This film is based on the book Greetings from Bury Park - Race, Religion, Rock ’N’Roll and inspired by the words and music of Bruce Springsteen. Also, inspired by the life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor and based on his memoir Greetings from Bury Park. In 1987 England, a teenager from a Pakistani family learns to live his own life. He begins to understand his family and find his voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen. Javid Khan is a British-Pakistani arts student in Luton. His father is dominating and Javid is depressed by his oppressive family life. He feels he has no future in his hostile community. A newfound friend introduces him the the music of Bruce Springsteen. Javid is touched by the star’s powerfully eloquent ownership of his own feelings. Javid is inspired to reach out for his own dreams with his own talents. He finds friends but he butts heads with his newly unemployed father. There is a conflict of values and his father refuses to understand Javed’s new aspirations. Javed will need to decide what is truly important to him and learn to cope with his family struggles.
This is a feel-good, fact-based comedy. It shares themes with the songs about conflict between tradition and following your own dreams. There are tensions between parents and teens. It also shows how something can become an all-consuming obsession. There is the importance of empathy, working hard and overcoming difficult obstacles to achieve your goals. Learning to appreciate the sacrifices others make in your behalf. There is some strong language, racist bullying and violence. There is a hate crime at a local mosque and characters feel threatened because of their race. I could see how Javed was regaining his own power through the words of the songs and from his friends. A teacher encourages him in his pursuit of writing. 5* (I really liked this film)
118 min, Comedy directed by Gurinder Chadha and written by Surfraz Manzoor, Paul Mayeda Berges and Sarfraz Manzoor with Billy Barratt, Ronak Singh Chadha Berges, Viveik Kaira, Lee Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Kit Reeve, David Hayman, Kulvnder Ghir, Nikita Mehta.
Note: Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 12,678 views, Rotten Tomatoes 89% with 243 critics 91% audience with 2,634 ratings, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* Sheila O’Malley, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Simran Hans, RollingStone 4* out of 5* Peter Travers, Washington Post 3.5* out of 4* Ann Hornaday, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 486 reviews, Metacritic 71 out of 100 with 44 critics (36 positive, 7 mixed, 1 negative) 6.6 out of 10 with 73 ratings (45 positive, 17 mixed, 11 negative), Letterboxd 3.4* out of 5*.
Special Note: Filmed at The Mall Luton, United Kingdom and New York City, New York. Blinded by the Light was in Springsteen’s debut album Greetings from Asbury Park N.J. 1973.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Friday, March 6, 2020
American Woman 2018
The story in this film is told over a span of 11 years. In a small, blue-collar town in Pennsylvania, a 32-year-old woman’s 16-year-old teen daughter goes missing. Her mother Deb is left to raise her infant grandson alone without her daughter. There are many trials-and-tribulations over the years. She is looking for closure and finally there is a long-awaited discovery of the truth.
The main character is a loving woman but she has problems. She has no filter, she’s promiscuous, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, profane and basically out of control?? The film is more abut how the disappearance affects Deb and not the actual disappearance of her daughter. Deb perseveres and eventually becomes stronger, more self-reliant and she is more self-respecting. For a while Deb has a man living with her to help with the rent and her car payment. That doesn’t go well over time!! There are some good times but also very sad moments in this film. 4* (I really liked this movie)
111 min, Drama directed by Jake Scott and written by Brad Ingelsby with Sienna Miller, Sky Ferreira, Kentucky Audley, Christina Hendricks, Alexander Joseph and Maximus Thomas Wildes, Will Sasso, Katie Elinoff, Rene Cadet, Gavin Earle, Kobi Polisky, Amy Madigan.
Note: Imdb 6.8 out of 10 with 2866 views, Rotten Tomatoes 88% with 74 critics 81% audience with 62 ratings, Roger Ebert 3* Tomris Laffly, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Simran Hans, Metacritic 68 out of 100 with 18 critics (12 positive 6 mixed) 6.9 out of 10 with 12 ratings (9 positive 2, mixed, 1 negative), Common Sense Media Tara McNamara, age 16+, 2* positive 2* role models, 3* violence 4* sex, 5* language 2* consumerism.
Special Note: Originally Anne Hathaway was cast in the lead role but she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Sienna Miller plays a 38-year-old and Aaron Paul plays a 35-year-old but he is actually 41. Most police departments do not actively search for anyone under the age of 16. There would need to be real evidence of foul play. A uniformed officer would take the original report and the case would be assigned to a detective on the next shift.
