Before I Say Goodbye 2003

      This TV movie is based on a novel by award winning, best selling author Mary Higgins Clark.  Nell MacDermott’s husband dies in a fiery boating accident.  With their relationship in question on the night of his death, Nell longs to connect with him again.  She visits a psychic who informs her that her husband was murdered.  Compelled to find the killer, Nell searches for an elusive witness who could solve the mystery or could end her life?  To catch a killer you’ve got to follow the money, no matter where, or to whom it leads.  Sean Young (No Way Out) stars in this riveting thriller based on the #1 best-selling novel by Mary Higgins Clark, the "Queen of Suspense!" 

     Prominent politician Mac MacDermott (Lloyd Bochner) has been grooming his granddaughter Nell to follow in his footsteps.  Unfortunately, Nell’s architect husband Adam is under investigation for his part in an infamous real estate and construction scam.  When Adam and several business associates die in the boat explosion, Nell vows to clear his name.  She enlists the help of a detective (Peter DeLuise) and a mysterious medium who claims she can contact Adam from beyond the grave?  As Nell delves deeper and learns the truth about her husband’s life and death, she becomes the target of a shocking conspiracy!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

120 min, Crime directed by Michael Storey and written by Jon Cooksey, Ali Marie Matheson, John Benjamin Martin and Mary Higgins Clark with Sean Young, Peter DeLuise, Ursula Karven, Winston Rekert, Christopher Shyer, Lloyd Bochner, Aaron Douglas, Desiree Zurowski, Claudette Mink, Scott Heindl, Gillian Barber, Woody Jeffreys, Brenda Crichlow, Mary Black, Juliana Wimbles, April Telek.

Note:  Imdb 5.4* out of 10* with 233 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 20% with 50+ audience scores, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 60 ratings, Goodreads gives the book 3.79* out of 5* with 10,953 ratings and 454 reviews, mouth shut.com 5*, The Movie Scene 2* out of 5*, movies.jrank.org 2* out of 4*. 

Bosch Season 7 episode 2

 The Dog You Feed June 25 2021

     Bosch and Edgar follow a lead to the famed Magic Castle.  But before that, Bosch tells Jerry he can smell the liquor coming out of his pores.  Not an original quip but direct and to the point.  They visit the apartment building management again.  The management prides themselves on not accepting too much interaction with law enforcement.  This keeps the tenants safer, they argue.  Bosh points out that it gives them an excuse to kick low-paying renters out.  The investigation of the molotov cocktail fire in the building is ongoing.  The deaths are treated as felonies.

     The building fire investigation leads them to the theory that the fire starters stole a car that was valeted.  A local parolee lent the car to a couple of “Los Pollos homies” named Little Trey-Trey and Zorro.  Bosch and Jerry need to find out the real names of these two responsible for five felony murders.  Their names are actually Emanuel Trejo and Pedro Alvarez and they are esteemed members of the Los Pollos 13.  They are a couple of foot soldiers whose fingerprints were at the scene.  When the team and officers crash down on them, they take them in but Jerry engages in a war of words with Little Trey Trey.  Things get physical and it was stated by one of the squad members to Bosch that “your partner is out of control.”  This is true because Jerry is not up on his game??  Drinking and not sleeping!!

     Lieutenant Billets ruffles some feathers because sent a complaint up through the the chain of command.  She has received some harassment from two of the male cops and there has been arguing about showing up in court even on days off.  Attorney Honey Chandler is heading to court to represent a business man who doesn’t want any jail time.  Maddie has been interning at Chandler’s office.  5* (I liked this episode)      

60 min, Crime written by Michael Connelly and Eric Overmeyer, produced by Daniel Pyne, Eric Overmeyer, Henrik Bastin, Pieter Jan Brugge, John Mankiewicz, Elle Johnson with Lance Reddick, Amy Aquino, Titus Welliver, Annie Wersching, Jamie Hector, Jason Gedrick, Madison Lintz.

Note:  readysteadycu.com 3.5* out of 5*, Rotten Tomatoes 100% with 5 critic ratings 83% with 18 user ratings. 

     

Bosch Season 7 Episode 1

      The title of this episode is Brazen.  This will be the last season of Bosch based on Michael Connelly’s series of detective books.  They are as good or better than any other detective series out there.  A very popular series that very few thought could be brought to the screen.  This is because the main character is an actor that many would recognize his face but never remember his name?  Viewers did begin to know that Titus Welliver brought the great Detective Bosch to life.  The Sherlock Holmes of the LAPD doesn’t need to quip something clever to solve a case. 

     In this episode, Bosch is in command and it is New Year’s Eve 2019.  He leads his team and directs the detectives to canvas the area but he notices his partner, Jerry Edgar is noticeably absent?  Edgar has slept through his numerous phone calls in order to shake off his daily bender!!  He is still dealing with shooting a murderous kingpin who killed his Uncle at the end of last season.  Why does he care?  Because he put some hot lead into him even after he gave himself up with his hands clearly in the air.  Jerry will face an inquiry over this incident.  He seems to be on a different and lonely track at the start of this season?  5* (I really liked this episode)

Each Episode 60 min, produced by Daniel Pyne, Eric Overmyer, Henrik Bastin, Pieter Jan Brugge, John Mankiewicz and Elle Johnson with Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, Lance Reddick, Madison Lintz, Michael Connelly. 

