"Next Exit"

 2022 * Not Rated * 1h 46m  I love a good buddy road trip flick. Well, this isn't your typical one. Not by a long shot. It's the sci-fi debut for writer/director Mali Elfman, and what a terrific first outing it is. The film takes place in the very near future, where a scientist is doing controversial experiments with sending people into the afterlife, with the hope of taking humans to the next stage of evolution. A pretty dark premise. 

Well two New Yorkers volunteer to participate. They're strangers, but they end up sharing a ride out west, where the project is taking place. The couple, Rose (Katie Parker) and Teddy (Rahul Kohli) are at each other's throats right from the get-go. They fight about everything, and it's amusing yet uncomfortable at the same time. They both have troubled pasts, which they eventually open up about. Like most good road-trip movies, they meet plenty of characters along the way, which makes the adventure that much more interesting. 

Naturally, since opposites attract, especially in the movies, they end up reluctantly falling for each other. However, this could be problematic since at the end of their trip, they've volunteered to commit suicide as part of the research. I won't say anything more about the outcome of the film, you'll just have to watch it to see what happens. Overall, I really enjoyed the film. The two leads were terrific, the story was very engaging, and the cinematography was spot on. My only complaint was the soundtrack. I thought it was petty annoying at times. It reminded me a bit of the sounds Yorgos Lanthimos incorporates into his films. 

4 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming for free with your library card on Kanopy. Also on Hulu and to rent on Prime Video. 

"Ben is Back"

2018 * R * 1h 43m I don't know how I missed this one when it came out. You'd think with a star like Julia Roberts in it, it would have garnered more attention. And with Oscar-worthy performances by her and Lucas Hedges, this film should have been way more popular than it is. The story deals with a tough subject, drug addiction, and the tough love a family uses to attempt to control it. What a powerful, intense, and thoroughly captivating movie it is. 

Holly (Roberts) is returning home with her kids after a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve service at their church. As they pull up in the driveway, her oldest son Ben (Hedges) is waiting for them. He's been in rehab for drug addiction and wasn't expected home. He reassures them that the visit was approved by his sponsor. Well, that's the first in a series of lies you expect from a hard-core junkie. And it's just the beginning of the problems the family faces. 

Holly reluctantly agrees to let her son spend one day with the family, as long as he stays by her side the entire time he's there. While the family attends Christmas service, someone vandalizes their home and steals their beloved dog. So Holly and Ben go out on a mission in search of the dog. It's an intense journey, and will have you biting your nails until the credits roll. Just about the entire movie takes place over the course of one evening. Sort of a long day's journey into night, if you will. The story takes a number of twists and turns, and you never know what's going to happen next. 

If you're looking for a well made, well acted thriller, give this one a whirl! 

4 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming for free on Hoopla (with your library card). Also on Plex, Pluto TV, and Prime Video.

It says "Video Unavailable" but click on "Watch on YouTube" and it plays! 

"How to Build a Girl"

2019 * R * 1h 42m  When it comes to whacky, offbeat coming of age flicks, the Brits really shine! If you're looking for a fun, well written and acted indie movie you'll definitely love this little gem. It features some familiar actors in supporting roles. But the real star is Beanie Feldstein who's an absolute delight to watch. She almost singlehandedly carries the entire film. 

Johanna Morrigan (Feldstein) is a young, precocious, and nerdy kid, living with her working-class family in Wolverhampton. Her life is pretty mundane until one day she decides to reinvent herself. She decides since she has a gift for writing, she's going to start doing music reviews for a hot magazine, loosely based on NME in London. She quickly learns about the business and at first it's fun to watch her adapt. But her popularity quickly goes to her head and she turns into an insufferable, egotistical pain in the butt. 

She even turns on her own family.  And when you see her interact with her peers, you wonder if they like her or are merely tolerating her and secretly despise her? Does she figure out what a horrible person she's become and redeem herself in the end? You'll just have to watch this one and find out for yourself.  

I really enjoyed this one. I especially liked Ms. Feldstein's performance and look forward to seeing what she does next. 

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming for free with your library card on Kanopy. Also on AMC+, and IFC Films Unlimited. 

A short video I just made

I don't normally do this, but I'm posting a short movie of mine. Pardon the crudeness of it, but I'm trying to figure out how to use iMovie.

 

"Plus One"

2019 * Not Rated * 1h 38m  I've been watching a fair amount of heavier, and darker movies. So I needed something fairly mindless to view. When this one popped up on Netflix, I thought I'd give it a chance. I was not disappointed. Sure, it's totally formulaic, and you pretty much know what's going to happen. But sometimes, that's okay. And this turned out to be a heck of a lot funnier than I was expecting.  

"Plus One" stars two actors I'd never heard of--Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine. They both play off each other well and are absolutely hilarious together. The plot is pretty basic. Two old friends Ben (Quaid) and Alice (Erskine) are inundated with wedding invitations. It seems like everyone they know is getting married. So they decide to be each others "plus one" during the wedding season. They agree ahead of time that the relationship is going to be strictly platonic. Yeah, right!

As you'd guess, they eventually fall for each other. They not only didn't see it coming, but they try to resist  their natural attraction The two of them have some amazing chemistry, and here it's funny that Alice is the foul-mouthed one. She spews a constant stream of one liners and digs at both Ben and the situation they've gotten into. I laughed out loud a number of times, which is pretty rare for me. Overall, I really enjoyed the film. I just wish there were more like it out there!

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Note to parents: While the movie is Not Rated, I'd probably rate it "R" mainly for language. 

Currently streaming on Netflix, Hulu, The Roku Channel, and to rent on YouTube and Prime Video. 

"Queenpins"

 2021 * R * 1h 50m  When I read the description of the movie, I was reluctant to watch it. It's a true story about a couple women who are involved in a multi-million dollar coupon scam. Huh? This had the potential to be either really lame, or really funny. It turned out to be the latter. An improbable story helped out by some great acting from Kristen Bell, Kirby, Paul Walter Hauser, and Vince Vaughn. 

The story is about a housewife Connie (Bell) who's in a loveless marriage. Her husband is constantly on the road and to relieve her boredom becomes an avid coupon clipper. She's over the top with it and has a pantry chock full of groceries she's saved money on. One day she opens up a box of stale cereal. She writes a complaint letter to the company, and when she receives a coupon for a free replacement box, she hatches a plan. She gets together with her neighbor JoJo (Kirby) and the two of them start a campaign where they write complaining letters.to all sorts of companies for free coupons. Then they start selling the coupons. That's just slightly illegal, but then they take it to the next level. 

At this point, it's come to the attention of Ken (Hauser) who deals with coupon fraud. He's absolutely hilarious as he tries to get the FBI involved. When the case is turned over to the Post Office, Vince Vaughn's character teams up with him to try to locate the culprits. Overall, it's a pretty lighthearted, funny movie that I got a kick out of. It's not a great movie, but it is a couple hours of good fun, with a couple laugh out loud moments. 

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming on Netflix