The main character is a loving woman but she has problems. She has no filter, she’s promiscuous, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, profane and basically out of control?? The film is more abut how the disappearance affects Deb and not the actual disappearance of her daughter. Deb perseveres and eventually becomes stronger, more self-reliant and she is more self-respecting. For a while Deb has a man living with her to help with the rent and her car payment. That doesn’t go well over time!! There are some good times but also very sad moments in this film. 4* (I really liked this movie)
111 min, Drama directed by Jake Scott and written by Brad Ingelsby with Sienna Miller, Sky Ferreira, Kentucky Audley, Christina Hendricks, Alexander Joseph and Maximus Thomas Wildes, Will Sasso, Katie Elinoff, Rene Cadet, Gavin Earle, Kobi Polisky, Amy Madigan.
Note: Imdb 6.8 out of 10 with 2866 views, Rotten Tomatoes 88% with 74 critics 81% audience with 62 ratings, Roger Ebert 3* Tomris Laffly, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Simran Hans, Metacritic 68 out of 100 with 18 critics (12 positive 6 mixed) 6.9 out of 10 with 12 ratings (9 positive 2, mixed, 1 negative), Common Sense Media Tara McNamara, age 16+, 2* positive 2* role models, 3* violence 4* sex, 5* language 2* consumerism.
Special Note: Originally Anne Hathaway was cast in the lead role but she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Sienna Miller plays a 38-year-old and Aaron Paul plays a 35-year-old but he is actually 41. Most police departments do not actively search for anyone under the age of 16. There would need to be real evidence of foul play. A uniformed officer would take the original report and the case would be assigned to a detective on the next shift.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Red Joan 2018
This film based on a novel written by Jennie Rooney. It is the story of English-born Joan Stanley, she was exposed as the K.G.B.’s longest serving British spy. Joan was a Soviet and Communist Party sympathizer. She worked as a British government civil servant and she is recruited by the K.G.B. in the mid 1930’s. She transfers nuclear bomb secrets to Soviet Russia. The information she sends enables them to keep up with the west in the development of atomic weapons. She remained undetected as a spy for over a half a century!!
This is a fact-based drama and there are scenes that deal with suicide, language is infrequent and mild, there are some sex scenes but sexuality is muted. Many characters smoke and that is accurate for this era. They also drink at dinner in pubs and the main character is a very strong principled woman. Many viewers may disagree with her reasons for her actions. There are themes of compassion and courage but what she did is very unpopular in democratic countries. 4* (I really liked this movie)
101 min, Bio directed by Trevor Nunn and written by Lindsay Shapero with Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Nina Sosanya, Laurence Spellman, Nicola Sloane, Spophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova, Freddie Gaminara, Raj Swamy, Tom Hughes, Adrian Wheeler, Ben Miles, Lulu Meissner, Phill Langhorne, Mike Sykes.
Note: Imdb 6.3 out of 10 with 6,570 views, Rotten Tomatoes 30% with 143 critics 57% with 196 ratings, Roger Ebert 3* Tomris Laffly, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Pamela Hutchinson, Metacritic 45 out of 100 with 22 critics (7 positive 13 mixed, 2 negative) 4.4 out of 10 with 20 ratings (3 positive, 12 mixed, 5 negative), Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 743 reviews, Letterboxd 2.8* out of 5*, Common Sense Media Joyce Slaton age 13+, 2* positive, 2* role models, 3* violence, 2* sex, 2* language, 2* drinking, drugs & smoking.
Special Note: Filmed in Cambridgeshire, Cambridge, London, South East UK and HMP Wormwood Scrubs, London, United Kingdom. Loosely based on the real-life case of Civil Servant Melita Norwood (1912-2005). She passed information between the 1940’s and 50’s. It wasn’t discovered until 1992 and the Ministry of Defense declined to prosecute an 80-year-old woman. Norwood has stated she did not receive money for her work. She did it to help prevent the defeat of a system that had given ordinary people food, fares, education and health service that they could afford. The Manhattan Project is mentioned and this was a project of research and development during WWII in the US that produced the first nuclear weapons.
This is a fact-based drama and there are scenes that deal with suicide, language is infrequent and mild, there are some sex scenes but sexuality is muted. Many characters smoke and that is accurate for this era. They also drink at dinner in pubs and the main character is a very strong principled woman. Many viewers may disagree with her reasons for her actions. There are themes of compassion and courage but what she did is very unpopular in democratic countries. 4* (I really liked this movie)
101 min, Bio directed by Trevor Nunn and written by Lindsay Shapero with Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Nina Sosanya, Laurence Spellman, Nicola Sloane, Spophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova, Freddie Gaminara, Raj Swamy, Tom Hughes, Adrian Wheeler, Ben Miles, Lulu Meissner, Phill Langhorne, Mike Sykes.