Note: Imdb 8.4* with 134 reviews, Amazon 4 1/2* with 65 reviews.

The Double 2011

      When the assassination of a U.S. senator has the signature style of a Russian spy known as Cassius, CIA director Tom Highland (Martin Sheen) calls top operative Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere) out of retirement to investigate.  Paul's partner on the case is Ben Geary (Topher Grace).  He is a young agent who also has studied Cassius and is certain the Russian is behind the slaying.  Paul is insisting that Cassius is long dead.  Should Ben listen to Paul’s theory or may Paul not be who he claims to be?

     Ben is also a top operative but he is a rookie.   He has more to lose in this cat and mouse game but also more enthusiasm.  Ben is much younger than Paul, he has a young wife, young daughter and a baby son.  Paul and Ben work their way through crimes both past and present for clues.  They discover that Cassius may not really be the person they always thought him to be?  This causes a reexamination of everything they believe and everyone around them!!!  

     I have a problem with this movie.  It has a chance to be very good with an empowered cast but they are just going though the motions!!  There is a LOT of action but action can’t carry the entire movie.  There has to be substance and this isn’t included!!!  Grim and stricken can’t be all we get from good actors!!!  (2* out of 5*)

98 min, crime, directed and written by Michael Brandt and also written by Derek Haas with Richard Gere, Martin Sheen, Stephen Moyer, Odette Annable, Yuriy Sardarov, Ed Kelly Lawrence Gillard Jr., Andy Manning, Ella Maltby, Topher Grace, Tamer Hassan, Chris Marquette, Stana Katic, Ivan Fedorov, Jeffrey Pierce, Mike Kraft Randy Flagler, Dan Lemieux.

Note:  Imdb 5.9* out of 10* with 29K ratings, Rotten Tomatoes 21% with 52 critic reviews 33% with 5,000+ audience scores, Metacritic 37 with 20 critic reviews, Roger Ebert 2*, Letterboxd 2.5* out of 5*. 

Special Note:  There is another with the same title from August 2014.  Directed by Richard Ayoade and the actors are Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, Noah Taylor, Yasmin Paige, James Fox.  Imdb gives this movie 6.5* out of 10* with 48K ratings.  

Easy Rider 1969

     Two bikers head from LA to New Orleans through the open country and desert lands.  Along the way they meet a man who bridges a counter-culture gap.  They were not aware of this event.  Riding motorcycles ("chopper"-style) emblazoned with insignias that announce their "freedom" and wearing the in-your-face attire of the 1960s hippie culture, Wyatt, aka Captain America and Billy set off to cross the U.S.A.  They are taking the southern route and financing their odyssey with money they received from a cocaine deal.  

     At this time they feel rich and invulnerable.  The two men encounter both friends and foes along the way.  There is a Mexican family trying to make a home in the desert, a budding commune filled with idealistic counterculture youth and mean good ol' boys.  They brutally represent the bigotry of the southern states.  There is also a slick and funny alcoholic lawyer named George.  This is an astonishing, Oscar-nominated performance by Jack Nicolson.  

     Marijuana and alcohol fuel their journey along with the gasoline that fills their tanks.  After one gigantic misstep resulting in a tragedy, they reach New Orleans at Mardi Gras time.  Accompanied by two women from an infamous brothel they live out their grandest fantasies.  But, is this country ready for such unapologetic and obvious radical behavior?  In the words of one of the characters, people may talk about individual freedom.  If they actually see a free individual, it makes them scared and it makes them dangerous. These words prove to be very prophetic.

     The release of Easy Rider in 1969 marked a significant change in American filmmaking.  Never before had a low-budget, offbeat movie made such an impact on young audiences.  There is reflection on a chaotic time in a country that was deeply divided in its values.  Frank treatment of alternative lifestyles, sexual freedom, drug and alcohol use.  Pervasive marijuana smoking, consumption of cocaine, hallucinogens, heavy drinking and drunkenness strike a deep nerve.  The film and its music are still considered classic and unequaled.  Mild, infrequent swearing is included.  Sexuality and some nudity but no intercourse are seen in both idyllic settings and in a frenzied acid trip.  The few violent scenes are extreme, shocking and bloody.  Important characters are killed by gunfire and a brutal beating.  5 1/2* (I really liked this movie)  

95 min, Adventure directed and written by Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda also written by Terry Southern with Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Antonio Mendoza, Phil Spector, Mac Mashourian, Warren Finnrty, Tita Colorado, Luke Askew, Luana Anders, Sabrina Scharf, Sandy Brown Wyeth, Robert Walker Jr.

Note:  Imdb 7.3* out of 10* with 101,564 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 83% with 53 critic reviews 82% with 50,000+ audience scores, Roger Ebert 4*, Metacritic 85 out of 100 with 18 critic reviews 7.6 out of 10 with 84 user scores, Common Sense Media Renee Schonfeld, 4* out of 5*, age 17+, 1* consumerism, 2* positive messages, role models, language, 4* violence, sex, 5* drinking, drugs & smoking.

I’ll See You in my Dreams 2015

      This is a vibrant, funny and heartfelt film.  A widow and former singer discovers that life can begin anew at any age.  With the support of three loyal girlfriends, Carol decides to embrace the world.  She embarks on an unlikely friendship with her much younger pool maintenance man.  She starts pursuing a new love interest after a speed dating session.  Her daughter comes to visit and she reconnects with her daughter.

