The Old Man and the Gun Movie Review

October 5, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

‘The Old Man and the Gun’ is one of the most curious films of 2018, so far, that’s for certain. I’m not saying I disliked it but it’ll take some maneuvering to describe just what it was I liked about it. You’ll see what I mean by that when you see it and I recommend that you do. The way the story is told is incredible. It’s set in the 80’s just as the country was coming out of the 70’s with its long hair and darker colors but before florescent clothing and the mullet hairstyle hits. The country is open to change but isn’t quite there yet. To structure the film properly, Director David Lowery used all the tools he could, such as a grainy, VHS quality look to the picture, its comfortably casual canter, it’s pitch and vernacular appropriate for the time and as I mentioned, the drab color scheme everywhere. He doesn’t miss a thing. What’s particularly special is this… to make it feel even more real Lowery uses clips of Redford from films of his past. Very clever.

Lowery designs his films in such a way that you get deeply involved in the characters and take the utmost interest in their survival and success; no matter what it is their entangled in; good or bad. Honestly, I thought his film ‘A Ghost Story’ was one of the best and most overlooked films of 2017. Like ‘A Ghost Story,’ people may not appreciate ‘The Old Man and the Gun’ or see the brilliance right away but given the talent involved, I do hope you overlook any criticisms and view it despite anything you hear. It’s different but there’s nothing wrong with different. In fact, it’s refreshing.

Redford plays Forrest Tucker who has spent most of his life in and out of trouble. He’s been in prison and has escaped over fifteen times for which he has become famous. He even escaped from San Quentin. Did I mention this was based on a TRUE story?! So, we meet him, learn of his criminal activity and then move directly into discovering who he is on the inside. He meets Jewel (Spacek) and is smitten with her right off the bat. He tells her who he is and what he does, but she doesn’t believe him. No one would be honest about a thing like that, right? He’s an elderly, seemingly trustworthy fellow and is very kind so she warms to him as they sit in a café getting to know one another. This is what’s so exceptional about Lowery ’s technique. He makes us aware of the two-sided nature of Forrest that even Forrest isn’t cognizant of. You, as does Jewel, immediately like his gentle personality.

As you watch, you see that one side of him just wants to do what it’s told it can’t do. This is what he and his friends have been doing for years… robbing banks. He’s the gangs’ guy who nonchalantly strolls in, tells the bank manager or the teller that he’ll need their money and he exits with no fuss. He always keeps everyone calm, doesn’t bring attention to himself by smiling, being polite, hurting no one and then he leaves.

He and the audience are aware that perhaps his age has brought him to a moment in time where he’s finally conflicted with this side of him. Maybe it’s time to stop running and settle down?

Detective John Hunt (Affleck) knows of Forrest after he and his son happen to be inside one of the banks he robs. He makes a personal commitment to himself to bring this thieving gang of old-timers to justice. The character of John Hunt isn’t all that impactful at first but toward the end of the film, you realize how important he was in the grand scheme of things. As his search widens, he gets to know Forrest more and gets to respect the man he was and who he’s become.

I told you this would be a bit difficult to analyze for you but let me finish with this. It’s short, it’s a fascinating mix between comedy and drama and the cast is spectacular. It opens this weekend. Go see it. I can’t think of one reason for you not to.

Night School Movie Review

September 28, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

‘Night School’ is Kevin Hart writing for himself to offer you, Kevin Hart. If you like his previous movies, you’ll like this one, too. Some of the juvenile pranks and jokes do fall a little flat, but it doesn’t kill the film overall. Hart knows comedy. If he’s your brand, don’t miss this. That said, allow me to remind you that he does add a little something extra special to this movie that he also produced… Tiffany Haddish. Their chemistry is simply off the charts. Malcolm D. Lee worked with Haddish in ‘Girls Trip’ so he knew these two would gel perfectly. A Kevin Hart comedy, in my humble opinion, is always worth a watch but a Hart/Haddish twosome filled with frenzied back-and-forth verbal sparring, and a little sparring in the Octagon, as well?! Sign me up. I adore these two and one thing’s for certain… they have to work together again soon, though I wouldn’t mind seeing Haddish take the lead next time.

During his high school years, Teddy (Hart), not being the most gifted of students, a fact his sister likes to remind him of, decides he doesn’t want to continue his high school education. He wants to skip this part of life and move straight into working. He plans on being wealthy without working for ‘the man’ and believes his decision will help him get a jump on everyone else. While in school Teddy made a few enemies. One of them was Stewart (Killam) who later becomes the principal of that very school.

Teddy eventually procures almost everything he wants. He has a nice car, a smart, gorgeous, wealthy girlfriend named Lisa (Echikunwoke) who loves him. The career? Well, that hasn’t gone quite as he had hoped. He does do well enough to get by but only as a salesman at a store that sells barbecues. He gets by because he’s such a good salesman but it’s not where he ultimately wants to be in life. However, he soon finds out he’ll get the store when the owner retires which will finally give him a chance to be the man he always knew he could be.

