Downsizing

Matt Damon stars as Paul, a Midwestern regular guy, who in a quest for "upward" mobility chooses to be Downsized.  Being shrunk to 5 inches but still having resources of a larger person leads to an increased quality of life in the Celebration, Florida style.  Or so he thinks.

When his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) throws him a curveball, he really has to start from the "ground up" in his new world.  This is very much a New World story and that is the best part, as seeing how the different people, the Smalls must live together and find significance in their new life.  Excellent support by Christoph Waltz and Hong Chau

Very creative and definitely deeper than expected.  Directed by Alexander Payne.  He can take what could be a Middle Age Loser theme and turn it into an important journey into a new age (e.g. Sideways, Nebraska)

It's Christmastime!  * * * * * 5 stars!

You've Got Mail (1998)

Nearly 20 years old, this remake of The Shop Around the Corner (1941)  has a very modern feel.  The premonitions of Barnes and Noble [and now Amazon], Starbucks and online dating have all come true in a defining manner for this new generation.  No wonder Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were having a hard time of grasping the concept.

Joe Fox (Hanks) is owner of Fox Books which is opening a mega bookstore in Manhattan.  Kathleen Kelly (Ryan) is a local bookstore owner, threatened by the big competition.  As she demonizes Fox for what he is doing to her little business, the two unwittingly start up an online correspondence.

As  they get closer to meeting, Fox finds out that Kelly is @shopgirl.  So he in creepy RomCom fashion weasels into her life and strings her along until .... well, you know how these movies end.

* * * *

The Last Jedi

Still a long, long time ago in a world far, far away, we start with a horizontal screen crawl.  The Rebels are under attack by the First Order.  Will Luke Skywalker reappear to energize the Rebellion?

I'd like to say this was an effective reboot.  I'd like to say that showing the old stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher would lead to the new generation.  I'd like to say there was originality under the veneer of the familiar.

But ... we've seen this movie before.  No much new under the sun.  Daisy Ridley tries to do a serviceable job but she's just a female Luke struggling to find her Jedi powers.  Not sure where John Boyega's Finn is going.  Oscar Issac plays the Hans Solo role.  All your old favorites are here.  Isn't that what you wanted?

* * * of 5

Sicario 2 - Soldado *** out Summer 2018

Coco

An outstanding effort by the Pixar team to tell a non-American cultural story in a respectful way, Coco is the story of a young boy Miguel living in Mexico.  Never mind that he speaks English mostly.  What he wants most desperately is to be a musician but his family forbids music of any kind [Footloose]


On the eve of Dia de Los Muertos where custom dictates that family must prepare for a visit from their long-lost relatives who will cross over for a visit during the night, Miguel gets trapped in the land of the dead.  He seeks to find Ernesto De La Cruz, the famous musician, who he believes is his long-lost relative.  On the way, he encounters an interesting cast of characters.  Will he make it back before the night or will his family disappear and he be trapped in the world of the Dead?  [Back to the Future]

An interesting story on several levels, there is a lot of visual sights as well as a stretched plot line to draw out maximum drama.  Will he make it back?  But wait!  There's something else!

A warm-hearted look at old Mexico customs.  You'll learn something new.

* * * * * (highest rating)

Would be even better En Espanol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9Unr35ws-E

The Post - directed by Steven Spielberg

A Christmas treat to arrive December 22, starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

From Martin McDonagh, director of In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths.  Some of my early reviews

Daisy's (Frances McDormand) life has turned upside down after the unsolved murder of her daughter.  There has been little progress on the case.  She decides to rent 3 billboards which are side by side to express her displeasure at the local police department:

Raped While Dying

7 months and no arrests

How Come Chief Wiloughby?

As the result, people in this small town take sides.  The Chief (Woody Harralson) is a good man but has a few loose cannons Jason (Sam Rockwell) on the force.  Jason epitomizes what is wrong with the local sheriff.    He is responsible for adding to the  black/white divisions in the town.  As a result everyone seems to turn on everyone else like in Reservoir Dogs.

It reminded me of another heartland story, mystery of a missing family member Dark Places also set in the heartland.  Of course, Frances McDormand reminds me of her classic role in Fargo.  This had a Coen Brothers feel as well.

* * * * of 5.  Original story, would have liked more mystery and less violence.

On second watch, I was able to follow the story and the dialogue better.  Both improved the second time.  Peter Dinklage gives a strong supporting performance.  Unusual Irish casting in the heartland of America.  I guess the budget could only stretch so far.    Lots in interesting subplots going on - the ex husband, the allegations of torture, the mother/son relation, the unusual alliances.

I'll give it an extra 1/2 star for that.

Driver X

Be nice to the people on the way up, for you will see them again on the way down.  That is the moral of the making of Driver X and a pretty good summary of the plotline.

As you might recall, I am a backer of this movie, both directly and via Kickstarter.  My old friend Mark Stolaroff is the producer.  I went to junior high with him in Houston in the late 70s.  40 years later, we are meeting again.

In Driver X, Patrick Fabian (of Better Call Saul fame) stars as Leonard, who after losing his job when the record store goes away as a business model, takes a job as a ride share driver for Driver X.  After initial nervousness, he settles into his new Prius driving routine, picking up an interesting cast of characters (Desmin Borges, Melissa Fumero) as well as learning more about himself via his between-jobs existence through his wife as well as his Barney Rubble type friend.

Filmed in the streets of L.A., the cinematography from shooting at night, driving, seeing the sights off to the side, the lighting and sound is excellent.  Certainly taking a cue from Drive.   High praise.

Billed as a dramedy, the dialogue and pacing  reminded me of another dramedy by the Duplass Brothers Table 19.

Can't help but give my baby -- ***** 5 stars!

I'd like to see it again today. :)

Same Kind of Different as Me

Ron and Rebecca are a married couple with their share of blessings and curses in this modern fable.  When their marriage is threatened she turns to service work at the local mission in downtown Fort Worth.  There she see a man Denver who she says she had seen in her dreams.  She and Ron attempted to befriend Denver who unbeknownst to them has his own demons he must fight.

