The Fall Guy

My View:  The Fall Guy  (2024)  PG-13   Colt (Ryan Gosling), a former stuntman, comes out of retirement after discovering his ex, Jody (Emily Blunt), is directing a big-budget movie. It’s not a joyful reunion, but Colt is needed when the enormous star of the film has gone missing, and he must find him before the picture is shut down. Sometimes a movie works because an actor’s star power elevates it beyond what the script or the director can provide. This is the case of The Fall Guy, as Ryan Gosling shows us why he has become a major star who has charisma to burn. Gosling is perfect as the burned-out and battered Colt, who was injured doing a stunt on a movie, just as his romance with Jody, a camera person in the film, was just blooming. He takes the job because he finds out that Jody has asked for him and wants to see her again, possibly making amends for disappearing and leaving her behind. Gosling does an outstanding job of playing the lovesick stuntman who will do anything to try to get Jody back, even if it means becoming a bounty hunter, trying to hunt down a missing lead actor, one whom he doesn’t like or respect. Blunt is perfect as the headstrong woman who is getting to do something she has dreamed of for so long, directing a major motion picture, and is still hurt by Colt’s actions, so much so that she is willing to torture him a bit on the set. There is a great scene where, in front of everyone, Jody, using a bullhorn, lets everyone know just how angry she is with Colt while making him do a stunt that sets him on fire, over and over again. The film flies by as the action is fast and the stunts are out of this world amazing. There are shootouts, car chases, fights, and explosions, and those aren’t from making the movie but from Colt’s adventures of trying to find the missing actor. You will have a blast (pun intended) as Colt tries to stay alive long enough to win Jody back, or at least apologize to her. By the way, stay through all the credits. You will see that almost all the stunts in the film were actually done and not through green screens. Also, there is a bonus scene you will not want to miss at the end of all, and I mean all, the credits.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Fall Guy Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide. 

My View: Unfrosted  (2024)  PG-13  It’s 1963, and bitter rivals in Battle Creek, Michigan, Kellogg’s, and Post are rushing to create a breakfast cake that could change how the world eats breakfast. While watching the Seinfeld TV series, you knew Jerry wasn’t a very good actor, but that was some of the series’ charm. He was a guy who was really a standup, moonlighting as an actor on a series where he was playing himself. I had high hopes for this film, primarily because the cast was a who’s who of comedy. I mean, you get actors like Rachael Harris, Christian Slater, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Melissa McCarthy, and more, and it’s got to be good. Right? Right? Sadly, this film is already in the running for the worst film of the year. Painfully unfunny, with a script that keeps throwing jokes up against a wall where nothing, and I mean nothing, sticks. Put Hugh Grant in a Tony the Tiger outfit as an out-of-work Shakespearian actor who has to moonlight as a breakfast cereal mascot, and that’s funny? Nope, as the jokes lay there like the flop sweat of Grant’s character in the costume. Halfway through this film, I just wanted it to end. Instead, we get an hour and a half of unfunny jokes after unfunny skits. I swear I thought the film was over two hours long and was shocked when writing this review that it was only 93 minutes long. That’s 93 minutes, and I will never get back.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Unfrosted Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

Indiefest:  I Saw the TV Glow  (2024)  PG-13  Two teenagers, Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brighter Lundy-Paine) who bond over a TV show called The Pink Opaque. As their bond grows, things start getting weird. This is a film that you will either fall in love with or hate it. I don’t think there will be a lot of opinions in the middle. It’s a film where, almost from the start, you question what is real and what is imagined. The blending of real and imagined continues throughout the film, keeping you off center and guard as we follow Owen as he grows up. He meets Maddy in a chance encounter. Owen doesn’t fit in with his fellow schoolmates and sees that Maddy might be someone who doesn’t either. She tells him about the TV show and begins secretly giving him tapes of the show. He becomes a huge fan of the show and wrangles an invitation to see the show with her in her house. I won’t give any more of the plot away, but let’s say it gets stranger and stranger as we follow Owen into adulthood, with Owen’s first thought almost always to run away. The film reminds you of how TV shows can become incredibly important to you, even in this day of binge-viewing and streaming. The film got me thinking of past shows like Buffy and Stranger Things, but also shows that I fell in love with and were canceled, sometimes heartbreakingly so. I guess I’m in the fall in love with side on this film, because this was such an interesting and complex film to watch.   My Rating: Full Price  I Saw the TV Glow Website  Now playing in theatres 

