Eight Below 2006

   This film is surprisingly based on a true story of 1958.   Dr. Davis McClaren and sled dog trainer Jerry Shepherd are in the Antarctic on an expedition.  Jerry has to leave the polar base with his colleagues because they are in the proximity of a heavy snowstorm.  He ties his dogs up to be rescued but the mission is called off.  Amazingly, the dogs are left alone for six months while Jerry tries to find a sponsor for the rescue mission?

     The photography of the scenery is very beautiful.  You also get an idea of what its like to be in the Arctic.  Paul Walker certainly shows that he is an animal lover.  The real stars are the dogs and they steal all the scenes.  Some of their tricks were difficult, the dogs interact together with compassion.  I thought this film was interesting and good. 4* (I really liked this movie)  

  

120 min, directed by Frank Marshall with Paul Walker, Jason Biggs, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, Wendy Crewson, Gerard Plunkett, August Schellenberg, (dogs) D.J., Timba, Koda, Jasmin, Apache, Buck, Noble, Troika.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3*, Common Sense Media age 8+ 3* out of 5* (3* positive) 3* role models, 3* violence & scariness, 3* language) Cynthia Fuchs, Metacritic 64 out of 100 with 31 critics 7.7 out of 10 user score (71 positive, 11 mixed, 9 negative), Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 940 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Svalbard, Norway; Greenland; Smithers, Stewart, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  This film is based on a Japanese expedition to the South Pole in 1958.  The expedition members were faced with extreme weather conditions like this mission.  Each dog had at least one stunt double.  In all, over 30 dogs were used in this film.  At least 5 of these dogs also appeared in the movie Snow Dogs 2002.  Dogs have been banned from Antarctica by a treaty since 1993.  There was evidence that diseases were spreading to seal wildlife.  This film is somewhat of a retelling of the film Antarctica 1983.  The American Humane Association monitored all the animal action.  No animals were harmed in the making of this film. 

A Star is Born 1937

     Esther Victoria Blodgett is dreaming of becoming a movie star.  Most of her family thinks this is just an idea that will never happen.  She talks to her grandmother Lettie Blodgett and Lettie gives her the money to travel to Hollywood.  She rents an apartment and she starts going to all the studios and Central Casting.  She finds out that MANY women have come to Hollywood to be a star and the odds are very low that Lettie will achieve her dream.  She meets Norman Maine and he’s a movie star but he drinks too much and his career is going down the drain.  He sets Lettie up with the right people and she becomes a star.  Her name is changed to Vicki Lester and she wins an Academy Award for her work.  Norman and Vicki get married and Norman is on the wagon for a while.

     The idea for A Star is Born started when David O. Selznick decided to tell a true behind the scenes story of Hollywood.  Many of the people in the script are based on actual people and events.  This film is different from the 2018 version with Lady Gaga and the 1976 version with Barbra Streisand.  This is about actresses and actors and not singers.  It is interesting to see the cars, clothing and hairstyles of this period.   There is speculation that the actress is based on silent-film star Coleen More and her alcoholic husband John McCormick.  Coleen became one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era and she helped popularize the bobbed haircut.  She was born August 19, 1899 in Port Huron, MI and she died January 25, 1988 in Paso Robles, CA.  She was married to John McCormick between 1923 and 1930.  He was born August 17, 1893 in Kansas City, MO and he died May 3, 1961 in Los Angeles, CA.  There is also speculation that it’s based on the marriage of Barbara Stanwyck and her first husband Frank Fay.  4* (I really liked this movie)

111 min, Drama directed by William A.Wellman and Jack Conway with Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menju, May Robson, Andy Devine, Lionel Stander, Owen Moore, Peggy Wood, Elizabeth Jenns, Edgar Kennedy, J.D. Nugent, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Eric Alden, Clara Blandick, Sidney Bracey.

Note:  Imdb 7.6 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 100% critic 77% audience, NYTimes.com 4* Jake Kring-Schreifels, Metacritc 77 out of 100 with 5 critics 7.3 out of 10 with 7 user scores (5 positive, 2 mixed), TCM Leonard Maltin 3.5* out of 5 average use rating 4.3* out of 5*, Amazon 3.4* out of 5* with 406 reviews.

Special Note:  This film won an Academy Award for director William Wellman and Robert Carson, also for Howard Green’s cinematography.  It is the first all color film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.  Filmed in Café Trocadero, Janss Estate, Alabama Hills, Ambassador Hotel, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood Legion Stadium, Raleigh Studios, Santa Anita Park & Racetrack, Selznick International Studios, California. 

Storm Warning 1951

     The setting of this film is somewhere in the deep South.  Marsha Mitchell is a model based in New York.  She is on her way near Rock Point where her sister Lucy lives with her husband.  Marsha hasn’t seen her sister in a while and she hasn’t met Hank Rice yet.  She’s planning on just staying for less than 24 hours and then she needs to leave for her next modeling job.  She takes a bus to Rock Point.  It’s dark when she gets in and she sees a taxi outside the bus station.  When she asks about a driver, she is told there isn’t one but the driver is sitting right in front of her?  He tells her it’s nine blocks to her sister’s house and she can walk?  She checks her suitcase and as soon as she starts walking, she witnesses the Ku Klux Klan murder a man.  She hides behind a corner so the Klan will not see her there.  She later learns that the man is Walter Adams and is an out of town reporter and he planned to write an article about the Klan.  Marsha saw the faces of two of the men and now she is very frightened.  When Marsha arrives at Lucy’s house, in just a few minutes she learns that Lucy’s husband Hank was one of the men.   Marsha makes a BIG mistake and she confronts Hank and Lucy about what happened.  Lucy didn’t know that Hank was part of the Klan.  The county prosecutor Burt Rainey knows that the Klan committed the murder and everyone in town has the same idea.  Burt needs just one person to come forward at a hearing and tell what they saw!!

     I didn’t know there would be violence against women and a murder in this film.  There is also a very scary meeting the Klan members.  I didn’t know what was going to happen to Marsha after she saw the murder.  I was also surprised that Lucy’s husband was a member of the Klan.  In addition to being a Klan member, he’s shifty, sleazy, a liar, doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, he’s loathsome and despicable.  There isn’t one redeeming thing I can say about him and the other members of the Klan.  

    

93 min, Drama directed by Stewart Heisler with Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, Steve Cochran, Hugh Sanders, Lloyd Gough, Raymond Greenleaf, Ned Glass, Paul E. Burns, Walter Baldwin, Lynn Whitney, Stuart Randall, Sean McClory.    

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 81 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 56% audience, Letterboxd 3.5* out of 5*, TCM Leonard Maltin 2.5* out of 4* average user rating 4.02* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Corona and Burbank, California.  Joan Crawford was asked to take the role of Marsha.  She told Jack L. Warner that no one would believe that Doris Day was her sister??  Doris Day was happy to co-star with Doris Day.  Doris has aspired to be a dancer and Rogers was one of her childhood idols.  Lauren Bacall was asked to star but she went to Africa with her husband Humphrey Bogart to film The African Queen 1951.  This is Doris Day’s first non-singing role.  Warner Brothers also released A Streetcar Named Desire in 1951.  The relationship between Ginger Rogers’ character and her on-screen brother-in-law Stephen Cochran has a resemblance to that between Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski.  Ronald Reagan was a vocal and active liberal Democrat.  Between 1950 and when he entered politics as a 1966 candidate for governor of California, his beliefs took a 180-degree turn.  He became a “right-wing” Republican?  There is an Australian movie 2008 with the same title with Nadia Fares, Robert Taylor.

Birds of Passage 2018

    The setting of this film is during the marijuana bonanza, a violent decade that brought drug trafficking to Colombia.  Rapayet and his Wayuu indigenous family get involved in a war to control the drug business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture.  The drug trade brings wealth but at a high cost. 

     This is a serious film with a realistic and interesting view into how a small change can lead to a larger change and continue on like a chain reaction.  The end can be death and chaos.  The people are trapped and unable to escape because of their choices.  Once this family enters into the drug business there are many changes!!  Everything that was beautiful is lost and corrupted by dullness and greedy people.  They see power but they find death instead.  There is very good photography of Colombia with some areas of dry desert and come of rich lush jungle.  The mother is the tribal leader with a daughter that is very pretty.   

125 min, Drama directed by Cristina Gallego, and Ciro Guerra with Carmina Martinez, Jose Acosta, Natalia Reyes, Jhon Narvaez, Greider Meza, Jose Vincente, Juan Battista Martinez, Miguel Viera, Sergio Coen, Aslenis Marquez, Jose Naider, Yanker Diaz, Victor Montero, Joaquin Ramon, Jorge Lascarro.

Imdb 7.7 out of 10, Roger Ebert 4*, Rotten Tomatoes, 95% critic 88% audience, EmpireOnline 4* out of 5*, Metacritic 85 out of 100 with 27 critics 7.3 out of 10 with 31 user scores (26 positive, 2 mixed, 6 reviews negative), The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, Independent 5* Paul Whitington, Chicago Tribune 3* Michael O’Sullivan, Amazon 3.2* out of 5* with 6 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in La Guajira; Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalenq, Colombia.  Gallego and Guerra were a married couple but divorced during production.  Some critics have favorably compared this film to other crime saga films like The Godfather, Scarface and the television series The Sopranos.

Wife vs. Secretary 1936

     This film is based on a 1935 magazine article written by Faith Baldwin and published in Cosmopolitan.  Van Stanhope is married to Linda and his secretary is Whitey.  Van is a magazine publisher and he is hard working.  Whitey is a very good secretary, she’s beautiful and she helps with the paperwork and details.  Her boyfriend is Dave.  Linda trusts Van but her friends think Whitey is extremely sexy for a secretary.  This idea plants a seed of suspicion in Linda’s mind.  Van and Linda go to an ice skating rink and Whitey is there with Dave.  Linda has a cold and she doesn’t skate.  Dave doesn’t want to skate and they begin to talk about Van and Whitey.  Linda wants to travel with Van to Havana but Van says he will be too busy with the current business deal.  Whitey will go with Van to help him but Dave and Whitey already had a fight because of the skating rink.  Linda goes to talk to Van’s mother about what has been going on.

