Based on an excellent book by Daniel James Brown, it's the story of the Universtiy of Washington crew team, who went to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and won gold. A scrappy underdog story, with the patina of history. Directed by George Clooney.
Not as good as the book in that it left out the aspects of Lemi Riefenstahl the German Nazi propagandist, the relation between Joe and his family and the depression era aspect that overshadowed the story.
It's always fun to go into a movie with very little knowledge about what to expect. This was styled as a horror movie genre, but in the context of a kid's pizza parlor. Lest you think it's an original premise, it's based on a video game of the same concept.
Mike (Josh Hutcherson) is an unemployed single, tasked with taking care of his 12 year old sister. When offered a nighttime security job at an abandoned pizza parlor, Freddy Fasbender's, he has little choice but to take it. When he is there he finds out that the animatronic robots have a life of their own, populated by mysterious ghosts. Along the way, Mike has to face his own ghosts that he has carried for years.
This is a fun 80s/90s period piece with Freddy's as a good stand in for Chuck E. Cheese. There are some scary parts but the movie seems to have a good heart.
* * * *
Forget any other concert film you have seen, this one beat them all.
Highest level video and audio you can imagine. Feels like you are right there. Good closeups and camera angles.
In a monologue, she says "I wanted to make a show that showcased ALL my albums" But that would be 3.5 hours long! "Yes, and it's going to be called the Eras Tour" Dream it and it will happen.
She's come a long way from a teenager in country music, and I am sure has a lot higher to go.
* * * * *
I had heard this talked of as modern classic, but I thought it was a very uninteresting subject. Leonard Di Caprio is .. "Jordan Belfort"? Who cares!
So as a result, the movie had to be over the top with depictions of cocaine, prostitutes, orgies and cash thrown in the air to rain down.
Maybe it was new and different 10 years ago, but this was pretty boring for my tastes. Hard to take any of it seriously.
Basically a ripoff mashup of Wall Street and Goodfellas. Even the 80s decor seemed fake.
* * of 5
Directed by Martin Scorcese, it's a biopic of Howard Hughes, who in his time was a combination of Elon Musk and the Most Interesting Man in the World. He had an unlimited budget and exceeded it. He spent his money on women, airplanes and movies... wasted the rest!
The most fun parts for me were his famous girlfriends, Jean Harlow (Gwen Stefani), Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale).
Starring Leonardo Di Caprio and John C. Reilly.
*****
Based on true events, it's another adaption of a Ben Mezrich book about the Game Stop short squeeze in 2020 ending January 2021. You will of course recognize his other movies: 21 and The Social Network.
Retail traders emboldened by boredom, lockdown and Reddit found value in $GME as well as an opportunity to Stick It to the Man. Hilarity ensues.
Starring Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, America Fererra, and Nick Offerman.
Writer/director Christopher Nolan weaves his usual time travel into this historical story by jumping around various years of the life of Robert Oppenheimer.
Starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh
Very creative way to take a 1000 page nonfiction book, American Prometheus, and turn it into something very different for the mass market.
There are 3 distinct acts - first, the introductory years which is where Albert Einstein comes in, then the Building process which is the classic training academy, and finally an interesting twist in act 3. Almost like a final courtroom scene, reminiscent of Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
Interesting use of black and white photography as well as the Anti-Semitism of the day.
4 stars * * * *
