Author: James Hathaway

Kong: Skull Island

We opted for a 10 AM showing of this film only because it fit our schedule for a busy Saturday.  Based only on the audience size of a couple of hundred people one would expect this to be a blockbuster and time will tell if this movie can go the distance.

That said, this is a bold and brawny updated Kong.  At first angry about having his corner of the world invaded once again until he goes googoo-eyes for Brie Larson.  Additional star power is provided by a really evil Samuel Jockson, a sinister Tom Hiddleston, a trimmed down John Goodman and an over the top John C. Reilly.

Don’t look for any award material here, but the production value is actually pretty good.  Rated PG-13 and listed as a Fantasy/Science fiction.  Run time is 2 hours.

Rating 

The Last Word

Shirley MacLaine is back with a script and performance ready made for her.  Playing a grizzled, grumpy once successful businesswoman getting up there in years, she decides to have her obituary written to her liking while she is still alive.

At first blush the story and the characters are not very likable, but before long Shirley forms her posse and the story finally comes alive.  The writing and the acting bring this film back from the brink.  Many of the scenes are an absolute hoot.

Rated R for language, this is listed as a Drama/Comedy with a run time of 1 hour, 48 minutes.

Rating 

The Ottoman Lieutenant

This film did not get very impressive reviews from most critics.  We are not sure why because it is a good solid story about a time and place in history very much deserving of an audience.

It is set in Eastern Turkey in 1914 as World War I starts to boil over into Russia and Armenia.  Christian versus Muslim topics are carefully juggled between the exotic and dangerous cultural balancing act.

Michiel Huisman plays the Turkish Lieutenant, Josh Hartnett is the Christian doctor, Hera Hilmarsdottir is the nurse/love interest and Ben Kingsley shines as the senior physician.

Rated R for violence and adult subject matter.  It is listed as a Drama/War film.  It runs 1 hour, 46 minutes.  It is our pick of the week.  Having traveled to that part of Eastern Turkey in recent years, this film might peek your interest in history of geo-politics of the time.

Rating 

I am Not Your Negro

This is an extraordinary film about what was called “race relations” in the 1960s.  It is, in fact, about the life work of James Baldwin and his personal account of the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.  It is important to note that Mr. Baldwin died in 1987 only having completed 30 pages of his manuscript.

It is no less than a history of black and white relations in the US spanning over 400 years but with a sharp focus on the last 50 years.  It is a compelling and powerful reminder of the historic and current racial divide that still exists today.

Samuel L. Jackson narrates the story.  The screenplay is creditied to James Baldwin and Raoul Peck.  It was Oscar nominated as Best Documentary Film for 2016.  It is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour, 35 minute.  Don’t miss this one!

Rating 

2017 Oscar Nominated Short Subject Films, Live Action

All of these films are particularly good this year.  As you know by now, Sing won the Oscar in this category.  The Short Subject, Live Action Films and Animated Films were released later than usual and some are still in the theaters.

Sing (Hungary)

This 25 minute film about a children’s school choir is challenged when the teacher tells some of the children to mouth the words and not sing.  When the competition begins, the children have a different idea on the situation with stunning results.  Hungarian with English subtitles.

Rating 

Silent Nights (Denmark)

A Danish shelter worker befriends a homeless Ghanian refugee and forge an attraction for each other.  With time, the truth comes to light about the refugee’s life and family in Ghana with shattering effects.  This is a compelling and compassionate story with a powerful message in a 30 minute film.  Danish and some Ghanian with English subtitles.

Rating 

Timecode (Spain)

This is an unusual story about a parking garage and its two shift workers who barely speak to each other and yet incrementally create an extraordinary modern dance that delights the viewers.  It is charming, surprising and creative.  Spanish with English subtitles.  15 minutes.

Rating 

Ennemis Interieurs (France)

An Algerian born man is seeking French citizenship in this intense story.  It takes place as the French examiner presses the Algerian on social, political and religous issues to a breaking point.  It is intense, insightful and challenging.  French and Arabic with English sustitles.  28 minutes.

