Thank You for Your Service 2017

     This film is based on a bestselling book by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Finkel.  A group of U.S. soldiers return from Iraq and they struggle to fit back into society and their families.  They also suffer from survivor’s guilt, PTSD and memory loss.  The VA is overcrowded and understaffed.  They can get some help but it’s not enough and it takes several months to get benefits.  How can they get jobs when they can’t handle anything involving normal life?  Any minor event can trigger a memory that will take them right back to a scene from combat.  Adam Schumann learns there is a place in California working successfully with returning soldiers. 

     Just the sight of the dead grass at Adam’s former house sends him into a rage.  The family moved into another home and they are renting their other house for the income.  Tausolo Aieti is also having a difficult time plus his wife is expecting a baby.  He’s lost a lot of his memory and he struggles every day.  He thinks the drug Ecstasy will help with his memory?  He just needs to find a source.   I thought this was good and you see the events in Iraq that remain in the minds of the soldiers.  They place a lot of blame on themselves for the deaths and injuries suffered by their fellow soldiers.  A case of continual feelings of should’ve, could’ve and maybe!!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)  

 

109 min Bio directed by Jason Hall with Miles Teller, Beulah Koale, Joe Cole, Scott Haze, Haley Bennett, Amy Schumer, Omar J. Dorsey, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Brad Beyer, Kerry Cahill, Stella Pileggi, David Morse, Adam Schumann.

Note:  Imdb 6.5 of 10, 77 critic 74 audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 146 reviews, Metacritic 68 out of 100 with 34 critics 6.3 out of 10 with 35 reviews, Empire Online 4* out of 5*, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Mark Kermode.

Special Note:  Filmed in Morocco, Atlanta and Woodstock, Georgia.  Amy Schumer donated her salary to army war vet foundations.  The rehabilitation center referred to for treating PTSD in California is The Pathway Home located in Yountville in the Napa Valley.  There is a biography film with the same title from 2016 by Tom Donahue with Robert Gates, David Petraeus, Sebastian Junger, Mike Mullen and Loree Sutton.

Love Wrecked 2005

      Jenny Taylor and her friend Ryan take jobs at a Caribbean resort.  Jenny is a fan of Jason Masters, he’s a world-famous rock star and she’s hoping to see him at the resort.  Her nemesis Alexis is also there and she is also one of Jason’s fans.  Jenny sneaks aboard a party vessel and Jason is on this boat.  Jason gets seasick and a storm washes them both overboard.  Jenny grabs a raft before she falls into the water.  They are marooned in a secluded cove of a deserted island.  Jenny goes exploring and Jason has hurt his ankle so he has to stay behind.  She learns they are just a short distance from the resort where they were staying.  Alexis finds out that Jenny and Ryan are nearby and she pretends to have washed up on the island.  There is a LOT of conflict between Jenny and Alexis over Jason.  

     What Jenny doesn’t realize is that Jason can never live up to be the person she thinks he is??   Ryan has been in love with Jenny for a long time and he just needs for her to see that.  A storm is pushing towards their side of the island and Ryan had intended to go home.  He drives out to save Jenny and he gets there just in time to save her.  She is in his car and it is just about to slide over a muddy embankment.  Will Jenny realize that Ryan was the one all along?  This is a very lightweight movie and almost like a Hallmark movie?  3* (This movie is OK)     

87 min, Adventure directed by Randal Kleiser with Amanda Bynes, Chris Carmack, Jonathan Bennett, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Susan Duerden, Fred Willard, Jackie Long, Joey Kern, Lance Bass, Kathy Griffin, Alfonso Ribeiro.

Note:  Imdb 4.9 out of 10, 48% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 59 reviews, Empire Online 2* out of 5*, Letterboxd 2.3* out of 5*, Mad Movie Man 4.9* out of 10*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Puerto Plata, Cabrera, Sun Village Beach Resort Cofresi, Dominican Republic. 

