Till

It's amazing how we, as a society, have to showcase films in order to teach us something that we should already know: that we should love and respect each other as we love and respect ourselves. I know, it's the 'golden rule', but it packs such a wallop, especially after seeing a sobering film as "Till". 

This is a profoundly emotional, and cinematic film about the true story of Mamie Till Mobley's (Danielle Deadwyler) relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett 'Bo' Till (Jalyn Hall), who, in August of 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi from Chicago. In Mamie's poignant journey of grief turned to action, we see the universal power of a mother's ability to change the world. Others to assist her in her quest was Medger Evers (Tosin Cole), Rayfield Mooty (Kevin Carroll) of NAACP, and her husband, Gene (Sean Patrick Thomas). 

Others to round out the cast are Frankie Faison as John Carthan, Haley Bennett as Carolyn Bryant, Whoopi Goldberg as Alma Carthan, John's wife, Jayme Lawson as Myrlie Evers, Medger's wife, John Douglas Thompson as Moses Wright and Roger Guenveur Smith as Dr. T.R.M. Howard. 

This was rivetingly directed by Chinonye Chukwu ("alaskaLand" '12, "Clemency" '19) plus TV and shorts. Considering the limited experience behind the camera, I was mesmerized by this filmmaker to be able to connect so well with Deadwyler in order to get her to emit the emotions she was able to extract to convince the audience that she was this distraught about losing her son at such an early age. She will continue to go far in her ability to direct quality films. It was incredibly well crafted by writers Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu. What amazes me even more is that two of the three writers here have no other than this film to their credit for feature films (Reilly and Beauchamp)< and Chukwu doesn't have a plethora of experience as well. This tells me two things: either they're all naturals or maybe a good day at at the laptop--not sure, but suffice it to say, this was a dynamite script. The sequence of scenes were seamless and the continuity was spot on. It was a 130 minute running time and it didn't seem, at all, like it, because it was incredibly cohesive, paced and staged. These writers, director and Deadwyler will undoubtedly receive Oscar nods come that time. 

It you're into message-laden films, this is the ticket for you, but even if you're not, the quality directing, writing and acting will woo you into purchasing a ticket. One lesson to learn from this? A mother's love can't be fought against, can't be bought, and should never be toyed with lest you receive the wrath of her. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                          Rated: PG-13                                             130mins.

Ticket to Paradise

The genre of romcoms or romantic comedies are about as common as seeing a drama film in the theaters these days, however entirely different genres. Most dramas are typically well thought out and acted with interesting stories, but romcoms, on the other hand are not. Now, not all romcoms are created equal--some are actually interesting, but "Ticket to Paradise", although has some funny, interesting scenes, is often written in a way where the jokes seem forced and the premise isn't anything original.

David Cotton (George Clooney) and Georgia Cotton (Julia Roberts), two divorced parents who can't tolerate one another, head to Bali after their daughter, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) announces her plans to marry a local islander, Gede (Maxime Bouttier) she just met while on holiday with her best friend, Wren Butler (Billie Lourd) after their college graduation. David and Georgia decide to put aside their differences and work together to stop the wedding, believing that doing so will keep Lily from making a dreadful mistake similar to their own mistake 25 years ago. Will they succeed, or end up wondering if they even made the right decision that many years ago?

Others to round out the cast are Lucas Bravo as Paul, Cintya Dharmayanti as Losi, Sean Lynch as Rob, Genevieve Lemon as Beth-Ann and Nom Gunadi as Losi's uncle. 

