Category: Movies

Hi all!  This will be the last movie reviews for a week or so as we make our first road trip to Wisconsin for the summer.  It will be mostly an I-80 route but some new territory with a detour to South Dakota and onward East.  We hope to post some articles from the road.  Over the summer we plan to explore the area, State(s), and maybe wander into Canada as time permits.

Spending time with family, learning to operate a pontoon boat, discovering restaurants (John actually found three Dim Sum restaurants in Milwaukee!) and other adventures in the region.  So stay tuned and be sure to keep those comments coming.

Best wishes to all!  J&J

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Oy Vey.  Where to begin…Jack Sparrow slips into misfortune when a deadly ghost ship and its ghostly sailors track Captain Sparrow.  In order to survive, Jack teams up with the legendary Trident of Poseidon.  And so on…

There is a huge cast.  Most noteworthy are Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, an awesome, but creepy, performace by Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightley, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards and at least a dozen more character actors.

It is probably an unintended message that the story parallels the degradation of the franchise.  This sequel fails to impress audiences with the same production quality of previous editions.

It is rated PG-13, genre is Fantasy/Action and runs a long 2 hours, 33 minutes. Unless you are a die hard fan, save your money and time or wait and see it on a long plane ride.

Rating 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

Apparently this is the 4th in the Wimpy Kid series.  Our local newspaper reviewer gave this film a good, if modest, review that prompted us to consider and ultimately see the movie.

From the opening scene, we were concerned.  The entire story line and every scene bordered on absurd slapstick.  The acting was inconsistent except for the scenes that were brazenly overacted.

The genre is noted as a Road Movie/Comedy.  The run time is 1 hour, 31 minutes. We cannot recommend this film.  It delivers several poor messages to audiences and quickly becomes tedious.

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The Wedding Plan

This film is a fascinating peek at ultra-Orthodox Jewish matrimonial culture.  It is concurrently layered, ambiguous, zany and consistently interesting.  It is directed by Rama Bursttein who is based in Isreal.

Leading lady Michal is wonderfully played by Noa Kooler, who gets dumped by her fiancé one month before their planned wedding.  Michal refuses to cancel the wedding plans, faithful that God will produce a groom.

The production is excellent.  The cast is outstanding.  Most notable are Oz Zehavi as the rock star, Amos Tamam as the first groom, Irit Sheleg as the Mom, and Oded Leoplod as the wedding venue host.

The genre is listed as a Drama/Romance with a PG Rating. It runs 1 hour, 50 minutes.  Hebrew with English subtitles.

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Wakefield

This is a gripping story that takes a mid-life crisis to a new level.  Bryan Cranston delivers yet another brilliant performance that dominates the film.  His character decides to “withdraw” from his normal life and takes up residence in the attic space above the garage from where he observes and critiques his family’s day to day lives.

There is a good cast as well.  Jennifer Garner is the wife.  Jason O’Mara, the replacement love interest, and a dozen other tertiary roles.

As a viewer, the story is often implausible and the ending is totally unsatisfying, but Cranston’s performance is compelling and well worth the 1 hour, 46 minutes.  It is rated R for some violence and listed as a Drama.

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Angkor Awakens: A Portrait of Cambodia

This Documentary on the current state of the people Cambodia and their reflection on the genocide in the recent past and their vision for the near future.

With a population of only 7 million people, the Khmer Rouge killed around 2 million ( +/- ) people between 1975 through 1979.  Today Cambodia has one the youngest populations averaging 25 years old.

It is sometimes painful to watch.  The film does a good job explaining the history that led up to the killing.  There are also several segments that share the emotional impact of the period.  Ultimately, the message is optimistic.

The film is not rated and runs 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Personal Note:  We visited Cambodia in about 15 years ago were impressed with how welcoming and gracious the people were.  We also noticed there were virtually a missing generation of middle aged and elderly.  It was a wonderful visit but also a painful realization of recent history.

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Alien Covenant

This rendition of the Alien franchise is actually a prequel to the original film.  It is  an interesting, thoughtful, moody, gory film.  There is an interesting twist with leading man, Michael Fassbender, playing two synthetic human robots, one David (bad), and one Walter (good).

