Author: James Hathaway

Special Note:  So far this summer movie season has been a bit of a disappointment.  In the last five weeks we have seen three one globe movies and three zero globe movies.  The few theaters that run International and Independent movies are showing films we have already seen (and reviewed).  So we are starting to look farther afield without a lot of encouragement.

The good news is we keep discovering new places to explore.  The weather has cooled nicely from the heat of June.  On the 4th of July Pike Lake had amazing private fireworks from five points on the lake. We joined our neighbors for drinks and smores!  Fun!!  (Sorry, no pixs.)

The Beguiled

The long awaited release of this movie was prefaced by accolades and awards to Director Sofia Coppola.  Overall, she is very talented and much deserving.  That said, this remake of the 1971 Southern Gothic, starring Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page, has the look and mood of a distant fairy tale.  It hardly connects to the grotesque reality of the then Civil War.

The acting is respectable.  Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell are mostly believable leads.  Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Angourie Rice and Oona Laurence all play boarding students at a girls school set in a Southern Plantation mansion.

It feels more like a play than a movie and, for us, it just misses the cinematic high bar.  The genre is listed as a Drama/Thriller.  It runs 1 hour 34 minutes.  It is rated R for sexuality.  Clearly, we had higher expectations and were disappointed.

Rating 1  

The House

It is a shame when proven performers like Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler default to crude juvenile antics to improvise for a flawed script and a nerdy concept.

Seemingly middle class family living in a middle class environment with a daughter accepted to the college of her choice.  Counting only on a failed scholarship from the City, the parents improvise to raise money for the daughter’s higher education.

Over 20 actors cannot salvage this “comedy” from the bottom of the barrel.  The script is just as bad.  Silly slapstick, crude humor, tacky dialog, stupid antics, horrid stereotypes are not worthy of an audience.  We just wish we knew in advance.

It’s rated R for a long list of reasons: language, sexual references, drugs, violence, and nudity.  The genre is Comedy and runs a very long 1 hour, 28 minutes.

Rating  

The Big Sick

Pausing to contemplate this film shortly after viewing, I imagined comparing this film with a horse race.  Lots of advance excitement before the film opened.  Then a mad dash of energy as the characters charged out the gates.  Then that long back stretch where things are confusing and the viewer is disparately trying to connect all the dots as quickly as practical.  Then a few surprises and disappointments rounding the last corner.  Then a surge of energy and a satisfying ending.

There is a score of actors filling the scenes, some funny, some stoic, some old and some new.  Most notable are Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano and a brilliant Kumail Nanjiani.  It gets accolades for its insight into Pakistani immigrants and their family struggles.  It is also a powerful story about enduring love and perseverance.

It is rated R for language and sexual references.  The genre is listed as Comedy/Romance and runs 2 hours, 4 minutes.

Rating 

 

We have been a bit frustrated by the lack of access to many summer releases. There are fewer movie theaters than we are used to, especially foreign and independent films.  Those theaters we have identified are often many miles away.

That said, we were pleased to discovery another Landmark Theater gem, The Oriental in Milwaukee’s East Side.

Now on to the movies!

Baby Driver

Every once and a while a film is released that is truly unique, innovative and ground breaking.  That is exactly what Writer/Director Edgar Wright delivers with the newly released Baby Driver.

The driving scenes are among the best ever.  In our opinion better than Bullet and the Fast and Furious franchise.

The acting is impressive for the most part.  Ansel Elgort plays Baby in his best role to date.  Lily James is believable as the love interest.  Jamie Foxx plays his best bad guy in a long time.  And Kevin Spacey plays another bad guy oh so well.

It’s rated R for strong language and violence throughout.  The genre is noted as Action, Adventure, Comedy and Drama.  It runs 113 minutes.

Rating 

The Hero

Straight up, Sam Elliott delivers his best role in decades.  In this role he spends his time reliving his good ole days and smoking marijuana.  But then there is some life changing news that changes everything (but I’m not going to tell you what it is.  No spoiler here!)

The story and screenplay was written for Mr. Elliott but the acting makes it believable.  Laura Prepon gives a stellar performance as the younger woman.  Krysten Ritter is the angry daughter.  Nick Offerman is the drug dealer sidekick.

The genre is Drama/Comedy and is likely to be appreciated by mature/senior audiences.  It is rate R for drug use and adult subject matter.  It runs 93 minutes.

Rating 

Beatriz at Dinner

This is a unique and thought provoking film.  Salma Hayek gives a compelling portrayal as a Mexican born holistic masseuse and healer now living in Los Angeles. After her car breaks down at a wealthy clients home, she is invited to spend the evening at a dinner party where the wealthy guests share in what becomes a serious culture clash.

