Everybody Knows Movie Review

One thing for sure is that writer and director, Asghar Farhadi, lives up to expectations. Having worked in the business since 2002, in 2011, he launched himself into major notoriety with his film, ‘A Separation,’ where he was adorned with awards. In fact, he was the first Iranian filmmaker to win an Academy AwardÂź. Similarly, he was the first Iranian filmmaker to be nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, better known as the ‘Bafta.’ This made him so successful that Farhadi was listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in the year 2012.

Now that I’ve introduced you to the writer/director of ‘Everybody Knows,’ I’ll tell you about the movie. With the help of an extremely clever trailer and the talents of the Oscar-winning, real-life couple, PenĂ©lope Cruz and Javier Bardem, what Farhadi has essentially done here is lead you in one direction yet take you somewhere completely unexpected.

You wander into the film believing the story will be more about love, the trouble that sometimes comes with it and about Laura (Cruz) and Paco’s (Bardem) past together and are surprised with more of a mystery. The story is about those very things but not in the way you’d think which makes the yarn that much better.

We meet Paco, who has a winery, and Laura, who has traveled from Argentina to Spain with her children to attend her sister’s wedding. Paco has wisdom to share with us such as the only difference between grape juice and wine is time. Lines such as this makes you think their relationship may have aged in the same manner
 like a fine wine. When Laura first gets there, her very social and gregarious teenage daughter Irene (Campra), prances about getting as much attention as she can. However, it turns out that she also gets the attention of someone in need of money and suddenly we’re in a film centered around her abduction.

Farhadi wrote a script that does a good job of keeping you interested in what’s going on and what will ultimately happen. You get sucked in right away but where he went vastly wrong was when he introduced us to the victim of the kidnapping. Irene is anything but a likable character. She’s an obnoxious spoiled brat, trouble for her mother and the kind of person you’d dodge rather than treasure to be anywhere near. I can’t figure out why she was written to be so annoying when the movie ends up being centered around everyone caring for her safety. Had she been more likable, it would have been more heartbreaking for the viewer. This is in no way a reflection on the actress who did a superb job, especially near the end. Speaking of acting, Cruz is excellent as a distraught and tortured mother. Her performance was convincing. She laments about what’s next and is tearful throughout most of the film. She’s needed to be and is believable in her concern. Unfortunately for the audience, you don’t quite feel for her. See the earlier paragraph regarding her daughter’s irritating attitude for what I mean. We just needed Irene to be more of an appealing person for us to take on her mother’s pain.

The story becomes a less complicated narrative when the set up for the kidnapping, and how and why it gets pinned on a certain person, (a land dispute) is made clear at the wrong time. On the surface, the dispute is quite exaggerated and contrived. Now onto the title. Let’s get to just what it is that everybody knows. And I mean everybody, including Laura’s current husband, by the way. It seems that Paco is the only person who doesn’t know. It turns out that Irene is Paco’s daughter. In a small town, everyone talks and unless the man doesn’t have ears how does he not know the big secret? In fact, this bombshell is something you’ve long suspected. When it’s revealed, with his hair graying from the stress for some reason, what Paco does with the news is to use his money to pay the ransom. This seems as though it may have been the aim all along.

 

The ending is strangely elusive but leaves it open for a sequel which is puzzling yet a bit intriguing. If Farhadi nails the characters a little better, I’d be up for it. What would make it even better is if he were able to have the same cast. ‘Everybody Knows’ is an acceptable crime, drama with a good plot and is beautifully shot. It has gorgeous locations which are accentuated by the brilliant cinematography of JosĂ© Luis Alcaine (Volver, The Skin I Live In) who has an immense amount of work behind him. For you to get the full benefit of his work, seeing this on the big screen this weekend would be the best way to watch this film.

 

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Alita: Battle Angel Movie Review

“Alita: Battle Angel” is a new visual treat of a movie that is based on a long admired Japanese manga series. The people behind this movie are superb craftsman; Robert Rodriguez as the director, and James Cameron as producer and co-writer. However, perhaps that is part of the disconnect of this movie. There is a fully realized vision of a bleak future landscape. Yet the story-line bumps and clunks along with the grace of an ancient Model-T running in the Daytona 500 NASCAR. The characters are one-dimensional, even at the same time the screen pops with a vivid 3-D treatment of the visuals.

In a far, far future Earth, there are only leftovers and broken remains from the destruction due to the Earth’s war against URM (United Republics of Mars). The planet-bound people are poor and insignificant. However, up above there is a wealthy and powerful population in a floating ‘sky city’ of Zalem. There are few that go from the crusty and rusty Iron City up to glowing wonder of Zalem. Many are discarded and fall from grace, but the few that rise are the champions who can win at a most violent (and popular) sport called Motorball. It is full of speed and of danger and violent death. But most of the contestants are Cyborgs (half human, half robo-mechanical creatures). So, they never really die, they are rebuilt by people like Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz).

Dr. Ido finds a valuable treasure in the trash heap that is under the floating Zalem paradise. Anything that is considered junk is dumped from the city down in the pile of junk. But Ido finds a discarded ‘CORE’ of a cyborg. It is a teenage girl head and torso, which Ido attaches to a fitting cyborg body. Alita (Rosa Salazar) is created out of excess junk but she becomes a stand-in for Ido’s dead daughter. She is young and naive, but she quickly picks up battle skills. She is noticed by Chiren (Jennifer Connelly), who is Ido’s ex-wife. She and Ido once had a high place up in Zalem but were ousted for some reason. Alita also meets Hugo (Keean Johnson), while he is out collecting scraps around Iron City. He sells stuff to make a living. Alita is smitten with the world-wise scavenger and entrepreneur.

But there’s trouble afoot, up in the Zalem city – there is a bad guy named Nova. He sees Alita as a threat to him and to his henchman Vector (Mahershala Ali) in Iron City. Vector sends robotic cyborg bounty hunters named Zapan (Ed Skrein) and Grewishka (Jackie Earle Haley) to track Alita and kill her.  Alita finds an upgraded body based on URM technology. Once Dr. Ito takes care of the body upgrade for Alita, she finds that she can fight and defeat anyone, human or cyborg. Dr. Ido and Hugo are also targeted for death, and Alita is worried about them. The only way that she can get up to the floating Zalem city is by playing and winning the next Motorball contest. That is difficult thing to do, but Alita is souped-up and ready to rumble.

“Alita: Battle Angel” takes some difficult source material and has attempted to do it justice. When this has been done before, the results are always hit or miss. That same thing goes for this movie. The visual world that it creates is a big thumbs-up hit. The characters that populate this movie, with all the odd personality tweaks and clunky dialog, is a bit of a miss. The CGI effects are world-class, especially Alita with the super-sized ‘manga’ eyes. All the robots and cyborgs and the city design and the battle scenes are amazing to watch. Too bad the story and dialog does not reach up to the same lofty levels as the rest of the movie.

The movie hits a home run with the beautiful formation of the visual landscape, and the people and creatures that roam in this world. But it plays some sour notes with the ‘borrowed’ story elements (from ‘Elysium’, Rollerball’, even the doomed love affair from ‘Titanic’). There are too many 2-D characters in this vivid and lush 3-D movie.

What Men Want Movie Review

Ali Davis, played by a very confident and amusing Taraji P. Henson (Proud Mary, Hidden Figures), is a female sports agent at a company who prefers to cater to male sports figures as well as male employees. We meet her when she’s doing her best to get and stay noticed. She’s of the opinion she’s about to get a big promotion to partner. One she feels she’s earned, is more than qualified for and that her company is happy to give. When the promotion, instead, goes to yet another man, she gets appropriately upset. When she asks what she has to do to get the approval she needs and be taken seriously, she gets a response she isn’t ready for. She’s told by the president of the company, Nick (Bosworth), that she doesn’t connect well with men and ‘to stay in her lane.’ Ali now makes a promise that she’ll show them all by personally signing Jamal Barry (McGhie), the young up and coming basketball star they’re all scrambling for.

When she leaves work, she heads for a tavern and meets up with a bartender named Will (Hodge). This scene is both sexy and hysterical as she climbs on top and takes all her aggression out on the poor unsuspecting fellow. Finding she just may be more like a man than you originally thought you’ll laugh hysterically watching what she does next. I’ll set the scene by saying, she got hers, rolls over and doesn’t worry about whether he got his. The next morning, she awakens to find she’s still in Will’s apartment. She’s greeted by his five-year-old son, Ben, who has her thong on his head. It covers his face and he’s acting out a scene from ‘Black Panther.’ This may have seemed funny on paper but watching it was a little disgusting. I liked this movie but panties on the face of the little boy, while funny looking, doesn’t work. Pushing boundaries is always a good thing but this was too far. Maybe this has happened somewhere in this world, and maybe it made someone laugh
 but I don’t want to think about it.

