The Rise of Skywalker

Version 9.0 "completes the saga" is the tag line.  Three different trilogies in 3 different decades makes stitching the stories together a challenge but the good thing is that it was done in a way that should give a little something to everyone.

Explaining the story is probably too much trouble.  Suffice to say, there's Luke and Leia, and all your favorites.   As a friend said of his restaurant, "everything is the same, only better".

See you again in December 2022 for the next version!

I liked it!   * * * * *

Knives Out

It's an old fashioned murder mystery a la Agatha Christi with the quirky investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).   It's uncertain how he is involved but he does get to participate in all investigation facets with the real police.  He says he got an envelope of cash to be "hired" but that he doesn't know who hired him or why?

Never mind those niceties - it's a star studded cast with Christopher Plummer as Harlan, a sucessful mystery novelist.  In a bit of poetic justice, he commits suicide (maybe?) and therefore there must be in investigation - "I have eliminated no suspects!"

The best part is that there is a act with a will-reading, made for the movies but never happens in real life.  Some interesting legal terms come in to juice it up a bit.

A fun little movie - **** of 5

Brittany Runs a Marathon

Now streaming on Amazon Prime, this Sundance 2019 award winner is part inspirational tale, but also at heart a RomCom with a definite script to follow.

Brittany is nearing 30, living in New York and having a quarter life crisis.  No job, no man or woman, overweight, she is convinced by her doctor to improve her health.  She starts small and finds a local runners group where she meet two misfits just like her.  They train for marathon (hero's quest), have a crisis of confidence (RomCom snafu 30 minutes before the end) and ... well, you can guess the rest.

Along the way to make some money she discovers house and dog sitting which leads her to her romantic interest Jern ( a very Aziz Ansari character).  More classic RomCom tropes emerge.

My guess is that this played so well at Sundance because it looks like an indie film with no-name actors but at heart is a classic studio story with a big name producer behind it (Tobey Maguire).

* * * of 5

Frozen (2013)

Disney's animated story with a lot of familiar ingredients:  the sister rivalry, the dead parents, the banishment, the hero's journey back and true love's kiss.  Add in some snow, and a huge helping of Wicked and you've now Frozen.

It does owe a lot to the Broadway musical that it will be destined to become, and even get the Broadway star Idina Menzel as Elsa and Kristin Bell as Anna (playing the other Kristin Chenowith part).  Also starring Josh Gad's voice as Olaf, the wise cracking snowman sidekick.

A predictable if pleasant Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty/ Beauty and the Beast story.

* * * of 5

National Lampoon's Animal House

A modern classic, still regularly quoted on college campuses everywhere.

Caddyshack (1980)

My latest post was about the first Saturday Night Live movie.  While this was not a skit from SNL, the writing was certainly inspired by that humor. Also starring SNL regulars Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, it's an Upstairs/Downstairs look at a country club inspired by Brian Doyle- Murray's caddying for the Chick Evans Scholarship in Chicago back in the 60s and 70s.

 Done in the pre VHS days it became a staple on HBO and is regularly quoted on every golf course in the world today. Also the subject of an interesting book, again quoting the movie's famous line, A Cinderella Story.

Written by Doug Kenney, also of National Lampoon's Animal House fame, which was also the subject of a movie about this movie, A Futile and Stupid Gesture. Hear it in the Animal House clip.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Amazon has a Christmas ad playing a familiar song.  Here it is in all its analog, pre CD, pre VCR glory.  This was the first movie to bring a Saturday Night Live sketch to the big screen.



Lots of good music in this movie.  Here's a young Aretha Franklin!



Be sure to watch the original first and then you can see Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) starring John Goodman and Dan Ackroyd

Last Christmas

T'is the Season for Christmas movies.  Hollywood is good for 2 or 3 a season while Hallmark does it all year long.

Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Me Before You) plays Kate, a nice little elf who works in a year-round store for Santa (Michelle Yeoh).  The old Wham! favorite "Last Christmas" plays on a loop. 

She meets Tom, an an angelic young man Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) who works in a homeless shelter while working as a bike messenger.

But you'll have to see the movie to see the surprise plot bringing the song Last Christmas to life.  Last Christmas I gave you my heart/ but the very next day you gave it away/ this year to save me from tears/ I'll give it someone special. 

Some good talent comes together, written by Emma Thompson and directed by Paul Feig.

Better than expected!    * * * * of 5

Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

My friend Keith is not only a talented car restorer but also a fan on 70s car chase movies.  Smokey and the Bandit is his favorite but he also likes Bullitt, the French Connection, Bond movies and this one.

An unusual movies without stars or even much of a plot.  A group of car thieves finds more and more cars to steal, until the final White Whale, named Eleanor, gives them the final ride.  Not so easy to follow but the visuals were interesting.



* * of 5

One Child Nation

Grand Prize winner at Sundance 2019, this documentary is about the one child policy in Communist China from the 80s to the 2000s in response to a booming population.  The filmmaker Nanfu Wang does an admirable job of getting Chinese people involved in the one child policy, from enforcers to those affected to show what it was really about:  Not just voluntary birth control, but forced sterilization, inducing birth, abortions, infanticide and forced adoptions.

A highlight is showing a girl whose sister was forcibly taken and adopted out to an American family.  Through DNA they find out about each other but that is as far as it goes.  The Chinese girl muses "she probably has milk and bread for breakfast every morning".

A strong subject, but seemed a little choppy.

* * * * of 5

Psycho (1960)

Probably the most famous movie scene ever!

