Killer Countdown: Super 8 (2011)

 

 

Streaming Service: Hulu

Movie Name/Year: Super 8 (2011)

Genre: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Length: 1h 52min

Rating: PG-13

Director: J.J. Abrams

Writer: J.J. Abrams

 

Actors: Joel Courtney, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, AJ Michalka, Andrew Miller, Jakob Miller, Jade Griffiths, Britt Flatmo, Elle Fanning, Glynn Turman, Noah Emmerich, Richard T. Jones, David Gallagher, Brett Rice, Michael Giacchino, Beau Knapp, Bruce Greenwood, Dale Dickey, Jack Axelrod, Dan Castellaneta, Thomas F. Duffy, Teri Clark, Tom Quinn, Caitríona Balfe, Bingo O'Malley, Tony Guma, Marco Sanchez, Katie Lowes

 

Metacritic Blurb: In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

This year for our spooky month series, we decided to bring you something a little different – a countdown of horror or thriller movies that have a number in the title. These aren't in a bad/good arrangement or even in order of desire to watch, as our Top 20 Lists usually are. We're set to have 8 reviews for you, including this one, between now and the end of October, thus counting down from 8 to 1. Some of these movies are a little off the beaten path, so to speak, but they sparked our curiosity.

 

That being said, we're kicking things off with Super 8. This wasn't my first watch of this film, but I remember it fondly. It was a fun retrospective as well as a nostalgia fix given the time-period of the setting. I was happy to give Super 8 a fresh look to bring you this review with a new experience, rather than memories from years ago.

 

 

Super 8 has a very 'kids-with-bikes' adventure quality, and while this is a Sci-fi/ Horror blend, it is definitely watchable for the age range of the kids depicted on the screen. There might be some content that might be too disturbing for the younger set, but the PG-13 rating is very appropriate. There's little to no “real” blood, tame language for the most part, and a good deal of the violent shenanigans are just off-screen or obscured in a way that you don't always see it directly. I think it's a brilliant touch that helps build the suspense throughout the movie. Our imaginations are very crafty with filling in the horrible blanks. Not only does the anticipation ramp up for the “big reveal,” but it's also a little cost-conscious for the production due to savings on the effects – putting the big bucks into the payoff scenes at the climax. I was relieved that there was an amazing reveal here that was worth the wait.

 

 

I would, honestly, expect no less from a production helmed by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens) and with Steven Spielberg (E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Ready Player One, West Side Story) as a producer greatly hands-on with the project. He is one of, if not my top favorite creative cinematic voices. I have adored his movies ever since I was literally a baby.

 

This movie offers a full range of emotions on this wild ride of a story. It opens with some deep dramatic notes that helps the audience invest in the characters. Then you get into some relatable coming-of-age stuff right as all hell breaks loose. The fewer details I discuss here, the better – trust me.

 

If you haven't already seen Super 8, this season of chills and thrills would be a great time to cue it up. If you have already watched this film in the past, then why not give it another spin? It was definitely a pleasant re-watch for me.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 81%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 75%

Metascore – 72%

Metacritic User Score – 7.3/10

IMDB Score – 7.0/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

 

P.S – There is a mid-credits scene.

 

Movie Trailer:

The Selling (2011)

 

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime
Movie Name/Year: The Selling (2011)
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Length:  92 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Production/Distribution: RedWood Pictures, Diani & Devine Productions, Ludicrous Productions, GoDigital, Grand Entertainment Group, Syfy Universal, Syfy Universal
Director: Emily Lou Wilbur
Writer: Gabriel Diani
Actors: Gabriel Diani, Janet Varney, Jonathan Klein, Etta Devine, Barry Bostwick, Nancy Lenehan, Jocelyn Towne, Alina Phelan, Simon Helberg, Cole Stratton, Kitty Swink, Jessica Makinson, Kendra Chell, Matthew J Cates, Alexandra Goodman, Ross Hellwig, Phil Proctor, Melinda Peterson, Elizabeth McInerney, Trey Burnette, Tamika Simpkins
 
IMDb Blurb: A too-honest-for-his-own-good real estate agent has to sell a haunted house before its ghostly inhabitants ruin his life.

