Movie #1063 ........................."McFarland USA"

Movie #1063 "McFarland USA" was a very inspiring true story that deserved to be told --- I just wish it focused more on how he succeeded in being a successful coach, rather than how tough of a move it was to McFarland for his wife and kids. I give the film credit for trying to make cross country an interesting sport to watch in film, and also it was fun getting to know the members of this inspiring team, and all the conflicts they had to face in getting to the top (literally, hills made from almonds, at one time)  I am not a huge fan of Costner, and this film didn't do anything to make me like him better;  I felt he mumbled quite a bit and he never pulled me in emotionally to the story, but the kids did, and that's credit to their story.  I wish he had worked hard from the very beginning as a coach, but it isn't that kind of story (wish it were because sometimes I think the public doesn't know half the work and time the coaches really put in to help their kids succeed) but I am glad it shows a change in him as a coach, where he actually is working along with the kids, and studying videotape and reading about the sport.  There is no new territory here, other than that, and I felt by the end of the film that I could have watched just a few minutes at the beginning and saw the ending and that would have been enough.  However, I could be in a minority here because my lack of appreciation for watching sports movies and Kevin Costner films, so I'm ambivalent about this one.  If it sounds intriguing to you, I suggest seeing it; otherwise, I think you might have seen something like it before and don't need to see it again.

McFarland, USA - I would give it 3 out of 5 stars

2015PGRated PG129 mins

Track coach Jim White's search for work leads him to a high school in California's Central Valley with a largely Latino student body. After White and his determined athletes establish a bond of trust, remarkable achievements are on the horizon.

Cast:

Maria Bello, Elsie Fisher, Morgan Saylor, Vincent Martella, Daniel Moncada, Kevin Costner

Genre:

Drama

Movie #1062 ........................."Mr. Holmes"

Movie #1062 "Mr. Holmes" was a very good study of such a famous person, that you would swear he really exists.......therefore, when he states he wants to set the record straight and for once narrate his own story, now that John Watson is out of the picture, you tend to believe him.  There are a couple of stories juggled in this far from straight narration, but if you can follow them, they are all worthwhile in telling.  First, there is the story of Holmes' failing health and his frequent talks with the doctor about trying to figure out the real story of his last case, then there's a japanese man whose dad had known Sherlock and now he wants to know what happened to his dad.  And the last story covers THE last cast --- a woman who has lost a couple of children before being born, and who is now depressed and whose hubby has hired Holmes to figure out what she is up to when she seems to be communicating with these dead children through a music teacher who is teaching her to play the harmonica.  Finally, there's the last housekeeper that Homes has (played by Laura Linney) and her son who adores Holmes and wants to learn bee keeping from him.  The story is rich, the acting is superb, it just drags periodically and is a bit confusing as far as what time period in his life we are now in, but all that said, it was worth the watch, for sure, and I recommend it.

Mr. Holmes = I would give this 3.8 out of 5 stars

2015PGRated PG

Long retired to a country farmhouse, 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes tends his apiary and reflects on his remarkable career. But the legendary sleuth, whose mental powers are fading, remains haunted by the unsolved case that caused him to call it quits.

Cast:

Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, Milo Parker, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Nicholas Rowe, Roger Allam, Phil Davies, Frances de la Tour, John Sessions, Michael Culkin, David Foxxe, Frances Barber, Kit Connor, Eileen Davies, Sarah Crowden

Genre:

Drama

Movie #1061 ........................."The Man Who Played God"

The Man Who Played God --- 1932  --- I would give this 3.8 stars out of 5

After losing his hearing, a musician uses lip-reading to help others.

Director:

 John G. Adolfi

Writers:

 Jules Eckert Goodman (based on the play by), Gouverneur Morris (from the short story by) (as Governeur Morris) , 2 more credits »

Stars:

 George Arliss, Bette Davis, Violet Heming 

Movie #1061 "The Man Who Played God" was on TCM this morning when I was dealing with jet lag and I was drawn into it when a young Bette Davis walked into a scene, and, of course, stole the movie from the others.  She plays a young musical fan of a great mentor (played by George Arliss, whom I know little about except that he was a movie actor in the 1930s). He's a piano player that she loves but he's way too old for her, but she makes a promise to wait for him for 6 months to see how they are then ---- anyway, in the 6 months, he loses his hearing and stops playing music.  He wants to kill himself, but what saves him is learning to read lips.  What he decides to do on a daily basis is use binoculars and read the lips of people who hang out in the park in front of his window, and then he steps in to make people's lives in that park so much better with his money or power.  You can guess that he reads Bette Davis's lips and finds out in the 6 months she has fallen in love with someone else closer in age but intends to keep her promise to him, which he won't let her do......the film is pretty gutsy for the 1930s in that it deals with agism in relationships, loss of faith in god, and lip reading as a solution in the deaf world (controversial).  It was an interesting watch for me --- it didn't make me a George Arliss fan, but it renewed my faith that Bette Davis couldn't make many mistakes in film.

