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I Feel Pretty Movie Review

April 20, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Very few movies make you feel bad for the protagonist of the story and feel horrible about yourself at the same time. ‘I Feel Pretty’ does just that. The beginning of the film especially. Renee Bennett (Schumer) is treated horribly by society. She’s completely shunned. If she walks into a building, she’s treated like a leper. People stare at her as if her fat can instantly leap from her body and infest the entire building… how dare she inhabit their earth! Yes. I can see the point being made. This possibly and most likely is how people who hate themselves, for whatever reason, feel about their body, their face… their selves. It’s heartbreaking. However, this is pushed to the limit where the audience may feel uncomfortable about how the film itself makes them feel as they watch.

It’s as if ‘I Feel Pretty’ is a giant mirror reminding them that they should put the popcorn down and get back to dieting. This being the case, it most likely won’t be entertaining for some. The movie theatre isn’t necessarily the place you need to be reminded of each and every flaw. Again, I see the point, but must it be beaten into the ground? ‘Shallow Hal’ makes this exact storyline work without humiliating and alienating its audience. I was hoping this would be similar to Hal but was quite disappointed in that respect.

But the film redeems itself to an extent when it starts selling the message that it’s not how others perceive you that counts, it’s only how you view you that should ever matter.

Renee is both the protagonist and antagonist in this particular film. What?! Well, she shifts from a kindhearted, fun and friendly person to a lousy, callous pain in the backside in no time flat. What turns her is a journey she takes. While praying that she’ll lose weight, look and feel better, she joins a gym and listens to an instructor who’s a powerful motivational speaker. While listening to her strong words of encouragement, she falls off the exercise bike she’s on (For some reason it can’t hold her weight?!?), hits her head and passes out. When she comes to she sees, not herself, but someone else. She’s healthier, more beautiful but most of all… not fat. She walks around almost the rest of the movie acting like she just won a billion-dollar lottery. She is overly happy with her new lease on life and vows to go get what she wants. And she does just that. Her attitude toward herself also gets her attention, but it isn’t sinking into Renee that she hasn’t changed… she’s still just Renee to everyone else.

Soon, all of her dreams have come true. She has the job she has always wanted, has a boyfriend, even has admirers and her head begins to swell. Not long after, she starts looking at her friends. Suddenly, they’re dragging her down. They’re not dressed well enough and they wear their hair wrong. She wants them to change. Being that the film has been formulaic so far, you can see that a big lesson is coming her way and if she wants to come out of her present situation with only a bruised ego, she needs to realize who she really is.

‘I Feel Pretty’ has sight gags, fat jokes and follows a certain predictable pattern but if you’re a Schumer fan, it’s worth seeing. She hams it up and struts her stuff, clearly, there are no body issues for Schumer as she shows it off a lot. If she ever had issues, she doesn’t now and shouldn’t but this is why the film ultimately doesn’t work. She’s full-figured, yeah, but hardly obese. They’re making fun of how fat she is when she’s, at most, big boned, slightly overweight but is healthy looking. This makes the filmmakers look superficial and tasteless. No. It’s not lost on us that Renee needs to see what everyone else sees but therein lies the rub. They show people, adults mind you, getting both repulsed by the sight of her for her ugly, cellulite ridden, flabby body and yet want you believing that everyone sees this beautiful person within her. The filmmakers can’t have it both ways.

That notwithstanding, Schumer was great, especially when she joins a bikini contest. She holds nothing back. Michelle Williams was very fun to watch as Avery LeClaire, an incredibly hollow human being who ends up being exactly what Renee needs to see that everyone has flaws, no matter how perfect we think they are. All the performances were strong but the movie, outside of a few laughs and a good message, wasn’t as good as it could have been. I feel they were headed in the right direction but got lost along the way. Maybe they should have spent less time writing ways to make fun of fat chicks. That would have been a good start.

Where Is Kyra? Movie Review

April 17, 2018 Published by Shari K. Green

This movie is remarkable. I’d like to warn that it was also one of the most depressing films I’ve ever seen… but oh so good, I promise you that. ‘Where Is Kyra’ was very well done and the bleak, cloudy atmosphere created was so alluring that I couldn’t look away. I’d like to say it was an exceptional film.