The juxtaposition of rich and poor, black and white and heaven and hell come together very nicely.  Based on an excellent book, the movie adds a few more twists and does its part to tie two life stories together well in a short time.

Starring Greg Kinnear, Renee Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou, Jon Voight.

* * * *

Thank You for Your Service

Here's a Coming Home movie about after the Iraq War.  Parts of it The Deer Hunter, parts satire (Thank You for Smoking) and parts documentary (22 Suicides a day) it manages to handle all of these parts well.  But when it switches gears, it happens suddenly and you don't quite realize what is happening.

Miles Teller is one of 3 friends who returns from their unit to a hero's welcome.  Reality intrudes and each has to find his way back into a family/love structure, a job/lack thereof, and the morass of veteran's health care.  Haley Bennett does a good turn as the war wife, and she skillfully goes to play the supporting side as well as the Stand on Your Own Two Feet side.

* * * * of 5

Blade Runner 2049

Consider the strong points of  the original Blade Runner (1982), the mystery of the replicant hunt, the love story of Rick and Rachel, the elegiac death of Rutger Hauer.  A little out of the ordinary to turn into a HBO/VHS classic, but it did.

To call 2049 a sequel is to damn with faint praise.  Here the characters generally pick up where they left off.  We have a new blade runner "K" (Ryan Gosling) and a new cop boss (Robin Wright).  When K takes out an early model replicant (Dave Bautista), he starts investigating a mystery which leads him down memory holes, to orphanages, and ultimately to Harrison Ford.

With so many years elapsing, we have a narrative about what has happened, what is going on, what might occur in the future.  In that aspect, it's like the middle part of a trilogy, which is fitting for the original to set up and pays good homage.  A good new character arrives towards the end in Jared Leto.    We'll see him again.

Better than the original?  No, but good in its own right.  Director Denis Villanueve and Director of Photography Roger Deakins make this an event suitable for the big screen.

A little slow at time, and that reminded me of Arrival, scrolling out the action and reveals as long as possible. 

Siskel and Ebert's worst movies 1981-1998

An interesting list - I'd say you should take out the sequels to pare it down.

Some of these I would call classics - reviewed here on my blog

Porky's

St. Elmo's Fire

Stealing Home

Pee Wee's Big Adventure

Striptease

Happy Gilmore

These serious men were not too much into comedy, Rom-com or otherwise ...


http://www.listchallenges.com/siskel-and-eberts-worst-movie-list/checklist/6

Little Children (2006)

In place of the actual movie review, this is the book review, both written by Tom Perrotta:

Kate Winslett plays Sarah, a stay at home mom of Lucy in a leafy suburb.  She spends time with the other moms during the day and they of course notice the one stay at home dad.  When Sarah finally talks to Todd on a dare  (name changed to Brad in the movie) [Patrick Wilson] she impulsively kisses him and that begins a clandestine suburban affair between her and Todd/Brad, which includes everyone to some degree.

Their little children, who are friends at the playground.

Their spouses, who may or may not know about the affair and who have problems of their own.

Their friends, who have some jealousy, and who also have problems of their own.

And the Perrotta twist, a dark force lurking behind leafy suburban doors, right in their midst.

Face Melting Power

The Lost Boys (1987)

A 30th anniversary showing at the Cine El Rey led to a packed house for this campy vampire tale.  Much like Rocky Horror Picture Show, we have a pair of Normals, brothers Michael and Sam who move to Santa Carla, the Murder Capital of the World.  They start to find out unusual things happen in that town.

Michael (Jason Patric) is seduced by the vampires of the dark side, Kiefer Sutherland and Jami Gertz.  Sam (Corey Haim) on the other hand is under the obligation of the enforcement side, so to speak, and seeks to quell this vampire uprising.  Predictable conflict ensues, with the inter-family aspect the most interesting part, especially their mother (Dianne Weist) and grandpa (Barnard Hughes).  The family interplay was reminiscent of Back to the Future (1985) , one of the underrated parts of that movie.

Directed by Joel Schumacher, we see beginnings of  the dark, over-the-top aspects of movies of that era, such as Beetlejuice and  Batman.

IT

Adapted from the book by Stephen King, this 80s homage (set in the 80s) is about a group of young boys about 12 on the cusp of puberty.  As part of their coming of age, they start to realize that their town of Derry, Maine is not what is seems to be.  Kids disappear and adults do nothing about it.  The lead character Bill's brother Georgie has "disappeared" and Bill suffers from a guilt about it.

Georgie has fallen victim to Pennywise the Dancing Clown, played by Bill Skarsgaard.  Pennywise is a Satanic force, tempting his victims to choose the evil side.

In fighting the violence of the age of a budding pubescent kid in the 80s, a disparate group of 6 comes together to discover in Encyclopedia Brown fashion, that a dark force is in the Derry sewer.  And the epicenter of the sewer just happens to be the location of the haunted house in town.  And you know what happens when you go into a haunted house in the movies...

But to call it simply a horror movie gives it short shift.  It's a horror movie like Raiders of the Lost Ark might have been a scary movie (which it was).  Lots of 80s movies shine through - in no particular order:

Raiders of the Lost Arc/ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Stand By Me
River's Edge
Breakfast Club
Breaking Away
Angel Heart
Halloween
Lethal Weapon
Batman (see the movie marquee)
Nightmare on Elm Street
Back to the Future
Ordinary People
The Fugitive


Good themes of horror movies that no one is coming to save you but yourself.   Very subversive in its description of the complacent adults of Derry.   That is probably the scariest part - the town itself.

***** Highest rating!

Valerian & the City of a Thousand Planets

This sci-fi story is certain a credit to Star Wars.  Legend has it that Valerian was what influenced George Lucas first.  It's a comic book story come to life, so there's a lot of history to cover.

Dane DeHann and Cara Delevingne stars as Hans and Leia (er, Valerian and Laureline) who are tasked to go find the mysterious force that is threatening their space world.  It's a complicated Christopher Nolan-esque plot, so of course you find the familiar of The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, and Blade Runner.  And it wouldn't be reminiscent of Blade Runner without Rutger Hauer who plays the Federation President.

