Some Fun Films: "A Haunting in Venice," "Theater Camp" and "Killer Book Club"

[I review the movies "A Haunting in Venice," "Theater Camp" and "Killer Book Club."]

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Hercule Poirot is back, this time in Venice.

I have been mad at Kenneth Branagh ever since he left wife Emma Thompson and ran off with Helena Bonham Carter.  But time heals all wounds and even though he and Helena are no longer together, I guess it was meant to be. All have moved on.  And I guess Agatha Christie was meant to be in his life, too, as he has basically turned his acting and directing career into her franchise. I wonder if anyone remembers his bravura performances in "Henry V" and "Hamlet." He is now Hercule Poirot and he has made a career out of Agatha Christie mystery films with all-star casts. 

In this third installment, it is 1947 and master detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is in self-imposed exile in Venice.  He is tired of everyone clamoring for his expertise but when old friend and mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) arrives, she convinces him to attend a Halloween night seance at the home of opera singer Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly).  Poirot does not believe in the dead coming back but Oliver says that medium Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh) seems to be the real deal and she wants Poirot to see what he thinks.  She uses her charm, hanging over his head the fact that he is famous because of her, because she made him a character in her books.  They make a wager and Poirot reluctantly agrees to go.  

Rowena lives in a supposedly haunted palazzo.  It was an orphanage where the children were mistreated by the doctors and nurses and now the place is thought to be haunted by the children who want revenge. Rowena's daughter, Alicia, had supposedly committed suicide the year before when her fiance, Maxime Gerard (Kyle Allen) broke off their engagement. Rowena wants to commune with her daughter. When Poirot and Ariadne arrive, they meet Rowena's housekeeper, Olga Seminoff (Camille Cottin), the family doctor, Leslie Ferrier (Jamie Dornan) and his creepy little son, Leopold (Jude Hill), and Joyce Reynold's assistant, Desdemona Holland (Emma Laird), all with, shall I say?  Issues.

During the seance, Poirot spots the set-up right away and reveals Desdemona's half-brother, Nicholas (Ali Khan), hiding in the chimney and helping with the special effects. But when Joyce speaks in Alicia's voice and reveals that she had not committed suicide, but rather had been murdered, Poirot is pulled back into what he does best - solving murders.

But the arrogant Poirot is also forced to wonder if he is losing his mojo as he starts seeing and hearing things that make him wonder if the house really is haunted. Is he ever wrong? Could he possibly be wrong about ghosts and hauntings?

After several perplexing incidents and a murder, in true Agatha Christie fashion, during a storm, Poirot gathers all of the suspects together in one room to solve the case. 

They are all there: Maxime, who broke off the engagement because Alicia was too obsessed with keeping her mother happy; the creepy little kid, Leopold, who says he talks with the dead children in the palazzo; unhappy housekeeper, Seminoff;  and Nicholas and Desdemona, who dream of making their way to St. Louis, Missouri to live a life like in the film "Meet Me in St. Louis (long story)." Rowena, Oliver and Poirot's bodyguard, Vitale (Riccardo Scamarcio), are also there.

Loosely based on Christie's story "Hallowe'en Party," with a screenplay by Michael Green and directed by Branagh, this is a haunting (hee hee) visually beautiful and moody tale told in true Christie style.  It has an "old movie" feel but with modern special effects. The film reminded me of the wunderkind Orson Welles and "Citizen Kane," not surprisingly because Branagh, in his early days, was compared to Welles.  It was Welles who started using unusual camera angles, shooting from below, up, down and all around and that is very much in evidence here.  Almost too much.  The camera angles should get their own screen credits.

But the film is fun.  It's fun to try to put the clues together along with Poirot and guess who done it (I got there almost in time).  The film is also very atmospheric and beautiful to watch and the acting is first rate, though Branagh seems to be having just a bit too much fun with Poirot's French accent.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like Agatha Christie who-done-its or Branagh's Poirot films, this is the best one yet. (In theatres)

Theater Camp (2023)

When the beloved founder of a theater camp in Upstate New York becomes ill and the bank wants to foreclose, her son and the camp staff work to save the camp. 

Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris) is the co-founder and director of AdirondACTS, a summer theater camp.  As the summer begins, Joan attends a performance of "Bye Bye Birdie," starring one of her campers, experiences a seizure and falls into a coma caused by a strobe light that is used during the show (see, those signs you see in the theaters mean something)!  So with Joan in the hospital, her son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) takes over, but Troy is as about as far from being a theater kid as you can get.  When someone mentions a straight play, he asks what a gay play is called.

Troy is a "crypto bro" who looks like a skater dude, and he has difficulty getting along with the theater people.  There is Clive (Nathan Lee Graham), who teaches dance; Amos (Ben Platt), who teaches acting; Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon) teaches music, costuming and past lives; and Glenn (Noah Galvin), the techie with a secret, who teaches "The Art of the Spotlight."  A camera crew is following Amos and Rebecca-Diane around as they work on an original play about Joan's life called "Joan, Still." 

