Neighbors (2014)

This was a good, stupid Saturday night film.
Mac and Kelly (Seth Rogen and Rose Bryne) are a married couple with a baby but are struggling to adult. They hate that they have responsibilities that keep them indoors, even though they love their baby dearly and then, they get the neighbors from hell. Teddy (Zac Efron) and Peter (Dave Franco) are presidents of a fraternity and at first, they seem decent but after the noise continues, it turns into an all out war between the two. The worst is when the frat brothers rip out the air bags in Mac and Kelly's respective cars. But they can't deal with the noise and things finally come to a head when they get Mac's bozzo friend, Jimmy (Ike Barinholtz) involved who is stupid beyond reason and believes that having a baby with his ex-wife (Carla Gallo) will fix things between them.
In the end, Teddy protects Pete, who might actually have a bright future, considering he goes to class and everything and takes the heat for the final party and Mac and Kelly realize that they are too old for the non-stop partying and drinking. They have fun amongst themselves. They dress up their baby into male TV characters and make a Stella calendar.
Sure, it isn't much and there are way too many dick jokes and some disgusting scenes, but there are actually meaningful, deep scenes. The performances are decent and Kelly is a strong character who keeps up with veteran actor Seth Rogen beat for beat which cannot be easy. Efron and Franco are also solid and there are good supporting turns by Lisa Kudrow and Jerrod Carmichael. All-in-all, this was a decent film and one that can be watched again except for that scene where Mac breaks the breast pump. Grade: B

The Middle: Hecks vs. Glossners: The Final Battle

The episode starts out slow. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is begging someone in his family to take him driving as his learner's permit expires soon. But everyone in the family values their lives more. And then, Sue's (Eden Sher's) car is stolen out of the driveway and the following day, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) finds it in the parking lot of the Frugal Hoosier. Rita Glossner (Brooke Shields) has it. Her boys gave it to her as a present and she's even using Sue's I Heart Dolphins key chain. The police won't do anything once the Hecks tell them that it is the Glossners who stole the car and Mike (Neil Flynn) has had enough. They take matters into their own hands, trying to battle the Glossners but the Glossners are prepared and quick, wrapping Axl (Charlie McDermott) in the Hecks old volleyball net. Brick is reluctant to engage but then the Glossners kidnap Sue.
It turns into a full on war, the whole neighborhood including the Donahues (Jen Ray and Sean O'Bryan) and Bill Norwood (Pat Finn) against the Glossners, but there are many Glossners, far more than there have been in the past. Frankie shoves a cupcake in Rita's face to escape her wrath as love, sweet love won't save the world. Axl manages to rescue Sue and find the car keys, but then Sue sees the snow globe that she found in the trash can. But she is caught. And Derrick Glossner (David Chandler) isn't going to let her go. He's bettered himself as now he has a job at a tattoo parlor. Naturally, Sue isn't interested in him.
But she saves her snow globe and the keys get tossed to Brick who picks this moment of all moments to drive at a snails pace. Still, the Hecks have their car back just as they should. They have taken back the neighborhood and several Glossners are arrested. Frankie says that with less children in the house, Rita is actually much nicer so Frankie blames the kids for all of her stress.
Is this episode far-fetched? Absolutely, but it is also a good time, also yes. It is interesting seeing a different side to the Donahues, even though Nancy does bring deviled eggs. And it is nice that the Hecks have a centralized plot line and a bunch of scenes together. Plus, it was interesting and high time that the Hecks have a win. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Mike is willing to spend nine extra dollars of his hard-earned money to renew Brick's learners permit as that is a small price to pay to keep living.
-Mike is also trying to teach Axl a bunch of little life lessons that all men should know like learning how to tie a tie, whistle through your fingers, kick down a door and open a bottle without a bottle opener, all of which come in handy during the course of this episode.
-Nancy drags two Donahue boys by the ear and says that she is going to take them home, feed them a good meal, force them to watch Little House on the Prairie and then put them to bed at a decent hour.
-Mike describes Sue's dream-catcher as having no effect on the Hecks as the dreams just go right around it.
-Bill might have a potential romantic interest in the form of the new paramedic. He was blindsided by Paula having a date.

