Dolores Huerta skirted 1950’s gender conventions by starting the country’s first migrant farm worker’s union with fellow organizer Cesar Chavez. In the beginning, it was a struggle for racial and labor justice. Soon after, it became a fight for gender equality within the same union she was eventually forced to leave. To complicate everything else Dolores is involved in, she has eleven children. She has had three marriages and she is nearly beaten to death by a San Francisco tactical police squad baton. She received three broken ribs and her injured spleen needed to be removed. Dolores has a vision that connected her to feminism along with racial and class justice.
Dolores received a LOT of flack for leaving her children behind to be raised by someone else!! She also was derided for having eleven children and three marriages!! In reality, as long as her children are receiving proper care what is the complaint? It’s her own business about her marriages, does this history deny her the chance to make changes in America? She is tirelessly working for the Mexican laborers in the fields and their treatment by the owners. The wages are too low and there is pesticide use on the produce. These chemicals cause skin sores and sickness in the workers. This is an underrepresented people and they needed a strong voice to advocate for fair and better treatment. Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers organization. Dolores has been honored by US presidents and she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
95 min, Doc directed by Peter Bratt, written by Jessica Congdon and Peter Bratt with Dolores Huerta, Martin Luther King, Luis Valdez, Ricardo S. Chavez, Fred Ross Sr., Lori De Leon, Juana Chavez, Randy Saw, David Roberti, Elseo Medina, Eloy Martinez, Rick Rivas, Emilio Huerta, Cesar Chavez, Bill Kircher.
Note: Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 257 reviews, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* Matt Zoller Seitz, 98% critic with 43 critics, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Cath Clarke, Common Sense Media 4* out of 5* age 11+ Michael Ordona, 4* positive, 4* role models, 3* violence, 1* sex, 1* languageWashington Post 3.5* out of 4* Lora Grady, Slant Magazine 2.5* out of 4* Peter Goldberg, Amazon 5* with 37 reviews, Letterboxd 3.8*, Metacritic 81 out of 100 with 11 critics (11 positive) user score 7.3 out of 10 (3 positive, 1 negative).
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Counting the Stars 2019
This film is based on the biography of renowned mathematician Katherine Johnson by Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrated by Raul Colon. Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or astronauts walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as human computers. They worked tirelessly to make sure the calculations for these trips were accurate. They used their knowledge, pencils, adding machines and writing paper to calculate the orbital mechanics needed to launch spacecraft. Katherine Johnson was one of these mathematicians who used trajectories and complex equations to chart the space program. Katherine started in the early 1950’s to analyze data at NACA (later NSA) Langley laboratory.
In 1962, as NASA prepared for the orbital mission of John Glenn, Katherine Johnson was called upon to work on this project. John Glenn said get the girl to run the numbers by hand to chart the complexity of the orbital flight. He knew that his flight would not be successful without her unique skills. President Barack Obama awarded Katherine the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Her incredible life inspired the Oscar nominated film Hidden Figures.
From the time Katherine was a young girl she loved math. She counted the stars from her bedroom window at night. She had a curiosity about the world and she was very studious. She was born August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Her parents were Joylette and Joshua Coleman and she was the youngest of four children. Joylette was a teacher and Joshua was a lumberman, farmer, handyman and he also worked at the Grenbrier Hotel. Greenbrier County did not offer public schooling for African-American students past the eighth grade. The Colemans moved and their children attended high school in Institute West Virginia. Katherine moved through the lower grades very quickly and she was enrolled at the age of ten in high school at she graduated at the age of 14. She took every math course offered by the college. Multiple professors mentored her including chemist and mathematician Angie Turner King and also W.W. Schieffelin Claytor. He is the third African-American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. Claytor added new mathematics courses just for Katherine.
She graduated summa cum laude in 1937 with degrees in mathematics and French at the age of 18. She was the first African-American woman to attend graduate school at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. Through the efforts of WVSC’s president, Dr. John W. Davis , she became one of three African-American students and the only woman selected to integrate the graduate school after a US Supreme Court ruling. The court ruled that states providing higher education to white students also had to provide it to black students. There is more information about Katherine and her co-workers at NASA in the film Hidden Figures. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
21 minutes, Doc directed by Andy T. Jones with Bahni Turpin.
In 1962, as NASA prepared for the orbital mission of John Glenn, Katherine Johnson was called upon to work on this project. John Glenn said get the girl to run the numbers by hand to chart the complexity of the orbital flight. He knew that his flight would not be successful without her unique skills. President Barack Obama awarded Katherine the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Her incredible life inspired the Oscar nominated film Hidden Figures.
From the time Katherine was a young girl she loved math. She counted the stars from her bedroom window at night. She had a curiosity about the world and she was very studious. She was born August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Her parents were Joylette and Joshua Coleman and she was the youngest of four children. Joylette was a teacher and Joshua was a lumberman, farmer, handyman and he also worked at the Grenbrier Hotel. Greenbrier County did not offer public schooling for African-American students past the eighth grade. The Colemans moved and their children attended high school in Institute West Virginia. Katherine moved through the lower grades very quickly and she was enrolled at the age of ten in high school at she graduated at the age of 14. She took every math course offered by the college. Multiple professors mentored her including chemist and mathematician Angie Turner King and also W.W. Schieffelin Claytor. He is the third African-American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. Claytor added new mathematics courses just for Katherine.
She graduated summa cum laude in 1937 with degrees in mathematics and French at the age of 18. She was the first African-American woman to attend graduate school at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. Through the efforts of WVSC’s president, Dr. John W. Davis , she became one of three African-American students and the only woman selected to integrate the graduate school after a US Supreme Court ruling. The court ruled that states providing higher education to white students also had to provide it to black students. There is more information about Katherine and her co-workers at NASA in the film Hidden Figures. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
21 minutes, Doc directed by Andy T. Jones with Bahni Turpin.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
The Reader 2008
This film is based on a 1995 German novel by Berhnard Schlink and the setting is post-war Germany. Michael Berg is a teenager, he becomes very ill and he is helped by Hanna. She works as a tram conductor and Michael is half her age. Michael has scarlet fever, he recovers and he looks for Hanna to thank her. They are quickly drawn into a passionate but secret affair. Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their relationship deepens. He reads The Odyssey, Huck Finn and The Lady with the Little Dog. Hanna has been promoted to a clerical job at the tram company’s office and she mysteriously disappears one day. Michael is very heartbroken and confused? Eight years pass and now Michael is a law student. He has been observing the Nazi war crime trials and he is stunned to see Hanna in the courtroom? She is a defendant believed to have committed war crimes and her past is revealed. She was a guard at a Nazi concentration camp and she is accused along with several other woman. They are charged with letting 300 Jewish women die in a burning church when they were SS guards. Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives.
This is a story about truth, reconciliation and how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another generation. Hanna has a secret and she will give up her freedom rather than admit the secret. There is testimony by Llana Mather, she is the author of a memoir about how she survived the camp along with her mother. She states that Hanna read to her in the evenings. Hanna is also accused of being the author of a report on the church fire event and the other women blamed the deaths on her. This is a deeply moving story and there is uncertainty about how it will end. 5* (I really liked this movie)
124 min, Drama directed by Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare and Berhard Schlink with Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Jeanette Hain, David Kross, Susanne Lothar, Alissa Wilms, Florian Bartholomai, Friederike Becht, Matthias Habich, Frider Venus, Marie-Anne Fliegel, Hendrik Arnst, Rainer Sellien, Rotsten Michaelis, Mortiz Grove.
Note: Imdb 7.,6 out of 10, Roger Ebert 4 1/2*, Rotten Tomatoes 63% critic 79% audience, The Guardian 1* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, DeepFocus 3 1/2* out of 4* Brian Eggert, Metacritic 58 out of 100 with 38 critics (19 positive, 17 mixed, 2 negative) 7.2 out of 10 with 175 user scores (120 positive, 40 mixed, 15 negative), Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 2933 reviews.
Special Note: Filmed in Saxony, North Rhine-Wesphalia, Lubelski, Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany. Originally David Kross did not speak English but he learned the language for this film. Bruno Ganz played Michael Berg’s Holocaust-surviving professor in this film. He famously played Adolf Hitler in the film Downfall of 2004. Producers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella both died before the completion of this film. Two producers Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris were nominated for Academy Awards. The Academy made an exception to their rule not to name more than three producers for a film. Because of this rare circumstance, four producers were honored with the award.
This is a story about truth, reconciliation and how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another generation. Hanna has a secret and she will give up her freedom rather than admit the secret. There is testimony by Llana Mather, she is the author of a memoir about how she survived the camp along with her mother. She states that Hanna read to her in the evenings. Hanna is also accused of being the author of a report on the church fire event and the other women blamed the deaths on her. This is a deeply moving story and there is uncertainty about how it will end. 5* (I really liked this movie)
124 min, Drama directed by Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare and Berhard Schlink with Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Jeanette Hain, David Kross, Susanne Lothar, Alissa Wilms, Florian Bartholomai, Friederike Becht, Matthias Habich, Frider Venus, Marie-Anne Fliegel, Hendrik Arnst, Rainer Sellien, Rotsten Michaelis, Mortiz Grove.
Note: Imdb 7.,6 out of 10, Roger Ebert 4 1/2*, Rotten Tomatoes 63% critic 79% audience, The Guardian 1* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, DeepFocus 3 1/2* out of 4* Brian Eggert, Metacritic 58 out of 100 with 38 critics (19 positive, 17 mixed, 2 negative) 7.2 out of 10 with 175 user scores (120 positive, 40 mixed, 15 negative), Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 2933 reviews.
Special Note: Filmed in Saxony, North Rhine-Wesphalia, Lubelski, Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany. Originally David Kross did not speak English but he learned the language for this film. Bruno Ganz played Michael Berg’s Holocaust-surviving professor in this film. He famously played Adolf Hitler in the film Downfall of 2004. Producers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella both died before the completion of this film. Two producers Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris were nominated for Academy Awards. The Academy made an exception to their rule not to name more than three producers for a film. Because of this rare circumstance, four producers were honored with the award.
The Prestige 2006
At the end of the nineteenth century in London. Robert Angier, his beloved wife Julia McCullough and Alfred Borden are friends. They are also assistants to a magician. Julie accidentally dies during one of the performances. Robert blames Alfred for her death and they become enemies. Robert and Alfred are both famous and rival magicians. They begin sabotaging the performances of the other on the stage. If Alfred performs a successful trick, Robert will become obsessed trying to disclose the secret of his competitor. All this pushing each other back and forth leads to tragic consequences.
This is a wonderfully entertaining film!! It will keep you thinking the entire run time. It’s very confusing but it is that way on purpose in order to keep you wondering. The story is twisty with very good acting and the period details are also very good. Some people complained that they didn’t like the ending? Since this is about magic tricks, I can’t reveal what happens and how things are done!! The photography is very beautiful and the period color tones are consistent with this time period. Nicolai Tesla beings showers of discharging electricity into the mix. Tesla is a much more familiar word now since the Tesla car came on the scene!! 4* (I really liked this movie)
130 min, directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan with Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johnansson, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, Samantha Mahurin, David Bowie, Andy Serkis, Daniel Davis, Jim mPiddock, Christopher Neame, Mark Ryan, Roger Rees, Jamie Harris.
Note: Imdb 8.5 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 76% critic 92% audience, Roger Ebert 3*, Meticritic 66 out of 100 with 36 critics (positive 26, mixed 9, negative 1) 8.9 out of 10 with 1179 user scores (positive 1102, mixed 56, negative 21), Deep Focus 4* Brian Eggert, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 1448 reviews, NowVeryBad.com 4*.
Special Note: Filmed in Telluride, Colorado; Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Downey, Koreatown, Mount Wilson, Pasadena, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios and Universal Studios. The word prestige originally meant a trick, from the Latin word praestigium meaning illusion. The scenes of Alfred Borden’s infant were played by one of Christopher Nolan’s children. Ricky Jay played a magician in this film and he coached Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale with their sleight-of-hand techniques. The initials of the main characters spell ABRA (Alfred Borden Robert Angier), as in abracadabra, a common world used by magicians.
This is a wonderfully entertaining film!! It will keep you thinking the entire run time. It’s very confusing but it is that way on purpose in order to keep you wondering. The story is twisty with very good acting and the period details are also very good. Some people complained that they didn’t like the ending? Since this is about magic tricks, I can’t reveal what happens and how things are done!! The photography is very beautiful and the period color tones are consistent with this time period. Nicolai Tesla beings showers of discharging electricity into the mix. Tesla is a much more familiar word now since the Tesla car came on the scene!! 4* (I really liked this movie)
130 min, directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan with Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johnansson, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, Samantha Mahurin, David Bowie, Andy Serkis, Daniel Davis, Jim mPiddock, Christopher Neame, Mark Ryan, Roger Rees, Jamie Harris.
