Capsule Summary (minimal spoilers):

The ArtHouse Film Festival recently aired Godard Mon Amour, which tells the story of the relationship between filmmaker Jean Luc Godard and Anne Wiazemsky.  In 1966, Anne was 18 when she made her movie debut in one of his films. They married in 1967, and this story covers their time together, when Godard was in a transitional phase in his movie career.

It’s in French, with subtitles, and very slightly reminiscent of Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories, as it’s a slice of life for the couple when they’re not making movies. It is absurdist, funny, and also sad, often at the same time.

If that’s the sort of movie you appreciate, this one is for you. I enjoyed it, and recommend it for those that like such things.

You may watch the trailer on YouTube.

Main Review:

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not too familiar with Godard’s work, but that didn’t prevent me from liking this movie. There were some artistic choices that made me like it even more than I expected.

The film starts while they are filming  La Chinoise, a film on Communism that Godard believes will be groundbreaking. However, the Chinese embassy rejects the film as not being representative of their ideals. This puts Godard into a funk, but he decides to become more involved in the Communist movement, which is growing in popularity in France. They reject him too, claiming he’s too ingrained in populist culture. Throughout this, he and Anne try to document what’s going on, while remaining under the radar of the police. The people who do recognize him compliment his earlier work, which annoys him to no end.

There are several things that make the film entertaining. Some encounters with fans go awry, and other scenes that are just patently absurd, but fun to watch. There were a few stylistic choices made here, and most of them work well. The tension grows between Anne and Jean Luc, but there isn’t a satisfying conclusion. Regardless, I liked the movie.

The movie itself is based on a book written by Wiazemsky, and shopped around until she agreed to give the rights to one director, who was, apparently, the only one who asked her how funny she made it.

The film was originally called Le Redoutable, which refers to a French nuclear powered submarine. Why?  Well, see the movie and find out.

Capsule Summary (minimal spoilers):

Julia (Clea Duvall), an L.A. Photographer, is invited to go along with some hapless adventurers to create her next photo book, up above the Arctic Circle. She is ill-prepared for the trip, and is rescued by some locals. Heaven’s Floor is a semi-biographical story, written and directed by Lori Stoll, who experienced it firsthand.

The ArtHouse Film Festival group presented the movie. It’s a low key story, but very charming one about life and redemption. I was surprised to hear that the film, made in 2016, has not gotten a distributor. It’s well worth the time, so if it’s available, please do see it.

A trailer for the film can be seen on YouTube.

Capsule Summary (minimal spoilers):

Rampage is yet another video game turned into a movie. Human beings are mutated into giant monsters – an Ape, a Lizard, and a Wolf, to be precise. The object of the game was to smash all the buildings and stay alive while the humans attack. Pretty straightforward, no?

Well, this movie has a premise, and if you accept how ludicrous it all is, actually works. Animals mutate into giant monsters, and go on a rampage. The storyline is pretty linear, it made some sense, and they don’t take themselves too seriously. That balance is hard to get right, but in this case, they have. This movie has a lot of special effects ,and they don’t overwhelm you.

This is a fun movie, and I recommend it, if you go to it with no expectations.

Note that it’s PG-13, and there’s a lot of human-monster violence, and vice versa, as well as some animal-animal violence. Some is graphic and over the top, so if that makes you uncomfortable, you should skip this film.

Main Review:

Someone is doing experiments up on the International Space Station. The movie starts after things have gone wrong, and the astronauts are trying to escape. Naturally, it gets worse before it gets better, and of course, the cause gets loose, because otherwise, you wouldn’t have a movie, would you?

There’s a chemical agent that makes its way back to Earth. It falls to different locations, including a zoo in San Diego, into the gorilla section. A rare albino gorilla named George is exposed, and starts to experience unusual growth. His main caretaker, Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) is alarmed, but very concerned for George’s welfare. In fact, they communicate with sign language, but George is losing control of his behavior. He busts out of the zoo, and that’s when the fun begins.

In typical fashion, the government gets involved, in the form of an unnamed agency, led by agent Russell (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). He and his people ignore Davis and Dr Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), an employee of Energyne, a company who does genetic research. Fortunately, this doesn’t turn into a totally ham-fisted portrayal of an ignorant government agency, so that was a bit refreshing.

The main villain in the film is Energyne.  It’s run by siblings Clear and Brett Wyden (Malin Akerman and Jake Lacey), who are definitely in it for the Potential profit, no matter how they get there. Roger Ebert used to say how a movie like this is only as good as the villain is bad, but fortunately, the spectacle of this situation is enough to counter the weaknesses of them. Malin Akerman does a passable job here.

Overall, the CGI does not overwhelm the movie. It fits and enhances the experience. George is rendered reasonably well, and his “realistic” movement was accomplished by motion capture. The destruction caused by the monsters is not as frenetic as the Transformers movies, where the camera’s always in motion and disorienting. They’ve found a good balance in this movie.

This film would’ve been a reasonable summer blockbuster, if it had been released then. It’s one where you can turn your brain off, and forget your troubles for an hour and 47 minutes. I didn’t see it in 3D, and I could see where the 3D moments were interjected, but you can safely see this in 2D and still have fun.

Capsule Summary (minimal spoilers):

Ready Player One is a movie based on the book by Ernest Cline.  It takes place in the near future, where overcrowding and poverty have a stranglehold on much of the population. Years ago, a brilliant team of programmers created The OASIS, a virtual world that’s mostly video game-based, but has aspects of online social communities, virtual worlds, like Second Life,  as well as many other possibilities.  The creator of the OASIS passed away a few years ago, and set a challenge to everyone who enters OASIS – be the first to solve three challenges inside, and the you win ownership of the OASIS.

The film focuses on Percival, aka Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), a regular young guy who’s trying to solve the challenges. With his friends, they’re all after the same thing, while a company called IOI is using thousands of its employees to do the same thing.  The chase is on!

This movie is full of hundreds of references to the ’80s and ’90s. It’s visually exciting, and fun to watch. It is directed by Steven Spielberg, so you know it’s already one level above your standard movie. You will have to watch the movie multiple times to spot all the references, some of which are a bit obscure.

It’s a very entertaining film with a relatively unknown cast, and gives it a fresh appeal that is rare to find these days. Highly recommended!

Main Review:

Percival has studied up everything there is to know about OASIS’ creator, Halliday (Mark Rylance). He believes it’ll give him an edge up on the competition, which isn’t faring much better. Halliday’s co-creator Morrow (Simon Pegg) isn’t really involved in the OASIS much, but is still around. It’s been 5 years since Halliday offered up the challenges, and not a single person’s figured out how to win the first one of the three. He’s teamed up with Aech (name redacted), so they can work on them together. Neither has done the standard thing of joining a clan to pool resources. Along comes Art3mis (name redacted), another loner who has done online tutorials and is a pretty decent player herself. She is a strong enough competitor to spur Percival and Aech to work harder at a solution. Meanwhile, the IOI Coporation is trying to gain control of it all, because, after it all, this is a company worth $500 Billion!

It’s amazing how many references just pass by. Halliday’s coffin was a photon torpedo casing that they used to bury Spock in The Wrath of Khan. Art3mis rides the motorcycle from the anime film Akira.  You see plenty of things from science fiction movies and characters from video games. They litter the landscape. Someone spent a lot of time and got a lot of permission to reproduce these things in the film.

I must confess that I haven’t read the book, but I did get a copy and held off until the film was released. I’m sure purists  will not be entirely happy with what they see on screen, and I can definitely see things skipped in the storyline to reduce it to fit the 2 hour, 20 minute runtime of the film. Let’s just say that by itself, the story makes a lot of sense if you know video games, but it’s not entirely necessary to know that to enjoy the film.

I wholeheartedly recommend this film, if it’s the sort of thing you would enjoy, I suggest seeing it in the theaters, because there is so much imagery that you really need to see it big.

Capsule Summary (minimal spoilers):

Pacific Rim Uprising is a sequel to the original Pacific Rim film from 2013.  It takes place 10 years after the final battle of that movie. The world is rebuilding, but slowly. Everyone’s still on edge, waiting for the Kaiju’s return, but so far, things are quiet on that front.

I definitely enjoyed myself with this sequel. Giant Jaegers (robots) fighting humongous monsters is such a silly  concept that you have to regard it as just a popcorn film, not to be taken seriously. This movie’s aware of it, and has a little fun at times. There’s a silly internet meme that shows up out of nowhere, and it’s just so absurd that it really made me laugh.

The runtime of the film is 1:51, so it takes a little while with the story, but not too much. There is a little scene as the credits start, and some robot animations as they roll, but nothing afterward.

The first movie made rather good use of 3D, so I opted to see the sequel in 3D also. It’s not as good for that, so don’t feel it’s necessary to see the film that way.

I do recommend the film.

Main Review:

Nations are rebuilding, and things are going back to the way they were. Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of the commander of the Jaeger pilots, lives outside society. Many of the areas devastated by the Kaiju attacks are still a chaotic place, discarded by the nations who are focusing elsewhere. “Better to live in half a (destroyed) mansion rather than a crappy apartment,” he says as the film starts. He’s decided to live in that world, amongst the scavengers and  criminals, who barter to survive.

While on a hunt for Jaeger parts, he is arrested, along with a young girl, Amara (Callee Spaeny), and re-drafted into the Jaeger force. Jake sees a lot of himself in Amara. Given who his father was, there are many expectations for what he can do.

Meanwhile, the Jaeger program is facing competition from the Shao Corporation, which is creating drones that would replace the Jaegers. They’re much easier to control. and can be deployed everywhere. As the decision is being made to use the drones or not, an unusual attack occurs, and it causes a new kind of chaos. Not good, not good at all.

There are a few twists in the story from there, and it had its unpredictable moments, as well as a few predictable ones, but so what?  It’s giant robots fighting monsters! What are you expecting, high art? Grab your popcorn, turn off your brain, sit back and enjoy!

Pacific Rim Uprising hits all the right marks, and has a little fun with itself along the way. I had a lot of fun at the movie.  I do recommended it, because it’s exactly what it purports to be.

Capsule Summary (minimal spoilers):

A Wrinkle in Time is a new film from Disney, based on the popular novel of the same name, written by Madeleine L’Engle. This movie is an adaptation of the original, and has been ‘modernized’.

Meg (Storm Reid) and Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) live with their mother. Their father went missing several years ago, and was on the verge of making a scientific discovery. After meeting some eccentric neighbors, they are convinced to go on a special journey to rescue him. It appears that Meg is a child with gifts, which she has ignored.

This is a very lavish film, with a decent cast. All the beauty and majesty of it is weakened by a lack of depth. As the story is geared towards children, perhaps my separation from that market segment is coloring my opinion, but the film, overall, was not satisfying. Perhaps the film could have been improved with a 3 hour runtime, but that works against childhood patience.

I suspect that adults expecting to see the book mirrored on screen will be disappointed, as well. Maybe their children won’t be, and that’s what matters.

Main Review:

Meg is a child of great potential. She has become sullen and withdrawn after her father’s disappearance. Even her classmates hate her because she doesn’t fit in. It is her brother, Charles Wallace, who is the one to bring her out of the funk, by introducing her to two odd neighbors, Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) and Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), two extremely colorful and eccentric women. They hint that they know something of her father, and introduce Meg, Charles Wallace, and friend Calvin (Levi Miller) to Mrs. Which (Oprah). The three women convince the children to go on a journey to find and rescue their father (Chris Pine) from, well, something, or somewhere dark.

Thus begins the typical Disney Children’s adventure. That can be summed up as Children with lost or missing parents who go on an adventure, and meet all sorts of interesting things and people along the way. Almost ALL Disney stories begin that way. Once on the journey, the kids meet unusual people and see incredibly lavish and lush things, including the three women, themselves. The movie is such a pleasure to look at, no matter where your eyes go.

There is a bit of an abrupt turn in the story, as if the screen writers intended to have more exposition and imagery, but it was cut for time. I won’t go into detail, but to me, it felt like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but without the tea party.  I felt shorted and disappointed.