     Carol is surprised when she becomes friends with the pool man!!  He invites her to go to a Karaoke bar and Carols belts out a song like the old days for her.  She thinks it is a waste of time at the speed dating session but she meets Bill.  He calls her and invites her for a ride on his new boat.  He decided that he doesn’t have any family and he will spend his money the way he wants.  They get along and Carol is surprised to have a life again.  5* (I liked this movie)

     Parents need to know that I’ll See You in My Dreams is a drama about a widow in her 70s.  She learns to live life again and this film will probably appeal to older viewers.  Teens who watch may gain an appreciation for older people in their lives.  Expect some salty language, some comical sexual innuendo, some kissing and a sex scene that shows a couple under blankets.  The main character drinks pretty heavily, mostly wine but also beer and a cocktail.  She sometimes regrets decisions made while drunk.  Characters smoke pot in one scene and get the munchies.  A dog dies in the vet's office and a major character dies.  There’s also a story of a plane crash and the husband's death.  5* (I liked this movie)

92 min, Drama with Blythe Danner, Sam Elliott, June Squibb Mary Kay Place, Mark Adair-Rios, Caroline Lagerfelt, Martin Starr, Malin Akerman, Rhea Perman, Aarti Mann, Ashley Spillers, Max Gail.

Note:  Imdb Rotten Tomatoes 92% with 92 reviews 68% with 10,000+ ratings, 6.7* out of 10* with 7K reviews, Common Sense Media Jeffrey M. Anderson 4* out of 5*, age 14+, 1* consumerism and violence, 3* positive messages and role models, sex, language, drinking, drugs & smoking, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* Glenn Kenny, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Jordan Hoffman, observer.com 3 1/2* out of 4* Rex Reed, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 7358 reviews.

Special Note:  Blythe Danner was 72 at the release of this movie.  She is very beautiful and she also projects a very kind manner.  She could be your next door neighbor!!  This film was nominated for the Gotham Award for Best Actress and the Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture.  The Gotham Award was given to Bel Powley and other nominees were Cate Blanchette and Lily Tomlin.  The Satellite Award was given to Julianne Moore and also nominated were Anne Dorval, Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike, Reese Witherspoon 

Romancing the Stone 1984

      Joan Wilder is a mousy but famous romance novelist and she receives a treasure map in the mail from her recently murdered brother-in-law.  Soon after her sister Elaine is kidnapped in Colombia. The two criminals responsible for her kidnapping demand Joan travel to Colombia to exchange the map for her sister.  Joan quickly leaves for Colombia and she immediately becomes lost in the jungle after being waylaid by Zolo.  He is a vicious and corrupt Colombian cop who will stop at nothing to obtain her map.  While in Columbia, she meets an irreverent soldier-of-fortune Jack Colton.  He agrees to bring her back to civilization.  Together, they embark upon an adventure that could be straight out of Joan's novels!!  Though described by some film critics as a "rip-off" of 1981’s Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, the original screenplay had actually been written five years earlier around 1979.

     In this movie there is violence, profanity, sexual situations and stereotypical depictions of and references to Latinos.  Except for these events this is a well-written adventure movie. The meanest of the bad guys has his hand bitten off by a crocodile.  The hand is then completely devoured (off-screen) by a pit full of crocodiles.  There's also a fair bit of swearing, a couple of stabbings and gun fights.  Breasts are visible through a wet cotton top and there's plenty of sexual innuendo.  The two leads actors end up together in bed but there's no nudity.  Latinos are all portrayed as swarthy and nasty bad guys.  The term "Spico" is used by one character to describe Latin Americans.  5 1/2* (I really liked this movie)

106 min, Action directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Diane Thomas with Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda, Holland Taylor, Mary Ellen Trainor, Eve Smith, Now Nesnow, Jose Chavez, Evita Munoz Chachita, Camillo Garcia, Rodrigo Puebla, Pace Morayta.

Note:  Imdb 6.9* out of 1* with 84,232 reviews, Roger Ebert 3*, Rotten Tomatoes 85% with 53 critic reviews 69% with 50,000+ audience scores, Metacritic 63 out of 100 with 17 critic reviews 8* out omg 10* with 38 user scores, Common Sense Media Randy White, 5*, age 12+, 2* positive messages, language, 3* violence, sex, drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 171 reviews.

Special Note:  This was the only produced screenplay for writer Diane Thomas.  She had been working as a waitress in Malibu when producer/star Michael Douglas optioned her script for $250,000.  This money allowed her to quit her job but sadly, Thomas died in a car accident.  She was working on a new movie project with Steven Spielberg the following year, about seven weeks before the opening of this film's sequel, The Jewel of the Nile (1985).  She was a passenger while her boyfriend was driving a Porsche that Douglas bought for her as a thank you gift.  The Jewel of the Nile was dedicated "In Memory of" Diane Thomas.  Studio executives were so sure this film would flop that Robert Zemeckis was preemptively fired from directing Cocoon (1985).  It turned out to be such a success that Zemeckis was able to go forward on his own project, Back to the Future (1985).

