Off the Rails 2016

     Darius McCollum has Asperger’s syndrome, he has an overwhelming love of trains and buses in the city of New York.  He has be arrested and taken to jail 32 times for criminal impersonation of NYC subway drivers, conductors, token booth clerks and track repairmen.  Even though he’s been in jail and prison, he can’t seem to stop working on the train or bus systems.  He tried to get a job with NYC but was not hired.  He has all the qualifications and a phenomenal memory for information about running this equipment. 

     In spite of all the times Darius has been in jail or prison, he has never had therapy for his Asperger’s syndrome and his compulsions about the NYC.  Why think about this as an option or consider it might help, just put him away?  His attorney says that if he was committed to a mental institution, he may never come out and he would be placed with very dangerous patients.  It’s obvious that jail or prison is only a band-aid for the problem and just takes time out of the life Darius has.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

86 min, Doc directed by Adam Irving with Darius McCollum, Charles Bilal, Courtney Brown, Sally Butler, Jervis Cameron, Michael John Carley, Shaun Clarke, Evan Croft, Rey Cuscanqui, Shapour Daneshmand, Jude Domski.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, 100% critic 75 audience % on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 5.0* out of 5* with 3 reviews.

Arrival 2016

     Twelve mysterious spacecrafts land in different areas of the globe.  Where did they come from, why are they here, what do they want and how can we communicate are some questions?  No one has any answers about this unique but frightening event.  The military in the United States assembles an elite team to investigate.  Louise Banks is a linguist and she is asked to find a way to understand the communication of the aliens.  This team is racing against time because some countries are ready to engage in all out war with the spacecrafts.  Many countries have shut down communication between each other and will not share anything they’ve learned about the aliens or the ships.  The team determines the aliens are heptapods and they designed their craft from the form of an asteroid called 15 Eunomia.

     Ted Chiang is the writer of this story and he struggled to figure out how to show a character gaining knowledge of what will happen in the future.  He thought about drugs or mediation but these choices didn’t seem interesting.  The shape of the spacecrafts is that of a strange egg, a pebble or oval shape with a feel of menace and mystery.  There is a complication within this film that is in the background from the beginning but you don’t find out what it is until the end.  I have a problem with the way this story hovers along with the hovering of the aliens.  It stretches my vision of time and space plus it doesn’t film events in chronological order but I don’t know that until the end.  There is a mystery that I’m not sure about and at times I don’t know there is a mystery?  3* (This movie is OK)

116 min, Drama directed by Denis Villeneuve with Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O’Brien, Tzi Ma, Abigail Pniowsky, Julia Scarlett Dan, Jadyn Malone, Frank Schorpion.

Note:  Imdb 8.0 out of 10, 94% critic 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 3.7* out of 5* with 2875 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Montreal and Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada.  The original title for this film was Story of Your Life from the title of the short story but test audiences didn’t like it.  There is another film with this title from 1957.

11.22.63 2016

     This film is based on a book by Stephen King.  Al Templeton is the owner of a Texas diner and he’s become very sick from lung cancer.  One of his regular patrons is recently divorced Jake Epping.  Jake is a teacher at the local continuing education program for adults.  Jake is very surprised to learn that there is a time portal in a closet at the diner that will take you back to Dallas Texas of October 21, 1960.  Al has gone into the portal many times and he once spent two years there.  The time elapse in their time zone is only 2 minutes for two years time in 1960.  Al is hoping that Jake will take is place in the time portal and try to find out how to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  Al has tried to prove that it was Lee Harvey Oswald and to kill him prior to the assassination but he’s not sure Lee is the killer?

     I only watched the first episode of this drama because I found myself in my stairwell with my ears plugged and saying “nah nah nah” over and over!!  There was a scene that I didn’t want to know what happened!!  My viewing partner said it wasn’t as bad as I was thinking it would be??  My other problem is I wondered if there would be a satisfying conclusion since it was expected there would be a second season but that’s not going to happen?  2* (I didn’t like this movie)  

1 hour each episode, 8 episodes, TV Drama created by Bridget Carpenter with James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay, Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones, Daniel Webber, Kevin J. O’Connor, Lucy Fry, Jonny Coyne, Nick Searcy, T.R.Knight.

