Author: James Hathaway

Movie 1: I Love Boosters

This is an outlandish and outrageous comedy about the social implications of shoplifting. Those of us living in large cities saw this kind of behavior firsthand during covid, where gangs of youth went into stores and blatantly stole things right in front of everybody. This is definitely a satire on those days. The costumes are amazing. Very good writing and acting. It took us awhile to get into this movie, but once we did, we just sat back and enjoyed.

Rating:

Movie 2: Tuner

This is a very entertaining, and at times tense, thriller where a piano tuner with perfect pitch turns to safecracking to earn extra money.  Several twists and turns all very well done.  And the movie sheds light on a very severe, but under reported, hearing illness called hyperacusis.  Leo Woodall is becoming quite the good actor.  And always wonderful to see Dustin Hoffman.  Large theater release worldwide.  

Rating:

Movie 3: The Wizard of the Kremlin

This is a fascinating political thriller drama set against the backdrop of years of chaos in Russia following the fall of the Soviet Union.  It is based on fact with a lot of creative license thrown in.  Excellent acting by Paul Dano and Jude Law.  It follows the rise of Vladimir Putin from his early KGB days to almost present time.  Limited theater release but should be streaming somewhere later this year.

Rating:

Movie 1: Is God Is

In this dark revenge drama, two twin sisters are asked by their mother to find their father and kill him.  That’s about the only “simple” thing about this story.  Based on an award winning play by writer/director Aleshea Harris.  The writing, directing and acting are excellent.  Several twists and turns.  But please be warned, while at times mesmerizing, this movie can be very difficult and unsettling to watch.

Rating:

Movie 2: Obsession

We are not exactly sure what this horror film is about.  We saw it because some young friends we know raved about it.  This movie is making a ton of money and the theater we were in was nearly full.  We were the oldest two by at least 40 years.  Four other folks closer to our age walked out after an hour or so.  We should have too.  It was a total waste of time, money and popcorn. 

Rating:

Movie 3: Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Another Star Wars movie!  Once again this version has the prerequisite evil Empire, various galaxy characters, sights and sounds.  At least this one has Sigourney Weaver and Pedro Pascal.  Other than that it was slow, darker than usual, and rather dull.  Very disappointing.  Hopefully 2027’s Star Wars, starring Ryan Gosling, will be much more exciting.

Rating:

Movie 1: Apex

This is an unexpectedly entertaining edge of your seat action thriller.  A woman rock climber (Charlize Theron) is grieving the loss of her friend and tries to escape to the wilds of Australia.  She encounters an extremely depraved hunter (Taron Egerton) and the cat and mouse games start from there.  Both actors did many of their own stunts.  The tension is palpable.  Beautiful cinematography.   On Netflix.

Rating:

Movie 2: In the Grey

This is an action drama where a covert group of operatives attempt to recoup a large fortune from a group of mobsters.  The action and acting are very entertaining.  The cinematography is awesome with various locals in the Canary Islands, Spain and Saudi Arabia.  You can always count on writer and director Guy Ritchie to deliver an exciting and off beat adventure. 

Rating:

Movie 3: Remarkably Bright Creatures

This is a very charming movie, beautifully based on the 2022 bestseller by Shelby Van Pelt.  A lonely widow and mother forms a friendship with a large, colorful Pacific octopus. The movie skillfully takes on several human emotions.  Very well written and acted.  Alfred Molina is the voice of the octopus.  On Netflix.

Rating:

Movie 1: Devil Wears Prada 2

Audiences have waited years for this very fun sequel.  This movie very neatly ties most of the loose ends from the original film.  The main characters are older, wiser and just as fascinating to watch.  The acting, scenery, sets, costumes are all amazing. Kenneth Branagh is a nice addition to the cast.  And once again Meryl Streep proves she can do anything and look fabulous doing it.  We found this movie very entertaining and will for sure see it again.

Rating:

Movie 2: The Sheep Detectives

Every evening a sheep herder reads aloud a murder mystery to his flock.  Unbeknownst to him the flock actually understands what he’s saying and talk amongst themselves.  When the sheep herder is found dead the sheep jump into action to solve the crime.  This is a fun movie for all ages.  Several young kids in our audience kept walking towards the screen wanting to touch the sheep!   

