JCast Network

From the moment ‘Prisoners’, directed by Denis Villeneuve (‘Incendies’) began, I knew I was about to see a film that was really, really good. And I was not disappointed.

In fact, by the time the end-credits rolled, I was actually feeling ‘creeped-out (in a good way, if that’s possible) and that feeling stayed with me for several hours.

The film, written by Aaron Guzikowski (‘Contraband’) is a dark, twisted, thrilling ride about a very important subject…Child abduction.

If you’re wondering why you would want to see a movie, about a subject that unfortunately, is in the news practically everyday,…Here are several reasons…

Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano and Melissa Leo.

Jackman is Keller Dover, a blue collar carpenter and self proclaimed survivalist. He’s a loving husband to his wife, Grace (Maria Bello) and his two children. He’s a man that is ready for anything…Or so he thought.

When his six year old daughter, Anna goes missing, along with her young friend, Joy (Howard and Davis’s child) he has to decide how far he will go to save her.

Leading the investigation is Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) who has to deal with his own demons, as he races against time to find the two young girls.

The best lead is a dilapidated RV that has earlier been parked on the families street. Loki arrests the driver, Alex Jones (Paul Dano) but due to lack of evidence, he’s forced to let him go.

From here on, the desperate Dover decides to take matters into his own hands and realizes there’s nothing he won’t do to protect his family.

‘Prisoners’ is an edge of your seat thriller, with twists and turns that will have you guessing right up to the end.

I gave ‘Prisoners’ which opens in theatres, Friday September 20, 2013 4 1/2 bagel out of 5 and John, was pretty close in his bagel score. Yes, this is a film he actually liked.

Check out our video for more of our thoughts and his rating.

‘Rush’ directed by two time Academy Award winner Ron Howard (‘A Beautiful Mind’, ‘Frost/Nixon’) is supposedly, based on a true story.

I say, supposedly because, like many ‘true stories’, there’s a great deal of ‘not so true’ stuff thrown into the mix.

‘Rush’ written by Peter Morgan (‘Frost/Nixon) depicts the intense rivalry between two Formula 1 race car drivers…

The flamboyant, English playboy, James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth, ‘The Avengers, ‘Thor’) and his opponent, the overly controlled, Austrian, Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl, ‘Inglorious Bastards)

Hunt was the bad boy of racing. When he wasn’t behind the wheel of a car, he spent his time, drinking, making love and drinking some more. He was all about emotion and impulsive behavior…

Lauda, on the other hand, was disciplined, cold and methodically brilliant.

In the film, these two men are obsessed with beating one another on the track, no matter what the cost.

Apparently, that wasn’t the case. Hunt and Lauda were actually friends, who hung out together and at one time, were even roommates.

But hey, it’s a movie right?

‘Rush’ opens at the German Grand Prix in 1976, a few weeks past the half way point of the season.

This is the year that…SPOILER ALERT…Lauder had his near fatal accident and that’s all I’ll say about that.

From there, the film flashes back to the early 70’s, where we follow Hunt and Lauda, as they begin their career and how they clashed with one another, on and off the track, in their quest to be a Formula 1 champion.

‘Rush’ is all about the ‘rush’ these drivers get, as they push themselves to their physical and psychological breaking points.

Howard captures the excitement, the danger, the tension and the speed in Formula 1 racing. Those scenes are shot so well that, at times, I felt as if I were sitting along side Hunt and Lauda.

For those of you not into car racing, there’s some cool sex scenes and lots of romance.

Olivia Wilde plays a super model who eventually marries Hunt and Alexandra Maria Lara, is Lauda’s girlfriend, who becomes his wife.

I gave ‘Rush’ which opens in theatres, Friday September 20, 2013 four bagels out of 5.

Check out our video to see what John thought and his bagel score.

Meet the Manzoni’s. A family no different than your average family…Mother, Father, Two Kids, except…they are in the Witness Protection Program and they like to beat people up, or in the case of Daddy Manzoni, kill people…

Giovanni Manzoni (Robert DeNiro) was a big time mob boss, who like many big time mob bosses, wound up snitching on his former cohorts. Not a good thing at all.

When we first meet Giovanni and his family…his wife, Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) daughter, Belle (Dianna Agron) and son, Warren (John D’Leo) they have just been relocated to a small town in Normandy France.

Apparently the Manzoni’s have tempers, causing them to be moved from one town to another, causing havoc wherever they go.

Everyone, except Papa Manzoni has had enough. They want their life back.

Maggie takes out her frustration by burning down a local supermarket…Belle uses a baseball bat on a fellow student and Warren has become the school hustler.

Giovanni however spends his time, writing his biography, much to the dismay of his handler, F.B.I. agent, Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones).

There’s also a major mob boss that would like nothing more than to track Giovanni and his family down and kill them.

‘The Family’ directed by Luc Besson and written by Michael Caleo (‘Sopranos) based on a novel by Tonino Benacquista entitled, ‘Malavita) is in my opinion a ‘farce’ that sometimes works, but most of the time, doesn’t.

There are funny moments, especially when Giovanni is invited to speak in front of the French Cinema Society, after a showing of ‘Good Fellas…But most of it, is filled with silly over the top violence

I gave ‘The Family’ which opens in theatres Friday, September 13, just 2 1/2 bagels out of 5. Definitely a rental.

Check out our video to see John’s bagel rating and an appearance by our special guest star, Mango-the Pek.

For those of you who think your family has problems, wait until you meet the Lamberts.

We were first introduced to them a few years back in the horror film, ‘Insidious’ and things have not gotten any better for them.

Their young son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins) who had and still has, the ability to travel out of his physical body, met the spirit of a really scary old woman (aren’t they all?) and a red-faced demon who wanted to possess his physical body. (Can’t really blame him).

Anyway Dalton ends up in a coma and things go from bad to worse for the family, until they bring in medium, Elise (Lin Shaye) to clear out the demons. She performs an exorcism and winds up getting killed, which is an excellent reason not to choose that line of work.

As ‘Insidious Chapter 2’ opens, Dalton has woken up from the coma and the Lamberts, along with their three children, move into a brand new house, only to discover…that it wasn’t their home that was haunted…It is them…

To say any thing else about the plot would be spoiling the fun…And it is fun…It’s also scary, clever and thanks to director James Wan (‘Saw’/’Insidious’/’The Conjuring’) and writer, Leah Whannell (‘Saw’/’Insidious’) all the questions raised in the first film, are answered.

Barbara Hershey is back as Josh’s mother and this time, she plays a more active role. She teams up with Ghost Hunters, Specs (Leigh Whannel) and Tucker (Angus Sampson) and the three of them track down who exactly is haunting her family.

And even though Elise was killed off in the first one, that doesn’t stop her from helping as well. I mean, who’s better to fight demons than a dead person?

I gave ‘Insidious Chapter 2’ which opens in theatres, Friday the 13th (perfect) 3 1/2 bagels out of 5. I think if you’re a fan of the first one or just like to be scared, you won’t be disappointed.

Check out our video to see John’s bagel rating and hear more of our thoughts.

We’re all familiar with the quote, ‘You can never go home again’ . Well, that’s not exactly true…You can go home again, but it may not be the way you remembered it.

That is certainly the case in ‘The World’s End’ directed by Edgar Wright. Wright wrote the script with Simon Pegg, who also stars in the film.

The writers consider this one to be the last in a trilogy…A follow up to,…’Shaun of the Dead’, the zombie movie and the cop buddy pic, ‘Hot Fuzz’.

The film starts out with a flashback. The year is 1990 and five high school friends, living in the English village of Newton Haven, attempt a 12 pub crawl. Unfortunately, they never quite make it, stopping before they reach the last one…The World’s End.

Flash forward 20 years later, Gary (Simon Pegg) contacts his former mates…Andy (Nick Frost) who he’s been estranged from…Steven (Paddy Considine)…Oliver (Martin Freeman) and Peter (Eddie Marsan) to once again reunite and this time…Make it all the way to the end…The World’s End.

Of course, Gary’s mates have changed. They are all family men with careers. Gary however, is the same lost dude he was in high school. So for him, this 12 pub crawl means everything.

What starts out as a reunion, quickly turns into something much different and the guys soon realize, that the fate of humanity is in their hands.

‘The World’s End’ which opens in theatres, Friday August 23, 2013 is not only a very funny movie, but it’s also clever and full of surprises.

In the end, it’s not only a story about how far a man will go for a pint, but how far will he go for his mates.

