Motion picture history is fraught with period films, so much so that Hollywood has had a perennial love affair with them. And rightfully so since the brunt of them are typically well acted, directed and written, not to mention the production values are finely detailed. What makes "Love & Friendship" stand out from the rest of the period films is that it is written as a comedy instead of the standard dramatic fair we've come to expect.
Beautiful young widow Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale) visits to the estate of her in-laws to wait out the colourful rumours about her dalliances circulating through polite society. Whilst ensconced there, she decides to secure a husband for herself and a future for her eligible but reluctant daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark). In doing so she attracts the simultaneous attentions of the young, handsome Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel), the rich and silly Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett) and the divinely handsome, but married, Lord Manwaring (Lochlann O'Mearain), complicating matters severely. And with her using her American friend Alicia Johnson (Chloe Sevigny) to assist her with these intentions, the sparks soon fly, especially with Mr. Johnson (Stephen Fry), Alicia's older husband and Charles Vernon (Justin Edwards).
Others to round out the cast are Emma Greenwell as Catherine DeCourcy Vernon, Jenn Murray as Lady Lucy Manwaring, Sophie Radermacher as Miss Maria Manwaring, Jemma Redgrave as Lady DeCourcy, Reginald's mother, James Fleet as Sir Reginald DeCourcy, Reginald Jr.'s father and Kelly Campbell as Mrs. Cross.
This was wittily directed by Whit Stillman ("Metropolitan" '90, "Barcelona" '94, "The Last Days of Disco" '98, "Damsels in Distress" '11) plus TV. I say wittily because the comedic format was witty in an extremely powder dry way. The way he was able to showcase his actors in conveying the lines in this being humorous in that powder dry way was brilliant. He hasn't a ton of work to his credit, but what he has is first rate. It was written by Stillman based on Jane Austen's novella "Lady Susan". Where Stillman excelled with direction, his writing, however structured and executed well, delved in a storyline that was a bit two-dimensional and boring. It truly took half of the 92 minute running time for this to get off the ground. Once it did, was a nice, tight little script. A storyline about the social elite's indiscretions and their cattiness about them is simply too taxing to keep one's attention for too long. Again, this was written well, and I realize this is a comedy, albeit dry, but couldn't the source been one that covered another subject matter still keeping the comedic format? Certainly if Stillman wrote on another subject, Jane Austen's novella obviously wouldn't have been the original source for the film, but would that actually suffice? This could garner some Oscar nods come that time for costumes, production design, cinematography and even acting for Beckinsale. Time will tell.
Period films are typically those that attract different types of audiences, given the star power and or storyline. With this, the acting was amazing, however the storyline was simply about a subject that one could cover in half the time, otherwise it just gets too bogged down.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG 92mins.
Well folks, it's Memorial Day, which is not only remembering the soldiers that have perished both past and present, but also it's a time for BBQ's and big-budget, high adrenaline films like "X-Men: Apocalypse". A couple of weeks ago I thought Hollywood forgot it was the summer movie season, but after this film, they may have been a bit slow on the draw, but it looks like we're in for a number of the films we've come to know and love.
Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse (David Isaac), the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel's X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. The year now is 1983. Upon awakening after thousands of years, Apocalypse is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto/Erik (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven/Mistique (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men, including Hank/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Peter/Quicksilver (Evan Peters), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and Scott/ Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.
Others to round out the cast are Rose Byrne as Moira Mactaggert, a CIA agent, Josh Helman as Col. William Stryker, Lucas Till as Alex/Havok, brother of Scott's, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, Ben Hardy as Angel, Alexandra Shipp as Ororo Munroe/Storm, Lana Condor as Jubilee and Olivia Munn as Psylocke.
This was directed by a filmmaker who's probably the king of directing these types of films, Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects" '95, "X-Men" 2000, "X-Men 2" '03, "Superman Returns" '06, "Valkyrie" '08, "X-Men: Days of Future Past" '14) plus others. It takes a honed director to bring all the characters together in a massive project as this and still convey the story at hand so as to guide the audience and Singer does this incredibly well. He's directed almost all of the installments of this franchise, so it's kind of his baby. It was written by the incomparable Simon Kinberg based on a story by Singer, Kinberg, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. This, unfortunately, is where the trouble ensues. Even though Kinberg, who solely wrote this screenplay, is a consummate and experienced writer, there were four people involved in the story of this which the screenplay is based on. I've said it before and I'll say it again, there are too many hands in the pot involved in this where the different ideas coming from all angles lend to too much choppiness and a diminished continuity. Kinberg and Singer should have been the only ones involved in the ideas of the story here with Kinberg writing the final screenplay. It would have been far more concise and clear in how the story was to be laid out. Trust me, it was an admiral attempt, especially with all the avenues used for ideas, but stick with less people involved and it just goes smoother. And, of course, the visual effects predominantly designed by MPC (Moving Picture Company), Digital Domain and Rising Sun Pictures were absolutely seamless, but one would have to be living under a rock not to realize this.
