Author: James Hathaway

Movie 1: The Penguin Lessons

An aging and tired English teacher (Steve Coogan) lands a job at a private boys school in Buenos Aires. Set in 1976 during the height of the Argentinian social and political unrest, this feel good “buddy” movie is a little gem. Very good acting and writing. Based on the 2016 Tom Mitchell memoir. This may not be showing everywhere, but if you find it try and see it.

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Movie 2: The Life List

This is a fun romantic comedy/drama which touches on lots of family topics. A family matriarch dies at a young age and her three adult children try and pick up the pieces. It can seem predictable at times but is also very heartwarming. On Netflix.

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Movie 3: October 8

This is a fascinating documentary about the rise of antisemitism on college campuses following the October 7 attacks on Israel. Interviews with attack survivors, college students and professors. Debra Messing is an executive producer. Limited release in theatres and also on Amazon Video.

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Movie 1: Bob Trevino Likes It

This is a very enjoyable and heartwarming drama. Two unrelated people with the same last name meet over the internet and start an unlikely, yet special, friendship. This is a very well done and tender movie based on a real story. John Leguizamo as the older friend is really good.

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Movie 2: A Working Man

This is another well done and fun action packed drama we’ve come to expect from Jason Statham. The daughter of his construction company boss is kidnapped by human traffickers and Statham’s character goes out to bring her home. The usual chase and shoot-em-up scenes, but an entertaining movie.

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Movie 3: Death of a Unicorn

This is a very unique, and sometimes gruesome, horror-comedy. A driver and his daughter are on back country roads and accidently hit a baby unicorn, and its parents come looking for it. The acting and script are well done. Richard E. Grant is perfect and a different kind of role for Paul Rudd.

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Movie 1: La Dolce Villa

This is a very pleasing romantic comedy on Netflix. Set in the beautiful Italian countryside a young American woman buys a dilapidated farmhouse for 1 Euro. When her father comes to visit to talk her out of it, the fun begins.

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Movie 2: The Assessment

This is an odd, dystopian near-future Syfy. If a couple wants a child they must first go through a seven day “assessment” to see if they qualify. If they do, a baby shows up at the front door. Natural procreation is outlawed due to over population. There are lots of twists and turns that make no sense. Given the good cast, we wanted to like this more than we did.

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Movie 3: The Residence

This is a murder mystery comedy set in the White House. During a state dinner for Australia the White House Chief Usher is murdered. Uzo Aduba is brilliant as the bird watching detective. This is a very fun whodunit. Four part mini-series on Netflix.

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Movie 1: Locked

A petty thief breaks into a luxury SUV, setting off dangerous and deadly events. This remake of a 2019 Argentinian movie is a tense thriller that pulls you in. Bill Skarsgard gives an excellent performance and Anthony Hopkins is once again psychopathic and spooky.

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Movie 2: Snow White

This is an audience pleasing musical remake of the 1937 Walt Disney classic. The sets, colors, costumes and songs are all very well done. While critics are giving this movie mixed reviews, we found it very enjoyable. Although nowhere near as magical as the original.

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Movie 3: Adolescence

This four part Netflix series excels on every level. A13 year old is accused of killing a high school classmate. This is an intense, gripping psychological thriller made all the better by being filmed with one camera. Owen Cooper, who plays the accused murderer is outstanding in his first professional role. It would help a lot turning on the English subtitles, as the British accents can be difficult to understand.

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Movie 1: The Alto Knights

Based on a true story about the beginning of the New York crime bosses of the 1950’s. Robert DeNiro is excellent as he plays two roles as childhood friends grow up in NYC to become infamous mobsters. Debra Messing as DeNiro’s wife is very convincing. This is a very well acted and directed period piece.

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Movie 2: Novocaine

This is a very funny, and at times gory, action comedy. A young man has a genetic disorder where he cannot feel any pain. He then sets out trying to rescue a girlfriend who was kidnapped during a bank robbery. While not great film making, this movie is very entertaining.

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Movie 3: Black Bag

This is a very intelligent and sexy spy thriller. Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender are a husband and wife team working for British Intelligence to find a security leak within the organization. Lots of twists and turns with palpable tension. Director Steven Soderbergh delivers a really well done nail biter drama.

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Movie 1: Companion

This is a cleverly done movie that is part romantic comedy and part sy-fi thriller. A weekend trip to a lakeside estate goes very wrong. We hadn’t read anything about this movie before seeing it. The chemistry between Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher adds to this black comedy.

