New Film Review: MID90s

MID90s


1/2 star out of 5


Strong contender for worst film of the year.
Directed by Jonah Hill, we follow a bunch of skateboarders in..well...the mid 90's.
Poorly acted....by all the male characters (The skaters).
Poorly written.
Bad decisions like having a great actress like Katherine Waterston and barely using her!


Except for The Waterston character...there is not one...zero..likable characters in this film. Everyone is annoying...and again cannot act.


Just awful.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN

THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN


2 stars out of 5


Maybe one of my biggest disappointments of the year.
The film follows Forrest Tucker (Redford) as he robs banks with help of his posse, Teddy (Danny Glover) and Waller ( Tom Waits). The film also follows Forrest's relationship with Jewel (Sissy Spacek). It is great to see all four of these actors on the screen together!! However the film...lets them down.
The film lays there flat and moves at a snails pace...it is close to boring. I don't mind slow, if the script gives you something to keep you vested, I mean I just saw Colette and it was slow but her life was always filled with movement. Here, you know where the robberies are going, and shockingly those robberies, after the first one, are just flat. The relationship between Forrest and Jewel is just there. There is almost no point to Jewel being in the movie except to show Forrest had options, but that was not all the way laid out. Again, a disappointment.


Well acted by everyone, but somehow a sleeper.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: COLETTE

COLETTE
 4 OUT OF 5 STARS


I love it that sometimes I can still go to a screening and still be surprised.


This is a well done; well acted by Keira Knightley and an unrecognizable Dominic West; and an amazing story about one of the great female writers in history.


I really did not know anything about this story...but it has everything...scandal...cheating...love..strong character development...and a hero (Colette). Colette takes place in the late 1800's to early 1900's and you are kinda shocked how she is clearly I woman before her time. You have to cheer her on!!


Weakness...yes it moves slow and it is a bit long... and the ending..I wanted more not just the script of what happened to her.
Still, once it gets going you cant take your eyes of it.


I know it will be hard to catch in the theatre, so if you can not just look for it on home viewing.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Halloween 2018

HALLOWEEN 2018


2 STARS OUT OF 5


I was looking forward to this. Just a disappointment.
I am not a horror film fan, and you know that if you follow this blog...but out of nostalgia I wanted to see this.
I got frustrated with this because soooo many of the characters do stupid things Yes...I know as the GEICO commercial says: "If you are in a horror film you do stupid things; it is what you do"; but these are adults doing dumb things!!
I also found this violent. I thought the original was violent of course but you never saw it. You just saw looks on their faces and then the results. You saw a knife slash maybe. Here it was...violent...which kind of threw me off.
Lets also throw in a very very soft ending..people were sitting in the theatre looking like...is that it as the credit ran.
Well I liked the storyline at least. Jamie Lee Curtis was awesome and so was her granddaughter played by Andi Matichak. So that is something.
Well if you want some scares this Halloween it does give you that...violently.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Bad Times At The El Royale

BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE


4 OUT OF 5 STARS


I cannot give spoiler here so it will be short.
This movie is one of the most entertaining films of the year.
A story that keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat.
Great acting by everyone and highlighted by newcomer Cynthia Erivo who steals the film with her acting and voice. I know it will not happen because this is not an "Oscar type film", but she deserves a nomination for supporting actress.
I cannot tell you more but  I can say...crazy shit goes down at the El Royale.
Why not 4 1/2 or 5 stars?
It was a bit long at 2 hours and 21 minutes. Plus the last half hour went from crazy fun, too just mean (however the very very end recovered).
Written and Directed by Drew Goddard...he does a wonderful job. It kinda reminds you of the film The Hateful Eight...in a good way LOL!
It is violent, if you do not mind that find a way to see it!!


From the shadows as always, thanks for your time.