There are at least another 14 characters rounding out the cast with bit parts going to Billy Crudup, James Franco and Guy Pearce.

Director Ridley Scott earns a solid R rating for the ‘horror’, sometimes ferocious violent qualities in this movie.  It is listed as a Science Fiction/Thriller running 2 hours, 3 minutes.  If you are a fan of the previous Alien films you will most likely enjoy this edition.

Rating

Everything Everything

This is the story of an 18 year old girl with a poor immune system that confines her to her hermetically sealed home.  That is until the boy next door moves in and everything changes.

This film works because of the two lead actors, Amanda Stenberg (Rue from the Hunger Games) and Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) who demonstrate great chemistry on screen.  The story is adapted from the novel by the same title.

There is a surprise ending for this PG-13 Drama/Romance.  It runs 1 hour, 36 minutes.

Rating 

Like Crazy

This film won best picture and numerous other awards recently in Italy.  It is the story of Beatrice and Donatella.  Both suffer from mental illness under care at a psychiatric clinic in coastal Tuscany and decide to run away to find love and happiness.

The acting is exceptional.  Valeria Bruni Tedeschi plays the delusional Beatrice and the painfully thin Micaela Ramazzotti plays the damaged Donatella.

It is a tender, funny, madcap romp.  It is also sad, heartbreaking and compassionate.

This film is not rated and is listed as Art House, International, Comedy, Drama.  It runs 118 minutes.  It is well worth seeking out.  It is in limited release and is in Italian with English subtitles.

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Chuck

This film is based on the true story about Chuck Wepner, the pride of Bayonne, New Jersey set in 1975 when Wepner fights Mohammed Ali.  It is nicely produced, well acted and successful at weaving several aspects together at the same time.

Liev Schreiber plays Wepner brilliantly, Pooch Hall nails the Mohammed Ali role, and Elizabeth Moss gives a stunning portrayal of wife Phyliss.  There are at least a dozen more actors rounding out the cast.

It is rated R for violence, drugs, and adult content.  It is listed as a Drama/Sport genre.  Viewing time is 1 hour, 40 minutes.  It is very entertaining and well worth viewing.

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King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

The Legend of King Arthur has been around since medieval days.  This film by Guy Ritchie has lots of intrigue, swashbuckler, and loads of special effects.

It has a great cast, starring Charlie Hunnam as King Arthur, Lude Law as the evil King Vortigern, Astrid Berges-Frisbey as The Mage, Eric Bana as Uther Pendragon and Djimon Hounsou as Sir Bedivere.  There is also a bit part by David Beckham.

Since the story is mythology, the production takes full advantage of the storyline.  Lots of hocus pocus stuff and latitude on the traditional story line was not greeted kindly by many critics and some audiences.  Most ratings fall well below the midline.

So we are among the few that found some of the new twists interesting and intriguing, even thought provoking.

It is rated PG-13 but viewing by young children is cautioned.  The genre is noted as Fantasy/Drama.  Viewing time is 2 hours, 6 minutes.

Rating

Snatched

This Mother/Daughter/Son comedy wasn’t terrible…well, err, yeah, it really was…corny, crude, awkward, often absurd, ridiculous, raunchy…

It’s a shame because both Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer have great chemistry on screen.  Unfortunately the script does not!  Ike Barinholtz plays the Hawn character’s son who ultimately is a hoot.  The funniest characters are Wanda Sykes and a silent Joan Cusack who were ex-undercover covert agents on “holiday”.

It is appropriately rated R. It’s listed as an Action/Comedy and runs 1 hour, 37 minutes.

Rating

Sleight

This movie is in limited distribution for some odd reason.  It is a good film and tells a somewhat unique tale.  It is about a young street magician who struggles to care for his only sister after the death of their Mom.  His name is Bo and he turns to drug dealing to make ends meet.

This is the third movie by the talented young Director, Justin Dillard.  The film is intelligent, with strong characters, a tense atmosphere and a powerful ending.

It is rated R for violence, strong language and adult subject matter.  It is not suitable for young children.  The genre is listed as Fantasy/Science Fiction.  The run time is 1 hour, 30 minutes.

