Ed's Review Dot Com

FilmNation Entertainment, Gravier Productions, Perdido Productions,

Jeannie Berlin, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Kristen Stewart, Corey Stoll, Ken Stott

It’s the 1930’s and Bobby (Jesse Eisenberg) is a a naive Jewish boy living with his Mom and Pop in New York City who dreams of going to Hollywood to experience a new life. Bobby’s Uncle, Phil Stern (Steve Carell) is a power agent working the biggest stars in Hollywood and is a very busy guy, so Bobby’s Mom calls in a favor and asks Phil to watch over him. When Bobby arrives, he fits into the glitz and glamor of 1930’s Hollywood very quickly, but it thrown for a loop when he meets Vonnie (Kristen Stewart) and he falls very hard. But things are complicated because Vonnie is dating a married man and things get complicated very quickly. This is a Woody Allen film.

When Woody Allen makes a film, there is certainly a specific feel and mood to the story. This is very classic Woody, a homage to old Hollywood which I feel Allen must find very appealing. And as such, with all Woody films, it could be hit or miss. This one wasn’t too bad at all. I think this movie out La La Lands “La La Land” [Click Here for Ed’s Review] . Ever since “The Artist” [Click Here for Ed’s Review] came out in 2011 and grabbed Best Picture at the Oscars, old time Hollywood has been in, and this is a very good period picture. Steve Carell does an excellent job as the power agent of the stars and he didn’t overplay it. He showed multiple facets to his character without missing the effects that being such a big shot would have on his personality. Jesse Eisenberg is also very well cast as the young Jewish boy longing for the bright lights and glamor of Hollywood either. What really surprised me was Kristen Stewart who I am usually unimpressed by. With all the wooden performances in the Twilight series, and the underwhelming disaster that was Snow White and the Huntsman, I had soft of given up on her, but she did a really good job in this movie, and I don’t know if it was Woody’s talent in pulling this performance out of her, or if she is really getting it, but I think she may have some really good performances in there waiting to come out. Great job. With the other characters too there are are some really good performances there. All in all, it was a nice simple film that took us way back to a much easier time and was a refreshing change of pace. I actually enjoyed this film, and unless you’re one of those who simply hate Woody Allen for his personal life choices, you may want to give this a try. It was an interesting story and felt like a trip back in time.

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Black Label Media, Gilbert Films, Impostor Pictures,

Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons, Finn Wittrock, Meagen Fay, Callie Hernandez, Sonoya Mizuno, Jessica Rothe, Tom Everett, Josh Pence

Mia (Emma Stone) is a wannabe Hollywood actress, but stuck working as a barista in the studio commissary. She is frustrated, but full of ambition. Meanwhile, she keeps running into jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and tempers flare until sparks begin to fly. But each is filled with ambition and drive, and their paths are certainly separate from each other, so they have to face many difficult choices along their way for a relationship that seems to be doomed from the beginning. This is certainly a musical, but it’s filled with nostalgia for Hollywood yesterday, and old fashioned falling in love.

This film will ever be remembered as the film that Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced as the Best Picture winner at the Oscars in 2017 when it actually lost. This was a classic screw-up of massive proportions. But was this film the Best Picture, really? La La Land is a paradox of ups and downs, goods and bads. On the good side, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were absolutely great in their roles. They nailed the style and motif of the film perfectly. They both pulled off some really amazing skills that blew everyone away. For example, the plan was to use a pianist to play the piano with Ryan only pretending to do it. But he took lessons constantly that allowed him to play the music himself and perform the songs effortlessly. Even John Legend was impressed. Emma has a huge audition scene which she also performed herself, flipping between acting and singing without any the usual prerecorded track. The cast was very impressed. The cinematography is very well done. The look and feel of Hollywood is colorful and beautiful and show many of the sites and locations that mean so much to those of us who live here in LA. The story is very nostalgic, but that’s what we are really looking for. It pays homage to the Hollywood of yore and does it very well. It’s a simple boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl story, told with music. Now for the bads. The music is highly forgettable. When was the last time you heard a huge hit song from the new musical LA LA Land on the radio? It’s really simplistic and seems to mostly just fill in time. That part could have been done very much better. The story is rather simplistic. The drama seems really contrived and not really very believable. But the negatives don’t really destroy the experience, and it was very popular with the Foreign Press! For those who have had the acting or musician bug, it’s right up your alley, but not everyone is going to love this. I did not think it was best picture by any means, but it is good enough for a high recommendation. It is a great opportunity, like watching and old movie on AMC, to kick off your shoes, lie back, and enjoy a couple hours of pure unadulterated nostalgia. Finally a word about the ending. This may catch some folks by surprise, but there is an epilogue to the film that is a performance art sort of piece showing the “what ifs” of what life could have been. This film is about wishes and dreams, more than about love and romance, and it’s an interesting way to send us off think about that. The final ending is stunning. Wait for it.