Note:  Imdb 8.3 out of 10, audience 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 199 reviews, Common Sense Media age 16+ 3* out of 5*, Metacritic 69 out of 100 with 35 critics 7.8 out of 10 with 207 ratings.

Special Note:  The premiere of this series on Hulu was February 15, 2016 and available on DVD.  Filmed in Dallas, Texas and Ontario, Canada.  One of the scenes of a speech made by JFK is at the location and actual audio from the event is used.  A lot of photographs were made in 1960 of this event.  There is a mistake with the highway markings and lines.  Before 1971 all US highway lines were white.  A red 1958 Plymouth Fury is used in this movie and the book Christine of 1983.  Plymouth did not make a red Fury in 1958.  A fake diner was constructed at the corner of Olliver and Huron Streets in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.  Redrum is painted on a wall inside a book depository and it’s a reference to the film The Shining.  The book used as the basis for this film takes Jake to 1958 instead of 1960.  One of the stores on Main Street in Lisbon, Maine is the Blue Ribbon Laundry and this is the business in the novel Carrie.

The Path: Season Two: 2016

     This is a fictitious religious organization with a compound where the members live and they have large gardens to grow their food.  Sarah and Cal are in charge of the group since Steve, the founder of the movement went to live at their retreat in Peru.  Sarah and her husband Eddie are living apart because Eddie has lost faith in the movement.  Cal offered a bid of 5 million dollars for a building in New York.  They are beginning an outreach program but the group doesn’t have the money to pay for the building?  Sarah’s children Hawk and Summer have been seeing their father even though the group forbids this.  There is a new fear that the FBI is investigating the movement.  Kodiak and Richard begin to try to discover what happened to Steve in Peru?  Eddie starts to think he needs to return to the group.

     There is a LOT going on in this season.  There are MANY times I want to hit Cal through my TV screen!!  The fact that he is a weasel and more is what comes to my mind!!  Sarah is desperate to keep the group from foundering after Cal’s rash behavior in buying the New York property.  Eddie is torn about decisions and his son Hawk is also undecided.  Hulu has confirmed there will be a third season.

60 min, Drama, 13 episodes, TV series, 75% critic 84% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 22 reviews.

Note:  Imdb 7.5 out of 10, 70% critic 79% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 64 out of 100 with 8 critic 7.4 out of 10 with 14 ratings.

Titles for these episodes are Liminal Twilight, Dead Moon, The Father and the Son, The Red Wall, Why We Source, For Our Safety, Providence, Return, Oz, Restitution, Defiance, Spiritus Mundi, Mercy.

Billions: Season 2: 2017

     Charles “Chuck” Rhoades Jr. is U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  He always has his eye on Bobby “Axe” Axelrod for insider trading or other financial infractions.  Now Chuck is facing scrutiny from the Attorney General and an auditor is sent to investigate him.  Chuck needs to prosecute a high-profile case to save his status and job.  Bobby has information that a casino will be going into Sandicot and he invests heavily into property there.  There is a turnaround and Sandicot is not chosen as the site.  Bobby begins investigating this change and he needs to tighten money in Sandicot to cut his losses.  Lara Axelrod finds out Bobby lied to her about Axe Capital employee Dr. Wendy Rhodes.  Bobby told her it was his decision not consult Wendy about his personal management and mental heath issues.  Lara learns it was Wendy’s stipulation for coming back to Axe Capital that she not meet with Bobby.  The final episode has plenty of interaction going on between Chuck and Bobby.

      There is a LOT of action and moving of money in these episodes.  Chuck and Bobby are constantly trying to one up each other and take the other down.  The IPO of Ice Juice sees a lot of trading and this is a company that received heavy investments from Chuck and his father plus the company is owned by their friend Ira.  Many times it’s difficult to predict who is on top and who is going to the cleaners or prison?  Both Chuck and Bobby are ruthless in their money and power plays.  4* (I really liked this series)

60 min each episode, 12 episodes, TV Drama created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin with Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, Malin Akerman, Toby Leonard Moore, Daniel K. Isaac, David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Kelly AuCoin, Dan Soder, Asia Kate Dillon.

Note:  Imdb 8.4 out of 10, 90% critic 88% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon Video 4.1* out of 5* with 144 reviews, Metaciritc 67 out of 100 with 6 critics 8.0 out of 10 with 20 ratings.

Special Note:  Filmed in Orangeburg, Brooklyn, New York City, New York.  Damien Lewis was in Ireland with his family, someone thought he was a real hedge fund banker on the run and they called the FBI?  Lewis used the book Fooling Some of the People All of the Time: A Long Short written by Activist Hedge Fund Manager David Einhorn for his preparations for this role.  The show films in Paul Giamatti’s New York City neighborhood.  Maggie Siff in the role of Dr. Wendy Rhoades played Dr. Tara Knowles in Sons of Anarchy.  Showtime has confirmed there will be a Season 3.

Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War 2016

     This film is based on a book by Artemis Joukowsky.  The Unitarian Association is looking for volunteers to go to Europe and help save Jewish people from the Nazi regime.  Waitstill and Martha Sharp agree to commit to this dangerous mission.  Waitstill is a minister in the Church and Martha has trained as a social worker.  They left their two young children, Hastings and Martha behind in their hometown of Wellesley, Massachusetts.  They traveled by boat and train to Czechoslovakia in February of 1939.  War was about to break out in Europe and Germany had invaded Czechoslovakia.  The Sharp’s were trained to destroy all evidence of what they were doing and to always be aware if they were followed.  They were involved with the black market, money laundering and clandestine transportation of refugees.  They also organized the first mass exodus of Jewish children to America without their parents.

      Some of the children who were saved were interviewed about leaving their parents and traveling by train and boat.  The adult son and daughter of the Sharp’s are also interviewed about being left behind and the work of their parents.  The story of what Waitstill and Martha did is very astonishing!!  The one complaint I have about this film is they use the same picture of Waitstill and Martha when they are telling about them.  That gets old after a while to see the same pictures over and over.  Surely there must be more pictures of the couple that could be used?  Their journey took a toll on their marriage and their children.   3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

90 min, Doc, Bio, War directed by Ken Burns, Artemis Joukowsky with Marina Goldman (voice), Thom Hanks (voice)

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, 100% critic 67% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 55 reviews, Metacritic 60 out of 100 with 3 critcs.

Special Note:  Filmed in Czech Republic; England, UK; France; Israel; USA.

Hell or High Water 2016

     Toby Howard has been taking care of his sick mother while his brother Tanner has been in prison.  Their mother passed away and their ranch will be foreclosed on if they can’t pay the money they owe and the back taxes.  They have had the land tested and they can earn $50,000 a month on pumping the oil from the property.  The brothers need $43,000 to pay the Middleton Bank.  They decide they will rob these banks branches and pay the bank back with Middleton money.  Toby doesn’t want the land or the money for himself.  He wants to break the poverty cycle for his two sons and his ex-wife. 

       Toby’s mother had a reverse mortgage and that’s the reason they owe $43,000.  The bank doesn't care about anything or anyone except getting their money and they'd rather get the land than the money.  If Toby and Tanner don't settle this before the due date, the bank will try to foreclose early to make sure they win on this deal.  This is the second time I've seen this film and I think it was better seeing it again.  4* (I really liked this movie)

102 min, Crime directed by David Mackenzie with Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Buck Taylor, Gil Birmingham, Katy Mixon, Dale Dickey.

Note:  Imdb 7.7 out of 10, 98% critic 88% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 ½*, Amazon Video 4.2* out of 5* with 1782 reviews, Metacritic 88 out of 10 with 47 critics 8.2 out of 10 with 412 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Clovis, Portales, Tucumcari, Albuquerque, Estancia, Quay County, Moriarty, New Mexico; Thatcher, Safford, Arizona.

The phrase come hell or high water means do whatever needs to be done, no matter the circumstances.  The film is dedicated to the parents of director David Mackenzie.  David John Mackenzie and Ursula Sybil Mackenzie both died in 2015 during the making of this film.  Toby offers his older son a beer and Texas is one of ten states that allow underage minors to consume alcohol.  It must be in the privacy of their home or in the presence of consenting and supervising family members.  Although the setting is Texas, no scenes were actually filmed there.  The original title was to be Comancheria, a region of New Mexico, West Texas and nearby areas occupied by the Comanche before the 1860’s.