New Releases For Home Viewing: Including Nice Guys!!

THE NICE GUYS

Directed by Shane Black
Screenplay by Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi
Starring Russell Crowe; Ryan Gosling; and Angourie Rice



Holland (Ryan Gosling), who is a kind of a swindler and a kind of a showy private eye. Jackson (Russell Crowe) a kind of sloppy tough guy private eye. They team up to try to find the reason for the suicide of Misty Mountains a porn star in 1977, and the connection  her suicide may relate to some other person they are looking for.

Right to the point. This film is very funny and entertaining. One of the best acted and written film of the year so far.

What works?
Black and Bargozzi's script. They do a great job walking that tightrope between comedy and action and mystery.
Shane Black as the director, brings us into the 70's. A time where there are no cellphones, so investigations meant a lot of leg work. Also a time where parties where way too many drugs are being used, and trying to get information from people at said party is a job within itself.

Then we come to some fantastic performances:
Crowe is wonderful playing Jackson. He is overweight and almost downtrodden. He is a big star who is okay playing the straight-man to Gosling. Gosling as Holland is so over the top funny as a single dad and investigator. He is a caring father and at the same time an awful father. He straddles the line of being almost smart to being just comical. Crowe and Gosling have the best chemistry in a comedy action film maybe since Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon movies.

Final note ...... Angourie Rice as Holly, Holland's daughter!!!! Wow, she seems to steal many scenes from the two leads. Lets face it, that is saying something when she is acting with two of Hollywood's best actors. She was so spot on I had to look her up to see what else she has done because she comes across almost fearless acting with these two stars. She really has not been in many films to scream about. She is a find!!

The film gets a little loose and odd at the end but I still loved it. 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars for The Nice Guys. Just a fun time in the theater. Plus, they left it open for a sequel.

As always thanks for your time from the shadows.


THE HUNTSMAN AND THE WINTER'S WAR

Directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Screenplay by Evan Spiliotopoulos and Craig Mazin
Starring Chris Hemsworth; Charlize Theron; Jessica Chastain; and Emily Blunt



A prequel to Snow White And The Huntsman.

I was pleasantly surprised by Snow White And The Huntsman. So I came to Winters War with hope.

The cast as you can tell is awesome.
Hemsworth is pretty much playing Thor.
Theron playing Raveena again, and just like in Snow White she is fantastic. She again looks like she is having a blast in this evil part.
Blunt playing against type as the angry Queen Freya is very good.
Jessica Chastain as Sara, playing a bad ass fighter was ....a stretch.

So you have a very good cast what about the screenplay?
The screenplay has many holes. In fact there is one point where, I am not sure, but I think it was no longer a prequel but a sequel. I was lost a bit. The script sometimes feels like they made it up as they went on. Now I am not saying this film is not exciting, it just seemed to be kinda cold like the Ice queen. It has some nice battles but I am getting tired of mortals doing things that are unrealistic on films. Like strange double back flips to kick two bad guys. Really? Especially when it is not necessary. I just feel like I have seen this film before. Or these battles before.

3 stars out of 5 for Huntsman and the Winter's War


MAGGIE'S PLAN

Directed by Rebecca Miller
Screenplay by Rebecca Miller
Based On The Play By: Karen Ridaldi
Starring: Greta Gerwig; Ethan Hawke; and Julianne Moore




Maggie (Gretta Gerwig) ends up in a relationship with a married man, John (Ethan Hawke).
Later, they are married., but in a strange twist, she eventually decides she wants to return him to his former wife Georgette (Julianne Moore).

I missed this release last week but better late then never.

I will come clean right away, I am a huge fan of Greta Gerwig (though I would love to see her break out and play a different character type. Less quirky.). So maybe my blinders on, but I really liked this film. Not love, but really liked.

Great performances all around:
Greta as Maggie, as noted, love her. Here she spot on as Maggie. A little bit soft but you can see her being exasperated without saying a word, which is key to the part. She also comes across as quietly intelligent, which is also important because she is making moves/decisions that John does not see coming. With all that being said she is spot on funny here with what she is trying to pull off.

Ethan Hawke as John. Is always good in "Talky" films (See Linklater's Before /After films), so he is perfectly cast. He is self absorbed and yet a little aloof and clueless of what is going on around him.

Julianne Moore plays Georgette the first wife. Now she is not in the film that often but when she is she absolutely shines. Lets face it how can she not she is freaking Julianne Moore!!! With an odd maybe European accent she is outwardly tough and a little bit of a hard-ass but as the film goes on you see subtly that the toughness is a little bit of a facade. Note...a little bit.

The screen play by Miller is just okay. We have the plot, however the plot is so one dimensional it kinda of feels like it is almost a shell of what it could be. We do not dig deep into character development. What we see is what we get. In fact Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph have small parts in this film, however we really do not know much about them. I understand they are there to give some comedy relief, but again it is just a shell of character development. The positive is that the script rolls along at a good entertaining pace, coming in at 90 minutes. It just tells the story and gets in and gets out. The film moves through time quickly making the it almost more quirky, lets face it it is an interesting and odd script.

One quick note,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ida Rohatyn as Lily makes her film debut. Clearly she is the front runner for cutest little kid in a film this year. You can see her in the still up top in the trailer.

3 1/2 stars out of 5 for Maggie's Plan. Well acted with a different kind of story. It is a fun quick watch.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Kubo And The Two Strings

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS

Directed by Travis Knight
Screenplay Marc Haimes and Chris Butler
Based on the story by Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes
Voice work by Art Parkinson; Charlize Theron; Rooney Mara;and Matthew McConaughey



This is an odd film.
First lets get this out of the way. The voice work is really good here. Especially by Art Parkinson who voices Kubo.
Second .............The look is fantastic with a mix of stop action and computer animation.

Now the plot. It steals a page out of the Disney book, you need a parent or parents to die.
Then you follow Kubo on his journey to retrieve his father armor.
Kubo is such a good kid which really makes this work. What does not make it work is a plot that can be confusing and odd  dealing with mystical strings and paper ....whatever. I think kids will be really confused. And....the evil sisters....are really creepy....not as much scary as creepy...which may freak out kids. It just seems like the story is in sections broken up way too often having to explain things. It is almost like the story or visuals could not tell the story so they felt like they had to stop and explain constantly. Very choppy. It is a shame I really liked Kubo and I cared about him but I was losing interest in back stories.

So great voice work. Great look. The story is interesting and magical just not that exciting, and the ending which is I guess is suppose to be uplifting seems...blah. 3 1/2 stars out of 5 for Kubo And The Two Strings.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: War Dogs

WAR DOGS

Directed by Todd Phillips
Screenplay by Stephen Chin; Todd Phillipsp; and Jason Smilovic
Based on the article by Guy Lawson
Starring Jonah Hill; Anna De Armas; and Miles Teller





It is crazy that this is a true story. It is so crazy and the only way this movie could work is that the actors have to be believable. And ...................................

Jonah Hill as Efraim Diveroli. His character is self involved and edging on crazy. Jonah plays him spot on with some humor thrown in.
Miles Teller as David Packous. He is desperately trying to get away from his massage business, however his desperation makes him blind to Efraim's greed. Miles is pretty good in this but I really do not buy him as a person bossing around gun runners and warehouse workers in war zone countries.
Adding to Teller's problem is his girlfriend/wife(?) Iz, played by Ana de Armas. Miles and Ana have absolutely no chemistry. We are suppose to feel for the couple as they struggle with his job. We do not, it is a weak link in the film. Also, not to be mean, but Arama....cannot act. She is bad. Okay that was mean.

I found the plot fun and shocking and entertaining. I mean they say it is all true even though it sounds unbelievable, I imagine they embellished some parts to make it funny especially the end with Henry Girard (Played by Bradley Cooper who is barely in the film).

3 1/2 stars out of 5 for this over the top true story. Some critics say they push the comedy, true, but is worth a look just because it is so far out there.



From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Indignation

Indignation

Directed by James Schamus
Screenplay by James Schamus
Based on the book by Phillip Roth
Starring Sarah Gadon; Logan Lerman; and Tracy Letts





This was a very odd film.
It was as cold as the plot or lack there of the plot.
I do not know what the hell it was!!!

How quiet and cold? Well when I saw it last week I went by myself. In the theatre were two other groups of people. By the halfway mark.....I was alone in the theatre. People just left...walked out.
They should have stayed because the film got a little better in the second half.

Still the film has a lot of problems.

It starts with the lead character, Marcus, played by Logan Lerman. I think the film makers want us to feel sorry for him...however he constantly comes across as a jerk. To the viewer, it makes it a hard film to watch....thus people walked out. Marcus is as cold as the film.

Tracy Letts who plays Dean Caudwell also is cold. I cannot tell what his issue is. He does not like Jewish people maybe? Or maybe I missed something? Or maybe Marcus is such a jerk it kind of pisses him off. Still, no matter, like Marcus he is unlikable.

Now the only likable person in this film is Sarah Gadon as Olivia. She is only in the film for maybe a half an hour and she is great. She plays the part soft with an odd forwardness if that makes sense. She is just lovely. Sadly there is not enough of her. We know a little about her past but we never find out enough.

That brings us to the plot.
We have a jerk lead.
A jerk costar playing the Dean.
And a likable female costar who we find out little about.
That leaves the plot cold and a storyline that seems it should have given us a lot more info, to have us care. Now I did not read the popular book. Which made me think they left too much on the floor.
The ending I think makes us feel bad for Marcus, but there is a deeper sadness for Olivia.

Which is the positive............
Gadon does make us feel. At the end....no spoilers here.

Another positive was a wonderful scene between Letts and Lerman in the Deans office It last about 10 minutes and is just a wonderful bit of acting. At that point I thought here we go!! The film is waking up!! Alas no.

2 stars out of 5 for Indignation. Maybe worth a look when it comes to home viewing.

New Film Review: Florence Foster Jenkins

FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS

Directed by Stephens Frears
Screenplay Nicholas Martin
Starring Meryl Streep; Hugh Grant; and Simon Helberg




Well when I started this blog I was tired of critics telling us how great a film was, then you go and see a depressing boring film. After awhile you realize that a lot of critics are sheep and love films because they want to let you know they are smarter than you and they fall in line with other critics. They forget that films should be entertaining.
So I started this blog with just two questions........Was I entertained/ and/or did I learn something?

So I come to Florence Foster Jenkins.
A wonderful story, and yes I learned a lot and was entertained. I never heard of her....and she was just fascinating. In the header/art on this blog you see that it says the film is hilarious. Well......no.
In fact I laughed just a little bit. I can take you back to the American Idol TV show where they have bad singers trying out in the first few episodes, At first you laugh. Then you cringe. Then you feel sorry for the person singing. This is exactly how I felt watching FFJ. Hilarious no. However a wonderful interesting and a joyous and kind (and maybe mean depending on what angle you look at) film.

It starts and ends with the acting. This film has the best combined performances in a film this year:

Meryl Streep as Jenkins is so good coming off the terrible film Ricki And The Flash. She is spot on playing the naive, head in the clouds singer. She brings a wide range of emotions, happiness as she performs. Sadness as reality sets in. Love, pure love for the people around her. At the same time being ill. So many emotions balled up into one person or one performance. Oscar nom worthy.

Hugh Grant. Freaking Hugh Grant!! Where has this Hugh Grant been??!! Wow!! Playing his age. Playing Bayfield as a man living a double life exhaustively protecting Jenkins's feelings. Is he doing the right thing? Toward the end even he questions. Hugh Grant returns with a character who is not over the top like his past performances. Oscar nom worthy.

Simon Helberg as Cosme' McMoon the pianist. Yes That Simon Helberg. Big Bang Theory Helberg. He comes in and becomes our eyes and sadly our ears watching and listening and you can see on his face the puzzlement of...What The Heck Is Going On Here. He plays the part wonderfully, he walks the line between not wanting to be part of this fraud, to wanting to make some money, to really caring for FFJ. He comes in and almost steals this movie and clearly deserves an Oscar Nom.