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Your Name

This is an unusual, animated film from Japan about a teenage boy and girl on a quest to meet each other and magically swap bodies in their dreams.  I know what you are thinking and we are not entirely sure what the point was either.

That said, this romantic story is charming with exceptional animation and a lovely soundtrack.  It also reveals a rare peek at Japanese society from several aspects from a Japanese perspective.

It is rated PG and is listed as a Fantasy/Drama.  It runs 1 hour, 52 minutes.

Note:  We discovered after the fact it has been released in English.  We saw it in Japanese with English subtitles which made it challenging as fast dialog makes subtitles often difficult to keep up.  We suggest seeing it in English if possible.  This film might have award potential.

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The Dinner

This movie seems to have very limited release.  It is an intriguing and complex drama about two related couples and a traumatic incident involving their children.  It is also a commentary on privilege and mental illness.  That said, the characters are mostly annoying.

It is set in a pretentious upscale restaurant where the courses are explained to excessive detail and served by an army of staff which really comes off as a huge disconnect.

The saving grace is the cast is quite good and their interaction connects well. Richard Gere and Steve Coogan deliver great characters.  Laura Linney and Rebecca Hall are strong, relentless wives.

It is rated R for violence and adult subject matter.  It is listed as a Mystery/Drama and runs a painful 2 hours.

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Risk

This documentary was also given very limited release.  It is another in a series of films about WikiLeaks.  This one grants filmmaker Laura Poitras access to Julian Assange and his team for six years.

The result is intriguing and insightful.  It is also convoluted, confusing and contradicting.  There can be no doubt this subject matter is a work in progress and the whole story is yet to be revealed.  It will quite likely plague several nations and their leaders for many years to come.

There is only a snippet on whistle-blower Edward Snowden at the end of the film. There is also a bizarre appearance by Lady Gaga that seemed way out of place. Nonetheless, it is such an important topic, this documentary should be required viewing.  Run time is 1 hour and 37 minutes.

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Hi all!  Before we get to this weeks movies, this seems a good time to pause and give everyone an update on our world wind life in retirement.  We have never been busier.  Keeping up with events, our friends and family, enjoying Spring, and planning our road trip to Wisconsin.  We are planning to post updates to the blog as we make our way East on I-80.  Mobile phones, text messages, e-mail and the occasional Skype/FaceTime will be the best way to reach us after next week.

J&J

Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent

This is a fascinating documentary about Jeremiah Tower, his life, the birth of California cuisine, and a truly unique person.  We will bet any foodie out there would enjoy this movie about this first celebrity chef.

Contributors include Anthony Bourdain, Mario Batali, Martha Stewart and the former Editor of Gourmet magazine, Ruth Reichl.  The film explores most aspects of Tower’s life: his priviledged but lonely childhood, his Harvard education, the stint at Berkeley’s famed Chez Panisse and the falling out with Alice Waters.

There is a long focus on the rise and fall of his revered Stars restaurant in San Francisco. (Fun for us as the restaurant was a favorite of ours and walking distance from our house.)

If there is a down side, it is this film gets a little too personal.  It is not clear why Director Lydia Tenaglia, or Mr. Tower, elected to explore that point of view. Perhaps it was cathartic.

It is listed as a Documentary/Biography and runs 2 hours.  Rated R.

Rating  

The Guardians of the Galaxy, volume 2

If you liked the first Guardians of the Galaxy, you will most likely enjoy this one too.  The same characters are there, a few new creatures, the Sovereign are the beings that hire the Guardians to protect their batteries only to have them stolen. You can probably guess what happens next…

The cast is roughly the same as the first film: Chris Pratt is Star-Lord, Vin Diesel is Groot, Dave Bautista is Drax, Zoe Saldana is Gamora and Bradley Cooper is still Rocket (Raccoon).  There are several new characters, most notably Kurt Russell as Star-Lord’s father Ego.

The film is entertaining but seemed to lack the excitement of the first film.  Marvel will need to take note of audience reactions to Volume 2 and seek ways to keep the energy and interest flowing if future products are going to keep audiences on board.  Nonetheless, we had fun and think it is worth a look.

Rated as PG-13 and listed as Science Fiction/Action genre.  Running a long 2 hours and 18 minutes.