New Film Review:The First Man

FIRST MAN
3 1/2 OUT OF 4 STARS


The story of Neil Armstrong and his wife Janet leading up to the first moon walk.
I read often this being called one of the best films of the year. I disagree. Yes it has good performances by Gosling and Foy, with what they had to work with.
What they had to work with, to be blunt, two characters that were boring or maybe just quiet people. I am separating this between both their fantastic accomplishments and who they were. They were just quiet people. They were so...quiet this film should be passed on. They were...boring, almost shockingly. Now, the story of the launch and what was happening to prep for it was really interesting...then the film picked up wonderfully in the last 1/2 hour for the trip; the landing: and the walk. The performances and landing has me jumping this film from 2 1/2 too 3 1/2 stars.
I almost forgot, the look and special effects....Chazelle has the film looking wonderful. He makes you feel almost claustrophobic, like you are in space with them. Sadly you have to wait almost 2 hours for that.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time

New Film Review: A Star Is Born

A STAR IS BORN
4 out of 5 stars
First...Do not peak at the bottom of the review for the answer...Did you catch the TV Reunion?






It has been made many many many times, yet it still works. It is just a story that transcends time. It is classic but can be told during any time period.
This film has many positives:
The music is wonderful, more so in the front half then the back half.
Bradley Cooper is amazing as Jackson. Maybe the best performance of his career. He is soft, but borderline hard because of the disease. He is kind and lost. He is falling but cant grab anything to stop the fall. His voice is grumbles but yet soft. So good!!!!!!!!!!
Sam Elliot as Bobby. I know, I mean really has Sam Elliot ever been bad?! Here...with his short time on the screen he steals everyone of those little bits. Especially the last heartbreaking scene.
Lady GaGa is really good for her first film. It is a tough part but watch her shoulders as her character Ally grows. It is a physical change, slumping as the world beats her down, too standing up straight and shoulders out as she gets more and more confident. There are some hiccups where sometimes it feels she is just reading her lines with no emotion...still great casting and she holds her own against some acting titans.
Now to some negatives.... back to Ally. There is really no movement in the back half of the story for her. I read somewhere in another review that they can watch the first half forever but the second half just feels stale, and I agree. Like you are watching the same thing over and over again in the second half. I imagine it is like the disease of alcoholism, its a circle, but on film we really needed more time with Ally. She is not really fleshed out as she grows in the second half. We really do not know her feelings about the popstar image, or her own personal growth we only know her professional growth. Oddly even as she got bigger she still talked like a teenager. This was Cooper's biggest mistake. It really drags the second half down as we see the same thing over and over again.


Still it is one of the best films of the year....it is a must see...heartbreakingly good.
Bradley Cooper and Greg Grunberg (Phil..Jack's driver)...an Alias reunion!!


From the shadows as always thanks for your time

New Film Review: Little Women

LITTLE WOMEN
4 OUT OF 5 STARS


It is a modern version of the classic Luisa May Alcott book. Modern retelling of the many TV versions and movies of the same title. Yes it is a high budget Hallmark film for sure. Hey...I don't mind a good Hallmark film!!!
Negatives first: A really bad decision by Director Claire Niederpruem to edit the film jumping around in time and space. Sometimes they give the year sometimes not...as viewers you get lost a bit. The film would be fine by just going step by step and not jumping.
Another thing is...it reaaaaalllly starts slow and the jumping in time does not help does not help, It needed a bit of editing in the beginning to help push the film to the back end
Positives: Well acted by everyone, highlighted by Sarah Davenport.
As the film gets to that middle and back end you feel it fly. It works!!! That is where I fell in love with this film. You know the story but still you cheer them on.
I know it is not out in full release but it is worth a look for home viewing when it is available. Oh it is the 150th anniversary of Little Women so why not see it!!!

New Film Review: Smallfoot

SMALLFOOT
2 1/2 OUT OF 5 STARS


It is a nice harmless film that children would enjoy. Adults...not so much.
It a funny twist on the Bigfoot legend, where it flips it and we become the legend to the Bigfoot or Bigfeet I guess.
I wish the humor was better or more of it. I wish the music and or songs were more memorable.
I guess it is serviceable and that is why I give it 2 1/2 stars right down the middle.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time