Directed by David F. Sandberg
Screenplay by Eric Heisserer
Starring: Teresa Palmer; Gabriel Bateman; Maria Bello; and Alexander Dipersia
Rebecca's (Palmer) younger brother Martin (Bateman) starts to see visions that she remembers seeing when she was younger. So now Rebecca has to face her worst fears to solve the puzzle.
Well, I noted when I started this blog I noted you will find me leaning away from horror films. There are many places on the internet you can find horror films, it just is not my thing.
However the reviews were really good for this film so I was sucked in. So here I go...
I can see why the critics like this...I mean you have Teresa Palmer (underrated actress) and Maria Bello in it, with two very good performances as usual.
As for the story:
-I found it scarey/ but strangley (no spoilers here) I found the scarey "Image" "ghost" more annoying then scarey
-I found it dark/also with a very depressing ending.
So.............why do you go/or what do you want out of this film?
Scary scenes that make you jump...It delivers.
A strong story with a haunting backstory...it delivers
Intense scenes.......very much delivers.
So with all that being said...the "ghost' or "Image" seems almost disconnected from the movie. Almost off screen and distant. And then it pops up almost to keep viewers on their toes. It is odd.
3 1/.2 stars for the story and the acting. Just a depressing violent ending.From a non-horror fan.
BAD MOMS
Directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
Screenplay by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis; Kathryn Hahn; Kristen Bell; Christina Applegate; and Jada Pinkett Smith
At the start I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I really thought it was going to be an overstuffed sitcom with a long running time. Boy was I wrong. For some reason I did not notice the MPAA rating. R. Boy did it earn that R. It was not vulgar for just the shock value it was hilariously vulgar.
I laughed so hard at some of the lines and conversations in this movie, words cannot say. As usual no spoilers here.
I can tell you this, the real star of this film is Kathryn Hahn. Yes Mila Kunis is in every scene, but every time Hahn is on screen the movie just shines. There is a great grocery shopping scene. A bathroom scene. A bar scene. Every one of the scenes Hahn steals. Maybe she was suppose to, well then she does her job.
So with all that being said, after a great start, this film stunningly takes a second half turn to a bad sitcom like finish. Soooooo disappointing. What started as a sharp, hilarious film, ends up with a touchy feely lets hug and cry together ending. How corny does it get? I was hoping for some hilarious outtakes during the credits. NO!! I get corny conversations between the stars of the film and their real life moms. UGH!!
What started out as a well acted, and yes it is a well acted film, covering the subject of helicopter moms. Just crashed. It almost sold out in a strange way. 3 out of 5 stars for Bad Moms. A great first half.
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Screenplay by Paul Greengrass and Christopher Rouse
Based on the characters of Robert Ludlum
Starring Matt Damon; Tommy Lee Jones; Alicia Vikander; and Vincent Cassel
Well....Bourne is back.
And sadly just a little better than okay.
Positves:
Acting. How can it not be well acted. Mat Damon!!! Tommy Lee Jones!!! Vincent Cassel!!! Even Julia Stiles!!
Action. You go for action it delivers. Car chase after car chase. However more on that later.
The script is clever. Bourne comes back looking for answers and revenge. Who does not like Bourne? Especially in this big government big brother age, Bourne is the ultimate outsider. That is why his films are so popular and he delivers or his character delivers again.
Negatives:
Alicia Vikander. When I first saw her in Ex Machina early last year I noted in this blog a star has arrived. Now after winning the Oscar she scores a big part in Jason Bourne. And....I cannot figure out what she is doing in this. She is just a shell of a person, almost like Ava in Ex Machina. We know nothing about her. Strangely her character, Heather Lee, showed no expression, just odd. They really did nothing with her, just a waste.
Timing problems and or edit problems. I can go with a lot. However there are odd things that happen where a person who is on one continent somehow jumps to another continent it seems right after a battle/or car chase. I constantly thought...........Hey how did you get there????!!!
The last 20 minutes was ridiculous. A car chase that was not needed. Some things happening in that car chase bothered me (It goes back to my blog about superheros knocking down buildings with people in it). It also made the film seem long.
3 out of 5 stars for Jason Bourne. Better than average, however I think Greengrass watched too many Fast And Furious films. Without the car chases the film works with intense scenes in offices and hotels. That is when they spotlight the great actors that they have.
Yes four releases this week, so let me start with the best......
