TOY STORY 4   4.0****

After the release of Toy Story 2 in 1999, many believed the franchise had ended, until a third film came along over ten years later. Really putting a capper on the Toy Story story as fans knew it from its  beginning, Toy Story 3 (2010) seemed like a definitive conclusion. So why was a third instalment even in the works? Until the release of the movie, that was the question on many viewers' minds (especially Toy Story enthusiast). But being a Toy Story fan, I was of course  going to check this one out, and I'm glad that I did

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Toy Story 4 has earned a worthy place in the franchise in my eyes. Picking up pretty soon after the events of the third film, we now see how our favorite, loveable toys have moved on from their previous owner (Andy) and how they've settled in with their new one in Bonnie. Without getting into the specifics of how or why a new toy (Forky) is introduced,  I'll just simply state that Bonnie on her first day of Kindergarten builds him from things she found in the school trash can and he miraculously comes to life, giving Woody a new job, so to speak.

The plot really kicks into gear, however, when Forky is accidentally dropped from the family car onto the street during a family vacation car trip.. Woody leaps after him and the Woody/Forky excursion begins. Each toy has a moment to shine, but this truly is a film about Woody. Some may say that Buzz Lightyear doesn't get enough screen time and there is some repetition of lines of dialogue from previous movies throughout  the movie, but that would just be me complaining about an otherwise near-perfect animated film. I just have to be honest and say that any complaints would just be scratches on a canvas that was painted beautifully as a whole.

As always, the animation is astounding and life-like at times, which feels a little funny when comparing it to how simple the animation was in the original film.  On top of that, this is a film filled with heart, that cares about its characters, and even takes the time to introduce many new, memorable faces along the way. From Ducky and Bunny to Duke Caboom, these new characters will actually remain in my mind as memorable side characters, which is what many sequels fail to do these days. In the end, fans of the first three movies are more than likely going to love watching this instalment and newcomers will get a fresh story and fans of comedy will also get many clever laughs here as well. I'm not ready to call Toy Story 4 my favorite film of the franchise, but in terms of character progression, emotion, and an overall extremely enjoyable film, I have to say  that I loved it. 

Rated: G (probably the only movie this year to get a “G”)

  

MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL  2.2***

     Men in Black International is an okay movie but it's hard not to feel that the franchise was  going through the motions in an attempt to recapture the elusive magic that made the original 1997 movie the standout it was.

This time (being the 4th movie in the MIB series) we're introduced to new agents and new agencies, with  Tessa Thompson (as Agent M) and Chris Hemsworth (as Agent H ) decked out in black and on the hunt for rogue alien life forms in Europe and the Middle East. The two actors are charming and Thompson's character is interesting as young a woman who has devoted her life to finding and becoming a Man in Black.

 As we go from scene to scene, it felt like an MIB spy thriller evoking the undercover missions, arms dealers, shady informants, potential MIB mole to expose, exotic locales, and crackling banter of that genre, and that's something none of the sequels have done before. However, I also noted just how forced everything felt. What should be jaunty and droll came across as flat or overly exaggerated, trying to recreate the energy and style of the original but falling short. It feels like when someone is trying to retell a joke but has lost the rhythms that made it so amusing in the first place.

The pieces are there but they don't feel right.

 I also kept noting how it should have been funnier. Many of the jokes are flat or at best thin. The set pieces are pretty humdrum and even the integration of the strange, otherworldly elements and aliens feels lacking.

With that said, Hemsworth and Thompson remind you how winning an onscreen pair they are, and even with their charm kept at a lower, simmering level they are still enjoyable to watch.

There's a predictable storyline about an alien invasion and a predictable turncoat reveal, but it's all played so blandly that it's hard to get feel any tension. MIB International is a sometimes amusing movie that's hard to hate and hard to love. If you're a fan of the series  it should provide enough entertainment, but much like one of those handy-dandy MIB neutralizers, you won't remember much after. 

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action, some language and suggestive material. |

Booksmart  3.5***

    “Booksmart" (2019 release; 102 min.) brings the story of high schoolers Amy and Molly. As the movie opens, Molly is meditating in her bedroom (adorned with Michelle Obama's book, a picture of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, etc., you get the idea), before she is picked up by her BFF(“best friend forever”) Amy. It's the very last day before HS graduation, and straight A students Amy (admitted to Columbia) and Molly (admitted to Yale) have made it with top grades and loads of AP credits! But when Molly learns that the party-goers and "losers" have also been admitted to elite colleges, Molly realizes that they have missed out on so much, and she talks Amy into going to a party that night and make up for lost time. At this point we are 10 to 15 minutes into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

This is the directing debut of actress Olivia Wilde, and what a debut this is! Working from a script co-written by 4 women, Wilde brings a coming-of-age story with a decidedly female perspective. Protagonists Molly and Amy are played with fervor by Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. The script is crisp, funny and yes, raunchy, so if that is not your thing, you may want to stay away. I thought it all blended together quite well. "Booksmart" reminds me in spirit of last year's "Eighth Grade", which also brought a fresh perspective on the coming-of-age theme.

“Booksmart” is delightfully charming, refreshingly funny and chock full of delightful characters. The leads are without a doubt the highlight of the movie. Kaitlyn Dever's Amy and Beanie Feldstein's Molly are a dynamic pair, both girls as fun and witty as each other. There is fantastic depth to both characters, and the chemistry between them is undeniable ( they lived together during filming to make it more realistic). We can't forget the supporting characters, however. The colorful, diverse array of characters make up an ensemble of quirky, charming and thoroughly hilarious personalities. Each one adds something special to the film.  I did find that the hilarity and charm fizzled  a little bit towards the end of the film. But overall the movie is wonderfully unique and well made. It is sweet and honest, and very, very funny.

Rated R for strong sexual content and language throughout, drug use and drinking - all involving te

    BUTCH CASSIDY and the SUNDANCE KID (1969)  4.0***

  George Roy Hill's best film and one of the best western movies as well as buddy movies ever made. Excellent direction, cinematography, setting, screenplay and score. Robert Redford and Paul Newman are in top form and deliver knockout performances. Their real life friendship is portrayed naturally on screen. Katherine Ross is also good as Sundance’s girlfriend The plot revolves around two seasoned outlaws who have robbed almost every bank/train in the West. With the law unable to catch these two likeable bandits, a master tracker and band of bounty hunters are set on their trail. Their only option to lose their chasers is to head South, as far as Bolivia. It turns out that the Bolivian government will have nothing to do with the two American The film focuses on the endearing mis-adventures of these bandits/heroes, using  slapstick comedy, conventional Western action, contemporary music, and humorous dialogue to characterize the past and  poke fun at typical western film clichés                  

 The plot is clever, funny, unique, exciting and has one of the most memorable endings in film history. It's a one of a kind western that has all the action and combines that with hilarity. It is a work of art and masterpiece of its genre that has never been able to be duplicated. It has resonated throughout generations and has influenced many filmmakers. To this day fans of the film still quote some of its famous lines such as:

          Butch Cassidy: Well, that ought to do it.

          [after blowing the train car to smithereens]

          Sundance Kid: Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?

          

          Butch Cassidy: Who are those guys?

               Butch Cassidy: Alright. I'll jump first.

           Sundance Kid: Nope.

           Butch Cassidy: Then you jump first.

           Sundance Kid: No, I said.

           Butch Cassidy: What's the matter with you?

           Sundance Kid: I can't swim!

           Butch Cassidy: [pauses, then laughs] Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill ya.

          [pause, then they start running to the edge]

           Sundance Kid: OOOOH SHIIIIIT!

                Of the 7 Academy Award nominations, there were 4 Oscar winners :William Goldman for Best Screenplay; Conrad Hall  for cinematography. 2 went to Burt Bacharach for Best Song ("Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head) and Best Original Score. The other three nominations were for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Sound.

    BRIGHTBURN  1.5 ***

  As a horror film it is NOT a bright burn… at its best it may be a slow burn…for me it was a no burn !!!

   The premise of this film is not one we have seen before in the "superhero" genre. What would the world do if a super-powered life form came to Earth and realized that we were all just insects to it? That the world needs to be destroyed bit by bit? It starts out very "Clark Kent" like with the couple who have no children happening upon a child fallen from the shy in a weird space ship kind of thing. The parents see this as a blessing. As if the universe heard their cries for a child and answered them. Soon though, this Smallville scene takes a turn towards absolute terror. This "child" isn't what he seems to be. He isn't a boy, or a human. He's something altogether different. An evil non-destructible, non-feeling alien  in an innocent teenage boys body.

It wasn't good. I had somewhat high hopes, considering the Gunns being involved in this film. I either expected it to be slow, dark and just terrifying, or a brutal, gory, fun movie. It was neither. The characters were written dumb, the scares were just.. scares (almost all being jump scares), plain and simple. You know, the usual cheap stuff. Loud noises, big bad wolf appearing behind the characters, blablabla. There were more in the audience laughing than screaming. And the gore was basically non-existent, so there's that. I love a good horror, I love being truly scared, I love when I can't help myself and just feel the need to cover my eyes. This movie had no effect on me whatsoever. And it's not a fun turn-off-your-brain joyride, it isn't fun at all. It's just cheap. In some reviews people said they liked it, so, good for them. But if you expect a good horror. It is not that.

