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This is a family drama with much humor. IMDb page doesn't specify where it was filmed but in one street scene we see the sign for "Quinn Podiatry" and that is in Pearl River, NY, just near the NY/NJ state line. And, I suppose, in other smaller communities in NJ and NY just upstream from New York city.
The cast contain a number of good, experienced actors and each creates an interesting character. The story revolves around Edie Falco as Wanda. She works as a bookkeeper for several small businesses in her area.
She has a pregnant daughter who is planning her wedding. She has a young adult son who never seems to be on a good track in life. Trouble seems to follow him.
She also has an ex-husband who, with his new family, may not be able to pay half of their daughter's wedding. Plus she is being pursued romantically by two different people, a man and a woman.
In essence the whole story is about Wanda coming to grips with her own life and happiness and it is a good ride.
My wife and I watched it at home, after our usual Saturday evening steak and red wine dinner, streaming on Peacock.
The cast contain a number of good, experienced actors and each creates an interesting character. The story revolves around Edie Falco as Wanda. She works as a bookkeeper for several small businesses in her area.
She has a pregnant daughter who is planning her wedding. She has a young adult son who never seems to be on a good track in life. Trouble seems to follow him.
She also has an ex-husband who, with his new family, may not be able to pay half of their daughter's wedding. Plus she is being pursued romantically by two different people, a man and a woman.
In essence the whole story is about Wanda coming to grips with her own life and happiness and it is a good ride.
My wife and I watched it at home, after our usual Saturday evening steak and red wine dinner, streaming on Peacock.
Set in Chicago but filmed entirely in Ireland, this story involves the use of phone "air drops" where an anonymous person can send photos and/or messages to another's phone.
Meghann Fahy is Violet, she has a 5-yr-old son and is just starting to date after her husband's death. She is using an ap where you can meet someone virtually then meet up if there is a mutual interest.
Now she is meeting a man, Brandon Sklenar as Henry, at an upscale downtown restaurant. There is a quick mix-up at the bar while she was waiting for him and, as soon as they are seated at a table she starts to get disturbing drops.
As it started, streaming on Peacock, my wife and I weren't sure we would stick with it, but we did and it turned out to be reasonably interesting and entertaining. Much of the movie was Violet trying to find out who in the restaurant area was sending the messages, plus why she was being asked to do something completely against her morals to save her son and her sister who was with him that evening.
It is a fictional story, some of it seemed implausible, but it is well made enough that we don't egret spending the approximately 90 minutes watching it.
Meghann Fahy is Violet, she has a 5-yr-old son and is just starting to date after her husband's death. She is using an ap where you can meet someone virtually then meet up if there is a mutual interest.
Now she is meeting a man, Brandon Sklenar as Henry, at an upscale downtown restaurant. There is a quick mix-up at the bar while she was waiting for him and, as soon as they are seated at a table she starts to get disturbing drops.
As it started, streaming on Peacock, my wife and I weren't sure we would stick with it, but we did and it turned out to be reasonably interesting and entertaining. Much of the movie was Violet trying to find out who in the restaurant area was sending the messages, plus why she was being asked to do something completely against her morals to save her son and her sister who was with him that evening.
It is a fictional story, some of it seemed implausible, but it is well made enough that we don't egret spending the approximately 90 minutes watching it.
I came about watching this movie backwards. I watched the most recent "Venom: The Last Dance" a few weeks ago, then afterwards realized I had not watched this one, the first in the Venom series. So last night I did, on Blu-Ray from my public library.
It has three of my favorite actors. Tom Hardy is the main one as Eddie Brock. He gives the role a good mix of seriousness and comedy. I enjoyed the comedic aspects of the movie, it is such an absurd premise I find it nice to not take it too seriously. He gets infected and possessed, only we the audience can hear the conversations the two of them are having, and they are funny.
Michelle Williams, who I like in everything, she is great to look at and one of the better actresses, is Eddie's girlfriend Anne but they have a falling out.
Then there is Riz Ahmed who was great in "Nightcrawler". He is Carlton Drake, the owner of a cutting edge space company, perhaps inspired by Elon Musk. A mission brings back an alien form from a comet. But he has no morals and no hesitation to use human volunteers even if he knows there will be a good chance they will die from the interaction with the alien organisms as he looks for the ideal combination.
I watched it at home on Blu-Ray from my public library. I was entertained. It was nice to see what turned out to be the last cameo appearance by Stan Lee in a street scene. He passed away not long after.
It has three of my favorite actors. Tom Hardy is the main one as Eddie Brock. He gives the role a good mix of seriousness and comedy. I enjoyed the comedic aspects of the movie, it is such an absurd premise I find it nice to not take it too seriously. He gets infected and possessed, only we the audience can hear the conversations the two of them are having, and they are funny.
Michelle Williams, who I like in everything, she is great to look at and one of the better actresses, is Eddie's girlfriend Anne but they have a falling out.
Then there is Riz Ahmed who was great in "Nightcrawler". He is Carlton Drake, the owner of a cutting edge space company, perhaps inspired by Elon Musk. A mission brings back an alien form from a comet. But he has no morals and no hesitation to use human volunteers even if he knows there will be a good chance they will die from the interaction with the alien organisms as he looks for the ideal combination.
I watched it at home on Blu-Ray from my public library. I was entertained. It was nice to see what turned out to be the last cameo appearance by Stan Lee in a street scene. He passed away not long after.
The title arises from the style of architecture that arose in the mid-20th century. Brutalist architecture is a style that is characterized by its use of raw, exposed concrete, geometric forms, and a focus on functionality.
Also, the "making of" extra on the Blu-Ray disc is helpful, the husband-wife writing team (and he is Director) explain that they both have architects in their families and for some time they had wanted to do a movie on that theme. And to overlay that on the immigrant experience, finding out that going to America is not an easy journey where everyone accepts them and everything works smoothly.
