3/31/15

Woman in Gold

If you've seen the documentary "The Rape of Europa" you are already familiar with this well-known portrait of the lovely Jewish woman by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. This new movie provides the back story of how the painting was fought for by the woman's niece, long after WWII, as privately owned works of art confiscated by the Nazis were displayed in European museums.

With a screenplay by Alexi Kaye Campbell based on his life story by E. Randol Schoenberg, director Simon Curtis ("My Week With Marilyn") brings us a fascinating character study as an elderly refugee and an inexperienced young lawyer sue the Austrian government via the U.S. Supreme Court, for her family heirloom.

We see:
  • Helen Mirren ("RED") as Maria Altmann, an octogenarian dress shop proprietor who realizes she is the best person to tackle this issue. Mirren gives us a witty, determined character who is all too human.
  • Tatiana Maslany ("Orphan Black") is the young Maria Altmann caught up in the turbulence of World War II. Maslany more than holds her own as she portrays the younger version of Mirren's character.
  • Moritz Bleibtreu ("Munich") is Gustav Klimt the painter who captures the glowing beauty of Adele Bloch-Bauer, our eponymous Woman in Gold.
  • Ryan Reynolds ("Chaos Theory") Randol Schoenberg is swept into the situation by his mother, but soon realizes the validity of Maria's claim. All he needs now is audacity (and another loan from his father).
  • Daniel Brühl ("Rush") His character greets them in Vienna. He provides valuable experience and tactics for their claim.
  • Max Irons ("Red Riding Hood" - 2011) Fritz and Maria are forced into a headlong flight for their lives when the Nazis come to plunder their Viennese home.
  • Katie Holmes ("Dawson's Creek") Pam is Randol's patient (and pregnant) wife. She comes to realize that this lawsuit is important and worth the sacrifice.
The breathtaking cityscapes of Vienna are worth the price of admission, as are the muted flashbacks which portray the elegant lives of affluent Jewish families in prewar Vienna, followed by the subsequent brutality of the Nazis. Here we have people to root for and an issue that has, at its heart, the determination to right a wrong done over half a century ago.

Despite getting a bit soppy at times, this satisfying PG-13 film is laced generously with humor and humanity. (Hotel clerk: "You're from Austria? My little girl loves Austria, especially the kangaroos!")
* * * * * * * * * * * *
See what I mean:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi278572569
* * * * * * * * * * * *

3/26/15

Get Hard

When a wealthy bank manager is wrongfully convicted of fraud and sentenced to do hard time in San Quentin, he quickly realizes he must learn how to survive. He hires a black man who details his car to teach him the ropes, thinking because the man is black, statistically, he must have racked up some jail time. The inexperienced fellow he hires has absolutely NO idea how to survive in jail but the money offered would be a big help towards a down payment for their new house.

This is the perfect setup for a silly pairing of two highly successful comic actors which pays off under the direction of Etan Cohen (writer for "Men in Black 3"). The tagline is "Sometimes you need a hand to get hard," so you can see right away that this is definitely R-rated and pointed toward the lowest common denominator!

We watch:
  • Kevin Hart ("Ride Along") is currently Hollywood's Flavor-of-the-Year, appearing in seven films in 2014 alone! His character here, Darnell Lewis, is typical Kevin Hart: a fast-talking, clueless little con man, making it up as he goes along but intimidated by his wife at home.
  • Edwina Findley Dickerson ("Treme") Rita does not want her law-abiding husband to pretend he's a felon.
  • Will Ferrell ("Casa de mi Padre") James King is scared witless of prison. This racially tone-deaf fellow is looking for survival techniques and is willing to pay for them! Of course this is Will Ferrell, so expect lots of nudity and raunch.
  • Craig T. Nelson ("Parenthood") Martin is the boss, using all his clout to exonerate our hero. He is also his soon-to-be father-in-law.
  • Alison Brie ("The Lego Movie") Sexy fiancée Alissa knows what she wants: James; wealth; a newer, bigger house; and a happy daddy.
  • T.I. ("Identity Thief") Russell is top dog in his band of brothas. James wants him to provide protection while he is in prison.
  • Singer John Mayer makes a surprise appearance as himself; he shows us that he'd better not quit his day job.
This is nothing more than the silly stuff we have come to expect from both Hart and Ferrell, with punch lines repeated so many times they become tiresome. We became immune to the "F" bombs very early into the movie but laughed at some of the goofy plot twists. The screening audience exited with big smiles on their faces, so it's clear that "silly" can be entertaining if you're non-discriminating enough.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Watch some silly stuff:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1857007129
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Home

Once again we visit two tried and true plot devices: Stranger in a Strange Land and The Hero's Journey. This colorful and humorous outing is directed by Tim Johnson ("Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas") with a screenplay written by Tom Astle and Matt Ember ("Epic") based on the novel by Adam Rex.

This animated PG movie from DreamWorks is entertaining; even the title sequence has a good laugh. Of course the adults find this story more predictable than the children; on the other hand adults are amused by many, many bits that go right over the youngsters' heads (e.g., a reference to metric tools).

The voices provided by Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory") as the alien Oh and Rihanna ("Annie" - 2014) as earthling Tip are outstanding and mesh perfectly with the excellent animation that conveys their emotions to a "T." They get able assistance from Steve Martin ("The Big Year") and Jennifer Lopez ("Ice Age"), as voices for the self-centered Captain Smek and Tip's sweet mother Lucy, respectively.

As is the case with a movie like this, I prefer to focus on what a child (and a parent) might take away:
  • The importance of friendship: despite a rocky beginning between two very dissimilar beings, friendship is an essential part of life.
  • Through the eyes of an alien, we see things we view as ordinary: The purring of a cat.... ice cream ("frozen sweetened bovine secretion"). 
  • Remember "Knock-knock" jokes?
  • The irresistibility of rhythm: watch Oh react to music on the radio.
  • Tell-tale colors: Oh turns green when he tells a lie and the children in our screening audience spotted it right away.
  • The longing for family: Oh lost his parents long ago and Tip is trying to find her mother.
  • Oh is always upbeat and sees the best in everything. "This is the best day EVER!" and "This is the best hiding place in the Milky Way!"
  • See how difficult it is to cancel an E-vite once the invitation is sent in error ("Reply All").
The plot became a bit convoluted before the inevitable happy ending, but our screening audience was cheerful and chatty as we exited the theater. When people react like this to a movie, I know they had a good time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Here is a sample:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3077418777
* * * * * * * * * * * *

3/19/15

Insurgent

Based on the second of Veronica Roth's tween trilogy, director Robert Schwentke takes us to a post-apocalyptic land where factions are rigidly enforced by the Alliance: Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Candor and Amity. Each group has its own responsibility and makes its own contri- bution. Pity the poor individual who has more than one attribute... namely our heroine, who has all five and sees how unfair the Alliance is.

The plot thickens with this huge cast:
  • Shailene Woodley ("The Descendents") is Tris, the brilliant misfit, outlawed by the Alliance and in flight for her life.
  • Miles Teller ("The Spectacular Now") is Peter, a Dauntless ally: smart, glib, ...and still untrustworthy.
  • Theo James ("Insurgent") is Four. This handsome fellow is on her side. He proved that as her martial arts instructor and now he has become even more essential.
  • Kate Winslet ("Labor Day") Jeanine and her powerful alliance must control the growing threat of the rebellion. She will stop at nothing until she finds a Divergent who can open that powerful box.
  • Mekhi Phifer ("House of Lies") Max works with Jeanine, but he has an innate sense of right and wrong. This could be a problem...
  • Jai Courtney ("Jack Reacher") Eric is one of Jeanine's lieutenants; he will not give up until Tris is captured.
  • Ansel Elgort ("The Fault in Our Stars") Brother Caleb is a heart breaker because he is already compromised and his choices make things worse.
  • Ray Stevenson ("Thor") Four's father Marcus is a highly principled member of Abnegation. He understands the problem but refuses to break his commitment.
  • Zoë Kravitz ("Mad Max: Fury Road") Christina is our heroine's best friend, but Tris has done something that is unforgivable.
  • Ashley Judd ("Dolphin Tale") Through a series of flashbacks, Tris sees her mother Natalie again, still trying in vain to rescue her.
  • Octavia Spencer ("The Help") Johanna can no longer allow Amity to shelter the insurgents; the dangers to her fellow members are too grave to ignore.
  • Naomi Watts ("The Impossible") Evelyn leads a splinter group of rebels. Why does she call Four by another name?
The locations are fascinating, the special effects are spectacularly good, and the acting is top notch; it's just hard to be too worried about our characters when we know there will be a third installment.

The heartless point-blank shots to the head are shocking in a PG-13 movie. We see no sweaty bodies: sex is only alluded to. I counted only three instances of profanity and in my opinion, all were warranted. In addition, these attractive young actors can withstand the scrutiny of the many super-close closeups.

Do you want to hear my favorite parts? No zombies! No vampires! No werewolves! No vehicular mayhem! Whew!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Maybe this will help you sort them out:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1929489945
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Seymour: An Introduction

This documentary (directed by Ethan Hawke) follows the great Danny Seymour, a legendary pianist who, without fanfare or warning, quit performing concerts in his forties.

Danny Bernstein started playing the piano when he was four, in a family that had never before owned one. His prodigious talents were immediately obvious and his life became focused on a single objective: Music.

This story is told through a series of interviews with his peers, his students, and his legion of admirers, all of whom reminisce and sing his praises as he smiles in the background. We also hear his memories of his Army days (he was in Korea) and other aspects of his professional life.

We follow that professional life, along with a sidetrack or two (e.g., the woman who "gave" him a massive house and showered him daily with gifts, until he realized that she was falling in love with him, so he bailed!) as his concerts were met with glowing reviews throughout the Western world. His anxieties about performing never abated and he chose a different way to follow his heart.

It's fun to follow him on his daily routine, walking from his one-room studio in New York City where he has lived for decades, to buy his groceries, to meet with students and to his visit his beloved Steinway outlet where he field tests the various models. His ear is unerring and his decisions are final!

We watch his teaching techniques as his adoring students devour his every word. Among his acolytes is actor Ethan Hawke, who had been dealing with crippling stage fright in his appearances on Broadway. Hawke struck up a friendship with Seymour, hoping to gain authenticity and fearlessness. This documentary is the result.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
This might answer some questions:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2053352985
* * * * * * * * * * * *

3/16/15

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

Japan and the USA sponsored this award-winning entry to the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival (Special Jury Prize for Music Score - Sundance Film Festival 2014). Director David Zellner, along with Nathan Zellner, wrote this engrossing and utterly unpredictable screenplay about a woman who finds a VHS copy of the 1996 movie "Fargo" while beach- combing. She believes it's a treasure map that will lead her to a fortune. She becomes so fixated on that idea, nothing else matters. As she watches Steve Buscemi bury the fictional cash, she calculates the distance from the road on her TV screen, steals a North Dakota map from a library atlas and stitches the location on a piece of fabric. Then off she goes!

We watch:
  • Rinko Kikuchi is Kumiko, hot on the trail of untold riches; we quickly become aware that this gal is half a bubble off plumb. Her only friend is her bunny Bunzo, whom she keeps in her cluttered apartment. She is alienated from her family, doesn't want friends, and spits in the tea before she gives it to her boss. She can speak and read some English, but is completely amoral about money: to the regret of her boss, a cab driver and a few others she encounters.
  • Shirley Venard plays an older woman in a pickup who rescues our heroine from the icy blasts of a North Dakota winter. She instantly nixes the idea of Kumiko going to Fargo. "Too COLD!"
  • David Zellner, now wearing an actor's hat, is a sympathetic Minnesota policeman, confounded by this non-verbal woman. He tries to find someone to reason with her, mistakenly bringing her to a Chinese restaurant. You can only imagine how that proprietor reacts! "That woman is Japanese; I'm Chinese!"
I'm not sure who to thank for the wonderful cinematography (Alexander Payne is listed as one of the producers), but I was struck by the scenes in the wintry forest, on that frozen lake and out on the open plain. In my opinion, Kumiko started burning bridges when she put Bunzo on the train; she is an exasperating character who bewilders everyone in her path. We enjoyed it.

NOTE: (This review was first published in May, 2014 and distributed to a limited number of JayFlix folks but the movie is just now going into wide release.)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Here is a preview:
* * * * * * * * * * * *

3/15/15

Wild Tales

"Relatos Salvajes" is an audacious collection of short stories from Argentina (English captions) which garnered a ten-minute standing ovation at Cannes and was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. Written and directed by Damián Szifron (lots of Argentinian television), this starts with some memorable wildlife photography, shot with elegance and described by a playful voiceover. This sets the tone.

Rather than concentrate on the wonderful actors, I will instead give you hints about the unpredictable (and humorous) short stories; some are shorter (and darker) than others, but none leave you wondering about what happened. This is a refreshing change from many of the short stories we have seen or read. What a treat!
  • Let's start with “Pasternak,” or what I call "Free Ticket." We meet an assortment of passengers on a commercial airline who are strangers to one another. A sense of discovery is personal to start with and as our suspicions grow, we laugh at the contrived stories. That's all I'll say...
  • In "The Rats" ("Las Ratas") we are in a late-night diner where a waitress greets a rude, demanding guest. As WE discover why she becomes so upset, so does the cook...
  • Road to Hell,” or "El más fuerte" is one I call "Road Rage." A businessman in an upscale car tries to pass a derelict clunker. The driver keeps swerving into his path and frustrating him, so when he finally passes him, he calls him an uncomplimentary name. Everything is fine until he gets a flat tire.
  • Bombita” is one I call "Tow-Away Zone." We meet a successful demolitions engineer who is reminded by his wife to pick up a birthday cake on his way home. While in the bakery, his car is towed and our story begins. For anyone who has dealt with an implacable bureaucracy, this one is for you!
  • La Propuesta” or “The Deal," I call "Hit and Run." An irresponsible teenage driver hits and kills a pedestrian. Here we watch his wealthy family as it maneuvers to keep him out of jail, even as his conscience begins to bother him.
  • The final segment (I couldn't find a name for it), I call "The Wedding Party." This goofy, hilarious story takes place at a wedding reception. It's obvious that the bride and groom are delirious with joy and the elaborate party is very, very upscale. Just wait until she dials a workman whom her fiancé had called a week or so earlier.
You won't recognize most of the faces...maybe Ricardo Darín ("The Secret in Their Eyes")... as a result it's easier to suspend disbelief, even though this is a brilliant and convincing collection of actors. This film examines the human animal and how it reacts to stressful situations. Please watch this trailer!!!!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
You'll recognize some of the stories:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3777932825
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Mr. Turner

One of the highlights of a trip to London in 1971 (yes, during Nixon's infamous Wage-Price freeze) was the discovery of J.M.W. Turner's breath- taking art in both the Tate and British Museums. When commanded by a JayFlix participant to "SEE THIS MOVIE!" I did just that.

Written and directed by Mike Leigh ("Secrets & Lies"), this Oscar-nominated film has so many things to recommend it I don't know where to begin. I think I'll just itemize some of them.
  • Brilliant acting: Timothy Spall has mastered a growling grunt which tells us he is an impatient and rude fellow. In addition, the moment he walks into a scene, his unique stride tells us the same thing. Anyone who is a fan of Masterpiece Theatre will recognize a host of familiar faces.
  • Amazing landscapes: As a scene starts, it's impossible to tell if Dick Pope (Director of Photography) is introducing an actual location or one of Turner's paintings. Colors and locations in the UK are dazzling!
  • Unspoken emotions: We see Turner go to a brothel and use that visit to vent his unexpressed grief at his father's death. In addition, we see his devoted housemaid serve him in a variety of ways even as we see her health deteriorate and witness the spread of her horrific eczema.
  • Wonderful dialogue: In the movie theater, I had a Closed Caption device, so was able to relish an elegant use of the English language that is rarely used these days! But I had to look up scrofula!
  • Authentic production design: Never for a moment do we doubt that we are in the early 1800s. His equipment, transportation, clothing, medical attention and surroundings all are convincing.
Celebrated by the aristocracy and later satirized by the commoners, we follow the rise and fall (and rise again) of a genius who is the forerunner of Impressionism.

Our "hero" has no use for celebrity, nor will he yield to public tastes. This film is deservedly R-rated but offers the biography of a brilliant artist who never marries, travels incognito, has several associations with various women and spends his final 18 years in Chelsea with a widow named "Mrs Booth." It's hard to mourn the curmudgeon, but we cherish his legacy.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
See for yourself:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3777932825
* * * * * * * * * * * *

3/12/15

Cinderella

"Once upon a time..." These irresistible words launch the latest re-working of a beloved fairy tale (there have been scores of versions). Even though this one is capably directed by Richard Branagh ("Thor"), I will yield to temptation and mention some of my personal favorites.

We have:
  • Lily James ("Downton Abbey") is our eponymous heroine, a forced laborer stuck with household tasks when her father dies and leaves her at the mercy of his widow. (I like Drew Barry- more's version in "Ever After" because she conks the prince on the head with an apple when she thinks he's a thief.)
  • Helena Bonham Carter ("Les Misérables") hits all her marks as Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, although she sees to her OWN needs first. (My favorite is the kleptomaniac from "The Glass Slipper." THAT beautiful ball gown was pilfered from someone's clothesline!)
  • Richard Madden ("Game of Thrones") meets Cinderella in the forest and our charming prince is reluctant to admit to this sweet maiden who he really is. (Nothing against this young man, but did you SEE Chris Pine in "Into the Woods?")
  • Derek Jacobi ("Last Tango in Halifax") is The King, not long for this world, but he wants his son safely married and the future of his kingdom insured before he goes.
  • Cate Blanchett ("Blue Jasmine") is the evil stepmother. She actually out-evils a self-centered Jane Lynch in "Another Cinderella Story."
  • Stellan Skarsgård ("Hector and the Search for Happiness") The Duke has to be sure the prince will marry a princess, not a commoner!
  • Ben Chaplin ("World Without End") along with Hailey Atwell ("Agent Carter") are our poor orphan's parents, too soon gone. But they taught her to "be kind and have courage."
  • Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera have the thankless task of portraying the one-dimensional stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella.
Clearly the basic story is unchanged but the costumes are spectacular (particularly Cinderella's blue ball gown), and the CGI mice are darling (there is even a Gus Gus). This is rated PG, but I must mention that the headlong dash for home before that last stroke of midnight becomes pretty stressful.

There were numerous wannabe princesses in the theater, complete with blue dresses and bejeweled tiaras. I thought the five year olds were cute, but the 15 year olds looked pathetic!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Take a look:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1065004825
* * * * * * * * * * * *


Run All Night

Our favorite action hero (of a certain age...) is back again. And his favorite director Jaume Collet-Serra ("Non-Stop" and "Unknown"), working from a script by Brad Ingelsby, doesn't leave us much time to breathe.

I can't think of one cliché that was left unexploited, but remember, I have always said clichés become clichés because they work, as a result, after formulaic (and endless) fisticuffs, gun-play and vehicular mayhem, the last 10 minutes of this movie had me holding my breath.

Here we have an ageing hitman taking on his former boss (and childhood friend) in order to protect his own son from the former boss's wacko son. The dialogue that explains all of this is overwrought and tedious. Both Harris and Neeson are highly capable actors, so I blame the script.

We see:
  • Liam Neeson ("Taken 3") Jimmy Conlon is the hitman in question. This movie starts with him dying and voicing his regrets for the way he has lived his life. Then we go back 12 hours to see how this came about.
  • Joel Kinnaman ("RoboCop") is his decent, law-abiding (and alienated) son Mike. Mike has a job and a family, plus a deep, abiding dislike for his murderous father.
  • Ed Harris ("Pain & Gain") Shawn Maguire will do anything to avenge his son, even though he knows he "went wrong."
  • Boyd Holbrook ("The Skeleton Twins") Shawn's son Danny depends on his father to bail him out once more; this time from some  cut-throat Albanians.
  • Jelani Robert Joseph in his first role, is Marcus, a fatherless youngster who looks to Mike for guidance. He is in a position to really help Mike.
  • Common ("Selma") Mr. Price is the fellow to call when someone is tough to kill. He ALWAYS delivers!
  • Vincent D'Onofrio ("The Judge") Detective Harding is the only cop Jimmy trusts, even though he has been trying to arrest him for years.
The foreshadowing is painted with such broad and obvious strokes, it was hard to sit through, but as I said, the last 10 minutes pay off.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Take a look:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4227706393
* * * * * * * * * * * *

3/5/15

Chappie

Neill Blomkamp ("District 9") is a director I watch. The previews for this one looked enormously appealing, so I walked in to this R-rated Sci-Fi thriller with high expectations. Sure enough, I was treated to an exciting, action-filled dramedy that runs just a bit too long (120 minutes) but still manages to have some very sweet spots.

