12 MIGHTY ORPHANS Plays onto Bluray

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray and DVD from director Ty Roberts and Sony Picture Classics comes the story of young boys about to become young men with 12 MIGHTY ORPHANS.

Rusty Russell (Luke Wilson) is a football coach and teacher along with wife Juanita (Vinessa Shaw) and young daughters, they have come to a Fort Worth orphanage to teach and coach. Upon arrival they meet Frank (Wayne Knight) who introduces them a bit and takes them to their dilapidated new home. New arrival Hardy Brown (Jake Austin Walker) is brought in and taken to Doc E.P. Hall (Martin Sheen).

Russell was a former coach at Temple wanting to come to the orphanage to make a difference. Trying to get the boys to become interested in creating a team, he discovers that there are more roadblocks than there are rocks in his field. He also discovers that Frank mistreats the boys at every turn.

Russell starts to make headway with the boys but at the same time tries to get through his own traumas of childhood and time of war. Being a fighter will come in handy as he is met with constant obstacles by those who do not want the orphan boys to play in Division A. In September of 1938, the boys start to prove what they are made of even with the bumps and bruises along the way.

Coming together is not easy but when it happens, it is a sight to see!

Wilson as Rusty Russell is a coach and teacher with a past of his own. Relating to the orphans, he has the opportunity to speak and treat them the way the boys had never known. Then again that is the pattern of Wilson, playing roles that are understanding, insightful and reaches through thoughtfulness.

Sheen as Doc is a father figure to most of the boys and sees exactly what Russell is trying to do for the boys. Doc also has his own demons he is fighting but when Russell influences him as well giving him a chance to be part of the team.

Walker as Hardy Brown is a young man who is full of anger and resentment, but it slowly starts to fade when with Russell. He brings the team together and also turns out to be one of the strongest players the team has and the strongest advocates for the boys have.  

Shaw as Juanita is supportive of her husband on the field and off reminding him that football is only part of what he needs to be teaching these boys. She also works with the kids to teach them how it is possible to become something more than the word ‘orphan’.

Other cast include Natasha Bassett as Opal, Jacob Lofland as Snoggs, Lane Garrison as Luther, Scott Haze as Rodney Kidd, Kelly Frye as Mary Jane, Sampley Barinaga as Chicken, Levi Dylan as Fairbanks, Slade Monroe as Wheatie, Lucy Faust as Wanda, Treat Williams as Amon Carter and Robert Duvall as Mason Hawk.

12 MIGHTY ORPHANS includes Deleted Scenes.

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.

The story is based on the book Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Rules Texas Football by Jim Dent.

12 MIGHTY ORPHANS is a lovely story at the time when there were no electronics, no television, barely a radio and orphanages were always full. These characters have all been through their own personal struggles and the pain is one that is not of their own making.

During the depression, people were looking for anything to take them away from problems that the brought them such hardships. This team slowly became the focus of everyday people who wanted to root for the underdog. What they did not see was the turmoil these boys faces personally and the emotions that come from feeling abandoned.

It was their coach Rusty Russell who came up with amazing changes in the way football was played bringing his boys the opportunity to win – but more than just football. Off the field there are outside obstacles but inside the orphanage there is just one – the heinously abusive Frank Wynn.

When people begin writing from all over explaining how what the boys are going through brings them hope and courage, it means something to the coach and the boys.

In the end – winning lies within the heart!

He Can Only Find Her With REMINISCENCE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently in theatres and on HBO/Max from writer/director Lisa Joy and Warner Bros. Pictures is the story of our world through REMINISCENCE.

Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) is living in a world now surrounded by water, rebellion and the have nots. During the day it seems quiet, and the nighttime is when everything comes alive. His business is investigating but also allowing people to revisit the past using a hologram program and the help of partner Watts (Thandie Newton).

At closing time, Nick is about to be thunderstruck when the beautiful Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) walks in with a request. She can not seem to find her keys and while in the program, Nick sees into her life. Starting a relationship that is filled with everything he never thought possible, devastation follows when Mae disappears.

