* * of 5 - available on Netflix
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
* * 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.
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.
****
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
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
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
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
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
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