Our ultra-violent future is patrolled by a mechanized police force. One of these droids is damaged and then reprogrammed to have human emotions and thought processes; the development company rejects the new design and the droid is sent to the crusher. His maker can't bear to see all of his work destroyed, so he steals it. Now we have the basis for a terrific movie!

We see:
  • Charlto Copley ("Malelificent") voices Chappie, the smart but naive robot who has to learn everything from scratch, like a strong but timid human baby. He is soon bullied by street thugs and learns how brutally unfair life can be.
  • Dev Patel ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel") Deon is the brilliant engineer who programmed this new model. He admits to Chappie that his programming will "expire" in three years.
  • Yo-Landi Visser is Yolandi, the young woman Chappie comes to call "Mommie." She tells her fellow thugs that a robot is like a television: all they have to do is steal the remote and they can control it.
  • Ninja needs the fighting power of a robot to help him repay a debt, so he turns Chappie into a Gangster, this includes all the bling and attitude that goes with it. The screening audience loved it when Chappie hid his Barbie doll from Ninja.
  • Jose Pablo Cantillo ("Elysium") Yankie is as intrigued as Yolandi with the development of a sentient robot. He too, becomes fond of Chappie.
  • Hugh Jackman ("Prisoners") Vincent is a frustrated engineer who has created a gigantic robot they call "Moose." His funding has been cut and his project is due to be canceled; this does NOT make him happy!
  • Sigourney Weaver ("Red Lights") Michelle Bradley's phenomenally successful company makes robots that expire in three years. Thus there will always be a market for replacements.
Of course we are subjected to endless battle scenes with guns and blowie uppie stuff, but to me, the person-to-robot scenes are so engaging, they make up for it. I would like to emphasize that I am not a Sci-Fi purist, but instead a movie buff who likes to be entertained. This entertained me.

Again I want to comment on the internationality of film: Blomkamp and Copley are from South Africa, Jackman from Australia, Weaver is American, while surprisingly, Patel was born in England. Keeping this in mind, I know these are all English-speaking countries, but I could have used closed captions.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
See what I mean:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi704556569
* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

"There's no present like the time." Yes, you read that right. Remember, this movie features elderly people; NOW think about that quote.

You can rest easy, they are ALL back, all of our favorites from the successful original "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." Even director John Madden and screenwriter Ol Parker are back; it ain't broke so they ain't gonna fix it! This means we are in for a predictable but satisfying treat. (The screening crowd was overflowing: they had to turn away as many as got in and we were in a BIG venue!)

Here are some old friends (and a couple of new ones):
  • Dev Patel ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel") Sonny is one of the most energetic, upbeat characters in recent cinematic history. He is dauntless! ...but he doesn't listen to reason AND he jumps to conclusions.
  • Maggie Smith ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel") Muriel knows if you want something done right, do it yourself! She has become Sonny's right-hand man.
  • Bill Nighy ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel") With that hateful wife (sorta) out of his life, maybe things are looking up for Douglas. You'll love how he manages to conduct those tours.
  • Judi Dench ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel") Successful despite her shyness, Evelyn wants to spend quality time doing what she loves...and Douglas is part of that.
  • Penelope Wilton ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel") Just when Douglas thought he was well rid of her, Jean shows up again.
  • Celia Imrie, Diana Hardcastle, and Ronald Pickup ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel") are still making the best of their golden years.
  • Tina Desai ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel") Sunaina's wedding date is coming fast but she still isn't sure her future mother-in-law likes her. This actress has Bollywood roots, just watch her dance!
  • Tamsin Greig (Lots of TV) Lavinia books the last available room, but guess who shows up?
  • Richard Gere ("Arbitrage") Guy Chambers gets the room because he is a "Hotel Inspector." Gere gets stuck with the most poorly written monologue I've had the misfortune to endure. I hope he was well paid.
  • Shazad Latif (Lots of TV) Handsome Kushal competes with his best friend Sonny for a new property and an old girlfriend.
Based on the success of his first hotel, our hero wants to expand. His biggest problem is his best friend Kushal, who also wants to get in on the bounty.

This sequel lacks the fun of discovery we enjoyed when we saw the first one, but we are so fond of everyone, we are prepared to love it anyway. But maybe it is called "Second Best" for a reason....

What more can I say? Two things: 1) Dev Patel is a movie star! 2) Closed captions, please!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Take a peek:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1125821465
* * * * * * * * * * * *