“Richard Jewell” is the latest movie Clint Eastwood has done from true major events in recent history that made headlines. He recently did “15-17 to Paris” and “Sully” and I didn’t like either of those, but this movie seems to have a little more meat on it’s bone and made for a better story to watch. Richard Jewell is a socially awkward overweight security guard who lives with his mother, but he’s got a big heart, real ambition and he’s no dummy. He wants to do good, but is never taken seriously and has a checkered past only because he’s a little overeager at his past jobs. He’s played very well by Paul Walter Hauser (I, Tonya). When he saves hundreds at Centennial Park during the Olympics bombing, the FBI treats him as a suspect instead because he fits a profile of a hero bomber. This situation is made even worse by an over ambitious reporter. The story is very good and I enjoyed it. It does have a TV Movie feel to it though, which didn’t bother me, but I felt the film could’ve used a bit more drama. The movie is based on true events, obviously, but director Clint Eastwood, from what I read took many liberties with the facts. I also don’t believe that Olivia Wilde’s character Kathryn Scruggs is really that much of a lion as she is portrayed. That all being said, this is a pretty compelling movie driven by Hauser’s portrayal of a guy who truly got put through the ringer and got a raw deal. It’s worth seeing.

Rating (***1/2)

If you’re looking for a good drama that’ll knock you around a little bit but is also thought provoking and bittersweet, this film should do it for you. Much like a “Kramer vs. Kramer”, this is a realistic view of a couple going through a divorce, juggling child custody and trying to figure out how to deal with what comes with it. Deep down they really love each other but their professional lives, personal dreams and ideas are going in opposite directions forcing the reality of separation and ultimately divorce. It’s an unpleasant subject that couples deal with on a daily basis and for some this movie may be a chore to sit through. Noah Baumbach has tackled this material before with “Squid & the Whale”. That movie got under my skin because both leads were crazy and the kids were drips. This film, I think does a better job at portraying the parents in a more believable way. The performances by Adam Driver & ScarJo are terrific. Driver will probably take home a bunch of trophies for this. He’s great as you really feel for him as we continuously watch him get screwed over and over by Laura Dern as ScarJo’s psycho divorce lawyer who’s ad was probably found in a health food magazine published by a Stepford wive. She’s over the top, but her character is very fun to watch as is Ray Liotta’s lawyer who is something out of Goodfellas. Alan Alda is also good as a mensch lawyer who is way past his prime. This is a really good film. There are some moments which I didn’t buy or wished that the writing didn’t try to go for laughs, but that’s Baumbach’s MO. This is playing on Netflix so put it into your watchlist and check it out. It’ll be one of the movies nominated at Oscar time and may win. 

Rating: (****)

When the trailers came out a few months ago, my initial reaction was “stupid”, but boy am I glad I saw this because this movie is really fun. An old fashioned Agatha Christie style murder mystery. They don’t make these anymore, at least not very many. When the wealthy patriarch of a dysfunctional family suddenly drops dead, everybody is expecting a piece of the action, but its not so simple when all the money is left to the Brazilian nurse. A Louisiana detective (Daniel Craig) comes in and does his best Columbo if played by Foghorn Leghorn. The writing is very good and so is the mystery. You kind of suspect who the suspects are, but how will it come together because it can’t be this easy. Pay attention to detail as you’re watching this. After just sitting through the 3.5 hr marathon that was The Irishman, (although I liked it very much) I think I enjoyed watching this one more. Check it out. It’s a lot of fun.

Rating (****)

It took me multiple sittings, but I got through the most anticipated drama of the year. The past couple years actually. Is it worth all the hype and Oscar buzz? For the most part, yes, but it’s not without its flaws. Storywise, it’s very engrossing. You do get drawn in right away and most of the characters are pretty interesting. The movie especially perks up when Jimmy Hoffa is introduced. The acting by Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino are terrific. They’re great actors, but both of them kill it, esp. Pacino as Hoffa. This is easily the best work he’s done in decades. He also brings some much needed humor to the film. Joe Pesci is also really good in a quiet role very different than what were accustomed to.This is Scorsese’ wheel house and nobody tackles this genre better. There is a Goodfellas/Casino feel to it with the style and use of camera work and narration. Fans of those past films will also eat this movie up. That being said, this movie is way too long. There is no reason for this to be 3.5 hours. Sorry, the movie is very deliberate in it’s story telling, which many times was an asset to the film, but also brings it down to a slog, esp. the last 30 minutes. Scorsese could have accomplished everything he wanted with this movie in under 3 hours and it would still be a very good movie. I almost wished this was broken down to a 4 part mini-series. I think it might have been a little bit easier to sit through. The aging gimmick isn’t entirely seamless and is a distraction at times. Despite whatever complaints I have, this is still a must see.

Rating: (***1/2)

“Midsommar“
A really long and dragged out story about a group of kids who discover a small community of people who turn out to be completely nuts. The set up seemed to take forever and there is no reason that this film should be almost 2 hours and 15 minutes. Good young cast is wasted.

UPDATE: I’m willing to give this movie another try. By talking to others, I may have missed something the first time around.

Rating: (*1/2)

“Child’s Play“
Chucky’s back, love him or hate him. This is a very crazy remake of the 80’s iconic toy from hell flick of the same name. The story is a little different, but the premise is the same and so is the result. The violence is really taken up a notch as the deaths are more creative and certainly more gory. Chucky must’ve been watching Rob Zombie or Eli Roth movies, cause damn. Aubrey Plaza is a nice casting touch as she plays her usual spacey person. I’ve sat through a lot worse than this and it fed my horror vein for 90 minutes.

