New Film Review: Alice Through The Looking Glass

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Directed by James Bobin
Screenplay by Linda Woolverton
Based on the books by Lewis Carroll
Starring: Mia Wasikowska; Johnny Depp; Helena Bonham Carter; Sacha Baron Cohen; and Anne Hathaway



Full disclosure, I was one of the rare people who kind of liked the 2010 version of Alice In Wonderland. I thought it looked awesome, so different, it took some chances, bringing a new light to an old story.
I went to the theater not being able to avoid the bad reviews swarming this film on the internet. However, that did not bother me, I mean, critics were harsh about the the first film, and as noted I liked that film, so my mind was open.
Well this film is....odd...it lacked rhythm; Let me break it down without spoilers:

The performances:
Wasikowska as Alice, whom I loved in the first film. Here she again gives a pretty good performance obviously acting for most of the story against green screens and not real sets.
Hathaway returns as Mariana with a bigger part. I love her as Mariana. She is so over the top odd. Just watch her hand motions, so funny, and almost clueless.
Baron Cohen as the time keeper is not as over the top as .....well...Baron Cohen usually is.
Bonham Carter as Iracebeth returns and is not as over the top as the first film. Here she is almost sad.
Johnny Depp. Ugh. The Depp act is old. To be honest every time I saw him on the screen here, I just wanted him to go away. There lies the problem, the story of the hatter is the major plot point.

The look:
The look is really bad. I do not know if Disney spent their budget on the star power and ran out of money for good CGI. Every special effect looks terrible. It distracts you from the story line. Disney in 2016!!!! This is embarrassing that they put out this film, looking like this, into the market. I thought often, while sitting in the theater, of a 1962 Disney film called In Search of The Castaways which had the same CGI  look (Or what ever they called it in 1962). That was 1962!!! That is not good.

The screenplay: I think it had two main story lines: 1- Save the Hatter 2-Time. Save the Hatter I did not give a damn about. Again that is a huuuuuuuge problem. However, Time. The Time story line is very interesting. In fact time is the biggest character in the film Think about it...what is time for Alice. She falls down a hole or walks through a mirror. Does time stop or does it move on? Does it matter either way? Time. You cant change time but you can learn from it. I loved that story line. I found it interesting that Baron Cohen's character is not only the protector of time, but is actual time. It took me back to a time travel film from 2013 that I really liked called About Time (See It Please) which also deals not as much with time travel but...the use of time.
Now all that being said, the Time story line is slightly deep. Which makes me wonder who this film is for. The Time story line will go over their heads, and they marketed this movie to children. In fact most of the story I do not know if they can relate to or even at least get a laugh out of it. I predict, with all that being said, will make this film a big fail for Disney. And they deserve this fail.

I give Alice Through The Looking Glass 2 stars out of 5. I did not think it was great, or very good, however I do not think it is as bad as critics are saying. The film has at least half an interesting story line and some good performances. It will be worth a peak when it come to home viewing. I would not pay to see it in the theaters.

As always thanks for your time from the shadows.

New Film Review: Love And Friendship

LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

Director Whit Stillman
Screenplay Whit Stillman
Based on the story by Jane Austin
Starring Kate Beckinsale




Lady Susan Vernon (Beckinsale), takes up a temporary residence with former in-laws as she tries to manipulate herself and her daughter into their lives and find a way  is no longer homeless.

When you think British humor Jane Austin does not come to mind. Well here it is!!
It works!! Mainly because of two performances:
Beckinsale as Lady Susan Vernon is fantastic. So manipulative!! So full of crap, and the funny thing is I think sometimes she believes her crap, which makes it funny.She owns this part. So believable and you never get the feeling she is in over head playing this part which is the type of part you do not think of when you think of Beckinsale. She pulls it off.
Tom Bennett as Sir James Martin. He arrives into this film at around the half way mark and steals every scene he is in. He is a lovable.....naive...I guess...idiot. You are amazed by the things that come out of his mouth(Little Green Balls). So dry and funny!!
This film is only 92 minutes so it does not overstay its welcome. The humor is very dry and it is very quick, to a point that something funny is said and maybe 30 seconds later you catch it and start laughing even though something funny is happening now (British Humor).
Negatives?
Maybe too many characters for a 90 minute film, it takes a bit to get who is who and who falls in line with whom. Still, I think director Stillman understands this problem and he literally introduces the characters by stopping the story and explaining who is who. That works......and even that is dry and funny.