Nice subplot involving Rihanna (Bubble) and Ethan Hawke (Jolly).  One of the better parts.

Good lead casting  - Dane and Cara reminded me of Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow.



* * * * of 5

Logan Lucky

Another heist movie by Stephen Soderbergh, this one becomes a parody of the genre.  In that end, it's a success.  There's even a list of "How to Do a Heist" from 1. assemble a team  to 2. shit happens  to 3. know when to walk away.

It reminds of that classic Mickey Roarke line in Body Heat -  "There are 20 things that can go wrong.  If you're smart, you'll think of 10. And you're not smart".

The Logan Family (Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keogh) is not only Not That Smart, but also unlucky.  Brother Clyde Logan is an amputee from his military service, where he volunteered to take the place of brother Jimmy Logan, the former high school quarterback.  Now they are both bumming around Boone County, West Virginia.

When Jimmy loses his job and needs money for child support, he enlisted the ragtag bunch of family and hillbilly friends (Daniel Craig) to rob... The Charlotte Motor Speedway... NASCAR.  What follows is an improbable run, even by heist standard movies.

Written by "Rebecca Blunt" this is believed to be a psedonym.  I think this was just a mismash of writers trying get from A to Z while sticking every type of West Virginia caricature they could think of.  And there's a lot, from the Charlie Daniels t shirt, to NASCAR, to the cars and bars, to the accents, to the fake tattoos.    At least Jimmy is a good father.

Good lead performances by Channing Tatum and Adam Driver.  Hilary Swank is wasted as the FBI Agent.

* * * of 5

Fall movie preview

Some movies to watch in the next 3 months:

It - 9/8  Pennywise the Clown by Stephen King

Stronger - 9/22  Jake Gyllenhall as survivor of Boston Marathon bombing after leg amputation

Flatliners 9/29 - director Niels Arden Oplev did Swedish version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Blade Runner 2049   10/6

The Foreigner 10/13  - starring Jackie Chan

Suburbicon 10/27 - starring Matt Damon, directed by George Clooney

Justice League 11/17 - Wonder Woman returns

Coco  11/22 - Pixar goes to Mexico

Dunkirk

Directed by Christopher Nolan, its a lot like his other movies:  sparse dialogue, multiple points of view, inventive cinematography.  During May of 1940, the British army had been pushed back to the shores of France.  A retreat was in order and normally that is the deadliest part of battle.  But in homage to Churchill, "Never ever quit, in all things great and small".

The small boat rescue call went out and the smaller boats were able to ferry back 300,000 men from France back to Britain.

Mark Rylance has the most distinguishing turn in the movie.  Like Robert Duvall, its going to be a good movie with them in it.  See Bridge of Spies, which was a similar wartime movie.  Also the aerial  fighter pilot scenes were the best I've seen since Top Gun.  High praise.

Hard to tell who is who as actors since there is little dialogue.  It's mainly a survival movie.  Well done.

* * * *

The Big Sick

Back in the day, there was a common comedic storyline about the dark, slightly nerdly outcast (The Graduate, Last Picture Show, American Graffiti, the Sunshine Kid, When Harry Met Sally) chasing after the beautiful blonde from the other side of the tracks.  Most of the time, the actor was Jewish and the blonde a Gentile, adding to the Romeo and Juliet nature of the story.  True love usually won.

In the Big Sick, we have the same storyline, except the Jew is now the Muslim.  Kumail Najiani plays the lead of... Kamail, and his love is Emily (Zoe Kazan), all fresh faced and rosy cheeked.

Kamail is a stand up comic (strong Seinfeld overtones) and he meets Emily at work of course.   Their one night stand turns into a relationship which has its ups and downs until Emily falls into a coma.  Kamail rushes to the hospital to meet Emily's parents (Ray Romano and Holly Hunter) who are thrown together for this difficult time for family and ... this guy.

A subplot involves Kamail's own family who is trying to make an arranged marriage for him, according to Pakistani culture.  Another subplot involves Kamail's one act play, very similar to Leaving Boulder City in La La Land.

Judd Apatow produced and his prints are all over, from the no-name casting to the dry stand up comedy (Funny People)

* * * *

She has a beautiful pair of....

Allow me to discuss a woman's feature in photos that I find lovely.  A shapely pair of eyebrows.  Why, what did you think I was talking about?

The arched eyebrow has become a thing of beauty to me - accentuating the eye - particularly on the brunette.

Some modern examples are:

Gal Gadot

Cara Delevingne

Even Kim Kardashian

And of course, I must be inclusive - the star of Southlandview.blogspot.com,

Colin Farrell

Check out Pintrest - I'm not the only one whose interested in the subject.

Drive (2011)

With the success of Baby Driver, a rewatch of Drive (2011) should be in order


 

Despicable Me 3

In general, any movie with "3" in it is to be avoided.  But since I had not seen 1 or 2, I figured I'd see what the Minions were all about.

Turns out, the Minions were the real stars, without saying much.  Any time they come on screen, the audience got excited.  Afterwards, I noticed many people wearing Minions clothes.  I expect more from this bunch.

Steve Carrell voices Gru, a bad guy turned good and bored silly (the Incredibles).  When he finds out he has a brother Dru, he goes to find him.  Dru is also bored and convices Gru to do one final heist.  The white and black outfits make this an homage to Spy v. Spy and the whole story turns as a satire of Bond/Austin Powers movies.   Mad Magazine would approve of this story.

* * * of 5

Baby Driver

If you were to make a list of heist movies, with choreographed bank robberies, and Alamo-esque standoffs where the small band repels an onslaught of attackers, you'd need a lot of space for that list.  Add Baby Driver to:  Bonnie and Clyde, Dark Knight, any movie with Kevin Spacey.