     This film includes three of the studio’s biggest and most endearing stars.  Dave wants Whitey to give up her career and marry him but she doesn’t want to, at least for now.  Van and Linda are very happy in their marriage but a few rumors turn it upside down for Linda.  She doesn’t want to listen to anything Van has to say about Whitey.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

88 min, Drama directed by Clarence Brown with Clark Cable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, May Robson, George Barbier, James Stewart, Hobart Cavanaugh, Tom Dugan, Gilbert Emery, Marjorie Gateson, Gloria Holden.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 70% audience, Three Movie Buffs Average review 3 ½* out of 4*, Blu-ray.com 6.84 and 75% like it, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 51 reviews, TCM Leonard Maltin 2.5* out of 4*, user ratings 4* out of 5*, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in MGM Studios, Culver City, California.  The setting is supposed to be New York City.  The sets of Van’s office were also used in the anti-crime short The Public Pays 1936.  This is the fifth of six films paring Gable and Harlow, the fourth picture Gable and Loy starring together.  The first film with Loy and Harlow together but they would be together again for Libeled Lady 1936.  This film was a huge success for MGM, a profit of $876,000 ($15.2M in 2016 dollars).  The amphibious airplane Whitey takes to Cuba is a Sikorsky S042.  It was ordered by Pan Am and introduced in 1934.  Only ten were built, it carried 32 passengers in four compartments and 4 or 5 crew members at a cruising speed of 150-160 mph with a range of 1,200 to 1,900 miles.  The mileage depended on the version and there were three.  Dave gets a raise to $75 a week and this would equate to $1,341 a week in 2017.

Makeup Note:  In the 30’s the trend for women’s eyebrows was thin with a U-shaped style.  It was modeled after Greta Garbo as the eyebrow model of the day.  Eyebrow pencils and other commercial makeup became more available and affordable.  Practically everyone and not just the rich shaved, plucked and redrew their brows.  In the 40’s, the style changed and Joan Crawford had drawn in bigger, bolder and more dramatic brows.  They were plucked so the arch was higher and placed right in the center.

Patrick 2018

     Sarah’s life is a bit of a mess?  In her will, her grandmother left her a very spoiled dog.  Sarah doesn’t need anything else in her life to take care of because she can barely take care of herself.  His name is Patrick, he is a pug and he has some problems?  He wakes up early, needs walking, takes too much time to do his business and he needs special meals.  He’s a bit of a troublemaker, he has separation anxiety, he tears up her possessions and the landlord finds out there is a dog in the building.  Dogs are not allowed!!  Patrick almost gets Sarah’s neighbor Celia and her well-behaved pup Wendy evicted!!    

     Sarah is a kooky, klutzy schoolteacher with a new job and she’s a running joke in her family?  She has a LOT of chaos in her life that’s out of control.  I was surprised because of the reviews that this film is a lot better than I thought it would be?  Sarah is a likable character and even Patrick grows on you.  Sarah begins with difficulties in her new teaching job but it gets better too.  Her class is out of control and Mr. Peters at the school can be difficult.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

94 min, Family directed by Mandie Fletcher with Sam Fletcher, Beattie Edmondson, Rupert Holliday-Evans, Ann Queensberry, Jason Lewis, Kasia Koleczek, Patricia Potter, Ben Roddy, Peter Davison, Cherie Lunghi, Archie Barnes, Meado Nobrega, Rosie Ede, Gemma Jones.

Note:  Imdb 5.9 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 36% critic 60% audience, The Guardian 1* out of 5* Wendy Ide, movies4kids.co.uk 3* out of 5*, timeout.com 3* out of 5*, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 70 reviews, Common Sense Media age 6+ 2* out of 5* (3* positive, 1* role model, 1* sex, 1* language, 2* drinking, drugs, smoking.

Special Note:  Filmed in Chiswick, London; Richmond, Surrey; Windsor, Berkshire; High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.  Beattie Edmondson in the role of Sarah Francis is the real life daughter of Jennifer Saunders.  Jennifer is in this film as the character Maureen and Beattie’s father comedian and actor Adrian Edmondson also has a role.  In the restaurant, the vet Ed Skrein says he is late to meet Sarah because he lost track of time watching Game of Thrones?  Ed played Daario Naharis for 3 episodes of Game of Thrones and then his character was recast.  Jennifer Saunders is seen in the pub with a fairy type outfit.  She also has a wand she uses to count the glasses.  Jennifer voiced the fairy godmother in Shrek 2.

A Star is Born 1976

  John Norman Howard has seen his top rated career begin to take a slide.  He has done too many years of concerts, gone through too many managers and life on the road has taken its toll.  He’s tired of the monotony and traveling all the time.  He meets a very talented singer Esther Hoffman.  She’s none of the things he is!!  She’s fresh, innocent, pure and not worn out.  John shows Esther the way to stardom and he lets his own career stagnate.  They begin to fall in love and her success makes his decline more evident.

     There was quite a splash when this film was released but it received terrible reviews?  The soundtrack was a smash hit and Barbra and Kris have good chemistry together.  Barbra is at the top of her game in her singing and her voice is rich, confident and her live performances are classics.  Kris is more vulnerable in his role.  The plot is very close to the same as the 2018 release.  The songs are different, the time period is different and I don’t think this film is as good as the 2018 film.  3* (This movie is OK)  

139 min, Drama directed by Frank Pierson with Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, Gary Busey, Oliver Clark, Venetta Fields, Clydie King Marta Heflin, M.G. Kelly, Sally Kirkland, Uncle Rudy, Paul Mazursky, Stephen Bruton, Sammy Lee Creason, Cleve Dupin.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, Roger Ebert 2 ½*, Metacritic 59 out of 100 with 9 critics 4.7 out of 10 with 11 user scores, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 1382 reviews.

