#Movie #3093 ........................."Love Takes Flight" (Hallmark)

 Movie #3093 "Love Takes  Flight" (Hallmark)  I had watched this a while ago and just got through half of it, and finally I  finished it today.  I like Nikki DeLoach -- she's one of my favorite Hallmark divas, and in this one , she plays a divorced doctor who runs a hospital while trying to raise her daughter in a beautiful area of the country. En trance, good looking, but awfully shy helicopter pilot, whom she needs to transport a kidney for a transplant.  She hires him temporarily for other jobs , and as she gets to know him, she starts to fall in love, but she is afraid he will be like her ex--- never around.  Well, it takes him the entire movie to prove that he isn't -- I liked the combination of the two, nd he is very easy on the eyes and plays shy very well.  The movie is slow-paced at the beginning and in the last 20 minutes a lot is thrown at us dramatically, dealing with a grieving dad, a flight in bad weather, an ex who probably won't show up to his daughter's piano recital, and the pilot getting offered  a job in Alaska, and the doctor firing the guy.  Whew!  Most is resolved, but the ending is kind of up in the air --- they both love each other, but what will he do in this place since he gave up his job in Alaska for her?  I'de give this a 4 out of 5.

"LOVE TAKES FLIGHT"    2019     1 hour and 27 mins

Old, widowed Walter invites Quinn and her mom, Dr. Lizzie, for tea.  There, Lizzie meets his son, Charley, a pilot she's just hired for the hospital.  Both Walter and the 50+ years younger Quinn need a friend.  Lizzie and Charley, too?

Director:  Steven R. Monroe

Writer:  Eric Brooks

Actors:  Nikki Deloach, Jeff Hephner, Barbara Niven

Movie # 3092 ........................."Royal Wedding" (TCM)

 Movie #3092 "Royal Wedding" (TCM) Even though in my film classes  I used the Astaire  "dancing on the ceiling" scene from this movie, I had never really sat down to watch it.  I guess when I found out they were playing brother and sister and that it wasn't a romance between the two, I lost interest in the title.  But I shouldn't have because out of all the Astaire films, this is really different that he is dancing with his sister --- and it mirrors autobiographically what he had done for years and years with his own sister, Adele.  Anyway, it does have a couple of big numbers:  the aforementioned one, the two playing a gangster and his moll "roughing up" each other in a dance sequence (very funny), and Astaire dancing with a halltree.   I love love love Jane Powell's voice (very high and always able to be understood) and always thought she was cute, and the film uses that to show that up until she meets up with Peter Lawford, she dated many men.  It is obvious from their meet up that he did the same - dated lots and lots of women, so in rom-com talk -- they were meant for each other?  Astaire meets up with a dancer, who just happens to be in real life Winston Churchill's daughter  --- the big conflict is that both brother and sister made a pact that they would never get married and let their personal life get in the way of their business relationship.  And it's a cute brother-sister bond they have, but of course, it is tested very much so in this film.  4.5 out of 5 for me.  I liked it, and it has some of the best bits Astaire has ever done in film!  And with a cutesy partner to boot.

"ROYAL WEDDING"      11951     1 hour and 33 mins

A brother and sister dance act encounter challenges and romance when booked in London during the Royal Wedding.

Director:  Stanley Donen

Writer:  Alan Jay Lerner

Actors:  Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford

Movie #3091 ........................."Capernaum" (netflix dvd)

 Movie #3091 "Capernaum" (netflix dvd)  I am slowly but surely whittling down by Netflix queue and was eager to see this one, which was nominated for the foreign language film award a few years ago.  And I'm glad I watched it because it will stay with me for a long time --- that lead boy is so good in it and so believable as a refugee in Beirut , Lebanon, that it seemed to be a documentary.  It is shot documentary style, in the way the camera just follows what a little 10 year old boy does in a day to survive the area --- when his folks sell his 12 year old sister to an older guy, he leaves them (they seem to be happy about that because then he's one less mouth to feed).  He then hooks up with a beautiful young woman who is trying to work and take care of her little boy --- when that woman is put in jail one day, he is left all of a sudden and without warning with the care and feeding of that child --- and when he can no longer do that, the baby is taken by a man who will sell him to someone else.  It is such a difficult film to watch, and I watched a special feature which explains that the female director was so shocked by the treatment of these people (and there are a lot of refugees in Lebanon from Syria, etc.) she wanted to show the world in this film about them.  It is very emotional and well put together , and very eye-opening to problems in the area.  It sure makes you appreciate what you have here where we are living.  I'd give this a 4.5 , and if you don't mind seeing a film with subtitles, this might be one you add to your list. (note:  the title means chaos)

"Capernaum"   2018     rated R      2 hours and 6 mins.

