Capsule Review, minimal spoilers (in green):

Mayday is a movie that’s rather hard to pin down. It’s several themes, which are all over the place. It’s almost an idyllic dream, but it’s comingled with some harsh realities. In the end, it’s satisfying and quite an enjoyable movie experience.

Ana (Grace Van Patten) is a downtrodden young woman. Through a series of worse and worse events, she disappears. Somehow, Ana wakes up on the shores of a faraway island, and is rescued by Marsha (Mia Goth). She is brought to Marsha’s home, a relic of the war. She lives with two other girls, Gert (Soko) and Bea (Havana Rose Liu). They live an almost idyllic life, but it’s marred by the war, which intrudes upon the island. What war, you say? Doesn’t matter. They do have to defend themselves. The island is obscured by horrible weather, and they have chosen to use that to their advantage, luring ships and planes in to their doom.

Ana is rather confused by it all, and Marsha tells her she shouldn’t worry, it’s all good. Marsha declares Ana will be a good fit to their team. Ana slowly starts to integrate herself, and gets to know the others, but she isn’t really satisfied with her role.

Review, continued

Mayday is a trippy film. As host of the Arthouse Film Festival, Chuck Rose, described it (and I’m paraphrasing), it’s “Wizard of Oz meets Greek Mythology meets the Hollywood Musical meets Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies, meets ….” Many genres collide to make this movie work.

The movie’s about Ana’s growth. She’s extremely withdrawn and timid in the beginning of the film, and when Marsha takes her in, she encourages Ana to be more than she is, because she’s got the potential to become a force to be reckoned with. Slowly, but surely, Ana becomes aware of her power, but it becomes a problem when she begins to assert herself and her beliefs.

Making a film is challenging, making one with many themes is hard, and being able to integrate all of the themes well is nigh impossible, but this movie succeeds. There is violence. Almost all of it is never shown directly, but clearly implied. There is fear and confusion aplenty, and yet, it does make sense when you look at the bigger picture. It has an interesting soundtrack, invcluding such diverse musical artists as Laurie Anderson and Liberace. Mayday leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but when you think about them, some of them are answered, but others are not. You’ll find that the unanswered ones are not as important to the story line as you thought they’d be. You can just let them go, and appreciate the movie for what it was, a fine fantasy that relates to reality, quite well.

I do recommend the film.

Capsule Review, Minimal spoilers (in green):

Bought the movie Yamato (2005) and watched it recently. It’s yet another Japanese movie about the Yamato, and its demise. It is definitely better than The Great War of Archimedes, which I saw recently. Part of the movie takes place in 2005, the 60th anniversary of the sinking of the mighty battleship. A woman approaches the harbormaster, who’s trying to convince an old ship captain to attend the memorial service, for once. When she talks to the harbormaster, she just gives out the coordinates, and the captain perks up, but walks away. No one will do it, as it’s a 200KM trip. Later, she convinces the captain to take her. Yes, he’s a survivor of its last battle.

This triggers a lot of flashbacks to the time of war. Kamio (the ship captain) remembers his time as a young ensign, who volunteers for the navy while underage, and gets assigned to the Yamato, where his older brother serves. New cadets are treated severely, beaten for mistakes, but Kamio finds a way to make it through. It’s a harsh life. The story unfolds over time, and it’s part drama and part war. There are strong connections to the sailors’ families at home, and occasional times on shore, as the sailors return to family as they are permitted. There is a connection between the woman and the captain. It’s a good film, a bit light on the combat, but the finale is quite brutal and gory.

The film uses a lot of CGI, and this is where I was underwhelmed somewhat. Granted, the CGI of 2005 is nowhere near as good as the CGI of now (or even within a low res game of WoWs), but even the animation of the planes was a little unbelievable. This was a DVD release, so that may have affected what I saw when scaled up to my 4K big screen. Look at the cover art for the movie below, and you can get an example of the CGI. Not great, but passable.

What I did find impressive was about the main set, and here’s the copy from the Wikipedia page, “Filming for Yamato took place from March to June 2005 at a closed-down shipyard of Hitachi Zosen Corporation in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. Approximately JPY 600 million was spent in building a 1:1 scale set of the forward section and the portside anti-aircraft guns. ” The set really looked good, and they could not have done it any justice with CGI.

