Gideon58's Reviews [Archive] - Page 17

Gideon58

02-22-22, 06:23 PM

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Glossy production values and an impressive cast notwithstanding, 2009's Confessions of a Shopaholic is an overly complex comedy whose style is all over the place, but is too protective of its central character, in addition to feeling about four hours long.
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This film stars the delicious Isla Fisher as Rebecca Bloomwood, a writer who is so seriously addicted to shopping that she has run up a $9000 credit card debt. After blowing her dream job at Alette Magazine, an elite fashion magazine, she gets another job at Successful Savings, where she somehow ends up with her own column where she doles out financial advice. Her job at Successful finds her attracted to her handsome boss Luke Brandon, but ducking Derek Smeath, the smarmy debt collector who has been chasing her for years to settle her debt.
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Tracey Jackson, Tim Wirth, and Kayla Alpert collaborated on this hot mess of a screenplay based on a series of books by Sophie Kinsella, that initially comes off as some sort of comic fantasy, as when we first meet Rebecca, she is actually conversing and being lured into unnecessary purchases by department store mannequins that come to life. Then the story goes straight slapstick as Rebecca tries to avoid Smeath by telling her bosses at Successful that he's a stalker. Then we almost delve into melodrama as Rebecca's identity as The Girl in the Green Scarf is blown on national television and that her life is over.
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Rebecca's story starts off in a farcical manner and we are temporarily on her side until it is revealed that she has done absolutely nothing in the way of dealing with this debt in some manner, except for pretending it doesn't exist. It takes a while, but with the help of a support group of fellow shopaholics, Rebecca does change, but the change takes way too long to come about. The screenplay is too protective of this Rebecca creature, making the film WAY longer than it needed to be.
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Director PJ Hogan (Muriel's Wedding) was apparently afforded a huge budget for the film, evidenced by lavish settings and some gorgeous costumes, but his direction could have been reined in a bit. Isla Fisher is utterly charming in the starring role, making it hard to completely hate Rebecca and Hugh Dancy is sex on legs as Luke Brandon. The terrific supporting cast includes John Goodman, Joan Cusack, Krysten Ritter, John Lithgow, Kristen Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb, Fred Armisen, Wendie Malick, Julie Hagerty, Clea Lewis, and a cameo by the late Lynn Redgrave, but when it all comes down to it, this movie is another of those pretty gift-wrapped packages with nothing inside. 2.5

Gideon58

02-22-22, 10:01 PM

Marry Me
Despite its rampant predictability, the 2022 romantic comedy Marry Me provides entertainment value primarily due to the unexpected chemistry between the stars.
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Jennifer Lopez stars as Kat Valdez, a music superstar about to marry fellow super star Bastian in a live ceremony in front of millions, who learns minutes before the ceremony that Bastian cheated on her. Crushed but wanting to maintain a semblance of dignity, Kat points at a perfect stranger in the crowd and asks him to marry her. The stranger turns out to be Charlie (Owen Wilson), a sweet-natured, socially inept math teacher with a pre-teen daughter. And for some reason, Charlie agrees to marry the superstar in front of millions of people.
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We've seen a million rom-coms like this, centered around two people who have absolutely no business being together spending the rest of the running time trying to find romantic common ground. Remember Hugh Grant as the humble bookseller trying to win movie star Julia Roberts in Notting Hill? Well, this is pretty much the same thing, except Roberts is a singer and the bookseller is a math teacher,
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What I did like about this screenplay is that it addressed the absurdities of the situation from jump. Kat and Charlie are mobbed right after the ceremony and when Charlie is asked why he did it, I loved his answer. Then we see Kat address the absurdity of what she did and quickly decide to get in front of it, via a press conference with her and Charlie, probably my favorite scene in the film, where Kat and Charlie play the press like a fiddle. We love the bonding that happens between Kat and Charlie, but we know there has to be something that is going tear them apart and here, it's when Kat and Bastian's record gets nominated for a Grammy.
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The screenplay could have used a little tightening...setting up the Charlie character shouldn't have taken as long as it did and Kat's moment of clarity could have come a little sooner, but Kat Coiro's sparkling direction makes us want to hang in.
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Lopez appears to be having a ball in a role that fits her like a glove and generates actually chemistry with Wilson, which I really didn't expect. If I had a minor quibble, Wilson spent pretty much the first half of the film whispering his lines and Coiro has to take some blame for that. Latin pop singer Malumo is a smoldering Bastian, Sarah Silverman is fun as Charlie's co-worker/BFF and Chloe Coleman is fresh-faced and sincere as Charlie's daughter. No surprises here, but the journey to the requisite happy ending is just too long for a movie where you know exactly what's going to happen. 3

Gideon58

02-23-22, 08:10 PM

Fashions of 1934
Offbeat roles for the stars and a musical extravaganza courtesy of mad genius Busby Berkley do make Warner Brothers' Fashions of 1934 worth a look.
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Sherwood Nash (William Powell) is at a loss after the recent failure of his investment firm that he ran with his partner, Snap (Frank McHugh). He has found a new hustle where he, Snap, and a model/designer named Lynn Mason (Bette Davis) will fly to Paris and steal the latest designs in Paris and reproduce in the US at a much cheaper cost.
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The screenplay is a little confusing as it quickly splits in several directions. The reluctant collaboration of Nash, Snap, and Lynn is fun as they don't know if they can trust each other.
Loved their arrival at a Paris fashion house where Snap takes pictures of the designs with a camera installed in an umbrella. Then we find Nash trying to blackmail the manufacturer of ostrich feathers (Hugh Herbert) into turning over his business to him. Then the will they or won't they tension between Nash and Lynn is complicated by a handsome musician named Jimmy (Phillip Reed) who is madly in love with Lynn.
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If the truth be told, the problematic screenplay took a backseat to a spectacular musical production, staged by the iconic Busby Berkley called "Spin a Little Web of Dreams", which features dozens of females playing harps constructed out of females and Berkley's accustomed above the stage filming of hundreds of females with ostrich feathers. As always with Berkley's work, the scope of this number reaches far beyond a proscenium stage.
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William Powell brings his accustomed smooth to Sherwood Nash, but the surprise here is Davis. The thankless role of Lynn Mason required Davis to be a real glamour puss and she is totally made up as a cinematic sex symbol for the first time in her career. The role requires nothing but glamour from Davis and she delivered, even though legend says she hated it and her discomfort with all the glamorous trappings come through in her performance. Hugh Hebert is a lot of fun as the ostrich feather tycoon, but it's Powell and the magic of Busby Berkley that make this one worth checking out. BTW, even though the film is listed in the IMDB and cinema archives as Fashions of 1934, onscreen, the actual title of the film is Fashions. 3

Takoma11

02-23-22, 08:20 PM

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Isla Fisher is utterly charming in the starring role, making it hard to completely hate Rebecca and Hugh Dancy is sex on legs as Luke Brandon. The lterrific supporting cast includes John Goodman, Joan Cusack, Krysten Ritter, John Lithgow, Kristen Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb, Fred Armisen, Wendie Malick, Julie Hagerty, Clea Lewis, and a cameo by the late Lynn Redgrave, but when it all comes down to it, this movie is another of those pretty gift-wrapped packages with nothing inside. 2.5

That cast, tho!

Have you seen Adam? It's interesting watching a film try to work against Hugh Dancy's natural charisma.

Gideon58

02-25-22, 06:28 PM

I haven't seen Adam, but if it stars Hugh Dancy I may have to check it out.

Gideon58

02-25-22, 07:01 PM

Licorice Pizza
Paul Thomas Anderson, the creative force behind films like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood has made a big splash with an offbeat and atmospheric romantic drama called Licorice Pizza that finds Anderson's directorial eye in serious overdrive, but is fighting his somewhat convoluted screenplay all the way.
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The 2021 film. like a lot of Anderson's work, is set in his favorite period, San Fernando Valley in the 1970's, where we meet Gary, a teenage aspiring actor who meets and becomes obsessed with Alana, a tough, but lonely amateur photographer who fights her mutual attraction to Gary with every fiber of her being. The budding romance becomes complicated when Gary gives up acting and decides to open a business selling waterbeds and Alana becomes his partner.
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Anderson has earned three Oscar nominations for this film, and the one he has the best shot at is for his direction, which involves Anderson's almost flawless recreation of the San Fernando Valley of the 1970's with the same artistry he applied to Boogie Nights. This film beautifully transported this reviewer back to the 1970's with a breezy free love changing of the times atmosphere and a hedonistic underside that has been found in so many films centered around the 70's. Anderson creates some truly arresting visual images through the camera, where certain shots in the films actually look like paintings. This film is absolutely gorgeous to look at and brings fresh life to well-worn images to the screen.
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This reviewer found the all over the place screenplay for this simple love story a little troubling. As the film opens, we find Alana expressing nothing but contempt for Gary, but 30 minutes later they are in business together. We never get any explanation as to where a 15 year old kid gets the finances to open two separate businesses. Gary and Alana separate and reunite at least four times during the film with little or no explanation, making the film about 30 minutes longer than it needs to be. We think we're getting to the end when Gary and Alana mess up a job selling a waterbed to future movie producer Jon Peters (brilliant cameo by Bradley Cooper), but the final third of the film finds them again separated, Gary trying to open his own pinball machine parlor while Alana becomes involved with a creepy politician. The scene with Jon Peters was the best scene in the film and after that, I wanted it to be over. Had to applaud a beautiful piece of nostalgia near the beginning of the film where Gary is appearing in a stage version of Yours, Mine, and Ours, utilizing the original theme song from the 1968 film.
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As he always does, Anderson does get some interesting performances from his cast. Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, does a real movie star turn as Gary and Alana Haim manages to make the abrasiveness of her character work. Mention should also be made of a terrific cameo by Sean Penn as a greasy Hollywood producer, Benny Hafdie as the creepy politician, Tom Waites as Penn's old buddy, and Christine Ebersole as a bitchy, aging actress. As a textbook on the art of filmmaking, this one hits a bullseye, but misses as a complete cinematic experience due to a screenplay that had just a few too many holes for this reviewer's tastes. 3.5

Gideon58

02-25-22, 09:51 PM

Once More with Feeling! (1960)
Stanley Donen was in the director's chair for a delicious comedy of errors from 1960 called Once More with Feeling! that sparkles from opening to closing credits thanks to Donen's seasoned directorial eye, a clever story, and dazzling performances from the stars.
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The film stars Oscar winner Yul Brynner as Victor Fabian, an arrogant and world famous symphony conductor whose eccentric lifestyle is tolerated by his wife Dolly (Kay Kendall), a famous harpist until she catches him in a compromising position with a young female musician. Dolly promptly leaves Victor and accepts a job at a small college teaching music. Once Dolly leaves, Victor's career begins to fall apart. A chance to save his career comes up on the condition that Dolly returns to him. It's not long that Dolly does return to Victor, but it turns out that Dolly has come back because she needs Victor in order to move on her with her new life.
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The screenplay by Harry Kunitz (Witness for the Prosecution) takes a lot of complex twists and turns that are not so complicated that the audience grows tired of the proceedings. As we are introduced to Victor and Dolly, we know these are two people meant to be together, but the circumstances tearing them apart are believable and it doesn't take three hours for them to come together again.
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And before the requisite happy ending, these two lead characters are beautifully established in the form of exposition. Love Victor and Dolly's lavish home, which is adorned with large portraits of Victor everywhere and every time Victor passes one, he has to stop and adore himself for a minute. We love every time Victor is trying to talk himself out of a sticky situation, Dolly always knows what he's going to say or do and is aware of her part in whatever current charade is going on and reluctantly does her part. A small quibble, but it might have been nice if Donen had spent a little more time making Brynner and Kendall look more credible as musicians, but I was so entertained that I was able to let it slide.
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Donen employs splendid production values to the story, giving the story a glittering canvas upon which to unfold. Yul Brynner gives his sexiest and most charismatic performance since The King and I, bringing a larger than life bravura to this role that you can't help but laugh at the guy. In one scene, we even get a glimpse of Brynner in a full head of hair! Kay Kendall brings her one of a kind cinematic presence to the role of Dolly. Kendall had the uncanny talent of blending Deborah Kerr elegance with an uncanny knack for Jerry Lewis physical comedy that was unparalleled. Sadly this was the final appearance of the gifted Miss Kendall. The film was actually released posthumously, approximately six months after her death. Mention should also be made of Gregory Rataoff, who was so funny as Max Fabian in All About Eve, as Victor's agent and Martin Benson, who played the Krahlahome opposite Brynner in The King and I. A sparkling romantic comedy that works thanks to the professionalism in front of and behind the camera. 4

Gideon58

02-26-22, 09:42 PM

Ali Wong: Don Wong
Netflix brought actress/writer/comedian Ali Wong back to the mic for her third stand-up special called Ali Wong: Don Wong, but this might have been case of going back to the well once too often.
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In this 2022 concert, Wong appears onstage for the first time not in the middle of a pregnancy and doesn't spend a lot of time talking about pregnancy. In fact, her kids barely get a mention here. What we do get here, which was a little troubling for someone who had viewed her fist two concerts, is this one gets a lot cruder and nastier than her previous outing. Don't get me wrong, I am no prude, I have heard the best and worst of George Carlin, Eddie Murphy, and Richard Pryor and I am no stranger to graphic comedy on the topic of sex, but Wong's opening tirade here about the pros and cons of oral sex and ejaculating on a person's face gets really ugly and really tiresome very quickly. I don't know if Wong was just going for the shock value of the material, but Wong is much too intelligent a screen presence to have to debase herself this way.
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She gets back on track when she begins a more feminist rant regarding men being afraid of being with a woman who makes more money than they do. Anyone who had been turned off by the opening was back in the fold by now and Wong once again had the sold out audience in her pocket. She also scored talking about the advantages of being single and her secret desire to cheat on her husband.
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As funny as Wong is here, I do have to say that a lot of the material broached in this special is pretty much a rehash of the material covered in her first two specials, disguised just enough for people who didn't see the first two specials to be fooled. She is able to do this because she has such a polished presence and she strictly adheres to one of my most important rules about a good stand up comedian: she never, ever, laughs at herself. Though there was one moment in a monologue where she did a big build-up to a punchline and when she got the punchline, I swear she forgot for a second.
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As she always does, Ali rounded out the evening talking about her marriage, once again reminding us what a wonderful guy he is who never forgets who the breadwinner is. The way she talks about this guy, I would love to meet him. It's the weakest of her three specials, primarily because it's just a rehash of the other two. but a little more vulgar. 3

Takoma11

02-26-22, 10:26 PM

I haven't seen Adam, but if it stars Hugh Dancy I may have to check it out.

I liked it pretty well (maybe a 4?).

It stars Dancy as a young man with autism who begins a romance with a woman he meets and about the way that his autism complicates their relationship.

I work a lot with children (and in the past a young adult) with autism, and so I'm pretty sensitive to portrayals of people with it on screen. I thought that this version of it was not too bad.

Overall it was an empathetic look at the challenges of being in a relationship when you have a disability that impacts emotional awareness and the challenges of being in a relationship with someone who does not always respond the "right way" to situations. It has a couple of heartbreaking moments and good performances across the board. I'd recommend it. I'd also have a lot more to say if you actually watch it, because many of my feelings about it relate to the last act.

Gideon58

02-28-22, 07:57 PM

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
The 2021 rendering of The Tragedy of Macbeth is a visually arresting adaptation of the Shakespeare classic worth watching because of Joel Cohen's stunning directorial eye and a performance by Denzel Washington that has earned him his ninth Oscar nomination.
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Washington plays the conflicted Scottish Lord who is approached by three witches who inform him he's going to be the next King of Scotland. Macbeth is not comfortable with this mandate, but his ambitious wife is and convinces him to accept his destiny, even if he's not so sure it is his destiny.
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This is my first exposure to the Shakespeare classic and I'm not sure if that was to my advantage or to my detriment, because, if the truth be told, I found it extremely difficult to understand this story and exactly what was going on. It was clear that this Macbeth was initially very conflicted about taking this throne and probably would not have if it weren't for the manipulative Lady Macbeth, but beyond that following the story was difficult until the murder of Macduff's family. Cohen's adaptation of the play didn't seem concerned with making the language more accessible to the audience nor was he concerned with the fact that a lot of the dialogue wasn't spoken above a stage whisper, which also was a hindrance in following what was going on.
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Despite my difficulty understanding the plotline, I found myself absolutely riveted to the screen for two things. The first was Cohen's visualization of this story. The mounting of this story was gloriously theatrical, in the form of a photographed stage play. This is a term I have used in a negative context for other films I've reviewed, but it completely works here. Cohen's approach to the mounting of this story is completely theatrical. The entire film was shot on sound stages, not a single exterior shot, giving the film an arresting, gothic, nightmarish look that seemed to coincide with the conflicts going on in the mind of the central character. The film is gorgeous to look at, filled with camera shots that look like paintings and scenes that seemed to be brought to the screen as they were written...like scenes in a play. The end of scenes would just click off, like a light cue to black. Cohen goes for theater onscreen here and he nails it.
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The other thing that makes this film worth watching is, of course, the acting. Washington completely loses himself in this complex role, evoking every conflicted emotion of this monarch without every resorting to scenery-chewing. What he can't convey through language, he does convey through his eyes and his movement. I may not always have known what was going on, but I always knew what this guy was feeling. Three time Oscar winner and wife of the director, Frances McDormand, also commands the screen in one of her most bone-chilling performances as Lady Macbeth, a character to whom she tried to bring a semblance of humanity. Alex Hassell and Corey Hawkins offer solid support as Ross and MacDuff, respectively and I also loved that Kathryn Hunter played all three witches. More than anything, this film is a master class in direction by Joel Cohen who shows exactly what a film should look like. 4

Gideon58

03-02-22, 02:52 PM

A Hole in the Head (1959)
Under the watchful eye of director Frank Capra, in his second to last feature length film, Frank Sinatra gave one of his most charismatic performances in a warm and engaging comedy-drama called A Hole in Head that provides consistent entertainment, including an emotionally charged finale, featuring a terrific cast in offbeat roles.
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Sinatra plays Tony Manetta, the owner of a rundown motel in Miami called The Garden of Eden. The hotel is swimming in debt and Tony and his 12 year old son Ally (Eddie Hodges) are about to be evicted unless Tony can come up with $5300. Tony calls his older brother, Mario (Edward G Robinson), who lives in New York, to loan him the money. Mario and his wife, Sophia (Thelma Ritter) fly down to Miami where Mario offers to bail his brother out if he will give up his wild bachelor lifestyle and marry a lonely widow that Sophia knows named Eloise Rogers (Eleanor Parker). If Tony doesn't do it, Maria and Sophia threaten to take Ally back to New York. And with all this going on, Tony also has to deal with Shirl (Carolyn), his free-spirited part-time girlfriend.
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The screenplay by Arnold Schulman (Love with the Proper Stranger, Goodbye Columbus) is a little overly detailed, making the film a little longer than it really needs to be. The opening scenes of introducing Tony and his two childhood BFF's go on a little longer than they need to be because they don't become as relevant to the story at hand as intended. The relationship between Tony and Ally is beautifully established reminding me of Jason Robards and Barry Gordon in A Thousand Clowns, where the kid is the sensible one and the dad has his head in the clouds.
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The story did make a couple of lovely turns that I didn't see coming. The ambiguity of the relationship between Tony and Shirl totally rang true...both are commitment phobes but Shirl hits the roof when she sees Tony with Mrs. Rogers. I also loved Tony's first date with Mrs. Rogers where he is completely truthful about why he has agreed to this blind date, did not see that coming. The Tony character is vividly human and doesn't deliberately hurt anyone and wants what's best for Ally. He doesn't deserve the lambasting he gets in the final act, but it made for a very emotional conclusion.
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Capra's direction is very character oriented, as it should be, making the viewer forgive the slight overlength. Sinatra has rarely been so likable onscreen and Robinson and Ritter are both brilliant in roles slightly against type. Parker also plays against type, offering one of her most vulnerable performances as Mrs. Rogers. Jones steals every scene she's in and young Eddie Hodges, whose career began playing Winthrop Paroo in the original Broadway musical The Music Man, is adorable as Ally. "High Hopes", the song that Sinatra and Hodges duet on about halfway through the film, won the Oscar for Best Original Song of 1959. Capra, Sinatra, and company make this a very smooth cinematic ride. 3.5

MovieMeditation

03-03-22, 01:46 AM

Just read your review of the new Scream movie. Very much enjoyed it. Well written and it goes over the movie nicely. :up:

Gideon58

03-05-22, 06:29 PM

Flee
Multiple movie genres and storytelling techniques are blended to extraordinary effect in a Danish import called Flee, a 2021 documentary blending animation and live action where technical artistry and moving story meld into a film experience that has earned three Oscar nominations.
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The story is presented in animated flashback as a young man named Amin is beginning to recall the story of his life to documentarian. The story then flashes back to late 1960's Kabol, Afghanistan where we meet a pre-teen Amin living with his mother, sisters, and brothers after their father had disappeared mysteriously after joining the Afghanistan military.
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Young Amin is not only struggling with what happened to his father, but his own sexual identity. Amin confesses to having what he feels are unnatural feelings about Jean Claude Van Damme.
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The story flashes forward to his adulthood where he meets a young man named Kasper who he plans to marry, but their happiness becomes dependent on his revealing parts of his past he has tried to keep hidden. The story again flashes back and reveals how Amin and his family escaped from human traffickers by escape on foot and eventual freedom from Afghanistan via the bottom level of a ship.
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Director and co-screenwriter Jonas Poher Rasmussen has accomplished something extraordinary here. He has produced a documentary in the form of an animated feature length film featuring live action archival footage. Not sure what Rasmussen's conceptual process was here, but it produced, utilizing a another phrase that I have been misusing for ever, a singularly unique film experience. This is the first documentary told primarily in animated form and I'm pretty sure it's the first animated feature film with a gay central character. We even get the first animated kiss between two men. But it's the mixture of filmmaking techniques that makes this film so special. Our introduction to Amin is animated but as he narrates about the state of the state in Afghanistan, we get a live action look at the war torn country and the effects on the people...I loved the shots of the supermarkets with miles of empty freezer space because there is no food.
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The scene where Amin and his family are being forced into the bough of the ship reminded me of the Frank family in the attic in The Diary of Anne Frank and as one of the family members begins getting sick in the crowded space, the scene becomes almost unwatchable. On the other side of the entertainment spectrum, I loved the scene where young Amin and his family are watching TV and Amin gets his first exposure to Jean Claude Van Damme.
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The film has been nominated for Best International Film, Best Feature Documentary, and Best Animated Feature Length and I'm pretty sure it will win at least one of these. One technical award it should have been nominated for was sound...listen to the background when Amin and his family are escaping to the border...perfect wind and storm sounds that add so much intensity to the escape. Not for all tastes, but a monumental achievement in the art of cinematic storytelling. One of the producers of this film was Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed. 4.5

Gideon58

03-07-22, 05:24 PM

Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)
Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni take over the roles originated by George Segal and Jane Fonda in Fun with Dick and Jane, the 2005 remake of the 1977 comedy that suffers from overly complex plotting and genuine comedy being replaced by ridiculous slapstick.
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Carrey plays Dick Harper, a Vice President for a large media corporation called Globadyne that collapses in Enron fashion, literally throwing Dick under the bus. Dick's wife, Jane (Leoni) also looses her job and things become so desperate that they have to send their son, Billy to live with their former housekeeper. Just a hair's breath from losing their house, the Harpers decide they have no other option for survival except armed robbery.
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Judd Apatow and Nicholas Stoller are actually two of the screenwriters for this mess of a remake that starts off as almost a scene for scene remake of the '77 film as Dick loses his job while wife Jane is busily supervising the delivery of new sod for the front lawn, but after that the film starts to fall apart as Dick's denial about finding new employment gets these Harpers in much deeper than the '77. About ten minutes of screentime is wasted on a race between Dick and a former co-worker (Carlo Jacott) trying to get to a job interview first, which includes Dick battling with a bunch of empty water jugs to get up the stairs and finding hundreds of people in line already for the job. Upon arrival, the guy doing the interview (Jeff Garlin) just wants to make fun of Dick and pose for selfies with him, since Dick's Globadyne downfall happened on national television.
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In this film as well as the original, Dick and Jane mess up their first attempt at armed robbery, but there are three more mess ups here before Dick and Jane actually grab actual booty but just as they're getting into the swing of armed robbery, they shift gears and go after the nasty Globadyne CEO (Alec Baldwin) and his toadie (Richard Jenkins). This seemed to be an attempt to stay in tune with this story's focus on corporate greed as opposed to the original film's focus on the high cost of living.
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Director Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) offers very undisciplined direction to the story, rife with a lot of ridiculous slapstick that might have looked good on paper but just didn't work on the screen. He really seemed to have difficulty reining in Carrey, who turns in one of his silliest performances that offered precious few laughs...there is a scene in a restaurant where a drunken Dick is on top of a table that is particularly embarrassing. I really liked the 1977 film and I really wanted to like this one too, but getting through this one was work. 2

Gideon58

03-08-22, 04:45 PM

The Mitchells VS the Machines
Netflix, Columbia Pictures, and Sony Animation provide pretty solid entertainment with The Mitchells VS The Machines, a manic and eye-popping animated adventure from 2021 whose simple story of the power of family vs technology gets a little too complex, but the technical artistry of what ends up on the screen cannot be ignored.
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Katie (voiced by Abbi Jacobson) is a techno-geek and amateur filmmaker who is excitedly preparing to board a plane tomorrow to attend a California film school. Katie's dad, Rick (voiced by Danny McBride) is going to miss his little girl more than he thought and impulsively cancels Katie's flight and decides they are going to make taking Katie to college a cross country road with trip with her mom, Linda (voiced by Maya Rudolph), her little brother Aaron, and their dog Monchi.
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Meanwhile, an international media company called PAL is introducing a new line of robots designed to make life easier for humans. Unfortunately, the robots malfunction and ignore Mark (voiced by Eric Andre), the influencer introducing the robots to the world and only answer to the queen of Pal, a smart phone (voiced by Oscar winner Olivia Colman), who makes it the mission of the robots to capture and destroy all humans, but things fall to Katie and her dad to stop PAL and her robot minions.
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Director and co-screenwriter Michael Rianda has constructed a really lovely story at the heart of this film that almost gets buried under so much padded story and technical wizardry that the story gets away from him a bit, making the movie about 25 minutes longer than it needs to be. The simple story of how humans and technology are dependent on each other almost gets strangled among the cinematic wizardry utilized to bring the story to the screen.
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What I loved about this film is the artistry and authenticity that went into a lot of the animated set pieces in the story. I'm always fascinated seeing things in animated form that I have never seen in animated form before. Look at the detail that went into the billboards, an ice machine, the Wizard of Globe mall, Katie's notebook with her plans in it, and the Dino Pit Stop. The detail is so remarkable that it's easy to overlook. Also loved the fact that the heart of this movie is the relationship between Katie and her dad.
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In addition to the voice cast already referenced, mention should also be made of John Legend and his wife Chrissy Tiegen as the family's neighbors and the fact that the dog Monchi is actually voiced by a dog. It's longer than it needs to be, but there's solid entertainment and artistry here. 4

Gideon58

03-09-22, 04:44 PM

She's All That
She's All That is a by-the-numbers, teen romantic comedy that was one of 1999's biggest box office smashes, but for the life of me, I'm not sure why. Maybe it played better in 1999 than it does in 2022.
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Zach Siler, the big stud on a California high school campus, has just been dumped by the bitchy queen bee Taylor Vaughn, who has fallen for a self-absorbed reality TV star named Brock Hudson. Zach's frenemy, Dean Sampson, makes a bet with Zach, giving him six weeks to turn the social inept Laney Boggs into the prom queen.
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R Lee Fleming Jr, who used to be a staff writer on the NBC sitcom Friends has crafted a simplistic story that is made a little more palatable due to an attractive cast and glamorous settings. The story attempts to make a few detours in an attempt to give the piece a semblance of originality, but said detours just slow down the proceedings, making it really hard for this reviewer to keep his eyes open.
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As mentioned, this film was a smash upon its original release. It was made on a $10,000.000 budget and grossed over $103,000,000 world wide. I guess its appeal was its on target marketing to the all important 18-34 demographic that ate it up like catnip, not to mention a lot of very pretty people populating the cast. The film became such a gold standard for teen rom-coms, that, two years later, its story was the basis for 2001's Not Another Teen Movie , an on target spoof of the genre, which was also filmed at the same school where this movie was filmed.
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The one-note performances of Freddie Prinze Jr and Rachael Leigh Cook as Zach and Laney did nothing for me. The late Paul Walker was fun as the greasy Dean and Kevin Pollak made the most of his thankless role as Laney's father. The only real laughs in this film came from Matthew Lilliard as the arrogant Brock Hudson. According to the IMDB, Prinze's future wife, Sarah Michelle Gellar, makes a cameo but I couldn't spot her. I don't know what it was, but this movie just came off as dated and "been there done that." 2.5

Rockatansky

03-09-22, 05:06 PM

Lillard kinda owns in this.

Gideon58

03-09-22, 05:32 PM

Lillard kinda owns in this.

I've always LOVED Matthew Lilliard and he was definitely the best thing about this movie.

Rockatansky

03-09-22, 05:40 PM

This, Scooby Doo and a rewatch of Scream late last year turned me into a fan.

Gideon58

03-09-22, 05:51 PM

He was fantastic in the original Scream

Gideon58

03-12-22, 08:16 PM

Halloween Kills
After my recent viewing of the new Scream movie, thought I would go ahead and check out the newest addition to another movie franchise that refuses to die. Unfortunately, 2021's Halloween Kills is a confusing, convoluted, and often silly look at another round of grisly slashings where by the time the credits roll, the characters seem to finally get it, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's over.
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This film begins where the 2018 film takes off where survivors of Michael Meyers like Laurie Strode, her daughter, Karen, her granddaughter Allyson, Officer Hawkins, and an adult Tommy discover than Michael Meyers is still alive and go after the killer vigilante style.
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And here is where the whole problem with this franchise lies for me. Remember at the end of the 1978 film where Michael goes out the window, we see him on the ground, Laurie looks out the window a few seconds later and the body is gone? This is where it is made clear for this reviewer that, yes, it might have something to do with the fact that the events of the film took place, but a transformation took place with Michael Myers at that moment that was not of this world and that Michael was no longer human. therefore, incapable of destroying, but it took three more movies for the citizens of Haddonfield to figure this out.
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Haddonfield's panic at the return of Michael Myers was justified, but their handling of it became downright silly. These people were aware of Michael's legacy and the destruction he was capable of and yet these people had the audacity to think they were prepared for the guy and could take him out. We've seem bullets bounce off Michael during three other movies and yet these people still think they can shoot him. Even sillier where the legacy characters kept sitting around and arguing about whose fault this was and who Michael was really after. I also found it hard to believe that a gay couple, named Big John and Little John, would actually move into the house where Michael killed his sister way back in 1963? Seriously?
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The final third of the film takes an even more ridiculous turn when an anonymous mental patient gets mistaken for Michael and the torch-wielding villagers come after him. This guy looked nothing liked Michael or his mask but no one seemed to care. As fed up I was at this point, I knew when Karen took off Michael's mask before his middle of the street beatdown and got the mask back on before we saw what he looked like, I knew he wasn't done, and I'm almost sure there's another movie coming (groan). Not thrilled that the Laurie Strode character is reduced to a glorified cameo here and the scene where she gave herself a shot in the ass so she could leave the hospital so she could stop Michael. For some reason, all the legacy characters thought they were the ONLY ones capable of stopping Michael, but the final narration by Laurie revealed that they may have finally figured it out.
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Couldn't help think what John Carpenter thought about this film and if he's planning any lawsuits. I guess if he was, he would have had his name removed from the credits as "Based on characters by". Most of the performances were overripe, though I really liked Anthony Michael Hall as Tommy. Hopefully, this film will be the death of this franchise, but I have a feeling I'm wrong about that. 2

Gideon58

03-14-22, 09:18 PM

Kiss of the Spider Woman
The passing of William Hurt motivated experiencing 1985's Kiss of the Spider Woman, an intense and bittersweet tale of friendship, respect, betrayal, affection, and sexual tension between two people never meant to carve out any kind of friendship that won Hurt the 1985 Oscar for Outstanding Lead Actor.
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This haunting and lyrical story takes place in a South American prison at the height of the AIDS epidemic. As the film opens, we meet two men who have nothing in common sharing a prison cell. Hurt plays Luis, a gay man who is serving time for carnal knowledge of a minor; Raul Julia (who passed away nine years after this film was released) plays Valentin, an angry political prisoner who is holding a lot of important information that he refuses to disclose, who is trying to keep an eye on another prisoner who might hold the key to his freedom, if he could get anywhere near him.
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It comes to light that Luis and Valentin have been locked up for months because as we meet them, Luis is acting out what appears to be his favorite movie ( or it might be a movie that he's making up) in order to help their time in prison pass. As Luis talks about the movie, it is presented to us like a movie within a movie, and we're never really sure if it's a real movie or if Luis is making it up. Valentin listens half-heartedly, feigning interest without letting Luis get the wrong idea about him. Eventually, as attempts at Valentin's life make him more dependent on Luis, a relationship between these two men develops that we never see coming.
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Manuel Puig's novel has been carefully crafted into an intelligent and layered screenplay by Leonard Schraeder where the story is allowed to unfold slowly because it starts in the middle. Once the current state of their relationship is established, we are given backstory on both characters, a lot more on Valentin, particularly the events of his arrest, but a lot of Luis' story is left to viewer imagination. The story makes no qualms about Luis' sexual preferences so we initially assume that we're going to watch Luis chasing Valentin around a jail cell for two hours but we don't get that at all. Luis makes no secret of who he is, but never forces himself on Valentin. As a matter of fact, the first time Valentine touches Luis, Luis immediately tells Valentin not to.
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Don't get me wrong...with the aid of director Hector Babenco (Ironweed), a sexual tension unlike anything I have ever seen is established very early on in this movie. This tension is cast so powerfully over the story that by the halfway point, we're dying for it to happen. Unfortunately, around the same point in the film, a hidden agenda for Luis is revealed that casts doubt and suspicion on everything we've seen up to that point and everything that happens after that. So much of this story is left to viewer interpretation and nothing is as it seems. For this reviewer, the most homoerotic moment in the film occurs when Valentin has been poisoned and has lost control of his bodily functions, motivating Luis to clean him up. This scene spoke volumes and was the turning point of a new relationship for Luis and Valentin. We think the story is wrapping up as one of the men is released, but this leads to what appears to initially be an extra ending, but the ending is shattering and bittersweet conclusion to this unlikely love story.
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This film earned Hurt the first of three consecutive Oscar nominations and his win was richly deserved. Hurt seems to be base the character in the physical and once he inhabits the physical aspect of the character, he loses himself inside Luis. Though Hurt won the Oscar, Julia is no less effective in his role, bringing a smoldering and dangerous sexual heat to the character of Valentin. Sonia Braga also lights up the screen as Leni, the heroine in Luis' movie. It's a one of a kind motion picture experience that requires a little patience, but it more than pays off. Incredibly, this story came to the Broadway stage as a musical in 1993 and ran for almost two years, starring Chita Rivera as Leni, a role that would win her a 2nd Tony Award after 10 nominations. 4

Gideon58

03-15-22, 01:25 PM

Lucy and Desi
For those, like myself, who found Aaron Sorkin's Being the Ricardos, a disappointment, maybe what you're looking for can be found in the 2022 documentary Lucy and Desi, a richly entertaining, informative, and detailed valentine to Hollywood's first true power couple.
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Amy Poehler knocks it out of the park as director of this loving look at the first royal couple of television that doesn't just string together the same clips of I Love Lucy that we've seen a hundred times, but provides a lot of new information about Lucy and Desi through a collection of audio tapes that I never knew existed and fills in the rest with what had to be exhaustive research, home movies, archival film and television.
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The reveal of the tragedy surrounding Lucy's grandfather that almost destroyed her childhood was just as shocking as the life of privilege that a young Desi enjoyed in Cuba before giving it all up to come to America.
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Though there have been varied opinions on the subject, this documentary definitely errs on the side that where I Love Lucy was concerned, Lucy was the artist and Desi was the producer, which is confirmed as the Ricardos became history and we learn about the formation of Desilu Studios and all of the classic television that was created and overseen by Desi, not Lucy.
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Loved the footage of Lucy and Desi on tour trying to sell My Favorite Husband onstage, the look at both Lucy and Desi's unremarkable film careers, and the changes that came over them when they became parents. Was fascinated to learn two things I never knew before: The fact that Lucy never thought of herself as funny (words that come out of her mouth); and that Desi's name, which most people pronounced as "De-zi", Lucy pronounced as "De-si".
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Commentary was provided by Carol Burnett, Bette Midler, Charo, Madelyn Pugh, the sons of Jess Oppenheimer and Marc Daniels, Dick Cavett, and of course, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, who I would have liked to have heard a little more from, but a minor quibble for a joyous look at a superstar couple mounted with unerring care and respect. 4.5

Gideon58

03-16-22, 04:39 PM

The Jungle Book (1967)
Disney Studios, riding a serious crest of success in their work, had one of their biggest hits in a joyous and humorous look at the animal kingdom called The Jungle Book, which explored familiar territory for Disney, but provided original entertainment due to some really colorful animal characters whose traditional place in the animal kingdom is randomly re-arranged to serve this terrific story.
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Based on a series of stories written by Rudyard Kipling, this is the story of a black panther named Bagheera who discovers a human baby in the jungle. Concerned that the baby find sanctuary but not wanting to be wholly responsible, Bagheera anonymously leaves the baby at the doorstep of a cave of wolves, who anxiously welcome the young boy into their family. A few years later, we learn that the boy, now named Mowgli, has been threatened by an evil sabre-tooth tiger named Shere Khan, who hates all human beings. Bagheera decides to take Mowgli to the man village, the human compound where Mowgli will be safe. Enroute, Mowgli meets a lazy, carefree bear named, Baloo, who Mowgli worships and wants to stay with forever.
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This was my first re-visit to this film since its original theatrical release. I was nine years old at the time and obviously didn't see the varied layers this story has. First of all, like a lot of classic Disney features, this story features a lot of animal characters co-existing who, in reality are natural enemies. We also see the same animals varied reactions to this little boy Mowgli, some wanting to embrace and protect him and some wanting to destroy him. Most interesting of all though is the fact that Mowgli embraces his place in this animal kingdom and often seems to forget that he is a human being or has decided to reject it and live as an animal and doesn't really seem to care which one. And even though he is human, displays no fear of any of the animals he meets during the course of this story and there are a couple he really should.
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What I loved about this story is the instant and rich friendship that develops between Mowgli and Baloo and how believable it is. I also loved the fact that as much as he wanted to forget about him, Bagheera could never forsake Mowgli and was at his side whenever he felt Mowgli needed him.
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In addition to some solid writing and bold animation, the film features some cute songs by the Sherman Brothers, who wrote the songs for Mary Poppins. Ironically, the film's best song, "The Bare Necessities", which received an Oscar nomination for Best Song, was written by Terry Gilkyson. Research revealed that Louis Armstrong was originally considered as the voice of the Orangutan King Louis, but ultimately, Disney reconsidered thinking it might be considered racist. The quartet of singing vultures who appear in the final third of the film, were actually written with the Beatles in mind to voice them, but John Lennon said no.
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There is standout voice work by Sebastian Cabot as Bagheera, George Sanders as Shere Khan, Sterling Halloway as Kaa the Snake, Louis Prima as King Louis, and especially the fabulous Phil Harris as Baloo, a role that Harris would be associated with for the rest of his career, even though it's just his voice. A Disney classic that still holds up, providing sparkling entertainment. There was a direct to video sequel in 2003 and a live action version came to fruition in 2016. 4

Gideon58

03-17-22, 09:35 PM

Drive My Car
Nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture, the 2021 Japanese film Drive My Car features a really lovely film that runs about an hour and 45 minutes trapped inside a three hour movie struggling to break free of its constraints.
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This film is about an actor and director named Yûsuke Kafuku who is married to a screenwriter named Oto, whose marriage began to fall apart after the tragic death of their daughter. Oto's career begins an upswing when she finds an unconventional method of channeling her grief into her work and her marriage. Not long after Kafuku has concluded appearing in a production of Waiting For Godot, he simultaneously is offered a job directing a production of Uncle Vanya in neighboring Hiroshima and must deal with his wife's passing. Upon arrival in Hiroshima, Kafuku has auditions for the play and one of the actors he auditions, Takasha, he once caught having sex with his late wife, but he gives him the lead in the show anyway.
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There is actually a very emotionally-charged story in the middle of this Oscar-nominated screenplay, but it is hiding behind a lot of beautiful photography, unnecessary characters, and a lot of minor plot detours that bloat this very lovely story to the gargantuan length of close to three hours and, sadly, we feel all three of them starting with Oto telling Kafuku a story in the middle of sex, which initially has us wondering what story is important enough to accompany sex, but we have to wait an awful long time to find out exactly what's going on. Before long we learn that Kafuku has an accident that make it medically dangerous for the guy to drive then he arrives in Hiroshima and learn that he won't be able to drive to rehearsals and that a driver has been hired for him. And believe it or not, this all happens before the opening credits roll.
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We don't realize it until it's actually happening, but the opening credits don't begin to roll until almost 40 minutes into the running time, implying that most of what we have seen up to this point is probably backstory. The story that eventually comes to fruition at the center of this film is quite beautiful, but the viewer has to wade through almost two hours of of gorgeous and pointless photography, endless shots of the lead character and his driver driving through tunnels and mountain sides, and scenes of brainless Asian actors trying to figure out what Kafuku is trying to do to Uncle Vanya to get to the real story here.
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The direction is sensitive, but overly detailed and there are a pair of solid performances from Hidetoshi Nishijima as Kafuku and Toshiaki Inomata as Takahasi, but eventually a terrific story drowns in its own pretension, or the storytellers. 3.5

Gideon58

03-19-22, 05:49 PM

Point Break (1991)
Despite some minor holes in the screenplay, 1991's Point Break is a high-octane, testosterone-charged action thriller that rivets the viewer from opening to closing credits thanks to spectacular direction and charismatic performances from the stars.
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Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) is a special agent for the FBI who has been sent to Los Angeles to aid veteran agent Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) in taking down a group of bank robbers known as the ex-presidents, because they wear masks of Reagan, Nixon, Carter, ad Johnson as they enter the banks. Pappas has gathered evidence that points toward a group of local surfers, led by the enigmatic Bodhi (the late Patrick Swayze). Realizing he cannot infiltrate without learning to surf, Utah manages to persuade Tyler (Lori Petty) to give him lessons, but it's not long before Utah's cover is blown allowing Bodhi to lure him into a vvery elaborate set-up.
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What can I say, I LOVED this freaking movie. Every time I thought W Peter Iliff's screenplay was leading me in a particular direction, it did a 180 taking the story in an entirely different direction. Initially, I thought it was going to be primarily about the bonding process between Utah and Pappas, but the story eventually turns out to be a cat and mouse between Utah and Bodhi where the mouse gets the upper hand. The Bodhi character had a couple of things going on...this guy not only was a criminal mastermind, but he was also just the slightest bit insane, Hans Gruber on a surfboard if you will. He's such an enigma it's even impossible to tell when he actually catches onto Utah and that's no accident. I did love the scene when his crew catches on and challenges Bodhi about what their next move should be...Bodhi's vague replay to their worries, which seemed to cast a spell over them, sent a chill down my back.
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The real star of this film is actually director Kathryn Bigelow, who 17 years later would win twin Oscars for producing and directing The Hurt Locker. Bigelow really cut her teeth here, creating an action drama that moves smoothly on land, sea, and air. Loved the opening shots on the beach with Bodhi surfing, that set up a metaphoric love affair between
Bodhi and the surf. Watch the spectacular camerawork as Utah chases Bodhi through those narrow alleys and through people's houses. And the skill displayed as Bigelow puts us in the air as the criminals jump out of a plane, prefaced by a tension-filled encounter as a question is raised inside the plane as to whether or not Utah's parachute has been tampered with...absolutely spectacular.
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Keanu Reeves proves, long before Speed, that he had what it took to be a viable action hero and Swayze proved that he was more than the swiveling hips of Johnny Castle. Petty made a refreshing leading lady and Busey stole every scene he was in. James LeGros, John McGinley, Lee Tergeson, Chris Pederson, and Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers also make the most of their screentime, This film provides solid entertainment for action fans and documented Kathryn Bigelow as a director to watch. Remade in 2015. 4

Gideon58

03-19-22, 09:43 PM

A Thursday
A powerhouse piece of filmmaking, 2022's A Thursday is a spine-tingling and stomach churning drama of an unspeakable crime whose puzzle pieces come together so slowly that by the time they finally do, we think we know exactly what's going on, but we're not even in the ball park.
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The setting is contemporary Mumbai where we meet a young woman named Naina, who has returned to her job running a daycare center after being away for three weeks. She wants to have a birthday party for one of the kids who shares her birthday. She arranges for a cake and sandwiches to be delivered, sends the other parents away, and convinces her lawyer/fiancee to delay their own celebration for 24 hours. She then calls the police and tells them that she is holding 16 children hostage and will get back to them with her demands.
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The driver returns with the cake and sandwiches, but when he accidentally notices Naina's gun, she is forced to hold him as a hostage. One of the mothers returns because she left her phone there, which forces Naina to hold her hostage as well. It is then revealed that Naina wants $50,000,000 and a face to face meeting with the Prime Minister of India.
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The viewer is immediately intrigued when we are warned, in bold lettering, before the film begins that this is absolutely a work of fiction, which just me feel like I was seeing a true story where the names were changed to protect the innocent because, if the truth be told, this story is just too incredible not be based in some truth.
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Direction and screenplay begin setting up the story from the beginning by not playing their cards too quickly. Watching the opening scene closely, it is clearly established that Naina wasn't planning on this big welcome back and begins working efficiently to get everyone out of the school but the children. It's initially brilliant the way Naina shields the children from knowing exactly what's going on and that they don't question her about it. There's some really terrific camera work there...love that moment right after the driver delivers the food, he looks at Naina and the camera travels over the left side of her body, over her shoulder, and reveals the gun in her back pocket. Don't know if I want to say anything else because I don't want to spoil, but I will say there were three big reveals within the last ten minutes that blew me away.
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Behzad Khambata's first work as director and co-screenwriter is impressive and his story is served by a solid cast, especially Yami Gataum's bone-chilling Naina, Neha Dhupia as the very pregnant police chief and Dimple Kapadia as the Prime Minister. A first rate crime thriller that keeps the viewer guessing right until fade-out. 4.5

Gideon58

03-21-22, 04:33 PM

Star! (1968)
On paper, the 1968 musical biopic Star! is supposed to be a musical overview of the life and career of stage and screen legend Gertrude Lawrence, probably best known for creating the role of Anna Leonowens in Rodger and Hammerstein's Broadway musical The King and I. Unfortunately, the screenplay offers little insight into Lawrence's life and the film bears too much resemblance to another musical released the same year that was vastly superior as entertainment, though the attention to facts was pretty much the same.
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Mounted on the hook of a film being made about Lawrence being previewed for her, the film covers Lawrence's humble beginnings with her parents' vaudeville act, her friendship with playwright Noel Coward which apparently started when they were teenagers, her first professional job in a musical revue produced by a French theater producer, and her love life with multiple men that she supposedly chewed up and spit out.
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William Fairchild's overly complex screenplay bears more than a passing resemblance to a 1968 Best Picture nominee called Funny Girl. The similarities between Fanny Brice's story in that movie and Gertrude Lawrence in this movie cannot be overlooked. Both ladies are portrayed as completely focused on being stars, even if it means starting out in the chorus. There's a number called "Oh What a Lovely War!" that bears more than a passing resemblance to "Roller Skate Rag" in Funny Girl. Lawrence's relationship with French producer Andre Charlot is identical to Fanny's relationship with Florenz Ziegfeld. The first time Gertrude meets a military officer backstage is identical to Fanny's first backstage meeting with Nicky Arnstein.
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Under the direction of Robert Wise, who won a second Oscar for directing The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews is provided a role of sophistication that is absent from her six previous film appearances. Andrews really attempts to sink her teeth into this role, but never quite convinces as this theatrical firestorm who refused to follow anyone else's rules about stardom.
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Needless to say, the musical numbers work for the most part because Andrews is such an accomplished musician (though Lawrence wasn't). Noel Coward, Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Husen, George and Ira Gershwin, and Cole Porter were among the contributors to the score. Loved the "Limehouse Blues" ballet (which featured Gower Champion as her dance partner), Andrews' take on "Someone to Watch Over Me", "Berlington Bertie from Bow", "The Physician" and the spectacular finale "The Saga of Jenny". The musical numbers are brilliantly staged by dance legend Michael Kidd.
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Andrews has rarely worked harder onscreen and Daniel Massey's Noel Coward earned him an Oscar nomination. The film earned six other nominations for its production values. Richard Crenna's role is thankless, but I loved Charles Frazier, the flamboyant actor played by the future Mike Brady, Robert Reed. A cinematic curio that's a must for Andrews fans, even if it's way too long. 3

Gideon58

03-22-22, 05:54 PM

The Adam Project
Mix Star Wars with the 1978 Superman, The Terminator, and add just a dash of Back to the Future and you have a deft and ambitious sci-fi adventure from Netflix called The Adam Project, that, despite all the cinematic pyrotechnics, finds a heart through some flawed and vividly human characters.
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The 2022 film stars Hollywood's busiest actor right now, Ryan Reynolds, as Adam Reed, a fighter pilot from the year 2050, who has stolen a spaceship to embark on a mission, taking him back to the year 2018, in order to save his late wife and all of civilization by stopping the invention of time travel. Adam is shot during his escape, throwing his ship off course, landing him in the year 2022 near the home of himself when he was 12 years old. Adam is disturbed at having to look at his 12 year old nerd life and 12 year old Adam is fascinated by the chiseled futuristic hero he has become, but adult Adam must trust 12 year old Adam because it is going to take them working together to complete the mission, which boils down to the Adams finding their father (Mark Ruffalo), who died a year and a half before we meet young Adam and apparently was behind the invention of time travel.
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The idea at the heart of this film is so fascinating...the idea of an adult revisiting his childhood or a child getting a glimpse at his adult life. Remember in the 1978 film Superman when Superman saved Lois Lane's life by turning back time? That concept is revisited here as it becomes clear that adult Adam cannot change his childhood, beautifully evidenced in a scene where young Adam gets bullied in adult Adam's presence but adult Adam forces him to fight for himself, as much as it hurts. He knows that everything he is now is because of everything he experienced as a child. Also loved the scene where adult Adam encounters his mother (Jennifer Garner) in a bar.
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The story gets another interesting layer when the Adams find their father, who immediately figures out what is going on and is wracked with guilt about it. As the father and sons begin to battle the 2050 villains, where another familial is revealed, the film's straight shift to pure sci-fi battle, they almost lose us, but the smoothly detailed denoument leads to a lovely and believable conclusion.
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Director Shawn Levy (Arrival) puts equal detail into first rate production values and crafting likable heroes and hissable villains. Reynolds; adult Adam is a perfect melding of Hans Solo and John McClain and Walker Scobell is totally winning as young Adam. The film provides solid action sequences and vividly human characters, but I wish a little more focus had been on these terrific characters, especially the two Adams. 3.5

Gideon58

03-23-22, 09:41 PM

It Should Happen to You
Director George Cukor and screenwriter Garson Kanin assisted the legendary Judy Holliday in winning the 1950 Best Actress Oscar for Born Yesterday. Cukor, Kanin, and Holliday would reunite four years later for It Should Happen to You, a slick romantic comedy that is nearly forgotten today, but is probably better than Born Yesterday because it provides Holliday with a much richer character to play than Billie Dawn.
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This severely underrated 1954 comedy stars Holliday as Gladys Glover, a scatterbrained blonde who has come to New York City to become famous though she hasn't a clue how to go about it. One day in Central Park, she meets an amateur filmmaker named Pete Sheppard (Jack Lemmon), who falls in love with her on sight but his affection is lost on her. Something Pete says to Gladys does inspire her to take the last of her savings and rent a billboard on Columbus Circle and have her name painted on it.
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What she does is barely noticed until a wealthy advertising executive named Evan Adams III (Peter Lawford) wants the billboard for his company and offers to put Gladys' image on six much smaller billboards and before you can say "overnight success", Gladys becomes a media darling courtesy of Adams, even though Pete sees what the guy is doing and doesn't like it. It's not long before Gladys learns to be careful what she wishes for.
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Kanin has given us a witty and warm screenplay that takes an insightful look at the glamour and greed of Madison Avenue and melding it with a believable love triangle with a completely lovable character at its apex. We also get to see this Gladys character go through a believable transition where she is not the same person she was in Central Park, which you couldn't really say about Billie Dawn.
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With the aid of Kanin and director George Cukor, Judy Holliday completely commands the screen with this polished performance as Gladys Glover. A performance rich with uncanny comic timing and actor studio technique. Not to mention a skill for physical comedy that challenges Lucille Ball and Jerry Lewis. Holliday only made 13 films in her too short career, but this is the actress whose work, if you really look at it, influenced actresses like Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, Betty Grable, among others. These actresses owe a lot of what they did to Judy Holliday, who did it all first.
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Jack Lemmon's performance is a perfect blend of romantic leading man and comic foil. Watch that scene where Lemmon confronts Lawford outside of Gladys' brownstone...some real acting going on there. And I have never enjoyed Peter Lawford onscreen more, offering a smoldering sex-on-legs performance that burns a hole in the screen. This sparkling romantic comedy is a must for classic film lovers, mainly because of the cinematic artistry of the one and only Judy Holliday. 4

gbgoodies

03-24-22, 02:16 AM

Gideon58

03-24-22, 02:14 PM

Yeah, I've already added three other Judy Holliday movies to my watchlist...she was all kinds of amazing. It was heartbreaking when I saw on her IMDB page that she only made 13 feature length films before she died.

