New Releases For Home Viewing

Three films to cover this week for home viewing including one of the best films of the year!!

BABY DRIVER
Directed by Edger Wright
Screenplay by Edger Wright
Starring Ansel Elgort; Jon Bernthal; Jon Hamm: Eliza Gonzalez; Lily James; Kevin Spacey; and Jamie Foxx



Well!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the type of movie I shy away from. What a surprise!!

The marketing for this film was way off. They tried to sell it as a Fast And Furious Film...all action.
Well do not be fooled. This is a Steve McQueen heist film. This is a Tarantino bloody and dry humor film. This is a the best romantic film of the year. Thrown all together in a mixing bowl...stirred up and somehow it works. Great script and great direction by Edger Wright makes this all work.

Casting and performances were spot on....
Foxx and Spacey giving their best performances in years.
Newcomer Gonzalez holds her own versus the big time stars.
Hamm who gives his best performance since Mad Men...is just sinister.
However.....lets face it ...this film belongs to the leads Elgort ( who was wonderful in Fault) and James ( who I thought was underrated in Cinderella). They have great chemistry and most of the time are acting one on one with these big stars who I just mentioned. It is a lot to ask of them and they are magnificent.
Music-Then there is music. I mean it can feel like a musical or a music video. The film almost has a beat of its own. The music is fun.

Weakness? Only a few.
-We have Stormtrooper problems which ....if you read my reviews means....bad guys cannot shoot.
-Closing was a bit sloppy or rushed using montage scenes which I hated. I spent an hour and a half with this couple, do not give me an open ending. But I have to admit a PT 2 would be intriguing.

4 1/2 stars out of 5 for this big surprise!! It is just fun!! I want to see it again!




THE HOUSE
Directed by Andrew Jay Cohen
Screenplay by Brendan O'Brien and Andrew Jay Cohen
Starring Will Ferrell; Amy Poehler; and Jason Mantzoukas




Okay .../..it is not that good.
The funny thing is the idea...or the plot...is a good idea. A mother and father desperate to get money so their daughter can go to the university of her dreams. So the dad (Ferrell) and mom (Poehler) with their best friend Jason (Mantzoukas) decide to start a casino. However the plot which sounds funny has a terrible script that just comes across flat, with few laughs.

I mean, I guess that is all I can say about it. I know my it is just a short review for this unrealistic, over the top, not very funny film. Oh and surprisingly Ferrell and Poehler have no chemistry. They seem almost like they are stumbling through the film together. Now Mantzoukas seems to get more laughs than the two big stars....again not a good sign. You know there was a problem when the outtakes are not even funny.

Well 1 1/2 stars out of ten for The House. A disappointment . Oh....... but you get a good cameo by Jeremy Renner!




THE BEGUILED
Directed by Sofia Coppola
Screenplay by Sofia Coppola/ Based on screenplay by Albert Maltz and Irene Kamp
Based on the Book by Thomas Cullinan
Starring Nicole Kidman; Kirsten Dunst; Elle Fanning; Colin Farrell; and Oona Lawrence






This is a remake of a 1971 film starring Clint Eastwood. The Beguiled  follows 7 females who are staying at a school in Virginia during the American Civil War. They find an injured Union Soldier on the property, they take him in which leads to betrayals and back stabbing.

It is an odd film that is for sure. It has a slow burn in the beginning, then it picks up at about the one hour mark, and then in the last 10 minutes it slows down to almost a haunting ending.
In fact the whole movie feels haunting. Coppola use the time period well with candles lighting each room, creating shadows and darkness making the movie almost seem more haunting then it really was. Throw in the costuming...all the women in white against the shadows and darkness makes the ladies seem like ghost against the darkness.
So the atmosphere is spot on but so is the casting:
We see Oona Lawrence first as the movie opens, who takes on an almost protective role of Corporal McBurney (Farrell). Like she did in the film Southpaw she holds her own, and then some, up against some big time actors.
Kidman as Miss Martha plays her character hauntingly quiet. She says so much with a look. Her eyes always seems like they are saying something. A wonderful performance.
Duntst (Looking sans make-up) as Edwina has a difficult role. She tries to be proper but she is desperate to get out and see the world. Her part is tricky, playing both sides of the house, but she pulls it off.
Best for last....Farrell plays Corporal McBurney as, at first, sweet talking man from the North. Then as the movie moves on (no spoilers here as usual), he becomes desperate and full of rage. A great performance.

Well there are negatives...
-As noted before the film really gets intense, then the film kinda levels off to an almost quiet ending. As the credits roll you sit there and think...Okay..that was pretty good. The ending is almost too quiet. There is so much tension in the middle of the film and then it just ends. Also...I just feel like there is a sadness for Dunst. I want to know more about her character ( again no spoilers). Just wanted more meat at the end if that makes sense.


Well 3 1/2 stars out of 5 for the dark; haunting; and well acted The Beguilded.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time.