Us

My View:  Us  (2019)  R  A family is threatened by a group of doppelgängers who begin to terrorize them. Writer/director Jordan Peele has done it again. While not on the level of his first film Get Out, this horror film is still brilliantly done. One of the best things about his film is the score which uses some incredibly creepy original music along with some classic hip hop, rap, and rock songs. There is quite a bit of humor in this film, mostly provided through Winston Duke’s performance as the father playing a big, kind of a nerdy goofball.  Lupita Nyong’o is absolutely amazing playing two parts, the fierce mother, Adelaide,  who will do anything to protect her family and the horrific doppelgänger who wants to destroy Adelaide’s family. The tension builds almost from the start and doesn’t let up until the credits roll. I will warn you that there is quite a bit of blood spilled in this film but the violence, for the most part, is done off-screen. This is a film that you may have to see a couple of times to let it all sink in. My fellow critics and I talked for about an hour after we saw the film, trying to figure everything out. If you are a fan of intelligent horror films, this is a must for you.    My Rating:  Full Price     Us Website

Indiefest:  Gloria Bell  (2019)  R  A free-spirited woman (Julianne Moore) in her 50s is living her life, going to dance clubs alone until she meets a man (John Turturro) and falls in love, but that man might not be right for her. This is a remake of the writer/director’s 2012 Spanish film Gloria. The reason to see this film is the performance of Julianne Moore, who is a force of nature in the role. She portrays Gloria as a free-spirited woman who is kind but won’t put up with any relationship that doesn’t give her respect. This moving and sometimes heartbreaking film treats its subject with a loving look at a woman who discovers who she is.    My Rating:  Full Price    Gloria Bell Facebook Page

Indiefest:  Giant Little Ones  (2018)  R    Two popular boys (Darren Mann, Josh Wiggins) lives are turned upside down by an incident that happens on one of the boys 17th birthday. The film centers on Josh Wiggins character, Frankie, whose life gets turned upside down by the incident. This is a lovely film about dealing with all the crazy things that you go through as a teenager. I really loved this film about a young man trying to find his way in the world. Wiggins gives a dazzling and moving performance in the movie. I also liked the performance of Taylor Hickman, who plays a former friend of Franky’s who comes back into his life. Give this warm and tender film a chance, you won’t regret it.     My Rating: Full Price    Giant Little Ones Facebook Page

Forgotten Film:  Cherish  (2002)  R  After a martini-induced rampage, a young woman (Robin Tunney) is placed under house arrest. She figures out how to defeat her ankle alert in order to break the monotony of her confinement. Robin Tunney is amazing in this little-seen film. Part mystery, part comedy with a little romance mixed in Cherish is such a fun film to watch. Give this film a chance, I think you will enjoy it.    My Rating: Full Price    Cherish Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Us:  Stunt Pre-viz

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Avengers: Endgame  (2019) After the events that happened in Avengers: Infinity War.  With the help of Captain Marvel, the remaining Avengers are going to undo what Thanos did. Lots of rumors are flying around for this film.    Avengers: Endgame Website

Until Next Time!

Miss Bala

My View:  Miss Bala  (2019)  PG-13  Gloria (Gina Rodriguez) goes to Mexico to party with her best friend. Next thing she knows, she is involved in a dangerous world of cross-border crime. Now she fights to find her friend and get the heck out of Mexico. Why Gina Rodriquez would agree to make a movie this bad is beyond me. A plot that has so many holes in it the size of the border of Mexico and Texas and an ending that is beyond stupid makes this film almost unwatchable. All you need to know is that the film was directed by Catharine Hardwicke, who also directed the first Twilight movie.   My Rating: Cable   Miss Bala Website

Indiefest:  They Shall Not Grow Old  (2018)  R   A documentary on World War I told in a new way, from the men who fought the battle to save the world. An absolutely fantastic film from Peter Jackson who took over 100 hours of footage and made a movie that is moving and a loving tribute to the men who fought in ‘the war to end all wars.’ The movie is in 3D, so you need to see this in the theatres. It’s a remarkable film, one of the best documentaries that I have seen. The footage has been restored and made to look like modern film, with added colorization to make it, even more, stand out. He also hired a team of lip readers, so throughout the film, you hear what the soldiers were saying on the screen. The film is narrated by men who fought in the war from interviews they did in the 60s and 70s. I will warn you that this film is very graphic in depicting the horrors of war, including numerous shots of dead bodies. This is a film that should be seen by everyone because it is a touching tribute to the men who risked their lives to fight a war to save Europe.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See This Again    They Shall Not Grow Old Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  Boy Erased  (2018)  R  The son (Lucas Hedges) of a Baptist preacher (Russell Crowe) is forced to go to a church-sponsored gay conversion program. If he doesn’t complete the program, his family will kick him out. While Lucas Hedges gives us a passionate and insightful performance as the troubled Jared, it’s the performances of Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman that shine in this film. Crowe, playing the father who is conflicted by his love of his son versus the conviction of his faith that the gay lifestyle is wrong in the eyes of his religion gives a first-rate performance. Kidman is brilliant as the mom who is conflicted by the love of her son and the religious beliefs of her husband. I was let down by this film because it never delivers the emotional punch that the film needs.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    Boy Erased Website

Forgotten Film:  Looker  (1981)  PG  Written and directed by Michael Crichton, the film is about a plastic surgeon (Albert Finey) who is asked to make precise corrections to a bunch of models faces. Once he does the fix, he finds out that the models are being killed off and he decides to investigate their murders. This low budget sci-fi film is a bit looney, but it also is a lot of fun to watch especially Finey’s performance. A really strange little gem.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Looker Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Miss Bala: Temp Colorist

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Us  (2019) A family goes to their beach house for a vacation only to be surprised by unexpected visitors that will turn their vacation into chaos. This is the latest film from Jordan Peale, who gave us the Oscar-winning film Get Out (2017).   Us Website

Until Next Time!