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

This film was another one that had all the ingredients, and it just didn't come together well enough.
Meg's (Storm Reid's) father is missing and has been for four years and she misses him beyond belief. She, her little brother (Deric McCabe) and this random other kid from Meg's class, Calvin (Levi Miller) go on the journey of a lifetime, jumping between universes to find Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine), with unexpected twists and turns along the way, hoping that Dad will be found and having that internal battle to overcome your fears.
To be fair, I haven't read the book in years, fourteen to be exact so I don't remember the source material that well but that is not the reason I didn't like the film. Love conquers hate. Been there, done that. The only twist here is that Meg's flaws are also her strengths, which isn't always the case. Sure, Reid is excellent and the make up and scenery is flawless but everything fell flat. Reid portrayed a strong character while Miller's was incredibly weak and one dimensional. The best scene came at the end with Alex being reunited with his family, including his wife (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, underused). Still, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey are great in their small roles. But they can't save this film. Grade: B-

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

I don't know if I will ever be able to eat peaches again after watching this film.
This film tells the story of the slow burn romance of young Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and his father's summer assistant, Oliver (Armie Hammer). Elio's father (Michael Stuhlbarg) is an archeologist professor who married an Italian woman (Amira Cesar). The family is multilingual and multi-talented.
This is also 1983 but it is also Europe. Each interpret every little move made differently and at first, they both suppress their true feelings by being with women though things finally reach a boiling point, at the expense of a peach, one of my favorite fruits.
The plot isn't much other than a coming of age film oozing with excellent, natural performances and a breakthrough role for Chalamet. There is also a heart-wrenching father and son scene toward the tail end of the film, which makes the film worth watching.
Yes, I have issues with it. Why does Elio's nose bleed and then later, he vomits out of nowhere solely because Oliver is dancing with a stranger? This stuff bothers me and some scenes should linger more even though the film is already over two hours. But it is a rich film and one that deserves a viewing despite the heart-breaking ending. I won't spoil it for you though you can probably predict how it will end. Elio should be lucky to have such understanding parents and he knows that he is. Grade: B+

The Middle: The Crying Game

What goes around, comes around. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is having troubles in his health class. He doesn't understand what ovaries are and then he is handed Axl's (Charlie McDermott's) old baby, duct tape included. Brick is livid and gets up in Axl's face. Naturally, Axl recognized the baby. But, as Brick actually changed the diaper so the baby has been renamed Axlina. And while Brick might be better than Axl, he still leaves the baby in the fridge and dries her wet diaper in the dryer. And both Axl's and Sue's (Eden Sher's) attempts to mend fences with his teacher (Rose Abdoo). She doesn't remember Sue even though Sue saved her dog from heatstroke and she still hates Axl but didn't like Brick for reasons all his own. Brick licked her car but as it turns out, he licks a lot of cars which is just disgusting. She even offered to swap out his baby for a whole one but she opts to keep Axlina as someone needs to love the weird ones.
Mike's (Neil Flynn's) plot line doesn't get the attention it deserves. He is offered the job as regional manager and he takes it. Though he often reluctant to change, he is finally satisfied to mix things up but things don't go to plan. The guys give him a heartfelt goodbye, but then as corporate rented out half their office, Mike has a new trailer right next to his old room. Plus, most of the work is done remotely anyway.
And Frankie (Patricia Heaton) just wants to have a good cry, which she never does. We don't know why she's having a bad week but apparently she is.
I wasn't thrilled with the main plot line, though having high schoolers watch a fake baby should be funny and it was done well the first time. And more focus should have given to Mike and what his new job entails and why he wants it, though he says it isn't for the money as he doesn't even think there is a pay increase. Still, the performances were decent but there were no laughs. This is probably one of the weakest episodes of the season. Grade: B-
Side Notes:
-Someone from the outside was hired for the job Mike now has, but he was fired because he got handsy and is now running for Congress, which sounds about right.
-Some guys at the quarry, mostly Jim (Troy Metcalf) are devastated that Mike is leaving.
-Axl really was awful in his high school health class. He drew buttronauts all over the sign of the female reproductive system which is disturbing.
-Sue scolds her old teacher for not remembering who she is. While I think it is ridiculous to expect teachers to remember old of their students, the teacher still should have lied. Sue was out of line with that speech.
-Mike appreciates people who clock in on time.
-Dave (Malcolm Foster Smith) is bringing back office birthdays if he gets Mike's job.
-The baby always cries under florescent lights.
-Brick has read to his fake baby numerous times, which is what I would expect from him.

