Author: James Hathaway

Penguins

Here is a captivating film about the Adelie Penguins and their summer cycle in the hostile territory of Antarctica. It’s the Disney documentary production that delivers the life cycle of these delightful and determined little fellows into a full blown movie.

This is a family friendly story about the incredible journey these two foot high creatures must endure simply to survive another year. It’s lighthearted, often funny, occasionally tense but ultimately satisfying.

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Dogman

This is an unusual film set in an unnamed seedy seaside village of Italy. It’s pretty bleak from the beginning, and frankly goes downhill from there.

Marcello is the owner of a modest pet grooming business. He also has a young daughter whom he adores. He befriends the town’s bully, Simon, who is simply a horrific thug.

The film is often bleak, intense, surprising and violent. It’s also intriguing.

The film is not rated. It is not appropriate for children. The genre is Drama, Mystery and Suspense with a run time 103 minutes. Italian with English subtitles.

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Avengers: Endgame

Ladies and Gentlemen…if you are a fan of animated films and/or the movie versions, you must make time to see this film! It was released five days ago with sold out theaters shattering earnings of more than 1.2 billion dollars globally!

Why? you may ask! Someone convinced the Marvel enterprise this product was a perfect time to wrap up existing products and clear the decks for the next generation of super heroes and/or beyond…

At three hours and 2 minutes, one must prepare for refreshments and such. Our theater was the largest IMAX theater in San Francisco and was sold out with over 435 seats, a seven story screen and a state of the art sound system.

If you are a fan of this franchise already, be prepared for surprises, unexpected twists and turns, and throwbacks to the numerous characters and their unique qualities.

Parents should be advised this film is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence, action and some language. At three hours long there is a lot to consider, including scenes of sex & nudity, profanity and some intense scenes. That said, we do not think this film is suitable for young children.

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Ramen Shop

This is the story about the son, Masato, who works for his aging father’s ramen shop in a small Japanese town. When the father suddenly dies, Masato travels to Singapore, his deceased mother’s country, in hopes of learning about his family and their cooking heritage.

Soon Masato meets a local food blogger and a new friendship begins, with the food scene as the conduit for an emerging relationship.

There is a sudden turn of events when Masato meets his grandmother, who rejected his mother because she married a Japanese man. It is a reflection of the scars from WWII that are still fresh from the Japanese occupation of Singapore.

Ultimately, it’s a charming film filled with a believable story line. It’s both heartbreaking and uplifting. The food scenes are wonderful.

This film is not rated. It’s in Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese and English with English subtitles. It’s suitable for maturing children. The run time is 90 minutes.

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Wild Nights with Emily

Who knew?! This is the story of Emily Dickinson, the 19th century
American poet who enjoyed a life long affair with her sister-in-law Susan.

The film is also focused on the unpublished body of work by Ms. Dickinson, which at the time totaled over 1,775 poems. There is quite a stir around this issue and you’ll need to wait until the final credits to understand why.

Interestingly this film is rated PG-13 due to a mild element of sex & nudity, one incident of profanity, and a mild scene with alcohol and smoking. The film is listed as a Comedy, Drama with a run time of 84 minutes. It’s ultimately enjoyable, lighthearted and insightful.

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The Chaperone

See this movie for the outstanding acting, a great cast, the numerous unexpected twists and turns and an insightful peek at life in the 1920s Wichita, Kansas and New York City.

The cast is perfectly in sync with its characters and the story line. It’s not shy about confronting real world circumstances of its day, most of which recur generation after generation. Perhaps that was the undercurrent the Director was seeking. Once again, this film was based on true events.

The film is not rated. It’s listed as Art House & International, Drama. We feel it is not suitable for young children. The run time is 108 minutes. Reviews have been all over the board, but we liked it a lot.

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Girls Of The Sun

This film was inspired by the 2014 ISIS raid on Kurdish territory in Northern Iraq. Several Kurdish women hostages escaped their ISIS captors. These women suffered excessive abuse and vowed to kill their oppressors, knowing the jihadists’ believe a fighter killed by a women will be denied entry into heaven.