But for all of his shortcomings, Troy really wants to help, especially when he discovers that the camp has financial difficulties and the bank is about to foreclose. Troy is approached by Caroline (Patti Harrison), who represents Barnswell Capital, the owners of Camp Lakeside, the more upscale camp next door.  They want to buy AdirondACTS but it comes to light that they plan to dismantle the camp. 

Highjinks ensue as everyone bands together to help Troy save the camp. Think of those Judy Garland movies where theatre kids decide to put on a show in a barn "and my mother will make the costumes!"  Here a character says, "We're theater people.  We know how to turn cardboard into gold!" The movie culminates in the hilariously bad production of "Joan, Still."

Written by Gordon, Platt, Galvin and Nick Lieberman and directed by Gordon and Lieberman and based on their short 2020 film of the same name, this feature length mockumentary features an ensemble cast and affectionately makes fun of actory actors and theater affectations.  Much of it is improvised but it's funny and you theater nerds out there who went to theater camp or longed to become a performer will get the jokes.  

Some funny moments include Amos' comment upon hearing a child's audition piece will be "I Had a Dream" from "Les Miserables."  He says "That's a good song choice.  I totally believe her as a French prostitute," upon which Rebecca-Diane says "Amos!" and he replies, "Sorry.  Sex worker."  There is also a past life regression class where Rebecca-Diane tells one student - "You were once President Warren G. Harding!"  

Platt, Galvin, Gordon and Lieberman are all theatre people and old friends.  The pictures of children at the beginning of the film are of them. Platt is probably best known for his success on Broadway in "Dear Evan Hanson" and Gordon, also in that, is now engaged to Platt and starring in the TV series "The Bear."  It's a great ensemble cast that also includes many talented young kids. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...not sure that anyone else besides theater nerds will get this and find it funny but since I was one from a young age, I enjoyed it. And there is a good message: No matter what the talent level, the theater gives kids a way to express themselves and a sense of belonging. (Hulu)

Killer Book Club (2023)

(Original title: El Club de los Lectores Criminales)

A killer clown is after eight horror loving friends.

Who said horror films can't be fun?  Blumhouse has proven they can be with such "fun" films as "Happy Death Day" and "M3gan." And this film, though gory, is no exception.

Angela (Veki Velilla), Sara (Ane Rot), Nando (Ivan Pellicer), Sebas (Alvaro Mel), Rai (Carlos Alcaide), Koldo (Hamza Zaidi), Eva (Maria Cerezuela) and Virginia (Priscilla Delgado) are all students and friends who form a book club. This is not your old lady book club where the old ladies get their kicks reading "Fifty Shades of Grey."  This is a book club where the kids get their kicks reading horror stories.  Their latest fascination is killer clowns.

Our heroine is Angela, a writer who has experienced writer's block ever since her book was published years before.  But then she gets inspiration and has some chapters she wants her professor to look over. But when she goes to his office, he tries to rape her.  She tells her friends and they devise a plan to seek revenge on the professor.  They all dress in killer clown costumes with the idea of scaring him but the prank turns ugly and the professor is killed.  The kids are now in deep you-know-what, especially when they figure out that one of them is a real killer clown planning to pick them off one by one.

The killer clown publishes a story online called "The Mad Clown," dedicating each chapter to one of the students as he (or she) kills each one, so time is running out. The kids need to solve the mystery before the killer clown gets them all.  Who is the killer clown?  Is it one of them and why is he or she wanting them dead? And what is the secret that Angela has been keeping all of these years? We discover what it is along with what the heck was going on with that cold opening. 

Written by Carlos Garcia Miranda and directed by Carlos Alonso Ojea, this is

derivative of such slasher films as "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" with classic horror tropes in evidence - lots of running around, bloody impalements (I counted at least three), and plot twists, but what sets this one apart from your standard slasher film is the literary angle and the idea that horror stories are not given the gravitas they deserve because they are considered inauthentic.  I would say that horror films suffer from that same discrimination. But then the students become part of a real life horror story as they are tormented by a killer clown, so as far as they are concerned, horror stories are authentic! And don't we all have our own "horror stories?" 

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you have coulrophobia, this is not for you (look it up)! But if you like your horror with a little literature and tongue-in-cheek gore, you will enjoy this. (Netflix - in Spanish with English subtitles)

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

(NOTE:  If you are looking for a particular movie or series, check out this cool site: JustWatch.  It tells you where you can access all TV series and movies)

Lights, Cameras, ACTION!!! Some Action Movies Rosy Enjoyed!

 [I review the action films "The Mother," "Heart of Stone" and "Ghosted"]

The Mother (2023)

Don't mess with a mother!

J-Lo stars as a military operative known as "The Mother" who not only gets involved with arms smuggling but also gets romantically involved with two of the smugglers - Adrian Lovell (Joseph Fiennes) and Hector Alvarez (Gael Garcia Bernal) - resulting in her becoming a mother, literally.  

However, when she discovers that those two guys are also into child trafficking, she turns FBI informant, but during her interrogation, Lovell attacks killing all of the agents except Special Agent William Cruise (Omari Hardwick).  The Mother saves Cruise but Lovell confronts her and stabs her in the womb.  She survives, but the baby is born prematurely and she is told that because Lovell is still out there, her baby will never be safe unless she gives up parental rights.  She reluctantly agrees but tells Cruise she will only do that under three conditions: the child will have a life as ordinary as possible, she'll get a photo every birthday, and that he will call her if her daughter is ever in jeopardy. The Mother then goes into hiding and moves to a remote cabin in Alaska with the help of her former army colleague, Jons (Paul Raci).

Well, guess what? Your daughter is in danger, girl.

Twelve years later, Cruise contacts The Mother to tell her that Alvarez and Lovell are still mad at her for blabbing and still want revenge and it looks like they are going to go after her daughter, Zoe (Lucy Paez), who is living that ordinary life in Ohio that The Mother wanted her to have.  The Mother heads to Ohio just in time to witness Alvarez's goons kidnapping Zoe.

Game on, goons.  You are messing with the wrong Mother!

The film begins with the usual action movie trope - a long cold opening with lots of action and drama which sets us up for MORE action and MORE drama. But Lopez is up for it.  Surprisingly, she makes a great action heroine. As the film unfolds we not only follow The Mother as she tries to save her daughter but we learn how she got involved with Lovell and Alvarez.  

I have always been a big fan of J-Lo.  She is not the greatest actress in the world nor the most beautiful but there is something about her that makes her a great and beautiful actress.  She exudes warmth and realness (is that a word?) that radiates off the screen.  You can't help but believe in her and root for her, even here where she is playing an unsmiling badass. This is J-Lo as you have never seen her, a female Tom Cruise (okay, so she probably had a stunt double but she does some exciting stuff).

Written by Misha Green, Andrea Berloff, and Peter Craig and directed by Niki Caro, it's a sort of female version of "Taken." Yes, there are some plot holes but there are also some great chase sequences, twists and even heart-warming moments, not to mention the great Jennifer Lopez.  The first half of the film is all action, the second half mother-daughter moments.

Rosy the Reviewer says...much better than anticipated so if you like action and you like J-Lo, you will enjoy this. (Netflix)

Heart of Stone (2023)

Bad guys are trying to steal "The Heart," a valuable but dangerous weapon from the good guys.

Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot) is pretending to be a newbie for MI6 but she is in fact a female version of Bond, James Bond, a field agent known as The Nine of Hearts.  She is a member of The Charter, a murky peacekeeping agency trying to keep "The Heart," a quantum computer capable of hacking into any digital device, safe.  

"If you own the Heart, you own the world."

However, when the film begins, no one at MI6 knows Stone's true identity.  She is on a mission in the Italian Alps with an MI6 team, along with Parker (Jamie Dornan) and Bailey (Paul Ready).  They are after a wanted arms dealer.  However their cover is blown and Stone engages in the longest cold opening in history (well, probably not history but it felt like it - but in a good way).

With that failed mission, Stone is called back to London where she is reprimanded by Nomad (Sophie Okonedo), her superior at The Charter, for nearly blowing her cover.  In the meantime, it is discovered that there is a hacker out there who is after "The Heart," Keya (Alia Bhatt), a young quantum computer expert who turns out to be Stone's arch nemesis set on not only stealing "The Heart" but exposing Stone. Lots of twists and turns ensue. 

Gal Gadot is a beautiful woman but I hate to say that she is not a very good actress.  Thankfully, we have Jamie Dornan who is a beautiful man and also a good actor aided by lots of action with some great car chases and the usual stuff we expect from action films which doesn't really require Gadot to chew too much scenery. But I do give Gadot some credit. She makes a good badass and there is nothing like a badass woman saving the day. And this movie, written by Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder and directed by Tom Harper, doesn't have just one badass woman, but THREE!

Rosy the Reviewer says...though derivative of practically every action film ever, there is a big twist and the film has some exciting moments with great exotic locations but there were enough script holes that I sometimes didn't know what the hell was going on...but perhaps that's just me. However, if you like action, this one's got it. (Netflix)

Ghosted (2023)

Cole is a farmer and Sadie is an art curator (wink, wink).  They "meet cute," Cole is smitten and then Sadie disappears.  

Cole (Chris Evans) and Sadie (Ana de Armas) have a one night stand - a good one - and Cole, who is suffering from a recent breakup and has a reputation for being needy, wants to continue the relationship but Sadie disappears.  When he discovers she is in London, he decides to go there to surprise her (which won't help his reputation as being needy) only to find himself embroiled in some shady shenanigans.  