‘What Men Want’ is a reimagining of the Nancy Meyers film ‘What Women Want’ that starred Mel Gibson. He played a sexist who ends up able to read women’s minds and grows because of this ability. In this version, the female protagonist must come to terms with the fact that maybe she’s somewhat a sexist herself. Both are equally motivated by self-greed. Ali believes the system is rigged against her, so she’ll use every tool in the kit available to get where she wants to go. She finds answers from the psychic ‘Sister,’ played extraordinarily well by Erykah Badu, who you won’t even recognize. Sister gives her a potent tea laced with weed and crack to help a girl out. This mixed with a bump on the head and suddenly Ali notices she has the ability to hear men’s inner thoughts. Realizing how this can be of use, she gets back with the bartender and rocks his world. She also makes an appointment to meet Barry and his father Joe ‘Dolla’ Barry (Morgan). Joe is the film version of LaVar Ball with dreams of using his son’s future fame in the NBA to his full potential. Leaning more toward Joe, Ali pays attention to the desires of both men and tells them what they want to hear. With the help of her assistant Brandon (Brener), she gets almost everything she wants.

As the story moves on, more and more ludicrous and hysterical situations occur. She crashes what has to be the funniest poker games you’re likely to see in a film. It’s filled with fantastic cameos. She uses her powers to get with a hot neighbor but regrets her decision when she finds he has more in store for her than she can handle. Though she’s having fun, it’s when she pushes true love aside that she finally comes to terms with the fact that maybe she doesn’t connect with men. Not in the right way, that is. What she does is carry a big chip on her shoulder. Now, as you knew would happen, she’s gotten herself into a big mess. She eventually returns to the psychic and asks that her abilities be removed. Sister tells her that with great power comes great responsibility. Ali has been looking at things the wrong way. She suddenly listens with a different ear and sets her life on a new course because winning isn’t everything if who you are on the inside is simply dreadful.

Henson has impressive chemistry with the entire cast, most especially with Tracy Morgan who’s a strong character opposite her. ‘What Men Want’ in no way shirks its duties as an R-rated adult comedy. It takes its obligation to meet that rating very seriously. If you’re looking to laugh, you’ll want to see this as soon as possible. Please, don’t expect ‘What Women Want.’

Go in knowing full well it gets down and dirty. That said, the end of the film is perfect for the theme. Speaking of the end, don’t get up and leave when the credits start to roll. There’s more to come.

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Arctic Movie Review

Think ‘All is Lost’ with less water and think ‘Castaway’ with a substantial amount of snow. Now hold that image and you have, ‘Arctic.’ The best way to describe it is by saying it’s the survival picture of all survival pictures. And the way Joe Penna shot the film made it feel incredibly realistic. In fact, allow me to pass on a word of warning
 you’ll get chills watching it. This being the case, if you see it this weekend, bring an extra sweater. It helps. On more than one occasion you might feel the urge to cuddle up to something for warmth and for strength.

The survivor we’re getting to know in this film carves ‘SOS’ in the snow every day. He makes it large enough so his message might be seen by a plane passing over
 if one ever does. We see that this man is named, OvergĂ„rd (Mikkelsen). At least that’s what we assume his name is since that’s what the jacket he wears (provided it’s his) tells us.

There are no other survivors with him from what was obviously a plane crash but an indication he wasn’t alone when it went down. The poor man is freezing and he’s hungry. In one scene he manages to make Ramen noodles look like first-rate cuisine.

OvergĂ„rd’s been alone for what looks to be about a month or two. Having escaped death so far, he definitely knows how to take advantage of all tools available to him. These are probably skills he’s learned in Scouts, his training at work or both. He seems optimistic and to be holding onto hope that he’ll be found but his eyes say that his spirit is starting to fade. The weather isn’t such that he would attempt to try and walk North and possibly to safety. Instead, he’s content to stay in the valley that he’s grown accustomed to until someone comes to his rescue. He has been innovative when it comes to catching fish and out of what’s left of the body of the plane, he’s made a little home. For what that might look like, think of the film ‘Alive.’ Better yet, don’t think of that one. Hopefully, he didn’t have to eat anyone at this point.

Once you get to know OvergĂ„rd, you begin to wonder what led him to this moment. What has he already endured? Why hasn’t he been found? How long has it been? Does he have someone looking for him or is it possible there’s nothing for him to go back to? All of this is left to the imagination of the viewer and one of the reasons you’ll admire the film and the performance Mikkelsen (The Three Musketeers, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) gives. What he does with little to no dialogue is a noteworthy achievement. OvergĂ„rd is tough but tender. He’s intelligent and innocent. He’s every hero you can perceive him to be while at the same time he’ll have you wanting to leap onto the screen and help shoulder some of his burdens in the hopes you see him saved. That moment finally comes. He has a chance to be rescued. One day a helicopter flies over and sees him. For this, you will be gleeful.

