This is the Movie Catch Up of 2016, to December. For full reviews online in video form go to On Location Kat 2 Reviews, Weird Kitty 07 on You Tube site.
"The Magnificent Seven" PG 13
This terse remake of the classic often redone western saga that parodies Seven Samurai but darkly is more 'dark serious Blazing Saddles' then it will admit. The flick stars seven outlaws, big stars in Hollywood action flicks, called together to defend a town from an evil governor who has a mine that has all the riches. (September release). It is a good flick, noteworthy for the homage to old west movies, which are awesome, but it comes off somewhat as rushed and unpolished. It isn't great but it is entertaining, and is worth a rental. If it comes out on the bargain bin, picking it up to have on sometimes in the background is a good idea, for fans of the genre. The characters make the movie and sometimes that is the issue, but other than that, it has a lot of good action.
"Edge of Seventeen" PG 13
This movie is truly a love letter to John Hughes and Amy Heckerling, two of the 1980s greatest movie writers. The film is an homage, like Neighbors (but not Neighbors 2) to the 1980s and the sensibilities of that generation, but this time told through the eyes of a Millennial. The song is not in the movie at all, but the title had been changed since Cannes. I could go into how the adults in the movie are homages to the classic films, but this mother/daughter drama is more about the self tormenting girl of the lead. Disaffected and conversely annoyed by the change of being a teenager, with a single widowed Mom, a hot jock brother, a horny friend who beds her brother, and a film geek friend, the main character freaks out often. Most of the sensible characters try to get her to chill, but she is just so high strung, until she parties and then befriends the film kid. Ultimately the final act has some odd choices, but it is not supposed to be a comedy, and not to end on a sour note either. This is some messed up stuff, but it is probably the best of the year.
"Arrival"PG
Alien shell ships come to Earth and only communicate is cyclic language in the tense thriller space opera Arrival, a medium budget fantasy film. The story is smart with what it shows, has only some confusing parts, like flashbacks that turn out to be visions, and some odd dialect things with the seven legged aliens. The premise should be ridiculous, but somehow it works as a scientific version of a first contact, where the aliens aren't out to destroy us, but need out help. It has a lot of Star Trek theme to it, with the idea being cooperation is a means to an end, and they need to do so to forward the future. (Not to be confused with the cheesy 1990s movie of a similar name). You might need two viewings to get it though. It isn't quite this year's Interstellar, but it is along that same line in some ways. It is basically Carl Sagan's Contact with a better ending. This space drama gets a nod and should get awards.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" PG 13
Set 100 years before the events of Harry Potter, this prequel takes place in a fantasy New York where a wizard brings a case full of a menagerie of magical creatures into the city, and they get out. The local wizards try to contain the outbreak, but it is too late, and soon the forces of magical things overwhelm the neighborhood. The wizard and two female wizard friends attempt to capture and contain the critters before the whole city learns the truth and comes after all wizards. Meanwhile there is a secondary plot about a dark force attacking the city. It is a fun action story in the Potter universe, far more so than the dreary and confusing Cursed Child play that takes place 19 years after Harry Potter 8. It has some flaws though and relies a lot of fan service to the series. It probably should not have a sequel, but they will likely make one.If you really liked the Potter universe, you could own a copy.
"Disney's Moana" PG
Disney and Pixar return for a third helping, their most recent adaptation of something, which as was hinted in Inside Out's cute island themed short, would be about the Islands. They had been there before with Leelo and Stitch. It is not always the case that the short leads to the movie.The story is a prehistoric Polynesian tale about an isolated island culture that does not want to change, but disaster strikes the area, and they will do nothing about it. The princess girl Moana though is urged by her old Grandmother to go on a voyage, steals one of the ancient boats from the cave, and sets out to find Maui, the demigod that can stop the darkness. It is a delightful movie for the whole family and is one of the best, alongside Zootopia and Finding Dory.
"Office Christmas Party" R
A company in Chicago is going under and has 24 hours to break even or the evil lady boss will come and close them down, but her brother used to be a party animal, and he plans to throw a fantastic party to get a bid from a zany character that has some clout. They throw a Christmas party ala the TV show the Office, crossed with Van Wilder and Bad Santa. This raunchy comedy has moments of clever writing, usually in the smaller jokes and not in the pop references. It falls flat when they over sell a joke, but does well with the lesser quirks. You enjoy watching what they will do next, even if it is somewhat insane. It looks like a number of other movies but has some originality.
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