Missing Link

Family Faire:  Missing Link  PG  Mr. Link (voiced by Zack Galifianakis) is a Bigfoot who dreams of finding more like him. He convinces explorer Sir Lionel Frost (voiced by Hugh Jackman) to take Mr. Link to the fabled lost valley of Shangri-La, where it is rumored that it is inhabited by Yetis. With the help of a former flame of Sr. Lionel, Adelina Fortnight (voiced by Zoe Saldana), the three go on a trip halfway across the world. The animation studio, Laika Entertainment, who did Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and Coraline (2009), do some brilliant stop-motion animation and this film looks amazing. The stop motion is so smooth it looks drawn. The story is warm and funny and Mr. Link, who later decides his first name is Susan, is just plain fun. It’s a silly movie but there is nothing wrong with that. Take the kids, they will have a blast and you just might end up having fun too.  My Rating: Full Price   Missing Link Webste

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  Vice  (2018) R   The story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) who rose from poverty to become a Washington insider, ultimately become the Vice President under George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell). Bale gives an incredible performance, becoming Cheney right before your eyes. This is from Adam McKay, who gave us the Oscar-winning The Big Short, and like that film, there is quite a bit of humor, including a running gag throughout the film that will have you rolling on the floor. I enjoyed this film, but the big problem with the film is that the main character holds everything very close to his vest, so it’s hard to know what this character is thinking. I found Sam Rockwell portrayal of George W. Bush was just a little too cartoony for my taste. The actor, besides Bale, that stands out is Steve Carell, who is brilliant as the fiery Donald Rumsfeld. Amy Adams doesn’t have a lot to do as the wife of Cheney, Lynne.    My Rating: Full Price    Vice Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Aladdin  (2019)  PG   A street urchin and a Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has a genie in it that will give its owner incredible power. The Disney animated was good but is terribly dated. The trailer for this film looks horrible and Will Smith as the genie looks uncomfortable, the rest of the cast is 2nd rate.    Aladdin Website

Forgotten Film:  The Transformers: The Movie  (1986)  PG  Considered by most Transformer fans the best Transformers film (including the Michael Bay films), this animated film has the Autobots fighting on two fronts: against a colossal planet consuming robot and of course, the Decepticons. The film has a very strong voice cast, including Orson Welles in one of the last acting jobs he did before he died. This film is really dark and well made. I just wish the Michael Bay films had this kind of writing.  My Rating:  Full Price    The Transformers Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Missing Link:  Hair and Fur Fabricator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Avengers: Endgame  (2019) PG-13 The question is not who will be resurrected but who will die?  After this movie, the Marvel Universe will never be the same.     Avengers: Endgame Website

Until Next Time!

Vice

My View:  Vice  (2018) R   The story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) who rose from poverty to become a Washington insider, ultimately become the Vice President under George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell). Bale gives an incredible performance, becoming Cheney right before your eyes. This is from Adam McKay, who gave us the Oscar-winning The Big Short, and like that film, there is quite a bit of humor, including a running gag throughout the film that will have you rolling on the floor. I enjoyed this film, but the big problem with the film is that the main character holds everything very close to his vest, so it’s hard to know just what this character is thinking. I found Sam Rockwell portrayal of George W. Bush was just a little too cartoony for my taste. The actor, besides Bale, that stands out is Steve Carell, who is brilliant as the fiery Donald Rumsfeld. Amy Adams doesn’t have a lot to do as the wife of Cheney, Lynne.    My Rating: Full Price    Vice Website

Indiefest:  If Beale Street Could Talk  (2018)  R   A newly engaged and pregnant woman (Tish Rivers) in Harlem struggles to prove that her fiancé (Stephan James) is innocent of a crime. This emotional and stunning film is one of the best films of the year. Rivers and James give outstanding performances but the performance of Regina King, as James’s character’s mother is the best thing about this film. Although set in the 1970s, this film could easily be set in 2018, and its message would be the same. This is a magical film that everyone should see.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   If Beale Street Could Talk Website

My View:  On the Basis of Sex  (2018)  PG-13   Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), along with her husband, Martin (Armie Hammer) begins a fight for equal rights for women that takes her all the way to the Supreme Court. I enjoyed this film, but it is kind of dull because the case that she presents is rather dull itself. I like Felicity Jones in the role of Ginsberg, as she gives some spunk and passion to the character. There is excellent chemistry with Hammer, who plays her loyal and devoted husband, who believes more in her than even himself. The film is a little slow moving but overall is enjoyable about a remarkable woman.    My Rating: Full Price   On the Basis of Sex Website

Forgotten Film:   The Apartment (1960)  A up and coming insurance worker, .C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon), to gain favor, lets his male co-workers use his apartment to have affairs. He is secretly in love with an elevator operator, Fran (Shirley MacLane), who is having an affair with the big boss of the company, Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray). When Mr. Sheldrake finds out about the C.C.’s apartment, he makes a deal with C.C. to get, but little does C.C. know that Mr. Sheldrake is romancing Fran. On Christmas Eve, Mr. Sheldrake breaks it off with Fran and Fran tires to commit suicide in C.C.’s apartment, with C.C. coming to rescue. While it doesn’t sound like it, this is one of the greatest comedies of all time. Directed by Billy Wilder, the film won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor/Actress.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Apartment Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Vice:  ADR Actor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Glass  (2019)  PG-13  Three men are being held in a high-security mental institution: David Dunn (Bruce Willis) a former security guard who has somehow supernatural powers, Kevin (James McAvoy) a killer that has 24 personalities and a mysterious man named Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson).  M. Night Shyamalan’s follow up to his 2016 hit Split. I love the trailer, I just hope this is as good as Split was.     Glass Website

Until Next Time!

El Angel

Indiefest:  El Angel  (2018)  Carlitos (Lorenzo Ferro), a baby-faced serial killer becomes an overnight sensation in Argentina because of his looks. The film is all look and no substance as we never get a feel of why Carlitos kills without remorse and feels that robbing businesses is his right. The film is beautiful to look at with those early 70s colorful fashions on full display, and the soundtrack of Latin rock works well within the film. The problem is the film feels empty, we never care about any of the characters, especially Carlitos.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   El Angel Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):   Blindspotting (2018)  R  Collin (Daveed Riggs  and Miles (Rafael Casal) have been friends since their childhood. Colin has three days left on his probation, three days to stay out of trouble. The problem is that trouble just seems to follow everywhere Miles goes. The film moves defy between humor and seriousness. This is about friendship, race and the changing landscape of neighborhoods. Diggs and Casal have great chemistry on screen making this film work so well. This is a film that you will be thinking about long after you see it.   My Rating; I Would Pay to See it Again    Blindspotting Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   The Upside  (2018)  PG-13  Story of a relationship between a wealthy man (Bryan Cranston) who is a quadriplegic and an unemployed man (Kevin Hart) with a criminal record who is hired to help him. The trailer looks horrible. Go watch the 2011 french version of this film, The Intouchables, which was one of the best films of that year.   The Upside Facebook Page

Forgotten Film:  Cornbread, Earl and Me  (1975)  PG  Cornbread is a star high school basketball player who is a few weeks from going to college. The neighborhood kids idolize Cornbread, including Wilford (Lawrence Fishburne) and Earl (Tierre Turner). The police mistake Cornbread for a shooting subject and gun him down in front of Wilford and Earl. The police attempt to intimidate the kids to stay silent about what they saw, but Wilford is determined to seek justice for his hero. Fishburne, in his feature film debut, gives a strong and moving performance as Wilford and Rosalind Cash gives an outstanding performance as Wilford’s mother. This is an excellent movie whose subject matter could be taken from today’s headlines.   My Rating: Full Price    Cornbread, Earl and Me Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of El Angel:  Stunt Soldier

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Vice  (2018)  R  The story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) who rose from poverty to become a Washington insider, ultimately become the Vice President under George W. Bush. Besides Bale doing another chameleon appearance as Cheney, the cast includes Amy Adams as Cheney’s wife, Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush, Bill Camp as Gerald Ford and Tyler Perry as Colin Powell. The film is written and directed by Adam McKay, who gave us the 2016 Oscar-winning film The Big Short.   Vice Website

Until Next Time!

