In watching the captivating documentary by Frank Marshall about the singing group The Bee Gees, “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”, it saddened me to think that many people might still think of them only as ‘that disco group’ or ‘that group who only had a short-lived stint as disco singers.’ They absolutely were way more than that. This is a group whose vocals blended together like few others and they were phenomenal songwriters. They wrote over 1,000 songs and had 20 number 1 hits between the United States and the UK.
This is a great film that gives insight into the drive and chemistry between the brothers and what they went through during their highs and lows. The film used interviews pulled from 1999 since Maurice and Robin are no longer with us and I'm glad that we were able to get their insight into their music career and contribution to music in general.
The film shared many facts I had never known about their personal lives, the different techniques they used in the recording studio and the number of songs they had written for other people. Fortunately, they were able to still thrive in the music industry as a result of their songwriting skills. The most touching point is when Barry says at the end that he'd give all the hits back to have his brothers, including Andy, back with him.
I don’t care what anyone thinks, they definitely left a tremendous legacy behind when it comes to beautiful, melodic songs that captivated several generations.
One of the latest entries in the documentary genre is ‘Crazy, Not Insane’ on HBO Max. This is a fascinating look into the work of Dr. Dorothy Lewis, a renowned psychiatrist who has spent her life examining infamous serial killers such as Ted Bundy and trying to figure out why they've committed the brutal murders for which they've been arrested and/or executed.
This is a film that focuses partly on her and why she got into the work she did but it's also about her subjects, what they did and why she believes so strongly in multiple personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder. This is a disorder in which the subject changes or transforms in front of her and she blames the upbringing and environment the murderers grew up in for their behavior. To quote something she said in the film, ‘Killers are made, not born.’
Thus, the film leaves you to decide what you believe based on insight into her work, newsreels of the cases and interviews with the murderers themselves. Dr. Lewis had an uphill battle in proving her theories, and faced a great deal of scrutiny from her peers.
It's an interesting insight into her studies and yet it's creepy at the same time watching these subjects in interviews knowing what horrific acts they committed.
Ok, listen up, this is for anyone who is looking for a creepy film to watch on Netflix. You can not go wrong with, ‘Don’t Listen’ (‘Voces’ in Spanish), a Spanish language horror film. I normally don’t do horror/scary flicks too often anymore but to keep my mind off of other things I decided to go for it and I was not disappointed. While there are some scares in this film seen before in other horror films, the twist and storyline make this one different so the scares work.
The story is about a married couple and their son who have recently moved into this new home, with the intentions of renovating it and selling it. The couple does this for a living but this home is older, larger and they know it's going to take more time and effort to get it ready for sale. The young son begins to hear noises, including on his walkie-talkie radios, and tells his mom and dad he doesn't like the house and wants to leave. Of course the parents attribute his behavior to being in a new place, no friends yet, etc. They eventually decide they need to hire a counselor to come to the house and work with him. All is well until one afternoon the counselor leaves and has a tragic ‘accident’ on her way home.
What the parents don’t realize is that the son is drawing pictures of events as they happen. Another horrible accident - or it appears to be - happens, causing the wife to leave the house. When the husband begins to hear things himself, he recruits a paranormal investigator and his daughter to come in and help him figure out what's in or was in the house.
From there the mystery picks up and there is a horrific twist later on that definitely is unexpected. This film is definitely one that will give you goose bumps!
These are the top tags for the latest film entry on Netflix, directed by George Clooney, ‘The Midnight Sky’, and I have to say that these pretty much sum up the film. It really should be called ‘The Midnight Snooze.’ It started off with great promise and then just went nowhere. I will say that you can tell this film had a big budget based on the special effects. But as far as the pace of the film, and in fact the acting, it was slow and just never picked up the steam I was looking for.
George Clooney portrays Augustine, a scientist in the Arctic who tries to contact a crew of astronauts returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe. Basically, it appears that he's the only person left on earth until at one point he encounters a young girl who he tries to keep safe. So the entire film at that point is them trying to find a way to contact the astronauts and warn them to stay away. During this time, we see flashbacks of Augustine’s life. We also see George Clooney in character fighting the frigid cold, rescuing the little girl from danger, and talking about survival.
