Author: JMcNaughton

Aquaman Movie Review

December 21, 2018 (updated December 19, 2018) Published by

 

“Aquaman” is another in the DC Comics ‘Extended Universe’ of movie adaptations. But this one hits on some strong notes, as opposed to the other DCEU ones they have created. “Wonder Woman” was an exemption and a template for doing this right, and they have (mostly) followed along in a similar way. It is not dark and brooding like the recent DCEU movies were dark and (mostly) humorless. But with help from director James Wan, this new movie does not jump the shark – it uses the shark as a friggin’ undersea taxi service. If you don’t tip well enough, the driver might eat you…

 

Since every superhero needs a back story, Aquaman becomes a love child between a lighthouse keeper from Maine, and the Queen of Atlantis. Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), escapes to the Earth’s surface. She meets and falls in love with the keeper and they have a child. The little boy has unusual powers (being half-human and half-Atlantean). Atlanna is forced back to again be Queen of Atlantis, and there she and King have another boy child. Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) is the half-breed, and his younger (fully Atlantean) brother is Orm (Patrick Wilson). Arthur is named after a king, because, well – you know…

 

Arthur is fine with staying on land, and getting some good things done – under the name ‘Aquaman’. He works to save a Russian sub from a band of pirates. But one of these bad guys is named David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and he blames Aquaman for his father’s death. Kane is working secretly with Orm, to try and make the sea-people rise up and fight the land-people. Aquaman is staying out of this fight, until he gets visit from Mera (Amber Heard), an Atlantean princess and warrior. She knows that something bad is going to happen, and she is soon to be married to Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother. Awkward!

 

Mera’a father is King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren), an ally of Orm. As a child Arthur was being trained by Vulko (Willem Dafoe). Vulko and Mera both convince Aquaman that he the only one with the special powers to challenge his brother Orm. Aquaman is brought to Atlantis and there is a challenge to the death. It is between him and his brother Orm, and he must fight in the “Ring of Fire”. But Johnny Cash does not show up to save him. Mera helps to get him out so they both can go on a world-wide quest to find the lost Trident of the First Atlantean King. They go to sandy African deserts and scenic islands off of Sicily. David Kane (I’m sure you all remember him) shows up with some modified Atlantean technology and calls himself Black Manta.

 

Aquaman fights Black Manta and throws him off a cliff, where he surely dies (unless they want another villain for ‘Aquaman 2’). Aquaman and Mera escape and they know the location of the special Trident. It is hidden in a dreadful placed called ‘The Trench”. It is where Aquaman’s Queen mother was brought years ago and sentenced to die (for treason, after the King found out about the ‘Arthur Curry incident’)

 

But you still need to strap in at this point, because you have much more to see. There is much more in the story, including scary ugly monsters that look like sea monkeys on steroids. There is a Lost Kingdom with secret hiding places for a special Trident. There is Arthur who pulls the Sword Excalibur from the stone… No – I mean, Aquaman who takes the Golden Trident from the guardian hands of the dead King.

 

There is a major underwater battle that is brewing when Orm and his minions decide to destroy any resistance in the other Kingoms, and then take the fight to the land-dwellers. Only the One True King would be able to prevent Orm from taking over and proclaiming himself and the Ocean Master. Can’t have that now, can we?

Other than a slightly too-long run time, this movie is a fine example of a fun and adventure-filled comic book turned into the visual treat. A lot of the visual effects are like cotton candy for the eyes. The actors cast in the movie do a credible job at making a fantastic display of an interesting world come to life. The sub-plot with David Kane and the Black Manta could have been cut and it would be perfectly fine.  There are shades of the classical saga stories in the plot and the final battles are epic.

 

Wan directs this comic book classic with zeal, and Jason Momoa takes the lead role and makes it his own. An adventure story with lot of spectacle and a lot of humor. Definitely ‘see’ worthy!

Bumblebee Movie Review

December 21, 2018 (updated December 19, 2018) Published by

Face the facts. Since 2007, Michael Bay has delivered “Transformers” movies that have assaulted the audience. Each movie being bigger and louder and dumber and more visually CGI-infected than the prior version, it was like an evil Decepticon plot to torture humanity. But the Torture-bots have been defeated. The newest “Transformers” movie is like a breath of fresh, clean air from back in 1987. “Bumblebee” is a movie that gives the viewers plenty of robot action, but it transforms into a human-centric exploration of a young kid who finds a close buddy. Of course, the buddy is a 12-foot yellow robot that turns into a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. Sort of like “The Iron Giant” with wiper blades.

