Category Archives: movies

Paper Angels

drama, holiday, movies, television, , , , ,

paper angelsDuring the holidays we will notice Christmas tree displays with paper angels hanging from their boughs. If you look closely you will see a name of a child. Below the child’s name is a list of items the child wants or needs for Christmas.  The idea is for you to take one and buy the items on the list.  You, then, return the gifts to the location of the Christmas tree display.  The heartwarming tradition has been done for at least a hundred years.

Directed by David Winning, Paper Angels is based on the book of the same name by author Jimmy Wayne, also known as Billboard Top Ten charted country music artist.  The movie is a gorgeous look at what happens to an abused wife, played by Josie Bissett, who leaves her alcoholic husband and moves with her children to another town.

The story follows her son Thomas, played by Rustin Gresiuk, as his mother tries to build a new life for her and her children.  Thomas see her experience many challenges that the whole family faces.  That is where the paper angels come into play. Salvation Army enables a child to enjoy a blessed Christmas with the traditional paper angels program they do every year.  Thomas fills out a paper angel in hopes of making life easier for his mother.

Thomas encounters a disillusioned businessman, played by Mathew Settle, who picked his name from the tree.  As the story unfolds we see through Thomas that there is more to know about a person than the way they look on the outside.  The story gives us hope, resolve, love, commitment, and thoughtfulness. Sure, Thomas experiences disappointment, hurt, and anger. In the end is an uplifting story that draws attention to the spirituality of the season.

Paper Angels is one of the best Christmas TV movies I have seen in a long time.  It is well worth your time to watch and share with your family and friends.

Dark Places

book, drama, movies, murder, mystery, , , , , , , ,

darkplacesFrench director Gilles Paquet-Brenner helmed Dark Places as a drama-mystery about an impoverished Kansas City farming family. All but two members of the family were murdered three decades ago. The story is told through Libby Day, played by , while she flashbacks to younger Libby Day, played by Sterling Jerins. Libby and her brother, Ben, played by Corey Stoll, are the two remaining family members from the night of the murders. Ben is serving a life sentence for the murders. The younger Ben is seen in flashbacks played by Tye Sheridan. There are also present circumstances that keep the story interesting. A true crime club that solves crimes and proves those who are wrongly accused innocent. The club is headed by Lyle, played by Nicholas Hoult. The club holds strong evidence that Ben is innocent. It was younger Libby’s testimony that sent younger Ben to prison. Lyle leans heavy on Libby to prove her brother’s innocence. As the movie unfolds, past and present meet and the truth about the night of the murders is unraveled.

Dark Places is based on the book by Gillian Flynn who wrote the bestseller Gone Girl and the screenplay for the same-titled movie. Gone Girl did well at the box office and nabbed some award nominations. Even though Dark Places had a limited release, I thought it played better than Gone Girl because the story seems more real in circumstances and characters. Both stories are intricately folded and twisted, but Dark Places wraps up nicely while Gone Girl leaves a few points and characters entangled.

Theron makes the story believable because she is an outstanding actress.  Like Gone Girl there are minor storylines that drew me in to the film. Paquet-Brenner led the cast with honest acting in a very well paced movie. I am kind of surprised it didn’t have a wide release because it is so good. So, if you see the movie streaming or on the DVD shelf, I suggest you grab it and watch it. You will be entertained.

Christmas at the Cartwright’s

movies, romance, television, , , , ,

christmascartwrightLike most Hallmark movies, Christmas at Cartwright’s is a charming movie that comes around the Christmas season each year. Cartwright’s is a fine example that Hallmark movies are innocuous, amusing and heartwarming to watch.

Directed by Graeme Campbell, the story follows Nicky Talbot, played by Alicia Witt, who is a single mother and without prior notice becomes unemployed.  With Christmas just coming up, being without a job is going to be tough finding a way to earn money to give her daughter Becky, played by T.J. McGibbon, an engaging and cheerful Christmas with a few gifts.

Nicky finds out a local department store called Cartwright’s is hiring extra staff for the holiday shopping season. She applies for a position. Nicky is happy because it appears she will have a job, but Fiona Aldrich, played by Gabrielle Miller,  a senior executive at the store, puts a curb on her plans and turns her down for the job.  Fiona is jealous of Nicky because she has seen her with Fiona’s would-be boyfriend named Bill.  Gabriel Hogan plays Bill, who is the store manager.

Along comes Harry Osbourne, played by Wallace Shawn, he suggests Nicky work as the store Santa. That way she can keep her identity hidden from the other workers.  We are talking Hallmark magic here on the storyline. It is a little unbelievable for a young woman playing an older man as Santa. It gets funny at times, but still hard to believe.

Christmas at Cartwright’s is a fun movie to watch with the whole family.  All the actors are great. Their roles are believable and engaging. The movie is timeless because it is like a fairy tale where you have to believe what is happening to get into the holiday magic. Like all fairy tales the story is worth seeing again every Christmas.

Vendetta

action, movies, police drama, , , ,

vendettaDirected by twins Jen and Sylvia Soska, Vendetta is a movie shot predominately in a prison, which keeps the production cost down. Produced by the WWE and starring wrestler Paul “The Big Show” Wight as a massive villain. Vendetta is billed as an action movie, and the male dominated tone surprises me that two women directed this WWE brand of entertainment.

The movie stars Dean Cain as Mason, a strong, crusty detective who we meet in the opening scene. He apprehends Victor, played by Wight, but is released on a technicality. Victor is out for revenge and arrives at Mason’s home and beats his wife, played by Kyra Zagorsky, to death and gets caught.

Mason snaps and embarks on a vendetta against the man who shattered his life. He kills Victor’s brother, played by Aleks Paunovic, and is thrown in the same prison where Victor is serving his time.

Victor holds quite a bit of power in the prison and calls the shots. Getting involved in one violent altercation after another, now a former cop, Mason meets the prison’s sleazy warden, played entertainingly by Michael Eklund. He called him into his office after one of his attackers is placed in the hospital by Mason.

The warden scolds Mason and decides his pal Victor can eliminate Mason for him.  Mason asks his former partner in the police force, played by Ben Hollingsworth, to help him nail the corrupted warden and his cohorts.

How the story unfolds from here is endless fight scenes showing off Cain’s muscle toned body.  Cain is good and delivers a physical performance worth watching. Wight’s massive body regales convincingly as he struts like a professional wrestler when he choke holds opponent after opponent.

The story builds to a prison riot as part of the ending of the movie.

Chain of Command

action, movies, , , ,

chainDirected by Kevin Carraway and starring Steve Austin and Michael Jai White, Chain of Command is a movie that went direct to DVD. I am not surprised because the movie is not very good with nothing original about the plot. It is about a military man, played by White, who works to expose those responsible for his brother’s death because it is his duty and his need to get revenge.

I have seen White in better movies like Black Dynamite. That I highly recommend. Another recent movie called Skin Trade, where White stars with Tony Jaa, is quite good, too. Watching him in a movie like Chain of Command is painful because it is such a bad movie.  White is talented, and he should pick better movies where he has the opportunity to let his talent be seen on the screen.

The movie doesn’t do justice for Austin either. His scenes are lengthy tirades with no substance to back him up.  That adds up to being boring with a big yawn.  All in all, this movie is not worth watching.  It is about Special Operative James Webster. He just returned home from duty, only to witness the brutal slaying of his brother. Webster immediately tries to retaliate and hunt down the perpetrators, but as he delves deeper into the secret world of corruption and murder, he finds himself at the center of a deadly conspiracy that cuts deep inside the walls of the US Government.  The most ruthless military assassin, played by Austin, is hot on his trail.  Webster must expose the corrupt high-ranking officials before he becomes just another victim of the evil plan to destroy.

https://youtu.be/LQhRAXE40K0

Skin Trade

action, movies, police drama, , , , , ,

skintradeSkin Trade is one of those direct to DVD movies that ends up being a really good movie, and probably would have done well in the theaters. Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, the story is about the buying and selling of human beings, particularly women, and two detectives from different countries trying to put an end to the human trafficking ring. One cop is from Thailand. Detective Tony Vitayakul, played by dynamic martial arts champion Tony Jaa. The other cop is from NYC. Detective Nick Cassidy, played by Dolph Lundgren. Turns out they are both after the same crime lord from Serbia. Viktor, played by Ron Perlman, runs the trafficking underworld while getting his family involved at different locations around the world.

Detective Cassidy tracks down Viktor and his youngest son. They have a shootout, and Viktor’s son is killed, but Viktor escapes. The crime lord backlashes at Cassidy by having his men kill his wife, wound him and kidnap his daughter.

Cassidy decides to go after Viktor on his own because he doesn’t trust FBI Agent Reed, played Michael Jai White. He lands in Thailand. Reed alerts Detective Vitayakul that he is in his country. Both the FBI and Vitayakul go after Cassidy, and he escapes barely as Vitayakul chases after Cassidy. Here we get to see Jaa and Lundgren at their most impressive martial arts skills. What a chase this scene offers with speeds through the streets and alleys of Thailand. It ends with an awesome all-out exchange of blows between the two.  Stuff like this makes the movie impressive.

Tony and Cassidy figure out the traitor, come to terms and work together to take down Viktor, including the human trafficking ring.  More hand-to-hand combat occurs, keeping the movie all action. At the same time, the story shines through and is better than most movies of this genre. The acting is good. All in all, the movie is worth watching.

https://youtu.be/q6bebVIJj_A

Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe

legend, movies, television, , , , , , , , , , , ,

secretlifeMarilynSecret Life of Marilyn Monroe grazes the surface concerning the part of the entertainment industry where malicious people lurk. These life suckers are few in numbers, but the few that are there can wreak havoc because they are sly and go unnoticed. This movie answers the questions of what happened to the demise of Judy Garland, Brian Wilson, Elvis Presley, Robin Williams and so forth. Remember when Marilyn Monroe died she was under the unfaithful care of a psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson. This mini-series is not all that factual about her true demons, but it does show the demise of her life relating to the demise of her mother.

The mini-series frames Marilyn as a tragic figure, pouring her heart and life out to a psychologist, played by Jack Noseworthy. The director, Laurie Collyer, has Noseworthy play the doctor as one who listens as Monroe recalls her life. The story begins with Marilyn being taken away from her mother. Susan Sarandon’s daughter, Eva Amurri Martino, plays the younger version of her mother while Sarandon plays the older version.  We learn that Marilyn was raised by a guardian she named Aunt Grace, played convincingly by Emily Watson. She was also in an orphanage, but married at 16 just to find a place to live.

Within a few years, Norma Jean, now played honestly by Kelli Garner, launched her modeling career and slowly began to pursue her ambition to work in the movies.  Soon, she discovers that being beautiful isn’t the send all to success. She advances once she establishes relationships with powerful men, including Johnny Hyde, played by Tony Nardi, a studio executive and her agent. He points her career in the right direction and changes her name to Marilyn Monroe. She is on her path to stardom.

Marilyn’s success came with new pressures. As professed in the mini-series, the studio pushed pills to keep her functioning. In truth, the studio doctors pushed the pills. The studio just wanted her stable and working.  They didn’t have the solution to help her, so they counted on the resident psychiatrist to help her.

Despite all the pressures, Marilyn begins her sizzling romance with Joe DiMaggio, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  Their relationship ends, and she falls in love with playwright Arthur Miller, played by Stephen Bogaert.

So far the series doesn’t shed light on anything new about Marilyn. Where are the secrets? We’ve all heard and seen this before. Still, the acting and directing keeps the interest high.

We also get a glimpse of John F. Kennedy.  Here we see the famous performance by Marilyn singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to him. Garner not only looks the part, her voice matches Marilyn’s voice and mannerisms. It is an honest performance worth mentioning because of the nature of the material.

Yet, as the director Collyer takes the adapted screenplay and tries to explain away Marilyn’s troubles with mental illness. That is not her job as a director – just tell the story. Sure, being a successful artist in any field is stressful and should be addressed with honesty.  I am sure there is a side to Marilyn that is very positive and endearing. But, this series portrays her, like most interpretations, as pity. “Everyone uses everyone,” according to a line in the movie. I beg to differ because if she truly had help, she would still be alive today.

We need to help artists in any way that is non-destructive with drugs and confinement.  Do no harm but help with safe and sane methods.

Families of the World: Families of Puerto Rico

documentary, movies, ,

FamilyPRI thought I’d take a look at one of the multi-award-winning live-action Families of the World series episodes called Families of Puerto Rico. The purpose of the series is to give an intimate portrait into the lives of people in countries around the globe.

Another reason I decided to view the Puerto Rico DVD is the recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15, 2015. Known as a time for people to recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States and celebrate the group’s heritage and culture.

The Puerto Rico episode introduces an adorable nine-year-old boy named Jose. He lives with his mother, father and sister Tanya, in the capital city of San Juan. A hurricane is on its way, so Jose and his family are making preparations while still going about their day, which includes school for Jose and his sister, and work for their parents. Jose shares the history of his homeland’s name. He explains the island of Borinquen was renamed Puerto Rico by the Spanish after a visit and claiming by explorer Christopher Columbus. He also touches on what “good manners” mean in his country, and his desire to be a veterinarian when he grows up.

The series also introduces eight-year-old Laura. She lives on a farm with her mother and father. She attends private school more than an hour away, learning both English and Spanish while her parents work.  She talks about her weekly piano lesson and introduces her pet Coquis frog. Later she visits the world’s largest radio telescope to listen to radio waves from outer space and reads before turning in for the day.

I enjoyed visiting these two children and learning about another culture. I recommend the series because taking a look at other cultures allows us a better understand of the world.

https://youtu.be/JuLMosgUwmo

American Heist

movies, , , , , ,

amercianheistDirected by Sarik Andreasyan, American Heist is your typical thug movie without anything special to mention. With lines like “It was always me and you against the world.”, originality is lacking big time. Frankie, played by Adrien Brody, is just out of jail. His brother and crime partner, played by Hansen Christensen, is living a clean life after getting his act together while his brother was in jail.  But, Frankie doesn’t have any money or home. He needs his brother’s help to carry out one last heist. The final heist isn’t just for Frankie. Its success will help them both.  Added to the mix is some bad boy rappers, and they don’t really ad that much to the movie. Sorry boys.

I wasn’t bored watching the movie, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a bad movie at all. There are some points in the movie that I did enjoy, but the story is pretty nonspecific with Brody carrying the movie on his shoulders by pure talent.  When I see Christensen in a movie, I am looking for the Shatter Glass performance that impressed me so.  Not in this movie, I am still hoping and watching.

Hollywood heist movies are very popular if done right. Such movies as Ocean Eleven, Reservoir Dogs, and The Usual Suspects are fine examples of these movies using elements that set them apart from parallel stories.  American Heist is not unique in that sense, which is its downfall. It is a typical movie that needs some panache in order to be good and worth watching.

Love & Mercy

legend, movies, romance, , , , , , , , ,

L&M_bdskewLove & Mercy delves into the part of the entertainment industry where evil people lurk. Such people control and manipulate the artist while feeding off the artist’s life force, creativity, energy force or whatever you want to call it. There are not a lot of these life suckers, but the few that are there can wreak havoc. This movie answers the questions of what happened to Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Robin Williams and so forth. Luckily, Brian Wilson meets a woman who has the tenacity to help him and save his life.

The movie directed by Bill Pohlad, his second film as a director, takes a refreshing, and almost clandestine, approach to the story about Beach Boys co-founder and song writer, Brian Wilson. Two very talented actors play Wilson in different stages of his life. Paul Dano is the younger Brian. Here we see him with his cousin and a good friend, together; they launch the Beach Boys musical group in the early 1960’s. John Cusack is Brian in the 1980’s while under the control of his ingenious and vicious psychologist, Dr. Eugene Landy, played truthfully by Paul Giamatti.

The story flashes forward and back while twisting the lives of both the young Brian and the old Brian. Watching young Brian create memorable music, we see a whiz kid. He starts with “surfer” music and moves to more complicated music produced as studio sound. During this time we hear some great music by the young Brian Wilson. He is a unique soul, creating hit song after song.

He did have problems to face, such as not wanting to fly in an airplane or being on the road with the Beach Boys. So, he refused going on the road and worked in the studio instead. He also took popular recreational drugs at the time, which probably caused all his problems. Some may label him while others would say he did have demons, but psychiatric treatment is not the answer.

Dano is great as the young Wilson. His performance captures Wilson and his various mood swings and eccentricities. Here the viewer must not mistake this for mental illness. He is a genius while conversing about the mind and spirit. The older Wilson is constantly under the psychotherapy of Landy’s 24-hour surveillance and over-medication and misdiagnosis. He blatantly manipulates Wilson guising help with a colorized screen of undermining half-truths, invalidation and total lies.

The older Wilson decides he wants a new Cadillac and meets saleswoman, and his champion, Melinda Ledbetter, played brilliantly by Elizabeth Banks. They fall for each other and begin dating, supervised by Landy and his associates. History will prove that there were other interests that Landy had in Wilson other than his mental health, which Melinda touches on as she confronts the ill-intended psychologist.

At first, the flashbacks are a little annoying because the younger Wilson and the older Wilson are two very different people. After awhile it all makes sense. Both the young and old versions are hard to watch, yet Melinda proposes a breather of hope. And when she confronts Landy, I cheer her on. She does the right thing and doesn’t smack him in his demented face as he shrinks back from her absolutely determined smile. She saves Wilson and flourishes.