1986), Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991), and Batman in Batman Forever (1995). Val Kilmer has always been known as a talented but eccentric actor. Kilmer was known for confronting his directors and sometimes his fellow actors over his ideas on how his characters should act and feel. Kilmer was an early adopter of video cameras and has videotaped his life from almost the start of his career (so much footage that he has a warehouse full of the stuff from his life). A few years ago, Kilmer got throat cancer, and they had to install a tube to allow him to breathe. Because of this tube, his speaking voice has drastically changed to a hard to understand gravely speaking voice. His son, Jack, does most of the narration in the film, and most of the time, you forget that it’s not Val himself. The film is filled with behind-the-scenes footage, including some footage from the legendary Top Gun shoot and some extraordinary footage showing just how nuts the making of the horrible The Island of Dr. Moreau was, including a scene with a very fat Marlon Brando wanting to pushed while he laid in a hammock. Now, this is Val telling his own story, so it’s a bit one sided; we don’t get a lot from other people talking about working with him, and other than the Dr. Moreau footage, not muxh about his tantrums and walkouts on the sets of so many movies. Still, Val is a fascinating look at a career that burned bright very early on and then never quite reached that height again.   My Rating: Full Price         Val website  Now playing in theatres.

Familyfaire:   Trollhunters:  Rise of the Titans (2021)   Jim, the first human Trollhunter, must lead his band of friends into a battle to take over the world. Troll Titans have been awakened, and if they converge, it will plunge the world into chaos. This film is the conclusion to a series of TV shows and specials, all of which I have not seen, so I was a little lost right from the start. This film brings all the characters from the past into a super-group formed to try and stop some evil Trolls from ending the world. The story's main hero, Jim, has lost his power to fight the evil trolls and must lead the gang into the fight severely limited on what he can do. That is the basis of the story's message that you can be a leader without having to do everything, that you need to have faith in both yourself and your team. The film is fun to watch, and I did get into the storyline once I figured out the characters in the group and their relationships. I think fans of the shows will get more out of this film than someone like me because you already know all the backstories and have your favorites. I will warn parents; there are a few of the heroes that do die (nothing too ghastly but still shocking), so be preprepared, some of which I became fond of in the short time of watching this film, so I can imagine fans will be hurting at their deaths. Overall, the film's message is good, the action sequences are well done, and the ending is well thought out and compelling.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans Website    Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:  Settlers (2021)   Remmy (Brooklynn Prince), her mother IIsa (Sofia Boutella), and her father Reza (Jonny Lee Miller) are some of mankind’s earliest settlers on the Martian planet, who do what they must to survive the cosmic elements and each other. This film gives you many questions to ask and few answers in return, and that’s ok because the emphasis of the film is not how we got here but how we are dealing with the present. The film centers on Remmy, a smart young girl who lives in isolation with her father and mother. It is never said what is out there beyond the hills that has the three so scared, but it makes the film full of tension right from the start. The movie is scary at times, and you never quite know what is going on; we just know that everyone is fighting for survival in rough conditions. There is a sense of fear and bad things coming around every corner, and the film never lets you relax, keeping the tension going throughout the film. Settlers is a slow burn of a movie, with stakes that are high throughout, and they never let up.    My Rating: Full Price     Settlers Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Akilla’s Escape  (2021)   Akilla (Saul Williams) has spent his life trying to forget his past, but in one night, it all comes roaring back as he is the victim of a robbery gone wrong. Excellent crime drama anchored by an outstanding performance from Saul Williams. Akila is a man who just wants to leave the world of crime behind. Even though his successful pot business is going legit, he wants to get out. On what should have been his last night, he is held up by a gang of teenagers, who make off with all the cash from the operation. Akila then takes an injured robber to find out where the cash is and get it back. But Akilla knows if he gives up the robber to his boss, that robber will lose his life, so Akilla decides to get the cash back on his own. The film does a beautiful job of getting inside Akilla’s head, and we flashback to a scene when he was a teenager and was being taught how to be a gangster by his father. We come to understand why Akilla would risk everything, including his life, to try to save the teenage robber. The film is full of tension that keeps building until the end, and Williams is riveting as the troubled Akilla, who wants nothing more than for everything to be over with. I am sorry I missed Akilla's Escape when it played at the Atlanta Film Festival, but I am glad it is now out for everyone to go on a thrilling ride with Akilla in his quest to right some wrongs from the past.   My Rating: Full Price    Akilla's Escape Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: How it Ends (2021) R    The world is about to come to an end, so Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) goes on a journey through LA one last time in hopes of making it to a party before everything closes down. The world is going to come to an end due to an asteroid that will hit the earth. Liza decides to set out to talk to people that mean the most to her and get everything out in the open, hoping to mend old wounds and right some wrongs. Shot during the early portion of the pandemic last year, the streets of LA are vacant (no one had any place to go), and it gives the film an eerie feeling to it that the world is coming to an end. You can also see the pandemic in the fact that most of the people that Liza encounters on her walk stay at least 6 feet away from her. Along the way, Liza and her younger self (Cailee Spaeny), with who she constantly interacts, encounter a whole host of characters that Liza has conversations with. You can tell a lot of these encounters are done with a whole lot of improvising. An encounter with a character played by Fred Armisen is particularly funny. Along the way, Liza explores her life, her mistakes, and her regrets of a life that was filled with interesting characters that filled her life. How it Ends is a fun film to watch, mostly due to how talented a comedic actor Zoe Lister-Jones is and the great chemistry she has with Cailee Spacey, who plays her younger, brash self.    My Rating: Full Price      How it Ends Info  Now available for rent on online platforms including Amazon.

Forgotten Film; A Tiger’s Tale (1987)  R   Bubber (C. Thomas Howell) is a high-school-student with a nice but slightly daffy girlfriend, Shirley (Kelly Preston). Shirley’s mom, Rose (Ann-Margret), is also a little strange, likes to drink a little too much and flirt. Bubber soon becomes infatuated with Rose, and much to his surprise, Rose is open to it, if only for a little while. Then things get complicated. This isnâ’t a great movie as the 80s like to make these type of films, where young people get into sexual relationships way over their head. Most of the characters seem right out of a bad 40s B movie, the plot is incredibly thin, but it has Ann-Margret, who was and still is a massive crush of mine. She absolutely radiates in this film, and you can see why any young man would want to sleep with her. The film has two beautiful scenes in it, one where Rose, Bubber, and a tiger (yeah, I know) sit on a hill and watch a drive-in movie. The other scene is late at night, where Rose runs naked through a field with the Tiger. Heck, maybe you should just fast forward through anything that Ann-Margret doesnâ’t appear in.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     A Tiger's Tale Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Settlers: Spark

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Suicide Squad (2021) R    The squad of misfit criminals is back on another mission that is bound to get them killed. Margot Robbie returns as the beautiful but mad Harley Quinn, and a cast that looks like it will be so much fun to watch, including John Cena, Taika Waititi, Idris Elba, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillon, Jai Courtney, and Viola Davis. The last film was kind of a bore, but this one is written and directed by James Gunn, who gave us The Guardians of the Galaxy, so I am hopeful this one will be a winner.     The Suicide Squad Website    

Until Next Time!