Stillwater

In the filmdom world, their are those films that are based on a true story, while others may be inspired by a certain situation, they basically are fiction. This is the case of "Stillwater" in which is loosely inspired by the Amanda Knox situation a while back, but is actually a fictional story.

Unemployed American oil-rig roughneck Bill Baker (Matt Damon) travels from Oklahoma to Marseille, France to visit his estranged daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin), imprisoned for a murder of her roommate she claims she did not commit. Allison seizes on a new tip that could exonerate her and presses Bill to engage her legal team. But Bill, eager to prove his worth and regain his daughter's trust, takes matters into his own hands. He is quickly stymied by language barriers, cultural differences, and a complicated legal system until he meets French actress Virginie (Camille Cottin), mother to eight-year-old Maya (Lilou Siauvaud). Together, these unlikely allies embark on a journey of discovery, truth, love and liberation. 

Others to round out the cast are Deanna Dunagan as Sharon, Idir Azougli as Akim, Anne Le Ny as Leparq, Moussa Maaskri as Dirosa, Isabelle Tanakil as Isabelle, Naidra Ayadi as Nedjma, Pierre Placentino as Max and William Nadylam as Patrick.

This was artfully directed by Tom McCarthy ("The Station Agent" '03, "The Visitor" '07, "Win Win" '11, "The Cobbler" '14, "Spotlight" '15, "Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made" '20) plus TV. Considering that this filmmaker has been directing films for 18 years, his resume doesn't represent a plethora of films, however what he has created certainly is of high artistic quality. He's been acting for years and that assuredly has given him an edge of what it's like to walk in similar shoes of actors. His ability to showcase his actors in getting them to extract the perfect emotion in such subtle ways is incredible. It was creatively written by McCarthy, Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain and Noe Debre. Although there were four writers attached to this project whereas less would've more advantageous, it worked primarily for the reason that McCarthy is a talented writer, and both Bidegain and Debre are French writers that have collaborated on many films. This made the story that much more realistic. All the writers are seasoned and therefore know their way around a script. This was inspired by the Amanda Knox situation back a number of years ago, but, for all intense and purposes, is undoubtedly fiction. This was a riveting story, however if I were to mention anything correctional about it, it would be that it took a bit of time for the story to progress, but once it did, it simply soared. It was cohesive, coherent and concise--all the good ingredients for a gritty, artistic film. 

If message films are your thing, you'll love this. definitely, with the incredible directing and acting (Damon could be up for a possible Oscar nod), this film is worthy of viewing. It's a bit long-in-the-tooth, but the quality will more than compensate for anything else. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                                   Rated: R                                                  159mins.

Jungle Cruise

You know when we are in the middle of the summer film season when a film that is as rollicking, adventurous and pure escapism as "Jungle Cruise" is. This film pulls out all the stops in what dictates the quintessential summer flick. The only negative aspect of the film is that it ended--it could've gone on longer.

1916. This story is the adventure of a lifetime--a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt). Lily and her brother MacGregor Houghton (Jack Whitehall) travel from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlist Frank's questionable services to guide them downriver on La Quila--his ramshackle but charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities--possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, they encounter innumerable dangers such as a German officer named Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons) and supernatural forces. These forces all lurk in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest, but as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate--and mankind's--hangs in the balance. 

Others to round out the cast are Edgar Ramirez as Aguirre, Paul Giamatti as Nilo, Veronica Falcon as Trader Sam, Dani Rovira as Sancho, Quim Gutierrez as Melchor, Dan Dargan Carter as Gonzalo, Andy Nyman as Sir James Hobbs-Coddington, Raphael Alejandro as Zaqueu, Simone Lockhart as Anna and Pedro Lopez as Chief. 

This was adventurously directed by Jaume Collet-Serra ("House of Wax" '05, "Goal II: Living the Dream" '07, "Orphan" '09, "Unknown" '11, "Non-Stop" '14, "Run All Night" '15, "The Shallows" '16, "The Commuter" '18) plus TV, a video short and a video game. Most directors typically stay within the confines of their comfort zone and this filmmaker is no different, however this film seems to tread slightly different waters for this veteran pro. Usually he delves into horror or drama or even films with a message, but this film is total escapism and fantastical where he doesn't normally shine. But he was certainly able to showcase his actors emitting just the right amount of emotion with pathos, fear and showing, at times, a comedic side. If you like his brand of directing, his "Black Adam" is in post production for a 2022 release. It was written with total fun by Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, based on a story by John Norville, Josh Goldstein, Ficarra and Requa, which is based on Disneyland's theme park ride. Usually when there are more than two writers, a film has a tendency to become bogged down--too many hands in the pot, but all these writers are seasoned and veteran ones--Ficarra and Requa team when they write--so it should be no surprise that this would be written well. They even had an obvious premise to work from since it is based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element. I couldn't help but notice that the first time I saw the trailer of this, I couldn't help but think of Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn in the 1951 classic, "The African Queen". While viewing this film, there was a good deal of correlation between the two characters in "The African Queen" and "Jungle Cruise". This was just a much updated version. The stories were totally different, however the characters were quite similar. Was this an Academy Award caliber film with the exception of maybe visual effects or sound effects? Probably not, but for why this film was made, all aspects hit the right mark. And, as usual, the visual effects predominantly by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and Weta Digital were amazingly seamless.

If you like the theme park ride or even like a great swashbuckling type of film such as "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "The Mummy", or even "Sahara", you will love this! It has all what we've come to expect from a action-packed summer film: adventure, explosions, fantasy, humor, and thrills all rolled up in a two plus hour running time. If you want to see this it a huge format, it is also presented in IMAX as well. Enjoy this one. I know I did!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                                Rated: PG-13                                               127mins.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

Usually when there are films which are comprised of a franchise, the time between installments is much shorter than that of this offing, "Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins". I thought the franchise ended with the last installment years ago, but I suspect Hollywood found a way to continue it.

This film centers around Snake Eyes (Henry Golding), a tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage by one of its leaders Tommy (Andrew Koji) after saving his life. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teach Snake Eyes the ways of the Ninja warrior while also providing something he's been looking for: a home. He is taught by Hard Master (Iko Uwais), Blind Master (Peter Mensah) and their security officer, Akiko (Haruka Abe). But, when secrets from his past are revealed , Snake Eyes honor and allegiance will be tested-- even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him.

Others to round out the cast are Takehiro Hira as Kenta, Eri Ishida as Sen, Ursula Corbero as Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Samuel Finzi as Mr. Augustine, Steven Allerick as Father, Max Archibald as young Snake Eyes and Simon Chin as Hama.

This was helmed with the expertise one would expect by veteran director Robert Schwentke ("Heaven!" '93, "Tattoo" '02, "The Family Jewels" '03, "Flightplan" '05, "The Time Traveler's Wife" '09, "RED" '10, "R.I.P.D." '13, "The Divergent Series: Insurgent" '15, "Allegiant" '16, "The Captain" '17) plus TV and a video documentary. With the exception of "Insurgent" and "Allegiant", this filmmaker usually directs other types of films which gives him credit in going out of his comfort zone once again. His characters were very believable in their respective roles which certainly helped make this a better film than I ever thought it would be. It was effectively written by Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, based on a story by Spiliotopoulos, which is based on the G.I. Joe franchise. Considering all of the seasoned writers here, this script could've been a bit tighter and cohesive. It had a tendency to meander at times and there were a couple of places that never could happen in reality. Don't get me wrong, it was a great action-packed yarn with amazing fight and stunt sequences, but the story had issues with its getting to the end. It obviously leads the audience toward another installment. Oh, com'on, like you didn't see that coming?!

It's an interesting build up to the G.I. Joe franchise, but there could've been a bit more to let the audience know that's where its heading. It's also in an IMAX format as well which I'm sure looks good on that huge screen. Grab the popcorn for this pure escape roller coaster. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                             Rated: PG-13                                           121mins.

Joe Bell

Films about social issues are always heavy-laden and with good reason since so much of the time, society must go through the ringer to understand any certain issue. "Joe Bell", about the issue of bullying is an expose into a grim situation that is both uncomfortable, yet compelling because deep down, we all know that bullying is a disturbing and despicable part of human behavior.

This story tells the intimate and emotional true story of an Oregonian father Joe Bell (Mark Wahlberg) who ultimately pays tribute to his gay teenage son, Jadin (Reid Miller) embarking on a self-reflective walk across America to speak his heart to heartland citizens about the real and terrifying costs of bullying. The film starts with Joe's walk and then goes back and forth in order for the audience to see what led him to ultimately walk for Jadin. His wife, Lola (Connie Britton) and younger son, Joseph (Maxwell Jenkins) stay home while keeping in consistent contact with Joe. Even though the story is sober, its meaning packs a wallop.

Others to round out the cast are Gary Sinise as Sheriff Westin, Morgan Lily as Marcie, Igby Rigney as Chance, Blaine Maye as Boyd, Coral Chambers as Dutch, Scout Smith as Colleen, David H. Stevens as Jimmy Crowder, Blake Barlow as Victor and Charles Halford as Will. 

This was poignantly yet grippingly directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green ("Monsters and Men" '18) plus TV, shorts and a documentary short. This filmmaker only has one other feature film to his credit, however considering all the other projects he's worked on, it's no wonder why this film was helmed so well. He truly captured the essence of the many diverse and different characters within this story. If this direction moved you, his "King Richard" is in post production. It was effectively written by Diana Ossana ("Johnson County War"(TV movie) '02, "Brokeback Mountain" '05) plus TV mini series, and Larry McMurtry ("Hud" (novel) '63, "The Last Picture Show" '71, "Lovin' Molly" (novel-"Leaving Cheyenne") '74, "Terms of Endearment" (novel) '83, "Montana" (TV movie) '90, "Texasville" (novel) '90, "Memphis" (TV movie) '92, "Falling from Grace" '92, "The Evening Star" (novel) '96, "Johnson County War" (TV movie) '02, "Brokeback Mountain" '05) plus TV mini series and TV specials. Usually most novelists don't write screenplays from their novels because most are not screenwriters, but excellent novelists, however McMurtry has the capability to execute both with expertise and finesse. Even though this film is not based on a novel, the subject matter definitely needed that pathos and compassion amongst all the rejection, fear and bullying this teenager had to endure. This is a very talented writing team and would like to see more of their collaborating. Other than a couple of very small place of inconsistencies, this story was well thought out. And what can I say about Wahlberg? Every once in while, this actor can pull off a role with incredible emotion and pathos and this film met that description. This has got to be one of his finer performances. 

This film centered around the bullying of a gay teen, however bullying of anyone for any issue is wrong! I can relate to this first hand, because even though I experience no more seizures, I was bullied about having epileptic seizures when I was a child in school. It was hellish, but I got through it. My belief in God certainly helped me forgive those who bullied, but we all can learn from this film. We live in such a cancel culture society, which is nothing more than bullying, that we have to get to a place of TRUE tolerance where we can agree not to agree. There's nothing wrong with that--we actually do not have to agree with someone and still love them.  It's a great film for parents to learn from. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                           Rated: R                                                     94mins.

                                                   

Old

All too many times, Hollywood has stooped to handing us their usual remake, reboot, franchise, continuation, prequel, sequel and the like in which to hopefully con us into believing the 'whatever' film is original. With "Old" as the offing, this film definitely puts the 'O' in original.

This chilling and mysterious thriller is about a family including Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal), Prisca (Vicky Krieps), son Trent (Nolan River) and daughter Maddox (Alexa Swinton), on a tropical holiday who soon discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly--reducing their entire lives into a single day. Other guests such as Charles (Rufus Sewell), Jarin (Ken Leung), Patricia (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and others subsequently arrive soon after the family and as the day progresses, people age, become sick and start prematurely dying. And for unexplainable reasons, they are unable to leave because of a strange phenomenon which holds them there. Can they find out what's causing this, and hopefully leave?

Others to round out the cast are Alex Wolff as Trent (aged 15), Thomasin McKenzie as Maddox (aged 16), Abbey Lee as Chrystal, Aaron Pierre as Mid-Sized Sedan, Eliza Scanlen as Kara (aged 15), Emun Elliott as adult Trent, Embeth Davidtz as adult Maddox, Gustaf Hammarsten as Resort Manager, Kathleen Chalfant as Agnes and M. Night Shyamalan as hotel van driver.

