Seberg 2019

      This film is inspired by real events in the life of actress Jean Seberg.  She was a college girl from Marshalltown Iowa.  Her big break came when she was cast in 1957 to play Joan of Arc in a major motion picture.  She rose to fame after her role of an American girl in Paris in the New Wave classic film Breathless directed by Jean-Luc Godard.  She came to the United States in the late 1960’s and she met with the Black Panther Movement group.  She talked to Hakim Jamal after she met him on the plane from France.  She wanted to give money to the Panthers and their movement.  This action brought the attention of the US Government and FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover authorized taps on her phones and her residences.  The surveillance program CONTELPRO began the surveillance actions.  Since this film is not a documentary, it has no obligation to tell the truth?  Many of the events shown are fictitious?  I was surprised about this?? 

   
     Some information posted in magazines and newspapers about Seberg were not true.  The FBI wanted to further link Seberg to Jamal by falsely stating that the child Seberg was carrying was Jamal’s child.  This was a known lie but it was published anyway?  Hoover was well known for wanting the investigators to always put a bug in bedrooms so he could hear the springs squeak?  Seberg was pushed to the point of a nervous breakdown and she lost her baby daughter Nina Hart Gary who only lived two days!!  3 1/2* ( I liked this movie)

102 min, Bio directed by Benedict Andrews and written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse with Kristen Stewart, Yvan Attal, Gabriel Sky, Jack O’Connell, Margaret Qualley, Colm Meaney, Vince Vaughn, Stephen Root, Anthony Mackie, Victoria Barabas, Sean Bolger, Ben Kliewer, Brian Michael Jones, Celeste Prechous, Laura Campbell.

Note:  Imdb 5.6* out of 10* with 4661 reviews, Rotten tomatoes 35% with 130 reviews, Roger Ebert 1 1/2* Moncia Castillo, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, RollingStone 3* out of 5* Peter Travers, sf chronicle Mick LaSalle a clap, Amazon 3.5* out of 5* with 410 reviews.

Special Note:  Seberg met Hakim Jamal after production of the film Paint Your Wagon.  The meeting was on a plane trip to Los Angeles and he approached her and not the other way around.  She did not stand with activists and give the Black Power sign for photographers.  Jamal was not a member of the Black Panther Party and there is no mention of Seberg’s involvement or financial contributions to the Panthers.  There was no front page headline stating that Jean Seberg attempted suicide?  Her second husband Romain Gary and Jean both said her pill overdose was accidental.  Online, there are many other instances of fabrications listed for this film??  Jean’s true story is available in the documentary film Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg released March 2015 in the USA.

Little Women 2019

     In the years of the Civil War, Jo March lives with her mother Marmee (Abigail May) and her sisters Meg, Amy and Beth in Massachusetts.  Jo wants to be a writer and her sister Amy studies painting.  Amy is the youngest of the sisters and she can be selfish and materialistic.  Meg got scarlet fever from a poor family that the March’s were helping.  She almost died, she is the oldest sister and possibly the prettiest.  She is prim and proper in her behavior.  Beth March also got scarlet fever from an infant with the fever and she died later because of complications.  Their father Robert March is hurt in the war but he comes home and the family treats his injuries.  Originally, the Marches used to have money but something happened between Mr. March and a friend and the family became poor? 

    
     I almost gave up watching this film because it is long and there are so many tragedies!!  
This version is well done except for the length and the countryside scenes are very beautiful.  The story is a tribute to sisterhood, generosity, a creative spirit and the importance of community.  There are some sad and tense moments.  Meg falls through ice when she is ice skating.  Another sister becomes sick and she dies.  Their father Mr. March is injured during the War.  Some characters drink and some minor or background characters smoke.  The March sisters demonstrate the core values they have been taught by their parents.  4 1/2* (I liked this movie)    
 
135 min, Drama directed and written by Greta Gerwig, Louisa May Alcott with Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garell, Jayne Houdyshell, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep, Rafael Silva, Mason Alban.

Note:  Imdb 7.8* out of 10* with 125,434 reviews,  Rotten Tomatoes 95% with 407 critics 92% with 18,197 audience scores, Roger Ebert 4* Tomris Laffly, Common Sense Media, Sandie Angulo Chen 5*, positive 4*, role models 4* 2* violence, 2* sex, 1* language, 2*, The Guardian 5* Peter Bradshaw, empireonline.com 5* Helen O’Hara, Metacritic 91 out of 100 with 47 critics (positive 53 mixed 4 negative 0) 7.6 out of 10 with 410 ratings (310 positive 52 mixed 48 negative). 

Special Note:  Filmed in Sacramento California.  Greta Gerwig, the director, lives in Sacramento.  She also filmed her award winning Lady Bird in Sacramento.  The novel was originally published in two parts in 1868 and 1869.  

DCI Banks Season 2 Episode 3: Dry Bones That Dream: Part 1 2012

     Banks is called in to investigate the death of Keith Rothwell, he is a mild-mannered accountant who appears to be the victim of a contract killing?  Keith was dragged from the family home and he was killed by a masked intruder?  Nothing is stolen and musician Pamela Jefferies comes forward to say that she knew Rothwell as her married lover Robert Calvert?  Overbearing wife Mary doesn’t know anything about Pamela?  Solicitor Daniel Norcliffe disappears and DCI Burgees believes he may be a link between Fleming and Rothwell in a money laundering scheme.    

     Pamela Jefferies said that she thought Keith felt trapped by how people saw him and perhaps how he saw himself.  He may have come to realize that he wasn't actually being true to who he really was?  He was overly controlled and it must have been complicated to have two separate lives?  He used to tell Pamela, “Let’s keep it in the moment.”  He loved music and that may have been because it holds you in the moment.  Pamela was a musician and that may have drawn him to her?  5* (I really like this series)

48 min, Crime directed by Jim Loach and written by Peter Robinson and Rob Williams with Stephen Tompkinson, Caroline Catz, Lorraine Burroughs, Jack Deam, Nicolas Sidi, Amanda Root, Patricia Potter, Richard Dillane, Francis Magee, Rosie Day, Domininc Mafham, Richard Dixon, Dermot Daly,  Rachel Caffrey, Jim Millea.
Special Note:  Filmed at Waterman’s Footbridge, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK.

Imdb 7.6* out of 10* with 232 reviews, tv.com 9* out of 10* with 11 votes, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 381 reviews, Goodreads gives the book 4.03* with 4,988 ratings and 265 reviews.
 

Life Itself 2018

     A young New York couple goes from a college romance to marriage and the birth of their first child.  Unexpected twists in their journey create changes in how they thought their lives would be.  There are both the perils and rewards of everyday life.  This is a multi-generational saga with an international ensemble cast.  The setting is New work City and Carmona Spain.  There are complications and life is not always a smooth path.  It’s possible to solve them with humor, poignancy and love.

     The first half of the movie is about the relationship of Will and Abby.  They meet, fall in love, visit with Will’s parents and contemplate their lives before and after their relationship.  Then, unexpectedly, the film moves to Carmona and we see the lives of a wealthy landowner Mr. Saccione, a plantation manager Javier, his wife Isabel and their son Rodrigo.

     This is an emotional family drama written by the writer-director of the TV drama This Is Us.  It is an intense and mature movie because of several tragedies.  Quite a bit of drinking to excess and lots of strong language.  Both in New York and in Spain the couples persevere in their relationships.  I was surprised by the trauma in the first relationship.  Then, suddenly the film moves to Spain with entirely different people and circumstances?  I was surprised by this shift and also wondering why there are suddenly different people in a different place?  2* (I didn’t like this movie) 

117 min, Drama, directed and written by Dan Fogelman with Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Annette Bening, Mandy Patinkin, Jean Smart, Olivia Cooke, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Antonio Banderas, Laia Costa, Alex Monner, Isabel Durant, Lorenza Izzo, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Robinson, Adrian Marrero.