I gave ‘The World’s End’ 4 1/2 bagels out of 5…John seems to have lost his sense of humor and gave it a much different score.

Check out our video to see what he thought and for more of our rantings.

‘The Butler’ written by Danny Strong, was inspired by Wil Haygood’s article in The Washington Post, entitled ‘A Butler Well Served By This Election’. Haygood served as a butler through 8 presidential administrations.

In this film, we follow the journey of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) who as a boy in 1923, picked cotton on a Georgia farm, alongside his father and mother.

In one of the most heart wrenching scenes, Cecil watches as one of the farm’s overseers, (Alex Pettyfer) rapes his mother (Mariah Carey) and then shoots his father, (David Banner) dead right in front of him.

Lucky for Cecil, everyone down South isn’t a sick, evil bastard…Thanks to the kindness of the plantation’s matriarch (Vanessa Redgrave) he’s taken out of the fields and given a job in the main house as a servant.

It’s here, serving Ms Redgrave, that his education starts…Cecil learns how to be the ‘perfect servant’ to white folks….which translated means…Putting on a mask and smiling…no matter what he hears or sees.

Cecil is a quick learner and it’s not long, before he gets a job at an upscale hotel, where he excels.

This gets the attention of the White House’s black maitre d’… Freedie Fallows (Colman Domingo), who hires Cecil as a butler, after making sure that he has no political affiliations. Fallows informs Cecil that ‘There’s no tolerance for politics in the White House’.

Something Cecil never forgets.

He winds up outshining all the other other butlers on staff, including his two BFFs, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz and becomes the favorite of eight presidents, including…

Dwight Eisenhower (Robin Williams), Richard Nixon (John Cusak), John F. Kennedy (James Marsden), Lyndon B. Johnson (Liev Schreiber) and Ronald Regan (Alan Rickman)

Through Cecil, we get to experience the birth of the ‘civil rights movement’, starting with Eisenhower reluctantly sending in federal troops to Little Rock Ark to desegregate the public schools, and ending with Ronald Regan, refusing to boycott South Africa for their apartheid policies.

Before I say anymore about this film, I must mention the performances by the remarkable cast, starting with…

Miss Oprah Winfrey as Gloria, Cecil’s wife. She gives a beautiful, complex performance, as a woman struggling with loneliness, addiction, the changing times and a son, Louis (David Oyelowo) who chooses, despite his father’s disapproval, to take a break from college and join The Freedom Riders.

The actors, depicting the various presidents, are spot on especially, Liev Schrieber and Alan Rickman.

Rounding out the cast are Terrence Howard as a lecherous neighbor, his wife Adriane Lenox and Elijah Kelley who portrays Cecil’s younger son, Charlie)

And now for Mr. Whitaker…All I can say is Oscar…Oscar…Oscar. The choices he makes as an actor are not big or showy… They are small, subtle, layered, and powerful.

He gives Cecil a profound dignity and grace. His character, especially when silent, says so much.

The Butler’ takes us on a journey…at times it’s a gut wrenching one, through a period in our country’s history, not too long ago, when ignorant men committed some of the most horrific atrocities toward other human beings.

But Daniels doesn’t just saw us the lynchings, the beatings, the violence, we also get to see the courage and the unbreakable commitment of the people involved in the Civil Rights movement. They are the true heroes of the film.

And as for Cecil…He’s a man that doesn’t want to make waves. The civil rights movement and the violence it brings, scares him.

But as our country changes, so does Cecil and he comes to understand how vital it is to stand up to injustice.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a SPOILER. I think everyone knows who got elected in 2008)

The film brings us right up to Cecil voting for the first African American President of the United States.

I think it’s obvious how much I loved ‘The Butler’ which opened Friday, August 15, 2013 and that’s why I gave it 5 bagels out of 5. Unfortunately John had the flu and didn’t get to see it, so no bagel score from him.

But check out our video review, he does get a few words in… with a not too shabby British accent.

So what happens when a pot dealer (Jason Sudeikis), a stripper (Jennifer Anniston) a runaway (Emma Roberts) and a virgin (Will Poulter) pretend to be an ‘All American Family’ go on a marijuana run to Mexico in a very big R. V.?

Well, in ‘We’re The Millers’ directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, you have an extremely funny and very clever film.

