New DVD/BluRay/Streaming this week!!

Three pretty good releases this week.


INTERSTELLAR
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Screenplay- Jonathan and Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matthew McConaughey; Anne Hathaway; Jessica Chastain; and Michael Cain



A team of explorers attempt to travel through a wormhole in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival.
Christopher Nolan films always leave me wondering...what the heck was that??!!
This one did the same thing. It was interesting; exciting; it flips all over the place; and I was left thinking, WHAT THE...??!!!!
Even though I was confused as it flipped, I cant explain it, I still liked it. Maybe it was the acting that pushed it through, or the fantastic special effects. Whatever it was that attracted me to the film it was worthy of 4 out of 5 stars from me. Watch it and try to figure it out, it is oddly fun.


THE IMITATION GAME
Directed by Morten Tyldum
Screenplay by Graham Moore
Based on the book by Andrew Hodges
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley



During World War II, a Mathematician with awkward social skills, Alan Turing (Cumberbatch), , tries to crack the enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians including a woman Joan Clarke (Knightley) who becomes Turing's closest friend. By solving the code as quick as possible, they can save many lives in Europe.It is a race against the clock.
I went into the theatre not knowing the Turing story. What I found was a sad story. A very sad story. It is not about just breaking the code, it is about the life of Turing.  A man who, for his country, for freedom, helps Europe in WW11 fight the Germans. However..later in life, the freedom he helped Europe keep, does not cover his own life. It is upsetting. What is also upsetting, is the fact the films trailer did not touch on the secret life of Turing, which is a huge part of the film. So you feel sad for him because he was not free to live his life the way he wanted, and still after all these years the film's producers today did not feel comfortable showing that major part of the film in the trailer. The producers obviously felt if they included his private life in the trailer, people may not pay to watch the film. Interesting.
Well, I will get off my soapbox and give 3 out of 5 stars for The Imitation Game. It is a interesting part of history that should be seen.

WILD
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee
Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed
Starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern



A chronicle of Cheryl Strayed's 1,100-mile solo hike on The Pacific Crest Trail, undertaken as a way to step away from life. To move on from bad decisions. To come to grips with the loss of her mother.
Beautiful looking. Great score. Well written, not insulting Strayed, her book/story is pretty amazing, but Hornby moves the story along better than her book does. Yes, the film has an abrupt ending, but in reality, you know all you need to know when you reach the end.
The Acting!! Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl, is fantastic, a well deserved Oscar Nomination. Laura Dern as Strayed's mom is wonderful in a small role, also a well deserved Oscar Nomination.
The film is uplifting. It makes you grab your computer and look up the Pacific Crest Trail, and wonder...could I??!!
The film is sad. The film is funny. The film can be tense. The film can be gross (toe nails ouch!). The film can be upsetting ( wish they would have explained in the film what they explained in the book, the horse was very sick). The film makes you think. The film is true.
The film was my favorite of 2014. 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for Wild.
 Also!! I keep forgetting to mention a couple things about this film:
Try not to tear up during the sweet Red River Valley scene.
Also...Watch through the credits, you see the real Cheryl on the PCT!!!


Well three good films released this week!!
Enjoy your Easter and as always thanks for your time.

MONDAY: DVD/BLURAY/STREAMING RECOMMENDED

My weekly review of a recommended film that may have passed you by:




3 Days To Kill
Directed by McG
Screenplay: Adi Hasak and Luc Besson
Starring: Kevin Costner; Amber heard; and Hailee Steinfeld



A dying CIA agent, (Costner) while trying to take care if his estranged daughter, is offered an experimental drug by Vivi Delay (Amber Heard), another agent, that could save his life in exchange for one last assignment.
This film surprised me. It has a combination of thriller, drama, and comedy. Usually when a film combines all of these elements it struggles with the tone. I think this works because it takes all these elements and it acknowledges it, the screenwriters owns this by combining the elements for laughs and thrills into certain scenes. For example, In one scene he is threatning a witness and helping his daughter at the same time!! It is odd and it works.
Costner is on a roll right now: Hatfield And McCoys; Man Of Steel; Jack Ryan; Draft Day; and McFarland USA, all very good performances. He must have a really good agent (other than the heavy handed Black Or White), his choices have been really good. This film is no exception, he is in every scene and is not afraid of growing old or looking old on screen.

