Starring: Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek and Alan Ritchson
Directed By: Dave Green
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 112 minutes
Paramount Pictures

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

Let’s be honest. In fact. Let’s be blunt. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” is garbage. Many expected it to be garbage. I don’t know why you would even expect me to say otherwise when you came here to read this review. So. With that out of the way. The latest “TMNT” is the “Batman V. Superman” of turtle movies. It’s devoid of any plot, meaning, or logic. But just like DC’s misstep, it’s a somewhat entertaining waste of time.

The pizza eating, 90’s slang slinging; ninja turtles are attempting the latest comic book movie trend, overstuffed spectacles. Donatello (Ploszek), Leonardo (Howard), Michelangelo (Fisher) and Raphael (Ritchson) have to save the world in this movie. Without any interesting new villains, the movie falls back on Shredder (Brian Tee). After escaping a bumbling NYPD police force, Shredder is working with a super scientist, played by Tyler Perry (yes, that Tyler Perry), and an intergalactic alien named Krang.

Yep. You read that right. After Shredder escapes from jail, he goes through a time portal and talks with a giant talking snaggletooth brain attached to a robot. Shredder isn’t scared or concerned about traversing dimensions to talk with a slobbering, drooling alien. Instead they chat really quickly about exposition and Shredder goes back to Earth like nothing happened. Sandwiched between the two supervillains are Rocksteady (Stephen Farrelly) and Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams). Has no one in Hollywood learned from “Spiderman 3”?

There’s way too much happening in “Out of the Shadows” for anything to truly make sense. The rest of this review could be all the nagging questions I have. Generally kid’s movies aren’t supposed to have a lot of loose ends and confusing narrative when the target audience needs a little bit more clarification about what exactly is happening. But the CGI spectacle steps in where the script is missing, providing mouth silencing eye candy for the kids. So if you’re in need of a two hour daycare, this might be your best bet.

It’s kind of shocking that the kid’s network, Nickelodeon, would be willing to slap their name on this. There’s not any graphic violence, but “TMNT: Out of the Shadows” still tries really hard to earn its PG-13 rating. Outside of some four letter words, there’s the gratuitous sexualization of “reporter”, April O’Neil (Megan Fox), and the even more gratuitous flirtation of O’Neil by nearly every guy she encounters, including one of the turtles. Of course I don’t have kids and don’t have to worry about what they watch. It just irks me a little that the one female in this movie, who’s a journalist, is never doing her job and is ogled at by someone of a different species.

So what’s actually good about this? Besides being insulting to viewer’s intelligence, it’s amusing. The overused line, “Just turn your brain off,” comes in handy this time. But there are moments that are so disparaging and stupid that you’ll probably just want to leave the brain outside or at home, less it wakes up in a blind rage. This movie does benefit greatly from the viewer ignoring rationale and accepting that its pure popcorn nonsense. The strongest attribute is the turtles, which is ironic that the CGI characters are more human than the wooden actors.

Outside of a few cheesy lines, they’re lovable goofs who want to fit in and be heroes. It’s kind of like watching an Oscar winning actor starring in a bad horror movie, you know they can do better, but you’re still rooting for them because they haven’t sunk to the level of everything and everyone around them. They capture a certain essence about sibling arguments, growing up, and learning to recognize the differences and acceptance of one another.

I’m very conflicted on recommending this movie. I would say your children have to be a certain age and maturity level, but I’d also like to say that if you’re expecting deep storytelling like the Marvel Universe, you apparently don’t know who Michael Bay is. The producer has added all his hallmarks to nearly every aspect. It’d be nice if Bay could be pushed into the shadows so someone with a love for the “TMNT” franchise can make it as good as I keep thinking it can be.

Written by Mike Smith

As Memorial Day approaches you can count on two things: a lot of furniture stores will have sales and the multiplexes will be full. It seems like every year “summer” comes early. The first volleys have already been fired, with “Captain America: Civil War” jumping out of the gate and earning an amazing $355 million world wide in its first two weeks. Heck, even a movie based on a PHONE APP has made over $40 million in it’s first week. What’s next? Pull up your popcorn and big box of DOTS and let’s find out. As always, opening dates are subject to change at the whim of the studios. Some synopsis information courtesy of our good friends at the Internet Movie Data Base. If you want a more in-depth look at this summer’s offerings, give a listen to our special edition of the “Behind the Mikes” Podcast here. If you notice a set of initials after a title, that tells you that the film in question is highly anticipated by one of our critics (MG – Mike Gencarelli, LL – Loey Lockerby, MS: Mike Smith, JW – Jeremy Werner)

MAY 27

“Alice Through the Looking Glass”

Starring: Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp. Directed by: James Bobin.
-The continuing story of Lewis Carroll’s young heroine. Director Bobin has an extensive background with Ali G and the Muppets.

“X-Men: Apocalypse”

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. Directed by: Bryan Singer
-The original big, bad Mutant (Oscar Isaac) visits 1983 to settle some scores.

JUNE 3

“Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” JW

Starring: Andy Samberg, Imogen Poots and Bill Hader. Directed by: Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.
-The Lonely Island guys, who have given “Saturday Night Live” some of it’s best shorts in the last few years, tell the story of a former boy band member trying to remain relevant.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”

Starring: Megan Fox and Will Arnett. Directed by: Dave Green
-The Turtles are back and this time they’re bringing Casey Jones with them.

JUNE 10

“The Conjuring 2”

Starring: Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson. Directed by: James Wan
-The further adventures of Lorraine and Ed Warren, who seem to have nothing better to do then find places and things that scare us!

“Now You See Me 2”

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson. Directed by: Jon M. Chu
-The Four Horsemen are back, as is apparently everyone from the first movie. And Dave Franco. You’ve been warned.

JUNE 17

“Central Intellegence”

Starring: Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson. Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber.
-After he reunites with an old pal through Facebook, a mild-mannered accountant is lured into the world of international espionage.

“Finding Dory” MG

Starring the voices of: Ellen Degeneres and Albert Brooks. Directed by: Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane
-Everyone’s favorite blue tang is lost and her ocean friends set out to find her.

“Swiss Army Man” JW

Starring: Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. Directed by: Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
-A hopeless man stranded in the wilderness befriends a dead body and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.

JUNE 24

“Free State of Jones”

Starring: Matthew McConaughey and Keri Russell. Directed by: Gary Ross
-As the Civil War rages, a poor farmer from Mississippi leads a group of rebels against the Confederate army.

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” LL

Starring: Sam Neill and Julian Dennison. Directed by: Taika Waititi
-A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.

“Independence Day: Resurgence”

Starring: Bill Pullman and Liam Hemsworth. Directed by: Roland Emmerich
-They’re back. Well, not Will Smith or Randy Quaid, but Judd Hirsch is still around.

“The Shallows” MG

Starring: Blake Lively and Brett Cullen. Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
-A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills. I love “Jaws” as much as the next guy…ok, maybe more…so I’m hoping this doesn’t stink.

JULY 1

“The Purge: Election Year” JW

Starring: Frank Grillo and Elizabeth Mitchell. Directed by: James DeMonaco
-After two successful movies, it only makes sense that they would complete the trilogy, promising more bloodshed. This time around you get to see if a U.S. Senator can survive the deadly night.

“The BFG” MS

Starring: Mark Rylance and Ruby Barnhill. Directed by: Steven Spielberg.
-Meet Sophie and her friend, a Big Friendly Giant who is an outcast because he won’t eat children!

JULY 8

“Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates”

Starring: Adam Devine and Zac Efron. Directed by: Jake Szymanski
-Two brothers need dates for their sister’s wedding and end up running an on-line ad.

“The Secret Life of Pets” LL, MS

Starring the voices of: Jenny Slate and Lake Bell. Directed by: Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney.
-Ever wonder what Baxter and Charlie are up to when you go off to work. Wonder no more!

JULY 15

“Ghostbusters” MG

Starring: Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig. Directed by: Paul Feig
-This time it’s up to the ladies to tell us that they ain’t afraid of no ghosts.

JULY 22

“Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” LL

Starring: Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders. Directed by: Mandie Fletcher.

Edina and Patsy are still oozing glitz and glamour, living the high life they are accustomed to; shopping, drinking and clubbing their way around London’s trendiest hot-spots. Blamed for a major incident at an uber fashionable launch party, they become entangled in a media storm and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi.

“Star Trek Beyond” MS

Starring: Chris Pine and Zachary Qunito. Directed by: Justin Lin

J.J. Abrams has moved on and turned the reins over to multiple “Fast and Furious” director Justin Lin. I’m intrigued that Simon Pegg helped write this film.

JULY 29

“Bad Moms”

Starring: Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell. Directed by: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
-When three overworked and under-appreciated moms are pushed beyond their limits, they ditch their conventional responsibilities for a jolt of long overdue freedom, fun, and comedic self-indulgence.

“Jason Bourne”

Starring: Matt Damon and Alicia Vikander. Directed by: Paul Greengrass
-The Jeremy Renner experiment a failure, Damon returns as Jason Bourne, a man who now remembers who he is trying to discover his past.

AUGUST 5

“Suicide Squad” MG JW

Starring: Margot Robbie and Jared Leto. Directed by: David Ayer.
-A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency. As much praise as Heath Ledger got for his stamp on the Joker, word is that Leto takes it a notch higher.

AUGUST 12

“Pete’s Dragon”

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard and Robert Redford. Directed by: David Lowery.
-A retelling of the classic 70’s Disney musical. And no, Redford is NOT the Dragon!

“Sausage Party” MS

Starring the voices of: Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen. Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon.
-An animated movie about one sausage’s quest to discover the truth about his existence. Coming from Seth Rogen and his writing partner, Evan Goldberg, I’m expecting one long 90 minute dick joke!

AUGUST 19

“Ben Hur”

Starring: Jack Huston and Haluk Bilginer. Directed by: Timur Bekmanbetov
-A falsely accused Jewish nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his Roman best friend, who betrayed him. I’m not big on remakes, but the Chariot Race looks amazing.

“Kubo and the Two Strings” MG

Starring the voices of: Rooney Mara and Charlize Theron. Directed by: Travis Knight
-Kubo lives a quiet, normal life in a small shoreside village until a spirit from the past turns his life upside down by re-igniting an age-old vendetta.

“War Dogs” LL

Starring: Jonah Hill and Miles Teller. Directed by: Todd Phillips
-The true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America’s allies in Afghanistan. This is the third time that Jonah Hill has played a real person on film, earning Oscar nominations the two previous times. I’m just saying.

AUGUST 26

“Blood Father”

Starring: Mel Gibson and Erin Moriarty. Directed by: Jean-Francois Richet
-An ex-con reunites with his estranged wayward 16-year old daughter to protect her from drug dealers who are trying to kill her.

“Hands of Stone”

Starring: Edgar Ramirez and Robert DeNiro. Directed by: Jonathan Jakubowicz
-The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other’s lives.

“It’s So Easy And Other Lies”
Starring: Duff McKagan
Director: Christopher Duddy
XLrator Media
Runtime: 86 minutes

Our score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Based on the New York Times best-selling memoir and featuring exclusive archival footage “It’s So Easy And Other Lies” is an authorized music documentary of Duff McKagan- founding member and bass player for Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver and other bands. The film chronicles Duff’s meteoric rise to fame and fortune, his near fatal struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, and his remarkable life transformation.

One half performance footage from Duff’s book reading at The Moore Theater in Seattle, WA and one half documentary consisting of archival footage and new interviews with former/current band members and friends. “It’s So Easy And Other Lies” is a unique spin on your standard biographical documentary. I really enjoyed the clips of Duff reading passages from his book backed by a band performing melodic renditions of such classic GN’R songs as “Rocket Queen” and “Paradise City” as it was a really cool addition which makes the film stand out from other films in the genre that I have seen recently. With interview from Duff, Slash, Mike McCready and others acting as segues to the performance material you really get a nice balance of music and dialogue.

Though I found some of the editing to be a little awkward at times as the performance footage tends to start and stop without the viewer really knowing where we are at in Duff’s story. At times it’s as though large portions of Duff’s story are either not expanded upon or just plain left out as is the case with some of the earlier days of Guns N’ Roses. Because of this gap and a few others it made things seem as though Duff one minute is a struggling young musician and the next he’s in the biggest band in the world. Obviously when a book is transformed to film parts are going to be left out or trimmed down but this seemed to be a really large piece of Duff’s story that sort of just got skirt around. That aside whether you are a fan of Duff and his countless successful projects or not “It’s So Easy And Other Lies” is an enjoyable film that keeps the viewers attention throughout its entire run time however, If you want a more in-depth experience I recommend picking up a copy of the book first and then check out the film.

Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling and Kim Bassinger
Directed by: Shane Black
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 56 mins
Warner Bros
Our Score: 4 out of 5

Film review by Mike Smith

1977. A young man sneaks into his father’s bedroom and removes a magazine from underneath the bed. He takes it to his room and begins studying the curves of a young lady named Misty Mountains. Suddenly a car screeches outside. The boy hears the crash and goes out to investigate. Who is the driver? Old MM herself.

Outrageously funny from start to finish, The Nice Guys is a period piece co-written and directed by Shane Black, creator of the Lethal Weapon series. Like those films, the story rests on the shoulders of two incredibly gifted dramatic actors given a chance to be funny; Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Their chemistry comes across from their first scene together and the film is much richer for it.

Jackson Healy (Crowe) is a leg-breaker. If someone is bothering you and you want them to stop he’s the man you call. Currently he has accepted the task of protecting a young woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley). Holland March (Gosling) is a private investigator and single father whose latest case has him searching for a young woman named Amelia. Things go progressively from bad to worse for both men before they realize that they need to team up to get to the bottom of things. As they say in the funny papers: hilarity ensues.

I’ve always loved Shane Black as a writer. He has written some of the funniest scenes in some of my favorite films, including Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout and The Last Action Hero. He also wrote and directed the very highly underrated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Here he creates two more indelible characters. With his ever present cigar and rumpled clothing, Jackson Healy (sounds more like an insurance company) is the tough guy with a heart whereas Holland March, who ensures a negative outlook on life by sporting a tattoo that reads “You Will Never Be Happy,” is the wise-ass who loves his precocious teenage daughter Holly (a very well-cast and wise beyond her years, Angourie Rice). You never question why Holland takes Holly with him on dangerous cases. You just realize that she is his partner in everything. The two leads play off each other perfectly. Crowe is ruff and gruff while Gosling sometimes comes off as an air-headed fool. In fact, once scene has him sputtering and mumbling so much that you would have thought he had channeled the spirit of Lou Costello.

Period wise, the film gets high marks for highlighting the fashion and art of the era, even if some of the items featured are a year or two off in context. A great billboard advertising Jaws 2 would have been out in 1978 while Rupert Holmes’ hit “Escape (the Pina Colada Song) didn’t hit the charts until 1979. That being said, these are minor quibbles with one fantastically funny film.

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Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne
Directed By: Nicholas Stoller
Rated: R
Running Time:   1 hour 35 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Rating 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Did “Neighbors” need a sequel? Absolutely not. It didn’t even end with a cliffhanger or any storyline that would necessitate the need for a second. But in today’s theater age, profit=sequel. Of course I may further incite the need for a “Neighors 3” with the following statement. Despite the same plot, and a gender swap out, “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” is funnier and even more charming than the first.

A couple of years after the events of “Neighbors”, Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) are expecting their second child and looking to move into a more spacious home. With the fraternity no longer hosting raging keggers, they find a buyer with no problem. The only problem is escrow. Since I’m not a homeowner, nor have I attempted to buy one yet in my life, I was unsure as to what escrow means. Apparently Mac and Kelly don’t either. It means that the buyers can change their mind in 30 days if there’s something they don’t see fit about the home. Of course this could easily just be a plotline convenience created by the movie.

Coincidentally, the old fraternity house is about to become alive with again with a sorority. Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz), Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein) are sick of the generic sororities, at least the typical Greek life tropes the movie portrays. Instead of conformity, forced cheeriness and male degradation, the trio creates their own sorority meant to empower their inner-lioness. Obviously a bunch of screaming girls, hosting their own raging keggers, doesn’t sit well with Mac and Kelly. The rest of “Neighbors 2” is the various hijinks and escalating pranks that happen between the two warring neighbors.

The first “Neighbors”, which I didn’t like, was about the bond of men in college as well as learning to grow up. “Neighbors 2” has the girls at an age of 18, so we can’t really expect them to “grow up”. Instead we get a more meaningful theme of acceptance and empowerment. Even the grossest scene of the movie, the sorority sisters throwing used tampons at Mac and Kelly’s home, is a lesson. Albeit a blood soaked, gross lesson. I know that might be hard to believe, but trust me.

There are the typical cheap laughs that we’ve come to expect from a Rogen comedy. I guess we’re supposed to laugh at Rogen being fat, people getting high, vomit on the face during sex, and other tired jokes. It actually makes the tampon scene feel a lot cleverer in retrospect. It’s socially aware enough to make us feel guilty about laughing or make us actually develop a thought while laughing.

It’s just unfortunate that such an enlightening movie has to hammer home its theme at nearly every chance it can get. It’s nice to see that the five male writers were willing to flip the script and poke fun at the overtly sexual nature of college men who see women as objects. But I think at least a sixth writer, preferably female, could have helped these guys guide their justified moral outrage in funnier, more unique, and in less, obvious ways.

Teddy (Efron) is back as a man-child who still can’t grow up. He serves as the mentor for the sorority at the beginning and switches sides when he’s disowned by the sisterhood. Watching Teddy grow as a person during the movie is most character development an Efron character has ever seen. In that sense, and others, “Neighbors 2” surprised me a lot. I was expecting a lazy rehash, but I have to give credit where credit is due; the six-man writing team realizes that a little empathy for all their characters can go a long way.

“The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour Country Special”
Glen Campbell
Shout! Factory
Not Rated
DVD Runtime: 92 min.

Our score: 4 out of 5 stars

For the first time on DVD join country superstar Glen Campbell for a spectacular celebration of music with “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour Country Special”. The DVD is being released via Shout! Factory and features a pair of episodes from Glen’s variety show which aired on January 1st 1972.The release is packed full of laughter and music including performances by Johnny Cash, June Carter, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Jerry Reed, Mel Tillis and Minnie Pearl.