While serving a five-year sentence for a violent crime, a 12-year-old boy sues his parents for neglect.

Director:  Nadine Labaki

Writers:  Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Michelle Keserwany

Actors:  Zain Al Raffia, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole

Movie #3090 ........................."Matchmaker Mysteries", Episode 1: "A Killer Engagement" (Hallmark)

 Movie #3090 "Matchmaker Mysteries," Episode 1:  "A Killer Engagement" (Hallmark) I love Danica McKellar (Winnie in "Wonder Years") and saw she was in this, and so I chose this as the movie I would watch while walking around my living room the other night.  I'm not a big fan of the guy, but she's good enough and kind enough to make him look better than he probably is. Some of the dialogue is clunky, but I thought the mystery was good and I'd be willing to see the next of the series, when they put it on.  I'd give this a 4 for the start of a good miniseries.

"MATCHMAKER MYSTERIES"    EPISODE 1    "A KILLER ENGAGEMENT"  2019 

When a woman is murdered, and her fiancé is the prime suspect, successful matchmaker Angie works to prove her client's innocence, much to the dismay of Kyle, the detective working the case.  

Director:  David Mackay

Writer:  Stephen Mazur

Actors:  Danica McKellar, Victor Webster, Bruce Boxleitner (he plays her dad)

Movie #3089 ........................."Doc Martin" Season 10 (Acorn)

 Movie #3089 "Doc Martin" Season 10 (Acorn)  Unfortunately, to me and all the other Doc Martin fans, this is, indeed, the last of the series..... there are 8 episodes in the last season, 48 mins each, dealing with a will they or won't they type of situation --- i.e., Martin and Louisa are debating whether they should move or not because in this season Martin is offered a top of the line job at a university in London, but a job that will take him and his family away from beloved Port Wenn and his practice -- and actually it would take him away from daily practicing medicine.  That would be ideal for a doctor who has this "thing" about blood, but he has been working on it, and is actually better.....that is, until he himself has a terrible accident looking for chicken, the dog, and Louisa has to come to his rescue, but not before him losing a lot of blood.  The last episode is the one most watched of all the episodes, and it is entitled "Our Last Summer" -- and the plot line is below.  What a wonderfully tearful, exuberant and heartwarming last show, and I will sorely miss it.  I got a trial acorn subscription just to watch it, and I am very glad I did.  I noticed there is a documentary that I haven't seen on the show, so I plan to see that soon.  I would give this season 5 out of 5, and my very favorite moment in the last episode is when he says goodbye to his secretary of several years, Morwenna --- I incidentally, loved all of his assistants, but this one and the first one the most!  

"Doc Martin" Season 10                          8 episodes        2022        45 mins+ each episode

The village members are throwing the Ellinghams a farewell party - Ruth is helping Mrs. Tishell deal with the news, but it seems that Martin and Louisa aren't going to make it to the party.

Director:  Nigel Cole

Writers:  Jack Lothian, Dominic Minghella, Craig Ferguson

Actors:  Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz, Ian McNeice, Eileen Atkins, Joe Absolom, Jessica Ransom, John Marquez, Selina Cadell

Movie #3088 ........................."Oppenheimer" (movie theatre)

Movie #3088 "Oppenheimer" (movie theatre)  another overhyped film to me, but this one with more meat to it --- and way too long, in my opinion.  This one is also expertly done, except that I'm not sure as meticulous and careful that Christopher Nolan usually is, that he wouldn't label each speaker with a name and his/her  job in this story --- wayyyyyy too many people, wayyyyyy too many cameo roles and actors we spend time trying to place in our memory, instead of following the intricate story ---- just overdone and overlong --- are we supposed to take from this that we should be proud we were the ones who made the bomb first before everyone else ?  or are we just lucky it happened and Oppenheimer got us to that brink ?  And then what does our government do but drop any blame  on him !....I was conflicted going into the film about how I should feel about this scientist and his work, and when I came out I was still conflicted.  The film bounced around in time, and even when it was in the present of the film, it bounced from one group of people to another......  without helping the viewer take in the information in a better and more understandable way, and incidentally, showing very little of the women who worked on the Manhattan project (google the topic -- there are several articles on some female heroes that were left out of the story) .  In the future, when this film is presented, it should go hand in hand with good films that show the results of the Manhattan Project  --- like  "Fat Man and Little Boy"  -- and there are others to show the consequences, and therefore the  whole picture.  Well, if it is going to be a 3 hour movie, shouldn't it  tell all it can, and the consequences seemed cut off, with just a nod to the subject in a disturbing scene between Oppenheimer and President Truman.  All the above is observation on my part as to why the movie was unsettling to me, even though I fully realize this probably will be the best picture of the year, and technically, and acting-wise, it is deserving of that.  Images are beautiful, but like the best picture last year (oh rue the day the "Everything" movie sent the art of editing out the window and left us with ADHD editing ) the beautiful images  are speedily  thrown at us, and we have to put some order into them ourselves. So bottom line?  it was a tough movie to watch on many levels.  And why are so many people seeing this and Barbie?, and even on the same day?  Hype, I think.   Seems crazy to me.  I'd give it a 4 but not my kind of film.  and I love films on history! and I am a Christopher Nolan fan.  