A Star is Born

My View:  A Star Is Born  (2018)  R  A legendary musician, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) takes a young singer (Lady Gaga) under his wing and guides her to becoming a star, all the while his career beings to suffer due to his drinking. This is a fantastic movie with an excellent soundtrack (some of the songs were written by Cooper and of course, Lady Gaga). I highly recommend going out and buying the music to this film because there isn’t a bad song in the bunch. Bradley Cooper not only co-wrote the film and stars in it, he also directed the film and did an incredible job. I had doubts about Lady Gaga in the role, but she knocks it out of the park with a multi-level performance that will bring you to tears. Cooper is perfect as the weathered music star whose career has seen better times. I can’t recommend this film more. Go see this magical film but bring a tissue or two.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   A Star is Born Website

My View: The Sisters Brothers  (2018)  R  In 1850’s Oregon, two legendary gunmen (John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix) the Sisters brothers, are chasing a gold prospector (Riz Ahmed with the help of a scout (Jake Gyllenhaal). I highly enjoyed this slightly unconventional western. Phoenix is excellent as the brash, drunken younger brother but it’s Reilly steals the movie as the older, more thoughtful brother who dreams of a girl back home. Reilly’s performance is moving and funny as his character struggles to deal with his troublesome brother who tends to get them into trouble. I liked the performances of the rest of the cast, including Jake Gyllenhaal as the thoughtful scout trying to track the prospector down and Riz Ahmed as the said prospector who is on the run because he possesses something take could make a lot of money. It's also fun to see Allison Tolman (season 1 of Fargo) as the hooker with the heart of gold.   My Rating: Full Price   The Sisters Brothers Website

My View:  Venom  (2018)  R  When Eddie (Tom Hardy) acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego “Venom’ to save his life. I went into this film with minimum expectations, and all I knew about the Venom character was from the horrible Spiderman 3. That being said, I enjoyed this film. It was very different than what I was expecting. The Venom character is what you would call an ‘anti-hero.’ He really isn’t about the normal Marvel hero who is all about saving lives, he is all about what is best for him. Eddie is a self-called ‘loser’ who is his own worst enemy. His world changes when he gets infected by Venom, a creature from outer space. What was the most fun in this movie was the interaction between Venom and Eddie. Venom talks to Eddie in his mind and Eddie talks to Venom out loud, which made for some hilarious interactions. The action sequences are well done, and there is a thrilling chase sequence about halfway through the film. I didn’t like that fact that it took too long for Venom to show up (about 35 minutes into the movie) which made the film much longer than it needed to be. All in all its a fun ride, not a great film, but still fun to watch.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Venom Website

Indiefest:   Hal  (2018)  Documentary on the legendary director Hal Ashby, who directed cinema classics in the 1970s including Harold and Maude, Shampoo and Being There. Exceptional documentary about a talented man who consistently fought for his films. Ashby went on a run in the 70’s where he directed 7 films in 9 years, and Hal rightly concentrates on those years. Those seven films got twenty-four Oscar nominations and seven wins. Unfortunately, Ashby fought the studio system constantly, and his movies in the eighties suffered for it. This is an excellent introduction to a director that should be talked about in the same circles as Coppola, Scorsese, and Lucas.  My Rating: Full Price   Hal Website

Forgotten Film:  Shampoo  (1975)  Directed by Hal Ashby and written by Robert Towne and Warren Beatty, the film is about a Beverly Hills hairdresser named George (Beatty) who sleeps with just about every client. George is sleeping with Felicia (Lee Grant) a wealthy married woman who George hopes will give him money to start his own shop. George’s girlfriend is Jill (Goldie Hawn) whose best friend is Jackie, an old girlfriend of George. The performances are top notch, and Lee Grant won an Academy Award for her performance of Felicia, a woman who is a little too involved with the life and loves of George. This is a scintillating look a man who loves women too much and his indiscretions will soon catch up with him.   My Rating: I would Pay to See it Again   Shampoo Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Sisters Brothers: With the Participation of Rutger Hauer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Vice  (2018)  The story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) and his turn as Vice President of the United States.  Christian Bale does another chameleon job as he looks so much like Cheney. All you need to know is that it is written and directed by Adam McKay who won an Academy Award for The Big Short (2015) and the cast includes Amy Adams, Steve Carell, and Sam Rockwell. In addition, the film is being released in late December, which means the studio thinks it could win some major awards.   Vice Info

Until Next Time!