Hollywood Stargirl

My View: Hollywood Stargirl (2022) PG   The journey for Stargirl Caraway (Grace VanderWaal) continues as she moves to LA to pursue her journey to a singing career. Stargirl meets a young man, Evan (Elijah Richardson), who wants Stargirl to write music and perform in a film he is doing with his brother. Along the way, Stargirl meets her idol, Roxanne Martel (Uma Thurman), a mysterious singer from the past who made one remarkable album and then disappeared from the music world. Can Stargirl weave her magical voice to bring Roxanne out of retirement? There are some films that I call ‘comfort films.’ They are films that just feel good watching them and experiencing their charm. They aren’t going to break ground in their message or change the world by enticing action; all they do is make you feel warm and happy. Hollywood Stargirl is one of those films, led by the delightful and charismatic Grace VanderWaal. First is her voice, which is beautiful and mesmerizing. Add that she has a natural grace and energy that explodes on the screen. The tale is simple, new girl in town who changes lives through her almost mere presence, touching virtually everyone she meets. It’s fun to see Uma Thurman back on the screen, who looks like she is having a great time singing and performing. Add in a supporting cast with the likes of Judd Hirsch as the grumpy neighbor, Judy Greer as Stargirl’s loving mom, and Elijah Richardson as the hunky potential boyfriend, and you have a movie that lets Grace VanderWaal shine, spreading a little bit of love and good feeling that we can all use right now.   My Rating: Full Price  Hollywood Stargirl Website  Now playing on the Disney+ platform.

Indiefest: Benediction (2021) PG-13   The film tells the life story of Siegfried Sassoon (Jack Lowden), a decorated hero of WWI who came back from that war mentally damaged and became a vocal critic of the continuation of war through his poetry. Consequently, he was a man who fought for peace, all the while never quite finding that peace for himself as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality. I will admit that I am not a poetry person. I have never been, so I had difficulty connecting with this film. The film uses Siegfried’s poetry throughout the film to give us an insight into his mindset and feelings about the horrors of war. The film combines photos and documentary footage shot at the time, most of which is horrific to look at. Benediction is a story of a man who tried to fight the system, both in his personal life and in his public one, and, for the most part, failed. Siegfried was a man who could not find love with the right person, often jumping into one relationship to another, including marrying a woman who pursued him (even though she knew he was a homosexual). I had trouble with the pacing of the film, as some scenes in the movie seem to go on for way too long, and I had a hard time following the storyline at times (how Siegfried is injured in the film is not shown, so I don’t know if it was during the war or by a jealous lover. Siegfried was a complicated man who suffered the horrors of war and never found the peace he sought all of his life., but I never felt the hurt or sorrow as deep as I should have.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Benediction Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Watcher (2022) R  Watcher takes place in a city in Romania being terrorized by a serial killer. Julia (Maika Monroe), a young actress, and her boyfriend have just moved into a high-rise apartment building in the city when she notices a mysterious stranger watching her from across the street. Shortly after, a man starts following Julia, and she decides to try to discover who this ‘watcher’ is and if he is indeed the killer. I enjoyed this thriller that takes the story of a woman who is convinced that she is being stalked by a neighbor, all the while a city is reacting to a serial killer. No one believes her story, including, in time, her husband. So, Julia starts to stalk the stalker, convinced that she is right. Here is a woman who is stuck in a scary situation, where she doesn’t speak the language, doesn’t have any support system, and is seemingly put down by everyone she tells her tale to, our hero, Julia, keeps going; no matter what the cost or who believes her, until its too late for anyone to save her…or is it.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Watcher Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story   (2021) PG-13   Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story is a documentary about the legendary New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest, one of the great festivals in America. But its story can’t be told without exploring the history of the incredible city where the fest takes place, New Orleans. It’s hard to capture the magic and energy of a music festival, but this film does that and more. Giving us a history of not only the fest but of New Orleans and its love affair with Jazz makes this a movie worth watching. Combining the love that the film has for New Orleans with an outstanding lineup of musicians makes this a film that you need to see on the big screen to be surrounded by the sounds of this fabulous festival. If only we could smell and taste the food which is an important part of the fest as the music itself. The film does an outstanding job of showing how diverse the music is at the fest, from local jazz bands to bands from Africa and the Caribbean, to the hit-makers of the time, including Katy Perry, Earth Wind and Fire, and Jimmy Buffet (who has a long history of performing at the fest). The film’s best moment is a soaring and moving performance by Bruce Springsteen, who sings ‘My City of Ruin’ at the fest soon after the devastating destruction of New Orleans by Katrina. Seeing thousands of hands in the air as Springsteen sings about building back a city is one that brought a tear to my eye and will do the same for you.    My Rating: Full Price  Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Fire Island (2022) R  Noah (Joel Kim Booster), and Howie (Bowen Yang) have been best friends since working at a restaurant together years ago. They are about to go on a legendary week-long summer vacation to Fire Island, fueled by cheap rose and a group of eclectic friends. Along the way, they hope they will have fun and maybe even find love…or at least a good time looking for it. Based loosely (very loosely) on Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ Fire Island is a rom-com set on the infamous gay playground of Fire Island. A bit raunchy, part sweet buddy comedy, and part romance, Fire Island is an adventure into the loves and lives of a group of friends spending one last summer vacation at a beloved island home. The film centers around the friendship of Noah, the confident, sometimes overly pushy guy, and Howie, a shy man who just wants to find love, one awkward moment at a time. I loved their relationship and how they look after each other in good times and bad. Will Noah admit that he is attracted to stuck-up lawyer Will (Conrad Ricamora), and will Howie get his heart broken by his latest crush? You have to join that gang of misfits as they experience one last party on Fire Island to find out. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Fire Island Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform.

