Author: JMcNaughton

Blast from the Past (November 2018)

November 25, 2018 Published by
Yeah, the Box Office is rockin’ today with a whole lot of movies. But there are some from prior years that you may (or may not) remember. These older movies came out 5, 10, 15, 20 years ago, maybe even longer back. Some were instant classics, while others were not. So let’s jump into the DeLorean and travel backwards in time to revisit a few of these forgotten gems…

November 2013 (5 years ago)   — Frozen – Disney Animation is a powerful juggernaut, so just “Let It Go”…

It does not matter if you like it or not, Disney will always come out with a new animated movie and 99% of the time it will be top of the line. That goes here, of course, for Frozen. It’s a movie that many girls from age five to twenty-five can quote by heart. The whole thing, all the parts, including Olaf the Snowman…

November 2008 (10 years ago)  — Twilight – All the moody Kristen Stewart that anyone can stand, plus twinkley vampires!

Back when romantic vampires were all the rage, Twilight got all the tween-age girls hearts a-flutter. Actually, probably even more of their middle-aged moms’ hearts were sent racing with the idea of a totally dedicated vampire lover…

November 2003 (15 years ago)  — Elf – Will Ferrell plays an oversized imp from the North Pole, and the world breaks out in Christmas songs

This movie is slowly making its way into becoming a Christmas Classic. Ferrell plays the Buddy the Elf with a lot of goofy compassion that he really brings it up a notch. Along with his real curmudgeon father, James Caan, Buddy brings the Spirit of the Season to New York City. “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”

November 1998 (20 years ago)  — Enemy of the State – Will Smith gets mixed up with some serious spy stuff, and he takes a toll on the bad guys

Will Smith plays a lawyer who gets on the wrong side of the NSA, and it takes Gene Hackman to get him out alive. Hackman is a super under-cover dude who lives off-the-grid, and Smith works with him to push back on the NSA bad guys. The action gets intense and the bad guys get more than they bargained for…

November 1993 (25 years ago)  — Mrs. Doubtfire –  Robin Williams plays a gender-swapped nanny, the dude does look like a lady…

Robin Williams created a wonderful character, by creating this older British nanny named ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’. He took this role, the alter ego to a divorced father of three, and made it into one of the most memorable in his career. Prevented from seeing his kids, Daniel Hilard creates the loving and all-knowing nanny, and gender-swaps his way back in to be with his kids. Comedy ensues, and lessons are learned.

November 1988 (30 years ago)  — Scrooged – Bill Murray takes “A Christmas Carol” into entirely new dimensions…

Charles Dickens was never this cynical, so he left it up to Bill Murray to do that for him. Based on “A Christmas Carol”, this movie takes a wide swatch of satire and covers the TV networks. It takes a look at how bad the programs can be, and how little the network big-wigs care. Murrays’ character Frank Cross,  meets the Ghosts, and has a change of heart. “Yule Love It!”…

Creed II Movie Review

November 21, 2018 (updated November 21, 2018) Published by

“Creed II” picks up after the movie called “Creed”, which picks up after the movie “Rocky Balboa”, which picks up after… well you probably get the picture. This is another in the long line of “Rocky” movies and sequels. But this is a strong brand, when first created by Sylvester Stallone several decades ago. Now the mantle, or rather the Championship Belt, has been picked up by Michael B. Jordan. Jordan carries it aloft with a lot of respect and with dignity, and that helps to make this movie special.

Adonis “Donnie” Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is the massively talented boxer who is the son of Apollo Creed. Creed the Older was the first major opponent of young and rising boxer named Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), but that was decades ago. Rocky had many major fights (read that, “Rocky” had multiple sequels). Then at one point – there was a huge bout between Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Drago was a Soviet boxer, and his cruel tactics in the ring ended the life of Apollo Creed. But then Rocky fought Drago and beat him at his own game.

