Hello again movie fans, and allow Gildshire to be the first to wish Mom a Happy Mother’s Day. Mom was the first person to love you, and the last person to believe you were the best player on your team and the star if the coach knew what he was doing. This weekend you should treat her to two dozen Shari’s Berries and the movie that she wants to see. Come on, now. She went with you to see “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” and never told you that she was bored silly. There are five new releases this weekend, and Gildshire is going to rate them on a Mother’s Day scale. One star means it is the turtles all over again. Five stars = “The Notebook.” Got it? Let’s look at the slate of Mother’s Day weekend new releases.
“Pokemon: Detective Pikachu,” rated PG for action/peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements.
The Pokemon franchise has been around for decades longer than the target audience for this Mother’s Day weekend new release. Born in the 90s, the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” critters are beloved, but none more than the “yeller feller” named Pikachu. The prize capture of both the original game and the revival a couple of years ago is the star of this film. It is a cute concept, and we’re going to give it a split vote, based on whether or not Mom has small children or grandchildren to take to the movie Mother’s Day weekend. It stars Ryan Reynolds as Detective Pikachu, Ken Watanabe as Lieutenant Hide Yoshida, Justice Smith as Tim Goodman, and Kathryn Newton as Lucy Stevens. Rotten Tomatoes 67, Mom with small kids 4.4. Mom without little ones 3.6.
“Tolkien,” rated PG-13 for some sequences of war violence.
“Tolkien” may be Mom’s choice for a Mother’s Day weekend new movie release.
Based on the life of its titular character this movie explores J.R.R. Tolkien’s experiences and connects the dots between them and the books he made famous. It is an impressively sprawling tale, with elements of love, war, and interpersonal conflict. It stars Nicholas Hoult as Tolkien, Lily Collins as Edith Bratt, Colm Meaney as Father Francis, and Derek Jacobi as Professor Wright. Rotten Tomatoes 49, Mom 4.0
“The Hustle” rated PG-13 for crude sexual content and language.
“It’s a shame.” Isn’t that something that Mom would say? She would be correct if talking about this cast’s potential, and this movie’s follow-through. The stars, Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson, are fine actresses with much success in the past and in the future. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a mess as it tries to our “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at its own game. It also stars Alex Sharp as Thomas Westerburg and Nicholas Woodeson as Albert. Rotten Tomatoes 11, Mom (who oozes class) 1.4.
“Poms,” rated PG-13 for some language/sexual references.
It is a tricky business to make a comedy about elderly people. “Cocoon,” managed to succeed, as did “Driving Miss Daisy.” But, too many swing and miss, succeeding only in reducing older people to cliches and stereotypes. Unfortunately, that is the case in this movie. A talented cast cannot overcome a script that is at times derivative and other times an insult. Mom deserves better. It stars Diane Keaton as Martha, Jacki Weaver as Sheryl, Pam Grier as Olive, and Celia Weston as Vicki. Rotten Tomatoes 29, Mom 3.3.
“The Biggest Little Farm,” rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language.
The fate of the planet is in the balance and it up to three friends from the animal kingdom to save the day. That’s the conflict inherent in this sweet docudrama. The Earth itself is the titular character, and Mom may want to learn about what makes her tick. Is it a classic Mother’s Day weekend movie? Not really, but it has a value of its own. Rotten Tomatoes 92, Mom 4.0.
Those are the Mother’s Day weekend new releases for your viewing pleasure. Buy Mom a fancy hat and show the movie-going public that she’s your best girl. We’ll be back in two weeks. Happy Mother’s Day from Gildshire.
