Ed's Review Dot Com

Scion Films, Czech Anglo Productions, LD Entertainment,

Jessica Chastain, Daniel Brühl, Johan Heldenbergh, Michael McElhatton

Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) and his wife Antonina Zabinski (Jessica Chastain) and their son Ryszard (Val Maloku) are a happy family running the Warsaw Zoo, a popular attraction in the capitol of Poland. But when the Nazi’s came in, the zoo was nearly destroyed by the attack and the Jewish Poles are being rounded up and sent to the Warsaw slums until the Nazi’s can figure out what to do with them. Meanwhile, since the zoo is gone, the Zabinski’s develop a plan to turn the old zoo into a pig farm to provide food for the army, but only as a cover to the real plan of storing as many Jewish refugees, especially children, in the basement of their home. This is a true story of how the Zabinski Family was able to save over 300 Jewish people from certain death in the prison camps.

This is a touching and unique holocaust story, since it is centered in Poland where much of the hate and carnage took place throughout most of the war. It is a gray and dreary look at the place, and the beautiful party in the beginning is a stark contrast to the horrible conditions at the end. The sets are spectacularly done, and the horrors of the time is always in our faces as we can feel the real fear and terror in the faces of these kids who had to struggle to be alive. Everyone did a good job here, and I felt it was very well made and told the true story very well. In the first part of the film, there is a wide variety of animals in the zoo, and when the attack came and the destruction came to the zoo, many of the wild animals got away. Every animal in the movie is real. There was no CGI used at all. The director said that the original film was 3 1/2 hours long, and since they needed to cut it down to two hours, an hour and a half had to be cut. All in all, they put together a really good story, based on the diary that has never been published, it is a touching story that will help you understand how a single person can really make a difference.

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American Zoetrope, FR Productions,

Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Oona Laurence, Angourie Rice, Addison Riecke, Emma Howard, Wayne Pére

Corporal John McBurney is a Union soldier in the last stages of the Civil War who was injured, but lay dying in a forest from his wounds. He’s found by a little girl who brings him to where she lives, an all girl school run by Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman) and the teacher, Edwina (Kirsten Dunst). Miss Martha does her best to patch him up, but as he begins to make a recovery, whether to turn him over to the Confederates as a prisoner or to allow him to recover in the Virginia Mansion becomes a hard question, especially when he’s the only man in a house filled with females. Trouble is sure to follow.

I got to see an early screening of this film on July 4th, and my wife has been very anxious to see it after seeing the previews. I had no knowledge of the 1971 Clint Eastwood version of this film, and it looked like a really decent period romantic drama set in a southern plantation during the war. But as the movie started and the name Sofia Coppola, Director scroll across the screen as feeling of dread struck me in the gut. I turned to my wife (There were only about 5 of us all together in the theater) and whispered, “Oh no!” Dear Sofia has ruined a great many good stories, and this was wasn’t any different. What a terrible disappointment. With such an amazing cast, Colin Farrell, Nichole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, there is tons of talent. The concept of a Union soldier recuperating in a southern mansion filled with women and girls is a great concept, but nothing much develops. I don’t know if there’s nothing in the script, or if it’s just really, really bad editing that makes this such a boring film, but it’s a major bore. The Confederate soldiers show up a couple times with a bunch of kids and a Union deserter hiding out and NOTHING happens. Then the end is extremely unsatisfying with a big dramatic setup for the finish that fizzles out like a dud. There is some hope that something major is going to occur in the ending, but it’s such a soft pedal that it’s completely unworthy of the story. This is a really sad missed opportunity and a real mess of a movie. I have a feeling that this movie, when it finally is released, is going to fizzle just like the ending of the film. all in all, from now on I’m going to stay far away from anything directed by this person. I was really disappointed. I’m going to try to find the 1971 film, to see what was done with the story on that attempt, and if I can find it, I will let you know if it suffers with the same problems that the remake has, but I can hardly think it could be any worse. . I recommend that you skip this one!

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Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday July 4, 2017

• Awakening the Zodiac
• Drone
• Song to Song
• The Zookeeper’s

New Line Cinema, Village Roadshow Pictures, 21 Laps Entertainment,

Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell, Christina Hendricks, Dennis Haysbert, Dean Norris, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Kym Whitley, Young Jeezy

Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) is a school teacher on the brink of losing his job due to cutbacks. He’s having a really bad day with a pregnant wife and daughter, plus it’s the last day of school and “senior prank day”. But when he accidentally gets on the wrong side of Strickland (Ice Cube) who is the toughest teacher in the school by costing him his job, Strickland challenges Andy to a “Fist Fight” in the school parking lot at 3PM. Strickland could probably kill him, so he sets about to somehow get out of the fight with the help of some other teachers, but things get really convoluted as things seem to go wrong all day long as he ends up making things worse all around in this comedy also with Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell, Christina Hendricks and more.

This is a comedy movie that has it’s faults. About half way through it my wife made me take it off the TV and move it to my computer when I could watch it with earphones because the loud yelling through-out the movie was driving her nuts. It was really funny in some places, but Charlie Day basically screamed every line, and it did get really annoying after a while. Ice Cube was brilliant as he usually is, but the script wasn’t really that great, and you can only do what you can with what you’re given. There are too many overacted scenes that strike me as hollow, and it’s a bit too silly. They have tried this type of film a number of times, but it’s on par with stuff like Mall Cop or Here Comes the Boom which I also rated pretty good. If you like those Kevin James type movies, then this one might tickle your fancy too. I thought it was funny, but be forewarned that it’s a little slap stick, and a lot malarkey. If you like Three Stooges-like humor, with people chasing other around with an axe, then this is a funny movie, but if over acting, over comfortable volume, and shallow plots drive you nuts, then stay away from this one. I liked it, but I find it hard to recommend this for the masses, know what I mean?

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SBS Films,

Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, Anthony LaPaglia, Caitlin Gerard

Frank Kitchen (Michelle Rodriguez) is a cold blooded killer for hire. But when he kills the brother of rogue doctor Rachel Jane (Sigourney Weaver) he’s in for the ride of his life. Dr. Jane is a famous transgender surgeon who has been known to bend the law and finds herself with her license suspended and working underground. But when Frank is kidnapped, he wakes up as a full female as punishment by Dr. Jane, and he/she doesn’t like it a bit. She starts out on a vendetta to find and exact revenge on those who cause this to happen, and it’s ain’t pretty.

Michelle Rodriguez was really good in this movie. She did a great job. Along with the rest of the cast including Sigourney Weaver as the mad doctor, literally in a straight jacket through most of the movie, we’re treated to a rollercoaster ride back and forth between the flashbacks to what happened and how Frank dealt with it, and the present where Dr. Jane is fighting for her freedom. It is a cerebral movie which is more thought and reflection that actual action, although the violent parts are intense as well. This is a psycho drama, though, most of all and really looks at the strange situation of a hard-core male bad guy suddenly waking up as a woman and having to deal with that situation. It is a punishment of the strongest degree without hurting the person as much as physiologically injuring him instead. Dr. Jane also has a lot of reflection to do to determine why she did it, and to face the retribution Frank is going to send her way that is also really intense. It is a weird film, well acted, and quite interesting. It will make you think. I am still thinking about the movie days after watching it. It’s not a major film, it’s a little film, but not too bad and worth watching if you’re cool with the R rating it carries. If you like psychological thrillers, you will probably enjoy this one.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog