JMcNaughton, Author at tmc.io 🍿 watch movies with friends 44

The 15:17 to Paris Movie Review

February 8, 2018 Published by JMcNaughton

Europe be saved from extremists by a young group of Americans on vacation, going to France? Well, in one case, that is exactly what happened. In the summer of 2015, there were three friends who were backpacking across the continent, and they managed to be in the right place at the right time. It also helped that they did the right thing, that is – stop a major attack from happening on a high-speed train traveling to Paris. Everyone could have been killed, and they helped to stop the worst-case scenario. This movie is a depiction of that event, and the lives of the three young American men. They also happen to play themselves, not as a gimmick, but to keep the story as true as possible.

“The 15:17 to Paris” gets into the events of the train attack, but first it goes back to the high school days of the three guys who develop a bond that will last for many years. When they are finally out of school, each will decide what they will do with their lives. Spencer Stone (played by Spencer Stone) joins up with the Air Force and learns some life skills. Alek Skarlatos (played by Alek Skarlatos) gets into the National Guard and spends a tour in Afganistan. Anthony Sadler (played by Anthony Sadler) goes to college to become smarter and to learn about the world. They all decide that a trip to Europe would do them all a world of good. Spencer and Anthony get to Italy and then go to Venice. At that same time, Alek meets up with an exchange student in Germany.

The early years of the three guys get illuminated in flashbacks about how they all met. Young Spencer and his mom (Judy Greer) and neighbors to young Alec and his mom (Jenna Fischer) The two boys meet with young Anthony at school, and they all get along quite well. They spend time playing and sometimes get into trouble. But when they all grow up, that is when the real adventure starts. They all meet up in the Europe trip in Germany, and then spend some time in Amsterdam. But they are convinced by many people to make a final trip to Paris, just because it is a beautiful place. And they are in luck, because they can take the 15:17 to Paris…

However, on this particular train, there is also a passenger with very bad intent. Ayoub El-Khazzani (Ray Corasani) has brought aboard a few extra items, such as an AK-47, a hand gun, a knife, and large supply of ammo. This guy decides to take out as many people as he can in the train compartment. But little does he know that Spencer, Alek and Anthony are also aboard. It just so happens that they have a particular set of skills that just might save the day. They all face-off against El-Khazzani to give him a very bad, very no-good day. Of course, there are a couple of other people involved with taking down the terrorist and saving the day, but the biggest flag waves for the Americans.

Clint Eastwood has taken a big chance and made a bold gamble. With casting the actual guys that where there on that day, he gives a large responsibility to some people who are not professional actors. In fact, many of the actual passengers on that train are given an opportunity to recreate a moment of terror and the relief of getting control of the situation. The three come through with excellent results; after all they are playing themselves. They might have a handful of times that the acting is a tad bit rough and unrefined. But it does shine through to give a very unique view from the eyes of those who were deeply involved.

Eastwood takes his steady and trained hand to guide the (non) actors to perform the events of their lives again, but this time for our benefit. The movie is focused on the one main event, but it goes into details about how all three of these guys wound up there on that train. There are times where the movie starts to drag a bit, as you learn a little more about what these guys want out of life. But with a brisk run time, there is no time to get bored. That is because each scene is designed to being you to the main event.

This movie has the ‘true story’ aspect down to a tee. That is mostly because the actual participants are the actors. That says a lot about how important Eastwood thinks this movie will be. His vision keeps “The 15:17 to Paris” on track…

Battalion (Video on Demand) Movie Review

February 7, 2018 Published by JMcNaughton

Science Fiction and War type movies are difficult to do on a tight budget. Especially when they are done for around 50,000 Australian Dollars. The result is a very decent attempt at watchable movie. But the crude special effects, rough acting ability and jumbled plot lines are all working against the independent release called “Battalion”. This mixed-up mash-up of lots of other (and better) movies make this one DOA. Seeing that other movies, such as “Independence Day”, “Battle: Los Angeles”, “Starship Troopers” and even “Skyline” have done this same thing before, make this movie limp into the starting gate, just to go nowhere.

