The Jane Austin Book Club 2007

     This film is based on a Jane Austin novel and also a novel written by Karen Joy Fowler.  It explores Austen's adage that general incivility is at love's essence.  Sylvia's husband dumps her for another woman!!  Bernadette (she's about 60, divorced six times) and Jocelyn organize a book club to distract Sylvia from her relationship woes.  They recruit Sylvia's daughter Allegra (she is experiencing a romantic crisis) to join along with Prudie (a young high school French teacher) whose marriage may be on the rocks.  Also in the mix is Grigg (he is a sci-fi fan) and he joins because of his attraction to Jocelyn.  The group reads and they discuss one Austen novel per month.  Jocelyn tries to interest Grigg in Sylvia and Allegra falls in love with a woman she meets skydiving.  Prudie contemplates an affair with a student.  Sylvia's also ex-husband keeps popping up?  In the discussions, characters reveal themselves and their personalities in their comments about the novels.  By the end, are the truths of the novels universally acknowledged by the group or are they set aside?

     Jane Austen wrote six novels and they are delightful, wise, warm and beloved.  This film centers on a group that meets over six months to discuss the novels.  Unusually, the novels seem to have an uncanny relevance to their own lives?  This would be like a newspaper horoscope seeming to always be about you and what you are experiencing?  It isn’t necessary to have read the novels or seen the Jane Austen movie adaptations.  But, this could add another dimension to your appreciation of this film.

     Austen loving teen girls might be interested in this film but infidelity, betrayal, teen dating his teacher are on the more mature side.  Some minor language, social drinking and a supporting character is a heavy marijuana user.  On the plus side, this film is heartwarming and the discussions about the books are good.  At times, the different personalities of the participants get in the way but they still persist.  4* (I liked this movie)

106 min, Comedy directed and written by Robin Swicord, also written by Karen Joy Fowler with Kathy Baker, Hugh Dancy, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Jimmy Smits, Ed Brigadier, Kevin Zegers, Marc Blucas, Catherine Schreiber, Ned Hosford, Mess Stench, Chris Burke.

Note:  Imdb 6.8* out of 10* with 25,960 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 66% with 116 critics 67% with 26,998 audience scores, empire online 3* out of 5* Angie Errigo, reel views.net 2 1/2* James Berardinelli, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 808 reviews, Roger Ebert 3 1/2* out of 4*, Metacritic 61 out of 100 with 28 critics 6.4 out of 10 with 31 ratings, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, 3* out of 5*, age 15+, 3* sex, language, consumerism, drinking, drugs & smoking, Letterboxd 3.1* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Each cast member was required to read the book they were to discuss in this movie.  Although they play teacher and student, Emily Blunt is only a year older than Kevin Zegers.  The real volumes of the complete works of Jane Austen were more expensive than the production could afford to buy.  Instead, a volume of plays by Shakespeare with a fake cover was used.  Hugh Dancy was reading the novels and he says in the DVD commentary that he completed the histories and tragedies during the shoot.  The website address www.laughing-allegra.com written on Allegra's jewelry-kit-box (which she brought to the first meeting of the book club at Starbucks) actually links to the official site of the film. 

Mistakes:  When Allegra is separating eggs for the flan, she puts the first couple of yolks in the bowl with the whites and this defeats the purpose of separating them?  She is then seen taking the yolks out with the egg shell as she does this.  (The actors had a limited number of takes available and Maggie Grace was forced to do this so she would not waste a take.)  When Prudie confronts her flirting husband in the hotel room, his shirt is unbuttoned but closed as he puts his hands on his hips.  In a split second, it flies open, exposing his full uncovered chest.  

My Spy 2020

      A hardened CIA operative and former US Special Forces soldier and his partner set up surveillance of an apartment in Chicago.  JJ was sent on his first major mission to bust an illegal weapons-grade plutonium trade between the Russian mafia and a Middle East terrorist.  Since he botched this mission, he’s been downgraded to an easy spy mission.  JJ and Bobbi don’t know they may have met their match in a 9-year-old girl living in the apartment??

     There is a LOT of action in the beginning scenes with the mission gone wrong.  Many offensive weaponry, explosions and car destructions.  This film is targeted to tweens but it has more strong language than you might expect and the violence is also too intense for younger kids.  Scenes of shoot-outs, deaths, stabbings, attacks, threats, explosions and a child in danger.  There are good aspects with themes of courage, communication and teamwork.  But, some characters lie to each other instead of telling the truth and occasionally there are darker jokes.  I thought I would HATE this movie but that was not the case!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)  

  
99 min, action directed by Peter Segal and within by Erich and Jon Hoeber with Dave Bautista, Chile Coleman, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Kristen Schaal, Greg Bryk, Ken Jeong, Nicola Correia-Damude, Devere Rogers, Noah DaltonDanby, Vieslav Krystyan, Basel Daoud, Ali Hassan.

Note:  Imdb 6.3* out of 10* with 20,352 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 47% with 119 critics 49% with 839 audience scores, Metacritic 46 out of 100 with 20 critics 6 out of 10 with 26 user scores, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* Christy Lemire, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen, 3* out of 5*, age 10+, 3* positive, role models, violence, language, 2* sex, 2* consumerism, 1* drinking, drugs smoking 1*, Amazon 3.9* with 23 reviews, empire online 2* out of 3*, Letterboxd 2.7* out of 5*, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Mike McCahill.

Special Note:  This film supposedly takes place in Chicago but most of the filming was shot in Toronto Canada.  The scene inside the dinosaur museum is the Royal Ontario Museum in downtown Toronto.  The fountain with dog statues is supposed to be in Paris but it is located in Berczy Park, Toronto Canada.  It was placed in the park in 2017 and it features 27 cast iron dogs, one cat and a large bone!!  It is unique and unusual!!

  
Mistakes:  When JJ & Sophie are eating ice cream, Sophie’s ice cream is orange.  When the elevator opens, her ice cream is pink?  In the final scene at CIA Headquarters, the photo on the ID badge of the female CIA executive Christina disappears and re-appears between shots.  JJ tunes a car radio to multiple FM stations in Chernobyl.  There are no FM stations that can be broadcast into Chernobyl with clarity?  Also, why would a radio station broadcast to an unpopulated area of this size?  The land in this area is known as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and it extends 1,000 square miles. 

The Invention of Lying 2009

     This is a comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied until a writer sees the opportunity for personal gain?  Everyone tells the truth and they say just about anything they're thinking. Mark Bellison is a screenwriter and he is about to be fired.  He's short and chunky with a flat nose, this is a genetic setup that means he won't get to first base with Anna, the woman he loves. At a bank, on the spur of the moment he blurts out a lie with eye-popping results!!  Then, when his mother's on her deathbed she is frightened of the eternal void awaiting her.   Mark invents a fictional story about what happens after you die.  The hospital staff overhear his description of Heaven and they believe every word plus they tell other people.  Soon Mark is a prophet, his first inventive screenplay makes him rich and he’s seen as basically a good guy.  But will that be enough for Anna to want to be with him?

     An interesting aspect of this film is that movies like this have a difficult time at the box office??  There is no comedy or drama because fiction requires lies??  People are not easily insulted since they are consistently told the truth all the time!!  As an example, when Jennifer Garner opens the door to see Ricky as her blind date, she boldly says she finds him unattractive, he is too short and fat to make any kind of cute baby.  The waiter at the restaurant tells them he hates working at this place and Jennifer is way out of Ricky’s dating league!!  All the people in the city are bland and there is no sign of any anger at any time!!

   Most of the films including Ricky Gervais have humor, irreverence, edginess and they are thought provoking.  Nothing is sacred including religion, lying is okay.  Also, lots of sex talk, salty language and name calling.  Drinking beer, wine, champagne and whiskey with some drunkenness plus drunk driving.  Commercial products are shown with some showing up in many scenes.  (Is this a movie or commercial?)  5* (I really liked this movie because of the humor of not lying and then lying)  

100 min, Comedy written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson with Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Donna Sorbello, Stephanie March, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, John Hodgman, Nate Corddry, Jimmi Simpson, Martin Starr.