4 out of 5 stars for this surprisingly funny Jane Austin based story. Well Done!!

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Releases For Home Viewing This Week

Three films released this week worth noting for home viewing (not counting Risen).

ZOOLANDER 2

Directed by Ben Stiller
Screenplay by Justin Theroux; Ben Stiller; Nicholas Stoller; and John Hamburg
Starring Ben Stiller; Owen Wilson; Penelope Cruz; and Will Ferrell



Lets get right to it. I liked it. I did not love it, but that is okay, I laughed many times.
It is just stupid fun. Either you get it or you do not. I get it.
 I think the issue that makes it not as good as the first Zoolander is that it pulled away from a spoof of the fashion industry and became almost a Wayan's like parody of a spy film. Zoolander is searching for his lost son. He was taken from him because of an unfortunate spaghetti incident. Thus is the plot, and if course the fashion industry is involved. Again, you have to laugh at the stupidity. This film is filled with many funny lines. Are they as quotable or memorable as the first one? I guess time will tell.
Here is what you learn here or do not learn:
-Hansel is still really hot right now
-How does spaghetti get soft????!!!
-Not many people worry about the death of Justin Bieber
-Swimsuit models feel less but they can swim
-If Anna Wintour is not heading toward the red carpet there is an issue
- Blue Steel takes a lot of work.
-Watch who you put in charge of building the school, for kids who cannot read good.
-Rocky Horror Picture reference? If you see the film find it. I \laughed but I was the only one.
-Sting is a hero!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay...no spoilers. I am just saying it is not as funny as the first film, but I laughed many times watching this one.
3 out of 5 stars for Zoolander 2.


THE FINEST HOURS
Directed by Craig Gillespie
Screenplay by Scott Silver; Paul Tamasay; and Eric Johnson
Based on the book by:Casey Sherman and Michael Tougias
Starring: Chris Pine; Casey Affleck; Ben Foster; and Holliday Grainger




Coast Guard Bernie Webber (Pine) makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952.

The acting in this amazing true story is really good.
Chris Pine who has the main role as Bernie Webber you would think he would be boisterous, however he comes across as aloof. With his sagging shoulders and quiet by the book mentality he really plays against the type of a Captain James Kirk.
Casey Affleck who rarely gives a bad performance but is often stuck in the shadows of his brother may even be better than Pine, the star, as Ray Sybert. In fact Ray Sybert who saves half the tanker and helps to keep it up maybe a bigger hero than Webber.
Ben Foster and Eric Banna are also in this film but really do not have much to do except stare.
Holliday Grainger as Miriam Webber is also very good in her part as the woman waiting. I have not seen her before, and she shined here.
Now as for the film itself. There lies a slight problem. It needed editing 117 minutes was way to long. Why? We get shots of Webber on his boat in rain seeing nothing, and we get it, it was hard to see. As a viewer....we are watching nothing also, and you kinda get bored. Editing. Then we get waaaaay to many shots of what is going on in Cape Cod. Disney cannot help itself, if we can have one harrowing scene of waiting why not have 20. Editing.
 Also there is word that a major part of a steel beam is false that was added...which is sad because the story seems to be able to stand on its own. Of course we get the corny ending which I don't mind, I don't mind a good corny ending but this one even had my eye rolling.
It is a shame because it is a really good true story. Amazing and exciting, and as noted well acted. In fact I am glad they made the good decision during the credits to give us looks of the real characters and what became of them.
3 out 5 stars for The Finest Hours. Just needs an editor. It will be enjoyable at home on the small screen.


HOW TO BE SINGLE
Directed by Christian Ditter
Screenplay by Abby Cohn; Dana Fox; and Mark Silverstein
Based on the book by Liz Tuccillo
Starring Dakota Johnson; Rebel Wilson; Leslie Mann; Jake Lacy; Anders Holm; and Damon Wayans Jr




I am getting right to the point here. I saw this trailer and then I thought uhoh.
I am here to say or blog......I liked this movie!!
The one thing to know is....this is not a comedy. It is real life. It works. What looks like what could be a predictable film really is not.
Lets see why:
Dakota Johnson...Leaving her long time boyfriend to see how she does being unattached. First my blinders may be on for her. I love her. I loved her going back to a wonderful TV series called Ben and Kate. If you can find it watch it. She is fantastic in it. Yes, she got beat up a bit in Fifty Shades, However I thought she was great in this playing off a guy being stiff (no pun intended). Here as Alice she steals the film. You feel her confusion as she seems to be swimming up stream trying to find her place and figuring out single life.
Leslie Mann....I think she is always wonderful and she is again in this film. She represents the older single woman trying to be a successful career woman and trying to figure out how to bring a partner into her busy life. Now Jake Lacy plays the young man chasing her. He is coming off a good performance in Love The Coopers, here he plays almost the same character. The chemistry between him and Mann is fantastic. I wanted to see more of them.
Rebel Wilson....I worry about her being a one act actress as I watched this. I also thought in the beginning her character was not really needed. However as the film went on she becomes a more rounded individual or more rounded single person. A different type of single person.
Alison Brie....who played  Lucy in this film was good but...I really did not care about her or the bartender she was friends with. I just did not care and she could have been cut from the film and I would have been fine with the focus just being on the other three ladies.

One more quick note Damon Wayans Jr is wonderful in this film playing a single father.

Well all in all I was pleasantly surprised by this. It just felt well written and real.
3 1/2 stars out of 5 for How To Be Single. At the end you feel like the film just lays there but it sticks with you.

From The Shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Bad Neighbors 2

BAD NEIGHBORS 2

Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Screenplay by Andrew J Cohen; Brendan O'Brien;Nicholas Stoller; Seth Rogan; and Evan Goldberg
Starring Seth Rogan; Zac Efron; Rose Byrne; and Grace Moretz




Again Mac Radner (Seth Rogan) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) are having Neighbor problems.
This time they get help from former nemesis Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron).

I was not a big fan of the first Bad Neighbors. I just felt it annoying. I tend to get annoyed by people being rude and mean. So coming in to number 2, I heard good things. I was looking forward to this.
Well..............................................NO!!!! Bad Movie!!!!!!!!!!!!

This film was real bad. It was not funny, I did not laugh once. Not once. Did I say not once?
I found every single person in this film to be annoying: stupid; and unrealistic.
THERE WAS FIVE WRITERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can this film be this bad with five writer???!!!
I love Grace Moretz. I think she is a pretty good young actress, here I felt bad for her.

Here is my synopsis of this film. Kids move next door to married couple. They have underage parties that can be calmed down if they call the police. But no. They are idiots. Not in a funny way. Just idiots. The End!!

I know that maybe this film was not made for my age group. However there are parts of this film that younger kids cannot relate to. You may say I don't get this type of humor. I like Zoolander; This Is The End. Superbad. You know why??? They were actually funny.

1/2 stars out of 5 for Neighbors 2. I do not get what critics were watching.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: The Nice Guys

THE NICE GUYS

Directed by Shane Black
Screenplay by Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi
Starring Russell Crowe; Ryan Gosling; and Angourie Rice



Holland (Ryan Gosling), who is a kind of a swindler and a kind of a showy private eye. Jackson (Russell Crowe) a kind of sloppy tough guy private eye. They team up to try to find the reason for the suicide of Misty Mountains a porn star in 1977, and the connection  her suicide may relate to some other person they are looking for.

Right to the point. This film is very funny and entertaining. So far one of the best acted and written film of the year so far.

What works?
Black and Bargozzi's script. They do a great job walking that tightrope between comedy and action and mystery.
Shane Black as the director, brings us into the 70's. A time where there are no cellphones, so investigations meant a lot of leg work. Also a time where parties with way too many drugs were being used and trying to get information from people at said party is a job within itself.

