RHODY LIFE

At the Warwick Showcase

Posted 5/13/21

At the Warwick Showcase

HERE TODAY

**½

Feel good/feel sad movie

Billy Crystal stars as Charlie Burnz, a comedy writer who discovers that he has dementia and keeps the diagnosis to …

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RHODY LIFE

At the Warwick Showcase

Posted

HERE TODAY

**½

Feel good/feel sad movie

Billy Crystal stars as Charlie Burnz, a comedy writer who discovers that he has dementia and keeps the diagnosis to himself.

He meets Emma Page (Tiffany Haddish), a young singer, in a funny, bizarre scene and they become fast friends.

The first half of the movie has some funny scenes, as Charlie writes comedy with his team and SNL-like skits are performed on live TV.

Charlie and Emma become close friends in spite of their different backgrounds.

That’s the good news.

Then the movie gets bogged down with Charlie’s relationship with his grown son and daughter and his guilt over the death of his wife.

Director/writer Crystal uses a clever flashback technique as Charlie deals from scenes from his past. We see his wife as they meet, date, marry and have problems through Charlie’s eyes.

Unfortunately, the story turns very schmaltzy as Charlie reconnects with his family, especially his cold-as-ice daughter.

Crystal and Haddish have some good scenes together, with Emma being wise beyond her years and Charlie throwing out some funny one-liners.

With so many movies coming out about dementia and problems of aging, at least Crystal tries to put a humorous spin on this one. The comedy works; the drama doesn’t.

Rated PG-13 with some profanity and sexual references.

WRATH OF MAN

**½

Revenge/heist movie

Jason Statham plays H, an armored truck driver with a mysterious past who works his way in and up in a company that hauls big amounts of cash.

In a flashback, we learn that his son has been killed by a gang that has robbed the company and injured him.

That’s the revenge angle.

The rest of the movie is a drawn-out planning and executing of the big heist, with H right in the middle of the action.

There’s an unknown mole inside the company that is feeding information to the bad guys. See if you can guess who it is.

It all comes down to the heist, where only a few live to tell about it.

Rated R with lots of violence and profanity.

At the Avon

THE MAURITANIAN

***½

Most movies based on real events say, “based on a true story.” This one boldly states, “this is a true story.” It is based on the New York Times bestseller “Guantanamo Diary” by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was detained and imprisoned there for over seven years shortly after 9/11.

Jodie Foster plays the defense attorney and Benedict Cumberbatch the U.S. government prosecutor, who both struggle their feelings and loyalties as they learn of the mistreatment and torturing of the prisoner.

The movie is very intense and controversial as truths are covered up that put the army and the government in a bad light.

It is a bit long at over two hours. Not rated, but contains some disturbing scenes.

Foster was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance.

movies, cinema, reviews

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