Rating:

Movie 3: Michael

We weren’t exactly sure what this movie was gonna be about, nor why there even was a movie.  It explores Michael Jackson’s early life as a young boy, a member of the Jackson 5 and his first years as a solo artist.  The music of course is wonderful, but we were totally surprised how entertaining and well done this movie is.  The young man who portrays Michael Jackson is phenomenal.  Colman Domingo’s acting, as Michael’s abusive father, is amazing.  The audience in our theater was mostly older woman, many of whom danced in their seats or the aisles.

Rating:

Movie 1: Normal

This is an action comedy set in a very small Minnesota town. Bob Odinkirk plays a temporary sheriff who fills in for the town’s dead sheriff. There are whacky and bloody adventures including a brutal Japanese gang and a bank heist. A friend said this movie is a fun example of a bad movie. It makes little to no sense but is just plain entertaining. And always good to see Henry Winkler.

Rating:

Movie 2: The Christophers

This is a dark comedy/drama about a very talented painter (Sir Ian McKellen) who tries to finish a series of paintings before he dies.  The acting, directing and writing are all superb.  McKellen’s acting is amazing and totally mezmerizing.  At age 87 he may finally get a well deserved Oscar.  

Rating:

Movie 3: A Little Something Extra

Yet another little gem of a movie we knew nothing about going in.  Literally no advertising anywhere.  Set in the beautiful south of France and Northern Spain, a father and son duo pull off a jewelry store heist.  They look to hide out in a summer camp for disabled young adults.  This is a wonderfully lighthearted French comedy. Kudos to everyone involved.  French with English subtitles.

SPECIAL NOTE:  We are off on another adventure, or at least a lazy one.  A cruise from Cape Canaveral to Southhampton.  Hope to see Devil Wears Prada 2 somewhere before home mid May.  Cheers to all!

Rating:

Movie 1: Hamlet

This is a modern, present day adaptation of the Shakespeare classic.  Set in London within a wealthy Indian family.  The acting is superb, especially Riz Ahmed who plays Hamlet.  The cinematography is excellent and the soundtrack (although loud and at times very loud) works well with the dialogue and visuals.  This is a very well done rendition.  If you can see it with closed caption subtitles, that would be most helpful.  No streaming information available at this time. 

Rating:

Movie 2: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

We weren’t particularly interested in seeing this movie.  2026 has been a poor movie year so far, so with nothing left to see, we went.  Having said that, it was entertaining enough and the animation very good.  Not exactly sure what it’s about, but if you are a Super Mario or Nintendo fan, you’ll enjoy this.  Somebody is enjoying it because it’s the number one grossing film so far this year, with a worldwide take of $629 million.

Rating:

Movie 3: Thrash

This is a Netflix horror film that is actually pretty good.  Small South Carolina coastal towns are nearly devastated by a category 5 hurricane.  After a levy breaks, in come the sharks patrolling streets, houses and neighborhoods for anyone alive.  Not particularly great film making but entertaining anyway.  And it’s currently the number 1 movie worldwide on Netflix.

SPECIAL NOTE:  As mentioned above this has been a sad movie year thus far, but on a brighter note we’ve seen Project Hail Mary three times.  And we have a good friend who has seen it seven times and planning more!   We’ve rewatched several really good 3 globe movies on Netflix, including Lou, Mother, Birdbox, Straw and The Call.

Rating:

Movie 1: The AI Doc

This is a fascinating and well made documentary currently in theaters.  We found this movie very helpful to understand what AI is and its potential for good and bad. Even though we live in San Francisco, the epicenter of everything tech, the only thing we knew about AI is how to spell it.  Powerful conversations with 20 and 30-somethings who literally have the future of the planet in their hands.   Should be streaming somewhere by summer.

Rating:

Movie 2: She Dances

Yet another movie we knew nothing about before seeing it, and again very pleasantly surprised.  This is a comedy-drama where a father accompanies his daughter to a dance competition in Kentucky.  Really good acting all around, and probably the best acting we’ve seen from Steve Zahn.  The situations, especially the dialogue, seemed beautifully and brutally honest. 