Devastated, he uses his own program to try and understand if there are clues to where she has gone. Watts, trying to snap him out of it, reminds him that they need to get to the local police station to help a case. In the tank is Cyrus Booth (Cliff Curtis), during questioning Nick sees Mae.

Now he must come to terms with the mystery of who Mae truly is, those that have been part of her life, the connection with the Sylvan family and following the trail of murder.

Jackman as Nick is a love-struck detective that uses the mind technology to trace where Mae would have gone. Instead, he finds the life of bad guys and bad choices realizing that the only truth lies in the end. Jackman does his usual stellar job giving us a hardy performance with intensity and a broken heart.

Ferguson as Mae is a femme fatale songstress who sends Nick on a chase of love and pain. Is she really who she seems to be? That is the question and Ferguson is not giving up any answers to the very end.

Newton as Watts has worked with Nick for years and sees the path of destruction he is going on. They butt heads over the investigation and the choices Nick is making, and Newton makes sure her character is strong and no-nonsense.

Curtis as Booth looks as dastardly as they come, and he knows more than he ever plans to share. Locked inside his mind are a good portion of what has been happening all along and he is not going to give it up easily. Curtis has the remarkable ability to play both a good guy and a bad guy in equal measure because he does it so dang well.

Other cast include Natalie Martinez as Avery Castillo, Marina de Tavira as Swati Sylvan, Daniel Wu as Saint Joe, Mojean Aria as Sebastian Sylvan, Giovannie Cruz as Cindy, Brett Cullen as Walter Sylvan, Angela Saratyan as Elsa Carine, Javier Molina as Hank, Sam Medina as Falks, Norio Nishimura as Harris, Nico Parker as Zoe and Roxton Garcia as Freddie.

Warner Brothers is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainments with worldwide distribution to DVD and Bluray, animation, comic books, videogames and broadcasting. For more please visit www.warnerbros.com.

Although enjoying the film, I could not help but think that the story is a mixture of other stories and genres (WATERWORLD, INCEPTION, ALTERED STATES, a tad MEMENTO and all black and white P.I. films I have ever watched etc.). The backstory of the new ‘water world’ seems to be a story all its own and gave me more questions than answers.

Jackman, Newton and Ferguson carry their part of the film very well. I enjoyed their performances as Jackman takes us on the noir mystery thriller set in a future world. Director Joy was co-creator and executive producer of the HBO series Westworld.  Also, she might have gotten a few pointers from brother-in-law Christopher Nolan but for her first project, it is all about the mystery indeed.

So enjoy in a theatre or enjoy at home – just enjoy the mystery and discover REMINISCENCE.

In the end – don’t look back!

 

DREAMBUILDERS

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from SHOUT! Factory Kids, directors Kim Hagen Jensen and Tonni Zinck is the story of a young girl dealing with life changes with DREAMBUILDERS.

Minna (Robyn Dempsey) is a young girl who is happy with dad John (Tom Hale) and pet hamster Viggo but is feeling the pressure when dad moves in girlfriend Helene (Karen Ardiff) and attention seeking daughter Jenny (Emma Jenkins) into their home.

She finds an escape in sleep and discovers another world with dream-builder named Gaff (Luke Griffin) who explains to Minna how dreams happen. He also explains that interfering in someone else’s dream is a disaster. Under pressure from his dream-superiors, Gaff is working extra hard to make sure the dreams pass inspection.

During awake time, Jenny is threatening Viggo and Minna’s happy home life and that’s when she realizes there is one way to stop it all from happening. Enlisting the help of Gaff, Minna changes Jenny’s dreams so that she will be nicer.

The problem is, Jenny figures out what is happening and does things that hurt Minna deep. That’s when she goes overboard in dreamland and when it goes wrong, only Minna can make it right!

Dempsey as Minna is a young girl dealing with a missing mom and her dad’s new relationship. The changes are almost to much for her to take and adding a not-so-nice Jenny who turns her world upside down. Minna does things that are unlike her, and she cannot seem to stop herself.

Jenkins as Jenny is a girl who has a dad-issue and uses that as a reason to do act in a way that is selfish. Immediately taking over Minna’s home with her demands and fits puts her in a place to make it easy not to like her. When she realizes what Minna can do, she needs a friend to get back home.

Griffin as Gaff truly cares about Minna and wants to make her happy. Knowing that allowing her inside the dream building process could get him in trouble, he wants to help her. Hale as John is a dad who just wants his daughter to be happy and at the same time create the one thing he misses the most – a family. Ardiff as Helene has basically created a monster out of her own guilt and Jenny is the result.

Hamster Viggo Mortensen is just to cute for words, as is his namesake!

SHOUT! Factory has grown into a tremendous multi-platform media company. Releasing new animated features such as the exquisite Long Way North, and the epic fantasy Beauty and The Beast. Also, their own original horror film, Fender Bender gives fans a good scare. For more of what SHOUT Factor has to offer please visit www.shoutfactory.com.

DREAMBUILDERS is a story of dreams, hopes, nightmares, family, issues and everything in between. I kind of which I knew who my “Gaff” was so I could make a few changes to dreams here and there.

Mixed into the films themes is color, a bit of fun, delightful characters and animation. Going inside a world that we are not privy to, DREAMBUILDERS gives us all something to think about.

A cast of characters inside the dreams are fun, quirky, inventive, creative, scary and in some cases, a stickler for the dream rules. When things go haywire in Minna’s waking world, they all come to the rescue to help their young dream-ward get through it.

DREAMBUILDERS is a fanciful and sweet film that calls for cuddle time on the sofa to watch together with the family.

In the end – she gets inside the dreamworld!

It is Another Adventure with PETER RABBIT 2

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray, DVD and Digital from director Will Gluck and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the next big adventure with PETER RABBIT 2.

Peter Rabbit (James Corden) is a witness at the wedding of Bea (Rose Byrne) and Mr. McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) and off they go to live in the cottage together next to the pond. The town is all excited since Bea’s book ‘Peter Rabbit’ is out for all to enjoy.

One day Bea receives a letter from Nigel Basil-Jones (David Oyelowo) asking to publish her book and take it worldwide. She signs a contract, but the animals are worried that Basil-Jones is not a nice guy. Bea makes it very clear that the story is very personal to her but that doesn’t stop the publisher from making suggestions to bring in the big money.

Peter, in the meantime, is not happy with the story and decides it is time to strike out on his own. He meets Barnabas (Lennie James) only to discover that he actually knows Peter. Captured by the local authorities, they are adopted out to a family who clearly does not know how to care for rabbits. Now Peter’s friends are worried that they haven’t seen Peter!

Barnabas shows Peter the ropes to living and surviving in the big town with the help of Whiskers (Rupert Degas), Tom Kitten (Damon Herriman), Mittens (Haylet Atwell) and Johnny Town-Mouse (David Wenham). That adventure was not to last as Bea and friends find Peter to take him home.

But its not over as Peter finds himself between old friends and new friends and its time for him to remember who he is to all that love him!

Corden as Peter continues to give his animated character fun, lessons learned, an innocence mixed in with a big of being braggadocios, and a just a kid who wants to know his place in the world. Cordon offers a sense of childlike attitudes and a bit of an emotional tantrum now and then from a rabbit that we all can not help but love – just the way he is.

Byrne as Rose never thought her stories would come to more than a small book in her shop. When she has a chance to take Peter into a larger world, she also learns lessons about the big world who would like nothing more than to change her beloved stories. Byrne always brings beauty to her roles and Rose is just delightful.

Gleeson as Mr. McGregor is the total opposite of Rose in that he is suspicious of everything, probably because of Peter more than anything else. He has his eye on those who would want to change everything he loves about his wife. In this adventure he has the opportunity to really get to know Peter and all his wonderful friends and that takes Gleeson from a grump to a hero.

Oyelowo as Nigel is the above ground user as James as Barnabas is to the lower ground user of the story. Both want what they want, and the cost means absolutely nothing. James has more than a few tricks up his sleeve, and they are all in his favor, poor Peter.

Degas, Herriman, Atwell and Wenham get the chance to stretch their imaginary characters legs and be as naughty as they want to be with Barnabas’ help.

Other cast include Colin Moody as Benjamin Bunny, Margot Robbie as Flopsy, Elizabeth Debicki as Mospy, Aimee Horne as Cotton-tail, Damon Herriman as Tom Kitten, Sia as Mrs. Tiggy Winkle, Sam Neill as Tommy Brock, Ewen Leslie as Pigling Bland, Matt Villa as Felix D’eer, Will Reichelt as JW Rooster and.

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.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

The special effects are pretty cool as all the cottage animals meet the city animals. Getting into the film it is easy to get lose in the reality who they are and my family did not mind one single bit.

PETER RABBIT 2 is a delightful continuation of the adventures Peter. It is a very large cast of characters both human and creature but each of them, with the help of their human voices, brings such life to the story. I watched the film with my six-year-old granddaughter, and she was giggling or yelling for Peter and his friends to ‘watch out!’.

That’s what is wanted in a family film. For families to gather together and giggle, eat popcorn, cheer for the underdog and boo the bad guys. That’s what PETER RABBIT 2 offers us all in the way of fun, entertainment, and a few lessons on what it truly means to be a blended family.

In the end – small hero and a big adventure!

She Lives in THE NIGHT HOUSE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from director David Bruckner and Searchlight Pictures comes the story of grief and mystery in THE NIGHT HOUSE.

Beth (Rebecca Hall) is a young woman dealing with the death of her husband Owen (Evan Jonigkeit). Keeping an eye on her is neighbor Mel (Vondie Curtis-Hall) and friend Claire (Sarah Goldberg) as they see she is not doing well.

Drinking a bit heavy, Beth starts to notice bizarre sounds and happenings around the house Owen built for them. On his cell phone she notices a photograph but is not sure if it is a picture of her and begins to question things Owen may be have been doing. As she starts packing up his books and clothes, she finds odd books about the occult.

She also notices something odd on the other side of the lake only to discover that there is more to Owen’s life than she knew. That’s when message begin to appear and a voice that clearly reaches out to her.

Now she must decide what is real and what is due to the pain of losing her love.

Hall as Beth is dealing with her husbands’ death her own way which includes alcohol and an attitude. Not sure what she wants to do from day to day, it is those moments of loneliness that what is in the house reaches out to her. Hall is awesome when she is at her most sarcastic and even better when she tackles what you can not see in front of her.

Curtis-Hall as neighbor Mel just wants to look out for Beth in any way he can. That’s difficult to do at times as Beth is becoming darker as the days go by. It is fantastic to see Curtis-Hall on the screen again. Goldberg as friend Claire tries to get Beth out of the house but as her friend tells her what is going on in the house, Claire seems more willing to believe that its alcohol than anything else.

Other cast include Stacy Martin as Madelyn, David Abeles as Gary, Christina Jackson as Heather, Patrick Klein as Rob, and Samantha Buck as Becky.

Searchlight Pictures is responsible for such films as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE SHAPE OF WATER and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. They have an extensive film library as well as documentaries, scripted series, and limited series. For more information, please visit www.searchlightpictures.com.

THE NIGHT HOUSE is a creepy film that will keep you staring at the screen wondering ‘did I see what I think I saw?’. The storyline reminds me a bit of the 1999 film STIR OF ECHOES, the 2002 film WHAT LIES BENEATH and a dash of the 2002 film DRAGONFLY.

There are some pretty awesome effects in the film that keep the creepy factor on high alert. For me, the problem becomes the last ten minutes of the film. It had the potential to take us to a higher height but instead it seemed like director Bruckner took a safe and predictable route.

