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Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
Excellent movie!
This movie is visually stunning, captivating, and twisty. It starts off in the fifties in rural Carolina. Daisy Edgar-Jones portrays Kya Clark, whose family members abandoned her, while she was still a young girl, in order to escape her father's violence . Left to fend for herself, she manages to dig and barter mussels at the local mom-and-pop store for essentials. She grows up in the marsh, ridiculed and harassed by the townspeople, who call her "Marsh Girl '' and make up tall tales about her. Love finds her, but he leaves for college and does not return when promised. Years pass, and she finds someone else. This second person dies unexpectedly, and Kya finds herself on trial for murder.
The casting is perfect, with Taylor John Smith as Tate Walker, Harris Dickenson as Chase Andrews, David Straithairn as Kya's defense attorney, Tom Milton, and a cast of excellent child actors. Look for the author in the courtroom scenes. I highly recommend this movie.
Hubie Halloween (2020)
All-star cast
Adam Sandler is the main character in Hubie Halloween. I am not a big Sandler fan. He plays Hubert DuBois, a hard-working, kind-hearted butcher who loves his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, but has been the butt of jokes all his life. He lives with his mom, June Sqibb (Nebraska) and is the nicest guy you would ever want to meet. Everybody picks on him, but it doesn't change his sweet nature. When a killer escapes from the local asylum, no one pays attention to Hubie's warnings, so you immediately know something is going to go terribly wrong. This movie has an all-star cast, and it is entertaining to identify the characters. Check out Sqibbs' ever-changing T-shirts for a grin.
Books of Blood (2020)
Disturbing
I found the three intersecting tales riveting and disturbing. I may have to read the Clive Barker books - but part of me is saying, "No, don't do it." The movie starts with the murder of a bookseller, then to a grieving psych professor, and then to a runaway with mental issues. The movie is rated TV-MA for language and gore. There is a lot of gore.
Frozen (2013)
I loved Frozen
Frozen is supposed to be Disney's version of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. I recently read The Snow Queen, and I can find little or no resemblance between the movie and the classic story. That being said, Frozen is a marvelous Disney movie! The opening sequence shows ice cutters, singing while at work. This reminded me of the roustabout scene that opened Dumbo. We see a boy with his pet reindeer, trying hard to work with the men and generally just getting in the way. Two sisters, princesses Elsa and Anna, are very close and love to play together. The eldest, Elsa, was born with the ability to create snow and ice, and Anna would often wake her sister up so that they can play snow games in the great ballroom of the palace. One night, however, Anna becomes so exuberant that Elsa's attempt to protect her (by making soft snow hills for Anna to fall into) goes wrong, and Anna is hit by a magic burst to the head. The king and queen rush Anna to the Troll King, who is able to reverse the damage and also removes Anna's memories of her sister's magic ability. From then on, Elsa is taught to control this ability by pushing down her emotions and by wearing gloves. She cloisters herself in her room and no longer plays with her little sister. Of course, Anna has no memory of the accident, so she doesn't understand why Elsa is so distant. The gates of the palace are closed, so Anna has little interaction with people. After the death of the king and queen, Elsa is to be crowned the new queen as she comes of age in the summer. Elsa and Anna are virtual strangers at this point. Anna falls in love with the first young man she meets, Hans, a prince from a different kingdom. When she announces this to her sister, Elsa is outraged and states that the wedding will not take place. Anna tries to argue and accidentally pulls off one of Elsa's gloves. Elsa's emotion releases her power and imprisons the kingdom in ice and deep snow. Elsa flees the kingdom and Anna takes off to find her, leaving Hans to take care of the kingdom while she is gone. Elsa secludes herself in an ice palace she creates in the mountains (think Fortress of Solitude, only much prettier.) Anna meets Kristoff and his reindeer, Sven, who help her on her search. Kristoff was the little boy we saw at the beginning of the movie. She also runs into the snowman, Olaf, that she and Elsa had built on the fateful day she had been injured and now is alive. Kristoff had been raised by trolls. He and Olaf provide support and comic relief. The music is wonderful, the plot is well-planned, the ending is satisfying and this movie actually kept my four-year-old niece interested for more than 15 minutes at a stretch. My only qualifier is that the Mickey Mouse cartoon that was included on the DVD is excessively violent and not funny. It is a modern cartoon that was drawn in the "old" Disney style, so the viewer thinks it is a classic as it starts. I felt cheated. Other than that, I highly recommend Frozen for all ages. Rated PG.
