Stronger better earn Jake Gyllenhaal an Oscar nomination

RELEASED on DVD on December 19th.

Movie Title:   Stronger (2017)

Grade: A-

Rating: R, 119 minutes

In a Nutshell:   Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance is outstanding, as always.  He’s truly fantastic in everything he does.  I'm such a fan. I'd love to see him get an Oscar nomination for this role.  He deserves it.  He really makes you feel.

This dramatic, true story spotlights emotional honesty as one of the many heroes from the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 attempts to regain his life.  The fantastic Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jeff Bauman, whose

If you like this kind of #BostonStrong movie, there is another one very similar called Patriot's Day.  In fact, both movies were filmed at the same time.

#BostonStrong !!

 

Uplifting theme: 

• Tenacity, perseverance
• Strength of every kind
• family, loyalty
• "You helped me as much as I helped you." - Carlos (Carlos Sanz)   I was super impressed with Carlos' humble spirit.
• "I just want to see the world from higher up." - Jeff (Jake Gyllenhaal)  I'm interpreting that line in a couple of different ways.  He says it when he realizes he wants to be a better man, as well as get out of his wheelchair and walk.
• Hope

Things I liked:

• Fantastic camera angle in the scene where they take off Jeff’s bandages.
• It doesn’t feel like an acted movie, but more of a realistic documentary.
• I’ve been to Boston twice and absolutely love it there.  It just broke my heart to see the iconic city in so much pain.  I will never understand evil people who hurt others.
• It's not just about a man's rehabilitation from a terrible injury, but also the transition from being a regular guy to a national hero.
• Director David Gordon Green hired real medical personnel to act in certain scenes, which is pretty cool.  My twin sister is a nurse.
• There is an incredibly touching, powerful scene towards the end of the movie that will make you weep or even sob.
• Miranda Richardson was really great.
• Tatiana Maslany also did a fantastic job.  The relationship between Jeff and Erin was really interesting and showed the ups and downs of a relationship under stress and extremely unusual circumstances.
• Both Jeff Bauman and Jake Gyllenhaal got to throw the first pitch at Boston's Fenway Park in 2016.  Cool.
• Blue collar grit.
• I love it when they show pictures of the real people the movie is about at the end of the film.

Things I didn’t like:

• I felt so bad for the Costco manager who was simply trying to help and Jeff’s family jumped all over him.  I understand that they were grieving and in shock, but still…a little kindness goes a long way.  The family is extremely dysfunctional and not pleasant to spend time with, but their fierce love and loyalty are inspiring.  By the way, the real Costco supervisor is an Extra in several scenes in the movie.
• So much profanity.  Seriously, can't anyone speak a single sentence without using vulgar language? 

Tips for parents: 

• A LOT of profanity and crude language, including F-bombs.
• Some nudity during a pre-marital sex scene, mostly a women’s chest.
• Some bloody, gory images of Jeff’s legs.
• Lots of people smoking and drinking.

@trinaboice 

Dunkirk immerses you in war from the first scene to the last

Movie Title:  Dunkirk

Grade:  A-

Rating:   PG-13, 107 minutes

In a Nutshell:  I write marketing reports for movie theaters and have felt terrible for Dunkirk the past few months, because their trailers almost always elicited ZERO response from the audiences.  Well, audiences are speaking VERY loudly now.  They LOVE Christopher Nolan’s newest film, Dunkirk, based on the true WWII story.

If you can see it in 70mm on an IMAX, do it.  Christopher Nolan went to great lengths to make sure that his movie was as accurate as possible.  The details are impressive. With thousands of Extras on the beach, this film is epic.

The director’s goal was to create an immersive experience.  That it is.

Uplifting theme: 

• “Hope is a weapon. Survival is victory.”
• Human resolve

Things I liked:

• With real planes, real locations, and hundreds of Extras.  Everything looked and FELT real.
• Technically, it is awe-inspiring.  Do I smell an Oscar?
• Hans Zimmer's sound track is explosive and riveting, filled with intensity almost the entire time. Zimmer used Christopher Nolan's watch to get the ticking sound that fills the movie.
• I really liked the trailer tagline: “When 400 soldiers couldn’t get home, home came for them.”
• Teenage girls and fans of One Direction will be thrilled to watch Harry Styles as Alex.
• I love Oscar winner Mark Rylance in everything he does.  I especially loved him in Bridge of Spies DVD and thought he was adorable in The BFG (Theatrical Version).
• SPOILER:  I LOVED what Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) did for Cillian Murphy’s character at the end.  I would hope that my 4 sons would have that kind of character and compassion.  That small moment was extremely touching for me.
• I know a water scene is good when it makes me hold my breath.
• Rather than focus on big battle movements, the film takes it to a personal level and shows you how war affects the individual.

Things I didn’t like:

• You don’t really get to know any of the characters and develop a strong connection.  The film’s action reminded me of Saving Private Ryan, yet that film carried so much more weight and emotional pull on my heart because of the character development.  It's my all-time favorite war movie. You’re not given any backstories in this film, however, and there are no quiet scenes where characters talk about their lives.
• Because of everyone’s thick accents, you can’t understand everything that’s said. I probably missed a good 20% of the dialogue.
• I thought it was interesting that Tom Hardy would want a role like this.  He played Farrier, a pilot whose face was completely covered almost the entire time. He only had 10 lines during the entire movie.
• My 17 year old son, surprisingly, said he thought the movie was a little slow. The film runs almost in real time. 
• SPOILER:  We see only a few small boats coming to the rescue, but in reality, the number was closer to 700.  Nolan used 50 boats on the water, which is actually more than used in any other film.
• I wish I could have seen a map to better understand where everything was located.  Here’s one:

• 

Interesting lines:

• “He’s shell-shocked George.  He’s not himself.  He may never be himself again.” – Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance)
• “Well done.” – old, blind British man

“All we did was survive.” – Tommy (Fionn Whitehead)

“That’s enough.” – old guy

• “There’s no hiding from this, son.” – Mr. Dawson
• “What do you see?” – Colonel Winnant (James D’Arcy)

“Hope.” -     Commander Bolton (Oscar nominated Kenneth Branagh)

Tips for parents: 

• This war movie is intense with MANY moments of life or death.
• Despite the high body count, it isn’t super bloody and gory like Saving Private Ryan.
• There was a surprising lack of profanity.  I thought I heard an F-bomb, but because the accents were so thick, I can’t honestly say that’s what the word was.

Want to learn more about this part of history in World War II?  Check out some of these:

Dunkirk: The History Behind the Major Motion Picture
The Miracle of Dunkirk: The True Story of Operation Dynamo

@trinaboice 

Ratchet and Clank brings PS4 game to the big screen

Movie Title:      Ratchet & Clank

Grade:   B-

Rating:   PG, 1 hour 34 minutes

In a Nutshell:    Based on the popular Playstation video game series, fans and kids will get a kick out of this action-packed, colorful ride.  

It’s full of gags and witty one-liners that will entertain adults enough when they have to see it with their kids.  The adults in the audience I sat with laughed more than their kids.

Uplifting theme: 

• “To be a hero, you don’t have to do big things, just the right ones.” – Grimroth
• Sometimes we forget who we really are.
• Loyalty, friendship, perseverance.

Things I liked:

• If you have read my movie reviews before, you know I love Paul Giamatti.  We don’t get to see him in this animated film, of course, but hearing his voice is still great.  He plays the funny villain Chairman Drek, who looks like a mix between a turnip and the magician Penn Jillette and quips “This is seriously next level.”
• Keep watching after the first set of credits roll at the end to see a little bit more. 
• Young boys will love all of the weapons, gadgets, laser beams, inventions and a “mess o’ bullets.”
• I thought Dr. Nefarious’ little Spandex outfit was a crack-up.
• Qwark is voiced by Jim Ward, who you might have recognized from Wall-E , Despicable Me 2 or Spider-Man 2 .  I thought the cute antenna on his head was adorable.  The character reminded me a little bit of Pixar’s Mr. Incredible (The Incredibles 2 movie is supposed to come out 2019. I LOVED that movie!)  #KillingIt
• The facial expressions are done very well.
• Sylvester voices Victor Von Ion and John Goodman brings Grimroth to life.
• I was completely unfamiliar with any of the characters.  I would describe Clank as a mix between Star Wars' R2D2 and C3P0.  Ratchet is cute enough for girls to like, but adventurous enough for boys to love.

Things I didn’t like:

• I've never played the video game, so I know I didn't catch any of the Easter eggs and inside jokes, but fans have said there are plenty.
• There is writing on various things throughout the movie, but it’s really hard to read.
• Tons of fight and chase scenes.  Tons.  Non-stop.  Nothing particularly new here. I actually fell asleep for a few minutes. 
• I really like Rosario Dawson and think she’s beautiful, but she sounded like she was reading a script.
• Because the target audience is mostly young boys, it’s no surprise that there is a scene where the characters are vomiting.  What IS surprising is the lack of other bathroom humor jokes.
• You'll notice on the movie poster that the film was supposed to be released in 2015, but didn't come out until April 29, 2016.

