Movie #2080 ........................."Belfast" (movie theatre)

 Movie #2080 "Belfast" (movie theatre)  I loved this film, from beginning to end. The beginning immediately throws you into the thick of things ---- the Troubles in the 60s in Belfast, Ireland, where Catholics and Protestants, living in the same neighborhood, are fighting in the streets, and how confusing this is to a small boy and his parents.   Usually the enemy isn't possibly next door ( however, the way our politics can separate us in this day and age, who knows) , but in this film, it can be and it's mighty scary to everyone, esp. this wonderful little boy, who is the lead in this film (just to watch  this little guy is worth seeing the film).  His mom, his dad, and esp. his grandma and grandpa (Judi Dench and Ciarin Hinds) are wonderful in their parts, too, but it is truly an ensemble cast here, trying to figure out how to stay safe and possibly move to London where Dad goes weekly to and from work.  I love the black and white, so appropriately used here, with smatterings of color once in a while --- the story has very tender moments well balanced with sadness and humor --- a nice neat package enlightening us just how bad the Troubles were while Kenneth Branagh was growing up in Belfast.  My only negative is that I wish the film had subtitles --- it is a difficult accent at times to understand, and with idioms already not familiar to us, I would have liked to have digested many more of the lines than I actually did.  4.8.  My all time favorite Irish film is "Millions" but this one is a close second.  I highly recommend it and would be very happy to see it win best picture.

"BELFAST"           PG-13                  2021             1 hour and 38 mins

A young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.

Director:  Kenneth Branagh

Writer:  Kenneth Branagh

Stars:  Jude Hill (the little boy), Caitriona Balfe (mom), Jamie Dornan (dad - 50 shades of grey guy), Judi Dench and Ciaran Hinds

Movie #2079 ........................."Licorice Pizza" (movie theatre)

NOW BACK TO ACADEMY AWARDS CONTENDERS FOR 2021

Movie #2079 "Licorice Pizza" (movie theatre)   -- I am not a huge fan of Paul  Thomas Anderson's directorial works because sometimes the story gets lost in his attempt to go against the norm --- offering  the viewing public something different.    And I feel this is exactly how I felt on this one --- a rambling narrative, but a great reflection of the 70s in the filming (costumes, hairstyling, music, makeup, production design, set decorating, etc.)  The two leads demand your attention --- he less than her mostly because with him, I felt, "what you see is what you get" --- he is young, wears his heart on his sleeve and usually tells you what is on his mind --- her?  not so much at all.  She has to be dragged into most situations -- she's  stoic at times, when you want to know what she is thinking..... and for that reason she is the character that drags the pacing --- pacing is slow here, as if it is underlining the idea that this is really an indie film with two new actors, but supported by a host of famous people imitating somewhat famous people of the times.  example, Sean Penn being a George Hamilton type "actor" (using the word "actor"  loosely ) who cons the girl into doing a stunt on his motorcycle.  Or Bradley Cooper as Jon Peters, Streisand's first hubby, with a 5 minute tutorial on how to pronounce her name correctly.  To be perfectly honest, I came out wondering why most of the scenes in the film were actually in there --- because the film came across to me as a thin romance comedy (and I have seen so many like that) becoming madcap due to the people they come across --- and so the film moved from scene to scene just showcasing the 10 or 15 minutes the two leads shared screen time with these famous people.  The bottom line?  this  was just a film in homage to the 60s ---and like everything in the 70s, the love story was even tainted a bit by the age difference in the leads.  Okay, that being said, the best scene was her driving the truck --- I'm not sure it's worth the money you might spend to see this film, but it was one of  the funniest bits of film  I've seen all year. 

PS --- the last Anderson film I saw "Phantom Thread" has some similaritie  with this one --- romance (very definitely tainted) and of the times --- another period piece.  Maybe he likes atypical  love stories?

"LICORICE PIZZA"        2021                R        2 hours and 13 mins

The story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the Fernando Valley, 1973.  

Director:  Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer:  Paul Thomas Anderson

Stars:  Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Maya Rudolph (Anderson's wife)

Movie #2078 ........................"The Wedding Veil Legacy" (Hallmark)

 Movie #2078 "The Wedding Veil Legacy" (Hallmark)  The third in the trilogy of the wedding veil was this one --- at first it was a bit clunky with both characters being awkward in most of their first meetings.  She's a new York provenance worker of art, and he is a chef opening up a new restaurant.  She needs a caterer for her extravaganza and voila --- he's there!.  But they don't really like each other at first (oh, that's original)  Anyway, what pulled me in is that the backdrop city was NYC so I understood what she liked about the city, and as awkward as her characters usually are, there's something genuine about Alison Sweeney and she got me interested, as well.  He is a bit too pretty and nice to believe but what the heck!  Again there's a break up, but the exboyfriend isn't a bad guy, and the ending of their relationship  is amicable, and that's nice to see in this world of ours where there's so much divisiveness already.  But then, the film works on building up the next relationship, the forever one because of the promise of the wedding veil. The stage business (him buying art, her buying rugs and dealing with her business problems, and he with his restaurant problems) wasn't as interesting as the other two films, but I'm glad I waited to the end, because it was really a nice one to end the trilogy!  Tied everything together (some would say too well?)  I give this a 4 ,and I'm glad Lacey Chabert pushed the idea for the three of them to connect their stories like this.  It worked out well.

"THE WEDDING VEIL LEGACY"   2022     1 hour and 24 minutes  

Tracy meets Nick in the third installment of the trilogy, and he helps her save an original draft of the New Colossus in exchange for her helping him run his restaurant.  Tracy begins to feel uneasy as they get closer.

Director:  Terry Ingram

Writers:  Sandra Berg, Judith Berg, Lori Wilde (from book "There Goes the Bride")

Stars:  Alison Sweeney, Victor Webster, Lacey Chabert, Autumn Reeser

Movie #2077 ........................."Wedding Veil Unveiled" (Hallmark)

 Two more Hallmark movies to finish off the Veil trilogy of films.

Movie #2077 "Wedding Veil Unveiled"  (Hallmark)  I never think the middle film of a trilogy will be the best, but this one was --- there were a lot of positives here --- the three favorite Hallmark divas, including focus on Autumn Reeser as the main one --- the beautiful shots of Rome, Venice, Burano....loved it all! an atypical Italian guy (and he wasn't bad looking either) - i.e. he didn't come across as terribly flirty --- he was very believable.  Add to those things, a very entertaining story --- actually a mystery of the veil, and I enjoyed it all.  The information on the lace making was quite good, and all  through this film I was kicking myself for not taking art history classes because this is what the main character teaches and even her lessons were intriguing.  I give this a 4.5.  Even though it was Hallmark and you knew the end would be happy, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey this film took me through.   PS Costumes were great fun, too!

'WEDDING VEIL UNVEILED"     2022        1 hour and 24 minutes (of course, it is hallmark)

Emma travels to Italy to teach art history course, but in her spare time she researched a wedding veil said to bring its owner eternal love.  While there, she meets Paola) , the son of a local lace-making family.

Director:  Terry Ingram

Writers:  Judith Berg, Sandra Berg, Lori Wilde (based on book "There Goes the Bride")

Stars:  Autumn Reeser, Paolo Bernardini, Lacey Chabert, Alison Sweeney

Movie #2076 ........................."The Tender Bar" (Amazon Prime)

 Movie #2076 "The Tender Bar" (Amazon Prime) This has the feel of an indie film --- that is, rather slow moving and mostly focusing  on the characters.....and what a character this boy's uncle is-- and he's played impeccably by Ben Affleck.  Not normally a player of outgoing characters, Ben gets this guy across very well with this guy being unlikable and likable at the same time --- that's tough to do!  This is one of those films about young people from a dysfunctional family being able to make it good by pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, and sometimes just one person's help along the way --- this film reminded me of "Hillbilly Elegy" in that way.   The title refers to where the action of the film mostly happens --- the uncle's bar this young boy hangs out in --- and the lessons he learned along the way to become the writer who wrote the book this movie is based on.  I would have liked a bigger punch from the high point, but other than that, the movie deserved more than the 52% from the critics on rotten tomatoes.  I'd  give it a 4 and a recommendation to check it out.

"THE TENDER BAR"   2021      R      1 hour and 46 mins

A boy growing up on Long Island seeks out father figures among the patrons of his uncle's bar.

Director:  George Clooney

Writers:  William Monahan, J. R. Moehringer (the kid)

Stars:  Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri

Movie #2075 ........................."Bathtubs Over Broadway" (Netflix streaming)

 Movie #2075 "Bathtubs Over Broadway" (Netflix streaming)  Looking for an unusual documentary to stream on Netflix?  Check out this one --- it focuses on a late night comedy  writer who comes across a little known corner in the history of Broadway musicals --- the industrial, workplace musical --- The synopsis is below, but my immediate reaction was:  hmmmm, this looks interesting.  But I have to say, it started a bit slow and quite documentary-ish; then, about halfway through, it took a turn and it became more about what musicals do for people, and then it takes off from there and becomes wonderfully entertaining.  I don't know how else to explain it, but we really liked it and recommend it. 4

"BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY"   2018    PG-13      1 hour and 27 mins

A Late Night comedy writer stumbles upon a hilarious, hidden world of corporate entertainment and finds an unexpected connection to his fellow man.  Tribeca and WGA award winner.