Hold on! You didn’t think you were going to get off that easily, did you?? No way. Due to a strong draft of wind, the helicopter is forced down. After seeing him so hopeful, it’s difficult to witness OvergĂ„rd so crushed. Thankfully, this doesn’t last long because his training kicks into gear and he runs to the helicopter to see if he can help. The pilot is dead, but the female co-pilot is still alive. He gets the young woman (SmĂĄradĂłttir) out and to his plane where he begins to nurse her back to health. She’s so severely injured that she’s barely hanging on but as he has had to for himself, he decides to be her rock. The helicopter proves to be a treasure of goodies. He retrieves a sled to pull her and a lighter and fuel for warmth. Desperate for company and delighted with his stash, he’s now sanguine toward making it until another helicopter shows. Surely someone will be coming after her, right? The supply from the wreckage should buy him more time until that help arrives. He finds a picture his nearly comatose patient has. From this, he learns she’s a mother. As time ticks by, he begins to realize how dire the situation is for his new charge. So far, he’s been willing to brave the cold, the polar bears and possible death for himself. But through her returning to her family, he finds a new reason to fight and decides he’ll make the trek to an outpost on foot.

As he pulls her along in the snow and ice, ‘Arctic’ gets more and more intense and unforgiving. Every possible danger there is to encounter, he manages to find. His struggle to get help will have you struggling in your seat. He’s located an outpost on a map and has established how long it’ll take to get there. He chooses a certain route but when it proves impossible with his haul, he resolves to take the longer, windier and more precarious path. With what he’s being exposed to, he begins to look like death but refuses to give up. I’ll leave you to wonder what happens next. 

Don’t wait for cable to see this movie. It’s thoroughly entertaining. The big screen lends help to the mood so see this at the theatre. Sound, as well as the soundtrack, are used to influence and manipulate you. You’ll respect what writers Joe Penna and Ryan Morrison have in store for you but rejoice in the fact that they didn’t stretch ‘Arctic’ out to two full hours as most films do today. This journey is hard to watch as it is, without it being stretched to the breaking point for no reason. ‘Arctic’ is a brilliant adventure so bundle up and see it tonight. 

The LEGOÂź Movie 2: The Second Part

This is the best sequel I’ve seen in a long time. It’s perfect. Written very skillfully and playfully by Phil Lord (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and Chris Miller (Cloudy Chance of Meatballs) makes it an automatic win. They were the perfect team for this project and their years on this earth researching and studying the material used in this film pays off for their audience in the sheer amount of laughter that’ll be coming out of their mouths. This film is slick, smart and a whole lot of fun.

‘The Lego Movie’ was exceptional and was followed by several other films but ‘The LEGOÂź Movie 2: The Second Part’ assembles again the original heroes of Bricksburg in a yarn you won’t see coming. The adventure they take us on is as magical. It’s not only magical for the children sitting in the theatre viewing the beautiful animation and the enlightening story accompanying it, but it’s entertaining for adults, as well. If you didn’t see the first one, don’t worry. You don’t necessarily have to see it to get what’s going on here, however, for more hilarity I suggest you do. 

So, we’re taken inside the town of Bricksburg. All safe were the citizens who believed their lives were comfy and cozy. A Fool’s dream. Their simple lives suddenly become anything but awesome. A very real and BIG challenge confronts them in the form of LEGO DUPLOÂź blocks. At first, these strangers are thought cute and sweet; anything but dangerous. Their adorable voices, baby doll eyes, and innocent faces leave the town defenseless. Bricksburg is caught off guard when the true aim of Duplo’s destruction and dominance is identified. After a horrific attack, the town tries to rebuild. They’ve learned how to keep Duplo from hurting them by not doing or having anything cute. By not showing weakness of any kind.

This doesn’t work for long
 they’re back. However, this time, they make contact with General Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz). Though he still often goes about singing his ‘Awesome’ mantra, Emmet (Pratt) has just had a dream about the end of times. He and a group he forms must stop this from becoming a reality when everything from his dream starts to come true. The film gets very sophisticated from here. Emmet, Lucy (Banks) and their team are now on their way to meet mysterious Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi, who’s played by the incredibly talented and hysterical Tiffany Haddish. The queen has a sinister plan, involving a song that will get stuck in your head, that they must prevent. By the way, this song will get stuck in your head before the movie ends. It drove me crazy for days.

Having hatched a plan on how to destroy the queen, Emmet meets Rex Dangervest who lends a hand in their quest to stop their new enemy, but Emmet sees that one by one the members of the gang gives in to her mysterious power. They now doubt the entire mission
 especially when Batman (Arnett) explores his softer side and decides that Alfred might not be the only company he wants for the rest of his life. Superman with glitter in his hair is another giveaway that this strange new world might be one to accept. There are even several different versions of Wonder Woman and each of them is fine with her body type. They listen to and enjoy the strange song which Emmet and Rex refuse to do. They’re staying on course.

When the movie first starts, Will Ferrell’s live-action character of dad is with his son and daughter who are playing Lego’s. He’s insisting that brother share with his sister. This becomes the theme of the film. Duplo and Lego. Boy and Girl. Dark and Light. Destruction of all things.

Enter the message.  

I flipped out over this movie but before I tell you everything that happens, I’ll cut to the chase. See this and on the big screen preferably. You’ll never forget seeing scenes recreated from popular films such as ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ and characters such as Bruce Willis from ‘Die Hard’ crawling around in air ducts in his white t-shirt. The adorably destructive Duplo is a must-see. In fact, every one of the characters in this film are amusing and imaginative. Spoiler… you won’t see this one coming but RBG makes an appearance. And why not? She’s everywhere right now! For that alone, you cannot miss, ‘The LEGOÂź Movie 2: The Second Part.’

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Cold Pursuit Movie Review

In this film, director Hans Petter Moland has remade his original film called ‘In Order of Disappearance’ that starred Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd for the American audience. Since I liked this film but found Liam Neeson’s ability to carry the role a bit difficult to accept, I’ll be seeing if the original were something American audiences needed to discover sooner. If you like your action mixed with comedy this will satiate the pallet. The action is good, and the comedy is dark. My point about Neeson is that if you were curious about and or looking for the sign that it’s time for Liam Neeson to call it quits on the tough guy roles, look no further than his performance in ‘Cold Pursuit,’ or as I thought of the movie the entire time I was watching it, a strangely comedic take on ‘Taken.’ I’m sorry but it has to be said. No longer can he be taken that seriously as a badass fighter or even as menacing. As Nels in ‘Cold Pursuit,’ Neeson looks weak and thin and seems in no way capable of physically pulling off what is asked of him
 nor is it explained where he would have procured his ‘particular set of skills.’

To be fair, ‘Cold Pursuit’ has an interest in meeting more than just the expectation of the ‘Taken’ fans. With the humorous elements woven through the script, it speaks to Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri) and even Guy Ritchie (Snatch) devotees, as well. That said, you absolutely do not want to miss the dark comedy here for which the film is loaded. Neeson was hard to swallow but Nels does have a reason for being ruthless which is the murder of his son, Kyle. In case you come across this question in a trivia game someday, Kyle is played by his real-life son, Micheál Richardson.

Nels is an ordinary, everyday family man who owns his own snow plowing business. He resides high in the bitter cold of the resort town of Kehoe, Colorado where he clears the roads for those traveler’s brave enough to chance the trip to ski in the demanding weather. I must mention that the cinematography is breathtaking. Nels has a cabin outside of the tourist trap with his wife Grace (Dern). Grace isn’t in the picture long. She’s distraught and… outta here. When they find out he was killed, Nels vows to hunt the killers down and wreak havoc upon them. This leads to my biggest beef with the film which is Tom Bateman as drug lord Trevor ‘Viking’ Calcote. He the man who Nels hunts but is not at all a convincing bad guy. And not because he’s a vegan! Bateman does look like a weasel in the film which works in his favor to a degree. And I know the bully, or the alpha, is usually the weak one but this is another casting choice I would have reconsidered. The performance wasn’t strong enough to convince me he wouldn’t turn tail and run at the slightest inclination there might be some sort of confrontation, let alone lead others to do anything malicious. His ten-year-old son Ryan (Nicholas Holmes) is a far more interesting character. And I sincerely mean that.

In a brilliant turn of events, Viking draws the attention of the Native American elder White Bull (Tom Jackson), who’s the head of his own gang. A turf war starts. This is the last thing our gangster wannabe needs. Nels and Natives? Now it’s getting good. Members of these rival gangs start dropping like flies.

William Forsythe enters the picture and you finally accept that this might be where Nels received some of his skills. Anyway, Forsythe always adds to a film, an asset no matter how he’s used and playing brother to Nels, he helps the story immeasurably. There are two local cops played by Emma Rossum and John Doman who do the same. By the end, justice is served, and you’ll walk away having enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Parts are unbelievable, yes, but what about going to a movie isn’t fantasy? You’ll like the scenery, the score, the characters, and the vengeance. You’ll begin to see the bigger picture playing out and how insane it’s all becoming. And just maybe, you won’t be ready to say to Neeson’s agent that it’s time he hangs up his punching bags. There still might be a few more action pictures left in him?  I’ll leave that to you to decide.