Now, that being said, I did enjoy the film and Hall takes it all the way home. From start to finish she gives us all the motions someone who loses a love would go through. I suppose my favorite scene is in the classroom (that’s all you get) because I was a cheer leader to Hall’s attitude the whole way.

Shout out to Jonigkeit as Owen because even though his role was ‘small’, it is important in piecing together what Hall’s character is going through. As the story between Beth and Owen starts to click together, it also makes Beth’s life fall apart even more. Well done to both actors!

In the end – the mystery is going deeper than she could ever have imagined!

 

 

LABYRINTH Celebrates its 35th Anniversary

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming in 4K Ultra HD and Bluray pack from director Jim Henson and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a celebration of the 1986 musical film LABYRINTH.

Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is sitting in the park with dog Merlin and the book The Labyrinth. Going home in the rain, stepmother Irene (Shelley Thompson) and father Robert (Christopher Malcolm) leave her with little baby brother Toby (Toby Froud).

Not keeping a sharp eye, Sarah is enraged when she discovers that Toby has her bear Lancelot. Angry, the young girl wishes that goblins would take Toby away. What she does not know is that the goblins are waiting in anticipation for her to say the words.

Jareth (David Bowie), the Goblin King, takes Toby and tries to make a deal with Sarah but she wants her brother back. She has thirteen hours to get through a labyrinth or else Toby belongs to the Goblin King. Along the way she meets Hoggle a grumpy dwarf and asks for help in getting through the labyrinth and also meets the beast Ludo.

Being watched along the way by Jareth who does his best to keep Sarah from completing the Labyrinth. The guard of the swamp Sir Didymus and dog Ambrosius joins in the group that is helping Sarah. But Jareth is not done with his traps when he invades her dreams, but the young girl is stronger than she could have possibly imagined!

Connelly as the young Sarah is adorable, sweet and everything you would expect from teenager who is unhappy babysitting a crying toddler. She plays so convincingly to the Henson puppets that have been created for the film.

Bowie as Jareth is absolutely stunning and adding his musical talent to the film is equally awesome. Personally, I have always adored this film before the loss of Bowie, but seeing the film again makes me nostalgic for his creative talent and ability to adapt his look and sound through the years we were fortunate to have him.

Henson’s puppets are stunning, delightful and a tad scary at times. LABYRINTH was an amazing opportunity to go beyond Sesame Street and show the endless possibilities. The ‘hand’ puppets are so very cool, and Henson made that scene very memorable, especially for a kid!

Shout out to Toby Froud who got to be a baby in this musical fantasy!

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.

The Special Features of the 4K Ultra HD Disc includes The Feature Presentation in 4K resolution and Dolby Vision, Deleted & Alternate Scene Oubliette – Over twenty-five minutes of never-before-seen lost and alternate scenes, with all-new commentary from Brian Henson, and Sarah’s Screen Test – A collection of rare, original screen tests for the role of Sarah featuring Molly Ringwald, Trini Alvarado, Tracey Gold, Claudia Wells, Jill Schoelen, Maddie Corman and Danielle von Zernick.

The Bluray Disc includes Feature Presentation, “The Henson Legacy” Featurette, Labyrinth Anniversary Q&A, Remembering the Goblin King Featurette, The Storytellers, Commentary by Conceptual Design Brian Froud, Original Making-of Documentary “Inside the Labyrinth”, “Journey Through the Labyrinth: Kingdom of Characters” Documentary, “Journey Through the Labyrinth: The Quest for Goblin City” Documentary and Theatrical Trailers.

LABYRINTH is still as brilliant today as it was thirty-five years ago when it was released. The fantasy, puppetry and musical film is a tad dark, but I was twenty-five when this film was released, and I loved every minute of it.

Re-watching it today on a big television with a sound bar reminded me easily of being in the theatre all those years ago. The film is the story of friendship, being a teenager, regret, learning, growing, understanding and being true to what is right in the face of adversity. Those are a lot of lessons wonderfully wrapped up in LABYRINTH.

