Month: June 2019

Toy Story 4

Toy Story 4 raises the bar for all previous releases in the franchise. New themes, clear and vivid animation, and many of the original characters. That said, some critics felt this rendition departed too far off the known track. We respectfully disagree. In our sold out viewing, it was clear to us the young viewers understood very clearly what they were seeing on the screen.

Special note: Don’t miss the ending credits. There are several surprise segments you will not want to miss. Enjoy!

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Anna

Remember “Spy vs. Spy” comics?! Well, “fasten your seat belts” and prepare to meet Anna, with the skill, allure, and cunning to confront East and West espionage concurrently.

This is one of the most engaging films of the season. It’s not suitable for young children but it is a suspenseful whopper for us adults. Fun, intriguing and full of surprises. Helen Mirren’s performance alone is worth the price of admission.

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Shaft

First…it’s entertaining, occasionally funny, often a bit crude, but packed with action. It’s appropriately and unapologetically focused on urban black culture of today. Overall, we enjoyed it!

This film is on the border line concerning attendance by children. We do not think it’s appropriate, especially for young children. It’s pretty clear this film was intended for older children and adults.

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The White Crow

Reviews are all over the board on this one, mostly not so good. We enjoyed it. To be clear, this is a biopic about Rudolf Nureyev. If you are a history buff, we will leave it for your discovery.

We found it believable and loaded with twists and turns you would expect from a suspense novel. The acting is passable to good but the theme is intriguing and satisfying. Russian with English subtitles.

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The Serengeti Rules

This film is based on research, specifically the environment, from the 1960s to now. The focus is “what were the causes of climate change in recent history and what is and should happen to mitigate that damage/change”.

The film spans studies from the Arctic to the Pacific tide pools, from the Serengeti to the Amazon, from otters to sea urchins and more. Anyone interested in the current status of the environment will find this film worth while.

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Special Note:  This is a mini post of a couple films we managed to squeeze in this week.

We will be traveling to visit family and friends in the Midwest over the next six weeks.  We will continue to post movie reviews and travel photos as time permits.

We send our best wishes to you all!

J&J

Late Night

This is an odd film about a late night television host and her drive to stay at the top of the ratings. Her all male staff of writers have been ‘stuck in a rut’ for a very long time enjoying big salaries and a lax work environment. Enter Molly! The only woman among the writers.

On the upside, the acting is quite good. The screenplay is equally good. Much of the story is based on true events and first hand experiences.

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The Dead Don’t Die

One part goofy. One part mildly funny. One part gross. Completely strange. Somewhat unsettling. Bitter, cynical and abrasive, yup! Deadpan…how appropriate! It’s also clever, unique and more than a bit morbid.

All that said, the character performance by Tilda Swinton is a hoot and alone a reason to see this film if you are so inclined.

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The Spy Behind Home Plate

This film is focused on the remarkable life of Morris (Moe) Berg, Major League baseball player, lawyer, spy, and a would be assassin who spoke a dozen languages and wowed audiences on numerous quiz shows.

This movie will appeal to sports fans, history buffs and WWII followers. It’s concurrently interesting and fast paced. We found it fascinating and entertaining.

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Men in Black: International

It’s always somewhat amusing when the film industry launches a new rendition of an existing franchise, in this case “international”. What does that mean anyway?! The first three releases were about aliens on earth to cause havoc and such.

Oh, the big twist here is the newest MIB agent is a….wait for it, woman! Gasp! How’s that for innovation!?

Grumbling aside, it is a fun movie with some new ideas and unique action scenes. It might be a bit intense for younger children.

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American Woman

It’s an odd title. It’s set in rural Pennsylvania when a younger woman’s daughter goes missing. The grandmother is now left to raise the child.

The acting is powerful and believable, but sometimes difficult to watch. It’s ultimately rewarding.

We were not planning to see this film but changed our minds at the last minute. We were glad we did.

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Papi Chulo

Where to start! The reviews for this film are all over the board. “A buddy comedy” NO! A “cross cultural bromance” Absurd!

It’s the story about Sean, a young gay weather forecaster in Los Angeles who struggles with the loss of his life partner. On the verge of a mental meltdown his employer compels Sean to ‘take a couple of weeks to get his life together’.

Sean decides to focus on some household repairs that result in hiring a day laborer, “Papi”. While Papi (Ernesto) welcomes the daily income, Sean welcomes the distraction of any companionship.

Ultimately, it is a story about healing and renewal. Agreed, it’s not perfect, but it’s more believable than a lot of the recent releases.

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Pavarotti

This is an amazing Documentary about the life of Luciano Pavarotti. It uses rare footage to build the lifetime picture of this remarkable artist. He was the son of a baker. He grew up in Modena, Italy.

His life is on display in this remarkable film. It’s not always perfect. Life rarely is. But this film is a delightful journey worthy of your time and attention. No doubt, potential Oscar material.

Note: For once, John and I were not the oldest ones in the theater. 🙂

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Echo in the Canyon

This star studded retrospective about the California music scene of the mid-60’s is focused on the famed Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles.

It’s a who’s who of the music from the era with dozens of famous and or infamous artists of that period. If you are a movie buff, a 60’s music fan, or a history buff, you will find something to enjoy in this film.

More clips of the live performances and less jabber jawing about who did what to whom…would have improved the documentary even more.

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Ma

Ooh doggie! This psycho/thriller features an Octavia Spencer as we have never seen her before! Her character is manipulative, campy and creepy concurrently. It’s a bit of a shame the film delivers a B movie experience.