Note:  Imdb 6.8* out of 10* with 16,120 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 14% with 148 crisis 83% with 1399 ratings, Meteoritic 21 out of 100 with 39 critics (1 positive, 8 mixed 30 negative) 5.2 out of 10 with 42 ratings (19 positive 4 mixed 19 negative), Roger Ebert 1 1/2* Monica Castillo, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen 4*, age 15+, 3* positive, 3* role models, 4* violence, 3* sex, 4* language, 2* consumerism, 3* drinking, drugs, smoking, Amazon 4.5* out of 10* with 3539 reviews, The Guardian 1* out of 5* Wendy Ide, indiewire.com Grade D.
 

Ash Is Purest White 2018

      This setting of this film is from 2001-2017, Qiao is a beautiful and popular young woman.  She takes care of her father and she has a lot of friends.  She is cool headed, smart, responsible and resourceful.  There is one drawback, her boyfriend Bin is a gangster.   One night, Bin is beaten up by a bunch of guys and Qiao jumps out of the car to take action.  She's afraid they are going to kill Bin.  She has a gun and that tells these guys that she really means business.  In Japan, handguns are banned.  Only shotguns and air rifles are allowed.  The law comes down hard on Qiao and she goes to prison for five years!!

     When Qiao gets out of prison, everything on the outside has changed.  Right away, a woman steals her money and ID card.  Qiao will have to think up a way to get some money?  She gate crashes a wedding for a meal, she cheats money out of a young man and she steals a motorcycle.  Her focus is finding out where Bin is now!!  There are lot of elements about Japan that we don’t understand!!  4* (I liked this movie)     

   
136 min, Crime directed and written by Zhangke Jia with Tao Zhao, Fan Liao, Yi’nan Diao, Yi’nan Diao, Jiali Ding, Zijian Dong, Jiamei Feng, Xiaogang Feng, King Kang, Xuan Li.

Note Imdb 7* out of 10* with 7272 reviews, Roger Ebert 4* Glenn Kenny, Rotten Tomatoes 99% with 152 critics 69% with 202 audience scores, The Guardian 5* Simran Hans, Chicago Tribune 4*, Washington Post 3* out of 5* Pat Padua, empireonline.com 4* Ian Freer.

Special Note:  Filmed in China, France and Japan.  Jianghu means outlaw sects or societies and this word is untranslatable.  It can also mean a particular code of ethics.

DCI Banks Season 2 Episode 2: Strange Affair: Part 2: 2012

   An investigation reveals that Jennifer and Roy were involved in a lucrative prostitution ring.  Roy has been bringing women into the UK through his travel agency.  His business partner Lambert states that he doesn’t know anything about this business?  DCI Banks is not allowed to be involved on this case since it is about a close family member.  DI Morton agrees to let Banks help in an advisory role.  She warns Banks he may be in danger and he could be next to be killed?  Banks seeks out Carmen, she is the face of the escort agency and she fronts the prostitution racket.  Banks finds out that Carmen is pregnant and she is linked to a baby-selling arrangement.  This revelation may hold a key to the double murders?
 

    DCI Banks’ parents are devastated by the death of their youngest son.  They need to get their feelings in place in order to be there for their eldest son and his grief.  They do recommend that Banks keep the Porsche since he did enjoy the drive!!  5* (I like this series)

   
Note:  Imdb 7.8* out of 10* with 251 ratings, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 554 ratings, The Telegraph 2* out of 5* Michael Hogan, vudu.com 4* out of 5* with 40 reviews, Ebay 4* with 4 reviews, google.com 4 1/2* out of 5 with 20 reviews, 

Special Note:  Roy had gotten into waters that were too deep for him and the result was his murder.  In the beginning of this investigation, it was an unknown that children were for sale?  The murder motivations were much deeper than their original scope was known.  
 

Uncut Gems 2019

     Howard Ratner was once a successful New York gems dealer but now he’s a shady jeweler to rappers and sports stars.  His gambling addiction has left his family and business in shambles?  He is also thousands of dollars in debt.  He’s always looking for the next money maker.  He thinks he’s finally hit it big when he discovers a rare uncut rock of Ethiopian gems.  He has found a very interested high-profile buyer.  The closer Howard gets to finally winning big, the more he is forced to realize he can’t keep running from the consequences of his actions!!

     Howard never stops moving and the movie doesn’t either?  There is a nonexistent story line?  This has three effects on the audience, exhausting, electrifying and wondering what is happening.  Howard has an addiction and stress is what he continually feels.  He is so used to the stress that he doesn’t realize he has it and consequently he has need for stress.  He must be in a panic all the time?  He’s also running from rooms, on sidewalks, charging across lobbies and making those close to him hate him?

     Howard is a liar, philanderer, he abuses the trust of family, friends colleagues and customers, even his famous customers.  The dialogue is profanity and lots of yelling.  There are frequent physical assaults and a brief moment of intense gun violence and well as a bad wound.  Frequent smoking and drinking. 

 
     There isn’t anything about this movie that I like!!??  I don’t like characters who act like Howard and how they treat other people.  They need an intervention to help themselves and those around them.  I’m not interested in a string of profanity and continual yelling as the dialogue.  I knew right away that Howard was someone that no one could trust.  I think this movie is either liked or hated but not feelings in between?  1/2* (I hated this movie)    

Note:  Imdb 7.4* out of 10* with 201,911 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 92% with 329 critics 52% with 12,112 ratings, empireonline.com 5* Nick De Semiyen, Metacritic 91 out of 100 with 56 critic reviews (54 positive 2 mixed 0 negative) (7.1 out of 10 with 539 user ratings 388 positive 67 mixed 84 negative), Roger Ebert  4* Sheila O’Malley, Common Sense Media, Tara McNamara, age 16+, 1* positive, 4* violence, 4* sex, 5* language, 3* consumerism, 4* drinking, drugs, smoking.  

Special note:  Basketball star Kevin Garnett and singer The Weekend play themselves.  This film was inspired by the Safdie Brothers’ father’s time working as a salesman/runner for a man also named Howard in the Manhattan Diamond District.  Adam Sandler wore false teeth and a fake dark mole on his right cheek for his role as Howard.  Yussi is played by a real-life jeweler Maksud Agadjani.  He was embroiled in a social media spat with rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine in 2018 over a $25,000 bracelet.  Maksud said he lent the performer the bracelet but he was never paid?  This incident was covered by several hip hop media news outlets?
 

Portrait of a Lady on Fire 2019

      This is a French film with subtitles.  The setting is on an isolated  French island in Brittany at the end of the 18th century.  A young painter, Marianne is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Heloise without her knowing.  The portrait is a gift for Heloise's future husband.  Previously, a male painter was hired and afterwards the painting was partially erased.  Heloise is told that Marianne is to be a companion.  In order to make the portrait, Marianne will need to observe her model by day to paint her portrait at night.  She has the dress that will be worn but she will need to do Heloise's face, posture, hands and arms from memory.

     Heloise and Marianne become closer as they walk on the beach together dayly.  Heloise is contemplating the impending reality her arranged marriage and the passing of the days before she leaves.  Heloise's mother, the Countess, goes away for five days and the household is able to relax more on their own. 

     There is use of an unspecified hallucinogenic drug that slows down time.  Heloise has not chosen her marriage, she is forced against her will to marry.  Some drinking of wine, smoking of a pipe, positive themes of friendship, communication and love.

      I thought it was interesting to see the clothing and social mores of this time period.  I didn't remember that even women smoked pipes and there were no cigarettes but there was cured tobacco.  More wine is consumed than water because there was often uncertainty about water purity.  The scenery at the beach is very beautiful and it's interesting to see the painting in it's different stages of development.  5* (I really liked this movie)   

122 min, Drama directed and written by Celine Sciamma with Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel, Luana Bajrami, Valeria Golino, Christel Baras, Armande Boulanger, Guy Delamarche, Clement Bouyssou.