"OPPENHEIMER"   2023        3 hours      R

The story of American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb

Director:  Christopher Nolan

Writers:  Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin

Actors:  Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey, Jr

 

Movie #3087 ........................."Barbie" (movie theatre)

Movie #3087 "Barbie" (movie theatre)  This was, to me, expertly made, but way overhyped, but I'm not the target audience ---- but I wondered how kids were liking it because I saw it as a satire, a smiley film (I don't think I laughed out loud once) , and a definite statement of feminism, so of course I would be for all it makes fun of and all that it stands for.  To me, it had a lot more Noah Baumbach than it did Greta Gerwig --- at least in the sense of humor, which shouldn't be a surprise because they are a couple.  He is an out there, indie film person, so  I have been really surprised that this film has been so lauded, thus far.  I wonder how long that will last....very lovely and pinkish in many parts, but silly in others, to me.  But like I said, my relationship with a Barbie doll was feeble --- I got one when I was 12, when I didn't want to play with her any more, and her head kept falling off.  And as I got older, I look back at how misrepresenting the whole franchise was --- but then, that's the whole idea here, so the film is preaching to the choir.  But there are so few films that are worth watching this summer, this came in with a roar.  It was okay, and I'd give it a 4 for the satire.And the pink!  and Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and the rest of the actors --- strong, competent cast!  

"BARBIE"      2023   PG-13    1 HOUR AND 54 MIONS

Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence. 

Director:   Greta Gerwig

Writers:  Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach

Actors:  Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae  

Movie #3086 ........................."Good Night, Mr. Tom" (netflix dvd)

 Movie #3086 "Good Night, Mr. Tom" (netflix dvd)  I am so glad netflix had this because I couldn't find it anywhere else.............it was on masterpiece theatre , and it was about an abused boy who was sent away to a European town during the war because his mother couldn't take of him adequately, and Mr. Tom, a rather standoffish kind of elderly man begrudgingly, at first, takes him in .....and then grows to love him.  When the mother send for the child to come back, the boy and Mr. Tom must comply, but Mr. Tom ends up fighting for him.  It was a wonderful story, and like I said I am glad I got the opportunity to see it.  I'd give it a 5 and highly recommend it.  But I'm not sure how you could see it.

"GOOD NIGHT, MR. TOM"   1998     1 hour and 41 mins      

A shy and quiet WWII evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.

Director:  Jack Gold

Writers:  Brian Finch, Michelle Magorian

Actors:  John Thaw, Nick Robinson, Annabelle Apsion

Movie #3085 ........................."A Private Matter" (netflix dvd)

Movie #3085 "A Private Matter" (netflix dvd)  My netflix dvd's are down to the last month getting them, so I am trying to watch and send back right away because I still have about 30 in my queue.  Anyway, this was a film made a few years ago, but still very topical because it deals with the difficult subject of abortion.  Sissy Spacek plays an on air Romper Room type personality living in Arizona (this is based on a true story) who is married to a teacher, and they find themselves pregnant and for reasons I don't want to go into (you should watch the film!) they consider very seriously an abortion, and they are told that it can  be done very covertly by their doctor at their hospital ....until their doctor doesn't get permission.  And the community finds out and the husband and wife find their jobs and reputations in jeopardy.  The high point works well, but gee, it was so tough to watch.  These actors (Spacek and Quinn) are so good and believable, and to watch what they go through might turn a head or two on the hot issue.  I give it 4.5 and recommend it.

A PRIVATE MATTER       1992    PG-13     1 hour and 28 mins

The story of Sherri Finkbine, a woman who sought a medically recommended abortion and endured a firestorm of public controversy about her decision.

Director:  Joan Michelin Silver

Writer:  William Nicholson

Actors:  Sissy Spacek, Aidan Quinn, Estelle Parsons