It’s been a while since I’ve given a film zero stars, but this one certainly deserves it. It’s not worthy of a full review and certainly not worth your hard-earned money.
This is the third ensemble film for director Garry Marshall (following Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, neither of which we saw). Among the many actors and actresses in this film are Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Jason Sudeikis and Timothy Olyphant. But the writing here is truly dreadful, certainly not worthy of the cast assembled, and giving the standard faith-based film a run for their money in the worst script category.
The writers (four are listed in the credits) tell us about the following situations – a divorced couple in which the former husband marries an attractive woman much younger than him; a single father with two daughters trying to move forward a year after his wife and their mom died; two sisters, one who is married to an Indian but has lied to her parents about him and about them to him; the other sister is in a lesbian relationship but has lied to her parents about it and a young unmarried couple who have a child together. The writers try to pull every trick to emotionally manipulate the viewer, but the film is just a mess. All of the stories are based around the theme of Mother’s Day.
This is a truly bad film with no moral compass. The only reason for posting this short review is to warn you to run, don’t walk away from this film. With any luck, this film will be mostly forgotten by the time Mother’s Day rolls around next week.
This “live action”, heavily computer generated, film is released on the 49th anniversary of the 1967 animated film, the last cartoon feature overseen by Walt Disney, and released one year after his death.
The new film is directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Elf, Chef). The screenplay, based on the book by Rudyard Kipling, is by Justin Marks. The film is darker than parents may anticipate, and too scary for very young children. While an adaptation of the 1967 film, (which I’ve never seen), the filmmakers chose to include elements from Kipling’s novel to make the film more adventurous and dangerous. Jungle locations in India were photographed and used as reference for the jungle environment in the film. All the locations in the film are computer-generated VFX.
Mowgli is played by 12 year-old Neel Sethi. When a very young boy, Mowgli’s father was killed in a cave by the large Bengal tiger Shere Khan, voiced by Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom). Shere Khan’s face is badly scarred by fire, which the animals call “red flower”, something they greatly fear. As a result, Shere Khan hates Mowgli and wants revenge.
Mowgli was saved by the black panther Bagheera, voiced by Ben Kingsley. He brings him to a pack of wolves to be raised by mother Akela, voiced by Lupita Nyong’o and father Raksha, voiced by Giancarlo Esposito, where he is known as a mancub. Several times throughout the film we hear Kipling’s poem “The Law of the Jungle” recited by the animals.
But Shere wants Mowgli dead and will kill others until they turn over Mowgli to him. To protect his family from Shere, Mowgli decides to leave the jungle. He is guided in his journey back to the human village by Bagheera the panther and the honey-loving bear Baloo (hilariously voiced by Bill Murray). Along the way he runs into the huge seductive python Kaa, voiced by Scarlett Johanson, and King Louie, a gigantic ape, voiced by Christopher Walken. King Louie sings a song from the 1967 film “I Wanna Be Like You”.
I thoroughly enjoyed this creative film, which utilizes the latest technology, a strong cast and a classic story. I loved seeing all of the jungle animals (the elephants who are revered and bowed down before as the creators of the jungle, birds, monkeys, etc.). My favorite was Baloo the bear, and a great scene is Mowgli and Baloo singing “Bare Necessities”, as they float down the jungle river. That is among the few lighter moments in this often tense film, as Mowgli is being pursued by Shere.
The creative ending song as the credits begin to roll, featuring King Louie, is worth staying in your seats for. A full version of “Trust in Me (The Python’s Song)” by Kaa follows that over the rest of the credits.
Sadly this was Garry Shandling’s final film, just a few weeks after his March 24 death from a heart attack. Shandling voiced Ikki the porcupine.
Jungle Book 2 has been announced, and is planned for release in 2018.
In this delightful animated Disney film, there are no human characters. Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin of the television series Once Upon a Time) is a small town rabbit with big ambitions. She lives with her carrot farmer parents (voiced by Don Lake and Bonnie Hunt), and 225 siblings (remember rabbits are “good at multiplication”), but has always wanted to join the police force in nearby Zootopia. The problem is there has never been a rabbit on the police force. And her parents are terrified for her, much preferring that she stay and work on the safe carrot farm.
