Sleeping with Other People 2015

     Jake dates a lot of women and he cheated on his latest girlfriend to end the relationship rather than say this isn’t working.  Lainey and Jake knew each other in college and they meet again years later.  Lainey has cheated on her boyfriends with an on again off again fling Matthew.  Lainey and Jake decide to be friends only and they talk to each other about other relationships.  This continues until Lainey decides even this isn’t working and she moves away.

     There isn’t anything new in this film and you could easily watch while doing tasks you don’t partially like!!  Ironing, reading a bad novel or magazine, washing your hair, cooking a bland and unmemorable meal!!  It took a lot of fortitude for me to finish this film.  I wanted to turn it off within a few minutes but I had some boring tasks I could do.  A lot of the humor is very crude and not funny at all.  2* (I didn’t like this movie)

101 min, Comedy directed by Leslye Headland with Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie, Jordan Carolos, Margarita Levieva, Adam Brody, Jason Mantzoukas, Amanda Peet, Margaret Odette, Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne.

Note:  Imdb 6.5 out of 10, 63% critic 56% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 283 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in New York City.  Alison Brie had the role of Trudy Campbell, Pete Campbell’s wife in the Mad Men series.  Jason Sudeikis has been on Saturday Night Live and in Horrible Bosses.

Special Note:  Filmed in Atlanta and Stockbridge, Georgia.  Director Michael Polish is married to Kate Bosworth and this is their fourth film together.  They met during the filming of Big Sur of 2013.  The book this film is based on has been translated into 46 different languages and has sold seven million copies.  Does this mean the book is a LOT better than the movie??

The Object of Beauty 1991

     Jake and Tina are an American couple living in London.  They are staying at an expensive London Hotel with prices beyond their means.  The hotel asks Jake to settle the bill since it is getting rather large.  Tina has a Henry Moore sculpture worth about 20.000 pounds that she received from her former husband as an anniversary gift.  Jake would like Tina to sell the sculpture at auction to raise money but Tina proposes a different plan.  They will give the piece to her friend and say it was stolen to claim the insurance money.  Surprisingly or not, the sculpture is really stolen from the hotel.

     Jake believes Tina gave the sculpture to her friend but she didn’t.  Tina believes Jake has hidden the sculpture deviating from the original plan?  Are these people still in high school instead of adults?  They seem to have no plan at all for their future and nothing matters except the now?  In some ways, this film resembles a Woody Allen movie?  3* (This movie is OK)

103 min, Comedy directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg with John Malkovich, Andie MacDowell, Lolita Davidovich, Rudi Davies, Joss Ackland, Bill Paterson, Ricci Harnett, Peter Riegert, Jack Shepherd.

Note:  Imdb 5.7 out of 10, 77% critic 38% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Amazon 3.5* out of 5* with 26 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Sardinia, Italy and Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK.  Elizabeth Perkins was originally asked to play the role of Tina's friend Joan.  She dropped out because of illness.

I Know a Woman Like That 2009

     Elaine Madsen and her daughter Virginia work together on this film about women in their older years.  Elaine asks 16 women between the ages of 64-94 different questions about their lives now and what they think of aging.  Many of the women talk about how they don’t think about the number for their age and they focus on how they feel their lives are better now.

     I thought this was good and interesting.  Each person has a different perspective but all the remarks are positive.  It’s not about not having wrinkles, not being thin enough or popular enough.  It’s about having experiences and gaining knowledge though living.  Society puts a lot of pressure on women and aging!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

97 min, Doc directed by Elaine Madsen, produced by Karly Meola, Virginia Madsen and Elaine Madsen with Earth Kitt, Rita Moreno, Lauren Hutton, Lorraine Morton, Gloria Steinem, Lucille Borgen, Elaine Kaufman, Lupe Anguiano.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 9 reviews.

Special Note:  Virginia Madsen is an actress and she has been in the TV Series American Gothic, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Witches of East End.  Her films have been Sideways, A Prairie Home Companion and many others.

Hope Bridge 2015

     Jackson is going through a very difficult time after the suicide of his father.  He gets into a fight at school and he’s suspended for five days.  He also must see a psychologist and be signed off to come back to school.  He meets Sophie at the group session and she is the one who delivers the pizza he ordered.  She asks him to accompany her on her remaining deliveries.  Later, they go to a bar where Jackson's father used to sing and she takes him to meet the grandmother he didn’t know existed.

