The Power of the Dog – Netflix – Wednesday, Dec. 1
Netflix has become the place for likely Oscar Best Picture nominees at the end of each year and director Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” is this year’s most likely bet (though “Don’t Look Up” and “The Lost Daughter” premiering on the streaming platform later in the month are also possibility at a Best Picture nom.) “The Power of the Dog” is a Western set in 1925 Montana where according to the film’s basic plotline: “a domineering rancher responds with mocking cruelty when his brother brings home a new wife and her son, until the unexpected comes to pass.” Oscar-nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, who might be the front-runner to win Best Actor for this role, plays the jerk of a rancher, while Jesse Plemons plays his brother, Kirsten Dunst plays his sister-in-law and Kodi Smit-McPhee plays his nephew. 

Swan Song – AppleTV+ - Friday, Dec. 17
I was listening to The Big Picture Podcast (from The Ringer) last week and was shocked when co-host Sean Fennessey pointed out that even though Mahershala Ali is a two-time Oscar winner (for Best Supporting Actor in “Moonlight” and “Green Book”) that he’s never really had a lead role in a major film. “Swan Song” might get Ali his first Oscar nomination for a lead performance as Cameron Turner, a loving husband father diagnosed with a terminal illness, but given the science fiction solution of cloning himself so his loved ones won’t have to carry on without him. “Swan Song,” directed by Benjamin Cleary, co-stars Naomie Harris, as Cameron’s wife, and Glenn Close as the doctor who gives him a chance to carry on. 

1883 – Paramount+ - Sunday, Dec. 19
Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” is the most watched drama series currently on cable television and it pulls in the kind of numbers that even broadcast networks would love to see in the current TV climate. The Taylor Sheridan-created, written and produced series is spawning off a couple of spinoffs now due to its popularity and the first one is the origin story “1883,” debuting on Paramount+ on Sunday, Dec. 19. With the popularity of “Yellowstone” this spinoff should be a great boon for the relatively new rebranded streaming service (that began as CBS All Access) as it tells the origins of the Dutton family and how they came to Yellowstone. The series stars Sam Elliott and the real-life country music power couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Elliott seems born to play a role in a “Yellowstone” series, but I certainly have questions about the limited acting ability of McGraw and the essentially unproven abilities of Hill. “Yellowstone” will see another spinoff, set in modern day, titled “6666,” set to debut on Paramount+ sometime in 2022. 

Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster – Netflix – Tuesday, Dec. 21
Jim Gaffigan has done enough to enter than pantheon of all-time great stand-up comedians with his incredible body of work that results in almost a new comedy special per year. His output of work is nearly unmatched by anybody in his business, and it always leads to numerous belly laughs. His latest comedy special “Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster” premieres on Netflix on Tuesday, Dec. 21 just in time for families gathering for the holiday to enjoy as one, something you can’t say about many comedians. 

Don’t Look Up – Netflix – Friday, Dec. 24
Adam McKay is something of an anomaly in today’s holiday. He seems to be the one writer-director who can get movies that are comedies, even if they have dramatic aspects to them, into the Best Picture race at the Oscars. His last two movies “The Big Short” (2015) and “Vice” (2018) were both nominated for the Academy’s highest honor and his latest “Don’t Look Up,” premiering on Christmas Eve, is said to be among his best. “Don’t Look Up” stars Oscar-winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two low-level astronomers warning mankind about an approaching comet, they say will destroy Earth. As with most McKay movies it’s a satirical film, this time tacking the climate change crisis. The film has a wonderful supporting cast that includes Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Cate Blanchett, Ariana Grande (who’s said to be surprisingly good) and Meryl Streep. 

The Lost Daughter – Netflix – Friday, Dec. 31
I’m sure you probably have New Year’s Eve plans, but if you’re wanting to ring in the new year comfy on your couch with a new film give Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut “The Lost Daughter” a try. The film, which stars Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (who always picks winners whether it’s TV or a movies), is based on Elena Ferrante’s novel of the same name and tells the story of a woman, while on a summer holiday, becomes obsessed with another woman and her daughter, which sparks bad memories of her own early motherhood. The film co-stars Dakota Johnson and Jessie Buckley, who plays a younger version of Colman’s lead. Look for the strong possibility of Colman’s third Oscar nomination in the last four years from this one. 