 
Cat’s Point of View:
Horror comedy is just one of those genres you don’t come across often – at least, where the outcome is any good, that is. It happens to be my favorite flavor of horror. I had a bit of a rough day yesterday so I was happy to anticipate a bit of therapeutic laughter.
 
I can’t remember where I first ran across a mention of The Selling, but I’ve been dying to watch it for a couple years now.

 
The premise reminded me a bit of The Money Pit (1986), but with the whole supernatural ghostly twist. I was sold the moment I made that nostalgic connection to one of my favorite movies of all time. I was just hoping beyond hope that the warm fuzzies of yesteryear weren’t setting me up for disappointment with The Selling. All too often a trailer will lead you astray like that. In this case, I’m happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed.
 
Let’s revisit the trailer for a moment, though, before I continue.
 
Don’t watch the whole trailer if you don’t want to be spoiled on a twist. I’d completely forgotten about that part of the preview so I was successfully surprised by the little extra thrown in that takes things beyond just a haunted house. I appreciated that addition to the story that tied things together, and it’s a good bit of what drives the comedy in the final act of the film. For that reason, I see why they added those elements into the sneak peek – but why spoil the surprise!

In order to avoid the spoilers, stop watching the trailer at the 1:18 mark. Once you hit 1:20, you’re bordering the spoiler zone. Just look for Barry Bostwick (The Potwins, The Outlaw Johnny Black, Single All the Way). When he exits the screen, it’s safe to hit the stop button.
 
Speaking of Barry Bostwick, I had a giggle that he was involved with this project and was one of the initial draws for me to The Selling. Once I learned more overall info about the movie, I had to watch it.
 
The Selling is a lot of campy and silly fun. It walks that line and stops just short of making you want to roll your eyes. I loved the characters. I could seriously relate with Gabriel Diani’s (I Am I, Research., Diani & Devine Meet the Apocalypse) real estate agent, Richard. I am often told that I am too nice for my own good. It was easy to put myself in his shoes, for the most part.

 
I’m actually rather shocked that there isn’t more out there from Diani, though I couldn’t begin to speculate as to why. This is the only project of his that I’ve seen to date. I hope to check out his other stuff soon.
 
The Selling is definitely a hidden gem among the titles available on Amazon Prime Video. Catch this one before it moves on to the great beyond.

 
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 83%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6.1/10
 
Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating – PG-13
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
 
PS – There are 3 additional scenes within the end credits.
 
Movie Trailer:

Dear Santa (2011)

Number Rolled: 11

Movie Name/Year: Dear Santa (2011)

Tagline: None

Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy

Length: 92 minutes

Rating: TV-PG

Production Companies: Nomadic Pictures, ITV America, Johnson Production Group, Government of Alberta, Alberta Multimedia Development Fund, Annuit Coeptis Entertainment Inc.

Producer: Jay Daniel Beechinor, Petros Danabassis, Oliver De Caigny, Michael Frislev, Timothy O. Johnson, Chad Oakes

Director: Jason Priestley

Writer: Barbara Kymlicka

Actors: Amy Acker, David Haydn-Jones, Emma Duke, Patrick Creery, Gina Holden, James Dugan, Margherita Donato, Brooklynn Proulx, Paulina ‘Miel’ Chmielecka, Bob Irvine, James D. Hopkin, Dave El Wray, Kristina Elliott

Blurb from Netflix: Finding a letter mailed to Santa by a girl asking for a new wife for her daddy, twentysomething Crystal sets out to make the girl’s wishes come true.

Selina’s Point of View:

I imagine all our Christmas movies this month will be barking up the same basic rom-com tree. This one just felt like it did the whole thing a little better than the last.

It was still a recipe and super easy to predict… but I caught myself smiling a little more than I did with A Christmas Prince (2017). Of course, a lot of that could be attributed to Amy Acker (The Gifted, Con Man, Much Ado About Nothing).

I absolutely adore Amy Acker, and I have since I first saw her on Angel (1999-2004) back in the day. Just her existence in this film made me look forward to it.

I thought Dear Santa was going to be a disappointment. Acker’s character was not likeable to me upon first glance. I was sighing and rolling my eyes a lot – but as the film went on, she became less annoying and a lot easier to root for. Of course, that could just be the sweetness of the actor shining through.

I was not fond of David Haydn-Jones (Supernatural, My Christmas Dream, The Toyman Killer), though. His character and his acting left a lot to be desired.

All in all, I think this was a heart-warming film. It was flawed, certainly, but not bad for some light holiday watching.

To be honest? I don’t really expect anything to actually wow me this month. Hopefully, I’m wrong.

Cat’s Point of View:

Okay. So, I might rag on the Lifetime Channel’s typical programming fare occasionally – but I have a confession to make. While I don’t make a habit of watching that or the Hallmark Channel, I have been known to really enjoy some of their content. In random small doses; and then only if it’s not too over-the-top saccharine. I might be a die-hard optimist, but that only carries so far.

That being said, I wouldn’t mind adding this to my ‘guilty pleasure’ list. I can’t say that it would become a holiday tradition or anything; but out of the bazillion holiday romances out there, I enjoyed this one.

Would I go out of my way to seek it out or films like it? Probably not – but this is from someone who gets primarily horror, sci-fi, and anime suggestions from Netflix. (When I’m not watching for the blog or trying to catch up on one of my 999 shows, I tend to gravitate there for things I can’t watch with my husband or kiddo. I digress…)

Getting back to the movie, it certainly lived up to its expectations. The film was festive, had a good message, plenty of feel-good moments, a life-epiphany plot for good measure, and a few good chuckles. It didn’t matter that I’d predicted what would happen a third of the way in. I was smiling, and there was even a moment I got misty-eyed.

I was surprised to see that Jason Priestley (Call Me Fitz, Rookie Blue, Van Helsing) was the creative force behind this film’s direction. He is by no means a stranger to directing, though. He even directed 15 episodes or so of the hit show, 90210 (1990-2000).

I was more excited, however, to see Amy Acker (Dollhouse, Person of Interest, Con Man) in her role here. While I am waiting with bated breath to see if Fox will renew her current show, The Gifted (2017-), for a third season; it was a treat for her to step into the shoes of this heartwarming role.

To sum up, this film was everything you would expect it to be.  It might have technical goofs and a highly predictable plot, but it wasn’t shabby. It’s good if you have a glass of wine and want to curl up for some feels that don’t require a mascara alert.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English, Portuguese, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 50%

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 6.5/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Movie Trailer:

Guelcom (2011) - Foreign Film Friday

Number Rolled: 21

Movie Name/Year: Guelcom (2011)

Tagline: None

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Length: 107 minutes

Rating: NR

Production Companies: Habitacion 1520 Producciones, Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA)

Producer: Maximiliano Dubois

Director: Yago Blanco

Writer: Yago Blanco, Diego Nunez

Actors: Mariano Martinez, Eugenia Tobal, Peto Menahem, Maju Lozano, Eugenia Guerty, Ana Yovino, Gonzalo Suarez, Chema Tena, Gustavo Garzon, Agustina Cordova, Nicolas Condito, Paula Morales

Stunt Doubles: None

Blurb from Netflix: When his ex-girlfriend who left the country returns to Argentina for a wedding, a young psychologist tries to cope with his feelings and win her back.

Selina’s Point of View:

I was not overly fond of the structure of this film.

I can handle fourth wall breaks. In the right moments, done the right way, they can absolutely make a film. I did not, however, enjoy the way they made those breaks in this film.

That wasn’t my only issue with Guelcom either. I had a huge issue with the captions.

Now, not all methods of watching Netflix do captions the same way. Your captions on the computer may be different than the captions you see through a gaming system. I watch Netflix on an Apple TV. I’m not sure who’s responsible for the captions I saw, but they were bad.

The captions moved so quickly I had trouble keeping up at times. Not all the words were translated correctly and, near the hour mark, not all the lines were captioned in general. I missed roughly five or six lines of dialogue because there were no captions to go along with them. I can only imagine what was happening according to what the visuals on screen were.

