Month: March 2025

Movie 1: La Dolce Villa

This is a very pleasing romantic comedy on Netflix. Set in the beautiful Italian countryside a young American woman buys a dilapidated farmhouse for 1 Euro. When her father comes to visit to talk her out of it, the fun begins.

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Movie 2: The Assessment

This is an odd, dystopian near-future Syfy. If a couple wants a child they must first go through a seven day “assessment” to see if they qualify. If they do, a baby shows up at the front door. Natural procreation is outlawed due to over population. There are lots of twists and turns that make no sense. Given the good cast, we wanted to like this more than we did.

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Movie 3: The Residence

This is a murder mystery comedy set in the White House. During a state dinner for Australia the White House Chief Usher is murdered. Uzo Aduba is brilliant as the bird watching detective. This is a very fun whodunit. Four part mini-series on Netflix.

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Movie 1: Locked

A petty thief breaks into a luxury SUV, setting off dangerous and deadly events. This remake of a 2019 Argentinian movie is a tense thriller that pulls you in. Bill Skarsgard gives an excellent performance and Anthony Hopkins is once again psychopathic and spooky.

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Movie 2: Snow White

This is an audience pleasing musical remake of the 1937 Walt Disney classic. The sets, colors, costumes and songs are all very well done. While critics are giving this movie mixed reviews, we found it very enjoyable. Although nowhere near as magical as the original.

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Movie 3: Adolescence

This four part Netflix series excels on every level. A13 year old is accused of killing a high school classmate. This is an intense, gripping psychological thriller made all the better by being filmed with one camera. Owen Cooper, who plays the accused murderer is outstanding in his first professional role. It would help a lot turning on the English subtitles, as the British accents can be difficult to understand.

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Movie 1: The Alto Knights

Based on a true story about the beginning of the New York crime bosses of the 1950’s. Robert DeNiro is excellent as he plays two roles as childhood friends grow up in NYC to become infamous mobsters. Debra Messing as DeNiro’s wife is very convincing. This is a very well acted and directed period piece.

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Movie 2: Novocaine

This is a very funny, and at times gory, action comedy. A young man has a genetic disorder where he cannot feel any pain. He then sets out trying to rescue a girlfriend who was kidnapped during a bank robbery. While not great film making, this movie is very entertaining.

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Movie 3: Black Bag

This is a very intelligent and sexy spy thriller. Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender are a husband and wife team working for British Intelligence to find a security leak within the organization. Lots of twists and turns with palpable tension. Director Steven Soderbergh delivers a really well done nail biter drama.

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Movie 1: Companion

This is a cleverly done movie that is part romantic comedy and part sy-fi thriller. A weekend trip to a lakeside estate goes very wrong. We hadn’t read anything about this movie before seeing it. The chemistry between Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher adds to this black comedy.

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Movie 2: Last Breath

This is a very well done, claustrophobic underwater thriller based on actual events. A diving crew has an accident while repairing cable at the bottom of the North Sea. The acting is very good, especially Woody Harrelson, and the tension and fear is palpable.

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Movie 3: Mickey 17

This is the highly anticipated new film by acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho. What a disappointment. This is a very disjointed, messy spectacle of a futuristic movie. Science has created humans that die and can be reborn the next day (we think). At 2 hours, 17 minutes this movie feels very long, and the very talented cast seem out of place.

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Movie 1: The Monkey

This is a horror film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Twin brothers group up with a stuffed monkey that has supernatural and demonic powers. While many national critics found much to praise about this movie, we found it violent, stupid and more than a little insulting. We watched this film in a theater in Paris, and the very large, young audience seemed to enjoy it a lot. But we say stay away.

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Movie 2: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

This is the fourth film in the Bridget Jones franchise and we found it as enjoyable as the first film 24 years ago. Many of the original characters have returned, albeit older and not necessarily wiser. As a romantic comedy, this London based film works on several levels. Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant are very, very good. We were fortunate enough to see this in a theater in Paris, but in the USA it is only streaming on Peacock.

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Movie 3: Captain America: Brave New World

Part political thriller and part over the top action adventure, this latest addition to the Marvel universe is a lot of fun. Anthony Macke and Harrison Ford comprise an action-packed duo with very good special effects. If you are a fan of the Marvel adventures, you will not be disappointed.

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