Movie #3649 ........................."The Four Seasons" - Season 2 - netflix

 Movie #3649 "The Four Seasons" - season 2 (Netflix)  Tis continues to be a very solid show, even thought this Season started out a tad slow.  The first couple of episodes seemed to be filled with exaggerated situations and characters --- hard to believe, but they were going through grief from their best friend and traveling companion in Season 1 -- esp. Forte.  Thank god for Tina Fey to keep all of them in line --- she's very natural, and she along with Colman Domingo can handle the dramatic scenes really well.  I am very impressed with the woman who plays the widow of Steve Carell in this season -- she can handle drama and comedy and she's fun to watch.  As this season progressed, it got more focused and funnier --- better writing , esp. in the funny area, and it came to a good ending for season 2 --- and it looks like it is a for sure to come back, so looking forward to season 3 already.  These characters are fun to watch.  I'd give this season a 4 and recommend.

"THE FOUR SEASONS" SEASON 2      2026    30 minutes per episode,  eight episodes

  Spring:  A trip upstate to spread Nick's ashes on a mountaintop becomes an uphill battle as tensions climb between anne and Ginny. Summer:  the group unwinds at the beach, but Kate and Jack aren't on the same wavelength.  A recent arrival turns the tide in Ginny and Ane's relationship.  Fall: Thanksgiving - Danny and Claude dish out big news at an overstuffed Tday gathering.  Jack and Kate "hack marriage by each doing their own thing.  Winter:  Kate gives Danny the cold shoulder on a visit to the Italian Alps.  Anne's resemblance to a Christmas witch leaves her questioning her life choices.

Creators:  Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, Tracey Wigfield

Actors:  Tina Fey, Will Forte, Colman Domingo 

Movie #3648 ........................."Toy Story 5" (theater)

Movie #3648 "Toy Story 5" (theatre)  Well, I can't say this is the best of them because it isn't --- mainly, for me because the beloved characters like Woody et al, don't say very much at all.  This is Jessie's movie and Buzz (because he tries to profess his love to her through the whole thing) , and I must say, her character got a bit annoying to hold the whole movie.  However, Conan O'Brien  (the pooper) and his two friends  were so good, I wish they would have slowed them down a bit so we could appreciate even more their humor.  They were kind of fast!  and talking under and over each other.  It also seemed a tad long, with two high points ----and when the whole crew is together they are boxed in a garage, so it is difficult to see each one exclaim their funny lines.  But the humor and emotions are still there, and it comes to a very nice close.  And I am so glad I got a chance to see it --- wouldn't have missed it for the world.  I'd give it a 4 out of 5 and highly recommend it.  PS - I forgot to say what I loved most about this particular movie --- it was the smart treatment of the electronics toys vs. real toys --- what great nostalgia -- hope it gets kids back to playing with their real toys and less on the electronics!!!!

"TOY STORY 5"     2026    PG    1 hour and 42 mins

Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the gang's jobs are challenged when they're introduced to electronics, a new threat to playtime.

Diorectors:  McKenna harris, Andrew Stanton

Writers:  Andrew Stanton, McKenna Harris

Actors:  Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack

Movie #3647 ........................."A Big Bold Beautiful Journey" (plane)

 Movie #3647 "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey" (plane)  Beats me what this one was about, although with its winning actors, I bought into the entertainment of it but story?  hmmmm.  Missed it --- It was cinematically pretty, but didn't get much else about it --- I like rom-coms and this one was in that genre, along with the road trip genre, but didn't get much out of this.  I'd give it a 3.8 for style, thought,

"A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY"      2025     R    1 hr and 49 mins

Two strangers who meet at a mutual friend's wedding have the chance to relive important moments from their pasts, illuminating the path that led them to the present and gain the opportunity to change their futures.  In this tale, David heads o a wedding in his old car with unique GPS. He met Sarah, and together, they embark on a journey suggested by the GPS.  Along the way, they confront their pasts and explore painted landscapes, leading to a deeper connection.  As they contemplate their future, they face a crucial decision about their  relationship.  (fantasy, ah hah!  that's why I wasn't enthused with the plot)

