Title: Grandma Genre: Drama, Comedy MPAA Rating: R Year: 2015 Director: Paul Weitz, known for “About a Boy.” Top Billed Cast: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden Brief Synopsis: It’s great to have Grandma but it helps to have mom too. Nobody’s perfect. My Word to the Wise: I’m a lifelong Lily Tomlin fan so this review may be biased. I think she deserves an academy award for best actress. Beyond that, the cast is all good. It is nice to see Sam Elliot again. While watching this movie I asked my wife, “When will we as a society stop judging each other.” To which she replied,
“We’ll never change, I think it’s in our DNA.” This movie makes me want to at least try harder. The themes are similar to those in “Juno” but with a much more real-life bent. Less comedy than drama, more human than appearances. We need more movies like this, they enlighten and advance the species.
Title: Sleepwalk With Me Genre: Drama, Comedy, Bio MPAA Rating: R Year: 2012 Director: Oren Moverman. Known for The Messenger (2009), I’m Not There. (2007) and Love & Mercy (2014). Top Billed Cast: Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose Brief Synopsis: A wannabe stand up comic has to decide if he’s going to marry his girlfriend of 8 years. A running theme throughout is Mike’s sleepwalking diagnosis. My Word to the Wise: This started out a pretty great movie. It’s as if they lost steam in the writing and acting 3/4 of the way through. Still, it stands up as a decent drama/romance flick. The comedy is sorely lacking. I really felt for the main character’s girlfriend. I was shocked she stayed with him for 8 years in the story.
He’s a deadbeat, marginally funny, stand up comedian. I don’t think any woman would wait that long to be married. I won’t offer any spoilers. It holds your attention and raises questions about relationships. Sleepwalking, I’m afraid, is just not all that interesting. The over reliance on that as a theme made it lose a star. Other than that, the jokes weren’t very funny so that subtracted another. It’s decent though, worth watching. Not a must see though.
Title: Amy Genre: documentary, biography MPAA Rating: R Year: 2015 Director: Asif Kapadia (Senna) Brief Synopsis: The innocent beginnings of Amy Winehouse that lead to her sudden rise to fame, culminating in her untimely death. My Word to the Wise: Powerful documentary. it portrays Amy as she was behind the scenes of her gifted yet troubled singing career. Through home movies and musical footage, the viewer can process the question of what went wrong and why. Some handheld camera songs are a bit sketchy and long. for that it lost one star with me.
“Wayne’s World” rocked us when it came out. Then there was Harold and Kumar. It’s just as “Dude” stonerriffic with just the added bit of cultural references it needs to be relevant to a slightly younger crowd. Of course, that was 2004. It might need another incarnation here in 2018.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
R | 1h 28min | Adventure, Comedy | 30 July 2004 (USA)
A Korean-American office worker and his Indian-American stoner friend embark on a quest to satisfy their desire for White Castle burgers.
Director: Danny Leiner
Writers: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Stars: John Cho, Kal Penn, Ethan Embry
Our director here, Danny Leiner, is the “Dude” in my book because he is the director of “Dude Where’s my Car?” This fits in perfectly with the type of film we’re talking about here. You might call it a “stoner comedy.” Jess Spiccoli, Bill and Ted, etc. These films are great for drinking parties and the like. Do they stand up in the decades that follow? Maybe not so much. Still there’s enough humor in this one that still works to keep your attention. It’s a light-hearted comedy that tries to be a slightly older “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” I laughed but the crude humor might turn some off. I gave this one a 6/10
Biography, Comedy, Drama, War
R
Fri 15 Jan 1988 UTC
121min
IMDB Rating: 7.3
Robin Williams’ portrayal of Adrian Cronauer got him the silver screen reputation that would carry him through a lifetime of earth-shattering roles. Of course, he was taken too soon. This film stands as the one where he took chances only he could take to make comments we all need to hear. For me, this is the iconic film of 1987.
Director Barry Levinson was no household name when he took on this project. He went on to do many amazing films including Donnie Brasco. I say anyone who can coach Robin Williams to these heights is a superstar director by anyone’s standard.
This is a star studded cast. At the same time, they all pale in comparison to the lead performer. He is truly a remarkable talent. He left us a huge body of work but one can’t help but wonder what he could have gone on to show us after his untimely death.
A military DJ comes to town in the Vietnam war turning tables on the establishment. I awed at the things he said and did. I am familiar with protocol and red tape as a teacher. I’m always careful what I say. This character has to watch what the establishment demands while encouraging the troops and seeking love with a local girl he falls into a crush with. He teaches everyone lessons of humanity, including we the viewers. He is a champion of going after your passions even if it means ruffling some feathers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is an absolutely incredible performance. It’s the antithesis of shyness! It represents the year 1987 so well. I myself was 17 watching this in a theater with a couple of my gangly friends. We knew Mork and Mindy on tv but this was a wholly different film with someone we knew we didn’t recognize. We loved him. He added so much to all of our lives. This film was only the beginning of an education from Williams.
This is one of those horror movies I have heard of for years but for some reason never got around to seeing. If you like horror, and this is your situation, I’m happy to report this is an awesome flick worth seeing. It’s got scares and a creature, and some humor to get you through it.
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
R | 1h 30min | Horror, Mystery | 31 August 2001 (USA)
A brother and sister driving home through isolated countryside for spring break encounter a flesh-eating creature which is in the midst of its ritualistic eating spree.
Director: Victor Salva
Writer: Victor Salva
Stars: Gina Philips, Justin Long, Jonathan Breck
We know this director from “Powder” and the franchise of Jeepers Creepers. He has put together a very fun horror story and it has taken wing in our culture to be a well known household word. I see this as an accomplishment.
From the opening segments where the brother and sister characters are driving their old beat up car across a one lane highway to the end where the creature is showing us his exemplary appendages, this film rocks the horror. I think the most notable part for me was the discovery Justin Long’s character makes down the septic pipe. “Alien,” eat your heart out. I am told by a movie pal that part II is worth watching so I surely will be. This is a great horror movie, check it out if you haven’t already. I rate it 8/10.
Title: Sleepwalk With Me
“An unorthodox and irreverent DJ begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the U.S. Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam.” -IMDB
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