Mistakes:  After Colton decapitates the bushmaster snake in the downed aircraft, Joan asks "is it poisonous?”.  A college-educated professional writer should know that while plants might be poisonous and chemicals might be toxic, snakes might be venomous.  Comedy villains are notoriously inept when heroes are targeted.  Despite knifing the super in Joan's New York apartment up close, Zolo and his army always remain one step behind Jack and Joan in Colombia?  They are continually shooting at them from afar and missing?  Jack presents Joan with a very elaborate necklace from his pocket.  But, when she takes it in her hand, it's a simple charm on a chain?

Lucky Day 2002

     Struggling actress Nora Barkin fills in her time between auditions working at a courier office.  She has become like family to an elderly man she works with called old Bill by everyone.  It was Nora and her husband Jack that looked out for him after his of many years wife passed away.  When Bill goes missing after calling Nora about a lottery win Nora gets concerned.  Bill said it was his lucky day.  The police are unwilling to take her seriously so starts her own investigation.  The trouble is that what she discovers makes her start to question her husband Jack?  When Bill shows up dead the police finally take an interest and it is now a murder investigation.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

     Nora's husband Jack arrives home late, he is distracted and Bill is nowhere to be found?  She starts checking out who might have known about Bill's lottery win? Nora follows her sense of foreboding as she begins to trace a bizarre set of events. What she learns could lead her to a shocking and horrifying conclusion.  It is possible that Jack could be involved in the murder because he knew about the 13 million dollar lottery ticket?  This amount of money will bring out a lot of people who want a part of this money!!

93 min, Crime directed by Penelope Buitenhuis and written by Peter Mohan and Mary Higgins Clark with Amanda Donohoe, Gregor Torzs, Karen LeBlanc, Andrew Gillies, Guylaine St-Onge, Gino Marrocco, Douglas Gibson, Tony Lo Bianco, Marry Higgins Clark, Elizabeth Higgins Clark, Cameron Graham, Desmond Campbell, Carlos Diaz, David Mucci.

Note: Goodreads gives the book 3.78* out of 5* with 325 ratings and 7 reviews, Imdb 5.4* out of 10* with 243 reviews, The Movie Scene 2* out of 5*, Amazon 4* out of 5*, Metacritic 18 out of 100 with 5 critic reviews, vudu.com 3* out of 5* with 36 reviews.

Wizard of Oz 1939

      This film is based on a book written by L. Frank Baum.  When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog Toto are whisked away in their house to the magical land of Oz.  They follow the Yellow Brick Road leading to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard.  En route they meet a Scarecrow that needs a brain, a Tin Man missing a heart and a Cowardly Lion wanting courage.  The wizard asks the group to bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West to earn his help.          “The Wizard of Oz” powerfully filled a void that exists inside many children.  For kids of a certain age, home is everything and the center of the world.  But over the rainbow, dimly guessed at, is the wide earth, fascinating and terrifying.  There is a deep fundamental fear that events might conspire to transport the child from the safety of home and strand him far away in a strange land.  And what would he hope to find there?  He would find new friends to advise and protect him.  And Toto is included because children have such a strong symbiotic relationship with their pets and they assume they would get lost together.

     This DVD had not been previously available on 4K Blu Ray and the transfer is from the original 1939 movie.  The opening scenes are in sepia tones.  The characters seem lifelike even in the sepia tones.  It’s possible to discover new things in the film because of the high definition.  As soon as the travelers arrive in the kingdom of the wizard, the tones change to glorious technicolor.  There are many stand out scenes that come to life in color.  The faces are in vivid detail and there are many vivid colors.  5* (I really liked this movie)

102 min, Adventure directed by Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, Richard Thorpe, written by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf with judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin, Pat Walshe, Clara Blandick, Terry, The Singer Midgets.

Note:  Imdb 8* out of 10* with 373,497 reviews, Roger Ebert 4*, Rotten Tomatoes 98% with 121 critic reviews 89% with 250,000 audience scores, Common Sense Media 5*, age 6+, Metacritic 92 out of 100 with 30 critic reviews 8.5* out of 10* with 451 user scores, Amazon 5* 27049 reviews.

Special Note:  Throughout the rest of his career, Jack Haley denounced the idea that the making of this film was enjoyable?  "People question me and say 'Must've been fun making "The Wizard of Oz".'  It was not fun.  It was like hell it was fun!!  It was a lot of hard work!!  It was not fun at all!!  Many of The Wicked Witch of the West's scenes were either trimmed or deleted entirely.  This was because Margaret Hamilton’s performance was thought to be too frightening for audiences?  Margaret was a lifelong fan of the "Oz" books and she was ecstatic when she learned the producers were considering her for a part in the film.  When she phoned her agent to find out what role she was up for, her agent simply replied, "The witch, who else?”  Judy Garland found it difficult to be afraid of Margaret because she was such a nice lady off-camera. 

Mistakes:  When Dorothy uses the knocker on the door to the Emerald City, four knocks are heard although she only hits the door three times.  The first is heard as she is drawing the knocker back.  After saying "Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents too," the Witch says something else which we do not hear.  The script backs up this claim.  The additional dialog was: "And this is how I do it!”  The real wizard makes the fake wizard's voice by talking directly into the microphone but when the fake wizard says "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" the real wizard is pulling back the curtain, pointed away from the microphone and not talking at all. 

