Willie's View Movie Reviews

   It's that time again, where we look back on the movies that had the most impact and impression on me. Getting right to it, we'll start at 10  and work our way down to my favorite film of 2017. 10 . Victoria & Abdul   A film about an unlikely friendship superbly acted and beautifully told. I'm almost certain very few people reading this have neither heard of this lovely film or seen it. Check it out now available on most streaming platforms. 9. The Greatest Showman  In my eyes, this is the biggest surprise of the year. If you had told me back in March, when Jackman's film performance as Logan came out, that he has a movie musical coming out where he plays P.T. Barnum, singing, and dancing, and that it would be an incredible movie musical, I'd say that you were crazy. Turns out that it's true. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? It's playing now at a theater near you. 8. IT-  The film version of Stephen King&#

  Disney/Pixar's Animated Film COCO is easily one of the best films I've seen in 2017. It has more heart, passion, and emotion than any other film that I've seen this year. Without getting into great detail, COCO tells the story of a boy named Miguel. He has to keep his passion for music a secret from his family due to his family's shame toward his Great, Great Grandfather, who abandoned his family for a life as a musician and was never heard from again. The story is centered around the Hispanic Holiday The Day of The Dead which honors the dead. All Miguel wants to do his freely play his music. On The Day of The Dead, Miguel magically journeys to The Land of The Dead in search of his Great Great Grandfather Ernesto de la Cruz, a legendary musician. What unfolds is a funny, endearing musical journey of self-discovery and family heritage. If you don't get goosebumps and a tear in your eye watching this film, I think you belong in the Land of the Dead.     COCO is

 JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE is the sequel/reboot to the 1995 film starring Robin Williams. The story picks one year later from the original film, where a man finds the mysterious board game on a beach and brings it back home to his teenager son who is obsessed with playing video games. That is pretty much every teenage boy. The boy discards the game in favor of his video game console. While the boy sleeps, the board game magically transforms itself into a video game cartridge. See the film. It makes more sense than my description. Trust me. Long story short, the boy disappears, never to be seen again. Twenty years later 4 teenagers are sent to high school detention and find the discarded video game console, complete with the Jumanji video game. Before they know it, the four teenagers are whisked into the video game and become characters of the video game. My description of the premise sounds outlandish, but thankfully this works surprisingly well.   The second installment works

   MOTHER, written and directed by film auteur Darren Aronofsky is a confusing story and hard to describe. Plain and simple. Question is, was it meant to be confusing and hard to describe? I will do my best in this review to answer that question. The important thing to take away from viewing MOTHER is this. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That is the case with MOTHER. But how does one see it? A good movie or garbage? For me, I see MOTHER as somewhere in the middle.   MOTHER tells the tale of a young woman married to a tortured writer (aren't all writers tortured souls to one degree or the other?). The couple lives in a beautiful house that is under renovation entirely by the young woman (played well by Jennifer Lawrence). Javier Bardem plays the tortured writer who ventures outdoors when he's not writing, leaving the young woman alone in the house. She seems to like it that way. Let me point out that this house appears to be in the middle of nowhere. Things change for t

   It seems that every Christmas season, a cinematic debate ensues over whether the original DIE HARD is a Christmas movie or not. Which side do I lean towards in this debate? DIE HARD IS a Christmas movie. Allow me to lay out my case.    DIE HARD takes place on Christmas Eve, at an after-hours  Office Christmas PartyThe Setting is in place. The plot centers around high stakes heist to be attempted on Christmas Eve when the police have their guard down and people have their attention diverted elsewhere. The subplot is even crucial to the Christmas Holiday, where we are introduced to John and Holly McClane, an estranged married couple who have been separated since July. John is a Cop in New York City and Holly is a business executive for a Japanese Corporation in Los Angeles, California. They have two children that live with Holly and their nanny. John is invited to the Office Christmas Party, that is about to be hijacked by German terrorists. John is in the right place at the right

   NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION is a holiday staple in my household. It's a film that we are certain to watch at Christmas time no matter what is going on in the world around us. CHRISTMAS VACATION is one of the rare comedies that is consistently funny all the way through. There is a laugh or two (or three) to be found in every scene. Most comedies today fail to be consistently funny or even funny at all, resorting to profanity-laced and crude, gross-out gimmicks to get a laugh. Let's focus on the movie in question.  Check out the cast. Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswald. You will be hard-pressed to find another comedy duo that captures the chaos of married couples raising a family. The children, Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (Johnny Galecki), capture perfectly the embarrassment of having a father who will go the edge of insanity to provide a perfect life for his family. In this case, Clark does his best (o

   What is the significance of BRIGHT? It is NETFLIX'S BIG, BIG budget action movie (with an expensive price tag of $90 Million Dollars) starring Will Smith. It is a major gamble for the streaming service. Normally, a movie like this would go to the theaters. NETFLIX is once again trying to change the game of filmmaking by offering it's subscribers a BIG Hollywood Movie in the comfort of their own home. Maybe that is the reason film critics are hating on this movie.  Is BRIGHT really deserving of the 30% score it has received on Rotten Tomatoes? My opinion? No.   At first glance, BRIGHT is a formula buddy cop movie that we have seen hundreds of times over. EWe've seen everything before that is presented in this movie. An angry, misunderstood cop that is disliked by his fellow police-officers partnered with a rookie cop who happens to be an Orc (say what?), who is misunderstood and disliked by his fellow police officers to the point of hazing and racism. We've see

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is an unexpected surprise.  From the very first musical number featuring a singing and dancing Hugh Jackman, the film grabs hold of you and doesn't let go until the final second. It is Mr.Jackman's presence and performance that fuels this highly entertaining song and dance spectacle about the beginnings of P.T. Barnum and how he made one of the biggest entertainment platforms out of nothing but a dream.  It is also the story of people of different color, shapes, and sizes who come together and show the world that "circus freaks and losers" are human beings as well and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.   The cast is exceptional. Lead by Jackman, in an Academy Award caliber performance (yes, he's that good), we also get Michelle Williams as his wife, Charity Barnum, Zac Efron (who has never been better in a movie than he is here) as a theater producer who partners with Jackman/Barnum to make his ideas a reality, and Zendaya as

Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard star in ALLIED, which tells the story of a Canadian Intelligence Officer (Pitt) and a French Resistance Fighter who meet and fall in love Casablanca, Morocco in 1942, while carrying out a mission to assassinate a German Ambassador. Months later the two are reunited in London resume their love affair which leads to marriage and having a baby. But all is not happily ever after. When Pitts bosses inform that his wife might be a Nazi Spy, they give him 72 hours to find out the truth.   The problem I had with Allied is that it took me almost 40 minutes to find myself invested in the story. Up till that point, I wasn't sold on Pitt and Cotillard being lovers. There is a scene where Cottilard is giving birth to their baby, while the invasion of Paris is going on around them. Leave it to Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis to pull off a stunning visual scene like that. From that moment on, I found myself invested in Pitt's quest to find out

  THE LAST JEDI is the eighth chapter in the Star Wars Saga and is the most unconventional of the eight films. Rian Johnson (LOOPER) writes and directs with an ambitious and risk-taking flair. Everything he attempts in this film is a GIANT risk. The result? I feel most people will be divided at the outcome of this film. Me? I patiently went along for the ride and let Mr.Johnson spin this elaborate web of a story that builds upon the previous seven films and doesn't repeat what has been done. That right there is a major feat and compliment.  I will not go into story details here because everything that I could say would be a spoiler. I will simply say this. If you are a fan of Star Wars, then you will not be disappointed. Then again, maybe you will. Moviegoers today are a nit-picky bunch. This will end up being a very short review because I feel I can't say one word. What about Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker? A great performance from Hamill. It wasn't what I was expecting

 After seeing EL CAMINO CHRISTMAS, knowing what I do know about this fictional town and I was driving through on the way to a real and substantial destination and needed to go to the bathroom really bad, I'd either wait for a better-looking town or just go to the bathroom in my pants. That sums up what I thought of this film. Looking back, I'd rather go to the bathroom in my pants than have to watch this cliche-ridden movie again.   There is not one original thing to be found in EL CAMINO CHRISTMAS. Not one. The town is a dirty place that no one would want to visit. It consists of a Gas Station, a Liquor Store, a bar, a hotel that is run by the Police Department, a police station and some apartments where it appears, based on this film, consists of depressed people who medicate themselves with marijuana and alcohol. Oh, and there is a little boy who won't talk. Doesn't that mean he is mute? No, the boy won't talk for some unknown reason, but I bet you that by the

LADY BIRD is a thoroughly entertaining film about a  17-year-old girl named Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson(Saoirse Ronan) in Sacramento California in the years 2002-2003. It is also about her strong-willed Mother, Marion, played to perfection by "Roseanne" star Laurie Metcalf, in a sure-fire Oscar-caliber performance. Metcalf and Ronan are the best on-screen Mother/Daughter Duo since Shirley McClaine and Debra Winger took the silver screen in the Acadamy Award Winning TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. Don't worry. No one gets cancer and dies.  LADY BIRD is wonderfully written and directed by Greta Gerwig. Every single frame of this film flows with a unique view and voice. At times during the film, I actually thought I was seeing something new and original. A BIG tip of the hat to Miss Gerwig. LADY BIRD is sure to get several nominations and many accolades during Award season.  The film also features several more fine performances in the film that do require mentioning. B

****WARNING!!!!*** THIS FILM CONTAINS EXTREME USE OF PROFANITY. BE WARNED.**** THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBINGS, MISSOURI is a brutally honest film about the stages of grief. The story begins seven months after the death of Mildred Haye's daughter, Angela, who was raped and set on fire by an unknown group of men. After the police investigation has come to an end, Mildred (played brilliantly by Francis McDormand) rents 3 dilapidated billboards out on a road no one goes down since the new highway was put in. It is also the place where Mildred's daughter was murdered. Her ads bluntly call out Police Chief William Willoughby(Woody Harrelson in another great performance) and his department about the lack of development on her daughter's murder. What ensues is an explosive chain of events that lets loose a mother's grief on the small town she resides in.    THREE BILLBOARDS would be impossible to watch if not for the presence of humor among the heavy events that are on di

