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Seen any interesting movies lately? Tell us about them.

I caught 'The China Syndrome' on Turner Classic Movies and it's still relevant. A reporter (Jane Fonda) is present when there's an accident in a nuclear power plant and it turns out that shoddy maintenance is being covered up.

Stars Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Wilfred Brimley, and a good cast.

POLAR was recommended to me on Netflix. Very dark, often with bits of comedy sprinkled over it but often not. The plot feels like a stick poking a hornet's nest. Much of the action is the stick poking, but the best parts are in the hornet's nest.

"Nightcrawler" - In this 2014 movie, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a crime journalist named Louis Bloom, who becomes so obsessed with success that he creates his own photo opportunities.

Bloom is SO creepy but he draws you in.

I caught the movie "Spy" on TV, a comedy about a CIA operation to stop the sale of a nuclear weapon. It's so hilarious, I've seen it several times.

Stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Jude Law and a good cast

"CROUCHING TIGER/HIDDEN DRAGON" (2001) - starring Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat, and Zhang Ziyi.

It's a very engaging drama set in 19th Century China centered on 2 people (a man and a woman) who, despite their deep love for each other, remain true to their mission as warriors and protectors.

I saw this movie about 20 years ago and was TOTALLY WON OVER by it. I sing its praises every chance I get.

"Star Trek Nemesis" - an oldie but goodie.

This is the last movie with The Next Generation cast.

The Enterprise is diverted to the Romulan homeworld Romulus, supposedly because they want to negotiate a peace treaty. Captain Picard and his crew discover a serious threat to the Federation once Praetor Shinzon plans to attack Earth.

Kind of a kooky plot (written by Brent Spiner (Data) and others), but it's great to visit with favorite characters.

The Father - an aging man (Anthony Hopkins) with dementia thinks he can take care of himself though his daughter insists he needs help. Seen from the father's POV, it highlights the confusion he experiences when he doesn't know where he is or who the people around him are.

It shows how scary things are for the person who's suffering from dementia.

Also stars Olivia Colman, Rufus Sewell, Mark Gatiss

Barbara wrote: "The Father - an aging man (Anthony Hopkins) with dementia thinks he can take care of himself though his daughter insists he needs help. Seen from the father's POV, it highlights the confusion he ex..."

You might like to check out Away from Her starring Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent and Michael Murphy which deals with a similar subject. Powerful, excellent film by Sarah Polley.

Thanks for the suggestion Bill. 🙂

"Crooked House" - this 2017 movie is based on an Agatha Christie book. Nicely made closed room mystery.

Stars Max Irons, Glenn close, Gillian Anderson, Christina Hendrix and a good cast

"David Crosby: Remember My Name" - in this documentary, septuagenarian musician David Crosby - The Byrds; Crosby, Stills and Nash (and then also Young) - looks back on his life and career. He's still touring. 🙂

Crosby was a huge drug addict and went to prison for drug and gun charges.

I was reminded of the fabulous music these guys made. Some of the best!

"Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears" - Australian millionaire/adventuress Phryne Fisher gets involved with ancient curses in the Middle East.

A fun movie with an Indiana Jones vibe. If you like the Phryne Fisher TV series you'll like the movie. 🙂

Barbara wrote: ""Phryne Fisher and the Crypt of Tears" - Australian millionaire/adventuress Phryne Fisher gets involved with ancient curses in the Middle East.

A fun movie with an Indiana Jones vibe. If you like..."

I loved the series, was very disappointed in the movie, I'm afraid. Glad you enjoyed though.

Bill wrote: "Barbara wrote: ""Phryne Fisher and the Crypt of Tears" - Australian millionaire/adventuress Phryne Fisher gets involved with ancient curses in the Middle East.

A fun movie with an Indiana Jones v..."

I loved the series, was very disappointed in the movie, I'm afraid. Glad you enjoyed though.