Note:  Imdb 8.1* out of 10* with 51,654 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 98% with 30 critics 92% with 463 audience ratings, IndieWire 4.5* out of 5* David Ehrlich, Amazon 4.9* out of 5* with 304 reviews, Roger Ebert 4* Tomris Laffly, The Guardian 5* Peter Bradshaw, Common Sense Media, Danny Brogan 5*, age 15+, positive 4*, role models 4*, violence 3*, sex 4*, 3* drinking, drugs, smoking.

Special Note:  The paintings done by Marianne were all created by Painter Helene Delmarie.  Noemie Merlant worked closely with Helene to paint perspectives and sight lines for the portrait.  The reason why the film features no musical score is for the audience to be more involved with the rhythm and to make the music arise elsewhere.  The movements of the bodies and the camera are the music.  Marianne's father was also a painter and the style shown is more of a modern style and not that of the late 18th century.  The French title is Portrait de la jeune fille en feu.

The Dressmaker 2015

      This film is based on a best selling novel by Rosalie Ham.  Tilly Dunnage returns in 1951 to her small town in rural Australia.  She's brought her sewing machine and her style with her.  She has come to see her mother and she hasn't seen her for a long time.  Tilly wants to right the wrongs of the past.  The town has always thought she killed a young boy who went to school with her and lived in the town.  Tilly's mother is doing fine for the shape she is in!!  She drinks a lot and she doesn't clean, both her home and herself.  Tilly starts right in with giving her mother a bath and then cleaning the house.  The townspeople don't want to accept her until they learn something very different and interesting about her?

    Tilly knows how to sew and she spent time in France.  She takes one of the plainest women in the town and she makes a gown for her.  This woman goes to a dance and everyone is amazed by how beautiful she looks.  Now, the women of the town want to have clothes made by Tilly to make them over!!  Tilly learns a lot about herself and her childhood.  She finds out she didn't kill the boy.

     This film is best for older teens and adults.  There is some intense material about murder, mental illness and bullying.  Plenty of smoking, drinking, some kissing, sexual situations and swearing.  Some upsetting scenes are shown or discussed.  The dressmaker herself demonstrates perseverance against all odds.  5* (I really liked this movie)   

119 min Drama directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse and written by Rosalie Ham, Jocelyn Moorhouse and P.J. Hogan with Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving, Julia Blake, Shane Bourne, Kerry Fox, Rebecca Gibney, Caroline Goodall, Gyton Grantley, Tracy Harvey, Sacha Horler, Shane Jacobson, Genevieve Lemon, James Mackay, Hayley Magnus, Simon Maiden, Barry Otto.

Note:  Imdb 7.1* out of 10* with 51,997 reviews, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* Susan Wloszczyna, Rotten Tomatoes 57% with 138 critics 66% with 9,924 reviews, RollingStone 2* out of 4* Peter Travers, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Luke Buckmaster, Common Sense Media, S. Jhoanna Robledo, age 16+, 3* positive, 3* role models, 3* violence, 2* sex, 4* language, 1* consumerism, 3* drinking, drugs, smoking.

Special Note:  Several times the shooting was interrupted as wild emus got involved in the scenes!!  There is a mistake in a scene with Tilly in the classroom with the teacher.  The alphabet on the top of the blackboard is missing the letter R?  Tilly smokes filtered cigarettes and this type of cigarette was not available in Australia in 1951.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night 2018

      Luo Hongwu returns to Kaili, this is his hometown and he left 12 years earlier.  Memories of an enigmatic and beautiful woman begin to resurface in his mind.  He loved her and he has never been able to forget about her.  He begins a search for her and past, present, reality and dreams interweave as he thinks about her. 

     A Chinese film about gangsters and illicit love affairs that turns into a fever dream.  There is a long and unbroken take for the ending.  It lasts 50 minutes of the film’s 130 minute running time with hallucinatory brilliance.   

     This film goes back and forth from the present day to about 20 years earlier.  The cuts changing time periods are not always recognizable and the pilot can be muddied at times.  I didn’t last very long in viewing.  I thought the pace was very slow and I could not get interested in the characters.  I didn’t know until later that you could tell the time frame by Hongwu’s facial hair?  It is slightly different depending on the time frame.  I thought this film definitely was a long day's journey into night, possibly into the next day and night!!  2* (I didn’t like this movie)

138 min, Drama directed and written by Bi Gan with Wei Tang, Jue Huang, Sylvia Chang, Hong-Chi Lee, Youngzhong Chen, Feiyang Luo, Chole Maayan, Chun-hao Tuan, Yasmin Bi, Lixun Xie, Xi QI, Ming-Dow, Zezhi Long.

Note:  Imdb 7.2* out of 10* with 5847 reviews, Roger Ebert 4* out of 5* Simon Abrams, Rotten Tomatoes 93% with 91 critics 67% with 117 ratings, Metacritic 88 out of 100 with 23 critics (22 positive 1 mixed) 6.8 out of 10 with 33 ratings (24 positive 4 mixed 5 negative), The Guardian 5* Peter Bradshaw, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 106 reviews, RollingStone 4* out of 5* Peter Travers.

Special Note:  There was a major controversy after the opening of this film.  The marketing was targeted towards the general public but the film should have been targeted toward art film lovers?  Opening was on December 31, 2018, the last day of the year and intended to be a good event to celebrate the New Year.  Many people went to see the film and there was major backlash.   Viewers complained about the film and those who appreciated it called it “phony artistic.”  In the US 38 million was earned the first day of opening and the box office on the second day was decreased by 96%.  There is also another movie with the same title from 1962 with Katharine Hepburn and Ralph Richardson and directed by Sidney Lumet.  

DCI Banks Season 2 Episode 1 2012: Strange Affair: Part 1

      DCI Banks receives a phone message from his brother Roy and he is asking for help?  DCI Banks heads to Harrogate to find out what is going on with Roy?  The brothers have a 12 year age difference between them with Banks as the oldest.  DI Helen Morton is new on the team and she has a somber tactless style.  She is taking Annie Cabbot’s place since Annie is on maternity leave.  Helen finds evidence linking DCI Banks to the woman’s body and he could be a suspect?   This decision doesn’t help the mood of the team!!  Banks doesn’t know what’s going on at the station.  He’s set out on tracking down Roy and finding out what is going on?  Morton is miffed that Banks is missing in action!!  Banks discovers there are questionable business transactions and associates in Roy’s company? 

     The scenery with panoramic shots of windswept moorlands or rain drenched quarries is very beautiful.  Banks doesn’t answer his phone for most of the day and he’s supposed to be getting filled in on this murder inquiry.  Morton doesn’t know that Banks has been contacted by his brother and he’s already on the case.  Background is provided into the life of the Banks family.  Roy is definitely higher paid than Banks!!  He has a Porsche in the garage, he lives in a desirable country house of traditional stone and he has a comfortable lifestyle involving numerous foreign holidays.  Additionally, his family doesn’t know he’s engaged and Roy also has a girlfriend?     Because Roy is the youngest it could be known as the baby of the family in the minds of his parents?  I think the stories and the characters are interesting and realistic.  5* (I liked this episode)

Note:  Imdb 7.7* out of 10* with 266 reviews, Amazon 4.5* with 555 ratings, The Telegraph 2* out of 5* Michael Hogan, vudu.com 4* out of 5* with 40 reviews, Ebay 4* with 2 ratings, google.com 4 1/2* with 30 reviews.

Special Note:  The character DI Helen Morton is played by Caroline Catz, she also has the role of Doc Martins wife Louisa in that series.  This series is based on novels by Peter Robinson.  DI Hellen Morton doesn’t appear in the original novels.  During filming, Andrea Lowe in the role of DS Annie Cabbot was pregnant in real life.  DI Morton remained in the series after Andrea returned in Season 3.  

Parasite 2019

     The Kims are a poor family living in a shabby and cramped half basement apartment.  The neighborhood is a busy lower working class commercial district of Seoul.  There is mother and father Chung-sook and Kitaek plus their young adult children, son Ki-woo and daughter Ki-jung.  Often as a group, they initiate minor scams to make a living.  When they do have jobs, they do the least amount of work necessary.  Ki-woo dreams of escaping from poverty and going to university.  A stroke of luck comes to Ki-woo!!  His university student friend Min is leaving and going abroad for education.  Min asks Ki-woo to take over his tutoring job with Park Da-hye.  Min has plans to return and date Park Da-hye when she is also in university.   The Parks are a very wealthy family and they have lived for four years in their modern house designed by famed architect Namgoong.
 

     Ki-woo can’t believe his luck!!  Park Da-hye is smart and beautiful!!  What a job!!  The family begins to take over all the jobs held by other workers in the Park family.  Housekeeper, tutor, art teacher, chauffeur.  Now they are living the life!!  Job security, money, food, drinks.  Only Chung-sook, the housekeeper lives in the Park home and the other family members go back to their sad apartment situation in the evening.  There us a ray of hope for the Kims when the Park family goes on a camping trip.  This means they all can stay at the Park home until they return.  I am indecisive about my review rating??  There are sections of scenes that I give a 4* and for other scenes I switch to a 2*??  (This is my first double review!!)

 

     There are a LOT of twists in this film and I didn’t have a clue they were coming??  Including, a very nice calm before a terrific storm for the family!!  A heavy rain with flooding and a very big twist with their situation!!  A few scenes of extremely strong violence, blood and gore.  Stabbing, fighting, hitting with blunt objects and death.  Plenty of swearing, heavy drinking, smoking and staggering drunk scenes.    

         
132 min, Drama directed and written by Bong Joon Ho with Kan-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-Jeong Jo, Woo-sir Choi, So-dam Park, Jeong-eun Lee, Hye-jin Jang, Myeong-hoon Park, Ji-so Jung, Hyun-jun Jung, Keun-rok Park, Jeong Esuz, Jo Jae-Myeong, Ik-han Jung, Kim Gyu Baek.

Note:  Imdb 8.6* out of 10* with 479,114 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 99% with 450 critics 90% with 7274 ratings, empire online.com 5* John Nugent, Roger Ebert 4* Brian Tallerico, The Guardian 5* Mark Kermode, Common Sense Media Jeffrey M. Anderson, age 16+, 2* positive, 4* vilence, 3* sex, 4* language, 1* consumerism, 3* drinking, drugs, smoking, Amazon 4.5* with 30,439 reviews, telegraph.co.uk 5* Robbie Collin.

Special Note:  The Park house was a set completely built for this film.  The design featured lines that clearly divided the Parks and the Kims. The job of tutor is really the only way a very poor family would connect with a wealthy family.
Awards:  Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, Best Directing, Writing and many other awards. 

Midsommar 2019

       Dani and Christian are a young American couple with their relationship on the brink of falling apart?  Dani is very worried about her sister and she needs support from Christian.  Dani’s sister commits suicide and Dani needs Christian even more now.  Dani learns that Christian and his friends are going on a trip to a remote Swedish village.  Dani is not sure she wants to go but it might be a relief to see a midsummer festival and get away from her grief.  The villagers invite their guests to partake in the festivities but this may be a mistake.  The American’s don’t know very much about this community and their beliefs?

     This is an extremely violent horror movie from the maker of Hereditary and rated R for many reasons!!  There is a sinister, ages-old ceremony with disturbing rituals.  Characters are beaten, there is a suicide, a nightmare sequence, vomiting, screaming and arguing.  Use of hallucinogenic mushrooms, other kinds of mysterious drugs, e-cigarettes, cigarettes and a pipe.  This has very mature themes and is not recommended for young viewers.  On the lighter side, some  of the relationships go from OK to really bad.  It’s also possible to have a very bad vacation.  I would watch this film in the daylight and a long time before going to bed!!  2* (I didn’t like this movie)

148 min, Drama directed and written by Ari Aster with Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, Ellore Torchia, Archie Madekwe, Henrik Norlen, Gunnel Fred, Isabelle Grill, Agnes Westerlund Rase, Julia Ragnarsson, Mats Blomgren, Lars Varinger, Anna Astrom. 

Note:  Imdb 7.1* out of 10* with 176,518 reviews, Rotten tomatoes 83% with 385 critics 63% with 5230 ratings, Metacritic 72 out of 100 with 54 critics (42 positive, 10 mixed, 2 negative) 6.4 out of 10 with 530 ratings (333 positive, 87 mixed, 110 negative), Common Sense Media, 1* positive, 5* violence, 5* sex, 4* language, 3* drinking, drugs, smoking, Roger Ebert 4* Tomris Laffly, The Guardian 5* Peter Bradshaw, Washington Post 1 1/2* Ann Hornaday. 

 
Special Note:  Thirty minutes was cut from the final film to receive a better MPAA rating.  The director’s cut restores this footage.  Most of the Swedish dialogue spoken by the Harga natives is not subtitled.  This creates a sense of isolation for the audience and for the American visitors.  Most of the filming was shot in Hungary.  Director Ari Aster has a real-life fear of bugs and illness.  He wore two pairs of socks over his jeans to ensure he would not receive bug bites and Will Poulter in the role of Mark followed Ari’s example!!

Megastorm Aftermath 2013

      In October 2017, Superstorm Sandy cut a path of destruction across the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States.  Hundreds of people were killed and the storm caused tens of billions of dollars in damage.  One year after Sandy’s deadly strike, NOVA investigates the critical question raised by this historic storm.  What can we do to prepare ourselves for the next Sandy?  Much of the devastation was due to flooding from an extreme store surge.  With sea levels on the rise, flooding will become more frequent and devastating. 

     A big question is what is the role of global warming in driving these rising seas.  What will it take to make cities like New York more resilient?  NOVA travels around the world to see how other low-lying urban areas are combining extraordinary engineering with natural landscape restoration and a smarter, more flexible power grid to prepare for an uncertain future.  NOVA also interviews climate scientists and they are racing to understand how a warming world will affect extreme but unpredictable weather phenomena like hurricanes and tornadoes.

      Con Edison has been working to shore up the defenses of one facility that was flooded and suffered a short and then an exploding transformer.  This caused a power outage for many customers and also a broken electrical system.  At Verizon facilities, seawater ate away much of the copper wiring in their cables.  They have been replaced with fiber optics.  Glass is impervious to salt water.  

     In the Netherlands people have long been fighting the sea with miles of levees and windmills that pump the water back out to sea.  Also, there are a number of projects that limit how much seawater does get in.  Roots anchoring the soil and not let it get washed away so easily.  Dams and concrete but wetlands that can absorb a lot of water and absorb a lot of the energy of a big storm coming inland.  

     Sea levels are rising because glacial ice flows into the oceans and this can lead to bigger and stronger hurricanes.  New York, New Orleans and the Netherlands have a better chance of keeping their areas safe.  Some places with large coastlines like Florida, or low land masses like many islands may not survive much longer?  There is a lot of information about hurricane Sandy that I didn't know!!  5* (I really liked this documentary)

60 min, documentary, written, produced and directed by Miles O’Brien, also produced by Julia Cort, associate producer Will Toubman, edited by Brian Truglo, Nova production by Miles O’Brien Productions.

The Souvenir 2019

      This is a mature drama about a 22-something film school student in the 1980’s who has a turbulent romance with a complicated and untrustworthy man.  One main character is a heroin addict, viewers never see him using but he does have enlarged pupils and looks spaced out?  Many characters smoke and drink.  Some get verbose while drinking but otherwise don’t seem drunk.  IRA bombings are discussed, later a bomb goes off outside a character’s house.  Viewers hear a bang and screaming but nothing is shown.  A sudden death takes place offscreen.  Two characters are in a sexual relationship.  Language is mostly British slang.

