The 1900 House 1999

     An English family is chosen from several volunteer families to spend three months in a Victorian house.  The house has been renovated to return it to the condition it would’ve been in 1900.  The house is located at 50 Elliscombe Road, Charlton, South-East London and it was built in the 1890’s.  The family must wear period clothes and not use any conveniences or products not available to a family of their social and financial class in 1900.  

     The family is the Bowlers, a married couple and four children.  Paul and Joyce are the parents, their children are Kathryn 16 years old, twins Ruth and Hilary 11 years old and Joe 9 years old.  The children were allowed to wear their regular uniforms to school.  Some of the problems they experienced were the inconsistencies of the stove for both cooking and heating hot water.  They missed modern toiletry items and found the period clothing restricting for women.  The corset was the biggest problem!!  Joyce was allowed to hire a ‘woman of all work’ because the cleaning chores were extensive.  I thought it was very interesting to experience life of this time period second hand!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

5 episodes, each episode 60 min, History, TV Drama produced by Alex Graham with the Bowler family and Elizabeth Lillington.

Note:  Imdb 8.1 out of 10, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 60 reviews.

Special Note:  The 1940’s House followed this series in 2001.  A book titled 1900 House: Featuring Extracts from the Personal Diaries of Joyce and Paul Bowler and Their Family by Mark McCrum and Matthew Sturgis was published after the series aired.  Daru Rooke was the consultant historian and he helped the family adjust to a new way of living in London.  The series won a Peabody Award in 2000 for being humorous, perceptive and the realities of life in 1099 were accurately depicted.  The family needed perseverance, human adaptation and continuance of family dynamics.  After the completion of filming, the 1900 house was fully renovated with modern conveniences, it was sold and probably for an excellent price!!

Expecting a Miracle 2009

     Pete and Donna Stanhope are a married couple living in Los Angeles, California.  Pete is an engineer and Donna works in a bank.  They’ve been trying to have a baby, it has cost them a LOT of money and they haven’t been successful.  Pete’s boss, Walter Enright offers them the use of his vacation home in Mexico for a getaway.  Pete doesn’t want to accept but Walter tells him that they really need to go as a couple so they can regroup.  First, they are lost and then they run off the road to avoid hitting a dog.  Something is broken on the car, Pete walks to the nearest town and Donna stays with the car.  He talks to the local mechanic and they see Donna arrive in town with two men and their two horses pulling the car.  They are in the tiny town of Dommatina and the couple starts to help with the preparations for the annual fiesta.  The mechanic had planned to work on the fiesta but he has their car job now.  Pete and Donna start to feel better about their relationship and their problems as they unwind among the people.

     At the beginning of this film, Pete and Donna are on the verge of a separation.  They can’t seem to have a child and Pete doesn’t want to adopt.  Donna doesn’t think she can continue this marriage with no hope of any children.  They will need to do some serious talking to keep this marriage together.  A focus on something other than their problems does help lighten their mood and their relationship.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)     

TV Movie, Drama directed by Steve Gomer with Jason Priestley, Teri Polo, Cheech Marin, Kevin Balmore, Rebeka Montoya, Frank Gallegos, Shalim Ortiz, Ed Lauter, Matthew Scott Montgomery, Barry Livingston, Mia Cardena, Ciro Suarez.

Note:  Imdb 6.3 out of 10, 50% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 157 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Santa Clarita and Saugus, California.  Teri Polo was also in the Meet the Fockers series of films starting in 2004.

The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel 1951

     This film is based on the book Rommel: The Desert Fox by Brigadier Desmond Young published in 1950.  Young served in the British Indian Army in North Africa and he was taken prisoner by the Germans.  The setting of this film is the later stages of WWII.  The beginning scenes are of a raid that depicts Operation Flipper.  British commandos raided a house thought to be occupied by Rommel but the operation failed.  While he was a prisoner, Desmond Young met Rommel and he determined to learn what happened to Rommel in the final years of his life.  Originally, it was thought that Rommel died as a result of wounds he suffered when an Allied fighter strafed his staff car causing it to overturn.  This turned out not to be true and Rommel survived his wounds.

     On July 20, 1944, there was an attempt to assassinate Hitler.  Participants in the attack plot were Ludwig Beck, Erwin von Witzleben, Carl Freidrich Goerdeler, Henning von Treskow, Friedrich Olbricht, Claus von Strauffenberg, Werner von Haeften.  Rommel joined the conspiracy planing the attack after June 6, 1944.  Urgent reinforcements were not sent to stop the American beachhead in France.  Rommel met personally with Hitler to persuade him to see reason about the war.  Hitler screams that ‘wonder weapons’ will turn the tide.  Shortly after the meeting, Rommel is wounded by the strafing incident.  After the assassination attempt, General Wilhelm Burgdorf is sent by Hitler to offer difficult choices to Rommel about his life.  I thought everything about the details in this film was very interesting!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

88 min, Bio directed by Henry Hathaway with James Mason, Cedric Hardwicke, Jessica Tandy, Luther Adler, Everett Sloane, Leo G. Carroll, George Macready, Richard Boone, Eduard Franz, Desmond Young.

Note:  Imdb 7.0 out of 10, 71% critic 63% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, TCM Leonard Maltin 3* out of 4*, 3.71* out of 5* user ratings, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 211 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Yuma and Mojave Desert, Arizona; Imperial County, Borrego Springs in San Diego and Los Angeles, California; France, England and Germany.  Rommel’s widow, Lucie Marie Rommel acted as a technical consultant and adviser to this film.  Jessica Tandy was 42 years old and she plays Luci.  Some of Rommel’s personal artifacts were loaned to the production.  James Mason was in another role as Rommel two years later in The Desert Rats of 1953.  Kirk Douglas and Richard Widmark were also considered for the role of Rommel.

A Cure for Wellness 2016

     Lockhart goes to an idyllic but mysterious wellness center in a remote location in the Swiss Alps.  He’s been sent by his New York Company’s CEO to bring Pembroke back from the center.  The company is working on a very large and lucrative merger but there are some irregularities.  Pembroke can solve them so he’s needed back in the office as soon as possible.  The Center's Deputy Director Pieterson tells Lockhart that Pembroke has had a relapse in his condition because of all the talk about the company?  Pieterson also tells Lockhart that his body is suffering from some breakdowns that can be helped at the center.
     One problem I have with this film is the length and I think it needs more concise editing.  A long film doesn't make a better film in all instances?  Also, I don't think you can pay close attention to the plot lines because the time frames don't seem to add up?  There are a LOT of strange events at this wellness center!!  There are also a LOT of scenes with eels and they are not my favorite water creatures?  Lockhart develops a problem with his teeth and that is not a comfortable subject for those slightly touchy about dental problems!!  3* (This movie is OK)   
   

146 min, Drama directed by Gore Verbinski with Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth, Ivo Nandi, Adrian Schiller, Celia Imrie, Harry Groener, Tomas Norstrom, Ashok Mandanna, Magnus Krepper, Peter Benedict, Michael Mendl, Maggie Steed.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, 42% critic 42% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon Video 3.1 out of 5 with 196 reviews, Amazon DVD 3.9* out of 5* with 78 reviews, Rollingstone 2* out of 4* reviews by David Fear, The Guardian 3* out of 5* review by Wendy Ide, Metacritic 47 out of 100 with 40 critics 7.1 out of 10 with 141 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Baden-Wurttemberg, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Graubunden, Saxony, and Castle Hohenzolern in Hechingen, Germany.  The sanatorium is part of a former hospital complex.  During WWI, many injured solders were cared for here including Adolf Hitler.  The Castle was closed to the public for filming from July 13 to July 24, 2015.  The sanatorium was originally located in Beelitz-Heilstatten and it was an old tuberculosis clinic.  This area had been in ruins for decades until 750 windows, 35 doors 1,200 sq m of walls were replaced or repaired.  The grotto scenes were originally going to be shot in Vienna but the shoot was cancelled.  The film studio in Babelsberg built an entire grotto of 200 sq m. 

Collide 2016

     Casey Stein falls in love with Juliette but she needs dialysis because her kidneys are failing and she needs a transplant.  In Germany, the only way for her to get a kidney is to pay for one.  Casey and his friend Matthias decide to hijack a truck owned by Hagen that’s carrying cocaine.  Every 6 months, the truck leaves with golf balls filled with the drugs.  The drugs are taken to a place where the golf balls are drilled and the cocaine is packaged and sold.  The money from the sale is hidden in high-end cars that are shipped out of Germany.  Casey needs some of that money for Juliette.  