My View:  The Idea of You  (2024)  R   The Idea of You takes place after a chance encounter at the Coachella Music Festival, Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom, begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. It’s not long before Solène discovers that life in the spotlight might be more than she bargained for. I am a big fan of Anne Hathaway, and she doesn’t disappoint in this winning rom-com that pares a 40-year-old single mother who owns an art gallery with a 24-year-old who has been in a huge boy band since he was a teen. This is a fun rom-com that has two dynamic leads with tons of charisma and sparks that fly every time they are on screen together. The film puts together two people who are looking for love and have been burned before. I thought that by making Hayes a vet of the boy band scene, where he has been in the spotlight for years, was wise. Yes, he is 24, but because of his life in the spotlight, it’s an old 24, making the attraction between the two seem natural and not at all creepy. I was surprised by the amount of music in the film, as we get a lot of songs that Hayes is singing with his bandmates, as well as his exploring creating music on his own. I enjoyed this film and wanted the two to enjoy their time together, even if it, like a good song, will eventually end. Although, there is always that 'repeat' function.   My Rating: Full Price  The Idea of You Website  Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform.

Indiefest:  Wildcat  (2023)  R    Flannery O’Connor (Maya Hawke) is determined to be a writer. We follow her as she works on her craft and commits to deeply personal writing, so personal that it will haunt her until she can get the words on paper. I saw this film last year at the Rome International Film Festival, right here in Georgia, the birthplace of Miss O’Connor. Ethan Hawke was at the festival and told us he wrote the film because his daughter, Maya, wanted to play Flannery before she got too old for the role. The film takes place as Flannery is visiting her mother (Laura Linney) when she finds out she has Lupus, the same disease that took her father’s life. As Flannery struggles to become a writer, she starts writing stories that blend reality with fiction. Wildcat is a film where we see the day-to-day struggle of Flannery trying to become the writer that she knows she can be while we are transported into her stories, with Maya playing a character and her mother another character, as Flannery tells tales that weave her experiences in the south with her fiction. This film doesn’t always work, as Flannery’s real life and fiction blur too much, and it’s hard to tell where reality ends and the fiction starts. I like Maya Hawke as O’Connor, but we spend too much time in the fictional stories and not enough time in the real world, where we would get to see what makes this interesting writer tick.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Wildcat Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest:  The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed  (2023) R The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed is about Ann (Joanna Arnow), a woman going nowhere fast. She is stuck in a low-level job she hates, has been in a long-term BDSM relationship with a man who barely remembers her name, and her family loves to argue at the drop of a hat. It’s time to change things, but that won’t be easy. This is one of those films that will never be a big hit, so when you see it, you feel like you are part of its fan club. It’s a very funny and sometimes a little strange, centering around a mid-thirties woman who loves being a sex slave to an older man, is good at her job even though it looks as though she isn’t even trying, and loves her parents, who happened to be some of the most boring people on the face of the earth. Joanna Arnow, who not only stars in the film but wrote and directed it, spends about half the film naked, mostly lying on a bed with one of her lovers, who are also her master, as Ann gets off by being made to do repetitive things or just being made to wait for a command that may never come. Ann is a woman who seems to be happy just being in the moment, whether it’s with a lover or with her parents. The film is little slices of life, as we go from her naked on the bed being ignored by her ‘master’ or sitting with her parents as her mother complains that Ann isn’t spending enough time with them. This film reminded me a bit of some of Woody Allen’s films, where we just got little slices of life, bits of weird and funny moments that suddenly move on to the next moment. The sum of the moments makes for an enjoyable film that stars a very strange but lovable character who we want to be happy, just not too happy.   My Rating: Full Price The Feeling That The Time Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Forgotten Film:  The Indian Runner  (1991) R  Joe (David Morse) has made a good life for himself and his family as the deputy sheriff in a small country town. His younger brother, Frank (Viggo Mortensen), has decided to return to town after having had some bad times. Frank tells his brother that this time will be different, and he just wants a fresh start. However, Frank is a man with a temper, and seemingly, his only skill is getting in trouble. Sean Penn directs the film and has an outstanding cast that includes Patricia Arquette, Sandy Dennis and Charles Bronson, who gives one of his best performances of his career. The Indian Runner is a film where the good guy isn’t always good, and the bad guy has some good qualities. We don’t know until the end if good will win out over bad.   My Rating: Full Price  The Indian Runner Info Available on various streaming services. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Fall Guy:  Art Runner

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Dead Don’t Hurt  (2023) Right before the Civil War, Vivienne (Vicky Kreips) meets a Danish immigrant, Holger (Viggo Mortensen), who convinces her to follow him to his ranch outside of a small town in Nevada, where they start their life together. The outbreak of the Civil War happens, and Olsen joins the Union Army to fight for his newfound country, leaving Vivienne to fend for herself on their homestead. It’s a decision that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The film is written and directed by Viggo Mortensen. The Dead Don't Hurt Info  The film will be in theaters on Friday, May 31st.

Until Next Time!

