The Holidays are here and there are a ton of new movies coming out, and some that are out. Let's reviews and preview.
The Upside
The National Critics are being unkind to this, and I am scratching my head why. Are there flaws here? Yes, some. But I have to ask this. What do you want from a comedy? I mean what do you want?
This is not a rip roaring hilarious comedy, but this is an entertaining, and sometimes funny movie, based on a true story of a very rich man confined to a wheelchair, and the unlikely guy he takes a huge chance on to be his caregiver. Kevin Hart, Brian Cranston, Nicole Kidman and others star here and all give strong performances. This has a heart, a soul, and is a pretty darn good story. This does not mire itself down in raunchy skits and language, and keeps its head above the fray. It develops characters well, and you feel like you're in the movie with them.
Yes, this is a bit too long, and there are a few moments that may have been rethought or redone. But over all this is quite good, and audiences are going to really like this movie despite that the national media will not. This could have been a lot of things. But it dares to be a real movie and not a sell out to easy locker room laughs. Pay no attention to the critics, go see this.
Escape Room
This is the first in what will be an ongoing franchise, that will remind many people of the Saw series. It is not as violent, or bloody, but the premise is essentially the same. Some person, or entity trying to off a bunch of heavily researched and chosen young people and this time the rage of the trendy Escape Room game is used.
This movie does a few things well. It's short, and has a script that is not leaning on blood and guts to make it's point. There are some intense moments, and this is shot pretty well, in fact better than most movies of this type and budget.
But it loses points with me for lack of originality, and a formula that has been done to death. This will find a loyal audience, and more will be made and this will do well streaming and DVD.
Vice
Sometimes there is a big difference between a good movie, and good movie making. That is going to be the take away from many I feel with this. This is the star studded bio-pic of former Vice President Dick Cheney. This as you may have guessed is no where near flattering to him, and this clearly has a political agenda that some will have a hard time looking beyond.
Whether you agree with the message or not, what is undeniable is the sheer skill used to make this movie. Christian Bale stars as Cheney, and he is incredibly good. The transformation to become our star character is simply phenomenal. In fact the makeup and performances in this movie are insanely good. Costumes, sets, settings, the entire thing is amazing as we are taken from era to era. The script is slick and keeps you guessing the entire time.
This movie is very polarizing and there will be division in the coffees grabbed afterwards, but what is not up for debate is the fact this is one of the best made movies of the year.
The Mule
Clint Eastwood has a new movie out, and it is simply fantastic! The Mule stars Eastwood as a very elderly man who somehow finds himself running drugs for the Mexican Drug Cartel to Chicago. He has failed in about every avenue of his personal life, and this is a final chance to be relevant again, and make easy money.
Eastwood continues to amaze us with his movie making, and in this case his performance. He is terrific here as is his incredible supporting cast of Bradley Cooper, Michael Pena, Laurence Fishbourne, Andy Garcia Diane Weist, and various members of his family. Great script, shot wonderfully, and an amazing musical soundtrack that is used very skillfully.
This is intense at times, fun at times, and very entertaining. Plus, this movie delivers a very powerful real life message that is really refreshing to see. This is dramatic movie making at its very best.
Mary Poppins Returns
There was a lot of pressure on Disney to get this right. Updating an absolute classic in a very different social era. Everything seemed to be in place. Time, a new story, great effects, and the perfect person, (Emily Blunt) to play Poppins. And it worked.
No one is going to confuse the singing ability of Blunt, against the original Julie Andrews, but she does fine. She, like Andrews was, is born for this role, and being fair, I would not mind to see her again in this role in times ahead.
This is the kind of movie that Disney does best, by a long shot. Great performances, great music, big production numbers with a great mix of old school animation mixed in with live action. This is more than enjoyable in every way. This pays homage to the original, by not trying to be a slicker, more modern version. But in many ways this looks a whole lot like the original.
Blunt is great, and so is the time you and your family will have at this new classic. Go see this.
Bumble Bee
What a great surprise this holiday season. Up front, I am not a fan of the Transformer franchise, as they are way too long, and full of way too much CG for me. But, this is the "Wonder Woman" of the Transformers series. I am not saying it's as good as Wonder Woman because it's not. But the format and feel are the same. This was directed by Christina Hodson who seems to understand that story, and characters are far more important than 2 hours of robots fighting.
This is the story of the origins of the Transformers coming to Earth, with B-127, or Bumble Bee being the first. This takes us back to 1987 in every way there is. Great sets, props, and a very good soundtrack, Hailee Steinfeld is terrific as a young woman who is the first human to encounter a
Transformer, and befriends Bumble Bee. She makes any movie better, and as cool as the effects can be in these movies, they needed her to make this work.
Great story, well written, and delivered well, so if you've never seen a Transformers movie, you can now, and understand how it all began. There are wonderful effects and there is plenty of action that doesn't go on too long. This whole thing checks in at about 2 hours, and that is plenty.
Bumble Bee. Darn good.
Christmas Chronicles (Netflix)
Maybe you are staying in this month for your holidays movie watching. If so original content may be tough to find, but this is great. Kurt Russell stars as Santa (of sorts) in this very entertaining Christmas flick that really takes us to new places.
Russell's Santa is a big different then many, but his mission is the same, to make sure Christmas is saved on Christmas Eve. With the help of a couple of kids in need of a Christmas miracle as well, this is fun and is a nice diversion from the "normal" Christmas flick, without reworking the spirit of the season.
This is fun, funny, and extremely well done. This is good for all ages, but some of this will lean better to late teens and up. Russell is great, and so is the supporting cast. This is great, and I wood watch this again.
Mary Poppins
Out this week and is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Emily Blunt seems born to play this role, and the award show nominations are going to roll in
Bumble Bee
Well the Transformers series goes back to the beginning and takes the wonderful Hailee Steinfeld with it. Don't worry, there are plans for more of this series well beyond this one. Word is there will be many, many more.
Aquaman
The much hyped superhero flick will absolutely find an audience, but I am a bit confused about the release timing of this. Tons of competition at Christmas time, but they must have confidence it will pull through.
Second Act
Been a while since Jennier Lopez made a comedy like this for the theater, but here we go. J-Lo plays a woman thrown into an amazing work circumstances she never dreamed at a "later age." Looks like a ton of other J-Lo flicks, but may do well because of it's fun premise and nicely positioned anti-action alternative for movie goers.
Vice
Reviewed well, and nominated for a ton of awards for sure. Not so sure of its commercial success.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Saturday, October 6, 2018
NEW in THEATERS
Creed 2
This may not pack the punch that Creed had, but this is still pretty good. This is the continuation of the Rocky series, and this still can movie us like the previous have.
Who knows where this franchise goes, but it will go on. The first two Creeds have been very well thought out and well written. There has been a very nice mixture of new characters and the blending in of the old, and of the older style that was Rocky. Sylvester Stallone again, is terrific as the aging Rocky, now a trainer, and Micheal B. Jordan is great as Creed.
Toss in a great supporting cast and you have a very entertaining afternoon at the movies. If you are hanging on to the past and have Ricky angst, let it go, and go. This rebooted, reinvented series is great, and is a wonderful mass appeal experience. If you missed Creed, rent it and then go see Creed 2.
The Girl In The Spiders Web
Been a while waiting for the next installment of this franchise, but it's here. We have a new "girl" Claire Foy, and now she is trying to save the world from nuclear war in addition to making sure she hurts men, who hurt women.
There is nothing really wrong with the movie, I'm not sure though what is really right with it. It's been a very long time since we have visited this series, and that may be a huge problem. Also, when will movie makers realize that watching people peck a keyboard, or hack into something is NOT riveting movie making? It just doesn't work. That is the bulk of the action here, in addition to a few fight scenes, and a chase scene or two that are forgettable.
All in all, the timing of this may have come and gone. You just don't connect to the characters, and from my seat, you just don't care about them. And that is the kiss of death to any movie.
Bad? No. Just no very good.
Bohemian Rhapsody
It's the brave critic that will dare to say tough things about a music movie, especially when it deals with a band a iconic as Queen. And we won't here either. This is a pretty darn good movie.
This is the story, more than anything, on the life of Queen lead singer, Freddie Mercury, and his rise to stardom with Queen. This explores the origin of the band in the early 1970's, and leads us to their amazing performance at Live-Aid in the mid 1980's. This movie is perfectly cast, and very skillfully filmed, directed and edited. The music is absolutely incredible as you would expect, and in total, this is very well done. There is also Oscar buzz for, Rami Malek as Mercury, and he is terrific.
What this movie does better than anything though is put you in two places. It makes you feel what it was like to be in a crowd of 100,000 watching a Queen concert. And at the same time, it makes you feel what it would be like to perform in front of that audience as well. Very skillful movie making in that regard.
This has played to mixed reviews with the national critics for some reason, but the fans love it. And if you go you more than likely will too. Very well done.
Halloween
Well, it's 40 years later and this series is still going and still a hit. This version picks up 40 years after the original, and attempts to take us to back to the original story to a degree.
Jamie Lee Curtis stars in this, she still plays the same character as she did in the original, and she has a score to settle with Micheal Meyers who has been in jail for 40 years, but is now out as he has escaped. Some of this really works, and some of this really doesn't. My biggest problem is simply this. Somehow, Micheal Meyers who is now 60-plus is still the awesome force he was then. You can shoot him, run him down with a car, and about anything else, and he's not even phased.
There is a nice "creepy" factor to this and there is wonderful use of the incredible soundtrack as well. This looks good, and outside of the Meyers gaffe, there is a decent script the work with here. But in the end, the star of this movie, is the nostalgia that surrounds it. Fans love the idea of this as much as any frame of this movie.
Halloween. Tons of hype.
First Man
This is a huge role or Ryan Gosling and he delivers in the new Neil Armstrong bio-pic, First Man. Armstrong, of course the first human to walk on the moon, was a very complicated man, and this pic dares to go there. This is more than just a NASA flick, it shows Armstrong in all facets of his life in the heat of the space race. And to its credit, they show a man who is amazing, and very flawed at the same time.
