Genre: Comedy

Year: 2011

Country: Italy

Rating:

Starring: Gianni Di Gregorio, Valeria De Franciscis, Alfonso Santagata, Elisabetta Piccolomini, Valéria Cavalli

Director: Gianni Di Gregorio

My Review: Co-written, directed, and starring Gianni Di Gregorio. This film also stars many others, including Valeria De Franciscis, Alfonso Santagata. Yes, it's a foreign language film. I watch plenty of those. Kim and I lived in Italy for seven years, and I imagined this film might bring back some of that memory. Unfortunately, not. Here is a rather boring film about Gianni. Gianni (played by Gianni Di Gregorio) has just turned sixty and he's retired. Now he's invisible - No one can see him, certainly no woman under sixty can see him. His mother can see him. She's constantly calling him. He's got to find something to do. Sitting around out front of the apartment is no fun. Walking the dogs? Why would he want to do that? What can he do that isn't 'work'? Love - That's it, why doesn't he have a hot mistress? Surely there's some hot girls out there looking for an older man that they can 'latch onto' - Yes he's married, but she's still working, and she's old too. He's looking for someone who's interested in him. All she really cares about is her dogs. Perhaps you're getting the picture? Yes - This movie is downright boring. It's well made, great music, and splendid acting, but man-o-man is it boring. It’s a slow moving, wry comedy. A European comedic drama. Perhaps there's something more going on beneath the covers? I wouldn't know. It was so boring it almost put me to sleep. I give it a 2 out of 5.

Summary: Gianni is sixty. He is retired but has not become lazy for all that. In fact he is a helpful fellow who gives a hand to all those who need one: shopping for his wife, walking the pretty neighbor's dog, and so on. Everybody likes Gianni, but is it for the right reasons? Doesn't his wife profit by the situation (she still works so it is only logical that Gianni do all the chores)? Isn't he subject to the excruciating whims of his rich mother?... Sure, everybody LIKES Gianni, but who LOVES him? Agreed, being kind to them, he is the ladies pet, but he does not attract them anymore. That is why, when his macho lawyer friend Alfonso blames him for not having young mistresses "like every other senior Italian male", Gianni, who is beginning to ask himself questions about what it is like to become old, starts chasing dames...

Genre: Action, Sci Fi, Thriller

Year: 2014

Country: Australia, USA

Rating:

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Christopher Kirby, Christopher Sommers, Kuni Hashimoto

Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig

My Review: I'm such a sucker for time travel movies. Written and directed by the Spierig Brothers (Michael and Peter Spierig). This movie is based on a short story (All You Zombies) by Robert A. Henlein, one of my favorite authors. The movie stars Ethan Hawke, Sara Snook, Noah Taylor and others. In this movie, Ethan Hawke plays a temporal agent. A law enforcement officer who does his best to prevent crime before it takes place - Reshaping a dark future in order to create a living present. As a temporal agent, Ethan Hawke's character is tasked with one final assignment. Track down and prevent the Fizzle Bomber from destroying the fabric of time and the lives of 11,000 people. It's a mind-bending time travel romp filled with all sorts of surprising twists and turns. Excellent characters, but a bit too much exposition. The acting (especially that of Sarah Snook) was outstanding, and this movie could easily qualify as one of the best time travel movies. Jammed full of paradox, this story will keep you guessing all the way through. I've added it to my 'must own' list, and I look forward to repeat viewings. I give this movie a 5 out of 5.

Summary: PREDESTINATION chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to ensure the continuation of his law enforcement career for all eternity. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must pursue the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time.

Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction

Year: 2013

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Alesandra Durham, Joel Bishop, Terence Goodman, K. Danor Gerald, Ian Paul Freeth

Director: Thomas Gomez Durham

My Review: Written (in par) and directed by Thomas Gomez Durham (His first feature film). Starring Alesandra Durham (Director's spouse?), Terence Goodman, Joel Goodman and others. Here's a low budget, independent, Sci-Fi story that fails to impress. Alesandra Durham plays Sally Jo Brigs, an FBI agent (not believable in the role) who has a 'paranormal' ability to bend time to her will. She can re-wind time, a few seconds here or there. She's something of a celebrity because of her ability, but that's nothing compared to the dark future ahead of us. She must unravel a mystery from the future before it becomes a horrifying present. Her only ally in this quest is her husband's ghost. The acting is atrocious and the narration is really annoying - both spoiling the movie and confusing the viewer. The producers must have spent all their money on the special effects. Direction and character background are very poor. The screenplay leaves the viewer with more questions than answers, leaving far too many undeveloped threads dangling in the story. There are independently produced Time Travel movies with far smaller budgets, but they managed to do a much better job - Try Primer for example. If you can manage to manipulate time to your benefit, I suggest you skip forward 95 minutes and avoid this film entirely. 1 out of 5.