4 out of 5 stars for 3 Days To Die. An enjoyable and sometimes silly film, that is not made to win awards, but just to sit down and have fun watching. 3 Ways To Die is available on Netflix for rent and to stream.


As always thanks for your time.

Film Review: A Girl Like Her ( A Scary Look Inside A High School)

A Girl Like Her
Directed And Screenplay by Amy S.Weber
Starring: Lexi Ainsworth; Hunter King; and Jimmy Bennett




A Mockumentary centered around the suicide attempt of Jessica Burns (Ainsworth). When a "documentary" crew is in the school doing a story on one of the best high schools in the country when the story about Jessica falls into their laps. They start asking around about Jessica and start finding out that maybe Avery Keller (Hunter King) played a part in it. Especially when they find out that Jessica's best friend, Brian (Jimmy Bennett) has filmed Jessica's last six months using a pin camera. Amy S Weber made a very good decision here because it puts you in the hallways of the school.
This film is disturbing, and yet soooo good. While I was watching it I was confused by why this is in a movie theatre. Why is this not playing at schools? Why is it not on HBO instead, where it can get more eyes to watch it?
I worked in one of the top high schools in the country for 10+ years. So I came in looking for holes in the story. I could only find maybe one fault. And that is...once Jessica attempts suicide...that camera crew would be gone, out of the building right away. The way they interviewed Avery would not be allowed on school grounds.
What writer and director Weber did right here, and there is a lot right here was:
Weber showed how a suicide attempt brings overwhelming sadness to the family involved. I felt that was important for a teen watching the film to see how final it can be and how the action of suicide affects those you love.
Weber shows how awful it is for the best friend who knew a lot, but promised to say nothing.
She shows the different ways of bullying. Including social media. Pack mentality with a leader. And the simple things like just a look which is hard to explain to others if it happens to you, but when you see it in the film you can almost feel Jessica being stabbed.
Weber touches on teachers in the school honestly saying....well the priority is making sure the public does not know the secrets. In other words trying to play it down and keeping it in house (In reality those teachers after saying that would no longer be employed probably).
She focuses on students who knew what was going on but out of fear, never said anything and now after the fact light candles and do interviews to let the public know they cared but in reality at the time they did not care enough.
Parents of students being angry about what happened and voicing outrage but in reality their child is part of the group that bullies. And when pressed upon it, they blame others... NOT MY DAUGHTER!
Another disturbing scene is a look inside Avery's house. I will leave it at this...Avery has learned from others.

Faults on the writing? I would say, not much focus falls on the girls who followed Avery. They are to blame also. Also, Avery's reaction to the video seemed out of character, too quickly.


This was a long review for a well acted, very good film, yet disturbingly real film, that should be seen in every school. Find a way to see this film!!
4 out of 5 stars for A Girl Like Her.


As always thanks for your time.

Movie Review: GET HARD

It is Wednesday!!! Yay or Nay trailers!!!!

Yay Or Nay Trailers!! Judging the movie just by looking at the trailer!!

PAPER TOWNS
Released Date July 24 2015



I did not read John Green's Paper Towns. I did, however, like Fault In our Stars the last movie based on a John Green book. This film looks fun and entertaining. I am not familiar with the two leads, I remember Nat Wolff had a small part in Fault. Only concern is it looks like the Margo character could be a little annoying. That concern is not enough for me to shoot down the film, again I go back to my love of Fault. I say YAY!!


RIDE
Release Date May 1 2015



This looks like it could be really corny. It does star Helen Hunt who I really liked in her last film The Sessions. I like Luke Wilson who is I feel is an under rated actor who is known for comedy but also does a strong job with acting parts in dramas. I waffled on this Yay Or Nay. The intrigue of Helen Hunt writing and directing this peaks my interest. So YAY.