That’s all before the ‘accident’ where he causes the store to blow up. Up to this point, Teddy has been lying to Lisa about the money he makes. In fact, he’s on a strict allowance and is having trouble staying afloat. Now with the accident obviously causing the store to close, his hopes come crashing down. He needs to get something soon or, he fears, he’ll lose everything that matters to him. Ben Schwartz plays a financial adviser, and Teddy’s best friend, who can get him a position at his firm and clear up any of Teddy’s worries. He also informs Teddy that his hands are tied about one matter. Teddy can’t work there until he gets his GED. He has no choice but to go to night school and as fate would have it at the very school he stopped attending years earlier.

When he goes to his night school classes, something he’s doing behind Lisa’s back, Teddy meets his teacher, Carrie (Haddish), who he has already had quite a hilarity filled and memorable run-in with. They instantly don’t like one another but both want the class to succeed. They eventually have to form an alliance and work together, against the principal, to protect the integrity of the system and get Teddy moving forward in life.

With a great cast of character actors playing his fellow students, including Rob Riggle and Romany Malco, Hart manages to get himself out of what could have been a disaster. With so many writers involved with writing the script, it’s easy to picture a scenario where story concepts and jokes were getting thrown out that shouldn’t have and others hitting that shouldn’t have. I say this because at times the plot could be weak, rather sophomoric and unoriginal. It seems maybe something was lost in the shuffle. But as I’ve previously mentioned, the cast alone makes it worth your trouble. Might I suggest seeing a matinee if you decide to head to the theatre?

Smallfoot Movie Review

September 28, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

You may be surprised to hear this but when you get to the root of the message within this film, it gets rather philosophical. I wasn’t quite expecting for characters in an animated feature to attempt to heighten my awareness. ‘Smallfoot’ insists I always question things that I’ve been told, by using cute, Yeti characters who warn that ignoring your gut instinct is the proper thing to do. The way to get their complex message through to the audience, writer/director, Karey Kirkpatrick and a team of six other writers, have an elder exclaiming to his tribe to ‘push it down’ if anyone wants to examine things closer and to never believe what they see and hear with their own eyes and ears. Sound familiar? Anyway, written on stone is ancient text that tells them how to live. ‘Always be true to the stone!’ says the elder or ‘Stonekeeper’ (Common). If they do not, they will be banished. This is where we meet our protagonist, Migo (Tatum).

Being told they do not exist, Migo comes across a smallfoot, a human. With his own eyes, he watches a plane crash and sees a man get out. He runs to tell his clan that people really do exist and wants to show everyone his proof. Nothing seems to ever really work out for the poor guy which is part of the delightful aspects of the storyline that endears you to his character. He is a big goober who never does anything right but now he has something that will get him much desired acclaim and attention… or so he thinks. What it gets him is banished. The Stonekeeper isn’t interested in the truth coming out but hiding it no matter the cost.

On his own, Migo meets up with the SES, Smallfoot Evidentiary Society, led by Meechee (Zendaya). Together, they form a team to show proof of other beings by using science-based theories. Migo agrees to be lowered into the clouds where they believe a new world awaits discovery. Once he actually falls below, something you know will happen based on what has already occurred to our hapless hero, he sees a town and wanders toward it. Here, we meet up with Percy, a YouTube-type star looking for ratings for his wildlife show. He wants to capture video of and show the world that the Yeti is real and asks his assistant Brenda (Shahidi) to dress like one, for which she promptly refuses. Percy and Migo eventually stumble upon one another. What occurs next is hysterical, adorable and at times very moving. It’s deliberate on the part of the writers and the animators to ensure children see how important it is that we all listen as well as communicate properly to secure the very survival of our own kind. At points, the film is almost chilling but never once is it not impressive.

Well done Warner Brothers for bringing us something that entertains as well as educates the children without them realizing what’s hitting them. I love the idea that little nuggets of wisdom are dropped into young minds without their fully realizing it. Here, we touch on a great many subjects, those I’ve mentioned plus many others such as the environment. See ‘Smallfoot’ with the family this weekend to not only be amused and charmed but to be thoroughly engaged and enlightened.

The House with a Clock in its Walls Movie Review

September 21, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Eli Roth, known for making horror films that leave nightmares in their wake, this time tries his hand at something for the younger crowd with, ‘The House With a Clock in its Walls,’ based on the novel by John Bellairs. While this is a family movie, it does have a touch of darkness I wasn’t quite expecting to see. With its creepy puppets and dolls, the frightening CG creatures, some nice some not so nice, and the house itself which appears to be alive and often crabby, the film just might not be right for someone under the age of eight. This would especially be the case if a child has never been exposed to anything similar to Goosebumps. Magic swirls around the story and the world a young boy, Lewis (Vaccaro), who finds himself forced to live with his kooky uncle in Michigan after the death of his parents from a car accident.

