Hercule Poirot: Series 1: Murder in the Mews 1989

     Miss Jane Plenderleith calls Inspector Japp at Scotland Yard to report the murder of her friend, Mrs. Barbara Allen,  lived in Badsley Garden Mews.  Charles Laverton-West, a rising young government MP, had recently asked for her hand in marriage.  Mrs. Allen had a male visitor the previous night according to a neighbor, Poroit and Japp believe he was blackmailing her?  They find out he is Major Eustace, an unsavory gentleman.

     This is good, I love the names of the characters!  It’s important to pay attention to Poroit and Japp as they look for clues at the scene.  4* (I really liked this move)

51 min, Mystery directed by Edward Bennett with David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson, Pauline Moran, Juliette Mole, James Faulkner, Daviel Yelland.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10.

Sparkle 2007

     Sam is a waiter and has been living with his mom in Liverpool; she is a singer in the same pub.  Sam learns an apartment will become available and he wants to move to London.  His mom doesn’t want to move but he wants to get a job in the public relations field.  They do move into the apartment in London.  Sam meets Sheila and charms himself into working for her in this field.  Then he meets Kate and he really likes her. 

     The complaints I have about this film are that is doesn’t define the family relationships until later on and it’s not funny.  You don’t know two characters are brothers; two other characters are the parents of another character.  Isn’t this important and relevant information?  3* (This movie is OK)

100 min, Comedy directed by Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter with Stockard Channing, Shaun Evans, Anthony Head, Bob Hoskins, Lesley Manville, Amanda Ryan, John Shrapnel.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*,imdb 5.9 out of 10, 78% critic 47% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Campaign 2012

      A North Carolina district has incumbent congressman Cam Brady running uncontested.  He’s not doing a very good job but that doesn’t matter since there isn’t any opposition.  Two powerful men recruit Marty Huggins, a very unlikely candidate, to run against Cam.  A professional campaign manager is hired to run Marty’s campaign and groom him for this political contest.

     Very funny, it does have some raunchy scenes that could have been eliminated for a better movie.  Since politics has gotten so bad that anything can happen, unbelievably, some of this has happened.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

85 min, Comedy directed by Jay Roach with Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Jay Roach, Shane Harwell,

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 6.2 out of 10, 66% critic 54% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Can Go Through Skin 2009

     Mariekes is nearly drowned and strangled during a brutal assault by a man delivering pizza.  She was saved by the intervention of a girlfriend.  They both press charges against the man but it is a long drawn-out process.  They don’t know if there will be justice.  Mariekes leaves the Amsterdam, Holland to live in a run down cottage in the Zeeland countryside.  She’s afraid of any visitors and worried about any sound.  Finally, over time, she accepts the help of John, her closest neighbor.

     Mariekes is mentally disturbed and she needs treatment by a medical professional.  She tries to heal herself but she really struggles.  I would have liked for this movie to follow the events as they happened and not add in scenes.  You don’t know if they are real or imagined?  3* (This movie is OK)

94 min, Drama directed by Esther Rots with Rifka Lodeizen, Wim Opbrouch, Chris Borowski, Tina de Bruin, Mattijn Hartemink.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 6.9 out of 10, 62% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Monogamy 2010

     Theo and Nat live in Brooklyn, they are an engaged couple getting married soon.  Theo is a wedding photographer but he’s bored with the set routine of taking this type of pictures.  He comes up with a side business called Gumshoot, this is a service where clients hire him to take pictures that are not posed but part of their everyday life outside their homes.  He becomes infatuated with a woman with the client name of Subgirl.  He’s obsessed with following her above and beyond the photography job.  Nat develops a staph infection in a cut on her thumb; she is hospitalized for antibiotics to combat the infection.  Instead of taking care of Nat, Theo abandons her to the loneliness and boredom of her hospital stay so he can fixate on Subgirl.

     Not very much going on here, Theo has a job with a lot of freedom and a side job with more freedom but he wants even more freedom.  When do you reach a point where you have so much freedom that you are not in the relationship anymore?  He’s so involved with himself that he has nothing left for Nat and she’s not asking for very much.  2 ½* (This movie is so-so) 

96 min, Drama directed by Dana Adam Shapiro with Chris Messina, Rashida Jones, Meital Dohan, Zak Orth, Ivan Martin.

Note:  Blockbuster 2 ½*, imdb 4.5 out of 10, 46% critic 32% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

In Darkness 2011

     The true story of Leopold Soha, he risked his life to save a group of Jewish men, women and children.  In the beginning, he’s only interested in their money and property.  He’s a thief and burglar but he becomes drawn into hiding this group for 14 months in the sewers of Lvov in the former Poland.  They all lived in the ghetto but a few of the men dug through the floor of one of the rooms to the sewer. When the Nazi’s came through the ghetto killing everyone, many people went into the sewer.  Soha realized right away that he could not provide food for so many and established a dozen as feasible.

     In Darkness is a very apt name for this film, everything is dark except outside the sewer.  It’s winter and the ground is covered with snow and it is somewhat dark there too.  This film made my eyes tired because of the sharp contrast between dark and light and the subject is tough too.  3* (This movie is OK)

145 min, Drama directed by Agnieszka Holland with Robert Wieckiewicz, Benno Furmann, Agnieszka Grochwska, Maria Schrader, Herbert Knaup.

Note:  Blockbuster 4 ½*, imdb 7.1, 90% critic 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Dirty Girl 2010

     The year is 1987, Danielle is the “bad girl” of Norman High School in Oklahoma.  She’s in trouble again and sent to the principle, he sends her to the special education class.  The class splits up into teams to experience being parents using a bag of flour to represent a baby.  Danielle and her chubby 35% gay partner Clarke are not very successful in the beginning.  Danielle doesn’t want to become part of a Mormon family when her mom marries.  Clarke doesn’t want to go to military school.  They run away taking their baby with them in Clarke’s dad’s car.  They use his dad’s credit card to finance a trip to California to meet Danielle’s dad.

     This is funny but has a serious side too.  Danielle has a vintage red Mustang convertible; this brings her credibility up several notches.  She can snap her fingers and attract the cute and popular guys until she’s paired with Clarke.  Everything changes for both of them on their trip.  4* (I really liked this movie) 

 

90 min, Comedy directed by Abe Sylvia with Jeremy Dozier, Juno Temple, Zach Lasry, Johanthan Slavin, Marcella Lentz-Pope, Mary Steenburgen, Milla Jovovich.

Note:  Blockbuster 2 ½*, imdb 6.2 out of 10, 27% critic 79% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Special Note:  The hairstyles of Mary Steenburgen and Mill Jovovich are worth a look at this movie.  The stock of hairspray companies must have doubled during the filming!!  I could not take my eyes off their hair in all their scenes.