This deals with his personal life, as much as his life as an astronaut. The severe ups and downs he was dealing with both as a professional and as a husband and father. What we have is a man who is not the warmest muffin in the tin, and one that takes tragedy and decides to lose himself in his work. This also shows the extreme pressure the entire NASA family was under during the Gemini and Apollo Programs, as that is part of the story.
Gosling is terrific, and so the the very large supporting cast. This takes us back beautifully to the Saturn V days of NASA, and the sets, costuming, styling, makeup and special effects are extremely good. The musical soundtrack is right on point, especially during the lunar scenes, and the use of actual NASA spoken footage is fantastic too.
This had a disappointing opening weekend money wise, and that's too bad. Not enough action maybe for some, and the timing of this release is strange, as I feel more around the holidays may have been better. This may be the best movie of the year that no one will really see. Very, very good.
A Star Is Born
It will be a brave critic who will dare give a negative about this new version of a classic tale. So many won't go there. And neither will I, as this is pretty darn good for the most part. Bradley Cooper and Lady GAGA star in this nicely updated adaptation of the timeless story. They both shine. But she is terrific!
The music has been updated well, and for my eyes and ears, there could have been more of it. The two things this movie needed was her, and new music, and they both deliver. This will be the opportunity and the role of her career, as these kind of projects don't come around often, and she grabs it. There is Oscar buzz about her here, and a nomination will happen, and probably a win. This is powerful, emotional and moving much of the time. There are some very poignant scenes that had the theater crying, and that's to its credit.
Truth be told, this had great pace to it and the 2 hour 15 is not really a problem. There is a weakness or two. For me, Lady GAGA, in her role was not an underdog enough at the beginning, and some of her written dialogue is tough to believe at times, but that fades. Her rise to stardom is handled well after a shaky start, but it's not a deal breaker. Cooper is good here, but his character is extremely one dimensional and that is fatiguing at times. But again, there is far more to like here, than not.
A Star Is Born. You'll love it, well done.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
ALBUM REWIEW - Claudia Sala E- Oro
I'm always looking for original things to write about, and this is one I have never tackled before. Reviewing a new EP from Claudia Sala, who is Italian. She has a new pop album that is half sung Italian and half English. I learned through this, that it really makes no difference with the language barrier, good is good. We enjoy Opera every day with no real understanding of the words. I'm willing to give it a go if you are.
Claudia Sala is from Palermo, Italy and was a performer at Festa Italiana in Akron this week, where she brought her new EP E- Ora (It's Time) with her. It is a 6 song set that is a breath of Spring air, and has spawned a single, Don't Set Limits, sung in English. It is a beautiful ballad that cuts right to the heart of a challenging love. Sala sings it beautifully, with great vulnerability and a wonderful Italian accent, that is superb with the English lyrics. While many lose their accents singing English, lucky for us, she does not.
To me, the strongest performance on this EP, is the lead and title cut, E-Ora, sung in Italian. It is clear that Sala sings with more confidence in Italian which is understandable. It is a delicious, jazz infused Italian pop song that you like from the very first listen. It's just her with a small combo, and Claudia sings this with the voice of an angel that is as smooth as a glass of fine wine, being lovingly poured into tall long stemmed glass in candlelight. This magnificent song is the perfect lead in to the rest of this very well done project that showcases who she is, and what her music is all about. E-Ora is incredibly alluring and gentle to your senses, even though I literally understand two words.
Talking with Claudia, she tells me her deep influences are surprisingly American. Her old soul music taste range from Joni Mitchell, to Judy Collins, to Joan Baez, and even today's Country music. And all of it shows here. Incidentally, all three of the above, very strong singers.
Claudia is immensely talented as a singer with a tone from heaven. She never struggles to find a note, and sings with undeniable passion and feeling. She understands what singers from all over the globe seem to never really understand, that louder is not better. Better is better. And when you know where the notes are, find them easily, and simply sing them from the heart with the incredible gift you've been given, it really works. No shouting here, just perfect pitch with an ease that is to be envied.
She is not interested in impressing us how long she can shout a note, or hold one. There are no real soaring high notes, and hard to listen to crescendo song endings. The strength of this album is it's simplicity. It is not overdone, overproduced and she certainly does not over sing it. The producers were very savvy in letting her gift be the star and not have overdone production get in her way. Claudia is confident that you will be drawn in by her easy to listen to vocals, that do not require bells and whistles to make it better. It just is better.
Is this album good? You bet it is. Very well done. Bellissimo!
Claudia Sala is from Palermo, Italy and was a performer at Festa Italiana in Akron this week, where she brought her new EP E- Ora (It's Time) with her. It is a 6 song set that is a breath of Spring air, and has spawned a single, Don't Set Limits, sung in English. It is a beautiful ballad that cuts right to the heart of a challenging love. Sala sings it beautifully, with great vulnerability and a wonderful Italian accent, that is superb with the English lyrics. While many lose their accents singing English, lucky for us, she does not.
To me, the strongest performance on this EP, is the lead and title cut, E-Ora, sung in Italian. It is clear that Sala sings with more confidence in Italian which is understandable. It is a delicious, jazz infused Italian pop song that you like from the very first listen. It's just her with a small combo, and Claudia sings this with the voice of an angel that is as smooth as a glass of fine wine, being lovingly poured into tall long stemmed glass in candlelight. This magnificent song is the perfect lead in to the rest of this very well done project that showcases who she is, and what her music is all about. E-Ora is incredibly alluring and gentle to your senses, even though I literally understand two words.
Talking with Claudia, she tells me her deep influences are surprisingly American. Her old soul music taste range from Joni Mitchell, to Judy Collins, to Joan Baez, and even today's Country music. And all of it shows here. Incidentally, all three of the above, very strong singers.
Claudia is immensely talented as a singer with a tone from heaven. She never struggles to find a note, and sings with undeniable passion and feeling. She understands what singers from all over the globe seem to never really understand, that louder is not better. Better is better. And when you know where the notes are, find them easily, and simply sing them from the heart with the incredible gift you've been given, it really works. No shouting here, just perfect pitch with an ease that is to be envied.
She is not interested in impressing us how long she can shout a note, or hold one. There are no real soaring high notes, and hard to listen to crescendo song endings. The strength of this album is it's simplicity. It is not overdone, overproduced and she certainly does not over sing it. The producers were very savvy in letting her gift be the star and not have overdone production get in her way. Claudia is confident that you will be drawn in by her easy to listen to vocals, that do not require bells and whistles to make it better. It just is better.
Is this album good? You bet it is. Very well done. Bellissimo!
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Now In Theaters
A Simple Favor
This is good. This is real good. This is a small movie with a big story, and should not be missed, but sadly, it will be.
This is a twisted story of two women, and a man that you have not seen before. It's a thriller, it's a thinking persons flick. Two women, one very prim, one very not. One man, who is wishy washy. Murder, money, love, sex, this adult movie targeted movie has it all. You are thinking the whole time who is setting who up for the huge 4 million dollar insurance pay out.
This has a great cast lead by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. They are both terrific as our leads, and the entire supporting cast is great, as is the writing, the editing, and the incredible music soundtrack that is used sparingly, but highly effective. This is skillfully directed, and has the feel of a movie that virtually everyone that will see it, will like it. Problem is, these kind of movies many times get lost in the animation and superhero shuffle.
But if you can go see this. Very, very good.
1Crazy, Rich Asians
It has been a long time since a true romantic comedy has really been a factor at the box office, but this one is. This is terrific.
This is the story of a crazy rich Asian family and the "normal" woman who is about to marry into it. This is rally creative, and is wonderfully written as it walks the fine line between comedy and parody. This feels very good, and is set in the same manner as rom-coms were years ago. This is not vile, or raunchy at any point. It has a story to tell, and does it well. Incredible use of music, wonderfully filmed in Singapore and just flat out entertaining.
This is a breath of fresh air that virtually anyone can enjoy. Plus, this is right on time and should enjoy strong success right through the early fall, as word of mouth will be big on this.
Crazy, Rich Asians. Really well done!
Alpha
Well, this is a bit different, this is Alpha. If you've ever wondered why man and dog get along so well, and how that came to be. This movie gives one possible answer. Should be noted, this is not a true family movie, as this is a bit intense at times. But this is good most of the time.
This takes place 20,000 years ago, where human tribes in Europe are trying survive the conditions, and the general tough life that is the era. As a tribe goes out on the annual hunting mission, one of the young hunters is lost and left for seemingly dead. But Keda does survive and through his fathers previous teachings he attempts to survive and get back to his tribe. He is attacked by wild dogs, one of which he badly wounds, and then nurses back to health and names him, Alpha. And the friendship develops and the long journey begins, together back home.
Full disclosure, this is subtitled, but it's not a problem, as this is not dialogue heavy. Wonderfully filmed, and easy to watch. A tidy 90 minutes is sufficient here as well. This is good, and interesting and a movie that may not be on your radar, but is a good afternoon at the flicks. And "Chuck The Dog" is outstanding as Alpha. He alone is worth a ticket.
The Meg
Well it's about time we get a movie like this in the summer theaters. The Meg, is what you would think it would be. It's campy, it's parody, and it's pretty darn entertaining. We need flicks like this to balance out the dark cloud at the movies this summer.
The Meg is about a group of underwater explorers that unearth a gigantic, prehistoric shark like we have never seen. And this thing becomes a big problem. Yes, this is shark movie parody, and yes this is fun and funny at times. Yes, people get eaten, but this is notbloody, or with excessive gore. This is just a a hoot at times, and right on time. But this is also handled so well, that all you see is entertainment on the screen. This does have some moments of SUSpense, but this is not INtense.
I laughed, I cheered, and I enjoyed this glorified Shark Week type of movie. And you will too more than likely. Regardless of what the national critics may say, this is just fun.