Now quite a few years later, “Donnie” Creed has become a new major fighter, and he has Rocky as a ring-side trainer and mentor. Creed has a new girlfriend named Bianca (Tessa Thompson) who has become quite a singer-songwriter star on her own. After the events of the “Creed” movie, Donnie and Bianca have made a new life, and Creed is best in the world.. They are married and have new child, and Creed is the world Champion. Nothing can go wrong…

Except that Ivan Drago has been training his giant bear of a son named Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). Ivan gets word to Creed that there needs to be a rematch. He wants a new match up of Drago versus Creed, but this time it will be the son against the son. And perhaps nobody will be killed this time out.  But with this fight, Rocky refuses to help, because he knows that Viktor will have nothing to lose. Creed might possibly lose the title, but the fight goes on, and Creed does not lose the title. But he also does not win the fight. Drago beat up on Creed so badly that Donnie needs a lot of rehab. But Vicktor is not an experienced fighter, and with a couple of cheap shots, he was disqualified.

So before you can say “will there be family drama”, and “Rocky is out as trainer and is now back in”, and before you can see training montages that are in the desert and in swimming pools, Adonis “Donnie” Creed will train and strain and grunt and groan until he is in perfect shape. Now he is ready to take on Viktor Drago again, so that both the trainers can be Rocky versus Ivan. Just like before. But much older…

If you understand that some things need to be predictable, like the rising and setting of the sun, then you know that there will be a final major fight. And in that fight, there will be a number of slow-motion shots of punches to the face (of either boxer). Also at some key moment, there will be stirring first notes of the “Rocky” theme music. And that will lead into the blaring notes of the song playing as the underdog fighter gets up off the ring floor and delivers some major knockout blows.

Just because some parts are predictable does not mean they are not enjoyable to watch. It is especially fun when it is done with such good actors. Such as Michael B. Jordan, who is jacked up and beefed up to play Creed. He does a very believable job in the training and fight scenes. Tessa Thompson is very gracious performer in this movie. She acts like Beyonce-like star, and she pulls it off. Heck, even Sylvester Stallone mumbles less than he normally does in this movie…

To mix some sports metaphors: “Creed II” does not land in the gutter, and it does not score a grand slam. But it does reach the finish line without a fatal spinout. Great actors keep the aging “Rocky” series from fumbling in the end zone.

Ralph Breaks the Internet Movie Review

November 21, 2018 (updated November 21, 2018) Published by

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” proves that Disney Animation can make a sequel based on its legacy of great movies, and does not “Wreck-It”. “Ralph” is a follow-up edition to “Wreck-It Ralph”, which introduced some arcade video game characters. It had a smart story line and large group of quirky, yet lovable, characters. This new update to the continuing “Ralph” story takes two main characters beyond the walls of Litwak’s Arcade. They venture out into the Internet, which Ralph promptly breaks… The online community is not ready for the big, lovable doofus of Ralph, so he takes the Internet by storm.

In the first movie (“Wreck-It Ralph”), Ralph (John C. Reilly) has a job in an arcade game called “Fix-It Felix Jr.” Felix (Jack McBrayer) has met his true love Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch).  Ralph’s best friend is Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), who is go-kart racer from “Sugar Rush”. Vanellope has a ‘glitch’, which gives her unusual functions. She is tired of her life in the Sugar Rush game, and she would like to see much more of the world. Ralph is very content with the state of things, while Vanellope needs to expand her horizons.

After a part breaks on the Sugar Rush game, Mr. Litwak (Ed O’Neill) is forced to unplug this game. All the characters rush out and now are homelessa. Litwak has just installed a router that connects to the Internet, so Ralph and Vanellope find their way into it. They have heard that a new part can be purchased on-line for the Sugar Rush game. They intend to go to that website and bid for that part. But when they bid way too much, they need to find a way to get money to pay for it. Ralph finds a site called BuzzTube, and it is run by an algorithm named Yesss (Taraji P. Henson). She explains that Ralph can become an Internet sensation by creating viral videos. That could get the money they need.

Vanellope and Ralph also find an online video game called ‘Slaughter Race’. It is dirty and grungy and there are no rules. Vanellope thinks it is the perfect world for her racing future. The best racer in that game is named Shank (Gal Gadot), and she has the best car and best skills. She and her crew raise havoc with all the online gamers, because she always wins. Vanellope has met her match with Shank, and she wants to stay in Slaughter Race forever to race her heart out.

When Vanellope goes to a Disney website and meets with all the other Disney Princesses. She likes them all, and they accept her as another real Princess – but she does not feel at home there. Ralph just wants to buy that part to fix Sugar Rush, and then get home to his game. But Ralph begins to worry that his best friend Vanellope will not be coming with him.

