Wonder Woman

My View:  Wonder Woman (2017)  PG-13  Before she was Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), she was Diana, Princess of the Amazons and a trained warrior. When a pilot named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes his plane on the Amazons island, he tells Diana about a war that is going to end all wars.  Diana decides to go with Steve to help defend liberty.  Wow, we finally have a DC film that gets it right. All it took was a woman director with a story about a female superhero. What has been severely lacking in the DC universe has been a lack of humor in their films (something Marvel excels at). Due to incredible chemistry and timing of the two principles (Gadot and Pine), this movie works. I loved the fight scenes, and we already knew from her appearance in Batman v. Superman, that Gal Gadot can do action sequences.  The first big fight sequence is a spectacular example of choreography and directing, with Amazon warriors flying off of massive cliffs while shooting arrows at their enemy.  This big, dramatic action movie is meant to be seen on the big screen, but it was not shot in 3-D, so save a few bucks.  There is no bonus scene in the closing credits.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Wonder Woman Website

Family Faire:  Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie  (2017)  PG   When two school pranksters (Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch) are threatened by the Principal (Ed Helms) to be sent to separate rooms, the boys use a magic ring to hypnotize the Principal and turn him into the superhero Captain Underpants. I loved the first half of the movie, with the friendship of the two boys being the center of the film and they creatively use three types of animation. My problem with this movie, though, is it starts to go downhill when they introduce the bad guy, Professor Poopypants (Nick Kroll), whom I found very annoying and one dimensional.  From talking to kids at my screening, the film does an excellent job of making the characters of the book series come alive. This is another one of those family films that kids will love, and parents will be very bored.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Website

Indiefest:  Obit  (2017)  A look at the staff obituary writers at the New York Times, having, to sum up, a life in a 500-word article.  Obit is a fascinating film about one of the last newspaper obituary staffs. The writers of the obituaries often have to do research, question loved ones of the deceased and write a story in a matter of hours.  What I adore about this movie is you get to hear the stories behind the writing of the obituary, why the writers write what they write, how they pick the pictures they use, what the writers leave out, and whom they talked to. Some of the obits in the film are about very famous people, and then others are about equally interesting people who are not well known.   My Rating:  Full Price   Obit Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray):  Before I Fall  (2017)  PG-13  Samantha (Zoey Deutch) is a high school student who keeps reliving the same day over and over. If you had one day to do all over again, how would you do things differently?  This is a “groundhog” type of movie which doesn’t work because the main character keeps doing the same things. This film wants us to root for Samantha, but the problem is she isn’t a likable person. She is part of a “mean girls” group of friends who are self-centered and only concerned about having a good time.  The storyline is boring and predictable with an ending that is too simple to work.    My Rating: Cable   Before I Fall Website

Forgotten Film:  Top Five  (2014) R  It’s sad that this film only made 25 million at the box office (it got lost on a weekend that Wild got released). This amusing and touching film is about a comedian (Chris Rock) who is trying to make it as a serious actor. His fiancée (Gabrielle Union) convinces him to allow their wedding to be broadcast on her reality TV show. Everything is going well until a reporter (Rosario Dawson) shows up to do an interview that just may change his life. I loved this witty, sometimes raunchy comedy written and directed by Chris Rock. The film, while very funny, also has a lot of heart.  There is great chemistry between Dawson (in one of her best performances) and Rock. The film also looks at what it’s like to be successful and still have doubts about your life and your career.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Top Five Facebook Page 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Wonder Woman:  The filmmakers would like to thank Linda Carter.

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Mountain Between Us  (2017)   Two people (Idris Elba, Kate Winslet) are in a small plane that crashes on the side of a remote snow-covered mountain. These two strangers must now come together to survive a perilous journey across miles of wilderness. Two incredibly gifted actors and a trailer that looks stunning makes me wish this film was coming out today and not in months.   The Mountain Between Us Info

Until Next Time!

Exodus: Gods and Kings

My View:  Exodus: Gods and Kings  (2014) PG-13 Moses (Christian Bale) has always known he was different than his brother, the future Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton).  He learns that he was born a slave and that his destiny is to lead his people to freedom. Exodus: Gods and Kings is director Ridley Scott’s latest attempt to dazzle us with big action sequences and lots of brooding by Christian Bale.  Bale plays Moses, whose brother is the future pharaoh Rameses, played by Joel Egerton.  Egerton, doing his best Marlon Brando imitation, is given the task of performing on-screen with the scene chewing Bale. The film wastes a marvelous cast.  Aaron Paul barely says a word, and I think Sigourney Weaver, who plays Rameses's mother, has two lines, at best. It's Egerton and Bale’s movie.  Rameses is written as a real jerk, who is willing to kill any slave who dares to rebel. Moses is portrayed as a man who doubts  that he is worthy of God's faith, constantly debating God's decisions. The story of Moses leading 600,000 slaves out of Egypt has been told many times in film and TV. Ridley Scott brings nothing new to the story. The film feels very cynical and lacks the wonderment that biblical films usually have. The film is 150 minutes long but feels more like the 4 hours that Scott's first cut was rumored to be. The special effects are drab and lifeless.  Even (spoiler alert) the parting of the Red Sea seems boring and almost an afterthought. And it's not worth seeing in 3-D as I rarely noticed the 3 D effects.  It’s a film that you will want to avoid like a plague of locust.  My Rating: Cable  Exodus: Gods and Kings website  

My View:  Wild (2014) R  In 1994, a troubled young woman, Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) decides to hike, alone, more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. This is a very deep and spiritual film that, at times, is funny and, at other times, is quite sad.  Cheryl has made a mess of her life, and it has gotten to the point that she has alienated everyone who is important to her.  To find herself, she decides to go on a hike that even the most experienced hikers have a hard time completing.  Witherspoon is brilliant in this film, and gives a gritty, brave, no-holds-barred performance that is sure to get her an Oscar nomination.  She takes what is a quite unlikable person and makes her sympathetic, getting us to root for her.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Wild Website

Indiefest:  Top Five  (2014) R  A comedian (Chris Rock) is trying to make it as a serious actor.  His fiancée (Gabrielle Union) convinces him to allow their wedding to be broadcast on her reality TV show. Everything is going well until a reporter (Rosario Dawson) shows up to do an interview that just may change his life. I loved this witty, sometimes raunchy comedy written and directed by Chris Rock.  The film, while very funny, also has a lot of heart.  There is great chemistry between Dawson (in one of her best performances) and Rock.  They spend a great deal of the film on screen together, and their back and forth banter feels natural and relaxed.  The cameos are what make this film work, and there are plenty of them.  Cedric the Entertainer stands out as a brash promoter who spends a wild night with Rock’s character involving some ladies of the evening and alcohol.  The film also looks at what it’s like to be successful and still have doubts about your life and your career.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Top Five Website

My View:  The Babadook (2014) A young boy, Samuel (Noah Wiseman) suffers from insomnia when he believes that monsters will come out of his closet or from under his bed.  In order to get him to sleep, his mother, Amelia (Essie Davis) reads the boy bedtime stories.  When the mother reads Mr. Babadook to the boy, both mother and child realize that they have just made a mistake that could cost them their lives.  This is one of the scariest and inventive horror films that I have seen in a long time. Smartly done and with incredibly scary scenes, this film will terrify you.  It’s refreshing to have a horror film that doesn’t get too bloody or go for the cheap “gottcha” scare tactics, but instead builds the tension till you just can’t stand it anymore.  This is one of the best horror films that I have seen in many years.  My Rating: Full Price  The Babadook Website

Indiefest;  Antarctica: A Year on the Ice (2014) PG  This documentary looks at the scientists and researchers that work in one of the most isolated places on earth, Antarctica. It's tough to live there in "summer" but imagine living there in winter, where two months the sun never comes up, and they endure category 1 hurricane winds at least once a week.  This is a fascinating film that has beautiful time lapse photography that capture a place that we will never visit in person. The film does a brilliant job of showcase the people that choose to live their, giving us insight into what draws them there and why they continue to come back. This a must see for any fan of nature documentaries.  My Rating: Full Price  Antarctica: A Year on the Ice Website

Indiefest:  Glen Campbell:  I’ll Be Me  (2014)  PG  In 2011 singer Glen Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Campbell was determined to go public with the diagnosis and also go on one last “Goodbye Tour.”  The tour was only to last for a few weeks but turned into a 151 show nationwide tour as Campbell and his fans got to say goodbye.  At times funny, sad and maddening, this film is an incredible inside look on what it’s like to deal with Alzheimer’s and its impact on not only the victim, but the family and friends that have to take care of the person.  It’s remarkable that Campbell was able to play and sing (with help from a teleprompter) for as long as he did.  This moving film that touches your heart and makes you want to do whatever you can to fight this deadly disease.  My Rating: Full Price  Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me Website

Forgotten Film:  Crimes and Misdemeanors  (1989)  PG-13  This is one of Woody Allen’s strangest films, as half is a comedy and the other half is a drama.  An adulterer (Martin Landau) decides that his mistress (Anjelica Huston) is getting to brash, and he decides to try and kill her.  Allen plays a filmmaker is a loveless marriage, falls in love with a co-worker (Mia Farrow) without much success.  Landau gives the performance of a lifetime and Allen is his usual funny, self-deprecating character. The film is an interesting take on love and relationships.  Just how far are we willing to go to find happiness once again?  My Rating: Full Price  Crimes and Misdemeanors Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Babadook:  brush hands

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Red Army (2014) PG This documentary about the Soviet Union Ice Hockey team is getting great critical acclaim. Who doesn’t want to relive the “Miracle on Ice” ?  Red Army Info

Until Next Time!