The Intern

— This isn’t as much fun as some of Nancy Meyer’s films, but it was fun nonetheless thanks to both De Niro and Hathaway who don’t have any trouble making improbable comedy probable. I’m not sure what other generations might think, but I hooted at a couple of the senior jokes. It ended up being an interesting premise with nice intergenerational observations. It probably doesn’t need the “big screen”, but I like to see films in a theater even if they’d be almost as good on a smaller screen.

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[2015. 121 min. Director by Nancy Meyers. Starring Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, and Rene Russo.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/01/the-intern-has-been-panned-by-male-film-critics-why-am-i-not-surprised

Black Mass

— Johnny Depp’s pretty darn good as Whitey Bulger but the film itself is a little disappointing. It’s certainly not in a league with the Godfathers, Little Caesar, Public Enemy, the French Connection, Scarface, Goodfellas, and similar films. Just the same, it was kind of interesting and after about the first half hour I got into it. Worth it for Depp but not a “must see”.

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[2015. 122 min. Directed by Scott Cooper. Starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Dakota Johnson.]
http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/black-mass-review-johnny-depp-whitey-bulger-1201570428/

Grandma

— Lily Tomlin is amazing in this “little” film that’s big on humor and poignancy. Tomlin plays Elle Reid, a feisty—some would say caustic—Lesbian poet/teacher who’s on her own after her long-time partner died 18 months earlier. The story looks at a single day when Elle’s granddaughter shows up at her doorstep looking for help, and ends up being a road trip that looks at intergenerational relationships, feminist issues, love, insecurities, aging and dealing with one's personal history. I loved the film but Tomlin’s character and her granddaughter’s situation may be upsetting or off-putting to some. This is not a tender film about traditional families, but it is a very good film and Tomlin’s best film role in 40 years.

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[2015. 79 min. Directed by Paul Weitz, Starring Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia gay Harden, Judy Greer, and Sam Elliott.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/grandma-2015

A Walk in the Woods

— A pleasant enough look at male friendship, a shared experience, and aging. Luckily, Redford and Nolte are perfect as two friends who haven’t seen each other for many years and decide to trek the Appalachian Trail. They’re both sharp old guys but they really don’t spend any time looking at the path their lives took or discussing their own mortality. Don’t get me wrong, this is a lovely little film aimed more toward the Medicare crowd than anything, with some good touches of wit and humor. I enjoyed it even if I was a little sad there wasn’t more there. In the back of my head I kept remembering how much more there was to “Wild”, last year’s far better trail walking film.

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[2015. 104 min. Directed by Ken Kwapis. Starring Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson, and Mary Steenburgen.]
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/a-walk-woods/review/766367

Taken 3

— Now that Liam Neeson’s used his “particular set of skills” when his daughter was taken (“Taken”), then when he and his wife were taken (“Taken 2”), and now when he’s accused of a murder and needs to clear himself and protect his daughter still another time (“Taken 3”), you’d think it would be getting old. Well, this franchise may be predicable and this one took a little longer to get into, but Neeson’s still great and the film [DVD] does what you’d expect.

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[2014. 109 min. Directed by Olivier Megaton. Starring Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, and Maggie Grace.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/taken-3-2015

No Escape

— Oh dear. This really is racist and “ripped from the headlines”. Although there’s no denying Owen Wilson’s fatherly zeal as he protects his family from harm, all the hype about this being so full of stereotypes you should avoid it at all costs is probably right. RogerEbert.com is correct when it says this is “a dreadful and creepily exploitative would-be thriller, low-grade trash that it is too silly and stupid to be as offensive as it frequently comes close to being throughout." I’m a little embarrassed to have sat through it.

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[2015. 103 min. Directed by John Erick Dowdle. Starring Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, and Pierce Brosnan.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/no-escape-2015

Aloha

— This is a gorgeous film with gorgeous people, gorgeous scenery, and gorgeous photography, but it really isn’t very focused. It’s not a bad film, but it is poorly paced and a little preachy. It’s too bad these actors didn’t end up in a more coherent film. This is certainly among Cameron Crowe’s less successful efforts, but it’s still far from a complete stinker.

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[2015. 105 min. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, Starring Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, John Krasinski, Alec Baldwin, and Bill Murray.]
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-aloha-review-20150529-story.html

The End of the Tour

— This is an interesting film although a little tedious. Jason Segel is excellent as acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace being interviewed by less-acclaimed novelist and Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) during the last stop of Wallace’s book tour. I expected the focus to be of Wallace, which it was, but less a look at him than at the shifting views we all have toward things like fame, loneliness, jealousy, acceptance, love, and insecurity. I was particularly fond of what was referred to more than once as “the American story” we all live as we work toward goals, achieve them, and question their value. This is a slow-moving, well-written, dialogue-driven film that spends most of its time in the realm of ideas, philosophies, and fears. This kind of introspective work needs to be well done to succeed and I think this fits the bill. I liked it.

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[2015. 106 min. Directed by James Ponsoldt. Starring Jason Segel, Jesse Eisenberg, Mamie Gummer, Anna Chlumsky, and Joan Cusak.]
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-end-of-the-tour-20150729