Adrien Brody, who won "Best Actor" for his role, is László Tóth. Back in Hungary he was a successful architect but in Philadelphia he first worked for a friend who was a furniture maker. Then as a laborer shoveling coal. When he did get his break as architect, a new ambitious project for a wealthy family, it did not go smoothly at all. Much of it was because of his own failings.
Then there was his wife back in Europe, when she was finally able to join him not all was joy and happiness.
The story spans about 35 years starting in 1947. There is a 1980s prologue showing what he had accomplished and his niece's point that, in spite of what many want to tell you, "It is not the journey, it is the destination that counts."
Good movie, it is long but an intermission is built in at the 1:40 point. My wife and I watched it at home, half each on consecutive nights, on Blu-Ray from our public library.
Also, the "making of" extra on the Blu-Ray disc is helpful, the husband-wife writing team (and he is Director) explain that they both have architects in their families and for some time they had wanted to do a movie on that theme. And to overlay that on the immigrant experience, finding out that going to America is not an easy journey where everyone accepts them and everything works smoothly.
Adrien Brody, who won "Best Actor" for his role, is László Tóth. Back in Hungary he was a successful architect but in Philadelphia he first worked for a friend who was a furniture maker. Then as a laborer shoveling coal. When he did get his break as architect, a new ambitious project for a wealthy family, it did not go smoothly at all. Much of it was because of his own failings.
Then there was his wife back in Europe, when she was finally able to join him not all was joy and happiness.
The story spans about 35 years starting in 1947. There is a 1980s prologue showing what he had accomplished and his niece's point that, in spite of what many want to tell you, "It is not the journey, it is the destination that counts."
Good movie, it is long but an intermission is built in at the 1:40 point. My wife and I watched it at home, half each on consecutive nights, on Blu-Ray from our public library.
As is stated in the original trailer for this movie, the story is an extrapolation of the Cinderella story which ends at midnight, and this one starts at midnight. On a train from Monte Carlo via Nice to Paris.
Claudette Colbert (35 during filming) is the star as Eve Peabody, a somewhat reckless woman who had come into a bit of money then lost it all by gambling and losing. She arrives in Paris on a rainy midnight.
She encounters Don Ameche (30 during filming) as cab driver Tibor Czerny ('churney') who seems to immediately be attracted to her.
Later she crashes an invitation only recital, gets pulled into a card game, and is yanked in a different direction by a wealthy man, John Barrymore as Georges Flammarion. He isn't romantically interested in her, he wants her to lure away the man who is trying to steal his wife.
The story builds and the last 20 minutes or so are most interesting and entertaining, and includes a trip to court to try to divorce the man she isn't even married to. It makes sense in context of the movie.
Good comedy, representative of the type of movies they made in the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to the actors named above the cast also included Mary Astor as the married woman being courted, and Hedda Hopper in a small role during the recital.
A curious addition was Elaine Barrie, the still new 23-yr-old wife of 56-yr-old John Barrymore. In a director commentary on the Criterion Collection disc he seemed to imply she was there to keep an eye on her husband.
My wife and I enjoyed it on disc from our public library. This edition is nicely restored with an excellent B&W picture and clear mono sound.
Claudette Colbert (35 during filming) is the star as Eve Peabody, a somewhat reckless woman who had come into a bit of money then lost it all by gambling and losing. She arrives in Paris on a rainy midnight.
She encounters Don Ameche (30 during filming) as cab driver Tibor Czerny ('churney') who seems to immediately be attracted to her.
Later she crashes an invitation only recital, gets pulled into a card game, and is yanked in a different direction by a wealthy man, John Barrymore as Georges Flammarion. He isn't romantically interested in her, he wants her to lure away the man who is trying to steal his wife.
The story builds and the last 20 minutes or so are most interesting and entertaining, and includes a trip to court to try to divorce the man she isn't even married to. It makes sense in context of the movie.
Good comedy, representative of the type of movies they made in the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to the actors named above the cast also included Mary Astor as the married woman being courted, and Hedda Hopper in a small role during the recital.
A curious addition was Elaine Barrie, the still new 23-yr-old wife of 56-yr-old John Barrymore. In a director commentary on the Criterion Collection disc he seemed to imply she was there to keep an eye on her husband.
My wife and I enjoyed it on disc from our public library. This edition is nicely restored with an excellent B&W picture and clear mono sound.
Let me start by stating that watching this movie was a big disappointment overall for my wife and me. We got the DVD at our public library. The cover has a very nice photo of what looks like four 30-something ladies but watching the movie we find that one of the four is actually a nice looking man with hair that made him appear to be a lady.
Why was it a disappointment? Because overall it comes across as an amateurish effort. This was the first movie for the young director and it shows with many clumsy scenes and often prolonged scenes that do not move the story forward.
Plus the writers are not experienced, two of them are two actresses who star in the movie. There is an extended scene where the three sisters, each nominally heterosexual, discuss their lesbian experiences, one describing how she made oral sex "taste minty."
No, not a very good movie. If the median rating on the IMDb scale is 5.5 I would say this one is somewhere in the 3 to 4 range. We are not happy that we took the time to watch it, the good points are too few and too far between.
Why was it a disappointment? Because overall it comes across as an amateurish effort. This was the first movie for the young director and it shows with many clumsy scenes and often prolonged scenes that do not move the story forward.
Plus the writers are not experienced, two of them are two actresses who star in the movie. There is an extended scene where the three sisters, each nominally heterosexual, discuss their lesbian experiences, one describing how she made oral sex "taste minty."
No, not a very good movie. If the median rating on the IMDb scale is 5.5 I would say this one is somewhere in the 3 to 4 range. We are not happy that we took the time to watch it, the good points are too few and too far between.
When this movie ended my overall reaction was "Why did anyone choose to make this movie?" Everything in it is bonkers. Then I watched the three "extras" on the DVD and the writer explained his inspiration, from vacations he took over the years.
The writer is Nick Frost who also is in the lead role as Richard. Aisling ('ashling') Bea plays his wife, Susan. They have along with them a son and a daughter appearing about 20 or maybe a bit older.
There is an annual festival on a small, remote island and they time their trip to witness it. However they find the insular locals very unwelcoming.
To say much more would be to give away important spoilers but suffice to say it is a comedy/horror movie, as things develop we witness lots of blood and gore and dismemberments.
I watched it at home on DVD from my public library. The extras are essential. Would I watch it again, or recommend it to anyone I know? Definitely not unless you are a big Nick Frost fan.
The writer is Nick Frost who also is in the lead role as Richard. Aisling ('ashling') Bea plays his wife, Susan. They have along with them a son and a daughter appearing about 20 or maybe a bit older.
There is an annual festival on a small, remote island and they time their trip to witness it. However they find the insular locals very unwelcoming.
To say much more would be to give away important spoilers but suffice to say it is a comedy/horror movie, as things develop we witness lots of blood and gore and dismemberments.
I watched it at home on DVD from my public library. The extras are essential. Would I watch it again, or recommend it to anyone I know? Definitely not unless you are a big Nick Frost fan.
Who is this movie made for? Those who relish lots and lots of guns and shooting, manic chases and a few explosions all with lots of people killed.
This is a made for streaming movie on Amazon Prime. The actors are well chosen, the concept is interesting, that two world leaders get attacked and they have to band together to survive, then to get to the root of the problem.
Much of the dialog is done in a broad comedic style but with all the killing can it really be considered a comedy?
Idris Elba is Sam Clarke, the British Prime Minister, John Cena is Will Derringer, the former entertainer who now is the USA President. They end up with a mutual enemy that threatens to destroy their countries.
Carla Gugino is one of my favorite modern actresses, here she is VP Elizabeth Kirk.
My wife and I watched it at home after Saturday dinner, we lasted through it but truthfully it is not, it total, a very good movie. I would not watch it again.
This is a made for streaming movie on Amazon Prime. The actors are well chosen, the concept is interesting, that two world leaders get attacked and they have to band together to survive, then to get to the root of the problem.
Much of the dialog is done in a broad comedic style but with all the killing can it really be considered a comedy?
Idris Elba is Sam Clarke, the British Prime Minister, John Cena is Will Derringer, the former entertainer who now is the USA President. They end up with a mutual enemy that threatens to destroy their countries.
Carla Gugino is one of my favorite modern actresses, here she is VP Elizabeth Kirk.
My wife and I watched it at home after Saturday dinner, we lasted through it but truthfully it is not, it total, a very good movie. I would not watch it again.
I had not heard of this series until I caught Bella Ramsey discussing it a bit on a video, it seemed interesting and worth a look. Fortunately, I was able to get the 4-disc set of season one at my public library. All my comments here refer to season one, I may or may not watch season two or further. Some reviews state that season 2 is a let-down from season 1.
"The Last of Us" is a video game made for the Sony Play Station and was first available in June 2013. It apparently was wildly popular but I am not a video game person and would never have known about it.
So in 2023 this 9-part series made for HBO was released in January 2023. The main star is Bella Ramsey (17, then 18, during filming) playing a 14-yr-old orphan. We don't find out until episode 9 the details of her origin story. Her character is Ellie Williams.
The second main character is Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller. He has a complicated past but like others is fighting for survival. He is brutal when he needs to be. The meat of the story embedded in this series is the developing pseudo father-daughter bond that Ellie and Joel begin to develop.
Episode one explains the crisis, while pandemics have normally been caused either by a deadly virus or bacterium, this one is by a mutant strain of fungus that acts very quickly and turns infected humans into a type of zombie that just wants to kill.
We learn early that Ellie has been bitten and has scars on her arm, but had no harmful reaction, meaning that she could be the only one in the world that has a resistance that could be turned into a cure.
Much of season one is a road trip, Joel and Ellie, without suitable transportation, work their way from Boston to Wyoming where they believe proper medical staff in a proper medical facility can use her immunity to produce a cure. She might be the last hope for mankind.
Even if there were not a story here I would have found the viewing worthwhile just for the interactions and dialog between Joel and Ellie. Of course the script is well-written but Bella Ramsey has such a wise, seasoned acting approach that the impact is much greater than what was written, because of the mastery she shows in delivering dialog and emotions. She really is one of the best young actors I have even watched.
The end of season one achieves a resolution of sorts, but not one that I would have predicted, and does set up for additional seasons.
My wife and I watched it at home, usually one of two episodes an evening.
"The Last of Us" is a video game made for the Sony Play Station and was first available in June 2013. It apparently was wildly popular but I am not a video game person and would never have known about it.
So in 2023 this 9-part series made for HBO was released in January 2023. The main star is Bella Ramsey (17, then 18, during filming) playing a 14-yr-old orphan. We don't find out until episode 9 the details of her origin story. Her character is Ellie Williams.
The second main character is Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller. He has a complicated past but like others is fighting for survival. He is brutal when he needs to be. The meat of the story embedded in this series is the developing pseudo father-daughter bond that Ellie and Joel begin to develop.
Episode one explains the crisis, while pandemics have normally been caused either by a deadly virus or bacterium, this one is by a mutant strain of fungus that acts very quickly and turns infected humans into a type of zombie that just wants to kill.
We learn early that Ellie has been bitten and has scars on her arm, but had no harmful reaction, meaning that she could be the only one in the world that has a resistance that could be turned into a cure.
Much of season one is a road trip, Joel and Ellie, without suitable transportation, work their way from Boston to Wyoming where they believe proper medical staff in a proper medical facility can use her immunity to produce a cure. She might be the last hope for mankind.
