Of Mind and Music 2014

     Una Vida is a New Orleans street singer with the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease.  She meets neuroscientist Dr. Alvaro Cruz.  He has grown dissatisfied with his work because he was unable to help his mother and he lost her to Alzheimer’s.  He is hoping the music of New Orleans can bring life back to him after his loss.  He meets Una singing on the street, he has compassion for Una and he wants to help her.  Stompleg has been trying to help Una but he is going to leave New Orleans.  The only other person in Una’s life is Jessica but she is a drug addict.  Dr. Cruz believes Una’s son needs to be found and brought back into her life.

     There is a slow pace to this film and the ravages of Alzheimer’s are far more extreme than depicted here.  The life span and prognosis for this disease are a harsh reality.  Someone without income would usually go to a state run facility and not assisted living.  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

98 min, Drama directed by Richie Adams with Joaquim de Almeida, Aunjanue Ellis, Bill Cobbs, Ruth Negga, Sharon Lawrence Andre Royo.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 71% critic 85% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 138 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Joy Luck Club 1993

     This film is based on a novel by Amy Tan published in 1989.  The relationships between four Chinese-American women and their Chinese mothers are explored.  June Woo’s mother has passed away and the friends and families unite to eat together.  It is a going-away party for June’s upcoming trip to China and also to remember Suyuan Woo.  The other mothers and daughters are Lindo and Waverly Jong, Ying-Ying and Lena St. Clair, An-Mei and Rose Hus.  The mothers suffered terribly during their childhoods and young adult years during the 1930’s and 1940’s in China.  All their stories are told in flashbacks.  Now that the daughters are adults, the mother’s only want the best for their daughters and grandchildren.  They want to pass on the wisdom they have learned as the years went by.

     I really enjoyed this film and it’s difficult to hold back some tears as the stories are told.  The Chinese and Chinese-American cultures are complicated and very interesting.  There is also the tiger-mother culture for the childhood stories in San Francisco.  4 ½* (I really liked this movie)

139 min, Drama directed by Wayne Wang with Tamlyn Tomita, Rosalind Chao, Kieu Chinh, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu, Ming-NaWen, Lauren Tom, Chao Li Dhi, Melanie Chang, Victor Wong, Lisa Connolly, Mai Vu.

Note:  Imdb 7.6 out of 10, 85% critic 89% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 690 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Richmond, San Francisco, Woodside, California and China.  Close to the end of the film, June escorts an elderly couple to the door after a party.  The couple is Daisy and T.C. Daisy.  These are the American names of Amy Tan’s parents.

Ghostbusters 2016

     Erin Gilbert is almost finished the approval process for tenure as a physicist at Columbia University.  One of the Professors learns she co-authored a book on paranormal activity.  This could cause a refusal for tenure.  Erin visits her friend Abby to ask her to take down the book on Amazon.  Erin is surprised that Abby is working with Jillian on paranormal activity and she now has a lab.  Patty works in a MTA booth at the subway and she sees a real ghost in the subway tunnel.  Erin, Abby and Jillian team with Patty to use their equipment against this ghost.

     I think this film is too long?  It starts out interesting but then gets bogged down in doing the same thing over and over?  It seems like there isn’t much middle ground on the reviews, like or hate?  I think the cast works well together, the plot is good and their equipment is interesting.  3* (This movie is OK)

116 min, Action directed by Paul Feig with Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Zach Woods.

Note:  Imdb 5.4 out of 10, 73% critic 53% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 2735 reviews, Metacritic 60 critic 2.8 user.

Special Note:  The budget for this film was $144 million and the gross was $229 million.  A large amount of money was spent on marketing so this film is considered a box office disappointment.  There was an Internet backlash when the announcement was made of a female led cast?  Most of the comments were made before the release of the movie?

Approaching the Unknown 2016

     This film is about the first one-way solo mission to colonize Mars manned by Captain William Stanaforth.  Many things can happen on this journey and also after landing on Mars.  Captain Emily Maddox is also on a one-way solo mission to Mars in another space ship.

     The entire film is about watching one man alone in a space ship.  A few scenes of one woman alone in a space ship.   He encounters problems with the machinery inside the ship.  Mission Control orders him to return to Earth but he continues onward.  All I can say is that there isn’t much going on and also not much to write about?  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

90 min, Drama directed by Mark Elijah Rosenberg with Mark Strong, Luke Wilson, Sanaa Lathan, Anders Danielsen Lie, Charles Baker.

Note:  Imdb 4.8 out of 10, 45% critic 15% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 ½*, Amazon 2.6* out of 5* with 75 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Hudson Valley, New York.  There is a mistake in this film.  When Stanaforth communicates with earth, no is no delay in the reply.  The further away the sending of the signal, the further delay in the response signal.  

Someone Like You 2001

     Jane Goodale is working her dream job as a producer of a popular daytime talk show.  She has just begun a new romance with the executive producer of the show.  Jane and Ray start looking at stunning apartments in New York City.  Jane starts packing and lets her landlord know she is moving.  Then, the boom lowers and Ray dumps her unexpectedly.  She will have no place to live, she really thought he was the one and this would work out.  Eddie also works on the show and he’s been looking for a roommate so Jane moves to his apartment.  Jane writes a magazine article about men dumping women and it becomes an overnight success.

     Everyone believes an elderly woman scientist wrote this article.  The comparison is that men are like bulls and they constantly move on to the next cow.  Jane doesn’t know what she’s going to do since there is so much interest in the article and it’s really a fake?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

97 min, Comedy directed by Tony Goldwyn with Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, High Jackman, Marisa Tomei, Ellen Barkin, Catherine Dent.

Note:  Imdb 6.1 out of 10, 43% critic 57% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 2119 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in New York City, New York.  There is a scene with Jane doing her cheerleader routine at Paul G. Blazer Memorial High.  Ashley Judd actually went to Paul G. Blazer High School in Ashland, Kentucky.  Jane is getting powder on her nose before going on the talk show.  Her mother Naomi Judd is the makeup artist.  There is another movie with the same title released in 1978.  Jane's name is similar to Jane Goodall, a real scientist!!

Midnight Special 2016

     Roy and Sarah are the parents of Alton Meyer.  He is a young boy but he is different because he has powerful abilities and strange weaknesses.  He has been living with an isolated group like cult and living on The Farm.  The people on The Farm want to keep Alton there and they believe he has special knowledge.  Roy and his friend Lucas take Alton away from the group.  There is a lot of information on the news that Alton has been kidnapped and the authorities are on the lookout for their car.  The government has also learned that light beams come from Alton’s eyes and he talks about being from another world.  The National Security Agency and the FBI have joined in the hunt for Alton.

     Because Michael Shannon is one of the main actors in this film, I wasn’t sure if he was on the level as the father?  I also wasn’t sure of his motives?  Shannon usually plays the bad guy and can he really be the good guy in this film?  There are a lot of scenes and material not explained?  3* (This movie is OK)

112 min, Adventure directed by Jeff Nichols with Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Camp Scott Haze, Sam Shepard, Paul Sparks, David Jensen.

Note:  Imdb 6.7 of 10, 83% critic 68% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*, Amazon 3.7* out of 5* with 735 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in St. Marks, Florida; Mountainair, New Mexico; Reserve, New Orleans, Folsom, Slidell, Lacombe, Louisiana; Biloxi, Kiln, Mississippi.  The director Jeff Nichols originally wanted to make the film with an independent film studio.  Warner Bros Pictures agree to make the film because of the small budget and the film was shot in 40 days.  Michael Shannon has been in all the movies directed by Jeff Nichols.  He also directed Loving with Joel Edgerton.  There is a passenger train from Houston called the Midnight Special.  A song titled Midnight Special is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South and it’s about the train. 

Genius 2016

     In 1929, writer Thomas Wolfe keeps an appointment with Max Perkins, an editor at Scribner.  Other publishers have already turned down publishing a first book for Thomas and he thought Max would do the same.  Max decides Scribner will publish this book but it needs careful editing and the title needs to be changed.  Tom is reluctant to trim the number of pages down from 300 but he agrees.  Tom and Max became true friends and Look Homeward Angel was a critical and financial success.  In 1935, Tom and Max work on Of Time and the River together.  This book began with 5000 pages and it took over two years to trim 90,000 words.  This effort caused a strain in their friendship.

     Thomas Wolfe was a hard drinking and partying man.  Each word he wrote was very important.  Possibly, the words were more important than the people in his life?  Max Perkins had also discovered Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald in this time period.  Max never takes his hat off in this film?  I thought the acting and the story were both good and I didn’t know any details before about Tom or Max.  3* (This movie is OK)

104 min, Bio directed by Michael Grandage with Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Laura Linney, Guy Pearce, Dominic West, Vanessa Kirby, Gillian Hanna, Angela Ashton, Eve Bracken, Katya Watson, Lorna Doherty.

Note:  Imdb 6.5 out of 10, 50% critic 46% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 224 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Oxfordshire, Kent, Manchester, Buckinghamshire and Merseyside, England, UK.  Originally, The Great Gatsby was titled Trimalchio in West Egg and it was a flop upon its release in 1925.  It did not sell well until the 1950s.  The script for this film is based on A. Scott Berg’s biography of Max Perkins.