Name: JPRoscoe
Email:
Bio: Follow me on Twitter @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.
Posts by JPRoscoe:
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)
January 18th, 2020Movie Info
Movie Name: Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
Studio: Silent Night Releasing Corporation
Genre(s): Horror/B-Movie/Seasonal
Release Date(s): April 10, 1987
MPAA Rating: R
Garbage Day!!!
Ricky Caldwell (Eric Freeman) has been institutionalized since the death of his brother Billy (Robert Brian Wilson) and having committed a number of murders himself. Dr. Henry Bloom (James L. Newman) is trying to analyze Ricky and Ricky’s recounting of his brother’s murders and his own deadly rampage are revealed…when Ricky makes his own escape plans, Mother Superior (Jean Miller) finds that her past is coming back to haunt her.
Directed by Lee Harry (who also helped write the film), Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is a season low-budget horror comedy. Following the controversial Silent Night, Deadly Night in 1984, the movie was panned upon its release but gained a following (partially due to the “Garbage Day” meme which featured Ricky).
Blood drops keep falling on my head…that doesn’t mean my life will soon be turning red
My friend and I loved Silent Night, Deadly Night when it was new, but we never sought out the sequels. I didn’t watch Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 for years…but because of how the movie was made, that didn’t matter.
The set-up for Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is completely a waste of time. The hour and half movie features Ricky telling Dr. Bloom about his brother’s actions for forty minutes before getting into his own crimes and then going after Mother Superior. It is the ultimate of lazy filmmaking and was simply to try to squeak out a full-length film. The “new” material isn’t any better than Silent Night, Deadly Night…but it does have that garbage day scene, a jumper cables electrocution, severed heads, and an umbrella through a loan shark.
Mother Superior…let me show you the new axe I got for Christmas!
What makes the movie so comedic is Eric Freeman as Ricky Caldwell. It feels like he had no direction of the film and the director just told him to laugh to fill the uncomfortable silences. His glares and stares are laughable and it is fortunate that he is humorous because he gets no support from anyone else in the cast.
The movie also looks cheap. The film moved to the sunny palm tree world of California for many of the new shots and it just doesn’t feel like Christmas. Ricky finally kills a Santa Claus to get some gear, but it is too little, too late.
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 has to be seen to be believed. I have shown clips of it to people and they even question if it is a real movie. If you want someone to see the “best” parts of Silent Night, Deadly Night and the funny sequences of this sequel, you can probably just skip the first one and pop this one on…it is so-bad-it-is-good. Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 was followed by Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! in 1989.
Related Links:
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
January 16th, 2020
Will the real Aaron Hernandez please stand up?
Odin Lloyd is found shot to death, and the prime suspect is NFL star Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez is a millionaire and a celebrity…but his real life shows a troubling trend. Growing up in Bristol, Connecticut, Hernandez came from a known family and rose as a celebrity in sports. Despite all this, there is a dark side to Hernandez’s life…Odin Lloyd’s death is just the tip of the iceberg.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez is a Netflix limited series. The documentary was released on January 15, 2019 and was directed by Geno McDermott.
A happy family?
The amount of information I held on Aaron Hernandez was pretty slim. I knew his name, I knew he was convicted of murder, and I knew he committed suicide in prison. Watching the documentary, Hernandez’s story is a cautionary tale, a sad story, and tragic on all fronts…the victims and Hernandez.
There is a lot going on in this documentary. It has to cover a lot of topics and tell it in a compelling and organized way. For the most part it succeeds, but since Hernandez was tied into so many crimes, the trials and cases start to get a bit confusing. The documentary tries to focus on the crime which started it all (aka the death of Odin Lloyd), and it back dives into the murders of Daniel Jore Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, his attack on Alexander Bradley, and even problems when he was in Florida. It doesn’t lose you, and it shows everything that Hernandez was facing. The pressure had to be immense, and Hernandez didn’t do well with pressure in many ways.
The murder that sparked a fall
Through the course of the series, the documentary starts to make a case that Hernandez’s past is largely to blame for how the whole situation turned out. His repeated injuries and lack of long-term protection for players taking immense hits week after week is touched upon in the first two episodes and hammered upon in the third episode with the study of Hernandez’s brain. The documentary does an interesting job not exonerating him, but it also does a compelling argument that it was a massive contributing factor. I wish that throughout the course of the other episodes that injuries had been chronicled a bit better…it is referenced, but it is primarily about the crimes.
