Breaking

My View: Breaking (2022) PG-13   Brian (John Boyega) is a Marine war veteran who faces the mental and emotional challenges of returning to civilian life. Conversely, Brian is at a breaking point, both financially and mentally. Something has to go his way. Sometimes a performance overcomes a weak script, which is the case with Breaking. Based on a true story, John Boyega gives an outstanding and moving performance as the troubled vet who just wants the money the government has promised him to be put back into his bank account. Brian is a disturbed man who has never adjusted back into civilian life after a stint in the Marines. He is a good man but troubled just the same, someone, who loves his daughter but has too many demons to fit into this world. The film is greatly helped by powerful performances by the late Michael K. Williams as a hostage negotiator and Nicole Beharie as the branch manager of the bank that Brian is holding hostage. The film is based on a true story, much like the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon that starred Al Pacino, but this film doesn’t quite have the emotional impact that the Pacino film hit us with. Breaking, while its heart is in the right place and has some powerful performances, it never gives us enough of Brian’s inner torment to understand the pain he was under to do something so bold and doomed.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Breaking Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Samaritan (2022) PG-13   It’s been twenty years since super-powered vigilante Samaritan was killed in a fiery warehouse battle. Since then the city has declined to the brink of chaos and needs a savior. Thirteen-year-old Sam (Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton) is convinced that Samaritan didn’t die but went into hiding and is his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Sylvester Stallone). I have always been a fan of Stallone, and I have enjoyed some of his choices in the last few years. While not a great film, I did enjoy the movie because of the chemistry that Walton and Stallone had on the screen. Stallone plays a man who just wants to live his life in the shadows, but heroes can’t always choose to stay there. Mr. Smith becomes involved with Sam’s life not because he wants to but because he has to. It’s in Smith’s blood to do the right thing and stand up for the kid, even if it means he will reveal his true super-human self. The plot is a little sketchy, with a crime boss discovering a long-lost tool of Samaritan’s alter-enemy, Nemesis, and deciding to take over the streets using Nemesis's weapon and identity. The action is sometimes a bit ragged, but I loved that Stallone is playing a superhero that needs to take a breather from time to time before continuing the battles with evil. Samaritan has a few nice twists and turns, and though the CGI of a youthful Stallone doesn’t work at all, it’s a fun film to watch.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Samaritan Website  Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform.

Indiefest: Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) R  Alithea (Tilda Swinton) is a world-renowned scholar specializing in myths and legends. While in Istanbul, Alithea buys a small lidded jar in a local shop. When cleaning it, the lid comes off, and a magical Djinn (Idris Elba) appears with an offer to grant her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. If this film had ended about 2/3 of the way through, I would probably be putting Three Thousand Years of Longing in my top ten films of the year. The film is filled with beautiful stories (think 1001 Arabian Nights) as the Djinn tells his story to Alithea as she ponders what three wishes she would like. It’s a magical tale that the Djinn weaves as we discover who has imprisoned him in the bottle and why. The film is filled with beautiful scenes, flowing with lush landscapes of magnificent palaces and tales of intrigue and lost loves. Unfortunately, the film can’t sustain the magic throughout, and the last third of the film is a bit of a letdown (which I won’t go into, so I don’t give away too much of the story). Let’s say that when the Djinn is weaving his tales of mystery and magic, it’s worth going on the journey with him. It’s always sad when reality seeps its way into fantasy.   My Rating: Full Price   Three Thousand Years of Longing Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Alienoid (2022)   Two swordsmen are on a search for a legendary blade that is said can bend time. They are about to encounter people from the future chasing after an alien prisoner who has escaped and could alter the world's fate. Ok, so this film is a combination of martial arts film and sci-fi film. It has time travel, aliens, robots, space ships, wizards, gunfights, flying kung fu battles, and some kung fu cats (sort of). What more could you ask for? The film is almost impossible to explain, but I can say that it travels back and forth between present day and the 1300s. There is some humor, lots of fight sequences, including battles between aliens and robots, and of course, humans versus humans with lots of jumping in the air and magical fans. I had fun watching this wild film that seems not to care how much they throw into the plot, as this is part one of a two-part series. Both parts have already been filmed, and a bonus scene at the end of the first credits gives you a taste of what is coming in part two. So if you like martial arts and robots, Alienoid is for you.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Alienoid Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Running With the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee (2022): Documentary about John McAfee, best known for developing the first commercial anti-virus software. He later ran for president and was wanted for murder and tax evasion at the time of his death by suicide. Or was he murdered? This is one of those films where you wanted more. I wanted more background on John. I wanted to know more about why he did what he did or didn’t do. Instead, we got a travelogue of a man who was nuts, full of drugs and alcohol. Watching the film, I could never get a handle on what John claimed. Why was he on the run, and why did he do what he did? We don’t get much information on what happened with the murder of a neighbor of John. In fact, we don’t get a lot of information about just about anything. This is more of a story of the men who tried to document John’s attempt to escape than to document what John did or didn’t do, and that’s the frustrating part of this film. I understand that we may never get all the answers, but this film never even tries to answer anything other than that it was nuts being on a camera crew around John. That’s not enough to make a movie interesting or enjoyable (in a macabre way). Instead, it makes it one frustrating and maddening ride about the people who shot the footage and not about the subject that wanted desperately to be the center of the story. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Running With the Devil Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

