I am a huge fan of films that are based on true stories because there is nothing better than things that actually happened. I am also a huge fan of music biopics because I am such a huge fan of music and so I took the opportunity to watch the film I Saw The Light for today. The film follows the legendary story of country music legend Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston) who died at the age of 29. The film follows Hanks rise to fame in the short amount of time that he recorded music. The film also follows all of the hardships and problems that the fame caused with Hank whether it be his health or the hardships it caused on his marriages. The film also stars Elizabeth Olsen (Captain America: Civil War) as Audrey Williams, Bradley Whitford (Billy Madison) as Fred Rose, Cherry Jones (The Village) as Lillie Williams, Maddie Hasson (God Bless America) as Billie Jean Williams, Wrenn Schmidt (Our Idiot Brother) as Bobbie Jett, Will Beinbrink (Sin City: A Dame To Kill For) as Jim Denny, Josh Pais (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Dore Schary, David Krumholtz (Slums Of Beverly Hills) as James Dolan, and the film was directed by Marc Abraham (Children Of Men).
Spoiler Alert: Just in case, I am issuing a spoiler alert in case you didn’t want to know any information. So,proceed with caution. I wanted to start off by saying that I was very impressed with Tom Hiddleston and his acting in the film. He pulled off the southern accent like a champ and he sang all of the songs in the film and Elizabeth Olsen did as well. The whole time I kept thinking Loki is getting it on with Scarlet Witch, but it was a weird relationship (a lot of fighting). She was one of those wives who believes she had talent even though people were telling her she didn’t. That put Hank in a very tough spot. The most incredible stat is that Hank had 36 hits in I believe a six or seven year period. Think about that stat and look at artists today, it’ll take a lifetime for most to do that. Hanks life was in shambles and the film really explores that in depth more than his music itself. One of the questions I had for a while was why wasn’t Hank allowed back at the Grand Ole Opry and why was he kicked out in the first place? Apparently according to the film itself, it had to do with his drinking habit which is what Hank was sadly known for. It’s actually a very good film that any fan of biopics, country music, or Hank Williams himself should see it. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.
Ever since I heard the announcement of a new Pee Wee Herman film, I have been waiting anxiously for it and Netflix has finally delivered. Paul Reuben (Mystery Men) once again plays Pee Wee Herman in the new film Pee Wee’s Big Holiday. In this film, Pee Wee has never left the small town of Fairfield, but that is all about to change when by chance he meets Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike). Joe and Pee Wee immediately hit it off and Joe invites Pee Wee to New York to come to Joe’s birthday party. Considering this is Pee Wee’s first holiday, the film follows Pee Wee’s journey from Fairfield to New York and the mishaps in between in this take of friendship, adventure, and destiny. The film also stars Jessica Pohly (Theme Song Rebel) as Pepper, Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as Freckles, Alia Shawkat (Whip It) as Bella, Patrick Egan (Where’s Marlowe?) as Gordon The Travelling Salesman, Frank Collison (The Village) as Clay, Lynne Marie Stewart (Pee Wee’s Playhouse) as Jimmy, Hal Landon Jr. (Eraserhead) as Farmer Brown, Michelle Meredith (Black-ish) as Linda Brown, Brad William Henke (Fury) as Grizzly Bear Daniels, Dionne Gipson (Black Dynamite) as Brook, Diane Salinger (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure) as Penny King, Charles Robinson (Night Court) as Police Captain, and the film was directed by John Lee (Wonder Showzen).
The question of the day is what did I think about this film? Was it worth the wait? Did Paul Reuben still have the magic to entertain? All very legitimate questions that I will now take the time to discuss. My thoughts on the film is that I actually enjoyed watching the film because it brought back so many great memories. Out of all three Pee Wee films, it’s definitely not the best one, but it was still enjoyable to watch even though Paul Reubens looks too old in HD to the boy Pee Wee Herman. For an hour and the half, it was fun to watch Paul Reuben play Pee Wee and if he decided to never do it again, I would be OK with it. This was a film that was made twenty years too late and while some of the gags and jokes were funny, there was a lot that was funnier back in the early 90’s/late 80’s. Again, I am not completely putting down the film because if you were a Pee Wee Herman fan like I was then it’s worth checking out. There’s a good cast with some cool cameos from various people who worked with Reubens at one time and even some actors I hadn’t seen in a while. There has always been some weird undertones where you think it’s just innocent and then other times you’re like wait a minute here. That is just how Pee Wee Herman roles and you can watch it on Netflix. I was surprised to see Judd Apatow’s name attached to this, but it made me excited to see it. I am going to give Pee Wee’s Big Holiday a B+ for a final grade.
There hasn’t been a movie that I had been looking so forward to seeing than this week’s release of Salem Witch Trials period piece The Witch. Being from Massachusetts, it’s one of the most interesting tales and stories that you hear about growing up. For a family living in a time when accusations are running rampant all over New England, they move to a new area to start a new life. Things begin to take a nasty toll for the family when the youngest child is kidnapped while the oldest was supervising the child. Right after the events, things take a nasty toll as the family begins to fall apart as they are being haunted by the idea of witchcraft and possession. The film was based off of old Salem 1600’s folklore that surrounded that time period. The film stars Anya Taylor Joy (Vampire Academy) as Thomasin, Ralph Ineson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One) as William, Kate Dickie (Prometheus) as Katherine, Harvey Scrimshaw (Oranges And Sunshine) as Caleb, Ellie Grainger (The Village) as Mercy, Lucas Dawson as Jonas, Bathsheba Garnett (Mean Girls) as The Witch, Sarah Stephens as The young Witch, and the film was written and directed by Robert Eggers.
Stephen King was quoted as saying, “The Witch scared the hell out of me. And it’s a real movie, tense and thought-provoking as well as visceral.” Just what in the hell was Stephen King talking about or seeing when he said that. I wondered if we were watching the same movie? Was the film thought provoking? Sure I guess at times it could have been, but where were all the scary parts that scared the hell out of him? The film is basically 1600’s fan fiction come to life on the big screen in a film that is just flat out boring. There were no jump out of your chair scenes as the film was mainly psychological. The one thing I can say about the film that was positive was the fact that the acting was absolutely superb. They made you believe that you were in the 1600’s with the hard to understand old English language and they made you believe that the family was falling apart due to paranoia. This was a film that you legit could end up walking out on if you’re not a completest like me so you know I stuck around for the whole film. To me the last five to ten minutes of the film was the most exciting part of the film when all of the good stuff started to happen. If you want suspense then watch the trailer and save yourself the time because all the good stuff is in that. The film did not live up to the hype in my opinion. That is why I am going to give the film a D+/C- (right on the borderline) and I’m doing so because of the costumes and the acting. Other than that, it doesn’t deserve a higher grade. Watch the film at your own risk!
365moviesin365dayschallenge 