The Baader Meinhof Complex 2008

      This movie is based on a novel by Stefan Aust.  Filming was done in Germany, France and Czech Republic.  The setting is in Germany of the 1970s.  There are murderous bomb attacks, the constant threat of terrorism and the fear of the enemy inside this country.  These elements are rocking the very foundation of the still fragile German democracy.  The radicalized children of the Nazi generation lead by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin are fighting a violent war against what they perceive as the new face of fascism.  American imperialism is supported by the German establishment and many of them have a Nazi past.  The aim of this group is to create a more human society but by employing inhuman means they not only spreading terror and bloodshed, they also lose their own humanity.  The man who understands them is also the hunting them.  He is the head of the German police force and his name is Horst Herold.  While he succeeds in his relentless pursuit of the young terrorists, he knows he's only dealing with the tip of the iceberg.

     The definition of Baader-Meinhof Complex refers to the difference between something actually happening a lot and something that your awareness of something increases.  This leads you to believe it is actually happening more but that cannot be the reality?  The Baader-Meinhof Group, also known as Red Army Faction (RAF), was a left-wing militant group active in West Germany from 1970 to 1998.  Baader-Meinhof may also refer to the man Der Baader.  This Group was also known as the Baader-Meinhof gang and they murdered 33 people and more than 200 people were injured during their campaign that formally ended in early 1990’s with the RAF disbanded.  Not all cases have been solved or explained.

     This movie illuminates the late 60’s and early 70's political climate of Germany and brings it to life.  The Baeder Meinhof group was very similar to the Weather Underground in the U.S. but much more violent.  In the 1960's there was a lot about the Weather Underground in the news but virtually nothing about the Baeder Meinhof group.  This film goes a step further and can be very educational.  The tragedy of idealism perverted into violence was similar in both groups.  This film is also expertly cast and moves along in a tense, fast-paced fashion.  It will enlighten viewers who want an insight into what the most violent of the young people of Germany tried to achieve.  It is also an object lesson in the failure of violence as a tool of social change.  Finally, it provides an insight into the genesis of modern political terrorism, a movement that still exists in the world today.  4.5* out of 5* (I liked this movie)  

190 min, Action directed and written by Uli Edel and also written by Bernd Eichinger and Stefan Aust with Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu, Johanna Wokalek, Jan Josef Liefers, Nada Uhl, Alexandra Maria Lara, Heino Ferch, Stipe Ercg, Niels-Bruno Schmidt, Vinzenz Kiefer, Tom Schilling, Susanne Bormann, Simon Licht, Daniel Lommatzsch, Sebastian Blomberg.

Note:  7.4* out of 10* with 36,102 reviews,  Imdb Roger Ebert 2 1/2*, Rotten Tomatoes 85% with 101 critic reviews 80% with 10,000+ audience scores, Letterboxd 3.5* out of 5* with 7,100 votes, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 566 reviews.

Special Note:  As an immediate reaction to this movie Ignes Ponto, widow of Jürgen Ponto, returned her Federal Cross of Merit.  Jurge Ponto’s assassination is portrayed in the movie.  She was angry that the Federal Republic of Germany has never created a memorial for victims of the RAF.  Instead, they helped to finance films like this one about the members of the RAF.  Also, she said that she had not been warned about the graphic portrayal of Ponto's assassination?  She was invited to the movie premiere and she felt humiliated by the producers for making her sit through this without an advance warning.  About a month later, she filed a lawsuit against the producers and they claimed that every scene is historically accurate.  She told them that the assassination of her husband that she had to witness from the next room, was not portrayed as it happened.   She demanded the scene of the murder be cut from the movie.  The filmmakers claim that they had tried to contact her during production to get the scene right but she had no desire to help them?  Before this movie, there had been no portrayal of Ponto's assassination on film and she felt the staging of the movie was lurid and dishonoring to her husband.  As of this writing, no decision has been reached about the lawsuit.   

Mistakes:  The barbed wire around Stammheim Prison is of a modern type with blades rather than barbs.  For a split second during the bombing of an American military HQ in Frankfurt, a soldier is seen bleeding profusely on a poster for The Dictator's album, Manifest Destiny.  This bombing took place in 1972, Manifest Destiny was released in 1977 and The Dictators didn't form until 1973.  The FEG P9R pistol used by Petra Schelm wasn't invented until ten years after she was killed.  The Croatian Mini Ero used in the ambush and kidnapping of Hanns-Martin Schleyer did not exist at the time the incident took place.   

A Good Woman 2004

      This film is based on a four-act comedy play written by Oscar Wilde in 1892 and titled Lady Windermere’s Fan.  It is also based on a screenplay by Howard Himelstein.  In 1930, Mrs. Erlynne, who describes herself as poor and infamous is driven out of New York City society by jealous wives.  She sees a news photo of wealthy Lord Windermere and his young wife.  She decides to head for the Amalfi Coast to be with the rich and famous for "the season" and to snare Mr. Windermere.  Gossips twitter as he spends his afternoons with her, his wife is blissfully innocent as she blushingly fends off attentions from a young English nobleman and an international playboy who thinks he's in love.  Mrs. Erlynne is also pursued by a worldly-wise older English nobleman.  Mrs. Windermere's twentieth birthday party approaches and these events all play out amidst numerous amoral Wildean aphorisms (a pithy observation that contains a general truth but lacks moral sense).  

     I thought this film was very good.  The major categories of direction, editing, performances, design, make up, costume, music are all included and well done.  There is also attention to detail in the sets.  I especially liked the clothing of this period and the characters attempting to follow or decry the social mores!!  The visual scenery is spectacular at the Italian Riviera.  Of course, a suitcase or two full of money will help you have a very good time!!  5* (I really liked this movie)  

93 min, Drama, directed by Mike Barker and based on a screenplay by Howard with Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Wilkinson, Milena Vukotic, Stephen Campbell Moore, Mark Umbers, Roger Hammond, John Standing, Tom Wilkinson, Giorgia Massetti, Diana Hardcastle, Shara Orano, Jane How, Bruce McGuire, Michael Stomme, Antonio Barbaro.

Note:  Imdb 6.5* out of 10* with 11,495 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 37% with 83 critic reviews 49% with 100,000+ audience scores, Metacritic 53 out of 100 with 29 critics 6.5 out of 10 with 18 user scores, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 1321 reviews.

Special Note:  The historic airliner used at the end of this movie is a De Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane, built in Britain in the 1930s. This one is registration D-ILIT, and is privately owned in Germany. It is fully airworthy, as can be seen in this movie and appears at air displays.  Joseph Fiennes was originally offered the role of Lord Darlington but he turned it down to play Bassanio in Michael Radford's adaptation of The Merchant of Venice of 2004.  The instrument being played in the band at the party is not a cornet, but a flugelhorn. In some of the musical selections, the sound heard is that of an unmuted trumpet, in others, it is that of a trumpet with a Harmon mute. The flugelhorn, as shown has an entirely different timbre.

Mistakes:  The band playing at Mrs Windemere's party includes a guitarist playing a Gibson electric guitar (Gibson pearl-inlaid logo is visible). This is 6 years before Gibson released its first commercial electric guitar (the ES-150) in 1936. Electric guitars were an experimental novelty in 1930.  Cast members are shown smoking filter tipped cigarettes which were not available in the 1930s.

Its Easier for a Camel 2003

     As a little girl, Federica fantasized about three things.  Having beautiful long hair that would grow back as soon as she cut it.  Neverending cones of cotton candy.  Countless adventures that took her to the far side of the world.  Now as a charming thirty-something-single woman, Federica's fantasies have evolved.  She added lovers, stardom and eventual motherhood to her waking dreams.  Federica continues to press for her everyday life to be as real as the fantasies that invade her mind.  Unfortunately, her daydreams can only provide a meager distraction from her reality. Her career as a successful playwright is failing, her boyfriend is pressuring her to start a family before she is ready, a former lover wishes to rekindle an old affair.  Her sister is barely talking to her, her brother is self-centered and her loving father is terminally ill.  To make matters worse, Federica is rich, too rich and the guilt that consumes her gradually is pushing her over the edge??

     The character of Federica is based on Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s real life experiences as the daughter of a rich family.  The guilt comes from the saying, “For a rich man it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to go to paradise.”  Federica goes to a priest to confess that she’s guilty of being rich and he quotes the above Gospel passage.  Director Tedeschi was raised as a rich child and she directs herself as a very insecure, timid woman, who lacks confidence in her own abilities.  Her sister Bianca is always on the verge of hysteria but she has plenty of confidence.  Federica is pushing herself over the edge because of the guilt that consumes her and no one else is doing this to her?  There is certainly plenty of comedy, a bit of drama and even a bit of satire in this film.

     This film is not exactly a comedy, a drama or a satire.  It is instead a mix of all three with possibly a half dozen other genres tossed in.  As a result, the real value of this film could be considered to be questionable?  Can it really be appreciated as an approach where absurdity and off-beat behavior are the foundation for an otherwise average story?  3* (This movie is OK)

110 min, Adventure with Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Chiara Mastroianni, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Denis Podalydes, Marisa Borini, Roberto Herlitzka, Lambert Wilson, Pascal Bongard, Niclas Briancon, Yvan Attal, Emmanuelle Devos, Karine Silla, Alma Samel, Utah Samel, Victor Nebbiolo.

Note:  Imdb 5* out of 10* with 834 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 43% with 14 reviews 28% audience scores with 250+ ratings, Metacritic 53 out of 100 with 8 critic reviews, Letterboxd 3* out of 5*, DVDtalk 4* content, video, audio, 3* extras, replay, recommended.

Special Note:  Valeria is the sister of the wife of the previous leader of France, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Herb & Dorothy 2008

     Herb and Dorothy Vogel chose the National Gallery of Art as the primary recipient of their donated collection.  They chose the National Gallery of Art because it never sells donated works in the future.  Plus, there has always been free admission for visitors.  Both Herb and Dorothy world for governments.  Herb for the Federal Government with the US Postal Service.  Dorothy for for the city government of New York.  They felt they were giving their collection back to the people of the United States.

     Their collection included more than 4782 works of art collected over more than 30 years.  They still continued to collect aggressively with Dorothy in her 70’s and Herb approaching 90.  Herb was born August 16, 1922, unfortunately he died on July 22, 2012 and he would have been 90 on August 16, 2021.  Dorothy was born May 14, 1935 and as of 2/27/2021 she is still living and will be 86 on her birthday.  5* (I really liked this movie)

97 min, Documentary directed by Megumi Saski and written by Abbey Dubin with Paula Antebi, Will Barnet, Robert B Harry, Lynda Benglis, Michael Bloomberg, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Chuck Close, Jack Cowart, Molly Donovan, Carole Hoffman, Sidney S. Hoffman, Sol LeWitt, Joe Libonati, Robert and Sylvia Mangold.


Note:  Imdb 7.5* out of 10* with 827 reviews, Roger Ebert 3*, Rotten Tomatoes 96% with 28 critic reviews 82% with 250+ audience score, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 97 ratings, Slant Magazine 2 1/2* out of 4* Steve Macfarlane, Letterboxd 3.7* out of 5*, Washington Post 3* Michael O’Sullivan, Metacritic 74 out of 100 with 10 critic reviews.

Hannah Takes the Stairs 2007

      Hannah is a recent college graduate interning at a Chicago production company.  She is crushing on two of the comedy writers at work, Matt and Paul.  Hannah and the two men share an office and the men keep her entertained.  Could a relationship with one of the men disrupt the delicate balance of their friendship?  Would it be better for Hannah to look for romance outside of the work place?

     Greta Gerwig plays Hannah, she is a twenty something who appears to have a job in a TV production office.  She's on the verge of breaking up with her muso boyfriend and flirting with the talented but emotionally prickly duo of comedy writers on the show.  A muso boyfriend is a person more obsessed with music than their current girl friend.  Their record collection contains music and artists nobody else has heard of?  If they discover or believe that an artist is becoming popular, they will deny they ever listened to them and dispose of any evidence that they did listen to them??

     This movie was shot without a script!!  It is a Joe Swanberg no-budget film, starring its co-writer Greta Gerwig.  It is a quintessential "mumblecore" movie.  This term means it's very distinctive with performances that are so laid-back they are hardly performances at all.  They have the feel of ultra-casual self conscious improvisations. This is very different from conventional acting but also very different from real life.  Mumblecore also refers to super-low-budget movies.  They are mostly plot less (hence the no script), filled with self-absorbed people in their 20’s trying to find some kind of meaning in their lives.  3* (This movie is OK)


83 min, Comedy directed and written by Joe Swanberg and also written by Greta Gerwig, Kent Osborne, Andrew Bujalski, Ry Russoo-Young, Mark Duplass, Todd Rohal, Kevin Bewersdorf, Tipper Newton, Kris Rey with Greta Gerwig, Kent Osborne, Andrew Bujalski, Ry Russo-Young, Mark Duplass, Todd Rohal, Tippr Newton, Kris Rey, Kevin Bewersdorf, Ivan Albertson.

Imdb 5.6* out of 10* with 1776 reviews, Rotten tomatoes 59% with 46 critic reviews 45% with 2500+ audience scores, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, SF Gate (San Francisco Chronicle) sitting up in his seat means he likes the movie, Slant Magazine 2* out of 4*, Letterboxd 3* out of 5.*

Sherlock Holmes 2009

      This film is based on a screen story written by Lionel Wigram and Michael Robert Johnson.  The characters are based on the novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  The vibe is incredibly stylish, wonderfully balanced & thoroughly entertaining.  Guy Ritchie's on-screen adaptation of one of literature's greatest creations is a smooth blend of kinetic direction, deft writing & solid performances.  This change in style may not go down well with the die-hard fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?   Nevertheless, it succeeds as an impressive movie of its year that manages to get many things right, if not all things.

     This film stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams.  It presents an earthier, brawnier and glossier version of the story than most of us are used to watching.  Because of this different style of filming, it will be very much liked by teens.  It is gritty, the setting is the late1800s.  London is the movie's backdrop and there's no shortage of action.  There are brutal, slow-motion fist fight scenes, most with blood, broken bones and gun play plus big explosions.  There are also some fairly gory crime scenes including shots of dead bodies, one with a few wriggling maggots!!  A brief scene of a naked man except for a strategically placed pillow. Holmes is handcuffed to a bed, there are references to the dark rituals of occult secret societies, smoking and drinking.  There is very little swearing, a lot of wise cracking and the movie ultimately celebrates Holmes and Watson's close friendship.  5* I REALLY liked this movie!!  

Note:  Imdb 7.6* out of 10* with 584,631 reviews, Roger Ebert 3*, Rotten Tomatoes 69% with 247 critic reviews 77% with 250,000+ audience scores, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, 3* out of 5*, age 14+, 1* language, 2* positive role models, 3* sex, drinking, drugs & smoking, 4* violence, The Guardian 2* out of * Catherine Shoard, Letterboxd 3.4* out of 5* with 223 fans.

128 min, Action directed by Guy Ritchie and written by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg, Lionel Wigram with Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan Robert, Maillet, Geraldine James, Kelly Reilly, William Houston, Hans Matheson, James, Fox, William Hope, Clive Russell, Oran Gurel, David Garrick, Ky Discala, Andrew Brooke. 
 

Special Note:  Watson's line to Holmes, "You know that what you're drinking is for eye surgery?" It  is an obscure reference to Holmes' cocaine usage.  At this time, cocaine was used as a topical anesthetic for eye surgery.  In the novels, Holmes injects cocaine.  Robert Maillet in the role of Dredger, accidentally knocked out Robert Downey Jr. while filming a fight scene!!  After examining Lord Blackwood's coffin, the line that Holmes and Watson deliver in unison, "The game's afoot; follow your spirit: and upon this charge, cry--God for Harry! England and Saint George!" is from William Shakespeare’s play Henry V.
     
Note:  Imdb 7.6* out of 10* with 584,631 reviews, Roger Ebert 3*, Rotten Tomatoes 69% with 247 critic reviews 77% with 250,000+ audience scores, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, 3* out of 5*, age 14+, 1* language, 2* positive role models, 3* sex, drinking, drugs & smoking, 4* violence, The Guardian 2* out of * Catherine Shoard, Letterboxd 3.4* out of 5* with 223 fans.

 

An Education 2009

     This film is based on memoir written by Lynn Barber.  In the early 1960's, sixteen-year-old Jenny Mellor lives with her parents in the London suburb of Twickenham.  Because of her father Jack's wishes, everything that Jenny does is in the sole pursuit of being accepted into Oxford.  He wants her to have a better life than he had.  Jenny is bright, pretty, hard working but also she is naturally gifted.  The only problems her father may perceive in her life are her issue with learning Latin and her dating a boy named Graham.  He is nice, but socially awkward.  Jenny's life changes after she meets David Goldman.  He is a man over twice her age.  David goes out of his way to show Jenny and her family that his interest in her is not improper.  Also that he wants solely to expose her to cultural activities that she enjoys.  Jenny quickly gets accustomed to the life to which David and his constant companions, Danny and Helen, have shown her.

     This is a smart 1960s-setting drama written to explore a teenager's efforts to define her future.  This includes making a mess of her well-laid plans.  She becomes involved in a relationship with a sophisticated man nearly twice her age.  Virginity, education, class distinctions are all up for discussion and questions.  There are mature themes but older teens should get a lot more out of the movie.  There's some sexual content with implied nudity and intercourse, kissing and some risque discussions.  Also, some era-accurate social drinking and smoking.  Personally, I found the relationship between Jenny and David to be a situation that needed parental intervention!!  I also thought the age gap between 16 and more than 32 years older was too much of a stretch!!  3* (This movie is OK)
     
100 min, Drama directed by Lone Scherfig and written y Lynn Barber and Nick Hornby with Care Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour, William Melling, Connor Catchpole, Matthew Beard, Amanda Fairbank-Hynes, Ellie Kendrick, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Nick Sampson, Kate Duchene, Bel Parker.

Note:  Imdb 7.3* out of 10* with 128,998 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 93% with 196 critic reviews 80% with 50,000+ audience scores, Metacritc 85 out of 100 with 34 critic reviews 7.8 out of 10 with 230 user scores, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo 4* out of 5* age 15+.

Special Note:  The creative team were initially worried about casting the 22-year-old Carey Mulligan in the role of a 16-year-old but they were convinced by her screen test.  Rosamund Pike reportedly really wanted the small part of Helen because "no one ever lets me be funny."  Director Lone Scherfig says she experimented with giving the actors and actresses options during scenes.  For instance, she told Peter Sarsgaard that if he felt like it, he could start a conversation with an extra playing a doorman in one scene.  This was despite there not being any written dialogue.  Orlando Bloom dropped out a week before filming began.  Dominic Cooper had previously been in talks and he replaced Bloom.  In the beginning of this movie, Jenny's fringe is neatly parted. As she becomes more and more involved with David, her fringe starts to descend until it is completely down. This shows she is now a part of his world. Then, as she starts to move away from him, her hair becomes parted again.   In the beginning of the movie, Jenny's hair fringe is neatly parted.  As she becomes more and more involved with David, her hair starts to descend until it is completely down.  This shows she is now a part of his world. Then, as she starts to move away from him, her hair becomes parted again.

Mistakes:  When Jenny finally passes her A levels, she mentions grades.  This film is set in 1961 and A level grades were first introduced in 1963.  Although, when she's studying at home, it is implied that a significant amount of time passes.  It is unlikely to have taken her beyond 1962 when, essentially you either passed or failed GCE exams.  In the Youth Orchestra scene, the orchestra is playing Elgar's so-called Third Symphony.   At the time that the film is set, this Symphony had never been played and simply existed as sketches which were unfinished at Elgar's death.   It was not until 1998 that the composer Anthony Payne edited the sketches and enabled the Symphony to be premiered.  St John's, Smith Square, was bombed in 1941.  The restoration didn't commence until 1965 and was completed in 1969.  It didn’t become a concert venue until nearly a decade after the time setting for this film?  When David has a drink for "Dutch courage" in his car he takes the wrapper off the bottle of wine and then makes another movement like unscrewing the cap. Screw tops weren't found on bottles of wine in the 1960s.

