Patty’s Picks: Star-studded whodunnit ‘Amsterdam,’ ‘Rally Caps’ features characters with cochlear implants
“Quirky and kinky” are two ways you can describe one of the movies being reviewed in today’s “Patty’s Picks.” Here’s more from “Life.Style.Live!” entertainment expert Patty Spitler:
The first movie is “Amsterdam,” and it boasts a graphic at the start of the film that say its partly based on fact. That also implies, a lot of it is just made up, too.
Oh boy, it’s a murder mystery with three friends trying to find the killers and the motive, they then also become suspects, and there’s a couple of love stories too.
The notable actors include Mike Myers, Robert DeNiro, Taylor Swift and Chris Rock.
David O Russell wrote, directed and produced this comradery comedy that takes place in the 1930s and highlights fascism after WW1 as a seed is planted for NAZI Germany and another war. It’s not hard to see the parallels with today’s conflicting politics.
Christian Bale plays the soldier who’s also a doctor and loses his eye, and there’s still a lot to “see” here.
“Amsterdam” is like a turkey with too much stuffing. There are too many plots. You get brain freeze. I Ioved the old cars and clothes though.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars, just “fair” in my opinion, and there was sooo much potential. I’m so sad to see the sizzle, fizzle.
“Amsterdam” runs 2 hours 14 minutes. It’s rated R for some violence and blood.
Friday on “Life.Style.Live” Patty was also joined by Jodi Michelle Cutler, co-author of the novel and a producer of the film, “Rally Caps,” which is a part of the Heartland Film Festival. Jodi is also the mother of a son who is deaf and lives with a bilateral cochlear implant recipient, just like Patty.
The film premieres on Saturday, October 8 at 5:15 p.m. at the Toby Theater in Newfields. There’s an encore showing on Sunday, October 9 at the Glendale Landmark Theatre 10 at 7:15 p.m. and it’s available virtually on Monday, October 10.
“Rally Caps” is a family-friendly movie starring Amy Smart (Stargirl, Varsity Blues) and Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems, Independence Day). It features characters with cochlear implants and is about a young baseball player whose dreams of pitching for a Little League travel team are derailed by a devastating injury on the field. After a long recovery process, he goes off to summer camp with his older brother where he befriends a catcher and his sister who are deaf and who use cochlear implants to hear. Based on their own experiences of living with a disability, they help him overcome his anxiety and fear of returning to the mound. Written and directed for the screen by Lee Cipolla, “Rally Caps” is adapted from the book by Stephen J. Cutler and Jodi Michelle Cutler.
For more from Patty, click here.