This was paced and staged well by director Ol Parker ("Imagine Me & You" '05, "Now Is Good" '12, "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" '18). As with other romcoms, the formula is rather similar so therefore, directing most of these films is like 'paint by numbers'. Surely there were some interesting places where the actors could shine when on the set, but both Clooney and Roberts had to of yawned through their performances. If there's a culprit here, it would have to be the writers which are Ol Parker ("Loved Up" (TV movie) '95, "In Your Dreams" (TV movie) '96, "It Was an Accident" 2000, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" '15, "Mama Mia! Here We Go Again" '18, "A Boy Called Christmas" '21) plus TV, and Daniel Pipski. Parker has the lion's share of the writing, however I'm sure Pipski was pivotal in his ideas. As with previous romcoms, this had the exact same formula: boy meets girl, girl meets boy, they have a dilemma that they must figure out, throw in some parents, friends, co-workers into the mix, and trouble ensues, but not to worry, because the dilemma is figured out and the ending is tied up with a nice big bow. Sound familiar? It's not that this film is poorly written as much as it is not really original. But having both Clooney and Roberts in the lead roles certainly didn't hurt this story, and for that reason, this is why you are there. 

This film is great if you are either a Clooney or Roberts fan, but if not, it will be a fidgety sit. Certainly in a world that is fraught with increased crime, inflation, politics and disease, a comedy would definitely hit the spot, and this is not a total wash, but it would be nice to see something a bit more fresh.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                       Rated: PG-13                                           104mins.

Black Adam

Well, it looks to be that the beginning of the holiday film season is now upon us and what a better way to start it off than with DC Comics' "Black Adam", what with all the adrenaline-ridden action, the grandiose feel and with a story that isn't tough to figure out. Yes, I know that this genre is typically reserved for the summer crowd, but since this is still the 'Indian Summer' time of year, it's still fitting. 

Kahndaq, 2,500 B.C. Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the mighty powers of the Egyptian ancient gods--and imprisoned just as quickly--Teth Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is freed inadvertently by Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) to save her own life, from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world. It turns out that Ismael (Marwan Kenzari), descendent of the evil king of Kahndaq 5,000 years ago, is bent on obtaining the king's crown made of a priceless gem known as eternium which he believes Adrianna and son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) possess. So as Black Adam (as he's later labeled) make the scene and protect the two, the global justice league which is comprised of Dr. Kent Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Carter/Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Cantineo), come to Kahndaq to arrest Adam for violating peace. Is there any way these people can unify their differences in order to combat the tyranny that is yet to come?

Others to round out the cast are Mohammed Amer as Karim, Adrianna's brother, James Cusati-Moyer as Samir, Jalon Christian as Hurut, Benjamin Patterson as skinny Teth Adam and Henry Winkler as Uncle Al, uncle to Atom Smasher. 

This was directed with that much needed one two punch 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, "Jungle Cruise" '21) plus TV and videos. As one might expect, this definitely was adrenaline packed with more explosions and explosive moments one could count. Considering this filmmaker's resume, this probably wasn't much of a challenge for him since he was assuredly in his comfort zone. If you like his brand of directing, his "Carry On" is filming at this time for a 2023 release date. It was written with franchise all over it by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, based on characters created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. As with so many other films, this is where the issues ensue. First of all, there are more than two writers on the project which is all too many hands in the pot. Secondly, with the exception of Sztykiel, the experience isn't what I would deem extensive. When a film is dealing with multiple worlds--in this case, two entirely different time periods, it is so easy for the script to become bogged down with a certain amount of choppiness and some issues of continuity--this being the case with this production. The connection with the time frame of today and that of 5,000 years ago wasn't even explained until about mid point into the film. Once the connection was established, the script actually started to find itself and it became the film it was looking for. And, of course, the visual effects predominantly designed by Weta Digital and Digital Domain were seamless. They were used a bit too much, however they were beautifully executed. 

Make sure you stay for, at least, the main end credits since there is a bit of a surprise, although maybe not, in store. Can you say--S-E-Q-U-E-L? I know, what a shock! The franchise must go on. If you like this type of fare, it's presented in an IMAX format to give you than up, close and personal feel. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                              Rated: PG-13                                           125mins.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

Remember back in the day when movies were created solely for entertainment purposes? Well, with "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile", this is exactly what you get when leaving the theater--hey, you'll feel this way as you watch the film. This is a film that all can watch and should where it's fun, heartwarming, entertaining, all with a great message. 

