James Hathaway – Page 52

Movies: Christopher Robin, The Darkest Minds, Three Identical Strangers

Christopher Robin

This is an interesting twist in the Winnie the Pooh series of movies. Mostly because the focus is not so much on Pooh as it is on Christopher Robin, now an adult with an important business responsibility. It toggles back and forth between Pooh’s world and Christopher Robin’s world.

The cast is talented. Ewan McGregor plays Christopher Robin, Jim Cummings is Pooh. Peter Garrett is Rabbit and Toby Jones plays both Piglet and Owl. Brad Garrett is Eeyore. Bronte Carmichael plays Madelline Robin and Wyatt Dean Hall plays Roo.

Reviews have been mixed. We enjoyed it and found it to be pleasant, creative in the way it bridged adult and children’s subject matter.

It is rated PG for some action. (We’re not sure what that meant.) It is appropriately listed as Action & Adventure, Comedy, Kids & Family. The run time is 2 hours.

Rating

The Darkest Minds

This film has an odd but uniquely poignant message. Suddenly the world’s teens develop new and varied abilities that are viewed by the government as a threat, prompting detainment camps and such. It’s an extreme concept. It is also creative, challenging and often quite dark.

The predominately young cast is quite impressive. Amandla Stenberg and Harris Dickinson give solid lead performances along with Mark O’Brien and Patrick Gibson. Also noteworthy are Skylan Brooks and McCarrie McCausland as youngsters with unique powers.

What is challenging to follow as a viewer is whose bad, good and otherwise. That varies wildly. It’s both unique and confusing at the same time. Our guess is this will be appealing to audiences and we are likely to see a sequel or two.

Reviews have been tepid at best. We liked it and think the messaging and undercurrent deserve consideration. It is rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and thematic elements. It is listed as a Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction/Fantasy. Run time is 105 minutes.

Rating

Three Identical Strangers

How often is a documentary film interesting and compelling and intriguing all at the same time? It’s also thought provoking and shocking concurrently.

We won’t give away the story but consider this: it is a true story about identical triplets given up for adoption at birth. Two decades later they are reunited.

What is fascinating is the story behind the story. The three brothers, Robert Shafran, Edward Galland and David Kellman play themselves (though one is shown in archive footage only).

This film has already received global attention along with a fair amount of disturbing repercussions. It is rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material. It is listed as a Documentary with a run time of 96 minutes.

Be warned, some of the subject matter is intense and difficult to watch. Nonetheless if this movie is appealing to you, we encourage your viewing. It’s about real people, their incredible life experiences and the potential impact for all of us.

Rating

Movies: Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Mission: Impossible Fallout, Blindspotting

Hi Everyone!!

Lots to share today. We safely returned to the lake from our road trip this last Sunday. 1349 miles in six nights, 7 days.

It was a great trip with good weather, relatively mild temps, lots of discoveries, incredible land and water scapes. Above average food and lots of friendly people.

Since we are current on the movie front, there wasn’t much out there to see while on the road. That said, we did pick up a few movies this week. All three are good and worthy of an audience.

Enjoy, J&J

Don’t Worry, He Wont Get Far on Foot

This is an unusual film about unusual people with some serious issues, mostly alcohol. It hosts a great cast including Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara and Jack Black. There is not a lot to like about these characters but oddly enough there is compelling material here to give one pause for contemplation.

That said, there is not a lot to like about this film. It is an unpleasant topic with unpleasant characters. Yes, life sometimes delivers horrible circumstances to some people. That shouldn’t be a license to be mean, cynical or abusive.

It’s rated R for language throughout, sexual content, some nudity and alcohol abuse. It is listed as a drama/comedy (but we did not find much to laugh about). It is absolutely NOT appropriate for younger viewers. The run time is 113 minutes.

Rating

Mission: Impossible Fallout

The Mission: Impossible movies have been a long time popular series, beyond popular with the public for good reason. The title alone speaks volumes to audiences. Now after listening for more, Fallout, the sixth film of the franchise delivers its biggest, boldest, intensity from beginning to end.

The 12 leading characters are played by a who’s who of films. Tom Cruise of course is the leader of the pack. Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Cavill, Vanessa Kirby, Sean Harris, Michele Monaghan, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Angela Basset, Wes Bentley, Alec Baldwin, Alix Benezech, Frederick Schmidt and Joey Ansah fill the leading characters, good, bad and otherwise.

The good news is it’s a great story at a great time played by a great cast with a talented production team. There is just enough new, mostly action sequences, to rally audiences.

We cannot imagine how this film was rated PG-13 given the level of violence, extensive sequences of intense violence and its strong language. Most critics liked/loved this film more than we did, so we will leave it to audiences to make their own conclusions.

It’s listed as an Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery & Suspense. It runs a hefty 147 minutes.

