The Wedding Plan Movie Review

A devoutly religious woman by the name of Michal (Koler), an Orthodox Jew, is dumped by her fiancĂ©, Gidi, as they are making their wedding plans.  He acts strangely; she asks ‘why;’ he scolds her to put it all on her and then tells her he doesn’t love her.  Nice guy.  Regardless, it breaks her heart and she feels terrible about herself.  She wants to know what is wrong with her but being a woman who never questions God she knows she is loved by Him; therefore, he has a divine plan.  This being the case than the proposed ceremony should still go on.  It isn’t Gidi she needs to love her; God does and He will provide.  She has to believe it and trust Him.

So, from Shimi, the man who owns the wedding hall, Michal keeps the date as it was, (the eighth night of Hanukkah) books the hall and sends out the invitations to her guests.  Her groom will come.  This is a small task for God to get her a husband.  She may lack courage but he is omniscient.  So, with faith in hand, she gets some matchmakers on the job so she can meet more men to speed up the process of the remaining days for her prince to come. 

These men are, we’ll say, interesting!  One captivating scene is with a quirky man who won’t look at her because he only wants to gaze upon his wife.  He does like her and during this blind date, actually, proposes.  I’ll let you find out what happens next but it is amusing and their behavior is thought-provoking.  Everything she does is thought provoking.  It’s quite something watching her grow as a person.  Maybe because she cleanses herself by admitting that she desperate and doesn’t want to be alone anymore but in searching for someone to love her she’s finding her true self; her own identity, something she doesn’t think she poses or has the right to.  She tells her Rabbi, who is appauled she’s asking for a miracle, that she isn’t asking anything from God, only asking herself to believe in His plan.  However, she does want to know, at this point, why she was created if she’s a phony with little hope.  Still, she remains resolute.

She sees her sister in a crazy marriage of fighting for the other’s attention and she doesn’t want this but wants the life of a married woman, even if that’s what she ends up with.  She wants a life where she isn’t only being invited places but is doing the inviting.  She wants respect and she knows this will all come from having a spouse.  At thirty-two, Michal thinks she’s practically a spinster.  As the date she’s given herself to find Mr. Right draws near, family and friends are starting to have doubt but she’s holding firm.  Of the blind dates she’s endured, one possible match, Assaf, has stood out above the rest.  He may be the one but it seems he won’t be back in town before the day of the wedding.  She meets a gorgeous, very sweet, genuine, caring popstar, Yos (Zehavi) who is interested in her.  She’s almost certain he’s having fun with her but will he be the one?

I really enjoyed this movie!  It’s a great concept and the execution couldn’t have been better.  The cast was absolutely outstanding and the music!  Oh, the music is wonderful.  Soundtrack purchase for this gal!  The songs Yos sings are heard throughout the movie and they’re deep and meaningful and each piece is piercing and memorable.  Zehavi is beautiful in the film and gives the audience the glimmer of hope that Michal will be fine in the end.  Koler, in her first film role, took Michal on and showed her strengths, her weaknesses; she was cute, charming, she was nasty and could be cruel.  She was incredibly honest in her betrayal of someone who has always hidden from the truth.  I recommend The Wedding Plan highly.  I had a visceral reaction to this film because I got so involved in Michal’s outcome that I may or may not have hit the screen a few times.  Anyway, it is in subtitles but you can handle it.  It’s a marvelous story
 one that comes down to the wedding day.  She’s at the alter in her dress; waiting.  Will someone come?  If so, is it the right one
 the one you want her to be with?  Watch and find out.

Phoenix!  It’s playing starting today at Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square!

Alien: Covenant Movie Review

While the Alien Covenant film is tolerable, mostly due to the visuals, the crew you should be rooting for during any crisis they may be facing is less than memorable.  None of the characters are especially noteworthy and you won’t grow particularly fond of anyone as the story progresses.  It’s this connection that’s needed and is so important for a story like this to propel you into the world they inhabit. 

Fearing for a character’s safety, especially in this particular franchise, is paramount to it being a success.  Though Covenant does bring back the horror element that was more dominant in the first film, Alien, it doesn’t quite capture the consternation that the original had.  That said, it is more on the gory side of the horror, sci-fi genre.   It’s set about a decade in the aftermath of Prometheus, a film not well loved by the Alien faithful.  Though the film may not have been well received, Michael Fassbender was and is in this film, as well.  He’s back as David and also as Walter, another synthetic.  Walter looks like David, has many of the qualities of David except for one little important difference.  I’ll let you discover that on your own.