Note: Imdb 8.5 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 76% critic 92% audience, Roger Ebert 3*, Meticritic 66 out of 100 with 36 critics (positive 26, mixed 9, negative 1) 8.9 out of 10 with 1179 user scores (positive 1102, mixed 56, negative 21), Deep Focus 4* Brian Eggert, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 1448 reviews, NowVeryBad.com 4*.
Special Note: Filmed in Telluride, Colorado; Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Downey, Koreatown, Mount Wilson, Pasadena, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios and Universal Studios. The word prestige originally meant a trick, from the Latin word praestigium meaning illusion. The scenes of Alfred Borden’s infant were played by one of Christopher Nolan’s children. Ricky Jay played a magician in this film and he coached Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale with their sleight-of-hand techniques. The initials of the main characters spell ABRA (Alfred Borden Robert Angier), as in abracadabra, a common world used by magicians.
The Illusionist 2006
The setting of this film is the late nineteenth century in Vienna. Eisenheim is a renowned illusionist and he is reunited with the Duchess von Teschen. She volunteered from the audience to participate in an illusion during one of his performances. Eisenheim and the Duchess have not seen each other in fifteen years and at that time they were teenagers. They recognize each other as Eduard Abramovich and Sophie von Teschen. They had a doomed romance because of their class differences. The Duchess is soon to be wed to the Crown Prince Leopold. For the Crown Prince this will be a marriage in pursuit of power. He could overthrow his father Emperor Leopold. He could also overtake the Hungarian side of the empire. The Crown Prince is well known to use violence against women if it suits his needs or purposes. The Duchess realizes that she still loves Eisenheim and he also realizes he is still in love with the Duchess. It would jeopardize her life to leave the Crown Prince. Eisenheim humiliates the Crown Prince at a private show and this results in an incident between the Crown Prince and the Duchess.
The story is fictional but some details are based on the life of Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf. He was the only son of Emperor Franz Josef. The character of Eisenheim is closely based on magician and supposed clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussen. He was famous in Vienna in the early 20th century and he was murdered by Nazi soldiers in 1933. There is great attention to detail with the most beautiful fashions, the details in sets and costume designs plus stunning cinematography. There is a dream-like glow and it is possible to see something extraordinary out of the ordinary in this film!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
110 min, Drama directed by Neil Burger, wirier by Steven Millhouser and Neil Burger with Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell, Eddie Marsan, Jake Wood, tom fisher, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Eleanor Tomlinson, Karl Johnson, Vincent Franklin, Nicholas Blane, Philip McGough, Erich Redman, Michael Carter.
Note: Imdb 7.6 out of 10, 3 1/2* Roger Ebert, Metacritic 68 out of 100 with 37 critics (positive 29, mixed 8) 8.7 out of 10 with 554 user scores (positive 482, mixed 47, negative 15), Common Sense Media Cynthia Fuchs, age 14+ 3* out of 5*, 3* violence, sex, language and 3* drinking drugs & smoking, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 1246 reviews.
Special Note: The setting is Austria but filming was primarily done in the Czech Republic. Norton received intensive training in sleight of hand and other stage magic techniques from British magician James Freedman and American magician Ricky Jay. This was done so the crew would not have to use CGI to take the magical illusions. Liv Tyler was originally cast in the role of the Duchess. The Illusionist is one of three 2006 films to feature both the topic of magic and magicians as main characters in 2006. The others are Scoop and The Prestige. Rufus Sewell has recently been in the series The Man in the High Castle.
The story is fictional but some details are based on the life of Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf. He was the only son of Emperor Franz Josef. The character of Eisenheim is closely based on magician and supposed clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussen. He was famous in Vienna in the early 20th century and he was murdered by Nazi soldiers in 1933. There is great attention to detail with the most beautiful fashions, the details in sets and costume designs plus stunning cinematography. There is a dream-like glow and it is possible to see something extraordinary out of the ordinary in this film!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
110 min, Drama directed by Neil Burger, wirier by Steven Millhouser and Neil Burger with Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell, Eddie Marsan, Jake Wood, tom fisher, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Eleanor Tomlinson, Karl Johnson, Vincent Franklin, Nicholas Blane, Philip McGough, Erich Redman, Michael Carter.
Note: Imdb 7.6 out of 10, 3 1/2* Roger Ebert, Metacritic 68 out of 100 with 37 critics (positive 29, mixed 8) 8.7 out of 10 with 554 user scores (positive 482, mixed 47, negative 15), Common Sense Media Cynthia Fuchs, age 14+ 3* out of 5*, 3* violence, sex, language and 3* drinking drugs & smoking, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 1246 reviews.
Special Note: The setting is Austria but filming was primarily done in the Czech Republic. Norton received intensive training in sleight of hand and other stage magic techniques from British magician James Freedman and American magician Ricky Jay. This was done so the crew would not have to use CGI to take the magical illusions. Liv Tyler was originally cast in the role of the Duchess. The Illusionist is one of three 2006 films to feature both the topic of magic and magicians as main characters in 2006. The others are Scoop and The Prestige. Rufus Sewell has recently been in the series The Man in the High Castle.
Inherit the Wind 1960
B.T. Cates is arrested for teaching Darwin’s theories in his classroom. He is taken to the local jail and famous lawyer Henry Drummond is set to defend him. The prosecutor will be fundamentalist politician Matthew Brady. This film is a thinly disguised rendition of the 1925 film Scopes Monkey Trial. There are debates between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. Their comments are taken largely from the original transcripts.
This film was made almost 60 years ago and the court case was from nearly 95 years ago!! Spencer Tracy portrays a crusty liberal and he believes an idea is more important than a monument. Frederick March doesn’t think about what not to think about. Director Kramer doesn’t beat up the audience with preconceptions. There is some mild swearing and the movie does raise questions and issues about the theory of creationism versus evolution. These themes could lead to interesting conversations about the two views and their presentations by the film. Plus these topics are still debated today. 3* (This movie was OK)
Note: Imdb 8.1 out of 10 with 25,291 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 92% critic 91% audience, Roger Ebert 4*, Common Sense Media Ellen MacKay age 12+ with 5*, 1* violence 1* language, Amazon 4.6* with 516 reviews, Letterboxd 3.9*.
128 min, Bio directed by Stanley Kramer and written by Nedrick Young, Harold Jacob Smith with Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Donna Anderson, Harry Morgan, Claude Akins, Paul Hartman, Philip Coolidge, Jimmy Boyd, Noah Beery Jr., Normal Fell, Gordon Polk, Hope Summers.
Special Note: The final summation by Spencer Tracy was filmed in a single take to heighten the tension in the courtroom. In real life, Clarence Darrow asked the jury to find John Thomas Scopes guilty so that he could appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court. This action would put an even bigger dent on the law. There was criticism directed at producer Stanley Kramer by the American Legion for hiring Nedrick Young. The Legion considered him a subversive. Moss Hart, the President of The Authors League of American sent Kramer a telegram. This council has always opposed any form of blacklisting of writers. They unanimously voted at a meeting to commend and applaud Kramer for his courageous stand. Kramer had rejected publicly the effort to interfere on pseudo-patriotic grounds the right of writers to work. This was the first in-flight movie ever shown on TWA.
This film was made almost 60 years ago and the court case was from nearly 95 years ago!! Spencer Tracy portrays a crusty liberal and he believes an idea is more important than a monument. Frederick March doesn’t think about what not to think about. Director Kramer doesn’t beat up the audience with preconceptions. There is some mild swearing and the movie does raise questions and issues about the theory of creationism versus evolution. These themes could lead to interesting conversations about the two views and their presentations by the film. Plus these topics are still debated today. 3* (This movie was OK)
Note: Imdb 8.1 out of 10 with 25,291 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 92% critic 91% audience, Roger Ebert 4*, Common Sense Media Ellen MacKay age 12+ with 5*, 1* violence 1* language, Amazon 4.6* with 516 reviews, Letterboxd 3.9*.
128 min, Bio directed by Stanley Kramer and written by Nedrick Young, Harold Jacob Smith with Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Donna Anderson, Harry Morgan, Claude Akins, Paul Hartman, Philip Coolidge, Jimmy Boyd, Noah Beery Jr., Normal Fell, Gordon Polk, Hope Summers.
Special Note: The final summation by Spencer Tracy was filmed in a single take to heighten the tension in the courtroom. In real life, Clarence Darrow asked the jury to find John Thomas Scopes guilty so that he could appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court. This action would put an even bigger dent on the law. There was criticism directed at producer Stanley Kramer by the American Legion for hiring Nedrick Young. The Legion considered him a subversive. Moss Hart, the President of The Authors League of American sent Kramer a telegram. This council has always opposed any form of blacklisting of writers. They unanimously voted at a meeting to commend and applaud Kramer for his courageous stand. Kramer had rejected publicly the effort to interfere on pseudo-patriotic grounds the right of writers to work. This was the first in-flight movie ever shown on TWA.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Nothing Left Unsaid 2016
Gloria Vanderbilt and her son Anderson Cooper discuss their notable family’s history. Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was born February 20, 1924 and she died June 17, 2019. She was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress and socialite. During the 1930’s she was the subject to a high-profile child custody trail. Her mother Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt and her paternal aunt Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney each sought custody of Gloria and control over her trust fund. When Gloria was a young girl, she was cared for by a beloved nanny Dodo. She didn’t really have contact with her mother. During the trial, her motherless the custody battle and Gloria went to live with her aunt Gertrude. Gloria was married four times and divorced three times. She had four sons, two with Leopold Stokowski and two with Wyatt Emory Cooper.
Her son Anderson Cooper is looking though Gloria’s art and they are talking about her life. Anderson also wanted to connect more openly with his mother. She is 91 years old at this time and he needs to do this now. Some aspects of their lives are still not talked about and not at this time either. Gloria’s life is very fascinating and even though she has had ups and downs, she is still positive about her life. She died from stomach cancer at the age of 95. I thought this was well done and interesting. 4* (I really liked this movie)
108 min, Doc directed by Liz Garbus and written by Dan Cogan with Anderson Cooper, Pearson Marx, Stan Stokowski, Alfred Vanderbilt III.
Note: Imdb 7.9 out of 10 with 591 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 67% critic 74% audience, Metacritic 80 out of 100 with 5 critics (4 positive, 1 mixed), Amazon 4* out of 5* with 104 reviews, Letterboxd 3.6* out of 5*.
Special Note: Anderson Cooper is the primary anchor of the CNN news shows Anderson Cooper 360. He also published a memoir for HaperCollins in May 2006 titled Dispatches from the Edge. It details his life and work in Sri Lanka, Africa, Iraq and Louisiana over the previous year.
Her son Anderson Cooper is looking though Gloria’s art and they are talking about her life. Anderson also wanted to connect more openly with his mother. She is 91 years old at this time and he needs to do this now. Some aspects of their lives are still not talked about and not at this time either. Gloria’s life is very fascinating and even though she has had ups and downs, she is still positive about her life. She died from stomach cancer at the age of 95. I thought this was well done and interesting. 4* (I really liked this movie)
108 min, Doc directed by Liz Garbus and written by Dan Cogan with Anderson Cooper, Pearson Marx, Stan Stokowski, Alfred Vanderbilt III.
Note: Imdb 7.9 out of 10 with 591 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 67% critic 74% audience, Metacritic 80 out of 100 with 5 critics (4 positive, 1 mixed), Amazon 4* out of 5* with 104 reviews, Letterboxd 3.6* out of 5*.
Special Note: Anderson Cooper is the primary anchor of the CNN news shows Anderson Cooper 360. He also published a memoir for HaperCollins in May 2006 titled Dispatches from the Edge. It details his life and work in Sri Lanka, Africa, Iraq and Louisiana over the previous year.
The Man in the High Castle Season Four 2019
This series is based on a novel by Philip K. Dick. There are four seasons in this series and the years are 2015 to 2019. The setting is a dystopian America in 1962 dominated by Nazi Germany on the East coast and Imperial Japan on the west coast. In the middle of the two zones is a neutral zone. Everyone believes that the Allied Powers lost WWII. The Man in the High Castle character is Stephen Root as Hawthorne Abendsen. He is the head of the American antifascist resistance. He has created films set in other worlds. The resistance wants to view all the films to learn the truth about the Nazi and Japanese occupations. The Nazi and Japanese Governments believe nothing in these films is true. When they discover a film, they burn it, arrest and usually kill the person in possession of the film.