It’s macabre and thought-provoking, sincere and honest in its description of what someone will do and who they’ll become when faced with severe adversity. I would use the word exceptional but for one choice director Andrew Dosunmu made that had me cringing when this action occurred in his film. Yes, cringe, and not in a good way. An absolutely terrible noise would accompany scenes where Kyra (Pfeiffer) was impersonating her dead mother.

I’m quite sure it was done to keep the audience on the edge so there was cause for it but it was so absolutely annoying and incredibly irritating that, for me, it not only dropped the grade down a touch but had to be mentioned to you. The audience is already mesmerized and get the point, Dosunmu. You don’t need to use sound to attack those who might have missed it. Trust me… no one missed it. The film is good without its use to influence us.

The lighting was dark and set the tone beautifully, but I will add this, the film is a bit too slow early on for the average moviegoer, however, I implore you to keep watching. That alone should never be a reason to avoid watching a film. It’s okay to allow a director to set the stage for you. I’ll try and do the same here.

The aforementioned Kyra, who Michelle Pfeiffer nailed superbly, is a divorced woman well past her prime. She’s living in Brooklyn and wants independence but with limited skills for today’s needs, she is having trouble finding a job that will keep her afloat. She moves into her elderly mother, Ruth’s (Shepherd), apartment and helps take care of her. These scenes, one of them with a very brave and very nude Suzanne Shepherd, are tremendous and the connection they have is evident as Kyra helps Ruth in and out of her bath, keeps her company… expresses to her how much she’s loved. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Ruth dies. Kyra is alone and for the first time feels abandoned. She looks around her mother’s home where her mother no longer resides and breaks down. Not only has Ruth left her but the financial support she was able to get is gone, too. What to do?

She meets up with one of Ruth’s neighbors, Doug (Sutherland), who also happens to be a caretaker at a nursing home. He’s had a checkered past but has found helping people to be cathartic and rewarding. He genuinely cared for Ruth and decides to do what he can to help her daughter. They’re physically attracted to one another, as well, so they begin to have a much deeper relationship that’s mutually beneficial. She opens herself up to Doug but when she gets so desperate for money as to do the unthinkable, she’s afraid of losing him so she keeps it a secret. She’s aware of the fact that what she’s doing can get her into bigger trouble but she’s not finding a job and doesn’t want to risk the relationship. She refuses to ask too much of Doug as she’s prideful to a degree so she tries her best to make it on her own, however, bills are stacking up and it’s time to act to remedy the situation. The rest of the movie is truly captivating and, largely, grueling but you will not get up until the credits roll. Not for anything. Phenomenal.

See this movie. Amongst a world of remakes and reimagining’s it’s quite unique and you’ll do a lot of thinking long after the film is over.

Playing exclusively now at Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square. Don’t miss it!

You Were Never Really Here Movie Review

April 13, 2018 Published by Shari K. Green

Though some may view this as painfully slow in the beginning, I see it more as art being created before your very eyes. With any piece of art, it takes time to make it come to life and why should a film be any different? Slow and lacking in story and structure is different, this builds to a magnificent climax and with its gorgeous cinematography, noteworthy performances and memorable plot, you won’t leave feeling disillusioned. In fact, if you like Martin Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver’ this is definitely the film for you. Joaquin Phoenix plays, Joe, his version of Scorsese’s Travis Bickle. Phoenix plays him much in the same way that DeNiro played Travis. He’s raw and unkept but Joe isn’t disturbed. He’s haunted, yes, but he has clear goals and will do anything to meet them, especially when they get personal. Phoenix won in Cannes for the film and I believe he’ll be rewarded here, too.

Joe’s past, shown to us in snippets of macabre flashbacks, has led him to perform very dark things but for good reason. He is an advocate of sorts, hired to help people, mostly little girls who were abducted or are runaways, break free of the sex trade they’re forced into… and he’s exceptional at his job. His preferred method of taking people out is a hammer and when we first meet him, he’s cleaning up a crime scene, indicating to us he’s methodical, careful and very professional. He also takes care of his elderly mother and from the flashbacks, it seems she’s all he’s ever had. With his next assignment, helping a politician’s daughter escape the clutches of a sex maniac, he ends up putting his mother’s and his own life in jeopardy. The film was directed by a female director, Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin) which could be why Joe, though a killer, conveys such loving and caring characteristics. You’ll sense great sorrow and warmth inside of him and take pity.

