Author: James Hathaway

Movie 1: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

This is another action-packed adventure in the long and distinguished franchise of Indiana Jones. Indy has one last brush with treasure and Nazi’s as he enters retirement. Not as good as the first several films but a fitting end. It was fun to see many familiar faces one more time. Over the top and farfetched, but a rollicking good time at the movies.

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Movie 2: Every Body

This was an interesting and very well done documentary about a topic we knew nothing about: people born intersex with both x and y chromosomes. Less than 1% of the world population is born this way and it makes it very difficult for doctors, parents or the government to identify male or female on their birth certificates. Many are forced into unneeded, and unwanted, surgeries. Fortunately, this movie is shedding light on a very ignored subset of people.

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Movie 3: Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken

This is a computer generated animated comedy about underwater Krakens trying to live a human life on land. The animation is beautifully done. And you will recognize several of the voices, including Jane Fonda. We found the story line a bit slow. But the kids in the audience seemed to really enjoy it.

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Movie 1: No Escape

This is a 2015 action thriller that is very, very well done. An expat takes his family to Southeast Asia for a new job. The next day a violent coup erupts. This movie is very intense as the family fights for survival. On Netflix.

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Movie 2: The Last Rider

This documentary chronicles the life of American cyclist Greg LeMond. And tells the story of the 1989 Tour De France, arguably the greatest cycling race in history. We knew nothing about the athlete or the sport and found this movie very informative and entertaining.

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Movie 3: The Procurator

This is a Chinese crime drama with several twists and turns. The chief prosecutor finds herself in the middle of a shocking national crime and rushes to solve it. The look and feel of this movie are very professional and well done. Our only complaint is that the English subtitles flew by. They were so fast we literally missed a third of the movie. Mandarin with very fast English subtitles.

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Movie 1: The Flash

This is another DC comic turned into a wannabe blockbuster movie. A young superhero goes back in time to try and save his mother. But it ultimately ends in chaos. This movie is a total mixed bag. Interesting yet confusing. Excellent special effects and then some of the worst. If you are a fan of The Flash comics you will enjoy this movie. If you are not a fan then you aren’t missing anything.

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Movie 2: Asteroid City

Here is another dense, cumbersome, yet visually stunning, film by Wes Anderson. With his usual cast of about 25 A-list actors. We are not exactly sure what this movie is about. Reviews we’ve read said it’s about grief and how we deal with it. Well, ok, maybe. But we found it another Wes Anderson boring mess.

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Movie 3: No Hard Feelings

This is a wonderfully raunchy romantic comedy that expertly showcases Jennifer Lawrence’s immense talent. A down on her luck Uber driver is hired by wealthy parents to bring their Princeton bound son “out of his shell”. In addition to the comedy, this film can be very poignant on several levels. A fun time at the movies!

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Movie 1: The Blackening

A group of friends rent a house in the woods to celebrate Juneteenth. We thought this was going to be a horror film. Turns out to our surprise it is an excellent horror comedy. This movie mixes humor, horror and race with poignant and relevant messaging. There is definitely a lot here for conversation. We will see it again.

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Movie 2: Extraction 2

This action thriller starts off where the first Extraction ended. (Not necessary to see the first film, but it may be helpful). Chris Hemsworth plays a mercenary out to rescue a family entangled with the Georgian mafia. This is a very fast paced, high budget, action packed, violent thriller. Both the original and this sequel are on Netflix.

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Movie 3: Elemental

We found this Disney animated film charming with fantastic visual effects. This is wonderful family entertainment while subtly addressing several social topics, i.e., fire and water fall in love. Our theatre was full with many kids under the age of ten.

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Movie 1: The Boogeyman

Based on a 1973 short story by Stephen King, this is a horror movie about the mythical character all kids grow up with. It has some intelligent moments but is not very scary and not particularly well done.

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Movie 2: Past Lives

This is a wonderfully scripted and acted movie about two young friends in Seoul, South Korea who find each other 20 years later. One married and living in New York City, the other single and still living in Seoul. There are many layers to this intimate, slow moving and complex love story. In English and Korean with English subtitles.

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Movie 3: Persian Lessons

Based on true events, a young Jewish man in a concentration camp persuades the Nazi’s that he is Persian and not Jewish. One of the camp commanders wants to learn Farsi and demands that he teach him. This is a powerfully told story about the human spirit and its will to survive. In German and French with English subtitles.

