Hunter Killer DVD 2018

     The American submarine USS Tampa Bay vanishes while shadowing a Russian Akula-class submarine in the Artic.  Rear Admiral John Fisk sends a Virginia-class submarine, the USS Arkansas to find out what is going on.  The Commander is Joe Glass and he has been newly promoted to this rank.  A Navy SEAL team is also sent to discreetly observe a Russian Naval base.  The SEALS are under the command of Lieutenant Bill Beaman.  Soon after their arrival, they witness defense minister Dmitri Durov conduct a coup d’etat and take Russian President Zakarin as a prisoner.  The SEALS quickly realize the Durov intends to go to war.

     The characters don’t have much depth and it seems like several plots were just tossed into the air?  I had a difficult time following the events and also wanting to follow them??  There is just too many uninteresting people and events to follow?  1 ½* (I really didn’t like this movie)

115 min Drama directed by Thomas Vinterberg with Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common, Linda Cardellini, Michael Nyqvist, Corey

Johnson, Toby Stephens, Ryan McPartin, Ethan Baird, Jacob Scipio, Dempsey Bovell, Henry Goodman, Collin Stinton, Adam James.

Note:  Imdb 8.3 out of 10, 36% critic 72% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Metacritic 43 out of 100 with 28 critics 6.2 out of 10 with 60 user scores, EmpireOnline 3* out of 5* Chris Hewitt, Amazon Video 4.2* out of 5* with 707 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Bulgaria, Hong Kong, London, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.  The is one of Michael Nyqvist last films before his death in 2017.  The filming and production team partnered with the US Navy on almost every aspect of Hunter Killer’s design.  A former trainee of Russian Captain Andropov mentions Alexei Vostrikov.  This is Harrison Ford’s character from K-19: The Widowmaker 2002.  Gerard Butler sailed aboard the USS Houston SSN 713 from May 6 to 9 with director Donovan Marsh for research.  Originally, the setting was to be Alaska with the seaport town of Whittier as the Russian naval base.  There was a lack of housing for the crew and Alaska Governor Bill Walker signed legislation ending the state’s film subsidy program.

Pluto and Beyond 2019

     New Horizons is a small spacecraft designed by NASA to study Pluto and the outer fringes of our solar system.  It was launched from Cape Canaveral on January 19, 2006.  It made a rendezvous with Pluto in 2015.  This craft traveled further away from earth than any spacecraft has ever explored.  Images of Jupiter’s swirling clouds and Little Red Spot were sent back on the way to Pluto.  Later, stunning photos were received showing Pluto’s atmosphere, the massive glacier and mountains of ice.  It’s possible that Pluto could have an ocean and if there is water, there could be life?  There were challenges and risks of flying by the mysterious Kuiper Belt object known as Ultima Thule.  The Hubble Space Telescope was used to search for Ultima Thule on June 26. 2014.  This name means beyond the known world.  New Horizons also did a fly by on January 1, 2019.        

     Clyde Tombaugh, an American farm boy, discovered Pluto in 1930.  In August of 2006, Pluto was downgraded from its status as a planet and it is now known as a dwarf planet.  The orbit around the sun takes 248 years and it’s an elongated orbit path.  Only the rocky worlds of the inner Solar System and the gas giants of the outer system will be designated as planets.  Updates were added to this episode before broadcast.  I thought everything about this episode was informative and interesting.  The teams working on this project are very dedicated and enthusiastic too.  4 ½* (I really liked this episode. 

This is a 60-minute episode of Nova airing on January 2, 2019. 

Note: Directed and written by Terri Randall with Craig Sechler.  Imdb 7.8 out of 10, Amazon 5* with one review, Amazon give the book 5* with one review.

Special Note:  There is also a book with the same title published in July of 2018 written by Elaine Scott.

The Swamp 2019

     This documentary is an episode from American Experience and it aired January 15, 2019.  Humanity has made numerous attempts to conquer the Florida Everglades.  It’s one of nature’s most mysterious and unique ecosystems.  There is a profusion of plants and animals that are found nowhere else on the continent.  The Everglades originally was an immense watershed covering the southern half of the Florida peninsula.  In the nineteenth century, most Americans believed swamps were filled with diseases and dangerous reptiles.  These were seen as obstacles to the progress of the United States?  The goal of many entrepreneurs, politicians and salesmen was to drain the swamp and turn it into a massively profitable enterprise.  The altering of the landscape caused many unintended consequences.  There were catastrophic floods and brutal droughts.  Hurricanes added to the destruction and death toll after misguided alterations were made to the land.

     This film offers insights into the repeated efforts to transform this area into an agricultural and urban paradise.  It was thought that this was one of the nation’s last unpopulated frontiers.  It was also a subtropical wilderness that seemed to many to be inhospitable and how could it be built up?  In the end, efforts to change this region led to a passionate campaign to preserve America’s greatest wetland.  I thought this was very interesting and good.  There were many facts I didn't know.  4 1/2* (I really liked this episode) 

Note:  Amazon 5* with one review, PBS 5* with 2 reviews, 100% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Special Note:  Season 31, Episode 1, The Swamp.

The Last B-24 2018

     One of the missions of the US Government is to return the remains of US soldiers killed in other countries to the United States.  This provides a dignified resting place for them and also allows closure for the relatives.  Forty underwater archaeologists and technical divers excavate the wreckage of the B-24 Liberator bomber Tulsamerican.  They are hoping to find out what happened to the three airmen that went down with the plane.  German planes shot down the bomber and it crashed off the coast of Croatia in 1944 during WWII.  There was a design problem with the B-24. During a crash, the nose and wing section would separate from the body and flip upside down.

     This plane crashed in December 1944 and has been on the bottom for 70 years.  The divers are hoping to find any bone fragments from the three men.  DNA can be extracted from bone and a match can be made to determine which one of the airmen they have found.  Large suction tubes bring material from around  and inside the plane to the surface.  All this material is sifted through wire frames to check for bones.  There are also scenes with the family members talking about their relative that was lost in the plane. 

       

53 min, Nova TV episode, Doc directed by Kirk Wolfinger with Jay O. Sanders as narrator.

Note:  Imdb 6.7 out of 10, Amazon 5* with one review.

Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero 2018

     World War I has been in progress and the French soldiers have been beaten down by the relentless onslaught from the German soldiers.  American troops from the 102^nd Infantry Regiment are training on the grounds of Yale University.  They will be shipped out to the front lines to assist the French.  During formation, suddenly a dog is sitting next to one of the men?  Conroy is sure he’s going to get a chewing out!!  Instead, the dog is named Stubby and he goes to the trenches of France. 

     This film is based on a true story.  The United States World War I Centennial Commission officially endorses it.  Stubby goes along with the Regiment amid harsh conditions and he performs incredible acts of courage.  He warns the people of a village that a fatal gas attack is coming from the Germans.  He finds Americans buried in trenches and he barks to let rescuers locate them.  Stubby is wounded and he spends time in a hospital to recover.  After the end of the war, Stubby is recognized as the first canine ever promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the U.S. Army History.  4* (I really liked this movie)

84 min, Animation directed by Richard Lanni with the voices of Logan Lerman, Helena Bonham Carter, Gerard Depardieu, Jordan Beck, Jim Pharr, Jason Ezzell, Guillaume Sentou, Christophe Lemoine, Nicholas Rulong, Brian Cook, Audrey Sable, Coline Haas, David Blin.

Note:  Imdb 6.9 out of 10, 87% critic 94% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Leslie Felperin, Metacritic 57 out of 100 with 13 critics 5 positive 8 mixed no negative, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 168 reviews.

Special Note:  Sgt. Stubby died peacefully at home in 1926.  He was honored with an obituary in the New York Times and received a posthumous Purple Heart for his combat injuries.   This medal wasn’t introduced until 1932.  The Smithsonian Institution preserved the real Sgt. Stubby along with his uniform coat and medals.  They are on display in the National Museum of American History, Washington, DC.  This is the first major computer-animated film based on a true story after Pocahontas 1995 and Balto 1995.

Grantchester Season One 2015

    The year is 1953 and Sidney Chambers is the vicar of Grantchester.  This is unusual for a vicar but he usually finds himself involved in crime investigations?  There are six episodes in this series and the years are 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.  (1) Sidney conducts a ceremony for a supposed suicide.  No one else would officiate because of the circumstances.  (2) Sidney doesn’t want to go to a dinner party but he is convinced that it’s the right thing to do.  His sister’s engagement ring goes missing and a woman is later found dead. (3) Sidney likes the occasional drink but he is going to give it up.  He wants to focus on his religious duties. (4) A fire in the village leads Sidney to conduct an investigation. (5) Sidney takes Detective Inspector Geordie on night out to a London jazz club. (6) Sidney and Geordie investigate the murder of a local policeman.

     It doesn’t seem likely but Sidney is the best person to solve crimes because people tend to talk to him.  He engenders a natural trust from people.  Sidney has a housekeeper Mrs. Maguire to help him at the Vicarage.  She is an austere person and she is constantly disapproving of his detective work.  I thought this series was very good and it is different with a vicar involved in solving crimes!!   4* (I really liked this series)      

  

PBS TV series, each episode is 45 min, created by Daisy Coulam with Robson Green, Tessa Peake-Jones, Al Weaver, James Norton, Kacey Ainsworth, Morven Christie, Skye Lucia Degruttola, Nick Brimble, Tom Asten.

Note:  Imdb 8 out of 10, 100% critic 91% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 70 out of 100 with 10 critics 7.6 out of 10 with 21 user scores, Amazon Video 4.7* out of 5* with 5179 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK.  James Norton started his acting career in 2009.  He has also been in other TV programs, Inspector George Gently, Blandings, Doctor Who, Death Comes to Pemberley, Life in Squares, War & Peace, McMafia, The Trial of Christine Keeler and Happy Valley.  Both Tom Austen in the role of Guy and Morven Christie in the role of Amanda made guest appearances in Poirot episodes.  Austen had a minor role but Christie had a more substantial role.    