My View: Me Time (2022) R  Sonny (Kevin Hart) is a husband and a dad to a loving family. When his wife takes the kids on a trip, Sonny finds that he is alone for the first time in a long time. He decides for some ‘me time and reconnects with a long-lost friend (Mark Wahlberg). It’s a wild week Sonny will never forget. Me Time is one of those movies I call a ‘Watch film.’ It’s a film that I keep looking at my watch, wanting to know how soon it will end and being disappointed that the film still has many more minutes before its end. First off, it takes forever for the film to get moving, as we get so much setup to the story that it drags the film down from the beginning. Sonny is a stay-at-home dad, overly involved with his kids’ lives, while his wife is a successful architect who has a client that Sonny is worried is too interested in his wife to be real without other motives. In walks Huck, played by Mark Wahlberg, a wealthy playboy known for his wild and adventurous birthday extravaganzas. Sonny decides to take Huck up on his offer, and the high jinks occur. If you think vomiting, using buckets for bathrooms, running over animals, and people taking their clothes off for no reason, then you will enjoy this film. For the rest of us, as I did, you will be looking at your watch; asking when is this going to end. The answer: not soon enough.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Me Time Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Funny Pages (2022) R  Robert (Daniel Zolghadri) is a seventeen-year-old who decides to quit high school and go out into the real world to become a comic book artist. Robert is about to meet a group of people that could either change his world or make him go back to his parent's house. This was a tough film to watch. Filled with characters right out of an R. Crumb comic and takes a very dark and rough look at a kid who desperately wants to be a comic book artist but loses the one person that believed in him. Robert is a character you don’t like, almost from the beginning, who thinks too highly of himself and not about anyone else. It’s a bizarre film, filled with people you wouldn’t want to spend any time with. Too often, the filmmaker goes overboard trying to shock or show you something revolting, making it a very uncomfortable film to watch. I can’t even recommend this film to comic book fans, as it tends to hate the people who love the medium. For that reason, I can’t recommend it to anyone.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Funny Pages Website  Now playing in select theatres and On Demand.

My View: The Invitation (2022) PG-13  Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) has discovered through a DNA test that she has a long-lost cousin, who, after meeting her, invites her to a lavish wedding in England. Evie is about to discover that her new-found family has deep dark secrets. I liked this film because it reminded me of the old Hammer horror films of the 70s, with a creepy mansion full of dark hallways, some suspect relatives lurking about, and a possible romantic partner (Thomas Doherty) that seems too good to be true. The film needed a few more scares to make you put yourself on the edge of your seat, but I loved the setup and the stuffy British relatives, especially ice queen Viktoria (Stephanie Corneliussen). Nathalie Emmanuel does a fine job as the woman who could quickly be in a lot of trouble. I especially enjoyed the ending, and I think you will have a bloody good time. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Invitation Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Forgotten Film: Auggie Rose (Beyond Suspicion) (2000) R John (Jeff Goldblum) is a successful insurance salesman whose life takes a drastic turn when he witnesses the death of a grocery store worker named Auggie, who dies in his arms. John decides to investigate the man’s life and soon assumes his identity, taking the place of a man many didn’t know. Along the way, he meets the man’s girlfriend (Anne Heche), who only knows Auggie through his letters. John goes deeper and deeper into Auggie’s life, and it's one that is full of secrets and hidden dangers. I am a big fan of the late Anne Heche, and she gives one of her better performances as the woman who loved Auggie without really knowing him. Auggie Rose is a moving and thoughtful film that questions what we are doing with our lives. Note that the film was released on DVD under the title Beyond Suspicion after its theatrical release.   My Rating: Full Price   Auggie Rose Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Three Thousand Years of Longing: Octopus Wranglers