Mission Impossible: Fallout
For some reason we just don't get tired of this Tom Cruise series based on the old TV show of the same name. And this is pretty good.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team at the IMF are this time trying to save the world from nuclear attack. This has a great cast, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Henry Cavill, Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett, Rebecca Ferguson, and Michelle Monaghan. There is plenty of action to go around, and there are some amazing chase scenes that are memorable. This is filmed wonderfully, and set in a beautiful European backdrop for the most part.
This is fun, exciting and has great pace. It may be a bit too long, but what action movie isn't? For some reason this franchise is aging well. Why? Great cast, and an original premise spawned decades ago, that is holding up against the test of time.
Well Done.
Equalizer 2
I would ask you this. Pay no real attentoin to the stuffy national critics on this one, they are begin unkind and having ridiculous expectations here. If you go, you will like his flick. Denzel is back as the complicated Robert McCall.
This is a summer action flick, with a brain. McCall s still called by his troubled past to help those who can't help themselves, and this does lose a bit of focus at times and winds off course a bit. So what? Refreshing that we have a movie that is adult, and McCall is taking on real people, that live in our world today. And being even more fair, he is fighting to help the ONE person and not save the universe from some creature that can fly and has rays flying out of his eyes.
This has been update nicely, and looks great. Antione Fuqua is a great director and his mark is all over this. Denzel is terrific, and so is the supporting cast. Yes, this is plenty violent, but his business is messy. This is handled very well, and is not gratuitous. Not all movies are made to win Oscars, and this won't, but you'll like it. An we need movies that are more human based for grown ups to see.
Equalizer 2 - Nothing wrong here. Hoping for more.
This is good. This is real good. This is a small movie with a big story, and should not be missed, but sadly, it will be.
This is a twisted story of two women, and a man that you have not seen before. It's a thriller, it's a thinking persons flick. Two women, one very prim, one very not. One man, who is wishy washy. Murder, money, love, sex, this adult movie targeted movie has it all. You are thinking the whole time who is setting who up for the huge 4 million dollar insurance pay out.
This has a great cast lead by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. They are both terrific as our leads, and the entire supporting cast is great, as is the writing, the editing, and the incredible music soundtrack that is used sparingly, but highly effective. This is skillfully directed, and has the feel of a movie that virtually everyone that will see it, will like it. Problem is, these kind of movies many times get lost in the animation and superhero shuffle.
But if you can go see this. Very, very good.
1Crazy, Rich Asians
It has been a long time since a true romantic comedy has really been a factor at the box office, but this one is. This is terrific.
This is the story of a crazy rich Asian family and the "normal" woman who is about to marry into it. This is rally creative, and is wonderfully written as it walks the fine line between comedy and parody. This feels very good, and is set in the same manner as rom-coms were years ago. This is not vile, or raunchy at any point. It has a story to tell, and does it well. Incredible use of music, wonderfully filmed in Singapore and just flat out entertaining.
This is a breath of fresh air that virtually anyone can enjoy. Plus, this is right on time and should enjoy strong success right through the early fall, as word of mouth will be big on this.
Crazy, Rich Asians. Really well done!
Alpha
Well, this is a bit different, this is Alpha. If you've ever wondered why man and dog get along so well, and how that came to be. This movie gives one possible answer. Should be noted, this is not a true family movie, as this is a bit intense at times. But this is good most of the time.
This takes place 20,000 years ago, where human tribes in Europe are trying survive the conditions, and the general tough life that is the era. As a tribe goes out on the annual hunting mission, one of the young hunters is lost and left for seemingly dead. But Keda does survive and through his fathers previous teachings he attempts to survive and get back to his tribe. He is attacked by wild dogs, one of which he badly wounds, and then nurses back to health and names him, Alpha. And the friendship develops and the long journey begins, together back home.
Full disclosure, this is subtitled, but it's not a problem, as this is not dialogue heavy. Wonderfully filmed, and easy to watch. A tidy 90 minutes is sufficient here as well. This is good, and interesting and a movie that may not be on your radar, but is a good afternoon at the flicks. And "Chuck The Dog" is outstanding as Alpha. He alone is worth a ticket.
The Meg
Well it's about time we get a movie like this in the summer theaters. The Meg, is what you would think it would be. It's campy, it's parody, and it's pretty darn entertaining. We need flicks like this to balance out the dark cloud at the movies this summer.
The Meg is about a group of underwater explorers that unearth a gigantic, prehistoric shark like we have never seen. And this thing becomes a big problem. Yes, this is shark movie parody, and yes this is fun and funny at times. Yes, people get eaten, but this is notbloody, or with excessive gore. This is just a a hoot at times, and right on time. But this is also handled so well, that all you see is entertainment on the screen. This does have some moments of SUSpense, but this is not INtense.
I laughed, I cheered, and I enjoyed this glorified Shark Week type of movie. And you will too more than likely. Regardless of what the national critics may say, this is just fun.
Mission Impossible: Fallout
For some reason we just don't get tired of this Tom Cruise series based on the old TV show of the same name. And this is pretty good.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team at the IMF are this time trying to save the world from nuclear attack. This has a great cast, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Henry Cavill, Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett, Rebecca Ferguson, and Michelle Monaghan. There is plenty of action to go around, and there are some amazing chase scenes that are memorable. This is filmed wonderfully, and set in a beautiful European backdrop for the most part.
This is fun, exciting and has great pace. It may be a bit too long, but what action movie isn't? For some reason this franchise is aging well. Why? Great cast, and an original premise spawned decades ago, that is holding up against the test of time.
Well Done.
Equalizer 2
I would ask you this. Pay no real attentoin to the stuffy national critics on this one, they are begin unkind and having ridiculous expectations here. If you go, you will like his flick. Denzel is back as the complicated Robert McCall.
This is a summer action flick, with a brain. McCall s still called by his troubled past to help those who can't help themselves, and this does lose a bit of focus at times and winds off course a bit. So what? Refreshing that we have a movie that is adult, and McCall is taking on real people, that live in our world today. And being even more fair, he is fighting to help the ONE person and not save the universe from some creature that can fly and has rays flying out of his eyes.
This has been update nicely, and looks great. Antione Fuqua is a great director and his mark is all over this. Denzel is terrific, and so is the supporting cast. Yes, this is plenty violent, but his business is messy. This is handled very well, and is not gratuitous. Not all movies are made to win Oscars, and this won't, but you'll like it. An we need movies that are more human based for grown ups to see.
Equalizer 2 - Nothing wrong here. Hoping for more.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
New In Theaters Now
The past few weeks have been either feast or famine at the movies. There have been huge jsut blockbusters and there have been some movies that have simply come and gone without a whimper.
We seldom review the gigantic blockbusters at length. They have a built in audience and seemingly they love everyone every frame before even seeing it.
But lets get you caught up on what's out there right now.
Skyscaper
The Rock just keeps making movies that people want to see. This is one of them. This is nothing except summer thrills and fun.
I can't even say this is a good movie. But what I can say this is an entertaining movie, especially in the summertime. The Rock is trying to save hisfamily from the worlds tallest building that is on fire, and under attack by terrible people. Can we love this guy any more?
This is filled with sweaty palmed moments and we are almost falling 3,000 feet many times. This movies along nicely and is compelling in it's action, as opposed to its underlying plot, which is adequate at best. But you won't care. This is summer fun action with a smile. And a good, fun action flick is right on time right now
Sacario 2
The original was a very good movie, and so is this one. This is one of those movies that has no good guys whatsoever. This deals with the drug cartels, how are awful. The secret part of the US Government , and they are awful. Corrupt police north and south of the US/Mexican border.
This is the second in what is turning out to be a series, as this is set up for more. This time the US kidnaps a cartel leaders daughter in the effort to start a civil war between the cartels in Mexico. The effort is being made because in our movie, he president has deemed the cartels as terrorists. And we must engage theme south of the border.
Needless to say, this goes wrong. Violent, harsh, not easy movie watching. But very good, and puts you on a slow burn that keep you watching. A hard R rating, and well deserved. The first one was good, this is very good.
Uncle Drew
This is the new basketball movie that stars Kyrie Irving, and a bunch of other ex-NBA stars, that is a sort of live action semi version of the 1990's classic, Space Jam. Being honest, this lookied real bad on first trailer view.
But, this is not going to win on award anywhere, but you will laugh. The full theater did at the screening I went to. This is pretty darn funny. I laughed a bunch. This movie is plain and simple escapism that shows you a good time for your money. My hope is that this is the only one they will make, as it could not hold up another.
All in all, this works. It's not perfect, it's just fun. Sometimes we need to just slow down, and let funny be funny, and not really worry about art. This movie is OK, and good for a few laughs, way better than I ever thought this would be.
Jurassic World:Fallen Kingdom
Well it is making hand over claw, but its a shame this is not a better movie. This 5th installment of the 25 year old series is a far cry from the masterpiece that was the original. In fairness, you do get all the dinosaurs you could possibly want as there is not a shortage of action sequences. Trouble is, that's about all e get.
This movie is the poster child for movies made for a attention shortened audience. It moves from one action scene to another leaving story holes and character development in the dust. This movie also feels kind of bad. There is not real awe, or joy in seeing this. It's dark, agenda laden, and just not the fun experience it should be.
This is not summer escapism. This is very intense at times and some of this may be a bit too much for the too young. Is this a bad day at the movies? No. But this franchise is a beacon for one that has run its course. But there will be more.
Jurassic World 2 - Getting tired.
Oceans 8
The trend continues this week, where there was far more thought put into who would be in this movie, than what they would say in it. Oceans 8 boasts a huge cast, and that is supposed to carry the day. And it did to the tune of a 41 million dollar opening weekend. too bad the budget was 150 million for this.
This is a disturbing trend right now in Hollywood. Big casts, and projects, and terrible scripts. This is not a bad day at the movies, but this should have been way better. There also may be some "Oceans" fatigue too, but this is simply falling short.