Especially when you throw in an angry drug lord, a vicious tarantula, a pornographic game of Pictionary, and an impromptu sing-along…

Jason plays David Clark, a small town pot-dealer whose clientele included chefs and soccer moms. David has been dealing pot since college and you can definitely call him an ‘under-achiever’.

We know David has a good heart because early on in the film, he comes to the rescue of a homeless girl, Casey (Emma Roberts) and his teenage neighbor, Kenny (Will Poulter) who are being harassed by some local punks.

For David, this proves to be a very bad move. The punks steal his back pack containing his pot and $45,000 of his drug supplier’s money…

When his supplier (Ed Helms) finds out David has lost his money, he offers him a choice…David could either be killed or he can make a trip across the border to Mexico and bring back a ‘smidgen’ of weed.

Of course the later choice seems much more appealing than death. Now the only question is…How to do this run and not get caught?

Easy…All David needs is an All American Family. Afterall, who would ever think that an ‘All American Family’ would be pot suppliers?

David convinces Rose, Kenny and Casey to pretend to be his wife and kids.

And so ‘The Millers’ are born.

I absolutely loved the film and gave it 4 bagels out of 5. It’s filled with unexpected twists and turns, including a hysterical encounter with another ‘All American Family’ (Nick Offernan, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Quinn.

‘We Are The Millers’ opens in theatres, Wednesday August 7th and it’s a must see for anyone who loves to laugh.

Check out our video for John’s rating…HINT: He actually scored it the same as me!

Neill Blomkamp, writer and director of the critically acclaimed, ‘District 9’, once again brings us a thought-provoking, sci-fi fantasy action film.

‘Elysium’ starring Matt Damon takes place in the year 2154. Earth is polluted, overpopulated and crime ridden. The rich have long ago abandoned the planet for Elysium, an orbital space station, a 19 minute shuttle ride away.

But those 19 minutes, might as well be several light years. The space station is protected by a killer security force run by Jodie Foster who will do anything and everything to keep keep Elysium safe for the wealthy.

Matt Damon (Max) is an ex con on parole who lives and works in Los Angeles which is now a getto. Max is a guy that’s just trying to do the ‘right thing’ trying to put his days of stealing cars behind him.

He works at a Armadyne, a corporation specializing in defense.

Now the company is run by John Carlyle (the wonderful William Fichtner) a man who cares about 3 things…Money, money and more money…

Okay, back to Max, who’s just trying to be a good worker and stay out of trouble. All that soon changes when he gets into an accident at work. Max winds up getting a lethal dose of radiation and finds out he only has five days to live…

However, if he can somehow make it up to Elysium, he can be cured in a matter of seconds.

It seems that every home on the space station, not only comes equipped with a washer and dryer, but also has a machine a machine that can heal any disease. You just have to be a ‘citizen’ of the place.

Now if you’re thinking this is a commentary on our health care system and the haves and have- nots of this world we live in, you’d be right.

But it’s also an exciting, suspenseful film with plenty of great action.

Max has to find a way to get to ‘Elysium which mean making contact, with his criminal associates, including Spider (Wagner Moura) a scary dude, who helps illegal immigrants get to Elysium. He’s also quite adept at turning people into Cybourgs, which comes in handy, but that’s all I’ll say on the subject. Don’t want to spoil the fun.

And ‘Elysium’ is fun… a lot of fun. It also has a great message and for a sci-fi film, that’s rare.

Rounding out the cast is Alice Braga, who plays Frey a childhood friend of Max, who has her own reasons for wanting to get to Elysium. Sharito Copley (District 9′) is excellent as the villaninous, Kruger, Jodie’s pet operative/assassin.

I gave ‘Elysium’ which opens in theatres Friday August 9, 2013, 4 bagels out of 5. John however, had a different take on the film.

Check out our video for his bagel score and for more of our musings.

I really feel for The Wolverine, aka Logan (Hugh Jackman). The poor guy can’t die, doesn’t have any cool people to hang out with, and he’s suffering from major depression…

No wonder our century year old mutant has the blues.

However, we don’t know all of that quite yet.

When ‘The Wolverine’ directed by James Mangold opens, Logan is having a flashback…It’s 1944 and he’s in Nagasaki, just as the atomic bomb is dropped. It’s here that Logan saves the life of a Japanese soldier, who promises to repay him one day.

