flicklover

I went into The Woman in the Yard completely blind. I had never seen a trailer. Didn't notice any buzz at all but I knew it was the latest from the Blumhouse horror factory. From the start I felt that this film would be a good looking, compently made film. One of things that didn't like us that it was PG-13. Nothing against the rating but it's a killer in horror. But I tried to give it a chance. It's a simple story that deals with grief and be sure it falls under horror it has a slow burn, 3rd act revelation structure but it did not wprkjnat all for me. It's about a mother who has lost her husband and is left to raise her 2 kids alone. The film deals with her trying to cope with a physical injury but most of all with her grief in losing her husband. The film qualifies as horror but it really fails in being scary, disturbing or even involving. The story is supposed to deal with loss and pain but I never felt fir the characters enough to truly be involved in the story. This is the type of film that you have to care about what happens to the family. I really didn't. The actors are fine but the script is too superficial to really flesh out any of the characters.

The Woman in the Yard has no real tension. No sense of dread. No real scares.

Bad horror film.

Grade: D.

Amadeus is the type of film that is not really made these days. A costume drama that is leaving, thrilling, funny and dramatic. It is based on.tbe Broadway musical of the same name written by Peter Shaffer. It was directed by Milos Forman from a script written Peter Shaffer. The film imagines a rivalry between two of Vienna composers of the 18th century. The composers are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Mozart was a musical prodigy since childhood. Salieri is not nearly as well known. The film focuses mostly on Salieri's professional envy of Mozart's genius. Mozart is played by Tom Hulce. He is great as Mozart. He is funny exentric and troubled as the musical genius. But as great as Hulce is the film belongs to F. Murray Abraham as Salieri. His Salieri is presented as an old man, narrating the film from an insane asylum where he was committed after trying to kill himself. He tells his story to a priest who offers to hear his confession. He tells the story of how much he loved to write music but he felts inferior to Mozart. He's a jealous man..Even though Salieri has a certain amount of professional success he seems to be the only person who can see Mozart's genius. The film is a costume framldrana but, as with many of these types of films it's never boring. The music, the costumes and set design and especially the cinematography in this film are spectacular.

It is one of the best films about how music is created.

A masterpiece....

Grade: A.

When I first saw the trailer for Better Man I had no real desire to see it. It was about the life of Robbie Williams, a pop artist I know but have never really liked. So it wasn't a film I was going to actively seek out to see. But after seeing some pretty good initial reviews I decided to give it a chance.

Of course from the trailer Robbie Williams is played by a CGI animated chimpanzee. It seemed really weird to me but I thought that this would either work or completely crash and burn. The musical biography sub genre has been very popular lately and they are pretty similar in structure but this film's premise of showing Robbie as a chimp is definitely a strange choice. But as Robbie says in his narration, he felt he was less evolved than others so his being a chimp is really just how he sees himself. No one in the film says a thing about his appearance so the choice really works as a state of mind choice for Robbie.

The film deals with his early life with his family. Especially his desire to be and please his father which has dreams of being an entertainer. Most of the film deals with Robbie's desire fur stardom. Really his desire to be acknowledged by his father left his family. He is hurt by his father's absence but as he grows up he is obsessed with being famous. The film shows his joining a boy band and their popularity. Then he goes off to try to succeed as a solo artist. It has many of the beats in other biopics. The russ, the partying and drug use. The fall and eventual rehabilitation. What makes Better Man different that other of this type of film other than Robbie appearing as a chimp is the humor and energy the film has. It is partly a musical. There are multiple musical scenes that are really well done and entertaining. The film is directed with great energy by Michael Gracey. The director of The Greatest Showman. A very entertaining musical. I can see why he was chosen to direct this film.

Overall I was surprised how much I liked this film. It is a little long but moves quickly so it's never boring. And even though it covers ground that other films of this kind have done it does it in a fresh way.

Grade: B+