Category: Movies

Movie 1: The Great Flood

This is a very interesting Korean disaster movie.  The entire movie takes place in one high rise apartment building as survivors climb higher and higher to avoid the flood waters.  Throw in a few twists and turns and we found this a well made thriller. We should note many national critics weren’t as impressed as we were.  On Netflix. Korean with English subtitles.

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Movie 2: La Grazia

This is a fascinating and beautifully filmed Italian drama.  The Italian Prime Minister has a few months left to serve and the backstabbing, the in-fighting and demanding of pardons gets stronger and louder.  The acting is simple yet brilliantly executed.  The cinematography is slow and perfect.  We very much enjoyed this movie.  Italian with English subtitles.  In limited theaters now, but later this month streaming on MUBI and Apple TV. 

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Movie 3: Backstabbing for Beginners

This is an international diplomacy and spy thriller.  It’s also a 2018 movie we knew  nothing about and stumbled upon it on Netflix.  Lots of twists and turns with United Nations corruption and the old Saddam Hussein Oil for Food program.  Good acting all around.  

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Movie 1: Zootopia 2

This is the second Zootopia movie in the franchise, the first winning the Oscar for Best Animated Film in 2017. Many of the same voices have returned. Once again this is a family friendly PG animated movie. Two detectives go on the hunt for a missing book stolen from a party. This is a very enjoyable and funny movie that is commended for its themes of inclusion, equality and fair play. Virtues under attack in today’s world. Go figure…

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Movie 2: Is This Thing On?

As their marriage starts to unravel, a middle age couple with two children face the reality of divorce.  Both handle it differently with one starting a stand up comic career. The acting and writing are very good and the marriage issues believable. Bradley Cooper directed and brought together many of his friends in this adult drama. 

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Movie 3:Anaconda

This is a remake comedy from the 1997 hit of the same name.  That movie starred Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube.  This one the very funny duo of Paul Rudd and Jack Black.  We put off seeing this movie until there was literally nothing left to see in the theatres.  We were pleasantly surprised.  Rudd and Black decide to remake the movie and go to the Amazon in search of an anaconda.  Yes it’s dumb, not well written nor particularly well made, yet somehow funny.  What surprised us more than the movie was the audience.  About 50 people, decades younger than us, who laughed and laughed and had a good time.

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Movie 1: Marty Supreme

This is a 1950’s epic ping pong drama.  A young man, Marty Supreme, played brilliantly by Timothee Chalamet, tries to break into the big leagues of table tennis.  He alternates personas between a gifted athlete and a scoundrel and a hustler.  The acting, writing. directing and cinematography are all beautifully portrayed.  Just give the Oscar to Chalamet now.  One minor caveat:  the movie feels long.

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Movie 2: Song Sung Blue

This is not a biopic so much as it is a tribute to the iconic music of Neil Diamond.  A down on their luck Milwaukee couple put together a tribute band to the singer.  Based on true events, this movie sings and moves right along with excellent acting and singing and fun visuals.  Kate Hudson is sure to nab at least an Oscar nomination to go along with her Golden Globe nomination.  Hugh Jackman is terrific as the lead singer.  This is a toe tapping, hand clapping musical which is very much needed during these trying times. 

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Movie 3: Goodbye June

This is a tear jerker, yet heart warming Christmas movie.  And Kate Winslet’s directorial debut.  Set in suburban London, four very different siblings come together for the final days of their dying mother, played very nicely by Helen Mirren.  The all star cast is very good and very believable.  A different, yet realistic take on a Christmas movie.  On Netflix.

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Movie 1: Frankenstein

This is a wonderfully told story and a very unique rendering of a saga we all know. Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein has an actual personality and displays kindness, warmth and loneliness, letting us viewers have a relationship with ‘the monster’. The acting, directing and especially the cinematography are excellent. It’s five Gloden Globe nominations are well deserved. On Netflix.

