VEEP is Making History with it’s Complete Sixth Season on Bluray

Jeri Jacquin

On Bluray from HBO Home Entertainment is the amazing cast and Emmy Winning comedy back to share all with VEEP: The Complete Sixth Season.

President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is not handling the loss in the Senate resolving the Electoral College tie that ended last season. Her staff has gone to the four winds as Dan (Reid Scott) can be found on CBS This Morning television, and Amy (Anna Chlumsky) is set to marry politician Buddy Calhoun. Jonah (Timothy Simons) is still in Congress and now Kent is working for him.

Her only continuing contact is with Mike (Matt Walsh) who has become Mr. Mom taking care of his three kids while helping Selina with her memoir. Richard (Sam Richardson) is still helping her as well even if Gary (Tony Hale) isn’t happy about it.

As Selina works on her Presidential library, she finds out Andrew has been cheating. What’s worse is that it’s with the woman who painted her official portrait – how’s that for kicking a former President while she’s already down! Dealing with Buddy’s (Matt Oberg) latest potential tabloid fodder, Amy works on a way to downplay his DUI arrest.

Participating as an observer in Georgia’s free elections, Selina learns how their process works and the word ‘bribe’ is thrown around. Ready to head back to the states, the rumor mill is working overtime as she hears that a Supreme Court nomination is in the wind.

Before heading for Qatar, Selina finally picks a location for her library. Once in Qatar, she finds herself in the middle of photo ops that prove to be more than she had anticipated. So much for putting Tibet first and foremost.

Between unveiling her Presidential portrait and Gary’s birthday party, things couldn’t get crazier – or could they. Selina’s diary ends up in the hands of Amy and Mike and it contains more secrets than even they could have imagined.

A better book is Selina’s memoirs and thinking she just might have something good going; an expose also comes out that doesn’t paint her in the best light. Jonah is trying to make his place in politics and that too isn’t exactly going to plan as a grab for it all leaves him empty handed.

The Presidential library breaks ground but that isn’t the only news that is about to be shared in life and in the White House!

First of all, a big congratulations goes out to VEEP’s new Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Actually she continues to win an Emmy for her role as Selina Meyer and I, for one and many, couldn’t be happier. She has made her mark in this series and continues to do so. I always encourage my friends to watch the show and even more so to do a marathon of VEEP when a Bluray is released right before the next season. This show is witty, smart and has a cast that is complete perfection.

What stands out is the satirical slaps that have continued for six seasons and shows no signs of slowing down. The narrative of the show is one of politics, weird slips, anxiety, dysfunction, sharp and even twisted in a way that makes us all stop and think – hmmmm…this isn’t that far from the mark now is it!

HBO Home Entertainment has an extensive array of critically-acclaimed and groundbreaking programs found on Bluray, DVD and Digital HD. They have provided viewers with some of the most amazing programs with huge fan bases that include the shows True Blood, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, True Detectives, The Wire, Entourage and Game of Thrones. Launched in 1984, HBO is world wide in viewed entertainment in more than 70 territories around the world! For more of what they have to offer please visit www.hbo.com.

The Bluray includes the episodes Omaha, Library, Georgia, Justice, Chicklet, Qatar, Blurb, Judge, A Woman First and Groundbreaking. The Bonus Features include Seven Audio Commentaries with Cast & Crew including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Matt Walsh, Timothy Simons, David Mandel and more!

VEEP was created by Armando Iannucci, Oscar nominee for co-writing IN THE LOOP, along with David Mandel as Executive Producer and Showrunner for Seasons Five and Six. The ensemble cast includes two-time Emmy winner Tony Hale, Emmy nominee Anna Chlumsky, Emmy nominee Matt Walsh, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Kevin Dunn, Emmy nominee Gary Cole and Sam Richardson.

In the end – they are making history whether you like it or not!

Nothing Changes like Change in SILICON VALLEY: The Complete Fourth Season on Bluray

Jeri Jacquin

On Bluray from HBO Home Entertainment is the continuing look at the world through the eyes of those at the beginning of the technology age with SILICON VALLEY: The Complete Fourth Season.

Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) has helped to change Pied Piper to the video chat app called PiperChat. That isn’t the problem really as the team is trying to fund it on their own. Dinesh and Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) know there is only one more play and it’s with Russ Hanneman (Chris Diamantopoulos). Richard (Thomas Middleditch) isn’t happy about what it going on around him and feels that he needs to take his ideas elsewhere. That leaves the CEO job open and Dinesh is offered up.

Richard’s first lock out is when he asks Dinesh for data and is told he is locked out. Not about to be stopped, he finds a way in and discovers that the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act has been violated by PiperChat.

Gavin (Matt Ross) and Jack are back from China but there is something happening that causes Gavin to use a video chat to find answers. Discovering what Jack is up to, Gavin reaches out to Dinesh to shut down the app altogether. Avoiding legal problems that Richard knows about is the only way to make it all go away.

Of course it isn’t that easy yet Jack manages to avoid dealing with the legal implications of COOPA. Richard is working like crazy on his internet project and its about to take a turn when Monica lets him know that she knew someone who was working on something similar once. Turns out it is Peter Gregory and Richard gets his hands on the archives of his work. The problem he discovers is that Hooli once again has their hands in everything.

Gavin is on board with helping Richard, especially when its discovered that it could knock Hooli out. Richard works out a business plan but wants to keep the launch less than obvious. Erlich (T.J. Miller) believes that Laurie (Suzanne Cryer) is going to be forced out of Raviga by Ed Chen but it isn’t much of a surprise for anyone.

Dinesh doesn’t know what to do about his relationship with Mia (Phoebe Neidhardt) but that might not be an issue when he discovers a hack that is disturbing. Deciding to talk to Richard about what has been happening, he isn’t the only one not happy with what has been happening as Gavin turns everything over to Richard.

Leaving a mess, Richard is confronted by Russ about the whole thing and it turns, shall we say messy? Reaching out to Dan Melcher to work a deal, he has to babysit Erlich which turns into Erlich trying to get a job with Feldspar.

Pied Piper in online and breaks the top 500 app! Richard knows he needs to find an attorney and begin litigation for the royalties. Of course he is a step behind when Burke has a longer arm and pins Richard against a wall after a failed Hail-Mary threat.

Who knew weather would put the Pied Piper team once again close to ruin from the storage center. Richard reaches out to Erlich to get a meeting with Feldspar thinking they could get something going with their VR tech. Dinesh and Gilfoyle manage to use Pied Piper’s algorithm that gives the VR a boost. With an offer of a $25 million buy out, Richard learns from Monica (Amanda Crew) that it’s a farce by Feldspar and that she is willing to fund them.

Going into Hooli-Conference, the Pied Piper team sneak in with their routers. Placing them all around the convention, they wait for Feldspar to bring in their VR presentation only to watch it fall apart and Hooli phones go haywire by exploding. Now Jack has to deal with millions of devices affected.

Richard uses Anton to store data and Barker takes off to China as they have no choice but to increase production. Gavin has run off to Tibet but learns Barker has been taken hostage. Knowing he has to rescue him, it means coming back reinstated at Hooli’s CEO.

Pied Piper is back on investors radar and it is Gavin who offers Richard a deal. That’s when he discovers Richard has made a deal with Bream/Hall. Angry, he threatens Richard who lets Gavin know that he isn’t worried at all. In fact Richard makes a threat, or prediction of his own saying he plans to make Hooli obsolete.

HBO Home Entertainment has an extensive array of critically-acclaimed and groundbreaking programs found on Bluray, DVD and Digital HD. They have provided viewers with some of the most amazing programs with huge fan bases that include the shows True Blood, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, True Detectives, The Wire, Entourage and Game of Thrones. Launched in 1984, HBO is world wide in viewed entertainment in more than 70 territories around the world! For more of what they have to offer please visit www.hbo.com.

SILICON VALLEY has become one of the most popular series on HBO with it’s storyline that is tech based mixed with comedy. These characters are worth every minute to keep up with because the twists and turns are insane and cool.

The series was created by Mike Judge, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky with the story of five guys who are trying to get their start up company started in the Silicon Valley. HBO premiered the show in 2014 and has already been reviewed for a fifth season!

