Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Familyfaire: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) PG  Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) is living the life with Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter). Things are great until Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) finds his way back to Earth with a new ally, the mean and strong Knuckles (Idris Elba). However, Sonic has allies of his own, including a new friend named Tails (Collen O’Shanussy), and they are ready to take on Robotnik and save the Earth from his madness. I will start off this review with a bold statement: No film whose primary audience will be children should be over 90 minutes. Sonic 2 breaks this rule with a running time of 2 hours and 2 minutes. Think about that before spending good money taking your six-year-old to see this film. Then add in the fact this film has a sub-plot which takes so long to connect to the main plot that you will wonder why it’s there, and even after the connection, you will still wonder why? Most of the fun of the first film was Jim Carey going nuts with the ab-libs. The filmmakers seemed to forget that when making this unfunny, slow, tiresome film. Carey is wasted as he is sometimes forced to play 2nd banana to another animated character, Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba. To show how low this film stoops to make a joke, the first sequence in the movie is filled with fart jokes, which I know, will make the kids chuckle but may make their parents regret paying for a ticket to sit in a theatre for 2 hours. By the way, there is a mid-credits sequence that sets up the next film. Yea!….no one in the theater said.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again    Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Ambulance (2022) R   Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is desperate for money to cover his wife’s mounting medical bills. Will goes to a man who he knows he shouldn’t trust, his adoptive brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal), a man with a criminal past. Danny talks Will into helping him rob a bank, but things go wrong, and they are now running from the police in an ambulance with a wounded cop clinging to life and an EMT (Elza Gonzalez) on board. In the 90s, filmmaker Michael Bay ruled with hits such as Bad Boys, The Rock, and Armageddon. Then he went down the rabbit hole of the Transformers movies (five in all) and got lost in the giant machines from outer space and childhood. Now he returns with an action film taking place in the streets of LA, with a bank heist that goes wrong. Half (seems like more) of the film is a chase sequence between the police and an ambulance in the streets of LA. To say that this film is over the top would be an understatement. Using way too many drone shots, we go a fast race through the streets of LA, a town that Michael Bay loves (the opening scene tells us that when the name Los Angeles then shrinks down to just LA on the screen). I felt sorry for the other two main actors, Eiza Gonzalez and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who had to put up with Jake Gyllenhaal going nuts on the screen for the entire movie. The action sequences are sometimes thrilling, but how many times can you see a cop car crash? I will say this; this film has some of the shortest credits I’ve seen in a long time, I think, because most of the action was done with real cars and not done with special effects. If you love car crashes, you will get your fill in this film. The plot is way beyond the point of ridiculous (I can’t tell you how many times I shook my head in wonderment), the acting is horrible, and the ending is so unbelievable that it seems to be taking place in an alternate universe. Let's just put this out there; can you really carry 16 million dollars in cash in two backpacks? Well, in Michael Bay’s LA, you can.   My Rating: Cable   Ambulance Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) R  Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) is an unhappy laundry-mat owner, married to Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), and has an adult daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), of who she disapproves of. While at an IRS audit, Evelyn is suddenly thrust into an adventure where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led. I will start this review by telling you, run, don’t walk to your theatre and see this film! I can’t tell you the last time I had so much fun watching a movie and how much it kept surprising me with every scene. Everything Everywhere All at Once is a joy to watch, a film that is hard to describe but is a fast-moving adventure that explores what it means to love, to believe in not only yourself but your loved ones, and how one person, no matter how unimportant they feel, can make a difference in the world. I have been a big fan of Michelle Yeoh, in such action films as Supercop and The Stunt Woman, before she hit the big time in America with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yeoh gives us a multi-faceted performance as a woman who is so unhappy in her life that she takes it out on the people that she loves. An ordinary shop owner is asked to save the world from destruction, and Yeoh’s character goes on a journey that takes her to many alternate lives and worlds, where Evelyn discovers that she does have it in her to battle for the safety of the world and the people who she loves. This is one of those magical films that, five minutes in, you won’t want it to end. So sit down in a theatre seat and go on an adventure that you soon won’t forget with Evelyn as she battles to save our reality.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Everything Everywhere All at Once Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Mothering Sunday   (2021) R  Jane (Odessa Young) is a maid working for a wealthy family in post-World War I England and has many secrets. She has ambitions to be a writer and is having a long-term affair with an up-and-coming lawyer (Josh O’Connor) who is about to marry another woman. Mothering Sunday is a film about love lost and how being left behind can be the hardest blow. Odessa Young gives a subtle but powerful performance about a young woman who dreams of something more than being a maid. She has the drive and the talent to be a writer, but she must believe in herself, and it’s a love lost that finally gives her that push. This is a film about how grief can destroy us, overpower us, or it can be what propels us to move on, honoring those lost with our acts and deeds. Mothering Sunday is a film that is a slow burn, revealing its tale like the lazy Sunday morning that it takes place in.   My Rating: Full Price  Mothering Sunday Website  Now playing in select theaters.

