I had never heard of this film which happens to star two hall of fame actors, so I had to give it a viewing. De Niro and Streep are both in mediocre marriages, one has kids, and this story follows their slow path from a chance meeting into a wanting to spend more time together, while they slowly find ways to be away from their marriage and family. This film does a nice job of portraying how even small events and choices can lead certain people down the wrong path. It even highlights each character's internal questioning of 'why am I doing this' type of pondering. De Niro has a nice early career role with a subtle and quiet performance vs his most boisterous famous characters. So, will the two sever their marriages and families for what they perceive as true love?
Reviews
1,237 Reviews
Atlas
(2024)
I Bet We'll See More Stories Like These
31 May 2024
This movie reminded of a mash-up between "Pacific Rim" as well as "Jexi" with Adam Devine. LOL. As A. I. is getting more integrated into people's lives, the pros/cons/concerns of that will be discussed and argued more and more. J. Lo plays a scientific data analyst with severe mistrust of A. I. She joins a group of Rangers, who operate inside a large fighting A. I. robot of which they are mentally linked, in order to stop a different rogue A. I. robot. J. Lo gets thrust into action and into one of these Ranger robots she mistrusts. Much of the film is built around the relationship of her A. I. robot and her attitude toward it in tense situations. Will she resort to trusting A. I. in order to stop another A. I.? The movie does hit on some of those societal points while mixing in a slew of solid CGI action.
The Crush
(1993)
This is a bit more than a simple crush
30 May 2024
This felt inspired by "Lolita" yet lacking all the finesse of the original. Yet this was the film that launched Alicia Silverstone into those Aerosmith music videos and into more movies as this was her debut. She did a solid job acting and displayed a range of believable emotions. The movie is about a journalist who rents an over the garage room from a family who has a 14-year-old daughter. The poor guy just wants to write but this girl keeps grabbing his attention. He tries to avoid an underage entanglement but he's ensnared by a kiss which she uses as leverage to torment him until he succumbs to her romantic desires. Who will have the upper hand and how intense will her tormenting go? This is a decent movie yet left room for cinematic improvement.
Life Reflection as Visual Dreamscape
30 May 2024
This was impressive on many fronts but I must highlight the set design complimented by the cinematography. They were imaginative, creative, surreal at times and punctuated the more philosophical scenes of this meandering story. A story of a man contemplating his life choices and the downstream effects on his children as you weave in and out of some significant moments of his life. There are many discussion scenes between him and his children discussing their Mexican heritage and the choice to live in the US and perhaps even to move back to their homeland. The scenes revolving around his own life are more surreal and dreamlike as in the start of the film a baby his wife has just delivered let the doctors know it wanted to return....and....it does. So that was rather traumatic. Overall, the film is visually stunning and contemplative and feels a bit like Terrence Malick's style.
Play Misty for Me
(1971)
Fanatical for Clint
28 May 2024
As weird as this film is, I bet this has happened before in real life to varying degrees. Clint plays a suave disc jockey, spinning vinyl back in that era. Turns out he has an admirer. Evelyn is that gal and she has plans to catch his eye at a bar he commonly frequents. It works and they boogie down one evening and Clint is kind enough to have a follow up date. Then each time he tries to create some space, as he had no serious intensions and was up front about it, she engineers or guilts him into another date or activity. She begins to show up at places he is at by surprise. He tries to be firm but the more he pushes her away, the more she smothers him. To what extreme will she go to be with him or will she ever get the hint? This is a cool and small budget feeling tale about obsession. Well-acted with solid surprise and tension. I had no idea Evelyn is the grandmother from "Arrested Development" until I looked at the cast. That was a surprising as scenes in the film.
The Silencing
(2020)
Totally Average Detective Cat & Mouse
28 May 2024
This is like buying the base model vehicle from a mid-tier car company. Is has some nice bits but misses some higher quality execution to make the movie really excel. At its core this is a detective movie taking place in a wooded location with some suspicious characters. There is some decent character intrigue, moody music and an atmosphere that works for sneaking around. The story misses on some strange character actions, some badly lit shots and not really giving the viewer enough info to chew on which hurts emotional tension. It could use another pass at story development but overall it was a fine movie.
