FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS      3.8***

        This is the latest movie from British Director Stephen Frears, best known for the brilliant movies: "The Queen" (Helen Mirren) and "Philomena" (Judy Dench). Here he brings to the big screen the true and unusual life of New York socialite Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep), who generously supported the New York music scene, and fancied herself a good singer too. This movie is NOT a biopic, as we pick up with  events in 1944, when she was already 76. Florence Foster Jenkins was a wealthy New Yorker who lived for music. Her husband StClair (Hugh Grant) enthusiastically indulges her passion: She sings for the musical appreciation club she has created, and they all love her . The only thing is, well, she's a horrible singer. But she's harmless and kind and tries her very best. Everyone including her new piano accompanist played by TV’s Big Bang actor Simon Helberg,  goes along with her ( after laughing himself silly the first time he hears her sing/screech… of course out of her presence). And she doesn't seem to be aware (or worried) about the fact that St Clair spends almost every night at another apartment with his mistress. This film tells the story of a woman whose talent so woefully falls short  that the result is funny. StClair protects her from the unkindness that would otherwise come her way but this protection also encourages her to push her (lack of) talent further toward a perilous result

It is reported that Meryl Streep studied for hours the work and recordings (yes, there were recordings) of the real Florence Foster Jenkins. I have also read  that reproducing bad singing is incredibly difficult. To do it with the skill Streep did is amazing especially since she is, in fact, quite a good singer (  “Mama Mia” and “Ricki and the Flash” ). Streep effortlessly puts forth a touching sincerity in the role of a real-life awful (and awfully deluded) singer. Her singing is worse than abysmal, and it is laughable, but Streep makes us feel affection and sympathy for her. This is comedy, yes, but it's gentle comedy with drama and heart thanks largely to  Meryl Streep. Hugh Grant came out of retirement  when Director Frears offered him the chance to work alongside Meryl Streep. And he does a splendid, charming part, it's a different kind of charming from his previous roles. His character, though suave isn't wholly likable but you can't help but forgive him as he is totally devoted to protecting Florence from the real world. Simon Helberg steals many a scene as her gay piano accompanist who finds it hard to keep a straight face but comes to be caught up in the support of Florence's enormous self-belief.  

Technically, the movie is impressive too. The 1940s production is brilliant, from the outrageous outfits to the elegant decor and old-fashioned automobiles that inhabit wartime New York. The cinematography and editing keep the film moving at a good pace, but Director Stephen Frears is the true genius, taking a story which could have been boring and turning it into something engaging, a surprisingly fun feel-good  movie.

Clark

PS: There WILL be award nominations coming for this one…Streep and Grant and even Best Picture and Director.

    

ANTHROPOID  3.0***

      To begin with, the title for this movie is awful as it does nothing to tell you what the movie is about. Its title, “Anthropoid”, makes this film sound like a monster thriller, and so it is in some ways, but not in the expected way. The “monsters” are the “Nazis”. This is a violent, harrowing film about a real incident in WWII, and by the end you'll feel drained. But it's also a very fine film that gives real insight into the horrors of the Nazi occupation of central Europe and the difficulties of resisting it. We are reminded that Czechoslovakia was handed over by the allies to Hitler to appease him, entirely in vain. Under the Nazi jackboot not even a close family could be trusted to keep secrets.  

The story is split into two distinct parts … the buildup and the aftermath. It's late 1941 and two Czech expatriates have been parachuted secretly into their homeland tasked by their government-in-exile to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, Hitler's third-in-command and the monster overseeing the brutal repression of Czechoslovakia. They parachute into a forest outside of Prague and make their way to the city where they are taken in by a resistance friendly family. Over the next few months, the two soldiers spend time planning the assassination, observing and blending in .  

Many of the original, historic and actual locations are used which adds an element of realism to a story that's already plenty real and emotional. The second half of the story is what happens after the assassination. Seven of the original parachutists go into hiding in the basement of a Cathedral. The Nazi manhunt is brutal and extensive, and once the hideout is discovered, a seemingly unending parade of German soldiers and ever-increasing weaponry are unleashed in what turned out to be a 6 hour battle. It's a beautifully filmed, but gut-wrenching scene … think of the last stand at The Alamo.

The pacing of the story telling is a bit off at times, but director Ellis brings historical accuracy to a fascinating story in ways that movies such as Valkyrie and Inglorious Basterds didn't even attempt. As courageous as those in the resistance were, the aftermath and reprisals do beg the question … was it worth the price?( see” NOTE” below) Not an easy question to answer even in hindsight.

Rated “R” for the violence.

Clark

NOTE: The Nazi retaliation was brutal.. More than 13,000 were arrested.  According to one estimate, 5,000 were killed . German Intelligence falsely linked the assassins to the villages of Lidice and Ležáky. . The village of Lidice was destroyed  and 199 men were executed, 195 women were immediately deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp, and 95 children taken prisoner. Of the children, 81 were later killed in gas vans at the Chełmno extermination camp.. All adults were murdered in the village of Ležáky, men and women alike. Both towns were burned, and the ruins of Lidice leveled.^[32][33]

SUICIDE SQUAD  2.5***

   I  almost didn’t go to this movie because 78% of THE Critics gave it negative reviews. But I did go and found out how much THE Critics can be wrong or get too sophisticated and snooty . In fact one of THE Critics got all upset because one of the female characters was wearing shorts that he thought were TOO short and showing TOO much bun/butt !!! Well even though that was meant as a negative it actually contributed to my seeing the movie and they were rather short but didn’t bother me a bit !!