He is mistaken for the Tax Man (I never did figure out why) by a mysterious guy living under the Tower Bridge who tortures Cole with insects. Cole tries to convince the guy that he is just a dorky farmer but it doesn't work.  Sadie rescues him and, if we hadn't figured it out by now, we discover that our Sadie is NOT in fact an art curator but a CIA operative and our dorky farmer finds himself embroiled in a spy plot.  

So here we have another badass woman (see reviews above) who is trying to keep the world safe from the bad guys.  We are firmly in spy movie trope world. This time there is a case with a destructive device inside dubbed Aztec and bad guys are trying to get the code to open it. The main bad guy is Leveque (Adrien Brody) who has the device in a case and is trying to sell the device but doesn't have the code to open the case. Everyone thinks the Tax Man has the code and that Cole is the Tax Man. So if Cole is not the Tax Man, who is?  Gee, I wonder... 

Lots of action as would-be assassins and bounty hunters show up trying to get that dang code while Sadie and Cole argue and bicker in true rom-com fashion.

Chris Evans, best known these days as Captain America, is probably the last guy you would expect to be playing a dork, but here it works as he is at odds with the non-dorky Sadie while they fight off would-be assassins. The two bicker so much that every time they run into one of those assassins, there is a running gag where the would-be assassin says to them "Get a room!" And speaking of would-be assassins, that's another sort of running gag because each is played by a famous face in a cameo that lasts about five seconds. (Anthony Mackie, John Cho, Sebastian Stan, and even, Ryan Reynolds).

Written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna and directed by Dexter Fletcher, there is some "Romancing the Stone" going on here and some fun action sequences like Sadie driving a colorful Pakistani bus backwards along some mountain passes (not sure how they got from the Tower Bridge in London to Pakistan so fast, but oh well, suspend disbelief) and a high rise rotating restaurant that runs amok.  It's all very OTT (that's Brit talk for over the top) but it's engaging and fun.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a stylized action film that won't tax your brain. (Apple+)

EPILOGUE:  All three films share similar action movie tropes but those tropes are why we watch, right? - so "Lights, Cameras, ACTION!"

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

(NOTE:  If you are looking for a particular movie or series, check out this cool site: JustWatch.  It tells you where you can access all TV series and movies)

"Strays" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "Strays" as well as "Master Gardener," and "Bird Box: Barcelona"]

Strays (2023)

A little dog whose owner has abandoned him teams up with some strays to get revenge.

I know. An R-rated movie starring anthropomorphic dogs.  But, hey, sometimes you just need to go for it and dogs are hilarious, especially dogs that talk, use the F word and consider a billboard featuring a postal worked "the devil in the sky." I'm glad I went for it!

Since this movie is R-rated, I am going to have a difficult time relating the plot or quoting from the movie without offending someone, but basically it's all about little Reggie (voice by Will Ferrell), a border terrier who lives with Doug (Will Forte).  Reggie was Doug's live-in girlfriend's pet but when she left, Doug kept Reggie out of spite even though he hated little Reggie and called him bad names (names I can't repeat here).  You see, Doug is not a very nice person. In fact, he's a bad man.  But Reggie doesn't know that Doug is a bad man.  He thinks Doug loves him and that when he takes him out into the country, throws a ball for Reggie and then drives off that Doug isn't abandoning him, he is playing a game with him called "Fetch and F***."  Doug throws the ball, tells Reggie to fetch and when Reggie finds his way back home Doug says "F***!"

But one day, when Reggie makes his way back home once again, Doug has had enough and takes Reggie three hours away to the big city, and this time Reggie has trouble finding his way back home.  But he meets up with Bug (voice of Jamie Foxx), a street-wise Boston Terrier, Hunter (voice of Randall Park), a Great Dane wearing a "cone of shame," who failed police dog school and is now a therapy dog at an old peoples' home, and Maggie (voice of Isla Fisher), a sweet Australian Shepherd with an uncanny sense of smell, and the three take Reggie under their wings, er, paws and become Reggie's friends.  They convince Reggie that Doug does not really care about him and that he is now a stray.  Reggie can't come to grips with that at first, but when he does, he gets mad and decides that he wants to take revenge by, well, what they want to do to Doug is a bit graphic, but let me say it involves biting a part of Doug's anatomy off and that part rhymes with "stick."  So off the four go to seek revenge on Doug.

And now we have an R-rated version of "The Incredible Journey (except without the cat)."

The screenplay by Dan Perrault is very scatological but hilarious with references to other films like "A Dog's Purpose" and "A Dog's Journey" (there is a funny bit featuring Josh Gad as a Narrator Dog) and Dennis Quaid even makes an appearance being, well, Dennis Quaid. And misfit dogs on an adventure finding friendship is a sort of dog version of "Stand By Me."  

