Daddy's Home

"Daddy’s Home" stars Linda Gardelini, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in this comedy based on a story by Brian Burns and a screenplay co-written and co-directed by Sean Anders and John Morris. Seeking to recapture the terrific chemistry that Messrs. Ferrell and Wahlberg had in the film "The Other Guys", Mr. Ferrell plays a sweet and mild mannered husband and step-dad married to Mr. Wahlberg’s ex-wife. The film examines the inevitable conflict that exists between the divorced biological father who wants to retain some identity with his kids in spite of the step-dad now occupying the family residence. Obviously a subject more serious than comedic, the film tries to interject humor and to a certain extent succeeds. It is a light and easy film to watch with no great surprises enriched by the pleasant demeanor and screen presence of Mr. Ferrell.  I give the film 2 stars with the warning that it needn’t be on your must see list of films for 2015.

Sisters

"Sisters" stars Tina Fey, Amy Poehler Ira Barinholtz and Maya Rudolph in this film written by Paula Pell and directed by Jason Moore. This is not a good film, in fact, it’s one of the worst films Ive seen in a very long time. The chemistry and talents of Ms. Fey and Ms. Poehler deserve a better vehicle to display the obvious abilities these two ladies possess. What makes the situation even worse is that the entire film is an insult, not only to them but to the viewers who expected and were entitled to much more.
Slapstick comedy, even badly executed slapstick comedy, has its place but crudeness without humor does not. Adding to the tumult and artistic anarchy are James Brolin and Diane Wiese who play the parents of the two sisters but, try as they may, they just aren't comic actors and their efforts fail as does the rest of the endeavor. The film is a disappointment to the viewers and demeaning to the performers which I guess sums up the whole  experience. I give the film 1 star and that really goes to Ms. Poehler who, in spite of it all, is the only person worth watching in this 98 minutes of theatrical discomfort.  

The Big Short

"The Big Short" is a film based on the book by Michael Lewis which details the fall of Wall Street in 2008 and the circumstances that led up to it. With an adaption of Mr. Lewis' book by Director Adam McKay and co-writer Charles Randolph, the film has an outstanding ensemble cast including Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Christian Bale and Brad Pitt (who was also one of the producers of the film). Mr. Bale’s character and 3 others find that the bundles of mortgages being sold by Wall Street firms to their investors are loaded with subprime (a/k/a) "bad") mortgages, most of which have adjustable sweetheart rates that end in or about 2007. Recognizing this and the debacle that will ultimately occur when mortgage rates and payments will suddenly soar and foreclosures will become the inevitable consequence,, these savvy mavericks swap or 'sell short' these bundles in order to reap the high profit that they anticipate will come about. The film is filled with trade acronyms and concepts that even well seasoned brokers would not understand so, in order to educate the viewing audience, stars like Selena Gomez, Anthony Bourdain and a lady in a bubble bath interject themselves into various frames in the film in order to explain to the viewer the complexities of these arrangements.
The vehicle works and what might otherwise have been a disaster of technical jargon becomes a more or less easily understood combination of events, both serious and comedic,  that led to the crash of 2008. There is no single performance that stands out although the sum of all them makes this a film that should be seen by anyone who directly or indirectly was impacted by what occurred in the fatal year when Wall Street houses and stocks crumbled. I give the film 3 and ½ stars and recommend that it be seen if, for no other reason, to understand  how vulnerable an unregulated and rogue bunch of brokers, dealers and institutions can and, in fact, did manipulate the system.

Carol

"Carol" stars Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler and Sarah Paulson in this story of two lesbian lovers and the era in which their affair takes place (mid 1950’) when such relationships were not only frowned upon but subject to severe ridicule and chastisement. Based on the novel "The Price of Salt" written by Patricia Highsmith and a screenplay written by Phyllis Nagy, the film was directed by Todd Haynes. The film attempts to capture the conflicts and problems arising out of a relationship totally out of sync with the morals and values of the time in which it took place and although Ms. Blanchett's and Ms. Mara's acting deserve special recognition, for this viewer, at least, sitting through the film was a slow and tedious experience.. I give the film 2 and ½ stars and suggest that, to use author John Gray's labels, those viewers "from Mars" will  probably not enjoy it as much as their companions "from Venus".