The other aspect to Hernandez’s life is his bisexuality or being a closeted gay man. The pressure of putting on a “face” day to day and being a man’s man not only for the public, but for his family and friends is also shown as a contributing factor. The documentary dips into it occasionally in the first two episodes but then has more reflection from his family and friends after his death. Once again, it doesn’t use this to exonerate him, but instead adds it as a contributing factor (more so to his suicide after being outed by the media).
A world falling apart…
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez does what it is meant to do and it does it well. It shows that crimes have reason and tries to created a three dimensional person out of Hernandez for those who know little about him or only see him as a football player or a murderous thug. It also does a rather decent job of presenting Hernandez’s victims by giving the family and friends of Odin Lloyd a chance to talk…it would have been nice if there had been more effort to tie in Daniel Jore Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, but quite possibly, they might not have had any way to do it (or permission from the families). The documentary becomes a cautionary tale on many fronts including prejudice, toxic masculinity, and the dangers of full contact sports…Aaron Hernandez shows what can happen.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez Complete Episode Guide:
“Episode 1”
Episode 1 Release Date: 01/15/20
On June 18, 2013, the body of Odin Lloyd is found in an industrial park by a jobber and evidence all points to NFL New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez is a celebrity in Boston and a star in the NFL. His childhood in Bristol, Connecticut doesn’t point to the crime with a community known family and many friends who tell of kindness and friendship. Unfortunately, Hernandez has a different side…and the death of Odin Lloyd might only be the tip of the iceberg.
“Episode 2”
Episode 2 Release Date: 01/15/20
Hernandez’s involvement in a double murder of Daniel Jore Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado in Boston is exposed, and jail becomes more of a reality. When Hernandez’s past in Florida shows a trouble trend, Hernandez’s sexuality and attempts to hide it could add to the toxic masculinity. The relationship with his mother and increased drug use could be his undoing…but the danger for Hernandez could be a failed attempt to cover his crimes.
“Episode 3”
Episode 3 Release Date: 01/15/20
Hernandez attack on Alexander Bradley could be his undoing when Bradley survives a shooting. With growing paranoia about Bradley’s potential revenge and more pressure growing on Hernandez, Odin Lloyd’s murder becomes a question…what did Lloyd know? With everything caving in, Hernandez makes the choice to kill himself, and what is revealed after his death could change how Hernandez is seen.
The 92nd Academy Award Nominations
January 16th, 2020The 92nd Academy Award nominations were announced on January 13, 2020 for the films released in 2019. Joker led the pack with eleven nominations and the Academy faced continued criticism about the diversity and lack of women in the field of nominees. The Academy Awards are scheduled to be presented on February 9, 2020 at the Dolby Theatre.
Click on the BASEMENTREJECTS REVIEW beneath the nominees for a complete review of the nominated film.
Best Picture:
1917
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Parasite
Best Director:
Bong Joon Ho—Parasite
Todd Phillips—Joker
Sam Mendes—1917
Martin Scorsese—The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino—Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best Actor:
Antonio Bandares—Pain and Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio—Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver—Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix—Joker
Jonathan Pryce—The Two Popes
Best Actress:
Cynthia Erivo—Harriet
Scarlett Johansson—Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan—Little Women
Charlize Theron—Bombshell
Renee Zellweger—Judy
Best Supporting Actor:
Tom Hanks—A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins—The Two Popes
Al Pacino—The Irishman
Joe Pesci—The Irishman
Brad Pitt—Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best Supporting Actress:
Kathy Bates—Richard Jewell
Laura Dern—Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson—Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh—Little Women
Margot Robbie—Bombshell
Best Writing—Original Screenplay:
1917
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Parasite
Best Writing—Adapted Screenplay:
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
The Two Popes
Best Animated Feature:
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4
Best Foreign Language Film:
Corpus Christi
Honeyland
Les Miserables
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Best Documentary—Feature:
American Factory
The Cave
The Edge of Democracy
For Sama
Honeyland
Best Documentary—Short Subject:
In the Absence
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If
You’re a Girl)
Life Overtakes Me
St. Louis Superman
Walk Run Cha-Cha
Best Live Action Short:
Brotherhood
Nefta Football Club
The Neighbors’ Window
Saria
A Sister
Best Animated Short:
Dcera (Daughter)
Hair Love
Kitbull
Memorable
Sister
Best Original Score:
1917
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Best Original Song:
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away”—Toy Story 4
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”—Rocketman
“I’m Standing With You”—Breakthrough
“Into the Unknown”—Frozen II
“Stand Up”—Harriet
Best Sound Editing:
1917
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker
Best Sound Mixing:
1917
Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best Production Design:
1917
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Parasite
Best Cinematography:
1917
The Irishman
Joker
The Lighthouse
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best Make-Up and Hairstyling:
1917
Bombshell
Joker
Judy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Best Costume Design:
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best Film Editing:
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Parasite
Best Visual Effects:
1917
Avengers: Endgame
The Irishman
The Lion King
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Preceded By:
The 91st Academy Award Nominations
The Irishman (2019)
January 16th, 2020Movie Info
Movie Name: The Irishman
Studio: Tribeca Productions
Genre(s): Drama/Mystery/Suspense
Release Date(s): September 27, 2019 (New York Film Festival)/November 27, 2019
MPAA Rating: R
I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…like everyone who has claimed to have killed Hoffa
Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) paints houses…kind of. Starting as a truck driver, Frank finds himself tied to Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) who runs a crime family in Pennsylvania and through Bufalino, Frank finds himself working for Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). When Hoffa’s plans begin to conflict with organized crime, Frank finds himself caught between two loyalties and will have to make a decision which side he chooses.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, The Irishman is a biopic true crime movie. The film adapts the Charles Brandt 2004 book I Hear You Paint Houses (which is sometimes used as an alternative title for the film) which tells the story of Frank Sheeran (1920-2003). The film stirred controversy by being released to Netflix instead of a traditional theatrical run and also aspects of the story were challenged by people involved and historians. The movie was a critical success and received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Pacino and Pesci), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
When The Irishman was announced, it was like the Holy Grail of crime films. It had everyone you wanted in a crime movie AND was directed by Scorsese. With a lot of anticipation, I was really concerned about the movie…but The Irishman paid off.
Seriously dude…you got to let this one go…
The story for the film (regardless of accuracy) is interesting. As stated by Frank Sheeran, many young people don’t know anything about Hoffa other than he disappeared. I fall in between with some knowledge of Hoffa and his methods, but also not knowing much of what Hoffa was involved in and how it caved in on him. Despite being a hefty three and a half hours, the movie moves pretty decently and is entertaining throughout.
Robert De Niro in his prime was awesome, but in recent years, he’s only been so-so. Here, he’s back to his peak as an unreliable narrator who stumbles his way through telling the story. His character comes off as not entirely smart but dependable and faithful…which makes the story more tragic at the end. He’s backed by an amazing supporting cast with Pesci playing a much more reserve character than we’re used to seeing him and Pacino as the bombastic Hoffa. Ray Romano, Harvey Keitel, Jesse Plemons, Steven Van Zandt, Anna Paquin, and Bobby Cannavale all have roles in the film.
Don’t you hate those awkward drives when you have take one of your friends to be whacked?
The movie does a great job setting the scene with some classic roadside locations (like Howard Johnson) and I can remember eating a HoJos when going East…and it feels and looks just like it did in the film. The story doesn’t deal in New York City crime like many of Scorsese’s films, but it also is a nice change to see him take on a different location for movies. In addition to the physical sets, the film does a nice job de-aging the characters (though I do think that some of their body movements show their age).
The Irishman is long and daunting, but it is worth the time. With the Netflix tie, it makes it easier to digest the film (and revisit parts you might have missed in the viewing). I finished The Irishman and immediately feel I could watch The Irishman again…which is pretty amazing considering the film’s length and grandeur. Is The Irishman truth? Maybe…doubtful…it seems like every made-man has an “I killed Jimmy Hoffa” story or knows someone one who did, and Frank’s tale is probably just another one. Regardless the film is great and a great achievement for Scorsese. I hope it isn’t, but it could be Scorsese’s great swan song film, and if it happens to be, he made a winner.
Related Links:
The 92nd Academy Award Nominations
Starcrash (1978)
January 15th, 2020Movie Info
Movie Name: Starcrash
Studio: Columbia American International Pictures
Genre(s): Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Action/Adventure/B-Movie
Release Date(s): December 21, 1978 (West Germany)/March 9, 1979 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG
Space…the final frontier never looked so cheap
The universe is at war, and Stella Star (Caroline Munro) and her partner Akton (Marjoe Gortner) are using the war to their advantage. When they are captured by a robot named Elle and an intergalactic officer named Thor (Robert Tessier), they find themselves imprisoned…but soon learn that their skills have been requested by the Emperor of the Galaxy (Christopher Plummer) who teams them with Thor and Elle in a race to find a missing ship which could hold the key to defeating the evil Count Zarth Arn (Joe Spinell) and his dangerous galaxy threatening weapon. The race is on and the entire fate of the galaxy is at stake!