Note:  Imdb 6.4* out of 10* with 126,403 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 56% with 189 critics, 39% with 667,301 audience scores, Common Sense Media Renee Schonfeld, age 15+, 3* out of 5*, 2* positive, 2* role models, 1* violence, 3* sex, 3* language, 4* consumerism, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, empire online 1* Chris Hewitt, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Xan Brooks, Letterboxd 2.7* out of 5*, Metacritic 58 out of 100 with 31 critics 5.8 out of 10 with 159 ratings.

Special Note:  Ricky Gervais later played a recurring character on Louis C.K.’s series Louie (2010) which started the year after this movie.  Director, writer and actor Ricky Gervais sponsored an online Photoshop contest related to the theme of this movie.   He asked contestants to edit well known movie posters as if those posters were usually lying to the audience.  This is the first film Ricky Gervais has directed.

Mistakes:  Just because you can't lie doesn't mean you have to express what you're thinking all the time and that is what happens a lot with the people in this movie.  Even though Anna can't lie, on her date with Mark she fakes a smile a couple of times.  Is that considered lying?  Probably if she finds the need to fake the smile!!!

Jason Bourne 2016

      This film series is based on novels written by Robert Ludlum.  It has been 10 years since Jason Bourne walked away from the CIA.  Nicky Parsons sent Bourne into hiding in The Bourne Ultimatum film.  She gains access to sensitive CIA files about a CIA Operation.  She contacts Bourne to share information about his past, including how he was recruited for the program and his father's role in that operation.  Bourne learns that his father, Richard Webb, designed this program, he was assassinated by the CIA because he did not want his son to enter this program and become a highly trained killer.  

     CIA director Robert Dewey hunts down Parsons and Bourne using a foreign asset.  He is also using the technical skills of CIA Cyber Operations Division head Heather Lee.  Bourne has formulated plans to avenge his father's death.  Bourne first tries to make the man who recruited him into the CIA confirm his understanding of his father's death.  Then he then plans to avenge himself against Dewey.  Meanwhile, Heather Lee wants to bring Bourne back into the CIA's special operations.  Dewey allows Lee to believe she has his support even though he plans to eliminate Bourne. 

     There is also a subplot involving Operation Iron Hand, a surveillance program that will have secret access to a giant social media service called Deep Dream.  In the past the CIA and Deep Dream have had a contract to work together but Aaron, its founder and CEO, wants to end this cooperation.  When Dewey refuses to allow any such change, Aaron plans to reveal his relationship with the CIA and its plans to violate the privacy expectations of Deep Dream's millions of users.  Dewey plans to assassinate Aaron before his planned revelations.

   Following the usual techniques of the Bourne films there is a LOT of action in this film.  There are many fight scenes in his style of Filipino martial arts.  Also many crash scenes filmed on parts of Los Vegas Boulevard but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!!  The street was shut down on a Wednesday night from 7pm to 7AM.  Stunt drivers, coordinators, photographers, extras, directors and other crew members were there to film the action.  A dark colored car is seen swerving at a high speed between other vehicles on the Strip.  Metro cruisers and a large SWAT vehicle trail the speeding car.  Jason Bourne is driving a police Dodge Charger.  More than 170 cars were wrecked for this scene!!  5 1/2* (I really liked this film)

123 min, Action, directed and written by Paul Greengrass, also written by Christopher Rouse and Robert Ludlum with Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles, Riz Ahmed, Ato Essandoh Scott Shepherd, Bill Camp, Vinjzenze Kiefer, Stephen Kunken, Ben Stylianou, Kaya Yuzuki, Matthew O’Neill, Lizzie Phillips.

Note:  Imdb 6.6* out of 10* with 206,255 reviews,  Roger Ebert 3* Brian Tallerico, Rotten Tomatoes 54% with 322 critics 55% with 56,884 user ratings, RollingStone 3 1/2* Peter Travers, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Mark Kermode, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 7391 reviews.

Special Note:  There are five installments in this franchise.  1) The Bourne Identity 2002, 2) The Bourne Supremacy 2004, 3) The Bourne Ultimatum 2007, 4) TheBourne Legacy 2012, 5) Jason Bourne 2016, 6) Future.

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving 1973

      Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving.  Charlie Brown doesn’t know what to say but Patty does all the talking.  Charlie Brown wanted to tell Peppermint Patty that he was going to his grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner?  Later, she telephones him again saying many more people want to come.  This includes Patty’s friends Marcie and Franklin.  All of this overwhelms Charlie Brown but he gets help from his friends!!  Linus, Snoopy and Woodstock work on attempting to throw together a Thanksgiving dinner. 
     Some young children can be confused about why Lucy is so mean to Charlie Brown and why Peppermint Patty had a temper melt down?  Plus, Snoopy did not share his Thanksgiving dinner with any of the children?  If you have already been exposed to the characters in films and books you can more easily understand the plot.  There are also references to characters as blockheads, hate feelings, sly devils and idiots.  These phrases are not normally used in newer cartoons.  This does provide a good talking point about how mean these words sound and how they hurt the characters.  5* (I really liked this movie)

25 min, Animation directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman, written and created by Charles M. Schulz with the voices of Todd Barbee, Robin Kohn, Stephen Shea, Hilary Momberger-Powers, Christopher DeFaria, Jim Ahrens, Robin Reed.

Note:  Imdb 7.7* out of 10* with 9100 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 100% with 6 critics 75% with 85,528 audience scores, Common Sense Media, 5*, age 4+, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 2344 ratings, movie guide, language none, violence light, sex, none, nudity, none

Special Note:  The only other Thanksgiving-related special in Peanuts media is "This is America, Charlie Brown".  It is about the voyage of the Pilgrims to Plymouth with all the characters portraying the Pilgrims.  Peppermint Patty and Marcie are voiced by male actors.  Vince Guaraldi composed the music as well as the vocals for the song "Little Birdie".  Lucy appears only at the beginning of this film when she is playing football with Charlie Brown.  She isn't in any scenes for the rest of the movie. 

Mistakes:  As Peppermint Patty is complaining about the Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Snoopy, she fails to mention stuffing.  During the Thanksgiving "dinner" scene, Peppermint Patty's plate of food disappears and reappears after Snoopy serves her.  The sundaes on the table during dinner disappear and reappear between scenes.  In the scene in Charlie Brown's living room, the phone Charlie Brown uses to call his grandmother does not appear until he starts dialing.  Franklin sits alone on the opposite side of the table from Snoopy and empty chairs adjacent to him disappear and reappear.

27 Dresses 2008

     Two things stand out about Jane!!   She never says no to her friends!!  She's been a bridesmaid 27 times but always can be counted on to selflessly plan weddings for her friends!!  She’s in love with her boss, George.  She is also dreaming of a lovely, romantic wedding of her own!!  She meets Kevin, he is a cynical writer who finds her attractive.  That same week her flirtatious younger sister Tess comes to town.  Jane forces herself to silently watch George fall head-over-heels for Tess.  George doesn’t have any idea that Tess is actually a manipulative pretender??   Worse, Jane may have the unfortunate task to be called upon to plan their wedding!!!  Meanwhile, Kevin tries to get Jane's attention!!   His purpose is that Jane may be able to advance his career!!  Will Jane be able to see though this “attention” from Kevin?   Can Jane finally release her long bottled up feelings??  If she does, what will the fallout be like???

 
     To top off all of Jane's woes, a handsome reporter is very interested in her unusual romantic story.  What is his REAL motive for his story??  Fairly charming and no more objectionable, content-wise than most other Hollywood romantic comedies.  Watching this film you must fully embrace the standard rom-com cliches!!  A fairly liberal sprinkling of swear words and drinking.  The message sent to the audience is that women are not truly happy if they are constantly the bridesmaid and never the bride!!  Because this is a bit retro and frothy, it can possibly get away with this old fashioned way of thinking.  Definitely a chick flick!!!  Don’t worry about the ending, how could it be unhappy???  4* (I liked this movie)

111 min, Comedy directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Aline Brosh McKenna with Brian Kerwin, Charli Barcena, Peyton List, Jane Pfitsch, Katherine Heigl, Jennifer Lim, Brigitte Bourdeau, Judy Greer, Danielle Skraastad, Marilyn L. Costelllo, James Marsden, Michael Paul, Yetta Gottesman, Erin Fogel, Bern Cohen.