Gideon58

03-26-22, 05:28 PM

Luca
Disney Pixar once again pulls into the winner's circle with 2021's Luca, a dazzling yet sweet-natured animated fantasy rich with the universal themes we're accustomed to from Disney, all employed with a very thick Italian accent.
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The story is set in a small village outside the Italian Riviera where we meet Luca Paguro (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), a socially awkward young sea monster who is just learning to spread his gills, despite being severely overprotected by his parents, who have warned him to never go anywhere near the surface of the water, like Ariel in The Little Mermaid. Of course, curiosity gets the best of him and he does venture to the surface where he meets Alberto Scorfano (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer), a slightly older sea monster who has been secretly living on the surface as a human being. Alberto works hard at persuading Luca to desert his underwater home in order to live a much fuller life as a human being. Though they are disguised as humans, Luca and Alberto both revert to sea monster form whenever they get wet.
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Luca and Alberto travel to a small Italian village to enter an annual race where they can win a Vespa, a small motorcycle that Alberto believes can transport them anywhere on earth. They get assistance with entering the race from a tomboy-ish girl named Gulia and her father, a one-armed fisherman, who along with several other villagers, are obsessed with destroying all sea monsters. Then Luca's parents discover he's missing and venture to the surface, where they become human and start searching for their son.
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In this era of political correctness that we're living in today, it seems a bold move of Disney to center a story completely focused on a particular ethnic culture. Disney has made a lot of movies set in foreign countries but I don't recall one where the setting was in one location and all the characters were of that ethnic persuasion. Not only that, we have a story layered on top of that where the characters wo face off against each other are supposed to be enemies in nature and a clear message about tolerance bubbles to the surface (so to speak) regarding same.
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I loved the way the story opened with Luca stealing items off a small boat at night, inhabited by two old fisherman. Then we see Luca's workaday position as a sort of sheepherder to a school of small fish, where he thinks he's contented. I love the way once Luca meets Alberto, he's opened up to a whole world of possibilities that had never occurred to him. I was also intrigued by the notion that once Luca arrived on the surface that he had to learn how to walk. We've seen films like Beach Blanket Bingo and Splash which featured mermaids as central characters who come to the shore but automatically know how to walk. The scenes of Alberto teaching Luca how to walk rung true and were a lot of fun. That scene where Luca's parents were dunking all the village kids in water to see if they would turn into Luca had me on the floor.
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Director Enrico Casarosa's dedication to making this story purely Italian is to be admired. The credits are in Italian and the film's score consists entirely of Italian songs. It should also be mentioned that the majority of the supporting characters are voiced by Italian actors. I also loved the look of this film...all of the scenery for this movie is bathed in gorgeous pastels that are very pleasing to the eye.
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Tremblay and Grazer do outstanding voice work as Luca and Alberto, and I also loved Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan as Luca's parents. A winning animated fantasy with a surprising ethnic flavor that always walks the line of good taste with perfection. 4

Gideon58

03-28-22, 09:23 PM

A Man Called Adam
Though it suffers from a cliched screenplay and melodramatic direction, the 1966 film A Man Called Adam is still worth a look because of a spectacular performance by the late great Sammy Davis Jr in the title role.
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The film is centered around a jazz trumpeter named Adam Johnson, whose career has been in a steady decline since the death of his wife and child in an accident. The film begins about a decade after the tragedy where we find Adam alienating his band and intimidating his manager, who wants to send him on a tour of the south. Hope springs eternal when Adam meets a virginal young beauty named Gloria who thinks she can change Adam, despite the fact that, no matter how hard he tries, he can't escape his past.
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Even though his name is nowhere in the credits. I suspect Frank Sinatra had something to do with bringing this story to the screen since not only is fellow Rat Packer Davis is in the title role, but Peter Lawford and Frank Sinatra Jr also have roles in the film and, sadly, we can see why Jr's movie career never went anywhere. Louis Armstrong, who co-starred with Frank Sr in High Society, also has a significant role here where he actually plays a character. Armstrong usually appeared as himself in films, but he played Gloria's father in this film does a decent job.
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This film plays like the typical musical biopic, even though Adam is a fictional character, though nothing happens here that implies Adam is based on a real musician. Davis works very hard at being convincing in this role. His trumpet solos are actually dubbed by Nat Adderly, though, for some reason, the filmmakers don't want us to notice that Davis is playing a cornet throughout the film, not a trumpet, I don't know why. Davis' fingering and lip work is convincing though.
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Lester and Tina Pine's screenplay doesn't offer a lot of originality and Leo Penn's lethargic direction doesn't help. The movie does manage to garner sympathy for the Adam character even though the movie moves at a snail's pace and just when we think redemption might be in sight for the character, Adam is stripped of all his dignity during the final third of the film, leading to an ending that doesn't really ring true, but is a total bummer.
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Davis is fantastic though, offering the strongest performance of his career , getting solid support from a young Cicely Tyson as Gloria, giving an effervescent performance that hints at the powerhouse actress she would becomes. Young Ossie Davis is terrific as Adam's BFF, though Lawford fails to convince as Adam's evil agent. Two future cast members of the Norman Lear sitcom Good Times also shine in supporting roles: Ja'Net DuBois (Willona) and especially Johnny Brown (Bookman) who is superb as a blind piano player. Mention should also be made of the Velvet Fog, Mel Torme, who cameos with a terrific solo at a cocktail party.
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The B&W photography is quite effective (though I'm sure a major studio wasn't springing for color photography for a film with a mostly black cast in the 60's) but the performance by Sammy Davis Jr definitely makes this one worth checking out. 3.5

Gideon58

03-29-22, 04:42 PM

Dog
The legendary screen comedian W C Fields declared that actors should never work with small children or animals and this film is one of the reasons why. The 2022 film Dog is a sweet-natured if manipulative road/buddy picture that seems a lot better than it is thanks to the amazing animal in the title role.
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Jackson Briggs, Riley Rodriguez, and Lulu all served in the Army Rangers together, but were separated when Riley was killed and Jackson suffered a severe head injury that got him discharged from the Rangers though he is trying to get back into combat. Lulu, a gorgeous Belgian Malingois, has been declared dangerous and unfit without Riley and doesn't remember Jackson at all. Despite that, Jackson has been assigned to take the dog cross country in order to attend Riley's funeral.
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The producer and star of the Magic Mike franchise are responsible for this often hard to swallow but incredible story about two soldiers, brought together because of the death of a third, but one of the two soldiers happens to be a dog. Lulu's training is beautifully documented during the opening credits and serves as perfect backstory for this episodic man and dog travelogue that envelops the viewer thanks to Jackson and Lulu fighting each other tooth and nail and pretending not to understand each other when they really do.
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They have me up to the glorious scene where Jackson pretends he is blind and Lulu is his seeing eye dog and they get a free hotel room because of the ruse, but this trick lands our heroes in jail, putting the film on an uncomfortable detour that took us further out of the story than we needed to go. It's almost worth it when we do get to the funeral and what Lulu does when she's released from the leash made me burst into tears.
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Reid Carolin, the producer of the Magi Mike franchise and his star, Channing Tatum co-directed this film, and their lack of experience shows behind the camera shows with leaden direction that makes the film seem a lot longer than it needs to be, but Lulu almost makes up for it. 3.5

Gideon58

03-30-22, 09:17 PM

The Gay Divorcee
After their surprising success in Flying Down to Rio, an unknown dance team named Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were reunited for their second feature, a musical romp from 1934 called The Gay Divorcee which features two musical numbers that, by themselves, make this minor classic worth watching.
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Guy Holden (Astaire), a professional hoofer is asked to assist his best friend, Egbert Fitzgerald, a lawyer who has been hired by a pretty married woman named Mimi Glossup (Rogers), who can only secure a divorce if she is caught spending the night with another man. Egbert hires a professional gigolo named Rudolfo Tonelli (Erik Rhodes) to play the other man but he can't remember the password that Egbert borrowed from Guy. Guy beats Tonelli to the punch and says the password to Mimi, so she thinks she's supposed to spend the night with him.
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This wispy plot is just a canvas upon which to place that very special chemistry between Astaire and Rogers and some spectacular dancing. What I have noticed in watching Astaire and Rogers' films is that their chemistry extends beyond the dance floor. The pair both possess solid comic timing and never blow each other off the screen. Director Marc Sandrich, who would continue to guide the pair in Shall We Dance, Follow the Fleet, and, of course Top Hat was keenly aware of the magic this pair had onscreen and knew exactly how to enhance it without getting in the way of it.
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The musical highlights include an Astaire solo called "A Needle in a Haystack" and a duet between Horton and a young dancer named Betty Grable called "Let's K-nock K-nees", but there are two numbers with the stars that by themselves are worth the price of admission. Cole Porter's "Night and Day", is a musical seduction of dance that finds Ginger trying to run away from Fred several times before they finally lock bodies and "The Continental", a 28- minute production number that recalled some of the best work of Busby Berkley, even though Dave Gould and Hermes Pan are billed as the film's dance directors. I love the way the plot is advanced by having Astaire do the vocals on "Night and Day" and Rogers do it on "The Continental", which received a Best Song Oscar nomination.
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Edward Everett Horton garners chuckles as Egbert, as do Rhodes as Tonelli, and Eric Blore as a waiter, who later both co-starred with Astaire and Rogers in Top Hat. The film features lavish settings and costumes, but it is the magic that was Astaire and Rogers that made this one sparkle. 4

Gideon58

03-31-22, 02:35 PM

The Unforgivable
The best performance of Sandra Bullock's career is at the heart of 2021's The Unforgivable, a harrowing and heartbreaking tale of rehabilitation and revenge that riveted this reviewer to the screen thanks to a richly crafted screenplay, brought to life with sensitive direction and a spectacular ensemble cast supporting Bullock.
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Bullock plays Ruth Slater, a woman who has just been released from prison after twenty years for murder, trying to start her life over and trying to reconnect with the baby sister she lost custody of when she went to prison. As Ruth attempts to rebuild her life and her family, she finds no one can forgive her past, not just the people who were part of that past, but the people who are now part of her present and can't accept it.
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This story initially starts off as a re-imagining of the Dustin Hoffman drama Straight Time, but this is a much richer story because of a superb screenplay that not only looks at Ruth's attempt to start over, it looks at what she did, and looks at the repercussions that are part of her present as she learns her sister doesn't remember what happened; the present owners of her former home where the murder took place knew nothing about it and still become involved, and the family of Ruth's victim, who are still grieving and still want their pound of flesh.
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The well-structured screenplay requires complete attention from the viewer because the backstory that reveals why Ruth was in jail is offered in spontaneous flashes that are wove into the story in a way that the viewer never knows when they are coming and sympathy for Ruth's situation develops, but the heartbreak occurs when no one in her present can find the same sympathy for her that we can, most notably the couple who adopted her baby sister and the sons of her victim. And just when we think it can't get any worse for Ruth, two huge reveals during the final act take Ruth's story to a level of tragedy that we couldn't possibly imagine, coasting to a beautifully bittersweet ending that offers some hope.
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Director Nora Fingscheidt crafts complete respect to the story with some richly inventive camerawork and performances that leap off the screen. Bullock completely loses herself in Ruth Slater, easily fleshing out the strongest performance of her career that completely belies her image during the early 2000's as a contemporary Doris Day. Rock solid support is provided by Vincent D'Onofrio as the current owner of Ruth's old house; Oscar winner Viola Davis as his wife; Jon Bernthal as a sympathetic co-worker; Richard Thomas and Linda Emond as the adoptive parents of young Katie; Rob Morgan as Ruth's insensitive parole officer, and especially Will Pullen and Tom Guiry as the unforgiving brothers out for revenge. This emotionally charged motion picture experience had me talking back to the screen. 4

Gideon58

03-31-22, 06:53 PM

The Last Five Years
The Last Five Years is the pretentious and dull film version of a Broadway musical that tries to be different and important, but like the recent film version of Dear Evan Hansen, should have stayed onstage where it belongs.
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I guess the story is supposed to be a musical recollection of the love affair between a struggling writer named Jamie and a struggling actress named Cathy. Things are OK until Jamie learns someone wants to publish his novel while Cathy returns to a summer stock company every year because she can't get a job anywhere else.
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Apparently, this two-person musical was inspired by composer Jason Robert Brown's real-life marriage to an actress named Theresa O'Neill, who after this musical made its premiere, sued her ex-husband. He then turned around and sued her. This should be a red flag as to what a mess this movie is.
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The movie opens with Cathy sitting alone in the Brownstone she and Jamie shared singing a song called "Still Hurting", lamenting about how Jamie singlehandedly destroyed their marriage. The story then flashes back five years to before they were married and Jamie was riding high on the publication of his book while Cathy is getting turned down all over Manhattan for roles but finds some solace with a summer stock company in Ohio. But Cathy's performance of "Still Hurting" makes it seem like Jamie was beating her on a daily basis. Then for the rest of the movie, Jamie is portrayed as a saint and Cathy as a jealous nutjob who can't stand her husband's success. And I couldn't figure out why Cathy had a big toothy grin throughout their big break up duet near the end of the story.
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Like Dear Evan Hansen, Brown's musical score contains some really gorgeous songs, but they don't fit the story. I did like "Jewish Shiksa", "See I'm Smiling", " I Can Do Better", and "The Next Ten Minutes", but a Christmas ballad about an elderly, Jewish dressmaker was a waste of time for me. I wish a little more attention had been paid to the dubbing of the musical numbers,,,the sound on the audio often sounded a lot different than the shape of the actors' mouths.
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Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick both have terrific voices and do their best to make this work, but fronting a two-person movie musical was just a little above their pay grades, not to mention having to work with a story that didn't make a lot of sense. One of the longest 90 minute movies I've ever seen. 2

Gideon58

04-02-22, 03:33 PM

Better Nate than Ever
Disney put a big budget and all other available resources behind an ambitious musical fantasy called Better Nate than Forever that falters due to an overly cute screenplay centered around a subject with limited appeal to its intended demographic.
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This 2022 miusical is the story of Nate, a 12 year old theater geek who dreams of being on Broadway. This kid is such a theater geek that he he has an original theater poster of the Gwen Verdon musical Redhead in his bedroom and is still mourning the fact that Wicked lost the Best Musical Tony to Avenue Q. As the story begins, Nate learns that he just lost the lead role in his school play, a rock musical about Abe Lincoln, but has been cast in the chorus as a tree. He finds a new lease on life when his BFF, Libby, informs him that there are about to be open auditions in New York for a Broadway musical version of the film Lilo and Stitch.
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Let me start by saying that the concept of this film is terrific, as I was a 12 year old theater geek myself and one thing that I could identify with was the way Nate's love of Broadway completely ostracized him at school. What seemed a bit of a cop out to me was the way the screenplay side-stepped the issue of Nate's sexual orientation. Even his relationship with Libby came off like Will and Grace. I also didn't buy that a Broadway musical based on a Disney film would have an open call (an open call means you don't have to be a member of Equity or AFTRA to audition). Even knowing they have to have a parent present to audition, Nate gets in there anyway and, at one point, deliver's the film's singular fall-on-the-floor with laughter scene: One of the auditors asks Nate if he has a monologue prepared and Nate does the only monologue he knows: A speech Dixie Carter delivered on the CBS sitcom Designing Women, which another auditor asked if it was Edward Albee. IRL, that monologue would have gotten the kid thrown out of the theater, but in this movie, it gets him a callback.
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Then because he can't call anybody about the callback, he has nowhere to stay until his 10:30 callback at the New Amsterdam Theater. He can't even get help from his Aunt (Lisa Kudrow), a struggling actress who is estranged from his mother. Yet hours before this in Times Square, he meets George Benson and is performing with a band in Times Square...seriously?
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Gabriel Mann's songs are just a little too High School Musical for me, but Rueby Wood is a bundle of Mickey Rooney-type energy in the title role and almost wants to make you accept this overhyped fantasy. Loved Joshua Bassett as his older brother and Tony Award winner Leo Norbert Butz as his dad and Kudrow steals every scene she's in. Aria Brooks was beyond annoying as the smart-ass Libby, but we try to like her because Nate does. There's also a cameo by Priscilla Lopez, who played Diana in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line, but this movie is just too cute and too schmaltzy to take seriously. 2

Gideon58

04-02-22, 08:37 PM

The Ugly Dachshund
Disney had middling success with a sweet-natured and silly comedy called The Ugly Dachshund, another comedy that documents why WC Fields didn't like acting with children or animals.
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This 1966 comedy stars Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette as Mark and Fran Garrison, a suburban couple excited about their prize winning Dachshund, Danka, giving birth to three puppies. When Mark goes to the vet hospital to pick up the puppies, he is moved when he sees a Great Dane puppy neglected by his mother and decides to take him home too. He names him Brutus.
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The comedy gets "complicated" when Brutus grows to his full size, but doesn't realize he;s not a dachshund. He and the dachshunds take equal parts in tearing apart the Garrison residence, but the dachshunds always manage to duck out of sight before Mark and Fran arrive on the scene so Fran blames everything on Brutus, while Mark is growing closer and closer to the big dumb pooch.
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Director Norman Tokar, who directed other Disney films like The Happiest Millionaire, The Boatniks, and The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit should get some credit for taking on the logistical nightmare of dealing with all these animals in front of a camera and the scenes where the dogs destroy the house are funny, but they do go on a lot longer than necessary. It would have been better to trim these scenes and spend more time on the big finale at the dog show.
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Jones and Pleshette are a lovely couple, who would reunite in 1976 for The Shaggy DA. As always in Disney classics, several familiar faces pop up in the supporting cast including Charlie Ruggles, Mako, and classic screen grumpy man, Charles Lane. Nothing special, but younger viewers should be entertained. 3

Gideon58

04-04-22, 02:01 PM

Sabrina (1995)
Oscar-winning director Sydney Pollack brings his accustomed directorial style and polish to Sabrina, his sumptuously mounted 1995 remake of the 1954 Billy Wilder classic that featured an Oscar-nominated performance by Audrey Hepburn in the title role. Sadly, the actress in the title role in this remake is the one thing that just doesn't work.
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This is the story of Sabrina Fairchild, the Plain Jane daughter of the chauffeur to the wealthy Larrabee family, whose mansion is on Long Island. For as long as she can remember, Sabrina has been obsessed with David Larrabee, the irresponsible and womanizing younger son who is second in command at the family business even though he doesn't know where his office is. In an attempt to help Sabrina get over David, her father sends her on a trip to Paris.
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As Sabrina leaves for Paris, David finds himself somehow engaged to Dr. Elizabeth Tyson, whose father is about to enter into a business merger with Larrabee Communications, which is run by David's older brother, Linus, and his mother, Maude. Sabrina returns from Paris, a transformed ugly duckling but still in love with David. In order to make sure the merger goes through, Linus pretends to romance Sabrina in order to keep her away from David and save the merger with Tyson industries.
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Pollack and the screenwriters display a great deal of respect to the original film by not tampering with the basic story too much. Trying to outshine the iconic Billy Wilder is not something to be taken lightly but Pollack and company do manage to bring the original story back to the screen with respect to the original. The characters are tweaked to the nth degree though...David Larrabee is way sleazier than he was in the original and Linus is a lot more calculating than he was in the original making this story of a romantic triangle where the woman is truly in love with both men more viable. I found the story of David and Sabrina more likable in the 1954 version and the story of Sabrina and Linus more likable in this version.
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My problem with this version is what happens to the title character. This new Sabrina seems completely devoid of self-respect or confidence making the character just this side of pathetic, which is something I never got from the Audrey Hepburn character in 1954. Her feelings about the Larrabee brothers might have been a little muddled, but she still had some dignity and knew when she was being used. This version puts more attention on Sabrina's trip to Paris, where she was supposed to blossom, but the minute she returns to Long Island and lays eyes on David, she becomes the same insecure waif she was when she left, rendering her trip to Paris pointless, even though she actually found romance there.
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Pollack is en pointe with sparkling production values, especially art direction/set direction and cinematography, and most of his casting is on the money. Harrison Ford brings a complex but charismatic quality to Linus Larrabee that I don't think Humphrey Bogart ever understood and Greg Kinnear brings more smarmy to David than William Holden did while keeping David likable. The fabulous Nancy Marchand steals every scene she's in as Maude Larrabee and Richard Crenna and Angie Dickinson are fun as Elizabeth's parents. Unfortunately, Julia Ormond is no Audrey Hepburn and it is her empty performance in the title role that keeps this remake being what it should be. 3.5

Gideon58

04-04-22, 04:32 PM

Deep Water
Adrian Lyne, director of the surprise box office smash of 1987, Fatal Attraction, returns to the director's chair for the first time in almost 20 years with Deep Water, a poorly lit and overheated erotic thriller that suffers from a swiss cheese screenplay but benefits from an eye opening performance from its leading lady.
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The 2022 film stars Oscar winner Ben Affleck as Vic, a wealthy businessman who is married to Melinda (Ana de Armas), a sexual pariah who takes full advantage of the open marriage she seems to have with Vic. Melinda does what she wants because apparently Vic doesn't want to divorce her, but things change once she begins her affair with a young hottie named Joel, who has heard rumors that Vic murdered Melinda's last lover and not long after, the guy turns up missing and Vic is the number one suspect behind his disappearance.
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During the time that the police are investigating this guy's disappearance, Joel hits the road, but two more guys who had affairs with Melinda, end up dead and for some reason, Melinda looks the other way while Vic goes into self-preservation mode.
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Despite his long respite from the director's chair, Adrian Lyne still proves to have one of the greatest eyes for cinematic erotica that I've seen. This guy knows how to bring sexy to the screen, even though it might not have a lot to do with the story that's being told. The screenplay from the screenwriters for Stranger than Fiction and The Talented Mr. Ripley never really explains why Vic wants to stay married to this woman, despite the fact that she flaunts her affairs in front of him. And before we learn what happened to Melinda's first two lovers, two more lovers are introduced, murdered, and their stories left dangling for the viewer to figure out for themselves. And if this was the intent, why not introduce the characters at all and knock about 45 minutes off of the running time?
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In addition to his erotic eye, Lyne's direction also provides some first rate camerawork that puts the viewer right in the middle of the erotic mess. Affleck is a little one-note as Vic, but Ana de Armas, who lit up the screen as the sweet-natured caregiver in Knives Out lights up the screen in her sexually charged performance as Melinda, a character nothing like the character she played in Knives Out. Unfortunately, Lyne's skills as a director were unable to make sense of this convoluted story. 2.5

Gideon58

04-04-22, 09:58 PM

North Dallas Forty
A realistic story and strong direction are the primary forces behind North Dallas Forty. a gritty and bold look at the world of professional football where most of the action takes place off the field and looks at one particular player facing his professional mortality.
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The 1979 comedy drama stars Nick Nolte as Phil Elliott, a hard-drinking, womanizing wide receiver who is in denial about the fact that his body is falling apart, but it doesn't matter because he scored five touchdowns in his last game and was then benched because he's not playing as a team member.
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There are a few dramas that are revolved around Phil's story, including a look at how players' bodies are being held together by tape and medication. We watch Phil keeping himself viable by pumping multiple medications into his knee while another player is destroying his career because he needs the needles, but refuses them.
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We watch friendships challenged throughout the drama, including Phil's relationship with Seth Maxwell (country singer Mac Davis, in his film debut) the slightly more principled team quarterback who has taken it upon himself to keep his teammates in line, but even he crosses a moral line or two on the football field.
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The film is based on a novel by Peter Gent, though the story is allegedly based on the Dallas Cowboys, thus the similarities in the team name and the uniforms. The screenplay is uncompromising in looking at what a professional football player sacrifices to continue riding the gravy train and the constant pressure they are under and how things are not always as they seem. Love the opening scene during the credits where Phil is observed getting out of bed and can barely movie...Nolte convincingly conveys the fact that every bone in Phil's body is in pain but he can't let anyone know about it. We also learn that just like Hollywood celebrities, ballplayers have no privacy.
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Nick Nolte turns in one of the strongest performances of his career as Phil Elliott...angry and vulnerable and unabashedly human and is matched note for note by Davis, who makes an impressive film debut as Seth. Charles Durning, GD Spradlin, Bo Svenson, Dabney Coleman, Steve Forrest, and John Matusznak shine in supporting roles in one of the best football movies made, even though only about 15 minutes of screentime is spent during an actual football game. Director Ted Kotcheff did the strongest work of his career here as well. 4

gbgoodies

04-05-22, 01:52 AM

The Last Five Years

The Last Five Years is the pretentious and dull film version of a Broadway musical that tries to be different and important, but like the recent film version of Dear Evan Hansen, should have stayed onstage where it belongs.
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I guess the story is supposed to be a musical recollection of the love affair between a struggling writer named Jamie and a struggling actress named Cathy. Things are OK until Jamie learns someone wants to publish his novel while Cathy returns to a summer stock company every year because she can't get a job anywhere else.
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Apparently, this two-person musical was inspired by composer Jason Robert Brown's real-life marriage to an actress named Theresa O'Neill, who after this musical made its premiere, sued her ex-husband. He then turned around and sued her. This should be a red flag as to what a mess this movie is.
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The movie opens with Cathy sitting alone in the Brownstone she and Jamie shared singing a song called "Still Hurting", lamenting about how Jamie singlehandedly destroyed their marriage. The story then flashes back five years to before they were married and Jamie was riding high on the publication of his book while Cathy is getting turned down all over Manhattan for roles but finds some solace with a summer stock company in Ohio. But Cathy's performance of "Still Hurting" makes it seem like Jamie was beating her on a daily basis. Then for the rest of the movie, Jamie is portrayed as a saint and Cathy as a jealous nutjob who can't stand her husband's success. And I couldn't figure out why Cathy had a big toothy grin throughout their big break up duet near the end of the story.
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Like Dear Evan Hansen, Brown's musical score contains some really gorgeous songs, but they don't fit the story. I did like "Jewish Shiksa", "See I'm Smiling", " I Can Do Better", and "The Next Ten Minutes", but a Christmas ballad about an elderly, Jewish dressmaker was a waste of time for me. I wish a little more attention had been paid to the dubbing of the musical numbers,,,the sound on the audio often sounded a lot different than the shape of the actors' mouths.
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Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick both have terrific voices and do their best to make this work, but fronting a two-person movie musical was just a little above their pay grades, not to mention having to work with a story that didn't make a lot of sense. One of the longest 90 minute movies I've ever seen. 2

I don't know if you realized this when you watched The Last Five Years, but there are two separate storylines going in opposite directions. Jamie's songs are going forward in time, from when they first met until he leaves her, but Cathy's songs are going backwards in time, from when he leaves her back through when they first met.

Gideon58

04-05-22, 02:22 PM

No I didn't catch that, it would explain why so much of it didn't make sense to me, but not enough to make me wanna go back and watch it again.

Gideon58

04-05-22, 09:57 PM

Jockey
A veteran supporting actor gets his first chance center screen in 2021's Jockey, a somber and sad tale of another professional athlete facing his own mortality as well as other issues.
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Jackson Silva is an aging jockey who is facing serious health issues while also looking at a chance at one final championship ride. He is also confronted by a young jockey-in-training who is claiming to be his son.
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It's quite the coincidence that I watched this movie right after watching North Dallas Forty because the Jackson Silva character in this film is facing a lot of the same issues that Nick Nolte's character is facing in the 1979 football drama. His body is literally shutting down on him to the point where we learn that he is unable to feel the entire right side of his body. And like Nolte's character, Silva is trying to fight through it and in serious denial about the fact that he really needs to just hang it up for good. This combined with the revelation that he might have a son he knew nothing about. Though Jackson initially denies paternity (and the look on the kid's face when he does is heartbreaking), he doesn't shut him out of is life either.
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Clifton Collins Jr, who plays Jackson, has been working steadily in the business since the 1990's. A solid resume that includes films like Capote, Menace II Society, and Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, but always in minor supporting roles. Collins has finally been given the shot at leading man status in this indie gem and he proves to be more than up to the challenge.
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Collins gets steady guidance from a relatively inexperienced writer and director named Clint Bentley who noit only gives this story a real documentary feel thanks to his inobtrusive camerawork, but a real intimacy as well that makes the viewer feel very close to Jackson Silva, wanting to offer him some hope. If you liked the Sam Elliott drama The Hero, you'll probably like this too. 3.5

Gideon58

04-06-22, 09:26 PM

The Solid Gold Cadillac
The creative forces behind Guys and Dolls, The Man Who Came to Dinner, and Bell Book and Candle provide the amazing Judy Holliday with another winning comedy vehicle called The Solid Gold Cadillac that provides non-stop laughs from opening to closing credits.
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Holliday lights up the screen as Laura Partridge, a struggling actress who inherits 10 shares of stock in a large company called International Projects, LTD and immediately starts attending the annual stockholder meetings. Her constant questions to the board force the board to try and silence her by giving her a fake job at the company. Unfortunately, Laura finds out simultaneously what the board is doing at the same time she finds out that International Projects was responsible for a stockholder's husband losing his job at a company International owns.
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After my recent viewing of It Should Happen to You, I became curious about the rest of Holliday's resume. The screenplay by Abe Burrows, George S Kaufmann, and Howard Teichmann is a razor sharp satire of big business and Washington Politics and how the lines between the same can blur as a woman whose initial pursuit of self-preservation not only gets her caught in the middle a huge scandal that waffles through New York and DC, but finds our heroine in a romance with the much older former chairman of the board, played with the perfect combination of bluster, befuddlement, and sincerity by Paul Douglas.
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Once again, Holliday is allowed to create a character who appears to be a dumb blonde on the surface, but she really isn't. Laura Patridge is not dumb, but she knows when she's being lied to and has no qualms about saying what she has to say to learn what she wants to know. I've talked in other reviews about movie characters whose brains are removed in order to make the story work, but in this case, Laura's brain is slowly revealed in bits and pieces in order to make the story work, including the surprising chemistry between Holliday and Douglas, making a romantic relationship we never see coming totally viable.
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Richard Quine's sparkling direction is respectful to a story that managed to keep a grin on my face for the entire running time, even if it is a bit far-fetched. Holliday and Douglas receive solid support from John Williams, Fred Clark, Ray Collins, Arthur O'Connell, Neva Patterson in supporting roles. And if you pay attention, you'll catch Richard Deacon from The Dick Van Dyke Show in a small role as Douglas' assistant and George Burns as the narrator. Sweet-natured comedy romance that will induce cheers. 4

Gideon58

04-12-22, 03:33 PM

Red Rocket
The creative force behind 2017's The Florida Project tackles some equally edgy subject matter in 2021's Red Rocket, an uncompromising and often ugly blue collar drama anchored by a ferocious, Oscar-worthy performance from its leading man, playing a character with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
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This is the story of Mikey, who we are introduced to riding a bus, with bruises on his face and nothing but the clothes on his back, enroute to the sleepy Texas hamlet where he grew up. Mikey is returning home from Los Angeles where he spent the last two decades working in the porn industry. Upon his return, it's obvious that everyone in town knows him, but aren't thrilled about his return. After talking his wife and mother-in-law into letting him move back in with them, he begins supporting them by selling weed and simultaneously drifts into an affair with a 17 year old girl named Strawberry who works in a donut shop.
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Director and co-screenwriter Sean Baker has crafted a squirm-worthy morality tale around a character with no moral barometer at all. Mikey's slime factor is revealed almost immediately as we see him talk his way back into his wife's house. It's clear that his wife, Lexi, was severely burned durinig their marriage (though we don't get any backstory there). Sadly, she seems to forget all about it when he puts a wad of cash he made selling weed in her hand to pay the rent.
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We really want to like Mikey but it becomes more and more impossible as the story progresses, as we see him use and abuse just about everyone in his orbit. Not to mention, because of the way he arrived in town, we expect his past in LA to catch up with him, but that doesn't happen. What does happen is a dark turn in his life from which there can be no redemption, and in a refreshing change of pace in films like this, Mikey gets exactly what's coming to him, even if it takes a little longer than it should. I will admit the final shot of the film took me out of the undeniable reality of the story and I have to admit I don't really understand the title either. It should also be mentioned considering the subject matter, that we do get full frontal Mikey here, so be forewarned if that sort of thing is offensive to you.
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Simon Rex, who I haven't seen onscreen since Scary Movie 3, blazes across the screen in a frighteningly unhinged performance that recalls some of the strongest work of Jack Nicholson, making this undeniably greasy character completely riveting. The eye opening performances from Bree Elrod as Lexi and Suzanna Son as Strawberry are equally captivating. It's Baker's in-your-face direction and Rex's blazing performance that are the main reasons the viewer does become enveloped in this mean-spirited story. 4

SpelingError

04-12-22, 03:46 PM

I loved The Florida Project, so I'll definitely keep an eye out for that one.

Gideon58

04-16-22, 09:11 PM

I loved The Florida Project, so I'll definitely keep an eye out for that one.

I liked The Florida Project too.

Gideon58

04-16-22, 10:16 PM

Gang Related
Despite overheated direction and a spotty screenplay, the 1997 crime drama Gang Related is still worth a look thanks to a solid cast, including the final movie for the late Tupac Shakur.
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Davinci (Jim Belushi) and Rodrigues (Shakur) are a pair of dirty cops trying to make some money out of a big time drug drug dealer and end up murdering him. The murder case falls in their laps and they learn that the guy was really an undercover DEA agent. Davinci and Rodrigues decide the only way to protect themselves is to set upsomeone else for the crime. After lame attempts to entrap thugs with proven records don't work, they decide to pin the murder on a homeless man named Joe.
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Director and screenwriter Jim Kouf (Stakeout) has provided a difficult assignment for the audience here, trying to make us like a couple of central characteres who really don't deserve to be liked. It does become a little clearer as the film progresses that though they are both on the take, there are differences between these two guys and there are lines that one of them are not willing to cross, creating a break betweem an initial allegiance betwee Davinic and Rodrigues which initally appears unbreakble.
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The plot thickens about midway when we learn Davinci has thrown his stripper girlfriend under the bus to get out of this and we learn exactly who this homeless guy really is, taking the story to a direction we didn't see coming. i did love the early scenes of the partners trying to set up known criminals for the crime and the way they seduced the homeless guy into believing he did what they said was really kind of stomach turning.
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Belusi and Shakur are first rate, with surprisingly solid work from Belushi, channeling Willis and DeNiro in his bringing this character to life. Shakur lights up the screen in his final film and Gary Cole, David Paymer, and James Earl Jones also score in supporting roles. LOVED Dennis Quaid in a gut-wrenching turn as homeless Joe, but Wendy Crewson was a bit much channeling Marsha Clark as the DA. Nothing special here, but some solid entertainment provided and a treat for Tupac fans. 3.5

Gideon58

04-18-22, 08:46 PM

The Batman
Not since The Dark Knight Rises have I found myself more completely enveloped in a comic book movie as I was by 2022's The Batman, the ultimate re-imagining of a cinematic legacy that seems to push all other visions of this character aside in favor of recreating a new character trapped by his personal demons. though the film is almost damaged by its severe overlength.
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In this new take on classic characters we've come to know and love, The Riddler begins methodically murdering important political figures in Gotham City, including the Mayor and as Batman is approached for assistance by Jim Gordon, he finds himself getting an up close and personal look into government corruption and how his family might have played a key role in its genesis.
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I was initially hesitant about watching this film, despite its 8.3 IMDB rating, because it seemed that no one on this site who watched it seemed to like it, but decided to give it a go anyway. Director and co-screenwriter Matt Reeves (War of the Planet of the Apes) has scrapped everything we've been told about these characters down to skeletal remains and started from scratch. The early moment in the film where he dispatches some subway street toughs who ask who he is, instead of the famous, "I'm Batman", he whispers "I'm vengeance." From that moment on, I knew I wasn't in store for just another rehash of the franchise.
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The story structure is impressive, despite some really cliched dialogue. The story sets up the title character as some sort of evil vigilante who is an enemy of Gotham City, with Jim Gordon his only ally. We never get a transition where the people of Gotham City start trusting our tortured hero. And that's another thing that's different here. The Batman character seems to have some serious demons going on in his head, partially from the death of his parents, but there seems to be a lot more going on here. This hero has been so seriously shredded by his past that he seems more comfortable as the dangerous vigilante Batman than he is as Bruce Wayne. If memory serves, the character doesn't have more than five minutes of screentime as Bruce Wayne and his time as Batman displays little or no socialization skills, which had a stomach-churning effect on the story.
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The Riddler becomes equally squirm-worthy as his demons reveal a possible childhood connection to Bruce Wayne. The final act confrontation betweem Batman and the Riddler was a little over the top, but bone-chilling nonetheless. We are also introduced to Selena Kyle, in her pre-Catwoman days and her relationship with Batman in this story is a little on the ambiguous side, but there is a sexual tension between the pair that both are fighting.
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Reeves mounts some spectacular action sequences in this film, especially a car chase on the wrong side of a highway and the spectacular water finale at Gotham Square Garden. Production values are first rate, with standout cinematography, music, makeup, and sound. The weird thing is this film was definitely too long, but I'm not sure what I would have taken out.
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Robert Pattinson's dark and shredded Caped Crusader is the most frightening interpretation of the character I have ever seen. Also loved Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Peter Skarsgaard as the DA, Colin Farrell, compeltely unrecognizable in an Oscar-worthy makeup job as Oz, and John Turturro as Carmine. The real scene stealer, as he always is though, was Paul Dano as the Riddler, in a dizzying and dazzling turn that made all previous riddlers pale in comparison and even gave Heath Ledger's joker a run for its money. This guy is long overdue for an Oscar nomination. It's a time commitment, but there is solid and disturbing entertainment here. 4

Gideon58

04-19-22, 04:21 PM

A Bug's Life
The same year that Disney Dreamworks released Antz, Disney Pixar released the similar, yet superior A Bug's Life, which provided more laughs than the Dreamworks film thanks to a bigger variety of colorful characters, meticulous detail for some amazing set pieces, and a perfect voice cast.
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As this 1998 animated adventure opens, we are introduced to a colony of ants, led by Princess Atta (voiced by Julia Louis Dreyfuss) and her mother the Queen (voiced by Phyllis Diller) who work tirelessly as indentured servants gathering food for an evil grasshopper named Hopper (voiced by Kevin Spacey). After a season of gathering concludes, a well-intentioned but inept ant named Flik (voiced by Dave Foley) messes up the food supply and the ants have to do it all over again. After being threatened by Hopper, Princess Atta decides to get Flik out of the way by sending him to search for some bug warriors to keep the ants safe from Hopper and his fellow grasshoppers. Flik's journey for warriors finds him seeking help from a rundown circus, who think they are getting jobs with another circus, but are not too thrilled when they realize exactly what Flik wants from them
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Avoided this film for years because, on the surface, it just appeared to be a rehash of Antz, which I had already seen, but it turned out to be anything but. The screenplay by John Lasseter (Toy Story) and Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) is a delicious combination of entertaining bug characters and clever dialogue, manifested from a story that touches on universal themes and even world history that is just so masterfully crafted into an animated fantasy that, as always with Disney Pixar, is a little more complex than necessary, but one of the most entertaining aspects of this film is the canvas established by the animators.
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I loved the way this move looked. I loved the way ordinary things in nature and ordinary objects were utilized as set pieces here. Loved the restaurant with bottle caps for tables and a beer bottle substituting for the jumbo tron in Times Square, or the boxes of animal crackers that became circus wagons. Flik's first journey over a rock formation via a dandelion was amazing. The attack of the giant red and yellow parakeet was genuinely frightening and I loved the construction of the "trojan" parakeet. And there must have been a couple of million different ways leaves became props in this story.
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Another thing that made this film superior to Antz is that the story didn't whittle away to a romance between Flik and Atta. It's clear from their first scene together that Flik has a crush on Princess Atta, but it didn't become the focus of the entire film. Though I loved that moment when their antennae got tangled, which produced just a spark of sexual tension.
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As always with Disney Pixar, I loved the voicework with standout work from Spacey, Dreyfuss, Diller, Richard Kind as Hopper's brother, Denis Leary as a ladybug, Madeline Kahn as Gypsy Moth, and David Hyde Pierce as a stick named Slim. Splashy and fast-paced entertainment from Disney Pixar. 4

Gideon58

04-20-22, 08:56 PM

A Happening of Monumental Proportions
Actress Judy Greer made her directorial debut with a 2017 oddity called A Happening of Monumental Proportions, a multiple story black comedy that doesn't live up to its pretentious title, but might be worth a look thanks to a really interesting cast.
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The story covers 24 hours at a Los Angeles middle school and the bizarre storylines that interweave with each other. We are introduced to a charming widower who has managed to take time off his job to appear at his daughter's career day. His daughter finds herself romantically pursued by a socially challenged kid named Darius who resents his single dad because his job has them moving constantly. Mr. McRow is the severely depressed music teacher with mother issues and the principal of the school finds herself having to deal with one of the school's janitors being found dead on the school grounds and trying to hide the body in the teacher's lounge.
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Gary Lundy is also making his screen debut as a writer, bringing us a confusing hodgepodge of oddball characters. Most of the characters either do a weird 180 or are presented as totally likable and then given a squirm worthy wrinkle after we learn to like them. Right after we fall in love with the single dad psyched for career day, we watch him receive a phone call from the husband of the woman with whom he's having an affair. The story features a lot of physical comedy that really doesn't amuse, especially the knock down drag out fight between the single dad and his boss during the final act.
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Greer has been in this business for decades and it is probably the respect she has earned in this business over the years that allowed her to assemble the impressive cast she did for this messy black comedy. Common was an offbeat choice of casting for the single dad that totally worked. There is also standout work from Bradley Whitford as Common's boss, Jennifer Garner as the married object of Common's affections, Allison Janney as the school principal, Rob Riggle as the vice principal, Storm Reid as Common's daughter, and though you have to wait until the end of the film for it, there's a fantastic cameo from Keanu Reeves that almost makes the rest of the film worth sitting through. Fortunately, Greer had the foresight to keep the film under 90 minutes. 2.5

Gideon58

04-21-22, 08:57 PM

Gloria (1980)
The late John Cassavetes and his cinematic muse, Gena Rowlands, knocked it out of the park with 1980's Gloria, a crackerjack crime drama that had this reviewer riveted to the screen, primarily due to one of the most kick-ass female movie heroines ever seen.
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Written and directed by Cassavetes, this is the story of a mild-mannered mob accountant named Jack Dawn (Buck Henry) who knows his bosses are after him because of a book in his possession that they will kill to get back. Jack finds time to give the book to his six year old son, Phil, telling him to never give the book to anybody and to "be a man." Before the wiseguys come calling, Jack's wife asks her friend and neighbor, Gloria Swenson (Rowlands) to look after Phil for her. Phil's family is brutally murdered trying to find the book and when Gloria realizes that these guys are part of her own past, she realizes she has no choice but to go on the run with the boy.
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Cassavetes has crafted a compelling story here that doesn't rely on too much backstory, instead letting pieces of backstory reveal itself as the story continues forward motion. Love the way as the story moves along, it is revealed that most of the guys who are chasing Gloria and this boy already know Gloria, bringing an unexpected complexity to their assignment and actually making things a little easier for Gloria, allowing her to stay a step ahead of them for most of the running time.
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Even though he also wrote the screenplay, Cassavetes also found a way to allow his unscripted, free form direction to shine in a couple of scenes. The surprise was that the two scenes that felt truly free form were left in the hand of young John Adames, who made his only film appearance in the role of film. The scene near the beginning where he's screaming that "he's the man" and when he's calling her names as Gloria goes into a bar really felt like Cassavtes out the scenes in the young actor's hands.
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It should also be noted that the character of Phil is often hard to connect to because he's all over the place, but in mostly a believable fashion. We get the impression that Phil is never really sure how much danger's he in and one minute he wants nothing to do with Gloria and the next, he won't let her out of his sight. There's a terrific scene where she keeps trying to walk away from him, fed up with his antics, and he runs after her, wrapping his arms around her. He does it like three times and the scene, though done with no dialogue, efficiently documents the relationship between the characters. The scenes on the subway had a similar effect...my heart actually stopped when they got separated on the subway.
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Gena Rowlands gives a powerhouse performance in the starring role which earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination (she lost to Sissy Spacek for Coal Miner's Daughter). Critics were sharply divided regarding Adames performance as Phil, which does grate on the nerves a bit. He actually won the Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor that year and never made another film. Also loved Bill Conti's atmospheric music, but it's Rowlands and Cassavetes that keep this one on sizzle. Remade in 1999 with Sharon Stone in the title role.
4

Gideon58

04-22-22, 06:24 PM

X (2022)
The 2022 thriller X is a stomach-churning, cringe-worthy melange of sex and violence that originally seems to be a re-thinking of the Friday the 13th franchise, but this film goes to so many dark and ugly places that few films have tread that I wanted to turn this off several times, but morbid curiosity somehow got me through to the closing credits.
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It's 1979 and a group of young people are travelling in a van to a small town in Texas where they have rented an isloated farmhouse so that they can make a porno film called "The Farmer's Daughters." The owners of the farmhouse, who are well into their 80's, don't know what these people are planning to do, but when they figure it out, these young filmmakes find themselves amid the most twisted and terrifying battle for their lives.
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Director and screenwriter Ti West has taken the classic slasher movie premise and woven into the screenplay a challenging look at sexual mores that doesn't just address the inpropriety of pre-marital sex, but actually seems to be addressing the concept of equating sex with sin, utilizing a black and white religious program as a set piece and sounding board for the story.
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West's direction shows definite DePalma, and Craven influence as, once the story gets rolling, he shows a real skill with building suspense and the immediate "Boo" that were quite instrumental in keeping this reviewer invested, despite the fact that there were a lot of images onscreen that just turned my stomach.
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West gets first rate assistance from his editor and cinematographer and some solid performances from Maritn Davidson, Jenna Ortega, Mia Goth, and an eye-opening turn from Brittany Snow. There's some real skill behind the camera here, but the subject matter is so disgusting, it's hard to tell. 3.5

Gideon58

04-23-22, 04:35 PM

Mulan (1998)
Disney put another strong and independent heroine at the center of a 1998 musical gem called Mulan that provides solid family entertainment, despite the same minor issues that plague other Disney classics like this one.
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The title character is a young Chinese woman (speaking voice Ming-Na Wen; singing voice Lea Solonga) who is being trained to be a bride, but fails miserably. The Chinese army is preparing for war against the Huns and announce that one male from every family in China must join the military and fight. Mulan's father agrees to join the army, even though he is lame and elderly. In order to save her father's life, Mulan decides to disguise herself as a man and join the army with the aid of a miniature dragon named Mushu (voiced by Eddie Murphy) who fights her attraction to the recently appointed young military leader Shang (speaking voice BD Wong; singing voice Donny Osmond).
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The story is a little mature for the normal demographic Disney reaches for and there is a definite sexist leaning to the story in order to set up Mulan being a woman in a man's world. Exposition showing Mulan's disinterest in being a bride and establishing a cricket as being lucky goes on too long. Like another Disney classic, Pocohontas, the power of this piece is diluted with too much animal comic relief. Mushu is funny but has a little too much screentime and we could have done without the lucky cricket completely.
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I did like that during the opening scenes, Mulan was not purposely fighting the kind of lifestyle that she was being set up for and does what she does because she wants to save her father, not because being a soldier is her life's desire. And just like in films like Victor/Victoria and Yentl, it's a little hard to believe that Mulan gets away with being a man as long as she does, but it's easier to accept here because it's animation.
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Even though the story is not exactly musical-friendly, the songs do work, especially "Honor of us All", "Reflection", "Ill Make You a Man", and "A Girl Worth Fighting For."
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Loved the climactic avalanche that initiates the beginning of the end. Wen, Murphy, and Wong do solid voice work and get solid support from Miguel Ferrer, James Hong, Harvey Fierstein, and Pat Morita in smaller roles. Just like Pocohontas, it would have been nice if the writers trusted the strength of their story without the comic relief. 4

Gideon58

04-23-22, 09:05 PM

Ambulance
Michael Bay, the director of some of our most famous action adventure classics, goes a little over the top with 2022's Ambulance, an often heart-stopping adventure that defies logic at every turn, rich with "Aw, come on" moments", that will provide entertainment for action fans as long as they don't think about it too much and just strap themselves in for the ride.
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Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a financially strapped war vet fresh home from Afghanistan, who is drowning in bills because his baby had life-saving surgery from cancer. In order to take care of some bills, Will agrees to assist his brother, Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) in robbing a bank. Unfortunately, the robbery goes terribly wrong with Will shooting a cop (Jackson White). In order to escape, Will and Danny hijack an ambulance, taking a tough as nails EMT worker (Eliza Gonzalez) and the wounded cop as hostages, along with $16,000,000.
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This film is actually a theatrical version of a 2005 Danish film called Ambulancen and since the last Gyllenhaal film I saw, The Guilty, was also based on a foreign film, I thought there would be some sort of connection, but those who saw The Guilty this is definitrly not the case.
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Michael Bay fans willl be heaven here because this is the kind of story the man can produce in his sleep, but I just found myself having difficulty accepting a lot of what happens here in a context of realism. I loved the way the film opened...Will kisses his wife and baby goodbye, lying that he is enroute to a job interview. Once Will and Danny hijack that ambulance, this story just becomes a little hard to believe. I couldn't believe the entire LAPD could not get control of this ambulance because their pursuit of the vehicle was almost immediate, it's not like Danny and Will had this huge head start. I found it hard to believe that this cop somehow stayed alive as long as he did, and I almost checked out when Will and the EMT had to perform surgery, on the cop, while the ambulance was careening down the highway at 60 MPH.
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There were some nice touches in the story that I didn't see coming though...the arrival of an FBI agent on the scene who had history with Danny and provided us with his rap sheet bringing the story to another level and especially an extremely effective moment when Will gets a phone call from is wife wanting to know why the interview is taking so long while she is watching the events on TV, blissfully unaware of hubby's involvment.
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Once Will leaves for his "job Interview", Bay provides us with heart-stopping action, though I think investing in the realism of the situation could have been aided by a shorter running time. Jake Gyllenhall is electrifying in a performance that reminded me of a demented John McLane and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who was so good last year as Bobby Seale in The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a perfect mix of power and vulnerability as Will. Mention should also be made of Garrett Dillahunt as Captain Monroe, A Martinez as Danny's old friend, Papi, and especially Keir O'Donnell as the FBI agent. Can't believe this was the same guy who played Todd in Wedding Crashers. If action fans put their brain in check, there is fun to be had here. 3.5

Gideon58

04-25-22, 04:32 PM

Speedway
Elvis Presley had one of his most lackluster vehicles with a tiresome musical from 1968 called Speedway.
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Elvis plays Steve Jackson, a good-natured race car driver who has put a little too much trust in his womanizing manager, Kenny (Bill Bixby), whose questionable handling of Steve's money has gotten Steve in serious trouble with the IRS. So serious that the government's most feared agency sends a pretty blonde agent (Nancy Sinatra) to track Steve down and personally garnish his wages and you can probably figure it out from there.
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The screenplay by television writer Phil Shuken is silly, once again finding Elvis playing something other than a singer, who happens to sing, giving our hero a chance to belt out a tune every ten minutes. Not a lot of knowledge about the IRS on display either. It's doubtful that someone with serious IRS debt would be allowed to deter some of the debt in order to help a former driver who lives in his car with his five daughters.
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A lot of the appeal of this film was probably due to the casting of Nancy Sinatra as Elvis' leading lady. Other than Ann-Margret, Sinatra is the only Presley leading lady who was given a solo in the film (which I bet was a term of Sinatra agreeing to do the film) called "Your Own Groovy Self" was written by Lee Hazelwood, who wrote Sinatra's biggest hit "These Boots are Made for Walking". The number, like the rest of Nancy's performance is nothing to write home about. There's also a bizarre number in the office of the IRS called "He's Your Uncle Not Your Dad" that defies description. Elvis also had a couple of nice solos like "Let Yourself Go" and "Who are You Who am I".
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Norman Taurog's direction and attention to production values is lazy. The movie moved at a snail's pace and I swear every time a male character, other than Elvis', had to sing, it sounded like they were all dubbed by the same singer. The sound editing in the fight scenes sounded like something out of the 1930's. I expected more from a veteran like Taurog and more from Elvis. 2