Indiefest: The Rose Maker (2020)   Eve (Catherine Frot) is a rose grower that inherited her farm from her famous father. The farm is now on the verge of bankruptcy, and Eve is trying to hold off being bought out by a powerful competitor. Nevertheless, Eve is determined to turn her fortunes around and just might have found the help she needs in the form of three men who come to the farm on a work-release program. The Rose Maker is a charming tale about perseverance, learning new things, and being willing to take a chance on people you might typically not want to be around. Catherine Frot gives us a woman in Eve who is headstrong and set in her ways but knows deep down that to survive, she must adapt. She takes on a group of people who society has beaten down and gives them a purpose and challenge that makes not only them but Eve herself a better person. The film is a little formulative, and its’ plot is predictable, but that’s fine because the performances overshadow the film’s flaws and make it a worthy journey to find the perfect rose, even if it appears in the most unexpected places.   My Rating: Full Price   The Rose Maker Website   Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Metal Lords (2022)   Two friends, Hunter (Adrian Greensmith) and Kevin (Jaeden Martell), decide to form a heavy-metal band in order to enter a Battle of the Bands contest. Consequently, they need a bass player, and their only hope is a cellist with a bad attitude named Emily (Isis Hainsworth). This is a fun little film about three misfits that find each other and, against the odds, work to make music together, although that music is heavy-metal. I loved these characters, reminding me of some of the people I knew in high school when music was one of the most important aspects of our lives and defined who we were. Hunter is a one-track kid who believes that he is destined to become a ‘Metal God .’Keven, a mild-mannered kid, who joined the band to get out of P.E., is just happy that he has a friend and is willing to go along with Hunter’s dream just so he can support his friend. Along comes Emily, a young girl who is also an outcast, primarily due to her outbursts of anger and profanity. Kevin sees that there is more to Emily than anger and tries to convince Hunter that she would be perfect for their band. Metal Lords is a film about finding your place in the world and trying to be the best you can, even if the world thinks you are nuts. So join the band and shake your head violently because we can all use a little metal in our lives.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Metal Lords Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Aline (2020) PG-13 Aline is about a young woman (Valérie Lemercier) who dreams of becoming a singer. With the support of her large family and the man she loves, Aline will become one of the most famous singers in the world. So the best way to describe this film is that it is a fan film of Celine Dion. The singer isn’t Celine Dion, but in almost every way, from being discovered as a child singer to a marriage to a man way older than her to her singing My Heart Will Go On at the Academy Awards, it is Celine’s career. The film does a strange tiptoe following the life of Dion without saying it’s her. A lot will be written about the bizarre start to this film, including a just a jaw-dropping scene where a four-year-old Aline appears with Lemercier’s face on it (it happens a few times more until Aline gets into her 20s). The film jams a bunch of Dion’s career into it, most of which we know. It’s a strange film about a person who is real, but the film wants us to believe it is fiction. The biggest problem isn’t the blurring of fact, and fiction is that Valerie Lemercier doesn’t have the star power or singing talent to pull off what made Celine Dion a star.   My Rating: Cable   Aline Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Pop Aye (2017)   Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh) is an unhappy man in a job that he doesn’t like. Thana has a chance encounter with an elephant. As strange as that sounds, Thana knows this elephant as they grew up together on a farm. Thana decides to leave his life behind and take the elephant named Popeye on a journey across Thailand to the home that they both love. Pop Aye is a warm and moving film where the best actor in the movie is the elephant, which isn’t to say that the actor playing Thana is bad. It’s just that the elephant is the best thing about this film, making this film work, as the two have a connection on screen that makes this walkabout go a long way.   My Rating: Full Price    Pop Aye Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Everything Everywhere All at Once: Raccoon Fabricator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Duke (2020) R  A priceless painting has been stolen from the National Gallery, Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington. Was it a master thief? A gang of thieves working for an underground collector? No, it was Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), a 60-year-old taxi driver who has hidden the painting in his wife’s closet. The film is based on a true story and stars Broadbent and Helen Mirren. I think that’s all you need to know to see this film.    The Duke Website

Morbius

My View: Morbius (2022) Pg-13  Biochemist Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) is trying to find a cure for a rare blood disease, one he has himself. In his attempt to find the cure, he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead. I have no clue why this film was made or why Jared Leto, who has done some impressive stuff lately, would want to be in this film. Morbius isn’t your typical Marvel film, as our hero, when he becomes a vampire, is more about killing than saving people. The second half of this film is such a mess that I didn’t care who lived or died; I just wanted the film to end. Add in the fact that it makes vampire bats out to be killers that tear apart animals (which they are not, and Bat Conservation International must be pissed) makes this film feel so out of touch, making it feel like the schlock-horror films of the 60s. The ending is a mess of a battle between two vampires who have powers that are never really explained. And yes, there are two mid-credit scenes that set up the next film and are connected with the upcoming Multi-verse films like Dr. Strange, but I don’t care what this character does in the future.   My Rating: Cable   Morbius Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: You Won’t Be Alone (2022) R  Set in a 19th-century mountain village, a young girl is kidnapped and transformed into a witch by an ancient spirit. Subsequently, the witch accidentally kills a woman (Noomi Rapace) and takes her form to learn about what it means to be a human. This is one of those films that I just never could connect with. It’s a film narrated by the young person who has been taken and transformed into a witch. When the witch gets mad at the young person, the witch abandons her, and the girl goes and takes the place of a young woman she accidentally kills. It’s a distributing film to watch as the person goes through many lives, trying out life in different bodies, all the while the witch keeps showing up checking up on her, reminding her that she isn’t one of them. It’s a story of someone who longs to belong but never quite fits in and is constantly reminded that they aren’t a part of the humanity they desperately want to understand and live with.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   You Won't Be Alone Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Familyfaire:    Better Nate Than Ever (2022) PG   13-year-old Nate Foster (Rueby Wood) dreams of being on Broadway. Despite losing out on the lead in his middle school’s production, Nate and his best friend, Libby (Aria Brooks), travel to New York City to try out for a new Broadway musical. It’s a trip that Nate hopes will bring him the stardom he thinks he deserves. This reminds me of the Disney films that the studio used to put out in the 60s, full of energy, schmaltz, and good, wholesome family entertainment. Nate is a little over the top, but Rueby Wood carries it off with such enthusiasm and energy that you kind of forgive him for it. Wood shows his Broadway chops in several musical numbers; the best is a rousing number in Times Square that gets Nate noticed on YouTube. Lovers of Broadway musicals will eat this up, as Nate is a walking, talking Broadway kid at heart. I enjoyed going along with Nate and Libby in Nate’s dream of making it on Broadway. Break a leg, Nate!    My Rating: Full Price   Better Late Than Ever Website  Now playing on the Disney+ platform.