The DVD includes the episodes Success Failure, Terms of Service, Intellectual Property, Teambuilding Exercise, The Blood Boy, Customer Service, The Patent Troll, The Keenan Vortex, Hooli-Con and Server Error.  

There are laughs enough for all yet there is also intricate story lines in the high-tech world that had me learning far more than I ever imagined. I’m pretty much a tech failure being I just want things to work when I turn them on and don’t care how that happens. The cast play off each other with ease and that’s the biggest thing that makes this show work.

Each character has its own idea of how the world works and the clashes are sometimes beyond belief, yet I tune in for each episode knowing there is so much more to come. I certainly don’t claim to understanding everything they talk about but I’m dang sure willing to learn.

SILICON VALLEY brings us all on the ride of satire embedded in a bit of reality with a quirkiness that makes it one surprise after another. If you are looking for a unique view of the world through the eyes of techies then get in on the fun. SILICON VALLEY: The Complete Fourth Season is now available on Bluray and Digital HD.

In the end – they are changing the way things change!

EMPIRE: The Complete Third Season Puts Family Drama in the Music Business

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to DVD is the family that takes music and drama to another level as 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment brings it all together atop an EMPIRE: The Complete Third Season.

Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) has left the altar and a fight between Anika (Grace Byers) and Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) will lead to a life and a death. Empire-X-Steam is Lucious’ (Terrence Howard) creation but it’s causing problems within the family and the feds aren’t far behind. Knowing it’s time for a sit down to work out issues, a Lyons dinner is in order.

Jamal (Jussie Smollett) has decided to work toward a campaign for gun violence awareness with Councilman Angelo Dubois (Taye Diggs). Nessa Parker (Sierra A. McClain), a new talent, works with Hakeem on music while Lucious knows he must find a working peace with Cookie (Taraji P. Henson).

Cookie is busy trying to get Jamal back to performing by pairing him up with Kitty (Mariah Carey). When Andre (Trai Byers) is falsely accused of charges, he believes it is due to racial profiling by the police but Tariq (Morocco Omari) uses this as a way to cause Andre to turn. Lucious is once again trying to get Empire but Cookie lets him know that he is all but declaring war.

Lucious gets Shyne (Xzibit) on a deal and sees Angelo as someone who can get in the way of his plans. He also lets Hakeem know that Andre is feeling some kind of way for Nessa and uses that to boost his sales with Empire-X. That all might be a mute point when it is discovered that the family is about to blow when Empire is hacked.

Cookie wants to make a good impression with Diana by having a family dinner and Lucious isn’t happy about anything that has to do with Angelo. Cookie and Lucious have done a good job teaching back handedness in the family when Jamal presents Cookie with a home video that just isn’t cool.

During Helene Von Wyeth’s (Gina Gershon) brings a big fashion event that gets Nessa time in the spotlight, Andre causes problems. Lucious better watch his back as Tariq enlists the help of Leah after making a deal with the feds. Cookie keeps busy with the concert to help Andre become mayor when she really should have been keeping an eye on Empire as the FBI freezes their assets.

Between the FBI and the ex’s feuding, Andre and Shyne are planning something worse for Lucious. An even bigger shocker is who is actually after Lucious in an underhanded way. Cookie has a moment with Lucious and now begins to question her relationship with Angelo.

The family dynamic shifts and the power struggle takes a threatening turn between Empire and X-Stream. The secret between Lucious and Guilana (Nia Long) comes out giving Cookie a reason to glare in that way only she can. When her son is in the emotional crossfire, Diana (Phylicia Rashad) plans her own destruction for the Lyon family. The expansion into Las Vegas is giving everyone an in to cause problems beginning with Angelo and his mother. Lucious, Jamal and Cookie actually have a moment where they see eye to eye about the future of their business until an unexpected agency knocks on their door.

In the middle of family struggles with Bella, it is clear that the DuBois and Lyons are going for the jugular. While trying to discover how all of this has happened, they are shocked with what Diana reveals to them.

The Laviticus Casino opens but there is still the issue of Bella that needs to be taken care of. Cookie is thrown out of the club after causing her normal ruckus and she is on the rampage to bring Lucious big problems. Wanting Jamal to launch is album; she learns that he has done something unexpected. Tariq discovers what the DuBois have done but Leah (Leslie Uggams) stops him from telling anyone else.

It all comes to an even bigger head when Lucious believes he has control of Leah and Cookie doesn’t trust Guliana for one second. The DuBois aren’t even close to being finished with their plans for the Lyon family when Shine turns Empire on its head!

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

The DVD if EMPIRE: The Complete Third Season includes the episodes Light in the Darkness, Sin that Amends, What Remains is Bestial, Cupid Kills, One Before Another, Chimes at Midnight, What We May Be, The Unkindest Cut, A Furnace for your Foe, Sound and Fury, Play On, Strange Bedfellows, My Naked Villainy, Love is a Smoke, Civil Hands Unclean, Absent Child, Toll & Trouble Pt. 1, and Toll & Trouble Pt. 2.

The Special Features include Uncut Music Performances and Studio Sessions that shouldn’t be missed and prepare for the fourth season of EMPIRE that is coming soon on Fox!

EMPIRE: The Complete Third Season is an even more complex season than ever before. Mixing the family drama with outstanding music is what keeps this series high on the list of television watching. Of course Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson bring so much tension and down right shocking twists and turns that I watch just to see what these two characters are going to do next.

Now with the DuBois putting their proverbial hats into the ring to become the next twisted family on the block, I think this season had my jaw dropping harder and more often than the first two seasons.

So, before season four begins, it is time to revisit EMPIRE: The Complete Third Season because this family doesn’t miss a trick!

In the end – it is their reign and their rules!

STARSHIP TROOPERS: Traitor of Mars Brings the Bug Gang Back Together!

Jeri Jacquin

Celebrating the 20^th Anniversary of the original STARSHIP TROOPERS, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment along directors Shinji Aramaki and Masaru Matsumoto bring us back to fighting bugs with STARSHIP TROOPERS: Traitor of Mars on Bluray and DVD.

Twenty years after Johnny Rico (voiced once again by Casper Van Dien) and friends gave the bugs a good what-for, he finds himself on Mars with a band of new recruits. Carl (Justin Doran) is now a General who is trying to stay one step ahead of Sky Marshall Amy Snapp (Emily Neves). Carmen Ibanez (Luci Christian) is commanding her own ship as well.

Training his Martian troops, the one thing Rico doesn’t expect is an attack by the bugs. The Federation can’t send help soon enough but then again Carl suspects that there is something bigger at play here. Reaching out to Carmen, he tells her that Rico needs her help.

Once the major attack begins, Rico acts like a commander making sure his soldiers escape. Left on Mars surface, he is visited by the familiar face of Dizz (Dina Meyer) who helps him figure out a way to stop the bugs before they completely take over Mars.

Sky Marshall Snapp goes before the citizens sending fear about what the bugs have planned next. Not listening to Carl’s advice, saving Mars is in the hands of Rico and the troops who know that everybody fights and nobody quits!

There is no one else I’d accept as the voice of Johnny Rico. Van Dien returns, vocally at least, to bring Johnny Rico back to us. It has been some time and the battles have had an affect on him not just physically. A little older but absolutely wiser, he is still haunted by the death of Dizz and remembers a simpler time with Carmen and Carl. That’s what makes STARSHIP TROOPERS: Traitor of Mars awesome – it’s a trip down memory lane but doesn’t take away from the battle that is still happening with the bugs.

Also returning is Dina Meyer as the voice of Dizz as she straightens out Johnny a bit. It is awesome that she returns and without giving anything away, fans will be thrilled. Doran as Carl is a little unnerving vocally but he hasn’t changed when it comes to being evasive about what is going on around them all. Christian as Carmen listens when Carl says Rico needs help. Neves as Sky Marshall Snapp has a plan of her own and like Carl, is playing it close to the vest.