Very well acted but like I said with my comparison to American Idol, often it is hard and uncomfortable to watch. Even though Bayfield and McMoon feel they are doing the right thing and maybe they are, there is an umbrella of sadness.
4 out of 5 starts for this perfectly acted film. You have to see this...it is a true story which is amazing.

From the shadiows as always thanks for your time

New Film Review: Pete's Dragon

PETE'S DRAGON

Directed by David Lowry
Screenplay by David Lowry and Toby Halbrooks
Based on screenplay and or characters by Malcom Marmorstein; Seton I Miller; and S.S. Field
Starring: Robert Redford; Bryce Dallas Howard; Oakes Fegley; and Oona Laurence




A remake of the 1977 film following a orphaned boy Pete (Fegley) living in the woods with his best friend Elliot who happens to be a dragon.

I will get to it right away..........this is a wonderful, sweet, magical film.

Positives:
It is much better than the 1977 version. They moved the time period. They shortened it. And they also had the use of Computer animation which helps.
Speaking of which the look of Elliot the dragon is just fantastic. His movements are kind of clumsy and rough but he seems so soft and almost comfy.
In fact Disney is having a good year with the look of the live action films, Jungle Book and this film. Just beautiful.
The acting:
Oakes Fegley as Pete is believable and real. He crouches down almost like Tarzan. He is in almost every scene and he is not great but he is, I guess serviceable, and like noted, believable..
Bryce Dallas Howard as Grace the Ranger who finds Pete. She plays the part as almost us. I mean, she sees what we see and reacts like we react and learns while we learn. She becomes us the viewer and comes across as kind and a little tough also. Very believable.
Oona Laurence as Natalie, Grace's daughter, gives another wonderful performance. Like her performance in  last years Southpaw (She stole the movie) and this years Bad Moms she is a star in waiting and proves it again here.
Robert Redford as Meacham. This is a small role for him, but you can see why he took it. His part is well written and his voice serves as the "Old Timer" voice, telling the story in a remarkable calm way that differs from what we see. I mean it is a DRAGON. He is all in as the calming rational voice of the film.

The bad:
Again a parents death..............Disney!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also the Dragon looks so good it could be scary for little ones during specific parts of the film.
Wes Bentley is in this film as Jack and is under used. It is Wes Bentley!! They could not find more for him???!!
Karl Urban as Gavin, the bad guy you might say in the film, looks like he is sleep walking. It may be because his character is not developed very much. Not many characters are fully developed in this film. The film rightfully so keeps the time down by just focusing on the background of Meacham the story teller and of course Pete. However...I think a bad guy should always be developed more. In fact that is a theme this summer ....see Ghostbusters and/or Suicide Squad. Underdeveloped bad guys/girls.

4 1/2 stars out of 5 for the wonderful great looking family film Pete's Dragon. What a surprise.
Maybe the best...;. animated or not.... family film of the year.

As always thanks for your time from the shadows.

New Film Review: Sausage Party

SAUSAGE PARTY

Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon
Screenplay Kyle Hunter; Ariel Shaffir and a bunch of other people.
Voices: Michael Cera; James Franco; Salma Hayek; Seth Rogan; and Kristen Wiig




Okay.............spoiler free as always.

This film is very funny.

There is not really much to say. You see it all from the trailer.

Sex
Religion
The "Border"
Middle East
Women's Hygiene products
Male Genitalia
Nothing is really off the table and that is okay. That is what makes that first half work. An animated film that throws out foul language more times than any film, I mean any film, this year. The timing of the foul language and coming from an animated character makes it hilarious.

So it is funny.
It also has really fine animation.
The film has well done voice work also (Is that really Ed Norton?).

BUT.................................................

I hate to mention it because you really do not go to see this film for the story line. Yet the story just sits there during the second half, with not many laughs and to be honest...it was boring (With a strange sex scene that was not as funny as what you expected it to be). In other words the second half just did not hold up.

Well, for it's animation, it's voice work, and for it just being different......3 1/2 stars out of 5 for Sausage party. A party that ran out of ideas half way through.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.