First Dog 2010

     U.S. President Barrett is speaking at the opening of a new school with his name.  Suddenly, a gun is fired and Barrett and is safe but everything becomes a situation.  The Presidential dog Teddy gets lost in the confusion.  President Barrett feels lost without his dog and he wants to try to get Teddy back as soon as possible.  He wants to do this without causing a lot of press on the subject.  Phone calls and visitors with dogs that are not Teddy will inundate the White House.  Danny Milbright is living with June Angell and she cares for foster children.  She loves Danny very much but there have not been very many families interested in adopting Danny.  It's because he is quiet and shy.  Teddy meets Danny and Teddy's tag says that he belongs to the President.  Danny loves Teddy but he knows he needs to do the ‘right thing’ and somehow get Teddy back to the President.

     Danny and Teddy have a LOT of adventures trying to get Teddy back home!!  For some reason, there are two men with a black car and wearing dark sunglasses showing up all the time??  Danny believes he needs to escape from these men!!  What he doesn’t know is that the two men are working undercover for the Secret Service.  Their assignment is to get Teddy back to the President!!  This movie is funny and Teddy is a real ham as an actor!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

90 min, Comedy directed by Bryan Michael Stoller with Eric Roberts, Eliza Roberts, John-Paul Howard, Little Bear, Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, Priscilla Barnes, Paula Devicq, Tim Peyton, Linda Bella, Paula Nelson, Kerry Wallum, Alexander Yurchikov, Bill Heiser, Corbin Timbrook, Bernie Kopell.

Note:  Imdb 5*, 50% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 121 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Morgan Hill, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, California; Washington, DC; Las Vegas, Nevada.  The scenes of the Oval Office use the desk, rug and props from The West Wing 1999 TV series and both National Treasure movies.  The Oval Office set was a full-scale replica of the Oval Office and specifically built for First Dog.  High school film students and teachers under a unique mentor-ship program constructed the replica on the stage of the Sobrato High School Theater.  Teddy is the same dog from the movie Wizard of Paws of 2015 and actor Timmy ‘Tiny’ Lister was also in this film.  Dick Van Patten plays one of the Natural Balance Pet Food truckers in Ottowa, Ohio who drive to California.

Ethel & Ernest 2016

     The time period of this film begins in 1928 London and Raymond Briggs bases it on his award winning graphic novel with the same title.  Ernest Briggs begins to court housemaid Ethel.  Ernest is a milkman and he comes by the home where Ethel works every day.  Ernest and Ethel get married and they have a son, Raymond in 1934.  The doctor said there were complications and Raymond will be their only child.  When WWII begins, Ethel tearfully sends Raymond to evacuate London and live with aunts in Dorset.  Ernest joins the fire service and he’s shocked by the carnage of the war.  After the war ends, they welcome Raymond home and he enters grammar school.  The welfare state arrives and Ethel is mistrustful of socialism and progress in general.  Raymond goes from National Service to Art College and a teaching post.  Ethel was nervous about Raymond studying to be an artist and what kind of job could her get?  Ethel is worried when Raymond marries Jean because she is schizophrenic and they don’t believe they will be able to have children.  Ethel was hoping to become a grandmother.  After both Ethel and Ernest pass away in the 1970’s, Raymond begins to draw them and tell their story.

     I thought this film was very good and the beginning scene is of Raymond starting to draw the story of his parents.  The story is very good and so are the drawings.  It’s a quiet but real story of a family.  Ethel seems to be very nervous, worried about everything and she gets upset easily but Ernest can always calm her down.  4* (I really liked this movie)   

94 min, Animation directed by Roger Mainwood with the voices of Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn, Luke Treadaway, Virginia McKenna, Peter Wight, June Brown, Simon Day, Alex Jordan, Harry Collett, Duncan Wisbey, Gillian Hanna, Macready Massey, Karyn Claydon.

Note:  Imdb 7.8 out of 10, 97% critic 85% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 72 out of 100 with 10 critics, The Guardian 2* out of 58 Wendy Ide, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 10 reviews.

Special Note:  This film made its official debut in the 60^th FBI London Film Festival.  The theatrical premiere in the United States was held at the Nuart Landmark Theatre in Santa Monica, California on December 15, 2017.  67,680 hand-drawn individual frames were used to make this film.

The Fencer 2015

     Endel Nellis is an Estonian fencer fleeing from the Russian secret police because of his controversial past.  He lived in Estonia during World War II and it was occupied by Nazi Germany.  Most of the men in this area were drafted into the German Army.  The Soviet Union considers soldiers of the German Army to be criminals and Estonia was incorporated into the USSR.  Endel returns to his homeland of Haapsalu, Estonia and he takes a job as a gym coach to a group of young school children.  The Headmaster tries to eliminate his fencing program but the parents want it to remain because the children really like the program.  The Headmaster begins to look into the past of Endel.  There must be something he can use against him to get rid of him?  The students want to enter a competition in Leningrad.  Endel believes he will be arrested if he goes to Leningrad but he can’t say no to the hopes of the children.