Rating:

Movie 3: Peaky Blinders

This is the final episode of an ongoing British/Irish drama series.  The film takes place in Birmingham England during WWII.  Since this is the only episode of the popular series we’ve ever seen, we aren’t exactly sure what it’s all about.  It’s dark, with lots of violence and angst.  But the acting is very good.  And friends of ours who are big fans of the series said this last episode nicely ties it all together.  Still in limited theater release but also on Netflix.  It’s in English, but best to turn on the subtitles.

Rating:

Movie 1: Ready or Not 2

This is a horror/comedy sequel to the 2019 original.  The opening scenes start where the first movie ends.  It’s basically a Satan worshipping bloody and deadly game of hide and seek.  Seldom have we seen more blood, complete with exploding bodies, in a non-war or chainsaw movie.  Once you get past the gore it’s a rather entertaining movie.  Not great film making by any means, but kinda fun anyway.

Rating:

Movie 2: Project Hail Mary

The earth is faced with certain extinction, and a science teacher (Ryan Gosling) is on a spaceship whose sole mission is to save the planet.  The dialogue, special effects, direction, acting and sound are all Oscar worthy.  A science fiction movie with humor and a heart.  This movie made a record $81 million dollars in its opening weekend, on its way to becoming a sure worldwide mega hit.  This is great fun at the movies.  We have a friend who has seen it three times.  We will see it again.

Rating:

Movie 3: Reminders of Him

We were very ambivalent about seeing this romantic drama.  Probably because the previews do this movie no favors.  But we were pleasantly surprised.  After a young woman is released from prison she tries to reconnect with her daughter who is living with her grandparents in rural Wyoming.  The situations and dialogue seemed realistic and heartfelt.  And the use of flashbacks helps the story line.  Very nice cinematography.

Rating:

Movie 1: Undertone

This independent supernatural horror film generally gets good reviews from national critics.  The horror is based much more on sounds and the viewers imagination than anything visual.  Two podcasters talk about eerie sounds they supposedly hear.  I assume we’d have liked it, and understood it, more if we both hadn’t enjoyed an afternoon nap.  Fortunately we woke up before it ended.  In theaters now and will stream on Max (formerly HBO Max) in a couple months.

Rating:

Movie 2: Vladimir

This comedy/drama is an eight episode limited series on Netflix.  An intense relationship develops between two college professors with a large age gap between them.  Add in their spouses and you quickly realize none of them are in a traditional marriage.  We found the acting and situations interesting and kept our attention for each episode.  We watched it all in two days.  Rachel Weisz as the older professor is a hoot.

Rating:

Movie 3: Gaslit by My Husband

This Netflix drama is based on true events and the life of Morgan Metzer who marries her high school sweetheart.  She is harassed, abused and manipulated by her psychotic husband.  A couple of twists and turns we didn’t see coming.  

Rating:

Movie 1: Dreams

This is a romantic drama/thriller.  A wealthy and powerful San Francisco philanthropist (Jessica Chastain) falls in love with an undocumented Mexican young man.  Visually this is a very interesting story.  And we really wanted to like it more than we did.  But ultimately it just falls apart, is not realistic and Jessica Chastain’s obsession with this young man is creepy and borders on abusive.

Rating:

Movie 2: Scream 7

We don’t remember seeing Scream 1 through 4.  We walked out of Scream 5.  We did not see Scream 6.  Why we saw Scream 7 is a mystery to us.  After 30 years of this franchise we still don’t know what it’s about.  Other than there’s a creepy cool mask, mass murder in quiet suburban towns, and several gallons of blood.  When Scream 8 comes out (and it will!) would someone please remind us not to see it..

Rating:

Movie 3: The Dinosaurs

This four part Netflix documentary series is superb.  Starting 265 million years ago right through the dinosaur’s demise, this is the perfect family friendly show.  And a great learning experience for kids.  Beautiful and realistic cinematography.  Morgan Freeman’s narration is a good as the visuals.

Rating: