"Ben is Back" Takes a Hard Look at Opioid Addiction

by John Zenoni

I watched an amazing film tonight on a very relevant topic - the ever increasing opioid addiction. “Ben is Back” is an excellent film with outstanding performances by Julia Roberts, who plays Ben’s mom Holly, and Lucas Hedges, who plays Ben. 

Ben is an addict and you realize this from the very beginning of the movie. The minute he shows up at his family home, his younger sister nervously calls her stepdad to hurry and get home. She does love him but it's implied that he has been nothing but trouble for the family in the past because of his addiction. Ben is home because he hopes to ‘do things right’ this time but he's an addict and his actions indicate that it's going to be very difficult to stay clean. This is a very hard film to watch because it's not pleasant or joyful. But it's an important film because of the way it portrays the problem of addiction. 

As stated, the acting is phenomenal and there's one scene in particular that just rips your heart out. Lucas Hedges has been in several good movies in the past couple of years and he's definitely high on my list of great actors. Highly recommend this one.

"Apollo 11" Micro Review

by John Zenoni

Went to see the film “Apollo 11” tonight and it is an absolutely mesmerizing documentary on the mission of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as they take their historic trip to the moon. The never-before-seen footage in this is amazing and keeps you captivated the whole time. It's fascinating to know how much work, time, energy and brilliant minds are needed behind such events. How NASA’s scientists and workers could be so precise on things such as where the module would land, etc. is beyond me. Great film!

"Us" is an Enjoyable Head-Scratcher

by John Zenoni

To quote a critic who did a great job capturing most of the things I wanted to say about 'Us': ‘It’s one of the most perplexing films you’re likely to see in multiplexes this year.’ I saw the film on Thursday night at a 7:30 showing and it had a pretty good turn out as I had expected. What I did not expect was the mixed reaction of the audience, both during and after the film. There were scenes where some people laughed but I couldn't tell if the director intended the audience to laugh at said scene or not. Then there were some scenes that to me were terrifying and yet no one seemed to jump or scream or make any sound. After the movie was over and we were all walking out, I heard some people say it was so good and then I heard others say they had no idea what the movie was about. 


I really did enjoy this film and would definitely recommend it but it's a movie that's going to have you scratching your head. It is not as creepy as I had expected, based on the film trailers, but it still has its scary moments. The thing about this film is there are so many takeaways from it - the symbolism, the metaphors, the use of color, music and sound. I'm still trying to make sense of the allegory and irony. Honestly, it's almost like a Stanley Kubrick film in that regard. That being said, the cast was great for the most part, especially Lupita Nyong’O who is superb in ‘both’ of her parts. The suspense does build and then it reaches a point where you think, ‘What?’ Frankly, I'm still trying to get the ending. I may have to see it again to pick up on everything. It's a great follow up - but definitely not as good as - ‘Get Out’. But Jordan Peele is no doubt a director to contend with and I see him having a long film career. It is different that's for sure!





Related:



"Get Out" Delivers Horror AND Social Satire

"Captain Marvel" Micro-Review

by Tempi D.

What a waste. Captain Marvel is two steps -- two small steps -- above Power Rangers. It's a Guardians of the Galaxy/Star Wars wannabe. I should've known better -- the trailer was stupid with a capital "S". #foreheadslap

"The Hate U Give" Touches on Topics That Everyone Should Think About

by John Zenoni

“The Hate U Give” is an amazing film and one that definitely makes you think about the injustices that still take place in our society today. It touches on things that everyone should think and talk about - people of all races - and how we need to try and work together to make things better. The acting is amazing - I have to say the entire cast is awesome. There were so many tense scenes in this film and I think my wife and I jumped at least three times during the movie. It was very hard to watch at times because of the loss of an innocent young life due to police brutality but it is something everyone should see. Great film that tackles a tough topic!

June 2019 Movie Trailers

Yesterday looks to be the most promising of the June crop. We'll see how it goes.





June 7


Dark Phoenix

Of all the movies due out this summer Dark Phoenix has the most potential to go sideways. It'll be the follow-up to X-Men: Apocalypse -- which sucked donkey nuts -- and sort of a do-over for X-Men: The Last Stand -- which was also ass -- but maybe the folks at Fox Studios recognize that they need to burn whatever blueprint they used for those movies and will instead go in the direction of Logan. If so, this could actually be a winner. Hugh Jackman won't be around to lend a hand on-camera but maybe he can give a few pointers behind-the-scenes. But the fact that Dark Phoenix got pushed back from November 2018 to February 2019 and now to June is not a good sign at all. 



















The Secret Life of Pets 2

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

June 21


Toy Story 4

Child's Play

June 28

Yesterday

Annabelle Comes Home