There were also story breaks that didn’t make sense. The story paused while the narrator talked about something that was only barely relevant to anything happening.

Quite frankly, the experience of this film was so ruined for me, that I don’t actually even care if it was good or not. From what I could see, it was probably a decent film that was destroyed by bad post-production. Maybe even some bad directing.

If you are fluent in Spanish, this may be a good film for you. If you aren’t… skip it.

Cat’s Point of View:

I will admit that I dragged my heels a little in watching this movie today. I wasn’t so sure that I was in the mood for a rom-com; and especially one in another language.

This was one of those cases that the film pleasantly surprised me. I actually enjoyed it for the most part. I did, however, feel that the pacing was a bit drawn out. There were points I had to check the progress bar; yet there were spans of time where I didn’t think about it at all as I sank into the story.

The actress that played Julieta seriously reminds me of someone and that was a bit distracting for me as I tried to puzzle it out. I still can’t remember her doppelganger’s name or the movie I last saw her in; but that only illustrates the fact that while fairly enjoyable, this movie couldn’t manage to keep my attention entirely. That’s rough when subtitles are involved.

The humor was subtler and a little more on the cerebral side than your average comedy. It was clever and witty, and I liked that it wasn’t quite as in-your-face as most films these days. The cultural differences highlighted between Argentina and Spain were also interesting.

All told, I didn’t mind this movie, but I wouldn’t choose it to watch again.

Languages

Speech Available: Spanish

Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None

Metascore - None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 5.7/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: R

Movie Trailer:

The Kite (2011) - Foreign Film Friday

Number Rolled: 46

Movie Name/Year: The Kite (2011)

Tagline: None

Genre: Drama

Length: 93 minutes

Rating: NR

Production Companies: Khushi Films

Producer: Vijay Bhargava, Mark Mann, Alan McAlex, Jaideep Punjabi, Sridhar Reddy, Hesh Sarmalkar, James Townsend, Kaiser Wahab

Director: Prashant Bhargava

Writer: Prashant Bhargava, James Townsend

Actors: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mukkund Shukla, Seema Biswas, Sugandha Garg, Aakash Maheriya, Azur, Hameed, Hamid Shaikh, Pannaben Soni

Stunt Doubles: None

Blurb from Netflix: As a million kites take to the sky during the annual festival of the Uttarayan in Ahmedabad, India, six characters’ divergent paths intersect.

Selina’s Point of View:

I did not enjoy this film.

It was disjointed and felt more like a bunch of home videos shown back-to-back than a cohesive film. I don’t mean that it was ‘found footage’ either. It just felt like relatively bad story telling.

To be honest, I do think that I’m missing some of the significant cultural aspects.

As many foreign movies as we’ve seen throughout Foreign Film Friday, this one felt the least culturally familiar to me. That means that a lot of the story likely went right over my head.

Sometimes, that just happens. To someone with a more in-depth knowledge of the Hindi culture, this might be a poignant and very watchable film. Unfortunately, I just don’t think it crosses that kind of cultural barrier.

It felt irrelevant.

Cat’s Point of View:

If this were a handwritten medium, you’d probably see some ink smears on the page from one of two things – the sprinkling of my tears as I lamented why this movie was going on so long, or drool puddles resulting from being put to sleep.

Ok so maybe I didn’t really get that far into narcolepsy, but it was hard not to nod off while watching this film. It’s rather short in comparison to other movies we’ve watched with similar origins. I just wasn’t having fun, so time was doing its best snail cosplay. I haven’t been so bored while watching something in a long time.

The premise of a family reunion during a kite festival is nifty, but this came across more like the family’s home movies of the celebration instead of a cinematic film. It was a bit all over the place. There were tiny glimpses at plot here and there but it felt like a giant free-for-all for the majority of the production.

There really isn’t much else to say. I’m just glad I won’t have to watch it again. If you’re in the mood for a Bollywood number or even something more serious in the Hindi cinema genre, we’ve reviewed far better movies in the past – perhaps give one of them a watch and skip this one.

