The Accountant (2016) The problem with most movies of this type is the protagonist is usually too perfect. He is brilliant, charming, witty, looks great in a tux (he owns his own), and is an expert at foreign espionage. That is not the case with The Accountant. He is so obviously flawed when it comes to social interactions that he can barely function. That’s what makes this so much fun. Ben Affleck stars as the titular accountant alongside Anna Kendrick…
Tubitv.com Tubi TV (Tube-E TV) has an impressive library for a new up-and-comer to the online streaming market. Tubi TV is a free streaming service that utilizes commercials for funding, much like YouTube and Crackle. I searched through their catalog and found many movies I liked so I thought I would list a few as an introduction to their service. 12 Angry Men (1957) Henry Fonda stars as the sole holdout in a jury negotiating a seemingly open and shut case involving a…
The Nice Guys (2016) The two guys in The Nice Guys are anything but nice. Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is a sleazy private eye and single father with a serious drinking problem, and Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is a hired thug who will “put a hurting” on someone for as little as twenty dollars. The only nice character here is Holly March the eleven year old daughter and the conscience of the film. The Nice Guys is a classic LA noir…
2015 Was a good year for movies with many that I enjoyed. The movies listed below are ones I liked enough for a second viewing. I will include my usual disclaimer: I’m not saying these are good, just that I liked them. The Big Short (2015) It turns out the 2008 financial meltdown that left many homeless, jobless, and moneyless was anticipated by a few astute financial wizards. The Big Short takes a complex financial situation and makes it accessible to…
I love time travel movies. They are fun, they can be great, and they can be silly. I believe they exist in their own genre, and not necessarily a subset of science-fiction, since many exist without any scientific rationale and or weird time traveling equipment. Many are built on the case of a single what-if. What if I could go back in time but only if I am naked like in The Terminator (1984) or what if I could travel back in…
I reviewed Stories We Tell last year and now it’s Streaming on Netflix. The Review can be found here and the movie can be found here. It’s a powerful documentary about the power of narrative and how we turn life into coherent stories. Sam
Maleficent Bad guys wear black, are ugly, torture small animals, and are just downright mean, right? When someone’s name actually means evil, you should be able to count on them to be 100% despicable. But these days everything is complicated, without blacks and whites, just shades of gray. Good guys have bad habits, and bad guys are likable and have a backstory that explains, if not justifies, their evil ways. This new retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty shines the spotlight on…
Stories We Tell (2012) Winston Churchill said “History is written by the victors.” and one advantage of the victors is to add narration, and guide interpretations of the past. Great story telling not only entertains, but it can subtly persuade. Each storyteller adds their own narrative and highlights their version of the truth in a sea of confusing issues, and opinions. In Stories We Tell the power of a single narrative and the confusing nature of multiple narratives is only one…
2013 Ticket Stub Review. Fifty six tickets stubs were in my 2013 manilla envelope that I use as a memory aide. Some movies I had to look up on in IMDB in order to recall (not a good sign for my memory or the movie’s quality). In short order I narrowed it down to my favorite eight. Four of them I had reviewed previously, and the remaining four movies I highlight below. American Hustle (2013) Absolutely the most fun I had…
The great thing about streaming is if you don’t like it, you can bail. Here are six Netflix streaming movies I watched all the way through. I am not saying they are good, just that I liked them. Safety Not Guaranteed – Is he crazy? Is he a genius? You have to watch to the end to find out. Jeff, Who Lives at Home – He is a clueless loser stoner, but pot allows him to see “the fundamental interconnectedness of all things”….