     Jackson thinks he can deal with his pain if he finds more of the reasons behind what happened.  This doesn’t work and the pain doesn’t go away.  It will take other people helping him to allow the pain to ease up over time.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

90 min, Drama directed by Joshua Overbay with Booboo Stewart, Kevin Sorbo, Sam Sorbo, Rebeca Robles, Fivel Stewart, Tantoo Cardinal, Nils Allen Stewart.

Note:  Imdb 5.8 out of 10, 67% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 3.9* out of 5* with 35 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Lawrenceburg and Lexington, Kentucky.  Kevin Sorbo is married to Sam Sorbo. 

Closer to the Moon 2014

     This film is based on a true story and takes place in Bucharest, Romania of 1959.  There has been a bank heist and the country is in an uproar.  After the war, this act is a slap in the face to the communist authorities.  They hold an iron fist on the country and how did this happen under their watch?  There is an arrest of four men and one woman.  They are tried, convicted and await their execution.  Before being put to death, they are forced to star in a propaganda film about crime and specifically their crime.  The people arrested were heroes of the resistance during WWII and they have held high status in Romanian society.  They must have realized they would be caught for their crime and what the punishment would be?

     I initially wondered about a comedy starting Mark Strong and the theme of execution.  The gang members reenact the bank robbery and they exaggerate everything about the event.  Originally, it was planned as a suicide mission but they were not killed during the crime?  Oh well, maybe execution is more of a statement?  3* (This movie is OK)

112 min, Comedy directed by Nae Caranfil with Vera Farmiga, Mark Strong, Harry Lloyd, Anton Lesser, Joe Armstrong, Monica Barladeanu, Christian McKay, Allan Corduner, Martin Hancock. Gwyneth Keyworth.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 46% critic 58% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 18 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Lipscani, Carol Park and Bucharest, Romania.  Mark Strong starred in the film Anna of 2013 with Taissa Farmiga, Vera’s sister.

The Fall: Season Two 2014

     Stella Gibson is a Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent brought in to find a serial killer in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  The male attacker targets young professional women with dark hair.  There are many complications both inside and outside the department concerning this case plus other circumstances.  In the beginning of this Season, Paul Spector has been away from his family in Belfast.  Stella is running out of time and under intense pressure to solve these crimes.  Paul returns to Belfast and he kidnaps Rose from her home because he believes she has been talking to the police about their past.  A picture of Paul has been posted in the newspaper.  Although he now looks different with a beard, he is wary of being recognized in public.

     This is a very intense series!!  My mind wants to think about what I’ve seen and what will happen next!!  I would’ve liked a quick review of Season One at the start of this season because some of my recall is fuzzy?  I couldn't wait for this season to come out!!  4* (I really liked this series)

 

Each episode is 1 hour, crime, TV Series created by Allan Cubitt with Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, Bronagh Waugh, John Lynch, Niamh McGrady, Sarah Beattie, Aisling Frnciosi, Emmett J. Scanlan, Archie Panjabi.

Note:  Imdb 8.3 out of 10, 100% critic 93% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 77 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.  Gillian Anderson was in the XFiles.  Jamie Dornan is in Fifty Shades of Grey.

Scoop 2006

     Joe Stombel is a famous British journalist and he passes away.  His friends meet to recall that he was always looking for the next scoop.  Sondra Pransky is an American student of journalism in London.  Sondra is asked by magician and illusionist Sidney Waterman to come up on the stage to help him with his act.  She gets into a booth and Joe comes to her to tell her the identity of the tarot card serial killer.  Even after death, Joe is looking for the next scoop.  Sidney and Sondra join forces to investigate aristocrat Peter Lyman.  Sondra doesn’t believe Peter is involved but Sidney believes he is the killer.

     This film isn’t rocket science but it is interesting because you don’t know who is really guilty of the murder of several women.  Every time Sondra or Sidney, or both of them were sneaking downstairs to a secret room, I wanted to yell, get out of there!!  Scarlett Johansson was 21 at the time of filming and Hugh Jackman was 37.  Scarlett seems even younger in her role and Woody Allen wrote this part specifically for her.  3* (This movie is OK)

96 min, Comedy directed by Woody Allen with Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Woody Allen, Romola Garai, Ian McShane, Charles Dance.

Note:  Imdb 6.7 out of 10, 40% critic 56% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 3.5* out of 5* with 221 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Buckinhamshire and London, England, UK.