“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.
Patty’s Picks are in, and the Entertainment Expert Patty Spitler is back with a new family fare movie and a look back at two of your favorites and how they are faring at the box office. Here’s more from her:
“Elvis”
“Elvis” may have left the building, but he’s still King at the box office. The dramatic 2 1/2 hour “all shook up” film, is now officially number one in ticket sales with $31.1 million past opening weekend, slightly edging out “Top Gun: Maverick.” Credit for its success is being attributed to great word of mouth.
Then the fact that the aged 35 plus movie going public is going to the theaters again, after the COVID concerns. Baz Luhrmann’s film that depicts the rise and fall of this music legend also has the approval of Elvis’s family, his ex-wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie.
Another interesting fact is that people are going to see the movie two and three times, with many taking younger viewers with them to the theater to introduce them to a singing sensation they never knew.
“Elvis” is playing at a theater near you.
Rated: PG-13, parental guidance for some wildly, wicked hip movements
Run time: 2 hours 39min
“Top Gun: Maverick”
Continuing to soar, “Top Gun: Maverick” is still breaking all kinds of records. The sequel to the 1986 blockbuster has now crossed the $1 Billion mark. That’s right, I said billion, at the worldwide box office.
Star Tom Cruise is rumored to be getting around $50 million for his role, due in part to his partnership/deal with Paramount Pictures.
Also, consider that Cruise made his first big film flash in 1983 with “Ricky Business,” and “Maverick” marks an incredible nearly 40-year acting career.
Another reason for Tom to celebrate is that he turns 60 years young on July 3. This is another film folks are seeing two and three times at the theater.
Rated: PG-13 for some language
Run time: 2 hours 11min
“Minions: The Rise of Gru”
Out Friday, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is another film that’s based on a bankable history. It is the fifth film in the “Despicable Me” franchise and a sequel to the 2015 computer-animated movie “Minions.”
Fans will get what they want, more of the almost 12-year-old Gru trying to be evil, silly/stupid Minions and a lot of 1970s humor and music. Yes, that’s right, a 1970s background.
Perhaps to keep the adults and parents in the audience entertained. Steve Carrell is the voice of Gru again.
It’s certainly invaded our mindset. The minions are in ads, on T-shirts and IHOP is even offering a Minion Menu!
Availability: In theaters, streaming on Peacock in 4 months
Rated: PG
Run time: 1 hour and 30min
I give it 3 minions out of 5, not bad.
For more from Patty, click here.
This week’s Patty’s Picks are two of the most talked about newly released movies.
Patty Spitler of Great Day TV joined us today with a preview and her reviews for “Turning Red,” “The Adam Project” and “Belfast.” Here’s more from her:
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”
First, we’re talking wizards in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”
Complex wizardry abounds in this third JK Rowling franchise and offshoot of the Harry Potter franchise.
This movie was supposed to come out in 2020, but we all know what happened with the world on hold during the pandemic.
Set several years after the events of its predecessor, the film follows Dumbledore following Newt and his allies on a mission that takes them into the depths of a dark wizard army.
Very complicated but if you’re a fan, you’ll get it.
Rated PG-13, 2 hours and 22 minutes, in theaters today
“Father Stud”
Next up, based on a true story, Mark Wahlberg stars in ‘Father Stu’. It centers on the redemption of the late Stuart Long. A ‘salvation bio-pic’ about a washed-up boxer who finds redemption and feels his calling is to become a priest. Mel Gibson co-stars as his abusive father.
Mark Wahlberg worked for 6 years to get this film made and he privately financed it, too. He also had to gain a bunch of weight and says that really took a toll on him and his health…he even said he ate a lot of chicken nuggets and swallowed tons of olive oil to pack on 30 pounds. I give it 3 out of 5 praying hands.
Rated R, opened in theaters on Wednesday
For more from Patty, visit GreatDayTV.com.
We have a special “Patty’s Picks” segment today where she’s not just previewing one movie, but three!
Two of them are released on Friday, February 25, and the biggest one is released on Friday, March 4.
“Big Gold Brick”
It’s the story of a fledgling writer and his experiences with a feisty middle-aged father of two. This man enlists write Samuel Liston to write his biography.
Star names you recognize are Megan Fox and Andy Garcia. Let’s take a look.
This dark comedy is “Not Rated,” playing in theaters and available to rent or buy on Apple TV and Google Play and other streaming services.
“Studio 666”
The band ‘The Foo Fighters’ star in this horror/comedy about that finds the band under pressure to deliver a new album and they are trapped in a rundown, haunted mansion. Leading man David Grohl stars, and the film is based on one of his stories. It’s showing in theaters now, rated R and runs 106 minutes.
“The Batman”
Spitler also gave us a preview of the upcoming ‘Batman’ movie which she will review next Friday, March 4.
It’s rated PG-13 and stars Robert Pattinson as Batman and Zoe Kravitz as the Cat creature. It Runs 2 hrs and 55 minutes.
For more from Spitler visit, greatdaytv.com.
Two unknown actors carry the comedy-drama coming of age movie, “Licorice Pizza.”
Patty Spitler of Great Dav TV says this week’s Patty’s Pick is an emotional, offbeat and entertaining film.
In “Licorice Pizza” a soon-to-be washed-up 15-year-old child actor played by Cooper Hoffman falls for a 20-year-old Jewish girl with attitude, Alana Haim. The film takes us back to the ’70s and shows how finding true love is the hardest thing you’ll ever do. Notable names, Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn are also in the movie, but not the stars. The film takes us back to the ’70s and shows how finding true love is the hardest thing you’ll ever do.
Patty says while watching this movie you forget it’s a film, and it’s like watching real life. It’s full of flawed characters you love, the performance is subtle yet revealing with a few unexpected storylines that give us humor and romance with heart and soul.
Set in the San Fernando Valley, “Licorice Pizza” is out in theaters now.
“Licorice Pizza” Runs 2 hrs 13 min, it’s rated R and Patty gives it 4 1/2 pizza slices out of 5.
In this week’s edition of Yap VS Yap, Christopher Lloyd of the Film Yap is joined by Andy Carr and Logan Sowash to review a few of this weekend’s new theater releases.
New in Theaters:
“Old” — M. Night Shyamalan is back in his creepy comfort zone in this suspense thriller about people trapped on a beach where they’re suddenly aging at an astonishing rate. Read more
“Joe Bell” — Mark Walhberg is solid in this predictable flick about a blue-collar father walking across America to fight the bullying of his gay son, but Reid Miller is a revelation as the kid. Read more
“Val” — A painful but also exhilarating self-portrait of an A-list actor who spent his life pretending to be somebody else, and found his authentic soul after losing his voice. Read more
For more from the Film Yap visit their website, TheFilmYap.com.
It’s Yap VS Yap as Christopher Lloyd and Adam Aasen, fellow Film Yap contributor, go head to head debating their opinions on the new Marvel movie, “Black Widow.”
OVERVIEW:
In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller “Black Widow,” Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
For more from The Film Yap visit, TheFilmYap.com and subscribe to their Substack here.
New movies are in theaters, available online, and there’s of course one you may have missed. The Film Yap’s Christopher Lloyd fills us in on them all.
New in Theaters:
The Little Things — Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto star in this suspenseful serial killer drama about two very different cops chasing a man who hunts women. Read more
Malcolm and Marie — Zendaya and John David Washington star in this tense, intimate confrontation between a filmmaker and the woman whose tragic story inspired his new movie. Read more
Supernova — Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci play an older couple who embark on a trip when one of them is diagnosed with dementia.
New On Digital/Demand:
Haymaker — An over-the-hill martial arts fighter becomes a nightclub bouncer and finds himself the guardian, companion and maybe more of a trans performer being targeted by thugs. Read more
Cool on Streaming:
Palmer — Justin Timberlake shows unexpected dramatic acting chops as an ex-con trying to return to his old life who finds himself the guardian of a oddball kid. Now on Apple TV+. Read more
You Might Have Missed:
Sudden Fear — Joan Crawford and Jack Palance spice up this largely forgotten film noir about a wealthy playwright who marries a younger actor with designs on her demise. Now on Blu-ray. Read more
Please subscribe to the Film Yap Substack to receive new reviews instantly for free in your email inbox! https://filmyap.substack.com/
For more reviews, visit TheFilmYap.com.
What’s new in theaters, cool on streaming and new on disc? The Film Yap’s Christopher Lloyd runs down the list:
New in Theaters:
The Dig — Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes star in his historical drama based on a real archaeological discovery in Suffolk shortly before World War II. Haunting and splendidly acted.
The White Tiger — This dark Indian drama stands as counterpoint to “Slumdog Millionaire,” as a subservient man from a small village becomes the driver for a rich family. Read more
MLK/FBI — This documentary looks at the sordid history of the FBI’s investigation into civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr, from the Eisenhower through the Kennedy and Johnson administrations
The Marksman — The king of the “kick-butt geezers” genre, Liam Neeson, is back for another adventure, this time playing a borderland rancher who gets into a fight with the Mexican drug cartels.
Cool on Streaming:
Outside the Wire — Anthony Mackie stars in this futuristic thriller as an android super soldier sent into a warzone with a rebellious recruit to stop a nuclear plot. Now on Netflix.
New on Disc:
Jungleland — Charlie Hunnam and Jack O’Connell play brothers roaming the country getting in and out of fights in this moody drama.”Deeply sad but broadly entertaining.” Read more.
For more information, visit thefilmyap.com.
Looking for great films to watch? Here are Christopher Lloyd’s top 10 films of 2020.
Top 10
10. The Outpost
9. News of the World
8. Possessor (Uncut)
7. Desert ONe
6. The Personal History of David Copperfield
5. Nomadland
4. Emma
3. Wolfwalkers
2. Mank
1. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
For more information, visit thefilmyap.com.