I don’t want to give too much away but there’s a scene when Joe’s in a lake. He’s sinking to the bottom for a reason I won’t tell you here but it’s handled so beautifully, so poetically, that it brings you to the brink of tears. As an audience member, you take on Joe’s anguish and heartache. It’s a spectacular look at this character and a shot you may never forget. His relationship with his charges may seem to get in the way of his missions but then you realize those relationships are the missions. He may be saving them but, in essence, when all is said and done, they are saving him.

Don’t miss this fascinating film for anything. I can’t stress this enough. Enjoy the fact that Ramsay takes some time to paint you the full picture… it’s worth it. You’ll like the soundtrack that accompanies the film, as well. The ending is somewhat vague but had it drifted on a definitive course, it wouldn’t have fit the style. Go see this asap!

Truth or Dare Movie Review

April 13, 2018 (updated April 12, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“Truth or Dare” is no longer just a game or a bad Madonna documentary. Now it is an actual movie. It is “Final Destination” for the Snapchat Generation. “Final Destination” (from 18 years ago) was an intriguing look a group of kids who ‘cheated’ death, only to have death come back to take them one by one. Now many years later, this movie says that just playing a silly game in a place possessed by a demon can be bad for your life expectancy. Play the game, or else you DIE. Tell the Truth and lie, then you DIE. Play the Dare and do it wrong, then you DIE. Hey, mind if I live stream your gruesome death?

College student Olivia (Lucy Hale) and her Best Friend Forever Markie (Violett Beane) take a Spring Break trip to Mexico. They are joined by some friends who also come along. Lucas (Tyler Posey) who is Markie’s boyfriend, Brad (Hayden Szeto) the gay Asian friend, and Penelope (Sophia Ali) and her main squeeze Tyson (Nolan Gerard Funk). They are about to leave for home, but that night Olivia meets a guy named Carter (Landon Liboiron) at the bar. He convinces them all to come with min and play a little game. But soon the cat is out of the bag. Carter explains that they are all stuck in the ‘Truth or Dare’ game for life – literally.

Olivia is sort of the goody-goody type, and she wants to see everyone do well. But she is misled by Carter into the game, and now all the people in the group are involved. When they get back home, they are all haunted by an evil demon who forces them to one-by-one take a ‘Truth or Dare’ challenge. But if they refuse, or make a choice and do not deliver, then they are led to tragic end. But because it is a PG-13 movie, the death is not bloody or graphic (or the least bit interesting). But later on, the rules change, er – I guess the demon says they rules get refined. It sounds more like the four writers of this movie just kept coming up with new things to try to stick to the wall.

After a few members of their group get ‘Dared’ to death, they start doing the sleuthing thing, getting into every social media account ever (all on Apple machines, of course). They hunt down the ‘Carter’ guy who got them into this whole mess. They find some information about a ‘Dare’ murder that was in Mexico. It was done by a woman who was earlier possessed by the ‘Truth or Dare’ demon. They work their way down to Mexico and back several times. Olivia even meets with an old ex-sister who claims to know about the abandoned church in Mexico and the demon who took it over. The movie never takes a straight line in any direction. It zips and zigs and then it flips and flops over and over again.

Seeing a group of ill-defined and uninteresting characters go through the motions of getting killed off in boring ways… what else could a horror movie fan want? There is no purpose behind this movie. There is little motivation to follow anything through. There are no likable characters and you feel no loss if one of them screws up against the evil ‘Truth or Dare’ demon. There is not all that much that makes any sense, except for some Apple product placement. The story goes all over the place, and the dialog is cheesy. But it is not cheesy enough to make it a guilty pleasure. It is just bad enough to make you lose interest.