Spaceman
(I) (2024)
Huge Spider as Hard-Hitting Marriage Counselor
24 May 2024
Browsing Netflix, I spotted a Sandler dressed as an astronaut and clicked play thinking comedy forgetting he's in his cool "Uncut Gems" phase so this was far from a comedy yet still unusual. It was mellow, methodically paced and had a super calm music score yet also full of introspective depth. Sandler had embarked on a remarkable celestial exploration solo voyage out into deep space. However, he left back on Earth his pregnant wife. With so much time to ponder his life choices, he starts to feel guilty and wonders why he made this choice. His feelings are natural and expected, however it takes a giant spider to help him talk through it all. This is more a character study than a Sci-fi film but Sandler does a nice job carrying the story. Where will his thoughts take him?
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
(2019)
Creative Hurdles
24 May 2024
When artists have their creativity streams plugged up does it make them a menace to society....? Strange perspective but that was the life of the protagonist Bernadette. She is a mother, wife and used to have more free time for her creations and architecture, which is causing her mental strife. Her negative emotions rub off on her neighbors and daughter's school social sphere. When her daughter asks to go on a family vacation to the arctic, will her parents give the green light and will this unexpected opportunity be an avenue to get Bernadette's creative juices flowing? Overall, this movie has light social-based humor, solid acting yet never really gathered emotional momentum. The plot was unique yet cloudy.
BlackBerry
(2023)
Feels Like Taking a Hit of CrackBerry
24 May 2024
This was great. It was singularly focused on telling a rapid fire and very cohesive and engrossing story of what could be a fairly bland topic. The origins and rise of BlackBerry. Whoopdie-do. It certainly isn't as tech-sexy as a story about Apple or Steve Jobs but it had great character development with distinctive characters, engaging storytelling and the story was smartly and efficiently assembled. Beyond all that I actually learned about why BlackBerry devices were such a good product as well as popular and the technology that ran them. This was highly enjoyable but could have lost 50% of the cursing and got the point across.
Blended
(2014)
Cute, Zingers Flinging, Dose of Crass and Romance
21 May 2024
Barrymore and Sandler play the romance duo again. This time as single parents with three kids each they meet up for a horrible blind date at Hooters. Fast forward and both families end up spending a vacation together in Africa. Bet you didn't see that coming. Hijinks ensue between the kids as Barrymore and Sandler pester each other. Yet between the pestering, an unusual connection is made. Will things end up happy or sad and how will the 6 kids factor in? This was much more amusing than I expected and for how many characters there were, it had ample character development. I didn't buy the romance wrench than most movies have 3/4 through but overall it was funny and well-meaning.
The Man Who Laughs
(1928)
Unique Classic Old Tale
15 May 2024
Imagine a real-life man who has the same problem as The Joker; an endless smile. This is the story about this man who grows up with a face stuck in smile mode. He becomes a clown to make ends meet and later befriends a blind woman who can't see his peculiar affliction. Later on, he meets a woman who is the spitting image of the pop star Madonna in her Material Girl phase who appears to become fond of him after learning he has a connection to wealth. Will this woman ascertain his wealth, fall in love or will she ever realize his unique affliction? This is certainly a unique tale for the late 1920s.
Der blaue Engel
(1930)
Dietrich's Allure Too Much For Uptight Professor
15 May 2024
A stuffy professor gets ensnared by a ravishing singing and performing woman; played by Marlena Dietrich. Noticing that his students were distracted in class by pin up photos of this woman, he marches down to address the matter. While doing so, becomes enraptured by her allure and falls for her much to the chagrin of his peers. Witness his character change from a respected professor to a....'er....less respected character, especially when another man moves in on his lady. How will this affect his teaching career? This apparently was one of the early films that launched Dietrich's career while she had a couple singing numbers to highlight her full acting range.
Straight Time
(1978)
Raw, Honest and Quietly Engrossing
10 May 2024
Simply put, this movie was highly engaging with just honest acting and very good storytelling. Not a flashy film yet Hoffman's portrayal of a career criminal, Max, carries the film along with sold supporting characters. Max seemingly wants to make good choices yet easily falls back into what he knows, burglary. The film smoothly weaves between his emotions, thought process and occasional temper as well as a light romantic thread while he tries to get one more score to help him start a new chapter in his life. Overall, this was a pleasant surprise which also had many great actors and actresses early in their career.