Director:  Dava Whisenant

Writers:  Ozzy Inguanzo, Dava Whisenant

Stars:  David Letterman, Martin Short, Chita Rivera

Movie #2074 ........................."The Perfect Pairing" (Hallmark)

 Movie #2074 "The Perfect Pairing" (Hallmark)  Wine!  A great subject for a film, and I felt I learned a lot about it, especially ice wine, which I had never heard of.   Anyway, I normally like this Hallmark girl but not the guy, but in this film, she actually brought more of the human side out of him and made him work more --- or maybe the script did.  Anyway, it was one of those amnesia movies, you know the ones who make you believe that you can forget even your name when you hit your head -- that kind of film.  Not only do you have to believe she has forgotten her name but that she happens to be the ONE critic who wrote a scathing review of this wine guy and he hates her!  But then you have to believe when he gets to know her, and she gets to know him and learn about the ice wine and how much toiling it takes to get it just right, that they would fall in love -- and make beautiful wine together!  And wouldn't you know that I actually fell for all of this and would give it a 4?  Go Figure.  My favorite quote from this film finally gave a reason for all the amnesia films that Hallmark makes --- it's for this theme:  It takes amnesia to really remember what is important..... or something like that --- sorry, I am having a bit of amnesia myself as I write this.

"THE PERFECT PAIRING"      2022    1 hour and 22 mins

A food and wine critic  hits her head and loses her memory while accidentally visiting a winery she panned in the past, owned and operated by single dad Michael .

Director:  Don McBrearty

Writers:  Rickie Castaneda, Megan Hocking, Jules Sherman Wolfe

Stars:  Nazneen Contractor, Brennan Elliott, Zarina Rocha 

Movie #2073 ........................."The Eyes of Tammy Faye" (netflix DVD)

Movie #2073 "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" (Netflix DVD) Let me start first with a disclaimer:  I would never have watched this film if it weren't for Chastain and Garfield being  in it, and now Chastain is nominated for AA and so I am glad that I got to see it.  She does a great job --- she actually made me feel sorry for this woman (whom I wouldn't give the time of day to because of who she was) --And Garfield is amazing no matter what he does --- can either of these actors do badly in a part that is given to them?  I think not.  And Cherry Jones was the cherry on the top   Now, as far as the movie, I have mixed feelings about it --- As I watched, I couldn't believe it --- it seemed all very pretentious to me, like the people.  If that was the design of the director, he accomplished it.   Overall, I wasn't sure on the tone --- was I supposed to like these people because they were so holy?  feel sorry for them?  think they deserved all that they got?  liked them because of their passion?  or just watched in awe of how their story unfolded --- I did the latter.  The tone was almost jokey-hokey.  For that reason, I'd give it a 3.8 and I wonder how anyone else felt about this particular film because this is definitely an "iffy" review from me.

PS --- it wasn't really all that intimate --- I felt I was just watching the glitzy outside of these two characters......like the joke was on us if you followed them?

"THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE"           2021          PG-13                2 hours and 6 mins

An intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye  Bakker.

Director:  Michael Showalter

Writers:  Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Abe Sylvia

Stars:  Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones

Movie #2072 ........................."Sherlock Ghomes" (dvd)

 Movie #2072  "Sherlock Gnomes" (dvd)  -- Wow!  This one left little impression on me -- all I wrote in my notebook was:  "Cute Voices but convoluted story" --- I remember not liking this one near as much as the first one ("Gnomio & Juliet")  so my recommendation is to see that one --- this one was just one of those movies that's just busy enough to keep kids quiet for a while, in my opinion.  I'd give it 3.5.  It was a disappointment to me after seeing the first one.

"SHERLOCK GHOMES"       2018        PG     1 hour and 26 mins

Garden gnomes, Gnomeo and Juliet, recruit renowned detective Sherlock Ghomes to investigate the mysterious disappearance of other garden ghomes.

Director:  John Stevenson

Writers:  Ben zazove, Andy Riley, Kevin Cecil

Stars:  Johnny Depp, James McAvoy, Emily Blunt

Movie #2071 ........................."The Wedding Veil" (Hallmark - oh no, not another one?)