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Movie 2: Last Breath

This is a very well done, claustrophobic underwater thriller based on actual events. A diving crew has an accident while repairing cable at the bottom of the North Sea. The acting is very good, especially Woody Harrelson, and the tension and fear is palpable.

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Movie 3: Mickey 17

This is the highly anticipated new film by acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho. What a disappointment. This is a very disjointed, messy spectacle of a futuristic movie. Science has created humans that die and can be reborn the next day (we think). At 2 hours, 17 minutes this movie feels very long, and the very talented cast seem out of place.

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Movie 1: The Monkey

This is a horror film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Twin brothers group up with a stuffed monkey that has supernatural and demonic powers. While many national critics found much to praise about this movie, we found it violent, stupid and more than a little insulting. We watched this film in a theater in Paris, and the very large, young audience seemed to enjoy it a lot. But we say stay away.

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Movie 2: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

This is the fourth film in the Bridget Jones franchise and we found it as enjoyable as the first film 24 years ago. Many of the original characters have returned, albeit older and not necessarily wiser. As a romantic comedy, this London based film works on several levels. Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant are very, very good. We were fortunate enough to see this in a theater in Paris, but in the USA it is only streaming on Peacock.

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Movie 3: Captain America: Brave New World

Part political thriller and part over the top action adventure, this latest addition to the Marvel universe is a lot of fun. Anthony Macke and Harrison Ford comprise an action-packed duo with very good special effects. If you are a fan of the Marvel adventures, you will not be disappointed.

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Movie 1: I’m Still Here

This true story is based on the political horrors of Brazil’s military dictatorship during the 1970’s. It brings government corruption front and center. The script, acting and direction are excellent. It has earned three Oscar nominations, including Best Actress, Best Film, Best Foreign Film. Fernando Torres, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actress, gives a heartbreaking performance. In Portuguese with English subtitles.

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Movie 2: The Only Girl in the Orchestra

This well done and interesting Oscar nominated Short Subject Documentary tells the story of Orin O’Brien, the first female member of the New York Philharmonic. A double bassist, she joined then orchestra in 1966 with the help of director Leonard Bernstein. Only 37 minutes, it is on Netflix.

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Movie 3: Presence

Directed by Stephen Soderbergh, this is an intelligent, slow moving psychological thriller. A young family moves into a beautiful house that seems to have a “presence”. We found the cinematography style intriguing and ultimately becomes part of the movie. SPECIAL NOTE: We are off on another adventure. The Caribbean, Spain and Paris. Reviews will return early March. In the meantime, enjoy the movies!

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Movie 1: Schindler’s List

This 1993 masterpiece is currently on Netflix. Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist, moves to Poland at the start of WWII, opens a factory and saves over 1,100 Jews from concentration camps. This multiple-Oscar winning classic is near perfect on every level. If you haven’t seen this movie, or haven’t seen it since 1993, please do. Movies get no better than this.

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Movie 2: Wolf Man

This is not the typical, average wolf man movie. We found the acting, dialog and visuals very good, intelligent and believable. A family from the city goes to the country for a long weekend. And there’s more out there than just them. Julia Garner (from Ozark fame) is great as the mother.

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Movie 3: Hard Truths

This British drama/comedy from Mike Leigh is brutal, at times difficult to watch, but totally mesmerizing. A mother and housewife does not feel well, physically or mentally, and is having a difficult time dealing with life. The pain she feels is palpable. The acting, writing and directing are superb. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, as the afflicted mother, gives an enormously powerful performance.

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Movie 1: Porcelain War

This is a fascinating documentary about a defiant group of people still making beautiful porcelain amongst the horror and ruins of the war in Ukraine. The small figurines represent much more than art. Their continuing courage, love of country and steadfast belief in what they are doing is very inspiring. In Ukranian with English subtitles.

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Movie 2: The Room Next Door

This is acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s first English language film. And what a gem it is. Julianne Moore is an author who reconnects with a friend, Tilda Swinton, dying of cancer. This is a beautiful film centered around female friendship. The colors, buildings, cinematography are all gorgeous. The acting and directing are wonderful.

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Movie 3: One of Them Days

This female buddy comedy is a whole lotta fun. Two roommates rush around LA trying to find rent money before they become homeless. This movie could have become mundane and insulting. But instead, it is very funny, with good messages, and equally good acting. KeKe Palmer is a delight.

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