The Shape of Water movie poster

The Shape of Water

This film is, essentially, a sonnet.  A sonnet to love that bursts to life with a breathtaking opening.  It’s presented to you with intricate imagery and topped with a poem at the end to nicely complete the fable.  ‘The Shape of Water’ is called a fairy tale and from the poster, you can see it certainly looks like one.  Director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone) was quite obviously inspired by ‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon.’  Regardless of what it’s labeled, a love story, a fairy tale, a thriller, it’s hard to really describe it as any one thing in particular.  That task seems better left for the individual viewer of this magnificent work of art.  At one moment you’ll see it as a thriller where you’re biting your lip, filled with anxieties, another you’ll feel the anguish that makes it a drama but there’s no doubt it’s a brilliant fantasy. 

The plot of the story is a woman falling in love with an amphibian.  We see beauty in all things.  She most certainly does.  The movie is an ode to love, for people and for other creatures no matter who or what they are, and that’s the strong central message del Toro makes very clear.  That and how important the color green is to him.  Everything is green.  The start of the film is waterlogged and wonderful and you’ll appreciate how green lends to the temperature of the film as a whole.  As we begin the story in the apartment (above a theatre) that belongs to our protagonist, Eliza Esposito (Hawkins), we are swept away to another time and place.  Eliza is a perfect damsel in distress.  She’s short, mute and low on friends but appreciates everything she has, especially a little alone time in her bathtub where she relieves herself from the tensions of the day.  

The year is 1962, right before the death of Kennedy and the death of what people considered to be their hope for their country… did I mention the film gets political at times?  Eliza works with Zelda (Spencer) in a secret government laboratory.  They’re cleaning women and generally keep to themselves but due to a wrong place, wrong time situation, are one day pulled into something they weren’t expecting.  Asked to clean up a bloody mess after Mr. Strickland (Shannon) gets a horrific injury, the women are privy to more information than they care to be.  For Zelda, it’s just, ‘do the job, move on and forget it happened.’  For Eliza, very curious by nature, it’s a matter of finding out the ‘why’s’ of the bigger picture.  She sees a creature, known as only the asset, wrongly imprisoned and feels sorry for it as it’s tortured by cold, heartless men.  When next she sees the creature, not intimidated by it, she gives it part of her lunch.  A bonding begins.

The creature is possibly going to be used for space exploration and the lab Eliza works is not the only research facility that wants him.  She tells her friend and neighbor Giles, played magnificently by Richard Jenkins, about the creature who is intrigued but when she speaks of a plot to rescue her new charge, he’s more than concerned.  Sadly, you’ll grow concerned, too, as the film nears its conclusion.  Up to the point where her plot to remove the asset from his imprisonment ends, it’s a well-structured, beautifully formed and stunningly shot film.  It’s a fascinatingly violent film with peculiar lusts along with joy and guilt hidden in dark places BUT the end seems rather flat.  Be that as it may, don’t be deterred from seeing it.

Afterall, it’s not as if your imagination can’t move beyond what del Toro does on screen and fill in a few blanks… it’s a shame that it must. 

Wonder Wheel Movie Review

“Wonder Wheel” is a new movie from Woody Allen full of drama and dialogue, Allen’s favorite topics. However, in this case the drama is weak and the dialogue is ponderous and overblown. Woody Allen is not devoid of talent, but in this case, he seems to have misplaced his writing skills. They were replaced with a first-year college student attempt at writing ‘serious’ drama. The story is very slim and the characters are two-dimensional at best. The actors are giving it their best shot, but it’s hard to make an impact with such light-weight material.

In 1950 at Coney Island, there is a large Ferris wheel ride called (strangely enough) “Wonder Wheel”. Ginny (Kate Winslet) is a failed actress with a young son, and her first husband left her. She is now married to Humpty (Jim Belushi), an easy-going guy who works at the merry-go-round in the amusement park. Humpty and Ginny, who works as a waitress at a bar in the park, both live with her son in a tiny apartment next to the Wonder Wheel. They have little money, and things are usually tense between them. But it is about to get worse.

Humpty has a grown daughter from his first marriage, named Carolina (Juno Temple). She had left and gotten married to a gangster, and Humpty was not pleased. But her marriage went bad, and she left the mob life, and then talked with the FBI. Carolina is now a marked woman, and she is being chased by some thugs who want to kill her. But Carolina goes back to the one place that she knows will have someone to take her in. She goes back to Humpty and his meager life. But she will now share a space with Humpty and Ginny and her son, and this makes everyone feel on edge. She also has dangerous thugs coming after her, so everyone is also very nervous.