Funny lines:

• “And remember, you can do anything as long as you’re me.” – Qwark
• “I heard you!  Do you see these ears?” –  Grimroth
•  “The point is if you’re going to use one-liners, they should all make sense and be relevant.” – Nefarious  
• “There is a lot of space in space.” – Clank (David Kaye)
• “Everyone stay calm.  Something epic is happening.” – Captain Qwark
• “Does anyone feel like we should have shot something by now?” – Stig (Alessandro Juliani)

 "The only thing I'm interested in finding is the Hall of Heroes cafeteria.  Come on heroes!  It's 3 floors up and it's meatloaf day!" - Qwark

• “I know you’re working with Nefarious on this!” – Ratchet

“Yes, isn’t it wonderful?  We’re all part of the same dream team.  We should make t-shirts!” – Chairman Drek

Interesting lines:

• “Blaming yourself and taking full responsibility are two very different things.” - Clank

Tips for parents:   

• As you can imagine, the Playstation 4 game is now in stores.
• It’s mostly harmless fun and teaches a few good values.
• Will your kids enjoy it if they've never played the video games?  Sure.  It's a stand-alone movie that works, but not worth racing out to go see.  Take them to see The Jungle Book instead.  You can read my movie review of the new Jungle Book here.

The Finest Hours features a truly honorable hero

Movie Title:     The Finest Hours

Grade:   B

Rating:   PG-13, 1 hour 57 minutes

In a Nutshell:  
This movie honors the heroes who participated in the greatest small-boat rescue in Coast Guard history.  

Based on the book by the same name, the film seems almost old-fashioned, as if it were made in 1952 when the rescue took place.

Uplifting theme: 

• When life gets hard, we have to have hope and take action.  Casey Affleck’s character, Ray Sybert, says at one point, “I’m scared too.  I got a life just as you.  I just don’t see any point standing around talking about it.”
• Chris Pine’s character, Bernie Webber, states “We all live.  We all die.”  True. We’re all in this thing we call life together, so we might as well help each other.
• The unwavering courage demonstrated in this true story is extremely inspiring.  All of the characters were afraid.  I love the quote attributed to Ambrose Redmoon, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather, the judgement that something is more important than fear.”

Things I liked: 

• Ahhh, Chris Pine.  He gives a solid performance and nails the New England accent. Thankfully, his baby blues were sephia-toned down a bit in this film so that I wouldn’t be so distracted by gawking at them the entire time.
• It's fun to love a bad-boy who kicks butt in an action film, but it’s so refreshing to have a protagonist in a movie who is kind, obedient, and respectful.  Bernie Webber was an incredible man.   
• I love it when a movie includes photographs of the real people in history at the end of the film.  I love it even more when the actors actually look like the people they are portraying, which is the case in this film.
• The sound effects were chilling.
• The special effects are effective and believable.
• Can you imagine how unpleasant the filming conditions must have been for the actors and crew? 
• Actress Holliday Grainger was perfectly cast.  She looked like she really stepped out of the 1950’s.

Things I didn’t like:

• You might get a little bit sea sick.  I had to close my eyes a few times so I wouldn't feel nauseated.
• Sometimes it’s hard to hear what everyone is saying with all of the waves and other things crashing around in the background.
• Bring a jacket to the theater.  Seeing all that snow and icy water might make you cold.
• Although I didn’t know the details of the rescue before I watched the movie, everything was pretty predictable and straight-forward.  There were no surprises.
• It could have used a little bit more of humor.  
• The land scenes are a bit dull, but the ocean scenes are extremely engaging.

Interesting lines:

• “In the Coast Guard they say you go out.  They don’t say you gotta come back.” – Bernie Webber
• “Just relax and be patient.” – Bernie, teaching Miriam how to dance.  That was kind of his philosophy throughout the entire ordeal.

Tips for parents:   

•  This is a serious film.  Although it’s a Disney movie, it definitely does not have a light-hearted “happily-ever-after” tone to it.
• There are some deaths and tense moments that might frighten very young children.

   

Ant-Man crawls into Marvel fans' hearts

Movie:    Ant-Man

PG-13, 1 hour 55 minutes

Grade:   B+

In a Nutshell:    Marvel gets that we want action AND comedy.  Paul Rudd is a very charming Ant-Man , as well as a co-writer for this summer's newest Avenger flick. 

While some audiences have been getting superhero fatigue from the sheer number of them constantly hitting the big screen, the fact that this "Honey, I shrunk the Superhero" movie surprises us in a clever, refreshing way is a huge triumph.  It’s no “Guardians of the Galaxy”, but it has the same playful spirit that audiences crave.