Walter Minds the crew and the ship, Covenant, as its crew members and cargo of pilgrims make their journey to another planet similar to our own in the hopes of colonizing it.  A short time passes and, of course, insert one of the typical problems that happen in films where spaceships are floating along in deep space; they’re hit by something that does damage.  This also awakens most of the crew who have been in a deep sleep
 killing a few along the process.

They receive a strange message from a planet closer to the one they had originally charted their course for.  This seems a little too convenient but the captain (Crudup) says it’ll be worth a shot and they set out for this planet instead.  This is where it really gets sloppy because the things these skilled professionals are doing say to a filmgoer that the filmmaker doesn’t take your intelligence into consideration when creating a story.  Several things happen that get different members of the crew ill when they land on this unknown land.  They aren’t really quarantined which leads to more devastation but at least it’s entertaining.  Per usual, the effects are great and the visuals of the first person, who shows signs of being taken over by a foreign entity and thusly being killed by it, is ghoulish and eerie
 everything you could have hoped for.

Eventually they find David who has been alone here (obviously he’s the one who would have sent the message for them to pick up) and he and Walter get to know one another; and as long as you don’t get lost as to which is which it’s fairly easy to deduce that one is up to something and the other is now a useful pawn.

A spaceship has issues; check.  We have aliens; check.  The film has formulaic touches you’d expect it to have; check.  Unfortunately, its pacing is slow and flat in the beginning and the characters so drab, (which is sad because one is supposed to be the descendant of Ripley from Alien) that it’s hard to really get into it.  There are so many, if you really want to tear it apart, problems with it that if you concentrate on them, your brain will explode so, best not to.  One specific thing I feel I must address, though, is their brains.  This crew does this for a living and they just disregard all policy, procedure, rules and
 all common sense the minute they land on a strange planet?!  It makes no sense so try not to think about it too much.  Just let things that defy logic or are the completely unexplained go.  If you love sci-fi films and the Alien franchise as a whole, you might have some need for this.  You’re not going to totally dislike it, you’re just not going to love it.  It’s not the worst of the bunch; however, it’s certainly not the best.  Rumor is there will be a few more of these
 I hope Scott turns the helm over to someone who can steer a little better.

ALIEN: COVENANT Official Channels

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Everything, Everything Movie Review

Who’s ready for a teenage girl version of “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble”? What, no show of hands? Well, get ready anyway – because “Everything, Everything” will have you wishing you were inside your own bubble. The disease that forces you keep away from everything, everything is severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). This is reason for the main character never leaving the house.

Maddy (Amandla Stenberg) is 18 and she has been kept in a sterile cocoon that is her house, where she lives with her mother, Dr. Whittier (Anika Noni Rose). Dr. Mom has lost her husband and son in a terrible car crash 16 years ago, so she is determined never to lose Maddy. So Maddy has been determined to have SCID, and as a result, her Dr. Mom has made the house into a germ fortress. There is an airlock at the front door. There are antibiotic soaps everywhere, and the place is kept spic and span. Maddy has a nurse, Carla (Ana de la Reguera) who tends to her when Dr. Mom is on duty elsewhere.

One day some new neighbors move in next door. They have a son about the same age as Maddy. His name is Olly (Nick Robinson), and he is very different that Maddy. Olly wears black, and he has an attitude. Maddy wears white and she always thinks of pleasant and interesting things. They have rooms that face each other on the second floor, so soon they are texting away. But since Maddy is not allowed out, and Olly is not allowed in, the movie makes many of these texting conversations as if they are done in real life. Maddy has a great imagination, so she imagines the actual Maddy and actual Olly – being together in a small model of a diner, or model of a library.

 

Maddy convinces Nurse Carla to let Olly come in to visit. Awkwardness ensues, and it gets worse when Dr. Mom finds out. Carla is fired and Maddy gets her phone and internet taken away. Oh, heavens – child abuse! But she is still infatuated with Olly, and she finds it incredibly easy to get her own credit card. She buys her own stuff, including a trip to Hawaii for herself and for Olly. Even when she does not have any type of identification and would not be able to board the plane? Of coure she bought two tickets and expects Olly to go with but has not checked with him one bit if he even could…

But, what the hey, let’s go to Hawaii. Someone might pay for it, sometime… The two lovebirds stay at a plush resort, drive a rental Jeep around the island, find deserted beaches and go swimming. Olly teaches Maddy to sort-of swim, float mostly. Until she decides they should go cliff-diving, into deep water when she cannot swim. They go on the merry way and make love, and Maddy gets deathly sick. She wakes up back in her room. So what all just happened? She lost it in Hawaii, and then she got back home again. But how…

Dr. Mom is terribly disappointed in Maddy and her behavior. She will be locked down ever more from now on. Maddy has become pretty much a prisoner in her own home, thanks to SCID. Good thing Dr. Mom has all the paperwork and results from the testing years ago that showed Maddy had a very severe case… Maddy goes to find the paperwork, and guess what?