So, if you like a bit of drama along with your war film, this one’s worth checking out. It’s funny, I think (and I’m probably wrong), but I was thinking that the opening of The Great War of Archimedes used some of the scenes on the deck.

Capsule Review, minimal spoilers:

The Great War of Archimedes is a Japanese film I found on DVD recently. You’d think this is a war film, but it really isn’t. Sure, the opening of the film is the last battle of the Yamato, and it’s pretty decent CGI, but that’s not what the movie’s about. A handful of minutes at the beginning, that’s almost all you get of the Yamato.

It’s really about the Japanese navy in the 1930s . As with the rest of the world, they are suffering a depression, and funding for military projects is low. At the forefront, Admiral Yamamoto is proposing to build a large aircraft carrier, while another admiral wants a super battleship. Only one can be budgeted. Yamamoto stumbles across a math nerd, and contrives a plan to have this civilian calculate the cost of building the battleship, which was for somewhat less than the carrier.

The navy stonewalls the man’s attempt to research the battleship’s costs at every turn, but he finds ways around the bureaucracy to get the data he needs, ruffling many feathers along the way. I won’t say more, but the final scenes (redeem the movie. One could argue that they were written in the present and include revisionist history. In theory, they may not reflect the actual thinking of the people at the time. It’s hard to say, but I think there was some tweaking of certain characters that made it possible.

I did watch it with English subtitles, as dubbed lines don’t necessarily reflect the original cast’s inflections and tone. I may go back one day and watch it in English, but I’m not in a rush to do that. There is also a scene or two of the IJN Nagato (in murky CGI), but that’s about all the ‘excitement’ of the battleships you get. The title is pretty misleading. As a war movie, I would rate it pretty low. However, I found the story was decent enough to give it a positive recommendation, if you’re not expecting a true war story.

Runtime 1 hour 31 minutes

Capsule Review, minimal spoilers:

Some 20 years since their last adventure, Bill S Preston Esq (Alex Winter) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves) have yet to unite the world, as has been prophesied. Something’s wrong, and it’s coming to a head. So starts Bill & Ted Face The Music.

This film has been in the making for over 20 years, in one form or another. The pressure to fulfill everyone’s expectations is extremely high, and this film delivers, to a degree. The same elements are here, but most of it seems rather perfunctory. That, perhaps is the problem I find with the film. It’s more of a rehash of moments from the previous two movies, with not much more to add. There are one or two things in this sequel that save it from being just acceptable, though. Check the Standard Review below for a little more detail.

Do yourselves a favor, wait on this one. Right now, everyone’s hungry for something new, and Face The Music doesn’t quite fit the bill. I opted to purchase it for $24.99 instead of the 30 day rental fee of $19.99, but to me, it wasn’t worth it at either cost.

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Standard Review, some spoilers:

So, Bill & Ted are at it again. They haven’t really made it in the music business, and are languishing as a local act, for the most part. Their wives, Elizabeth (Erinn Hayes) and Joanna (Jayma Mays) are feeling ignored. There’s a good scene that develops between them all, and it brought a smile to my face. No one, besides them, actually believes any of the crazy stories about time travel, and their supposed destiny, but instead, everyone wishes they’d give it up and take some responsibilities in their lives. Well, not everyone.

Rufus’ Daughter, Kelly (Kristen Schaal) is sent to back to let them know that time’s running out on that song. They’re brought to the future to be warned. In the process, they’re almost stranded, but steal a time machine, and take off to go in search of the song..

Meanwhile, remember at the end of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, they show up at the concert with their two offspring Little Bill & Little Ted? Did you know the names were short for Billie & Theodora? Well, you do now. Their daughters, played by Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine happen to observe their fathers being taken, and realize they have to help. They are essentially teenage versions of Bill & Ted , but a lot smarter.

The two of them are what save this film, in my opinion. They manage to repeat the same behaviors as their fathers, and get the same things done, but with different methods. I’ll avoid spoilers here, but the ‘parodies’ of their fathers is pretty uncanny.

