BradPitt

AD ASTRA – Rated PG-13 – 2 hr. 2 mins        

/ Matinee Chat with Kathy Kaiser / 1 Comment

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This humble opinion is brought to by you T. K. Edwards

AD ASTRA – Rated PG-13 – 2 hr. 2 mins        

Director:  James Gray, Dan Bradley

Cast:  Brad Pitt, Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland

Astronaut Roy McBride undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.

NO SPOILERS BELOWAD ASTRA isn’t a movie…it’s a magic trick.  The film gives you some amazing visuals and an outstanding leading man to distract your attention from the fact that the movie’s story is not as great as it seems.  The fact of the matter is, AD ASTRA’s story is weak, but because you’re watching Brad Pitt on screen and another one of his exceptional performances you’re not going to notice that, a lot (if not all) of this movie is below average.  Science aside (which I will get back too), the plot is as basic as it gets, and we’ve heard it a thousand times before. My dad left. My dad died. My dad might still be alive. My journey to find my dad begins now. There is nothing original about AD ASTRA except that it is Brad Pitt’s 1st Space Adventure Movie – (which was extremely fun to write just now, Lmao).  Now let’s talk about the science portion of AD ASTRA because it is atrocious.  I don’t know if the directors were trying to ground this movie in reality or make it more of a fantastical period piece, but either way it didn’t work because of all the “space laws” were pretty much broken and the set pieces just added to that confusion.  If you’re going to make a space movie your sets must follow the rules you are suggesting. For example, in the 2016 film PASSENGERS the film’s “space laws” were followed. Everything in the film looked like things that could not have been invented for a very long time or were not even at all possible.  They had cryo-tubes, a Michael Sheen robot that served you drinks and an amusement park ride that dragged you behind the spaceship you were hitching a ride on. Far fetched and we knew this because the story, set pieces and special effects supported this idea. In AD ASTRA, they do not do this. They make you think this is in our possible near future and a LOT of the stuff in this movie are not possible without some sort of explanation that they do not give to you, which in turn makes the movie distracting.  There’s also some other science in the film that they screw up, like…umm…I don’t know…let’s pick one at random…I know…GRAVITY!!! How do you screw that one up? That should’ve been the third question after they green lit this picture. What genre is the film? Sci-Fi. Who should we cast? Brad Pitt. What are we going to do about gravity in this film? It’s space, it’ll work itself out. No no no no no nooooooooooooooooo! One thing I did like about AD ASTRA is that it has proven once again what movie going audiences have already known for quite some time and that is…”IN BRAD WE TRUST!!!”  Brad Pitt can make a very weak movie with a story that is not written very well, look better than it actually is. Some prime examples of movies from his resume that do just this are the following:

  • THE DEVIL’S OWN
  • ALLIED
  • THE TREE OF LIFE
  • WAR MACHINE
  • THE COUNSELLOR
  • BY THE SEA
  • THE MEXICAN
  • COOL WORLD (Honorable Mention)

Pitt is one of my “ALL TIME” favorite actors and it seems like everything he does, he puts all he has into making the best film possible, but sometimes he’s working with a bad story.  And sometimes having Brad Pitt in your movie is just not enough. So, if you’re a big Sci-Fi movie fan, my suggestion is to stay away from AD ASTRA because it will only piss you off to no end.  But if you’re just a fan of Brad Pitt and don’t care about the laws of science, then it’s totally up to you to watch this one either at the theater or on your couch at home. Until next time, thanks for reading. 

Suit up and check out this new clip from Ad Astra, starring Brad Pitt. Get tickets now to see it in theaters September 20th, 2019

/ Matinee Chat with Kathy Kaiser / Leave a comment

 

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Suit up and check out this new clip from Ad Astra, starring Brad Pitt. Get tickets now to see it in theaters September 20.

20th Century Fox has released a special preview of the intense, action-filled “Moon Rover” sequence from AD ASTRA, coming to theaters on September 20, 2019. Starring Brad Pitt, AD ASTRA is a paranoid thriller in space that follows Roy McBride (Pitt) on a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe. Director James Gray (THE LOST CITY OF Z, THE IMMIGRANT) and director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema (INTERSTELLAR, DUNKIRK) researched actual images of the Moon from the Apollo lunar missions to ensure an authentic look that will surely be breathtaking on the big screen.