A French journalist, Mathilde, becomes embedded with the Kurdish women gathering their stories to share with the world.

While this is an intriguing look at events in recent history, it’s often painfully difficult to watch. It’s not suitable for children. The film is not rated. It’s in French, Kurdish, English and Arabic with English subtitles and has a run time of 1 hour 55 minutes.

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Missing Link

This movie is a bit goofy, but it’s also charming, creative, often quite funny and the animation is top drawer. On the down side, it’s a bit too violent for its PG rating; i.e. a bar room brawl, gun fighting, death… All that said, the film is ultimately a love story.

The story is set in the 19th Century where an English explorer and an 8 foot tall Bigfoot, named Mr. Link, befriend each other.

Considering this is a children’s movie, parents with younger children should consider these references to Sex and Nudity (4), Violence & Gore (3), Profanity (2), Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking (1), Frightening and Intense Scenes (2).

This film is noted as a Fantasy/Adventure with a run time of 1 hour, 35 minutes.

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Red Joan

This film is a bit unique because it tells its tale by toggling between two different points in time, the young Joan and the old Joan. It’s based on true events spanning World War II to modern times.

That said, it’s a challenge to describe. One part spy movie, one part love story. First a patriot, then a smuggler. It’s a well crafted film that shares a story well worth considering. The acting is excellent, and as always, Judi Dench is stellar.

The film is rated R for brief sexuality and nudity. It’s listed as a Drama, Mystery & Suspense with a run time of 110 minutes. We do not suggest this film for younger children.

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Greetings to everyone. This movie post will be the last post in the old format. We will be transitioning to a new, more robust format, with big changes that will make it easier to read and more informative. J&J

Little Woods

Little Woods, North Dakota is a fracking boom town. This is a gritty film about the opioid crisis, survival, drug dealing, unplanned pregnancy, and sisters struggling to make ends meet.

The film is written and directed by award winning director Nia DaCosta. Be advised, this film is not always easy to watch but if you are up for a great story with great performances, then seek this one out.

It’s appropriately rated R for language and drug material. It is listed as a Drama. It is NOT appropriate for children. The run time is 103 minutes.

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High Life

Where to start! First…many prominent critics are raving about this film as “poetic”, “rewarding” and “challenging”. We disagree and choose “gritty”, “pathetic” and “tedious” as better descriptions.

It’s a shame given the cast of accomplished actors including Robert Pattinson, Claire Denis and Juliette Binoche.

It’s rated R for disturbing sexual images including violent sexual assault, graphic nudity and language. Well doesn’t that sound like your average sci-fi romp?! Obviously, it is not appropriate for children. It runs a painful 110 minutes. Its genre is noted as Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy.

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Nureyev

If you have the opportunity to catch this documentary about the life of Rudolf Nureyev do not hesitate for a minute. It includes extraordinary rare footage that reveals the genius of this amazing man and legendary dancer.

It’s also a history lesson on Russia as it chronicles the events from his childhood to international stardom. The production is a ‘no holds barred’ approach to Nureyev’s professional and private life, his charisma, creativity, and thirst for life. Much of the footage has never been seen before now.

This film is not rated. The run time is 115 minutes (and worth every minute). The film seems to be in limited release in the US. That seems odd given it’s release in Italy and Denmark in 2018 and Belgium and Netherlands in 2019.

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Hello all.  Tomorrow we are off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a week with family.  There probably won’t be any posts until we get back.  Happy Easter to all!

J&J

Shazam

Shazam is the 7th installment by the DC “Extended Universe”.  In this film the comic book character Shazam, formerly known as Captian Marvel, is now a 14 year old orphan Billy Batson who has fun exploring his new powers, albeit in a charming child like way.

Before long the bad guy, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, turns to ancient powers with a goal to steal Shazam’s powers for himself.

Overall, the acting is adequate with the film one part comedy, one part fantasy, sometimes dark, sometimes down right goofy.

It’s rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, language and suggestive material.  This film is suitable for older children. It’s listed as Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy with a run time of 130 minutes.