The previous three seasons have been complicated and season four may be more complicated than the others!! There is a LOT going on and there is the added purpose of presenting the conclusion. Many characters have fallen by the wayside but there are plenty left!! I did not know how each season would end!! 5* (I really liked this series)
Each episode is one hour long, Drama created by Frank Spotnitz with Alexa Davalos, Joel de la Fuente, Rufus Sewell, Chelah Horsdal, Brennan Brown, Gracyn Shinyei, Genea Charpentier, Arnold Hun, Quinn Lord, Jason O’Mara.
Note: Imdb 8.1 out of 10 with 70,813 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 89% critic 68% audience, Amazon 2.9* out of 5* with 1047 reviews.
Special Note: Filmed in Monroe, Washington. Extensive research was done for the cultures. Particular attention was given to the areas of costuming, technology and music. The opening theme song is Edelweiss from the musical Sound of Music. This would never have been written if the Nazis had won the war. Hohenwerfen Castle in Austria was used for the Fuhrerhauptquartier, Hitler’s personal castle, stronghold and command center. The castle had previously been used as a Nazi stronghold in the film Where Eagles Dare 1968.
Titles for Season Four: Hexagram 64, Every Door Out, The Box, Happy Trails, Mauvaise For, All Serious Daring, No Masters But Ourselves, Hitler Has Only Got One Ball, For Want of a Nail, Fire from the Gods.
The previous three seasons have been complicated and season four may be more complicated than the others!! There is a LOT going on and there is the added purpose of presenting the conclusion. Many characters have fallen by the wayside but there are plenty left!! I did not know how each season would end!! 5* (I really liked this series)
Each episode is one hour long, Drama created by Frank Spotnitz with Alexa Davalos, Joel de la Fuente, Rufus Sewell, Chelah Horsdal, Brennan Brown, Gracyn Shinyei, Genea Charpentier, Arnold Hun, Quinn Lord, Jason O’Mara.
Note: Imdb 8.1 out of 10 with 70,813 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 89% critic 68% audience, Amazon 2.9* out of 5* with 1047 reviews.
Special Note: Filmed in Monroe, Washington. Extensive research was done for the cultures. Particular attention was given to the areas of costuming, technology and music. The opening theme song is Edelweiss from the musical Sound of Music. This would never have been written if the Nazis had won the war. Hohenwerfen Castle in Austria was used for the Fuhrerhauptquartier, Hitler’s personal castle, stronghold and command center. The castle had previously been used as a Nazi stronghold in the film Where Eagles Dare 1968.
Titles for Season Four: Hexagram 64, Every Door Out, The Box, Happy Trails, Mauvaise For, All Serious Daring, No Masters But Ourselves, Hitler Has Only Got One Ball, For Want of a Nail, Fire from the Gods.
Friday, November 22, 2019
To Have and Have Not 1944
This film is based on a novel by Ernest Hemmingway. Harry Morgan and his alcoholic sidekick, Eddie, are based on the island of Martinique. They are a crew and a boat available for hire but World War II is happening around them. Their business has suffered because of the war. They take a customer out and he owes them a large sum of money. The customer had planned to sneak away and take a plane before it was time to pay Harry. Eddie and Harry are forced to violate their preferred neutrality and take a job for the resistance. They will transport a fugitive on the run from the Nazis to Martinique. Unexpectedly, they learn that the man’s wife is also going with them. There is some gunfire and the man is wounded in the shoulder. Another plot twist is that Harry has met Marie “Slim” Browning. She is a resistance sympathizer and a singer in the club where Morgan spends a lot of his time.
Harry was almost able to get his money but the customer was shot in the club and Capt. M. Renard and his bodyguard took Harry’s money for themselves. To put pressure on Harry about the fugitive, they pick up Eddie and they are holding him to get information. They tried letting him drink but that didn’t work. The next step is to withhold alcohol and Eddie won’t be able to take that kind of abuse. Eddie deserved better treatment from the Martinique authorities!! I expected a more powerful plot from Hemmingway? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
100 min, Adventure directed by Howard Hawks and written by Ernest Hemingway and Jules Furthman with Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan, Lauren Bacall, Delores Moran, Hoagy Carmichael, Sheldon Leonard, Walter Szurovy, Marcel Dalio, Walter Sande, Dan Seymour, Aldo Nadi.
Note: Imdb 7.9 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 97% critic 90% audience, Three Movie Buffs average 3 1/2* out of 4*, Letterboxd 3.9* out of 5*, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 548 reviews.
Special Note: Filmed on Stage 28 and Stage 28A, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, Burbank, California, Laguna Beach and Balboa, Newport Beach, California. Lauren Bacall wrote in here autobiography that it was in the third week of filming that the friendly banter with Humphrey Bogart become something else. Bogart was 44 years old an in an unhappy marriage. Their onscreen chemistry was obvious but Director Howard Hawks was furious. He warned Bacall away and threatened that the relationship could damage her career. In reality, Hawks was jealous and had designs on Bacall himself. Hawks warned that Bogart would drop Bacall after filming was completed. Nothing like that happened!! Bogart divorced his wife and married Bacall in 1945. They made three more films together and they were married until Bogart’s death from cancer in January 1957. Bacall was 20 at the time of filming and Bogart was 45, he was 25 years older. The location in the novel changed from Cuba to Martinique under Vichy to make the film more timely.
Harry was almost able to get his money but the customer was shot in the club and Capt. M. Renard and his bodyguard took Harry’s money for themselves. To put pressure on Harry about the fugitive, they pick up Eddie and they are holding him to get information. They tried letting him drink but that didn’t work. The next step is to withhold alcohol and Eddie won’t be able to take that kind of abuse. Eddie deserved better treatment from the Martinique authorities!! I expected a more powerful plot from Hemmingway? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
100 min, Adventure directed by Howard Hawks and written by Ernest Hemingway and Jules Furthman with Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan, Lauren Bacall, Delores Moran, Hoagy Carmichael, Sheldon Leonard, Walter Szurovy, Marcel Dalio, Walter Sande, Dan Seymour, Aldo Nadi.
Note: Imdb 7.9 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 97% critic 90% audience, Three Movie Buffs average 3 1/2* out of 4*, Letterboxd 3.9* out of 5*, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 548 reviews.
Special Note: Filmed on Stage 28 and Stage 28A, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, Burbank, California, Laguna Beach and Balboa, Newport Beach, California. Lauren Bacall wrote in here autobiography that it was in the third week of filming that the friendly banter with Humphrey Bogart become something else. Bogart was 44 years old an in an unhappy marriage. Their onscreen chemistry was obvious but Director Howard Hawks was furious. He warned Bacall away and threatened that the relationship could damage her career. In reality, Hawks was jealous and had designs on Bacall himself. Hawks warned that Bogart would drop Bacall after filming was completed. Nothing like that happened!! Bogart divorced his wife and married Bacall in 1945. They made three more films together and they were married until Bogart’s death from cancer in January 1957. Bacall was 20 at the time of filming and Bogart was 45, he was 25 years older. The location in the novel changed from Cuba to Martinique under Vichy to make the film more timely.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Notorious 1946
This film is based on the story The Song of the Dragon by John Taintor Foote. Alicia Huberman’s father was a German Nazi and he was convicted of treason against the United States. He was executed and soon after Alicia is approached by a government agent. He asks her to spy on a group of her father’s Nazi friends operating out of Rio de Janeiro. Alicia is happy to work with Devlin on this case and she is ready to get out of the States. Alicia is in love with Devlin but she accepts Alexander Sebastian's marriage proposal in order to be able to spy on him and his associates. Alicia learns that Devlin is leaving Rio and she goes to see him. He thinks she has been drinking and that’s what she did when her father died?
It is implied that Alicia is having an affair with Devlin and her future husband Sebastian. Other characters frequently comment on her immoral character. Devlin also allows Alicia to drive while she is very drunk. Being a spy must not be easy because you need to watch your back at all times and you never know when someone will turn on you!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
102 min, Drama directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Ben Hecht with Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, Leopoldine Konstantin, Reinhold Chunzel, Moroni Olsen, Ivan Triesault, Alexis Minotis, Wally Brown, Charles Mendl, Ricardo Costa, E.S. Krumschmidt, Fay Baker.
Note: Imdb 7.9 out of 10 with 86,755 reviews, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 388 reviews, Letterboxd 4* out of 5* with 202 reviews, Metacritic 100 with 16 critics (positive), 7.9 out of 10 with 39 reviews (34 positive, 2 mixed, 3 negative), Common Sense Media Kathryn McGarr age 11+, drinking, drugs & smoking 3*.
Special Note: Filmed in Ro de Janeiro, Brazil; Miami, Florida; Arcadia and Beverly Hills, California. There is a key in this film with the letters UNICA. Cary Grant had the key after filming. Several years later he gave the key to Ingrid Bergman. He thought it gave him luck and he hoped it would do the same for her. Many years later Ingrid gave the key to Alfred Hitchcock at a tribute presentation. Leopoldine Konstantin plays the mother of Claude Rains but she is actually only four year older. Hitchcock claimed that the FBI had him under surveillance for three months because this movie deals with uranium? Hitchcock appears at about one hour and four minutes into the film. At the party, he gets a glass of champagne from the bartender. Hitchcock and Bergman got along well during production but he was very infatuated with her.
It is implied that Alicia is having an affair with Devlin and her future husband Sebastian. Other characters frequently comment on her immoral character. Devlin also allows Alicia to drive while she is very drunk. Being a spy must not be easy because you need to watch your back at all times and you never know when someone will turn on you!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
102 min, Drama directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Ben Hecht with Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, Leopoldine Konstantin, Reinhold Chunzel, Moroni Olsen, Ivan Triesault, Alexis Minotis, Wally Brown, Charles Mendl, Ricardo Costa, E.S. Krumschmidt, Fay Baker.
Note: Imdb 7.9 out of 10 with 86,755 reviews, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 388 reviews, Letterboxd 4* out of 5* with 202 reviews, Metacritic 100 with 16 critics (positive), 7.9 out of 10 with 39 reviews (34 positive, 2 mixed, 3 negative), Common Sense Media Kathryn McGarr age 11+, drinking, drugs & smoking 3*.
Special Note: Filmed in Ro de Janeiro, Brazil; Miami, Florida; Arcadia and Beverly Hills, California. There is a key in this film with the letters UNICA. Cary Grant had the key after filming. Several years later he gave the key to Ingrid Bergman. He thought it gave him luck and he hoped it would do the same for her. Many years later Ingrid gave the key to Alfred Hitchcock at a tribute presentation. Leopoldine Konstantin plays the mother of Claude Rains but she is actually only four year older. Hitchcock claimed that the FBI had him under surveillance for three months because this movie deals with uranium? Hitchcock appears at about one hour and four minutes into the film. At the party, he gets a glass of champagne from the bartender. Hitchcock and Bergman got along well during production but he was very infatuated with her.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
The Lady killers 1955
Five criminals are planning a bank robbery and they need to rent some rooms in a certain area. They stumble upon an octogenarian widow, Mrs. Wilberforce and she has a large room she can rent to them. They say they are classical musicians and they do have instruments. I knew right away that there was something very fishy about these men!!
This one of Peter Sellers early roles and this was before Herbert Lin was in the Punk Panther films with Peter. Katie Johnson steals the scenes since she is a very proper Englishwoman!! Everything is right and good in the UK!! She believes what the men say up to a certain point!! This has a LOT of funny moments and I really wondered if the gang would be able to carry out their robbery? I thought it was interesting that the scenes of the town and the scenes inside the home show them to be very plain and also quite dirty?? Must be the burning of coal?? As early as 1228, sea coal from the north-east was being taken to London. In the 12th century, the trading of coal increased across Britain and by the end of the century most of the coalfields in England, Scotland and Wales were being worked on a small scale. The burning of coal to generate electricity was first used in the 1880’s. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
91 min, comedy direct ted by Alexander Mackendrick and written by William Rose with Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lim, Danny Green, Jack Warner, Katie Johnson, Philip Stainton, Frankie Howerd.
Note: Imdb 7.7 out of 10 with 24,478 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 100% critic 87% audience, Metacritic 91 out of 100 with 7 critics (7 positive), The Independent Critic 3.5* and a grade B+, Richard Propes, Letterboxd 3.7* out of 5*, Amazon 4.3*out of 5* with 207 reviews.
