Going in Style 2017

     This film is a remake of a 1979 movie directed by Martin Brest with George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg.  Joe, Willie and Albert are living on meager social security checks and retirement from the company they all worked for.  Willie learns his kidneys are very bad and he needs a transplant.  Joe is going to have his house foreclosed on soon.  They all learn that their retirement checks are stopping because the company is closing.  Joe is in the bank that has his mortgage and there is a robbery.  Three men make off with a LOT of money and the FBI does not catch them.  The elderly men decide they can rob a bank too and see if they can get away with it?

     Joe, Willie and Albert don’t know anything about robbing banks!!  They just feel cheated by life and if they want a piece of pie for dinner, they want to have one.  They don’t want to think they can’t have the pie because they are too poor to afford it!!  Joe can’t give up his house because his daughter and granddaughter live with him.  Where will they go??  The men could spend the rest of their lives in prison but they will get a free place to live, free food and better healthcare than they have now?  What’s to loose with that??  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

Note:  96 min, Comedy directed by Zach Braff with Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, Ann-Margaret, Matt Dillon, Richie Moriarty, Josh Pais, John Ortiz, Jorge Chapa, Joey King, Maria Dizzia, Christopher Lloyd, Anthony Chisholm, Jeremy Bobb.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, 49% critic 58% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 405 reviews, Roger Ebert 2 1/2*, Metacritic 50 out of 100 with 31 critics 5.9 out of 10 with 67 reviews, Rolling Stone 2* out of 4*.

Special Note:  The movie the three guys are watching the night before the robbery is Dog Day Afternoon of 1975 and it’s about a botched bank robbery.  George Burns discovered Ann-Margaret in 1960.  The name of the bank is the Williamsburg Savings Bank.  There was a real bank with this name but it was taken over by HSBC Bank.  The bank interior shots were actually filmed in the WSB building in Brooklyn, New York and this building has landmark status.  Supposedly, the money was more than $2 million dollars.  They carried out the money in a few duffel bags?  This amount of mixed denomination bills could not fit into these bags.  It they did fit, the bags would weigh hundreds or thousands of pounds?

Sunset Boulevard 1950

     The setting of this film is Hollywood, California during the 1950’s.  Joe Gillis writes screenplays but he’s fallen on hard times.  He can’t pay the payments on his car and two men are sent to repossess.  He ditches them when they come to his apartment but then sees them on the highway going home.  He gets a flat tire and parks his car in the empty garage of a mansion on Sunset Boulevard.  He thinks the house is abandoned.  Actress Norma Desmond lives there with her butler/driver Max Von Mayerling.  Norma invites Joe to move into the mansion and help her to write a screenplay for her acting comeback.

     Many of the silent film stars attending the premiere of this film recognized personal details of how they really lived!!  The butler was formerly a director and he is living a life lived by other silent film directors.  Many stars and directors were not able to transition from silent films to talkies.  They were left by the wayside and didn’t work again.  This didn’t stop them from thinking about their former careers and dreaming about returning to film.  One of the movies screened at the mansion by Norma for Joe is Queen Kelly of 1928 directed by von Stroheim.  He directed two sound films and that was the end of his career.  4 ½* (I loved this movie) 

      

110 min, Drama directed by Billy Wilder with William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Fred Clark, Lloyd Gough, Jack Webb, Franklyn Farnum, Larry J. Blake, Charles Dayton, Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper, Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson, H.B. Warner, Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Fred Aldrich, Joel Allen.

Note:  Imdb 8.5 out of 10, 98% critic 95% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*, The Telegraph 5* out of 5*, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 675 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Los Angeles and West Hollywood, California.  Joe drives a 1946 Plymouth DeLuxe convertible and this model was produced from 1946-50.  Originally, Montgomery Clift was to play Joe but he quit because he was having an affair with a wealthy middle-aged former actress.  He didn’t want this information revealed.  Gloria Swanson was Paramount’s top star for 6 years in a row.  She was 53 when she made this film and her character was 50.  She was a health nut and protected her skin from the sun.  When she looks in the mirror, it reflects smooth skin instead of a face with wrinkles.  Actually, the mansion was located at 3810 Wilshire on the corner of Crenshaw and Irving Blvd.  William Jenkins built the house in 1924 and at a cost of $250,000.  The divorced wife of the second owner, Jean Paul Getty, rented it to Paramount for this film.  It was torn down in 1956 and a large office building for Getty Oil was built on the site.  This film is number 12 on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Greatest American Films.  There is also a book, On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder. 

The Ottoman Lieutenant 2017

     Lillie lives in the United States and she has become disillusioned by ongoing injustice in this country.  She sails for Casablanca after she meets Jude.  He’s an American doctor and he runs a remote medical mission within the Ottoman Empire.  Lillie sails with a truck she is donating.  It belonged to her brother and he died.  She is also bringing medical supplies for the mission.  Lillie doesn’t know that this area is on the brink of WWI, supposedly the war to end all wars.  Lillie becomes enamored with a lieutenant in the Ottoman Imperial Army.  This event will require her to must make a decision?