Other cast include DeRay Davis as One-Oh-One, Scott Gibbs as Baba and Juliet Simmons as Camacho.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings amazing quality motion picture and television productions. Such films as BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, UNDERWORLD BLOOD WARS and PASSENGERS also available for your home entertainment library – there is so much more. To see more of what they have to offer please visit www.sonypictures.com.

Celebrated anime filmmaker Shinji Aramaki of APPLESEED ALPHA and APPLESEED EX MACHINA along with sci-fi master Ed Neumeier return us to the 1997 iconic STARSHIP TROOPERS film. A sci-fi classic (and I can’t be friends with you if the film isn’t on your guilty pleasure list), STARSHIP TROOPERS: Traitor of Mars brings this animated gang back for more bug battles and a storyline that twists and turns.

The Bluray includes Traitors of Mars: A Look Inside Bugs and Powered Suits, Traitor of Mars: A Look Inside Story and Characters, Expanding the Universe – 20 Years and Counting, Continuing the Universe and Traitor of Mars, Deleted Scenes, and Photo Gallery. The DVD includes A Look Inside: Motion Capture and A Look Inside: Music. 

STARSHIP TROOPERS: Traitor of Mars is available on Digital August 22, on 4K Ultra HD/Bluray Combo Pack and DVD this week and STARSHIP TROOPERS 20^th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD Edition September 19^th.

This animated film is a blast from the past while giving us more story with a new crew of soldiers who could only be trained by Rico. There are iconic phrases that could only be uttered by Rico melding the iconic 1997 film with 2017 animation. There is action, fun, memories and bugs who need taking care of so On the Bounce, Troopers!

In the end – Johnny Rico is back!

AMERICAN ASSASSIN

Jeri Jacquin

In theatres this Friday from director Michael Cuestra, CBS Films and Lionsgate brings action and suspense with the AMERICAN ASSASSIN.

Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) is vacationing with his girlfriend in a blue water tropical paradise. In an instant shooting begins as terrorists walk the beach killing tourists, including Mitch’s girlfriend.

Wanting revenge, Mitch goes out on his own to try and find the man he saw kill his girlfriend. Going online to reach out to a terrorist organization, he doesn’t know that the CIA see’s everything he is doing. When he finds his target, the CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) sends in a crack team of military to save him.

Angry that his goal is thwarted, Director Kennedy brings in Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton), a Cold War Vet, to train Mitch as a black ops recruit. Out in the woods, Mitch works with others on what it takes to go on dangerous missions. That is when the CIA receives word that someone is putting together the parts to build a bomb.

Hurley, Mitch and other agents arrive in the Middle East and Annika (Shiva Negar) is their contact when they discover they are looking for a Ghost (Taylor Kitsch). Almost immediately they believe they are on the trail of the scientist who is helping to build the bomb. Hurley knows something about Ghost but instead of sharing it with the team, he becomes frustrated because Mitch isn’t taking orders.

When Hurley is kidnapped by Ghost, Mitch kicks it into gear to find his mentor and stop a bomb from starting a war!

O’Brien as Mitch is a brooding, sarcastic and perfect person to train even though he does take matters into his own hands. I write it off as rambunctious youth and I don’t mind it. His mind is constantly on the move and his body follows throwing caution to the wind. I really enjoyed O’Brien’s performance and can even see a few more films coming out of this character.

Keaton as Hurley is equally brooding, sarcastic and the perfect person to train Mitch. He is a strong character in the film and fast in his reaction to situations. Now, I have to say there is a scene (no, I won’t tell you which one but trust me when I say you’ll know immediately when you see it) between Hurley and Ghost where I almost sat on the edge of my seat waiting for Keaton to say “You want to get nuts! Let’s get nuts!”.

Lathan as Kennedy sees something in Mitch and knows how to use the pain that he has endured. From the loss of his parents to the murder of his girlfriend, she knows that using it all to become a black ops specialist will make him perfect for the job.

Kitch as Ghost just plain doesn’t give a damn about anybody or anything except making the world pay. His story is a mystery for most of the film but he eventually makes it clear why he wants to watch the world burn. There is a crazy Kitch manages to give that made me nervous! Negar as Annika is an agent who, like Mitch, has personal reasons for wanting to bring down Ghost and she’ll do anything to make that happen.

