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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tag: Reese Witherspoon

Sing 2 (2021)

Title: Sing 2
Rating: PG
Directed by: Garth Jennings
Written by: Garth Jennings
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Pharrell Williams, Letitia Wright, Eric André, Chelsea Peretti, and Bono
Release Date: 12/22/2021
Running Time: 112 minutes

Official Site
IMDb

What did you think of this film?

Buster (Matthew McConaughey) has turned the New Moon Theater into a local hit, but Buster has his eyes on a bigger prize: Debuting a new show at the Crystal Tower Theater in glamorous Redshore City.

But with no connections, Buster and his cast—including harried mother Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), rocker Ash (Scarlett Johansson), earnest Johnny (Taron Egerton), shy Meena (Tori Kelly) and, of course, provocateur Gunter (Nick Kroll)—have to sneak their way into the world-famous Crystal Entertainment offices, run by ruthless mogul Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale).

In a desperate attempt to get Mr. Crystal’s attention, Gunter spontaneously pitches an outrageous idea that Buster quickly runs with, promising that their new show will star rock legend Clay Calloway (Bono). Problem is, Buster has never met Clay, an artist who shut himself away from the world more than a decade ago after the loss of his wife. Even worse, Buster has failed to realize that Mr. Crystal is an egocentric gangster who would rather drop somebody off the roof of a building than be lied to.

As Gunter helps Buster dream up an out-of-this-world theatrical masterpiece, and the pressure (and sinister threats) from Mr. Crystal mount, Rosita’s leading role in the show gets ripped away and handed to Mr. Crystal’s spoiled daughter, Porsha, played by Grammy-nominated artist Halsey. Desperate to save the show, and his life, Buster embarks on a quest to find Clay and persuade him to return to the stage.

What begins as a dream of big-time success becomes an emotional reminder of the power of music to heal even the most broken heart.


Are There Any Extras During The Credits? No

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Note: There are a number of various animations that are shown during the fist part of the credits.

Special thanks to Michael and Tony for this submission


Wrinkle in Time, A (2018)

Title: A Wrinkle in Time
Rating: PG
Directed by: Ava DuVernay
Written by: Jennifer Lee, and Jeff Stockwell
Based on the novel by: Madeleine L’Engle
Starring: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peňa, Storm Reid, Zach Galifianakis, and Chris Pine
Release Date: 3/9/2018
Running Time: 109 minutes

Official Site
IMDb

What did you think of this film?
An epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light.


Family Activity Kit PDFs
Coloring Page 1, Coloring Page 2, Coloring Page 3, Coloring Page 4, Coloring Page 5, Fortune Teller, Maze, and Spot the Difference


Are There Any Extras During The Credits? No

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Note: Creative animated murals & depictions from the film are shown during the credits.

Dedication: This film is dedicated to our fathers
Murray Maye
John C. Whitaker

Special thanks to Emmy for this submission

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Home Again (2017)

Title: Home Again
Rating: PG-13
Directed by: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Written by: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Starring: Nat Wolff, Reese Witherspoon, and Lake Bell
Release Date: 9/8/2017
Running Time: 97 minutes

IMDb
Buy on Amazon

What did you think of this film?
Life for a single mom in Los Angeles takes an unexpected turn when she allows three young guys to move in with her.


Are There Any Extras During The Credits? No

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Memoriam: In loving memory of our pal Indy.


Sing (2016)

Title: Sing
Rating: PG
Directed by: Christophe Lourdelet and Garth Jennings
Written by: Garth Jennings
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Beck Bennett, Nick Offerman, Jennifer Saunders, Garth Jennings, Peter Serafinowicz, Leslie Jones and Jay Pharoah
Release Date: 12/21/2016
Running Time: 108 minutes

Official Site
IMDb

What did you think of this film?
Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, Sing stars Buster Moon (McConaughey), a dapper koala who presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal—some might even say delusional—optimist who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now faced with the crumbling of his life’s ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition.