Note:  Imdb 6.1* out of 10* with 152,829 reviews, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, age 13+, 4* out of 5*, Rotten Tomatoes 41% with 153 critics 57% with 606,084 audience scores.

Special Note:  While Jane and Kevin are in the bar, a Josh Kelly song can be heard in the background.  In real life, Josh Kelley is married to Katherine Heigl. The wardrobe department reported that their initial designs for the dresses all looked too good on Katherine Heigl because of her figure??  They were almost unable to design bridesmaids dresses that would look bad on her!!!!  Katherine Heigl is just a few months younger than Malin Akerman, who played her younger sister supposedly by several years in this film.

Mistakes:  Right before Jane realizes she is yelling next to an ongoing 50th anniversary party, she is also flinging her clutch purse against the wall in anger??  Her mouth does not move as you hear her screaming, "why, why, why?”  The sound of the purse hitting the wall does not match the points where it hits??   And, the last two smacking sounds occur while she holds her purse in the air?  After she hits the wall, the purse is by her side??  If you can't get a purse scene right, what else can you not do????

The Holiday 2006

     The setting of this film is in London England.  Iris Simpkins writes a wedding column in a newspaper and nurtures an unrequited love for her colleague Jasper Bloom.  Near Christmas, she is informed that Jasper is engaged to marry another colleague.  This surprising event causes her life to turn upside down.  In Los Angeles, Amanda Woods makes movie-trailers.  She has just split with her unfaithful boyfriend Ethan and she wants to forget him forever!!  Through a house exchange website, Amanda impulsively swaps her mansion for Iris' cottage in Surrey during the holiday period.  While in Surrey, Amanda meets Iris' brother and book editor Graham and they fall in love almost instantly!!  Meanwhile, Iris meets her new next door neighbor the ninety year old screenplay writer Arthur, who helps her retrieve some of her self-esteem.  Iris also meets the film composer Miles and she falls in love with him.

     This romcom will probably appeal to teens but they could get mixed messages from some of the characters' behaviors.  Several scenes focus on drinking and drunkenness, two of them lead to unplanned sexual encounters.  This unsafe behavior is presented as cute comedy??   Plus, a single father suggests that he sometimes gets drunk to "compartmentalize" his life?  He is dealing with his sadness over his losing his wife and the pressures of being a full time dad.  Characters frequently get very emotional.  A woman punches her cheating boyfriend so hard that he falls to the ground.  A couple of bad words and other minor language is included.  Of course, some of the actors don’t realize this (?) but in reality, they don’t have very much in common emotionally in their jobs??  4* (I liked this movie)

136 min, Comedy directed and written by Nancy Meyers with Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black Eli Wallach, Edward Burns, Rufus Sewell, Miffy Englefield, Emma Pritchard, Sarah Parish, Shannyn Sossamon, Bill Macy, Shelley Berman, Kathryn Hahn, John Krasinski.

Note:  Imdb 6.9* out of 120* with 240,392 reviews, Common Sense Media Cynthia Fuchs, age 13+, 3* out of 4*, 3* sex, language, consumerism and drinking, drugs, smoking, Metacritic 52 out of 100 with 31 critic reviews 8.6 out of 10 with 227 reviews, Letterboxd  3.3* out of 5* with 342 fans.

Special Note:  Written specifically with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black in mind!!  Kate Winslet and Rufus Sewell have previously been in a real-life romance.  The website Amanda and Iris use to exchange houses is the real website, homeexchange.com.  The house used for Arthur Abbot’s (Eli Wallach’s) residence belonged to actress Phyllis Diller at the time of shooting and it is located in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles California.  Iris' (Kate Winslet’s) tiny cottage is contrasted to Amanda's (Cameron Diaz's) stunning house but in reality, thanks to UK property prices, an unspoiled cottage like this in a good location could easily be worth £1 million, not far off $2 million. 

Mistakes:  When Amanda is searching for her holiday place, on the net appears a window with the countries' flags.  The old South African flag is used instead of the current flag, Peru's flag is used as Poland's and Union Jack is used as England's flag?  In the beginning of the movie when Miles is producing a song for a movie, he hits all the wrong keys even though the computer screen shows the correct notes?  When Amanda pours herself a glass of white wine, the pouring sound effect begins well before any wine starts entering the bottle?