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Amsterdam (2022) R  Set in the 1930s, three friends (Christian Bale, John David Washington, Margot Robbie) witness a murder. They become suspects and, in the attempt to clear their names, uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American History. You look at the cast and then see that it’s been written/directed by David O. Russell (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook), and you go; yes, I want to see this! In fact, please give it to me now!   Amsterdam Info

Until Next Time!

Jurassic World Dominion

My View: Jurassic World Dominion (2022) PG-13  It’s been four years since dinosaurs escaped the island, and now they live among us. The question is, who will be the dominant species on the planet, humans or dinosaurs? Ever seen a film and wondered why did they spend all that money to make it? This is one of those films. Beginning with a storyline that is so stupid (it involves a chemical corporation taking over the world’s food supply by creating giant locusts), a runtime that seems much longer than 2 hours and 20 minutes (lucky for you that if you need a pee break, you won’t miss anything important) and special effects which look like they were created in the 80s, and you have a film that you will want to miss, even if you stumble upon it later on late-night cable. I have to feel that Laura Dern (who I have loved since one of  her first screen appearances in Mask) and Sam Neill did this film just for the paycheck because they had to know this script stunk from the beginning. The movie just throws stuff up on the screen, like cloning or training attack raptors with laser pointers (no cat jokes, please), and expects us not to wonder how or why. At one point, I expected a Star Trek ship to show up because these characters travel across vast pieces of land in a short amount of time that only could be done with a transporter. The film may possibly have the stupidest open and close to a film ever (can’t we all just get along…with dinosaurs?). Add in that I didn’t care what happened to anybody, a main bad guy that makes Mark Rylance’s character in Don’t Look Up seem sane, and a bunch of dinosaurs that seem to want to pose for the camera (there is a shot near the end of the film that the audience laughed at) and you have a disaster of a disaster movie. I really wanted that transporter to get me out of this screening. Beam me up, Scotty; I have dinosaurs to escape from!   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Jurassic World Dominion Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View:  Hustle (2022) R   Stanley Beren (Adam Sandler), a basketball scout whose goal of being an NBA coach has never been achieved. Stanley sees his ticket back to the big time when he discovers a Spanish amateur basketball player, Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez), in a park in Madrid. Surely under the tutelage of Stanley, he and Bo can make it to the NBA. Sandler is an actor I get mad at every time he takes a role like this because it shows me how good Sandler is as an actor and then he’ll go a do another crappy movie with his buddies like Grown Ups or Jack and Jill. Now, this film isn’t a stretch for Sandler since he gets to wear a ton of tracksuits and hang out with a bunch of pro basketball players, both current and Hall of Famers, and he seems to be playing a version of himself in the film. Still, it’s a good feel-good story about overcoming the odds and believing in yourself. I loved the interaction between Stanley and his wife, played by Queen Latifah. It’s a relationship that feels real in how they support each other through good times and tough ones. Real-life NBA player, Juancho Hernangomez, isn’t asked to do much more than play basketball and throw a few deadpan wisecracks at Sandler’s character, and that’s fine because this is Sandler’s film, and he is able to carry the total weight of the film. So lace up your best Chucks and go on a full-court scrimmage with Stanley and Bo.   My Rating: Full Price  Hustle Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform and in select theatres.