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Truman

This is an unusual Spanish film that won several Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of our Oscars).  It is about a terminally ill actor who decides to stop treatment and wrap up his affairs in his final days.

One of his oldest friends, living and working in Montreal, decides to pay a visit to help with funeral arrangements, pay and close personal accounts and find a new home for his beloved dog, Truman.

It is well made, sensitively written, compassionately produced and at the same time funny, somber and bittersweet.

There are more than a dozen characters in this film, highlighted by Ricardo Darin as the ill Julian and Javier Camara as his friend Tomas.  Truman has a big role, albeit with minimal dialog.

It is listed as a Drama/Comedy and runs 1 hour, 49 minutes.  It is not rated.  English and Spanish with English subtitles.

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The Circle

This tech-centric film is set somewhere between the present and near future and looks an awful lot like Apple, Google or Facebook headquarters.  It challenges the concept of privacy, ethics and ultimately personal freedom.

It is a slick, utopian peek at the ultimate ‘group think’ world that could be the future.  It is an intriguing story that gets a bit annoying and more than a bit creepy.

The acting is quite good.  Emma Watson and Tom Hanks are the headliners.  Both depict believable characters.  The production itself might easily have been filmed in Silicon Valley.  It is thought provoking at best and mildly disappointing.

It is rated PG-13.  Genre is Science Fiction/Drama and it runs 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Rated  

Gifted

This heart string drama is a story about an Uncle and his Niece who happens to be a mathematical prodigy like her deceased Mom.  The bond between the two is powerful and believable.

The acting is impressive.  The cast includes Chris Evans as the Uncle, Jenny Slate as the school teacher, Mckenna Grace as the little genius, Octavia Spencer as the protective neighbor and Lindsay Duncan as the powerful grandmother who wants custody of the little girl.

Reviews have been generally favorable.  The on screen chemistry and conflict between some characters is powerful and believable.

It is rated PG-13 and listed as a drama.  It runs 1 hour and 41 minutes.

Rated  

Colossal

Once again we find ourselves as outsiders versus critical fanfare.  Unique, yes. Satire, yes.  Quirky?  No doubt.  Cutting edge, eh maybe.

The cast was good but the characters were not very likable.  Anne Hathaway plays a drunk with really bad judgement.  Jason Sudeikis plays Oscar, the childhood friend who runs a bar in the old home town.  Dan Stevens plays the former boyfriend from New York.

The kicker is the Anne and Jason characters are somehow connected to sci-fi monsters.  When the characters fight, the monsters fight half way around the world in Seoul, Korea.  OK…that make sense, right?  All said it was unique.

It is rated R for violence and language.  The genre is Sci-fi/Thriller.  It runs 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Rated  

The Promise

It is a bit odd to see such a powerful story about the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians at the end of World War I mixed with the romance of a love triangle.

While watching I kept thinking ‘didn’t we just see this movie’?  And we were right, The Ottoman Lieutenant was released and we reviewed March of this year.  Same story, just genocide light.  That is not uncommon in Hollywood.

This production by Open Road Films has a bigger budget, $90 million and a much bigger cast.  Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jean Reno, and James Cromwell are the most notable actors but there are at least as many more who gave strong performances.

Yet this film seems to have stirred up more chatter than usual.  Romance versus brutality, genocide versus melodrama.  It is a story that is still controversial today.

It is rated PG-13 but we caution it is not suitable for young children.  It is listed as a Drama/History and runs a long 2 hours 15 minutes.

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Lost City of Z

This movie was based on true events about the British Major and Explorer, Percy Fawcett who made three attempts to find a lost city in the Amazon.  The last trip in 1925.

The acting is quite good, highlighted by Charlie Hunnam as the Major, Robert Patterson as the fellow explorer, Sienna Miller as the wife.

There is a surprise ending that we will not share in this review.  Once again, true stories are often the most powerful.  This one is interesting, unique and worth a watch.  Rated PG-13 with some cautions.  It is another long film running 140 minutes.

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Cezanne and I (Cezanne et Moi)

This film is about the turbulent friendship between the writer Emile Zola and the Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne from the time they were young schoolboys together until late in life when both enjoyed a global reputation.