Rating 

La Femme Et Le TGV (Switzerland)

This is a charming story about an old widow whose only pleasure is to greet a TGV train every morning from her house only a few yards away from the train tracks.  It is a colorful film, and has a fairy tale quality about it.  It is apparently based on true events.  French with English subtitles.  30 minutes.

Rating 

The Salesman

You may recall we predicted this film would win the 2017 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.  Our prediction notwithstanding, this was the first time we viewed an Oscar winning foreign film a month after the Academy Awards with a two globe rating.  Go figure.

This film is about an Iranian couple struggling after a home invasion results in an assult on the wife.  The after effects ripple through their lives with devistating impact.

Director Asghar Farhadi is an accomplished film maker who also won an Oscar for his 2012 film A Separation.  Leading the cast is Shahab Hosseini as the husband, Taraneh Alidoosti as the wife, with Mina Sadati and Mehdi Koushki to round out the leading characters.

It is rated PG-13 and is listed as a Drama/Thriller with a run time of 2 hours, 5 minutes.  Farsi with English subtitles.

Rating 

Before I Fall

This is an unusal and thought provoking story about four young high school girls from the “IN” crowd.  One of them suddenly dies in a car crash only to restart the day all over again and again.  It sounds a bit corny but it quickly becomes thought provoking.

Good acting, directing and screenplay come together to make this work, or at least intriguing enough to keep you interested.  The cast includes a dozen teen girls and four boys, none of whom I am familiar with.

It is listed as a Mystery/Drama with a PG13 rating, although there is a repetitive scene that is not appropriate for children.  Run time is 1 hour, 39 minutes.

Rating 

Land of Mine

This sleeper of a movie seems to be lost in the Spring crop of releases.  It is a shame because it is based on true events at the end of WWII in Denmark where the German miltary left over 2 million land mines buried on Denmark’s Western beaches.

As the war ended, Denmark captured German POWs, many of them young recruits.  These young soldiers were forced to clear these beaches by hand, one landmine at a time.

It is well acted, well written and sometimes difficult to watch.  But is a story that had to be told.  This was nominated for Best Foreign Film and was Denmark’s formal submission for the Oscars.

It is rated R for violence and adult topics.  It is listed as Drama/History and runs 1 hour 41 minutes.

Rating 

A United Kingdom

Fox Searchlight Films released this film about the birth of present day Botswana in the 1940s.  It is another true story.  This one about a deeply divided native Royal family, the trappings of British rule as their global empire was fading away and the healing of a soon to be new country.  Oh, did I forget to mention the black King fell in love with a white women who he married much to the distain from both counties.

It has a great cast starting with David Oyelowo as the King and Rosamund Pike as his wife.  The story follows the history pretty close.  Critics and audiences liked this movie a lot.

The rating was a mild PG-13 and is listed as a Drama/Romance running 1 hour, 51 minutes.  If you are in the mood for a feel good movie about real history, do seek this one out.

Rating 

The Great Wall

This was a fascinating film.  Not because it was created and produced by a collection of international companies, but because it was a visual treat, with a great cast of characters and new blockbuster monsters.

By contrast, critics generally poo pooed this movie with terms like “passable”, “clunky” and “overstuffed”.  Maybe the venue swayed us, (a new and modern Mall in Chennai, India) or maybe the 3D, reserved stadium seating and Dolby Sound system overshadowed the movie itself.

Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe were the featured American actors with Jing Tian from Beijing, the prolific Andy Lau from Hong Kong, Pedro Pascal from Chile and Eddie Peng of Taiwanese-Canadian background along with an extensive cast deliver from an impressive series of performances.

It is listed as a Fantasy/Drama that runs 2 hours.  It is rated PG-13 but a fair amount of violence should be noted for little ones.

Note:  Here are a few shots of the movie complex.

Other interesting observations:  the Indian National Anthem is played before every film to a standing audience, and there was an intermission where most of the audience left the theater for snacks and beverages while everyone else watched numerous advertisements.  Lastly, the restrooms were the most elaborate (and spotless) we have ever seen in a public venue.

Rating: 

Get Out

One day back from India, we decided to dive into a theater for a movie as jet lag therapy.  It sort of worked…  In any case, the draw was the critics harty approval for this movie.

