MOVIE - Nine Lives

PG (1;27)

Wide release 8/5/16

Viewed Monday, August 15, 2016 at the Carlisle-8

RT Critic:  8  Audience:  44
Critic's Consensus:  Not meow, not ever.

Cag:  3.5 Great fun even if not top-notch literature

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

EuropaCorp

Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner

My comments: For such a low-rated film, Ella and I certainly enjoyed it! It was light family entertainment...even any nail-biting parts were not actually nail-biting because it was the kind of film that you knew everything would come out all right in the end.  Well worth a couple of hours in recliners with a big bucket of popcorn!

RT Summary:  Tom Brand (Kevin Spacey) is a daredevil billionaire at the top of his game. His eponymous company FireBrand is nearing completion on its greatest achievement to date - the tallest skyscraper in the northern hemisphere. But Tom's workaholic lifestyle has disconnected him from his family, particularly his beautiful wife Lara (Jennifer Garner) and his adoring daughter Rebecca (Malina Weissman). Rebecca's 11th birthday is here, and she wants the gift she wants every year, a cat. Tom hates cats, but he is without a gift and time is running out. His GPS directs him to a mystical pet store brimming with odd and exotic cats- where the store's eccentric owner- Felix Perkins (Christopher Walken), presents him with a majestic tomcat, named Mr. Fuzzypants. En route to his daughter's party, Tom has a terrible accident. When he regains consciousness he discovers that somehow, he has become trapped inside the body of the cat. Adopted by his own family, he begins to experience what life is truly like for the family pet, and as a cat, Tom begins to see his family and his life through a new and unexpected perspective. Meanwhile, his family adjusts to life with an odd and stubborn cat, and his son David (Robbie Amell), steps up in ways Tom never expected. If any hope exists of returning to his family as the husband and father they deserve, Tom will have to learn why he has been placed in this peculiar situation and the great lengths he must go to earn back his human existence

MOVIE - Hunt for the Wildepeople

PG-13 (1:21)

Limited release 6/24/16

Sunday, 7/24 at Midtown Cinema in Harrisburg

RT Critic:  99  Audience:  92
Critic's Consensus:  Critics Consensus: The charmingly offbeat Hunt for the Wilderpeople unites a solid cast, a talented filmmaker, and a poignant, funny, deeply affecting message.

Cag:  5/Loved it

Directed by Taika Waititi

Piki Films

Based on the book by

Sam Neill

My comments:  This was a wonderful movie, correctly rated by Rotten Tomatoes and all the other reviews I've read. Set in "the bush" of New Zealand, it tells the story of how power put in the wrong hands can go dreadfully awry and that you definitely cannot judge a book by its cover.  When a 13 year old overweight boy is fostered by a loving woman and her grumpy husband way in the middle-of=nowhere-New Zealand, an instant bond forms between the boy and the woman (she has the boy call her "auntie").  Then, in order to set in motion the craziness that follows, tragedy has to strike.  The rest of the film is about how "uncle" (Sam &&&&) and &&&&&& take off into the bush to avoid the law, while bonding and hunting and figuring out how to stay alive.  So much humor and well-meaning in this excellent film!  You always know that the outcome is going to be a good one, too!

RT Summary:  Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec, and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family. Equal parts road comedy and rousing adventure story, director Taika Waititi (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, upcoming THOR: RAGNORAK) masterfully weaves lively humor with emotionally honest performances by Sam Neill and Julian Dennison. A hilarious, touching crowd-pleaser, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE reminds us about the journey that growing up is (at any age) and those who help us along the way.

MOVIE - Hunt for the Wilderpeople

NR (1:41)

Limited release 6/24/16

Viewed around June 30, 2016

RT Critic: 97   Audience:  91
Critic's Consensus:   The charmingly offbeat Hunt for the Wilderpeople unites a solid cast, a talented filmmaker, and a poignant, funny, deeply affecting message.

Cag:  5 Loved it

Directed by Taika Waltiti

Piki Films

Sam Neill

My comments:  I didn't write my thoughts and comments at the time, stupid me!  I do remember that this had heart and I really enjoyed it a lot.  A great family film from New Zealand.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec, and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family. Equal parts road comedy and rousing adventure story, director Taika Waititi (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, upcoming THOR: RAGNORAK) masterfully weaves lively humor with emotionally honest performances by Sam Neill and Julian Dennison. A hilarious, touching crowd-pleaser, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE reminds us about the journey that growing up is (at any age) and those who help us along the way.