MOVIE - Father Figures

R (1:53)

Wide release 12/22

Viewed 12/26/2017 in Camp Hill
IMBd: 5/10

RT Critic: 25   Audience:  42

Cag:  4/Liked it a lot

Directed by Lawrence Sher

Warner Brother Pictures

Ed Helms, Owen Wilson, Glenn Close, Terry Brandshaw, J. K. Simmons

My comments:  This was a really funny comedy that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was pretty impossible to believe throughout the entire movie that Ed Helms and Owen Wilson were actual twin brothers, but in theory they pulled it off and I laughed my butt off in many places.  They're both really good and really funny, and I thouroughly enjoyed Glenn Glose as their mom.  During the credits it said that one of the actresses was Katie Asleton - I'm pretty sure this is my old friend Jennifer's sister-in-law and when I looked it p, sure enough, she was born in Milbridge, Maine.  Don't you love it when small town local girls make it in the big time?  She's married to Mark Duplass.  Cool.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Two brothers (Owen Wilson and Ed Helms) hit the road to find their long-lost dad after they learn that their mom has been lying to them about his death. 

MOVIE - Wonder

PG (1:53)

Wide release 11/17/17

Viewed around 12/1/17: 

RT Critic: 84   Audience:  88
Critic's Consensus:  Wonder doesn't shy away from its bestselling source material's sentiment, but this well-acted and overall winsome drama earns its tugs at the heartstrings.

Cag: 5/Loved it 

Directed by Stephen Chbosky

Lionsgate

Based on the book by Patricia Polaccio

Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson

My comments:  The ultimate feel-good movie.  They did a really good job re-creating the book, choosing excellent actors and creating a wonderful setting for the two schools and the city of New York.  Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson were almost too perfect playing the parents of Augie.  I really enjoyed the weaving of the story of Augie with the story of his sister, Via, who was four years older.  Hooray to R. J. Palaccio for writing such a heartwarming story, which I've not only read to myself, but shared aloud with two or three different groups of kids.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman. Born with facial differences that, up until now, have prevented him from going to a mainstream school, Auggie becomes the most unlikely of heroes when he enters the local fifth grade. As his family, his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to find their compassion and acceptance, Auggie's extraordinary journey will unite them all and prove you can't blend in when you were born to stand out.

MOVIE - Masterminds

PG-13 (1:30)

Wide release 9/29/16

Viewed Sunday, 10/20/16 at Century Gateway

RT Critic: 32   Audience:  46
Critic's Consensus:  Masterminds' great cast and stranger-than-fiction true story are largely wasted on a scattershot comedy with a handful of funny moments and far too much wackiness.

Cag:  3.5 Great fun!

Directed by  Jared Hess

Relativity Media
Based on a true story, believe it or not!

Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis

My comments:  This flick was a freaking riot - a funny, farcical movie!  Just plain stupid and fun...over-the-top, non-stop laughs with nothing drawn out or overdone, time flew by.  How they could do all they did without cracking up constantly is beyond me!  It siad at the beginning this this was based on a true story, and a bit of research proves that is true, which is really hard to believe!  At the end they showed photos of Galifianakis and Wilson with their "real" counterparts.  Crazy!

RT/ IMDb Summary:  In this action comedy based on true events, directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite; Nacho Libre), David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. Day in and day out he drives an armored vehicle, transporting millions of other people's money with no escape in sight. The only glimmer of excitement is his flirtatious work crush Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) who soon lures him into the scheme of a lifetime. Along with a group of half-brained criminals led by Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and an absurdly faulted heist plan, David manages the impossible and makes off with $17 million in cash...only problem is he foolishly hands the money over to this wild group of double crossers and has been set up to take the fall. With the bandits blowing the millions on lavish and ridiculous luxuries, they leave behind a glaring trail of evidence. Now on the lam and in over his head, David must dodge the authorities, evade a hilarious hit man, Mike McKinney (Jason Sudeikis), and try to turn the tables on the ones he trusted most.

MOVIE - The Big Year

"Obsessed birders with heart"
Fun to watch these three really good actors
Wide Release 10-14-11
11-16-11 at Kolb cheap theater, alone
PG (1:40)
RT:  39%  cag: 86% (at least)
Director:  David Frankel
20th Century Fox

Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Jack Black
Stu Preissler (Steve Martin - a retiring business magnate with a very loving marriage)
Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson - obsessed title-holding birder, ignores his beautiful, trying-to-get pregnant wife)
Brad Harris (Jack Black - 30-something divorced loner, close to his parents, who wants to achieve something great in his life)

Throw in a year of following the unusual birds all over North America so that they get the biggest amount of sitings and some beautiful sights across the country in all sorts of weather, a few good chuckles, and you have a very watchable, enjoyable movie.  I very much enjoyed it.  Having worked for a birding company (as the bookkeeper) for a number of years, I "get" the obsession.....