Movie #3278 ........................"Instigators" (apple)

 Movie #3278 "Instigators" (apple)  We love heist films, and esp. ones that go wrong and have Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in them!   The language is a bit rough, but if you get past that, and turn the sound up (because they tend to mumble through this one, and the lines you can't hear are probably the best ones!) , you might think this is a quirky, funny and entertaining watch here with this film.  It kept me interested throughout with the twists and turns that were inevitably getting worse and worse as the film progressed.  If you are watching and thinking of not continuing, wait until the therapist comes on because she is , I thought, the best part!  I'd give this 4.5 out of 5.

"THE INSTIGATORS"       2024      R    1 hour and 41 mins.  

Follows two robbers who must go on the run with the help of one of their therapists after a theft doesn't go as planned.

Director:  Doug Liman

Writers:  Chuck MacLean, Casey Affleck

Actors:  Matt Damon Casey Aflfleck, Hong Chau

Movie #3277 ........................."Anyone But You" (netflix)

 Movie #3277 "Anyone But You" (netflix)  Ready for a rom-com that spent time in the theatre this summer?  I had heard a lot about it before seeing, mostly because Glen Powell was doing the pitch for it on several shows I had watched.   So as soon as it was available for streaming, I watched it to see what the hubbub was all about, and romcoms are my favorite genre.  I found it to be a Hallmark-kind of film -- esp. with the ending (which I don't think would have even been acceptable in that realm because it was just too silly and unbelievable).  It also had a "meet cute" scene (better than average because it used a juxtaposition approach in presenting it -- dead pan on one side of a bathroom door, silliness and physical antics on the other).   Also like Hallmark t  it relied on overhearing and assuming the worst  (which I cringe every time I see in a hallmark film) --- it used it to break them up in the opening 20 minutes, and then tweaked it, but still used it in SEVERAL scenes.  It got to be ridiculous.  The couple find themselves in a position that they have to pose as a twosome, and that gimmick is very popular in the Hallmark world -- - they go back and forth with it a couple of times until that is silly, too.  Another gimmick used a la hallmark is the stage business of wedding preparation..... dull!  But not when they set things on fire!   So silliness ensues.  So in that way it is worse than a hallmark movie; however, there are two scenes that are very funny -- one I wrote about already --- the meet cute scene,; the other one is when they have hiked to a cliff , and they decide to show they are very much in love so they put on a show for the people behind them, who they think are watching them --- well, that scene is juxtaposed with the cutest koala bear shots I have ever seen.  And the people behind the couple think the koala bear  is  far more interesting than what the couple is doing.  The juxtaposition of hysteria, to mildly watching the koala is very funny --- esp. when Glen Powell ends up without his clothes on -- otherwise, as I said, the ending is .....not good.  It's ironic  but because Hallmark movies are always being made  fun of, they tend to  really try to stay in the believable world --- this one doesn't, thus a weak ending.   As I said Rom Coms are my favorite films, and I found this mildly amusing because of the capable main people  (Powell and Sweeney), but I don't think I'd recommend it , except for the two scenes I wrote about above.  But two scenes don't make a movie.  3.5 out of 5

"ANYONE BUT YOU"     2023     R     1 hour and 45 mins.

After an amazing first date, Be an and Ben's fiery attraction turns ice-cold , until they find themselves unexpectedly reunited at a wedding in Australia.  So they do what any two mature adults would do:  pretend to be a couple.  

Director:  Will Gluck

Writwers:  Llana Wolpert, Will Gluck

Actors:  Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp

Movie #3276 ........................."Monster" (Amazon Prime)

 Movie #3276 "Monster" (Amazon Prime)  This japanese  film was recommended to me by a friend, and I really enjoyed watching it --- it won best screenplay at Cannes and was a  nominee for the Palm d'or (highest award), and it is beautifully shot, and the screenplay is very skillfully done.  It deals with two little boys and their relationship --- the one is considered "weird" because he is smaller and "Prettier" than the other boys, and the other one just wants to go through life not being noticed.  When he finds himself standing up for the boy who is bullied, he sets a chain reaction of emotions into play.    What's cool about the screenplay is that the short story is shown through 3 points of view --- first, we see action through the eyes of  the mother of the boy who defends the bullied one, then the teacher's point of view, and finally the boy himself  --- the kid's part is especially well done!  And , of course, it is the clearest and ties everything together.  If we could just listen to our kids and reach out to them and not be so busy in our own everyday lives!  I'd give this a 4 and recommend it for something that is very poignant and different to watch.

"MONSTER"        2023       PG-13      2 hours and 7 minutes

A mother demands answers from her son's teacher when her son begins acting strangely.

