Bad Times at the El Royale DVD 2018

     Six strangers check into the El Royale Hotel in Lake Tahoe on the same day.  They each have their own secrets and their stay takes place over one night.  The El Royale is based on the famous Cal Neva Resort and Casino once owned by Frank Sinatra.  The setting of this film is January 27, 1969 if a Nixon press conference that is being shown on TV is live or earlier that day?  The hotel was built with one side on the California border and the other side on the Nevada border.  This affects rules on serving alcohol in the hotel and there are both motel and hotel rooms.  An internal hallway leads to through hotel rooms and the motel rooms are accessed from the outside.

     I did not like this film, it’s too long and there is a LOT of violence!!  I did like the singing of Cynthia Erivo as Darlene Sweet.  There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot but over a short amount of time, I just did not care??  There is not one person that can be trusted?  You don’t know if you can believe any story they tell or are they all made up and full of lies?  If I had been staying at this hotel, I would have checked out right away!!  1 1/2* (I really didn't like this movie)   

        

141 min, Crime directed by Drew Goddard with Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, Nick Offerman, Zavier Dolan, Shea Whigham, Mark O’Brien.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes, 75% critic 73% audience, Roger Ebert 1 ½* Glenn Kenny, Washington Post 3* out of 4* Michael O’Sullivan, Metacritic 60 out of 100 with 43 critics 7.1 out of 10 with 214 user scores (155 positive, 46 mixed, 13 negative), RollingStone 3* out of 5* Peter Travers, Common Sense Media age 17+ 3* out of 5* Jeffrey M. Anderson, (Positive 1*, violence 5, sex 2*, language 4*, drinking, drugs & smoking 3*), The Independent 2* out of 5* Geoffrey Macnab.

Special Note:  Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Ravenna, Hidden Valley, Oxnard, Heritage Valley, California.  The El Royale was built on a sound stage with much of the furniture and décor custom made.  The color selection was meticulously chosen with the California side using yellows and oranges.  The Nevada side has purples and blues.  Red was reserved for the borderline, jukebox and chandelier, green is almost entirely absent until the end.  Chris Hemsworth had to lose 25-30 pounds of muscle weight immediately after filming Avengers: Infinity War 2018.  Russell Crowe was cast but he was replaced by Jon Hamm.  Tom Holland turned down the role of Miles Miller played by Lewis Pullman.

Mary Queen of Scots 2018

     This film explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart and it’s based on the biography “Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart.”  She was the Queen of France at age 16 and widowed at age 18. She defied pressure to remarry in France and she returned to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne in 1561 at the age of 19.  Scotland and England are under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I.  Each young Queen both fears and is fascinated by her rival in power and in love.  Mary asserts her claim to the English throne and this threatens Elizabeth’s sovereignty.  There is betrayal, rebellion and conspiracies within each court that imperils both thrones.

      Everything about this film is complicated and everyone has an agenda to further interests of their own at all times.  There were scenes where I didn’t understand what was happening and why?  Mary has problems with support from her half brother, the Earl of Moray and he starts a rebellion against her.  There is also John Knox and he vehemently preaches to his parish that Mary is not worthy to be their queen.  Mary is trying to create a bond with Elizabeth and she asks her to be her son’s godmother.  They both agree that the child will be the heir to the throne.  This action enrages the English court.  Demands are being made of Mary in Scotland and she flees to England.  Elizabeth agrees to allow Mary to stay in England under house arrest and as long as she does not conspire with the enemies of Elizabeth.  As they say, the rest of the story is history!!  3* (This movie is OK)       

124 min, Bio directed by Josie Rourke with Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Angela Bain, Richard Cant, Guy Rhys, Thom Petty, Izuka Hoyle, John Ramm, Simon Russell Beale, Abby Cassidy, Shalisha James-Davis, Maria Dragus, Eileen O’Higgins, Liah O’Prey, Greg Miller Burns.