Ralph lets his worry and his doubt take over, and he does something really dumb. He wants to convince Vanellope that she should come back to the arcade with him. But Ralph’s plan backfires, in a really big way. The Internet is threatened by the bone-headed move that Ralph makes, and Vanellope is in real danger. Shank tries to help Vanellope, and also later on the Disney Princesses come to her rescue. Ralph finally learns a big lesson that friendship is stronger than distance. Vanellope can still be his best friend, even if they are in two different places. The Internet is saved, and Sugar Rush gets repaired…

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” takes the characters from the first movie and gives them a new and expanded universe to explore. Getting the two main game characters (Ralph and Vanellope) into the Internet-at-large is a terrific concept. Ralph is a ‘fish out of water’ type, while Vanellope embraces all that the new horizons can offer to her. Because this is a Disney movie, all of the properties they own (Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, Disney Princesses, Winnie-the-Pooh, and others) all make a brief appearance.

John C. Reilly does the voice of Ralph, and he proves himself to be a work horse, not a show horse. He is a steady and reliable character voice for the big lug, and it fits him perfectly. Gal Gadot does the voice of Shank, the attractive and super-cool driver in the ‘Slaughter Race’ online game. She is strong and capable, and she becomes a new friend to Vanellope. Taraji P. Henson plays Yesss, and her character is quite quirky. She searches for the next huge viral video, and she encourages Ralph to become a video star.

But then we come to the weakest part of this movie. Sarah Silverman does the voice of Vanellope. But her character’s voice is such a whiney, nasally and annoying voice that it can grate on your nerves. In the first movie, this character was introduced about midway into the stroy. So Vanellope’s voice gets a LOT more screen time in this movie. Vanellope is supposed to be cute and precocious character. But she leans heavy into being more annoying than sweet. However, her character and Ralph are the main two roles, so you get much, much more of the least enjoyable voice in the bunch.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Movie Review

November 16, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is the newest “Wizarding World” magical spell created from the boundless mind of J.K. Rowling. It takes a close look at the Wizarding community in the pre-Harry Potter years. The Hogwarts school plays a much smaller part of this story, but it does make a welcome appearance. After the first movie in this sequence (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”), this next chapter follows along with the main character of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). Newt will figure prominently into the new story line, along with the other people he meets.

In the first movie, Newt was the one who captured the criminal Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) while Grindelwald was hiding in New York City. Newt met many magical people in New York, and one “Non-Maj” (non-magical person, in England they are called ‘muggles’).While in New York, Newt made very close friends with Tina (Katherine Waterston) and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol). There is also Jacob Kowalski (Dan Folger), who is a non-magical type, but shares a bond of love with Queenie. Jacob was supposed to have his memory wiped out at the end of the first film, but he still remembers everything.

Newt’s brother Theseus (Callum Turner) is a high-ranking fellow in the British Ministry of Magic, and he attempts to convince Newt that he needs to be on their side. Grindelwald has gotten his followers to break him out of the jail cell he was being held in for three years, located in New York City. Grindelwald is out on the loose, and he is hunting the person who created much destruction in New York. He is looking for Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), since he controls something called an Obscurus. This is a powerful Dark Magic object that Grindelwald wants to use to destroy the non-magical world, so he can take over.

Newt, Tina, Queenie and Jacob wind up in France to also look for Credence, because he is the key to finding Grindelwald. Newt has also had a visit with a Professor from Hogwarts named Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law). Dumbledore has a keen interest in stopping Grindelwald, however there is a close personal bond between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. Dumbledore is prevented from moving against Grindelwald, and he implores Newt to find Credence and then Grindelwald. Creedence has been located, and he is employed at a magical Freak Show with a close friend named Nagini (Claudia Kim). Nagini has a curse that turns her into a large snake (shades of Harry Potter movies that are set in the future!). There is also Leta Lestrange (Zoë Kravitz) who is an old Hogwarts BFF to Newt, but she is now engaged to Newt’s brother Theseus. Oh, and don’t forget Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam), who is also on a separate quest to find and kill Grindelwald, for personal and family reasons…

Yikes, there are a lot of characters and plot points to try to keep straight. Rowling screenplay creates a very rich and deep Wizarding World. Yet the incredible number of overlapping plot and interwoven characters make it hard to track of all of them. There a whole mess of characters, and the main ones are very well defined. But there are a huge number of side characters that get introduced and get such limited screen time that you do not know why they are important or what their ultimate purpose might be in the series. However, director David Yates does a fantastic job to take a complex story and give it a calm and steady push to the screen.

Also, the productions, sets and physical designs are all amazing and leap out from the screen and make the story come alive. Plus, getting the right actors to inhabit these roles make a major difference. Eddie Redmayne is true genius at making an oddball character come alive. Dan Folger has also just the right amount of comic relief and sense of wonder at seeing the Wizarding World up close and personal. Johnny Depp is creepy and charismatic as Gellert Grindelwald. And Jude Law is a perfectly cast Albus Dumbledore, the future Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Even if it is long movie with a lot going on, this is still a magical experience. Thanks to J.K. Rowling and the entire team that put this together, it is a “Fantastic Beast” of a production. It assumes that you are up to speed on all the Wizarding World goings-on, so it is best to see the prior movie (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”) before your put your effort into this one. The special effects are very seemless and help to drive the story. A couple of the sequences are exciting to watch and keep you energized for the next one.

Oh, and then that FINAL reveal of the secret identity and background of THAT character! And how they are related to that OTHER character! OH – WOW! How can they keep all that a secret???? What does all this mean for the future of Newt and of future movies? You will just need to see for yourself…

The Front Runner Movie Review

November 16, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by

“The Front Runner” invites you to come and ride on the campaign bus with the leading Presidential candidate in the 1988 Democratic primary. Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) is a US Senator from Colorado, who is smart and well-spoken. He came in second during the 1984 Democrat race, so his star is rising in the party and with people in the country at large. He is from the West, and he believes that the future will be based on leaders from the Western states. He is well-read when it comes to politics, trade policies and economics.

But when it comes to his personal space and his family, Hart is aloof and distant. He is a Democratic fresh face, attractive and ready to lead. However, he does not know that he has created a big target on his back. The press has become more aggressive and intrusive on the past four years. Hart makes personal decisions and mistakes that take his campaign from ‘Front Runner’ status to drop out, all in a matter a few weeks.

Gary Hart and his wife Lee (Vera Farmiga) have gone through the campaign wringer before, and they expect more of the same. Hart has a campaign manager named Bill Dixon (J.K. Simmons), who is ready to gather an army of young people that will handle Hart’s march on Washington. Hart plans to do things his way, and not follow the stale old advice of consultants and party bosses. He plans for a Presidential run declaration up high in the foothills of the Rockies. The press starts to grumble that Hart is not keeping with the usual traditions. There are some reporters who start to whisper of Hart having a troubled marriage. Hart continues to concentrate on policy and protocol, proclaiming the first and ignoring the latter. But there is a meeting with a large donor and fund raiser in Miami. He takes a trip on the donor’s yacht, called – of all things – the ‘Monkey Business’.

He meets a very lovely young woman named Donna Rice (Sara Paxton). She is looking for a job with Hart’s campaign, but she winds up catching Hart’s eye. They spend some time together, and he later invites her up to his townhouse in Georgetown. She flies up from Miami, but the Miami Herald catches wind of something going on. A group of reporters and a cameraman camp out outside Hart’s place near Washington. They see various people who come and go, including Hart and an unidentified young woman. The reporters start sending up red flags to the Herald editors. They must run with this story, even if they do not know all the details or the facts surrounding the young woman. They meet Gary Hart in an alleyway near his place, and he demands to know why they are trailing him. He wants his privacy and they do not have his permission to snoop. But they tell him it is a free country and the First Amendment gives them the right to write and publish the news, even if it seems to have become the trashy tabloid variety.

In the next week, the press is all over this story. They are staking out Lee Hart, out in her country home in Colorado, in a tiny, out-of-the-way place called Troublesome Gulch. It becomes an apt description, because soon the towering pines on the dirt road stand next to TV satellite dishes and large antennas. The Press, especially the TV media, have planted themselves there to report that Lee has not left the building. Other reporters chase down Donna Rice for an exclusive story about her time with Gary Hart. Hart is still on the campaign trail and stops to make a speech about economic policy.

