Upcoming movies that I cannot wait to see based on the film trailers:
“Us”- As noted in earlier comments, this is going to be freakish and scary!
“The Upside”- Yes, it appears to be one of those ‘mushy, feel good, happy ending’ type movies with a lesson for us all about life and all that but those are needed every once in awhile! Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston together just looks too good to pass up!
“Rocketman”- Love Elton John and his music, let’s just hope the film does him justice as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ did for Queen!
“Destroyer” - I have no idea what this movie is about but the two things that intrigue me are 1) how Nicole Kidman has transformed herself, i.e. Charlize Theron and ‘Monster’ and 2) the number of critical rave reviews her performance is garnering!
“Breakthrough” - This looks like a feel good movie as well but the cast looks excellent so cannot wait to see it!
Clint Eastwood still has it! Granted, he is not the hard and gritty action hero (or villain) that we are used to seeing him portray as in his previous films but we have to remember that he is in a different phase of his life now and this certainly plays true in his latest film, ‘The Mule.’ Prior to seeing this film I had been told by others who had seen it that is was ‘ok’ so my expectations were not very high. However, I have left the theater tonight loving this film. First, I was shocked by his appearance when he first came on screen so that took a little bit of getting used to. Whether he really looks like that I can’t say but regardless he does appear ‘weathered’ in this movie. His acting is excellent as always so that has not changed. He also has an outstanding cast with him - Bradley Cooper (I did not realize he was in this film so it was a nice surprise), Michael Pena, Dianne Wiest, Andy Garcia, Lawrence Fishburne and more. The story, at first, initially seemed absurd. This older gentleman, not a good husband or father, which he admits to, all of a sudden gets tied up with a drug cartel by becoming a ‘mule’ for them. He does this to try and win his family and friends back by having money to help with things. While the premise does not sound intriguing, it really is and works, especially considering that this film is based on a true story. Everything in this film played out well and the ending rings true. What I love as well is the great song that plays at the end while the credits are rolling. There is nothing I love more than great music when it connects to the scene or theme of a film. I never, ever thought I would like Toby Keith but his song at the end of this film is perfect. Great film!
I am the first to admit that I am by no means a fan of Will Ferrell films with the exception of ‘Elf.’ He did many skits during his SNL days that I enjoyed but to me his humor has not transferred well from the small to big screen. Well this definitely applies to his latest film, ‘Holmes and Watson.’ I am here to say that this has to be one of the worst comedic films ever made. In fact, it is one of the worst films period. The show I attended was sold out but I don’t think I heard but one or two snickers during the entire film. There was just nothing funny about it at all. There was some potty humor, which I expected, and a weird song-dance number that just made no sense, nor added anything to the film. I noticed in the beginning credits that Will Ferrell himself was listed as a producer and I cannot imagine how he is going to expect to recoup his money on this one as word of mouth is not going to be favorable I am afraid. While the concept was something I thought was good - a comedic take on Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick, Watson - the problem is that there was no comedy. The only mystery about this film is how it got made to begin with!
Selma is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. film that got it right. And better than anyone could have hoped. Like previous non-documentary films featuring the civil rights leader, it's not about King. The title is appropriate because the focus of the film is the series of protest marches conducted in 1965 in Alabama in order to pressure lawmakers into legislating protection for the voting rights of African-Americans.
Selma feels legitimate. It's neither a sweeping, grandiose epic nor a melodramatic character study into the depths of a famous person's soul. It's a matter-of-fact depiction of events in the lives of history-making, celebrated men and women. In some cases, the film is a glimpse into the political beginnings of future elected officials. The film notes that Andrew Young was ultimately appointed UN Ambassador by President Carter after serving three terms in Congress, and was later twice-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986 and has served in Congress ever since. Hosea Williams went on to serve on the Atlanta City Council, Georgia General Assembly and Dekalb County Commission, one of the few Georgia politicians to ever be elected to seats in city, county and state government.
Several members of the cast have turned in their finest performances to date. Much has been made of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' (the organization that awards Oscars) failure to nominate David Oyelowo for Best Actor, and rightly so. Oyelowo, however, is not the only overlooked actor here. Carmen Ejogo manages to downright illuminate King's wife, Coretta.She stands by her man, and in his shadow, but Ejogo shows us a three-dimensional person behind the solemn image that we know. Media-mogul Oprah Winfrey uncharacteristically, but wholly, disappears into her role as Annie Lee Cooper, who famously punched Selma Sheriff Jim Clark in the jaw in front of the Dallas County Courthouse in 1965. Rapper-turned-actor Common, whose track, "Glory", is nominated for Best Original Song at the 87th annual Academy Awards, is perhaps the biggest surprise. He was probably hired mostly because he bears an uncanny resemblance to the SCLC's Director of Direct Action and Director of Nonviolent Education James Bevel, who conceived the idea of marching from Selma, Alabama to the state capital, Montgomery. The rapper really has unexpectedly, if only this once, turned into an actor and fits in rather nicely with the professionals.
