Brittany Runs A Marathon 2019

    This film is based on the real story of Brittany O'Neill.  She is a writer and Director Paul Downs Colaizzo’s friend and former roommate.  She began a similar journey toward better health in her late 20’s.  Brittany Forgleris is 27 years old and she lives in New York.  She’s everyone’s best friend but she’s not a best friend to herself.  She goes to a new doctor and the reason for her visit is to try to get a prescription for Adderall.  This is a combination medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD.  The doctor advises Brittany to get healthy.  She needs to lose weight, lower her BMI, blood pressure and blood sugar.  Brittany is too broke to join a gym and she’s too proud to ask for help.  Brittany doesn’t know what she’s going to do until she starts a conversation with her neighbor Catherine.  Brittany can join the running club that Catherine belongs to and she can start by running one block.  Brittany decides she’s going to start running and this decision leads to another decision.  She sets a goal to run the New York City Marathon!!
     This film was a LOT better than I thought it would be!!  You can see the muscles coming on and the weight coming off of Brittany’s body.  Jillian Bell actually lost 40 pounds during filming just like Brittany.  Jillian Bell worked with a marathon trainer to help her figure out how her running style would look and to evolve throughout the film.  She goes from a novice to an experienced runner training for a long distance run.  There is a set back when Brittany over trains and she gets a stress fracture.  There are positive messages when characters change slowly over time and they learn how to be kinder to others and to themselves.  The characters make mistakes, they are relatable, and they try to succeed at doing better.  There is courage, perseverance and self-control.  5* (I really liked this movie)     
104 min, Comedy directed and written by Paul Downs Colaizzo with Jillian Bell, Jennifer Dunda, Patch Darragh, Alice Lee, Erica Hernandez, Max Pava, Michaela Watkins, Adam Sietz, Dan Bittner, Mikey Day, Lil Red Howery, Kate Arrington, Beth Malone, Micah Stock, Esteban Benito.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 89% with 175 critics 87% audience with 1338 ratings, Roger Ebert 3* Monica Castillo, The Washington Post 3* out of 4* Ann Hornaday, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Cath Clarke, Letterboxd 3.3*, Metacritic 72 out of 100 with 33 critics (24 positive, 8 mixed, 1 negative) 5.6 out of 10 (16 positive, 7 mixed, 8 negative), Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 1172 reviews, Common Sense Media Joyce Slaton, 5*, age 15+, 3* positive, 3* role models, 4* sex, 4* language, 4* drinking, drugs, smoking.

Special Note:  The cast and crew actually got to film at the New York city Marathon and this is the first time a non-documentary film crew has been allowed to shoot there.  During filming, many of the runners thought that Jillian Bell was really running and it was being filmed as part of a documentary.  Several times other runners stopped to help her during the more difficult scenes.  She didn’t have the heart to explain she wasn’t actually running the Marathon!! 

Les Cowboys 2015

     The time period of this film is 1995.  Alain and his wife Nicole have a son Georges and a daughter Kelly.  Alain is an aspiring country singer and the family attends festivals with American western dancing and singing.  While at an event without Kelly, the family learns that their sixteen-year-old daughter is missing.  She has been taken by her Muslim boyfriend that they know nothing about.  Alain is furious and desperate to find Kelly.  Alain contacts local authorities but they are very ambivalent about helping the family?  He receives a letter from Kelly saying she is okay and she wants to be left alone?  Alain is accompanied by his son Georges (he really doesn’t want to go on these trips) and they travel long distances for several years to locate Kelly.  She was not found in Syria and Yemen.  They find themselves to be always one step behind the Muslim people who have Kelly.  Over time, Georges decides he can’t do the traveling anymore and Alain goes alone.  Later, Georges continues the quest on his own without Alain.  During all this time, the mother Nicole has been the only family member to move on with her life?
     I found it interesting in this film how the action of one family member changes everything for the other family members!!  The only one seemingly able to cope is Nicole, the wife and mother.  I would have thought that she would be the one most upset?  All along, Alain is assuming that Kelly has been kidnapped against her will?  Even after receiving the letter, he still can’t believe the truth that Kelly left on her own?  Possibly, Nicole and Georges but not Alain may think that their disapproval doesn’t matter because Kelly went willingly with her boyfriend?  The one aspect of this movie that doesn’t seem to add up for me is why is John C. Riley in this film as L’Americain??   3 1/2* (I liked this movie)   
 
104 min, Drama directed by Thomas Bidegain and written by Laurent Abitbol, Thomas Bidegain and Noe Debre with Francois Damiens, Finnegan Oldfield, Agathe Cronne, Ellora Torchia, Antoine Chappey, Maxim Driesen, Jean-Louis Coulloc’h, Gilles Treton, Francis Leplay, Djemel Barek, Mounir Margoum, Leila Saadali, Laure Calamy, Antoine Regent, Ilianna Zabeth.

Note:  Imdb 6.7 out of 1855 views, Roger Ebert 1 1/2* out of 5* review by Glenn Kenny, Rotten Tomatoes 82% with 45 critics 70% audience with 300 ratings, RollingStone 3* out of 4* Peter Travers, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Leslie Felperin.

Special Note:  Filmed in Rhone-Alpes, France; Udaipur, Rajasthan, India; Antwerp & Brussels, Belgium.  Francois Damiens plays Alain Balland and this role is similar to the role of Sacha in Gare Du Nord of 2013.  There is a mistake in the scenes of the 9/11 attacks in America.  A reporter states that the Department of Homeland Security is in a panic because of the attacks?  This Department did not exist on 9/11 but was created in November 25, 2002.  In the review by Glenn Kenny on the Roger Ebert web site he states:  “This film has been pushed as a variation of the John Ford film The Searcher.  I believe the invited comparison is pretty ill-advised?”

The Cave 2019

     The setting of this film is in Director Feras Fayyad’s native war torn Syria from 2016 to 2018.  He is following a dedicated team of doctors.  They tirelessly treat casualties in an underground hospital.  The women are also battling systemic sexism just because they are women??  The setting of the underground hospital seems like a subterranean landscape like the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max 1979.  Life is too dangerous above ground and there is a network of secret tunnels under the city of Ghouta near Damascus.  The heart of the film is pediatrician Dr. Amani.  She is a young Syrian woman operating in unimaginable conditions.  She has great humor and fortitude. 
     Many people in Syria have been driven from their homes by relentless bombings by their own military and outside forces such as Russia.  There is a calm in the tunnel because there is nowhere else left to run feeling.  The Cave is actually a lighthouse for those in need above and below the city’s war-torn surface.  Unfortunately, the hospital supplies and staff dwindle and the city survivors face endless threats from airstrikes and starvation.  Dr. Amani Ballour stays calm when she is berated by sexist men for not staying at home to be a mother.  He believes he could get medication in the town if a male doctor had written the prescription?  Dr. Ballour has real problems to solve and she doesn’t have time for negative chit-chat!!  Samaher is a nurse and she seems to be able to help with doing everything.  Surgeries and cooking meals out of limited rations.  Many of the stories told in The Cave and also Last Men in Aleppo are about events happening in this war that never reach the news.
     There are many people of all ages coming to the hospital for treatment.  Everything is in short supply and some things are completely gone.  Children and adults need treatment for shell fragments, chemical burns and malnutrition.  The children can go all day without having anything to eat?  The hospital staff is happy to eat salad and popcorn.  You can see the injuries and pain of the people and also of the hospital staff.  How long will the hospital be in one piece and able to provide treatment?  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)  
    
107 min, Documentary directed by Feras Fayyad and written by Alisar Hasan and Feras Fayyad with Amani Ballour and Salim Namour.

Note:  Imdb 8.1 out of 10 with 362 views, Rotten Tomatoes 96% out of 100 with 56 critics.  Roger Ebert 3 1/2* out of 4* Monica Castillo, Amazon 5* with 4 reviews, Metacritic 83 out of 100 with 21 critics (19 positive, 2 mixed) 6.3 out of 10 with (5 positive 3 negative).

Special Note:  Filmed in Syria.  This film was shortlisted for the Documentary Feature Oscar but Director Feras Fayyad was denied a visa to the US to attend any events to promote his film??  This is a follow-up to the documentary Last Men in Aleppo.

Syrian Conflict:  The war in Syria began on 15 March 2011 with demonstrations called the Arab Spring.  The protestors demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad.  In 2013, Hesbollah entered the war in support of the Syrian army.  Russia has supported the Bashar al-Assad government of Syria since 2011, politically, military aid and direct military involvement since September 2015.  As a result of the conflict there is terrorism, violence, civil unrest, kidnapping, use of chemical warfare, bombardment by war planes in the air and armed conflict.  On 14 April 2018, the US, France and the UK carried out a series of military strikes with aircraft and ship-based missiles against multiple government sites in Syria.        

Blue Caprice 2013

     The setting of this film is the Beltway Highway on the East Coast in 2002.  An abandoned boy is brought to America and he is drawn into the shadow of a dangerous father figure.  They were the two people involved in the Beltway sniper attacks.  Ten people were killed and three people were wounded in the Washington, D.C. area and parts of Virginia.  They were described as mass murderers but their sustained, long-term viciousness marked them as serial killers.  The shooters left Tarot cards at certain crime scenes with messages.  Some had the message, “For you Mr. Police” and “Code: ‘Call me God’” and “Do not release to the press.”  For a long time, authorities and the media assumed they were looking for one person as the killer.  It was also thought he was a white man?  These misconceptions were not cleared up until after John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were arrested.
     Muhammad and Malvo met in Antigua and Lee became a surrogate son to Muhammad because his mother left him.  John Allen was obsessed with killing his estranged wife Mildred.  She had a restraining order against him and he couldn’t see their three children.  At one time, he too the children to Antigua without Mildred’s permission and she was the custodial parent.  Supposedly, the real motive for the shootings was to provide an elaborate cover for murdering Mildred?  Initially Malvo took credit for being the trigger man in every killing.  But, he was protecting Muhammad.  He thought he would not be put to death as a minor but it was possible Muhammad would get the death penalty?  Muhammad also had Matrix style fantasies of humankind toiling under the yoke of an evil machine with overlords.  He had vague future plans to kill a policeman, bomb more police at a victim’s funeral, extort money from the U.S. Government and train other fatherless boys to fight The System.  I had seen this film before but I didn’t remember very much about it?  I do remember the headlines in the newspapers and the fear by the public of being killed randomly.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

93 min, Bio directed by Alexandre Moors and written by R.F.I. Porto and Alexandre Moors with Tequan Richmond, April Yvette Thompson, Isaiah Washington, Abner Exposito, Raul and Laura Aquino, Cassandra Freeman, J.W. Cortes, Maul Donte Davis, Nick Soviecke, Margaret Horning.

Note:  Imdb 6 out of 10 with 5,326 views, Rotten Tomatoes 83% with 83 critics 51% audience with 7,248 ratings, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* Matt Zoller Seitz, RollingStone 3 1/2* Peter Travers, Metacritic 76 out of 100 with 25 critics (positive 20, mixed 5, negative 0), 6.9 out of 10 (positive 21, mixed 6, negative 2), Slant Magazine 3 1/2* out of 4* Thomas Hachard, Amazon 3.2* of 5*.

Special Note:  There is a mistake when Lee is walking towards the Army recruiter.  A Lexus RX SUV is seen but the film takes place in 2001 and this model was not produced before 2003.  This Caprice model sometimes had and then sometimes didn’t have a wheel cover on the front left wheel?  When the Caprice is driving towards Washington DC, it has a different license plate number than during the rest of the film?  The Caprice was modified by Muhammad to have a cutout in the backseat for a rifle barrel to be inserted through the opening.  It was large enough for the shooter to see the intended victims.   

The Wind and the Lion 1975

     I have seen this movie before but I forgot about that when I selected this to watch.  This story is based on a historical incident involving the kidnapping of Ion Perdicaris.  She’s an American expatriate living in Tangier.  Ion is a man in the incident but the story was changed with Ion as a woman for this movie.  Another change is in an American attack on the Bashaw’s palace in Tangier. Two children and the battle between the American and German forces were all invented by Director John Milius.  The setting is the beginning of the 20th century.  An American woman is abducted in Morocco by Berbers.  The Berbers are a group of indigenous people of North Africa.  The majority of Berbers are settled farmers or migrant workers.  Today some Berbers identify as Arabized Berbers and they live in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia Northern Mali and Northern Niger.  The attempts to free Ion range from diplomatic pressure to military intervention.
     The Marines began as the dominant power when they marched in but then they are outnumbered after Raisuli is captured?  The scene shows how unexpected their arrival was and how fast they move.  This is because they came in unopposed and no one was expecting them.  Even the American Ambassador was not informed they would arrive?  In this time period, the US was far from a world power despite the Spanish American War and our presence in China.  Even so, we dared to play the imperial game the way the British or French would!!  Actually, the entire business of the rescue is fiction and not historically accurate.  American Consul Pedicaris wasn’t an American, he was British.  This is common because America didn’t always have a presence in places where a consul was needed.  The leaders are are acting in a manner reflecting only their personal agendas and not the attitudes of the world at large?  3* (This movie is OK)

119 min, Action directed and written by John Milius with Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, John Huston, Geoffrey Lewis, Steve Kanaly, Vladek Sheybal, Nadim Sawalha, Roy Jenson, Deborah Baxter, Jack Cooley, Chris Aller, Simon Harrison, Polly Gottesman, Antoine Saint-John.

Note:  Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 7,741 views, Rotten Tomatoes 63% with 16 critics 70% audience with 4,901 user ratings, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 359 reviews, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Real Alcazar, Seveill, Andalucia, Madrid, Huelva, Spain.  A list of BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, in charge of ratings from universal (age 4+ and 18 adults only) requests to remove horse falls caused Director Milius to withdraw this movie from an intended UK video release in 1990.  He claimed that no animal cruelty had taken place concerning horses?  His claim was supported by stuntman Terry Leonard.  Milius threatened to sue the BBFC for besmirching his professional reputation?  Twenty U.S. Marines were using in the making of this movie and several Special Forces troops came from the Spanish Army.  The military scenes are used as training films for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee 2007

     This film is based on a nonfiction book by Dee Brown and it’s a historic chronicle explaining how Native Americans were displaced as the United States expanded west.  The time setting is the 1880’s after the U.S. Army’s defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.  The U.S. government continues to push Sioux Indians off their land.  Senator Henry Dawes introduced legislation to protect the rights of Native Americans.  Elaine Goodale is a school teacher in South Dakota.  She joined the Sioux natives and Western-educated Santee Daota tribe member Dr. Charles Eastman in working with this tribe. Lakota Chief Sitting Bull refuses give in to mounting government pressure.
     This film shows what happened to the Indians and how their land was stolen from them.  Charles Eastman studied medicine and returned to help the Indian people.  When he saw what the westward expansion was doing to his people, he tried to get Henry Dawes to listen to what he has to say.  Dawes was an attorney and politician, a Republican US Senator and US Representative from Massachusetts.  Shown in this film are two intense massacre scenes.  One at the Little Big Horn with the Indians killing killing people and the other at Wounded Knee with the white people killing Indians.  Women and children also die in the massacre and from epidemics due to diseases.  The school house environment for the Indian children is bleak and oppressive.  There are educational moments about this history.  There were peace treaties but they were largely broken and rewritten because of greed for railroad and mining territory by the white people.  Even Siting Bull became weary of the battles and casualties.  He turns in his rifle and moves to the reservation.  Charles Eastman was appalled by the poverty, lack of purpose, deadly fever epidemics and restlessness shown by the Indians and this finally lead to the incident at Wounded Knee.   3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
   
133 min, TV Drama directed by Yves Simoneau and written by Daniel Giat with Anna Paquin, Chavez Ezaneh, August Schellenberg, Duane Howard, Aidan Quinn, Colm Feore, Fred Dalton Thompson, Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, Wayne Charles Baker, Brian Stollery, Shaun Johnston, Gordon Tootoosis, Billy Merasty, Morris Birdyellowhead, Eddie Spears.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10 with 5,751 views, Rotten Tomatoes 78% audience with 3,813 scores, Common Sense Media Charles Cassady Jr. age 14+, 3* out of 5*, 3* positive, 3* role models, 3* violence, 3* language, 1* drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 1511 ratings, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*. 

Special Note:  Filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  This film was originally developed in 1995 as a two-part miniseries for ABC.  August Schellenberg previously played Sitting Bull in Witness to Yesterday 1973 and Crazy Horse 1996.  After an Oscar rejection speech by Sacheen Littlefeather, Marin Scorsese approached Marlon Brando about starring in this film.  They worked on a script for several months but the it wasn’t completed.  Several scenes were filmed at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald and the Alberta Legislature building in Edmonton, Alberta.  

Awards:  Outstanding Made for Television Movie, Cinematography, Single-Camera Picture Editing, Makeup for Miniseries, Sound Editing, Single Camera Sound Mixing.

Unfinished Sky 2007

     This film is based on a screenplay titled De Poolse Bruid by Kees van der Hulst.  John Woldring is a very honest Australian Outback sheep-farmer and he leads an isolated life.  It’s just John and his dog Elvis on the farm.  One night an exotic looking woman turns up at the farm.  She has been running barefooted, she’s bruised and bleeding plus she’s very dirty from the running.  She can’t explain what has happened to her.  She doesn’t speak English and she’s extremely frightened!!  Grumpily, John takes her into his home but he feels he doesn’t have a choice.  She needs help and probably has no other place to go?  He learns over time that she’s an Afghan refugee.  She is looking for her other illegally emigrated relatives.   John tries to help her with the language and he buys children’s books for her to read.  John was married before but his wife died and he lets Tahmeena wear her clothes since she has nothing of her own to wear.  Thameena and her relatives were brought to Australia by human traffickers and they are probably looking for her?
     It’s very tragic what has happened to Thameena and her relatives.  Her daughter Shahla has also been taken somewhere in Australia but she doesn’t know where is is?  John is also trying to help Thameena find her daughter but she becomes almost suicidal when their first contact is not with her people and her daughter isn’t there.  John learns that Thameena had escaped from virtual imprisonment at a local tavern.  It at the travern that Thameena was beaten.  As time goes by, John learns more about what happened to Thameena and that she is still in danger from the traffickers.  They don't want anyone to learn what they have been doing and try to stop them.  What they are doing is illegal but it their business??
3 1/2* (I liked this movie)   

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10 with 930 views, Rotten Tomatoes 90% critic with 10 reviews 82% audience with 612 ratings, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 33 reviews,  eyeforfilm.co.uk 2 1/2* out of 5*, themoviedb.org 65% user score.

94 min, Drama directed and written by Peter Duncan with William McInnes, Monic Hendrickx, Milo (John's dog), Bille Brown, Christopher Sommers, David Field, Sam Cotton, Kristina Andersen, Renai Caruso, Zulaikha Deen, Scott McRae, Roy Billing, Mercia Deane-Johns, Philippa Coulthard, Hannah Cocker.

Special Note:  Filmed in Queensland, Australia.  This film is a remake of another film titled The Polish Bride 1998.  The title refers to a puzzle John had been working on with all blue pieces except for some white clouds at the top.  Thameena started helping John with the puzzle but the sky is unfinished.  Elvis is an Australian cattle dog.  This breed of dog is extremely alert and intelligent plus loyal to their owners.  They are wary of strangers and they bark to alert their owners.  They are energetic and not suited for apartment or small space living.  They thrive when they are given work to do.  I have met some of these dogs in my neighborhood and they can try to dominate other dogs in passing. 
 

The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky 1995

     Legendary veteran Montana ranger Bill Bell teaches young ranger Mac about the great forces of nature.  Mac is also learning honor, trust and integrity.  The year is 1919 and this was a time when being a ranger meant more than a job operating expensive equipment.  Forest fires were fought with guts and courage and without chemicals and airplanes.  Bill Bell was the toughest ranger in an elite crew of very rugged men.  Mac does everything to remain in the good graces of Bell.  Working together grows into a friendship with hilarious and heroic rites of passage.  One of the crew members is Hawkes and he is a professional gambler and card shark plus he's an expert at manipulating a deck of cards.  Only Bill knows about the skill Hawkes has with cards. 
   The wilderness and its beauty are emphasized with arduous hiking, camping. forest work and relationships.  Sometimes Mac is jealous of Bill and it makes him grumpy.  Sometimes he just wants to argue with Bill.  Mac is supposed to help the cook but he always wonders why Hawkes will never play cards with the other men?  Hawkes only says that he never plays cards with the crew?  There are dangers out here in the forest.  Snakes, heavy rain, strong winds, the use of dynamite, loneliness and also the possibility of fires.  4* (I really liked this movie)
 
Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10 with 481 views, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 71 reviews, dove.org 1* sex (romantic kissing), 2* violence (a fight in a bar), 2* drugs (smoking and drinking), other (card playing for money) 1*.

94 min, TV Western directed by John Kent Harrison and written by Norman Maclean and Robert Wayne with Sam Elliott, Jerry O’Connell, Ricky Jay, Molly Parker, Don S. Davis, Robert Wisen, Michael Tayles, Tom Butler, Jay Brazeau, Callum Keith Rennie, A.C. Peterson, Campbell Lane, Frank Cassini.  

Special Note:  Filmed in British Columbia, Canada.  In real life, Ricky Jay in the role of Hawkes is a professional magician and he specializes in card tricks.

Yesterday 2019

     The setting of this film is in Lowestoft UK.  Jack Malik is a frustrated musician and his musical career is going nowhere.  His friend/manager Ellie Appleton has plenty of faith in him and his music.  The one night that Jack decides to give up, the whole world is momentarily hit with a massive power blackout and Jack is hit by a bus??  When he regains consciousness, Jack learns that he is the only one who knows the music of the Beatles?  He also sees that three of his front teeth are knocked out!!  This is an unexpected and improbable opportunity!!  Jack begins playing the music and claiming it as his own.  He becomes a worldwide musical sensation.  Jack finds himself drifting away from Ellie?  He finally realizes his love for her but she has come intimidated by his success??  Jack will need to make a fundamental moral decision about his music to satisfy his conscience and decide what he truly needs!!  He will also need to decide about Ellie and their future!!
     This film is a comedy with fantasy elements added.  In reality, could this ever really happen??  There is a romance with Ellie that builds over time after Jack’s bus accident.  Then, it stalls at one point because they both agree they don’t want to begin a romance if they aren’t ready to get serious.  There is a diverse cast with different races, ethnicity and class.  Women and black people also have strong central roles.  The characters make mistakes but they are thoughtful and respectful.  There are clear messages of integrity and courage.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)   
 
116 min, Comedy directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, Jack Barth with Himesh Patel, Lily James, Sophia Di Martino, Ellise Chappell, Meera Syal, Harry MIchell, Vincent Franklin, Joel Fry, Michael Kiwanuka, KIarma Sood, Gus Brown, Sanjeev, Bhaskar, Karl Theobald, Alexander Arnold, Dominic Coleman.

Note:  Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 74,258 views, Rotten Tomatoes 63% with 335 critics 89% audience with 14,664 ratings, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* Sheila O’Malley, RollingStone 3 1/2* out of 5* Peter Travers, EmpireOnline 4* Helen O’Hara, Letterboxd 3* out of 5*, Metacritic 55 out of 100 with 45 critics (22 positive 22 mixed, negative 1) 6.3 out of 10 user score (89 positive 52 mixed, 22 negative), Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 5412 reviews, Common Sense Media 4* out of 5* Joyce Slaton, Age 13+, 3* positive, 3* role models, 2* violence, 2* sex, 3* language, 1* consumerism, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking.

Special Note:  Filmed in Liverpool, Norfolk, Suffolk, Great Yarmouth, Reading, Essex, Woodbridge; Cardiff, Wales; Moscow, Russia; Los Angeles, California.  Himesh Patel did all his own singing and guitar playing.  The Beatles had zero input creatively except for the approval of their music being used in the film.  Some of the characters share their names with the Beatles songs. Rocky Raccon, Eleanor Rigby, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.  The flight attendant on Ed Sheeran’s private jet was actually his wife Cherry Seaborn. 

James May: Our Man in Japan 2020

     With a filming crew and a one man mission, James May has set out to immerse himself in Japanese culture.  He has always been intrigued and interested in Japan.  This nation and its culture have remained a complete mystery to him.  Usually, May is on Grand Tour with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond.  He’s branched out on his own this time around.  Before Grand Tour James was also on Car Talk with Clarkson and Hammond.  This journey is from the north to the south of the country.  He is interested in their culture and their unique approach to life.  James can speak a few words of their language but not very much.  He also doesn’t know anything about Japanese etiquette? 
     The scenery is very beautiful, especially the cherry blossoms.  James works with haiku poetry, rubbing shoulders with Godzilla and exploring the culinary delights Japan has to offer.  Along with him are guides, a camera crew and a producer.  James really has a desire to learn as much as he can and he’s not afraid of looking silly or losing his temper!!  Sometimes he tries to get around the crew and do things differently than they want him to do??  3 1/2* (I liked this series)  

Doc, TV Series, one season, six episodes with Yujiro Taniyama in three episodes.

Note:  Imdb 8.6 out of 10 with 1,243 views, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Lucy Mangan, readysteadycut.com 4* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Jeremy Clarkson has branched out also.  He is working on a new program on farming.  Clarkson was fired from Top Gear because he punched Oisin Tymon, a Top Gear producer.  Clarkson was told there was no hot food available after a day of filming?  Richard Hammond is a presenter on Richard Hammond's Big.  This is a TV series showing how engineers have designed and built some of the planet's largest structures.

Damsel 2018

     The setting of this film is the Wild West of 1870.  Samuel Alabaster is an affluent pioneer and he travels across the American Front to marry the love of his life Penelope.  Along the way the once-simple journey becomes treacherous.  Samuel’s traveling partner is Parson Henry.  He is usually drunk most of the time!! 
     The best and cutest actor in this film is the miniature horse, Butterscotch!!  Yay for Butterscotch!!  This film is an unusual and sometimes comical western.  There are violent scenes with guns and shooting, characters die, blood spurts and there are bloody wounds, suicide, a hanging, dynamite and explosions.  The Parson is a heavy drinker and later he craves alcohol when it isn’t available.  Also, smoking with his cigarettes are gone.  Actually, the genre of this film is ambiguous because it turns conventional thinking sideways?  Personally, I thought this had a LOT of boring scenes and it was just too weird.  Despite it’s quirkiness, there is nothing new in this plot that we have seen many times before!!  2* (I didn’t like this movie)  

113 min, Adventure directed and written by David and Nathan Zellner with Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, David and Nathan Zellner, Joseph Biilingiere, Morgan Lund, Ray Kelleher, David Wingo, Russell Mael, Gary Brookins, Gae Casdorph, Landon Weeks, Larry Zeng, Sabrina Chappuis, Palmer Scott.

Note:  Imdb 5.5* out of 10* with 2,884 views, Roger Ebert 3* Christy Lemire, Rotten Tomatoes 69% with 106 critics 57% audience with 707 ratings, RollingStone 3* out of 4* Peter Travers, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Jonathan Romney, Common Sense Media 3* out of 5* Jeffrey M. Anderson, age 16+, 1* positive role models, 4* violence, 3* sex, 4* language, Amazon 2.9* out of 5* with 96 reviews.

Special Note:  Wasikowska and Pattinson were supposed to star in another western call Brimstone 2016.  They both dropped out from the production just weeks before filming started.  Pattinson read the script and passed on the project.  He thought this film would not be able to get financing.  A few weeks later he watched Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 2014 and he loved it.  He asked his agent about the directors David and Nathan Zellner.  He found out that he had read the script for Damsel a few weeks earlier but didn't remember.  Pattinson and Wasikowska also worked together on Maps to the Stars 2014.

The Women 2008

     This film was inspired by a play by Clare Boothe Luce.  The setting of the play was in the 1930’s and there are no men in the cast but most of the dialog is about men.  Four close friends, one married with four children, one married with one child but being cheated on, one high-profile professional woman and one lesbian are the subjects.  There are two husbands and a boss but they are only heard on phone conversations.  Mary is the wife of a Wall Street millionaire.  There are complications between Mary and her husband because he is cheating.  Sylvie is the editor of a fashion magazine.  Sylvie has never been a mother but she finds herself acting as a mother for Mary’s precocious daughter Molly.  Edie is the mother of four children and Alex is a lesbian.  The other women are Mary’s housekeeper, a bombshell spritzer girl at the Saks perfume counter, a Hollywood agent and a talkative manicurist from Long Island.   

    The 1939 film starring Norma Shearer, Paulette Goddard, Rosalind Russell and Joan Crawford was a hit and a classic.  It plays like a convention of Hollywood’s top female stars.  This version brings together stars but shows a shift in Hollywood attitudes.  These stars don’t seem to have the stature of the actresses from 1939?  This film deals with mature themes including infidelity and betrayal.  One casualty of marital discord is the damage to children.  There are lots of expensive shopping trips with label name dropping.  I would like to see the 1939 film for comparison.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie) 

114 min, Comedy directed and written by Diane English with Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Bette Midler, Candice Bergen, Carrie Fisher, Cloris Leachman, Debi Mazar, India Ennenga, Jill Flint, Ana Gasteyer, Joanna Gleason, Tilly Scott Pedersen.

Note:  Imdb 5 out of 10 with 19,625 views, Rotten Tomatoes 14% with 148 critics 38% audience with 62,030 ratings, Roger Ebert 3*, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, age 15+, 1* violence, 3* sex, 3* language, 5* consumerism, 3* drinking, drugs, smoking, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 610 customer ratings, Letterboxd 2.3* out of 5*, Metacritic 27 out of 100 with 32 critics (positive 4, mixed 8, negative 20) 4.7 out of 10 (11 positive, 10 mixed, 17 negative), San Francisco Chronicle 50 David Wiegand, Vulture 50 David Edelstein, RollingStone 25 Peter Travers, Baltimore Sun 38 Michael Sragow, The Miami Herald 25 Rene Rodriguez.

The Third Wife 2018

   The setting of this film is in 19th century rural Vietnam.  May is a fourteen-year-old girl and it is time for her to become the third wife of a wealthy landowner.  She quickly learns that she will need to choose between living in safety or being free?
     The plot for this film is based on the true life stories of Ash Mayfair’s grandparents and great-grandparents.  His relatives went through the same experiences at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.   The film's release in Vietnam was 17 May 2019 but it was pulled by producers under pressure from authorities.  There was criticism for allowing the lead actress at the age of 13 to be involved in sex scenes.  These scenes were filmed with a female only crew and under her mother’s supervision.  The scenery of the area is very beautiful and so are the women actresses.  The pace is very leisurely and some of the events pertain to a culture that we don't understand.  4* (I really liked this movie)

96 min, Drama directed and written by Ash Mayfair with Hong Chuong Nguyen, Long Le Vu, Nu Yen-the Tran, Maya, Nguyen Phuong Tra My, Nhu Quynh, Nguyen, Nguyen Thanh Tam, Mai Cat Vi, Khanh An Tang, Trung Anh, Thi Kim Ngan Pham, Bay Ngoc Vu, Thi Huyen Nguyen, Anh Tin Nguyen.

Note:  Imdb 6.7 out of 10 with 1124 views, Rotten Tomatoes, 90% with 39 critics 68% with 47 audience ratings, Washington Post 3* out of 5* Hau Chu, Amazon 3.9* out of 5* with 21 reviews, SF Chronicle clapping, Allen Johnson, Letterboxd 3.5* out of 5*, Metacritic 71 out of 100 with 12 critics (10 positive 2 mixed) 8 out of 10 user score (4 positive, 1 mixed)

Special Note:  This is the film debut of Nguyen Phuong Tra My and she was 12-years-old when she was initially cast as the lead character May.  She was chosen among 900 girls by Ash Mayfair after a nationwide casting search.  She called Mayfair personally and told him that she felt the character had been written for her.  One in every three girls in the developing world is married by the age of 18.  One in seven by the age of 15.  Modern Vietnamese law requires the man to be at least 20 years old and the woman at least 18 years old.  Both spouses are required to give free consent.  Despite this law, child marriage and arranged marriages still happen in rural areas.  Mayfair spent four months living in the area of the film setting.  He wanted to understand the customs and the way of life of local villagers.  Film production took five years with the first three years dedicated to writing the script and merging real the life experiences into a coherent story.  The cast spent one month rehearsing and living in the main house, wearing the character’s clothes and behaving as 19th century people. 

The World in His Arms 1952

     This film is based on a novel written by Rex Beach.  Jonathan Clark is a clipper captain and he poaches seal pelts from Russian Alaska.  At this period in time, Alaska is not part of America.  He meets Russian countess Mariana Selanova in San Francisco of 1850.  Mariana is pretending not to be the countess and she wants Clark to take her to Sitka on his boat.  Her uncle Governor Ivan Vorashilov will be able to protect her and she is fleeing from an arranged marriage to Price Semyon.  Sitka is a unified city-borough in the southeast portion of Alaska.  Jonathan and Mariana are separated for a time but they meet again after an exciting sea race to the Pribilof Islands.  Both Jonathan and Mariana are now in danger from Prince Semyon.
     Ann Blyth is very beautiful in this film.  It seems like Jonathan Clark must know that she is actually the Russian countess?  This type of film genre would be known as a swashbuckling classic.  A heroic archetype in  European adventure literature typified by the use of a sword, acrobatics and the ideals of chivalry.  There are a LOT of funny scenes in his film along with the drama!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
       
104 min, Action directed by Raoul Walsh and written by Borden Chase, Horace McCoy with Gregory Peck, Ann Blyth, Anthony Quinn, John McIntire, Carl Esmond, Andrea King, Eugenie Leontovich, Hans Conried, Ray Williams, Sig Ruman, Gregory Gaye, Bill Radovich, Bryan Forbes, Henry Kulky.

Note:  Imdb 6.9 out of 10, 100% with 6 critics 53% audience with 105 ratings, Letterboxd 3.5* out of 5*, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 89 ratings.

Special Note:  Filmed in Nova Scotia, Canada and Universal Studios, Universal City, California.  Originally John Wayne was set to have the role of Jonathan Clark.  Extensive rewrites were done to adapt the lead role for Gregory Peck.  The flogging of Captain Clark ranks 96th in the book, “Lash” The 100 Great Scenes of Men Being Whipped in the Movies.  In the novel, there isn’t a flogging? 

For Your Consideration 2006

     The plot is that several no-name actors are making a low-budget period drama titled Home for Purim.  An anonymous post on the internet states that one performance is Oscar worthy!!  Then, two more cast members get Oscar related press in Variety.  Cast appearances on television prompt the studio executives to insist on changes to the script.  They are anticipating a blockbuster!!  Then, just a few days before Oscar nominees are announced just the possibility of a nomination changes the lives of the actors!!  Agents, publicists, make-up artists, local celebrity reporters and other players with bit roles round out a backstage ensemble. 
     This film is actually a mockumentary and it is aimed more at adults than kids.  Teens who have seen Best in Show may want to see this film.  There are satirical references to same-sex relationships, prostitutes, ethnic jokes and conceited people only thing about themselves.  They just appear to be thinking of everyone else.  It does show Hollywood with the bottom line more important than people.  Some may miss the included subtler digs and spoofs.  There are many very hilarious scenes in this film.  5* (I really liked this movie)

86 min, Comedy directed, written by Christopher Guest and written by Eugene Levy with Catherine O’Hara, Harry Shearer, Park Posey, Stephen Rannazzisi, Ed Begley Jr., Christopher Moynihan, John Michael HIggins, Carrie Aizley, Stephanie Courtney, Suzy Nakamura, Jim Piddock, Jane Morris, Jennifer Coolidge, Jordan Black.

Note:  Imdb 6.3 out of 10 with 13,328 reviews, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* Jim Emerson, Rotten Tomatoes 52% critic with 161 critics 43% audience with 19,784 ratings, Metacritic 68 out of 100 with 33 critics (24 positive, 8 mixed, 1 negative) 6.1 out of 10 (positive 26, mixed 20, negative 6), RollingStone 3 1/2* out of 4* Peter Travers, Common Sense Media Jane Boursaw, age 13+, 3* language, 3* drinking, drugs, smoking.

Special Note:  Filmed at Culver Studios, 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California.  Catherine O’Hara maintained a stretched face during takes without additional aids or makeup to appear as if she had a face lift.  Director Guest uses a script with very few details.  He writes an outline so the actors know what needs to happen.  He does a maximum of two or three takes without any rehearsals.  Purim is a Jewish festival celebrating the victory over the attempted genocide described in the book of Esther.  It is a less important observance on the Jewish calendar than Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah and Passover.  In reality, Catherine O’Hara received a large amount of Oscar buzz for her performance.  She was nominated for and won several precursor awards.  Many experts predicted she would actually receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress!!  The actual nominees in 2006 were Rachel Weisz, Amy Adams, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand, Michelle Williams.  Rachel Weisz was the winner for The Constant Gardener.

Added Note:  Director Christopher Guest married actress Jamie Lee Curtis in 1984.  They have two adopted children, Anne born in 1986 and Thomas born in 1996.  Guest has the title 5th Baron Haden-Guest of Great Salin in the Country of Essex.  He holds dual British and American citizenship.  Because his children are adopted, they cannot the family barony under the terms of the letter patent that created it.  They can use courtesy titles and the current heir presumptive is Guest’s younger brother actor Nicholas Guest.

Open Water 2003

     This film is inspired by a true story about an American couple in 1998.  The couple is on a holiday in the Caribbean and they decide to spend the day on an ocean diving trip.  A complication is that it could be a very wrong decision?  There is a miss-count of the number of people on the boat and Susan and Daniel are left behind in the middle of the ocean.  The boat is long gone and nowhere to be seen??  All their hopes are based that boat coming back soon to rescue them.  They try to stay safe but sharks start to appear.  There is nothing sharks like better than meat without any thick skin or fur!!
     This movie is not for children!!  Its has been referred to as a modern day Jaws but it is not!!  In reality, this is not a shark movie at all and they are just background characters.  This is a low-budget, heavy on dialogue indie film about the complex relationship between a married couple.  It will be a bore for teens expecting a fast-moving horror film with high-tech special effects and plenty of gore.  There are scenes of intense peril, shark attacks with blood.  The extreme danger to the characters is worse than any of the violence!!  There is also a lot of strong language and this is not surprising since the couple are in very difficult circumstances!!  The ending may also shock and case some viewers to be upset.  4* (I liked this movie) 

79 min, Adventure directed and written by Chris Kentis with Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Michael E. Williamson, Cristain Zenato, John Charles, Estelle Lau.