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Slut in a Good Way

First, we hate the title.  It’s a lousy way to attract attention and creates a crummy image for this coming of age film from Quebec, Canada.  It’s entirely in French with English subtitles.  This can be a bit of a challenge as all of the dialog is in rapid French so the subtitles fly just as fast.  Don’t let that deter you.  This movie is charming, relevant with a soft landing.

Having grown up with two older sisters and scads of nieces (and nephews), this film was a reminder of the trials and tribulations that generations of youngsters encounter during those phases in life.

One highlight repeats a few times in the film.  It’s Maria Callas belting out short segments of  Bizet’s Carmen Habanera.  Also unique, there are almost no adults in the film.

Another interesting aspect of the plot is the spin on the Greek play Lysistrata, where the women refuse to sleep with the men as a protest and level the playing field.

The film is rate R for sexual content, drug use, drinking, and language – all involving teens.  The genre is noted as Comedy with a run time of 92 minutes.  It’s not suitable for young children.

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Amazing Grace

This documentary was created from concert footage at two of Ms. Franklin’s 1972 performances at the New Temple Baptist Church in Los Angeles.  As long time fans of Ms. Franklin it was required viewing.  We were not disappointed.

It’s quite remarkable actually.  Buried for decades the footage was shot on 16mm film.  It’s not today’s quality film making but it is a fascinating peek at Gospel music and a black Gospel perspective of worship and admiration.

Our research suggests Aretha herself blocked the release of this film for decades ‘not worthy’ for public release apparently because of technical snafus and such (many obvious in this rendition).  This film was only released after Ms. Franklin’s death last year.

It’s currently in limited release with an 87 minute run time.  The film is not rated.  If you are a fan, seek it out.

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The Invisibles

Here’s a film worth seeking out.  The title is a reference to Jews hiding in Berlin in the early years of World War II.  Those in control of Germany at that time were convinced they had eliminated all German Jews from Berlin which meant they had been deported to the “camps” for elimination.

The script is based on true events and the interviews of two men and two women survivors.  They were 4 of 7,000 Jews (out of 160,000) who hid in Berlin after Nazi Joseph Goebbel announced Berlin was “free of Jews” in 1943.  By the time the war ended only 1,700 Berlin Jews had survived.

The core cast is made up of 20 mostly young German actors.  Their performances overall are believable and realistic.  Another 20 actors round out the rest of the cast.

The film is listed as a Historical Drama.  It is not rated.  The run time is 110 minutes.  German, with English subtitles.

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P Storm

This film is the latest in the action series, preceded by Z Storm, S Storm, and L Storm.  Who knew?!  Its genre is noted by the movie website Popcorn Singapore as Action/Crime.

The entire story is mostly set in the Hong Kong Correctional Services with some scenes scattered around or near Hong Kong.  The story line is about an inmate, played by Raymond Lam, who bribed prison officers to ‘look the other way’ regarding attacks on other inmates.  William Luk, played by Louis Koo, is an undercover agent who infiltrates the prison as an inmate to investigate the crimes.

The plot is a bit hard to follow.  It’s hard to determine the good guys from the bad guys as the subtitles in Mandarin and English fly by (quite common for Chinese films).  The films language is Cantonese.

The action is quite violent with constant gang fights.  It’s often confusing with subtle commentaries on China and Hong Kong’s ‘moral compass’.  This film is not rated in the US.

To quote the South China Morning Post movie critic Edmund Lee:  …”the script is thoroughly detached from reality, but P Storm is never boring, and there are worse ways to spend 96 minutes.”

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Pet Sematary

The long awaited film version of Stephen King’s horror novel is in theaters now.  Have you had trouble sleeping lately?  This one just might provoke a nightmare!  It starts out calm enough but gets really creepy really fast.  It starts with a frumpy cat and takes off from there.

The acting is pretty good.  Jason Clarke plays the father.  Amy Seimetz is the wife.  Jete Laurence plays the daughter and three year old twins play the little brother Gage.  John Lithgow plays the weird neighbor.  A handful of bit parts round out the rest of the cast.