Special Note:  I watched this film on a newer release DVD from 2005.  Filmed on Empire Ranch, Sonoita; Music Hall Tucson Community Center; Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe; Pima County Courthouse, Tucson; Old Tucson; Downtown Tucson; Grady Gammage Auditorium, Tempe; Sonita, Tucson, Tempe, Arizona.  Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, Burbank, California.

The Riverside Murder 1935

     An older gentleman is murdered in his study at home.  The police come in to solve the crime.  A young woman reporter is also on the scene right away and she wants an exclusive for her paper.  A young detective sifts through many clues and dangerous situations to solve an intricate plan to catch the killer.  The list of suspects grows longer and the case moves on.  This case needs to be solved by midnight or another inspector will be brought in to work on the case??

     This film is in black and white and there are many twists to the plot!!  There is also some comedy and a romantic interest.  I did not figure out the clues like the detective was able to do?

   

64 min, Crime directed by Albert Parker with Basil Sydney, Judy Gunn, Zoe Davis, Alastair Sim, Reginald Tate, Ian Fleming, Tom Helmore, Martin Lewis, C.M. Hallard, Aubrey Mallalieu. 

Note:  Imdb 5.9 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes unrated, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 25 reviews, Leterboxd 2.9* out of 5*, RadioTimes 2* out of 5*. 

Special Note:  Filmed at Fox British Studios, Wembley, London, England, UK.  This Ian Fleming in the role of Henry Sanders is not the writer of the James Bond novels but he is an actor born on September 10, 1888 in Australia.  He died January 1, 1969 at the age of 80 in London, England.  He started acting in 1932 and his last film was in 1968.  This is the first film for Alastair Sim in the role of Police Sgt. ‘Mac’ McKay and his last film was Rogue Male TV Movie in 1976.  Reginald Owen has played the character  Scrooge.  There is a mistake 13 minutes into this film.  The newspaper editor ends his telephone conversation with Claire by slamming down the phone.  Immediately afterwards, the call continues.

If Beale Street Could Talk 2019

    This film is based on a novel by James Baldwin published in 2006.  Alonzo ‘Fonny’ Hunt and Tish Rivers are sweethearts.  Fonny is in jail and he has been arrested for a crime that he did not commit?  The victim was a Puerto Rican woman but she has gone back to her home country and she did not identify Fonny as the perpetrator.  Officer Bell has testified that he saw Fonny running from the crime scene.  Fonny was not in that location, he was with a friend and the friend will testify that they were together.  Tish and her family are trying to get together enough money for someone to travel to Puerto Rico and interview the woman.  Tish’s mother Sharon Rivers invites Fonny’s family to their home to talk about Tish and Fonny.  This meeting does not go well?

      I thought this film would have been easier to follow without flashbacks?  The setting is in the 1970’s and it’s sad to say that this story could also have happened in 2019.  In almost 50 years and there has not been enough change!!  It seems the most common complaint about the film is that it is dull?  It does move slowly along.  The actual Beale Street is in Memphis, Tennessee.  It is often described as a poor imitation of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)    

     

119 min, Drama directed by Barry Jenkins with KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, Ethan Barrett, Milanni Mines, Ebony Obsidian, Dominique Thorne, Michael Beach, Aunjanue Ellis, Diego Luna, Ed Skrein, Emily rios, Pedro Pascal.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 95% critic 70% audience, Roger Ebert 4* Odie Henderson, The Guardian 5* Mark Kermode, Metacritic 87 out of 100 with 53 critics 7.1 out of 10 with 102 user scores, RollingStone 4 1/2* out of 5* Peter Travers, The Independent 2* out of 5* Geoffrey Macnab, Common Sense Media age 15+ 4* out of 5* (4* positive, 4* role models, 2* violence, 4* sex, 4* language, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking) Sandie Angulo Chen, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 659 reviews.

Amazon gives the novel 4.5* out of 5* with 246 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in New York City and Manhattan, New York.  Tish works at a perfume counter and the name Deux Soeurs is displayed.  This is not a parfumerie but Deux Soeurs, LLC is credited as the film’s copyright holder. The first trailer was released on August 2, 2018.  This date would have been a birthday for  novelist James Baldwin, he would've been 94 years old but he died from cancer on December 1, 1987.

Oscar Awards 2019: Regina King, Best Supporting Actress; Nicholas Britell Best Original Music Score; Barry Jenkins, Best Adapted Screenplay.

Becoming Astrid 2018

     The setting of the film is the earlier life of Astrid during the 1920’s, it is Swedish-made and English subtitled.  It is a biopic of Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren as a teenager before she became a writer.  She is the author of numerous children’s books and creator of Pippi Longstocking.  Astrid begins an affair with her older and married boss.  She becomes pregnant and an event like this was seriously frowned upon because of the strict views of society at this time.   Astrid learns how difficult the social pressures can be and they have unforeseen consequences.   Astrid struggles but she gets her life on the right track.  She uses her experiences to become one of the world’s most successful authors of children’s books.  