But the only thing the press wants to know about is Hart’s relationships. Is he faithful to his wife? Is he in the middle on an adulterous affair? Can he continue to be Front Runner with all these unanswered questions surrounding him? The media and press turn into paparazzi and Hart undergoes scrutiny unlike any other candidate. Even the Washington Post gets into the examination, led by Ben Bradlee (Alfred Molina). The boxing gloves had come off and it became bare-knuckle fighting…

Jason Reitman has created, in terms of directing and co-writing, a powerful story of what can happen when the Press decides to pull out all the stops. Before anyone come up with calling the press “Fake News”, they held a powerful grip on the political system and who was able to get to the top. Hugh Jackman does a fine job playing Hart, who is caught up in his own position papers that he doesn’t realize that he put himself into a compromising position. Vera Farmiga and Sara Paxton play the two women in Hart’s life that lead him into the abyss. J. K. Simmons is also good as the campaign manager that cannot believe his campaign is falling apart around him.

“The Front Runner” gets you into a wild and crazy world of campaigning. It is a world that is made even crazier when Hart goes from being “The  Front Runner” to “Front Page News”…

Overlord Movie Review

November 9, 2018 (updated November 8, 2018) Published by

“Overlord” contains a World War II D-Day setting for a strange bunch of German Nazis. Just before the Allied forces are set to land on the Normandy beaches, the movie swerves into “Saving Private Zombie”. Yes, the nasty Nazis are conducting experiments to change German youth, and French citizens, into undead zombie super-warriors. And the re is anAmerican paratrooper squad sent in to take out a German radio tower get a first hand view of the horror of war. But also the horror of zombies. Did I mention this movie also features Nazi zombies? Yes, as if the actual horrors of war are not enough, let’s throw into the mix some zombies…

Just before the D-Day landing is to occur, an Allied plane is sent over into France to send American paratroopers behind enemy lines. They have a mission to find a German radio tower in a church building in a small French town. They must destroy that jamming signal from the tower to help the Allied forces start the invasion. On the plane are some new soldiers, plus some long-timers. Pvt. Boyce (Jovan Adepo) was a civilian just a few months ago. Tibbet (John Magaro), Rosenfeld (Dominic Applewhite) and Chase (Iain De Caestecker) are also low-level grunts waiting for the drop zone. They will be joined by Cpl. Ford (Wyatt Russell), who is an explosive expert. But they are led by Sgt. Eldson (Bokeem Woodbine) and he is a hard-nosed sergeant.

But when the plane comes under attack, many are killed before the jump. Boyce gets out, and he meets up with Ford, Chase, Tibbit. But where is Rosenfeld? Sgt. Eldson makes it to the ground, but he is taken by the Nazis and is killed. The rest of them head to the small French village. On the way, they meet Chloe (Mathilde Ollivier). Chloe and her young brother and her aunt live in the village, very close to the church that holds the radio tower. The village streets are patrolled by Nazi soldiers, but they make it into Chloe’s house. They make a plan to attack and take out the tower, so that the Allied troops will have a safe landing. But the group is surprised when Chloe is visited by a cruel Nazi SS commander, named Wafner (Pilou Asbaek). The take him prisoner, and things get stranger from there.

Boyce finds his way into the church/bunker. But there he sees every manner of disturbing things. He also locates Rosenfeld who has been captured. Boyce frees Rosenfeld to take him back. But he also takes a syringe of some strange serum that a Nazi doctor was using for his terrible experiments. Wafner, the evil Nazi soldier, escapes and kills Chase, but Boyce tries out the Nazi serum on Chase. There are many unusual things that this serum can do, especially to a dead body.

Now it is Allied troops against the Nazi troops, when there is an assault on the church. Ford and Boyce rig up the explosives ready to make the tower fall. But there are unspeakable horrors on the loose in the Nazi camp. Could it be? Could it possibly be… Zombies? Why, yes. Yes, there are zombies. What tipped you off about the zombies?

“Overlord” is a unique mix of B-movie war time action taken to a new level of creepy monster scares. It is sometimes bloody and gross, yet parts of the movie seem stuck in the 1950’s mentality. The Nazis are more than evil, and the American soldiers can always come through with a gung-ho attitude. Of course, even when they are France and it is occupied by Germans; everyone has enough common sense to speak English. Except for the zombies. They just growl…

The Girl in the Spider’s Web Movie Review

November 9, 2018 (updated November 8, 2018) Published by

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” is a movie adaptation of the novel of the same name. The main characters are from the “Dragon Tattoo” franchise. This relates to the book series, and then turned into movies, written by Stieg Larsson. Since he passed away, his creation has continued to grow. The main ‘girl’ is Lisbeth Salander, and now she is played by a different actress and tells a different story. But she still keeps her cool and curt attitude, and her special computer hacking skills. This story goes into the past, and it plays with the current time in Sweden.

Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) is a stealth protector of women in need, and the champion of small children in distress. Her methods of vengeance are swift and very costly, if you are a man who abuses a woman. She helps a wife of a famous businessman who has just been released from a trial after roughing up some prostitutes. He takes out his anger on his wife’s face. But Salander is an avenging angel to give this bad dude some rough treatment of his own. There is a new person who asks Salander for help. It is Frans Balder (Stephen Merchant), a computer scientist from America, who has created a special program that can take over any military nuclear computer system. He hires Salander to hack into the NSA, and move the program her own laptop.

Edwin Neeham (LaKeith Stanfield) who is an NSA employee discovers the program is missing, and it was transferred to Sweden. He goes to Sweden to track it down, and he learns of Salander. Salander has also been targeted by a shadowy group, called the Spiders, has also targeted Salander. They steal her laptop and destroy her apartment, and she barely survives. But between Needham and the Spider thugs, Salander is being chased from all sides. Plus the National Swedish Security group is after her. Balder, the computer scientist is killed, and Salander gets his young son to take care of him. Salander will need some help, so she contacts an old friend Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason), the journalist who had helped her in previous adventures.

Salander’s past catches up with her – because her difficulties with the Spiders takes a weird turn. The group is led by someone that she thought was long dead. Camilla Salander (Sylvia Hoeks) is Lisbeth’s sister, but Lizbeth had fled the family home when she was just a young girl. Camilla was trapped with her pervert father, and she grew up with his sick demands. But she learned his devious ways to take over his criminal syndicate and then called it the ‘Spiders’. Needham and Blomkvist team up with Salander to fight against her sister, and her sinister group. They now hold the special program on Salander’s laptop, and they have taken Balder’s son, who is the key to gaining access to the Military hacking program.

This movie has a quick pace and some tense moments of intense action. However, there are sequences that show how far ahead Salander has planned out every potential activity – that it begins to be absurd. Salander has become an indestructible computer genius that can program and hack her way into and out of every situation. She is an emotionless automated fighting and thinking machine, sort of a “Salander Bourne”. Claire Foy does a very precise job making Salander an enigma wrapped in a MMA fighter. LaKeith Stanfield does a very entertaining job as the NSA agent ready to take out anyone in his way. Sverrir Gudnason does not have as much to hold to for his role.

They various locations and setting around Sweden are used to great advantage. They are beautiful to see, and they are used to portray the coldness of the country. The story line gets a bit stretched out, so that people are doing things that would be close to impossible. Salander becomes a martial-art trained fighter, and Needham becomes a high-powered sniper, and so on. However, if you get past that, the story is delivered in a quickly paced manner that gets your pulse racing in some spots.

The Outlaw King (Netflix) Movie Review

November 9, 2018 (updated November 8, 2018) Published by

“The Outlaw King” is an historical look at what happened in Scotland after the end of the movie “Braveheart”. After William Wallace failed to lead the people of Scotland in a rebellion to gain freedom from England, another person took over. That person was from the family of Bruce, who once had an actual claim to the royal leadership of the Scots. When England took over and held the land for generations, finally a true rebellion grew from the mistreatment. English kings held Scotland like golden goose, always taking the golden eggs. They are leaving only the shells for the Scottish people.

When the failed Rebellion put William Wallace on the run, the Scottish nobles were forced to declare loyalty to King Edward I (Stephen Dillane) The King’s son was Edward, Prince of Wales (Billy Howle). He was put in charge of keeping the Scots in line and paying taxes. One Scotsman was ready to break against the brutal leadership of England. That was Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine). His father was the one to give up the fight and swear the oath to the King. But Robert was not willing. Robert had agreed to be a marriage to an English nobleman’s daughter named Elizabeth de Burgh (Florence Pugh).  Robert still had a daughter from his first marriage, but his wife had passed away.

But when William Wallace is found and killed by the English crown, Robert says that the King went back on his word. There is not way to serve a King who is not worthy of trust. So Robert gathers his brothers and talks about a new Scottich rebellion. But his one will be led by a Scottish King. That King would be him, of course. Robert the Bruce meets with his main rival, John Comyn (Callan Mulvey). But he does not get Comyn’s agreement to make Robert the new King of Scotland. So, he kills him. But there are enough clans of Scotland who believe in the royal line of Bruce, that Robert is crowed King of Scotland.

The King of England and Prince of Wales begin a military campaign to destroy Robert the Bruce and all of his followers. They will fight without civility or chivalry, so that any action is acceptable. Just before the first battle, the English troops attack the nighttime camp of the Scottish army. Robert’s troops are unprepared, and many are slaughtered. They are declared ‘Outlaws’ by the English crow, and anyone helping them will be arrested or killed. Robert is on the run, an ‘Outlaw King’. His wife Elizabeth and his daughter are taken by the English and held prisoner. Robert the Bruce has few loyal warriors who are still with him.

Some of his fellow freedom fighters are Angus Macdonald (Tony Curran) and James Douglas (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Robert, along with his brother Neil (Lorne MacFadyen), run into other clans which are against him. There are clashes between the clans. Robert loses many more warriors, but he comes up with ways to fight the English intruders. The English are staying in Scottish castles and Robert needs to fight dirty. They all attack with surprise and take back, then burn, each castle.

When the new King of Scotland cannot be captured by the English, he become more famous and he attracts more fighters. Then will be a final battle of the rag-tag Scottish forces, against the fully equipped and much larger English army. With English soldiers on horseback and with ‘modern’ weapons – the Price of Wales plans to crush the Scots. But The Scots have a few deadly tricks up their kilts, er, I mean sleeves…

“The Outlaw King” is very beautifully photographed look at the period after William Wallace.  This movie would make a great double-feature with “Braveheart”. There is a good many brutal battle scenes that are tough to watch. The ‘Mud and Blood’ view of the fighting is close-up and is raw and wild. The acting is good from all the main characters, and the Scottish accents are fairly on target. Chris Pine is stoic and sullen, as the flawed leader of the Scots. The sense of “Ye Olde” England and Scottish countryside is very convincing. The movie drags a slight bit in the middle section, but the final battle between the two armies is a stirring, yet very disturbing, masterfully-filmed sequence.

“The Outlaw King” will have a limited release in the theaters. Then on November 9, it will be released for streaming on Netflix.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie Review

November 2, 2018 (updated October 31, 2018) Published by

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is a new Disney movie based on a (very old) story from 1816 called “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. So the ‘House of Mouse’ finally gets to work on the ‘Mouse King’. The famous music by Tchaikovsky is based on this story, and some of his memorable themes are also in here. The story has evolved over these years, and now it has the main character Clara going into the realm of a fantasy world to fight evil and make things right. Similar story patterns are found in “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Alice in Wonderland, as well as finding adventure like ‘Indiana Jones’. So call it — “Indiana Clara and the Realm of Naria in Wonderland”…

 

In 18th century London, Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy) is missing her dead mother, and her father, Mr. Stahlbaum (Matthew Macfadyen), does not know how to deal with it. On Christmas Eve, the family goes to visit Clara’s godfather, named Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman). He is an inventor, like Clara, and he sends her out to solve a mystery. But she goes straight into a new fantasy dimension, a land of Four Realms. She meets the rulers of three of the Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, and Land of Sweets. The Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley) acts as her guide to the new world. But the Fourth Realm is off-limits. It ruled by Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren). But the Sugar Plum Fairy says Ginger is nothing but an evil tyrant, bent on the destruction of all four Realms.

Clara gets some help from a friendly border guard, and some mice who seem at first to be evil, but then come around to being her best ally. Clara finds out that she was the first one to come to this magical place. Her deceased mother had also come to the land as a child, and she became the Queen. So Clara is officially named the returned Princess. But there is deception afoot. When one of the current rulers becomes obsessed with being the Ruler of all the Realms, she plots against the other rulers, and against Clara. But Clara proves that she is a clever girl after all. Using her scientific knowledge and her skills at design, she makes an alliance with the other Realm rulers, including the Mouse King. They all work in unison to stop the destructive power of the Tin Soldier Army – led by.. Well you will just have to see the movie to find out who that is…

This movie adaptation is just one in a string of versions and revisions to the original story. This one downplays the excellent music of Tchaikovsky to instead rely on a serviceable soundtrack from James Newton Howard. But the basic issue is the lack of originality and the failure to add anything new or fresh to the story. So many themes and plot devices, up to and including some of the screen imagery, have all been done before. This version has two directors and two writers, so there must have been some conflict in the overall concept and execution.

