A Night At The Opera..."Florence Foster Jenkins"

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson

Directed by Stephen Frears

The Story:

Florence Foster Jenkins (Streep) is a New York City heiress who has devoted her life, passion and considerable funds in support of the opera in the city. Her dream to someday sing at Carnegie Hall is supported by her husband, St. Clair Bayfield (Grant), and he goes to great lengths to provide her with a gracious audience to perform in front of. The problem, Florence can't sing very well, no matter how many lessons she takes. That, however, is not going to deter her from her dream.

A movie like this doesn't get made if it's not based on a true story, so here you have a tale of the worst opera singer in the history of forever, brought to life by an actress considered to be the greatest American actress of all time.

Meh.

It looked great, and captured the time period of New York so very well.

The only reason I even bothered with this one is because it's always nice to catch up on the latest Hugh Grant movie.

As usual, he doesn't disappoint with his performance of a husband who loves his wife, conditionally, because he has a mistress (Ferguson) to provide him with the needs that Florence withholds.

Add a young pianist (Helberg) to the mix, and eventually Florence makes a record, it becomes a smash hit, and Jenkins finds herself playing in front of Carnegie Hall.

However, the reviews that follow are none too kind, and Florence literally dies of a broken heart within days of the performance.

That the recording  is Carnegie Hall's most requested performance speaks volumes of people's willingness to be tortured, or the realization to never give up on your dream, no matter the odds.

A touching sentiment, but one wrapped in an overly long biopic that dragged a bit too much for my taste, though I'm sure Streep's fan base will delightedly enjoy this one.

Final Grade: C-

Spies Like Us..."The Man From U.N.C.L.E."

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Christian Berkel, Hugh Grant

Directed by Guy Ritchie

The Story:

The two best spies in the world, Napoleon Solo (Cavill) from America and Illya Kuryakin (Hammer) of Russia must work together at the height of the Cold War to stop a German scientist (Berkel) from making nuclear weapons for some very bad people. They enlist the aid of his daughter, Gaby (Vikander) to help them. But can these two adversaries put aside their differences long enough to save the world?

Aside from the name and concept, I've never watched a single minute of the television show that this is based on, so I cannot compare and contrast how well/how poorly it stands next to its predecessor.

I can say the following with little worry though:

1) It looks great. It captures the feel of a world of the late 50s/early 60s very well with the sets and costumes.

2) This movie is the best I've seen from both Cavill or Hammer in ages. So that's a big plus, considering how much I disliked the Man of Steel and Lone Ranger reboots.

The downside?

The movie felt a little long and a little boring.

Not quite 2 hours, but it felt every minute of it, and maybe a few more for good measure.

Bursts of greatness bogged down by stretches of boredom is not what I want from a spy movie.

Ever.

So much potential, and I'm up for a sequel if they are game and can tighten things up a bit.

Final Grade: C

Hugh Grant Is In Fine Form Once Again... "The Rewrite"

The Rewrite (2014)

Not Rated (PG-13)

Starring Hugh Grant, Marisa Tomei, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney,

Written and Directed by Marc Lawrence

The Story:

Keith Michaels (Grant) is a former Oscar winning writer who has had a few bombs since then, and now cannot find work. His agent gets him a gig teaching a screenwriting course back east. So he swallows his pride, heads back east and grudgingly begins his next career as a teacher.

Marc Lawrence and Hugh Grant have been great as a team since they teamed together in 2002 with Two Weeks Notice. Lightning struck again 5 years later when they worked on Music and Lyrics together and created another great romantic comedy.

Then the inevitable happened, the third time was not the charm, and Did You Hear About The Morgans tanked. I've seen that one, and it wasn't that bad.

Now, it wasn't nearly as good as the other two movies, but there were some witty moments in there, mostly on the charm and wit of Hugh Grant.

So, after nearly 6 years away from the big screen, the two re-team and tell a bit of a biographical tale that closely follows the lead of Music and Lyrics.

A formerly successful writer finds love when and where he least expects it.

This romantic comedy takes the slow build, but you know it's coming, and it's actually a refreshing and fun change of pace.

Hugh Grant returns in fine form, and he hasn't missed a beat over the decades and has grown perfectly into the role of the disenfranchised middle aged romantic lead.

It was also nice to see Tomei back in a comedic role for what seems like the first time in a long time.

Plus there is a nice comedic turn by Simmons that's pretty fun to watch.

Welcome back Marc Lawrence, and looking forward to the next project with Grant!

Final Grade: B

It's About Finding Love... "About Time"

About Time (2013)

Rated R for language

Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy

Directed and written by Richard Curtis

The Story:

Tim (Gleeson) learns from his dad (Nighy) that the men in their family have the ability to travel back in time.  Tim attempts to do just that, and finds that yes indeed, his dad was right.  So Tim is out to find true love, when he meets Mary (McAdams).  It will take some doing to get that meeting just right because like any time travel story, if you tinker just a little bit, you face repercussions.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this film.

Curtis has given us Notting Hill and Love Actually among others.

So yes, a good romantic comedy was probably coming.

And it is.

But so much more.

As the film unfolds, subtly, it becomes about a love between a father and son.

When Tim learns of the limitations of what time travel can do, it sets up an emotional finale that will put the proverbial lump in your throat.

