Movie #1307 "Passengers" -- I can't remember seeing a science fiction movie in a very long time --- it's about time, and I was ready to be entertained. And surprisingly (and I say this because rotten tomatoes gave this only 37%), I was entertained (like the people exiting this film that gave it 67%). Some times critics can be wrong, and I think they were on this one --- complaints are that the visual effects and acting work but the script is a limp love story. Hmmm. What if they take it as a fluff, romantic film with some great acting and great visual effects? Here's the problem, I think. The sci-fi genre expects too much, maybe? Look at the ones that get good marks from the critics: "2001 Space Odyssey," "Alien," "Avatar," "Bladerunner," "Matrix," "Close Encounters," "Terminator," "Star Wars," "ET" ---- well, it isn't one of these. But why can't it be just fun to watch and have a nice love story? Maybe it's because the visual effects cost so much they think the story line has to be worthy of all that money spent? Why can't it be anothaer "A.I." with an interesting premise, well-acted, good visual effects, but has a couple of problems with the script? Because that's what it is. One critic said, " a sleek, well-designed curiosity" -- and I'd like to steal that idea. It was a fun watch. I, for one, enjoyed the sleekness, and the well designed set with the cool props (which are all nominated for an academy award this year -- and it was my ulterior motive in seeing it so I didn't listen to the critics this time) It was a curiosity to me and the movie allowed me to enjoy all the visuals and enjoy the chemistry between the two leads, who seemed so different in acting style that it was one of the fun things to watch for me. It's obvious, the big acting was handled by Jennifer Lawrence, but his nonchalance in most scenes seemed a nice buffer and added so much to the humor and believability of the whole ordeal. So I guess what I'm saying is that if the actors, the visuals or the trailer make it look like a fun watch for you, go for it, in spite of the jaded critics. It might be fun for you, too. I give it 4 stars out of 5.
PASSENGERS 2016 PG-13 (for sexuality, nudity and action/peril)116 minutes
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt star in an exciting action-thriller about two passengers who are on a 120-year journey to another planet when their hibernation pods wake them 90 years too early. Jim and Aurora are forced to unravel the mystery behind the malfunction as the ship teeters on the brink of collapse, with the lives of thousands of passengers in jeopardy.
Movie #1306 "20th Century Women" was an intriguing watch for me. It deals with the possibility of raising a boy/man by women. Well, at least Annette Benning a mother of a 15 year old boy, is trying to do that without a male influence around, except for handyman Billy Crudup, but he's too odd to help that much. So Annette (Dorothea) elicits the help from two neighbors: Elle Fanning and Greta Gerwig --- they are fun to watch because most of the time they don't know what they are doing either. So the film is full of lots of starts and stops, little vignettes of each one dealing with the building of his character. It's an odd film, but the characters are well fleshed out, the actors are real and convincing, and the situations show some raw reality that other films seldom do. So I liked it and I would recommend it to you if you don't mind your films being a tad quirky, but real. The characters are so fleshed out, that the director/writer felt they owed it to their audiences to finish off the stories of all these characters and tell us where they go after the film ends..... I welcomed that and I think you will, too, if you get to see this quirky, indie- in- spirit, film.
"20TH CENTURY WOMEN" 2016 R rated 4 stars out of 5
In 1979 Southern California, bohemian single mom Dorothea Fields looks to a pair of women from different generations to help teach her teenage son lessons about love and life. But he gets another perspective after Dorothea takes in a male boarder.
Movie #1305 "Kubo & the 2 strings" --- still another over rated film --- don't get me wrong , it's very pretty, but I didn't like the story AT ALL! THIS IS NOT FOR KIDS. Let me repeat, do not have kids see this, even though it is now nominated for an academy award (go figure?). The story takes on almost Shakespearian tragedy when his quest becomes going after his grandfather (I'm not giving much away there -- it is said in the first scene that he is in hiding from him. And he has nasty aunties, and his mom is sick, and it goes on and on..... story doesn't really take off until about half way through when the beetle and monkey take over --- their banter is the only thing that kept the story alive for me. There's too much fighting, too much fade to white or black and then no explanation (?) and too many flights of fancy from a more linear storyline --- at least for me. Not my kind of film at all. And I would not recommend it. This one you can skip!
"KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS" PG? worse than that, were they watching this? 3 stars out of 5
1 hour and 42 long minutes
Young Kubo's peaceful seaside existence is abruptly upended when he unintentionally conjures a spirit from the past and soon finds himself on the run from a horde of gods and monsters, including the ruthless Moon King.
Movie #1304 "Captain Fantastic" was one of the most unusual films I have seen this year ---- a one-of-a-kind, and if you are looking for something like that, you might want to check this one out; however, you need to get past the very first scene --- pretty violent and gross, but after that, it gets better and tackles such universal topics as freedom, parenting, education, creativity, critical thinking, individuality, rights of the dead, rights of the parents, good decision making, planning for the future vs. whimsical lifestyle, respect for the land and animals, and many more. The story deals with a father who is left to raise his 6 kids in the lifestyle that he and his sick wife have decided upon --- they home school and put the kids through a boot camp pacing that is questioned by her folks. It was much better than I thought the trailer presented it as being, and I'm really glad we sat down to watch it --- I got a better impression of the solid acting of Viggo Mortensen in here (and I'm not the only one, because it garnered him an academy award nomination on Tuesday for best acting). So if you are looking for something that could challenge all the beliefs you have about good parenting and so many other subjects, check "Captain Fantastic" out. It is available on DVD in red boxes. P.S. the kids are all very good actors and memorable, as well. And the mom's dad is Frank Langella!
