Tag: Las Vegas

EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT – Review

You’d think that Aussie director Baz Luhrmann would’ve had his fill of “the King” after making his big-budget Oscar-nominated biopic of ELVIS nearly four years ago. And you would be so wrong. And Presley fans (and scores of fanatics), along with general movielovers are all the richer for it. Turns out that Baz wanted access to all the footage from the two Elvis concert films from the early 70s, and was probably gobsmacked by the 68 boxes of 35mm (and some 8mm) film delivered from deep within the vaults of Warner Brothers. We do get an overview of the man’s life and career, but the main focus is on the legendary performing tenure begun in 1969 at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. All the hi-tech cleaning and polishing only add to the legend, and truly earn the main title of EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT. Lace up those blue suede shoes…

The taut ninety-minute documentary/concert deftly combines both cinema elements. Baz assembles little “sidebars” that pop up almost like chapter bookends here. There’s a section devoted to his adored “Mama”, initial cultural impact (an explosion almost) with a TV preacher’s warning of the “beat” that summons Satan, his Army stint, the “Colonel”, his romances (yes, Priscella’s there), and many other milestones. Plus, there’s a montage of his often silly (“See Elvis karate chop a tiger!”) later movies that prompted the big 1968 “comeback” TV special. But the real “meat” is the preparations for the big Vegas concert with several unlikely tunes that were considered. It’s interesting to hear the King’s take on a couple of Beatles tunes, along with a Simon and Garfunkel classic. And yes, he’s in excellent “voice”, this being some of his most polished vocal stylings. The rehearsals and preparation scenes build to the big Vegas opening, in which Elvis almost “reinvented” himself and began his new era of live-performance spectacles.

For some viewers, this new reworking of long-thought lost footage will reinforce their perception of this icon, while for the unfamilar much of this may be a revelation or a discovery. We see long hours in minimal facilities to tweak the sound, in order to go beyond the “flash and glitter”. Oh, but there is plenty of that, though. His gaudy, often loud fashion ensembles are on full display, making us think of how it’s the male peacock who attempts to dazzle the ladies. Dazzle is a restrained turn for Elvis’ magnetic appeal to the hordes of enraptured women fans of every age. He is their idealized lover, even if there’s a hint of danger. One great bit has Elvis zeroing in on one of his most prominent female backup singers, which inspires both fear and quivering desire. That’s just one of the scenes of his “clownin””, as we witness him cracking up over his persona. There’s a darkness to one of the “jokes” as Elvis inserts some drug references to one of his tunes, strange since he’d get a “drug buster badge” from then President Nixon less that a decade before he was felled by his addiction. Ah, but that feels like the distant future as we see the celeb-packed audience at that first Vegas concert. Why, he’s visited in his dressing room after the show by Sammy Davis, Jr. and Cary Grant! Oh, to be a fly on the wall to hear what they discussed, or at least to have better microphones trained on them. This is also an incredible time capsule of that time when beehive hairdos (or don’ts) ruled the skies, probably blocking a lot of the audience, who “dressed to impress”, perhaps to garner a glance or a quick smooch from their idol (he does love to wander through the smothering crowds). Yes, these are fun, happy snippets of kitsch, but there’s still some tragedy as Elvis mentions his interest in touring the world, though he would never venture beyond North America. My only complaint about Baz’s passion project is that some songs are cut short in order to avoid a long running time for the IMAX venues. Yes, I wanted more, but what’s there is really great. Oh, and don’t leave when the end credits begin. There’s a brief shot of E flanked by his “Memphis Mafia” as he briskly strolls down the hotel staff corridor past their cafeteria. In his bright blue jumpsuit, he looks like he popped in from Mount Olympus, making us wonder how this rock and roll deity existed on this planet with us. Sure, the music is still wonderful, but the whole mystique is what makes this time-traveling trip so memorable in the truly EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT. And yes, sadly, Elvis has left the building…

3.5 Out of 4

EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT is now playing exclusively on IMAX screens. It expands to theatres everywhere on Friday, February 27, 2026

ON SWIFT HORSES – Review

One of this weekend’s big film releases is yet another cinematic ride in Doc Brown’s DeLorean to what many believe to be a simpler, more “fun” era. Of course, last week, SINNERS dispelled such notions about the oh-so segregated 1930s (and then tossed vampires into the mix). It’s appropriate that I referenced that 1985 classic, since this new film is also set in the 1950s, those “Happy Days” referred to in the classic TV show (shessh, it’s over forty years old now). Sure, it was the birthplace of great rock and roll, but for certain minorities, it was a time to be very careful to the point of hiding in the shadows. While this film also briefly touches on race, its main focus is on sexual orientation, which could also lead to harsh punishments from all sides (including the courts). Perhaps that’s why one of the characters in this tale wants to escape the repressive era by any means available, including cars, trains, and ON SWIFT HORSES.