 

In a faraway universe, Autobots fight against Decepticons on the planet Cybertron. Their leader, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) sends a young B-127, later renamed Bumblebee (voiced by Dylan O’Brien), to Earth. The robot from space arrives on Earth, and a soldier named Jack Burns (John Cena) thinks he is an evil out to destroy the planet.  Bumblebee escapes an evil Decepticon that followed him to Earth, but in a battle loses his voice box technology. He kills the Decepticon robot and saves Burns, but then Bumblebee malfunctions and turns into the last thing that he saw, a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. He winds up in a junkyard in a small California coastal town.

 

Also living there is Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld), a young girl who is troubled by the sudden death of her father. Her family seems to be adapting and moving on with life, but Charlie broods and spends a lot of time working on her dad’s old car. She finds a cute yellow VW Bug in the junkyard. The owner gives Charlie the car on her 18th birthday, and she later finds it is actually Bumblebee. But he has lost his memory and can’t talk, so he cannot communicate with Charlie. She tries to keep Bumblebee a secret from her family, but it gets hard when he accidentally wrecks the house. Her next-door neighbor Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) has a crush on Charlie and he also finds out the big yellow secret. Bumblebee regains his memory and figures out that Optimus Prime has sent him here to Earth to protect the people and the planet.

 

But there are two Decepticon robots that come to Earth to search for Bumblebee. These two evil giant robots (voiced by Angela Bassett and Justin Theroux) meet up with Sector 7 Agent Jack Burns, and with a researcher named Dr. Powell (John Ortiz). Powell is misled by the Decepticon robots to believe Bumblebee is a rogue robot who must be captured and interrogated. Burns is not so sure, because the robots want to plug into the military satellite system to search for Bumblebee. This will lead to a big robot battle, and Charlie being put into danger. But Bumblebee has the smarts to defeat the evil robots, if he can get some help from Charlie. Burns and Memo are close to the action, but they are not front and center for the major battle.

 

“Bumblebee” does have a bunch of giant robot battles and clashes, but it also offers something different. There is bit of light sweetness and some human emotions that were usually missing from earlier ‘Transformer’ movies. The struggle is still there in the background, and it seems important. But there is an emphasis on how a young woman in California in the late 1980’s can rise above pain and sorrow and find a true friend. True, that friend happens to be an Autobot that can change from a VW Bug into a very large robot. But it still does something very special, as compared to the other movies. It does not make the audience feel dumb for watching it. It creates an interesting fantasy world and invites us into to explore with the characters.

 

Hailee Steinfeld does a very decent job in the role of a downcast young woman with a big yellow secret. John Cena adds some helpful light comedic lines where they are needed. Dylan O’Brien adds a tenderness to the voice of Bumblebee (until his voice box gets maimed). Peter Cullen (as usual) returns to voice the Autobots fearless leader, Optimus Prime. I wonder if he is related to Amazon Prime? Travis Knight has directed this with a sense of wonder and awe for the big metal monsters that turn out to be some of the good guys. The soundtrack has a spot-on selection of songs that you may remember from the 80’s, or just songs you can now hear on the Spotify ‘oldies’ playlist.

 

“Bumblebee” – This is the first Transformer movie that will get good ‘buzz’.

Blast from the Past (December 2018)

December 16, 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…

December 2013 (5 years ago)   — The Wolf of Wall Street

Leonardo DiCaprio shows that, as portraying cheater and con artist Jordon Belfort, Greed is definitely NOT Good…

Martin Scorsese directed Leo in this grimy and grubby look at a very grimy and grubby cheater, swindler and con artist. Making money on Wall Street was never this much fun. Jordon Belfort turned up the debauchery level to eleven, and the BS level to fifteen. But he made tons while it lasted…

December 2008 (10 years ago)  — Valkyrie

Tom Cruise breaks out a German accent to play one of the main German conspirators involved in the unsuccessful plot to kill Hitler and stop the Nazi War Machine

Nazi Germany was under the iron grip of Hitler, and during World War II, a few of the military commanders thought of a way to take over. They would kill Hitler, and use a plan called ‘Valkyrie’ that would give control of the German Army and the government to some sensible people. That is, if it could work, and they could eliminate the dictator.

