Friday, April 13, 2018
Movie #1525 ........................."DriverX"
Movie #1525 "DriverX" was the second movie we saw last Thursday at the film festival, and it was very well done........until the end, which I didn't like as much as the rest of the film. The husband and Wife here are very good actors, and they have chemistry in working together. The film rests on the shoulders, though, of the Uber-like customers that go in and out of this driver's car (which happens to be a prius). I saw a movie like this , full of customers of a taxi, but this one goes much deeper in the main characters and their marriage to each other. They desperately need money to pay their real estate taxes in a month, so he is forced to use his car and drive around and pick up as many customers as he can in the few hours he has at night (he needs to be wide eyed to prep breakfast for his wife and two kids early each morning ---- cleans the house, cuts the lawn and does the laundry, and has picked up cleaning the pool, too, since they had to lay off the pool boy) and prep dinner every night, too. We thought the film would get to a better, clearer ending, but unfortunately, the ending wasn't as satisfying as we would have wanted it to be. That's why I'd give this 3.8 out of 5 stars. For a long time it was going 5 stars out of 5, but it started to falter at the end. In fact, the woman sitting next to me just got up and left when it started to shift gears at the end. Too bad. Good movie until then.
Movie #1524 ........................."Hunting Lands"
Movie #1524 "Hunting Lands" was the second movie we saw at the Phoenix Film Festival this year (the first was "Tully" which I wrote about already), and this one turned out to be the best of the 4 we watched on Thursday at the festival....It's a cold film, with hardly any dialogue, and it is reminiscent in parts of the Hitchcock thriller "Rear Window" because the main character spends a lot of film time observing on the sly who he thinks is an abuser of his wife/girlfriend. The main character is very quiet, and he very obviously is hiding his personality and his past from people in the film, and the audience, as well. It's that mystery of what he plans to do that keeps us tensely watching throughout this film. It's a pretty film, full of nice shots, cool low and high angles. The acting is okay, dialogue is minimal, actions sometimes come across as tedious and detailed, but it all goes into the tension the director is able to sustain throughout the film --- that's probably why it was chosen in the festival for having the best director. We agree and give it a 4. and we recommend it if you ever get the chance to see it.
"HUNGTING LANDS" 2018 1 hr and 23 mins
"HUNGTING LANDS" 2018 1 hr and 23 mins
- "Hunting Lands" is the story of reclusive veteran Frank Olsen who yearns to escape from the complexities of the modern world. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, the world comes looking for him. When he discovers a discarded, beaten woman fighting for her life in the snow, Frank must decide whether to continue to turn his back on society or confront the world he loathes.
Director:
Zack Wilcox
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Movie #1523 ........................."Everything, Everything"
Movie #1523 "Everything, Everything" was nothing, nothing.
I wish I could end it there (and I'm sure I'm not the only one that wanted to write that down for this film). Yikes, slow moving, leading nowhere, with a twist that was absurd. The two leads were good, and they had some chemistry, but it was just a silly film --- in the first 20 mins, I think the director looked at the dailies and said: hmmm, how will I make this interesting if these two kids keep texting back and forth ad infinitum. Nope, I don't recommend it. Unless you read the book (there's a book? How long is it? not much to the story at all) or want to see these two actors --- they are good, and so is Anika Noni Rose (I have always been a fan of hers since I saw her on stage, and in "Dream Girls") but there are better films they inhabit, I think. This becomes a fantasy love story, and I guess I can put it down to another genre I don't care for. 2 out of 5 stars. (but it is clean, considering the subject matter)
"EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING" PG-13, 1 hour 36 mins 2017
I wish I could end it there (and I'm sure I'm not the only one that wanted to write that down for this film). Yikes, slow moving, leading nowhere, with a twist that was absurd. The two leads were good, and they had some chemistry, but it was just a silly film --- in the first 20 mins, I think the director looked at the dailies and said: hmmm, how will I make this interesting if these two kids keep texting back and forth ad infinitum. Nope, I don't recommend it. Unless you read the book (there's a book? How long is it? not much to the story at all) or want to see these two actors --- they are good, and so is Anika Noni Rose (I have always been a fan of hers since I saw her on stage, and in "Dream Girls") but there are better films they inhabit, I think. This becomes a fantasy love story, and I guess I can put it down to another genre I don't care for. 2 out of 5 stars. (but it is clean, considering the subject matter)
"EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING" PG-13, 1 hour 36 mins 2017
Confined to her home because of her severe autoimmune disorder, Maddy has spent 17 years isolated from the world. But the arrival of a handsome new next-door neighbor soon turns Maddy's sheltered life upside down.
