Mike Goes To Movies

Ford v Ferrari (2019) I am not a car guy. I'll say that as bluntly as I can. I don't get (or buy into) the lifestyle of shiny, fast or expensive, brand-name cars, and I likely never will. A car to me is a vehicle that gets you from Point A to Point B. Sure, I appreciate when a car is made with good-sounding speakers for music to blast or seats that can heat your ass in the winter, but that's more-or-less as far as it goes for me. For this reason, Ford v Ferrari was not a film I was personally lining up to see. However, I am a fan of James Mangold as well as Matt Damon and Christian Bale (really, who isn't?), and when the film started receiving rave reviews I ended up going out to see it earlier than I originally predicted I would. And, in the end, I was generally impressed with the film. Ford v Ferrari is the based-on-true-events story of Caroll Shelby (Damon), a former race car driver, now-turned car designer, and Ken Miles (Bale), a current race car driver/mech...

Interstellar (2014) To me, Christopher Nolan's ambitious space-epic, Interstellar , is a bit like The Goog - a signature dish from a great ice cream place in my hometown. What the hell is The Goog? Well, it is  a deluge of dessert delicacy - it is a gargantuan upside down blueberry shake, with a hot fudge sundae, and bananas, all topped with whipped cream. Yes... that obviously sounds incredible. And it does taste good for the most part... But in reality, every time I've ordered The Goog I've ended up receiving a horrible stomach ache about halfway through and ultimately unable to finish it. Sadly, the Goog just tries too hard; it's just too much 'good' for one thing. Like The Goog, Interstellar tries its hand at being a little of bit something for everyone. It is a lengthy three hours and yet it still feels like its overflowing with plot points, tones and themes. The film should be commended for its high ambitions, and, most of the time, Nolan has been ab...