 Movie #2071 "The Wedding Veil" (Hallmark - oh no, not another one?)  okay, I thought I was done for the season, but then I saw that three of my favorite women from the Hallmark cult films were in one movie!  NO way!  Yep, it is a wonder these three are together in one film....  Lacey Chabert, Alison Sweeney and Autumn Reeser (the fact that I just now could type all their names without looking them up but can't find my car keys is a wonder in itself, right?)  So I sat down to watch this and about halfway through, I think:  wait a minute.  The three were in the opening, but now it has just been about Lacey --- this can't be!  A trilogy?  So not only do I watch this one, but I get a bonus of 3 more hours (actually 2 hours and 48 mins Hallmark time)  to watch the other two in their single films!  Hazzah!  Okay, anyway, this one is Lacey's film -- the premise is a shared veil by these three female friends who take a trip yearly but stay close throughout the year (sound familiar?  like Traveling Pants --- the adult version? ) Thank god, though, there wasn't a scene with each one wearing the same pair of jeans and the audience trying to figure out how they all fit into one size....the veil, surprisingly would fit anyone.  The premise is that with the veil one finds true love --- oh, it is that simple?  Hopefully, they are selling copies of the veil on Amazon as I write this!  The couple the couple here is winsome --- that's no surprise because Lacey could probably talk to a wall and make that wall look good --- the story  easy to follow (esp. for us oldsters) ,the mixup is "unveiled" (get it?) at a good time, with a minor conflict that is believable and entertaining...... I just copied that from my notes and I can't for the life of me remember what the conflict was ---- my  head is too full of Hallmark movies I guess.  Anyway, I would give this a 4.  And the second part of the trilogy for anyone who cares is on Feb. 12 (oops, coming up) "The Wedding Veil Unveiled" --- I'd give this one a 4. Autumn Reeser, you're next!

"THE WEDDING VEIL"     HALLMARK     2022       1 hour snd 24 minutes

Follows longtime friends who find a mysterious, antique veil fabled to unite its bearer with her one true love.

Director:  Terry Ingram

Writers:  Sandra Berg, Judith Berg, Lori Wilde

Stars:  Lacey Chabert, Kevin McGarry, Autumn Reeser, Alison Sweeney

Movie #2070 ........................."The Other Two" (t.v. series, Amazon, Season 1)

 Movie #2070 "The Other Two:" (t.v. series, Amazon, Season 1) We found this one because we like "superstar" Molly Shannon and the premise sounded interesting to us --- both worked and that is probably why we saw all of season 1 in a couple of days.  It is funny, but raunchy .  The idea of the baby of the family ,getting all of a sudden famous because of his you tube performance, outshining the two older siblings who appear to be "losers" to the rest of the world is funny --- they both react in their own glib fashion, and that is also funny, but oftentimes raunchy.  Molly Shannon just steamrolls ahead with her naïveté and passion in supporting ALL of her kids, bad or good.  Disclaimer:  the characters are sometimes hard to like, esp. in the beginning.  But when you get to know them, you aren't surprised at some of their attitudes and behaviors they exhibit.  I'd give it 3.8, not recommended for everyone.

"THE OTHER TWO"    season 1, 10 episodes, 30 mins each     2019    (R-rated, for sure)

An aspiring actor and his sister Brooke, a former professional dancer, try to find their place in the world while wrestling with their feelings about their 13-year-old brother Chase's sudden rise to internet fame.

Creators:  Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider

Stars:  Helene Yorke, Drew Tarver, Ken Marino, Molly Shannon

Movie #2069 ........................."Boundaries" (DVD netflix)

Academy Award Nominations were announced today --- If you want to know what they are, here is a link: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/movies/2022-oscars-nominees-list.html

Looking at the list, as a movie watcher, I am a bit behind in seeing a majority (if not all) the nominees before the Academy Awards ceremony March 27.  But first, I have movies to blog that I have been watching un until this time, so here's the first one......

Movie #2069 "Boundaries" (DVD netflix)   I watched this because I thought it was Plummer's last film, but I found out it wasn't.  However, I am glad to see him in this to remind me (and every moviegoer) just how wonderfully good he was as an actor, and we shall miss him.  That being said, this movie was pretty meh to me.  Even with the great Vera Farmiga lending a hand in support to the film, it failed to interest me much.  The characters wore on me, but the film offered an interesting take on dysfunctional- road- trips- with -an -80 -year -old- trying- to -sell- weed -from- the- back- of- his -truck- when -his -daughter -and- grandson -are- in -it genre ---  it needed more to the story and more humor.  I don't recommend it unless you are maybe a fan of either Farmiga or Plummer.  Casting the boy a bit better might have helped - he left no impression on me.  3.5 out of 5.

BOUNDARIES                      2018              1 hour and 44 mins        rated R

Laura and her son Henry are forced to drive her estranged, pot-dealing carefree father Jack cross country after being kicked out of a nursing home.

Director: Shana Feste

Writer:  Shana Feste

Stars:  Vera Farmiga, Christopher Plummer, Lewis MacDougal