Gideon58

04-26-22, 04:41 PM

The Devil You Know
Despite a solid acting ensemble at its center, the 2022 film The Devil You Know is an overheated family drama that methodically collapses under its fuzzy screenplay and melodramatic direction.
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Omar Epps stars as Marcus Cowans, a recovering alcoholic with a criminal past who is trying to get his life back on track with a new job, AA meetings, and a new girlfriend. Marcus gives his brother, Drew, a ride home one night when he is too drunk to drive. While in his brother's apartment, Marcus sees a collection of baseball cards that he recognizes as having gone missing from a home invasion/double suicide he saw on the news a couple of months ago . He questions Drew about the cards, whose flimsy explanation about their presence motivates Marcus to make a move that affects his entire family.
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Director and screenwriter Charles Murray has apparently adapted a fact-based story for the screen, something we really don't learn until the end of the movie. It doesn't change the fact that this screenplay is all over the place as we watch this guy Drew watch his entire family suffer than go on the record on what happened on this invasion, despite the fact that he wasn't directly involved. We not only see Marcus lose his new girlfriend over this, but we see his brother, Anthony, lose his job. We see the family patriarch (Glynn Turman) suffer a heart attack that puts him in the hospital and a dumb as box of rocks detective (Michael Ealy) have this home invasion case practically fall in his lap and still unable to make an arrest.
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The secondary story of Marcus and his new girlfriend, Eva, was equally aggravating because during the first 30 minutes of this movie, we watch this girl practically throw herself at Marcus, but the second the police come sniffing around, she goes screaming into the night. Then after Marcus gets thrown the under the bus, she wants to come crawling back.
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Murray spoon-feeds this story with lethargic direction that makes this movie seem six hours long. Though this reviewer found himself stifling the occasional yawn, Omar Epps is an actor always worth watching and he's no exception here. Kudos to William Catlett as Drew, Curtiss Cook as Anthony, Vanessa Bell Calloway as the boys' mother and Theo Russell as the psychotic Al. A tighter screenplay and a director more trusting of his story and his audience would have helped here. Epps and Ealy are also credited as executive producers.
2.5

Gideon58

04-27-22, 08:47 PM

Breaking Away
The director of Bullitt and the writer of The World According to Garp are the creative forces behind Breaking Away, a warm and exuberant slice of cinematic Americana that so effectively draws the viewer into this engaging coming of age tale that it actually earned four Oscar nominations including Best Picture of 1979.
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The setting is the small industrial town of Bloomington, Indiana where we meet Dave Stohler (Dennis Christopher), a recent high school graduate who after receiving an expensive Italian bycycle as gift, becomes completely immersed in Italian culture, learning to speak the language, changing his name, and following the exploits of the current Italian cycling team. Steve's new obsession not only his confusing his parents (Paul Dooley, Barbara Barrie). but building a wall between him and his BFF's Mike (Dennis Quaid), Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley), and Cyril (Daniel Stern, in his film debut).
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Steve Tesich's Oscar-winning screenplay is a beautiful blend of small town sensibilities, clashing cultures, and the lines that often get drawn between the upper class and working class that often put people on opposite sides of issues which they should be battling together. It's a little disconcerting watching Dave push his best friends away because of his new obsession at a time when they really need him. An angry Mike seems to be aimless since his days as a football hero are over and Moocher seems to be getting ready to marry his girlfriend because he has to (though the screenplay never documents this).
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Dave's Italian obsession also seems to be creating a gulf between his parents that provides a solid subplot for the story as his father gets fed up and Mom just tries to understand. I was also surprised by the fact that there were, not one, but two big races in this story and though it's a heartbreaker when Dave gets knocked out of the first one, we are thrilled with a chance for redemption (though it's not a slam dunk and kept this reviewer on the edge of his seat).
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Director Peter Yates has provided a postcard canvas for this vivid and exciting story that earned him an Oscar nomination as well. The film is beautifully photographed and the camerawork, especially during the races, is exceptional. For a lot of actors near the beginning of their careers, there are some really star-making performances bringing this story to life. Dennis Christopher is completely beguiling as Dave and Dennis Quaid easily hints at the actor he would become with his charismatic Mike. Paul Dooley is brilliant, as always, as Dave's father and Barbara Barrie's quietly eloquent mom earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination. A shout out as well to Patrick Williams for his Oscar-nominated adaptation of some of the most beautiful Italian music ever created to serve the film's score. A surprising and emotionally-charged motion picture. 4

Gideon58

04-28-22, 09:49 PM

Wrath of Man
The stylish and skillful direction of Guy Ritchie and the Steve McQueen-like cool of Jason Statham are the anchors of 2021's Wrath of Man, a bloody and high octane crime drama that doesn't quite answer all the questions the story poses, but if the viewer just goes for the inventive ride that's offered, sufficient rewards are offered.
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Statham plays H, a man of a questionable and cleaned up past who gets hired to be a driver for an armored car company, but his initial handling of a couple of very dangerous situations, thrusts him into the spotlight at the company, but makes it more difficult for his past not to come after him, resulting in, among other things, the death of his son.
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In addition to directing, Ritchie also co-wrote this complex screenplay, based on a French film called Le Conveyour that methodically crafts the story in front of our eyes without playing all of its cards at once. It also effectively brings different genres together into a single story without the viewer even noticing. Especially loved the opening scenes where H is training at the armored car company, where the atmosphere established resembles a prison movie and H is the new guy who has to prove himself. Before we can figure out what's going on with the armored cars, H's well-guarded backstory comes to the surface as he is revealed to be some kind of high-powered syndicate leader who has mob boss power, but we're never told exactly where it comes from, but it is this power that has him sent to the armored car company.
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We don't realize it until well into the second act, but we're getting a story told in Tarantino style and when the puzzle pieces fall into place it's revealed that H has found himself in an elaborate heist that involves taking the cash from ALL the trucks in the compound.
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In Ritchie's capable hands, we get thrust into a crime of such enormity that much bigger than the kind of crimes Ritchie brought us in the past from across the pond. Ritchie's eye for carnage rivals Scorsese here, not to mention his uncanny ability to keep the viewer confused about who the good guys are and who the bad guys are.
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Ritchie has a first rate production team behind him to pull off this mammoth crime spectacle, with special nods to cinematography, editing, sound, and that pulse-pounding musical score. Statham is the perfect choice for this richly internalized character...I don't think H speaks more than 20-25 words during the entire film. He gets solid support from the terrific Jeffrey Donovan, the long absent from the screen Josh Hartnett, Holt McCallany, and especially Scott Eastwood's kinetic turn as Jack. First rate action thriller that had me on the edge of my chair. 4.5

Gideon58

04-30-22, 09:46 PM

Outrageous Fortune
Bette Midler and Shelley Long are teamed for a logic-defying action comedy called Outrageous Fortune,which provides some laughs before running out of gas, from the writer of Mrs. Doubtfire and the director of Silver Streak.
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Midler and Long play two very different women who meet in an acting class but don't know they are having an affair with the same man, one Michael Sanders (Peter Coyote). Before the ladies discover the truth, Michael fakes his death and the women team up to find him, determining to find out which one of them he really loves, completely unconcerned with the fact that the CIA is after him because of a deadly toxin he is in possession of which could destroy all plant life.
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Leslie Dixon's screenplay for this 1987 starts off promisingly, setting up the unlikely teaming between these two women, polar opposites in every way except for their attraction to this man. But what gives this story a dash of originality is the fact that even after our heroines finally realize how much danger Michael has put them in, the only thing they still seemed to care about is which one of them he really loved. Once they agree on the fact that Michael is scum and doesn't deserve to live, the film definitely begins to lose steam.
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The detective work that the ladies employ to locate Michael is kind of silly and the broad accent Midler utilizes in the beginning of the movie disappears about 25 minutes in, but both actresses prove to be very adept at physical comedy and work hide at disguising an air of tension between them. The skills which aspiring actress Lauren, played by Long, all come into play later on in the story, even if they have an "Aw come on" air about them. This is also the first film I've ever seen with two separate scenes involving large amounts of money being released from containers and flying through the sky so people can scoop it up.
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Like he did with Silver Streak, director Arthur Hiller displays a strength with action sequences played against some gorgeous Arizona scenery. Midler and Long have a strong supporting cast behind them including Robert Prosky as a phony acting teacher, John Schuck as a CIA agent and the late great George Carlin as a drunken fake Indian named Frank. It's no Thelma and Louise, but there are laughs to be found, even if they're aren't consistent to the closing credits. 3

Gideon58

05-02-22, 03:05 PM

What Maisie Knew
The effect of divorce on children is not uncommon movie subject matter, but the 2012 independent feature What Maisie Knew stands out due to an edgy screenplay that is rife with surprises and some knockout performances.
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This film is actually a contemporary re-imagining of a novel by Henry James published way back in 1897. Set in Manhattan, this is the story of a seven year old girl named Maisie who watches her parents' marriage fall apart when her father, a wealthy art dealer named Beale (Steve Coogan) begins an affair with Maisie's nanny, Margo (Joanna Vanderham) who Beale impulsively marries. Maisie's outraged mother, Susanna (Oscar winner Julianne Moore), an aging rock star, begins a bitter custody with Beale over Maisie, during which Susanna marries a bartender and gourmet chef named Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgaard), a move that finds Maisie torn in four different directions.
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It was mind blowing to discover that this story was based on a novel written at the end of the 19th century, because this story felt fresh, contemporary, and rich with a squirm-worthy realism that I haven't experienced since Kramer Vs Kramer. It's the story structure that impresses because this story starts out somewhat predictable but as the story progresses it becomes less and less so. I've never seen a movie about divorce go some of the places that this one does. Nancy Doyne and Carroll Cartwright's screenplay was robbed of an adapted screenplay Oscar nomination.
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What really sucked me into this often heartbreaking story was the journey that this little girl is sent on this story. It was fascinating that as the story opens up, it appears that Maisie is the one manipulating her parents, but it becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that Maisie is a bargaining chip for Susanna and Beale, who both claim to love the little girl more than anything, but neither will put their career on the back burner for her. The other thing I loved about the way this story played out is that there are points in the story where it seems like Maisie is aware of the power she has over her parents and sometimes she doesn't.
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There is one squirm-worthy scene after another here. I was especially impressed with the way the Lincoln character was introduced. Susanna sends him to Maisie's school to pick her up one day without informing anyone, even though Margo is there because Susanna hadn't shown up. Lincoln initially comes off like he's drunk or something, making the scene crackle with tension. That scene where Beale is having a meal with Maisie and asking her if she wants to leave the country with him, even though he really doesn't want to made me squirm, as well as the heartbreaking climax
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Directors Scott McGhee and David Siegel have mounted this story on a stunning canvas, including marvelous Manhattan location photography. Julianne Moore knocks it out of the park with an explosive performance, playing the most unlikable character she has ever been given. Steve Coogan's icy Beale matches her note for note and Alexander Skarsgaard lights up the screen playing the film's most likable character, second only to Onata Aprile's extraordinary performance in the title role. An emotionally charged motion picture experience that had me fighting tears and talking back to the screen. 4.5

Sedai

05-02-22, 03:28 PM

Immediately brought to mind Irreconcilable Differences. Thanks fore the review!

Rockatansky

05-02-22, 07:14 PM

Gideon58

05-02-22, 09:27 PM

I really enjoyed Wrath of Man. I know Ritchie's a fan of The Long Good Friday, and this is the only movie of his that approaches that level of meanness (although Get Carter is probably a more direct inspiration).

If you're a Guy Ritchie fan, you should also check out a film from a couple of years ago called The Gentlemen with Matthew McConaughey

Rockatansky

05-02-22, 09:30 PM

If you're a Guy Ritchie fan, you should also check out a film from a couple of years ago called The Gentlemen with Matthew McConaughey

I did like that one, although it didn't feel quite as light on its feet as his earlier movies.

Gideon58

05-02-22, 09:46 PM

Shattered
Despite some stylish directorial flourishes, 2022's Shattered is a riduculously over the top "erotic thriller" that is steadily buried by its predictabilty and dependence on other films leading to a viable climax that should have happened a lot sooner than it did.
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Chris Decker is an about to be divorced internet millionaire with a young daughter. Chris meets a beautiful girl named Sky at a grocery story and begins an affair with her. A few days later he learns that her roommate/girlfriend is dead and that Sky is a dangerous con artist bent on taking Chris for every penny he has.
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I should have suspected trouble when I learned that this film was written by David Loughery, screenwriter of the dreadful Idris Elba thriller Obsessed. Once again, Loughery attempts to journey into Fatal Attraction territory with another lady psychopath trying to take advantage of a dumb, pretty, rich guy, but this time, the woman doesn't want to be his lover, she wants to steal his identity and unlike Alex Forrester or that crazy bitch in Obsessed, Sky has been stalking Chris for months via a telescope (!) to his isolated mountain chalet, in the hotel room she shared with her girlfriend...seriously?
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The Sky character seems to be an uneven combination of Alex Forrest and Annie Wilkes who, by the time her true agenda is revealed, Loughery actually has the nerve to introduce an accomplice whose addition to the story is actually supposed to imbue an element of sympathy and/or justification into why this Sky woman is so damaged but that boat is long sailed. And the whole story could have played without the perverted motel manager, well played by John Malkovich, whose entire role in the story brought it to a halt.
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The main reason I wanted to watch this film was because it featured the richly talented Cameron Monaghan playing Chris. Monaghan, who mesmerized television audiences on Gotham and Shameless, works very hard in this role but one thing Monaghan doesn't have a lot of experience with is playing victims and it really shows here. Kate Hudson-look-a-like Lilly Krug does show promise as Sky and Frank Grillo was terrific as Sebastian, but this overheated thriller just never fails to engage the viewer as the erotic thriller intended. 2

Gideon58

05-03-22, 08:12 PM

Immediately brought to mind Irreconcilable Differences. Thanks fore the review!

This was nothing like Irreconcilable Differences...this was like a way more serious version of Kramer VS Kramer...the dynamic between Susannah and Beale reminded me so much more of Ted and Joanna Kramer.

Gideon58

05-03-22, 08:46 PM

Inserts
Two years before winning a Best Actor Oscar for The Goodbye Girl, Richard Dreyfuss gave a ferocious, Oscar-worthy performance in a 1975 curio called Inserts, a gritty show business story that goes to some dark places but strong direction and the terrific performance by Dreyfuss will keep the viewer invested.
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It's Hollywood in the 1930's where we meet Boy Wonder (Dreyfuss) , an important Hollywood director whose career was destroyed with the advent of talkies, who is now living like a hermit and making porno movies inside his home on a single set with his junkie/actress/girlfriend Harlene (Veronica Cartwright). Boy Wonder and Harlene are in the process of making a porn extravaganza with a young actor called Rex the Wonder Dog (Stephen Davies) a dim-witted stud who is preparing to prostitute himself to an important male producer for a juicy contract. Big Mac (Bob Hoskins) arrives on the scene with his ambitious actress girlfriend Cathy Cake (Jessica Harper) to pay the cast. He pays Rex in cash and Harlene in heroine. Unfortunately, a tragedy derails the lives of all the principal players forever.
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Director and screenwriter John Byrum (Duets, Heart Beat) has mounted a dark and dangerous story taking place in a time in Hollywood that has normally been addressed in other movies with humor, like in Singin in the Rain, or in the manner of a fantasy like The Artist, but the underbelly of those times is approached here with a much more serious tone, along the lines of Sunset Boulevard. Boy Wonder reminded me a lot of Norma Desmond in the 1950 classic...he feels Hollywood has turned their back on him, but unlike Desmond, he is not in denial about it, he has just chosen to give up.
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The film feels like a play adapted for the screen, partly because the five above referenced characters are the only characters that appear on screen and that the entire film takes place inside Boy Wonder's decaying mansion. A fascinating element is added with the only other character getting mention in the film, though he's never seen, is an unknown actor named Clark Gable, who Boy Wonder, Big Mac, and Rex all feel threatened by.
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The film has a bold sexual underlayer that provides rich context for the characters, especially Boy Wonder, who we also learn that his descent into this armpit of the movie industry has brought his own sexual issues to the surface. The film features graphic, yet tasteful nudity throughout that never allows the viewer to forget the world we've become a part of. Dreyfuss is an acting powerhouse, in a performance that completely belies his age at the time and Cartwright works very hard as Harlene, even though she's really miscast and this was the finest performance of Jessica Harper's brief and sporadic career as well. It's not for all tastes, but a definite must for Dreyfuss fans. 3.5

Gideon58

05-05-22, 09:51 PM

The Card Counter
His impressive resume as a director and screenwriter includes films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Blue Collar, and Affliction, but Paul Schrader had a real swing and a miss with 2021's The Card Counter, a moody and meandering tale of revenge and redemption that, despite some stylish direction and a couple of striking performances, doesn't connect because it's not sure where it's trying to go and takes way too long to get there.
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This allegedly fact-based story centers on William Tell, a professional gambler and former military officer who, after some time behind bars, is trying to start over building a nestegg the only way he knows how...through poker and blackjack. his plan is disrupted by a young man named Cirk, who wants Tell's assistance in getting revenge on a mutual enemy from their past. Tell agrees to consider Cirk's request if Cirk accompanies him on a tour of high stakes poker, where he is financed by a seductress named LaLinda.
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Schrader has crafted a really interesting movie in here somewhere, but his story branches out in so many directions very quickly that it's difficult to tell what this movie is about at first. First, it appears to be about gambling addiction as the opening scenes are accompanied by Tell's narration offering us specific instructions on counting cards for blackjacks and how to play different kinds of poker. Just when it seem like we've figured it out, Tell's military past is revealed and we think it's about PTSD. Then a previously unexplained connection between Tell and Cirk finally comes to light in the third act, where we really learn what this movie is about and also about 40 minutes of screentime could have been eliminated.
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Schrader does create an interesting canvas for the story to take place. The world of television gambling does make an interesting canvas for the story, just like it did with Lucky You in 2007, but the canvas eventually begins to weigh the whole story down to the point where we almost check out before the spectacular finale. Oscar Isaac's richly internalized, De Niro-ish performance is fascinating throughout and I loved Willem Dafoe as Gordo, but the whole thing is just very labored and much longer than necessary. 2.5

Gideon58

05-06-22, 08:50 PM

Bustin' Loose
The late Richard Pryor had his first true vanity project as the star, executive producer, and co-screenwriter of an uneven comic adventure from 1981 called Bustin Loose, a comedy that Pryor tries to hold together despite a swiss cheese screenplay and a miscast leading lady.
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Pryor plays Joe Braxton, a career criminal who is trying to avoid another ten years in jail when his parole officer, forces him to drive a tightly wound social worker named Vivian Perry (the late Cicely Tyson) and eight children from downtown Philadelphia to Washington State in a broken down bus to a farm owned by Vivian's relatives that she plans to turn into a group home. Another wrinkle added to the story is that Joe's parole officer is romantically involved with Vivian.
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First of all, anything wrong with this film has to placed on Pryor's shoulders. The very first credit that appears on the screen is "A Richard Pryor Production". Pryor co-wrote the screenplay with Lonnie Elder III, who received an Oscar nomination for writing the 1972 Best Picture nominee Sounder. I'm pretty sure Tyson got on board because of Elder or vice versa, but there are a lot of things that happen here that don't make sense. Couldn't figure out why Joe's parole officer forced him to do this and then we learn about halfway through that Joe's parole office has been following them and wants them to turn around so he can put Joe back in jail. They do manage to get to Washington where we then learn Vivian doesn't have the money to pay off the farm and that's where the film starts to run out of gas.
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There are some other oddball story elements that were a little squirm worthy for this reviewer. We witness an emotionally scarred kid start a fire in a haystack and don't learn why for another 30 minutes. One of the young female students actually comes on to Joe and in another scene, Joe decides to teach the kids strip poker. I did like a fishing scene where Pryor and Tyson end up in the water and a beautifully written scene where Joe and the kids actually encounter the KKK is nothing that we expect and the strongest scene in the film.
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Pryor works very hard to make the inconsistences in his character work. This Joe Braxton is a slick and ignorant con artist in one scene and the perfect babysitter in the next. Cicely Tyson is just out of her element here...Tyson is a brilliant actress but physical comedy is not her forte. It's a lovely performance but it's in the wrong movie. The kids are all beyond annoying and most of them never worked again after this movie. Robert Christian, who had a significant role in 1979's And Justice for All, was excellent as Donald the parole office as was George Coe as a conman behind a pyramid scheme during the film's silly final act. I've heard a lot of things about this film over the years, but for this reviewer, a disappointment. 2.5

Gideon58

05-07-22, 07:11 PM

The Loved One
The recent passing of Robert Morse motivated my first viewing of 1965's The Loved One, a sumptuously mounted, star-studded, dark, and mean spirited black comedy that's a little more complex than it needs to be but is fascinating entertainment due to a squirm-worthy screenplay, a one of a kind cast, and some extraordinary production values.
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Morse plays Dennis Barlow, an aimless British poet who moves to Los Angeles on a whim and moves in with his Uncle Sir Francis (John Gielgud), who is employed in some non-specific way by a movie studio. After Francis loses his job, he quietly returns home and hangs himself. Dennis, of course, is left to the funeral arrangements and is led to a mysterious funeral empire called Whispering Glades, that appears to be its own world, run by the Reverend Glenworthy (Jonathan Winters), where he is entranced by one of the home's cosmetologists named Aimee (Anjanette Comer).
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While Dennis finds himself battling for Aimee's affections with the parlor's embalmer, Mr. JoyBoy (Rod Steiger), his introduction to the world of Whispering Glades leads him to taking a job at a pet cemetery called The Happy Hunting Grounds Memorial Home, which is run by a part time Hollywood agent named Harry (also Winters).
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This film has quite the offscreen pedigree. The overly intricate, but never uninteresting screenplay, based on a novel by Evelyn Waugh, is by Terry Southern (Dr. Strangelove, Easy Rider) and Christopher Isherwood (Cabaret, A Single Man). As a matter of fact, this film reminded me lot of Dr. Strangelove in its savage skewering of death as a business and the funeral business as one big sting operation that manipulates people through their grief. The scene where the casket salesman (a surprisingly on-target performance from Liberace (!)) is offering his wares to Dennis, is nothing short of brilliant. Tony Richardson was in the director's chair, fresh off winning twin Oscars for producing and directing the 1963 Best Picture Oscar winner, Tom Jones.
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As a satire of the funeral business, the film scores a direct bullseye, but as the final act of the program commences, there's a connection to the future of the space program that muddies the cinematic waters and drains a lot of the fun out of what we've seen to that point. The film is also rich with some of cinema's most bizarre characters, especially Dr. JoyBoy, not to mention where the story takes the fresh-faced Dennis and the virginal Aimee, whose on the surface star-crossed romance, hits a lot of dark potholes along the way.
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The black and white photography notwithstanding, Richardson has spared no expense in the looks of this film. Haskell Wexler's cinematography and future director Hal Ashby's editing are extraordinary. Production and set direction are superb as well...the eye-popping Whispering Glades is awash in elaborate statues, offices, laboratories and greenery that defy description. Big bouquet to John Addison's music too.
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This film is also a dream for cinephiles who love star power. Morse works very hard to make the journey that Dennis Barlow takes here credible, despite a questionable British accent. Steiger and Winters do Oscar-worthy work, especially Winters in a dual role that rivals Peter Sellers' dual role in Dr. Strangelove. And if you pay attention you will also catch appearances from James Coburn, Robert Morley, Dana Andrews, Roddy McDowell, Tab Hunter, Lionel Stander, Barbara Nichols, Milton Berle, Margaret Leighton, Reta Shaw and a blink or you'll miss it bit from Jamie Farr. This film also marked the film debut of future Oscar and Grammy winning singer/songwriter Paul Williams as an obnoxious child prodigy. It runs out of gas before the end, but a riveting film experience for most of the running time. 4

Gideon58

05-09-22, 03:58 PM

Everybody Loves Chris Rock
After what happened at this year's Oscar ceremony, I thought it might be interesting to take look at a 2021 documentary called Everybody Loves Chris Rock, a one-sided look at the comic icon that glosses over the hit and miss record that is his career and pretty much paints him as God's gift to comedy.
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Presented in traditional documentary style, the film begins with a look at his Brooklyn upbringing, rife with excepted racism that forced him in to drop out of high school, which Chris never got around to in his allegedly fact-based sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. Once the film gets into his career, including early mistreatment by the the powers to be at In Living Color and Saturday Night Live, this documentary really starts to examine his career, but making the quality and success of a lot of what he did a lot more than it was.
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His second HBO special, Bring the Pain, which I've seen at least half a dozen times, actually won the comic two Emmys, which was news to me. But I sat incredulous as this documentary began to wax rhapsodic about the success of films like Beverly Hills Cop 2, Head of State, Grown Ups, and CB4 and what works of art they were, when in reality, Rock's movie career has always been a mixed bag. No mention of classics like Osmosis Jones, Pauly Shore is Dead, and I Think I love my Wife. If the truth be told, Rock's best screen work has been in films where he had no creative control like New Jack City and Nurse Betty, but this movie tries to imply that just about every movie Rock has made was comedy gold and nothing could be further from the truth.
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The most fascinating part of the documentary was the inclusion of a press conference that Rock conducted after hosting the 2016 Oscars, which he handled beautifully, but was a squirm worthy watch after what happened this year. It was also interesting watching Rock doing press appearances for the Madagasgar franchise, posing and smiling with Jada Pinkett Smith.
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Don't get me wrong...I think Chris Rock is one of the funniest people on the planet. He is on my list of comics, along with George Carlin and Dave Chapelle, who i think everything he says is absolutely correct. But this movie tries to paint the guy like the Second Coming and I just can't get behind that. 3

Gideon58

05-10-22, 05:37 PM

The Strongest Man in the World (1975)
Dexter Riley and his pals from Medfield College return for the third and final installment of this Disney franchise called The Strongest Man in the World, which is definitely the weakest entry in the series.
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In this 1975 comedy, Kurt Russell reprises the role of Dexter Riley, a role he originated in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes[/I] and reprised in Now You See Him Now You Don't. Once again, fictional Medfield College is financially strapped and may have found a way out with a formula Dexter and his pals have come up with that, when mixed with breakfast cereal, causes superhuman strength. Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn, reprising his role from the first two films) wants to sell the formula to a cereal company headed by Harriet Crumply (Eve Arden), but a rival cereal company has hired AJ Arno (Ceasar Romero, also reprising his role from the first two films) to steal the formula.
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This is definitely the silliest of the three films, the first of which were made almost tolerable thanks to Kurt Russell's sweet-natured sincerity in the first two films. Unfortunately, Russell's screentime is severely reduced in this film, making room for a lot of over the top acting by some of the 1960's most recognizable character actors, some reprising their roles in the first two films, like Flynn and William Schallert as Prof. Quigley. I thought it was interesting that the first two films took place in separate universes, where nothing that happened in the first film was referenced in the second film. However, the first two films were referenced in this one, though it didn't make this one anymore interesting. The final weight lifting contest is silly, and not just because all of the contestants on the opposing team look 40 years old.
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Vincent McEveety's direction is a little manic, though he does get a strong assist from film editor Cotton Warburton, who won an Oscar for editing Mary Poppins. Russell makes the most of his limited screentime as does Romero and Dick Bakalyan, reprising their roles as AJ Arno and his stooge, Cookie. And if you don't blink, you will find appearances from Phil Silvers, Dick Van Patten, Kathleen Freeman, Friz Feld, James Gregory, Kathleen Freeman, Ronnie Schell, Harold Gould, Larry Gelman, John Myhers, Roy Roberts, Dick Patterson, Art Metrano, and Bert Mustin before the credits roll. The Dexter Riley franchise died quietly after this one and somehow Kurt Russell's career survived. 2

Gideon58

05-11-22, 09:48 PM

All the Old Knives
The steamy chemistry between Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton help to sustain interest in a 2022 espionage thriller called All the Old Knives, but not much.
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Pine and Newton play Henry and Celia, respectively, CIA agents and former lovers, who find themselves involved in a deadly hijacking and reunited many years later when investigation into the tragedy is still pending. Eventually, Henry is assigned to reunite with Celia, who has since retired from the agency, married, and had children, to find out about suspicions that she might have might have been working with the hijackers.
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This film reminded me a lot of a Robert Zemeckis film from a few years ago called Allied where Brad Pitt and Marian Coitillard played soldiers who are eventually forced into betraying each other. In that film, PItt has been presented evidence that Coitillard was double agent and is forced into betraying her, but the story here is not as clear cut.
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Unfortunately, the screenplay by Olen Steinhauser, based on his own book and his first effort as a screenwriter is confusing as sketchy. It's not just that the story is told out of sequence.
Quentin Tarantino proved years ago that a story told out of sequence can work. Henry is given virtually no concrete evidence that Celia did anything wrong, while, everyone else Celia was working with at the time came off like everything that came out of their mouths was a lie (especially the Bill Compton character, played by Jonathan Pryce). Exactly what happened that day becomes more and more mysterious as the film progresses and the only thing we want is to see these two somehow reunite romantically, which is never going to happen.
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And that's the main thing about this movie that works...the chemistry between Pine and Newton is positively kinetic, but outside of some outstanding production values (that wine-themed restaurant where they reunite is spectacular), it's the only thing that really works here. It runs less than two hours, but this one actually found me stifling the occasional yawn and checking my watch. And I'll be damned if I understand the title. 2.5

Gideon58

05-12-22, 09:27 PM

Three Fugitives
The unlikely teaming of Nick Nolte and Martin Short as a comic duo is a lot more effective than you might imagine in a 1989 action romp called Three Fugitives, from the creative force behind Les Cage aux Folles and its Americanized version The Bird Cage.
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Nolte plays Lucas, a career bank robber who has just been released from prison after years. He walks into a bank to open an account while a desperate wingnut named Ned (Short) bursts in with a grenade wanting to rob the bank and his panic when he realizes the police have surrounded the bank, causes him to take Lucas as a hostage, putting the pair on the run, along with Ned's young daughter, Meg, a special needs child who hasn't spoken in two years and is the reason Ned robbed the bank.
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This story might seem a little offbeat for Veber, who directed and wrote the screenplay for this action comedy peppered with just enough character study that we get to know and like these three characters at the heart of this tale that we are are more than willing to accept the numerous close calls from which they escape during the first two thirds of the film. One thing I did like about the story structure here is that for the majority of the first two thirds of the film, the title characters spend very little time onscreen together, kept apart by the crazy circumstances of the story, unfortunately, by the film's final third where the characters are brought together, the story starts to run out of gas, but we still want to see them get out of this.
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The other thing that really makes this movie work is the performances of Nolte and Short that really leap off the screen. Nolte, in particular, is just dazzling in a beautifully underplayed performance of world-weary cynicism that reminded me of his work 48 HRS and Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Nolte plays the character with a straight face and that's what makes it so funny and a perfect counterpoint to Short's manic, Jerry-Lewis-like shenanigans. Sarah Rowland Doroff, in her only film appearance to date, is all kinds of adorable as little Meg and every moment she shares onscreen with Nolte is gold. James Earl Jones and Alan Ruck are also fun as the cops chasing our heroes as is Kenneth McMillan as a vet who thinks Nolte is a dog. Ruck is very funny in a performance that seems to be channeling Judge Reinhold in Beverly Hills Cop. It doesn't sustain interest through closing credits, but Nolte alone makes it worth a look. 3.5

Gideon58

05-14-22, 09:46 PM

The Lost City (2022)
Take the 1984 Robert Zemeckis film Romancing the Stone and mix in equal portions of The African Queen and Jungle Cruise and you have an epic action adventure called The Lost City that gets off a to a great start, but definitely begins to runs out of gas during its final act before moving very slowly to its satisfying conclusion.
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The 2022 film stars Oscar winner Sandra Bullock as a spinsterish romance novelist named Loretta Sage who is on a book tour with Alan (Channing Tatum) the cover model for the main character in all of her novels. Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric millionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) who thinks something Loretta included her latest novel could lead him to a treasure if he could get Loretta to translate it for him. It's clear that Alan and Loretta have feelings for each other that have been buried for years, so when Loretta disappears, Alan hires an old buddy and adventurer named Jack Trainer (Oscar winner Brad Pitt, in a dazzling cameo) to rescue Loretta for him, but that doesn't quite work out and eventually Alan has to step up and save Loretta himself.
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The film initially comes off as a remake of Romancing the Stone. As a matter of fact, early on we get a glance of a hotel lobby with a large painting on the wall that says "Romancing the Pen", but there's a big difference with one of the central characters in this story. Michael Douglas' Jack Colton in Romancing the Stone is a genuine reincarnation of one of the characters in the books of Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner). In this film, Alan is the just the physical embodiment of Loretta's character, Dash. On the inside, Alan is a bubbling cauldron of neuroses and phobias, that come immediately to surface whenever Alan faces anything resembling discomfort or danger, and it's this character that gives this film the dash of originality it has.
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It was refreshingly realistic to learn that the Alan character is kind of a wimp, but even more refreshing than that is the fact that Alan is fully aware of it and doesn't care what anyone thinks. Once he realizes what kind of danger Loretta is in, he realizes the kind of help she needs and she knows it's not him. The funniest scenes in the film are when Pitt's Trainer is doing what he has to do to save Loretta and the utterly clumsy Alan keeps getting in his way.
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Of course, eventually it's up to Alan to save the day and when that does come to fruition, the film starts to run out of gas and runs much longer than it needs to, sagging in the middle but snapping back for a terrific ending. Bullock nicely underplays as the tightly wound Loretta and Daniel Radcliffe works very hard in a role that was clearly written for Peter Dinklage. Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Hector Anibal, and Oscar Nunez also make the most of supporting roles, but if the truth be told, Channing Tatum quietly walks off with this movie with his beautifully internalized performance as the outward cowardly Alan who steps up when he has to. Tatum alone makes this film worth sitting through. 3.5

Gideon58

05-16-22, 09:20 PM

Opening Night (1977)
The extraordinary John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands once again knock it out of the park with 1977's Opening Night, an edgy and emotionally charged psychological drama that plays out on a show business canvas that doesn't answer all the questions it raises but keeps the viewer riveted to the screen for most of its running time.
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The setting is New Haven, Connecticut, during the out of town tryouts for a new play called THE SECOND WOMAN starring acclaimed actress Myrtle Gordon (Rowlands). One night after a performance, Myrtle is confronted by what appears to be an unbalanced fan named Nancy Stein (Laura Johnson). After getting away from Laura and being rushed into a limo headed for her hotel, Laura is run over by a car and killed. Myrtle feels so guilt-ridden about what happened to Laura that she can no longer think about the play and finds herself having an actual breakdown.
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Director and screenwriter Cassavetes has crafted one of his most squirm-worthy works here because the events that transpire during the running constantly challenge the boundaries of realism without going into actual fantasy and having us wonder exactly what kind of story Cassavetes is trying to tell here. The story is steeped completely in realism up to the point of Laura's death...the scenes of Laura clinging to her obsession of Myrtle as she meets her for the first time are stomach churning and we understand Myrtle's initial guilt. We're confused though when Myrtle uses Laura's death as an excuse to step away from her responsibility to this play. It's through other characters' reactions like the director (Ben Gazzara), her leading man (Cassavetes) and the playwright (Joan Blondell) that we see Myrtle has abandoned the script and is walking onstage saying whatever she wants and under the influence of alcohol.
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Of course, everyone in Myrtle's orbit thinks they know exactly what's going on with Myrtle and offer their help, but a shocking mid-story reveal lets us know that they were all wrong about what's happening, yet we see Myrtle descend even further into this alcohol-soaked breakdown, from which there seems to be no escape, but Myrtle still seems determined to do this play and forsake the actual script, doing whatever she wants onstage. The final 30 minutes of the film, which feature Cassavetes and Rowlands onstage doing the play, even though we can't tell if they're sticking to the script or not, are mesmerizing.
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Cassavetes' direction is as unhinged as his performance and Rowlands offers one of her funniest and most explosive performances as Myrtle. Ben Gazzara offers his accustomed onscreen steel as the director and Joan Blondell's icy playwright won her Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Fans of Cassavetes and Rowlands will be in heaven. 4

Gideon58

05-17-22, 09:28 PM

On the Count of Three
Jerrod Carmichael, star of the short-lived sitcom, The Carmichael Show, impresses as the star and director of 2021's On the Count of Three, an edgy and intense black comedy that feature story elements from films like 'night mother, The End, and The Bucket List, but arouse the kind of emotions aroused by Jim Cummings films like Thunder Road and The Beta Test.
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Val (Carmichael) and Kevin (Christopher Abbott) have been friends since childhood, but as they are reunited at the beginning of this film, they are both suicidal. They decide they want to die together, but decide to get their affairs together and take care of unfinished business before they do.
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Suicide has never been one of my favorite movie subjects, but the screenplay by Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, which won the screenwriting award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, has a tongue-in-cheek undercoating that make the first two thirds of the film pretty easy to digest, but we know things are going to get more intense during the final third, beautiful symbolized by a change in the story's physical setting...the sun begins to set and it begins to snow. The scene at the gun range and the scene where Val reunited with his father beautifully represent both sides of this storytelling spectrum.
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LOVE the way the characters are first introduced to us which I don't want to ruin by describing here. The story ends up playing like separate little vignettes which one has to pinch oneself to remember that the whole film takes place in a matter of eight or ten hours. There are the expected scrapes with the law along the way, but even none of them play the way you expect them to. The scene in the convenience store with the clerk just coming on duty had me on the floor.
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In addition to his often breezy direction, Jerrod Carmichael delivers a rich performance as Val and Christopher Abbott is deliciously unhinged as Kevin. Mention should also be made of cameos by Henry Winkler and an actor I usually can't stand, JB Smoove, as Val's father. By the time this movie was over, my heart was in my shoes. 4

Gideon58

05-18-22, 05:11 PM

The In-Laws (1979)
The comic chemistry created by Peter Falk and Alan Arkin is at the center of 1979's the In-Laws, an often logic defying comic adventure that occasionally colors outside the lines of realism, but provides pretty solid laughs from opening to closing credits.
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Alan Arkin plays Sheldon Kornpett, a dentist who is looking forward to meeting Vince Ricardo (Falk), the father of the guy his daughter is marrying on Sunday. By the end of their first dinner together, Sheldon is convinced Vince is nuts but before he can forbid his daughter to never marry into this family, Vince implicates Sheldon and his family in a theft from the US Mint, which eventually finds Sheldon and Vince on the run in Honduras.
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The screenplay by Andrew Bergman (Honeymoon in Vegas)is fast-paced and jam-packed with fun one-liners, giving the dialogue a real Neil Simon quality. Vince's story is revealed to us methodically in order to gain sympathy for the character and by the time we have the whole story, even Sheldon is starting to change his mind about the guy and making us want the story to wrap perhaps a little quicker than it does.
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Director Arthur Hiller (The Out of Towners (1970), Silver Streak)) is no stranger to action comedy and puts a great deal of detail into some of the best comic car chases I've seen in a minute. My favorite was the one where Vince repeatedly jumps a highway median and doing a U-turn, followed quickly by the bad guys. There's also an early scene of Sheldon being chased around a cab by a gun man who's a really bad shot that had me on the floor.
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But more than anything, it is the work of Falk and Arkin that keeps this one on sizzle. Falk has the flashier role and doesn't make a false move during the film, but it's very easy to overlook Arkin's work here...it's much more subtle as we watch the Sheldon character try to keep his head while going through a meltdown. Watch him during the final firing squad scene...the character has clearly checked out. Richard Libertini steals every scene he has as a Mexican General who thinks he's Senor Wences. Nancy Dussault and Arlene Golonka were also fun as the guys' wives. The film was remade in 2003 with Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks in the Falk and Arkin roles, respectively, but they didn't have the chemistry that Falk and Arkin have. 4

Gideon58

05-19-22, 06:23 PM

Senior Year (2022)
Despite appearances in the Pitch Perfect franchise, the film version of Cats, and the distaff remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels called The Hustle, Rebel Wilson remains an acquired taste to this reviewer and the lackluster and predictable comedy Senior Year has done nothing to alter my opinion about the severely overrated actress.
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In this 2022 film, a 17 year old girl named Stephanie who is the head cheerleader at her school is seriously injured during a cheer routine and falls into a coma. Stephanie wakes up almost 20 years later and even though she is now 37 years old, her brain is still the brain of a 17 year old girl and she is determined to complete the senior year she slept through, which includes becoming prom queen and stealing the boyfriend of her best friend, Tiffany.
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Even though the screenplay for this film is credited to Andrew Knaur, Arthur Pielli, and Brandon Scott Jones, this story rips off just about any teen comedy from the 80's and 90's that you can think of and doesn't do a very good job of it. The premise and backstory are efficiently mounted, but after Stephanie awakens from her coma, the film's pacing becomes deadly, making the movie seem about seven hours long.
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The other main problem was the twitchy and undisciplined performance by Rebel Wilson in the starring role that comes off like Jerry Lewis on crack. Wilson has never been so annoying onscreen, making it hard to sympathize with the character. Being unable to sympathize with the Stephanie character made the rest of the movie pretty intolerable.
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Ironically, I really enjoyed Angourie Rice as the pre-coma Stephanie, but pretty much wanted to check out after Wilson took over the role. Limited laughs were provided along the way by Chris Parnell as Stephanie's dad, Justin Hartley as her prom king, and Joshua Calley as Yaz and there are a couple of well-choreographed dance numbers, but getting through this one was work. 2

Joel

05-20-22, 07:57 PM

Gideon58

05-20-22, 09:41 PM

Tremors (1990)
The recent passing of Fred Ward motivated my first viewing of Tremors since its original theatrical release. This rollicking re-thinking of the monster movies of the 1950's still provides the edge-of-your-seat thrills that it did over 30 years ago.
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Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Ward) are handymen on their way out of a tiny southwestern desert town called Perfection when they realize the town is being literally swallowed up by a trio of large, worm-like creatures who burrow from underground and are taking out the sparsely populated town of Perfection one by one. With the aid of a pretty seismologist (Finn Carter), Val and Earl find themselves very reluctant heroes.
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Director Ron Underwood (City Slickers, Hearts and Souls, White Men Can't Jump) has to take primary credit for the success of this contemporary thriller for the way he allows the story to build from an unassuming beginning to a fever pitch that finds a group of nine or ten people on top of a rock in the middle of the desert trying to figure out how they're going to survive.
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The screenplay by Underwood, SS Wilson, and Brent Maddock combines a tongue in cheek sensibility with a sometimes logic-defying blueprint for our heroes to get themselves out of this mess. We're about halfway through the film when our heroes have figured out that the creatures cannot penetrate rock, cannot get to the top of buildings, and something I didn't notice during my first watch, that they can't see. A clever comic touch is also added with the reveal that these monsters also really stink.
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Underwood's camerawork is nothing short of superb throughout, with a strong assist from film editor O Nicholas Brown. Love the shots from the creatures' point of view burrowing from underground, used sparingly to incredible effect, just like the tracking shots above ground from the monsters' point of view. The doctor's wife getting buried in her station wagon and the battle with the gun nuts Burt and Heather were among the most memorable of several heart-stopping scenes.
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I think this is the film that officially made Fred Ward a movie star and deservedly so...the very first shot of him in the film is fantastic...what a face. And even though it has nothing to do with the movie per se, Kevin Bacon has rarely been sexier onscreen, and I have to give a shout out to Michel Gross as Burt, a role light years away from Steven Keaton. This film also features an impressive film debut of future country music superstore Reba McIntire as Heather. The film is 32 years old, but I sure couldn't tell. Followed by three sequels, a 2003 remake, and a television series. 4

Gideon58

05-21-22, 09:49 PM

The Bad Guys
2022's The Bad Guys is a splashy and fast-paced animated feature from Dreamworks that drifts into Disney Pixar territory with middling results, but does provide pretty consistent entertainment.
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The title characters are a group of career criminals led by Wolf (voiced by Oscar winner Sam Rockwell), who calls the shots for Snake (voiced by Marc Maron), Shark (voiced by Craig Robinson), Tarantula (voiced by Awkwafina), and Pirahna (voiced by Anthony Ramos). The gang's plant to steal an important award is thwarted by Governor Foxington (voiced Zazie Beetz), who instead of having the guys arrested, gives them a chance to redeem themselves by going to rehab in an effort to become good, but even that good, but even that doesn't go as planned.
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The story is further complicated by Wolf's plan for another job, which gets hopelessly mangled up in his conscience when he discovers something within himself that really wants to become good, causing him to betray his friends, but bringing him a lot closer to the Governor, who has a secret or two of her own.
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The screenplay by Etan Cohen (Holmes & Watson) is based on a series of books by Aaron Blabey, which might explain the overly complex story that plays like a Disney Pixar feature. The film starts off very cleverly, coming off like an animated homage to the Ocean's 11 franchise as they try to steal the Golden Dragon, but the story really slows down when Wolf has crisis of conscience and during the final third, we get way too many plot twists to keep straight, but we love the characters so much at this point that we try to latch onto what we can and hope that it all comes together at one point.
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The story also looks into the natural order of animals in history and literature when Wolf pontificates about how wolves are always the bad guys in fairy tales and that explains why he is who he is today. Animals and their natural enemies are also challenged in the possible romance between Wolf and Governor Foxington. The story never lets us forget it's 2022 either. There is an adorable scene of Wolf saving a kitten from a tree that Wolf wants to downplay, but Professor Marmelade immediately pulls out his phone to show Wolf how many likes his good deed is getting.
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The film features terrific voice work, with standout work from Rockwell, Awkefina, Ramos, Beetz, Alex Borstein as Police Chief Misty Loggins, and especially Marc Maron as Snake. The plot gets a little busier than it needs too, but there is fun to be had here. 3.5

Gideon58

05-23-22, 04:16 PM

This is It
For those out there who have no problem discriminating between a celebrity's career and his private life, the 2009 documentary This is It, a look at the behind scenes preparations for Michael Jackson's final concert tour, released four months after his death, provides a fascinating look at the artist for those who can still be objective about the artist.
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Before continuing, it should be noted that this review is coming from someone who believed that Michael Jackson was a pedophile and only got away with what he did because he paid off the families of those two boys whose lives he forever altered (see my review of Leaving Netherland). But this documentary is not about his personal life, it is about the end of his professional one and that's what I will be talking about here.
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About a year before his death, Michael Jackson announced that he was beginning rehearsals for what would be his final concert tour, premiering in London. This documentary opens as rehearsals begin with quick interviews with dancers auditioning and passionately explaining to the camera why it is their dream to be a backup dancer for Michael Jackson. The film then switches to the Staples Center in Los Angeles as Michael begins rehearsing various numbers while the scene of the dancers auditioning for him resemble the opening of the 1979 film All That Jazz.
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We get an interesting look at Michael filming his "Smooth Criminal" video and how he had re-thought it for this tour, ditto with "The Way You Make Me Feel". We see that Michael has put a lot of thought into the songs he wanted to include in this tour, but he also didn't want to just rehash the original recordings. I was also impressed with a glimpse at dance class for his dancers, where they were actually rehearsing Michael's famous crotch grab. The most fascinating aspect of this documentary, however, was the backstage look at Michael Jackson, singer, dancer, and musician.
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The most fascinating aspect of watching Michael rehearse and was easily the most interesting part of this documentary, was the way he knew he was rehearsing and never did anything full out. I loved that we saw Michael "marking" a lot off his vocals, but when he was onstage he never stopped moving. He knew when his voice was tired but he always knew exactly what he wanted vocally. There's a great moment where he tells his musical director that he has to let a certain musical phrase "simmer." He is always extremely respectful of director Kenny Ortega, his musical director, his vocal director, and his dancers. There is one moment where he is having issues with an audio piece in his ear, but he explains his displeasure with the equipment minus any kind of diva behavior or disrespect...the consummate show business professional.
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In the opening scenes of this documentary, Michael is observed in press appearances publicizing this tour, that "this was it" and would be the last and greatest thing he would ever do. After watching this documentary, I am convinced that if he had lived and this tour would have happened, Michael could have charged $5000 a ticket and would have sold out the entire tour. 4

Gideon58

05-24-22, 04:36 PM

Good Mourning
Fans of the HBO series Entourage might have a head start with a 2022 comedy called Good Mourning, a pointless, tasteless, and over the top showbiz comedy that is so busy trying to be hip and cool that it forgets to be funny.
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This film is a day in the life of London Clash, movie and television star who stars in the #1 rated television show. which just aired its series finale to dismal reviews. London is also freaking about his meeting for the starring role in a new Batman movie. London is further distracted by a strange text from his Oscar-winning actress girlfriend, Apple, which he thinks is her way of breaking up with him. Throughout all of this, London gets plenty of good and bad advice from his posse, Dylan, Angel, Leo, and Fat Joe.
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Machine Gun Kelly, who played Tommy Lee in the Motley Crew movie The Dirt, served as star, director, and co-screenwriter for this all over the place story whose basic premise does resemble Entourage, but in this movie, London's posse are a bunch of freaking idiots who pretend to have London's back but only when it's beneficial to them and whenever London really needs them, they go screaming into the night. The only real friendship and moral barometer in London's life is his former roommate, a beautiful lesbian named Kennedy (Megan Fox).
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The movie starts out okay...the backstory where London introduces all the characters is cleverly written, but by the time we meet London's agent, Maxine, who doesn't know how to close her legs when she's seated and when we see the guys break three vases of Apple's family's ashes and their stupid solution to the problem, I was tempted to check out.
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There's a pretty big budget behind this movie, but it doesn't disguise the overwhelming mediocrity of the material. As for the performances, Kelly does display some acting talent even if the role isn't worthy of it. The biggest laughs in the movie come from Fox, Whitney Cummings as Maxine, and Pete Davidson as Barry, a parking valet who wants more than anything to be part of London's crew. There are also a couple of funny cameos by Danny Trejo and Dennis Rodman, and Snoop Dogg provides the voice of a joint. But I think the appeal of this lies in your admiration of Machine Gun Kelly. 2

Gideon58

05-25-22, 09:49 PM

Half Baked (1998)
Comedy icon Dave Chappelle out himself on the map as the star and co-screenwriter of a silly stoner comedy called Half Baked which pretty much coasts on the charm and wit of Chappelle, though it has developed a bit of a cult status.
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This 1998 comedy stars Chappelle, Guillermo Diaz, and Jim Breuer as a trio of stoner buddies who steal marijuana from a hospital and start selling it in order to get the fourth member of their posse (Harland Williams) out of jail. Their mission is complicated by a pretty girl named Mary Jane (Rachel True) who Chappelle falls for her hard, even though she hates drugs and a rival drug dealer (the late Clarence Williams III) who thinks our heroes are cutting in on his territory.
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Chappelle co-wrote the screenplay with Neil Brennan, who was a former writer on SNL and on Chappelle's variety show. The beginning of the movie is funniest where the characters are introduced to us through Chappelle's very funny narration. There are sporadic laughs as we see the guys getting high on their own supply and see this particular strain of marijuana give its consumers the ability to float mid-air. Scenes of a lot of potheads smoking are blended with scenes of Harland Williams' character in jail trying to protect his virgin ass with the help of a fellow inmate (Tommy Chong).
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There are funny moments spread throughout the movie, but the romance with Mary Jane always slows things down because we never buy the fact that she thinks Chappelle's Thurgood doesn't smoke and it takes way too long for her to catch on.
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Truthfully, it's the charm and wit of Chappelle that keeps this thing relatively watchable. Diaz and Clarence Williams III make the most of their screentime and there are fun cameos from Willie Nelson, Bob Saget, Tracy Morgan, Snoop Dogg, and Jon Stewart. It's nothing special, but Chappelle fans will enjoy it. 3