     Hagen is a mob boss but he seems to be a respectable businessman.  Casey has been working for Geran and he is a rival of Hagen.  Geran and Hagen hate each other.  The best part of this film is the cars.  Nicholas Hoult drives an Aston Martin Rapide S, Jaguar XR and a Mercedes SLS.  There are a lot of high-speed chases on the autobahn with rollovers and crashes.  3* (This movie is OK)  

99 min, Action directed by Eran Creevy with Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Kingsley, Marwan Kenzari, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Christian Rubeck, Erdal Yildiz, Clemens Schick, Ben Hecker, Joachim Krol, Markus Andreas Klauk .

Note:  Imdb 5.7 out of 10, 23% critic 36% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 1 ½*, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 66 reviews, Metacritic 33 out of 100 with 10 critics 6.7 out of 10 with 35 reviews, Slant Magazine 2.5* out of 4*.

Special Note:   Filmed in Monschau, Cologne, Zulpicher Strabe, Odendorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.  Nicholas Hoult replaced Zac Efron and Felicity Jones replaced Amber Heard.  Hoult played Nux in the film Mad Max: Fury Road of 2015.  He was one of the men spraying their teeth with silver paint.  The paint coated their teeth so they would be shiny and chrome when they went to Valhalla where they would ride forever.

The Promise 2016

     The setting of this film is the early part of the 20^th century when the Turks turned against their fellow Armenian townspeople.  Their goal was to wipe out all of these people.  The Turks allied with Germany in WWI and over a million Armenians were killed.  The Turks still decline to acknowledge that any of this happened?  Mikael Boghosian is an apothecary from a village in Southern Turkey.  He would like to study to be a doctor but he can’t afford the school.  He agrees to marry in order to secure the bride’s dowry for school.  He meets Anna and they fall in love despite his promise and the fact that Anna is married to Chris Myers.  Chris is an American journalist committed to telling the world about the genocide.   When WWI efforts by the Turks begin to increase, Mikael is sent to a labor camp.  He manages to escape and returns to his village to find out about his family.

     This is a very involved and there are terrible moments for the Armenians.  Everyone is fleeing the area to escape the Turks.  No one knows how long they will be able to live.  Anna and Mikael begin working to help take orphans to the coast to be placed on boats headed to safety.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

133 min, Drama directed by Terry George with Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, Christian Bale, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Marwan Kenzari, Angela Sarafyan, Tom Hollander, Numan Acar, Igal Naor, Milene Mayer, Tamer Hassan Alicia Borrachero, Able Folk, Jean Reno.

Note:  Imdb 6.0 out of 10, 50% critic 93% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 243 reviews, Rolling Stone 2 ½* out of 4*, Metacritic 49 out of 100 with 30 critics 7.1 out of 10 with 145 reviews, The Guardian 2* out of 5* review by Wendy Ide

Special Note:  Filmed in Malta; Lisbon, Portugal; Castilla-La Mancha, Aragon, Castilla y Leon, Murcia, Madrid and Andalucia, Spain; Cold Spring Harbor, New York.  There is another film with the same title from 1999.

Class Divide 2016

     In the West Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan many new apartment buildings are being built with high rents or high purchase prices.  This area is at the intersection of 10^th Avenue and 26^th Street.  Part of this rise in development is due to the innovative urban park known as the High Line.  The real estate industry was against the High Line but now they are the primary beneficiaries of the project.  This portion of the neighborhood was formerly the raised railroad track for trains.  In the middle of West Chelsea is a poverty-stricken public-housing project. There is a public school and also a private school in this same neighborhood.  The two schools are 115 steps apart in distance but miles apart in wealth.  The K-12 school The Avenues is elite and pricey, public or parochial schools are for everyone else.   

     The people in the projects are worried that developers will purchase their building and bring in a new more lucrative project.  Where will they go and where will they live if that is the case?  Both income and education levels in this neighborhood feel the pressure to succeed.  How can the teens make enough money as an adult to get out of the project housing?  How can the privileged students make as much money as their parents?  Do the wealthy coming into this neighborhood want to rub elbows in the recreational areas with the poor?  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

74 min Doc directed by Marc Levin with Hysisheem 22, Rosa 8, Yasemin 15, Juwan 21 and other students and parents of the neighborhood.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 100% critic 76% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Letterboxd 6.7 out of 10 with 64 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in the West Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, New York for HBO.