Transcendence

My View:  Transcendence  (2014) PG-13 Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is a researcher trying to do what no one has ever done before with computers – make a device that possesses sentience and collective intelligence.  While this movie is about technology taking over more and more of our everyday lives, the core of this film is about the love between a man and a woman.  Rebecca Hall plays Dr. Caster’s wife who stands by her man, even when he makes bad decisions.  The film was shot on 35mm film but because it has so much CGI (computer generated special effects), you really don’t notice.  I didn’t like this film, mostly because it doesn’t have heart.  We are supposed to care about the couple and their struggle to stay together, but I ended up caring more about the survival of a fellow computer scientist, played by Paul Bettany, than I did about Dr. Caster and his wife.  It's two hours of blah.  My rating:  Cable Transcendence Website 

Indiefest:  Dom Hemingway (2014) R After spending 12 years in prison for keeping his mouth shut, notorious safecracker Dom Hemingway (Jude Law) is back on the streets ofLondon looking to collect what he is owed. Traveling with his devoted best friend, Dickie (Richard E. Grant), Dom visits his crime boss, Mr. Fontaine (Demian Bichir), in the south of France to claim his reward. After a near death experience, Dom tries to re-connect with his estranged daughter but is soon drawn back into the only world he knows and is looking to settle the ultimate debt. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but a bit of warning, it’s raunchy, violent and profanity is uttered in almost every line.  Law is a blast to watch as he plays Dom as an over-the-top hoodlum.  There is outstanding chemistry between Law and Grant, who plays his best friend. This is evident in a very funny scene in a bar where the two go back and forth on how they are going to kill each other. This is just a fun film to watch, but man, you are glad at the end of the film that you don’t know any of these people.  My Rating:  Full Price   Dom Hemingway Website

Indiefest:  Under the Skin (2014)  R In Scotland, an alien (Scarlett Johansson), in the body of an attractive woman, travels the cities, looking for unattached males. She lures her victims to her home and proceeds to kill them.  This is a beautiful looking film but its storyline is so bizarre, many people may not enjoy it.  Johansson is perfectly cast as the alien that seduces men to their death, but the only dialogue she utters is mundane chit chat when she is trying to pick up men.  Most of the men in the film whom she picks up are not actors but just locals, and the conversations she has with them are not scripted. I loved the look of the film, but its storyline left a lot to be desired, and I came away not really enjoying the viewing experience.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Under the Skin Website

Indiefest:  The Railway Man (2013) R Eric (Colin Firth) has a chance encounter with a woman (Nicole Kidman) on a train.  Eric figures out a way that they can meet again a few days later and, eventually, fall in love.  But Eric has a secret - he suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder due to his internment in a Japanese POW labor camp. He and his fellow British soldiers are forced to help build a railroad in Thailand. Firth and Kidman have great chemistry on-screen, and Firth is a remarkable actor who can do more with silence than most actors can do with dialogue.  The reason to see this film is Jeremy Irvine, who plays Eric when he is young and going through the horrors of the prison camp. Irvine is extraordinary in the role and brings intensity to the screen. The actors, though, are let down by a script that moves back and forth between 1980 and 1942 at a rapid rate, making the film a series of jarring cuts.  It’s a film that is enjoyable for the level of acting, but the storyline, which is about the power of love to overcome all, isn’t memorable or moving enough to give us a great film experience.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Railway Man Website  For a full length review of this film click here

My View:  Heaven is for Real (2014) PG Colton (Connor Corum) is a 4 year-old boy who, after having surgery for a burst appendix, tells his family that he traveled to heaven and talked to Jesus. Now the family has to decide to believe Colton and, if they do, how will the small town they live in react? Acting is usually the weak point of the faith based genre, but this one has an outstanding cast, including Greg Kinnear playing the father, Kelly Reilly playing the mom, Thomas Haden Church playing the best friend and Margo Martindale playing an important church member.  I loved Kinnear in this film, playing the preacher of a small town church.  Kinnear has such an easy going presence that it makes it highly believable that he would be a well-liked preacher.  The film is full of conversations about Heaven and God, but it’s what you would expect from this type of film.  It won't be for everyone, but it's a feel-good Christian film that many people will enjoy.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Heaven is for Real Website

Forgotten Film: Keeping the Faith (2000) PG-13 Jake (Ben Stiller), Brian (Edward Norton), and Anna (Jenna Elfman) are childhood friends.  Anna moves back into the neighborhood and both Jake, who is now a Rabbi, and Brian, who is a priest, are both interested in dating Anna.  Who will end up with Anna, and will their friendship survive?  This is a very interesting, unusual romantic comedy, with the importance of religion as one of its central themes.  Elfman is absolutely perfect as the quirky object of Brian and Jake’s affection.  It’s a fun romantic comedy that has witty dialogue and a very smart storyline.  My Rating: Full Price  Keeping the Faith Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Transcendence: Prop Paperwork 

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Philomena  (2013)  PG-13   In an effort to resurrect his journalistic career, Martin (Steve Coogan) agrees to do a human-interest story on Philomena (Judi Dench), a woman who is searching for her son and whom she gave up for adoption almost 50 years ago. I liked this film and thought it was funny and touching. Judi Dench was superb in this film and she matched up with Coogan perfectly.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again Philomena Website

Until Next Time!

