Author: James Hathaway

Movie 1: WASP Network

This is a fascinating film about the spy games between the US and Cuba in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The film is both satisfying and confusing at times. It shifts from the Cuban point of view to the US perspective then back again with each side trying to disrupt the interests of the other side. The Penelope Cruz character is a standout. English and Spanish with English subtitles.

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Movie 2: Lost Bullet

This French film is unique on several fronts. The focus is a highly skilled auto mechanic who is forced to engage dirty cops in order to avoid prison. The special effects are impressive. Overall it is less than perfect but a satisfying watch nonetheless. Original language was French. It’s dubbed in English.

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Movie 3: 1922

Based on the Stephen King 131 page novella by the same name. Be prepared…it’s filled with violence and gore. It’s a re-release from 2017. It’s an odd slow burn with all family members more than a little creepy. Classic Stephen King.

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Film 1: The Night Clerk

It’s an interesting film featuring a young man with Asperger Syndrome who works at a hotel. It’s often difficult to follow. Helen Hunt deserves a better script and cast. It’s rated R for violence and nudity.

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Movie 2:  DA 5 Bloods

A riveting film by Spike Lee! Four African American veterans return to Vietnam to find the remains of their squad leader and the gold treasure he hid for them.

It’s a confusing mix at first. There is violence, anguish and conflict. Many consider this Spike Lee production his best yet! This has Oscar written all over it.

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Movie 3:  The Guest

It’s a thriller mystery worthy of its audience.  It’s a dark, intense action film that morphs into a horror film.  Plenty of twists and turns to hold your interest.  It gets pretty intense.  Some say it’s a mess.  We found it intriguing.

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Movie 1:  The Last Thing He Wanted

This Netflix movie is based on Joan Didion’s 1996 novel.  This film is so confusing it’s nearly impossible to follow.  The story is messy on several fronts.  It centers on Iran-Contra scandals and arms deals.  Even with good acting we can’t recommend it.

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Movie 2:  A Fall From Grace

Now this film is worth seeking out!   It’s a new release on Netflix.  There’s excellent acting and a believable plot.  There is plenty of mystery, suspense and surprises to satisfy most viewers.  The final scene is not to be missed.  Reviews range from “terrible” to “nuts”.  We liked it…a lot.

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Movie 3:  A Secret Love

This is a remarkable and tender story about two women and their secret seven decade relationship.  The two were among the pioneers in women’s professional baseball.  The film is inspiring, ageless and long overdue.  It’s an April 29, 2020 Netflix release.

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Movie 1: Mudbound

This exceptional film is set in rural Mississippi at the end of World War II. It’s a powerful reminder of war, racism, endurance and family. It’s often difficult to watch. It’s perfect timing given current events. This film received four Oscar nominations in 2018, including supporting actress for Mary J. Blige.

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Movie 2: Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City

Set in Spain, this crime thriller explores a serial killer and the police process to apprehend the killer. It doesn’t do a great job following the novel it’s based on. Be warned there is graphic violence, torture and explicit sex. The version we saw was dubbed in English.

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Movie 3: 365 DNI

This film is getting mixed reviews. Fasten your seat belts. This film is confusing. It also spends excessive amounts of time with sex scenes, lots and lots of sex scenes! It’s intended to be a story about a Sicilian Mafia family member and kidnappings. English, Italian and Polish, with English subtitles.

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Movie 1: Intuition

It’s an Argentinian “thriller”. One critic referred to it as “schlocky”. That would be accurate! The idea is to capture a serial kidnapper of young girls in a dark forest where…apparently young girls just hang out waiting to be murdered…Go figure!! The Netflix version we saw was dubbed in English.

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Movie 2: The Last Days of American Crime

Here it is folks! This one is based on the near future where the US Government creates an electronic brain device that stops all crime remotely!! It’s set in Brooklyn, New York but much of the story unfolds in Canada.

It’s unbelievably violent, most of the characters are repulsive. Most scenes are obscene. Some special effects are impressive but not nearly enough to balance the gross story line.