SING STREET
Directed by John Carney
Screenplay by John Carney
Starring Ferdia Walsh-Peelo; Lucy Boynton; and Jack Reynor
Set in Ireland, Cosmo's (Walsh-Peelo) family is having money trouble. So now he has to go to a "rougher" school. Along the way he meets a beautiful girl (Boynton) and he tries to impress her by starting a band with some of his new classmates.
WOW!!! What a surprise!!!
First this film would make a great Broadway Musical, and it probably will end up being so..
It is a musical. It is a comedy. It is a love story.
What makes it work? The three leads perfectly cast. Three actors I have never seen before in film!!
Walsh-Peelo as Cosmo. He is smart and funny and brave. Yes, he does not have the perfect voice, however that even works. He is a teenager with dreams. His voice is not going to be perfect but that makes the film real. Walsh-Peelo owns this character.
Lucy Boynton as Raphina is a find!! She is beautiful. Smart and funny. She also adds a sensitivity to her role. Just wonderful. Boynton understands that sometimes a look says a lot more than a word. Sometimes young actors try to push and explode in their parts. She lets her character almost smolder.
Jack Reynor as Brendan, Cosmo's brother. I think I love his character the most. He is like a Yoda to his brother. He also has a little remorse or longing for things he did not do, or that he was not brave enough to do. I thought Reynor. was really good.
Screenplay:
It is almost a teenage version of another Irish film, The Commitments.
A sweet love story with humor.
Some pretty good 80's music, and some bad 80's music. Strangely, even the bad music is enjoyable.
There is a story line about being bullied and how to handle it. Also, there is something here about finding your niche in an atmosphere where you feel like you are on the outskirts.
Still all these story lines are under one big umbrella about following your dreams.
This film was a wonderful surprise 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. The best picture I have seen this year!! It is a small film, and I hope it gets a wide release so everybody has a chance to see it in the theater.
CRIMINAL
Directed by Ariel Vromen
Screenplay by Douglas Cook and David Weisberg
Starring Kevin Costner; Gal Gadot; Tommy Lee Jones; and Gary Oldman
Costner plays Jericho. Who is locked away and is a bit insane. He ends up getting the memory of Reynolds to find out where a person is hiding.
Yes you read that right. He has Reynold's characters memories.
Critics are killing this. It is not great but it is not as bad as critics say. They complain about ridiculous plot holes and yes there are some but they also gave good reviews to the last Fast And Furious. Like there was no plot holes there??!!
I had fun watching this and is because of the actors. Look at the list above!! They are all good (Reynolds is barely in it, do not be fooled), including Gal Gadot Wonder Woman herself!!
The Screenplay is shaky. There are holes, but there is one big hole involving a bag which is hidden somehow during a chase. Also, the relationship between Costner's character and Gadot is sort of icky. Yes I used the word icky....no spoilers here. Last complaint....the ending was awful. It left things open and a bit icky. Again I used icky!!
The film is a lot like Reynolds other film Self/less. I found this film better.
It is worth a look at home. I give Criminal 3 out of 5 stars. Mindless fun, leave your brain in the other room. You watch this for action. And it delivers action.
THE BOSS
Directed by Beth Falcone
Screenplay by Beth Falcone; Steve Mallory; and Melissa McCarthy
Starring Melissa McCarthy; Kristen Bell; Peter Dinklage; and Ella Anderson
Melissa McCarthy plays an unlikable business woman who loses everything and now has to find her way back up.
No spoilers here. I just wanted it to be or expected it to be funnier.
I think it is well acted. It just feels messy and sometimes just mean and cruel.
The Film lacks rhythm.
The problem is I cannot put my finger on the problem:
The screenplay is not overly funny.
Peter Dinklage is shockingly funnier than McCarthy. I mean he really is good in this movie. Problem is he is only in the film for 1/4 of it.
Kristen Bell, who is funny in other films, seems strangely out of place here.
The film seems long which is not good for a comedy. For comedies you want them to click like a drum beat and you should always want more.
It is just a bunch of little things. For example: There is a teeth whitening scene that was suppose to be funny. However, in the theater it got no laughs. Not one. I think everybody was just grossed out.
Maybe the problem is with Ben Falcone. Maybe he could not tell his wife, McCarthy, no that is not going to work. Lets pull back.
The Good?
It has a nice message about picking yourself up and rising above the struggles of your youth.
It does have some funny parts, just some.
2 1/2 stars out of 5 for The Boss. I guess for home viewing it is an okay film to sit on the couch and watch....you could do worse.
BARBERSHOP THE NEXT CUT
Directed by Malcom D Lee
Screenplay by Kenya Harris and Tracey Oliver\
Starring Ice Cube and Cedric The Entertainer
We return to Ice's barbershop again as the they deal with guns and other problems on the southside of Chicago.
I have to be honest, I did not have much hope. I really liked the first Barbershop. Hated the second one and hated Beautyshop. I am telling you this film here is really good.
I listed just Cube and Cedric as the stars. Yes there are a lot of stars in this. Common; Eve; and on and on. Still this movie belongs to Cube and Cedric.
Cube is in the center and he is really good here. His character Calvin is trying to make a decision if he wants to move his shop to the north side. The safer side. After three movies he really owns this part. He is Calvin.
This film is one of the funniest film I have seen all year. I laughed out loud often. At the same time the film touches heavily on many social issue discussed in the shop. It also deals with gangs outside the shop. Also dealing with youth avoiding problems on the street. Also the film deals with death of the young dying needlessly on the Southside and in the USA. You would think that this being a comedy that there would be a lot of problems with the tone while it tackles all these issues. Credit goes to the writers Harris and Oliver and director Lee. They even threw in a a montage dance scene to Never Enough (Luther!!!) and that even worked.
Negatives?
Yes. There are some small issues. The plot of free haircut weekend is shaky a little. Whenever they take the plot outside the shop the film seems to slow down to much. The dialog in the shop scenes happens to be so quick and sharp you never want to leave there!! I wish they could have just focused this film inside the shop, you hate it when the camera leaves. Also, they had trouble closing. It seemed like they could not make a decision on how to close this wonderful film. So it seemed like they had too many closings.
Back to the positives!!! 4 out of 5 stars for this honest; heartfelt; and funny film.
Directed by Taika Waititi
Screenplay by Taika Waititi
Based on the book by Barry Crump
Starring Julian Dennison and Sam Neil
A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid named Ricky (Julian Dennison) and his "uncle" Hec (Sam Neil), as they hide in the New Zealand bush.
Sam Neil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where have you been!!!
What a nice pleasant film. It will be hard to review this with no spoilers.
What is odd about this film it comes across as across between a Wes Anderson film and a live action PIXAR film. This film is near perfect.
Positives:
The script takes you into the New Zealand Bush mixing in a lot of excitement and humor flawlessly.
One second you are nervous for them and then you are laughing out loud.
You can tell the film was made on a low budget, but in reality it did not need a big budget. It was filmed in beautiful New Zealand.....you do not need green screens and such when you have beautiful New Zealand as your background
Julian Dennison is perfectly cast as Ricky. He does not look like the overly cute Hollywood star. He just looks like the kid who lives down the street, and that makes him believable. Yes sometimes his acting is a bit well...off.. butI can overlook that because sometimes he says so much by just a look which is hard for young actors who seem to want to always go big and not pull it back.
Sam Neil, Oscar nod??
Negatives:
It goes over the top really trying almost to hard to be a Wes Anderson film. To a point I wanted to say to the screen, no slow it down!!!
It may be too close to the script of UP.
There is one scene that disturbed me...it involved killing an animal (No Spoilers). I will just say...when certain animals get killed in a film, especially when not necessary to add to a script it bothers me. I know it is my personal feelings, however it is my review and so my opinion.
But still, all in all one of the best films of the year so far!! 4 1/2 stars out of 5. If it gets a wider release find it and see it. It is a lot of fun.
Directed by Justin Lin
Screenplay by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung
Starring...............everybody is back
Well they are back. Spoiler free reviews as always. Right away I can tell you that this is one of the better action films of the summer. It is a lot of fun.
Positives:
It is summer, and we see a lot of films full of special effects. Star Trek Beyond is the best. Not even close. This film looks incredible from beginning to end.
The chemistry of the cast gets better and better as each of the new Star Trek films arrive. They are a lot of fun to just watch.
Yes chemistry is great, however a new character arrived and stole this film. Sofia Boutella as Jayla. Just fantastic. Behind all that makeup she somehow bring emotion and toughness to this wonderful new character.
A good bad guy always makes a film work and Idris Elba, unrecognizable as Krall, is nasty and it works.
The script. With Simon Pegg as one of the writers, even though the stakes are high , there is a lot more humor seamlessly added to the script. The script has action, real emotion, and again humor.
However speaking of the script.....