This story begins in 1954, not long after the end of the Korean War. Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) shares her family’s home in Kansas with her long-time boyfriend (he keeps proposing), soldier-on-leave Lee (Will Poulter). He’s got big plans to move West as soon as his brother joins them. Finally, his sibling, Julius (Jacob Elordi) arrives, informing them that he has been discharged from the service, offering a vague explanation. Still, Lee is stoked that he will join the couple in California. Ah, but Julius has the “wanderlust” and, after giving Muriel some “card shark” tips, he leaves before dawn. In the following months, Lee finishes his stint in the service, and the two move West where he toils in a factory where Muriel is a waitress in a diner frequented by some fellows who “play the ponies” (she listens and makes some profitable wagers without telling her now husband). Meanwhile, Julius earns a “bankroll” from midnight poker games and as a gigolo, which soon lands him in Vegas. He gets a job in an off-strip casino watching the tables from the “rafters” and alerting the pit bosses to cheating gamblers. Soon, Julius is joined in the steamy “attic” by the dark and brooding Henry (Diego Calva). Eventually, the co-workers share an apartment and become much more than roommates, having to keep their passion very, very private. Back in San Diego, Lee and Muriel finally have enough saved (she’s still hiding most of her “winnings”) to get one of the “tract” houses in a new suburban development neighborhood. But Muriel is more interested in one of the locals, a woman with a chicken business (mainly eggs), an aspiring musician named Sandra (Sasha Calle). And soon, these two become much more than neighbors. Can Muriel keep her gambling and her Lesbian affair a secret from Lee? And what will happen when Julius and Henry try to take down the other Vegas casinos? Will the old “Kansas trio” ever reunite?


This tale of forbidden secret love is almost equally split between Muriel and Julius, though she may have the more complex conflicts. As Muriel, Edgar-Jones expertly embodies the typical steadfast supportive housewife of that time, though we can catch her eyes darting about as she formulates a way to go after her compulsion (the gambling) and desires (Sandra, mainly). We feel Muriel’s yearning to break out of her destined societial role, while wanting to shield Lee. And yet, there’s that connection with Julius, played with a dark, brooding charm by Elordi. He’s a restless spirit who never wants to be tethered down, sneaking away quickly (perhaps the ‘swiftest horse”). And then he finds his own liberation by his devotion to Henry, perhaps wanting to ‘settle down” like Muriel, but having to keep his true self hidden from the world. As his brother Lee, Poulter brings great empathy to a role that could easily be a stereotypical “clueless cuckold”, but instead is a good, loyal man trying to understand the change in the two people he adores. Calva makes Henry a fiery, spirited rebel. who wants nothing more than to be alongside Julius in their romantic “bubble”. Calle, as Sandra, has much of that same smouldering persona, coupled with a snarky line delivery, and a determination not to be the fun “side fling” for Muriel. Also of note is Don Swayze as the sneering surly casino pit boss and Kat Cumming as the bombshell blonde who fans the flames of Muriel’s liberated libido.

In just his second feature film, after decades helming “prestige” TV programs, director Daniel Minahan superbly recreates the postwar West while shattering the often “rose-colored” tint of nostalgia, reminding us that the “good ole’ days” didn’t extend to everyone. Minahan gives us the bright diners and casinos, while also giving us the clandestine gay meeting spots an aura of real danger and doom, with those secret revelers always keeping an eye out for the “morality enforcers”. The dialogue is sharp and very witty in Bryce Kass’ screenplay adaptation of the novel by Shannon Pufahl, though the romance of Muriel and Sandra feels more rushed as compared to the evolving relationship of Julius and Henry. In some ways, this feels like a companion piece to BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, with the era’s repressions and hidden affairs, though the story never quite hits the heights of that ground-breaking classic. Still, the performances are solid, and the period fashions and locales are splendid (including the “yechh” chain-smoking). ON SWIFT HORSES is a very well-crafted look at a time when expressing your true self to love was the biggest gamble.

3 Out of 4

ON SWIFT HORSES is now playing in select theatres

THE LAST SHOWGIRL – Review

This weekend’s new film release builds on an interesting trend from 2024. Though it’s not something embraced by major studios, like the deep dive into movie riffs on popular toys and video games, it’s proving to be an awards showcase for the “indie upstarts”. I’m writing of the new venues for the often neglected (by studio execs) bombshell superstar actresses from a few decades ago. Often they’re banished to straight-to-video (now streaming) sex or horror “potboilers”, or sent to be supporting players on series TV. Just a few months ago, cinephiles were stunned by the outrageous satire of THE SUBSTANCE and embraced the courageous, and meta (spoofing lots of old tabloid “fodder”) performance of its lead, Demi Moore (who is now a big Oscar “front-runner” after her Golden Globe win and touching acceptance speech). Historians can point to the brief spate of mature actress thrillers from the early 1960s (WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE and its ilk) as an inspiration for that film. Well, the other actress getting some awards love for a much more restrained story, but with a similar modern-day “pathos” and drama, is Pamela Anderson, who could very well claim the title of THE LAST SHOWGIRL.