The film is rated R for horror, violence, bloody images and some language.  We do not feel this film is appropriate for young children or sensitive youngsters.  It gets very intense for quite a while.

The genre is listed as Horror with a run time of 101 minutes.

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Hotel Mumbai

This production is outstanding.  It is not easy to watch but it’s a riveting recreation of the 2008 siege on the Hotel Mumbai, the flagship hotel property of the Taj Hotel group, India.

Perhaps the most important characteristic of the production is its accurate depiction of the four day siege, November 26-29, 2008.

Ten Pakistani terrorists killed 164 people in the assault.  Ultimately nine of the terrorists were killed.  One survived and was later executed in November of 2012.

The cast is exceptional and believable.  Armie Hammer plays the husband David.  Nazanin Boniadi plays his wife Zahra.  Tilda Cobham-Hervey is excellent as the Nanny.  English actor Jason Isaacs plays the Russian businessman.  Dev Patel as a hotel waiter and Anupam Kher as the Head Chef round out the core actors.

The film is rated R for violence, bloody images and language.  This film should not be viewed by young children.  This film is being applauded for its accuracy and detail to true events.  The run time is 123 minutes.

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The Beach Bum

Disgusting, vulgar, sexist, pornographic, pervasive.  Gross drunken behavior, excessive drugs and perverted sexual activities…is this really what the film industry aspires to?!

Featuring Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey as Moon Dog, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, Snoop Dogg, Martin Lawrence, Stefania LaVie Owen, Jimmy Buffett and Bertie Higgins.

This film is not worthy of an audience.  80 percent of the ticket holders in our theater got up and left.  We foolishly kept waiting for something worthy of our attention…but it never came.

It’s listed as a comedy with a run time of 1 hour 35 minutes.  Rated R for excessive drug and alcohol use, language throughout, nudity, and strong sexual content.

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Sunset

This film is set in 1913 Budapest, just before World War I and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  It’s the story of Irisz Leiter, the daughter of the former owners of the famed Leiter hat store.  She is seeking some understanding of her deceased family.

The film is interesting but confusing.  The story unfolds in a series of vague but tense scenes, often suggestive but mostly tedious suspense.  This is a very dark film.

This is Hungarian Director Laszio Nemes’ second feature film (after Son of Saul, 2015).  Unfortunately we cannot recommend it.  Its primary languages are Hungarian and German with English subtitles.

As one fellow movie goer said to us immediately after “I speak fluent Hungarian and German and I have no idea what this movie was about.”  We agree wholeheartedly.

It’s rated R for violence.  It’s listed as a drama.  It is not appropriate for children.  The run time is a whopping 144 minutes.

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Lost & Found

This is a unique movie, at times charming, and other times slow.  Seven interconnected stories in and around an Irish village and its train station.  The film is inspired by true stories from the immediate area.  The stories span one week in time.

The cast includes 11 Irish actors.  Liam O Mochhain, Norma Shehan, Brendan Conroy, Aoibhin Garrihy, Liam Carney, Mary McEvoy, Sean Flanagan, Lynette Callaghan, Seamus Hughes, Barbara Adair and Donncha Crowley.

The seven stories merge into a series, heavy on Irish humor and quirkiness.  Some of it is silly, sometimes melancholy, and occasionally awkward.

This film is not rated.  It is listed as a Comedy, Drama with a run time of 92 minutes.  While there is no reason children could not view this film, some of the dialog and accents might be a bit hard for youngsters to follow.

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Dumbo

Disney and Tim Burton teamed up on this film.  Consensus is the new live action version is visually stunning with a dark cloud underbelly.  While the original 1941 version was only 64 minutes long, the newest rendition relies on Computer Generated Images (CGI) for its Dumbo character.

There is a hefty cast which includes Eva Green as Colette, Colin Ferrell as Holt, Danny DeVito as Medici, Nico Parker as Milly, Michael Keaton as Vandermere and Alan Arkin as J. Griffin.