The negatives:
Again the script. At the 90 minute mark the film gets sloppy and seems to not know how to close. In fact I got bored because it seemed to jump all over the place toward the end, almost with so many story lines it seemed fragmented too much toward the end.
Also...there is one ridiculous "Distracting" scene involving a motorcycle doing ridiculous unrealistic things that was so ridiculous it took me a way from the point of the film. Again no spoilers here.
Still those negatives are small compared to the many positives in this film. 4 stars out of 5 for Star Trek and beyond. Great looking...see it on the big screen, and fun film. Just some script problems in the last half.
Nothing during or at the end of the credits., but stay 3 minutes in, you get a small tip of the cap notes to Leonard Nemoy and Anton Yelchin. Tears!!!!
Only one film to note for home viewing this week, a small film Batman vs Superman Dawn Of Justice!!
Batman vs Superman that is the plot. Throw in Wonder woman and Doomsday.
So let me start with the acting:
Henry Cavill is back as Superman. I know a lot of people do not like this Brit as Superman. I like him. Yes as people say he is stiff. However I think Superman should be stiff....he is an Alien.
Ben Affleck as a very dark Batman. Very very dark. He needs therapy. However he is very good as an aging Batman.
Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman!!! I loved her!! I thinks she looks great and looks the part. Sadly she really did not have much to do in this film, I wanted more!!
Amy Adams/Jeremy Irons/Laurence Fishburne/Diane Lane all have small roles, but they are meaty and bring value to the story line.
Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Way over the top. He is suppose to be a light on his feet funny bad guy. No. He was just annoying.
The Look:
Apparently the sun never shines in Gotham and Metropolis. Gloomy as the script.
Doomsday looks awful!! I mean it looked like a cartoon was thrown into the middle of the film. Real bad.
The Script:
I remember when I reviewed the last awful Avengers film I noted that people are in those buildings that are being destroyed. Here in this film it becomes a major plot point (and in Captain America also. I should be a screen writer!!). In fact the story here is pretty good. It is just soooo dark and some times you just want Batman to lighten up. At 2 hours and 30 minutes some editing was needed ( a funeral scene could have been shortened and a dream sequence could have been left on the floor, and the last battle was too long and messy). Still, the main plot points kept me interested.
3 1/2 stars out of 5 for this well acted, yet violent, and dark, and a little sloppy Superhero film. When you go to this film you want action and you get it, but it is a long build up to that point.
Oh this may be a spoiler but .....You see Aquaman! You see the Flash! You see Cyborg! And word is JLA will be less dark. Producers just saying that lets you know, that they know this Batman vs Superman was very dark.
Yes thirty years ago today Aliens arrived. Packed with action. Throw in some heart! And throw in some great lines:
"That's it. Game over man! Game over!!"
"We better get back 'cause it'll be dark soon and they mostly come at night. mostly"
"Hey maybe you haven't been keeping up with current events but we just got our asses kicked"
"Get away from her you bitch"
Now like most of our revisits lets go with....where are they now!!!
Sigourney Weaver as Ridley: We just saw her do a cameo and as a running joke in Finding Dory...she has been seen and heard this summer.
Michael Biehn as Corporal Hicks: He is constantly working but nothing of any significance lately, however has worked with James Cameron in three films.
Paul Reiser as Burke: You know he went on to star in the TV hit Mad About You. Since then he has done small spots on TV buit nothing of signicance.
Lance Henriksen as Bishop: He is big in B Movies nothing much bigger than that. However he is constantly a working actor.
Bill Paxton as Private Hudson: Okay it is Bill freaking Paxton. You know what he is doing.
Jenette Goldstein as Bad Ass Private Vasquez: She is a stage actress. However her list of films is nothing to ignore....Terminator 2; Lethal Weapon 2; and a cameo in Titanic. Also her TV work with guest spots on ER; Alias to name just a few.
And the one you waited for....
Carrie Helm as Newt: She quit acting after one film Aliens. She is now 40. She has been married since 2005 and has one child. She is a school teacher in California.
Time for fun or not so fun facts.............
Carrie Helm amazingly got 2nd billing behind Sigourney Weaver even though she had no acting experience.
The knife trick scene was not originally in the script, everyone knew when it was later added except poor Bill Paxton.
The Alien nest set was kept intact after filming. It was later used in 1989's Batman.
Bill Paxton says he improvised most of his lines like "Game Over, Game Over Man!".
The 15 minute countdown at the end of the film is actually 15 minutes.
Paxton constantly apologized to Helm while filming every time he had to curse. Helm says she did not mind because she did not know what the words meant.