 

The Twilight Saga: New Moon 2009

      This film is based on a novel written by Stephenie Meyer.  After Bella recovers from a vampire attack that almost claimed her life, she is looking forward to celebrating her birthday with Edward and his family.  A minor accident during the festivities results in Bella bleeding!!  This a sight that proves too intense for the Cullens and they decide to leave the town of Forks Washington for Bella and Edward's sake.  Initially heartbroken, Bella finds a form of comfort in reckless living, as well as an even-closer friendship with Jacob Black.  Danger in different forms awaits.

     Roger Ebert said in his review that “worse than being a vampire is begins a vampire’s lover.”  Bella is worried that she will be the older woman to her eternally youthful undead boyfriend??  Edward leaves for her own good, what else can he do??  Bella moves on to Jacob but she swaps undead for a macho gym bunny.  He is also a member of the Native American Quileute people.  Jacob is hiding a secret and he is usually shirtless with his shirtless buddies.  A girl like Bella can’t get a break??  3* (This movie is OK)

130 min, Adventure directed by Chris Weitz and written by Stephenie Meyer and Melissa Rosenberg with Kristen Stewart, Christina Jastrzembska, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Michael Welch, Justin Chon, Christian Serratos, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Russell Roberts, Cam Gigandet, Michael Sheen, Jamie Campbell Bower.

Note:  Goodreads 3.55* out of 5* with 1,523,073 ratings and 48,350 reviews, Imdb 4.7* out of 10* with 266,577 reviews, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen 3* out of 5*, age 13+, 1* language, 2* sex, 3* violence, consumerism, Roger Ebert 1*, Rotten  Tomatoes 28% with 230 critic reviews 61% with 250,000 audience scores, The Guardian 2* out of 5*, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 10,940 reviews.

  
Special Note:  Throughout Twilight (2008), Kristen Stewart wore brown contact lenses in order to match Bella's eyes.  The same is true of this film, except for one scene (the Jacob/Bella "break-up" scene outside of Jacob's house).  In this scene, Stewart did not wear lenses.  Instead, her brown eyes are actually CG applied during post-production.  This was because large amounts of rain kept affecting her lenses.  During an argument between Bella and Edward in the truck outside her house, the truck Edward that got out of was actually a double dressed like Robert Pattinson in the seat.  Pattinson was positioned next to the camera but out of sight. After the double got out, Pattinson stepped in front the camera.  Chris Weitz pointed out that this was trick deliberately done to simulate how Edward moved in and out of the truck in an inhuman manner.

 
Mistakes:  In the beginning of the movie, when Jacob is saying "Happy Birthday" to Bella, his voice doesn't match with the words.  In Bella's bedroom, after Edward comes back, when Edward asks if Bella could forgive him, Bella is heard saying "come here" but her lips never move.  When Edward is fighting with Felix and is grabbed by the neck by Felix and subdued, his chest and torso is shown to be heaving, out of breath from the exertion.  This is a mistake because  vampires do not need to breathe. 

Order of books and films:  Twilight 2005, New Moon 2006, Eclipse 2007, Breaking Dawn 2008, Life and Death novel 2015, Midnight Sun novel 2020, Future novel 2020.  There may be two additional novels added?

The Haunting in Connecticut 2009

      This movie is loosely based on the real life stories of Al and Carmen Snedeker from 1986 to 1989.  They lived in a reportedly haunted former funeral parlor in Southington Connecticut.  When the Campbell family moved to upstate Connecticut, they soon learned that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history.   Not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred but the owner's clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger.  Jonah provided a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover?

     This review is of the movie shown in theaters and not the Unrated Special Edition.  This version has scarier and rawer content.  This film is based on a true story horror film.  It is milder than movies like Saw but is still too scary and disturbing for kids.  It's full of mutilated bodies, bloody scenes, supernatural violence, medical and autopsy imagery.  There are also fairly serious discussions of the challenges facing a teen fighting cancer.  One character is a recovering alcoholic, he starts drinking again and ends up driving drunk.  The language isn’t strong plus and sex and product placement are not an issue.  3* (This movie is OK)

92 min, Drama directed by Peter Cornwell and written by Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe with Virginia Madsen, Martin Donovan, Elias Koteas, Kyle Gallner, Amanda Crew, Sophi Knight, Ty Wood, Erik Berg, John Bluethner, D.W. Brown, John B. Lowe, Adriana O’Neil, Will Woytowich, James Durham, Darren Ross.

Note:  Imdb 5.9* out of 10* with 59,246 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 17% with 105 critic reviews 45% with 250,000+ audience scores, Common Sense Media James Rocchi, age 15+, 1* out of 5*, 1* sex, 2* language 3* drinking, drugs & smoking,  4* violence, Roger Ebert 2*, Metacritic 33 out of 100 with 23 critic reviews, 6.1 out of 10 with 93 ratings, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 1547 reviews, Letterboxed 2.6* out of 5* with 9 fans

Special Note:  Based on the story featured in the Discovery Channel documentary "A Haunting in Connecticut".  Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren were known for their involvement in The Amityville Horror case and they were the investigators for this case.  John Zaffis is also an investigator on the case.  He happens to be the nephew of Ed & Lorraine Warren and they led the investigation.  Author Ray Garton, who wrote In A Dark Place.  He has distanced himself from the claims of the Snedecker family and the Warrens.  He has continually disowned the book and proclaimed it to be 100% fiction.  Filmed in Teulon Manitoba Canada.  Although the film states that the house was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt, there was never a fire and the original house still stands today?

Mistakes:  At the beginning of the film, the father mentions that he would look the house up on the Internet.  The Internet was not widely used for consumer or commercial use during this time.  It was not used for commercial business until the mid to late 1990s.  When Matt is in the hospital waiting room, there is a TV set up with a VCR.  The TV is an 80's model and does not look out of place given the film's time period but the VCR is a model from at least the late 1990s.  The ambulance shown at the beginning is much newer than 1986-1989. 

Julia 1977

     This Oscar-winning drama is based on the writing of Lillian Hellman.  It depicts the relationship between two friends and its unexpected consequences.  Lillian is a renowned playwright and she reunites in Russia with her childhood playmate Julia.  Lillian is recruited by Julia to smuggle funds into Germany to aid the anti-Nazi movement.  Waiting in the wings is Lillian's lover and mentor, Dashiell Hammett and he is unaware of her dangerous assignment.

     Lillian Hellman's autobiographical story about memory and friendship gets the full director Zinnemann treatment.  Julia is a disaffected Anglo-American aristocrat, she strides into womanhood wearing golf shoes and a brave Redgrave grin.  She is swept up in the anti-Fascist movement and she persuades Hellman to smuggle money into Berlin.  Julia is a liability to any underground movement and she is murdered.  Hellman returns to Dashiell Hammett for comfort.  This is like a frontier drama with trains, the NY literary society and in the '30s.  Zinnemann concentrates on the Fonda-Redgrave relationship.  No credibility is given to Hellman's unlimited talent and her dominant personality.  Reverential to the end, a suggestion of homosexuality is laughingly tossed off in one glittering scene.  No one mentions that lesbianism is central to 'The Children's Hour’.  This is the play Hellman is writing while 'her memory returned again and again' to Julia?  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

117 min, Drama directed by Fred Zinnemann and written by Lillian Hellman and Alvin Sargent with Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Robards, Maximilian Schell, Hal Holbrook, Rosemary Murphy, Meryl Streep, Dora Doll, Elizabeth Mortensen, John Glover, Lisa Pelikan, Susan Jones, Cathleen Nesbitt, Maurice Denham.

Note:  Imdb 7.2* out of 10* with 8706 reviews, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* out of 4*, Rotten Tomatoes 76% with 29 critics 71% with 2500+ audience scores, Metacritic 58 out of 100 with 6 critic reviews, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 288 reviews, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*.

Special Note:  The shadowy person sitting in the fishing boat at the beginning and end of the film is actually Lillian Hellman and Jane Fonda did the voice-over.  Early on, director Fred Zinnemann considered casting Meryl Streep in the title role.  Streep was almost totally unknown as an actress at this time, she had only one play to her credit and had never appeared in a film.  Zinnemann decided to cast Vanessa Redgrave instead.  Jane Fonda was originally cast as Julia.  However, when the producers had trouble casting the role of Lillian Hellman, they decided to recast Fonda in the lead.  During the casting process, both Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave’s names were mentioned as possible stars for the film.  The producers initially vetoed both actresses on the advice of the publicity department.  They feared that the absolute worst option would be to cast Fonda and Redgrave in a film together.  They were both known for their outspoken political beliefs.  In the end, both actresses were cast and the film went on to great critical and box office success.  RollingStone Magazine lists Jason Robards in the role of Dashiell Hammett as #22 in the list of 25 best Oscar-winning performances based on real people.

Mistakes:  At the beginning of the film, a calendar is seen showing the date as June, 1934.  Months later when Lillian is in Europe and she reads about the riots which lead to an injury of her friend Julia, the American newspaper she reads has a date of Feb, 1934?  The same locomotive is pulling the train from Berlin to Moscow even though it is a different train.  In addition, a single steam locomotive would never have been used from Paris to Berlin let alone Paris to Moscow.  During a sailing shot, as the boat carrying Julia and Lilian tracks away from the camera, the gunnel of the boat containing the camera crew is clearly visible for an instant in the lower left of the frame.

Marion Bridge 2002

     This film is adapted from the play and the novel Marion Bridge written by Daniel MacIvor.  Thirty something Agnes returns to her hometown in Sydney Nova Scotia to reunite with her estranged sisters and care for her dying mother.  As they tend to their mother, family secrets emerge and disrupt the fragile dynamic between the sisters.  Agnes is a recovering alcoholic and she left because of child abuse by her father?  Theresa and Louise are also emotionally scarred.