My View: The Bubble (2022) R   A group of actors are stuck inside a pandemic bubble in a hotel making a sci-fi film called Cliff Beasts 6, where anything and everything will go wrong. As most of us know, even the best Judd Apatow film goes a little too long, but this unfunny film feels about twice as long as its 126 minutes running time. The problem is that this is a one-joke film; is it funny how a bunch of Hollywood actors behave when they don’t get everything they think they are entitled to. Most of the impressive cast is wasted, especially Maria Bakalova, who was so good in the Borat movie and is badly misused as a hotel worker who lusts after one of the cast. The first time we see the cast making the Cliff Beasts movie in front of a green screen is pretty funny, but that it keeps happening just gets old fast. I did enjoy two characters in the film; Leslie Mann is funny as the vapid actress who in the Cliff Beast films plays some sort of Southern archeologist who continually spouts off horrible lines, and Iris Apatow as a Tik Tok star who has been hired with no acting experience to give the film a boost in the social media. I don’t think it would be a surprise that Mann is married to Judd, and Iris is their daughter in real life. Funny how that worked. Skip this film and watch one of Apatow’s older films when he let other people edit his movies.    My Rating: Cable   The Bubble Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform>

My View: Apollo 10 1/2 (2022) PG-13 The first moon landing in the summer of 1969 is about to happen, and we see it through the eyes of a kid growing up in the home of mission control, Houston, Texas. I will confess that I loved this film because what we see in this film was not only filmmaker Richard Linklater’s childhood, it was also mine (without all the brothers and sisters). I loved this slice of life in 1969 Texas, with all its late 60s glory. The film follows a young man growing up in a new suburb of Houston. His father works for NASA, but instead of building rocket ships, his dad makes sure that things like pencils are ordered for the facility. Apollo 10 1/2 is a film not only about growing up in a time where landing on the moon dominated everything, but it’s also about imagination, as the young boy also creates his own story in his imagination, one where NASA has picked him to test out the lunar lander (because they made it too small for adults). Linklater lets us experience the young boy's world, full of TV, playground games, and stealing wood from construction sites to make forts. The film uses animation to give us a look into not only the daily life of a boy in Houston but an inside look at what every young boy was thinking at that time, that maybe, somehow, someway, they could fly to the moon also.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Apollo 10 1/2 Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

Indiefest: Gagarine (2020)   Youri (Alseni Bathily) has lived his whole life in the Gagarine Towers, a vast housing project on the outskirts of Paris. When Youri learns of plans to demolish his beloved Gagarine, he decides to take on a mission. With his friends to help, a mission that just might save his home. This is a beautiful and moving tale of a young man who his mother and the system have forgotten. Youri wants to protect the only place where he has been happy and feels loved. But the city wants to tear his beloved community apart, and he decides to stay behind, retreating into a world of creative fantasy, where Youri dreams of his apartment turning into a spaceship that will take him away from all the bad things that are happening in his life. Bathily is brilliant as the intelligent and likable Youri, who will do anything to stay in the only home he knows.   My Rating: Full Price   Gagarine Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Beautiful Dreamers (1990) PG-13 Dr. Maurice Bucke (Colm Feore) is the new superintendent of a Canadian insane asylum. Dr. Bucke believes in using compassion and understanding when dealing with his patients instead of treating them like caged animals. Dr. Bucke and his wife soon meet the writer Walt Whitman, who champions the young doctor’s ideas, but that has a price as the poet’s reputation could be a hindrance rather than a boost. The film is highlighted by a brilliant performance by Rip Torn as Walt Whitman, as he dominates every scene that he is in. Don’t be fooled by the horrible trailer; this is a beautiful film about a real, groundbreaking doctor who started to change how we think about mental illness.   My Rating: Full Price   Beautiful Dreamers Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Morbius: Graffiti Artist

Coming Soon to A Screen Near You: Firestarter (2022) Based on the Stephen King novel, a young girl has the ability to set things on fire with her mind. She is the result of a secret government experiment, and they want her back. The film was first made in 1984, starring a very young Drew Barrymore. It wasn’t a good film then, so will it be good this time around?    Firestarter Website

Until Next Time!

Mike's Fearless 2022 Oscar Picks

I am picking who I think will win, not who I think should win. If I think there could be an upset or another winner, I’ll give you that alternate pick. 