Anne Hathaway is really great here, as she did a lot with the little that was given to her, but she can't make this great. This will have to settle for average.
We seldom review the gigantic blockbusters at length. They have a built in audience and seemingly they love everyone every frame before even seeing it.
But lets get you caught up on what's out there right now.
Skyscaper
The Rock just keeps making movies that people want to see. This is one of them. This is nothing except summer thrills and fun.
I can't even say this is a good movie. But what I can say this is an entertaining movie, especially in the summertime. The Rock is trying to save hisfamily from the worlds tallest building that is on fire, and under attack by terrible people. Can we love this guy any more?
This is filled with sweaty palmed moments and we are almost falling 3,000 feet many times. This movies along nicely and is compelling in it's action, as opposed to its underlying plot, which is adequate at best. But you won't care. This is summer fun action with a smile. And a good, fun action flick is right on time right now
Sacario 2
The original was a very good movie, and so is this one. This is one of those movies that has no good guys whatsoever. This deals with the drug cartels, how are awful. The secret part of the US Government , and they are awful. Corrupt police north and south of the US/Mexican border.
This is the second in what is turning out to be a series, as this is set up for more. This time the US kidnaps a cartel leaders daughter in the effort to start a civil war between the cartels in Mexico. The effort is being made because in our movie, he president has deemed the cartels as terrorists. And we must engage theme south of the border.
Needless to say, this goes wrong. Violent, harsh, not easy movie watching. But very good, and puts you on a slow burn that keep you watching. A hard R rating, and well deserved. The first one was good, this is very good.
Uncle Drew
This is the new basketball movie that stars Kyrie Irving, and a bunch of other ex-NBA stars, that is a sort of live action semi version of the 1990's classic, Space Jam. Being honest, this lookied real bad on first trailer view.
But, this is not going to win on award anywhere, but you will laugh. The full theater did at the screening I went to. This is pretty darn funny. I laughed a bunch. This movie is plain and simple escapism that shows you a good time for your money. My hope is that this is the only one they will make, as it could not hold up another.
All in all, this works. It's not perfect, it's just fun. Sometimes we need to just slow down, and let funny be funny, and not really worry about art. This movie is OK, and good for a few laughs, way better than I ever thought this would be.
Jurassic World:Fallen Kingdom
Well it is making hand over claw, but its a shame this is not a better movie. This 5th installment of the 25 year old series is a far cry from the masterpiece that was the original. In fairness, you do get all the dinosaurs you could possibly want as there is not a shortage of action sequences. Trouble is, that's about all e get.
This movie is the poster child for movies made for a attention shortened audience. It moves from one action scene to another leaving story holes and character development in the dust. This movie also feels kind of bad. There is not real awe, or joy in seeing this. It's dark, agenda laden, and just not the fun experience it should be.
This is not summer escapism. This is very intense at times and some of this may be a bit too much for the too young. Is this a bad day at the movies? No. But this franchise is a beacon for one that has run its course. But there will be more.
Jurassic World 2 - Getting tired.
Oceans 8
The trend continues this week, where there was far more thought put into who would be in this movie, than what they would say in it. Oceans 8 boasts a huge cast, and that is supposed to carry the day. And it did to the tune of a 41 million dollar opening weekend. too bad the budget was 150 million for this.
This is a disturbing trend right now in Hollywood. Big casts, and projects, and terrible scripts. This is not a bad day at the movies, but this should have been way better. There also may be some "Oceans" fatigue too, but this is simply falling short.
Anne Hathaway is really great here, as she did a lot with the little that was given to her, but she can't make this great. This will have to settle for average.
Friday, May 11, 2018
New In Theaters
There are a few new movies out, and lets see whats new for you!
Life Of The Party
Melissa McCarthy stars in a new comedy that really needed not to be made. McCarthy again picks a movie where she is used wrong, and quite frankly, she has outgrown this kind of sophomoric drivel.
She plays a woman whose daughter is attending college, and after her husband decides to divorce her, she decides to go back to college and finish up her senior year that she didn't 20 some years ago. You can see where this is going. Plenty of drinking, parties, recreational drug usage, and of course hooking up with college boys.
This just isn't funny. Way too much needless dialogue that McCarthy is making up, and it just doesn't work. Yeah, there's a sight gag or two that works, but it's not enough. This is not funny, original or anything mildly entertaining.
Life Of The Party. McCarthy needs three things. A new agent. To stop making these kind of movies, and to stick to ensemble pieces where she is generally very good. This is horrible.
Breaking In
Here comes a movie that checks in at a very tidy 88 minutes, and it's a good thing. Gabrielle Union stars, and produced this flick, and this to misses the mark. This is the story of a woman, trying to save her kids who have been taken and locked inside a fortress of a house by a gang of horrible guys who want to rob this home of it's supposed cash fortune inside.
Union is appealing enough, but this really smacks of a Lifetime movie, and not the big screen. This script has tons of holes in it, and most of this does not add up. Plus, you generally know the entire time the eventual outcome of this, another outcome would have been socially unacceptable. And for a simple movie, this really drags at times. Even though 88 minutes is very short, an hour (Lol) would have been sufficient.
This movie has been made in one way, dozens of times before, and there is nothing original here, or compelling. This is a rental, at best in 90 days.
Breaking In. Broken.
Life Of The Party
Melissa McCarthy stars in a new comedy that really needed not to be made. McCarthy again picks a movie where she is used wrong, and quite frankly, she has outgrown this kind of sophomoric drivel.
She plays a woman whose daughter is attending college, and after her husband decides to divorce her, she decides to go back to college and finish up her senior year that she didn't 20 some years ago. You can see where this is going. Plenty of drinking, parties, recreational drug usage, and of course hooking up with college boys.
This just isn't funny. Way too much needless dialogue that McCarthy is making up, and it just doesn't work. Yeah, there's a sight gag or two that works, but it's not enough. This is not funny, original or anything mildly entertaining.
Life Of The Party. McCarthy needs three things. A new agent. To stop making these kind of movies, and to stick to ensemble pieces where she is generally very good. This is horrible.
Breaking In
Here comes a movie that checks in at a very tidy 88 minutes, and it's a good thing. Gabrielle Union stars, and produced this flick, and this to misses the mark. This is the story of a woman, trying to save her kids who have been taken and locked inside a fortress of a house by a gang of horrible guys who want to rob this home of it's supposed cash fortune inside.
Union is appealing enough, but this really smacks of a Lifetime movie, and not the big screen. This script has tons of holes in it, and most of this does not add up. Plus, you generally know the entire time the eventual outcome of this, another outcome would have been socially unacceptable. And for a simple movie, this really drags at times. Even though 88 minutes is very short, an hour (Lol) would have been sufficient.
This movie has been made in one way, dozens of times before, and there is nothing original here, or compelling. This is a rental, at best in 90 days.
Breaking In. Broken.
Friday, April 13, 2018
New Movies
Rampage
The Rock can do little wrong these days, and Rampage is proof positive. Rampage is a monster movie, plain and simple. This is the story of a affable, intelligent Albino Gorilla named George, and his handler, (The Rock). After an accident, George is exposed to a secret agent gas that causes genetic editing. Meaning George is growing out of control, and is becoming more violet, agitated and a threat to everyone.
Also exposed were a wolf, and alligator, and now they are all gigantic monsters all converging on Chicago. The only hope is a cure, and that is what our team of human heroes are trying to deliver. The national critics are going to hammer this, but the public is going to eat this up and make it a huge hit.
This is a throwback to the monster movie era, with a modern twist of today's humor, and the charm of Dwayne Johnson. This is simply mindless entertainment at its core. This movie says nothing, has no agenda, and just gives you about 2 hours of flat out entertainment.
Rampage. Not a literary movie, but just fun. Go have fun.
Truth Or Dare
Leave it to Hollywood to take a slightly naughty 7th grade game and turn it into an ugly, semi-violent mess, but here we go again. What's next? Spin The Bottle? Truth is, this is not very daring at all, as this really smacks of the whole Final Destination franchise. There is nothing here that's very original.
A group of about to graduate college students from California takes a Spring Break trip to Mexico. There they end up cursed with this whole Truth Or Dare spirit that takes the game literally. Don't tell the truth, you die. Don't do the dare, you die. Try to leave the game, you die. So you are basically up a creek if you are exposed. This is not very compelling, and not overly violent, and not really very racy, as I was expecting. In fact, it's really not much of anything except too long, and too tired as a premise.
This is still more evidence that Hollywood is out of fresh ideas, and is grasping at straws. This just lies there and takes you no where you have not been 100 times before.
Truth Or Dare. Yawn!
Beirut
Here comes one of the years best movies. Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike star in this absolutely riveting movie about the incredible challenge that was and is Beirut. This is a government thriller with a plot that you don't know, and can't figure out. Amazing writing, directing, sets, and performances bring this to life brilliantly.
This takes place between 1972 and 1982, and the beginning of the civil war there, and there are numerous factions involved as a highly placed U.S. official is kidnapped, Now how do we get him back? Who has him? And at what price? Hamm and Pike are terrific, and are cast perfectly in this gritty, hard to watch sometimes authentic piece. In this time frame of early spring, it can be tough to find slick, well done movies that are not special effect fests, or spring break type of flicks. This is neither, and no matter what happens between now and Christmas, this will be one of the years best movies.
Beirut. Great writing, great performances and totally worth seeing.
The Rock can do little wrong these days, and Rampage is proof positive. Rampage is a monster movie, plain and simple. This is the story of a affable, intelligent Albino Gorilla named George, and his handler, (The Rock). After an accident, George is exposed to a secret agent gas that causes genetic editing. Meaning George is growing out of control, and is becoming more violet, agitated and a threat to everyone.
Also exposed were a wolf, and alligator, and now they are all gigantic monsters all converging on Chicago. The only hope is a cure, and that is what our team of human heroes are trying to deliver. The national critics are going to hammer this, but the public is going to eat this up and make it a huge hit.