This is the quintessential summer flick replete with explosions, tons of action, high adrenaline-- all the elements to keep those 18-34 single males in those seats--ca-ching! But hey, this is summer and this is why we go to the multiplex during this time of year-- to escape and zone on some of the best fluff money can buy. Enjoy!
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 144mins.
As we are continuing with the summer film season, we will be offered a plethora of fantastical and whimsical films in which to sink our teeth into. As with the original "Alice in Wonderland", we are offered "Alice Through the Looking Glass" as a tidy continuation of the madcap adventures of Alice and friends.
Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter from a desperate state of mind.
Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) has spent the past few years following in her late father's footsteps and sailing the high seas. Upon her return to London, she comes across a magical looking glass and returns to the fantastical realm of Underland and her friends the White Rabbit (voice of Michael Sheen), Absolem (voice of Alan Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (voice of Stephen Fry) and the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) who is in a terrible state. You see, the Hatter has lost his Muchness, so Mirana (Ann Hathaway) sends Alice on a quest to borrow the Chronosphere, a metallic globe inside the chamber of the Grand Clock which powers all time, from Time (Sacha Baron Cohen) himself, although not without a fight. Returning to the past, she comes across friends-- and enemies, namely the Red Queen/ Iracebeth (Helena Bonham Carter)-- at different points in their lives, and embarks on a perilous race to save the Hatter before time runs out.
Others to round out the cast are Rhys Ifans as Zanik Hightopp, the Hatter's father, Matt Lucas as Tweedledee/Tweedledum, Lindsay Duncan as Helen Kingsleigh, Alice's mother, Leo Bill as Hamish, Geraldine James as Lady Ascot, Timothy Spall as voice of Bayard, Paul Whitehouse as voice of Thackery, Barbara Windsor as voice of Mallymkun and Matt Vogel as voice of Wilkins.
This was whimsically directed by James Bobin ("The Muppets" '11, "Muppets Most Wanted" '14) plus TV. This certainly had to be directed in a way that was similar to that of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" to give us the same feel so as to follow along in this next installment and I believe Bobin pulled this off very well. This isn't easy to do, especially when each director has their own style. So it begs the question: even with his past experience, could this filmmaker actually pull off an entirely original film with the finesse he did with this? Time will tell. It was beautifully written by Linda Woolverton ("Beauty and the Beast" '91, "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" '93, "The Lion King" '94, "Alice in Wonderland" '10, "Maleficent" '14) plus a ton of TV. This writer has got to be one of the most creative writers out there today, and even though there were a couple of very small slow places about midway of the film, this film's script was concise, well thought out and entertaining. If you're looking for more of her work, not to worry-- she'll be writing "Maleficent 2" which has been announced. One other artist I just have to mention is that of the costume designer, Colleen Atwood ("Edward Scissorhands" '90, "Planet of the Apes" 01, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" '07, "Alice in Wonderland" '10, "The Huntsman: Winter's War" '16) plus tons of other films too numerous to list. By her very resume, Atwood is one of the most talented designers I have seen in years. Her costumes fit the feel of the character she's creating for so well that any time I see a film, I can tell if she's designed the costumes-- they are that distinct. And lastly, the visuals predominantly created by SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) were, as with the original, seamless and gave the audience that otherworldly feel that we've all come to know reading the books by Lewis Carroll which the film is based on.
If pure unadulterated escape into another world with interesting and creative characters rocks your world, look no further, this will definitely be the joy ride you're looking for. However, if you are more of the realist when it comes to storyline, this won't be for you. But who wouldn't want to get away for a couple of hours and escape into a whimsical world? Enjoy this, all in a nifty IMAX and 3D format. Grab the popcorn and have fun.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG 113mins.