My View: The Janes (2022)  The Janes is a documentary about seven brave women who created a clandestine network that provided an underground service for women in the 1960s seeking abortions when they were illegal. These were women who, during the 60s, felt that nobody else was going to do anything to make abortions safe for women. It was a time when even getting together to discuss having an abortion was illegal. The documentary gives you a great background on the women who made up The Janes, showing us through historical footage and interviews with the Janes themselves. This film gives us what a country looks and feels like without the ability for women to decide for themselves if they should remain pregnant. The film provides us with a look into the lives of women at the time and how desperate some were to get an abortion, often having to deal with the mob or incredibly shady individuals to get those abortions. It’s a remarkable story of women who created a network that allowed women to safely and respectfully choose to have an abortion. No matter your feelings on the subject, you must admire the guts and fortitude it took for these women to provide a service that made it safe for women to choose.   My Rating: Full Price   The Janes Website  Now playing on the HBO Max platform.

Indiefest: Dinner in America (2020)   A punk-rocker, Simon (Kyle Gallner) on the lam, and a young woman, Patty (Emily Skeggs), is obsessed with his band. Together they team up to go on an adventure through the Midwest as they slowly fall in love. When I was in college (a long time ago), disco was all the rage. I hated disco and turned to something completely different, punk. This film stars two characters that would have been right there with me in Simon and Patty, a couple that gets together and finds romance in the unlikeliest of places. Patty is a misfit, a young woman working a dead-end job with parents who don’t understand her and want to control her life. Simon is a rebel, a man who wants to make music and cause trouble. Having just been let go at another dead-end job, the two meet when Patty volunteers her parent's home as a place he can hide out from the law. I loved the chemistry between the two leads, and Emily Skeggs, as Patty, is a force of nature as she practically explodes on the screen when she listens to punk music or reacts to Simon’s advances. This isn’t your ordinary, sweet love story; in fact, you might say it’s the exact opposite of a Hallmark film. It’s filled with a character that is sometimes hard to root for in Simon, but Patty sees something in Simon she loves, and Simon gets that Patty is more put together than anyone ever gives her credit for. So go on a ride in a borrowed old truck and slam-dance a few tunes with Simon and Patty as their love story develops on the bumpy road of life. My Rating: Full Price   Dinner in America Website  Now playing in select theatres on  On-Demand in digital platforms.

Indiefest: Neptune Frost (2021) Neptune Frost is a sci-fi musical set in Rwanda, where a miner (Bertrand Nintereste) mourns the death of his brother, savagely killed when working in a mine, who teams up with a woman named Neptune (Cheryl Isheja) to change the world through technology. I wish I had seen this in the theatre as it needs to be seen in a setting where you can let the music and visuals overtake you to a strange and mythical world, where technology is being used to fight back against the tyranny of the world. Neptune Frost is a movie that isn’t always easy to follow, but you must just let yourself go and let the film put you under its spell. Full of music and dancing, sometimes joyous, other times sad, or even painful, that cuts to the heart of the film's message. Don’t try too hard to make sense of what is happening; just let it dazzle you with its powerful and emotional messages.   My Rating: Full Price   Neptune Frost Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: The Year My Voice Broke (1987) PG-13  Set in a small town in the country in 1960s Australia, Danny (Noah Taylor) is a fifteen-year-old boy who is secretly in love with his best friend Freya (Loene Carmen). No matter what he does, Danny can’t get Freya to see him as more than just a friend. And then in walks Trevor (Ben Mendelsohn), a bad boy who instantly gets any girl he wants, and Freya is no different. Trevor is bad news, and Danny knows it, but Danny can’t prevent a series of events that will not end well. What I love about this film is that the characters seem real, even bad boy Trevor, who, for all his faults, really cares about Freya. The casting is perfect, and the storyline is solid and heartbreaking.   My Rating; Full Price   The Year My Voice Broke Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Jurassic World Dominion: Puppet Masters

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Three Thousand Year of Longing (2022) R A lonely scholar, Alithea (Tilda Swinton), on holiday in Istanbul, buys a bottle in a bazaar and discovers that she is now in the possession of a Djinn (Idris Elba) who will grant her three wishes. We all know that in every story about genies and wishes, those wishes never come out well, but this Djinn has never met someone like Alithea. The trailer got me when it said it is directed by George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) and starred Swinton and Elba.    Three Thousand Years of Longing Info