McAdams and Nighy do their usual perfect roles, but I was impressed with Gleeson.  This is the first starring role from him that I am familiar with.  He comes across as very charming and fun.

He's the new Hugh Grant.

Yes, that's a great compliment.

I also thought to myself as I watched it, that while I don't watch the show, this guy seems like he would make a great Doctor Who someday.

We'll see.

My only real complaint with this film was the rating.  I think the overall audience and reach of this film could have been greater with a PG-13 rating and dial the language back a notch.

Just my take.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I would be willing to watch it again.

I Need A Little More Than "Two Weeks Notice"

Another romantic comedy?

Yep!

The Story:

George Wade (Hugh Grant) is an extremely wealthy businessman who is the face of the company, even though it's his brother that makes it work.  Wade encounters Lucy Kelson (Sandra Bullock) an environmental lawyer who wants to make sure a community center is not demolished with Wade's new project.  She comes to work for him to help ensure her vision becomes reality, but slowly the job consumes her life as George becomes increasingly dependent on her. 

And then one day, it's time for Lucy to leave George's side...

It's fun watching some of my favorite films after some time has passed. 

Do they remain favorites, or are they best viewed with rose colored glasses?

In today's case, just about a decade has passed since I first watched it, and I think it's just as funny now as it was the first time I saw it.

Why?

For starters, let's take the director, Marc Lawrence.

He's only directed 3 feature films thus far in his career, and all have starred Hugh Grant.

This was their first collaboration, and it is a wonderful comic gem that perfectly balances the oil and water relationship of a romantic comedy with the will they or won't they tension because the two characters can't stand each...because ultimately they have fallen in love with one another.

Did I mention he also wrote the film?

I can see why Hugh Grant likes working with him, as he has probably all of the best lines in the film.

However it wasn't just his first time writing their co-star, Sandra Bullock.  Lawrence also penned the wonderfully pleasing Miss Congeniality, another family favorite in our house.

So not a bad first crack at the director's chair.

However, I found his follow-up with Grant, Music and Lyrics to be even better, and while their third vehicle, Have You Heard About the Morgans wasn't as good, it was still enjoyable enough to watch.

This would explain why his next venture is yet another Hugh Grant movie, and I'm indeed looking forward to it.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it, and I would say it gets watch on average once a year.

"Cloud Atlas" Several Hundred Years Crammed Into 3 Hours

Well, that was something.

The Story:

Six different stories.  All linked together through time and space.  From a slave ship in the 1800s to a far flung dystopian future, this film has it all.  Not that thrilled with the current story, wait a few minutes, and it will all change.  To explain this movie's plots much further will either confuse you further, or give away everything...or nothing.

I'm still not sure.

:)

Make no mistake about it, this movie is long.  It's about 3 hours long.

That said, unlike 90 minute movies that feel 3 hours long, this movie doesn't drag too terribly much, and so the 3 hours doesn't feel too laborious.

The cast, some more recognizable than others under makeup do a tremendous job of changing personalities, genders and race as the stories weave in and out of each other.

Among those are Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant and Susan Sarandon.

My favorite tale of the group would be the one set in the "present", 2012.  Next, 1973 and then 1849.  Finally, the 1930 tale rounded out my more favorite moments from the film.

My least favorite tales were the two future stories, but your mileage may vary.

The movie was highly ambitious and overachieving, but definitely something.  They aimed for the stars, and came up somewhat short, but I give them much credit for trying.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Doubtful, but that's due more to the length and tone than anything.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 24 ~ Music and Lyrics

Enter the Romantic Comedy.  Otherwise dubbed: "The Chick Flick".

I will make no bones about them:  I am a big fan of the genre.

Normally, these are the movies that my honey enjoys watching, and since I enjoy watching any movie with her, these get put on heavy rotation to make up for anything I normally get that explodes or splatters blood across the screen.

: )

Bonus points though:  When they are good, they can be really great movies that I have no problem watching over, and over (and over!) again.

Music and Lyrics falls into that category.

The story: 80s hitmaker Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) who was the maker of his band's melodies enjoys a carefree life living off residuals of their greatest hits.  Of course, he now plays fairs and reunions, so it's not quite the grand life he had dreamed of.  Then he receives an offer to write a song for the current reigning teen pop sensation, and he jumps a the chance... or more likely hops to the chance... his weakness?  He's not a very good lyricist.  If only he could collaborate with someone like back in the 80s.

Cue Sophie (Drew Barrymore) who comes in as a cleaning lady to tend to his apartment, and the two strike up a quick relationship because of her ease with words and their poetic arrangement.

Since I mentioned this is a Romantic Comedy, naturally, there will be a little bit of falling in, out, and back into love before the credits roll.

Drew Barrymore finally makes the countdown.  Ever After just missed hitting the Top 100 (told you, Chick Flicks rule!), and Drew will actually be back again, so that's not too bad to hit 2 times, and both be in the Top 25. : )

Then there is Hugh Grant.  The man was born and bred to star in these movies, and normally, if he is in a movie, I will get around to watching it.  Aside from his usual stellar acting, he even provides his own vocals to all of his 80s hits.  Well done Hugh!

He also just missed the countdown with Mickey Blue Eyes.  It was hard to leave out, but this was a tough list to make!

Again, I should've bumped Star Wars!

: )