                                                                                                                                                                                          

STORY:  With an ominous, worldwide threat coming soon, and no remaining options to put it to an end. A  no-nonsense government official Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) decides it's time to fight fire with fire and recruits the most heinous, imprisoned supervillains to do a black ops mission. The only question is: can this 'team' of unpredictable, unhinged sociopaths band together and get it done? . We actually get to meet them. First, there's Deadshot (Will Smith), a contract killer with a heart of gold. El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), a man with a dark past and a power to shoot fire out of his hands. Killer Croc , who lives in the sewer of the prison and most definitely look like a crocodile. Captain Boomerang , a goofy Australian schemer who uses his boomerangs. And, of course, my favorite, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), who has been under the spell of her favorite boy toy, the dangerous Joker ( Jared Leto who should have had more screen time… way underutilized)) and she is not afraid to vex and irritate the hell out of people and knows how to swing a mean baseball bat. As the Special Forces type soldier in charge is Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and his bodyguard Katana  as they with these supervillains try to take down pure evil. I liked the energy, the dark humor, and the vivid colors of this wild and crazy film. . But sometimes you get kind of confused as to what’s going on and where the story is taking you. You  don’t really get to know the super evil characters who plan to destroy the world . They include Slipknot, the Enchantress a.k.a. Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne) and her .   strangely crappy-looking demon brother But in its own sloppy, choppy and messy way, I still found it entertaining and funny .  

The film never really gives you anyone to root for or for that matter., to really root against. Smith is in good form, and Robbie really goes for broke with her giddily insane persona, but beyond that it's a loud, uneven mishmash of music and action with occasional touches of colorful dialogue and humor. Starts strong, a lot of the fun drains away long before the finale. NONETHELESS it was fun …a good but not great summer popcorn movie !!

Rated PG - 13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior

Clark

    TALLULAH   3.2***

     This Netflix made movie stars Ellen Page as Tallulah ( goes by Lu), a young vagabond who lives in a rundown van, is fiercely independent and has just been left by her boyfriend. As she searches for her ex, she stumbles upon his mother, Margo (Allison Janney). who wants nothing to do with her at first. But when Tallulah  impulsively “rescues”(kidnaps) a baby from a negligent self-indulgent mom, she uses the child to get help from Margo, who is told by Lu that she is the baby’s grandmother. The two women form what appears to be a strong bond, which could be broken by Lu’s lies, and there are a lot.

Tallulah is a great role for Ellen Page, and she delivers an excellent performance.  Early on in the movie you realize that  Ellen Page is all in and was going to give everything she had to being Tallulah. She interacts with other cast members well. I especially love the moments between Tallulah and the baby.

Allison Janney handles her performance quite well. She seems like a stuck up snob at first the way she talks to people like her doorman, who only wants to be (more than) nice to her, but as the story unravels you can see the wall she's been putting up begin to come down and a smile and laugh emerge along with touches of joy.

Tammy Blanchard gives a nice performance as the neglectful mother who let her non-caring selfishness get  in the way of parenting her child.  She is at first so totally concerned about herself and not the kidnapped baby that the police and child service agent are very unsympathetic toward her. But gradually the loss of the baby shocks her into a mother mode as she realizes she actually does love the baby.

Last, but not least, the adorable baby in the movie steals almost every scene she’s in .. so cute and adorable.

 
The narration is near perfect, as everything is set up flawlessly, making the story fluid.  

Clark

NOTE: Only available at Netflix as it produced the movie, It is currently playing there for free.

GHOSTBUSTERS  2.1***

  I'll start out with what I liked about the movie. The studio obviously had a lot of faith in this movie because it had a $100 million budget and it shows. The CGI and the visual effects were pretty top notch. The ghosts and the paranormal look great but how they are used and the sheer number detracts from the ghostbusters themselves. Although I though some of the acting was weak, I thought there were some bright spots too. Chris Hemsworth stole the movie, he actually has some pretty good comic timing and maybe this movie will lead to some more comedic roles  I also thought Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones were funny in certain scenes. They weren't consistent but they each had their moments.

The biggest reason that I didn't like this movie was that I just didn't find it funny and that’s because of the awful script.. the writing  missed the point and worst of all was not funny. Most of the jokes fell really flat. The original movie was a classic not only because of how many good jokes it had  but also because the main cast had some really great chemistry.  I just didn't feel that here .Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy worked the best together (they've worked together before) but again, it just paled in comparison to the original.

Getting to the acting, it was largely mixed. I was shocked at how unfunny I found Kristen Wiig to be here. She's been really great in other stuff but she's super awkward here.  McCarthy was pretty restrained, which was a good thing but again, I didn't find her funny. She usually works really well Director Paul Feig but it didn't click here. McKinnon and Jones were intermittently good, they definitely were throwing the most into it.  I appreciate that. Hemsworth was solid but the villain Neil Casey was really annoying both as a character and the actor. Some of the cameos were good (I liked Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts) but others seemed forced. It's good that the Ghostbusters reboot had the support of the original cast but the cameos seemed more like fan service than actually serving the movie.

So overall, I think it's an underwhelming paint-by-numbers mediocrity that will more than likely be largely forgotten about as soon as it is out of theatres, regardless of how much money it does or doesn't make.. Neither terrible enough to create too much of a post release backlash, nor good enough to do a very good job of actually providing much in the way of actual entertainment…… mostly I just found it rather flat, terribly uninspired, and exceedingly dull. 

Clark