A release in this genre is something that’s generally not on my radar being that I am not a huge country fan. However having heard my fair share of classic country growing up something about this DVD caught my attention. What stands out about this release is the caliber of guests who appear. Everyone from Merle Haggard and Jerry Reed to Johnny Cash and Buck Owners are on here performing either solo, with Glen or as a group. This was something I really enjoyed as the show comes off very light and fun. Throw in some skits by Minnie Pearl, Mel Tillis and beardless Merle Haggard and you have a fun 90 minute video.

I can’t say enough good things about Shout! Factory as they truly do a great job bringing back vintage television specials and series. “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour Country Special” is no exception as both the audio and video are crystal clear. There were one or two spots where the audio was a touch out of sync however it wasn’t enough to even cause a bump in the entertainment factor. If you grew up watching this show or are a fan of some of the artists I named who appear on this release definitely grab a copy as it’s a fun trip down memory lane.

Performance Listing:
1.) Country Boy- Glen Campbell
2.) Folsom Prison Blues- Johnny Cash & Glen Campbell
3.) Comedy Skit- Minnie Pearl, Johnny Cash & Glen Campbell
4.) Banjo Break- Glen Campbell, Buck Owens & Larry McNeely
5.) Comedy Skit- Mel Tillis & Glen Campbell
6.) Carolyn- Merle Haggard & Glen Campbell
7.) Comedy Skit- Glen Campbell & Mini Pearl
8.) I Saw the Light- The Mike Curb Congregation
9.) Comedy Skit- Glen Campbell & Mel Tillis
10.) Another Puff- Jerry Reed
11.) A Thing Called Love- Johnny Cash
12.) No Need To Worry- Johnny Cash & June Carter
13.) Comedy Skit- Mel Tillis & Glen Campbell
14.) Born To Lose- Glen Campbell, Jerry Reed & Larry McNeely
15.) Easy Living- Freddie Hart
16.) Comedy Skit- Glen Campbell, Mel Tillis & Minnie Pearl
17.) Comedy Skit- Glen Campbell, Minnie Pearl, Buck Owens & Jerry Reed
18.) I’ll Still Be Waiting For You- Buck Owens
19.) Merle Haggard’s Musical Impressions Medley: Mary, I’m Moving On, Love’s Gonna Live Here, Jackson- Merle Haggard, Glen Campbell, Buck Owens & Johnny Cash
20.) Medley- A Boy Named Sue, I’ve Got a Tiger By The Tail, When You’re Hot, You’re Hot, I Want To Go Home, Act Naturally, I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am, Long Legged Guitar Pickin’ Man, Oh Lonesome Me- Glen Campbell & Guests
21.) For The Good Times- Glen Campbell

Longtime film historian Bruce Crawford has announced that his 38th Salute to Classic Cinema will feature a 60th Anniversary presentation of Cecil B. DeMilles’ classic epic “The Ten Commandments.” The event will be held at the Joslyn Art Museum’s Witherspoon Hall Theatre on Friday, May 27, at 2200 Dodge Street in Omaha, Nebraska. The show begins at 7:00 p.m.

The event will also feature two special guests. Miss Holly Heston, the daughter of the film’s star Charlton Heston, will be appearing as will Miss Kathy Garver, who portrayed the young Rachel in the film. Fans may also remember Ms. Garver for her role of “Cissy” in the television comedy “Family Affair.” In addition, artist Nicolosi has designed a United States Post Office Commemorative Envelope honoring the film, as well as Mr. Heston and Mr. DeMille, that will be unveiled at the event.

Tickets for the event are $23.00 and are available at the customer service counter at all Omaha Hy Vee stores. Proceeds will go to the Omaha Parks Foundation. For more information you can call (402) 618-2124 or visit www.omahafilmevent.com

Starring: James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 24 mins
20th Century Fox
Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Review by Mike Smith

They’re back! I’d say “the X-men are back” but, thanks to the whims of Hollywood, that statement doesn’t clarify if it’s the old folks or the kids. Or, as Deadpool asked, “McAvoy or Stewart?” It’s McAvoy and the gang here.

Where better for a film series that dabbles with time lines to begin but ancient Egypt. Here we are witness to a ceremony in which an old ruler will receive a mystical transplant from a virile young man. However, a group of traitorous minions (soldiers, etc, not the guys from the Despicable Me films) betray their leader and, after some impressive special effects, he is sealed inside a giant pyramid for all eternity. Or until 1983.

It’s been ten years since the first Mutant was observed and the world still hasn’t accepted them. At his school for “the gifted” Dr. Charles Xavier (McAvoy) is going about his daily duties while over in Poland the formerly underground Magneto (Fassbender) has just been discovered by the local authorities. Two men with similar lives yet very different outlooks. Throw in the mysterious Mystique (Lawrence) and you have a movie. Kind of.

Full of amazing special effects and horrible destruction, X-men: Apocalypse is, presumably, the last film to feature the Future Past characters. And just in time. With a cast that includes three Oscar-nominees it seems like they may have gotten bored with their roles. All do good work here, but there almost seems to be a look of relief in their eyes that they’re done with the spandex for good. That being said, while the leads are serviceable, the supporting cast has fun with their roles. Among the new faces are Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler and a returning Evan Peters as Quicksilver. And kudos to Oscar Isaac, who makes Apocalypse one nasty mo-fo.

The other drawback is the amount of carnage depicted here. As the various mutants battle each other, the toll taken on the planet is amazingly over the top. The destruction here makes the carnage in Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice look like a small dustup. There is also a particularly brutal scene featuring a familiar face making his eighth X-men appearance. The amount of blood spilled was actually quite disturbing and I can’t help but wonder if this scene was included to judge audience reaction as to how far is too far. It’s not Deadpool violent but it’s a little more mature than you might imagine.

X-Men: Apocalypse opens in the UK on May 18th & the US on May 27th

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Film Review by Jeremy Werner

Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson
Directed By: Joe and Anthony Russo
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 146 minutes
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Our Score: 5 out of 5 Stars

Warner Bros. worst nightmare has come true. A much better comic book movie has been released with Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice still fresh in moviegoers minds. Actually, let me take that statement back. A near-perfect comic book movie has been released a month afterBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, further solidifying Zack Snyder’s cinematic attempt as the shiny turd it is. Warner Bros. executives listen up. Purchase a ticket to Captain America: Civil War and see how comic book movies are really done.

This doesn’t feel like a Captain America movie, but more like a prequel to the next Avengers movie, and that’s perfectly fine. The loss of life and human casualties has finally caught up to the Avengers as the Secretary of State and the United Nations demand authority over the team. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Downey) is soaked in guilt, feeling that he’s done more harm than good. He believes the Avengers need a leash before they gallivant around the world fighting evildoers.

On the flip side of the coin is Captain America (Evans). He believes politics, as well as the looming threat of Hydra’s infiltration, would inhibit their ability to save the world at the drop of a hat. Both sides have their merits, but Captain’s opinion is tossed out the window when Bucky, the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), commits a terroristic act at the U.N. killing dozens. Captain and Tony are at ends after this. Tony wants Bucky taken in and imprisoned, or killed, and Captain rightfully suspects something else is at work.

While Age of Ultron felt overwhelmed with over a dozen characters to juggle, Civil War seems to handle it with a calm demeanor. Even the introductions of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spiderman (Tom Holland) are fluid, fun, and properly handled. The additions of a sleepy Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), a conflicted Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), a stoic Vision (Paul Bettany) and a handful others never overwhelms the viewer.

For Marvel fans who’ve watched every movie, and possibly every show, their fan service is paid off throughout. As for the villain; He appears to be a little lacking, but upon further inspect, the bad guy says a lot about the fabric of comradery between the Avengers and how easily it can rip. It seems like every Captain America is a game changer. The first prefaced the Avengers assembling. The second movie scrapped S.H.I.E.L.D. to its bare bones. Now Civil War rearranges the chess board after flipping it off the table.

I feel like I say this nearly every time a new Marvel movie is released, but Marvel has seriously outdone themselves once again. Civil War is a near-flawless cinematic experience that neatly packages one of the most pivotal story lines in comic book history. As for what Marvel has up its sleeve before 2018’s release of Avengers: Infinity Wars, is anyone’s guess. But I assure you it’s in good hands. The same directors and writers behind Civil War are piecing together the next Avengers and if this movie is any indication, it’s going to be fantastic, if not a satisfying conclusion to decades of story building. I wish I could tell you more about Civil War, but it’s something you’re just going to have to see for yourselves. Like, right now.

In 1914 a self-taught math genius named Srinivasa Ramanujan left behind everything he knew when he boarded a ship that would take him from his life in Madras, India to Cambridge University in England. He was drawn to the prestigious school via a correspondence with English mathematician G. H. Hardy who recognized Ramanujan’s enormous potential not just for discovering known theorems without any formal education, but for seemingly cracking brand new ones.
Their collaboration is charted in director Matt Brown’s new feature The Man Who Knew Infinity starring Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons as Ramanujan and Hardy. Despite the left brained subject at hand, Brown’s film delves further into the very human story of a man faced with living in an entirely new world. Patel and Irons make for a compelling duo experiencing a huge, but ultimately fruitful, culture clash. The pair are supported by a roster of talented actors including Stephen Fry, Toby Jones and Kevin McNally. The road from Robert Kanigel’s book of the same name to its film adaptation was one that took over twelve years to travel and Brown spoke with me on the phone about how it all came together (Spoiler: It didn’t involve shoehorning in an unnecessary romantic subplot!)

Lauren Damon: First off, speaking as someone who knows nothing about math, you made a very touching film!

Matt Brown: [Laughs] Thanks, I don’t know much about it myself so thank you.

LD: Since this is your second feature since 2000, how long ago did you come across Ramanujan’s story and what made you decide to make it?

MB: Well…my aunt was a member of a book club and about twelve years ago I was visiting her and she introduced me to Robert Kanigel biography. I had done a small film right out of school that I never really got to finish and so this was my first sort of opportunity to do a little bit of a bigger film–or we were hoping it would be–but it was a long road. I mean it was twelve years trying to get this film made so I sometimes joke that I think I was nervous to go through the process of having to make another film and I picked maybe the hardest film in the history of the world to try to get made. [laughs]

LD: I read that you had had an interest in World War One, which this story takes place during but it’s not really the focus…

MB: No it doesn’t, it’s just with–You know I’d read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks and I was really fascinated by the period, as anyone that has read that incredible book might be afterwards, and this was set against the great war and that just sort of got my attention for a second look at it. Once I’d read it, I really fell in love with the human story and the relationships. You know, as a writer, you’re always looking for conflict and drama and it just had two characters that couldn’t have been any more different. So it drew me in. I was drawn into the isolation that Ramanujan was going through…This illness and everything he went through was something I could really relate to because I was helping caretake actually for my brother at the time. I was helping with his wife because he had cancer. He subsequently got better and wrote all the music for the movie, so it was a happy ending.

LD: That’s amazing.

MB: It was pretty amazing.

LD: There are many biopics that handle these mathematical geniuses–like Theory of Everything or A Beautiful Mind–did you look to any of those?

MB: Sure I guess like over the years, I couldn’t not have. You know it was over such a long period of time, and I’m a movie lover so I’ve them all at this point, I think! [laughs] And it’s funny because we all have perceptions of films and they’re not always totally accurate what our perception is of what the film was. I remember watching Beautiful Mind one time to try to see how they portrayed the mathematics visually in it. And it was shockingly small, the amount actually. It was like the one moment where he adjusts the tie, and he makes the pattern of the tie work. And it was like small and subtle. I don’t even know if there was another moment in the movie that did it besides doing lots of math on the chalkboards. People writing furiously. You know and I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to do a film that was organic. Anything we tried to do we wanted to do it in the camera. And it was really important to me to just portray the mathematicians as multidimensional human beings that weren’t crazy and weren’t like frenetically insane and were actually, you know, complex flawed characters. So I didn’t need to make it into something it wasn’t already. I think just trying to be authentic to what the story as more than enough. I mean this had so much drama: Man breaks caste, leaves his country and his home, gets trapped by the war, goes all the way to England only to find that the one person that brings him there is emotionally completely unavailable…And how these two had to come together.

LD: Throughout the film, so many of the actors have to speak so passionately about what their characters are working on. Did any of them delve into studying what they were talking about?

