By Michael C. Woody | Lake Panorama Times
“Power Ballad”
This film would fit nicely in the “good” category. It stars Paul Rudd as a wedding singer and was produced by Guy Richie, which means smart dialogue, well-staged violence and beautiful women in distress. Unfortunately, the writers seem to be spinning their wheels in this genre to the point where you can count the amount of time for the double cross, the double, double cross and lots of explosions. This is not one of his best. I’ll bet it was more fun to make than it was to watch. GRADE: C+
“Winter Hymns”
I hesitate to even mention a film titled “Winter Hymns” for two reasons. The first is that it is going to be nearly impossible to find until it hopefully lands on one of the streaming channels. The second reason is that it is a devastatingly sad look at a doctor’s long, but typical, day meeting with families and individuals suffering from a variety of horrible illnesses. The movie is full of brilliant performances and raw emotions without a single false note. The film starts in the darkness of morning and ends in the darkness of evening. It is wonderful but will be difficult to find on streaming services. I understand that the company that runs FLIX Movie Theatres was looking at booking the movie in all of the theaters across the country. GRADE: A
“Spider-Noir”
This series is a daring but failed attempt to translate a series of comics set in a Spider-Man future on streaming services. What happens on the page of a superhero comic can struggle to translate well on a screen — large or small. This is a perfect example of “lost in translation.” Nice try, but it was not for this Spider-Man fan. GRADE: C-
“Scary Movie 6”
I vaguely remember seeing the first and second films in this franchise and tapping out after those two. With little else to see, I wandered into the Palms Theatre and IMAX in Waukee one Sunday morning to see if the franchise still has anything left to offer. It does not. The jokes are stupid. They are not funny and, in many cases, are offensive. GRADE: F
“Tuner”
I got a call from a New York-based PR firm asking if I would be able to get to a movie in Des Moines titled “Tuner.” I checked the trailer on IMDB.com, and it looked good. I called a friend of mine, and he and his wife joined my wife and me at the Varsity Theatre in Des Moines one Sunday evening. We sat in silence as the film told the story of an unlikely piano tuner who falls in with a group of bad guys who realize that his piano-tuning skills can also be used to crack safes. That’s all I will tell you, other than you need to see it. It is easily one of the year’s best and most likely a top five pick for best of the year. Difficult to find but so, so worth it. GRADE: A+
“Disclosure Day”
A new Steven Spielberg-directed movie is usually cause for celebration and, in my opinion, “Disclosure Day” fits that bill perfectly. Like any good movie, this one sets up an intriguing story that there are aliens among us, and they have plans to make a move. I don’t want to give you too much information and spoil any part of the fun, but it is time for the aliens to come out of hiding. Like many of Spielberg’s films, there are big thoughts in play, great ideas on the way and not a second to wait. Spielberg sets up a great “what if?” story. The concept is both unique and fun that rolls out over a two-and-a-half-hour runtime. The cast is wonderful with Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo and Wyatt Russell.
If you can catch it in the IMAX, it is quite a treat. GRADE: A
“Office Romance”
My final movie is “Office Romance” on Netflix. It is an abysmal and unnecessarily raunchy romantic comedy featuring Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein. GRADE: D-
Michael C. Woody has been reviewing movies on radio and television since 1986. He and his wife, Susan, are residents of Lake Panorama.