After Robert Ford (Casey Affleck, in an Oscar-nominated role)
joins the most notorious gang in the West, he grows tired
of the charismatic Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and begins to
resent his fame. But by hatching a scheme to gun down James,
Ford risks forever being branded a coward. Sam Shepard, Sam
Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker and Michael Parks also star in
director Andrew Dominik’s riveting Wild West drama adapted
from Ron Hansen’s acclaimed novel
Why do Americans glorify crimnals ? The acting in this film is superb, especially Casey Affleck. Brad Pitt made it clear that Jesse James was a psychopathic killer. In fact, from the movie I gathered that Jesse James had such mental problems that in the end he was glad to be shot. This movie is no more violent than any western. The pace is very S L O W . But I was on the edge of my seat because I expected something horrible from Jesse James at any minute. It lasts 159 minutes.
“Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) can’t
help but notice that more people than ever before seem
interested in the work of long-dead composer Joan Alder,
who wrote the well-known song ‘Midsomer Rhapsody.’ First,
Alder’s former music teacher turns up dead, and an early
draft of her most famous piece is found among his
possessions. But the plot thickens when Alder’s
long-lost daughter, Sarah, comes back into town.
Thanks to Nora for suggesting this series. Unfortunately for Kathy and for
me there are no subtitles. We have trouble understanding the male actors.
NetFlix claims to have 300 different Midsomer Murders. I stopped counting
at 30 installments. Kathy and I prefer the “Touch of Frost” series if only
because it offers subtitles.
Looking for non-gory old-feel detective shows ? “Da Vinci’s Inquest” is a Canadian TV series involving the coroner’s office. It is very human, not especially grim (as is the current fashion) and the face-to-face interviews held my attention.
A hunter (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a dead
body, $2 million and a stash of heroin in the
woods. He absconds with the cash, but
brutal thief Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem)
comes looking for it, with a local sheriff
(Tommy Lee Jones) on his trail. The roles of
hunter and prey blur as the violent pursuits
of money and justice collide. Joel and Ethan
Coen direct this dark morality tale, which
won four Oscars in 2008, including Best Picture
It can’t get much more violent. Could this film be a put-on ? The plot is as follows: Javier Bardem murders many people and then the film ends. Some viewers report being more than dissatisfied. However, if nothing else the plot is an intriguing cat and mouse game. Killer Bardem is VERY clever. I am told the book is great.
Ryan Gosling plays the title character in this oddball
comedy about a delusional young man who buys a life-size
sex doll over the Internet — and then falls in love with
her. When the besotted young man starts telling people that
the doll is his girlfriend, his brother and sister-in-law
decide it’s time to intervene in this film co-starring
Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Kelli Garner and Paul
Schneider.
o This is not really a comedy.
o I had to classify this as “unusual and not to everyone’s tastes
o S L O W and very Q U I E T
o but with real orchestral background.
o You really have to suspend disbelief. Would an entire town really
humor Lars in such a kind way ?
o You will love this move or hate it.
o There’s a reason for Lar’s behavior and real healing.
With a new job running the New Burbage Theatre Festival, has-been actor Geoffrey Tennant (Paul Gross) is at loose ends since the death of his beloved mentor Oliver Welles. Fortunately, Geoffrey soon discovers that his dearly departed friend is still present, in spirit, to help him reinvigorate the Shakespearean troupe. The only things in their way are an overly commercial marketing department, a hostile leading lady and a slightly dim male star.
The above is a NetFlix description for season 1 of several seasons.
This is NOT mystery. It is a Canadian series about a troupe of dysfunctional
professional actors. The language can be foul. Activity is no-holds-barred
outrageous at times. But the first season ends perfectly when a teen-age
idol against all expectations becomes a really good Hamlet. His performance
was wonderful to behold.
There are 13 seasons. Frost is an aging, lonely, sarcastic British
detective. Wife Kathy objects that it shows the sad, grubby parts of
England. But it has a humane reality to it that doesn’t have to be grisly
to be entertaining.
Carrying the emotional scars of an abusive childhood, siblings Wendy
Savage (Laura Linney, in an Oscar-nominated role), a long-aspiring
playwright, and Jon Savage ( Philip Seymour Hoffman), a professor
of drama, now face the challenge of caring for their ailing elderly
father, Lenny (Philip Bosco), despite their emotional disconnect
from him and each other. Tamara Jenkins (Slums of Beverly Hills)
wrote and directed this indie drama
This film paints what is soon to be one of the more typical scenarios
on the American family scene. And what a scene! If you want to
walk away after a pleasant few hours, do not see this film! But the
acting is perfect. And the details are sadly all too accurate. There
will unfortunately be a moment of truth in this film for most of us.
All I can say is, “Thank you Mom for planning and for cooperating
with me to get you settled in a really nice assisted living facility.”
In this Rob Reiner dramatization of Stephen King’s novella, The Body,
a writer ( Richard Dreyfuss) tells the story of how he and three other
boys sought adventure and heroism. In the 1950s, in the woods of
Oregon, the boys set out to find a missing teen’s dead body. What
they find out about themselves along the way, though, means even
more in this coming-of-age tale co-starring River Phoenix,
Corey Feldman, Wil Wheaton and Jerry O’Connell
Beautiful, nostalgic, at times sad. You can just feel Richard Dreyfuss’
wave of sad long-lost memories while sitting in that car.
This Stephen King novel is a sweet classic.
The perfect crime goes horribly wrong when Andy and Hank
( Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) botch a robbery
of their parents’ jewelry store in this wrenching drama from
legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet, who was 82 when he
directed the film. Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris co-star
as the unsuspecting parents, while Marisa Tomei plays Gina,
who cheats on her husband, Andy, with Hank.
I have friends who cannot like a movie if they find the
characters repellent. Somehow I can divorce myself
from such characters and just enjoy a well-made film.
This film is the downer of all downers. Philip Hoffman
plays a man for whom one dishonesty leads to another
and another etc. He is at the bottom when the film
starts and still exudes a slimy confidence. You couldn’t
ask for a better cast. Albert Finney was born in May 1936,
so he is almost 72. Unbelievable !
