Month: July 2019

Movie 1: Wild Rose

A young Scottish woman wants to be a country singer in Nashville. While she has the drive and talent, she is a young mother with a young child and practically no resources to pursue her dream.

It’s a bit confusing, sometimes baffling, but ultimately enjoyable with a unique peek from a different point of view. It’s one part reckless, one part inspiring, and mostly satisfying. It’s worth seeking out.

Note: The heavy Scottish accents are a bit difficult to understand at times. Subtitles would have helped.

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Movie 2: Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood

It’s Quentin Tarantino’s ninth Hollywood film, this one set in 1969 during Hollywood’s “Golden Age”.

It’s a reminder of what the film industry was like. More like the wild West with rapid change, expanding wealth, radically shifting social paradigms except this one is set in the Hollywood Hills.

There is a lot to like in this film. A romp through times past. It’s a reminder of how quickly times evolve and how bizarre reality can be under the right circumstances. Don’t miss this one!

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First! A BIG hello to all our friends, family and fellow travelers! We’ve been in Wisconsin almost five weeks now. It’s been a very HOT and HUMID summer for the most part. It’s something we are not used to. When there is rain, it is torrential. Massive amounts of rain for hours at a time.

This year we experienced several tornado warnings. Something else we are not used to. The good news is there were only two that were a threat to us. We lost power twice, once for only a few hours and once for almost 14 hours. If you are not accustomed to these events, it can be both daunting and terrifying.

On the upside, watching the cycles of crops in the massive farms are intriguing. Corn from sprouts to over your head. You can almost see it grow. Wheat, soybeans, alfalfa, potatoes and a dozen other crops flourish in the rich soil and abundant rainfall. And let’s not forget Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland!

We’ve been busy with family commitments with almost no time for touring and travel to nearby attractions. No worries, we will make up for it with a fall trip to Europe. We have two weeks booked at an apartment in Paris, a tour from Prague to Budapest. And finally a visit with friends in Switzerland. Overall it should be a blast.

In the mean time, here are some photos we thought might interest you. We send our best wishes to all. Thanks for all your support and ideas.

We send virtual hugs and kisses to all!

J&J

Assorted pics from this summer.

Gracie is ready to celebrate the 4th!

Lion King

This film is virtually the same as the original in most respects. That said, don’t be deterred from seeing it.

The most important reason to see this film is the updated/upgraded animation. It is so good you’ll be challenged to distinguish live action from digitally created. It is nothing short of amazing and totally advances the audience experience.

It’s worth the few extra dollars for a premium screening. We saw it on an “Ultra” screen. It’s also available in Dolby and IMAX formats.

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The Art of Self-Defense

If you are in the mood for a weird, dry, confusing film with bewildering characters who incrementally become more bizarre, then this is your film!

If not for the performance by Jesse Eisenberg this review would end here. Fortunately, his character evolves into quite the tough masculine realist.

We cannot recommend this film for children.

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Movie 3 None

Note: Unfortunately there are no new films being released in the Milwaukee market area. We will spend our last couple weeks exploring more of the museums and other cultural points of interests. We will post as time allows. We send wishes of good health and happiness to you all. J&J

This Basilica just south of central Milwaukee at 6th Street and Lincoln Avenue is a true gem.  It carries an extraordinary history.  It’s named after St. Josaphat, an Archbishop in the Kingdom of Poland in the early 1600’s.

The first parish was built as a church in 1889 but burnt to the ground a year later.  A second church was built but it was too small to accommodate the congregation of 12,000 parishioners.

The current structure broke ground in 1896 and was completed in 1901.  It is based on a smaller version of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.  Both structures have a cross shaped floor plan with a huge central dome.  

Much of the construction materials were re-purposed from the closed U.S. Post Office and Customs House in Chicago.  Most of the stained glass windows were imported from Innsbruck, Austria. 

The Basilica today is the largest church in Milwaukee.  It seats over 1,000 on the main floor with hundreds more in the galleries.

Child’s Play

The biggest realization today was we have seen every movie currently in release in the greater Milwaukee Metropolitan Area! Unless something new is released in the next month we will seek other activities to entertain ourselves!

Child’s Play was a remake about a killer doll named “Buddi”. The good news is there is a lot less violence than the “Chucky” series. The bad news is the visuals are graphic, quite gory and expansive. There is an injection of humor here and there in an attempt to soften the gore. Unfortunately we cannot recommend this film for younger viewers.

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Stuber

Far from rocket science or brain surgery, Stuber is a buddy comedy where the two men could not be more different from each other. The biggest surprise wasn’t the stereotypical characters. It was how hilarious the screenplay was from beginning to end.

The unseemly pairing of the lead characters speaks volumes about current society in a way that is palatable to a broad spectrum of audiences. Brain and brawn blend together with layers of social commentary. It was better than we expected.

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Crawl

We are at that point in the summer movie season when new releases, well, are less than prolific. Hence: Crawl. On the upside, it’s suspense filled, occasionally intense, and one critic noted it has “plot conveniences”, which is a new description for us.

There is a big overarching flaw in the film. The consistent references to alligators in lieu of the massive and gravely powerful crocodiles.

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Annabelle Comes Home

Annabelle has been around a while with her evil spirits and hurtful shenanigans. This time she is locked in a glass case with a warning “Absolutely Do Not Open”.

It’s your guess if anybody payed attention to that warning… That said, this is classic horror film done well! We resisted the temptation to stonewall this film but having run out of local inventory, we acquiesced.

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Midsommar

This is quite a unique movie set in a remote Swedish village. One part family tragedy, one part summer affair, one part summer festival, and one part pagan cult. How does that sound for a summer holiday?!

That said, it is innovative. Above average acting and action. It gets pretty intense and should not be viewed by children. The visuals are impressive.

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Spider-Man: Far From Home

Often funny, action packed and entertaining with a touch of angst. It’s respectful of its Iron Man roots including mayhem and destruction, albeit in a playful way.

The energy in this film drives the story along with ease. There is a bit of teasing, the action scenes are clever and unique. It’s marginally okay for younger children. Overall, it’s a great transition from the last sequel Endgame.

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Yesterday

This is a unique story where Jack, a young singer/songwriter in England, discovers the Beatles never existed. Jack decides to perform the Beatles music to his new audiences. Good acting and fresh concept.

This film is fun, unique, clever, and surprising. Kudos from J&J. This one is appropriate for all audiences!

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The Secret Life of Pets 2

Witty, clever, charming and often hilarious. It’s a fun watch for viewers of all ages. It’s not perfect but much of the material is fresh and you might find yourself chuckling spontaneously from time to time just for giggles.

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Article 15

For something serious, seek out this film from India. It’s a crime drama just released about a gang rape and murder that occurred in a rural area in India in 2014.

It’s already raking in awards in London’s Indian Film Festival. It’s mostly based on the ongoing socio-policical situation where discrimination is rampant, related to gender, race and caste. The police struggle to find solutions, acceptance and change.

It’s not always easy to watch but it is a rare opportunity to see history in the making for one of the most populated counties in the world. Hindi with English subtitles.

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