This is a throwback to the monster movie era, with a modern twist of today's humor, and the charm of Dwayne Johnson. This is simply mindless entertainment at its core. This movie says nothing, has no agenda, and just gives you about 2 hours of flat out entertainment.
Rampage. Not a literary movie, but just fun. Go have fun.
Truth Or Dare
Leave it to Hollywood to take a slightly naughty 7th grade game and turn it into an ugly, semi-violent mess, but here we go again. What's next? Spin The Bottle? Truth is, this is not very daring at all, as this really smacks of the whole Final Destination franchise. There is nothing here that's very original.
A group of about to graduate college students from California takes a Spring Break trip to Mexico. There they end up cursed with this whole Truth Or Dare spirit that takes the game literally. Don't tell the truth, you die. Don't do the dare, you die. Try to leave the game, you die. So you are basically up a creek if you are exposed. This is not very compelling, and not overly violent, and not really very racy, as I was expecting. In fact, it's really not much of anything except too long, and too tired as a premise.
This is still more evidence that Hollywood is out of fresh ideas, and is grasping at straws. This just lies there and takes you no where you have not been 100 times before.
Truth Or Dare. Yawn!
Beirut
Here comes one of the years best movies. Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike star in this absolutely riveting movie about the incredible challenge that was and is Beirut. This is a government thriller with a plot that you don't know, and can't figure out. Amazing writing, directing, sets, and performances bring this to life brilliantly.
This takes place between 1972 and 1982, and the beginning of the civil war there, and there are numerous factions involved as a highly placed U.S. official is kidnapped, Now how do we get him back? Who has him? And at what price? Hamm and Pike are terrific, and are cast perfectly in this gritty, hard to watch sometimes authentic piece. In this time frame of early spring, it can be tough to find slick, well done movies that are not special effect fests, or spring break type of flicks. This is neither, and no matter what happens between now and Christmas, this will be one of the years best movies.
Beirut. Great writing, great performances and totally worth seeing.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
New in Theaters this week
Blockers
Well, there seems to be no end to these kinds of movies, the raunchy comedy that through it all, tries to grow a heart and say something. Well, as raunchy and at times as distasteful as some of this is, there are some laughs. And even though this is an exaggerated look at parents letting their teens grow up sexually, there is enough truth to make this fun.
John Cena and Leslie Manna are pretty darn funny as panicked parents who are trying to get in the way of a "sex pact" that their daughters have made to lose their virginity on prom night. Without question, some of this goes way too far, and there are things we don't need to see, but I laughed at times, and felt the parents fear for most of this.
What I wish is, that the makers of these movies would remember is that there is a limit. Not every scene has to be 7th grade locker room funny. A bit of imagination, a small rewrite, and a sharper editing blade would be in order and movies like this could be a bit more attractive to more peeps. Until then, we have to watch Cena chug beer through his kiester. Just sayin'
Blockers. Yes, funny a times. An acquired taste.
A Quiet Place
There are many things about this movie that make it very original and others that don't. But for me, the good far outweighs the bad. This is a 90-minute intense thriller that doesn't sell out to special effects and uses just good old fashioned ways to scare you.
Set in today's world, some sort of event has happened and Earth is now inhabited by these awful creatures that are barbaric and hunt humans, but can only do so when they hear them. They cannot see, but sound of any kind now is the enemy of all of mankind. So this family lives in silence and communicates through sign language to survive. But they soon learn that is easier said than done, as about every imaginable thing makes sound on earth. Can they survive?
This movie has very little dialogue, and that is very interesting. The silence to me still, became a bit fatiguing, but at only 90 minutes (good decision) this works. And this is going to continue to work for a few weeks, as word of mouth will be great on this, and it's quite good.
A Quiet Place. Very good, intense.
The Miracle Season
There are some movies that have a nice story to tell, but lack the budget and commitment to make it great. And that is the case here. This is not a terrible movie by any stretch, but could have been a whole lot better.
This is the true story of the 2011 Iowa City, Iowa West High School women's volleyball team, and their struggles on and off the court after the death of their star player and inspiration, Caroline Found. This is also a story worth telling, but this could have used a rewrite two. Much of this is cliche', and looks rushed, and pushed through. Also, Oscar winners Helen Hunt and William Hurt, seem to be taking this to simply find work and that's hard to watch too.
But, this even though this isn't near perfect at all, families will like this and that is generally fine with me. We need all kinds of movies for all kind of fans. Found's legacy does shine through and that is great, even if the movie writing and making is not.
The Miracle Season. Problems, yes. But fine for family day.
Midnight Sun
Here comes a little movie that on the surface looks like a silly Nicolas Sparks story, and in some aspects, it is. And it is another movie that chronicles a young woman housebound by a terrible illness, and yearning for love, and it is. But after seeing this, I liked it far more than the above mentioned. Even though the national critics are hammering it. Is this perfect? Heck no, but please quit showing your pompousness.
This is the story of Katy, who has a disease called XP. She cannot go in the sun at all, as it would be life ending. So, she goes out at night, and lives a life in reverse, which is no life at all. She falls in love with Charlie and risks it all to live a life of love, as best she can. Yes, this is predictable, and melodramatic, and a bit far fetched at times. But so what? Can't we make a movie that is easy to digest, and have a good cry, or a few awww moments without critics being too far above it?
This flick shows a few new faces, and does its best to be an escape from the rest of the nonsense that can be out there this time of year. Granted, it's not fighting robots, or superheros saving the world, but there is room for this. This is for young people who want a love story for spring break. Period. And that's fine with me.
Midnight Sun. It's fine. They can't all win Oscars, and this won't. But at 90 minutes, this is a fair rainy afternoon flick.
Love, Simon
This is a very well written movie that takes on a highly topical, and potentially difficult issue of growing up in high school in the 21st century. This movie is a slick romcom, that features the life of Simon, a 17 year old young man who realizes he is gay. Now, how does he handle this? And how will his life, and his friends life change as a result of his "coming out?"
This movie chronicles his journey, and in many ways is deadly accurate showcasing the landmines that teens have today. The social pressures, and social media, constant communication and the anxiety of it all. Although, my gut feeling too is there are also scenes here that may be a bit too generous to the good, in their depiction of the travels Simon would have to take.
But overall, this is very well done, and moves along nicely. I found this to be for the most part a charming flick, with a strong cast, and solid characters created. This movie may fly a bit below the radar, but is certianly worth a ticket.
Love, Simon. Well done indeed.
Pacific Rim: Uprising
There is the obvious question here. Why? Do we really need more of this series? Well the answer is probably yes, for some. Here we go again, gigantic robots defending the world against alien forces and this time - even ourselves. Put a ton of great effects together with a bunch of noise and a large screen and you seemingly have the right formula.
The big problem with this is, Transformers. I'm not going to sit here and say those are way better movies, but they were here first and that means PR looks like a poor mans rip off. And if it is. This is about 2 hours of animated robots fighting with a touch of a story mixed in. Honestly, if you are about 12, this is really cool. Good for your kids, grand kids and the dudes in general. This is not recommended for a first date (kidding).
Pacific Rim:Uprising. Can we just stop...Please?
Unsane
Wow! There are some movies that take us to places that we have never been, and this is one of them. This is the story of a young, troubled woman that seeks professional counseling to deal with some of her everyday problems. And when she admits during a session she has had thoughts of suicide in the past, her life takes a horrible turn.
Actually, beyond horrible. This movie will scare the heck out of anyone who may seek counseling, and that is an honest observation, even though this is a fictional movie. This also morphs into a "stalker" movie, as if the original premise isn't disturbing enough. This movie is well written, compelling and thought provoking all at the same time. Although there a remnants that are similar to other "mental ward" movies, this is another level and stands on its own just fine.
In the end, this is a bit unsettling and tough to watch at times, as it dares to look deeply at problems that everyday people can possibly face, and the willingness to share these problems with those who are charged with trying to help sort them out. I am sure the healthcare companies are not thrilled with this.
Unsane. Good, well done, creepy.
I Can Only Imagine
This movie for some reason is wearing the "Christian" movie label, and I can't really understand that. Granted there are elements that are, but they are very subtle. This is the true and brave story told of the origins of the biggest Christian hit song ever, I Can Only Imagine and its writer Bart Millard, and band, Mercy Me.
This is a powerful flick with a great performance from J. Micheal Finley as Millard. This is the first time I can remember a movie being made about a song as well. Finley is terrific as Millard and is a fresh face on screen that was central to its success. The music is done very well and some of the filming of this is great, especially in pivotal scenes when it really matters. There is an underlying Christian element throughout, but it's not preachy, or judgmental. The writing here was a challenge, and they pulled it off walking a fine line.
In short, this is a nice little movie that is destined for some big success. This will attract people to the theaters that seldom go, and that's a good thing. Its good for anyone, including the whole family. Is this perfect? Well, no. But it's a great example that Hollywood can make movies for everyone can can make it work.
I Can Only Imagine. Good, solid movie.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
BOOK REVIEW - A Storyteller's Guide to a Grace-Filled Life
I don't normally review books. But some are worth talking about more extensively than simply the office coffee room. Like this one - A wonderful new feel good book by Tony Agnesi.
Full disclosure, I know Tony well as we share commonalities. We've played a lot of golf, like good food, people, bourbon and a good cigar. We are both passionate about many renaissance-men like activities. But as we do share similar interests, we are very different in some ways as well. That is what is celebrated in this new little book. It's OK to be different from one another and still be a caring soul to those who are not quite the same, or even opposite, as you.
Tony is a wonderful storyteller in life and in this book. This is a series of Tony's true story essays over the years referencing his life, health, his marriage, family, and his strong faith. When you read it, you are reminded that it takes great courage to document your life for all to see. And as a man of great Catholic faith, Tony melds various passages and biblical quotes that fit the narrative of that particular short chapter at its end. It is a nice idea that really works.