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Movie 2: The Housemaid

This is a thriller/mystery that is way better than we expected and much more complicated than the previews suggested.  A wealthy couple hire a live-in maid to clean, do light cooking and watch their young daughter.  Until she doesn’t… The twists and turns in this movie have twists and turns.  The acting and dialogue are intelligent and believable.  We are not big Sydney Sweeney fans, but she does a very good job.  

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Movie 3: Avatar: Fire and Ash

This is the third movie in the beautifully crafted and expensive Avatar franchise.  Most of the original cast returns for this epic sequel.  This movie picks up where The Way of Water ends.  The cinematography is beyond spectacular.  The best we have ever seen.  We did not see this in 3D or IMAX, but if you do it will be breathtaking. In its first weekend it has made almost a half billion dollars worldwide.  Two more Avatar’s are planned for 2029 and 2031.  The 3 hours and 15 minutes go by quickly.  Buy a big popcorn and enjoy.

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Movie 1: Ella McCay

This romantic drama/comedy follows the life of a 30-something Lieutenant Governor of a Northeastern state as she is about to become Governor.  With all the prerequisite love, work, family drama this movie is ultimately entertaining.  A bit implausible at times, but a fun couple of hours.  Jamie Lee Curtis is always good to see.  James L. Brooks does a good job of directing.  

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Movie 2: The Secret Agent

This is an almost three hour Portuguese political thriller/drama that excels on several levels.  It follows the life of a technology teacher who escapes his past in Sao Paulo only to find more violence and chaos in Recife.  Much of the film takes place during the 1977 Carnival festivities in Brazil.  It was also a time of harsh Brazilian dictators.   This film has garnered several Golden Globe nominations including Best Actor, Best Motion Picture, Best Motion Picture Non English.  Lead actor Maura Wagner has already won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival.  Portuguese with English subtitles.

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Movie 3: Dust Bunny

This is a very unusual movie, difficult to define.  Set in New York City it’s part crime thriller/horror movie and part fairytale children’s story.  Odd, I know.  A young girl tells anyone who will listen there is a noise under her bed.  When adults go and look, all they find are dust bunnies.  Until they don’t..  Gorgeous cinematography.  Very good acting, writing and directing. 

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Movie 1: Fackham Hall

This is a period piece that is part drama, part comedy, part spoof and part farce all mimicking Downtown Abbey.  The movie follows a very nice pick pocket as he gets a job in an English country mansion. We knew nothing about the movie going in, and found it entertaining enough with some dumb and crude jokes.  One national reviewer said the movie is “Naked Gun meets Downtown Abbey meets Airplane.”  In theaters now and will more than likely stream somewhere soon.

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Movie 2: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

This is the third movie in the Knives Out franchise.  A young priest (Josh O’Connor) is sent to upstate New York to assist an older priest (Josh Brolin).  And murderous events start from there.  Glenn Close is over-the-top fun.  If you enjoyed the first two movies, you should enjoy part three.  In limited theaters now and streaming on Netflix Friday, December 12, 2025. 

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Movie 3: The Beast In Me

This is a Netflix eight part series.  Matthew Rhys plays a very rich potential killer who moves next door to a Pulitzer Prize winning author played by Claire Danes (recent Golden Globe nominee for this role).  This is a who dun it with a very good supporting cast.  We enjoyed all episodes but be warned:  none of these characters are likeable  in the least. 

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Movie 1: Five Night’s At Freddy’s 2

This is a sequel to the 2023 original Five Nights at Freddy’s. Once again the marionettes and auto Tron machines run amok in an abandoned pizza parlor. And, as with the first movie, the acting, writing and common sense are nonexistent. We saw this with a younger, appreciative audience who laughed and applauded. We have no idea why. This Freddy’s is four nights too many.