But the dogs themselves are the highlight. This is not an animated film. This film stars real dogs and the dogs "talk." You know how sometimes when the mouths of animals move in films and it looks wonky?  Not here.  It's all spot on and the body language of the dogs reflect the dialogue and emotions perfectly. These are well-trained dogs! But like I said, it's R-rated so lots of leg-humping, butt sniffing, pooping and other activities we have come to know and love from our canine friends. And they are brought to life by wonderful actors.  Jamie Foxx is always funny and I don't think I will ever look at a Boston Terrier the same way again and Will Ferrell is perfect as Reggie.  

But the film, directed by Josh Greenbaum, isn't just about dogs dropping the F-bomb and revenge, it's also about getting out of toxic relationships and the power of friendship.  And believe it or not, I think you will tear up from time to time. But you will also laugh - a lot- especially when Doug gets what's coming to him to the tune of Miley Cyrus's anthem "Wrecking Ball!"

Rosy the Reviewer says...yes, the movie is very scatological and obsessed with poop, but if, like me, you love dogs, you will laugh and you will cry and you will run right home and give your furry friend a hug.  And it's only an hour and 33 minutes long! (In theatres)

Master Gardener (2022)

A buttoned up horticulturist with secrets is the caretaker for a garden on a beautiful estate.

Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) tends the gardens at Gracewoods, a beautiful estate owned by the wealthy Mrs. Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). He also tends to Mrs. Haverhill, if you get my meaning. Unbeknownst to those he works with, Roth has a dark past and a dark secret that belies his passive nature, reminding us in these dark political times that we have no idea what is going on inside our fellow humans. And that's the case with Narvel. Slowly it unfolds just who Narvel was. But he has found solace in his role as gardener, quietly tending to plants.

But then enter, Maya (Quintessa Swindell), Mrs. Haverhill's grand-niece, a young biracial girl. Her mother has died and Mrs. Haverhill wants Roth to take Maya on as an apprentice so that she can eventually take over the Gardens, an odd assignment since Mrs. Haverhill has little to do with Maya while she is there.  And it doesn't help when Maya and Roth become close (we saw that coming a mile away). When Norma spots Roth leaving Maya's room, she fires them both. 

Like Roth, Maya has a troubled past, and though she is trying to clean herself up, her drug dealer, R.G. (Jared Bankens) and his friend, Sissy (Matt Mercurio), show up and cause her trouble and eventually vandalize the gardens leading to a violent showdown.

Writer/director Paul Schrader is known for his gritty films like "Hardcore," "Raging Bull" and "American Gigolo," and one can't help but draw parallels here with one of his most famous films - "Taxi Driver."  An odd older loner befriends a troubled young girl that culminates in violence? Mmmm, sounds very familiar.    

But though it's slow to get going, when it does it exudes the dark, sinister quality we have come to associate with Schrader, but unlike with "Taxi Driver," Schrader has softened a bit because there is an optimism here as he draws parallels to the life of a garden to life itself. And Schrader shows here that he is also the master of his film garden with interesting camera angles, an intense focus and artistic juxtaposition of the quiet solitude and healing of a garden and the violence of the real world.

Joel Edgerton has perfected the hang dog, troubled-guy-with-demons persona and newcomer Swindell holds her own with him.  And 73-year-old Sigourney Weaver, who doesn't look a day over 50, lends her own finely honed persona, that of the well-bred icy wealthy woman.

As an aside, this film is all about flowers and plants and stars Weaver.  Interestingly, there is a series on Amazon Prime right now starring Weaver called "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" which is also all about flowers and plants. I guess flowers and plants as symbols of life is a thing. But I digress...

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you seek a "smart" movie like "Oppenheimer," except shorter and better, this not only gives you something to think about but combines an interesting story with lots of drama. Worth seeking out.  (Amazon Prime)

Bird Box: Barcelona (2023)

There is an evil entity out there and if you look at it, you will kill yourself.  

"Bird Box" starring Sandra Bullock was one of the most popular movies of all time on Netflix and this film is clearly taking advantage of that.  I am usually not a fan of remakes or sequels, but in my mind, this one isn't really either of those things. It's a more like another chapter. It makes sense that the evil entity we first encountered in "Bird Box" would have taken over the world and is now in Spain wreaking havoc there, so I am not mad at that, and this is in fact a sort of reverse version of the original as it has a major twist.

If you remember from the first one, there is something out there that no one can see but if their eyes are open when it swirls around and they "see" it, it somehow manipulates their emotions and they will instantly kill themselves. So everyone wears a blindfold when outside. 

At the beginning of the film, we meet Sebastian (Mario Casas) and his daughter, Anna (Alejandra Howard), but in a series of flashbacks we learn that Sebastian lost his wife and driven by grief and despair is on a mission. We also learn that our hero is perhaps not really a hero.

It seems that some people can look at the entities and not turn to self harm and a cult has formed around these people led by Padre Esteban (Leonardo Sbaraglia), who believes that the entities are angels and that humanity would be liberated from suffering by embracing death. So there are people out there trying to avoid looking at the entities and other people out there trying get people to look so they will be saved. In flashbacks, we learn that Sebastian encountered the Padre and his life changed. 