All the actors make a true effort to seem like they are on board with this movie. But everything that need to do or say goes against them. The movie winds up flat and scattered, like a cardboard box run over in the middle of a Mexican dirt back road. The visual effects are goofy and cheap looking. They give the characters who taunt the main person into ‘Truth or Dare’ a weird Snapchat face filter that gives them crazy eyes and a Joker style mouth. There are couple of final scenes that do not even try to hide the fact that the ‘green screen’ technology was broken that day.

If someone gives you a ‘Dare’ to see this movie, tell them the ‘Truth’ – you would rather see a decent movie…

Rampage Movie Review

April 13, 2018 (updated April 12, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

Movies that are based on video games have not had a high success rate. Not even “Tomb Raider’ (redone, again) made much of difference at the box office last month. So can a movie based on an old arcade-style game called Rampage bring to life the movie magic? Best be thinking that if there is anything good to be found in this movie, it will be in the work of Dwayne Johnson and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Those two are the bread and butter, but the rest are just garnish.

Engyne is one very evil corporation that is conducting secret genetic experiments. Even better, the serum they produced is on the space station – which simply explodes into bits. There are three containers of genetic serum that land on Earth, ready to cause havoc. One lands in the San Diego Zoo, where Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) has spent years working with the giant apes, and teaching then sign language. One of the apes is named George, so he must have come from the Jungle (George of the Jungle?). George finds the remains of the genetic container and gets sprayed with it. He becomes a huge mutant albino gorilla.

Geneticist Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) arrives to help Davis with George’s intense growth. She was the main scientist at Engyne who help develop the substance. The owners of Engyne are Claire Wyden (Malin Åkerman) and her brother Brett (Jake Lacy). They have developed the serum to sell on the black market. Kate attempted to blow the whistle, but Claire and Brett had her arrested and ruined her life. But now she wants to help Davis control how George is taking over. But George escapes.

George does not get far when he is taken by a big Government agency. This group is lead by Agent Russell (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who takes Davis, Kate and a sedate George into custody. They are taken in a large cargo plane but when George wakes up; he does not like his flight and takes down the entire plane. Agent Russell is saved by Davis and Kate. Then he finds there are two other mutated monster sized animals, a wolf and a crocodile. These two killing creatures are en route to Chicago, same as George. George and the other two monster-sized creatures are being controlled remotely by Engyne, led there by the Claire and her idiot brother. She wants to prove how effective her serum would be to create fighting machines. So what better way to display your wares by getting them to destroy a major city!

But Davis and Kate are on the scene and come in to save the day. With some logistical help from Agent Russell, they are able to communicate with George and calm him down. But with two other mean and vicious monsters on the loose, there are still buildings to be destroyed and lives to be threatened.

Dwayne Johnson gets a chance to play his ‘Rock-ish’ self again. He is one part human and one part giant unbreakable super guy. There is nothing that he cannot do and nothing that does not bend to his will. Except for the three big monsters. He does have his hands full with that. Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a super bureaucrat who can get things done and never passes up a chance to serve up some snark. He plays this character with a great over-the-top attitude. This movie could be much better just concentrating in these two actors playing off each other. Now that would be great.

“Rampage” could be a bit hit, if you can ignore all of the bad science and all the utter destruction of a big city. When Hollywood finally gives up on the idea of a perfect video-game movie adaptation, then perhaps we could see a movie with Dwayne Johnson and a co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan as – whatever, it would just be fun!

Until then: “It’s Game Over, Man!”

Aardvark Movie Review

April 12, 2018 (updated April 13, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

This is the story of an unstable man named Josh Norman, played by Zachary Quinto. He’s plagued with hallucinations of his brother, Craig (Hamm), who mistreated him when they were younger… or so Josh thinks. Craig, now a famous actor who Josh believes is morphing into other people, mocking and following him, actually takes care of Josh by sending him money, money that always purchases drugs for Josh that a therapist prescribes but doesn’t necessarily get Josh the true help he needs. What he needs is family and to be seen and loved; to know he’s seen and loved. I had many problems with this film, first of which is that with the amount of talent working on it, these actors should have been used better. They were great, don’t get me wrong, but the film they’re in leads you on a road to nowhere.

It opens on an owl watching an aardvark. Okay. That’s a metaphor for brothers Craig and Josh and you’re curious but, more to the point, it starts with such promise, however, by the time you’re halfway through Aardvark, you realize it isn’t going anywhere and your original thought of giving up on it fifteen minutes ago, should have been listened to. I assumed, by looking at the cast, that this was going to be quite good. I generally do approve of everything Hamm, Quinto and Jenny Slate, (who plays Emily, a therapist Josh starts going to) work on. I can’t say that’s the case with this movie. I had hoped it would be a hit, especially for Slate, as I respect her work so much that I’d like to see her continue to get larger roles but this movie might have been the one for her to skip… for them all to skip.

Enjoying the tone of the film in the beginning, you do like the characters and build a relationship with them but, unfortunately, the narrative between Emily and her patient becomes strained and consequently hard to believe. Director Brian Shoaf creates reasons for you to like Emily and then gives you all the reasons why you shouldn’t trust her and therefore, the story of Josh being unhinged falls apart to a degree.
Emily and Craig meet and she starts to speak on behalf of Craig to Josh and vice versa but she also falls for Craig. Maybe Josh just needs a new doctor? Eventually, you can’t help but wonder if the paranoid man is being gaslighted by everyone around him. Not that this would be remotely possible but is everyone around him in on it? His rich brother could be paying people to make him crazy.
The thought will cross your mind as the muddied script doesn’t get to the point until you’ve already checked out. Even when he meets Hannah (Vand) you wonder if this person really exists. That can be vaguely intriguing as he truly is under the impression his brother can transform himself to be anybody he wants but when the storyline provides you with hope, it then tears everything back down, trying to be a crafty love story but falling short of leading you to believe it’ll win you over in the end.

Perhaps this would have been better with some time to focus on which genre the script wanted to truly be. It’s frustrating as an audience member watching the filmmaker searching for the true voice of the film. The director needed to lead us. It isn’t good if he’s conflicted and this film was all over the place.

*Opens Exclusively at Harkins Shea 14

A Quiet Place Movie Review

April 6, 2018 Published by Shari K. Green

Believe it or not, John Krasinski (The Office) has a flair for horror. This is his third film as director and definingly not his last… hopefully not his last horror film, anyway. He said on The Tonight Show that he likes the genre now so I’m crossing my fingers he’ll stick with it. He’s so good, in fact, that you’ll have a difficult time escaping the world that he designed for you in ‘A Quiet Place.’ Well, you’ll eventually be able to after the movie but not during. You’re there. Trust me when I say that it’ll take a while to shake what you witness. He did such a spectacular job of choosing the music, setting the tone and creating an atmosphere that’s so believable you walk away from watching the film as if you were personally involved in the lives of the characters on the screen. Masterfully, he introduces you to a family and their interrupted lives, in such a deeply contriving way that it leaves a profound impact on you as you sit in anticipation of what hideous thing will happen to these people next. After being shown the ramifications of making any sound, you hope for the best but fear the worst.

I was probably the biggest baby in the theatre. By the way, the movie is so quiet, you can’t help but notice the reactions of the other audience members as they gasp in fear and surprise. Krasinski didn’t make his film all about jump scares, (though there are a few really good ones), he instead ran straight toward your psyche and struck it hard by attacking what no one on earth can possibly avoid; making noise. What would it be like to live a life of silence? Could you? How would you? How would you communicate? What of your children? Could you keep a young child quiet? Could you keep an infant from crying? He puts you in the middle of situations where silence is golden and any hit of speech or the smallest of thuds can lead to certain death. It’s hard to imagine and how this story comes together, how well it was conceived and orchestrated, is even harder to explain except to say that the actors, especially Emily Blunt, are unbelievably good at bringing this terrible existence to life and you never once question their authenticity.

The family, Lee (Krasinski), Evelyn (Blunt) and their children Regan (Simmonds) and Marcus (Jupe) are alone on their farm but have made the best of it. They hunt, grow and can their food, know enough about medicine to survive and are smart enough to work around all the sound issues they face. We learn a lot about the creatures, where they come from and what they are, by reading clippings that Lee has posted. Lee’s not only reading all he can about the creatures, trying to find a way to defeat them, but he also studies how he can help his deaf daughter, Regan, a bratty pre-teen, hear again. I must point out that Simmonds is deaf in real life and what she does for the film is lend it some legitimacy. The family communicates with sign language and Krasinski not only needed young Simmonds for her fantastic acting and the character in her face but for her ability to make ‘A Quiet Place’ look more convincing. This will be appreciated by all, especially those in the deaf community. If you want to see an edge of your seat thriller this weekend, don’t miss this film. This is a must-see and unless you can’t keep quiet, experiencing it in the theatre is the best way to go.

The Miracle Season Movie Review

April 6, 2018 (updated April 5, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“The Miracle Season” is a positive and uplifting sports story of .. girl’s high school volleyball? Yeah, it is based on a true story of a small town high school and the volleyball champions who want nothing more than repeat and win the state top prize this year. But there is a tragic accident that causes the team to falter and lose their mojo for the game. But spurred on by the memory of the effervescent team captain who was has died, the team rebounds and goes all the way to “Just Win, Baby”.

In Iowa, in 2010, the West High School girls’ volleyball team became the Iowa state champions. It was a proud moment for Coach Kathy Bresnahan (Helen Hunt) and the team captain Caroline “Line” Found (Danika Yarosh). Line, as she is known, is bubbly and outgoing and she has a major positive attitude. Her friend and teammate Kelly (Erin Moriarty) does not know how Line can be so sure about the next year’s team and if they can get to the championship game. Line as other things to worry about, like a mother dying of cancer and her dad – Dr. Ernie Found (William Hurt) – who is preoccupied with his wife’s fragile condition.

But before the new season starts, Line is tragically killed in an accident. Dr. Found has lost his daughter, and soon after, also his wife. He is devastated. The volleyball team is emotionally ripped apart and unable to practice or compete. Kelly becomes the new team captain, but there is no enthusiasm. Coach Bresnahan is emotionally troubled, but she tries to get the girls to work through the pain and the grief. At first there is little cooperation. But Kelly becomes a key figure who can turn the spirit around and get into a 15-game win streak. She convinces her teammates that they all need to “Live Like Line”. That is, take a tragic life event and deal with it with passion and purpose.

And before the season ends, the West High School team is back in the driver’s seat. They have made the playoffs and they can contend for the state champion title once more. They struggled and worked through their pain, based on the affection they had for Line. But in the end, they needed to play for their own reasons; to become the best and the most effective team that they could be. But will that be enough for the scrappy little team from the small town high school? Can Coach Bresnahan break them out of the funk of losing a great friend and a really good player? Can the tough coach and the new team captain Kelly lead the way to a repeat victory?

Of course you know the answer, if you have seen any high school sports related movies in the past few decades. Take “Hoosiers” for a basketball story line. Or “Friday Night Lights” for a football based story line. Or possibly “Bring It On”, regarding cheerleading. But perhaps as a first, this is a movie about a girls high school volleyball team. I’m not sure that there are any others like that. So this is refreshing, and so is the fact that this movie works against a couple normal movie tropes. Such as: the ‘inspiring’ speech given by the coach. Here, the coach says – “Ok, we went to state last year, and here we are again. Thanks…”

Helen Hunt and William Hurt use their years of experience in making something more out the characters they have to play. Erin Moriarty likewise does a very good job as the player who need to find the leader within. Danika Yarosh has the most difficult job, seeing that her character is gone after the first 15 minutes or so, but she needs to make her portrayal very memorable. The story is very good, and it sometimes falls into the old stand-by sports movie tropes: the quick-cut training montage set to beat-heavy music, the changes between super slo-mo and regular speed during the games, for example. But one in while it finds something fresh: a scene where all the team, and the coach, stop the bus on the way to the Big Game – and they get out to make angels in the snow…

“The Miracle Season” is a well-made heart-tugger that tells the true story of overcoming the obstacles of grief by being your best. Yes, it plays many of the well-worn clichés about sports teams and life in a small town. But there is a real shining star in the memory of Caroline “Line” Found. She still urges you to “Live Like Line”.