Roman J. Israel, Esq 2017

     The setting of this film is the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system.  Roman Israel is a defense attorney working with his partner William Jackson for a salary of $500 a week.  Roman is responsible for preparing briefs and he often focuses on the civil rights of their defendants.  William is the owner of the firm and a well-respected professor.  He handles the courtroom appearances.  Roman struggles with presenting in the courtroom.  He is driven, idealistic and he finds himself in a crises.  His partner William has been taken to the hospital after a heart attack and he passes away.  This leaves the law firm in limbo about it’s future because of debt.  Roman meets George Pierce and he’s known to be a wealthy and cutthroat lawyer.  George recruits Roman but his future remains unsure.  Roman mishandles the first case he receives from George.  He also goes against his often-stated code of ethics? 

     There is a LOT going on in this film and Roman sometimes makes bad decisions!!  He’s used to his former small firm, his low profile and low income.  This new job forces him to face what he couldn’t face before in the courtroom.  Plus, he suddenly becomes greedy, self-centered and he makes unnecessary bad decisions?  Sometimes the plot is difficut to follow and there needs to be more depth.  3* (This movie is OK)    

122 min, Crime directed by Dan Gilroy with Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Lynda Gravatt, Amanda Warren, Hugo Armstrong, Sam Gilroy, Tony Plana, DeRon Horton, Amari Cheatom, Vince Cefalu.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, 52% critic 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 1*, Amazon Video 3.9* out of 5* with 408 reviews. Metacritic 58 out of 100 with 41 critics 6.3 out of 10 with 57 reviews,

Special Note:  Filmed in Los Angeles and Santa Clarita, California.  After the premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, director Dan Gilroy and Denzel Washington re-structured and re-focused parts of the story.  As a result, 12 minutes of footage was cut.  There’s a visible gap between Washington’s two front teeth?  He had the gap fixed with dental caps after high school.  He decided the gap added to this character.  Some of Roman’s problems could be the result of being delivered by forceps.  This procedure can sometimes cause brain damage, psychological or mental disorders.  There is a mistake with the BMW that Pierce is driving.  In the beginning, he has new California Legacy license plates but at the end of the film he has the same car with standard license plates.  The entire film happens over three weeks but Roman states that William has been in a coma for several weeks at the beginning of the film.

Adele and Everything After 2017

     Marty has had a heart condition since birth that can cause her pass to out every day.  Some people thought she was faking and doctors don’t have a cure for her?  Sometimes when Marty falls, it's possible for her to be in danger or receive a concussion from the fall.  Adele is Marty’s cardiac alert service dog and she can sense the beating of Marty’s heart.  She alerts Marty when she senses a heart abnormality and Marty can sit down, lay down or whatever she thinks will keep her from falling.  Adele has worked with Marty for nine years and Marty can sense that Adele is ready to retire.  Marty contacts Canine Partners for Life.  She worked with this group previously to get Adele.  She talks to them about getting another dog.  She will still have Adele but she won’t be going out with Marty every day.

     Marty is very anxious about bonding and relating to another dog.  She has trusted Adele every day for nine years and they have a bond as soul mates.  Marty’s condition is called vasovagal syncope caused by the vagus nerve.  This nerve controls the heart and digestive system.  Certain triggers make the vagus nerve overreact and cause blood pressure to suddenly drop.  There is a LOT of emotion over retiring Adele and trusting a new dog.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)  

86 min, Doc directed by Melissa Dowler with Marty, Darlene Sullivan, James Januzzi, Jeff Harris, Megan Esherick, Claudine Quadrat, Morgan Miller, Oxlyn Parres-Gold, Lisa West, Leslie Blum, Marcia and Robert Harris.

Note:  Imdb 8.0 out of 10, 100% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 5* with 18 reviews, Flick Filospher 4* out of 5*.

Calll Me By Your Name 2017

     This film is based on a novel by Andre Aciman.  The setting is the summer of 1983 in northern Italy.  Elio Perlman is staying with his family at their summer home.  It is a 17^th century Italian villa.  Elio transcribes and plays classical music, plays the piano and guitar, reads, and flirts with his friend Marzia.  His father is an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture.  His mother Annella is a translator.  Oliver is a 24-year-old American college summer graduate student.   Oliver is working on his doctorate and he arrives to help Elio’s father as an intern.  Elio and Oliver seem to have little in common?  Elio resents giving up his bedroom and he’s seriously dedicated to his summer pursuits.  Oliver's personality is carefree and exuberant.

     The scenery of this area is very beautiful and despite his reservations, Elio and Oliver begin to swim, go for long walks into town and they accompany Elio’s father on an archaeological trip.  Elio and Oliver go through periods of distance alternating with closeness.  Elio’s parents recommend they visit Bergamo before Oliver returns to the United States.  The next time they converse is by phone during Hanukkah when Oliver tells Elio he is engaged and to be married in about six months.  It’s wonderful that Elio and Oliver form a friendship but I wonder if the depth of their relationship is too stressful for Elio?  Is he feeling the loss and separation from Oliver much more than is being reciprocated?  His parents are more progressive than a LOT of other parents.  I can’t speak to the social mores in Italy?  3* (This movie is OK)

132 min, Drama directed by Luca Guadagnino with Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victoire Du Bois, Vanda Capriolo, Antonio Rimoldi, Elena Bucci, Marco Sgrosso, Andre Aciman, Peter Spears. 

Note:  Imdb 8 out of 10, 95% critic 85% audience, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 862 reviews, Roger Ebert 4*, Metacritic 93 out of 100 with 51 critics 7.8 out of 10 with 734 reviews, Common Sense 4* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Cremona, Bergamo, Brescia, Parco Regionale del Serio, Lodi, Lombardy, Italy.  Chalmet learned to speak Italian and play the classical piano pieces.  Hammer stated that the most uncomfortable scenes for him were the dance scenes.  There was a ten-minute standing ovation and the longest ever at the New York Film Festival.  In the book, Elio is 17 years old and Oliver is 24.  Chalamet was 20 and Hammer was 29 during filming.  The age of consent in Italy is 14.  The director Guadagnino has planned from the beginning for at least one sequel. 

Hostiles 2017

     The setting of this film is 1892 and a Comanche war group attacks settler Wesley Quaid and his family on their homestead.  Wesley, his daughters and their baby are killed with only his wife Rosalee surviving.  In Fort Berringer, New Mexico, Captain Joseph Blocker is informed by Colonel Abraham Biggs that he will be taking a dying Cheyenne war chief along with his family back to their tribal lands in Montana.  Blocker is adamant that he would like to refuse this mission.  Briggs threatens him with the loss of his pension and a court-martial for his refusal.  He chooses Sergeant Thomas Metz, Corporal Woodson and Lieutenant Kidder to also travel with him on this journey.  Private DeJardin is assigned to the mission by Colonel Biggs.  The group discovers Rosalee and her “sleeping” children.  She is in a bad way and tries to bury her babies but the ground is rock hard.  The men convince her to let them do the digging.  Later, there is an ambush by the same Comanche war party resulting in the death of DeJardin and Woodson is seriously wounded.  There is a stop at Fort Winslow in Colorado to seek medical treatment for Woodson and arrange for Rosalee to stay.  Rosalee decides to continue the journey since the next supply train will not arrive until Christmas.  The disgraced Sergeant Charles Wills is added to the group to be court-martialed and hanged at his original post on the way to Montana.  Overseeing Wills are Corporal Thommy Thomas and Sergeant Mallow. 