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

My View: Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022) PG-13  The story of the life and music of Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie), who rose from singing backup for her famous mom to becoming one of the greatest female R&B pop vocalists of all time. You will have to be a huge fan of Whitney to enjoy this overlong soap opera of a film. I liked Naomi Ackie as Whitney, but she is lip-syncing to Whitney’s real singing for all the songs, but a couple of times Ackie sings at home to her daughter or to herself. The songs take up about 40 minutes of this two-hour and twenty-six-minute film, making it one of the longest lip-syncing shows of all time. I love Houston’s songs as much as anybody but do we need every hit she ever had sung for almost the whole song? The biggest problem with the film is the plot spends a lot of time bringing up all of the issues in her life without any resolution (other than escaping into drugs), as conflicts in the film are often just dropped and never dealt with. We never really understand Whitney's attraction for Bobby Brown (played cartoonishly by Ashton Sanders) other than she likes ‘bad boys.' I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a bio-pic that feels like watching a greatest hits program without the actual performer.  My Rating: Cable  I Wanna Dance with Somebody Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Babylon (2022) R  The rise and fall of the people that make the movies in the silent days of Hollywood, including a legendary matinee idol (Brad Pitt), an up-and-coming firebrand of an actress (Margot Robbie), and a man who dreams of making films (Diego Calva). I am a huge fan of silent films, so I was looking forward to this film from Damien Chazelle, the Oscar-winning filmmaker for films such as La La Land (20160 and Whiplash (2014). I wasn’t prepared for the wild ride this film takes you on. The first thirty minutes of this film are some of the most outrageous and outlandish filmed scenes I’ve ever seen. A warning, if you get easily grossed out, you might want to skip this film. Several of the characters are loosely (sometimes very loosely) based on real silent film actors. Brad Pitt’s character, matinee idol Jack Conrad is inspired by John Gilbert, one of the most famous actors in the Hollywood silent period. Margot Robbie’s character Nellie LaRoy is based on the life of Clara Bow, the original ‘It Girl.’ The film takes place when Hollywood was transitioning from the freewheeling days of silent films to the more established studio system that brought in the talking pictures era. This is an overlong and sometimes confusing look at three lives and how they deal with fame, fortune, and power. They also have to deal with how quickly that fame and fortune can slip through your fingers. The film seems to keep adding more and more plot lines just to show us that Chazelle cannot only shock you as he does in the first thirty minutes but also dazzle you with big spectacle filmmaking. The problem is the message is lost in all the spectacle, which is too bad, as there are performances that make the film watchable, including Pitt and Robbie. There’s a lot I would have cut out of this 3 hour-plus movie, including a bizarre sequence with a mob boss played by Tobey Maguire that adds nothing to the plot other than making you feel weird. Instead, you will leave feeling you have seen a dozen films in one night, none of them great.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Babylon Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Familyfaire: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) PG  The years of adventure and being a hero has taken their toll: Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) learns that he has burned eight of his nine lives. Now Puss in Boots finds the evil Lobo (Wagner Moura) hunting him down and enlists his friends Perro (Harvey Guillen) and Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) to help him find a mythical Last Wish to restore his nine lives. Looking back at my 2011 review, I hated the first Puss in Boots film, but boy, oh boy, I loved this one. The film is packed with humor, I loved the new character in Perro, and the animation of the action sequences are kind of mix of Spider-Verse and Japanese anime. It is very apparent that Bandaras and Hayek loved making this film together, and Bandaras gives a brilliant performance as the ego-centric hero who has become scared of dying. Florence Pugh is a lot of fun as a tough, grownup Goldilocks, leading the Three Bears on crime sprees. The film has a great villain in Lobo, the wolf that is Death incarnate, but it’s the performance of Harvey Guillen as the kind, overly friendly Perro that steals the show. You and your family will fall in love with Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, and especially Perro.  My Rating: Full Price  Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Corsage (2022)  The account of one year in the life of legendary beauty Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Vicky Krieps), who has just turned forty and wants to maintain her status as a groundbreaking royal. This is a film about a woman who wanted to be her own person and not the person her husband, other royalty, and the public wanted her to be. Vicky Krieps gives a beautiful, moving, and dazzling performance of Elisabeth, a woman who was truly before her time and one whose life, while surrounded by servants, was never happy. This is a gorgeous film to watch, and Krieps gives life to a woman who decided to forge her own path, even if it hurt the people she loved. We watch as Elisabeth’s path blazes along, and Krieps, in any unbelievably moving performance, lets us see Elisabeth is all her unhappiness.  My Rating: Full Price  Corsage Website  Now playing in select theaters.