Five lead contestants emerge: Mike (MacFarlane), a mouse who croons as smoothly as he cons; Meena (Kelly), a timid teenage elephant with an enormous case of stage fright; Rosita (Witherspoon), an overtaxed mother run ragged tending a litter of 25 piglets; Johnny (Egerton), a young gangster gorilla looking to break free of his family’s felonies; and Ash (Johansson), a punk-rock porcupine struggling to shed her arrogant boyfriend and go solo.

Each arrives under Buster’s marquee believing that this is their shot to change the course of their life. And as Buster coaches each of his contestants closer and closer to the grand finale, he starts to learn that maybe the theater isn’t the only thing that is in need of saving.


Are There Any Extras During The Credits? No

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Note: The closing credits are framed by moving formations of colorful squid.

Memoriam: In memory of our dear friend Igor

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Hot Pursuit (2015)*

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Title: Hot Pursuit
Rating: PG-13
Director: Anne Fletcher
Writer: David Feeney and John Quaintance
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Sofía Vergara and Matthew Del Negro
Release Date: 5/8/2015
Running Time: 87 minutes

IMDb

An uptight and by-the-book cop tries to protect the outgoing widow of a drug boss as they race through Texas pursued by crooked cops and murderous gunmen.


What did you think of this film?

During Credits? Yes

Click to see whats: during the credits

 

After Credits? No

Special thanks to Frank S. for this submission


Wild Review – 3.5 out of 5 Stars

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With Wild and Dallas Buyers Club, Jean-Marc Vallée has proven himself to be making some of the best dramas today. What I enjoyed about Dallas Buyers Club was the raw, up close take that it had that made it feel extremely personal. Vallee made a very down to earth movie and it was that style that probably helped lead the film to its two academy award wins last year. This same praise of authenticity can be rewarded in a somewhat lesser degree to Wild. Featuring one of the strongest performances of the year, Wild is a movie with a dedication to capturing the spirit and struggle of the real life of Cheryl Strayed in a way that overcomes it screenplay flaws and leaves you touched.

Based on a true story, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) overcomes her hard childhood, the death of her mom (Laura Dern), drug addiction among other things by traveling the Pacific Crest Trail. Along the way, she will meet interesting people, reflect on her past and overcome many of her demons.

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Let’s get the part out of the way that you are probably expecting. Yes, Reese Witherspoon is amazing and deserves an Oscar nomination for her role here. Everything you’ve heard about how she is in the film is correct and she does a fantastic job diving into the troubled soul of her character. You can tell how much she was interested in this story because she seems to giving it her all. Every scene where she had to cry, scream or talk about what is destroying her feels real and it makes Wild a strong character study. There’s a scene where she is reacting to her mom’s death and all while this is happening the movie splices this with a time in her hike when she is having a hard time. Thanks to her performance, this is easily one of the most devastating and moving scenes I’ve seen this year. In fact, all of her scenes where she has to overcome the unexpected death of her mom were as powerful as anything I’ve seen this year and it makes the connection she had with her mom the true highlight of this story.

The movie rounds itself off with a really great cast to support Witherspoon along the way. In the few scenes we get with her, Laura Dern leaves a touching impact playing Cheryl’s mom Bobbi. All of her scenes are in short flashbacks but in that time we get enough from her to see that she is someone Cheryl loved and tries to imitate in her own life. Thomas Sadoski stands out as Cheryl’s ex-husband Paul and the relationship she shares with Cheryl even after they have left each other is pretty poignant.

The film also impressed me with its ambitious editing. While the main focus is to show Cheryl’s hike, we also get to see some of the things that brought her to where she is now. The movie tries to tackle a lot of things but the way it does this is different than the way you would think. Most movies that go back in time do this by presenting flash backs in order from oldest to latest and making them go on for long periods of time. Wild is much more psychological and non-linear in giving the audience Cheryl’s past. Flashbacks here go on for only two minutes at a time, often have just music over them and aren’t featured in order. By doing this, Vallee isn’t attempting your standard based on a true story movie but instead a look at its hero that goes much deeper. Presenting Strayed’s like this allow you to understand the troubled psyche of our protagonist and helps make clearer how these scattered memories are haunting her and battling her on her journey.

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What the films main theme is may also surprise you. While aspects of it are about her battling her demons and learning to live again, the conclusion is far quieter than you’d expect. Strayed’s win isn’t some strong, big yell of survival like Gravity or Captain Philips (not to dismiss those as bad movies in the slightest) but more like a moment of rest or peace within herself. Cheryl’s passion is nature and when everything in her life falls apart and she hates everything about her, she uses it to come to terms and seek tranquility. The walk isn’t about proving anything but instead being able to look at all that you have done and being okay with it. These things from her past all in one way or the other come back to haunt her on her travels but by the end of the hike her soul is at rest and all has come to pass.

On the hike, she is away from all her friends and all technology and all she has is the earth and the few, memorable friends she finds every once in a while. In viewing a more raw and bare lifestyle, she can find the things that matter the most and escape from all the issues that she has. This idea of seeking comfort within is something we rarely see in movies to this extent and it’s what makes Wild truly memorable.

I have a couple of issues with Wild that keeps this from being as good as Dallas Buyers Club though. I think the movie loses some momentum and gets a bit aimless near the end and by the last 15 minutes you’re kind of waiting for the final scene to happen. The ending scene is luckily outstanding but a large chunk of some of the stuff before it could’ve been left on the cutting room floor.

Something you have to understand going into this is that through and through this is supposed to be a character study. Because of this, Wild builds up a fascinating character but doesn’t deliver so easily on a real storyline surrounding her. It allows the movie to succeed in a lot of different areas but it also makes the movie fall short in some also important areas and it keeps me from falling head over heels for the thing.

Other than that, Wild is a movie I would give a recommendation to. The lack of a storyline is made up for by the astounding performance of Reese Witherspoon and the interesting way it presents the mind and demons of Cheryl Strayed. Vallee’s filmmaking continues to be excellent and we get to see a beautiful and touching look at finding peace with yourself and what is around you.

Rating:(3.5/5)

Review by: Ryan M.

Release Date: 12/19/2014

Rating: R

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann and Thomas Sadoski

Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée

Screenplay by: Nick Hornby and Cheryl Strayed

Inherent Vice (2014)

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TITLE: Inherent Vice

RELEASE DATE: 1/9/2015

RATING: R

In 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles detective Larry “Doc” Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.

What did you think of this film?


Official Site

Amazon

IMDb


During Credits? No

After Credits? No

Note: After the credits are over, we see the words: “Under the Paving-Stones, the Beach!” – Graffito, Paris, May 1968

Dedication: For Ida

Special thanks to Frank S. for this submission

Wild (2014)*

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TITLE: Wild

RELEASE DATE: 1/15/2015

RATING: R

A chronicle of one woman’s 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent catastrophe.

What did you think of this film?


Official Site

IMDb


During Credits? Yes

Click to see whats: during the credits

 

After Credits? No

Is this stinger worth waiting around for? Vote DownVote Up (0 rating, 2 votes)

Special thanks to Frank S. for this submission

Good Lie, The (2014)*

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TITLE: The Good Lie

RELEASE DATE: 10/3/2014

RATING: PG-13

Sudanese refugees given the chance to resettle in America arrive in Kansas, where their encounter with employment agency counselor forever changes all of their lives.

What did you think of this film?


Official Site

Amazon

IMDb


During Credits? Yes

Click to see whats: during the credits

 

After Credits? No

Is this stinger worth waiting around for? Vote DownVote Up (No Ratings Yet)

Devil’s Knot (2013)

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TITLE: Devil’s Knot

RELEASE DATE: 3/12/2014

RATING: NR

The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a satanic ritual.

What did you think of this film?


Amazon

IMDb


During Credits? No

After Credits? No

NOTE: In memory of Stevie, Michael, and Christopher.

Special thanks to Frank S. for this submission


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