Kavanagh QC 1995

     James Kavanagh QC (Queen’s Counsel) is one of the top barristers in Britain.  He handles challenging cases and defendants.  He is honest with his clients and he tells them right away if he thinks they don’t have a case that will win.  He has a family and rough patches require his free time as well.  (1) In Sunderland, a young former car thief is run over by a car.  The case is did the driver accidentally run over the young man or was it deliberate?  (2) A woman filmmaker is accused of producing pornography.  Is it art or is it illegal material?  (3) A divorced man has kidnapped his son because he wants full custody.  His son is making allegations against his mother’s new husband.  Are they true?

     This series of episodes is very good.  At each trial before the judge, you don’t know how the case will end?  Sometimes Kavanagh wins even though he thought it was a lost cause at the beginning.  There are also background scenes of the relationships between client and attorney, running for political office and interactions between attorneys. 

3 episodes created by Ted Childs and Susan Rogers with John Thaw, Oliver Ford Davies, Nicholas Jones, Cliff Parisi, Lisa Harrow, Tom Brodie, Daisy Bates, Anna Chancellor, Rosalind Bailey, Albert Welling, Jenny Jules, Geraldine James, Robert Ashby.

 

Note:  Imdb 7.6 out of 10, Amazon 5* with 7 reviews.  John Thaw also starred in the TV Series Inspector Morse from 1987-2000.

Anna Karinina 2000-2001

     The setting of this film is 1874 in the Russian Empire and it is based on a book by Leo Tolstoy first published in 1878.  Anna Karenina is the young wife of an older husband and she has an 8-year-old son.  She has a rebellious nature and she begins an affair with the handsome and dashing officer Count Vronsky.  After making this decision, everything about her life becomes very complicated.  In this time period, she is struggling against the pressures of Russian social norms and the moral laws of the Russian Orthodox Church.  She is also insecure and indecisive.  Society begins to shun her and this increases her isolation and anxiety.  Count Vronsky faces none of these consequences for his actions.   

     This mini-series is very good and it is filled with the aspects of the constraints of this society.  Prominent themes are hypocrisy, jealousy, faith, fidelity, family, marriage, society, progress, desire and passion.  Also shown are the contrasts between the farmers connection to land compared to the lifestyles of the city.  This was a time of rapid transformations in judicial reform, the jury system, military reforms and introduction of elected local governments.  There was also the development of railroads, banks, industry telegraph, the rise of new business elites and the decline of the old landed aristocracy.  Plus allowing the press to have more freedom of information and the awakening of public opinion.  4 ½* (I really liked this series)  

    

6 hours, four part miniseries, Drama PBS Masterpiece Theater Presentation with Douglas Henshall, Helen McCory, Stephen Dillane, Paloma Baeza, Mark Strong, Kevin McKidd, Jackson Leach, Kazimiera Utrata, Amanda Root, Gillian Barge, Malcolm Sinclair.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 293 reviews, Amazon gives the book 4.1* out of 5* with 2934 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland and Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.  The characters in this film wearing a wedding band are shown with the ring on their left hand.  In Slavic countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Poland, the wedding band is worn on the ring finger of the right hand.  A wedding band on the left hand often indicates that the wearer is widowed.  William Faulkner describes this book as the best novel ever written and flawless.  The book was initially released in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger.

Doctor Zhivago 1965

     This film is based on a novel by Boris Pasternak published in 1958.  Publishing this work was a daring defiance of Russian censorship. The setting of this film is during the Russian Revolution of 1917-1922.  Yuri Zhivago is a young doctor and his aunt and uncle raised him after his father’s suicide.  He falls in love with beautiful Lara Guishar.  Then, he learns that Lara has been having an affair with her mother’s lover, Victor Komarovski.  He is an unscrupulous businessman.  Instead of marrying Lara, he marries his cousin Tonya.  Years later, Yuri meets Lara again and the spark of love returns.

     This is one of my favorite movies and I would watch it more times if it was not so long!!  It has a magical and mystical quality despite the sadness.  It’s a wonderful and enduing love story.  The music on the soundtrack is also very beautiful.  4 ½* (I really liked this movie)

197 minutes Drama directed by David Lean with Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, Tom Courtenay, Siobhan McKenna, Ralph Richardson, Rita Tushingham, Jeffrey Rockland, Tarek Sharif, Bernard Kay, Klaus Kinski, Gerard Tichy, Noel Willman.

Note:  Imdb 8 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3*, The Guardian 5* Peter Bradshaw, 82% citric 88% audience on rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 69 out of 100 with 14 critics 8.1 out of 10 with 16 user reviews, Empire Online 4* out of 5*, Amazon 4.6 out of 5 with 1567 reviews, the book has 4.1* out of 5* with 391 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Alberta, Canada; Kiihtelysvaara, Helsinki, Joensuu, Punkaharju, Punkasalmi, Phyaselka and Lieksa, Finland.  Estudios CEA, Madrid, Andalucia and Castilla y Leon, Spain.  The filming in Spain was during the regime of General Francisco Franco.  During filming of a revolutionary scene, police showed up at the set thinking a real revolution was taking place.  The film was not shown in Russia until 1994.  Omar Sharif’s son Tarek plays the young Yri Zhivago at his mother’s funeral scene.  Sharif had his eyes taped back and his hair straightened daily to disguise his Egyptian looks.  His hairline was shaved up about 2-3 inches and his skin was waxed.  This process was repeated every three days.  Julie Christie slaps Rod Steiger.  He slaps her back and this was not in the script and also not discussed during filming.

