Old Man @ The Movies

Today, I learned, is National Movie Day, when all movie theaters charge only $4.00.  Which is why I went yesterday, to avoid the potential crowds of people who have never gone to the movies before.  And I saw GOLDA, the supposed true story of Israeli prime minister Golda Meir and events leading up to and the end of the Yom Kippur war of 1973, which pitted Israel against the combined overwhelming forces of Egypt and Syria.  I say supposed because in made for the movie real life stories, they aren’t always accurate, and I am not very familiar with the actual events.  Helen Mirren, heavily made up, does a credible job of portraying the title character, who should have been dubbed The Iron Lady instead of Margaret Thatcher because she is depicted as one tough lady as she makes tough military decision for her chiefs like eye patched Moishe Dayan and General Sharon, who later became Israel’s prime minister. And Mirren must have gone through a carton of cigarettes during the film, even smokin

I saw AFIRE, a German film, in the screening room of a small movie theater in Pelham, New York.  What was surprising about the screening room was it had about 25 seats and they all were beautiful reclining chairs. It was an interesting film that dwelt on the relationships of a few people in a vacation house in a forest adjacent to the Baltic Sea.  Two men are en route to this house and the car breaks down prior to their arrival. The house is owned by the father of one man, Felix, and they are surprised to find the house already mysteriously occupied  by an attractive young woman, Nadia.  Felix is there to create a photographic portfolio required for his application to art school.  Leon, his companion, is a novelist working on his latest manuscript.  Leon is obviously smitten with Nadia but is too inept and self-absorbed to do anything.  His agent or editor arrives to discuss progress on his latest work and in the midst of all the interaction, a devastating forest fire breaks out with i

Egads!  It’s E.T. deja vu all over again.  Only this time, the extra terrestrial, dubbed JULES by his earthbound friend, is a young, apple-eating boy (or girl)  wearing a skintight white body suit and cavorting, silently, with senior citizens instead of children.  This is sort of a nostalgic film, with fine performances from all the characters including the title character, who though mute says a lot with facial expressions and remarkable eyes.  Jules’ spaceship crash lands in the back yard of 78 year old Milton, played by Ghandi portrayer Ben Kingsley, who is exhibiting early signs of dementia.  Milton appears frequently before the town council with trivial complaints, so that when he tries to tell people, including his daughter, about the alien, he is ignored.  Two female neighbors, also senior citizens, learn about his visitor and they keep his presence a secret while trying to figure out how to repair his spaceship so he can go home.  It is obvious that they are very fond of Jules

I saw my first Broadway musical at the ripe old age of 13 when I saw the first collaboration of Rogers and Hammerstein entitled Oklahoma, and I loved it and found myself enamored for life with Broadway musicals.  With that as background, I went to see THEATER CAMP, and it was a pleasant surprise.  It vaguely reminded me of the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney films of my youth, in which the twosome lead a group of young people to do something good by “putting on  a show.”  This one stars no one familiar to me.  The film is about a summer camp for budding actors, singers and dancers established by a woman who  has died or is seriously ill, and two young longtime instructors at the camp do their best to hold things together in her absence.  The fly in the ointment is the founding woman’s son, who takes a leadership role at the camp but  hasn’t a clue to what makes the camp work.  The instructors plan an original show based on the life of the founder and despite setbacks (many of which are  cau

Will I never learn?  My Regal Unlimited pass is a curse because it forces me to see movies that I know in advance I won’t like or won’t understand or just plain hate.  After seeing MEG 2: THE TRENCH, I am grateful that I didn’t see its predecessor (if I did see it I have absolutely no recollection).  For the uninitiated, Megs, I think, are giant sharklike sea creatures.  This film, starring Jason Statham, who must have had a terrible childhood because he never smiles, is really two films.  The first half, which I think lasted two hours, was an underwater adventure; the second half, which I think lasted two hours, was a land and above water adventure, both of which featured impossible feats by the stunt people,  Under water where they go to impossible depths, exploring a heretofore undiscovered electronic powered facility which appears to be ten times the size of a football field.  An evil group headed by an evil woman tries mightily to keep them trapped down below but are unsuccessful.

Disney struck out.  They failed miserably in their attempt to release a summer blockbuster.  Instead, HAUNTED MANSION was a bomb, as evidenced by the fact that I was the only one in the theater at a 1:10 pm showing.  Even an all-star cast — which included Danny DeVito, Owen Wilson, Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, and Jamie Lee  Curtis — didn’t help.  I didn’t even recognize Jamie Lee.  It was supposed to combine comedy and horror but didn’t because it wasn’t all that funny with very corny and juvenile dialogue at times. and it was not in the least bit scary.  A bunch of people in New Orleans join forces to rid the home of one of them of the ghosts that presumably inhabit it.  It is ridiculous and silly despite the fact that the filmmakers pulled out all the gimmicks and sounds and images to make it work.  Disappointing?  You bet.  In general, critics agreed with me for only 41% gave it a thumbs up, but audiences disagreed and favored it with an 84% positive rating.