As always – newest is on the top of the list. Click the text links in red.
June 2012
Today’s Special – June 2nd, 2012 - A man currently working as a sous chef desires more. The next step is a job as a head chef. It doesn’t work out, and he finds he has to run his father’s restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.
Read My Lips aka Sur Mes Levres – June 1st, 2012 - A deaf girl (Emmanuelle Devos) works in a Paris office of a land developer/construction firm. She hires an assistant, a just out of prison, unskilled man (Vincent Cassel). A great French thriller.
May 2012
Tell No One aka Ne de lis a Personne – May 31st, 2012 - A French thriller. A man is accused of killing his wife, 8 years after she was murdered. We’re pretty sure he didn’t do it, but a lot of questions bubble to the surface. This is an excellent film.
HBO Films: Hemingway & Gellhorn – May 30th, 3012 - An HBO Films release. A bio film of the tempestuous relationship between famed novelist Ernest ‘Papa’ Hemingway and his 3rd wife, Martha Gellhorn. Set with a background of the Spanish Revolution which ultimately made it’s way to a novel For Whom The Bells Toll, which was later a film. Starring Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman.
Cooking With Stella – May 29th, 2012 - A Canadian couple move to New Delhi, India. She’s the diplomat, he’s the househusband. Their condo comes with a housekeeper/cook known as Stella., a cook with a Robin Hood-esque style.
Anthony Zimmer – May 28th, 2012 - A French mystery-thriller that was the original source for the Hollywood remake called The Tourist with Jolie and Depp. This one is far better.
Good Night, and Good Luck – May 27th, 2012 - In the 1950′s, Edward R Murrow took on US Senator Joesph McCarthy. Not a thriller but taken from real life. A black and white film directed by George Clooney. David Strathairn stars as Murrow.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – May 25th, 2012 - British retirees head out to Jaipur in India. A well made, entertaining film that is not limited to British retirees or folks heading for India. It is about a universal theme – which is to make the best of the last chapters of our lives. Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith and others make this a very worthwhile film.
Kahaani: A Superb Top-Notch Thriller! – May 23rd, 2012 - A woman must travel thousands of miles to track down her husband who has gone missing. Vidya Balan, India’s leading actress, stars in this excellent thriller.
Answers to Nothing – May 22nd, 2012 - An ensemble film, like Crash. With a missing seven year old girl at the core, events bring a cop, a detective, a therapist, a lawyer, a tv writer, a teacher, a singer, and others together in present day LA.
Battleship – May 19th, 2012 - Aliens from another planet respond to a signal beacon from our planet which is sent out into deep space. They don’t come bearing gifts.
Patissiere Coin de Rue – May 17th, 2012 - A small town Japanese woman come to the big city, Tokyo, looking for her boyfriend. She’s a baker and she finds work at a wonderful pastry shop. Delicious.
NBC’s Smash: Episode 15 (Bombshell) Recap – May 15th, 2012 - The last episode of the season. A full recap with spoilers, pictures, lots of dialogue from the episode, and comments by me.
NBC’s Smash Series – Not on Fall Schedule – May 14th, 2012 - NBC releases its 2012 Fall Season Schedule. Smash is not on the schedule which means we will have to wait until winter in early 2013 to pick up Season Two.
Flavor of Happiness aka Shiawase no Kaori – May 13th, 2012 - Another wonderful film centered around a restaurant. It is a small city in Japan and you needn’t speak Japanese to enjoy it.
Hangin’ With the Girls: HBO’s Girls, Veep, Damsels in Distress and More – May 11th, 2012 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus as The Veep, an Ellen DeGeneris Comedy performance from New York’s Beacon Theater, the HBO TV Series Girls, and a look at Damsels in Distress.
NBC’s Smash: Episode 14 (Preview) Recap – May 8th, 2012 - Marilyn, the musical opens on the road in Boston. The show is now called Bombshell. This is a full recap of the next to last episode of the season.
Marvel’s The Avegers – May 4th, 2012 - Sure to break box office records – Ironman, Thor, Hawkeye, The Hulk, and others take on a challenge – set in New York City. Wow!
The Salt of Life – May 3rd, 2012 - Written by, directed by, and starring Gianni Di Gregorio. About a 60 year old retiree who feels life, and women, are passing him by. He wants to enjoy himself, but he’s beginning to think that women no longer notice him. He wonders, “Am I invisible or transparent?“. Shot in the Eternal City – Rome Italy.
13 Assassins – May 2nd, 2012 - Another samurai warrior film. Directed by Takashi Miike. Tons of action, and simply a brilliant film. Riveting.
NBC’s Smash: Episode 13 – Tech – Recap – May 1st, 2012 - After this episode, only two more remain. People get together and people separate. Some of the events were expected and some weren’t. Still fun to watch.
April 2012
The Double Hour – April 30th, 2012 - An Italian film – a psychological suspense thriller. Pretty good and lots of surprises. Directed by Giuseppe Captondi.
Safe – April 28th, 2012 - Jason Statham is back in another action film. He’s protecting an young Chinese girl who is a math prodigy. Who wants her? A Chinese Triad, some Russian mobsters, and some crooked cops. Shootouts, shootouts, and still more shootouts. As always, Statham is impervious to pain, tougher than anyone else in the film, and he never misses.
The Five Year Engagement – April 27th, 2012 - Emily Blunt and Jason Segel meet, fall in love and decide to marry. Then life intrudes. Lots of laughs and a lot of fun.
NBC’s Smash: Episode 12 – Publicity – Recap – April 24th, 2012 - The struggles continue for all involved. Rebecca buddies up with Karen. Dev and Karen have issues. Watch for the shoot-out with words not bullets between Derek and Rebecca. And more. Lots more.
In Our Nature – April 21st, 2012 - Two couples, a father and his girl friend, and his son, also with a girl friend, unexpectedly show up at the family country home, deep in the Catskills. Neither couple knew the other couple would be coming. Starring Mad Men’s John Slattery and directed by Brian Savelson. This was an entry at the Sarasota Film Festival.
Missed Connections (2012) – April 19th, 2012 - A new film by Martin Snyder that I saw at the Sarasota Film Festival. A young blonde lawyer and a cheeky IT techie go round and round. Will they fall in love or won’t they?
Darling Companion – April 19th, 2012 – Diane Keaton and Kevin Kline star in this Lawrence Kasden helmed adult drama with lots of comic overtones. Just after marrying off their second daughter, the family dog called Freeway goes missing.
Peace, Love & Misunderstanding – April 17th, 2012 - Jane Fonda stars as a present down grandmother who was a part of the Woodstock generation from the late 1960′s. In fact, she still lives in Woodstock. Catherine Keener stars as her adult daughter with two kids of her own who arrives to stay for a while after her husband told her he wants a divorce. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Elizabeth Olsen have key roles.
NBC’s Smash: Episode 11 – The Movie Star – Recap – April 17th, 2012 - Karen, Ivy, Julia, Tom, Derek, Eileen, Ellis, Dev, Sam, and Nick continue to vie for attention, love, position, status, and respect. Round and round she goes, where she stops nobody news. The big news – Rebecca Duvall can’t sing.
The Big Picture – April 16th, 2012 – A successful French attorney stands at the brink of the abyss after his wife’s lover ends up dead.
Robot and Frank Opens the 2012 SFF – April 14th, 2012 – a great film that played to a packed hall. Don’t Miss it.
The 2012 Sarasota Film Festival Preview – April 13th, 2012 – A preview and a look at the films that I’ll be covering. The festivals runs from April 13th through April 22nd.
Vincent Calvino – A Fictional Private Eye Heading for the Movies – April 11th, 2012 – Author Christopher G. Moore’s fictional detective Vincent Calvino is head for the movies. A look at four of the books.
NBC’s Smash – Episode 10 Recap – April 10th, 2012 - The Understudy
AMCtv’s New Series – The Pitch – April 10th, 2012 – Each week a client (a National advertiser) invites two ad agencies to make a pitch – in short try and win the account.
Mozart’s Sister – April 5th, 2012 – a film about the little known Maria Mozart, Wolfgang’s older sister. She was talented, but in those days, a woman had no chance of success in the music field.
Tune In The Ghost – April 4th, 2012 – a look at an entertaining deejay playing classic rock and more from the 70′s and 80′s.
NBC’s Smash – Episode 9 Recap – April 3rd, 2012 – Hell On Earth
Starz TV Original New Series – Magic City – April 2nd, 2012 – A Recap of the opening three episodes. The series is due to open for real at months end.
March 2012
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – March 30th, 2012 - This time we review the film. The stars Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, and Kristin Scott Thomas shine in this entertaining film with an ungainly title.
NBC’s Smash – Episode Eight Recap – The Coup – March 28th, 2012 - aka Uh Oh…
The Hunger Games – March 27th, 2012 – Bloggers JustMeMike and Didion of the Feminéma website talk about the film. They break down the film and discuss the film from A to Z.
HBO Original Series – Episode 9 Recap – March 26th, 2012 – The series ends.
The Shawshank Redemption – March 21st, 2012 - a 3rd look at this classic film by JMM.
NBC’s Smash – Episode 7 Recap – March 21st, 2012 - The water in the shark tank just got bloody
HBO Original Series: Luck – Episode 8 Recap – March 19th, 2012 - ‘Racing Towards oblivion’.
The Hunter – March 15th, 2012 – Willem Dafoe travels to far off Tasmania to track the very rare Tasmanian Tiger. But there’s far more at play than a movie about hunting. Sam Neill co-stars. Check it out.
NBC’s Smash – Episodes 4, 5 and 6 Recap – March 14th, 2012
HBO Original Series: Luck – Episode 7 Recap - March 12th, 2012
Game Change – March 11th, 2012 – An HBO Original Movie. HBO takes a fine look at the 2008 Presidential Election Campaign. The focus? Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. Stars include Woody Harrelson as Steve Schmidt, Ed Harris as John McCain, and Julianne Moore as Palin.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – March 9th, 2012 – JMM grouses about the fact that Salmon Fishing is NOT playing anywhere near Sarasota.
Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai – March 9th, 2012 – From a humble beginning as a homeless orphan in Mumbai, India, a man grows into a mob boss. Starring Ajay Devgn as Sultan Mirza, this India masala borrows some of The Godfather and some of Scarface and sets the film in the 1970′s.
L’ Odyssey de Cartier – March 7th, 2012 – three minutes and thirty seconds of cinematic magic. Yes, it is an ad, but … WOW!
Saathiya – March 7th, 2012 – An Indian film starring Rani Mukerji and Vivek Oberoi. Starts as a boy meets girl romance – but it is not a standard ‘they live happily ever after’ kind of story. This time the young couple learns that marriage isn’t a bed of roses.
The Mill & the Cross – March 6th, 2012 – a film by Polish director Lech Majewski that takes us back to the 16th century where we meet artist Pieter Bruegel and his famous painting The Way to Cavalry. Not an easy film to watch, but the use of cinematic cutting edge technology makes it memorable. A look at a famous painting, The Passion of Christ, and the Spanish Inquisition. Not for the kids.
HBO’s Series: Luck – Episode Six Recap – March 5th, 2012 – The series is set at Santa Anita Racetrack in Southern California. It’s horse racing, gambling, revenge, and lots more. This post recaps episode six.
The Young Victoria – March 3rd, 2012 – A gorgeously mounted period film. Emily Blunt plays a young Victoria – soon to become the Queen of the British Empire. Superb costumes worth an Oscar, plus magnificent settings in various top of the line castles. Not a full bio – as the title infers – it’s just the early years.
February 2012
The Devil Wears Prada – February 28th, 2012 - Another Oscar nominated performance by Meryl Streep. With able assists from Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Adam Grenier, and Simon Baker. It is a look inside the fashion industry. Fresh out of college, a fashion newbie, Andy Sachs, played by Hathaway joins Runway Magazine headed up by the world’s numero uno fashionista – Miranda Priestly (Streep).
HBO Series: Luck Episode 5 Recap – February 28th, 2012 – Episode 5 of Luck is in the books. This is a recap of what went down, in case you missed while watching the Oscar br0oadcast.
The Oscars Red Carpet Live Show – February 26th, 2012 – a piece on the Red Carpet Live Broadcast which was the lead in to the Oscars broadcast. Written on the fly during the show itself.
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within – February 26th, 2012 – Brazil’s biggest grossing film ever. A top cop fights drugs and crime so well that he is promoted or kicked upstairs to a desk job. Why? Because the greatest threat isn’t the drug lords. Instead it is the corrupt police and government. Powerful, exciting, thrilling and dramatic. A true must-see.
Hunger – February 24th, 2012 – Another film torn from the pages of history. Michael Fassbender plays Bobby Sands, a real life prisoner in a Belfast, Ireland jail. He took on the British during the Margaret Thatcher era . The whole world watched horrified as Sands led a hunger strike seeking changes in Ireland. He and other died as a result of their hunger strike. A magnificent film directed by Steve McQueen.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley – February 22nd, 2012 – A period piece set in the 1920 in County Cork, Ireland. The IRA vs the Black & Tans. Cillian Murphy heads the cast of this Ken Loach directed drama. It’s entertaining, dramatic, and well above average.
NBC TV Series – Smash – February 20th, 2012 – An introduction to the series about the making of a Broadway show called Marilyn:The Musical. Comments, notes and intros about the first three episodes. Debra Messing, Katherine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Jack Davenport, and Anjelica Houston head the cast.
HBO Series – Luck Episode 4 – February 20th, 2012 – Dustin Hoffman stars in this series set at the santa Anita Racetrack in Southern California. This is a recap.
Defiance – February 18th, 2012 – Daniel Craig takes a group of Jews into the forests of eastern Europe to avoid capture and death at the hands of the Nazi’s during the World War II. Liev Schreiber is on hand as his brother who decides to join a Russian militia to fight the Nazi war machine. Actually, this is an excellent film, and well worth your time.
The Double – February 17th, 2012 - Richard Gere stars in The Double, a spy film, that came and went without anyone noticing it. It’s theatrical run lasted all of two weeks before it was pulled out of circulation. Gere played opposite Topher Grace and Martin Sheen. If you like spy films, you’ll find this one acceptable at best, but more likely you’ll come away thinking it was disappointing.
This Means War - February 14th, 2012 - Tom Hardy and Chris Pine are best buddies and top-notch spooks who are somehow dating the same woman – Reese Witherspoon. Once they find out – all bets are off – possibly even the friendship. For Witherspoon’s Lauren it is a dreamy situation – two great guys to date. For the boys, well – this means war.
The Darjeeling Limited – February 14th, 2012 – Three brothers attempt a reunion by crossing Northern India by train. They’re heading to a convent in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains where there mother has joined a convent. The concept is worthy. By traversing the spiritual India, they will find each other, as well as themselves. Starting in Jodhpur as three disparate individuals by film’s end they will re-emerge as three brothers. They hope. Starring Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman as Francis, Peter, and Jack. Directed by Wes Anderson.
Safe House – February 10th, 2012 – Though it looks, sounds, and feels like another Bourne film, don’t let that stop you from seeing it. What it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for it in action. A thriller in every sense of the word. Plus it stars Denzel Washington along with Ryan Reynolds.
Bourne 4 – Only 176 Days to Go – February 9th, 2012 – A small preview of The Bourne Legacy which has August 3rd, 2012 as the release date. Trailer included.
David Fincher: Films with Styles and Edge – February 9th, 2012 – A look at some of what makes us love Director David Fincher’s works. Zodiac, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Panic Room, Alien3, Seven, and The Game.
Lilyhammer – February 6th, 2012 – The HBO hit series The Sopranos ended back in 2007. In that series, Steven Van Zandt had the role of Silvio Dante, who was Tony Soprano’s right hand man. Now, 5 years later, it is 2012 and we have a new and updated version of Sil. This time Steve plays Frank the Fixer Tagliano. When he’s passed over as the the successor to the family’s Godfather who has just died, AND there’s an attempt on his life, he goes straight for the FBI. In exchange for testimony against Aldo DeLucci, the FBI will set up Tagliano in the Witness Protection Program in Lillehammer, Norway. That’s right the newest member of the WPP is being played by one of the original and key players from the Sopranos. Goodbye New York and hello Norway. This series is a production from Netflix who are following the HBO business model – to not only distribute the content but to also create the content. They call it Lilyhammer.
Hum Tum – February 3rd, 2012 – From 2004, the first of three films that will star Rani Mukerji and Saif Ali Khan. Quite likely these are two of the five biggest film stars in India. They meet, they separate, they meet, they argue. Over nine years. Shot on location in Amsterdam and other Netherlands locations. Beautifully filmed and very enjoyable. Four point zero. Rani won a number of Best Performances by an Actress for this film.
January 2012
One for the Money – January 31st, 2012 – Straight Away – this isn’t anywhere close to Midnight Run. In fact, so far it even trails The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. I could only give this a 2.0 out 5. It’s not funny, sexy, exciting, and there’s no suspense. Predicting a quick exit from the theaters. Watchable but only barely.
36th Precinct – January 28th, 2012 – Two top cops are after a gang of thieves who take down armored cars carrying bags and bags of money. The film begins as a police procedural and ends as a revenge film as these cops are about more than just cracking the case. Set in Paris, France and starring Daniel Auteuil and Gerard Depardieu, this one has a lot of action and two strong alpha cops going after one another. Produced and released in 2004, this film has only become available in DVD and on Netflix rather recently.
The Grey – January 27th, 2012 – Liam Neeson stars as a survivor of a plane crash in the frozen tundra of Alaska. The crash killed most of the aboard, but some of them escaped the crash unscathed. The plane went down in the middle of nowhere, so they’re not going to be rescued quickly. For those that got out of the crash alive – they now face bitter cold, lack of water, food, shelter, and worst of all – they have to survive the pack of wolves that are hunting them down. This is a solid adventure film – and you won’t complain about heat after seeing what real cold is about.
Luck (TV Series) – January 26th, 2012 – Dustin Hoffman and Dennis Farina star in the brand new HBO TV Drama Series called Luck. It is about the Life Around the Racetrack. Created by David Minch, and Directed by Michael Mann,who is also Executive Producer, the series pilot was aired more than six weeks ago, and the comments weren’t pretty. I missed the broadcast of the pilot but am primed for the Premier of the series scheduled for broadcast on HBO, this Sunday (January 29th, 2012) night.
Haywire – January 20th, 2012 – Gina Carano stars as Mallory Kane, a Bourne-esque type of agent for hire. When things don’t go exactly as planned in Barcelona, Mallory’s situation changes – and that’s not good. With locations as varied as upstate New York, Barcelona, Dublin, New Mexico, and Majorca – we move around quite a bit. Mallory is both the hunted and the hunter in this action packed thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh. Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and Bill Paxton round out the cast.
Hodejegerne aka Headhunters – January 18th, 2012 – From the novel by internationally known author Jo Nesbo. This is a Norwegian language with English Subtitles thriller. Roger Brown played Aksel Hennie is a corporate headhunter. He’s also an art thief. His wife introduces him to a man who not only can be CEO material for the position Brown is trying to fill, but on top of that, he owns an original Rubens painting. Thrilling, action-packed, lots of twist and turns – Headhunters is not only the title but it is also both literally and figuratively what this film is about.
The Flowers of War – January 16th, 2012 - Chinese film director Zhang Yimou takes us back to 1937 to Nanjing (formerly Nanking) China. The Japanese invade and a group is trapped by war’s horrific circumstance within the cathedral and its walled compound. On hand are a group of frightenrd Chinese Catholic school girls, Christian Bale as a traveling mortician, and a group of a dozen courtesans. The film is scheduled for a limited opening in just 21 theaters nationwide in a group of select cities on January 20th. Reviews have mixed, but I intend to see this film when and if it comes to my section of Florida, or when the DVD becomes available.
The Iron Lady – January 14th, 2012 – Meryl Streep plays the three term former Prime Minister of Great Britain – Margaret Thatcher. A bio-film worth your time.
Contraband – January 13th, 2012 – Mark Wahlberg is an ex-smuggler who has to resume a smuggling career to save his brother-in-law from the bad boos played by Giovanni Ribisi. Kate Beckinsale plays the wife. Locations are New Orleans and Panama City, Panama.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – January 6th, 2012 – A spy film – smart, intelligent, but definitely not a Spy Thriller. Forget about fast cars, chases, explosions, poker and other games of chance. This is the film made from John LeCarre’s 1974 novel of the same name. It’s the era of the Cold War. Hence a cold and cheerless film. Gary Oldman does a fine job as George Smiley who has been tasked to uncover the mole in MI6′s home base aka The Circus. But the role calls for a stolid, colorless man and that’s exactly what Oldman delivers. There’s no pyrotechnics of any kind – not in the story, and not in the acting. This is the world of the anti-Bond, the anti-Hunt, and the anti-Bourne.
The Artist – January 4th, 2012 - This is a film that has generated a lot interest and plenty of buzz. It’s a period piece set in Hollywood in the period of 1927 to 1932. The talkies are taking off and the silent film era comes to an end; in some cases before those who were the stars in that medium wanted or could accept. The stars are George Dupardin and Berenice Bejo. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, this film is a b&w silent film – or said another way – a gimmicky curiosity (with lots of charm) to some (including me), and yet others have already awarded it the Best Picture of the Year honors. Have you seen it, and how did you like it?
War Horse – January 2nd, 2012 – Take one heroic horse, add in lots of courageous and brave soldiers, season with the classic Steven Spielberg sentimentality – and you’ll have the recipe for a marvelous film. This film is a sure bet for a bundle of Oscar nominations. The cherry on the top is the beautiful cinematography. You’re not likely to be all that familiar with most of the cast, unless you happen to live in the UK. But don’t let that stop you. In fact, the lack of well known actors is a major plus for American audiences because you won’t have ayn pr-econceived notions about who you will be watching. A must-see.
