From The Shadow Revisiting Pretty In Pink 30 Years!

30 years ago this month YOU ALWAYS SAID WE'D STILL BE FRIENDS SOMEDAY...SOMEDAY!!!

PRETTY IN PINK
Directed by Howard Deutch
Screenplay by John Hughes
Starring Molly Ringwald; Jon Cryer; Harry Dean Stanton; Annie Potts; James Spader; and Andrew McCarthy




Yes 30 years ago we were introduced to Andie and Ducky and maybe the worst pink dress in  movie history.
Well lets get started with......

WHERE ARE THEY NOW:

Molly Ringwald who played Andie: She was a TV movie queen for a long time as she tried to resurrect her career. Then she starred in Diary Of A Teenage Girl. She was in a stinker called Jem And The Holograms in 2015. She will star in a new TV show called Raising Expectations. She is married to actor Panio Gianopoulos since 2007 and they have 3 children.

Jon Cryer who played Duckie: Was out of the spotlight for a long time until he landed the role of Alan on Two And A Half Men. He has been Married to Lisa Joyner Since 2007.

Harry Dean Stanton who played Jack...a wonderful dad and was, I think, underrated in this film. Still alive at 90 and still a working actor.  The Avengers; Green Mile;Godfather films and many more. In fact Roger Ebert created a rule STANTON EFFECT, being if Stanton is in the film it cannot be bad.

Annie Potts who played Iona: She is most famous for her role in Ghostbusters. She has been in many TV movies including her popular role as Mary Jo in Designing Women. She is also known for being the voice of Bo Peep in the Toy Story films. She has been married to James Hayman since 1990 and they have 2 children.

James Spader who played Steff: He is in Blacklist and In Avengers as Ultron. He was in many TV shows such as Then Practice; Boston Legal; and The Office.

Andrew McCarthy who played Blane: Is right now in a TV show called The Family. He is known for being in  many cult films like Weekend At Bernie's; and Mannequin. He is a director these day with shows such as Orange Is The New Black and The Blacklist. He has a second career as a popular travel writer he has been married to Dolores Rice since 2011 and they have one child.

NOW FOR FUN AND NOT SO FUN FACTS:

-Filmed in the same high school as the film Grease

-Anthony Michael Hall turned down the role of Duckie

-Cryer clashed often with Ringwald and McCarthy on set. They found him irritating.

-Simon is played by Dweezil Zappa in fact in the music store the sign says Dweezil is the pick of the week.

-The bouncer is Andrew Dice Clay

-James Spader was offered the role of Blane but elected to take the role of Stef. He said he loves playing villians.

-Originally the end was Duckie gets the girl. When the ending was re-shot everybody was called back. Look careful, you will notice that Andrew McCarthy is much thinner and his hair is a bit different. He shaved his hair and lost a lot of weight for a part on Broadway when he was called back. He had to wear a wig.

-Because of the re-shoot  John Hughes wanted his Ducky gets the girl ending and was very upset. So he wrote Some Kind Of Wonderful which is pretty much the same story line. However Molly Ringwald turned down the lead which was the beginning of their fallout. The part went to May Stuart Masterson.

Pretty In Pink is making its way back to the big screen this month and can be found on Netflix.

As always from the shadows thanks for your time!!

New Film Review: Hail Caesar

HAIL CAESAR
Screenplay by Coen Brothers
Directed by Coen Brothers
Starring Josh Brolin; George Clooney; Alden Ehrenreich; Ralph Fiennes; Scarlett Johansson; Tilda Swinton; Channing Tatum



The good:
Fiennes is funny in his small part. Ehrenreich is very funny. Josh Brolin coming off Sicario now here gives back to back very good performances.

That is all. This is my first big disappointment of the year. Critics are sheep here and see Coen and just put a stamp of approval. This film is a mess.
Where do I start:
The script is a mess, unfocused and not as zany and funny as one would think from the trailer.
Johansson is in this film. She looks pretty but has no reason to be there.
There were communist that were suppose to be funny but not so much.
Yes Communist. This film is a mess. I want to tell you more but I promise no spoilers.
The film has no cohesion or rhythm.
What a disappointment. Save your money wait for home viewing if you want to see it. I actually heard someone say on the way out we should have watched Fifty Shades Of Black. I wanted to say "No that would not have been a good idea either, go watch Star Wars again"! But they were right..they could have used their money else where.

2 stars out of 5 (and that is just for Brolin and Tatum's dancing) for Hail Caesar.....Hail NO!!!

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: The Choice

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....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: Kung Fu Panda 3

KUNG FU PANDA 3

Directed by Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh
Screenplay by Jonathon Aibel and Glen Berger
Starring Jack Black



Living large and loving life, Po (Jack Black) realizes that he has a lot to learn if he's going to fulfill the next challenge.

Well I was not a fan of the last two films. This one is the best of the three.
It follows a nice story line of how to teach your talents to others and also the importance of family.

Jack black is fantastic as Po as he has been in the last two. I just felt the last two they lacked a good story line and relied on slapstick and cheap jokes. I also thought the animation looked ....flat and never really popped. Well, here in the third film, the story line is strong and the animation is just a little bit better.
This story really flows along nicely and then we get to the last 15 minutes. No Spoilers here but it could not close. It was out there in left field and just turned Saturday Morning Cartoonish. I really think they must of had meetings after meetings about how to close this because it just was a disconnect, they could not come up with a clean ending.

I would say 3 stars out of 5 for adults maybe 4 out of 5 for kids. Just an awful silly ending.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Fifty Shades Of Black

FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK
Directed by Michael Tides
Screenplay by Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez
Starring Marlon Wayans and Kali Hawk



It is a Fifty Shades of Grey Spoof.