Director:  Kogonada

Writer:  Seth Reiss

Actors:  Colin Farrell, Margot Robbie

Movie #3646 ........................."Now You See Me , Now You Don't" (plane)

 Movie #3646 "Now you See Me, Now you don't"  (plane0  I watched a couple of these back in the day, and not sure where this fits in, but since I had slim pickings on the movies on the return flight, I made time to watch another one from this franchise.  I caught up quickly even with the new characters I wasn't introduced to yet.  I like mostly the magic they perform, and less interested in the plot turns and twists but this one wa good.  Not outstanding but good....I'd give it a 4 out of 5

"NOW YOU SEE ME NOW YOU DON'T     2025    PG-13     1 hour and 53 mins

The Four Horsemen reunite and team up with a new generation of young illusionists to expose a diamond heiress's global money laundering scheme for criminals.

Director:  Rubin Fleischer

Writers:  Michael Lesslie, Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese

Actors:  Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco 

Movie #3645 .........................."Kiss of the Spiderwoman" (Plane)

 Movie #3645 "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" (Plane)  Years ago I was bedazzled watching Chita Rivera as the Spiderwoman on Broadway ---I remember it being very entertaining, wondrous to watch her dance,  & entertaining because of the bossanova beat vs. the serious lives being shared in the prison by the two lead guys (the structure of dark vs. light set up much like the musical "Cabaret" where the prisoners in this show dream of a better life while daily living with little food or water and being tortured).  As much as I like Jaylo , she wasn't Chita Rivera (who could be?)  so her dancing was just average --- the staging was so elaborate in the film that it took away the "dream" idea --- would be better if the sets were being transposed from what was on stage into the dream sequences.  And the story lost its luster because of the way it was told.  It was plodding along, and only got better when the dramatic scenes took over.  That is, the musical sequences seem to interrupt instead of enhance the story.  That being said, it still is an interesting overall idea and I give it 3.8 and moderately recommend for seeing an out-of-the-box broadway musical.

"KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN"  2025    R    2 hours and 9 mins

Valentin, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, convicted for public indecency.  An unlikely bond forms as Molina recounts a Hollywood musical plot starring Ingrid Luna.

Director:  Bill Condon

Writers:  Bill Condon, Terrence McNally, Manuel Puig

Actors:  Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez

Movie #3644 ........................."Midwinter Break" (plane)

 Movie #3644 "Midwinter Break" (Plane)  Whew this one was another slow one --- podded along, but I knew it going into it.  What I was interested in is Lesley  Manneville  (Mrs. Harris) and Ciaran Hinds  (Belfast)  were the actors in it , and I respect both of them for their acting.  People married for eons reckoning with the future and how it will play out --- the same thing day after day?  Leslie's character is looking for something different --- very different, and she tries to convey that to her husband.  I'd give it a 3.8 and not recommend it really --- unless you, too, like thee two characters, and you, too, are wondering where your life goes from here....

"MIDWINTER BREAK"      2026     PG-13     1 hour and 30 minutes

A longtime couple take a life-changing trip to Amsterdam.

Director:  Polly Findlay

Writers:  Bernard MacLaverty, Nick Payne

Actors:  Lesley Manville, Ciaran Hinds, Julie Lamberton

Movie #3643 ........................."Escape Net" (plane)

 Movie #3643"Escape Net" (plane)  This one's memory did no stay with me like the others, but I remember the story being an interesting one.  Basically, it's about a woman who plays on a basketball team with the major reason that she wants to ross the Iron Curtain to reunite with her beloved brother who is prisoner there.  I remember that she went through a lot to do this, and I thought it was a witty way to beat the system.  A nice historical film centered on a woman athlete (bur recently a new mother).  I would give it a 4, and if you don't mind all the subtitles, you might enjoy it.  I kept getting names and faces mixed up a bit, but the lead woman was really good.

"ESCAPE NET"      2025    1 HOUR AND 50 MINUTES

In the Soviet era, a young woman plays basketball as her only chance to cross the Iron Curtain and reunite with her brother.

Director:  Dzintars Crelbergs

Writers:  same as above, Ligita Lukstraupe

Actors:  Agnese Budovska, Arturs Skrastins, Artur Smolyaninov