The production toggles from sumptuous and sensuous to indifference and protagonist.  Cezanne, played by Guillaume Gallienne, is often moody and hateful.  In balance, Zola is played by Guillaume Canet, whose character is patient, supportive and tolerant.

The critics were impressed, audiences not so much.  It is really a shame.  It is beautifully filmed but the brash, mostly hateful and often cruel Cezanne character was annoying in most scenes.  In the end it was difficult to marvel at his life’s work.  Now considered a visionary and a genius, I will remember the mean and tortured artist that was Paul Cezanne.

Rated R for language, sexual references and nudity, listed as a Drama, it runs 117 minutes.  French with English subtitles.

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Ghost in a Shell

This film is set in the near future where humans are “cyber-enhanced”.  The lead character is named Major, played by Scarlett Johansson.  She is the most advanced “model” now on a crusade to stop the bad guys until she discovers most of the guys are bad guys.

The other actors include Takeshi Kitano as a warlord, Juliette Binoche as the Doctor, and Michael Pitt as one of a dozen bad guys.

The story is thought provoking but the production is excessively futuristic. It is cluttered with too many future tech concepts seemingly intended to draw a cyber savvy audience.

It is the product of  $110 million budget by Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks. It is rated PG13 and listed as a Fantasy/Mystery running 2 hours long.

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Norman  (The full title is Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer)

It seems most people and many critics loved this film.  It was entertaining and unique but there was something about the characters that just didn’t work for me.  I found the lead character sad and desperate.

Richard Gere plays the lead character to great fan fare, as Norman Oppenheimer, a “fixer” of sorts for all things apparently broken.  I wanted to scream at Norman:  “Get a real job”, better yet “get a life!”.  There was no shortage of talented actors: Michael Sheen, Dan Stevens, Steve Buscemi, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lior Ashkenazi and many more deliver good to excellent performances.

It is listed as a Drama/Thriller by Sony Pictures Classics.  Rated R and runs 1 hour, 57 minutes.

Rating  

Born in China

This is our pick of the week!  It is visually stunning.  It exposes areas of China rarely seen by most humans.  It focuses mainly on three different animal “families”; a mother Panda and her cub, a snow leopard and her two growing cubs, and a snub nosed golden monkey family.

There are plenty of other visuals as well but the focus on these three family groups are core to the films appeal.  It is narrated by John Krasinski, produced by Disneynature and Directed by Lu Chuan.

It is rated G and listed as a documentary with a run time of 1 hour 16 minutes.

Rating 

In Search of Israeli Cuisine

This unique documentary explores foods of Israel from many different perspectives:  French, Italian, Russian, Lebanese, Persian, Moroccan and others.  It is also an inside tour of the diverse peoples, histories and their culinary cultures and evolution.

Philadelphia chef Michael Solomonov leads the audience on a whirl wind tour of Israel to explore the origins and future of the ever changing food scene and its frontier state of mind.

If you are a foodie or a food focused international traveler you will enjoy this film.  It is not rated and runs a hefty 2 hours.

 

Rating  

Boss Baby

We had low expectations when we first saw the preview of this film.  Our screening in the theater casted a very different opine with us.  We were struck by the sophisticated screenplay, the quick witted narration that young and old in the audience instantly reacted to.

The cast is surprisingly small.  Alec Balwin is the perfect Boss Baby, Lisa Kudrow and Jimmy Kimmel are the parents.  Steve Buscemi and Tobey Maguire round out the key characters.

Critics place this movie in the middle of the pack.  Sometimes funny, sometimes generic, often detached from reality.  Newsflash, it is, duh, a twist on cartoons!  We found it inventive and refreshing and most importantly, consistently funny.

Genre is Comedy/Animation, rated PG.  Run time is 1 hour, 38 minutes.

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Going in Style

This is yet another whimsical farce about retired workers confronted with evaporating pension benefits who then decide to rob a bank to get even.  If it were not for the great cast, including Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin it would be just another formula mish mash.

There were also a few scenes that added a little sparkle including bit parts from Christopher Lloyd, Matt Dillion and an outrageously funny cameo by Ann-Margret.

Listed as a Crime/Comedy running 1 hour, 36 minutes.

Rating