AD ASTRA stars Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland.

AD ASTRA arrives in theaters everywhere on September 20, 2019 from The Walt Disney Studios. Pre-order tickets now at adastramovie.comAD ASTRA 
Release: September 20, 2019
Directed by: James Gray
Written by: James Gray & Ethan Gross
Produced by: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, James Gray, Anthony Katagas, Rodrigo Teixeira, Arnon Milchan
Cast: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland

SYNOPSIS
A paranoid thriller in space that follows Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) on a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.

AD ASTRA Official Channels
OFFICIAL SITE: AdAstraMovie.com
FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/AdAstraMovie
TWITTER: Twitter.com/AdAstraMovie
INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/AdAstraMovie
HASHTAG: #AdAstra

Kathy vs. T.K.’s View of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD – Rated R – 2 hrs. 41 mins.

/ Matinee Chat with Kathy Kaiser / Leave a comment

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“Expertly crafted from its first frame to its last, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood is Tarantino’s finest use of screen time to date!”  Kathy Kaiser – MatineeChat.com

 

This review is brought to you by Kathy Kaiser and is SPOILER FREE

 

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD – Rated R – 2 hrs. 41 mins.

DIRECTOR/WRITER:  Quentin Tarantino

STARRING:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Bruce Dern, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, and Bruce Dern

As we visit LA circa 1969, the television and film industries are in the midst of big changes, as TV and film Star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) becomes fixated on his fledging career.  When Rick’s stunt double, and bff Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) steps in to help Rick navigate his way, as they find that their fictional lives on screen, are about to intersect with the reality of their everyday lives…

I rate Once Upon A Time In Hollywood a DEFINITE MUST SEE ON THE THE BIG SCREEN!

Yep, all the hype about Tarantino’s 9th film is totally warranted, as it basks you in the nostalgia and vibe of days gone by.   Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is definitely Tarantino’s finest use of screen time to date, as he manages to embody all the sights, sounds and ambiance of movie making, into one expertly crafted ode to Hollywood.

From his creative genius in casting Pitt opposite DiCaprio, to selecting the beautiful and equally talented Margot Robbie to play real-life actress Sharon Tate, to his slew of supporting cast phenoms who brought fabulous performances to this joy ride too –  Tarantino manages to extract exceptional performances across the board, creating a truly masterful tale every step of the way.

I was also amazed by the way this film effortlessly entwines fictional characterizations with the harsh realities of its depicted “era in time“, as it literally manages to exude frame after frame of sometimes intense, yet other times hilarious moments onto the screen.

Coming from a person who either absolutely loves Tarantino’s work (Django Unchained, Inglorious Bastards), or refuses to ever sit through them again, (Kill Bill, The Hateful Eight), Once Upon A Time In Hollywood totally enticed me this time around, with its perfectly developed characters, and expertly constructed storyline.  Once again Tarantino’s innate masterfulness for infusing his fictional mindset, with real-life events, makes his latest creation seamlessly flow in a way, we may never see again.

But with all the accolades that I will continue to bestow upon this incredible creation even after I release this review ~ I would be remiss if I didn’t share too ~  that I felt there were a few scenes that beckoned to be edited, as they seemed to drag on a bit too long, taking away some of the finesse for those particular depictions on screen,  But, even  with the acknowledgment of those few slight flaws for me, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is still my favorite film for 2019 so far…and make sure you stay put until the credits are through, as you don’t want to miss the last frames of this f-ing fabulous film!

 

This humble opinion is brought to by you T. K. Edwards

ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD – Rated R – 2 hr. 41 mins     

Director:  Quentin Tarantino

Cast:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Kurt Russell

A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.

NO SPOILERS BELOW

ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD is Quentin Tarantino’s 9th film and just like the rest of his films, it doesn’t disappoint, but I am one of the very few people that does not agree with most fans when it comes to this movie being his best film to date.  There is absolutely NO WAY it is better than PULP FICTION!!! I think this is a perfect example of how the hype for an upcoming movie has made it “more” than what it truly is. I love all of Quentin’s movies and they’re all special in their own way, but to say this one is the best of the bunch is wrong in my humble opinion.  That being said, ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD does deliver on the following: cast performances, costumes, story, soundtrack, and direction. It’s hard to pinpoint why I’m not as taken with ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD, but if I was forced to really look at why it doesn’t reach as high on my Tarantino list as his other films I would have to say its because the length of the film is so long.  There are moments in this film that are not necessary to drive the story forward. They seem to be there only for the sole purpose of playing more music and to see people driving in cars really fast. You shave off some of that time and I would bet you dollars to donuts that this movie goes up a few notches on my list of Tarantino movies. No more negative, I hate negative comments when it comes to a film that I really enjoyed.  Let’s talk about something fun instead like the star studded cast because that was my favorite part of ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD. I’m going to begin with Margot Robbie. She does a great job of being both innocent and true to a real-life person that suffered such a horrific fate. Her performance is an extremely sweet tribute to Sharon Tate and I think she would’ve been very pleased with the way it turned out. Moreover, Margot is eye poppingly beautiful.  You cannot take your eyes off her when she is on the screen and that has to do with not only her beauty, but the late 60s early 70s clothes she wears. As for our other two leads of this film, Brad and Leo are amazing together. Their chemistry is phenomenal, and they just jump off the screen. It’s surprising they have never worked together before, but I guarantee you this will not be the last time they do. It can’t be. They’re just too damn good. Both of them are hilarious and if I’m allowed one minor spoiler, for the first time since 1993, I got to see one of my favorite Brad Pitt characters of all time…Floyd from TRUE ROMANCE made an ever so slight appearance through Brad’s acting at the end of this film.  It’s brief. It’s probably not intentional. I may be the only one that notices it and it’s only a few lines and a small giggle, but Floyd returned, and I loved it. So, thank you Brad and Quentin. As for Leo – he is a movie star, plain and simple. The guy just gets the job done every time and the audience walks away being satisfied. It’s incredible to see just how far he has come throughout his career and he just keeps getting better and better. It’s definitely a high compliment when Martin Scorsese even says Leo rejuvenated his career as a director.  The guy is 100% acting gold and I love watching all of his movies.  My suggestion for ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD is to go see it in theaters.  I will warn you, it’s very long and does take awhile to get you hooked, but it’s still worth going to see in theaters.  Until next time, thanks for reading.

P.S. – Stick around during the credits for a Quentin Tarantino Easter egg credit scene.

 

Kathy vs. TK’s view of DEADPOOL 2

/ Matinee Chat with Kathy Kaiser / Leave a comment

Deadpool 2

DEADPOOL 2 – 1 hr. 59 mins. – Rated R 

Director:  David Leitch 

Writers:  Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick 

Starring:  Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz, Brianna Hildebrand, TJ Miller, Bill Skarsgard, Terry Crews, Julian Dennison, Stefan Kapicic, and Karan Soni

“We are going to form a Super Duper Fuckin group”…

Welcome back all you non-flinching, Red Suit loving, foul-mouthed worshiping movie lovers…as we venture back for round 2, into the world of our favorite Anti-Superhero Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) …and his menacing ways…

This time around, Mr. Indestructible is forced to bring along a few friends for this showdown too, including his “blasts from the past” Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), Bartender Weasel (T. J. Miller), plus our X-men co-harts Colossus (Stefan Kapicic), and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) – YEAH!  And it seems that we might need a few newly acquired frenemies as well…Domino (Zazie Beetz), Bedlam (Terry Crews), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) …and a few others too…

But why would Deadpool need so much assistance you ask?  He didn’t need it before…

Has he lost his edge??  Nah, he just needs a few other compadres to help him save a young, and rather hot-blooded mutant with uncontrollable abilities, named Russell (Julian Dennison), from the super-nasty, yet really super buff, Cyclopsian mad-man Cable (Josh Brolin) …because sometimes, even the most arrogant of us in this world find, we need a little help from our friends…