     There is a prickly family dynamics and coolness between Agnes and Theresa and this continues for the remainder of the film?  Theresa has flown in from Toronto.  There is also a third sister  Louise and she lives with their mother.  Agnes and Theresa have returned to the family home because their mother is dying of cancer.  She is currently being treated at the local hospital.  As the story unfolds, family secrets are gradually revealed.  The scrip is smart and sensitive.  This has inspired exceptional performances from both the cast and the crew.  The mystery of Marion Bridge is slowly revealed without theatrics.  It arrives at a final act that is as elegantly understated as the opening sequence.  Except, that there is the effect of giving the viewer a punch to the gut!!  3* (This movie is OK)

90 min, Drama directed by Wiebke von Carolsfeld and written by Daniel MacIvor with Molly Parker, Rebecca Jenkins, Stacy Smith, Marguerite MdcNeil, Elliot Page, Hollis Mclaren, Emmy Alcorn, Joseph Rutten, Nicola Lipman, Jackie Torrens, Kevin Curran, Ashley MacIsaac, Heather Rankin, Linda Busby, Stephen Manuel.

Note:  Goodreads gives the book 3.87 out of 5* with 79 ratings and 4 reviews.  Imdb 6.7* out of 10* with 1287 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 76% with 17 critic reviews 62% with 1000+ audience scores, Metacritic 71 out of 100 with 10 critic reviews, Amazon 3.7* out of 5* with 18 reviews, Letterboxd 3.4* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Elliot Page's film debut.  Agnes, Theresa and Louise are watching the movie The Five Senses 1999 on television.  The scene of the movie that is shown solely features actor Daniel MacIvor, he is the screenwriter for this movie, the author of the book and play that the film is based on.

Killer of Sheep 1978

      Stan works in drudgery at a slaughterhouse and is personal life is very drab.  Dissatisfaction and ennui keep him unresponsive to the needs of his adoring wife.  He struggles against influences which would dishonor and endanger him and his family.  He lives in Watts, This is an urban and mostly African-American section of Los Angeles.  His macabre profession seeps into his personal life as he struggles to keep his family afloat and content.  Other life situations also prove to be difficult, it seems that dark intentions lurk within the people he meets outside his family.  The multiple layers of stress cause Stan to question whether a better quality of life is possible?  Good, honest and hard-working people living in this neighborhood are trying to get by, keep up their hopes, love their children and get a little sleep.  There can be beauty in relentless ordinariness!!  There is poverty, unruly children and the hint of violence always waiting at the edge.  

     Even though Killer of Sheep has been all but unseen for years, it has not hurt its reputation.  It’s considered to be a landmark of both American independent and African American cinema.  This for a film made so close to the bone that Burnett served as writer, director, producer, editor and cameraman.  A film that is more episodic than plot driven and that offers a character-centered portrait of a community rarely seen on film to this day.  It's about people of color who are part of the working poor, living from check to check and trying to make ends meet and get ahead.  This is a tough movie and it stays in your mind!!  3* (This movie is OK)

80 min, Drama directed and written by Charles Burnett with Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett, Eugene Cherry, Jack Drummond, Slim, Delores Farley, Dorothy Stengel, Tobar Mayo, Chris Terrill, Russell Miles, Home Jai, Johnny Smoke.

Note:  Imdb 7.3* out of 10* birth 6094 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 98% with 80 critics 84% audience score with 2500+ ratings, Slant Magazine 4* Ed Gonzalez, Roger Ebert 4*, Metacritic 96 out of 10 with 23 critic reviews, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 63 reviews.

Special Note:  Charles Burnett made this film when he was still at UCLA and for a budget of just under $10,000.  The Library of Congress has declared "Killer of Sheep" as a national treasure and one of the first fifty on the National Film Registry.  The National Society of Film Critics selected it as one of the "100 Essential Films" of all time.  It was selected in 1990 for being culturally, historical or aesthetically significant.  Since the film was made without the proper legal permits and rights acquisition (due to the expense of the music rights) this film was never shown theatrically or made available on video.  It has only been seen on poor quality 16mm prints at a scant few museums and film festivals.  Thirty years after its premiere, the new 35mm print of Killer of Sheep was brilliantly restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.  In addition, all rights were secured for the music, allowing the film to be shown on the film festival circuit, in theaters and nationally broadcast by Turner Classic Movies.  The film is also now available on DVD.

Trivia:  Burnett encountered actor Henry G. Sanders in the elevator of the building where he worked.  He immediately asked him to do a screen test for the film because he thought he had an unusual face.  Completed in 1975 and not released until 1977.  Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" edited by Steven Schneider.  Included on Roger Ebert’s "Great Movies" list. 

Behind the Lines 1997

     This film is adapted from Pat Barker's first book of a trilogy of three novels titled Regeneration.  It tells the story of the soldiers of World War I sent to an asylum for emotional troubles.  Two of the soldiers meeting there are Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.  They are also two of England's most important WWI poets.

     Both the novel and the film confront the psychological effects of World War I.  The focus is on treatment methods during the war.  It is also the story of a decorated English officer sent to a military hospital after publicly declaring he will no longer fight.  The novel includes much more than this film and it is written in sparse prose that is shockingly clear.  There are depictions of electronic treatments and they are are particularly harrowing.  There is a combination of real-life characters and events with fictional ones.  It is a work that examines the insanity of war like no other.  There are also issues of class and politics in this compactly powerful book and movie.  3* (This movie is OK)

96 min, Biography directed by Gillies MacKinnon and written by Pat Barker and Alan Scott with Jonathan Pryce, James Wilby, Jonny Lee Miller, Stuart Bunce, Tanya Allen, David Hayman, Dougray Scott, John Neville, Paul Young, Alastair Galbraith, Eileen Nicholas, Julian Fellows, David Robb, Kevin McKidd, Rupert Procter.

Note:  Imdb 7* out of 10* with 2193 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 60% with 10 critics 80% with 1000+ audience scores, Amazon 3.9* out of 5* with 26 ratings, Letterbox 2.7* out of 5*, Goodreads gives the novel 4.03* out of 5* with 25,936 ratings and 1581 reviews, BBC reviewer’s rating 5* user rating 4* out of 5*, empireonline 4* out of 5*.

Special Note:  A lot of present and former Territorial Army soldiers were used as extras for larger scenes.  Included were soldiers from 52nd Lowland and the 6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, located in Hotspur street, Glasgow.

Mistakes:  The camera and the crane on which it is suspended are reflected in several puddles during the opening shot of the battlefield.  Sassoon threw his MC ribbon away, not the medal.  The medal is in The Royal Welsh Fusiliers Regimental. 

Whiteout 2009 3*

      U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko is three days from resigning at the end of her tour at an international research station in Antarctica.  She is still haunted by an incident from her past??  This continent's first winter storm is coming when a body is discovered in the tundra and it is wearing no cold weather gear?  Carrie investigates and she soon finds more bodies.  Her job is to find a motive and a murderer before the storm arrives and her departure date.  Robert Pryce is a U.N. agent and he appears seemingly out of nowhere to help.  An aging physician is also about to retire, a nervous mission chief is involved, a downed Soviet plane is discovered and the weather's deadly elements add to the story.  Can Carrie trust Pryce and does she still have what it takes to solve this mystery?

     Based at the South Pole research station, Stetko is the only law enforcement for hundreds of miles.  She's usually dealing with minor concerns and trying to withstand the isolation.  Now, she has to try and track down a killer in the remotest place on Earth.  This wintry murder mystery based on a graphic novel involves grisly violence, including autopsy sequences, blood-spurting wounds plus more.  There's also some adult material related to sexuality and drinking but it's glossed over fairly swiftly in favor of murder and mayhem instead.  Expect a good bit of strong language.  3* (This movie is OK)

101 min, Action directed by Dominic Sena and written by Jon and Eric Hoeber sith Kate Bekinsale, Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerritt, Columbus Short, Alex O’Loughlin, Shawn Doyle, Joel Kellere, Jesse Todd, Arujthur Holden, Erin Hicock, Bashar Rahal, Julian Cain, Dennis Keiffer, Andrei Runtso, Roman Varshavsky.

Note:  Imdb 5.5* out of 10* with 37,382 reviews, 7% with 117 critic reviews 21% with 250,000+ audience scores, Metacritic 28 out of 100 with 19 critic reviews 5.9 out of 10 with 43 user scores, Common Sense Media James Rocchi 2* out of 5*, 2* positive role models, drinking, drugs & Smoking, 3* sex, 4* violence, language, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Jeremy Kay, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 936 reviews, Letterboxd 2.3* out of 5*.


Special Note:  The British Flag in the Communications room is hanging upside down.  This is an inside joke common among South Pole installations.  Since they are at the bottom of the world, if you were to look at the globe properly, the flag would appear to be right side up.  Screenwriter and novelist Alexander Stuart wrote an early draft of the script and Reese Witherspoon was still scheduled to star.  There was a studio-sponsored research trip to Barrow Alaska, the northernmost point in continental North America.  Scientists said this was the closest location in feel to McMurdo Station in Antarctica.  Both real and fake snow were used in this production.  The US Marshals Service in 1989 establish its legal presence for the American section and the Americans that live there.  It's under the jurisdiction of the US Attorney for Hawaii.

Mistakes:  Kate Beckinsale's character never wears a face mask.  If the winds were reaching 100 mph and the temperature was -65, her face would be frostbitten in a matter of 1 or 2 minutes.  During a medical procedure, the doctor proceeds without using one iota of sterile technique, most notably no mask or gloves, let alone Beta-dine antiseptic which would have left the hand and forearm bright red.  The word doctoral is misspelled in Anton Weiss's thesis title as "doctorial."

The Comfort of Strangers 1991

     This film is based on a 1981 novel by Ian McEwan.  An English couple holiday in Venice to sort out their relationship.  There is some friction and distance between them and they can sense they are being watched?  One evening, they get lost looking for a restaurant and a stranger invites them to accompany him.  He plies them with wine and grotesque stories from his childhood.  They leave disoriented, physically ill and morally repelled.  But the next day when the stranger sees them in the piazza, they accept an invitation to his sumptuous flat??  After this visit, the pair find the ability to face questions about each other.  But, they are drawn back into the mysterious and menacing fantasies of the stranger and his partner.