Ginny destroyed her first marriage by being unfaithful, and she is again falling into this same pattern this time. She is sneaking away to make time to be with Mickey (Justin Timberlake). He is a grad student and works as a summer lifeguard in the park. Mickey also acts a narrator during the entire movie, which makes his character seem even more awkward. He talks a good game to Ginny, so much so that she thinks he is truly in love with her. Mickey then meets Carolina, so his infatuation is torn between the two women. Ginny is furious and makes several bad decisions that will affect everyone involved.

There are numerous loose ends and unanswered plot points. Ginny takes a lot of money that Humpty had saved, and she spent it on Mikey. Ginny’s son has a habit of starting fires and causing destruction. Ginny’s first husband was a drummer and she was an actress, but all of these things are mentioned and appear to have some deeper meaning. But nothing becomes of any of the things that get mentioned and discussed. So why bring any of these up at all? No answer…

There is something very odd about the screen images at some points. There are times when the screen is awash in a garish reddish-orange color, but it slowly turns into a dark blue tint. Sometimes a character is in a harsh bright light, and then other times when they are hidden in shadow and darkness. Part of this is supposed to reflect living under the lights of the Ferris wheel next door. But it is not a good look for the movie. The characters are subject to a weird pattern of lighting that does not look realistic.

The screenplay is a major sticking point. The dialog seems very ‘theater’ based, and not so much prepared for a cinematic experience. The script feels very full of high ideals and expectations. But it fails to deliver on any of it. There is talk of metaphors and allusions to great theater works, but it just shows how weak this story line is compared to those major works. The actors are doing a admirable job putting their best effort into the movie. However, the result is off-the-mark because the story and the dialog lets them down. Woody Allen has made some very memorable movies. This is not one of those movies.

Coney Island is probably a great place to visit in real life. The actual Wonder Wheel looks very impressive and must be a fun ride. But the Woody Allen treatment of “Wonder Wheel” is not all that good. His version goes around and around, but it never gets you anywhere. This one from Allen is not worth the ride.

 

Ferdinand-movie-screening

Ferdinand Advance Movie Screening

Movie Screening Summary: FERDINAND tells the story of a giant bull with a big heart. After being mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. Set in Spain, Ferdinand proves you can’t judge a bull by its cover.

From Blue Sky Studios and Carlos Saldanha, the director of “Rio” and inspired by the beloved book “The Story of Ferdinand” by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, “Ferdinand” is a heartwarming animated comedy adventure with an all-star cast that includes John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriguez, Anthony Anderson and many more.

FERDINAND Official Channels
SITE: FerdinandMovie.com
FACEBOOK: www.Facebook.com/FerdinandMovie
TWITTER: www.Twitter.com/FerdinandMovie
INSTAGRAM: www.Instagram.com/FerdinandMovie
#Ferdinand

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Advance Movie Screening For FERDINAND

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Las Vegas, Nevada

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Saturday, December 9
Location: Regal Red Rock
Movie Screening Time: 11:00am
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Advance Movie Screening Information

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.

Admittance into a screening or event is not guaranteed with your pass. Events and advance screenings are filled on a ” first come, first served ” basis. To ensure that you stand a good chance of being admitted, we recommend that you show up 30 minutes to one hour early.

The number of admissions that are permissible for each pass are printed clearly on the ticket that you print out. You are allowed to bring as many guests as is indicated on your pass. For example, if your pass is for ” Admit Two, ” you can bring yourself and one guest. If you have an ” Admit One ” pass, you can bring only yourself.

If you have any other questions or comments, please contact us.

Pitch-Perfect-3-movie-screening

Pitch Perfect 3 Advance Movie Screening Pass Sweepstakes

Movie Synopsis: Now graduated from college and out in the real world where it takes more than a cappella to get by, the Bellas return in Pitch Perfect 3, the next chapter in the beloved series that has taken in more than $400 million at the global box office. Read more

All the Money in the World

ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Christopher Plummer) to pay the ransom.  When Getty Sr. refuses, Gail attempts to sway him as her son’s captors become increasingly volatile and brutal.  With her son’s life in the balance, Gail and Getty’s advisor (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money.

  Directed by: 

Ridley Scott

Written by: 

David Scarpa

 Based on the book by: 

John Pearson

Cast: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Romain Duris, Charlie Plummer and Timothy Hutton

In Theaters December 22nd

http://www.fandango.com

The-Shape-Of-Water-movie-screening

The Shape Of Water Advance Movie Screening

Movie Screening Summary: From master story teller, Guillermo del Toro, comes THE SHAPE OF WATER – an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa’s life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment. Rounding out the cast are Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg and Doug Jones.

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/theshapeofwater/

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Advance Movie Screening For THE SHAPE OF WATER

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Phoenix, Arizona

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Wednesday, December 6
Location: Harkins Tempe Marketplace
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
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Las Vegas, Nevada

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Monday, December 18
Location: Regal Red Rock
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
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Advance Movie Screening Information

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.