Kevin Spacey (Mr. Wright) of course stars, along with Ansel Elgort (Baby).  After Baby stole the wrong man's car, Mr. Wright recruits Baby as the getaway car driver.  The group of robbers is only known by nicknames (Reservoir Dogs).  On their highest level, they're robbing from the rich to give to the poor.

On that notes it was a mashup of Hell or High Water (heist movie, with choreographed bank robberies) but the graffiti, boy meets girl, and music interweaving made it like.... La La Land.

To that end it was original, but you know what happens in movies where there are heists, and Alamo-esque standoffs.

Also starring Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez, Jamie Foxx and Lily James

Others on the list:

Heat
Any Bond movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
etc.

* * * *

Cars 3

Hard to believe that the original Cars by Pixar came out in 2006.  Even harder to believe after this new version, where nothing has changed much, same voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, John Ratzenberger, Cheech Marin, Bonnie Hunt.    A notable newcomer, Cristela Alonzo as Cruz Ramirez, the new trainer who is going to whip Lightning back into racing shape.

Some fun ensues as they take it back to get the tires dirty.  The highlight is the Max Max demolition race.  Finally, Lightning is back in a Win Or Go Home situation.  Remember its a Disney movie.

Good summer fun * * * Kid Friendly

Rough Night

I read a good review in Variety - since there have been 40 years of bro comedies, it's good to see the women get their turn.  This does break a bit of new ground, in the drug use, the threesome sex (off camera of course), and the dick pic jokes.  Even the penis shapes get a star turn here.

ScarJo plays Paige who is getting married and running for state senate at the same time.  So she will worry of her political career. She gets together with an Apatow-istic bunch of college friends for One Crazy Night.  A few accidents later, we have a "Do not call the police" line which has been used in so many movies from the Hangover, to Weekend at Bernie's, to River's Edge (which is an 80s classic).

Surprise appearance by Demi Moore!

* * * of 5 - good summer fun.  Stay for the end credits!

Wonder Woman

High expectations for this female centric movie -  sorry that we have to make those comments in 2017.  Directed by Patty Jenks.    But good news, it exceeds the high expectations.   No drama in this review here,  *****

Wonder Woman (already appearing in Batman v. Superman:  Dawn of Justice) gets her origin story here.  Diana (Gal Gadot) is raised by the Amazonas to be warriors to fight Aries, the god of war.  When Capt. Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash lands his plane on the island, he tells of the Great War raging, and so Diana is motivated to leave with him to fight the good fight.

Diana gets the fish out of water treatment in London - "Its hideous!" and fights discrimination all along the way.  None of her lines sound trite because they really aren't.  She is anxious to be sent to the front and of course winds up in a climactic battle of Good v. Evil.

Good scenes reminiscent of From Here to Eternity, Iron Man, Star Wars, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and even Inglourious Basterds.

* * * * * (highest rating)!

Table 19

Written by Mark and Jay Duplass, SxSW darlings, this could be a Wes Anderson film (see below) .  Anna Kendrick stars as Eloise, who was to be the Maid of Honor at her friends wedding.  But after getting "dumped" by the bride's brother (and Best Man) Eloise is relegated to Table 19, the Random bunch who doesn't know better than not to come to the wedding.  Best Man is played by Wyatt Russell (stand-in for Owen Wilson).   Wyatt is the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.

Table 19 is populated by others (including Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson and Tony Revolori - Grand Budapest Hotel) who take on a Lifeboat aspect of being thrown together in each other's lives for a short time.

A few good moments here - not your typical wedding movies.   A few plots twists keep it interesting.  The big stars play a little against type.

* * * *

The Shack

The movie conception of God is usually somewhat unexpected and humorous (George Burns in Oh God!  and Morgan Freeman in Evan Almighty).  Here is no different with Octavia Spencer as God.    Rounding it out nicely are the sides of the Trinity with Avraham  Alush as Jesus and Sumire Matsubara as "Sarayu" [Holy Spirit].  We also have Graham Green as the Great Spirit so all bases are covered.

Sam Worthington plays Mack, father of Emily.  After a family tragedy, he blames himself and goes into a deep depression.   After receiving a mysterious note, he goes into the wood to The Shack, where he spends the weekend with God and wrestles with his demons

Tim McGraw (the Willie Nelson of this generation's country stars turned actor) plays the friend and narrator.

* * * of 5

Alien: Covenant - guest review

by Scott Michaels:

"Alien: Covenant". With all the money they spent on this movie, it's a shame they didn't have any left over to pay a writer to create a coherent script where the "surprise" isn't obvious almost from the beginning. Oh, and the characters were so whiny, I rooted for the Aliens to just put them out of their misery.

I really enjoyed the Alien movies back when Sigourney Weaver was Ripley and ready to take them on...I kept waiting for the current characters to pull out their cell phones and call their moms to complain about the mean old aliens. I think they are just using Ridley Scott's name now. This was not as bad as Prometheus-which was truly horrible- but it's just not good.

Snatched

Starring Amy Schumer and a spry 71 year old Goldie Hawn, this is a fun escape story.    When Emily (Schumer) gets dumped before a big trip planned, she invites her mother Linda (Hawn) to go a trip to Ecuador.  Conveniently located near Colombia, where after Linda is seduced by a good looking stranger, the mother and daughter finds themselves in a jungle prison and must escape.    They are aided by a motley crew of Wanda Sykes, Joan Cusack and Ike Barinholtz.

Written by Katie Dippold (The Heat - similar girl buddy movie) and produced by Paul Feig (similar lead female casting as in Ghostbusters and Bridesmaids)


* * * - good summer fun

Dazed and Confused (1993)

It's the last day of school today and that reminds me of the classic movie Dazed and Confused.  Often imitated, never duplicated.

Our plot revolves around the last day of school and high school upperclassmen hunt down the hapless junior high students rising into to high to "initiate them".    While mostly remembered today as an early star turn for Matthew McConaghey, the lead was really Wiley Wiggins as Mitch, the 8th grader coming of age, being paddled, cruising with the big kids, drinking, smoking weed.  All those good things that an 8th grader might do... in 1976,

Also starred Ben Affleck as the paddling bully O'Bannion.