     The cinematography is good but a bit washed out.  There is total lack of tension in this movie.  The script is just a lot of talking and more talking and it all seems to lead nowhere.  Joanna Hogg wrote the script based on her real-life experiences at film school in London.  The main actress has potential and she is natural on screen.  The script is horrible and so is the co-star.  There isn’t a plot so I can’t complain about that aspect.  Just a bunch of scenes slapped together?  Supposedly, Julie is broke but she goes to Venice with expensive luggage and fancy dressy clothing.  I didn’t last very long watching this film and I had other things to do that were more important such as take out trash!!  1 1/2* (I really did not like this movie)

     
120 min, Drama directed and written by Joanna Hogg with Neil Young, Tosin Cole, Jack McMullen, Frankie Wilson, Honor Swinton Byrne, Hannah Ashby Ward, Janet Etuk, Chyna Terrelonge-Vaughan, Tom Burke, Tilda Swinton, Alice McMillan, Barbara Peirson,James Dodds, Dick Fontaine, Steve Gough.

Note:  Imdb 6.5* out of 10* with 8035 reviews, Common Sense Media, Joyce 
Slaton, age 15+, 2* positive, 2* role models, 2* violence, 3* sex, 3* language, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking, Rotten Tomatoes 89% with 171 critics 36% with 521 ratings, Roger Ebert 4* Moncia Castillo, empireonline.com 4* Terri White, The Guardian 5* Peter Bradshaw, Amazon 3.3* out of 5* with 147 reviews.

Special Note:  Actress Honor Swinton Byrne did not read the script but instead she read Joanna's diaries from the early 80’s, notes, looked at photographs, old scripts and films Hogg wrote and made during this time.  The rest of the cast had scripts but were also told to react to Hogg as well as they could.  Tom Burke read old letters, recordings and drawings from the man his character is based on.  Rated best film of 2019 by 100 critics in a poll conducted by Sight & Sound magazine.  (I am surprised by this result??)

Anna 2019

     Anna is a young beautiful girl but she’s living with a dolt boyfriend.  He steals a car and tries to get money from an ATM using the owner and his card.  This is stupid because the entire transaction is on camera.  Two police cars come to the scene and he tries to outrun them.  There is an accident and he is killed.  Anna’s life changes dramatically and she finds a career in the fashion world.  She starts out as a simple model but in a short time she enters the elite modeling.  Her world changes again when she becomes a dangerous assassin.  

     There is a lot of intense martial arts violence, punching, kicking, stabbing and slicing.  Dead bodies and lots of blood, guns, shootings, car chases, crashes.  Passionate kissing, heavy breathing, clothes ripped off.  Sex talk and references to prostitution.  Strong language throughout, chain-smoking cigarettes, social drinking and references to drugs.  Anna is a powerful woman but a relentless killer and she never feels free.  Helen Mirren wearing a black wig is Anna’s handler.  She is tough and pushes Anna to her limits.  Over time, Anna gets worn out from her constant assignments.  She wants to make a deal with Mirren to decrease the time she is working and have more down time on vacations.  5* (I really liked this movie)     

118 min, Action directed, produced and written by Luc Besson with Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, Lera Abova, Alexander Petrov, Nikita Pavlenko, Anna Krippa, Aleksey Maslodudov, Eric Gordon, Ivan Franek, Jean-Baptiste Puech, Adrian Can, Alison Wheeler.

Note:  Imdb 6.6* out of 10* with 55,782 reviews, Roger Ebert 1 1/2* Peter Sobczynski, rotten Tomatoes 33% with 69 critics 81% with 2225 ratings, RollingStone 3* out of 5* David Fear, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Benjamin Lee, Common Sense Media, Jeffrey M. Anderson, age 16+, 1* positive, 2* role models, 4* violence, 4* sex, 4* language, 2* drinking, drugs, smoking, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 6624 ratings, Letterboxd 2.8* out of 5*, IndieWire David Ehrlich Grade C.

Special Note:  There is another movie from 2014 with the same title with Taissa Farmiga.  During filming Luc Besson was accused of sexual misconduct.  No charges were filed due to lack of evidence.  The studio and distributors distanced themselves from the movie.  It was released without official screenings and with only minimum publicity.  This was supposed to be a breakthrough film for Sasha Luss but the box office was 30 million worldwide.  This could mean the end for Besson’s EuropaCorp studio.  The company is already struggling from his previous box-office failure, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 2017.  I've seen this movie and I can see why it failed at the box office!!

Billions Season 4 Episode 6: Maximum Recreational Depth 2019

      Axe discovers a trap set for him by Taylor.  Chuck and Wendy navigate their current marital issues.  Wendy rekindles an unlikely friendship.  Taylor pursues a new business venture.  Connerty formulates a plan to go after Chuck.  

     The relationships in Billions are ever-changing.  You can be the smartest in the room and on top of the money game.  If you misread a relationship you can have your situation turned inside out.  Axe preaches loyalty but the atmosphere is always changing.  It’s easy for loyalty to flip!!  5* (I really liked this series.

60 min, Drama directed by Jessica Yu, created by Brian Koppleman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin, written byAdam R. Perlman, Jamie Chan, Matthew Ross Fennell with Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, Toby Leonards Moore, David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Asia Kate Dillon Jeffrey DeMunn, Kelly AuCoin, Rob Morrow, Terry Kinney, Stephen Kunken, Glenn Fleshler, Kevini Pollak, Samantha Mathis, Harris Yulin, Dan Soder, Garo Wilmes, Nina Arianda, Clancy Brown, Daniel K. Isaac, Geoffrey Owens, Louis Cancelmi, Michael Kostroff.

Note:  Amazon 8.1* out of 10* with 606 reviews, Rotten tomatoes 100% with 8 critic ratings, denofgeek.com 4* out of 5*.

Billions Season 4 Episode 5: “A Proper Sendoff” 2019

      Bobby Axelrod made his fortune on 911 and he has funded the college tuition of the children of those who died to offset the bad karma from this disaster.  John Rice has become a promising hedge-fund whiz himself and Booby is baffled and insulted when John cashes Axe out of his firm?  Wendy tells Axe that he’s feeling like a father who been rejected by his child!  She also suggests that Axe has the same relationship with Taylor Mason.  Axe takes John fishing but things don’t go as John might expect!!  Chuck senior is busy making shady deals to erect a waterfront high-rise.  Chuck speaks at Jack Foley’s funeral and he announces that he intends to honor Foley by cleaning up Albany.  Suddenly, an entire squad of lawmen begin pulling politicians from the pews??  Wendy is still struggling and hiding in her office after Chuck’s revelation about their marriage!!

     Chuck begins work in his new position.  Wendy deals with the consequences of Chuck’s actions.  Taylor goes after an organization that has a history with Axe.  The knives are really out!!  Axe makes a surprising decision about John Rice’s actions and he has been warned by Grigor to lay off Taylor.  Taylor meets with a number of banks looking for money but she doesn’t get a yes from any of them?  Axe is awe of Rebecca, she has ambition and no-nonsense behavior!!  LOTS of fires in the pans!!  5* (I really liked this series)  

         
59 min, Drama directed byMatthew McLoota, created by Brian Koppleman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin, written by Michael Russell Gunn, Jamie Chan, Matthew Ross Fennell with Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, Toby Leonards Moore, David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Asia Kate Dillon Jeffrey DeMunn, Kelly AuCoin, Kevin Pollak, Seth Gabel, Stephen Kunken, Samantha Mathis, Matt Servitto, Dan Soder, Garo Wilmes, Nina Arianda.

Note:  Rotten Tomatoes 100% with 7 critics, decider.com minus 5, Amazon 8.6* out of 5* with 689 reviews.

Pain and Glory 2019

     Salvador Mallo is at the decline of his career and his physical health.  He involuntarily looks back into the past and a stream of vivid memories fall upon him.  He recalls his youth and tender feelings for his mother.  Also, love and separation plus the search for happiness and success.  All this remembering leads to thoughts about life and art, this is the most important thing for him.

     This film is partly an autobiographical narrative showing aging, loneliness, appreciation for the opportunity to follow the path of his work and the importance of the people around him.  These ideas are all well and good but the film itself seems WEIRD and I have to put that in capital letters?  Possibly it is the extreme use of heroin at one point in his life?