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Miss Bala Movie Review

“Miss Bala” is actually a remake of an earlier Spanish-language version. But this new one is bigger on the action, violence and explosions, because – wwll – because it is a Hollywood remake. The story gets into cross-border action between the United States and Mexico, specifically in Tijuana and San Diego. The Mexican drug cartels, crooked local Mexican cops, crooked Mexican Federales, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and even the CIA get thrown into the mix. The story uses the local Tijuana beauty pageant as a vehicle to jump start a tense action thriller with a long and winding resolution.

Gloria Meyer (Gina Rodriguez) works as makeup artist in the Los Angeles area. She was born in the US, but has spent much of her childhood in Tijuana, Mexico. Her best friend there is named Suzu (Cristina Rodlo), and Suzu is planning on being in the Miss Baja California beauty contest. Gloria is with Suzu when she registers, and that night they decide to celebrate at the hot local club. However, the place is way too hot. The local Federale general, who is also a crooked drug kingpin, is scheduled to attend. So a group of actual drug cartel members break in to assassinate him. This group is led by Lino (Ismael Cruz CĂłrdova). Lino finds Gloria hiding in a bathroom, and tells her to leave quietly. The shooting starts and people scatter everywhere. Gloria looses track of Suzu, and vows to find her. The next day she goes to a local cop to get help.

Instead, she is kidnapped by Lido and his henchmen. She is unwittingly brought into a plan to blow up a Mexican DEA safe house. She is terrified, and feels there is no way to escape. But when Lido make Gloria sign up for the beauty contest, she finds a way to ditch the cartel. But she is found by DEA Agent named Brian (Matt Lauria). He forces Gloria to go undercover and report to him. Or else, she will be prosecuted for the deaths at the DEA safe house. Gloria goes back to Lido and his gang of thugs. However, Lido has a new plan for Gloria. She is sent across the border with a secret stash of cash and drugs. Since she has a valid American passport, they do not question her. She meets up with another cartel henchman named Jimmy (Anthony Mackie). He tells Gloria to send a message to Lido – he has a mole in his outfit.

DEA Agent Brian is told about a big transfer of weapons to happen in Tijuana. Gloria lets him know about it and they plan an ambush. A major shootout occurs in a parking lot, and all hell breaks loose. Lido and the cartel members are under fire from the DEA and from Mexican police. Gloria is told to find her own way out, so she decides to instead stay with Lido. They escape and the bad guys find their way to a new safe house far away. Gloria finds that the beauty contest will be rigged, and the judges have been bought off. Gloria will win the contest, and that will give her private ‘access’ to the local Federale general. This means that Lido has a new assignation plot in the works.

Gloria finds that she has the power, in the end, to find her friend Suzu and to take out some really bad guys. Oh yes, all of this while looking really hot in a tight red dress and wearing heals. The people who told Gloria one thing were hiding information, or were telling flat out lies. She had to come up with ways to escape all sorts of deadly situations. She was caught in automatic round crossfire, and she was still walking tall, never hit or even scratched. Man, that woman needs to buy a lottery ticket – NOW!


Unlike other recent movies, “Miss Bala” gets about inch deep into the reality of drug smuggling and cartel operations. “Traffic” was crystal clear in showing how destructive illegal drugs can be. The movie “Sicario” gets into details about the cross-border drug smuggling operations. Even a movie the “The Mule” showed the heinous nature of the cartel methods of distributing drugs. This movie only uses cartels and Mexican Federale and DEA agents as devices to push and manipulate Gloria around the way they want. Even at the end, when it opens up a slight potential for Gloria as a continuing franchise character, someone who just be willing to do this same thing for the CIA, it is not of her free will.

Director Catherine Hardwicke takes a very pedestrian approach to the movie, by setting up selected trigger events that push the story forward. It looks really good, and there is a lot of up-beat music, even during the periods where there is great danger. Gina Rodriguez is quite good, but the role gives her limited room to create a full character. She is consistently reacting to things done by other people. Her character is led around to do this and that, but she never indicates that she would do something totally different. Also playing Lino is Ismael Cruz CĂłrdova, and he play quite a charming sociopath. He is sometimes low-key and charming, and in the next minute he can blow away a traitor in the group. He is very convincing in this role.

“Miss Bala” is a remake of the original Spanish-language version, but something was lost in the translation.

They Shall Not Grow Old Movie review

“They Shall Not Grow Old” is a film-making marvel and a technological achievement. But much, much more than that: this movie is a tribute and a salute of honor to the many British soldiers who went off to fight in World War I. Many of these brave lads never returned, and ‘they shall not grow old’. Director Peter Jackson has taken actual movie footage from the historical era and transformed it to a documentary that explores the horrors of trench warfare. He has taken hundreds of hours of old footage, along with hundreds of hours of audio interviews – and with this raw material, he has created a fully immersive look at what the average ‘doughboy’ actually experienced at the Front. Working with The Imperial War Museum and the BBC, Jackson has taken and then digitized, colorized and did a 3-D conversion a whole lot of rough grainy badly-shot movie footage. The result is a very informative and in engaging peek into what happened over one hundred years ago.

The original movie cameras back at time produced some very poor quality footage. The film in the camera was over cranked, meaning the speed when projected back later was too fast and jerky. The film was not meant to last forever, so there are many places where it has faded and has accumulated dust particles. Even with this as a starting point, Peter Jackson has gotten some of the most talented film restoration and production people involved in restoring hours of film – frame by frame. His final result becomes a slow build up to the central part – the reconstructed view of the Front Line in World War I.

The beginning is shown in the overly fast-speed and poor quality images of London prior to WWI. When war comes, it is publicized in every way that England needs to fight to exist, and to keep Europe free. With the soundtrack repeating story after story of many under aged fellows getting into the service, it shows how they trained to be a fighting force. Soon, they are over in Belgium and France, and it is obvious that the bombing and shelling has taken a toll. At one point, the black and white image turns into a colorized version. The troops meet their new home in the trenches. They know there are German soldier only dozens of yards away. There is a deadly bog of twisted barbed wire and mines that make up a dreaded “No Man’s Land” between the two sides. Enemy snipers are always ready to take out a soldier who might peek over the side of the trench at the wrong time. There are massive bombardments of mortars and grenades, and these things make for an unpleasant place to be.

It is very odd to see images from over one hundred years ago with this level of sharpness and clarity. The extra added color in many of the scenes add to the depth of experience that you are watching recent newsreel footage. Some of the stories told by the men who served there are stark and full of vivid detail. Most of them contain terrible descriptions of the conditions and the results of the battles fought. Many people died, on both sides. The loss of life was staggering, but almost all the British soldiers did what they know how to do. They carried on. They ate and drank tea, and they would sing bawdy songs, such as “Mademoiselle from ArmentiĂšres”. But mostly they fought in the “Great War”, because this was the “War to End All Wars”. Little did they know…

But just as the First World War came to an end, this movie also shows that the surviving troops returned home. They were greet as heroes, but promptly were forgotten. The world economy was in shambles, and unemployment was high. When the large influx of soldiers came back to England, there were not as many jobs there as when they left. But each of the men who served at the Front came back with a changed outlook on life. Each one knew at any time, the fragile thread of life could be snapped by the cruel hand of Death. They had seen that up close way too many times. Some retreated into a bottle to combat their own demons. Yet a majority of them stood up straight and became leaders and fathers and the backbone of British society.

Peter Jackson has dedicated this movie to Sgt. William Jackson, his grandfather who served in World War I. So it shows the depth of commitment that he had to make everything about this documentary something very special. He has accomplished this goal.

Per the press release, the producers note that this year marks the 100-year anniversary of the “Great War” coming to an end:

“With this being the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, I can’t imagine a more appropriate time to honor the courage of the soldiers who fought in WWI — what was then ‘the war to end all wars’ — many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice. Peter has made history come alive through the medium of film, and we are so pleased to be a part of bringing his vision to today’s audiences.”

Serenity Movie Review

The word serenity means the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; sereneness. It conjures up peace of mind that, in many cases, one can only dream of as we live our daily lives. We strive for it but might only catch moments here and there. Can you imagine a serene world where everyone in the world lives on a beautiful, perfect island? An island where everyone is happy and no one grows old? Believe it or not, it exists. In the film ‘Serenity’ it does anyway. Baker Dill (Academy AwardÂź-winner Matthew McConaughey) lives on this tropical heaven. This paradise is called Plymouth island and it’s where Dill has everything he needs when he needs it. He barely gets by but he’s completely content with fishing for just one certain tuna that always escapes him. He has never questioned his existence until now.

What brings him to start is the re-emergence of his ex-wife, Karen Zariakas (Academy AwardÂź-winner Anne Hathaway), who finds him on Plymouth. Karen, knowing he needs the money, offers him a golden opportunity. She uses Dill’s son Patrick (Sayegh) as bait to lure him in. She tells him that her husband, Frank Zariakas (Clarke) is extremely abusive to her and Patrick and asks if he’ll consider helping her escape his clutches. She wants Dill to take Frank out on a late tuna run and, essentially, toss him overboard to fend for himself
 preferably in shark-infested waters. The offer, the mention of Partick and seeing her face again bring about feelings that Dill has suppressed. He now questions his life, whereabouts, and reality itself. Beautifully shot, you can see how if someone lived a life such as Dills’, he’d accept anything not to penetrate it. Why would he want to open up a doorway into the past that might bring him out of this utopia? This may sound like an intriguing film but, unfortunately, how it’s cut might have stopped it from being as good as it could have been.

The film has intense moments and the cinematography is gorgeous. Had it been put together differently; the story might have had a chance. Halfway through watching it, I thought to myself that it made a lot of sense that it, originally slated to come out in October of last year, was changed to January where it’ll be forgotten if ever seen. This might be better for all involved. Hathaway is stunning but not in a good way. Her damsel in distress character is vapid and mousy and McConaughey’s performance is straight up uncomfortable to watch
 especially as he sweats all over the camera lens. It’s perplexing why they’d accept the roles, unless, as I suggested, the film was cut in such a way that it ruined the original intent. The world writer/director Steven Knight (Locke) was trying to convey simply doesn’t come through with the dialogue coming out of his actors’ mouths, the way they behaved and the structure of the film itself. That said, it’s just a bad movie. The more story revealed, the less sense it makes… and then there’s the music. The serious music trying to sell you on a sincerely divine plan of some sort makes the film more laughable as it goes on. If its stars interest you, wait for cable to see ‘Serenity.’ I can’t suggest you see this at the theatre.

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The Kid Who Would be King Movie Review

 

Retelling the tale of King Arthur is as common as giant turkey legs at a Renaissance Faire. But in the movie “The Kid Who Would Be King” the ‘Once and Future King’ is a little on the young side. The Sword Excalibur is meant only for the hands of the King. But when a young kid pulls out the sword in a modern-day England – that schoolboy’s life gets turned around. Good thing he has help of an ancient and mighty sorcerer named Merlin. However, he is also portrayed as another young boy, just more eccentric. There is an evil presence from King Arthur’s day ready to return and destroy all of England, so the new Kid King has his work cut out for him.

 

Alex Elloit (Louis Serkis) is getting a rough time at school in a small town outside of London. He and his best pal Bedders (Dean Chaumoo) get picked on everyday. Two older kids named Lance (Tom Taylor) and Kaye (Rhianna Doris) are very cruel to Alex and Bedders. One night, while hiding from the two, Alex ducks into a construction site. He finds an unusual site – there is a sword in a stone. He’s is able to remove and take it home. Little does he know that an evil sorceress named Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) has been imprisoned and knows the sword is active. She is the half-sister of King Arthur and she is held by a powerful spell from the Ancient Merlin (Patrick Stewart). She vows to escape and lead her undead evil minions to destroy the Kingdom.

 

 

Alex learns that a young version of Merlin (Angus Imrie) has come back to assist him. Merlin seems to be just an oddball at school, but he shows Alex, Bedders, Lance and Kaye some very powerful magic. In four days, during a solar eclipse, Morgana plans to rise from the prison of darkness and overtake the world. Alex does not know how to be a leader. Bedders is basically scared of everything. Lance is bully who puts himself first, and Kaye is not interested in helping other people. But with a lot of effort, this ragtag group travels across the country to seek out the truth, a Quest for the future of England.

 

Alex and his crew finally get to the place where Morgana is entrapped. They think they have defeated her, but there is another – and a much larger – battle to come. The solar eclipse releases Morgana and some terrible forces from the Earth. But Alex and gotten his entire school ready to fight. There is a huge CGI battle-fest, with undead minions on black horses and Morgana returned as a female bat-dragon type of thing. It is only because of the ‘Earth in darkness but not in night’ that allows Alex to have so many people join his crusade against evil. It is non-descript battle, seeing that it is to prevent the downfall of all humanity…

 

 

There are a handful of clever and creative ideas in this movie. But mostly it is a just a rehash of better movies on the same subject. Even Disney’s animated “The Sword and the Stone” covered much of this same ground. The bright spots are Angus Imrie playing Merlin, and when he gets swapped out occasionally for the older and wiser version – played by Patrick Stewart. Most of the child actors are pretty fun to watch, and they get the point across. The movie moves at an odd pace, with some sections dragged out for a quest going here and there in the English countryside. The internal logic of the movie is fuzzy, and there is one major scientific error that I cannot dismiss. There is supposed to be a solar eclipse in a few days, and right before that – the kids are out at night under a full moon. Ask your science teacher why that is wrong…

 

Joe Cornish has another movie under his belt where he wrote and directed (“Attack the Block”). That movie also starred mostly young kids, and he did a fantastic job with that one. He also wrote (or co-wrote) some great movies, “Adventures of Tin-Tin”, “Baby Driver”, and “Ant Man”. But he seems to have taken a few days of during this movie. “The Kid Who Would Be King” could be a very engaging movie, with a lot going for it. But the final results with this movie, it does not rise to the Throne. Cornish has pulled and pulled, but this time the sword stayed in the stone…