Directed by Luigi Cozzi (who wrote the script with Nat Wachsberger), Starcrash is a space adventure fantasy. The film was released to negative reviews but has gained a cult following over the years. It was featured in Mystery Science Theater—Season 11 aka Netflix’s Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return (MST3K 11.6).
Lightsaber? I know not of what you speak…now feel the sting of lightsword!
You can’t watch Starcrash without noting a shocking similarity to a little movie called Star Wars which was released in 1977. Cozzi claims that he had not seen Star Wars but read the novelization. Even if there were some threads of a story out there, Starcrash borrowed heavily from Star Wars…even if Star Wars had never existed, Starcrash would have been a bomb.
The story is nonsense. You have main characters jailed, then rescued from jail almost immediately, assigned to save the galaxy, and sent to plants to find crashed ships. There is betrayal, laser gunfights, and of course the scantily clad Caroline Munro. The story just seems to pack any “sci-fi-y” thing in the movie and hopes a story forms (it doesn’t). It is so-bad-it-is-good however.
While the some of the cast of Star Wars might have had some initial jitters and questionable acting, you can tell they had potential and could get better. The cast of Starcrash doesn’t have the same charm. Caroline Munro doesn’t have much screen presence (except for her costumes) and Marjoe Gortner’s odd superhuman Akton just has powers and abilities necessary to advance the plot (including something that looks shockingly like a lightsaber). The movie features an early role by David Hasselhoff whose fluffy hair rivals Marjoe Gortner’s. Christopher Plummer has said he took the role to get a trip to Rome, and I guess you can’t fault him for that…but it has to be painful to be tied to this movie. I also like the goofy country robot played by Judd Hamilton.
The ’70s and ’80s were hard for some actors…
The movie looks awful in addition to being just bad in story in acting. There is some ok stop-motion effects, but they look like a poor-man’s version of Ray Harryhausen. The lasers and space effects are cheap and so borrowed from Star Wars that even the opening shot matches the first shot of Star Wars…I will say the characters went to an ice planet like Hoth before Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back…so it probably stole it from Starcrash (sarcasm).
Starcrash is bad, but enjoyable in its badness. The movie is goofy, cheesy, and makes you question what the actors were thinking when they shot it…did they think it was good? When Star Wars hit it off, did they say “Gee…that seems kind of like the movie we are making”? The movie ends with a soliloquy by Christopher Plummer about the future of the galaxy…maybe Starcrash 2 can still happen someday.
Klaus (2019)
January 15th, 2020Movie Info
Movie Name: Klaus
Studio: Sergio Pablos Animation Studios
Genre(s): Animated/Family/Seasonal
Release Date(s): November 8, 2019
MPAA Rating: PG
We both need something…
Jesper Johansson is a spoiled and privileged man who has had everything handed to him in his life. When his father assigns him to the postman of the frigid island of Smeerensburg until he gets six-thousand letters processed, Jesper hopes it will be a quick job, but he quickly discovers the warring island of Smeerensburg barely communicates with each other and writing letters just doesn’t happen. Jesper finds himself seeking out ways to get people to write and stumbles upon a woodsman named Klaus who has a room full of toys. Using the toys to get children to write letters to Klaus, Jesper thinks he’s found his out but helping Klaus could not only change Jesper but the people of Smeerensburg.
Directed by Sergio Pablos, Klaus is an animated family Christmas movie. The film had a limited release on November 8, 2019 and premiered on Netflix on November 15, 2019. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.
Great…Smeerensburg has a Chriskindlemart where they can buy cheap nutcrackers
I didn’t know about Klaus when it was released. It is the type of movie I might have watched during the holidays if I known about the film, but the Academy Award nomination brought the film more publicity. Watching Klaus, it is a great looking and surprisingly heartfelt movie.
The film does feel aimed for kids in many ways with goofy characters and plot points that are easy to figure out while you are watching it. The clever way the film ties the Christmas myths surrounding Santa Claus into the movie are smart and by the end of the film, Klaus had won me over. It is also rather amusing that the film utilized a trick from The Road Warrior to wrap up the story and bring the characters together…another reason to like the movie.
