Capone

My View:  Capone (2020) R   47-year-old Al Capone (Tom Hardy) has been released from prison after ten years and is back with his wife at his home in Florida. Al is suffering from dementia and other ailments, causing him to relive his past while at the same time, being watched by the FBI, hoping to find money that Al has tucked away. I love Tom Hardy. His performance in Locke (2013) is one of my favorite of all time. Unfortunately, this film is not Hardy at his best; in fact, it might be one of his worst performances. Heavy with prosthetics and an accent that I have no clue what it is, Hardy gives us a bubbling, stumbling Capone who is on his last legs. The film uses Capone’s perspective quite a bit, so you never know where the fantasy starts and reality ends. If you are thinking about watching this film, hoping for gunfights and bombastic performances, you will be sorely disappointed. The film is frustratingly slow and other than watching Hardy’s Capone waste away, not much happens. I will warn you that it got its R rating for a few very violent scenes, mostly due to Capone’s dementia. Frankly, I was just waiting for Capone to die so that this film would end.   My Rating: Cable    Capone Website       Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  CRSHD (2019)   On the last night of her college freshman year, Izzy (Isabelle Barbier) tries to finally lose her virginity. Still, her only hope is if she and her two best friends can get her into the exclusive, invite-only ‘Crush Party.’ I wanted to like this film, but it felt like a first film from a recent college graduate, which it is. The cast is a little green, though I did like Sadie Scott as the wild child best friend of Izzy, who has a flair for comedy. The film feels like it would be a big hit on a college campus at a university film fest, but it just seems a little shallow and slow in the big world. The film relies too much on gadgets such as a video-game-like map to show the girl's travels and a three-way split of the screen to show when the girls or texting to each other. The production values are excellent, and for a first-time film of such a young filmmaker, it’s a fine-looking film but just never quite gets going.   My Rating: Cable    CRSHD Website       Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Straight Up (2019)   Todd (James Sweeney) is gay and hasn’t had any luck finding love. Rory (Katie Findlay) is an actress who is just looking for a roommate. Rory and Todd discover that they might not be your typical couple, but they might be great at being together. I enjoyed this quirky film about a couple that are perfect for each other, except for the fact that Todd is gay. James Sweeney, who plays Todd, also wrote and directed the film, but he gave the best part in the movie to Katie Findlay, who shines in the role of Rory. Findlay delivers her lines with great comedic timing and dominates every scene she is in. I was reminded of a young Lauren Graham watching Findlay on the screen as her Rory plays off the reserved and ever nervous Todd. The film doesn’t always work, but with Findlay’s performance, you are willing to see it through to the end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Straight Up Website        Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View:  The Wrong Missy (2020)   Tim (David Spade) goes on a blind date from hell with Missy (Lauren Lapkus). Lucky to end the disaster date, three months later, Tim meets a woman, Melissa (Molly Sims), by chance in an airport, and she is everything he could ever want in a woman. He decides to ask Melissa to a corporate retreat and, by mistake, invites Missy instead, and Tim’s life will never be the same. Thank goodness I didn’t see this in a theatre and could stop it every ten minutes to do something, anything else to get my mind off how bad this film is. Please, please Netflix, quit giving Adam Sandler money to finance his friends to make movies. I beg you, stop the madness. I felt terrible for some of the actors in this film, like Lauren Lapkus, who I like as a comedy actress and Sarah Chalke, who I hoped enjoyed the week she got in Hawaii (where they shot the film). David Spade does show some restraint in his part, but the jokes are horrible, the plot is stupid, and watching Rob Schneider mug his way through is performance as a boat captain is painful to watch. Stay away from this one!   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again    The Wrong Missy Website    The film is currently available on Netflix.

