Category: Uncategorized

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of April 29, 2019

Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki
Unrated but equivalent to G
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Available on Disc
In Japanese with English Subtitles
Arguably the greatest living animator, Hayao Miyazaki, has retired from his day to day of making some of the worlds most famous animated films such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro. This documentary literally follows him around his home in Japan as we learn from his simple life lessons and observe his desire to go back to work to keep creating and reshaping his art. So in order to not go away silently, he makes his way back into the studio to create a new short story using his traditional hand-drawn style crossed with computer-aided graphics. While non-fans might find the movie quite a bore, the targeted audience here will discover much excitement in this incredibly intimate portrait. You don’t necessarily get the recipe for the secret sauce, but you do get a truly great glimpse of the life behind the legend. A-

Destroyer
Rated R for language throughout, violence, some sexual content and brief drug use
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%
Available on Disc and Streaming
This downer of a cop drama stars Nicole Kidman as a modern homicide detective who constantly flashbacks to her younger days as an undercover cop infiltrating a California gang after the two worlds intersect. The storyline follows a convoluted and confusing plot down a path this isn’t much fun to tread. There is certainly some good drama here, and once the story become more clear, it does basically come together, but it is definitely not an enjoyable journey. Still, Kidman tackles a role here that is very different for her and she does it well. The rest of the cast is strong also, but the darkness of the film almost overpowers it. It’s a good enough crime drama as long as you are in the right mood to take it in. C+

Alien: 40th Anniversary Edition
Rated R for sci-fi violence, gore and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Available on Disc and Streaming
It’s hard to believe that this sci-fi horror classic is now 40 years old, but when I thought back to the countless times I’ve watched it over the years, I realized that I’ve never seen a non-grainy version. Even on blu-ray. It has always looked old to me. Still a great film – but old. If that’s what you are used to – you must check out this new 4K version. Every frame looks pristine, almost like the movie was made yesterday. This stunning look and sound, applied to both the original theatrical and the 2003 directors cut, as well as several deep-dive features, make this a must own masterpiece that you will love to keep revisiting. A

Popcorn Perspectives by Danny Minton

Week of April 15, 2019

Disneynature: Penguins
Rated G
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
In Theaters
You have to admit that Disney has really stuck to its commitment to keep the Disneynature brand alive and kicking. Nearly every Earth Day, Disney has put together a fantastic narrative based on animal footage their wildlife photographers capture in the wild. In this case, years of fieldwork in Antarctica has led to a story of an Adelie penguin named Steve who joins millions of his fellow penguins swimming, fishing, nesting, mating, and raising babies. If it sounds a lot like March of the Penguins, it kind of is – just more Disneyfied. While March was a much more substantial film, Penguins tries more to be cute and cuddly. Much of the narration by Ed Helms is more corny than it should be, and sometimes beneath the level of the production, but the images captured on film are at times absolutely magnificent, making up for any rolls of the eyes you will inevitably give up. I never grow tired of experiencing the wonders of God’s universe and this documentary is a prime example of just how strange and beautiful even the most remote parts of our planet can be. B+

Glass
Rated PG-13 for violence including some bloody images, thematic elements, and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 37%
Available on Disc and Streaming
At the end of M. Night Shyamalan’s last film Split, we discovered that James McAvoy’s multiple personality villain was part of the larger superhero universe with Unbreakable’s Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis. When all three are brought together in an insane asylum, each tries to take their place in said universe in the hope of a major showdown. I’m sorry but I just don’t get it. I think McAvoy’s performances in this and Split are absolutely fantastic, but the story here is just plain stupid. And to make the stupid worse – it takes itself very, very seriously. The cast of talented actors really put themselves into their roles, but the script is a waste of all of their abilities, and its audience’s time. It’s almost as if Shyamalan has become so focused on the surprise that he’s forgotten how to craft a narrative worthy of one. D

The Kid Who Would Be King
Rated PG for fantasy action violence, scary images, thematic elements including some bullying, and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Available on Disc and Streaming
Loved by critics but ignored by audiences, The Kid Who Would Be King follows a young British school student who stumbles upon a sword buried in a stone, and upon removal discovers he is more important than he could have ever dreamed. With the help of the legendary wizard Merlin (Patrick Stewart) he helps take on the evil enchantress Morgana in order to save England from disaster. This one was a really nice surprise. The story was stronger than I could have imagined and the acting was very good from this relatively unknown cast (with the exception of Stewart who is both known and apparently infallible). The film is much darker and even scarier than I could have expected, so I wouldn’t necessarily feed it to the youngins, but your older children will eat it up for sure. B+

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of April 8, 2019

On the Basis of Sex
Rated PG-13 for some language and suggestive content
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
Available on Disc and Streaming
While critics liked this docudrama about the rise of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, it basically fizzled at the box office, probably because of its being released into a crowded field of better films, and possibly because a movie about law and politics is just too much for most audiences right now. But regardless, Bader Ginsberg is a fascinating subject, and the case that would eventually land her in the Supreme Court is still relevant today, maybe even more so. While it plays much like a made-for-TV movie, its A-list cast, including Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer, and terrific production elevate it to a film suitable for a theatrical release, but it might have received a better audience and awards consideration at HBO or Netflix. But it does make for a good drama, and an educational one at that which will probably give it legs as future students learn about our government and its many evolutions. B

Mirai
Rated PG for thematic elements including some scary images
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
Available on Disc and Streaming
This Oscar-nominated animated film from Japan tells the story of a bratty young boy who discovers a magical garden where his baby sister, now in older form, takes him on a journey through space and time to uncover his family’s long-winding story. Simply put – this is a lovely story which is well-told and beautifully animated. Its creative rhythm might leave some audiences scratching their heads, and it does get a little weird and even disturbing at times, but it turns out to be a movie where you tend to drift off on your own journey as you try to place yourself into the boy’s. A-

A Dog’s Way Home
Rated PG for thematic elements, some peril and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%
Available on Disc and Streaming
So apparently several cities in Colorado have a pit bull ban and this story follows the life a stray pit bull puppy who is discovered in Denver and taken in by its rescuer. But when the city threatens to put it down, the dog is sent far away where it escapes and attempts to travel through the wilderness to find its person. It’s a familiar formula, and just like any movie in this sub-genre, it is a manipulative tear jerker. But at least the film gives us enough of a change to become watchable and even, at times, likable. I especially enjoyed the relationship with the cougar, which from the trailer looked stupid, but made sense within the context of the actual story. While I wouldn’t want to subject myself to a film like this too often, now and again I can handle it – especially if my kid is loving it. B-

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of April 1, 2019

Shazam!
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, language, and suggestive material
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
In Theaters
With DC trying to fill out their theatrical comic universe, it was a great shock that Shazam! was going to get the big screen treatment, but the studio brilliantly came up with a tongue-in-cheek plot to make up for the cheesiness of its subject. Here a young boy living in a foster home finds himself mysteriously whisked away to a hidden cave where a wizard turns him into an adult and gives him super powers. Not knowing what to do with those powers, or even the extent of them, he does what many a fifteen-year-old would do: buy beer and go to a strip club. But when a super villain comes along to steal his powers and possibly harm his foster family, he grows up and faces the challenge head on. When I heard that this was one of the most talked-about films at Comic Con this past year, I thought it was a joke, but sure enough – Warner Brothers and DC took a huge chance and I think it will pay off big time. The movie is thrilling, funny, juvenile (in a good way) and warm-hearted. I think the trailers make it look a lot more kid-friendly than it actually is, but even its scary nature is more like Scooby Doo or Ghost Busters than Dark Knight. The movie is quite literally an unexpected blast! B+

