“Solo Mio”
(Romance/Comedy: 1 hour, 36 minutes)
Starring: Kevin James, Nicole Grimaudo and Jonathan Roumie.
Directors: Charles Kinnane and Daniel Kinnane
Rated: PG (Suggestive material, brief language, violence and smoking)
Movie Review:
“Solo Mio” appears a typical comedic romantic movie on the surface, but it becomes pleasingly appealing. It creates affable, unexpected moments set in Rome.
Matt Taylor (James) is devastated when his fiancée Heather leaves him standing at the altar in Rome, Italy. Taylor suffers from depression. While he sits at a café, Gia (Grimaudo), the charming proprietor of the place, decides to befriend Taylor. Soon, the two are spending more time together, and a romance blossoms.
The Kinnane Brothers (“Water Brother,” 2024) helm a romantic Rome worth visiting. The city becomes appealing because of its people. Although not thought of as a typical romantic lead, Kevin James manages to shine genuinely. His love interest, played by the beautiful Nicole Grimaudo, shines even more. It is nice to see a middle-aged couple engaged in a romance, where they both look their age.
A comedy exists in this movie, but it is mainly from the supporting, overly droll characters. The screenplay’s greatest attribute is that it is a romance screenplay, and that is its strength. Producers should have stuck with that, rather than trying to throw on a few moments of lame comedy that do not always stick. Otherwise, “Solo Mio” should be a pleasing movie this Valentine’s Day season.
Grade: B (Do not go solo to see this.)
“Dracula, A Love Tale”
(Period Romance: 2 hours, 09 minutes)
Starring: Caleb Landry Jones, Zoë Bleu and Christoph Waltz
Director: Luc Besson
Rated: R (Violence, gore and sexuality)
“Dracula, A Love Tale” is based on Bram Stoker’s famed 1897 novel about Vlad the Impaler, Count Dracula. But this movie is not a horror film like most vampire movies. As the title suggests, it is a love story, but the fantasy way it is rendered gives us little time to enjoy the romance. Think of this as Stoker meets Shakespeare.
In the 15th century, Prince Vlad of Wallachia (Jones), a fictionalized Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler, fights in a holy war to stop the Ottoman Empire. Vlad believes he is doing the work of The Almighty by stopping the Ottomans’ westward advancement. After his wife Elisabeta (Bleu) is murdered by opposing war forces, Vlad denounces all things divine and becomes a vampire, damned to spend his days on Earth as Dracula. For the next four centuries, he finds himself searching for the reincarnated soul of his departed wife Elisabeta. Enter a zealous priest (Waltz). The cleric is part of a religious order that has been searching for Vlad, the originator of the vampire curse, to kill him so that others may be cured. He and Dracula finally emerge in Paris during the 1800s, where Elisabeta has been reincarnated as Mina.
“Dracula” is not a horror film, unlike many screenplays about this iconic character. This is a love story. And it works for a moment because these characters are genuine in their quest and attractive people. However, Luc Besson, in his typical fashion, focuses on action scenes and visuals, forgetting to make the story potently believable. His romantic brevity subtracts from the main plot, a man’s trek through four centuries to find his eternal mate.
He creates a romantic fantasy with moving gargoyles as Dracula’s minions, a vampire who now possesses telekinesis and a few engaging special effects. Despite some fancy distractions, his characters never seem fully developed enough to make one care more about their cause, love.
Grade: C (A fantasy, not quite a romance.)
“Buffalo Kids”
(Animated: 1 hour, 21 minutes)
Starring: Conor MacNeill, Alisha Weir, Gemma Arterton and Sean Bean
Directors: Juan Jesús García Galocha and Pedro Solís García
Rated: PG ( )
Movie Review:
“Buffalo Kids” is a family animated western inspired by the relationship of a brother and sister. This movie tackles situations in a gratifying manner. “Buffalo Kids” plays like a gratifying, modern version of television’s “Gunsmoke” (1955–1975).
Orphaned emigrants Tom and Mary (voices of MacNeill and Weir) make their way from New York City to California via train to meet their Uncle Niall (Stephen Graham), but they have a limited time to get there. However, the Irish siblings’ trek across the Wild West of the United States is not easy. Accompanied by a non-verbal paraplegic boy, Nick, the two siblings and Nick must work together, battling aggressive coyotes and encountering Native Americans and bandits.
This movie is inspiring. It is rare for an animated family movie to address a child character’s disability in a substantial, impactful way. “Buffalo Kids” does so in an energetic, adventurous manner, featuring action sequences and plentiful lessons for younger audiences. The movie shines because the characters are endearing, and their quest is noble.
Grade: B (These kids are worth the cross-country train fare.)
“Scarlet”
(Anime: 1 hour, 51 minutes)
Starring: Mana Ashida, Masaki Okada and Koji Yakusho
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Rated: PG-13 (Strong violence/bloody images.)
Movie Review:
Although this anime tale makes its American debut as just “Scarlet,” the full Japanese title is “Endless Scarlet.” The full title makes more sense, as this Scarlet, voiced by Mana Ashida, is a character who circumvents death to avenge her father. Scarlet is a very artistic, poetic feature, a seemingly mix of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and
Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” and “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” in the underworld. “Scarlet’s” narrative is not always consistent, but it manages to keep one’s focus.
Princess Scarlet (Ashida) helplessly watches as her father, King Amleth (Masachika Ichimura), is executed by his brother and her uncle, Claudius (Yakusho), during the 16th century in Denmark. Claudius is then crowned King, whereupon he rules as a tyrant alongside his romantic interest, Gertrude (Yuki Saito), Scarlet’s arrogant and uncaring mother. Soon, Scarlet and Claudius are dead in the underworld, a place where the dead and the living intersect, but the young woman is determined to prevent Claudius from finding peace even in death. Scarlet, along with Hijiri (Okada), a paramedic from the present day, sets out to find Claudius in the land of the dead.
The story is a mix of elements, yet they all collide in interesting ways through the artistic presentation and character-driven motives, which remain vigorous enough to make up for the story’s weaknesses. The end finds a nice, happy spot which moves beyond revenge to something more serenely poetic. Too bad, the rest of the story is not as effective as the last 30 minutes of this tale.
Grade: C+ (She is no Hamlet, but she is more impressive than her story.)
“Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution – The Shibuya Incident”
(Anime/Action: 1 hour, 28 minutes)
Starring: Jun’ya Enoki, Yuma Uchida and Shigeru Chiba
Directors: Shouta Goshozono and Yôsuke Takada
Rated: R (Bloody violence)
Movie Review:
“Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution” is an episodic jumble mesh. It plays as exactly as it is, a recap and debut episodes of the television series “Jujutsu Kaisen” covering Season 2, “Shibuya Incident,” and the start of Season 3 with “Culling Game Arc.” Because of this, “Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution” is for fans. Others may see it as just a bunch of characters standing around talking about what they need to do to stop their foes. Audiences can help them by leaving.
After several areas in the Shibuya area of Japan are covered by a cloak that harbors evil curses. Numerous citizens are trapped inside. Jujutsu sorcerers must act fast to combat the chaos that ensues. However, hidden traps await the heroes.
This animated feature is a compilation film. It primarily serves as publicity for the television series, so it never seems like a movie.
Grade: C- (Do not execute your wallet. See it on television.)
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