Note:  Imdb 6.3 out of 10, Roger Ebert 2 ½* Monica Castillo, Rotten Tomatoes 63% critic 41% audience, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Benjamin Lee, Deep Focus 2 ½* out of 4* Brian Eggert, BBC.com 2* out of 5* Nicholas Barber, Amazon 3.28 out of 5* with 246 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Scotland, UK and England, UK.  Horsemaster Camilla Naprous trained Saoirse to ride and she previously worked with Gal Gadot for her role as Wonder Woman 2017.  Both novice riders were trained on a horse named Prince.  Queen Elizabeth never ruled Scotland and this has led to protests in more recent times about the sitting British queen being called Elizabeth II.  The lyrics of a folk song “Coronation Coronach” include “How can ye hae the Second Liz/Whan the First yins’; nivver been”?

Historical Inaccuracies:  Mary’s accent is questionable.  In the movie, it’s Scottish but Mary probably spoke with a French accent.  There is a diverse cast but there probably were few people from  Africa or Asia in 16^th-century England.

The Sisters Brothers 2018

     This film is based on a novel by Canadian author Patrick Dewitt published in 2011.  The inspiration for the novel was a Time-Life book on the California Gold Rush that deWitt found at a yard sale.  This film revolves around the gold prospector Hermann Kermit Warm.  He is being pursued across 1000 miles of 1850’s Oregon desert to San Francisco by the notorious assassins Eli and Charlie Sisters.  Eli is having a personal crisis and he is beginning to doubt the longevity of his chosen career.  When they find Hermann, he might have a better job offer for them.

     I did not like this movie and I will say this in the beginning of my review.  There is a LOT of gratuitous unneeded incredible violence!!  There is terrible dialogue.  The actors speck with unemotional monotone voices and they act like robots manipulated into doing this role??  Maybe it’s because the dialogue is terrible and they know it??  Plus, it is filled with very strong language.  Does any viewer really want to spend 122 minutes in complete and utter boredom filled with unwarranted incredible violence and continual bad language??  You know what each character is going to do and how they are going to act before they start!!  Reilly spends all his time complaining.  Phoenix spends all his time placating Reilly.  Gyllenhaal spends his time maneuvering Ahmed.  1 ½* (I really did not like this movie) 

122 min, Western directed by Jacques Audiard with John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed, Rebecca Root, Allison Tolman, Rutger Hauer, Carol Kane, Patrice Cossonneau, Zac Abbott, David Gasman, Philip Rosch, Creed Bratton, Lenuta Bala, Jochen Hagele.

Note:  Imdb 7 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 86% critic 68% audience, Roger Ebert 3* Tomris Laffly, Metacritic 78 out of 100 with 44 critics 7.4 out of 10 with 84 user scores (60 positive 23 mixed 1 negative), RollingStone 4* out of 5* Peter Travers, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, The Independent 4* out of 5* Geoffrey Macnab,  Amazon 3.1* out of 5* with 220 reviews, Common Sense Media age 17+ 4* out of 5* (positive 1*, role model 0*, violence 5*, sex 4*, language 4*, drinking, drugs, & smoking 4*).

Special Note:  Filmed in France, Spain and Romania.  The setting is supposed to be in America but no scenes were film in this county?  The Tabernas region in southern Spain is similar to the North American deserts.  Many western films and series are shot in this area.  Additional scenes were done in Spain’s northern provinces of Navaree and Aragon.  John C. Reilly optioned the film rights to the novel in 2011.  Folsom Lake is mentioned several times but it did not exist until the South Fork of the American River was dammed in 1955.  This film was a box office bomb despite receiving positive reviews from critics.  Maybe the news of this being a BAD movie traveled quickly??  The gross was $7 million against a budget of $38 million.  Earned a standing ovation at the 2018 Venice International Film Festival.  Director Jacques Audiard won the Silver Lion for Best Director and this is his first English-language film.  The Commodore has a Latin phrase on his crest.  It’s says ‘In cauda Venenum.’  This means, In the Tail There Is Poison.  The warning is to beware of danger/tread carefully!!          