Pretend You Don't See Her 2002

      This film is based on a novel written by Mary Higgins Clark.  Lacey Farrell is a top Realtor in New York.  Her latest assignment is to sell the apartment of a girl who died recently in an accident.  When Lacey talks to the girl's mother, she says that she thinks that her daughter's death was not accidental but murder.  Later when she shows the apartment to a buyer, she finds the mother is there and she says that she was right her daughter was murdered.  Lacey and the buyer leave her alone.  Later the mother calls Lacey asking her to come over so they can talk.  When she gets there she finds the woman dead and the killer is the buyer.  

     Before the mother dies she gives Lacey her daughter’s journal.  Lacey turns it over to the police but not until she makes a copy and gives it to the girl's father.  Lacey is told that the killer is a professional and the FBI places her in Witness Protection. They relocate her to Minnesota and she brought with her a copy of the journal.  She reads it and the girl mentions a friend who lives in Minnesota.  She goes to see a friend of the girl who lives in Minnesota to find out what she might know.  But the killer is on Lacey's trail!!  Will the Killer be able to find Lacey and silence her too.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie) 

93 min, Drama directed by Rene Bonniere and written by Donald Hounam with Emma Samms, Hannes Jaenicke, Beau Starr, Steward Bick, Carolyn Dunn, Richard Eden, Rod Wilson, Tom Melissis, Lyriq Bent, Sarah Lafleur.

Note:  Imdb 5.6* out of 10* with 373 reviews, Goodreads gives the book 3.89* out of 5* with 17,656 ratings and 634 reviews, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 30 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 40% with 500+ audience scores, The Movie Scene 2* out of 5*. 

Vincent & Theo 1990

      It's the late nineteenth century.  Adult Dutch brothers Vincent Van Gogh and Theo Van Gogh are living in Paris.  They lead differing lives despite having art as a connection. Vincent, who sticks to his principles which includes believing in God but not religion, wants to be a full time painter, lives in squalor for his art. Theo works in an art gallery, lives for the moment, he is selling his art but he doesn't to do this but he likes to lead a comfortable life.  One other area of commonality between the brothers is easily succumbing to pleasures of the flesh.  Theo does not sell Vincent's art since he knows it is not in demand.  Vincent's view of his brother does not change when he learns it is Theo and not their father who is supporting him.  Each brother is a tortured soul.  In Vincent's case, it is considered in some circles as madness and their different personalities affect how each man deals with his life.

     There are some key moments and extended periods in their lives over the years prior to their deaths.  Theo had a battle with syphilis and this affects how and if he can carry on relationships.  Theo's superiors allow him to run  his own gallery and it is largely on commission.  This pushes him into selling the art he doesn't like to survive.  Vincent spends time with fellow painter Paul Gaugin in Provence.  Gaugin is one of his few contemporaries that he truly admires.  Theo begins to help Vincent after his self-mutilation of his left ear.  He is under the care of Dr. Paul Gachet and he is also dealing with a turbulent marriage to the former Jo Bonger.  2 1/2* (This movie is just so-so)

138 min, Biography directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Mitchell with Tim Roth, Paul Khys, Adrian Brine, Jean-Francois Perrier, Yves Dangerfield, Hans Kesting, Peter Tuinman, Marie-Louise Stheins, Oda Spelbos, Jip Wijngaarden, Anne Canovas, Sarah Bentham, Gust Gerritsen, Han Kerckhoffs.

Note:  Imdb 6.9* out of 10* with 3717 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 89% with 27 critic review 72% with 1000+ audience scores, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, Metacritic 65 out of 100 with 14 critic reviews 6.2 out of 10 with 11 user scores, Common Sense Media Lucinda Dyer 5*, age 12+, educational value 5*, positive messages 4*, positive role models 4*, violence 2*, sex 1*, no language. 

Special Note:  Money was saved on reproductions of Van Gogh's masterpieces by hiring art students to do them.  Originally designed to be a four-hour mini-series for the BBC.  Robert Altman and writer Julian Mitchell were able to pare it down to two and a half hours by focusing on Van Gogh's last years.

Love Finds a Home 2009

      This film is based on a book by Janette One.  Dr. Annie Watson is pregnant and she is going to stay with her best friend, Dr. Belinda Owens.  Her husband Peter is off on a surveying job.  Annie's mother-in-law Mary is a seen-it-all midwife but her homeopathic remedies and folksy wisdom are at odds with Belinda's scientific knowledge.  As Belinda deals with the headaches Mary is causing, she must also address issues at home.  Her adopted daughter Lillian, is discovering the joys and pains of first love.  Belinda and her husband Lee, find their own relationship suffering over Belinda's inability to get pregnant.  Just as the town has learned to put its faith in Belinda as their doctor, Belinda must learn to accept that the best guidance for her own problems may come from unlikely sources.  Annie gives birth to a daughter, Melinda (Lindy) and the movie ends with Mary hopping into a buggy to leave with Belinda whispering something in her ear.  When her husband asks what she said to Mary, the answer is: "Oh, I just told her that I'll need a midwife!!

     This story is a collection of recycled inspirational frontier scenes and incidents interspersed with discussions on medical language.  There are many disjointed subplots thrown together.  The movie hops from one thing to the next without creating a common theme or giving the audience a reason to keep watching.  The dialogue is straightforward and but not compelling and the characters are cardboard people.  A lot of things happen and they get resolved just in time for the movie to be over.  It stutters to an inevitable conclusion that leaves the viewer wondering what happened to this movie saga that previously had such great potential?  3 1/2* (I did liked his movie)

      

88 min, Drama directed by David S. Cass Sr and writer by Donald Davenport, Janette One and Stepeh Never with Sarah Jones, Haylie Duff, Jordan Bridges, Patty Duke, Courtney Halverson, Michael Trevino, Jeffrey Muller, Dahlia Salem, Thomas Kopache, Chad W. Smathers, Daniel Beer, Jeff Clarke, Jen Gnetile.

Note:  Imdb 6.9* out of 10* with 975 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 73% with 250+ audience scores, dove.org 1* sex, violence, drugs and a woman is having a baby and the father is worried about the baby growing up.  Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 387 reviews, boxofficerevolution.wordpress.com 2.5 out of 10 points.

Special Note:  Love Finds a Home is the eighth TV movie based on Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series.  Sarah Jones and Courtney Halverson both had recurring roles on HBO's Big Love.

Mistakes:  The house where Mr. and Dr. Owens live is the same one Dr. Jackson lives in and he uses it as a clinic in "Loves Unfolding Dream".  The house is in  Andersons Corner and the Owens live in Sikeston.  When Annie and her husband leave their home, they have their own wagon.  When they return at the end of the movie, they take the stagecoach and the wagon is nowhere to be found?  The pennies Mrs. McQueen gave to Lillian at Belinda's office have an image of the Lincoln Memorial on them.  The Lincoln Memorial did not appear on pennies until 1959.  When Annie hands her baby to her husband while getting on the stage coach at the end of the film, the blanket around the baby is not pulled up to cover the face of the baby and it reveals a baby doll's face.

All About Steve 2009

      Mary Horowitz writes crossword puzzles for the Sacramento Herald.  When kids at a career day make fun of her for being single, she accepts a blind date with Steve.  He is the cameraman for a CNN-like news network.  Within minutes she decides he's the man for her.  He's quickly put off by her constant talking and over-the-top advances.  He makes an off-hand remark about going on the road with her and he splits.  She's moonstruck, she writes a sappy crossword puzzle, loses her job and decides to follow him.  The news team is crisscrossing the Southwest.  Steve’s team eggs her on.  She falls into a mine shaft and they become a story but is it a love story?

     This offbeat comedy includes some sexual content.  Sandra Bullock strips down to her bra and Bradley Cooper is shirtless in the film's one love scene.   There are humorous but continuous references to sex, dating and unrequited, obsessive infatuation, in other words stalking!!  There is mild language included and frequent use of words some swear words.  There's a brief glimpse of adults drinking beer with meals.  There's a little bit of mild peril when characters get stuck in potentially dangerous situations and a few cartoonish incidences.  3* (this movie is OK)

        

99 min, Comedy directed by Phil Traill and written by Kim Barker with Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong, DJ Qualls, Howard Hesseman, Keith David, Beth Grant, Katy Mixon, M.C. Gainey, Holmes Osborne, Delaney Hamilton, Jason Jones, Carlos Gomez, George Sharperson.

Note:  Imdb 4.8* out of 120* with 40,154 ratings, Rotten Tomatoes 6% with 140 critic reviews 30% with 250,000+ audience scores, Roger Ebert 1 1/2*, Richard Propes the independentcritic.com, Grade D- or 1/2*, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen 2* out of 4*, age 14+, 1* violence, consumerism and drinking, drugs & smoking, 3* sex and language.

Special Note:  Sandra Bullock won the Golden Raspberry ("Razzie") Award for Worst Actress for this film!!  She appeared in person at the event to claim her prize.  She became only the second actress to accept the award in person after Halle Berry in 2005.  Bullock brought a wagon full of DVDs of the film for the three hundred attendees!!  She stated that she believed most voters had not actually watched the film and voted for her just to see if she would appear at the ceremony.  She asked them to watch or re-watch the film and if the audience changed their minds and decided she was not the "Worst Actress", Bullock promised to come to the ceremony next year, return her award, and buy drinks for everybody.  When Mary is soaking in the tub, the song in the background is sung by Helga Bullock, Sandra's mother.

Mistakes:  If Mary knows enough sign language to understand the little deaf girl, she should have been signing to her instead of just speaking to her?  When Mary falls into the hole, she lets go of the umbrella.  When the station manager reviews the footage, she falls in with the umbrella.  When Mary is running next to the news van, cars are in a parking lot behind her including a white Toyota Camry.  As she continues running, she runs past the same parking lot with the same Camry visible in the background?  One of the many problems with Howard's car is that, "reverse doesn't work," but when we first see the car in the hospital parking lot it has obviously been reversed into its spot?

Love Happens 2009

      Burke is a motivational speaker whose book about dealing with grief is a best seller.  His wife died in a car accident three years ago.  He's in Seattle to lead a week-long workshop on healing and to negotiate a major multi-media deal.  But, something's amiss because he's a closet drinker, he won't ride elevators, he has moods swings, he's estranged from his wife's father and he's very much alone.  In a hotel hallway, he bumps into a woman arranging flowers, he tries to chat with her and gets the brush-off.  She's Eloise, a local florist who's just broken up with her boyfriend.  Burke is persistent and they eventually go to dinner.  It goes badly? What's blocking Burke? Can the physician heal himself?