LOL. I know it wasn't great but I liked the scenes where Phryne escaped from the Palestinian cops and flew the biplane. Very daring for a gal in the 1920s. 😁

Barbara wrote: "Bill wrote: "Barbara wrote: ""Phryne Fisher and the Crypt of Tears" - Australian millionaire/adventuress Phryne Fisher gets involved with ancient curses in the Middle East.

A fun movie with an In..."

She's definitely a great character

"The Prize" - In this 1963 movie, there's a nefarious plan to kidnap a Nobel Prize winning scientist and substitute a lookalike in his place. Good thriller.

Stars Paul Newman, Edgar G. Robinson, Elke Sommer, Diane Baker, and a good cast.

"THE DAY OF THE JACKAL" - a 1973 political/action thriller starring Edward Fox, Michael Lonsdale, Derek Jacobi, and Timothy West.

This movie is based on an assassination attempt that was made on the life of President Charles de Gaulle of France by a group of French ultra-nationalists who had turned against him when he voiced his support for Algerian independence during France's war with its colony of Algeria in the early 1960s.

This is one of my favorite go to movies that I never tire of watching. The scenes of the streets in Paris as the French police go all out to stop de Gaulle's would-be assassin as he nears his target in the heart of the city are awesome and unforgettable.

KOMET wrote: ""THE DAY OF THE JACKAL" - a 1973 political/action thriller starring Edward Fox, Michael Lonsdale, Derek Jacobi, and Timothy West.

This movie is based on an assassination attempt that was made on ..."

This is in my Netflix queue. I've seen it before but - as you say - it's worth seeing again. 😄

"Secrets and Lies" - 1996 British movie re-released for the Criterion Collection.

After her mother dies, an adopted black optometrist searches for her birth mother, who turns out to be a lonely white factory worker with family troubles. Very good.

Stars Timothy Spall, Brenda Blethyn (who plays Vera in the detective series), Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Phyllis Logan and a good cast

"Inheritance" - 2020 movie

If you're very good at suspending disbelief you might like this offbeat thriller. The premise is that a wealthy man dies unexpectedly and leaves his daughter a message and a key. Turns out the deceased had a guy chained up in a bunker for 30 years, and the daughter 'inherited' the prisoner. The plot is chock full of holes but it's kind of entertaining.

Stars Lily Collins, Simon Pegg, Connie Nielsen, Chace Crawford and more.

"Harriet" - a 2019 movie about Harriet Tubman that shows how remarkable, brave, and heroic she was.

Good movie.

Stars Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr, Joe Alwyn and a good cast

"Night School" - In this comedy, a group of high school dropouts attend night school to get a GED. Teddy (Kevin Hart) is used to schmoozing and faking his way through life, but can't butter up the teacher (Tiffany Haddish).

It's kind of a silly movie but funny and entertaining.

Also stars Rob Riggle, Romany Malco, Mary Lynn Rajskub and a good cast.

"Everyone Knows" 2018 movie
Laura, a Spanish woman living in Buenos Aires, returns to her hometown outside Madrid with her two children to attend her sister's wedding. However, the trip is upset by unexpected events that bring secrets into the open.

In Spanish with subtitles

What won't people do for money, right? Good movie.

Stars Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and a good cast

"Bad Education" - this 2019 movie is based on a true story

Frank Tassone, the superintendent of New York's Roslyn school district and a female administrator embezzle 11 million dollars from the school system.

It's INCREDIBLE they got away with it for so long with how blatantly they spent money. 😣

Stars Hugh Jackman, Alison Janney, and a good cast

I watched the movie "Snowpiercer" so I could compare it with the TV series Snowpiercer I'm currently watching.

Snowpiercer is a train that carries the remnants of the human race after the Earth freezes and all living things die. The plot has the poor downtrodden folks in the back of the train staging a rebellion.

Of course the movie is more focused while the series is all over the place. They're both good (tho some series episodes are just filler in my opinion).

"The King of Staten Island" - This comedy was written (with others) and directed by Judd Apatow.

Scott is 24 years old but still lives with his mom, doesn't have a regular job, and smokes pot and hangs with his buddies all day. Can Scott grow up? It won't be easy. 😃

Fun movie. Stars Pete Davidson, Marisa Tomei, and a good cast.

"Judas and the Black Messiah" - (based on a true story)

Offered a plea deal by the FBI, Bill O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton, who's rallying Black people to fight for their rights.

Excellent movie.

Stars Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback and a good cast

"Soul" - In this Disney movie, a jazz musician lands the gig of a lifetime, then finds his soul trapped in the anteroom to heaven. He has to guide a wild child soul to find her/his purpose back on Earth.

Cute movie about finding your 'purpose' but it would probably go over the head of lots of kids and seems odd as a movie meant for adults. I'm not sure of the target audience.

Stars Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey and a good cast (as voice actors).

"Promising Young Woman" - A 30-year-old woman who's traumatized by an event in her past gets revenge by targeting men who deserve it.

Very very dark comedy.

Stars Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie and a good cast

"Onward" - In this Pixar movie, two elven brothers - one of whom has nascent magical powers - embark on a quest to bring their father back for one day.

Cute picture.

"News of the World" - After the Civil War, a confederate captain agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle. They travel hundreds of miles and face danger as they travel through the roughest parts of Texas.

Stars Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel (as the girl).

Good movie.

If you should watch it on DVD, be sure to look at the extras. The Kiowa Nation cooperated with the movie, and taught Helena Zengel to speak some Kiowa and sing a Kiowa song. And director Paul Greengrass talks about how happy he was to make an old-fashioned western and some of the ins and outs of movie-making.

"Emma" - In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman - who thinks of herself as a master matchmaker - meddles in the love lives of her friends.

Based on the Jane Austen novel

Stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Johhny Flynn, Mia Goth and a good cast

Fun movie

"The Unforgivable" - A woman in prison for murder is released after 20 years but the victim's family can't let it go. Meanwhile, the woman is searching for her sister, who was five when she was convicted.

Streaming on Netflix.

Very intense movie. Stars Sandra Bullock and a good cast.

"The Town" (2010 movie) - A group of thieves rob a bank and hold Claire, the assistant manager, hostage. Then one of the thieves (Ben Affleck) happens to meet Claire in a laundromat and a romance develops. Meanwhile, investigators are hot on the trail of the criminals.

Good thriller.

Also stars Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Brenner, and a good cast.

"In the Shadow of the Moon" - a Philadelphia police officer is chasing a female serial killer when she falls on train tracks and is killed.....but the killer appears again 9 years later.

Quite a head scratcher of a film. Streaming on Netflix.

Stars Boyd Holbrook, Cleopatra Coleman, Bokeem Woodbine
Bokeem Woodbine, Michael C. Hall and a good cast

"1,000 Miles From Christmas" - Hallmark type comedy streaming on Netflix

A bachelor in Madrid, who hates Christmas, is sent to audit a Yuletide candy factory during holiday season. He meets a pretty girl, gets the Christmas spririt, runs into some trouble, etc.

It's a cute movie.

Stars Tamar Novas and Andrea Ros

I caught 'Annie Get Your Gun' on Turner Classic Movies.

Very fun musical/movie (though perhaps a touch culturally insensitive to Indians).

"The Mole Agent" - In this documentary, a private investigator in Chile hires an 83-year-old man to work as a mole at a retirement home where a client of his suspects the caretakers of elder abuse.

The 'spy' is one of only four men at a nursing home filled with elderly women, so he's very popular...and he's a very good secret agent. It's sad to see some of the residents, who want their mommies to come take them home.

Good movie. Available on Hulu

"The Lost Daughter" on Netflix.