Other notable performances include Joseph Gatt as Neils, Sharon Rooney as Miss Atlantis, Lars Eidinger as Hans, DeObia Oparei as Rongo, Roshan Seth as Pramesh, Sandy Martin as Verma and Douglas Reith as Sotheby.

Reviews have been tepid and mixed.  At times inventive and charming.  At other times it’s a dark, flawed attempt to replace a masterpiece.  Time will tell on this one.  We enjoyed it.

It is rated PG for peril/action, some thematic elements and brief mild language.  About half our audience were children who seemed riveted.  The genre is Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy running 112 minutes.

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Transit

This film has enjoyed mostly favorable reviews from the critics.  We are not sure why?!  It’s based on a 1944 book by Anna Segher.  The book was set in 1942 when the Nazi’s were invading France from the North and the South.

In this film, which is set in modern times, there is no explanation about the threats, invasion, police raids, travel papers, street violence and murders.  All we know is Germany is invading France in 2018.

It’s a shame actually.  The acting is quite good.  The cast includes the German actors Franz Rogowski, Paula Beer, Barbara Auer, Matthias Brandt and Trystan Putter along with Iranian actress Maryam Zaree.

This film is not rated.  It’s listed as Art House & International, Drama with a run time of 101 minutes.  By the way, if by chance you do see this film, do wait until the very last scene for a surprise ending.  It’s (almost) worth waiting for.  French and German with English subtitles.

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The Mustang

Oddly enough this film is an American-French-Belgian production about a Nevada prison program to pair wild mustangs with hardened inmates, with the goal being everybody has something to learn and benefits (when the program works).

The acting is pretty good.  The cast includes the Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts in the leading roll as Roman.  Jason Mitchell plays a fellow inmate Henry.  Bruce Dern plays the tough program manager Myles.  Gideon Adlon plays the daughter Martha.  Connie Britton plays the prison psychologist.  Another 20 actors play various rolls as prison guards or inmates.

It’s interesting partly because it is based on true events but it also reveals the cold brutal reality surrounding the prison system, the way they operate and the human fallout that comes with incarceration.

Reviews have been generally favorable.  The film is listed as a drama.  It is rated R for language, some violence and drug content.  We do not recommend viewing for children.  The run time is 96 minutes.

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The Aftermath

This film is set in 1946 Hamburg, Germany right after the end of World War II.  It’s an interesting story about a British Colonel who is assigned the task of rebuilding the City of Hamburg.  There is still a lot of tension between the German population and the British who try to jump start the recovery process.

The big twist in this story is the Colonel decides to “share the house” owned by the ranking German family in Hamburg.

It has a skilled cast.  Keira Knightly plays the Officer’s wife.  Jason Clarke plays the husband and Colonel.  Alexander Skarsgard plays the head of the German family and “other man”!  Seventeen year old Flora Thiemann plays the young German daughter.  Another 20+ actors round out the cast.

As you might imagine, there is quite a bit of angst and tension, more than a few twists and turns.  Overall it is an interesting time in history, with some unique characters.  The film is rated R for profanity, violence and gore, and sex & nudity.  As a result we do not recommend this film for children.  It’s listed as a Drama with a run time of 108 minutes.

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The Hummingbird Project

This is an intelligent and well acted film about two cousins from New York who hatch an idea to run fiber optic lines underground from Kansas to New York City that would transmit trading orders in milliseconds ultimately worth millions of dollars in profits.

Anton, played by Alexander Skarsgard is the brains while his cousin Vincent, played by Jesse Eisenberg is the hustler.  Selma Hayek is their former boss.  Her character is intelligent, brutal and ultra competitive.  Michael Mando (who speaks several languages and has lived on four continents) plays a highly skilled contractor.  Also noteworthy is John Heldenbergh’s bit part as an Amish Elder.

It’s also a story about family, power and integrity.  It’s one part thriller, one part suspense, one part success at any cost personal or material.  All that said, it’s a bit far fetched…more than once.

It’s rated R for language throughout.  It is listed as a Comedy (not sure why), Drama, Mystery & Suspense.  We do not feel this is children appropriate.  The run time is 111 minutes.

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