The story makes sense right up until it doesn’t, at the end. It’s almost as if someone who wrote Star Trek technobabble stepped in on the script writing session for a few minutes just to insert an idea. I’m sure if I went back and rewatched the scene, it’d make more sense, but honestly, I couldn’t be bothered. I know ‘what’ they did, just didn’t catch the ‘why’.

As I mentioned, I didn’t think it was worth the money I spent to see it. It was a passable, lite comedy, so I can’t say I didn’t like it. I’d just wait a little time, so that it drops into some streaming service as part of the monthly fee instead of paying for it outright.

Welcome back, visitors. It’s been a rough year, hasn’t it? I saw this film via the Arthouse Film Festival at the start of the Spring session. It is unfortunate, but they closed down the next week.

Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

Capsule Review, Minimal Spoilers:

Slay The Dragon is a documentary film about gerrymandering in the USA. What’s gerrymandering? Feel free to Google it, but in a nutshell, it is this – Every state has voting districts, that make up equal numbers of voters. Every 10 years, at census time, the results change those numbers, so its up to the politicians to “rebalance” the voting districts. Seems well and good, however, it is the currently elected politicians who are in charge of it, and while they’re supposed to be fair, they have their own political biases, and work towards making all their districts be favorable to their own political parties.

This film follows efforts by several people/groups to make the process more unbiased, which is nigh-impossible. I found it a fascinating topic, and this film covers it well. I do recommend this film.

Runtime 2 hours 21 minutes

Capsule Review, minimal spoilers:

It’s finally here, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker The final chapter in George Lucas’ vision for the Star Wars universe. However, it’s not his anymore, since he sold it off to Disney. J.J. Abrams took over the reigns, who put together this story.

What story, you ask? Well, it’s THE story, the one that closes the chapter on the 9+ movies made during this ‘era’ of Star Wars, the one that’s supposed to tie up all the loose ends laid out in the previous 8 specific movies, the one that puts this story to rest.

Well, does it? That’s putting a lot of pressure onto this movie, and because it is a genre series that a lot of people grew up with, expectations are extremely high. The answer, in my not so humble opinion is, therefore, Kinda. This movie is in a weak position, in that it cannot please everyone (and, given the past movies), will irritate a few.

As for me, I liked it, however I had a few issues with it. No details, but it suffices to say that there were a lot of things thrown into the mix that came out underdeveloped and just accepted as they were. Some of them were important to the plot, and would’ve probably made for some great storytelling, but those bits were omitted, and the result was kept.

To quote Luke Skywalker from the The Last Jedi, “This is not gonna go the way you think!” I’d have to agree. With that said, I did like what I saw, for the most part, barring the shortcuts they took with some of the plotlines that I alluded to. I do recommend the film, if only for completeness in the Star Wars Saga. See the “end” for yourself, and make up your own mind. Hopefully, you will leave the theater, mostly satisfied for having seen it.

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Standard Review, some spoilers:

I really hate it when trailers give away some of the best moments of a movie. Well, the trailers for Rise of Skywalker delivered, and played out what could have been my favorite moment of the film, had it not been spoiled. I can’t say more about that, except, maybe, thanks a lot! (note the sarcasm that’s not obvious in print).

The story picks up a short time after The Last Jedi. There are rumors that the Emperor is alive, and will be reasserting himself across the galaxy. The Resistance is trying to figure out the truth of it, but has also come across some very disconcerting news about the First Order, who are about to retake what they have lost. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is now leading the First Order, and he, too, is trying to find out the legitimacy of this signal the Emperor supposedly sent out. He, however, has a leg up on the Resistance, in that he’s found a way to track the origin of the signal. A small team, led by Rey (Daisy Ridley) begins their search, but the clock is ticking.