Flash forward to the present…Where Logan is hiding out in the wilds of the Yukon and it’s obvious that our angry, unhappy, super hero, hasn’t been intimate with a bar of soap for a long time.

After getting into a bar fight, (3 guesses who won) Logan is approached by Yukio (Rita Fukushima) a mysterious Japanese girl…(aren’t they all) with a message from the soldier. He doesn’t have long to live and wants to finally repay Logan.

At first Logan declines the offer…He’s not too big on flying, even if it is in a private plane…but it’s hard to resist a beautiful girl with flaming red hair, who also happening to have killer fighting skills. So off they go…

Once in Tokyo, Logan visits the soldier, (Hal Yamanouchi) who’s now very old and very, very wealthy. It doesn’t take long for him to discover just how the dying man wants to repay him.

It also doesn’t take too long for Logan to find himself on the run with a beautiful heiress, (Tao Okamoto) using his claws to fight Samurai swords, Yakuza guns, black clad Ninjas’ arrows and finally, one very large, very dangerous metal robot.

And if that’s not bad enough, Logan’s encounter with Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) a female mutant with a very long tongue, leaves him…mortal…That’s right folks…Our guy can bleed… and does a lot.

‘The Wolverine’ written by Mark Bomback and Scott Frank is filled with lots of action, stunts, fight scenes, hand to claw combat, great chases, a super fast train ride and even a couple of love scenes.

The film shot in 3D is a mixture of tones…It’s part Samurai, part super-hero, part crime drama, with lots of father/daughter/illegitimate son conflict thrown in. Is that a good thing?

Well yes and no. It is a bit of a hodgepodge, but in the end, I did find it entertaining…For that reason, I gave ‘The Wolverine’ which opens in theatres, Friday July 26, 2013, 3 bagels out of 5.

Check out our video for John’s bagel rating and for more of our thoughts about this film.

There are many reasons to see ‘Blue Jasmine’ written and directed by Woody Allen, but the main one is…the stunning, complex, Oscar worthy performance by, Miss Cate Blanchett.

She portrays Jasmine, a one time wealthy New York socialite who has lost her money, her home, her husband, (Alec Baldwin) her son and perhaps… her sanity.

We first meet Jasmine, sitting on an airplane, talking non-stop to her seat mate, an elderly woman, who from the expression on her face, wishes she would just shut up.

From Jasmine’s monologue, we find out that she’s on her way to live with her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins) a grocery clerk, in San Francisco.

After the plane lands, Jasmine continues following and talking to her seatmate and it becomes obvious that, this is a woman, on the edge.

At her sister’s place, Jasmine’s fragile mental state becomes even clearer…Actually it’s hard to miss. Jasmine gulps down vodka followed by a xanax chaser every time she’s upset, which is quite often.

First, she can’t stand her sister’s boyfriend, Chili (Bobby Cannavale) who’s always around….Thinks he’s as big a loser as Ginger’s ex-husband, Augie (Andrew Dice Clay)

If that’s not bad enough, Jasmine wants to study interior design online, but has no idea how to use a computer. So now, our stressed out socialite has to go back to school, which means finding some menial job in order to pay for it.

In other words, Jasmine has to learn to survive in the ‘real world’ for the first time in her life. No wonder she’s altering her consciousness.

Yes, Jasmine is a very flawed, troubled character, but you want her to succeed. You can’t help but feel compassion for this woman.

This has a lot to do with Allen’s wonderful use of flashbacks, where we get to see Jasmine’s former life and come to understand why she’s on the verge of a complete mental breakdown.

Watching Cate/ Jasmine, I immediately thought about another iconic, damaged woman…Blanche Dubois from Tennesse Williams ‘Streetcar Named Desire’. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Woody was inspired by Blanche when he created this character.

On a side note, Blanchett portrayed Blanche on the London stage a few years ago.

In any case, like Blanche, Jasmine is a woman you’ll remember for a long time to come….I’m still thinking about her.

I absolutely loved this film which also stars Louis C. K. Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg as a lecherous dentist who hires Jasmine.

I gave ‘Blue Jasmine’ which opens in theatres Friday July 26, 2013, my highest bagel score…five out of five…and John, believe it or not, was right behind with his bagel rating. Yes, this is a film, he actually liked…alot.

Check out our video for more of our thoughts and banter.