Author: James Hathaway

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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Movie 1: American Assassin

This is a 2017 action packed espionage thriller. Terrorists buy and steal materials for a nuclear weapon and American agencies attempt to stop the detonation. A really good role for Michael Keaton. We didn’t remember seeing this in theatres. Currently on Netflix.

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Movie 2: The Greatest Night in Pop

Wow, talk about a trip down memory lane! This is a documentary about the making of the 1985 worldwide mega-hit song We Are The World. Wonderful behind the scenes footage from a galaxy of pop stars. Narrated by Lionel Ritchie, with a dozen or more current interviews, this movie is totally irresistible. On Netflix.

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Movie 3: The Promised Land

This is an epic Danish Western thriller that has the look and feel of a Gothic novel. Set on the moors of 18th century Jutland, Denmark a former soldier sets out to cultivate potatoes on this dark and brooding landscape. Mads Mikkelsen gives another towering performance. This movie had its debut at the Venice Film Festival to wide acclaim. Danish with English subtitles.

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Movie 1: Origin

This movie brims with intelligence and conviction about the origins of racism and the caste system. This is a wonderful narrative as it follows the life of a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. This is stunningly important filmmaking that should be required viewing for everyone, especially in an election year.

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Movie 2: Griselda

This six-part Netflix limited series is violent, gritty and shows the underbelly of the Medellin crime cartel. Based on true events and set mostly in 1970’s Miami, Sophia Vergara gives a riveting performance as crime boss Griselda Blanco. Each episode is less than an hour.

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Movie 3: The Teachers’ Lounge

This German film is a gripping, realistic thriller about assumptions and innuendo in a high school classroom and teacher’s lounge. It made us very happy we are not teachers. This film is nominated for Best Foreign Film Oscar. While very good, we don’t necessarily agree with the nomination. In theatres and HBO Max. German with English subtitles.

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Movie 1: The Beekeeper

Jason Statham plays a retired government operative who quietly cultivates beehives until he is suddenly no longer retired. He then goes on a rampage eliminating white collar crooks who take advantage of common folks. Kind of like Denzel Washington in the Equalizer series, but not nearly as well done as those movies. This is a very entertaining film, although totally implausible. Good first rate cast.

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Movie 2: The Book of Clarence

This is a very well acted, well written satirical faith-based comedy. The predominantly black cast retells the story of Jesus just before and during the crucifixion. Not quite sure about the ending, we did find this movie a very enjoyable farce with timely and relevant social and political overtones.

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Movie 3: The Zone of Interest

This movie is haunting and disturbing. The commandant of Auschwitz and his family live next to the infamous concentration camp. Their house, gardens, swimming pool, parties, lavish meals are all beautiful. They lead normal, quiet lives as heart wrenching cries for help and smoke from the crematoriums fill the air and human ashes flow in a river where children swim. This is like no Holocaust film we’ve ever seen. It deserves every worldwide award and accolade it is receiving. German with English subtitles.

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Movie 1: Mean Girls

This is a smart and entertaining high school comedy. If you saw the 2004 original you will know exactly what to expect from this latest rendition. Tina Fey, as writer, producer and star of the movie is very good. The characters and situations are timely for 2024.

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Movie 2: Anatomy of a Fall

This is a riveting psychological drama that is part murder mystery and part courtroom drama. The acting is impeccable and Sandra Huller deserves all the praise and award nominations she is receiving. The setting in Grenoble France is gorgeous. This is a front runner for Best Foreign Film Oscar. In English and French, with English subtitles. On Amazon Prime Video.

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Movie 3: Good Grief

This is a very intelligent drama about grief, loss and redemption. While not a comedy, there are many funny moments. It is also the directorial debut for Daniel Levy of Schitt’s Creek fame. The settings in London and Paris are perfect. On Netflix.

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Movie 1: Memory

This is a complicated, yet simple, love story between two very flawed people, the young man having early onset dementia. At times it was really difficult to watch. We came away from the movie not particularly caring for it. But the more we thought about it the more compelling it became. Excellent acting.

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Movie 2: Night Swim

An injured baseball player and his wife buy a home with a backyard swimming pool. The kids love the pool, and it provides him physical therapy. The first hour or so of this horror film is very scary, intense and intelligent. The last half hour it takes itself too seriously and just falls apart.

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Movie 3: Freud’s Last Memory

We really wanted to like this movie way more than we did. The acting is outstanding. Not necessarily based on fact, the movie presupposes that Sigmund Freud invited C.S. Lewis to his London home. We found the movie slow and the dialogue at times confusing. But Anthony Hopkins shines.

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Movie 1: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

We aren’t exactly sure what this movie is about, other than it’s not very impressive. Lots of underwater scenes with so so special effects. The good news is it doesn’t take itself too seriously. And how Nicole Kidman got caught up in this mess we really don’t know.

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Movie 2: Ferrari

Set in 1957 Italy, this movie chronicles the life of the Italian car legend Enzo Ferrari, a very complicated man with lots of imperfections. The story is interesting with beautiful cinematography and very good acting by Penelope Cruz and Adam Driver. The only negative is Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey seem very miscast.

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Movie 3: Anyone But You

This is a really funny romantic comedy set in beautiful Sydney Australia. After a casual date and a messy goodbye, months later the couple ends up at mutual friend’s wedding in Sydney. This is not great filmmaking, nor great acting but it is fun and entertaining.

NOTE: Happy New Year all! Wishing you and yours all the very best in the coming year. Our 2023 final totals: 182 movies in the theatres; 78+ Netflix movies; and 54 puzzles. It keeps us off the streets..

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