     This film contains mature topics like aging, death, drug addiction and desire.  A dominant mother figure, poverty, Catholic schooling, Spain’s urban-rural divide, the power of movies, sexual identity, creative drive and love.  Long medical explanations of various age-related ailments and how this affects people psychologically.  2 1/2* (this movie is so-so)    

     Note:  Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 118 ratings, Imdb 6.6 out of 10 with 75 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 97% with 286 critics 91% with 364 ratings, RollingStone 4 1/2* Peter Travers, Metacritic 87 out of 100 with 43 critics (39 positive 4 mixed) 7.9 out of 10 with 111 ratings (88 positive, 21 mixed, negative 2), Common Sense Media Jennifer Green, aged 17+, 2* positive, 2* role models, 1* violence, 5* sex, 3* language, 1* consumerism, 5* drinking, drugs, smoking. 

  
Special Note:  Julieta Serrano and Antonio Banderas played mother and son more than 30 year ago.  They were in two other movies by Pedreo Almodovar, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 1988 and Matador 1986.  This is Almodovar’s eighth collaboration with Antonio Banderas and his sixth with Penelope Cruze.  This film marks his second collaboration with both of them together.  The first film was I’m So Excited 2013.  Agustin Almodovar, Pedro’s brother and producer of this movie makes a cameo.  He is a teacher and priest in a flashback when Banderas’ character is a small boy.

113 min, Drama directed and written by Pedro Almodovar with Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Nora Nava, Julieta Serrano, Cesar Vicente, Asier Flores, Penelope Cruz, Cecilia Roth, Susi Sanchez, Paul Arevalo, Pedro Casablanc, Julian Lopez.

Billions Season 4 Episode 4 The Overton Window 2019

     Axe and Chuck are trying to fight their way out of a tough spot.  It is the night before the primary election to determine the presumptive State Attorney General for New York.  Chuck’s deal with Axe is paying off.  Men have been hired to sabotage school buses in the district and offer a free casino trip with plenty of chips for other constituents.  These efforts will result in a record low voter turnout.  Chuck Senior is warned by Jack Foley that he is prepared to go public with Chuck’s love of sadomasochism if Chuck doesn’t drop out before the primary!!

     Wendy tells Chuck and she says in no uncertain terms that Chuck must drop out of the race and she won’t stand for their private life to be made public!!  Axe has to dup all their positions in natural gas to avoid a $500 million loss when the new breaks that a natural gas plant is going to explode.  The moment the market opens, Axe learns that their system has been hacked and it crashes.  Axe suspects Grigor?  Taylor is working with her father on a project that could increase algorithm efficiency. 

     There is a LOT going on in this episode.  What choice is Chuck going to make?  What will Wendy do if Chuck spills the beans on their relationship?  What actions will Axe take against Grigor about the shutdown?  Douglas, Taylor’s father made a LOT of mistakes when he worked for his former employer.  How will their relationship go since Douglas has not yet adjusted to who Taylor really is as a person?  Will working together cause changes in her company?   5* (I liked this episode)

59 min, Drama directed by Clement Virgo, created by Brian Koppleman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin, written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, Jamie Chan, Matthew Ross Fennell with Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, Toby Leonards Moore, David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Asia Kate Dillon Jeffrey DeMunn, Kelly AuCoin, John Malkovich, David Strathairn, Clancy Brown Terry Kinney, Stephen Kunken, Kevin Pollak, Samantha Mathis.

Note:  Rotten Tomatoes 100% with 11 critic ratings, Imdb 9.1* out of 10* with 946 ratings, Decider +3 score, Amazon 4 1/2* with 379 reviews, denofgeek.com 3* out of 5* Andrew Husband. 

Billions Season 4 Episode 3 ChickenTown 2019

     Dollar Bill works for Axe Capital and he believes he has a sure profit winner for Axe.  The Arkansas Chicken Index is how the price of chicken is set.  It is based on the number of chickens available to sell.  The hitch in this price setting is that the Chicken Man is a lazy guy!!  There are lot of chickens but he doesn’t go to the farms and count.  He calls the farms and asks for their numbers.  If the numbers are low, the price is high.  If the numbers are high, the price is low.  Dollar Bill thinks he can use this information for a huge gain.  Axe agrees because Dollar Bill never loses!!

     Now comes the big BUT!!  The chicken report is delayed after Axe Capital has confirmed it’s massive position based on the chicken count.  Dollar Bill MUST come up with a fix for this problem!!  He does come up with a solution but it is so BAD that Axe sends Wags to Arkansas to derail Dollar Bill and his solution.  Chuck has problems with his quest to become State Attorney General.  Axe has a plan to take down Taylor by taking a picture of her father Douglas’ design that they have created.  The question in this episode is, who wins and who loses??  Plus, who would have known that the Arkansas Chicken Index was so important!!  5* (I really liked this series)

55 Min, Drama directed by Neil Burger, created by Brian Koppleman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin, written by Lenore Zion, Jamie Chan, Matthew Ross Fennell with Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, Toby Leonards Moore, David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Asia Kate Dillon Jeffrey DeMunn, Kelly AuCoin, Terry Kinney, Kevin Pollak, Samantha Mathis.

Note:  Imdb 8.2 out of 10 with 661 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 100% with 9 critic ratings, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 179 ratings, CommonSense Media, Kari Croop, age 17+, 1* positive, 1* role models, 3* violence, 5* sex, 5* language, 1* consumerism, 2* drinking, drugs, smoking, denofgeek.com 3* out of 5* Andrew Husband. 

Motherless Brooklyn 2019

      This film is based on a novel by Jonathan Lethem.  The setting is the 1950’s in New York.  Lionel Essrog is a lonely private detective and he has Tourettte’s Syndrome plus obsessive-compulsive disorder.  This causes him to shout out words and he can’t stop doing it.  He also remembers tons of information.  He sets out to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna.  Frank was shot in the back and the bullet came out his stomach.  He was taken immediately to the hospital but he had lost too much blood and he died.  The city of New York has a lot of closely-guarded secrets that apply to everyone living in the city.

    People in New York are living in homes but they were declared to be slums and they had to move out.  Moses Randolph is based on real life city planner Robert Moses.  He is largely to blame for the Brooklyn Dodgers leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles. He also had more than a dozen simultaneous city commissioner jobs.  He operated large on WPA grants plus massive revenues from the toll roads he had built.  Characters curse constantly, Lionel smokes pot to calm his symptoms and many characters smoke.  Bloody violence comes from guns, beatings, a long fall.  Allusions to sexual activities and kissing.  Lionel does pursues the truth in the death of his friend.  He has curiosity, courage and perseverance.  The story is fiction but it’s based on real instances of housing discrimination from the city government.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)  

144 min, Crime, directed and written by Edward Norton with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Edward Norton, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe, Bruce Willis, Ethan Suplee, Cherry Jones, Bobby Cannavale, Dallas Roberts, Josh Pais, Radu Spinghel, Fisher Stevens, Peter Gray Lewis, Robert Wisdom, Michael Kenneth Williams.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10 with 34,970 reviews, Roger Ebert 3* Matt Zoller Seitz, Rotten Tomatoes 63% with 213 critics 80% with 2,591 ratings, RollingStone 4* out of 5* Peter Travers, empireonline.com 3* Kim Newman, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Wendy Ide, Common Sense Media, Tara McNamara, age 16+, 3* positive, 4* role models, 3* violence, 3* sex, 5* language, 1* consumerism, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking.

Special Note:  A Doris Day parking spot is mentioned when Lionel and Laura pull up to the King Rooster night club and park right in front even though the club is packed.  Norton met and consulted with many members of the Tourette’s Association of Americas to prepare for his role.  This is Norton’s second directorial project and the principal major stars all worked without pay!!  It took 45 days to shoot the entire movie.  The setting of the novel is 1999, the year it was published.  At the advance screening, wine and food were served beforehand in the “VIP” cinema area of a cinema in Vancouver, Canada.