Then we come to some fantastic performances:
Crowe is wonderful playing Jackson. He is overweight and almost downtrodden. He is a big star who is okay playing the straight-man to Gosling. Gosling as Holland is so over the top funny as a single dad and investigator. He is a caring father and at the same time an awful father. He straddles the line of being almost smart to being just comical. Crowe and Gosling have the best chemistry in a comedy action film maybe since Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon movies.

Final note ...... Angourie Rice as Holly, Holland's daughter!!!! Wow, she seems to steal many scenes from the two leads. Lets face it, that is saying something when she is acting with two of Hollywood's best actors. She was so spot on I had to look her up to see what else she has done because she comes across almost fearless acting with these two stars. She really has not been in many films to scream about. She is a find!!

The film gets a little loose and odd at the end but I still loved it. 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars for The Nice Guys. Just a fun time in the theater. Plus, they left it open for a sequel.

As always thanks for your time from the shadows.

New Film Review A Bigger Splash

A BIGGER SPLASH

Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Screenplay by David Kajganich and Alain Page
Starring Tilda Swinton; Matthias Schoenaerts; Ralph Fiennes, and Dakota Johnson




The peaceful vacation of Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) an aging rock star on vocal rest and her boyfriend Paul ( Matthias Schoenaerts)  is disrupted by Harry an old friend (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson).

Many people loved Luca Guadagnino's I Am Love. Me? Not so much. So I come to his A Bigger Splash. As I follow my No Spoiler Review rules this will be tough. I walked away from this film thinking....did I miss something....at the same time...oddly I like it and I think it was because of the performances. So I will start there:

Tilda Swinton as Marianne. She is an aging rock star who is on vocal rest vacationing with her boyfriend on the beautiful Italian Island Of Pantelleria. In Fact Pantelleria itself is a character in the film. Pantelleria is gorgeous!! It is a wonderful performance by Swinton because she does not speak. Every emotion from her is by facial expression. Which kind of leaves me or you as the viewer with some loose ends. You cannot get a sense of what she really thinks of the visitors that crash the retreat.

Matthias Schoenaerts as Paul, Marianne's boyfriend. Lets face it he has never given a bad performance. In this film oddly he talks about as much as Swinton's character. You really do not know what is going through his mind. You feel he does not trust or like Harry, but then they sit down for drinks often. You also see him watching Penelope quietly. Is he "in to her" or just he does not trust her? So speaking of Penelope...........

Dakota Johnson as Penelope. I looooove Dakota. Even before she became famous in Shades Of Grey. I think she is a wonderful actress.While watching this I thought often....what is she up to? Is she just a narcissist? Whatever she is, I think she was up to something. I still have no idea what her motives were. I even went on IMDB Message Boards to read what other people thought of her character. It is even debated on that message board. I do know this..that this Penelope character is the type of Character her mom, Melanie Griffith would play in her younger days. See Something Wild.

Ralph Fiennes as Harry. So you have three people who rarely talk. Do not worry..Harry makes up for that. He does not shut up. Fiennes is so great here. He plays against his type. Usually we see his characters being quiet and thoughtful. Not here!!! There is one fantastically embarrassing and wonderful scene as he sings and dances to Emotional Rescue by the Rolling Stones. He is either being rude, singing, running around naked, yes naked, Did he show up with ulterior motives? You judge when you see it.

Four wonderful performances. With a very confusing script. I walk away from this thinking maybe that was the point. It is open ended, maybe that was the goal to make us keep thinking what the heck was Penelope up to. What was her plan. Why?

Well 3 1/2 out of 5 stars for this odd beautiful; well acted film. Strange thing is when I walked out I thought 3 stars, but after a couple days I raised it a bit. I cannot not stop thinking, again, what was Penelope up to. What was her part if any in all this? If you get a chance to see it you can message me your thoughts

One last note....this film has a lot of nudity. All four stars are nude often. If that offends you this is not the film for you.