When I originally saw this movie, it quickly reminded me of my own junior high to high school experience in Austin in 1979.  Thankfully I was not hunted down like that, but the threat of the hunter lasted during the summer.  Others of my friends did get caught and their heads shaved.  Just like in the movie, it was common for older brothers and sisters to set up and tip off the hunters of the availability of prey.

* * * * *

Hull's Drive In

One of my bucket list items done - see a drive-in movie.  Even as a youngster in the 70s in Houston, the drive-in movie theater had gone the way of the Dodo bird.  Plus my very proper parents would not think of putting into the car to go see a movie.

So when I was at my college reunion in Lexington, VA, I took the opportunity to go.  Hull's Drive-In was barely operational in the 1980s and being that I didn't have a car some of those years, the reason for the drive-in.  It has reinvigorated itself by becoming a community owned 501 C  organization.  Each sponsorship keeps it going.

Prices were reasonable of course, $7 for the car.  I got there in the middle of the double feature, CHiPs, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.  CHiPs was the basic Starsky and Hutch buddy cop silliness and you already have my review of GOTG2.

It was a lovely May Sunday evening for the show.  The screen was large and had the captions up.  You could hear the sound from all around, so I sat at a picnic table and watched in the nice night.  It was like being at a camping trip.  In fact I did see some people all stretched out with blankets, sleeping bags and such.  I realized that was probably the real reason for going to the drive in.  Nice and dark, parked away from others, sleeping bag, and ... [dot dot dot!]

There was a map showing that there are only 7 drive-ins in the entire state of Virginia.  And they are in small rural mountain towns, like Lexington.   Glad I got to see this endangered species.

300

Since this is Post # 300 ( a milestone since 2012), it seems only right for this:

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Is this the best sequel of all time?  I would say Yes, certainly better than the overrated Godfather Part II.

After the Death Star is no more, Luke Skywalker is a bit lost after the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi.  He seeks out the new Jedi Master, who is Yoda.  Cue the training academy sequence, when he learns the power of the Force.  Just in time for a climactic battle with Darth Vader, who reveals the most famous movie line ever:  "Luke, I am you father!"

I heard a funny statement on Generation X:  "Ultimately everything comes back to Star Wars".

And yes, Star Wars (1977) is the best of the series.

* * * * *

Vertigo (1958)

Does this deserve its American Film Institute Top 10 rating?  Another film that might have been slightly ahead of its time.  Which is not always a compliment.

James Stewart plays Scottie, a San Francisco detective who is forced into retirement after witnessing an accident that causes fear of open spaces and vertigo.  He is hired as a private detective to follow Madeline (Kim Novak) whose husband suspects her of being in danger.  Scottie falls for her, but in a complicated plot twist, Madeline may not be who Scottie thinks she is.

A twist on the Hitchcock "Wrong Man" theme - some of the ideas may have been adapted by Christopher Nolan in his time travelling/parallel worlds.

Interesting themes of male domination and female submission.    Also classic cinematography with the San Francisco scenery and the quick zoom/camera spin that have become common in the handheld era.

**** of 5

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Instead of Volume 2, I would have called this "B Side".  For those too young to know, a B side is the flip side of a 45 single record.  It was a "OK" song, but it was packaged with the better song, because you probably would not buy it otherwise.

I'd also call this a B Movie, with somewhat second rate stories and effects.  It certainly hearkens to it 80s vibe, with the soundtrack  (Brandy/You're a Fine Girl, ELO, Fleetwood Mac) and the color effects of the universe.

We return with the same cast of Guardians of the Galaxy characters, Peter/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana) Rocket (Bradley Cooper) , Drax (Dave Bautista) , and now we have Baby Groot (Vin Diesel ?).  The perfect baby character.  Of course he steals the show.  Continuing the story, we have a new type of villain, this time an entire planet (Ego) played in the flesh by Kurt Russell.  Mr. B Movie himself.  Ego reveals himself to be the father of Peter (sound familiar?) and entices him to join him.  Will Peter join the Dark Side?

The most interesting characters (Yondu, Nebula) and the Ravagers (headed by Sly Stallone) are only small parts.  Too bad.  But they are setting up Vol. 3 which will likely be at least more original than this Empire Strikes Back copy.

Check out Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back for a more interesting take on the Star Wars parody.  And it includes Mark Hamill as well.

Big Trouble in Little China (1985)

Advertised on Netflix as a Cult Classic, this Kung-Fu/Time Travelling story is just crazy enough to take somewhat seriously.

Starring Kurt Russell, it's biggest strength is its showcasing of martial arts in a somewhat respectful and interesting way.  Directed by John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape from New York - B movie director).  Also starring Kim Cattrell, before she hit it big with Sex and the City.

Worth a look for free.  Otherwise, its a classic..  80s B movie.

 

The Circle

Emma Watson is Mae, a new (Guppy) employee at the high tech company, The Circle.  As an information/surveillance company, the Circle is always watching its Circlers.  When Mae gets into a tight spot, the Circle helps her out.  As a result, she agrees with Eamon (Tom Hanks), Circle's founder, to be a guinea pig for a new experiment.

While billed as a thriller, with a harbinger of doom from Ty (John Boyega), it falls a bit flat.  We know there is something at the center of the Circle, but it's hard to find out.  As a result, the drama never quite gets there.

Maybe we'd need to read the book first.  But the movie didn't make me want to rush to get it.

Good cinematography with the campus setting of the Circle.  Reminded me of Epic.  Maybe all that medical info that Epic is gathering will make it the next Circle.  It could happen!

* * of 5

Summer movie preview

A goal for last summer was to see 12 movies.  Other than ones I have already previewed, here is a list of some I hope to see.