Even if there were not a story here I would have found the viewing worthwhile just for the interactions and dialog between Joel and Ellie. Of course the script is well-written but Bella Ramsey has such a wise, seasoned acting approach that the impact is much greater than what was written, because of the mastery she shows in delivering dialog and emotions. She really is one of the best young actors I have even watched.
The end of season one achieves a resolution of sorts, but not one that I would have predicted, and does set up for additional seasons.
My wife and I watched it at home, usually one of two episodes an evening.
Jessica Belkin is very attractive, she is a wonderful singer, and she shows early promise as an actress. Here she is the featured character Charlotte, a singer and songwriter not far from her real self. It has been said each of us has a custom-made role, it is playing ourselves.
However Ms. Belkin has devolved into a nasty habit that makes her pretty much unwatchable. She has a beautiful NORMAL speaking voice but more and more she devolves into a very annoying "vocal fry" in her voice. Especially as she is ending a phrase. I found it to be so annoying and distracting as to prevent me from listening to what she is saying, instead I can only listen to how she is saying it.
I did a search and pulled up older interviews she has done, again she has a beautiful NORMAL speaking voice, she is able to eliminate the vocal fry but for some strange reason insists on putting it in. Maybe she thinks that makes her more appealing? It does just the opposite. She is young enough to correct it, I am hoping someone close to her will point it out.
The other main character plays her mother, Malin Akerman as Mary She has been one of my favorites over the years and her role here is no exception.
However Ms. Belkin has devolved into a nasty habit that makes her pretty much unwatchable. She has a beautiful NORMAL speaking voice but more and more she devolves into a very annoying "vocal fry" in her voice. Especially as she is ending a phrase. I found it to be so annoying and distracting as to prevent me from listening to what she is saying, instead I can only listen to how she is saying it.
I did a search and pulled up older interviews she has done, again she has a beautiful NORMAL speaking voice, she is able to eliminate the vocal fry but for some strange reason insists on putting it in. Maybe she thinks that makes her more appealing? It does just the opposite. She is young enough to correct it, I am hoping someone close to her will point it out.
The other main character plays her mother, Malin Akerman as Mary She has been one of my favorites over the years and her role here is no exception.
I found this movie on Blu-Ray at my public library. It isn't really the type of movie I prefer to watch but being blazing hot outside thus time of year I settled in to enjoy it. Afterwards, I realized I had not watched the 2018 'Venom' so I will get that one next. (Note: Did it on July 17, 2025.)
Not being a Venom fan much of what is depicted here is puzzling to me so I just decided to not worry about it. There are aliens and a being that is said to be "older than the universe" which is pretty old! And the simple goal of the good guys here is to "protect the CODEX from dark hands." That seems pretty clear.
The movie has lots of action, mostly overload at times, and it shows in the end credits with the many hundreds of CG artists that worked on the movie. But overall I found it an enjoyable, mindless viewing.
There is a key scene, late, where the traveling family approach Area 51, peer through a fence, find a hole and wander in. Such a thing could never happen the way Area 51 security is. But hey, it's a fantasy movie.
Not being a Venom fan much of what is depicted here is puzzling to me so I just decided to not worry about it. There are aliens and a being that is said to be "older than the universe" which is pretty old! And the simple goal of the good guys here is to "protect the CODEX from dark hands." That seems pretty clear.
The movie has lots of action, mostly overload at times, and it shows in the end credits with the many hundreds of CG artists that worked on the movie. But overall I found it an enjoyable, mindless viewing.
There is a key scene, late, where the traveling family approach Area 51, peer through a fence, find a hole and wander in. Such a thing could never happen the way Area 51 security is. But hey, it's a fantasy movie.
One of my pastimes is seeing what new movies my public library adds, and lately searching for Criterion Collection editions. Mostly older movies worthy of preserving.
So I found this one, made in 1975 and representing 1964 high school students in Chicago.
The most interesting to me is that it is based on real characters and real events. The experiences of Eric Monte, who wrote the screenplay, growing up in Chicago's housing projects and attending Cooley Vocational High School. Thus the title, "Cooley High."
Some have called this an "American Graffiti" for the black community and I can see that. But being a boy in the deep south in the early 1960s, very far removed from what is depicted here, I found it very difficult to enjoy this movie. I mainly found myself thinking, "why not pay more attention to your studies instead of so much mischief?"
For me the last 15 minutes or so was the best part, there is a funeral after an unfortunate event and the main protagonist "comes of age", realizing that a life lived well is better than one wasted. But the fact that it takes the whole movie to get there makes it hard to watch most of the times.
At home, on Blu-Ray from my public library. The closing credits includes brief statement of what happened to a few of them.
So I found this one, made in 1975 and representing 1964 high school students in Chicago.
The most interesting to me is that it is based on real characters and real events. The experiences of Eric Monte, who wrote the screenplay, growing up in Chicago's housing projects and attending Cooley Vocational High School. Thus the title, "Cooley High."
Some have called this an "American Graffiti" for the black community and I can see that. But being a boy in the deep south in the early 1960s, very far removed from what is depicted here, I found it very difficult to enjoy this movie. I mainly found myself thinking, "why not pay more attention to your studies instead of so much mischief?"
For me the last 15 minutes or so was the best part, there is a funeral after an unfortunate event and the main protagonist "comes of age", realizing that a life lived well is better than one wasted. But the fact that it takes the whole movie to get there makes it hard to watch most of the times.
At home, on Blu-Ray from my public library. The closing credits includes brief statement of what happened to a few of them.
Even before this movie came out many people were upset with certain aspects of it and as soon as they could, they began to write negative reviews and vote it down with "1" ratings, often without even seeing the movie. Today its IMDb rating is 2.0 because 87% votes of "1". Totally bogus!