The story opens up (after a brief “flash forward”) on Anderson as Shelly, the reigning “queen” of the long-running casino show “Razzle Dazzle”, as she hurries through a quick costume change and tries to trudge up the stairs to the stage without damaging all the sequins and feathers of her towering tiara. As the show’s producer, Eddie (Dave Bautista) bids goodnight over the intercom speakers, Shelly invites her younger co-stars, Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) over to her modest home for a BBQ Lunch on their “off” day. Joining them, along with Eddie, is a former showgirl now casino waitress, the acerbic Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis). Their high spirits are dampened by the mention of a rumor that the new owners of the casino will close the RD show and replace it with something younger and “edgier”. Shelly dismisses this as nonsense until the formal notices come down from “on high”. Only a dozen or so shows remain before the dwindling audiences. While Mary-Anne and Jodie scramble to find a new “gig”, Shelly wonders if she can stay relevant while also reflecting on her past glories. This prompts her to reach out to the daughter that she gave up for adoption many years ago, Hannah (Billie Lourd). Though the relationship is strained, they finally reconnect. As the final show looms, Shelly tries to repair that parental bond, while pondering her future in a world that doesn’t seem to have any need of her style of glamour and glitz anymore.

After being largely absent from view, aside from some cameos and a stint on Broadway in “Chicago”, Ms. Anderson commands the big screen with a remarkable nuanced performance as the sweet on the outside but hauntingly sad inside Shelly. At first glance, she may seem a bit ditzy and distracted, but as the story progresses we realize that she’s emotionally floundering, searching for any life preserver, as the vessel that is her existence is slowly sinking (and picking up speed into the depths of despair). As she nears her final “runway walk” she blocks any feelings of regret, proudly defending her choices to continue her “craft”. It all culminates in a heart-wrenching audition sequence in which Anderson summons her inner strength, demanding to be seen and not dismissed into the shadows of yesteryear. At times Shelly frustrates, but Anderson compels us to root for her, even as her reality cracks and crumbles. She gets great support in another mesmerizing turn from Curtis as her BFF Annette who has escaped the “stage game”, though she secretly yearns for the adoration of the audience, while also trying to shake up Shelly to face the choices still left to her. Song is solid as the more aggressive and world-weary “show sister” while Shipka is full of wide-eyed hope and hustle as the newbie will land on her “high heels” and conform to any demands of the market. Also well cast is Lourd as the estranged daughter who mixes her anger at her mother for being “cast off” with a general snarky disdain for the family “business”. The other big casting “against type” surprise is Bautista as the soft-spoken, brusque but still concerned Eddie, who hides a history with his girls and wants to help but is also looking to serve and please his new casino masters. And big kudos go to the small, almost a cameo, role of the shadowy audition director who is given a condescending venomous bite by Jason Schwartzman, as he delivers a “wake up” call with the violence of a swift “gut punch”.

Director Gia Coppola is a terrific addition to her family’s filmmaking dynasty by giving us a very tough, unflinching profile of a woman clinging to past glory as the world around her undergoes a seismic cultural shift. Working from the well-researched, emotionally intimate screenplay by Kate Gersten, Ms. Coppola gives us a “fly on the wall” look at the showier aspect of the service biz in Sin City. Full disclosure: I lived and worked in Vegas thirty years ago just as they were shifting from “family fun” to “adults-only playground”, so I recognized that air of sunbaked desperation that wafts over the street “buskers” and casino crews wondering if they can survive the next corporate “facelift” of the strip. Coppola and Gersten captured that panic to stay trendy and relevant as the tour groups and high-rolling “whales” were tiring of the traditional “main room” sparkly “t&a” two-drink minimum extravaganzas. The bonding of Shelly and her castmates feels almost like those of soldiers in the trenches awaiting the final charge (but here it’s a last show). My only complaint is that there are too many stretches and montage sequences of Shelly wandering past the employee casino entrances, perhaps as she recalls past encounters, but it’s unneeded “padding”. That’s a slight qualm as this is a most engaging look at a quickly disappearing legacy (Vegas cares little about its history), and s stellar acting triumph from Anderson, who dazzles in and out of the sequins and feathers, as THE LAST SHOWGIRL. “Places please, places…”

3.5 Out of 4

THE LAST SHOWGIRL opens in select theatres on Friday, January 10, 2025

VENOM: THE LAST DANCE – Review

Okay “Marvel maniacs”, are you ready for a deep deep dive into another franchise? After all, it’s been nearly three months since the blockbuster “mash-up” DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE. Of course you are, but hold up, true believer. This isn’t the beloved MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Rather, we’re back in the “Sony Spider-verse”. So Tom Holland is off polishing his web-shooters (not a metaphor), as we get another “spin-off” from Spidey’s long-running comics series. And, unfortunately, this isn’t another romp in the surprisingly fun animated epics. No, this is the second live-action flick this year, after the “so bad it may be good” MADAME WEB, and while Kraven sharpens his claws for his December attack. And, sorry that vapid vamp MORBIUS is not returning, although this film’s focus has had better luck with two previous outings in 2018 and 2021. Now, with this third entry, Sony promises that this is the “finale of the trilogy”. Hence the full title VENOM: THE LAST DANCE. But that all depends on those all-mighty box office returns, so…