 

The Two Popes - on Netflix

Professor Futch would have loved this - it could be required viewing for his course The Papacy Since the Schism aka "Popes for Dopes"

A historical fiction story about the friendship between Pope Benedict and Cardinal Bergoglio (later Pope Francis) and their personal struggles as top leaders in the Roman Catholic church.

Great photography, particularly the scenes in the Sistine Chapel.  Mind blowing!  And the costuming - top notch.

* * * * * (highest)

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot

After his 2017 heart attack, Kevin Smith was lying in the hospital thinking, "I can't believe the last movie I'm made was Yoga Hosers!"  After surviving, he launched into a new creative burst and got together all his old friends to make a new movie, the Reboot.




All his old friends from the 90s have gone on to big things:  Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, his own daughter Harley Quinn Smith.  So they're all back in what he called "a high school reunion with everyone you wanted to see".  This movie is playing like a concert tour, a road show, with Smith and Jason Mewes (Jay) live.  It's a nice way to watch the movie and see a live show at the same time.

If you haven't seen all his movies, you'll figure them out soon enough.  As a Generation X kid, he takes the touchstones of our youth, the mall, the convenience store, the fast food restaurant and turns them into everyday existentialism, with occasional interruptions from the real world such as customers, security guards and store supervisors.

The plot is like Dumb and Dumber (no surprise).  Two goofball slackers must travel across the country to stop someone from stealing one of their stoner ideas.  Along the way, Jay meets up with his old girlfriend (Shannon Elizabeth, that 90s icon) who tells him that her daughter (Harley Quinn Smith) is his.  They all end up going to Chronic Con where Jay finally has a chance to grow up after all.  Not a bad story.  It lives up to its definition of "reboot".


* * * * of 5

Trading Places (1984)

Another from the heyday of Eddie Murphy and Saturday Night Live, this was an early pairing of two successful SNL stars, as a modern odd couple, Eddie Murphy as the poor black streetwise Billy Ray and Dan Ackroyd as the WASP-y upper crust Winthorp. 

When two old men at the Philadelphia club have a theoretical discussion about black v. white success, they create an experiment to make Billy Ray rich and Winthorp poor.  Hilarity ensues.  When each has reached the end of their rope, they discover they have been played by the old men and seek revenge.

Also starring Jamie Lee Curtis as the hooker with a heart of gold.   You can already see that these plot points appear very dated by modern standards.

Eddie Murphy as the fish out of water was a common theme in the 80s  (48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America).  I guess he was really considered an outsider then.    His comedy persona was brash and crude.   This was his height until he returned in the 90s with Shrek voicing and other family friendly comedies.  So a good example of an actor changing his style with the times.

**** of 5

Classic Lines:  "Who put their Kools out on my floor!?"

"Looking good Billy Ray!
"Feeling good Winthorp!

"Is there a lawyer in the house?  (upper crusters murmer and ignore him)

Knives Out - November 27

A star studded closed-door murder mystery along the lines of Agatha Christie.  Starring Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans.  Written and directed by Rian Johnson.  Will he make a comeback after the relative disappointment of The Last Jedi?

Jexi

Adam Devine, a B lister looking to move up, stars as Phil, a San Francisco millennial in love with his phone.  When he gets a new one, he installs the new software, Jexi, who turns out to be an evil version of Siri (voiced by Rose Byrne) who controls his whole life.  Some funny lines as to what Jexi thinks of Siri, Alexa and Cortana.

Rated R for some dick pics and a healthy amount of F@#$s, it turns into a Fatal Attraction type of story, as Jexi become jealous of Phil's dating of Cate (Alexandra Shipp).   Written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore of the Hangover and Bad Moms so you get the type of humor to expect.

Not a bad movie, a fun comedy, and serves to get some work for the actors.  Also stars Michael Pena in a silly role as Phil's overbearing boss.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

In England, a quirky group of 6 friends, firmly single, attend many weddings together for fun.  Starring a young Hugh Grant in what would become his signature style, he's an affable, good looking, but flighty and immature man, really more of a boy.  Will be be able to grow up in the two hours of this romantic comedy?

Enter the alluring Americaine Andie McDowell, a woman that would make any man shape up.  Charlie predictably falls for Carrie but she marries someone else.  After a dramatic speech by Gareth, the oldest of the friends, Charlie decides to "settle" down and marry his old girlfriend "Duckface".  I don't think I have to tell you any more how the movie turns out.

Interesting how this setup of the single group of adult friends struggling to grow old without growing up was replicated so successfully in the 90s on TV with Friends, Seinfeld and Sex in the City.  And now again, we have the reboot of this movie on TV in 2019 by Mindy Kaeling.

Maybe they should read some holy scripture:  Ephesians 5:31  - "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Eddie Murphy stars as Axel Foley, a Detroit police detective who travels to Beverly Hills to find the killer of his friend Mikey.  It's a Fish Out of Water story about a streetwise black man in an predominately white rich area.  Of course he wins everyone over with his humor and smarts.

A huge hit at the box office as well as a platinum selling soundtrack with such 80s greats The Heat is One, Stir it Up and Neutron Dance as well as the Harold Faltermeyer Axel F Theme.

It's got a lot of funny 80s element, the buddy cops, the drug dealing villain, and Eddie Murphy in probably his biggest star turn.

Some interesting themes that you might notice about racism and homosexuality.  Why doesn't Eddie Murphy have a love interest with his blonde co star?  Is is because Hollywood wasn't ready for a black/white love affair?  Or is it because Axel is secretly gay?

Heavy analysis for a popcorn flick.   * * * * of 5

Never Been Kissed (1999)

One of the perils of being a movie reviewer is that you are expected to have seen every movie.  Which no one could ever do.  But we can get adept at discussing movies we have not even seen.

Like in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the newspaper reporter goes undercover at the local high school to see what the kids are up to these days.  Josie Grossie (Drew Barrymore) finds a love interest with teacher Mr. Sam Coulson but they must keep their relationship a secret.  Will the students find out?  Is the sky blue?  Classic Rom Com screwups ahead.

Here's Roger Ebert's review also:

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/never-been-kissed-1999

Driven

Back in the 80s, the actor James Spader was well know for playing sleazy, turncoat actor roles (e.g Sex Lies and Videotape, Pretty in Pink).  The current version of the sleazy white guy is Jason Sudeikis.  Of course he's a favorite of mine.

Jason Sudeikis here plays Jim Alcott, a man living in witness protection.  The FBI just happens to park him across the street from John De Lorean (played by Lee Bass).  They become friends and when Jim sees John's fledgling company needs money for the iconic car, he talks him into a drug deal and then becomes an FBI informant to De Lorean. 

A nice little cat and mouse game of a movie.  The midcentury look of the cinematography and the storyline were the best part, reminding me of one of my favorites, Catch Me If You Can.  Good acting by Judy Greer as Jim's grifter enabling wife and Corey Stoll as the FBI agent.

* * *  of 5

Downton Abbey

Take a Billion Dollar franchise and turn it into a movie.   A classic Hollywood recipe of adding success to success.  Here instead of Aladdin or Luke Skywalker, we have Earl and Lady Grantham, royal residents of Downton Abbey in York, England in the early 20th century.

If you didn't see the 6 seasons of the TV show, the action revolves around the Upstairs /Downstairs worlds of the Wannabe royalty and the large staff of servants (workers in Service as they like to say), the butler, the lady's maid, the footmen, the cooks and so forth.

In the TV show, there was always things going wrong, bad decisions made and worse consequences.  Here in the movie, it's all smiles, golden hour lighting, full moons and an ending short of the castle that would make Walt Disney himself smile.

Great photography and great job getting the entire cast together.  The thin plot involves the King and Queen coming to Downton and the preparations and hilarity involved.    Kind of Brady Bunch-like in some points because the barb of the original show was many years ago.  But like Mike and Carol Brady, this mixed family of Earl and Lady Grantham has a happy ending. 

**** of 5

IT Chapter 2

Like many sequels you can ask yourself "Was this necessary?"  Most of the time, the answer is no.  Here, it's a maybe.

27 years later, the old gang gets back together in Derry, Maine to combat the evil Pennywise who comes around every 20 years or so, like Hailey's Comet.

The plot gets a bit thin as each of the kids gets his turn in the barrel with Pennywise.  Then it all culminates in a Goonies style trip to the subterrean depths below the haunted house.

It's kind of a parody so that helps to not take this horror movie too seriously.

*** of 5

Last Christmas - November 9

Never too early to start thinking about Christmas Music!

Blinded by the Light

Recipe for success:  start with a billion dollars of music rights and build the story around the music and the artist in the most flattering light possible.

As noted the real star here is Bruce Springsteen.  Second billing goes to Viveik Kalrah (as Javed Khan), a high school student growing up in Luton UK in the 80s.  Being of Pakistani descent, he faces his disapproving parents, his search for identity and the skinhead discrimination of the day.  He finds his salvation through two cassettes his friend Ronan gives him, Born in the USA (1984) and the underrated Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978).

Suddenly his life has meaning as he sings and lives "I'm trying to start a fire" and "Mister I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man" and finds his voice through the inspiration of his teacher and his new girlfriend.  Along the way he of course finds his way to Asbury Park, New Jersey.  I'm surprised he didn't get a guitar lesson from the Boss himself along the way.

A fun musical/biopic mashup.

* * *

Brian Banks

#XONR8 is the hashtag for Brian Banks and the California Innocence Project - Exonerate.  Brian Banks is a high school student accused of rape.  He takes a plea based on No Contest but gets sentenced to prison.  After he gets out, he tries to clear his name based on new evidence and his lawyer Justin Brooks of the Innocence Project.

"Based on true events" starring Aldis Hodge, who does a great performance.  It's a nice story with some unexpected actors.  Greg Kinnear as Justin Brooks, Morgan Freeman as God, er, the prison counselor (uncredited) who helps turns Brian around.   And Pete Carroll as himself.  A good hero journey about someone seeking to turn his life around.

Navy Seals (1990)

A handsome, dark haired movie star plays a hotshot Naval officer where he shows off his military prowess, develops a love interest in a beautiful female authority figure, all while hanging with his boys in the off time.  It culminates in an America First military victory.




Sound like Top Gun?  Close, just insert Charlie Sheen into the lead role, change aviation to special operations and you've got Navy Seals.

I heard about this old movie on a podcast where a real SEAL was pointing out all the military inaccuracies.  But upon viewing the movie, you can tell he has watched it many times in a loving manner, like a father talking about his son.  It was ahead of its time, with the battle scenes fighting in the Mideast.  Plus there was a lot of good action with diving, parachuting, gearing up and such.

Surprisingly good * * * *

A Dog's Way Home (2018)

A quaint little hero story about Bella, a pit bull mix, who is adopted, then runs away, then spends the rest of the movie trying to get back. Along the way, he gets some help from some unlikely friends.

A feel-good story, starring Ashley Judd and Edward James Olmos.

 * * * of 5

Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood

It's the 9th film from Quentin Tarantino and there are a lot of familiar faces:  Brad Pitt, Leo Di Caprio, Kurt Russell and so forth.  An original story where Leo plays Rick, an aging movie and TV actor.  Rick's friend is Cliff, played by Brad.  Cliff drives Leo around as his go-fer when he's not working, which is more than not.  Cliff picks up a hitchhiking hippie that leads him down an interesting rabbit trail.



You'll hear that its set about the time of the Manson murders.  Rick happens to live next door to Sharon Tate played by Margot Robbie.    Like the movie Tangerine, two characters converge on one location.

Take some time out to see this movie clocking in at 2:41.  You'll see the usual QT:  quirky characters, deep movie references, and good ol' bloody almost cartoonish Bugs Bunny violence.  Don't say you didn't know.


* * * * of 5

Ford v. Ferrari - out November 15

Starring Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale as Ken Miles

Bull Durham (1988)

A fine movie written by Ron Shelton who recently also wrote Just Getting Started which had some good similarities.


 

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

The riffing of the characters is amazing here. Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd have come a long way since this breakout hit.

So you're telling me there's a chance!

One of the most famous lines in movie history!

Terminator: Dark Fate - out November 1

Linda Hamilton returns

The Art of Self Defense

I tried to watch - walked out...   1 star due to a promising trailer

Bill and Ted Face the Music - release in Summer 2020

Most Excellent

More Top Gun

I was... we.... we were inverted

Gen X hasn't been this excited about a new movie Top Gun Maverick since 2015 and Star Wars:  The Force Awakens 

Release date for Top Gun 2 is June 2020.

Blue Like Jazz (2012)

My good friend Paul gave me this book which was an autobiographical look at Donald Miller's questioning of his Christianity.  Now that might not sound like the premise for a fictional movie, but that's what creativity will do for you.

Don (Marshall Allman) is a teenager in Houston with more than typical teenager problems.  His parents are divorced and he and his mother are both cozy with the youth minister at their church.  Seeking to get away, he takes his father's offer to go to Portland OR to Reed College, a famously unorthodox college.

I like the fish out of water aspect of him there and even associated myself to some degree with the story.  I laughed out loud at the Texas flag, as I had one on my dorm wall as well.  There was a nice buildup as he made more friends, got close to getting a cool girlfriend Penny (Claire Holt) and faces his fear of "being ashamed of Jesus".

A  South by Southwest selection in its day, it's a well done and thoughtful movie.  A bit eclectic but that is a good thing.  No wonder they chose it for SXSW.

***** (highest)

Top Gun: Maverick

Looks to be a worthy successor to Top Gun (1986)

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot * October 15!!

This will also screen with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - a parody of a parody!

Stuber

This month America received some bad news:  MAD magazine is shutting down after many years of juvenile satire of current events.  Good news:  the movie Stuber is probably written by those former MAD magazine writers.


Kumail Nanjiani is Stu, an Uber driver in Los Angeles.  So his nickname is Stuber.  Desperate for extra income from his soul-crushing job, he takes another soul-crusher driving for Uber.

Dave Bautisa is Vic, an LAPD cop out to avenge the death of his partner at the hand of the evil Tedjo.  But, fun fact, he can't see to drive or shoot or anthing.  So he calls an Uber,  who is Stuber, and forces him to drive him around for One Crazy Night.  It's almost like they are chained together.  Stu keeps up the driving to protect his elusive 5 star rating.

If that sounds like Midnight Run or Heat, then you see where the MAD magazine writers come in.  It plays more like a parody of every buddy cop, 80s movie that you can think of.  To keep you in on the joke, every few minutes there is a reminder:  Sarah Conner, Dolph Lundgren, Cobra Kai, etc.

Kumail Nanjiani is the star of the show.  It'd probably be a better movie with just him.  Dave Bautista does the hack acting job of the former wrestler turned actor.  Dwayne Johnson and John Cena must have been too expensive for this modern update on a genre that didn't need updating.

* * * of 5

This is Where I Leave You (2014)

An ensemble cast about a family whose children have all grown up are forced to come together after the death of Dad and at the request of Mom (Jane Fonda) are to sit Shiva in mourning of their father.  The adults revert to familiar kid roles.  Hilarity ensues.  Starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Corey Stoll. 

Based on the book by Jonathan Tropper

* * * *

To Catch a Thief (1955)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it's got a lot of his favorite touches in it:  The older handsome man (Cary Grant), the younger femme fatale (Grace Kelly) and an location that become a character (here the French Riviera).

Cary Grant is John Robie "The Cat" a retired thief.  That's an interesting career!  Like a retired streetwalker, everyone seems aware of his past.  But when more thefts come up, he is forced to "find the real thief" in order to prove his and others innocence as well as to show that he "Can Still Do It".

Not a bad movie for its time.  The car chases were exciting and had some good aerial camera work.   An interesting ending as well.

In general the Hitchcock films which may have been cutting edge suspense and complex psychological motives for the time have lost some edge over the past half century.  They have their moments, though.

* * * of 5  Available on Amazon Prime for #free

July releases

July 12 - Stuber, starring Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista

July 19 - The Lion King (live action) starring Beyonce

July 26 - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, starring Brad Pitt, Leonardo Di Caprio, Margot Robbie

To Rome With Love (2012)

A spiritual successor to the well-done Midnight in Paris (2011) both directed by Woody Allen, it's a type of story dubbed "Magical Realism".  Otherwise know as a dreamlike state.

The real star of course is the Eternal City where all is shot on location.  Wonderful shots of the ruins, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps and more that I probably don't recognize, since going to Rome is still on my list of things to do.  Starring Woody Allen, of course, along with some more marketable ensemble stars, Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig (pre-Lady Bird), Ellen Page and Penelope Cruz.

It's a Love Actually type of plot with several intertwined stories that all resolve at the same time.  I particularly liked the imaginary friend played by Alec Baldwin helping out Jesse Eisenberg.  That storyline rang pretty true to me.

A fun time and an imaginative premise, even if some things turns out a little silly like the opera singer in the shower.

* * * * of 5

The Hangover (2009)

It's the 10 year anniversary of this classic film and it's now on Netflix for a while.  Win/win.  This movie ushered in a stream of R Rated comedies, but it is really more of a mystery movie about "Where's Doug?"  Three buddies, Doug, Stu and Phil along with the new brother in law to be Alan go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party.  But when they wake up the next day, they are missing Doug who they need to get back for the wedding and they can't remember any of the events of the last night.

So they have to piece things together:  A trashed hotel room, a baby, a tiger, a missing tooth, a missing car.  And it all comes together, eventually.

A huge box office succcess, spawning 2 terrible sequels.  But this original is a nicely crafted movie that gets you rooting for the otherwise unlikeable characters.

***** (highest 

Rush Hour (1998)

Continuing the string of 90s movies that I missed when I was busy raising children, we have Rush Hour, a fine continuation in the string of buddy cop movies with Odd Couple features (48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, Midnight Run).  Chris Tucker (Friday) and Jackie Chan in his first Hollywood big show are Carter and Lee.

When Soo-Jung the diplomat's daughter is kidnapped for ransom, her father brings over his man Lee (Chan) from Hong Kong.  But the local FBI was to put Lee on ice, so they enlist Carter from LAPD to babysit Lee.  They still manage to get involved in the investigation and find themselves at the grand finale.

Reminiscent of other good 90s action movies (Die Hard 1, 2, 3, 4, Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3, 4) there's a lot of wisecracks, car chases, shooting and foreign bad guys.

Interestingly this movie was the impetus for the movie review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.  Per my Wiki research:

Rush Hour was the primary catalyst for the creation of the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The site's founder Senh Duong, a Jackie Chan fan, was inspired to create the website after collecting all the reviews of Chan's Hong Kong action movies as they were being released in the United States. In anticipation for Rush Hour, Chan's first major Hollywood crossover, he coded the website in two weeks and the site went live shortly before the release of Rush Hour.^[9][10] The film holds a 60% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 6/10. The site's consensus reads: "A kick-ass addition to the cop-buddy film genre."

Spider Man: Far From Home

An interesting mix of two studio cultures.  Spider Man locked into Sony Pictures but Marvel Avengers is part of Disney. 

The two play nice here to present an extension of Avengers:  Endgame with Peter Parker as the reluctant new Avenger while continuing the New York wisecracking "Friendly Neighborhood Spider Man".

The unbelieveable 16 year Peter Parker goes on a class trip with his school to Venice, Prague, Berlin (hence the far from home) and encounters a new superhero Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhall) who turns out to be not what he seems.  So Spider Man must reluctantly come to save the day when all Peter wants to do is give one kiss to  M.J. (Zendaya).

A pretty good story, poorly acted, with a lot of cool special effects.  We're having the Usual.   But it gives a kitchy comic book feel like the other Spider Man movies (at least 6?)

* * * * of 5  (feeling generous)

Late Night

This Sundance favorite got picked up for a $13 million distribution deal but it's not hard to see why:  it's basically a reboot of the Devil Wears Prada.  Emma Thompson is Katherine Newberry, an aging late night host who bases her career on excellence.  But when she finds out she is becoming last night's news, she decides to hire a "woman writer", the first one she sees, Mindy Kaling.

In over her head, Molly Patel sets about to "write something" to freshen up and overhaul the show in the 13 weeks she's been given.  In that time, she of course has an ill-advised office relationship, both is star-struck and offended by the boss at the same time, and manages to reinvent this aging American late night icon.  Not bad for a temporary position.

A nice little success story.

* * * of 5

Toy Story 4

Like Mission Impossible, we have a 1990s movie franchise rebooted for 2019.   A proven story, proven box office draw, which makes for a pretty easy decision to go forward.  But will we ever get tired of this schtick?  Only the bottom line will tell for Disney.

You know the usual suspects:  Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz, and the usual other assortment of toy voices.  It's hard to remember all the plot lines, but here Bonnie is going to school and Woody stows away because she should have a toy to make it easier.  She ends up making a new toy out of a spork, called Forky, who she falls in love with.  But when Forky goes missing the toy gang has to find him.

The road trip aspect reminded me of another Pixar success, Cars and there is a lot of crossover:  Randy Newman music, old time Americana scenes, western towns like Grand Basin.  There are some new characters which are welcome and it does pull at your heart strings with fears of loss and separation.

A nice G rated movie that I can recommend to nearly all.

**** of 5

Murder Mystery

New on Netflix starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston as a married couple who goes to Europe on vacation, meets a count and ends up on his yacht where.... "a murder occurs" right in front of them.

Sandler being a NYC detective (although not a good one) sets about to solve the crime, when Anniston seems better suited for the job.  Good supporting parts and great scenery in Monaco and Lake Como.

A fun summer watch.  For free.   * * * of 5

50/50 (2011)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen stars as two buddies whose friendship is tested when Adam (JG-L) is diagnosed with cancer.  In the process, Adam learns to smoke more weed, break up with needy bitches and draw closer to his mother (Angelica Huston) and his buddy Kyle (Rogen).  Of course he also falls in love with his therapist (Anna Kendrick)  Who wouldn't?   A real Dramedy.



* * * of 5   Free on Netflix

Rocketman

Like with Love, the Cirque Du Soleil production of the Beatles music, we have a dream-like play based somewhat autobiographically and most important set to Elton John's music.  Taron Edgerton stars as Reginald Dwight, later known as Elton John, who grows up a musical prodigy while being emotionally distant from his unfeeling father and over/undersexed mother (hard to say which).

Highlights include his first meeting Bernie Taupin, his lyricist, his first performance in L.A., his meeting his manager, uncovering his sexuality.  All told in a flashback form from rehab, which only become apparent as the movie continues.

In contrast to Bohemian Rhapsody, that movie plays it a bit more straightforward.   Music is rolled out in general release order.   Here there's more of a dreamlike quality and the music is chosen for what it brings to the scene, not when it was really released.  It works well.

* * * * *

In The Producers (2005), there's a number called "Make It Gay".  The filmmakers here certainly took that to heart so consider that as part of the R rating.

Wine Country

Directed by and starring Amy Poehler, it's a middle-aged group of Bridesmaids getting together to celebrate turning 50 [cue panic attack].  Amy the planner (Leslie Knope character) tells everyone they can choose where to go from Napa, Hawaii and Napa.  Along the way they encounter a motley assortment of Tina Fey, Jason Schwarzmann and Maya Erskine who help them realize (surprise!) that while they are all different people now than at age 18, they're still buddies.

* * of 5   - available on Netflix

Booksmart

In the new tradition of remaking the old comedy tropes (the last day of high school) with female leads and stories, we have Booksmart to add to the collection.  Beanie Feldstein who also starred in another senior year movie Lady Bird and Kaitlyn Rezen  are 2 best friends about to go in separate directions and decide to cut loose their last night a la Superbad.

So that turns into One Crazy Night.  One of the scenes is a murder mystery and the whole movie has a tinge of the girls interacting with the various high school characters which of course comes as little surprise.  Except for the casting:  there is an intention to showcase new faces which is welcome.  There are some stars in small roles:  Jason Sudekis, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte.

Very similar to last year's Blockers, another prom night movie.   Directed by Olivia Wilde.

Book Club

Here we have a Nora Eprhon/Nancy Myers style story about 4 older women in a book club reading 50 Shades of Grey and the book awaking a sexual fire in each one of them in a different manner.  Each character played by Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenberger and Diane Keaton ( of course) is at a different place in their lives and each has a comedic arc.

Kudos for telling a new type of story.  A lot of star power here.  I might have liked a little more edge to to it but with the Sandra Bullock effect, when you have the stars, you do what they want to do.

****

Long Shot

I went expecting a Seth Rogen comedy and wound up with a Charlize Theron rom com.  More Rom than Com.  Unexpected in this time of year (they are usually Christmas stories), but like unexpected things, it was good.

Charlize Theron is Charlotte Field -  "Madam Secretary" the Secretary of State to a Trump-ish President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk).   Like in all rom coms, these beautiful, successful women can't find a date.  So she meets an unexpected package, the schubby reporter Fred (Seth Rogen) at a Boys II Men show.  Turns out she was his babysitter and he fantasized about her back then.

More rom com tropes emerge:  the hidden nature of the relationship, the power imbalance, the disapproving friends, the crisis that bring them to the "will then or won't they?".

With a number of references both visual and auditory, it was kind of a modern reverse retelling of Pretty Woman (1990).  Which turned out to be a pretty good thing.

O'Shea Jackson Jr. [you know him as Ice Cube] plays the supportive male friend.

It starts slow but builds up.  Tie goes to the higher score:   **** of 5

Knock Down the House

One of the Sundance favorites in January about @aoc, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, newest and youngest Congresswoman from New York.  The Justice Project recruited new candidates to run in the 2018 elections and this documentary filmmaker Rachel Lears followed around 4 of them, Amy Vilela of Nevada, Paula Jean Swearengin of West Virginia, Cori Bush of St. Louis and AOC.

One of the benefits of documentary filmmaking is the ability to edit the story to build the arc of exactly what happened.  So if there is success, we see the buildup to success and if there is failure, we see the warning signs.

The New York campaigning reminded me a lot of Weiner which I saw some years ago. Since he lost, no one ever saw that film.  But since AOC is a household name now, Netflix paid $10 million for this film.

AOC comes off as a real natural here and there's certainly a hero buildup after we know of her success.  Her opponent Joe Crowley certainly comes across as a schlub.  But really we are putty in the hands of this fine filmaker.

***** Highest rating

Avengers: Endgame

No one will leave the Endgame theater saying "I wish there were more of it".  With over 30 stars getting top billing, a $300 million + budget, and a 3 hour run time, you'll get your money's worth here.



At the end of Avengers:  Infinity War, Thanos has assembled all the infinity stones and many of our heroes have turned to dust.  Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is not even in the movie.  Relax, he's back in the first scene here.