Gideon58

05-28-22, 04:59 PM

Encanto
The Oscar winner for Outstanding Animated Feature of 2021, Disney's Encanto an elaborate and splashy musical fantasy that takes a bit too long to get where it's going but is solid entertainment thanks to a lovely story and a bouncy musical score by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
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As the story begins, Abuela Alma is sharing her Columbian family legacy with her granddaughter, Mirabel. The widowed mother of three, Abuela, was gifted with a magic candle that not only provided her with a magical home for her babies, but provided most of her family members with magical powers like superhuman strength, the ability to control the weather, and the ability to talk to animals. We learn immediately that teenage Mirabel doesn't have a power, but she waits patiently as her family continually reassures her that her power will be revealed in time, but Mirabel's patience has grown thin and she begins a search for what her power might be; unfortunately, as her search for the truth leads her to the truth, her family members begin losing their powers and their magical home begins to self-destruct.
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The screenplay by Charisse Castro Smith, who wrote the remake of The House on Haunted Hill and Jared Brush, who wrote Zootopia starts off beautifully with an enchanting and clever story that makes startling leaps from fantasy to reality almost from the beginning, but by the halfway point of the story, it starts to come into focus what's going on here, but there's just a bit too much leisure in getting there, though we have a lot to distract us.
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The primary distraction is this lovable central character Mirabel, another fiercely independent Disney heroine in the tradition of Belle, Mulan and Pochantas, but more rooted in her family than these other Disney heroines. This young girl is extremely proud of her family, which is beautifully displayed in the opening number "The Family Madrigal", and even though something deep inside her tells her that the family is hiding something from her, she never wavers in her loyalty for her family. We know that, if it came down to it, Madrigal would choose her family over having magic powers, and that's OK.
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The other distraction is the positively kinetic score by Broadway wunderkind Lin-Minuel Miranda (In the Heights; Hamilton) that had my toes tapping throughout the movie. In addition to the previously mentioned "The Family Madrigal". I also loved Louisa's fantasy number, "Surface Pressure", which featured Louisa with a chorus of dancing donkeys, Mirabel's "Waiting on a Miracle", and best of all, "We Don't Talk to Bruno", a vocally intricate number that involves more than half a dozen characters that reminded me of "It's Your Fault" from Into the Woods.
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The movie is gorgeous to look at, bathed in dreamy pastels, and moves at a nice enough pace that we almost don't notice that it's a shade longer than it needs to be. The voice work is solid with standout work from Stephanie Beatriz as Mirabel, María Cecilia Botero as Abuela, and especially John Leguizamo as Bruno. Disney really knocked it out of the park here. 4.5

Gideon58

05-28-22, 08:39 PM

The Sterile Cuckoo
Under the sensitive directorial guidance of Alan J Pakula (All the President's Men), Liza Minnelli made audiences and critics sit up and take notice with her utterly charming performance in a warm comedy drama from 1969 called The Sterile Cuckoo, which was only Minnelli's third appearance on the big screen. The first doesn't count because she was a baby in the arms of mother, Judy Garland, in In the Good Old Summertime.
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Minnelli plays Pookie Adams, a kooky and hypersensitive young woman leaving home for college who runs into a shy young man named Jerry Payne (Wendell Burton) on the bus on the way to school and pretty much bullies the young man into a relationship that moves just a little too quickly for Jerry.
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Minnelli is the whole show here and she is totally up for the challenge, with a strong assist from Pakula. Pakula tries to fool us during the opening credits by having Pookie and her father sitting at the bus stop, not talking to each other or even looking at each other. Once she boards that bus and lies to a nun to get the seat next to Jerry, she pretty much doesn't shut up for the rest of the movie.
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Alvin Sargent, who won Oscars for writing Ordinary People and Julia, has provided a smooth screenplay that doesn't play all of its cards too quickly and some not at all. It becomes pretty clear about 25 minutes into the film that this Pookie Adams has some serious issues that are buried in her backstory, of which we are provided precious little. We get our first hint that something is not as it should be during the first scene after Jerry and Pookie have sex, where she flips out because Jerry has made plans for Xmas vacation that don't include her. Speaking of the sex scene, my only laugh out loud moment in the film came when Jerry is getting ready to take off Pookie's clothes and decides he needs to wash his hands first.
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The problems with this movie can be forgiven thanks to Liza Minnelli's charismatic performance as Pookie Adams, which earned her her first Oscar nomination for Lead Actress, losing the award to Maggie Smith for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. If the truth be told, there is a scene in the final third of the film where Pookie is on the phone begging Jerry to let her spend the holidays with him at school that I think single-handedly earned the actress the nomination. This scene is alone worth the price of admission. Baby-faced Wendell Burton actually holds his own with Minnelli, in what turned out to be the most significant role of his career. Minnelli definitely makes this one worth a look. 3.5

Gideon58

05-31-22, 09:56 PM

The Valet (2022)
Though it does provide sporadic laughs, the 2022 comedy The Valet suffers from an overstuffed screenplay that makes it longer than it needs to be and a B-list cast of actors playing roles that should be played by A-list stars.
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This remake of a 2006 French film is about Antonio, the recently separated father of a teenage son who works as a parking valet at a fancy Beverly Hills restaurant who is hired by a glamorous movie star named Olivia Allen, to pretend to be her boyfriend in order to keep the media from finding out that she's having an affair with a very married millionaire.
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The primary culprit here is an overly complex screenplay, based on a Francis Verber film, that just tries to cover too much territory featuring way too many characters for the viewer to ultimately care about. In addition to the four above mentioned principal characters. we also have Antonio's soon-to-be-ex-wife, who clearly still has feelings for him. We have Antonio's huge family, which includes his three brothers, a sister, and a sexually uninhibited mother who has remarried a sweet-natured Asian man, who has moved his entire brood into the house as well. We also have a pair of private investigators who have been hired on opposites sides of this deception, not to mention the fact that the millionaire is trying to keep his wife from stealing his company. It's just exhausting trying to keep up with everything thrown at us here. There are dozens and dozens of characters who cross the screen during the running time and very few of them are worthy of the screentime and/or backstory they deserve.
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It doesn't help that the film is cast almost exclusively with unknowns. Even though he had a major role in this year's Best Picture winner,Coda, Eugenio Derbez works hard in the starring role, but is just a little over his head here. Samara Weaving, niece of actor Hugo Weaving, gives a one note performance as Olivia, a role that was screaming for a Michelle Williams or an Olivia Wilde. Max Greenfield, probably the biggest name in the cast, gives it the old college try in a role that seemed tailored for Bradley Cooper. With an A-list cast and a more economic screenplay, there's a really great movie buried under here somewhere. 3

Gideon58

06-01-22, 09:55 PM

Hook
Though director Steven Spielberg deserves an "A" for effort, his elegantly mounted revisiting to James M Barrie world called Hook fails to provided the entertainment it should due to a screenplay that tries to cover too much territory, making the film seem seven hours long.
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The late Robin Williams plays Peter Manning a workaholic attorney and father of two, who is really the adult Peter Pan, though he has no memory of it. He is also married to Moira, who is the granddaughter of the real Wendy. Peter returns from a celebration of his famous grandmother-in-law to find his children missing. Wendy reacquaints him with his legacy and informs him that his children have been kidnapped by Captain Hook (Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman) because he wants revenge on Peter. With the aid of Tinker Bell, Peter returns to Neverland to get his children.
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The film really suffers from a complex screenplay that moves across the film a little too leisurely. In addition to the original James M Barrie novel, the screenplay also borrows elements from other classics like The Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Carol, and Mary Poppins that have the film touching not only on the concept of never growing up on the inside, but seizing the day, and never neglecting your family, which contributes to this film feel like it goes on forever.
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Spielberg and company take too much time establishing backstory about adult Peter. When they finally finish that and Tink takes him to Neverland, he finds way more to contend with than Captain Hook. It's really frustrating when he reunites with the Lost Boys and, instead of providing Peter assistance, initially provide conflict making Peter's mission nearly impossible. Nearly forty-five minutes of screen time is wasted with Peter fighting with the Lost Boys when it could have been used more economically fighting Captain Hook, a terrific movie villain who really gets kind of short shrift here. Nothing onscreen justifies the film's two hour and twenty-one minute running time.
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Needless to say, with a Spielberg at the helm, production values are splendid, with special nods to art direction/set direction, cinematography, and John Williams' lush music. Hoffman surprisingly underplays to maximum effect as Hook, but Williams is miscast and Oscar winner Julia Roberts is kind of annoying as Tinker Bell. Also loved Maggie Smith as adult Wendy. Hardcore Spielberg and Hoffman fans might want to give it a go. 3

Takoma11

06-01-22, 10:06 PM

Nearly forty-five minutes of screen time is wasted with Peter fighting with the Lost Boys when it could have been used more economically fighting Captain Hero, a terrific movie villain who really gets kind of short shrift here.

Look at this telling Freudian slip! Rooting for the villain!

EDIT: And I also agree with your thoughts, BTW. Even as a very easy-to-please child I was very aware that the movie was too long.

Gideon58

06-02-22, 02:39 PM

Thanks for pointing that out...will be fixing it immediately.

Gideon58

06-02-22, 10:08 PM

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes
Like the assassination of JFK, most people feel that we know everything about the death of Marilyn Monroe or that we will never know exactly what happened, but for those who still mine for information on the death of this cinematic icon, a few unknown pearls are revealed in a 2022 Netflix documentary called The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes.
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Director Emma Cooper has put a lot of love and respect into this look into the life and death of Monroe through the eyes of a writer named Anthony Summers, who also wrote the 1986 HBO movie Norma Jean and Marilyn. Summers is observed putting together a look at Marilyn's life through a series of audio tapes featuring interviews with Marilyn and several people who had different roles in her life, including a psychiatrist and his family, private detectives, white house staffers, and FBI agents all offering their thoughts on who Marilyn was and what happened to her. However, hiring actors to play some of these people talking on the phone with Summers really didn't work for this reviewer.
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What's initially amusing about these tapes is that almost everyone who talks about Marilyn here seems to feel like they knew Marilyn better than anyone. They also all seemed to feel like they were the only ones who had "the whole story" on what happened to Marilyn. And needless to say, it was heartbreaking listening to Marilyn talk about her life and career in her own voice.
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And just when we think we're not going to learn anything new, we have to wait until the final 15 minutes of the film to learn some tidbits about what happened on August 8, 1962 that before this documentary, have never been revealed before. And it is the final 15 minutes of this documentary that hardcore Marilyn devotees, like myself, will revel in. 3.5

Gideon58

06-04-22, 09:32 PM

love! valour! compassion!
Fans of The Boys in the Band might have a head start with 1997's love! valour! compassion, the emotionally-charged film adaptation of an off-Broadway play that might take some inspiration from the Mart Crowley classic, but definitely takes on added layers due to its contemporary setting, and remains quite watchable due to sensitive direction and some surprisingly solid performances.
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The setting is the upstate New York Victorian home of Gregory (Stephen Bogardus), an aging dancer and choreographer and his blind lover, Bobby (Justin Kirk), who have a group of friends spend three summer holiday weekends with them. The guest list includes John (John Glover), an angry musician and his much younger new lover, Ramon (Randy Becker); Arthur (John Benjamin Hickey) and Perry )Stephen Spinella) a couple who have been in a committed relationship for 14 years; Buzz (Jason Alexander) is passionate about Broadway musicals and is in denial about the fact that he has AIDS. We also meet John's twin brother, James (also Glover), who is also AIDS-stricken and dismayed by the hatred from his twin brother.
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The film is an adaptation of a play Terrance McNally (Frankie and Johnny, The Ritz) that never really escapes its theatrical origins but that's OK, because this piece is rich with extremely theatrical characters and themes. It also gives the going-on here the intimate atmosphere they deserve. The whole story feels like a beautifully mounted home movie about people we want to get to know. Perhaps it was unfair to start with a comparison to The Boys in the Band because, outside the fact that all of the characters are gay, this story is quite different from Mart Crowley's play.
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Unlike The Boys in the Band, this story takes place at the height of the AIDS epidemic and not to touch on it would be wrong. In this movie, we get a look at one thing the AIDS epidemic did to the gay community. It fueled not only a lot of hate, but a lot of self-loathing in the community. The Perry character is terrified of the disease to the point that he is drowning in a self-loathing that makes him hate everything about being gay...except Arthur. The part of this story that really spoke to me is when Ramon found himself immediately attracted to Bobby. It was so interesting watching a love story between a man used to using his looks to getting what he wants but finding them useless now and a sensitive man loved by one man but drawn to another he can't see.
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McNally's screenplay is to be applauded for its unabashed presentation of gay stereotypes that always ring true. I loved the fact that a lot of Buzz' dialogue was lyrics from Broadway musicals that most non-musical lovers won't even recognize. I loved the intimacy between the characters even though some were played by gay actors and some weren't. The actors are completely invested here and director Joe Mantello (The Normal Heart has to take a lot of credit for that. It should be mentioned that there is some tasteful frontal nudity, so be warned for those offended by that sort of thing.
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Mantello has pulled some spectacular performances from his cast, especially Alexander, who will surprise all those George Costanza fans out there, Kirk, Hickey, and especially Glover, who quite amazingly creates two completely gay characters who are twin brothers. I'm not going to lie, this is not for all tastes, but if you enjoyed Mantello's 2020 remake The Boys in the Band, you'll enjoy this too. 4

Gideon58

06-06-22, 07:34 PM

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
It's not what it appears to be on the surface, but Nicolas Cage's ability to poke fun at his own onscreen persona makes 2022's The Unbearable weight of Massive Talent a unique screen experience that not only holds appeal for fans of the star but for true film buffs as well.
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The film opens with a young foreign couple watching Con-Air and being fascinated by its star when some thugs burst into their home and kidnap the girl. The film then moves to Hollywood where we meet the Oscar winner, in desperate straits about his career and hoping to get the starring role in a very important movie. Shortly after learning that he didn't get the role, he receives an invitation from a super fan named Javi to entertain at a party. Upon his arrival in South America, Cage strikes up a friendship with Javi just as he's informed by the CIA that Javi is a wanted arms dealer and it is Javi's bosses who kidnapped his daughter.
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Director and co-screenwriter Tom Gormican is to be applauded for a richly complex screenplay that is not so complex that it confuses the viewer. First of all, it is important to know that the Nicolas Cage at the center of this story is a fictionalized version of the actor. Yes, his career is heavily referenced, but the personal life of the actor is fictionalized, probably the only way to get the actor to agree to do the film. The film does reference some of his most famous movies though. In addition to Con-Air, the screenplay does provide knowing winks to The Rock, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, and Face/Off among others. There is also a brilliant homage to his Oscar-winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas.
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What I didn't see coming and what became the emotional center of the film is the relationship that develops between Cage and Javi. Javi's obsession with Cage comes off as sincere but never dangerous. Loved that every time Cage and Javi got in a tight spot, Javi would reference something from one of Cage's movies to get them out of it. LOVED when Javi showed Cage his museum of Cage movie trivia, including a giant wax figure of Castor Troy, pointing his golden weapons. We even get a couple of appearances from Cage's conscience, also played by Cage and billed as Nic, who provides advice and strength for our hero. I wouldn't have minded twenty more minutes of screentime if it had been devoted to Nicolas and Nic. I also liked the way Cage allowed the story to remind us that he's a little too old to do the kind of action roles he used to do.
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Gormicon was afforded a huge budget for the film and it's all up there on the screen. Cage appears to be having a ball here and he is perfectly complimented by the utterly charming Pedro Pascal as Javi, absolutely lighting up the screen. Cinematography and music are the final touches on this surprisingly solid comic fantasy that doesn't promise what it originally seems to, but provides some surprising answers that are well worth waiting for. 4

Gideon58

06-06-22, 09:55 PM

House of Strangers
Before winning four Oscars for writing and directing A Letter To Three Wives and All About Eve, Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed and wrote a richly entertaining Shakespearean-styled family drama called House of Strangers thanks to Mankiewicz' skill and a some sterling lead performances.
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As the film opens we see Max Monetti (Richard Conte) being released from prison after seven years and going to the bank being run by his three brothers. Max rebuffs his brothers' offers to make peace and says he plans revenge on all of them and his father, one Gino Monetti (Edward G. Robinson). The film then flashes back to Max and his brothers working their tails off to impress daddy Gino, who really doesn't have any feelings for any of them except Max. Max also finds himself in an on and off love affair with a flashy socialite named Irene (Susan Hayward) despite the fact that he's engaged.
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Mario Puzo has to have been influenced by this film when he wrote The Godfather because the influence is definitely felt here. Four brothers struggling to get attention from a patriarch that they never really get here. There's a great scene at the beginning of the film where we see crowds of people gathering in front of Gino's desk, begging for financial favors the same way folks seek favors from Don Vito Corleone at the beginning of The Godfather during Connie's wedding. Was also impressed with the silence of Gino's wife, for the majority of the film, living up to the quiet Italian matriarch she was supposed to be.
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Edward G Robinson offers one of his most dazzling performances as Gino and Richard Conte gives the strongest performance I've ever seen from him as Max and the chemistry that he and Susan Hayward create onscreen is positively electric. A classy and intense melodrama from the golden age of cinema. The final scene is a knockout. 4

Gideon58

06-07-22, 07:09 PM

Father Stu
Despite some solid performances, the 2022 docudrama Father Stu suffers from inexperience behind the camera, resulting in a cliche-ridden script, and lethargic direction that take a lot of the entertainment value out of this true story.
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This is the story of Stuart Long, an amateur boxer who has to quit the sport for medical reasons and then decides that he's going to Hollywood to become an actor. During this chapter of his journey, he meets a virginal Latina who won't give him the time of day because she's Catholic, which eventually leads Stuart to seminary school and joining the priesthood.
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The mediocrity of this film is painful to report because this film was a real passion project for its star, Mark Wahlberg, who couldn't get a major studio to back the project so he financed it himself. Unfortunately, director and screenwriter, Rosalind Ross, a relative newcomer to the business seems to be a little over her head here. Her depiction of the title character, a cocky, self-absorbed jerk who wants life on his own terms who, after meeting a girl, decides to become a priest, just never rings true. It's no fun watching a guy becoming a priest because of a girl, considering priests can't marry, but we never see exactly when Stu finds God, making the rest of his journey hard to swallow. It gets worse when the character is struck with a crippling disease taking away his ability to walk, making the film dissolve into a melodramatic puddle from which its difficult to recover.
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The only time the film comes to life is during Stu's scenes with his parents, beautifully played by Mel Gibson and Jacki Weaver. It was so interesting seeing Gibson and Wahlberg playing father and son in a dramatic vehicle, after they had played a comic father and son in Daddy's Home Two, but if the truth be told, the most powerful moments in this film came when Gibson and Wahlberg brought this very complex father and son relationship to the screen.
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Wahlberg works very hard at making this role work, including a remarkable physical transformation, something akin to what Robert De Niro did for Raging Bull. Mention shoud also be made of Malcolm McDowell as a sensitive Monsignor and Aaron Moten and Cody Fern as Ham and Jacob, but slogging through this schmaltzy melodrama posing as engaging docudrama was a chore. 2.5

Gideon58

06-08-22, 04:39 PM

Before Sunrise
Five time Oscar nominated director and screenwriter Richard Linklater originally knocked it out of the park with 1995's Before Sunrise, a lyrical and unconventional love story that examines the concept of love at first sight from a twisted angle that fascinates from opening to closing credits.
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American Jessie meets French Celine on a train traveling from Budapest to Paris. Celine is traveling all the way to Paris, but Jessie is getting off the train at Vienna where he is catching a plane back to the states. After having a sparkling conservation and meal on the train club car, Jessie impulsively asks Celine to get off the train with him and spend the night with him until he has to leave Vienna the next morning and she, surprisingly, agrees.
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What can I say, I absolutely LOVED this movie. This is one of those magical love stories that stays just within the boundaries of realism, enabling us to accept everything that happens and that it happens in less than 24 hours. Jessie and Celine play tourist in Vienna, each place they visit becoming a vignette in their very special love story. From their lovely meeting in the lounge car, the connection between these two is based on intelligent conversation, shared passion, and the sexual tension that arouses from their getting to know each other first. They don't share a kiss until 30 minutes into the film and whether or not they have sex is addressed, but left up to the discretion of the viewer to decide if it happened and I loved that.
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The film features gorgeous Italian scenery and I loved that after the film was over, the camera visits everyplace that the couple did. This was one of those movies that had me so completely invested and wanted more when it was over. I was so relieved to learn that there is a sequel called Before Sunset, which earned Linklater his first Oscar nomination for co-writing the screenplay. The effervescent performances by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as Jessie and Celine, respectively, light up the screen. Lovers of classic movie romance will eat this one up. 4

Gideon58

06-08-22, 09:43 PM

Stargirl
2020's Stargirl is a pretentious, quirky, confusing, and ultimately pointless coming-of-age drama that is one of the oddest things I've ever seen from Disney. The film work so hard at being offbeat and quirky that its quirkiness eventually does it in as the story goes in several different directions but never commits to any of them.
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Based on a novel by Jerry Spinelli, this is the story of sensitive teenager named Leo who moves to a fictional Arizona town called Mica with his widowed mom. Almost immediately Leo finds himself drawn to an odd newcomer to the school named Stargirl Caraway, who dresses like a bag lady, has a pet rat named Cinnamon, and writes songs that she performs on her ukelele. Leo's attraction to the girl gets lost in the shuffle as the girl seems to become some kind of good luck charm to the school...the school's losing football team starts to win when she comes to the field at halftime and accompanies herself on the ukelele singing a song she wrote called "Be True to Your School". It's not long before Stargirl might be casting some kind of spell over the school, bringing it all kinds of luck, including her winning a speech competition and there's even a scene that implies she might have made it rain.
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Director and co-screenwriter Julia Hart seems to go a little overboard in the imaginative mounting of this story that goes in a million different directions but never settles anywhere. Initially, the story seems to be about this awkward kid Leo, who provides a pretentious narration to provide backstory, and how this Stargirl has affected his life. Then the story seems to be about Stargirl and how she has affected the school. We see how Leo's friendship affects his real friends, but that never gets efficiently addressed. Neither does the story's implications that Stargirl might have some kind of "powers". If she does, just like Mary Poppins or Nanny on the sitcom Nanny and the Professor, she never admits to them. And just when she has the entire school behind her, she makes a bold move at a football game that turns the whole school against her.
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Her explanation for why she makes this move doesn't work, or her pretentious speech at the regional speech competition that she has to take her shoes off before delivering. Her breakup with Leo and the phony John Hughes finale that took forever to play out didn't work for me either. This was a strange and confusing cinematic experience that just went on and on and on and on...Incredibly, a sequel was released this year called Hollywood Stargirl, upon which I think I'll be taking a hard pass. 2

Gideon58

06-10-22, 09:31 PM

The Marrying Kind
Three years after collaborating on Adam's Rib, director George Cukor, screenwriters Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, and Oscar winner Judy Holliday reunited for a rich comedy drama called The Marrying Kind, which works thanks to an unconventional and at times, unpredictable screenplay and near brilliant performances from the stars.
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As the 1952 film opens, we are introduced to Florence Keefer (Holliday) and her husband Chet (Aldo Ray) who are in divorce court, but the judge presiding over the hearing senses that these two divorcing is a mistake. They leave the courtroom and meet privately where the judge asks them why they are here, leading to a group of scenes from a troubled marriage that seem to fit an earlier remark by the judge that "there are three sides to every story, his side, her side, and the truth."
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Kanin and Gordon really scored with a sometimes complex look at the institution of marriage seems to follow what is traditional for marriage in 1952, but as the story progresses, this is a couple who don't fit the mold of marriage in the 1950's. Chet initially rebuffs the remarks from his work buddies who say his life will change completely and Florence refuses to be an obedient little hausfrau, even though she loves her husband. Love the opening vignette where Florence and Chet simultaneously talk about their first meeting. I loved when Florence and Chet would be narrating on the audio and their dialogue would match the characters onscreen.
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Initially the stories from their marriage that Chet and Florence share are amusing, but hardly worth ending a marriage over, because we never believe that these two have stopped loving each other. However, at the halfway point, the vignettes become much darker, showing a true relationship crisis that actually has us wondering if divorce is the answer.
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I never believed for a minute that these two would divorce, but the journey to that revelation was such a pleasure. Florence and Chet are so much fun...I love that a good chunk of their scenes they're talking to each other at the same time, this is where Cukor's skills as a director come in. Cukor makes us believe that these two are meant to be together.
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Judy Holliday won a Best Actress Oscar for Born Yesterday, but I don't think she has ever been better than she was here...an effervescent and angry performance that galvanizes the screen and this film was a perfect showcase for Ray, who Columbia was grooming hard at the time, even giving him an onscreen acknowledgment. Holliday and Ray create one of the most realistic screen marriages I have ever seen in an intelligent film that keeps the viewer guessing. I'm beginning to think Judy Holliday never made a bad movie. 4

Gideon58

06-11-22, 07:24 PM

George Carlin's American Dream
The legendary George Carlin has finally been given a long overdue cinematic testament to his career in George Carlin's American Dreams,a loving and detailed look at the life and career of the comedy icon that, like a good celebrity documentary should, offers consistent surprises about the man that were news to me, but is also mounted with the same style and panache as the 2020 documentary Belushi.
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I would like to preface by saying that this review is coming from one of Carlin's biggest fans...a man who reinvented standup comedy and a man who I think everything he said was absolutely correct. Not long after he released his most famous album, Class Clown, i had it memorized and was performing excepts from it whenever the opportunity presented itself.
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Co-producers and directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio open the HBO documentary with black and white footage of Carlin showing us around the neighborhood where he grew up. Now I don't know when this part of the movie was actually filmed, but it is set up as if Carlin is hosting his own biopic. This opening is brilliant and surreal because it gives the viewer the feeling that Carlin is still with us, which is such a comfort. The film then flashes back to his childhood which is where the surprises begin.
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Imagine my surprise that Carlin had an abusive father who he felt he barely knew and was raised by his mother, who he called "a drama queen." Glimpses into his early career provided surprises as well, including a professional comic teaming with Jack Burns, who was more famous for working with Avery Schreiber and for replacing Don Knotts on The Andy Griffith Show. Loved learning that Carlin's first cinema hero was Danny Kaye and on that famous night in a Florida nightclub where Lenny Bruce was arrested for obscenity, George, as an act of solidarity, managed to get himself arrested right alongside Bruce.
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One of the most shocking elements of this story was the reveal that Brenda Carlin, George's wife of 36 years, was an alcoholic, who fought the disease for decades before finally going to rehab and getting sober. George's use of marijuana, acid, and cocaine was no surprise, but the impact it had on his daughter, Kelly was.
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Some of George's most memorable routines are showcased including the one that got him the most acclaim and actually arrested one night...the seven words you can't say on television, which, in later years, was revised to the seven words you can't say all the tine. A nice chunk of this documentary is focused on the origin of the routine and the firestorm it caused and continues today.
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The documentary slides nicely into home plate with Carlin's introduction as the first host of SNL, which Carlin felt was the sunset of his career. Commentary is offered along the way by Chris Rock, Bette Midler, Jerry Seinfeld, Patton Oswalt, Tony Orlando, Brenda and Kelly Carlin, and Carlin's older brother, Patrick. A loving tribute to an entertainment legend. 4.5

Gideon58

06-13-22, 09:46 PM

Daisy Kenyon
The heated direction by Otto Preminger and the steamy performances by the stars make a slightly soapy melodrama called Daisy Kenyon worth a look.
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The 1947 film features Joan Crawford in the title role, a commercial artist who has been having a dead end affair with a married attorney with children named Dan O'Mara (Dana Andrews). Without really looking for it, Daisy thinks she's found real love with Peter Lapham (Henry Fonda), a hypersensitive war veteran trying to start a boating business, but still haunted by the memory of his late wife. Dan's wife, Lucille (Ruth Warrick) eventually finds out about the affair and that's when things get really ugly.
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David Hertz' screenplay, based on a novel by Elizabeth Janeway, is a typical movie love triangle, traveling a familiar path we've seen in dozens of other films. but this story is complicated by the fact that Dan seems to be just as much in love with Daisy as he is with Lucille, not to mention the fact that Peter doesn't put up any fight to keep Daisy. The story frustrates the viewer because Dan doesn't deserve Daisy and Lucille's innocent guile about her husband's infidelity turns nasty and manipulative on a dime.
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The film also frustrates because the real chemistry onscreen was between Crawford and Fonda but as the story progressed and we learned that Peter was still awash in feelings for his late wife, we knew this was never to be. The big trial for Dan and Lucille's divorce was classic Preminger, reminding me Preminger's classic 12 years later, Anatomy of a Murder, but this kind of divorce trial looks kind of silly in 2022, where a divorce is handled in a couple of meetings and phone calls. It's a familiar story, it's just a little too "Aren't we civilized?" for this reviewer's tastes.
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Despite the B&W filming, the film was given a pretty big budget for 1947 and Preminger knew what to do with with it. The film features handsome art direction, costumes, and Alfred Newman's music. Preminger's direction is solid and the ending is a bit of a cop out, but the performances by the stars make it worth watching. 3.5

Gideon58

06-14-22, 04:37 PM

Turning Red
Disney Pixar offers another lushly mounted, but overly complex story rich with universal cinematic themes called Turning Red that offers a fun story but, as with most Disney Pixar features, tests viewer patience with too many endings.
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This is the story of Meilin, a hyperactive and energetic Asian teen who lives in Toronto and runs a tourist attraction with her mother. One day, Meilin learns that she has a family curse that, when she looses her temper, turns her into a giant red panda. She initially learns that if she can control her temper, she can control her inner panda, but her mother ...
confesses that the curse can only be removed during a special ceremony that she has to wait a month for. In the meantime, Meilin tries to live with her curse, while learning to take advantage of it as well.
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Director and co-screenwriter Domee Shi has created a fairy tale that borrows from a lot of other television and film works like Clueless, The Incredible Hulk, and Teen Wolf and then wraps it around the atmosphere of the TV show Kim's Convenience. The story is centered around a delightful central character, that the story takes a little too much time to introduce along with her problems, but the story does waver in terms of how much power she has over this curse and how, of course, her family spends the majority of the running time keeping the curse a secret, leading to at least two too many endings, a Pixar staple.
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The film is beautifully mounted with splashy animation and there is standout voicework from Rosalie Chiang as Meilin and Sandra Oh as her mother, I just wish it had been a little less leisurely getting where it's going and then wrapping up. 3.5

Gideon58

06-15-22, 04:11 PM

The Men
Three years after electrifying Broadway with his portrayal of Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon Brando made an impressive film debut in an intense 1950 drama called The Men that Brando makes worth watching all by himself, though it does have much to recommend.
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Brando plays Ken Wilocek, a war veteran still in the VA hospital after returning from the war paralyzed from the waist down, housed on a wing with dozens of other soldiers in the same position. Ken thinks his life is over and has told his fiancee, Ellen (Oscar winner Theresa Wright) that he doesn't want her coming to the VA hospital because he's ashamed and embarrassed. Ellen comes to the hospital anyway and manages to convince Ken that her feelings haven't changed just because he's lost his legs. Ken then throws himself into physical therapy and exercise with such zeal that he thinks he's getting feeling back in his legs. Ken almost gives up again when he realizes this isn't true, news that Ellen reacts to by demanding she and Ken set a wedding date, a ceremony Ken manages to participate in standing.
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Blacklisted writer Carl Foreman provided the screenplay for this dicey melodrama that takes on a pretty messy subject, showing a lot of balance in the mounting of the story. The action rarely leaves the one wing of this hospital, but the story is so engaging we don't really notice. I love the opening scenes of Dr. Brock making his way through the wing, checking on all the patients progress or lack thereof. It was very interesting being introduced to over a dozen patients in this opening scene and each one of them is dealing with their ordeal differently, including Ken and the soldiers sharing his corner of the wing: Norm. Doolin, and Angel.
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It is the complicated relationship between Ken and Ellen that anchors most of the story, going a lot of squirm-worthy places where the viewer understands how both parties feel. We are initially impressed with the way Ellen bucks Ken up with her love and the story progresses a lot further than we thought and we understand when she begins to waver. Brando really commands the show here, completely immersing himself in a physically demanding role, which requires the peak physical condition he displays here. I never thought Brando looked better than he did in Streetcar, but I was wrong.
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Fred Zinneman's direction is simultaneously sensitive and sizzling. Everett Sloan scores in the complex role of Dr. Brock as do Richard Erdman as Doolin, future television icon Jack Webb as Norm, who has one terrific drunk scene after finding out his girlfriend stole $900 him, and Arthur Jurado as Angel, who research revealed was a real life paraplegic. It's Brando's show though, in one of the most powerful film debuts I have ever seen. 4

Gideon58

06-16-22, 09:59 PM

Pleasure (2021)
2021's Pleasure is a raw and uncompromising look at the adult film industry which supposedly sheds a light on myths and misconceptions about the business, but ultimately leaves the viewer confused and squirming as the film seems to be unsure as to what kind of statement it's trying to make.
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As the film opens we are introduced to a beautiful blonde named Bella Cherry, getting off a plane from Sweden, with the intention of becoming a porn star. We watch as her path to "stardom" is not unlike a lot of show business stories. but eventually several show business cliches that we're all familiar pop along the way while actually trying to tell a balanced and realistic story.
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Director and co-screenwriter Ninja Thyberg has mounted what appears to be a realistic portrait of the business, with a leaning of sympathy toward the filmmakers. This story attempts to pain some of directors as sensitive and caring people, truly concerned about the safety and comfort of the women in the business, but it's hard to tell how far that sympathy goes. The screenplay also tries to explore women's motivations for doing porn...do they do it for the money or do it because they like to have sex and want to get paid for it. One problem with the story was that it's never really made clear why Bella is doing it, making it hard to invest in what was going on.
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As one might imagine, this film is filled graphic sexual content and nudity so be forewarned regarding that sort of thing. One of the film's best scenes is also one of the most confusing. Bella gets a job making a movie where she is filming a very rough scene and backs out of it in the middle of the shooting. Now Bella requested this job because this kind of work pays more, but once in the middle of it, could not finish. The gentlemen involved in the shoot all treat her as sensitively

and allow her to leave, but not without informing her what leaving would cost her or them. We're supposed to feel sympathy for Bella, but do we?
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Considering the subject matter, there should have been some element of titillation of erotic feelings aroused here, but this reviewer felt nothing. Sofia Kappel works hard in the starring role, but if the truth be told, I kept picturing Jodie Comer in this role and with her I might have added an extra bag of popcorn to my rating. It should be noted that a lot of the actors and directors featured here are real life members of the porn industry, but I found this film to be kind of an empty experience. despite a lot of artistry from the director. 3

Gideon58

06-20-22, 04:10 PM

The Emperor's New Groove
Disney Studios really knocked it out of the park with a slick and smart action fantasy from 2000 called The Emperor's New Groove,whose strongest elements are some richly drawn characters, an extremely clever screenplay, and some wonderful voice work.
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Emperor Kuzco (voiced by David Spade), the selfish and self-absorbed leader of a jungle kingdom, has just finished telling a local shepherd named Pacha (voiced by John Goodman) that he plans to destroy the village where Pacha lives to turn it into a summer home. The next day, Kuzco's administrative aide, Yzma (voiced by the legendary Eartha Kitt) and her assistant, Cronk (voiced by Patrick Warburton) plan to poison Kuzco in order to take over the kingdom. The poison turns out to be a potion that turns Kuzco into a Llama, who is ostracized from his kingdom and his only hope of becoming human and regaining his throne ends up in the hands of Pacha.
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Almost a dozen writers contributed to the crafting of this wonderful story which not only starts off near the end with the Llama emperor alone in a swamp and then flashes back to the real beginning of the story, accompanied by a very funny narration by the emperor that not only helps the viewer understand the story, but helps the viewer to understand the kind of person this emperor is, reminding us every couple of minutes during the story what's going on with him and when the story strays from him, he is given the power to bring the story back to focus on him. There is even a brilliant moment where the character actually breaks the 4th wall in order to put audience focus back where it belongs...on him.
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The film starts a little more deliberately than we want, but we begin to understand that the self-absorbed attitude of this emperor is at the root of his behavior during the the story and why. even though he often doesn't serve it, we like the friendship that he develops with Pacha, who we remember Kuzco treated like crap at the beginning of the film. As the warm friendship between Kuzco and Pacha develops, we are even more entertained by the relationship between the evil Yzma and the bubble-headed Cronk, which provides equal entertainment. The scene where Cronk is preparing the poison glass of wine for the Emperor had me on the floor.
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The animation is bold and colorful and the voice work is superb. I have never enjoyed David Spade more in his voicing Emperor Kuzco. I haven't enjoyed Spade onscreen this much since he did "The Hollywood Minute" on SNL. Goodman and Kitt are terrific as well, but the film is just about stolen by Warburton as Cronk, one of the funniest animated characters I have ever seen. A rich animated fantasy that kept a grin on my face the entire running time. 4.5

Gideon58

06-21-22, 04:32 PM

Jerry and Marge Go Large
With the director of The Devil Wears Prada in the director's chair, 2022's Jerry and Marge Go Large, is a breezy, Capra-esque, fact-based comedy that draws its story in pretty primary colors, but never fails to entertain thanks to an engaging true story and a terrific cast with a serious dose of star power.
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Jerry (Bryan Cranston) is a retired factory worker, not really feeling the concept of retirement after 42 years on the job, who sits down one day and figures out how to beat the odds on the lottery. After winning about $15,000 and hiding it all over the house, Jerry finally confesses to wife Marge (Annette Bening) what he's been doing. Instead of calling him insane, Marge is on board and the couple start purchasing thousands of dollars worth of tickets, even when it involves driving eight hours to another state and playing at a bodega owned by a lonely divorced guy (Rainn Wilson). Jerry and Marge win enough money that they start a corporation bringing in all their friends into an actual corporation making money for all of them. Things are going great for Jerry and Marge until a group of pampered Harvard college students, led by an entitled brat named Tyler, figure out Jerry's system and try to drive them out.
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Brad Copeland's screenplay adapted from a 2018 article in the Huffington Post, brings facts and humanity together in an irresistible combination that engages the viewer from the beginning, even if we're not sure of every little thing that happens here. Admittedly, as I watched Jerry first trying to figure out the system, I didn't no exactly what he was doing. I did know enough to know that Jerry knew what he was doing, and as an outside looking in, I realized I knew all I needed to know, but I think more details might be revealed upon a re-watch. Copeland gives us a lovely slice of small town Americana that evolves into a simple contemporary story good guys vs the bad guy.
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Love the way the movie begins because it doesn't give any indication to where the story is going. We see Jerry being gently pushed out of the job he's held for 42 years and into the bosom of his family, which he doesn't seem to be too thrilled about. Even being gifted with a fishing boat by his family doesn't buoy his spirits. We think we're going to see a contemporary version of Norman and Ethel Thayer here and that's not what we get at all. We get a couple in denial about their "golden years" and making the most of them instead.
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Director David Frankel puts a lot of love into his depiction of small town life and the underlying theme of this true story that life doesn't end at 60. Frankel has assembled a terrific cast to pull this off. Bryan Cranston is just glorious as Jerry, a role he disappears inside of the way Gary Oldman disappears inside a role and he's matched note for note by the beautifully aging Bening as Marge. Michael McKean, Larry Wilmore, and especially Uly Schlesinger as the snotty Tyler also score in supporting roles. Big shout out to Jake Monaco's music as well. A pretty smooth cinematic ride. 4

Gideon58

06-22-22, 08:43 PM

American Pie 2
From the "If You Liked the First One" school of making sequels, comes 2001's American Pie 2, another rowdy and raunchy look at a special group of high schoolers now trying to bring their still thriving obsessions with sex to college.
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This sequel to the 1999 comedy smash reunites Jim (Jason Biggs), Oz (Chris Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and, of course, Stifler (Seann William Scott) as they decide to make up for the missed opportunities at prom by moving into a beach house and picking up where they left off.
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Jim has reunions with both sexy foreign exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) and band geek/sex freak Michelle (Allyson Hannnigan); Oz struggles to remain faithful to Heather (Mena Suvari), who is spending the summer in France; Kevin and Vicky (Tara Reid) are still struggling with the parameters of the "will they or won't they" relationship and Finch still can't think about any woman but Stifler's mom (Jennifer Coolidge), which continues to make Stifler insane.
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The screenplay by Adam Herz and David Steinberg nicely re-establishes the character and where they were at the end of the first film without completely re-enacting scenes or doing flashbacks, though its attempts to spread the sexual depravity of the first film do get spread a little thin and fall flat. The scenes of Oz and Heather attempting to keep their love alive via phone sex and everything with Kevin and Vicky just felt forced and uninteresting.
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There was enough going on that did work that kept the film moving at a nice clip. As always, every moment onscreen with Jim and his dad (Eugene Levy) was gold, as was Jim's struggles with some superglue that Jim mistook for lube. Biggs had me on the floor throughout this scene, displaying a Jerry Lewis-level skill with physical comedy that produced huge laughs. Big laughs also come when Jim, Finch, and Stifler encounter a pair of bikini-clad beauties pretending to be lesbians. The script tends to meander a little bit, but if you liked the first movie, laughs are to be found here too. 3.5

Gideon58

06-23-22, 04:37 PM

Shirley
Despite a story based in fact and some terrific performances, the 2020 film Shirley never fully engages the viewer thanks to a rambling screenplay that clumsily tries to combine fact and speculation into a muddled story that rarely provides focus on the story's most interesting elements.
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The film begins in the 1950's where we meet a young college professor named Fred Nemser who is traveling with his pregnant wife, Rose to accept a job at a college where Stanley Hyman is one of the most popular professors. On the train, Rose is observed reading the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and is fascinated when she learns that Hyman and Jackson are married. Jackson is allegedly beginning to write a new novel called "Hangsmen" but hasn't written much , not mention hasn't left her home in three years. Fred and Rose find themselves a little too tangled into the lives of Hyman and Jackson, though Hyman and Jackson do find themselves as obsessed with the Nemsers as they seem to be with them.
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There's a really good film in here somewhere, but Sarah Gubbins' screenplay, based on a novel by Susan Scarf Merrell, is just a little too confusing as it attempts to meld fact and fiction, real and imaginary characters with only middling success. Other than the fact the she wrote "The Lottery", I knew precious little about Jackson and didn't learn much more after watching this film. It would have been interesting if this film had focused upon the time that she was writing "The Lottery", which might have made a much more interesting story. Instead, what we get is a slightly insane Jackson thinking she has complete insight into Rose's marriage and Stanley's on and off attempts to seduce Rose while controlling Jackson. It's sort of an inane melding of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with Trumbo, that turns out pretentious and a little too angry to keep us interested.
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Director Josephine Decker shows some imagination in her direction, I just wish she had a better screenplay to work with. Elisabeth Moss and Michael Stuhlberg (The Color of Water; Call Me By Your Name) give Oscar worthy performances as Shirley jackson and Stanley Hyman. Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)) also impresses as young Fred, but the whole things is just too syrupy and heavy to function as geniuine entertainment. 2.5

Takoma11

06-23-22, 10:58 PM

There's a really good film in here somewhere, but Sarah Gubbins' screenplay, based on a novel by Susan Scarf Merrell, is just a little too confusing as it attempts to meld fact and fiction, real and imaginary characters with only middling success.

I haven't seen this film, but I did read the novel it was based on, which similarly had some rough patches trying to integrate the real people with the fictional characters.

I did like the sinister implication (in the book) that Rose thinking she's gaining insight into the marriage is actually just part of this weird ritual between Shirley and her husband. But the novel hinged so much on Rose's point of view and mental state, that I had serious doubts about it being adapted well to the screen.

If you haven't read much (or any) of Jackson's work, I highly recommend starting with her short story "The Tooth". It's dreamy and creepy.

Gideon58

06-25-22, 04:06 PM

Remember Me (2010)
An emotional journey is guaranteed with 2010's Remember Me, an intimate and explosive tale of family and romance that takes the viewer through a bumpy and unpredictable story climaxing in an ending you don't see coming at all.
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Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a young man who several years ago found his younger brother after he committed suicide, who enters into a relationship with Ally (Emile de Ravin), who several years ago witnessed her mother mercilessly murdered on a subway platform. We are treated to a tentative relationship rich with roadblocks and secrets as we are simultaneously introduced to Tyler and Ally's family, who bring a lot of reveal into why these two people are so broken and why a real relationship seems virtually impossible.
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Will Fetters, who would later receive an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for 2018's A Star is Born, does Oscar-worthy work here with an edgy story rich with unpredictability from beginning to end. It's impossible to gauge exactly where this relationship is going to go from scene to scene. This romance is given a strong anchor in the introduction of their families, especially Tyler and Ally's father, characters who are polar opposites as are their relationships with their children. Ally's father is a cop who to this day blames himself for his wife's death, while Tyler's father is a wealthy workaholic who really doesn't seem to have time for his family.
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The film is rich with eye-popping scenes that come out of nowhere. There is one particular scene where Tyler bursts into his father's office during a meeting to brow beat dad for missing his baby sister's art show that galvanized the screen and had me holding my breath and I'm pretty sure this scene was a collaboration between Pattinson and director Allen Coulter (Hollywoodland) that produced a scene with De Niro-type intensity as well as the scene where he escorts his sister back to school after a hazing incident, which leads to one of the most mind blowing climaxes I have seen in a movie in a minute that had me fighting tears.
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Pattinson brings a disturbing intensity to Tyler and de Ravin lights up the screen as young Ally. Oscar winner Chris Cooper delivers as Ally's dad and I also liked Tait Ellington as Tyler's roommate and Kate Burton as Tyler's dad's assistant, but if the truth be told, it is the surprisingly powerful performance by Pierce Brosnan as Tyler's icy dad that was the real standout here...Brosnan never has done much for me as an actor over the years, but he's Oscar-worthy here. An emotionally charged motion picture experience that sticks the ending, which upped my rating half a bag of popcorn. 4.5

Gideon58

06-27-22, 05:06 PM

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
A glorious and utterly enchanting performance by the always watchable Emma Thompson makes a 2022 comedy-drama called Good Luck to You, Leo Grande worth watching all by itself.
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The two time Oscar-winner plays Nancy Stokes, a widowed teacher who hasn't had sex since her husband died two years ago and has decided that she has to have sex...no commitments, just for fun, good sex that will hopefully lead to the orgasm that she has never had. Nancy books an unbelievably handsome sex worker named Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) to help her get what she wants.
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During their first meeting, Nancy's nerves get the best of her, despite Leo being a perfect gentleman, as she fights what she wants with every fiber of her being. Her deflection eventually leads her to questioning Leo about his personal life, which we can see is a mistake. As she backs off, their meeting seems to end on a positive note and we are overjoyed as three more meetings take place between Nancy and Leo; however, Nancy makes a serious misstep during the third meeting that seems to destroy a relationship we are really beginning to enjoy.
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Katy Brand's screenplay is sexy and intelligent featuring two sexy and intelligent people who don't know how sexy and intelligent they are. I especially loved the first meeting where Nancy is freaking out and can't understand why Leo would want to be with her and he does everything correct to put the woman at ease, futile as it might be. We are happy that their first meeting, 40 minutes into the movie, ends with a kiss and we're not sure what's going to happen next, but I actually cheered when the screen went black and when it came back up, the words "Meeting Two" flashed across the screen.
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Films like Breakfast at Tiffany's and Pretty Woman did flash through my head as I watched this film. Nancy spends a lot of time stalling Leo by questioning the legitimacy of what he does, despite the fact that he makes it clear he doesn't want to talk about. It almost gets to the point that we want to shake Nancy and tell her just to get what she wants from this man who is being paid and more than willing. Loved the reveal that neither Nancy nor Leo use their real names and the reveal of Nancy's real name was a particular delight.
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Thompson and McCormack are pretty much the only characters onscreen for the majority of the film and never make you regret it. Thompson is deliciously offbeat as Nancy and McCormack offers the best sex-on-legs performance I've seen by an actor since Brad Pitt in Fight Club and has the most beautiful eyes I've seen on an actor since Cillian Murphy. Oh and be forewarned that the film does feature full frontal Emma. A sexy and fun film that offered smiles, giggles, and warmth throughout. 4

Takoma11

06-27-22, 06:01 PM

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Thompson and McCormack are pretty much the only characters onscreen for the majority of the film and never make you regret it. Thompson is deliciously offbeat as Nancy and McCormack offers the best sex-on-legs performance I've seen by an actor since Brad Pitt in Fight Club and has the most beautiful eyes I've seen on an actor since Cillian Murphy. Oh and be forewarned that the film does feature full frontal Emma. A sexy and fun film that offered smiles, giggles, and warmth throughout. 4

I saw this pop up on Hulu and was intrigued (I really love Emma Thompson's energy). Good to hear some positive word of mouth about it!

Gideon58

06-27-22, 06:31 PM

Absolutely loved it!

Gideon58

06-28-22, 03:40 PM

Super Size Me
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock put himself on the map with a groundbreaking and genuinely frightening film called Super Size Me, a thoughtfully documented look at the effect that the fast food industry has had on this country that received an Oscar nomination for Best Feature Documentary, though for this reviewer, this movie belongs in the horror genre. I can't think of any film experience in the last 50 years that terrified me as much as this one did.
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Spurlock begins the 2004 film with some mind-blowing statistics regarding nutrition and health in the United States. Apparently, America has the largest overweight population on the planet and the city with the most overweight people is Houston, Texas. Spurlock's research leads him to the hypothesis that one of the biggest contributors to this problem is McDonalds, offering himself as the guinea pig in a very dangerous experiment: Spurlock decides to eat nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days. He has chosen to eat all three meals a day at Mickey D's, has pledged to try every item on the menu before the 30 days is over, and only super sizes his meals if the counter person ask him.
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Spurlock put a lot of thought into making this experiment authentic. Before he begins this bizarre diet, he is examined by a team of doctors to document his health at the start, which was deemed practically perfect. Spurlock's humorous approach to this became less and less amusing as the man gained 17 pounds in twelve days and almost 25 pounds when it was over. There is a horrifying scene about 10 days in where he is seen sitting at a drive thru window, consuming a super size Happy Meal. Consuming the entire meal took about 23 minutes and when he was done, he threw up.
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It was fascinating that when he would check in with doctors during this dangerous journey, they begged him to stop but he wouldn't. Even the totally understandable dismay from his vegan girlfriend does not deter Spurlock. As the film progressed, we learned that this experiment seriously affected Spurlock's heart, liver, and his sexual functions. He is observed waking up in the middle of the night on Day 22, being unable to breathe and suffering from chest pains.
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Don't get me wrong, Spurlock does not blame this battle with obesity completely on McDonalds. Other subjects are broached like lack of proper exercise, food industries being tight-lipped behind their motives, school lunches being prepared with mostly pre-processed foods, and lack of access to general nutritional information, but watching what Morgan Spurlock does to himself, physically and emotionally, was enough to keep me off Big Macs and fries for awhile. Spurlock made a sequel in 2017 centering on chicken fast food.4.5

Takoma11

06-28-22, 04:47 PM

and only super sizes his meals if the counter person ask him.

I think that this is a particularly nice and nasty detail. We all expect corporations to be merciless in exploiting people, but so many people in sales positions are evaluated on how often they offer upsells/extras.

I also thought that the documentary was very strong.

Gideon58

06-30-22, 05:32 PM

The Man From Toronto
The director of The Hitman's Bodyguard and the writer of The Wedding Ringer are among the creative forces behind 2022's The Man from Toronto, a big budget action comedy that has a serious dosage of star power but is saddled down by an overstuffed screenplay with too many endings.
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Woody Harrelson plays the title character, a deadly assassin and torture master whose being sent to an AirbnB for his next assignment. Also headed to the Airbnb is a gym employee and perpetual screw-up named Teddy Jackson (Kevin Hart) who is taking his wife there for some R&R. Teddy arrives before the assassin and gets mistaken for him. Even though it comes to light that Teddy is not The Man From Toronto, the only way to get out of this is to help government agents nab the guy by continuing to pretend to be the Man from Toronto.
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The screenplay is kind of a clever idea taking the mistaken identity comedy to a different level where instead of having two separate scenarios where the two people being mixed up are in separate situations, they must work together to extricate themselves from this very dangerous situation. In this case, they have to work together and a totally unbelievable friendship actually occurs as these two guys actually learn their individual backstories and use that to bond with each other, which comes off as forced.
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The story is action-packed and defies logic at every turn but the characters do somehow manage to endear themselves to us so that we care what happens to them. Harrelson is particularly impressive losing himself in a character who is so dark and damaged that he doesn't crack a smile until 40 minutes into the running time. Don't really buy the way Teddy's wife is kept completely in the dark about what's going on for the entire running time either. Credibility is also hindered by too many endings that make an hour and 50 minute movie seem twice that long.
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Harrelson and Hart work hard at making their roles credible and Pierson Fode is terrific as the Man From Miami as is Ellen Barkin as Harrelson's handler. Impressive production values help, but it's just too much that goes on for too long. 3

Gideon58

06-30-22, 09:40 PM

Rounders
The 1998 drama Rounders is probably the grittiest and most realistic look at gambling that I have seen on the big screen. Most films on this subject tend to whitewash, but not this one.
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Mike (Matt Damon) is a former professional gambler who lost everything in one hand and is now trying to start his life over again, working his way through law school and a relationship with a pretty law student (Gretchen Mol). Mike is working hard at keeping his addiction/passion in check until his former partner, Worm (Edward Norton) gets out of jail and in no time at all, gets Mike in so much trouble that he is assuming Worm's varied debts, including some to Russian gangsters.
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The anchor of this film is the intelligent and uncompromising screenplay by David Levien and Brian Koppleman (Runaway Jury) that breaks down the nuts and bolts of poker playing in a way that doesn't pander to the viewer who doesn't know anything about poker, mostly through Damon's narration, which is rich with a lot of card-playing lingo that will mean little to people who don't play poker, but what it does mean comes out not only in the action happening during the narration but in the passion in Mike's voice as he explains to us what drove him.
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This film is a laid bare look at gambling as an addiction and the consequences of same. There is a terrific little scene that nails the addiction where we catch Mike watching poker on television. We are shocked when he picks up the remote control and rewinds the game, revealing that he is watching a game he has seen several times and keeps watching over and over again. As for consequences, this couldn't be made any clearer when Mike's loyalty to Worm motivates him to vouch for Worm for a $15,000 debt which he must assume when Worm disappears.
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John Dahl's direction is lovingly detailed and mounts the story in a realistic manner that builds to a fever pitch that makes the viewer never want to sit down at a poker table again. The Mark Wahlberg version of The Gambler allows that character to get off too easy, but the Mike character does a complete 360 by the time the credits roll and we're still not sure if he's done.
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Damon's performance as Mike is nicely understated, complimenting Norton's razzle dazzle performance as Worm. John Malkovich is, as always, a master scene stealer as Johnny KGB. Michael Rispoli, John Turturro, and Martin Landau also make the most of their screentime. Other familiar faces pop up along the way like Lenny Clarke, Joshua Motel, Michael Lombard, Tom Aldridge, Famke Janssen, Beeson Carroll, and David Zayas, but it is the compelling story, thoughtfully mounted by the director that makes this work. 4.5

Gideon58

07-01-22, 05:33 PM

Down with the King
2021's Down with the King is a drama that may or may not be a sequel to another film that has an intriguing premise; unfortunately, it never really goes anywhere and takes its sweet time doing it.
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The drama is centered on a famous rapper named Money Mercury Maxwell, who decides to take some time away from the business and travels to a remote logging community in rural Massachusetts, where he hopes to come up with material for a new album. Money hooks up with a local farmer named Bob and begins a relationship with a dreamer who works in a hardware store. As the film slowly progresses, it appears that Money likes this small town and is thinking about walking away from the music business permanently, but real life finds its way to the country and reminds Money that he can't afford to walk away from the business.
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This is a confusing film that never makes clear its genre or intent. The film initially comes off as sort of a cinema verite documentary about a real life rapper, but then we learn that this farmer Bob who becomes his BFF was the star of a 2015 drama called Bob and the Trees, about a farmer who like golf, weed, and gangsta rap. This, of course, had me immediately wondering if the reason this film had me confused and bored was because I hadn't seen Bob and the Trees.
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Even though the best parts of this film revolved around Money's relationship with this good natured farmer named Bob, it didn't arouse my curiosity about seeing Bob and the Trees nor did it make this film very interesting. Scenes of money butchering cattle, looking for skunks, and playing with live cattle were just not that interesting and when the story takes a dark turn during the final act, sucking all the sympathy out of Money's character, I really wanted to check out, though I had been checking my watch long before that.
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There's an interesting movie in here somewhere, but this rambling and pointless film never really engaged me. Freddie Gibbs does display some charm as Money and Bob Tarasak is one of the most likable characters I've seen on screen in a minute, but this film is basically kind of dull and pointless. 2

Gideon58

07-05-22, 04:55 PM

The Lady From Shanghai
Six years after making cinematic history with Citizen Kane, Orson Welles redefined the film noir with 1947's The Lady From Shanghai, a steamy tale of romance, blackmail, and murder presented with endless style and imagination that keeps the viewer guessing as to exactly what's going on for the majority of the running time
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Welles plays Mike O'Hara, a sailor who meets an icy beauty named Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth) one night in Central Park. Despite her being married, the attraction is swift and immediate and the two can't stay away from each other. It's not long before Elsa's husband, Arthur (Everett Sloane), a wealthy attorney, offers Mike a job on his boat enroute to the Mexico and the West Indies, deciding it's best to keep his enemy close. Mike's inability to stay away from Elsa eventually gets him involved in a complex tail of blackmail and murder that he cannot extricate himself from.
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There's a lot of mystery surrounding the origins of getting this film made. It's interesting that it eventually ended up at RKO Studios, a studio that would actually go out of business a decade later. The screenplay, based on a novel by Sherwood King, is credited to Welles and even though he directed the film as well, Welles receives no onscreen credit for directing it. Not sure what the story is behind that, but anyone who's seen Citizen Kane can see Welles' directorial style all over this, with just a slight Hitchcock influence.
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If the viewer strips away all the cinematic window dressing here, the film comes down to a love triangle, but a very toxic one from which no good can come. The attraction between Mike and Elsa burns a hole through the screen, but we know they're doomed because every time they try to be alone, someone is watching them. And it's not just Arthur, there are others invested in keeping these two apart, including Arthur's business partner, George Grisby (Glenn Anders), who has his own agenda in keeping Mike and Elsa apart. The hopelessness of Mike and Elsa's romance reminded me of John Garfield and Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice. The courtroom scene was unlike any classic courtroom scene I've witnessed and that finale in the funhouse climaxing in the house of mirrors is just genius.
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In addition to his stylish direction, Welles offers an intense and electric performance as Mike. Welles seems to want to de-glam Rita Hayworth for her role as Elsa, which includes hiding her famous red mane with a blonde wig, but fails miserably. This sex-on-legs performance rivals her work in Gilda. Sloane and Anders also make every moment they have onscreen count. A crisp and claustrophobic melodrama that is appointment viewing for classic movie fans. 4.5

Gideon58

07-06-22, 05:36 PM

Fire Island
Despite its obvious limited appeal, the 2022 comedy Fire Island does manage to provide entertainment thanks to relationships that develop during the story and some star-making performances that make the film worth investing in.
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A group of close-knit gay friends, led by a charismatic male nurse named Noah (Joel Kim Booster, who also wrote the screenplay), who make their annual pilgrimage to the legendary gay vacation spot where they encounter another close-knit group of friends, led by Will (Conrad Ricamora), a wealthy, but lonely attorney, who seems a little uncomfortable inside his gay skin.
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Booster scores with an intelligent, daring, and humorous story that actually finds its roots in Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice and won't find a lot of appeal for heterosexual filmgoers because the story makes no apologies for its unabashed look at homosexual culture. But if the viewer can look past that, the relationship between BFFs Noah and Howie (SNL's Bowen Lang), Howie's tentative romance with Charlie (James Scully) and the will they or won't they, fight it til the end of the movie relationship between Noah and Will, which ends up being the real anchor of the movie. There are characters like Keegan (Tomas Matos) and Margaret Cho's Erin that are over the top, but their screentime is limited enough not to intrude.
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Director Andrew Ahn provides sparkling and breezy direction, including brief forays into graphic sex and nudity that fit the story. The biggest attraction here though are the star-making performances by Booster, who lights up the screen as Noah, Yang, as Howie, the guy who can't escape his inner ugly duckling, a character I could totally relate to, and Ricamora as Will, a guy who learns to get past his self-loathing in order to accept a relationship developing right in front of his face. This movie is not for everyone, but this reviewer found a lot to like here. 4

Takoma11

07-07-22, 02:59 PM

Director Andrew Ahn provides sparkling and breezy direction, including brief forays into graphic sex and nudity that fit the story. The biggest attraction here though are the star-making performances by Booster, who lights up the screen as Noah, Yang, as Howie, the guy who can't escape his inner ugly duckling, a character I could totally relate to, and Ricamora as Will, a guy who learns to get past his self-loathing in order to accept a relationship developing right in front of his face. This movie is not for everyone, but this reviewer found a lot to like here. 4

Yeah, I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was a fun updating/adaptation of the novel and, like you said, the performances at the center of it are very strong.

I liked the scene with the My Cousin Vinny reenactment and as a fan of Peppermint, I also enjoyed her little cameo.

Gideon58

07-07-22, 06:41 PM

The Marisa Tomei impression had me on the floor.

Takoma11

07-07-22, 06:43 PM

The Marisa Tomei impression had me on the floor.

Same, which was a perfect counterpoint to the love interest's totally baffled face.

Gideon58

07-07-22, 09:09 PM

Chocolat
With a lot of credit going to the director of What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Cider House Rules, the 2000 film Chocolat is an enchanting and lyrical cinematic fable that fuels viewer imagination and fills our hearts thanks to a story that allows viewer input into what's going on and a sparkling cast that serves the director's vision.
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The setting is a remote village in the French countryside during the 1950's as the audience is introduced to Vianne (Oscar winner Juliette Binoche), a vivacious young woman who arrives in the village with her young daughter in order to open up her own chocolate shop. Not long after her business opens, we witness Vianne's chocolate creations revive the sex life of a middle-aged couple, bring her landlady (Oscar winner Judi Dench) together with her grandson, who her daughter (Carrie-Ann Moss) has been keeping away from her and save a woman (Lena Olin) from her abusive marriage to a creepy bar owner (Peter Stormare). Meanwhile, the town's mayor (Alfred Molina) thinks Vianne's chocolate is evil and imbued with some sort of evil spirit and does everything he can to shut her business down.
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Robert Nelson Jacob's screenplay, based on a novel by Joanne Harris, is given an other worldly atmosphere from the opening scene, where a brisk wind is seen blowing through the village from the heavens, seeming to imply that some sort of spell is being set on the village before Vianne's arrival. The rest of the exposition is fun as we watch Vianne setting up her shop, which is right across the street from the church. Director Lasse Hallstrom shows Vianne and her daughter putting a lot of work in preparing their business for opening without showing exactly what the business is and piquing villager curiosity. We don't know until we get a loving shot of a huge spoon stirring a large vat of chocolate, followed shortly by Vianne pulling up the curtain on her front display window, crammed with all kinds of chocolate creations that dazzle the eye and would put Willie Wonka to shame.
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Jacobs' screenplay also scores in the way it shows the different changes that some of the characters go through. No one in this story is the same person at the end of the movie that they were at the beginning. The story of the mayor trying to fix the abusive bar owner is compelling and fools us with its initial simplicity, a perfect counterpart to the growth of the the wife who blossoms when she starts to work for Vianne. We never really understand the mayor's resentment of the chocolate shop. He treats Vianne like she just opened a whorehouse but even the mayor goes through a remarkable transformation that we don't see coming at all.
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The film's rich production values serve the director's vision, resulting in a cinematic marvel that received five Oscar nominations, including a Lead Actress nomination for Binoche and a Supporting Actress nomination for Dench, Johnny Depp's sex-on-legs performance as Roux and Stormare's barkeeper dazzle as well, but if the truth be known, the acting honors here go to Albert Molina's powerhouse work as the mayor that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. And if you don't blink, you'll catch a brief appearance from movie legend Leslie Caron. A unique film experience that doesn't spell everything out and allows the viewer to make their own decision as to exactly what's going on. 4.5

Gideon58

07-11-22, 04:36 PM

Beauty
The screenwriter of Queenie and Slim makes a big swing and a miss with 2022's Beauty, a pretentious and confusion show business soap opera that has a large component of the story missing, not to mention leaden direction and performances that make the film seem four hours long.
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Set during the 1980s, the title character is a young and beautiful black singer who is on the precipice of signing a very lucrative recording contract, but is confused by the guidance she is getting from the people in her life and their personal agendas. Her mother thinks she's not ready for a career in show business and her father just sees her as a meal ticket. She seems to be getting the right kind of guidance from her girlfriend, Jasmine and her manager, Colonizer, but she seems to be getting mixed messages from them too.
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Screenwriter Lena Waithe, who, in addition to Queenie and Slim, won an Emmy for writing a comedy series called Master of None has come up with a really lackluster story here, centered around a not very interesting central character who is dumb as a box of rocks and a bunch of characters, mostly family, who seem to be sending her mixed messages throughout the story. Beauty's mom seems to be a black version of Rose Hovick...a former performer herself who never made it and seems to be jealous of the stardom that may be coming Beauty's way. Her father seems to be a variation on Joe Jackson...all he's thinking about is the money he can make off of Beauty. Watch his response when he tells Beauty to sign the contract and she says she wants a lawyer to look at it first.
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The story confusingly jumps between the past, present, and future until she actually signs the contract and then the story is missing an essential component that makes it hard to invest in Beauty's story. What were Laithe and director Andrew Dosunmu thinking mounting a story about a singer and not having her sing a single note in the entire movie? We get shots of her in the studio playing with her headphones and her lips moving but we never hear Beauty sing. There are almost fifteen minutes of screentime devoted to musical influences in Beauty's life like Ella Fitzgerald and Donna Summer, but we never hear the central character sing a note. There are also more than one scene where the camera follows Beauty and other characters having conservations but the scenes are done without audio and it really made this reviewer feel like we were missing something.
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Dosunmo does display some talent with a camera, but the pace of the movie is deadening, I didn't think this movie was ever going to end. Gracie Lee Bradley's lifeless performance in the title role didn't help either. Sharon Stone was fine as Colonizer, but the real acting honors in this movie go to Giancarlo Esposito who does a bone-chilling, Oscar-worthy turn as Beauty's father, but his work is not enough to recommend this film. 2

Gideon58

07-12-22, 05:21 PM

Thief
Long before scoring with films like Heat and Collateral, Michael Mann made a truly impressive feature length film debut as the executive producer, screenwriter, and director of 1981's Thief an edgy and stylishly mounted crime drama that is anchored by, arguably, the greatest performance of the late James Caan.
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Caan plays Frank, a professional jewel thief at a professional and personal crossroads in his life. Frank has just finished what he hopes to be his last job because his new girlfriend doesn't know what he does. While Frank is trying to get a real commitment out of the new lady in his life, he is also offered one more job that offers him anything his heart desires, except for the opportunity to live his own life.
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Michael Mann displays endless skill and imagination in cinematic storytelling in his careful and detailed mounting of a compelling story that actually starts in the middle of the central character's life. The lovingly photographed opening scene of Frank cracking a safe shows that Frank is very skilled at what he does and when he tells the person he's working for minutes later that he wants his cut to go into the bank also shows that this a guy who wants to change his life. We're impressed that he implies that he wants to change for the new woman in his life, but the scene where he gets her to commit by telling her the truth about his life turns out to be nothing that we expect. Even though the girl is Frank's motivation, I found the character to be one of the film's weaker elements. It was hard to buy that this woman was aa dumb as a box of rocks as she was presented.
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Mann is a proven commodity with the action sequence, but my two favorite scenes in the film have nothing to do with guns or car chases. There is a scene where Frank is trying to be hones with his girl about his life in Sing Sing and the scene where they go to an adoption agency and are refused a child, causing Frank to snap. These scenes give this dangerous story an element of humanity and they work because of the combined work of Mann and James Caan.
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I wanted to watch something in honor of Caan's passing that I hadn't seen and my first impulse was to watch The Gambler, but decided to watch this instead and I am so glad I did. I've seen a healthy chunk of Caan's work, but his explosive performance here is the strongest work I've seen from Caan, including The Godfather. Robert Prosky (in his film debut) and James Belushi make the most of their supporting roles and Tuesday Weld works hard at making her thankless role believable. Mann has employed first rate production values to this film, especially the eerie midnight-to-dawn cinematography, editing, and sound. It's Michael Mann's undeniable skill behind the camera and Caan's underrated skill in front that make this sizzling entertainment. 4

Gideon58

07-13-22, 04:13 PM

Hustle (2022)
Rocky meets The Blind Side in a 2022 Netflix production called Hustle, a warm and emotionally charged sports-oriented story that found this reviewer either grinning ear to ear or fighting tears for the majority of the running time.
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Adam Sandler stars as Stan Sugarman, a talent scout for the Philadelphia 76ers who travels to Spain and discovers a beast on a street basketball court named Bo Cruz, who despite his talent on the court, is struggling in a minimum wage job to support his mother and young daughter. Stan thinks Bo has what it takes to be an NBA superstar, which he also thinks will lead Stan to his dream job as a coach. Stan manages to get Bo on a plane to Philadelphia but the road to the NBA turns out to be a lot more complicated than Stan imagined.
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Yes, the story has an air of predictability but we eventually overlook this, thanks to the effective documentary feel director Jeremiah Zagar gives to the proceedings and the lovely relationship that develops between Stan and Bo, that did remind me a lot of Leigh Ann Tuohy and Michael Oher in The Blind Side, but Zagar and Sandler give it just enough of a tweaking that we almost don't see it.
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The relationship between the two central characters is really the anchor that keeps this film so engaging. From their first meeting on a bus where Bo thinks Stan is coming onto him, to Stan educating Bo about room service, to Stan making Bo a part of his family until he can make the NBA a reality, to the heartbreaking moment where Bo thinks Stan has been using him , and best of all, some awesome training sequences that definitely bring to mind the Rocky training sequences, but Rocky is acknowledged onscreen so it's OK.
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Netflix poured some money into this one, which includes some gorgeous round the world location photography and some superb editing during the basketball scenes and the training sequences. Adam Sandler confirms that his blistering performance in Uncut Gems was no fluke and that he knows how to command a movie screen playing an actual adult, who is very flawed, but very likable. A young basketball player named Juancho Hernangomez lights up the screen in his spectacular film debut as Bo. A performance that only seems to be made richer because of his lack of experience and his apparent trust in Zagar and Sandler, who allow the young man to shine onscreen and he does. Ben Foster as the team owner, Queen Latifah as Stan's wife, and a pro basketball player named Anthony Edwards as a rival player who tries to get under Bo's skin, make the most of their screentime, but Sandler and Hernangomez walk off with this one. If I had a minor quibble, I wish a little more imagination had been put into the title, but other than that, this is a winner. 4

Gideon58

07-13-22, 08:10 PM

Morning Glory (1933)
Katherine Hepburn won the first of her four Oscars for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performance in a dated melodrama called Morning Glory that hasn't aged very well, except for Hepburn's performance.
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Hepburn commands the screen in this 1933 RKO film playing Eva Lovelace, a small town girt who changed her name and came to New York looking for stardom on the Broadway stage. So far, she hasn't had any luck, but she is very careful to not let anyone know that. In her opening scene in a producer's office, she makes sure that everyone present knows that she is fielding several offers and will only accept roles that she feels a connection to. Her over the top selling of herself does attract the attention of a producer named Louis Easton, a slick playwright named Joseph Sheridan and a British actor whose career is on the decline named Robert Harley Hedges. We then watch Eva run roughshod over these three men trying to gauge how they can help her and what it's going to cost her.
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The film is an adaptation of a play by Zoe Adkins, that pretentiously opens with Eva walking through a theater lobby, lovingly gazing at paintings on the wall of the lobby of great actors like Ethel Barrymore and Sarah Bernhardt, which I think is supposed to convey Eva's sincerity about her love of the theater. However, as the story progresses, Eva appears more interested in the perks of acting than in the art of acting itself. It was a little unsettling that before the halfway point of this film, that I didn't believe a word that came out of Eva Lovelace's mouth. Unfortunately, the screenplay's simplistic views about Broadway are silly now, especially theories trotted out that comedy is degrading and certain implications regarding the casting couch.
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This role is an actress' dream and Hepburn makes the most of it. The high point of the film was the party scene at Easton's house where Eva takes center stage because the rest of the party guests think she's drunk. However, if you watch the scene carefully, it's hard to tell whether or not Eva is drunk or if she's pretending to be drunk and that's because Hepburn is so damned good in the scene. Hepburn is so charismatic in this role that it's hard to believe this was only her third movie and yes, I can see why she won the Oscar. And for the record, whenever Hepburn is not onscreen, the film screeches to a halt.
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Veteran character actor Adolph Menjou is superb as Louis Easton. He would work again with Hepburn in Stage Door and State of the Union. Douglas Fairbanks Jr brings an oily charm to Joseph Sheridan and C Aubrey Smith is a charmer as Hedges, but this is the movie that put Hepburn on the Hollywood map and deservedly so. The film was remade in 1958 as Stagestruck with Susan Strasberg inheriting Hepburn's role.
3

Citizen Rules

07-13-22, 10:41 PM

I've never seen Morning Glory. I haven't seen that many of Hepburn's movies. I should work on watching more of them.

Gideon58

07-14-22, 03:08 PM

Hepburn's resume is very strong...the only person who has won four acting Oscars...if you're interested in looking at her career, I could offer some recommendations. I know you've seen A Lion in Winter, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Gideon58

07-14-22, 05:25 PM

The Modern Way
2022's The Modern Way is an overheated British import that looks at the linking of two British subcultures in a story that purports to be exciting and dangerous, but just lets most of the characters involved get off way too easy.
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Danni is a young woman who escapes from her junkie mom and stepfather by hanging out with a trio of dangerous skinheads led by the psychotic Mason. One night Danni gets Frankie, a young Mod, in serious trouble when she has her skinhead allies steal a cache of drugs from his Vespa, which, naturally gets Frankie in some very serious trouble. What the skinheads do with the drugs gets Danni in as much trouble as Frankie and it turns out that an old family friend of Danni's named Terry, is the only person who can help Dannie and Frankie out of their respective messes.
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This story pretends to be a gritty look at British subcultures, like the Greasers and the Socs in The Outsiders, but most of the characters involved in this story are too stupid to live and make it hard to stay invested in a story that takes way too long to kick in gear. More importantly, the Frankie and Danni characters create their own respective danger where they actually got off a lot easier than they should. Frankie is an idiot for leaving the drugs in his Vespa and even a bigger idiot for going to the dealers, explaining what happened and promising to pay them back, and expecting everything to be all right. And Dannie is no Rhodes scholar leading those skinheads to a cache of drugs and finding them sanctuary with her junkie stepfather, who naturally welcomes them with open arms.
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The screenplay by star Jake Henderson and director Giuseppe Monticciolo is just too simplistic in its alleged examination of British gang culture. Actually we just get two sets of really dumb kids who get themselves in a lot of trouble and somehow, this Terry guy is the only answer for Frankie and Danni and Terry is no genius either. He thinks throwing money at the problem is the solution and seems genuinely surprised when that's not the end.
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Jake Henderson, in a really bad hair piece, is kind of one note as Terry, but I really liked Ashley Hodgson as Frankie and Jack Parr as the completely unhinged Mason, but this one was a chore getting through, and it was under 90 minutes long! 2

Gideon58

07-16-22, 05:19 PM

Olympia (2018)
The late Oscar winning actress Olympia Dukakis is the subject of one of the best celebrity documentaries I have ever seen. 2018's Olympia is a boldly delicious look at the life and career of this iconic actress where I learned more about the subject than I could have imagined and found myself entertained and drawn into the center of her fascinating life and all of the people she touched.
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This arresting cinema verite focused on an entertainment legend does not go the traditional birth to date route of a lot of documentaries. After fifteen minutes of jumping around to pertinent times in her life and career, the title of the documentary quietly appears at the bottom of the screen and we are taken to the present where we meet the subject and her husband, Louis Zorich (who died seven months after the release of this film), at home with her personal assistant.
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Director and co-screenwriter Harry Mavromichalis immediately establishes for the reviewer the tireless and rebellious spirit of this artist, who was definitely more interested in the art than in the accolades. The opening moments of the film are actually a little unsettling as we watch the actress, sans makeup, wandering around a hotel suite trying to figure out how she could get out of going to some event where she was expected. The cameraman/interviewer gets her to confirm that she's not interested in the glitz and the accolades of being an actress. It was refreshing though to hear her actually admit that she was grateful for her 1987 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Moonstruck.
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This documentary does reveal that, long before Moonstruck, Dukakis was a driving force in theater. The year I started high school, Dukakis had her own theater company called The Whole Theater and was playing Mary Tyrone in Long Day's Journey into Night. She had done theater all over the country and was a renowned acting teacher. An actor named Rocco Sisto was one of her students and he shares the joys of being her student. And loved the fact that during all of this, loving Louis Zorich was right at her side.
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Theater was always Dukakis' first love and that comes shining through here. Loved the shots of her rehearsing a production of The Tempest playing Prospero, a role that Shakespeare wrote as a male. Her social conscience is also revealed as Dukakis is observed as the grand marshall in the San Francisco Gay Pride parade and appearing in the PBS production of Tales of the City. Commentary is provided by Zorich and her two sons, Laura Linney, Whoopi Goldberg, Lainie Kazan, and Austin Pendleton among others. A glorious look at a show business legend, who herself passed away a little over a year ago. 4.5

Gideon58

07-16-22, 09:15 PM

The Black Phone
Fans of the 2009 drama The Lovely Bones will have a head start with 2021's The Black Phone, a claustrophobic crime thriller that, despite some logic defying plot twists, had this reviewer on the edge of his seat and holding his breath for the majority of the running time.
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Based on a short story by Joe Hill, the setting is Denver in the late 70's where a 13 year old boy named Finney is kidnapped by someone simply known as The Grabber. It comes to light that Finney is the Grabber's 5th victim and that the previous four victims are believed to be dead. The Grabber throws Finney in a dingy basement with nothing but a mattress and a disconnected phone on the wall. It's not long before the disconnected phone begins to ring and Finney finds himself communicating with the previous victims who want to help Finney get out. Meanwhile, Finney's little sister, Gwen, is receiving clues to what happened to Finney through her dreams.
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Director and co-screenwriter Scott Derrickson helped Hill fashion his story into a viable screenplay that meticulously sets up backstory where we meet the previous victims, who are all revealed to have a level of acquaintance with Finney so that we know that the Grabber is coming his way. Backstory is also provided through Finney and Gwen's troubled relationship with their alcoholic abusive father, who blames the kids' mother's crazy dreams for her eventual suicide, which he equates to Gwen's dreams, which contain details that the police never released.
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Most of the logic defying is centered around the grabber. Every time he grabs a kid, he grabs them by twisting a bunch of black balloons around their neck and then leaving the balloons at the scene? Why leave the balloons at the scene? We're given no motivation behind why the Grabber picks the kids he does or his motivation other than murder. Shortly after he takes Finney, a sexual component is hinted at but dropped just as quickly. We never learn why this nutcase kidnaps and kills these children. Then there's this phone...we know the phone is not connected and we know Finney is not really talking to the previous victims, but we're confused as to how and why this is happening and why the Grabber is so incensed when he first catches Finney on the phone.
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However, as in The Lovely Bones, it becomes clear that the first four victims are not happy about the way they died and they don't want to see the same thing happen to Finney. Fortunately, these kids are given a little more power than Soirse Ronan's character in The Lovely Bones, giving Finney more control over his fate.
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Derrickson mounts this story on a dark canvas, enhanced by what is obviously a limited budget, and shows a definite skill with the camera. He gets some first rate performances from Mason Thames as Finney, Madeline McGraw as Gwen, Jeremy Davies as their dad, and especially Ethan Hawke, in an ultra-creepy performance as The Grabber. A sharp thriller that delivers the goods as long as you don't think about it too much. 3.5

Takoma11

07-16-22, 11:06 PM

We're given no motivation behind why the Grabber picks the kids he does or his motivation other than murder. Shortly after he takes Finney, a sexual component is hinted at but quickly hinted at but dropped just as quickly. We never learn why this nutcase kidnaps and kills these children.

I think that the implication is that he gets sexual satisfaction out of hurting/killing the kids. I actually appreciate that the movie just gave enough hints of this that you understand the dynamic of it without being to oblique or too explicit. I didn't need any more of the kid being groped or anything. Especially because you know that that's an aspect of the movie that they'd never actually do in this kind of film

I mean, just that shot of him waiting at the top of the stairs, shirt open, holding the belt has enough demented charge that you get plenty of ideas about what's up.

He gets some first rate performances from Mason Thames as Finney, Madeline McGraw as Gwen, Jeremy Davies as their dad, and especially Ethan Hawke, in an ultra-creepy performance as The Grabber. A sharp thriller that delivers the goods as long as you don't think about it too much. 3.5

I agree that the performances really give this one a boost. I gave it the same rating.

Gideon58

07-18-22, 04:35 PM

Love Me Tender
By the mid 1950's Elvis Presley was the biggest recording star on the planet and Hollywood knew they had to have a piece of it, so Elvis Presley made an inauspicious film debut in a 1956 film called Love Me Tender that, without Elvis' film debut as a selling point, probably wouldn't have made a blip on the Hollywood radar.
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It's the end of the Civil War and we meet a group of confederate soldiers led by one Vance Reno (Richard Egan) robbing a Union payroll and preparing to return home. Vance is eager to return home to his family and the woman he loves named Cathy (Debra Paget). Vance is thrown for a loop when, upon returning home, Vance learns that Cathy is married to his younger brother Clint (guess who?).
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As much as Hollywood bigwigs might have considered Elvis a cash cow, this film proved they had their reservations about him and weren't willing to sink everything into his film debut. Twentieth Century Fox shot this film on a budget of a mere million dollars in black and white with passable production values and mostly B movie actors surrounding Elvis in his first film. Elvis is billed third onscreen as "And Introducing...".
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The screenplay is a little simplistic, taking a little too much time with exposition, but providing the meat of the film when Vance returns home and we learn, not only has Cathy married Clint, but she is still in love with Vance, even though Clint comes off dumb as a box of rocks for not seeing the feelings between Cathy and his brother.
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Elvis does hold his own in his film debut and there is one thing about this film that was a detriment to a lot of his later work. Elvis doesn't sing a song every ten minutes during the running time to keep people from noticing that he wasn't Laurence Olivier. Elvis only sings four songs in this film...the staging of the title tune was a little odd, not the standard love scene I expected.
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Richard Egan has the toothiest grin I've seen since Don Ameche but he doesn't get to show it much here. Debra Paget is one-note leading lady, as usual, though '56 was a good year for her...she also appeared in The Ten Commandments and if you don't blink, you'll catch a brief appearance near the beginning of the film from the 2nd Darrin on Bewitched, Dick Sargent. The film is no classic and if Elvis hadn't been in it, I don't think anyone would have seen it. 3

Citizen Rules

07-18-22, 05:56 PM

Can I ask why you watch all these Elvis movies? You really don't seem to like them and I'm guessing you're not a fan of Elvis.

Gideon58

07-18-22, 07:44 PM

I haven't hated everything I've watched...I really liked Blue Hawaii, Jailhouse Rock. King Creole, Loving You, and Viva Las Vegas. I just find it interesting study his career as an actor and the ups and downs it took.

Citizen Rules

07-18-22, 07:46 PM

Gideon58

07-19-22, 08:01 PM

Elvis (2022)
The flashy theatrical direction by Baz Luhrman and the electric performance by the leading man make it easy to overlook the minor issues with 2022's Elvis, a sparkling and inventive look at the legend that doesn't bring us anything new regarding the life of the Pelvis, but makes the story feel imaginative and new through the eye-popping direction we expect from Luhrman.
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Luhrman knows that he is dealing with well worn cinematic territory here so he applies the accustomed razzle dazzle storytelling technique to the material, like he did with his masterpiece Moulin Rouge. Luhrman (who also co-wrote the screenplay) chooses to tell the story through the eyes of Col Tom Parker, who is in the hospital after a heart attack, who becomes our guided tour through the rise of Elvis and how none of it would have happened without his guidance and manipulation.
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The screenplay by Luhrman, Sam Bromell, and Craig Pearce is a little rambling and moves a little too leisurely, making the film longer than it needs to be. Way too much time is spent at the beginning of the film pounding into the viewers' heads that Elvis' musical style was influenced by blues and gospel. The scene where Elvis risks arrest by performing "Evil", a song he would later bring to the screen in King Creole is terrific, reminding me a lot of the scene in Straight Outta Compton where NWA is threatened with arrest if they perform "F**ck the Police". We know what's going to happen so the buildup didn't need to take up the screentime it did.
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LOVED the scene that documented Elvis' career as a movie star, beautifully meshed with his courtship of Priscilla. Clips from Elvis' films are actually recreated to perfection with Austin Butler recreating them to a T...and can we talk about the discovery of the decade, one Austin Butler, who sets the screen on fire with his blazing, electric sex on legs performance as the King, fueled by those piercing blue eyes that rival Paul Newman's and an understanding and respect for the character he's bringing to the screen without ever resorting to caricature or previous screen reincarnations of Elvis.
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Two time Oscar winner Tom Hanks goes through a remarkable physical transformation to bring Col Tom Parker to the screen and never shies away from the negative aspects of the character. Hanks is Oscar worthy here, playing another of those screen villains who does all of his evil with a nasty grin on his face. Richard Roxbrough (so memorable as the Duke in Moulin Rouge) and Helen Thompson are terrific as Elvis' parents and I have to give a shout out to Alton Mason, who stops the show in his one scene as Little Richard. As expected with a Baz Luhrman, production values are splendid with special nods to art direction/set direction, film editing, and costumes. It's a little longer than it needed to be, but Luhrman's flash over substance style of direction serves him well here. 4

Gideon58

07-20-22, 09:25 PM

The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
The Ferrelly Brothers swung and missed with The Heartbreak Kid, their juvenile and slightly smarmy 2007 re-imagining of the 1972 Neil Simon comedy that made a star out of the late Charles Grodin.
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Peter and Bobby Ferrelly drafted their There's Something About Mary leading man to star as Eddie Cantro a man who meets and marries a beautiful girl named Lila (Malin Ackerman) who methodically turns out to be a hot mess who Eddie regrets marrying while their driving to their Mexican honeymoon spot. When Lila is confined to their hotel room because of a bad sunburn, Eddie goes to the beach and meets a lovely girl named Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) who is vacationing with her family and decides after spending the day with her that he wants to be with her instead of Lila.
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The Ferrelly Brothers have taken the skeleton of the 1972 film and constructed a story that plays out much differently than Neil Simon's black comedy. The '72 film opens with Lenny, Grodin's character and his new bride, the homely Lila, played by Jeanne Berlin, already driving to their honeymoon. Here we get Eddie and Lila's whole courtship, that automatically adds 21 minutes to the running time, which finds Lila transforming from a lovely and charming woman to an obnoxious and clinging harpy in the matter of a few scenes. Unfortunately, this transformation happens so quickly it's hard for the viewer to accept. In the '72 film, we know from the opening scene that Lenny feels he's made a mistake marrying Lila, so we understand to a point why he pursues the icy blonde Kelly, played by Cybill Shepherd.
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Monaghan, playing the Cybill Shepherd character, is not the snotty ice queen Shepherd played in '72 making his attraction to her make more sense. There is a connection between Stiller and Monaghan in this version that didn't exist in the '72 film, giving this story a completely different tone than the original film. Stiller's character doesn't look so much like the slimeball Grodin did in .72. Sympathy is evoked for Stiller here that was absent from Grodin's character, but by the final third of the film, Stiller's Eddie is being crapped all over, suffering the consequences that Grodin's character should have but didn't. The addition of a lot of the accustomed smarmy bathroom humor and unappealing supporting characters that we expect from the Ferrelly Brothers dpn't help matters either. The Ferrelly's sluggish direction also contributes to the severe overlength of the film, another staple of the Ferrelly Brothers.
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Stiller works hard to keep Eddie likable and Monaghan is charming, but Ackerman's character is insufferable by the halfway point. Stiller's real dad, Jerry Stiller provides a few laughs as Eddie's foul-mouthed dad as does Danny McBride as Monaghan's cousin. There's also a cameo by Eva Longoria and there's even an appearance by Stephanie Courtney, who you might recognize as "Flo" from the Progressive Insurance commercials, but this is a labored and not very funny remake that barely resembles the film it's based on. 2

SpelingError

07-20-22, 09:27 PM

Haven't seen it, but the '72 The Heartbreak Kid is excellent.

Gideon58

07-20-22, 09:59 PM

Haven't seen it, but the '72 The Heartbreak Kid is excellent.

I really liked the '72 film as well which is why I wanted to check this out, but it was a real disappointment.

Gideon58

07-21-22, 09:25 PM

Lightyear
Disney Pixar had a really good idea with 2022's Lightyear, an eye-popping prequel to the Toy Story franchise that is essentially the backstory for one of the principal characters of that franchise; unfortunately, as with almost all Disney Pixar works, the story is overly complex and borrows a little too much from other movies leading up to a dazzling climax we have to wait too long for.
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It's explained at the beginning of the film that Andy, the boy at the center of Toy Story, receives an action figure named Buzz Lightyear, who was the principal character in a movie that Andy saw and that this movie is that movie.
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Buzz is a space ranger who has been working on a mission having to due with cultivating new fuel supplies with his longtime partner, Alisha Hawthorne. Buzz has a major screw up with the mission where he loses four years of his life, at which time he and Alisha are separated as he tries to resume the mission while Alisha steps down and raises a family with her girlfriend. Alisha passes away, which only fuels Buzz' desire to complete the mission, which leads him to another planet where he gets assistance from three rookie space cadets, one of whom is Alisha's granddaughter, Izzy.
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Director and co-screenwriter Angus MacLane puts a lot of work into the construction of this story, but I wish a lot of this work could have been a little more original. This reviewer found flashes of movies like Star Wars, Gravity, and The Adam Project going through his head, which only contributed to making the story nearly impossible to follow and this reviewer scratching his head for the first 25 minutes of the film. As trying to figure out the exact plot developments, which I think might be easier for younger viewers, I focused on the characters and the production values to aid in my investment in the proceedings and it worked for the most part.
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I was pleasantly surprised by a major difference between the Buzz in this movie and the Buzz in the Toy Story franchise. There was an air of arrogance that surrounded Toy Story Buzz that was absent from this Buzz. The Buzz at the center of this adventure was brave, adventurous, ambitious, smart, but he wasn't full of himself. His loyalty to Alisha and the eventual loyalty he built with Izzy was a joy to watch, not to mention the way said loyalty was challenged during his encounter with the supposedly evil Zurg, a surprisingly three dimensional villain.
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Certain technical aspects of the story will also tickle the funny bone. Loved the reveal that Sox the robot cat had to be recharged like a cell phone and that sandwiches are now made with the bread in the middle and the meat on the outside. Bouquets to MacLane for his vision of the several canvases upon which the story takes place. The detail put into the various space stations is breathtaking. Impressive as well was whenever we saw a space vehicle crash, we could see the scratches and indents and scarred up paint on the vehicle in glorious detail, something, I don't think I've ever noticed in an animated film before, though I probably wouldn't have if I actually understood the story.
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As for the voice work, I was initially disappointed when I learned Tim Allen wouldn't be voicing Buzz, but Chris Evans was up to the task and made me forget about Allen pretty quickly. Also enjoyed Keke Palmer as Izzy, Oscar winner Taika Waititi as Morrison, Peter Sohn as Sox, Isiah Whitlock Jr as Burnside, and James Brolin as Zurg. A superb technical achievement clouded by a story almost impossible to follow. 3

Gideon58

07-23-22, 09:09 PM

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
Alfred Hitchcock made a rare and entertaining foray into romantic comedy with 1941's Mr. & Mrs. Smith that works thanks to Hitchcock's mastery, which is not disguised under the guise of comedy, and the sparkling performances from his stars.
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Robert Montgomery and the fabulous Carole Lombard play David and Ann Smith, a sophisticated Manhattan couple who have been married for three years and work very hard at it. They have a rule to never leave their bedroom angry and, as the film opens, the have just spent three days locked in their room (their record is eight). After foolishly admitting to Ann that if he had it do all over again, he wouldn't marry Ann, David goes to work and learns from a man from Ann's old hometown that their marriage was invalid and they are not legally married. The man then breaks the news to Ann, who is certain that David will want to rectify the situation and remarry that night. David attempts to keep the news from Ann and when she suspects he never plans to tell him, she angrily throws him out of the house.
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Hitchcock is given a terrific screenplay to work with by Norman Krasna (White Christmas), a sexy and intelligent battle of the sexes that finds most of the bad moves in the story coming from the husband. We're never sure what he was thinking trying to keep the news from Ann and once Ann learns the truth, we're not sure if she is really through with David or if she's trying to manipulate him back into the relationship. It was impressive that once Ann learned of her marital status, she went back to her maiden name, barred David from the house and even got a job.
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What isn't clear in the screenplay comes through in Hitchcock's direction, which never goes for the conventional. Loved the moment when David tells Ann that he wouldn't marry her again. Instead of showing us the shocked look on her face, Hitchcock first shows her feet under the table, untangling themselves from his. The scene at the nightclub where David tries to make Ann jealous, kills it thanks to a specific piece of business where David is purposely trying to hurt his nose, which you just know was Hitchcock's brainchild, though beautifully realized by Montgomery. This is also the first scene where we get a hint that there might be a happy ending somewhere down the pike, thanks to Hitchcock and the incomparable comic timing of Carole Lombard.
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This subject matter was addressed about a decade later in a 1952 comedy called We're Not Married. but that film looked at five different couples, not one. This concentrated look at one couple was a lot more fun and less predictable, thanks to a master filmmaker in the director's chair, even if he was working out of his comfort zone.
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I haven't seen a lot of Robert Montgomery's work. but I found him utterly charming as the pompous, vain, and lovable Mr. Smith, struggling to save a marriage that means more to him than he thought. Carole Lombard gives a master classing in acting in her deliciously underplayed performance as Ann, a performance so carefully crafted that the audience almost never knows what Ann is thinking. Gene Raymond impresses as Jeff, David's alleged BFF and there's an early, very funny appearance from Jack Carson as a guy staying at the club where David moves after Ann kicks him out. The required happy ending might take a little longer than we hoped, but Hitchcock offers a funny and smooth ride here. 3.5

Gideon58

07-25-22, 04:25 PM

The Wheel (2021)
There's a lot to admire about a 2021 drama called The Wheel, which looks at two relationships at similar crossroads that become hopelessly intertangled, but is hard to completely engage in due to one of the characters being too all over the place to invest in.
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Walker and Albee got married in their teens and eight years later are on the verge of a divorce. They have decided to work on their marriage by driving to a remote AirB&B in the mountains equipped with a book called "Seven Questions to Save Your Marriage." They are warmly welcomed to the AirB&B by the owners, Carly and Ben, who are engaged to be married and find their relationship challenged by their attempts to help Walker and Albee.
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Director Steve Pink, whose career prior to this film has mostly been as a screenwriter (Grosse Point Blank, High Fidelity) shows some real skill as a director, bringing a viable tension to Trent Atkinson's spotty screenplay that presents two couples who initially appear to be very different, but as the story progresses they seem to have a lot more in common than we thought.
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There were a couple of things about the premise of this story that I really liked. I liked the idea of a young couple having marital troubles actually committing to trying to save their marriage with some outside help like a book and an intimate getaway. This is something we usually see in couples who have been married 20 or 30 years. I also liked that it was the husband who seemed to be the partner who really wanted to work at saving his marriage, which is something that I don't recall seeing before.
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What didn't work for me was the character of Albee, the angry, bitter, bride with a troubled past who initially seems to want to end the marriage and is completely uncooperative with Walker's efforts, but by the halfway point in the story, what Albee wants becomes completely incomprehensible as one scene she wants to get as far from Walker as possible and the next wants to make this marriage work. There is even a hint of sexual tension between her and Ben, which is dropped almost immediately, but it's not long before Ben starts doubting his feelings for Carly, though we're not really sure why. The point of the story seems to be that these two couple's relationships are in the same place, brought out by each other, but nothing about the angry Albee is present in the relationship between Carly and Ben. By the final act, there seems to be some hope for Albee and Walker, but we're not sure if it's divorce or reconciliation. Atkinson's screenplay is a little too vague and has us scratching our heads by the final scene.
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Pink makes the most of what appears to be a limited budget. The film is beautifully photographed and Pink gets solid performances from Amber Midthunder, Taylor Gray, Bethany Anne Lind, and Nelson Lee in the leads, I just wish the screenplay hadn't left so much of the story up in the air. I was also a little vague about the title, but I had an inkling by the conclusion and if I was right, it didn't work for me. 3.5

Gideon58

07-26-22, 04:35 PM

Elf
Will Ferrell had one of his biggest critical and commercial successes with an elaborate 2003 fantasy called Elf that provides plenty of entertainment as long as you don't overthink it, thanks to some warm and lovable characters at the center of the story and spectacular production values.
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Ferrell plays Buddy, a human being who was raised as one of Santa's elves by Papa Elf (Bob Newhart), who also serves as the film's narrator. Once Buddy grows to a size that his humanity cannot be denied, Papa Elf reveals to Buddy the name of his real father and tells him that he lives in Manhattan and works in the Empire State Building.
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Buddy's father, Walter (the late James Caan) is a workaholic publisher so obsessed with his work that he is ready to ignore his wife (Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen) and son, Michael as usual, until Buddy runs smack into his life and refuses to take no for an answer when he innocently demands a relationship with his father.
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There's a whole lot of stuff that David Berenbaum's screenplay doesn't explain, but the fish out of water introduction of Buddy to Manhattan and the crafting of the relationship between Buddy and Walter is so engaging that you eventually don't care about what doesn't work. We don't really buy that Buddy really believed he was an elf as long as he did and a lot of the stuff he does upon his arrival in Manhattan (the jumping in the street and the hassling of the guys passing out flyers didn't work for me, but watching Buddy and Walter eventually bond, we just don't care. Though I loved Buddy's first introduction to an escalator and a revolving door.
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Aided by spectacular production values and sparkling direction by Jon Favreau, Ferrell turns in one of his best performances as Buddy and is well match with a masterfully underplayed turn from James Caan as Walter. Newhart has one of his best movie roles as do Edward Asner, perfection as Santa, Michael Lerner, and the brilliant Peter Dinklage. Not perfect, but there's a lot to love here. 3.5

Gideon58

07-27-22, 04:33 PM

The Fallout (2021)
Director/Screenwriter Megan Park certainly deserves an "A" for effort for her 2021 drama called The Fallout an ambitious and squirm-worthy look at a topical subject that starts off quite brilliantly but eventually is unable to provide solid answers for the important questions it raises.
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The drama revolves around the after effects of a school shooting on three of the survivors who hid together in a restroom during the tragedy. Vada is a smart and bubbly girl who is trying to take care of her little sister as the incident occurs. Mia is the rich pampered daughter of wealthy parents who are out of town at the time of the incident. Quinton is a sensitive and charming young man whose brother was one of the shooting victims.
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Director and screenwriter Park is to be applauded for taking on such a timely subject where there has been so much focus the last several years. Survivors of this tragedy must feel the same way that survivors of 9/11 feel...like it happened yesterday and that they will never get over it, making this risky subject matter for a movie. Park's presentation of the shooting is quite brilliant...the camera stays in the restroom with our three principals, who, of course, barely know each other before the incident. Park makes a brilliant storytelling move when we hear the shooting stop for about 10 seconds and then resumes...unbelievably terrifying. I was also impressed by the way Park decides to show the audience how many students died in the shooting.
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Like Jeff Bridges' character in Fearless, Vada, Mia, and Quinton begin to disconnect from everyone else in their lives except each other. Vada's relationship with her gay BFF Nick is beautifully established in the opening scenes, but by the end of the movie they are practically strangers. I found Vada's sister's complete insensitivity about what Vada went through really maddening, though she is redeemed before the credit rolls. I was also troubled by the fact that Mia's parents are never seen returning home to see how their daughter is. The acting out that Veda and Mia experience gets a little silly, especially when we get none of this from Quinton and Veda's "breakthrough; at the end of the movie is just too quick and convenient.
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Jenna Ortega, who was seen this year in X and the reboot of Scream gives a star-making performance as Vada, as does Nils Fitch as Quinton. This is Us fans will recognize Fitch as teenage Randall on that show and Julie Bowen and John Ortiz make the most of their screentime as Veda's parents. Park's work here starts off quite nicely, but purports to provide answers that it doesn't. 3.5

Gideon58

07-28-22, 04:34 PM

American Gigolo
A slick but overheated drama from 1980 called American Gigolo did make a star out of a practically unknown actor named Richard Gere and immortalized a certain song by Blondie, but definitely loses steam behind a screenplay that tries to cover too much territory.
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Gere plays Julian Kay, a a sexy male escort making a very comfortable living providing companionship for wealthy older women with the aid of two different pimps, but finds his comfortable existence turned upside down when he begins an affair with an unhappily married wife of a politician (Lauren Hutton) and is set up for a murder he didn't commit.
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Director and screenwriter Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Blue Collar, Raging Bull) actually starts this movie off quite promisingly as it almost appears to be a character study. A sort of cinema verite look inside the life of a male escort and what makes a man choose to live this way, other than the financial perks. The affair with the married woman provides a legitimate wrinkle to the story, though I never really buy this woman's unabashed pursuit of Julian, even though she makes it clear she has no plans to leave her husband. Though I was impressed by the fact that this woman was definitely doing the chasing in this relationship. It's when one work encounter leads to a murder charge where the story loses me, because it turns Julian dumb as a box of rocks. It's troublesome that he would rather protect his lifestyle than tell a couple of truths that would get him from under a murder charge. By the time Julian is observed tearing a bag of jewelry hidden under his car, it was checkout time for this reviewer.
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There are definite dated elements to Schrader's screenplay, but his direction does show some style. The film is beautifully photographed and Schrader scores with two awesome tracking shots, one of Julian entering a fancy restaurant and another entering a gay bar, that show a real filmmaker in the making. Sound was a bit troubling though, there was
more than one than one scene between Gere and Hutton where I actually had trouble hearing exactly what they were saying.
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Gere's sex-on-legs performance as Julian carries the film for about two thirds of the running time and then he really starts fighting the screenplay. Several familiar faces show up in the supporting cast including Hector Elizondo, Bill Duke, Nina Van Pallandt, K Callan, Carole Cook, and MacDonald Carey, but it's Gere and Schrader's directorial skills that are the main attractions here. 3

Gideon58

07-29-22, 03:22 PM

Halftime
The life and career of superstar Jennifer Lopez gets a slightly pretentious, slightly overprotective, and slightly sanitized look in a 2022 Netflix documentary called Halftime, which wants to humanize the subject but achieves the exact opposite effect.
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This look at Lopez' career is presented on the canvas of two very recent career highs for the actress. First, was her 2019 film Hustlers, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination and many felt would lead to her first Oscar nomination. Second was when she and Shakira were given the opportunity to perform at the halftime show at Superbowl LIV.
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This documentary reminded me of two other celebrity documentaries I've viewed in recent years. It reminded me of Jane Fonda in Five Acts in the way it seemed terribly protective of the subject. One gets the feeling that while watching this film that if the subject didn't want it onscreen, it did not make it to the screen. Every millimeter of film involved in this documentary seems to be carefully manipulated to make the star appear in a positive light. And just like Madonna" Truth or Dare, a definite wall is thrown up between the subject and the filmgoer that allows no vulnerability or real connection to the subject, which is ironic since, on the surface, Lopez seems to want us to think she is still "Jenny on the Block."
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It's hard to think of her that way as we watch her jetting around the world, doing press tours, carrying around a bejeweled soda cup and wearing a satin mask to President Biden's inaugeration. The film constantly reminds us that, yes, she has worked for it, but Jennifer Lopez has everything she wants and reminds us of it whenever possible. She is presented as a Superwoman who somehow finds time to be a wonderful mother, because they squeeze in a couple of shots skyping with her kids.
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The only point we observe any vulnerability from the actress is when she has to hit the awards show junket after receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Hustlers. So many stars like to say that they act for the art and awards mean nothing, but for Lopez, nothing could be further from the truth, even though there might be some denial there. She is observed here picking out a dress for the Globes and then commenting "This is a dress you can't lose in." And look at her face when she returns home from the Globes after losing to Laura Dern...yeah, awards mean nothing to her.
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It is fun watching her rehearse for the halftime show, despite the last minute drama the NFL throws her way. Commentary is provided by a lot of people in Lopez' life but surprisingly little commentary from show business contemporaries, so take from that what you will. Lopez is worthy of documentary attention, but this glossy, sanitized look at the superstar didn't really endear her to me. 3