Good grief, this movie is silly and pandering. There is no character arc for anyone. Nobody can truly be considered an antagonist, and there is no conflict and no resolution. The story just floats along on one ridiculous premise after another. This is a version of reality that even a young middle-school girl could not believe. At least the lead actors are good to look at.

 Amandla Stenberg has come a long way from playing young Rue in “The Hunger Games”. She is quite attractive and has a pleasant screen presence. Even with a flawed character, her performance is really good. Nick Robinson plays opposite her, and his role is to be her opposite. She wears white, and he wears black. She reads books, and he rides his skateboard. However, they do play the young lovers in a nicely awkward manner.

Would this movie been better if done as a “Hallmark Movie – Very Special Episode”?  Yes, because there is very little that requires a full studio production, except for the sequences shot in Hawaii. Is there anything silly and trivial about this movie? “Everything, Everything”


War For The Planet Of The Apes – Final Trailer

In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel.  After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.  As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

In Theaters July 14th

http://www.fandango.com

Battle of the Sexes Trailer

The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.

Directed by: Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton

Cast: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue, Austin Stowell, Jessica Mcnamee, Natalie Morales and Fred Armisen

In Theaters Sept 22nd

http://www.fandango.com

Good Time Trailer

The first trailer for GOOD TIME, starring Robert Pattinson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Barkhad Abdi is a haywire symphony of violence and mayhem, featuring Robert Pattinson and original music from OneOhTrix Point Never and Iggy Pop.

Josh and Benny Safdie’s latest film will have its world premiere In-Competition at the Cannes Film Festival next week. 

 

Following the mind-bending HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT, celebrated filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie return to the mean streets of New York City with GOOD TIME, a hypnotic crime thriller that explores with bracing immediacy the tragic sway of family and fate.

After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Constantine Nikas (Robert Pattinson) embarks on a twisted odyssey through the city’s underworld in an increasingly desperate—and dangerous—attempt to get his brother out of jail. Over the course of one adrenalized night, Constantine finds himself on a mad descent into violence and mayhem as he races against the clock to save his brother and himself, knowing their lives hang in the balance.

Anchored by a career-defining performance from Robert Pattinson, GOOD TIME is a psychotic symphony of propulsive intensity crafted by two of the most exciting young directors working today. Josh and Benny Safdie’s transcendent vision is an intoxicating portrait of desperation and destruction that will not be soon forgotten.

In Theaters August 11th

http://www.fandango.com

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales VIP Advance Screening Seats

Movie Synopsis:Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar, escape from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including him. Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas. Read more

BABY DRIVER announces a first of its kind sponsored Geofilter Contest on Snapchat

CULVER CITY, CA, May 15, 2017 – TriStar Pictures and MRC’s upcoming highly anticipated new film BABY DRIVER announced today a first of its kind sponsored Fan Art Geofilter Contest on Snapchat.  Since the film’s rapturous debut at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, fans have flocked to social media to show off their fan art inspired by the movie.  In turn, the studio began a consistent #FanArtFriday campaign on the film’s social media handles to display the creativity from these fans.  For the contest, users can simply go to https://BabyDriverFanArt.com between now and May 24th to submit their BABY DRIVER fan art (creative guidelines and official rules are available on the site).  BABY DRIVER’s writer/director, Edgar Wright will judge the entries himself and the winning submission will run as a Snapchat Geofilter at a nationwide theater chain the week of the film’s release, starting on opening day, Wednesday, June 28th.   This is the first time a studio will showcase fan art from a Geofilter contest on Snapchat.

In BABY DRIVER, a talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.

            BABY DRIVER stars Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, with Jon Hamm, and Jamie Foxx.

            The film is written and directed by Edgar Wright.  Producers are Nira Park, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner, and Executive Producers are Edgar Wright, Adam Merims, Rachael Prior, Liza Chasin, and Michelle Wright.