Man of Steel (2013)
References to Christ were disturbing
It was a good movie, and Herb and I both enjoyed it, Henry Cavill was a very good Superman, although I missed the traditional spit curl in the middle of the forehead. Cooper Timberline and Dylan Sprayberry were excellent as the young Clark Kents, having to deal with the emergence of super powers at age nine and the necessity of not smashing ignorant bullies at age 13. Amy Adams as Lois Lane did a fine job, but she was in on the secret identity from the get-go, having ferreted it out as the great reporter she portrayed. We had many shots of Adams' interesting nose in profile. Diane Lane and Kevin Costner were Martha and Jonathan Kent. Laurence Fishburne was Perry White, and Jimmy Olson was not there at all. There were a couple of funny spots, but not many. One thing that bothered me, however, was the references comparing Superman to Christ. After speaking to his father, Jor-el (Russell Crowe) Superman ascends in a pose with arms outstretched and legs together, as though crucified. A scene in a church places him in front of a large stained-glass portrayal of the Sermon on the Mount, and we are told at least twice that he started his work at age 33. This worked with E. T., but it did not work here. Still, we thought it was a good movie, and I recommend it for all Superman fans.
After Earth (2013)
We loved it!
This was enjoyable, suspenseful and just plain good! I can't understand why it keeps getting panned so badly! And the "goof" listed on IMDb is wrong. The problem isn't that Earth doesn't have enough oxygen, it is that residents of Nova Prime have adapted to an atmosphere with more oxygen and are not used to a lower oxygen level. I thought Jaden did a great job portraying a 13-year-old, and has more acting ability than Matthew Broderick ever exhibited in his life. I looked for the Humane Society's seal on the credits - "No Animals Were Harmed," but didn't see it. I only hope that the baboons, tapirs, and other critters were all digital. I also did not see the names of the songs in the beautiful score. I am going to own this movie, and I don't care what the haters say!
American Ride (2011)
This guy is great!
I don't know what I was expecting when I first tuned into American Ride, especially when Stan Ellsworth first came on the screen. I saw a burly, long-haired and mustachioed Harley rider with a gruff voice and denim vest. In two minutes, I was totally enthralled. U S History class was never like this! Stan is passionate about his country, and is able to present its history in an interesting and entertaining way. I have learned more about the Revolutionary War and its heroes than I ever knew before. Stan often explains battles by drawing on a tabletop. and rides his Hog directly to the New England sites I have heard of all my life but will probably never see. His eloquent narrative is illustrated with classic American artwork, and is have heard him get choked up from time to time. This excellent show needs to be seen by every citizen of the United States, whatever their age. I cannot praise this program, and Stan Ellsworth, highly enough!
Room for One More (1952)
I really liked the movie but loved the book
This movie was originally called "Easy Street" for some unknown reason. It is a true story, with one of the foster children, Joe, cut out entirely. I have literally read the book to pieces, and can't find another copy. I know that Cary Grant's character was made more reticent for dramatic purposes, but in life "Poppy" Rose wholeheartedly supported fostering the three kids. This is a very good family movie, and I recommend reading the book of the same title if you can get your hands on a copy. There is so much more in the book. Read it twice, and you will feel as though you have known Anna Perrot Rose, Poppy, and the six kids your entire life. As for the movie, my husband and I were laughing out loud in some places and sniffling in others.
Children of a Lesser God (1986)
A great film for adults
Those who have read my reviews before know that I very seldom watch R rated movies, but this is a real gem. I caught Children of a Lesser God on late-night TV last night (well, it was late for me) and loved every minute of it. I had seen an edited TV version before, but did not appreciate the humor, beauty and complexity of the film at that time. I laughed out loud, not chuckles but real laughs, in many places. This, and the Bach violin concertos featured, actually caused my long-suffering husband to leave our bed and try to sleep in the living room until the movie was over. Jim Leeds, portrayed by William Hurt, begins teaching speech and language at a residential facility for deaf children. Jim's teaching methods are effective, but unorthodox. I have to admire any teacher who allows an older teen student to call him disgusting names to his face, as long as the words are pronounced correctly. He is immediately intrigued by beautiful Sarah, played by Marlee Matlin, a witty and prickly alumnus who works as a cleaning woman at the school. They become lovers, but their relationship is marred by expectations on both sides. Jim really is all about sound. The posters in his tiny home all feature musicians or musical instruments. He loves the music of Bach passionately. His career is about bringing speech to non-speakers. Sarah is totally deaf and revels in her silence. She rejects any effort to get her to speak, and the viewer is shown the reasons for this. In the only scene where she makes sound, the result is devastating. Piper Laurie portrays Sarah's mother in a brilliantly understated performance that quietly brings out all the pain of their relationship. William Hurt translates most of the signed language by speaking out loud when he signs or is signed to. This causes the scenes when he does not do this to give the viewer a sense of being shut out, and is very effective. The scenes in the school pool are beautifully sensual. As a hearing speaker in love with a deaf non-speaker, Jim makes promises he can't keep. Sarah, in spite of her tough demeanor, is actually very fragile. My only regret about this movie is that I tuned in five minutes too late to record it, and that I saw it with the volume low in a dark bedroom on a TV without the capacity for closed-captioning. If I had been more alert I could have recorded it anyway and watched it on the closed-captioned TV later, but I don't think things through very well after 10:00 p.m. I highly recommend this film for any adult that will not be offended by the frank, earthy language and nudity, which are essential to the film.