Wonder Wheel

“Wonder Wheel” is the annual film submission by writer-director Woody Allen and stars Kate Winslet, Juno Temple, Jim Belushi and Justin Timberlake. The film takes place in circa 1950 in Brooklyn’s famed Coney Island section amidst the backdrop of the infamous wheel invented by Mr. Ferris. This writer’s problem with the film stems from, firstly, the history of great films made by Mr.Allen and the tendency to compare each new entry with the gems of the past. Secondly, and on a much more personal note, the little old lady sitting next to me was using a device that displayed closed captioning and was a real distraction to the person sitting next to her, i.e. me. That being entered into the equation, I found the film to be mildly interesting with an all too simple plot. What makes the film standout, however, is the unbelievable acting of Ms. Winslet who dominates the screen whenever she appears and saves the film from the mediocrity to which it might otherwise have been relegated. Outstanding, too, are the performances of Mr. Belushi, Mr. Timberlake and Ms. Temple. But for me, a native Brooklynite and daily summer visitor to Coney Island, the water, beach, rides, boardwalk and the nostalgia they foster make the viewing experience that much more enjoyable. I give the film 3 stars but wonder (no pun intended) how it would have played without Ms. Winslet and/or the location.

Mudbound

“Mudbound” is a film based on the novel by Hillary Jordan about life in the post World War II deep south and how two families, one white and one African American, cope with the Jim Crow environment which surrounds and, in fact, dominates them. This is a powerful film extremely well acted by Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Rob Morgan and Mary J. Bilge performing in a screenplay co-written by the film’s director, Dee Rees and her co-writer, Virgil Williams. More than anything else, this film educates and informs the innocent and unknowing of what life was like for the poor white farmer, the sharecropper and those whose hate and fear of a minority brought about the perpetuation of hostile and immoral values and conduct. I give this film 3 and ½ stars with a strong recommendation that it be seen by all.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri” stars Frances McDormand, Lucas Hedges, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell in this story of a mother seeking to find the killer of her teen age daughter and the lengths she takes to attempt to activate the local police force to accelerate its investigation. This is a well written and directed film by noted playwright Martin McDonagh as he guides the audience through the many complexities faced by each character in the story. This film, despite its 2 hour length, left this writer with disappointment that it ended and this is in no small part due to the perfect blending of fine acting, writing and directing resulting in a positive theatrical experience. I give the film 3 and ½ stars with a suggestion that Ms. McDormand begin drafting her Oscar acceptance speech as soon as possible.

“Lady Bird’ is the first writing/directing effort by actor Greta Gerwig as she casts and directs Saoirse Ronanas in the role of a young and rebellious Catholic teenager with Laurie Metcalf and Tracy Letts as her parents. This is a quality coming of age film with Ms. Ronan (who won an Oscar nomination for her role In “Brooklyn”)  portraying the daughter of a caring and sometimes dominating mother (Laurie Metcalf). The acting is outstanding and must in some way be attributable to the directing talents of Ms. Gerwig. The title of the film might make one tend to think it was about Mrs. LBJ but it’s simply the name this rebellious teenager wants to use in her quest for freedom and liberation from her Sacramento environment. Set in 2002 the movie delves into the relationships of teenagers with their peers, their parents and their teachers and, in its own charming way, helps us, as adults, to perhaps understand them better. I give the film 3 stars and suggest that both young and old alike will enjoy it.

The Meyerowitz Stories

“The Meyerowtiz Stories (New and Selected)” was written and directed by Noah Baumbach and stars Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller,  Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Mr. Baumbach has given us the story of  a dysfunctional family where each member has an estranged relationship without any of them able to create the pathos of caring from the audience as their never ending  arguing and disagreements  pervade the screen. Despite the good acting of Messrs. Sandler and Stiller, the film, billed as a “drama/comedy” is not funny nor is it deep enough to encourage the viewer to really care about any of its characters.  Available to subscribers of Netflix as well as in theaters, I give the film 2 and ½ stars for, despite a powerful cast, it really becomes nothing more than a nice movie without much substance.

Battle of the 'Sexes

“Battle of the Sexes” was written by  Simon Beaufoy  and co-directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton   The film stars Emma Stone as Billy Jean King and  Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs and culminates in the famous tennis match between the two in the year 1973. Sometimes low expectations for a slightly better than average film can make viewing it even more enjoyable than it otherwise might be and for me, at least, this movie is no exception. Filled with interesting information and facts involving the personal lives of each of these two players, the viewer sees more than just a male chauvinist Riggs and a dedicated advocate for women’s rights in the person of Ms. King. The story of each of the principals is made even more meaningful by the fine acting of Ms. Stone and Mr. Carell who play their parts with a sense of honesty and credibility and make this film a lot more than simply a tale about a hyped tennis match. I give the film 3 stars and urge the viewer to take advantage (pun intended) of this pleasant viewing experience.

Mother

“Mother” was written and directed by Darren Aronofsky so at least we can lay the blame on only one individual for one of the worst pictures I have had the misfortune of viewing in many years. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer, this film isn’t worthy of the time it takes to write this review except that, by giving an honest summary of it, others will hopefully be dissuaded from going to see it and that I will consider my good deed for the week. It’s difficult to characterize this movie without using such adjectives as insane, unrealistic, absurd and mostly containing acts of extreme overkill and violence. Much like some pseudo-intellectuals, there may be some misguided folks who will see allegories and analogies to life in this cinematic disaster but for this viewer, at least, I saw nothing more than ridiculous manifestations of poor writing and directing with supposed horror scenes so bad that, instead of being fear provoking, made them almost laughable. It would have been funnier had I not wasted an evening watching the movie instead of some bad television at home. I give this poorly executed effort by Mr. Aronofsky a one star rating, and that goes solely to Ms. Lawrence’s efforts on the film’s behalf. Simply stated this is the “Mother" of bad movies and deserves a strong boycott of this insult to the viewing audience.