Young Woman and the Sea

We've all seen biopics about infamous people whether they be stars, singers, presidents, and the like, but sometimes a biopic about someone who doesn't have tremendous notoriety can be equally satisfying. Case in point is the film, "Flash of Genius" about the man played by Greg Kinnear who invented the intermittent windshield wipers, and then there's "Life Itself", a documentary about Roger Ebert, and the autistic played by Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man" to mention a few. Well, now we have "Young Woman and the Sea" about the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926 played by Daisy Ridley. 

Trudy Ederle (Daisy Ridley) was an accomplished swimmer who was born to immigrant parents Henry and Gertrud Ederle (Kim Bodnia and Jeanette Hain) respectively in New York City in 1905. Through the steadfast support of her older sister, Margaret 'Meg' Ederle (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and supportive trainers, Helen Wainright (Tessa Bonham Jones) and Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham) she overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the 1924 Summer Olympics swimming team in Paris and complete the staggering achievement--a 21-mile trek from France to England in 1926, who was the first woman to complete such a feat that most men could not finish. The support from her family, and her fellow swimmers gave her the motivation and strength in which to endure this seemingly impossible task. 

Others to round out the cast are Olive Abercrombie as young Trudy Ederle, Lilly Aspell as young Meg, Christopher Ecceleston as Jabez Wolffe, Ethan Rouse as Henry Ederle Jr., Velizar Binev as Doctor Weiss and Doc Butler as Uncle Jan. 

This was poignantly and compassionately directed by Joachim Ronning ("Bandidas" '06, "Max Manus: Man of War" '08, "Kon-Tiki" '12, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" '17, "Doomsday" (TV movie) '17, "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" '19) plus TV and shorts. The way this filmmaker was able to extract the emotions of passion, compassion, heart and tenacity from his actors was perfection. His pacing and sequencing was also spot on as well. If you like his brand of directing, his "Tron: Ares" is in post production. It was equally penned incredibly well by writer Jeff Nathanson ("For Better or Worse" '95, "Speed 2: Cruise Control" '97, "Rush Hour 2" '01, "Catch Me If You Can" '02, "The Terminal" '04, "The Last Shot" '04, "Rush Hour 3" '07, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (story) '08, "New York, I Love You" (segment Brett Ratner) '08, "Tower Heist" '11, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" (story) '17, "The Lion King" '19), based on the book by Glenn Stout. Certainly with the plethora of experience that this writer has under his belt, it's no surprise that this script was penned as well as it was. The sequencing which was essentially presented as a flashback was formatted in a way that was cohesive, concise and tightly intertwined from scene to scene. And, considering the running time was close to two and a quarter hours long, it simply moved right along. I had never heard of this woman and by viewing this film, I am in awe of what she had to endure both physically and culturely. Surely Daisy Ridley as Trudy Ederle was stunning in her performance as was the supporting cast. 

This biopic is one that all should go to the multiplex and see this movie since it is about so much: survival, tenacity, strength, passion, compassion and finally redemption. It's a true story that is one where it will push its audience to get up and cheer for this amazing swimmer.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                   Rated: PG                                           129mins.

The Garfield Movie

The summer film season has already started and since the majority of releases during this season are animated and big-budget action films, "The Garfield Movie" is one of the animated flicks we have in the offing. The Garfield comic strip by Jim Davis first appeared in 41 US newspapers on June 19, 1978. The strip introduced Jon Arbuckle and his cat companion Garfield. So, as we are approaching its 46th year of existence, we now have "The Garfield Movie" to show us how Garfield came to be the cat he is.

Garfield (Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure, after an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father--scruffy street cat Vic (Samuel L. Jackson)--Garfield and his canine friend Odie (Harvey Guillen) are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist since Vic owes Jinx (Hannah Waddingham) for getting him out of a position of getting put in a dog and cat pound. They end up meeting Otto (Ving Rhames) along the way to help get them out of this situation all the while attempting to combat Jinx and her henchmen. 