Later, Sebastián encounters another group that believes that they will be saved if they reach Montjuic Castle, considered a safe haven. Sebastian joins them but has an existential crisis as he begins to doubt his beliefs.

Written and directed by David and Alex Pastor, unlike the original "Bird Box," the film has many religious overtones that questions organized religion and blindly following one's beliefs.  

Rosy the Reviewer says...though the flashbacks that eventually reveal Sebastian's mission are confusing at times, the film is engrossing and scary and one can't help but wonder if this is the beginning of a franchise.  Is "Bird Box Paris" next? (Netflix - In Spanish, English and German with English subtitles)

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

(NOTE:  If you are looking for a particular movie or series, check out this cool site: JustWatch.  It tells you where you can access all TV series and movies)

 

The Best Movies of 2023 So Far (according to the New York Times): What Rosy the Reviewer Thinks!

[I review Wes Anderson's latest film "Asteroid City" as well as "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret," the French film, "Full Time," as well as "Polite Society," "Showing Up" and "Sanctuary."] 

It's been a tough couple of years at the movies, and I have to say, it's been slim pickins,' so I was happy to see this list of must see best films from The New York Times (dated July 5). I am always looking for recommendations for some must see good movies. 

But do I agree that they are really must see? After viewing the films, here is what I thought. 

Asteroid City

A retro-futuristic play within a movie that depicts the events at a 1955 Junior Stargazer convention in the fictional town of Asteroid City.  

The film opens in black and white with Bryan Cranston as a TV host a la "Twilight Zone," informing the audience that they will be watching a rehearsal for a play. Written by Conrad Earp (Edward Norton), the play takes place in the fictional town of "Asteroid City," so named because a meteor fell on it.  The story centers on Augie Steenbeck (Jason Swartzman), who has arrived in Asteroid City for the Junior Stargazer convention with his daughters and brainiac teenage son, Woodrow (Jake Ryan). Woodrow is being honored at the convention. Augie's father-in-law, Stanley (Tom Hanks) later joins them. It seems that Augie's wife has died and Augie has neglected to tell his kids. Augie and Woodrow meet Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson) and her daughter Dinah (Grace Edwards).  Dinah is also being honored and love blooms for both Augie and Woodrow. 

Other convention attendees include five-star general Grif Gibson (Jeffrey Wright); astronomer Dr. Hickenlooper (Tilda Swinton); Ricky (Ethan Josh Lee), Clifford (Aristou Meehan) and Shelly (Sophia Lillis), three other brainiac honorees, and their parents, J.J. (Liev Schreiber), Roger (Steve Park) and Sandy (Hope Davis); elementary children chaperoned by teacher June Douglas (Maya Hawke); and a cowboy band led by singer, Montana (Rupert Friend). They are all looked after by the motel manager played by Steve Carell.  Did I miss anyone? Oh, right. Jeff Goldblum plays The Alien, but I will get to that.

Just as the convention commences at the Asteroid City crater, a UFO appears and an alien emerges and steals a fragment of the meteorite that created the crater in the town, which throws everyone into a tizzy and forces a military quarantine (a nod to Covid lockdown)? But in the meantime, more romance blooms, this time with Montana and June.

Just when the quarantine is about to end, the alien comes back to return the meteorite fragment thus continuing the quarantine for an indefinite period of time, which upsets everyone once again, but the brainiac kids contact the press about the lockdown thus exposing a military cover-up (a nod to Roswell)? So we have a desert town, astronomy, space cadets, romance, an alien, a quarantine, the military, a cover-up, and atom bomb testing. There is a lot going on.

So, in vibrant color, that's the play. And it's all very Wes Anderson.

In "real life (filmed in less vibrant black and white)," we also get to know the writer and the actors playing the parts in the play (in a nod to The Actor's Studio and the creative process). So like I said, there is a lot going on. In fact, too much. While recording the play, Jones Hall, the actor playing Augie (who is also Schwartzman), confronts the play's director, Schubert Green (oh, right, Adrian Brody is in this too), telling him he "still doesn't understand the play."

And that, my friends, is the most profound statement in the film.  Despite the star-studded cast (everyone and their grandmother seems to want to work with director Wes Anderson - Margot Robbie also has a cameo in this), I not only didn't understand the play, I didn't get the point of the film, and worse, I did not enjoy it. But maybe that was the point. It wasn't supposed to be enjoyable. There is a lot of talk about the meaning of life and it's no fun trying to figure that out.

However, I give Wes Anderson props.  He is one of our best directors. You can count on his films being colorful and idiosyncratic with first-rate production values and original screenplays (this one written with Roman Coppola), but he can be an acquired taste.  His films are all over the place from linear, understandable and enjoyable ("The Isle of Dogs" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel") - I loved those - to way, way out there ("The French Dispatch").  I didn't like it.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...sadly, this one for me, falls into the "I didn't like it" category.

(Streaming on Peacock and for rent on Amazon Prime)

Are You There God, It's Me Margaret

The angst of adolescence.

It's the 1970's and Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) returns from a great summer at camp only to discover that her family is moving from Manhattan to New Jersey.  Margaret is not happy about that because New York is where she has grown up and where all of her friends are.  This leads her to ask, "God, are you there?" And Margaret keeps talking to God as she navigates, not only the changes to her life in New Jersey and the pressures from her new friends, but the changes in her body as she enters puberty.

Meanwhile, Margaret's parents, Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and Herb (Benny Safdie), are also navigating their new lives.  Barbara has given up her job as an art teacher to become a stay-at-home Mom, and she is not doing well with that.  She volunteers for all of the PTA committees because she has nothing else to do, but her heart isn't in it.

So Margaret is struggling to adapt to her new life in New Jersey, and so is her mother. But what 11-year-old cares about what is going on with her mother when there are so many other things to think about like...boys?

Herb is Jewish and Barbara is Christian, so they deal with that by not celebrating any religious holidays. They want Margaret to make her own decisions when it comes to religion. When Margaret's teacher assigns Margaret a paper on religion, Margaret starts asking questions about Barbara's parents. Margaret has a close relationship with Herb's mother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates), but doesn't know Barbara's parents at all. Barbara shares that they were not happy about the marriage and disowned her. Now Margaret's conversations with God are really urgent as she grapples with religious choice.

I trained as a young adult librarian and, when Judy Blume came on the scene with the book upon which this film is based, it was a huge deal because she dealt with real tween and teen issues, something that hadn't really been done before, especially all of that talk about menstruation, which has caused this book to be banned many times over the years.  Never mind that young girls might need some reassurance that puberty is natural and that they will get through it.  Judy Blume performed a public service to skittish parents who avoided these kinds of discussions but what thanks does she get?  Her book gets banned. 

Blume was able to capture the tween world of young girls, and this movie also does a good job bringing it all back to those of us growing up in the 60's and 70's. Margaret is befriended by Little Miss Know-It-All, Nancy Wheeler (Elle Graham), who confidently talks about boys and bras and the importance of getting one's period.  She brings Margaret into her secret club where the girls are obsessed with boys, practice kissing on their bedposts (I practiced on my Dr. Kildare pillow), and long to wear a bra, diligently performing exercises to fit into one - "I must, I must, I must increase my bust?!" When that fails, stuffing it with toilet paper works!    

Adapted from Blume's book and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, the film is well-acted (I especially enjoyed Fortson who is fun to watch because she has one of those really expressive faces) and captures the spirit of the book and the times and what it's like to be a young girl on the cusp of womanhood. I am surprised it has taken this long to get this film version made.  The book was written in 1970.  Judy Blume is one of the producers, so maybe it's one of those things where if you want to get something done, do it yourself. There is nostalgia for those of us who lived this era - Princess phones and 70's music - but hard to believe today's 11-year-olds would be this naive.  I mean, do kids still play "Spin the bottle?"

Fortson is the center of this film as her face tells it all.  But McAdams is also wonderful, exuding a loving warmth as Margaret's mother.

Rosy the Reviewer says...A fitting tribute to a watershed coming of age book. (Amazon Prime)

Full Time 

What it's like to be a single working Mom in France...during a transportation strike.

Julie Roy (Laure Calamy) is a working mom with two kids.  She has moved to a Paris suburb to give her kids a good life, but it's not such a good life for her because she works in Paris as a maid supervisor in a five star hotel and her commute time is killing her. She takes her kids to a babysitter at the crack of dawn and then embarks on a long slog to get to Paris. Her babysitter is threatening to stop caring for her kids because her schedule is so erratic. The ex-husband is slow with his child support and her money is running out.  It comes to light that she had a high end job at one time, and she has managed to get an interview for a better job, but how does she get to that interview without her boss finding out?  She can't afford to lose her current job but it's not looking good for her. Add to that a transportation strike and her life is hell. What will happen?

Who knew a movie about a single mom trying to get to work would turn out to be a thriller?

Written and directed by Eric Gravel, the film will pull you into Julie's world. The acting here is wonderful.  Calamy is believable and powerful and the production values are also first-rate. Whether it's Paris or the U.S. this is as real as it gets when it comes to a single parent trying to do the best for her kids and it's about time these folks get some props for the stressful balancing acts they must perform every day. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...it's a gripping foray into the world of a working mom.  I liked it, but as a film experience perhaps not for everyone. (Amazon Prime) 

Polite Society

Ria plots to save her sister from a bad marriage.

Ria (Priya Kansara) is a young Pakistani girl growing up in upper class London with her parents and older sister Lena (Ritu Arya). She aspires to become a movie stuntwoman like her idol, Eunice Huthart, who won the British TV series "Gladiators" and then came back as a Gladiator herself known as Blaze.  Ria calls herself "The Fury" and creates YouTube martial arts movies with the help of her sister, Lena, who has dropped out of art school, discouraged and depressed, feeling she wasn't good enough to become an artist.  Ria's parents are not too happy with Ria's dream, but Ria does not want to live up to conventional expectations.   