     This film is a downbeat story about romance but also about dealing with grief.  Eloise gets Burke to confront his real feelings.  There is some satire about the multimedia self-help/feel good industry included.  One major problem with this film is that Jennifer Aniston is not acting in this role and other roles because she is always acting as herself?  She is fidgeting, she gets stuck pronouncing words, trouble expressing her feelings and she always has the same head movements.  She makes everything around her seem light and frivolous but it doesn’t fit or work in this drama.  Despite these drawbacks, I did like this movie.  3 1/2*

     

109 min, Romance directed and written by Brandon Camp and also written by Mike Thompson, with Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart, Dan Fogler, Martin Sheen, Frances Conroy, Sasha Alexander, Anne Marie DeLuise, Panou, Michelle Harrison, Tom Pickett, John Carroll Lynch, Judy Greer, Joe Anderson.

Note:  Imdb 5.7* out of 10* with 32K reviews, popularity 3784, Rotten Tomatoes 16% with 110 critic reviews 37% with 100,000+ audience scores, Metacritic 33 out of 100 with 26 critic reviews 5.6 out of 10 with 31 user scores, reelviews.net 1 1/2* out of 4*, Letterboxd 2.4 out of 5*.

Special Note:  "Unicom" appears to be a combination of the names "Universal" and “Viacom?  Jennifer Aniston was never in Seattle during the shooting of this film except when exiting Water St. Cafe and she is front facing.  With this exception, her face is otherwise never seen during the scenes depicting Seattle landmarks.  A body double always facing away from the camera was used instead.  The interior of Eloise's Garden was actually a high-end lingerie shop in Vancouver and the filmmakers redressed it as a flower shop.  When Burke & Eloise are on their first date, they are seen exiting the Water St. Cafe.  This is a real restaurant in Vancouver British Columbia and parts of the movie were filmed there.  

Mistakes:  When Burke arrives to the hotel for the first time and drinks a vodka on ice, the ice cubes disappear while drinking.  But you can still hear the ice cubes? Eloise chides her assistant for not cauterizing the roses.  Roses are never cauterized.  That would seal the stems so they would not be able to take up water.  Roses in fact should be cut daily since the stems seal up naturally.  At the end, Burke tells Eloise that he has not talked to his wife's parents but at the beginning of the movie, he talks to his wife's father?  When Burke is releasing Rocky the cockatoo, the weather conditions vary from authentically gray and misty, to sunny with fake fog and back again repeatedly.

The Time Travelers Wife 2009

      This film is based on a novel written by Audrey Niffenegger.  When Henry DeTamble meets Clare Abshire in a Chicago library they both understand that he is a time traveler.  She knows much more about him as he has not yet been to the times and places where they have already met.  He falls in love with her and she has already been in love with him.  His continuing unavoidable absences while time traveling and then returning with increasing knowledge of their future makes things more difficult for Clare.

     This is a tearjerker movie, although romantic it may prove too gloomy for tweens and younger teens.  The central couple shares a powerful love but their relationship is constantly tested and sometimes to the breaking point.  There are a few moments of levity.  Expect some nudity but primarily in a non-sexual context.  There is some swearing and a few bloody but though not gory scenes. There’s also discussion of heavy topics like free will, miscarriage, death and loss of a parent.

     For a film about the metaphysical it is curiously lacking in energy?  It starts out far too explanatory like a wannabe friend who overshares.  While it’s true that the audience needs prodding given the material is about how to make time travel approachable?  It seems questionable to keep inserting explanations that have been heard before.  As an example, why does Henry keeps stealing clothes wherever he turns up?  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

107 min, Drama directed by Robert Schwentke and written by Bruce Joel Rubi with Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Michelle Nolden, Alex Ferris, Arliss Howard, Katherine Trowell, Bart Bedford, Esther Jun , Matt Birman, Craig Snoyer, Carly Street, Romyen Tangsubutra, Brooklynn Prouix.

Note:  Imdb 7.1* out of 10* with 143,285 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 38% with 159 critic reviews 59% with 250,000+ audience scores, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, 2* out of 5*, age 15+, 2* drinking, drugs & smoking, 3* positive messages, positive role models, violence, sex, language, 

Special Note:  After filming was completed, Eric Bana started filming Star Trek (2009).  This film required him to shave his head?  Reshoots for this movie were needed, so production was put on hold until Bana's hair could grow out.  It took so long that the movie's release date was pushed back by nearly a year!!  This is one of four movies in which Rachel McAdams stars as the love interest of a time traveler.  The other films are About Time (2013), Midnight in Paris (2011) and  Doctor Strange (2016).  But in these films her character travel does not travel through time, just her co-star time travels.  

Mistakes:  When Clare has her first kiss she has a long, thin and brown hair clip in her hair, near the end of the scene the hair clip becomes yellow.  In the first meadow scene, young Clare pulls off her right shoe and throws it at the bushes. She believes her brother Mark is hiding in the bushes.  When she runs to take the blanket to Henry, we see that it is her left shoe that is missing off her foot?  When Henry sits with his mother on the train, she is reading "The Chicago Tribune" yet when she turns the page the banner on the inside of her paper reads "The Washington Post”?

Coco Before Chanel 2009

     This film is based on a novel written by Edmonde Charles-Roux.  Several years after Gabrielle Chanel left an orphanage because her father never returned for her, Gabrielle is working in a provincial bar.  She's both a seamstress for the performers and a singer.  She has adopted the nickname Coco given to her by her father in her early childhood.  A liaison with Baron Balsan gives her an entrée into French society.  This is a chance for her to develop her gift for designing increasingly popular hats.  When she falls in love with English businessman Arthur Capel, further opportunities open up but life becomes even more complicated. 

     The film sidesteps most of the biographical untidiness by following only Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel’s early life.  She was born in Saumur on the Loire in 1883 and not 1893 as she sometimes claimed.  This is a historical biopic depicting Coco Chanel’s life before she hit it big as a fashion designer.  It examines her somewhat scandalous love-life, she is kept by one man but is in love with another and both are aware of the other.  Her benefactor often treats her like chattel.  Though she asserts her independence, she puts up with his disrespect too.  Nevertheless, Coco come across as an incredibly strong woman and a pioneer in many ways.  There’s a good bit of drinking and smoking and some subtle love scenes.  The movie is in French with English subtitles.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

Note:  Imdb 6.7* out of 10 with 39K reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 64% with 136 critic reviews 57% with 25,000+ audience scores, reel views 2 1/2* out of 3* James Berardinelli, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, 2* out of 5* age 13+, 1* positive role models and violence, 2* sex, 3* positive messages, drinking, drugs & smoking, 

 

105 min, drama directed by Anne Fontaine and written by Edmonde Charles-Roux, Anne and Camille Fontaine with Audrey Tautou Alessandro Nivola, Emmanuelle Devos, Jean-Yves Chatelais, Marie-Benedicte Roy, Bonoit Foelvoorde, Marie Gillian, Regis Royer, Yan Duffas, Pierre Diot.

Special Note:  Coco lived at the Hotel Ritz in Paris, from 1934 to 1971.  The Coco Chanel Suite was named after her in her memory.  In 1967, Katherine Hepburn was planning to make a musical of Chanel's life.  Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe would be  providing the songs.  It was canceled after a series of high-profile and big budget musical flops.

Mistakes:  When Boy allows Coco to drive the car and the car stops, she steps out wearing a white scarf that she wasn't wearing when she got into the car? Coco wears a heavy overcoat on the beach in Deauville looking out on the English Chanel.  When Boy joins her moments later, the overcoat is gone?  Etienne wields a polo mallet with his left hand.  That is forbidden under modern polo rules but was allowed at the time of this movie. 

Night Train to Munich 1940

     After the Germans march into Prague Czechoslovakia, armor-plating inventor Dr. Axel Bomasch (James Harcourt) flees to England.  His daughter Anna (Margaret Lockwood) escapes from arrest to join him but the Gestapo manages to kidnap them both and bring them back to Berlin.  As war looms, the British Secret Service Agent Dickie Randall (Sir Rex Harrison) follows them disguised as a senior German Army officer.  His job is the not unpleasant one of pretending to woo Anna to the German cause.

     

     The humor in this film is dry and wry.  If you are not paying close attention the jokes will go right by you!!  Otherwise, the comedy is rich and rewarding in the style of Mel Brooks or Ernst Lubitch.  There is also suspense, action and romance.  These aspects are shot in an intriguing way.  Solid performances and but no stand outs.  There are a couple of very silly gentlemen at the end of the film?  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

90 min, Thriller directed by Carol Reed and written by Gordon Wellesley, Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder with Margaret Lockwood, Rex Harrison, Paul Henreid, Basil Radford, Nauton Wayne, James Harcourt, Felix Aylmer, Wyndham Goldie, Roland Culver, Eliot Makeham, Raymond Huntley, Austin Trevor, Kenneth Kent.

Note:  Imdb 7.2* out of 10* with 4629 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 89% with 18 critic reviews 73% with 500+ audience scores, Slant Magazine 3 1/2* out of 5* Simon Abrams, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 162 reviews, Letterboxd 3.5* out of 5*, blurry.highdefdigest.com  4* out of 5* Matthew Hartman.

Special Note:  This film is in black and white.  The first scene is a fairly accurate depiction of the Berghof, Adolf Hitler’s mountainside residence near Berchtesgaden and Obersalzberg in Bavaria.  The house was famous for its huge picture window that overlooked the mountain scenery and it was often used to impress visiting foreign VIPs.  As noted in the opening caption, action in this movie takes place during the year before World War II.  It begins with the German invasion of the remaining Czech territory on 3/15/39 and ends on the night of 9/3/39, the day the UK declared war on Germany.  The banner on the city bus stating "BERLIN RAUCHT JUNO" means Berlin smokes Juno and this is an advertisement for a cigarette brand later distributed to German soldiers.  

Mistakes:  Ulrich Herzog requests "a report of the copy" instead of "a copy of the report," as he surely intended to say.  Although the credits name Raymond Huntley’s character as Kampenfeldt, the dialogue and his office door at the German Admiralty show it as Kampfeldt.  Rex Harrison's character makes a British-style military salute while disguised in a German army corps of engineer Major uniform.