Monsters, Inc. 2001

      The city of Monstropolis is a city of monsters with no humans.  It centers around the city’s power company, Monsters, Inc.  This company generates power from the screams of children!!  This is their reaction to the monsters that come into their rooms in the night.  The top monster is James P. Sullivan, better known as Sulley.  He has a wisecracking best friend, Mike Wazowski.  A 2-year-old baby girl named Boo accidentally sneaks into the monster world with Sulley one night.  Sulley and Mike must return Boo through her specific door and place her back into her bedroom.  If Randall, Sulley’s main rival plus Mike and Sulley’s boss Mr. Waternoose find out Boo is in the monster world, there will be trouble!! 

     This film is about monsters in the closet but their actual job is to scare kids from 9am-5pm.  Children may be scared of the movie’s concept in the beginning but they soon figure out that Sulley is a softy and he takes care of little girl Boo.  She’s not afraid of him at all!!  Children will find it funny that most monsters are afraid of any contact with human kids.  If anything from a child’s room is brought into the factory, everyone panics.  Biohazard works quarantines and shaves the monster.  There is a 3-D version with more intensity.  5* (I really liked this movie)

92 min, Animations directed by Peter Docter, David Silverman and Lee Unkrich.  Written by Pete Doctor, Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon, Ralph Eggleston, Andrew Stanton, Daniel Gerson with John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger, Frank Oz, Daniel Gerson, Steve Susskind, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Pidgeon, Samuel Lord Black, Jack Angel.

Note:  Imdb 8 out of 10 with 795,375 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 96% with 196 critics 90% with 1,254,638 user ratings, Roger Ebert 3*, Common Sense Media, Nell Minow, 5+ age, A+ 1* Educational Value, 4*positive messages, 4* role models, 2* violence, 1* sex, 0* language, 3* consumerism, 0* drinking drugs & smoking, indiewire.com A.

Special Note:  Mary Gibbs was young girl in here role as Boo.  It was difficult to get her to stand in the recording studio and act her lines.  Instead, she was followed around with a microphone and her lines were cut together.  Originally Boo was to be six years old but that was changed with Boo being younger.  It normally took 11-12 hours to film a single frame of Sulley.  There were 2.3 million individually animated hair strands for his character.  John Goodman and Billy Crystal sometimes recorded their lines in the same room and this is unusual for an animated film.  Steve Buscemi and Frank Oz also recorded their lines together. 

1017 2019

      The setting is April 6th 1917 on the Western Front.  A regiment assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory.  Two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver an important message.  This message will stop 1600 men from running into a deadly enemy trap.  The two soldiers will need to cross through enemy territory, time is of the essence and the journey will be filled with danger.

     Even though this film is based on facts, it doesn’t have a beefy story and the characters are so-so.  They don’t have enough going for them to make you involved with them?  It seems to be filled to overflowing with explosions and lots of gimmicks are used during filming?  Some moments of deep horror and deep sorrow.  Battle violence is graphically realistic, shootings, strangling, stabbing, bombings.  The wounded solders are bloody, missing limbs and reeling from pain.  There is smoking and this is accurate for the period and strong language.  It’s the low-key scenes that are the most moving instead of the constant explosions.  Important aspects of this film are the visual elements, set designs, decorations, blocking, planning of scenes and the choreography of the shots.  3* (This movie is OK)

   
119 min, War Drama directed and written by Sam Mendes and also written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns with Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays, Colin Firth, Pip Carter, Andy Apollo, Paul Tinto, Josef Davies, Billy Postlethwaite, Gabriel Akuwudike, Andrew Scott, Spike Leighton, Robert Maaser, Gerran Howell, Adam Hugill.

Note:  Imdb 8.3 out of 10 with 364,820 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 89% with 440 critics 88% with 30,479 audience scores, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* Peter Sobczynski, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Mark Kermode, San Francisco Chronicle clapping, Commons Sense Media Tara McNamara, age 16+, 3* positive, 4* role models 5* violence, 1* sex, 4* language, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 32,955 reviews.

Special Note:  The actors rehearsed for 6 months before shooting began.  This film seems to be shot in one continuous shot but that is not true.  There were actually dozens of invisible edits concealed by transitions through black, behind objects, etc.  The shortest unbroken shot was 89 seconds long and the longest was 8 1/2 minutes long.  This film was inspired by Sam Mendes’ grandfathers experiences in WWI.  There is a novel about his war time experiences titled, The Autobiography of Alfred H. Mendes 1897-1991.  Over 5200 feet of trenches were dug and that is just under one mile.  One of the biggest challenges for the film crew was a cigarette lighter that wouldn’t work on cue in one scene.  There were several retakes and most of a day’s filming wasted.

Billions Season 4 2019, Episode Two:

     Axe is still focused on wrecking Taylor and her new company.  He hits if off with a woman venture capitalist.  She waltzes into the room with a robot being demonstrated and she points out the flaws.  She is a new billionaire added to the mix in this episode and her name is Rebecca Cantu.  Since Axe and Rebecca are in the same income bracket, maybe they have a lot in common.  Chuck sets his sights on a new position.  Chuck also asks Axe to help him win the position of Attorney General for New York State.  Wendy asks Chuck to make a change.  

    Axe is using some cash to burn Taylor but this revenge is not well received by his team?  He has branched out by taking over half of Cantu’s interest in an industrial cleaning company.  Soon after, an employee captures evidence of a rival company’s cash kickback scam and Axe leaks it to the press.  It does make more money for Cantu but she isn’t happy to be used in this scheme.  Lots of wheeling and dealing in this episode!!  5* (I really like this series)

Note:  Imdb 8.2 out of 10 with 699 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 97% with 19 critic reviews 88% with 121 audience ratings,  Amazon 4 1/2* out of 5* with 361 reviews, CommonSense Media, Kari Croop, age 17+, 1* positive, 1* role models, 3* violence, 5* sex, 5* language, 1* consumerism, 2* drinking, drugs, smoking, Vulture $* out of 5*.

Vera Season 9 of 2019: Episode 4: The Seagull:

      Adapted from a Stanhope novel with the same tile written by Ann Cleaves.  DCI Vera Stanhope must open up a cold case to find the connection between a skeleton discovered underneath the site of a notorious burnt-out night club and a present-day murder nearby.  Vera travels to the beach at Whitley Bay to start her investigations.  This is a strong and troubling case for Vera!!  It takes her back decades to the time when a dodgy character from London ran all kinds of shady operations from this club.  Vera’s dad Hector could have been involved with some of these events?  Vera also has to deal with a sly and corrupt policeman who is serving a lengthy prison sentence for corruption.
 

     Vera is not sure yet but a local crime family may be involved with both deaths.  Also, the original owners of the club have their own secrets to hide.  On top of all this, Vera must deal with taunting about the death of her father.  She is worried that her father could have been corrupt also?  Vera learns that the bar owner had an affair with a girl who worked at the club.  They had a daughter and she was given up for adoption.  Another skeleton is found in the drain and it is a club girl?  Now there are three murders!!  5* (I really liked this series)           
Note:  Amazon gives the novel 5* with 148 ratings, Imdb 8.4* out of 10* with 244 reviews.

Vera Season 9 of 2019: Episode Three: Cold River:

      Adapted from a Stanhope novel with the same title written by Ann Cleaves.  A beauty empire is shaken to the ground when one of the sisters is found dead in the River Tyne.  Successful business woman Lisa Varsey throws a party for her family and friends on the River Tyne.  Lisa has an empire of beauty salons in Newcastle.  She has a caring family with husband Ross and her two sisters.  The party goes horribly wrong when her sister Danielle is found dead in the water!!  At first the family believes that Dani’s death was an accident but Vera and pathologist Malcolm know that the forensics point to murder.  Vera and her team learn about rumors that Dani could have been in an abusive relationship and they question whether this could have led to her death?  Vera begins to believe that Dani was going to expose something that was only known to Dani.  Vera must delve into the tightly-woven threads that hold this family together to discover who killed an innocent woman.

