Reviews

The previews for this movie had me chuckling and I was prepared for a flat out comedy about a man traveling with a crazed dog. I'm not sure why the previews played down the drama. At its core this is a film about war trauma and how two army veterans, a man and a dog, help each other heal. It's heavy material.

I don't find Channing Tatum particular versatile as an actor and his easy breezy persona was often at odds with the character's situation. He's not bad, bit a better actor could have dug deeper into the character and made me care more.

Overall this film was a mixed bag. It's effective in parts as a drama, however, not particular funny when shown in the actual context of the lead character's sad situation.

I watched Colton when he was "The Virgin Bachelor" on The Bachelorette. He got far in the competition, no doubt, because of his looks. But I never bought what Colton was selling. I suspected he may be gay or he just made up the virgin story to draw attention to himself and stand out.

When ABC picked him for The Bachelor, I was disappointed. There were other guys in the running who I believed were better and more authentic choices. But The Virgin Bachelor was apparently more interesting. So the viewers watched as he wasted all these women's time. His eventual "winner" was Cassie who was lovely. She didn't feel chemistry and wanted off the show. But Colton (and the Producers) got her to stay. The two began a relationship. Who knows what that relationship looked like but it ended with Cassie filing a restraining order against him for stalking.

Now we have Coming Out Colton. I'm all for a celebrity sharing a coming out story. But is Colton someone to care about? I've seen the first two episodes and found parts of them cringe worthy. His coming out to his mother, father, brother, and best friend is something that should have been done in private. Whether he was truly coming out to them for the first time, or these were re-enactments, he was wrong to put his loved ones in this position. Next for me is the big reveal to his ex high school football coach whom he hadn't seen in years. Unnecessary. The coach seemed mortified being put on the spot.

The show should have focused completely on his life after coming out. Better yet, why not choose a newly out celebrity whose past is less sketchy.

The series does have some important things to say about the difficulties in coming out, especially for athletes. But I found myself more intrigued with Colton's friend, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, who dealt with his own coming out in a much more admirable way.

Colton's ex Cassie made the right move avoiding this whole thing. Colton should take a lesson from her and start living his life in the real world away from reality TV. We've had enough.

Yes the film is predictable. It was also lovely to look at, very funny at times, had smart dialogue, and likable characters. I don't see the "stereotypes." The charming lead character played by Michael Urie was a little campy and unabashedly himself. That makes him a stereotype? His best friend as well as his blind date were two more masculine men who also happened to be gay. What made them stereotypes? Seriously, it's a Christmas movie. Stop the over thinking and enjoy this sweet and heartfelt film for what it is.

Set in 1994, for whatever reason, a group of high school theater kids spend a final night together before most of them leave for college. I was a theater geek in high school so when I heard about this film, I was excited to see it. The film has its moments but, unfortunately, never takes off.

The fault here is in the writing which is more interested in the teens constantly quoting lines from the theater and doing silly accents. After a while, It all becomes very annoying. There is a lot of dialogue in this film but little of it advances the story.

I suppose the main protagonist is Gene, the closeted homosexual on the verge of coming out to his sheltered group of friends. I wanted more of an arc for this character but was let down. The addition of JD, the condescending intellectual high school dropout pizza delivery guy was also a misfire. The character never feels believable which renders his impact on the others as far fetched.

The film has a stagey feel and amateur production values. The acting ranges from very weak to decent. I cautiously recommend this film to theater folk. All others can pass this by.

I am a big fan of the original Don't Breathe and even watched it again in anticipation of the sequel. I was majorly disappointed.

The first film had a gritty feel and was filled with tension. I was able to believe that a somewhat elderly blind war veteran could take on three stupid teenagers trying to rob his house. What I can't believe is that he could take on five men with guns and various other weapons. This guy has more lives than Michael Myers.

There's a young girl in the film which intrigued me at first. Who is she and how did she come to live with the old man? This could have played out in a plausible and interesting way, Instead her subplot becomes so over the top that the audience at my screening started laughing.

This is a world where numerous gun shots, explosions, and fires happen but no one apparently hears them and calls the police. This is a world where a crack house looks bizarrely like a dilapidated haunted mansion. This is a world where a child can be put through absolute hell and apparently not be traumatized. Don't even get me started on that dumb final scene.

It's been five years since the original came out. Maybe they should have left well enough alone.

Tim Realbuto is the writer of this film and also plays the main character, Patrick.

Patrick, a former child star, now a disgraced adult due to a controversy surrounding an alleged relationship with an underage boy. We are never completely sure how true this allegation was, however, the damage was done and now Patrick has turned to alcohol and pills to cope with life.