That said, if you are interested, you’ll want to see this one for the ending alone. This film is not at all appropriate for younger children.

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The Third Wife

This film is set in 19th century rural Vietnam where the wealthy landowner marries his third wife, a 14 year old named May. The goal is to bear a male child for her husband and gain status.

Much of this film is visually stunning. That said, it’s also often confusing and without explanation. That also said, it is the unspoken nuances that are intriguing and make this movie so interesting. We think this film is worth seeking out. It’s a fascinating peek into the past. Vietnamese with English subtitles.

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All is True

Here is another audience worthy production featuring Kenneth Branagh as an aging William Shakespeare who returns home to resume the family activities as his fame and fortune transition in his senior years.

It’s a wonderful film with exceptional acting, a rare peek behind the curtain. The viewers will need to decide for themselves if “all is true” or not.

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Dark Phoenix

Dark Phoenix is indeed dark! The unity we’ve come to expect begins to melt. Trust begins to dissolve. Powerful unknown forces threaten the X-Men world as we know it. The scenes become quite intense and destructive.

We were surprised to see some young children in attendance. Even though the film is rated PG-13, we do not recommend this for young children.

Special Note: The X-men series, part of 21st Century Fox, was one of the most innovative and successful franchises for almost 20 years. When Disney acquired most of Fox’s assets as part of a $71.3 billion package, everything changed. Time will tell the future of the X-men product.

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The Biggest Little Farm

Every once in a while a film comes along and reminds us how basic some topics can be. In this case, it’s a straight forward explanation on how we get our food. It’s also the layers above and below the ground that make it all possible. It’s the air and the creatures whose daily life cycles determine what grows and what doesn’t.

This film should be required viewing for all of us in cities and rural areas alike. This story is told in simple terms and reveals amazing realities. It’s suitable for all ages including children. Don’t miss it!

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The Tomorrow Man

This film features the star power that seasoned accomplished actors can bring to the screen. It’s also a reminder how life moves us forward, sometimes with a nudge and sometimes with a forceful shove.

It’s a story of how people from completely different lives stumble upon common threads that suddenly bind themselves together.

By contrast, we will tell you the last scene was not welcomed and not needed but clearly reflects the novice Director’s judgement and limited skills.

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The Last Black Man in San Francisco

This film is both complicated and confusing. It speaks to a fifth generation black man and his closest friend and their quest to both protect and secure a classic Victorian home as squatters.

The relationships between immediate friends and family is both revealing and confounding. It also is a commentary on our fair city, and the Bay Area for that matter. The stratification on most every topic was best explained as “You can’t hate something if you didn’t love it first.”

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Godzilla: King of the Monsters

“Godzilla and Mothra, Rodan and Ghidorah, oh my!” We couldn’t believe the massive IMAX theater was sold out, especially after watching 2 hours and 12 minutes of screeching and hacking on screen. Not to mention the hordes of teens and twenty somethings annoying their fellow movie goers with constant texting on their telephones.

That said, the film fails miserably. The monsters are poorly conceived and executed. The human characters aren’t any better. The script might have been written by a third grader and most of the adult characters wouldn’t make it 10 minutes on a soap opera. Save your money and frustration and skip this one.

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The Souvenir

Oye Vey! The acting isn’t half bad in this film. That’s about the best element. That said, here are some of the tags we found describing the movie: “Pretentious”, “Depressing”, and our favorite “intellectual claptrap”!

That said, how any highly intelligent feminist filmmaker could submit to the domination of her heroine addicted boyfriend is beyond comprehension.

It’s a shame really given some of the A-list actors. Parents should reconsider before allowing children and teens to view this production.

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Booksmart

If you are in the mood for a quick paced reminder of what high school kids are thinking and doing these days, this is your movie. That said, the script and the acting toggles between slapstick and stupid. It quickly becomes tedious and annoying. Considering these are all Seniors in their final days in High School, it should be concerning that all the parents are missing in action.

We found this film mildly entertaining and a minimal improvement over the other films this week. It makes one wonder what is going on in the movie industry these days. Where are all the foreign films?

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Rocketman

We saw this film this last week in Dublin, Ireland in a massive multiplex days before it opened in the US. We were surprised and impressed with the venue, the film, its life long story about Sir Elton John.

And what a life it has been for this pop star who evolved from simple beginnings to become a global icon.

The production features 22 songs and a healthy dose of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll! It’s rated R for language throughout, some drug use and sexual content. We do not recommend viewing for young children.

It’s listed as a drama with a run time of 121 minutes.

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Aladdin

This latest Disney production is a live action remake of the original classic. Now we were immediately thinking what you may be thinking…tinkering with a global classic!?…Not a good idea!

Agreed…unless the new version upgrades all the qualities of the original. This one does just that! Upgrade the vocals, check! Upgrade the messages, check! Add some surprises, check! Reinvent the Genie roll, Will Smith delivers that and then some.

All said, this film is near perfect, but in fairness, falls a bit short. It’s rated PG for some action/peril. Younger viewers might need some explanation about some scenes.

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John Wick: Chapter 3, Parabellum

This ultra violent film is the third in a series of the “super assassin” John Wicks. After making an “unauthorized kill” Wicks is on the run from an international assassin’s guild.

The entire story is a sick look at extreme violence, endless fighting and debauchery, some of it ridiculous, perhaps intended to add levity to the absurd story line.

The film is rated R for pervasive strong violence along with some language. We cannot recommend this film for children (or anyone for that matter).

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