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Movie 2: Hamnet

This movie tells the fictional story of how Shakespeare and his wife deal with the loss of a child.  Jessie Buckley as the wife and Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare are brilliant.  Both deserve Oscar nominations at minimum.  The writing, directing and cinematography are spot on prefect.  The movie unwinds slowly but builds to a spectacular conclusion.

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Movie 3: The Staircase

This eight part Netflix miniseries is based on a true story.  Set in Durham, North Carolina it is an epic crime drama spanning 17 years.  The husband, Colin Firth, is accused of brutally murdering his wife, Toni Collette.  The acting is very good with an all-star cast.  Each episode is about an hour and moves quickly.  And it’s a lot of fun to see Juliette Binoche again.

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Movie 1: Rental Family

This is a charming little film and a lovely vehicle for Brendan Fraser’s acting skills. He plays an actor/imposter in a small Tokyo company that ‘rents out’ people to impersonate family members. Implausible as it sounds, it seems to work in Japanese society. The acting, writing and directing are all top notch. This is a very endearing movie.

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Movie 2: Bugonia

This is yet another provocative and very odd film by acclaimed Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos.  It is somehow a kidnap thriller, and the kidnapped person is a supposed alien.  Bloody, violent, funny, irreverent and just plain weird.  Yet the acting by Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone deserve Oscar nominations.  This film is not for everyone.  We didn’t particularly like it and left the theater thinking zero globes.  But talking about it, it somehow got under our skin and in our minds got better and better.

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Movie 3: Sentimental Value

This is a very thoughtful and emotional drama/comedy which blends realistic family dynamics with personal ambition.  The acting and writing are excellent.  Stellan Skarsgard has never been better.  Filmed in Norway, Sweden and France.  Currently in theaters but soon to be streaming on several platforms.  This is Norway’s official Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film.  Norwegian, Swedish and English with English subtitles.

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Movie 1: Lilly

This is a perfectly acted true story of Lilly Ledbetter, and her 20 plus year fight with Goodyear for equal pay. The movie is mixed with actual supreme court and congressional footage, making it very powerful and interesting. Patricia Clarkson, as Lilly, is excellent. On Netflix.

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Movie 2: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

This movie tells the story of Bruce Springsteen and his early years, as he battles depression and the memories of his father’s abuse.  Primarily filmed around the making of his album Nebraska.  Jeremy Allen White delivers a nuanced and brilliant performance as Springsteen.  But be prepared, this movie is not a musical.  It is a very heavy, and at times slow, drama.  We saw this movie in Paris a few weeks ago where the large, older audience seemed to like it.  No longer in wide theater release Disney should have it streaming somewhere by the end of the year.

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Movie 3: Death By Lightning

This is a fascinating four part Netflix series about the life and death of President James Garfield and his assassin Charles Guiteau.  This is part of American history we literally knew nothing about.  The acting, the 1880’s atmosphere, directing are all very good.  There should be several Emmy nominations for this one.  The film reviewer for NPR said Death by Lightning “unfolds like an 1880’s West Wing.” 

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Movie 1: Now You See Me: Now You Don’t

This is the third movie in this magic heist franchise.  The usual characters are there with the addition of some fun and interesting folks.  This time they travel the world trying to steal the world’s largest diamond.  If you enjoyed the first two Now You See Me movies, you will find this one very entertaining.

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Movie 2: Wicked: For Good

This is part 2 of the global phenomenon.   It nicely ties up all the loose ends in what is a very entertaining two hours.  Many national film critics gave this move just lukewarm reviews.  Yes, it starts slow but ends with a bang.  The chemistry between the cast is wonderful to see.  The costumes, sets and original songs are all Oscar bound. Sit back and enjoy.

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Movie 3: Nuremberg

This is a top notch historical drama about the Nuremberg trials after WWII.  The movie is based on the relationship between the American psychiatrist (Rami Malek) and Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe) the highest ranking Nazi alive after the war.  The acting, writing, directing are superb and sure to garner Oscar nominations.  In theatres now, but also streaming on Prime Video, Apple TV and Roku.

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