Jamesy Boy 2014

     This film is based the true story of James Burns.  A young teen gang member turns his life around in prison.  He had been housed in a maximum-security prison cell surrounded by hardened criminals.  He forms a friendship with a convicted murderer and he becomes his mentor.       

      There is a problem with the scenes from the past and the present?  The sequence feels like they are out of order and parts have been omitted?  James was tried as an adult but he was 15 years old?  He seems to always be in trouble and it leads to a prison sentence.  His actions now have consequences because of his decisions.  He has plenty of time to think about his past and the life he is living now.  2 1/2* (This movie is so-so)

109 min, Bio directed by Trevor White with Spencer Rocco Lofranco, Mary-Lousie Parker, Ving Rhames, James Woods, Taissa Farmiga, Rosa Salazar,Michael Trotter, Ben Rosenfield, Taboo, Aaron Opara, Keon Clayton, R. Emery Bright, Ken Arnold, Joe Ordaz, Kellyn Rogers.

 

Note:  Imdb 6.3 out of 10, Roger Ebert 1 1/2*, 26% critic 58% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 29 out of 100 with 6 critics 6.2 out of 10 with 10 user reviews, Slant Magazine 1/2* out of 4*, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 87 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Maryland.  There is a 2001 documentary film titled If I could or 2001 about James Burns.  This is the second time Taissa Farmiga and Spencer Rocco Lofranco have worked together.  They co-starred in At Middleton 2013 but this film was shot first.  Farmiga and Ben Rosenfield worked together on 6 Years 2015.  Farmiga and Rosa Salazar were in the first season of American Horror Story 2011.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post 2018

     This film is based on a book by Emily M. Danforth and the time period is 1993.  Cameron Post is a teenage girl and her conservative guardians force her into a gay conversion therapy program.  Cameron’s parents both died so they don’t have a voice or opinion about what has happened to Cameron.  In 1993 there was a lot of stigma surrounding gay teens.  Counselors thought they should be able to use the Bible to thump the gayness out?

       I was surprised to learn that conversion therapy has been ruled illegal in fifteen states.  Except for New York City and Washington DC, all the bans are limited to therapy for minors.  The title reparative therapy is also used for this process.  The teenagers in this film don’t believe the staff knows what they are doing?  How can this forced method and lack of any trust help them make any kind of changes?  Isn’t it setting them up for failure even if they would like to be different?  3* (This movie is OK) 

92 min, Drama directed by Desiree Akhavan with Chole Grace Mortez, Steven Hauck, Quinn Shephard, Kerry Butler, Dalton Harrod, McCabe Slye, Dale Soules, Sasha Lane, John Gallagher Jr., Emily Skeggs, Marin Ireland, Forrest Goodluck, Melanie Ehrilich, Ownen Campbell, Christopher Dylan White.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, 87% critic 75% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Mark Kermode, Metacritic 9 out of 100 with 36 critics 6.9 out of 10 user score with 42 reviews, Amazon 3.9* out of 5* with 81 reviews, Amazon the paperback book has 4.4* out of 5* with 291 reviews.

Special Note:  The exercise video Blessercize is from real footage of an actual 90’s video.  This film was named one of the 40 best films of 2018 by Sight & Sound.  The budget was estimated at $900,000 but grossed just $904,703 in 85 theaters in North America.  This was the result of limited theatrical release and marketing. A winner of the Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival. 

The Little Stranger 2018

     This film is based on a novel by Sarah Waters.  The setting is in Warwickshire, England of 1948.  Dr. Faraday is the son of a housemaid and he’s become a quiet and respectable country doctor.  In the summer, the day was unusually hot and Dr. Faraday is called to check on a housemaid at Hundreds Hall.  The young woman is not really sick but she would like to go home.  Dr. Faraday's mother once worked at this Hall as a housemaid.  The Ayres family has owned the hall for more than two centuries.  It’s now in decline and the current inhabitants are the mother, son and daughter.  The son was injured during WWII and his face was badly burned.  The family has been haunted by something more ominous than a crumbling house and a life stuck in the past.  While Dr. Faraday is at the Hall, he remembers visiting the home in 1919 when he was a child.  It is not a happy memory because his mother was very angry.  He broke an acorn off of an elaborate wooden carving upstairs.