It is a satire of other films in the same genre, but it is also often funny, fearless, brutal, shocking and a bit of a social critique.  Truly a unique film for first time Director Jordan Peele.

It is well made, well acted without taking itself too seriously.  The cast stars Daniel Kaluuya as the boyfriend, Allison Williams as the girlfriend, creepy parents played by Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener, with even creepier “servants” played by a spooky Betty Gabriel and an erie Marcus Henderson.

Rated R for violence, adult subject matter and some disturbing images.  It is not suitable for young children.  Listed as a Thriller/Horror running 1 hour, 44 minutes.

Rating: 

Logan

Finally an “X-Men” movie that takes the gloves off Logan, one of the most popular characters from the X-Men franchise.

It is a refreshing story that deals with the future of mutants.  Hugh Jackman plays dual Logan roles, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant and Eric La Salle play super powered bad guys.  And newcomer Dane Keen plays Logan’s daughter, yup, his daughter.

To be sure, it is an action pack romp from beginning to end.  It runs 2 hours, 21 minutes.  It is listed as a Science fiction/Drama.  It is rated R for violence and adult subject matter.  It may not be suitable for youngsters.

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This year, for the first time, we watched only some of the Oscars Show live from Jodhpur, India at 5:30 AM.  Some of the show because the power failed several times this morning (not uncommon) and the cable system took several minutes each time to “reboot”.

Overall, we were pleased with our predictions, the snafu over the Best Picture category notwithstanding.

Our final tally was 16 correct (66.6%) and 8 incorrect (33.3%).  Respectable although not our best, or worst.

Later this afternoon we journeyed out of the city for a Camel safari.  Tomorrow we begin our journey home via New Delhi and then Frankfurt, Germany.  We arrive home Wednesday, March 1.

Until then, here’s looking at you, long distance!

 

 

Dear Friends and Family,

It is our continued pleasure to deliver our predictions for the 89th Academy Awards, Sunday February 26th, 2017.

As most of you know, movies are a major passion of ours.  We started keeping track of our movie going back in 2003.  Since then our records indicate we have seen over 2,000 movies.  Most years our goal is to see nominated movies so we can offer our best guess for the Oscars.

This year for the first time in many years we will miss viewing the three short subject categories only because they will not be released until just before the Awards ceremony sometime mid-February (normally released in January).

Nonetheless, we have scoured the industry websites and are feeling relatively confident in making our predictions for those categories.  We have personally viewed all other nominated movies, cross checked our opinions with industry insiders and pundits, and feel optimistic about this years predictions.

We leave tomorrow for a month in India and there will be no Movie posts until we return on March 1.  We will try to send Travel posts as the internet services will allow.

Best wishes to all,

J&J

BEST PICTURE Arrival Fences Hacksaw Ridge Hell or High Water Hidden Figures La La Land Lion Manchester by the Sea Moonlight

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge Ryan Gosling, La La Land Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic Denzel Washington, Fences

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Isabelle Huppert, Elle Ruth Negga, Loving Natalie Portman, Jackie Emma Stone, La La Land Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Mahershala Ali, Moonlight Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea Dev Patel, Lion Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Viola Davis, Fences Naomie Harris, Moonlight Nicole Kidman, Lion Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Kubo and the Two Strings Moana My Life as a Zucchini The Red Turtle Zootopia

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Land of Mine, Denmark A Man Called Ove, Sweden The Salesman,Iran Toni Erdmann, Germany

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING A Man Called Ove Star Trek Beyond Suicide Squad

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE) Jackie La La Land Lion Moonlight Passengers

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG) “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls “City of Stars,” La La Land “The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana

PRODUCTION DESIGN Arrival Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Hail, Caesar! La La Land Passengers

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED) Blind Vaysha Borrowed Time Pear Cider and Cigarettes Pearl Piper

CINEMATOGRAPHY Arrival La La Land Lion Moonlight Silence

COSTUME DESIGN Allied Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Florence Foster Jenkins Jackie La La land

DIRECTING Damien Chazelle, La La Land Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge Barry Jenkins, Moonlight Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea Denis Villenueve, Arrival

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE) Fire at Sea I Am Not Your Negro Life, Animated OJ: Made In America 13th

