Love, Ludlow 2005

     This film is based on a play titled Finger Painting in a Murphy Bed.  Myra Smuldanski lives in New York and she works as a temporary employee at an office.  She works hard, gets a lot done and she doesn’t take any smart talk from any of the men who work there.  Reginald Baron is an account executive at the office and he asks her out on a date.  There is one big complication in Myra’s life.  Her brother lives with her and he is an adult but he is mentally challenged.  She has been taking care of him and working full time since their mother died.  Myra doesn’t date anyone and no one has been to her home.  Ludlow tries to break up any relationship she might have because he can’t share her with anyone.  Myra is torn between looking after her brother and wanting someone else in her life.

     Reggie likes Myra and her caustic attitude, he’s shy and not used to asking women for dates.  He goes back and forth between being upset with Ludlow, upset at Myra and OK about everything.  The characters draw you into the story and you really want good things to happen to all of them except for office creep Storkelson!! 3* (This movie is OK)

86 min, Comedy directed by Adrienne Weiss with Alicia Goranson, David Eigenberg, Brendan Sexton III, Jay Patterson, Andrea Maulella.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, 60% critic 78% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 17 reviews.

Special Note:  Screenwriter David Paterson built the set for Myra’s apartment in the basement of a church in Long Island, New York.

Spectre 2015

     Bond’s former handler M sends him a cryptic video message to eliminate Marco Sciarra and not to miss his funeral.  Bond travels first to Mexico City to take out Sciarra.  He is later reprimanded by the newly promoted M because of the chaos he caused and he is relieved of field duty.  Instead of listening, he travels to Rome for the funeral.  After the funeral, he talks to the widow of Sciarra, he crashes a Spectre meeting and identifies the leader as Franz Oberhauser.   His next stop is Mr. White, a former leader of Quantum, a subsidiary of Spectre.  White tells Bond his daughter Madeline Swann can lead him to Spectre.  They travel together to Oberhauser’s base in the desert.  They learn Oberhauser is backing the new intelligence agency Nine Eyes headquartered in London.

     This is my second viewing and review of this film.  I think it was better the second time because I could just watch and I knew the outcomes.  I really liked the new cars, an Aston Martin DB10 in silver for Bond.  The villain drives an orange Jaguar C-X785 super car project vehicle.  There are also Range Rover SVR models and Land Rover Defenders.  It the cars were trashed they have to be ready to go back on set the next day.  Bond and Madeline never run out of clothes even though it seems they never have time to pack?  There is a never ending supply of guns too?  Walther, Heckler & Koch, Aresenal Firearms, Glock, SIG-Sauer handguns, Heckler, Steyr, Szech, Lee-Enfield rifles, flare gun, weapons on the Aston and the Gunbarrel.  4* (I liked this movie)

148 min, Action directed by Sam Mendes with Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Ben Whishaw, Namomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Rory Kinnear, Jesper Christensen, Alessandro Cremona, Stehpanie Sigman, Tenoch Huerta. 

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, 65% critic 62% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 ½*, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 4936 reviews.

Everest 2015

     This film is based on a true story.  Climbers of Everest from two commercial expeditions start their final ascent on the morning of May 10, 1996.  There are eight clients in the team guided by Rob Hall of Adventure Consultants.  Another team of ten clients is lead by Scott Fischer for Mountain Madness.  The climbers become engulfed by one of the fiercest blizzards ever encountered.  The teams endure blistering winds and freezing temperatures.  They are also exhausted and oxygen deprived at these heights.

     There is confusion, over estimating endurance, ego problems, equipment problems, empty oxygen bottles, avalanches, storms and everything else that can go wrong.  Is it worth risking death to climb a mountain for bragging rights?  I felt more sorry for the relatives and friends left behind!!  What was their choice but to let them go on this expedition?  3* (This movie is OK)

121 min, Adventure directed by Baltasar Kormakur with Jason Clarke, Ang Phula Sherpa, Thomas M. Wright, Martin Henerson, Tom Goodman-Hill, Carolotte Boving, Pemba Sherpa, Amy Shindler, Simon Harrison, Chris Reilly, John Hawkes, Naoko Mori, Michael Kelly, Kiera Knightly.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 73% critic 69% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 ½*, Amazon 4.0* out of 5* with 1256 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Italy, Nepal, UK.  There is also an IMAX Everest film of 1998, a book Into Thin Air of 1997 by Jon Krakauer and the book Left for Dead of 2000 a memoir by Beck Weathers.

Less Than Zero 1987

     This film is based on a novel by Bret Easton Ellis.  Clay, Blair and Julian were best friends in high school.  They had big plans for their lives.  Clay went to college in New Hampshire, Blair is a model and Julian is a drug addict with a lot of debt.  Clay doesn’t realize how bad things are until he comes home for Christmas.  Blair has been trying to help Julian but he has gotten too out of control and difficult.  Julian’s family has tried everything but they have given up when nothing seems to take.  Clay determines he will do everything he can to help Julian and Blair.

     There is plenty of cocaine in this film along with wealth, glamour and self-destruction.  One of the biggest problems with drug addiction at any age is how do you stop, when is enough, how much money can you owe?  Robert Downey, Jr. had his own struggle with drug problems from 1996 to 2001.  He had arrests, rehab, jail time and he was fired from Ally McBeal in 1997.  He finally recovered in 2003.  I wonder if he ever thought about this film, the subject and his role?  3 1/2*  (I liked this movie)

98 min, Drama directed by Marek Kanievska with Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey Jr., James Spader, Tony Bill, Nicholas Pryor, Donna Mitchell, Michael Bowen, Sarah Buxton, Lisanne Falk, Michael Greene.

Note:  Imdb 6.3 out of 10, 54% critic 63% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Evert 4*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 246 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Los Angeles and Malibu, California.  It was suggested by the director at the beginning of filming that Downey and McCarthy should go out and party to get into their characters.  Downey ended up in the middle of Santa Monica Boulevard howling at the moon.  McCarthy had to bail him out of jail!!  Downey was 21, McCarthy was 24 and Gertz was 21 at the time of filming.

Freeheld 2015

     Laurel Hester is a police lieutenant working and living in Ocean County, New Jersey for 23 years.  She keeps her personal life private until she meets Stacie Andree and they fall in love.  They register for a domestic partnership in New Jersey.  Laurel learns she has cancer and she has three tumors in her lung.  Laurel, Stacie and Laurel’s police partner Dane Wells petition the county leadership to allow Laurel’s pension to be transferred to Stacie.  They vote unanimously no.  The state allows individual counties to opt out of transferring pensions in domestic partnerships.

      There is a nineteen-year difference in the ages of Laurel and Stacie but that doesn't make any difference to them.  The county is afraid they will loose money if they back this proposal.  A unanimous vote is also very important for them.  There are some flaws in this film but it is a good story.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

103 min, Bio directed by Peter Sollett with Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Steve Carell, Luke Grimes, Michael Shannon, Gabriel Luna, Anthony De Sando.
 

Note:  Imdb 6.5 out of 10, 47% critic 53% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 137 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Town of North Hempstead, Town, Hall, Manhasset, New York and Rye, New York.  Ellen Page has been working for seven years to get this film made.  Her interest began after she received a copy of a 2007 short made by Cynthia Wade from producers Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher. 

Truth 2015

     CBS News head Mary Mapes and newscaster Dan Rather work together on a 60 Minutes news program prior to the 2004 presidential election.  Mary obtains documents stating that the then President and candidate George W. Bush did not serve in Vietnam or in the Texas Air National Guard but he skipped out on this duty.  He also received preferential treatment as the son of a former president to serve in the Guard.  His Guard service records were forged to indicate his dates of participation.  Mary and her team have the documents gone over by authenticity experts but they don’t have the originals.  They also contact sources by phone for their expert opinions on the reliability of the documents.  Everything starts to fall apart when questions about the documents come from every angle.

      CBS is a corporate-owned news media and they were not about to take any heat over a news program!!  It doesn’t matter what the truth really is, it only matters if there are complaints.  No one who later had challenges ever asked if the story was true but they only cared about the authenticity of the documents themselves.  The investigation started after a news piece about Abu Ghraib raised questions about the military record of Bush.  A team assembled by CBS grills Mapes but none of her ‘testimony’ is recorded and her political beliefs must be her reason for releasing this story?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

125 min, Bio directed by James Vanderbilt with Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Elisabeth Moss, Bruce Greenwood, Stacy Keach, John Benjamin Hickey, David Lyons.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, 62% critic 64% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 308 reviews.

Special Note:  Currently National Amusements is the owner of Viacom and Sumner Redstone.  Sumner Redstone oversees the CSB News.  Filmed in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; New York and Los Angeles, California.  Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace have been in two previous films together Traffic 2000, In Good Company 2004.  If you check online reports about the story of the Guard and President Bush it is true!!

Pawn Sacrifice 2014

     The time period is more than 40 years ago at the height of the Cold War.  Bobby Fischer was born on March 9, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois.  He taught himself to play chess as a young boy and later Carmine Nigro instructed him.  His first professional chess game was in 1956 and a win at the age of 13 against Donald Bryne.  His first game against Boris Spassky was in 1972.  They played the world championship in 1972 with a win for Fischer.

     There is a lot of background information about Bobby but not very much about Spassky.  Supposedly, the quirks exhibited by Bobby were not as pronounced in 1972 as portrayed in this film?  I think the chess scenes needed to be shorter because there are a lot of scenes of other players matching his moves to follow the game?  The press made the championship seem like it was the Soviet Union against the United States and not two players in a chess game.  This put extra pressure on Fischer and his vulnerable mental state.  3* (This movie is OK)

115 min, Bio directed by Edward Zwick with Tobey Maguire, Live Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard, Edward Zinoviev, Alexandre Gorchkov, Lily Rabe, Robin Weigert.

Note:  Imdb 7.0 out of 10, 71% critic 67% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Evert 2*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Reykjavik, Iceland; Los Angeles, California.  Bobby Fischer is still considered to be one of the best chess players alive.  He was sidelined by his fears and phobias due to his condition as a paranoid schizophrenic.  Some reviewers have mentioned chess game errors in this film.  Bobby Fischer Against the World of 2011 contains the same material as this film.