Baywatch - starring Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron - May 25- directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses)

War Machine - starring Brad Pitt - May 26

Snatched - starring Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn - May 12

The Mummy - starring Tom Cruise - June 9

All Eyez On Me - biopic of Tupac Shakur - June 16



Rough Night - bachelorette version of The Hangover - June 16


Beguiled - Civil War drama starring Colin Farrell, Elle Fanning  - June 23

Atomic Blonde - starring Charlize Theron - July 28

Dunkirk - directed by Christopher Nolan - July 21

Spider Man:  Homecoming -  July 7

An Inconvenient Sequel:  Truth to Power - July 28

The Bad Batch - Keanu Reeves - June 28

That's 12!  But check out my other info for Wonder Woman, Alien:  Convent, etc.

Baby Driver - starring Ansel Elgort - out June 28

Kingsman: The Golden Circle - Sept 22

Going in Style

A nice ensemble piece with Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin as a group of friend who lost their pensions and seek revenge by robbing the bank who stole their money.

The bank robbery plan reminded me a lot of the scenes in the Dark Knight (similar cars, masks and suits).  And in preparation for the robbery, they watch a movie to pysche themselve up:  Dog Day Afternoon.  "Maybe we shouldn't be watching this".

An interesting little subplot with their respective family members -  on one hand they think they have nothing to lose but on the other hand, they do have good relations with others that each of them is putting at risk.

And of course, a lot like another Morgan Freeman movie, the Bucket List.  Aging men seeking a few final thrills.

Worth a look  * * * of 5

The Siskel to my Ebert, Pat Young was not in agreement
http://www.yourvalleyvoice.com/news/20170412/whats-old-is-still-old

T2 Trainspotting

It's been 20 years - what are the boys up to?   An interesting follow up to the quirky Trainspotting.  Piecing things together, the original movie was about 4 addicts planning to rob their dealers.  At the end, one of the them steals the money from the others and leaves.

Now it is years later and Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to the hometown of Leith, Scotland to not much of a welcome.  Simon (Jonny Lee Miller) is of course still mad and Spud (Ewen Bremmer)  is still a bit crazy looking, but thankfully not a junkie.  Simon has evolved into a cocaine habit.  So lots of drugs still permeate this case.   Plus some deviant sex.  Definitely R Rated.

The real crazy one Franco, escapes from prison and seeks revenge on Renton for stealing from him.   A welcome addition is Veronika (Anjela Nedyalkova) who interchangeably is Renton, Simon and and Spud's girlfriend.  The subplot of getting more money again is for her to have her own brothel, which they plan to make in an old building ironically called Sunshine.

A complex plot particularly after not seeing the original movie in some time.  If you really like it, a rewatch of the original is in order.  Again  directed by Danny Boyle and he gives it a fitting look - a bit chopped and stop motion to accent the action and dialogue.

Good music from Blondie and Queen.  And a very modern rant on the Wham! t shirt slogan:  Choose Life.

**** of 5

Elvis and Nixon

A story, as opposed to "the story" about the famous photo of Elvis Presley in the Oval Office with President Richard Nixon in 1971.  The backstory is that while Nixon started recording his meetings in his office, he did not do it until after meeting Elvis.  So who knows what they talked about?

This is a fictional story about why Elvis wanted to meet Nixon and how the meeting came about.  Some fun touches make it an interesting, if disbelieving story, but who really knows?  Both are long deceased and it probably only lasted 10 minutes or so.

Michael Shannon plays the 70s Elvis and Kevin Spacey as the straight man Nixon.  Elvis is of course the star.

* * * of 5 (Amazon Prime)

Superbad (2007)

I've got a list of my top 10 movies.  In the second 10 would be Superbad, starring Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen and Bill Hader.

Cut from the cloth of American Pie and Porky's, it's a classic Losing Your Virginity movie, but with a strong helping of Bromance.   A couple of hapless nerds try to get drunk and laid all in One Last Night.  It's been done before but never so well.

What makes it special?  Probably the interaction between the boys and the 2 police who turn out to be like kids themselves.  McLovin!

* * * * *

The Blue Room/ La Chambre Bleue (2014)

A selection of the Cannes Film Festival, it is now streaming on Netflix.  In French, it is a story of Julien who is married to Ester but having an affair with Delphine.  As with most affairs, the fact that they can't have each other fully is pressure on Julien primarily to Do Something.  Julien receives a message:  You Now.

Most of the movie is done by flashback, as Julien is being investigated by the Magistrate to determine if there is a case against him.  The music gives it a Hitchcock feeling.  As the movie evolves we see exactly who Julien might be accused of murdering.

A nice, short (1 hour 15 min) crime, suspense story.  Written by Stephanie Clere, who also plays Ester.

Driver X

Here is a promo video for the movie Driver X of which I am an investor:

Election (1999)

Strong bones - based on the suburban scare novel by Tom Perotta and directed by Alexander Payne, who also can create drama out of rather ordinary people.

Jim (Matthew Broderick) is a high school teacher who's best friend Dave has recently been fired.  His offense- having an affair with a student Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon).  While this may look like a sad drama, it becomes a dark comedy as the overachiever Tracy seeks to become student council president and Jim, seeking to avenge his friend Dave, tries to prevent Tracy from achieving her goal.

The resulting madcap events become somewhat reminiscent of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but it is now Matthew Broderick's turn as the teacher.  There are no real winners here, except maybe Tracy who shows herself to be somewhat ruthless in her goals.    Thereby bringing the name "Tracy Flick" into the lexicon as a  passive-aggressive force, angelic on the outside, dark on the inside.

* * * * * - highest rating

Closing in

By May 11, I plan to have 300 movies reviews posted, so this is a warning to get ready for a lot of posts.  That way when I go to my 30th college reunion, I can say "I have 300 movies reviews on my blog"  A good round number.

Of course, I will plan to review the movie 300 (2006)

I'll also be seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2  - sequel to Volume 1 (Awesome Mix)

Smokey and the Bandit (1977) - 40th anniversary!

T2:  Trainspotting  sequel to Trainspotting

The Circle, starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

A modern day classic, starring Robin Williams as both Daniel, a nebbish ex-husband, who in a ploy to be with his children, takes a roles as Mrs. Doubtfire, the nanny for his wife  Miranda (Sally Field).  Only Robin Williams could play both roles so well, particularly that of the English Nanny.  In addition to being a loving caregiver, also becomes a trusted confidante to Miranda, a foil to Miranda's new boyfriend Stu (Pierce Brosnan) and  a stern taskmaster to the otherwise spoiled children.    Directed by Chris Columbus working off of the Home Alone template.