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Movie 1: About My Father

This is a comedy which we actually enjoyed more than we thought we would. An Italian immigrant is invited to meet the parents of his son’s fiancé over the 4th of July. There are some very funny and charming moments. This movie won’t win any awards, but it is an entertaining couple of hours.

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Movie 2: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

We found this the most enjoyable, and fully developed, of the Transformers franchise. This is a sci-fi action movie with fantastic and innovative special effects. Critics are giving this movie mixed reviews, but it is making a ton of money worldwide.

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Movie 3: Daliland

This movie chronicles the later life of the mustachioed artist Salvador Dali, portrayed wonderfully by Ben Kinsley. The acting and writing are very good. Dali’s eccentric life, odd relationships and various famous friends make this movie very interesting.

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Movie 1: Blood & Gold

Set in the final days of the Third Reich, an AWOL soldier looks for his missing daughter as the Nazi’s frantically search for Jewish gold. This is a very good action thriller that, oddly, has the look, feel and soundtrack of a Clint Eastwood western. On Netflix. In German, but we watched the dubbed English version.

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Movie 2: To Leslie

A West Texas woman hits rock bottom after winning $190,000 in the state lottery. The acting is excellent with gritty and truthful dialogue. Andrea Riseborough received a very controversial Oscar nomination for her role as the downtrodden mother since this film had no national distribution and was seen only by a handful of people at film festivals. Allison Janney, in a small role, is perfect. On Netflix.

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Movie 3: Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse

Did you know there is a Multiverse out there, full of spider people trying to protect us and themselves? We didn’t either, and suspect we were the only ones who didn’t given the audience reaction to this blockbuster. The animation and diversity of characters in this movie are stellar. We found it confusing, however, and its 2 hour 20 minute run time seemed a bit long. But definitely worth a look.

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Movie 1: Master Gardener

A very meticulous gardener tends to the lavish grounds and gardens of a wealthy southern dowager. This is the final film in a trilogy by Oscar winning director Paul Shrader. The gardener is a former white supremist with a Neo-Nazi past. The movie intentionally unfolds slowly, with excellent writing and acting. Sigourney Weaver is perfect as the landowner.

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Movie 2: The Little Mermaid

This is an absolutely marvelous remake of the Disney original. Ariel longs to discover a world above the sea. The visuals are stunning. Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula are perfectly cast. It will be captivating for the entire family.

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Movie 3: You Hurt My Feelings

This movie is a smart, well written comedy/drama about honest communication within relationships. What happens when we learn what others really think of us? Julia Louis-Dreyfus is at the top of her game.

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Movie 1: It Ain’t Over

This is a fantastic documentary about the life and times of Yogi Berra, one of the greatest NY Yankees of all time. Narrated by one of his sons, it spans his life from growing up in a Saint Louis Italian neighborhood to receiving the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. This is a wonderfully intimate look at an American icon. Even if you aren’t a baseball fan this movie will warm your heart.

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Movie 2: L’immensita

Set in Rome in the 1970’s, this is a very heartfelt, and evocative, look at the love between a mother and her children, especially as one child is growing up transgender. Penelope Cruz, as the matriarch of the family, is absolutely mesmerizing. Italian with English subtitles.

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Movie 3: Kandahar

This is yet another well done action-packed movie with Gerard Butler. An undercover CIA operative, and his interpreter, try to get out of Afghanistan after the American pullout. A very well acted and scripted drama, this is only the second American movie to be ever fully made in Saudi Arabia.

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Movie 1: Ajoomma

This is a delightful gem of a movie. A middle-aged Singaporean ‘auntie’ (ajoomma in Korean) takes a package tour to South Korea. She finds herself in unfamiliar places with new friendships. The dialogue and cinematography are wonderful. This is a very thoughtful, appealing and entertaining movie. It has been well received, with many awards, at film festivals worldwide. In limited US release, but if in a theater near you, enjoy it! Korean with English subtitles.

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Movie 2: Fast X

This is the latest entry in the Fast and Furious franchise. If you’ve seen any, or all, of the previous nine movies you know exactly what to expect. We couldn’t remember seeing any of the previous ones and found this one exciting and entertaining. Frantic action/car chases with beautiful cinematography. Won’t win any acting awards, but fun. And always good to see Charlize Theron.

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Movie 3: BlackBerry

This is a very amusing comic drama about the emergence of the smart phone and the wonky and crazy early tech workplace. Quick paced, good writing and acting. When was the last time you heard the words Napster, Palm Pilot or BlackBerry?

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