This time the story begins on the symbiote home world (or universe, perhaps) as its ruler/king Knull sends out several reptile/spider-like “hunters” to locate the “codex”, an energy portal that grants him access to all worlds, which Knull will conquer. So, who has the codex? None other than Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his own BFF symbiote entity. When we last saw him (them) during the end credits of SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, he was getting blotto in a bar on our Earth (#616). Brock and V then pop back to his homebase, where his black-ooze buddy dispatches some baddies. Ah, but it turns out that morphing into Venom sends out a homing beacon to Knull’s hunters. Also, an elite group of special ops soldiers led by Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is also trying to capture Eddie. He and his “inner voice” escape and set their sights on the “Big Apple”. We soon learn that Strickland is working with a team of scientists headed by Dr. Teddy Payne (Juno Temple) who operate out of a secret symbiote research lab deep below the soon-to-be demolished Area 51. In order to evade their “radar”, Eddie hitches a ride with the groovy Moon family in a van driven by daddy Martin (Rhys Ifans) and mom Nova (Alanna Ubach), who want their kids (Hala Finley and Dash McCloud) to take in 51 before it’s gone. They drop Eddie off in Vegas where a reunion with an old friend leads to a battle atop the casino canyons which spills into the desert and that iconic military locale, as Venom must make its “last stand”…with some unexpected support.

As with the previous two flicks, everything’s resting on Eddie B, the “host with the most” who is given a world-weary gravitas by Hardy. Again, he’s a bit baffled by his fate, and has a “push/pull” relationship with the toothy ebony puddle. He’s convincingly hungover in the opening sequence, but his hangdog grousing becomes a tad tiresome, even as he’s a “symbiote straight-man”. It’s odd that Brock is so often “one-note” since Hardy worked on the script (as he did with the last one), and too often sounds like his “cycle-poppa” from BIKERIDERS. Most of the supporting cast get little to do, perhaps to leave more time for the CGI chaos. The very talented Ms. Temple (so good in the streaming shows “Ted Lasso” and “The Offer”) does her best to bring nuance to the standard “don’t destroy my discovery” scientist from countless 50’s sci-fi flicks, but too often she’s shouting while doing a “deer in headlights” expression. Much of the same can be said for the equally gifted Ejiofor, who’s another “late show” cliched “kill this thing!” soldier, who is there to bark orders while spouting exposition. The biggest misuse of talent may be Ifans as the “Earth papa” who offers support to Eddie while having to deal with a corny “moonbeam” stereotype (ditto for Ubach). There is a nice “Lasso” reunion with Cristo Fernandez as a really patient “booze-slinger”.

This film marks the feature directing debut of actress/writer Kelly Marcel, who wrote the last two Venom flicks and teamed up with Hardy on the script for this one. She is adept at keeping the plot moving at a brisk pace for the first act or so, but the requirements of an action/effects “tentpole”, sends any character development and humor far into the background. There’s also some irritating “fan service” as a supporting character from the first films is clumsily “shoe-horned” into the big finale in Nevada. This one’s an improvement over CARNAGE as they make great use of the dusty locales. And we’re not stuck in those near-pitch black alleyways as the tenements crumble. Plus there’s a few nifty visual tricks as the symbiote bonds with various wildlife (be warned, his equine form is fleeting). But, by the time we get back to 51, the script desperation kicks in as we get an “Avengers-team” of “Venom-lites” to dash up and fill the screen with fire and pixels. As the smoke clears, we’re feeling as tired as Eddie Brock appears. This is one alien that should “phone home” since it has truly worn out its welcome (along with the moviegoers patience). But since the Spidey series is so strong. it’s a given that he’ll be back to bare his teeth and wiggle that serpent-like tongue despite the promise in the title of VENOM: THE LAST DANCE. I can almost hear that growling gravelly voice (I could only “get” two thirds of its quips) chuckling…

1.5 Out of 4

VENOM: THE LAST DANCE is now playing in theatres everywhere

LOVE LIES BLEEDING – Review

Ready for a cinematic “walk on the wild side”? Perhaps something in the film noir category, but not similar to something you’d run across on one of those nostalgia streaming channels. Maybe something set just before the turn of the century rather than the decade post-WWII. Sure, this new flick is a crime thriller involving multiple murders, but that’s just one aspect. Let’s see, there’s a big (truly huge) daughter/father conflict so it’s a family drama. And it’s certainly a romance ala’ girl meets girl. Oh, and one of them is seeking fame in the competitive world of female bodybuilding events. Now, that’s really different and certainly unique. Mix all those genres and subplots together and you get an insight into the provocative title, LOVE LIES BLEEDING.


Oh, the backdrop year is in the 20th century, way back in 1989. We first meet lonely Lou (Kristen Stewart) who runs a gym catering to weightlifters in a dusty New Mexico border town. After a night of unclogging toilets and dealing with a spacey clingy ex-girlfriend named Daisy (Anna Baryshnikov), she heads back to the dingy apartment she shares with her cat Happy Meal. Meanwhile, across the tracks, JJ (Dave Franco) is “hiring” a new waitress for the tavern at the gun range business he manages…in the back of his car. He tells the muscular statuesque brunette, Jackie (Katy O’Brian) that she can start tomorrow. She leaves the parking lot to sleep under the highway overpass. The next morning JJ introduces her to the gun range owner, his father-in-law, the surly Lou Sr. (Ed Harris). Eventually, Jackie heads over to Crater Gym where she encounters Lou. The two immediately form a connection and spend the night (at Lou’s pad, natch’). Jackie insists that she’ll soon be moving on to a big body-building event in Vegas as soon as she makes enough cash for the trip. A few nights later Lou and Jackie have a most awkward dinner date with Lou’s sister Beth (Jena Malone) and her abusive spouse, JJ! Lou is furious that he’s smacking around her sister. But he doesn’t stop and Beth ends up in a coma at the local hospital. After an uncomfortable reunion with Lou Sr. (they are estranged, to say the least) something…happens. And soon the lovers are nearly in panic mode. Can Lou stay ahead of the FBI agents who are pressuring her for info on her papa’s shady operations? And what about those “off-brand” muscle “enhancers” that Lou gave Jackie? Things are about to get much hotter in that sleepy desert burg…

Add another interesting character performance to the already impressive resume of Ms. Stewart. In the opening act, Lou is a take-no-crap (unless she’s clearing the commode) tough gal whose tough exterior masks her lonely solitary life and very dark past. That all changes when she spots Jackie her “warrior angel’ across the gym floor. Stewart shows us that a spark has been ignited in those “half-mast” eyes. Later on, she’s almost a whirling dervish as she scrambles to “clean and dispose’ all the while Stewart lets us see that Lou’s brain has shifted into “high gear”. The real breakout role may belong to her “ideal” Jackie played with great energy and flair by relative screen newcomer O’Brian, who was one of the few highlights of the last ANT-MAN epic. Jackie is “laser-focused on her sports goal, though she’s elated by the prospect of real love with Lou. But that is somewhat short-circuited by the “boosters’ that spiral her into a scary “roid’ rage’ while dropping her into a nightmare-like netherworld. And even as she’s posing in front of a mirror, there’s still a child-like vulnerability. The “third wheel” of this love “triangle is the manic white-hot mess that is Daisy who Baryshnikov plays as a distracted child who demands attention while engaging in passive-aggressive manipulation. She’s trouble, but is merely an annoying “jack-in-the-box’ compared to the sadistic cruelty of the two dudes hovering over them. Franco is a sniveling mullet-sporting bully as the weasily JJ, who needs the protection of the king of the “wolf pack”, Lou Sr, given a constant sneer by the bombastic Harris who resembles a heavy metal Satan with long curtains of hair framing his scowling pate. They’re “bad dude” and super-bad dude”.


The director and co-writer, with Weronika Tofilska, Rose Glass has crafted a low-rent, hard-scrabble fable that incorporates lust, love, longing, and brutal revenge while taking many unexpected and often “out there” twists and turns. She makes great use of a vibrant color scheme, switching from a warm “lit by headlights” glow in the wee hours to the shimmering, blazing crimson of a blood-soaked hellscape. It’s all punctuated with a grim “gallows humor” echoing the criminal eccentrics of Tarantino and the Coens mixed with more than a dash of the heroines of BOUND. The big “dividing point” for many viewers will be the sharp detour into “fantasy-land” in the big finale showdown, but after the lean, taut storytelling most will probably embrace and may even be thrilled by the audacity of it. Somehow Glass gets all the diverse elements to jell while making us truly invested in these two unlikely lovers, again played superbly by Stewart and O’Brian. The desert locales project a sense of sun-baked decay while the period is well represented (no cell phones, but lots of answering machines). More adventurous filmgoers will enjoy the “totally-jacked” trip taken when LOVE LIES BLEEDING.

3.5 Out of 4

LOVE LIES BLEEDING is now playing in select theatres

WILDFLOWER (2023) – Review

This Friday sees the release of a “coming of age” story with a couple of very interesting twists. Yes, it’s about a young woman yearning to break free of her childhood home as she approaches the end of high school. Of course, there’s all the college prep, changing friendships, and even a new budding romance. Now, here’s the big detour: she’s conflicted as she believes her folks can’t really fend for themselves. In fact, many might think that she’s really “raising” them. So there’s the conflict between exploration and guilt. And it is “inspired by real events”, in fact, it’s a dramatized take on a documentary from a couple of years ago. Plus it touches on many similar themes as a film from earlier in the month. So, with this young woman’s blossoming new life, could she be the title’s WILDFLOWER?