I’ll state once again that I’m not the target demographic for the film, so maybe I’m expecting too much. I was in with an audience of parents and children, who perhaps loved it more than I ever could, so that’s where I’ll stop.

Capsule Review (minimal spoilers):

Black Panther is the latest film from Marvel Comics about yet another superhero. T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is the King of the imaginary African nation of Wakanda, who has recently inherited the position after his father’s death in Captain America: Civil War.  The nation struggles with the transition, which forms the basis of the story.

The story is full, and there’s a lot to take in, but the pacing keeps thing moving to a very satisfying resolution. Fortunately, it stands by itself – You do not need to know anything about Black Panther or any of the other Marvel superheroes to connect with the film.

The film has a runtime of 2 hours 14 minutes, so be advised.  As with other Marvel movies, there’s a mid-credits scene, and a post-credits scene, so don’t leave too early! Black Panther is available in 3-D, but it’s not necessary for this enjoyable entertainment. Obviously, I do recommend the film.

Main Review:

Wakanda is a poor nation, or so they would have you believe. However, that’s just an illusion they put out to the rest of the world. Millennia ago, a meteorite crashed into their land, and it was  composed of a material  that is the strongest known substance, and it also has enabled the Wakandans to advance their technology far above what the rest of the world can do. Internally, the nation has profited from this, but they keep it a secret. Some outsiders know, but that’s about as far as it goes.

That is the challenge of the movie – how can they contain the secret any longer? Should they? With the transition to a new king, it gives them the opportunity to reinvent the nation, and what it stands for. This drives the story, and it is a good story to tell. You don’t feel shorted or slighted on any front.

They properly portray the grandeur of the nation. Everything is lush, and the cast is reasonably fleshed out. None of the characters appear as window dressing. You get a sense that they all know who and what they are. It’s an impressive feat when you have more than a handful of major players. It’s a rare treat when it’s done right.

It’s a good movie, and it does take a welcome jab or two at the sort of film this is.  It is only a borderline superhero movie, in that it’s not the primary part of the film unlike most of the previous ones. I won’t go any further. Definitely see it in a theater, you won’t be disappointed.

Capsule Summary (minimal spoilers):

The 15:17 to Paris is the latest film from Clint Eastwood. It is a dramatization of a terrorist attack that occurred on a train that was travelling from Amsterdam to Paris. It was thwarted by the actions of three Americans, two of which were serving in the military.

This film has the rare honor of using the three people involved in the incident as actors, playing themselves. It has a reasonable plot where you get to know about them and their past. It’s a good story that’s worth seeing, but it leaves a couple questions about the event that are not addressed, but could have been. It’s entertaining, but you could probably wait for it to arrive on cable or streaming services, and not feel slighted.

Main Review:

This film has three sections. Each portion tells part of the story, and you get a good sense for who these guys are. It starts with Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone, and how they met as children. We get a good backstory, and it tells us of these kids getting their start as troublemakers. When they become adults, Alek and Spencer join different branches of the military, and later decide to meet up while on furlough in Europe. Spencer convinces Anthony to join them. The last portion of the film is the train ride itself.

The first section of the film has a lot of supporting characters. Judy Greer and Jenna Fisher are the mothers of Spencer and Alek. You get a sense of why these kids are the way they are, as they grow to adulthood. There are several blink-and-you’ll-miss-them actors here, but it’s always good to understand who these kids are.

The second section is really more of a travelogue for going to Europe on a short timeframe. The timing slows down a bit, and you can see that these guys aren’t actors, but they do a passable job in the movie. Clint Eastwood keeps things moving, and you get a good sense of the touristy nature of their trip, but you’re really waiting for the main event.

As to the resolution, I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the end of the film. While the situation is pretty close to the truth, there’s mention that some scenes were altered for dramatic effect. As for the end, there are some questions that I had that were unanswered by the film, or were glossed over.  It felt a little incomplete, but this Wikipedia link provides the answers I was looking for.

I do recommend the film, but don’t believe you must see it in theaters.

Capsule Review (Minor Spoilers):

The Post is a movie about The Washington Post, a newspaper trying to make a name for itself in the early 1970s. the come across a story that is very controversial, and agonize over publishing it, as the consequences can be catastrophic.

Based on the actual events, it’s a great story of the era, and serves as allegory for the current political climate regarding “fake” news.  Recommended.

Main Review

Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) has assumed the role of publisher for The Washington Post. She took on the role after her husband, the former publisher, died. He was given the job by her father, the previous publisher, but hasn’t really taken control yet. She relies on her advisers, and is about to list the paper on the American Stock Exchange to raise funds and keep the paper afloat.

The story opens  in the later 1960s with an observer Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys).  He is working for the Secretary of State, Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood). They are in Vietnam, attempting to determine the state of things, which aren’t going well. McNamara returns to the U.S. and declares the war is going well, which is exactly the opposite of what he says privately. McNamara eventually commissioned a report on the state of affairs regarding Vietnam, and it confirms what he’s been saying behind closed doors.

That doesn’t site well with Ellsberg, gets his hands on a copy of the report, and reaches out to the press. Unfortunately, it’s the New York Times. Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), the editor of the Post, tried to determine this, but didn’t succeed before it went to print. However, the Times only printed the beginning of their analysis, and the government makes them stop. It’s not looking too good for any publication of the story, until part  of the report shows up on a reporter’s desk at the Post.

It becomes a morality play on the role of the media, and how far they could or should go.  Everyone in the cast gives a strong performance, and none of it is overdone. I kept struggling to recognize all the actors involved, and some I just couldn’t figure out until the credits rolled.  It’s quite a compelling film, especially if you like films about what it takes to get news out. It wasn’t too ‘inside baseball’ to appreciate what they did, and how it was accomplished.

This is an important movie, and is definitely worth seeing. Highly recommended.

Capsule Review (Minimal spoilers):

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a sequel to the 1995 film Jumanji, if in basic premise, only. Several children are tricked into playing a game, with dangerous consequences. This sequel puts them right in the middle of the situation, and have to find their way through.

It’s an action comedy that’s a lot of fun. The jokes are good, and relatably entertaining. There is some violence of the PG-13 variety. It is also available as a 3D movie, but I did not see it that way. I could definitely see how and where  they made use of it, so it might be worth seeing that way.

Highly recommended, as it’s refreshing and fun.

Main Review:

For various reasons, 4 high schoolers receive detention. As punishment, they have to clean out an old storage room. While poking around, one of them finds an old video game, so they decide to ditch the work and play the game. After starting and choosing their players, they get pulled into the game, much like in the movie Tron.  They become the characters they chose, who were pretty much unlike who they were as teens.

After a few moments of confusion, they realize they’re controlling/playing the characters they picked in the game, and are nothing like what they act like in school. It’s an awkward way to start, but you end up with the nerdy kid being Dwayne Johnson, the jock being the diminutive Kevin Hart, the wallflower being the kick-ass fighter Karen Gillan, and the social media queen being in the body of Jack Black. The trailers have given us that much, and it’s where the fun begins. You don’t really need to know the character names here, because the actors, for the most part, are playing “themselves”, as far as their public personas appear to be – Kevin Hart as the wise-cracking side kick, for example.

There are more than a few references to video games, and some are very funny, when you figure out what’s going on. You get the sense that the movie was written by someone who’s spent a bunch of time playing them, so it works well. That, by itself, is not bad, but like a video game, the villains have to play a role in how the story develops. Bobby Cannavale plays a good villain here, if not a bit creepy. Here, he’s the challenge they must overcome.

As I mentioned, it’s an action comedy. The action is good, as is the CGI. Clearly, that’s improved a lot since the original film. It’s gotten good enough that it really gives you a sense you’re there, in reality. Some of the animals may look a little off, but it’s not as obvious as it was in 1995!

Even with a PG-13 rating, this is a movie that everyone can enjoy. There isn’t anything that’s a major flaw or inconsistency, and the balance of action and comedy is good.

Definitely recommended!