Lola Versus 2012

     Lola is very excited about her engagement to Luke and planning her wedding.  It may be a case of cold feet, but Luke breaks up with Lola three weeks before the wedding.  Lola turns to her close friends to recover from this blow.  All she can think about is the fact she is approaching 30 as a single woman.

     I thought Lola was not letting herself mourn the loss of Luke and the cancellation of her plans.  She rushes into relationships that probably will not work.  She may be suffering from depression and she should allow herself a break.  Just being still would be good therapy.  3* (This movie is OK)

87 Min, Comedy directed by Daryl Wein with Greta Gerwig, Zoe Lister-Jones, Hamish Liinklater, Joel Kinnaman, Bill Pullman, Debra Winger, Maria Dizzia, Jonathan Sale, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Adriane Lenox, Ray Iannicelli.

Note:  Imdb 5.4 out of 10, 36% critic 31% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 ½*, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 74 reviews, Metacritic 49 out of 100 with 27 critics 6 out of 10 with 9 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in New York City, New York.  The title relates to Lola Versus Powermand and the Moneygoround, Part One.  This is the title of the eighth studio album by the British rock band The Kinks recorded and released in 1970.  Originally, Orlando Bloom was cast in the roll of Luke but he dropped out before filming began.  Zoe Lister-Jones has been working with films and television since she was 4 years old in 1986.

Mogambo 1953

     This film is a remake of the film Red Dust of 1932 starring Clark Gable, Mary Astor and Jean Harlow with the setting of French Indochina.  For this film, Victor Marswell is running a big game trapping company in Kenya.  Eloise Kelly arrives at Victor’s compound and she’s looking for the Prince.  He’s already left and Eloise has missed seeing him.  Later, Mr. and Mrs. Nordley arrive for a gorilla-documenting safari.  Mrs. Nordley begins to fancy Victor but Eloise is also interested in him. 

     I didn’t like the filmed treatment of the animals, I didn’t like the  trapping and the killing?  I don’t know if they were actually treated well because I couldn’t find information online?  I Supposedly, the trapped animals are sold to zoos?  There is a LOT of stalking going on between Gable, Kelly and Gardner.  I wasn’t as concerned about their treatment!!  3* (This movie is OK)

116 min, Adventure directed by John Ford with Clark Gable, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Donald Sinden, Philip Stainton, Eric Pohlmann, Laurence Naismithe, Denis O’Dea, Samburu, Wagenia, Bahaya, M’Beti.

Note: Imdb 6.7 out of 10, 82% critic 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 131 reviews, TCM Leonard Maltin 3.5* out of 4* user reviews 3.1* out of 5*, Three Movie Buffs 3* out of 4*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Kenya, Tanzania, Republic Of Congo, Uganda and Hertfordshire, England, UK.  Red Dust was filmed on MGM’s back lot but Mogambo was filmed on location.  The director, John Ford didn’t get along with Clark Gable.  Also, Ford was making disparaging remarks about Gardner and Gable didn’t appreciate this behavior.  Gardner was pregnant at the start of filming.  She started to suffer greatly from the oppressive heat.  She took a break in England and she was hospitalized.  Originally, Gene Tierney was cast in the role acted by Grace Kelly.  Grace Kelly received a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, the film was chosen for the National Board of Review Top Ten Films.

Circle of Poison 2015

     This film is a look at how global communities are impacted by the import of toxic pesticides.  The chemicals are banned for use in America but they are still exported to other countries.  As a result, some fruits and vegetables come back to America treated with the banned chemicals during the growing cycle.  Farmers in the countries of Argentina, India and Mexico are interviewed about their use of pesticides, the relationship of rates of birth defects, childhood defects, illnesses and cancers in these countries.

     The companies in America that manufacture banned and toxic pesticides are very powerful!!  They spend a LOT of money to influence the government in Washington DC.  The only item they pay attention to is the financial bottom line.  It doesn’t matter about what is good for our country, other countries, the people, the animals or the farming industry.  Profit and greed guide their decisions.  The health of the earth, soil and water is of no concern.  How can they not realize that these toxins could impact their own lives or those of their families the same way they are impacting others?  I just don’t understand it??  Studies have shown that soil conservation, food production and the feeding of increased populations are better served by not using pesticides!!  The pesticides get rid of the beneficial insects and cause the unwanted bugs to thrive!!  Our government feels that other countries have the right to decide what they will import for their use?  4* (I really liked this film)

71 min, Doc directed by Evan Mascagni, Shannon Post with Jimmy Carter, Noam Chomsky, The Dalai Lama, Elizabeth Jucinich, Vandana Shiva,

Note:  Imdb 8.4 out of 10, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 16 reviews.

Special Note:  Dow Chemical is based in Midland, Michigan, DuPont is based in Wilmington, Delaware and they merged in December of 2015.  Their estimated pesticide revenue was $5 million in 2015.  Monsanto is based in St. Louis and was bought out by Bayer.  They are the largest seed seller in the world plus they make pesticides with sales of over $9 million in 2015.

Comrad X 1940

     McKinley B. “Mac” Thompson sends uncensored coded news out of Moscow.  He's also a spy and he uses the alias Comrade X.  The authorities of the Communist Party send out their own news that Comrade X has been eliminated.  Comrade X isn’t really dead but the authorities are just hoping he's dead.  Mac checks into a hotel and the valet Vanya discover that Thompson is still alive and he is Comrade X.  Vanya blackmails Mac into helping his daughter Golubka leave the country.  Golubka is scheduled for liquidation by the Kremlin.  Her real name is Theodore and Mac learns he will need to marry her in order for her to leave the country.  This isn’t too difficult for Mac because Theodore is a beautiful woman.   

     This film is pretty amazing with the attitudes of America and Russia about each other as countries.  So much has happened historically in the world since 1940.  There is a lot of spying going on and the repression of the news.  Gable is good at putting over things on men and charming women.  There are comical scenes of Russian tanks following Mac and Theodore.  Ninotchka of 1939 is much better than this film.  Directed by Ernst Lubitsch with Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas.  Imdb rating is 8 out of 10.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)   

 

104 min, Comedy directed by King Vidor with Clark Gable, Hedy Lamarr, Oskar Homolka, Felix Bressart, Eve Arden, Sig Ruman, Natasha Lytess, Vladimir Sokoloff, Edgar Barrier, Georges Renavent, Mikhail Rasumny.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, 51% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, TCM Leonard Maltin 2.5* out of 4* average user review 4* out of 5*, Three Movie Buffs 3* out of 4*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Culver City, California.  There was a Soviet law that a person could divorce a spouse simply by sending them a postcard.  There is a reference to the law in this film but it was repealed in 1936.   This film was released in 1940 and WWII had already begun in Europe.  The Soviet Union had a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany.  Mac pretends to hear that Germany has broken the pact and has invaded the USSR.  Germany launched Operation Barbarossa in the summer of 1941, which broke the pact and Germany invaded the USSR.  Because of the success of Ninotchka, MGM released Comrade X.  Gable and Lamarr were also together in Boom Town of 1938. 

How I Live Now 2013

     This film is based on a novel by Meg Rosoff.  Elizabeth (Daisy) is an American living in the United Kingdom of the future.  She has been sent by her estranged father from New York to live with relatives in the English countryside.  Daisy barely knows the cousins Eddie, Isaac and Piper.  Joe is a neighbor friend who stays with them a lot.  Moving to another country for a teenager almost 20 is a difficult situation and she’s shy, withdrawn, uncooperative and feels out of her element in the beginning.  She's also a vegetarian and that doesn't fit in with their menus.  As she begins to enjoy the warmth and charm of her surroundings, she also begins a romance with Eddie.  They are young, she’s pretty, he’s handsome but news reports are coming out about a growing conflict in Europe.  The UK becomes a violent and chaotic military state.  Some kind of device has been exploded and the water is unfit to drink.  It becomes necessary to hide and fight in order to survive.

     There is a lot of tension in this film!!  There are reports that a nuclear explosion hit London and the water has been intentionally contaminated.  Daisy becomes a real part of her new family and she helps them with survival.  I thought this was good and different.  The characters draw you in and you want them all to be together again.  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

101 min, Action directed by Kevin Macdonald with Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, George MacKay, Harley Bird, Danny McEvoy, Anna Chancellor, Jonathan Rugman, Corey Johnson, Darren Morfitt, Stella Gonet, Des McAleer, Sophie Stanton.