So goes the story, from there. This is the start of the plot jambalaya. So many things are set in motion, and only some of them are spelled out on the screen. If the movie were an hour or two longer, they could have been properly played out, but they weren’t. Things seemed a bit rushed, and it would seem there was something cut out of the story that could’ve explained a few events, but someone made a choice to omit it. Perhaps a second viewing will answer some of the questions I have, and perhaps, that was the plan all along. Lay it down, thick and heavy, and then it will all become clear after repeated viewings. If I’m really bothered by these things, I will go back, and line Disney’s pockets even more. Maybe that was the plan, all along.

In my opinion, some of the Star Wars fanboys savaged The Last Jedi, and were angered by it. To me, I had problems with some of the story, which unfurled in such a way that shouldn’t have happened, in particular, why didn’t General Organa or Vice Admiral Holdo tell anyone they were headed to a refuge? That was just bad storytelling, which forced an unnecessary mutiny, but that would have messed with the plot and, well, there’s …(other things). I digress. Yes, I’m a fanboy, or fanperson, and as dumb as that was, I was able to let it go. I feel almost the same way with Rise of Skywalker, but nothing was so specifically heinous that I can say it irritated me as much as some of the elements of The Last Jedi did. That movie definitely satisfied my Star Wars Fix.

The circle is now complete. Despite the flaws, I’ll say you should see Rise of Skywalker, if you like Star Wars. If your burning question of the last few movies is about Rey’s parents, you will have your answer. Will it satisfy you, overall? Will you be irritated beyond belief, or, will you fall somewhere in between? I don’t have an answer for you, because only you can say, for sure.

Runtime 2 Hours 10 Minutes

Capsule Review, minimal spoilers:

Knives Out is a whodunit film. The day after a birthday celebration for the wealthy patriarch of a family, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his room, which was pretty isolated. It would appear to be a gruesome suicide, and police are convinced. In walks Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), a detective hired by someone, to confirm this is a murder, not a suicide. None of the family flaims to know what happened, and they’re forced to stay around while everything is checked.

This film is replete with characters, and they all know something of the events leading up to the death. It’s up to Blanc to put it all together. The story unfolds, but not necessarily from his viewpoint, and that’s a mild twist on the usual theme of films like this.

There’s a lot of interplay, a bit of sass and sarcasm, and your typical twists and turns. Most of the characters are fully fleshed out, but there are some weaker ones, less important to the story. The payoff was interesting, to say the least, and not at all what I expected. I did, however, have an issue with Craig’s accent. I can’t say why, but all I know is it bothered me. Besides that, I rather enjoyed Knives Out, and definitely recommend it.

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Standard Review, some spoilers:

Being a wealthy patriarch is dangerous business, where family is concerned. Almost all of his children have lived off of Father’s financial support, and they all seem to believe that he was going to be less forthcoming in the future. The implications start flying as Benoit questions them all.

Besides Benoit, the film focuses on Thrombey’s nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas). She had a close relationship with Thrombey, and was privy to his thoughts and feelings about his family. She is the key to the family secrets, and Benoit tries to use her to get to the truth of the matter. She is quite forthcoming, but it’s not enough to implicate anyone specifically.

It was a good story, leading up to the last minute revelation. With a large cast like this, it’s difficult to balance them all out, to give them enough screen time to establish them. Of particular note were Walt Thrombey (Michael Shannon), Joni Thrombey (Toni Collette), and Ransom Drysdale (Chris Evans)Some of the peripheral family members aren’t in the spotlight, so they don’t get much time to shine, but for everyone else, you really get a sense of who they are, and what their situation is. Almost everyone has a reason to want him dead, but there’s not enough direct evidence to prove any of them did it. It’s quite baffling.

I have to congratulate whoever found the home that Knives out DID an excellent job. The house really fir the mood of the film. Dark and cold, but also warm, in a way. Kind of like the Thrombeys. It’s a house that you’d consider buying if you won the lottery. It was very elegant inside, and felt lived-in. The way it was laid out fit the setting of the movie, and made for some interesting moments.

You don’t see too many of these whodunit films any more, and most of them are screen adaptations of novels (like the relatively recent Murder On The Orient Express remake. It’s hard to craft an intricate plot, such as this, and have it be unfamiliar material. Knives out succeeds on that level, and manages to be properly played out on screen.. I suspect it might receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but maybe I’m overestimating its content.