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT) Extremis 4.1 Miles Joe’s Violin Watani: My Homeland The White Helmets

FILM EDITING Arrival Hacksaw Ridge Hell or High Water La La Land Moonlight

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION) Ennemis Interieurs La Femme Et Le TGV Silent Nights Sing Timecode

SOUND EDITING Arrival Deepwater Horizon Hacksaw Ridge La La Land Sully

SOUND MIXING Arrival Hacksaw Ridge La La Land Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

VISUAL EFFECTS Deepwater Horizon Doctor Strange The Jungle Book Kubo and the Two Strings Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY) Arrival Fences Hidden Figures Lion Moonlight

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) Hell or High Water La La Land The Lobster Manchester by the Sea 20th Century Women

Printable copy of our 2017 Oscar picks, for use off line.

 

 

We will be traveling from February 2 returning March 1.  It is unlikely we will have the opportunity to see Western movies until our return.  We will do our best to get caught when we get home.  Cheers!!  J&J

xXx: Return of Xander Cage

This is an action movie, pure and simple.  Vin Diesel plays Xander Cage, retired but returns to active duty to save the planet from sinister bad guys hell bent on destroying the world’s satellites with a new weapon called Pandora’s Box.

The good news is it is actually pretty entertaining.  Plenty of action from the first scene to the last.  Lots of extreme fighting, clever dialog, extraordinary stunt work and more.

A good cast including Deepika Padukone, Nina Dobrev, Ruby Rose (Jim’s favorite), Donnie Yen and Samuel L. Jackson.

It is rated PG-13 but we would caution parents that it is not suitable for little ones due to extensive violence and adult subject matter.  Listed as a Thriller/Action film that runs 1 hour 50 minutes.

Rating  

A Dog’s Purpose

This charming film uses several dog lives to explain and remind humans about the power of pets and lessons of love and laughter.  Director Lasse Hallstrom skillfully touches the emotional heartstrings of the viewers.

It’s a small cast of characters, Dennis Quaid as the older Ethan, Britt Robertson, Josh Gad as the voice of the dogs, John Ortiz and D K Apa as the young Ethan. And for you late 1960’s Mod Squad fans Peggy Lipton makes a cameo appearance!

Audiences and some critics gave this film tepid reviews.  We found it charming and touching.  Any current or former pet owner will relate to this story and some non-pet owners may be motivated to give it a whirl.  It is rated PG and is suitable for children.  It is listed as a Fantasy/Drama and runs two hours.

Rating  

The Red Turtle

Nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Animated Feature Film category, The Red Turtle is a remarkable film. The most intriguing aspect of this movie is there are no words, except for an occasional emotional grunt or gasp, but not one word.

Nonetheless, it unfolds scene after scene to reveal its message in a powerful and emotional way: loneliness, despair, hope, joy, love, tragedy, contentment and so much more.

This film is the product of a collaboration of Japan’s Studio Ghibli’s and its first international co-production with the Dutch Academy Award winner, Dudok de Wit.

The Red Turtle will become an instant global classic.  It is suitable for any age, rated PG as a Fantasy/Animation running 1 hour 20 minutes.  Ultimately it is a beautiful story told in a simple, graceful way.

Note:  Will it win the Academy Award?  It’s a tough category this year.  Stay tuned for our Oscar picks later this week!

Rating  

Deep Water Horizon

The story of the Deep Water Horizon disaster in the Gulf Of Mexico and the environmental crisis it caused was also a story about survival under unimaginable circumstances.

Much to our surprise, this movie was engaging, credible, well written, well acted and thoughtfully touching as it honored the 11 workers who died in this diaster.

It features performances by Mark Wahlberg, Kate Hudson, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich and a dozen more actors.  It is intelligent, suspenseful, tragic and thrilling.  It is rated PG-13, listed as a Thriller/Drama running 1 hour 47 minutes.

It is nominated for an Academy Award this year for Visual Affects and Sound Editing categories for good reasons.

We must admit we did not seen this film when it was first released last Fall, mainly because we were too busy travelling.  We Bad! Once nominated, we thought we had better see it.  We are so glad we did.