     I didn’t know anything about this film before I started to watch.  I thought this was good with strong acting and many tense moments.  The subject matter is also a change with not many new films in this genre.  In the beginning, Blocker is nursing a strong grudge about the mission because the Cheyenne chief is his sworn enemy!!  The distance from New Mexico to Montana is over 884 miles.  The company is traveling on horseback and on foot.  It would probably take 6-8 months for this journey because they would need rest times.  Plus, they couldn’t maintain a steady strong pace every day with women and a child.  There were times of rain and also snow.    4* (I really liked this movie)

134 min, Adventure directed by Scott Cooper with Christian Bale, Scott Shepherd, Rosamund Pike, Ava Cooper, Stella Cooper, David Midthunder, Gray Wolf Herrera, Rory Cochrane, Jonathan Majors, John Benjamin Hickey, Stafford Douglaas, Ben Foster, Stephen Lang, Bill Camp, Wes Studi.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 718 reviews, 73% critic 72% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 718 reviews, Roger Ebert 3*, Metacritic 65 out of 100 with 41 critics 7.2 out of 10 with 104 reviews,

Special Note:  Filmed in Angel Fire, Santa Fe, Chama, New Mexico; Pagosa Springs, Colorado; Clifton, Black Jack Group Campground, Benny Creek Group Area, Arizona.  The characters played by Rosamund Pike and Christian Bale have a profound connection that happened without discussing it.  They rarely spoke during filming unless it was their scene.  Donald E. Stewart wrote the script and his wife found the manuscript when she moved after his death in 1999.  Filming is mainly outdoors and it was the monsoon season.  There were shut downs because of lightning storms.  There is a mistake with the guns. they are shown as 1859 model Sharps carbines but this is a Civil War era weapon obsolete by 1892.  The Comanche were living in reservations in Oklahoma and the last group was taken there by 1882.  In the 1840’s, the Cheyenne and Comanche tribes were allies and  had finished with warfare between tribes and against the whites.

The Handmaid's Tale: Season 2 2018

     This series is based on a book written by Margaret Atwood and she was inspired by George Orwell’s 1984.  The United States has been renamed The Republic of Gilead and it is a religion-based autocracy.  Women are second-class citizens and divided into groups.  The top group is the wives of the Commanders, at the bottom are the housekeepers and the handmaids.  The housekeepers are called Martha’s and the handmaids are named after the first name of the Commander they live with.  June lives with Fred Waterford and his wife Serena Joy.  June's name has been changed to Offred because she is “of Fred.”  Many of the Commanders are sterile and consequently their wives cannot have children.  Some are not but it is unknown the numbers of Commanders who cannot produce a child.  The handmaids are able to get pregnant and this is the most important mission of Gilead.  The lucky Americans able to escape to Canada are spared the murders, class segregation and oppression in Gilead.

     The handmaids wear red robes and a white head covering that acts as a blinder similar to those used on horses.  The Martha’s wear gray and the wives of the Commanders wear a teal blue.  Offred has only three goals in her life, escape to Canada, take her new baby with her and also her first child Hannah.  Another family in Gilead is raising Hannah as their daughter.  Many times I wondered how June could take the oppression and especially the contempt of Serena Joy?  She is not serene or joyful and she hates the sight of Offred!!  Elizabeth Moss is very expressive with her face and you can feel what she is thinking but cannot verbally convey.  The penalty for anything out of line is death!!  4 ½* (I really liked this series.  

       

TV Series Season Two, 12 episodes, 60 min each created by Bruce Miller with Elisabeth Moss, Max Minghella, Yvonne Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes, Ann Dowd, Amanda Brugel, Madeline Brewer, O-T Fagbenle, Nina Kiri, Samira Wiley, Alexis Bledel, Bahia Watson Jenessa Grant.

Note:  Imdb 8.6 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 93% critic 80% audience, Metacritic 86 out of 100 with 28 critics 7.4 out of 10 with 78 reviews, New York Times 4.6* out of 5* with 656 reviews.

Special Note:  Film in Cambridge, Oshawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Cinespace Film Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  There was a renewed interest in Atwood’s book because of this series.  Some customers paid up to $100 for an original copy and other copies were also in demand.  Four of the five directors in Season One are women with Mike Barker the only man.