Note: Imdb 6.3 out of 10 with 6,570 views, Rotten Tomatoes 30% with 143 critics 57% with 196 ratings, Roger Ebert 3* Tomris Laffly, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Pamela Hutchinson, Metacritic 45 out of 100 with 22 critics (7 positive 13 mixed, 2 negative) 4.4 out of 10 with 20 ratings (3 positive, 12 mixed, 5 negative), Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 743 reviews, Letterboxd 2.8* out of 5*, Common Sense Media Joyce Slaton age 13+, 2* positive, 2* role models, 3* violence, 2* sex, 2* language, 2* drinking, drugs & smoking.
Special Note: Filmed in Cambridgeshire, Cambridge, London, South East UK and HMP Wormwood Scrubs, London, United Kingdom. Loosely based on the real-life case of Civil Servant Melita Norwood (1912-2005). She passed information between the 1940’s and 50’s. It wasn’t discovered until 1992 and the Ministry of Defense declined to prosecute an 80-year-old woman. Norwood has stated she did not receive money for her work. She did it to help prevent the defeat of a system that had given ordinary people food, fares, education and health service that they could afford. The Manhattan Project is mentioned and this was a project of research and development during WWII in the US that produced the first nuclear weapons.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Miss Sharon Jones! 2015
Dreams never expire but sometimes they are deferred. Miss Sharon Jones follows the talented and gregarious soul singer of the Grammy nominated R&B band Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. This is the most challenging period of her life because Sharon is confronting pancreatic cancer. She is struggling to find her health and voice again. She is a powerful woman determined to regain the singing career that has eluded her for 50 years. She is using every aspect of her mind and spirit all the time!!
In the beginning of this film, you aren’t sure if it’s going to be about her career but then I learned it’s about her career but also about fighting cancer. It’s an interesting portrayal of Sharon as the movie settles down into what it’s about. I would’ve liked to know more about Jones at the beginning of the movie since I had not heard of her before. She is fighting the most important battle of her life but she is kind to everyone around her and thankful for those working with her and helping her. She stays with a friend to recover from her surgery and her friend does everything she can to help Sharon get healthy again. Her recipe is love, rest and nutrition. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
93 min, Doc directed by Barbara Kopple with Sharon Jones, Starr Duncan-Lowe, Winky Griptite, Megan Holken, Austen Holman, Alex Kadvan, Saundra Williams. Note: Imdb 7.2 out of 10 with 530 views, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* Matt Fagerholm, Rotten Tomatoes 91% with 53 critics 88% audience with 364 ratings, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 75 ratings, Letterboxd 3.6* out of 5*, Metacritic 77 out of 100 with 15 critics (14 positive, 1 mixed).
In the beginning of this film, you aren’t sure if it’s going to be about her career but then I learned it’s about her career but also about fighting cancer. It’s an interesting portrayal of Sharon as the movie settles down into what it’s about. I would’ve liked to know more about Jones at the beginning of the movie since I had not heard of her before. She is fighting the most important battle of her life but she is kind to everyone around her and thankful for those working with her and helping her. She stays with a friend to recover from her surgery and her friend does everything she can to help Sharon get healthy again. Her recipe is love, rest and nutrition. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
93 min, Doc directed by Barbara Kopple with Sharon Jones, Starr Duncan-Lowe, Winky Griptite, Megan Holken, Austen Holman, Alex Kadvan, Saundra Williams. Note: Imdb 7.2 out of 10 with 530 views, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* Matt Fagerholm, Rotten Tomatoes 91% with 53 critics 88% audience with 364 ratings, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 75 ratings, Letterboxd 3.6* out of 5*, Metacritic 77 out of 100 with 15 critics (14 positive, 1 mixed).
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
The Model and the Marriage Broker 1951
Mae Swasey is a marriage broker and her company is called Contact and Contracts. She somewhat cynically arranges her loser clients’ affairs, meets movie star Kitty Bennett and can’t resist meddling in her life!! She begins by disentangling Kitty from a married man and fixing her up with a nice radiologist.
The city of New York is also a character in this film with it's gritty hustle and bustle. Thelma Ritter's performance is very good and there is a battle between her and Kitty Bennett. It is really an earnest attempt for two hardheaded women to bond and from a kind of mother-daughter relationship. Actually, Mae Swasey has a sad past and she wants to make the future of others happier. Some of the characters are straight out of the 50's style!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
103 min, Comedy directed by George Cukor and written by Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch and Richard L. Breen with Jeanne Crain, Scott Brady, Themla Ritter, Zero Mostel, Michael O’Shea, Helen Ford, Frank Fontaine, Dennie Moore, John Alexander, Jay C. Flippen.
Note: Imdb 7 out of 10 with 495 views, Rotten Tomatoes 100% audience with 32 ratings, Letterboxd 3.4* out of 5*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 55 ratings, allmovie.com 4* out of 5 user rating 3 1/2* out of 5* with 10 ratings.
Special Note: Filmed at 20th Century Fox Studios, Century City, Los Angeles, California and on location in New York City. Thelma Ritter as Mae Swasey gets third billing but she has more screen time than stars Jeanne Crain or Scott Brady? Mae goes to a health resort in Sharon Spring, NY. It is located about 50 miles west of Schenectady NY. Mae has her office in the famous Flatiron Building. It is located at 175 Fifth Avenue, it is 22 stories and this landmark was completed in 1902.
The city of New York is also a character in this film with it's gritty hustle and bustle. Thelma Ritter's performance is very good and there is a battle between her and Kitty Bennett. It is really an earnest attempt for two hardheaded women to bond and from a kind of mother-daughter relationship. Actually, Mae Swasey has a sad past and she wants to make the future of others happier. Some of the characters are straight out of the 50's style!! 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
103 min, Comedy directed by George Cukor and written by Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch and Richard L. Breen with Jeanne Crain, Scott Brady, Themla Ritter, Zero Mostel, Michael O’Shea, Helen Ford, Frank Fontaine, Dennie Moore, John Alexander, Jay C. Flippen.
Note: Imdb 7 out of 10 with 495 views, Rotten Tomatoes 100% audience with 32 ratings, Letterboxd 3.4* out of 5*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 55 ratings, allmovie.com 4* out of 5 user rating 3 1/2* out of 5* with 10 ratings.
Special Note: Filmed at 20th Century Fox Studios, Century City, Los Angeles, California and on location in New York City. Thelma Ritter as Mae Swasey gets third billing but she has more screen time than stars Jeanne Crain or Scott Brady? Mae goes to a health resort in Sharon Spring, NY. It is located about 50 miles west of Schenectady NY. Mae has her office in the famous Flatiron Building. It is located at 175 Fifth Avenue, it is 22 stories and this landmark was completed in 1902.
Monday, March 2, 2020
Golden Boy 1939
This film is based on a play written by Clifford Odets. He was inspired by a story told to him by Paul Muni about how Muni gave up boxing because it endangered his secondary career as a violinist. The problem between the two professions is that if a boxer injures his hands, he may never play violin again!! Joe Bonaparte’s father wants him to pursue his musical talent with the violin but Joe wants to be a boxer. He persuades near-bankrupt manager Tom Moody to give him a chance when Moody's fighter breaks his hand. Joe’s father gets a new violin for Joe to try to persuade him to stay with the violin and not boxing. Moody’s girlfriend Lorna Moon visits Joe and she talks him into staying with the fighting business. Is Lorna thinkng about Joe, herself or Tom Moody?? Tough gangster Eddie Fuseli wants “a piece of Joe” and Lorna starts to have second thoughts?? Does she really have feelings for Joe and can she turn what she’s set in motion around??
Lorna thinks she has her life under control but does she really? She is fending for herself but she becomes uncertain about what she is really looking for from life. She thought she wanted to marry crusty boxing manager Tom Moody? But, he is already married and he doesn’t have the money for a divorce? She begins to see-saw between wanting the best for Joe or wanting the best for herself. Could it be possible they are both the same thing?? What about Moody, what will she tell him if she changes her mind about their relationship?? A drawback and difference between a violin player and a boxer is the people around him. The mugs, the gamblers, the fashionable set, the race groups, the sadists, the broken-down stumble-bums rolling their heads with the punches? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
99 min, Drama directed by Rouben Mamoulian and written by Lewis Meltzer, Daniel Taradash, Sarah Y. Mason, Victor Heerman with Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, William Holden, Lee J. Cobb, Joseph Calleia, Sam Levene, Edward Brophy, Beatrice Blinn, William H. Strauss, Don Beddoe.