WOMAN IN GOLD
Release Date April 1 2015



Helen Mirren has a good track record. I think Katie Holmes is an underrated actress. Now Ryan Reynolds, he does nothing for me to draw me to a movie. The subject matter is based on a true story, but the it seems kind of boring. I am not saying it is not important, but I am saying it may not be interesting enough to be captivating in a full length feature film. It almost seems like it should be a TV movie on maybe HBO. Nay.


As always thanks for your time.

New DVD/BluRay/Streaming Releases This Week

Three new releases of note this week!!
However....not a good week for releases.
Lets Start with:

The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Screenplay: Fran Walsh; Philippa Boyens; Peter Jackson; and Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman
Based on the book of J.R.R. Tolkien



Ugh!! Are they still walking??!! If they just have called Uber this would have been done a couple parts ago!!
Well I am not going to go through the plot, if you do not know the plot by now you are not interested anyway.
Jackson made the decision to break down the book into three parts for the movie release. I can understand that....we see many beloved books being cut apart too much to fit into a 2 hour film. However I think here three parts was over kill. To me, it became almost exhausting for the viewer. At one point in the theatre I put my hand up and made a circular motion, a symbol to move things along. Move the story!! Often I felt like I was watching a film of people watching. Which is a shame because I like the storyline, so it goes back to my original thought of ...maybe two parts could have told the story and moved it along at a better pace.
Positives: Jackson has always been good at casting and here he was successful again with Freeman. You love him and hope for the best for him, which is very important in this long story.

Well it was a good finish to the series connecting it to the Lord Of The Rings Series.
I will give Battle of The Five Armies 3 out of 5 stars, better than average. I would give The Hobbit Three Part Series 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. It just felt long and exhausting.


Moving on to:
Into The Woods
Directed by: Rob Marshall
Screenplay: James Lapine
Starring: James Corden; Anna Kendrick; Emily Blunt; Tracey Ullman; Johnny Depp; Chris Pine; and Meryl Streep
Based on the musical by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim



An allstar cast!! Every single actor/actress in this musical are fantastic.
The film starts out so strong. Taking fairy tales and twisting them all over the place!! I am watching this in the theatre thinking, the story line is real good, the music is real good, I am in, this is really fun. Then right at the half way mark a giant shows up and just stomps on the film. The second half is a mess and rather sad.
An odd decision by Disney to procure the rights for this moderately successful musical. I am thinking their thought process is...it plays like a Disney fairy tale. Still it is just odd, especially somehow after losing out on the rights to Wicked to Universal Studios, which had Disney written all over it. It just feels that what they got here was a B side to Wicked (Still to be honest, Universal still does not know what to do with Wicked as it sits there. At least Disney made this musical).
Well 2 1/2 of 5 for Into The Woods. Right down the middle for a musical that only had a good half.


And finally this week:

Unbroken
Directed by Angelina Jolie
Screenplay by Joel and Ethan Cohen; Richard Lagravenese and William Nicholson
Starring Jack O'Connell
Based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand



After a plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
A very difficult watch. Jolie made a decision here to be to honest. She decided to not only show us the torture that Louis went through but to show us over and over and over. Yes it is all true. However very hard to sit and watch. So much torture, it almost made you want to get up and leave the theatre. I know he was tortured, I know!! Zamperini ( Well played by Jack O'Connell) is a hero and I wanted to see more of other parts of his life also. I cannot recommend this movie but I really really urge you to find the book by Hillenbrand it expands more on his unbelievable life.
Sadly 2 stars out of 5 for Unbroken.

A quick note. A better film cut from the same cloth The Railway Man starring Colin Firth. About another hero Eric Lomax. It is available through Netflix. In other words I recommend reading Unbroken and watching The Railway Man.


Well as always thanks for your time.

MONDAY DVD/BLURAY/STREAMING RECOMMENDED

First let me mention some maintenance. I changed my URL this morning for the odd reason a letter became available over the weekend so I jumped on it. So if you have my URL saved, change it to the new one!! Under the new URL you can still read past posts!!
Now that is out of the way..I move on too recommended Monday, in which I recommend a film that may have passed you by when it first came out.