     This film is too much like a soap opera?  This could be a Hallmark story of love, war, genocide and death???  How can a film co-produced by a Turkish Company deal with a genocide they say never happened?  Eastern Sunrise Films was the production company and they have offices in Istanbul, Turkey and Los Angeles, California.  The only good thing about this film is the scenery of the area.  I thought The Promise of 2017 with the same subject was much better!!  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)  

      

106 min, Drama directed by Joseph Ruben with Michiel Huisman, Hera Hilmar, Josh Hartnett, Ben Kingsley, Haluk Bilginer, Affif Ben Badra, Paul Barrett, Jessica Turner, Peter Hosking, Selcuk Yontem, Eliska Slansky, Hasan Say, Deniz Kilic Flak.

Note:  Imdb 7 out of 10, 19% critic 53% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 1*, Metacritic 26 out of 100 with 13 critics 9.4 out of 10 with 206 reviews, Amazon 3.4* with 57 reviews. 

Special Note:  Filmed in Cappadocia, Istanbul, Van, Nigde and Nevsehir, Turkey; Prague, Czech Republic.   

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life 2016

     This film is based on one of the books from the Middle School book series written by James Patterson and published in 2011.  Rafe Katchadorian has been expelled from all the middle schools he has attended.  He’s on the last school in his area and there is a chance he could be expelled from this one too?  Principal Dwight has a LOT of rules for HIS school.  Rafe decides he will try to break every one of the rules.  He is going to do this secretly just in case he might not be expelled?  Rafe’s brother passed away from cancer, his father couldn’t handle this loss and he left the family.  Jules, Rafe’s mother doesn’t know what she will do if Rafe is expelled again?

     There are a LOT of funny moments in this movie.  Some of the action is animated.  Many times teens have trouble with rules but they don’t take the drastic actions shown here.  A good movie for this age group as long as they don’t decide to copy the rule breaking!!  3* (This movie is OK)

82 min, Family directed by Steve Carr with Griffin Gluck, Lauren Graham, Alexa Niesenson, Andrew Daly, Thomas Barbusca, Retta, Adam Pally, Luke Hardeman, Jessi Goei, Jacob Hopkins, Patrick Fagan, Isabela Moner, Isabella Amara, Efren Ramirez.

Note:  Imdb 6.1 out of 10, 58% critic 58% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon Video 4.4* out of 5* with 295 reviews DVD 4.7* out of 5* with 70 reviews, Metacritic 51 out of 100 with 13 critics 6.2 out of 10 with 20 reviews,

Special Note:  Filmed in Atlanta, Georgia.  There is a mistake in this film.  Georgia, Rafe’s younger sister is driving a car and she hits several dumpsters.  The dumpsters would not be able to go up straight or as high as shown.  This film was nominated for the 2017 Annie Award for Best Animated Special Production.

Anomalisa 2015

     Michael stone is a self-help book author and he travels to Cincinnati, Ohio to give a speech to promote his book.  His book is about customer service.  Michael practices his speech in his hotel room and he has notes to follow during the presentation.  Despite his preparation, Michael seems to stumble, mumble and undermine his credibility during his speech.  He somewhat stays on topic but rambling enters into his pauses.   

     There seems to be more reality to this film because of the subject and the animated characters.  This is an adult film and Michael has a LOT of problems!!  He seems to be suffering from despair and could be having a mid-life crises?  He specializes in customer service but he’s unable to deeply interact with other people?  He feels his own life is too repetitive but he has a lack of interest?  He has low sensitivity to excitement.  He smokes too much and he drinks too much.  If he’s not on an expense account, he also spends freely?  He contacts a female friend he hasn’t seen in a long time.  They meet at a bar but that ends badly.  How could it not if he can’t interact with another person?  It seems strange for all the other characters to be voiced by Tom Noonan including the women but this becomes understandable because of how Michael sees people.

90 min, Animation directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman with the voices of David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, 91% critic 70% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, Amazon 2.9* out of 5* with 464 reviews, The Guardian 5* review by Peter Bradshaw, Metacritic 88 out of 100 with 46 critics 7.5 out of 10 with 250 reviews, EmpireOnline 5*.

Special Note:  Kickstarter.com crowd-funded this film.  Charlie Kaufman was screenwriter and executive producer on Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  The name of the hotel where Michael stays is the Fregoli.  The definition of this word is delusion of doubles.  This word offers the explanation of why all other characters are voiced by Tom Noonan.  It’s a rare disorder causing a person to have a delusional belief that different people are actually a single person.  This person changes their appearance or is in disguise to only look different but is remains the same person.  Someone with the disorder believes the person they continually see is persecuting them?  Aboulomania is also a condition affecting the ability to function socially.  This is the first R-rated animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.  Duke Johnson is the co-director and he said one scene required six months to animate!!  The character Michael is in every scene except for the last one. 

