Author: James Hathaway

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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Movie 1: Good Fortune

This is a very delightful and entertaining comedy/drama.  A guardian angel (Keanu Reeves) protects people from texting while driving.  And the low key good humor starts from there.  The cast is wonderful with an easy and winning chemistry. Much better than we had anticipated, a good time at the movies.

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Movie 2: After the Hunt

This is a riveting psychological crime drama set on the Yale University campus.  A teacher is accused of sexual assault of a student.  Filled with much timely and relevant topics.  Did he or didn’t he?  The acting of Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield is excellent and both deserve Oscar nominations.  In theatres now, soon to be streaming on Netflix and Prime Video.  

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Movie 3: Steve

This is a very nuanced, intentionally slow drama about a headmaster of a reform school trying to keep his students in line.  While at the same time dealing with his own issues.  Another fantastic performance by Cillian Murphy.  Based on Max Porter’s novel “Shy”.  On Netflix.

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Special Note:  We are off to France and Italy.
Movie reviews will return mid-November. 
Be well everyone. 

Movie 1: Bone Lake

This is an entertaining and well done horror movie. Two different couples mistakenly rent the same lake house for the weekend. For most of the movie it is intelligently written and acted with believable situations. It was tracking towards a three globe movie. Then the last 20 minutes it reverted back to some usual horror schlock, diminishing the overall effect. But nonetheless much better than we expected.

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Movie 2: Tron: Ares

We aren’t exactly sure what this expensively made and visually spectacular movie is about.  It is the third Tron movie in the franchise.  We both nodded off more than once, so I guess staying awake would have helped in understanding it.  It is loud, colorful with great special effects.  The younger audience seemed to like it a lot, as did many national film critics.

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Movie 3: Ballad of a Small Player

Colin Farrell plays a high stakes gambler on a massive losing streak, in search of that one winning night.  Set in the gambling casinos of Macau, Farrell’s acting is riveting and brilliant.  And it’s always good to see Tilda Swinton.  Yet somehow this movie seems slow, disjointed and not nearly as good as we had hoped.

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Movie 1: Kiss of the Spider Woman

This is a beautifully filmed redo from the award winning 1985 original. The acting, sets and costumes are spectacular. A political prisoner shares a cell with a gay man in a Latin American prison. And they gain each other’s trust and friendship through the reliving of a Hollywood musical. Part drama, part musical, all very well done.

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Movie 2: Roofman

Based on a true story where a convict hides and lives in a North Carolina Toys R Us for six months.  While he has made several bad and wrong decisions, he is basically a kind and generous person.  Channing Tatum and Kristen Dunst have a good and believable chemistry together.  A very entertaining movie.

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Movie 3: A House of Dynamite

This is a masterpiece directed by Kathryn Bigelow.  A nuclear weapon is launched from the western Pacific region and will detonate in 19 minutes in Chicago.  Two attempts to blow it up midair fail.  The tension and horror are palpable.  The overtones of this movie are timely and horrifying.  In theaters now and streaming globally on Netflix October 24.  Do not miss this one.

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