Both sisters are very close until Lena meets the suave Salim (Akshay Khanna), and they decide to get married and move to Singapore.  But when Ria discovers Salim's dark intentions, she is determined to stop the wedding, so she enlists the help of her two best friends, Clara (Seraphina Beh) and Alba (Ella Bruccoleri), and they concoct a plan to save Lena.

First they try to use diplomacy.  That doesn't work.  Then they try to find dirt on Salim and eventually they plan to smear his name by breaking into his home and planting incriminating evidence. It all goes very wrong and is all very funny.

Written and directed by Nida Manzoor, there is a lot to enjoy here. 

From Ria's Jackie Chan kicks as she practices her martial arts to "waxing as torture" when Salim's mother (Nimra Bucha) catches Ria breaking into her house, the film is a nonstop mix of genres and it's a delight.  There are funny nods to spy movies, sci fi, musicals, westerns, even Jane Austen and actress Kansara is obnoxiously endearing.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a joyful comedy of manners that is over-the-top but stylish and fun and with a message to young girls that cuts through cultural lines. Be yourself and follow your dreams. (Streaming on Peacock)

Showing Up

A sculptor prepares for her upcoming show but everyday battles threaten to interfere with her life.

Michelle Williams stars as Lizzy, a quiet woman living in Portland, Oregon, who just wants to get her art show ready.  But stuff keeps happening.  Not very much stuff, mind you, but stuff.

Her water heater doesn't work and her landlord and seemingly best friend, Jo (Hong Chau), is taking her time getting it fixed. Jo is also an artist and Lizzy is envious of Jo. Jo is the opposite of Lizzy.  Where Lizzy is downtrodden and rarely smiles, Jo throws parties and seems to have it all figured out. And then there is a wounded pigeon that Jo foists onto Lizzy and taking care of it also interferes with her work.

Judd Hirsh plays Lizzy's father and there are some humorous moments with him but all in all, this was kind of a slog, because Lizzy is a downer. 

This film is Williams' fourth collaboration with director Kelly Reichardt (who also wrote the screen play with Jonathan Raymond), but I have to wonder what drew her to this project.  The film is deliberate and slow and not much happens. I know it's all about the world of artists and the creative process, but the film didn't make me care about Lizzy or that, and the bit with the bird is a rather obvious metaphor about breaking free but...yawn. It just took too long to get to the point and I'm not even sure what that was.   

Rosy the Reviewer says...yes, Michelle Williams is in this film and she is a fine actress but otherwise?  Zzzzzz (Amazon Prime)

Sanctuary 

Gee, what does a man do when his dominatrix goes rogue?

Not something most men have to deal with (I hope), but that's what happens to Hal (Christopher Abbott) in this rather kinky two-hander (that's Brit for a film with just two actors) that also stars Margaret Qualley, Andie MacDowell's talented daughter. 

Qualley has cut quite a swath through Hollywood. She came onto the scene in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" as one of Manson's girls and later starred in "Maid," a wonderfully good mini-series.  Here she plays Rebecca, the dominatrix for Hal, a man who has just inherited his father's hotel empire and Hal, anticipating his new high profile role, wants to end the relationship so he doesn't get found out.  Rebecca says, "Nope!"

Written by Micah Bloomberg and directed by Zachary Wigon, it's just Qualley and Abbott in something like a love story.  It's all about the acting and the relationship between the actors, and I can appreciate that but it's yet another kind of a slog.  I have a high tolerance for slow moving talkie films, but this one took too long to get to the point.  It's all about control and gender and sex but you don't even get to see any sex.

Rosy the Reviewer says...it's well-acted and an interesting concept, but I can't for the life of me understand how this got on a mainstream "best of" list.  This is TOTALLY not for everyone. (Amazon Prime)

So my final word...

This New York Times list came out before "Barbie," "Oppenheimer" and even the latest "Mission Impossible" and Indiana Jones movies, so one can't help but wonder if any of those films would have made that list.  I have a feeling the answer would be no.  Except for "Asteroid City," the entire list is made up of indies, so that seems to be the jam. I would like to have seen "No Hard Feelings" on this list because it's one of the few comedies I have seen in the last few years that actually made me laugh, but comedies don't often get the respect they deserve. But it's on MY best of list.

All in all, I question whether these films are the best films for the first half of 2023, but thank you, New York Times, for alerting me to some movies I might not have known about, especially "Polite Society," which was my favorite on this list. 

So, the "best of" moniker aside, were these films at least must sees?

Rosy the Reviewer says...in order of appearance...maybe, yes, sort of, yes, and no and no.

So there you have it. You and I are not in agreement, New York Times, but no hard feelings?

And as Rosy the Reviewer always says...I see the bad ones so you don't have to!

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

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