I give DEADPOOL 2 a rating of what else, but MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN:  It’s hard to imagine that Reynolds could be as incredible for Round 2, as he was in Round 1, playing our favorite smart-assed Superhero, but that is exactly what he has done.  And totally exciting too, is the fact that this next installment bodes more action, more storyline, more of everything we loved in DEADPOOL, as it totally “turns up the volume” every step of the way!  I never thought I would love a sequel as much as I loved “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” …yet, here we are!  Between the DEADPOOL vs. CABLE storyline, and the other perfectly cast mutants throughout this film (Love, Love, Love DOMINO (Zazie Beetz) ~ and including a cameo that comes out of nowhere…but makes this film ever that more special ~ DEADPOOL 2 a definite MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN… AND NO OTHER WAY!!! Now, I, like you, will be headed to the theater this weekend to view this totally bodacious film a few more times, as I’m certain with all the action, and all the perfectly synchronized one-liners like only Deadpool/Ryan Reynolds can deliver, I didn’t quite catch every smart-ass line all along the way…which is why, at this juncture, I have to give kudos once again to the writing genius of Reynolds, Reese and Wernick for another fabulous job!   And while we are handing out accolades ~ shout out to Director David Leitch too, as he totally nailed this incredible sequel…especially since he was going at it blind…having not directed the first installment.  Thus, leaving me with nothing else more eloquent than to say… Way to go guys…WAY TO GO!!!

Kathy Kaiser  

This humble opinion is brought to you by T. K. Edwards

DEADPOOL 2  – Rated R  – 1 hr. 59 mins

Director by:  David Leitch

Cast:  Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz

The “Merc with the Mouth” returns in this sequel to save a young teenage boy from a time traveling mutant known as Cable.  

THIS SEGMENT WILL BE SPOILER FREE … I PROMISE… THIS IS TOO EPIC TO RUIN.

DEADPOOL IS BACK EVERYBODY!!! And I couldn’t be more excited!!!  DEADPOOL 2 was incredible. It was everything I built it up to be…and much much more!  The Merc with the Mouth was as funny as ever and the action this time around was even better than the first film.  I guess that has to do with our director this time around, David Leitch. He co-directed (but is listed as uncredited) the first JOHN WICK movie and if you saw that movie, then you know….this guy knows how to shoot action movies because he comes from a stuntman background and it shows.  The action sequences in DEADPOOL 2 are so creative, so fast, so cool, so fu…SORRY…i just came from seeing DEADPOOL 2 and every other word out of Ryan Reynolds’s mouth is the “F” bomb, so I think I’ve caught the “potty mouth” bug…sorry (LOL…or should I say LMFAO). Speaking of Ryan Reynolds, once again he does an amazing job playing our foul mouthed hero and in my opinion, has officially solidified himself as Wade Wilson in the history books of film.  No one will ever be able to do a better job playing this character and no one should ever try. Reynolds has joined the ranks of such actors who owned their characters like Sir Sean Connery as James Bond, Heath Ledger as the Joker, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine aka Logan aka Weapon X aka James Howlett aka Deadpool’s reason for having his own movie (Deadpool’s words…lol). Moreover, Reynolds even co-wrote DEADPOOL 2, which that in itself is terrific because he is a comic book fan.  You get to see a comic book movie from a fan of comic books and let me tell you, after you see DP2 you are going to want to bearhug Ryan Reynolds until the X-FORCE movie comes out (some women may hold on to him a little bit longer…lol). Now onto the elephant in the movie/room…the debut of CABLE!!! Josh Brolin was perfect. You completely forget he was Thanos and…uh…cough…Jonah Hex, and you see him play this character on the screen for the first time and you’re blown away. He is the perfect ying to Deadpool’s yang (that was pretty dirty…sorry…unintentional…or was it?  LOL). They are the duo everyone has been waiting to see ever since the Ferris Bueller post credit scene in the first DEADPOOL film and after two years of speculating who was going to play Cable, we finally got Brolin. His intensity was spot on and his look of the character could not have been any better. That guy got ripped for this role and to see that kind of dedication to a comic book character role is astounding. My recommendation for this film is to definitely SEE THIS IN THE THEATER. You will not regret it. It has everything you want in a DEADPOOL sequel and more. There’s tons of comedy, foul language, gory action, top notch special effects and as a bonus for comic book fans…loads of easter eggs scattered throughout the film.  Keep both eyes open when you see this one because you may miss some funny cool stuff. Until next time, thanks for reading.

P.S.  

This film has one of the greatest post credit scenes EVER!!!!  It is jaw droppingly great!!! And if you are still not ready to leave the theater, you can wait until the entire end of the credits because there is one final easter egg to be HEARD not seen.  Listen carefully. (ck…for you Deadpool…LMFAO!!!)

ALLIED – Rated R

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allied-movie-poster

ALLIED – Rated R – 124 minutes

Starring Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris and Matthew Goode

From Director Robert Zemeckis, the man who brought us the classics as WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, BACK TO THE FUTURE I, II, and III, and that little known film by the name of FOREST GUMP too, comes a tale of espionage, intrigue and a love for the ages…this is ALLIED!

Working for the Allies as an intelligence officer during WWII, we meet the charming Max Vatan (Brad Pitt), who join forces with French resistance operative Marianne Beausejour, to take out key German operatives working in North Africa.

After completing their mission, these undercover agents find a way to reconnect back in London, as both Vatan and Beausejour are finding it hard to ward off the feelings that overwhelmed them many months earlier.

As they both struggle with Vatan’s new position within the Allied force ~ Marianne finds solace in her new role as mama. As their love and passion for one another grows with each passing day ~ it seems that all may not be what it seems ~ forcing this Casablanca-esque coupling to be questioned, by the powers that be. So alas, we must wait to see who is lying at will, and who will be left standing amidst all the espionage and intrigue…

I give ALLIED a rating of MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN: I was soooooo excited to see Pitt and Cotillard on the big screen, sharing passionate kisses, in this Casablanca like new film ~ and their respective performances throughout this film ~ did not disappoint.   Pitt was perfect, as who can play a sexy soldier in uniform better than he.  And Cotillard was also fabulous as the beautiful French maiden, bound to steal every mans heart along the way. The storyline was just as exquisite too, with it’s ambling array of “who done its” the whole way through. If you love films filled with espionage, intrigue, and some pretty seductive sex scenes to go along with it all, then you must head out to the theater near you, with your significant other in tow. Allied is one of those films you must experience on the biggest screen you can find, in order to enjoy this story, its outstanding performances, and all of this films incredible cinematography as well!

Kathy Kaiser

THE BIG SHORT – Rated R

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the-big-short-teaser-posterTHE BIG SHORT – Rated R

From the man who co-wrote such comedic classics as ANCHOR MAN, TALLEDEGA NIGHTS, and THE OTHER GUYS ~ ADAM MCKAY ~ comes a riveting tale of REAL~LIFE ~ with of course satirical comedic twists along the way ~ as a group of financial WISE-GUYS figure out what is really happening to our economy prior to the 2008 collapse ~ and at the hands of our fiscally irresponsible banks too…THIS IS THE BIG SHORT!!!

When Dr. Michael Burry (Christian Bale) – now turned financial guru ~ happens upon what he thinks is a major flaw in the present handling of our housing market by THE BIG BANKS, he decides to invest a major chunk of his investors capital in its future collapse….NICE, RIGHT!!

Meanwhile, a few other financial geniuses, including, Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), Mark Epstein (Steve Carrell) and his brother Paul (Peter Epstein) and retired financial analyst Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt) ~ who has been brought in by two younger millionaires, ~ all think they have determined the same outcome as Dr. Burry has with our housing market…

As they all continue to investigate their “theories”, the housing market is flying high on it’s glaring subpar interest rates and with it’s over-lending schemes running amuck…

When the collapse finally happens, which a few of these masterminds tried feebly to disclose, ~ and who still managed to walk away with millions, ~ knowing that the BAD GUYS at the Banks were about to take THE FALL OF A LIFETIME eased their minds~ or maybe NOT ~ as the Feds decide to swoop in to try to save the Banks, and their CEO’s, but it seems the “little guy” in all of this isn’t worth saving at all, when it is all said and done…

I give THE BIG SHORT the rating of MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN ~ These last few months of 2015 have been some of the best viewing months of my life, as, once again, this film takes a real life story, and makes it literally COME TO LIFE, and in A BIG WAY! Having lived through this collapse, I was not looking forward to viewing this story, if it had not been for all, I may have had to miss it, but this collaboration of “experts” definitely drew me in~ from Bale, to Gosling, to Carrell, to Pitt ~ even youngster Whitrock and Magaro shine in their respective roles. And additional kudos go to Director and Writer Adam McKay too, as he took some very serious subject matter, added his nuance of comedic genius throughout, and made one heck of film that you absolutely have to experience each and every minute of…

Kathy Kaiser