Tag: Vera Farmiga

The Many Saints of Newark

The Many Saints of Newark

“The Many Saints of Newark” sort of takes you back to when Anthony Soprano was growing up. Anthony grew up during the most tumultuous eras in Newark’s history. He became a man just as rival gangsters began to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family’s hold over the increasingly race-torn city. Caught up in this whirlwind time is Anthony’s uncle Dickie Moltisanti whom he idolized. Dickie Moltisanti struggled greatly to manage both his personal and professional responsibilities. The influence he has over his nephew will help make Anthony into the powerful mob boss that we all came to know as Tony Soprano. Basically, this is the prequel to “The Sopranos” that appeared on HBO for many years. 

The movie is dark, unnerving and a bit pathetic. I found myself gasping at times at some of the scenes.

The movie is executed very well, but not that engaging or entertaining. The cast of characters is spot on!!

If you are a fan of the HBO Series “The Sopranos”, “The Many Saints of Newark” should not be missed.

“The Many Saints of Newark” is in theaters and also streaming on HBO MAX.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters in AMC Dolby

It wouldn’t be summer without a Blockbuster Monster Movie to open the season. It looks like “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is wearing those shoes…

New story centered around the efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members come in contact with and have to battle a wide range of god-sized monsters, including Godzilla.

Godzilla collides with Mothra, Rodan and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species whom were thought to be mere myths actually rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance. The story unfolds from there…

New Story, same outcome. It just took a bit longer to get there… This story involved Scientists actually harvesting the monsters in specific locations around the world and trying to control them via sound waves and other scientific technology.

The monsters that Godzilla fought were a lot more menacing than Godzilla himself. The movie was slow and dragged painfully to the ultimate fight. I found myself a bit bored and ready to leave before the movie was over. At the end, I left disappointed. There are other Godzilla installments that are way better than this one. I even saw this in AMC Dolby which means you feel everything in your seat.

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is not the movie to start your summer movie going experience with.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

Front Runner

Do you remember the 1988 Presidential Candidate Senator Gary Hart? Gary Hart was the “Front Runner” in the candidacy until rumors and speculations arose that he had an extra marital affair.

This movie is about the 3 weeks that led up to the destruction of Senator Gary Hart’s Presidential Campaign.

In 1987 Colorado Senator Gary Hart was running for the presidency. Gary and his campaign staff were out on the campaign trail winning over citizens and participating in the daily job tasks of citizens in the cities and towns that were visited. Senator Hart was winning over citizens all over America. He was the “Front Runner” and everything looked rosy.

Several news reporters started sniffing around and discovered that Gary Hart and his wife Lee (Vera Farmiga) were separated and had been for a while. Then Gary was seen coming and going from his other residence with a couple of different woman. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is entertaining, but lacks depth and was too calm. The media was too tame during the explosion when the story leaked about Senator Gary Hart. Usually the press are vultures when there is a juicy story, but not in “The Front Runner”. During a rant Hugh Jackman’s Australian accent came to the surface a bit. To my knowledge Gary Hart is not Australian.

The “Front Runner” opened in limited-release on Nov 6th. It is now opened in wide-release.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!!

The Commuter

“The Commuter” would be an awesome action-packed thriller if the story made sense and provided a foundation from the beginning, but it doesn’t do either of those things. You the viewer have to piece the story together yourself, it’s not an easy task.

Michael (Liam Neeson) an Insurance Salesman who rides a Commuter Train every day is approached by a mysterious woman (Vera Farmiga) who seems to know him. This woman offers Michael a strange assignment that is lucrative, this has him intrigued, but cautious. Soon Michael finds out he is being blackmailed and his entire family is in danger if he does not complete the assignment that the mysterious woman offers him. The story unfolds from there…

I love Liam Neeson, but not in “The Commuter”. He does what he can with what he was given, but yet it’s not enough! The context of the story does not make sense. You are not given enough to fully understand the “What’s and the Why’s”. It does come together at the end, but at the end it’s too late!!

There are several excellent movies currently playing. “The Commuter” is worth a look, but only as a last resort.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!

The Judge

In “The Judge”, big city attorney Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) is summoned back to the Indiana town he grew up in when he is informed that his mother has died. Once he returns to his childhood home Hank attempts to reconnect with his estranged Dad, “The Judge” (Robert Duvall) and re-establish a relationship with the family he walked away from.

Judge Palmer (Robert Duvall) ends up getting arrested for attempted murder when his vintage Cadillac strikes and kills a recently released ex-con that he himself once convicted. The story unfolds from there…

“The Judge” is not a bad movie, but it takes way too long to get to the point. Family dysfunction is the order of the day with the Palmer family. This is played out throughout the movie.

There are at least 5 smaller stories playing out in the movie involving a high school romance rekindled, a mentally challenged younger brother, past transgressions of a father, possible incest and an impending divorce. None of these scenarios have anything to do with the story at hand. This all causes the movie to be disjointed.

There is plenty of star power in “The Judge”, too bad it’s not fully utilized.

This is a 2 1/2 Star Movie!