     I did a lot thinking about the possible directions of where this plot would go before I started to watch the film?  One aspect about this film that I didn’t like is the lack of explanations for the events that happen as they unfold?  If you like films that are slow-paced dramas with a heavy dose of melancholy and also psychological themes, this may be your cup of tea?  I much prefer the list of who, what, when, where, why explanations as used in newspaper articles!!  You never know what to expect when English actress Charlotte Rampling is a member of the cast!!  Also, what is the genre of film?  Is it supernatural, horror, mystery, character study, romance or gothic?  Maybe a category of it’s own?   3* (this movie is OK)

111min, Drama directed by Lenny Abrahamson with Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Ruth Wilson, Liv Hill, Charlotte Rampling, Oliver Zetterstrom, Kathryn O’Reilly, Eddie Toll, Camilla Arfwedson, Tipper Seifert-Cleveland, Peter Ormond, Bailey Rogers, Richard Campbell, Harry Hadden-Paton, Anna Madeley.

Note:  Imdb 5.6 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3*, 65% critic 38% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 3.1* out of 5* with 41 reviews,  The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, RollingStone 3 ½* out of 5* Peter Travers, Empireonline.com 3* out of 5* Helen O’hara, Metacritic 67 out of 100 with 37 critics 5.2 out of 10 with 36 user reviews, Amazon paperback book 3.6* out of 5* with 567 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Langleybury House, Langleybury, King’s Langley, Herfordshire; Newby Hall, Skelton-on-Ure, North Yorkshire; Market Square, Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.  Lenny Abrahamson also directed Room.  This film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director.  The season is supposed to be Christmas.  When Dr. Faraday and Caroline take a walk in the grounds to see the site for new houses that are to be built, the trees in the background are in full leaf?   Domhnall Gleeson was General Hux in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 2019.  Ruth Wilson was Alison Bailey in the long running TV series The Affair 2014-2018.  The first film for Charlotte Rampling was A Hard Day’s Night 1964.  She was born 5 February 1946 in Sturmer, Essex, England UK and she is now 73 years old.

Gemini 2018

     An incident tests the complex relationship between a personal assistant and her Hollywood starlet boss.  Jill LeBeau is the assistant and Heather Anderson is the celebrity.   Jill travels across Los Angeles to unravel a mystery about Heather.  She tries to stay one step ahead of Detective Edward Ahn, a determined policeman. She also needs to confront her own understanding of what friendship, truth and celebrity really are and what they mean. 

     I was very hesitant about watching this film!!  Every write-up talks about a heinous crime being committed and I was wondering if this would be an unbearable crime to watch!!  Jill doesn't believe there are any threats against her but in Hollywood you can't be sure?  Heather’s jilted ex threatens to kill her.  A little later, four other people seem to be people who might have a grudge against Heather.  I thought this film was very slow and unwatchable at times?  2* (I didn’t like this movie)

93 min, Crime written and directed by Aaron Katz with Lola Kirke, Zoe Kravitz, John Cho, Greta Lee, Ricki Late, Michelle Forbes, Nelson Franklin, Reeve Carney, Jessica Parker Kennedy, James Ransone, Todd Louiso, Marianne Rendon, Abraham Lim, Gabriela Flores, Ted Stavros.

Note:  Imdb 5.4 out of 10, 70% critic 43% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Benjamin Lee, Metacritic 71 out of 100 with 30 critics 6.2 out of 10 with 20 reviews, Washington Post 1.5* out of 5* Michael O’Sullivan, Amazon 3.2* out of 5* with 10 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Los Angeles, California.  The tite comes from the meaning of the word Gemini since it means twins.  A fan in the beginning of the film interrupts Jill and Heather at a diner.  She looks just like one of the women and she has the same neck tattoo.

Second Act 2018

     Maya has been working at a big box store and she is hoping to get the job as manager.  She is very disappointed when someone new is brought in for this job.  The son of one of her friends has created a Facebook page for Maya and she is asked to come in for an interview at a cosmetics company.  There is a BIG problem!!  Almost everything about Maya’s history on the Facebook page is a lie!!  All the jobs that Maya aspires to get require a college degree and she didn’t finish high school?

     It doesn’t seem possible that Maya would be able to pull off all the lies written about her on her Facebook page?  Her rival Ron is already sniffing to see if she actually went to college.  There is another plot twist between Maya and the daughter of the boss Zoe Clarke.  This doesn’t seem believable either?  There is also a LOT of over-the-top excessive swearing and obnoxiousness.  Most of the complaints about this movie concern the script.  2 ½* (this movie was just so-so)

103 min, Comedy directed by Peter Segal with Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, Treat Williams, Milo Ventimiglia, Analeigh Ashford, Charlyne Yi, Alan Aisenberg, Freddie Stroma, Dave Foley, Larry Miller, Diedre Friel, Lacretta, Dan Bucatinsky, Dalton Harrod.

Note:  Imdb 5.8 out of 10, Amazon 3.4* out of 5* with 138 reviews, 44% critic 46% audience, Roger Ebert 2*, Metacritic 46 out of 100 with 27 critics 4.8 out of 10 with 32 user reviews, The Guardian 1* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, RollingStone 2 ½* out of 5* Peter Travers.