     Astrid Lindgren was born November 14, 1907 in Vimmerby, Sweden.  She died January 28, 2001 from a viral infection at the age of 94.  She had become blind before her death.  Many of her books are based on her family, childhood memories and landscapes.  Her parents were Samuel August Ericsson and Hanna Jonsson.  She had two sisters, Sina and Ingegerd plus a brother Gunnar.  She moved to Stockholm from Vimmerby and she studied to become a typist and stenographer.   Her Lasse son was in the care of foster family in Copenhagen but she brought him home with her when his foster mom developed a heart problem.  She married her employer, Sture Lingren and later they had a child Karin.  Her son Lasse studied to become an engineer but later worked for a company that managed the rights to Astrid's theatrical and film scripts.  He took the last name of Lingren, he was born December 4, 1926 and he died July 22, 1986 at the age of 59.  4 ½* (I really liked this movie)   

       

123 min, Bio directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen with Alba August, Trine Dyrholm, Henrik Rafaelsen, Bjorn Gustafsson, Marius Damslev, Willy Ramnek Petri, Liv LeMoyne, Sofia Karemyr, Mira Mitchell, Maria Fahl-Vikander, Maria Alm Norell, Lars Varinger, Ericson, Li Bradhe.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3*, Rotten Tomatoes 96% critic 84% audience, The Washington Post 3* out of 5* Michael O’Sullivan, 71% out of 100 with 8 critics, SF Chronicle sitting up in seat Mick LaSalle, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 3 reviews, Common Sense Media age 15+ 3* out of 5* (positive 3*, role models 3*, violence 1*, sex 4*, drinking, drugs & smoking 2*. Chicago Tribune 3.5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Schloss Marquardt, Marquardt, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany and Vastra Gotaland, Sweden.  Director Pernille Fischer Christensen read a newspaper article about the youth of Astrid Lindgren.  He learned that she became a young mother and her baby was born in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Alba August in the role of Astrid is the daughter of Danish director Bille August and Swedish actress and director Pernilla August.  The screenplay was written by Director Christensen and co-written by her husband Kim Fupz Akeson.  Kim is also a writer of children’s books like Lindgren. 

The Sower 2017

      The film is based on a short story by 84-year-old Violette Ailhaud and it was written in 1919.  It is based on a time period from Violette’s life.  Instructions were left by Violette that the novel was not to be made public until 1952.  This was one hundred years after the events related in the story.  In a quiet village in the Lower Alps, all the men are taken away by the repression that followed the republican uprising of December 1851.  France’s autocratic President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte has given this order.  For the next two years only the women and children are left in their village.  It’s difficult work to harvest the crops for the group of women alone.  The women make a pact that if a man comes to the village, he will become their shared husband.  The childless woman would like to have children and the village needs to continue to flourish.

     I didn’t know while watching that this was based on a true story?  It seems unbelievable that it is??  I can see why the author wanted a long period of time before publication.  She probably did not want to be questioned about the story?  I thought this was good, interesting and very different.  It also reminded me of the film The Guardians, another French film about women being left behind on a farm in the war.  The setting of The Guardians is during WWI in 1915.  The scenery is very beautiful and the work is backbreaking.  There are also sheep, chickens and a horse to take care of.  The women are constantly worried about the fate of the men, husbands and fathers.  They have no idea how long they will be gone or if they will come back?  4* (I really liked this movie) 

       

98 min, Drama directed by Marine Francen with Pauline Burlet, Geraldine Pailhas, Alban Lenoir, Iliana Zabeth, Francoise Lebrun, Raphaelle Agogue, Barbara Probst, Anamaria Vartolomei, Margot Abascal, Mama Prassinos, Sarah Fourage, Theo Costa –Marini. 

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 100% critic, Metacritic 76 out of 100 with 4 critics, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*. 

Special Note:  Filmed in La Garde-Guerin, Prevencheres, Lozere, France.  Violette Ailhaud also wrote L’homme Semence, Goodreads gives this book 3.79* out of 5* with 283 ratings and 45 reviews.

Swing Time 1936

     Lucky Garnett is tricked into missing his wedding to Margaret Anderson?  The other members of Pop’s magic and dance act keep him occupied and he loses track of the time.  The situation now is that he will need to make $25,000 to be allowed to marry her.  Lucky and Pop go to New York where they meet Penny and she is a dancing instructor.  She doesn’t know that Lucky is a professional dancer until she starts teaching him.  Penny and Lucky form a successful dance partnership and they start to like each other too!!  Lucky still has his arrangement with Margaret?  Penny has been seeing Ricardo, the bandleader.  Ricardo will not play the music if Lucky and Penny dance together because of his jealousy.  Ricardo asks Penny to marry him and he gives her an engagement ring.  Lucky has made the $25,000 to marry Margaret but what will happen between Lucky and Penny now??

     There is one of the dance numbers with Rogers wearing a very flowing dress.  It really makes the dancing come alive because the way it swirls with her body.  Rogers and Astaire were very good together as a dance team.  I think this film seems to follow a regular pattern with musicals??  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

103 min, Musical directed by George Stevens with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore, Betty Furness, Georges Metaxa.

Note:  Imdb 7.6 out of 10, Roger Ebert 4*, Rotten Tomatoes 100% critic 87% audience, Slant Magazine 4* out of 5* Dan Callahan, Letterboxd 3.6* out of 5*, EyeforFilm 5* Chris, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 134 reviews, 20/20 Movie Reviews 3* out of 4*, TCM Leonard Maltin 4*, average user rating 4.55* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in La Grande Station, Downtown, Los Angeles, California and Paramount Studios, Los Angeles, California during the bleakness of the depression.  The dance number Never Gonna Dance took 47 takes in a single day and required many demanding spins for Ginger Rogers.  At the end of the day, her feet were bleeding!!  This is Ginger Rogers’ favorite of her films with Fred Astaire.  This is the sixth of ten dancing partnerships of Astaire and Rogers.  In The Way You Look Tonight scenes, Ginger Rogers is seen washing her hair.  The crew tried various soaps, shampoos and egg whites.  They always ran down her face too quickly and spoiled the shoot.  The right look was achieved with whipped cream?  In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this film as #90 Greatest Movie of All Time. Interestingly, the names of the lead actors in this film are Lucky Penny.      