Rating  

Buddies in India

We had not heard about this film until we stumbled upon it in the local press on line website.  Two Chinese friends head to India to find the last will and testament of one’s deceased father.  Adventure ensues…

Well, our experience was a little unique bordering on bizarre.  It started with the previews.  All the previews were in Hindi, rattling along with subtitles in English at a frantic pace.  It was virtually impossible to keep up with the speed reading. At first we thought, how interesting to finally have South Asian films distributed in the US.

Then the movie started.  It was a cross between a cartoon, live action slap stick and a corny farce.  We must say it was colorful, action packed, occasionally funny, often confusing and childish, definitely unique.

It was clearly a peek at the global emergence of the Chinese film industry into Western markets.  We later learned the marketing is rarely seen outside the Mandarin speaking Chinese communities.  I guess we are not part of that market demographic.  It will be interesting to see where this segment of the industry goes.

This film is not rated.  It is listed as an Action/Comedy.  It runs 1 hour, 39 minutes. Mandarin and Hindi with English subtitles.

Rating  

Oscar News!

As you undoubtedly know, the 2017 Oscar nominations were announced this week.  Most of the nominations did not come as a surprise to us.  It was quite a busy year in the movie industry.

There were a few big omissions that caught our attention including:

• Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals, Screen play
• Amy Adams, Arrival, Best Actress
• Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane, Best Actress
• Jake Gyllenhaal,  Nocturnal Animals, Best Supporting Actor
• Tom Hanks, Sully, Best Actor
• Elle, Best Foreign Film

The Academy Awards will be presented February 26 this year.  Unfortunately we will be in the Rajasthan desert of India that day unlikely to have Television access.  But fear not!  We will post our Oscar Predictions Ballot before we leave next Thursday, February 2.

Happy viewing.   J&J

Split

This film was written and directed by the prolific M. Night Shyamalan.  As with most of his movies, there is a contemporary supernatural plot.  This one is especially creepy, intense and somewhat mind boggling.  The focus is on a man with dissociative identity disorder (split personalities).  In this case 23 personalities.

James McAvoy is brilliant as the kidnapper.  The young victims are played well by Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula and Anya Taylor-Joy.   Betty Buckley shines as the psychologist.

It is rated PG-13 but we suggest it is not appropriate for young children.  It is scary and quite unsettling.  It is listed as a Thriller/Drama with a running time of 1 hour 57 minutes.

This is arguably the best film Mr. Shyamalan has delivered in recent years.  “He’s back…”

Rating  

The Handmaiden

Let’s start with the good.  This film is visually stunning.  The story has more twists and turns than a bag of pretzels.  The acting overall is very good to excellent.  It is a throw back to the grand cinema productions with its fable of love, betrayal and tragedy set in Korea of the 1930’s.

That said, it is broken into three different versions of the same story line, each revealing a different aspect of the plot.  This takes almost three hours to unfold. There are copious scenes depicting erotic fantasy, love and betrayal, and…lots of sex.  OK, call me a prude, but this is just an artsy fartsy porn movie.

The critics loved this film and gave it one of the highest ratings of the year.  The film was released without a rating.  Can you guess why?  Obviously, children should not see this film (and we would suggest adults shouldn’t either!).  Korean and Japanese with English subtitles.

Rating  

Toni Erdmann

This is a most unusual film.  Toni Erdmann lives in Germany.  He is the estranged father of his career driven daughter who is working in Bucharest as a business consultant.

She is not happy when her Dad unexpectedly shows up and inserts himself, and his copious pranks, into her daily life.  Again the critics are raving about this movie.  Again garnering some of the highest ratings of the year.

Don’t get me wrong.  There are plenty of funny moments.  Unfortunately, much of the humor comes from silly antics and slap stick routines popular years ago.  That said, there is a charming quality to much of the material.  (Many of the scenes of Bucharest brought back warm travel memories too.)

Sandra Huller is exquisite as the daughter.  Peter Simonischek perfect as the goofy father.  Ingrid Bisu shines as the assistant.  There is a large cast of actors playing as business associates and regional locals.

It is rated R for nudity (there is a party that is too funny!) and adult material.  It is not suitable for youngsters.  Here is another 2 hour 42 minute run time.  English, German, Romanian with English subtitles.

Rating