Even the astronauts leave a lot to be desired as far as character development. They are just plain boring. There is a moment in the film where they cut up and all seems well among them and a song is used that elicits happiness. Well this type of scene is so overplayed in films that you know something horrible is going to happen as everything is just ‘too good’ and sure enough that's what happened. I won’t go into details in case any one does wish to watch it.
There is a ‘big’ twist at the end but even that's nothing that impressed me too much. It leaves a big question about what will happen next but honestly it's not something I hope they try to answer with a follow up.
I like George Clooney as an actor and director but he's definitely not consistent as far as a filmmaker and I have to say he missed the mark with this one in my opinion.
Last night after enjoying all the festivities with my family, we decided to watch the latest Disney/Pixar film, ‘Soul’ and I can report we were not disappointed by any means. I'm pleased that Disney/Pixar has kept up with their reputation of producing beautifully made animation films.
The story revolves around jazz musician, Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), who is a part time music teacher at a local school and is given an opportunity to finally become a full time teacher with a regular pay, pension, benefits, etc. You would think that most people would be excited as this is a sound, secure job but you can tell that Joe is really looking to do something different with his music. Not twenty minutes into the film, one of Joe’s former students, Curley (voiced by Questlove), calls him to tell him they need someone to fill in at the last minute for a gig at a local jazz club, performing with the well known jazz musician, Dorothea Williams (voiced by Angela Bassett), and he is estatic.
***Spoiler Alert***
He's on the way home all excited when an unfortunate accident takes place and Joe leaves this earth and wakes up in the afterlife. This is when the story takes a turn and gets very interesting.
Once Joe realizes that he's headed to the Great Beyond, he panics and does everything he can to get back to his body on Earth as he doesn't want to miss his big break! During this time in the afterlife, he's assigned as a mentor to 22 (voiced by Tina Fey), a soul that doesn't have any desire to go to Earth as she doesn't think there's anything worthwhile there. Joe manages to get 22 to go to earth but instead of Joe’s soul returning to his body, he ends up in that of a cat, while 22 ends up in his body. Panic ensues as Joe only has so much time to get his body prepared for the gig and they have to go through a ‘mediator’ named Moonwind (voiced by Graham Norton) in order to get Joe and 22’s souls back in the right bodies.
It's during this time that 22 begins to experience things on earth as a person that she's beginning to appreciate and Joe also begins to realize things about himself that he hadn't before. The switch does take place, Joe gets back into his body and is able to perform his gig, but it's with the sacrifice of 22 going back to the afterlife and not having a body. Once Joe performs with the band, he realizes it still didn't fulfill him completely and he thought it would be a more exciting experience than expected. Joe knows 22 has changed and is ready to come to earth as a person and he sacrifices himself to allow 22 to go to earth. Because of this, the Great Ones (what I can only think of calling them) allow Joe to also go back because of his kind act.
Now on to the comments about the film. First, the animation is, of course, amazing and absolutely beautiful so this didn't disappoint at all. The characters of Joe and his mom, (voiced by Phylicia Rashad), are by far my favorites and really make the film. The music - outstanding! Wonderful music that fits this film perfectly, which if anyone is interested in knowing, is put together with the consultation of Questlove.
Also significant about this film that I'm sure many will notice is that it's voiced by a predominantly African American cast. I read a great review about the film and she noted (Tasha Robinson, Disney+) the same as well, stating, “... The film, which now debuts directly on Disney Plus, is another groundbreaker, with the studio’s first Black protagonist and first focus on Black community, relationships, and art.
Soul will come in for endless analysis of the details that give it shape. One of its subtlest but most daring touches is that it doesn’t have significant white characters at all — it seems natural enough that the people in Joe’s most immediate circle of family and friends are Black, but it’s also notable that the authority figures in his world, from minor characters (the principal, a doctor, a random cop) to major ones (all the Great Before counselors and accountants) are also people of color, from a range of genders and ethnicities. That choice, and the view of Black community life — particularly Joe’s relationship with his mother, and a barbershop scene that defines how Joe relates to his friends — will certainly be studied and examined at length.”