The opening of the story has us following Las Vegas high school senior Bea Johnson (Kiernan Shipka) through her nearby suburban street, far from the “strip”.A quick cut and she’s sleeping in a hospital bed. Actually, she’s in a coma, As her family flits in and out of the room, Bea narrates a long flashback, in hopes of recalling how she got here. The locale shifts to a nearby California suburb as hunky Derek (Dash Mihok) mows the lawn of the home of Peg (Jean Smart) and Earl (Brad Garrett) as their smitten daughter Sharon (Samantha Hyde) watches. The folks allow her to bring him a lemonade, believing nothing will come of it. Sharon is developmentally challenged from birth, while Derek endured a brain injury when he was seven, leaving her mental capacity at that age. Of course, soon the young couple elopes, prompting a “sit down” with Peg, Earl, and Derek’s parents from Vegas, Loretta (Jackie Weaver) and ‘Papa J’ (Chris Mulkey). The decision to not get the marriage annulled leads to talk of Sharon getting sterilized. A horrified Peg takes it “off the table”, since they surely won’t start a family. Naturally, Sharon soon gives birth to Bambi (later she would insist on going by Bea). The new family puts down roots in Vegas, and all seems to go well until “the truck incident”, which prompts Sharon’s sister Joy (Alexandra Daddario) to swoop in with hubby Ben (Reid Scott) in order to eventually take custody of her. But Bea’s free-spirited nature makes for a poor “match” and soon she’s back with her folks. Bea shines academically, takes over housekeeping duties, and even has an afterschool job. As she begins her final high school year, a helpful guidance counselor nudges her to apply for scholarships, while Bea acts on an attraction to a new student, the rich, hunky Ethan (Charlie Plummer). But could he handle the unconventional Johnson family structure? And can Bea even think of leaving the increasingly dependent Sharon and Derek? Could all that pressure have led up to the coma?

Shipka delivers on the promise of her excellent TV work as Sally Draper on the iconic “Mad Men”. As with that role, she conveys a sharp wit, delivering the proper amount of snark with every “burn”, but her Bea is more than a “Daria” clone (another cable TV reference). With her confident line delivery and gestures, we see the affection and frustration she feels for her folks, tempered with her close bond with her school BFF (played with great charm by Kannon) and her hesitant romance. Kudos also to Ryan Liera Armstrong who is spot on as a pre-teen Bea. As dad Derek, Mihok is an endearing “man-child” with no filter as he peppers strangers with religious queries while never losing his dignity. He’s matched by the entertaining Hyde whose defiant pout speaks volumes. Plummer’s also effective as Bea’s dream guy, Ethan, who truly sees her soaring spirit. The addition of Smart as Peg super-charges the few scenes she has, even as she’s often regulated to being “the voice of reason” and the exasperated “straight woman” to the hi-jinks of the unique crew, especially Weaver as the boisterous flamboyant Loretta. Garret is again the sweet, often clueless lumbering “sad sack”, perhaps a cousin of his CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH step-pop. Daddario and Scott make a good comic team as the well-intentioned up-tight “helicopter parents”. Also effective is Erika Alexander as a sympathetic social worker who pops in and out of Bea’s life.

The whole production is a kind-hearted “indie” slice of life which will probably be unfairly compared to last year’s big Oscar-winner CODA and that flick from a couple of weeks ago CHAMPIONS. It compares well with the latter, but the treatment of the parents in this fall short of the scrappy crab-haulers of the former. Too often Bea’s folks are there as a roadblock or a challenge to her goals. Fortunately, there’s plenty of warmth in their encounters in between the chaos, as they contend with “the system”. Much the same can be said of Bea as she “acts out” in the convoluted third act (the “MEAN GIRLS/HEATHERS” subplot feels forced). Plus the cartoonish schtick of a major supporting player feels lifted from a farce. The Vegas settings are great, but other local touches feel dated (slot racing emporiums…today). Director Matt Smukler never stoops to exploitation of the mentally challenged and makes a good plea for compassion (he expands his 2020 doc short), but despite the terrific ensemble cast, led by the compelling Shipka, WILDFLOWER doesn’t quite reach for the sun.

2.5 Out of 4

WILDFLOWER opens in select theatres on Friday, March 17, 2023

ARMY OF THE DEAD – Review

With Memorial Day weekend looming, what better time to kick back and enjoy and a noisy action blockbuster. That’s the way movie fans marked the beginning of the Summer season, well, in those before times. Sure this week’s new blockbuster began running on several screens last weekend, but the main focus of its marketing right now is about its “dropping” on a major streaming service (several would say “the streaming service”). It, however, “changes up” the usual formula for thrillers, aside from its distribution, since it’s another “high-concept hybrid”. You see this is a modern-day action heist flick, complete with the all “big plan’ and assembling the team. Y’know like the main variations, reboots, and sequels to OCEAN’S ELEVEN. So what’s the twist? Well, the big “window of opportunity” for the “grab” is opened due to a big disaster, though not a natural one like the big storm in 1008’s HARD RAIN. Nope, this is another one of those pesky zombie outbreaks. Yes, it’s extra tough to make that “big score” when you’ve got to contend with an ARMY OF THE DEAD.