My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. It is a very nicely done and highly entertaining musical, and it sticks pretty closely to the standard Snow White story.
Rachel Zegler has the lead role of the young adult Snow White. She is a very accomplished actress and singer.
Gal Gadot plays the evil stepmom queen after Snow White's dad goes off to fight battles. Gadot is perfect for the role, displaying an evil charm, and even does her own singing. Not a very good singer but also not too bad, sort of like Gerard Butler in "Phantom."
Andrew Burnap is Jonathan, a peasant that meets Snow White when he is stealing potatoes. It turns out his friendship becomes a key component of the resolution of the story. Burnap is also a fine singer and he and Zegler are good in their duets.
Overall a very nicely entertaining movie.
My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. It is a very nicely done and highly entertaining musical, and it sticks pretty closely to the standard Snow White story.
Rachel Zegler has the lead role of the young adult Snow White. She is a very accomplished actress and singer.
Gal Gadot plays the evil stepmom queen after Snow White's dad goes off to fight battles. Gadot is perfect for the role, displaying an evil charm, and even does her own singing. Not a very good singer but also not too bad, sort of like Gerard Butler in "Phantom."
Andrew Burnap is Jonathan, a peasant that meets Snow White when he is stealing potatoes. It turns out his friendship becomes a key component of the resolution of the story. Burnap is also a fine singer and he and Zegler are good in their duets.
Overall a very nicely entertaining movie.
This movie is about writers, but the real interesting part is about the dog and the part he plays.
Bill Murray is Walter, he is jogging one day in Brooklyn, along the river, when he sees this Great Dane, Apollo, sitting alone on a hill with no apparent collar or identification. Apollo becomes Walter's companion.
One of his close friends, and formerly a bit more than that, is Naomi Watts (who also is Executive Producer) as fellow writer Iris. She lives in a small, rent-controlled apartment that doesn't allow dogs. At least not yet!
So, right after Walter's untimely death everything points to Iris as the new caretaker of Apollo. This presents a number of difficulties that drive the rest of the story in this movie.
My wife and I watched it at home, on DVD from our public library. It is a refreshingly good movie, in this day of mostly mediocre movies. Watts and the dog are both very authentic in their roles.
Bill Murray is Walter, he is jogging one day in Brooklyn, along the river, when he sees this Great Dane, Apollo, sitting alone on a hill with no apparent collar or identification. Apollo becomes Walter's companion.
One of his close friends, and formerly a bit more than that, is Naomi Watts (who also is Executive Producer) as fellow writer Iris. She lives in a small, rent-controlled apartment that doesn't allow dogs. At least not yet!
So, right after Walter's untimely death everything points to Iris as the new caretaker of Apollo. This presents a number of difficulties that drive the rest of the story in this movie.
My wife and I watched it at home, on DVD from our public library. It is a refreshingly good movie, in this day of mostly mediocre movies. Watts and the dog are both very authentic in their roles.
I found this older movie streaming on Peacock. I watched it for two reasons. The first was a very young Sandra Bullock in her very early career. The second was because years earlier I had enjoyed the TV series this is based on.
Lindsay Wagner is Jaime Sommers, the Bionic Woman, while Lee Majors is Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man. The two of course are very close and by the end of this movie it seems they will get even much closer.
It is a cold war story of spying and espionage. The latest person to get the medical treatment to turn her into a super person is 25-yr-old Sandra Bullock as Kate Mason. She ends up being entered in a track and field competition with athletes from the USSR, running the 400 meters.
This is not a great movie but entertaining as a slice of how TV movies were made back then. When the various characters went into super speed mode they simulated that by slowing them down, basically into slow motion, but it works!
Fun viewing.
Lindsay Wagner is Jaime Sommers, the Bionic Woman, while Lee Majors is Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man. The two of course are very close and by the end of this movie it seems they will get even much closer.
It is a cold war story of spying and espionage. The latest person to get the medical treatment to turn her into a super person is 25-yr-old Sandra Bullock as Kate Mason. She ends up being entered in a track and field competition with athletes from the USSR, running the 400 meters.
This is not a great movie but entertaining as a slice of how TV movies were made back then. When the various characters went into super speed mode they simulated that by slowing them down, basically into slow motion, but it works!
Fun viewing.
The fact that this movie was a favorite at Cannes means it probably isn't mainstream. I suspect most mainstream fans of movies would NOT enjoy this movie. For starters it has the most filthy language imaginable. The main character cannot deliver any line without it being filled with F-bombs and often 5 or 6 versions on F-bombs in the same sentence.
However, for those who can get past this it is a very interesting and entertaining movie. My wife did not want to watch it.
Mikey Madison, 23 or 24 during filming, is Ani. She works as a sex worker in New York, probably the only career she has training for. In her line of work she meets a young Russian man, 21, who invites her to his place for a better time. Later he asks her to be with him for a week, traveling to Las Vegas for a good time.
The guy is totally juvenile, loves to play video games and spend the money of his wealthy Russian family. But Ani likes him in a strange sort of way. He asks her to marry him, being in Las Vegas already it is off to the wedding chapel.
All that sets up the rest of the two-hour movie, when the Russian "handlers" back in New York find out, and when his parents find out, the antics, many totally funny, break out.
When it was all over and we see Ani a final time, it just looked to me that she was just trying to find someone and some meaning in her life and she seemed to be going about it in all the wrong ways.
At home, on a Criterion Collection DVD from my public library.
However, for those who can get past this it is a very interesting and entertaining movie. My wife did not want to watch it.
Mikey Madison, 23 or 24 during filming, is Ani. She works as a sex worker in New York, probably the only career she has training for. In her line of work she meets a young Russian man, 21, who invites her to his place for a better time. Later he asks her to be with him for a week, traveling to Las Vegas for a good time.