     Endel has devoted his life to fencing and he wants to impart his skill and experience to the children in his hometown.  Whenever someone tries to do something good, there is always someone who wants to stop this work?  Surveillance is everywhere and everyone is constantly wondering about the future.  The grandparent of one of the boys who voted to keep the fencing program is removed from his home and family.  It’s unknown if he will ever return?  The program originally started by Endel is still thriving today.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

99 min, Drama directed by Klaus Haro with Mart Avandi, Ursula Ratasepp, Hendrik Toompere Sr., Liisa Koppel, Joonas Koff, Egert Kadastu, Ann-Lisett Rebane, Elbe Reiter, Jaak Prints, Kirill Karo, Lembit Ulfsak.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, 85% critic 74% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 5* with 4 reviews, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Leslie Felperin, Metacritic 60 out of 100 with 13 critics

Special Note:  The story is partially based on the real life story of Estonian fencer Endel Nelis (1925-1993).  Filmed in Parnu, Haapsalu and Tallinn, Estonia.  This film was the Finnish candidate for the best foreign language film in the 2016 Academy Awards.

Jackie 2016

     The setting of this film is in the days when Jackie Kennedy was First Lady and after the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Texas.  The opening scenes are of a magazine reporter interviewing Jackie.  Flashbacks are used to show Jackie’s reaction to the assassination and the aftermath.  Understandably, she is worried about her children and how they will adjust to life without their father.  They will also be leaving Washington DC and the White House. 

     It seems as if Jackie is trying to control how she appears and her place in history in the interview?  After the interview, Jackie is talking about redecorating the White House.  I’m not sure if Natalie sounds exactly like Jackie but her voice seems unusual and everything seems strange about the filming?  Jackie gave two interviews after her husband's death, one to Life Magazine and the other to historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.  Arthur recorded eight hours with Jackie and after that, she would never publicly speak of this time period.  Jackie heavily redacted some of the interview transcripts and this caused gaps in the conversation.  To this day, it is interesting to wonder what Jackie wanted to keep hidden?   2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

100 min, Bio directed by Pablo Larrain with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Richard E. Grant, Caspar Phillipson, John Carroll Lynch, Beth Grant, Max Casella, Sara Verhagen.

Note:  Imdb 6.7 out of 10, 88% audience 60% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 ½*, Amazon 3* out of 5* with 596 reviews, Metacritic 81 out of 100 with 52 critics 7.2 out of 10 with 205 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Seine-Saint-Denis, Hauts-de-Seine and Paris, France: Easton Newman Field Airport, Maryland, Royal Oak, Baltimore, Catonsville, Maryland; Washington DC.  Billy Crudup's character is listed as The Journalist in the credits.  He is meant to be Theodore H. White of LIFE Magazine.  He did conduct a real-life interview with Jacqueline Kennedy.  Crudup said that that he was impressed by how Portman possessed her character.  One third of the shots in this film were the first take.  It was a challenge to portray the highly distinctive dialect, impeccable diction and whisper voice of Mrs. Kennedy.  She also spoke with a mix of a real New York accent and also some British in her accent.  Originally it was announced that Darren Aronofsky was to be the director and Rachel Weisz was to play Jacqueline.  Both withdrew but for a time but Aronofsky returned.  It was a challenge for Costume Designer Madeline Fontaine to create the exact color of the dark red, two-piece boucle wool dress Jacqueline wore during her White House tour.  Most people have only seen the grayed-out image on the 1960's television black and white image.  Two different dresses were made to get just the right shade of gray.  One was red and the other one was pink. 

Good Day for a Hanging 1959

     Ben Cutler was former a sheriff but it’s been more than 20 years since he’s worn a badge.  The town’s bank is robbed and he joins the posse to chase down the culprits.  Sheriff Hiram Cain is killed by one of the robbers and the town asks Ben to take over his job.  Eddie ‘The Kid’ Campbell received a flesh wound to his forehead.   He’s taken into custody and is in jail for killing Cain.  The Kid grew up in this town and Ben’s daughter Laurie knows him from her childhood.  She doesn’t believe The Kid is guilty of killing the Marshal.  The Kid goes before the judge to determine if he is innocent or guilty.