If I have to find any fault with the film, it's only that it's a little more ‘deep’ as far as the subject matter than I expected. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I do think it can go over younger kids’ heads. I was very moved by it myself and loved this film. Definitely another great addition to the Disney/Pixar catalogue of animated films.
I have to be honest in stating that usually the big production natural disaster type films, i.e. "Earthquake", "The Towering Inferno", "The Day After Tomorrow", etc. typically are not my kind of films as the plots are usually weak, the special effects sometimes not up to my expectations and the acting not very good. Well, I took a chance and watched "Greenland" and I have to say I was extremely impressed. It's a great action film and I couldn't turn my eyes away. Gerard Butler is definitely back in good form with this film, for which I noticed in the credits he's listed as a producer. The storyline is good, the supporting cast is great and the special effects amazing. This is one I would have loved to have seen in the theater as it just keeps you on the end of your seat. Great popcorn film!
Ran, I know you said that it didn't entertain you but I think this one did for me because it was probably the most realistic - well, as far as I know it could be - natural disaster film and made it scary to think it could happen. And the ending was just perfect...because everyone knew what was coming and what those chosen people would have to do for future generations. Great film in my opinion.
Talk about an absolutely stunning performance in a great movie - definitely check out Riz Ahmed as musician Ruben Stone in the film, ‘Sound of Metal.’ It's one of those performances that makes your mouth drop as well as feel every emotion the actor feels in his/her portrayal.
The film is about a heavy-metal drummer in a band with his girlfriend who begins to suddenly lose his hearing. A former heroin addict, but four years clean, he begins to panic and feels that he's spiraling out of control. His girlfriend is worried that he's going to revert back to his drug use to deal with the situation so she gets him into a house for people learning to adjust to life as a deaf person. Ok, this is where people might think the film would fall apart and into the trap of sentimental, heartfelt overload. But thank goodness it doesn't do that. Ruben is given an opportunity and he slowly begins to try and adapt to his new life as a deaf person, learning sign language and developing relationships with those who live in the home. But the whole time he has plans to try and revert to his former life as a musician on the road and living in his RV with his girlfriend again, moving from city to city and playing gig after gig. Without giving anything else away, I'll say that things do not exactly fall into place as he expects.
The acting by the cast in this film is all good but this movie definitely belongs to Ahmed and rightly so. He puts his whole heart into this performance, learning to play drums and sign language. I'll back up on an earlier comment and admit that there were a couple of touching moments and the ending is a killer at playing with your mind and heart.
Definitely one film that pulled at my heart strings, not only because I'm a person who loves music immensely and couldn't imagine going through what Ahmed’s character does, but also because it teaches so many good lessons while not doing overkill. It's a well balanced, well made film with a tour de force performance!
Released on November 20, ‘Run’ is now the most-watched original film ever during its opening weekend for Hulu. The movie is writer/director Aneesh Chaganty’s second film following his 2018 breakout with ‘Searching.’
First of all, if you haven't seen the film 'Searching’, definitely put that one on your must-see list. It's original and suspenseful and an exciting film. So needless to say I'm glad to say that the director of that film has done it again with ‘Run.’ This is the story of what appears to be a fun, loving relationship between and mother and her wheelchair bound daughter. All appears well until some clues start coming in that make the daughter question a few things. That's all I can say as this is one that you don't want to give anything way.
As always, Sara Paulson is remarkable in her role as the mother, Diane Sherman. Can Sara Paulson do anything wrong as far as her acting? She's definitely on a roll with ‘American Horror Story’ and ‘Ratched.’ Also very good in her performance as the daughter, Chloe Sherman, is Kiera Allen. The supporting characters in the film do a good job but it's the chemistry between Paulson and Allen that really keeps this film and the suspense going.
