Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022):

It is a delight to see a film fully of nice people doing nice things for other nice people with no concerns about inappropriate language, unwholesome love scenes, and hidden agendas. With $1.9 million for the weekend, it was good for 10th place at the box office. The British film is based on the 1958 novel by Paul Gallico. Leslie Manville (she was Princess Margaret in "The Crown") is the title character here, a cleaning woman in 1950s London who becomes entranced with the Dior fashions owned by one of her employers. Infatuated with the dream of owning such an Haute Couture garment herself, she is determined to find a way. WWII is just a dozen years in the rear-view mirror, and Mrs. Harris, like many women of the day whose husband never came home from the War, still believes that perhaps one day he'll walk through the door of the simple basement flat that she calls home. The Dior gown is the first real extravagance she has allowed herself, and she comes up with many ways to make the 500 Pounds she will need to get across the channel to Paris, and to purchase the dress of her dreams. Along the way she gambles and loses at the dog track, she finds a brilliant diamond pendant in the street and turns it in to police, and she takes in additional work in the form of mending and sewing for anyone she can manage. The people in her life are delightful, and in this simple, honest film, we root for her every step of the way as she makes passage to France, finds her way on foot to the House of Dior, and learns that just because you have the money to pay, does not mean you have the social standing to own such a garment. As with every story, it becomes clear that there are obstacles, but Mrs. Harris is smart, she is self-assured, and she is above all, just a beautiful human being, and even when she sees her dream on its way to being realized, her first reaction is to help others in need before looking after her own interests. Leslie Manville is a delight in this story, a pleasure to watch with her keen sense of humour and her affection for her fellow humans. This was a TV movie in 1992 in which Angela Lansbury played the title role. Jason Isaacs and Isabell Huppert also star in this comedy/drama. Rated PG.

Happening (2021):

The grand prize winner at last year’s Venice Film Festival, this French film takes on new meaning with the American political situation and the overturning of Roe VS Wade. Based on the best-selling novel by Annie Ernaux, it’s the story of Anne Duchesne, a young woman who is an exceptional student and who has a brilliant career in front of her … until she learns that she is pregnant. Anne works hard at maintaining her studies, her social life, and her pursuit of higher education as she struggles with life-altering decisions regarding abortion. At the time of the story, abortion was illegal in France, and a woman found guilty of this crime found herself imprisoned. Out-of-wedlock pregnancy was viewed as a shameful thing, and the thought of ending the pregnancy carried even more dire consequences. This character study of a young woman at a crossroads instils wonder at her ability to survive at all. Rated 14A.

Spitfire over Berlin (2022):

It will depend upon just how much of a WWII aviation buff you are to determine just how much you might like this story inspired by actual events during the American Eighth Air Force raids over German in August of 1944. As the Americans geared up for a punishing and definitive raid, British intelligence had hard data that suggested the bombers may be flying into what amounted to an elaborate trap. To this end, a lone Spitfire, unarmed to make room for sophisticated cameras, made a number of runs over enemy territory to determine what exactly was happening on the ground that may be a fatal blow to the bombing runs to come. The British cast is made up of relative unknowns, the production values are sparse because of the low-budget, and the special effects are almost non-existent, but for those who recognize the danger of invading the space of the German Luftwaffe in an unarmed plane, the drama here is very real. Rated 14A.

End of the Road (2022):

Another cross-country road trip, but this time the adventures are a deadly matter of survival as a mother named Brenda (Queen Latifah) travelling alone across the New Mexico desert with her family, finds that they are somehow the targets of a murderer who will not stop until he has them dead. Who he is and how she has become his preferred victim unravels slowly as the miles pass by until the action becomes a high-octane series of chases and a game of highway hide-and-seek. Brenda is a recent widow and it's her intention to start a new life that will put the pain of the past behind her and her children. Beau Bridges and Ludacris also star in this thriller distributed worldwide exclusively by Netflix. Rated 14A.

Day Shift (2022):

This film, based on actual events in WWII, was released by Warner Bros in the UK theatrically, and is being released by Netflix in North America. Colin Firth stars in this ingenious story of an espionage operation in 1943 that turned the tide of the war when a pair of British operatives used a combination of a corpse and false identity documents to deceive the Germans at a critical point when a huge build-up of troops was set to quash the allies. It tells the story of those who fight in the shadows, and whose true exploits are sometimes unknown and lost in the fog of war and the mirage of history. Rated 14A.