Woody Allen used to make funny movies. Once in a while he makes magical movies, like Midnight in Paris. Then he makes movies like Irrational Man. Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone get the bulk of the screen time and share narrator duties as we switch from one point of view to another. Irrational Man is a very workmanlike film. Woody knows how to make movies now and he goes through the motions here. The story features a depressed philosophy professor at a small college. He is a little soft around the middle and projects an air of sorrow everywhere he…
Author: Jon Herrera
Writer, Photographer, Blogger.
Star Trek Beyond
Star Trek Beyond was better than Star Trek Into Darkness, and that’s a good thing. This was a fast paced movie and something was always happening. For the most part, that’s good as well. You don’t have any time to think about what makes sense and what doesn’t make sense. I’m not a fan of CGI and Star Trek Beyond had more than it’s share of bad computer generate images. A swarm of bad guys that looked a lot like every other CGI swarm you’ve ever seen and a lot of things that were supposed to look dangerous, but just…
High Rise
Set in a 1970s Arcology, a self-contained building where the residents can have all their needs met within, we find a new tenant who doesn’t quite fit in. He’s a doctor who seems to be concerned about finding the perfect color for his walls and the perfect partner for his bed. Since this the 1970s, everyone is part of the swinging set. At first, all seems well enough. The people on the lower floors aren’t quite as posh as the people on the higher floors, but they all still get along. It’s kind of like being on the Titanic, with…
Stranger Things
For those of you who lost your VHS tapes of ET, House, Poltergeist, Videodrome, and pretty much every horror movie made in the 1980s, this TV Show is for you. The Duffer Brothers-a name that makes me think of Homer Simpson’s favorite beer-have ripped off, I mean, paid homage to, all those great old movies from thirty years ago. I seem to be alone in thinking this collection of clichés and CGIs is not that great. If I want to see an old 80s horror movie, why not watch an old 80s horror movie? Because someone is going to bang out…
The Night Manager
John le Carré’s most famous book has to be The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. In this adaptation of The Night Manager, the Spy spends a bit of time where it’s nice and hot. The Middle East. Our hero, played by Tom Hiddleston, is a lowly night manager at a hotel when he finds himself involved with a female guest and her crime boss boyfriend. She gives him a file filled with the details of an arms deal. He falls madly in love with her and they have a brief but life-altering relationship. The next thing he knows,…
Batman V Superman Ultimate Edition
Clocking in at a bit over three hours, the Ultimate Edition of Batman V Superman adds about thirty more minutes of CGI mayhem and snappy dialogue. We open up with Batman’s origin story, and thankfully don’t have to sit through a retelling of how Superman came into the picture or Wonder Woman or even Lex Luthor. The story is mainly from Batman’s point of view. He’s an older and sadder Batman who tends to be a bit mopey and sighs a lot. That is when he isn’t killing people left and right. Yes, the once noble Batman who would never…
Hail, Caesar!
The Coen Brothers decided they missed out by not being a part of the Hollywood Studio System, so they banged out their own Studio System style movie. They did a great job of recreating the sets, songs, and looks of a movie from those glory days of yore. The problem with Hail, Caesar is that it’s a movie about making movies that drops scenes from three or four movies into a story where they don’t belong. The ode to On The Town was fun, but pointless. And so was the Esther Williams style water ballet bit. The singing cowboy portion…
The Lobster
The first thing we see is a woman take a gun into a field and kill a donkey. Then we watch a group of people being processed at The Hotel. They are given a list of rules. They have their clothes taken away. Then they spend some time talking about what kind of animal they would like to become if they fail to find a suitable partner before the end of their stay. Our hero, such as he is, says he would like to be a lobster. Good choice, he is told, too many people choose things like dogs and…
Westworld 1973
It’s been a while since I watched Westworld. I had forgotten that it was written and directed by Michael Crichton. I was suprised by the many similarities to Jurrasic Park. It starts with oohing and aahing and ends with running and screaming. Westworld was made in 1973 and the big name stars were Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, and James Brolin. It’s a baffling film to watch now. The effects are bad to really bad. The writing is clunky and awkward. The acting is wooden and embarrassed. And it’s a pretty short film, only an hour and a half long. The…
Hello, My Name Is Doris
For the most part, they don’t make movies for me anymore. I hate CGI and stupid people, and it’s hard to find a movie that doesn’t feature one or both. Hard, but not impossible. Hello, my name is Doris tells the story of a hoarder who falls in love with a younger man. It stars a 69 year old Sally Field and a 35 year old Max Greenfield. Wendi McLendon-Covey, Peter Gallagher, and Tyne Daly are also familiar faces. The rest of the cast was good, but this was really Sally Field’s movie. I’m married to a hoarder and have strong…