Hudson says the word "Man" 35 times.
Filming took place in an abandoned power station in Newcastle England
Well yes 30 years ago Ridley returned!!
As always from the shadows thanks for your time from the shadows.
Directed by Paul Feig
Screenplay by Kate Dippold and Paul Feig
Starring; Melissa McCarthy; Kate McKinnon; Leslie Jones; Kristen Wiig; and Chris Hemsworth
I often critisized trailers on this blog for misleading the paying movie goers.
Well....the Ghostbusters trailers shockingly goes the other way. Lets face it, the trailers for Ghostbusters were dreadful. They were stunningly bad. So, I went in to the theater with...well not much hope. Boy was I wrong.This film was pretty good!! Stunned!!
What went right:
The script/main characters. The women were not silly imbeciles, all four were really smart strong women which I loved.
The casting. Well you already know Mellissa Mccarthy who plays Abby Yates and Kristen Wiig who plays Erin Gilbert were going to be good, so I will spotlight Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth . McKinnon who plays Jillian Holtzman steals the movie. Kate is hilarious as she spouts out her lines. Her physical comedy is fantastic. If you go see this film, watch her while other people are talking. You will agree with me, she steals this film. I read a review tonight, and the reviewer said she is annoying. She was suppose to be!! She is cra-cra!!
Chris Hemsworth, whom in the just okay remake of Vacation shocked me by how funny he was during his 10 minutes on screen. Here he has more time to be funny. He is great as a stumbling bumbling Admin. Assist. Laugh out loud funny.
Cameos: I loved the cameos by most of the living cast members, and the cameos did not disrupt the story. It was a nice tip of the cap to ones who paved the road.
Faults:
The script/plot. There seems to be a lot of describing to us what is going on. There is a bad guy and maybe I missed it but there is no reason given for why he wants to do all this. No background...nothing. Just odd, we are suppose to think he is just being evil to be evil I guess. No revenge ...just evil.
Also the film gets a little wacky in the last 20 minutes with many plot holes. Wait a minute, Jillian created a nuclear weapon without telling anyone???!! Obviously it was thrown in to find a way to close the film. In other words they had trouble closing.
I thought Leslie Jone's Patty, who was the NY history expert of the group, did not seem to have much to do but almost do play by play.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars. Is it one of the best films of them year? Probably not. However it may be one of the funniest films of the year. You want to laugh, and you get plenty of laughs, four of the funniest women on screen right now. I think it is okay for the whole family(10 and up). Not often there is a good film that is not animated for the whole family. You want to see the battle with ghost, you get plenty of that. The film delivers what you want. It just had trouble closing a bit. Stay through the credits.
Yes that is right!!! Legally Blonde arrived on this day 15 years ago!!
What happened to the cast?
Reese Witherspoon who played Elle Woods- well you know what happened to her.
Luke Wilson as Emmett- He can be seen right now on TV in Cameron Crowe"s Roadies
Selma Blair as Vivian Kensington-She is an art house staple, doing mostly small low budget films. She was seen in The People VS OJ Simpson playing Kris Jenner.
Matthew Davis as Warner-Right now is starring in the TV show Vampires Diaries.
Victor Garber as Professor Callahan- Well he was known as Jack Bristow on Alias. In 2015 he was on the TV show Flash.
Jennifer Coolidge as Paulette- She will always be known as Stiffler's Mom. Now she can be seen on the TV show 2 Broke Girls.\
Holland Taylor as Professor Stormwell- One of the great stage actresses. She had a recurring role Two And A Half Men.
Ali Larter as Brooke Taylor Windham-She is known for the TV show Heroes. Also a that scene she did in Varsity Blues. She is also known for the Final Destinations movies.
Linda Cardellini as the evil Chutney-She has had a great career with a big list of TV shows she has starred in...like..Mad Men; Gravity Falls; New Girl, and ER.
AND FINALLY THE UPS GUY .... Played by Bruce Thomas-He is a constantly working actor doing TV work; voice work; video game voice work.
Now for some fun and not so fun facts:
-The Chihuahua who played Buster died on March 10 2016,yes this year, at the age of 18. His real name was Moonie.
-As she had put in her contract, Reese Witherspoon kept all the outfits she wore on set.\
-Elle's 179 score on the LSAT's would put her in the top 0.1%
- The ending was re-shot because the test audience wanted to know what happened to the characters.
They added the final graduation scene and the final confrontation between Elle and Warner.