As always from the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Release For Home Viewing This Week

Well, only one new release for home viewing to note this week (Ignoring Dirty Grandpa):

THE WITCH
Directed by Robert Eggers
Screenplay by Robert Eggers
Starring Anya Taylor-Joy; Ralph Ineson; Kate Dickie; Harvey Scrimshaw; and Kate Dickie



Well there is a witch. In the woods. As a rabbit or a ram or something.

The Witch........ I think......it was..... just okay. A family is kicked out of their community for something dad did. We never find out and I hope it is not what I think or it hints at.
Then they move close to a wooded area. And months later all hell breaks loose. A baby disappears, and the family becomes unsettled and starts to point fingers at each other.
This film is highlighted by an incredible performance by newcomer Ana Taylor-Roy as Thomasin. It is her movie. She is amazing. You cannot help but feel for her and care about her. When she is upset we get upset. She pulls us in.
Other than that...the movie is tense, yes, but flat. It almost comes across as stage play. We only really see the witch twice. Other than that we are scared, as the family seems to turn on each other. Yes there is a "power" there, so that keeps you involved, but it seems uneventful all the way until a boring ending. No spoilers here.
2 1/2 out of 5 stars, just for the incredible performance by Taylor-Roy. Also a pretty good performance by Harvey Scrimshaw s Thomasin's brother. The rest of the family was annoying. Highlighted by the most annoying two little kids in film in years.
Worth a look for home viewing. They should have moved to a gated community!

As always thanks for your time from the shadows.

New Film Review: Money Monster

MONEY MONSTER

Directed by Jodie Foster
Screenplay by Jamie Linden; Alan Difore; and Jim Koulfe
Starring: George Clooney; Julia Roberts; and Jack O'Connell




Well no explanation needed, the trailer says it all.

I went in to this film really not looking forward to seeing this. For the strangest reason. George Clooney. I am tired of seeing George Clooney and listening to him on my TV. George telling me who to vote for and what is wrong with the country when he really does not live here. He spends almost all of his time in Greece and other countries. And if I was a betting man, to avoid taxes that is where the money he makes hangs out. But I got over myself and went to see this film. You know what? This film is really good!! As always no spoilers here.
What works?
Jack O'Connell as Kyle Budwell, the young man who lost his money, it is his film. He is wonderful. Yes Julia Roberts is in this and she is really good with not much to do but give directions and be tense. George, as noted is in this and yes he is really good being the guy with a gun to his head. Still, Jack o'Connell he is amazing in this. Rollercoastering from wacky, to scared, to angry, to complete sadness. I hope they remember him at Oscar time for supporting actor.....he is that good. Like noted so good he takes the film from the two stars.
Jodie Foster, the director, as always really knows how to tell a story when she is in charge. This film not just a hostage movie, but equally a corporate greed movie. Exciting; tense; and sometimes exasperatingly sad (The scene where Kyle is talking to his girlfriend is stunning, it had me covering my mouth and ears). So yes she sure knows how to tell a story....................which brings me to a problem........
Foster often has trouble closing her films, and in this one I felt the same. The film gets a little wacky at the end. Also, no spoilers here, but when the credits roll, I am thinking whats the point? The whole thing is just sad. Even sadder is...life goes on like nothing happened. Maybe that is the point. We are numb to corruption and violence.

Well 4 stars out of 5 for Money Monster. A very good film. Just some trouble closing. Jack O'Donnell!!!!!

As always thanks for your time from the shadows.

New Release For Home Viewing This Week: Deadpool

Only one film to note this week for home viewing, as you can see:


DEADPOOL
Directed by Tim Miller
Screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza
Starring Ryan Reynolds; TJ Miller; Morena Baccarin; Ed Skrein; and Leslie Uggams



Wade (Ryan Reynolds) finds out he has cancer and is offered a way to live forever. With

I have to admit I went in to this film all superheroed out!!
I was pleasantly surprised with this film. There is a lot to like.
Every performance is spot on. Ryan Reynolds is all in playing this over the top superhero and his chemistry with Morena Baccrin, who plays his girlfriend Vanessa,is fantastic. They play off each other real well. Very believable as a couple. No spoilers here but this is what makes the film work in the second part.
It also works because the film has a real good nasty bad guy, Ajax, played by Ed Skrein.
There are also two really good small performances by TJ Miller as Deadpool's best friend and Leslie Uggams, you read that right, the great Leslie Uggams soo good and funny as Blind Al.

