New Releases This Week For Home Viewing

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.

As always from the shadows thanks for your time.