Author: James Hathaway

Movie 1: Anna

This is a 2019 Cold War action thriller with lots of twists and turns. A young Soviet woman is recruited to infiltrate the CIA. We very much enjoyed this Netflix movie. Three months after this 2019 movie was released, the very similar Red Sparrow, starring Jennifer Lawrence was also released. Helen Mirren, Cillian Murphy, Luke Evans have very good performances.

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Movie 2: Sasquatch Sunset

This is a very odd, yet unique, movie about a Sasquatch family going about their daily lives in the wilds of Northern California. At times it feels gross and absurd, and other times touching and relevant. The cinematography is beautiful. There is no dialogue other than some grunts and groans.

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Movie 3: The First Omen

If you are a fan of horror films, or the Omen franchise (this is number six), you may very well like this movie. A young American woman goes to Rome to become a nun. Other than some great shots of Rome, this movie quickly falls apart. And how/why such a wonderful actor as Bill Nighy got involved with this movie is beyond us.

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Movie 1: Stolen

This is a really well done Swedish drama set in the beautiful north of the country. Local towns folk are killing reindeer from the indigenous Sami people. The underlying conflict is about fighting for justice and indigenous rights. Gorgeous cinematography. Language is Northern Sami, but we watched the dubbed English version. On Netflix.

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Movie 2: Housekeeping for Beginners

Set in North Macedonia, this comedy/drama centers around a diverse household of Roma (Gypsy) and LGBTQ young people dealing with child custody. This movie alternates between depressing and joyous, while depicting everyday life. Having returned from North Macedonia just last month, we can attest to the unsettling attitudes between the Christian Orthodox and Muslim populations. And any gay presence there is totally non-existent. The star of this movie is the young child. In Macedonian with English subtitles.

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Movie 3: What Jennifer Did

This is a Netflix murder-for-hire documentary/drama about a young Canadian women and what happens to her and her parents during a home invasion. Based on actual events, with real news footage and police interviews, this is an interesting murder story.

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Movie 1: An Officer and a Gentleman

We hadn’t seen this movie since it opened in theatres in 1982. Last week AMC had a $5 showing. It holds up surprisingly well. A naval pilot candidate (Richard Gere) falls in love with a Puget Sound paper mill worker (Debra Winger). As the drill sergeant, Louis Gossett, Jr. earns a well deserved Academy Award. If you see it in theatres or streaming on TV, it’s still a really good movie.

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Movie 2: La Chimera

To make a living, several friends rob 2,000 year old Etruscan tombs near Rome. It’s a familiar theme of a ‘one last’ heist movie. The cinematography is really good, almost dream like. Yet we found the movie not consistent and confusing. It seems movie critics liked it much more than we did. Always good to see Isabella Rossellini. Italian and some English, with English subtitles.

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Movie 3: Femme

This is a very well done, complicated, tense revenge thriller. At times difficult to watch because the hatred and anti-LGBTQ+ violence is brutal and, unfortunately, all too realistic. Set in London, a drag performer gets beat up by a closeted, recently released from prison gay man, trying to impress his drug dealing friends. Months later they both meet again under different circumstances. Subtitles would have been helpful because of the heavy British accents.

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Movie 1: Monkey Man

This is a very energetic action drama, set in India, about a young man who ekes out a living by fighting. But there is a whole lot more than that going on. With definite political overtones to today’s India, Dev Patel does an excellent job as the movie’s star, writer, producer and director. This is probably the bloodiest and most violent three globe movie we’ve seen in a long time. Not for everyone, but worth seeing.

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Movie 2: Ripley

Based on the 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, this is an eight episode drama on Netflix. Shot totally in black and white, this is a fascinating story of a grifter and con artist as he kills and swindles his way through Italy. Phoenomenal acting by Andrew Scott. Great cinematography and writing. Each episode about 50 minutes. Really well done.

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Movie 3: Scoop

This is a very well done British drama about the BBC trying to secure an interview with Prince Andrew after the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. While it is completely unthinkable why the Royal Palace let Prince Andrew sit for an extensive interview on television, let alone him staying at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse on several occasions, this story is based on fact. Very good acting and writing. On Netflix.

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Movie 1: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

This is not your typical King Kong or Godzilla movie. It is the fifth movie in the franchise. They join forces to battle a common foe, beneath and above the Earth. While it is entertaining enough, we found it confusing and sometimes slow. Lots of special effects.

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Movie 2: Wicked Little Letters

This is an absolutely delightful movie. Based on a true story, and set in 1918 England, someone is sending ‘scandalous’ letters to prominent townsfolk. It made national British headlines at the time. The acting is superb. We saw this movie in London last month and look forward to seeing it again. It opens in the US April 5.