     This movie is well made with twists and turns around the dark alleys of the your mind.  It is like the location of Venice in which it is set.  It leaves you clueless about what it is really about but it prods a few raw nerves and gives you corresponding jolts.  It is interesting to see the actors in their younger years.  The younger couple are idealists trying to recover lost romance. The older couple has left all their ideals behind.  3* (This movie is OK)

107 min, Drama directed by Paul Schrader and written by Harold Pinter with Christopher Walken, Rupert Everett, Natasha Richardson, Helen Mirren, Manfredi Aliquo, David Ford, Daniel Franco, Rossana Canghiari, Mario Cotone, Giancarlo Previati, Antonio Serrano.

Note:  Imdb 6.3* out of 10* with 4778 reviews, Slant Magazine 4* out of 5* Chuck Bowen, Metacritic 61 out of 100 with 20 critics, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* out of 4*, Rotten Tomatoes 47% with 19 reviews 61% with 1000+ audience scores, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 104 reviews, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*, Goodreads gives the book 3.40 with 15,222 ratings.

Special Note:  Christopher Walken said in an interview that he kept the clothes he wore in this movie designed by Georgio Armani.  Though the film is set in Venice, Italy, the locale in the novel is not specified.  Both Natasha Richardson and Helen Mirren had long term relationships with Liam Neeson 

Over the Moon 2020

      This film released by Neflix seems to have a Disney connection because it was directed by a key part of the Disney legacy, Glen Keane.  He did character work on The Rescuers and he was on the team for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.

     The theme of this film is the celebration of the autumn moon festival.  The fantasy violence in Over the Moon is only mildly scary and there are sad scenarios.  Fei Fei’s mother dies and there is a "Chamber of Exquisite Sadness" for the grief stricken.  Four years after his wife's death, Fei Fei’s father admits he sometimes feels lonely and he makes plans to remarry.   It ultimately leads to positive lessons and personal growth.  The main character Fei Fei comes from a loving extended family that often bonds over food in their beautiful Chinese village.  

     She also excels at science and puts her gifts to use to build a rocket.  It launches Fei Fei and her soon-to-be little brother and pets into a fantasy world on the moon.  Fei Fei believes that her mother is on the moon.  Upon landing, they encounter some threatening creatures and embark on adventures but Fei Fei hopes to find her mother.  Their lives are mildly put in danger but their experiences also bring them closer together and help Fei Fei work through her grief.  The children display courage and determination and they learn the expansiveness of love.  Some innocent expressions of affection and only iffy language limited to childish taunts.

95 min, animation directed by Glen Keane and co-director John Kahrs, screenplay written by Audrey Wells, Jennifer Yee McDevitt, Alice Wu with the voices of Glen Keane, Brycen Hall, Ruthie Ann Miles, John Cho, Cathy Ang, Edie Ichioka, Greg Watanabe, Elizabeth Pan, James Taku Leung, Josiah D. Lee, Lucky Lin, David Chen, Sandra Oh, Robert G. Chiu, Margaret Cho, Kimiko Glenn, Artt Butler, Irene Tsu, Clem Cheung, Brittany Ishibashi, Janice Kawaye.

Note:  Imdb 6.5* out of 10* with 11,843 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 81% with 98 reviews 74% with 150+ audience scores, Common Sense Media Jennifer Green 4* out of 5*, age 6+, 1* language and sexy stuff, 2* educational value, 3* violence & scariness, 4* positive messages, positive role models, Roger Ebert 2* out of 4* Brian Tallerico, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Cath Clarke.

Eden Lake 2008

      Nursery teacher Jenny and her boyfriend Steve escape for a romantic weekend away.  Steve is planning to propose and he has found an idyllic setting.  It is a remote lake enclosed by woodlands and seemingly deserted.  The couple's peace is shattered when a gang of obnoxious kids encircles their campsite.  Reveling in provoking the adults, the gang steals the couple's belongings and vandalizes their car and they are completely stranded.  When Steve confronts them, tempers flare and the gang unleashes a shocking and violent attack??  Running for help, Jenny is subject to a brutal and relentless game of cat-and-mouse.  She desperately tries to evade her young pursuers and find her way out of the woods??

     It was hoodies that scared me the most!!  I had no idea what was coming.  For those unacquainted with Eden Lake, it’s a stripped down and straight forward slasher movie.  In place of the vengeful ex-boyfriend or the escaped mental patient, the menace comes in the form of mouthy, revenge seeking and hoodie-clad teenagers!!  It inflicts upon you gut-wrenching and high-intensity trauma.  Certain images can remain imprinted in your mind afterwards!!  When the credits eventually roll, you can feel like you have been through 12 rounds with Mike Tyson rather than 90 minutes with Michael Fassbender??  2 1/2* (This movie is so-so)

91 min, Horror directed and written by James Watkins with Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Tara Ellis, JackO’Connell, Finn Atkins, Jumayn Hunter, Thomas Turgoose, James Burrows, Tom, Gill, Lorraine Bruce, Shaun Dooley, James Gandhi, Bronsono Webb, Lorraine Stanley.

Note:  Imdb 6.8* out of 10* with 76,981 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 79% with 28 critic reviews 66% audience scores with 25,000+ ratings, Metacritic 65 out of 100 with 17 critics 6.5 out of 10 with 93 user scores, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, empire online 4* out of 5* Simon Cook, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5* with 34 fans.

       
Special Note:  Shaun Dooley plays Jon in this movie and he has some experience with disruptive teens.  He starred as Greg in the BBC drama Misfits: Episode #3.8 2011.  When Jenny stares into the mirror, you can just make out an image etched into the mirror.  It is the old park information board: "The Most Dangerous Animal In The Forest". 

Mistakes:  Upon returning to the beach, the shadow of a boom mic can be clearly seen.  When Jenny and Steve come out of the water beneath the wooden hut, Jenny is wet and there are some mud stains on her dress.  In the next shot, her dress is completely different.  During close-ups of Steve's hand tied up, we can clearly see that there is blood on his hand?   In the immediate scene after, he has managed to wriggle out his hand, he has his hands in front of him and his hand is only bleeding a little bit.  There was no time for him to wipe the previous blood away?

Brothers 2009

     This movie was originally filmed by Susanne Bier’s, it is a Danish film titled Brodre or Brothers from 2004 and the plot is basically the same.  Before leaving on his second tour in Afghanistan, Marine Captain Sam Cahill, a leader, an athlete, a good husband and father, welcomes his screw-up brother Tommy home from prison.  Tommy’s crime was robbing a bank?  In Afghanistan, Sam's helicopter is shot down and all occupants are presumed to be dead.  In reality, Sam is wasting away as a prisoner in a remote encampment.  Tommy tries to take care of Sam’s widow and her two children.  The family doesn't know that Sam is not dead but imprisoned, Sam experiences unbearable horrors!!  So much so that when he's rescued and returns home, he's silent, detached, without any of his is former personality and he's convinced his wife and brother have slept together.  The demons of war possess him but what can he do to silence them?

     This is a mature drama about how the horrors of war affect both a soldier and his grieving family.  It has several disturbing scenes of war, torture and domestic disputes.  These scenes make it far too intense for tweens and even younger teens.  The war sequences involve atrocities, a near-suicide and two startling killings that are chillingly realistic.  There is strong language, sexuality is not too graphic but there are a few passionate kisses and one shot of an obviously undressed, quilt-covered couple in bed.

Note:  Imdb 7.1* out of 10* with 111,967 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 64% with 158 critic reviews 62%  with 100,000+ audience scores, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, Metacritic 58 out of 100 with 31 critic reviews 8.5 out of 10 with 170 user scores, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen 4* out of 5*, age 17+ The Guardian 2* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, empire online 3* out of 5* Will Lawrence.

Special Note:  Jake Gyllenhaal learned of the death of his close friend Heath Ledger  while he was in the middle of shooting a scene for this film.  Gyllenhaal immediately walked off the set and returned to finish the scene two days later.  Then he then took a longer bereavement leave before he was ready to continue with the rest of his scenes.  Jake Gyllenhaal wanted to play Sam and Tobey Maguire wanted to play Tommy.  Jim Sheridan did not feel Maguire was convincing enough to play the "bad" brother so they switched the roles.  During one intense early prison scene, Gyllenhaal jokingly reached into his pocket and took out a picture of Ledger to stick on the prison wall.  This was a gesture like prisoners putting pictures of loved ones on the wall but Jake's was Health.  That was a hilarious moment and it was nice but this was before Ledger's death.

Mistakes:  In the beginning of the movie, little Maggie, tells her grandfather, Hank, that her birthday is "in the spring." Hank agrees with this, commenting that her birthday is March 10. However, March 10 is still winter.  Winter ends March 21.  When Maggie is painting the kitchen and spills the bin on Sweeney, in one cut the paint is covering all of that portion of his clothes.  In in the very next cut, there is a spot that shows parts of his shirt color?  In the next cut (when he says lets hug it out) the paint is covering the entire portion again?
 

Post Grad 2009

     Ryden Malby has planned her academic life since she was in high school and she intends to get a college scholarship.  Now, she has just graduated from high school with her major in English.  Following her master plan, she expects to get a job as assistant editor in the publishing house Happerman & Browning in Los Angeles.  Her platonic best friend is Adam Davis has a crush on her and is frequently close to her.  Her arrogant classmate Jessica Bard gets the position instead!!  Ryden is forced to return home to the suburbs to live with her family.   Her optimistic father Walter wants to do everything by himself.  Her careful mother Carmella administrates the skimpy resources of her family.  Her eccentric grandmother is Maureen.  Her weird little brother Hunter wants to race in a boxcar derby.  Ryden unsuccessfully looks for a job and feels frustrated but she is emotionally supported by Adam.  Her father Walter accidentally runs over the cat of their next-door neighbor David Santiago with Ryden's car.  They pay visit to David to give him their awkward sympathies.

     Alexis Bledel is an attractive young woman but she comes off as self-obsessed.  She should be careful with that image because it can seem to be very unlikable and whiny.  This movie had the potential as a good romantic comedy.  But, it concentrates too much on Ryden getting a job rather than getting the boy.  And Adam is missing for most of the movie anyway.  Also, there are some great comedic skills being wasted in this film.  Michael Keaton is OK but Jane Lynch is downright boring.  Carol Burnett tries for flashy brash grandma stuff. At least she gets a couple of smiles but no laughs.  Demetri Martin does a cute bit.
     