Keep watching during the rolling credits for a fun treat.  But wait, keep watching until after ALL the credits for a sneak peek at the next Ant-Man movie.    As it says “The Ant-Man WILL return.”

Uplifting Theme:

·         “Don’t let your past determine your future.” – Howard Stark  (played by Mad Men: Season 1 John Slattery)

·         “It’s not about saving our world.  It’s about saving theirs.” - Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas)

·         “You’re her hero.  Just be the person that she already thinks you are.” – Maggie (Judy Greer whose second hit movie in theaters right now is Jurassic World.)

Things I liked:

·         Fans of Lost: The Complete Seasons 1-5 will enjoy seeing Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne. 

·         Michael Douglas' transformation from young-ish to older is impressive. 

·         I love the life/death battle scene fits inside a briefcase.  All of the action sequences are extremely creative.

·         The Thomas the Tank train battle scene was hilarious as the camera zoomed in and out to show the comical scale.

·         I’m always excited to see how each Marvel movie chooses to use legendary creator Stan Lee.  His big line in this film?  “Yeah, yeah, super fine.”  Ha ha

·         The fast-talking lip-sync scenes were hilarious and clever.

·         I got a kick out of seeing Ant-Man go to the Avengers building.  Falcon’s wings are awesome.

Things I didn’t like:

·         If you don’t like creepy crawlies, there will be moments when you feel very uncomfortable.  They try to make the ants more adorable than scary, but it doesn’t always work.  There were some definite “ick” moments for me.

·    When I lived in Georgia for 15 years, I battled fire ants on a daily basis in our yard.  Those little guys are viscous.  There was a radio commercial that advertised ant killer which claimed to torture the critters, rather than just kill them, because that’s how homeowners felt about the mean insects.  When we moved back to California, my 2 year old son screamed when he saw a harmless San Diego ant and our neighbor thought he was crazy.  Clearly, my neighbor had never experienced the traumatic horrors of fire ants in the South.

·         With a name like Hope, it's ironic how snotty her attitude was towards her dad.

·         It makes all Mexicans look like a bunch of thugs.

·       The plot is pretty simple without any fun twists.
-    Not nearly enough action.

Did you notice?

·         Luis (Michael Pena) hums “It’s a small world after all.” Appropriate choice because of the size of the superhero, and since Disney produced the film.

·         Why is it that most bad guys are bald?

·         Cross Technologies…as in double cross?

·         Luis makes waffles a lot

·         The reference to the old lady in the movie Titanic
-     Evangeline Lilly has a small bump on her lip.  Don't get me wrong, I think she's gorgeous.  The
      bump was just a little distracting on the close-ups.

·         Funny lines:

·         “One question…is it too late to change the name?” – Scott Lang

·         “My days of breaking in places and stealing shXX  are over.  What do you want me to do?” – Scott

“I want you to break into a place and steal some shXX.” – Dr. Hank Pym

·         “I think our first move should be calling the Avengers.” – Scott

·         “Are we the good guys?  Feels kind of weird, right?” – Luis 

·         “That’s a messed up looking dog.” – Gale

·         “It isn’t often that you rob a place and get invited back.” – Luis

·         “Hank went from despising you to almost like you.” –  Hope

“You really should write poetry.” – Scott

·         “It’s really important that Captain (America) not find out about this.” – Falcon

·         “It wasn’t a violent crime.  It was a cool one.” – Baskin Robbins manager who fired Scott

·         “Mommy’s so happy you’re here she choked on her drink.” – Scott’s daughter played by the
       adorable Abby Ryder Fortson.

·         “It’s my helmet, Scott.  Do not throw up.”  - Dr. Pym

Interesting lines:

·         What did you see in me?”  - bad guy

“I saw myself.” – Michael

“Then why did you push me away?” – Darren Cross (Corey Stoll)

“Because I saw too much of myself.” – Dr. Pym

·         “Gratitude can be forgiveness.” – Darren Cross

  

Tips for Parents:

·         Some profanity, including a made-up one that the audience laughs at.
-    Yep, the kids will be interested in all the merchandising:

   

The next Captain America will be black

In an explanation posted on its website under the headline, “It’s time for an all-new Captain America,” Marvel announced that the next Captain America will be black. 

The change comes after the retirement of Captain America’s longtime alter ego, Steve Rogers. He will hand the persona off to his friend Sam Wilson, who is the identity behind Falcon. 

 The news comes a day after Marvel announced another major change when it revealed that Thor would be reintroduced as a woman. The changes to the characters will be limited to the comic-book pages, and not yet on the big screen.