Warner/Elle confrontation scene was filmed in London where at that point they were both shooting films there. As for the Graduation scene....Only Witherspoon and Matthew Davis were actually present. The rest of the cast was filmed in LA, Witherspoon is wearing a wig because she changed her hair by that point to film The Importance Of Being Ernest.
-This film directed by Robert Luketic and written by Kristen Smith with Karen McCullah and based on a little story by Amanda Brown made 142 million world wide!!!!!!!!
Well 15 years of the Bend And Snap. Legally Blonde is available fro streaming on Netflix.
Three new releases this week for home viewing. Not a spectacular week...however one interesting movie which I will start with:
MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN
Directed by Patricia Riggen
Writers: Christy Beam and Randy Brown
Starring: Jennifer Gardner; Kylie Rogers; Martin Henderson; and Eugenio Derbez
A young child (Rogers) has a near terminal illness and her and her family need a miracle.
Well I cannot spoil this movie because the trailer pretty much tells the whole story.
So lets get this out of the way early: Do I believe what went on in this movie? I know people are out there rolling their eyes but I am one who believes this. I think there are medical records and DRs that can back up the illness. Now, the facts are that she fell out of the tree and then was fine. I think her body almost acted as a computer or a modem, when she stopped breathing or unplugged, her body or her brain reset and then became capable of digesting food like a normal body. She was strangely blessed.
This film has two great performances:
Kylie Rogers as the ill Anna is pure perfection. She carries this movie on her little shoulders.
Eugenio Derbez, as Dr Nurko, Is mostly known for his comedy work in his films does a wonderful job here adding a little comedy and love to the film.
Now the problem and it is a big problem. The tree scene that you see in the trailer does not happen until 90 minutes in and the film is only 110 minutes long. So what you get is 90 minutes of watching a sick child. It really does not make for an enjoyable movie watching experience. This film needed an editor and it needed more of a back half of the film. We want to see what and how the family coped with their new life. The press. Their faith in the public eye. The non-believers. That would have made the film a lot more interesting and am so disappointed they did not give us that story.
This is a faith based film and it does cover some interesting points. The strength of faith, and that maybe the fall was a big miracle, however it was noted that maybe there are little miracles each day people run into, but people are too busy to see them.
2 1/2 stars out of 5 for this interesting film but it was too heavy handed on the side of the illness and not the results of their faith. It is an odd film because it is interesting and just a downer for most of it.
LLEGIANT PART 1
Directed by Robert Schwentke
Screenplay by Noah Oppenheim; Bill Collage; and Adam Cooper
Based on the book by Veronica Roth
Starring Shailene Woodley; Theo James; Naomi Watts; Octavia Spencer; Ansel Elgort; Miles Teller; and Jeff Daniels
The Divergent Series now takes us beyond the walls of Chicago.
Well if you read my half way through the year recap in June, and you should because it is a wonderful piece of writing (okay I went to far), that this movie is one of if not the worst film of the year so far.
Sooooo many problems and it all starts with Woodley. She is not believable as Tris. As this series moves forward, she now looks bored, and just going through the motions. The casting of her from the beginning (the first film) has been off. There is one scene in which she is running real awkward trying to look bad ass with a gun, almost stumbling. I laughed out loud. This is not a comedy and I am laughing!! She is a good actress, but this film is just not for her.
Theo James is stiff as a board as Four.
Miles Teller, underused and looking like he wants no part of this series anymore. Regretting signing that contract?!
Now to the awful screenplay. I promise you if you watch this film you will often laugh.
The cliches just seem to role off the actors tongue. Jeff Daniels (what was he thinking). screams NOOOO at one point. I felt so bad I laughed so hard and it was not suppose to be funny, people in the theater looked at me..
I promise you, you can walk away from this movie for an hour and not miss a thing.
Positives? It became a little bit exciting at the end. However there was no clear ending...wawawawaaaaa!!
1 star out of 5 for this series that will not go away.
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenplay: Richard Linklater
Starring: Blake Jenner
The film follows a bunch of college baseball players for three days before their classes start.
This film is getting a lot of love from critics. Maybe because Linklater is involved. It is suppose to be his follow up to Dazed And Confused. I am not giving it much love.
The cast is clearly over 22. I checked, maybe I was wrong, I was right, many are 28 and over. Then I thought maybe I am missing something. Maybe, it is suppose to be a joke. The cast in all those 80's sex comedies like The Great Ameican Virgin and such were noticeably too old to be high school kids. Maybe it was a sly funny wink to the 80's films. Well.....if that is so, it was not funny. It was more distracting. In fact I barely laughed while watching this film.