The film utilizes a good cast that has you saying “I recognize that voice” if you don’t look up who does the voice work. Jason Schwartzman has mastered the smarmy type character from his start in Rushmore and he’s a good fit for the Jesper character who is likable despite his attitude. J.K. Simmons of course is a fit for Klaus though he doesn’t have many lines in the course of the movie (his final scene however is magic). I wish they had involved the Rashida Jones character a bit more throughout the movie because it kind of feels like she dips in and out too much. Will Sasso and Joan Cusack play the feuding families and Norm Macdonald bring his sarcasm to the boat captain Mogens.
…and Kluas becomes legend
The visuals for Klaus took a little getting used to. In some ways the animation feels very basic and typical, but the sets and the characters interaction with their surrounding shows a greater depth than many animated films have. It might not have the high-tech nature of something that is straight CGI, but it has heart.
Klaus is a worthwhile movie that easily could become a holiday classic. The movie is rather short and too the point, but it feels like it has a lot of what many modern Disney movies (to me) are missing in terms of pacing and concepts. Check out Klaus…even if you do it when it isn’t the holidays.
Related Links:
The 92nd Academy Award Nominations
The Two Popes (2019)
January 15th, 2020Movie Info
Movie Name: The Two Popes
Studio: Netflix
Genre(s): Drama
Release Date(s): August 31, 2019 (Telluride Film Festival)/November 27, 2019 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
One, Two Popes here before you…that’s what I said now!
Pope John Paul II has died, and the Catholic Church’s cardinals have gathered to decide on the new pope. Joseph Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins) finds himself appointed Pope Benedict XVI and faces a multitude of crises from the sex scandal to calls for modernizing the church. Locked in a traditional dogma, Pope Benedict calls upon progressive Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) from Argentina. Bergoglio is considering stepping down from his position, but finds his plans altered when Benedict reveals that he has his own plans for Francis’ future.
Directed by Fernando Meirelles, The Two Popes is fictionalized account of a summit between Pope Benedict XVI and the future Pope Francis. The film adapts the 2017 play The Pope by Anthony McCarten (who scripted the film). It premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was released on Netflix on December 20, 2019 after a limited theatrical run. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor (Pryce), Best Supporting Actor (Hopkins), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
I am not Catholic, and I know I couldn’t go into The Two Popes expecting it to be a historical film. Despite having little background in the history of the Popes or the process in which pope is selected, the movie was interesting as a clash of ideals and ideas.
Pope’s taking a pep…and a Fanta
Even as a outside observer of the Catholic Church, the differences between Pope Francis and Pope Benedict are obvious. Benedict always seemed stodgy and old while Francis seems young at heart and fun. The movie is basically a conversation on how these two ideas can exist within the church and how the church can remain true to its beliefs while changing for current events. While it is nice to think that these two men pal around, confess their woes, and reveal their sins to each other, it doesn’t seem very realistic, but it more about how to advance in a different world for the church.
Though there are some bit supporting roles, the movie is largely Pryce and Hopkins vamping for two hours. The trick is to make both characters likeable in their own way, but Hopkins faces the unique challenge of being the fall guy. He’s facing a sex scandal that he’s enabled in the past and he likes the pomp and circumstance of the title…it isn’t necessarily flattering. His character also is internally aware of it. Pryce is the “fun one”, but he too is haunted by his past and the burden that he will face as Pope Francis. Both actors nail it.
Woah…he was the next pope all along? Plot twist!!!
The movie also has some incredible sets. They created a full-size replica of the Sistine Chapel which included making the arts look real. It is an amazing accomplishment visually…plus, Pryce looks amazingly like Pope Francis, but Hopkins does a great job becoming Pope Benedict without necessarily looking like him.
The Two Popes is an interesting approach to a history that is only known to the people in the room (aka Pope Benedict and Pope Francis). While it isn’t necessarily historically accurate, it doesn’t need to be to discuss issues facing religious establishments all over the world. The problems of the Catholic Church are faced by other denominations, and the idea of moving forward or looking back is faced by society in general. While it is nice to think of “the Popes” watching a soccer match, it isn’t realistic…but it still is a nice coda to the idea that middle ground can be found.