Special Note: Originally the producers reject ted director Alexander Mackendrick’s choice of Katie Johnson for the role of Mrs. Wilberforce. At the age of 76 they thought she might be too frail for the project. They cast a younger actress and she died b before filming began? Maybe Katie Johnson was hale and hearty enough for the role after all!! The birds belonging to Mrs. Wilberforce were voiced by Peter Sellers. The parrot flies out of the living room and into the hallway. The bird clearly says Alec Guinness as it lands!! During pre-production writer William Rose and director Mackendrick quarreled violently and Rose stormed off leaving his screenplay not quite finished? Mackendrick and a television comedy writer Larry Stevens provided the finishing touches. Later, Rose apologized profusely to Mackendrick and praised his handling of the movie lavishly. Critics have praised William Rose’s script as a first-rate example of British comedy and for doing an excellent job of capturing the world of British manners and tradition. William Rose is an American and he decided to stay and work in Britain and he married a British woman.
This one of Peter Sellers early roles and this was before Herbert Lin was in the Punk Panther films with Peter. Katie Johnson steals the scenes since she is a very proper Englishwoman!! Everything is right and good in the UK!! She believes what the men say up to a certain point!! This has a LOT of funny moments and I really wondered if the gang would be able to carry out their robbery? I thought it was interesting that the scenes of the town and the scenes inside the home show them to be very plain and also quite dirty?? Must be the burning of coal?? As early as 1228, sea coal from the north-east was being taken to London. In the 12th century, the trading of coal increased across Britain and by the end of the century most of the coalfields in England, Scotland and Wales were being worked on a small scale. The burning of coal to generate electricity was first used in the 1880’s. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
91 min, comedy direct ted by Alexander Mackendrick and written by William Rose with Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lim, Danny Green, Jack Warner, Katie Johnson, Philip Stainton, Frankie Howerd.
Note: Imdb 7.7 out of 10 with 24,478 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 100% critic 87% audience, Metacritic 91 out of 100 with 7 critics (7 positive), The Independent Critic 3.5* and a grade B+, Richard Propes, Letterboxd 3.7* out of 5*, Amazon 4.3*out of 5* with 207 reviews.
Special Note: Originally the producers reject ted director Alexander Mackendrick’s choice of Katie Johnson for the role of Mrs. Wilberforce. At the age of 76 they thought she might be too frail for the project. They cast a younger actress and she died b before filming began? Maybe Katie Johnson was hale and hearty enough for the role after all!! The birds belonging to Mrs. Wilberforce were voiced by Peter Sellers. The parrot flies out of the living room and into the hallway. The bird clearly says Alec Guinness as it lands!! During pre-production writer William Rose and director Mackendrick quarreled violently and Rose stormed off leaving his screenplay not quite finished? Mackendrick and a television comedy writer Larry Stevens provided the finishing touches. Later, Rose apologized profusely to Mackendrick and praised his handling of the movie lavishly. Critics have praised William Rose’s script as a first-rate example of British comedy and for doing an excellent job of capturing the world of British manners and tradition. William Rose is an American and he decided to stay and work in Britain and he married a British woman.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Cain and Mabel 1936
Mabel O’Dare is a waitress and she looses her job because of a customer. He feels very badly about this because Mabel needs the job. He gets her a job as the lead dancer in a musical. She is practicing in a hotel and the noise is keeping boxer Larry Cain from getting the sleep he needs for a fight. Mabel and Larry do not have any good feelings about each other!! The do seem to make a change in each other when they are together? Their managers arrange for the couple to begin to like each other so that Mabel’s show can keep running and Larry can win his fights.
This is a depression era boxing movie with star power. It seems like a slice right out of 1936 with black and white filming and snappy dialogue. Davies and Gable have good chemistry and they were not hard on the eyes to look at. It is probable that Marion’s hair was bleached and a mixture of ammonia, Clorox bleach and Lux soap flakes was usually the mixture of choice. This could and probably did weaken and damage hair!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
90 min, Musical directed by Lloyd Bacon with Marion Davies, Clark Gable, Allen Jenkins, Roscoe Karns, Walter Catlett, Robert Paige, Hobart Cavanaugh, Ruth Donnelly, Pert Kelton, William Collier Sr., Sammy Whiate, E.E. Clive, Allen Romeroy, Robert Middlemass,Joseph Crehan.
Note: Imdb 6.6* out of 10* with 1664 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 55% audience, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*, Amazon 3.5* out of 5* with 11 reviews.
Special Note: The opening scene is at Champs Diner in NYC. The elaborate musical numbers were filmed on stage 7 (now stage 16) at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California. The sets were enormous and the roof and walls for the stage were raised an additional 35 feet. This cost $100,000 in 1926 dollars and it was paid for by William Randolph Hearst. The carousel in the Coney Island sequence was built for the film at a cost of $35,000. Marion Davies kept it for her Santa Monica home after filming wrapped. This is often cited as being a box-office flop? Grosses reported in the trades show that the film was quite popular and did especially well in cities? This is probably another case of creative bookkeeping on the part of the studio?
This is a depression era boxing movie with star power. It seems like a slice right out of 1936 with black and white filming and snappy dialogue. Davies and Gable have good chemistry and they were not hard on the eyes to look at. It is probable that Marion’s hair was bleached and a mixture of ammonia, Clorox bleach and Lux soap flakes was usually the mixture of choice. This could and probably did weaken and damage hair!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
90 min, Musical directed by Lloyd Bacon with Marion Davies, Clark Gable, Allen Jenkins, Roscoe Karns, Walter Catlett, Robert Paige, Hobart Cavanaugh, Ruth Donnelly, Pert Kelton, William Collier Sr., Sammy Whiate, E.E. Clive, Allen Romeroy, Robert Middlemass,Joseph Crehan.
Note: Imdb 6.6* out of 10* with 1664 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 55% audience, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*, Amazon 3.5* out of 5* with 11 reviews.
Special Note: The opening scene is at Champs Diner in NYC. The elaborate musical numbers were filmed on stage 7 (now stage 16) at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California. The sets were enormous and the roof and walls for the stage were raised an additional 35 feet. This cost $100,000 in 1926 dollars and it was paid for by William Randolph Hearst. The carousel in the Coney Island sequence was built for the film at a cost of $35,000. Marion Davies kept it for her Santa Monica home after filming wrapped. This is often cited as being a box-office flop? Grosses reported in the trades show that the film was quite popular and did especially well in cities? This is probably another case of creative bookkeeping on the part of the studio?
Sunday, November 17, 2019
The Ox-Bow Incident 1942
This film is based on a novel by Walter Van Tilburg Clark and the setting is 1885. Two drifters are passing through a Western town. News comes in that a local farmer has been murdered and his cattle stolen. The townspeople and the drifters form a posse to catch the perpetrators. They find three men that are in possession of the cattle. The men in the posse are determined to see justice done on the spot.
The men in the town needed to wait to form a posse and they also needed to verify their information. Instead, what comes out in the men is cruelty, blood-lust, *ruffianism, *pusillanimity and sordid pride. A tragic violation of justice and the swallowing of a bitter draught. The supposed rustlers declare their innocence but the men can’t bring themselves to listen or wait to enact their vengeance. It doesn’t matter what kind of story the accused men present to the audience, their minds were made up before they left town on their journey.
*Ruffianism, violent lawless behavior. *Pusillanimity, lack of courage or determination, timidity. 4* (I really liked this movie)
75 min, Drama directed by William A. Wellman with Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan, Jane Darwell, Matt Briggs, Harry Davenport, Frank Conroy, Marc Lawrence, Paul Hurst, Victor Kilian, Chris-Pin Martin, Willard Robertson.
Note: Imdb 8* out of 10* with 19,470 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 90% critic 91% audience, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 172 reviews, Letterboxd 4* out fo 5*, radiotimes.com 5* Allen Eyles, 2020-movie-reviews 3* out of 4*.
Special Note: Filmed in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine; Chartsworth; Backlot, 20th Century Fox Studios; Stage 14, 20th Century Fox Studios, 10201 Pico Blvd, Century City, Los Angeles, California. Henry Fonda was unhappy with the quality of the films he had to do while under contract to 20th Century-Fox. The Grapes of Wrath 1940 and this film were the only two films he was actually enthusiastic about starring in. Henry Fonda witnessed at the age of 14 the lynching of Will Brown in Omaha, Nebraska on September 28, 1919. The western street is the same one used in The Gunfighter 1950. Because of the competition of Laurel & Hardy comedies released at the same time, this film was a box-office flop. Immediately after filming was completed, Fonda enlisted in the U.S. Navy and he served until 1946.
The men in the town needed to wait to form a posse and they also needed to verify their information. Instead, what comes out in the men is cruelty, blood-lust, *ruffianism, *pusillanimity and sordid pride. A tragic violation of justice and the swallowing of a bitter draught. The supposed rustlers declare their innocence but the men can’t bring themselves to listen or wait to enact their vengeance. It doesn’t matter what kind of story the accused men present to the audience, their minds were made up before they left town on their journey.
*Ruffianism, violent lawless behavior. *Pusillanimity, lack of courage or determination, timidity. 4* (I really liked this movie)
75 min, Drama directed by William A. Wellman with Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan, Jane Darwell, Matt Briggs, Harry Davenport, Frank Conroy, Marc Lawrence, Paul Hurst, Victor Kilian, Chris-Pin Martin, Willard Robertson.
Note: Imdb 8* out of 10* with 19,470 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 90% critic 91% audience, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 172 reviews, Letterboxd 4* out fo 5*, radiotimes.com 5* Allen Eyles, 2020-movie-reviews 3* out of 4*.
Special Note: Filmed in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine; Chartsworth; Backlot, 20th Century Fox Studios; Stage 14, 20th Century Fox Studios, 10201 Pico Blvd, Century City, Los Angeles, California. Henry Fonda was unhappy with the quality of the films he had to do while under contract to 20th Century-Fox. The Grapes of Wrath 1940 and this film were the only two films he was actually enthusiastic about starring in. Henry Fonda witnessed at the age of 14 the lynching of Will Brown in Omaha, Nebraska on September 28, 1919. The western street is the same one used in The Gunfighter 1950. Because of the competition of Laurel & Hardy comedies released at the same time, this film was a box-office flop. Immediately after filming was completed, Fonda enlisted in the U.S. Navy and he served until 1946.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
The Intruder 2019
Scott and Meagan are a married couple and Scott has recently done very well at his job. They saw a house in Napa that Meagan liked very much. They are going back to look at it and it’s possible they may be able to buy it? They meet the owner Charlie Peck and at first the price of the house is too high. There is no way they could swing this price. Charlie needs to sell, he reduces the price and Scott and Meagan are able to purchase the house.. Scott and Meagan move into the house and they start to make it their own. There is one major problem!! Charlie said he was going to move to Florida to be near his daughter? He hasn’t left and he seems to always be around the house? He seems to think that it’s still his house and he doesn’t like anything to be changed? Scott is jogging and someone runs him off the road? He’s in the hospital with a concussion and Scott believes that Charlie may have been the driver of the car? Scott sends his friend Mike to check on Meagan. Mike sees Charlie eating pizza with Meagan.
This has some very creepy and scary moments but they were OK and I could take them. There is a LOT in Charlie’s background that he didn’t divulge to Scott and Meagan. It seems like Charlie wants to take over the house and own it again!! The only way this can happen is if he can get Scott and Meagan to leave the house behind?? Expect guns, shooting dead bodies, blood spurts, a woman beaten up by a man, fighting with knives, stabbing, punching, attack of a man by a car and a LOT of scariness!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
102 min, Drama directed by Deon Taylor with Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Dennis Quaid, Erica Cerra, Kurt Evans, Carolyn Anderson, Lili Sepe, Raylene Harewood, Chris Shields, Sam Vincent, Caroline Muthoni Muita, Connor Mackay.
Note: Imdb 5.5 out of 10 with 7833 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 32% critic 70% audience, Roger Ebert 1* Odie Henderson, Metacritic 39 out of 100 with 25 critics (2 positive 15 mixed, 8 negative) 4.7 out of 10 with 32 user scores (9 positive, 13 mixed, 10 negative), Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 405 reviews, Letterboxd 2.3* out of 5*, Common Sense Media 1* out of 5*, age 14+, 4* violence, 3* sex, 3* language, 1* consumerism 2* drinking, drugs & smoking.