 

Mackenzie Foy is a perfect Clara, with her wonderful expressions and knowing glances. But Keira Knightley really takes a shine to the Sugar Plum Fairy and gives the role a deliciously off-kilter performance.   She starts off so sweet and kind, and before you know it, she is ready to take no prisoners. She has a crazed range between overly too-sweet BFF and turns into a loony power-obsessed Fairy. Helen Mirren does okay in a limited role, and Morgan Freeman only has an extended cameo appearance.

 

This one would be a pleasant time to spend with the kids or grandkids. There is just enough of the classical ballet and music that the older fans will remember how wonderful the original really was. Of course, the real test is whether this movie can stand up to the best Nutcracker adaptation ever – “Care Bears Nutcracker Suite”!

What They Had Movie Review

October 26, 2018 (updated October 23, 2018) Published by

“What They Had” is heart-tugging and lovely look at love. Or, perhaps, even more importantly – a study in commitment. When the older parents of two siblings have some health issues, do the kids have the right to tell the parents that they need to move into separate long-term care facilities? These parents are nothing if not committed to staying together, so it could be an uphill climb. The couple has been in this Chicago condo for ages, and they have no intention of leaving. Even if the wife is having memory problems, and she thinks she needs to trek in the middle of the night in a snowstorm, so she can get back to her ‘home’. Even if the husband is still having heart issues…

The couple in question is Burt (Robert Forster) and Ruth (Blythe Danner) who live the warm and cozy condo in a Chicago suburb. Burt has had a heart attack, or two, in the past couple of years. But he is feeling fine now. His wife of many years is Ruth, and she is starting to suffer from Alzheimer’s. One night, on Christmas Eve, Ruth puts on a light jacket and some slippers. Then she goes outside to walk from her house to her ‘home’ where she lived as a child. Burt gets very worried and calls his son Nicky (Michael Shannon). Ruth is located, and it brought to the hospital. Nicky calls his sister Bridget (Hilary Swank). Bridget and her daughter Emma (Taissa Farmiga) leave to go back to Chicago.

Nicky pleads with Bridget to convince their Dad to get into Ruth into a memory-care facility. It would be a safe place for her to be, and Burt can live at the assisted care place on the same campus. Burt will have none of that! He married Ruth to be there by her side, sickness and health, that type of thing – and he takes it all very seriously. He will not permit her to be anywhere but at their warm and cozy condo. She will remain right by his side, because – he made a commitment. So, there is an impasse. Nicky goes back his bar that he owns, and Bridget and Emma are not able to change Burt’s mind.

Besides, Bridget is having marital issues with her husband Eddie (Josh Lucas). She feels that she married him just to get her dad’s approval. Emma is in college, and she is not she wants to continue. But these problems will be minor if Ruth one day gets loose and gets lost somewhere in Chicago. That does appear to be a potential problem, as her Alzheimer’s continues to get worse. She can identify her kids correctly, be she calls Burt her ‘boyfriend’. Nicky thinks that the only way to get their Mom and Dad safe again is to get them out of that condo. Burt and Ruth are ready to get on with their lives. They do not want to be apart, but Burt thinks that maybe that will be a safer way to care for Ruth. But there are even more medical issues ahead, for both of them…

“What They Had” is a movie that can strike close to home, especially if you have any parents who are getting up in age. The medical conditions that can afflict older people can also affect their immediate family. This movie shows that is the case, and does it in a very straight-forward fashion. It does not sugar-coat it, and it does not take an easy way out. Of course none of this would matter without the right actors.

That is exactly what makes this movie so good. Robert Forster and Blythe Danner are paired up and they are amazing as the older couple. They fit the roles just perfectly. Hilary Swank is also very good. But Michael Shannon is superb in another emotionally heavy role – the type that seems to excel in being cast to play. The writing gives all of them a lot of very great conversations (as opposed to just plain dialog).

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