Movie #1347 ........................."Quaker Oaths"

Movie #1347 "Quaker Oaths" was a fun rom-com that I got to see at the Phoenix Film Festival.  I have to say I have not seen a movie on this subject nor did I know anything about this tradition before I saw the film.  The tradition is that once a quaker marriage is performed, everyone in the congregation signs the license.  I was in a Q and A afterwards with the female director, and she was asked what gave her the idea for the "switch" here --- i.e., two people who have been married have been living separately for a while, and now the girl comes back to get a divorce from the guy because she is now engaged.  Her parents are such strong quakers that they are having trouble accepting a "divorce" unless everyone that signed the license crosses his/her name off the list.  The couple decides it would be easier to just do it than to argue with them --- you have to buy that, and I did because 1) the actors convinced me   and 2)  I could see secretly that these two weren't too sure on the divorce and they knew this would cement it and help them move on or not.  So we go on this journey and it's pretty quirky and quite enjoyable to watch.  I enjoyed it and recommend it if you are ever able to see it.  You might get a chance to at the Naperville Film Festival if it gets chosen to be shown, which I hope it does because it was a fun time watching.  I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.

QUAKER OATHS      2016     1 hour and 25 minutes

To make their divorce final, a Quaker couple must follow tradition by seeking out everyone who came to their wedding...and asking them to cross their names off the marriage certificate.

Director:

 Louisiana Kreutz

Writer:

 Louisiana Kreutz

Stars:

 Alex Dobrenko,  Fede Rangel,  Kathy Rose Center

Movie #1346 ........................."Brave New Jersey"

Movie #1346 "Brave New Jersey"  was the last film we saw at the Phoenix Festival, and it was just okay, yet it won the audience favorite award --- we weren't sure why.  We reacted with a big "ho hum" --- first, it was difficult to believe that the ENTIRE town didn't know that the Orson Welles' "War of the World" on the radio was just a broadcast and not a real life alien invasion.  Second, there seem to be a lack of consistency with the script, esp. with one female character who becomes a mercenary by the end of the film.  But there are a couple of really good performances that kept me watching:  Tony Hale (from "Veep") played the meek mayor of the town, Heather Burns (from "Miss Congeniality) a repressed and dominated female wife, and Sam Jaeger (from "Parenthood") the dominating hubby, Erika Alexander (from "Cosby Show") as a strong-willed member of the church, and Dan Bakkedahl (from "Life in Pieces) as the flaky parish minister!  All of these and more characters react to this possible alien invasion, and it gets pretty silly.  But the stronger actors are able to make me believe that this was a possibility.  I would give it 3 stars out of 5.


BRAVE NEW JERSEY    1 hour and 26 mins       2016

A comedy about a small New Jersey town on the night of Orson Welles' legendary 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, which led millions of listeners to believe the U.S. was being invaded by Martians.

Director:

 Jody Lambert

Writers:

 Michael Dowling,  Jody Lambert

Stars:

 Anna Camp,  Evan Jonigkeit,  Raymond J. Barry, Tony Hale, Dan Bakkedahl, Erika Alexander, Heather Burns, and Sam Jaeger.

Movie #1345 ........................."Different Flowers"

Movie #1345 "Different Flowers"


Movie #1345 "Different Flowers" was a movie I saw at the Phoenix Film Festival, and it was the weakest of all that I saw.  Pretty much there was a combination of problems.  First of all, the script wasn't all that interesting --- I have seen so many movies about a bride that jumps in a car and leaves her wedding to go on a road trip, and that's what the set up here is.  Only, instead of traveling with a guy, whom she falls in love with, it's her sister --- thus, the title "different flowers" because these two sisters are like vinegar and oil --- or at least they have been estranged for a while, and guess what happens by the end of the film?  And it takes a long while to get there, in my opinion.  It wouldn't be so bad if the actresses were strong enough to elevate the story/script, but they aren't.  They both looked familiar, which means I probably saw them in something else on t.v., but they seemed to be out of their elements here.  I give this a 2.8.  You can miss this one.







DIFFERENT FLOWERS      2017        1 hour 39 min        comedy    

• On the day of her big Midwestern wedding, Millie, a persnickety bride, jilts her fiance at the altar with the help of her spunky younger sister, Emma, and embarks on a life-changing adventure. Starring and produced by Shelley Long, and first feature from writer and director Morgan Dameron, DIFFERENT FLOWERS is a love letter to the heartland. Filmed entirely on location in Dameron's hometown of Kansas City, DIFFERENT FLOWERS is about learning to follow your heart.
  
  
  
  

  Director:

   Morgan Dameron

  Writer:

   Morgan Dameron

  Stars:

   Steve Agee,  Cecelia Antoinette,  Emma Bell, Shelley Long plays the grandma 

Movie #1344 ........................."The Changeup"

Movie #1344 "The Changeup"  -- I have been hesitant to watch this film for a while --- I think I didn't want to be let down because I love these two guys (Bateman and Reynolds) so much --- it looked pretty crude in the trailer, and you know, it WAS crude, but I was also glad I finally watched it (it was on t.v. the other night and i watched it while I was unpacking) because they really try to (and sometimes succeed, esp. at the poignant moments) elevate the raunchy script.  I'm convinced these guys did their parts and videotaped it for each other, and then when they played each other, they could really look a lot like their counterpart.  That part is really pretty funny, and even funnier because they have to play against type --- yes, they both have a "type," so this film is a challenge to do the opposite of the character they usually fall back on.  In that way, it's like a breath of fresh air, but it's really too raunchy to recommend it to many people.  It's an R and well deserved.  But has its moments.  And I really did enjoy watching these two favorites play off each other.
3 stars out of 5


THE CHANGE-UP              2011        R rated         1 hour and 53 minutes

 In this contemporary reality-warp comedy, single playboy Mitch and responsible husband-father Dave are best buddies who want each other's life -- and they get the chance when they magically swap bodies after a night of drunken revelry.

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde

Movie #1343 ........................."The Founder"

Movie #1343  "The Founder" is the story of Ray Kroc, and his journey from door-to-door salesman to owning the land the McDonalds restaurants are built on.  It's an ugly story full of greed and stepping on people, and Michael Keaton and the rest of the cast handle it quite well.  I was intrigued from beginning to end:  how the whole speedy assembly line way of making and distributing the food grew to the fast food service we have today, how wives of people who are trying to build an empire have to give up so much in their own private lives for them, how people make contracts but then look for loopholes when the contract no longer works for them, how people with ethics have a hard time in the business world, and it goes on and on.  It was a very good story that was well acted, and I would recommend it to people who would like to know more about the beginning of what we know now as "FAST FOOD SERVICE."  4 stars out of 5


THE FOUNDER  2016    PG-13     1 hr and 55 min.

The concept and expansion of McDonald's global fast-food empire represent one of the great success stories of American business. This meaty biopic profiles company founder Ray Kroc, whose canny instincts turned McDonald's into a golden brand.

Cast: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellini, Patrick Wilson

Movie #1342 ........................."Annie" (2014)

Movie #1342 "Annie" (2014) -- I never got to see this in the movie theatre, and it was on tv  Easter morning, and while I was readying the house for guests, I watched this.  I have to say it was quite different from the musical --- in fact, so different, I wondered why it needed to be.  I truly missed a lot of the musical numbers they just skipped.  I know they were trying to update the show, but nothing they added seemed memorable like, "You're never fully dressed without a smile" --- or tuneful like "NYC."  I really don't mind all that much to cast actors over singers when casting for a musical, but that didn't seem to be what was holding this back --- the leads sang very well (esp. little Annie), but Cameron Diaz?  When you think of all the actresses who have played Hannigan, she doesn't seem to measure up at all.  And without Rooster's meanness ( yep, they got rid of the comic relief characters of Rooster and Lily St. Regis), the audience is expected to see a change in Hannigan all while she is dancing with  Guy (Bob Cannivale) Jamie Fox's assistant) which is way too much for her for one scene --- and we are left with a big question as to why she changes (because Annie said something nice about her?  really?)There are some more negatives.....There's  No dance, really --- all staging, pretty much, even Hard Knock.  However, I did like the rap approach in some of the numbers (not the auto tune which they did to some of their voices -- yikes!)And a few moments seemed well thought out.    But really, this is a weak rendition of a much beloved show.  My recommendation is to see it in the theatre, where you can hear all the songs they chopped out of this, and you can see all the comedy from Rooster and Lilly, which they got rid of here.  And where you can see a more complex but satisfying Hannigan! 3 stars out of 5

"ANNIE"       2014      PG      1 hour and 58 minutes

A foster kid, who lives with her mean foster mom, sees her life change when business tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in.

Director:

 Will Gluck

Writers:

 Will Gluck (screenplay),  Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay)  | 2 more credits »

Stars:

 Quvenzhané Wallis,  Cameron Diaz,  Jamie Foxx

Movie #1341 ........................."The Zookeeper's Wife"

Movie #1341 "The Zookeeper's Wife" was a quiet, slow-paced, but emotional film I got to see the other day.  I think I've seen many Holocaust films, but this one was quite different.  Having read the book, I knew the general subject matter (a very heroic Polish family offers safety to the jews in the ghetto  in their underground zoo area once their animals are sent to Germany to populate Hitler's zoo).  But I wasn't prepared for my reaction to seeing the animals shot or abused in the film.  Usually in these types of films, you see a lot of people shot, but in this one, that was at a minimum, but the animals were being negatively affected, and I still found myself in tears at times watching how these animals were being treated.  Jessica Chastain's ease in working with the animals and befriending them, sharing food from her mouth to a bison, petting the baby tigers, helping to deliver a baby elephant all drew me into the film and into her character so much.  This is an  academy award effort here, and it's a shame that the film is so early in the year and will probably be forgotten.  And speaking of acting, I was very impressed with her husband's portrayal, and the young girl he saves from the ghetto from being abused by three soldiers.  And Daniel Bruhl gave a great performance of the complex character of the geneticist interested in the animals for research, who is working his way up to being stationed at Hitler's zoo.  He also is enamored with Chastain whom he shares a passion for animals.  Overall, the film shows heroic actions of some people in desperate times, and I recommend it for showing that theme!  I give it 4 stars out of 5.

'ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE" 2017     Pg-13

After the Nazis invade Poland, Warsaw Zoo caretakers Antonina and Jan Zabinski place themselves in grave danger when they begin collaborating with the Resistance in an effort to save Jews from the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Daniel Brühl, Johan Heldenbergh