The Kid 2000

     Russ Duritz is a wealthy LA image consultant.  He is nearing 40, he has become very cynical and he is estranged from his family.  His father invites him to come for dinner when his sister and her family will be there but he doesn’t.  For some reason, Russ has no memories of his childhood?  Russ’s secretary Janet is long suffering and his assistant Amy is also long suffering.  One night there is an intruder in Russ’s house??  How can this be since he has a high tech security system?  It turns out to be a chubby young boy named Rusty.  He is really Russ when he was eight years old!!  Russ and Rusty journey into Russ’s past to find the key moment that has defined who Russ is.  Jane, Amy and Dr. Alexander (Russ’s psychiatrist) all hope this will work!!

      This film is showing it’s age.  There is not one wrinkle in Bruce Willis’s face!!  Counselors do advise patients to connect with your younger self to revisit a hidden and painful moment in your past.  This is a moment that can change and define who you are to this day.  This film is thought provoking and offers a visual to a helpful psychological method in unveiling past trauma.  Maybe you could save money and not see a psychiatrist?  3* (This movie is OK)    

Special Note:  This is a Disney movie filmed in Los Angeles, Mecca, Coachella Valley, Santa Monica, Burbank, California.  Daniel von Bargen plays Russ’s father and he is only five years older than Bruce Willis.  Two other movies with Bruce Willis meeting his younger self are Twelve Monkeys 1995 and Looper 2012.  Melissa McCarthy is a waitress at a diner and this is her first film.  This is the final film of Juanita Moore and this also marked her first on screen presence in 12 years.  Tim Allen was offered the role of Russ Duritz but he was too busy filming Galaxy Quest 1999.  

104 min, Comedy directed by Jon Turteltaub with Bruce Willis, Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer, Lily Tomlin, Jean Smart, Chi McBride, Daniel von Bargen, Dana Ivey, Suisan Dalian, Stanley Anderson, Juanita Moore, Esther Scott, Deborah May, Vernee Watson, Jan Hoag.  

Note:  Imdb 6.1 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 49% critic 49% audience, Roger Ebert 3*, Metacritic 45 out of 100 with 32 critics 6.3 out of 10 with 31 user scores (14 positive, 13 mixed, 4 negative), The Film File.com 2* out of 4*, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 508 reviews.

Far from the Tree 2019

     This film is based on a NY Times bestselling book by Andrew Solomon.  This film is about examining the experiences of families where the parents and children are profoundly different from one another.  Andrew, the author comes to terms with not being able to change that he is gay.  A mother and son show the world that Down syndrome does not define him.  A couple are learning to communicate with their bright but nonverbal autistic son.  A young woman is the only little person in her family and she wants to connect with other people like herself.  Two little people would like to have a baby.  Parents and their two adult children are trying to cope with loving their son after he has gone to prison for a murder.  Whatever each family is dealing with, this is their normal for their family.

     I thought this film was interesting and very good.  Each family has a “one-of-a-kind child.”  They might want to change their child but they must accept what they have been given.  Each child will need to go forward in life with the skills they have and their parents will try to show them new skills that they can handle.  All the parents want what is best for their child no matter their ages.  Love, understanding and helping them as much as they can.  4 ½* (I really liked this movie) 

    

93 min, Doc directed by Rachel Dretzin, Jamila Ephron with Amy and Jack Allnutt, Harry Burdick, Jason Kinglsey, Andrew Solomon.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3* Glenn Kenny, Rotten Tomatoes 89% critic 93% audience, Washington Post 4* out of 5* Ann Hornaday, Slant Magazine 1* out of 4* Diego Semerene, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 22 reviews, Amazon gives the book 4.6* out of 5* with 784 reviews.