The screenplay is hit and miss. The plot takes awhile to get going. Many jokes fall flat. Like real flat. One liners I just did not laugh at. The second half is when Deadpool's plot really kicks in. It is exciting and a little funnier than the first half, with Reynolds often breaking the fourth wall. Also in the second half we get to meet other, mutants/superheroes: Angel Dust (Gina Carono); Stefan Kapicic voicing Colossus; And Negasonic Teenage Warhead played by Brianna Hildebrand. All of them add a little bit of fun to the second half of the film.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I went in thinking I was not going to like this. Surprisingly it mostly worked.
A couple final notes: It is rated R for a reason, in fact the R rating made it work for me a little more. The R separates this film from other Superhero films Also great intro credits in the beginning (Which made me right away think this is going to be different) and at the end. Watch until the end of the credits we get a tip of the hat to Ferris Bueller.
4 out of 5 stars for Deadpool,

As always thanks for your time from the shadows.

New Film Review: Captain America Civil War

CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Screenplay by Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely
Starring Chris Evans; Robert Downey Jr; Scarlett Johansson; and a bunch of Superheroes




Captain America Civil War is the story of the Republican Party in 2016. Oh...no? Oh okay.

"For the second film in a row I felt like I was watching  a video game for more than half the film while buildings get destroyed (with out mentioning in the real world people live and work in them and most likely died as the fight continues)."

The above was part of my review of The Avengers Age Of Ultra. Which was not a very good film but I wanted to note the above because it is a major plot point in this film. The film divides the Avengers, with one group agreeing with the UN on a policy that The Avengers need okay by governments before moving in to fight evil, The other side thinks waiting causes more deaths.

This film is the best superhero movie I have seen in years. In fact this is what Batman vs Superman should have been.
The screenplay is very good and happily does not rely heavily on fight scenes. It relies heavily on..if you fight bad guys and hurt or kill others while doing so with out government an okay are you then a criminal.
A very interesting premise.
Another highlight of this film are the performances. Every performance is well done. I will highlight a few:
Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther is introduced. He come across as a classy superhero which is kind of cool. I liked him a lot.
Elizabeth Olsen returns as the Scarlet Witch, and she has a much bigger part and she is a kind of a down to earth superhero which I like.
Paul Rudd as Ant-man adds a lot of humor.
Tom Holland is wonderful as Spiderman. I always thought the past Spidermen came across as asses. Holland, at least for now, came across as smart and funny. Also the hottest Aunt May played by Marisa Tomei.
Roberty Downey the veteran of all these superheroes has a very interesting part here. Tony Stark who use to be cocky, he comes across as old and humble and wise in this film. His character is changing a bit and is no longer one note.

As for the battles. I feel they were not overdone and I felt often they were hard to watch. It is like a family picnic and you are standing on the sidelines while a fight breaks out and you hope it just stops. You care for all of them and you hate to see anyone get hurt. Even though in this film Captain America comes across as close minded and a little bit of a jerk.

Negatives?
I felt the Captain America story line with Bucky was annoying and I struggled to really care. Even though I understand it is necessary for the Civil War story line.
The ending. I note often when there is a series of movies like this, I feel there should be a solid ending. Here again the ending left too much open. In fact the ending made the Bucky storyline a little...bit of a waste.
And the reason for the Bucky storyline reveal at the end as almost using him as a guinea pig was almost lazy and silly.

4 out of 5 stars for Captain America Civil War. I wonder if it will make money.

As always from the shadows thanks for your time.

Star Wars Day From The Shadows A Revisit Of The New Hope

Well happy Star Wars Day. Sooo lets take a revist to the original-----Star Wars The New Hope!!

First lets start with the original trailer:




That trailer is hilarious!! It is soooo bad!! "From the people who brought you American Graffiti". Hilarious!!