Best Picture: CODA       Possible: The Power of the Dog

Directing: Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog

Lead Actress: Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye     Possible: Penélope Cruz - Parallel Mothers

Lead Actor: Will Smith - King Richard     Possible: Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog

Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur - CODA  

Adapted Screenplay: Siân Heder - CODA      Possible: Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog

Original Screenplay: Kenneth Branagh - Belfast      Possible: Paul Thomas Anderson - Licorice Pizza  

Animated Feature: Encanto      Possible: The Mitchells vs. The Machines

Documentary Feature: Summer of Soul      Possible: Flee

International Feature: Drive My Car      Possible: The Worst Person in the World

Cinematography: Greig Fraser - Dune     Possible: Ari Wegner - The Power of the Dog

Costume Design: Jenny Beavan - Cruella

Fim Editing: Joe Walker - Dune     Possible: Myron Kerstein,Andrew Weisblum - tick, tick…Boom!

 

Makeup and Hairstyling: Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram, and Justin Raleigh - The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Production Design: Dune

Score: Hans Zimmer - Dune

Original Song: No Time to Die - No TIme to Die     Possible: Dos Oruguitas - Encanto

Sound: Dune

Visual Effects: Dune

Animated Short: Robin Robin

Documentary Short: The Queen of Basketball      Possible: Audible

Live Action Short: The Long Goodbye      Possible: Please Hold

The Lost City

My View: The Lost City (2022) PG-13  Romance novelist Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) is on a book tour with her dimwitted cover model Alan Caprison (Channing Tatum). While on tour, Loretta is kidnapped by Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe), an eccentric billionaire who is convinced that Loretta’s latest book is the key to a lost fortune. Consequently, Alan sets out to rescue Loretta…good luck with that. Too often, romantic comedy films that add in action/adventure have been poorly done and overacted (I'm looking at you, Melissa McCarthy). I am happy to say that The Lost City is a fun and well-done comedy with two stars who know how to do physical comedy, an art that has been all but forgotten. Fans of the 1984 film Romancing the Stone will love this film, as it plays on that type of film, both making fun of that type of action film and, at the same time, lovingly referencing it. Bullock and Tatum look to be having a blast making the film, though I have a feeling that Bullock got very tired of the purple, sequined jumpsuit that she spends most of the adventure in. The action sequences are well done and very funny. The playful banter between the two is hilarious, and Daniel Radcliffe, as the off-the-wall nuts billionaire, is a blast to watch. I had a great time going on an adventure with Loretta and Alan, and you will too.   My Rating: Full Price   The Lost City Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Topside (2020)    Deep in the underbelly of New York City, a five-year-old girl (Zhaila Farmer) and her mother (Celine Held) live among a group that has claimed the abandoned subway tunnels as their home until authorities discover them. Now, mother and daughter must go on the streets of NYC, a world the young girl knows nothing about. One of the oldest subjects in the history of film is the story of a mother trying to decide if her child is better off without her. In the case of Topside, Nikki, a woman who has a drug problem and leaves her daughter alone for hours at a time to support her drug habit, must decide to keep battling the system and her homelessness to keep her daughter or let the system take her daughter because she can’t provide much more than her love for the daughter she calls Little. Celine Held gives a powerful and moving performance of Nikki, a troubled woman who loves her daughter but can’t cope without drugs to survive. The film is a gut punch from the start, as we see Little exploring the lonely and dangerous world of the abandoned tunnels on her own as she waits for her mother to return. We are torn, as is Nikki, because we see how much Nikki cares for and loves Little, but we know, like Nikki, that it isn’t enough. When the two are forced to go ‘topside’ into the real world, the film comes to a crashing, emotional end that just might wreck you, much like it does with Little and Nikki.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Topside Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: 7 Days (2021)    Ravi (Karan Soni) and Rita (Geraldine Viswanathan) are two single people being set up by their mothers through a dating website. After a very uncomfortable pre-arranged date, they must shelter in place together after the COVID pandemic lockdown forces them to stay in Rita’s apartment. This is a funny, sweet film about two people who have very different outlooks on life and love. Ravi is best described as a mama’s boy who is desperate to fulfill his family's dream of him getting married and having a family. Rita is an independent woman who only goes along with the whole arranged marriage ordeal to keep her mother happy, while Rita carries on an affair with a married man. The film puts these two people together and lets them figure out that maybe, just maybe, they can find love in an unexpected place with someone who isn’t their perfect mate on a website. I loved the chemistry between Karan Soni and Geraldine Viswanathan, who worked together on the Daniel Radcliffe TV series Miracle Workers. The two play off each other with a light touch, making us believe that they could and should end up together in an unconventional love story for unconventional times.   My Rating: Full Price    7 Days Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: You Are Not My Mother (2021) R  In a North Dublin housing estate, Char’s mother, Angela (Carolyn Bracken), returns after mysteriously going missing, her personality radically changed. Despite her grandmother's objections (Ingrid Craigie), Char (Hazel Doupe) decides to uncover the truth of her mother’s disappearance and in turn, unearth the dark secrets of her family. Char is a young woman who is dealing with a lot. She is doing well academically but doesn’t have any friends and is constantly threatened by the school's bullies. She is shy and is very affected by the scar on her face, which she claims is a birthmark. She is being raised by her elderly grandmother, as her mother rarely comes out of her bedroom. Char’s life becomes complicated when her mother, after a disaster of a trip to take her daughter to school, almost ends in a car wreck disappears without a trace. When Char’s mother reappears without an explanation, Char notices that her mother’s personality has changed, so much so that Char can’t decide if it’s a good or a bad thing. Things began going badly in the house as Angela starts acting weird, and Char starts to feel that her mother may be dangerous. You Are Not My Mother is more of a suspense film than a horror film. Though Angela can be scary at times, it’s the psychological effects on Char that are most pressing in this film, as she realizes that the mother she once knew is no longer in the body of Angela. What we, along with Char, have to figure out is Angela’s change has been brought about by a mental breakdown, or is there something more sinister going on?   My Rating: Full Price    You Are Not My Mother Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Infinite Storm (2022)    Pam Bales (Naomi Watts), an experienced climber, is forced to turn back on her climb of Mt. Washington due to a massive blizzard that is fast approaching. On her way down, she encounters a lone, stranded man and takes it upon herself to get the both of them off of the mountain before nightfall and certain death. Infinite Storm is a harrowing story of survival and how one person can give another person help both physically and spiritually. We meet Pam, and we can tell that she is a determined woman who has had something painful happen in her past. We are given clues to what but don’t know the details. Then, just when Pam is about to turn back due to the conditions on the mountain, she finds a man dressed like he was going out on a summer hike, on top of a snowy mountain, freezing to death. Pam puts her survival skills to work and makes it her job to get this man, who is out of his mind, down the mountain before it becomes dark. Watts gives us an emotional and physically draining performance of a woman who, despite her problems, is so driven that she will do anything to get this man back down to safety. Be sure to wear a sweater to the theatre, as you will feel the constant coldness of the mountain, even as you are warmed by the determination of Pam to get you off the damn mountain.    My Rating: Full Price  Infinite Storm Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Prefontaine (1997) PG-13  Steve Prefontaine (Jared Leto) was a man who was determined to beat the odds, no matter what the cost. Prefontaine was a runner who was a superstar in the long-distance running for a very short time. Leto is captivating as Pre, a man who didn’t care who he beat or how he got there, just that he was in first at the finish line. As the film shows us, Pre was a man that wasn’t always likable, and that is what I enjoy about this film. Too often, films based on sports stars make heroes out of their subjects and don’t show us who they really were. Prefontaine gives us a tragic hero who wasn’t afraid to run on his terms and not conform to what people thought he should be.   My Rating: Full Price   Prefontaine Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Lost City: Cutter-Fitter