Related Links:
The 92nd Academy Award Nominations
Marriage Story (2019)
January 15th, 2020Movie Info
Movie Name: Marriage Story
Studio: Heyday Films
Genre(s): Comedy/Drama
Release Date(s): August 29, 2019 (Venice Film Festival)/November 6, 2019 (US)
MPAA Rating: R
Things are going to get difficult…
Charlie Barber (Adam Driver) and his wife Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) have decided to separate. When Nicole hires a big time lawyer in Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern), Charlie finds himself in a fight for his son Henry (Azhy Robertson). As the legal battle escalates, the claws come out and Charlie and Nicole pit themselves against each other in what could be a winner take all fight.
Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story is a comedy-drama. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and received a limited United States release before being released on Netflix on December 6, 2019. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Driver), Best Actress (Johansson), Best Supporting Actress (Dern), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score.
I’d watch a whole show about the adventures of Nicole’s family
I was excited about Marriage Story, but the excitement soon turned to dread. Not because Marriage Story was bad, but because it was painful. It is the type of movie you can watch, see the pitfalls, and can’t do anything as the characters head for them.
The film starts smartly by showing that both parents are good in their own way, but this is quickly dashed because sharing is revealed to be a problem between the two. They want their lives as they want their lives and compromise (on both sides) doesn’t seem to be possible. As with something like the other famous divorce film Kramer vs. Kramer, you can see where each parent is making a mistake that the other can latch onto…and it hurts to see someone like Driver who cares for his kid losing his kid as the story progresses.
Marriage is hard…
The movie interestingly takes Driver’s flawed character and makes him the more sympathetic of the two. It comes close to vilifying Johansson’s character (or at least her willingness to follow her attorney), but she too has moments of sympathy. It is the attorneys played by Dern (who eats up every scene), the laid-back Alan Alda, and the cutthroat Ray Liotta who turn the movie into a tragedy. I also really like Airplane!’s Julie Hagerty and Nurse Jackie’s mushmouth Merritt Wever as Nicole’s family who who really like Driver…I could watch a whole series about those two. The social worker played by Martha Kelly also is a fun trip.
One goal?
The movie does a great job establishing the characters worlds in both New York and Los Angeles. They have pros and cons (so much space in Los Angeles as stated by everyone). It is a strange movie about how appearances can affect a life. Charlie has to give his home the appearance of being lived in…it is a façade however and appearances can be deceiving.
Marriage Story actually has a lot of laughs while being extremely sad at the same time. The movie builds around the idea of lack of communication, but even if there had been communication, it probably wouldn’t have worked out in the long run. Marriage is a team effort and both sides contribute…breaking up that team has consequences and someone always ends up paying a price.
Related Links:
The 92nd Academy Award Nominations
Toy Story 4 (2019)
January 13th, 2020Movie Info
Movie Name: Toy Story 4
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios
Genre(s): Animated/Action/Adventure/Family
Release Date(s): June 11, 2019 (Premiere)/June 21, 2019 (US)
MPAA Rating: G
Is Bonnie God? She gave life to Forky….
Woody is discovery a scary truth. Bonnie is becoming less and less interested in playing with him. When she starts kindergarten and makes a new friend named Forky, Woody realizes keeping Forky around is the key to keeping in Bonnie’s presence. Unfortunately, Forky was made from trash and thinks he is trash…and none of the other toys can convince him otherwise. When Bonnie takes her toys on a vacation, Woody and Forky become lost and are reunited with a long lost friend that could change everything for Bonnie’s toys.
Directed by Josh Cooley, Toy Story 4 is a Pixar-Disney animated family movie. Following the release of Incredibles 2 in 2018, Pixar’s sequel follows the holiday special Toy Story that Time Forgot in 2014. The movie was released to positive reviews and received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away”).
I like the Toy Story movies, but they aren’t my favorite Pixar films. They often try really hard to stir emotion in the viewers and almost prey on the emotional nature of childhood. Toy Story 3 in 2010 ended up on an extremely emotional moment and almost felt like the end of the series…but here is Toy Story 4 which desperately tries to match Toy Story 3’s emotion. A ******spoiler alert****** exists for the rest of the review.
Ok…so this key isn’t alive…and furniture isn’t alive (except a kid’s chair)…who is alive and who is inanimate?