Okay it is time for fun and not so fun facts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-The film only had an 11 million dollar budget.

-George Lucas was so sure this film would flop that he skipped the premier and went on vacation in Florida.

-In the first day of taping in Tunsia the country experienced its first major rainstorm in 50 years.

-It took George Lucas a full year to write A New Hope. It came in at 200 pages.

-The score by John William is ranked number 1 by AFI as the greatest score of all time.

-Body count was 2,002,795,192

-That well known sound of the Star Destroyer was actually a broken air conditioner.

-Jabba The Hutt was originally in The New Hope. Hutt was cut from the film but later added for a home viewing special edition.

-The second USA film to take in 100 million dollars. The first was Jaws.

-Lucas pitched the film to Universal; United Artist; and Disney. They all passed. Fox took a chance. Ironically Disney years later will acquire the franchise.

-Opening weekend Star Wars made 1.554 million on fewer than 40 screens.

Well ...what is next???!! Rogue One is next and here is the first trailer!!!!!!



Awesome looking and it comes to theaters in December!!!

From the shadows...May The Fourth Be With You!!

This Weeks New Releases For Home Viewing

I have two new releases to note this week for home viewing:

JOY
Directed by David O Russell
Screenplay by David O Russell and Annie Mumolo
Starring Jennifer Lawrence; Robert Deniro; Isabella Rosellini; Diane Ladd; Virginia Madsen and Bradley Cooper



Joy is the story of the title character, who rose to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business starting with the Miracle Mop.

Silver Linings Playbook. American Hustle. Now David O Russell is back with his muse Jennifer Lawrence. And in this one he swings and  kind of misses.
I am willing to bet that this film was not originally narrated by Dianne Ladd's character, and O'Russell knew he had trouble getting the story to push through and he needed a narrator. He knew there was a problem.
The first  and biggest of problems is that Jennifer Lawrence is miscast here. She is much too young for the part. Sometimes when she is arguing she comes across not as a smart businesswoman and inventor but she comes across as young and naïve. She is also too young to have the daughter. What was she 12 when she had her?!
Another problem, lack of character development. We really do not know much about her mom. Her Grandma. Rossellini's character pops in with money but we really know nothing about her. Coopers character is only in the film for like 15 minutes and he has to give a big speech about who he is. There is a step sister here that Joy is butting heads with and we know nothing about her.
This movie is cold and sterile and not a "JOY" to watch. It pushes on until it comes to a even colder ending.
The plus?
 Jennifer Lawrence is miscast but she does act the hell out of this film.
 It is an interesting story of a woman trying climb out from beneath the blanket of crazy upbringing.
There is also an actor by the name of Edgar Ramirez who plays Joy's ex husband Tony. He is fantastic here I just loved his character.

2 1/2 stars out of this just okay film. An interesting story with a miscast lead and a cold script. Oh and by the way look at the poster. It is misleading with Bradley Cooper when he is only in it for 15 minutes and they have Isabella freaking Rossellini and she does not get a top billing. Shame!!!!


THE CHOICE
Directed by Ross Katz
Screenplay by Bryan Sype
Based on a book by Nicholas Sparks
Starring: Benjamin Walker; Teresa Palmer; Maggie Grace; Tom Wilkinson; and Alexandra Daddario



We follow the relationship between Travis and Gabby over many years.

I, unlike most critics, am a sucker for a good love story on the screen. I was a fan of the last Sparks film The Longest Ride. Here......it was a disappointment.

I enjoyed the first hour while watching the relationship start. Then...it blew up.
Every Sparks trick was used....car accident...ex or present day boyfriend showing up to cause trouble.... throw in a coma.
While everything was being used, the film draaaaaaaged. I rolled my eyes often.
The script became predictable.
The chemistry between the two leads was way off. Now Walker was a bit stiff but he did  grow on me a bit.
Time rolls by 8-10 years and no one ages!!! How can they not think about aging someone!!
Someone is veeeerrrry ill and they look like they have not missed a meal and is perfect looking!!
No, I am not nitpicking...I promise you while watching this these points will cross your mind.
The saddest thing about this film is, is that it is just boring. There really is not much happening for most of it.
The two big positives are: Teresa Palmer until the car accident was really good in this; and Maggie Grace as Travis's sister is very good and I wish she was on the screen more.