After being forced to go to his niece's high school production of Romeo & Juliet, Patrick becomes smitten with the talented actor playing Romeo, a sensitive young man named Jeremiah (Nolan Gould of TV's Modern Family) and offers to mentor him. It is the relationship between these two characters that really give the film its pulse.

I had a few problems with the film as a whole which at times felt very low budget despite the excellent script. There is an extended scene of Patrick watching in disgust as the obligatory montage of his untalented private students try to impress him despite their lack of talent and skill. I did wonder how this mess of a man would be able to keep any students.

Yet, Patrick actually has a lot of knowledge to give to someone. His lessons with Jeremiah make this clear and we become invested in how the relationship will play out. Nolan Gould is very well cast and appealing as the protege who may or may not be as naive as Patrick thinks. Their scenes together are electric.

YES was originally a play and watching the film made me wish I had had the opportunity to see it live on stage.

I can't remember the last time I saw a film that resonated with me the way that this one did. The acting, writing, directing, cinematography all worked together to create a film so completely unique, original, and meaningful.

There will be many people who won't get it. If you're looking for something mindless, look elsewhere. If you want something more cerebral and thought provoking, this is for you. And if you are someone who chooses to over analyze it, you are missing the point entirely.

There is so much we take for granted in life. Sometimes we need a reminder to live in the moment and find the beauty around us. I think this film and it's message will stay with me for a very long time.

Going in, I had an idea how this movie would play out. A dad version of the Sigourney Weaver film Prayers For Bobby came to mind. But this was different. Joe Bell (Mark Wahlberg) certainly made his mistakes but tried his best to love and accept his son's sexuality despite the backdrop of intolerant rural Oregon. His subsequent trek across the country with his anti bullying message was a journey by foot but also an emotional and cathartic one.

I didn't know this true story and I recommend that you don't read up on it before the film. I'm glad I didn't because a couple of times the story went in a direction that was completely unexpected. One, a smart director choice. The second, a tragic reality.

Performances were strong across the board. Mark Wahlberg has come a long way as an actor and he delivers an excellent performance here. Reid Miller who plays his son Jaden was also outstanding.

Will the right people see this and be impacted by it? Probably not. Nevertheless, it's a moving story that deserves to be told.

This limited series explores the lives of several people who are staying at a Hawaiian resort. We know from the beginning that a death occurs during this supposed dream vacation. The question is who. And why?

I was interested in every character in this. The honeymooning couple who are already starting to realize they may be mismatched. The family trying to reconnect despite very different personalities and obstacles. The eccentric older woman looking for connection. They all rang true to me.

Murray Bartlett playing the resort manager is definitely a standout. He's that guy who does and says all the right things but you're never quite sure of the sincerity. He's like a high end resort version of a very good used car salesman.

After seeing the first episode, I can't wait to see the next one.

Ryan O'Connell plays a young man with cerebral palsy who also happens to be gay. As if living with a disability and navigating the dating world wasn't enough to handle. I had read Ryan's book "I'm Special" and while the series isn't significantly autobiographical, It clearly helped shape the character. Ryan writes what he knows.

Season 1 episodes are curiously short which surprised me as there was so much here to unpack. Episodes were uneven but often had heart which made it easy to become invested in the characters. Season 2 was superior in tone, writing, and acting. The episodes were thankfully extended to 30 minutes and the show's budget was obviously increased.

I'm reading reviews on here about Ryan being unlikeable in Season 2. At times he was. We don't have to love every decision a character makes if the choices makes sense based on where he is at in his life. I loved the addition of Ryan's boyfriend Tanner. His unusual relationship with Ryan brought up issues about gay life that most series with gay characters wouldn't touch. I didn't necessarily buy them as a couple, however, I loved the storyline and the actor playing Tanner was so well cast and believable.

Jessica Hecht as the overprotective mom was somewhat one dimensional until Season 2 when the character shows a lovely growth. Her performance was a pleasure to watch and elevated the series. In contrast, you have Ryan's boss who is just ridiculous. It's like she was doing a drunk impression of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.

I learned there will be no Season 3 which was curiously decided by Netflix before Season 2 even aired. That is too bad as I would have very much liked to see what happened to these characters.

I love romantic comedies but after 45 minutes, I couldn't watch another second of this and walked out. Talk about a paint by numbers screenplay. It's as if the writer made a conscious choice to recycle every romantic comedy cliche and then present them in the worst way possible. Ridiculous coincidences, amateur acting, and lack of chemistry between the leads completely sink this film. Stay away.

Angelina Jolie plays a firefighter who is experiencing post traumatic stress from a fire that claimed several lives. Connor (Finn Little) is a pre teen boy on the run from two assassins after witnessing a murder. Their paths cross and Connor is faced with the decision of trusting this woman with his life. Can Jolie help fend off the bad guys and get the boy to safety?

The film has its tense edge of your seat moments. It also follows a predictable formula of the two characters miraculously surviving incredibly dangerous situations. There are also moments deserving of an extra eye roll. The pregnant lady riding on horseback to save the day is one . Angelina still looking beautiful despite being beat up, and barely escaping a monstrous forest fire is another.

Don't expect the film to delve too deeply into reason or emotion. The Marksman actually did this theme better. But if you go in just expecting a fun ride and watching Angelina do her thing, you won't be disappointed.

It's nice to see Billy Crystal on the big screen again. This film is like spending two hours with an old friend. With that being said, the film is quite good in parts, but the sum parts don't add up to a great film.

Crystal plays a comedy writer who is experiencing the beginning stages of dementia. He keeps this from his family and tries his best to hide it from everyone at work. Tiffany Haddish plays a woman who cashed in on an auction her ex boyfriend won to have lunch with the famous writer. This is despite not knowing who he is and ultimately insulting him frequently. She addresses him as "old man." To make matters worse, a food allergy lands her in the hospital and Crystal gets stuck with the bill. Oddly, a close friendship develops.

Haddish's initial over the top characterization of this woman is ill conceived. We later learn that she is some sort of jazz subway singer. She eventually becomes the voice of reason for Crystal and a major player In his life. But through it all, she never quite becomes a cohesive believable character.

Flashbacks are frequent as Crystal imagines his deceased wife. These are always awkward as the wife seems to be the exact same age in every flashback and Crystal's voice is only heard.

The film has some touching moments and the relationship between Haddish and Crystal does evolve into a sweet friendship. But the schmaltzy moments between Crystal and his family toward the end detracted from their story. The film needed more focus as it tried to cover too much ground in 2 hours.

This is a review so I'm nitpicking. Overall, I did enjoy the film and especially Billy Crystal's fine performance. I believe most audience members will too.

A has-been journalist (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) stumbles upon the story of his career while visiting a small New England town. A deaf girl can suddenly hear and speak. Her explanation? She is channeling the Virgin Mary. We believe this as she proves she can heal the sick. A boy with muscular dystrophy can now walk. A priest no longer shows any trace of his terminal lung cancer. This causes a sensation and media/social media frenzy leading her to be identified as the chosen one.

But things are about to get more complicated as the beginning sequence of the film foreshadows. Suddenly terrible things begin to happen. Is this really the work of God, or the devil in disguise? To the detriment of the film, you won't wonder too long because the movie too soon explains exactly what's going on. This ultimately keeps the film from building any real tension or suspense.

I was hoping this would be like The Omen or The Exorcist. But instead of getting chilling, unnerving, and creepy, I had to settle for a bunch of The Grudge type jump scares and CGI demons.

The film is not a complete loss. I wasn't bored. The acting and cinematography were strong. But ultimately The Unholy fails to deliver any real horror.

Bob Odenkirk plays a meek husband and father who is really a badass with a past. If you are interested in this premise, skip this and rewatch Viggo Mortensen's A History of Violence.

It was hard to feel invested in Bob Odenkirk's "Nobody." There wasn't much of a setup to get the viewer interested as his strained relationship with his family was lacking in information. His transformation subsequently didn't have the impact it could have. The fight scenes are technically impressive, but the idea that Bob O could take on six guys at once who are half his age was just too much for me to swallow. On top of that, the film didn't provide the needed humor that was promised in the trailer.

At the time of this writing, this film has been playing for just one day, yet I'm reading glowing review after glowing review. Maybe well choreographed violence is enough for others. It wasn't for me.

Michelle Pfeiffer plays an aging socialite who finds herself broke and needing to start over. With her son and cat in tow, they take off to stay at a friend's apartment in Paris to figure things out.

The cat plays a prominent role and takes the film into the absurd realm. I could have done without this subplot as it changes the tone of the film halfway through. If they were going for surreal and absurd go in 100% or don't go there at all. The story didn't need it.

Despite that, Pfeiffer's commitment to playing this affected, sarcastic woman keeps you interested. At times she is hilarious, then gradually the layers are pulled back, revealing the pain underneath the facade. Her scenes in the latter part of the film are emotional and moving.

The supporting cast was very good as well. Lucas Hedges, the seemingly go-to young actor in Hollywood, was appropriately deadpan and amusing. But it's Pfeiffer who deserves an Oscar nomination. It's truly one of her best roles.

This film may not be for everyone as it plays like a small independent film or something that could have been written for the stage. I personally found it beautifully filmed, acted, and thought provoking. This is the story of a gay couple in their early 60s coming to terms with one's terminal illness. Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth are so good and believable in their roles that you forget you are watching two well known actors. It's so refreshing to see a relationship between two older gay men on screen, especially with the authenticity of this one. The ending is powerful stuff and a reminder of what real love is in all its incredible complexity.

I loved this film. I expected a Liam Neeson action film and I got that, but there was much more here. This is a character driven movie as much as an action film. I kept wanting to get popcorn but was riveted the whole time and didn't want to miss a thing. I was also quite moved by Liam's characters back story and how it impacted his decision to help the young boy to safety. Their scenes together were quite touching. The ending also surprised me as it gave a few seconds of humanity to someone whom I would never suspect deserved it. Unfortunately we can all become victims of situations that are beyond our control. A great film is one that can make you feel a variety of human emotions, and this Marksman hit all the right marks.

A gay woman brings her girlfriend home for the holidays. There's just one issue. Her family doesn't know she's gay. Sound familiar? I have seen many independent gay films with similar themes done much better which made this higher profile film all the more disappointing.. I kept rolling my eyes at the predictability of all of it. Attempts at humor often fell flat. Dialogue was unnatural. The family was horrible and one dimensional. Dan Levy was on hand as the gay friend. Or should I say David from Schitt's Creek because that's exactly who he played. Not that that is a bad thing as he provided the few laughs the film had. Subpar first effort by director Clea Duvall.

To be clear, this was not as good as that film, but it's got some similarities. We have a young boy with emotional issues, a mother troubled with how to relate to him, and something very creepy haunting the boy.

The positives: I felt that the boy's Autism was authentically portrayed. I loved the concept of how the demon presents itself. The acting is strong and there were were some good jump scares. I was also impressed with the very unexpected and satisfying ending.

The negatives: Some unrealistic character decisions, slow pacing at times, and over long.

As of this writing, there isn't much in the theaters right now. If you're in the mood for a horror film on the big screen, this is well worth your time.

I love Broadway musicals. I love TV musicals. I adored Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Loved Glee the first couple of seasons. I even was a fan of Cop Rock back in the day. But "Zoey" left me scratching my head.

The premise: Zoey can read people's minds. Through song. Actually. If someone is really sad she can tell because they break into a sad song that only she can hear. Is this in her head? Is time actually stopping while this is happening? This is never completely clear.

Zoey believe she has "a gift" and when she finally comes clean about this gift to a few others, they doubt it but learn to accept it within the hour episode rather than call the psych hospital to set up an evaluation. Even Zoey uncontrollably breaking out in song during the middle of her work meeting comes off as just a work stunt which everyone seems to accept and move on from.

What made Crazy Ex-Girlfriend so fun was the songs were original, mostly tongue in cheek, and often parodied a specific genre. That cast also had several Broadway performers. The characters in "Zoey" sing well known pop songs in complete earnestness and the results are mixed from somewhat entertaining to cringey and embarrassing. The songs are pale versions of the originals sung by a cast that mostly do not have the vocal chops.

Thank god for Jane Levy as Zoey because she is a breath of fresh air in a weakly cast show. Alex Newell plays the sassy transgender advice giving neighbor. While Alex is known for her singing voice, she is not a comedian. You could see how the right performer could have made this role hysterical. Alex tries but consistently falls flat. Skylar Aston is bland. Zoey's brother and sister in law bored me to tears. I like Peter Gallagher, but his character is suffering from an illness that makes him unable to speak or move. We do occasionally see him singing his thoughts but jumping out of his comatose state to sing and dance is jarring rather than poignant.

Cop Rock was so different because it was a gritty cop show with songs thrown in. The juxtaposition of the two were interesting to me. The plot lines here are only vaguely interesting and while Cop Rock would have worked without the songs, this show wound not have worked as a non musical either.

Don't even get me started on the ridiculously extravagant office that no one could possibly work in in real life.

I know I'm droning on, but, after forcing myself to watch all twelve episodes, someone had to hear my wrath. Watch at your own risk but don't say I didn't warn you.

I have seen a couple of Rob Williams other films and enjoyed them. "Make the Yuletide Gay" was probably my favorite of his to date. I thought the premise of this film seemed interesting. A young gay man traveling on a cruise alone makes a connection with another male passenger who is traveling with his wife. As his wife is often seasick, the two get to spend much time together and begin to fall in love. I was pretty sure I knew where this was going, especially after meeting the wife who was portrayed as a one dimensional airhead. Then to my surprise, the story got more complex, the wife became more sympathetic, and I realized I was being dismissive of a film that truly had something to say. The lead character Hank (Adam Fried) is a likable character whom we root for and he and Kurt (Ian Dick) have a nice chemistry. There is some clunky dialogue and I could have done without the cringey Jewish humor, buy overall I enjoyed this film. I even stayed for the end credits and was shocked and impressed to find out the whole film was filmed with an IPhone 6s plus!