Summary: Special Agent Sally Biggs has a secret. She can rewind time--a few seconds--whenever she wants. It's enough to make her a celebrity at the FBI and control almost everything in her life. But deep down, she's afraid of the pain that comes from the things no one can control. Her worst fears are realized when her scientist husband disappears mysteriously. Paranormal apparitions begin to surround her. Strangers with terrifying technologies know her secret, and want her dead. Her only clue is her husband's ghost--who she follows onto a battlefield she never knew existed. She must discover the awesome truth that ties all the mysteries together, before the fabric of her being--and the ones she loves most--fade out of reality.

Genre: Thriller, Drama, War

Year: 1956

Country: France

Rating:

Starring: François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, Roland Monod, Jacques Ertaud

Director: Robert Bresson

My Review: A WWII Resistance movie. Screenplay and dialog written by Robert Bresson, based on memoirs of Andre Devigny. Directed by Robert Bresson (Considered by some to be a master of French cinema - Others dislike his films because of the flat monotone delivery and poor acting in his work). Starring Fracois Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock and others. Here is a movie about a French Resistance fighter. Captured by the Nazis, Lieutenant Fontaine awaits his execution for espionage. Imprisoned in Lyon, France, he must overcome his fear and uncertainty to plan and execute an escape. That's it, the rest is drama. His inner thoughts, his methodical planning and plotting, his uncertainties and fear. His doubts and regrets. Not only is Fontaine trapped in this small cell, we're trapped in his mind as he lives the drab details of his daily existence. Although the film is very dry and slow, it is also compelling and tense. The acting is non-existent - The actors speak their lines with no emotion. How could an imprisoned man have no emotion? I give it a 3 out of 5. A repeat viewing might change my rating.

Summary: Captured French Resistance fighter Lieutenant Fontaine awaits a certain death sentence for espionage in a stark Nazi prison in Lyon, France. Facing malnourishment and paralyzing fear, he must plot an extraordinary escape, complicated by the questions of whom to trust, and what lies beyond the small portion of the prison they are housed in.

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Drama

Year: 2014

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon

Director: David Fincher

My Review: Screen play and novel written by Gillian Flynn. Directed by David Fincher (Career started with music videos: Alien3, Se7en, The Game, Fight Club) Starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris and others. A murder mystery focused on a hometown kid (Nick Dunne - Played by Ben Affleck) who seems to fit the description of 'abusive husband'. When his wife (Amy Dunne - Played by Rosamund Pike) goes missing, everyone assumes 'he did it' - He's not sympathetic enough, he's not distraught enough, his wife made comments to friends and family, she wrote stuff in her diary - He must have done it! The story doesn't really get more interesting than that. We all know that the movie can't be as simple as that - So someone else must have done it. Unravelling the mystery in this movie isn't all that difficult, but the ride was enjoyable. The camera work and editing were very well done. The music was great. I give this movie a 3 out of 5.

Summary: On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne reports that his wife, Amy, has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

Genre: Documentary, Biography, History

Year: 2009

Country: Spain

Rating:

Starring: Rupert Allason, José Antonio Escoriza, Aline Griffith, Juan Kreisler, Joan Pujol

Director: Edmon Roch

My Review: Garbo - The Spy. Not to be confused with Garbo - The Actress (aka Greta Garbo - born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson). This film is a documentary about a double agent code named Garbo by the British and Arabel by the Germans. The story is so compelling that the movie could easily withstand numerous flaws capable of ruining many films. Born Joan Pujol Garcia, this unassuming spaniard survived numerous trials of turmoil in Spain before he became embroiled in the politics of WWII. The documentary wove interviews, archival footage and clips from old movies (there's been several documentaries based upon the exploits of this particular spy) into a totally engrossing mystery and compelling drama. The story is very absorbing. An intelligence story so compelling that I couldn't tear myself away. Garbo worked as an independent agent, for the Allies and the Nazis in a complex web of deceit and deep cover. Throughout it all, he was always on the side of democracy and freedom. Despising Facism and Communisim, his early experiences in Spain taught him the value of Democracy and personal freedoms. The covert contributions of this one individual (especially during Operation Fortitude) were probably more instrumental than the overt contributions of thousands of other agents, soldiers and politicians. Expertly playing the intelligence game, Garbo created a vast network of agents composed entirely out of thin air. With fictional agents infiltrating all levels of the military, intelligence and political arms of the British and German governments, Garbo's ability to feed false information to the Nazi's was instrumental in the great deception which led them to dis-believe the Normandy invasion up until well after the Allied forces had established themselves well within the heart of occupied France. Garbo's exploits were so important to both sides that he was actually awarded the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) from King George the VI (on the 25th of Nov, 1945) and an Iron Cross Second Class (from Hitler on 29 July 1944). An astonishing accomplishment for a civilian. If you are a WWII buff, you MUST see this movie. The documentary unfolds in such a way that the typical viewer is unaware of the true nature of Garbo's role until all the facets of this amazing story are pulled together towards the end of the movie. The documentary even includes actual interviews and footage of Garbo long after the Normandy landings. Returning to France to visit the graves of those who gave their lives, and the haunted battlefields of WWII, you can clearly see how this great war still affected Joan some fourty years later. I give this documentary a 5 out of 5 .

Summary: A compelling account of Juan Pujol, an extraordinary Spanish double agent during WWII who helped change the course of history.

Genre: Thriller

Year: 2000

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Kim Basinger, Jimmy Smits, Holliston Coleman, Rufus Sewell, Angela Bettis

Director: Chuck Russell

My Review: I own this movie. I'm such a sucker for those paranormal, pseudo religious, horror movies - Like the Omen and the Exorcist. Based on a novel (of the same name) by Cathy Cash Spellman, the screenplay was written by too many people. Directed by Chuck Russell (The Blob (remake 1999), The Mask (w/Jim Carey), Eraser (w/Arnold Schwarzenegger), The Scorpion King). Starring Kim Basinger, Jimmy Smits, Rufus Sewell, Holliston Coleman (played Cody), Christina Ricci and others. Here's a good vs evil paranormal drama involving an autistic child (Cody - Played by Holliston Coleman) adopted by Maggie O'Connor (played by Kim Basinger). When the child's guardians (Kim Basinger and Jimmy Smits playing FBI Agent John Travis) learn that Cody has supernatural powers, they also learn that a Satanic cult is after her. They want to sacrifice the girl to gain greater power. It's up to Maggie and the forces of good to protect the child. Of course the story has been done before (Stir of Echoes, Stigmata, End of Days, etc), so there aren't a lot of surprises here, and the ending is predictable. The acting was good and the special effects passable. I give this movie a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Omens and concepts of good vs. evil have no place in Maggie O'Connor's well-ordered, practical universe. Her life revolves around her job as a nurse at a busy New York hospital, until one rainy night, her sister Jenna abandons her newborn, autistic daughter at her home. Maggie takes the baby in, and she becomes the daughter she never had. Six years later Jenna suddenly re-appears with a mysterious new husband, Eric, and abducts Cody. Despite the fact that Maggie has no legal rights to Cody, FBI agent John Travis, an expert in ritual homicide and occult-related crime, takes up her cause when he realizes that Cody shares the same birth date as several other recently missing children. The little girl, it soon becomes clear, is more than simply "special." She manifests extraordinary powers that the forces of evil have waited centuries to control, and her abduction sparks a clash between the soldiers of good and evil that can only be resolved, in the end, by the strength of one small child...

Genre: Action, Drama, War

Year: 2014

Country: USA, China, UK

Rating:

Starring: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal

Director: David Ayer

My Review: Written and directed by David Ayer (End of Watch, Sabotage, Screenplays for U-571, the Fast and the Furious and Training Day). Starring Brad Pitt, Shia LeBeouf, Logan Lerman and others. There have been numerous WWII movies that capture the larger scope of that conflict, but very few that spin down as tightly to the squad level. This movie takes a microscopic look at the efforts of one particular tank crew and one particular hero - SGT Don 'Wardaddy' Collier (played by Brad Pitt) commands a crew of five enlisted men who call a Sherman tank named 'Fury' their home. The occasional narration helps ensure that we stay on topic as the story unfolds. Adapt & Overcome or Fail and be Destroyed - This crew of men has their path laid out by the conflict unfolding before them. Wardaddy does his best to ensure their survival, but the ultimate battle seems impossible to overcome - One tank crew vs an entire regiment. The acting was excellent, as was the cinematography and direction. Some of the scenes and scenarios stretched the viewers credulity to the breaking point, but overall the movie makes an excellent small scale story of the men who fought in the enlisted ranks. I give it a 4 out of 5, and I've added it to my 'must own' list.

Summary: 1945, in World War II Germany, the tough Sergeant Don 'Wardaddy' Collier commands a tank and survives a German attack with his veteran crew composed of Boyd 'Bible' Swan, Trini 'Gordo' Garcia and Grady 'Coon-Ass' Travis. He receives a rookie soldier Norman Ellison as the substitute for his deceased gunner and he tries to harden the youth along the way.