My View: Crimes of the Future (2022) R   Crimes of the Future takes place in a time when humans have adapted to a synthetic environment, where their bodies have begun to evolve. Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) is a man whose body has been producing extra organs. He makes a living as a performance artist, where these organs are harvested in front of an audience with the help of a former trauma surgeon (Lea Seydoux). He has interested a government organization that has sent two workers (Kristen Stewart, Don McKellar) to witness his performance. Now a new, strange man (Scott Speedman) wants Saul to do what is a dangerous and illegal performance, one that could kill Saul. You know you are going to see something a little off or weird when one of the first scenes is a young boy who sits down on the bathroom floor and starts eating a plastic wastebasket. People walked out of this film at its showing at the Cannes Film Festival, so I should warn you that if blood or self-mutilation upsets you, this is not the film for you. The film is about performance art and just how far we will go, where surgery is the new way to have sex. Saul is a man who has accepted that his body grows extra organs, and he is a willing participant in the performance art that he and Caprice put on in front of an adoring and always documenting crowd. There is a mystery to be solved involving the trashcan-eating boy, a possible cult, and a whole bunch more, some of which I wouldn’t be able to explain, even if I tried. I enjoyed some of this film, mainly the look and feel of the future and how Saul and Caprice interacted. However, the film continually tries to shock you with twists and turns that sometimes seem to go nowhere. Crimes of the Future is a film, like Croneberg’s Videodrome (1983), that is stylish, strange, and makes lots of statements about the society of today and the future, but it’s not one I ever want to see again. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Crimes of the Future Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Forgotten Film: Waking the Dead (2000)  R  Jennifer Connelly is a fantastic Oscar-winning actress brought back to the spotlight for her role as the tough, wise-cracking former love of Tom Cruises character in Top Gun: Maverick. Connelly has been in some great films (A Beautiful Mind, Mulholland Falls, House of Sand and Fog) and some stinkers too (one of the few bad films that John Hughes wrote, Career Opportunities), but she is always someone to watch, making each part her own, and often shining brighter than the material. Such is the case with the film Walking the Dead, a mystery about an up-and-coming congressional candidate (Billy Crudup) who begins to question his sanity when he sees the love of his life (Connelly) come back from the dead. The film is a mess with an ending that gives you almost no clue what is real and what is imagined. However, there is a scene that makes this film worth watching, where she reads the riot act to Crudup’s character, explaining to him why what he is about to do is so wrong. It’s a powerful scene that gives Connelly something to work with, and she hits it out of the park. Maybe after that scene, just shut the film off. You might thank me for that suggestion if you ever decide to go back and finish the movie.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Waking the Dead Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Hollywood Stargirl: Piano Coach

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Mr. Malcolm’s List (2022) PG A young woman in 1800s England helps her friend to get revenge on a man who has rejected her because she didn’t meet the requirements on his list for a bride. Theo James, Sope Dirisu, Freida Pinto, and Zawe Ashton star in this dramedy that started as a self-published book, turned into a screenplay by the author and was turned into a movie by Emma Holly Jones. Jones shot a short film based on the novel to get backing for the film. I hope this 'little film that could' succeeds both on-screen and at the box office.   Mr. Malcolm's List Website  

The War with Grandpa

Note to readers: I currently am not willing to risk my health (I’m 62 and an asthmatic) by visiting a theatre. All films that I have seen for review have been screened in my home. 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 War with Grandpa (2020) PG   Peter (Oakes Fegley) is thrilled when he learns that his Grandpa Ed (Robert De Niro) is coming to live with his family. Thrilled until Peter finds out that Grandpa is taking over Peter’s room, forcing Peter to move into the creepy attic. Peter comes up with a plan to make Grandpa surrender his room. However, Grandpa has other plans, to never give in and to get even. Right now, this film is my top pick for the worst movie of the year. You can see why, regardless of a cast that includes two-time Academy Award winner De Niro, Oscar winner Christopher Walken, Oscar-Nominated Uma Thurman, and Grammy winner Cheech Marin, this film sat on the shelf since 2017. Right from the start, the film isn’t even remotely funny and many times becomes uncomfortable to watch, including a painful scene where De Niro, Walken, Marin, and two-time Golden Globe winner Jane Seymour try to play dodge ball on trampolines. There is a scene that sums up this film where a bully has been terrorizing Peter, and De Niro, Walken, and Marin appear at school to scare the bully. They show up in tracksuits, and we are led to believe that Walken and Marin have the ability/agility to lift the bully up high enough to put him in a dumpster. Sorry filmmakers, but like with the rest of the film, I just don’t believe it.    My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again    The War with Grandpa Website    The film is currently in select theatres.

My View:  Black Box (2020)    After a horrific car accident, Nolan (Mamoudou Athie) lost more than his wife in the crash; he also lost his memory. Struggling to raise his daughter by himself with a memory that won’t let him remember the simplest things, Nolan decides to trust a doctor (Phylicia Rashad) and undertake an experimental treatment. The treatment begins to work, but soon, Nolan discovers that his memories are possibly too dark to explore without losing his mind. Part of the Welcome to the Blumhouse anthology film series on Amazon would feel more a part of a Twilight Zone TV show than a Blumhouse horror movie. Part mystery, part sci-fi movie, we follow Nolan as he goes under the care of a doctor who claims she can bring back his lost memories. But Nolan’s memories aren’t clear, and each time he goes under for treatment, a mysterious creature shows up threatening him. The beast is one of those creatures we have seen time and time again that is some sort of human that walks upside down on all fours as we hear crunching sounds. That’s it. That’s about all the scare this film has a crunchy upside-down man, and oh yeah, people with no faces. The film never delivers any of the horror/scares and gives us a twist that I saw coming from the first time Nolan goes under for the treatment. Let's hope the next films in the Blumhouse anthology series do a better job at scaring us than this slow turn film does.     My Rating: Cable     Black Box Website   The film is currently available on the Amazon platform.

Indiefest:  The Devil to Pay (2019)    After her husband mysteriously disappears, Lemon Cassidy (Danielle Deadwyler), living on a farm in an isolated Appalachian community, must fight back against the cold-hearted matriarch of the family that controls the mountain. Danielle will do anything to protect her son and her land. A hit at both the Atlanta and Georgia Film Festivals last year, The Devil to Pay is a tight, well thought out thriller about a woman who fights the odds with grit and determination. The film is filled with rich characters like Catherine Dyer’s Tommy Runion, an iron-fisted ruler of a clan with a cold heart but a woman who is continuously and sweetly talking about her cooking. Deadwyler is fantastic as Lemon, a woman who accepts that her husband has a debt which has to be paid, that is, until Tommy decides the rules have changed and Lemon has no other way to get out of her predicament other than with violence. The film is a thrilling ride in a world seemingly set in a place time has forgotten, one that is ruled by grit and overcome by heart.     My Rating: Full Price   The Devil to Pay Info    The film is currently in select theatres.