Unfrosted
(2024)
Rapid Fire Silliness
10 May 2024
Seinfeld's comedy stretched to movie length. Leave it to Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan to star in a movie about sugary breakfast foods. The crux of the movie revolves around powerful cereal makers Kellogg's and Post, in the early 60s, to see who will be able to bring to market the next big thing, two rectangles with fruit in-between. See how the idea is born, taste tested, brought to market and promoted. The fast-paced scenes are riddled with jokes and gags with colorful period sets. This was funny, highly entertaining and felt fresh and modern and loaded with unexpected cameos from actors playing their notable characters.
There's No Tomorrow
(1939)
Tumultuous Life Leads to Dramatic Life Choices
7 May 2024
A woman is working at a sleezy night club where she must dance and wear risqué outfits. The gentlemen that accompany her for drinks notices she is different from the typical gals. Turns out she has a son to feed and care for while her husband is out of the picture and soiled their family name, thus making it impossible for her to get respectable work. A man from her past suddenly appears and she attempts to quickly build a false façade in hopes of winning him over without him knowing the unsavory paths she has taken. The director did use some restraint with character and story direction, less over the top dramatic, near the end which totally accentuates the emotional turmoil and leads to a striking ending. An ending that lingers on the palette like a fine wine yet sends a chill up the spine.
The Four Seasons
(1981)
Four Seasons of Drama
7 May 2024
First time seeing Carol Burnett in a film vs her TV show. This film is pure screenplay and acting and "The Four Seasons" title takes you through emotional phases of three married couples as they spend vacations together during each of the seasons. They all get along great with meaningful discussion over tasty meals. Yet the drama escalates when one husband decides to get divorced. This throws the nicely balanced group out of order and triggers some weighty personally focused topics to light. Will their bond of friendship survive when people grievances are aired. Overall, great actors delivering real and raw performances. Dialog drama trumps cinematic appeal every step of the way.
Summertime
(1955)
Katherine Hepburn Travelog
25 April 2024
Hepburn visits Venice and wanders around alone enjoying the sites and food yet feels lonely, go fugure. As she ended immerses herself in the culture, a dapper chap strikes her fancy and her external mental focuses turn inwards with the fragrance of romance in the Italian air. As the Italian scenery turns dark, so do the complexities of the romance. Will the suave chap be able to real in Hepburn or will she flee back to America and calm? This is obviously a picturesque film with the focus on the acting, scenery and food. I bet for its time, 1955, and common air travel just taking off, it filled the theater seats especially with Hepburn headlining.
The Whistle Blower
(1986)
Clever Yet a Bit Drab
25 April 2024
This is a great classic film for those Michael Caine fans. A former military man (Caine) is notified his son has tied. Originally clarified as an accident or suicide, he believes he was murdered. His son had worked for British intelligence service, so his father presumes there is a connection as some things didn't add up. Michael Caine's character self-proclaims he is just a normal dude but is really skilled at cleverly extracting information from people to help lead him to uncovering the truth. Will he uncover the truth or die trying? This is a straight-shooting film carried by Michael Cane. Enjoyable and entertaining yet a tad plain.
Serena
(I) (2014)
Love Goes Haywire
22 April 2024
Well, some bad life decisions catch up with a logging company owner. Mr. Pemberton (Cooper) is seeking to grow his logging business into a global empire. Located in a small and remote forest town in the 1880s or so he messes around with a cute helper girl. He later spots a confident horse-riding lady (Lawrence) who strikes his fancy and they marry hastily. She has a background in logging processes and is a proven asset to his business. Her arrival slowly upsets the balance of power and influence in the small town and mistrust and selfish actions sprout up as quickly as trees are hacked down. The igniter to the strife is a fertility accident she has, which also triggers some internal mental struggles. Watch as the drama unfolds and see if the logging empire will prosper. This was a solid little period piece with some good dramatic acting and nice lighting and cinematography. The story did seem to create a few abrupt character decision which could have been smoothed out with a bit more time allowed.
Shirley
(2024)
Bold Woman; Less Bold Storytelling
22 April 2024
This Shirley is possibly even more bold than Shirley, the waitress cooking up burgers for Rerun, from "What's Happening!" This is a great piece of American culture as it is about the first black congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm, who became the first Black woman to run for President of the United States. She was portrayed as a smart and savvy person who wouldn't let people tell her no or that she couldn't or shouldn't do something she believed in. The story follows her as she ramps up her presidential run, the people in her inner circle, her husband's role and of course the obstacles she had to overcome. Overall, the storytelling lacked finesse and subtly as it was a bit heavy-handed at times and felt like a choppy bullet list of moments. The acting and costumes felt spot on. Cool political and inspirational story.
Tiptoes
(2002)
Strange Film with Big Names
18 April 2024
With more dwarves than "Timebandits", Tiptoes takes a more somber tone around a couple who discover they are going to have a baby. Only at this point the woman learns that guy has a brother who is a dwarf and others in his family thus there is a chance and concern their child may also be born a dwarf. So, they have conversations and discuss this topic with their dwarf buddies and what will this mean for their relationship. The viewer waits to see if their child will be a dwarf or not and if it so, how will they manage their new reality? Overall, this has an interesting core point but is handled with lackluster emotions, cinematography and drama. Dinklage added some side humor and even though I knew Gary Oldman was in this, I never even noticed him...he is a true acting chameleon.
The Little Things
(2021)
Obsessing to Capture a Serial Killer
18 April 2024
Deke (Denzel) and Baxter (Rami) play two detectives who become intently focused on nabbing a serial killer. They sort of team up as Deke, an out of the box thinker, may have some past clues to help solve the recent murder Baxter is working on. This has a slight vibe of "SE7EN" yet is its own film. They both latch on to a suspect but the trick for the viewer is to see if this truly is the killer or are the detectives so intent of solving this case, inner turmoil plot points from the past, that they are too eager in their clue hunting and assessment. Overall, this film is well-acted, mysterious and sets a great atmosphere throughout. It does keep the viewer thinking and wondering even past the fine scene.
Dumplin'
(2018)
School Bullies Should Watch This In Detention
15 April 2024
Sure, this sends a potpourri of good messages but it just felt a bit too Hallmark. Maybe that was the goal. You of course knew who to root for but felt very little emotional engagement or concern. Willowdean, nicknamed Dumplin' by her image conscious mother is a high school girl with a plump figure. Her mother is managing the school's beauty pageant and is embarrassed that her daughter would enter. By entering she gives confidence for other unexpected girls to enter while also teaching hey Mom some lager lessons along the way. So, will the prettiest girl win this year and will her Mom learn some new lessons? Additionally, will Dumplin's confidence strengthen or come crumbling down? That's the kind of movie this is. The acting was just fine. The screenplay was too shallow; needed a bit more teeth to extract viewer emotions.
Bird on a Wire
(1990)
Stereotypical 80s Action/Romance
11 April 2024
Even though this is 1990, this is pure 80s. Gibson, play a dude who has been given a new identity for helping convict a shady FBI who was dealing drugs. While repairing cars in a small town, his ex-fiancé (Hawn) spots him. He tries to play dumb but even after 15 years, she can't forget his face. Not surprisingly, just as she rolls up, some bad guys have been tipped off on his whereabouts and show up. Now he spills the beans to his ex as they both try to escape the bad guys. This is basically a cat & mouse movie with some decent analog car chase and explosion scenes. Will they escape and survive and of course will they rekindle their love they once had. LOL If you want to see classic actors in their youth and like semi-cheesy 80s movies, then this is perfect for you.
Silverado
(1985)
Big Names, yet Totally by the Numbers Western
11 April 2024
I had heard of this Western, vaguely, so gave it a go. Additionally, with all the big name actors I had higher expectations. This was a totally fine movie. Some unique characters, punchy dialog here and there and many guns blasting. Yet overall, it was nothing special. All the action scenes were fairly tame and unimaginative. The overall story of 4 cowboys coming to the town of Silverado to bring peace and fairness back to the townsfolk was overly bland. Silverado never seemed to be a place where danger was just around the corner and any corruption was not shown as excessive. It didn't rev up the viewer for the drama to unfold.
Tell Your Friends