Month: August 2022

Movie 1: The Good Boss

This Spanish film was Spain’s entry for the 94th Academy Awards and received 20 Goya Award nominations in Spain. Javier Bardem shines as the not so ethical boss trying to help his company win an industrial award. Spanish with English subtitles.

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Movie 2: Three Thousand Years of Longing

This movie about life, love and longing is based on A.S. Byatt’s 1994 short story The Dijinn in the Nightingale’s Eye. Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, who plays the genie in the bottle, have wonderful on screen chemistry. A very enjoyable and thought provoking movie.

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Movie 3: Me Time

This is a Netflix movie about a stay at home dad (Kevin Hart) who attends his best friends (Mark Wahlberg) wild 44th birthday party. There are some funny jokes but overall it’s just ok. Maybe save this for a rainy night.

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Movie 1: Ali and Ava

This is a British drama about two lonely people who share a fondness for the young child of one of Ali’s tenets. It is charming and heartwarming as their bond deepens, despite their very different backgrounds and racial tensions. Fortunately the movie has English subtitles as the British accent in this film can be challenging to understand.

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Movie 2: Blood Red Sky

A German widow and her young son board a plane for New York where she will receive medical attention. This movie had all the right ingredients for an interesting hijack and terrorist plot. And then, viola! it becomes a vampire hijack terrorist plot. We did not see that coming. As vampire movies go, this one was rather entertaining. This film is currently on Netflix.

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Movie 3: Orphan: First Kill

This is a prequel to the 2009 movie Orphan. A young Estonian girl escapes from a psychiatric clinic and pretends to be the missing daughter of a wealthy New York couple. It quickly goes very far downhill from there. It was nice to see Julia Stiles though.

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Movie 1: Bodies Bodies Bodies

It’s an R rated Horror/Comedy…more of a third rate slasher film. 20 somethings strike up a party game that goes very wrong! We should have walked out after a half hour…

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Movie 2: Beast

Oye! Here is a mystery/thriller set in South Africa. It’s rated R for bloody images, violent content, and language. Critics have not been kind with this film. We begrudgingly enjoyed it. Not to be viewed if you have safari plans.

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Movie 3: Emergency Declaration

This action thriller was a huge surprise. It will take a bit of time to adjust to the ongoing threat, but tensions and behavior ratchet up quickly. A passenger plane attempts to land with a terrorist on board. If this was an American movie, with American actors it would be a block buster summer hit. We saw it in a Korean movie theatre, so it may be difficult to find. Korean with English subtitles.

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Movie 1: A Love Song

Set in rural Southwest Colorado, a lone traveler waits for her old high school boyfriend to arrive at her campsite. Beautifully filmed and acted. The sense of loneliness, anticipation and innocence are almost tangible. Dale Dickey and Wes Studi make this movie shine.

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Movie 2: A Call to Spy

In the early stages of WWII Winston Churchill orders the creation of an all women spy agency. Based on true events, this war time drama is riveting and a topic we knew nothing about. The acting and writing are very good, and you quickly get caught up in the lives of the newly recruited spies. This 2020 movie is on Netflix.

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Movie 3: The Gray Man

This CIA based action thriller, set in 2003, is fast paced with location shots all over Europe. Ryan Gosling plays the shadowy CIA agent. We found the action, acting and cinematography a lot of fun. This film was in movie theatres but currently can be found on Netflix.

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Movie 1: Easter Sunday

This is a Filipino comedy about a struggling LA actor driving home to Daly City for Easter Sunday. The large family with its many interactions was fun to watch. And the San Francisco connection kept our interest. But overall, the movie is just ok and may not translate to a national audience.

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Movie 2: Vengeance

This is an R rated dark comedy thriller about a New York journalist who goes to West Texas to investigate the murder of a former girlfriend. It is the directorial debut of lead actor B.J. Novak. The writing is excellent and very timely.

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Movie 3: Gabby Giffords: Won’t Back Down

This is an excellent documentary about the former Tuscon congresswomen Gabby Giffords. It follows her life as she recovers from a 2011 shooting. It is powerful, difficult at times to watch, but necessary viewing for anyone who believes in sensible gun control.

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Movie 1: Emily the Criminal

Emily struggles to repay her student debt. A criminal record and stolen credit cards don’t help. It’s a Crime/Thriller rated R for drug use and violence. The flaws are a bit annoying, but the excellent acting, writing and action make it worth overlooking. This is a surprise of a very good movie.

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Movie 2: Day Shift

A vampire action thriller with just enough action to keep viewers’ attention. It gets a bit corny with the vampire hunters union and such, but Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dog make this movie a lot of fun, sarcasm notwithstanding. This two hour film is currently on Netflix. It’s not suitable for children.

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Movie 3: Mack and Rita

This comedy is just ok. The storyline is unlikely and a bit too much slap stick. Diane Keaton, always nice to see, tries her best to salvage this movie. With so much more to watch these days don’t feel badly about passing this one.

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Movie 1: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

This is a charming film dating back to the 1950s. A London widow cleaning lady becomes enamored with a dress by the House of Dior. It’s an ‘underdog tale’ based on the 1958 novel by Paul Gallico. It’s a whimsical comedy/drama well worth its two hour run time. Ah, Paris…

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Movie 2: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Little Marcel is only 1 inch tall, lives with his grandmother in an Airbnb. This is a charming Comedy/Mockumentary running 90 minutes. It was crafted as a mini documentary for children and family. Its concurrently kid friendly, whimsical and somewhat heartbreaking. Nice to see Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes in a cameo role.

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Movie 3: Where the Crawdads Sing

This is a powerful and sad story of an abandoned young girl, who raises herself in the marshlands of coastal North Carolina. Based on the very popular novel of the same name by Delia Owens. Not great film making, but we enjoyed it. And for once we were the two youngest people in a surprisingly well attended theatre!

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Movie 1: Nope

This Horror/Sci-fi film is rated R for violence, bloody images, and language throughout! The good news is the movie does not take itself seriously. The characters are interesting to watch, yet oddly don’t develop. Critics are generally less than favorable. We agree and found the creepy concept less than rewarding.

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Movie 2: Bullet Train

This film is a two hour Action/Comedy set almost entirely on the world’s fastest train. To be sure…it is a dark comedic thriller that is sometimes quite difficult to watch. Overlook the mixed bag of characters and unique style and just enjoy the ride. Brad Pitt is a hoot.

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Movie 3: Hallelujah

Hands down, our favorite film of the week!! This is a remarkable documentary about the life and times of Leonard Cohen. It’s already being touted as the best documentary of the year with Oscar written all over it. We agree. Do seek this film out.

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