The story is as such: John Blake (Jesse Richardson) is a cool surfer dude style slacker in sunny California. Tracey Gleeson (Ellen Williams) is a lecturer at an Ivy League school in New England. John has a ‘brother’ named Chris Jackson (Michael Thomson), and Chris is a Marine. He is like a brother because the Jackson family took John in as a little boy when his parents died. Chris is very moody due to the war he has been fighting in South Africa. Tracey is wondering with her first date about the meaning of life and if there is a parallel universe. But then the low-rent special effects take over to show that an alien race of robots come to Earth to destroy everything.

The alien spaceships come from a parallel universe and destroy much of L.A. thus killing Chris Jackson’s family, and John Blake’s adopted family. Chris goes back to fight, because – after all – he is a Marine. And guess what? John and Tracey both join up, and they enter the Marines. But they are sent to train with… you guessed it Chris Jackson. And he will take no Schlitz from nobody. The training ramps up, and they all go into combat. Located of course in Australia. There are some magnificent views of the beautiful shoreline and the wonderful areas in Australia and New Zealand. But they keeps getting ruined by coming back to a second-rate story and Grade-Z level ‘special effects’.

Lots of fades to black later, the story gets to a time where Chris finally goes nuts, Johns steps up to lead, and Tracey is the only one who can face off and sacrifice to stop the aliens. It all works out, sort of, in the end. Much of the world is destroyed, and more fighting must continue, but John is no longer a slacker out to play rooftop football. How inspiring!

I must give the guys behind this some credit to come up with a (mostly) original story with a Sci-Fi twist and with War of the World themes. But overall, the production values are very low-rent. The special effect CGI could have been done better with “Call of Duty” graphics. The ADR (post production voice dubbing) is bad. Even the scenes inside a car, looking out a moving image on a ‘green screen’ are troublesome. The time sequence is all over the place, with starting in the present, then going back seven months and then cutting back and forth at random.

The acting is nothing awful, but it could be better. Ellen Williams has a bit of charm with her role as Tracey, and Jesse Richardson has the surfer dude life down pat. Also, Michael Thomson has some biting lines as Chris – who is suffering from a complete lack of hope and sinking into a depression. But there are many ‘Down-Under’ actors doing many of the other roles, and quite often the accent comes out here and there. Even if they are supposed to be American Marines, or what not…

This movie is attempting to make its life running as ‘Video on Demand’ . Good on Ya Mate! But next time, don’t so much for shrimp to throw on the barbie… Try to get a few more bucks for the special effects, righty-oh?

Maze Runner: The Death Cure Movie Review

January 26, 2018 (updated January 25, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“The Maze Runner” series is a young adult dystopian fiction (is there any other kind?) that deals with teens in a critical situation when the world goes haywire. “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” is the final chapter of the three books converted into movies. The books/movies have been pretty popular, but the quality is sometime lacking. This latest serving assumes that you have a precise knowledge of the prior two movies, “The Maze Runner” and “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials“. If you are not familiar with them, you could be in for a shock.

The movie barrels right into the action as if the “Fast and Furious” was the guiding light from Heaven. With nothing in the way of introduction, it gets straight into a train robbery right off the bat. But they are not stealing cars, they are releasing prisoners. There are the goody guys against a wicked organization called WCKD. Great use of subtlety here, right? Anyway, the train is carrying captive kids from the prior movies, and they are being taken for more experiments. Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is the leader with Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Brenda (Rosa Salazar) and Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) helping him to get all the kids freed. Vince (Barry Pepper) is also an ally who can get the materials the need to attack the train.

Thomas and Newt are from the “Glade”, and they escaped with Minho (Ki Hong Lee) who has been captured. He was taken when another person from the Glade, named Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), turned traitor and gave Minho up to WCKD. Now Teresa works for the evil agency with Dr. Ava Paige (Patricia Clarkson), who is studying the kids to see why they have an immune gene to prevent a disease called the “Flare”. WCKD is also run by a slimy guy named Janson (Aidan Gillen), who will stop at nothing to get the “Glade” kids and keep them captive for more study.

Minho was not found on the train, so he is still captured and taken into the WCKD-run Last City, a final place for civilization that is free from the Flare virus. Thomas and Newt and friends find an old-time Glader named Galley (Will Poulter) who was missing for a long time. Galley can get into the city, so there they can search for Minho and free him. Thomas will work with a new partner named Lawrence (Walton Goggins) who is suffering from the Flare and is ebbing away. Thomas can bring back a serum from in the city where Dr. Paige and Teresa are doing the terrible experiments. When they find and release Minho, then will also bring back all the serum, which is known as the “Death Cure”.

When they enter the City and attack WCKD headquarters, it all goes sideways. There are outrageous plans to get imprisoned kids and free them and take them away on a bus. They find Minho and get him free, but by that time the City is under attack from Lawrence and his minions of Flare-infected followers. Teresa tries to get Thomas to stay and help because he is the key to the cure. Dr. Paige is ready to leave and escape, but the evil Janson will prevent anyone from leaving. Newt and Thomas are about to escape, but Newt is has been ill for some time. Who will live? Who will die? And who can make it out alive?

There is so much stuffed into this movie that it only moves forward with the full-on action sequences. There is very little exposition that connects to any of the prior movies, so the audience needs to know a lot of details from all that happened before. Characters are introduced, or reintroduced, without much fanfare about where you might have seen them before. The explanation of what the main story is about is left to seeing the action and knowing which group is the good people and which are the bad guys.

Granted, there are many well constructed action pieces that have you following along with excitement. But the characters are mostly cardboard cutouts of real people, and not given much depth or deeper meaning. With the action as the greatest asset in the movie, all the actors and acting talent become nothing more than pawns on a chessboard. They move back and forth, and there is a lot happening, but nothing really is revealed.

The practical visual effects and the CGI effects blend in pretty well. It is a well designed movie and the places look futuristic and potentially frightening. But there is no better purpose but to finish up the story that was started a couple movies back. Most things get wrapped up, presuming that you kept track of who was from what prior movie and who did what back then. There is a lot of action and it keeps going on for almost two and a half hours.

Director Wes Ball has actually been in charge of all three of the “Maze Runner” movies. He could have used a better editor, who could have taken this movie and focused the main action into a narrower path. By the time this movie ends, you are glad you made it out of the “Maze”…

Mom and Dad Movie Review

January 22, 2018 (updated January 22, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

Say you could take a movie like “The Happening“, where a mysterious plague overcomes people and makes them want to commit suicide, but it changes the results a little. Now, it only affects the parents, who exhibit a change in the attitude from protecting their children, to instead wanting to kill them. Now add the forever crazy antics of Nicolas Cage and you have “Mom and Dad”, bizarre creation that gives you another reason to demand that Cage hand back that Oscar he won back in 1995.

Brent Ryan (Nicolas Cage) and his wife Kendal (Selma Blair) have the ideal life in the suburbs with their two kids. Carly (Anne Winters) is a teen-ager in high school, and Josh (Zackary Arthur) is her younger brother. The whole family gets along pretty well, but Ryan is dealing with a mid-life crisis and Kendall wants to be back in a creative job like she used to have. Carly and her friend Riley (Olivia Crocicchia) would like more freedom to have fun. Carly has a boyfriend Damon (Robert T Cunningham), but Brent does not like him because he is older, and he is black.

But there is a sudden turn in events. The parents are overcome by an insatiable urge to murder their children. Regardless of age or disposition, they are driven like wild animals to slaughter the fruit from their loins. It happens slowly over the course of one day, and then the first reports come in of dead children. The news is ablaze with reports of theories of all sorts. It could be unusual microbe activity in the water, or a sinister plot of an evil foreign nation. But these parents are compelled to kill the lovely little shining stars in their lives. They are guided by an unseen desire to destroy their spawn.

Carly and Joshua are caught up in the murder spree that is about to imposed by their parents, Brent and Kendall. The can hide and they can run, but they have nowhere else to go. Damon has been able to escape his own death-by-paternal-unit, so he comes by to help. Carly is clever in ways that can fight back, so she can survive with her brother. Oh, and of course, this all happens on the night that Brent’s own parents are coming over for dinner. His dad Mel (Lance Henriksen) is of course under the same spell and feels the need to do the dirty deed – kill his own son in a gruesome manner.

Yes, this is a frankly bizarre and twisted movie. But it is a crazy set-up that seems tailor-made for the frantic and manic performances for which Nicolas Cage is most famous. And he does not disappoint here at all. In a sequence (a flashback that is set weeks before the weird killing virus), Cage plays Brent at home in the basement constructing a large pool table. And then in a fit of rage and fury, he destroys the same pool table with a sledgehammer, all while singing the “Hokey Pokey”. Ridiculous? Yes, it is – but at the same time it is fascinating to watch.

Brian Taylor is also the writer and director (with partner Mark Neveldine) of movies like “Crank”, Crank: High Voltage” and “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”. That is, writing and directing movies that are so tilted and perversely skewed is second nature to him. So this movie fits quite well into his wheelhouse.

Is this movie great or meaningful? Is it even good? The movie is competently made, but the soundtrack does not fit at all. The acting is somewhat uneven. Cage and Blair are really good, but there is no depth to being depraved. Anne Winters is the best, because she has a real emotion of fear and wanting to protect her much younger brother.

I just want to see this family at the next Thanksgiving dinner…

In Phoenix area, playing only at the Harkins Valley Art in Tempe.

2017 Box Office Number 1 Movies

January 8, 2018 Published by JMcNaughton

Box Office results for 2017

Movies that reached Number 1 – three weeks in a row

Split
Fate of the Furious
The Hitmans’s Bodyguard
Coco

Not quite as impressive – these 9 movies reached Number 1 – but only two weeks in a row

Hidden Figures
Beauty and the Beast
The Boss Baby
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Wonder Woman
Dunkirk
It
Thor: Ragnorok
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Also, note that Hidden Figures was on the 2016/2017 year end divide, but it did not finish 2016 as Number 1.

There were 20 other movies that reached Number 1 for a single week (and did not repeat)

The Post Movie Review

January 5, 2018 (updated January 5, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“The Post” is a terrific movie that deserves to be seen and deserves to be rewarded. This movie is not just yesterday’s news…

Father Figures Movie Review

December 22, 2017 (updated December 21, 2017) Published by JMcNaughton

“Father Figures” is a movie about fraternal twins who go out on the road to find their real father. The two guys were told by their mother that dad died soon after they were born. But she has hidden the truth, and now these two brothers want to find out what really happened. The mom had lied because she was embarrassed at how she behaved in the swinging 70’s and she did not want the boys to know too much. But now forty years later, the truth must come out.

Peter Reynolds (Ed Helms), an uptight and repressed doctor, had always thought that his dad was long gone. But when his mom, Helen Baxter (Glenn Close) , gets married – he and his brother found out the truth. His brother Kyle (Owen Wilson) is a easy-going surfer dude from Hawaii. He happened to get picked for a gig posing for a hot sauce label picture when he was young, and it has paid him off handsomely. Peter has always been jealous that Kyle never had to work hard to get ahead…

Peter and Kyle find out that Helen was a free-love hippie type in the 70’s, and she went with many different guys. She knows that one of them is the father, but she still will not say for sure. She first thinks it was probably her love interest back then, Terry Bradshaw. Yes, the former quarterback and Fox Sports analyst Bradshaw. They travel to meet him, and they get along really well. But that potential father does not exactly pan out, so they try another man named Ronald Hunt (J. K. Simmons).

Hunt is weird and mysterious, but turns out to be a thief and a miscreant. And he also cannot be related to Kyle and Peter. Hunt does give them a name of another man only known as ‘Sparkly P’. The brothers are very confused about where to go next. They find a guy out on the road needing a ride north. They pick up the hitchhiker (Katt Williams) who is first mistaken as a black serial killer, but later becomes a back-seat therapist to the constant bickering between Peter and Kyle.

Peter meets a very nice woman named Sarah (Katie Aselton) that turns into a long awaited one-night stand. Peter had been divorced for many years, and is too tense with women to ask anyone out. He and Sarah hookup, and Kyle acts a polite wingman for the occasion. Sarah disappears early the next day, they lose track of her. But later the two brothers find a lead on the ‘Sparkly P’ character and it leads them to a retired policeman. But he winds up dead a few days prior, and the wake is at his house. That is where they happen to see Peter’s new girlfriend. But could they be related? The policeman’s brother says no, it was another of Helen’s boyfriends in the 70’s.

They travel back home to see if it is Helen’s final boyfriend. He is Dr. Walter Tinkler, a local veterinarian (Christopher Walken). But soon after meeting Tickler and their mother, she tells them the truth. That makes all the difference, and they a no longer interested in doing any more searching for anyone.

This movie seems to spend a lot of time traveling, but it never seems to get anywhere. The plot meanders quite a lot. The jokes are funny in some parts, but they can also fall very flat. The whole concept is OK, but there is not a lot of meat on this bone. The characters are mostly dull and without too much spark. The ridiculous nature of what is going on strains the humor. Oh yeah, it’s funny when someone gets run into by a car… Wow, what a gag – the car gets hit by a train, and now his brother might be dead. What a riot…

Owen Wilson plays the person that Owen Wilson always plays. He is a good-natured slacker with an offbeat sense of humor. Ed Helms plays the white and uptight guy that he is known for in most all his performances. Glenn Close is OK as a mother with a mysterious past. J. K. Simmons looks like is having fun playing a nasty bastard. Katt Williams is good, but his role is short and they do not treat his character very well. Christopher Walken is in a quick cameo in a short segment. Katie Aselton is cute and spritely in a mindless role.

So, if it comes time to hit the road to look for your own father, you can do better than these clowns did in “Father Figures”. This is a road trip that quickly runs out of gas…

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Movie Review

December 20, 2017 (updated December 20, 2017) Published by JMcNaughton

Back in 1995, the movie “Jumanji” was made from the book, ad Robin Williams was again top with audiences. But that time is gone, so now the next best thing will be.. ‘The Rock’? Yes, Dwayne Johnson has found his way into “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”, and world is a better place for that. The old-style board game of Jumanji is now updated to a 1995 ‘Jumanji’ Nintendo-style video game, with all the basic danger and suspense intact. Instead of Williams getting sucked into a board game, there are four 2017 teens who get the Jumanji video treatment, getting sucked into a world of avatars and multiple lives.

Four teens in high school get detention and are placed into a dusty and dank basement. They are Spencer (a video-game nerd), “Fridge” (a black football star), Bethany (a phone-obsessed drama queen) and Martha (a shy and bookish girl). These four get sucked into “Jumanji”, a video-game version of the original board game. They take the appearance of the character they have selected. Spencer becomes Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), a muscle-bound explorer. Fridge as selected Franklin “Moose” Finbar, who is short zoologist with a large weapons cache. Martha picked Ruby Roundhouse, and she is a powerful commando and fighter. Bethany is now Professor Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon, an older man who has a lot of knowledge that can be very useful.

They find that they all have various strengths and weaknesses as the avatars. Well, except for Bravestone, he is so tough that he has no weaknesses. They also find that they have three ‘lives’. Each one can die in the Jumanji game, and then they will come back to play it again. There is some video-game type plot of finding a missing jewel and returning it to the jaguar statue, then calling out the name to win the game — blah, blah, blah… But they all need to work together to make this happen so they can return to the real world. They also find another player, named Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough (Nick Jonas). Seaplane is an avatar for a guy named Alex, who had gone missing back in 1995. He has hidden himself away to prevent using up his final life.

There is also a Jumanji evil ruler named John Hardin Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale). He is looking for the magic jewel and will at nothing to prevent Bravestone and company from achieving the goal. He has a bunch of evil henchman and can use the creatures of the forest to help him find and stop the group from winning the game. There are many places that they all visit, and some clues that they must figure out. But mostly, they learn to trust in each other and dig deep to find the special talents that each of them possesses.

This a movie that not an ordinary sequel. It is a sequel in spirit, but it comes at it in a whole new way. The idea of somehow becoming part of the inside of the video game makes it more fun. In a way, this is like “Tron”, but this does more to get into the game specifics. The group of avatars are so different than the actual people that they portray, that it becomes a funny gag just itself. All of the main actors get a chance to poke a little fun at their own image, and joke about the things that make them unique.

Dwayne Johnson is as he always is – playing a version of Dwyane Johnson. But he is very funny to play against his own type. Kevin Hart is OK, but his character does wear a little thin after a while. Karen Gillan seems to have a lot of fun, playing an uptight girl in the body of a strong and wild woman. Jack Black does a major, classic and amazing job getting the nuances of speech and behavior of teenage girl — just perfectly getting everything just right. Nick Jonas does not have as much time on the screen, but his role is fun and he does a really good job. Bobby Cannavale plays the villain, and that is about all that can be said.