Rating: (**1/2)

“47 Meters Down: Uncaged”
I sat through the first movie because I have a thing for shark movies. That movie was stupid and this one is equally as dumb. I was actually rooting for the sharks. That being said, what made this movie a little more suspenseful was that a bulk of it took place in underwater caves and I do not like closed spaces. The sharks are interesting that they’re enormous and prehistoric. This is still a movie about stupid people doing stupid things.

Rating: (**)

“Crawl”
A fun and effective thriller about a spunky college swimmer who checks on her estranged father in the middle of a hurricane only to discover that he is trapped in the basement of his run down house by a giant gator which entered thru a nearby drain pipe. If you think about it, it’s absolutely plausible. Anyway, the movie worked for me because the gator effects are terrific and there are a lot of tense and jump out of your seat scenes. Much of it is predictable and kinda dumb, but you get exactly what you signed up for and at 83 minutes, it goes by quickly. I liked it.

Rating: (**1/2)

“Ready or Not”

What if it was your wedding night, just married and to be accepted into the family, all you have to do is play a nice game of hide and seek? Not bad, right? Maybe, a little weird. Not if the family’s goal is to try and capture and kill you. This is a pretty bonkers of a horror movie with a pretty neat premise and a good cast including Andie McDowell of all people as the mom. It’s got a lot of standard stuff in it, but it works because it doesn’t take itself too seriously and is fun.

Rating: (***)

“Anna & the Apocalypse”

Released very early in the year, this is a Christmas musical with a zombie twist. If you were to combine High School Musical with Shaun of the Dead you would get this. The little town of Little Haven is celebrating the holidays, but a zombie apocalypse threatens to bring down the fun. It’s a cute premise that works for a while, but really runs dry after a while and gets bogged down by the inability to really develop its characters. The songs are cute and well performed by the cast led by Ella Hunt, but I think we needed more of them. The movie is short, but after the first 45 minutes or so, I was like, I get it and I’m getting bored.

Rating: (**1/2)

“The Dead Don’t Die””

Here is another comedy with a zombie twist, but this one has a lot more star power and isn’t a musical. I think a little music would’ve livened things up a bit because this is a really drab and dull film. Directed by Jim Jarmusch, he brings his sense of style to the genre and unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. It’s very slow and much of the humor is extremely dead pan. Bill Murray, a Jim Jarmusch regular, leads the cast as the sheriff and he seemed as bored as I was watching this. It came across to me as a vanity project by the director and the audience was feeding his whim. I know Jim Jarmusch can make some pretty great films (Stranger Than Paradise & Night on Earth), but this ain’t one of them.

Rating: (*1/2)

On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends Amy & Molly realize that they never had any fun in high school and played it safe to get into the schools they want, while all the party goers did virtually nothing and got into the same schools. They try and make up for it in one night by going to the senior party of the year. This isn’t new material, but it works because of the likability of the two leads played by Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein. They’re both great and Dever is going to be a star, if she isn’t already. The girls are a little social awkward in their own ways, but they have each others backs and their basic morals are intact even as they seek out the big party and know that it will be filled with drugs & stupid. Director Olivia Wilde does a nice job of balancing from teen romp to teen angst, esp. at the party when both girls realize that maybe things aren’t going the way they anticipated. The movie is very funny , sweet & poignant. This is a good companion piece to “Superbad” or a film like “Can’t hardly Wait” or “American Pie”. It’s pretty raunchy, but sweet & well written and when needed it goes back to the core of the film, which is the friendship of the 2 girls. LisaKudrow, Will Forte & Jason Sudekis also star.

Rating: (***1/2)

Full disclosure, the Charlie’s Angels tv show was the shit for me growing up. I couldn’t get enough of it. I met my favorite angel Cheryl Ladd twice at WGN and that was a big deal. The two movies that Drew Barrymoore put out were something out of a cartoon so I was a little apprehensive about seeing this one. I actually went to the theater trying to see something else, but the timing was off. This reboot that Elizabeth Banks put together isn’t too bad as the Townshend agency, chock full of Bosleys, is now something out of the Kingsman Secret Circle. A long ways from a little detective agency. It’s really stupid, but it does work as popcorn fun and it’s elevated by Kristin Stewart, who as an actress is probably one of the last people I’d envision in a film like this. She’s really done a great job at distancing herself from the days of Bella and has become one of our finer actresses who tends to take on very serious projects. She seems to be having a blast and is one of the main bright spots and brings up the rest of her cast. The movie itself is predictable. You know the bad guy right away and its just a matter of time before the cast catches up. The action scenes are well choreographed and pretty exciting. The story moves along and there is some nostalgia for fans of the tv show and previous movies. As stated before, the movie is mindless, but for a couple hours you’ll enjoy yourself because it’s kind of fun.

Rating: (**1/2)

I wasn’t familiar with the legacy of Rudy Ray Moore, but if there is an actor to portray him it’s Eddie Murphy. This film is a triumph for him. Easily the best thing he has done since the 80’s, by far. It’s also a pretty great story of triumph. Rudy Ray Moore was a struggling performer who was always told “No”, but then he took it upon himself to create a crazy character and blew it into something really funny, fun, and before it all came to a close, a franchise. It’s a story about not giving up. It’s also a really funny movie loaded with a great cast of characters all working together to make a truly awful, but funny movie that only got distribution due to hard work by Moore himself. He does everything himself. This is a very R rated movie. Lots of “blue” material but perfect for this film. It all worked for me. You can catch it on Netflix.

Rating: (****)