Director:  Hirokazu Koreeda

Writer:  Yuji Sakamoto

Actors:  Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa

Movie #3275 ........................."Life in Pieces" (Season 4 - last one) hulu

 Movie #3275 "Life in Pieces" (Season 4 - last one)  hulu --- Have you discovered this gem yet?  It ran from 2015-2019 , and it should have gone on much much longer because every time it was on, we would end up laughing out loud quite a bit watching this quirky family.  And there are such capable people in it --- all of them are my favorites, including:   The littlest girl with the savvy remarks, Diane Wiest and James Brolin as the hysterical parents of the crew, Colin Hanks and his unfiltered and very smart lawyer wife trying to deal with babies, The crazy dentist and his very funny wife dealing with 3 different aged kids with all kinds of kid problems, and the son who starts off living in his folks' garage and then falls in love with a colleague and loses his job over it!  That's just a quick backstory.... there's no laugh track (hooray) and each 22 - minute show has at least 4 pieces (thus the title) or short stories/vignettes.  Each show may hang together with a theme, or just  be a short time in the life of each of the families, or?  there's a lot of diversity, even when they get together for a trip together, or family dinner.  There's always something going on in this family, and I have to tell you , we loved watching each episode.  It had disappeared all of a sudden in 2019, and they had shows in the can already filmed, so the station it was on just put the show on without notice, so we missed the ending....that's why we caught up here.  But we found ourselves rewatching again from Season 1.  We highly recommend this gem of a show.  5 out of 5 for us.  

LIFE IN PIECE       t.v. series, 4 seasons 2015-2019    22 minute shows 

A family comedy told through the separate stories of different family members

Creator:  Justin Adler

Actors:  Colin Hanks, Betsy Brandt, Thomas Sadoski, Diane Wiest, Zoe Lister-Jones, James Brolin , Hunter King, and Sophia is Giselle Eisenberg (our favorite on the show) 

Movie #3274 ........................."George & Leo" ( you tube - season 1)

Movie #3274 "George & Leo"   (you tube-season 1) When we found out one of our very favorite comics died recently, we sat down and watched a special on Bob Newhart and discovered we had seen a lot of what he did, but we missed a couple of shows along the way --- one was this one -- so we found it on you tube and watched the first season (8 out of  22 episodes all together).  Bob played a mild-mannered bookstore  owner whose son (Justin Bateman) marries a woman whose dad is a con artist (Judd Hirsch) -- It's kind of like the much- loved movie in our house "The In-Laws" with Peter Falk and Allan Arkin  - because the in-laws (George and Leo) have to share time with each other since their kids are married to each other.  Bob as George is very believable but in order to like the show, you have to buy the character Leo (Hirsch)  - one of us in the family does, and the other doesn't --- so I might be watching this further on my own.  I'd give it a 4 out of 5.  I enjoy watching these two accomplished actors go at it, and  a younger Justin Bateman in the middle of it all.

"GEORGE & LEO"       1997-1998 - 30 minute shows  

Mild-mannered bookstore owner George's life changes when his daughter-in-law's estranged father, Leo, a magician on the run from ,oysters after stealing casino money, seeks refuge in George's spare room.

Creators:  Dan Staley, Rob Long

Actors:  Bob Newhart, Judd Hirsch, Jason Bateman 

Movie #3273 ........................."Presumed Innocent" (Apple series)

 Movie #3273 "Presumed Innocent" (Apple series) I read the book by Scott Turow, and I saw the Harrison Ford film, and out of the three, this would place last for me.  I felt it was drawn out way too long, but that's what I feel for a lot of series that we are streaming these days.  There isn't that much to  the story, and what they added or changed, didn't help the story that much to make it better.  The intensity in the book and the film are still here --- esp. in the courtroom scenes.  But the homelife scenes were stagnate --- because of the changed ending, they felt they needed even more backstory on everyone there, but it slowed down the story here.  The big change in the ending got an added "gasp" from me and thank god you have capable actors to get the explanation out at that new ending....BUT the denouement was hard to believe --- it shows briefly where the characters go after the verdict comes in, and after all the angst, it seems too pat of an ending.  Now maybe  it was felt that  in this day and age of acceptance of a lack of integrity and the truth by so many people,  maybe that's the way it might go....but I don't accept that.  So I didn't like the denouement.  However, Jake Gyllenhaal&  Ruth Negga , and Peter Scarsdale kept  the story going --- but not was  just a bit too slow for  me.  I'd give it 3.5 out of 5.

"PRESUMED INNOCENT"  2024     9 episodes, about 50 minutes each

A horrific murder upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney's office when one of its own is suspected of the crime.

Actors:  Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga, Bill Camp

Movie #3272 ........................."Despicable 4" (movie theatre)

Movie #3272 "Despicable 4" (movie theatre) We love the minions --- esp. when they support this Despicable Me franchise --- we esp. like the moments the minions are used, and they are great in this because this one , they get superpowers , and they get even funnier than they have been in the past.  The rest of the film had a lot of fighting to me, but this one is worth it because the minions elevate it bigger and higher things.  For that reason, I'd give it a 4 out of 5.  The little girl with the cat is a stitch, too!

"DESPICABLE ME  4"        2024    PG     1 hour and 34 mins

Gru, Lucy, Margo, Edith, and Agnes welcome a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad.  Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal and his girlfriend Valentina, and the family is forced to go on the run.

Directors:  Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage

Writers:  Mike White, Ken Dario

Actors:  Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin