Movie #2178 ........................."We Wish You A Married Christmas" (Hallmark 2022)

Movie #2178 "We Wish You A Married Christmas" (Hallmark 2022) this one is the worst of the first crop to me --- it was slow and boring, and I was very disappointed because usually this guy stars in  the most creative and  funniest Hallmark movies, but I guess that was Christmas past --- because not this time.  Here's how I knew it was pretty bad --- the editor/director showed the stock picture of the place they were staying in about 25 times --- AND they kissed about 30 minutes in --- hmmm.  sure sign of trying to do something different here but not succeeding.... there was no chemistry between the two, and there should be because they have been married for years.  I know the whole idea is that they have moved in different directions and are now finding their way back to each other, but that journey slugged along so slowly and boringly with reminiscing and keeping busy for the sake of keeping busy that I didn't really have the patience to get to the end ---- but I made it, and because it was Hallmark's  last couple of  minutes again, of tying up loose ends,  it didn't work for me to convince me that it will work for them.  Here's hoping!  I give this a 3 and just say that you don't need to watch this one really --- because it doesn't stand out like this guy's films usually do.  

"WE WISH YOU A MARRIED XMAS"      2022     one hour and 24 mins

It follows a married couple having a hard time connecting.  To try to reconnect, they check into a cozy inn in a small town during the holiday season --- with two keys.

Director:  Paul Ziller

Writer:  Nicole Baxter

Actors:  Marisol Nichols, Kristoffer Polaha

PS ---- this actress Marisol Nichols evidently graduated from College of DuPage, did speech and theatre there and at  Naperville North (I might have judged her on speech circuit) and is a huge advocate for Human Rights (esp. works against human trafficking)  I liked her in the other two christmas movies she was in, but this one didn't give these two very good actors enough to do --- not a great script.  

Movie #2177 ........................."Noel Next Door" (Hallmark)

Movie #2177 "Noel Next Door" (Hallmark 2022) - This was the first one I watched this year, and it took a while to settle into it because it was a tad different.  It dealt with a young curmudgeon who has recently become disabled, and he is trying to get used to needing some help with his arm and leg movements.  It was hard to like him because of the way he treated everyone around him, including this little kid that was throwing his ball against the wall -- Just looking at the kid and listening to his first remarks, you could tell this wasn't as "bad" a kid as the jerk guy thought he was, and if he would have taken the time to tell the kid just how much noise he was making, I think the kid would have moved on to someone else's wall --- but, hey, it's a movie and they HAD to set up that this guy thinks this kid is "Bad" and when he meets his mother, voila!  Conflict!  So when watching, we had to buy that.  Anyway, what won me over is that the girl is so kind and sweet  --- even to this guy, who is a customer who opens up to her.  And watching them work together and get to like each other is what made the movie a 4 for me -- this is a nice, comforting film that deals with disability, which is rare for these films.  It all deals with the theme:  Appearance vs. Reality --- the mean guy isn't as mean as he appears (due to baggage), and the kid isn't as bad as he appears to me (due to baggage).  There was a nice high point and resolution, and I thought there was good chemistry between the people.   A nice start, Thought.  Just slow getting into it.

"NOEL NEXT DOOR"   Hallmark 2022           1 hour and 24 minutes

It follows a single mom as she gets into a war of words with a neighbor who is ruining Christmas, only to find that this misunderstood grouch just may steal her heart.

Director:  Max McGuire

Writers:  Annabelle Costa (book: "How the Grinch Stole My Heart") Keith Hemstreet (screenplay)

Stars:  Natalie Hall, Corey Sevier

Movie #2176 ........................."Ticket to Paradise" (Movie theatre)

 Movie #2176 "Ticket to Paradise" (Movie theatre)  Well, this wasn't as funny as I thought it would be, an example of a trailer giving that wrong impression.  Or maybe it's the kind of humor that was used a lot --- snarkiness  ( a few times is okay, but way too much here), laughing at drunken behavior (is that still a thing?) and laughing when two parents are competing so much that they are embarrassing to watch? If you read my blogs, you know that I am a Hallmark Christmas fan (or any season, probably, but I choose Christmas because it is a better excuse for the  saccharine, albeit romantic, tone of these films) , and as such, I have expanded my sense of disbelief  many times for the sake of love, or whatever.  But this film was way over the top for me --- I didn't believe the ending of this film at all!  It seemed silly, and when a film goes past the silly line for me, I give it 3 or below, which is what I would do here.  That's not to say there were a couple of worthwhile moments to watch, one in particular was a short scene between the ever capable Kaitlyn  Dever (the daughter) and her dad (George Clooney) as they look over the water at a sunset - they hardly say a word to each other but their body language says so much --- the mother/daughter scene was worth a watch, too.  Oh, and the various cultural traditions the film was teaching us was fun, as well, but not much more here.  It's slowly paced, but the scenery is beautiful --- I kept asking, where is this, where IS  this?  A subtitle "this is Bali" would have been helpful in those opening scenes (it is said in dialogue).  Bottom Line?  It is a diversion from the heavy hitters for the Oscars coming soon to your nearby theatre ---- maybe.  This year we might have to hunt for them, with all the streaming venues we can use.  But this film is available in many places and probably for the rest of the fall --- go figure!!!!   (I'd give this 3 out of 5)  

"TICKET TO PARADISE "   2022    PG-13              1 hour and 44 minutes

A divorced couple teams up and travels to Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago.

Director:  Ol Parker

Writers:  Ol Parker, Daniel Pipski

Actors:  George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn Dever, Lucas Bravo (he's great!  I would have chosen him! If you get a chance to see Mrs. Harris, he is the young guy who helps her out in Paris!) and Billie Lourd (Debbie Reynolds' granddaughter (Carrie Fisher's daughter)    

Movie #2175 ........................".Luxenbourg, Luxembourg" (Chicago Film Fest)

 Movie #2175 "Luxembourg, Luxembourg" (Chicago Film Fest)  This is the film I enjoyed the most at the Chicago film festival this year, but I'm not sure you would ever be able to see it --- if you do get a chance, I recommend it --- the movie is so well done....just in the opening, it gives a brief introduction of these two  twin brothers by showing them jumping a freight train and then jumping off --- well, one does that, the other just waves goodbye to his brother because he is too scared to jump off --- it shows right away the difference in these two boys.  As they grow up, juxtaposition is shown that the brothers go in different directions --- one becomes a cop, the other drives a bus, but sells drugs on the side.  In the Ukraine, where this takes place, the cop's job is in jeopardy since his brother is dealing illegally with drugs so that sets up a conflict --- the other is the way they saw their dad, the one who left them at an early age.  He is dying in Luxembourg, and they go to find him.  It's one emotional journey through their lives, and the fact it takes place in Ukraine made it even more important for us to see the story unfold.  I'd give it a 5.

"LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG"    2022     1 HOUR AND 45 MINS

Kolya and Vasily go in search of their father after they come to know that he is dying in Luxembourg, who left them when they were children.  Kolya considers him a hero, while Vasily thinks he is a scoundrel.  

Director:  Antonio Lukich

Writer:  Antonio Lukich

Actors:  Amil Nastrov, Ramil Nastrov

Movie #2174 ........................."The Lost King" (Chicago Film Fest)

 Movie #2174 "The Lost King" (Chicago Film Fest)  Of the three films that I watched at the Chicago Film Festival, this was the least popular with me.  And I love watching Sally Hawkins get into a character ---- I liked what she did here, and Steve Coogan supports her well as her ex-husband (could have been used even more) . But I was never pulled emotionally into the film --- the plot looks kind of like fun when it is presented in a synopsis, but when you watch her plight of getting King Richard's tomb moved to its rightful place, it's very ho-hum to me.  I didn't see the need that much --- I look around and see so many more problems that i would have been cheering on to get done, and this one wasn't one of those problems I would have suggested necessary to solve.  Other than that, it was good --- just a movie too long about a topic not all that interesting.  But she did the best she could with the script, I felt.  I'd give it a 3.5.  I esp. disliked all the fantasy included in the slower moments --- her mini discussions with Richard III.  

"THE LOST KING"    2022       1 HOUR 48 MINS

An amateur historian defies the stodgy academic establishment in her efforts to find King Richard III's remains, which were lost for over 500 years.

Director:  Stephen Frears

Writers:  Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope

Actors:  Sally Hawkins, Steve Coogan

Movie #2173 ........................."Raymond & Ray" (Chicago film fest)

 I attended the Film Festival in Chicago and saw three films --- they may be released into movie theaters since they all have famous people in the cast ---

#2173 "Raymond & Ray" (Chicago film fest)  I liked this quirky bro film about two estranged sons of a man who has died, and they are asked to attend the funeral by their dead dad --- and also they have to dig the grave themselves.  I said it was quirky.....but that's only the beginning..... they both have grudges against their dad which they uncover throughout their journey to send him off to the great beyond.  They meet and are befriended by other quirky people who help them get through this.   The acting was very strong -- the film moved along to the funeral rather well, but there were a few slow parts.  However, the actors are so good, they were hardly noticed.  I would give this a 4 and recommend it as a good drama, with quirky moments and characters.  

"RAYMOND & RAY"   2022    R    1 hour and 45 Half brothers Raymond and Ray reunite when their estranged father dies - and discover that his final wish was for them to dig his grave.  Together, they p[rocess who they've become as men, both because of their father and in spite of him.

Director:  Rodrigo Garcia

Writer:  Rodrigo Garcia

Actors:  Ewan McGregor, Ethan Hawke, Jalyn Baiden

Movie #2172 ........................."The Last Word" (Netflix DVD)

 Movie #2172 "The Last Word" (Netflix DVD) I saw a trailer for this one and wondered why I hadn't seen it --- went to netflix and it was in my queue, so I just moved it up to 1 and received it in the mail and voila --- I'm glad I watched it because it could be Shirley Maclaine's Last hurrah.  Why?  Because she does the whole gamut here..... the film allows her to dance and sing (which she came to Hollywood to do in the first place, but not a lot of people know that), and do the "strange" out- of -the -box stuff ( for example, at 80, she strips to her underwear and jumps into a body of water with two other "gals" - it's an  intergenerational leap of unity, I would think she'd say.)  She's known mostly now for her mystical thinking, and that's even covered here because the film deals with death --- her death ---- and how she doesn't feel like she's going to be remembered; so just when the elderly are thought to fold up and just live out their dying years, she takes a stand (several, actually) to never be forgotten ------but, in true MacLaine fashion, she is her own person throughout --- glib, peckish, judgmental , with no filter on her at all.  She pushes people away most of the time, but there's something about her that makes her somewhat endearing .....and Maclaine, the supreme actress (one of the best of our generation) is able to carry it off.   I'd give it 4 out of 5, with a big shout out to Amanda Seyfried (again) holding up her end of the film, along with the little girl they both befriend.  My favorite line from the film:  "She puts the 'bitch' in obituary!"  

"THE LAST WORD"    2917       R           1 HOUR AND 48 MINS

Harriet is a retired businesswoman who tries to control everything around her .  When she decides to write her own obituary, a young journalist takes up the task of finding out the truth, resulting in a life-altering friendship.

Director:  Mark Pellington

Writer:  Stuart Ross Fink

Actors:  Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried, AnnJewel Lee Dixon