Now the sets. They looked so cheap almost like the whole film was shot on the same set. "Okay the scene is shot lets turn this disco into a country bar. Rearrange the tables and bring in a bull". Honestly it really looks low budget. Again maybe it was a wink to those low budget teen movies. Okay it worked it looked cheap.
The script. I am telling you nothing much happens. I was thinking maybe this is suppose to be like Linklater's Before Sunrise movies. In those movies nothing much happens. We just follow two characters around as they have interesting conversations. Well okay, but the difference here is, there are no interesting conversations and everybody seems unlikable and annoying.
There is one positive, and that is in the last 30 minutes when two characters spend time with each other, Jake (the lead played by Blake Jenner), and a young lady who is a drama major Beverly (wonderfully played by Zoey Deutch). They are from different majors and backgrounds and when they are together in that last 30 minutes the movie perks up finally.
Still, those last 30 minutes do not save this film. Critics see Linklater and just go thumbs up. Do not be fooled. Yes it is fun to see the 80's outfits and hear the 80's music, but...1 1/2 out of 5 stars. Outfits and music do not make a film. You have to have a script.
See my review of Sing Street.
Directed by Jake Szymanski
Screenplay by Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O'Brien
Starring Zac Efron; Adam Devine; Anna Kendrick; and Aubrey Plaza
Well obviously the plot is Mike and David need wedding dates.
This film is an example of why I do this. This is a film that critics will probably crush. They are just too smart and they want to tell you that!! In fact one critic said unbelievable crazy script. Okay!!! Did not do his homework. This is based on a real story. And in fact some of the craziest things are true and not the "based on" part. Yes...true story!!!!!!!!!
Why do you go see Mike And David? To laugh. To get away from the awful news on the TV and just have fun. Mike And David delivers
I laughed often while watching this. All four leads are all in and are fantastic as four self involved goofballs.May be one of the funniest films of the year so far. Plus it has a wonderful backdrop of Hawaii.
Negatives:
It had trouble closing. The last half hour seemed messy, making the movie feel long, for a 98 minute film, that is not good.
I also felt two of the leads Efron and Kendrick had no chemistry. They were real good individually in their parts but together it was sort of awkward and not believable.
Well anyway this is a slapstick nutty kind of film. There is a massage scene I promise that you will not forget. Just stupid humor that works.
Wanted to note Sugar Lyn Beard as Jeanie Stangle who is the boys sister who is getting married is fantastic and hilarious. She keeps up with the four stars that is for sure.
3 1/2 stars out of 5 for Mike And David Need Wedding Dates. Again, this film will not save the world, but it is a funny film. This is what Neighbors 2 wanted to be. Also stay for the credits for some real funny outtakes.
Directed by Yarrow Cheney and Chris Renaud
Screenplay by Cinco Paul; Ken Daurio; and Brian Lynch
Starring the voices of Kevin Hart; Louis C.K.; Eric Stonestreet;Jenny Slate
Well as the title and the trailer shows you it is about the secret lives of pets. However..............that is not true. Which is very sad, I thought the trailer was funny, and made me think that this film has a funny, kinda cool idea. Not so. What you see in the trailer I found to be the only funny parts which was very disappointing. I thought it would be a bunch of funny vignettes of what pets do when we are not there, that never happened. It was pretty much a film about two dogs who get lost in the city and have to find their way home. I think of a better film called Bolt with the same idea.
Then throw in the tone. The tone is mean. Frightening for little kids. The dogs run into scary things. Even dealing with the death of an owner.
Positives?
I looooooved the dog Gidget voiced wonderfully by Jenny Slate. I think she is the star and steals the film from the other leads. She is the dog who is positive and filled with love.
Another positive point takes place at the end of the film. A wonderful montage scene of the pets reacting to their owners coming home at the end of the day. So sweet, it makes you long for what the film could be or promised from the trailer to be.
2 stars out of 5 for The Secret Life Of Pets. Maybe 3 out of 5 for kids older than 8. See Bolt.
Director David Yates
Screenplay by Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer
Based on the charachters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Starring Alexander Skarsgard; Christoph Waltz; Samuel Jackson; and Margo Robbie
This film does a lot right.
David Yates, like in the Harry Potter films, does a very good job, mixing in the CGI with real location and sets. He may have gone a little to heavy with CGI here, I would have liked to have seen a little more real location because Africa can be a beautiful location. Still it all looks good.