Others to round out the cast are Nicholas Hoult as Jon Arbuckle, Cecily Strong as Marge Malone, Brett Goldstein as Roland, Bowen Yang as Nolan, Snoop Dogg as Maurice, Janelle Jones as Olivia, Angus Cloud as Snickers and Jeff Foxworthy as Zapped Bird. 

This was directed with humor and deftness by Mark Dindal ("Cats Don't Dance" '97, "The Emperor's New Groove" 2000, "Chicken Little" '05) plus videos. As each scene was conveyed, this director was able to sequence the work so the film made sense and the emotions by each actor was perfect in its conveyance. It was also executed well by writers Paul A. Kaplan, Mark Torgove and David Reynolds, based on characters created by Jim Davis. Even though these writer's experience happens to fall on the TV side, they still were able to script an interesting story--the TV experience has served them well. They all have film experience, however the TV side trumps the theatrical experience. This film did have a difficult time finding the film it wanted to be, but once it 'found itself', the words of the story simply jumped off the pages and the film then took off. Those that played out the different characters, Pratt as Garfield, Jackson as Vic and especially Waddingham as Jinx were truly the correct voices of these different cats. Kudos to them. And DNEG Animation used here was very effective and expressive. I would love to see more work by this relative newcomer to animation. 

Certainly if you're a Garfied fan, you'll love this, especially his origins of how Jon became his owner, which I didn't see coming. It's bright, humorous, and the last half of the film is probably the best, so be patient. It does look great on the large screen and is definitely worthy of the price of admission. If you like to be up close to a film, this is also presented in an IMAX format as well.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                               Rated: PG                                                 101mins.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

I mentioned in a prior review that the 'Planet of the Apes' franchise is probably the oldest franchise in film history, whereas the 'Mad Max' franchise, stemming back to 1979, is probably the second oldest. They all are designed to be quite the roller coaster ride, and with "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga", this couldn't be any truer. 

Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dr. Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). As the two tyrants fight for dominance, now adult, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home, with assistance from Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). This is the origin of Furiosa before her encounter and teamup with Mad Max in the previous film, "Mad Max: Fury Road".

Others to round out the cast are George Shevtsov as The History Man, John Howard as The People Eater, Angus Sampson as Organic Mechanic, Elsa Pataky as Vuvalini General, Charlee Fraser as Mary Jabassa, Nathan Jones as Rictus Erectus, Josh Helman as Scrotus, David Field as Toe Jam and David Collins as Smeg. 

This was directed by the 'Mad Max King', the incomparable George Miller ("The Devil in Evening Dress" '75, "Mad Max" '79, "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" '81, "Twilight Zone: The Movie" (segment, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet") '83, "Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome" '85, "The Witches of Eastwick" '87, "Lorenzo's Oil" '92, "Babe: Pig in the City" '98, "Happy Feet" '06, "Happy Feet Two" '11, "Mad Max: Fury Road" '15, "Three Thousand Years of Longing" '22) plus TV, shorts and a music video. This director definitely puts the fun, excitement and incredible action in his films, especially his 'Mad Max' franchise, and this film is no different. The cat-and-mouse game between Furiosa and Dementus was amazing and both actors pulled it off in spades.  As with Miller behind the camera, they were over-the-top in character, but still played out the intensity the characters obtained because the were serious with their revenge. If you like this directors' brand, his "Mad Max: The Wasteland" is in production. This was equally well thought out by writers George Miller ("Mad Max" '79, "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" '81, "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" '85, "Lorenzo's Oil" '92, "Babe" '95, "Babe: Pig in the City" '98, "Happy Feet" '06, "Happy Feet Two" '11, "Mad Max: Fury Road" '15, Three Thousand Years of Longing" '22) plus TV, a short and a video game, and Nick Lathouris ("Mad Max: Fury Road '15). These characters were written rich with amazing development. Even though Furiosa has already been in a 'Mad Max' film, the creativity of her beginnings was fresh and original, as was the character development of Dr Dementus. Hemsworth looked as though he had a fun time playing the role of Dementus. It's like the more he was hammy, the better he was. Really, the only difficulty I had with this was that there were a couple of very small places of slowness, however clearly not enough to take away any impact this was attempting to convey. And the photography by Simon Duggan asc/acs was simply amazing and could garner an Oscar nod come that time. 

If you are a 'Mad Max' or George Miller aficionado, you'll be in film heaven. But even if you're not, the directing, photography and acting was incredible. Even the supporting cast was believable and one could tell it was a team effort. If you like that up, close and personal feel, this is presented in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                 Rated: R                                            148mins.

Wildcat

As I've mentioned in prior reviews, biopics are typically written in very serious and dramatic approaches, but none have been presented in such a dark way as with "Wildcat". However, this film being about an author who, through prejudice and societal fear, this being in 1950, is a woman trying to be taken serious as a writer while having to succumb to lupus. This is a tough hand dealt, but there could've been some light at the end of the tunnel. 

This film invites the audience to weave in and out of celebrated Southern Gothic writer Flannery O'Connor's mind as she ponders the great questions of her writing: Can scandalous art still serve God? Does suffering precede all greatness? In 1950, Flannery (Maya Hawke) visits her mother, Regina (Laura Linney) in Georgia when she is diagnosed with lupus at 24-years-old. Struggling with the same disease that took her father's life when she was a child and desperate to make her mark as a great writer, this crisis pitches her imagination into a feverish exploration of belief. As she dives deeper into her craft, the lines between reality, imagination, and faith begin to blur, allowing Flannery to ultimately come to peace with her situation and deal with a strained relationship with her mother. And all during this time of conflict, her staunch friend Robert 'Cal' Lowell (Philip Ettinger) had been a stalwart friend always having her back when all others were questioning her talent and outlook on life. 

Others to round out the cast are Rafael Casal as O.E. Parker, Cooper Hoffman as Manley Pointer, Christine Dye as Duchess, Liam Neeson as a priest, John E. Brownlee as Porter and Wilson Conkwright as Walter.

This was directed with grit and intensity by Ethan Hawke ("Chelsea Walls" '01, "The Hottest State" '06, "Seymour: An Introduction" '14, "Blaze" '18) plus TV, music videos and a short. Even though Hawke doesn't have a plethora of experience behind the camera, he has a definitive eye for what it means to be an effective filmmaker. His ability to encourage his actors to emit the emotions they projected, especially Maya Hawke (Ethan's daughter), was exemplary. It was interestingly written well by Shelby Gaines and Ethan Hawke ("Before Sunset" '04, "The Hottest State" '06, "Before Midnight" '13, "Blaze" '18) plus TV and shorts. The film is based on the short stories by Flannery O'Connor and these writers were attempting to tie her stories with their screenplay, and although it was an honorable endeavor, it simply didn't come off with clarity and fluidity. There were times when the combination of O'Connor's stories and these writer's screenplay did gel, however, there were other places that the script became choppy and meandered a bit. Considering that Gaines had no theatrical experience, maybe Hawke should've offered another writer to co-write if not simply write the script himself. Trust me, this wasn't a total wash-- the idea behind the screenplay was original and fresh and rewarding to see writers attack this approach, however maybe with another writer other than Hawke would've been warranted.

Certainly, both the acting especially that of Maya Hawke and the directing by her dad Ethan Hawke was consummate and both could possibly see Oscar nods come that time. It's a bit dark, but this writer obviously went through a massive amount of obstacles in her life, and this biopic certainly conveyed that in spades. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                         Rated: NR                                          108mins.

IF

It's interesting how Hollywood hasn't really utilized the whole concept of imaginary or invisible friends since there is so much great fodder in which to write about. One film that was actually used in this film, "IF" was a clip from "Harvey" with James Stewart about him obtaining a best friend who is an invisible, six-foot white rabbit named Harvey--a brilliant film. Well, "IF" is about rescuing imaginary friends from obscurity since their kids have grown up. 

After a difficult time in her life, a girl, Bea (Cailey Fleming) discovers that she can see everyone's imaginary friends after they've grown up. So, what does she do with that superpower? Through the meeting of Cal (Ryan Reynolds), an adult that also can see them, they embark on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IF's with their kids. Since Bea is attempting to be strong since her dad (John Krasinski) is going into the hospital for a heart procedure, her demeanor is that she's hiding her 'strength' behind her fear of potentially losing her dad. 

Others to round out the cast are Fiona Shaw as Grandmother, Steve Carell as voice of Blue, Phoebe Waller-Bridge as voice of Blossom, Louis Gossett Jr. as voice of Lewis, Alan Kim as Benjamin, Bobby Moynihan as Jeremy, Liza Colon-Zayas as Janet, Emily Blunt as voice of Unicorn, Awkwafina as voice of Bubble and Bradley Cooper as voice of Ice. 

This was whimsically directed with heart by John Krasinski ("Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" '09, "The Hollars" '16, "A Quiet Place" '18, "A Quiet Place Part II" '20) plus TV. This filmmaker is definitively a chameleon--"A Quiet Place" and "IF"? These couldn't be more diametrically opposed film genres on the planet, yet Krasinski was able to pull off both films with finesse and expertise. He was definitely able to showcase this young girl's transition of having to be strong and yet allowing herself to get involved in helping these IF's, and the total frustration of Cal trying to rid of these IF's in order to get his life back. Krasinski is again one of those actors to transition from acting to directing with relative ease similar to those actors, such as Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Ron Howard and the like. It was also written in a heartwarming way by John Krasinski ("Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" '09, "Promised Land" '12, "A Quiet Place" '18, "A Quiet Place Place Part II" '20) plus TV. Although there might have been small places of sentimentality to this story, it was still able to pull ones' heartstrings in a way that caused the audience to cheer for these IF's to find, again, their forever home. Otherwise, the script was concise, cohesive and well thought out. Not sure what the lackluster reviews were about--what were these other critics looking for? I felt this story gave us exactly what it was striving to emulate, and was able to do it in spades. And the visual effects predominantly designed by Framestore were incredible and thoroughly enhanced the story, whereas in so many films, the opposite occurs. 

This being the quintessential family film, it is a film for all to see--young and old alike. It's a film that is fantastical, humorous, loving and redemptive all rolled up into one film. Sure, it gets a bit sentimental, but if this doesn't pull anyone's heartstrings, then that person is simply not human. Enjoy this small gem, I know I did.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                      Rated: PG                                         104mins.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

We've all experienced a plethora of film franchises through the years, but I have to say that 'The Planet of the Apes' franchise is probably the longest running one--55 years and counting! It all started with "The Planet of the Apes" back in 1969 and was an instant success. Now, many films later, we have "Kingdom of the "Planet of the Apes" to continue with.

Set several generations in the future following Caesar's reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to jiving in the shadows, as a new tyrannical leader, Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) builds his empire, one young ape, Noa (Owen Teague) undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past which he learned from a wise older ape, Raka (Peter Macon) and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

Others to round out the cast are Freya Allan as Mae, William H. Macy as Trevathan, Dichen Lachman as Korina, Karin Konoval as Maurice, Sara Wiseman as Dar, Lydia Peckham as Soona, Eka Darville as Sylva, Travis Jeffrey as Anaya and Zay Domo Artist as Milo.