Movie #1522 ........................."Love, Simon"
Movie #1522 "Love, Simon" is a refreshing film to watch in the doldrums of MarchApril days of film land, where not-so-good movies are oftentimes released! I loved its boldness ---- in music, in characters, in plot ---- it just takes off from the opening few minutes. It's quick, smart, funny, winsome ---- but boldly challenging in subject matter --- because it deals with a closeted kid who is deathly afraid of coming out to his family and his friends --- he likes the good relationships he has with everyone, and he's afraid his gayness will change everything. Hah! a film that deals with the issues and conflicts of being a teenager, but in a humorous way ---- ironically, the lead girl Hannah in "13 reasons why" who leaves 13 tapes to explain to her friends why she has killed herself is playing the lead best friend of Simon here, a totally different approach to dealing with teenage woes. This film is not afraid to be awkward in parts --- to show you the quirky people in a teen's life --- yes, perhaps the teen is even one of them, since Simon is in the theatre department, so he has all these wonderfully supportive, quirky people in his life to come out to, but chooses not to.....I guess that is what I enjoyed a lot -- to see the theatre community in action (they are putting on "Cabaret" --- a hoot!) The lead guy, Nick Robinson, will be in my next blog, as well (he was in "Everything, Everything" and "Jurassic World") --- what a charmer, he is, and he inhabits this character like a glove. He and his friends and the mystery of who Mr. Blue is make the film go by so quickly and make it fun to watch. I highly recommend the movie --- and it's pretty clean, and the parents are liberal and supportive, so that's refreshing, as well. 4.5 stars out of 5.
"LOVE, SIMON" PG-13 2018
Closeted gay teen Simon is mortified when his classmate Martin gets hold of Simon's intimate email to his online love. With the prospect of humiliation looming, Simon reluctantly agrees to help Martin get closer to Abby, Simon's female best friend.
"LOVE, SIMON" PG-13 2018
Closeted gay teen Simon is mortified when his classmate Martin gets hold of Simon's intimate email to his online love. With the prospect of humiliation looming, Simon reluctantly agrees to help Martin get closer to Abby, Simon's female best friend.
Movie #1521 ........................."Tully"
Movie #1521 "Tully" -- Charlize Theron to me is one of those actors who is always interesting to watch, so when this popped up on the Phoenix Film Festival schedule to see it before it opens officially (it will be released later this month, I think), we went to go see it and enjoyed it. The film has good acting --- Theron is never one to shy away from looking natural or bad, and she does that here (though not quite as bad as in her oscar-winning film "Monster"). To me this film shows what it takes to raise kids......truly a tribute to all the time and work it goes into it. And it underlines the theme that doing the day to day things to feed, clothe, and offer a safe environment for your kids is leading a successful life --- that you should never feel you are failure if you are doing those things. The wife is depressed and overwhelmed, so the movie is tough to watch in several scenes --- to top it off, she has a challenging kid to reckon with, too --- a kid who due to anxieties and social problems can't really deal with school on a daily basis without extra help --- and that's plopped in her pregnant lap to handle, as well. There seems to be no way out for her until Tully comes into her life. I don't want to say too much more because I'd be giving away some twists and turns that make the film a 4.5 out of 5 for me. And I don't even want to say why it's 4.5 instead of a 5, except that some parts were hard to believe......otherwise, it's a film all its own --- can't say I have ever seen a movie on this particular subject, handled in this particular way. And done as well, so I recommend it. But maybe I'm not one to listen wholeheartedly to, not ever having kids. But I do value a good think piece, and this one allowed us quite a bit of time to talk about it after seeing it, and we saw it with some parents, so that was eye-opening, as well to hear what they had to say. See what you think, and why not report back here. Anxious to know how others will see it.