            BABY DRIVER opens in theaters nationwide on Wednesday, June 28th.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.

The Minions Take the Stage! Watch the new clip from DESPICABLE ME 3!

DESPICABLE ME 3           

Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Nev Scharrel, Steve Coogan, Jenny Slate and Julie Andrews

Directed by: Pierre Coffin & Kyle Balda

Co-Director: Eric Guillon

Illumination, who brought audiences Despicable Me and the biggest animated hits of 2013 and 2015, Despicable Me 2 and Minions, continues the adventures of Gru, Lucy, their adorable daughters—Margo, Edith and Agnes—and the Minions in Despicable Me 3.  Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, co-directed by Eric Guillon and written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio, the animated film is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and executive produced by Chris Renaud.

Joining Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig in Despicable Me 3 is Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner Trey Parker, co-creator of Comedy Central’s global phenomenon South Park and the Broadway smash The Book of Mormon.  Parker voices the role of villain Balthazar Bratt, a former child star who’s grown up to become obsessed with the character he played in the ‘80s, and proves to be Gru’s most formidable nemesis to date.  The film will be released in theaters on June 30, 2017. 

Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GruTube | #DespicableMe3

Writers: Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio

Produced by: Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy

Executive Producer: Chris Renaud

In Theaters June 30

http://www.fandango.com

Chuck Movie Review

Chuck is based on a true story.  Interestingly enough the film is based on the man who Sylvester Stallone based his Award Winning film Rocky on and that is Chuck Wepner (Schreiber) of Bayonne, New Jersey, who was a humble yet moderately successful prizefighter
 and liquor salesman.  His nickname was the ‘Bayonne Bleeder.’  This came from his childhood and stuck with him because one thing he could do almost better than anyone was take a punch.  It didn’t matter how many times a fighter hit him, he took it and kept coming back for more.  He and his manager, Al Braverman (Perlman), had a ‘Never stop the fight!’ agreement.  Wepner seemed also to be a self-centered narcissist, though he’d never see himself that way… putting himself above all others was his style and only when he needed help did he truly allow people into his life.

In 1975 he was going to get his big break.  He was given the chance to fight George Foreman but suddenly, Muhammed Ali beats Foreman and the fight is off.  He’s crushed as his future depended on a match of this size.  At what seemed like the final hour, his manager gets a call from promoter Don King.  Since Chuck is a white fighter with stamina, King has the idea that he’d be ideal for a fight with Ali.  Odds of Wepner winning are Forty to One. 

Only someone like Chuck would love those odds.  Then we’re in the ring where it’s a much different story.  It’s a good match where Chuck admits to liking to ‘wear him down with my face.’  The crowd loses its mind for the butt kicking he’s taking, but he sends a surprised Ali (Pooch Hall) to the mat once and the crowd loves him even more.  Chuck’s inner dialogue during the fight is insanely comical and shows how erratic his thinking was and how unstable his mind was at the time.  If you don’t want to know the outcome, don’t read this part (skip to the next paragraph) but at the end of the fight, and much in the same way that Balboa ends his fight with Creed, he almost ‘Goes the Distance’ with Ali.  Just nineteen seconds shy of making it the entire fight, the fight is called and it’s a technical win for Ali.

I enjoyed this film.  The 70’s music and the styles are represented incredibly well; the overall look of the film itself shouts another time.  The characters are great.  Chuck shows you who he is before this fight and who he becomes after the fight… neither guy particularly pleasant but somehow still loveable.  When he’s depressed he looks for women to make him feel better
 which doesn’t go over well with his wife, Phyliss, played by Elisabeth Moss who should get recognized for this performance.  She’s frightening as she approaches Chuck sitting with his latest conquest.  Her performance is excellent.  She has to hold the family together by herself because her husband, who desires to get knocked out for a living, can’t take the beating once it’s over.  She alone is worth seeing this movie. 

I really liked Chuck.  It’s perfect for both men and women; not at all just a guy film, despite the subject matter.  It’s interesting to learn that this boxer was the inspiration for Rocky and intriguing to watch him interact with Sly before the making of Rocky II.  It’s also a fascinating look at the relationship between men and women.  A quote by Chuck at the end of the film sums up his views flawlessly.  ‘Sometimes life is like a movie
 and sometimes, it’s better.’  He has enjoyed being Chuck as Rocky enjoyed being who he was.  Winning or losing, it didn’t matter, as long as he was in the ring. Â