Bad Times at the El Royale DVD 2018

     Six strangers check into the El Royale Hotel in Lake Tahoe on the same day.  They each have their own secrets and their stay takes place over one night.  The El Royale is based on the famous Cal Neva Resort and Casino once owned by Frank Sinatra.  The setting of this film is January 27, 1969 if a Nixon press conference that is being shown on TV is live or earlier that day?  The hotel was built with one side on the California border and the other side on the Nevada border.  This affects rules on serving alcohol in the hotel and there are both motel and hotel rooms.  An internal hallway leads to through hotel rooms and the motel rooms are accessed from the outside.

     I did not like this film, it’s too long and there is a LOT of violence!!  I did like the singing of Cynthia Erivo as Darlene Sweet.  There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot but over a short amount of time, I just did not care??  There is not one person that can be trusted?  You don’t know if you can believe any story they tell or are they all made up and full of lies?  If I had been staying at this hotel, I would have checked out right away!!  1 1/2* (I really didn't like this movie)   

        

141 min, Crime directed by Drew Goddard with Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, Nick Offerman, Zavier Dolan, Shea Whigham, Mark O’Brien.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes, 75% critic 73% audience, Roger Ebert 1 ½* Glenn Kenny, Washington Post 3* out of 4* Michael O’Sullivan, Metacritic 60 out of 100 with 43 critics 7.1 out of 10 with 214 user scores (155 positive, 46 mixed, 13 negative), RollingStone 3* out of 5* Peter Travers, Common Sense Media age 17+ 3* out of 5* Jeffrey M. Anderson, (Positive 1*, violence 5, sex 2*, language 4*, drinking, drugs & smoking 3*), The Independent 2* out of 5* Geoffrey Macnab.

Special Note:  Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Ravenna, Hidden Valley, Oxnard, Heritage Valley, California.  The El Royale was built on a sound stage with much of the furniture and décor custom made.  The color selection was meticulously chosen with the California side using yellows and oranges.  The Nevada side has purples and blues.  Red was reserved for the borderline, jukebox and chandelier, green is almost entirely absent until the end.  Chris Hemsworth had to lose 25-30 pounds of muscle weight immediately after filming Avengers: Infinity War 2018.  Russell Crowe was cast but he was replaced by Jon Hamm.  Tom Holland turned down the role of Miles Miller played by Lewis Pullman.

Mary Queen of Scots 2018

     This film explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart and it’s based on the biography “Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart.”  She was the Queen of France at age 16 and widowed at age 18. She defied pressure to remarry in France and she returned to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne in 1561 at the age of 19.  Scotland and England are under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I.  Each young Queen both fears and is fascinated by her rival in power and in love.  Mary asserts her claim to the English throne and this threatens Elizabeth’s sovereignty.  There is betrayal, rebellion and conspiracies within each court that imperils both thrones.

      Everything about this film is complicated and everyone has an agenda to further interests of their own at all times.  There were scenes where I didn’t understand what was happening and why?  Mary has problems with support from her half brother, the Earl of Moray and he starts a rebellion against her.  There is also John Knox and he vehemently preaches to his parish that Mary is not worthy to be their queen.  Mary is trying to create a bond with Elizabeth and she asks her to be her son’s godmother.  They both agree that the child will be the heir to the throne.  This action enrages the English court.  Demands are being made of Mary in Scotland and she flees to England.  Elizabeth agrees to allow Mary to stay in England under house arrest and as long as she does not conspire with the enemies of Elizabeth.  As they say, the rest of the story is history!!  3* (This movie is OK)       

124 min, Bio directed by Josie Rourke with Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Angela Bain, Richard Cant, Guy Rhys, Thom Petty, Izuka Hoyle, John Ramm, Simon Russell Beale, Abby Cassidy, Shalisha James-Davis, Maria Dragus, Eileen O’Higgins, Liah O’Prey, Greg Miller Burns.

Note:  Imdb 6.3 out of 10, Roger Ebert 2 ½* Monica Castillo, Rotten Tomatoes 63% critic 41% audience, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Benjamin Lee, Deep Focus 2 ½* out of 4* Brian Eggert, BBC.com 2* out of 5* Nicholas Barber, Amazon 3.28 out of 5* with 246 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Scotland, UK and England, UK.  Horsemaster Camilla Naprous trained Saoirse to ride and she previously worked with Gal Gadot for her role as Wonder Woman 2017.  Both novice riders were trained on a horse named Prince.  Queen Elizabeth never ruled Scotland and this has led to protests in more recent times about the sitting British queen being called Elizabeth II.  The lyrics of a folk song “Coronation Coronach” include “How can ye hae the Second Liz/Whan the First yins’; nivver been”?

Historical Inaccuracies:  Mary’s accent is questionable.  In the movie, it’s Scottish but Mary probably spoke with a French accent.  There is a diverse cast but there probably were few people from  Africa or Asia in 16^th-century England.