Toy Story 4’s story feels a bit repetitive. The toys are lost…again and it feels very familiar. The story feels a bit like the Halloween special Toy Story of Terror! (which had Bonnie losing her toys on vacation to an Ebay seller…which likewise felt like Toy Story 2). The toys are of course reunited with Bonnie (who has never truly developed as much as Andy), and Woody opts to stay on the road as a lost toy with Bo Peep. After Andy giving up his toys in Toy Story 3, it just doesn’t feel as emotional.
The cast is back and still good. It feels like Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear takes a backseat in this entry, and Tom Hanks is the star. I always like Annie Potts so it is nice to have her back as Bo Peep. I also like the newly introduced Forky voiced by Tony Hale. Christina Hendricks plays the Gabby Gabby character while Kean Reeves is introduced as Duke Kaboom. Carnival prize characters Ducky and Bunny are played by the team of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.
Say goodbye to Woody
The movie continues to look good. The art and style of the film is solid. The characters have been perfected by this time in the twenty years they have been around. It is a bit odd to look back at Toy Story in comparison to this film…I could see them actually remastering it sometime just to match it up.
Toy Story 4 raises a lot of questions…like are humans gods? Bonnie instills life in Forky and other things she makes…which makes you wonder if she alone has that power or if anyone who builds anything can do it. The toys in this version break a lot of rules (aka people hear them and they also do more to affect their reality like driving cars)…will toys revolt some day? The biggest question for me is how do these toys stay together and not break and get tossed out…especially some of the cheap plastic ones. Until Toy Story 5 pops into existence, we may never know.
Related Links:
Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014)
The 92nd Academy Award Nominations
Booksmart (2019)
January 13th, 2020Movie Info
Movie Name: Booksmart
Studio: Annapurna Pictures
Genre(s): Comedy
Release Date(s): March 10, 2019 (South by Southwest)/May 24, 2019 (US)
MPAA Rating: R
AKIRA!!!!!
Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) have dedicated their lives to being the top of their class, and with graduation looming, they’ve done it. Unfortunately, Molly learns that being top of the class and a good college doesn’t mean sacrificing life experiences and she and Amy have the night before graduation to make it all happen. Setting off to find the party of Nick Howland (Mason Gooding), where Amy hopes to tell Ryan (Victoria Ruesga) how she feels about her, the two have four years of partying to cram into one night!
Directed by Olivia Wilde, Booksmart is a teen comedy. The film premiered at South by Southwest and was released to critical acclaim for both the storytelling and the performances of the lead actors.
The trailers for Booksmart were funny, but it felt like I had seen the movie before when it was called Super Bad (especially since it starred Beanie Feldstein’s brother Jonah Hill). That doesn’t mean the movie couldn’t be funny, but it was kind of like going into Bridesmaids after seeing The Hangover…two separate movies but with really similar feels and characters. I enjoyed Booksmart, but more for the performances than the story.
Party Time!
The story (as I suspected) was a lot similar to Super Bad with the geeky kids heading out to party before going off to college. Because the characters are females, the situations change, but the general idea of uncomfortable people trying to act outside of their comfort zone was there (that is coming from an uncomfortable person who can’t stand parties). It does validate the idea that times change but in a bigger picture the experiences people go through growing up don’t. They’ll have crushes, letdowns, and have to say goodbye to friends they’ve known their whole life…Booksmart does it well, but it has been done before.
The cast is good however. Not only is do you have two smart, strong actors in the lead but they also aren’t overpowering each other. Beanie Feldstein gets a lot of the attention because she’s the more cartoonish of the two women, but Kaityn Dever holds her own as the level headed one who is trying to say goodbye to her friend. They have a great supporting cast. I actually think the more famous adults are a bit of a distraction…kind of like in Super Bad, but the “teen” actors are diverse and feel unique to this film which was good.
We did it…now what?
The movie kind of looks like a rather typical comedy which isn’t a bad thing. The timing is down and that is the most important thing about comedy. The construction of the laughs are solid and fun. There were a number of laugh-out-loud moments along with chuckles throughout which says a lot about a comedy.
Booksmart is a solid movie, and I commend the makers. I do wish it had gone its own way a little more in terms of a teen comedy, but it is a step in the right direction. The movie didn’t fare well at the box office which is a shame since it is as solid as most comedies out there…I don’t know that it was because people thought it was “a chick flick” (it’s not) or if it simply was released at the wrong time of year which can have blame in the studios more so than the makers or viewers. I would like to check in on Molly and Amy in ten years and see where they end up…if their dreams have changed or if they came true.