Director: Sian Heder
Starring: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin & Troy Kotsur 
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour & 51 minutes

I was listening to The Big Picture Podcast (a podcast from The Ringer) earlier in the week and the hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins were doing a “too early of a prediction on Oscar Best Picture nominees” and the prospect of “CODA” being among the 10 nominees for Best Picture at the next Academy Awards was mentioned. “CODA” has been a film I’ve wanted to watch since it was released on AppleTV+’s streaming platform in mid-August, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet, but I was surprised to hear it mentioned in a Best Picture conversation, simply because it felt like a small scale film despite it glowing reviews.
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I finally got around to watching “CODA” on Thanksgiving and it’s an incredibly lovely film and probably my favorite movie I’ve seen of 2021 thus far (though I must throw out the caveat it’s only the 12th film of 2021 I’ve seen). I’m happy to hear it might get some Academy love, though I would still be a bit surprised if it did.

“CODA,” which stand for child of deaf adults (though I don’t think it’s ever mentioned in the film), is a coming-of-age dramedy about Ruby Rossi (played by Emilia Jones), the only speaking member of a family of fisherman in Gloucester, Mass. whose gift of speech makes her vital to the family business. Ruby has a passion for singing and when she finds out she’s quite amazing at it thanks to her choir teacher Bernardo (roll those ‘Rs’) Villalobos (played by Eugenio Derbez) she decides she’d like to pursue the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Ruby’s passion for singing puts her and her family in a bind. She doesn’t want to let her family down, but she doesn’t want the family business to go under because she’s not around to help. They don’t want to crush her dreams, but they also depend on her for their livelihood.

Ruby’s parents, Frank and Jackie, are played by Troy Kotsur and Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin, both deaf actors. Ruby’s brother Leo is played by Daniel Durant, also a deaf actor.

“CODA,” directed and written by Sian Heder, did a terrific job at hiring real-life deaf actors to portray deaf characters, something that the 2014 French film “La Famille Belier,” the film it’s based off, didn’t do which led to controversy.

It’s incredibly important for films based on minority groups, like the deaf community, to give opportunities to actors within that community, especially when you have such wonderful actors as Kotsur, Matlin and Durant – all of whom are fantastic in their roles, especially Kotsur and Matlin who bring much of the film’s laughs with their voracious sex lives, much to the embarrassment of their daughter.

Jones is terrific in the lead role as Ruby, and she put in so much work before filming in learning not only American Sign Language and taking singing lessons, but also by learning how to work a fishing trawler. The dedication put into this role is amazing and the acting of being torn between two loves is incredibly believable. You really feel for all the main characters in the film.

“CODA” is an all-around beauty of a film and a good family watch, so I was happy to be able to share the experience of seeing it with my wife and my parents on a holiday of thanks, as I’m always thankful for wonderful new films.

Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green 
Starring: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis & Saniyya Sidney
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 2 hours & 24 minutes

I must say that when I first heard about “King Richard,” a biopic of Richard Williams the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, my first thought was, “Why? Why a biopic about the father and not the two tennis players who have completely dominated the sport for two decades?”
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But, after watching “King Richard,” which can now be seen in theaters and streaming on HBO Max through December 18, I understand why the decision to tell the story of the father of the greatest sibling duo in sports history (that’s right any sport) is worth telling.

It must be said that the film, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, is executive produced by both Venus and Serena Williams so you may not be getting a 100 percent accurate or critical telling of the story of their father, but it’s at least you get a film with their blessing that tells you how they feel about the sacrifices Richard Williams made to see two of his daughters succeed in a sport that few African-Americans had succeeded in.

Will Smith, also a producer on the film, absolutely inhabits Richard Williams and it will certainly be a performance talked about throughout award season and likely could result in Smith’s third career Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (he was previously nominated for “Ali” and “The Pursuit of Happyness”). I’ve seen and enjoyed several of Smith’s movies and performances throughout his career, and I will say this is the best I’ve ever seen him. He brings out both the determination and caring, as well as the arrogancy of Richard Williams with ease. Most importantly Smith gets lost in the performance to the point of even though you know in your head you’re watching a Will Smith performance you feel as if you’re watching the real Richard Williams.