The Sisters Brothers 2018

     This film is based on a novel by Canadian author Patrick Dewitt published in 2011.  The inspiration for the novel was a Time-Life book on the California Gold Rush that deWitt found at a yard sale.  This film revolves around the gold prospector Hermann Kermit Warm.  He is being pursued across 1000 miles of 1850’s Oregon desert to San Francisco by the notorious assassins Eli and Charlie Sisters.  Eli is having a personal crisis and he is beginning to doubt the longevity of his chosen career.  When they find Hermann, he might have a better job offer for them.

     I did not like this movie and I will say this in the beginning of my review.  There is a LOT of gratuitous unneeded incredible violence!!  There is terrible dialogue.  The actors speck with unemotional monotone voices and they act like robots manipulated into doing this role??  Maybe it’s because the dialogue is terrible and they know it??  Plus, it is filled with very strong language.  Does any viewer really want to spend 122 minutes in complete and utter boredom filled with unwarranted incredible violence and continual bad language??  You know what each character is going to do and how they are going to act before they start!!  Reilly spends all his time complaining.  Phoenix spends all his time placating Reilly.  Gyllenhaal spends his time maneuvering Ahmed.  1 ½* (I really did not like this movie) 

122 min, Western directed by Jacques Audiard with John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed, Rebecca Root, Allison Tolman, Rutger Hauer, Carol Kane, Patrice Cossonneau, Zac Abbott, David Gasman, Philip Rosch, Creed Bratton, Lenuta Bala, Jochen Hagele.

Note:  Imdb 7 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 86% critic 68% audience, Roger Ebert 3* Tomris Laffly, Metacritic 78 out of 100 with 44 critics 7.4 out of 10 with 84 user scores (60 positive 23 mixed 1 negative), RollingStone 4* out of 5* Peter Travers, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, The Independent 4* out of 5* Geoffrey Macnab,  Amazon 3.1* out of 5* with 220 reviews, Common Sense Media age 17+ 4* out of 5* (positive 1*, role model 0*, violence 5*, sex 4*, language 4*, drinking, drugs, & smoking 4*).

Special Note:  Filmed in France, Spain and Romania.  The setting is supposed to be in America but no scenes were film in this county?  The Tabernas region in southern Spain is similar to the North American deserts.  Many western films and series are shot in this area.  Additional scenes were done in Spain’s northern provinces of Navaree and Aragon.  John C. Reilly optioned the film rights to the novel in 2011.  Folsom Lake is mentioned several times but it did not exist until the South Fork of the American River was dammed in 1955.  This film was a box office bomb despite receiving positive reviews from critics.  Maybe the news of this being a BAD movie traveled quickly??  The gross was $7 million against a budget of $38 million.  Earned a standing ovation at the 2018 Venice International Film Festival.  Director Jacques Audiard won the Silver Lion for Best Director and this is his first English-language film.  The Commodore has a Latin phrase on his crest.  It’s says ‘In cauda Venenum.’  This means, In the Tail There Is Poison.  The warning is to beware of danger/tread carefully!!          

The Kid 2000

     Russ Duritz is a wealthy LA image consultant.  He is nearing 40, he has become very cynical and he is estranged from his family.  His father invites him to come for dinner when his sister and her family will be there but he doesn’t.  For some reason, Russ has no memories of his childhood?  Russ’s secretary Janet is long suffering and his assistant Amy is also long suffering.  One night there is an intruder in Russ’s house??  How can this be since he has a high tech security system?  It turns out to be a chubby young boy named Rusty.  He is really Russ when he was eight years old!!  Russ and Rusty journey into Russ’s past to find the key moment that has defined who Russ is.  Jane, Amy and Dr. Alexander (Russ’s psychiatrist) all hope this will work!!

      This film is showing it’s age.  There is not one wrinkle in Bruce Willis’s face!!  Counselors do advise patients to connect with your younger self to revisit a hidden and painful moment in your past.  This is a moment that can change and define who you are to this day.  This film is thought provoking and offers a visual to a helpful psychological method in unveiling past trauma.  Maybe you could save money and not see a psychiatrist?  3* (This movie is OK)    

Special Note:  This is a Disney movie filmed in Los Angeles, Mecca, Coachella Valley, Santa Monica, Burbank, California.  Daniel von Bargen plays Russ’s father and he is only five years older than Bruce Willis.  Two other movies with Bruce Willis meeting his younger self are Twelve Monkeys 1995 and Looper 2012.  Melissa McCarthy is a waitress at a diner and this is her first film.  This is the final film of Juanita Moore and this also marked her first on screen presence in 12 years.  Tim Allen was offered the role of Russ Duritz but he was too busy filming Galaxy Quest 1999.  

104 min, Comedy directed by Jon Turteltaub with Bruce Willis, Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer, Lily Tomlin, Jean Smart, Chi McBride, Daniel von Bargen, Dana Ivey, Suisan Dalian, Stanley Anderson, Juanita Moore, Esther Scott, Deborah May, Vernee Watson, Jan Hoag.  

Note:  Imdb 6.1 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 49% critic 49% audience, Roger Ebert 3*, Metacritic 45 out of 100 with 32 critics 6.3 out of 10 with 31 user scores (14 positive, 13 mixed, 4 negative), The Film File.com 2* out of 4*, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 508 reviews.

Far from the Tree 2019

     This film is based on a NY Times bestselling book by Andrew Solomon.  This film is about examining the experiences of families where the parents and children are profoundly different from one another.  Andrew, the author comes to terms with not being able to change that he is gay.  A mother and son show the world that Down syndrome does not define him.  A couple are learning to communicate with their bright but nonverbal autistic son.  A young woman is the only little person in her family and she wants to connect with other people like herself.  Two little people would like to have a baby.  Parents and their two adult children are trying to cope with loving their son after he has gone to prison for a murder.  Whatever each family is dealing with, this is their normal for their family.

     I thought this film was interesting and very good.  Each family has a “one-of-a-kind child.”  They might want to change their child but they must accept what they have been given.  Each child will need to go forward in life with the skills they have and their parents will try to show them new skills that they can handle.  All the parents want what is best for their child no matter their ages.  Love, understanding and helping them as much as they can.  4 ½* (I really liked this movie) 

    

93 min, Doc directed by Rachel Dretzin, Jamila Ephron with Amy and Jack Allnutt, Harry Burdick, Jason Kinglsey, Andrew Solomon.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3* Glenn Kenny, Rotten Tomatoes 89% critic 93% audience, Washington Post 4* out of 5* Ann Hornaday, Slant Magazine 1* out of 4* Diego Semerene, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 22 reviews, Amazon gives the book 4.6* out of 5* with 784 reviews.

The Man Who Lost His Head 2007

     Ian Bennett lives in the UK and he works at a National Museum.  The Museum has received a letter asking for the return of a mystical Maori relic to a New Zealand village.  Ian travels to the village to talk to the people about the sacred mask.  Ian has been instructed by the museum that under no circumstances will the mask be returned to the village?  A promotion for Ian is riding on the outcome of his trip.

     The scenery in this film is very beautiful and the Maori people are very unique.  The people don’t understand what a museum in the UK is really like?  They decide they will build their own museum in their village in order to have the proper place for the mask when it returns.  Ian tries to get them to realize there isn’t a chance for them to have the proper place and the UK will never return their property?  Instead of changing the village people they begin to change Ian!!  Everything he has worked for in is adult life, is it really been worth the effort?  Does the mask really belong in the UK?  The Maori people place so much faith and reverence in the mask.  To the museum, it's just another artifact?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)   

93 min, TV Movie Comedy directed by Terry Johnson with Martin Clunes, John Callen, Gareth Reeves, John Leigh, Paki Cherrington, Nicola Kawana, Gordon Toi, Ben Kelly, Patrick Kake, Dominic Ona-Ariki, Natalija Butler, Nikita Butler, Julie Crean, Calvin Tuteao, Elizabeth McRae.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 79 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Bethells Beach Swanson; Auckland War Memorial Museum, Domain Drive, The Domain, Parnell; Britomart Transport Centre, Queen Street, Auckland Central Business District, Aukland, New Zealand.  There is a technical mistake 13 minutes into this film.  A woman asks her son what he is doing?  He says he is “re-configuring a hard drive.”  He is clearly working on a computer power supply and not a hard drive?

What They Had 2018

     Nick has asked his sister Bridget to return home to help the family deal with their ailing mother.  Their father is reluctant to let go of the life he has with his wife/their mother.  Ruth has Alzheimer’s disease and her husband Burt cannot tolerate the idea of putting Ruth in a care home.  Nick and Bridget feel they just don’t have the patience that Burt has?  Ruth got up in the middle of the night during a blizzard.  She put on her shoes and boarded a train to her childhood home.  Ruth thinks she still lives at home with her parents.  She is worried that her parents were concerned that she was out so late?

     After Ruth is taken back to her home with Burt, conflict begins between Nick and Burt.  Nick has called Bridget hoping she would back up his plan to put Ruth in a memory care center since Bridget has power of attorney.  Burt won’t hear of putting her in a center.  He thinks no one will look after Ruth as well as he does?  Bridget agrees with Nick that the best for Ruth is to put her in the memory care center.  But, Bridget doesn’t want to butt heads with Burt over this.  The tension of Ruth’s condition has opened up old grievances and conflicts between the family members.  Ruth isn’t the focus and her disease is not the focal point of a lot of their arguments.  The family is in crisis and Ruth’s illness has brought their own personal problems into sharp focus.  This film does have its funny moments!!  There are laughable moments over what Ruth is thinking and what she says because of her illness. The only way to solve any of these problems is for Burt, Bridget and Nick to get on the same page!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)      

101 min, Drama directed by Elizabeth Chomko with Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Robert Forester, Blythe Danner, Taissa Farmiga, Josh Lucas, Sarah Sutherland, Marilyn Dodds Frank, Aimee Garcia, William Smillie, Isabeau Dornevil, Jennifer Robideau, Jay Montepare, Ann Whitney.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes, 87% critic 83% audience, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Cath Clarke, RollingStone 4* out of 5* Peter Travers, Variety 4* out of 5* Dennis Harvey, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 203 reviews, Metacritic 69 out of 100 with 25 critics 7.1 out of 10 with 10 user scores.

Special Note:  Filmed in Chicago, Illinois.  This is the debut film of writer/director Elizabeth Chomoko.  This film is partly based on her own experiences with her grandmother.  Other films about Alzheimer’s are Iris 2001, Away from Her 2006 and Still Alice 2014.