Acting: Every one is pitch perfect. Jackson, as George Washington Williams, is pretty much the viewer, our eyes. He takes us on the trip and watches in awe at everything like we do.
Waltz as the bad guy. Well you know he is a great bad guy. I have to wonder if he is getting tired of playing the bad guy. It almost seems like he is now type cast as a bad guy.
Margo Robbie as Jane. Beautiful as always and playing a tough strong woman which I found believable.
Skarsgard as Tarzan is absolutely perfect. He sure looks them part.
The scriptwriters made some real odd choices.
The story was real slow in development.
They decided to show Tarzan's history in flashbacks. They also showed Tarzan's and Jane's history in quick flashbacks. I did not like that at all. It broke up the story that was happening in real time and I wanted more backstory!! We just see a little bit of how the relationship between Jane and Tarzan developed. In fact I think they left some backstory on the cutting room floor, because they had conversations about some parts of a story line that we never saw or have any basis on why.
I also felt the character of Tarzan was more of a superhero. Which was unnecessary. Tarzan that I read in books was not superhero he was smart, one with nature, which made him dangerous.
Logistics. There are many logistic plot holes in this film. I can stretch my belief often but here it was tough. Per example...Characters on a boat on a river and somehow pop up for a fight deep in the jungle 5 minutes later, Did they fly???!!!!
3 1/2 stars out of 5 for The Legend Of Tarzan. Great acting. Lots of action. That is what you expect, that is what you go to see. You will not be disappointed. Not much development of character...which I think is a missed opportunity, because this is based on a great character in literature, who was not a superhero, but just a man raised in the jungle by apes.
From the shadows as always thanks for your time as always.
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Screenplay Melissa Mathison
Based on the story by Roald Dahl
Starring: Ruby Barnhill; Mark Rylance (Voice); Penelope Wilton; and Rebecca Hall
This is a story following an orphan girl (Ruby Barnhill) who one evening gets taken from the orphanage by a Big friendly Giant who is a dream catcher or collector.
This is a beautiful yet uneven story.
It is beautiful to look at, you can tell Spielberg's fingerprints are on every scene. every frame.
The young actress Ruby Barnhill who plays Sophie the orphan is fantastic. I just saw adult actors in Independence Day 2 who were awful at acting with the green screen and here comes this young actress who acts circles around them using a green screen.
We also have Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey) playing the queen. She is hilarious and so sweet as the queen of England. Also her aide Mary played by Rebecca Hall, who is always very good, takes a small part and makes it memorable.
Then you have a John Williams score played through out the film which adds to the magic. In fact I usually sit through the credits to see if there is anything after the credits. I stayed through the credits here to listen to more of the John Williams score. I hope people out there know what a treasure John Williams is, download the audio of The Best Of John Williams, you will not regret it.
Finally the film has some real good voice work by Mark Rylance as the BFG. The BFG is soft and kind and bumbling as he catches dreams. His soft quiet voice is perfect.
So!! There had to be a SO right? The uneven part.
There is not much of a story here, and it is 115 minutes!! I could have fell asleep, after the first dream catch and woke up 35 minutes later when the queen is involved (Queen part was really funny by the way) and not missed a thing. I understand the Spielberg did not want to break up the Dahl story, however, it should have been done. It should have been edited, or Melissa Mathison should have cut her screenplay a bit.
Also, as I was sitting there watching, I was wondering who this film is for. I know, you may think that should have nothing to do with your review. That is fair to think, but it does add confusion as you watch it. Giants are trying to eat children so....parents will not take their children who are really young. I guess maybe a few adults will go for nostalgia, pertaining to the book they read when they were younger. Still I do not see the market.
This film I give 3 out of 5 stars. Beautiful. Well acted. However slightly boring for a long stretch. In fact, even though Spielberg's name is on this, I predict this to be a bomb. Which is a shame because it is not that bad. There is no place right now in the market for it. Finding Dory is out there still making great money, and that is what kids want. Tarzan is now out there for older kids. Adults will be watching Tarzan also. Plus, Secret Lives Of Pets come out next week. There is no market for this film what so ever. They probably should have waited until October when the market has less competitive and wrapped it around Halloween. The film is good but not great. Maybe it will make up some of the loss in the overseas market.
Again, it is not for kids under 10. If you have a rainy day, go see it, it is a beautiful looking film on the big screen..