December 2003 (15 years ago)  — The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 

Peter Jackon’s final movie in the trilogy to adapt the Tolkien Middle-Earth saga to play out on the big screen, only to receive bigger Box Office and bigger Awards

This was the final movie in a Trilogy created out of the huge JRR Tolkien saga. The audience was geared up for this chapter to come to the big screen. So much so that it earned over One Billion in box office revenue. It also was nominated, and WON, Oscars in eleven categories. That’s no fantasy…

December 1998 (20 years ago)  — Patch Adams

Robin Williams takes on a role about a real-life doctor who wanted to treat the whole person, and not just a sick body – and he is the best things about a mediocre movie

Patch Adams is a real person who studied to be a doctor, but was shunned by his unorthodox ideas. The whole person needs to be treated, not just the disease that showing the symptoms. Robin Williams can play up the unorthodox methods that Adams used to make a screen character that seems sincere about an alternative approach to medicine.

December 1993 (25 years ago)  — Tombstone

Very good old-time Western with Kurt Russell standing tall as Wyatt Earp, helped by his best friend and huckleberry – Val Kilmer (Doc Holiday)

Westerns are sometime though of as second-rate fare. But this movie was more like a prize pony at the fair. The portrayals of actual Western characters from history made for an entertaining movie. A somewhat accurate retelling of the events at OK Corral gives the basic structure for some fine performances. Russell, Kilmer, along with Sam Elliott and even Charlton Heston make this one to watch again.

December 1988 (30 years ago)  — Rain Man 

Dustin Hoffman turns in an amazing performance as Raymond, who is the Rain Man to younger brother Tom Cruise

Oscar winning in four categories, including for Hoffman and for Best Picture, this movie is an iconic touchstone in movie history. Countless movies have taken memorable visual scenes from Rain Man. Think of a scene of two people, dressed sharply, riding to the top of an elevator – slowly coming into view (from a bunch of movies), and think back – where did they get that inspiration?

Mortal Engines Movie Review

December 14, 2018 (updated December 14, 2018) Published by

Gentlemen, start your “Mortal Engines”! This movie is a bit like a NASCAR race; it has a whole lot of characters, they all move at breakneck speed, they all go around and around in circles and with loud volume – but never seem to get anywhere. When the whole thing is finished, there are no Winners. Especially not the viewer. It has a visually stunning design, with a good number of images that are intricate and precise. It is based on a novel that has a unique concept, where a post-apocalyptic world has huge cities that move and rumble around a barren future landscape.

 

The ‘city on wheels’ idea shows us a large city that can only sustain and grow by searching out and taking over many smaller cities. The Big City takes over all of the resources, and assigns all the new people to hard labor. There are battles between the little guys and the ‘City of London’, and the big city always wins. This movie has many twists and turns, so there is a lot of potential for an exciting and well-defined film. There is also potential for a big sloppy mess…

 

Many centuries after the Sixty Minute War, all the people of Earth live in the ‘Traction’ Cities in the Wastelands.  Or people lived behind a Shield Wall (in what is now China). The huge, mobile cities are places where remnants of the past remain. in the ‘City of London’, the large number of people are there hoping that the Energy Project that Engineer Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving) will finally be working to give them unlimited power. Valentine is thinking of a different type of ‘unlimited power’, but in a different sense.

He works with an historian of the City named Tom (Robert Sheehan). Tom is from the lower class, and he needs Valentine’s help to rise in the ranks. But there is a woman named Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar) who has a personal goal to kill Thaddeus Valentine. She almost succeeds, but Hester and Tom both are thrown out of the moving ‘City’.  Now they are trapped on foot in the No-Mans-Land. They are picked up for a ‘rescue’ by a nice couple out in the desert in a weird vehicle. But then get taken to Scavenger city to be auctioned off.