"If I may ask Dearie, how was your ex-husband in bed?"  The question everyone wants to ask.

* * * * of 5

The House That Jack Built

Directed by Henry Barrial (who will direct "my" movie Driver X) this is a good sneak preview of his style.  Jack is a drug dealer in New York working out of the front of a neighborhood bodega.  Because he give the illusion of legit success, he is able to buy an apartment building where he puts up his extended family.    But the house, not being built on firm foundation, is subject to risk.

The family unit and the New York setting of course is reminiscent of The Godfather Part II.  Much actions takes places in the hallways.  Best parts were the music, cinematography and the color which reminded me of Dog Day Afternoon.  Good comparisons!  

A big star turn by Melissa Fumero as the wife of Jack.  I'll look forward to seeing her action also in Driver X.

* * * of 5 - available on Netflix

Lala Land - a second look

After the Academy Award snafu, I decided a re-watch of Lala Land was in order.  Plus I wanted to see the now iconic opening traffic scene - I had inadvertently gone into the wrong theater before and when I realized I was in the wrong place, by the time I got to the right place, it had already gone.

Yes, that scene was particularly good.  It was very similar to the rest of the movie.  Visually stimulating with many colors and good dancing, but the singing is somewhat muted throughout.  Along with the recurring song City of Stars.

Compared to the recently Beauty and the Beast, the only takeaway is that the muted singing was quite intentional.  If they wanted big and brassy, they could have easily done it.  Perhaps it was the jazz influence, meant to be calm and cool.  The Anti-Broadway musical perhaps.

The plot made a bit more sense when you know what to expect and can appreciate the dreamlike scenes for what they are, a momentary escape from reality.

Now I'll give it 4 stars  * * * *

Munich (2005)

Directed by Steven Speilberg, we have familiar themes of persecuted Jews (Schindler's List) as well as dark forces that are neither personal nor state sponsored (e.g CEOTK, E.T., A.I, BFG).  Eric Bana is an Israeli soldier, recruited to be part of a revenge team against the Munich Olympic terrorists responsible for 9 Israeli athlete deaths.  His new team is tasked with killing 11 Arabs deemed responsible.  No time limit but they are to operate independently with deniability of their existence.

Told not to use guns, they are to prefer explosives for max terror effect.  As the body count rises, the predictable inclination against killing starts to bubble up.  Not all on the team feel the same - "The only blood I care about is Jewish blood!" exclaims the Daniel Craig (pre-Bond) character.

An interesting look at the personal and seamy side of the assassin, otherwise gloried in most (Bond/ and other) films.

Beauty and the Beast

Disney really hit this one out of the park - it was like a Broadway show - even at 139 minutes the movie went by really fast.  Great voicing of the music and instrumentation.  I expect that this was a Broadway show (like the Lion King) and they used what they learned to make the movie even better than the animated version (1991).

This was live action in part only - as the CGI characters were like animation.  Belle (Emma Watson) carried the start turn well.  When the CGI characters (Lumiere, Mr. Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts) turned back into people, the characters took shape as well.  Beast (Dan Stevens) played the role well.   You may remember him as Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey.

Big and bold, it was a lot of fun to see and gets:

* * * * * (highest rating)

50 Shades Darker

Here's my 25 word review:

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson return for Volume 2 of S&M/Dominance Lite.  Less nudity than Vol 1 made for a bit of a disappointment.  Anastasia seems to be getting jealous of Mrs. Robinson (Kim Basinger - that 80s Femme Fatale).  Makes me want to rewatch 9 1/2 Weeks (1986)

* * * of 5

Arrival

Close Encounters meets 10 Cloverfield Lane in this story of a First Contact with alien life to Earth.  12 Pods arrives dispersed across the globe and each of the 12 sites has to decide:  Friend or Foe?  Of course they can't talk to the aliens so 2 scientists are drafted to do the communications, Louise (Amy Adams) and Ian (Jeremy Renner).

The first part of the contact involves full body radiation suits and so Jeremy Renner replays his role in The Hurt Locker.   But this being Hollywood, Amy Adams dramatically takes off her helmet to be more "human" to the alien life forms they name... Abbott and Costello.  Of course they work on getting closer and closer but the evil military support (Forest Whitaker) has different ideas about what to do with these foreigners.

Well acted, strong leading lady, a somewhat different retelling of a familiar space story.   Directed by Denis Villaneueve (Sicario).  Nominated for Best Picture.  It was an honor just to be nominated.

* * * *

Sicario (2015)

All the pieces are here for a great movie:  strong leading lady (Emily Blunt); R Rated hero/villain (Benecio Del Toro, Josh Brolin) and a timely storyline (Military style intervention on the War On Drugs).

Set in El Paso/Juarez we have an interagency US actions on Mexican turf.  Legal?  Illegal?  It's not easy to tell which makes the conscience a little uneasy.  Just like writer Taylor Hackford (Hell or High Water) drew it up.

* * * * * (highest rating)

Deepwater Horizon

A surprise - a good movie from Mark Wahlberg.  Actually a good movie from director Peter Berg ripped from the headlines.    The second of  3 installments of true stories to include Lone Survivor and Patriot Day ( both of which I'll plan to see).  Also starring Kate Hudson, Kurt Russell and a well cast John Malkovich.

The story of the BP Explosion is told well from a Based on True Events fashion.  The buildup and character intro is fairly formulaic, but when the Oil Hits the Glass, then its game on from a film making aspect.  The war aspect of fighting the great unbodied force was well done - very reminiscent of Aliens, which is a high compliment.

And watching this great disaster of our time with 2 trained petroleum engineers was a highlight.
Glad to know that lessons were learned from this tragedy.