     This lighthearted Alexis Bledel comedy is on the milder side for  PG-13.  Expect some swearing and some social drinking, making out and discussion of a STD.  But otherwise it's sweet but formulaic.  The story attempts to address some “serious” topics.  It stresses the transition between college and the real world but doesn’t get too deep.  It has a feel-good message, but that message is ultimately a little muddled.  Does the perfect boyfriend really trump real-life concerns like keeping a job you worked so hard to get?   

  
88 min, Comedy directed by Vicky Jenson and written by Kelly Fremon Craig with Alexis Bledel, Zach Gilford, Michael Keaton, Jane Lynch, Bobby Coleman, Carole Burnett, Rodrigo Santoro, Catherine Reitman, Mary Ann McGarry, J.K. Simmons, Robert Arce, Jeanie Hackett, Oscar Dillon, Vanessa Branch, Shirley Jordan.

Note:  Imdb 5.8* out of 10* with 13,694 reviews, 8% with 100 critic reviews 27% with 100,000 audience scores, Metacritic 35 out of 100 with 25 critics 6.6 out of 10 with 13 user scores, Roger Ebert 3*, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo 3* out of 5*, age 13+, 1* violence, 2* sex, 2* drinking, drugs & smoking,  3* language, 4* positive role models, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 232 reviews.

Mistakes:  When Ryden is giving bags to Jessica, she looks at the last bag and she storms out of the store but never really puts the bag back on the shelf?  When grandmother is in the kitchen, she has a manikin head in front of her?  When the camera switches from her to Ryden's mother and back to the grandmother, the manikin is now different and behind her?  During a concert, Adam picks up an electric sunburst guitar, the camera then goes to the crowd and back to him but his electric guitar has become an acoustic guitar at around 53 minutes?  

Bliss 2021

     This movie is a mind-bending love story following Greg in Los Angeles.  He is recently divorced and then fired from his job.  When he went to meet with his boss, he didn’t know he was going to be fired?  His boss was standing in front of him and when Greg stood up he accidentally knocked his boss over.  He fell against his desk and died instantly when he hit his head.  Greg parked the body standing up against the office window and behind the drapes?  The body can be seen from the street??  Greg meets the mysterious Isabel and she is a woman living on the streets.  Isabel is convinced that the polluted, broken world around them is just a computer simulation.  Doubtful at first, Greg eventually discovers there may be some truth to Isabel's wild conspiracy theories.

     There is drug addiction in a way that's both explicit and confusing.  The main character, Greg appears addicted to painkillers but he quickly finds himself taking drugs in the form of crystals?  He believes they give him superpowers and transport him to an imagined paradise?  He begins living with Isabel on the streets.  His grown daughter attempts to bring him back into her life.  She is also hurt that he didn’t remember to attend her high school graduation!!  

     In one world, Greg and Isabel are wealthy accomplished doctors living in a chalet with ocean views.  In the other world, they live in a homeless encampment.  Isabel apparently sidelines as a prostitute and they use their powers to hurt people.  They toss them out windows, knock them down or crush cars with them inside.  Other than the crystals that Greg and Isabel take, there's also alcohol consumption and references to heroin on the city streets.  There is some language, Isabel shoots a man but Greg told her to kill him by crushing his skull with a rock instead?  Would that have been better or kinder?  There is everything and possibly the kitchen sink thrown into this movie?  It’s difficult to tell what is real and what is fiction?  3* (This movie is OK)

103 min, Drama directed and written by Mike Cahill with Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek, Nesta Cooper, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Ronny Chieng, Steve Sizzis, Joshua Leonard, Madeline Aima, Bill NMye, Slavoj Zizek, DeRon Horton, Eugene Young, Dayne Catalano, Adam William Zastrow.

Imdb 5.2* out of 10* with 3,321 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 31% with 75 critic reviews 42% with 100+ audience scores, Metacritic 38 out of 100 with 19 critic reviews 5.4 out of 10 with 9 user scores, Roger Ebert 2* Nick Allen, IndieWire Grade D+ Kate Erbland, Common Sense Media Jennifer Green 2* out of 5*, age 16+, 1* positive messages, 2* positive role models, consumerism, 3* sex, 4* language, drinking, drugs and smoking, Letterboxd 2.2* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Salma Hayek also played another character named Isabel in Fools Rush In.  That film is also a romantic comedy about two people who quickly form a relationship due to unusual circumstances.

$9.99 2008

     This film is a stop-motion animated story about people living in a Sydney apartment complex looking for meaning in their lives.  It is possible that a lot of people went into this movie expecting something more straightforward and "meaningful" due to its premise?  Also, they may have been expecting some sort of insight into the meaning of life.  After all, one of the main characters does buy a book for the price of $9.99 which supposedly knows the answer?  What is shown is a collection of interwoven short stories.  All of the stories share a similar theme based on what it means to be happy.  This is done with a surrealist angle that gives an almost fairy tale feel but which never detracts from its believably.

     The characters are made out of clay but they seem to be real people.  In every day life, they have interesting stories to play out.  None of them are heroes, or villains, or otherwise anything more or less than ordinary people.  They have flaws, fears and insecurities but they manage to make do with what they have to give their lives meaning.  It is the sort of thing that happens all the time in the real world but without embellishments and tweaking.

  This movie never beats you over the head with things the director feels are profound or meaningful.  It sits down with you for some tea and simply chats about the day.  It lets you draw your own conclusions.

     There is something undeniable hypnotic and bewitching about Tatia Rosenthal's film.   It could also be a candidate for the most unusual film of 2008??  It is unusual not only because it's the first co-production between Australia and Israel but also because it is a stop-action animated film that tackles the magically realist and existential short stories of Israeli author-filmmaker Etgar Keret.  In fact, it's hard to think of another way to put these stories onscreen other than animation as each becomes increasingly different.
     
     Adapted by Rosenthal and Keret, the setting is a large urban apartment building sitting at the corner of an unnamed city.  The tenants confront problems and predicaments that call into question the meaning of life.  If you want a movie to just relax and get lost in, you probably would like this film?  4* (I really liked this movie)

Special Note:  You can see a record in this film called "The Dark Side of the Room" by the band Pink Wall.  This is a play on words of Pink Floyd, The Wall and The Dark Side of the Moon.  Filmed in Israel, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.  Release date September 17, 2009 in Australia, opening weekend $478,000, December 14, 2008, USA $52,384, worldwide $708,354.

78 min, Animation directed by Tatia Rosenthal and written by Etgar Keret and based on his short stories with the voices of Geoffrey Rush, Anthony LaPaglia, Samuel Johnson, Barry Otto, Joel Edgerton, Claudia Karvan, Ben Mendelsohn, Leeanna Walsman, Jamie Katsamatas, Brian Meehan, Roy Billing, David Field, Leon Ford, Tom Budge, Henry Nixon.

Note:  Imdb 6.7* out of 10* with 3171 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 73% with 55 critics 55% with 5000+ ratings, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*, Slant Magazine 3* out of 4* Joseph Jon Lanthier, Boston Globe 3* out of 4* Janice Page, Metacritic 68 out of 100 with 15 critic reviews 6.6 out of 10 with 19 user scores, Amazon 2.7* out of 5* with 17 reviews.

The Fourth Kind 2009

       In 1972, a scale of measurement was established for alien encounters.  When a UFO is sighted, it is called an encounter of the first kind.  When evidence is collected, it is known as an encounter of the second kind.  When contact is made with extraterrestrials, it is the third kind.  The next level abduction, is the fourth kind.  In modern-day, Alaska where mysteriously since the 1960s a disproportionate number of the population has been reported missing every year? Despite multiple FBI investigations of this region, the truth has never been discovered?  In this remote region, psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler began videotaping sessions with traumatized patients.  She unwittingly discovered some of the most disturbing evidence of alien abduction ever documented.  The Fourth Kind exposes the terrified revelations of multiple witnesses.  Their accounts of being visited by alien figures all share disturbingly identical details and the validity of these visits is investigated throughout the film.

     This sci-fi thriller from director Olatunde Osunsanmi mixes supposedly real footage of alien abductees with re-creations played out by actors including Milla Jovovich and Will Patton.  This mix makes it difficult to know what to believe and it could confuse or mislead overly trusting kids.  Parents should be ready to talk about telling the difference between fact and fiction.  Plus, in addition to an overall sense of dread, there are a couple of shockingly violent moments including a bloody stabbing and a blurry scene in with a man killing his wife, children and himself.  This event could scare the daylights out of some viewers??  2 1/2* (this movie is so-so)

98 min, Horror directed and written by Olatunde Osunsanmi with Mila Jovovich, Will Patton, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Corey Johnson, Enzo Cilenti, Elias Koteas, Eric Loren, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Raphael Coleman, Daphne Alexander, Alisha Seaton, Tyne Rafaeli, Paul Stefanov, Kiera McMaster, Sara Houghton.

Note:  Imdb 5 out of 10* with 73,811 reviews, Common Sense Media Jeffrey M. Anderson, 2* out of 5*, age 15+, 1* sex, 3* language, 4* violence, Amazon 4.5 Out of 4 1/2* with 4871 reviews, Metacritic 34 out of 100 with 27 critic reviews, 5.7 out of 10 with 94 user scores, Letterboxd 2.6* out of 5* with 18 fans, Roger Ebert 1 1/2* out of 5*, ING Movies 2 1/2*. 

Trivia:  "The Fourth Kind" is a reference to scientist J. Allen famous categories involving the sightings of UFOs.  Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) also referred to this scale.

Aeon Flux 2005

     Aeon Flux is the name of a mysterious assassin working for the Monicans.  This is a group of rebels trying to overthrow the current government.  When she is sent on a mission to kill the Chairman, a whole new mystery is uncovered.  The setting is in the future in the year 2415.  This is four centuries after a virus nearly annihilated the human race.  99% of the population died because of an industrial disease and the survivors live in one city.  Only five million people are left in a utopian city called Bregna.  Aeon is struggling to destroy the Goodchild regime led by its namesake, Trevor Goodchild.  He is the ruler of Bregna and a descendant of the man who found a cure for the deadly virus.  As instructed by the Handler, Aeon is assigned to assassinate Goodchild but there are deeper secrets to be discovered and conspiracies to be foiled.