 

 

 

Thaddeus Valentine is still in the ‘City’ and he is cooking up some big plans, including finder Hester and killing her. These plans involve a reanimated cyborg named Shrike. This metal monster machine has a death wish for Hester Shaw. Shrike can’t be bargained with. Shrike can’t be reasoned with. Shrike doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And Shrike absolutely will not stop… ever, until you are dead! No, sorry — that’s the Terminator. Well, close enough. So Hester has everyone looking for her and she could be in deep trouble.

 

 

 

Tom and Hester find that the Scavenger auction was interrupted by Anna Fang (Jihae). She is a well-known rebel and the leader of the Anti-Traction League. She hates the moving cities and fights them in every way possible. Anna finds Hester, along with Tom. She rescues the two of them, just as Shrike finds Hester and announces that he will kill her for running away. Because, you see – Hester was raised by the undead cyborg monster man when her mother was killed by Thaddeus Valentine. It’ a complicated relationship… So there is more that happens, and just as scattered and confusing.

This movie ought to have a Bingo card that will allow the viewer to match each scene or idea with another movie. Main villain is actually the Father of the main character? Yup, that would be “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”. High-speed chases and battles as shown in a bleak landscape? “Mad Max: Fury Road”. A deadly cyborg who is conducting an unstoppable quest to find and kill a young woman? “The Terminator”, of course. Far future technology that looks like mid 1890’s Steampunk? How about “The Golden Compass”.

 

There are some wonderful ideas that could be developed for “Mortal Engines”. The biggest problem is that too much world-building and idea development and background exposition entirely drowns out the main story and any feeling that these are actual people. There is way more emphasis on action than there is on acting. Plus a total overload of motion and just a passing glace to human emotion. This might have worked out quite well as a limited series TV show, say on HBO or Netflix.

But this is big-budget  stand-alone movie – perhaps ready to spur on the other movie adaptations of other books. Maybe so, but this first ‘Engine’ has seized up and it is not working…

Ben is Back Movie Review

December 14, 2018 (updated December 14, 2018) Published by

“Ben is Back” is a family’s personal trip into the nightmare of addition, and how it destroys that family. The screenplay is written by Peter Hedges, and he is also the movie’s director. Plus, on top of that, he directs his own son, Lucas (who plays the aforementioned Ben). This is heavy lift, and the topic is dark and moody. But the acting and direction is very realistic, so it makes for an unsettling experience. The movie takes place right at Christmas time, but it is not filled with joyous Christmas spirit.

 

Holly Burns (Julia Roberts) has two children with her first husband, who is now out of the picture. Her children are Ben (Lucas Hedges) and Ivy (Kathryn Newton). Nice Christmas pairing, Holly and Ivy – right? However, with her new husband African-American Neal (Courtney B. Vance), he is bringing his two much younger children into the family. But the family unit has been fractured. Ben has a severe addition to drugs and he fell into a group of very unsavory characters. Ben got his girlfriend hooked, and she died of an overdose. So now Ben has been shipped away to a rehab center far away.

 

Except on this Christmas Eve day, Ben is back – meaning he left the rehab center to come home for Christmas. Holly is pleased, but she is also very wary about what Ben might be up to – or what trouble he might cause. Neal’s two younger kids love seeing the older brother whom they love. But Neal has many misgivings, seeing what happened with Ben in the recent past.  Also, his sister Ivy is pissed off, because she feels that Ben has come back to ruin it for everyone, like he has done in the past.

Holly sets up some stringent rules for Ben. She takes him to the mall to get new clothes, and they even get to a recovery meeting. Ben does seem to be making progress fighting off the addition urges, but Holly is still suspicious at anything that is out of the ordinary. Ban has made some enemies in the town, so there might be some blowback to his return. The family goes to church that night and all is merry and bright. Except when they get home and find that their home has been ransacked and their little family dog has been dog-napped.

 

Holly heads out with Ben to try and find out what is going on. The two of them are stuck together in a desperate search of the ghosts in Ben’s past. They must confront the demons of his addictive nature, and the scummy people who had dealt with in the bad old days. Ben is pushed to do things that his old nature would do in a heartbeat. But he has made it to 70 plus days of recovery, and he does not want to endanger his future. Holly sees that her son is in his element dealing with the seedy side of life. Can he fight off the evil addiction devils that are pursuing him? Can Holly make a leap of faith that Ben is really turned around in his life?

“Ben is Back” is a movie that keeps people aware of the destructive nature of addiction. The family unit is portrayed wonderfully by Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges playing as the hopeful mother (but wary) and her son who has strayed off the path one too often. Roberts puts in a moving performance, and the depth of her despair is tangible. Lucas likewise has many powerful scenes, and he is very believable. Kathryn Newton does another job as the younger sister of Ben who suspicious of his motives for coming back.

 

Peter Hedges has done decent job in creating this movie, and in being able to direct is own son as the character Ben. The movie hold together really well, but in the second half there are some areas where the plot slows down and turn into more of a by-the-book whodunit. The special relationship is broken when Holly and Ben go two different ways, and resulting scenes are not as strong.

 

However, there could be some Award nominations on the horizon for Julia Roberts and for Hedges, perhaps for both of them (Peter and Lucas).

 

In the Phoenix area, opens exclusively at Harkins Camvelview at Fashion Square.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (Netflix) Movie Review

December 7, 2018 (updated December 7, 2018) Published by

Just in the nick of time, there is a new movie called “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle”. It is based on Rudyard Kipling works, including “The Jungle Book”. But do not confuse this movie with other movies called “The Jungle Book” (versions released in 1967, 1994, and 2016) or “The Jungle Book: Mowgli’s Story” (1998) or “”The Jungle Book 2” (2003). Those other movies are not like this new movie, because this is based on “All the Mowgli Stories”. Also, it is not part of the Disney franchise, so there are no musical numbers or singing vultures.  Is does feature Mowgli, so that clears up everything for you…

Mowgli (Rohan Chand) is a boy orphaned in the jungles of India long ago. As a little baby, his parents are killed by the striped Bengal tiger named Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). Mowgli is found by Bagheera (Christian Bale) who is a black panther in the jungle. He finds the boy and leaves him with the nearby family of wolves. Mowgli knows that he is unusual, but he also knows that his wolf parents care for him. He is taught, like the other wolf cubs, by the Himalayan brown bear named Baloo (Andy Serkis). Mowgli learns of the Man Village, but he avoids it and wants no part of it. He knows that some day Shere Khan will return and will try and kill him. Mowgli plans to be ready for that day. There is an ancient python named Kaa (Cate Blanchett) who knows the past and the future. She knows that Mowgli can be a great leader in the jungle, or he might one day destroy their home.

The people of the Man Village have hired a Great White Hunter named Lockwood (Matthew Rhys) to track down and kill Shere Khan. Mowgli studies with Baloo, and he learns that he can use his human features to also be fast in the jungle. He can run upright, he can climb trees and swing on vines, and he can use tools. That makes Mowgli very different form the wolves. He is also different from other jungle creatures. Mowgli makes friends with the elephants, and one day he is kidnapped by the apes. He is almost turned over to Shere Khan by the apes, but he is rescued by the elephants, Bagheera and Baloo. Mowgli is found by the hunter Lockwood, and he stays for a while in the Man Village. But Mowgli knows that he must face Shere Khan some day, so he leaves the Village to find and fight the ruthless tiger.

So in case you have not seen any of the other five or so movies about the Jungle Book or about Mowgli, then this will not give away any surprise endings. But if you want to know “The Bare Necessities” about this movie, than you can “Trust in Me”. Andy Serkis has taken an old favorite and has given a new and talented cast a shot at making something different. He gets close to it in a few places, but the fact that everybody knows the story hold this adaptation back from being great. There is an amazing visual landscape that is created, and it all looks good. The CGI creatures created for the main animal characters are really well done. The voice acting is very convincing. There is a section of the movie where Mowgli spends in the Man Village, and that part has never been explored in the past.

Rohan Chand makes a very good impression as Mowgli, very skinny and spritely. He is very physical in this role, and he does it well. Christian Bale and Andy Serkis are very stable and upright as Bagheera and Baloo. They match up very well with the characters. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Shere Khan, but is couple of scenes he almost goes from drama to parody (“I will not rest until I drink the blood of the Man Cub !!!!”). The human characters (other than Mowgli) never too much attention. So this will be released to a limited run in theaters, but most of the viewing will be done when it gets to Netflix.