The guy is totally juvenile, loves to play video games and spend the money of his wealthy Russian family. But Ani likes him in a strange sort of way. He asks her to marry him, being in Las Vegas already it is off to the wedding chapel.
All that sets up the rest of the two-hour movie, when the Russian "handlers" back in New York find out, and when his parents find out, the antics, many totally funny, break out.
When it was all over and we see Ani a final time, it just looked to me that she was just trying to find someone and some meaning in her life and she seemed to be going about it in all the wrong ways.
At home, on a Criterion Collection DVD from my public library.
My wife and I were looking for a pleasant, not difficult movie to watch after our usual Saturday steak and wine dinner. We found this one streaming on Peacock. We enjoyed the viewing.
It is a dramatization of events from the summer of 1939. A family had been planning a fishing trip but dad had to change plans because of work. So instead he took his twin sons on a hiking trip up one of the mountains in Maine.
One of the twins, Donn, was the headstrong one of the two. He was more likely to get angry and perhaps do things he wasn't supposed to. As they are hiking, led by a friend who was experienced there, the weather started to become threatening. Instead of agreeing to go back with the others he took off on his own, confident that he would be OK.
So the movie is about his survival, lost on the mountain for at least 9 or 10 days, I lost count. Search parties turned up nothing, his family started to fear the worst. But his dad had always told him, if you find a stream follow it because it will lead you to a river and you could follow that.
A nice touch is the movie interspersed with interviews with family and friends apparently made in the 1990s. Plus even some low quality B&W news footage from 1939.
This is pretty plain movie but well made and tells an interesting story.
It is a dramatization of events from the summer of 1939. A family had been planning a fishing trip but dad had to change plans because of work. So instead he took his twin sons on a hiking trip up one of the mountains in Maine.
One of the twins, Donn, was the headstrong one of the two. He was more likely to get angry and perhaps do things he wasn't supposed to. As they are hiking, led by a friend who was experienced there, the weather started to become threatening. Instead of agreeing to go back with the others he took off on his own, confident that he would be OK.
So the movie is about his survival, lost on the mountain for at least 9 or 10 days, I lost count. Search parties turned up nothing, his family started to fear the worst. But his dad had always told him, if you find a stream follow it because it will lead you to a river and you could follow that.
A nice touch is the movie interspersed with interviews with family and friends apparently made in the 1990s. Plus even some low quality B&W news footage from 1939.
This is pretty plain movie but well made and tells an interesting story.
Summary: Not bad, not especially good, just more of the same.
We pretty much watch what I can check out from my public library. We watched this one at home, on DVD. I read several reviews first, lots of them say it isn't worth the time to watch but we gave it a try anyway.
The newest "Captain" is Anthony Mackie and he does a fine job, if unspectacular. What we enjoyed most was seeing Harrison Ford as the newly elected US President. The story here is written in a manner reflective of the worldwide issues going on now in the real world. Except ...
Something from space lands in the Indian Ocean and contains a previously unknown substance that somehow, unexplained, would be of great benefit to humanity. The movie starts with a sample of this being transported then turning up missing.
There is the usual good guys vs the bad guys. A technique is used where a particular sound, in this case a song, triggers unusual behavior in certain people, especially people with lethal guns. The movie has the several, mandatory, over-the-top chases with shooting and explosives.
In other words, nothing that we have not already seen in countless action movies over the years. A movie definitely made for the simple fans of mindless action.
When it was over I asked my wife, "Did you enjoy it?" Her response was "Meh!"
We pretty much watch what I can check out from my public library. We watched this one at home, on DVD. I read several reviews first, lots of them say it isn't worth the time to watch but we gave it a try anyway.
The newest "Captain" is Anthony Mackie and he does a fine job, if unspectacular. What we enjoyed most was seeing Harrison Ford as the newly elected US President. The story here is written in a manner reflective of the worldwide issues going on now in the real world. Except ...
Something from space lands in the Indian Ocean and contains a previously unknown substance that somehow, unexplained, would be of great benefit to humanity. The movie starts with a sample of this being transported then turning up missing.
There is the usual good guys vs the bad guys. A technique is used where a particular sound, in this case a song, triggers unusual behavior in certain people, especially people with lethal guns. The movie has the several, mandatory, over-the-top chases with shooting and explosives.
In other words, nothing that we have not already seen in countless action movies over the years. A movie definitely made for the simple fans of mindless action.
When it was over I asked my wife, "Did you enjoy it?" Her response was "Meh!"
I was a senior in high school when this movie came out in 1963. Part of my fun watching it is to recall how some things were in that era. My family owned a 1961 Ford and in the scenes at camp we see many of the new 1962 Ford cars there.
One thing that was NOT common, although maybe in Manhattan where this movie is set, the man coming home from work and immediately pouring himself a drink. And people casually smoking wherever they happened to be.
Anyway it all brings back fond memories of the early 1960s. The stars of the movie are the father-son duo, the Corbetts. Dad manages an important radio station in Manhattan, his son is Ron Howard (still Ronny) as Eddie Corbett. The movie was filmed when Howard had just turned 8, during a break from "The Andy Griffith Show." He was quite experienced already and handled his role as a real pro.
Eddie's mother had died not long ago and his dad (Glenn Ford) was showing interest in a particular woman. Eddie sized her up right away, did not approve, and began to work on getting his dad and the lady in the apartment across the hall (Shirley Jones) together.
So that in essence is what the story is about, Eddie working things out so that his dad would marry the right woman.
Very well made and entertaining movie with many of the best actors of that time. At home, on DVD from my public library.
One thing that was NOT common, although maybe in Manhattan where this movie is set, the man coming home from work and immediately pouring himself a drink. And people casually smoking wherever they happened to be.
Anyway it all brings back fond memories of the early 1960s. The stars of the movie are the father-son duo, the Corbetts. Dad manages an important radio station in Manhattan, his son is Ron Howard (still Ronny) as Eddie Corbett. The movie was filmed when Howard had just turned 8, during a break from "The Andy Griffith Show." He was quite experienced already and handled his role as a real pro.
Eddie's mother had died not long ago and his dad (Glenn Ford) was showing interest in a particular woman. Eddie sized her up right away, did not approve, and began to work on getting his dad and the lady in the apartment across the hall (Shirley Jones) together.
So that in essence is what the story is about, Eddie working things out so that his dad would marry the right woman.
Very well made and entertaining movie with many of the best actors of that time. At home, on DVD from my public library.
This 8-part miniseries hit Prime streaming yesterday. My wife and I settled in and watched the first two episodes.
The biggest issue is nothing much happens in the first two episodes. The main character has an incident she doesn't remember at the end of episode one. Then most of episode two is flashing back and forward to understand why her family and friends reacted the way they did. And juveniles trying to sort out boy-girl issues. Sort of a teenage soap opera.
One reviewer wrote "flat, nonengaging", another wrote "lazy writing, lazy cast saying lazy lines." That pretty well captures this limited series. A story that might have been told well in a 90-minute movie is stretched to roughly 8 hours and the filmmakers expect us to devote all that time with just the HOPE that it will turn out entertaining and worthwhile.
Well, not for us. After giving it almost 24 hours to set in my wife and I both decided we had no interest in sticking with it.
However a week later I did watch the last episode just to see how they tried to tie things up. In fact I found it to be very interesting and I was surprised at what all had happened. I will go so far as to state, if a viewer doesn't want to spend 8 hours on the whole series then watching episodes 1, 2, and 8 can be pretty entertaining.
But one can tell, from the episode synopses provided by Prime for each episode, most of the filler time involves teenage soap-opera types of topics. That wasn't of much interest to us grandparents.
The biggest issue is nothing much happens in the first two episodes. The main character has an incident she doesn't remember at the end of episode one. Then most of episode two is flashing back and forward to understand why her family and friends reacted the way they did. And juveniles trying to sort out boy-girl issues. Sort of a teenage soap opera.
One reviewer wrote "flat, nonengaging", another wrote "lazy writing, lazy cast saying lazy lines." That pretty well captures this limited series. A story that might have been told well in a 90-minute movie is stretched to roughly 8 hours and the filmmakers expect us to devote all that time with just the HOPE that it will turn out entertaining and worthwhile.
Well, not for us. After giving it almost 24 hours to set in my wife and I both decided we had no interest in sticking with it.
However a week later I did watch the last episode just to see how they tried to tie things up. In fact I found it to be very interesting and I was surprised at what all had happened. I will go so far as to state, if a viewer doesn't want to spend 8 hours on the whole series then watching episodes 1, 2, and 8 can be pretty entertaining.
But one can tell, from the episode synopses provided by Prime for each episode, most of the filler time involves teenage soap-opera types of topics. That wasn't of much interest to us grandparents.
This movie is set on the fictitious Wallis Island off the British coast but was actually filmed on the Wales shore, making it look like it could have been an island. Aerial shots of an island are actually Ramsey Island, a nature preserve off the coast of Wales.
Tim Key, a co-writer, is Charles Heath living on Wallis Island. He is a big, big fan of a music duo that were popular in the 1990s and early 2000s but broke up. He now has a solo career and she moved to the Portland area of the US, and is married. It is approaching five years since Charles' wife passed away, he wanted to do something special in her honor.
So he hired the male of the duo, Tom Basden (also co-writer) as Herb McGwyer, to travel to his small island for a one night "concert" of fewer than 100 fans. In truth, it was only him, 1 is fewer than 100!
However unbeknownst to Herb, Charles also hired the female member of the duo, Carey Mulligan as Nell Mortimer. She also shows up, via small boat, with her husband.
It is a quirky, often funny story and the actors are all great in their roles. It seems that nothing goes as planned and this creates opportunities for an entertaining storyline.
My wife and I were entertained, we watched it streaming on Prime.
Tim Key, a co-writer, is Charles Heath living on Wallis Island. He is a big, big fan of a music duo that were popular in the 1990s and early 2000s but broke up. He now has a solo career and she moved to the Portland area of the US, and is married. It is approaching five years since Charles' wife passed away, he wanted to do something special in her honor.
So he hired the male of the duo, Tom Basden (also co-writer) as Herb McGwyer, to travel to his small island for a one night "concert" of fewer than 100 fans. In truth, it was only him, 1 is fewer than 100!
However unbeknownst to Herb, Charles also hired the female member of the duo, Carey Mulligan as Nell Mortimer. She also shows up, via small boat, with her husband.
It is a quirky, often funny story and the actors are all great in their roles. It seems that nothing goes as planned and this creates opportunities for an entertaining storyline.
My wife and I were entertained, we watched it streaming on Prime.
Merit is a female Afghanistan veteran, back home in Oregon. As the movie begins we see flashback scenes which included her and her close friend Zoe deployed. But we soon realize that Zoe is dead yet in many scenes we see her, representing Merit's inability to get past all that.
Ed Harris does a good turn as Merit's elderly granddad, living in his long-time home on a small lake. Merit's mom, the man's daughter, is thinking that he might be developing dementia and she is actively trying to get him into an assisted living facility. Merit will play a pivotal role in resolving the issue.
Morgan Freeman also has a key role, he facilitates a group meeting and Merit is one of the participants. She has to complete the sessions and get his signature to keep her out of legal trouble but she is reluctant to share what is really going on. So he plays a pivotal role in helping her get past her own PTSD.
Good character study, my wife and I watched it at home, on DVD from our public library.