One thing about “King Richard” that surprised me a bit was its large focus on Venus Williams and not necessarily both Venus and Serena, but it absolutely makes sense. Venus was the oldest of the two and it was largely upon Richard to ensure that she succeeded because his plan, from both girls’ birth was for them both to succeed and if Venus didn’t first there may not be a path for Serena.

Venus is played by Saniyya Sidney, and Serena is played by Demi Singleton in the film, and both do an apt job at portraying the teenage Williams sisters without having to be very showy or really do a whole lot as the focus is on Richard.

Aunjanue Ellis is terrific as Oracene, the mother of the girls and Richard’s wife, and truly deserves some award recognition herself for a strong performance in which she manages to go toe-to-toe with Smith’s Richard on multiple occasions, even if the film doesn’t spotlight her quite so much.

Speaking of great supporting roles, both Tony Goldwyn as Venus’ first professional coach (her dad was always her first coach) Paul Cohen and Jon Bernthal as her second coach Rick Macci are both fantastic in their roles. Bernthal’s Macci certainly gives the film some levity in dealing with the hard-lined Richard.

“King Richard,” written by Zach Baylin, focuses on Richard and the Williams sisters from about 1990 until 1994 when Venus competes in her first professional event at the age of 14.   

My only real complaint about "King Richard" is at almost two-and-a-half hours it's a bit too long, but at the same time it doesn't drag much at all. 

Director: Miguel Sapochnik 
Starring: Tom Hanks
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour & 55 minutes 

“Finch,” directed by Miguel Sapochnik, opens in post-apocalyptic America 10 years after a solar flare finished off the ozone layer turning Earth into a mostly uninhabitable place ravaged by severe weather and the sun’s ultraviolet rays that make movement in the daytime essentially non-existent without a protective suit.
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Finch, played by Oscar-winner Tom Hanks, is a scientist – something that’s helped him survive this post-apocalyptic world where the few remaining humans have turned on each other to survive. It’s not long into the film we learn that Finch is dying from an undisclosed sickness and he’s desperately trying to finish work on a robot, that eventually becomes known as Jeff, before a massive storm reaches his home of St. Louis that he’d unlikely survive. The robot is to take care of his beloved dog Goodyear, though he’s simply called dog for much of the movie because who needs names in a post-apocalyptic world, when Finch dies. Finch is trying to get Jeff and Goodyear to San Francisco, where there’s hope of a better life (though it’s truly unknown) and to teach Jeff how to care for Goodyear before his passes on.

“Finch,” which is only Sapochnik’s second directorial effort and his first in more than a decade, is a simple film. Hanks is the only cast and he’s playing off a CGI robot (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones) and a dog (played by Seamus) and he has this simple goal of teaching the robot to care for the dog. Few actors could pull off such a performance, but it’s no surprise Hanks does so with aplomb. He’s the best his generation has had, after all.

One thing I really took from “Finch” is the lengths a man would go to to take care of his dog and make sure it’s cared for after it’s human is gone. Most of us don’t have the means necessary to build a robot for our pets, but I’m sure we’d all do so if possible. I didn’t need any extra reason to understand why Finch would want to go to such lengths for his dog, but the film gives us a tragic scene to show us that Goodyear truly is more to Finch than just a companion in a world without companionship.

“Finch” is a charming film but be warned it’ll make you teary-eyed (you pretty much realize it’s going to from the start, but don’t worry the dog survives). It’s not the type of film you’re going to hear about come awards season, but it makes for a lovely and breezy almost two-hour watch. “Finch,” which was written by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, can be seen on AppleTV+.

Director: Jeymes Samuel
Starring: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba & Regina King 
Rated: R
Runtime: 2 hours & 19 minutes

Jeymes Samuel’s feature-film directorial debut “The Harder They Fall,” which premiered on Netflix on Nov. 3 after a limited theatrical release, is a beautifully-filmed Western with an excellent cast and plenty of dramatic shootouts.
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“The Harder They Fall,” begins with 11-year-old Nat Love eating dinner with his parents when two bad men, one the feared Rufus Buck, played by Idris Elba, bust in and kill Nat’s parents and carve a cross into the young boy’s forehead. The film then picks up 20 years later when Love, now an adult and played by Jonathan Majors, is an Old West outlaw on a mission to kill those involved with the murder of his family. Love has a gang of bandits that includes his love interest Mary Fields (Zazie Beetz), sharpshooter Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi) and quick draw Jim Beckwourth (RJ Cyler).

If some of these names strike you as familiar it’s because Samuel, who co-wrote the film with Boaz Yakin, took real-life African-American figures from the Old West for his characters (even if they didn’t intertwine in real-life or even live in the same time).

Early in the film Buck is freed from a train carrying him from one place to another by his gang that includes Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (Lakeith Stanfield). They return to their former stronghold of Redwood City and Buck effectively takes over control once again.

The cast of this film is absolutely stellar, but one thing that’s noticeable almost immediately from the go is that the gang of villains (Elba, King and Stanfield) are more interesting than the good guys, which isn’t all that unusual for a Western, but in the end you want to root for the good guys and you know more often than not they’re the ones who are going to come out on top. Part of this problem might be that King and Stanfield as such talented and intriguing actors with full fleshed out characters and the film doesn’t spend a whole lot of time building up Pickett or Beckwourth. Honestly, there’s not a ton of character building for anyone in the film, but the film is such a beauty to watch and there’s so much action and so many shootouts, done with bright, gloriously colorized violence that you don’t spend too much time worried about that. You’re entertained and as with many Westerns throughout film history the old good guy versus the bad guy plot is enough to hold your attention.

One fantastic performance in the film is Delroy Lindo as U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, who I’d absolutely love to see a biopic made about. Lindo seems tailor made for the veteran lawman who ends up taking sides with Love, despite the fact he’s been after him for some time. The film also sees memorable performances from Danielle Deadwyler as Cuffie, essentially Mary’s bodyguard, and Deon Cole as Wylie Escoe (such a great Western name), once an ally of Buck who’s run out of Redwood City and eventually turns on his old friend.  

My favorite part of “The Harder They Fall” is the epic final shootout, which takes up a good portion of the film’s second half and is terrifically shot and choreographed.

This is one of the more impressive debut films I’ve ever seen from a director, so I’ll be on the lookout for whatever Samuels does next and based on the film image of “The Harder They Fall” we may be seeing some of the characters who survived the events in the film again in the future.

The Harder They Fall – Netflix – Wednesday, Nov. 3
I’ve been looking forward to this one ever since I saw the amazing trailer for it months ago. I just hope it’s not one of those movies where the trailer is amazing and the film a disappointment. It’s a Western with a terrific cast including Jonathan Majors, Regina King, Idris Elba, Lakeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo and Zazie Beetz. That’s all I need to know to have my interest piqued. “The Harder They Fall” is directed by Jeymes Samuel and is his first feature film. It looks incredibly stylish and fun. 

Finch – AppleTV+ - Friday, Nov. 5
Tom Hanks, a dog and a robot in a post-apocalyptic world. I’m in. In “Finch,” directed by Miguel Sapochnik – his second feature film and first in more than a decade – Hanks plays the last man on Earth, an ailing inventor who builds an android to keep him company and the two and the dog (shouldn’t the dog be enough Finch?) journey across country. 

Passing – Netflix – Wednesday, Nov. 10
Actress Rebecca Hall makes her directorial debut with “Passing,” starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga, and based off the 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen. “Passing” refers to light-skinned African-Americans who could pass for white people and gets into the lifestyle and controversy that can be had and felt by members of the African-American community. 

The Shrink Next Door – AppleTV+ - Friday, Nov. 12
Will Ferrell’s first foray into television since he left “Saturday Night Live” almost two decades ago has me interested from the star. In AppleTV+’s limited series “The Shrink Next Door,” Ferrell plays Marty Markowitz, who’s psychiatrist, played by Paul Rudd, gets a little too invested into his life. The series is based on Joe Nocera’s Wondery podcast of the same name that tells the true story of Issac Herschkopf who abused his doctor-patient relationships to exploit them for personal gain. “The Shrink Next Door” is billed as a dark comedy, something I think Ferrell and Rudd will chew up. 

Mayor of Kingstown – Paramount+ - Sunday, Nov. 14
November is going to be a huge month for Jeremy Renner. Disney+’s long-awaited “Hawkeye,” which I honestly don’t care about, but will be massive, debuts on Nov. 24. The Renner project I’m looking forward to is “Mayor of Kingston,” which seems to be the first truly major Paramount+ original (hence not originated on another platform like the previous CBS All Access like “The Good Fight” or CBS like “Evil”.) “Mayor of Kingston,” which comes from “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon, features Renner as Mike McLusky and Emmy-winner Kyle Chandler (one of my TV favorites) as Mitch McLusky, who’s family are thriving off the business of incarceration in Kingstown, Mich. With Renner, Chandler and Oscar-winner Dianne Wiest this is bound to be a must-watch. 

King Richard – HBO Max – Friday, Nov. 19
“King Richard,” which will debut on HBO Max the same day it premieres in movie theaters, is the story of Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. In the film, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the titular Richard Williams is played by Will Smith in his first prominent non-action film dramatic role in many years. I’m sure Smith is going to knock this performance out of the park, but I also can’t help but wonder if there’s a movie to be made that focuses more on the Williams sisters than the man who raised or as some would say “made” them. 

by Julian Spivey
One of the most tragic moments to ever occur on a film set happened this week when 42-year old cinematographer, wife and mother Halyna Hutchins was killed by a projectile fired from an improperly used prop gun on the set of a Western film “Rust” she was filming on Thursday, Oct. 21. The incident also sent Joel Souza, the writer and director of the film, to the hospital.
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Shortly after news of the accident and death broke it was revealed that actor/producer Alec Baldwin fired the prop gun. This revelation resulted in posts of glee from many throughout the Internet, mainly by conservative pundits, social media personalities and even at least one Congresswoman.

This is another one of those moments where I can’t help but feel compassion for others has truly been lost by a good number of people in this world.

A woman has died. Multiple other lives have been changed forever. But because a liberal actor hated by many on the right was involved it’s become a joke to many. A moment of ecstasy when there is a nine-year-old boy out there who’s never going to see his mother again.

How have we gotten to this point?

I can understand why Baldwin is disliked by many on the conservative side of politics. The biggest reason is his mocking, but truthfully realistic portrayal of President Donald Trump for many seasons on the sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live.” I say “truthfully realistic” because often the writers didn’t even bother with jokes during Baldwin’s tenure as Trump and essentially just let Baldwin read actual Trump quotes verbatim. Baldwin has also had high profile run-ins with paparazzi in the past, among other public spats, that for some reason the New York Post felt was important enough to bring up in its initial reporting of the “Rust” set tragedy, despite it having no relevance to that incident.
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It’s important to note that many facts involved into the hows and whys of this incident won’t come out until the investigation is finished. People involved on the set may end up being culpable and as a producer of the film Baldwin may end up being one of those people.

Conservatives have had a hatred for Baldwin for years, but that hatred should take a back seat to the death of Hutchins and the hurt everyone involved with her and that film is going through now.

Basically, just use your damn head and try to have at least a little bit of a heart. It’s truly the least you can do.

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Riley Keough & Peter Sarsgaard 
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour & 30 minutes 

“The Guilty,” which premiered on Netflix on Oct. 1, is an easy way to spend 90 minutes of a late night or a mid-afternoon on the weekend. It’s probably not something you’re going to want to get in the car, drive to the local cinema, and pay $12-plus dollars for, but it’s certainly worth the watch – and truly that’s the great thing about being able to see a new film on a streaming service every now and then.
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Director Antoine Fuqua, who’s no stranger to films about bad cops with his most famous film being 2001’s “Training Day” which won Denzel Washington his Best Actor Oscar, is at the head of the film and it’s written by Nic Pizzolatto, no stranger to the theme himself as the creator of HBO’s crime series “True Detective.”

“The Guilty” is an American remake of the 2018 Danish film of the same name, and from what I’ve heard and read if you’ve seen that version there may be no real reason to watch the Americanized one, but how many Americans really catch that many Danish flicks? The film is a simple premise, LAPD officer Joe Baylor, played by Academy Award-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal, is working the night shift at a 911 call center while awaiting a court hearing about a shooting that occurred on the job eight months prior. His whole world has fallen apart. In addition to potentially losing his job, he’s separated from his wife and doesn’t get to see his daughter much. It doesn’t help matters that he gets a lot of annoying calls at his current gigs from folks like drug over-dosers and johns robbed by prostitutes, whom he obviously seems to feel better than.

Baylor receives a call from a woman, Emily Lighton (voiced by Riley Keough, who is never seen), using coded language to let him know she’s been abducted and is traveling on the highway when she acts like she’s speaking to her young daughter on the phone and gets Baylor to ask her yes or no questions to help find her. The rest of the movie from this point on is Baylor doing whatever it takes from his 911 call center desk to help find this woman.

The camera is focused on Gyllenhaal’s character for nearly the entire 90-minute runtime, primarily his face as he’s listening to the calls from Emily, the California Highway Patrol Dispatcher (voiced by Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the voice of his friend Sgt. Bill Miller at his old precinct (voiced by Ethan Hawke) and his partner Rick (voiced by Eli Goree).

It’s basically just Gyllenhaal, a thrilling script and the cast of voice actors moving this thing along and there isn’t one minute during the film where I found myself looking at the clock, reaching for my phone or wanting it to end. That’s truly a remarkable credit to Gyllenhaal’s performance and Pizzolatto’s script.

One thing I will say about Gyllenhaal’s character, Pizzolatto’s script and Fuqua’s film is there’s never a second of the film where I find myself liking Baylor, even though he’s going to great lengths to save this woman, and I feel like that’s the right thing for this film. He’s a jerk. So, when you find out he killed a man on the job and likely did so just because he could you don’t feel yourself feeling sorry for his end result or how his life as turned out. This is important given the current climate toward policing in this country. I’m not sure how many viewers want to see a bad cop get away with something just because he’s also done something good.

Another thing I can say impressed me about “The Guilty” is there is a turn, or surprise, about an hour into the film that I just didn’t see coming. I’m not sure this really changes the film overall, but anytime a film can make you think, “huh, I didn’t expect that” it’s interesting to note.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eduardo Minett & Natalia Traven
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour & 44 minutes 

“Cry Macho,” which premiered in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, Sept. 17, is Clint Eastwood’s 40th feature film as a director, most of which have starred himself in either the lead or a major supporting role.
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At 91-years old Eastwood is still putting out at least one film a year, which is truly amazing. Rarely, if ever, in the history of film have we seen a director this prolific in his late career output and it’s certainly never happened in which he’s also the lead in many of those films.

“Cry Macho,” based on the 1975 American novel of the same name by N. Richard Nash (who was also a screenwriter most known for penning director Otto Preminger’s 1959 adaptation of the Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess”), has been attempted to be adapted into film for nearly as long as it’s been around, but finally came to fruition with Eastwood at the helm.

The film, set in 1980, sees grizzled old Texan Mike Milo (Eastwood), a retired former rodeo star and horse trainer hired by his ex-boss Howard Polk (Dwight Yoakam) to go down to Mexico and rescue his 13-year old son Rafo (Eduardo Minett) from his estranged wife and her boyfriend, whom he believes to be abusing Rafo. Later we find out there’s a bit more to why Polk wants Rafo in the United States with him that kind of puts a damper on the film’s ending, but it doesn’t do a whole lot to sway Mike from doing this job.

What results in “Cry Macho” is ultimately a nice buddy flick between Mike and Rafo. Mike represents the “American Dream” to Rafo, who admires the cowboy lifestyle, even if Mike is a gringo. The chemistry between Eastwood and Minett, in his American film debut, is good enough for the film, which truly relies on it. This is mostly the story of this old man and this Mexican teen, with a bit of a love story added on involving Mike and a widowed café keeper Marta, played by Natalia Traven.

I enjoyed “Cry Macho” and I believe if you’re looking for a simple film for an easy evening viewing it’s well-worth your time, especially if you’re into cowboy movies (even though it’s not an outright traditional Western).

I had one major issue with the film and it’s Eastwood the actor as chosen by Eastwood the director. Eastwood’s performance in “Cry Macho” is good. It’s just not very believable, as he’s a 91-year old man doing things a 91-year old man shouldn’t be doing, except for a scene or two where he saunters around so slowly you can’t help but wonder if much of the film’s one hour and 44 minute runtime is just going to be him shuffling around.

I understand Eastwood not wanting to give up the reigns as an actor and he’s done enough in the industry to truly be able to do whatever he wants to do, but this movie would’ve been better off with a younger actor in the lead. Now, I don’t necessarily mean we need to see Ryan Gosling slip down to Mexico and save Rafo – no, I get that you need someone older and grizzled in this role. But Eastwood in a role where he punches somebody in the face and in one particularly cringy scene is being seduced by an actress who’s 52 years his junior is just laughable. I think the movie would’ve been a bit better off if Eastwood had put someone like maybe Kevin Costner, who’s 66-years old, but a bit more believable to be doing such things in the role.

Director: Kay Cannon 
Starring: Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel & Billy Porter
Rated: PG
Runtime: 1 hour & 53 minutes 

Once upon a time, a beautiful girl fell in love with a handsome prince, and they lived happily ever after. This is the story that has been told to all of us in fairy tales for years. A girl achieves all her dreams simply by finding love with a man who gives her all she needs. An example of this kind of fairytale is “Cinderella.” On September 3rd, Amazon Prime released their version of the classic starring pop star Camila Cabello in the titular role. Over the years, there have been so many versions that when learning of yet another one being released, it begs the question: is this necessary?” To see the same story over and over again could be “bippity boppity boo-ring” but this new installment in the ‘Cinderella’ franchise adds some different aspects that make it worthy of being seen.

The first aspect this film adds is female empowerment. In Amazon Prime’s “Cinderella,” Ella (Cabello) dreams of opening her own shop, Dresses By Ella. She lives in a very patriarchal society where the idea of a woman in business is laughable to its citizens. To see Cinderella have dreams of her own and be actively pursuing these dreams is very progressive. Her focus is on selling dresses. If love comes her way, then it does but she does not want to sacrifice her dreams for a romance. This idea makes this film something I am glad my daughters got to see. Cinderella is still practically a servant to her stepmother, Vivian (played by the wickedly talented Idina Menzel) and her two stepsisters, Malvolia and Narissa. The film follows all the normal beats you would expect from “Cinderella,” but there is another layer that supports this female power notion. The Prince has a sister, Gwen, that is very interested in running the country. To see two women going after their dreams in a fairy tale is very comforting and shows a progression in fairytale storytelling that is heading in the right direction.
 
Another aspect this film adds is the movie musical element. There are some original songs (“Million To One,” being the best) but the film has lots of pop and rock songs that give the film almost a “Glee” aspect. From being a fan of the “Glee” TV series, every week, I would get excited to see what songs they were going to cover that week to tell their stories. After the first couple of pop songs, I got curious as to what was coming next. The highlights for me were the Prince singing “Somebody To Love,” the Wicked Stepmother singing “Material Girl,” and the Prince and Cinderella singing Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.” Another thing this film has in common with “Glee” is that in focusing on the songs that were going to be performed, it took away from some depth in the storytelling. Most of the characters almost appeared to be one note and were not as complex as they could have been, which took away from the film.

The three standouts in the film were Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel and Billy Porter as the Fabulous Godmother. Cabello does an exceptional job as Cinderella by truly diving into the character and making us feel her passion. It makes us root for her. Menzel is equally as fantastic as the stepmother, Vivian. Menzel could not have done better with what she was given. I just wish she would have been given a little more. That leaves Porter as the Fabulous Godmother ... and let me tell you, he is quite fabulous. The character that left me wanting more was the Godmother. I wish we could have seen more but I know this role has always been a very supporting one. Casting Porter as the Fabulous Godmother is another aspect that makes this film exciting because Porter knocks it out of the park.

While the progressive storytelling and musical aspect has been added to the “Cinderella” story, the film does not focus enough on character development for viewers to fully embrace each character. It makes the film good but not great. While this may not be the best version of “Cinderella,” it will be a mostly entertaining two hours for you and the family.