Lewis is still upset about his loss but immediately warms to the idea of living with his eccentric uncle Jonathan (Black) after getting to know him more. He’s helped by getting to know his uncle’s friend and neighbor, Florence (Blanchett), and he begins to see that through them he might eventually be part of a family once more. Jonathan and Florence’s relationship is much like that of a married couple. They bicker and argue but also care about one another and seem to have Lewis’ best interest in mind as they introduce him to the life of witches and warlocks. They give him some books and he quickly learns spells of his own. At school, he’s told by his friend, Tarby (Suljic), that his uncles’ house is haunted. Lewis believes it at first due to the strange noises and loud ticking clocks but is shown that the rumor is far from the truth. Wanting to impress his friend, Lewis gets himself into trouble when he decides to prove to Tarby that he’s wrong by showing him some of the magic he’s learned. Not easily able to impress the boy, Lewis goes further. He opens a forbidden cabinet and offers a blood oath to a book on necromancy that he finds which raises from the dead the previous owner of the house, Isaac Izzard (MacLachlan). Isaac has been waiting for someone to bring him back to life so he could wipe all people from existence.

‘The House With a Clock in its Walls’ is solid entertainment. The CGI is well done, Blanchett is dramatic and comical, Jack Black’s crazy warlock is impressive and the barking chair that seems to be his pet will leave smiles on the faces of the young and old alike. In fact, this might be a good introduction for kids to watching something heavier. Again, this will appeal to the older kids in the family, but you might want to leave the much younger ones at home. I don’t think you want this film to be how they learn about death which is a subject well breached here. It can be scary but its intentions of teaching a boy about his spirit and about being adventurous are not missed. I can see where the studio might be able to take this trip a little further if they were so inclined.

Assassination Nation Advance Movie Screening

September 17, 2018 Published by markdeli

Movie Screening Summary

High school senior Lily and her three best friends live in a world of selfies, emojis, snaps and sexts. But when their town of Salem is besieged by a massive data hack, resulting in half the citizens’ private info spewed into the public view, the community descends into anarchy. Lily is targeted after being falsely blamed for the hack—and bands together with her friends to survive a long, blood-soaked night.

Starring Odessa Young, Hari Nef, Suki Waterhouse, and ABRA. Written + Directed by Sam Levinson.

Social Media:
Website: https://www.anationmovie.com/synopsis/
Facebook: /ANationMovie
Instagram: @ANationMovie
Twitter: @ANationMovie
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Advance Movie Screening For ASSASSINATION NATION

Find your chance to receive special advance movie screening passes below.

Phoenix, Arizona

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Wednesday September 19th
Location: Harkins Tempe Marketplace
Movie Screening Time: 7:30pm
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To redeem a pass, simply click the Get Passes button. You will taken to our movie screening partner site (where you can sign up for a free account). Once you’ve done so, you’ll be able to print out your pass and bring it with you to your screening or event.

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Smallfoot Advance Movie Screening

September 13, 2018 (updated September 13, 2018) Published by markdeli

Movie Screening Summary

An animated adventure for all ages, with original music and an all-star cast, Smallfoot turns a myth upside down when a bright young yeti finds something he thought didn’t exist—a human.

News of this “smallfoot” throws the simple yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village, in an all new story about friendship, courage and the joy of discovery.

Smallfoot stars Channing Tatum (The LEGO® Batman Movie, the Jump Street films) as the yeti, Migo, and James Corden (Trolls, The Emoji Movie) as the Smallfoot, Percy. Also starring are Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Common (Selma), LeBron James (upcoming Space Jam 2), Danny DeVito (The Lorax, Oscar nominee for Erin Brockovich), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Yara Shahidi (TV’s Black-ish), Ely Henry (TV’s Justice League Action), and Jimmy Tatro (22 Jump Street).

Smallfoot is directed by Karey Kirkpatrick, Annie Award-winning director of Over the Hedge and Annie nominee for the screenplays for Chicken Run and James and the Giant Peach. The screenplay is by Kirkpatrick and Clare Sera, screen story by John Requa & Glenn Ficarra and Kirkpatrick, based on the book Yeti Tracks, by Sergio Pablos.

The film is produced by Bonne Radford (Curious George), Glenn Ficarra (Storks, This is Us,) and John Requa (Storks, This is Us). Serving as executive producers are Nicholas Stoller, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Jared Stern, Karey Kirkpatrick, Sergio Pablos, Courtenay Valenti, and Allison Abbate. The creative team includes editor Peter Ettinger, and composer Heitor Pereira. Animation is by Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Smallfoot is set to debut in theaters September 28, 2018.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group, a Zaftig Films production, Smallfoot will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

https://www.warnerbros.com/smallfoot

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