Truth be told, I am not Catholic, and do not posses the biblical knowledge at my finger tips as Tony does, but it makes this book no less valuable. To me, that is the real measure of spirituality, as I feel it is a life long search, no matter how you get there. Books like this speak to many, without alienating any. It's just honest, and makes you feel good without ever demanding you feel a certain way, or his way, about the matter at hand.
You can pick this book up and read any part of it at any time in its 190 easy to read pages. And after Tony shares his personal point of view about a given story he's sharing, he gently asks you only consider to reflect on a similar story in your own life, in your own way. And you do. This book does make you think about your own life, many things you may not have thought of in a long time.
The message of this book is one of happiness. And you would be hard pressed not to feel better about many things after reading this, even if you don't agree with some, or much of it. You've been many of the places Tony has. It's refreshing to see someone tell compelling stories and be willing to share much that is private for us to page through and relate to. After reading this book, you may feel the need to write more about your own life, that's how it moved me.
And even though Tony approaches much of this from a spiritual or what some would call a religious view, he skillfully uses his words to start a conversation, and not end one.
And man, do we need more of that in our world today.
Available about anywhere books are sold.
Full disclosure, I know Tony well as we share commonalities. We've played a lot of golf, like good food, people, bourbon and a good cigar. We are both passionate about many renaissance-men like activities. But as we do share similar interests, we are very different in some ways as well. That is what is celebrated in this new little book. It's OK to be different from one another and still be a caring soul to those who are not quite the same, or even opposite, as you.
Tony is a wonderful storyteller in life and in this book. This is a series of Tony's true story essays over the years referencing his life, health, his marriage, family, and his strong faith. When you read it, you are reminded that it takes great courage to document your life for all to see. And as a man of great Catholic faith, Tony melds various passages and biblical quotes that fit the narrative of that particular short chapter at its end. It is a nice idea that really works.
Truth be told, I am not Catholic, and do not posses the biblical knowledge at my finger tips as Tony does, but it makes this book no less valuable. To me, that is the real measure of spirituality, as I feel it is a life long search, no matter how you get there. Books like this speak to many, without alienating any. It's just honest, and makes you feel good without ever demanding you feel a certain way, or his way, about the matter at hand.
You can pick this book up and read any part of it at any time in its 190 easy to read pages. And after Tony shares his personal point of view about a given story he's sharing, he gently asks you only consider to reflect on a similar story in your own life, in your own way. And you do. This book does make you think about your own life, many things you may not have thought of in a long time.
The message of this book is one of happiness. And you would be hard pressed not to feel better about many things after reading this, even if you don't agree with some, or much of it. You've been many of the places Tony has. It's refreshing to see someone tell compelling stories and be willing to share much that is private for us to page through and relate to. After reading this book, you may feel the need to write more about your own life, that's how it moved me.
And even though Tony approaches much of this from a spiritual or what some would call a religious view, he skillfully uses his words to start a conversation, and not end one.
And man, do we need more of that in our world today.
Available about anywhere books are sold.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
New In Theaters
Tomb Raider
Well, get ready Lara Croft is back again and so is Tomb Raider, the latest franchise to be rebooted. New cast, some new effects, and new techniques in movie making, but it's still a reboot.
This version is very action based with long, drawn out action sequences and some of them very good. Others too long. Lara has gone to the edge of the world to try to save the world from a horrible company that wants to unleash a global genocide from a log sealed tomb. It's Lara's job to stop them, and also find her thought-dead father who has the key that protects anyone from opening the tomb.
This is basically OK, not a bad day at the movies, we've just seen this whole thing before. And for a movie called Tomb Raider, there isn't a whole lot of "tomb raiding" till very late in the movie. This is what it is. New fans will call this their franchise, and older gamers will compare it to the originals.
Tomb Raider. For the new target audience? This will be just fine.
Hurricane Heist
Very short and sweet. Why? Why to theaters? This is the poster child for straight to video or streaming services.
Hurricane Heist. Can we just.....
Red Sparrow
I understand that is almost a crime in today's movie going world to not rave about a Jennifer Lawrence flick, but I can't here yet again. This new political thriller is not a total wash, but is riddled with problems and overall comes up very short.
First of all, could this be any longer? And any more belabored than it is? This anti Russian Intel / anti-CIA flick takes far too long to make its point. Sparrows, are Russian women who are secretly trained in very sexual and specialized areas to root out foreign spy's, and diplomats, and Lawrence plays one of them. But what this actually does is make you wait for something to actually happen that matters. Yes, there are compelling moments here, but overall this is drawn out to the extrmeme.
Also, there is a certain level of predictability that makes this all the more cliche'. This has a nice supporting cast with Joel Edgerton and Jeremy Irons, but they seem under utilized and trivial in the end. This is Lawences flick, and being fair, she holds up her end of the bargain for the most part. But some bad writing editing spoil the party. This is also very brutal at times with torture and moments of general tastelessness that will be tough for some.
Red Sparrow. Not so good.
Death Wish
Here we go again, rebooting an old movie series for a new audience, and this time it's Bruce Willis in the old Charles Bronson series, Death Wish. The original from 1974 has been updated for a more modern feel, but the basic premise is still in tact.
Dr. Kersey (Willis) is a surgeon and his wife is killed, and young daughter is brutally attacked in a home invasion. And the good Dr. decides on a life of vigilantism. This is based on a very successful book from 1972, that actually refutes being a vigilante, as where the original and this, embrace it. This movie is not totally tone deaf to violence. This has many scenes where gun laws and our culture are put on wide display. It does make its feelings known on its stance on gun laws, and accessibility to getting potentially dangerous information.
This is very violent, and very graphic at times. But in the end, what this is, is a dad protecting his family much like the original. This will find a following, and this is set up for more. But is this good movie making? Well, not really but the basic story and premise are timeless and so there is always room in the early spring for a movie like this. Better than some, worse than others.
Death Wish. Again, driving down memory lane.
Annihilation
This heavily anticipated thriller is finally out and is going to have nice opening weekend. Natalie Portman chooses fine projects and even though this has a name that may make it sound like a B- grade action flick, it is not.
This is the story of an entity that has shown up on Earth somehow and is altering everything in its path. A group of all female experts enter this thing called, "The Shimmer" to find out its origins, and to see it it can be stopped. Many groups have entered and not returned, so this group seems to be one of the last hopes to see if this can be contained.
This is written well, and this is a story that is totally original. But this is a bit long, meaning when you think this may be over, it's not. There is far too much after the movies big climax. But being fair, it is not a deal breaker. This is a good, solid movie that has a story to tell, and tells it well. Don't be fooled by its aggressive title, this is not a cheap action, sci-fi flick.
Annihilation. Very good.
Game Night
OK, occasionally a comedy comes out that has the right idea. Or ANY idea in today's Hollywood is a nice change, and this is pretty funny. This little 80 plus minute comedy really had the audience laughing with it's original premise and really good casting.
Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are Max and Annie, a married couple who are huge "game night" players with their group of friends. And in their never ending quest to take their board and classic game night playing the next level, somehow find themselves in a situation they think is a live action game, that is actually a very real, dangerous situation. And it takes them a while to figure that out. Their naivete at first is very funny, then their discovery of reality is even funnier.
The script is very original, and the decisions to not let this become raunchy are really good, when most modern comedies do. This has a line and stands behind it. McAdams is really funny as the very fun and affable Annie, and many times steals the show. Bateman and the very well cast supporting actors are a fine compliment. Great use of music and also the willingness to lampoon their generation is very funny. Plus, ending this short was a very good decision. It said everything it had to say, and it was time to go home on a high note
Game Night. Funny, and clearly set up to be a franchise.
Black Panther
Lots of anticipation on the first huge superhero movie of the year. This is expected to take in about 180 million this weekend, and it just might. Up front, this is a comic book movie like you've not seen. This deal exclusively on the origins of what will be a series of the character, Black Panther.
This is wonderfully written, and the special effects will be very impressive to those who are taken with that type of thing. But you must be prepared to not see him save the world, or mankind. Very little of this takes place in a city, or metropolitan area. There really is no villain, such as we are used to. But imagination here is high, as is creativity. The scenes you see in trailers, are the exceptions, and not the rule.
But this will be very popular for many reasons, and among them is we've been waiting for a blockbuster to go to, and the look of this movie is very good. This is available to you in various formats, 3D, IMAX, IMAX 3D and regular showings, so check the one carefully you want to see.
Back Panther. Very original.
The 15:17 To Paris
This is a very brave idea. Clint Eastwood directs a story completely worth telling of real life heroes, using the very heroes that were involved. These guys clearly have never acted, and it shows. But this is authentic, even when the acting isn't very good.
These military guys happened to be on a passenger train from Amsterdam to Paris when a terrorist attempted to shoot up the train with 300 rounds of ammunition. They stopped it, and are heroes, and that remains fact. Eastwood is correct in that this story should be told. What this does, is tell the back story of these three friends, and it is an interesting one. Ending with a very authentic climax of the attempted attack.
This has limitations for sure, but it also is an interesting idea. It's short at about 90 minutes, and you are ready for the story to play out. The national critics are being very hard on this, and you understand why for a ton of reasons, fair or not. But that may play out to be somewhat tone deaf, as fans may love to see a story like this told, no matter who is cast in it or not. After all, there is a whole lot of really bad acting anyway in Hollywood, by professional actors themselves.
Is this Eastwood's best movie? Of course not. But in a town where there are very few original ideas, this is one of them. Plus, it's a story that needs to be told. If you want to see REAL superheroes, this could be your ticket.
I, Tonya
Well this is in limited release and this has been out for a while. This also has a ton of award nominations and should not be missed, as this is very, very good. This was a risky venture from the get-go, but this is slick movie making.
This interesting movie is the tragic story of former world-class figure skater Tonya Harding, and her horrible roots that was seemingly always in the way of any kind of real success in a sport that demands class, elegance and style. Harding had none. This is based on extensive interviews of the important people in her life and her. This is told in a semi-documentary, semi classic movie style and is written extremely well. The performances of Margot Robbie (Tonya) and Alisson Janney (Tonya's mom) are amazing as well.