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Morbius  (2022) PG-13   Biochemist Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) is trying to find a cure for a rare blood disease, one he has himself. In his attempt to find the cure, he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead. This much-delayed film is finally being released, and we can see what all the fuss has been about. Recently Leto has given us The Joker and Paolo Gucci, so let's see what he can do with a vampire.    Morbius Website

Until Next Time!

Master

My View: Master (2022) R  Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has been named dean at a prestigious New England university, the first Black dean in the school’s history. Jasmine (Zoe Renee) is a new student at the university, and she learns that the students at this school believe that the campus is haunted. Both Gail and Jasmine aren’t just dealing with systemic racism at the university because there is something far more sinister in these hallowed halls. Something that could prove deadly. This is not your ordinary horror film as it only makes up half of this film’s content. The other half is about racism, white privilege, and how institutions of high learning are more about politics and less about higher education. The film follows two stories connected by a sinister force that is alive and well on the campus; the question is, is it a supernatural force, or is it just underlying racism that hides under the surface. I liked this film for the first two-thirds, but then the storyline fails to come to a satisfying ending, leaving me wanting more from its resolution. The film doesn’t quite deliver on the scares, and I didn’t think the character of Jasmine was ever in mortal danger that the film wants you to feel that she is in. Still, there is quite a bit that you will be discussing afterwards about this film and its subject matter.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Master Website   Now playing in select theatres and on the Amazon Prime platform.

Indiefest: The Outfit  (2022) R  Leonard (Mark Rylance) is an English tailor who used to work on London’s Savile Row. After a personal tragedy, Leonard now makes his home in Chicago, in a part of town where only mobsters can afford his hand-crafted suits. Basically, all Leonard wants to do is be left alone to make clothes with his assistant (Zoey Deutch), but his life is about to get complicated when two killers show up on his shop’s doorstep. This is an absolute thrill ride of a film where you are kept guessing until the end. Buoyed by a brilliant performance by Mark Rylance and a script that values words more than actions, this film is a mystery inside another mystery. It slowly peels back its layers of plot woven together better than any other fine suit that Leonard constructs. The Outfit is a film that lets Rylance show us just how good an actor he is, giving us a far craftier and wise character than the people around him. I can’t tell you how much fun I had watching this film, making me think of some of the great Hitchcock films of the 30s and how a character can get them in and out of impossible situations, taking us along for the thrilling ride.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Outfit Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Deep Water (2022) R Vic (Ben Affleck) and Melinda (Ana de Armas), on the surface, have the perfect marriage. However, both love to play mind games, and their marriage is holding on by a thread. Vic allows Melinda to take any number of lovers, as long as she doesn’t desert her family. Their marriage is about to fall apart when one of Melinda’s former lovers is discovered murdered. While I don’t think this is a great film, I still enjoyed going on this weird, strange, and sometimes horrifying journey with two very messed-up people. Directed by Adrian Lyne (Flashdance, 9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction) and based on a book by Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley), this is a mystery/suspense film about two people who are in a twisted and peculiar relationship. The film is sure to be compared to Gone Girl (2014) and possibly the Harrison Ford film Presumed Innocent (1990), this film is about two people who are in a relationship that is complicated, messy, and dangerous. Affleck and de Armas portray to beautiful people that do very ugly things to each other. This film takes a lot of twists and turns, with you wondering if you saw something that was real or fantasy until the very end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Deep Water Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform.