I want to say this is not as bad as what critics say. I laughed maybe 5 times. Which means...okay....not that funny.
A couple scarey things:
1- I laughed more at this trailer played before the movie:



Now that is funny.

2-Think about it I laughed five times in a movie that has jokes every 30 seconds. Now think about this at one point Wayans went......this is a great final product!! Oh my lord!!!

1 star out of 5 for this mess. However Keanu looks funny and that cat is cute!!!!!!!!!!! My shortest review of the year, I already wasted 90 minutes watching it, I did not want to waste many more minutes writing about it,.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: The Finest Hours

Well yes it has been awhile and I know you miss my reviews. I had some issues to deal with and now you are going to be flooded with reviews. So I start with:

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 may be more enjoyable at home on the small screen.

As always from the shadows thanks for your time.

New Releases This Week For Home Viewing!!!

BRIDGE OF SPIES
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Screenplay by Mat Charman; Ethan and Joel Coen
Starring Tom Hanks; Mark Rylance; and Amy Ryan


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An American lawyer/insurance man James Donovan (Hanks) is recruited by the CIA during the Cold War, to defend a Soviet spy, and then to help rescue a pilot detained in the Soviet Union by making a spy swap.

Well lets be honest.....what we have here....one of the best directors ever in Spielberg......one of the best actors ever in Hanks.....one of the best stage actors ever in Rylance....and the Coen brothers involved in the script. How can it be bad?
This is a very good film it takes you right to the heart of the cold war. Hanks is like a Jimmy Stewart character fighting for America and rights for all. Then there is Rylance. He shows up here with two Olivier awards and three Tony awards and, lets face it, stole this film out from under Hanks. He is so soft spoken he pulls you in. So calm and so unfazed, you think he is up to something but in reality, he is just calm and unfazed, it makes you laugh a couple times. Whenever Hanks and Rylance are going one on one in a scene you cannot help to feel this is a moment!!! It is an acting class!! They are the top.
This film is close to a perfect film. Except....editing!!! 2 hours and 20 minutes!!! And it feels like, 2 hours and 20 minutes. Yes, The Martian is about that long but there was some movement and some action. This film is a talky and it is pretty much 2 hours and 10 minutes of deciding and negotiations, deciding and negotiations, deciding and negotiations. Then 10 minutes of a tense prisoner exchange. Yes, I know it is a true story and they want to get everything in because it is true, but still more editing was very much needed. This falls on the shoulders of Spielberg and his long time editor Michael Kahn. They have to control it a bit. I mean at one point the story ends I got up and realized NOOO it has another end!! I do not know if this film is one of best film of the year because of that.
Please, I do not want to push you away from one of the better films of the year, in fact for home viewing it may work better. You can watch it in two halves if you prefer!! I just wanted to point out what keeps this from being a perfect film, which other reviewers out there may not want to point out because...well it is Spielberg.


4 1/2 stars out of 5 for this intriguing film. Screenwriting...Direction...The Look.....The Acting...James Donovan is a true American hero.

OOOH Amy Ryan love her and is so good here in the second small role she was in for 2015 (Spies and Goosebumps).


OUR BRAND IS CRISIS
Directed by David Gordon Green
Screenplay by Peter Straugham
Based on the Doc by Rachel Boynton
Starring: Sandra Bullock; Billy Bob Thornton; Anthony Mackie; and Juaquim De Almeida



An American woman, Jane (Bullock) well-versed in political campaigns, is sent to the war-torn lands of South America to help install a new leader (De Almeida) but is threatened to be thwarted by a long-term rival (Thornton).

This film is real bad. It made my top ten worst films of the year.
The script is boring. The cast almost looks bored as they seem to move slow, almost sleep walking through the scenes. Yes it is boring but also...I did not care. I did not care about anyone in this film. Plus, watching a campaign? I can watch that on TV. I try to avoid doing that!!! Politics can be dirty and I know that. I don't care enough to watch it on the big screen.
Now the end. No spoilers here. However we already know politicians who make promises on the campaign trail, often cannot fulfill those promises. I think we are suppose to think that Bullock's character has an epiphany after seeing certain things. I again did not care.
Positives? Bullock is good. Zoe Kazan as LeBlanc is great and I wish the movie was about her playing a political almost dirt digger.

1 1/2 stars out of 5 if you plan on watching this remember you will never get those two hours back.

ROCK THE KASBAH
Directed by Barry Levinson
Screenplay by Mitch Glazer
Starring Bill Murray



A down-on-his-luck music manager discovers a teenage girl with an extraordinary voice while on a music tour in Afghanistan and takes her to Kabul to compete on the popular television show, Afghan Star.

This film has it's moments, however it is a mess. It has no direction, it is all over the place.
Zooey Deshanel is only in this film for 10 minutes!! 10 minutes and she is all over the trailer. WTH happens to her.....I have no idea. The shame of it is, Zooey and Murray have really good chemistry.
Kate Hudson is in this film and is beautiful and has a interesting part, but, I have no idea why she is in the movie. There is no need for her. The relationship between her and Murray is odd and uncomfortable.
Bruce Willis. Really Bruce? Why?
Bill Murray!! Bill Murray is really good when the movie lets him be Bill Murray. I laughed out loud a couple times but then even Murray got bogged down by the script.
There is a alot going here. You have a clash of cultures. You have some kind of arms deal. You have a music show. You have a pretty girl who has nothing to do. You have Bill Murray being Bill Murray. Just a mess.
A real quick note...a young talent in this film Leem Lubany. I do not know if she does her own singing but she kind of steals every scene she is in.
2 out of 5 stars for Rock The Kasbah. May be worth a look for home viewing.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time