Rating

Blindspotting

Rarely does a film speak with such integrity, raw truth, insight and honesty about cultural reality. It’s not perfect but it is laser focused on the impact of modern gentrification and its fallout on racial dynamics.

Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal are terrific as the leading characters. Oh, by the way, they also produced the film and wrote the screenplay! The next dozen actors are equally effective in their roles.

Make no mistake, this film is provocative by design. It’s set in Oakland, CA. It is also about friendship, trust, identity, and family.

It is Rated R for language, some brutal violence, sexual references and drug use. It is listed as a Comedy, Drama running 95 minutes. We were surprised to be only two people in an audience of five. We will predict now there will be Oscar nominations for this film. Stay tuned.

Rating

Travel: Day 6, Duluth to Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire

It was another nice day for travel. The roads were generally uncrowded which is always welcomed.

We stopped in Chippewa Falls because of an article about their park and small zoo. It’s a charming little town.

We will spend the night in Eau Claire tonight and make our way back to the lake tomorrow.

Here are pictures from today. We hope you find them to your liking.

Best wishes to you all!

J&J

This town houses a charming little zoo that is just delightful.

The resident Lemur thinks he’s the boss.

The pair of Hyena are playful in the mornings.

The beautiful white tiger enjoys playing with toys in the mornings.

Mr. Cockatoo is quite chatty in the mornings.

There is a small herd of Buffalo on the property including this youngster.

No info on the paddock of thes cattle. Note the massive horns. They sure are intimidating.

Travel: Day 5, Lake Superior North Coast

It was another great day. Weather has been just right! 60s and 70s with a light breeze. First a few images of Duluth.

Beautiful old stone structures still looking grand.

The Grand old High School sits high on a hill overlooking the lake.

A stately Church adjacent to the High School.

Here are some addition pictures we think you might enjoy from our day trip.

One of two young bucks in the Town of Two Harbors.

A bit farther down the road is the famed light house on Split Rock.

A proud symbol on the North shore for over 100 years.

What a better way to conclude our sightseeing than with another set of waterfalls!

Travel: Day 4, Ironwood, MI to Duluth, MN

Big HELLO to everyone. It’s 8 PM and our day is finally coming to an end. It’s been a fun, interesting day. We discovered several new and intriguing things along our long drives today.

Our first stop in Ashland, WI revealed an unexpected surprise. The town is known for its collection of public murals. They are amazing! Here we go…

Note: The road and tree are real, the rest is a mural on the side of a building!

Homage to the famed shipping docks of Ashland. Again the mural is painted on the side of a building.

Three local ladies are honored from a local eatery. Note the lamp post, flowers and window are real, the rest is mural.

Mural from another era. There are dozens more if you find yourself in this town.

The next stop was the town of Washburn, WI where we discovered a wildly popular coffee/breakfast place called Cafe Coco’s. The line was out the door. The customers ranged from babies to Seniors. The place was packed. We had large decaf coffees and two bacon cheese scones, still warm from the oven. Yum.

Next stop was Bayfield, WI.

A charming artsy village with good shopping, eateries and lodging. It’s the gateway for day trips to the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior.

Harbor for visitors to Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands.

The rest of the day was making our way to Duluth with stops along the way.

There are several marina’s on the peninsula. We thought this one was particularly attractive.

Amnicon Falls are popular with the locals. There are a series of “staircases” of the Falls that flow year round. The brown water comes from a local tree that turns the water varying shades of tan to brown.

Travel: Day 3, Marquette to Ironwood, Michigan

Good evening to all!

Today’s travel was 180 miles, mostly on backroads. (Recent storms caused some bridge repairs that were still ongoing.). It made for a long day but we had a pleasant afternoon exploring Ironwood, Michigan

and Hurley, Wisconsin.

Both towns are less than vibrant showing their age and a shrinking economy.

That said, we discovered an excellent coffee house, Contrast Coffee Co.,

several promising restaurants and a few art and home furnishing galleries. (BIG THANKS to our friend Jeff! in Minneapolis) and the staff at the hotel.

We are currently enjoying a little down time before dinner. Tonight we decided Italian, again thanks to Jeff!

We are just back from dinner. More thanks to Jeff for the referral. Liberty Bell Cafe, Hurley, Wisconsin. Excellent pizza, pasta and traditional Italian entrees.

Old fashion Italian Restaurant. Excellent food and service. It’s one of those places where you want the staff as personal friends outside of work. Refreshingly rare.

Here are some pixs from our drive today!

One of a dozen lakes on this mornings drive.

Agate Falls was an unexpected surprise this morning.

A surreal view from under the still active train trestle bridge.

Travel: Day 2 Road trip, part 2

Good morning everyone. We had some “technical difficulties” with the hotel’s internet service yesterday. This short post will take us to Marquette and dinner. Hope you enjoy. J&J

It’s not quite an island, really a peninsula. In any event, it is a jewel for the city.

