NINE LIVES

NINE LIVES:  A simple premise...Kevin Spacey is turned into a cat under mysterious circumstances.
He most likely shouldn't have gone into that pet store owned by Christopher Walken.  Jennifer Garner plays the wife to the workaholic Spacy and Mark Consuelos does nicely as the villain in a subplot concerning Spacey's business venture.   The point is they all chose to be in this movie.  The poor cat didn't.  And while the cat is mostly the work of CGI artists, it none the less, takes the blunt of everything which is at times almost painful to watch.  And though there are a few laughs along the way, the film is pretty much witless and extremely short in the humor department.   So, I guess I'd call it a "family film" that misses the mark.  Adding that children may be bored by some of the boardroom shenanigans.  "Nine Lives" was a three on my cat scan!

BEN-HUR 3D

BEN-HUR 3D:   Fans of the 1959 Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd classic would be best advised to watch it again.  This re-imaging of the tale pales in comparison.   Yet, it does have it's good points. Although somewhat plodding for the first half hour, Jack Huston in the title role and Toby Kebbell as Messala try valiantly to add some heft to these proceedings but are pretty much overshadowed by the ghosts of Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd.   Wrongly accused of treason, Judah Ben-Hur sets out to seek vengeance on the man (Messala) who ruined his life. Morgan Freeman acting as narrator part of the time, plays a horse trainer who befriends Judah along the way and ultimately helps him in the climactic chariot race.  And  the chariot race is the spectacular scene that the movie does brilliantly.    The 3D camera emphasizes the amount of CGI used to attain some thrills.  It is breathtaking.   We do get our dose of  faith with the appearance of Jesus, here and there, culminating in the crucifixion and the awaking of forgiveness in Judah.... The "happy ending" was a little off-putting to me, but I forgive the film makers.   A worthy try but it's hard to out-do the winner of eleven Academy Awards.

PETE'S DRAGON 3D

PETE'S DRAGON 3D:  From Disney but having no resemblance to their live action/animation film from years gone by, this re-imagining of  the tale still has a ton of the Disney magic and charm.  Bryce Dallas Howard stars as Grace, a forest ranger in the great Northwest.  Her father (Robert Redford) is a woodcarver who delights in telling tales of a dragon that once live in the woods.  Grace believes her fathers stories are merely that....stories, until she stumbles across Pete (Oakes Fegley). a ten year-old orphan, who had lived alone in the woods for any number of years.   Well, not exactly alone... with a dragon named Eliot.   From the opening shots of this lovely film, we know that Eliot is real and that is part of the fun, watching the story unfold.  I saw it in 3D which I thought was a bonus because of the majesty of the forest and the thrilling flight of the dragon.  There are villains in the piece, loggers who are bent on clearing the timber and capturing Eliot once they have spotted him, which is no mean task since he can disappear at will.  So, no spoiler here, there is a happy ending but not before some lessons are learned (by the adults).  And by the way, Eliot is brilliant CGI work... big, green, fuzzy, with a broken tooth and just plain loveable.   And that's the word for this movie...Loveable!

FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS

FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS:   Meryl Streep continues to add luster to her career (and perhaps her 20th Oscar nomination) with yet another portrayal of a real-life woman, in this case, a New York heiress who, inspired by a performance of Lily Pons, dreams of becoming an opera star.  The sad fact is that she has a terrible singing voice, albeit unbeknownst to her.  Also on hand is the wonderful Hugh Grant as her husband St. Clair Bayfield, a one-time actor who will go to any lengths to keep his wife from finding out how bad she really is. When Ms. Jenkins announces her intention to start music lessons, an accompanist must be found.  The delightful Simon Helberg fills the bill but is totally bewildered with the sounds emanating from Ms. Jenkins.  Along the way, there are moments with Earl Wilson, Cole Porter, Tallulah Bankhead and even Arturo Toscanini.  Stephen Frears directed this bright, bubbly biopic with warmth and a nostalgic grace as would befit any bonafide diva. And it is both hilarious as well as poignant.  This is one to see, if you have a heart and a hearty laugh. Meryl has never been better.

 

CAFE SOCIETY

CAFE SOCIETY:  This latest film from director Woody Allen takes place in the Thirties when a young Bronx native Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg) moves to Hollywood looking for a place to belong as well as a little fame and fortune. After he secures a job with his Uncle Phil (Steve Carell), he falls for Vonnie (Kristen Stewart), who works in Phil's office. Avoiding "spoilers," let me say problems ensue.  While I am not a fan of some of Mr.Allen's movies, this one is a bittersweet love story with a few smiles (not laughs) along the way.   It does, however, rely on a lot on Hollywood nostalgia from the era that may be lost to younger viewers.  (References to Adolphe Menjou, among others)  But it still has an almost poetic view of the days gone by as the story moves from California and back to New York,  It also has an homage to the gangsters of the time that is startling and witty as well.  And the costumes are perfection.  So, all in all, an enjoyable movie but not the ending I would have preferred.