Genre: Drama

Year: 2001

Country: UK

Rating:

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz, John Hurt, Christian Bale, Irene Papas

Director: John Madden

My Review: Screenplay by Shawn Slovo, based upon a novel (same name). Directed by John Madden ((Shakespeare in Love, The Debt, the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). Starring Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, John Hurt and others. I actually liked this movie. I must be a romantic sap. I don't really care for Nicolas Cage and his over dramatic stage style of acting was a bit out of place in this movie. Penelope Cruz did an excellent job, and John Hurt was perfectly cast as the wizened village elder. Nicolas Cage plays an Italian fisherman who joins the army (during WWII). He is posted to a Greek Island where he rules with an iron 'Mandolin' and ends up falling in love. Something he clearly shouldn't be doing during a war. The story and writing was excellent, as was the directing. The locations, sets, and costumes were great. The music was fantastic. Overall this war-torn romantic drama is a very good chick flick. I actually give it 5 out of 5.

Summary: When a fisherman leaves to fight with the Greek army during WWII, his fiancee falls in love with the local Italian commander.

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Year: 2015

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Skyler Gisondo, Steele Stebbins, Chris Hemsworth

Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein

My Review: Written (in part) and directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. I'm not exactly sure how this works, but two people co-wrote and co-directed this movie, and it didn't suck. Starring Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Skyler Gisondo, Steele Stebbins and others. It's a remake of a classic (National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), starring Chevy Chase) so I was a bit skeptical. Rusty Griswold (played by Ed Helms) takes his family on a road trip to "Wally World" in order to spice things up with his wife and reconnect with his boys. Rusty thinks it would be 'Fun' to recreate his childhood vacation with his family. The cross-country trip doesn't work out quite the way he had hoped. Yes - Skeptical. I was skeptical. The Chevy Chase original was funny as hell, but this 'sequel cum-spinoff' (Rusty was the son in the Chevy Chase original) was damn good. The dialog was outstanding. The gags perfectly staged and in many cases, laugh out loud hillarious. If you're looking for a enjoyable and a little raunchy (R-Rated) summer laugh-in, you can't do wrong with this 'Vacation'. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Summary: Hoping to bring his family closer together and to recreate his childhood vacation for his own kids, an adult Rusty Griswold takes his wife and two sons on a cross-country road trip to Walley World. Needless to say, things don't go quite as planned.

Genre: Action, History, War, TV Movie

Year: 1980

Country: Switzerland, UK, USA

Rating:

Starring: Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, David Niven, Trevor Howard, Barbara Kellerman

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen

My Review: Screenplay by Reginald Rose (based on a book by James Leasor), directed by Andrew V. McLaglen (The Wild Geese, McClintock!, Hellfighters, Shenandoah, The Devil's Brigade, Chisum, Many televison shows: Perry Mason, Gunslinger, Rawhide, Have Gun - Will Travel, Gunsmoke). Starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, David Niven, Trevor Howard, Barbara Keller, and many others. It's a World War II movie - A genre I can't seem to resist. In this movie the British have to attack a German ship, but it's anchored in the harbor of Goa (A neutral Portuguese territory during WWII). In order to get the job done, they send in a squad of retired soldiers, retired and past their prime. This squad of hellraisers can't resist the call of 'King and Country'. The Germans are using their impounded ship as a headquarters for diplomatic subterfuge and espionage. As allied ships sail about India, the German submarines are laying waste to countless tons of supplies and helpless merchant marines. Something must be done! The Calcutta Light Horse rides again! This movie is based upon a true story. An incident in which a bunch of middle aged (and older) former soldiers got together and blew up three German freighters in the port of Goa. Filmed on location, the historical facts around this incident made for an excellent small scale WWII drama. Well directed with an excellent cast, the writing brought the story to life in a tense and entertaining adventure. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Summary: In March 1943, in World War II, the Germans use the neutral harbor of the Portuguese colony of Mormugoa to transmit information to a U-Boat about the allied ships to sink them in international waters. In Calcutta, the British Intelligence assigns Colonel Lewis Pugh (Gregory Peck) and Captain Gavin Stewart (Sir Roger Moore) to spy in Goa and they discover that there are three German vessels anchored in the area and the famous spy Trompeta (Wolf Kahler) is based in Goa. They kidnap Trompeta to interrogate him, but Lewis accidentally kills the spy after fighting with him in the runaway car. Meanwhile, Gavin has a one night stand with the gorgeous and elegant Mrs. Cromwell (Barbara Kellerman), who is the partner of Trompeta. They fail in their mission, but Lewis and Gavin convince their chief to use the veterans from Calcutta Light Horse led by the retired Colonel W.H. Grice (David Niven) to travel to Goa on board of the old ship Phoebe, pretending to be drunken businessmen on vacation. ...

Genre: Documentary, History, Thriller

Year: 2014

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Bonnie Raines, John Raines, Bob Williamson, Keith Forsyth, Bill Davidon

Director: Johanna Hamilton

My Review: Screenplay (in part) and direction by Johanna Hamilton (Known for documentaries and some television production/This was her directorial debut). Starring Bonnie Raines, John Raines, Bob Williamson and others. A thrilling true-story documentary about a group of ordinary citizens (political activists) who decided to raid an FBI office, steal all the documents (more than 1,000 documents were taken), and expose the corruption and illegal activity that the FBI was involved in. It is a true story. It takes place in 1971, in the small town of Media, Pennsylvania, on the night of March 8th. The Ali-Frazier boxing match was underway, so everyone was watching their TVs. A group of eight people broke into the FBI office, and then they started sending anonymous letters to newsrooms across America. The stolen documents exposed the COINTELPRO surveillance program against American citizens who protested against America's involvement in Vietnam. Most newsrooms simply mailed the information back to the FBI. One newspaper had the courage to publish the information - The Washington Post. The scandal that broke revealed illegal activity by the FBI, most notably the COINTELPRO secret surveillance program run by J. Edgar Hoover. The information revealed led to reforms, played a large role in the 1975 Church Committee hearings and various reforms which help to ensure privacy in an era of persecution, prosecution and war. Unfortunately for the viewers, the movie manages to make all the real-life events seem boring. The pacing, lighting, music and acting all had a very soporific effect on this viewer, and I found the movie boring. Despite the important nature of the movie, it sure was a snoozer. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: On March 8th, 1971, eight ordinary citizens broke into an FBI office in Media, PA. Calling themselves the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI, they removed every file in the office. Mailed anonymously, the stolen documents started to show up in newsrooms. The heist yielded a trove of damning evidence. The most significant revelation was COINTELPRO, a controversial, secret, illegal surveillance program overseen by lifelong Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover. Despite one of the largest investigations ever conducted, the FBI was unable to catch the burglars. Those responsible have never revealed their identities. Until now. For the first time the burglars have decided to speak about their actions. 1971 is their story, examining the consequences and implications of their actions - then and now.

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime

Year: 2015

Country: USA, UK, France, Hungary, Germany

Rating:

Starring: Jude Law, Raad Rawi, Melissa McCarthy, Jessica Chaffin, Miranda Hart

Director: Paul Feig

My Review: Written and directed by Paul Feig (Actor, Director, Producer - Directed: I Am David, Bridesmaids, The Heat (2013), Ghostbusters (2016 remake), A Simple Favor). Starring Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Jason Statham and others. Kim seems to really like Melissa McCarthy. I agree that she's funny, but the writing is what makes this movie entertaining. Melissa McCarthy plays the overlooked, underappreciated, desk-bound CIA analyst turned operative when she volunteers to go undercover and infiltrate a super-secret, super-villain's, cabal of villains. She's the only one who can do it - All the 'Agents' have been compromised. The agency needs an unassuming undercover agent that the enemy doesn't suspect or recognize. Send in the analyst. This isn't the first time that a spy-spoof comedy has been done, this isn't the first time that a comedic spy-spoof comedy has been done - Oh, did I say that twice? This isn't the first time a spy-spoof comedy has been done. So, this movie has a lot of funny one-liners. Great dialog, but story. Who needs a story? If there is a story it's completely hidden behind the bumbling hijinks of Melissa McCarthy's physical humor and potty mouth. Yes she's funny, but flatulence and snarkiness, combined with a few self-deprecating jokes and a giggle hardly make for a good movie. I liked parts of the movie and a good deal of the dialog. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Susan Cooper is an unassuming, deskbound CIA analyst, and the unsung hero behind the Agency's most dangerous missions. But when her partner falls off the grid and another top agent is compromised, she volunteers to go deep undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent a global crisis.

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Year: 2001

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Steve Zahn, Paul Walker, Leelee Sobieski, Jessica Bowman, Stuart Stone

Director: John Dahl

My Review: Written by Clay Tarver and J.J. Abrams. Directed by John Dahl (Red Rock West, Rounders, The Great Raid, and many TV episodes (several different series)). Starring Steve Zahn, Paul Walker, Leelee Sobieski, Ted Levine (as the voice of the Trucker) and others. This movie features three people on a road trip. Paul Walker plays Lewis, Leelee Sobieski plays Venna and Steve Zahn plays Fuller. Lewis decides to drive cross country to see his girlfriend (does she know she's his girlfriend?) Venna. Unfortunately, Lewis has to bring his older brother, Fuller with him. While driving cross country, Lewis and Fuller decide to have some 'Fun'. They prank a trucker on the CB. Lewis pretends to be 'Candy Cane' - Who agrees to a motel 'Roll in the Hay', only to stand up the trucker as the finale to the prank. Little do they know that this particular trucker doesn't take kindly to being duped. A psychotic road trip follows. Building slowly, the movie establishes the characters, sets the scene, then slowly eases into a carefree road trip by three friends. Little do they know the horrors that lie ahead. The trio are tortured psychologically and physically as they attempt to escape the attention of this crazed black-top maniac. Very reminiscent of 'The Hitcher'. Ted Levine plays the voice of the Crazed Trucker who torments the road trip trio. His voice was perfect for the role. The casting overall was superb, and the acting fair. The best performances came from Ted Levine and Steve Zahn, who's high energy and wise cracking 'stunts' livened up this film. Paul Walker, while nice to look at, has the personality of a wet towel. Leelee Sobieski is another looker with mediocre acting talent. The pacing was quick, the action thrilling and the story was excellent. Despite the fact that this theme has been done before, John Dahl (director) and J.J. Abrams (one of the writers) manage to turn an old story into a fresh thriller. It kept me guessing, watching, on the edge of my seat. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Summary: College student Lewis decides to drive across the country to see Venna, a friend who doesn't know that Lewis is interested in her romantically. Unfortunately for his plans, Lewis gets saddled with his raucous-spirited older brother, Fuller, whose on-the-road pranks get the brothers and Venna sucked into a nightmare when a psychotic truckdriver takes offense.