Sadly the two positives cant make The Choice better then  2 out of 5 stars.
Wait for home viewing if you want to see it.....want romance go see Brooklyn!!


As always thanks for your time from the shadows.

New Film Review: Keanu

KEANU

Directed by Peter Atencio
Screenplay by Jordan Peele and Alex Rubens
Starring Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key




Rell has lost his girl. Now, has lost his cat. Rell and his best friend Clarence will stop at nothing to get his cat Keanu back.

Damn that cat is cute.

I saw that this film is not getting great reviews. I disagree with them. After you see the trailer or the commercials you go for comedy and action. I think it delivers.

Damn That cat is cute.

This film at times is laugh out loud funny. Even the whole idea is so ridiculous, fighting gangsters for a kitten, is so far out there it is funny. Then you throw in two gentleman who try to be street and gangster like and clearly are not. That is funny. As you see in the trailer, the Wham/George Michael scene is funny, however there is another scene that had me laughing out loud (As always no spoiler review). In fact George Michael is a running joke through out the film. They throw in some action pretty much for us to see the main characters reactions. That works also.
What also works is there are a lot of small parts played by the "gangsters" here that are hilarious because they are all in. They are often as funny as Key and Peele.

Damn that cat is cute.

Negatives? The plot is very thin, and at one hour and thirty five minutes it oddly seems long. Again, it has to be the thin plot. There is only so many funny/ridiculous gunfights I can watch without getting bored and after awhile it ceases to be funny. It almost seems like a plot from their TV show they they stretched out too long.

Damn that cat is cute.

4 stars out of 5 for Keanu. It delivers what it promises. Just a little long.

As always from the shadows thanks for your time.

Did I note that cat is cute.

New Film Review: Mothers Day

MOTHERS DAY

Directed by Gary Marshall
Screenplay by Tom Hines; Lily Hollander; Anya Konchoff; and Mathew Walker
Starring: Everybody in Hollywood



Jennifer Aniston, Sandy, is a single mom dealing with her exhusband's new younger wife while raising 2 boys.
Kate Hudson, Jessee, is dealing with the visit of her prejudice parents.
Jason Sudeikis,Bradley, is a single father raising 2 girls and dealing with the death of his wife.
Juliet Roberts, Miranda, is a home shopping network host who meets her daughter, Brit Robertson's Kristen, who she gave up for adoption.

I liked Gary Marshall's Valentines Day. Did not love it but I liked it. New Years Eve was unwatchable. So now Mothers Day. Mothers Day is not good but not bad. It just lays there, and does not do much.
Casting: This film has a star studded cast that all look like they rather be in a dentist chair than in this movie. I know they all love Gary Marshall, who does not, but if you don't want to be all in, do not be in. I felt like I was watching a bunch of  actors sleep walking. The best performance was by Britt Robertson but she is barely in the film. Plus, they put sooo much makeup on this pretty girl, to make her look older I guess, she is almost unrecognizable.
As for the script? It comes across as a serviceable ABC Friday night sitcom. However...I hate calling it "sitcom like' because I honestly did not laugh once. It is bogged down with too many story lines and because of that it lacks character development and lazy story lines that all tie up "Blah, at the end. One story line involving Kate Hudson seems so dated it is hard to watch. I almost wanted to know where Jack Tripper and Mr Roper was (For the youth that is a Three's Company reference).

After all that that trashing, I have to say, if you are a mom or plan on taking a mom it is fine. There is nothing really bad, it works as a lite safe film. 1 1/2 stars out of 5 for Mothers Day.

Note: You see two kids cart wheeling in a wedding scene. That is the debut of Hazel and Henry Moder the children of Juliet Roberts.
This is the 18th film that Hector Elizondo has been in that Gary Marshal directed.

Well from the shadows as always thanks for your time.