The set designs and puppets have their own story to tell with their fantastical laughs, loving looks, comical attitudes, and ease in which we love them all. Henson brought his best and brightest to make this story come to life and I, for one, am grateful.

George Lucas was the executive producer; Terry Jones wrote the first script draft in the early 80’s and the concept design came from Brian Froud. Along with Henson, LABYRINTH has become a cult classic and that is a fine place to be.

In the end – it is where everything seems possible, and nothing is what it seems!

WOMEN COMPOSERS

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on DVD is WOMEN COMPOSERS: A Cinematic Search for Their Lives in Music by Kyra Steckeweh, Tim Van Beveren with Film Movement.

The documentary begins with “…thus I consider it to be the educator’s duty to suppress the girl’s rising genius and to prevent her in every way from noticing the greatness of her own talents”. Here is the story of how music pushed past that useless belief. Pianist Steckeweh, a classical pianist, wants to discover music written by three women. Mel Bonis, Lili Boulanger and Fanny Hensel.

Hensel grew up in Hamburgh born in 1805 and fled back to Berlin years later. In 1820, Fanny’s father made his feelings clear about her study of music and seemed to back only her younger brother Felix. A professional career in music was considered inappropriate for her. Fanny then met artist husband Hensel and they married. Hensel supported his wife’s music and Sunday concerts began happening. She also travels to Rome and writes of her travels in a book that Steckeweh follows on her own.

At the end of the 19th Century, Paris was finding its own culture and a world exhibition was coming up. Lili Boulanger was born of a Russian mother and French father and in 1893 she was born. Lili showed from an early age that she was musically inclined. Playing the violin, organ, cello and harp, it would be her health that caused problems. Moving to Paris and into a musical building, at age 16 Lili would start making a name for herself. Due to her illness, she would never marry but at 19 she becomes financially independent due to her works.

In 1958, Melanie Bonis was born to a watchmaker father and textile worker mother. When she was 12, showing an interest in music, by the time she was 18 she was recognized by musicians such as Debussy. She eventually changed her name to Mel-Bonis so as to not be known as a woman composer. In 1883, she marries an older man, but Mel is now in a safer position financially which allowed her to return to composing. She begins to write piano and chamber music and from that comes the work, Salome.

Other contributors include Musicologist Prof. Beatrix Borchard, and Tobias Niederschlag

Film Movement, founded in 2002, is an award-winning independent and foreign film company that has released more than 250 feature films and shorts. Theatrical releases include American independent films, documentaries, and foreign arthouse titles catalog such directors as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Maren Ade, Jessica Hausner and Ciro Guerra and Melanie Laurent. Bluray and DVD films bring such directors as Eric Rohmer, Bolle August, King Hu, Sergio Corbucci and Luchino Visconti and many more. To discover what Film Movement is all about and find out more about what they have to offer please visit www.filmmovementplus.com.

Bonus Features of WOMEN COMPOSERS include Q&A with Filmmakers Kyra Steckeweh and Tim van Beveren and Kyra Steckeweh Performs Ophelie by Mel Bonis.

WOMEN COMPOSERS is a wonderful, insightful and informative documentary on three women that even I did not know about. Each of these women came from a time where there works were not celebrated. It did not stop each of them from creating some of the most stirring pieces which is a credit to them all.

War breaks out in the world and the music that is composed is heart wrenching and a glimpse into the world. In the case of Boulanger, it is illness that continually plagues her ability to compose as she would wish too. Yet, through everything these women experienced, the music kept flowing in one form or another.

WOMEN COMPOSERS is a documentary I would hope that all music teachers would inspire to show their students. It is time for the question of ‘why aren’t more women composers played in concert halls’ to be answered. I personally would be thrilled to attend a concert that brings the work of women composers, played by women and conducted by a woman – now that would be a concert!

In the end – three brilliant women and three untold stories!