FATHER STU

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from writer/director Rosalind Ross and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the story of the most unexpected change of life for FATHER STU.

Living in Montana in the 80’s, amateur boxer Stu Long (Mark Wahlberg) has a quick wit and a serious ego problem. No one knows that better than Mom Kathleen (Jacki Weaver) who seems to always be rescuing her son from trouble. She is good at it considering her life and marriage to Stu’s estranged father Bill (Mel Gibson).

All of this is caused by a rift between Stu, Mom and Dad when his younger brother died breaking the family apart. After a recent boxing match, Stu learns he should not be fighting anymore. That’s when he gets the bright idea to move to Southern California getting a job at a grocery store hoping it will get him discovered as an actor.

All it gets him is time in jail! Back at the grocery store, Stu meets Carmen (Teresa Ruiz) and is instantly smitten. Learning she is a Sunday school teacher; he finds himself at church and even agrees to be baptized. Getting an apartment and cleaning up his life, Stu gets a chance to do an infomercial. Having a drink, a stranger tells Stu not to ride his motorcycle home.

Ignoring the stranger, he heads out and crashes into a car and run over by another leaving him close to death. While lying in the street, Stu sees a beautiful angelic woman who says he will not die. At the hospital, and close to death, Mom, Dad and even Carmen come to help him recover.

When he and Carmen get closer, the young woman has no idea what has come to Stu. He believes that the call has come, and that Stu must enter the priesthood, which is not exactly what Carmen wanted to hear. Having to convince Monsignor Kelly (Malcolm McDowell) to allow him into the seminary, he also has to prove himself to friends Jacob (Cody Fern) and Ham (Aaron Moten).

Reaching out into a community in the only way Stu knows how, people listen to him. Maybe it is in the way he says it or maybe it is that he truly believes in change, but people listen. One day while playing basketball with friends, Stu literally falls ill only to discover he has inclusion body myositis, a rare disease.

And with that, the church decides that perhaps his illness is not conducive to being a priest. Like his whole life – he has to prove himself right for the job!

Wahlberg as Stu is a Tasmanian devil whirling through one thing after another and all destructive. Trying to get through the guilt of his younger brother and the estranged relationship with his father, it is Mom that tries to keep it all together. Wahlberg uses his fast wit speaking and edgy charm to bring Stu and Father Stu to life.

Weaver as Mom Kathleen has been dealing with both father and son for so many years that she seems to take it all in stride. Supporting her son in whatever idea he comes up with for his life, she takes it all in stride and in motherly love. Weaver is just so darn versatile that she can go from sweetly threatening a character to just being sweet period.

Gibson as Dad Bill has his own demons, and he certainly does not have a problem expressing himself. That makes the saying “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” believable between father and son. Supporting his son is not something Bill does well as they have been at odds for so long that neither but, things are about to change. Gibson gives the gruff older guy with the sprinkles of sarcasm and father-son exchanges his best shot.

Ruiz as Carmen is a young woman who has a strong faith and wants Stu to share in that. She does not quite expect the turn of events in their lives yet still remains strong in her friendship with Stu. Ruiz in this character is so sweet and strong. Moten as Ham becomes the spiritual friend Stu needs along with Fern as Jacob.

McDowell as Monsignor Kelly does not believe in Stu when they first meet but follows him with interest. Feeling as if he is a lost cause, it becomes clear that this particular lost cause has found something important for his life. I am thrilled to see McDowell in the film.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

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Bonus Materials include You Don’t Know Stu: More About Father Stuart Long and Over 10 Minutes of Deleted Scenes.

FATHER STU is an inspirational film based on the life of Stuart Ignatius Long. A football player in his younger years, Long became a Golden Gloves heavyweight and graduated Carroll College with a degree in English Lit and Writing. This film is only a small glimpse into his journey from regular guy to Father Stu.

The film’s story moves about as fast as Wahlberg’s delivery of his lines. It is a journey of constantly seeking but never quite understanding why things did not work out. It took a slide on the asphalt for the most unusual calling comes to Stu Long.

Even though his friends and family might not have understood the path he was taking, he did not seem to need it. The path was clear, and nothing was going to stop Stu from following the call.

In the end – God wanted a fighter and He found one!

NEVER TOO LATE

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to virtual cinemas from director Mark Lamprell and Blue Fox Entertainment comes the story of love that is NEVER TOO LATE.

Caine (Dennis Waterman), Angus (Jack Thompson), Wendell (Roy Billing) and Bronson (James Cromwell), also known as The Chain Breakers were in the military during the Vietnam War and became POWs. After an escape, they each returned home and went their separate ways. The one thing Bronson didn’t forget was the love of his life Norma (Jacki Weaver) and now, fifty years later, he is determined to find her.

Arriving at the Hogan Hills Retirement Home for Returned Veterans, Bronson has himself committed to get close to Norma only to discover she is being temporarily transferred to another facility. Meeting the homes facilitator Lin (Renee Lim), she lets Bronson know that his own doctor believes he should be in Hogan Hills.

Later he meets Elliott (Zachary Wan), a young man who spends his time at the home waiting for his mother to end her shift each day. Elliott recites Bronson’s exploits as part of the Chain Breakers and informs Bronson that his friends are also residents at the home. Bronson is thrilled to seek out his friends and so begins another chance to be part of The Chain Breakers once again – even if they are a tad bit older and slower.

Lin is constantly watching them and every time they are caught there are repercussions but there is a reason for her disapproval. That is not going to stop Bronson from finding Norma and finally making the one thing right that he felt he should have done fifty years ago.

