Movie #3581 ........................."Hamnet" (Theatre)

Movie #3581 "Hamnet"   Well, I was waiting to see something Wow about a movie this year, and I found it in this one.  This movie has one of the best endings I have ever seen in a film, and it is worth watching the rest of the movie.  I don't want to set this film up with such high expectations  that it lets you down, but I do want to point out that even if you have a hard time getting into it in the first few scenes, or find it is slow paced in the middle and getting hard to follow at times, that you should keep plowing through because the end was worth it.  One other thing that might prevent you from liking the film at the beginning (like it did for me) is that it seemed there were a lot of times the actors were whispering or not clear in every word they said.  While watching, I was wishing that I had streamed it so I could read what they were saying, but then the ending wouldn't work as well;  being in a theater with a big screen/ being  so close to the action (practically  ON  the stage)  is   needed for the ending to work its power on the viewers.   Therefore,  see it IN the theatre if you can.  But here's the irony --- I might not have understood everything that was heard in every scene (and it might be me or the theater or where I was sitting (variables I could not control) , but the acting is soooooo good by everyone in the film, that the lines weren't always necessary.  And from the moment Jessie Buckley enters the film, her presence is known and "attention must be paid."  She really soars in every scene --- and a lot does not depend on what she says.  It's hard to describe, but that's what happens, and I'm quite sure she will win the AA, and she should.  I give this movie a 4.5 and highly recommend it.  But I'm a sucker for the whole idea that if Shakespeare did indeed write "Hamlet" himself  that his little son would have been his  muse. 

"HAMNET"                        2025      PG-13      2 hours 5 mins

After losing their son Hamnet to plague, Agnes and William Shakespeare grapple with grief in 16th-century England.  A healer, Agnes must find strength to care for her surviving children while processing her devastating loss.  

Director:  Chloe Zhao

Writers:  Chloe Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell

Actors:  Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Zac Wishart

Movie #3580 ........................."If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" (Amazon Prime)

Movie #3580 "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" (Amazon Prime)  I don't think I have ever seen a movie quite like this...........If you have suffered at all with anxiety and are easily stressed, I would suggest you skip this one because seeing what she goes through on the screen might just push you over into the abyss~!  That being said, the film is truly about caretaking and how in order to be a good caretaker, one must take care of himself/herself first! --- Rose Byrne plays a mother of a daughter  with some unknown disease that deals with nutrients  being put into her through a port during the night.  Mom  wants to pull it out because that would mean progress for her little girl (and for her!)but it's not a decision that she can easily make.  And this is only one problem in her life -- she has a husband who keeps calling her from far away and telling her what she should be doing, a medical person who keeps giving the mother ultimatums about her daughter's condition, &  her daughter who is unhappy no matter what mother tries to do.  Along with that, the mother has become addicted to alcohol and some drugs to get her through the day.  Throw in that something happens to her house which sends her and her daughter and her daughter's nightly machine into a small hotel room --- And there's more!  She's a therapist, trying to take care of all of her patients while her life is crumbling around her, and she doesn't get along with her own  therapist....and there's more but if the above hasn't given you angst , I don't know what will --- I had to watch this in parts because it was too overwhelming to me at times.  I can't imagine seeing it in a movie theater when you are forced to sit there and take all this in at one time!  Well, the above seems like negatives, but it really isn't --- you need all of that to get across what her life is like --- and not just hers, but many people (caretakers)  walking around every day, carrying around baggage that we know nothing about.... so this film  makes you think about them.    Anyway, Rose Byrne is amazing, and if I hadn't seen Jessie Buckley in "Hamnet" I would think it's rose's turn this year, but..... Another plus is that this film is really one of the few I've seen this year that makes me keep thinking about it, especially.  the end scene -- I'm still working on it, and if you saw this film and you want to share what you thought about it here or personally message me, please do.  It's a good think piece, and I respect the amount of bravery it took to do this film by everybody.  I'd give it a 4, and moderately recommend. (but note that  I think it might drive a lot of people crazy)

"IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU"     2025    R   1 hr and 53 mins

While trying to manage her own life and career, a woman on the verge of a breakdown must cope with her daughter's illness, an absent husband, a missing person, and an unusual relationship with her therapist.