Forgotten Film: The Last Run (1971) GP   Harry (George C. Scott) is a retired getaway driver living in a small Portuguese fishing village. Harry has become bored with his life and decides to take on one last job, a job that won’t turn out the way Harry planned to go out. Scott, hot off his Oscar for Patton, wanted to do a ‘Humphrey Bogart’ type role, and he carries it off with style. The film uses incredible locations in Europe, fantastic driving sequences (wait until you see the opening sequence on a tiny mountain road) and a brilliant cast, including Trish Van Devere, who plays a woman who is being used as bait by her boyfriend to get Harry to take the job. Scott is masterful as a man who hasn’t much to live for other than the thrill of driving as fast as he can.   My Rating: Full Price    The Last Run Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Capone: Chef Driver

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Military Wives (2019) PG-13   With their partners away serving in Afghanistan, two headstrong women (Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan) form a choir on a military base. The women in the choir form a bond that transforms their lives and gives them a way to deal with the reality of the everyday fear that their loved ones won’t return from the war. From two-time Oscar-nominated director Peter Cattaneo, this film just might be the uplifting film we need at this time.     The Military Wives Info

Until Next Time!

Becoming

My View:  Becoming (2020) PG   After serving as First Lady for eight years, Michelle Obama goes on a book tour in 2019 for her book ‘Becoming.’ The documentary offers a rare and up-close look at her life, taking viewers behind the scenes of her 34 city book tour. The film gives us plenty of behind-the-scenes footage of Michelle Obama’s massive, area filling book tour. What I enjoyed about the film is that this is about the First Lady giving us insight into her life, as it drastically changed from one of a working woman whose husband wanted to serve the public, to suddenly being thrust into the spotlight of being the wife of the most powerful leader of the free world. We get to see her humor, especially in those behind the scene shots like her kidding her security detail or listening to music with her staff while waiting to go on stage. Becoming is a must-watch for anyone who is a fan of Michelle and her family; you won’t be disappointed visiting a world that we so briefly get to see.   My Rating: Full Price     Becoming Website   The film is currently available on Netflix.

Indiefest:  How to Build a Girl (2019)   Johanna (Beanie Feldstein) is a sixteen-year-old girl who desperately wants to escape her humdrum life in Wolverhampton. She decides to reinvent herself as Dolly Wilde, a music critic who takes the rock world of the 90s by storm. If you haven’t fallen in love with Beanie Feldstein from her appearances in Booksmart and Lady Bird, well, you will now. Feldstein is a blast to watch as she transforms from the nerdy, book smart girl to a critic that took the London music world by storm. Feldstein is one of those rare actors who can be silly and funny in one moment, and heartbreakingly real in another. Director Coky Giedronyc and writer Caitlin Moran (Dolly Wilde/Johanna in real life) give us a film that is a quirky (Johanna’s wall of heroes pictures continuously talk to her with advice) and amusing look at a girl whose dreams come true but at a price. The film is aided by some stellar supporting roles, including Paddy Considine as Johanna’s father, who still has dreams of being a rock star, and Alfie Allen as a rock star who becomes a good friend to Johanna early in her rock critic career. The film slows down a little when Johanna lets success go to her head, but I loved the ending of the film, and Feldstein is a talent to keep your eye on in both this film and in the future.   My Rating: Full Price     How to Build a Girl Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Clementine (2019)   After a breakup, a devastated Karen (Otmara Marrero) breaks into her ex’s lake house, where she meets and starts a complicated relationship with a younger woman named Lana (Sydney Sweeney). This film has a small and intimate feel to it as Karen works through her heartbreak with the help of Lana, a teen who is a little mysterious, and though she plays the innocence card, it is apparent that her story isn’t as simple as it seems. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Otmara Marrero, who slowly lets Lana and us into her world. The film is understated and lets the tension fill as the couple gets to know each other. The film has a bit of menace in it, as we never quite know what to make of Lana, and there is always the specter of Karen’s ex that hangs over the house, much like the paintings her ex has created throughout the home. The film from time to time misses its mark making the movie seem a little slow, but Marrero, as the headstrong Karen, has a few very moving moments that make the film worth watching.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee    Clementine Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

 

My View:  Bad Education (2019)   Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) seemingly has everything going for him; he’s superintendent of New York’s Roslyn school district, where he is loved by his employees, his students, and their parents as their kids get into the best colleges. He is aided by his confidant and second-in-command Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney). Frank and Pam are hiding a deep, dark secret that is about to be exposed by a high-school-student (Stephanie Kurtzuba) who is about to break a story on the local school paper. Jackman doesn’t disappoint as the vain and overconfident Frank, who depends a little too much on his good looks and his charm to smooth over any problem. Allison Janney, playing the smart mouth financial wizard of the school, dazzles the screen with her brash style of a woman who feels entitled because of how successful the school is. I loved the performance of Stephanie Kurtzuba, who as the student who is given a small ‘puff piece’ for the student newspaper and smells something fishy is going on at the school. Bad Education is one of those films that you start taking sides at the beginning, but you might have to change your mind as the film moves along.   My Rating: Full Price    Bad Education Website  The film is currently playing on HBO.