Indiefest:  The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) R  Officer Marshall (Jim Cummings) is an alcoholic who is raising his teenage daughter, caring for his ailing father, and has aspirations of one day being the sheriff. Terror grips the small town that Officer Marshall works in as bodies are being discovered after each full moon. Officer Marshall is the only one in town unwilling to consider that a werewolf is doing the killings. Part comedy, part horror film with a ton of quirky characters thrown in, describes this well-meaning film that never quite finds its footing in the icy snow covering the town. I wanted more from this film, especially since it is the last film of the late great actor Robert Forster but it never quite can get a handle on what it wants to do. The film does have some funny bits, like a running gag where sad sack Marshall can’t convince anyone that the killer is a man and not a werewolf. The problem is that the situation's strangeness isn’t wild enough; the story never quite feels consistent in its tone. The center of the problem is Cummings, who, besides starring in the film, also is the writer/director, and Cummings can’t find a handle on his character or his performance, which gets old pretty quickly. I did enjoy Riki Lindhome as the put-upon Officer Robson, Marshall’s 2nd in command, that keeps things on track. In fact, by the end of the film, I wanted more of Officer Robson and less of Officer Marshall. I think it would have had a better experience spending my time watching the movie from her perspective. The Wolf of Snow Hollow isn’t a bad film, and I had some fun watching it; I just wish it had gone with a different, more interesting lead character.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee      The Wolf of Snow Hollow Website    The film is currently in select theatres and is  available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View:  The Lie (2018) R   A father (Peter Sarsgaard) and his daughter, Kayla (Joey King), are on their way to dance camp when they stop to pick up the daughter’s best friend (Devery Jacobs) by the side of the road. Those good intentions have horrible consequences, and now Kayla’s parents are part of a cover-up that soon begins to unravel. Part of the Welcome to the Blumhouse anthology film series on Amazon, The Lie doesn’t even come close to what you would consider a Blumhouse horror film. Horror films, even the bad ones, are supposed to be fun to watch but The Lie, pardon the pun, just lays there with a plot that gets increasingly stupid as it goes along. If you haven’t stopped watching somewhere in the middle, there is a twist near the end of the movie that is so poorly handled, the gang on the podcast How Did This Get Made will be able to talk about it for hours. The tension never builds, and frankly, by the end of the film, you hope that bad things will happen to all three of the family members just so that the movie will end.    My Rating: Cable     The Lie Website     The film is currently available on the Amazon platform.

Indiefest:  Time (2020) PG-13    Fox Rich fights for the release of her husband, Rob, who is serving a 60-year sentence in prison. This documentary uses video diaries that Fox personally recorded over the years with family and friends for Rob. Meet Fox Rich, a force of nature who is determined to get her husband and father of her children released from prison. The film pulls no punches as Fox tells you just how and why she and her husband ended up in jail. What she is upset about, and rightfully so, is that her husband was sentenced to 60 years without parole for a bank heist where no one got hurt. Using mostly footage shot by Fox on her iPhone or camcorder, the film follows the journey of this mother trying to raise a family while campaigning for her husband to come home from a system set up for her to fail. Fox is charismatic and well-spoken, a woman who can get her point across with passion and fire, while also charming. We see the frustration that she feels and the love keeping her hope alive, ever hoping that her twin boys will see their father out before they turn into men themselves. Time is a moving tribute to the love a woman has for her family and showcases a penal system that has long been broken.    My Rating: Full Price     Time Website  The film is currently playing in select theatres and will be available for rent on the Amazon platform on Oct. 16th.

Indiefest:  Spontaneous (2020) R    Mara (Katherine Langford) and Dylan (Charlie Plummer) are two high-school-students who meet during their senior year and fall in love. Just one problem, students in their school are exploding without any warning, and so, each moment may be their last. I see a few films every year that make me want to go on the rooftops and shout how great they are, and this is one of them. If you are a fan of films like Edgar Wright’s early work ( Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The World’s End), Warm Bodies, or even Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, this is a film for you. Led by a dazzling performance by Katherine Langford and a sharp, funny script, this is a film that you will fall in love with. Langford is brilliant as the smart as a whip high school girl who really is too cool for school. Langford’s character Mara, pals around with her best friend Tess (Hayley Law), someone she is so close with that they are already scouting beach houses to retire to. Mara has cool parents (Piper Perabo, Rob Huebel) who adore her and add to that, she meets a boy, Dylan, that has a sense of humor that can keep up with Mara’s. Things seem up until, for no reason, seniors start exploding into a bloody mess. Combine the sweet and wonderful chemistry Langford has with Plummer, dialogue that is a blast, and a performance  Langford hits out of the park (you will want to be Mara’s best friend), and you have one of those films that you don’t want to end. I wish this film was being released at a time that it could build an audience because it is worthy of one. Go rent this Spontaneous, and you won’t be sorry. Not every movie can span the line between horror and comedy, but this one does, even if it is a little bloody.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     Spontaneous Website   The film is  available for rent on participating on-demand services

Forgotten Films: The Professionals (1966)   A group of grizzled cowboys (Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Woody Strode, Robert Ryan) are hired by a rich man (Ralph Bellamy) to rescue his kidnapped wife (Claudia Cardinale) from a ruthless Mexican rebel leader (Jack Palance) who has an army of desperados. The film is a beautifully filmed western that is filled with great performances and has a brilliant story with a twist that is incredibly well scripted. I love Lee Marvin, and he is outstanding as the leader of the four men but its the performance of Jack Palance that makes this film work. Palance is so good as the evil leader, giving us a low-key but deadly bad guy to go against our heroes. If you are a fan of westerns like I am, this is one not to be missed.   My Rating: Full Price    The Professionals Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The War with Grandpa: Chef Driver