When it comes to the genre of comedy, I definitely lean more toward the powder dry type of comedy to sustain my laughs. I prefer good writing and dialogue over 'toilet humor' and frat falls to keep my attention as the storyline unfolds. There have been some good ones along the way: "Thank You For Smoking", "State and Main", "Only When I Laugh", "Little Miss Sunshine" to mention a few. Now we have yet another one of those comedies set before us in the form of "The Meddler".
With a new iPhone, an apartment near the Grove, and a bank account left to her by her beloved late husband, Marnie Minervini (Susan Sarandon) has happily relocated from New Jersey to Los Angeles to be near her daughter Lori (Rose Byrne), a successful (but still single) screenwriter, and smother her with motherly love. But when the dozens of texts, unexpected visits, and conversations dominated by unsolicited advice force Lori to draw strict personal boundaries, Marnie finds ways to channel her eternal optimism and forceful generosity to change the lives of others, including Jillian (Cecily Strong), a friend of Lori's and the young man who sold and taught her how to use the iPhone she bought, Freddy (Jerrod Carmichael). She subsequently strives to change her own life and soon meets Randy Zipper (J.K. Simmons) whom she hopes she will find a new purpose in life with.
Others to round out the cast are Jason Ritter as Jacob, ex-boyfriend of Lori's, Michael McKean as Mark, Lucy Punch as Emily, Sarah Baker as Elaine, Billy Magnussen as Ben, Amy Landecker as Diane and Casey Wilson as Trish.
This was subtly and deftly directed by Lorene Scafaria ("Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" '12) plus TV. Truly this filmmaker doesn't have a mammoth of directing experience to her credit, however the approach she took in showcasing the realness of these dysfunctional characters was amazing considering her limited resume. Sarandon's Marnie went from sarcastic to poignant effortlessly which is talented directing, not to mention that Sarandon's acting is phenomenal. It was wonderfully written by Scafaria as well. Again she does have a bit more experience in this category than that of directing ("Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" '08, "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" '12), this script still soared. Even though there were a couple of very small slow places in this, it surely was not enough to impede on the effectiveness of this storyline. With this caliber of a filmmaker in our midst, I'm extremely curious to see what she will create for us to view next. And with comedies, by and large, going at the wayside--quality wise, I certainly yearn for more creative comedies out there to sink my teeth into as with this one.
Certainly if your brand of humor is geared more toward fart jokes and physical comedy, this probably won't be something that will be that funny for you, however if a tight, well written script with amazing acting--especially by Sarandon here, is your cup of tea, this will definitely fit the bill.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 102mins.
OK, we are within the early weeks of the summer movie season and I have only one question: where are the summer flicks? I saw one film last week, because there wasn't much else on that I already hadn't seen. The dead zone is over Hollywood, or is it? Action comedies are something that needs to be tapped into more than we've seen in the past. We've seen a handful: the "Lethal Weapon" franchise, "Last Action Hero", even the "Die Hard" franchise, but not very much since. Since we now live in stressful times, this combination of action and comedy is something that would be an audience pleaser. So now, we have in the offing, "The Nice Guys" to regain that genre, but does this film succeed?
Set against the backdrop of 1977 Los Angeles, this story opens when single father and licensed PI Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is hired to investigate the apparent suicide of famous porn star Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio) by the star's aunt, Mrs. Glenn (Lois Smith). As the trail leads him to a girl named Amelia Kuttner (Margaret Qualley), he encounters less licensed and less hands-off private eye Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) and his brass knuckles. However, the situation takes a turn for the worse when Amelia vanishes and it becomes apparent that March wasn't the only party interested-- as was the mysterious man named John Boy (Matt Bomer). As both men are forced to team up, they'll have to take on a world filled with eccentric goons, strippers dressed as mermaids, thugs and even a possible government conspiracy.
Others to round out the cast are Angourie Rice as Holly March, Holland's precocious 13-year-old daughter, Yaya DeCosta as Tally, Keith David as Older Guy, Beau Knapp as Blueface, Gil Gerard as Bergen Paulsen, Daisy Tahan as Jessica, Kim Basinger as Judith Kuttner, Amelia's mother and Jack Kilmer as Chet.
This was slickly directed by veteran action writer, Shane Black ("Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" '05, "Iron Man 3" '13, "Edge" (TV movie) '15). This filmmaker knows how to get his actors to give the appearance they're in grave danger, but do it in a humorous way. There aren't too many directors out there that can achieve this. Of course, both Crowe and Gosling are gifted actors, this is still the mark of a honed director. He has a couple of future films he's directed to be released, so it will be interesting to see how he does with them. It was written by Black and Anthony Bagarozzi which is actually where the problem ensues. Bagarozzi has no other writing experience except this, so I wonder if Black had solely written this film, would it had been a better script? I'm sure Black had the 'lion's share' of the input in this considering his wide body of work, but it begs the question: could this non-seasoned writer influenced him to a point where this just didn't have the cohesiveness and continuity it should have had? I realize this was a dry comedy, however a good deal of the comedic lines seemed forced. The actors in this performed as well as they could considering the script at hand, so even they couldn't save it. Although there were definitely funny moments in this, overall it assuredly needed an overhaul.
Certainly the trailer of this was far better than the final film, but maybe Shane Black could write a better script if he would go back to writing them solo. This wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't great either, so if you like these actors, you'll be able to forgive a questionable script, otherwise rent or Netflix this.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: R 116mins.
Hollywood's fascination of films that delve in the financial realm undoubtedly is a direct reflection of our financial obsession. Certainly ever since "Wall Street" where Gordon Gekko coined that famous expression, "greed is good", we have been a society focused on money. Since that time "Wall Street" has been rebooted and films like "Michael Clayton" and the documentary, "Capitalism: A Love Story" have proved lucrative. So now we have "Money Monster" to sink our teeth into and sink into we do.
Lee Gates (George Clooney) is a bombastic TV personality whose popular financial network show, Money Monster has made him the money wiz of Wall Street. But after he hawks a high tech stock that mysteriously crashes, an irate investor, Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell), who lost his life savings, takes Gates, his crew, and his ace producer, Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) hostage on air. Unfolding in real time, Gates and Fenn must find a way to keep themselves alive while simultaneously uncovering the truth behind a triangle of big money lies. The demand of Budwell is not to get his money back necessarily, but to find out what REALLY happened to 800,000 million dollars that was invested by all. He was adamant on the fact that Wall Street was manipulating the system instead of it being a computer glitch as the company he invested in was touting. Is it a glitch or is there something more sinister involved?
Others to round out the cast are Dominic West as Walt Camby, Caitriona Balfe as Diane Lester, Giancarlo Esposito as Captain Powell, Christopher Denham as Ron Sprecher, a producer of the show, Lenny Venito as Lenny, the cameraman, Chris Bauer as Lt. Nelson, Dennis Boutsikaris as Avery Goodloe, a CFO, Emily Meade as Molly, Condola Rashad as Bree, an assistant and Aaron Yoo as Won Joon.
This was brilliantly directed by Jodie Foster ("Little Man Tate" '91, "Home For the Holidays" '95, "The Beaver" '11). She hasn't helmed a lot, however the films she's directed have been caliber work. She was consummate in getting these actors to emit just the right amount of emotion at just the appropriate time. Of course these actors are amazing in their own right, the directing had to come into play. It was well written by Jamie Linden, Alan DiFiore and Jim Kouf based on a story by DiFiore and Kouf. these writers put together a script that not only was suspenseful, but sent a very clear message about our financial system and its inadequacies and deceit. This wasn't a situation that occurred post the 2008-09 financial collapse, but assuredly this scenario and many others could have happened at that time. This was simply these writers taking a scenario and creating a story that probably did, in fact, happen on some similar level. Using this young man, Budwell as a representative of us, the people, and utilizing Gates as a representative of the system, Wall Street, gave us a glimpse of the possibilities of what might have gone down during that financial collapse we experienced, especially when no one was charged or convicted of that crisis once it was 'investigated'.
This is a film that many should see-- to get a glimpse of what's happening around us and with our money, so maybe, just maybe we will be vigilantly careful where our funds are going and not just trust someone because that are the 'professional'. This film has it all: fine acting, directing, writing all with a great message and definitely something to think about when you leave the multiplex.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 98mins.
When it comes to films about dysfunctional domestic life, Garry Marshall is probably the king in directing these. His resume goes on forever, but since there is a lot of dysfunction in American family life, there certainly is great fodder which is rife with juicy material in which to write or direct about. Such a film is "Mother's Day", a heart-warming holiday that many--certainly in this film, can make problematic because of the countless issues at hand.