Indiefest:   Spaceship Earth (2020)  Documentary on a science experiment that captivated the world where a group of people spent two years quarantined inside a self-engineered replica of Earth’s ecosystem called Biosphere 2. This is a fascinating film about something that you continually wonder how this experiment ever even made it to the planning stage, much less successfully building a complex and completing the first mission. It is almost as if your high school drama teacher said ‘Hey, let's put on a play’ and the next thing you know, you are on Broadway. The film interviews most of the participants in the project, including the ‘biospherians’ that lived inside and the people that were in charge of the project on the outside, so we get a feel of what it was like during that time. We get a look into life in the biosphere from the extensive footage shot inside and by the constant news coverage that kept the experiment at the forefront of the news cycle for those 2 years. The film looks at all the controversies, including if the operation itself was part of a cult, whether the experiment was based on scientific principles and how a series of events caused the public to believe that the Biosphere 2 ultimately was a flop. And, wait until near the end of the film, when a twist you couldn’t see coming happens: it will blow you away.    My Rating: Full Price     Spaceship Earth Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Forgotten Film: Police Story (1985) PG-13   A Hong Kong police officer (Jackie Chan) is framed for murder by a drug lord. Now, against the odds, the officer must fight to clear his name all the while trying to protect a woman (Bridgett Lin) from the mob intent on killing her to stop her testimony. As with a lot of Chan films, there is a lot of funny gags and Chan doing impossible stunts that most stuntmen could only dream of doing. While not a great movie, it does have one of the most impressive and possibly the greatest stunt of all time, especially when you realize that Chan did it all on his own without tricks or CGI. After seeing this film, you will wonder how Chan is still alive at the end of the movie.   My Rating: Full Price    Police Story Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Bad Education: Hand Model

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The High Note (2020) PG-13   Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross) is a superstar singer who is resting on the popularity of her past hits. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is Grace’s overworked and under-appreciated assistant. When Grace’s push for a new album is shot down by her manager (Ice Cube), Maggie pushes Grace to record songs on her own, and Grace decides that Maggie is just the one to produce them. I’m not a big fan of Dakota Johnson, though I loved her in The Peanut Butter Falcon) and I am a massive fan of Traces Ellis Ross, so I am game.    The High Note Website

Until Next Time!

The Wretched

My View: The Wretched (2019)  Ben (John-Paul Howard), a rebellious teenage boy who is struggling to deal with his parents' separation. Ben believes that somehow the family next door is responsible for the missing children in a town that is hiding secrets. Ben learns that the woman next door isn’t your ordinary neighbor; she is a thousand-year-old witch that has the ability to live beneath the skin of her victims. I really enjoyed this horror film which has just the right amount of scares to make it worth a watch. The plot is a little familiar, with a troubled teen who no one thinks is telling the truth until it is too late, but the film has some nice twists and turns that make the film keep the tension going. I liked Howard as Ben, who becomes obsessed with the creepy next-door neighbors. There is some excellent chemistry between Howard and Piper Curda, who plays Mallory, a teen girl who works at Ben’s father's business. The special effects, though on a small scale, are well done, and the witch is quite horrific. This film is much better than a lot of horror films of the past few years with twice the budget. In the mood for a late-night scare? This film might just fit the bill.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Wretched Facebook Page    Available for rent on participating on-demand services and is currently playing at drive-in theatres around the country.

Indiefest: Bull (2019)   In a rundown subdivision near Houston, a troubled teen, Kris (Amber Havard) breaks into a neighbor’s house, an aging bullfighter, Abe (Rob Morgan), who has seen his better days in the rodeo. Abe decides to take Kris under his wing, and their relationship will change both their lives forever. Bull is a low-key but excellent film about small-town living in Texas and the people struggling to make it in the world. I loved the look into the world of the small rodeos and the people that make it their world. Rob Morgan gives a multi-layer performance of a man who has lived a hard life but a life that he loves. Amber Havard provides us with an insight into a young woman who is just looking for someone to help guide her into making better decisions and not follow into the footsteps of her mother, who she can only see when she visits her in prison. Kris doesn’t make the right decisions, and Abe isn’t always the best person to be her surrogate father, but by the end of the film, you get the idea that they will be good for each other.   My Rating: Full Price    Bull Website     Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View: The Half of It (2020)  PG-13  Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) is smart, so smart that she makes needed cash doing school work for other students. Ellie gets an unusual assignment; Paul (Daniel Diemer) wants Ellie to write love notes for him to give to Aster (Alexxis Lemire), the most popular girl in school. Ellie’s notes begin to work when Ellie realizes that she may have gotten in over her head and might be creating a surprising love triangle. This is a beautiful and funny take on the old Cyrano de Bergerac tale as things get a bit complicated and messy. I loved the cast of this film, and Leah Lewis stands out as the headstrong Ellie, who has taken care of her father since her mother suddenly died when she was thirteen. Lewis is perfect in the role, as Ellie, the studious misfit, falls slowly in love from afar with Aster as she writes love notes and, of course, texts for Paul as he attempts to date Aster. Writer/director Alice Wu, who gave us the delightful 2004 film Saving Face, has a great ear for dialogue, making her characters feel real and easy to root for. I loved the ending of the film and would welcome an update on the characters in a few years to see how things worked out for the trio.   My Rating: Full Price     The Half of It Website  Currently available on Netflix.

Indiefest: A Secret Love (2020)  A documentary on the love story between Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel. Terry played in the women’s professional baseball league, which inspired the classic movie A League of Their Own. The film tells Terry and Pat’s story, who had to keep their relationship under wraps for most of their lives. The documentary is a sweet and sometimes sad story about two women that hid their love for each other from not only the outside world but also their families as well. There are some great behind the scene pictures and plenty of home movies that make this film feel very personal. The couple is proud of Terry’s baseball career, where she was quite a player. The phrase ‘There is no crying in baseball’ shows up from time to time in their wardrobe. I will warn you that the film centers around the fact that the couple is getting up in years, and family/friends begin pressuring the couple to move out of their house and into a managed facility. The couple holds out as long as they can, and quite a few tears are shed as they finally have to make the move. The film gives us what it was like for two women who were in a loving and committed relationship that they felt they couldn’t share with the world until now.  My Rating; Full Price    A Secret Love Website   Currently available on Netflix.

Indiefest: Circus of Books (2019) In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason were struggling to make money. Barry happened to see an ad for a magazine salesman, and before you know it, the couple had an adult bookstore in Los Angeles that became a national icon and at one time, was the largest distributor of gay porn in the US. I saw this film at the Out of Film Festival here in Atlanta and had a blast watching it with an audience that couldn’t stop laughing at and with the Mason’s. The couple raised a ton of kids, all of who didn’t know their parents were in the porn business. The bookstore in the 70s and 80s was the place for gays to meet (and hookup, sometimes out in the alley in the back), and the Mason’s, though very conservative, kept their politics out of their bookstore. In fact, during the AIDS crisis, they kept employees that became stricken on the payroll, even when they were on their deathbeds. The film is funny and touching, especially as the couple finally decides that the bookstore has had its day, and it is time to close it down. You will have a great time with the Mason’s and their delightful and unusual little bookstore.   My Rating: Full Price    Circus of Books Website    Currently available on Netflix.

Forgotten Film: Castle in the Sky (1986) PG   A young boy, Pazu, comes across a mysterious girl named Sheeta, who somehow floats down from the sky. The girl is being chased by not only pirates but also an army and secret agents. Pazu and Sheeta go on an adventure to search for Sheet’s identity in a floating castle in the sky. If you have never experienced the magic of animator Hayao Miyazaki, then this is the film for you. The story is fun and adventurous with a touch of sci-fi and even a little steampunk added in. Castle in the Sky is an adventure that you and your kids will fall in love with, a film that will be a part of your family's favorite movies.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Castle in the Sky Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Half of It: Vocal Contractor

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Lovebirds (2020) R   A couple (Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani) are accused of a murder and now have to clear their name. Will they and their relationship survive the night? This film is from the same director, Michael Showalter that teamed up with Kumail Nanjiani to give us the 2017 film The Big Sick, so I’m there!    The Lovebirds Info

Until Next Time!

https://youtu.be/uMSkGD7RCdY

Extraction

My View: Extraction (2020) R   Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is a black market mercenary known for his success rate. He is sent on an impossible mission to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. I had fun watching this action film and man, does it have action. The film is one bloody ride with Hemsworth’s character putting up a kill every few seconds, sometimes in very creative and gross ways. Things blow up a lot, and there are plenty of close hand to hand fighting scenes, with Hemsworth kicking butt while taking in quite a beating himself. The fighting sequences are so well done. I wish I had seen the film on the big screen, where I think the action would have stood out better than it does on the smaller scale. The film is aided by its location work being shot in India and is also helped by Indian action star Randeep Hooda and actress Golshifteh Farahani (Paterson, About Elly), who plays Rake’s handler. Stranger Things fans of David Harbour are going to be disappointed in his role, as other than getting drunk with Tyler’s character, he doesn’t have much to do. While the plot has a few holes and the dialogue is a little rough, it’s still a fun popcorn film that will satisfy any action fan.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Extraction Website   Currently available on Netflix.

Indiefest: The Roads Not Taken (2020) R   Leo (Javier Bardem) is living in New York City and is suffering from dementia. His daughter, Molly (Elle Fanning), is struggling on this day to help her dad keep his health appointments, while in Leo’s mind, he is reliving two versions of his past, one in Mexico and one in Greece. The film feels much longer than its 85-minute run time. Bardem is wasted in the present-day scenes that take place in NYC. The film does find some emotional stability in the flashback sequences, especially the scenes that Bardem shares on-screen with Salma Hayek, as a couple that is grieving over the loss of their son. The problem is the film never finds any tug at the heart-strings pull in those father/daughter scenes in the present, and the sections where Leo is in Greece seem lost and almost worthless. The Roads Not Taken is one of those films that after you see it, you wonder if it was worth the time watching.   My Rating: Cable     The Roads Not Taken Website    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Familyfare: The Willoughbys  (2020)  PG   The Willoughby children are often neglected by their selfish parents, so the kids decide to send their parents on a vacation. Nanny (Maya Rudolph) shows up to take care of the kids, but the siblings decide to embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family. Kids are going to love this loud, vibrantly colored animated film about a bunch of kids who desperately want to get rid of their parents and find a way to stay together as a family. The characters are fun to watch, especially the strange twins, both of who are named Barnaby, and Ricky Gervais, as ‘The Cat’ who narrates the story is hilarious. I got a little bored with the film towards the end, but I think this fun and funny film will be one that children will enjoy.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Willoughbys Website   Currently available on Netflix.

Forgotten Film: Frida (2002)  Artist Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek) overcame the pain of a crippling injury and a marriage to an egomaniacal husband (Alfred Molina) to become one of Mexico’s iconic painters. Salma Hayek gives a moving and brilliant performance, I would have loved that the screenplay was better. The chemistry that is needed between Hayek and Molina never develops and, at times, treats their relationship a little too superficially. The film just can’t find its footing with a clunky storyline, but Hayek is a wonder to watch on the screen.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Frida Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Roads Not Taken: Drum Choreography  

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Bull (2019)   In a rundown subdivision near Houston, a troubled teen, Kris (Amber Havard) breaks into a neighbor’s house, an aging bullfighter, Abe (Rob Morgan), who has seen his better days in the rodeo. Abe decides to take Kris under his wing and their relationship changes both their lives forever. The film was a big hit on the film festival circuit, including winning the Lone Star Award at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival.    Bull Info

Until Next Time!

Selah and the Spades

My View: Selah and the Spades (2019) R  At a prestigious east coast boarding school, five factions run the underground life of the school. At the head of the most dominant faction, The Spades is Selah Summers (Love Simone). During her senior year, Selah is challenged by a protege, Paloma (Celeste O’Connor), and must fight for control of The Spades. Selah and the Spades is a stylish high school drama where power is what everyone wants. Selah is bound and determined to keep her control over the boarding school with an iron hand. This isn’t a ‘90210’ style film where everyone is hooking up, this is all about how the boarding school is decided into factions, and everyone is out to keep their interests going, even if it means stabbing someone in the back to do it. Love Simone gives a powerful performance that doesn’t always make us like her, but you have to respect her character’s win at any cost attitude. Selah and the Spades gives us a fascinating look at a school where the inmates defiantly run the asylum.   My Rating: Full Price    Selah and the Spades Website   Currently available on Amazon Prime.

Indiefest: Saint Frances (2019)   A young woman, Bridget (Kelly O’Sullivan) life is falling apart, and she decides to take a new approach, she becomes a nanny to a six-year-old girl who will change her life. O’Sullivan wrote and stars in this delightful story of a woman who feels life has passed her by. Bridget kind of falls into a nanny job for a lesbian couple, taking care of their 6-year old girl, Frances (Ramona Edith-Williams), while Frances’ mom, Maya (Charin Alvarez0 takes care of Frances’ newborn baby brother. What I found amusing in this film was that the relationship between Bridget and Frances isn’t perfect. In fact, both are kind of misfits. Bridget isn’t the best of nanny’s (she loses Frances at one point), and Frances is a pretty horrible acting kid, but by the end of the film, both have become best buds and are better off for knowing each other. Bridget is also bad in relationships with men, and we see her continually make mistakes in her personal life. This is a film that isn’t always warm and fuzzy, but you will fall in love with Bridget and ‘Saint Frances.’   My Rating: Full Price    Saint Francis Website    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: Chichinette: The Accidental Spy (2019)   Documentary about Marthe Cohn, a French-Jewish woman who during World War II, was a spy in Nazi Germany. Now 98, Marthe has decided after years of silence, to tell the world her story. You will fall in love with this little fireball of a woman who single handily saved thousands of Allied lives delivering intelligence on the whereabouts of the Nazi army hiding in the Black Forest. The Allied army was able to avoid the trap the Nazis had set, and the war against Germany ended earlier due to her heroics. As we slowly learn Marthe’s story, we follow her and her husband, Major, on a speaking tour in Europe. What I enjoyed about this film, besides Marthe’s unbelievable story, is the relationship between Marthe and her husband, who is always by her side (almost always holding hands) and letting his wife take the spotlight (which he proudly does). Watch this beautiful documentary and wonder how someone hasn’t made this into a narrative feature film.   My Rating: Full Price    Chichinette: The Accidental Spy Website   The film is available on the Kino Now platform and available for rent on iTunes, Vudu and other TOVD platforms.

Forgotten Film: The Man from Snowy River (1983) PG   In the rugged, often harsh country of 1880s Australia, a young cowboy, Jim (Tom Burlinson) inherits his father’s ranch and only the young woman, Jessica (Sigrid Thornton) who falls in love with Jim thinks he can handle running the ranch. To complicate matters, Jessica’s father, Harrison (Kirk Douglas), will do anything to not only break up the relationship, but he is also hell-bent on taking Jim’s land. While the storyline is predictable and Kirk Douglas, in a dual role of also playing Harrison’s wacky brother, chews a little too much scenery, the landscape and cinematography is gorgeous and Jim’s relationship with a wild horse is moving, making this an enjoyable film to sit on the couch and watch on a rainy afternoon.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Man from Snowy River Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Selah and the Spades: Taylor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: A Trip to Greece (2020)   The fourth and possibly final movie of the ‘Trip’ series with actor Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan as they follow the footsteps of the Odysseus. This is sure to hit the funny bone as the other three films did.    A Trip to Greece Info  

Until Next Time!

Love Wedding Repeat

My View:  Love Wedding Repeat  (2020)   Jack (Sam Claflin) is trying to make sure that his little sister has the perfect wedding day. Little did Jack expect that the girl of his dreams (Olivia Munn) that he let get away will come back in his life while the wedding falls apart at the seams. I loved the first half of the film, as everything that could go wrong with the wedding reception does. I didn’t quite enjoy the 2nd half of the film, once a plot twist happens and I felt the ending felt a little rushed and weak. Overall, I enjoyed the film, especially the two leads, Sam Claflin and Olivia Munn, who have incredible chemistry with each other and play off of each other with beautiful results. I also thoroughly enjoyed Aisling Bea, who plays Rebecca, a loudmouth, very opinionated friend of the bride who has a crush on one of the members of the wedding party. Bea has a fabulous, humorous presence that lets her dominate the too few scenes she is in. Overall it’s a fun romp about a wedding that is destined to go wrong, or is it?    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Love Wedding Repeat Website   Currently available on Netflix.

Indiefest: Extra Ordinary (2019) R   Rose (Maeve Higgins) looks like an ordinary driving instructor, but this sweet, lonely Irish woman has supernatural talents. Rose is determined to use her powers to save Martin’s (Barry Ward) daughter from the clutches of a washed-up rock star (Will Forte) that has made a pact with the devil to return to his glory days. This is one of those movies that if you saw it at a midnight showing at a film festival, you would have had a great time. It’s a film full of interesting characters that are put in some humorous situations but doesn’t always hit the funny bone the way you want it to. Barry Ward, playing the widower whose dead wife is a ghost that is still trying to run his life from the afterworld, has some sweet comedic moments in the film and shows a knack for physical comedy. Maeve Higgins, as the driving instructor who reluctantly helps Barry with his wife/ghost, is mildly funny but has a hard time keeping up with the antics in the plot. I got tired of Will Forte as the one-hit-wonder who is willing to do anything to get back into the limelight. Forte lays the act of the pompous rock star a little too thick, and it drags the film down a bit. It has a plot that isn’t quite funny enough to be a hit other than with that late-night crowd.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Extra Ordinary Website   Currently available on the KinoNow digital platform.

Indiefest: Almost Love (2019)   Ensemble comedy revolving around Adam (Scott Evans) and Marklin (Augustus Prew), whose once hot relationship has forced them to reconcile with each other’s shortcomings while their friend's lives are crumbling around them. I saw this delightful romantic comedy at the Out on Film Festival last year in Atlanta under the title of Sell By. It’s a smart, funny film with a cast that continually hits their performances out of the park. Evans and Prew, as the central couple that everyone revolves around, are perfect as the struggling artist and his hugely successful social influencer. While the film does revolve around Adam and Marklin’s eroding relationship, what I enjoyed was each of the supporting cast is allowed to shine with their own storylines. Michelle Buteau gives an inspired performance as Cammy, a single woman who gets involved with a homeless guy against her better judgment and Zoe Chao, who plays Haley, a young woman who is desperately fighting her attraction to a high-school student who she is tutoring. The film is bolstered by notable actresses Kate Walsh, who plays Adam’s best friend and Patricia Clarkson as a pretentious artist whom Adam moonlights for. Almost Love treats all it’s characters with respect and love, all the while allowing us to have fun with a bunch of people who are all trying to find ‘the one.’    My Rating: Full Price    Almost Love Info    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Forgotten Film: Bite the Bullet (1975) PG   A motley group of cowboys go on a 700-mile race in the desert to win a monetary prize. Writer/director Richard Brooks gives us a gripping tale of grit, determination, and survival when the cowboy way of life was just about done. Two of the contestants are played by Gene Hackman and James Coburn as two former Rough Riders who are looking for one last bit of glory. Candice Bergen plays an ex-prostitute that can ride with the best of them and Jan-Michael Vincent as a brash cowboy who is willing to do anything to win. The film was shot on location at the White Sands National Monument, and it uses the rough and harsh location to show just how hard the completion is on both man and horse. Made during a time when westerns were out of favor, Bite the Bullet is everything you would want in the genre and more.    My Rating: Full Price    Bite the Bullet Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Extra Ordinary: Finger Man

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Green Knight (2020)   The story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s nephew, who is determined to make his own legend as he takes on the Green Knight, a gigantic green-skinned stranger. When I studied the classics in college, this was one of my favorite stories.    The Green Knight Website

Until Next Time!

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Indiefest: Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) PG-13   After an unintended pregnancy, a pair of teenage girls, Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and Skylar (Talia Ryder), travel from rural Pennsylvania to New York City to seek out help for their situation. I will warn you right upfront, this is a story about a teenage girl’s determination to get an abortion. The film shows the torment that Autumn is going through and the quiet, determined support that Skylar gives Autumn without reservations. The film explores all the steps that Autumn has to go through to get the procedure, including going through a clinic that is a sham for a pro-life group. This is not an easy watch, and you go through all of the emotions that Autumn is experiencing, but Flanigan and Ryder are outstanding and director/writer Eliza Hittman slowly, quietly and lovingly, lets us into the girl’s world as they brave the situation.   My Rating: Full Price    Never Rarely Sometimes Always Website    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: The Other Lamb (2019)   For her whole life, Selah (Raffey Cassidy) has only known the world of the cult, a cult in a remote forest commune presided over by a man called Shepherd (Michiel Huisman). When Selah begins getting a series of troubling visions, she begins to question her allegiance to the cult and Shepherd, something that could end her life as she knows it. Selah is in a cult that she knows is wrong but doesn’t have a way to get out of the situation. The film should have been filled with tension, but it never quite delivers the atmosphere that the film sorely needs. I loved Huisman’s performance as Shepherd, a man who, almost with just a look, controls the cult with an iron fist, is mesmerizing in the role. I wish I felt the same about Raffey Cassidy, but her performance is a bit bland, and I never quite got the emotional pull from her character that I needed to get invested in her character's well being.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Other Lamb Website    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View: Uncorked (2020)   Elijah (Mamoudou Athie) is torn between his passion to become a master sommelier and the pressure to carry on the family legacy of a Memphis Bar-B-Cue joint. I wanted to like this film because I love wine, even reading The Wine Spectator for many years, and one of my favorite things to eat is Bar-B-Que. Unfortunately, the film feels like a made for TV movie with very wooden and simple characters, a plot that was probably written on a napkin and dialogue that wastes the talents of Courtney B. Vance and Niecy Nash, who play Elijah’s parents. I wish the writing was as good as the Bar-B-Cue looks at the family restaurant, but it makes this film feel like an overcooked brisket, dry and unappealing.   My Rating: Cable      Uncorked Website    Currently available on Netflix.

Indiefest: The Wild Goose Lake (2019)   Zenong (Ge Hu) is a gangster who gets caught up in a gang war where Zenong mistakenly kills a cop. Now Zenong is on the run and hatches a plan to have his wife turn him in for the reward, as long as he can talk a call-girl (Lun-Mei Kwei into helping him carry out his plan. What I liked about the film: the look of the film is beautiful and has a very film noir feel to it with a lot of rain thrown in, and the action sequences are extraordinarily fun. The thing that I didn’t like about this film: the plot takes too many turns as it seems Zenong can’t trust anybody not to screw him over. The storyline goes on far too long, and I got confused a couple of times on what exactly was happening to the main character. The film’s first fifteen minutes is so much fun with us getting to know Zenong’s world; I just wish that it had continued in that vein.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     The Wild Goose Lake Website    Currently available on the Film Movement Virtual Cinema. 

Forgotten Film: Blind Faith (1998) R   In 1957, John (Courtney B. Vance), a black lawyer, takes the impossible case, a black man (Garland Whitt) is accused of strangling a white boy to death. This isn’t any ordinary case; the accused man has confessed and is John’s nephew. This is a brilliant courtroom drama that is led by the fantastic Courtney B. Vance, who deals with a deck that is stacked against his client from the beginning. Rounding out the cast is Charles S. Dutton, who plays the accused man’s father, and as usual, Dutton gives every scene his all. I wish more people had seen this film when it came out because it has some great performances worth checking out.   My Rating: Full Price    Blind Faith Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Uncorked: Group Walla Mixer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Artemis Fowl (2020) PG   Artemis Fowl II (Ferdia Shaw) is a 12-year old who comes from a long line of criminal masterminds. Artemis is on a mission to find his father (Colin Farrell), who has mysteriously disappeared. Artemis is about to find out that the world is full of surprises, including elves, dwarves, and fairies. The trailer looks great, and it’s directed by Kenneth Branagh, so I’m ready to visit this world.        Artemis Fowl Website

Until Next Time!