Stories We Tell
Directed by Sarah Polley
Narrated by Michael Polley



A documentary with a mix of interviews; home movies; and reenactments. Sarah Polley creates an intriguing profile of her family, especially her mother, Diane, who died when Polley was 11 years old. While the focus was on her mother who was a stage actress in Canada, which I think was the original purpose of her documentary, the film veers off that target after some surprising revelations get uncovered.
Sara Poley, known more for being an actress in films such as Go and John Adams. Here she does a wonderful job directing and writing, keeping you interested with intrigue and a little humor. The documentary won 27 awards out of 28 opportunities while making its festival tour.
The reenactment are kind of corny but I guess that may be because it is a documentary and did not have a huge budget. Also...it does come across a little long, it could have used a small amount of editing. Still, you cannot stop watching.
After watching this I felt really bad for Sarah's father and thought a little less of her mother. I just think what she did was mean. I do not know if Sarah meant for people to feel that way. Then I think, her mother made a decision and could not go back in time...she pushed forward. So there is sadness also for her,,,how heavy her secrets probably were. I am sure everybody leaves this with different opinions. Here is a great quote from the film: "When you're in the middle of a story, it isn't a story at all but rather a confusion, a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood, like a house in a whirlwind or else a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the rapids, and all aboard are powerless to stop it. It's only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all, when you're telling it to yourself or someone else". So true.


Well every family has their secrets I guess..not many like this.
I give Stories We Tell 4 out of 5 stars. It is available on DVD and streaming through Netflix.


As always thanks for your time.

Movie Review: Insurgent/The Divergent Series

Insurgent
Directed by Robert Schwentke
Scrrenplay: Akiva Goldsman; Brian Duffield; and Mark Bomback
Based on the novels by Veronica Roth
Starring: Shailene Woodley; Theo James; Kate Winslet; Miles Teller; and Ansel Elgort



Tris (Woodley) must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while finding her identity and loyalties and falling in love.

I felt Divergent was a minor league Hunger Games. I did not enjoy Divergent, I just did not like any of the characters and because of that I did not care about the characters.
Now, part two, Insurgent becomes Divergent with less stunts and more bore. This is pretty much a film stealing ideas from Harry Potter-Sorting Hat; Matrix; and The Hunger Games. And with all that stealing, I still don't care!!!!
This movie I felt was a mess. After all these years we finally found worse shooters than the Storm Troopers in Star Wars. I mean people are 10 feet in front of them and they continuously miss. And decisions are goofy. They will kill people with a snap of the finger bad guys/bad girls who are shooting at them (and missing), however they will not take down the head of the snake, Kate Winslet. They had a chance to do so at the end of Divergent and in this movie. I don't get it! I want to shout at the screen, "What are you doing! I know she survived the Titanic it does not mean you cant put her down like the person you shot 10 minutes ago! She is trying to kill you!". While I am complaining, another irksome problem in the script: How many times in one film can you pull out the ...Oh That Was Just A Dream Card/ You Fooled Me!!

Okay I am done ripping this film. Here is some good:
 Miles Teller is an interesting character, but not on the screen enough. The last 5 minutes was interesting which made me interested in what happens next (But sadly also in that 5 minutes a ridiculous scene: "Okay I Want All Actors To Skip And Laugh While Coming Out Of The Building"! It looks silly).
 So now the last 5 minutes got me interested in the what happens next, however sadly, rumor has it the next book or part of the story is going to be split into two parts. Ugh!!

So I give Insurgent 1 1/2 stars out of 5. If you feel you need to continue with the Divergent story save time and watch the first five minutes and the last five minutes of Insurgent at home on DVD, then wait for the next part and hope for a better sequel.


Again, as always thanks for your time.   

The Breakfast Club Revisited 30 Years Later

30 years later The Breakfast Club will hit theaters for a couple nights next week.


Don't Forget about Me:




So lets look back with some exciting (okay not that exciting ) fun facts (okay maybe not so fun).


LEFT OUT BUT TRIED?!
Laura Dern and Robin Wright auditioned for the role of Clair

Rick Moranis was originally locked in to play the janitor but backed out due to differences with John Hughes.