Indiefest: Wildcat (2022) R Documentary about a young British soldier, Harry, back from Afghanistan who is struggling with depression and PTSD. He finds a second chance in the Amazon rainforest when he meets an American scientist, Samantha, and an orphaned baby ocelot. First, let me tell you that this is not a movie for kids. I know it features an adorable baby ocelot, but the film deals with major adult issues, and there are some rather shocking and brutal scenes to watch. This is a movie about how nature and kindness can help heal people dealing with trauma. Harry is a very troubled young man who escapes to the jungle to disappear but finds a purpose to help raise a tiny baby ocelot and train it to return to the jungle as an adult. Some scenes are raw as Harry deals with a past that haunts him. Sam and the baby ocelot can only do so much to heal Harry, and it’s a difficult journey that he travels, sometimes alone. Wildcat is often a very dark and painful film to watch, but in the end, healing and hard work can succeed, even when letting a wild animal go out into the world on its own.  My Rating: Full Price   Now playing in select theaters.  Wildcat Website Now playing in select theatres and on Amazon Prime on Dec. 30th.

Indiefest: Joyride (2022) A headstrong woman named Joy (Olivia Colman) plan to offload her newborn baby on her sister is derailed when a young teenager, Mully (Charlie Reid), steals the taxi she is asleep in. They are about to go on a journey across Ireland that will change both their lives. I wanted to love this film but only like it, and that’s only because of the chemistry between Colman and Reid. The movie is full of plot holes and relies too much on us instantly liking Colman’s character (which we don’t), but Colman can make any part watchable, and Charlie Reid, in his first film role as the young teen Mully is a lot of fun. The film takes a few strange twists, and Colman’s character thinks she can talk her way out of any situation (which she can’t), which takes away from the performances in the end. Still, I enjoyed watching the two characters interact and grow fond of each other; I just wished the plot was better.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Joyride Info  Now playing is select theatres.

My View: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) PG-13  Famed Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back and has a new mystery to solve. He has been invited to an exclusive private island to play a murder mystery game hosted by a wealthy tycoon (Edward Norton). Things are going great until a real murder happens. Rian Johnson is back with his Knives Out format, bringing back our favorite pompous detective, Benoit Blanc, this time to solve a murder or two with a cast of strange and wonderful characters. This is such a fun movie to watch, and I had a blast with it. The cast is terrific, with actors such as Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, and Kate Hudson filling out the strange and wonderful group of people that Miles Bron, played Edward Norton, playing a sort of Elon Musk character, has invited to his island. Out of this cast, Janelle Monae stands out, playing a mysterious woman with a grudge, who the rest of the group is surprised has shown up for the festivities. Monae is brilliant in the role, and I think she could get an Academy Award nomination for the performance. The film is funny, filled with incredible sight gags, and has a mystery that isn’t easy to solve. I can’t wait to see the next movie that Johnson and Craig bring us because the world needs more of Benoit Blanc solving mysteries.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again.  Glass Onion Website    Now Playing on the Netflix platform. 

Familyfaire: Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (2022) PG   Matilda (Alisha Weir) is attending a new school and dares to take on the dastardly evil Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). Between parents (Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough) that don’t care about her and a school where Miss Trunchbull rules with an iron fist, what’s a girl to do? How about fighting back with her mind? Now, if you don’t know the story, the school can be a little scary for young kids, but they will love the music and the antics that Matilda and the rest of her cast-mates get into. Emma Thompson gives a villain for the ages, one who calls her students maggots and delights in punishing them. Thompson is almost unrecognizable as the ugly and mean-spirited Miss Trunchbill and belts out a song with the best of them. I loved Lashana Lynch as the sweet and kind Miss Honey, the teacher who tries her best to protect her students from Miss Trunchbull. Alisha Weir is a tiny firebrand of a singer/performer who carries the film, appearing in almost every scene and singing most of the songs, which she does with grace and humor. Weir is a delight on screen, making this enjoyable film even more fun. The songs are fun, though I am not sure there are many you will ever hum to. Still, there are some great, rousing songs, including a couple of fantastic big showy numbers, especially the final number following the big battle with Miss Trunchbull. So gather around and go on an adventure with Matilda and her extraordinary mind.   My Rating: Full Price  Matilda the Musical Website  The film is now available on the Netflix platform.

Forgotten Film: The Holiday (2006) PG-13  Two women (Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet) who are both having troubles with their lives decide to swap homes in each other’s countries for the holidays to escape. Both meet a local guy (Jude Law, Jack Black) and fall in love. This is another romance film from Nancy Myers (Baby Boom, Father of the Bride, The Parent Trap) that is just fun to watch, and both Diaz and Winslet don’t disappoint. I love the relationship that develops between Winslet’s character and Eli Wallach, who plays an old writer who wrote some of the Hollywood classics. And by the way, Jack Black is toned down and charming in this film (surprise!).  My Rating: Full Price   The Holiday Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Head of Paint

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Saint Omer (2022)  Rama (Kayije Kagame) is a novelist who is researching her next work at the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), who is accused of drowning her child. Laurence claims she did it because of demons. The film has made the Academy Award International Films shortlist and is getting rave reviews from critics.  Saint Omer Info In select theatres Mid-January.

Until Next Time!