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Movie 3: AKA

This is a French action crime thriller. A special agent for the government goes undercover to infiltrate a crime family. Lots of action and well choreographed fight scenes. In French, but we watched the dubbed English version. On Netflix.

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Movie 1: The Land of Saints and Sinners

Once again Liam Neeson delivers a good performance in a very good Irish drama. Set in 1974 Ireland, at the height of “The Troubles,” the peaceful coastal towns of Donegal are rocked by bombs and revenge. The cinematography is beautiful, yet lonely and brooding, much like the movie. Subtitles would have been helpful as the Irish accent can be difficult to understand at times.

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Movie 2: Asphalt City

This is an intense drama, set in NYC, as emergency paramedics work the night shift. This is one of the most tense, gritty and raw movies we have seen in a long time. While very well done, acted and interesting, this movie is not for everyone. Once you’ve seen it, it is very difficult to unsee it.

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Movie 3: Mea Culpa

This is an erotic thriller written and directed by Tyler Perry. Set in Chicago, this film is full of twists and turns. Many critics did not care for this movie, but we found it entertaining. Good acting by Kelly Rowland. On Netflix.

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Movie 1: The Gentlemen

This is an action comedy/drama about British aristocratic families and a huge marijuana empire they struggle to keep. This 8 part Netflix series is a spinoff of the Guy Ritchie 2019 movie of the same name. Each episode is about 50 minutes and the entire series is good fun.

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Movie 2: Immaculate

A young, devout women joins a large Italian convent and is stunned to find out she is pregnant. For the first hour or so this horror film is intelligent, interesting, well scripted and well acted. But the last half hour or so it defaults to typical horror schlock. It’s almost as if someone didn’t know how to end the movie. English and Italian with English subtitles.

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Movie 3: The Catcher Was A Spy

This WWII drama is based on a true story. A Jewish Boston Red Sox baseball player is recruited to go to Germany to kill the scientist creating a German nuclear bomb. This very good movie was originally released in 2018, and we had never seen it. Paul Rudd is excellent as baseball player Moe Berg. On Netflix.

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Movie 1: Shirley

This is a fascinating story of the trailblazing first Black congresswomen Shirley Chisholm. It is a very well done biographical drama. It chronicles her life from Brooklyn congresswomen to Democratic Presidential candidate in 1972. Regina King shines as Shirley Chisholm. On Netflix.

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Movie 2: One Life

This is a remarkable and true Holocaust story about an unlikely extraordinary hero. A British citizen saves hundreds of young lives as he smuggles children out of Prague after the Nazi invasion. Anthony Hopkins is perfect as the older Nicholas Winton. Currently in theatres but scheduled for Showtime later this year.

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Movie 3: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Here is yet another Ghostbuster sequel, with the usual and familiar suspects. Other than a nice touch of bringing back some original cast members, this sequel is just a warmed over mess. It’s time to say goodbye to this franchise.

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Movie 1: Dune: Part Two

If you are a fan of these epic science fiction films, this movie will not disappoint. It is a nearly three hour visual feast. The sets, costumes, cinematography are outstanding. While we do not necessarily understand what this franchise is about (the 1984 original or the 2020 Part One) we can say they are spectacularly entertaining.

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Movie 2: Bob Marley One Love

This is a biopic about the life of Jamaican singer and songwriter Bob Marley. Not knowing much about him we found the movie interesting, and came away impressed with his music and social activism. Unfortunately the movie seemed very uneven, soundtrack too loud, and the dialogue would have benefitted from subtitles.

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Movie 3: Perfect Days

This is a gem of a movie. A Tokyo toilet cleaner is content with his simple life. He finds beauty wherever he can. This movie is quiet, introspective and totally captivating. It deserves all of its well earned accolades, including Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for Best International Film. Japanese with English subtitles.

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Movie 1: The Monk and the Gun

This is a beautifully made movie set in the gorgeous landscapes of Bhutan. An American travels through Bhutan looking to buy a valuable antique gun and befriends a young monk. Together they set out to find the older monk who has the gun. No longer in movie theatres, hopefully you can find this movie on a streaming service. In Dzongkha (Bhutanese) with English subtitles.

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Movie 2: Lisa Frankenstein

We found this movie a very odd mix of comedy, romance and horror. A corpse comes back to life, falls in love with Lisa Frankenstein, and off they go on a murderous adventure. The overall plot, while mildly interesting, just has too much going on.

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Movie 3: Argylle

This is a spy caper that is a lot of fun. It’s full of action, high speed chases, beautiful locales and some twists and turns. It “borrows” themes from some recent movies, i.e., Bullet Train and Kingsman The Secret Service. By no means great film making, but very entertaining.

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