The solution to our missing friends?  An elaborate time travel plan so that everyone can get back together again.  At one point they explain the rules of time travel.  That leads to a funny line.  And there is a separate time travel explanation.

Like most questions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you've got to be somewhat of an expert to answer them.  And even then, it will be subject to interpretation.

Or you can sit back and enjoy the stars, the banter dialogue, the fighting and the special effects.


***** highest rating

The Birdcage (1996)

Available now on Amazon Prime, this is a remake of La Cage Aux Folles (1978) about two gay men who have to pretend to be straight in order to meet the parents of their son's financee.  Somewhat of a dated premise in modern times, but it allows for some good slapstick action by some of the best, Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.



Act 1 is the setup, two over the top gay men living in South Beach, Florida, one a stage actor, the other his director.  They find out that Armand's son is getting married and Armand's solution is to make "Aunt/Uncle Albert" disappear.

Act 2, is where they have to remake themselves and their home to meet the parents.

Act 3 is when the fun begins.  Gene Hackman plays the father, a conservative US Senator.  And a young Calista Flockhart is the daughter.  Some fun Gary Hart type humor in there - it was during the Clinton Administration after all.

I remember my mother like the original but I was too young to see it.  She did tell me as much as she could about it.  I'll have to find that one for comparison purposes.  I expect it is better.  Also a long-running stage show.

* * * * of 5

Selena (1997)

This 90s biopic is kind of a throwback look at a simpler time and has a 50s feel to it.  Jennifer Lopez is Serena Quintanilla, raised by her father to be the crossover star that he was unable to do due to discrimination.  Rebecca Lee Meza as the young Selena is is well cast as a girl who needs to learn Spanish even though she is Hispanic.  And then Jennifer Lopez does a fine job as the grown Selena, who (spoiler alert) is gone too soon.  The proverbial Candle in the Wind.

Well cast with a full Hispanic cast, which would be significant today and very ahead of its time for the 1990s.  The photography does a good job of capturing the scenes set in South Texas and Monterrey, Mexico.

Edward James Olmos is Abraham Quintanilla, who drives young Selena.  As they say, the biopic is always about the father.  A good job of setting up her to continue his dashed dreams.  Some good father/daughter drama as she grows up from a girl to a woman.  The whole movie moves along at a breezy pace which makes it fun.  And some fine comedic scenes, particularly "Anything for Selenas!"

**** of 5

The Rise of Skywalker * December 2019

Tejano

The situation at the Texas/Mexico border in 2019 is becoming quite a dramatic theme for movies now.  Recently the big studios gave us Miss Bala, about an American woman being forced into working for the cartels to save the one she loves.

Now we have Tejano, an independent effort, telling a story of the American man, being forced into....   you get the drift.

Filmed in the Rio Grande Valley and in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, it's got some authenticity to the area.  The photography and the colors were very realistic.  Patrick Mackie stars as Javi who is a simple farmhard in love with a beautiful Mexican senorita.  But when he is robbed of the money he is saving to bring her over, he turns to the cartels to smuggle drugs for money.  Always a good plot point when the hero loses everything he has.

Thug life ain't easy.  The "Blood in, Blood out" rule applies here.   The heist takes a Reservoir Dogs turn as well, and builds toward a grande finale like in a Western back at the hacienda. A very memorable final scene also.

 A good man doing bad things?  There is an ambiguity here and that makes it even more watchable.

In case you were wondering whatever happened to State Senator Hector Uribe, he's now a working actor, playing the grandfather here and stealing the show!

* * * * of 5

Destination Wedding (2018)

Available on Amazon Prime now, this looked to be a light-hearted film but rather turned out to be more of a biting satire of that most "presumptuous of affairs" as they put it, the destination wedding.

Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves star.  She's was formerly engaged to the groom.  He's the half brother of the groom.  They realize that they might be the extras invited and thrown together like in Table 19.

Set in Santa Rosa, CA wine country, the setting and tone reminded me of the underrated 2000s film Sideways.  Like that movie the bucolic setting seems to draw out the craziness that is otherwise kept repressed in L.A.

If you can believe that two wedding guests end up in a hotel room like they are old friends, you'll also appreciate the "old married couple"  aspect ( which is anything but) like in the classic Same Time Next Year.  That movie started out as a play and since there are only two main characters, this movie was like a play as well, even down to the acts and the scene cards.



* * * of 5

A dry February

There have not been any movies I thought worth seeing lately.  I could not get into seeing Green Book even though it won the Academy Award for Best Picture.   My vote would have gone to Bohemian Rhapsody.

When in doubt, see an old movie.  The movie Cruel Intentions is coming back for a 20 year anniversary in wide release so I plan to see that next weekend.

Top Gun 2 * release date is 6/20/2020

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

I just learned a new word:  Epistolary e.g. telling a story via exchange of letters.  This Netflix original has that aspect which involves our heroine, Lara Jean, writing 5 letters to boys she has had a crush on.

Her little sister then sends the letters that Lara Jean has kept for years and the Pandora's Box opens.  So to keep up appearances, she invents a fake boyfriend to keep the secret from coming out and embarrassing her further.

Several subplots involving that the boys are somewhat "taken" by other important people in her life, e.g. her older sister away at college.  And we have have the Dead Disney Parent adding another aspect to the mix.

Nicely done, certainly reminiscent of Pretty in Pink, the ugly duckling getting the prince.  They even sample John Hughes movies, Say Anything, Juno and other RomCom favorite tropes.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Miss Bala

Gina Rodriguez stars as Gloria,  in this Female Fighting Back version of Sicario 2.  What starts as a promising set up (2 women go to a club and bad s@#$ starts to occur...) winds up in a mess or stereotypes:  drug cartels, forced prostitution, American DEA saviors).