MB: Yeah they both spent some time trying to–Well, first of all I just would say it was really important to Robert Kanigel who wrote the book that I philosophically understood some of what was going on with the mathematics. And certainly I came to respect them as artists, pure mathematicians. It was really important to Jeremy and to Dev. Jeremy, I know read A Mathematician’s Apology, they both read the biography and I think that they both wanted to do right by this story. So they, they did a lot of research on their own and they worked with [mathematician] Ken Ono who came to set and worked with me while we were shooting which gave the actors a lot of confidence that the script was right. That when they would point at a formula or when they would look at the notebooks, everything was exactly right. And you know it’s one of those things that afterwards you know people always say that ‘well, the math people of the world will love your movie’ but I’m like ‘well, actually you don’t take that for granted.’ It’s really been humbling that I can have Freeman Dyson or Steven Strogatz be like ‘You got us. You did it.’ You know and that really means a lot to me. And so that aside, I want the movie to touch people that are not mathematicians. It’s very important that–that’s who I made for was for people like me or you or anyone that doesn’t know math and maybe we could just respect it as an art form and come to see their passion with it. Really the movie is about acceptance and the human story.

LD: Meanwhile, I feel like Dev Patel probably wasn’t so much a household name until after Slumdog Millionaire in 2008, but you had the rights to the story for so long, how did that casting come together?

MB: I mean it’s been, it’s just been a process. I think when we started Dev was  you know just had  done [Slumdog Millionaire]. It was so long ago. You know, we went through different actors at different points over twelve years trying to get a movie made. But you know I think it was sort of–I have to think that there’s a plan for these things in some sense. And I knew that I wasn’t gonna compromise on the film in terms of the overall authenticity of it. I mean I’ve mentioned to the press at different times that [producer] Ed Pressman really stood by me when we had been offered opportunities to make the film if we would have Ramanujan fall in love with a white nurse to get it financed. And we didn’t do that. So I think there’s just a bigger plan at work and it happened the way it happened. Dev was ready to go at the right time and committed to it and felt like this was a character–he saw the nobility of the character and it was really important for him to play this role. And it’s a different kind of role for him than we’ve seen him in before and he does it brilliantly.  And for Jeremy, I think it was an opportunity to revisit something in a different way as an actor for him. And he, his performance is just so pure and beautiful.  I’m just humbled to be part of it.

LD: You also have an amazing supporting cast with Stephen Fry, Toby Jones…

MB: Yeah and Jeremy Northam, all those guys. You know, Stephen Fry is amazing–they’re all amazing–but Stephen you know he had his own project, for ten years trying to get it made,  and when we found out that we were gonna be making the film I reached out to him and I said do you wanna maybe join our team for this? And he did! And he flew all the way to Chennai for a weekend. Just took two days to shoot, to play Sir Francis Spring in it. And it was such a big thing for the movie to have the first time you see British actor to have that kind of gravitas that Stephen Fry could bring to it. That authenticity was a really great gift that he gave the film. But they were all wonderful.

LD: How long were you filming in India?

MB: Not long, about nine days. Which was really…it was hard because it was an independent film and you obviously get compared to I don’t know, movies like–I mean, I’m really flattered anytime anybody ever mentions like the John Nash film for instance that was about fifteen times our budget [laughs] you know? So if it’s even in the conversation. But you know, we had a very short shoot compared to those kind of movies and we did twenty two days in England and then we had to say goodbye to our crew after we’re in a great rhythm. And then we switch to India, to Chennai, which is nothing like Madras in 1914. It was a real challenge and a brand new crew all of the sudden which is Indian and goes to a totally different rhythm. It was a tribute to my team–my production designer Luciana Arrighi, the cinematographer [Larry Smith], my costume designer [Ann Maskrey]– that they all came out alive and in one piece. [laughs]

LD: I’ve read now that you’ve also adapted an Ian Fleming biography, are you actively working with that?

MB: No that’s something I had written a while back. That’s, I’m not really sure what the state of that. I think that they said that that was going into production this year though so that was exciting. I have another movie called London Town that I think is in the Los Angeles film festival right now and then doing, I think it’s having a premiere maybe in Cannes. And that’s about falling in love with a band for the first time. A young man coming of age story with the band The Clash and Joe Strummer. Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars in that.

LD: That’s quite a change from Mathematics and World War One!

MB: Right? But you know what, it’s not though. That’s the funny thing, I thought the same thing then I was thinking about it more and more…It’s socially conscious kind of and it’s about artists, you know, so in a weird way it isn’t so different. But yeah, it is different because it’s a little easier on the face of it to rock out to Joe Strummer.

I screened The Man Who Knew Infinity as part of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. It is currently in limited theatrical release with national expansion in the coming weeks.

Keegan Michael Key rose to fame on Comedy Central with Jordan Peele on their hit sketch show “Key & Peele”. The television duo rode off into the sunset of that series this past September but they’ve already reteamed on the big screen in the action comedy Keanu which opens today. The film finds the pair fighting drug gangs to recover Peele’s character’s stolen kitten. Keegan was in attendance at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival to premiere Mike Birbiglia’s Don’t Think Twice which he stars in alongside Birbiglia, Gillian Jacobs and Chris Gethard. On the red carpet, the hilarious Key was glad to joke about working with the many felines of Keanu as well as his role in the touching improv-centric Don’t Think Twice.

Lauren Damon: So how was it working with that cat?

Keegan-Michael Key: The cat was super difficult. The cat—lemme explain to you—this cat, you wouldn’t believe how fast this thing became a prima donna like ‘Nah, I’m not gonna eat cat food anymore. I’m only going to eat caviar. The salmon has to be from Alaska.’ I mean, it’s like what are we doing?? It took like—I can’t believe we got the movie finished to be quite honest with you. [laughing] In real life, it was seven cats. So the thing is it was each cat was given the job of doing a particular thing. So some cats run from point A to point B. Some cats really relax and chill out in your arms and some cats put their paws up and go ‘meeeeow!’ All this kind of stuff. So they were actually not as hard as you would think. Especially for kittens. Like they’re trained. They always say it’s hard enough to ‘herd cats’ well, imagine herding kittens! But we had amazing trainers. Really amazing trainers. And a lot of kibble. [Laughs] Like a lot of cat food and catnip to keep ‘em in line. 

LD: Was it a relief for you coming off “Key & Peele” to get to work with Jordon so soon again?

KMK: Oh yeah! And also it’s easier even though a movie’s longer, it’s easier to play one character. You know, it’s easier because there’d be times you’d be in wardrobe and looking in a mirror but learning lines for a different sketch as you’re like ‘I’m dressed like an Egyptian pharaoh but these are the lines for the gangster!’ You know, and so just to play one character and have there be an arc was really helpful.

In Don’t Think Twice, Key plays a member of an improv troupe who snags a job on an SNL-like comedy show, seriously affecting the dynamic of the whole group.

LD: Did the theme of Mike’s film–that idea of “going above” your peers [in having your own comedy show]–resonate with you? Had you experienced it from either side?

KMK: Yeah, it resonates with me. I think that because you have to remember at the end of the day, do everything in your power to just to make it be about the work. Because the success will trip you up. If you start thinking things like you’re better than somebody it’s of no use to anyone. It’s not helpful, it’s not kind. And so I think that what I’ve been trying to discover or negotiate is just working. Work as hard as you can. If somebody else is at the same level or different level works—does work that inspires you, let that continue to inspire you, even if you’re ‘higher than’…you know? That doesn’t mean anything. That’s not real. Those are just labels. Good art is good art no matter what level it’s being made at.

Keanu opens in theaters April 29th (read our review here). The fantastic Don’t Think Twice is scheduled for release this July.

Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Tiffany Haddish
Directed by: Peter Atencio
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 38 mins
New Line Cinema

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Abbott and Costello. Laurel and Hardy. Martin and Lewis. Cheech and Chong. Just four of some of the most popular comedy teams that went on to success on the big screen. Time to add a new team to the list: Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, who take over your local multiplex this weekend in the new film “Keanu.”

Rell Williams (Peele) is feeling down. His woman has just left him and he’s hit rock bottom. At least until he finds a cute little kitten outside his door. Taking him in and giving him milk, he names the cat Keanu, which he believes means “cool breeze.” Artistic at heart, he begins taking photos of the cat recreating various movie scenes for a calendar. This strikes his friend Clarence Goobril (Key) just a little bit odd. When Rell’s house is broken into by drug dealers, who mistake it for his pot-selling neighbors’ home, Keanu turns up missing. Obsessed with finding his new friend, Rell convinces Clarence to pose as rival drug dealers in an attempt to retrieve their feline friend.

I’ve been a huge fan of Key and Peele from the time I caught their skit, “I Said Bitch” on Comedy Central. Like their popular show, the jokes in the film fly fast and furious, as the two take on the persona of the “Allentown brothers,” a pair well known for their bloody battles with rivals, in order to do business with the “Blips,” the gang that defeated both the Bloods and the Crips! Rell also meets a lady member of the Blips, the tough but tender Hi-C (Haddish). As Rell and Clarence go deeper to find Keanu, the action picks up to a tornadic level.

Teaming with their former television show’s director, and relying on a script co-written by Peele, the two leads are comfortable on the big screen. Each has their own individual moments to shine, but it’s when they are together that they work best. Whether they’re staring down a rival gang leader or instructing others on the impact of the music of George Michael, Key and Peele are a welcome addition to the big screen. If you aren’t familiar with their work, I urge you to head to YouTube. If you are, I urge you to head to the theatre. You won’t be disappointed.

Make sure to check out our interview with Keegan-Michael Key

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Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss
Directed By: Ben Wheatley
Rated: R
Running Time: 119 minutes
Magnet

Our Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

Late in the chaos that engulfs Ben Wheatley’s new film High-Rise, Dr. Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston) welcomes a woman into his paint splattered flat exclaiming “I think I finally found the right tone!” Against all odds, he may as well be describing the film itself. An adaptation of JG Ballard’s 1975 novel that was long thought unfilmable (producer Jeremy Thomas tried 30 years ago), Wheatley and Co. have managed to create a wonderfully anarchic microcosm of a society breaking down as it builds upwards. If the social commentary–the hazards of worshiping material wealth, the “1%” literally living it up on the top floors–is simplistic, Wheatley’s production team offers it up in the most absurdly beautiful ways. From the brutalist production design to a stunning score by Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream), High-Rise is a darkly humorous, sexy, and oftentimes grotesque cinematic experience.

The film opens with a bearded, bedraggled Laing foraging for supplies in the corpse-strewn detritus of his high-rise apartment building. “For all its inconveniences,” a civilized sounding Hiddleston narrates, “Laing was satisfied with life in the high-rise.” Laing then rotisserie roasts a dog for supper. As one does. From here we go back to simpler times three months ago, when Laing was just moving into the shiny new development. At floor 25 out of 40, the good doctor quickly learns the strict class divide of the upper and lower residents between which he sits–or, nude sunbathes actually–nearly smack in the middle. Laing is welcomed into the upper echelons by Charlotte Melville (Miller) as she dallies with lower-leveled married man Richard Wilder (Evans). Laing’s even invited to the penthouse occupied by mysterious architect Royal (Jeremy Irons, regal in all white). Royal views what he has wrought, one tower in a series of five, as a “crucible for change” while brain surgeon Laing pleases Royal when he describes it more as a “diagram of an unconscious psychic event.” Royal is so impressed with Laing he attempts to invite him to a decadent fancy dress party thrown by his wife. Laing is roundly rejected by Royal’s peers and experiences the first of many power outages from within an elevator he’s been unceremoniously shoved into. The honeymoon is over.

These early sequences of life in the High-Rise had me enthralled. Laing’s exploration of the tower is paired perfectly with Clint Mansell’s driving orchestra music, which manages to capture the entrepreneurial spirit of the shiny all inclusive tower while suggesting the underlying tensions of the residents pulsing through the structure. One tiny inconvenience is enough to upset this flow and set everyone off into rage. To top it off, everyone is impeccably tailored. Meanwhile, from his place in the middle, Laing is able to interact with all levels of residents who can’t seem to grasp which ‘slot’ he is meant to fill.

Hiddleston’s Laing is a hard one to pin down and makes for a fascinating entry into the film’s madness. He initially tells Charlotte he doesn’t think he can change (he’s speaking of getting into a swimsuit but the line, like so many in Amy Jump’s script, is delivered with more weight than that) and for a while that’s true. Laing seems a neutral character, claiming he desires a blank slate in the wake of his sister’s death. When confronted with quarreling residents, he seeks to pacify the tensions between lower floor residents, the maintenance man and the architect who has accepted him. But the longer he’s in the building the more Laing’s crueler tendencies come to light. Mouthing off at a child, casually implying a deathly prognosis to a social rival–Laing’s mean streak is comparatively subtle in the shadow of Evans’s aptly named Wilder but Hiddleston is quietly menacing throughout. And his desperate need to keep his dress shirt and tie on is a nice touch.

As the tower devolves into darkness, murder and crammed garbage shoots, your enjoyment of the latter half of the film may depend upon whether you buy into the notion that the residents do not run screaming to the authorities. After all there is an outside world to this tower, this isn’t Snowpiercer. However Wheatley crams enough absurdist humor into these late stages that I, like the looney residents drolly contemplating lobotomizing their rivals, surrendered to a logic more powerful than reason. Or just damn stylish film making.

This film received its New York premiere at last week’s Tribeca Film Fest and is available to rent now onDemand, Amazon and iTunes–though for the best experience, hold out for its theatrical release May 13th!  

Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson and Adrian Sparks
Directed By: Bob Yari
Rated: R
Running Time: 109 minutes
Yari Film Group

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

Having to write about Ernest Hemingway is a daunting task, but having to write about “Papa: Hemingway in Cuba” is fairly simple task considering how humdrum it is about its biographical choice. So I’m lucky in the sense that I’m going to be telling you about the latter. I’m not lucky in having to admit I’ve never ready anything by Ernest Hemingway or know that much about the Pulitzer Prize winning author, so I can’t refute anything in this movie or speak about Hemingway with any familiarity.

Ed Myers (Ribisi) is a Boston Globe reporter that became infatuated with writing after reading Ernest Hemingway’s (Sparks) works. He’s too timid to write Hemingway a letter, but a co-worker, behind his back, sends off a letter he’s been mulling over for years. Much to Myers’ surprise, Hemingway responds and gladly picks him up in his own boat off the coast of Florida. From there they head off to Cuba to enjoy drinks, laughs and musings.

The movie follows Myers and Hemingway’s relationship over the course of 1959. The problem that arises from the get-go of the movie is that the film never knows how to settle and focus. The movie reflects on Hemingway’s alcoholism, suicidal tendencies, funding and supplying of Cuban rebels, his possible PTSD, his tumultuous marriage, his writer’s block, and probably more that I’m forgetting. Hemingway was known for saying a lot within a few short words. “Papa: Hemingway in Cuba” barely say anything in 109 minutes.

The most interesting conflict, at least the bit that the actors chomp at, is Hemingway’s alcoholism and his seemingly toxic marriage with Mary (Richardson). Some of the tensest scenes involve Myers and the Hemingway’s. Their conversation goes from passive aggressive jabs to violent outbursts. Because so much happens within one scene, there’s the unshakeable feeling that “Papa: Hemingway in Cuba” may have been better off as a dramatic stage play. The theory is given further credence by presence of Adrian Sparks, a renowned stage actor.

Bob Yari may have not been the man to direct this movie since he only has one other credit to his name. He has produced some magnificent movies, but then he’s credited as the executive producer for the “Agent Cody Banks” movies. My research online yields articles and interviews about how this movie has been in the works for years, but “Papa: Hemingway in Cuba” seems like a passion project without any passion.

Yari doesn’t have the director’s touch. So much of “Papa: Hemingway in Cuba” feels like a TV movie with a few ‘F’ bombs to spice it up. There are transitions that feel like they should be followed by commercials or a spokesman for PBS asking me to donate money. Even the casual viewer will be able to notice awkward cutting in between scenes. It begs the question if Yari was a simple fill-in.

For all its faults, it’s well acted and has a lot of gripping ideas. For those who don’t know much about Hemingway, this could serve as a bridge to learning more about one of America’s greatest authors. If that’s the case, this movie does serve some importance. For Hemingway fans and those familiar with American literature, they’ll be scratching their heads and wondering if Hemingway is turning and tossing in his grave.

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Julia Roberts
Directed By: Garry Marshall
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 118 minutes
Open Road Films

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 Stars

I typed out, “Are ensemble holiday-related movies doomed to be forever bad?” and realized that I answered my own question with the phrasing, ensemble holiday-related movies. Every time I watch them, I feel like I’m watching sitcom leftovers. So it only makes sense that Garry Marshall, who’s worked on dozens of sitcoms, would make “Mother’s Day”, a sappy, cornball movie. Of course this isn’t Marshall’s first rodeo, but I certainly hope it’s his last.

Like most of these movies, there are too many characters to go over, but they all have one thing in common, they’re dealing with some matriarchal problem. Sandy (Aniston) has to cope with her boys becoming attached to her ex-husband’s new squeeze. Jesse (Hudson) is dealing with avoiding telling her mom that she married an Indian man. Jesse’s sister, Gabi (Sarah Chalke) has the same problem, but instead it’s her inability to show off her life partner. The 81-year-old director surely must have thought a lesbian couple and a white woman marrying someone of a different race was groundbreaking material.

Then there’s Bradley (Jason Sudeikis), who’s dealing with the year anniversary of the loss of his wife. There’s also Kristin (Britt Robertson) who can’t handle that her boyfriend, and the father to her child, is proposing to her. Then Julia Roberts is kind of just floating around in the background as the “popular” HSN host. There are a lot more characters and a lot more actors looking for a paycheck that I’m sure I’m neglecting. Some of them connect and some of them don’t and live in their own personal bubble hell without having to bring anyone else into it.

The only thing this movie is missing is canned laughter or the gratuitous audience applause after someone stands up for themselves. The conflicts are forced, outdated, and their resolutions are equally as audacious to reality. I’ll go ahead and gloss over the fact that there’s obnoxious product placement. I mean, how many eight and 10-year-old siblings are going to get excited about going to IHOP? And don’t forget that any beverage must be drunk, has the label on the outside so that the camera can read it.

At times I did find it sentimental, oddly enough. Maybe it’s because I set my brain to cruise control or because there is a universal feeling that moms do go underappreciated. “Mother’s Day” does kind of touch on that, but it could be by accident. As for all you hard working moms in the world out there, you do deserve a movie that loves and supports you, but “Mother’s Day” is not that movie. Let’s spend Mother’s Day with our mom and stop attending these recycled holiday movies.