Reviews by JR1220

Far exceeded every expectation I had and the expectations were HIGH!
Outstanding visuals matched by exceptional performances. Will certainly be counting the days until part two!

Last evening, I received an early birthday surprise—a screening of this documentary here in Indianapolis. I could try to claim that the guest appearances by two stormtroopers, a Rebel pilot, and Darth Vader himself didn't influence my review, but I can't honestly say that. What an incredible experience! As a six-year-old when the original Star Wars hit theaters, I was instantly hooked by everything that came from a galaxy "far, far away." This included The Star Wars Holiday Special. Yes, I have memories, albeit fuzzy, of watching it the one and only time it aired in 1978, and over the years, I've seen clips and bootleg copies of this wild moment in TV history. However, I had no idea about the behind-the-scenes chaos that went into the production of this cult classic. It seems that it could only have been brought into existence in the late 1970s, in a small window between the original Star Wars and the debut of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. To round out the story, there are interviews with comedians like Paul Scheer, Seth Green, Taran Killam, Kevin Smith, Gilbert Gottfried, and Weird Al. Each brought their unique perspectives to the Holiday Special, as most of them were in the prime demographic for the show and had a front-row seat to the fever dream. For fans of Star Wars, Hollywood, the creative process, or those who simply enjoy watching a train wreck, I highly recommend treating yourself to A Disturbance in the Force. This is the way.

SEVEN Academy Award winners! SEVEN!
Even with all that talent, they couldn't save this horrible train wreck (literally, in one scene) of a motion picture spectacular.  
To be fair, I added an extra half a star each for the legends, Olivia de Havilland as the delightful schoolteacher in the little down beseiged by killer bees and for Henry Fonda, doing his all in this disaster of a disaster movie. Wanna know the "buzz?" Henry Fonda was a beekeeper in real life, and provided some helpful inside information on
I've watched over 100 movies this year, and this is the absolute worst, at least so far. So bad it's fun to watch? Maybe. If only to watch Sir Michael Caine deliver 90% of his lines to Richard Widmark's character whilst SHOUTING!!

What better (or perhaps worse, depending on your sensibilities) guide through the Southern California of the mid 1960s than Paul Newman's rough around the edges, but charming nonetheless, Lew Harper. The titular character is back on the case for an acerbic woman of means played by the legendary Lauren Becall. She's desperate to find her husband, who has gone missing, but we get a sense that she doesn't care either way.
Through the case, like all good noir cases, we are along for the ride in Harper's Porsche 356 Speedster, which, like Harper, is dinged up a bit and has some damage to the driver's side panels. Apropos, yes?
Newman seems to be having a great time in this role, and like any good Private Eye, is cool as a cucumber. He'll do whatever it takes, short of romancing an aging movie star, to visiting a religious order up in the hills, in order to get just the right clue to unravel this case.
Harper has a "deep bench" of talent, too, with wonderful performances from Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner, Julie Harris, Arthur Hill, Shelly Winters, and Strother Martin, who was paired up with Newman on four excellent motion pictures in the past.
Harper is an enjoyable ride, and seemed to capture the excitement of that era quite nicely.

This outstanding film was a feast for the senses. We are transported back to South America in the 1750s and experience both the promise of a community based on love and the basest tragedies of colonialism. Raw performances from some of the greatest actors and actors of a generation as well as supporting roles that match the intensity throughout. All of this paired with exquisite cinematography, which earned Chris Menges his second well deserved Academy Award at the 1987 Oscars.
A film worthy of your time for the beauty and powerful messages.

Do you know what? This is a movie musical, and by and large, the music and dance numbers are pretty fun.
Most certainly, this doesn't have the legendary status of the original, but there were several moments where the writers and Director "flipped the script" and provided some surprises for us. For example, The T birds were in a locker room and instead of having them spy on classmates of the opposite sex, like many "teenage sex comedies" of the era, they were doing research on their rivals as they rehearsed for the talent show. I found that refreshing.

Madame Web is fun, from a certain angle, and it most certainly didn't deserve all the hate from critics AND the members of the cast.
Flaws, sure, but that's a reflection of life, no? We are all flawed. We are all products of multi-million dollar budgets and hundreds of people pursuing one goal - to get a motion picture to the big screen, and subsequent streaming service.
As for Dakota Johnson's performance as Cassie Webb, I completely understand her indifference thoroughout 90% of the movie. In her mind, her mother drug her along, albeit in utereo, to the Amazon to study spiders and got herself killed for her troubles. That's some heavy duty trauma to dump on a kid. No wonder she is a "tough hang" as Jason Mantzoukas described her in the podcast "How Did This Get Made?"
And let's give a nod to the three young adults that Cassie has been tasked to protect. Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, and Isabela Merced were all believable in their respective roles as snarky, know-it-all, and/or indifferent teenagers.
Is this Citizen Kane? Nah. Is it silly escapist fun? Of course.
Oh, and Adam Scott is in it, and that's worth at LEAST 1/2 a star.


Madame Web is fun, from a certain angle, and it most certainly didn't deserve all the hate from critics AND the members of the cast.

wait, I think I already said that. Deja vu!

An interesting concept, and some fun surprises sprinkled throughout, but it was missing "something."
The best of the five stories was the final one which involved Mitzi Gaynor and Eddie Bracken as they pulled out all the stops to get married before he had to ship out. That was heartfelt and seemed to have the highest stakes. All told, this was another solid collection of talent overall

First off, even with the iconic scene of Marilyn Monroe and "the dress," this one fell short of expectations, mostly because of our sad sack protagonist played by Tom Ewell. His inner monologues said out loud seemed to be a weak choice. Richard is unlikable and way too nebbish to hold his own as the lead, even though he made this a hit on Broadway. The only interesting things about him are when he drifts into the various dream sequences.
What's more, the supporting cast, by and large, stole the scenes from him quite often. "Richard's" wife Helen, played by Evelyn Keyes, had some fun moments during two surprising dream sequences and Robert Strauss as the handyman, understood his role. And then there's Marilyn, known only as "The Girl," who really provided most of the laughs. Her timing and and physical comedy was a breath of fresh air amidst all of Ewell's hand wringing.
I'm giving an extra half a point simply for providing a glimpse of New York's original Pennsylvania Station just eight years prior to her destruction. The sequence, at the beginning of the movie, was far too short, but it was appreciated. While I'm glad I was able to finally view this one, it's certainly not up to the quality of Billy Wilder's other classics.

I remember seeing the trailer for American Fiction over a year ago and thinking this was a biting take on the state of publishing today and while I had an idea of where they were going, this far exceeded every expectation. Jeffrey Wright is, once again, such an exceptional talent and handles the role of an exasperated author with deft hands. Wright's " Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison" is joined by a cast of characters where each performance is as strong as the next. His siblings, portrayed by Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown provide a much needed counter balance to Monk's uptight and pretentious demeanor. Monk's mother is played by the legendary Leslie Uggams, in a heartbreaking role, but underscores an issue that many families are navigating. American Fiction is tackles race, family, loss, and the frustration of the creative process in a cynical world. It hits on many levels and most people in the audience will find something to take away from it.