Perhaps this version will not become a treasured childhood movie, like the original “Jumanji”. It does have some big shoes to fill, with the original starring Robin Williams and being very high up on most people’s list. But if you give this one a chance, you can find that regardless if you play board games or video games, this movie will have a solid place in your trophy chest.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

December 15, 2017 (updated December 13, 2017) Published by JMcNaughton

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” continues the new story of the Skywalker Saga begun in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. That prior movie was a smash hit, and it set the table set for many options and story lines. So, now this next step in the story takes some very bold moves and it makes a solid impact on the Star Wars legacy. Rian Johnson has created a masterful addition to the line of ‘Star Wars’ movies, and he can be proud that his is among the best.

Based on the prior ‘Force Awakens’ movie, there are some old favorites and some new characters in the current movie. The Resistance is led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). The secluded Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has been located by Rey (Daisy Ridley). Luke had been isolated on a remote planet by choice because he failed in training new Jedi students, including his nephew Ben Solo (Adam Driver). Ben has turned to the Dark Side of the Force, led by Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) a cruel master of the First Order. His group has taken over the galactic government and rules by military might. Ben Solo is now known as Kylo Ren, and he is responsible for death of his father. His mother is Leia and she is on the run from the First Order.

General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) is Snoke’s current henchman, and his troops are hunting down the Resistance. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is a hot-shot Resistance pilot who leads a daring raid on Snoke’s star fleet. His new friend Finn (John Boyega) is ready for action. Finn is a former Stormtrooper, but he switched sides to join the Resistance. He meets up with Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), who has low-level job but will become a major asset to Finn.

Rose and Finn set out on a quest to find a person who can get them access into First Order Star Destroyer craft. Luke meets Rey on his isolation planet, but he is not moved to join up and help the Resistance. Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) is assisting Rey to convince Luke to come back. Chewy soon becomes friends with the little creatures on the island called Porgs. They are like mini penguin-type birds with huge expressive eyes.

Rey has a strong connection with the Force that is unexplained. Her power becomes big concern for Luke, because he had seen that before in Ben Solo. But when Ben turned to the Dark Side and became Kylo Ren, Luke knew he had failed. Rey had fought Kylo Ren (in the prior movie) and now they have some type of telepathic bond. They can communicate and they know that something big is about to happen.

Rose and Finn find a nameless thief (Benicio del Toro) on a distant planet called Canto Bight. This low-life thief says he is a master codebreaker who can get into the Star Destroyer and stop General Hux from catching Leia and the Resistance remnants. Leia suffers in an attack and is put into medical sick bay. The command passes to Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern), who stops Poe from attempting to attack Snoke’s star fleet. They have suffered too many losses.

Rey and Kylo Ren join up in a light saber battle in Supreme Leader Snoke’s headquarter office, with red-robed Guards protecting him. Thsis sequence is a magnificent production of fight choreography that just elevates the entire movie. Rose and Finn are caught and are threatened by Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie). Phasma was Finn’s old boss as the commander of the Stormtroopers. BB-8 is a personable little droid, who was saved in the prior movie by Rey, and now is very helpful to Rose and Finn.

Poe is working to undermine Vice Admiral Holdo’s command, but Leia comes back to be in control. There is a major sacrifice made to allow the remaining Resistance fighters to escape Hux and Kylo Ren. There is a final battle in an old Resistance base on a nearby planet. This allows for a major one-on-one battle between Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker, which can be described as an ultimate ‘Jedi Mind Trick’.

The build-up for this movie has been huge, and Rian Johnson has delivered a major success. The story line fits in perfectly with the prior movie, and the original characters are well placed in the overall structure. There is a welcome amount of humor and lightness, along with the heavier aspects of life and death, sacrifice and treachery, and good versus evil.

There are strong characters and a good mix of people facing tough decisions, and then dealing with the consequences. The acting is top notch all around. Special kudos to Mark Hamill, who is coming back to a character he has not portrayed in decades. Plus, the visual shot selection and special effects are outstanding. Also, the wonderful John Williams is back doing the music that made him a legend back in the day…

Is it the most perfect movie? It is a bit over-long, and there are some extra moments that go on too long. The whole section with Finn and Rose going to Canto Bight and meeting up with the ‘thief’ breaks the rhythm of the overall movie. There dangerous villains that are disposed of too quickly. The plot point of Luke refusing to help out, but then changing his mind is a bit obvious. But beyond the nit-pick items, this is one damn fine movie. There are even little bits with R2-D2, and C-3PO, and with the Master Yoda’s ghost…

And the most important thing – no Porgs were injured during the filming of this movie!

Wonder Wheel Movie Review

December 8, 2017 (updated December 6, 2017) Published by JMcNaughton

“Wonder Wheel” is a new movie from Woody Allen full of drama and dialogue, Allen’s favorite topics. However, in this case the drama is weak and the dialogue is ponderous and overblown. Woody Allen is not devoid of talent, but in this case, he seems to have misplaced his writing skills. They were replaced with a first-year college student attempt at writing ‘serious’ drama. The story is very slim and the characters are two-dimensional at best. The actors are giving it their best shot, but it’s hard to make an impact with such light-weight material.

In 1950 at Coney Island, there is a large Ferris wheel ride called (strangely enough) “Wonder Wheel”. Ginny (Kate Winslet) is a failed actress with a young son, and her first husband left her. She is now married to Humpty (Jim Belushi), an easy-going guy who works at the merry-go-round in the amusement park. Humpty and Ginny, who works as a waitress at a bar in the park, both live with her son in a tiny apartment next to the Wonder Wheel. They have little money, and things are usually tense between them. But it is about to get worse.

Humpty has a grown daughter from his first marriage, named Carolina (Juno Temple). She had left and gotten married to a gangster, and Humpty was not pleased. But her marriage went bad, and she left the mob life, and then talked with the FBI. Carolina is now a marked woman, and she is being chased by some thugs who want to kill her. But Carolina goes back to the one place that she knows will have someone to take her in. She goes back to Humpty and his meager life. But she will now share a space with Humpty and Ginny and her son, and this makes everyone feel on edge. She also has dangerous thugs coming after her, so everyone is also very nervous.

Ginny destroyed her first marriage by being unfaithful, and she is again falling into this same pattern this time. She is sneaking away to make time to be with Mickey (Justin Timberlake). He is a grad student and works as a summer lifeguard in the park. Mickey also acts a narrator during the entire movie, which makes his character seem even more awkward. He talks a good game to Ginny, so much so that she thinks he is truly in love with her. Mickey then meets Carolina, so his infatuation is torn between the two women. Ginny is furious and makes several bad decisions that will affect everyone involved.

There are numerous loose ends and unanswered plot points. Ginny takes a lot of money that Humpty had saved, and she spent it on Mikey. Ginny’s son has a habit of starting fires and causing destruction. Ginny’s first husband was a drummer and she was an actress, but all of these things are mentioned and appear to have some deeper meaning. But nothing becomes of any of the things that get mentioned and discussed. So why bring any of these up at all? No answer…

There is something very odd about the screen images at some points. There are times when the screen is awash in a garish reddish-orange color, but it slowly turns into a dark blue tint. Sometimes a character is in a harsh bright light, and then other times when they are hidden in shadow and darkness. Part of this is supposed to reflect living under the lights of the Ferris wheel next door. But it is not a good look for the movie. The characters are subject to a weird pattern of lighting that does not look realistic.

The screenplay is a major sticking point. The dialog seems very ‘theater’ based, and not so much prepared for a cinematic experience. The script feels very full of high ideals and expectations. But it fails to deliver on any of it. There is talk of metaphors and allusions to great theater works, but it just shows how weak this story line is compared to those major works. The actors are doing a admirable job putting their best effort into the movie. However, the result is off-the-mark because the story and the dialog lets them down. Woody Allen has made some very memorable movies. This is not one of those movies.

Coney Island is probably a great place to visit in real life. The actual Wonder Wheel looks very impressive and must be a fun ride. But the Woody Allen treatment of “Wonder Wheel” is not all that good. His version goes around and around, but it never gets you anywhere. This one from Allen is not worth the ride.

Author: JMcNaughton