"CAPTAIN FANTASTIC" 2016 4 stars out of 5 1 hour and 59 minutes R rated
Having raised his six children in the wooded isolation of the Pacific Northwest, Ben Cash is suddenly drawn back into civilization by a shocking tragedy. As the kids face an unfamiliar world, Ben begins to reexamine his approach to parenting.
Movie #1303 "Elstree 1976 - 2015" is a documentary on what the extras and smaller parts feel about the Star Wars phenomenon. The film covers how they feel about being action figures, how many of them sign autographs at fairs, some stories on the actual filming, what brought them to the casting for this famous franchise and what they have done since that time. It's slow going, but it was intriguing to me to hear from the "little guys" on the set who had no idea just how big the film would be in the future. It runs a tad long, so it might not be your cup of tea, but since we just saw "Rogue 1," we found it quite interesting on topical.
"ELSTREE 1976 (2015) 1 hour and 37 minutes 2016 Though working on the production of "Star Wars" in 1976 brought only fleeting fame for the masked bit-part actors and extras, it became a life-changing experience for them, as chronicled in this engaging documentary.
Movie #1302 "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"-- I don't pretend to be an expert on Star Wars' films like some of you reading this --- I am just a fan who has only seen them once or twice. I am always asking who is who when I first walk in to one of these -- there are way too many names and places for my pea-brain of a memory. So I don't want my blog to insult the 25% of the world that are HUGE fans of this franchise, but here goes. I enjoyed this one A LOT, more than 1, 2, 3 and 7. For my money, it ranks right up there with the first three (oops! I might have pushed a lot of buttons there, but sorry) Why did I like it so much? It's different in that there doesn't seem to be the space opera kind of approach to the fights --- see, I hate seeing fighting in film --- really tired of it --- the star wars type of fighting is star troopers falling down, sometimes rebels take a spill, but they don't bleed. Well, this one is different --- the lines aren't drawn so much ---- you get close to people, and you see them hurt, bleed and die in characters' arms (I hope I am not saying too much here --- sorry, I try not to) The sets are still good --- the visual effects and sound are like no other --- "of another time and place, out of this world" . I have to admit, it takes a while to get into the story --- lots of exposition in this one, but after that, the high point is really stunning --- time to sit back and marvel, if you can pull yourself away from the fight and see the visual effects in action! Wow! And Felicity Jones is wonderful! Very strong female, and Alan Tudyk as K is a robotic Sheldon (from Big Bang Theory) and added lots of humor to the film , which likens it to the original 3, too! I give it 4 stars out of 5. Well recommended from this fan of "Star Wars" films --- but a fan light. P.S. and it fits right into the puzzle 3.5 before 4 (which was the first one we have ever seen) And as an added treat, we came home and watched 4 over again so we could really appreciate the nice fit!
"ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY" 2016 -- PG-13 -- 4 stars out of 5
Before the events of the original "Star Wars" trilogy, the Rebel Alliance enlists a team of rogue fighters to steal plans for the Galactic Empire's new space station -- a powerful superweapon called the Death Star.
Movie #1301 "Moana" --- well, I finally saw a Dwayne Johnson movie, and it wasn't bad. Of course, it was animated, Disney, with Lin Manuel Miranda music, and it will probably be nominated for best animated feature for the Academy Awards, so it did have a lot going for it. I liked it. I can't tell if the kids in the theatre along with me did, but they were quiet. It takes some focus to follow the story, I think, and there is some humor but it isn't overt. The Maui (Johnson) character has some shape-shifting tattoos that are a source of constant amusement, and the bad guys , esp. the "shiny" one is pretty humorous (and his sung reminded me of Ursula's in "Little Mermaid") -- The music is what I liked the best -- reminded me of "Hamilton" in many sections, so that kept my interest. The film has a rather long exposition that I was snoozing off through (warm theatre), but the second half took off, the songs got better. Maui was finally introduced and Moana and he together make a fun duo to watch. Really strong female, and the guy in the film, as big as he is, is playing what a female would have done in previous films, so I was liking that a lot! I found it quite good, good strong theme, but a bit of a convoluted story, and kind of a lame secondary chicken that gets tiring after a while --- Disney characters have had better secondary helpers! Cast is small for this one, but it was an enjoyable afternoon. Not sure it is good enough to beat "Zootopia," though. We'll see. It IS strong in music, did I say that? 4 stars out of 5
"MOANA" 2016 2 hours (longer than usual Disney films) 4 stars out of 5 PG
This aquatic animated tale follows the journey of Moana Waialiki, a plucky Polynesian teen who sets out on a long and perilous ocean voyage in search of a mythical island, aided by the demigod Maui.