It is time!

Cromwell as Bronson is a man who has finally comes to terms with who he is and what he has missed in his life. Of course, it took him fifty years but what the heck, he takes one look at Norma and he is a young man again. Cromwell is an amazing actor who, in this role, gets a chance to show a softer side while also having a bit of fun with crazy plans all based on love.

Waterman as Caine is happy to see his friend again and having the chance to go on a mission is something that is truly appealing to him. Billing as Wendell has been trying for years to make things right with his grown son but with each returned letter he wonders if it can ever be made right.

Thompson as Wilson will do just about anything to help his friend Bronson. It gives him a sense of purpose until Bronson pushes just a little to hard and Wilson puts his foot down. I have always been a fan of Thompson and in this film, he reminds me why with his wit. Wan as Elliott is a young man who is going through a tough time in his own life. He is thrilled to have these friends of a certain age and enjoys their antics.

Weaver as Norma has spent years moving on without Bronson and now is her chance to find the happiness that was once standing before her on a jetty before the war. Weaver is so small standing next to Cromwell’s Bronson but her heart and eyes are big with memories. Lim as Lin is a woman who isn’t exactly the kind of person I’d want watching over me in a retirement home.

Shout out to Shane Jacobson as Bruce Wendell, he comes in later to the film but his character is one that shows the power of forgiveness.

Other cast include Max Cullen as Hank, Simone Annan as Doctor Kevin, Darren Gilshenan as Marshall, Jai Koutrae as Williams, and Edmund Pegge as Howard.

Blue Fox Entertainment is a global film distribution and sales company specializing in connecting filmmakers to audiences and buyers in the United States and around the world internationally. For more of what Blue Fox Entertainment has to offer please visit www.bluefoxentertainment.com.

NEVER TOO LATE is a film that constantly instills to the viewer that it truly is never too late to chase a dream. It may not be the exact dream that Bronson had fifty years before he left Norma, but it is a powerful and loving dream none the less. In the process of it all, he has the opportunity to reunite with friends who made an impact on his life and help them find their dreams once again.

This is a sweet film that does not sugar coat the life of seniors who have seen a lot, been through a lot and still feel like they have one last chance to have it all. I hope we always feel that way no matter what our age.

In the end – love is not always on time!

POMS Brings on the Cheer

Jeri Jacquin

Now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from writer/director Zara Hayes and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment are ladies that are ready to shake their POMS.

Martha (Diane Keaton) is down-sizing and simplifying her life by packing up and moving to a retirement community. Hoping to find peace and quiet, instead she discovers anything but. Neighbor Sheryl (Jacki Weaver) is running illegal poker parties out of her house and breaking more rules by having grandson Ben (Charlie Tahan) staying.

After a check in visit, Sheryl tries to motivate Martha to do anything to get her out of the house. Martha decides she can go one better and do what she missed in her younger years – become a cheerleader. The problem is getting past a very controlling Vicki (Celia Weston) who doesn’t like being challenged.

Martha finds other members with Alice (Rhea Perlman), Helen (Phyllis Somerville), Olive (Pam Grier), Phyllis (Patricia French), Evelyn (Ginny MacColl) and Ruby (Carol Sutton). Fun for the ladies makes Vicki turn on the group and deny them club status when an accident happens during a practice performance.

One person at that performance is Chloe (Alisha Boe) who is on the high school squad and her recording goes viral which doesn’t help the ladies cause. Martha and Sheryl meet Chloe and convince her to help them become better as the group comes together again.

This time they are going full on entering a cheer contest. Practicing takes every bit of time and a toll on Martha who has been keeping her own secret. Yet, when the day arrives, the women along with Ben and Chloe know this is their time to shine and nothing or no one is going to stand in their way!

Keaton as Martha is a woman feeling that there is only one way to deal with the last phase of her life and embraces it a little too deeply. It takes someone as flamboyant as neighbor Sheryl to change it. Keaton is fun, encouraging and looks like she is thoroughly enjoying this role. Weaver is absolutely hilarious with her way of living and taking no guff from anyone. She is the yin to Keaton’s yang that’s for sure!

Tahan as Ben is a young man caught in two different worlds and doing his best not to become too embarrassed. When he realizes that his grandmother and friends aren’t anywhere near that, he is all in. Boe as Chloe begins as a mean girl but me thinks it’s because she is hanging with mean girls. Being a part of what Martha and the girls are trying to accomplish changes to who her character truly is.

Perlman as Alice is hilarious and I’ll never look at golf stuff the same again. Grier as Olive is embracing her cheer side and her hubby doesn’t mind it either. French as Phyllis lets her red hair crazy fly. Somerville as Helen is the zen influence on the group. Sutton as Ruby just wants to have fun with the girls and MacColl as Evelyn has to sadly deal with family who don’t support her life but rather want to control it.

Other cast include Alexandra Ficken as Paige, David Maldonado as Tom, Karen Beyer as Barbara and Bruce McGill as Chief Carl.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

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POMS on Blu-ray unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture solution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality and surround sound. Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

This is a heartwarming film about senior community living and the possibilities. For Martha it might not be too apparent as she has a plan of her own. Keaton gives her character all the emotion we have come to expect from this fine an iconic actress.

The film is very funny but at the same time very poignant in that sometimes we forget that being a senior citizen isn’t a reason to stop living. Instead it is a reason to live every moment doing what ever we’ve all wanted to do but maybe life got in the way along the line.

In the end – it is never to late to chase a dream!