This movie reminds us just how great Harding actually was on the ice. In fact, she may be the greatest ever athletically. But her off ice antics and just her overall decision making prevented her from real greatness. Toss in her horrendous upbringing and you have a recipe for disaster, and that is what she turned out to be in her sport and, most of her young life. This makes you feel many different ways about Harding, and that's great writing.
I, Tonya. Fantastic
Hostiles
There are movies that come out all to rarely, that make the script the total star. The new "Western" Hostiles is one of them. This stars Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike and a real nice supporting cast, but with respect, it makes no difference. The star of this movie is the writing.
This is set in the American West in 1892. Without giving you too much info, because that's part of the magic of seeing this, this is the story of a small band of people making a long journey through the perils of the West at the time, and how they survive - together. This movie skillfully addresses every single in incredible issue of the era, and the horrific experiences of the lawless west. It helps you understand from all sides the social issues of the day, and the conflict that raged within many during this painful time of history.
They may call this a "western" but it's not in the realm of Unforgiven, Wyatt Earp, or Tombstone. This is far more graphic. This develops characters extremely well, and makes you feel many emotions. It makes many great decisions on what they choose to show you and what they don't. In short, this is simply terrific.
Hostiles. Very adult, and very, very good. Not to be missed.
Well, get ready Lara Croft is back again and so is Tomb Raider, the latest franchise to be rebooted. New cast, some new effects, and new techniques in movie making, but it's still a reboot.
This version is very action based with long, drawn out action sequences and some of them very good. Others too long. Lara has gone to the edge of the world to try to save the world from a horrible company that wants to unleash a global genocide from a log sealed tomb. It's Lara's job to stop them, and also find her thought-dead father who has the key that protects anyone from opening the tomb.
This is basically OK, not a bad day at the movies, we've just seen this whole thing before. And for a movie called Tomb Raider, there isn't a whole lot of "tomb raiding" till very late in the movie. This is what it is. New fans will call this their franchise, and older gamers will compare it to the originals.
Tomb Raider. For the new target audience? This will be just fine.
Hurricane Heist
Very short and sweet. Why? Why to theaters? This is the poster child for straight to video or streaming services.
Hurricane Heist. Can we just.....
Red Sparrow
I understand that is almost a crime in today's movie going world to not rave about a Jennifer Lawrence flick, but I can't here yet again. This new political thriller is not a total wash, but is riddled with problems and overall comes up very short.
First of all, could this be any longer? And any more belabored than it is? This anti Russian Intel / anti-CIA flick takes far too long to make its point. Sparrows, are Russian women who are secretly trained in very sexual and specialized areas to root out foreign spy's, and diplomats, and Lawrence plays one of them. But what this actually does is make you wait for something to actually happen that matters. Yes, there are compelling moments here, but overall this is drawn out to the extrmeme.
Also, there is a certain level of predictability that makes this all the more cliche'. This has a nice supporting cast with Joel Edgerton and Jeremy Irons, but they seem under utilized and trivial in the end. This is Lawences flick, and being fair, she holds up her end of the bargain for the most part. But some bad writing editing spoil the party. This is also very brutal at times with torture and moments of general tastelessness that will be tough for some.
Red Sparrow. Not so good.
Death Wish
Here we go again, rebooting an old movie series for a new audience, and this time it's Bruce Willis in the old Charles Bronson series, Death Wish. The original from 1974 has been updated for a more modern feel, but the basic premise is still in tact.
Dr. Kersey (Willis) is a surgeon and his wife is killed, and young daughter is brutally attacked in a home invasion. And the good Dr. decides on a life of vigilantism. This is based on a very successful book from 1972, that actually refutes being a vigilante, as where the original and this, embrace it. This movie is not totally tone deaf to violence. This has many scenes where gun laws and our culture are put on wide display. It does make its feelings known on its stance on gun laws, and accessibility to getting potentially dangerous information.
This is very violent, and very graphic at times. But in the end, what this is, is a dad protecting his family much like the original. This will find a following, and this is set up for more. But is this good movie making? Well, not really but the basic story and premise are timeless and so there is always room in the early spring for a movie like this. Better than some, worse than others.
Death Wish. Again, driving down memory lane.
Annihilation
This heavily anticipated thriller is finally out and is going to have nice opening weekend. Natalie Portman chooses fine projects and even though this has a name that may make it sound like a B- grade action flick, it is not.
This is the story of an entity that has shown up on Earth somehow and is altering everything in its path. A group of all female experts enter this thing called, "The Shimmer" to find out its origins, and to see it it can be stopped. Many groups have entered and not returned, so this group seems to be one of the last hopes to see if this can be contained.
This is written well, and this is a story that is totally original. But this is a bit long, meaning when you think this may be over, it's not. There is far too much after the movies big climax. But being fair, it is not a deal breaker. This is a good, solid movie that has a story to tell, and tells it well. Don't be fooled by its aggressive title, this is not a cheap action, sci-fi flick.
Annihilation. Very good.
Game Night
OK, occasionally a comedy comes out that has the right idea. Or ANY idea in today's Hollywood is a nice change, and this is pretty funny. This little 80 plus minute comedy really had the audience laughing with it's original premise and really good casting.
Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are Max and Annie, a married couple who are huge "game night" players with their group of friends. And in their never ending quest to take their board and classic game night playing the next level, somehow find themselves in a situation they think is a live action game, that is actually a very real, dangerous situation. And it takes them a while to figure that out. Their naivete at first is very funny, then their discovery of reality is even funnier.
The script is very original, and the decisions to not let this become raunchy are really good, when most modern comedies do. This has a line and stands behind it. McAdams is really funny as the very fun and affable Annie, and many times steals the show. Bateman and the very well cast supporting actors are a fine compliment. Great use of music and also the willingness to lampoon their generation is very funny. Plus, ending this short was a very good decision. It said everything it had to say, and it was time to go home on a high note
Game Night. Funny, and clearly set up to be a franchise.
Black Panther
Lots of anticipation on the first huge superhero movie of the year. This is expected to take in about 180 million this weekend, and it just might. Up front, this is a comic book movie like you've not seen. This deal exclusively on the origins of what will be a series of the character, Black Panther.
This is wonderfully written, and the special effects will be very impressive to those who are taken with that type of thing. But you must be prepared to not see him save the world, or mankind. Very little of this takes place in a city, or metropolitan area. There really is no villain, such as we are used to. But imagination here is high, as is creativity. The scenes you see in trailers, are the exceptions, and not the rule.
But this will be very popular for many reasons, and among them is we've been waiting for a blockbuster to go to, and the look of this movie is very good. This is available to you in various formats, 3D, IMAX, IMAX 3D and regular showings, so check the one carefully you want to see.
Back Panther. Very original.
The 15:17 To Paris
This is a very brave idea. Clint Eastwood directs a story completely worth telling of real life heroes, using the very heroes that were involved. These guys clearly have never acted, and it shows. But this is authentic, even when the acting isn't very good.
These military guys happened to be on a passenger train from Amsterdam to Paris when a terrorist attempted to shoot up the train with 300 rounds of ammunition. They stopped it, and are heroes, and that remains fact. Eastwood is correct in that this story should be told. What this does, is tell the back story of these three friends, and it is an interesting one. Ending with a very authentic climax of the attempted attack.
This has limitations for sure, but it also is an interesting idea. It's short at about 90 minutes, and you are ready for the story to play out. The national critics are being very hard on this, and you understand why for a ton of reasons, fair or not. But that may play out to be somewhat tone deaf, as fans may love to see a story like this told, no matter who is cast in it or not. After all, there is a whole lot of really bad acting anyway in Hollywood, by professional actors themselves.
Is this Eastwood's best movie? Of course not. But in a town where there are very few original ideas, this is one of them. Plus, it's a story that needs to be told. If you want to see REAL superheroes, this could be your ticket.
I, Tonya
Well this is in limited release and this has been out for a while. This also has a ton of award nominations and should not be missed, as this is very, very good. This was a risky venture from the get-go, but this is slick movie making.
This interesting movie is the tragic story of former world-class figure skater Tonya Harding, and her horrible roots that was seemingly always in the way of any kind of real success in a sport that demands class, elegance and style. Harding had none. This is based on extensive interviews of the important people in her life and her. This is told in a semi-documentary, semi classic movie style and is written extremely well. The performances of Margot Robbie (Tonya) and Alisson Janney (Tonya's mom) are amazing as well.
This movie reminds us just how great Harding actually was on the ice. In fact, she may be the greatest ever athletically. But her off ice antics and just her overall decision making prevented her from real greatness. Toss in her horrendous upbringing and you have a recipe for disaster, and that is what she turned out to be in her sport and, most of her young life. This makes you feel many different ways about Harding, and that's great writing.
I, Tonya. Fantastic
Hostiles
There are movies that come out all to rarely, that make the script the total star. The new "Western" Hostiles is one of them. This stars Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike and a real nice supporting cast, but with respect, it makes no difference. The star of this movie is the writing.
This is set in the American West in 1892. Without giving you too much info, because that's part of the magic of seeing this, this is the story of a small band of people making a long journey through the perils of the West at the time, and how they survive - together. This movie skillfully addresses every single in incredible issue of the era, and the horrific experiences of the lawless west. It helps you understand from all sides the social issues of the day, and the conflict that raged within many during this painful time of history.
They may call this a "western" but it's not in the realm of Unforgiven, Wyatt Earp, or Tombstone. This is far more graphic. This develops characters extremely well, and makes you feel many emotions. It makes many great decisions on what they choose to show you and what they don't. In short, this is simply terrific.
Hostiles. Very adult, and very, very good. Not to be missed.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
New Flicks
12 Strong
This is another true story that is at the movies right now, and this is way better than I thought it was going to be. This time of the year can be the junkyard of movies, but this is worth a ticket. A very good cast led by Micheal Shannon and Chris Hemsworth give us a story worth telling.
This is the recently declassified story of 12 soldiers who carried out the first real attack on the Taliban in the Middle East after 9/11. Not only are the circumstances very interesting surrounding this mission, but it had to be carried out - on horseback. And against all odds.
This gets a ton of points from me right out of the gate as it's a story we don't know, and have not seen before. The script is smart, and slick, that lets the action and pictures tell the story, plus it does develop characters well for a movie like this. I was concerned about this initially, as I wanted it to be good as we honor some very brave soldiers, and it is.
12 Strong. Lots to like here. Makes you feel good about many things.
Den Of Thieves
Here comes Girard Butler in a new police thriller that forgets all that is possible, probable and doable in today's world. Right up front, even though this has a ton of problems, this would have been way better, as is, 30 minutes shorter. This was a pretty good idea that gets in its own way.
It's the story of a bunch of really bad guys who want to rob The Federal Reserve Bank in California, and an equally bunch of really hard nosed cops who want to stop them. There is some to like here, and I think this will find a following, but so much of this is so far fetched, son ridiculous, and much of this could never happen in today's world, what were these storytellers thinking?
Plus, there are a few story lines that have nothing at all to do with the plot, I have no idea why they bogged us down with them. This is action based, and the action is not that great to be honest. This just stumbles time after time, and becomes it's own worst enemy.
Den Of Thieves. Wait, stream or rental.
This is another true story that is at the movies right now, and this is way better than I thought it was going to be. This time of the year can be the junkyard of movies, but this is worth a ticket. A very good cast led by Micheal Shannon and Chris Hemsworth give us a story worth telling.
This is the recently declassified story of 12 soldiers who carried out the first real attack on the Taliban in the Middle East after 9/11. Not only are the circumstances very interesting surrounding this mission, but it had to be carried out - on horseback. And against all odds.
This gets a ton of points from me right out of the gate as it's a story we don't know, and have not seen before. The script is smart, and slick, that lets the action and pictures tell the story, plus it does develop characters well for a movie like this. I was concerned about this initially, as I wanted it to be good as we honor some very brave soldiers, and it is.
12 Strong. Lots to like here. Makes you feel good about many things.
Den Of Thieves
Here comes Girard Butler in a new police thriller that forgets all that is possible, probable and doable in today's world. Right up front, even though this has a ton of problems, this would have been way better, as is, 30 minutes shorter. This was a pretty good idea that gets in its own way.
It's the story of a bunch of really bad guys who want to rob The Federal Reserve Bank in California, and an equally bunch of really hard nosed cops who want to stop them. There is some to like here, and I think this will find a following, but so much of this is so far fetched, son ridiculous, and much of this could never happen in today's world, what were these storytellers thinking?
Plus, there are a few story lines that have nothing at all to do with the plot, I have no idea why they bogged us down with them. This is action based, and the action is not that great to be honest. This just stumbles time after time, and becomes it's own worst enemy.
Den Of Thieves. Wait, stream or rental.
Monday, January 15, 2018
NEW FLICKS
The Post
When you toss two huge stars together and have Steven Spielberg directing it, you should have a great movie. But here, you only have a good one. Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star in the new flick, The Post.
It's based on a true story that takes place in the early 1970's, with the landmark case of the Washington Post printing deeply classified Pentagon papers, essentially proving the Vietnam War was a sham, and the government had been lying to the public for 35 years. There's a court case too, and it's basically a First Amendment movie. There is nothing really wrong here, there just should have been a lot more right.
Hanks and Streep are fine, and there a moments in this that are really moving. It's a period piece and we are transported back in time nicely. There's just something missing. I think it's the lack of really strong dialogue, instead of a bunch of average speak. It's a bit too long and a bit to - average, with a ton of potential, but that's where it ends.
The Post. Rental, or stream in a couple months.
The Darkest Hour
This is simply fantastic. And right up front, Gary Oldman gives one of the best performances I have ever seen. He stars as Winston Churchill in the incredible movie about the early and dark days of WWII in England, and his defiance of Hitler and even members of his own government.
Oldman should win about every award there is for this. It's one thing to transform and invent a fictional character for a movie. It's quite another to take on the awesome responsibility to play maybe the most important historical figure of the 20th century. Oldman is amazing, and totally unrecognizable as he becomes Churchill. In this, Churchill is real, good, fallible, and human.
The script is incredible, and the amount of dialogue that Oldman delivers is insane. And he delivers it with unmatched skill. His performance alone is not to be missed.
The Darkest Hour. Fantastic.
When you toss two huge stars together and have Steven Spielberg directing it, you should have a great movie. But here, you only have a good one. Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star in the new flick, The Post.
It's based on a true story that takes place in the early 1970's, with the landmark case of the Washington Post printing deeply classified Pentagon papers, essentially proving the Vietnam War was a sham, and the government had been lying to the public for 35 years. There's a court case too, and it's basically a First Amendment movie. There is nothing really wrong here, there just should have been a lot more right.
Hanks and Streep are fine, and there a moments in this that are really moving. It's a period piece and we are transported back in time nicely. There's just something missing. I think it's the lack of really strong dialogue, instead of a bunch of average speak. It's a bit too long and a bit to - average, with a ton of potential, but that's where it ends.
The Post. Rental, or stream in a couple months.
The Darkest Hour
This is simply fantastic. And right up front, Gary Oldman gives one of the best performances I have ever seen. He stars as Winston Churchill in the incredible movie about the early and dark days of WWII in England, and his defiance of Hitler and even members of his own government.
Oldman should win about every award there is for this. It's one thing to transform and invent a fictional character for a movie. It's quite another to take on the awesome responsibility to play maybe the most important historical figure of the 20th century. Oldman is amazing, and totally unrecognizable as he becomes Churchill. In this, Churchill is real, good, fallible, and human.
The script is incredible, and the amount of dialogue that Oldman delivers is insane. And he delivers it with unmatched skill. His performance alone is not to be missed.
The Darkest Hour. Fantastic.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
MOVIE REVIEWS - In Theaters Now
New year, new movies, let's see what's out there for you right now in the theaters.
The Commuter
Liam Neeson recently said he is done making action movies, but that must have been before he and Vera Farmiga made this one. His formula over the past few Mid-Winters with action flicks has proven to be a winner for him. And despite the formula, and your possible eye-rolling, I enjoyed this.
This is the story of a an ex-cop (Neeson) that has financial problems, that works in New York City and rides a commuter train every morning. He meets up with the very beautiful, but strange woman (Farmiga) who makes him a proposition one morning on the train. He gets 100K if he finds a certain person on the train and gives them up to her and her "peeps." He reluctantly does, but later learns that he is in a world of trouble, and so is his family.
This drags badly out of the box, and is a bit too laggy after the movies main climax. BUT for the moments in between this is fun, moves nicely and holds us very well. Is this great? No, but it's January enjoyable, and for the most part is done quite well. Special effects are good, this is filmed well, and Neeson again, is the same guy in another action movie, but I'm good with it.
The Commuter. Worth it now, or a stream later. Matinee good way to go, or bargain day.
All The Money In The World
This may be the most overrated movie of the year. This is one of those dreaded "based on true events" movies, and my radar always goes off when I see that. This is story of the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty's grandson in the early 1970's. Getty was the worlds richest man at that time, and his refusal to pay the ransom, and the aftermath.
This stars Mark Wahlberg, Christopher Plummer and the incredible Michelle Williams. SHE is amazing in this as the mother of the kidnapped boy, and deserves every good thing that may come her way as a result of her performance. Plummer, you may remember took over on very short notice for the fired Kevin Spacey, and gives a nice performance. But let's not get carried away, this is not an award worthy role.
And it's not his fault. This is too darn long, very draggy in sections, and as you watch this, you can't help but really wonder what is fact, what is embellished, and what is flat out Hollywood. Don't get caught up in the hype, this is a decent flick, but not one of the years best.
All The Money In The World. Stream or rental for sure, but Williams is great, she is Hollywood's best actress.
The Commuter
Liam Neeson recently said he is done making action movies, but that must have been before he and Vera Farmiga made this one. His formula over the past few Mid-Winters with action flicks has proven to be a winner for him. And despite the formula, and your possible eye-rolling, I enjoyed this.
This is the story of a an ex-cop (Neeson) that has financial problems, that works in New York City and rides a commuter train every morning. He meets up with the very beautiful, but strange woman (Farmiga) who makes him a proposition one morning on the train. He gets 100K if he finds a certain person on the train and gives them up to her and her "peeps." He reluctantly does, but later learns that he is in a world of trouble, and so is his family.
This drags badly out of the box, and is a bit too laggy after the movies main climax. BUT for the moments in between this is fun, moves nicely and holds us very well. Is this great? No, but it's January enjoyable, and for the most part is done quite well. Special effects are good, this is filmed well, and Neeson again, is the same guy in another action movie, but I'm good with it.
The Commuter. Worth it now, or a stream later. Matinee good way to go, or bargain day.
All The Money In The World
This may be the most overrated movie of the year. This is one of those dreaded "based on true events" movies, and my radar always goes off when I see that. This is story of the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty's grandson in the early 1970's. Getty was the worlds richest man at that time, and his refusal to pay the ransom, and the aftermath.
This stars Mark Wahlberg, Christopher Plummer and the incredible Michelle Williams. SHE is amazing in this as the mother of the kidnapped boy, and deserves every good thing that may come her way as a result of her performance. Plummer, you may remember took over on very short notice for the fired Kevin Spacey, and gives a nice performance. But let's not get carried away, this is not an award worthy role.
And it's not his fault. This is too darn long, very draggy in sections, and as you watch this, you can't help but really wonder what is fact, what is embellished, and what is flat out Hollywood. Don't get caught up in the hype, this is a decent flick, but not one of the years best.
All The Money In The World. Stream or rental for sure, but Williams is great, she is Hollywood's best actress.
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