It's a definitely a nail-biter for sure so if you're looking for something to keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the film for you.
Fun, fun, fun - that is how I would describe the recent Netflix film, ‘Enola Holmes.’ While at first I was worried that the story might not bode well for the classic character, Sherlock Holmes, I can assure any fans of that great detective that this film does a good job of keeping his legacy intact and focuses on Enola alone as a great detective herself.
The story is quite simple. Enola, the younger sister of two older brothers, including the up and coming famous detective, Sherlock, finds that her mother has all of a sudden disappeared. She's determined to find out where her mother has gone but becomes the ward of her oldest brother who wants nothing but to keep her in a boarding school for girls where she can learn to become a young society lady. Enola escapes and begins her journey to find her mom. Along the way she encounters a young lord and must try to help him escape from danger. Thus begins the cat-and-mouse chase along with Enola searching for clues about her mom. As she's doing so, older brother Sherlock begins to realize she's a wonderful detective as well.
I knew the minute I saw Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Enola’s mother in the film, that I had to watch it as I love anything with this wonderful actor. She gives a great performance as usual and I hope to see her again. If Netflix decides to make a sequel I'm open for it! I also enjoyed Henry Cavill in his role as Sherlock Holmes and thought he pulled it off nicely. All of the other actors are good as well but I definitely have to give kudos to Millie Bobby Brown as Enola. She does a remarkable job, including her few scenes of talking to the audience. I normally don't care for that but in this case it works and doesn't take away from the film at all. Definitely a fun movie to watch!
I know I'm late to the game on this one (as this came out earlier in the year) but for anyone looking for a great detective series they need to check out, ‘The Murders at White House Farm’, as it's brilliant.
The sad thing is that it's based on a true story that took place back in August of 1985, when five members of the same family were murdered at an Essex farmhouse, including two young boys. At first it appears to be a murder-suicide as the daughter suffered from mental illness but one of the detectives who is involved in the investigation just doesn't buy it. Mark Addy portrays DS Stan Jones and he is amazing in this role. Also outstanding is Freddie Fox, who plays Jeremy Bamber, the son of the murdered family.
One of the most impressive things is that the story is told in only six episodes, yet splendidly so, and no more episodes were needed. This definitely kept me watching and on the edge-of-my seat. This is a suspenseful show with solid performances.
Since I'm having to focus more on streaming shows now than going to theaters, I have to comment on a definite feel-good holiday film on Netflix called, ‘Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.’ This is a, and I'm sorry for the use of the cliche, ‘magical’ film that all should watch over the holidays. Yes, there is music so I guess you could call it a musical but it's still great. It truly is a make-you-feel-good film and brings you joy, which, personally, is something I think we could all use right now. The special effects in this film are solid and the performances are enjoyable to watch. Who knew Forest Whitaker could sing? I know I didn't and I have to say he held his own in his role. Phylicia Rashad was also wonderful in her role, as were the young kids in the film.
Ok, there a few moments in the film that I felt were borrowed from other movies and it was a little bit ‘sappy’ at times, yes. But it's a holiday film and it does exactly what it's supposed to do - make you get excited about the holidays and enjoy this time of year of peace and joy. Definitely an enjoyable film!
Every so often I will watch a movie or series and while the overall show might be good, there is a performance that absolutely stands out and deserves attention. In this particular case, I have to mention actor Sophie Okonedo, who portrays Charlotte Wells, a patient with multiple personalities in the Netflix series, ‘Ratched.’ The series itself is hard to watch and can be disturbing but this woman's performance is absolutely amazing and is definitely worthy of award recognition. I don’t think I've seen anyone switch personalities with the force that she does in this type role since Sally Field, in her amazing, award winning performance in ‘Sybil.’ This is a must see tour de force that I hope gets her more recognition than she already has. She was also amazing in the film, ‘Hotel Rwanda’, and this latest performance should guarantee her many more roles in the future.
I was fortunate enough to see an advanced virtual screening for this film last night and I'm so glad as this is a great one. Let me preface this review by saying that the trailer is somewhat misleading, just a little in my opinion, in that it makes it appear that this is going to be a fast, action packed film. Yes, it does happen but I'll get into that later.