Director:  Mary Bronstein

Writer:  Mary Bronstein

Actors:  Rose Byrne, Conan O'Brien, Danielle Macdonald

Movie #3579 ........................."Train Dreams" (netflix)

Movie #3579 "Train Dreams" (netflix)  This is a slow moving film that goes thro0ugh a logger's life, who is looking for his purpose.  He finds it when he meets his future wife , they build a cabin of their own on private land in the great northwest, far from the city.  When tragedy occurs, he is searching again.  The film is well photographed, acted (although it is pretty flat through a lot of the film because Joel Edgerton is playing such a quiet character.) I liked the film, and I didn't mind the pace -- but I wanted the ending to be a bit ore rewarding -- it kind of fizzled out for me.  I can see a little why it was nominated this year for AA for best picture, but after seeing more than one that I think is a bit better, I don't think this one has much of a chance;.  I do respect it, but because of the pacing, I don't think it is for everyone  I'd give it a 4.

"TRAIN DREAMS"        2025      PG-13     1 hour and 42 mins

Based on Denis Johnson's belov3ed novella, this film is the moving portrait of Robert Grainer, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century.

Director:  Clint Bentley

Writers:  Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Denis Johnson

Actors:  Joel Edgerton, Clifton Collins Jr., Felicity Jones

Movie #3578 ........................."Champions" (Peaccock)

Movie #3578 "Champions: (Peacock, Apple,  but also on cable occasionally)  Woody Harrelson , where have you been?  His career kind of mirrors the one the coach has in this film....i.e., a coach is good at what he does, but he isn't going anywhere, and he gets in one tough situation and the powers that be send him to be a coach for disabled adults.  Woody as an actor who has lately done some pretty good dramatic films , but then we don't see him for a long time, and he pops out in a movie like this; however, the movie is actually well done, and isn't disrespectful to these young adults, who all establish excellent quirky characters that we will remember long after the movie is over.  It has passion, and a minimal amount of basketball --- nice formula for me, and I'd give it a 4.

" CHAMPIONS"  2023   PG-13 2 hours, 4 mins

A former minor-league basketball coach is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities.  He soon realizes that despite his doubts, together, this team can go further than they ever imagined.

Director:  Bobby farrelly

Writers:  Mark Rizzo, Javier Fesser, David Marques

Actors:  Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Matt Cook  

Movie #3577 ........................"Lee" (Hulu)

Movie #3577 "Lee" (Hulu)  We saw a "60 Minutes" segment on the real photographer Lee Miller, and it piqued out interest to watch the film.  We have seen plays and other films on photographers in war zones, but they were easier to follow.  This was edited without giving  much information on the woman, herself.  And sometimes what her job was, and what it involved.   I didn't think it gave her work much justice --- and it had a turn it was shooting for, but by the time we got to it, it was anticlimactic.  So I would give this film just a 3, and not recommend it.

"LEE"        2023      R         1 hour and 57 mins

War correspondent Lee Miller travels to the front lines of WWII to embark on a mission to uncover the hidden truths of the Third Reich.  But in the wake of betrayal, a reckoning will come over the truths of her own past.  

Director:  Ellen Kuras

Writers:  Liz Hannah, Marion Hume, John Collee

Actors:  Kate Winslet, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgard  

Movie #3576 ........................."Song Sung Blue" (theatre)

Movie #3576 "Song Sung Blue" (theatre)  This was quite a good story, not a biography of Neil Diamond, but a story with twists and turns about a guy who is is in a cover band for Neil Diamond --- a Neil Diamond wanna-be, and his story of falling in love with his muse (played so well by Kate Hudson).  She does the whole gamut of emotions here , and she is truly a marvel to watch, but....I felt the movie had way too much music  --- for example,  I wanted to get to know the kids even more..... but I would give this a 4 out of 5 and recommend it.  I think most people would enjoy the passion for music shown here!

"SONG SUNG BLUE"   2025     PG-13     2 hours and 12 minutes

Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak in their musical journey together.

Director:  Craig Brewer

Writers:  Craig Brewer, Greg Kohn

Actors:  Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson 

Movie #3575 ........................."Bringing Christmas Home" (GAC)

 Movie #3575 "Bringing Christmas Home" (GAC)  This is a search for  Orin and Alice --- two people obviously in love before he went to war.  His uniform shows up in an antique shop -- the dealer is moved by the love letters he found in Orin's uniform and joins up with a WWII expert to find Orin to give him back his uniform.  Most of the stage business in this film is searching, and that is okay, but it could have been shorter.  I'd give it a 4 out of 5. 

"BRINGING CHRISTMAS HOME"       GaC    2023     1 hr and 30 mins

A professor of military history teams with an antique store owner to find the original owner of a historic WWII uniform and the love letters left in its pockets.

Director:  Mike Rohl

Writers:  Casie Tabanou, Ali Spuck

Ators:  Jill Wagner, Paul Greene, Jess Brown