Languages

Speech Available: Hindi

Subtitles Available: English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, French, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 53%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 62%

Metascore - 67/100

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 6.2/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 1/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 1.5/5

Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: PG-13ish

Movie Trailer:

The Flowers of War (2011) - FFF - Through the Eyes of Cat

By Cat

 

Number Rolled: 148
Movie Name/Year: The Flowers of War (2011)
Tagline:  In extraordinary times, ordinary people become heroes.
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Length: 146 minutes
Rating: R
Production Companies: Beijing New Picture Film Co., Edko Films, New Picture Company
Producers: Chaoying Deng, William Kong, David Linde, Leo Shi Young, Weiping Zhang
Director: Yimou Zhang
Writers: Heng Liu, Geling Yan
Actors: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Huang Tianyuan, Zhang Xinyi, Xiting Han, Doudou Zhang, Dawei Tong, Atsuro Watabe
Stunt Doubles: Fatih Ugurlu 

Blurb from Netflix: A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.

I had to watch something completely different after watching this movie in order to put myself back together again. Frankly, I’m surprised it didn’t win more awards – but then, there were some heavy hitters at the box office in 2011. I’m not sure what else was going on in China at the time, but the film did apparently crack the top 10 highest grossing Chinese movies of all time.

Set during the time of conflicts leading up to World War II, as Japan invaded China, this movie doesn’t pull any punches in regards to the brutality and destruction of war. You’ll find no candy-coating here. There were bodies everywhere, and people dropping like flies. 

If you have trouble watching graphic things of that nature, or are easily triggered by violence against women, this movie is not for you. 

That being said, none of the graphic content was unwarranted. You won’t find fountains of blood here. The scenes were tasteful and overall the movie was visually stunning, through both the ravaged city of Nanjing and the stark contrast of rich colors in the scenes centered on the church. 

I was buying what this film was selling. While the movie was based on a novel, it did give me pause to wonder if this was someone’s real memoir. The author wasn’t old enough to have lived through the film’s scenario. It feels entirely plausible that it could have happened to a relative of hers; however, that’s purely speculation on my part. 

The cast was absolutely enchanting – especially the actress that played Yu Mo, Ni Ni (Back in Time, Enter the Warriors Gate, Suddenly Seventeen). This was her movie debut, and I think she nailed it. She embodied such elegance and sultry essence.

I was rather surprised to see Christian Bale (3:10 to Yuma, Out of the Furnace, The Big Short), but he quickly erased any doubts I might have had. 

This was one hell of an emotional roller-coaster. I’m glad I was along for the ride. Against the horrific backdrop, the beauty of hope shines more brightly. I was left wanting more of the story, and yet satisfied with the ending all the same.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this film. Don't forget to have some tissues handy, just in case.

Languages
Speech Available: Mandarin
Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 42%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 73%
Metascore – 46/100
Metacritic User Score – 7.1/10
IMDB Score – 7.6/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

Movie Trailer: 

You Laugh But It’s True (2011)

Number Rolled: 1

Movie Name/Year: You Laugh But It’s True (2011)

Tagline: A journey from the township to the stage.

Genre: Documentary, Biography, Comedy

Length: 83 minutes

Rating: NR

Production Companies: Day 1 Films

Producer: Kyle Ambrose, Anthony Anderson, Delon Bakker, Adam Glass, Rabin Harduth, Kagiso Lediga, David Paul Meyer, Michael Mills

Director: David Paul Meyer

Writer: N/A

Actors: Trevor Noah, Loyiso Gola, Rabin Harduth, Kagiso Lediga, David Newton

Stunts: Matt Allmen

Blurb from Netflix: Fledgling South American funnyman Trevor Noah pushes through an avalanche of doubts and fears while preparing for his first-ever one-man comedy show.

Selina’s Point of View:

When I added this film to the list, I really thought it was a stand-up comedy special. I was caught a little off-guard when I found out this was actually a documentary.

We recently made the decision to add documentaries to our list, but this was added well before that.