Nicholas Cage was thought of for John Bender

John Cusak  auditioned for Bender a couple times.

Jodie Foster considered for Claire.

Brooke Shields considered for Allison.


OF NOTE:
Hughes almost fired Judd Nelson several times because of his bad attitude.

At the end of the film John Hughes gave each actor a piece of the library's banister.

The library in the film was actually a gymnasium in Wayne North High School which is shut down as a high school.

The film was originally conceived as a "franchise starter" where they would revisit each character 10 years later. That fell through for what people were guessing one of two reasons: 1-John Hughes and Judd Nelson's bad relationship. Or 2-The relationship between John Hughes and Molly Ringwald became strained when she turned down Some Kind Of Wonderful, which he wrote with Ringwald in mind. She explained she wanted to pull away from teenage films. Which Hughes took personally.

Anthony Michael Hall's real mom and sister play his mom and sister in the film.

The David Bowie quote at the beginning of the film was suggested by Ally Sheedy.

The dandruff flakes from Allison's hair was parmesan cheese.

The film was shot entirely in sequence. In fact they ran through the movie first a couple times before it was put on film like it was a stage play.

That is John Hughes playing Brian's father.

The reasons each character is in detention on Saturday:
Andy (Andrew): tapes a guy's butt cheeks together in the locker room
Brian: flare gun goes off in his locker
Bender: pulls a false fire alarm
Claire: ditches class to go shopping
Allison: didn't do anything, she didn't have anything better to do on a Saturday



ADLIBBED?:
The scene when they were sitting around in the circle talking.

Judd Nelson iconic fist pump in the air was adlibbed!!!!

Judd Nelson's joke while crawling through the rafters. There is no actual punchline to the joke.

Why do you have a photo ID? So I can vote. Adlibbed!!


IT WAS ORIGINALLY A 2 1/2 HOUR FILM. ALL NEGATIVES WERE DESTROYED
LEFT ON THE FLOOR OR THROWN FROM THE SCRIPT??!!
Principal Vernon being a perv watching the girls swim team practice.

Carl predicts where the five kids will be in 30 years. Bender will have killed himself, Claire will have had "2 boob jobs and a face lift," Brian will have become very successful but die of a heart attack due to the stress of the high paying job. Allison will be a great poet but no one will care, and Andrew will marry a gorgeous airline stewardess who will become fat after having kids.

John Bender was not going to walk to school in the original script. He was going to be driven by his dad in a rusty tow truck, and have a brief fight with him before his dad drives off. Bender also tossed a bagged lunch, his father saying "You are a waste of lunch meat!"

The scene where Andrew and Allison are walking to get the sodas is extended to a point where Allison pulls out a pack of cigarettes and smokes one.  After getting the sodas, Bender shakes his can violently and places it among the five to see who gets the rigged one. Allison ends up getting it, and when she opens the can, all the soda squirts directly into her mouth.

After Vernon asks who has to use the lavatory, the five go to the bathroom. Vernon gives the boys 2 minutes and the girls 3 minutes. Claire catches Allison in a stall eating a bag of chips, repulsing her. Bender mocks Brian for sitting down to pee instead of using a urinal.

When the group is sitting in the circle and Allison mentions that she can write (and do other things) with her toes, then begins to show the group her talents.

Several staff members were cut out of the script before filming. A social studies teacher who dresses oddly. A female gym teacher who helps Vernon on a few workout machines until Vernon injures his back. And she eventually visits the students while they are in their circle in the library.


Looking back at this blog. It is sad to see that they will not make any "revisits" to the "club". With John Hughes passing sadly I do not see it happening.

I also think , like a lot of John Hughes films, when you watch the films at different times in your life you have different thoughts and opinions of the characters and their behaviors which I think makes John Hughes films timeless.

So in the theatre next week or at home revisit The Breakfast Club and see how it holds up for you!!!


I WILL CLOSE THIS LONG BLOG WITH MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
John Bender: Hey, how come Andrew gets to get up? If he gets up, we'll all get up, it'll be anarchy.

John Bender: So it's sorta social, demented and sad, but social. Right?

Vernon: Don't mess with the bull, young man. You'll get the horns.