The story does begin with the start of said “outbreak” when two newlyweds begin their honeymoon on the road to Vegas. The very distracted driver collides with a heavily armored military transport, dislodging its deadly cargo” a ravenous cannibalistic super-powered murder machine. Naturally his bite turns the surviving escort soldiers into killers who are quickly drawn to that “bright-light city”. Via an opening title montage, we see the town become overrun by the undead mobs, which also overwhelm the military. It’s soon determined that “Lost Wages” is a loss that needs to be isolated by a containment fence-like wall made of boxcars dropped by helicopters. A tent city is also set up outside the city by the World Health Organization to quarantine and monitor the evacuating citizens. As the TV news reports of plans to obliterate the infected city with a tactical nuclear strike (on July 4th, natch’), the grill man at a dusty diner, Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) is stunned to get a visit from casino kingpin Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada). His insurance has already re-reimbursed him for the 200 million stuck in the big vault beneath his showcase hotel/spa, but he now wants a team to secretly sneak into the city and grab the vault’s contents prior to it getting “nuked”. Since Scott’s a decorated vet and former Vegas resident, he’s offered 50 million to assemble a team (and split that dough any way he wants). He reluctantly agrees and puts together his crew of old cohorts. First is super-mechanic Maria (Ana de la Reguera), “muscle” Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick), and ace chopper pilot Peters (Tig Notaro). Then some “newbies’ are recruited: safecracker ‘savant” Dieter (Matthias Schweighofer) and social media zombie-killing star “Guz” (Raul Castillo) and his “right-hand” Chambers (Samantha Win). Everyone is startled when they’re joined at the last minute by Tanaka’s security chief Marin (Garret Dillahunt). Is he there to keep them on track, or does he have his own agenda? Scott decides the best way to enter Vegas is through the detention camp which entails an uneasy reunion with estranged daughter and WHO worker Kate (Ella Purnell). She enlists a “Coyote”, who has been sneaking folks into town, Lilly (Nora Arnezeder), who also brings in an abusive military guard Burt (Theo Rossi). Oh, and much to Scott’s ire, Kate insists on coming so she can keep an eye out for a mother who made the trek recently. As the clock ticks down to the nuclear blast, can this motley crew make the grab and fly out, while avoiding a horde of rampaging hungry hordes? If they stick to the plan, everything will work out, right?

In his best post-Drax leading role, Bautista proves to be a compelling screen presence casting a commanding silhouette, but still showing a bit more of his human side. Scott is able to shake off the “biters’ as though they were ragdolls, but he can’t shake off the guilt of his failure during the attack on his family. His MCU role may present more of his wry comic timing, but we’re getting a bit more of his heartfelt dramatic side, especially as he finally opens up to his daughter close to the big finale. Purnell, as that sibling kate, is a strong sparring partner for him, never backing down, though the role often seems abrasive and headstrong. Scott’s other partner, perhaps his BFF, is the warm, but no-nonsense de la Reguera who can now add action lead to her growing resume. Hardwick also is an impressive physical presence but is best as a big brother/straight-man to the tightly-wound, eccentric Schweighofer as the endearing, often dense Dieter. Notaro projects just the right amount of “fly-boy swagger” as the sweetly sarcastic Parker. And Rossi, Amezeder, and Dillahunt add an air of mystery as characters who may be a great back-up, though often have secretive motivations.

After a seventeen-year hiatus, in which he became the controversial guiding force in the Warner/DC franchises (“wrecking ball” springs to mind, IMO), Zack Snyder returns to the land of the “non-living” with this epic tale (clocking in at nearly 150 minutes (brevity alludes him). And as in DAWN, these ghouls are almost Olympic sprinters (a trait George Romero chided in his LAND OF THE DEAD), while several new twists are added (they all tend to get into Spider-Man-style poses since I’m guessing that most are played by “Cirque du Soleil” vets). An almost-social hierarchy (maybe a class system) is established. “Alphas”, those bitten by “Zombie Zero” AKA “Zeus”, seem a bit smarter and lord over the majority known as “shamblers”. And there’s a huge development that I won’t spoil, but I’m guessing it will figure into the sequel (or prequel). Still, for all the “rules” set up, Snyder gleefully bends them so that the monsters can slowly advance the plot. And it is a slow build-up into the mayhem that finally begins (we learn that the dead “hibernate”). Snyder, who co-wrote the screenplay with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, does get the sun-drenched Hell vibe of Vegas correct (as does the current HBOMax series “Hacks”), but certain “out-of-nowhere character confessions are poorly planned. Much of the big action set-pieces quickly devolve into “first-person shooter’ video game homages, slowed down to a crawl (Z love his ultra “slo-mo”) and backed up by campy choices of pop tunes and Vegas standards. And after, what is it, 30 seasons of TV’s “The Walking Dead” (which has two spin-offs now), many of the creeping around/zombie ambushes feel awfully familiar. And I think I mentioned the two-and-a-half-hour runtime. Even a bit of Snyder’s superhero flicks, Zuess sports a cape and a bullet-proof cowl, creeps in, but he doesn’t add enough to now trite Canibal creep tropes. Action and gore fans will get their fill, but for many ARMY OF THE DEAD is a ponderous platoon march through “glitter gulch”. Cash me out.