My Life as a Zucchini 2016

     This film is adapted from a novel by Gilles Paris and was also made into a live-action French drama in 2004.  The boy’s real name is Icare but he prefers Courgette as his nickname and he is a nine-years-old.  Courgette actually means Zucchini in Britain, Ireland and New Zealand.  He has been living in an attic with his single drunken mother living downstairs.  She disappears and Courgette is taken to a community foster home.  There are are several other orphans his age living at the home.  At first, everything seems very strange and he doesn’t fit in.  He does receive some bullying but it starts to get better.  Raymond, the police officer that took him to the new home begins to help him.  Once he settles in he does find friends at the small orphanage. 

     There are heart-breaking and sad moments but also times of life getting better with normalcy.  This film is for both children and adults.  It can provide ideas for later discussions about how children can have different families and lives than the one the viewing family is living.  It can be bad for a while but it also can turn around and be better than before.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)   

    

70 min, Animation directed by Claude Barras with the voices of Gaspard Schlatter, Sixtine Murat, Paulin Jaccoud, Michel Vuillermoz, Paul Ribera, Estelle Hennard, Elliot Sanchez, Lou Wick, Brigitte Rosset, Monica Budde, Adrien Barazzone.

Note:  Imdb 7.8 out of 10, 98% critic 87% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* out of 4*, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 64 reviews, Metacritic 85 out of 100 with 28 critics 8.3 out of 10 with 36 reviews, The Guardian 5* out of 5* review by Mark Kermonde 4* out of 5* review by Peter Bradshaw, Rolling Stone 3 ½* out of 4*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Rhone-Alpes Studios, Lyon, France.  This film was the official submission of Switzerland for Best Foreign Language Film in 2017 for the Academy Awards.  Top jury and audience prizes were received at Annecy, Melbourne and Angouleme.  The filming process used is stop-motion.  The characters are pop-eyed plasticine figures.  The title in French is ma vie de courgette.

This Land of Mine 2015

     The setting of this film is Denmark of 1945 after the defeat of Germany.  The title in Danish is Under Sandet.  Sergeant Carl Rasmussen is assigned by Lieutenant Ebbe Jensen to remove 2.2 million land mines.  The location of the mines is the Danish West Coast.  The beaches will remain unsafe until all the mines are removed.  A group of teenage German prisoners of war are sent to do the clearing.  Carl tells the boys that they will be released to return to Germany after their job is finished.  In the beginning, Carl feels very hostile towards the boys and other Danes feel the same.  Then he starts to realize they are just boys and he feels better about working with them plus treating them better. 

      In the planning stages of where to set up these mines, Hitler must have thought that an Allied invasion would come to this beach?  This area is the closest land point to Berlin.  60,000 mines were placed along this beach.  There is a map listing the locations and kinds of mines.  Every inch of the beach still needed to be tested because there may have been mistakes on the map.  The Germans occupied Denmark for five years.  This must have left a very bad impression on the Danish people!!   There are 14 boys that were drafted near the end of the war and they are in the 15 to 17 year-old range.  I thought the boys should’ve been sent home and the defeated German soldiers over the age of 21 sent to remove the mines.  Possibly, the Danes were confident only one sergeant could handle the boys and more men would be required to supervise adults?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

100 min, Drama directed by Martin Zandvliet with Roland Moller, Louis Hofmann, Joel Basman, Mikkel Boe Folsgaard, Laura Bro, Zoe Zandvliet, Mads Riisom, Oskar Bokelmann, Emil and Oskar Belton, Leon Seidel, Karl Alexander Seidel, Tim Bulow.

Note:  Imdb 7.8 out of 10, 90% critic 88% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 106 reviews, Metacritic 75 out of 100 with 26 critics 7.8 out of 10 with 32 reviews, EmpireOnline 3* out of 5*, The Guardian 3* out of 5* review by Peter Bradshaw.

Special Note:  Filmed in Vejers and Blavand in the Danish North Sea Nature Park, Municipality of Varde and Oksbollejre, Jylland, Denmark.  Filming took place at historically authentic locations.  The use of German children for post WW2 mine sweeping really happened in 1945.  Historians declared this the worst case of war crimes ever conducted by the Danish state.  According to the Geneva Convention it is explicitly forbidden that any Prisoner of War be forced to perform dangerous and/or unhealthy labor.  A Danish sergeant leads the mine clearing operation but historically British forces controlled the missions and German Officers commanded each team.  It is believed that more than 2,000 German soldiers were forced to remove mines and nearly half lost their lives or limbs.  In the film, the young actors didn’t know when or if they will be killed off.  They were sent home each time they were killed in a scene.  The actors felt lonely and isolated similar to the real boys  as filming continued.  Selected as Denmark’s submission for the Foreign Language Film Award at the 89^th Academy Awards. 

American Wrestler: The Wizard 2016

     This film is based on true events.  Ali Jahani is seventeen years old.  He was smuggled out of Iran to save his life after the Iran hostage crisis.  Ali is having a difficult time in high school because he’s not like the other students.  He wants to fit in but the other teens are putting a lot of pressure on him.  He is living with his uncle and even his uncle is giving him a hard time.  Ali decides to take up wrestling to somehow fit in.  His uncle turns around too because he is a former wrestler.

