January 1, 2019 “Operation Finale” (**1/2 out of four) was an adequate melodrama based on the true story of a group of Israeli secret agents (Oscar Isaacs, Melanie Laurent, Michael Aronov, and others) who set out to find and capture escaped Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), who many believe was the real mastermind and organizer of The Holocaust, and they brought him to trial where he was sentenced to death. Inherently gripping story plays out too leisurely and is never as powerful or compelling as it should have been although good performances help it remain watchable. Film historians will note the ironic casting of Kingsley as the Nazi officer especially after playing a pivotal and crucial role in “Schindler’s List.” Continue reading →
January 1, 2019 “Bitter Melon” (** out of four) was an occasionally funny and endearing melodrama about a Filipino-American family (Jon Norman Schneider, Brian Rivera, Josephine de Jesus, and others) who reunite for the Christmas holidays but soon gather and conspire to kill an abusive member of the family (Patrick Epino) and the rest of the film deals with their debates and deliberations on this. Starts off funny, as you prepare to engage in a screwball comedy in the vein of “Crazy Rich Asians”, but then it goes flat as it becomes progressively more dark and mean-spirited, and it only jumpstarts occasionally. Enthusiastic cast gives it 100%. Continue reading →
January 1, 2019 “The Grinch” (*** out of four) was a delightful animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic retelling the story of the Grinch (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) who plots to ruin Christmas for the entire village of Whoville but finds that the Christmas spirit and the town’s jolly support causes his heart to triple in size and for him to have second thoughts. A visual candy store of striking animation and colors and features nonstop zany ideas and humor to keep things lively for kids and also their families. A real holiday treat. Pharrell Williams is the film’s narrator and that’s Angela Landsbury as the voice of the Mayor Of Whoville. Continue reading →
January 1, 2019 “Puzzle” (*1/2 out of four) was an incomprehensible melodrama about a middle-aged mom (Kelly Macdonald) who feels taken for granted in her unfulfilled life and soon finds she has a gift for solving jigsaw puzzles which draws her into a mysterious world and a heated affair with a puzzle-expert (Irrfan Khan) which soon leads her to her own puzzle and crossroads in life. Potentially affecting story of loneliness, middle-aged confusion, and love is undone by molasses pacing and meandering story which makes this a pretentious snooze instead. Macdonald’s sincere performance deserved a much stronger script and direction. Many critics loved this film (it won some awards at the Sundance Film Festival) but I’m not one of them. Continue reading →
December 31, 2018 “Middle Of The Night” (*1/2 out of four) was a trashy and stupid horror show about the cast of (what else?) a reality t.v. show (Erika Othen, Shelly Martinez, Derek Easley, and others) who find themselves trapped in an old murder house where a nutjob is on the loose who welds a sledgehammer as his weapon of choice. Not all that different from “Halloween 6: Resurrection” but nearly as awful as that disaster. If this were in fact a reality television series, it would never have a prayer of a second season. This runs only about an hour-and-ten minutes but viewers will likely want to bolt by the middle of the movie. Continue reading →
December 31, 2018 “The Old Man And The Gun” (*** out of four) was an agreeably done crime melodrama based on the true story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) who escaped from prison over 16 times and continued a notorious string of bank robberies through his 70’s, with the police (led by Casey Affleck) on his trail and the media highlighting his every move. A fine vehicle for Redford who is breezy and engaging and so is the movie although after a while you start to wish there was more of a point and more backstory on Tucker besides that he loved to rob banks. Solid supporting cast includes Sissy Spacek as a woman who falls in love with Redford and Danny Glover and Tom Waits as members of his elderly team. Very similar in plot and film parallels to Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies.” Continue reading →
December 31, 2018 “Reel” (0 stars out of four) was an unwatchable horror mess about a sicko who becomes obsessed with a real life film critic (Mike Estes) who disparaged some of his favorite works so he captures and torments him (and the audience). Even at only 79 minutes, this movie is equivalent to real torture. Disgusting and stupid but also numbing and boring, this looks like it was filmed using someone’s Obamaphone. Avoid at all costs Continue reading →
December 31, 2018 “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” (** out of four) was a virtual head-trip set in the 80’s as a young programmer (Fionn Whitehead) makes a fantasy novel into a lucrative video game for a blockbuster company but finds that his own reality and sense of perception and sanity become turned inside out. Is he losing his mind or is he having a psychotic breakdown? The more this techno-pop thriller goes on and the more cerebral it gets, the more you’re less likely to care which says something since the film is little more than an hour long. Some arresting scenes, to be sure, and ’80’s soundtrack is a definite plus but film becomes overly weird and unpleasant. Many loved this film so you may want to judge for yourself. Continue reading →
December 30, 2018 “Colette” (*** out of four) was a lushly told period drama set at the dawn of the 20th century about the French novelist Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) who finds much success writing novels under the name and ownership of her husband (Dominic West) but she soon attempts to take ownership of her own material and make her own voice heard by breaking free of their partnership and their marriage. Two terrific performances from Knightley and West dominate this film even though it takes its time getting going and film’s ending feels sudden and pat, even if it is based on truth. Not quite a great film as some other critics have said but still well worth watching for its acting alone. Continue reading →
December 30, 2018 “Green Book” (***1/2 out of four) was an enormously satisfying comic melodrama set in 1962 in which a crass, bigoted nightclub tough (Viggo Mortensen) was hired by a gay African-American jazz pianist (Mahershala Ali) to be his driver on a tour of the Deep South. Initially, he takes the job just for the money but over time they develop an unlikely relationship and respect for one another. Mortensen is sensational in perhaps the best performance of his career and Ali’s performance grows more complex as it goes along and both enhance a razor-sharp screenplay that is filled with period detail and unexpected humor. One of director Peter Farrelly’s (“Dumb And Dumber”, “Kingpin”) most unusual films and also one of his best. Continue reading →
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