The Man Who Lost His Head 2007

     Ian Bennett lives in the UK and he works at a National Museum.  The Museum has received a letter asking for the return of a mystical Maori relic to a New Zealand village.  Ian travels to the village to talk to the people about the sacred mask.  Ian has been instructed by the museum that under no circumstances will the mask be returned to the village?  A promotion for Ian is riding on the outcome of his trip.

     The scenery in this film is very beautiful and the Maori people are very unique.  The people don’t understand what a museum in the UK is really like?  They decide they will build their own museum in their village in order to have the proper place for the mask when it returns.  Ian tries to get them to realize there isn’t a chance for them to have the proper place and the UK will never return their property?  Instead of changing the village people they begin to change Ian!!  Everything he has worked for in is adult life, is it really been worth the effort?  Does the mask really belong in the UK?  The Maori people place so much faith and reverence in the mask.  To the museum, it's just another artifact?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)   

93 min, TV Movie Comedy directed by Terry Johnson with Martin Clunes, John Callen, Gareth Reeves, John Leigh, Paki Cherrington, Nicola Kawana, Gordon Toi, Ben Kelly, Patrick Kake, Dominic Ona-Ariki, Natalija Butler, Nikita Butler, Julie Crean, Calvin Tuteao, Elizabeth McRae.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 79 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Bethells Beach Swanson; Auckland War Memorial Museum, Domain Drive, The Domain, Parnell; Britomart Transport Centre, Queen Street, Auckland Central Business District, Aukland, New Zealand.  There is a technical mistake 13 minutes into this film.  A woman asks her son what he is doing?  He says he is “re-configuring a hard drive.”  He is clearly working on a computer power supply and not a hard drive?

What They Had 2018

     Nick has asked his sister Bridget to return home to help the family deal with their ailing mother.  Their father is reluctant to let go of the life he has with his wife/their mother.  Ruth has Alzheimer’s disease and her husband Burt cannot tolerate the idea of putting Ruth in a care home.  Nick and Bridget feel they just don’t have the patience that Burt has?  Ruth got up in the middle of the night during a blizzard.  She put on her shoes and boarded a train to her childhood home.  Ruth thinks she still lives at home with her parents.  She is worried that her parents were concerned that she was out so late?

     After Ruth is taken back to her home with Burt, conflict begins between Nick and Burt.  Nick has called Bridget hoping she would back up his plan to put Ruth in a memory care center since Bridget has power of attorney.  Burt won’t hear of putting her in a center.  He thinks no one will look after Ruth as well as he does?  Bridget agrees with Nick that the best for Ruth is to put her in the memory care center.  But, Bridget doesn’t want to butt heads with Burt over this.  The tension of Ruth’s condition has opened up old grievances and conflicts between the family members.  Ruth isn’t the focus and her disease is not the focal point of a lot of their arguments.  The family is in crisis and Ruth’s illness has brought their own personal problems into sharp focus.  This film does have its funny moments!!  There are laughable moments over what Ruth is thinking and what she says because of her illness. The only way to solve any of these problems is for Burt, Bridget and Nick to get on the same page!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)      

101 min, Drama directed by Elizabeth Chomko with Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Robert Forester, Blythe Danner, Taissa Farmiga, Josh Lucas, Sarah Sutherland, Marilyn Dodds Frank, Aimee Garcia, William Smillie, Isabeau Dornevil, Jennifer Robideau, Jay Montepare, Ann Whitney.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes, 87% critic 83% audience, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Cath Clarke, RollingStone 4* out of 5* Peter Travers, Variety 4* out of 5* Dennis Harvey, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 203 reviews, Metacritic 69 out of 100 with 25 critics 7.1 out of 10 with 10 user scores.

Special Note:  Filmed in Chicago, Illinois.  This is the debut film of writer/director Elizabeth Chomoko.  This film is partly based on her own experiences with her grandmother.  Other films about Alzheimer’s are Iris 2001, Away from Her 2006 and Still Alice 2014.