It’s home to a super pier but it’s also the cities backyard. Hiking, biking, swimming, sports and activities of all kinds. As busy as it was we found it also to be an oasis of peace and beauty.

And a requisite light house to guide the way.

Marquette is a beautiful city with a collection of historic buildings, many beautifully restored and maintained. Here are a few.

The Catholic Cathedral built of beautiful red stone.

The beautiful newer Marquette County courthouse.

The city’s compact skyline boasts many brick and stone buildings from the past and present.

Time for dinner! We chose the historic Vierling Marquette Harbor Brewery on Front Street for a seafood dinner and a couple of brews! We highly recommend it if you are in the area.

Travel: Day 2 Road trip. Escanaba to Marquette.

Today was a long and wonderful day! The drive was less stressful and filled with wonderful discoveries.The shoreline of Lake Superior was very accessible and we arrived early enough in Marquette to spend time discovering some of what the town has to offer.

Here are some photos hot off the press.

Our first stop was the charming town of Manistique.

The open air museum includes the original water tower dating to the mid 1800s.

An original homestead was reconstructed on the museum property.

The best coffee in Manistique! The Cedae Street Cafe.

Our next stop was Horseshoe Falls just outside of the charming town of Munising, Michigan.

Happy chubby Koi waiting for handouts in the pond.

A real meteor from before the ice age. Very cool!

Our next stop was the nearby town of Munising. It’s perfect for a mid day break, shopping, lunch or an afternoon cruise on the lake. No surprise we chose lunch!

Don’t let the simple exterior fool you. This is family owned and operated eatery delivers incredible food.

Check out this menu. Everything we tasted was delicious and authentic.

Tacos came with beans and rice, a variety of condiments and beverages. High quality at affordable prices!

The highlight of the day was our drive along the Lake Superior Coast. So many jaw dropping stops. Here is a sampling.

J&J

Travel: Road trip, Northern Wisconsin, Michigan, Duluth and back.

Living in the crowded metropolitan area of San Francisco for over three decades, we have only recently discovered the comforting value of driving the back roads of less densely populated areas. In this case, a week long road trip to Northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northeastern Minnesota and then back to Metro Milwaukee. Today was leg 1 of our six day drive via rural back roads.

Day 1

Early this morning Mr. Bunny wants to know where we are going!

Our newest favorite coffee house in Green Bay, WI.

Our choice for lunch, Hinterland Restaurant Green Bay.

Jim, longtime friend Tara and John get caught up on family events over lunch.

Delta County is home to our first night in the town of Escanaba, Michigan.

A great example of a lighthouse on Lake Michigan and its history.

The following photos are a sample of beauty we enjoyed this afternoon in Escanaba, Michigan.

Movies: Unfriended: Dark Web, Equalizer 2

First, a big shout out to all those comments lately. We love them. Keep ’em coming!

Only two reviews this week. We are heading North for a road trip to explore Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. (Post to follow).

J&J

Unfriended: Dark Web

Where to begin?! Credit monitoring and identity theft companies market services to protect people from “the dark web” but how much do we really know about it?

In this film a group of 20 somethings get together for a weekly “game night”. When one of the group “finds” a MacBook and takes it as his own only to discover the owner tracks the device once it’s turned on.

All hell breaks loose after that. Threats, intimidation, bullying, and much worse. Some of it not plausible, some of it terrifying if true. In writing this review, we discovered there are two different endings in release. We do not like spoilers so we will not disclose either ending on the chance someone decides to see this film.

Critics and audiences are mixed on this film. It’s rated R for some disturbing violence, language and sexual references. Its genre is listed as a Horror. It’s run time is 88 minutes.

Rating

Equalizer 2

We had forgotten the original Equalizer from 2014 was based on the TV series in the 1980s. (Oh my, don’t do the math.) We don’t remember much about the original except it was very good. Among Denzel Washington’s best work at the time.

It’s interesting from the get go. The story goes back in time a bit with clips that remind the viewer that Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) was a highly trained international operative. His world is rattled in the present when his long time associate and friend Susan is mysteriously murdered.

The cast is compact. Denzel Washington is the lead. Melissa Leo plays lifelong friend Susan. Bill Pullman plays Susan’s husband. Pedro Pascal and Jonathan Scarfe are excellent bad guys. 22 year old Ashton Sanders gives a noteworthy performance as the young neighbor.

Reviews were surprisingly tepid. 50% to 60% favorable. We thought it was much better than that. Our screening was packed. There were some children in attendance much to our surprise. (We feel this film is not appropriate for young viewers.) It is rated R for brutal violence, language and some drug content. It is listed as Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense. It runs 129 minutes.

Rating