Movie #3197 ........................."Campfire Kiss" (Hallmark)

 Movie #3197 '"Campfire Kiss (Hallmark) The couple were cute and winning and so were their kids, and the stage business was a little different, since they are at some lodge in tents doing "getting to know you"  and "surviving in the wilderness" type activities.  It gets tough to believe when the ex-wife of the guy shows up and is used for the conflict for the ending.  I'd give it a 3.8.

"CAMPFIRE KISS"   2017      1 hour , 28 mins

Feeling disconnected with her teenage son, a protective mother decides to step outside of her comfort zone and take him camping.  But as soon as she arrives she begins butting heads with her cabin neighbor, a single father and outdoorsman who is also in search of a connection with his teen daughter.  Friction soon sparks a flame as these opposites attract.

Director;  JAMES HEAD

Writers:  Rick Suvalle, Scott Sveslosky

Actor;  Danica Mckellar, Paul Greene, Ali Skovbye

Movie #3196 ........................."Somewhere in Queens" (hulu, amazon prime)

 Movie #3196 "Somewhere in Queens' (hulu, amazon prime) This is a good movie about raising kids and the dynamics in a family.  A boy who has been shy all his life, and fearful of most everything, happens to be good in basketball and tries out for the team. He seems to come alive on the basketball court, and being a popular sports kid, he gets a girlfriend.  But when he faces a tough try out for college teams and his girlfriend breaks up with him, his parents worry about his fragility and try to fix the situation.  But the film and the characters are far more complex than what this storyline suggests, and that and the expert acting on Laurie Metcalf's part , really makes the film a step up from other films  that take a similar story line.  I'd give the a 4 and recommend it.

"SOMEWHERE IN QUEENS"    2022     R      1 hour and 46 mins

Leo and Angela Russo live a simple life in Queens, surrounded by their overbearing italian-American family.  When their son 'Sticks' finds success on his h.s. basketball team, leo tears the family part trying to make it happen.

Director:  Ray Romano

Writers:  Ray Romano, Mark Stegemann

Actors:  Ray Romano, Laurie Metcalf

Movie #3195........................."Julie" (TCM)

 Movie  #3195 "Julie" (TCM) Well, here's a Doris Day movie I hadn't seen before -- and one that has a 20 minute ending scene where she, playing a stewardess, actually has to land a plane (with the tower's help, of course).  This is a terribly melodramatic film of a woman who makes a mistake and marries a guy she doesn't know well enough, and she finds out how jealous and domineering he is after a few weeks on her honeymoon.  Then, the rest of the film she flees from him.  It's a too common story these days, I'm afraid, but like I said, it was different to see Doris Day in such a serious film .  I'd give this a 3.8 and recommend it to anyone who doesn't know or can't believe that Doris Day could really act!

"JULIE"      1956    1 hour and 39 mins

A terrified wife tries to escape from her insanely jealous husband who is bent on killing her.

Director:  Andrew L. Stone

Writer:  Andrew L. Stone

Actors:  Doris Day, Louis jourdan, Barry Sullivan

Movie #3194 ........................."Nyad" (Netflix)

 Movie #3194 "Nyad" (Netflix)  I can sum up this film in a couple of words....GREAT ACTING , but a LONG film mostly filled with swimming in the water.  And it is another out-there, tough watch for this year's movies.  But it does have a strong theme:  You are never too old to chase your dreams.  I loved watching these two female actors work together in and out of the water --- amazing chemistry between the two.  And the scene I will always remember is Jodie Foster's speech to Benning (coach to swimmer) telling her she will probably die in the water, and she thought she didn't want to see that, but decided to join her friend's last try because  she wanted to be the last person the swimmer would talk to!  Funny, but very meaningful, and Jodie plays it well!  Neither she nor Benning will probably actually win the AA this year, but I hope they get nominated because they really worked hard to do right by this awe-inspiring female athlete!  I'd give it 3.8.   PS -- it was great to see Rhys Ifans  (from "Nottinghill") in this film again!

"NYAD"   2023      PG-13      2 hours, 1 min             Netflix.

The remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach, commits to achieving her lifelong dream:  a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida.

Directors:  Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Writers;  Julia Cox, Diana Nyad

Actors:  Annette Bening, Nodig Foster, Rhys Ifans

 

Movie #3193 ........................."May/December" (netflix)

 Movie #3193 "May/December" (Netflix)  I watched this because it was nominated for  golden globe and critics' choice awards in  acting, and I probably would have watched it anyway because of the two women who star in it --- Natalie Portman and Julianna Moore.  However, it is another "out-there" film of this particular year.  Loosely based on the teacher in the news who seduced a student, was arrested and jailed and had his baby behind bars, this film imagines what these two people are doing 20 years later.  What happens when an actress (Portman) shadows the former teacher (Moore) for a movie that is in the making about the two of them?   It is an odd premise for a film to be based on, and I can' t say  the script is stunning.  What is really good is the acting.  But the film overall is  creepy at times, hard to believe, way out there in where the film eventually goes, but interesting to watch.  However it is very slow going....and tedious at times.  It's all around a tough watch.  The Director usually does  good films on controversial subjects that make the audience members uncomfortable.  And here is another one that does just that.  I personally am glad I watched it if just for one scene toward the end of the film where Natalie Portman does a monologue in her mirror mimicking the way Julianna Moore moves and talks -- it was an amazing acting exercise.  And I liked the way the film ended with a  quiet but powerful couple of lines.  I would give this a 3.8, and not recommend it for everyone because of the "creep" factor.

"MAY/DECEMBER"    R      2023      1 HR, 57 MINS           Netflix

Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckle under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.

Director: Todd Haynes

Writers: Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik

Acors:  Natalie Portman, Julianna Moore, Chris Tennis, Charles Melton

Movie #3192 ..........................."Rustin" (Netflix)

 Movie #3192 "Rustin" (Netflix) This is definitely a story that needs to be told.   Rustin was the one who inspired MLK to be more of a pacifist in his dealings with protesting, and he was the main man behind the Parade in Washington and MLK's most famous speech --- but why haven't we heard of him?  According to this film, he was pushed into the background because he was openly gay, and even the NAACP didn't want to be connected with him.  But what a doer this guy was !  and such a grand leader.  What an inspirational film about a true hero who shows what true patriotism is all about. My only complaint is that the film in some parts could be even clearer, but it was informative.  I'd give it a 4 out of 5.

"RUSTIN"   PG-13    2023     1 hour and 46 mins  Hallmark

Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.

Director:  George C. Wolfe

Writers:  Julian Breece, Dustin Lance Black

Actors:  Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Glynn Turman

Movie #3191 .........................."Field Day"(Hallmark)

 Movie #3191 "Field Day" (Hallmark)  3 women, very different and probably would never hang around together if they weren't thrown together to put on a "field day" for the PTA.  They bond together in various ways, mostly work, but some play, and it is a fun movie to watch them do that.  And, of course, since this is a Hallmark movie, one of them will find love --- I enjoyed the women and the sincere love interest and would give it a 4.  

"FIELD DAY"       2023     1 hr and 24 mins    Hallmark

Jen finds love when she joins the school parent-teacher organization after she moves back to her deceased husband's hometown.

Director:  David Winning

Writer:  Julie Sherman Wolfe

Actors:  Rachel Boston, Benjamin Ayres, Shannon Chan-Kent