     I can understand why Ali is having such a difficult time blending in with other students.  It doesn’t help that America is very angry at Iran because of the hostage crisis.  There are many news items on television and in the newspapers about America should send everyone from Iran back home.  The wrestling does offer him an advantage.  3* (This movie was OK)

117 min, Drama directed by Alex Ranarivelo with William Fichtner, Ali Afshar, Lia Marie Johnson, Garbriel Basso, Jon Voight, Sasha Feldman, Iyad Hajjaj, Chase Mowen, Kevin G. Schmidt, Nicholas Guilak, Shannon Collis, Karina Andrews.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, 95% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 108 reviews, ThatMomentInTime 4* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Petaluma, Tomales and Santa Rosa, California.  There is also a character named Principal Skinner in The Simpsons.  On November 4. 1979, Iranian students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran.  They took more than 60 Americans as hostages.  They were released 444 days later on January 21, 1981.  They were released just hours after President Ronald Regan took office.

Colonial House 2004

      A group of seventeen men, women, young adults and children arrive in Maine to live as original settlers of Plymouth Colony in 1628.  Three houses were provided on the property and later the colonists built a fourth house.  Chickens, goats, casks of ship’s biscuit, 500 lbs of salted fish, 1000 lbs of salted pork.  Also provided, 1 firkin (40.9 liters) of wine, 1 firkin of aqua vitae and a keg of beer.  The colonists traded with the Passamaquoddy people to secure seed corn to be planted in a large field near the settlement. 

      The people selected to serve as colonists were probably screened prior to their selection?  There is a couple included in this TV settlement that initially attended the Sunday services.  Later, they refused to attend and they were reprimanded by the settlement Governor.  Then they were asked to wear a letter representing their failure to attend.  Finally, it became accepted that they would not attend and this became a thorn in the community!!  The actual original English colonists in Maine established the Popham Plantation at the mouth of the Kennebec River in 1607.  Puritan Separatists initially known as the Brownish Emigration later became known as the Pilgrims.  Most of the citizens of Plymouth fled religious persecution and were looking for a place to worship as they saw fit.  I don't believe some of the soap opera drama in the series would've happened in an actual settlement in this time period?    3 1/2* (I liked this series)

 

60 min, 8 episodes, TV Mini-Series, aired on PBS with Jonathon Allen, Julia Friese, Carolyn and Don Heinz, Amy-Kristian Herbert, Paul Hunt, Jack Lecza, Jeff Lin, Dominic Muir, Michelle Rossi and John Voorhees, Giacomo Voorhees, Clare Samuels, Danny Tisdale, Craig Tuminaro, Dave and Debby Verdecia, Emily and Maddison Verdecia, Tony Verdecia, Kathryn Walker, Don Wood, Amy, Bethany and David Wyers, Jeff and Tammy Wyers.  Additional colonists were Jeff Lin, Dave, Debbie, Maddie and Tony Verdecai, Craig, Clare Samuels, Jack Lecza. 

Titles for episodes are A New World, Harsh Reality, City of God, The Outsiders, Regime Change, The Shake Up, The Reckoning, Judgment Day.

Note:  Imdb 7.5 out of 10, Amazon 3.3* out of 5* with 54 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Machias, Maine on a 1000-acre isolated area.  Also, in this area were several members of the current Passamaquoddy tribe of Maine.  Later members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe set up a nearby camp.  Historians from Plimoth Plantation and Emerson Baker of Salem State College, an archaeologist and Maine Historian, aided in making the setting as accurate as possible.  There were thousands of applicants for the project.  Most were American but there are also some British citizens.  The owners brought two dogs into the settlement, Henry (a white dog) and Chloe (a brown dog).

Victorian Slum House 2016

     Fifteen volunteers have been selected to go back in time to Victorian London.  Their ages range from 10-59 and they will spend three weeks working and living in a recreation of the Old Nichol slum in Bethnal Green in London’s East End.  Their lives in the slum will begin in 1860 and go through 1900 when the era changed from Victorian to Edwardian.  Each person in the slum is assigned a role and an occupation when they arrive.  One family includes modern-day tailor with his wife, daughter and son.  He will make or re-purpose garments from used clothing or from rags.  There is a retired gentleman with a wife, a daughter and two grandchildren, both girls.  He works a full day without a meal at a bell-making factory.  He’s unable to go back because of too much strain on his back.  This family will need to find other ways to earn money.  There is a single mom with a son and daughter.  A single man is handicapped and he will exchange his high-tech artificial limb for a peg leg and crutches.  A married couple will manage a grocery store.  A brother and sister of Jewish faith emigrate from Russia. 

     This is an eye-opening series!!  The courtyard in front of the multiple story building is always muddy.  There is a central shared hand pump for water in the courtyard. There are outdoor privies, the rooms for the tenants are small and very drab.  The biggest problem for the people is earning enough money to pay the rent and buy food.  The grocery will offer credit for the purchase of food if the grocers believe the person can repay.  The grocers also have their own rent and food bill to pay.  If they extend the credit and the person can’t pay the money back, they could be evicted like the other tenants.  The families never seem to have any extra money or get ahead of their bills.  They constantly need to worry about food and the rent.  The work and the finances change for the tenants every ten years until 1900.  3 ½* (I liked this series)

59 min each episode, eight episodes, Doc, TV series shown on PBS with presenter Michael Mosley, Mandy, Russell, Rebecca and James Howarth, Graham Potter, Allison, Heather, Olivia Oldfield, Andy Gardiner, Adrian and Wiebke Bird.