Other cast include Scott Adkins as Victor, Joseph Long as General Rostami, Navid Negahban as Minister Behurz, Trevor White as Dr. Frain, David Suchet as Director Stansfield, and Shahid Ahmed as Adnan Al-Mansur.

I had a good time watching AMERICAN ASSASSIN! It is fast paced, takes no prisoners, and basically takes us on a roller coaster ride of espionage, mystery and a big ending. The film is basically effortless in keeping viewers attention because this is exactly why many go to the movies – to be taken away with a big bowl of popcorn and no analyzing or figuring out anything.

O’Brien and Keaton are pretty cool together because their characters share more in common than either will admit. Playing off of one another they played into the films twists and turns with ease. The film is one hundred and eleven minutes long and there isn’t a moment that doesn’t have something going on.

The films as of late have claimed promises of stories that weren’t kept which makes AMERICAN ASSASSIN so much fun. You get what you pay for and happily pay for the ride. This isn’t just a ‘guys’ film, it is a gather-up-the-gang and go out for a good time at the movies and don’t forget a huge bucket of popcorn for everybody.

In the end – assassins aren’t born, they are made!

J.D. Salinger’s Story Comes to Life in REBEL IN THE RYE

Jeri Jacquin

This Friday from writer/director Danny Strong and IFC Films is the life of an author who wrote himself into history as the REBEL IN THE RYE.

The film begins with J.D. Salinger (Nicholas Hoult) stating “Holden Caulfield is dead”! That being said, a young Salinger is trying to find out where he belongs in the world. Convincing his parents that he wants to be a writer, Jerry enters Columbia University where he meets Whit Burnett (Kevin Spacey). Immediately testing his professor, Burnett challenges Jerry to become the writer he is.

Wanting to become published, Jerry’s learns that to be published means giving up what he believes is the heart of his work. He also finds love with Oona O’Neill (Zoey Deutch) and the war comes into his life. Burnett sees this young writer with great potential leave for battle asking that he continue writing stories with the character of Holden Caulfield.

War is more than he can take as Jerry retreats into himself mentally telling the story of Caulfield. Trying to find his way back to the world, The Catcher in the Rye is born and the book explodes. Jerry and wife Claire (Lucy Boynton) find a cottage in the woods but it is only a matter of time before the world expects another masterpiece from him. Even Burnett reaches out and Caulfield isn’t keen on going farther than the fence on his land.

It is what happens when you ‘write and get nothing in return’.

Hoult as Salinger is absolutely stunning. He brings to the character frustration, heart ache, stubbornness, fear, challenges and all of it leads to Salinger being reclusive. He takes the character step by step but doesn’t take his foot off the gas. I loved every moment of Hoult on screen and probably because I have always loved Salinger’s work. He gives Salinger to us with the good, bad and the ugly and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So well done and thank you.

Spacey as Burnett, I mean really, do I need to say it? Spacey gives this character a sly sense of humor and cutting wit but behind it is such insecurity and fear equally Salinger’s own. Watching his protégé move forward without him, Spacey’s Burnett is struggling to reconnect with what he believes is a young man with immense talent. Spacey is once again outstanding and beautiful in this role.

Paulson as Olding is an agent who believes in her client. She continually struggles to get his work published, especially when they want rewrites, but always does what Jerry wants. Boynton as Claire tries to understand what Jerry is going through but he makes it difficult when he spends more time writing than with their marriage and children. Deutch as Oona makes Jerry happy until she doesn’t and her marriage to someone else is in the tabloids and still talked about to this day.

Other cast include Brian d’Arcy James as Giroux, Victor Garber as Sol Salinger, James Urbaniak as Gus, Adam Busch as Nigel, and Jefferson Mays as William.

The film’s director Strong writes the screenplay with Kenneth Slawenski who wrote the biography J.D. Salinger: A Life. Together Strong and Slawenski give the audience some insight to the life of Salinger.

THE REBEL IN THE RYE is cinematically beautiful with the era costuming that adds another depth to the story telling. Hoult and Spacey together are stunning playing off each other with a friendship that becomes a struggle for Salinger. The scene between the two trying to reconnect really broke my heart a bit and I loved it at the same time.