Special Note:  Filmed in New York City and Long Island City, New York.  The store where Maya works was filmed in a Food Bazaar Supermarket in Long Island City.  This is a 24-hour shop that was not closed during filming.  Originally, Julia Roberts was to act in the role of Maya.  Director Pete Segal addressed the cast and crew at the completion of this film.  He said this was his “favorite family” out of all the people he has worked with.  On the Facebook page, there is a picture of Maya with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.  It is a real photo from the inaugural ball in Washington DC in January 2009 attended by Jennifer Lopez. There is a scene with Maya and her rival Ron dancing the tango at the staff Christmas party.  It is almost exactly like a scene from The Wedding Planner.  Mary (Jennifer Lopez) and Steve Edison (Matthew McConnaughey) also dance the tango.

Ordeal by Innocence 2018

     The setting of this film is Christmas of 1954 in the UK and it is based on a novel published in 1958 by Agatha Christie.  Rachel Argyll is a wealthy philanthropist and she has been murdered at Sunny Point, her family estate.  Rachel and her husband Egyptologist Leo Argyll have adopted five children, three girls and two boys.  Jack is the disturbed black sheep.  Mickey Is troubled, he has many tattoos and he was in WWII.  Mary Argyll Durrant is married to Philip and he is in a wheelchair from a car accident.  Mary is very serious, the first one adopted and she thought she should have been the only one adopted.  Tina doesn’t seem to fit in and teen boys in town taunt her.  Hester is also very serious.  Kirsten is the housekeeper.  Jack Argyll has been arrested for her murder but he claims he got a ride in a car on the road.  He adamantly protests his innocence and he says he was away from the estate.  Unfortunately, his fingerprints are found at the scene of the crime?

     The main complaints about this series are the length and the number of flashbacks!!   The adopted children each have a young actor playing them in the early years and an adult actor for this time period.  I thought this was very good and I enjoyed watching it very much.  I thought the acting was good.  There are many choices for who is the murderer.  There is also a why was Rachel murdered. See if you can unravel the puzzles before the final episode?   4 ½* (I really liked this series)

TV Mini-Series, 3 episodes, 60 min each, Drama directed by with Morven Christie, Anthony Boyle, Christian Cooke, Bill Nighy, Matthew Goode, Luke Treadaway, Anna Chancellor, Crystal Clarke, Ella Purnell, Eleanor Tomlinson, Luke Murray, Catriona McNicoll, Abigail Conteh, Rhy Lambert, Hayden Robertson, Brian McCardie, Alice Eve, Frances Grey, Sandy Welch. 

 

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, Amazon Video Season 1, 4* out of 5* with 810 reviews, 94% critic 75% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon gives the hardcover book 4.3* out of 5* with 126 reviews, Indiewire.com B- Steve Greene, The Guardian 5* out of 5* Lucy Mangan, Metacritic 71 out of 100 with 10 critics 5.9 out of 10 with 12 user ratings.

Special Note:  Catherine Keener was cast to play Rachael Argyll but Anna Chancellor took the role.  The adaptation differs from the novel in the conclusion.   Originally the series was filmed with Ed Westwick playing Mickey Argyll and it was scheduled to air the Christmas season of 2017.  In November 2017, the BBC announced it would not broadcast the series while a police investigation of Westwick was on going.  In January 2018, re-shoots began with Christian Cooke replacing Westwick.  There were problems with the re-shoots because the seasons were different.  The original scenes were filmed in the Summer of 2017 but the re-shot scenes were not taking place over 12 days in January 2018.  The entire re-shoot cost the BBC in excess of 2 million pounds.  Bill Nighy has Duputren’s Contracture.  This is a degenerative muscular condition.  It causes the ring and little fingers to become permanently folded in towards the palm.  It normally affects males over the age of 50. 

Somm III 2018

     This is the third installment of a documentary series on wine tasting.  Three of the greatest legends in wine meet in this film.  They will drink the most rare bottles of their careers.  Also, the best blind tasters of today gather to settle an age-old argument.  The results could change the world of wine forever?

     I have not seen the films Somm and Somm II.  I did find this film interesting and I am not a wine expert.  There is drinking wine, comparing wines at a tasting, talking/writing about wine and these can be three different things.  It is a fact that ordinary people will probably not ever be able to taste rare old bottles of wine?  Isn’t a nice drinkable wine that pares with the food good enough?  Obviously not!!  3* (This movie is OK)

78 min, Doc directed by Jason Wise with Ian Cauble, Fred Dame, Paul Draper, Laura Fiorvanti, Jay Fletcher, Becky Wsserman Hone, Steve Matthiasson, Brian McClintic, Carole Meredith, Rajat Parr, Dlynn Proctor.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 64 reviews, Letterboxd 3.4 out of 5*, hudin.com 28 out of 5*.

Special Note:  An exclusive early screen of this film took place at Nolita Hall, Little Italy San Diego on November 13^th, 2018.

Bernie the Dolphin 2019

     The setting of this film is St. Augustine, Florida.  Holly and Kevin Ryan are a sister and brother and they become friends with the dolphins in their area.  A speedboat comes by their kayak going at a fast speed.  Both Holly and Kevin are dumped into the water.  Ryan comes right back up to the surface but Holly is rescued by one of the dolphins.  In the excitement, the dolphin group becomes separated and one of the members beaches at the shore.  This dolphin gets a very bad sunburn and is taken to the local marine life rescue center.  Holly and Ryan are very worried about Bernie until they find out he is at the center and he will be released as soon as he is fully recovered.  Holly and Ryan want to make sure Bernie is reunited with his pod.

     There are a LOT of complications with Holly and Ryan’s dad Patrick.  He’s upset and grounds them after the incident with the speedboat.  His boss Winston Mills is up to something shady and Holly can feel this deep in her gut.  Their mother Abby is more on-board with Holly and Ryan but she still has to enforce the grounding.  Holly and Ryan do manage to upset the sneaky plans of Winston Mills and the Major!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

88 min, Action directed by Kirk Harris with Lola Sultan, Logan Allen, Kevin Sorbo, Stelio Savante, Jimel Atkins, Sean Michael Gloria, Patrick Muldoon Dahlia Legault, Sam and Braeden Sorbo, Lily Cardone, Stacey Spong, Owen Harn, Vincent De Paul Darla Delgado.

Note:  Imdb 5.7 out of 10, 67% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 5* with 5 reviews, Facebook 3.6 out of 5 with 41 reviews, Common Sense Media 2* out of 5* age 6+, Dove.org 1* faith, 4* integrity 1* sex, language and violence 1*, other (stealing) 1*.

Finding Rin Tin Tin 2007

     This film is based on the true story of a German Shepherd puppy found by American pilot Lee Duncun in France during WWI.  He was rescued from a basement along with his mother and two siblings.  Owners were found for the mother and the other two puppies.  Duncun was able to get permission to keep Rin Tin Tin because he didn’t have a home.  One condition was that the dog received training.  Duncun was able to arrange for one of the POWs, a German dog trainer Nikolaus Egger to work on training.  Later, Rin Tin Tin became the most famous animal star in Hollywood history.

     I thought this was interesting and good.  Rin Tin Tin was untrained in the beginning and he would not have been able to stay with the soldiers without changes being made.  He was waking the men up when they tried to sleep, he drank liquor from a soldier’s bottle and it made him drunk.  His training made all the difference and he became an asset to the men.  There is a young orphan boy working in the kitchen and the becomes friends with the dog.  It really helps the boy during a trying time for him being without his parents.  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

90 min, Family directed by Danny Lerner with Tyler Jensen, Ben Cross, Gregory Gudgeon, Steven O’Donnell, William Hope, Todd Jensen, Ivan Rankov, Ian Porter, Garrick Hagon, Michal Yannai, Wesley Stiller, Vlado Mihailov, Atanas Srebrev, Johnathan Sparcino, James Graves.

Note:  Imdb 5.1 out of 10, 48% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 102 reviews, Letterboxd .5* out of 5* Dennis Reardon.

Special Note:  Filmed in Sofia, Bulgaria.  There is a mistake with the type of rifles.  The rifles carried by the US soldiers are English Number 4, Mark 1.  This is a type of rifle introduced to the English Army twenty years later in WW2.  US soldiers would have carried either Model 1903 Springfield or more likely Model 1917 rifles.  CPL Lee Duncan found Rin Tin Tin but he was not a pilot.  He was an aerial observer.  He sat in the back of the plane and he was armed with machine gun.  He was not a trained pilot and could not fly the plane alone.  If Rin Tin Tin was actually barking during flight, you would not be able to hear barking over the wind and the motor noise.  The name Rin Tin Tin comes from the name of a toy that French children commonly gave to soldiers around the turn of the century.  Duncun was able to get permission for Rin Tin Tin to come to America on one of the ships carrying returning soldiers.  His movie career started with 14 features from 1920-31.  Rin Tin Tin was his original name given to him by Duncan.

Tailspin Tommy in The Great Air Mystery 1935

     This is a 12-episode serial shown in movie theaters.  Each week there was another episode and each episode had a cliffhanger at the end.  Tailspin Tommy evades volcanoes, anti-aircraft shells and time bombs.  He foils the plans by corrupt businessmen profiteers that want to steal an island’s oil reserves.  Manue Casmetto and Horace Raymore have come up with a scheme to make fast money.  Tommy and his fellow pilots get help from news reporter Milt Howe.

     The series is based on the adventure comic strip Tailspin Tommy that was syndicated to newspapers from 1928 to 1942.  It was the first aviation-related strip to appear after Charles Lindbergh’s historic solo trans-Atlantic flight in 1927.  The one complaint about this film is that it's very low budget.  A LOT of the background scenes are repeated so they didn't need to be filmed again.  Some scenes are very funny now.  3 1/2* (I liked this series)

3 hours 56 min, Action directed by Ray Taylor with Clark Williams, Jean Rogers, Noah Berry Jr., Delphine Drew, Bryant Washburn, Pat J. O’Brien, Herbert Heywood, Matthew Betz, Paul Ellis, Harry Worth, Manuel Lopez, Charles A. Browne, James P. Burtis, Helen Brown, Frank Mayo.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, The Digital Bits Film B, Video B+, Audio B+, Extras F, Blue-ray.com 3 1/2* out of 5* 1 rating, Amazon 3* out of 5* with one review, Letterboxd average 2.5* out of 5*.

Special Note:  The aircraft carrier shown in some scenes is the USS Lexington (DV-2) nicknamed “Lady Lex.”  It is the 96^th of 137 serials released by Universal Pictures and the 28^th with sound.  In the first Episode, Wreck of the Dirigible, Tommy is flying out to the airship Fleet model 2, s/n 374, registration NC792V.  This plane also appears in Ace Drummond 1936, Sky Parade 1936 and Legion of Lost Flyers 1939.

Chapter Titles:  Wreck of the Dirigible, Roaring Fire God, Hurled From the Skies, Bolt From the Blue, The Torrent, Crash in the Clouds, Flying Death, Crossed and Double-Crossed, Wings of Disaster, The Dungeon of Doom, Desperate Chances and The Last Stand.  

Mary Poppins Returns 2018

     The setting of the film is in London during the era of the depression.  Jane and Michael Banks along with Michael’s three children are in danger of losing their home to the bank.  Unfortunately, the children’s mother has also passed away.  Mary Poppins and her friend Jack visit the family.  Mary helps them all rediscover the joy and wonder that has been missing in their lives.

     I didn’t know what to expect from this new film but I enjoyed it very much!!  I would like to see the original film again to compare it with this new release.  I thought Emily Blunt was perfect at Mary Poppins.  This is a different role for Ben Whishaw since he is now acting as the new Q in the Bond films.  He is the head of Q Branch, the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service.  Lin-Manuel Miranda played Alexander Hamilton in the very popular Hamilton play.  I thought it was a great idea to have Dick Van Dyke return in this film, he played Bert in the first film.  4* (I really liked this movie) 

    

130 min, Comedy directed by Rob Marshall with Emily Blunt, Ln-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Julie Walters, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Jeremy Swift, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Jim Norton, Noma Dumezweni.

Note:  Imdb 7 out of 10, 1 ½* Roger Ebert, 79% critic 68% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, RollingStone 3* out of 5* (too many spoonfuls of sugar), The Guardian 4* out of 5* Mark Kermode, Metacritic 66 out of 100 with 54 critics 6.8 out of 10 with 176 reviews, Amazon 3.7* out of 5* with 267 reviews.

Special Note:  The estimated budget was $130 million and the worldwide gross was $307,822,494 million.  Walt Disney offered the lead role to Julie Andrews.  She told him she was pregnant and the production was postponed until after the birth.  The same thing happened to Emily Blunt with this film.  Andrews was asked to appear at the balloon lady but she thought it would be too distracting.  Angela Lansbury accepted the role and she had been considered for the role of Mary Poppins in the original film.  Dick Van Dyke looks younger than his 93 years and makeup was used to make him look older.  Director Rob Marshall wanted to use hand-drawn animation but Disney wanted to use computer animation.  Rob argued for the hand-drawn and it was allowed.  The music in the background contains melodies from the original film.  The Perfect Nanny, Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, The Life I Lead and Spoonful of Sugar.  The Sherman Brothers wrote the music in 1963-64.  This film was released 54 years after the release of the first Mary Poppins in 1964.  This sets a new record as the longest gap between a live-action film and its sequel.

Fahrenheit 11/9 2018

     Filmmaker Michael Moore examines the current state of American Politics.  He is particularly interested in the Donald Trump presidency, the elections, gun violence and grassroots democratic movements.

     This film brings up incidents that I would like to read about and get further information.  What did the Bush administration really know about Iraq?  Also, why the switch from Lake Huron water in Flint Michigan to the polluted water from the Flint River?  Why did President Obama come to Flint allegedly to help the people but he drank the water as if there wasn’t anything wrong?  I would like to know more about the election between Trump and Clinton too.  The one thing this film does is give you the determination to learn more!!  4* (I really liked this movie) 

   

128 min Doc directed and written by Michael Moore with Jim Acosta, Roger Ailels, Brooke Baldwin, Ashleigh Banfield, Stephen K. Bannon, Roseanne Barr, Joy Behar, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Joe Biden, Wolf Blitzer, John Behner, John Bolton, Barbara Bush, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, George Clooney.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3*, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, 81% critic 59% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, The Washington Post 2 ½* out of 4*, Michael O’Sullivan, Metacritic 69 out of 100 with 46 critics 4.6 out of 10 with 89 reviews, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 1362 reviews.

Special Note:  The title is a play on the title for Moore’s other film about the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.  It also refers to the fact that Trump was projected to be the next President at 2:29AM on November 9, 2016.  Originally, Moore was working with producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein in May 2017.  The funding fell through and allegations emerged the following October about Harvey.  The crew was laid off and the production shut down.  Moore bean to focus on a Broadway shoe, The Terms of My Surrender and it ran for 12 weeks.