Note: Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 1,646 views, Rotten Tomatoes 46% audience with 373 ratings, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*, The Ace Black Blog 5*, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 60 ratings.
Special Note: Filmed on Eighth Avenue and 50th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York. William Holden was very grateful to Stanwyck for her insistence on casting him in his first big role. He sent her flowers every year on the anniversary of the first day of filming. Holden publicly thanked Stanwyck at the 1978 Academy Awards. She was his co-presenter and she shed a few tears. Holden took boxing and violin lessons all day every day for a week before production began. Then he boxed two hours a day and practiced the violin for 1 1/2 hours each night to keep his fingering convincing. Lee J. Cobb is playing William Holden’s middle-aged father but he was actually only 27!! Almost 5000 actors were considered for the part of Joe Bonaparte and more than 80 were given screen tests. The odds were very much against William Holden but director Rouben Mamoulian also lobbied for Holden. Many consider 1939 to be the greatest year in the history of movies.
Lorna thinks she has her life under control but does she really? She is fending for herself but she becomes uncertain about what she is really looking for from life. She thought she wanted to marry crusty boxing manager Tom Moody? But, he is already married and he doesn’t have the money for a divorce? She begins to see-saw between wanting the best for Joe or wanting the best for herself. Could it be possible they are both the same thing?? What about Moody, what will she tell him if she changes her mind about their relationship?? A drawback and difference between a violin player and a boxer is the people around him. The mugs, the gamblers, the fashionable set, the race groups, the sadists, the broken-down stumble-bums rolling their heads with the punches? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
99 min, Drama directed by Rouben Mamoulian and written by Lewis Meltzer, Daniel Taradash, Sarah Y. Mason, Victor Heerman with Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, William Holden, Lee J. Cobb, Joseph Calleia, Sam Levene, Edward Brophy, Beatrice Blinn, William H. Strauss, Don Beddoe.
Note: Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 1,646 views, Rotten Tomatoes 46% audience with 373 ratings, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*, The Ace Black Blog 5*, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 60 ratings.
Special Note: Filmed on Eighth Avenue and 50th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York. William Holden was very grateful to Stanwyck for her insistence on casting him in his first big role. He sent her flowers every year on the anniversary of the first day of filming. Holden publicly thanked Stanwyck at the 1978 Academy Awards. She was his co-presenter and she shed a few tears. Holden took boxing and violin lessons all day every day for a week before production began. Then he boxed two hours a day and practiced the violin for 1 1/2 hours each night to keep his fingering convincing. Lee J. Cobb is playing William Holden’s middle-aged father but he was actually only 27!! Almost 5000 actors were considered for the part of Joe Bonaparte and more than 80 were given screen tests. The odds were very much against William Holden but director Rouben Mamoulian also lobbied for Holden. Many consider 1939 to be the greatest year in the history of movies.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Lots & Lots of Trains Volume 2 - Model Railroads in Action 2007
Get ready for more of the most exciting trains you'll ever see in Volume 2. There is a large variety of live-action trains from around the globe. There are trains winding through mountains, climbing steep grades, gliding over trestles, hauling, pulling, loading and more. There is the blast of the steam whistles, the blare of the diesel horns and the trains thunder by on the tracks. You can see the heat and the smoke coming from the engines. If you were standing next to the trains, you could hear and feel all the noise they can make as they go by. The scenery is very beautiful away from the cities.
There is close-up camera footage, sing-a-long songs from original music by James Coffey along with the real train sounds. These are mighty machines and they let you know it every time you see them!! There are two drawbacks in this film. One is some of the trains are shown more than once and I would like commentary about the trains and their type of fuel. I think children from two years old up to seniors would like to watch this film and find it enjoyable. Plus, it is worth seeing more than once!! 3 1/2* (I liked this film)
45 min, published by Marshall Publishing and Promotions, Inc.
Note: Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 58 ratings, 29,234 views on Youtube.
There is close-up camera footage, sing-a-long songs from original music by James Coffey along with the real train sounds. These are mighty machines and they let you know it every time you see them!! There are two drawbacks in this film. One is some of the trains are shown more than once and I would like commentary about the trains and their type of fuel. I think children from two years old up to seniors would like to watch this film and find it enjoyable. Plus, it is worth seeing more than once!! 3 1/2* (I liked this film)
45 min, published by Marshall Publishing and Promotions, Inc.
Note: Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 58 ratings, 29,234 views on Youtube.
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