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Despite the lukewarm reviews, this wasn't a horrible film.
Alex Martin (Kate Winslet, playing American) and Ben Bass (Idris Elba, playing British) are in a bind. They both need to get places soon but their flights have been canceled so they book an off-the-books flight (piloted by Beau Bridges), which crashes after the pilot suffers a stroke and thus their quest for survival begins.
That is the majority of the film and surviving in the wilderness and extreme cold must be daunting. Fortunately, Ben is a doctor which is helpful, considering Alex's leg is severely hurt. They clash as each wants to survive in a different way but eventually they also fall in love and then, Alex limps to safety in the form of a logging camp.
As this is a mainstream Hollywood film, both main characters survive with little physical wounds to remain them of their ordeal but their mental struggle is much greater. Alex calls off her wedding to the caring Mark (Dermot Mulroney) and Ben returns to his homeland, conquering his fear of flying. Though he never says it, it must be a fear of his and though Alex is willing to leave that they had back on the mountain and so is Ben but they both turn around and rush into each other's arms, which promptly ends the film.
So, yeah, the film wasn't spectacular but it was decent and the romance is rather gradual but then erupts. And it was also too convenient that Ben's wife had passed away but it also adds a layer to his devastation and loneliness. Winslet and Elba turn in solid performances without missing a note and the film relies on them to do so as it would collapse if one of them failed but that loose ending ticked me off. I like something solid and finite and this film failed to provide that for me and it needed a strong ending as the film meandered along, taking its sweet old time  getting to them being rescued. Still, it wasn't the worst way to spend an evening alone. Grade: B

Darkest Hour (2017)

This is the third film that focused on Dunkirk in the same year. Before that, this mass exodus of troops was largely overlooked by Hollywood.
Still, this one shows a different view. First, there was the actual men on the battlefield, then the media and now the government.
Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) is the new Prime Minister, rarely without a cigar and alcoholic drink in his hands. He is not a popular choice and soon, even his own party is against him as for the majority of the film, he refuses to consider peace with Germany and Hitler. It is his idea to divert enemy troops from Dunkirk so they can save their men and to gather civilians with boats to evacuate the troops.
The atmosphere of the government and civilians change over the course of the three weeks the film covers. The civilians will fight tooth and nail to stop Hitler from taking over their country which is absolutely a good thing.
While we can look back and now that thank goodness history played out the way it did, you also understand why they wanted to save lives but don't completely understand how and why their minds were changed, especially since Churchill lied to them in his first radio broadcast as Prime Minister, but maybe it had the effect he desired.
Still, the film is fascinating given Oldman's performance. He buries himself in the role and is truly excellent just as good as John Lithgow in The Crown. Kristin Scott Thomas is excellent as his ever-suffering wife Clementine. Despite Winston's love of country, he does have a good amount left over for his wife, as he should. Lily James is also good as Winston's secretary. At first, he is brutal and borderline verbally abusive to her but eventually grows sympathetic to her and her feelings. Working for him must not be an easy job, but she grows to respect him deeply.
Though the film transports you back to that troubling time and does so brilliantly, it remains murky as to how the machinations of some characters changed by the end of the film. Still, a solid film with superb performances and yes, Oldman did deserve his Oscar. Grade: B+

Mother's Day (2016)

Despite the large cast and too many plot lines, this film wasn't horrible. Sure, there is too much, unrealistic character development in such a short time, but it was decent.
There is the divorced Sandy (Jennifer Aniston) who is livid that her ex-husband, Henry (Timothy Olyphant) remarried the much younger Tina (Shay Mitchell) without any warning. At first, she's livid but slowly realizes that it's okay. Sharing is good.
There is the happily married Jesse (Kate Hudson), but she's lied to her husband, Russell (Aasif Mandvi), she hasn't told him that her bigoted parents are still lucid. But at least she has her sister, Gabi (Sarah Chalke) who is lesbian, married to Max (Cameron Esposito). Her parents, Flo and Earl (Margo Martindale and Robert Pine) are furious when they discover all the secrets, there daughters marrying a minority and another woman and Russell feels likewise but they eventually work everything out. Everyone forgives one another and life moves on, more colorfully than before.
There is also the single, career-orientated Miranda Collins (Julia Roberts) who is nice and kind and rich but also deeply lonely.
Bradley (Jason Sudekis) is a recent widow, struggling to raise two daughters without his wife (Jennifer Garner) and he isn't ready to start dating again, clinging to the memories while his daughters are ready and willing to move on.
Lastly, there is Kristin (Britt Robertson) who is devoted to her young daughter, but gets cold feet every time her boyfriend and baby daddy (Jack Whitehall) proposes marriage. You see, because she's adopted and is struggling with her identity. Turns out (predictable) that Miranda is her biological mother and they reunite and Kristin finally marries Zack. Life is good for everyone and I'm fine with that.
Despite everything, the only thing that bothered me is when Sandy goes to buy some candy out of the vending machine, she only puts in one coin. I would like candy to be that cheap in real life. Other than that, it isn't memorable or life changing but the performances are decent and it wasn't a bad way to spend the evening. Grade: B