When the Primm family (Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy and son, Josh, Winslow Fegley) moves to New York City, their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and new friends. All that changes when he discovers Lyle (voiced by Shawn Mendes)--a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar and great music living in the attic of his new home. The two become fast friends, but when Lyle's existence is threatened by evil neighbor Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman), the Primm's must band together with Lyle's charismatic owner, Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem), to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places and there's nothing wrong with a big singing crocodile with an even bigger personality. 

Others to round out the cast are Sal Viscuso as the judge, Lyric Hurd as Trudy, Yussie Jupiter as Broadway theater goer and Don DiPetta as paramedic.

This was whimsically directed by Josh Gordon ("Blades of Glory" '07, "The Switch" '10, "Office Christmas Party" '16) plus TV and shorts, and Will Speck (same as Gordon's resume). What with the visual effects, musical numbers, and the actors to work with, this would typically be a logistics nightmare for any director, but these two filmmakers absolutely pulled it off. Their ability to stage, pace and extract the many different emotions from their actors was phenomenal. If you like their brand of directing, their "Distant" is completed for a 2023 release. It was brilliantly written by Will Davies ("Student Exchange" (TV movie) '87, "Twins" '88, "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" '92, "The Real McCoy" '93, "Ghost in the Machine" '93, "Bermuda Grace" (TV movie) '94, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" '95, "The Guilty" 2000, "Ignition" '01, "Johnny English" '03, "Alien Autopsy" '06, "Flushed Away" '06, "How to Train Your Dragon" '10, "Mia and the White Lion" '18) plus TV, based on the book series by Bernard Waber. When I saw the trailer to this film, I thought it looked odd enough for a premise to be decent. Wow, I was way off, because this film was an absolute delight from start to finish. The family was believable, Bardem as Valenti was eccentric, but with a good heart, but the star here was clearly Lyle. He was smart, touching, talented and the creation of him was simply genius. If you like the writing here, Davies' "Blackout" is in pre-production. What also made this movie sing (pun intended) was the musical numbers brilliantly composed by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek ("LA LA Land", "The Greatest Showman"). The music and lyrics in this had that distinct style that you will recognize immediately. 

If you not only like musical comedy, but are a fan of the works of Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, you have got to see this. The film has it all: humor, great numbers, a great message, a terrific story that is tailor-made for all to see. Enjoy this one! I know I did!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                           Rated: PG                                                 107mins.

Amsterdam

There are filmmakers out there that can be a virtual hit and miss, and then there are those that perennially score big time with every film. However, "Amsterdam" was a somewhat of a miss for its writer/director David O. Russell which is usually a consistent hit. 

This is 1933, and during these times, two friends, Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) and Harold Woodman (John David Washington) witness a murder, are framed for it, and ultimately uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history. They soon meet up with Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie) in Amsterdam to avoid the police and live their lives out there for a while. While in Amsterdam, Burt feels compelled to move back to the states because of his missing his wife, Beatrice (Andrea Riseborough0, even though they are estranged. Burt soon finds himself in charge of a war reunion and, in an attempt to correct his good name because of his accusation of this murder, he strives to enlist a very well known general named Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro) to give a speech at the event in order to clear his name. After a point, all hell breaks loose and is anyone going to come out of this clean?

Others to round out the cast are Alessandro Nivola as Detective Hiltz, Anya Taylor-Joy as Libby Voze, Chris Rock as Milton King, Michael Schoenaerts as Detective Lem Getweller, Michael Shannon as Henry Norcross, Mike Myers as Paul Canterbury, Rami Malek as Tom Voze, Zoe Saldana as Irma St. Clair, Timothy Olyphant as Taron Milfax, Taylor Swift as Liz Meekins and Mel Fair as patient Wayne.