Roma Movie Review

December 6, 2018 (updated December 6, 2018) Published by

“ROMA” is a fantastic voyage back into the memory of Writer and Director Alfonso Cuarón. It is a lovingly filmed remembrance of his childhood, growing up in Mexico City. His family had a live-in housemaid who becomes an essential member of the family. He pays honor to her, and also to his own mother – both were strong women faced with difficult circumstances. But he has done so by creating this movie, which is an artistic bonanza of talent and beauty. Alfonso Cuarón has already won an Oscar, actually two (2014 “Gravity” – Academy Award for Best Director and Best Film Editing). So he did not have to prove anything. But Cuarón was busy with “ROMA”, working as Writer, Director, Co-Producer, Co-Editor, and Cinematographer.

Beginning back in 1970  and going through 1971, “ROMA” follows a middle-class family in a section of Mexico City named Roma. The mother Sofia (Marina de Tavira) and the father Antonio (Fernando Grediaga) have several young children. To help them with this unruly brood, they employ a young woman named Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio). She comes from a poor family out where the indigenous native Spanish live. But Cleo has been around with the family for many, many years, and she deeply cares for all of them. Also living with them is Teresa (Verónica García), who is Sofia’s elderly mother.

Antonio leaves on a ‘business trip’ to Canada, but the tears from Sofia show that there is a much more ominous reason. They have had marital problems, and he is leaving the family. Cleo steps up to be more supportive, and Sofia needs that support. But Cleo has a boyfriend problem. She has met Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero) who is a very blunt and tough-talking guy. He has big plans for his future, and she woos Cleo with his martial arts skills. But Cleo becomes pregnant, and soon Fermin disappears. She makes a trip out her native village one day, to try and contact him and let him know her situation. But he rebuffs her, and says he has better things to do.

There are exams in the hospital for Cleo, where an earthquake rumbles the entire area. There is a New Year’s outing to Sofia’s relative’s house.  It is fun time, until there is a forest fire near the house, and everyone runs out to help stop the fire. There is even help from a man in bear costume who sings a Mexican folk song. There is Cleo and Teresa who go out one day to purchase a crib for Cleo’s soon-to-be-born infant. However, there are street protests and some students are injured and killed. Some of the pursuers chase some people into the store, and Cleo sees that one of the thugs is Fermin.

Cleo is about to give birth during the street riots. The hospital is complete chaos. Cleo finds out that her baby is stillborn, and never had a chance to live. Sofia decides to take all of the kids and also Cleo out on a vacation to the ocean. She lets the kids know that their father Antonio will not be back home to live with them. Cleo is sad about her lost baby, but it is even more difficult for Sofia right now. The kids play in the ocean, but get caught in a strong current. Cleo, even with no ability to swim, goes into the water to make sure they are safe. Cleo becomes even more important in the lives of this family who live in Roma…

This movie is filmed in black and white, and it is almost 100% Spanish language. Many parts are very languid and easy-going. There is a simple story structure and it does not have a whole lot of details in the plot or the delivery. But each scene is constructed in such an artistic way that the movie is beautiful to watch. The sound design is very precise and detailed. A scene of Cleo in the ocean is overwhelming when the waves come in higher and higher. You can hear the roar of the ocean bringing more and more danger to her character. There are some scenes where small details in the background just seem to be astonishing. Such a man shot out from a cannon at a small village fair. Or the scene where the family is eating ice cream, but the main action is in the back where there is huge wedding reception. Or the look out of a window at small store, and seeing hundreds of people fleeing and fighting in the streets. The attention to every detail is very impressive.

Alfonso Cuarón has used “ROMA” to make a statement about the two special women who had raised him as a child. He is taking the memories of his childhood and giving them new life on the Big Screen. But soon, it will be also on the Not-So-Big Screen. After a limited release in theaters, he will also get it released to streaming service Netflix. Some people are not too happy with that. But it will give many more people the chance to see this movie. Perhaps that will gain him the following and the goodwill to spark another Oscar. This time for Best Picture.

Opens December 6th – in Phoenix area, exclusively at Harkins Camelview

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.

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