I do recommend this, and if you wait to see it at home, you won’t miss out too much by seeing it on the small screen, except for the whole movie-going experience. I found it fun and entertaining.

Runtime 1 Hour 48 Minutes

Capsule Review, minimal spoilers:

JoJo Rabbit is a Dark Comedy. It takes place in Germany, some time around the end of World War II. It focuses on JoJo (Roman Griffin Davis), a young boy of 10, who has just been drafted into the Hitler Youth. He’s clumsy and not a good fit, but that’s OK. He has an imaginary friend who cheers him up. Of course, it’s Adolph Hitler (Taika Waititi, the film’s director and writer), but not the Hitler you expect.

The two of them navigate through the story, which is quite interesting, but as I mentioned, this is a Dark Comedy, meaning it’s not just a comedy by any stretch of imagination. Consider the source material and the realities of what Germany represented, and you get the idea.

This film is made on the relationship between JoJo and Adolf. The strong supporting cast includes Scarlett Johansson as Elsa, his mother, and Sam Rockwell, and the city’s Hitler Youth leader, Captain Klenzendorf.

It is certainly offbeat and quirky, and a little disturbing. It is not for everyone. If you can handle that, I do recommend this film. If, however, you like your films nice and bright, this film is not for you.

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Standard Review, some spoilers:

After an injury at training camp sidelines JoJo, the Captain assigns him the duty of spreading propaganda in the city. His pal Hitler helps him to believe it all, especially all the material about The Jews. After all, he’s an impressionable kid, and the only information he has to go on is the propaganda.

His mother, is a different story. She’s full of life, living for the moment, as best she can. Things are not going well for Germany, in terms of the war, and she’s convinced it’ll all be over soon. JoJo’s father is MIA, but everyone is telling him that he went AWOL instead. Of course, Elsa tells JoJo differently, so he just muddles on.

One day, JoJo is home before his mother, and he hears something that bothers him. Well, that’s when everything gets turned upside down. His pal is telling him one thing, but his curiosity is making him think not everything is as it seems.

JoJo grows as a person, which is quite surprising at the age of 10. Then again, it’s wartime, and he has to face some cold realities. It’s extremely tough to do at any age, but he’s forced to, at the worst possible time. Waititi’s script is quite clever in that it manages to maintain that child’s perspective on everything that’s happening to him, without getting too smarmy or preachy.

I also appreciated how they didn’t explain everything , but again, the storyline matched some of the events to how a 10 year old would interpret them. Consider the Captain and his behavior. Some of the things he does are just, well, odd. As adults, we know what’s going on there, but JoJo doesn’t. I found that impressive on a higher level.

This is definitely a twisted movie. I went in, expecting one thing, and was delivered something else. That unpredictability is extremely rare to pull off without it breaking the rules of the film (cheating with a deus ex machina moment, for example). It’s a really good story, and definitely impressed me. I strongly recommend it, if you can live with the source material.

Runtime 125 Minutes

Capsule Review (minimal spoilers):

The Two Popes is an interesting character study. It is the dramatization of events that happened in real life. Cardinal Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins) is elected Pope in 2005. He’s a conservative man, and that carries over into his papacy. He beat out other contenders, including the liberal Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce). Bergoglio returns to his normal duties in Argentina, until, one day, he travels back to the Vatican. Coincidentally, the Pope summons him to talk.

Thus begins a set of conversations that form the basis for the movie. It’s as if an impressionist came up with the premise, you can almost hear it – “What if two contradictory Roman Catholic priests struck up a friendship? It might go a little something like this… ” and he turns around for a moment, then begins his act.

It’s an unusual relationship that that actually happened, and it’s really compelling. Hopkins and Pryce are at the top of their acting game, and they’re perfectly suited for these characters. It’s been said that Pryce physically resembles Bergoglio, even by Pryce’s children!

To reveal any more would ruin the film. You have to watch it and allow yourself to be drawn in to the story. I won’t say any more other than it’s quite good, and worth your time if you love interpersonal drama.

Runtime 152 Minutes

Capsule Summary, Minimal Spoilers:

Ford V Ferrari is a film about true events that happened in the 1960s. A competition between Ford and Ferrari., which came from a disagreement on a deal between the two companies. It’s a story about passion, which comes in many flavors, several of which we get to see on screen. It is one of the truest movies about racing that I’ve seen.

It follows the story of several people, primarily Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale), who are hired by Ford to help them build a car that will beat Ferrari at the annual race at Le Mans, France. Its a turbulent relationship between people who demand the best of their equipment and their people.

The story’s main focus is on Shelby, and how things came to be. It’s also a story about love, between driver Ken and his wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe), two very strong willed individuals. They have a son, Peter (Noah Jupe), who figures heavily into this film.

There’s never a dull moment in this movie. Everything fits together so well and is so gripping that you lose track of the runtime. The racing scenes are as good as they can be. I can easily say this film is my favorite film of 2019, so far. Highly recommended for everyone, not just fans of racing. Several of my friends who are not racing fans enjoyed this movie more than they ever would have suspected. If you do see this movie, I strongly suggest you find a theater showing it in Titan Luxe/Dolby Atmos, or IMAX, if possible. The sounds were just incredible in the theater we went to.

Standard Review, Some Spoilers:

The movie starts off with a teaser. Carroll Shelby was a racer, and was competing at the annual 20 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most prestigious and longest endurance races in the world. Next thing you know, he’s at a doctor, who’s telling him he can’t race any more. It’s in his blood, so he can’t give it up completely. He moves onto the next best thing, a boutique carmaker.

Meanwhile, at Ford, Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) needs some ideas. He wants to improve the business, and calls to everyone in a Ford Falcon plant to come up with ideas, or see themselves out. We hear one man’s proposal. Lee Iococca (Jon Bernthal) focuses on Ford acquiring Ferrari. Ferrari is a small company, compared to Ford (actually, compared to almost every car manufacturer), but the people that work there are fanatical about their work. One person assembles a motor, completely. One person assembles the transmission, and so on. It’s a level of craftsmanship that is unparalleled (for the most part), even today. Ferrari has spent a lot of money on the Le Mans races, and is near bankruptcy. Iococca meets with Enzo Ferrari, the owner and founder, and presents him with Ford’s offer. After some thought, he totally turns down the offer, and in his closing words, ends his rejection in a manner that forever ends any possibility they could come to terms, to put it mildly. The rejection angers Ford enough that he goes contrary to the old adage, and realizes that if he can’t join ’em, he’ll beat ’em. At Le Mans.

Iococca realizes he needs people on the team with the drive and the vision to make this happen. Ford’s team in England has designed the car, but that’s just the basic element that’s needed. There are drivers, and considerations for a race like Le Mans, especially considering that any car that races there has to survive mechanically for 24 hours without any major issues or breakdowns. Any car can be made to race for 2-3 hours, but 24? Not quite impossible, but it’s a major obstacle.

I’ve implied that the focus on Carroll Shelby is the heart of the film, I should point out that the true soul of the film is represented by Ken Miles. He’s a terrific driver, but not without his faults. He can be a hothead and a pain in the ass, and he’s also not a team player. Surprised? His wife Mollie isn’t. She understands him completely, when he is open and honest with her. He’s a bit off his gourd, but so is she, as you’ll see. Balfe is excellent in this role, and it’s refreshing to see Mollie as a three dimensional character. Ken is at his best when he’s with his son Peter, though. He is there at the testing sessions, and is a dedicated student of racing, which Ken is happy to explain. These are some of the best moments in the film.

There is talk of perfection in this film, primarily in terms of racing, but it’s equally applicable to other things, as well. Moviemaking, for one. This film is intense when it needs to be, thrilling wherever possible, and is like a well-crafted gemstone. It pulls you in, right from the start, and never really lets go. There are so many little extras that are unnecessary, but they are the things that make it more real than I thought a racing film could be. While it is a racing film, it’s done in such a way that it’s more than just for the racing community, because of the themes involved. See for yourself.

I suspect this film will be nominated for several technical Oscars, as the sound and editing were on point. The acting is brilliant, and the story itself was very engrossing. Go see it.