This story follows the lives of different mothers on Mother's Day. Sandy (Jennifer Aniston) is happily divorced, until she realizes that her ex-husband, Henry (Timothy Olyphant) eloped with a much younger woman, Tina (Shay Mitchell). Now she must learn to deal with big changes in her life as her two boys now have a stepmom. Sisters Jesse (Kate Hudson) and Gabi (Sarah Chalke) get an unexpected surprise from their mother, Flo (Margo Martindale) and father, Earl (Robert Pine), who is not happy to find out that Gabi is a lesbian and Jesse is married to a man of color, Russell (Aasif Mandvi). Miranda (Julia Roberts) doesn't have any kids and is focusing on her career. Kristin (Britt Robertson) is enjoying life as a new mother, but is feeling pressure from her boyfriend, Zack (Jack Whitehall) to get married. Bradley, (Jason Sudeikis) is trying hard to be the best parent for his two girls since their mom passed away the previous year, however the idea of Mother's Day is pretending it doesn't exist at all. All these characters become intertwined as the story develops.
Others to round out the cast are Ella Anderson as Vicky, Hector Elizondo as Lance Wallace, Miranda's agent, Grayson Russell as Tommy, Cameron Esposito as Max and Anoush NeVart as Sonia.
As I previously mentioned, this was directed by Garry Marshall-- king of the American family life. Since he is in incredibly familiar ground, he probably walked through the directing of this in his sleep. His resume says it all, ("The Flamingo Kid" '84, "Overboard" '87, "Pretty Woman" '90, "Dear God" '96, "Runaway Bride" '99, "The Princess Diaries" '01, "Georgia Rule" '07, "New Year's Eve" '11) plus tons of others and lots of TV. One thing I can say for Marshall is you know what to expect, which can be a blessing or a curse depending on the production. It was written by Tom Hines, Lily Hollander, Anya Kochoff and Matthew Walker. First of all, a script is typically better if there is no more than two screenwriters. Secondly, it would've been far more advantageous if the four writers here had more experience than they had. Only one, Hollander, has one other film other than this one to their credit, and it shows in the script. There was too much lack of cohesiveness and there was a good deal of choppiness in this where one was waiting for something to happen in a few of the scenes. Even though it was a comedy-drama, there were a few funny moments, however not enough to enjoy what was happening to these characters. The actors clearly did what they could do to try to save this, but because of the lack of a taught script, the story regressed to mediocrity. It wasn't a total wash, there were a few places that had you tear up and laugh within the same scene, but a good portion of it simply got bogged down in predictability with a formulaic storyline.
If you can appreciate the actors in this, you will probably have a fun time with this film, however if you're looking for a tight script with a hopeful storyline, you might decide to pass on this. At least if one has to see this, rent or Netflix it.
Out of 4 Stars: 2 Rated: PG-13 118mins.
Batter Up!! This is the kick-off of the summer film season and what a better film to kick-off that season than that of "Captain America: Civil War". This is the quintessential grandiose summer big-budget, high adrenaline, explosive type of film we all look forward to at this time of year. Demographically, the producers are targeting that 18-34 single male group-- get them in those seats-- ca-ching, but others will find this a great way to escape the trappings of such a complex world in which we live.
With many people fearing the actions of super heroes, the government decides to push for the Anti-Hero Registration Act, a law that limits a heroes actions. This results in a division in The Avengers. Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) stands with this Act, claiming that their actions must be kept in check otherwise cities will be destroyed, but Captain America/ Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) feels that saving the world is daring enough and that they cannot rely on the government to protect the world. This escalates into an all-out civil war between Team Iron Man (Iron Man, Black Panther/T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Vision (Paul Bettany), Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), War Machine/Lt. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and Team Captain America (Captain America, Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Falcon/ Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), Scarlett Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), while a new villain emerges.
Others to round out the cast are Daniel Bruhl as Zemo, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/ Crossbones, William Hurt as Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Marisa Tomei as May Parker, Peter Parker's aunt, John Slattery as Howard Stark, Tony Stark's father and Hope Davis as Maria Stark, Tony Stark's mother.
This was directed with incredible energy by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo ("L.A.X. 2194" (TV movie) '94, "Pieces" '97, "Welcome to Collinwood" '02, "You, Me and Dupree" '06, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" '14). These guys are a directing team and know a thing or two about big-budget films, especially those that delve in the fantasy, escape fare. If you like their style, you can see their work in the upcoming "Avengers: Infinity War Pt. 1 & Pt. 2" in 2018 and 2019 respectively. More madness ahead. This was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely based on characters by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby which is based on the Marvel comic book by Mark Millar. With all the different scenes incorporated with the plethora of visual effects, this script was delineated about as good as one could get, not that is was without flaws--it had a couple of slow moments (believe it or not) and it got a bit confusing to differentiate the super heroes of which 'team' they were on. Otherwise, it was the superhero summer flick we've all come to know and love. Certainly, of all the big-budget films out there that utilizes visual effects companies, this film probably used a record number of them--I lost count at 17 different companies. 17!! While ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), Double Negative and Method Studios were the companies that were used predominantly for its visual effects, the others were undoubtedly utilized well. In fact, there were so many visuals implemented, between those and the stunts that were incorporated, the tendency to overshadow the story and script was certainly evident. I know these films use a good deal of visuals, but this was in-your-face about it.
Hey, if you're a fan of these Marvel Studios films, don't get me wrong--there were certainly enough in this installment of this franchise to keep one, whether a fan or not, glued to that proverbial seat all the way through the end titles which go on forever. This has got to be seen on the large screen--if for no other reason than that of the visuals, amazing sound and the nifty IMAX and 3D format. Grab the popcorn and start your escape!
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 146mins.
Of all the films based on a true story that's rife with character and intrigue, that film would have to be "Papa Hemingway in Cuba". The chance to see him in his lifestyle while living in Cuba has got to be one of the most intriguing and turbulent parts of his life. Since Hollywood is fascinated with the 'true story' concept, what a better characterization to present than that of Hemingway.
This is the true-life story of a young journalist, Ed Myers (Giovanni Ribisi) who finds a father figure in Ernest Hemingway (Adrian Sparks) considering he is Myers idol. He is stunned when Hemingway responds to a letter he wrote. Hemingway called him and said, "Good letter, kid", the famous voice growled. "You like to fish?" Hidden away at his private estate with his wife, Mary (Joely Richardson), the elusive author mentors Myers in fishing, drinking and finding a voice. The two men soon get caught up in the violence of the 1959 Cuban Revolution, all the while Myers' girlfriend, Debbie (Minka Kelly) is having a difficult time staying on the mainland, Florida, wondering why her boyfriend is spending so much of his time in Cuba. In this turbulent landscape observing an icon in his twilight years, Myers discovers his strength while recognizing that all of our heroes are human.
Others to round out the cast are Shaun Toub as Evan Shipman, longtime friend of 30+ years of Hemingway's, James Remar as Santo Trafficante, Anthony Molinari as John Fletcher, Frank Licari as Sal, Rodrigo Obregon as Lucas, Joseph Bertot as Roberto and Daniel Travis as Bob Luther.
This was deftly directed by Bob Yari ("Mind Games" 89). Actually this filmmaker is an extremely prolific producer, producing many films. I'm not sure why this has only been his second film in the director's chair--maybe too busy with all the producing, but he should consider directing more often. He's a natural. The way he brought out the paranoia in Hemingway and the fear in his wife, Mary was amazing. It was well written by Denne Bart Petitclerc ("Red Sun" '71, "Islands in the Stream" '77, "The Vivero Letter" '99) plus TV movies and TV series. I'm not sure why Petitclerc opted to use the name Myers in this film, since he is the young writer in this, but considering the name used, it certainly was much easier to pronounce. His meeting and subsequent interacting and observation of Hemingway was delineated with expertise. There were a couple of slower spots, however not enough to detract from one's attention. What also makes this a groundbreaking film is that this is the first American film to be filmed in Cuba since 1959. Richardson as Mary Hemingway was brilliant is her performance, and Ribisi could be looking at an Oscar nod come that time.
Whether you are a Hemingway fan or not, there is something for everyone in this film. With the great acting, directing, effective writing and beautiful locales, this will keep you riveted to that proverbial theater seat wanting more by film's end.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 110mins.
Motion picture history is fraught with period films, so much so that Hollywood has had a perennial love affair with them. And rightfully so since the brunt of them are typically well acted, directed and written, not to mention the production values are finely detailed. What makes "Love & Friendship" stand out from the rest of the period films is that it is written as a comedy instead of the standard dramatic fair we've come to expect.