Note:  Imdb 5.7 out of 10 with 49,158 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 71% critic with 195 critics, 33% audience with 55,865 ratings, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, Common Sense Media Beth Pratt age 18+, 5* violence, 5* sex, 5* language, Letterboxd 2.7* out of 5*, Metacritic 63 out of 100 with 38 critics  (25 posotive, 11 mixed 2 negative) 5.5* out 10 (43 positive, 11 mixed, 23 negative).

Special Note:  The sharks in this film are Caribbean Reef Sharks.  The cast wore chain mesh under their diving suits for protection.  They were not bitten by the sharks but Blanchard Ryan was nipped by a barracuda on the first day of filming.  The line in the film is, “It was probably a barracuda seeing what you taste like?”  Blanchard Ryan is deeply afraid of sharks and Daniel Travis had to enter the shark infested waters first each day to assure her that they were not a danger.  A school of jellyfish showed up on the day the crew planned to film a scene with jellyfish.  Unusually, no jellyfish ever appeared on location for the entire duration except for the day of this shoot.  Blanchard and Daniel spent over 120 hours in the water over the course of the production.  The film was financed by director Chris Kentis and his wife, producer Laura Lau.  They are both avid divers.  The film cost $130,000 to make and later was bought by Lion’s Gate for $2.5 million after screening at Sundance.

Lust Caution 2007

     This film is based on a story written by Eileen Chang.  She began the story in the 1950’s and then it was heavily revised by Chang.  It was published in 1979.  Old Wu has lost his wife and two sons as well as two women who had feelings for him because of Yee.  Wu recruits Kuang, Mai Tai Tai and their fellow drama students from Hong Kong University to attempt an assassination of Yee.  Shanghai is Japanese ruled and Yee is an important official in the government.  Mai Tai Tai is chosen to befriend Yee and she is posing as a married woman.  She also begins playing MahJong with Yee’s wife and her female friends.  This is how she meets Yee, they are together for a short time but end up going their separate ways.  They meet again four years later.  This time around, Mai Tai Tai is more than ready to entrap Yee.  There is still the question, will the group be able to succeed?
     I have seen this film before but I was very surprised at how little I remembered of the story!!  It was like watching it for the first time again?  It is subtitled and Mai Tai Tai must be on guard at every moment she is with Yee!!  He has said he only associates with those who have high reputations.  He won’t go to a movie in a theater because he can’t control the darkness!!  Yee must be in charge of every situation!!  This is definitely not a film for anyone under 18 years old.  There are brief combat scenes, bloody bodies in the street, explosions, shooting, a stabbing scene and an execution.  Plus, there are graphic sex scenes with some violence.  5* (I really liked this movie)  

157 min, Drama directed by And Lee, written by Eileen Chang, James Schamus and Hui-Ling Wang with Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Wei Tang, Joan Chen Leehom Wang, Tsung-Hua To, Zhi-Ying Zhu, Ying-Husuan Kao, Lawrence Ko, Johnson Yuen, Kat Lok Chin, Yan Su, Saifei He, Ruhui Song, Hui-Ling Wang, Jie Liu, Anupam Kher, Akiko Takeshita, Hayato Fujiki, Seto Masumi.

Note:  Imdb 7.5 out or 10, 3* Roger Ebert, Rotten Tomatoes 72% critic with 147 critics 84% audience with 51,3111 user ratings, Metacritic 61 out of 100 with 35 critics (21 positive 12 mixed, negative 2) 6.6 user score (75 positive, 11 mixed, 30 negative), Deep Focus 3 1/2* out of 4* Brian Eggert, EmpireOnline 4* out of 5* Damon Wise, Letterboxd 3.7* with 29 reviews, Amazon 4.3*out of 5* with 316 reviews, Common Sense Media Cynthia Fuchs, age 18+, 5* violence, 5* sex, 3* language, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon gives the book 3.8* out of 5* with 17 reviews. 

Special Note:  Director Ann Lee auditioned 10,000 actresses before casting Wei Tang!!  Lee also said that directing the explicit sex scenes was more difficult than the complicated fighting scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000.  The set was closed during these scenes with only the main camera and sound personal present.  It was filmed over eleven days but they were half days only.  A full day was too exhausting for everyone.  Lee was the winner of the Golden Lion top prize at the 2007 Venice Festival.  Lee and his Haishang Films company each received $303,000 for this win. 

The Cinder Path 1994-1995

     This film is based on a novel by Catherine Cookson.  Edward MacFell is a prosperous Northumberland farmer but he has a sadistic side?  He routinely hurts and humiliates family members and workers alike.  He goes too far and he becomes the victim of a murder made to appear as an accident.  Charlie is his mild-mannered son and he witnesses the crime and protects the killer.  It is because Charlie believes in friendship and justice.  There is another witness, Ginger Slater.  He is an embittered farm hand and he is thinking about blackmail!!  Charlies enters into a disastrous marriage to Victoria Chapman and she is a promiscuous county belle.  Both Charlie and Victoria don’t know that Victoria’s sister is in love with Charlie.  The time comes when Charlie is tired of his sister’s complaining and his wife’s infidelities.  He signs up as an enlisted man for WWI.  He finds himself in the company of a sergeant with an axe to grind!!  This man is Sgt. Ginger Slater.
     The whole truth is that most people think that Charlie MacFell is a loser and he was born a loser??  Actually Charlie is in search of himself.  Unfortunately, he will learn a lot more about himself at the Western Front in this war!!  Probably, Charlie is too nice??  4* (I really liked this movie)

TV Series, 2 hours 25 min, three parts, Drama with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lloyd Owen, Polly Adams, Antony Byrne, Ralph Ineson, Maria Miles, Victoria Scarborough, Lucy Akhurst, Rosalind Ayres, Tom Bell, Alan Bird, David Hounslow, Rupert Wickham.

Note:  Goodreads gives the novel 3.89* out of 5* with 819 ratings, Imdb 6.6* with 381 views, Amazon 5* with 2 ratings, Letterboxd 5*.
Special Note:  Filmed in County Durham, England and Northumberland, England, UK.  Comedian Ross Noble worked as an extra and impromptu special effects technician.  During a battle scene he was accidentally set alight causing delays in filming?  The German soldiers are wearing the Picklhauber helmets.  The setting of this film is 1917 and they should be wearing the M16 steel helmet?

Quicksilver 1986

     Jack Casey was formerly a hot-shot stock market whiz kid.  He made a disastrous professional decision and his life in the fast lane was over.  Jack loses his nerve and joins a speed delivery firm.  He rides a bicycle to avoid traffic jams in San Francisco.  Terri is a fellow biker and Jack begins to be attracted to her.  He also meets Hector and he’s a budding entrepreneur.  Is it possible that Jack can regain his nerve and his self-respect?  He may be able to turn his life around and be on a more sound footing in his life?
     This is the second time I have seen this film.  The actors do a good job in this movie and there are a lot of 80's soundtracks in the background.  This all fits in because this is a very 80's film.  I did like that the group of messengers socialize together and they also look out for each other.  It is also inspiring because Bacon's character goes from a high profile and high paycheck job to something completely different.  It's easy to make mistakes about what you want to do for the rest of your life!!  Turning it back around in your favor takes courage.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

105 min, Crime directed and written by Thomas Michael Donnelly with Kevin Bacon, Jami Gertz, Paul Rodriguez, Rudy Ramos, Andrew Smith, Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Laurence Fishburne, Louie Anderson, Charles McCaughan, David Harris, Whitney Kershaw, Joshua Shelley, Georgann Johnson, Nelson Vails, Lou Dinos.
Note:  Imdb 5.7 out of 10 with 4,212 views, Roger Ebert 2*, Rotten Tomatoes 13% with 15 critics, 37% audience with 5,009 ratings, Metacritic 43 out of 100 with 8 critics, Letterboxd 2.7* out of 5*, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 141 ratings.

Special Note:  Filmed at 4th Street Bridge, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.  The film company was granted permission to shoot on the options floor of the Pacific Stock Exchange.  This is the first time filming of the latest state-of-the-art equipment and it had opened just two months earlier.  This building is now an Equinox fitness center on Pine & Sansome in the financial district.  Kevin Bacon met several bike messengers.  They told him that you can make your own schedule, you can work hard and make more money, or work less and make less money.  Essentially, you are your own boss.  Extensive technical advice was provided by Olympic cyclist Nelson Vails.  He helped train the actors and gave them insight into the life of a real bicycle messenger.   Kevin Bacon rides a single-speed ’84 Raleigh Competition.  There are three different configurations, fixed-gear, single-speed also and outfitted with 0-degree trick forks during apartment scenes.  Cameras were mounted on some of the bikes to give the sensation of riding along with the bikers through crazy and heavy traffic. 

