5 to 7 2014

     Brian Bloom is a struggling writer living in New York City.  His apartment wall is covered with rejection notices for his submissions.  He’s walking down a city street and he sees Arielle across the street.  He is attracted to her and he crosses the street where they smoke their cigarettes together.  Arielle is married to a French diplomat and she has two children.  She is nine years older than Brian.  They arrange to meet and the hours are from 5 to 7PM for their meetings.

      I thought this film was interesting and good.  I could get involved with the characters and their lives.  I liked Brian and Arielle plus their chemistry together.  The relationship between Brian and Arielle is unconventional.  Berenice Marlohe was the glamorous and enigmatic Severin in the James Bond Film Skyfall.  She had long and interesting fingernails!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

95 min, Comedy directed by victor Levin with Anton Yelchin, Berenice Marlohe, Olivia Thirlby, Frank Langella, Glenn Close, Eric Stoltz, Lambert Wilson, Joseph D’Onofrio, Jocelyn DeBoer.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 67% critic 74% audience n Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 1*.

Speical Note:  Diane Kruger was originally cast as Arielle but she had scheduling conflicts.  Berencie Marlohe was in the James Bond film Skyfall.  David Remnick the editor of the New Yorker makes a cameo appearance.

The Last Five Years 2014

     This movie is based on a hit musical by Tony award winning composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown.  It is a musical deconstruction of a love affair and a marriage over a five-year period.  Jamie Wellerstein falls in love with Cathy Hiatt.  Jamie is a young, talented up and coming Jewish novelist.  Cathy is a Shiksa Goddess struggling actress.  The story is almost entirely told through songs.  Cathy’s songs begin at the end of the marriage.  Jamie’s songs start at the beginning.  The songs meet in the center at the marriage proposal.

     This film could be compared to a film like Les Miserables in the manner of telling the story but without the audience sobbing.  The setting is New York City with pictures of interesting scenery.  I need to say right away that I didn’t care for Les Miserables and I didn’t care for this film either.  This style of a movie is just not my cup of tea?  I’d rather have a story with just a few songs and not all songs telling the story.  2* (I didn’t like this movie) 

94 min, Comedy directed by Richard LaGravenese with Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan, Tamara Mintz, Cassandra Inman, Kate and Emma Meltzer, Bettina Bresnan, Charly Bivona, Alex Stebbins, Lily LaGravenese.

Note:  Imdb 6.0 out of 10, 60% critic 60% audience, Roger Ebert 2 ½*.

Special Note:  99% of the screen time in this film is devoted to the two lead characters. 

Mrs. Brown 1997

     After the death of her husband Albert, Queen Victoria has been very depressed.  She has gone to Balmoral Castle and has been away from the public for two years.  Victoria’s chief servants invite John Brown to visit her and they hope she can be cheered by his presence.  Brown had been a trusted servant of Albert as a hunting guide and stable groom.  Unfortunately, the plan goes a little too well and Brown moves way up the chain of influence over the queen.  He remains with the Queen until his death in 1883.  He wrote diary during his time with the Queen but it was never found after his death?

     There was a lot gossip over the relationship between Victoria and John Brown.  Behind her back she was called Mrs. Brown.  The country misses her presence in government and there is a proposal to have the country run without the Queen.  John Brown didn’t help subdue the adverse feelings of the other servants.  He was very pushy and expected the Queen to back him up.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

105 min, Bio directed by John Madden with Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher, Gerard Butler, Richard Pasco, David Westhead, Bridget McConnell, Georgie Glen, Catherine O’Donnell.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 94% critic 78% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in England and Scotland.  Originally release was planned for television only but Harvey Weinstein was impressed and it was released in theaters.

The Girl by the Lake 2007

      In Northern Italy, a young woman is found dead beside an alpine lake in the mountains of Friuli.  Commissario Sanzio from Southern Italy is called in to lead the investigation of the crime.  The town near the lake is a quiet place and everyone knows what is going on with all the people in the area.   

      Sanzio is very intense in his investigation but he has problems of his own.  His wife is losing her memory and she doesn’t remember he is her husband or that she has a daughter.  There is a ‘kidnapping’ of a young girl on her way to school in the beginning of this film but it is like a ‘red herring’ because it’s not related to the crime.  3* (This movie is OK)

95 min, Mystery directed by Andrea Molaioli with Toni Servillo, Denis Fasolo, Nello Mascia, Giulia Michelini, Marco Baliani, Fausto Maria Sciarappa, Franco Ravera, Sara D’Amario, Heidi Caldart, Alessia Piovan.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 10 reviews.

Special Note:  The title in Italian is La Ragazza Del Lago.  This movie was filmed in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy.

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry 2008

     The setting is the summer of 1970.   Dustin, Albert and Mark are best friends twelve years old.  They are looking forward to being out of school for summer vacation.  Dustin starts moving the lawn of seventy-five year old Jonathan Sperry.  Dustin has seen Mr. Sperry at church and he invites the three boys over for lemonade and chocolate cake.  Mr. Sperry starts to talk to them about forgiveness, problem solving and dealing with bullying.

     The boys learn a lot from Mr. Sperry and they put what they have learned to good use with their other friends.  This is the period when everyone knew their neighbors, kids could play outside and people didn’t lock their doors.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

96 min, Drama directed by Rich Christiano with Gavin MacLeod, Jansen Panettiere, Robert Guillaume, Frankie Ryan Manriquez, Allen Isaacson, Taylor Boggan, Mary Jean Bentley, Bailey Garno, Kristina Jewell.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, 84% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 340 reviews.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Brockport, Holley, Rochester and Waterloo, New York.  Gavin MacLeod was on The Love Boat.  Jansen Panettiere is the brother of Hayden Panettiere.  She is five years older.

Godzilla 1998

     France has conducted atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific.  A fishing vessel is passing eastward through the Panama Canal.  Only one man on the ship survives their encounter with a giant lizard that has grown to enormous proportions because of the radiation.  Godzilla makes his way northward to Manhattan.  He begins wreaking the city and causing many evacuations of people.  The US military is brought in to fight Godzilla but they are not having much success.  Dr. Niko Tatopoulos warns the military and city officials that he believes Godzilla will be laying eggs and they need to search for the nest.

     Maybe in 1998 this was very frightening??  Instead, there are a lot of times when this movie is very funny!!  Many of the characters are so clueless that they are funny!!  This Godzilla is more like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with small front arms, walking only on much larger back legs and a tail in line with the body.  Rating this film as a comedy, I give it 3 ½* (I liked this movie)

139 min, Action directed by Roland Emmerich with Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Michael Lerner, Harry Shearer, Arabella Field, Vicki Lewis, Doug Savant, Malcolm Danare, Lorry Goldman, Christian Aubert, Philippe Bergeron, Frank Bruynbroek.

Note:  Imdb 5.3 out of 10, 16% critic 28% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 1 ½*. 

Special Note:  A tornado disrupted the filming in Jersey City on May 6, 1997.  This may explain why most scenes have constant rain plus usually at night!!  The crew managed to get some footage filmed during the storm.  This film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival despite the requirements that films be intelligent, moving and grand. 

Jaws 1975

    This film is based on a novel by Peter Benchley.  Amity Island is a small community with its livelihood depending on the summer tourist trade and the draw of its beaches.  A group of teen friends gather on the beach at night and Chrissie decides to take a moonlight swim.  The next morning parts of her are found washed up on the beach.  Police Chief Brody wants to close the beaches but the mayor and other civic leaders worry about the loss of revenue with the beaches closed.  Many people are in the water when the shark takes a dog and a young boy on a float.  Finally, Brody convinces the mayor to hire Quint to hunt down the shark for $10,000.  Shark hunters Quint, Brody and Hooper, a visiting ichthyologist, head out in Quint’s boat, The Orca. 

     I’ve seen this movie before and remember it as being scary but now not so much.  I remember a few of the scenes but now they seem more like comedy except for the attacks.  All three of the men get drunk on this serious mission and they make a lot of mistakes.  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

124 min, Adventure directed by Steven Spielberg with Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb, Jeffrey Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Johnathan Filley, Ted Grossman, Chris Rebello, Jay Mello, Lee Fierro, Jeffrey Voorhees, Craig Kengsbury.

Note:  Imdb 8.1 out of 10, 97% critic 90% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed at Martha's Vineyard and Falmouth, Massachusetts, South Australia.