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Studio Ghibli,

Nobuo Tobita, Toshihiko Seki, Yoko Sakamoto, Yuri Amano, Kae Araki, Jun’ichi Kanemaru, Ai Satô, Aya Hisakawa, Tomokazu Seki, Hikaru Midorikawa

Taku (Nobuo Tobita) is a young first year college student who returns back home to the seaside town of Kochi a little town on an island in Japan. When he arrives home for his high school reunion, he is reminiscing of his Junior year in high school and the young beautiful city girl Rikako Muto (Yoko Sakamoto) who transferred to Tokyo to his school. Stuck by her immediately, both are young and inexperienced in life, and have to go through many trials and tribulations, fights and disagreements, but when she doesn’t return to the reunion, Taku finally learns the truth and sets off for the city to find her again.

This is one of the most stunning films from Studio Ghibli which brought us 2001’s Spirited Away, 2003’s academy award winner for Best Animated film, and 2010’s The Secret World of Arrietty [CLick Here for Ed’s Review], this is an older film (1993) but every bit as good or better than the previous ones (and more) from Studio Gibli. This one has received a great makeover and is now available on DVD in the Unites States, and it’s not dated or old in the least. In fact, it’s one of the greatest coming of age stories of a young couple who don’t know they’re in love than any live action film I have seen that tries to touch the subject. Everything is simply spectacular. The story is very touching and the word that comes to mind is subtle, as it’s never pushy or in your face, but very tactfully told. The animation is completely stunning, and many of the scenes, especially in the city, you will forget that you’re watching animation. It’s animation is simply amazing. The movie is in Japanese, with English subtitles, but I think that was an excellent choice as the background music and score of this movie is as good as any Hollywood has done. If you are a lover of animation, this is simply a must see film, and is very, very worthy of the 4.5 stars I have given to it. The only problem is that you will have to focus and read the subtitles to get the touching story, but it’s well worth it as you need to pay attention to the detail and beauty of the animation. This is a love story as good as any, and well worth the extra effort to really pay attention to what you are seeing. I highly recommend this movie.

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Mandeville Films, Walt Disney Pictures,

Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson

This live action version of the classic Disney feature Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson as Belle, the beautiful daughter of Maurice (Kevin Kline) who is captured and imprisoned in the cursed enchanted castle of The Beast (Dan Stevens). In order to break the curse, the Beast must learn to love, but also be loved in return. Naturally we all are cheering with the hope that love once again conquers all.

This is a film that could have come out completely different. Disney wanted to NOT make this film a musical, and tell a story without the songs. But the songs are far too amazing to be left behind, and it would have been a huge disaster. As it is, there is a lot of time, a lot of additional backstory, and the correction of a few error that makes this as familiar as ever, but with much more richness and beauty to add and make it a must see. The story is handled with loving care, and the things that are added to it only made it better. Emma Watson is beautiful as Belle, and a lot of her personal strength and attitude went into it as she added few changes to the role that fixed the story. It is stunningly beautiful, from the ugly castle, to the snowy forest filled with wolves, to the ballroom scene. This version of the mandatory Be Our Guest song is wonderfully done. SO many things could have gone wrong to ruin this movie, but it is perfect. This certainly came together well and will ensure Disney has enough money to shoot themselves in the foot again in the future, but this time they came through unscathed. And from the audience reaction to the trailer for the next “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, it seems that one is a lock too. I completely loved this film and will definitely add this to my list of memories I will never lose. This was a very good movie, and one I encourage everyone to get out to see while you can! It’s definitely worth it.

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Heyday Films, LBO Productions (II), DreamWorks

Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson

Tom Scherbourne (Michael Fassbender) takes on the job temporarily as a lighthouse keeper way out in the ocean off the coast of Western Australia, but with his wife, Isabel (Alicia Vikander) they have a happy life away from the world for months at a time. But when Isabel finds she cannot have a child, she is filled with sadness. One day a rowboat appears floating in the water off the island where the lighthouse stands, and it’s filled with the cry of a little baby girl, Isabel’s dreams are fulfilled when they keep and raise the little girl, that is until the real mother Hannah Rennfeldt (Rachel Weisz) shows up and wants her little girl back.

This is a very touching and beautiful, but sad drama of a lonely man, and his adventurous wife, and a huge battle of who the child belongs to. It’s well acted by all the primary characters, and is a real lady film of romance and tragedy, and not a lot else. The men will probably fidget through the whole movie, as this is a very slowly, though beautifully told story. Not much action, just the story, but it is very beautiful. I found myself envying the guy for being able to live alone in such a beautiful place with no cars, no traffic jams, and no other people. Still, this is mostly a chick flick, so I warn the guys, but rent it for your wife or girlfriend on a good night when there’s a game on the other TV, and be sure to comfort her when she comes back at the end with tears in her eyes. It is a touching ending.

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