Movie #1384 ........................."Fry Day"

Movie #1384 "Fry Day" -- another short film we saw at the Milwaukee Film Fest, this one very serious concerning a young girl's coming of age. By the end of the 16 minutes, this young, unassuming girl who has been taking photographs of people at $3 a pop  as they wait outside Ted Bundy's prison the night before he is to be executed , she is no longer trusting of people --- it's almost a symbol of how the world really becomes after a murderer like Ted Bundy has done his damage to women.  We were no longer trusting if someone kindly offered a ride to us, because we learned that kindness was in disguise of pure evil.  The film is well done at sustaining the tone throughout.  If you get a chance to see it, I thought it was a 5 out of 5 stars. And it was fun seeing a famous actress like Elizabeth Ashley in it as a crusty woman who runs a hot dog stand nearby.



"FRY DAY"     2017        16 minutes

FRY DAY' IS CO-WRITEEN AND DIRECTED BY LAURA MOSS, WHO WAS RECENTLY NAMED ONE OF FILMMAKER MAGAZINE'S 25 NEW FACES OF INDEPENDENT FILM.

IT STARS JORDYN DINATALE, JIMI STANTON AND FEATURES TONY AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS ELIZABETH ASHLEY.

THE FILM TAKES PLACE DURING A REAL-LIFE TAILGATE PARTY THAT ERUPTED ACROSS THE STREET FROM TED BUNDY'S EXECUTION SITE, AS SEEN THROUG HTHE EYES OF LAURYN, A YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER WHO HAPPENS TO LOOK LIKE ONE OF HIS VICTIMS.

Movie #1383 ........................."I Know You From Somewhere"

Movie #1383 "I Know You from Somewhere" -- first of 6 short films we saw at the Milwaukee Film Festival, one of the best ones concerns a real problem.  Here's a quick blurb from the internet on the plot:

I Know You From Somewhere, a comedic short film written and directed by Andrew Fitzgerald, is an authentic example of the internet’s worst tendencies. The trouble starts offline: a young woman named Katherene gets in a screaming match with a friend about a cheating boyfriend. A stranger captures video of the dustup, including a moment in which Katherene accuses her friend of having a “black heart.” When the video is uploaded to YouTube, viewers mistake Katherene’s words for racial slurs, turning this average woman into the target of a humongous internet mob.

Because it dealt with real situations, and the acting was well done, I really enjoyed watching this.  You can see how a video never really tells the whole story, and it's a nice reminder of seeing isn't always what we should be believing.  I'd give it 4 stars out of 5.

Movie # 1382 ........................."Person to Person"

Movie #1382 "Person to Person" -- well, the second movie we watched at the Milwaukee Film Festival promised to be a tad better because the cast include Michael Cera ("Juno") and a you tuber actress that we enjoyed watching  on stage at the Steppenwolf in the play "This is Youth" also with Cera.  But the film ended up to be so slow that it appeared to creep from one scene to the next.  There were a few funny moments, but mostly the payoff wasn't worth all the sitting and sighing that we did while watching it.  The film concerns a slice of several people's lives in NYC :  a photographer and journalist team up to investigate a possible murder/suicide, a man tries to buy a jazz album, another man is regretting that he put porn pictures of his girlfriend (soon to be ex) up on the internet, and a girl who appears not  to care about boys finds herself facing  her first sexual encounter.   I wish they stories came together in some way, or even had more substance to them, but alas, I can't.  I would say it was the weakest of the films we saw at the Milwaukee Film Festival this year, and we were disappointed.   3 out of 5 stars



"PERSON TO PERSON"      2017       1 hour and 24 mins

A single day in New York City -- one that involves a death that may be suicide or a homicide -- unfolds through the eyes of various characters, including a crime reporter, a record collector seeking a rare vinyl platter, and a headstrong teen.

Cast: Abbi Jacobson, Michael Cera, Tavi Gevinson,

Movie #1381 ........................."You're Killing Me, Susanna"

Movie #1381 "You're Killing Me, Susanna" -- just saw this at the Milwaukee Film Festival, the first one we saw, and it was just okay.  It's a Mexican film that was filmed mostly in Canada (it was supposed to be a small college in Iowa) so we found that amusing!  We are fans of the lead guy Gael Garcia Bernal (Letters to Juliet, Y tu Tambien, Amores Perros, and t.v. show "Mozart in the Jungle" -- he's the prominent Mexican actor), and he's kind of the Al Pacino of this generation.   When the married couple in this film argues, the lines and hands are flying --- it's an introduction to another culture that is more demonstrative than ours, and you have to get used to it and in a hurry.  But the substance of their conflicts is very universal because it deals with marital boredom, infidelity, revenge, true love, forgiveness.  The script in this film left something to be desired --- it was labelled a comedy, but it really wasn't that much --- just had a few funny moments, and really due to the lead's ability to be charming and funny and still flirty to every female he meets.  And you could see the end coming a mile a minute (predictable), but overall I'd give it a 3.8 out of 5.  It was an okay start to the festival.



"YOU'RE KILLING ME, SUSANA"    2017

An actor's (Gael García Bernal) world comes crashing down after he learns that his wife (Verónica Echegui) has left him for a poet (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) in Iowa.

Release date: February 17, 2017 (USA)

Director: Roberto Sneider

Language: Spanish Language

Languages: Spanish, English

Nominations: Ariel Award for Best Actor,

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Movie #1380 ........................."Gifted"

Movie #1380 "Gifted" was a movie I got to watch on the plane on the way back from Banff a few days ago, and I found it overall quite enjoyable, esp. in watching this little girl hold her own in the film.  I think the lead, Chris Evans, has some limitations in his acting, and the script has a few manipulative moments, and some turning moments that don't ring true, but the ending is very satisfactory, and I think the substance of the film makes it an important one to see.  What I mean by that is that this film deals with the question:  What do we do with our gifted students to get the best out of them without ruining the kid part of their lives?  Should we be sending this little math savant to a school with other math savants (who are much older, and not in her age group) or send her to the school that matches her age but not necessarily her needs?  What a big question.  What makes this even more intriguing is that her mom faced the same problem (bored in the age appropriate school, and not accepted wherever she goes, and depressed enough to commit suicide).  Her brother knows that his sister would not have wanted her daughter to end the same way, so he decides to bring her up in a way that she doesn't miss her childhood ---- but then isn't sure that's the best way to go either, when his mother steps in.  Overall, I felt the film offered  a good solid argument that I went back and forth on, but it  also has lots of humor and spunk and rapport between the little girl and her uncle.  I'd give it 4 out of 5.

"GIFTED"     2017       PG-13         1 hour and 41 minutes

When his sister dies, 30-something bachelor Frank Adler assumes the care of her 7-year-old daughter. But his plans to raise her are threatened when the child reveals herself to be a math prodigy, and his mom suddenly gets involved.

Cast: Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan,

Movie #1379 ........................."Wilson"

Movie #1379 "Wilson" -- I normally don't like Woody Harrelson in films -- I think as an actor, he chews up scenery, but he truly inhabits this character Wilson , and I found it quite amusing.  I'm sure you've heard of the expression:  It is what it is; well, Wilson is, who he is, take it or leave it.  The premise of the film is pretty simple but out there: Wilson feels down in the dumps in the opening moreso than usual, and he decides to look up his ex wife and finds out she had his child but didn't tell him --- so Wilson decides to reunite his daughter and ex wife for an adventure.  An interesting idea, but you can see the conflicts it could create, esp. when the "daughter" has very rich adopted parents.  There was a movie last year that offered a different way of parenting that was as much "out there" as this one (the movie was " Captain Fantastic" --- more dramatic than this one) , bit this film is like that it offers still another type of "family" in our society today --- and what it takes to make a family, etc.  This is not a perfect film at all; the language for one is pretty raunchy (I was watching a bleeped version of it , and I was lost in some of the script because so much was bleeped in a line of dialogue), but it offers an amusing indie film with an unusual premise, with very capable people in the leads (laura dean and Woody Harrelson).  I would give this a 3.8 out of 5.   (and if you are a graphic novel fan, this might take a  second look from you, as well)

WILSON        2017            R rated (mostly for language)        1 hour and 34 minutes

Daniel Clowes' graphic novel comes to life in this comic tale about a man who gets back together with his long-estranged wife ... and learns he has a daughter. Set in his ways and decidedly neurotic, he's determined to win his offspring's affection.

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern, Judy Greer

Movie #1378 ........................."Battle of Sexes"

Movie #1378 "Battle of Sexes" was an entertaining movie to me --- but then, I lived through it and knew the ending.  I also found Bobby Riggs creepy and chauvinistic with a capital C and had pure glee to see the ending of this tennis match (again).  By watching this movie, I gained so much more respect for Billie Jean King --- found out more of  her motivations, her inner conflicts, her strong feministic role she played in women's lib history, her relationship with her husband, her relationship with the other tennis players (like Margaret Court), her great sense of humor ----- Emma was wonderful, as usual, bringing this real person to life again for us (I've only seen her once since that time way back in the 70s when they played their famous match and it's only because she's been interviewed due to the opening of this film)  -- and that makes me smile that she's being talked about again, and gaining more of the respect she deserves --- she deserves the last look Emma makes before she steps onto the court to be congratulated for the accomplishment she made here --- after going through Nov. 8 last year (has it been only one year?  oh my) , it's nice to relive a successful moment of a female breaking through a glass ceiling, albeit in the sport of tennis, rather than in politics.  But I'll take it --- at least for entertainment sake.  I give it 4 stars out of 5.

"BATTLE OF SEXES"    2017        PG-13

In 1973, Billie Jean King, the world's No. 2 female tennis player, took on 55-year-old ex-champ Bobby Riggs in a match hyped as the Battle of the Sexes. This sports dramedy delves into the battles being played out in their lives beyond the spotlight.

Cast: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough.