All posts by Kenna

Wedding Comedy “Table 19”

comedy, drama, romance, ,

Five Strangers, One Wedding

Directed by Jeffrey Blitz, Table 19 follows Eloise, played by Anna Kendrick, an ex-maid of honor.

She’s been relieved of her duties after being unceremoniously dumped by the best man via text, and decides to hold her head high and attend her oldest friend’s wedding.

Feel-Good Wedding Rom-Com

She sits at a random table in the back of the ballroom with a disparate group of strangers, most of whom should have known to send regrets (but not before sending something nice off from the registry).

As the story reveals everyone’s secrets, Eloise learns a thing or two from the occupants of Table 19.  Friendships—and even a little romance—can happen under the most unlikely circumstances.

Enjoy the simple story about misfits who know they are better and deserve a better table.

Bill Nighy Delightful in “Their Finest”

comedy, drama, war, , ,

I love movies like this because it is a story and a story well told without the big box office blitz or big stars and super special effects.

Directed by Lone Scherfig,  Their Finest follows Catrin Cole, played by Gemma Arterton, who fills a man’s job because London has emptied of men now fighting at the Front. The British Ministry of Information hires her as a “slop” scriptwriter charged with bringing “a woman’s touch” to morale-boosting propaganda films. If you didn’t know, a slop writer adds the sentimental touch to a story.

Cole’s natural flair quickly gets her noticed by the dashing movie producer Buckley, played by Sam Claflin, whose path would never have crossed hers in peacetime. As bombs are dropping all around them, Catrin, Buckley, and a colorful crew work furiously to make a film that will warm the nation’s hearts.

Although Catrin’s artist husband looks down on her job, she quickly discovers there is as much camaraderie, laughter, and passion behind the camera as there is on screen.

Bill Nighy is charming in this film. It’s so good to see him in so many films of late.

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul” Adventure

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Just about a whole new cast in the latest installment of the Wimpy Kid franchise. It looks like fun, but a road trip? It could be fun. Hang on tight because I see some familiar faces.

Greg narrates throughout the film as summer starts with a surprise family road trip. Heffley’s plans go awry immediately. Along the wild way, they deal with a hotel showdown, a county fair pig triumph, a stolen pig situation, and a string of travel calamities that keep getting worse.

The movie adaptation, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, differs from the book by focusing on Meemaw’s 90th birthday party.

Guy Ritchie’s “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”

action, adventure, based on a book, legend, ,

Guy Ritchie has his signature all over this film, with choppy shots and hard rock music.  After viewing the trailer, I am not sure of the storyline, with its bold fantasy and gothic strokes.

Ritchie brings an edge to the epic fantasy action-adventure in his own dynamic style. We’ve all heard or read the story growing up. Starring Charlie Hunnam in the title role, King Arthur is an iconoclastic take on the classic Excalibur myth, tracing Arthur’s journey from the streets to the throne.

Jude Law is in the movie as well and knows Ritchie well from their Sherlock movies.  The film flopped with the reviews because of its departure from traditional King Arthur themes. Ritchie’s movie presented “a self-serving thug.”

“Girls Trip”

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When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods become rekindled, wild sides rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling, and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.

I have not heard so much filth in a long time. It looks like they are having fun, but not all women talk like that, right?

If you can find it, the Girls Trip trailer is hilarious.

“Wilson” Trailer

based on a book, comedy, drama, , , , , , , ,

Directed by Craig Johnson, and after watching the trailer, I had a pleasant laugh. Wilson may prove to be hilarious. The poster is not all that engaging because it shows two men at a urinal—big deal.

The trailer is hopeful. Lauren Dern has proved quite the actress of late. In The Fault in Our Stars and Wild, she played a mother, while in Wilson, she plays and wife and an uncaring mom.

Woody Harrelson stars as Wilson, a lonely, neurotic, and hilariously honest middle-aged cynic who reunites with his estranged wife, played by Laura Dern and gets a shot at happiness when he learns he has a teenage daughter, played by Isabella Amara. He has never met.  In his uniquely outrageous and slightly twisted way, he sets out to connect with her.

Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the movie expands on the book’s events beyond its single-page vignette style. The characters develop further as they fill in the blanks, and they are flawed. With that, the movie might be worth a watch if you like funny movies that make fun of people’s tragic lives.

“Collide” Interview With Hoult and Jones

action, romance, thriller, , , ,

Directed by Eran Creevy, Collide follows a young American backpacker who joins a ring of drug smugglers. He meets a woman, falls in love, and the chase begins.

He’s plunged into an adrenaline-pumping game of cat and mouse across Europe. They find themselves caught between two ruthless, feuding criminals.

The movie stars Nicholas Hoult, Oscar-winning Felicity Jones, and Oscar-winning Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley.

The wild, intricately folded, twisted story begins after a heist goes wrong. Casey Stein, played by Hoult, finds himself running from a ruthless gang headed by mob boss Hagen, played by Hopkins. Now Casey has precious cargo that belongs to Hagen, who will stop at nothing to retrieve it. Left with no choice, Casey calls his former employer and drug smuggler Geran, played by Kingsley, to protect his long-time girlfriend Juliette, played by Jones, before Hagen gets his hands on her. Casey sets out on an adrenaline-fueled car chase on the German highways to save the love of his life before it’s too late.

An excellent interview showcased the chemistry between actors Nicholas Hoult and Felicity Jones.

During the promotion and film release, some clips showed the intensity and craziness. After watching the trailer, I sense a twist at the end. Don’t you?

“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter”

action, adventure, science fiction, sequels, , , , , , , , ,

Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and based on Capcom’s hugely popular video game series, comes the latest movie from a popular video game film franchise.

The movie picks up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution.

Alice, played by Milla Jovovich, is the only survivor of what they meant to be humanity’s final stand against the undead.

Now, in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, she must return to where the nightmare began, at The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for the last strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse.

Game fans enjoy Resident Evil: The Final Chapter because they appreciate the loud, fast, familiar phenomenon. The movie doesn’t follow the games, yet fans still flock to movie theaters. Reviewers comment that for franchise fans, the movie can feel like a “fittingly kinetic conclusion” to the violent action-horror manner.

Game fans will enjoy the show.

Harrelson Directs “Lost in London LIVE”

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Directed by Woody Harrelson, this unprecedented live feature film event, Lost in London LIVE, he wrote and will also co-star with Owen Wilson and Willie Nelson, giving audiences the unique opportunity to watch a film shot in real-time.

Loosely based on a crazy night full of real-life events, the movie follows Harrelson, playing himself, as he struggles to get home to his family. Run-ins with royalty, old friends, and the law all seem to conspire to keep Harrelson from succeeding.

“I’ve always loved theatre and film and wanted to find the best way to merge the two. When I decided to shoot this in real-time, I realized it wasn’t quite like true theatre because the one piece missing was a live audience. By broadcasting the film live as it’s being shot, I hope to truly blend the excitement of live theater with the scale and scope of the film,” said Harrelson.

I hope this film event is a success because I get a kick out of people pushing the envelope in an industry that is remakes and sequels.

Butterfield Stars in “The Space Between Us”

adventure, family movies, romance, science fiction, , ,

Directed by Peter Chelsom, Space Between Us is an interplanetary adventure. A space shuttle embarks on the first mission to colonize Mars, only to discover after takeoff that one astronaut is pregnant.

Shortly after landing, she dies from complications while giving birth to the first human born on the red planet— never revealing who the father is. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Gardner Elliot, played by Asa Butterfield—an inquisitive, highly intelligent boy who turns 16, having met only 14 people in his very unconventional upbringing.

While searching for clues about his father and the home planet he’s never known, Gardner begins an online friendship with a street-smart girl in Colorado named Tulsa, played by Britt Robertson. When he finally has time to go to Earth, he’s eager to experience all the wonders he could only read about on Mars— from the simplest to the extraordinary. But once his explorations begin, scientists discover that Gardner’s organs can’t withstand Earth’s atmosphere.

Eager to find his father, Gardner escapes the team of scientists and joins with Tulsa in a race against time to unravel the mysteries of how he came to be and where he belongs in the universe.

Gary Oldman, Brit Robertson, and Carla Cugino also star in the film.