Note:  Imdb 7.8 out of 10, 82% critic 100% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 73 out of 100 with 6 critics, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 27 reviews.

Special Note:  The actual Old Nichol was London’s most notorious slum established in the 19 century.  It was a home to 5,719 people living in a dense network of about 30 streets and courts.  There were rented rooms, workshops and stables.  The clearance of the slum began in 1891.

The Fate of the Furious 2017

     This is installment eight.  Brian and Mia have retired as members of the Fast and Furious.  Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon.  The other members of the crew are enjoying some downtime in their lives.  A mysterious woman forces Dom into her world of crime.  Letty and the others don’t know what kind of hold she has on Dom to make him work for her?  Letty, Roman Hobbs, Deckard, Tej and Ramsey learn that the woman is Cipher and she steals the program God’s Eye from Mr. Nobody and Owen.  Cipher’s goal is to get the launch codes for a nuclear submarine with nuclear weapons.  This installment of the franchise takes place in Cuba, New York City and the arctic Barents Sea. 

     I wonder how the next Furious will be able to top the Russian submarine emerging from the ice?  Plenty of cars, plenty of weapons, not a lot of the plot and the dialogue is cheesy!!  I don’t know how many times the word family is used?  We get that?  We got it before??  There is some bluffing anger from some of the characters.  The cars and the action are the best part of these films for me!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

136 min, Action directed by F. Gary Gray with V in Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood, Nathalie Emmanuel, Luke Evans, Elsa Pataky, Kristofer Hivju, Patrick St. Esprit, Janmarco Santiago, Luke Hawx, Corey Maher, Olek Krupa.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, 67% critic 73% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 ½*, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 1040 reviews, Metacritic 56 out of 100 with 45 critics 7.0 out of 10 with 620 reviews, Rolling Stone 3* out of 4* review by Peter Travers.

Special Note:  Filmed in Atlanta and Perry, Georgia; Cleveland, Ohio; Havana, Cuba, Akranes and Myvatn, Iceland; Berlin, German; New York City.  Director F. Gary Gray also directed Straight Outta Compton.  Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel had a secret meeting a week before filming ended.  Some of Johnson’s planned scenes were cancelled at the last minute?  Diesel didn’t show up on the set as scheduled several times?  This caused expensive delays?   They were able to resolve their issues and Johnson may return for the next film?  There us a mistake with the 1957 Plymouth in Cuba?  Dom uses the opener ring of a soda can to remove a vacuum line off the engine.  Actually, you would get reduced boost and less power with this fix?  There will probably be a Furious nine since these films have made almost $4 billion worldwide.  This film has the highest gross of $1.5 billion.  Michelle Rodriguez posted on Instagram that she might bow out of the franchise if the roles for the women are not improved.

Cars used in Manhattan:  1966 Chevrolet Corvette, 2016 Mercedes AMG GT S, 2016 Jaguar F-Type, 2016 Bentley Continental GT, 2017 Subaru BRZ, International MXT. 

Cars used in Iceland:  Customized vehicles are used in the ice sequence but the two street models are Lamborghini Murcielago, Subaru WRX STI, heavily modified Dodge Ram truck, Local Motors Rally Fighter.

Killer: A Journal of Murder 1995

     This film is based on the true story of serial killer Carl Panzram.  Henry Lesser is a new Prison guard at Leavenworth.  He meets Carl Panzram and Carl has been sent to Leavenworth for burglary.  Upon his arrival, one of the guards brutally beats Carl.  Henry feels Carl didn’t deserve this treatment and he has sympathy for him.  Carl isn’t used to getting any kind of sympathy and he’s been in prison before.  Henry learns that Carl has a very violent past but Henry believes Carl’s capable of turning that around.  The prisoners are not supposed to have any writing instruments or any paper.  Henry gives Carl paper and a small pencil to write his crime history.  Henry takes the manuscript to a publisher but he’s never seen anything like this before?  He doesn’t know if this can be published and if so, what category would it belong to?

     There is a LOT going on in this film.  It’s not just about a killer, his crimes or his time in prison but it’s also about the prison system itself.  There is a LOT of brutality on both sides of the bars.  I wonder what Henry saw in Carl?  I’m sure it would be very interesting for a psychiatrist to exam the manuscript of Carl’s life and determine exactly what made him the type of man he was?  He received brutal treatment at the Minnesota State Training School in 1903 when he was 12 years old until 1905.  Carl is not a normal man by any stretch of the imagination.  He doesn’t seem to have any boundaries and he never has any regret for his actions?  3* (This movie was OK)

91 min, Bio directed by Tim Metcalfe with James Woods, Robert Sean Leonard, Ellen Greene, Cara Buono, Robert John Burke, Richard Riehle, Harold Gould, John Bedford Lloyd, Jeffrey DeMunn, Conrad McLaren, Steve Forrest, Richard Council.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, 47% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 3.6* out of 5* with 38 reviews, Roger Ebert 2*,

Special Note:  Filmed in Rhode Island, Groton, New London and Norwich, Connecticut.  This film is dedicated to Sam Peckinpah because the film The Wild Bunch of 1969 inspired director Metcalfe to become a director.