     There are a lot of mixed feelings among the townspeople over this trial.  Some believe Ben and others think The Kid may be innocent?  A fast talking lawyer is brought in to defend The Kid and his fee could be paid from the money taken from the bank?  The lawyer gets several of the men giving statements to say they aren’t sure The Kid pulled the trigger on Cain?  I wasn’t sure myself what really happened but I didn’t want to go back and watch the scenes with the posse!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

85 min, Western directed by Nathan Juran with Fred MacMurray, Margaret Hayes, Robert Vaughn, Joan Blackman, James Drury, Wendell Holmes, Edmon Ryan, Stacy Harris, Kathryn Card, Emile Meyer, Bing Russell.

Note:  Imdb 6.3 out of 10, 46% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 27 reviews, Letterboxd 3.1* out of 5* with 4 reviews.

Special Note:  The theme song for the film 3.10 to Yuma from 1957 is played frequently.  Fred McMurray was a frugal person and he always brought a sandwich for his lunch on the set. 

Julieta 2016

     This film is based on three stories written by Alice Munro with the titles Chance, Soon and Silence from her 2004 collection Runaway.  Julieta and her boyfriend Lorenzo are planning to move from Madrid to Portugal, Spain.  Julieta and Lorenzo are middle-aged and they want to start anew together.  Plans change when Julieta meets Beatriz in town.  Bea is a former close friend of Julieta’s daughter Antia.  Bea tells Julieta that she saw Antia when she was in Switzerland for a photography project.  She passes on the information that Antia is well and she has three children.  Julieta doesn’t tell Bea that she knows nothing about Antia because she hasn’t seen her in 12 years?  Antia went to a retreat in the Pyrenees during a summer break and she left a message that she never wanted to see her mother again.  Julieta cancels her plans to move and begins a journal for Antia about Julieta’s life before Antia was born.

     Julieta is writing in this journal to confront the pain of her past but she slowly sinks into a deep depression.  She experienced this just prior to Anita leaving and then again after her daughter left.  She thought she had moved on from these feelings but they were very near the surface.  Lorenzo doesn’t know what to do or think about the change of their futures?  I thought this film was very interesting and I liked seeing Julieta at different stages of her life.  I could feel her pain and loss through the screen.  The scenery of this area is very beautiful.  4* (I really liked this movie)

99 min, Drama directed by Pedro Almodovar with Emma Suarez, Adriana Ugarte, Daniel Grao, Inma Cuesta, Dario Grandinetti, Michelle Jenner, Pilar Castro, Nathalie Poza, Susi Sanchez, Joaquin Notario, Priscilla Delgado.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 83% critic 74% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 50 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Galicia, Madrid, Andalucia, Aragon, Castilla-la Mancha, Spain.  Originally the screenplay was written in English and Meryl Streep was approached to play Julieta.  Since Alice Munro is from Canada, Pedro and Agustin Almodovar went to scout for locations in Canada.  They decided to film in a language and county they were more familiar with.  Almost every shot contains the color red.  The working title was Silencio but Pedro learned that Martin Scorsese was also making a movie with the title Silence released in 2016.

Endeavor: Season Two 2014

     The setting of this season is the end of the summer of 1966 and the location is in Oxford, UK.  Endeavour Morse has been spending several months on light duty because of an in the line of duty shooting injury to his leg.  There is a chance Morse could suffer from delayed stress and paranoia.  This could be the cause for his increased alcohol consumption noticed by DCI Fred Thursday?  It doesn’t help that during an investigation, Morse is mistaken for someone else?  He’s bashed in the head several times, he suffers a concussion and he's repeatedly punched in the stomach.  For the first case, a meter maid is nearby when an unknown man lands on the roof of a car.  It’s not yet known if this was an accidental fall, he was pushed or it was a suicide.  Also, the man’s identity is in question?  Also, young woman is missing and her stepfather has reported the information.  Morse thinks the two cases are connected and he begins his sleuthing.  There is a third case, a man is murdered and Morse’s investigation takes him to a dreary school for girls.  He learns there had been a series of murders that took place at this site almost 100 years ago to the day?  Is it possible this recent case is connected to the much older murders?  Monica Hicks is a nurse and she lives across the hall from Morse.  DCI Fred Thursday asks her to have a look in occasionally on Morse.

     These cases are interesting and there are twists and turns in all of them.  I didn’t solve why the man ended up on the car roof or who killed the missing woman?  I didn't know if the older murders could be connected to the new murder either?  Sometimes DCI Fred Thursday wonders if Morse is on the wrong track or he's looking far too deeply into the case??  3 ½* (I liked this series)     

        

89 min, TV series created by Russell Lewis with Shaun Evans, Roger Allam, James Bradshaw, Sean Rigby, Anton Lesser, Caroline O’Neill, Sara Vickers, Dakota Blue Richards, Jack Laskey, Shvorne Marks, Joanna Horton, Simon Kunz, Nigel Cooke.

Note:  Imdb 8.6 out of 10, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 5703 reviews, The Telegraph 2* out of 5* Tim Martin.

Special Note:  Originally shown on PBS television.