Familyfaire: Cheaper by the Dozen (2022) PG  Zoey (Gabrielle Union) and Paul (Zach Braff) are parents of a large blended family, the Bakers. Whoever thought living in this family of 12 would be easy thought wrong. This is the third version of Cheaper by the Dozen. The first is an excellent classic film from the 1950s that stars Clifton Webb. The second was a mildly funny film starring Steve Martin from the 90s. And now we have a modern-day version that is painful to watch. Incredibly dull, not a bit funny, and so long it seems to last for days, this version is an attempt to pack a lot into a film that doesn’t work as a comedy or as a commentary on race relations. Add into the mix some horrible acting by some of the kids and a script that is so poorly constructed I almost got whiplash from the events of the film (the family goes from barely paying their bills to a mansion in an exclusive neighborhood in a matter of days) and you have a film that is just dull to watch. Go watch one of the latest animated films from Disney or the wonderful Mitchells vs the Machines if you want some family fun because this version of Cheaper by the Dozen doesn’t even come close to being entertaining.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Cheaper by the Dozen Website  Now playing on the Disney+ platform.

Forgotten Film: White Fang (1991) PG  The story of a young man who goes to the Yukon to find gold and a dog who was raised by wolves. The two find each other in the wilds of Alaska and make a great team to survive the wilderness together. I loved this book as a kid, and though the film doesn’t quite match the book in the storyline, it’s still a great adventure film. I think we forget just how good an actor Ethan Hawke was at such an early age. The film is one of the better wilderness action films and has a dog you will fall in love with. What more could you want?   My Rating: Full Price    White Fang Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Outfit: Rushes Runner

Coming Soon to Screen Near You: The Northman (2022) R A Viking prince (Alexander Skarsgard) has come back to avenge his father’s death and rescue his mother. From filmmaker Robert Eggers (The Witch) comes an epic tale with a cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Anya Taylor-Joy. Add in Bjork as a character named Seeress, and you have a movie that could be really interesting to watch.    The Northman Website

Until Next Time!

Turning Red

Familyfaire: Turning Red  (2022) PG   Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) is a 13-year-old who has her best friends always at her side, and unfortunately, her overbearing mother, Ming (voiced by Sandra Oh), watching her every move. It’s bad enough to be a teenager, but suddenly, Mei Lee is turning into a giant Red Panda every time she gets excited. What’s a girl to do? I am a huge fan of Pixar, as they constantly bring us films that are funny warm and make you think about your place in the world. Turning Red is about puberty, an event that, when growing up, no one ever warns you about but hits everyone with a bang. In this case, Mei Lee is hit with a curse that turns her into a big Red Panda when she gets overly excited, something hard to avoid when your body and mind are put into overdrive by puberty. This is a beautiful, brilliant, and laugh-out-loud film that gives us a profound look at a young woman who survives the heartbreak and stress with the help of her family, friends, and maybe just a little help from a boy band. Filmmaker Domee Shi gives us a tale that, like Mei Lee, is both unique and relatable at the same time, one that will be treasured.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Turning Red Website  Now playing on the Disney+ platform.

My View: The Adam Project  (2022) PG-13   A time-traveling pilot (Ryan Reynolds) teams up with his 12-year-old younger self (Walker Scobell) and his father (Mark Ruffalo) to stop time travel and save the Earth from destruction. First, let's give Netflix some props for putting together one of the most likable casts ever with a group including Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Ganer, Catherine Keener, Zoe Saldana, and Walker Scobell. The film lets Reynolds riff like we know he can, but he has met his match in Walker Scobell, who plays Reynolds's younger self as the wise-cracking young Adam, a kid who makes up for his lack of size with his wit and humor. Scobell is perfect in the role of the young Adam and is able to keep up with Reynolds, making their interactions the best part of the film. Keener is a bit wasted as the villain of the piece, and it’s never quite clear what her master plan is, but the film moves a such a quick pace, with quips flying across the screen, that you probably won’t notice it. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the film constantly makes fun of sci-fi tropes like the multiverse, and the sacred timelines from the future can’t intersect with the past. It helps that Zoe Saldana comes in to kick some butt while giving us a romantic partner for Reynolds to pine after. While not a great film due to its rather flimsy plot, it's a blast to watch because Reynolds and Scobell are having such a fun time trying to save us from the evils of time travel.   My Rating: Full Price   The Adam Project Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: All My Friends Hate Me  (2021) R  Pete (Tom Stourton) reluctantly goes on a birthday weekend trip with his old college crew. Soon, Pete notices that his friends are slowly turning against him. Is he being punished, paranoid, or is this some sort of sick revenge for something he did in the past? This is one of those films that will take me a while to figure out if I liked it, but I'm glad I did watch it. Part horror film, part dark comedy, it's a film that you, like Pete, are trying to figure out if Pete’s friends are just out and out mean, or is it all in Pete’s mind? All My Friends Hate Me is a film that plays on our expectations of how things should go versus how things turn out. Is it Pete’s fault for feeling his friends don’t like him, or are they truly turning against him? You won’t find out until near the end, but it’s worth the experience the get the answer.   My Rating: Full Price   All My Friends Hate Me Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Tyson’s Run (2022) PG   Tyson (Major Dodson) is a teen with autism who, up to now, has been home-schooled by his mother (Amy Smart). He decides to go to the high school where his father (Rory Cochrane) is the football coach. To try to be close to his father and with the help with a fellow student (Layla Felder) and a professional runner (Barkhad Abdi), Tyson decides to run a marathon. It’s a decision that will change Tyson and his family forever. I have a soft spot in my heart for films like this, a movie that doesn’t quite deliver but is so earnest in the attempt. Tyson’s Run is a story that never get the tug on the heartstrings that it needs and a plot that is incredibly thin in its story. The film is helped by a strong performance by Amy Smart, as the mother who believes in her son, and a welcomed performance by Barkhad Abdi, who plays a former professional runner who takes Tyson under his wing. The film has an ending that pushes reality to almost a breaking point, but it’s a movie with a good heart. I just wish the writing was better.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Tyson's Run Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

