Okay, here is another EYE ON ENTERTAINMENT for you filmophiles.
Saw  THE EAST for the second time, and it's even better!  All the acting is
excellent; the message is knock-out interesting, too.  Written by the startling
actress  BRITT MARLING and the Director, it shows that the two of them
are bursting with Talent.  Super screenplay.
    THE HUNT.  Mads Mikkelsen gives another of his stoic, uncanny
performances as a man wrongly accused of a crime.  The whole town
turns against him.  It reminded me of  TERM OF TRIAL, an English film
starring Sir Laurence Olivier, Sarah Miles and "introducing" Terence
Stamp in his first big film role.
     There are two wonderful comedies coming out (if they are not already):
THE WAY WAY BACK and  STUCK IN LOVE.  Steve Carell takes a
chance and plays an unlikable character---he is perfect.  His son is much
like Dustin Hoffman in THE GRADUATE,  a blank tablet for others to
write on.  Allison Janney steals the first part of the movie until  Sam Rockwell
enters the scene.  He works at a water park, and his patter changes the
young man in ways humorous, touching and brilliant.
    STUCK IN LOVE is the best thing Greg Kinnear has ever done.  He is
a famous writer with a daughter and son who are also writers.  It is funny,
odd, serious, deep---an almost-perfect comedy.  The original title was
WRITERS, and it is very very well-written.  Perfect casting, acting, music...
a true American movie-movie.
    As for theatrical plays, we have seen three good ones recently:
   REBECCA'S GAMBLE, well-directed by Rick Walters at his Theatrical
Showcase Theatre. The plot: an interesting  Court case.  A
Lady doctor is accused of murder when she freezes a rich guy into a
cryogenic state.  Ten witnesses speak their piece.  I loved the Japanese
guy and the Rabbi with his humor.  But all acting is first class.
    TRIO LOS MACHOS at Theatre 101.  Three Old Guitarists sing and re-live
their young lives and how they got started.  The second act had more songs,
a girl joins the group, and she has a great voice.  The three olds actors are a blast,
and the audience went home delighted.
   WRAP YOUR HEART AROUND IT at Garry Marshall's Falcon Theatre.
An actress plays the accordion and  sings like Dolly Parton... with the aid
of drums, violin, bass and guitar.  Her life story is touching, funny, shocking, sad---
all the things that make live theatre so exciting.  She reacts beautifully with the
audience and brings to life an  AHA Moment that will make believers of us all.
    Enough for now.  Keep the popcorn warm; we'll see you at a theater/theatre.
    Ken

Hello, everyone!
  Any doubts about my qualifications should be extinguished in a very few sentences.
In my loooong lifetime, I have seen many films.  LA GRANDE ILLUSION (France),
SEVEN SAMURAI (Japan),  VIRGIN SPRING (Sweden),  CASABLANCA (U.S.A.),
LA STRADA (Italy)... you get the picture (pun intended).
   Years ago, I wrote for a periodical which covered 60,000 readers.  It was titled
EYE ON ENTERTAINMENT, and it covered everything from Films,  Plays, and
even a good college football game or two.
   So, here we go:  RESURRECTION.  Last year, I saw two medium-low budget films
that I personally loved:   ROBOT AND FRANK (with Frank Langella) and   END OF
WATCH (with Jake Gyllenhall).s
    The former concerned a curmudgeon who is given a robot to take care of him (He
lives in an isolated forest home).  Julianne Moore is the local librarian who realizes
that Langella has touches of Alzheimer's.
    The latter is one of the best cop films in years.  A few cop friends of mine saw it,
applauded in the first few minutes and wept at the end.   Me, too.  It was cool.
     This year, we have seen several Big Budget films.  The best:  STAR TREK  and
IRON MAN III.
     The worst...  I'll cause a few naysayers  to squeal...   GATSBY  and  MAN OF STEEL.
Tomorrow, I'll tell you way.  More later.