This was directed with careful precision by David O. Russell ("Spanking the Monkey" '94, "Flirting with Disaster" '96, "Three Kings" '99, "I Heart Huckabees" '04, "The Fighter" '10, "Silver Linings Playbook" '12, "American Hustle" '13, "Accidental Love" '15, "Joy" '15) plus shorts. Even though his direction has been a bit more delineated, this was still staged and paced amazingly well. Of course, Russell using a good number of cast repeatedly certainly helps in his endeavor of producing the right feel of a film. Where there are misses in this is the writing by Russell (same resume as listed prior except "The Fighter" and "Accidental Love"). First of all, this was way too long-in-the-tooth for this film and many other films in general. I kept waiting, in many scenes, to just cut to the chase. Secondly, until approximately half way through the film, it just meandered and jumped a bit too much. Some of the scenes I became a bit confused with. Was this a total wash. No, not at all. There were many scenes that excelled well, especially after about half the film. Will Russell be in the running come Oscar time? Probably not, but this doesn't shoot down his film. It simply just needed a little more polish. Bad day at the laptop? Not sure, but I'm sure he'll review this film after it's done its rounds and realize what he may have to do to make sure his next film sings. 

Even if this is not one of Russell's better efforts, assuming you're a Russell fan, you'll still love this. And who wouldn't love to see a film with a cast this exemplary? If you're in love with an up, close and personal format, this is presented in IMAX.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                         Rated: R                                                  134mins.

The Good House

One of the largest genres Hollywood has to offer is that of dramas. The list of them would comprise volumes, so, suffice it to say, there have been many dramas produced that have been stunning--both artistically and story wise. When I saw the trailer for "The Good House" a short while ago, it didn't really capture my attention. I like actors Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline, however, even with their presence, was this going to be anything interesting at all? Well, the answer to that thought is...yes.

Wendover, Ma. This story follows Hildy Good (Sigourney Weaver), a wry New England realtor and descendent of the Salem witches, who loves her wine and her secrets. Her compartmentalized life begins to unravel as she rekindles a romance with her old high school flame, Frank Getchell (Kevin Kline), and becomes dangerously entwined in one person's reckless behavior. Igniting long-buried emotions and family secrets, Hildy is propelled toward a reckoning with the one person she's avoiding for decades: herself. You see, she's a working alcoholic, which is tougher to admit since one can be functioning. So, she, through Frank and her family, must come to grips with it so her life doesn't completely unravel to a point of no return. 

Others to round out the cast are Morena Baccarin as Rebecca McAllister, Rob Delaney as Peter Newbold, David Rasche as Scott Good, Hildy's ex-husband, Rebecca Henderson as Tess Good, Molly Brown as Emily Good, Kathryn Erbe as Wendy Heatherton, Kelly AuCoin as Brian McAllister, Georgia Lyman as Cassie Dwight, Jimmy LeBlanc as Patch Dwight, Beverly D'Angelo as Mamie Lang and Oliver Boyle as Ben McAllister. 

This was surprisingly well directed by Maya Forbes ("Infinitely Polar Bear" '14, "The Polka King" '17) and Wallace Wolodarsky ("Coldblooded" '95, "Sorority Boys" '02, "Seeing Other People" '04). I say surprisingly since neither of them encumber a huge body of work behind the camera. Their staging and pacing was spot on, as was the ability to work with their actors in order to extract those emotions especially needed given the subject matter. It was far better written than I thought considering the trailer. This was penned by Thomas Bezucha, Forbes and Wolodarsky, which is based on the novel by Ann Leary. Wolodarsky has the lion's share of the experience here, not that the other two writers were remiss in lack of experience. What made this film to flow as well as it did was the way it was handled in that they took a fairly common story, and used a narrative technique performed by Weaver throughout the film as each scene was about to begin. This is not the first time this has been done, however, the way this was treated, it would set the mood, along with giving it a certain lightness to an otherwise bleak premise. Because of its rather common premise, I see now why the trailer didn't wow me. Really, other than a couple of very small slow places in script, this screenplay was rock solid.

One must experience this story firsthand, because, as I stated prior, the trailer doesn't sell it so you might feel hesitant in even giving this film a shot. It has a lot to say, and if one can learn anything from this, it's that chronic problems will only continue if not confronted head on. In fact those issues will grow even worse. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                         Rated: R                                            103mins.