"TULLY" 2018 R rated
"TULLY" 2018 R rated
After her first two kids were born, Marlo had no help, so it's with reluctance that she accepts her brother's gift of "night nanny" Tully upon the birth of her third child. Initially at loggerheads, Marlo and Tully gradually form a bond.
Movie #1520 ........................."A Wrinkle in Time"
Movie #1520 "A Wrinkle in Time" --- well, my book club is re-reading the book (most of us read it when we were younger), and then the plan was to see the film, which I did recently. Though there is much I like of Madeleine L'Engle as a writer, I only gave a 3 to the book --- I am just not into this genre of books, never was, never will be, probably. But the film, I must say, was really beautiful to watch and quite entertaining. Since I am not as enthusiastic about the original book, I didn't really care how "faithful" the book is to the film...... I made a list of the differences I saw, and I googled the differences, and yes, whole characters are missing, genders are changed on others, but the general consensus out there is that this is a much better rendition of the book than the previous one in 2003 (I think), and if you can get past the Oprah Winfrey bling stuff, it's easier to follow than the book, I felt. All the tesseracting is hard to picture, so I found it fun to see what the director's vision was --- and because they skipped a huge visit Meg makes to get better before her final battle (no biggie, as far as spoiler alert -- you might not even notice) , pieces in the plot seemed easier to follow --- transitions were clearer (I felt the same thing about the movie vs. the play "Chicago" when I saw it a while back). The actors are good, esp. Meg, Calvin (he was a wow! did a lot with not too many lines), Reese Witherspoon, and surprisingly, the dad (whom I had trouble understanding in the book). I am still not too much a fan of Ms Which and Ms. whomever Mindy Kahling played --- that character I found annoying in the book, but less in the movie) Oprah's part was a little easier to follow in the film since she took on a material (or should I say materialistic? quite a lot of moneyed costumes and makeup) form (and how! gigantic!!!!) but I also liked the color casting of her and Meg, and I found it quite nice that they esp. bonded. Charles Wallace talked too fast for my money, but he was a cutie, and he got better as the film progressed. I don't much care for the plot --- but not being a fan of this genre, I didn't expect to like it , either, but I was surprised that it was as entertaining to watch. I am in a quandary whether to recommend it to many --- people who liked the book will probably still like this rendition (with possible reservations, if they are purists), but like I said, to me the changes were minimal and made sense. But if you aren't into fantasy literature, this might not be the film for you. And esp. if you hate Oprah........she's bigger than life here. Gotta buy into that! I give it 4 stars out of 5.
"A WRINKLE IN TIME" 2018 PG
"A WRINKLE IN TIME" 2018 PG
Adapted from the children's book of the same name, this space adventure follows Meg, her brother, Charles, and her schoolmate Calvin on a trip through time as they try to locate the siblings' astrophysicist father after he vanishes.
Monday, April 2, 2018
Movie #1519 ........................."The Black Panther"
Movie #1519 "The Black Panther" -- I saw this a while ago, but I guess I forgot to write about it -- I really liked this, and it isn't at all a genre I would normally even take time out to watch. But the cast looked great, and it got a lot of hype, so I guess I wanted to see what everyone was talking about. From the outset of the film, it looked to: 1) be of better calibre than films in this genre, 2) have a different kind of a super hero --- it's about time we had a superhero who was African American, 3) actually have a story I could follow 4) have some very interesting secondary characters, and 5) have at times the power in the hands of the females...... Chad Boseman's sister reminded me of Abby, the lab tech in NCIS, because of her ability at doing almost anything asked of her. Lupita as the reluctant heroine was a nice touch, as well. What I didn't like (and what I never like) is the fighting. But at least the big fight between the two possible leaders was won because the winner had to use his smarts instead of just his physical strength. That made it more palatable to me. The cinematography was very good, too, and I liked the special effects ---- the whole other worldliness of the costumes, props, sets, etc. was well done. I highly recommend this one --- but by this time, probably everyone has seen it anyway. And deservedly so! hah! 4.5 stars out of 5
"THE BLACK PANTHER" --- PG-13 2018
"THE BLACK PANTHER" --- PG-13 2018
After the devastating battles chronicled in "Captain America: Civil War," Black Panther's alter ego, T'Challa, returns to his homeland of Wakanda to be crowned its new king. But he soon faces enemies who will test all his superpowers.
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