     This is a complicated plot and it is difficult to determine who wants Lisa dead and who killed her.  Clues lead to different people and Vera will need use the process of elimination to determine the perpetrator and the motive for the murder?  Lisa’s family is spilling all the beans but they can’t imagine who would want to kill Lisa?  Whatever Lisa knows about her killer, this person determined to keep it quiet.  They may believe they can get away with murder??  5* (I really liked this episode)     

89 min, Crime directed by Paul Gay and written by Ann Cleevses (characters) and Paul Logue with Brenda Blethyn, Denny Doughty, Jon Morrison, Ibinabo Jack, Riley Jones, Paul Kaye, Elizabeth Berrington, Shivaani Ghai, Roberft James-Collier, Patrick Baladi, Sonita Henry.

Note:  Imdb 8.1 out of 10 with 234 reviews, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 148 ratings, reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 100% with 1 critic rating and 6 user ratings, The Telegraph 2* out of 5* Michael Hogan, inews.co.uk 3* Jeff Robson. 

Special Note:  The entire plot features of the body being dragged downstream from the barbecue site is implausible.  At one point the site is referred to as being about an hour upstream.  If the body had been dragged underwater for that length of time, the damage caused would have been very substantial.  This would be immediately evident to the pathologist.  Her clothing would also have been shredded.  The very flimsy clamps may have been glued onto the hull for the dry dock shot would probably have also been ripped off?

The Hummingbird Project 2018

      This movie is based on a book written by Michael Lewis.  Vincent and Anton are cousins from New York.  They are both involved with High Frequency Trading.  This is a high stakes game where winning is measured in milliseconds.  They want to build a fiber-optic cable traveling underground in a straight line between Kansas and New Jersey.  This will make them millions because the fastest trade is the money maker.  Anton is the brains and Vincent is the hustler.  They push everyone around them to the breaking point on their adventure.  Their old boss Eva Torres is constantly breathing down their necks.  She will stop at nothing to beat them at their own game.  She is powerful and manipulative as a trader.  

     There is a BIG complication in their plan.  Vincent doesn’t look good or feel good.  He finally goes to a doctor and he learns he has stomach cancer.  He needs treatment right away or his health may be compromised or he could die.  He doesn’t want anything to get in the way of their plan?  Language is the biggest issue in this film.  There is a spoken description of an injury, several scenes of shouting and arguing.  A character is arrested, a character using a chainsaw as a weapon, cigarette smoking and social drinking.  3* (This movie is OK)

111 min, directed and written by Kim Nguyen with Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgard, Salma Hayek, Michael Mando, Johan Heldenbergh, Ayisha Issa, Mark Slacke, Sarah Goldberg, Frank Schorpion, Kwasi Songui, Conrad Pla, Julian Bailey, Jessica Greco, Robert Maguire.

Note:  Imdb 6.2* with 10,473 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 54% with 116 critics 49% with 206 user ratings, Roger Ebert 2* Odie Henderson, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Mike McCahill, Empire Online 3* out of 5* Ian Freer, RollingStone 2 1/2* out of 5* Peter Travers, Common Sense Media, Jeffrey M. Anderson, age 15+, 1* violence, 1* sex, 4* language, 2* drinking, drugs, smoking, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 198 reviews.

Special Note:  Eisenberg memorized the entire script before recording started?  The story portrayed in this film is fictional but it reflects advances in trading technology.  In reality, the Michael Lewis’ Flash boys novel is based on high frequency trading (HFT) and a real line was built for the exact purpose portrayed in this movie.  Michael Lewis has written the books that The Big Short, Moneyball and The Blindside were based on.  Salma Hayek’s private helicopter was used as a prop.  This is the first movie with a 100% authentic network.  Belden (#1 manufacturer of Cabling & Fiber Optics) trained the cast to properly run and set up their network.  This is also the first time in the history of movies with a network built in accordance with all government and industrial regulations.  Alexander Skarsgard’s character is bald but he is not in real life.  I wonder if he was nervous about his hair coming back after filming?

Mistakes:  A mileage sign of various cities is shown, Columbus Ohio is misspelled as Colombus.  One screen title says Landing Sight instead of Landing Site.  Eva sneaks up behind Vincent when he is in a hot.  Not possible because her high heels echo loudly on the tile.  Jesse is using a chainsaw and it is still running when he’s not holding it?  Modern chainsaws have a safety bar with it stopping if the user’s hand comes off the bar.

The Iron Orchard 2018

     The setting of this film is the West Texas oilfields in 1939 and it is based on a 1966 novel by Tom Pendleton.  Jim McNeely wants to marry Mazie Wales but her mother talks to Jim about it and Mazie’s father gets Jim a job in the oil fields.  At first, Jim thinks this is a great opportunity and it will possibly further his marriage prospects with Mazie.  What happens is nothing like he expected.  The work is brutal, the machinery is very heavy and dangerous.  The foreman is only barely human and he a brute as well.  Jim will have to wait until he can build up his body and muscles if he wants to take on the foreman in a fist fight!! 

     The only bright spot in Jim’s life is meeting Lee Montgomery.  He sees her driving down the road to the local store and she is very beautiful.  The other crew members tell Jim that Lee is married and he better think more than twice about being interested in her!!  When Lee sees him walking along the road, she offers him a ride.  She lets him off before they would arrive at her house.  Later, she dares to drop him off closer to her house.  Jim survives the oil field job and he has realized that Mazie’s father sent him to the job just to get him out of their lives.  Jim makes friends and he learns about the other side of the oil business.  The side where he can drill his own well and see if the money will come pouring in.  

118 min, Drama directed by Ty Roberts and written by Gerry De Leon and Ty Roberts with Hassie Harrison, Austin Nichols, Ali Cobrin, Lane Garrison, Lew Temple, Donny Boaz, Allan McLeod, Gary Teague, Gregory Kelly, Temple Baker, Shelley Calene-Black, Ned Van Zandt.

Note:  Imdb 5.6* with 242 reviews, Roger Ebert 1 1/2* Glenn Kenny, Rotten Tomatoes 28% with 18 critics 89% with 137 user ratings, Metacritic 43 out of 100 with 9 critics (3* positive, 1* Mixed, 5* negative), Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 475 reviews.  4* (I liked this movie)

Billions Season 4 2019, Episode One:

      This is a complex drama about power politics in the world of New York high finance.  Bobby Axe Axelrod and Taylor are on an explosive collision course in hedge fund management.  They are using their considerable smarts, power and influence to outmaneuver each other.  The stakes are in the billions in this series.  

     Axe is closing ranks and he is determined to destroy Taylor’s company.  He is blocking funding for her and she need money to stay in business.  It’s like an expensive and complicated tech war with offense and defense.  Taylor is trying to do what it takes to stay in business.  She has poached some of the former employees of Axe’s company.  She has also hired a savvy woman to help her like Wendy Rhoades does for Axe.  Chuck Rhoades is no longer US Attorney and he is struggling to regain power.  His goal is to be elected as Attorney General in the next election.

     Billions explores weighty adult issues of power, success, greed in a high stakes money world.  This type of business leads to arguments, threats, strong language and frank sex.  Characters often drink socially and smoke cigarettes.  As a business man or woman, when you are up you are really up and when you are down you are at the bottom of the food chain!!  Power and money are the goals!!  5* (I really like this series)

     
Each episode is 60 min, TV series 2017, created by Brian Kippleman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin with Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Daniel K. Isaac, Kelly AuCoin, Jeffrey DeMunn, Dan Soder Toby Leonard Moore, Asia Kate Dillon, Zina Wilde, Kira Visser, Glenn Fleshler, Stephen Kunken, Terry Kinney.

Note:  Imdb 8.5* out of 10* with 879 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 100% with 12 critics, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 179 ratings, CommonSense Media, Kari Croop, age 17+, 1* positive, 1* role models, 3* violence, 5* sex, 5* language, 1* consumerism, 2* drinking, drugs, smoking, Metacritic 87 out of 100 with 4 critic reviews (4 positive), 7.3 out of 10 with 24 ratings (17 positive, 5 mixed, 2 negative).