Admittance into a screening or event is not guaranteed with your pass. Events and advance screenings are filled on a ” first come, first served ” basis. To ensure that you stand a good chance of being admitted, we recommend that you show up 30 minutes to one hour early.

The number of admissions that are permissible for each pass are printed clearly on the ticket that you print out. You are allowed to bring as many guests as is indicated on your pass. For example, if your pass is for ” Admit Two, ” you can bring yourself and one guest. If you have an ” Admit One ” pass, you can bring only yourself.

If you have any other questions or comments, please contact us.

Love, Simon – Trailer

LOVE, SIMON

Director: Greg Berlanti

Screenplay by: Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger

Producers: Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen

Cast: Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Miles Heizer, Keiynan Lonsdale, Logan Miller, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Tony Hale.

 SYNOPSIS

Everyone deserves a great love story. But for seventeen-year-old Simon Spier it’s a little more complicated: he’s yet to tell his family or friends he’s gay and he doesn’t actually know the identity of the anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying and life-changing. Directed by Greg Berlanti (Dawson’s Creek, Brothers & Sisters), written by Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger (This is Us), and based on Becky Albertalli’s acclaimed novel, LOVE, SIMON is a funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story about the thrilling ride of finding yourself and falling in love.

LOVE, SIMON Official Channels

Website: LoveSimonMovie.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoveSimonMovie/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lovesimonmovie?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovesimonmovie/

#LOVESIMON

In Theaters March 16, 2018

http://www.fandango.com

Wonderwheel-movie-screening

Wonder Wheel Advance Movie Screening

Movie Screening Summary: WONDER WHEEL tells the story of four characters whose lives intertwine amid the hustle and bustle of the Coney Island amusement park in the 1950s: Ginny (Kate Winslet), an emotionally volatile former actress now working as a waitress in a clam house; Humpty (Jim Belushi), Ginny’s rough-hewn carousel operator husband; Mickey (Justin Timberlake), a handsome young lifeguard who dreams of becoming a playwright; and Carolina (Juno Temple), Humpty’s long-estranged daughter, who is now hiding out from gangsters at her father’s apartment. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro captures a tale of passion, violence, and betrayal that plays out against the picturesque tableau of 1950s Coney Island. Starring: Jim Belushi, Juno Temple, Justin Timberlake and Kate Winslet. Written and Directed by Woody Allen.

Official Site: www.WonderWheelMovie.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WonderWheelMovie
Instagram: www.instagram.com/WonderWheelMovie
Twitter: www.twitter.com/WonderWheelMov
Hashtag: #WonderWheel

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Advance Movie Screening For WONDER WHEEL

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Phoenix, Arizona

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Wednesday, December 6
Location: Harkins Scottsdale 101
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
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Las Vegas, Nevada

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Wednesday, December 13
Location: AMC Town Square
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
[button link=”http://www.amazonscreenings.com/TMCLVWW” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Get Passes[/button]

Advance Movie Screening Information

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.

Admittance into a screening or event is not guaranteed with your pass. Events and advance screenings are filled on a ” first come, first served ” basis. To ensure that you stand a good chance of being admitted, we recommend that you show up 30 minutes to one hour early.

The number of admissions that are permissible for each pass are printed clearly on the ticket that you print out. You are allowed to bring as many guests as is indicated on your pass. For example, if your pass is for ” Admit Two, ” you can bring yourself and one guest. If you have an ” Admit One ” pass, you can bring only yourself.

If you have any other questions or comments, please contact us.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. – Movie Review

Another fabulous film coming at you before we close out 2017 is Roman J. Israel, Esq.  If you love Denzel Washington, see it now because in this film you’ll see him, simply put, in a way you’ve never seen him before.  His character Roman is a criminal attorney with a civil-rights background who has been working for low wages for thirty-six years.  Instead of becoming a lawyer to get what he can out of people who hurt for his expertise those most, he became one because he’s passionate about helping those individuals who are in desperate need.  He fights for those who have been wronged and despairs when he sees the lawyers of the day allow their first-time offenders to receive sentences of ten years in prison rather than spending the time to go to bat for their clients as they should. 

Roman J. Israel, Esq., so named for the dignity the title possess, is a bit of an egghead and a savant, with a photographic memory.  He believes in social justice and wants to do the right thing as did his mentor and his hero’s but as it becomes harder to be an idealist in a world who’ll fight you tooth and nail for their right not to be protected, Roman feels the earth his career was based on begin to shift out from under his feet.  That earth is not as steady as it once was. 

Washington brings Roman to life so convincingly that you wonder if this wasn’t the real Washington all along.  Going through the loss of all that is dear to him, Roman gets upset and nervous and it shows.  When he’s most troubled, Washington gives him ticks such as playing with his glasses, pulling at his hair.  He displays other behavioral abnormalities that ultimately sell the role.  His performance is magnificent and as the story builds to its inevitable conclusion the more you’re lost in this character and feel for his circumstances.  We learn he’s a forceps baby which tells Roman that he’s fully aware of this world not being one he wanted to enter, especially since he sees what others choose to ignore but in a city that has hardened from corruption, his heart has remained in the right place… until now, that is.