Ed Harris does a good turn as Merit's elderly granddad, living in his long-time home on a small lake. Merit's mom, the man's daughter, is thinking that he might be developing dementia and she is actively trying to get him into an assisted living facility. Merit will play a pivotal role in resolving the issue.
Morgan Freeman also has a key role, he facilitates a group meeting and Merit is one of the participants. She has to complete the sessions and get his signature to keep her out of legal trouble but she is reluctant to share what is really going on. So he plays a pivotal role in helping her get past her own PTSD.
Good character study, my wife and I watched it at home, on DVD from our public library.
First day of availability, streaming on Prime. We wanted to watch it mainly for Bryce Dallas Howard who is Kat. She is a mostly out-of-work actress who teaches improv.
In truth we were mostly disappointed overall with the movie. It has lots of silliness in it, yet the script is filled with foul language, mostly F-bombs from most actors. Even Kat. What would Opie say? This type of writing is always a disappointment, F-bombs are substituted for clever writing.
The premise is interesting. London police want a fresh approach, a group who don't act like cops to infiltrate and expose the drug and money laundering. So they recruit Kat and two of her improv associates, they can use the payday. Even though it is a comedy there is ample shooting and killing.
To me it was an interesting premise without a good script and without good direction. Not up to even the standards of made-for-streaming movies.
In truth we were mostly disappointed overall with the movie. It has lots of silliness in it, yet the script is filled with foul language, mostly F-bombs from most actors. Even Kat. What would Opie say? This type of writing is always a disappointment, F-bombs are substituted for clever writing.
The premise is interesting. London police want a fresh approach, a group who don't act like cops to infiltrate and expose the drug and money laundering. So they recruit Kat and two of her improv associates, they can use the payday. Even though it is a comedy there is ample shooting and killing.
To me it was an interesting premise without a good script and without good direction. Not up to even the standards of made-for-streaming movies.
From the brothers, now later the sisters, who gave us "The Matrix" comes this movie, "Bound" just a few years earlier. To me the actual story is secondary, we have seen it in different forms in a number of movies. There is a crime family, there are associates outside the immediate family, there is a lot of money, in this case a bit over $2 Million, and the temptation to steal it is great.
The opening scene is a closet, from above and looking down, as the camera comes in closer we see one of the main characters bound, gagged, and on the floor of the closet. We don't learn fully why until about 20 minutes from the end of the movie.
There are three main characters, Jennifer Tilly as Violet, her boyfriend she lives with, Joe Pantoliano as mobster Caesar, and the female repair person working a job in the adjacent apartment, Gina Gershon as Corky. The three get intimately intertwined in several ways. As things unfold we see lots of graphic, bloody violence.
What I admire most about the movie is the way scenes are filmed. The composition, the camera angles, the lighting are all interesting and often unique. Not what we see in most movies of this genre. I will go far as to suggest, if one would watch the movie without sound it would be a pleasure just from watching the way the scenes are filmed.
At home, on Criterion Collection Blu-Ray from my public library. Several interesting extras are on the disc.
The opening scene is a closet, from above and looking down, as the camera comes in closer we see one of the main characters bound, gagged, and on the floor of the closet. We don't learn fully why until about 20 minutes from the end of the movie.
There are three main characters, Jennifer Tilly as Violet, her boyfriend she lives with, Joe Pantoliano as mobster Caesar, and the female repair person working a job in the adjacent apartment, Gina Gershon as Corky. The three get intimately intertwined in several ways. As things unfold we see lots of graphic, bloody violence.
What I admire most about the movie is the way scenes are filmed. The composition, the camera angles, the lighting are all interesting and often unique. Not what we see in most movies of this genre. I will go far as to suggest, if one would watch the movie without sound it would be a pleasure just from watching the way the scenes are filmed.
At home, on Criterion Collection Blu-Ray from my public library. Several interesting extras are on the disc.
Well, not all of Scotland but a nice beach location and adjoining village and other land in the NW of Scotland. For a new oil production facility.
I have a special attachment to this movie, after watching it on a Criterion Collection DVD from my public library. It starts with a scene of traffic on the downtown section of the freeway in Houston. In the background is the building I used to work in for ten years, and adjacent to it is the green-glass high-rise that was about 1/3 finished in 1982 when this was filmed. I got there in 1986.
Burt Lancaster is Felix Happer, CEO of a major oil company headquartered in Houston. He is an amateur star-gazer but is anxious to build a new oil production facility in the North Sea and needs to convince the locals there to sell. The cost is not much of an object.
So he sends Peter Riegert as Mac, he figures a Scottish name will help deal with the locals there. (Story irony, it is explained that his European ancestors took the name because they thought it was American and they wanted to blend in.)
Anyway, with that as a set-up, the most of the movie is in beautiful Scotland, Mac dealing with the locals, the locals trying to make sense of the deal and weigh their futures after each of them get rich from the land purchases. As one would expect very little goes as planned and that is the charm of the movie.
I have a special attachment to this movie, after watching it on a Criterion Collection DVD from my public library. It starts with a scene of traffic on the downtown section of the freeway in Houston. In the background is the building I used to work in for ten years, and adjacent to it is the green-glass high-rise that was about 1/3 finished in 1982 when this was filmed. I got there in 1986.
Burt Lancaster is Felix Happer, CEO of a major oil company headquartered in Houston. He is an amateur star-gazer but is anxious to build a new oil production facility in the North Sea and needs to convince the locals there to sell. The cost is not much of an object.
So he sends Peter Riegert as Mac, he figures a Scottish name will help deal with the locals there. (Story irony, it is explained that his European ancestors took the name because they thought it was American and they wanted to blend in.)
Anyway, with that as a set-up, the most of the movie is in beautiful Scotland, Mac dealing with the locals, the locals trying to make sense of the deal and weigh their futures after each of them get rich from the land purchases. As one would expect very little goes as planned and that is the charm of the movie.