* * * * of 5

Lego Batman Movie

Not much needs to be said about this franchise with multiple movies.  Suffice to say that everything is crammed into this high action, frenetic, animated feature.  It certainly takes a cue from Fantasia in that respect.

* * * of 5

Moonlight

Better than La La Land?  The photo finish for Best Picture this year will yoke these 2 movies together for a long time.

While on one hand they are different, on the other hand, both movies are fringe, artsy, won't Play in Peoria kind of fare.  They kind of deserve each other.  And their 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Moonlight tells the story of Chiron (Shy-rone, like Tyrone), a poor black child growing up in South Central of Miami, Liberty City.  And so we have a South Central story -  no father, drug-addled mother, lured by the crime surrounding him.   The story is told in 3 acts, the first when Chiron finds his father figure, Juan.  The second act revolves around his Kite Runner relationship with Kevin, his only friend.  And Act 3 is Chiron all grown up, but still the same insecure kid down deep.

On the bright side, it does tell a pretty good gay story - no many movies do that.  And the 79 Cutlass with the BLACK305 plates was awesome (305 being the area code of Miami/Liberty City).  And Juan comes across as a sympathetic if conflicted  character, as does Chiron and Kevin and Mom.

Between the 2, I'd say that Moonlight won "Better Picture".

* * * of 5

Porky's (1981)

My friend Eric didn't get my reference to "Mike Hunt" from the classic 80s movie Porky's and so I had to explain it:

In 25 words, Group of teenage boys seeks to lose their virginity.  Sexual frustration of high school girls leads them to a shady honky-tonk called Porky's where drinking and sex flows more freely.

Noted at its time for the full frontal nudity of the girls locker room.  Starring a young Kim Cattrell.

When I saw this as a junior in high school (had to sneak in to the R Rated movie, we sat on the front row opening night it was so crowded.  My friend the late George Capps laughed so hard he fell on the floor - giving definition to modern day acronym ROTFL - rolling on the floor laughing

The Founder

Behind every great fortune is a great crime - Balzac.

This great crime is the plot point for The Founder, starring Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc.  In the 70s, when I might be first in a McDonalds, there was usually a plaque for Ray Kroc as the founder of McDonalds.  Only later did I ever hear of the McDonald brothers.

John Lee Hancock as director takes his sepia tones and 50s cars to tell the story of how Ray Kroc, a Midwestern milkshake machine salesman became involved with McDonalds.  If you see it as a crime what he did (e.g. The Social Network) , then you're likely missing the point of how McDonald's became the American Icon that it is.  The McDonald brothers thought they were in the restaurant business, but it took a visionary to see past that.  In that respect Ray Kroc is of course the hero of his movie.  I'll bet his estate financed the movie - certainly Joan Kroc comes off well. I call this the Blind Side effect.  Also directed by... John Lee Hancock.

Lots of parallels to other Midwestern American success stories (Walt Disney, Ronald Reagan, The Mormon Church) of taking one small idea nationwide and making it so much more.

* * * * of 5

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

A John Cusack film - that should tell you that we will have an angst-ridden semi-hero who should get the girl in spite of himself and the situations he puts himself in.  It's been a sure thing since The Sure Thing (1985) which we thought at the time was a cool movie.


Here we have Martin Blank, a CIA trained hitman, coming back to Grosse Pointe for his 10 year high school reunion.  For someone who kills for a living, he is racked by guilt and sees a psychiatrist (Alan Arkin) and pines for his high school girlfriend (Minnie Driver).

Credit to early showing of plot points in Analyze This, The Sopranos as well as many 80s high school reunions.  The soundtrack also has some alt, rock/ska music that is not often heard.

On the other hand, it's pretty much a Tarantino ripoff, from the suits, to the diner, to the shootouts, to the body disposal.    Even in the Ultimart shootout, we see a movie cutout from Pulp Fiction.  The fight scenes were similar to Kill Bill Volume 1 as well.

Decent performances, and a nice turn against type by Dan Ackroyd as a fellow hitman.

* * * of 5

Lowriders * May 12

Starring Eva Longoria and Demian Bechir

La La Land

Set in Los Angeles, we have two up and comers Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) both trying to make it in the big city, he as a musician, her as an actress.

This Hollywood and Vine story is further established as a old-time tale by the singing and dancing musical nature of the first part.  The second part turns into more of a drama as both "Seb" and Mia become jealous of the other's potential success.

Directed by Damian Chazelle (Whiplash) we have similar use of crescendo-ed music, close up of musical instruments, quick dramatic cuts to add to the drama.  Unlike Whiplash there's not real sense of urgency.  A Star is being Born (maybe two) and we just should watch this retelling of Their Story.

I'd hoped it would be better - I did.  But this old story didn't age well.  Maybe this subplot might help matters - from Conan



* * * of 5

The Walk Out

I went to go see Nocturnal Animals the other day.  I thought it would be good, but ,,,that's what you get for thinking, as Dad Sales used to say.

Not only was it not interesting, but it was not compelling, not well acted, and not original.  You start to think, "it must get better"  then you think "how long do I have to wait for that?" and then realize "it's getting worse" and "I don't want to wait this out".  So up you go, feeling that all eyes in the dark are on you.  In this case there were only 2 other people in there.  So out I went.

Other movies I recall walking out on:

Everything Must Go (2010)

Bruno (2009)

First walkout since I started this blog in 2012!

Good Fellas (1990)

"All my life I wanted to be a gangster".  That's a classic first line of a movie.  This mobster movie may not have been the first to the genre, but it does give it a classical American version, from the immigrant neighborhood, to the automobiles, to the clothes.

Another movie that I never saw the first time around.  The sweep of the life stories has influenced other semi historical movies of the nature, from Boogie Nights to Jersey Boys.   Ray Liotta as Henry is overshadowed by Joe Pesci as the volatile Tommy (Academy Award winner).  Robert De Niro of course must be cast in any mob film and even he is overshadowed by both.

Directed by Martin Scorsece it is probably his best known work, being somewhat autobiographical.   Both his mother and father appear in the film.

Liked but not loved ****