Ghose in the Shell 2017

     The setting of this film is a future Hong Kong.  Major Motoko Kusanagi is the first of her kind.  Her body is entirely man made and her brain is from her original human body.  She was told she was saved from a terrible terrorist attack and she almost drowned.  Her parents did drown in the attack.  Now she is the perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals.  Terrorism is evolving with hacking into the minds of the people to control them.  Major Kusanagi is physically and mentally qualified to face this new enemy.  Then, she learns she has been lied to, her life was not saved but stolen, her parents didn't drown.   Now her mission is to recover her past, find out who did this and stop them before they move on to doing this to others.

     There is a lot of color in this film but also a lot of darkness and black.  I usually find the blackness is to hide the imperfections.  The city is very unusual with a lot of color and also unusual animated characters.  There was a lot of push back because of casting Johannson and not a Japanese actress in the lead role.  I would’ve liked more to the plot and more character interaction along with less murkiness.  3* (This movie is OK)

107 min, Action directed by Ruper Sanders with Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbaek, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Chin Han , Danusia Samal, Lasarus Ratuere, Yutaka Izumihara, Twanda Manyimo, Peter Ferdinando, Anamaria Marinca.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, 45% critic 52% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon video 3.5* out of 5* with 810 reviews DVD 4.2* with 527 reviews, The Guardian 4* out of 5* review by Wendy Ide 3* out of 5* review by Peter Bradshaw, Metacritic 52 out of 100 with 42 critics 6.9 out of 10 with 851 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Wellington and Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Hong Kong and Shanghai, China.

Special Note:  There is a shot of a Pan Am advertisement and this is a reference to Blade Runner of 1982 that included an advertisement for Pan Am.  There is another film with the same title from 1995.  Some scenes are exact re-creations of the original artwork from 1995.  Imbd gives the 1995 film 8 out of 10, 1.6 points higher than this 2017 version.  The city of Hong Kong is actually a highly digitized city.  Margot Robbie was also considered for the role played by Johansson.  Her character wears a Thermosuit made out of silicone.  The gross for this film worldwide was $169 million with a budget of $110 million and it was considered a box office bomb. 

The Wedding Banquet 1993

     Wei-Tung’s parents are Chinese but living in Taiwan and they are always trying to make a marriage match for him.  His father has a stroke and he said his last wish is to hold a grandchild.  What Wi-Tung’s parents don’t know is that Wei-Tung is gay and he has been living in Manhattan with Simon.  Wei-Wei is a tenant in Wei-Tung’s building.  She’s lost her job and she doesn’t have a green card.  Simon suggests that Wei-Tung and Wei-Wei get married and that will solve both their problems.  They decide to have a ceremony at the court- house and Wei-Tung’s parents insist on a lavish banquet since there wasn't a formal ceremony.

     You can see what’s going to happen from the onset of this film!!  There will be many mix-ups between everyone.  Simon and Wei-Tung will be mad at each other and jealous.  Wei-Tung’s parents won’t understand what’s going on.  Wei-Wei will be in the middle.  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

106 min, Drama directed by Ang Lee with Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah-Lei Gua, Sihung Lung, Mitchell Lichtenstein, Dion Birney, Jeanne Kuo Chang, Paul Chen, Chung-Wei Chou, Yun Chung, Ho-Mean Fu, Micahel Gaston, Jeffrey Howard.

Note:  Imdb 7.7 out of 10, 96% critic 87% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 122 reviews, Empire Online 4* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in various locations of New York City, New York.  This was the highest earning film of 1993.  Earnings were $23.6 million with a budget of $1 million.  The director Ang Lee wrote the screenplay five years before filming and fives years before his first film Pushing Hands of 1992.  Ang Lee makes an appearance as a guest at the wedding banquet.

Sing Street 2016

     The setting of this film is 1985 and some scenes were inspired by true events.  Everyone is interested in pop music and music videos are appearing on television for the first time.  This is after the Beatles formed their group in Liverpool, England in 1960.  Conor is a teenager 14 years old living in Dublin, Ireland.  His family is down on their luck with money and Conor will need to change to a Catholic School instead of his expensive fee-paying school.  It’s a rough start with bullying from the Brother and one of his classmates.  Conor meets Raphina and everything begins to change.  She tells Conor that she’s a model and she doesn’t go to school.  She’s leaving for London soon to begin her career.  Conor tells her he has a band, he really doesn’t but now he needs to start one!!

     Conor reminds me of a young Paul McCartney and Eamon reminds me of John Lennon.  Perhaps, that's why they were chosen for their roles?  Conor and the other band members start to record their own work instead of being a cover band using songs from other bands.  Conor might really have a chance with Raphina becoming his girlfriend.  At least, the band takes his mind off of this new school and the problems.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

106 min, Drama directed by John Carney with Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jack Reynor, Ian Kenny, Ben Carolan, Percy Chamburuka, Mark McKenna, Don Wycherley, Des Keogh.

Note:  Imdb 8.0 out of 10, 95% critic 92% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 527 reviews, Metacritic 79 out of 100 with 37 critics 8.6 out of 10 with 163 reviews, The Guardian 4* out of 5* review by Mark Kermode also 3.5* out of 4* review by Peter Bradshaw, Rolling Stone 3.5* out of 4*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Dublin, Ireland.  Ferdia Walsh-Peelo’s father and uncles attended the real Synge Street Christian Brothers School.  Mark McKenna is in the role of Eamon, his father is the musician Eamon.  The director John Carney was the bassist in the Irish rock band The Frames from 1991 to 1993.  He also directed the movie Once from 2007.  Glen Hansard wrote two songs for this film, Go Now and Don’t Go Down.  He won an Oscar for his song Falling Slowly featured on Once.  Adam Levine performs the song Go Now.  Originally U2”s Bono and The Edge were going to work with Carney on this film.  There was some back and forth communication during the development stages but scheduling conflicts arose. 

The Wizard of Lies 2017

      Bernard Lawrence Madoff is probably the top American fraudster and former stockbroker, investment advisor and financier.  He was formerly the non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock market.  He operated a Ponzi scheme that was the largest financial fraud in US history.  The size of the fraud was estimated to be $64.8 billion or more.  In November 30, 2008, he had 4800 clients.  He cheated the wealthy and he cheated the poor.  People lost their savings, retirement money and many were bankrupt.  The scheme started as early as the mid-1980’s but could have been in the 1970’s.  The US Securities and Exchange Commission had conducted multiple investigations but had not uncovered any fraud?  Madoff didn’t invest any of the money he received, gains were fabricated and monthly statements were fraudulent?

     Bernie Madoff has some kind of psychological condition??  He destroyed lives and this included his own family.  He doesn’t feel remorse, he can readily lie to your face, he doesn’t feel anything about what he did?  He said he was guilty in court to 11 felony counts just to escape a trial?  The first clue anyone in the family or in the offices had that something was wrong was Bernie writing early bonus checks.  He wanted to “take care of people” before the Feds came to arrest him?   This story seems unbelievable but it’s true??  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

133 min, Bio directed by Barry Levinson with Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Allesandro Nivola, Michae Kostroff, Katerine Narducci, Steve Coulter, David Lipman, Kelly AuCoin, Don Castro, Amanda Warren, Mark La Mura, Michael A. Goorjiian.

Note:  Imdb 6.9/10, 72% critic 64% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon Video 3.4* out of 5* with 63 reviews, Metacritic 67 out of 100 with 26 critics 6.8 out of 10 with 27 ratings, The Guardian 2* out of 5* review by Simon Abrams.

Special Note:  Two films were made about Bernie Madoff in 2016, this film and also Madoff.  Both films are TV productions and this film is by HBO.  Michelle Pfeiffer prepared for her role by spending time with Ruth Madoff. 

Casual Vacancy 2015

     This film is based on a novel by J.K. Rowling.  She is the writer of the Harry Potter series.  The setting of this series is the English town of Pagford.  Just underneath the surface, Pagford is not what it seems to be.  There is a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey.  Everyone is at war with each other group of people.  The rich are at war with the poor, teenagers with their parents, wives with husbands, teachers with students.  Amid all these battles, Parish Councilman Barry Fairbrother unexpectedly passes away in his early 40’s.  Now there is an empty seat on the Council.  This small item creates the biggest battle the town has experienced.  Passions are running high!!  There are many unexpected revelations and underhanded behaviors.

     I didn’t expect the ending??  There were many times I wanted to hit my television multiple times because of how some of the people act.  Mainly, Terri Weedon because of her drug addition, the way she treats her daughter and her non-parenting of her young son.  Simon Price because of the way he treats his two boys, Andrew and Paul plus his wife Ruth.  Howard and Shirley Mollison think they are running the community and teenager Miles Mollison isn’t anything to write home about!!  3* (This series is OK)      

180 min, Drama, TV Mini-Series, 3 episodes, BBC and HBO production with Rory Kinnear, Emily Bevan, Michael Gambon, Abigail Lawrie, Rufus Jones, Julia McKenzie, Monica Dolan, Keeley Hawes, Keeley Forsyth, Ria Choony, Lolita Chaktrabarti, Menna Trussler, Bryce Sanders, Marie Critchley, Michele Austin, Hetty Baynes, Simon McBurney, Brian Vernel, Simona Brown, Silas Carson, Joe Hurst.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, 55% critic 60% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 3.6* out of 5* with 26 reviews, Metacritic 60 out of 100 with 4 critics 5.5 out of 10 with 15 ratings.

Special Note:  Filmed in Northleach, Painswick, Minchinhampton, Stroud, Stonehouse, Bisley; Gloucestershire and Briston, England, UK.

Seven Deadly Words 2013

     This film is based on a true story.  The Egypt Valley Church in Connersville, Indiana is out of funds and out of touch with the local community.  Evan Bennett is a new Pastor hired by the Church to turn things around.  After a few weeks, Evan learns that the Church is sending too much money out to overseas missionaries.  They don’t have money for much needed and overdue building repairs.  They aren’t getting new members from the community and one family doesn’t like change.  Vincent Haman is one of the Deacons and his wife Bertha is on the Mission Board.  Evan believes they need to cut back on spending in the short term until they can get back into the black.  The Mission Board has voted to take on a new missionary family and the Haman daughter is part of this family.

      There is a LOT of tension within the Church members.  This fact doesn’t encourage anyone to become a new member.  The Haman family wants everything to remain as is and they don’t care about the debt or the ceiling leak in the sanctuary?  It’s their way or the highway and they begin to doubt the hiring of Evan.  They don’t approve of his family either.  His young daughter doesn't dress properly in dresses or skirts?  His son plays army games?  It’s surprising how far the Haman family will push to get their way!!  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

97 min, Drama directed by Doc Benson with Roy Lynam, Mark A. Ginther, Shane Willimon, Guisela Moro, Linda Ward, Luke Asher, Wayne Greeson, Kendra La Salle, Ronnie Wylie Jr., Christopher Hunt, Katia Fernandez.

Note:  Imdb 6.5 out of 10, 43% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 14 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Connersville and Morgantown, Indiana.  The title is a reference to the seven deadly sins, lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.  The opposite seven are the virtues of chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility.

Snatched 2017

     Emily Middleton is planning on going on a vacation to Equador with her musician boyfriend.  Unfortunately, she is fired from her job and her boyfriend dumps her on the same day?  She doesn’t care about the job but now she doesn’t know what to do about the vacation?  Since the trip is already booked and not refundable, she has to get someone to go with her?  Her mother agrees to go but she is an ultra-cautious person.  Emily and Linda are polar opposites.

     I expected this film to be terrible but it’s just a little better than that!!  Hawn and Schumer argue and make many mistakes during this vacation!!  I can say that Hawn looks very good for her age of 71 at the film release in May, 2017.  3* (This movie is OK)

90 min, Action directed by Jonathan Levine with Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Kim Caramele, Raven Goodwin, Katie Dippold, Randall Park, Ike Barinholtz, Luis R. Espinoza, Luis F. Ramirez, Daniel Bess, Wanda Sykes, Joan Cusack, Moani Hara, Tom Bateman, Fidel Salcido, Carlos Diaz, Damion Scandrick, Andre Derizans.

Note:  Imdb 4.3 out of 10, 37% critic 30% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Metacritic 45 out of 100 with 41 critics 2.8 out of 10 with 97 reviews, Rollingstone 2.5* out of 4* review by Peter Travers.

Special Note:  Filmed in Honolulu, Waianae, Hawaii; New York City, New York.  Goldie Hawn hasn’t been in a film for 15 years?  During breaks in filming Amy and Wanda did several ‘pop-up’ shows in Honolulu with the proceeds going to charity.  The budget for this film was estimated to be $42,000,000 and the gross was $45,825,314 as of July 2017.  There are several films with the same title.

Colossal 2016

     Gloria has been without a job for a year.  She lives with her boyfriend Tim in New York.  Tim doesn’t mind that she isn’t working but he doesn’t like her drinking and staying out all night.  She comes back to their apartment drunk in the morning and then she lies about what she did.  He finally has had enough and he packs her bags.  She’s surprised to be sent ‘packing’ and she goes back to her hometown in upstate New York.  Her parents left her their house after they moved south for their retirement but it’s empty with no furnishings.  Gloria gets a job working as a waitress in a bar owned by Oscar.  They used to go to school together.  New reports begin on the news about a giant creature destroying Seoul, South Korea.  Gloria begins to think that she is somehow connected to this creature?

     OK, I think it is very far fetched for someone living on the East Coast of the United States to be connected to a creature in Seoul, South Korea??  Everything about this film seems as murky as the creatures?  The acting isn't very good even with good actors?  The plot doesn’t seem to mesh together either?  There are a LOT of unexplained why questions?  I didn’t think it was very interesting or believable?   2* (I didn’t like this movie)

109 min, Action directed by Nacho Vigalondo with Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson, Dan Stevens, Hannah Cheramy, Nathan Ellison, Sarah Surh, Haeun Hannah Cho, Carlos Joe Costa, Melissa Montgomery, Christine Lee, Rukiya Bernard, James Yi, Alyssa Dawson, Miho Suzuki, Charles Singh.

Note:  Imdb 6.2 out of 10, 80% audience 59% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Amazon 3.1* out of 5* with 250 reviews, Metacritic 70 out of 100 with 36 critics 6* out of 10* with 109 reviews, The Guardian 3* out of 5* review by Mark Kermode, Rollingstone 3.5* out of 5* review by Peter Travers, Empire Online 4* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Seoul, South Korea; Vancouver, Langley, Fort Langley, Gastown, Harbour Green Park, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada.  This film was hit by a lawsuit in May 2015.  The suit claimed there were too many similarities to Godzilla 2014?  Hathaway was in her second trimester of pregnancy during filming.