Old Man @ The Movies

My second movie of Thanksgiving Week left me batting zero. But as bad as it was, NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON'T, I liked it better than Wicked for Good. Actually that isn't quite true. I wanted to like it better than Wicked but didn't. This film was a sequel, and my vague memory of the first wasn't favorable.  I am a sucker for magic shows but there was little magic to this one. A group of magicians with ulterior motives decide to pull off one last caper, one larger than anything they have undertaken previously. They plan to steal the world's largest diamond in front of a large group of wealthy people. They are successful and then spend the rest of the movie evading capture. There are some reasonably competent actors in this who would have been better off staying home which is what I should have done.  Among them are Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson wearing s stupid hat and should have known better, Dave Franco and Rosamond Pike. They may regret appearing in this one...

Sorry to report that despite its title, WICKED FOR GOOD was not very good. It had nice singing and photography and settings, but the story was weak and meandering and I ended up disliking both principals—the wimpy blond good witch and the not so evil and green one with a pointed hat bad witch. And the worse thing was, it was too darn long and I saw no reason except a way to get more money from us for it to have required two separate and distinct movies. The first one was better. And the second one bored me to tears (no, I didn't really cry). Disappointing and a waste of money. I was sorely tempted to leave early but I stayed, hoping things would improve. Nope, they didn't. Critics, for a change, didn't fall in love with it, for only 67% gave it a thumbs up along with 94% of audiences. My suggestion: Pick another film to see.  

I saw a very good historical drama today that was wonderfully filmed and well acted. It was a totally new look at the Nuremberg trials, based on a book about the Army psychiatrist who was assigned to examine and evaluate all the Nazis on trial, starting with Hermann Gőring who surrendered at the end of the war and was the prime target of the trials. Supreme Court justice Jackson is asked to head the American delegation to the international tribunal and act as chief prosecutor. The task is difficult because they are treading on unprecedented legal issues. The focus of the film was the psychiatrist and his relationship with Gőring and the relationship is handled beautifully by Remi Malek as the psychiatrist and Russell Crowe as the Nazi. The courtroom scenes wreaked of authenticity and the entire cast was excellent. And I was not bothered by the fact that NUREMBERG was 2 hours and 28 minutes long. 70% of critics and 96% of audiences gave the film a thumbs up. It was one of the better fil...

It's going to be a busy time for me because a lot of movies opened last weekend, most of which I don't want to see. Yesterday was one of them because I vaguely recall I saw another with the same name some time ago and suspected it would be more of the same. I was pleasantly surprised because I liked THE RUNNING MAN and it was nothing like the earlier one. I warn you though, It's not for everyone because it's a violent action-based thriller which takes place in the not too distant future and could probably take place in today's society.  A wildly popular television show, envisioned and produced by Josh Brolin and entitled 'The Running Man' offers a contestant the oppportunity to win a huge cash award if he can survive for 30 days against s team of professional assassins. A young man, unemployed and down on his luck with a  wife and sick baby, decides to be a contestant, and the balance of the film is his journey to avoid the assassins. The blood thirsty studi...

I'm back. The doctor said no more leg brace last Thursday and cleared me to drive. I want to thank so many of you for your kind emails and cards. It made me realize that you do really read these reviews, so movie going has resumed although I don't think I missed much while I was recuperating. On Saturday, I saw a movie that tried hard to tell the story of a woman with postpartum psychosis but I feel they missed the boat. Jennifer Lawrence did her best but I believe the script and director failed her. It was a depressing one hour and 58 minute ordeal, although I suspect that many will be anxious to nominate her for awards come the time. Her co-stsr had the better of everything. Critics gave DIE MY LOVE (an inappropriate title) a 74% thumbs up but audiences appear to be more discriminating with only 45%. See it if you like Jennifer Lawrence who hasn't been in many films lately.