Movie #1060 ........................."True Story"

Movie #1060 "True Story" was a surprise hit with me, because I hadn't heard about it at all (also, it was the last movie on the plane to come home).  Jonah Hill and James Franco play against types in this terribly serious film that reminded me of "Sleuth," or "Death trap" in its cat and mouse type games that play out between the "murderer" of his family and the journalist who needs the story to give him back his credibility.  I was surprised at the end of the film to find out it was, indeed, a true story and I saw the real Michael Finkel and Christian Longo in the credits.  Another surprise was that Felicity Jones plays Jonah Hill's wife with aplomb and she's just an added reason to see this very good film.  However, you can't have a weak stomach because the details of the murders of the entire family take up a lot of the film time in here ---- it's got that creepy factor, for sure.

True Story -- I'd give this 4 stars out of 5

2015RRated R100 mins

Based on true events, this cat-and-mouse thriller follows the complex relationship between accused murderer Christian Longo and disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel, whose identity Longo had usurped until he was captured by the FBI.

Cast:

Ethan Suplee, Felicity Jones, Gretchen Mol, Robert John Burke, James Franco, Jonah Hill

Genre:

Drama

Movie #1059 ........................."The Longest Ride"

Movie #1059 "The Longest Ride" was movie no. 3 on the plane coming home and I loved it --- I know it is based on a Nicholas Sparks' book, but so was "The Notebook" and this is a close second to that (and it doesn't have Ryan Gosling). And even though the Alzheimer part isn't here, Alan Alda plays a man dying and his story is a weeper from the get go --- here I am sitting in the plane crying into what little kleenex I have on me while I watched his story play out.  It seems all the actors have pedigree here ---- all except the two leads, Alan Alda and Britt Robertson (I love this girl!) I think the young man is clint Eastwood's son, and the two people playing Alda and his wife at a younger age are products of Walter Huston and Charlie Chaplin, in some way.  Pretty cool to see the next generation take over.  The story has a little bit of everything --- it covers  the bull bucking competition world that the young man inhabits, along with the art world that the girl works in.  Then the story within the story involves a family that moves to America from Germany because they are jewish in the early 40s.  That story involves WWII post traumatic problems (him)  and how teachers touch lives of students (his wife)........and all these stories come together to make quite a statement about how we have to sacrifice for love and how we continually redefine ourselves in this ever changing world.  I recommend it, even though you might not like Sparks' stuff.  This was a good one.

The Longest Ride -- I would give this 4 stars out of 5

2015PG-13Rated PG-13128 mins

Told via concurrent stories that ultimately converge, this adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel follows an old man consoled by reminiscences of his late wife as he's trapped after a car crash, and a young couple falling in love in a nearby town.

Cast:

Lolita Davidovich, Britt Robertson, Alan Alda, Jack Huston, Scott Eastwood, Oona Chaplin

Genre:

Drama

Movie #1058 ........................."Hot Pursuit"

Movie #1058 "Hot Pursuit" was movie no. 2 on the plane on the way home and it was a fun watch.  Dave was watching it next to me and he doesn't agree.  He only laughed a couple of times, but I laughed much more.  Neither one of us likes Sofia Vergara (she screams all her lines, to us), but we both think a lot of Reese Witherspoon (she has a winning personality no matter what she does).  She keeps the movie going, no doubt in that, and there's nothing new with the character she is playing here (except for her) but it had enough twists and turns in the story line to keep me watching....on a plane.

Hot Pursuit

2015PG-13Rated PG-1387 mins -- I'd give this 3.8 stars out of 5

Assigned to protect the sexy widow of a drug kingpin, a straitlaced Texas police detective is forced to take flight with her precious cargo when an assortment of bad cops and ruthless hit men start closing in on the pair.

Cast:

Reese Witherspoon, Sofía Vergara, John Carroll Lynch, Robert Kazinsky, Richard T. Jones, Michael Mosley, Matthew Del Negro, Mike Birbiglia, Jim Gaffigan, Benny Nieves, Michael Ray Escamilla, Vincent Laresca

Genre:

Comedy

Movie #1057 ........................."Far from the Madding Crowd"

Movie #1057 "Far from the Madding Crowd" was movie one on the plane coming home, and to me it was a winner.  Beautiful landscape, good acting, moving story, strong major female  character based on a very good book  --- I very much got engrossed in the travails of this Bathsheba Everdene played by Carey Mulligan.  I guess I liked the landscape, the love story and the richness of detail in the characters the most.  We rarely see that in films these days, unless they are based on rich characters to begin with, and for sure Thomas Hardy provided a lot of the details presented here in these characters.  I recommend it, on a plane or not.