I’m a fan of Trevor Noah (Afraid of the Dark, Pay Back the Funny, It’s My Culture) as the head of the Daily Show, but this doc was from years before anyone even knew Jon Stewart (Evan Almighty, Death to Smoochy, The Faculty) was retiring. At the point when this film was made, I’d never even heard of Trevor Noah. I probably couldn’t have named any South African comedians.

I’m not the biggest fan of documentaries in general, but I was absolutely fascinated by this one. It followed Noah through his journey toward his first one-man show, but it also went into his life in South Africa and the South African culture in general.

I didn’t feel like I was sitting in history class waiting for the teacher to stop droning on – which is how documentaries can sometimes make me feel. I felt like I wanted to know what was going on. I wanted to understand him. If anything, I believe this film may have heightened my appreciation of Noah in general, and not just as a comedian.

One of the things I loved most about this doc is that it showed points of view from various sides. They didn’t just show how Noah felt and why he was doing it, they also had negative commentary from other comedians. As a result, I got a greater feel for the entire picture and not just one side of things.

I would easily recommend this documentary to anyone that’s a fan of Trevor Noah, wants to know more about him, or has an interest in comedy and South African culture.

Cat’s Point of View:

This wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be. You Laugh But It’s True isn’t a comedy special like the last Trevor Noah (The Daily Show, Mad Buddies, Taka Takata) show we watched. This wasn’t exactly like the other comedy special we’ve reviewed that was part documentary, either. This was fairly straight-up documentary. There are a few bits here and there featuring Noah’s stand-up act – but it’s far less of the screen time than I would have preferred.

I’ll be honest that my enjoyment factor for this sort of thing is currently hampered by the underlying worry I’m experiencing for my family and friends in Florida as Hurricane Irma chugs its way through the peninsula. Partially, I’m a bit disappointed that this wasn’t a full-out comedy show. A little levity would help right now to take my mind off of the things I can’t control. I am seriously craving some escapism.

Learning about Noah’s life and background was interesting. I did learn some things about the South African apartheid situation that I hadn’t known before. I enjoy learning about other cultures. The timing was just off for me here.

The thing is, I’m not sure I would have felt differently if I watched this under ideal circumstances. The bottom line, though, is that aside from a few laughs here and there, I wasn’t all that entertained. Anyone looking to learn more about comedy acts in South Africa and wanting to gain a little cultural perspective might get a bit more out of it.

Languages

Speech Available: English, Polish

Subtitles Available: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 79%

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 7.2/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5

Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: PG-13

Movie Trailer:

Larry Crowne (2011)

Number Rolled: 98

Movie Name/Year: Larry Crowne (2011)

Tagline: Never too late in life to start living.

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama

Length: 98 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Vendome Pictures, StudioCanal, Playtone Productions, Summit Entertainment

Producer: Jeb Brody, David Coatsworth, Katterli Frauenfelder, Fabrice Gianfermi, Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Philippe Rousselet, Steve Shareshian

Director: Tom Hanks

Writer: Tom Hanks, Nia Vardalos

Actors: Tom Hanks, Sarah Mahoney, Roxana Ortega, Brady Rubin, Sy Richardson, Rob Riggle, Dale Dye, Barry Sobel, Claudia Stedelin, Bob Stephenson, Rita Wilson, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Holmes Osborne, Wilmer Valderrama, Tom Budge, Julia Roberts, Pam Grier, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Rami Malek, Malcolm Barrett, Grace Gummer, Maria Canals-Barrera, A.B. Fofana, Sarah Levy, Julia Cho, Chad W. Smathers, David L. Murphy, George Takei, Bryan Cranston, Carly Reeves, Ian Gomez, Nia Vardalos, Herbert Siguenza, Ric Salinas, Richard Montoya

Stunt Doubles: Alex Daniels, Daniel Headecker, Toby Holguin, Natascha Hopkins, Brian Machleit, Chrissy Weathersby Ball

Blurb from Netflix: Laid off from his longtime job at a soulless retail giant, an average middle-age guy heads back to college, where he finds romance with a professor.