Note:  Imdb 6.5 out of 10, 68% critic 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 115 reviews, Metacritic 57 out of 100 with 29 critics 6.6 out of 10 with 34 reviews, The Guardian Mark Kermode 3* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Carmarthenshire, Cardiff, Sennybridge Training Area, Wales, UK.  The director, Kevin Macdonald originally planned for the cast to be all unknown actors.  He wanted an a girl about 16 years old to play Daisy since that is her age in the book.  He cast Saoirse Ronan and she was 18 years old.  Her audition reading left the listeners in tears!!  She wore fake piercings and a bleached blonde wig for her role.  Ronan was also Daisy in the film Violet & Daisy of 2013.  The personalities of Edmond and Isaac were switched from how they are in the book.  Since this is a low budget film, a Canon model EOS C300 was strapped to a drone for the aerial shots.

Sherlock Holmes 1916

     This film is based on a 1899 stage play.  Alice Faulkner’s sister has been seeing a Prince and he is the apparent heir to a large empire.  They exchanged letters that are now in the possession of Alice.  Her sister passed away and she wanted Alice to have the letters for safekeeping.  Count von Stalburg, the prince’s assistant and Sir Edward Plamer, a high British official are working together to negotiate the return of the letters. The Prince would like the have letters before his upcoming marriage.  At the present time, Alice is being held captive by the Larrabees.  They are a husband and wife team and they are crooks.  They believe there is money to be made with the letters and they want to blackmail the Prince.  They fail in their task and they ask Professor Moriarty to help them with their scheme.  Moriarty will need to match wits with Holmes in order to secure the letters. 

     This is an interesting story but it’s a little difficult to follow.  The DVD is not as clear as it should to be in order to identify exactly who each person is in the film all the time.  There is some graininess since the DVD is a transfer from a film made in 1916.  There are storyboards with the lines the characters are saying between the scenes.  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

116 min, Mystery silent black and white film directed by Arthur Berthelet with William Gillette, Majorie Kay, Ernest Maupain, Edward Fielding, Stewart Robbins, Hugh Thompson, Ludwig Kreiss, Mario Majeroni, William Postance, Chester Beery, Frank Hamilton, Fred Malatesta, Grace Reals.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 48 reviews, eFilmCritic.com 5* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Chicago, Illinois.  Released in the US as a seven-reel feature in 1920 after the end of WWI.  It was released in France in an expanded nine-reel format.  It could be shown as a four-part serial and that was a popular format during this time period.  The first episode had three reels and the other three had two reels each.  William Gillette played the role of Holmes in the play 1,200 times on stage.  A young Charlie Chaplain played the role of Billy during the run of the play in London. It was during the late 1900’s but he is not shown in the film version.  This film was thought to be lost for 98 years until it was discovered in the archives of the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris in 2014. 

Once 2007

     Guy is a guitarist/singer/songwriter from Dublin.  He makes his living by fixing vacuum cleaners in his Dad’s Hoover repair shop.  Guy is singing on the street for donations and Girl is attracted to the music.  She is a pianist but she doesn’t own a piano.  She takes him to a music store where she knows the owner and they use a display piano.  She plays Mendelssohn and he sits and listens.  Girl helps Guy record a demo to take to London and play for music promoters.  They recruit other street musicians and she negotiates the price for a recording studio.

     I thought this movie was good.  It’s simple, straightforward and uncomplicated.  The actors are musicians first and then actors but they do a good job in both their roles.  I thought using unknown actors made the film more believable.  This film premiered at Sundance and the two main characters gave a live performance at the conclusion of the film.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

85 min, Drama directed by John Carney with Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Hugh Walsh, Gerard Hendrick, Alastair Foley, Geoff Minogue, Bill Hodsnett, Danuse Ktrestova, Darren Healy, Mal Whyte, Marcell Plunkett.

Note:  Imdb 7.9 out of 10, 97% critic 91% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 1184 reviews,

Special Note:  Filmed in Country Dublin and Dublin, Ireland.  Michael Phillips of the Tribune selected this film as the best film of 2007.  Roger Ebert gave it a Special Jury Prize because Juno was the top movie.  This film was shot for very little money in 17 days.  The characters don’t have names and the film is mostly music and not a lot of dialog.  Hansard is a professional musician well known in Ireland.  He is the leader of a bad called the Frames formed in 1991.  Irglova is an immigrant from the Czech Republic, she is 17 years old and this is her first acting role.  Bob Dylan was such a fan of the film that he arranged for Hansard and Irglova to open for him on part of his world tour.  The lead role was originally intended for Cillian Murphy but he turned it down because he was unsure about acting beside a non-professional.  Plus, Murphy wasn’t convinced his singing would do justice to the songs.  A lot of money from sponsors was lost when Murphy pulled out.  The most expensive scene was 2,500 euros for renting the crane to use for the final sweeping shot.