His partner and owner of the law practice, a well-known civil-rights litigator by the name of William Jackson, falls very ill.  While he’s in the hospital, Roman, who has always been the brains behind the operation doing a lot of the grunt work, takes on the cases.  He’s only to go to court and get continuances for the cases but due to his strong beliefs, he can’t help but get involved to try and right what he sees is wrong and fight against the racism, greed and authoritative tendencies of society in the United States and its court system.

George Pierce (Farrell), who was a former student of Jackson’s, handles the liquidation of the company after Jackson’s death and has to let Roman go.  Aware of his intelligence, George hires him for his company and the story picks up speed.  A lot of the dialogue here seems very deliberate, to speak of what is going on in the country today which, if you’re following politics at all, you could find very engaging and appreciate hearing.  It isn’t tedious and it doesn’t assault you but watching an optimist become a realist the way writer/director Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler) shows Roman slowly become is both heartbreaking and frightening.  Working for George isn’t easy for him because he’s forced to do what he hates and he metamorphoses into what he ultimately despises.  He also becomes ‘Tired of doing the impossible for the ungrateful.’  However, as Roman loses himself, we see who he is turning around and that is someone with the power and control to achieve what Roman sadly never could.

I recommend Roman J. Israel, Esq. for anyone who likes a powerful story with characters driven not by lust or ambition but by the dedication and the commitment to do what’s right.  This is a heavy drama that requires your full attention and once you give it you’ll applaud what you get in return.   

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

“The Man Who Invented Christmas” is a spritely look at the creation of a small book in 1843 that led to a revival and appreciation for the Christmas holiday. Charles Dickens came up with “A Christmas Carol” a couple of months before Christmas in that year. It was major effort on his part, but he felt inspired to create a book that would counter his critics. They had called him out after poor reviews on his recent books. This is a fanciful retelling of how Dickens came up with the ideas for “Carol”, and how he got inspirations to write the characters of the novella. In this version, the actual characters of the book become real to Dickens and lead him on to finish the book.

Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) is a popular author in London who has had a major hit with ‘Oliver Twist’. But his recent work has been lackluster and the public is less than enthused. Dickens needs to create a new book and do it soon, and it must be a smash hit. His agent, John Forster (Justin Edwards) tries to get the publishers to advance Dickens money to create a new book. Dickens wants to do a book about Christmas, and he decides to handle it all himself. He will write and book in two months’ time, get it illustrated, published and into the stores by Christmas time. Too bad he is suffering from major writer’s block…

Dickens starts to come up with a way to tell the story of a miserly old man and how three Christmas spirits visit him one Christmas Eve and change his life. The old penny-pinching scoundrel is named Scrooge (Christopher Plummer) and that character comes alive in Dickens’ real world. Scrooge, and many other fanciful characters from “A Christmas Carol”, join with Dickens on his quest to write the book. His wife (Morfydd Clark) thinks that Charles is acting a little funny, but that is par for the course. His father, John Dickens (Jonathan Pryce), also comes to stay for a few months and that adds to the commotion. John had been an uneven influence on Charles growing up. John had spent time in the Debtors Prison, which caused Charles to be put into a terrible workhouse environment.

As Dickens becomes more obsessed with getting the book out in time, the figure of Scrooge and others from the book haunt him all the time. In his first draft, he decides to let Tiny Tim perish from illness. But his agent and his wife overrule the cruel outcome that would have pleased Scrooge. Scrooge’s delight at the little Tim’s passing makes Dickens change the story and makes Scrooge change his mind. The story gets completed and the illustrator gets the pictures done. The final book gets into bookstores before Christmas and soon everyone loves “A Christmas Carol”. The book is resounding success, and it has never been out-of-print, beginning in 1843

The idea to delve into the back-story of how the influential book was created is a fresh approach to the Christmas classic. Luckily, the story behind the story is enthralling and it is filled with as many interesting people as the book. Charles Dickens life and times growing up in London and becoming a famous author is a fun and uplifting story. Dan Stevens does wonderful job with such an expressive face and knowing eyes. His portrayal is also balanced with Christopher Plummer as Scrooge. It is a role that is comfortable for the experienced actor and he nails it.

The movie moves quickly into a world filled with Dickens’ imagination and his literary friends. The soundtrack, by Mychael Danna, is bright and gives an appropriate bounce to the proceedings. The story gets into a somewhat dark area right near the end, but it rebounds again into a light and breezy ending. The treatment of the events that surround the creation of “A Christmas Carol” can make even a Scrooge be thankful for the holiday spirit.