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Movie 3: Polar

This film was released just before the Covid-19 Pandemic began. This too was a horrific film filled with extreme violence, torture and bizarre concepts. This one has one of the worlds top assassins, ready for retirement, but double crossed by his former employer. Yup…more blood and guts than a meat packing plant!

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Movie 1: Mute

Well now…where to begin! It’s called a “neo-noir” Science Fiction. It’s set in the near future. Unfortunately, the story and production is almost painful to watch. It’s slow, confusing and frankly…boring.

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Movie 2: Sergio

Definitely our pick of the week!! It’s based on real events when a top Brazilian UN diplomat worked in East Timor and Iraq. It’s powerful. A painful reminder of tension and conflict that continues today.

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Movie 3: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

This is the chronicle of crimes committed by Ted Bundy and his insane rampage against women in the late 70s to mid 80s. It’s based on the book by Elizabeth Kendall, a “long time friend” of Bundy. It’s a powerful and intense look at insanity and murder.

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Movie 1: The Decline

This interesting story is a Canadian French thriller about a fatal accident that takes place in a survivalist training camp. The film is often intense, violent and surprising. It’s a shame because the tense script is mostly likable. This Netflix film was dubbed in English.

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Movie 2: The Laundromat

This film has a great cast including Sharon Stone, Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. It’s an indictment about money laundering, overseas shell companies that pander to the global rich, tax evasion, and corrupt financial systems. It’s not easy to watch but it’s also riveting. Netflix.

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Movie 3: The Coldest Game

This Netflix film is based on events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. There’s plenty of good performances, angst and suspense. It’s also a powerful reminder of history and how dangerous the world was and still is.

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Movie 1: Close

This Netflix thriller is an Action Adventure/Mystery Suspense staring Noomi Rapace as the bad ass protector. It’s an action packed story about people that are just not all that interesting. Much of the story is not believable. It’s extremely violent but just unique enough to hold your interest.

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Movie 2: In The Shadow of the Moon

This is a most unusual Sci-Fi film about time travel. It’s a serial killer mystery that wanders through time and logic. What starts as an intriguing concept evolves into a confusing mess. It becomes tedious. Keep some aspirin handy. Netflix.

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Movie 3: The Lovebirds

This is a bizarre murder mystery. Yes, it’s goofy, sometimes corny, it’s not likely to win any industry awards….BUT, given the current events and the bizarre times we are enduring it might just be an anecdote for a couple of hours. It opened today on Netflix.

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Movie 1: Ordinary Love

OMG!! If the movie making moguls only knew this would be a perfect film for today’s challenges under the pandemic!? Instead of Covid-19 this one is breast cancer. Anyone with family or friends that have coped with breast cancer will relate to this film. Great acting, a believable story. It’s ultimately a feel good film. Comcast on Demand.

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Movie 2: American Factory

If you missed it like we did, this 2019 Documentary won the Oscar in its category. It’s a riveting account of a closed GM factory in Ohio replaced by a Chinese company that manufactures automobile glass. The gap between workers cultures and global industry politics make this a fascinating watch. English and Mandarin, with English subtitles. Netflix.

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Movie 3: Fractured

This is an intense film with a complex plot, lots of confusion, even more cultural/social/disconnects perhaps harvested from the current craziness with a heavy dose of condemnation on the health care system. Netflix.

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Movie 1:  The Occupant

 

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Movie 2:  The Angel

Based on the New York Times bestselling book ‘The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel’ by Uri Bar-Joseph.  True stories make great films.  This one is a reminder of recent history when Middle Eastern conflicts ultimately involved much of the Western world.  It’s intense, focused on fresh perspectives and riveting to watch.  (Netflix) 

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Movie 3:  The Photographer of Mauthausen

And another Netflix release making this a great film week for us.  This film is set in 1943 in the Austrian concentration camp of Mauthausen where Spain’s anti-Franco prisoners were under the control of Germany’s war machine.  It’s horrific but a compelling story that should be required viewing.  Spanish with English subtitles.

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