Bumblebee
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Available on Disc and Streaming
This Transformers prequel lays out the story of Bumblebee’s introduction to Earth as he escapes the planet Cybertron and hides out in a junk yard until a young girl (Hailee Steinfeld) takes him home in the hopes of fixing him up. Of course the two make friends and all is well until a couple of evil Decepticons find him and attempt to destroy him before he can accomplish his mission. To me, this is a real head-scratcher. While it did fairly well world-wide, in the US it had a relatively poor showing. And yet this is easily the best Transformers movie we’ve been given to date, with a fun retro-style story, better than decent acting, a plot that at least makes sense and a reasonable running time. It’s the film we’ve been waiting for since the franchise started – and yet few folks went to see it. Perhaps its audience is a bit burnt out due to the overlong and mediocre offerings we’ve been given so far. But hopefully a larger audience will get to watch it now that it’s hitting living rooms. B+

The Mule
Rated R for language throughout and brief sexuality/nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score 70%
Available on Disc and Streaming
This latest adventure from director and star Clint Eastwood follows a retiree with familial regrets who is offered a job from a Mexican cartel to carry drugs across the country in his inconspicuous truck. Seeing an opportunity to buy his way back into his family’s lives, he does more and more trips, each with increasing danger. In the bones of this project is a decent movie with an interesting story, but unfortunately, for every good decision in the process, a bad one exists also. The film feels sloppy at times, showing the mark of a director who just wants to do one take and move on, rather than get the scene right. Also, the family moments feel contrived and messy, showing signs of bad writing throughout. Finally, and I’m sure I’ll get roasted for saying this, but Eastwood might not have been the best choice to star here. He has some great moments, but there is inconsistency in his acting, just as there is in his directing. Like he just wants to get though with the damned thing and call it quits for the day. C

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of March 25, 2019

Dumbo
Rated PG for peril/action/some thematic elements, and brief mild language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%
In Theaters
Having grown up on Disney’s 1941 animated classic, I was quite excited to see what director Tim Burton could do with a live-action version. In this new version, gone are the songs we know and love, as well as the talking animals. Instead, Dumbo is just a baby elephant with big ears and the ability to fly. When it gets out that he can fly, a sinister villain steps in to exploit the magical creature. On its own, without the existence of the original, this might not be such a bad film. I was disappointed with the lack of any kind of emotion from the children, and, honestly, the poor acting from the very talented cast, but the special effects and storytelling at the very least make the movie interesting and somewhat engaging. But this film doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and even though the classic is now 80 years old, I would bet there is hardly a kid alive that didn’t enjoy and cherish it during their childhood. So with so many fond memories from so many people, I just don’t see why they had to mess with it so much. If an elephant can fly, why can’t animals talk? And sing? Sure there are some scenes that might need changing, like the racist crows or the drunken dreams, but a more faithful recreation with some creative enhancements would have been a vast improvement from this production. And with one of the most imaginative minds in Hollywood directing, I’m disappointed that we didn’t get a much more enchanted experience. C

If Beale Street Could Talk
Rated R for language and some sexual content
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Available on Disc and Streaming
I have to admit that I was shocked when this stunning film from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins didn’t make the final cut for an Oscar nomination for best picture, but I was thrilled when they at least gave Regina King the well-deserved trophy for best supporting actress. The story, set in 1970’s Harlem, follows a young couple in love (KiKi Layne and Stephan James) who are about to start a family when a corrupt cop charges James with a rape that he couldn’t have possibly committed. So instead of focusing on their life together, Kiki and her mother (Regina King) must sacrifice their lives in an attempt to clear his name. The story itself is authentically crafted, providing a sense of empathy for its audience as they start to understand the gravitas of what many in our country have had to struggle with for decades. But equally important is the artistic presentation that flows like visual poetry as the cinematography, storytelling and music weave their way into your heart. A

Aquaman
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%
Available on Disc and Streaming
While we’ve seen Jason Momoa as Aquaman twice before, Warner Brothers and DC decided to finally give him his origin story. Starting from the moment of conception onward, we find out everything we need to know about little Arthur Curry and how he becomes king of the sea. Thanks to HBO’s show Entourage, Aquaman for a decade has been more of a Hollywood joke than a possibility, but The Conjuring director James Wan took on the challenge and the results brought in big-time bucks at the box office. The film does have its problems, especially in its lame human villain Black Manta, who comes off as a boring Lex Luther wannabe. Also, due to a quest Aquaman must go on to achieve his destiny, the film meanders into unnecessary directions. But due to the charismatic and extremely fun-to-watch Momoa, the movie turns out to be rather enjoyable. While it isn’t nearly as good as the Wonder Woman genesis movie, both have proved to be a vast improvement over the Justice League flicks we’ve seen so far. B-

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Rated PG for frenetic sequences of animated action violence, thematic elements, and mild language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Available on Disc and Streaming
Until mid-December, everyone in the industry was convinced that the race for best animated film would be a tight one between Incredibles 2 and Isle of Dogs. Then came Into the Spider-Verse which threw us all for a loop. They hardly screened it for critics groups and press, and they didn’t send out screeners, so most of us paid for a ticket to see it. And it was truly one of the greatest investments all year, and after seeing it, there was little surprise that it ended up winning. In this new Spider-man, a young minority teen name Miles Morales has been bitten by a radioactive spider only to find that he is now one of several Spider-people (and Spider-pig) brought into his version of New York City after Kingpin and Dr. Octopus conduct an experiment that goes wrong. The result is an electrifying experience with a pervasive energy that is unexpected and absolutely addictive. The story line and animation style are genius and the result is an unforgettable superhero adventure worthy of every accolade that has been thrust upon it. It’s not often that animation takes a huge leap forward. The last time was when CG became mainstream after decades of hand-drawn. Now we’ve reach an almost indescribable new level in animated storytelling. A

Mary Poppins Returns
Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and brief action
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
Available on Disc and Streaming
Yet another one of my favorite films of the year is this follow up to the Disney masterpiece Mary Poppins. Now year later, the kids have grown up and must find a way to keep their home when the bank wants to illegally foreclose on them. With the help of Mary Poppins (now played by Emily Blunt) and a young lamplighter (Lin-Manuel Miranda) the family attempts to protect their home while singing many happy songs to keep the family happy, entertained and engaged. While the film is still very obviously Disney, the new filmmakers created here a modern musical with the same classic sensibilities that the audience would not only appreciate but demand as well. The songs and imagination behind them are absolutely wonderful and memorable, and while the film didn’t get a tremendous amount of Oscar love, that by no means takes away from its power and overall enjoyment. A

Popcorn Perspectives by Danny Minton

Week of July 9, 2018

A Quiet Place
Rated PG-13 for terror and some bloody images
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Available on disc and streaming
John Krasinski writes, directs and stars in this novel new horror film about a family trying to survive and outlast an alien invasion. The kicker here is that the aliens have incredibly powerful hearing, so if a word is uttered or a sound made, an attack is imminent. The idea is simple as is the plot, but it is so well-acted and so fast-paced that you hardly have time to critique the very forgivable shortcomings. At 90 minutes, the film almost feels surgical in its horror delivery. Overall, it turns out to be a nail-biting and nightmare-inducing thriller worthy of the large audience it has already attracted. B+

Chappaquiddick
Rated PG-13 for thematic material, disturbing images, some strong language and historical smoking
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
Available on disc and streaming
In the summer of 1969, an inebriated Ted Kennedy (played here by Jason Clarke) accidentally drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, killing his 28-year-old passenger who was trapped inside the vehicle. The controversy set off an investigation that would eventually keep the famous Kennedy brother from ever reaching the White House. Masterfully acted by a superb cast, the movie makes it easy to imagine that you are right along with the characters, fully experiencing the tragedy and the missteps that follow. It’s a challenging film, and does not attempt to sugar coat or make excuses, but rather to lend a broader understanding to this pivotal event in our country’s political history. B

 

The Best and Worst Films of 2017

By Danny Minton

2017 was truly a tough year for Hollywood. We suffered from one of the worst summer box offices in history (mostly due to a plethora of really bad films) and then came the sex scandals. Many of the most powerful men in Hollywood fell due to sins in their past that it seems everyone seemed to know about for years. But to make lemonade out of lemons, women in Hollywood found their voice and while we will most likely see more once-powerful figures crumble, the dark secrets that have plagued Tinseltown for years, for the most part, should start to become a disease of the past. This year in particular has been tough for formulating a top 10 list. My two favorite films, for instance, both took significant fire for who was in them and who produced them. I thought seriously about dismissing them, but then I remembered that a film is more than just one person. Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey might be a blight, but movies are made by hundreds of people, some of whom had to suffer while working with the monsters that are starting to be exposed. So I am choosing to honor them, along with some other really great films, by keeping them at the top of my list. Without further ado…

1) Baby Driver (On Blu-ray and DVD). Until 2017, writer/director Edgar Wright has delivered some really great quirky comedies (Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) but he has been largely unproven in the drama and action genres. But boy did he pull off a doozy with this pic about a young car thief (Ansel Elgort) who is forced to be a getaway driver in order to pay off a debt to a bank-robbing crime boss played by Kevin Spacey. The film is chalked with great performances by both new talent and some perennial favorites (Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm are both equally scary and terrific) and the storytelling is top notch. This movie works at all levels and is absolutely the most entertaining picture released this year.

2) Wind River (on Blu-ray and DVD). Had Harvey Weinstein not become the poster child for sexual assault in Hollywood, his marketing machine might have turned this crime thriller into a top Oscar candidate. While they were quick to drop Weinstein Company from the project, there is still zero buzz behind its chances – but don’t let that fool you. This is one great movie and you need to see it. Written and directed by Hell or High Water and Sicario writer Taylor Sheridan, the story follows a young but competent FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who teams with local game tracker (Jeremy Renner) to investigate the murder of a young girl on an Indian reservation in Wyoming. Every minute is riveting and the story crafting is masterful.

3) Dunkirk (on DVD and Blu-ray). Christopher Nolan’s epic war film about the evacuation of Dunkirk at the beginning of WWII is truly one of his best motion pictures and could be the movie to win him his first well-deserved Oscar. This visionary project tells the story from the points of view of the air battles, the beached military trying to escape as well as the civilians risking their lives on their small watercraft as they attempt to rescue the British soldiers from certain German annihilation. So few Americans have ever even heard of this important event (the Americans hadn’t entered the war yet so it doesn’t make it into most of our history books) but 2017 sheds wonderful new light with Darkest Hour, which tells the story leading to the evacuation, and then Dunkirk which actually gives you a window as to what it could have been like to be there.

4) Coco (in theaters). While we’ve had a few decent animated films this year, for the most part, this genre saw a downturn in 2017. But while Coco will easily win the Oscar for best animated film, don’t let the lack of quality competitors taint your opinion. This is an exceptional film showing that while Pixar doesn’t always hit them out of the park, they certainly still have the ability. The story follows a young Mexican boy who disobeys his living family by entering the world of the dead to find the grandfather he has never met in order to gain his blessing for him and his music – which he is not allowed to play in the world of the living. Great story and mesmerizing animation make this an inspired project and easily the best family film of the year.

5) Logan (on DVD and Blu-ray). Going into the theater to see Logan, I honestly thought the big deal was that I was going to see a R-rated Wolverine film. And while that might be technically true, that is just scratching the surface as to its importance. In a year with some really great super hero films (Wonder Woman, Thor: Ragnarok) Logan proves to be something special indeed. Hugh Jackman plays a hero at the end of his life, running from the law which would like to see him and all other mutants dead. He has lived a long life, but facing mortality is new for him and when he discovers he has a daughter with similar abilities, he pulls himself together to try to do the right thing by her. This is a dark, powerful film with an emotional punch rarely seen in this genre.

6) Get Out (on DVD and Blu-ray). Who would have thought from watching Key and Peele on Comedy Central that Jordan Peele would be able to churn out one of the most talked-about films of the year and possibly even a top Oscar contender – all with a horror film? The whole scenario is sort of mind-blowing. But once you are watching, you realize that this is no typical genre project and its themes point a flashlight on our current culture and its evolved thoughts and fears concerning race in the United States. Yes it’s scary. But it’s also funny, thought-provoking and insanely good.