This was intensely directed with plenty of grit by Wes Ball ("The MazeRunner" '14, "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" '15, "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" '18) plus shorts. Certainly working on the 'Maze Runner' franchise has served this filmmaker tremendously considering the intensity in both films is definitely similar. His ability to encourage his actors to dig deep to bring out the different characteristics of the different apes was interesting in that, we, as people are also very different when interacting. It was executed well by writer Josh Friedman ("Chain Reaction" (story) '96, "War of the Worlds" '05, "The Black Dahlia" '06, "Locke & Key" )TV movie) '11, "The Asset" (TV movie) '12, "Terminator: Dark Fate" (story) '19, "Avatar: The Way of Water" (story) '22) plus TV, based on characters created by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, which is based on the novel by Pierre Boulle. Even though this writer has a fair amount of experience under his belt, this screenplay was a bit long-in-the-tooth where approximately 15 minutes of the running time could've been cut and still wouldn't have lost any impact of the story. Other than a couple of places of implausibility, the story definitely kept me moving, especially about the last half hour of the film. If this writer is intriguing to you, his "Avatar 4" is in production for a 2029 release. The visual effects by Weta FX were stunning and certainly enhanced the story. 

Certainly if you're a 'Planet of the Apes' aficionado, you will revel with this. It was certainly better than I ever thought it would be. And, even though most of the cast are relative newcomers, it was a solid ensemble cast. Oh, and assuming this makes a ton of money, it's all set up to continue. Can you say--S E Q U E L?

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                        Rated: PG-13                                          144mins.

The Fall Guy

It's the first Friday in May which is the starting of the summer film season, and what a perfect movie to kick it off with in the form of "The Fall Guy". There have been several films in the past that center around the movie stunt business, but the one that comes to mind is "The Stunt Man" with Peter O'Toole and Steve Railsback, about an intense story between the director (O'Toole) and the stunt man (Railsback), whereas this film is also comprised of a director (Blunt) and a stunt man (Gosling)--totally different stories, but has an interesting relationship.

Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is a stunt man, and like everyone else in the stunt community,he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows, and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, 18 months later, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), solve a conspiracy, and attempt to win back the love of his life, his director, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right? 

Others to round out the cast are Hannah Waddingham as Gail Meyer, Teresa Palmer as Iggy Starr, Stephanie Hsu as Alma Milan, Winston Duke as Dan Tucker, Ben Knight as Dressler, Matuse as Doone, Adam Dunn as Nigel and Zara Michales as Venti Kushner.

This was directed with action-packed frenzy by David Leitch ("Atomic Blonde" '17, "Deadpool 2" '18, "Once Upon a Deadpool" '18, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" '19, "Bullet Train" '22) plus shorts and a music video. Considering Leitch was behind the camera, I was confident that this film would be crafted well with a director that knows his way around an action-packed movie, hence his resume.The staging and pacing was consummate as was his ability to work well with his actors. This is the quintessential action director. It was creatively written by Drew Pearce )"No Heroics" (TV movie) '09, "Iron Man 3" '13, "Mission: Impossible--Rogue Nation" '15, "Hotel Artemis" '18, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" (story) '19) plus TV and videos, based on the TV series created by Glen A. Larson. It was a well thought out, cohesive and concise script, and other than a couple of very small places of slowness, this screenplay was solid. It was also a bit long-in-the-tooth. It was a two plus hour running time and could've been shaved down to a two hour running time, and not destroy any impact from the story. I felt the chemistry between Gosling and Blunt was effective and captivating, and it's one of the films of this genre that carries as much action as it does comedy and that's refreshing. "Bullet Train" was also able to pull off this concept as well--of course it was directed by Leitch. 

If you are a fan of Gosling and/or Blunt, you'll revel with this. But certainly if you like humor right along with a great action film, this is certainly another reason to go to the multiplex. Also, if you want to see this film up, close and personal, it is presented in an IMAX format as well. If you saw the trailer, you then know what the film is like, since the trailer practically matches the film.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated: PG-13                                       127mins.