Gideon58

07-30-22, 04:10 PM

Listen Darling
The year before she became an official movie star playing Dorothy Gale, Judy Garland starred in a forgettable 1938 comedy called Listen Darling that provides sporadic entertainment, but doesn't provide enough Judy Garland.
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Garland plays Pinkie, the teenage daughter of Dottie (Oscar winner Mary Astor), a sweet-natured widow who is raising Pinkie and her little brother Billie (Scotty Beckett). Dottie thinks she may have found the answer to all her problems thanks to her romance with the local banker, Mr. Drubbs (Gene Lockhart). After hearing her mom crying herself to sleep one night, Pinkie decides to save her mother by asking her BFF Buzz (Freddie Bartholomew) to kidnap her. They eventually settle in a nearby town where a handsome photographer (Walter Pidgeon) sets his sights on Dottie and a sweet-natured millionaire (Alan Hale), sets his sights on adopting Billie.
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I don't know what MGM was thinking sticking Judy Garland in the middle of this rather blah comedy that runs under ninety minutes but felt twice that length. The story itself is nothing special and could have been cast with just about anyone, but there is some real talent being wasted here. If this film was supposed to be a vehicle to showcase Garland, then it was an epic fail because she seems to have less screentime than any of the leads. Even little Scotty Beckett seems to have more screentime thanks to a silly subplot where getting sprayed by a skink motivates Hale's character to want to adopt him.
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The film only comes alive when Garland sings, but she is only given three musical numbers in the film..."On the Bumpy the Road to Love", a lovely ballad called "Ten Pins in the Sky" and the song that Garland sang for her first audition for MGM, "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart."
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This film was my first exposure to England's answer to Mickey Rooney, young Freddy Batholomew, best known for his role in Captains Courageous. Not sure what all the fuss was about him, they would have been better to cast Rooney as Buzz. Mary Astor is lovely as Dottie and would play Garland's mother a few years later in Meet Me in St. Louis. Pidgon has rarely been this charming onscreen, but, if the truth be told, getting through this one was work., Even hardcore Garland fans like myself will find this one a struggle. 2

Gideon58

07-30-22, 09:44 PM

I Want You Back
It takes a little too long to get where it's going thanks to an overly intricate screenplay, but the 2022 romantic comedy I Want You Back back provides solid entertainment thanks to sparkling direction and a handful of terrific performances.
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Peter and Emma work in the same building but at different companies. Peter has just been dumped by his girlfriend, Anne, after six years. Emma has been dumped by her boyfriend, Noah, after eighteen months. Peter and Emma meet in the stairwell of their building, weeping about their romantic troubles. After bonding over booze and karoake, Peter and Emma devise a plan to get their exes back, even though Anne is now dating a sexy drama teacher named Logan and Noah is now dating a sexy restauranteur named Ginny. Peter and Emma's plan develops legs, unfortunately only one of them is able to complete their mission.
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The screenplay by Isaac Aptaker and Eliuzabeth Berger (Love Simon) is rich with classic romantic comedy complications, though there are a couple of things that definitely slow the story. There is a subplot involving Emma's bonding with a 12 year boy of gay dads that brings the story to a halt as well as a wild scene involving underage girls and a hot tub and a high school production of Little Shop of Horrors that pad about 25 more minutes onto the running time, but when the story zooms in on Peter, Emma, Noah, Anne, and Logan, it really works.
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Director Jason Orley (Big Time Adolescence ) brings an old fashioned romantic comedy sensibility to the proceedings, laying out the story on a very appealing canvas and filling it with really likable characters who, for the most part, do the right things for the right reasons and his work on the riverboat finale is first rate.
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Charlie Day and Jenny Slate light up the screen like a modern day Woody Allen/Diane Keaton in the roles of Peter and Emma. Clint Eastwood's son Scott, reveals a gift for ight comedy as Noah as do Giselle Torres as Anne and Manny Jacinto as Logan. It's a little longer than it needs to be, but there is fun to be had here. 3.5

Gideon58

08-01-22, 06:33 PM

What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Lasse Hallstrom, probably best known for directing the enchanting Chocolat, actually knocked it out of the park seven years earlier with What's Eating Gilbert Grape, an emotionally charged melodrama that had my stomach in knots for the majority of the running time until the final act, where I found myself seriously fighting tears.
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The setting is a fictional one horse town called Endora, where we meet Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) a charming and hard working young man caught in a dead end existence because of his mother (Darlene Cates), a morbidly obese woman who hasn't stepped foot out of her run
down home in seven years and Arnie (Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio), his mentally-challenged brother who Gilbert barely has control of and has to constantly rescue him from dangerous situations. Gilbert is also the sexual obsession of an unhappy housewife (Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen) to whom he delivers groceries.
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Peter Hedges was allowed to adopt his own novel into a viable screenplay rich with unpredictability that doesn't feel the need to explain everything, leaving several plot points to the viewers' imagination. The screenplay definitely avoids backstory regarding Gilbert and Arnie's father and also never really lets us in on whether or not Steenburgen's husband knows about her and Gilbert. Darlene's weight affecting the foundation of the house was a shocking turn I didn't see coming as well as the event that actually motivates the mother to leave the house. Arnie's off the wall and sometimes dangerous behavior rivets the viewer, wondering how long he can survive like this.
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Hallstrom creates a visually arresting canvas on which the story appears, creating another of those small town atmospheres where everybody knows everybody and nothing is a secret in Endora, with the possible exception of Gilbert's affair with the married woman and whether or not her husband knew about it. And we never really find out and I loved that. The way Arnie's family members all treat him a little differently was refreshing as well. The younger sister's feelings of shame and being neglected because of Arnie rang especially true. There are some truly heartbreaking moments in this film that I don't want to spoil by talking about them here, but this was a unique film experience that enveloped me from opening to closing credits.
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Johnny Depp offers one of his richest performances in the title role and a 19 year old Leonardo DI Caprio's bold and unhinged performance as Arnie earned him his first Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. Steenburgen gives one of the strongest performances as the frustrated housewife, but the real revelation here was Darlene Cates as the overweight matriarch. Cates was discovered after an appearance on Sally Jessy Raphael's talk show and delivered a performance here that defies description. A bold and breathtaking motion picture experience that left me limp. 4.5

Gideon58

08-02-22, 08:26 PM

Freedom Uncut
Freedom Uncut is a stylish, imaginative, funny, warm, and gloriously entertaining overview of the life and career of the late George Michael, who was in the processing of co-directing this film at the time of his death in 2016. Thank God it finally has come to the big screen in 2022.
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This documentary paints Michael as an artist driven to success without outside influence and once he achieved the kind of success that he dreamed of, pretty much hated it and struggled to become a private citizen, which, of course, impossible. There's a great scene of him talking about his early days with Wham and after his first television appearance. He actually admits to being disappointed the next day when he went out in public and no one recognized him.
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Several of Michael's friends and contemporaries are not only interviewed about Michael, but are rewarded with freshly minted vinyl reproductions of some of his greatest hits and offering commentary on his talents as a singer and songwriter as they listened. Stevie Wonder is even observed improvising on one of the records. It should be mentioned that this is the first celebrity documentary where I've seen Wonder participate.
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And this is one of the big differences between this documentary and the one I recently viewed on Jennifer Lopez. Several contemporaries offer their respect for Michael as an artist. Elton John actually compares Michael's talent to John Lennon, which leads to comparisons to the Beatles, which reveals Michael's respect for Paul McCartney, which led to his working with McCartney. Michael's respect for other artists also finds its way to the film when his respect for the late Freddie Mercury was made public. This led to Michael performing with Queen at Wembley Stadium. Also loved the discussion of Michael's video for "Freedom 90", which was the first video Michael made in which he didn't appear.
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His ugly legal battle with Sony Records, the death of his first lover, and his famous public bathroom arrest also come to light, an event, by the way, that Michael learned to laugh about and even wrote and recorded a song about it called "Outside." In addition to Elton John and Stevie Wonder, commentary is also provided by Niles Rodgers, James Corden, Mary J Blige, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. A dazzling textbook on how a celebrity documentary should be done that riveted the reviewer from start to finish. 5

Gideon58

08-04-22, 04:16 PM

The Fox and the Hound
It takes a minute to get going and the story is a little busier than it needs to be, but the final 15 minutes of the 1981 Disney gem The Fox and the Hound almost make up for everything that's wrong with the film.
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This is the story of Tod, an orphaned fox raised by a kindly widow who befriends a baby hound named Copper, who, despite nature, become friends, but the reality of who they are forces them apart as we see one of them accept their natural order and the other doesn't. Unfortunately, circumstances eventually put Tod and Copper's friendship to the ultimate test.
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Based on a novel by Daniel P Mannix, this story directly addresses a subject that has been addressed on the periphery of a lot of other Disney films, but was never really the center of the story before. This is the story of two animals who become friends before they learn they are supposed to be natural enemies and must choose nature over friendship.
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Way too much time is spent on exposition. Almost ten minutes of screentime is spent watching Tod's mother trying to protect her son and eventually losing that battle. As always with Disney, there are comic relief animals around who have nothing to do with the story who slow things down, not to mention four musical numbers that add nothing to the story, but the friendship at the core of this movie is so solid, we wait patiently to see if these two are really going to be torn apart.
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The story and its accompanying animation are so well integrated that the emotions of the story are at the forefront when they're supposed to be and left to viewer interpretation when they're supposed. Once Tod and Copper grow up, it's difficult to tell where Copper's loyalties actually are, adding an underlying mystery to the proceedings. A romance for Tod during the second act is contrived and rushed. The story tends to wander, but when it focuses exclusively on Tod and Cooper, it hits a bullseye. And it all comes to a head in an almost heart stopping finale that brings all kinds of surprises.
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It was impressive that because we met Tod and Cooper as babies, child actors initially provide their voices and they are replaced by adult actors as the story progresses. Real thought went into the casting of Corey Feldman as Young Tod and Keith Coogan as Young Copper, effectively replaced by Mickey Rooney and Kurt Russell as the adult versions of the characters. Solid work from Pearl Bailey as an owl named Big Mama, Jeanette Nolan as the widow who raises Tod and Jack Albertson as the farmer who owns Copper. Patience is required for this one, but it's rewarded in spades. 4

Gideon58

08-06-22, 07:46 PM

Top Gun: Maverick
Tom Cruise returns to the role that made him an official superstar 35 years ago in the 2022 epic Top Gun: Maverick, an ambitious and unnecessary sequel to the 1986 hit that suffers from predictability and WAY too much dependence on the legacy of the first film.
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Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is still the navy fighter pilot he was at the conclusion of the '86 film and that, despite being decorated pilot, hasn't progressed in the navy at all in 30 years, unlike Ice (Val Kilmer) who is now a retired admiral. Maverick is initially flattered when he thinks he's been chosen to fly a new and important mission, but is not happy when it' revealed that he is to teach a bunch of new young Top Gun school graduates how to fly the mission. Maverick is further distressed about the mission because one of the pilots he's training, Rooster (Miles Teller), is the grown son of Maverick's pal Goose (Anthony Edwards) who died in the first film.
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To be fair, it should be stated that this reviewer always thought the 1986 film to be severely overrated and hopelessly dated five years after its release. The idea of revisiting this film 35 years later seemed as unappealing as Bill and Ted's return to the screen in Bill and Ted Face the Music, 29 years after they first hit the screen. My fears regarding this sequel were quickly realized when bombarded with images and characters that were taken directly from the first film with little attempt to disguise them. Remember the famous shirtless volleyball game in the first film? Well, it's recreated here, except they're playing football instead of volleyball. The character of Hangman (Glen Powell, who steals every scene he's in) is pretty much a duplicate of the Ice character in the first movie. He even does the famous chomping of the pen that Ice did.
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Though this does lead me to the film's loveliest scene, which almost made this film worth watching all by itself. Cruise and the company found a way to include Val Kilmer into the story as Ice, despite the fact that he is in remission from throat cancer and can barely speak. We first observe Maverick and Ice texting each other, finally leading to a brief scene with Cruise and Kilmer, that just destroyed me.
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The idea of pairing Maverick off with Goose's son was a good one, but the screenplay was a little confusing about how much they both knew. We learn that Maverick made a promise to Rooster's mom (Meg Ryan in the first film) to keep Rooster out of the navy, but we're not sure if Rooster knows exactly how Goose died, which made a lot of their scenes together a little contrived.
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Cruise appears quite comfortable slipping back into this character, even if he might be getting a little too old for these action roles. Miles Teller was a little one-note as Rooster, but I loved Powell as Hangman, Jon Hamm as Maverick's commanding officer, and the classy cameo by Ed Harris at the opening. Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly made the most of her thankless role as the obligatory love interest for Maverick, but this manufactured romance just slowed the film down, but I have to admit that the final air battle with Maverick and Rooster facing the bad guys alone was a winner. Production values are solid, I just wish a little more originality had been put into the story. Lady GaGa's song during the closing credits was great. 3

Gideon58

08-08-22, 04:18 PM

Eye for an Eye (1996)
It's no Death Wish, but a 1996 look at the concept of vigilante justice called Eye for an Eye does suffer from a problematic screenplay, but it is so well acted and directed that you almost don't notice.
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Oscar winner Sally Field plays Karen McCann, a woman whose 17 year old daughter is brutally raped and murdered and though the police do bring the perpetrator to justice, he manages to get off on a technicality, which prompts Karen to take justice into her hands. Unfortunately, Karen doesn't have a clue as to how to go about this, evidenced in a lot of very dumb and dangerous moves to make this psycho pay.
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The screenplay, based on a novel by Erica Holzer, is a compelling story but the combination of our heroine making a lot of dangerous moves and the screenplay being very protective of the villain make this a very difficult watch. The movie starts off brilliantly though, with director John Schlesinger's mounting of the horrific crime that is the hook for the film. Karen's daughter opens the door to her killer while talking on the phone to Karen, who is caught in a traffic jam and can't get to her daughter in time.
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Other troublesome plot points included the fact that Karen's ex-husband and her daughter's father couldn't be troubled to return to town because of his daughter's death while Karen methodically begins shutting her current husband, Mack (Ed Harris) out of her plans. The grief support group turned out to be rather unsettling as it was revealed that these meetings were populated by people who could provide justice for people who wanted more than grief therapy. I also didn't like Mack and Karen letting their younger daughter run from them in that zoo after what happened and that scene in the school playground almost made me lose my lunch.
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This film reminded me of another film Schlesinger directed called Pacific Heights that was just way too protective of the bad guy. There's no way that this guy should have gotten around everything he did and be allowed to walk around free as a bird for as long as he did. We know somehow that satisfaction is on the way, but it takes WAY too long to get to the terrific final showdown.
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Sally Field offers her accustomed solid dramatic turn as Karen. The IMDB revealed that this role was originally offered to Jamie Lee Curtis, but I really liked Field. Field gets solid support from Harris and a bone-chilling turn from Kiefer Sutherland as the killer. It has its problems, but I couldn't turn away. 3.5

Gideon58

08-09-22, 04:36 PM

Luck (2022)
Apple goes the Disney Pixar route in 2022's Luck, a visually arresting but overly cute and overly complex story that, like most Disney Pixar features, offers a story that is hard to stay invested in and borrows too much from other movies, but features a terrific voice cast.
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Sam Greenfield is an 18 year old orphan who has just aged out of the adoption system and been given a job and an apartment, separating her from her best friend at the group home, a little girl named Hazel, who is excited about a scheduled visit from a young couple who might be adopting Hazel. Sam has a disastrous first day at her new job but things start to look up when she gives half of her sandwich to a cat named Bob, who, in exchange, gives her a lucky penny. This penny changes Sam's life completely and decides she has to give it to Hazel to make sure she's adopted. Unfortunately, Sam loses the penny and when Bob says he doesn't have anymore, she follows Bob down a secret passageway leading Sam to the secret organizations of Good Luck and Bad Luck, where Sam seeks Bob's help in getting another penny for Hazel.
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The screenwriters for this intricate animate adventure are the creatives forces behind films like Cars, Trolls, and Kung Fu Panda, films that I have not
seen, which might account for my confusion and occasional boredom with this film. Exposition setting up Sam as a person with terminal bad luck goes on way too long, though really she just appears to be a klutz. Once Sam gets to the land of Good Luck, the story starts to pick up but the way Bob fights Sam and everyone else in the story makes no sense. The theme of this movie seems to waffle between the theory that good and bad luck together and that there is no such thing as luck at all, but never completely commits to either theme. And in another Disney Pixar tradition, there are two too many endings.
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There is no denying the technical mastery in the mounting of this story. The animation is gorgeous and beautifully detailed. Watch every moment in the story where the camera zooms in on Sam...the fur on the cat looks so realistic the viewer wants to reach out and stroke the creature. Or look at the scales on the hands of the dragon. So much detail went into the look of this movie, I wish the same kind of detail could have gone into the screenplay.
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There is some great voice work with standout work from Whoopi Goldberg as the Captain, Jane Fonda as the Dragon, and especially Simon Pegg as Bob, but this one is too long and saccharine to bring it home properly. 2.5

Gideon58

08-11-22, 03:41 PM

The Right Stuff
A 1983 Best Picture Nominee, The Right Stuff is a heart-stirring and visually opulent look at the formation of the U S space program that might be a tad overlong, but provides solid entertainment with a historical accurate story, incredible production values, and a once in a lifetime all-star cast.
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The film begins in the mid 1950's as we watch air force pilot Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepherd) become the first pilot to break the sound barrier, a move that has the air force going after their next goal, space exploration and beating the Russians to it. This leads to the formation of the Mercury 7 team of astronauts consisting of Alan Shepherd (Scott Glenn), Gordon Cooper (Dennis Quaid), John Glenn (Ed Harris), Gus Grissom (Fred Ward), Scott Carpenter (Charles Frank), Wally Schirra (Lance Henricksen), and Duke Slayton (Scott Paulin). The film documents their often rigorous training regiment, the effect this program has on their families, and the battle for ultimate control of their missions because it is implied that the administration who controls the program doesn't really know what they're doing.
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Director and co-screenwriter Tom Wolfe based the screenplay on a book by Wolfe and that's one of the great things about this movie. It's difficult to articulate, but this recreation of historical events plays out as fiction, because Kaufman and Wolfe put the audience right in the center of the incredible events that take place here, as well a inside the minds and hearts of the people involved. I've often complained in the past about films that cover too much territory. This film covers a lot of territory and does it really well.
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There's no denying that the film is a real time commitment and didn't need to be quite as long as it is, but there isn't a whole lot that I could see cutting. There's a flashback scene with Cooper and his wife (Pamela Reed) that we could have lived without and some discreet editing of the Yeager story was possible since once the Mercury 7 team was chosen, Yeager was pushed to the periphery of the story and then brought him back for a heart-stopping finale. Loved a lot of the training sequences, including the guys' struggles to produce a sperm sample, John Glenn's tirade against the guys' extra curricular activities, the tragedy of Gus Grissom's first solo flight, and Glenn's return to earth after his first mission, scenes which made any slow spots in the film irrelevant.
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In addition to the Best Picture nomination, the film received seven other nominations and won richly deserved statues for Sound, Sound Effects Editing , Film Editing, and Bill Conti's thunderous music. Sam Shepherd received a Best Supporting Actor nomination, but this reviewer thinks that nomination should have gone to either Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, or Dennis Quaid, who I have never enjoyed onscreen more as the cocky Gordon Cooper. Also loved Donald Moffat as LBJ. Other stars who pop up along the way include Barbara Hershey, Veronica Cartwright, Scott Wilson, Kim Stanley, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, and John Dehner. A dazzling motion picture experience more than worth the time commitment. 4.5

Gideon58

08-12-22, 09:17 PM

Day Shift
A veteran film stunts coordinator named JJ Perry makes a less than stellar debut as a director with Day Shift an overheated and over the top supernatural thriller that tries to substitute stunts and visual effects for a story of sense and logic.
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This 2022 film is set in San Fernando and stars Oscar winner Jamie Foxx as Bud Jablonski, a divorced man with a young daughter whose family thinks he works as a pool cleaner. Not long after we see him clean a pool, we see Bud enter the house where his real profession is revealed: Bud hunts and kills vampires for fun and for profit. He now needs a serious shot of profit in order to keep his daughter in is life. He is given a final mission by the organization where he used to be employed, as long as a young office geek named Seth (Dave Franco) accompanies and documents his actions.
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This movie pretty much confuses the viewer from jump...his opening battle with a vampire who looks like an old lady comes with no backstory behind it. We then learn that vampire hunting is like a Fortune 500 business in Los Angeles and that it is unionized like longshoremen or Teamsters. Bud used to be part of the organization but made a lot of mistakes resulting in the loss of his union card which forces him to turn to a veteran hunter named Big John (Snoop Dogg) to vouch for him so that he can earn the money he needs. Apparently, there is a lot of money in vampire fangs and Bud thinks this is the quickest way to get the money he needs.
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First of all, I don't get that he was able to keep what he did from his ex-wife and daughter all this time. The connection between the old lady vampire and the primary vampire was a little hard to swallow. This screenplay's conception of what a vampire is was a little confusing as well...the vampires in this film seem more like zombies and have varying degrees of power and survival skills. Some are taken out by a single gun shot and some keep getting up and coming at our hero. A lot of vampires get beheaded during the proceedings, but when Seth finds himself beheaded, he's able to put his head back on his body? Seriously? Eventually, the vampires start outnumbering the good guys and just seem to be toying with them. This is when interest definitely starts to wane.
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Jamie Foxx, whose film career has been doing a slow and methodic decline since winning the Oscar for Ray, must have really needed the money. I thought Dave Franco and Snoop Dogg were terrific though, making the most of the confusing material. It's dark and gory, displaying some technical panache, but as a complete movie experience, it definitely misses the mark. 2.5

Gideon58

08-13-22, 10:00 PM

The Abyss
Before he became "King of the World" directing Titanic, James Cameron knocked it ut of the park as the director and screenwriter of The Abyss, a chilling, claustrophobic, and heart-stopping aquatic adventure that had this reviewer holding his breath for most of the running time and might have been robbed of a Best Picture of 1989 Oscar nomination. Will try to review without spoilers.
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A nuclear submarine is destroyed and is lying at the bottom of the sea. A group of professional divers and some Navy SEALS are sent to the area to locate the sub and possible survivors. The two teams of divers are headed by Bud and Lindsey, who used to be married. As the recon mission winds down, we watch as one of the team members goes full psycho mode and our heroes encounter an aquatic creature that might not be of this earth.
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Cameron has really zeroed in on one of my biggest insecurities in this film. Because of a near-drowning incident I had as a child, to this day, I get very uncomfortable with movies that spend a lot of time underwater and this movie stays underwater. Cameron presents the ocean as something bottomless and unapproachable. The power of water is as powerful here as the power of fire was in Backdraft. Even the opening scenes of the sub going down scared the bejesus out of me...they reminded me of the plane crash in Cast Away, for my money, cinema's greatest plane crash.
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The temptation to look away whenever a window filled with water from the opposite side or an open hatch couldn't stop oncoming water was very strong. Bud and Lindsey caught in a tight spot with water circling their necks reminded me of the final moments with Clooney and Wahlberg in The Perfect Storm. What was most impressive about the story was the unbridled realism of the first half of the movie and how the addition of the supernatural element was seamless, leading the viewer to a climax that defies explanation.
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Cameron's exquisite attention to production values cannot be denied. The film won a richly deserved Oscar for Visual Effects, but cinematography, editing, and sound were Oscar-worthy as well. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio light up the screen as Bud and Lindsey. Grab onto something because this is not an easy watch, but well worth it. Believe it or not, the fastest two hours and twenty minutes I sat through in a long time. 4.5

SpelingError

08-13-22, 10:06 PM

It's an unpopular opinion, but The Abyss is my favorite James Cameron film.

Takoma11

08-13-22, 10:12 PM

I haven't seen The Abyss in years, but that sequence where she drowns on purpose because they only have enough oxygen for one person? Ugh--that scene is emblazoned in my brain

crumbsroom

08-13-22, 10:17 PM

It's an unpopular opinion, but The Abyss is my favorite James Cameron film.

As far as I'm concerned it's the only valid opinion.

It's everything Cameron does well, but in a movie that actually lives up to his obvious talent.

Gideon58

08-15-22, 02:28 PM

I haven't seen The Abyss in years, but that sequence where she drowns on purpose because they only have enough oxygen for one person? Ugh--that scene is emblazoned in my brain

That was REALLY hard to watch

Holden Pike

08-15-22, 03:19 PM

When my friends and I saw The Abyss in 1989 I literally threw my soda at the screen I hated the ending so much. When Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's character says, "We should all be dead," I shouted out, "YEAH, YOU SHOULD BE!" and hurled what was left of my ginormous Coca-Cola at the screen. It exploded like a concession stand grenade at the base of the screen, just beyond the front row.

a) I would tell my nineteen-year-old self not to throw that soda because an employee making minimum wage has to clean it up and they had absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the film being screened
b) my gesture was mostly for my friends' benefit as I believe there were only three or four other people in the entire theater that afternoon screening, on its opening day
c) I still really hate the ending

When the movie was released on LaserDisc I bought it and gave it another shot. I still hated the ending it built to, but the making-of documentary included, "Under Pressure: The Making of The Abyss", was absolutely fascinating, much more interesting to me than the movie itself. And then when Cameron went and made Titanic with all of its water I thought, this idiot doesn't learn from his mistakes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-GTakRFGyk

Gideon58

08-15-22, 09:36 PM

Emergency (2022)
There was an episode of the ABC sitcom Blackish where Andre Johnson (Anthony Anderson) is waiting for an elevator and when the elevator door opens, he sees a white female toddler standing in the elevator all by herself. This freaks him out, he freezes doesn't go anywhere near the child, and runs away as fast as he can. This scene is the first thing that flashed through my head as the 2022 film Emergency began to unfold. It starts off as relatively on-target black comedy with a prickly racial undertone that bubbles to the surface as the story progresses, turning the film deadly serious, thanks to solid direction and first rate performances by the leads.
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Like the Jim Cummings film Thunder Road, this is a full length remake of a short film, released in 2018, directed and written by the same people. The 2022 Prime Video production centers on two black college students named Sean and Kunle, roommates and BFF's, who are looking forward to an event called a legendary, which is seven different parties all happening the same night. Before they leave for the event, Kunle wants to check on the progress of a science project before they leave and when they get to their house, they find a white teenage girl on the floor of their living room, half conscious and vomiting. They find their other roommate, Carlos, who was so into his video games, he had no idea how the girl got there.
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Among the issues that come up are the fact that Sean and Kunle are black and this girl is white and Sean is afraid that if they alert the authorities, that a lot of incorrect assumptions will be made about how this girl ended up this way on their living room floor, initiating a serious discussion about exactly what to do, while the girl's older sister, who is at the legendary, realizes her sister is missing and is on the job trying to locate her.
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The screenplay by KD Davila, who received an Oscar nomination for a 2020 Live Action short called Please Hold is squirm-worthy and kind of bold because it addresses a segment of racism that a lot of people would like to think doesn't really exist, kind of like the 2005 Best Picture Winner Crash. This film features a lot of behavior that we would like to think doesn't exist in 2022, but there's nothing that doesn't ring true here. Even though we might think it's wrong, we understand when Sean wants to extricate himself from the situation. We also understand when the older sister wants to blame our heroes for everything. It seemed that this girl's condition was more than being drunk but that's not really addressed. It's impressive that most of the story irons out pretty smoothly with one delicious payoff during the final minutes of the film that we definitely don't see coming.
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Carey Williams' direction is unapologetic and emotionally charged, making it hard for the viewer to remain neutral. He also gets spectacular performances from Sebastian Chacon as Carlos, Donald Elise Watkins as Kunle and especially RJ Cyler, so memorable in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl as Sean. This one treads on some iffy cinematic ground, but it was a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be. 3.5

beelzebubble

08-15-22, 11:20 PM

Gideon58

08-17-22, 03:22 PM

Absolute Power
The screenplay has its problems, and the direction spoon feeds too much to the viewer, but Clint Eastwood hits a positive mark as the star and director of Absolute Power, an often ugly and compromising crime drama centered around a lot of people with a great deal of power who think said power condones often unconscionable behavior.
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The 1997 Malpaso production stars Eastwood as Luther Whitney, a career jewel thief who has just broken into the home of a wealthy philanthropist (EG Marshall) and has just pocketed thousands in cash and jewelry from the vault in the master bedroom. Luther is forced to hide in the vault when he hears a couple enter the room and begin having rough sex that gets out of control, resulting in the woman's death. It's not long before we realize that the victim is the philanthropist's wife (Melora Hardin) and the man roughing her up is the President of the United States, Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman).
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The President's Chief of Staff (Judy Davis) and his secret service team (Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert) appear almost immediately to cover up what happened. Somehow, Luther manages to get out of the room with the murder weapon, realizing he might need it as collateral to save his life. Attempts to murder him before he gets out of the mansion fail and a deadly hunt begins for the thief, which eventually involves his estranged daughter (Laura Linney).
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The screenplay is based on a novel by David Baldacci, that was adapted for the screen by two time Oscar winning screenwriter William Goldman. Baldacci and Goldman have crafted a solid basic story, but there were several plot points I just didn't buy. When Luther is fleeing the mansion on foot being pursued by the secret service guys, we see the speed at which he's moving and the speed at which they're moving and I just didn't buy that they didn't close enough to take him out. Was also hard to believe that during the cover up of the crime scene with the Chief of Staff that Luther was able to get hold of the attempted murder weapon, a letter opener. And after witnessing Luther's initial awkward reunion with his daughter, I just didn't buy him agreeing to meet her in a public place a couple days. Most of all, it aggravated that is story put all kinds of targets on Luther's back while the President walked around without a care in the world.
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This is another one of those movies that is very protective of the central character and I'm not so sure that Luther would have come out alive at the end of this story. The director also seems to feel the need to spoon feed us things that don't need to be fed to us, like his escape from the assassination attempt or Haysbert's hospital mission. Loved that scene of Hackman and Davis on the dance floor though.
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As always with a Malpaso film, production values are first rate and Eastwood has surrounded himself with a superb cast. Gene Hackman drips evil as the President and I loved the fact that even though Hackman and Eastwood are the leads in the film, they have no scenes together in the film, like Hanks and Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle. Linney, Davis, Glenn, and Haysbert make the most of their roles as does the always watchable Ed Harris as the head detective on the case, who feels the need to remind Linney that he lives alone. A solid little drama as long as you don't think about it too much. 3.5

Gideon58

08-18-22, 09:03 PM

Family Camp
For my money, the worst film of 2022 (so far), is Family Camp, a dreadfully unfunny and rampantly predictable comedy that suffers from a screenplay that pretty much comes from other movies and a cast of actors nobody has ever seen before.
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This is the story of two families who are forced to share a cabin at a church retreat. Tommy Ackerman is an investment broker, who brings his wife, Grace and their two kids. Eddie Sanders is a chiropractor accompanied by wife Victoria and his two kids . Of course, Tommy and Eddie hate each other on sight, fueling a major feud during the athletic contests that they must compete in, followed by their getting lost in the woods and getting kidnapped by a couple of nuts from a recently cancelled reality series.
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The main problem with this film is a serious lack of experience in front of and behind the camera. Director and co-screenwriter's resume consists of five short films and a TV miniseries. The story here contains elements of films like Johnson Family Vacation, The Great Outdoors, National Lampoon's Vacation, Summer Rental and a very obvious wink to the 1981 classic Caddyshack. The so-called athletic competition includes an almost 15 minute scene involving a game called Bubble Ball which isn't nearly as funny as the director thinks it is. There is also an archery competition between Tommy and Eddie that brings the film to a dead halt, though it does figure into the story later. And once the guys get lost and kidnapped, the film totally lost me, not really caring if they were rescued or not. The capper was when Tommy's obnoxious son actually wonders off by himself at the beginning of the third act to find his father, after treating the guy like crap for the rest of the film. The romance for Tommy's daughter also fell flat.
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According to the IMDB, Tommy Woodard and Eddie James who play Tommy and Eddie, respectively, are childhood friends whose resumes are as sparse as the director's and after sitting through this debacle, I can see why. I will admit that the film does feature gorgeous cinematography by James King, but it's hard to recommend anything else here. A-list actors stayed away from this mess. The film is full of unknown actors. The biggest name in the cast is Leigh-Allyn Baker, who played Ellen on Will & Grace, who plays Tommy's wife. The only reason I can see for watching this if you need something to put unruly children to sleep. One hour and fifty one minutes of my life I'll never get back. 1.5

Gideon58

08-22-22, 04:14 PM

The Rock
The late Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Michael Bay cemented their skill at providing definitive action entertainment with the 1996 epic The Rock, a dazzling melange of blood and violence with some actual human characters at the center of it all that takes a little longer to wrap than necessary, but effortlessly keeps the viewer on the edge of their chair.
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General Frances Hummel (Ed Harris), who did three tours in Vietnam, has been fighting for years to get reparations for the families of the soldiers he lost during the war. The death of his wife triggers a final act to get what he wants: He has gotten is hands on a deadly nerve gas that can destroy the city of San Francisco and then, along with a select crew behind him, takes over the legendary island prison Alcatraz with 81 tourists as hostages unless the IS government agree to pay the millions in reparations. The government decides to send a chemical weapons engineer named Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) and a career burglar (the late Sean Connery), allegedly the only man to escape from Alcatraz, to put a stop to Hummel.
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Simpson and Bruckheimer, the producer of other action classics like Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop had all kinds of Hollywood juice by the time this project rolled around and put everything they had behind it, including another claimed action/adventure pro like Michael Bay in the director's chair. The skills of Simpson, Bruckheimer, and Bay manage t make the slightly cliched screenplay not as much of a hindrance to making this story viable entertainment.
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What I did like about this story is the way the story initially sets up Hummel as a sympathetic character but doesn't take too long to establish him as the villain of the piece. On the other hand, the story is not subtle about constantly reminding us that Goodspeed is not a soldier, but putting him in the role of a soldier, though I loved his initial encounter with Connery that did climax with an incredible car chase, even though it might have taken up a little more screentime than necessary.
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Bay's direction is grisly and imaginative, doing a wonderful job of showing the power of entities like fire and water. There was one eye-popping sequence where a bomb is set off in a tunnel and Cage and Connery have to dive underwater to avoid being blown up. We are equally blown away when we watch a soldier get impaled on a prison fence pole. Of course, it goes without saying that filming the story at the actual Alcatraz prison was a master stroke that gave the proceedings a very haunting quality.
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With all the attention to production, it wasn't surprising that a lot of the performances were overripe, though I thought Connery and Harris were spectacular. Action lovers will definitely get what they're looking for here, thanks to the professionalism behind the camera. 4

Gideon58

08-23-22, 06:18 PM

The Gray Man
Netflix scores with 2022's The Gray Man, a slick and expensively mounted espionage thriller in the best tradition of James Bond that works thanks to some stylish direction and a pair of charismatic lead characters.
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The film stars Ryan Gosling as Six, a CIA-trained assassin who, at the completion of an assignment, finds himself in possession of a very important disc that contains some very incriminating evidence involving his employers and also finds himself at the mercy of a dangerously psychotic assassin and torture expert named Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans).
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Co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who were behind most of the Avengers franchise, deserve the lion's credit for this elaborate story, adapted from a novel by Mark Greaney, that actual takes a couple of decades to play out and, of course, is not played out in chronological order. The story makes some odd time jumps. The film opens with Six being released from jail by his new boss, Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), then jumps eighteen years where we learn Fitzroy's niece has been kidnapped, then flashes back to two years between Six's first meeting with the niece, then moves to the present where Six has to face the unbalanced Lloyd while trying t keep Fitzroy and his niece safe. We could have done without the two year flashback, which just seemed to pad screentime.
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What I did like about this story is something that usually bothers me in stories like this. A lot of times in spy movies likes this, especially when most of the players involved, seem to be working for the same organization, it's difficult for the viewer to decipher who the white hats are and who the black hats are, but it really works to this film's advantage. A through line for this Six character throughout as that he doesn't know who he can trust and, fortunately, he does realize this early on and entertainment values is gleaned throughout as we try to figure out who Six can trust and who he can't. Loved when the niece told Six that his name was unusual and he replied, "I know, 007 was taken,"
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The Russos keep this story moving all over the planet in several exotic locations, moving at breakneck speed so we don't notice minor plot holes which eventually become irrelevant. The film features extraordinary production values, including breathtaking cinematography, film editing, production design, and sound.
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Ryan Gosling could use this film for his audition as the next James Bond, providing the story with a durable and undeniably human hero at the center of this story and LOVED Chris Evans, as the evil and crazy Lloyd. The IMDB reveals that Evans was originally offered the role of Six but chose to play Lloyd instead. He made the right decision. He brings a delicious snarkiness to the role that recalled Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor in the original Superman. A frail-looking Thornton and Alfre Woodward score as Six's few allies in the story as does Julia Butters, who had a featured role in Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood as Thornton's niece. It's slightly longer than it needs to be, but solid entertainment is provided as long as you don't think about it too much. 3.5

Tugg

08-24-22, 01:03 AM

Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas were the best aspects of The Grey Man, IMO.

Gideon58

08-24-22, 04:24 PM

Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas were the best aspects of The Grey Man, IMO.

LOVED Chris Evans, I think he stole the show.

Gideon58

08-24-22, 04:36 PM

Jacknife
Jacknife is an emotionally charged drama from 1989 that centers around three really broken central characters. Fortunately, these three character are so well cast that they make the movie seem better than it is.
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Robert De Niro and Ed Harris play Megs and Dave, respectively. They were in Vietnam together and share a tense reunion a month after returning home where it seems the bond they formed in Vietnam was a lot more important to Megs than it was to Dave. Their reunion is further complicated by the instantaneous attraction between Megs and Dave's sister, Martha (Kathy Baker).
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Actually based on a stage play by Stephen Metcalfe, what we get here is a look at three messed up people in the middle of their lives where minimum backstory is provided to fill in a lot of the holes, We see PTSD issues with Megs and Dave. Megs has attempted to deal with it in a healthy way but Dave has just decided to bury everything in a haze of alcohol and pills. We also see the conflicted Martha trying to encourage a romance with Megs and simultaneously fighting it every step of the way. Dave eventually deals with his issues, but I did like the way the story didn't wrap up in a convenient little bow.
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The actors truly invest in a story that doesn't allow them to rely on the screenplay. A lot of what happens with these characters comes through in the eyes and the body language. There are a couple-of hair-raising incidents that do demand attention, like the high speed truck adventure with Megs and Dave's meltdown at the prom.
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De Niro is solid, as always, and Kathy Baker proves why she is one of the industry's most underrated actresses, but Ed Harris steals the show here as the explosive open wound, Dave. For fans of great acting, this is a must see. 3.5

Gideon58

08-25-22, 09:37 PM

Thirteen Lives
He was robbed of a Best Director Oscar for Apollo 13 and won a Best Director Oscar for A Beautiful Mind, but Hollywood's most underrated director, Ron Howard, pretty much trumps his work in those films with his latest masterpiece. 2022's Thirteen Lives is a harrowing, heartbreaking, and frightening docudrama about a prickly and hopelessly complicated rescue mission with sympathetic characters at its heart that had this reviewer's stomach in knots for the entire running time and me holding my breath during the final act.
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This incredible true story is about a trio of British divers (Collin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen, Joel Edgerton) who fly to Thailand when they are contacted about a group of twelve boys who are on the same soccer team, who, along with their coach, are trapped in an elaborate system of underground caves, constructed under a mountain range that begins to develop gaping holes due to excessive rain.
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The divers arrive in Thailand and are able to locate the boys and their coach. They are all alive, but they come to the conclusion that they don't have a viable way to get them out. They reassure the villagers that the boys are alive but make no promises regarding rescue. Eventually, a solution does come to light (that I found shocking), but it has never been done before and there is no guarantee that the thirteen victims will survive.
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Howard and the screenwriting team are to be applauded for meticulous eye for detail and the commitment to realism involved in its presentation. First of all, loved the fact that the film takes place in Thailand and Howard never forgets that. We don't meet an English-speaking character until close to twenty minutes into the running time so like this past year's Best Picture winner, Coda, there are large portions of the story that we don't know what the Thai characters are saying, but Howard makes sure we understand at all times what is going on through their facial expressions and body language. Watch the reaction of the villagers when they initially learn the boys are still alive or when they see a video of the boys that the diver took and distributed as proof that the boys are alive.
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Like he did with Apollo 13, Howard also manages to tell this story from all angles, not just those thirteen lives in jeopardy. We are privy to the efforts to seal the caves, we are privy to one female citizen convinced that she's not getting the whole story, we are privy to one of the diver's mind preoccupied with his father and there's a heartbreaking scene in the cave where the coach expresses his guilt about what has happened, again, not in Engish.
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Howard really knocked it out of the park here, never forgetting the "docu" or the "drama". Loved that Howard puts a clock and a compass on the mission immediately, which just heightens the tension. And for those, like me, who knew nothing of these events, nothing is foreshadowed or guaranteed. The cast is first rate with standout work from three time Oscar nominee Mortensen, who does a British accent as credible as his Brooklyn accent in Green Book. An extraordinary motion picture that left me limp. Big bouquet to Ron Howard. 4.5

Gideon58

08-27-22, 09:04 PM

Nixon
Oliver Stone, who won three Oscars for writing and directing Born on the 4th of July and for directing Platoon, was equally impressive as the director and co-screenwriter of Nixon, an ambitious and technically breathtaking look at our 37th POTUS that pulls no punches in its approach to the subject. Stone did something here I've never seen before...he has mounted a biopic where the subject is the hero and the villain.
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This look at the rise and eventually ugly downfall of Richard Nixon begins as the Watergate burglars are arrested and the sharks are beginning to circle the political waters regarding Nixon's involvement in what happened. The film then flashes back to Nixon's troublesome childhood, which included toxic relationships with his very religious mother and his often abusive father. The film then returns to the 1970's where we see Nixon in full self-preservation mode as he tries to hide his involvement in Watergate, tries to keep his marriage to Pat viable, and tries to legitimize to Americans his inability to get America out of Vietnam.
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The Oscar-nominated screenplay by Stone, Stephen J Rivele, and Christopher Wilkensen does attempt to cover so much territory here, resulting in the film's severe overlength. The primary problem for this reviewer was that the screentime devoted to Nixon's childhood should have provided some connection to the kind of person that Nixon was, but it never really does that. We even get occasional flashes to the past that are supposed to legitimate some of the things the guy does, especially concerning his marriage to Pat. The portion of the story of Dick's marriage to Pat was one of the film's strongest elements, revealing a marriage that was much more troubled than I ever imagined.
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What was the most fascinating aspect of the story was Stone's approach to presenting Nixon onscreen. It's not just a birth to death chronicle, but Stone takes a lot of dramatic license, and that's all it can be, in bringing the Nixon he believed in to the screen. It's like Stone took a real life historical figure and crafted a fictional composite of who Stone thought this guy was, which made this film absolutely fascinating whenever Nixon is onscreen. Stone makes no bones about the fact that he thinks Nixon did not put a lot of effort into getting us out of Vietnam and that the buck stopped at Nixon where Watergate was concerned. Stone's collaboration with his actor implies that a lot of time Nixon was not aware of the ramifications of his actions and felt accountable for none of it. Watch how Stone portrays Nixon throwing an entire White House administration under the bus, resulting in Henry Kissinger being the only staffer at his side when he realizes resignation is his only answer. Loved the answer provided by Howard Hunt when John Dean asks Hunt how he has the audacity to blackmail the President. It was the essence of Stone's Nixon in one line.
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As he did a few years earlier with JFK, Stone, with a first rate assist from his film editing team, does a superb job of integrating his movie with archival footage, that really aided in taking us inside the important history being recreated here. Loved the footage of John Dean (David Hyde Pearce) being edited into the 1973 Watergate hearings.
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Even with all the logistical nightmares involved here, Stone still manages to pull some powerhouse performances from a once in a lifetime cast. Sir Anthony Hopkins completely loses himself in the title role, a performance of power and pathos that, at times, almost evokes sympathy for the character, but doesn't and shouldn't that earned the actor his third Oscar nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor. Joan Allen's rich performance as Pat Nixon is easy to discount over Hopkins' thunder, but it is equally as effective earning her a Best Supporting Actress nomination. In addition to David Hyde Pearce as John Dean, there is also standout work from James Woods as HR Alderman, Powers Boothe as Alexander Haig, EG Marshall as John Mitchell, JT Walsh as John Ehrlichman, Ed Harris as Howard Hunt, Mary Steenburgen as Nixon's mother, and especially the late Paul Sorvino as Kissinger. And if you don't blink, you will be blown away by a brief and very effective appearance from the late Madeline Kahn as Martha Mitchell. Yes, it's longer than it needs to be, but Oliver Stone's delicate artistry makes it worth the time. 4

Gideon58

08-29-22, 05:46 PM

Me Time
Netflix has a swing and a miss with 2022's Me Time a juvenile and over the top buddy comedy from the creative force behind comedies like Why Him? and I Love You Man that might seem funnier than it is because Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg are the stars.
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Hart and Wahlberg play Sonny and Huck, respectively, BFF's since childhood who have grown apart. Sonny is a stay at home dad married to a beautiful architect (Rebecca Hall) and father of two. Huck still thinks life is a big party and really hasn't changed in 20 years. Sonny's wife thinks he needs a break and takes off with the kids while Sonny reconnects with Huck, who has a Survivor type adventure planned for his 44th birthday.
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Director and screenwriter John Hamburg has crafted a story that is an uneven combination of 1980's teen comedies and the buddy comedies that Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, and Adam Sandler made during the early 2000's. The film starts off with a nice scene that establishes the relationship between Sonny and Huck but we know we're in trouble when the movie flashes forward 20 years and it's revealed that Huck is in the same guy he was in the opening scene.
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There were a couple of scenes and storyline moves that didn't make sense. Sonny's adventure in the jungle with Huck actually began with Sonny's eye-opening encounter with a mountain lion that was a little scary for a comedy, not to mention the fact that all of the party guests just stood there and watched it, not offering any kind of assistance. We also learn that Huck is in trouble with a loan shark named Stanley Berman (?) and Sonny's solution is to move the survivor party to Sonny's house? There's also a deadening subplot involving Sonny's son, who Sonny wants to be a pianist but the kid wants to be a standup.
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Hart and Wahlberg work very hard to make us like Sonny and Huck and Hall once again manages to create some chemistry with Hart, with whom she starred in the remake of About Last Night, but this one is just too all over the place to effectively engage the audience. Even hardcore fans of Hart will have a hard time with this one. 2

Gideon58

08-31-22, 09:11 PM

Needful Things
The 1993 thriller Needful Things has a lot going for it...some stylish direction, solid production values, and a really offbeat ensemble cast, but there's a problem keeping the film what it should have been...a screenplay that doesn't answer all the questions it asks.
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Based on a book by Stephen King, this is the story of a small town called Castle Rock that is turned upside down by the arrival of Leland Gaunt, an elderly businessman who opens a shop called Needful Things, where selected citizens of Castle Rock find items to which they feel personal connections to and must have, but Gaunt only agrees to sell the items to the citizens in exchange for their pulling harmless pranks that get a lot more serious that by the time the film's half-over, a teenage boy has tried to commit suicide and two women are dead after being goaded into a fight.
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Full disclosure, I have never read King's book that WD Reichter (Big Trouble in Little China) adapted into a screenplay that is pretty confusing for a majority of the running time because of the lack of backstory on this Gaunt character. Most likely there are details in King's book that would have cleared up a lot of this reviewer's confusion. We're confused by the citizens' connections to the item in his store...some are from their pasts, some are fantasies, some are secret desires, there was no consistency there. The other problem is, we do eventually figure out who Leland Gaunt is but we're given little insight into why...why here? Why these people? Why Castle Rock? Maybe it was supposed to be irrelevant but it nagged at this reviewer throughout making it difficult to invest in what was happening. There was also a lot of odd symbolism revolving around green apples that went right by this reviewer. Its attempts to inject humor into the proceedings never works either,
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This film marked the feature length directing debut of Fraser Heston, son of Charlton Heston, who made his film debut playing his father's character as a child in The Ten Commandments and apparently the guy picked up a thing or two hanging out on his father's sets because this guy displays mad directorial skills, including a sharp eye with the camera that paints some staggering visuals for the viewer and an uncanny knack with the art of slow motion...watch that scene where the kid destroys the house with apples or the destruction of the church and of the shop during the over the top finale.
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Heston assembled an interesting cast for his vision, getting standout work from the always reliable Ed Harris as the befuddled sheriff, Bonnie Bedelia as his girlfriend, and the powerhouse performance from the legendary Max Von Sydow as Leland Gaunt, that is the anchor upon which this film hangs. There's a lot to like here, but it doesn't always work and it's never boring. 3.5

Gideon58

09-01-22, 06:34 PM

Pollock
Ed Harris made his directorial debut, directing himself into his first Oscar nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 2000's Pollack, a dark and squirm-worthy look at 1940's abstract painter Jackson Pollack that doesn't take the traditional route of most biopics, demanding audience attention from jump thanks to a highly theatrical representation of facts and characters who are not always seen in the most flattering light.
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The film follows an alcoholic Pollack struggling for acceptance while living with his brother and sister-in-law until a whirlwind named Lee Krasner comes into his life. Lee is an artist who gives up her own career and life to nurture Pollack's career and life, at least according to this screenplay. Lee's influence does manage to get Jackson's work noticed by renowned gallery owner Peggy Guggenheim, but it doesn't really change the alcoholic and allusive Pollack into what Lee wants. Lee manipulates Jackson into marriage and persuades him to move from New York to the Hamptons, thinking she can change him.
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The screenplay by Barbara Turner. mother of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, based on a pair of books about Pollack, is not the average birth to death chronicle of its subject. The story starts in the middle where the artist is not only in denial about his alcoholism, but some deeper issues as well. What fascinated me about this story is the way it becomes less and less about Pollack the artist than it did about this often toxic marriage to the often duplicitous Lee, who decides from the moment she meets the guy that she knows exactly how to mold him into what she wants. There's a terrific scene where Lee decides that they either get married or split up, when it's obvious there isn't a whole lot of love going on this relationship. The wedding itself doesn't even take place onscreen.
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In addition to an up close and personal look at a seemingly doomed marriage, the film also rivets whenever it concentrates on Jackson on his own, creating his art. It reminded me of Georges Serat in the Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George, the way Pollack becomes a hermit when he's painting, shutting out the world and, more importantly, criticism about his work. LOVED the scene where he is about to begin the mural for Mrs. Guggenheim where he constructs the huge blank canvas, pushes it up against the wall, and then just walks back and forth in front of the canvas, figuring out what it's going to be in his head before touching any paint.
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Director Harris employs first rate production values to this production, including an incredible care and attention to period detail...loved that old fashioned toaster that Lee is observed using in one scene to prepare breakfast for Jackson. Big shout out to Kathryn Himoff's editing and Jeff Beal's sublime music as well.
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Director Harris also put a lot of care into the performance of actor Harris and love that Harris' first lead actor nomination was from his own hands. Marcia Gay Harden commands the screen making Lee Krasner one of the most unlikable movie characters I have ever seen. I didn't like Lee, but I understood her and so did Harden, which is probably why the performance earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The role is clearly a lead, but I imagine she was submitted as supporting because she had a better chance of winning in supporting than if she gone lead, going against Julia Roberts and Ellen Burstyn. Harris' wife, Amy Madigan, also offers one of her flashiest performances as Peggy Guggenheim. 4

Gideon58

09-06-22, 08:56 PM

Nope
It's better than Us but not as good as Get Out, but Jordan Peele does show some real style as a director with 2022's Nope. a visually arresting, but somewhat lumbering tale of the supernatural, that, like Peele's other work, offers sporadic suspense and immediate "boos", but features a plethora of story elements, set pieces, and characters that never seem to quite come together as intended.
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Peele sets his story in the California desert this time where we meet a disparate group of people who find themselves in the midst of discovering something not of this earth that isn't seen for the first half of the film and for the second half can't be explained. The story focuses on a brother/sister pair of horse wranglers whose father might have died because of this entity, a former sitcom star who now runs a wild west sideshow, and a bulk store employee/techno geek.
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Producer, director, and writer Jordan Peele puts a lot of effort into the look of this film, which he knocks out of the park. It's impressive that Peele keeps the reveal of this entity under such effective wraps for almost half the running time, but the exposition is poorly paced, producing several gaps in the film that provided drowsiness for this reviewer, but once we see the actually entity and the havoc it creates, the film begins to pick up to a final fifteen minutes that had this reviewer on the edge of his chair.
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The opening scene is confusing and, like the opening scene of Get Out, didn't seem to have anything to do with the rest of film initially, but a connection is eventually made. When the connection is made, on the set of a sitcom called "Gordy's Home", it produces what is easily the most terrifying scene in the film, which actually had this reviewer jumping out of his chair. And as effective as the finale might have been, what happens to the characters did border on the cliche.
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Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, reunited with his Get Out director Peele, underplays beautifully as the horse wrangler, though KeKe Palmer tends to grate on the nerves as his sister. Loved Oscar nominee Steven Yeun (MInari) as the sideshow owner, though if the truth be told, it's Peele's stylish directorial eye that is the real star here. 3.5

Gideon58

09-08-22, 04:37 PM

Walker (1987)
The charismatic performance by four time Oscar nominee Ed Harris keeps 1987's Walker, a pretentious and long-winded docudrama where the presentation makes it hard to believe that we're watching a true story.
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Harris plays William Walker, a 19th Century mercenary who is chosen by an enigmatic millionaire to lead troops into Nicaragua to take it over so that said millionaire can take possession of the country. We watch Walker' often contradictory philosophies about war and slavery confuse his mostly voluntary army who blindly follow the leader into a war with which they have no personal investment.
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The primary problem here is the fact-based screenplay by Rudy Wurlitzer, who wrote the 1971 classic Two Lane Blacktop, which like the Oliver Stone film Nixon, takes a true story and re-works it as a fictionalized version of history that makes for an interesting central character, but the presentation of the story is all over the place. There are scenes where we seem to be watching a legitimate biopic, other scenes where entertainment take priority over facts, not to mention scenes that play for shock value and unintentional giggles. It's a confusing cinematic trip because the title character is played with a straight face while we get nothing but the opposite from the rest of the film.
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Walker is the first movie military hero who is seen leading his troops into battle without carrying a weapon and not getting shot. Are we really supposed to take that seriously? Director Alex Cox (Sid and Nancy)) does offer some style to the story with some serious overuse of slow motion; unfortunately it deadens the pacing of the movie, making it seem almost twice its length.
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But no matter what stands in the movie's ay, the often explosive and surprisingly underplayed performance by Harris that makes the viewer want to stick it out. Familiar faces up along the way like Marlee Matlin, Rene Auberjunois, and Peter Boyle, but this is Harris' show and die hard fans will not be disappointed. 3.5

Gideon58

09-09-22, 04:39 PM

Funny Pages
Actor Owen Kline, son of Oscar winner Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates, probably best known for playing Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney's younger son in The Squid and the Whale, makes an inauspicious feature length debut as a director and screenwriter with a hot mess of a film called Funny Pages, a prickly and ultimately deeply disturbing story that starts off promisingly, but eventually succumbs to a screenplay with plot holes you can drive a truck through, some really unappealing characters, and a truly grisly finale that comes out of nowhere.
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The story is centered around Robert, a teenage artist who has a penchant for creating violent and sexually explicit comics, whose rejection of his cushy suburban life eventually finds him working for the lawyer who got him out of a sticky legal situation, a questionable living situation, and his immersion into the entire underworld comic book counterculture, which leads to a relationship with a nutty artist named Wallace who leads Robert down a very dark rabbit hole.
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Kline does show some promise as a filmmaker here, but this story is just too weird and unappealing to offer genuine entertainment and I'm not putting the entire blame on Kline. There are large gaps of the story. particularly in the opening exposition, that are left out making the story difficult to follow. I suspect Kline's screenplay was forced to be seriously trimmed in order to get the film made and it really shows in the final product.
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There are plot points and images in this film that redefine disturbing. Robert's artwork borders on tasteless and the whole situation of Robert's living arrangements just defies description that I don't want to spoil here. And the final descent into absolute madness that begins with Robert moving back into his parents' house just made no sense and seemed inserted for shock value.
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Daniel Zolghadri gives a star-making performance as Robert, as does Matthew Maher as Wallace, but when this movie was over, I just felt like I needed a shower. 2.5

Gideon58

09-09-22, 09:58 PM

Johnny Guitar
Joan Crawford's powerhouse performance is the centerpiece of 1954's Johnny Guitar, a richly entertaining melodrama mounted on a western canvas, rich with colorful and three dimensional characters, guided by one of the greatest directors of the 1950's.
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Crawford is spectacular as Vienna, the tough-as-nails owner of a saloon and gambling palace who finds herself implicated in a murder and a bank robbery, just as a man from her past named Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden) comes back into her life and commits himself to getting Vienna out of all the trouble she's in.
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Yes, on the surface, this is a western, but take away the western setting and you have a good old fashioned soap opera, rich with all the elements you expect from the genre...murder, blackmail, a love triangle , and people accused of crimes they didn't commit. There is also a look at the effect of mob sensibility that reminded me a lot of the 1940 classic The Ox Bow Incident.
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Screenwriter Phillip Yordan (Detective Story and director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause) have constructed an emotionally charged story here with a strong sexual undercurrent as two of the principal male characters have romantic pasts with Vienna. Love the scene where Vienna and Johnny lay out their romantic past before us in the first person. Also loved the softening of the Vienna character as the film progressed, which I didn't see coming. Our first glance of the character finds her in jeans, toting a gun, ready to take out anybody who crosses her. When she has been captured and being prepared to be hung for her crimes, she is wearing a gorgeous white gown, but that tough exterior is never completely buried.
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Ray's direction is sharp and often imaginative, creating some striking cinematic picture, like those explosions in the mountain ranges when the bank robbers are making their escape, or that first shot of Vienna's saloon burning to the grounds. Don't be fooled because it's set in old west Arizona, the Queen of Melodrama Joan Crawford and is in her element, chewing the scenery to the nth degree without every going overboard. Sterling Hayden offers the strongest performance of his I've seen as the title character and Mercedes Macambridge is appropriately intense as Emma. There's also a flashy supporting turn from Ernest Borgnine, who, a year later, would win a Best Actor Oscar for Marty, but this is Crawford's show
and she never lets you forget it. 4

SpelingError

09-10-22, 12:54 AM

I owe that one a rewatch one of these days.

Gideon58

09-10-22, 03:52 PM

I owe that one a rewatch one of these days.

I've been putting it off for years and I don't know why...it was all kinds of fun and Crawford was awesome.

Takoma11

09-10-22, 03:58 PM

I've been putting it off for a years and I don't know why...it was all kinds of fun and Crawford was awesome.

I really liked it as well. I thought I remembered having a serious issue with it, but then realized reading your review that I was thinking of The Furies.

If you've seen The Furies, I'm talking about the fact that the main character's friend is lynched in a partly racially-motivated attack, and then at the end of the film she just, like, forgets about it and looks back fondly at the person who killed him..

Citizen Rules

09-10-22, 04:04 PM

I've been putting it off for a years and I don't know why...it was all kinds of fun and Crawford was awesome.I bet you put it off because it was a western. But like you said in your review of Johnny Guitar;
Yes, on the surface, this is a western, but take away the western setting and you have a good old fashioned soap opera, rich with all the elements you expect from the genre...murder, blackmail, a love triangle , and people accused of crimes they didn't. which is often true of 1950s westerns as in the 1950s the old west was just a backdrop for the writers to explore changing modern issues that permeated the 1950s.

So if you see a western from the 1950s, especially mid to late 50s you might give it a watch as many of them are about much more than cowboys and gunfights.

Johnny Guitar is one of the great 'western' films of the 1950s another is:
The Big Country (1958) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051411/)

Gideon58

09-10-22, 04:18 PM

I've seen The Big Country...another soap opera disguised as a western.

Citizen Rules

09-10-22, 05:16 PM

Two great 1950s westerns with themes beyond the usual cowboy fare feature Barbara Stanwyck:
Forty Guns (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050407/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_24) (1957)
The Furies (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042490/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_44) (1950)

Gideon58

09-13-22, 04:38 PM

Emily the Criminal
Aubrey Plaza, probably best known for her role on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, gets a chance to take center stage and nails it, in a surprisingly gritty indie crime drama called Emily the Criminal that, even with a rookie director/screenwriter behind it, had this reviewer's stomach in knots for most of the running time.
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Plaza loses herself in the title role, a young woman who works as a caterer, but because of her criminal history, is unable to get a job that will help her get out from under $70,000 in student loan debt. Emily sees a way out of the debt when she becomes involved with a credit card scam, that gets her involved with a lot of very dangerous LA lowlifes, but the financial lure of what she's doing and the unexpected draw to the man behind the scheme draw her deeper in danger.
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Director and screenwriter John Patton Ford has created a story that, on the surface, takes kind of a predictable path, but we don't mind because we love Emily from jump and want to see things get better for her. Once she gets past that first job (love watching the credit card machine, waiting for it to approve her first bogus purchase), we think she might be OK. When it's revealed that the paycheck for her first job is $200 and the second is $2000, we know this can't be good, but we watch and hold our collective breath. Twenty years ago, the role of Emily would have been played by Jodie Foster, if that gives you any insight into the character.
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It was very easy to enjoy the slow burn of the relationship between Emily and Youcef, which had a sexual heat that hits its fever pitch about halfway through the film but never becomes the focus of the film. When we see Youcef set up Emily and give her very specific instructions and she ignores two of them, we know there's trouble coming and we're not sure how it will end for her.
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Plaza commands the screen as the title character and she is well-matched by Theo Rossi as Youcef. There's also a fabulous cameo from Gina Gershon in one of the film's best scenes.
The film features solid production values for an indie and Ford's direction really makes the audience care about this terrific title character. 4

Gideon58

09-14-22, 09:53 PM

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
The performances by Oscar winner Julianne Moore and three time Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson are the anchor of a deliciously entertaining, fact-based story from 2005 called The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, a handsomely mounted, seamless blend of black comedy and family drama that, if caught in the right mood, will definitely leave a lump in the throat,
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Moore and Harrelson play Evelyn and Kelly Ryan, the struggling parents of 10 kids trying to keep the kids fed and the bills paid. Kelly works as a machinist, but blows most of his salary on whiskey. Obviously, with 10 kids to care for, Evelyn is a stay at home wife and mother, but she does have a passion for entering slogan writing contests and develops an actual talent at it that almost makes her the family's primary breadwinner, despite Kelly's growing resentment as being usurped as the head of the household.
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The screenplay by Jane Anderson (Olive Kittridge; How to Make an American Quilt) was adapted by a book written by one of the real life Ryan kids. Anderson is in the director's chair for this as well, and her passion for bringing the Ryan's story to the screen is evident in every frame.. Anderson always lets us know we're watching a movie by having Evelyn narrate the movie while moving around the action of the movie, inserting herself as Anderson deems appropriate. Anderson also nails the look of the movie and its attention to period detail, beautifully bringing to life the 1950's in terms of settings, costumes, and music. I was especially impressed with her fictional recreations of 1950's television commercials, which were perfection.
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What really makes this movie simmer is this enigmatic marriage of Evelyn and Kelly. Evelyn is completely devoted to her family and understands her lot in her life as a woman of the 1950's, but she's screaming on the inside. Her character reminded me a lot of Moore's character in The Hours and Kate Winslet's character in Revolutionary Road. Kelly consistently refuses to step up as a husband and father, but can't stand it when it's Evelyn who really starts taking care of business. Harrelson's character reminded me of his character in The Glass Castle, though his jarring mood swings here seem a little unmotivated at times.
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Anderson's focused and sensitive direction make us really care about this family and evokes genuine fright when they are in danger of losing everything. Moore and Harrelson are both Oscar-worthy here, especially Moore, in one of her most enchanting performances. Also loved Laure Dern as a fellow jingle writer and Simon Reynolds as Bob the Milkman. A lovely little movie that is appointment for viewing for Moore and Harrelson fans. 4

Gideon58

09-15-22, 06:26 PM

Honk for Jesus Save Your Soul
Another film short remade as a full-length feature, 2022's Honk for Jesus Save Your Soul is a dark and edgy satire centered on an ugly variation of a real story that loses its satirical edge about halfway through, becoming quite disturbing, but watchable thanks to a pair of remarkable lead performances.
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Reverend Lee-Curtis Childs and his wife Trinite were the power behind a megachurch that was closed down because of the Reverend's financial and sexual misdeeds. Rev. and Mrs. Childs are trying to start over and re-open their church, but finding it difficult due to a competing megachurch and the doubts among the 25,000 congregants and Mrs. Childs, that Rev. Curtis has really changed.
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Director and screenwriter Adamma Ebo has taken on some really prickly subject matter here. Rev. and Mrs. Childs' story, on the surface, seems to be a look at Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker in blackface, which is acceptable as the film begins because it begins in the form of a "mockumentary" like This is Spinal Tap where the couple are crafting the re-opening of their church in front of a documentary camera, but as the the re-opening is being threatened by another megachurch and continued repercussions of Rev. Childs' behavior, the film's mocking veneer is slowly stripped away to reveal the damage done to the Childs' marriage that the re-opening of their church can never really heal.
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The film offers laughs initially, though they are nervous ones. Eventually, the laughs diminish as we watch former congregants curse out the Childs, the competing church forcing them to change the date of their reopening, and Rev. Childs having to confront his past deeds that are not as far in the past as he thought. Worst of all, we not only have to watch Rev. Childs demean his devoted wife, but never really be accountable for the actions that brought them to where they are in the first place. The sight of the Childs standing on the side of the road with a sign and a megaphone asking passing motorists to honk for Jesus were meant for grins, but just bordered on pathetic. There are a couple of scenes in the final third of the film that are extremely disturbing.
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Ebo made the most of her budget, evidenced in lavish settings and costumes, but what made this movie worth sitting through were the powerhouse performances by Emmy winner Sterling K Brown (This is Us) and Rebecca Hall as Rev. and Mrs. Childs. The chemistry between the actors was simultaneously warm and fraught with incredible tension throughout, making the viewer really really like them or really really hate them, evidenced in a provocative sex scene that defies description and illustrated how broken this couple really was. It's not a pretty movie, but the stars make it worth checking out. 3

Gideon58

09-20-22, 02:17 PM

The Ridiculous 6
Adam Sandler and Netflix try the Blazing Saddles route with a 2015 misfire called The Ridiculous 6, a handsomely mounted, but fatally overlong western satire that nails the western but just doesn't bring the satire.
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Sandler plays Tommy, a white man who was raised by Indians, who is briefly reunited with his father before the guy gets kidnapped. As he begins his quest to rescue his father, he learns that he has five half-brothers, who eagerly join him to rescue the father they've never met.
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First of all, I have to say I love the look of this film. There is some gorgeous cinematography by Dean Semler that creates a breathtaking canvas for this story, but the story is the problem here. The screenplay co-written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy (The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy) is told with too straight a face for a satire, not to mention an extremely leisurely pace that contributes the film being a lot longer than it needs to be.
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Ironically, the funnies scenes in the film have nothing to do with the primary plot. The scene where Tommy and his brothers encounter Abner Doubleday, brilliantly played by John Turturro, the scene where half-brother Danny (Luke Wilson) indirectly causes Lincoln's assassination, the song in front of the campfire, and the poker game featuring Mark Twain and Wyatt Earp are pretty funny, but have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the movie.
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Director Frank Coraci, who also directed Sandler in The Waterboy and Click doesn't seem to understand the rapid-fire pacing that satire requires...the jokes and bits have to come in quick succession so if one doesn't work, the next comes so quickly that the viewer doesn't notice. There are some funny bits that he sets up but he lets them hang in the cinematic air too long before they pay off, especially the wink to Home Alone, where he almost lost us.
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Sandler has gathered an impressive all-star cast, including some of his regular rep company members to help pull this off. There is standout work by Terry Crews as half brother Chico, Steve Buscemi as a crazy doctor, Chris Parnell as a bank manager, Chris Kattan as John Wilkes Booth, Steve Zahn as a nutty bad guy, Vanilla Ice as Mark Twain, and country singer Blake Shelton as Wyatt Earp. Jorge Garcia's caveman and Taylor Lautner's semi-retarded Lil' Pete grow tiresome very quickly though. There is a fabulous, Oscar-worthy turn by Nick Nolte as the boys' father that alone is worth the price of admission. Sandler gets an "A" for effort here, but this is just too safe and too long. 2.5

Gideon58

09-22-22, 02:29 PM

Time Pirates
Take Time Bandits, throw in a little Back to the Future, The Princess Bride, and add a Scooby Doo cartoon for a dash of flavor and you have 2022's Time Pirates, a big budget blend of swashbuckling action, music, animation, and fantasy that, despite all of its action and spectacle, seems to have an underlying theme about the power of rock and roll.
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This is the story of a TikTok rock group called SM6 who are in the process of shooting a video aboard an actual pirate ship. While on a take five, members of the group find a dust-covered book and half of a treasure map. George, one of the group members, has just written the lyrics for a new song, which happen to contain a magic spell that transport the group back to the 17th century where the ship was occupied by a Captain Miles Cooper, who was engaged in a battle for the treasure with the legendary Blackbeard. The group learns that the only way they can get back to 2022 is to find the treasure, which involves defeating Blackbeard with the assistance of Captain Cooper and a couple of lady pirates named Anne Bonny and Beckett.
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This film seems to owe its origins to Time Bandits (a film I've never seen), but screenwriter Marc Gottlieb has definitely done a respectful updating of the story, making it totally accessible for the cherished 18-34 demographic, but has also kept all the elements of a classic swashbuckler at the forefront of the action. Gottlieb doesn't spend a lot of time having these kids figure out what they have to do, but he inserts an element into the story we initially don't see coming. Every time the kids get in a tight spot, they play one of their songs and it gets them out of whatever current tight spot they're in. Love their first musical interlude. in a 17th century tavern where the only musical instruments present are a couple of old fashion lutes and lyres, but once they begin playing, we get a 2022 studio sound.
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Yes, if you're looking for a movie steeped in any kind of realism, forget about it. But if you're looking for some non-think entertainment mounted on a grand scale, you've come to the right movie. I loved that whenever it was time to save themselves with their music, their instruments just magically appeared. The fish out of water elements of the story worked too, like when the kids taught Cooper and Anne how to play the card game Go Fish, or when they taught them how to do a high five. Also loved the characterization of Blackbeard, who was stressed out and slightly neurotic, crumbling under the pressure of being a pirate. he reminded me of Robert De Niro's character in Analyze This.
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Director Anthony C. Ferrante has put a lot of care into the canvas upon which this lavish epic is mounted. The film features first rate cinematography, editing, sound, and some spectacular visual effects. The group SM6 apparently is a real group because all the members have the same last name. No star gazing here, but I did enjoy Channing Tatum look-alike Jack Pearson as Miles Cooper, Angela Cole as Anne Bonny, and especially Richard Grieco, who stole every scene he had in the movie as Blackbeard. Don't think about it, just lay back and enjoy. 4

Gideon58

09-22-22, 09:55 PM

Love is Strange
2014's Love is Strange is a sweet and sad drama about a lovely couple torn apart by circumstance that, despite some self-indulgence direction, is completely riveting thanks to the lead performances by two of the best actors in the business.
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John Lithgow and Alfred Molina star as Ben and George, respectively. Ben is an artist and George is a music teacher who have been lovers for 40 years and have lived in the same Manhattan apartment for 20 years. As the film opens, Ben and George are finally getting married, but this move finds George losing his job. Financial restraints force Ben and George to sell their apartment, rendering them homeless. With no other options, Ben must move in with his nephew Elliott, his wife Kate, and their son Joey whole George moves in with a pair of gay cops who live downstairs in their building.
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Director and screenwriter Ira Sachs does score here on a number of levels. He has created a love story where the central characters are not only well over the age of 21 but are also gay. The story has us fall in love with Ben and George five minutes into the movie and then they are physically separated about ten minutes later. The story then makes some prickly moves as Ben's presence in his nephew's house is causing all kinds of tension because his wife and son have to deal with him most of the time. Meanwhile, George is working tirelessly to make new living arrangements for them and finding doors closing everywhere they turn.
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Yes, I would have liked to have seen Lithgow and Molina spend more time onscreen together, but the story really isn't about their love, which is made clear almost immediately. The movie is about how their separation affects the people who are trying to help them. The change that Ben's presence brings to Kate from the beginning of the movie to the end is not pretty, but it is achingly real, not to mention Joey, who is unable to deal with his 71 year old granduncle sleeping in the bunk bed below him.
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Sachs brings a great deal of sensitivity to the story, but his direction is a little self-indulgent, allowing certain scenes to play longer than they should. Fortunately, Lithgow and Molina are so good we tend to forgive the minor problems with the film and cherish every moment they're onscreen together. They do receive solid support from Darren Burrows as Elliott, Oscar winner Marisa Tomei as Kate, Charlie Tahan as Joey and Eric Tabad as Joey's BFF Vlad. A lovely little film that completely enveloped this reviewer, though I will confess, I don't really understand the title. 4

Gideon58

09-24-22, 07:52 PM

Q&A
Sidney Lumet, who had an affinity for gritty New York crime dramas like Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and Prince of the City was slightly less effective with 1990's Q&A, the kind of story that we expect from Lumet, but the overly complex screenplay makes it way longer than it needs to be, despite a fantastic cast working at the top of their game.
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Nick Nolte plays Detective Mike Brennan, a dirty New York cop who thinks he's going to get away with murder until an idealistic young ADA named Al Riley (Oscar winner Timothy Hutton) is assigned to the case. Riley begins the case with an open mind and notebook until a single lead leads him down a dangerous path to the inevitable showdown with Brennan,
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Lumet also co-wrote the screenplay, which plays out Columbo style...we see the crime committed at the beginning of the movie and the fun for the viewer is supposed to be watching the white hats figure out while the black hats try and cover their tracks. We do get that, but it is blown up to such elephantine scope that viewer patience is definitely challenged. It is a little scary watching all the people Brennan has in his pocket, not to mention the people he threatens to take down with him.
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The introduction of the Mike Brennan character that the NYPD knows is extremely effective. He's outside the office waiting to be questioned about the murder, putting his fellow officers in stitches telling an off color story about an old case, keeping his fellow officers in stitches. Unfortunately, it's not long after this scene that we see Brennan threatening or intimidating most of the officers who were listening to that story.
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Nick Nolte's powerhouse work here should have earned him an Oscar nomination. This character is so explosive and unpredictable, never knowing what he's going to do until he actually does it. Especially loved the scene where he threatens a fellow officer played by Luiz Guzman, in front of his son. His cornering of the only eye witness to his crime and his final confrontation with Hutton's character also sizzle.
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Hutton effectively underplays as Al Riley, but never allows Nolte to blow him off the screen. The rest of the rock solid supporting cast includes Charles S Dutton, Patrick O'Neal, Armand Assante, Paul Calderon, Dominic Chianese, John Capodice, and Jenny Lumet, the director's daughter. As always, Lumet creates a moody and chilling atmosphere for a compelling story, though I did find myself checking my watch. 3.5

Gideon58

09-26-22, 09:51 PM

Meet Cute
Fans of the films Palm Springs and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will have a head start with 2022's Meet Cute, a black comedy that explores the legitimacy of trying to alter destiny that initially confuses the viewer, taking him to the cliff, but ultimately copping out.
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Sheila (Kaley Cuoco) is a suicidal young woman who walks into a bar one night and makes an uncanny connection with a young man named Gary (Pete Davidson). A connection that is so frighteningly on target that it initially scares the hell out of Gary. Though Gary doesn't believe, we are led to believe that Sheila has been travelling through time in a tanning bed in a nail salon, going back to important events in Gary's and altering said events just enough to turn Gary into the kind of man she wants...or is she doing it for another reason?
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The screenplay by Noga Pnueli tries to live up to the film's title as we think we see a couple who seem to be destined to be together. They talk the same, they have the same favorite drink, but what starts off as a overly cute rom com becomes something else that we really don't see coming. Like Gary, the viewer is unsure of what Sheila is telling him, but we see this one evening (and the story does take place in one evening), we see the events of the day alter before we actually see Sheila visiting Gary's past and just when we and Gary begin to believe Sheila, the story shifts back to the opening scene, leading to a change in Gary that doesn't go where it's supposed to go. Why doesn't Gary's acceptance of what Sheila is saying take him back to similar places where Sheila goes?
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It's not until the final act that it comes to light that Sheila's motives are very selfish, sucking the little bit of likability out of the character that we've been able to muster because of her almost bullying of Gary. Unfortunately, when Gary finally figures out what's going on, the viewer is deprived of what he learned, making the ending a bit of a cheat.
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Alex Lehman's direction does show some imagination and he gets a solid assist from his film editor, but the story never really delivers what it hints at throughout. Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco give strong performances, making the disappointment with the story sting even more, because we want a resolution that doesn't really happen. 2.5

Gideon58

09-28-22, 05:54 PM

The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer
A minor classic from Hollywood's golden age, 1947's The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer is a breezy adult comedy that provides solid entertainment thanks to a sophisticated screenplay and sparkling performances from the stars.
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The comedy stars Myrna Loy as Margaret Turner, a serious but fair judge who encounters an artist/playboy named Dick Nugent (Cary Grant) in her courtroom who has been charged with starting a brawl in a nightclub, but with no solid evidence, she lets him off with a slap on the wrist. The next day, Nugent gives a lecture at the local high school where Margaret's kid sister, Susan (Shirley Temple), falls in love with him the second she lays eyes on him. She later sneaks into Dick's apartment and when she's found there, Dick is promptly arrested but that does nothing to erase Susan's feelings about the guy. Margaret agrees to have Dick's charges dismissed if he dates Susan under Margaret's supervision, thinking if Susan spends more time with Dick, she'll realize on her own that Dick is inappropriate for her. Of course, Margaret is hiding her attraction to Dick, but it has caught the eye of ADA Chamberlain (Rudy Vallee), who has been harboring his own crush on Margaret.
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Sidney Sheldon, who wrote the screenplays for Easter Parade, Annie Get Your Gun, and created the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for this witty story that goes some pretty adult places for 1947. Though if this story were to come to the screen today, there would be a definite "ick" factor that would be hard to ignore. In addition to Margaret and the viewer, Dick also knows that this "relationship" with Susan is inappropriate, but he really doesn't work too hard at discouraging Susan. Margaret's reasoning for pushing them together didn't really ring true either, especially since her attraction to Nugent does quietly surface, though she does a superb job of hiding it. The "ick" factor nagged at me slightly, but it did fade as the story progressed.
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It faded because the movie was rich with interesting characters, clever dialogue, and hilarious physical comedy. Margaret and Dick's initial meeting in her courtroom had a sexual tension that couldn't be denied. Loved the convoluted romantic triangle that developed between Dick, Susan, and Susan's boyfriend Jerry too. It reminded me of Birdie, Kim, and Hugo in Bye Bye Birdie. The athletic competition at the fair was a perfect showcase for Grant's often forgotten affinity for physical comedy.
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Director Irivng Reis keeps the movie moving at a nice clip and gets terrific performances from his stars. Cary Grant seems to be having a ball in a tailor made role, exuding mad sex appeal. Myrna Loy gives us a crisp and passionate Judge, willing to forsake her own happiness for the sake of her kid sister. Shirley Temple shines in what was probably the best of her teen roles, at 17, her career was beginning to slip. She would only make six more movies after this one, but she is an absolute delight here, as is Vallee, channeling Ralph Bellamy as the guy who never gets the girl. A delight from start to finish. Grant and Loy were such an engaging screen team they were reunited the following year for Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. 4

Gideon58

09-30-22, 03:39 PM

Bullet Train
The director of John Wick scores with 2022's Bullet Train, a thunderous and eye popping melange of violence and black comedy that often defies logic and requires complete attention, but said attention does pay off for the most part.
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The setting is contemporary Tokyo aboard a fast moving commuter train where it's revealed that five professional assassins are aboard with what they think are individual missions, but their missions are connected in myriad ways. The primary players are Prince, a female badass who looks like a teenager and uses that look when it's handy; a pair of British brothers named Lemon and Tangerine; Wolf is an intense Mexican looking to avenge his bride's death and Ladybug is a laid back American who has actually been sent to replace another agent who was unavailable. It's also revealed that Ladybug has a past with all the other assassins. Eventually, we learn that this common mission is connected to a briefcase containing 10 million dollars and a villain known as White Death.
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David Leitch does an impressive job of deciphering the complex screenplay by Zak Olkewicz that presents a contemporary thriller where exposition is provided throughout the story through the utilization of elaborate flashback sequences that aren't just filler, but connect to all of our players to the story at hand, which moves at a lightning clip and, outside of these flashback sequences, doesn't explain much, especially how all the action takes place aboard this train and for the most of the running time, doesn't disturb the train or the additional passengers/bystanders, though they eventually fade deep into the background without any real explanation and that's OK.
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Leitch also manages to brings us an action film of such scope and beauty that never leaves the interior of the train. He also never allows us to forget we're watching a movie, as characters' names are splattered across the screen and stylish camera techniques that provide winks to Guy Richie and Sam Peckinpah that never allow us to look away.
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Brad Pitt's deliciously breezy performance as Ladybug quietly anchors the proceedings. His reluctant hero reminded me of Kurt Russell's character in Big Trouble in Little China. Standout work is also provided by Brian Tyree Henry as Lemon, Michael Shannon as White Death, and if you're paying attention you'll catch a roll on the floor funny cameo from Channing Tatum. Exhausting, non-stop action fun that will require multiple viewings. 4

Gideon58

09-30-22, 09:47 PM

The Ritz
Despite a veteran in the director's chair and a winning cast, 1976's The Ritz, a silly and somewhat raunchy film version of a play by Terrance McNally, seems stuck in a cinematic purgatory now. It was risky material that 1970's audiences weren't really ready for and it feels terribly dated today.
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At the request of his mob boss father, Carmine Vespucci (Jerry Stiller) puts a contract out on his brother-in-law, Gaetono Proclo (Jack Weston). Obviously fearing for his life, Gaetano jumps in a cab and asks the driver to take him someplace where he is guaranteed not to be found by anyone. The cab driver takes him to the title establishment, which is really a gay bathhouse. Carmine learns where Gaetano is and sends a private detective with a very high voice (Treat Williams) to the bathhouse but he doesn't recognize Gaetano because he's wearing a hideous black wig. Among the supporting players involved in the story are a second rate singer named Googie Gomez (Rita Moreno) and a flamboyant queen named Chris (F. Murray Abraham).
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The stage version of this opened on Broadway in January of 1975 and ran for almost a year, with Stiller, Weston, Moreno, and Abraham originating the roles they play in the movie. This film has been on my watchlist for decades because I love Rita Moreno and I remember her winning a Tony Award for the stage version. Imagine my surprise as I viewed this film and found her character to be peripheral to the primary action. There's a running joke throughout the film that everyone thinks she's a drag queen and the thick accent Moreno employs for the role seems to be in direct conflict with the kind of roles she fought tooth and nail not to play when she first came to Hollywood.
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Of course, the material is dated because the gay bathhouse is a thing of the past. If you're really curious, google it, but the bathhouse depicted in this film is pretty cleaned up and hardly realistic, but I'm sure director Richard Lester was forced to clean up the show as much as possible to get it made. The film is rich with offensive gay and Italian stereotypes that would never make it to the screen today. And I don't if it was Lester or McNally, but the Michael Brick character with the high voice...did not find that funny, just kind of distracting.
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Lester does display a definite affinity for slapstick and gets winning performances from the cast, most of whom came from the stage version. Jerry Stiller and Jack Weston are funny as hell and Kaye Ballard makes the most of her thankless role as Gaetano's wife. Moreno stopped the show with her take on "Everything's Coming Up Roses", but truthfully, it's future Oscar winner F Murray Abraham who walks off with this movie as the flashy fairy Chris. Fans of Amadeus might want to check this one out. 3
.

Gideon58

10-04-22, 02:34 PM

Blonde
Possibly the most controversial film of 2022, Blonde is a pretentious, overblown, confusing, and often ugly look at the iconic Marilyn Monroe that attempts to document her life and career, look at her inner demons, and re-imagine her life, but doesn't succeed at any of it.
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The film starts off, as expected with a look at her troubled childhood with her mentally ill mother, but then illogical jumps back and forth through various events in her life trying to provide a peek into the ambition that drove her, the insecurities that stifled her and then creates entirely fictional aspects of her life with no discernible motive, except to possibly provide some insight into the inner demons that eventually destroyed the actress.
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It's important to know that the screenplay for this film is actually based on a novel by Joyce Carol Oates, which I guess is supposed to legitimize some of the outrageous places that this film goes. It's like Oates wanted to create a fictional character based on Marilyn, but that's not what she does here. She and director and co-screenwriter Andrew Dominick have inserted fictional elements into Marilyn's life that allegedly are supposed to make us understand the tragic cinematic idol. but most of these elements just shock, repel and confuse the viewer.
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The underlying theme of the screenplay seems to be based on two things: the father that she never met and her inability to have a baby. The story drives this home with a creepy narration by Marilyn's father that implies he plans to see Marilyn someday while simultaneously implying that he is watching everything she does. This is further evidenced in her referring to both Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller as "Daddy." The images of genuine fetuses floating in and out of her subconscious melded with images of Marilyn in an operating room with her legs in stirrups where we can't tell if she's delivering a baby or having an abortion. And an imaginary romance with the sons of Charles Chaplin and Edward G. Robinson comes out of nowhere and adds nothing to the story.
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For some reason, Dominick and Oates felt the need to provide anonymity for some the characters in the story. DiMaggio is billed as "The Ex-Athlete" , Miller as "The Playwright", and JFK as "The President". Yet, after the scene showing Marilyn's first date with Miller, we're shown a big movie card stating "Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe to Marry." And the only word that I can use to describe Marilyn's encounter with JFK is disgusting, clearly a piece of fiction created by Oates and Dominick.
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There were a couple of moments in the film that actually seemed to come from Marilyn's life that I really enjoyed. There's a brief but brilliant little scene with Marilyn on the phone with her agent discussing the terms of her accepting Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and I LOVED the recreation of the original theatrical trailer for Niagara as well. I wish the care put into these scenes had been put into the entire film.
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Director Andrew Dominick (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) puts flawless attention into the look of the film, employing first rate production values, though the jarring switches from color to B&W photography didn't really make sense. Ana De Armas offers the strongest performance of her career as Marilyn and I also loved Oscar winner Adrien Brody as Arthur Miller. Mention should also be made of an Oscar-worthy turn from Julianne Nicholson as Marilyn's mother, Gladys, but this film is just too ugly to work as fiction and as a tribute to its subject, it just seems to spit in her face. 2

Gideon58

10-04-22, 09:56 PM

The Girl Can't Help it
A few years after he appeared with Marilyn Monroe in the classic The Seven Year Itch, Tom Ewell was paired with another blonde bombshell named Jayne Mansfield in a silly but enjoyable 1956 comedy called The Girl Can't Help it, whose plot bears more than a passing resemblance to another 50's classic starring yet another 1950's blonde bombshell.
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Ewell plays Tom Miller, an out of work press agent who is hired by a former gangster named named Fats Murdock (Oscar winner Edmund O'Brien) to turn his ditzy mistress into a singing star, despite the fact that she has no desire for a career in show business.
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This film is my first exposure to Mansfield, who was being groomed to be the next Marilyn Monroe, though she never reached the level of fame that Monroe did and watching this film offers some clues. Mansfield looked just as incredible spread across a 40 foot screen as Monroe did, but she really didn't have any kind of real gift at acting nor did she seem to care. Marilyn had the desire to do serious work on the screen, but watching Mansfield in this completely thankless role, Mansfield wasn't really interested in doing anything with any substance because this role is completely devoid of same.
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The screenplay is co-authored by the director Frank Tashlin and Herbert Baker and is based on a novel by Garson Kanin, who authored the 1950 Judy Holliday comedy Born Yesterday. Once again, we have a gangster forcing someone else to turn his girlfriend into something he can live with, whether the guy wants to do it or not and finds himself falling for the girl in the process. The predictability factor of the story is almost overshadowed by Mansfield's obvious physical assets.
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There's also a lot of screentime devoted to some of the top musical acts of 1956. The film features "Be-Bop-a-Lula" by Gene Vincent, "Rock Around the Rock Pile" by Ray Anthony, "Cry Me a River" by Julie London (who is featured in a terrific fantasy sequence), "Blue Monday" by Fats Domino, and "She's Got it" by Little Richard. Several of the songs featured in the score were written by Bobby Troup, who was married to London.
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Mansfield works very hard at making this pointless role worth caring about but Ewell is just as much fun here as he was in The Seven Year Itch. O'Brien grates on the nerves, but there's enough fun going on here to let it slide. 3.5

Citizen Rules

10-04-22, 10:46 PM

The Girl Can't Help it
This film is my first exposure to Mansfield... Count me as a Jayne Mansfield fan. I've seen a lot of her movies and sometimes they are uneven and she's stuck in the faux Marilyn Monroe role, but not always. I loved The Girl Can't Help for it's fun and music! OMG that was the best 50s pop music movie I've seen. I read The Beatles use to watch this movie over and over just for the songs.

Was that the first Jayne Mansfield movie you've saw? I highly recommend The Burglar (1957) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049035/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_26) for a role where Mansfield shows that she can act and it's a fine movie too, with one of my favorite actors Dan Duryea.

Gideon58

10-05-22, 02:16 PM

That was my first Jayne Mansfield movie....I'm also looking forward to watching something called Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

Citizen Rules

10-05-22, 02:30 PM

That was my first Jayne Mansfield movie....I'm also looking forward to watching something called Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is a good one, very creative title credits. Tony Randall is great in it.

Gideon58

10-06-22, 01:12 PM

Mike Epps: Indiana Mike
Netflix followed Mike Epps back to his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana for a 2022 comedy special called Indiana Mike that was the longest 58 minutes of my life.
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Something that happens with just about every standup comedian is, at some point, they make a point of returning to their hometown so they can pretend to show how much they haven't changed, when in reality, they are just back to gloat about what big stars they have become and, sadly that's what happens here.
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Sharply dressed in a rust colored leather suit and black shirt, Epps hit the stage and spent a good fifteen minutes introducing people in the audience, including the Mayor of Indianapolis and the attorney who got Epps out of jail in 1992. This was probably a lot of fun for the locals than it was for those of us who don't happen to live in Indianapolis. There was so much material, and I use that word loosely, based on people and places very specific to Indianapolis that had this audience rolling in the aisles but just had me stifling yawns.
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There were scattered moments here and there where he allowed us to actually forget about Indianapolis for a minute. I did enjoy the routine about owing money to a drug dealer and he does do the most on target impression of an elderly black woman that I have ever seen a standup do. He took some potshots at Bill Cosby that definitely got a mixed reaction from the audience but his impression of Cosby dancing during the opening credits of his sitcom was on the money.
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Don't get me wrong, Mike Epps is a funny guy, evidenced in the last two specials I saw of his years ago and his appearances in the Friday movies, but he just completely leans on the fact that he's back in his hometown as an excuse for the laziness of this material. And don't even get me started when during the closing credits, we learn that the Mayor declared it Mike Epps Day and a street in the city was named after him. Longest 58 minutes of my life. 1.5

Gideon58

10-06-22, 04:41 PM

Li'l Abner
Al Capp's classic comic strip characters come vividly to life in 1959's Li'l Abner, the colorful and exuberant film version of the Broadway show based on the comic strip that works thanks to a colorful supporting cast, a terrific score from the composers of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and some outstanding production numbers.
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The ladies of Dogpatch are excited because the annual Sadie Hawkins race is approaching. This is when the female citizens literally chase the men around town and whoever they actually catch, they get to marry. The men have the option of running for their lives or letting themselves be caught. Marryin' Sam (Stubby Kaye), the local wedding maker who charges different prices for different weddings can't wait but is distressed when Li'l Abner (Peter Palmer) is now undecided about whether he wants to be caught on purpose by longtime girlfriend Daisy Mae (Leslie Parrish).
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Before the race actually begins, the citizens of Dogpatch learn that the government plans to drop a bomb on their town unless the town is deemed necessary. Abner saves the day with a potion that he and his mother, Mammy Yokum (Billie Hayes) concoct that makes men big and strong like him. Abner and Marryin Sam travel to Washington where an unscrupulous politician (Howard St John) and his buxom, dim-witted mistress (Stella Stevens) scheme to take Abner's potion away from.
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The Broadway musical that this film is based on opened in July of 1957 and ran a little over a year, with Palmer, Kaye, Joe E Marks, William Lanteau, and Julie Newmar originating the roles they reprise in this film. This is classic musical comedy at its best, thanks primarily to a terrific song score by Johnny Mercer and Gene DePaul, which includes "A Typical Day", "Unneccessary Town", "The Country's in the Best of Hands", "Namely You", and "Put em Back".
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There are two spectacular dance numbers, "Jubilation T Cornpone" and the Sadie Hawkins Ballet, where Michael Kidd's athletic Broadway choreography has been faithfully retained to the screen by Dee Dee Wood, who would later co-choreograph Mary Poppins. I say "faithully" because anyone who has seen his work in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers will recognize his style. There's even a supporting character named Lonesome Polecat.
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Though he has a gorgeous voice and blue eyes you could get lost in, Palmer is kind of one note as Abner, as is Parrish as Daisy, who has replaced Broadway Daisy Edie Adams (Her singing is dubbed by Imogene Lynn). Stubby Kaye, though best know for Guys and Dolls, gets a much bigger showcase for his talent here and Billie Hayes is a lot of fun as Mammy Yokum, showing a glimpse of the character she is most famous for...Witchiepoo on HR Pufnstuf. Stella Stevens steals every scene she's in and the "Put em Back" number features two future television stars: the late Valerie Harper (Rhoda) and Beth Howland (Alice). Didn't really get Julie Newmar's role as Stupefyin' Jones though. The final act takes a little too long to wrap up, but this musical was a lot more fun than expected. 3.5

Gideon58

10-08-22, 03:41 PM

The Good House
A superb performance from three time Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver makes a somewhat cliched character study/melodrama from 2021 called The Good House worth a look.
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Weaver plays Hildy Good, a divorced, alcoholic real estate agent with grown daughters, who resides in a quaint New England seaside community. Between her failing business and her struggle to stay sober, Hildy is headed toward a cliff that not even a reconnection with an ex (Oscar winner Kevin Kline) can prevent.
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Three writers contributed to the screenplay that starts off with a storytelling technique that really didn't fit the story that comes to light. As the film begins, Hildy is not only serving as her story's narrator, but is speaking directly to the camera. This is a storytelling technique that seems more suited to comedy, like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but confuses the viewer, thinking we're going to get a much lighter story than we do. A little past the halfway point of the film, Hildy stops talking to the camera, which made the rest of the story a little easier to bear for some reason. It was odd when Hildy interrupts an intervention by her family to talk to the audience.
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The story does have an element of predictability due to the amount of screentime spent in establishing the fact that Hildy is an alcoholic. Unfortunately, as the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Hildy's battle with sobriety is a losing one and we're just waiting to see how it's going to manifest itself for this particular movie alcoholic, who makes it clear from the beginning that she doesn't think she has a problem. But what made this movie watchable was the vivid and delicious performance from Weaver that entertains with minimum scenery chewing that makes the viewer care about what happens to the character.
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The film features lovely New England scenery and other solid production values, but it's the performances that keep the viewer interested. Weaver receives solid support from Kline, who brings more to the role than the screenplay does and from David Rasche as her ex-husband, Molly Brown and Rebecca Henderson as her daughters, and Kathryn Erbe as a rival real estate agent. There are mixed messages about alcoholism and it gets overly melodramatic in the third act, but Weaver makes it a pretty smooth ride. 3.5

Gideon58

10-10-22, 03:36 PM

Going in Style (1979)
Six years before putting himself on the map officially by directing Beverly Hills Cop, Martin Brest scored writing and directing a gem from 1979 called Going in Style, a clever and bittersweet comedy that offers three terrific lead performances and a story that takes some moves that we definitely don't see coming.
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Joe (George Burns), Al (Art Carney), and Willie (Lee Strasberg) are three senior citizens who live together to save money, not only struggling to survive, but bored with their humdrum existence. One day. Joe suggests to his buddies that they rob a bank. Al and Willie are initially hesitant until Joe explains that if they get away with it, they will be set for life and if they don't, they'll be getting free room and board in jail.
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Brest took a real risk here centering a comedy around three characters who are well into their 70's, an idea that Brest probably had to shop around to a few studios before finding a studio to take a chance on it. The chance paid off in spades with this terrific crime comedy that is also a timely look at the aging population in this country and how they are treated. It's interesting that this unlikely trio takes this leap since they are not starving or in danger of losing their home. The main reason they are doing this seems to be out of boredom.
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Brest's screenplay nicely details the way Joe and his buddies plan this crime, with Joe taking the lead, thinking not only of what they need and how to execute, but what to do if any part of their plan goes wrong. It was also fun watching Willie's initial reluctance to do this at all but as Joe and Al continue to plan, he finally starts to come around. America's treatment of the elderly comes into the story when our trio walks into the bank for the first time and the reaction they get from everyone present.
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Brest's direction and screenplay work seamlessly, giving this story a real heart and making us really care about these three guys. There is initial confusion when the actual robbery takes place before the halfway point in the film and the viewer can't help but wonder where the film is going to go from there. The film does sag a bit near the halfway point but bounces back for a solid finale, including an arrest scene, brilliantly staged by Brest, that added half a bag of popcorn to my rating. Also loved the scene where the guys were trying to match their guns to the bullets. Too funny.
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Art Carney had just stolen an Oscar from Al Pacino and George Burns had just stolen one from Brad Dourif, so there casting here was no surprise, with Burns offering the strongest performances of his career, easily trumping his work in The Sunshine Boys, but for this reviewer, the real scene stealer was veteran acting teacher Lee Strasberg as Willie. Strasberg could say more with a look than a lot of actors could with five pages of dialogue. Loved the scene where he tells Carney about the dream he had the night before the robbery. This comedy works thanks to the professionalism in front of and behind the camera. The film was remade in 2017 with Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, and Morgan Freeman. 4

Gideon58

10-12-22, 06:15 PM

The Greatest Beer Run Ever
From the director of the Oscar winning Green Book comes 2022's The Greatest Beer Run Ever, another one of those outrageous and unbelievable stories that it has to have actually happened. And don't be fooled by the title which implies a raunchy college comedy...this is an often funny, often deeply moving look at one of the most turbulent and ugly periods in American history.
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It's 1967 in an upper New York neighborhood called Inwood where we meet Chickie Donaghue, an aimless drifter who hasn't done much since being rejected by the police academy except drinking with his buddies all night and sleeping every day until three in the afternoon. Chickie is very disillusioned by the Vietnam war but he is a loyal American who supports the war and one night, during a drunken stupor at the local watering hole, he announces to everybody that he is going to travel to Vietnam and bring all of his childhood buddies who are fighting over there a beer, even one friend who has just been announced MIA.
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Oscar winning director and co-screenwriter Peter Ferrelly proves that his work on Green Book was not a one trick pony. He provides us another look at the 1960's that was just as, if not more disturbing than his look at racism in Green Book. The screenplay is filled with balanced passion about the senselessness and necessity of this war and the blind support from both camps. Although Chickie regrets his announcement an hour after he makes it, it's all over town in minutes and he has no choice but to go. Was also impressed that Chickie's greatest danger in the story didn't come from Vietnam, but from the CIA. Chickie's growth as a man is the best thing about this story.
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Ferrelly's look at this world-changing war was eye-opening and often quite uncompromising. Love one of the first places we see Chickie enter is an elegant bar that, though Chickie is assured that it's not far from the front lines, it is safe. It's a little hard to believe that Chickie actually does locate most of his buddies or that he could throw a case of beer in a gym bag and get it all the way to Vietnam no questions asked anywhere. I was impressed that when he had his individual reunions with his childhood buddies, none of them played out exactly the same, though they all assured Chickie that he was crazy to do this and was advised to go home immediately.
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Ferrelly creates some startling cinematic pictures on the Vietnamese landscape. That shot of Chickie boarding a plane where bodies were being taken off and that Vietnamese prisoner of war meeting his death while the Association's "Cherish" played in the background are burned in my memory forever. Zac Efron may have finally succeeded in burying his pretty boy image with his rich performance as Chickie that I wouldn't be surprised if it gained him some Oscar buzz. Russell Crowe has settled comfortably into this second phase of his career playing a journalist instrumental in helping Chickie get home. Also liked Jake Picking as Duggan, Matt Cook as Lt Habershaw, Will Ropp as Kevin McLoone, and Kevin K. Tran as Oklahoma. Bill Murray also makes the most of a glorified cameo as a bartender named The Colonel. It might be slightly longer than it needed to be, but then again, so was the Vietnam war. 4

Gideon58

10-13-22, 04:24 PM

Hocus Pocus
With Halloween approaching and a sequel hitting the theaters, I thought it was time to check out the original 1993 Hocus Pocus, a big budget Disney Halloween spectacle that failed to engage this reviewer thanks to a paper thin screenplay rampant with predictability and overbaked direction from the man behind the High School Musical franchise.
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It's 1993 in Salem Massachusetts where we meet Max, an unhappy teen who has just moved to Salem, who lights a magic candle in an abandoned house and releases the spirits of three witches who were executed some 300 years ago and the only way they can stay alive is by killing all of the children in Salem before the sun comes up.
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The screenplay by Neil Cuthbert (Mystery Men) is about as corny and cliched as they come. The opening exposition introducing the viewer to Max will be all too familiar to anyone who has seen The Karate Kid, fortunately, it doesn't go on too long. Sadly, there were other things that this reviewer had a hard time letting slide. OK, we're in Salem, Mass , where the history of witches is legend, but 300 years later, Max, his little sister, and his would be girlfriend are able to walk into a house where three witches lived without a key or a secret combination or something, no lock on the front gate, nothing? Seriously? And once the witches reveal themselves and their mission, what made Max think that stealing their book of magic spells with a creepy eye on the front was a good idea? And when head witch Winifred finally has the attention of most of the population at a Halloween dance, the logical move is a musical number?
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In addition to the story, the characters are weakly developed as well. Winifred is given some substance in the story, but her sisters, Sarah and Mary, are given none and serve as nothing but silly comic relief. Mary can smell children and Sarah just seems to be some witchly version of a pedophile who don't have a brain between them. And the witches' pursuit of these kids something akin to one of those roadrunner cartoons where Wyle E Coyote gets within a hair's breath of capturing the roadrunner before running into a brick wall or going off a cliff. It was hard to accept that three alleged witches had so much trouble dispatching of three children and don't even get me started on the Children of the Corn finale.
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Kenny Ortega's direction is manic and undisciplined, requiring a little more attention to production values, especially the often cheesy visual effects, which, with this kind of story, should have been flawless. Bette Midler is quite entertaining as Winifred and Omri Katz, whose biggest credit prior to this film was playing Larry Hagman and Linda Gray's son on Dallas, does bring some charm to Max, but this film is forgettable and what would prompt a sequel 29 years later is beyond comprehension. 2.5

Gideon58

10-15-22, 06:37 PM

Clerks III
In this current trend of bringing long dormant movie franchises back to life, Kevin Smith and his zany rep company return after 18 years for Clerks III, a look at Dante and Randal, still running the Quick Stop convenience store after all these years. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but this film is actually the strongest of the three.
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In this film Randal (Jeff Anderson) has a heart attack, which forces him to re-examine his life, motivating him to write and direct a movie about his life, which turns out to be the first movie in the franchise. Unfortunately, Randal's ego gets completely out of control, driving everyone crazy, especially his best friend and co-worker, Dante (Brian O'Halloran).
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It should be noted that this review is coming from someone who barely tolerated the first film and found the second one to be passable entertainment. These films were so forgettable to me that I never reviewed them, which makes it all the stranger that I had any interest in watching this film and enjoy it as much as I did? Really didn't see that coming.
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Rest assured that Kevin Smith has not been sitting on his hands for the last 18 years, but this is the second official sequel to Clerks and I liked the fact that Smith's screenplay sort of breaks the 4th wall and eventually brings us back to the first film. The other thing I loved about Smith's screenplay that a lot of these other recently revived franchises didn't address is the fact that these characters are 18 years older and still doing the exact same thing they were doing 18 years ago.
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The idea of these two guys making a movie who know nothing about making a movie went all the ways we expect it to, but Smith manages to bring his own brand of manic to the proceedings. Randal's insistence that it was his movie but Dante had to find the financing was a bit that never got old. Loved the auditions for the movie, which included cameos by Ben Affleck, Ethan Supplee, Danny Trejo, Fred Armisen, Melissa Benoist, and Anthony Michael Hall. Of course, the auditions become moot to prepare for the finished movie and we get a couple of unexpected surprises before that reveal that were unexpected. Also LOVED a breaking of the 4th wall I didn't see coming as Kevin Smith finally gave Silent Bob a voice.
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Smith provides some interesting camerawork and the film is backed by a wonderful song score that frames the movie perfectly. Anderson and O'Halloran are still a well-oiled machine as are Smith and Jason Mewes as Silent Bob and the maniacal Jay. Shout outs to Amy Sedaris as Randal's doctor and Justin Long as a male nurse as well. Rosario Dawson is even allowed to appear as the ghost of her character in the second film. Fans of the franchise will find a lot to laugh at here. 3.5

Gideon58

10-17-22, 02:36 PM

Wait for Your Laugh
She is perhaps best known for her role as Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show, but Rose Marie had an amazing show business career that started in the 1920's and lasted close to 90 years. The comedy icon is lovingly showcased in a 2017 documentary called Wait for Your Laugh, where I learned more about the subject that I didn't know than any other celebrity documentary I've ever seen.
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Narrated by Peter Marshall of The Hollywood Squares, the documentary opens introducing the viewer to "Baby Rose Marie", who began her vaudeville career at the age of 4. belting out tunes with pipes comparable to Judy Garland, with twice the stage presence of Shirley Temple. Before she entered her teenage years, she was the opening act at movie theaters all over the country. We are treated to shots of actual movie marquees where, right under the title of the movie, a stage show was advertised starring Rose Marie.
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Much to my surprise, the star reveals that a lot of her career was sponsored by well known gangsters like Al Capone, Joe Fishcetti. and Bugsy Siegel. One of her earliest stage appearances found her pulled onstage by Evelyn Nesbit, who was one of the subjects of the 1981 Milo Foreman film Ragtime. Marie is also revealed to be one of the first performers booked in Las Vegas, when the famous strip consisted of only four casinos.
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This film is an interesting melange of several documentary techniques. In addition to detailed narration from the star herself, we are treated to actual footage of her performing on vaudeville and Vegas stages, her stories being acted out by actors playing Capone and Nesbit, backstage color footage of her in rehearsals for The Dick Van Dyke Show and her long marriage to a trumpet player named Bobby Guy, who was a BFF of Jerry Lewis and played in Bing Crosby's orchestra. Despite a rough start, she and Guy were married in 1946 and remained together until his death in 1964.
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For a woman well into her 90's, Rose Marie's memory of her amazing career was quite clear (she died shortly after the release of this film) and there is an air of arrogance as she discusses her career, which should have gone the way of Garland and Temple, but didn't for some reason. It's also revealed that she was the first female hired to host a game show, but the quiz show scandal around 21 killed that. The only real resentments about her career seem to be centered around a Broadway show and movie she did with Phil Silvers called Top Banana and her role on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Apparently, she thought her role on the show was going to be what Tina Louise thought her role on Gilligan's Island was going to be. Commentary is also provided by Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner, Tim Conway, television writer Dan Harmon, and Rose Marie's daughter, Georgiana. A one of a kind documentary on a one of a kind performer. 4.5

Gideon58

10-18-22, 02:55 PM

Keeper of the Flame
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn followed up their smash first film together, Woman of the Year with Keeper of the Flame, an overheated 1942 melodrama centered around politics and patriotism that fails to engage due to a somewhat predictable story that moves at a snail's pace, despite being extremely well-acted by an interesting cast.
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As the story opens, an international war hero named Robert Forrest has died after driving his car off a bridge. Reporters from all over the country come to the Forrest estate to find out what happened, including Steven O'Malley (Tracy), an acclaimed war correspondent who has returned from Germany to learn the truth about what happened to a man he was in awe of. O'Malley decides the only way to learn the truth is by talking to Forrest's widow, Christine (Hepburn), who initially balks at the idea of talking to a reporter about her husband, but is persuaded that it's something she must do.
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The screenplay by Oscar winner Donald Ogden Stewart (The Philadelphia Story) is based on a novel by IAR Wiley, that succeeds at keeping the Robert Forrest character at the center of the story, but is not quite as effective in setting up suspense regarding the possibility that Forrest is not the man the world thought him to be. It becomes obvious pretty early on here what's going on and Stewart attempts to throw the viewer off the scent by setting us up with one red herring after another, all conveniently popping up whenever it feels like the truth is bubbling to the cinematic surface too quickly.
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I've now seen eight of the nine films Tracy and Hepburn made together, this is easily the weakest of the ones I've seen, even with a proven guiding force like George Cukor in the director's chair. After the breezy and magical romantic chemistry Tracy and Hepburn created in Woman of the Year, this just wasn't what movie audiences wanted from Tracy and Hepburn...opponents in the cover-up of a political conspiracy. Long before Doris Day and Rock Hudson perfected it in Pillow Talk, Tracy and Hepburn were the original purveyors of the "will they or won't thing" screen romance where the leads are fighting the romantic sparks for the entire running time. MGM spent a lot of time producing musicals that were a nod to the war effort and this seemed to be a dramatic nod to same that, despite good intentions, did not show off Tracy and Hepburn to their best advantage.
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Tracy and especially Hepburn do solid work here, but the story is not worthy of them. Richard Whorf, Forrest Tucker, and Stephen McNally make the most of their supporting roles though. And there is some welcome comic relief from Audrey Christie as a reporter with the hots for Tracy and Percy Kilbride as a philosophical cab driver. Kilbride would have his fifteen minutes about a decade later creating the role of Pa Kettle. Even hardcore Hepburn fans will have trouble getting through this one. 2.5

Gideon58

10-19-22, 01:59 PM

Do Revenge
Netflix provided a serious budget for 2022's Do Revenge, a lavishly mounted, well acted, and edgy black comedy that is basically Mean Girls meets Strangers on a Train, with just a dash of Clueless that had this reviewer going until a third act plot twist that made no sense.
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Drea is a bitchy campus queen bee who's junior year is ruined when her self-absorbed boyfriend, Max, leaks a sex tape starring her. Eleanor is a lonely lesbian social outcast who is destroyed when a girl named Carissa, who she was crushing on, tells the whole school that Eleanor came on to her. Of course, Drea and Eleanor cross paths, share stories, decide revenge is the answer and the only way to assure that they get away with it is that Eleanor go after Max and Drea go after Carissa.
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Director and screenwriter Jennifer Kaytin Robsinson has provided a story that is hardly original, so she decides to disguise its lack of imagination with a lot of overly clever dialogue, stylish camera work, and some truly impressive production values that almost make the viewer forget that everything that goes on here actually came from other better movies.
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The setting is another one of those glitzy California high schools where kids are never observed studying or going to class but by the end of the movie, they have all gotten acceptance letters from Ivy League schools. As a matter of fact, the climax of the film actually takes place at what is called an admissions party where to get in, you have to turn in your cell phone and show your Ivy League school acceptance letter. There is some entertainment value in watching Drea and Eleanor's plan play out, but a surprise plot twist at the beginning of the final act took me out of the story, not to mention this plan produced a lot more collateral damage than it should have.
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Robinson does get some first rate performances from a largely unknown cast, with standout work from Camila Mendes as Drea, Austin Abrams as the smarmy Max, and especially Maya Hawke as the complex Eleanor. There's also an impressive unbilled turn from Sarah Michelle Gellar as the school's headmaster. It's a little longer than it needed to be and the climactic plot twist doesn't really work, but there is some entertainment value here. 3

gbgoodies

10-19-22, 11:27 PM

Gideon58

10-20-22, 11:13 PM

The Fugitive Kind
Though definitely a lesser work of its director and its screenwriter, 1960's The Fugitive Kind is still appointment viewing thanks to the three extraordinary performances by Oscar winners in the starring roles, more than making up for the film's minor deficiencies.
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Marlon Brando, once again, commands the screen as Valentine Xavier, AKA "Snakeskin", a guitar player and drifter who always seems to be followed by some kind of trouble, gets out of jail and tries to start over in a sleepy southern town, but finds that nearly impossible thanks to the sexual heat he creates with three very different women with their own individual baggage. Vee Talbot (Maureen Stapleton) is a lonely housewife willing to look past Snakeskin's sexual bravado; Carol (Joanne Woodward) is the town tramp who throws herself at Snakeskin to no avail; Lady Torrance (Anna Magnani) is a hot-blooded Italian shopkeeper trapped in an unhappy marriage to an abusive and seriously ill psycho.
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This film is based on a lesser work by Tennessee Williams called Orpheus Descending that had a very brief Broadway run featuring Cliff Robertson as Snakeskin, Stapleton as Lady Torrance, and Lois Smith as Carol. It's curious that after a mere 68 performances on Broadway that it got fast-tracked to the screen. It's definitely one of Williams' more talky pieces, but talky is a Williams staple that is easy to forgive. It's the adult themes pervading this film that makes one wonder how it got to the screen so quickly and what concessions did Williams have to make for it happen. His screen adaptation with Meade Roberts could have been more economic, but there's a lot of stuff that got onscreen here that surprised me. Hollywood apparently had come a long way since A Streetcar Named Desire, the last film filled with such sexual heat and gritty intensity.
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One of my favorite directors, Sidney Lumet, does an admirable job of establishing the sweaty, sexy atmosphere but could have given the story a little more forward motion. What he does give us in is three indescribable, Oscar-worthy lead performances that gave this piece what was missing on Broadway. Once again, Brando delivers another electric sex performance in a character very reminiscent of his Johnny in The Wild One, but in this film we see the man's effect on three different women in different ways. Stapleton's Vee doesn't really see her attraction to the man; Woodward's Carol becomes obsessed to no avail and Magnani's Lady fights it until she can't fight it anymore.
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Joanne Woodward, in a serious case of casting against type, chews the scenery as the town tramp unlike anything I have ever seen from her. Her performance completely overpowers the cliched aspects of her character and demands viewer attention. Mention should also be mentioned of a bone chilling turn from Victor Jory as Lady's nutso husband, but if the truth be told, it's Magnani who really keeps this film on sizzle. Magnani won the Oscar for Best Actress five years earlier for The Rose Tattoo and after watching her here, I really want to see The Rose Tattoo now...Magnani is all smoldering sensuality and angry intensity here, in a performance that just might rival Vivien Leigh in Streetcar, a performance of robust strength and fragility that seam perfectly.
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Boris Kaufman's stunning black and white cinematography and Richard Sylbert's art direction deserve shout outs too, but this movie is owned by Brando, Woodward, and the one and only Anna Magnani. Bravo. The movie was remade in 2010 for TV as "Orpheus Descending" with Kevin Anderson as Snakeskin and Vanessa Redgrave as Lady. 4

Gideon58

10-21-22, 03:26 PM

Nick Kroll: Little Big Boy
Nick Kroll is a talented actor who has been making me laugh for years on the big and small screens. Naturally, I was curious about his 2022 Netflix comedy special Nick Kroll: Little Big Boy, which got off to a slow start, but did eventually end up delivering some big laughs.
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Kroll's first story about the first boy/girl party he attended as a teenager and a story about his bodily functions once made a mess of his karate uniform totally fell flat, despite clearly edited laughs that made the storiy appear the funniest ever. The special was performed live from Washington DC, which seemed an odd place to shoot a fledgling comedy concert until I learned that Kroll is a graduate of Georgetown University.
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Once we got off a very uncomfortable opening 10 minutes, Kroll found his groove as he started talking about a girl with whom he got stuck in "the friends zone" and his analysis of exactly what the friends zone is was perfect, as was his story about taking a girlfriend to a wedding, which eventually led to her dumping him. His bit about learning to quit smoking via hypnosis was hilarious, climaxed by him asking the audience if they believed it was a true story and then offering evidence.
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Kroll is surprisingly self-assured onstage, displaying not only a knack for physical comedy but being a gifted wordsmith as well,,,he's a little Jerry Lewis and a little Jerry Seinfeld and has a slight tendency to talk above his audience now and then, but he never completely loses them. And I have to admit he had me on the floor with a perfect impression of Vincent D'Onofrio in Men in Black.
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It was when he offered his personal breakdown on the differences between being the oldest child, the middle child, the youngest child, and an only child was when he really got the crowd on his side and they stayed with him the rest of the evening. Once he talked about why we all hate our mothers, he had the audience in his pocket and his impression of all of us receiving a phone call from our mother was brilliant. A slow start, but Kroll eventually has the audience right where he wants them. 3.5

Gideon58

10-22-22, 09:01 PM

Daddy (2015)
2015's Daddy is an overheated soap opera, written and directed by its stars, that thinks it's disguising the fact that it's a soap opera because the central characters are gay, but they're not doing anything here more interesting than what Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins were doing back in the 40's or what they're still doing weekdays on The Young and the Restless.
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Collin McCormack is a gracefully aging gay television host who, though he's still BFF's with his college buddy, the equally gay Stewart Wisnieski, still likes to party and has an eye for younger guys. Stewart prefers to hang out at home with Colin watching basketball and has given up on romance. Colin and Stewart's friendship is threatened when Colin finds himself drifting into an affair with Tee, a sexy, 21-year old intern in Colin's office. It's not long before it's revealed that Tee is harboring some sort of secret that could destroy Colin.
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Gerard McCullough, who plays Colin, also directed the film and Tom Via, who plays Stewart, wrote the screenplay. The affection that these two have for each other leaps off the screen; unfortunately, it doesn't disguise the fact this story is about as predictable as they come, leading to a reveal that won't be a shock to anyone who has ever watched a daytime or primetime soap opera.
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Personally, I thought the initial story presented, the one of Tee coming between Colin and Stewart, was a lot more interesting than the story we were finally subjected to. The scenes of Tee and Stewart competing for Colin's attention were vividly real and the most interesting aspect of the story. It was kind of lame writing the way Tee's secret was revealed and though it wasn't what I expected, it was still classic soap opera and this is where the movie lost me as it magically tried to fix Colin and Tee and fabricate a romance out of nowhere for Stewart.
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McCullough and Via both show some promise as filmmakers, but this story was just a little contrived to be completely convincing. Both also possess some acting talent, making us care about these characters, though I did find Jamie Cepero's Tee a little hard to take at times. BTW, the actor playing Stewart's new boyfriend near the end of the movie is Mackenzie Astin, brother of Sean Astin, and younger son of John Astin and the late Patty Duke. It's passable entertainment, not much more. 3

Gideon58

10-24-22, 01:59 PM

Don't Worry Darling
Female empowerment both in front of and behind the camera give a dash of originality and style to 2022's Don't Worry Darling, a bizarre but inventively mounted thriller that seems to be an updating of The Stepford Wives, but goes much deeper than the 1975 classic, though it doesn't really answer all of the questions it poses.
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Alice is a 1950's housewife who is living with her husband in an Utopian community called Victory, where all the wives quietly serve their husbands, while their husbands all go to work every day as part of something called The Victory Project. Alice begins to suspect there is something not right about her idyllic existence in Victory and when she begins to voice her suspicions, she finds her herself in danger.
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The screenplay by Katie Silberman (Set it Up) starts out with effective, if somewhat predictable exposition showing how perfect life is in Victory, but as cinematic clues begin to surface that all is not as it appears, the story becomes more and more confusing. We understand that Victory is not what it appears, but Alice's path to this discovery manifests itself in a lot memory flashes and artsy symbolism that doesn't really get explained, particularly recurring images of Busby Berkley kaleidoscope-style dance numbers.
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Olivia Wilde, who plays Alice's BFF Bunny, is also in the director's chair and she really scores here. Her direction is rich with disturbing images, dizzying camerawork, and a chilling intensity that keeps the viewer interested even though the viewer is often not really sure what is happening. We're with Wilde and Silberman until Alice is captured for causing too much trouble and is strapped to a table for what appears to be a lobotomy and that's where we really get lost, because a lot of what leads to the climactic chase should have been revealed earlier.
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Florence Pugh, who pretty much stole Greta Gerwig's remake of Little Women is superb as Alice though and works well with pop sensation Harry Stiles as her hubby Jack. Chris Pine, Nick Kroll, KiKi Layne, Timothy Simons, and Wilde also make the most of their screentime. Bouquets to cinematography, sound, costumes, and music as well, I just wish the story had led to somewhere a little more plausible. 3

Gideon58

10-25-22, 01:14 PM

The Nightmare Before Christmas
Though technically not in the director's chair, ghoul master Tim Burton was definitely the creative force and passion behind the 1993 animated musical masterpiece The Nightmare Before Christmas, a creepy and funny animated fantasy that looks at one holiday through the eyes of another.
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Jack Skellington is the leading citizen of Halloween Town, who is in charge of producing Halloween every year. Getting bored with Halloween, Jack is looking for something different to do and while wandering through the forest, he discovers a place called Christmas Town and is so enchanted by it, that he decides to bring it back to Halloween Town and make it his own. His plan includes asking a trio of trick or treaters named Lock, Stock, and Barrel to kidnap Santa Claus and asking the local mad scientist to create reindeer for his sleigh. Though the citizens of Halloween Town have difficulty grasping and executing the meaning of Christmas, Jack plans to make Christmas his own, despite warnings from girlfriend Sally that what he's doing is a terrible mistake.
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Burton scores a direct bullseye here, creating his own twisted version of a holiday so steeped in their own traditions that they innocently destroy Christmas without intention or any true malice, bringing an unexpected fright to Christmas that no one can explain, including Jack, whose intentions are actually absent of any malice, except for a desire to make Christmas his holiday because he yearns for something different after being the master of fright for so long.
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Director Henry Selick (James and the Giant Peach) has mounted this tale of comic horror on a perfect animated canvas, with the aid of a crack animation team that applies meticulous detail to every single thing that appears on the screen here. The tiniest details are given exquisite attention, from the looks of the characters to the outrageous set pieces that serve the story perfectly.
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Danny Elfman's brilliant musical score seems influenced by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Kurt Weill, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. Highlights include "This is Halloween", "Kidnap the Sandy Claus", "Oogy Boogie Song", "Making Christmas", and the incredible "What's This?" Elfman also provides a perfect singing voice for Jack Skellington that makes these songs come vividly to life.
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There is also strong voice work by Chris Sarandon as Jack's speaking voice, Catherine O'Hara as Sally, William Hickey as Dr. Finklestein, Glenn Shadix as the Mayor, and Ken Page as Oogie Boogie. What can I say? Everything works here, simply a triumph. If you loved Beetlejuice...5

Gideon58

10-26-22, 03:53 PM

Ticket to Paradise (2022)
Despite some gorgeous scenery and the star power of Oscar winners George Clooney and Julia Roberts in the starring roles, 2022's Ticket to Paradise is a lackluster comedy that only provides sporadic laughs due to an overly cute screenplay that goes some strange places.
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David (Clooney) and Georgia (Roberts) are the bitterly divorced parents of a recent law school graduate named Lily who has met the man of her dreams while vacationing in Bali and when she accepts the man's marriage proposal, David and Georgia decide to fly to Bali to try and stop the wedding, with Georgia's decade younger fiancee, Paul, hot on their trail.
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Director and co-screenwriter Ol Parker (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel spends way too much time on exposition, or more specifically, showing us how nasty David and Georgia's divorce was. It starts when they won't sit next to each other on the plane to Bali, but then every time they run into each other, Parker has David and Georgia making these obnoxious scenes centered around how they can't be in the same room together and these scenes go on way longer than they need to.
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The romance between Lily and island guy is sweet, but the Lily character is kind of unlikable, wanting her parents' blessing for this marriage and wanting them to be in complete sync about it, which the story has already established is never going to happen. Her reaction to the news of her mother's engagement sucked all the likability out of the character for this reviewer. The ice between David and Georgia and their daughter and her fiancee begins to melt during the movie's funniest scene, where the parents challenge the kids to a game of beer pong. It is a funny scene, but beer pong? This scene was more suited for a 1980's frat comedy a la animal house.
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The so-called romance between Georgia and her devoted fiancee also slowed things down too. It's obvious from their first moment onscreen together that Georgia doesn't really love this guy and we're not the least bit surprised during the scene where he proposes to her that she doesn't give him an answer. Now most men would take this as a sign to maybe give up, but this guy actually proposes a second time? Seriously?
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On the positive side, the on location filming is breathtaking and the gracefully aging Clooney and Roberts look great and still generate the chemistry they did a couple of decades ago in the Ocean franchise, but getting through this very labored comedy took a little more effort than it should have. 2.5

Gideon58

10-27-22, 03:41 PM

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Woody Allen had one of his stronger comic romps with 2001's The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, that featured Woody's usual clever story and dialogue, but was slightly hampered by a really unlikable leading lady.
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Woody plays CW Briggs, an insurance investigator in 1940 Manhattan who has a hate/hate relationship with the company's efficiency expert, Betty Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt). CW and Betty are brought onstage at a nightclub by a hypnotist named Voltan (David Ogden Stiers) who puts them under with post hypnotic suggestions where they think they are in love. It turns out that Voltan is a jewel thief in addition to a hypnotist and uses the post hypnotic suggestions to make CW and Betty break into fancy homes and steal jewelry for him.
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Setting this tale in the year 1940 was an inspired move by Allen because his style of writing seems more suited for the 40's than for the New Millenium. The screenplay is rich with dialogue that one would normally find in a Humphrey Bogart mystery or a Howard Hawks comedy. The story moves like a Howard Hawks comedy. Just enough exposition to introduce the characters and the story efficiently shifts into gear. The story leaves what appears to be a dangling plot point but was surprisingly picked up during the final third of the fil
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The Betty Fitzgerald character was the only fly in this cinematic ointment. She is set up as immediately unlikable and Briggs' attraction to her doesn't really make sense, even though it is initially hidden under a lot of obvious hostility. Betty never gives CW a break, thanks to the previously mentioned dangling plot point, but once it's picked up, Betty becomes a little more human. Even having her in a dead end affair with the married president of the company (Dan Aykroyd) fails to imbue the character with the sympathy it should. Admittedly, as the film progressed, the possibility came about that the problem might have been a lack of chemistry between Allen and Hunt, not CW and Betty.
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As always, Woody's attention to production values is wonderful, with special shout outs to art direction, costumes, and Woody's flawless ear for music. Though Woody Allen and Helen Hunt never really gel as a couple, Dan Aykroyd brought the proper smarm to the boss, making him totally hissable. Also loved Stiers as the hypnotist, Wallace Shawn as one of CW's co-workers and Charlize Theron as an authentic 40's femme fatale. Not as good as Bullets Over Broadway, but a pretty sharp Allen period piece. 3.5

Gideon58

10-29-22, 04:17 PM

Pearl (2022)
Fans of the Brian De Palma classic Carrie will have a head start with Pearl, Ti West's follow-up to his earlier release this year X that provides the same grisly atmosphere that X did, as it attempts to provide a backstory for one of the characters in that film, actually producing a much more compelling film than the first one.
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Pearl is a teenager in 1918 trapped on an isolated farm house being brow beaten by her miserable harridan of a mother who starts speaking German when she's really angry and being the primary caretaker for her father, a virtual vegetable in a wheelchair. Pearl seeks stardom, any kind of stardom in any facet of show business, anything that will get her away from this farm and when a national dance company comes to town to hold auditions, Pearl sees this as her way out.
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Ti West's 28th film as a director is so delicately crafted and mounted with such love of moviemaking. This film appears to have been made back to back with X because I'm pretty sure the farmhouse where this movie is the same farmhouse used in X. The stylish opening credits immediately clue us into the fact that we're about to see something very special here, something along the lines of a child's fantasy guaranteed to make us smile. Less than five minutes later, we see Pearl stab a goose with a pitchfork and feed it to an alligator.
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It's the ugly relationship between Pearl and her cold-blooded mother that is the true anchor of this film, that really brought me back to the relationship of Carrie and Margaret White in Carrie. There's a begrudging respect that Pearl has for her mother, but she also blames
her mother for her miserable life and she knows that everything would be better if her mother would just die. And that's the other troubling part of this story...Pearl's wrath extends far beyond her parents and several people suffer at the hands of Pearl that really don't deserve it.
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This Pearl character is such an enigma that we can't help but envy her, pity her, and be terrified of her and the character is so much more three-dimensional than she was in X. West and his cinematic muse Mia Goth must share credit for the creation of this character that is so beautifully mounted that it made me think about re-watching X, something that hadn't crossed my mind until I saw this film that I liked a lot more than X. Gorgeous cinematography and film editing (West also did the editing) deserve props as well. This is another one of those "traffic accident" movies...you just don't want to look, but you can't look away either. 4

Gideon58

10-31-22, 01:20 PM

While You Were Sleeping
A lovely performance by Sandra Bullock anchors 1995's While You Were Sleeping, a sweet-natured romantic comedy with a fuzzy screenplay but Bullock and a terrific supporting cast make it quite an enjoyable cinematic ride.
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Bullock plays Lucy, a lonely, Chicago subway token attendant who has been crushing on Peter Callaghan (Peter Gallagher), a businessman who buys a token from Lucy every day who she has never spoken to. On Christmas Day, Peter falls off the subway platform and Lucy saves Peter from being hit by a train. Lucy follows Peter to the hospital where he falls into a coma and is mistaken for Peter's fiancee by his family. Things get stickier when Peter's brother, Jack (Bill Pullman) comes home for Christmas and he and Lucy fall in love with each other almost instantly.
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The story created by Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric Lebow is basically a good one, but there's a little more going on here than necessary, making the story more complex than it really needed to be. It starts with Lucy's useless narration about her childhood and moves to the goofy landlord's son who is crushing on Lucy. Once Jack arrives on the scene. it seems like he is onto Lucy, but about the halfway point of the film, all of a sudden it seems like he's not. The reveal that Peter really has a fiancee wasn't really necessary and when Peter awakens from his coma, he just accepts that Lucy is who his family tells him she is and starts battling his brother for Lucy's affections.
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It's easy to overlook these minor screenplay problems because of this wonderful character at the center of the story. Though she starts off as bit of sad sack, we learn that she is a principled young woman. Love the scene where she goes to Peter's room for the first time after meeting his family and explains to Peter exactly what's going on, even though he's still in a coma. Director Jon Turtletaub (National Treasure) has to be credited for the chemistry he creates between Lucy and Jack, that has us rooting for these two to get together from the minute they meet.
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Bullock's luminous performance in the starring role is one of the reasons this movie was one of her biggest hits. She manages to create chemistry with both Pullman and Gallagher and I must say I have rarely enjoyed Pullman onscreen this much, a severely underrated actor who has never gotten the acclaim he deserves. Also loved Peter Boyle and Nicole Mercurio as Peter and Jack's parents, Jack Warden as Peter and Jack's godfather, and Glynis Johns as their dotty grandmother. Appointment viewing for Bullock fans. 3.5

gbgoodies

11-01-22, 02:02 AM

While You Were Sleeping is one of my all-time favorite movies. I watch it every time I find it playing on TV.

Gideon58

11-01-22, 02:46 PM

Sidney
Oprah Winfrey is the producer of 2022's Sidney, an emotionally charged and inspiring celebrity documentary about the first African American Actor to win the Oscar for Outstanding Lead Actor...the iconic Sidney Poitier.
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The film documents Poitier's amazing life from his dirt poor childhood in the Bahamas to his arrival in New York where a job as a dishwasher eventually lead to his joining a Negro Theater group that cemented his never before realized vision of becoming an actor.
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The documentary apparently began its journey to fruition years before its release because it features a lot of footage of Poitier, in loving closeup, talking about a childhood devoid of electricity and running water, as well as the profound impact his parents had on his life and the way he conducted it. We are reminded several times throughout the documentary that every single move Poitier made regarding his life and career somehow was traced back to something instilled in him by his parents.
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A healthy chunk of the film is devoted to his lifelong friendship with another black show business veteran, Harry Belafonte. Poitier shares a lovely story about the first play they did together where Belafonte was the lead and Poitier was his understudy and why Poitier ended up going on for him one night. It's also revealed that there was no lack of turbulence in their relationship as well. It was fascinating hearing the story of when Martin Luther King was assassinated and they sharply disagreed regarding the best way to honor the slain civil rights leader.
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The examination of Poitier's acting career was a little more sparse than I hoped, but it does make clear that Poitier was the first true black movie star who did things onscreen that black actors hadn't done before. In the 30's and 40's black actors were mostly comic relief, but along came Poitier in 1950 playing a doctor in his film debut No Way Out. Black movies audiences were just as shocked as white audiences when they saw him sticking by Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones, slapping that white guy in In the Heat of the Night or romance Katherine Hepburn's real life niece in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?. We also learned that one of his lesser known films that I really liked called Paris Blues played a key part in the end of his first marriage. I also loved that one of his daughters thought his character in To Sir With Love was the closest thing to her father she ever saw on screen
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In addition to Winfrey, incredible commentary is offered by Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Louis Gossett Jr, Barbra Streisand, Lulu, Andrew Young, Nelson George, Katharine Houghton, Poitier's first wife, Juanita and last wife, actress Joanna Shimkus, and his six daughters. This documentary was not only an insightful look into a great artist's career, but a moving blueprint for any young black kid out there with what they think will be an unrealized dream. 5

Gideon58

11-05-22, 04:48 PM

The Glass Slipper
MGM provided their own lavish vision to a classic fairytale with 1955's The Glass Slipper, a lushly mounted version of an oft told story, that humanizes the story a bit, but still provides grand entertainment, anchored by an enchanting performance from its leading lady.
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Fresh off her Oscar-nominated performance in Lili and once again directed by Charles Walters, Caron plays Ella, the dirty-faced tomboy who spends her life attending to her evil stepmother and stepsisters and dreaming of living at the palace someday. One day while getting away at her secret place, she accidently meets Prince Charles (Michael Wilding), who is shopping for a princess, but he tells Ella that he is the son of the palace royal cook.
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Screenwriter Helen Deutsch (Lili; The Unsinkable Molly Brown) has crafted a very clever version of this legendary fairytale where she humanizes some story elements while adding fantasy elements in unexpected places. For example, Ella's fairy godmother, played by the legendary Estelle Winwood, does not possess magical powers, but knows where to get everything Ella needs in order to attend the ball. Deutsch also smartly fixes a plot point in this story that has always annoyed me: Cinderella's stepfamily never actually lay eyes on her at the ball. This way, we don't have to suspend disbelief by accepting that they don't recognize her just because her face is clean and she's wearing an evening gown instead of tattered rags.
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The film also features a pair of spectacular dream ballets that allow Caron to display her exquisite dance skills, choreographed by Roland Petit, who was married to another 50's ballerina, ZiZi Jeanmaire. The first ballet finds Ella and the Prince in the royal kitchen, climaxing with Caron dancing atop a giant wedding cake. The second is after the ball when Ella thinks the Prince is going to marry someone else that reminded me of the dream ballet in Oklahoma!.
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The MGM gloss is in serious over drive here. The film features elaborate production values, with special nods to art direction and Oscar-worthy costumes. Caron and Wilding are lovely together and Winwood is the perfect Fairy Godmother. Also enjoyed Keenan Wynn as the Prince's BFF, Elsa Lanchester as the evil stepmommy, and Gunsmoke's Amanda Blake as one of the stepsisters. It takes a little bit to get going, but this is a smooth retelling of a classic story that provides solid entertainment. 3.5

Gideon58

11-07-22, 02:07 PM

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
From the creative force of TV shows like New Girl and Brooklyn Nine Nine comes the definitive parody biopic about the definitive creator of musical parody. 2022's Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a star-studded movie parody of the movie biopic which is just the kind of thing we would expect from Weird Al...nothing in terms of reality, but providing solid comic entertainment for the majority of its running time.
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This film is an alleged look at the famed song parody guru from his humble beginnings as the son of a factory worker to his creation of song parodies from already famous songs, which, as they appear in this film, seem to come from his head almost instantly, when we know this can't be further from the truth. Al's twisted rise to fame also includes a wild and passionate affair with Madonna and the murder of Pablo Escobar.
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First of all, let's get this out of the way immediately. If you're looking for an actual look into the life of Weird Al, you've come to the wrong movie. As one would and should expect from the king of musical parody, this is a dead-on satire of the movie biopic, much in the tradition of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. In this instance, the star is a real person upon which a fictional and very funny story has been crafted. The underlying theme here, like in a lot of movie biopics, is the central character's troubled relationship with his father (nicely played by Toby Huss) that is the driving motivation behind everything that Al does in the movie.
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The screenplay for this film did contain one brilliant plot twist that I didn't see coming at all. At the time that Al writes "Eat it", he claims that the song was not a parody and that he wrote the music and the lyrics. We then learn that Michael Jackson released a song called "Beat it" that he stole from Weird Al. Between this, the so-called passionate affair with Madonna (beautifully played by Evan Rachel Wood), who begs Al to do a parody of one her songs, and the varied atmospheres where Al's songs are created, there is so much clever stuff going on here.
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Loved the variety in the presentation of the musical numbers as well: From "My Bologna" in his apartment with his roommates and eventual band members, to the supposed instant creation of "Another One Rides the Bus" at a party, to the onstage rendition of "Like a Surgeon", the musical sequences provide equal laughs. It should be noted that Daniel Radcliffe performed the songs as they were shooting the film, but Al's real voice was eventually dubbed in.
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Radcliffe's energetic and passionate performance as Weird Al keeps the viewer invested in this story completely and he works very well with Wood as Madonna and Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento. Star gazers will have a ball as this film features appearances from Will Forte, Jack Black, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Conan O'Brien, Quinta Brunson, Michael McKean, Patton Oswalt, and Weird Al himself as a record producer. And that's Diedrich Bader as the Sam Elliott-fashioned narrator. It's not big on facts and the beginning of the final act sags a bit, but this movie was deliciously entertaining entertainment that kept me laughing out loud. 4

Gideon58

11-08-22, 01:22 PM

The Killing (1956)
Legendary director Stanley Kubrick directed only 16 films during his amazing career, but most of them were pretty memorable. One of his earliest triumphs was a taut and economic crime drama from 1956 called The Killing.
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Johnny Clay has been sprung from prison after five years and has put together a plan to rob $2,000,000 from a racetrack. Each member of the team has a specific task and two of the five men are actually employees of the racetrack. They plan to split the money five ways except for two outside "contractors" who have been hired for specific tasks at which they are considered expert, for a flat fee. In addition to watching the planning and execution of the crime, we also learn why these men are doing this.
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Based on a novel called Clean Break, Kubrick and co-screenwriters Jim Thompson and Lionel White have constructed an intimate and detailed oriented story that requires full attention from the viewer as the players involved are introduced in a random fashion, as well as their reasons for getting involved in this complex screen. The most intriguing story for this reviewer was the story of George Petty, a racetrack employee who wanted in on the scheme so that he could smother his wife, Sherry in diamonds and furs, totally unaware that sharing is not only cheating on him with a guy named Val, but apparently has a past with Johnny as well.
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Anyone who has seen Tarantino's The Usual Suspects or Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven franchise will see this film's influence on these future films. The gathering of the team and reviewing of their assignments reminded me a lot of Tarantino's and the execution of the crime, reminded me of the Ocean films, in that the execution seems to go off flawlessly, but there are unexpected bumps that Johnny doesn't see coming.
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Kubrick creates a chilling atmosphere here as we know there's just no way this plan is going to come off as planned, but we don't know exactly how. The black and white photography is gorgeous, intensifying the atmosphere even further, s does Gerald Fried's jazzy music score. Sterling Hayden is beautifully understated as Johnny, but the film is easily stolen by the underrated Elisha Cook Jr. as the pathetic George and the fabulous Marie Windsor as the trampy Sherry. And yes, that is TV's future Ben Casey, playing Val. Despite some slightly dated elements, this one still packs a wallop. 4

Citizen Rules

11-08-22, 10:17 PM

Gideon58

11-09-22, 10:52 AM

Not really, I was talking with a friend of mine and fellow buff who suggested it to me.

Citizen Rules

11-09-22, 01:09 PM

Not really, I was talking with a friend of mine and fellow buff who suggested it to me.Have you seen The Asphalt Jungle (1950) by John Houston? It's very similar to The Killing.

Gideon58

11-09-22, 01:17 PM

The Asphalt Jungle is definitely on my watchlist. I actually started watching it one day and got interrupted and never got back to it.

Gideon58

11-09-22, 01:52 PM

See How They Run
Fans of the 2019 film Knives Out will definitely have a head start with 2022's See How They Run, a big budget black comedy wrapped inside a classic whodunnit that works for the most part thanks to a surprisingly intricate screenplay and a terrific cast, many of whom are playing against type.
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It's London in 1953 and a revival of the Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap starring Richard Attenborough (who, according this film likes to be called "Dickie") has just celebrated its 100th performance. A movie director named Leo Kopernick (Oscar winner Adrien Brody) has arrived in London because he has been hired to helm the film version of this production. Plans to turn the play into a movie come to a halt when Kopernick is murdered at a party for the 100th performance. An investigation is initiated with hard drinking Inspector Stoppard (Oscar winner Sam Rockwell) and a rookie constable named Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) on the case.
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Screenwriter Mark Chappell has mounted a clever homage to film noir and backstage comedy that keeps the audience on its toes at all times. Kopernick's Bogey-styled narration is a lot of fun, though it is halted when the character turns up dead, which seemed kind of odd. Why have the film's narrator murdered ten minutes into the story? It is fun though that after Kopernick's death that the story pulls back revealing what a slimebucket Kopernick was, providing motives for several characters in the story, including the producer, actors, and the owner of the theater
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The relationship that develops between Stoppard and Stalker has an air of predictability to it, but the offbeat quality of Stalker was a lot of fun to watch. This is one of those rookie police characters who really wants to be a detective and often tries a little too hard, irking Stoppard to no end. The Sam Spade quality that Rockwell brings to Stoppard was equally entertaining, but the expected chemistry between them never quite comes to fruition.
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It was also interesting watching a lot of American actors in the film playing British characters and doing quite credible British accents. David Oyelowo, who played Martin Luther King in Selma and Ruth Wilson, who starred on the SHOWTIME series The Affair do particularly impressive accents. Didn't really understand why Ronan's character was Irish, when the rest of the characters were British, but a minor quibble.
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Director Tom George mounted this comedy on a gorgeous English canvas, featuring some on location filming, making the setting very inviting. Special nods to cinematography and spectacular art direction/set direction as well...the theater and and the pub where Stoppard gets drunk were breathtaking. Brody really brings the smarm to Leo Kopernick and Rockwell is charismatic as always. Also enjoyed Reese Shearsmith as Woolf, the movie producer, Charlie Cooper as Dennis, Harris Dickinson as Richard Attenborough and a terrific cameo by Shirley Henderson as Agatha Christie. Not as good as Knives Out, but there is definite entertainment value here. 3.5

Gideon58

11-10-22, 02:19 PM

I've been fooled once again. Learned yesterday that two of the actors in this movie who impressed me with their British accents are, in reality, British. I had no idea.

Gideon58

11-11-22, 11:42 AM

Wild in the Country
Just as he did in Jailhouse Rock and King Creole, Elvis Presley displayed some serious acting chops in 1961's Wild in the Country, a sweet and sensitive adult melodrama that was not typical Elvis fare, thanks to a surprisingly adult screenplay that provided several surprises along the way.
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Elvis played Glenn, a hot headed ex-con trying to start his life over, but an attempt at a new life becomes complicated by three very different women: His childhood sweetheart Betty Lee (Millie Perkins) who still loves Glenn, but her family hates him; Noreen (Tuesday Weld) is a wild young widow with a son and Glenn's boss' daughter; Irene Sperry (Hope Lange) is a social worker assigned to help Glenn with his rehabilitation, trapped in a dead end affair with a married man, who discovers Glenn has a talent for writing.
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Clifford Odets (Golden Boy) has put together an adult story that went some surprising places for a 1961 film. The Peyton Place atmosphere established is the perfect canvas for this story about a young man finding himself involved with more than one woman. I haven't seen all of his movies, but this is the first Elvis film I've seen where it's implied that his character actually had sex with one of the characters. Anyone familiar with Elvis' resume knows that he was always surrounded by pretty girls, but the subject of sex isn't broached at all. This role was probably a bold career move for Elvis and is also probably why it was one of his less popular films.
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Odets and director Phillip Dunne make it clear that they were interested in showcasing Elvis' talent as an actor. Other than a lovely title tune that Presley sings over the opening credits, he only sings three songs in the film, none of which lasted longer than a minute or so and, frankly, the songs added nothing to the film, but 20th Century Fox was probably concerned that if Elvis didn't sing at all, no one would want to see the movie.
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In addition to one of Elvis' strongest performances, he is provided two leading ladies who create separate but equally strong chemistry with Presley. Lange is enchanting as the lonely Irene and Tuesday Weld's sex kitten Noreen is one of her most entertaining performances. John Ireland also scores as Irene's scummy married lover. Elvis is finally given a grown up role in a grown up movie that gets a little syrupy in spots, but, once again Elvis proves that in the right role, he was more than golden vocal chords and swiveling hips. 3.5

Gideon58

11-12-22, 11:29 PM

Everything Everywhere All at Once
For my money, the most over-hyped film of 2022, Everything, Everywhere All at Once is an elaborate and technically dazzling fantasy/black comedy that is rich with imagination, but said imagination controls the narrative turning the story pretentious, overly complex, and of course, overlong.
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Evelyn is a hard-working but miserable owner of a laundromat who is in the midst of divorcing her loving husband, Waymond and is having trouble accepting the fact that her daughter, Joy, is a lesbian. Evelyn is also frustrated being the primary caregiver for her elderly father and is being audited by the IRS and is in serious danger of losing her business. As she, Waymond, and Grandpa sit down at the IRS with a hard-nosed auditor named Deirdre Beaubeirdre, Evelyn is confronted by a version of her husband from a different universe who offers to take Evelyn on a journey of the roads that she never chose that might have led to a different life for her.
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Co-directors and co-screenwriters Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Swiss Army Man) have concocted what begins as a very simple character study of a troubled woman that balloons into a gargantuan and nonsensical fantasy that borrows elements from several other films, but covers them up with so much cinema pyrotechnics that sometimes they are hard to detect. The story that is initially offered, a look at what other ways Evelyn's life could have gone, eventually gets buried in a lot of artsy symbolism and blazing special effects that eventually come off as reasons why Evelyn's life is the way it is now, rather than what her life could have been.
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Kwan and Scheinert deliver a textbook on just about every movie making technique the viewer can imagine, including borrowing plot elements from other movies. While watching, at least half a dozen movies flashed through my mind, including Back to the Future, The Terminator, Ratatouille, and A Christmas Carol, but each visit to an alternate life goes on way too long. Characters introduced in early parts of the film are reintroduced throughout the rest of the film for no discernable. The most aggravating part of the story is there is a point during the final third of the film where Evelyn appears to accept who her daughter is and, for some reason, it just makes a daughter even more angry, initiating a deadly battle with her that is one of the main reasons that the film is about 45 minutes longer than it needs to be.
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The film has been generating serious Oscar buzz already and I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the spectacular production values, with special nods to editing and visual effects, which are both Oscar worthy. Michelle Yeoh deserves her first Oscar nomination as well for her rich and charismatic performance in the starring role, that keeps the viewer invested in spite of all the razzle dazzle surrounding her. Ke Huy Quan, who is best known for playing Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, is a bit annoying as Waymond but I loved Stephanie Hsu as Evelyn's daughter and Jamie Lee Curtis could snag her first nomination as well for her hilarious performance as Deirdre. And though it's a long shot, I could even see a supporting nomination for screen veteran James Hong as Grandpa Gong Gong. There's imagination to spare here, but it eventually overpowers everything else you need to make a great movie. 3.5

Gideon58

11-14-22, 04:31 PM

The Defiant Ones (1958)
After my recent viewing of the Sidney Poitier documentary, I knew had to finally sit down and watch 1958's The Defiant Ones, an epic yet intimate adventure of friendship and racism that is so emotionally charged that this reviewer was completely riveted to the screen, quite an achievement for a film that is almost 65 years old.
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Poitier plays Noah Cullen and Tony Curtis plays "Joker" Jackson, a pair of prisoners, one black and one white, literally shackled together, who are in the midst of being transported to another prison when the truck has an accident and they are able to escape, finding them on the run for their freedom, though they are still shackled together.
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Stanley Kramer (Judgement at Nuremburg) gets most of the credit for the success of this multi-faceted story that not only tells the story of two people bound together by their situation and being kept separate because of their race. There are portions of the story where both of our protagonists seem to have advantage over the other and initially take advantage of that, but these two guys never abandon each other. On the other side of the story we have a world weary sheriff (Theodore Bikel) and prison personnel trailing our heroes with dogs and whose attitude about the mission seems a little more laid back than it should be.
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The screenplay by Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith finds our protagonists in a few very sticky situations here, including a hair raising attempt to get out of a muddy hole filling with rain, a run in with a group of angry farmers who want to lynch the pair. An even more complicated encounter with a young widow (Cara Williams) who wants to run off with Joker and doesn't give a damn what happens to Noah. The racial element of the story has a freshness to it because the Noah character never allows himself to be ridiculed or walked over because of the color of his skin.
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This intense and riveting drama received nine Oscar nominations including Best Picture, lead actor nominations for both Curtis and Poitier, supporting nominations for Bikel (the first time I've seen him playing an American) and Williams, and a directing nod for Kramer. The screenplay and cinematography did win Oscars. Poitier is mesmerizing as always and Curtis has rarely been better and Kramer's direction certainly trumps that year's winner, Vincente Minnelli for Gigi. Another classic that more than lived up to its reputation. Remade for TV in 1986 with Carl Weathers and Robert Urich as Noah and Joker. 4.5

Gideon58

11-14-22, 10:03 PM

Confess, Fletch
Even Jon Hamm's considerable onscreen charisma can't save 2022's Confess, Fletch, a confusing and lackluster attempt to revive the character played by Chevy Chase way back in 1985, with the primary culprit seeming to be a screenplay telling two stories that take WAY too long to come together.
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After a whirlwind romance in Rome with a glamorous heiress named Angela Di Grassi, IM Fletcher returns to the Boston townhouse where he's staying, that's owned by an Owen Tasserly and finds a murdered woman in the living room upon his return. While Fletch attempts to convince a pair of police detectives that he didn't kill this woman, he is surprised by the arrival of Angela and the news that her father has been kidnapped and all the kidnappers want in exchange for his return is a very rare Picasso.
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The idea of reviving one of Chevy Chase's best movie characters is not a bad idea;, unfortunately, director and co-screenwriter Greg Mottola don't spend a lot of time redesigning the Fletch character to fit the talents of Jon Hamm. We have the same light-hearted smart-ass quality that 1985 Fletch had, but there really is nothing else in the screenplay or in Hamm's portrayal here that hearkens back to Chase's character, except for the fact that every 10 minutes of the running time, Hamm's Fletch reminds us and everyone else in the movie that he used to be an investigative reporter. One of the most interesting aspects of the 1985 character was his propensity for disguises that is completely left out in this film.
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Mottola seems to try and dazzle us with a terribly busy screenplay that requires complete attention that never really pays off. It took me 20 minutes to figure who's apartment Fletch was staying in at the beginning of the film and by the end of the film, it made no sense why he was staying there, despite a pair of long winded speeches by the villain and by the cops explaining exactly what happened here. Sadly, by the time these explanations finally rolled across the screen, I was just struggling to keep my eyes open.
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Hamm works very hard to make us like this new Fletch (Hamm is also billed as the film's producer), but the story is fighting him every step of the way. I did enjoy Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden as Angela's sex-starved stepmother and a charming newcomer named Ayden Mayeri as a rookie detective named Griz, but unless you're obsessed with Jon Hamm, I'd give this one a hard pass. 2

Gideon58

11-15-22, 01:57 PM

Shallow Hal
Peter and Bobby Ferrelly, the creative force behind films like There's Something About Mary and Me Myself and Irene actually fare a little better with a 2001 oddity called Shallow Hal, which is not nearly as bad as its reputation. The underlying theme of the movie is important and doesn't get buried behind a lot of the bathroom humor we're accustomed to from the Ferrellys.
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The film stars Jack Black as the title character, a so-called ladies man who was trained from boyhood that women should be judged purely from physical appearance. One day, Hal gets stuck in an elevator with spiritual guru Tony Robbins, who, shocked by Hal's attitudes regarding women, actually puts some kind of spell on Hal that only allows him to see the inner beauty of a woman.
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Hal then meets a sweet, but overweight woman named Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), but Hal doesn't see the extra pounds, just a really beautiful girl, who also happens to be his boss' daughter. When Hal refuses to believe that Rosemary is really fat, his BFF Mauricio (Jason Alexander), goes to Robbins to take his hex off Hal.
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The screenplay by the Ferrellys and Sean Moynihan has a lovely theme simmering underneath a story centered around a central character who is kind of a jerk. Hal does eventually learn the lesson that he's supposed to but it takes way too long. Didn't initially understand the gimmick of never seeing fat Rosemary in full face until the final act of the comedy, but that gimmick does pay off eventually. There was an added pleasant surprise when it's revealed that Hal's new way of looking at Rosemary didn't just apply to Rosemary.
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The story is pleasant and absent a lot of the smarmy humor the Ferrelly brothers usually provide and Jack Black offers one of his most charming and intelligent performances in the title role, that actually made this film worth watching. Paltrow is a little one-note as Rosemary but Alexander was funny, as was Joe Viterrelli, who stole every scene he had in Analyze This as Paltrow's father (actually doing an Irish accent). It's no classic, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be. 3

Citizen Rules

11-15-22, 02:21 PM

Shallow Hal

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The story is pleasant and absent a lot of the smarmy humor the Ferrelly brothers usually provide and Jack Black offers one of his most charming and intelligent performances in the title role, that actually made this film worth watching...I really liked Shallow Hal! I thought the script was surprisingly warm and funny. I especially like the scene with Hal visiting the children's ward at the hospital and seeing them as just happy kids. Jack Black was great, I wish he had landed in more films like this. And of course I think Gywneth Paltrow is way cute in that movie poster.

Gideon58

11-16-22, 04:18 PM

Dear Zoe
Despite some solid performances at its heart, the 2022 indie Dear Zoe is a soapy melodrama that moves at a snail's pace and features a central character who is often hard to like.
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Tess is a sensitive and passionate 16 year old who, along with her mother, stepfather, and little sister, have just suffered through the death of Tess' other baby sister on 9/11. Unable to focus on a proper grieving process, Tess runs away from home and finds some solace with her biological father and the pot-smoking kid who lives next door.
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The screenplay, based on a novel by Phillip Beard, attempts some sophistication by fashioning Tess' unnecessary narration in the form of a letter to her dead sister, a gimmick which is quickly forgotten. The exposition surrounding Zoe's death occurring on 9/11, but having nothing to do with 9/11, spreads an air of pretentiousness around the proceedings that they don't really deserve because we don't really learn how Zoe died until the final ten minutes of the film and what we learned was so not worth the wait.
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This reviewer also found it difficult latching onto a likability for this Tess character. First, we see her blaming herself for Zoe's death, but taking it out on her mother and stepfather. She runs away to her real Dad, who is the answer to her prayers until he stops letting her lay around the house and do whatever she wants. Her likability quotient hit the bottom for me when she started nagging her father about getting a job. Sometimes it's cute in a parent/child relationship when the child tries to be the parent, but it wasn't here.
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Director Gren Wells offers some stylish directorial flourishes but they don't stop the film from seeming four hours long. Sadie Sink works very hard in the role of Tess and I also liked Jessica Capshaw (Arizona on Grey's Anatomy)as her mother and Justin Bartha (The Hangover) as her stepfather. But the real scene stealer here was Theo Rossi as Tess' bio dad, who almost made this film watching by himself. A nice attempt at a real movie experience that was ultimately kind of empty. 3

Gideon58

11-19-22, 11:06 AM

The Dark Corner
Five years before she finally found fame as Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball was given the best role of her spotty film career and knocked it out of the park. The Dark Corner is a stylish and intricately plotted film noir that keeps the viewer invested with a solid story and a performance by Lucille Ball that commands the screen like nothing she had done.
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The 1946 drama is about a private detective named Brad Galt (Mark Stevens), with a shady past which catches up with him in the form of a hired killer (William Bendix) and a lawyer named Anthony Jardine (Kurt Kreuger) who Brad went to jail for. Brad not only finds someone trying to kill him but frame him for Jardine's murder as well. We watch Brad struggle to get out from under the danger he's put in with a lot of help from his loyal secretary named Kathleen (guess who?}.
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The deliciously intricate screenplay by the writers of Laura, Caged, and All Through the Night is an atmospheric and plausible noir out of tiny cinematic puzzle pieces that eventually fall into place...a place from which there seems to be no escape for our hero, Brad, but the fiercely loyal Kathleen is having none of that.
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And that's what really makes this film work, the character of Kathleen and the actress who portrays her. As the film opens, we learn Kathleen has only been working for Brad a few weeks, but she is clearly in love with the man. Even as bodies and evidence begin pile up around him, Kathleen stands by her man and is completely fearless about what might be coming their way. Kathleen does make a couple of dumb moves along the way, but always with the best of intentions. It's clear that no matter what was going to happen to Brad during this story that Kathleen was going to be right beside him when it did. Lucille Ball brings a gutsy sexuality to Kathleen that lights up the screen and creates a kinetic chemistry with Mark Stevens that cannot be ignored.
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Director Henry Hathaway (Niagara) provides a dark yet inviting canvas on which this story methodically unfolds. Stevens, who was so good in The Snake Pit, brings a real John Garfield quality to Brad. Clifton Webb brings his accustomed polish to his wealthy art gallery owner and Bendix steals every scene he's in, but this is Lucy's film and she totally owns this movie, earning the top billing unworthy of the character's place in the story. Lucy and al of Hollywood thought this film was going to ignite a real spark in Lucy's career and it should have, but sadly didn't. Of course, in less than a decade, she would be the queen of television comedy, but she proved she could command a movie screen here. 4