The world that directors Byron Howard (Tangled) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph), along with co-director Jared Bush, who shares screenplay credit with Phil Johnston, create is one of predators and prey. For example, rabbits fear foxes, and Judy had a terrifying experience with a fox when she was young. Predators make up just 10 percent of the population of Zootopia, but they hold most of the positions of power and influence, and dominate due to their size and strength. Mayor Lionheart (voiced by J.K. Simmons) is a lion who struts about, while his assistant, Bellwether (voiced by Jenny Slate) is a powerless little sheep, a glorified administrative assistant.
Against all odds and despite her size, Judy graduates at the top of her class at the police academy and is ready to make a difference. But much to Judy’s disappointment, the water buffalo Police Chief Bogo (voiced by Idris Elba), who doesn’t want her on his team, assigns her to meter maid duty. Still, Judy determines to over-achieve in that job and move up to the real police work she’s always dreamed of doing.
The major case in Zootopia involves 14 mammals that have mysteriously gone missing. All of the real police officers have been assigned to the case, while Judy continues to issue parking tickets. In the course of her work, Judy encounters Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman). Nick is a sly fox, a career con man who has made a living via a variety of scams. Judy believes that Nick could be a key witness in the case. Using her relationship with Bellwether, Judy convinces Chief Bogo to give her (and Nick) 48 hours to crack the case, or she will resign. That story is creative and funny – with a parody of The Godfather (Maurice LaMarche voicing a tiny rat, Mr. Big), Mystic Spring Oasis nudist colony (the animals don’t have any clothes on), sloths working in the DMV, etc.
Both children and adults will love this creative film – the city of Zootopia, where predators and prey live together in harmony, is visually appealing, the film is well-written with plenty of jokes as the film addresses the serious issue of prejudice and stereotypes, or what I might call in this film species-ism – predators vs. prey, rabbits vs. foxes, etc.
In addition to the characters already mentioned, Octavia Spencer voices Mrs. Otterton, who is worried about her missing husband, Tommy Chong voices Yax, the laid-back head of the Mystic Springs Oasis, Alan Tudyk voices the sneaky Duke Weaselton and Shakira as Gazelle, a Lady Gaga-like music artist.
We saw the film in 3-D, and did not feel that the 3-D added anything except dollars to the cost of our tickets. Some scenes could also be scary for very young viewers.
Although the Academy Awards ceremony was just a week ago, I don’t think it’s too early to start thinking about next year’s awards. I’m confident that this excellent film will receive nominations. The film opened at number one, with $73.7 million, the fourth largest March opening. In comparison, Disney’s Frozen opened with $67.4 in 2013.
This excellent film, which has been nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture, is based on Colm Toibin’s 2009 novel “Brooklyn”. It is directed by John Crowley and the screenplay is by Nick Hornby, who has been nominated for an Oscar for his work here. Hornby wrote a different ending for the film than included in the book.
The film stars Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) as Eilis Lacey. Ronan delivers an excellent performance, and has been nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of a young Irish Catholic woman who lives with her mother (Jane Brennan) and sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) in Enniscorthy, Ireland in the early 1950’s. (Note: in real life Ronan was born in The Bronx, but raised in Ireland by her Irish parents). She works for a mean shopkeeper Miss Kelly, played by Brid Brennan.
There is not much of a future for Eilis in Enniscorthy, so Rose contacts Father Hood (a very likeable Jim Broadbent, Oscar winner for Iris), an Irish priest in Brooklyn, who finds her a place to stay in a boarding house for young women in Brooklyn run by Mrs. Kehoe (two-time Oscar nominee Julie Walters), and a job at an upscale department store.
After Eilis arrives in Brooklyn, after getting violently ill on the ship between Ireland and New York, she is terribly homesick, missing her mom and sister. Each letter from home drives her to tears. As time goes on however, she slowly begins to settle in, and with Father Hood’s financial support, starts to attend college classes in the evening, with a goal of being an accountant. Over humorous dinner scenes at the boarding house we get to know Mrs. Kehoe and the other boarding house residents.
At a church dance she meets a handsome Italian plumber Tony (Emory Cohen from The Place Beyond the Pines), who immediately falls for Eilis. All of this happens a little too quickly for Eilis, but she eventually tells Tony that she loves him too. A favorite scene is when Tony takes Eilis to meet his family. Eilis’ boarding house friends teach her how to properly eat spaghetti (she’s never eaten any Italian food). Tony’s eight-year old brother Frankie (James DiGiacomo) steals the scene.
But then something happens back home and Eilis decides she needs to go back to Ireland for a month. Tony is terribly afraid that she won’t ever return. It is a much more mature and confident Eilis that returns to Enniscorthy. It is there she meets Jim (Domhnall Gleeson, Bill Weasley from the Harry Potter films, where ironically Julie Walters played his mother), from an upscale family.
This is a beautiful film, thanks to Yves Belanger’s cinematography. The film captures the look of Brooklyn and Enniscorthy and the costumes of 1952. It is a romance that features some very strong acting performances, led by Ronan. This is a film that you will want to see in the theatre if possible.
The film is rated PG-13 for a brief scene of sexuality and some brief adult language early in the film.
This film is directed by Michael Bay (Transformer films) and is written by Chuck Hogan, based on the book 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi by Mitchell Zuckoff and the Annex Security Team (five of the survivors of the attack at Benghazi). The film is intense from the very beginning as Benghazi is one of the most dangerous places in the world after Muammar Gaddafi has been removed from power. The film gave me a sense of being right there in the tense environment.
Jack Silva (John Krasinski from The Office) is a former Navy SEAL, now working as a contractor with Global Resource Solutions (GRS). He joins his old friend Tyrone “Rone” Woods (James Badge Dale), along with John “Tig” Tiegan (Dominic Fumusa), Kris “Tanto” Paronto (Pablo Schreiber), Mark “Oz” Geist (Max Martini) and Dave “Boon” Benton (David Denman), who have been hired as drivers and guards for CIA personnel, led by the CIA outpost chief Bob (David Costabile), in a tense Benghazi. Bob makes it clear that the GRS personnel are second class citizens in the outpost.
The film is set in September 2012. U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens (Matt Letscher) arrives and stays at the nearby diplomatic compound, which has inadequate security protection, given the tense atmosphere in Benghazi. On September 11, a heavily armed mob of Islamic militants storms the American embassy in pursuit of Stevens. Bay effectively portrays the confusion that takes place during the attack. The GRS team knows that Stevens has only two security personnel and will not be able to hold off the attackers without assistance. But Bob refuses to let them go to the compound to rescue the ambassador and his personnel, instead giving them a direct order to “Stand down”. Finally, as they see the fire coming from the compound high in the Benghazi sky, they take off on their own to try to save the ambassador. As they do so, part of the confusion is not knowing for sure who is on their side and who the enemy is, and assuming incorrectly could cost them their lives. But surely Bob will be requesting U.S. assistance to help with the attack and they will be arriving soon. Surely.
The film also shows the personal side of some of the GRS personnel, showing them communicating with their families back home as they bravely try to save the ambassador and then defend the not so secret CIA facility from the attackers.
The film is rated “R” for much war violence (gunfire, bombs, blood), and a significant amount of adult language. Although Bay could have made political statements with the film, he instead focuses on the amazing bravery of the “secret soldiers” from GRS and their willingness to sacrifice their lives for Ambassador Stevens and the CIA personnel.
This film is directed by Peter Landesman, who wrote the script based in part on a 2009 GQ magazine article “Game Brain” written by Jeanne Marie Laskas. The film stars Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist with an impressive resume in the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania coroner’s office. Smith delivers a very strong performance. He has been nominated by the Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, and should receive some Oscar consideration for Best Actor.
Mike Webster (powerfully played by David Morse) is a former Pittsburgh Steelers center, who is well-loved in the city of Pittsburgh; they love their Steelers. In 2002, he died in his pickup truck, homeless, divorced and confused. Dr. Omalu, a Catholic immigrant from Nigeria who doesn’t know anything about football is assigned to do his autopsy. He doesn’t know anything about football. Dr. Omalu talks to each person before beginning his work on their body. Webster died of a cardiac arrest, but Dr. Omalu doesn’t know why he died. His CT scan is normal. He wants to do additional tests, but due to budget restrictions, can only do them at his own expense, which is approved by his supervisor Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks). What he finds is that Webster died of a brain disorder, which Dr. Omalu will name Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. CTE is a disorder caused by repeated blows to the head. Dr. Omalu estimates that in his years playing football Mike sustained approximately 70,000 such blows to his head.
Dr. Omalu is assisted by former Steelers team doctor Julian Bailes (portrayed by Alec Baldwin), who will try to build a bridge between Dr. Omalu and the National Football League (NFL), and County Coroner Cyril Wecht. Eventually, he will co-author a paper detailing his findings in a medical journal, which is dismissed by the NFL. Over the next few years, Dr. Omalu discovers that three other former NFL players – Terry Long, Justin Strzelczyk and Andre Waters – also had CTE. Still, the powerful NFL does nothing about the problem.
Dr. Omalu initially meets the attractive Prema Mutiso (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who starred in 2013’s Belle), when his priest asks if she could stay with him as she has no other place to stay. Their relationship would continue to grow until they marry.
We see that Dr. Omalu is subjected to criticism and harassment for taking on the NFL on this issue. Only after four-time Pro Bowler Dave Duerson commits suicide and is diagnosed with CTE does the NFL Players’ Association begin to take Dr. Omalu’s findings seriously.
The film is rated PG-13 for some adult language, including several abuses of God’s name, implied pre-marital sex, and football violence. On the plus side, the faith of Dr. Omalu and Prema is shown in a positive manner throughout the film.
This powerful film is directed by Tom McCarthy and co-written by Josh Singer and McCarthy (who has an Oscar nomination for writing Up), and is about the Spotlight team from the Boston Globe. They are an investigative reporting arm of the Globe who won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the Roman Catholic Church’s cover-up of the sexual abuse of children by priests in Boston. The film opens with a brief scene from 1976 where we see a priest being whisked away in a long black car. The film then fast forwards to 2001 when Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), who is Jewish, becomes the new editor of the Globe in the predominantly Catholic city. He asks Water “Robby” Robinson” (Michael Keaton, in his follow-up to his Oscar nominated performance in 2014’s Birdman), the editor of the Spotlight team, to look into the archdiocese’s handling of child abuse cases.
Robinson’s excellent Spotlight team consists of Michael Rezendes (two-time Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo in another Oscar worthy performance), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James). They are fully committed to this story, to the point that they don’t really have any personal lives. But this story is not just about a few priests, or even 87 priests who have abused children, but an entire church organization/system led by Cardinal Law (Len Cariou). That’s why Baron pushes Globe Managing Deputy Editor Ben Bradley Jr. (John Slattery), Robinson and the Spotlight team – to pursue and prove Cardinal Law’s knowledge and cover-up of the abuse.
Along the way we meet a few of the abuse victims and their recollections which are at times graphic and always heartbreaking. We also meet attorneys on both sides of the issue Eric Macleish (Billy Crudup) and Mitchell Garabedian (Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci) who are aware of what has been going on. Jim Sullivan (Jamey Sheridan) and Pete Conley (Paul Guilfoyle) are part of the church machine that strongly encourages Robinson to look the other way. We are told of the significant power the Catholic Church has in Boston including the close relationship the church has with the legal, law enforcement and media, highlighted by an uncomfortable “meet and greet” Cardinal Law has with Baron.
What makes this film significant is the story – the cover-up that the Globe successfully exposed in more than 600 stories. What makes the film great are the strong acting performances, led by Ruffalo. McCarthy’s direction and the excellent script from McCarthy and Singer keeps things moving and I found myself emotionally pulled into the story and injustice that had been allowed to go on. Along the way we see what the abuse and cover-up does to the Catholic faith of Rezendes and Pfeiffer.
The film ends with a list of the cities in the world in which significant abuse has been uncovered, including one 45 minutes from my home.
The film is rated “R” for adult language and the subject matter of sexual abuse of children. It is quite simply one of the best films of 2015.
This film about the late Steve Jobs, best known as co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Apple, Inc., is directed by Oscar winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). The screenplay is by Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and is based in part on Walter Isaacson’s excellent book Steve Jobs. This film is superior to the 2013 film Jobs, starring Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs.
Rather than giving us a full look at Job’s life (there is no mention of the iPad, iPhone, iTunes, just a hint of the iPod, or Job’s cancer), Boyle chooses to tell Job’s story through three major acts spreading across sixteen years of his life. All of the scenes take us backstage (giving the feel of 2014’s Birdman), before three major product launches (the Macintosh in 1984, NeXT in 1988, and the iMac in 1998).
As he is preparing to go on stage to introduce these new products, we see many important issues arising for Jobs just minutes before he is to go out in front of thousands of excited people in the auditorium. How he could keep his mind straight when he does walk out on stage is amazing in itself. The three major scenes (product launches) in the film were filmed on 16mm, 35mm, and digital to illustrate the advancement in Apple’s technology across the 16 years depicted of Jobs’ life.
Oscar nominee (for 12 Years a Slave) Michael Fassbender portrays Jobs and does an outstanding job, most likely earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. I was very impressed with Seth Rogen’s portrayal of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who was a consultant on the film. Rogen met with Wozniak often when preparing to play him. He has my favorite line in the film, and I found Wozniak the most likeable character. He and Jobs are having an argument near the end of the film – Wozniak has wanted Jobs for some time to acknowledge the key members of the Apple II team, but Jobs again refuses and says some mean things to Wozniak. As he walks out of the auditorium, Wozniak says “. It’s not binary. You can be decent and gifted at the same time.” Jobs liked to think of himself as the conductor of an orchestra, but forgot that there is nothing to conduct without the musicians.
Oscar winner (for The Reader) Kate Winslet delivers a strong performance as Joanna Hoffman, head of marketing and Job’s trusted assistant/advisor throughout the three main scenes in the film, and is worthy of an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Hoffman does her job extremely well, works closely with him, has his respect and is one of the few who can speak directly to him and have it received. A good line that she delivers is “What you make isn’t supposed to be the best part of you”.
Jeff Daniels, who recently appeared in The Martian, portrays John Sculley, Job’s one-time father figure who would later be responsible for forcing him out of Apple. Michael Stuhlbarg plays engineer Andy Hertzfeld who takes the brunt of Job’s criticism at the beginning of the film because the Macintosh doesn’t want to say “Hello”. Katherine Waterston plays Crisann Brennan, Jobs ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter Lisa, well played by Makenzie Moss (at age 5), Ripley Sobo (at age 9) and Perla Haney-Jardine (at age 19).
The fact that Jobs was adopted comes up a few times in the film, almost to explain the way he treated those closest to him so poorly. We are forced to look at a flawed human being (as we all are). He was a genius visionary in design and marketing, and a perfectionist, but he also treated people terribly, including his daughter Lisa, who he denied for years that he was her father, and her mother Crisann.
The film is rated “R” for extensive adult language, primarily from Jobs. God’s and Jesus’s names are also misused several times. Although there are a few references to God and Jesus, and also one about Job’s birth parents wanting him to be adopted by a Catholic family, faith is not portrayed as a factor in any of the characters’ lives. That doesn’t mean that some don’t demonstrate commendable actions, as both Hertzfeld and Hoffman do commendable things for Lisa.
Having read Isaacson’s book, I loved this film that features strong directing, writing (which reminded us of Sorkin’s work on The West Wing), and acting performances. I found it to be one of the best films of the year. My wife on the other hand, not familiar with the details of Job’s life or career, respected the above, but was lost part of the time as the movie assumes you know the story and the characters and doesn’t go out of its way to fill you in. She also said that it was a well-made film but was exhausting due to being filmed in cramped back-stage areas, the time pressure in the movie and the fast-paced West Wing style dialogue. Be sure and listen to how the music builds, especially during the first two acts, and watch to see how many characters are looking for acknowledgement and affirmation from others.
This film is based on true events that took place in Birmingham, Alabama. It is directed by Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin (Mom’s Night Out, October Baby). The film is written by Jon Erwin and Quinton Peeples, and is based on the book Woodlawn: One Hope. One Dream. One Way by Todd Gerelds, the son of Woodlawn High School Coach Tandy Gerelds. Todd is portrayed in the film as a young boy by Jet Jurgensmeyer.
We are told at the beginning of the film that Birmingham was known as “Bombingham” as the city had experienced more than 50 bombings linked to race issues since 1947. The film is set in 1973, ten years after Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birmingham campaign. Racial tensions are high. The Alabama governor is the racist George Wallace who attempted to block the integration of schools.
Woodlawn High School is a school of 2,500 whites, but is being forced to accept 500 black students due to integration. We see fights break out often and angry students. A few of the black students are on the school’s football team, including running back Tony Nathan (Caleb Catille), and are coached by Tandy Geralds (Nic Bishop). The Woodlawn team is not expected to win many games that season.
Hank (Oscar nominee Sean Astin), a sports chaplain asks to speak to the team. He is denied the opportunity by Coach Geralds. However, after more violence takes place at the school, the coach decides to give him five minutes with the team. After an hour, almost the entire team commits their lives to Christ, the beginning of an incredible movement of Christianity that would greatly impact the team, their main rival and the entire city of Birmingham for years to come.
This is a faith-based film that is well-made and features themes of faith, race, courage, reconciliation and love. A recurring theme we hear from Hank is “That’s what happens when God shows up”.
Oscar winner (Best Actor for Coming Home) Jon Voight plays the legendary Alabama Coach Paul Bear Bryant in the film. As the film opens he has invited the integrated University of Southern California football team to play his University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1970. After USC defeats his Crimson Tide, he visits the USC locker room and congratulates running back Sam Cunningham, one of the black players. He is portrayed as a kind man who sees people as people and not black or white.
Sean Astin’s “Hank” is actually a combination of three people (Wales Goebel, a former house builder who began reaching out to area high schools; Hank Erwin, father to directors Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin, who was the team’s chaplain for two years, and Mike Huckabee, whose experience at Explo 72 informed some of the dialogue. The legendary voice of Crimson Tide football announcer Eli Gold did some of the announcing for the high school games in the movie.
The acting, particularly by Voight and Catille, is excellent. The football scenes are realistic, at times mixed in with the historical footage, and the messages from this incredible true story are excellent. I’m not a huge fan of faith-based films, but this one follows War Room as a very solid film that I can highly recommend.
Another resource you may want to check out after seeing the film is the book Touchdown Tony: Running with a Purpose by Tony Nathan.
Trivia: near the end of the film we see that Coach Geralds has left coaching and taken a job as a State Farm Insurance agent. I have proudly worked at State Farm for more than 35 years.
As a young boy Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) went to the circus and was captivated by the high-wire act. He then started performing (juggling, walking a tightrope in his yard and on the sidewalks of the city), much to the dismay of his dismissive father.
One day he sneaks into the circus tent when it is empty and climbs up to the high-wire, only to be caught by Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley) the leader of the high-wire act. Papa Rudy will become a major influence in his life. In the streets of Paris he notices Annie (Charlotte Le Bon) playing her guitar on the sidewalk for donations. Phillippe begins performing his act and ends up taking Annie’s audience completely away, which she is angry about. This begins a long relationship between the two. Philippe sees a magazine article about the two World Trade Center towers being constructed in New York City, which would be higher than his hometown Eiffel Tower. He gets the crazy idea to string a wire between the two towers and walk it. Philippe and Annie then go to NYC in 1974 and begin putting together their team accomplices and planning the walk.
This film is based on Phillippe’s book To Reach the Clouds, and is directed by Oscar winning (for Forrest Gump) director Robert Zemeckis. The film slowly builds until we see the unbelievable walk by Phillippe, which is captured with some incredible cinematography and CGI (computer generated imagery), which makes one truly grasp the height of the Twin Towers, especially when seen in 3D. In fact, during the film’s New York City premiere the realism of Petit’s walk 1,362 feet in the air caused some viewers to actually throw up from vertigo. Robert Zemeckis responded that, “[The goal] was to evoke the feeling of vertigo. We worked really hard to put the audience up on those towers and on the wire.”
The film is rated PG, somewhat surprisingly since we see Phillippe’s nude back end (though not in a sexual context). There is no adult language, but we do see Phillippe and Annie living together. Gordon-Levitt is outstanding as the 24 year-old Phillipe and Kingsley delivers his usual strong performance. The supporting cast that assists Petit are solid as well. The story is narrated by Phillipe standing at the top of the Statue of Liberty with the Twin Towers in the background. It’s an incredible story, and it’s told well in this film. Note: my wife thought the majority of the movie moved too slowly, so she gave it a two star rating. She also thought the 3D was not worth the extra cost, but it would have been great on IMAX 3D.
Mother’s Day, rated PG-13
The Jungle Book, rated PG
I thoroughly enjoyed this creative film, which utilizes the latest technology, a strong cast and a classic story. I loved seeing all of the jungle animals (the elephants who are revered and bowed down before as the creators of the jungle, birds, monkeys, etc.). My favorite was Baloo the bear, and a great scene is Mowgli and Baloo singing “Bare Necessities”, as they float down the jungle river. That is among the few lighter moments in this often tense film, as Mowgli is being pursued by Shere.
Zootopia, rated PG
Brooklyn, rated PG-13
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Concussion, rated PG-13
Spotlight, rated R