Special Note: Filmed at 6741 24th Street, Langley and Vancouver, British Columbia. Budget was estimated at $8 million and worldwide gross was $36,599,361. This is the same house used for Cheryl’s house in Riverdale. In the film Cold Creek Manor 2003, Quaid plays the husband of the couple who bought Stephen Dorff’s old house and then they are terrorized by Doff. Ealy and Good also starred together in the Think Like A Man series.
This has some very creepy and scary moments but they were OK and I could take them. There is a LOT in Charlie’s background that he didn’t divulge to Scott and Meagan. It seems like Charlie wants to take over the house and own it again!! The only way this can happen is if he can get Scott and Meagan to leave the house behind?? Expect guns, shooting dead bodies, blood spurts, a woman beaten up by a man, fighting with knives, stabbing, punching, attack of a man by a car and a LOT of scariness!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
102 min, Drama directed by Deon Taylor with Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Dennis Quaid, Erica Cerra, Kurt Evans, Carolyn Anderson, Lili Sepe, Raylene Harewood, Chris Shields, Sam Vincent, Caroline Muthoni Muita, Connor Mackay.
Note: Imdb 5.5 out of 10 with 7833 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 32% critic 70% audience, Roger Ebert 1* Odie Henderson, Metacritic 39 out of 100 with 25 critics (2 positive 15 mixed, 8 negative) 4.7 out of 10 with 32 user scores (9 positive, 13 mixed, 10 negative), Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 405 reviews, Letterboxd 2.3* out of 5*, Common Sense Media 1* out of 5*, age 14+, 4* violence, 3* sex, 3* language, 1* consumerism 2* drinking, drugs & smoking.
Special Note: Filmed at 6741 24th Street, Langley and Vancouver, British Columbia. Budget was estimated at $8 million and worldwide gross was $36,599,361. This is the same house used for Cheryl’s house in Riverdale. In the film Cold Creek Manor 2003, Quaid plays the husband of the couple who bought Stephen Dorff’s old house and then they are terrorized by Doff. Ealy and Good also starred together in the Think Like A Man series.
The Emoji Movie 2017
There is a secret world inside smartphones!! Textopolis is in the messaging app. This is a busy city where all your favorite emojis live. Each emoji hopes to be selected by the user of the phone. All the emojis except for Gene have one facial expression. Gene is an exuberant emoji without a filter. He is always bursting with many expressions. Gene feels different and he is determined to become just like the other emojis. He asks his best friends Hi-5 and the code breaker Jailbreak to help him. They embark on an adventure through all of the apps on phones. Each emoji has it’s own personal fun world. The plan is to fix Gene but a greater danger threatens the phone?? The fate of all the emojis is in jeopardy!! There is the possibly that all the emojis will be deleted?
Everything about this film really got on my nerves and my very last one nerve!! Possibly the most exasperating of any film I’ve ever seen!! I could not stand the voices, the music and the talk. I felt very tense and I could only view for a SHORT time!! What is this movie doing to children? It’s directed at them and what about their new and still formative brains? I think everything about this movie is bad news for everyone unless they are not listening or watching but doing something very engrossing instead!! The only plus for this film is that it emphasizes being true to yourself and the value of honest plus teamwork. 1/2* (I really hated this movie and I don’t feel the least bit bad about this rating!!)
96 min, Animation directed and written by Tony Leondis with the voices of R.J. Miller, James Corden Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Steven Wright, Jennifer Coolidge, Patrick Stewart, Christina Aguilera, Sofie Vergara, Rachael Ray, Sean Hayes, Jake T. Austin, Tati Gabrielle, Jude Kouyate, Jeffrey Ross.
Note: Imdb 3.2 out of 10 with 50,593 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 7% critic 38% audience,The Guardian 1* out of 5* Charles Bramesco, Roger Ebert 1/2* Peter Sobczynski, Common Sense Medai Betsy Bozdech, age 6+, 1* educational, 4* positive, 3* role models, 2* scariness 1* sex, 2* language, 4* consumerism, 1* drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.1 out of 5* with 756 reviews.
Special Note: The fasted produced animated movie in history?? On January 13, 2018, Saudi Arabia lifted a 35-year ban on movie theaters. This was the first movie publicly shown along with Captain Underpants. This must have been a terrible disappointment for the new viewers!! This is the first feature-length animated movie to be nominated for Razzies for Worst Picture, Work Director and Worst Screenplay. Also the first animated movie nominated for a Worst Written Film Grossing Over One Hundred Million Dollars in 1997. There was win for all five nominated Razzies. (I really feel on track and vindicated about everything I've felt and written regarding this film after learning these facts!!)
Everything about this film really got on my nerves and my very last one nerve!! Possibly the most exasperating of any film I’ve ever seen!! I could not stand the voices, the music and the talk. I felt very tense and I could only view for a SHORT time!! What is this movie doing to children? It’s directed at them and what about their new and still formative brains? I think everything about this movie is bad news for everyone unless they are not listening or watching but doing something very engrossing instead!! The only plus for this film is that it emphasizes being true to yourself and the value of honest plus teamwork. 1/2* (I really hated this movie and I don’t feel the least bit bad about this rating!!)
96 min, Animation directed and written by Tony Leondis with the voices of R.J. Miller, James Corden Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Steven Wright, Jennifer Coolidge, Patrick Stewart, Christina Aguilera, Sofie Vergara, Rachael Ray, Sean Hayes, Jake T. Austin, Tati Gabrielle, Jude Kouyate, Jeffrey Ross.
Note: Imdb 3.2 out of 10 with 50,593 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 7% critic 38% audience,The Guardian 1* out of 5* Charles Bramesco, Roger Ebert 1/2* Peter Sobczynski, Common Sense Medai Betsy Bozdech, age 6+, 1* educational, 4* positive, 3* role models, 2* scariness 1* sex, 2* language, 4* consumerism, 1* drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.1 out of 5* with 756 reviews.
Special Note: The fasted produced animated movie in history?? On January 13, 2018, Saudi Arabia lifted a 35-year ban on movie theaters. This was the first movie publicly shown along with Captain Underpants. This must have been a terrible disappointment for the new viewers!! This is the first feature-length animated movie to be nominated for Razzies for Worst Picture, Work Director and Worst Screenplay. Also the first animated movie nominated for a Worst Written Film Grossing Over One Hundred Million Dollars in 1997. There was win for all five nominated Razzies. (I really feel on track and vindicated about everything I've felt and written regarding this film after learning these facts!!)
Friday, November 15, 2019
Long Shot 2019
Charlotte Field is Madam Secretary to the President of the United States. She is one of the most influential women in the world. She has the ear of the President and he tells her in confidence that he is leaving his office. He also tells her that he will recommend her as the next President. Fred Flarsky is a journalist and he is an old friend of Charlotte. She used to babysit him when they were both younger. He had a crush on her then and he still does. On an impulse, Charlotte hires Fred to be her speechwriter. Charlotte’s team of advisers disagree with her choice and they think it’s a very bad idea? Fred is not exactly the same spiffy dresser that Charlotte has honed for her image. Steps may be needed get Fred out of his current wardrobe.
I didn’t think I would like this film but I thought there was weight and comedy both to the plot. Theron and Rogen seem to mesh even though they seem like oil and water? Opposites do attract!! Even thought the subject is heaven it is funny and light at the same time. This isn’t the first time Rogen has landed a role with a very attractive woman. He has been in a LOT of films and he has acted with Katherine Heigl, Joey King, Maria Blasucci, Aasha Davis, Glenne Headly, Kristen Bell, Danielle Davenport, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lolli Sorenson, Elizabeth Gilles and many others. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
125 min, Comedy directed by Jonathan Levine with Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ravi Patel, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Serkis, Randall Park, Tristan D. Lalla, Alexander Skarsgard, Aladdin Tawfeek, Wanya and Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, Isla Dowling.
Note: Rotten Tomatoes 81% critic 75% audience, Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 54,779 reviews, Roger Ebert 3* Brian Tallerico, Metacritic 67 out of 100 with 45 critics (31 positive, 14 mixed) 6.7 out of 10 with 193 user scores (131 positive, 35 mixed, 27 negative), Washington Post 2* out of 4* Ann Hornaday, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Wendy Ide, Letterboxd 3.4* out of 5*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 786 reviews.
Special Note: Filmed in Cartagena, Colombia and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Seth Rogen was one of the few actors able to successfully transition from TV to films. He was previously on Freeks and Geeks. There is a mistake in one of the scenes. Fred is in a convenience store and a bag of Doritos Sonic Sour Cream is seen in the store. This item is only sold in Canada and the scene is supposed to be in New York City.
I didn’t think I would like this film but I thought there was weight and comedy both to the plot. Theron and Rogen seem to mesh even though they seem like oil and water? Opposites do attract!! Even thought the subject is heaven it is funny and light at the same time. This isn’t the first time Rogen has landed a role with a very attractive woman. He has been in a LOT of films and he has acted with Katherine Heigl, Joey King, Maria Blasucci, Aasha Davis, Glenne Headly, Kristen Bell, Danielle Davenport, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lolli Sorenson, Elizabeth Gilles and many others. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
125 min, Comedy directed by Jonathan Levine with Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ravi Patel, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Serkis, Randall Park, Tristan D. Lalla, Alexander Skarsgard, Aladdin Tawfeek, Wanya and Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, Isla Dowling.
Note: Rotten Tomatoes 81% critic 75% audience, Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 54,779 reviews, Roger Ebert 3* Brian Tallerico, Metacritic 67 out of 100 with 45 critics (31 positive, 14 mixed) 6.7 out of 10 with 193 user scores (131 positive, 35 mixed, 27 negative), Washington Post 2* out of 4* Ann Hornaday, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Wendy Ide, Letterboxd 3.4* out of 5*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 786 reviews.
Special Note: Filmed in Cartagena, Colombia and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Seth Rogen was one of the few actors able to successfully transition from TV to films. He was previously on Freeks and Geeks. There is a mistake in one of the scenes. Fred is in a convenience store and a bag of Doritos Sonic Sour Cream is seen in the store. This item is only sold in Canada and the scene is supposed to be in New York City.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
At Middleton 2013
George and Conrad Hartman visit Middleton College for a tour and to find out information about the college. Also, on the tour and visit are Edith and Audrey Martin. George and Edith decide to go off on a tour of their own while their college bound son and daughter take the guided tour. Both George and Edith have a GREAT time while they are together. They are surprised at how well they get along and how much they have in common because of their children. Conrad and Audrey cannot understand why their parents are not taking the tour with them?
This film is targeted at adults because its themes involve the challenges of long-term marriages and the feelings associated with sending teens off to college. The one point I need to make about this film is that this comes across as more of a fantasy and not something that would really happen in life? Plus, it doesn’t seem like the personalities of George and Edith would mesh? George is very serious but Edith is over-the-top silly?? There are not very many scenes without Edith laughing her head off or acting crazy?? 2 1/2* (This movie is just so-so)
99 min, Comedy directed by Adam Rodgers with Andy Garcia, Vera Farmiga, Taissa Farmiga, Spencer Rocco Lofranco, Nicholas Braun, Tom Skerritt, Peter Riegert, Mirjana Jokovic, Stephen Borrello IV, Daniella Garcia, Saxton Johnson, Sean Cook Loretta Underwood, Kenny Parks Jr., Briana Henry.
Note: Imdb 6.5 out of 10, Roger Ebert 2* out of 5* Susan Wloszczyna, Rotten Tomatoes 59% critic 45% audience, Common Sense Media 2* out of 5* S. Jhoanna Robledo, age 16+, 2* out of 5*, 1* positive, 1* violence, 2* sex, 3* language, 1* consumerism, 4* drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 324 reviews, Letterboxd 3.1* out of 5*.
Special Note: Middleton College is a fictitious name. Vera and Taissa play mother and daughter but actually they are sisters. Daniella Garcia-Lorido is Andy Garcia’s daughter.
This film is targeted at adults because its themes involve the challenges of long-term marriages and the feelings associated with sending teens off to college. The one point I need to make about this film is that this comes across as more of a fantasy and not something that would really happen in life? Plus, it doesn’t seem like the personalities of George and Edith would mesh? George is very serious but Edith is over-the-top silly?? There are not very many scenes without Edith laughing her head off or acting crazy?? 2 1/2* (This movie is just so-so)
99 min, Comedy directed by Adam Rodgers with Andy Garcia, Vera Farmiga, Taissa Farmiga, Spencer Rocco Lofranco, Nicholas Braun, Tom Skerritt, Peter Riegert, Mirjana Jokovic, Stephen Borrello IV, Daniella Garcia, Saxton Johnson, Sean Cook Loretta Underwood, Kenny Parks Jr., Briana Henry.