After Earth 2013

     One thousand years after a cataclysmic event forced humanity’s escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind’s new home.  General Cypher Raige returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family.  Raige has decided he is ready to be a father to his 13-year-old-son Kitai.  An astroid storm damages the Cyher and Kitai’s craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth.  Raige is injured in the crash and Kitai will have to trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. 
     This movie has a scary monster movie with a few dead bodies and some blood!!  The alien monster is grotesque, overpowering and able to trick humans into feeling fear.  Some of his human victims are impaled on three branches.  None of the main characters die but a majestic eagle saves a boy’s life and sacrifices his own life to save the boy.  There are also animal carcasses, exciting and violent sci-fi action.  On the good side, there are laughs and scenes of strong family warmth and bonding with strong role models and positive life lessons learned.  I thought it was interesting to see the human-free Earth and also to see slight evolution in the animals.  The flora remains unchanged.  Also, interesting to study the details, the CGI and special features and effects.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

100 min, Action directed by M. Night Shyamalan with Jaden Smith, David Denman, Will Smith, Sophie Okonedo, Zoe Kravitz, Glenn Morshower, Kristofewr Hivju, Sacha Dhawan, Chris Geere, Diego Klattenhoff, David Denman, Lincoln Lewis, Jaden Martin, Sincere L. Bobb, Monika Jolly.

Note:  Imdb 4.8* out of 10* with 185,339 views, Rotten Tomatoes 11% with 203 critics 36% audience with 121,839 ratings, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* Matt Zoller Seitz, Common Sense Media Andrea Beach, age 12+, 3* positive, 4* role models, 3* violence, 18 sex, 1* language, 1* drinking, drugs & smoking.

Special Note:  Filmed in Humboldt County, California; La Fortuna, San Carlos, Costa Rica; Utah; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Switzerland; Sierra County, New Mexico; Aston, Pennsylvania; Iceland; Kanton, Bern, Switzerland.  Not credited on the finished film is that Will Smith was responsible for much of the movie’s direction.  Shyamalan was primarily in charge of the composition of shots, placement of the cameras and visual aspects of the film.  The original film was 130 minutes long and included more of a backstory on the decline of the Earth.  The idea for the film came from a father and son camping trip.  The car they are traveling in careens off the road and the son makes his way through the forest to find help for the father.  Realizing these ideas had a greater potential, it was adapted from a basic survival concept to a much larger science fiction project.  The original story idea is by Will Smith and the film was produced by his film company Overbrook Entertainment.  One review stated that Smith paid to have movie maid and also paid to have his son included in the cast?

The Young Lions 1958

     This film is based on a novel written by Irwin Shaw.  Three soldiers are fighting WWII.  A German officer Christian Diestl approves less and less of the war.  Jewish-American Noah Ackerman deals with antisemitism at home and in the army.  Entertainer Michael Whiteacre transforms from playboy to hero.
     Diestl wants to do the right, correct and humane thing in this war but officers above him don’t have the same code of ethics.  Ackerman is given a very raw deal in the Army company he’s assigned to with nothing being fair in his treatment.  Whiteacre didn’t want to enlist but he had no choice and he decides to make the best of his enlistment.  The one complaint I have about this movie is the ending for Christian Diestl?  It seems just so cut off and I would've liked a better or more favorable resolution!!  4* (I really liked this movie)

167 min, Action directed by Edward Dmytryk, written by Edward Anhalt with Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin, Hope Lange, Barbara Rush, May Britt, Maximilian Schell, Dora Doll, Lee Van Cleef, Liliane Montevecchi, Parley Baer, Arthur Franz, Hal Baylor, Richard Gardner.

Note:  Goodreads gives the novel 4.18 out of 5*, Imdb 7.2 with 6,883 views, Rotten Tomatoes 83% with 6 critics 77% audience with 2,882 ratings, EmpireOnline 3* out of 5* William Thomas, threemoviebuffs.com average 3 1/2* out of 4*, Letterboxd 3.4* out of 5*, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 123 reviews.  

Special Note:  Filmed in Bas-Rhin, Oise and Paris, France; Yuma and Mojave Desert, Arizona; Borrego Springs and Mount Wilson, California; Berlin, Germany.  It was felt that Montgomery Clift looked too old and too unhealthy to be an A1 soldier?  He is very thin!!  Writer Irwin Shaw was not happy about Marlon Brando’s sympathetic portrayal of the Nazi soldier.  Director Edward Dmytryk and screenwriter Edward Anhalt felt that a more lenient depictions would be more representative of the German people as a whole?  Dean Martin was a close friend of Montgomery Clift.  He was always grateful for the help Clift had given him while filming.  This was Martin’s first major dramatic role and Clift would accompany him to parties.  The rest of Hollywood had disowned him due to his addictions to drugs and alcohol.  This was a comeback movie for Martin after his split with Jerry Lewis.  Clift called Brando a slob because he felt his performance was using only about one third of his natural talents.  Maximilian Schell has blond hair and I thought he usually has black hair and that is true.  It seemed strange for him to have light hair??  He was born in Austria in 1930 and he died in 2014 at the age of 83 after a sudden serious illness, it was reported that he was treated for pneumonia.  

Wild Rose 2018

     Rose-Lynn Harlan is fresh out of serving a one year jail sentence.  She is a 23-year-old working class woman from Glasgow, Scotland.  She tries to change her chaotic life but she’s foulmouthed, streetwise, rebellions and free-spirited.  She reunites with her children, the oldest is a girl Wynonna and the youngest is a boy Lyle.  They have been cared for by their grandmother Marion.   Marion openly despises Rose-Lynn’s lifestyle!!  Marion has been working at a bakery in a shopping center for 20 years.  Marion has had a very stable life style and struggles to understand her daughter She doesn’t know why Rose-Lynn wants to travel to Nashville, Tennessee??  It's because she wants to become a famous country singer?  Rose-Lynn had been a former singer in the Grand Ole Opry in Glasgow.  This is a country bar and she was fired by owners Jackie and Alan after they learned about her conviction.  Because of Marion's good name, Rose-Lynn gets a job as a cleaning lady in the home of Susannah.  She is upper-class woman married to James and she is the mother of Rory and Nell.  Rose-Lynn is gifted with a powerful talent, charisma, cheekiness and a voice.  Susannah hears Rose-Lynn singing and they become friends.  Susannah throws a fund-raising party for Rose-Lynn to get the money to go to Nashville.
     The children Wynonna and Lyle are once again neglected by Rose-Lynn and she doesn’t tell Susannah that she has two children.  Susannah’s husband James mistrusts Rose-Lynn because Susannah is interested in helping her?  He throws Susannah’s mistakes in her face and he knows she was in jail!!  Marion sends an ultimatum to Rose-Lynn to force her to make a choice between her dream to be a singer or her reality as a mother!!  Rose-Lynn has people who love her and also people who like her but she is her own worst enemy!!  There is a LOT of strong language, social drinking and cigarette smoking along with a quick sex scene and kissing.  Also, an adult character smokes marijuana.  This is a familiar story line, working-class girl hopes to make it big one day.  Rose-Lynn is also seeking redemption, she is willing to work hard and she has gratitude for what she receives.  Don’t these good points count as something in her favor??  4* (I really liked this movie)
   
101 min, Comedy directed by Tom Harper and written by Nicole Taylor with Jessie Buckley, Matt Costello, Jane Patterson, Lesley Hart Carol Pyper Rafferty, Natalie Mcconnon, Maureen Carr, James Harkness, Julie Walters, Adam Mitchell, Daisy LIttlefield, Louise Mccarthy, Allison Simpson, Janey Godley, Brian McQuade.  

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10 with 5,727 views, Rotten Tomatoes 93% with 175 critics, 88% audience with 168 ratings, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* Christy Lemire, RollingStone 4* out of 5* Peter Travers, The Washington Post 4* Michael O’Sullivan, Amazon 3.9* out of 5* with 83 reviews, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Mark Kermode, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen, age 15+, 3* positive, 3* role models, 1* violence, 3* sex, 4* language.

Special Note:  The soundtrack features tunes from Wynonna Judd, Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood and Kacey Musgraves. 

Bone Tomahawk 2015

     Partly inspired by H. Rider Haggard’s Lost Race Tales and The Virginian. The days of the old west are waning and it's the turn of the century at the border of Texas and New Mexico.  An outlaw unknowingly leads a band of cannibalistic Troglodytes into the peaceful western town of Bright Hope.  The wife of a local rancher Samantha O’Dwyer and a prisoner Purvis in the jail are kidnapped.  The sheriff Franklin Hunt, his aging deputy Chicory, a strong-willed gunslinger John Brooder and the husband of the kidnapped woman Arthur O’Dwyer set out to find the captives.  The husband has an injured leg but he is determined to go on the rescue mission.  It’s much more difficult for him since he needs a crutch to walk.
      This is an unusual Western with some gruesome parts that I wish I had not seen at all!!  Brutal, gory violence, slicing, digging into wounds, severed limbs and body parts, injuries from guns, arrows, dead bodies and other grisly scenes.  This is probably OK if you are looking for something different but it was too different for me!!  The scenes are not so bad until the rescuers meet up with the Troglodytes.  A very unusual people to say the very least!!  I would like to have them and their behavior permanently erased forever from my mind!!  1/2* ( I hated this movie)
 
132 min, Drama directed and written by S. Craig Zahler with Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, Evan Jonigkeit, David Arquette, Fred Melamed, Sid Haig, Maestro Harrell, James Tolkan, Kathryn Morris, Zahn McClarnon, Michael Emery, Jeremy Tardy.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10 with 76,369 views, Rotten Tomatoes 91% with 93 critics 73% audience with 13,437 scores, Roger Ebert 3* Brian Tallerico, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, Empireonline 4* Kim Newman, Common Sense Media Jeffrey M. Anderson, age 18+,1* positive, 1* role models 5* violence, 3* sex, 3* language, 1* drinking, drugs and smoking, Amazon 3.2* out of 5* with 14,627 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed on Paramount Ranch, Agoura, California.  The budget for this film was $1.8 million.  Matthew Fox said he enjoyed making this movie more than any other film and he always wanted to be in a western.  Originally, Peter Sarsgaard and Jennifer Carpenter were set to play the O’Dwyers and Timothy Olyphant was to play John Brooder.  The possibility of shooting in New Mexico and Utah were considered before Southern California. 

Trogodytes:  The word means cave goers.  They were a people mentioned in various locations by many ancient Greek and Roman geographers and historians.

Booksmart 2019

     On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more.  Now, they are determined not to fall short of their peers.  The girls try to cram four years of fun into just one night.  They have been invited to a party but they don’t know the address?  They don’t tell their parents where they are really going.  They ask a pizza delivery man to take them to the place he has been delivering pizzas because that is the address?  He talks to them about getting into a car with a stranger??  Does any of this sound like they are on their way to the best night of their lives?? 
     This film is geared toward older teens and adults.  Teens accidentally take a hallucinogenic drug and go on a trip.  Teen drinking, pot smoking and other brief drug use.  Language is extremely strong and nearly constant.  Audio from a porn video is heard, there is explicit sex talk, banter and innuendo.  But, along with all the iffy behavior are are strong messages about being a good friend, supporting friends, begin confident, smart and positive about yourself.  I’m not sure even the target audience would find this to be a good film?  2 1/2* (this movie is so-so) 

102 min, Comedy directed by Olivia Wild, written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman with Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Victoria Ruesga, Mason Gooding, Skyler Goisondo, Diana Silvers, Molly Gordon, Billie Lourd, Eduardo Franco, Nico Hiraga, Austin Crute.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10 with 55,222 views, Rotten Tomatoes 97% with 338 critics 77% with 4,111 ratings, Roger Ebert 4* Monica Castillo, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Simran Hans, Common Sense Media Jeffrey M. Anderson age 16+, 3* positive, 2* role Models, 1* violence, 4* sex, 5* language, 28 consumerism, 4* drinking, drugs & smoking.

Special Note:  Filmed in Los Angeles, Glendale, Pasadena, California.  Olivia Wilde said that The Breakfast Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused and Clueless were the inspiration for this film.  Olivia also encouraged her cast to rewrite any dialogue for their characters if they felt it wasn’t authentic.  Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein were roommates for 10 weeks to build up a rapport between them.  Delta Air Lines censored some scenes from their in-flight movie version. 

Ma 2019

     Maggie has just moved from a large city with her mother Erica to her mom’s hometown.  Maggie quickly makes friends at her school and she finds a nice boyfriend.  There is little to do around the town and her friends like to drink.  But, they need an adult to buy the liquor.  Sue Ann invites the group to party safely in her basement.  Just when the group thinks their luck couldn’t get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their generous hostess?  Maggie urges her friends not to go back to Sue Ann’s home.  Sue Ann isn’t willing to give up her new friends so easily!! 
     The creators of Us are also behind this film.  This movie was not filmed in Ohio but the local vehicles have Ohio license plates, the prefix for Hawkins Security is number 216 and this is the area code for the greater Cleveland area.  A nuclear power plant is seen in the opening credits and the Perry Nuclear Plant is just 40 miles North East of Cleveland.  There are also several casinos in the Cleveland area.  Sue Ann has some pretty dark secrets that the teens don’t know!!  This film has extremely mature content throughout.  Language is almost constant with a stream of words in the dialogue.  Teens are drinking and sometimes getting drunk until they pass out.  They smoke pot and vape plus some characters are drugged by Ma.  This is definitely not my type of movie??  I just don't like anything about it??  1/2* (I really hated this movie)   

99 min, horror directed by Tate Taylor and written by Scotty Landes with Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis, McKaley Miller, Corey Fogelmanis, Gianni Paolo, Dante Brown, Tanyell Waivers, Dominic Burgess, Heather Marie Pate, Tate Taylor, Luke Evans, Margaret Feghan, Missi Pyle, Allison Janney.

Note Imdb 5.6 out of 10 with 25,022 views, Rotten Tomatoes 54% with 193 critics 64% audience with 8,228 ratings, Roger Ebert 2* Nick Allen, indiewire.com Grade C, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Benjamin Lee, Common Sense Media Jeffrey M. Anderson age 17+, 1* positive, 1* role models, 5* violence, 5* sex, 5* language, 3* consumerism, 4* drinking, drugs & smoking.

Special Note:  Filmed in Franklin Street Liquor Store and Natchez Veterinary Clinic, Natchez, Mississippi.  Director Tate Taylor previously worked with Octavia Spencer on The Help 2011.  Allison Janney also co-starred in The Help. 

The Wind 2018

   The setting of this film is the Western frontier of the late 1800’s.  Lizzy Macklin is living in a cabin on the planes.  She doesn’t know if she can stand the harshness and the isolation of this untamed land.  She has left her home in St. Louis with her husband Isaac to begin a settlement.  There are times when her husband is gone and that makes the loneliness even more difficult.  In the beginning, Lizzy is completely alone but Emma and Gideon Harper arrive from Illinois.  They move into an abandoned cabin nearby.  Lizzy and Emma become friends but Lizzy feels that Emma’s marriage to Gideon is not going smoothy?  Lizzy confides in Emma and tells her that she lost her son Samuel right after birth.  Lizzy felt that a demon was coming to her in the night throughout her pregnancy.  This was also more of a problem when Issac was away.  Gideon comes to see Lizzy in the night and he says Emma is unwell.  Lizzy learns that Emma is expecting a baby and she’s under the bed.  She tells Lizzy that a supernatural presence wants her unborn baby?
     I thought this film was confusing, didn’t make sense at times and you may need to view it twice to see what you have missed except it’s not worth the time to watch it again!!!  Also, I don’t know what it was about this film, maybe it was the anticipation of something terrible happening but it made my stomach hurt to watch it??  I was really GLAD for it to be over and I didn’t know much more about the plot afterward than in the beginning!!!  Maybe there are other things more interesting to do than watch this film??  Hang laundry outside, cut out coupons, pull weeds and other light tasks ??  1* (I hated this movie)     
 
86 min, horror directed by Emma Tammi and written by Teresa Sutherland with Caitlin Gerard, Julia Golden Telles, Ashley Zukerman, Miles Anderson, Dylan McTee, Martin Patterson.
Note:  Imdb 5.5 out of 10 with 4,136 views, Rotten Tomatoes 81% with 62 critics 51% audience with 145 ratings, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, RollingStone 3 1/2* out of 5* David Fear, collider.com Grade B-, Amazon 3.4* out of 5* with 140 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in New Mexico.  This film has no connection to the 1928 Lillian Gish classic film The Wind.  Emma seems to enjoy Gothic literature such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ann Radliffe’s the Mysteries of Udolpho.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco 2019

      This film is based on the life of Jimmie Fails and his friendship with Joe Talbot.  They have been pals since childhood.  A young man searches for home in the changing city of San Francisco.  It seems to have left him behind?  A Victorian house in the Fillmore District is the center of the story and it is the real star of the film.  The house is unusual because it has a tower with the roof resembling a witch’s hat.  Until Jimmie was six years old, he lived in this house with his father.  It was inherited from Jimmie’s grandfather and the house was built in 1946 by Jimmie’s grandfather.  Jimmie’s father abandoned the house because he lost it.  It was without an owner until a couple moved into it.  Jimmy trespasses on the property to repair and contribute to its upkeep.  It doesn’t go well with the current residents.      
     It really feels like you are personally in San Francisco while you are watching this film!!  It will be interesting to see how the Bay Area feels about the portrayal of their city??  Themes talked about are gentrification, home ownership and how black men are supposed to navigate friendships.  The San Francisco individual neighborhoods are like little cities of their own.  
     Home ownership can be difficult in SF unless you have deep pockets full of money!!  Currently hot properties can sell for about 18% above the list price and can sell in about 13 days.  Average homes can receive 2 offers, sell for 8% above list and take about 21 days to sell.  There are bidding wars on the hot properties and the prices can really escalate over the advertised prices.  The sale prices for the month of December averaged $1.35 million and $962 per square foot.  As an example, a house built in 1930 purchased in that year for $30,000 can be listed as is for $1 million!!  Because of it's current run down condition and if there are no buyers, the house goes off the market.  The sellers can hire an architect and renovate for two years.  Then, the house goes back on the market at a $2.5 million price.  There are two interested parties and a bidding war result is that the house sells for $3 million cash!!  Workers in tech have this kind of cash!!  There are many people homeless because they want to be but others don’t have the resources to buy at current prices or pay the steep home rental costs!!   
 
121 min, Drama directed and written by Joe Talbot also written by Jimmie Fails, Rob Richert with Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, Rob Morgan, Tichina Arnold, Mike Epps, Finn Wittrock, Danny Glover, Willie Hen, Jamal Trulove, Antoine Redus, Isiain Lalime, Jordan Gomes, Maximilienne Ewalt, Michael O’Brien Daewon Song.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10 with 6944 views, 93% with 192 critics 84% audience with 505 ratings, Roger Ebert 4* Odie Henderson, RollingStone 4 1/2* David Fear, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Simran Hans, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 260 reviews, Letterboxd 4* out of 5* with 374 reviews, Metacritic 83 out of 100 with 39 critics (35 positive, mixed 4) User Score 7.2 out of 10 (27 positive, mixed 7, negative 5).

Special Note:  San Francisco Fillmore neighborhood based rapper San Quinn makes a cameo.  He is buying Twix from and arguing with the candy lady.  Uncle Ricky is played by Daewon Song, he is a professional skateboarder.  Director Joe Talbot makes a cameo appearance when Jimmie is passing out flyers about Mont’s play to people on the streets.  Also, the lead singer of the San Francisco punk band Dead Kennedys, Jello B infra has a cameo role. 

The Lion King 2019

     The setting of this film is the African savanna.  A young lion prince flees his kingdom after the murder of his father.  While on his own, he learns the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.  This is the same story from the 1994 animated version with the voices of different actors, different arrangements of some of the songs and a couple of original tunes.  The scenes are extremely realistic computer-animations.   
     Because of the realism, you can forget some of the time that you are not watching real animals.  I did not have that happen?  The violence is more intense and can be upsetting since this is not the cartoon classic animated movie.  The hyenas are insatiably hungry and always scavenging.  There is a terrifying and tear-jerking wildebeest stampeded sequence.  Some claw and teeth filled fight scenes but there are also positive themes and messages.  Scenes of families, friendships, losses, taking responsibility and community.  This release will be inevitably judged against the 1994 version.  That version was an Oscar-winning blockbuster and the second-highest grossing feature film of that calendar year.  It is also one of the last great hand-drawn Disney animated films.  I thought this film was good and I thought the computer-animations provided good visuals.  5* (I really liked this movie)

178 min, Animation directed by Jon Favreau, written by Jeff Nathanson, Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton with the voices of Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Oliver, James Earl Jones, John Kani, Alfre Woodard, JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Penny Johnson Jerald, Keegan-Michael Key, Eric Andre, Florence Kasumba, Seth Rogen, Bill Eichner.

Note:  Imdb 7 out of 10 with 152,565 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 53% with 399 critics 88% audile with 76,321 ratings, indiewire.com Grade D, David Ehrlich, Roger Ebert 3*( Matt Zoller Seitz, Metacritic 55 out of 100 with 54 critics (20 positive, 29 mixed, 5 negative) 6.7 out of 10 user score (600 positive, mixed 151, negative 194), Letterboxd 2.9* out of 5*, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen, age 8+, 1* education, 4* positive, 3* role models, 3* scariness, 1* sex, 1* language, 1* consumerism, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 7574 reviews.

Special Note:  Director Jon Favreau brought James Earl Jones back as the voice of Mufasa because he saw it as carrying the legacy across.  Hearing Jones say the lines is really moving and surreal plus the timbre of his voice has changed.  He sounds like the king who’s ruled for a long time.  Jones was 63 in The Lion King 1994 and 86 in this film.  Simba’s eyes are a hazy blue as a baby.  Cubs are born blind and cannot open their eyes until about 10 days after the birth.  Blue is a result of delayed melanin production but this changes as the cubs grow and their eyes are golden-brown by three months old.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters 2019

     This is a new story and it is a sequel to Godzilla 2014.  It is about the heroic efforts of the cypto-zoological agency Monarch.  It’s members face off against a battery of god sized monsters including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah.  These ancient super species were through to be mere myths but they are real.  They vie for supremacy leaving the existence of humanity and the earth hanging in the balance.  Monarch is trying to find ways to reverse the damage we’ve done to our planet.  Their motives are positive but their methods are unproven.   
     There is destruction on a massive scale.  Huge areas of land and cities full of people are wiped out by the monsters.  They stomp through civilization with abandon.  Many people are killed, crushed, eaten, dropped from great heights, hurled against walls and imprisoned in giant webs.  There isn’t any blood or gore and the deaths are usually seen from a distance.
     There are a LOT of problems with this movie!!  The dialogue is stupid, the acting is artificial, the scientists don’t have a clue about what they are doing??  The people continually use bad judgement and run around in circles.  Almost all the CGI scenes are dark so you can’t see how nutty they really are!!  All I can say is that possibly everyone connected with this film needed to get a big pay day to cover their outstanding debts!!  Terrible, ridiculous, annoying and not worth the price of the lowest possible theater admission!!  Could also not worth be watching without spending any money!!!  1/2* (I really hated this movie) (I would raise it to 1* if it was actually a mislabeled comedy) 
        
132 min, Action directed and written by Michael Dougherty, written by Zach Shields and Michael Dougherty with Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe, Ziyi Zhang, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O’Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, Anthony Ramos, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow.

Note:  6.1 out of 10 with 103,057 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 42% with 327 critics 83% audience with 25,199 scores, Roger Ebert 3* Matt Zoller Seitz, RollingStone 2* out of 5* Peter Travers, Metacritic 48 out of `00 with 46 critics (14 positive, 23 mixed, 9 negative) 7.3 out of 10 user score (535 positive 141 mixed 85 negative, Letterboxd 2.8* out of 5*, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 4907 reviews, Common Sense Media age 12+, 1* positive, 2* role models, 4* violence, 1* sex, 3* language, 1* drinking, drugs, smoking.

Special Note:  There have been 35 Godzilla films since 1954.  This is the first time Rodan and the adult Mothra have fought.  I was hoping the two very small young girls would be singing to Mothra!

Frozen 2013

     Elsa and Anna are living in a castle with their parents.  Elsa is learning that she has special powers that Anna doesn’t possess?  Elsa doesn’t know how to control the powers and she accidentally hurts Anna.  The sisters are separated for the safety of Anna.  Time  has passed and the girls have grown up.  Young princess Anna of Arendelle dreams about finding true love at her sister Elsa’s Coronation as Queen.  Instead, she goes on a dangerous journey to try to convince Elsa to stop the eternal winter that has fallen over the kingdom after the Coronation.  Anna meets ice delivery man Kristoff and his reindeer Sven.  Later, they meet snowman Olaf.  5* (I really liked this movie)         
      The sisters are again separated but Anna is determined to have a relationship with Elsa.  There are men with weapons, snarling wolves, a scary snow monster, a severe storm, a character nearly freezes to death, a character falls in love twice and there are two kisses at the end.  Good messages are unconditional love between sisters even after a long estrangement.  Being true to yourself, recognizing your gifts and not being afraid of your power.  5* (I really liked this movie)
  
102 min, Animation directed by Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, written by Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, Shane Morris and based on the story by The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson with the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk, Ciaran Hinds, Chris Williams, Stephen J. Anderson, Maia Wilson, Edie McClurg, Robert Pine, Maurince LaMarche, Livvy Stubenrauch, Eva Bella, Spencer Lacey Gans, Jesse Corti.
Note:  Imdb 7.5 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 77% critic 92%, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen age 5+, 1* education, 4* positive, 4* role models, 2* scariness, 1* sexy, 1* language, 1* consumerism, 1* drinking drugs, smoking, Amazon 4.7* out of 5t* with 22, 095 reviews, Metacritc 74 out of 100 with 43 critics (positive 37, mixed 6), 7.5 out of 10 (1015 positive, 182 mixed, 154 negative), Letterboxd 3.4* out of 4* with 339 reviews.

Special Note:  Original songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Christophe Beck, Robert Lopez.  The singing is done by Idina Menzel as Queen Elsa, Kristen Bell sings as Anna. 

Disney:  This company really knows how to market a movie and to line up the production of every possible item you can think linked to the movie!!  Dolls, doll clothing, shoes, lego castles and dolls, dresses, sleds, horses, headbands, hair ornaments, bandaids, wrapping paper, greeting cards, balloons, luggage, books, coloring books, stickers, sheets, blankets, pillowcases, pillows, snow globes, sheet music, LP’s, DVD’s, bean bags, etc.  There are probably as many more things that I don't know about on the market!!

Million Dollar Baby 2004

     This movie is based an an adapted story written by F.X Toole: Stories from the Corner.  Maggie Fitzgerald is an aspiring boxer from southwest Missouri and she wants to learn from the best.  She’s been working as a waitress since she was 13 years old and she wants to get away from this life.  She would like Frankie Dunn to train her.  In the beginning, he flatly refuses saying he has no interest in training a girl!!  Frankie lives a lonely existence, alienated from his only daughter and having very few friends.  Maggie needs some smoothing and she’s rough around the edges.  She shows a lot of grit in the ring and Frankie finally relents about training her.  Maggie excels in her workouts and she proves to be the boxer he has always dreamed of training.  She also becomes a friend to Frankie and she fills a great void he’s always had in his life.  Frankie has written many letters to his daughter but they always come back unopened and marked return to sender.  Maggie’s career skyrockets and she's knocking out other women boxers left and right!! 
     Be prepared for the fight scenes to be brutally realistic and there are graphic injuries.  There are ugly insults and some viewers may be unhappy with a priest using bad language?  The script is well written and the characters are believable.  Maggie is determined to make something of herself.  Will Frankie finally do everything it takes to get Maggie to the top?  5* (I really liked this movie. 
      
132 min, Drama directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Paul Haggis and F.X. Toole with Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter, Lucia Rijker, Brian F. O’Byrne, Anthony Mackie, Margo Martindale, Riki Lindhome, Michael Pena, Benito Martinez, Bruce MacVittie, David Powledge, Joe D’Angerio.

Note:  Imdb 8.1* with 601,061 reviews, Roger Ebert 4*, Rotten Tomatoes 91% critic with 268 critics 90% audience with 404,865 scores, EmpireOnline 4*, Slant Magazine 3 1/2* Ed Gonzalez, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 769 reviews, Common Sense Media 3* out of 5* Nell Minow, age 14+, 3* positive, 3* violence, 1* sex, 3* language, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking.

Special Note:  Behind the scenes boxing and kickboxing champion Lucia Rijker is Hilary Swank’s boxing coach.  She also plays the part of Billie “The Blue Bear” in one of Maggie's fights.  Clint Eastwood became the oldest Best Director Oscar winner for this movie and he was 74 years old.  Originally Morgan Freeman was asked to play the role of Frankie Dunn but he decided to take the role of Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris instead.  Swank underwent a serious training schedule to prepare for this role.  She gained nearly twenty pounds of muscle during workouts.  You can see her body changing as her training goes along.  She contracted a bacterial infection from a blister on her foot and she nearly had to be hospitalized for three weeks.  She chose to take a week off for medicated rest and she didn’t talk to anyone about the injury.  This film stayed in the top five at the box-office every weekend from the time it was nominated for Best Picture until after the Academy Awards.