Selina’s Point of View:

I haven’t met a Tom Hanks (Toy Story, Ithaca, Captain Phillips) film that I dislike. I mean, he’s in 82 of them (two are coming soon) so I haven’t seen them all. There might be a stinker among them, I just haven’t seen it.

This film featured two sweethearts of the film industry. Clearly, Tom Hanks is one of them. Sure, females are normally the ones described as sweethearts… but Hanks absolutely deserves the title, too. Julia Roberts (Money Monster, Mother's Day, Mirror Mirror) would be the other.

When you take two titans of the industry and put them together like this, it’s almost unfair to all the other movies. Then you throw in phenomenal talents like Bryan Cranston (Power Rangers, Why Him?, Breaking Bad), Taraji P. Henson (Empire, Person of Interest, No Good Deed), Rob Riggle (How to Be a Latin Lover, True Memoirs of an International Assassin, Hell and Back), George Takei (Eat with Me, Axel: The Biggest Little Hero, Supah Ninjas), Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man, Why Him?, Top Five), Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show, The Girl is Trouble, School Dance), Rami Malek (Mr. Robot, Need for Speed, Short Term 12), Grace Gummer (Mr. Robot, Extant, Jenny's Wedding), and Ian Gomez (Supergirl, Cougar Town, The Drew Carey Show)… was there ever a question as to whether or not this film would be good?

The script could have been crap, and it still would have been a decent film. That said, the script was not crap and I really enjoyed the plot. Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I Hate Valentine's Day, Connie and Carla) is a great writer.

Where romantic comedies are concerned, this is the single best that I’ve seen in a very long time. If not the actual best.

I can’t think of a single complaint.

Everything from the acting to the background music all seemed to really fit. The people who worked on this film were working at the top of their game. I think that’s a real testament to what working for a good director, like Tom Hanks, could be like. If things are chill behind the scenes, you can tell on the screen. You can tell because it looks like the people want to be there.

I would absolutely watch this again.

Cat’s Point of View:

I have to admit that, while I was vaguely aware of this movie before, it was largely flying under my radar. Other than knowing who the leads were, I really didn’t remember what it was supposed to be about when I started it. What I discovered was a wonderful blend of drama and comedy that was a delight to experience.

What about the romance element, you ask? Well it was there, certainly, but it wasn’t in-your-face the way a lot of romantic comedies are. This was more slanting towards the ‘dramedy’ combination.

I can certainly relate with Tom Hanks’ (Saving Mr. Banks, Sully, Inferno) character, Larry. They do say that one door closing means another will open for you – or something like that. It doesn’t make things suck any less to unexpectedly find your life turned upside down out of left field. I have been there more than once. Sometimes it takes longer than others for that other door to open.

Can we talk about this cast for a second? I was really tickled over quite a few of the actors. The talent was just packed in and was quite an eclectic mix; such as Taraji P. Henson (Date Night, Think Like a Man, Term Life), George Takei (Heroes, Money Fight, Kubo and the Two Strings), and Wilmer Valderrama (To Whom It May Concern, The Adderall Diaries, NCIS) -- to name a few.

I’m not sure that this is my favorite role for Julia Roberts (Eat Pray Love, The Normal Heart, Secret in Their Eyes), but I certainly couldn’t fault her performance. Just as Hanks’ role was relatable – I could empathize with Roberts’ character and that ground down feeling.

Hanks and, fellow screenwriter for this film, Nia Vardalos (My Life in Ruins, Helicopter Mom, Star vs. the Forces of Evil), really captured some magic here.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Not only would I watch it again, but I would recommend it in a heartbeat.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 36%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 41%

Metascore - 41/100

Metacritic User Score – 5.8/10

IMDB Score – 6.1/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

Movie Trailer:

Red Eagle: The Movie (2011) - Foreign Film Friday

Number Rolled: 3

Movie Name/Year: Red Eagle: The Movie (2011)

Tagline: None

Genre: Action, Adventure, History

Length: 116 minutes

Rating: NR

Production Companies: Globomedia, Instituto de la Cinematografia y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA), Television Espanola (TVE), Versatil Cinema