Rated R for horror violence/bloody images, and language.

I  went to see this huge BLOCKBUSTER (already at 2.189 billion dollars) at the downtown Imax in 3D . It is the ultimate extravaganza of the Marvel series … 3 hours of all the marvel superheroes but only one super villain: Thanos, but he is enough. I hugely enjoyed this well written, well directed and well-acted movie. Rather than tackle such a difficult review I am borrowing from a review that describes it so well without any spoilers. It is set forth below:

AVENGERS Endgame   4.0***

The grave course of events set in motion in the preceding “Avengers Infinity War” by Thanos that wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks compels the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios' grand conclusion to twenty-two films,” Avengers: Endgame”.

Review by Brian Tallerico at Rogerebert.com

“Avengers: Endgame” is the culmination of a decade of blockbuster filmmaking, the result of years of work from thousands of people. It is designed to be the most blockbuster of all the blockbusters, a movie with a dozen subplots colliding, and familiar faces from over 20 other movies. It’s really like nothing that Hollywood has produced before, existing not just to acknowledge or exploit the fans of this series, but to reward their love, patience, and undying adoration. The blunt thing you probably want to know most: It’s hard to see serious MCU fans walking away from this disappointed. It checks all the boxes, even ticking off a few ones that fans won’t expect to be on the list. It’s a satisfying end to a chapter of blockbuster history that will be hard to top for pure spectacle. In terms of sheer entertainment value, it’s on the higher end of the MCU, a film that elevates its most iconic heroes to the legendary status they deserve and provides a few legitimate thrills along the way.

Don’t worry: I will stay very spoiler-free. The main joy of this film is in how it’s incredibly complex narrative unfolds, and you can go elsewhere if you want that ruined. The disappointing “Avengers: Infinity War” ended with Thanos finally getting all of the six Infinity Stones he so desperately sought, and then using them to wipe out half of existence, including beloved heroes like Black Panther, Star-Lord, and Spider-Man. “Avengers: Endgame” picks up a few weeks after “The Snap,” as the remaining heroes try to pick up the pieces and figure out if there’s a way to reverse Thanos’ destruction.

Immediately, “Endgame” is a more focused piece than “Infinity War” by virtue of having a tighter, smaller cast. (Thanks, Thanos.) It’s a more patient, focused film, even as its plot draws in elements of a dozen other movies. Whereas “Infinity” often felt bloated, “Endgame” allows some of the more iconic characters in the history of the MCU a chance to be, well, heroic. No longer mere pawns in a Thanos-driven plot, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk, and Thor break free of the crowd, ably assisted by Hawkeye and Ant-Man. In a sense, this is the new Avengers, and the tighter group of superheroes reminded me of the charm of Wheldon’s first "Avengers" movie, one in which strong personalities were allowed to bounce off each other instead of just feeling like they were strapped into a rollercoaster headed in the same direction. It also allows space for some of the best acting work in the franchise, particularly from Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., who one realizes while watching this have turned Captain America and Iron Man into something larger than life for a generation. The most satisfying aspect of “Endgame” is in how much it provides the MCU’s two most popular heroes the story arc they deserve instead of just drowning them in a sea of cameos by lesser characters from other movies. In the way it canonizes them , it becomes an ode to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

Rated PG-!3 for sci-fi violence and some language.

Below is a review from DVD Talk by Preston Jones posted July 6, 2005 when the DVD came out.

As befits a soldier like few others, George C. Scott (in his Oscar-winning role) delivers a performance like few others in his lengthy and illustrious career - his interpretation of Patton is such that it's startling to watch actual newsreel footage of Patton; Scott nailed not only the physicality but also seemingly the psychology of this ageless warrior trapped in World War II but truly at home in the conflicts of ancient Rome or Greece.

Working from a screenplay by then-wunderkind Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North.  Franklin J. Schaffner's vivid biography of one of America's truly great generals rarely, if ever, flags - Patton pulses with a life and authenticity often missing from conventional Hollywood biopics. By tracing Patton's efforts throughout his various World War II campaigns, Schaffner manages to paint a portrait of both a man and his battles - it's a mammoth war etched in miniature as seen through the poet-warrior eyes of Patton.

Scott is surrounded by a terrific, if minor-key, cast including Karl Malden as Omar Bradley, Patton's long-suffering compatriot and Karl Vogler as Patton's nemesis, German general Erwin Rommel   -    but it's Scott's show the entire way. He doesn't so much command attention as sears the very screen with his presence. Volumes have been written about Scott's performance as Patton but it still somehow doesn't do it justice - this is world-class acting of a rare and magnificent scale. Patton the film is every bit as enduring and compelling as the man.