That’s really what this film does, takes us on a blink of an eye journey through the life of a writer that has captured the hearts and minds of millions – and continues to do so. After seeing the film I came home to find my copy of The Catcher in the Rye and within a few days came away with a deeper love of the book and a deeper joy from the film.

Discover Salinger in a different way with REBEL IN THE RYE.

In the end – it is a battle between writing and the writer!

MOTHER! Brings More Questions than Answers

Jeri Jacquin

In theatres from writer/director Darren Aronofsky and Paramount Pictures is a test on the eyes and brain when it comes to MOTHER!

Jennifer Lawrence is in the title role of MOTHER! as a young woman who is living in a secluded and large house. Along with her acclaimed poet husband played by Javier Bardem, she is redecorating their home while he fights writer’s block for his next book. 

When a mysterious man (Ed Harris) shows up at their door, she is immediately suspicious of who he is and what he could possibly want. Just as fast, her husband seems enthralled with their visitor and offers him a room for the night. Their guest also seems to have health problems that keep her husband occupied late into the night.

By morning there is another knock on the door and she is surprised to be introduced to their mysterious guest’s wife (Michelle Pfeiffer). She is once again upset that her husband now invites the wife to stay as well saying that having people around invigorates him.

That is until the couples two grown sons (Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson) show up to argue with their parents about the contents of a will. A fight breaks out with horrific results leaving her home while the others run to the hospital. When he returns home, more people show up at the house, and more, and more. She can take no more and demands that everyone leave her house and confronts her husband.

That confrontation leads to a night of passion that brings the joy both had been waiting for. Pregnant, she works more on the house and believes she finally has found happiness. Even more so is that her husband can’t stop writing and a new book is well received. So well received that people show up at their door bringing chaos and disaster – or do they.

Lawrence as Mother is a woman who dedicates herself to redecorating the home she shares with her husband. Constantly supportive, it isn’t until the arrival of the stranger that she begins to feel passed over and at the same time threatened. Lawrence’s character begins the film strong, but, like the film’s turning point just ends up a hot mess (once you see the film please no there is no pun intended).

Bardem as the husband is a man who seems to need constant emotional catering to and a half hour into the film I was over it. There is no chemistry between Bardem and Lawrence which makes his behavior even more annoying to watch. By the time things come around to the last few minutes I lost total interest.

Harris as the mystery man wouldn’t make it five seconds in my house. Arrogant and ignoring Lawrence’s characters wishes, it is an odd character placing and I suppose I’m going to have to think about it more yet I don’t want to. Pfeiffer as the mystery man’s husband actually had spunk, is mouthy and chugs down her special lemonade which makes her even more mouthy and challenging. That being said, there is only so much you can take of that as well.

Other cast include Amanda Chiu as Damsel, Patricia Summersett as Consoler, Eric Davis as Bumbler, Stephen McHattie as the Zealot, Jovan Adepo as the Cupbearer and Kristen Wiig as Herald.

I wanted to like MOTHER!, I was excited about this film and followed all the buzz. So, it is crazy to me that I just don’t know who the audience is for it. Of course Aronofsky is known for his complex films and it’s like a roller coaster ride with him. I was intrigued by THE FOUNTAIN, didn’t like NOAH, adored his directing in BLACK SWAN and JACKIE and now we are back to ‘meh!’ with MOTHER!

This is a film that is absolutely going to have to be experienced but I don’t know who would want to. Quite honestly it was all in for me the first five minutes of the film followed by all the subtle hint dropping throughout the film then, it turns into an experiment in torture (both of myself and the film’s characters).

I’m sure that Aronofsky knew what he wanted to show the viewer but I don’t think he thought of the viewer much. He is asking them to sit through a film that has amazing cinematography and talent but also asks them to figure out what his vision is. He had the makings of a good thriller and it starts out absolutely that way.

I followed along waiting for the “thing” to happen and instead I got thrown into the garbage shoot and I can’t wash off the gunk. Oh well.

In the end – seeing is not believing.