2 Out of 4

ARMY OF THE DEAD is now playing in select theatres and begins streaming exclusively on Netflix beginning Friday, May 21, 2021.

Blu Monday: Pirates Arrive in Oompa Loompa Land

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James Caan & Other Stars Usher In The Opening of The Las Vegas Mob Experience

James Caan & Other Stars Come Out To Celebrate The Historic Opening

Creators of The Las Vegas Mob Experience were joined by family members of the iconic/historic gangsters at The Tropicana Las Vegas for the opening of The Las Vegas Mob Experience this week.  They were joined by Hollywood icon James Caan (The Godfather, “Las Vegas”), one of several celebrity “gangster guides” who take you through the experience – educating the viewer (through videos and holograms) on the mob and how Vegas worked back in the day.

Also in attendance at Tuesday night’s red carpet gala were Gangster Guides Frank Vincent (“The Sopranos”, Goodfellas) and Tony Sirico (“The Sopranos”, Goodfellas) along with celebrity guests Pamela Anderson (“Baywatch”), Peter Greene (Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects), Rick Harrison (“Pawn Stars”) and more.

The Las Vegas Mob Experience is an immersive, highly interactive journey through time. Anchored by the largest collection of authentic artifacts, memorabilia, photos and videos of organized crime ever assembled, this attraction explores the history of organized crime and the impact its major players had on the building of Las Vegas.

TAKE A LOOK HERE:

The descendants of these mobsters offered fascinating, first-hand accounts and an interesting perspective of whom these people really were, not how they’ve been portrayed in Hollywood.

For more information on The Las Vegas Mob Experience, visit www.lvme.com.

Review: CRIME SWEEPERS

crimesweepers

” — ” (That’s a blank stare and an empty thought with my jaw hanging open.) I’m all about being supportive of indie filmmakers and the films they want to make. With that said, it doesn’t mean I have to like the film. I’m glad Lance Mora got to make CRIME SWEEPERS, his 30-minute comedy short and I’m glad it has garnered him some festival booty. However, and I simply have to be perfectly honest, I really found little to enjoy in this film.

To be fair, let me explain… It was the final day of the CineVegas Film Festival 2009 and while hanging out in the food court of the Palms Casino before heading back to my hotel, a man stops me and hands me a burned DVD in a paper slip. The DVD has “CRIME SWEEPERS” written on it and the man introduces himself to me as Lance Mora and told me this was his film from “the other festival,” meaning the Las Vegas International Film Festival. He asked if I would like to check out his movie and, as I always respond to these encounters, I said “sure.”

Fast forward to now. Yeah, it took me a while to finally sit down with CRIME SWEEPERS, but I did follow through with my promise. Before I go any further, let me briefly explain the film and then I’ll go into more detail. CRIME SWEEPERS is a crime caper comedy that features characters that are brooms and mops… Yep.

The trend of vulgar, profane, risque, coarse and controversial comedy is growing and the success of films like BORAT and WAITING have made this trend more popular. I’m not going to sit here and knock on this genre, simply because there is a lot of it that works and is actually funny. The trick however, is that it can be tough to pull off. There are low-budget indie filmmakers that focus on this style of humor and are relatively successful, but CRIME SWEEPERS still needs some work.

CRIME SWEEPERS relies almost solely on profanity combined with cliched genre references and crude bathroom humor, including a vomiting broom cop and a perverted OB/GYN delivering a woman’s baby, uh… I mean, little broom. Which actually brings me to another point. I would have liked to see Mora either stick with the whole mop and broom gag the entire film, or else toss it out completely and just use real people characters. The Hot Lab Girl, played by Tonya Mora, and the OB/GYN are real person characters whereas the others are all brooms or mops.

Adding to the projectile vomiting at a crime scene is projectile bleeding during the birthing scene, followed by projectile peeing on the doctor by the, uh, little broom. One of the detective characters is called Tony Danza, but for what reason eludes me. Perhaps the most creative part of CRIME SWEEPERS is the bad guy, a character named Christopher Mopin. This character is intended to be like Christopher Walken, making an attempt to mimic both his gestures and his voice. Later in the story, Christopher Mopin busts Dennis Mopper (get it?) out of prison.

Half way through the film, the depravity takes the express lane into unpleasant territory. Then again, CRIME SWEEPERS was made in and the story is set in Las Vegas, so that explains a lot. Unfortunately, this didn’t stay in vegas. Look, I really don’t want end this on a negative note. The film, despite it’s many flaws, had potential as a gimmick-driven short sort of like the now defunct thumb-themed bits like THUMB WARS. There’ll be some out there that enjoy the film, I am certain of that… it just didn’t do anything for me.

Best Nevada Film – Las Vegas International Film Festival 2009
Best Comedy Short – Action on Film International Film Festival 2008