2001 1h 30min This charming movie stars John Cusack as Jonathan and Kate Beckensale as Sara. It begins with the words “A few years ago…” and we witness them at the glove counter of a New York department store just before Christmas. They’re negotiating who gets to purchase the last pair of leather gloves. While they both have significant others, they’re immediately smitten with each other and end up spending the entire evening together. Cusack and Beckensale have remarkable chemistry and we root for them right from the start. However, they decide that if they were truly meant to be together, they’d find each other again in the future and they go their separate ways.
“A few years later…” we catch up with the couple. They’re both engaged to their respective mates, and in fact, Jonathan is to be married in just a few days. Here is where things get fun. The two soul mates spend their time searching for each other, convinced that their relationship was meant to be. They keep missing each other in an amusing series of events, which is exasperating to witness. It’s almost Shakespearian in nature. Will they eventually find each other and live happily ever after? You’ll just have to check it out and find out for yourself.
Four out of five stars
Currently streaming on Netflix, Epix, Hulu, Pluto, Plex and other services.
1987 55min An absolutely enchanting adaption of the classic Dylan Thomas poem. I read it out loud to the family every year and it’s become a Christmas tradition. Several years ago I discovered this version, which stars Denholm Elliott. If you’re not familiar with him, let’s just say he played the quintessential Sherlock Holmes back in the day—smart, but also kindly and warm--something lacking in most of the other interpretations of this famous character.
Here he plays a sweet grandpa, spending Christmas Eve babysitting his young grandson Thomas (Methonwy Reeves). He starts telling the story of his childhood Christmases, growing up in a small Welsh village. He recites the classic poem and the scene then dissolves to reveal the story live as it unfolds. It seamlessly jumps back and forth in time, like an imaginative adventure story. It’s a beautifully nostalgic look at Christmas in a bygone era. It’s so charming and delightful, you’ll want to watch it again when it’s over!
Five out of five stars
Currently streaming on IMDB TV, Youtube, BritBox, Tubi, and other services.
I’m amazed at how many Christmas movies have been made over the years. I’ve found sites that feature the 100 best Christmas movies! A hundred? Who knew? Here are a few of my other holiday favorites, not in any particular order: “A Christmas Story”, “The Holiday”, “Love Actually”, “A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas”, “Home for the Holidays”, and “Joyeux Noel”. Happy Holidays from this movie (chest)nut!
I couldn't find an official trailer but here's a clip from the movie:
2021 1h 33m What a little gem of a film. When I read the description of it, I thought this one could get a bit sappy. Which I'm okay with. But it wasn't at all. It's about a young, teenage girl Beverly (Gemma Brooke Allen)who's being raised by her grandmother Gail (Julie Bowen). Her parents died in a car crash when she was two and she knows very little about them because her grandma rarely talks about them. One day, while sorting through a box of her parents belongings, she discovers a mix tape they made. It's full of 80s rock tunes and when the tape is ruined the first time she plays it, she goes on a quest to hear all the songs convinced they're actually a message to her.
Beverly engages the help of Anti (Nick Thune), an eccentric record store owner and a couple of her friends. Not only does she gain some understanding of her parents, her grandma begins to open up about them, as painful as it is. In the process, the two begin to heal and look at life a bit differently. The film takes place in 1999, right before the potential Y2K meltdown, and they get just about everything about the time period perfect. I thought the acting was terrific, the soundtrack engaging, and the message beautiful. It's just an overall sweet and heartfelt film the whole family will enjoy.
After he falls off a roof at a New Year's eve party, Owen (Bryan Greenberg) decides he needs to change his life. He attempts to reconnect with his estranged son and looks for romance. He's drive a truck for a vending machine company and he takes on his brother who's just gotten out of jail on as an assistant. Eventually he starts courtingVera (Claire van der Boom), a bank teller and fellow divorcee. There's not a lot of action in this film, but I thought it was well written and well acted. It's just one of those entertaining films that goes a bit beyond your usual rom-coms. There are some unexpected plot twists and it has a nice message--that change is good! 4 out of 5 stars Streaming on Hoopla, Tubi, and Prime
I was hooked, right from the opening scene. In it, two strangers meet at the front desk of a deserted hotel. They wait awkwardly for service as they listen to a couple making loud, passionate love in an adjacent room/closet. It sets the tone for this well-written and we'll-acted movie. It's described as a rom-com but, while there are amusing scenes and situations, I'd be hard pressed to call it a comedy. And it's not a romance, in the traditional sense of the word--more like an exploration of relationships and emotions.
The film centers around Luke (Rupert Henry-Jones) who's in town for his high school reunion, and Abby (Natasha Little) who's spending a few days to deal with her recently deceased brother's house. The two have a palpable chemistry you can feel the moment they first meet. They spend part of the evening together, until Kayla (Rachel Blanchard), Luke's old high school flame arrives on the scene. She's drunk out of her good and is determined to jump his bones. Hilarity ensues.
The film spans the weekend and it involves a number of twists and turns. Just when you think something is about to happen, it doesn't. And the ending caught me totally off guard. Overall, I thought it was a smart, mature look at relationships. I had no idea what the films was going to be about, and I was very pleasantly surprised.
This is not your typical science fiction film. And that’s a good thing. While I’m a big fan of sci-fi movies with plenty of action, CGI, and special effects, I also appreciate the more subtle, thought-provoking iterations as well. In reading the backstory of “Cosmos” I was surprised to learn that it was made with absolutely no budget, and most of the equipment used was borrowed. With that kind of challenge, a film has to work pretty hard to keep the viewer engaged. This one succeeded.
Mike (Tom England), Harry (Joshua Ford), and Ray (Arjun Singh Panam) are three friends who have dubbed themselves “Astro-nuts”, and they’ve got the cool baseball caps with the logo on them to prove it! They head out into the country in their little station wagon crammed with all sorts of sophisticated scientific equipment. Their quest is to scan the night sky for intelligent life forms. There’s a bit of underlying tension at the beginning of the film. Ray had been working for an aerospace company, building a satellite. Just before it’s completion, his company was taken over and Mike replaced him on the project He was let go just before the satellite launched.
His agitation is palpable until Harry, who’s an easy-going jokester finally brings the two together and they work out the animosity. Soon after, while monitoring the satellite as it passes overhead things get a bit strange. The first thing that occurs is Mike picks up an unexplainable pulsing sound on his equipment. After sending out a welcoming radio message into space, he receives the distorted message back repeatedly, after an hour delay. The third thing that occurs is the satellite disappears for a few minutes as it passes overhead.
The trio gets extremely excited about what has just occurred. They decide to record as much of visuals and radio transmission as possible the next time the satellite passes by. While they’re successful doing so, the batteries they’ve used are suddenly low on power. This poses as a huge threat since they’re out in the country, miles away from their home base and a power source. What’s more, they’ve contacted a local observatory, and even when they tune into the same radio frequency, they don’t hear the same signals.
I know this type of movie isn’t for everyone, but I really found it engaging. Due to the superb cinematography, you feel you’re right there in the car with the three scientists. The dialogue was well written, although you had to listen closely to hear it at times. Adding to the atmosphere was the unique film score. It reminded me of something you’d hear in a classic Hollywood film, ranging from moody and melancholic to soaring, majestic crescendos. In a way, it felt out of place, but then again, a discovery like this deserves this type of treatment.
****1/2
Currently streaming on Kanopy, Hulu, Tubi, and Prime.
2021 1h 57m Just a wild and crazy ride of a film. It's part jewelry heist, part comedy. But it's all non-stop action. John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) is an FBI profiler in pursuit of Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds), the world's second most famous art thief. The two of them become reluctant partners in their quest to nab the world's number one art thief, "the Bishop" (Gal Gadot). Of course, Interpol is right on their heels, wherever they turn up. The adventure takes us all around the world in this mad-cap caper. It's great fun to see the two leads as they constantly bicker, and there are plenty of good chuckles along the way. The story has plenty of plot twists to keep you wanting more. If you're up for a couple hours of mindless entertainment, I'd highly recommend this one.