I work in an office environment. The idea of people having to act "politically correct" in an office environment and getting the chance to let off some steam and act a little "inappropriate" sounds like a humorous idea for a movie to me. OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY is that idea come to life, at least for most of the movie.   OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY tells the story of a group of office workers in a computer software company anticipating having their annual office Christmas party. But when the Boss's sister (play by Jennifer Aniston)shows up in town, she quickly squashes that idea and also threatens to pull the plug on her brother's branch of the company their recently deceased father left behind. T.J. Miller(Deadpool) is the Boss/Brother, who defies his sister's demands with the help of his second in charge, Jason Bateman. What ensues is an often funny, highly inappropriate movie. Sex, drugs, hip-hop music and lots of foul languages take place, so be warned

It Comes at Night   2017 ★★★★ It Comes At Night is a psychological horror-thriller for people who like thought provoking films.  This film gets your brain to ask questions. Like, what’s wrong with that guy? What’s going on? Where are they? Where is all the other people? Are they dead? How long have they been held up in a cabin?  These are just some of the questions you might ask yourself while watching this horror unfold.  The film stars Joel Edgerton (Warrior, The Gift) who is becoming one of my favorite actor-writer-directors today. He either stars in or makes films that make you use your brain. Judging by the performance of this movie at the box-office, not many people saw this film, which, like Blade Runner 2049, people don’t like thought provoking films. What’s this film about? As if my questions didn’t give you a few clues, it about a family hiding in a cabin in the woods, avoiding a virus that has plagued the country. But when a man breaks into the house at night lookin

    The Dark Tower is a bad adaptation of the Stephen King book series. Plain and simple. For some reason Sony Pictures thought it was a good idea to take all seven books and smash them up into one 95-minute movie that is such a mess, I beg someone to explain to me what I just watched.   Matthew McConaughey gives one of the worst performances of his career as Walter/The Man in Black, the villain of the movie, who spends the entire time following a kid who has visions of another world. It turns out the kid holds the key to ending the existence of Walter. Everyone in the kid's world (our world) thinks he crazy. He goes through a portal into a world where he encounters Walter's nemesis-The Gunslinger played by Idris Elba, who does his best with what he has to work with.  I read the first book in The Dark Tower series and found it to be a trippy read. Watching this version, I can barely find any plot threads from that book in this movie. The major ingredients missing in this mov

 Watching The Boss Baby reminded me of the classic animated Warner Bros./Chuck Jones shorts and other more recent animated films. It was the animation style and the rapid pace that brought me back to my childhood of watching Bugs Bunny outwit Elmer Fudd.  The Boss Baby tells the story of what happens when a suit wearing, briefcase carrying toddler arrives in the home of 7-year-old Tim, wrecking havoc and ending his days as the only child. What transpires is an often fast-paced film that works when it's in the house. When it breaks out into other territories is when the film starts to drag.  Alec Baldwin, love him or hate him, does the voice of The Boss Baby and does a fine job. It's his energy and the rapid pace animation style that makes this one watchable. It's when it gets into world building (no spoilers here) that the film becomes a bit exhaustive and boring. It's at it's best when it stays with the domestic walls of Tim's house (it's his parents,

Wonder   2017 ★★★½ This review may contain spoilers. WONDER is the film adaptation of the best-selling novel written by R.J. Palcaio and stars 11-year-old Oscar nominee ( for Room) as Auggie Pullman. Auggie was born with a facial deformity and has been home-schooled by his Mother Isabel (Julia Roberts) over the years. Our story starts when Auggie begins his first day in middle-school. Going to a new school can be trying on any young person, but with Auggie, it's understandably more so. WONDER is more than Auggie's story. It's also his sister's story. Via(Isabela Vidovic) has taken a backseat to Auggie all her life. When she returns to school from summer vacation, it seems that her best friend, Miranda (Daniella Rose Russell) has changed and has no interest in being her friend anymore. Forgive me for getting into spoiler territory. I'll stop and tell you that WONDER is about kids dealing with bullying. It's a powerful and moving story until we get t

This review may contain spoilers. WIND RIVER is a riveting murder mystery starring Jeremy Renner as a wilderness tracker and Elizabeth Olsen as a very green FBI agent. Writer/Director Taylor Sheridan (HELL OR HIGH WATER) evokes director Clint Eastwood in this story of murder on an Indian reservation in Wyoming. Jeremy Renner gives his best performance on screen as Corey Lambert, a wilderness tracker who is haunted by the past. After discovering a dead body on an Indian reservation, he learns that the identity of the body is connected to his tragic past. Lambert sets out to find out what happened with the help of a very green FBI agent played effectively by Elizabeth Olsen. Viewers might know the stars better as Marvel's Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch, roles Renner and Olsen play in The Avengers movies. No need to go any further with plot details. WIND RIVER is a mystery worth watching unfold. Like I mentioned above, Sheridan evokes Clint Eastwood's strongest films. It's a