Indiefest: Compartment No. 6 (2021) R  An archeology student from Finland, Laura (Seidi Haarla), is taking a train all the way up to the arctic circle in Russia to visit an archeological site. Unfortunately, on this long train trip, she has to share a tiny sleeping compartment on the train with a gruff Russian stranger, Ljoha (Yurly Borisov), with whom she has nothing in common with. Hollywood has been making this story for as long as movies have been around; the two strangers, who have no common ground, and against the odds, find love and friendship with each other. Except, in this case, the two characters, unlike most Hollywood tales, aren’t very likable and at no time during this film do we believe that they should be together. What makes this film worth watching is just that; two characters that shouldn’t be together stuck on a long train ride in cramp quarters and through their time together, find out that maybe, just maybe, they have something in common that they can share with each other. Hollywood would have turned this into a rom-com, a film full of laughs and a happy ending. However, Finnish filmmaker Juho Kuosmanen gives us a more realistic movie, with two unhappy, ordinary people finding common ground to connect with long enough to survive a brutal trip into the unknown. My Rating; Full Price   Compartment No. 6 Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Ironweed (1987) R   In 1938 Albany, New York, two lost souls, Francis (Jack Nicholson) and Helen (Meryl Streep), find each other, and for a time, that is enough until the sins of the past come back. This is a hard film to watch as Streep and Nicholson, at the height of their acting profession, play two alcoholics who use liquor to hide from their past. Francis is haunted by the deaths he has caused, and Helen is tormented by what she could have become. It’s a film filled with two performances that will astound you and make you shake your head in despair. Streep’s performance is one of her best, and her entrance, thirty minutes into the film, is jaw-dropping. Ironweed is a film that you probably will only watch once, but it is one that will long stay with you.   My Rating: Full Price   Ironweed Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Turning Red: Sweatbox Manager

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Twin (2022) A mother (Teresa Palmer) is still grieving for her dead son when the surviving twin starts acting strange around her. She must now confront the unbearable truth about her surviving son. I am a fan of Teresa Palmer, and I hope that this horror film will give us a scare or two.   The Twin Info

Until Next Time!

The Batman

My View: The Batman  (2022) PG-13  The Batman is about the Caped Crusader, Batman (Robert Pattinson), in his second year of fighting crime, uncovering corruption in Gotham City that connects to his own family while battling a criminal known as The Riddler for control of his city. When I was a boy, my favorite comic book character was Batman because he wasn’t a person with superpowers, but he used his gadgets and mind to solve crimes. Like the other hero of my childhood, Sherlock Holmes, Batman solved crimes using his intellect. What filmmaker Matt Reeves has brought us a Batman who is fighting a losing battle for control of a city that he loves. Pattinson is brilliant as the brooding crime-fighter trying to figure out who is killing the city’s most important and influential powerbrokers, as each gruesome killing is left with a riddle in a greeting card. Zoë Kravitz lights up the screen as Selina Kyle, Catwoman, who enlists The Batman to help her find her missing lover/roommate. Even so, it’s Paul Dano, who steals the film with his performance as The Riddler. For most of the film, we only see The Riddler in videos he releases, as he hides behind an odd bit of masking. Dano is scary as the mad, evil Riddler, who leaves clues for Batman at every murder he has committed. The Batman is not an origin story. We don’t get the usual flashback to when Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered before his eyes; instead, this is a Batman that we already know, a crime-fighter battling his own demons as he takes on the worst of humanity. And know this: you will not recognize Colin Farrell as The Penguin. It is a fantastic bit of screen magic with The Penguin looking more like a gangster than the quacking cartoon character of other Batman films. I will warn you that you will want to hold off on drinking anything before or during the film as the running time is almost 3 hours in length, and you won’t want to miss anything on the screen to take a pee break. And yes, the film sets up another Batman film, and of course, there is a tiny surprise at the end of the final credits. So go on a journey with the Batman to solve crimes and defeat the criminals that threaten his beloved Gotham City.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Batman Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Fresh (2022) R    Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is tired of the dating scene and has given up trying to find a good guy until she meets Steve (Sebastian Stan), a charming guy who seems to be perfect. However, Noa is about to discover that dating can be horrible, even horrific. With an opening credits scene that doesn’t start until 30 minutes into the film, you know you are in for something different. Let’s just say that Steve isn’t who or what he says he is and that Noa is in a lot of danger. To say that this film has a big twist in it would be an understatement, and some viewers will give up when they encounter that twist. Still, if you have the stomach for it, the rewards are worth it. With two outstanding performances by Sebastian Stan, as the ever-charming Steve and Daisy Edgar-Jones as the down on dating Noa, who becomes our fearless hero, Fresh is a strange and wonderful film full of surprises. It is more commentary on dating and the power of relationship dynamics than a horror film. But don’t kid yourself; it can be pretty horrific. You may never look at a ‘meet cute’ get-together the same way again.   My Rating: Full Price  Fresh Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform.