Far from the Madding Crowd  - I would give this 4 stars out of 5

2015PG-13Rated PG-13119 mins

In this period drama based on Thomas Hardy's classic novel, winsome Bathsheba Everdene wins the hearts of three disparate men: sheep farmer Gabriel Oak, dashing soldier Frank Troy and William Boldwood, a moneyed older man.

Cast:

Juno Temple, Michael Sheen, Carey Mulligan, Tom Sturridge, Matthias Schoenaerts

Genre:

Drama

Movie #1056 ........................."Tomorrowland"

Movie #1056 "Tomorrowland" was movie no. 3 on the plane going to Dublin and it was a mess.  Aside from not making an ounce of sense (at least to me), I found it boring, tedious, way too silly, and full of lots of fighting --- one fight on top of another on top of another!  Anything redeeming?  Gosh, even George Clooney couldn't save it, and I LOVE the lead girl Britt Robertson, and I swear watching those two actors was all I watched it for ---- it was much ado about absolutely nothing and I don't recommend it at all.  What was anyone thinking about this one?  A new ride for Disneyworld?  It was a dumb premise to me.

Tomorrowland -- I would give this 2 stars out of 5

2015PGRated PG

Sharing the ability to perceive a utopian alternate dimension known as Tomorrowland, a reclusive inventor and a relentlessly curious teen begin a perilous quest to unlock the secrets of the magical world, which holds the promise of a brighter future.

Cast:

George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key

Genre:

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Movie #1055 ........................."The Duff"

Movie #1055 "The Duff" was movie no. 2 on the plane.  I like high school films, and I like this young actress Mae Whitman and I've liked her since she was a little kid and ended up as the wonderful Laurie Graham daughter in one of my favorite t.v. shows "Parenthood" which just ended, so when I saw that she has turned to doing films, I wanted to continue supporting her --- she's such a natural and usually portrays great sincerety in her roles.  There's no new ground here ---- we've seen it all before, but I found that this films had some substance to it.  i.e. if I had a young teenager I was raising, I would have him/her watch this because it tries to cover what kids go through....somewhat.  I chuckled a bit, I found it had a message and I like the lead girl, so I liked it and would recommend it to people who might do the same.

The DUFF  -- I'd give this 3.8 stars out of 5

2015PG-13Rated PG-13101 mins

A smart high schooler's world comes crashing down when she discovers that she's considered the Designated Ugly Fat Friend among her clique of more attractive chums. To lose the degrading label, she enlists a jock's help for a massive makeover.

Cast:

Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Nick Eversman, Bella Thorne, Skyler Samuels, Bianca A. Santos, Ken Jeong

Genre:

Comedy

Movie #1054 ........................."The Age of Adaline"

Movie #1054 "The Age of Adaline" was movie no. 1 on the plane going to Ireland/Scotland, and it was the best of the bunch.  Well, let's say, it kept me watching all the way through.  I'm not sure it is a film a lot of people would like, though.  It's a bit historical (shows lots of decades, since she lives through them, definitely a romance, kind of science fictiony in the time flexibility of the lead character, etc.  I was never quite sure completely how the magic happened to stop her from aging or how the magic happened to change that at all, so it's a premise that you need to buy to accept the goings on in the film.  That being said, it was still intriguing to me how much her not growing could prevent her from living a happy life, to be on a constant move, to have a strained relationship with her daughter who ages while she doesn't, to never be able to let herself love anyone completely for that matter..... so many consequences that she has to live with.  I've never really been sold on the actress Blake Lively (who plays the lead here), but she goes through quite a bit to get this character across, and Michiel Huisman, whom I got to know in the tv show "Treme" has a lead role as the love interest and he does quite an impressive job here.  If any of this sounds interesting to you, maybe you'll want to check it out; otherwise, it might come across silly or confusing, neither of which is fun to watch  for 112 minutes.  But I was on a plane, and it was more entertaining than the little kid playing with his food down to the right of me!

The Age of Adeline    - I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars

2015PG-13Rated PG-13112 mins

After 29-year-old Adaline recovers from a nearly lethal accident, she inexplicably stops growing older. As the years stretch on and on, Adaline keeps her secret to herself -- till she meets a man who changes her life.

Cast:

Ellen Burstyn, Harrison Ford, Michiel Huisman, Blake Lively, Kathy Baker

Genre:

Romance