Note: Imdb 6.5 out of 10, Roger Ebert 2* out of 5* Susan Wloszczyna, Rotten Tomatoes 59% critic 45% audience, Common Sense Media 2* out of 5* S. Jhoanna Robledo, age 16+, 2* out of 5*, 1* positive, 1* violence, 2* sex, 3* language, 1* consumerism, 4* drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 324 reviews, Letterboxd 3.1* out of 5*.
Special Note: Middleton College is a fictitious name. Vera and Taissa play mother and daughter but actually they are sisters. Daniella Garcia-Lorido is Andy Garcia’s daughter.
Charlotte's Web 2006
This film is based on the children's novel by E.B. White. Wilbur was the runt of the pig litter but Fern, the farmer's daughter said she would raise him. Wilbur is a very BIG pig now, he was sold to Fern's Uncle Homer Zuckerman and you would never know that he was the runt. Wilbur the pig is very frightened about the start of the winter season. He knows that he could end up on the family's dinner table? Charlotte is a spider and she is Wilbur's best friend. She has an idea to spin something into her web that will astonish people and let them know that Wilbur is a special pig!!
People come from far and wide to line up to see what Charlotte has spun in her web about Wilbur. Everyone thinks it's because Wilbur is such a special pig but isn't it really because Charlotte is a very special spider. Home Zuckerman takes Wilbur to the county fair and he wins a medal because he is a very special pig. This will enhance his chances of not becoming dinner!! Charlotte spins an egg sack and Wilbur takes care of it for Charlotte. When the eggs hatch, he takes care of Charlotte's children. Loyalty, acceptance and faith in your friends are important themes of this film. 4* (I really liked this movie)
97 min, Family directed by Gary Winick with the voices of Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Reba McEntire, Robert Redford, Thomas Haden Church, Andre Benjamin, Dominic Scott Kay, Sam Shepard, Abraham Benrubi, Kevin Anderson.
Note: Imdb 6.3* out of 10 with 34,431 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 78% critic 62% audience, Plugged In 5* Bob Hoose, Common Sense Media 5* Cynthia Fuchs, age 5+, 2* educational, 4* positive, 4* role models, 2* scariness 1* language, Amazon 4 1/2* out of 5* with 1043 reviews, Letterboxd 2.7*.
Special Note: Estimated budget was $85 million with a worldwide gross of $144,877,632. Most of the filming was done in Victoria Australia. The season was not correct in Melbourne during the country fair scenes.
People come from far and wide to line up to see what Charlotte has spun in her web about Wilbur. Everyone thinks it's because Wilbur is such a special pig but isn't it really because Charlotte is a very special spider. Home Zuckerman takes Wilbur to the county fair and he wins a medal because he is a very special pig. This will enhance his chances of not becoming dinner!! Charlotte spins an egg sack and Wilbur takes care of it for Charlotte. When the eggs hatch, he takes care of Charlotte's children. Loyalty, acceptance and faith in your friends are important themes of this film. 4* (I really liked this movie)
97 min, Family directed by Gary Winick with the voices of Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Reba McEntire, Robert Redford, Thomas Haden Church, Andre Benjamin, Dominic Scott Kay, Sam Shepard, Abraham Benrubi, Kevin Anderson.
Note: Imdb 6.3* out of 10 with 34,431 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 78% critic 62% audience, Plugged In 5* Bob Hoose, Common Sense Media 5* Cynthia Fuchs, age 5+, 2* educational, 4* positive, 4* role models, 2* scariness 1* language, Amazon 4 1/2* out of 5* with 1043 reviews, Letterboxd 2.7*.
Special Note: Estimated budget was $85 million with a worldwide gross of $144,877,632. Most of the filming was done in Victoria Australia. The season was not correct in Melbourne during the country fair scenes.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Woman at War 2018 (KONA FER I STRIB)
Halla is an Islander woman in her forties. She declares a one woman war on the local aluminum industry and their smelter. She wants to prevent it from disfiguring the landscape of her country. She is worried about the highlands of Iceland and she goes to extreme means in her opposition. Halla disrupts the operations of the plant by purposely damaging electricity pylons and wires to cut their power supply. Helicopters and drones are used to try to locate the person responsible for the outages. Halla is too smart to be caught out in the open and she is successful in avoiding their surveillance. Halla has an identical twin sister Asa and she is not involved in this war. Asa is planning to go on a sabbatical to India to study with a guru. Asa is into yoga and meditation. There is a complication when paperwork that Halla submitted and forgot about from four years ago is approved? The authorities would not suspect that Halla is the person creating the disruptions. She doesn’t have a car, she rides a with a basket and she is a choir director?
There is no way to deny that this is a very weird movie from the beginning to the end!! If there is a small secret door that you knock on to get the movies you watch, this would be hidden in that area. I was amazed at the connection Halla has to the land of her country. She lays down upon the landscaping to gather strength from the different types of ground cover. There are some interesting elements added into the mix. Juan Camillo is Spanish and he is always being arrested for something he did not do? There is a three piece band included in random scenes with a drummer, sousaphone player and an accordion/keyboard player? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
101 min, Adventure directed by Benewdikt Erlingsson with Halldora Geirharosdottir, Johann Siguroarson, Juan Camillo Roman Estrada, Solveig Arnarsdottir, Gunnar Bersi Bjornsson, Helga Bra Jonsdottir, Charlotte Boving, Iryna Danyleiko, Vala Kristin Eiriksdottir.
Note: Imdb 7.5 out of 10 with 4,720 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 974% critic 91% audience, The Guardian 3* out of 4* Peter Bradshaw, Roger Ebert 4 1/2* out of 5* Tomris Laffly, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 125 reviews, Metacritic 81 out of 100 with 24 critics (22 positive, 2 mixed) 5.1 out of 10 with10 reviews (6 positive, 4 negative).
Special Note: Filmed in Iceland and Ukraine. This was Iceland’s submission to the Foreign Language Film Award for the 91st Academy Awards of 2019. Also submitted for the 76th Golden Globe Awards of 2019.
There is no way to deny that this is a very weird movie from the beginning to the end!! If there is a small secret door that you knock on to get the movies you watch, this would be hidden in that area. I was amazed at the connection Halla has to the land of her country. She lays down upon the landscaping to gather strength from the different types of ground cover. There are some interesting elements added into the mix. Juan Camillo is Spanish and he is always being arrested for something he did not do? There is a three piece band included in random scenes with a drummer, sousaphone player and an accordion/keyboard player? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
101 min, Adventure directed by Benewdikt Erlingsson with Halldora Geirharosdottir, Johann Siguroarson, Juan Camillo Roman Estrada, Solveig Arnarsdottir, Gunnar Bersi Bjornsson, Helga Bra Jonsdottir, Charlotte Boving, Iryna Danyleiko, Vala Kristin Eiriksdottir.
Note: Imdb 7.5 out of 10 with 4,720 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 974% critic 91% audience, The Guardian 3* out of 4* Peter Bradshaw, Roger Ebert 4 1/2* out of 5* Tomris Laffly, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 125 reviews, Metacritic 81 out of 100 with 24 critics (22 positive, 2 mixed) 5.1 out of 10 with10 reviews (6 positive, 4 negative).
Special Note: Filmed in Iceland and Ukraine. This was Iceland’s submission to the Foreign Language Film Award for the 91st Academy Awards of 2019. Also submitted for the 76th Golden Globe Awards of 2019.
Lady in the Water 2006
M.Night Shyamalan wrote a children’s book with the same title and the illustrations were done by Crash McCreery. It was released the same day as the movie. Cleveland Heep is an apartment superintendent and he has a problem, he stutters. He meets a girl named Story swimming in the pool of the complex. He learns that she comes from the Blue World? She has a message for mankind? Is it possible that Cleveland can help her with her mission? Story is a water nymph and her life is in danger from a vicious wolf-like mystical creature called a Script. This creature is trying to prevent her from returning to her watery “blue world.”
Critics thought Shaymalan was too self-indulgent by casting himself in the film? There is also a lack of consistency and a problem with the film’s characterization. I think it was unfortunate that Shaymalan broke away from Disney. They really know how to go all out to promote a film with tie-ins such as dolls, toys and coloring books. The characters draw you into them and you feel the situations that are going on. It's a movie with hope and a good feeling. Just go with the flow and enjoy what is presented!! 3 1/1* (I liked this movie)
110 min, Drama directed by M. Night Shayamalan with Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban, Sarita Choudhury, Cindy Cheung, M. Night Shayamalan, Freddy Rodriguez, Bill Irwin, Mary Beth Hurt, Noah Gray-Cabey, Joseph D. Reitman, Jared Harris, Grant Nomohon, John Boyd.
Note: Imdb 5.5 out of 10 with 9,873 reviews, Roger Ebert 1 1/2* Jim Emerson, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 591 ratings, Rotten Tomatoes 25% critic with 212 critics 49% audience with 419,547 ratings, The Guardian 1* Peter Bradshaw, Metacritic 36 out of 100 with 36 critics (2 positive, 20 mixed, 14 negative) 6.3 out of 10 with 433 user scores (243 positive, 66 mixed, 124 negative).
Special Note: This movie is based on a bedtime story the director wrote for his children. Filmed in Levittown and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This film had a shockingly high budget!! The setting was just one location but the apartment complex and the pool were built for the film. There is also a half city block of row houses. Jacobson Logistics Warehouse was also a filming site after their work hours. Kevin Costner was considered for the role of Heep. Giamatti accepted the role before Costner was contacted. This is the first film for Cindy Cheung and her agent demanded $1 million for her role? Shayamalan was prepared to pay the SAG minimum of $65,000. They settled at $100,000. Originally, Disney was involved in production but the president of development took her son to a party instead of reading the script? It was personal couriered to her and she also didn’t like it. There were “creative differences” and the script was given to Warner Bros. Because the film didn’t receive the usual marketing campaign that Disney uses for their films, this movie was a box-office flop. The gross was $72 million against a $70 million production budget.
Award nominations: Teen Choice Awards: Young Artist Awards with Noah Gray-Cabey as Best Young Actor - Ten or Under; Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Director a win, Worst Supporting Actor a win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards: Worst Supporting Actress a win and Most Annoying Fake Accent - Female a win for Cindy Cheung, Worst Ensemble a win for the entire cast, Least Scary Horror Movie a win.
Critics thought Shaymalan was too self-indulgent by casting himself in the film? There is also a lack of consistency and a problem with the film’s characterization. I think it was unfortunate that Shaymalan broke away from Disney. They really know how to go all out to promote a film with tie-ins such as dolls, toys and coloring books. The characters draw you into them and you feel the situations that are going on. It's a movie with hope and a good feeling. Just go with the flow and enjoy what is presented!! 3 1/1* (I liked this movie)
110 min, Drama directed by M. Night Shayamalan with Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban, Sarita Choudhury, Cindy Cheung, M. Night Shayamalan, Freddy Rodriguez, Bill Irwin, Mary Beth Hurt, Noah Gray-Cabey, Joseph D. Reitman, Jared Harris, Grant Nomohon, John Boyd.
Note: Imdb 5.5 out of 10 with 9,873 reviews, Roger Ebert 1 1/2* Jim Emerson, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 591 ratings, Rotten Tomatoes 25% critic with 212 critics 49% audience with 419,547 ratings, The Guardian 1* Peter Bradshaw, Metacritic 36 out of 100 with 36 critics (2 positive, 20 mixed, 14 negative) 6.3 out of 10 with 433 user scores (243 positive, 66 mixed, 124 negative).
Special Note: This movie is based on a bedtime story the director wrote for his children. Filmed in Levittown and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This film had a shockingly high budget!! The setting was just one location but the apartment complex and the pool were built for the film. There is also a half city block of row houses. Jacobson Logistics Warehouse was also a filming site after their work hours. Kevin Costner was considered for the role of Heep. Giamatti accepted the role before Costner was contacted. This is the first film for Cindy Cheung and her agent demanded $1 million for her role? Shayamalan was prepared to pay the SAG minimum of $65,000. They settled at $100,000. Originally, Disney was involved in production but the president of development took her son to a party instead of reading the script? It was personal couriered to her and she also didn’t like it. There were “creative differences” and the script was given to Warner Bros. Because the film didn’t receive the usual marketing campaign that Disney uses for their films, this movie was a box-office flop. The gross was $72 million against a $70 million production budget.