The small cast includes an almost unrecognizable Selma Hayek as Beatriz and John Lithgow as the Trumpian Billionaire.  Jay Duplass as a wealthy realtor and Chloe Sevigny as his wife.  David Warshosky as the host and Connie Britton his wife.

Strangely enough this film is listed as a comedy instead of a social commentary. It is rated R for strong language and one scene of violence.  It would not be suitable for young children.  The run time is 83 minutes.

Rating 

Transformers: The Last Knight

The story is complicated, building on the previous productions.  It is a bigger story, bigger spectacle and the survival of the planet depends on it!  It is also confusing, unintelligible and unsatisfying as it bounces around the planet, over, under and through it.

There is too much to follow and after a while, frankly, who cares.  Audiences seem to agree with only 15 to 25% responding favorably in some markets.

There is a huge cast:  Mark Wahlberg, Isabela Moner, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Peter Cullen, Tyrese Gibson, Stanley Tucci, John Tuturro, John Goodman and a dozen more.

It is rated PG-13 although there is quite a bit of violence and conflict.  The genre is listed as a Science Fiction/Thriller.  It runs a hefty two hours, 29 minutes.

Rating  

47 Meters Down

Sisters go to Mexico for some sun, fun and adventure.  Soon they decide to go scuba diving in a shark cage…  Well, of course everything goes south from there and anything that can go wrong does.

Some moments are very tense, other moments are less remarkable.  The story is pretty simple and the concept is often gripping.  The small cast of actors are believable and include Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Matthew Modine, Yani Gellman, and Chris Johnson.

Unfortunately, good acting is not enough to save this movie.  It is rated PG-13 but should not be viewed by young children.  It is listed as a Thriller/Horror and runs 1 hour, 29 minutes.

Rating  

Rough Night

What a shame.  All that talent wasted on a really bad script.  It is often filthy with gross humor and moments of weird dialog that is just not worthy of the actor’s or the audience’s time.

The acting was disappointing.  Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Zoe Kravitz, Ilana Glazer and Jillian Bell are all good actors.  It begs the question:  What were they thinking?!

The guys were OK but most played dead (or near dead) characters.  No matter because the plot is stupid.  As Forrest Gump once said “Stupid is as stupid does.”  This film should be a shoe in for the Razzie Awards.

It is rated R (for raunchy and ridiculous).  It’s listed as a comedy (if only for a few chuckles early on).  It runs a painful 1 hour, 41 minutes.

Rating 

The Mummy

The reviews have been quite mixed.  Some have as low as 16% approval ratings. Others rated as high as 60% approval from audiences.  While we generally do not pay too much attention to the review ratings, we would tend to rate this on the lower end of the spectrum.

This movie has a large cast.  Over 20 actors.  The lead, Tom Cruise, was a surprise. Perhaps that is why it felt more like an action film.  In any event, it was different. It was not at all like the previous renditions with the exception of the storm effect, right out of the first couple of Mummy films.

I suppose the “human element” was new and inventive.  We were surprised with the PG-13 rating as it is not suitable for younger children.  The gore, creepy, and violence factors were pretty intense.  The genre is listed as a Fantasy/Thriller. Run time was a long 1 hour, 51 minutes.

Rating  

Megan Leavey

This movie is a true story about Megan Leavey who completed more than 100 missions in Iraq along with Rex, a military combat explosives dog.

Kate Mara plays the Megan character.  Her performance is believable and realistic.  Edie Falco plays a shrill Mom, Bradley Whitford is the divorced Dad, and Will Patton is the stand in male figure.

Other notable performances that help make this film work are Common and Tom Felton as Marine Corp mentors.

Overall, the story gets better as time unfolds.  The rating is PG-13 but much of the subject matter is not appropriate for youngsters under 13 or 14.  The genre is Drama/Biography.  It runs 1 hour, 56 minutes.

Rating  

The Book of Henry

We loved this movie, blemishes and all.  No surprise we disagreed with the majority of critics who poo pooed this film.  Naysayers called it flamboyant, tedious, and weepie.  We think those descriptions are callous, jaded and misguided.  And what is wrong with weepie and flamboyant?!

We prefer to think in terms of caring, innovative and inspiring.  (Did we see the same movie?!)

The acting was impressive.  Naomi Watts plays the insecure Mom.  It was nice to see Jacob Tremblay (from The Room) as the little brother to Jaeden Leiberher who delivers a solid performance beyond his years.

It is accurately listed as a Drama/Thriller and rated PG-13 though much of the subject matter is not suitable for young children.  It runs 1 hour, 45 minutes.  We thought it was worth it.  For those who saw it, what did you think?

Rating