     This film follows an assassin on her mission and it includes violent, bloody scenes with repeated martial arts fights.  There are sounds of bones breaking, stabbings, shootings with automatic weapons as well as sniper-style guns.  There is a woman's murdered by government agents.  She opens the door and she is expecting someone else?  The film cuts from her surprised face to the next scene.  There are explosions of buildings and a floating blimp-like lab.  Several on-screen deaths of recognizable characters (villains and seeming to be heroes).  Characters wear form-fitting futuristic clothing, some resemble bondage gear and one character makes a brief, joking reference to bondage as sexual practice.  Aeon appears nude, she rises from bed and her back is to the camera, a couple kisses then has (implied) sex.  Music is loud and pounding during chase and fight scenes.  There are also some semi-complex conversations concerning the ethics of cloning humans.  3* (This movie is OK)

93 min, Action directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi and Peter Chung with Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Jonny Lee Miller Spohie Okonedo, Frances McDormand, Peter Postlethwaite, Amelia Warner, Nikolai Kinski,Paterson Joseph, Yangzom Brauen, Aoibheann O’Hara, Thomas Huber, Weijian Liu, Maverick Quek.

Note:  Imdb 5.5* out of 10* with 123,994 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 9% with 107 reviews 39% audiences score with 250,000+ ratings, Common Sense Media Cynthia Fuchs, age 14+, 2* out of 5*, Metacritc 36 out of 100 with 23 critic reviews, 5.6 out of 10 with 230 user scores, reel views.net 2 1/2* out of 4* James Berardinelli, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 1423 reviews.  

Free Radicals 2003

     A young Austrian survives the crash of a commercial airliner.  Six years later, she's a clerk, a mother and happy.  Then, she dies in a car accident.  Over the next year, we follow her daughter.  She goes through various medical blood tests.  Her husband is having an affair with her best friend.  Her sister trades sex for shelter.  Her brother is in a hesitant friendship with an emotionally-locked clerk at a pharmacy.  The clerk has a lonely mother.  There is an unpopular high-school student with bad skin.  There is at boy she may connect with but he was driving the car in the fatal crash.  In happenstance are there patterns?  In life there is meaning?

     The film opens with a butterfly flapping its wings, causing a tropical thunderstorm to erupt over Brazil.  This is known as a butterfly effect.  This is a movie about many things.  Chaos, coincidence and circumstance are some of the topics.  Death, loss and desperation are other topics.  In our society of commerce and capitalism the places selected for the shootings are shopping malls, fast food restaurants, pedestrian areas and supermarkets.

     The characters in this movie, while coming from different backgrounds have one thing in common, they are lonely.  Most are also sad and unbearably desperate.  They all fight for someone or something, even though they don't know what it is they want?  Somehow they find the strength to overcome this loneliness and  desperation.  They go on and some of them even struggle hard enough to find happiness.  If you are interested in the lives of seven depressed and unhappy people, this is the film for you??  Maybe you could go into therapy after viewing??

 
     Böse Zellen is in a class of his own where realism is concerned. Seldom before have people been depicted so authentically in the way they go about their everyday lives.  Its also an incredibly sad movie, but its not going to make audiences cry because it is sad in a casual way.  The characters have accepted what is happening to and around them and in that way they can go on with their lives.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

120 min, Drama directed and written by Barbara Albert with Kathrin Resetarits, Ursula Strauss, Georg Friedrich, Marion Mitterhammer, Martin Brambach, Rupert L. Lehofer, Bellinda Akwa-Asare, Gabriela Schmoll, Christian Ghera, Karl Fischer, Desiree Ourada, Nicole Skala.

Note:  6.3* out of 10* with 508 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 86% with 7 reviews 59% audience score with 100+ ratings, Amazon 3* out of 5* with 13 reviews, Slant Magazine 1* out of 4* Ed Gonzalez, Letterboxd 3.1* out of 5*.
 

The Rhythm Section 2020

      Blake Lively stars as Stephanie Patrick, she is an ordinary woman on a path of self-destruction after her family is tragically killed in a plane crash.  Stephanie was supposed to travel with her family on the plane but she didn't go.  When Stephanie discovers that the plane crash was not an accident, she enters into a dark and complex world to seek revenge on those responsible and to find her own redemption.  Based on Mark Burnell's spy series, from director Reed Morano (The Handmaid's Tale) and the producers of the James Bond film series.

     This is an international thriller and Stephanie is a brilliant but grieving woman who's willing to transform into an assassin to avenge her family's deaths.  The movie is marketed as a female Bourne Identity or an English version of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and it is very violent.  Expect everything from tense car chases and up-close-and-personal fist fights and brawls (sometimes to the death) to assassinations via gunshots, explosions and stabbings.  The language is also quite strong and is used especially frequently.  Stephanie also struggles with drug use and in the beginning she is a sex worker.  Sex is implied but the movie's only actual love scene is limited to passionate kissing. 

     Okay this film has credible people in important positions behind it but that doesn’t make it into any kind of a film in real James Bond territory!!  Many times it just doesn’t seem plausible or realistic?? 3* (This movie is OK)

109 min, Action directed by Reed Morano and written by Mark Burnell with Blake Lively, Richard Brake, Elly Curtis, David Duggan, Matilda Ziegler, Bill O’Connell, Raza Jaffrey, Robert Mullins, Ivana Basic, Irma Mali, Geoff Bell, Tawfeek Barhom, Jack McEvoy, Jude Law.

Note:  Amazon gives the book 4.2* out of 5* with 240 reviews, Imdb 5.3* out of 10* with 12,366 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 29% with 178 reviews 44% with 1000 audience scores, Metacritic 45 out of 100 with 36 critics 4.1 out of 10 with 41 user scores, Amazon 3.7* out of 5* with 6185 reviews, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen, 2* out of 5*, age 15+, 1* consumerism, 2* positive messages, Positive role models, 3* sex, 4* violence, language, drinking, drugs & smoking.

Special Note:  There is a brutal fight sequence between Jude Law and Blake Lively that was filmed in just one take after weeks of preparation.  Lively broke her hand after delivering a punch to Jude's chest.  It is a case of "life imitating art", because in the book Stephanie Patrick breaks her fingers though in a different way.  The "piece of glass in Stephanie's hand" event was included in a different fight scene so that Lively could act in later scenes with that hand bandaged.  

 

Logistics:  Filming started in November of 2017 but due to Lively’s hand injury (which occurred in December 2017) filming was halted in February 2018 for her recovery.  Filming resumed June 2018.  Release date was also delayed at least twice.  Originally scheduled for a 22 February 2019 before a delay of ten months and then rescheduled again for release on 31 January 2020.  Lively had eight months of fighting technique instruction, defensive driving training, exercising, swimming and climbing.

Waterboys 2016

     Both newly single, a Dutch crime author and his cellist son attempt to rekindle their feeble bond as the son joins the author on a publicity trip to Scotland.  Originally, Victor was scheduled to fly to Scotland but he changed his plans.  They are going by boat and shipping his car along with them.  Zack is afraid to fly and that is the reason for the changes.  Victor had come home to his wife and he found she had put all his items in a storage unit.  He can’t get into their home either.  Zack learns that he can’t get into his girlfriends flat!  She has kicked him out too.  Now Victor and Zack are bonding over their lack of relationships.  

     I can fully understand why Victor’s wife doesn’t want to see him!!  He has cheated on her more than multiple times!!  The only reason he is going to Scotland is because this is the only company that would publish his latest book.  They are willing to have a fishing session with Victor even though he has lied and he doesn’t know how to fish??  Zack will give it a try but he doesn’t know how to fish either.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

89 min, Drama directed and written by Robert Jan Westdijk with Leopold Witte, Tim Linde, Helen Belbin, Julie McLellan, Miles Jupp, Tom Mannion.

Note:  Imdb 6.8* out of 10* with 595 reviews, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 15 reviews, seensom.com 4* out of 5* Adam, theweereview.com 3* out of 5*.

Special Note:  With financing and casting still underway for this film, British/Scottish band The Waterboys did two concerts in an Amsterdam premier pop venue Paradiso so Robert Jan Westdijk could film the concert scenes.  This is Waterboys' first feature since his debut 'Zusje' to be written, produced and directed by Robert Jan Westdijk himself.  The voice of the Scottish DJ was The Waterboys singer Mike Scott.  Filmed in Edinburgh Scotland and the language is Dutch.

Filmography of Robert Jan Wesdijk:  
1995 Zusjie (Little Sister) (director/writer/producer)
1998 Siberia (director/writer)
2003 Phileine zegt sorry (Phileine says sorry) director/writer

Titles released by Waterboys rated by Metacritic:
(76 out of 100) Good Luck, Seeker 8/21/2020
(78 Where the Action Is 5/24/2019
(68 Out of All This Blue 9/8/2017
(70 Modern Blues 1/19/2015
(75 An Appointment with Mr. Yeats 9/19/2011
(66 A Rock in the Weary Land 8/21/2001
 

Medicine for Melancholy 2008

     This film is about twenty-four hours in the tentative relationship of two young San Franciscans and they are also dealing with the conundrum of being a minority in a rapidly gentrifying city.  The premise of a man and woman rushing through all the phases of falling in love in one twenty-four hour period with the backdrop of a great city is a popular one.  An awkward introduction in the light of day after a drunken one-night stand leads to an inauspicious real date spent biking and cabbing around San Francisco.  The couple spend long moments of non-verbal connecting that is tinged by an overt sadness.  In the back of their minds is the feeling that this short time period will end and they may never see each other again??

     
     Shortly after completing the film, a friend suggested to writer and director Barry Jenkins to watch Damien Chazelle’s film, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009).  It is another black and white contemporary film that was gaining momentum among the indie circuit.  Ironically, a friend of Damien Chazelle's told him to watch Medicine for Melancholy (2008) shortly after completing his film.  Both directors were up for several Academy Awards in 2017 for their films Moonlight (2016) and La La Land (2016).  They only discovered this after speaking to each other during The Hollywood Report's Oscar's Roundtable.  4* (I liked this movie)

Special Note:  This is the directorial debut of Barry Jenkins.  The shooting schedule for this low budget film was only 13 days!!  Each song in the soundtrack appears in the credits with a still frame from the part of the movie where it was used.  One of the filming locations was the Knockout Room La Lengua District, San Francisco, California.

148 min, Drama directed and written by Barry Jenkins with Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins, Elizabeth Acker, Melissa Bisagni, DeMorge Brown, Powell DeGrange, Chida EWmeka, John Friedberg, Dana Julius, Ondine Kilker, Erin Klenow, Phoebe ChiChing Kwok, Tommi Avicolli Mecca Adam Moskowitz, Jennifer Sanchez.

Note:  Imdb 6.7* out of 10* with 2010 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 84% with 37 critics 65% with 1164 audience scores, Metacritic 63 out of 100 with 13 critics 6.4* out of 10* birth 17 user scores, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, Slant Magazine 2* out of 4* Joseph Jon Lanthier, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 91 reviews.

The Pelican Brief 1993

     This film is based on a novel written by John Grisham.  Two Supreme Court Justices have been killed.  A college professor clerked for one of the two men and he is also having an affair with one of his students.  He is given a brief by his girlfriend that reveals who probably wanted to see these two Justices dead!!  He gives the brief to one of his friends who works for the FBI.  When the FBI director reads it, he is fascinated by the revelations.  One of the president's men who read it is afraid that if it ever gets out, the president could be smeared.  He advises the president to tell the director to drop it and he does.  Later the professor and the girlfriend are out and the professor is drunk??  He refused to give her the car keys, she stepped out of the car.  When he started the car, it blew up!!   She discovers that her apartment has been burglarized, her computer and her disks were stolen.  Obviously, her brief has someone agitated!!  She contacts her boyfriend's friend at the FBI.  He agrees to meet her but before he does, someone shoots him and takes his computer!!

     The foundation for this film is the assassination of the two Supreme Court justices.  Their murders are on the minds of everyone in the country.  A noted terrorist is involved in all of this.  A woman named Darby, played by Julia Roberts, sets out to find the evidence to uncover the killer.  Now there is a series of murders, cover-ups and disappearances that require a scorecard to follow.  Not much time passes before the President is involved in this mess.  There is some land in Louisiana that is at the center of a lot of this violence??  A rare breed of pelican is in danger and it is causing difficulties with doing anything with the land.  Even when the film is over, viewers don't really have a clear idea in their minds how this is going to play out??  Some issues are settled but what's coming next?  Both Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington are good in their roles.
     
     The Pelican Brief is relatively free of language, violence and explicit sex.  One brief scene features a murder in a porno theater and there are sexual noises in the background.  The main character is shown in a heavy embrace with a boyfriend.  Several characters are killed over the course of the film but gore is at a minimum.  This is a great movie and very enjoyable if you like political/legal thrillers.  It is also a very long film and those with a shorter attention spans will quickly lose interest.  There is mild language and violence is mainly only implied.  Overall, if you can grasp the concepts of what is going on, it is a good movie.  4* (I liked this movie)

141 min, Crime directed and written by Alan J. Pakula and also written by John Grisham with Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn, James Sikking, William Atherton, Robert Culp, Stanley Tucci, Hume Cronyn, John LIthgow, Anthony Heald, Nicholas Woodeson, Stanley Anderson, John Finn.

Note:  Imdb 6.6* out of 10* with 77,083 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 53% with 53 critics 61% with 75,650 audience scores, Metacritic 50 out of 100 with 15 critics 6.9 out of 10 with 50 user scores, Common Sense Media Joyce Slaton, 3* out of 5*, age 14+, 3* violence, sex, language, drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 2591 reviews, Letterboxd 3.1* out of 5* with 9 fans.

Special Note:  John Grisham wrote the part of Darby Shaw with Julia Roberts in mind.  Roberts read the book once it was finished and she agreed to the role without even seeing a script.  For the scenes inside the White House, the sets created for the film Dave (1993) were used.  

Mistakes:  Stump is chasing Gray and Darby with a car in the parking garage.  When they are on foot, he fails to gain significant ground on them?  He seems to be driving quite fast and the car  reaches a speed fast enough for the car to explode upon impact??
 

The Bachelors 2017

     After the loss of his wife, Bill Paleo and his 17-year-old son Wes move out of their small town into the big city of Los Angeles in an attempt to have a fresh start.  As they each begin to adjust to their new life and seek ways to heal their wounds, they both find comfort in newfound romances.  Wes meets Lacy, she is an introverted but fierce girl whose enigmatic personality captivates Wes' attention.  Bill meets Carine, she is a compassionate and elegant French language teacher whose own past heartaches resonate with his.  Their relationships are tested, Bill and Wes grow apart and back together again while discovering their true selves in the process.

     Bill and Wes arrive in their new home both with excess baggage.  Bill is extremely sad because of the passing of his wife.  She was his everything and he doesn’t know how to move forward or even move on.  Wes is helping Lacy with her French but she is struggling with the impending divorce of her parents.  She is living through her parent’s phase of yelling and demeaning each other.  Lacy has a younger sister and they are both suffering along with their parents.  

     This is a drama about a father and his teen son recovering from the death of their wife/mother.  It's quite touching, with themes of empathy and it should be fine for high school teens and up in age.  A teen girl cuts herself, some slicing and blood is shown.  There's a brief cafeteria fight between two teen boys, one gets hit with a lunch tray and there is some bleeding.  Teens briefly kiss and there's some sex talk.  Teen girls are objectified in one scene, emerging in slow motion from a bus and a term that's degrading is used by teen boys.  Language includes a few uses of mild swear words plus several other words and insults.  An adult takes mood-enhancing medications and drinks socially because of severe depression.  Teens hold red cups at a party but thethough the contents isn’t revealed.  5* (I really liked this movie)

99 min, Drama directed and written by Kurt Voelker with J.K Simmons, Jean Louisa Kelly, Odeya Rush, Harold Perrineau, Julie Delphy, Jae Head, Kevin Dunn, Spencer List, Tom Amandes, Josh Wiggins, Tyrel Jackson Williams, Michael McGlone, R.J. Ramini, Kitana Turnbull, Keith L. Williams.

Note:  Imdb 6.,8* out of 10* with 4079 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 83% with 18 critics 74% with 328 audience scores, Common Sense Media Jeffrey M. Anderson, 4* out of 5*, age 13+, 2* positive role models, violence, sex, drinking, drugs & smoking, 3* positive messages, language, Metacritic 54 out of 100 with 4 critics 6.8 out of 10 with 5 user scores, Letterboxd 3.1* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Julie Delphy in the role of Carine was also in the series of films with Ethan Hawke, Before Sunrise, Sunset and Midnight Trilogies.  I like her as an actress.  

Broken Embraces 2009

     This film is about passion, obsession, wealth, jealousy, family, guilt and creativity.  In Madrid, Harry Caine is a blind screenwriter and he is assisted by Judit and her son Diego.  The past comes rushing in when Harry learns of the death of Ernesto Martel.  He is a wealthy businessman and Ernesto's son pays Harry a visit.  In a series of flashbacks to the 1990s, we see Harry, he was at this time Mateo Blanco, a director.  He falls in love with Ernesto's mistress, Lena and he casts her in a film financed by Ernesto.  This arrangement causes Ernesto to be jealous and obsessive.  He sends his son to film the making of the movie, to follow Lena and Mateo and to give him the daily footage.  Judit doesn't like Lena and this is a collision course waiting to happen!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

     This drama, like Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s other movies, is a complex, engrossing story with themes that are too mature for even most older teens, including infidelity and spousal abuse.  Expect frank sexual discussions and some steamy scenes.   Lots of moaning and groaning, as well as close-up views of naked breasts, domestic violence (a man pushes his wife down the stairs), swearing and drug use.

     This film borders being melodramatic and plot twists involving drug abuse gone awry seem random.  There is kind of an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink thrown into the mix feel?  This confusion crowds out the pure drama within.  There are references to cinematic history and the movie industry itself that may please film buffs.  But, they won’t necessarily impress them because there isn’t anything that’s never been seen before from Almodovar or anyone else??

127 min. Drama and written by Pedro Almodovar with Penelope Cruz, Louis Homar, Blanca Portillo, Jose Luis Gomez, Ruben Ochandiano, Tamar Novas, Angela Molina, Chus Lampreave, Kimi Manver, Lola Duenas, Mariola Fuentes, Carmen Machi, Kira Miro, Rossy de Palma.

Note:  Imdb 7.2* out of 10* with 38,493 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 82% with 157 critics 75% with 20,524 audience scores, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo 3* out of 5*, age 18+, Roger Ebert 4*, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 216 reviews, Letterboxd 3.6* out of 5* with 38 fans,  The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw.

Special Note:  The film within a film 'Girls And Suitcases' is loosely based on Pedro Almodovar’s own film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988).  'Rossy De Palma' appears in both films in different roles.  In an interview with El País in March 2009, Pedro Almodovar stated that the idea for the lip reader played by Lola Duenas came from watching the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Asturias on Spain's Telecinco.  The services of a lip reader were employed by the news channel to relay what the couple were saying to each other as they stood at the altar.

Mistakes:  When the movie goes back to 1992, Ernesto Martel speaks from his office about getting a contract to build the Caracas' Metro.  This Metro was built more than 10 years earlier than 1992.  At the end of the movie, during the time Matteo remakes the video, we see two chairs in old video record that are made by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola for Italian furniture brand Moroso.  One chair is an Antibodi chaise lounge, produced in 2006.  When Lena started to open a door for woman in a red dress, we see both chairs.  Also, outside in the terrace we can see another chair designed by P. Urquiola for Moroso a Tropicalia chair produced in 2009.  But from 1990 to 1996 P. Urquiola was the assistant professor to Achille Castiglioni and Eugenio Bettinelli at the Politecnico Di Milano and ENSCI in Paris.