48 Hrs. (1982)

 Genre: Action
Directed by: Walter Hill
Cast: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy 

Running Time: 96 minutes

 

Desperate to catch two cop killers, Inspector Jack Gates enlists the help of a former partner of theirs, Reggie Hammond, who has six months left to serve on a three year prison term for armed robbery.

After a slow start, the action picks up and 48 Hrs. becomes a very efficient buddy cop film. This was Eddie Murphy’s first movie role, and he was very good. His on-screen chemistry with Nick Nolte really helped carry this film to another level. Be warned that some of the language here age this film quite a bit. If you are easily offended, you might want to steer clear.

Rating: ««««

The Lost Valentine (2011)

Genre: Drama / Romance
Directed by: Darnell Martin
Cast: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Betty White, Sean Faris
Running Time: 100 minutes

 

TV journalist Susan Allison decides to do a profile on an older woman named Caroline Thomas. Caroline Thomas’ husband went MIA during World War II as a naval aviator over 60 years prior, and every year since then, on Valentines Day, she goes to the Union train station, where she saw him for the last time. In the process of doing this profile, Susan Allison will find more than she expected.

This is a Hallmark movie, so it is very cheesy and predictable. But the cast, especially Betty White, make it much better than it ever could hope to be. White is truly sweet and good in her role, and the rest of the cast is pretty good too. For what it is, this is pretty entertaining.

Rating: «««

Boy Erased (2018)

Genre: Biographical / Drama
Directed by: Joel Edgerton

Cast: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Joel Edgerton, Russell Crowe 

Running Time: 115 minutes

 

Based on Garrard Conley’s memoir of the same name, this film tells the story of Jared Eamons, the son of a car dealer and Baptist preacher, who is sent to a gay conversion therapy program in Tennessee by his parents, as a teenager, with the hopes of changing his homosexual tendencies.

This film made me angry. It is shocking to think that this kind of crazy therapy still exists out there today. The acting was solid here. I was not sure about the choice of Nicole Kidman to play the mother, but she did fine. The story is complex, it rattles emotions, and it does it well.

Rating: ««««

Meatballs (1979)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Cast: Bill Murray, Harvey Atkin, Kate Lynch 

Running Time: 94 minutes

 

Tripper Harrison is the free-spirited head counsellor of Camp North Star, a summer camp in Ontario, Canada. He his known for his many shenanigans. Year after year, Camp North Star enters into an intense rivalry with Camp Mohawk, a fellow camp with a much bigger budget and a more elite group of kids.

This is a fun Canadian comedy that is greatly helped by Bill Murray’s presence in the cast. He outshines everyone else by a whole lot. It is a little tame for that genre, in my humble opinion, but it is fine for what it is.

Rating: «««

Emma (1996)

 
Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Douglas McGrath
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Alan Cumming, Toni Collette 

Running Time: 120 minutes

 

Based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name, this film tells the story of Emma Woodstone, a naïve young woman in early 19^th century England living by her father’s side. While not looking for a suitor for herself, she makes a habit of trying to set up relationships between people around her.

I have no idea why this title found itself on an old list of stuff to watch that I had. It played in the background, while I was keeping a distracted eye on it. These period pieces are really not my thing. I find these characters pretentious, pompous and aggravating. There is a talented cast at work here, but I could not care any less for the material. The thing was worse to me than the fishiest of candle.

 

Rating: «

Your Honor (2020-2021)

 
Genre: TV / Thriller
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Hunter Doohan, Hope Davis 

Number of episodes: 10

 

After finding out that the young man his teenage son accidently killed in a hit-and-run is the son of local mafia boss Jimmy Baxter, New Orleans judge Michael Desiato goes into overdrive to cover the crime and protect his son from the law and, more precisely, from the street justice of the Baxter family.

As usual, Bryan Cranston is solid here. He does the best he can with the material he was given. The main problem with this limited series, inspired by an Israeli TV show, is that it offers a convoluted story that stops making sense after a while. You identify with the father’s desire to protect his son, but the twists and turns weave a very confusing web. Had it not been such a short series, I probably would have given up on it long before the over-the-top Shakespearean ending.

Rating: ««

Dave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation (2007)

 
Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Stan Lathan
Cast: Dave Chappelle 

Running Time: 49 minutes

 

Live on stage (mostly sitting on a stool) in The Comedy Store, in Los Angeles, Dave Chappelle hits the crowd hard with his usual takes on difficult material. Here, again, there is talk of racism. There is also a big section on the sexual assaults accusations that was rocking Hollywood (and still are for that matter).

It needs to be mentioned that Chappelle’s work is not for the easily offended people. Again, he is solid in The Bird Revelation, though maybe not as much as usual. Maybe it was all the sitting, but it felt like he was not projecting the material as much, so it felt like some lines were getting lost. Also, he went way overboard with that banging the mic on himself and on stuff habit he has. I usually overlook that, but, here, it was difficult.

In spite of these little things, this was still a very funny show by a comic in top form.

 

Rating: ««««

One Night in Miami (2020)

 
Genre: Drama
Directed by: Regina King
Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.
Running Time: 114 minutes

Based on the stage play of the same name, this film offers a fictionalized account of a meeting in Miami motel, in February 1964, between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. Over the course of one night, the four prominent black men argue and discuss, among other topics, their role in society as members of their race.

This is brilliant film, masterfully directed by Regina King and carried so marvellously on screen by a cast of solid performers. The subject of racism and the situation of black people is still very actual, and this film covers a small portion of that history. I found this movie riveting and I was glued to my seat. Highly recommended.

Rating: «««««

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett 

Running time: 130 minutes

 

Thor is captured and brought to the alien planet Sakaar, where he is forced to take part in organized fighting. He must escape to save his planet, Asgard, from the hands of Hela, his long lost older sister, who came back from being banished by her father with vengeance on her mind in the form of Ragnarok.

This is the third film in the Thor series. As the film began, it was all a little too cartoonish for me, but the humor was a nice touch. Unfortunately, after a while, the filmmakers went overboard in the comedy department and it all became too silly to be even remotely funny. They were trying a little too hard, failing badly in the process. The acting was fine, but the silliness overtook the rest in the end. There were a few good songs that made me pop throughout, but even those moments were ruined in the end.

Rating: ««

Chick Fight (2020)

 
Genre: Action / Comedy
Directed by: Paul Leyden
Cast: Makin Akerman, Bella Thorne, Dulcé Sloane 

Running Time: 97 minutes

 

With her life going nowhere fast, Anna Wyncomb is introduced by her police friend Charleen to a fight club for women where her dead mother used to go when she was alive.

This is like a cheaper version of Fight Club, without the extremely talented cast and the great movie-making. Here, it is played for laughs. And some moments are indeed funny. But the joke gets old fast, in spite of the best efforts put on by the actors and actresses. Nothing spectacular here.

Rating: ««

I Can Only Imagine (2018)

Genre: Biographical / Drama
Directed by: Erwin Brothers
Cast: J. Michael Finley, Dennis Quaid, Madeline Carroll
Running Time: 110 minutes

 

This film tells the story of how Bart Millard overcame a childhood of abuse by his father and abandonment by his mother to become the lead singer of the band MercyMe and the writer of the best-selling Christian single of all-time, I Can Only Imagine.

Since this is a Christian film, subtlety is not on the menu. Everything is overblown and overdone. That being said, beyond the natural clichés of that genre, the story told here is a compelling one and the acting is pretty good. Overall, this was a cute inspiring story about the power of dream and resilience.

Rating: «««

Before Midnight (2013)

 

Genre: Romance / Drama
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy 

Running Time: 109 minutes

 

Nine years after the events of Before Sunset, Jesse and Céline are now a couple, with twin daughters. After having had his teenage son from a previous marriage with him and his present family for the Summer, Jesse has to send him back to Chicago, and he feels the disconnect. All of this brings the couple to a crossroad where they start questioning everything about their life together.

This is the third part of the trilogy involving the characters of Jesse and Céline, after Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. There is some very good complex writing here, and the actors deliver their respective roles with much talent, yet again. This film touched me even deeper, considering the age I am at. It felt so real, it felt like I was involved in the fight between the two main characters.

Overall, though it was a tad too long for what it was, this is still a smart movie well worth seeing.

Rating: ««««

Dave Chappelle: Equanimity (2017)

 
Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Stan Lathan
Cast: Dave Chappelle 

Running Time: 60 minutes

 

As he took the stage for this particular comedy special, Dave Chappelle came out with full bravado, smoking both literally and figuratively. It might have seemed arrogant, but the comic was funny about it. And he should be confident. After all, he is a master of his craft. Here, Chappelle talks about his upbringing, his experience with poverty, racism, trans people and much more. The material is solid. Chappelle makes you laugh, but he also has something to say. By the end, he has made you laugh and think.

Rating: «««««

Donnie Darko (2001)

 Genre: Science-fiction / Thriller
Directed by: Richard Kelly
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore 

Running time: 113 minutes

 

Donnie Darko is a troubled teenager haunted by the vision of Frank, a mysterious creature in a rabbit costume that manipulates the young man into committing various crimes.

This film can be jarring to the casual viewer. It is very different in its content and approach, but it is well worth the effort it required to fully grasp it. There is an ensemble cast at work here, with lots of talent on hand. Jake Gyllenhaal is particularly solid in the lead role. Overall, though it dragged a bit in some parts, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Rating: ««««