This was intensely directed by M. Night Shyamalan ("Praying with Anger" '92, "Wide Awake" '98, "The Sixth Sense" '99, "Unbreakable" 2000, "Signs" '02, "The Village" '04, "Lady in the Water" '06, "The Happening" '08, "The Last Airbender" '10, "After Earth" '13, "The Visit" '15, "Split" '16, "Glass" '19) plus TV and a video short. Just by this filmmaker's very resume, he assuredly has the ability to place his actors in difficult, compromising situations where they subsequently feel helpless and hopeless. He's been doing this for a number of decades and has honed his talent well. If you appreciate his brand of directing, his "Labor of Love" has been announced. This was also creatively written for the screen by Shyamalan ("Stuart Little" '99, "Devil" (story) '10 plus above resume) plus TV, based on the graphic novel "Sandcastle" by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederick Peeters. As this story progressed, it only became more intriguing which created that amazing intensity coupled with curiosity with the audience. It's written in a way that appears like there couldn't be any way out for these people, however, as it continues to unfold, one can start wondering if there is a way out--it simply keeps the audience on their toes. Shyamalan can be a real hit and miss depending what he's written, but this is certainly one that you'll remember for quite some time. His "Split" was an amazing film about multiple personalities, whereas "Old" is a film that shows how much can a person endure and either give up or persevere all for the sake of survival. 

Certainly if you're a Shyamalan fan you'll love this since it is a quintessential Shyamalan film--one that any fan would come to expect. As with many of his films, as the end draws close, the audience will start piecing events together, but as the audience is journeying through it, one can only wonder how this is going to go well if it even does. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                       Rated: PG-13                                                 109mins.

Others to tound the cast

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions

When "Escape Room" was released in 2019, it definitely put the 'T' in thrill. Racing against the clock, these 'contestants' strived to play by the rules lest be killed. Well, now we have "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions" whereas these people must beat the clock and the system in order to save their lives. 

This is the sequel to the box office hit psychological thriller that terrified audiences around the world. In this installment, six people including Zoey Davis (Taylor Russell), Ben Miller (Logan Miller), Nathan (Thomas Cocquerel), Rachel Ellis (Holland Roden), Brianna Collier (Indya Moore) and Theo (Carlito Olivero) unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common...and discerning they've all played the game before. You see, these are all the ones that lived from past escape room series, so it's now time for the tournament of champions. Who lives or dies and will they find the way out for good this time around?

Others to round out the cast are Deborah Ann Woll as Amanda Harper, Lucy Newman as Therapist, Matt Esop as Junkie and Scott Coker as FBI Agent. 

This was as intensely directed as its predecessor by Adam Robitel ("The Taking of Deborah Logan" '14, "Insidious: The Last Key" '18, "Escape Room" '19) plus video shorts, documentary shorts and a video documentary short. Obviously, by his very resume, this filmmaker is in his comfort zone, and he pulls it off with intensity and grit which leaves its audience biting their nails. One can feel these individual's pain, discomfort and fear as they race against time in order to win to get out of an escape room, only to end up in another one. If you like his brand of directing, his "Insidious; The Dark Realm" is in post production with a release date this year. It was intriguingly written by Will Honley, Maria Melnik, Daniel Tuch and Oren Uziel, based on a story by Christine Lavaf and Fritz Bohm. Considering there are four writers that penned this--usually too many hands in the pot--this was better than I would have thought. Maria Melnik is the only original writer from its predecessor, which, I'm sure helped with this, but even with the added writers, it wasn't bad. There were a few places of inconsistencies and choppiness, but at the end of the day, it didn't cause any confusion as the story unfolded. The actors were certainly believable and assuming this makes money, it leaves it open to an obvious following. 

If action, horror and a thrilling premise are elements that make for a film that one can sink their teeth into, this film will fit the bill. It's a 90 minute, cut-to-the-chase story that will simply fly by while your're on the edge of your seat. This is pure escape into escaping from rooms.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                         Rated: PG-13                                                  88mins.

Black Widow

One can come to an obvious conclusion that we are in the summer film season when a Marvel comics film is released. Those films have got to be the epitome of the summer blockbuster fare, and "Black Widow" is no exception. Certainly any 18-34 year-old single males out there will revel with this grandiose action-packed Marvel yarn.

Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy, headed up by Dreykov (Ray Winstone), with ties to her past involving her estranged sister Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), arises. Purged by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy, and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. She becomes separated as a child from her family including Yelena, Alexei, her father (David Harbour)and Melena, her mother (Rachel Weisz), only 21 years later, they show up to assist her to combat Dreykov's plot.

Others to round out the cast are Ever Anderson as young Natasha, Violet McGraw as young Yelena, O-T Fagbenle as Mason, William Hurt as Secretary Ross, Ryan Kiera Armstrong as young Antonia, Liavi Samuel as Lerato, Michelle Lee as Oksana and Nanna Blondell as Ingrid.