Finding Your Feet Movie Review

March 30, 2018 (updated March 30, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Though the older crowd is the obvious target audience for a film like this, it can be and will be enjoyed by anyone who watches it, no matter what age the moviegoer happens to be. Richard Loncraine’s (The Missionary, Richard III, Band of Brothers) Finding Your Feet is an amusing, romantic comedy and a sweet and touching tale of two sisters reuniting after many years apart.

The reunion comes due to the fact that the younger of the two sisters, Sandra, played remarkably well by Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter, Shakespeare in Love, Vera Drake), leaves her husband, Mike (Sessions), when she catches him cheating on her with, Pamela (Lawrence), a woman Sandra thought was a friend of hers. This revelation happens when she sees them at an inopportune time at a party she and Mike are throwing for his retirement. She not only sees them kissing but then learns it has been going on for five years. It’s rather difficult to watch her be humiliated even though our first introduction to Sandra is to find her rather stuffy.

Unable to trust or stay with him, she packs her bags and heads to the only place she knows she’ll be safe, the doorstep of Bif (Imrie), her very liberal and independent-minded older sister. Actress Celia Imrie, who was also in Bridget Jones’s Baby, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Nanny McPhee, was outstanding in this part. The two actresses were believable as sisters in their authentic performances and their commitment to the roles. It was easy to like them and root for them.

It isn’t long before Bif, so named because as a little girl, Sandra couldn’t say Elizabeth, is trying to play matchmaker. Her friend Charlie (Spall) might be the perfect match for Sandra. Charlie, who lives on a houseboat after selling his home to pay for the care his ailing wife, Lilly (Sian Thomas), receives, is lonely, interesting and interested. Lilly is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, something he doesn’t share with Sandra who, after what she recently went through, wouldn’t ever want to be the other woman. Bif, Sandra, Charlie and his widowed friend Ted (Hayman), dance away the blues at a dance class Sandra can’t help but get involved in. A lot of the humor in the film comes from this class, such as a line from actress Joanna Lumley who plays their friend, Jackie. She shares with the group that she and her husband broke up over religious difference, ‘He thought he was God. I didn’t.’ Even though she’s still bitter, it’s pleasant watching the members of the dance troupe accept Sandra and for Bif to observe her slowly become more like the person she remembered her sister was before marrying the man who killed her dreams. Sandra gave her younger years to what Mike wanted to be and do and forgot who she was in the process. Bif is now tasked with bringing her back to life.

It is a tale that’s been told before but not quite in this fashion. With that said, you can see everything coming a mile away but with this cast and with the struggles the characters face, Loncraine manages to keep things fresh enough for you to stay fascinated in the story and you don’t much mind the predictable moments. The film is littered with the occasional character in a circumstance that’s heartbreaking. These situations work as well as the comedy does and when the dance troupe starts a flash mob and ends up going on a trip to Rome because of it, you’re overjoyed that Sandra has finally gotten the message that it’s time she ‘went for it.’ This is a feel-good piece, the pace is good, the dancing is believable and quite entertaining and there’s also a wonderful soundtrack that takes you through the entire film. If you’re enjoying it, it continues through the end credits with the Elkie Brooks’ song Running to the Future. I recommend. Enjoy.

Movie Website: www.findingyourfeetthemovie.com/

Social Pages: Facebook: /www.facebook.com/FindingYourFeetMovie/

#FindingYourFeet

Ready Player One Movie Review

March 29, 2018 (updated March 28, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be. Perhaps that could be the motto of “Ready Player One”, the new movie from Steven Spielberg. Based on a popular book by Ernest Cline (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn), it dystopian look at not-too-distant future where most everyone is fixated on the past. In the extreme split between rich and dirt-poor, the greater population lives for the ‘OASIS’. It is an online virtual world of fantasy, dreams and hope for better things. The OASIS has a strange fascination for everything from the 1980’s. There is an evil corporation wanting to take over the OASIS and make just another profit center. But there are some underdog game fanatics who want to see the evil defeated and the OASIS world made safe for humanity, IRL (In Real Life).

IRL Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) is known as Parzival in the OASIS. He has a meager existence for real, living with a poor aunt and her string of abusive boyfriends. They live in ‘The Stacks’ which is a high-rise trailer park of sorts. Wade is more at ease in the OASIS, because of his comprehensive knowledge of the creator of the OASIS, James Halliday (Mark Rylance). Halliday was a cross between Willy Wonka and Steve Jobs, because his intellect was far above his social skills. Before he died, Halliday told the world that the OASIS was up for grabs, due to an elaborate Easter Egg hunt game that he devised to test each person who attempted to compete. The person who can complete the Quest will be the owner and guardian of the OASIS, and one rich dude!

The evil corporation is called IOI and it is led by Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), a weasel of a CEO who wants to win the Quest and take over the OASIS. He has plans to charge fees and sell tons of ads, and that is something Halliday would never permit. But when Parzival gets some keen insights on Halliday that gives him an advantage to the get the first Key. There are three Keys that must be found before the OASIS Easter Egg will be passed on to the winner. Parzival meets a very talented fellow Gunter (egG hUNTER) named Art3mis (Olivia Cooke). She has many good skills to use in hunting the Egg. Parzival also has a long-time OASIS friend named Aech (Lena Waithe) who looks like a huge hunky dude in OASIS (but IRL, Aech is named Helen). Aech is wonder in the tech repair department, and Art3mis (IRL, she is Samantha Cook) is now part of the ongoing Quest.

An impossible-to-win road race through the virtual streets of New York leads to the first Key. But Parzival finds Halliday’s special secret route designed to win the race. The entire main group gets a chance to score the first level of the Quest puzzle. This then leads to a new challenge, having to do with the movie “The Shining”. Parzival and Art3mis learn more about James Halliday and his early partner, named Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg), by watching the videos stored at the Halliday Research Center. The facility is led by The Curator, who is so impressed with Parzival’s knowledge that he gives the Gunter a special coin (that will come in handy later on). Art3mis gets to the final round in “The Shining” and she gets the next Key. Now the group has only one more to collect…

The final Key is hidden on a virtual place called Planet Doom. But evil IOI and Sorrento has paid a weird bounty hunter named i-Rok (T. J. Miller) to get a special Artifact that can freeze out any other players from getting in. There is a fortress on that Planet Doom that is surrounded by the goon squads of IOI. Sorrento and i-Rok start up the Artifact (a special object with special powers) that creates a force field to protect the IOI people and keep out Parzival and his buddies. But when Parzival calls upon all the (virtual) people in the OASIS to come to his aid, he is amazed to see the support that swoops in to help them. Sorrento has run IOI with evil intentions, and there are many people willing to come to assist Parzival reach his goal.

So in the end, the final Key will be found, and the Oasis Easter Egg will be presented. But to whom will it go? Some evil corporation slug, who would want to take the OASIS system and turn it into a costly profit palace only for the rich and famous? Or will it go to some ragtag group of lovable underdogs, who can take the wealth and treasure of the OASIS and make it even more accessible and useful? Well, do ya even have to think about it? The love and affection that Halliday put into the OASIS can be made to multiply and grow, but only in the hands of the right people. That’s the way a true Spielberg movie is gonna end…

The acting is fabulous all around. Ben Mendelsohn plays the evil slimeball perhaps a bit too campy, but he is great. Mark Rylance plays Halliday as shy and socially awkward mega-genius that reminded me of Rick Moranis from “Ghostbusters”. The music score is done by Alan Silvestri, who created a sweeping and majestic sound that does John Williams proud.

Steven Spielberg has taken many an audience on a magical Quest of his own for many other movies that he directed. “Ready Player One” is no slouch in that category of being magical. It is a visual masterpiece and the story takes you into worlds that are powered by pure imagination. Except for the tad bit overlong run time, the movie is modern classic. Perhaps the ‘real life’ segments are a bit flat and not as exciting as parts inside the OASIS. But that seems by design, to show you how much more life could have to offer.

Do yourself a favor, and see this movie. Do yourself an even bigger favor, and see this movie on the biggest screen available. And if you want to double the size of that favor, see this movie at an IMAX theater. It will not disappoint you. And you can even pay the extra for a 3-D showing, and you will get even a bigger and more immersive treat.

All you have to do is be “Ready”…

Category: Reviews