My View:  The Weekend Away  (2022)   Beth (Leighton Meester) is on a weekend vacation, far from her husband and baby, to visit her best friend Kate (Christina Wolfe) in Croatia. After a night of partying, Beth discovers that Kate has been murdered. Consequently, Beth is in a foreign country with no friends, the main suspect for Kate’s death, and no way of knowing what happened. The Weekend Away is a standard murder mystery that is helped by an excellent performance by Leighton Meester, playing a woman who is taking a break from her family to party with her best friend. Meester is the only thing that saves this from becoming your ordinary basic cable mystery. The story is as old as Lifetime has been making movies, with a plot of a woman who can’t remember what happened after a night of partying and her friend disappearing. Add into the plot with your usual fear tactics thrown in about our hero all alone in a foreign country, having to trust a stranger, and the deck continually stacking against her. There are a few twists to the story, but anyone who has seen any number of true crime stories on TV can figure out who the killer is by the time our hero does. Is it worth an afternoon on a weekend to watch? Sure, but don’t expect much.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Weekend Away Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Lucy and Desi    (2022)  PG  This documentary explores the life and love of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who became one of the most prolific power couples in entertainment and changed TV forever. I will admit that I have never been a fan of I Love Lucy. I didn’t enjoy the characters, the wacky situations, and the constant mistrust between Lucy and Desi. While I admired Lucille Ball’s ability to make any scene funny, I just never was a big fan of the series. Having watched this outstanding documentary from Amy Poehler, my admiration for Lucille Ball has grown. Poehler utilizes home movies and tape recordings that Lucy made during her lifetime to give us an inside look at a couple that changed the way TV was produced and had such an impact on network television. So much so that it is still using the model that Lucy and Desi created, both in front and behind the camera. Lucy's fans will go nuts with all the behind-the-scenes photos and home movies (in glorious color the see that flaming redhead)  along with the amazing bits of publicity photos and films that were made during their careers. The film doesn’t just concentrate on Lucy but gives Desi a much-needed run in the spotlight, letting us see the man who was a driving force behind the scenes of what became a TV-producing machine that dominated the TV landscape for years. The film doesn’t put the blame on one person for the marriage falling apart. The film makes it clear that both parties had faults that made the marriage doomed from the start. That’s made even more evident when both Lucy and Desi found a second love that they spent the rest of their lives with. Lucy and Desi is a brilliant documentary about a couple whose love and partnership changed how people watched television. It is also a love story that will bring you much laughter and a few tears, just like their groundbreaking show did.    My Rating: Full Price   Lucy and Desi Website  Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform.

Indiefest: After Yang   (2021) PG  In the near future, a family deals with the breakdown of their A.I. helper named Yang (Justin H. Min). Jake (Colin Farrell) searches for a way to get Yang repaired, who has become an integral part of their family and Jake’s daughter’s beloved companion. Jake will soon discover that this life is full of wonder and revelations. This is a film about love, loss, and what it means to be a parent. Jake goes on a quest first to find a way to get his A.I. helper Yang repaired. Finding roadblocks after roadblocks, he gives up in his quest to restore Yang, and instead, discovering a secret memory chip in Yang, Jake goes on a journey to find out what made Yang who he was. After Yang is a film about a family and how its dynamic is threatened by the loss of a loved one, even if that person is a robot. Yang is an essential part of the family; part teacher, part nanny but most of all, a friend who helps the family discover things about themselves. After Yang is a powerful and meaningful film about a family that learns how to reconnect with each other after depending on someone else to do the connecting. Incredibly, this film is being released the same week that Colin Farrell gives an entirely different performance as The Penguin in The Batman. In After Yang, Farrell provides us with a man in Jake who has lost his way but finds his place back in his family by discovering what made Yang so unique. And by the way, the opening credits of the film make it worth the price of admission by itself.   My Rating; Full Price    After Yang Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: Huda’s Salon (2021)  PG  Reem (Maisa Abd Elhadi) is a Palestinian woman with a newborn and an abusive husband. Reem's life changes forever on a routine visit to her hairdresser, Huda (Manal Awad). This is a film about two stories. One is the tale of a woman who is being blackmailed, and the other is the story of the blackmailer. In both cases, the two women are stuck in impossible situations, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to for help. Both women are tools of a system that keeps feeding on itself in a war that no one can win. Huda's Salon is a psychological thriller where you have no idea if or when these women can escape from their predicaments, and you realize that even if they do escape their present situation, their lives will never be the same. Of the two actresses, Abd Elahid, as Reem, the innocent mother who finds herself in an impossible situation, gives the better performance of a woman who looks for help but can only find that help from within.   My Rating: Full Price   Huda's Salon Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film:  Paperhouse   (1988)  PG-13   A lonely young girl (Charlotte Burke) draws a house with a young boy in a window. She then has a dream where she visits the boy, a boy who is disabled. The more she draws and dreams, the more she becomes immersed in a world that she may never escape. Paperhouse is a fascinating and lovely film about imagination and dreams and how they can come true and is one of those films that once you see it, it will stay with you a long time.   My Rating: Full Price    Paperhouse Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Batman: Virtual Reality Illustrator  

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Umma (2022) R  Amanda (Sandra Oh) and her daughter (Fivel Stewart) live on an isolated farm, raising bees without modern technology. Their world is shaken when Amanda receives the cremated ashes of her estranged mother, and their lives are taken over by a restless, evil spirit that will stop at nothing to come back. Sandra Oh in a horror film? Count me in!    Umma Info

Until Next Time!