Divergent

My View:  Divergent (2014)  PG-13  Set in the future, people are living in the ruins of Chicago as part of a society that is divided into five distinct factions. These factions are based on different personality characteristics such as self-sacrifice or the quest for knowledge. Beatrice “Tris”  Prior (Shailene Woodley) will have to choose which faction to join. Her problem is she discovers that she is “Divergent,” meaning she doesn’t fit into any one faction. Will she pick a faction based on what her head or her heart tells her?   I adore Shailene Woodley, who has yet to disappoint me on the screen and she is outstanding in the role of Tris. There is great chemistry between her and her love interest, Four, played by Theo James.  The problem with the film is that its plot is very complicated and not easily explained, so much that film goers who haven’t read the bestselling books will be confused.  The film does move at a quick pace with lots of compelling action sequences and doesn’t over emphasize the romance angle (which a lot of “Young Adult” films tend to do).  I am looking forward to exploring this exciting world of "future" films. 
  My Rating: Full Price  Divergent Website

Family Faire:  Muppets Most Wanted (2014) PG  While on a world tour hitting cities like Berlin and London, the Muppets gang gets involved with a jewel thief named, Constantine, who looks just like Kermit the Frog. Now, can Kermit take down his doppelganger and save his reputation?  I loved the 2011 film The Muppets, making it one of my top ten films of that year.  Unfortunately, this film doesn't portray the joy and magic of the previous film - it’s more in line with some of the other Muppet films of the past, making it bland and full of lame jokes.  The songs are unmemorable, and even the cameos (which were so much fun in The Muppets film) are ordinary.  Tina Fey, who plays a Russian prison guard, seems to be the only one of the cast who is having fun.  It’s a film that only true Muppet fans will enjoy.  I say, for the next Muppet movie, bring back Jason Segel and let him do his Muppet magic.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Muppets Most Wanted Website

Indiefest:  Bad Words  (2014)  R  Guy (Jason Bateman) is a 40 year-old high school dropout. He has never gotten over his bad experiences in school and finds a loop-hole in the rules of the national spelling bee. He enters the contest and along the way meets a reporter (Kathryn Hahn) and a fellow contestant (Rohan Chand), both whom he befriends. I thoroughly enjoyed this very raunchy R rated comedy.  The chemistry between Bateman and Chand is incredible, with Chand showing some real comedic timing. This is a hilarious film full of very interesting characters and a great storyline. This film is surprisingly heartwarming if you can get past Bateman's character profusely cursing.     My Rating: Full Price  Bad Words Website

My View:  Dark House (2014) R   Nick (Luke Kleintank) is a clairvoyant and, after his mother’s death, he discovers he has inherited an old home in the isolated country. So, Nick, his pregnant girlfriend (Alex McKenna), and his best friend, Ryan (Anthony Rey Perez) decide to check out the home. It’s a decision that may cost them their lives.  This is an interesting horror film that has some nice plot twists and turns.  While not overly scary, it does have a compelling storyline containing some rather fearsome bad guys.  I’m just not sure horror fans will be satisfied with this film, as it just doesn’t provide the scary moments they would love.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Dark House Info

Forgotten Films:  Lilies of the Field (1963) Homer (Sidney Poitier) is on his way across the country when his car breaks down near a remote farm.  A group of Catholic nuns who have recently immigrated from Eastern Europe run the farm and take in Homer, who they believe has been sent by God to help rebuild their church.  Poitier won an Academy Award for his role in this film and rightly so, as he is pitch-perfect as the headstrong Homer.  The interaction between Homer and the nuns is fun and fascinating, especially when Poitier deals with the Mother Superior (Lilia Skala), who believes in Homer and his abilities.  It’s a magical film that makes you feel good about humanity My Rating:  Full Price  Lilies of the Field Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Muppets Most Wanted (2014):  ice construction

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Under the Skin  (2014) R  I don’t know much about this film, other than it’s a Sci-Fi film about an alien seducing hitchhikers in Scotland.  All I have to know to want to see this film is that it stars Scarlett Johansson.  Under the Skin Website 

Until Next Time!