Brian Johnson: Chicks cannot hold their smoke, dat's what it is.


Again thanks for your time.

Yay or Nay??!! Trailers!!!!

It is Yea or Nay trailer time!!!


Infinitely Polar Bear
Release Date June 19



Well. This looks like it could be sad yet sweet and funny in a weird way. Mark Ruffalo is one of my favorites. Does he turn into the Hulk if he does not get his meds??!! Yea!!!


Trainwreck
Release Date July 17



I am not to familiar with Amy Schumer. I know she has a popular show that she writes and stars in called Inside Amy Schumar. From the trailer this looks really funny. Jud Apatow is in a slump after Funny People and This Is Forty...this looks like it could be a comeback for him. Yea!!!


Inside Out
Release Date June 19



Pixar has been in a creative hole I think lately. Doing too many sequels. Now just going by the trailer the film looks like a neat idea. However it looks scattered with out a tone. And the look does not feel like a Pixar film, the colors do not pop and backgrounds look muted. Sadly from the trailer and I hope I am wrong...Nay!!



Again...as always thanks for your time.

DVD/BluRay Releases This Week

Many releases this week too note.
I will start with the good and then move down to the bad.

Top Five
Written and Directed by Chris Rock
Starring Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson



The film made my top 10 movies for 2014. This film is pretty much like Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise/Before Sunset/Before Midnight films. 
Chris plays an actor trying to keep his career going in the face of his reality-TV star fiancée (Gabrielle Union) convincing him to broadcasting their wedding on her TV show. Dawson plays a reporter following Rock around for the day as he tells her stories of his past and his future dreams while trying to deal with the now. This movie is so well written and soooo funny ( there is one raunchy scene in the middle that is hilarious and at the same time hard to watch). It is hard to find smart comedies being released today and Chris Rock comes through here. He also helped by many supporting players. Who? How about: Seinfeld/Cedric The Entertainer/Tracey Morgan/Leslie Jones/Kevin Hart and so many more. I want him to do a follow up like Linklater!
4 1/2 out of 5 stars.


Penguins Of Madagascar
Directed by Eric Darnell and Simon J Smith
Screenplay 7 credits...yes 7!!



An off shoot of DreamWorks animated Madagascar films. Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private join forces with undercover organization The North Wind to stop the Dr. Octavius Brine from destroying the world.
This movie was clearly not made for me. In fact I was annoyed by the penguins in the other films. In fact I never was a fan of the Madagascar films.
I always felt the characters and the jokes get old quick and I think the same happens here.
For adults 1 1/2 of 5 stars. For kids...I think it will keep them entertained 4 out of 5.


Exodus: Gods And Kings
Directed by Ridley Scott
Screenplay: Adam Cooper and Bill Collage
Starring: Christian Bale



 Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and plagues. And from this film.
This was real bad. Filled with bad special effects and bad makeup and it is shocking that Ridley Scott directed it. You just watch and it seems that the film got too big and then got away from Scott.
1 1/2 out of 5 stars.


Annie 2014
Directed by Will Gluck
Screenplay by Will Gluck and Aline Brosh McKenna
Starring: Jamie Foxx; Quvenzhane Wallis; Rose Byrne; Bobby Cannavale; and  Cameron Diaz



My pick as a tie between this and The Interview as the worst movies of 2014.
Where to start:
Quvenzhane Wallis:  Cannot sing. And when I saw her in Beasts Of The Southern Wild I thought she cannot act. However people were saying how great she was. I thought...maybe I missed something. Then I see her here in Annie. No, I did not miss anything, she cannot act. She is bad.
Rose Byrne: Miscast. Singing was a stretch.
Cameron Diaz: Over acting. And so bad at singing I have no idea what they were thinking while casting. I promise you if you decide to pop this in for your kids, you will be shocked by how bad she is here.
Bobby Cannavale: Has a look on his face like "what was I thinking?".
A bright spot?
Jamie Foxx was all in and can sing and dance.
Because of Jamie Foxx I will give it 1 star out 5. The star is for Jamie Foxx and that is all.


Well, as always thanks for your time.