This is an odd movie. A woman on holiday alone (Olivia Colman) becomes acquainted with an extended family vacationing in the same place. The woman is reminded of her own family 20 years ago, when she was raising two young daughters and wasn't such a great mother.

Colman is great as always.

I watched the old 1973 movie "The Day of the Jackal" about an attempt to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle,

Such a good thriller!

Stars Edward Fox and a great old-time cast.

"The Wild Bunch" (1969) - An aging group of outlaws, who are being pursued by bounty hunters,, look for one last big score. Along the way, they make a deal with a Mexican 'don.'

Plenty of action and shooting in this classic film.

Stars William Holden. Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, and other famous 'old timers.'

"Tenet" (2020) - This thriller is entertaining but has a plot that's almost incomprehensible (to me).

Things (like bullets and bomb debris) are coming from the future to the present via 'reverse entropy' and this is going to have bad consequences. The protagonist has to travel in time to 'undo' things, and it gets very confusing. (The film reminded me of Inception.)

I was entertained but I didn't know what was going on half the time. 😀🙄😵

Stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh and a good cast

I have seen the following recently. They are re-runs and I’ve enjoyed watching them more than once!
‘The Reader’ based on the 1995 German novel ‘Der Vorlerser’ by Bernhard Schlink. Stars Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes and David Kross.
‘Atonement’ – based on Ian McEwan’s novel. A favourite (movie AND book).
‘Donnie Darko’. Director’s Cut’ – yes! Sorry, not everyone’s cup of tea, but was ground-breaking cinema for me.
‘War of the Worlds’ – the Steven Spielberg version with Tom Cruise. I know some didn’t like Cruise’s performance, and I'm not always a fan, but when I watched it again last week, I really think he did a fine job.
CB

Colin wrote: "I have seen the following recently. They are re-runs and I’ve enjoyed watching them more than once!
‘The Reader’ based on the 1995 German novel ‘Der Vorlerser’ by Bernhard Schlink. Stars Kate Winsl..."

Good movies. I like the original 'War of the Worlds' also. Not so high tech but it's a classic. 😀

"In the Heights" - This is the film version of the Broadway musical in which a street in Washington Heights, populated largely by immigrant families, is changing. Meanwhile the young folks are trying to follow their dreams.

Wonderful musical numbers and good story.

Stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Melissa Barrera
Melissa Barrer, Olga Merediz. Jimmy Smits, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and a good cast.

Barbara wrote: "Colin wrote: "I have seen the following recently. They are re-runs and I’ve enjoyed watching them more than once!
‘The Reader’ based on the 1995 German novel ‘Der Vorlerser’ by Bernhard Schlink. St..."

Yes Barbara. Sometimes you can't beat the originals. I like how Spielberg gave the two leads in the original cameos in his movie!

"Minari" - 2020 movie

Writer/director Lee Isaac Chung based this story on his own family history. A Korean immigrant family moves to Arkansas so the father can fulfill his dream of having a farm. It's a financial struggle and causes dissension in the family.

Good movie. Stars Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Will Patton and a good cast. Child actor Alan Kim is wonderful as the young son with a heart condition.

"One Night in Miami" (2020) - On the night Cassius Clay beats Sonny Liston for the heavyweight crown (just before he becomes a Muslim), Clay hangs out with Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown and they discuss the Civil Rights movement.

In a telling opening scene a white neighbor in Jim Brown's home town praises him for being an NFL champion and suggests Jim can reach out any time, etc. Then Jim offers to help the neighbor move a piece of furniture and white man says, "You know we don't let n-word in the house."

Directed by Regina King.

Stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr.

"Time" (2020) - Documentary that follows Sibil Fox Richardson trying to get her incarcerated husband a pardon/probation. Sybil was raising six sons alone and believed her husband's sentence for bank robbery (60 years) - as well as the sentences of many other black inmates - was too harsh.

The movie was nominated for best documentary at the 2020 Oscars.

Very well done.