Selma ranks right up there with universally lauded biographical works such as Gandhi, Malcolm X, Coal Miner's Daughter, The Social Network and yes, even Patton.
Selma received a standing ovation when it premiered in Los Angeles. When I went to see it, the audience applauded when the film ended. Without exaggeration or hyperbole, Selma is simply - and unequivocally - the best film of 2014.
For those who love documentaries, especially those about military history, you must see the latest film from Peter Jackson (of ‘The Lord the Rings’ fame), ‘They Shall Not Grow Old.’ This is a film about WWI (the trench war) that Peter Jackson spent the past 4 years working on to meticulously bring real-life footage to the screen, some of it in color. He even had linguists read the lips of the servicemen in the footage so they could be heard and make it seem like you were really there. During the course of the film, you hear actual servicemen, who were interviewed at various times by the BBC, talk about their experiences fighting in the ‘Great War’ and it is absolutely stunning and captivating! The faces, images and sounds in this film make you realize the horrors of war. Many of the men who tell their stories admit to thinking of it being heroic as they start on their journey into the war, only to find out there is nothing heroic at all about it. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience this film while it is out. It is an amazing history lesson.
A Bronx Tale is sorta the gangster version of Robert Kiyosaki's bestseller "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". Because nine-year-old Calogero Anello ("C" for short) witnesses a shooting and keeps his mouth shut when questioned by the cops, he earns the attention and respect of local mob boss, Sonny. Sonny, who's become a hero to "C", takes him under his wing and teaches him street smarts and how to pull girls. But he advises his young friend to avoid a life of crime despite his own membership in the Mafia.
Meanwhile, "C"'s actual pops, Lorenzo, objects to the relationship because he realizes that the trappings of Sonny's success will make more of an impression on "C" than what he says. Sonny, on the other hand, resents what he sees as Lorenzo's holier-than-thou attitude.
Lorenzo, who drives a city bus, teaches "C" integrity and the value of hard work. Because he listens, he avoids winding up in an early grave like his teenaged friends -- and Sonny.
2. Schindler's List
1. Menace II Society
Menace II Society is Boyz N the Hood with a vengeance. While that '91 Best Picture nominee took a hard look at the violence that plagues poverty-stricken African-American communities in Los Angeles, Menace looked even harder. Menace is the Rolling Stones to Boyz' Beatles; the Death Row Records to its Bad Boy Entertainment; the dark side of its already dimly-lit moon. While topically and thematically similar, Menace stands in stark contrast to its predecessor.
The differences between the two films are no accident. Writer Tyger Williams and co-directors Allen and Albert Hughes clearly studied Boyz' blueprint and decided to dig deeper - much deeper.
While Cloverfield provided a civilian take on a seemingly unstoppable monster's rampage through New York City, Pacific Rim details the world's military response upon learning that a lone Kaiju (PR's term for giant extra-dimensional monsters) that blazed a path of destruction through San Francisco was only the tip of the spear. It's revealed that the Kaiju originated in an alternate dimension and make their way into ours via an interdimensional doorway, called "the Breach", located on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Besides San Francisco, the initial attacks are directed at Sydney, Hong Kong and Manila. Realizing that campaigns against the creatures using conventional weaponry are too costly, an alliance of world governments institutes a program in which enormous robots are constructed to battle the Kaiju. Each robot, called Jaegers, is nuclear-powered and operated by at least two pilots who control its movements from the inside. Scientists studying the Kaiju discover that the monsters' rampages are prompted by aliens from the dimension connected to ours via the Breach. The aliens, intent on invading the planet have been using the Kaiju as an early strike force.
Since his appearance in 1995's Bucket or Blood, Will Ferrell's 23-year movie career has included dozens of films. Believe it or not, Holmes and Watson, a comedic take on the legendary detective duo, is his 50th(!) feature. At least one of the following films, the best from his extensive resume, are sure to provide you with plenty of yucks. 10. The Other Guys
When supercops Samuel L. Jackson and The Rock get killed in the line of duty, the NYPD reluctantly looks further down the bench and lets extra-passive Allen Gamble and hot-headed Terry "Yankee Clipper" Hoitz play in the big game. In this case, that means trying to foil a billion dollar Ponzi scheme involving a murderous cover-up.
This 2010 action-comedy (which cast also features Bobby Cannavale) about a pair of bickering law enforcement professionals -- one a pencil-pusher with no field experience, the other a macho veteran -- working the same case following the death of the office hotshot(s), seems to be the template for 2015's Spy.
Ferrell sings in this one too.
9. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Probably the Will Ferrell movie that gets the most attention, Talladega Nights may have been initially conceived as a simple parody of the Tom Cruise flick, Days of Thunder, but it's much more. Featuring John C. Reilly (who was also in Days of Thunder) as the title character's lifelong wingman, Cal Naughton Jr., Talladega Nights is the story of the rise and fall and comeback of moronic stock car racer Ricky Bobby, whose life philosophy is: "If you ain't first, you're last."
You'll love the family dinner/fast-food smorgasbord at which Ricky's kids mouth off to their grandfather, prompting this exchange:
Grandpa Chip: "Are you gonna let those boys talk to me like that?"
Ricky Bobby: "Hell, yeah. I love the way they're talking to you, Chip."
You'll also get a kick outta seeing a pre-fame Amy Adams, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the late Michael Clark Duncan.
8. Elf
Elf may be the most viewed Will Ferrell movie as it gets broadcast every December and July (as part of some networks' "Christmas in July" series). Ferrell shows off his singing skills in this holiday favorite about a giant elf's (Ferrell's 6'3") quest to reunite with the father he never knew.
Actually, Ferrell's character, Buddy, isn't really an elf. After he climbs into St. Nick's gift sack as a toddler when the big man visits his orphanage, baby Buddy gets a ride to the North Pole. The little dude gets his name when workshop elves read the label on his "Little Buddy Diapers". Buddy is then adopted by Papa Elf and later trained to build toys like his "peers". As the years go by it's obvious to everyone but Buddy himself that he literally doesn't fit in. When he learns that he's human and that his biological father, Walter Hobbs, is on the naughty list, Buddy makes it his mission to meet his old man and to make him eligible for the nice list.
After tracking his dad to New York City and being dismissed as a headcase, Buddy gets a job and even winds up with a girlfriend. And after Walter agrees to a DNA test, which proves his paternity, he finally accepts Buddy as his son.
Keep your eyes peeled for Buddy's discovery of revolving doors. And on a personal note, I used to share his tendency to cover his food with syrup - until I stepped up my nutrition game.
I won't spoil the ending for you. You can see it for yourself over and over again in the next couple of weeks...and in July...and next December.
7. Kicking & Screaming
Ferrell learns at the feet of legendary football coach Mike Ditka (playing himself) as Phil Weston, a mild-mannered vitamin shop owner who agrees to coach his son's little-league soccer team. The funniest moment comes when after Phil's wife attempts to cheer him up with a pep talk about how great a husband he is, he turns to her and asks, "What does that have to do with anything?!?"
6. Megamind
Ferrell goes blue as the titular villain in this superhero movie about a bad guy who finally kills his archnemesis -- but then realizes that he has nothing else to do with his life. Premiering four months after Despicable Me, another animated movie revolving around a supervillain, Megamind may have just missed the boat on launching a billion dollar franchise (which Despicable Me actually did). Megamind's hilarious pronunciation of his adopted home, Metro City, never gets old.
5. Land of the Lost
Goofy 1970s television series Land of the Lost made for a great candidate for the big-screen remake treatment. I mean, it couldn't get any worse. Far outshining Ferrell's other tv show remake, Bewitched, the criminally underrated LOTL features Will as arrogant paleontologist Dr. Rick Marshall who proves his time warp theory the hard way when he; his biggest only fan, Holly Cantrell; and gift shop owner Will Stanton find themselves running from dinosaurs, ginormous mosquitos and lizard people after using devices that look like leftover Ghostbusters equipment.
4. Step Brothers
Ferrell's second team-up with John C. Reilly once again features the duo as both rivals and best friends. This time, the two are brought together when Brennan Huff's (Ferrell) mom marries Dale Doback's (Reilly) dad. Because Brennan and Dale both live with their parents (despite both being middle-aged), they wind up under the same roof -- and sharing the same bedroom -- when Brennan's mom moves into casa de Doback (bringing him along). Initially, they can't stand each other and even come to blows when Brennan touches Dale's drum set (he really touches it). But eventually the new siblings bond over shared interests and a mutual hatred of Brennan's bullying younger brother Derek.
3. Everything Must Go
Flexing his dramatic muscles, Ferrell stars alongside Biggie's son C.J. in this story of an end-of-his-rope alcoholic who sets up camp on his front lawn when his wife changes the locks on the same day that he loses his job. Things only get worse from there until he takes advantage of a legal loophole that allows him to host a yard sale for three days.
2. The Lego Movie
Ferrell's second animated movie features him in the dual role of legofied dictator President Business and the completely human Man Upstairs. President Business is such a twisted nutjob that Batman, Superman, Shaq and an army of heroes have to join forces to try and stop him.
1. Wedding Crashers
Though his role amounts to a glorified cameo, Ferrell's original crasher, Chazz Reinhold, who lives with his mom and has moved on to crashing funerals in search of dates, puts the icing on an already hilarious wedding cake.
Who knew Unbreakable was just the first step in a superhero trilogy? First, the vigilante and a villain got their origin stories. Then another villain emerged in Split. We can only assume that the hero faces off against two evildoers in Glass -- Dark Knight-style.