Coming Soon to A Screen Near You: The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) R   In 1968, the war in Vietnam has divided the country and the Democratic Party Convention convened in hot, sweaty Chicago. The convention was met with protests from activists led by Tom Hayden, Jerry Rubin, and Abbie Hoffman. Seven protesters were put on trial, and the country was torn farther apart. The film is from the mind of Aaron Sorkin and has a cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Mark Rylance, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In a strange movie landscape, this film has become one of the few Oscar contenders out there.      The Trial of the Chicago 7 Website

Until Next Time!

The Broken Circle Breakdown

Indiefest:  The Broken Circle Breakdown (2013)   Didier (Johan Heldenbergh) is the leader of a bluegrass band. Elise (Veerie Baetens) is the owner of a tattoo shop. When the two meet, they instantly fall in love and soon after, get married. Their life seems perfect after the birth of their daughter, but their marriage is tested when their worst nightmare comes true.  The most amazing thing about this Belgium film is that all the singing in the film by Didier and Elise sounds as though it was coming from the state of Kentucky - it’s that good.  The film hits the extremes of this very intense couple who are played perfectly by Heldenbergh and Baetens.  You can see the attraction of the characters from the very start.  This is definitely one of those roller coaster rides of a film that has some extreme highs and even lower lows.  My Rating:  Full Price  The Broken Circle Breakdown Website

The 50  (A Movie from My Best/Worst Films of All Time) 

#5 Best Film:

Seven Samurai  (1954) A grizzled samurai (Toshiro Mifune) has fallen on hard times and takes the offer of some villagers to protect them from a gang of bandits.  He recruits six other samurai to help him, and they proceed to try train the villagers in the art of war.  When the bandits do arrive, the village and the seven samurai face almost impossible odds to overcome to protect their homeland.  The film is expertly directed by Akira Kurosawa, a master filmmaker who fills the screen with extraordinary shots that just seem to flow.  The action sequences are far better than any action film done in present day. The final battle scene is one of the most stunning pieces of cinema ever done.  Seven Samurai Info

Forgotten Film:  Beautiful Girls (1996)  R  Willie (Timothy Hutton) is a man at the crossroads of his life.  He must decide if he is going to quit playing the piano for a living and get a sales job.  Plus, he is trying to decide if he wants to marry his longtime girlfriend, Tracy (Annabeth Gish).  Willie uses the excuse of a high school reunion to go back to his small hometown to sort things out.  He finds that everyone he went to high school with still lives in the town and most seem to be stuck in the past.  Willie then meets Marty (Natalie Portman), literally the girl next door, who is smart, beautiful and instantly has a rapport with Willie.  The only problem, she is 13.  This is a fun movie to watch with great dialogue that feels real and a incredible ensemble cast that includes Matt Dillon, Lauren Holly, Mira Sorvino, and Uma Thurman.  It’s Natalie Portman, though, who makes this film a delight to watch as she perfectly plays Marty as the girl with the “old soul." My Rating:  Full Price  Beautiful Girls Info

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014) The Paranormal franchise has gotten a little old, so they are doing a spinoff. I think only positive thing I see about this film is that it is only 84 minutes long.  Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Despicable Me 2 (2013) PG  Gru (Steve Carell), his adoptive girls (Miranda Cosgrove, Elsie Kate Fisher, Diana Gaier) and the Minions are back! This time, Gru has tried to settle into a life of raising kids and staying out of trouble. Trouble, though, inevitably always finds Gru, and The Anti-Villain League recruits him to find a new super-criminal who has stolen a secret formula. Gru must now go undercover, with the help of AVL agent Lucy (Kristen Wiig), and work at a place in his worst nightmares, the local mall.  I enjoyed this film much more than the first Despicable Me mostly because it features the Minions more.  My Rating: Full Price  Despicable Me 2 Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Frozen:  Head of music preparation

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Her  (2013)  R  A writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who is still mourning the breakup of his marriage and installs a new operating system on his computer that is designed to learn about him and respond to his needs.  Very soon he finds that he has fallen in love with his computer.  There is a big debate on whether Scarlett Johansson, who voices the computer he falls for, can be nominated for a supporting actress Academy Award.  Her Website

Until Next Time!