7) The Big Sick (on DVD and Blu-ray). One of the biggest surprises of the year comes from this autobiographical tale from Kumail Nanjiani, who stars in the story of his life of a young Pakistani comedian whose white girlfriend slips into a coma while he is dealing with a family that will not accept anything for him but a Pakistani bride. Rocking out some really great performances here are Zoe Kazan as the comatose girlfriend and Ray Romano and Holly Hunter who play her parents, desperately trying to accept Kumail while worrying feverishly about their daughter. This film will have you laughing and crying in equal measure as you attempt to empathize with such a lovable, but flawed, real-life character.

8) Lady Bird (in theaters). This inconspicuous hit has officially been named by Rotten Tomatoes as the best-reviewed him ever, although try to get someone to tell you what its about without thinking “that sounds boring.” Hard to describe effectively it is, but it is also extremely easy to enjoy. Saorise Ronan stars as a bold young high school girl trying to figure her life out, being overly confident in things she shouldn’t be and under-confident in areas where she’s nailing it. Again – its hard to describe but so much fun to take in. It’s an unexpected gift from the movie gods, from an unexpected source, which allows us to get into the head of a teenage girl for two hours without forcing us to regret the ride afterward.

9) The Square (coming soon on DVD and Blu-ray). Winner of many awards this year including the Palme D’Or at Cannes is this Swedish social comedy about a curator who hires a marketing firm to promote his modern art museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Through the many adventures and happenings, the curator finds himself put in compromising and uncomfortable situations where the audience only slightly feels safety and security from remembering that its only a movie. While very funny at times (the film has possibly the funniest and unsexiest sex scenes ever put to film, aided by American actress Elisabeth Moss), the quirks speak loudly to the problems wealthy society has with dealing with the majority of the world around them. It is an intoxicating and memorable picture that many of you for years will no doubt pull out when discussing with your friends about which foreign films you’ve seen recently as you try to impress them. The good news is that if they watch it because of you, you will get a big thank you on the back end.

10) The Florida Project (coming soon to DVD and Bu-ray). When many of us think about hotels in Orlando, we imagine where we stay when going to Disney or Universal Studios. But many of the hotels which were built to attract tourists are actually home to low-income society, trying to keep a roof over their head and doing whatever it takes to support their families. In this story, a young girl fills her days with fun and trouble-making with her friends, while her mother struggles to survive. While the movie takes a while to get going, it wallops you over the head once it does, leaving you not with a bad taste in your mouth, but at least a very different one than you could imagine going in. The highlight for me was Willem Dafoe’s performance, which is my favorite performance of any actor this year. While I will most certainly be trying to predict who will win awards, Dafoe will be a contender I will actually be cheering for.

Honorable Mention: Bladerunner 2049; Darkest Hour; I, Tonya; It; Jane; Loving Vincent; Maudie; Mudbound; The Post; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; The Shape of Water; Trainspotting 2

The Worst:
1) CHIPS. He may be a good comedic actor, but Dax Shepard attempts and fails to connect as writer and director in this absolutely unfunny wreck.

2) Baywatch. Even The Rock and Zac Efron couldn’t give CPR to this disastrous attempt to bring beach cops to the big screen.

3) Fist Fight. Charlie Day and Ice Cube embarrass themselves in this lame and mean-spirited comedy about two teachers who commit themselves to an after-school brawl.

4) The Mummy. Tom Cruise and Universal have every desire to revive the classic monster movies, but that can’t be easy with this horrible script and a film that collapses under the weight of its own ambition.

5) The Great Wall. Zhang Yimou is still one of cinema’s great directors, but this Matt Damon starrer about a white guy who helps the Chinese fend off a dinosaur attack is just silly nonsense.

New in Home Entertainment

April 18, 2017

Split
Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and behavior, violence and some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) has been slowly building back up from a disastrous string of monumental misfires including The Happening, The Last Airbender and After Earth (I actually liked After Earth, but I seem to be quite alone there). But with 2015’s The Visit and now Split, he’s back, ready to throw you another huge twist. In this latest thriller, James McAvoy is a psycho with 23 distinct personalities, who are all ready to unleash the 24th on the world after kidnapping three teenage girls. While I wasn’t quite taken with the plot, I absolutely loved the performance of McAvoy and think that the film is worth watching just for that reason alone. One of the things I found annoying is that usually the twist is clued and it is fun to try to figure it out. In this case though the big finale comes out of almost nowhere, making the film that much less enjoyable since it was virtually impossible to figure it out beforehand. B-

The Handmaid’s Tale
Rated R for adult situations/language, nudity, violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score 29%
When this film, based on the dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, came out in 1990, it was a very controversial project. In the story, women throughout the world have become sterile. Those blessed with fertility are sent to pseudo-pseudo convents to be indoctrinated and farmed out for rich male leaders to have babies in spite of their sterile wives. In this case, Robert Duvall brings on Natasha Richardson to give he and his wife, Faye Dunaway, a child. The story and the subject are both relevant and quite frightening. Unfortunately for this project, the script is a mess and not even close to being ambitious enough for the subject. So why is the film coming out now? My guess is that with the current political climate and the new Hulu series based on the same book, they thought it was time to put on blu-ray. Unfortunately, the film still needs to be cleaned up and polished, and it doesn’t appear as if it got a scrub here. And while this version of the work is mediocre at best, I’ve heard amazing things about the new Hulu show, which pops on April 26. C

A League of Their Own
Rated PG for adult situations/language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary is this classic comedy about a group of women who join an all-female baseball league while the men of the country are off fighting during WWII. Based on a true story, the film sports Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell as the dysfunctional team who must get their act together to succeed. When it first hit theaters, it felt like a fresh comedy. Now it feels like a period piece, although a good one. And while it has been overplayed, Hanks’s diatribe on crying in baseball is still one of the most iconic lines in movie history, giving the film, or at least the moment, a great relevance even today. B-

New in Home Entertainment

April 11, 2017

Hidden Figures
Rated PG for thematic elements and some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
I felt for certain that, while this was a nice story, that it must be highly sensationalized to think that three black women could have had such an impact on NASA and their early astronaut program – at the height of the civil rights movement, a time when neither blacks nor women were allowed by many industries to truly contribute. But it doesn’t take a lot research to discover that their story is mostly true (some relationships, facts and drama had to be changed for the sake of the story). I’m also truly surprised this story hasn’t made it to the big screen yet. But I’m glad that their legacy got this movie as it is really well-made with three amazing actresses (Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae) as the leads and a supporting cast filled with A-listers (Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons and the freshly-crowned Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali). And with a PG rating, the film is safe to inspire and teach all ages. A

 

Toni Erdmann
Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug use
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
This German import had a ton of buzz going for it when the Iranian drama The Salesman surprisingly beat it out at the Oscars, but it still racked up an impressive number of critical awards in 2016 and is worth a look if you are into foreign cinema. The story follows a lonely father who, after the death of his dog, decides to drop in on his workaholic daughter, pretending to be an eccentric businessman to her many coworkers and clients. While in America this might pass as a family drama with a sense of humor, here – this is German slapstick. And while the third act is a little over-the-top (get ready for a lot of nudity), the whole thing ends up as touching and smart as it is goofy. Personally, I didn’t think it was an Oscar-caliber film, but it is different and quirky, which are things I do like to see now and then. B+

Monster Trucks
Rated PG for action, peril, brief scary images, and some rude humor
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 32%
I am picturing some now out-of-work executive thinking to himself “kids love monsters and kids love trucks – so what if the truck was operated by a monster?” And so the studio gave him millions (the estimated budget was $125 million) and out came this dog turd of a movie. Officially, the story follows a high schooler who adopts a monster released from underground drilling, and then said monster learns to operate his pickup. Running from the oil company security team, the kid tries to deliver his new buddy, and his monster family, to safety. They were going for ET I’m sure, but didn’t quite hit their mark. The special effects are okay, and my six-year-old loved it, but let me tell you – it’s a challenge for adults to get through. D