This was directed with such action, adventure and thrills by Cate Shortland ("Somersault" '04, "The Silence" (TV movie) '06, "Lore" '12, "Berlin Syndrome" '17) plus TV and shorts. This was helmed with the same intensity and explosiveness as its predecessors which reside within the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). She is certainly able to showcase her actors in scenes where it becomes personal to being fraught with chaos and peril. This takes expressive talent for any director. It was interestingly written by Eric Pearson ("Thor: Ragnarok" '17, "Godzilla vs. Kong" '21) plus TV and video shorts, based on a story by Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson, which is based on on the Marvel comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Although the writing wasn't Academy Award worthy, (but you had to know this), it still gave its audience that one two punch, which is why these are such a crowd pleaser. Considering all that was going on, the cohesiveness and pacing was amazing, however it was slow about two-thirds the way through and then picked again soon after, but probably could've been shaved about 10 minutes off the running time. And, of course, the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), Weta Digital and Digital Domain were seamless and looked great on the large screen. 

Certainly if you see this, it must be viewed on the large screen as opposed to your TV set; in fact IMAX, which it's also presented, would be killer. Any Marvel fan will love this. And if you don't know it, wait until all the end credits have rolled, since there will be a little surprise at that point.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                             Rated: PG-13                                        134mins.

The Boss Baby: Family Business

As the summer film season continues, and we see even bigger and more over-the-top films, a good deal of them are action-packed and animated flicks--the very demographic (mostly kids and teens) that gravitates toward these genres. When "The Boss Baby" was released back in 2017, it was amazingly better than I ever thought it would be--the humor was clever. So when I saw the trailer to "The Boss Baby: Family Business", I had to believe it would be as clever and it came very close.

Now adults, Tim Templeton (James Marsden) is a stay-at-home dad for two adorable daughters, while his estranged brother Ted (Alec Baldwin) is a big-shot CEO. They come together in an unexpected way when they take a magical formula that transforms them into babies for 48 hours. Joining forces with Tim's secret-agent daughter, Tina (Amy Sedaris), the new boss baby who works for Baby Corp, they must go undercover to prevent an evil genius, Dr. Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum) from turning fellow toddlers into monstrous brats. Can they achieve all this within the 48 hour time frame? 

Others to round out the cast are Ariana Greenblatt as Tabitha, Tim's older daughter, Eva Longoria as Carol, Tim's wife, Jimmy Kimmel as Ted Templeton, Tim and Ted's dad, Lisa Kudrow as Janice, Ted Sr's wife, James McGrath as Wizzie, Reyn Doi as Nathan, Molly K. Gray as Creepy girl and David Soren as Jimbo.

This was wittily directed by Tom McGrath ("Madagascar" '05, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" '08, "Megamind" '10, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" '12, "The Boss Baby" '17) plus TV, a video and a TV short. While this filmmaker has directed a number of live action films, the animated fare is certainly where his comfort zone lies. The way he is able to make his characters simply jump off the screen is amazing. His "Madagascar" has got to be one of his best--it's a classic. It was cleverly written by Michael McCullers ("Austin Powers' Electric Psychedelic Pussycat Swingers Club" (TV movie) '97, "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" '99, "Undercover Brother" '02, "Austin Powers in Goldmember" '02, "Thunderbirds" '04, "Enough About Me" (TV movie) '05, "Baby Mama" '08, "The Boss Baby" '17, "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" '18) plus TV, based on a story by McGrath, which is based on characters created by Marla Frazee. As with the vast majority of sequels, this film wasn't quite as fresh and taught in its script as its predecessor, but it was still uproarious. There were a couple of places in the middle that became a bit slow and subsequently bogged down, but then it quickly picked back up and finished out as exciting as I was hoping for. So much of McCullers experience was that of Austin Powers, which certainly made writing animated films easier, since the Austin Powers character is incredibly 'animated' anyway. And, of course, Dreamworks Animation, the company that produced this made this seamless in its expertise. 

Certainly if you have a family, this is a great family film with wonderful animation, humorous writing all with a great family message. But even if one is single, it is every bit as entertaining and enjoyable. If you liked "The Boss Baby", you'll love this!

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                               Rated: PG                                                 108mins.