The fact that it was "filmed in Mexico" using majority Mexican persons doesn't make up for this shabby script.  It devolves into a Born in East L.A., which is pretty silly in this day and age.  Including Gina, there are really few positive or redeeming characters here.   Maybe the little brother...

 In the underworld, everyone is a gangster.  You'd think that in a country of 130 million people you'd get some better stories than this:  e.g. Coco.  But perhaps those good stories only exist in Hollywood's imagination.

Directed by McAllen, TX native  Catherine Hardwicke.

* * * due to good aerial photography .

Gaza * Sundance Film Festival 2019

The theme of this year's Sundance Film Festival was "Risk Independence".  Not only could this apply to independent film making for which Sundance is the mountaintop, but it also weighs toward the types of film that Sundance tends to favor:  those from filmmakers with another voice not commonly heard.

One does not primarily go to Sundance to view what will be available in the local Multiplex in a month or two.  Rather, be expecting to have an eye-opening movie experience.  Maybe you'll like it and maybe you won't.

Gaza is at heart a documentary, but edited with a narrative arc that made it seems like a layered story line with several families.  All the stories involving living in Gaza, described as a 25 mile by 7 mile area, blocked to the north by Israel, blocked to the south by Egypt and blocked by the Mediterranean Sea, where Israel ships enforce a 3 mile limit.

As a result of this siege, prompted by a 2014 war and election of Hamas-backed leadership, Israel has withdrawn all of its settlements in Gaza.  While humanitarian aid does come in, the local citizens must make do with what they have to raise families, earn a living and hope for a better tomorrow.

Some of the families featured were the Bakr family, where the husband strives to make a living as a fisherman, while living in a refugee camp with 3 wives and 20 children.    Another man featured is a taxi driver who has recently been imprisoned for 20 months in a debtors prison.  Another is a young teenage girl who plays her cello and hopes to study abroad if the opportunity ever comes.  The thought of going to America is like going to the moon for her.

Andrew McConnell, Director of Photography did an excellent job with the various everyday shots, from the basics  of getting a haircut or having a cup of coffee to military jet bombings (not explicitly stated who was responsible), paramedics treated wounded and tire fires which are quite a sight to see.

Thought-provoking, spotlighting another part of the world, out of the ordinary.  Director Garry Keane said it took a lot of editing of 250 hours of footage over several years to make this 90 minute movie.  No wonder it beat the Sundance odds:  14,500 entries for 100 spots.

* * * * *

2019 Movie Preview

Coming this year

Glass - January 13

M. Night Shyamalan's latest:  can he ever top The Sixth Sense?  Bruce Willis returns to help

What Men Want- February 8
Remember What Women Want (2000) ?  this is the female version, starring Taraji P. Henson, Tracy Morgan

Captain Marvel - March 8
Brie Larson stars as the female Marvel version

Dumbo - March 29
Disney live/animated mashup - directed by Tim Burton
starring a Southland View (and Disney) favorite, Colin Farrell

Avengers:  Endgame - April 26
Get your tickets now!

On the Basis of Sex

As if US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg weren't a good enough cover for the topic, we now have an upgrade done by her own nephew Daniel Stieplman.  I'll say it now:  this is the best lawyer movie that I've seen.  Especially "That One", which I never thought was that great of a book or movie.

Starring Felicity Jones, we begin as most law does at Harvard Law, the training academy start, with Harvard Law standing in for Hogwarts.  Sam Waterston plays the evil Dean Griswold (or Wormer, can''t make these names up) who tells Ruth to explain why she is taking a spot that a man could otherwise have.

Like in RBG, we see the early marriage of her and Martin Ginsburg (Armie Hammer), who gets sick while they are both in law school.  Spoiler alert, he survives and the movie spins around their long time work and family partnership.

The main point is her first arguments "on the basis of sex" to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Having just made my first argument to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, most everything was pretty realistic, other than the large crowd watching and the dramatic pauses.  Will she win?  Whatever happened to her anyway?

Nice period details from the 1970s.  I give this my highest rating of:

* * * * *

2018 Year End Recap

This marks year 6 of my movie blog and I saw and reviewed about 50 films.  

The Number 1 post far and away was Panacea, a 22 minute independent film that had a Rio Grande Valley connection and played in a fund raising event here locally.  Over 1000 pages views.

So I think that bodes well for independent film making.  Kind of like retail, the industry has to streamline and get back to roots to differentiate itself from the mass of information available online.  It also helped that I met the actors and they were able to use my review as promotion as well.  Win/Win.

The next most popular views were another Valley connection, Sicario 2, set in McAllen, TX.  It was over the top but is was exciting to watch.  Shifting gears the next most popular was completely different, the documentary about Mr. Rogers, Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Rounding out the list were Solo:  A Star Wars Story.  I think everyone wants to see what it was all about.  By those lofty standards it was a disappointment.  We'll see how they get it back on track for December 2019.

Then a classic, Mean Girls.  I listened to a podcast that Regina George was a great movie villain.  It was your basic high school movie.  Finally I Can Only Imagine, a Christian themed movie about the song of the same name by Casting Crowns.  A well done biopic.

Worst movie of the year?  Vice - an awful biopic of Dick Cheney.  1 of 5 stars.  Walked out.  Not even worth a review.