Award nominations: Teen Choice Awards: Young Artist Awards with Noah Gray-Cabey as Best Young Actor - Ten or Under; Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Director a win, Worst Supporting Actor a win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards: Worst Supporting Actress a win and Most Annoying Fake Accent - Female a win for Cindy Cheung, Worst Ensemble a win for the entire cast, Least Scary Horror Movie a win.
Friday, November 8, 2019
Night Flight 1933
This film is based on a novel by French writer and pioneering aviator Antonine de Saint-Exupery. The film covers a 24 hour period featuring the operations of the fictional airline Trans-Andean European Air Mail. Polio breaks out in Rio de Janeiro. The serum is in Santiago and the only way to get the medicine to the hospital is by plane. Pilots must risk the treacherous weather and the peaks of the Andes during their flights. A little girl is waiting for the medicine to arrive before she becomes even more sick. Her mother is very worried about the medicine getting to the hospital in time to help her daughter. She could die or become crippled if the medicine doesn’t arrive in time!
This film has a many stars as the actors. There is a LOT of talk at this time about the night flights being pulled back because too many disasters give aviation a bad name. The people manning the radios are trying to keep track of where the planes are and where the storms are located. The biplanes are crude and they are basically giant kites with motors and propellers. It’s not clear just how much control the pilots has over the planes? They are flying using the primitive instruments and relying on the dashboard gauges to determine where the plane is without being able to see where they are. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
84 min, Drama directed by Clarence Brown with John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy, William Gargan, C. Henry Gordon, Leslie Fenton, Harry Beresford, Frank Conroy, Dorothy Burgess, Irving Pichel, Helen Jerome Eddy, Buster Phelps.
Note: Imdb 6.2 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 33% audience, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 29 ratings (32% 5*, 40% 4*, 19% 3*, 8% 2*, Letterboxd average 3* out of 5*, www.dvdtalk.com Movie Good +, Video Excellent, Sound, Excellent.
Special Note: Author Antoine de Saint-Exupery based his novel on his personal experiences while fling on South American mail routes. There was a dispute between MGM and Saint Exupery and the re-release was delayed until 2011 after legal obstacles were overcome. Saint-Exupery is also the author of the popular novella The Little Prince first published in April 1943.
This film has a many stars as the actors. There is a LOT of talk at this time about the night flights being pulled back because too many disasters give aviation a bad name. The people manning the radios are trying to keep track of where the planes are and where the storms are located. The biplanes are crude and they are basically giant kites with motors and propellers. It’s not clear just how much control the pilots has over the planes? They are flying using the primitive instruments and relying on the dashboard gauges to determine where the plane is without being able to see where they are. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
84 min, Drama directed by Clarence Brown with John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy, William Gargan, C. Henry Gordon, Leslie Fenton, Harry Beresford, Frank Conroy, Dorothy Burgess, Irving Pichel, Helen Jerome Eddy, Buster Phelps.
Note: Imdb 6.2 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 33% audience, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 29 ratings (32% 5*, 40% 4*, 19% 3*, 8% 2*, Letterboxd average 3* out of 5*, www.dvdtalk.com Movie Good +, Video Excellent, Sound, Excellent.
Special Note: Author Antoine de Saint-Exupery based his novel on his personal experiences while fling on South American mail routes. There was a dispute between MGM and Saint Exupery and the re-release was delayed until 2011 after legal obstacles were overcome. Saint-Exupery is also the author of the popular novella The Little Prince first published in April 1943.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Jack Ryan Season two 2019
Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst and he’s sent on a mission to Venezuela with a US Senator. He is there to bring stability to a country on the brink of collapse. He has been criticized by the government for allegedly promoting an invasion of the country by Americans. Another reason for Ryan to be in the country, is to find out why a potentially suspicious shipment of illegal arms were sent to the Venezuelan jungle. There may be illegal activities under the direction President Nicolas Reyes. A US Special Activities team lands in the country and Jack’s intel leads them to a militia guarded compound. James Greer has left his post in Russian and has arrived in Venezuela. The President and his team are not in office to help the people but themselves. The people of the country can’t get jobs that pay enough for their families to have the food they need for themselves and their children. Gloria Bonalde is running against the President. There is a possibility she will be killed if the polls show her to have a high advantage against the President. Also in the background is a mysterious woman is a shady and super mysterious woman, Harriet Baumann. Maybe she knows more about what is going on than Jack?
I think the first season was better than this season? It seemed more current with what is happening in our world now. Venezuela seems like it hasn’t been bothering the US lately? We do have sanctions that began on 27 July 2017. The government is prohibited from accessing US financial markets. This is in place to minimize the impact on the Venezuelan people and US economic interests. I think some of the things that happen would not really happen? If you were on a secret mission and told to do something, would you not do it and go your own way? Wouldn’t you think about your own safety and the safety of others that would be at risk to look for you? 3* (This season is OK)
Created by Carlton Cuse, Graham Roland with John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, John Hoogenakker, Jordi Molla, Franciswco Denis, Cristina Umana, Jovan Adepo, Michael Kelley, Eduar Salas, Kevin Kent, Marcela Vanegas.
Note: Imdb 8.2 out of 10 with 59,623 reviews,Rotten Tomatoes 80% critic 63% audience, gin.com 3 1/2* out of 5* David Griffin, collinder.com 2*, Rotten Tomatoes 80% critic 63% audience, Metacritic 56 out of 100 with 6 critics (3 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative), 6.3 out of 10 with 24 user scores (13 positive, 3 mixed, 8 negative), Amazon 3 1/2* out of 5* with 2889 reviews.
Special Note: This season is not based on any of Tom Clancy's novels. CIA Headquarters in Langley Virginia granted the production access to parts of the complex that had never been filmed before. The scenes in Venezuela were actually filmed in Bogota, Colombia. The dog tags say Ryan, Jack P. The character's full name is John Patrick Ryan. Dog tags would have his full correct name. There is a drop of a boat from an airplane and parachutes are used to cushion the impact on the water. This is an authentic procedure that is used.
I think the first season was better than this season? It seemed more current with what is happening in our world now. Venezuela seems like it hasn’t been bothering the US lately? We do have sanctions that began on 27 July 2017. The government is prohibited from accessing US financial markets. This is in place to minimize the impact on the Venezuelan people and US economic interests. I think some of the things that happen would not really happen? If you were on a secret mission and told to do something, would you not do it and go your own way? Wouldn’t you think about your own safety and the safety of others that would be at risk to look for you? 3* (This season is OK)
Created by Carlton Cuse, Graham Roland with John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, John Hoogenakker, Jordi Molla, Franciswco Denis, Cristina Umana, Jovan Adepo, Michael Kelley, Eduar Salas, Kevin Kent, Marcela Vanegas.
Note: Imdb 8.2 out of 10 with 59,623 reviews,Rotten Tomatoes 80% critic 63% audience, gin.com 3 1/2* out of 5* David Griffin, collinder.com 2*, Rotten Tomatoes 80% critic 63% audience, Metacritic 56 out of 100 with 6 critics (3 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative), 6.3 out of 10 with 24 user scores (13 positive, 3 mixed, 8 negative), Amazon 3 1/2* out of 5* with 2889 reviews.
Special Note: This season is not based on any of Tom Clancy's novels. CIA Headquarters in Langley Virginia granted the production access to parts of the complex that had never been filmed before. The scenes in Venezuela were actually filmed in Bogota, Colombia. The dog tags say Ryan, Jack P. The character's full name is John Patrick Ryan. Dog tags would have his full correct name. There is a drop of a boat from an airplane and parachutes are used to cushion the impact on the water. This is an authentic procedure that is used.
Bosch Season 1 2014
This series is based on novels
written by Michael Connelly. Bosch is a LAPD homicide detective. He
begins working on the solving of a crime in the LA hills. The
bones of a thirteen-year-old boy were dug up by a neighborhood dog. LAPD will use
DNA to try to locate his family and determine what happened to him. The
LAPD forensic scientist is brought in to find out what the bones can
tell him. The boy is
Raynard Waits and they learn his sister still lives in the family
home. They contact his father and the sister. His mother divorced his
father and she has been estranged from the family. She moved to out of
California. Complicating matters, Bosch is on trial for the murder of a
suspect he was tailing? His partner stayed in the police car but Bosch
followed the suspect on foot. If this wasn't complicated enough, Bosch
is getting cell phone calls from an on the loose serial killer. LAPD is also trying to solve this case.
Every minute you don't know what is going to happen in this series. I
was surprised that Bosch was brought before a judge over his handling of
the suspect he followed. A LOT of information was taken from the bones
of the young boy. Keeping track of the serial killer and handling his
murders is tough. Receiving phone calls from him makes it worse!! Bosch is divorced from his wife, she lives in Nevada
and she has remarried. Bosch has a teen age daughter Maddie and she lives with her mother. 4* (I really liked this series)
TV series, each episode 51 minutes, 8 episodes created by Eric Ellis Overmer and Michael Connelly with Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, Lance Reddick, Gregory Scott Cummins, DaJuan Johnson, Scott Klace Deji La Ray.
Note:
Imdb 8.4 out of 10 with 35,771 , Rotten Tomatoes 83% critic 90%
audience, Metacritic 71 out of 100 with 17 critics (14 positive, 3
mixed) 8.2 out of 10 with 109 user scores (91 positive, mixed 14,
negative 4), Amazon 4.6 out of 5* with 101,326 ratings, ign.com 4* out
of 5* Matt Fowler.
Special
Note: Filmed in In Los Angeles, California. Some of the filming was
done inside the LAPD Hollywood Station (1358 Wilcox Avenue). The scenes were done late in the day after most of the detectives had
left. Various off-duty police volunteered their time to play extras.
Bosch has prints hanging on his wall based on fictional films of the
Harry Bosch books. Bosch's partner Jerry Edgar is depicted as having
something of a clothes fetish and this is the opposite of Bosch. He is
heavily into designer fashion. In reality, Jamie Hector has his own
fashion label called "Royal Addiction". The name Bosch is from a
fifteenth century Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. The last name in
Dutch would be pronounced more like Box and not with a prolonged schh
sound.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Written on the Wind 1956
Mitch Wayne works for Hadley Oil
Company in 1955. Kyle Hadley is his boss and they have always been best
friends. Playboy Kyle Hadley is an alcoholic and he marries a woman recently hired by his company. Kyle doesn't know that his best
friend is also in love with Lucy Moore. Lucy has been good for Kyle and
he has stopped drinking plus seeing other women. Kyle asks the local
doctor why Lucy isn't pregnant? Doctor Cochrane tells Kyle there isn't
anything wrong with Lucy. Doctor Cochrane finds out that it is Kyle
that has a problem. Kyle changes back the boozing person he was
before. Lucy finds out that she is pregnant and Kyle believes the baby
is Mitch's baby. He hits Lucy and she loses the baby and it is really Kyle's
baby!!
Sometimes being
the wealthiest people in town doesn't save you from problems. Kyle
turns himself around but only for a while. His sister Marylee is in
love with Mitch but he can't see anything but the bad in her. She has a
reputation at home and in the town. She thinks Mitch will become
jealous of her other men and love her. She made too many mistakes for
that!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
99
min, Drama directed by Douglas Sirk with Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall,
Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone, Robert Keith, Grant Williams, Robert J.
Wilke, Edward Platt, Harry Shannon, John Larch, Joseph Granby, Roy
Glenn, Maidie Norman, William Schallert, Joanne Jordan.
Note:
Roger Ebert 4*, Rotten Tomatoes 81% critic 75% audience,
efilmcritic.com 5*, Imdb 7.4 out of 10 with 9250 reviews, Amazon 4.3*
out of 5* with 95 reviews, Letterboxd average 3.** out of 5*, Metacritic
66 out of 100 with 14 critics (9 positive 5 mixed) 6.4 out of 10 with
11 user reviews (4 positive 6 mixed 1 negative).
Waterloo Bridge 1940
In the beginning of WWII, a British Officer visits
Waterloo Bridge and he thinks about how young he was at the beginning of
WWI. He met a young ballerina just before he left for the front. They
tried to marry before he left but his leaving was changed to an earlier
date. Myra and Roy fell in love immediately and she raced to see Roy off at the train. Just was just able to wave goodbye. When she missed the
performance, Madam Olga Kirowa fired Myra and also her friend Kitty when she
stood up for Myra. Now they don't have jobs, they can't get jobs and
how will they eat plus pay the rent? Myra goes to a tea shop to meet
with Roy's mother. His mother is late and Myra reads in the paper that
Roy is dead. The meeting with Lady Margaret does not go well and Myra
is nearly incapacitated by the news. She can't possible tell the news
to Lady Margaret. Myra and Kitty meet men in the evenings and that is
how they eat and pay the rent. Suddenly, the war is over and Roy has
returned!! He wasn't dead after all but just wounded. Myra doesn't
know what to tell him or what to say. She goes with Roy to his family
home and she decides she can't tell Roy and she can't marry him either.
There is another film with the same plot and title from 1931 with
Mae Clarke, Douglass Montgomery and Doris Lloyd. I saw this film first
and I was very moved by the story. I wanted to see which film
was better? I think this version is better because of the acting of
Leigh and Taylor? In February Leigh's marriage to Leigh Holman ended in
divorce. She married Laurence Olivier after he was divorced from Jill
Esmond. In 1945, Vivian's life began to unravel. She had two
miscarriages, contracted tuberculosis and was diagnosed as a manic
depressive. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that can spread from person to person through microscopic droplets released into the air. It takes six months of treatment to be cured of tuberculosis. The first reliable treatment was used in 1945. Leigh had a nervous breakdown in January, 1958. Her final
film was a small part in Ship of Fools 1965 and she died at the age of
53 after a severe bout of tuberculosis on July 7, 1967.
108
min, Drama directed by Mervyn LeRoy with Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor,
Lucile Watson, Virginia Field, Maria Ouspenskaya, C. Aubrey Smith, Janet
Shaw, Janet Waldo, Steffi Duna, Virginia Carroll, Leda Nicova, Florence
Baker, Margery Manning, Frances MacInerney, Eleanor Stewart.
Note:
Rotten Tomatoes 80% critic 89, Letterboxd average 3.7* out of 5*,
Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 162 reviews, Imdb 7.8* out of 10* with 8265
reviews, silverpetticoatreview.com 5* and romance 4*, timeout.com 5*,
vivandlarry.com A rating.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Enter Nowhere 2011
Three strangers arrive one by one to a mysterious cabin in the
middle of nowhere. They don't know each other and they have never met
before but each has experienced a recent life-altering event. Jody
and her boyfriend Kevin rob a convenience store. Jody holds a gun to
the cashier's head and she demands that he open the safe. He tells her
that he will do so but he doesn't believe she can handle what is
inside? She shoots him and in the next instant she is at the cabin?
She learns that Tom was the first person to arrive and he had a car
accident. Also, at the cabin is
Samantha, she was with her husband and the car ran out of gas. He went
to get gas but he hasn't come back? The three people start to get on each other's nerves!!
Then they learn that Samantha thinks it is 1962, Jody thinks it is 1985
and Tom thinks it is 2011. They walk for a long distance to get away
from the cabin but soon they realize they are right back at the cabin? As
they are trying to figure out what is going on, they see someone
outside? It is Hans and he is a German soldier. He thinks WWII is
still going on and he wants to kill the other three people!! Samantha
can speak some German and they begin to sort out what is really going
on.
It took me a while to
understand the most important point of this film. It’s probably better if you figure it out as you go along
like the characters are doing.
Even though some of the reviews below refer to this as a horror movie, I
didn’t find that to be the genre?
I would say it is more of a psychological thriller. 3 ½* (I liked this movie)
90
min, mystery directed by Jack Heller with Katherine Waterston, Scott
Eastwood, Sara Paxton, Shaun Sipos, Christopher Denham, Jesse Perez,
Leigh Lezark, Vic Finalborgo.
Note: Imdb 6.5 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 50%
audience, Horrornews.net 4* out of 5*, Horrorphilia.com 7* out of 10*, Myfavoritehorror.com
5 ½*, Letterboxd average 3* out of 5*.
Special
Note: Scott Eastwood is the adult
son of Clint Eastwood, Katherine Waterston is Sam Waterston’s daughter and Sara
Paxton is related to Bill Paxton.
Tom lights the fire in the stove at the cabin and you can see the date
on the paper is November 21, 2011. This film was released October 22, 2011 at Screamfest
Film Festival and the premiere of the DVD was 3 April 2012.
Monday, November 4, 2019
The Widow 2019
Georgia Wells
believes her husband Will died in a plane crash three years ago until she sees
a news picture of him with another man.
This man is wearing the same orange ball cap? She flies to the Congo to find out if he is still
alive. Supposedly, there was only one
woman survivor but there is also a man who survived. He had kidney damage and one kidney was removed, four broken
ribs plus his eyes were damaged and he’s blind. There are flashbacks to Georgia’s life with Will. This is not a very good time to travel
to the Congo because of civil unrest.
Is it possible Will faked his own death?
I thought this series
was interesting and good. There
are other themes going along with the main story about Georgia. I would really need to think about
going to any part of the Congo!! I
would probably send a detective or another representative instead of going
myself? Probably 50% of the
population is carrying automatic weapons!! You would need to have a guide and know how to take care of
yourself as well. 4* (I really liked
this series)
TV Series, each episode 1
hour, 8 episodes, created and written by Harry and Jack Williams with Kate
Beckinsale, Charles Dance, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Alex Kingston, Bart Fouiche, Matthew
Le Nevez, Shalom Nyandiko,
Babs Olusanmokun, Reginal Kudiwu, Luiana Bonfim, Matthew Gravelle, Louise
Brealey, Balindile ka Ngcobo, Yoli Fuller.
Note: Imdb 6.9 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 59%
critic, Amazon 3.6* out of 5* with 1581 ratings, Metacritic 66 out of 100 (6
positive, 2 mixed), Letterboxd average 5*.
Special
Note: Filmed in South Africa,
Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wales, UK.
Kate Beckinsale and Charles Dance acted together in the Underworld movie
series. Beckinsale was married to
the director Len Wiseman but they divorced.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Blue Steel 1934
Sheriff Jake sees a man at the safe and when Jake goes downstairs, he
sees the safe is open and the payroll is gone. Of course, he believes
the man he saw took the money. Jake trails the man and just as he about
to arrest him, the man saves his life? He's still suspicious but he
joins up with the man. Jake finds out that another man stole the payroll money. Later, they learn that Melgrove, the towns leading
citizen is trying to take over the area's ranches by having his gang
stop all incoming supply wagons. The ranchers are about ready to sell
their properties to Melgrove. Two men new to the town say they will
bring in the provisions. Melgrove can't show how unhappy he is about
this turn of events!!
John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison May 26, 1907 and he died June
11, 1979. Professionally he was known as John Wayne and nicknamed
Duke. He was born in Winterset Iowa but grew up in Southern
California. His first jobs were at local film studios. He received a
football scholarship to the University of Southern California but he
didn't receive it. He was turned down after a body surfing accident.
He began working for the Fox Film Corporation. In the beginning, he
appeared in small parts but his first leading role came in Raoul Walsh's
Western The Big Trail 1930. This was an early widescreen film epic and
it was a box-office failure. He landed leading roles in numerous B
movies during the 1930's and most of them were westerns. John Ford's film
Stagecoach 1939 made him an instant mainstream star and he acted in 142
motion pictures. I thought this film was good and especially since
Wayne is 27 years old, young, slim and handsome!! He has the best horse too!! 3 1/2*
(I liked this movie)
52
min, Action directed and written by Robert N. Bradbury with John Wayne,
Eleanor Hunt, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Edward Peil SR., Yakima Canutt,
Lafe McKee, George Cleveland, Earl Dwire.
Note:
Imdb 5.4* out of 10*, Rotten Tomatoes 36% critic, Letterboxd average
2.6* out of 5*, Amazon 3.9* out of 5* with 45 reviews.
Special
Note: The earliest documented telecasts of this film took place in
Cincinnati on Monday the 19th of September 1949. There is a mistake,
five bandits attack Betty Mason and her father and the mule train. Only
three bandits pursue them across the plain? About 45 minutes after
Carruthers and the Sheriff are leaving with the wagon, power lines are
visible in the background? Filmed in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine; Trem
Carr Ranch, Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall; Walker Ranch, Newhall; Santa Clarita; Big Pines; General
Service Studios, Las Plamas, Hollywood; Kernville, California.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
A Very English Scandal 2018
This film is based on
a true story known as the 1976-1979 Jeremy Thorpe scandal and also on a novel
by John Preston. During the time
period of this film the Government in the UK banned homosexual affairs. Liberal MP and later Liberal Party
leader Jeremy Thorpe meets 21-year-old stable boy Norman Scott and they begin a
relationship. Jeremy tries to keep
everything secret but when they break up, Norman writes a letter to Jeremy’s
mother and Jeremy still lives with his mother. Jeremy also wrote many letters to Norman. Jeremy thought none of this would
ever become public even though the police had a copy on file of one of the
letters? What lets the cat out of
the bag is Norman keeps asking Jeremy for his National Insurance card? Without this card, Norman can’t receive
public healthcare and financial assistance.
Jeremy persuades some of his male friends to kill Normal so he won't bother him anymore. He's going to pay them and they come of with a plan. Everything goes wrong and the reason
for this is that the men don’t have one good brain between all of them? Norman learns he is in danger and he
immediately reports the crime to the police. He tells the authorities that he is convinced the plan was
paid for and initiated by Jeremy Thorpe?
This is a very interesting plot and much of it goes into the
“unbelievable” category but it is based on a true story? 3 ½* (I liked this series)
TV
Mini-Series, Bio, three hours in length, each episode one hour, written by
Russell T. Davies and directed by Stephen Frears with Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw,
Alex Jennings, Patricia Hodge, Paul Hilton, Naomi Battrick, Andrew French,
Morgan Watkins, Monica Dolan,m Jason Watkins, Blake Harrison, Alice Orr-Ewing,
Flora Montgomery, Michele Dotrice, Nick Malinowski, Rhys Parry Jones, Dyfan
Dwyfor, Caleb Roberts, Marianne Oldham, Arabella Neale.
Note: Imdb 7.8 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 97%
critic with 68 reviews, The Guardian 5* Lucy Mangan, Amazon 5* with 5 ratings, Letterboxd
average 3.8*, Metacritic 84 out of 100 with 17 critics (16 positive, 1 mixed).
Friday, November 1, 2019
The Best of Enemies 2019
This film is inspired by true events recorded in the
novel The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha
Gray Davidson. The time period is 1971, Ann Atwater is a civil rights
activist in her town of Durham, North Carolina. Ann is opposed in her
views by C.P. Ellis, he is Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan. The
subject is the issue of school integration. The school where the black
children attend catches fire and the town will vote on these children
attending the school where the white children go. Bill Riddick sets up
a meeting with Ann and C.P. Bill wants to oversee charettes. If Ann
and C.P. agree, there will be meetings to discuss segregation and other
important issues. Random people are selected from a group of the town
residents to serve on a panel to vote on the issues at the end of the
meetings. C.P. is sure he already knows how he feels about this
issue!! Ann thinks there isn't any way to change C.P.'s mind!! Some of
the people on the panel are pressured about how they will vote by
members of the Klan.
The panel votes on all the
of the selected issues and the last vote is the vote for integration.
Both sides are at opposite ends of the spectrum on their votes!!
Things begin to happen in the town other than the pressure from the
Klan. C.P. has a son with Down's Syndrome and he needs help at the home
where he is living. Is there a chance someone in the town will help C.P. Could be? Is there any way that Bill can get agreements from the
panel to settle these issues? Racism and segregation cause severe harm
to America's black citizens. Their textbooks were older and less are
provided to the students than at the white schools. As a result, the black students are receiving a less valuable education. This would usually cause them
to receive offers from lower paying jobs and probably changing the
course of their lives. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
133
min, Bio directed by Robin Bissel, written by Robin Bissel and Osha
Gray Davidson with Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell, Babou Ceesay, Anne
Heche, Wes Bently, Nick Searcy, Bruce McGill, John Gallagher Jr.,
Nicholas Logan, Gilbert Glenn Brown, Caitlin Mehner, Dolan Wilson,
Morgan Makey, Kendall Ryan Sanders, Chris Cavalier.
Note:
Imdb 7 out of 10, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 58 reviews, Rotten
Tomatoes 54% critic 76% audience, Roger Ebert 1/2* Odie Henderson (too
much emphasis on the Klan), Indie Wire Grade B-, Letterboxd average
3.1*, Metacritic 49 out of 100 with 25 critics (11 positive, 9 mixed, 5
negative) 6.1 out of 10 user score (10 positive, 4 mixed, 4 negative),
Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen age 12+ 2* out of 5*, 3* positive,
3* role, 2* violence, 1* sex, 4* language, 2* consumerism, 2* drinking,
drugs & smoking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)