Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Written by: Guillermo del Toro, Kim Morgan
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Ron Perlman, Rooney Mara, David Strathairn and Toni Collette
Rated: R
Genres: Action, Crime, Drama
Pauli Murray is such an outstanding person that I’d like to know what mistake I made in life for having never heard of her. There is no way to sum up this fantastic human being in a 91-minute film, but directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West did a phenomenal job of introducing the subject of their movie with what time they had.
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I don’t want to say this, but perhaps it’s time Clint Eastwood swats that acting bug away from himself. If the creativity is still within him, he may want to consider staying behind the lens.
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“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” is an interesting look at the rise and fall of the Bakkers, a televangelist couple who built an empire and saw it crumble around them. They both have warm Northern Minnesota exteriors that make them seem likable and trustworthy. But the eyes that were fixed on a Heavenly gaze would distract from the money skimmed from the ‘church’ donations. Tammy Faye and her eye make-up made them famous, and the fall from grace gave them both a black eye.
“CopShop” takes a page out of the standard ‘Manual of Nominal Action Thrillers’. But it makes just enough scribbles in the margins to make it a decently slick movie. All of the ingredients are standard, and the cooking instructions are also straightforward. Take a basic format: hit man is out to kill his target, and a good cop wants to stand in the way. But then mix in some fresh ideas (it all takes place in a police station), and some off-the-wall characters (another hit man shows up delivering balloons), and it makes the bat guano fly! Read more
“Blue Bayou” tells a rarely told tale of those brought to the States as young children, and now threatened with potential deportation. It is similar to the DREAMER kids, but these are not usually from South American countries or Mexico. These are children from overseas, adopted into White families, but never fully made into U.S. citizens. This is a story of how that situation can break up a family, and break your heart. Read more
“The Alpinist” is directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rose. One of the directors, Mortimer, narrates the film. While doing so, he lets us know how much he admires the 23-year-old Marc-André Leclerc, which is as much as he idolized the climbers he watched when he was young.
What you may think is just a story about friends getting together for some fun and drinking turns dark fast. This may be slow to get started, but the ending is well worth the journey. Enjoy the ride.
Director Jonathan Butterell opens the movie in a sublime way to prepare his audience for what they’re about to experience. The screen reads, “This story really happened, then we added the singing and the dancing.” What a perfect way to set you up for the entertainment you’re about to have propelled toward you.
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“The Card Counter” is a movie about a man with a unique skill, and you can guess that skill. During a spell in the slammer, he learned that he was good at counting cards, meaning the cards used in gambling. He is a low-profile expert at winning. He keeps a low profile due to his criminal record, and because casinos discourage ‘card counter’ players. But when his past catches up to him, he goes all in. He does not count on what happens next.
