Jupiter Ascending

I was more than thrilled to see the latest installment of ‘The Wachowki’s’ new film ‘Jupiter Ascending’; you may remember some of their other films like ‘The Matrix’ or ‘Cloud Atlas’ and the fine quality of their work. This 2015 Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi which runs for 127 minutes and written and directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski was not the prediction I had hoped for (no pun intended). 

The plot/story-line was a bit weak to say the least and because of it, the audience lost interest rather quickly. Reminiscent of 'Star Wars' (George Lucas)‘Transformers’ (Michael Bay), ‘Fifth Element’ (Luc Besson), or even ‘Pans Labyrinth’ (Guiermo del Toro), this film had some great qualities, but sadly it’s all been done before. It was not an original or thought-provoking piece as their other films proved to be. Well-shot, impressive special effects and drawn-out action sequences; these were the positives of the movie. The acting was poor and direction seemed to lack tremendously. Perhaps there was too much going on in this film which didn’t help viewers really connect to any of our main characters. 

The cast was international with Ukranian-born Mila Kunis, American Channing Tatum and English Eddie Redmayne and Douglas Booth as well as Nigerian Nikki Asuka-Bird and South-Korean Doona Bae. With a solid cast, talented film-makers and an estimated budget of $176 million USD, it’s a shame to see that they’ve only grossed $45 million USD back so far and not very many fans. Apart from exquisite visuals, I have to say that  in ‘Jupiter Ascending’ something was missing.

The Angriest Man in Brooklyn

“When Henry Altmann fell from the bridge, time had slowed and it occurred to Henry that he didn’t have to be a burden that life was short and unique and that each hour, each minute, each second could have something to offer, something beautiful and astounding. The fact that this only occured to him seconds before he had hit the water and died; made him very very angry…”

Just some of the very poignant narration throughout this 2014 Comedy/Drama. Based on the novel/film “The 92 minutes of Mr. Baum” written by Assi Dayan; and adapted into screenplay by Daniel Taplitz and directed by Phil Alden Robinson, this film’s message spoke volumes.

I feel as though it hit even closer to home because of the world losing a great and remarkable human being ‘Robin Williams’ whom played the lead role of Henry Altmann. Losing Williams was as heartbreaking as it was when the world lost Michael Jackson, John Lennon or Bob Marley. He wasn’t a singer, obviously, however the joy, entertainment and performance he brought to the world was second to none. In this film our lead wants to kill himself and it tugs at the audience’s heartstrings because Williams did that very same thing and succeeded at it.

“In the end all we have is family…” was the main message of the film; however filmmakers showed that today even families are too busy for one another and too caught up in ‘their’ own lives to recognize  the changes that are going on around them. The film was well-shot, excellently acted ( Mila Kunis who played Dr. Sharon Gill, Peter Dinklage, Melissa Leo and James Earl Jones to name a few) and like Williams usually does, he expertly made viewers laugh and cry all in the same sentence!

A wonderful story-line and news we hope everyone gets, because we all have bad days, but each day we should use to be happy and make amends before it’s too late! 

Good for the Soul

**Sad movies always makes me cry...

Oz, the Great and Powerful

There was a time I was fascinated by and in awe of the talent of James Franco, and his talent still exists but over the years his delivery has lost it's genuine charm. Franco, along with sweet Montana blonde Michelle Williams, Ukranian bright-eyed bombshell Mila Kunis and force-to-be-reckoned-with English Rachel Weiz and Zach Braff all team together with Disney to bring this family adventure to life.

Written by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire our viewers are whisked into the visually- appealing fantasy world of Oz, where wizards, witches and fairy creatures are to be excepted but more importantly the film's message of 'Oz' played by Franco learning to become a better man when he realizes how to use more than magic to face the problems he has at hand.

Not as jaw-dropping or attention-grabbing as other fantasy films I've seen, but certainly inspirational and fun for the children audiences. I was impressed with new-comer angel-faced Joey King who played the 'Girl in Wheelchair' as well as the 'China doll girl' whom also stretches her acting chops in 'The Conjuring' out this month (July). Reminiscent of a young Angelina-Jolie; Joey King has got a solid acting career ahead of her if she plays her cards right.