First, let me start with the premise of the story and then delve into what specifically makes this a great film.
Kevin Costner and Diane Lane (who has always been underrated in my opinion and I dare anyone to find a bad performance by her) play a husband and wife who live on a beautiful ranch/horse farm with their only child, a son, and his wife and little grandson.
***Spoiler alert***
A horrible accident happens and the son is thrown off his horse and killed leaving them with the daughter-in-law and grandson. You can tell that the love Diane Lane’s character has for little Jimmy is intense and she will do anything for him. As years pass, the daughter-in-law remarries, breaking Diane Lane’s character’s heart for fear she won’t see her grandson again. They do move but live nearby until unexpectedly, when going to pay a visit, Diane Lane’s character learns that they have packed up and gone. What scares her is she had been in town on a previous day and observed the new husband hit both the daughter-in-law and little Jimmy. Well after hearing they've left town, Diane Lane’s character is determined to go find them and bring Jimmy back home to live them. This is where the drama begins.
First, I have to mention the cinematography in this film. Absolutely stunning and gorgeous! It's been a long time since I've seen a film show such beautiful scenery in so many scenes. What I also love is how the moments even in scenes like a luncheon diner capture the time period and make you feel like you've gone back in time.
The next thing is the dialogue. A host of a live after-screening event last night made this same comment when talking to cast members and the director and I'm in agreement with him. There are moments - a good many in fact, especially early on - where the dialogue is little-to-none and you only see interaction between Kevin Costner and Diane Lane by their body language or facial expressions. But it makes no difference because these are experienced actors and they're telling the story between each other themselves. It's great to see. As a critic for Roger Ebert wrote, “Subtle moments, all, but they do so much to set the scene and establish the themes of regret and redemption in 'Let Him Go'.” This is the kind of solid, grown-up drama we don’t see very often anymore.” Totally agree!
As for the other performances in the film, they're all very good especially that of Lesley Manville, a British actor, who plays Blanche Weboy, the other grandmother, and all I can say is, ‘Wow!’ She knocks her performance out of the park as the ‘gangster’ style mother of a group of sons who are crude, ruthless and mean. Apparently, even the neighboring police don’t play with this family due to their antics and how they treat everyone. People are scared to death of them and, of course, mother Weboy isn't going to let little Jimmy go without a fight, and fight they do. This is when the action picks up and there is one scene in particular with Kevin Costner that made me cringe as it shows how horrible the Weboy family is. But they took on more than they should have with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane’s characters. One thing is the ending is not completely as you would have expected or wanted but that's something that I found fresh and appealing.
Well, "When the Streetlights Go On" is a series of short episodes about how teens cope with the murders of two sisters in their small town (Colfax, Illinois). But I watched them all strung together at once as a single movie. I tell you, Quibi, the mobile streaming app that produced it, is really trying to get people to subscribe.
Now as far as this story, I really loved the opening segment and I was hooked within about the first 20-30 minutes. But it went from high to low towards the end. The concept itself wasn't original but there were some good moments. The parents -- Where the hell were the parents? I would have liked to have known more about the dynamics and why the one daughter was 'the precious one' and why the other was ignored and made to feel less special. I feel like there was a story about Becky being grungy. Did she turn out that way as an act of rebellion after being ignored? Speaking of which, I know this is minor but I couldn't stand Becky's (the younger sister) hairstyle. WTH? It looked like a horrible wig. Not to mention that side hairdo of Queen Latifah's! What was that? I love her but she looked ridiculous with that hair.
As for the other characters, I'm sorry but the 'big' jock, Brad, got on my nerves and there's no way that he'd be threatening to anyone, as small as he was. But I did think that Casper made a pretty believable 'bad guy'. And the main character, Charlie, is definitely a redeeming factor.
Overall, "When the Streetlights Go On" has some good moments but I was definitely disappointed with the ending. I give it a 3 out of 5.