Producer: Santiago De la Rica, Kiko Vega, Arantxa Ecija, Daniel Ecija

Director: Jose Ramon Ayerra

Writer: Guillermo Cisneros, Pilar Nadal, Juan Maria Ruiz Cordoba

Actors: David Janer, Javier Gutierrez, Francis Lorenzo, Inma Cuesta, Miryam Gallego, Roberto Alamo, Pepa Aniorte, Santiago Molero, Xabier Elorriaga, Jose Angel Egido, Guillermo Campra, Patrick Criado, Martina Klein, Mariano Pena, Antonio Molero, Stany Coppet, William Miller, Xavier Lafitte, Joan Crosas, Jean Dominikowski, Joan Carles Suau, Frank Crudele, Inma Sancho, Simon Cohen, Miko Jarry

Stunt Doubles: Diego Alvarez, Ramon Alvarez

Blurb from Netflix: Stepping into the persona of his alter ego, Gonzalo de Montalvo tangles with the corrupt Spanish government to avenge an attack on his son.

Selina’s Point of View:

I was thrilled with this week’s pick. A Spanish fantasy sounded pretty golden to me.

This was definitely an interesting film. It was serious, but it had some campy moments and characters that were parodies of their archetypes. The mix of the two was strange to see, but not in a bad way.

To be honest, the feel of the movie reminded me a lot of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). My mom used to love that movie and watched it over and over again throughout my childhood, and I watched with her. Keep in mind, the plot is absolutely different, it’s just the basic feel that reminded me of the older movie.

There was a lot packed into this film. There was a superhero aspect to it, conspiracy, politics, romance, decent fight choreography… in fact, the only thing it didn’t have that I thought it would was some sort of mysticism. I guess that makes it more of a period piece, but it still had that warrior-heavy fantasy feel so I’m sticking with that label.

It felt like the beginning of something and, quite frankly, if they came out with an entire series of these films I’d watch them. I’d watch every single one of them.

There was definitely enough of an opening at the end to do something more with it.

Upon further research, Wikipedia says that Red Eagle is a television show that ran from 2009 to 2016. I found the show on IMDb under the Spanish title Aguila Roja. I’m guessing that means the film was just something extra that came out during the show’s running. All the actors seem the same and it’s the same universe, so I think both the show and the movie are canon for the plot.

I’m going to be hunting the show down and giving it a watch-through.

Cat’s Point of View:

This Foreign Film Friday selection was a wonderful treat. Sci-fi and fantasy are my true favorite genres and this movie was squarely in the fantasy action range with historical fiction flair.

I have no idea if the Red Eagle is an actual figure of Spanish folklore, but the character resonates nearly on the level of Robin Hood. I did say nearly, though. From my perspective, albeit which could be somewhat limited, the Hood is more ingrained into the global consciousness and this is my first introduction to the eagle of crimson.

While the film did feel a bit like it picked up in the middle of something, and there was a sense of layers just out of reach of understanding – it grabbed my attention phenomenally and I was glued to the screen so that the nearly two hours of the movie just flew by.

I absolutely adored the dynamic between Gonzalo and Satur, played by David Janer (Mar de Fons, Paco's Men, The Blind Sunflowers) and Javier Gutiérrez (A Night in Old Mexico, The Olive Tree, Assassin's Creed) respectively. Their banter and hero/sidekick roles are an integral part of what makes this whole thing work.

My only beef wasn’t even with the film, itself, but with the stupid Netflix blurb. Don’t read it. This is yet another case where the summary gives a patently false impression of the movie’s plot and gives potential spoilers at the same time. I mean seriously, Netflix. You need to sack the llama responsible for writing those and hire another llama with more sense.

All said, I adored this movie and want more. I would gladly recommend it as something for the whole family to enjoy. (There are a couple spots you might cover the eyes of the young due to some nudity, but it’s not gratuitous and quite brief.)

Languages

Speech Available: Spanish

Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 32%

Metascore - None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 4.9/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5

P.S.  Some tiny scenes during the credits.

Movie Trailer: