Nov 22nd - 28th Downloads
& DVDs
 

  •  The Good House (2022):

    Based on the best-selling novel by Ann Leary, this dramatic comedy stars Sigourney Weaver as a character named Hildy Good, a New England realtor whose life begins to unravel after the sudden death of her husband. Hildy turns to alcohol for comfort, and over time, she leaves her big, beautifully appointed house on a perfect piece of property, and moves into a ramshackle place on the edge of town. If that were not enough, she develops a relationship with her old high school flame Frank (Kevin Kline) which causes her life to unravel even more. Hildy is a descendant of the Salem witches, she likes her wine, she likes to keep secrets and she has a nice, compartmentalized life until her entwinement with one person's reckless behaviour, and a number of family secrets force her to face the person that is most dangerous to her ... and that is Hildy herself. Weaver is excellent here in a complex story that plays out on many levels. Morena Baccarin also stars, as does David Rasche whom I have not seen since the days when he played “Sledge Hammer,” a somewhat deranged, and not-too-bright private detective who lasted to seasons on the late 1980s. Rated 14A.

     

  • 5-25-77 (2022):

    I hate movies with dates as the only title, because, unless you happen to recognize the date, there is no inkling as to what the film might be about. This one is a true story that was filmed over a 13-year period. It was written and directed by Pat Johnson who is played in the movie by John Francis Daly. The date in the title is the one in which the first “Star Wars” movie, “A New Hope” was introduced to the world, a film that changed movie-making and the science fiction genre forever. Pat Johnson was the only person, outside of the immediate crew, who was given an opportunity to see the nearly-completed film. This is the story of how that occasion changed his life. Johnson wrote the script for the movie “Dragonheart” (1996) and also has a writing credit on “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989). We learn how one small-town kid was able to live the life of his dreams all because of that preview look at the movie that became a part of the biggest film franchise in history. Collen Camp (“Planet of the Apes”) co-stars as Johnson’s mother. Rated PG.

  • Hatching (2022):

    This unusual horror film with a sci-fi touch was filmed in Latvia with Eastern European cast members that make the actual horror, as it builds, more realistic since these are not performers that most North American audiences will recognize.

  • Falling for Christmas (2022):

    This Netflix release looks, on the surface at least, an awful lot like a Hallmark seasonal movie, known for thin plots, beautiful people, and nice outcomes. It's certain that the casting of Lyndsay Lohan, sometimes showbiz bad girl, will get more attention than the storyline itself. Lohan's character here is named Sierra Belmont. She is an heiress, set to inherit a fortune that will make her a billionaire, she is engaged to the man of her dreams, and she has a ski accident in Utah that results in a head injury creating that standard romantic-movie device, amnesia. Sierra doesn't know who she is nor can she remember her past. She finds herself in the care of a blue-collar guy who is the owner of the ski lodge where her accident occurred. Did I mention that he is handsome beyond words? And that he has a precocious daughter who feels slighted by their temporary guest? In the days leading up to Christmas, we watch as two worlds collide, that of the uber-rich, and that of the working class. As for Lohan herself, after bouts of drug problems, challenges with such people as director Michael Bay whom she equated with Hitler, she left the Hollywood lifestyle and now lives in Dubai. Seeing her back in front of the cameras is a first in several years. Rated 14A.

     

    All Quiet on the Western Front (2022):

    WWI was a long, long time ago, having ended in 1918, but its stories remain as relevant today as when they were told during the heat of battle.  Based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, it follows the lives of some young German idealists who, their flames fanned by the State propaganda machine, sign up to fight against what they believe to be a monstrous enemy that deserves to be subjugated and put to death.  Actor Daniel Bruhl is Paul Baumer, who, along with his friends Albert and Muller, enthusiastically enlist fuelled by patriotism and in the strong belief in the just cause for which they fight.  Everything changes on the Western Front when the horrors of trench warfare become a reality, and when it becomes evident, piece by piece, that the cause for which they fight is neither noble nor just, but rather is dictated by the needs and desires of politicians safely ensconced back home in Germany.  Even though the date of the truce that will end the war has been announced, Paul and his surviving friends are ordered to continue to fight by the top brass so that Germany will have gone out on the offensive.  Rated 14A. 

New on CRAVE

The Serpent Queen (2022) (TV Series):

The only snakes and serpents in this historical drama are of the human variety as we get an eight-part series based on Leona Friede's book "Catherine de Medici, Renaissance Queen of France." Samantha Morton ("Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them") plays the title role here. She was queen of France by marriage to King Henry II for a dozen years and became one of the most significant political voices of her generation. After the death of her husband, she continued to become increasingly more influential, pulling the strings on the reigns of her subsequent sons who had no idea of the extent to which they were being manipulated. For most of the 16th century she was the most important woman in Europe, and was known for her ruthlessness and for her ability to make ground-breaking decisions with no concern for the human price. Rated 14A.

 

New on AMAZON PRIME

My Policeman (2022):

In 1950s London, we become acquainted with a young police officer named Tom (Harry Styles), a teacher named Marion (Emma Corrin), and a museum curator named Patrick (David Dawson). The morals and the conduct of those days is significantly different than what is acceptable in today's world, and the relationship between the three, in those early days not long after WWII, evolves into and emotional firestorm in which alliances are made and lost and regrets hang heavily in the air as the trio struggles with their respective relationship issues. Then, a flash forward to the 1990s, and our trio come together again, still full of remorse and hurt from the events of the past, but they feel they have one last chance to heal the wounds that still fester, and to heal the damage that was near fatal at a psychological level. A character study with a level of intensity that may be too strong for some viewers. Rated 18A.

 

New on DISNEY + /Star

Disenchanted (2022):

Amy Adams and much of the original cast, including James Marsden and Patrick Dempsey, show up 15 years after the movie "Enchanted" graced the big screen and was a blockbuster hit bringing in more than $350 million. In that film, Princess Giselle (Adams), living in an animated fairytale land, was just biding her time and singing her songs while she waited for Prince Charming. He showed up in the person of Prince Edward (Marsden) and the day before their marriage, a tragedy befell the princess. At the hands of an evil hag (Susan Sarandon), she was dumped into a well, which was actually a conduit between two worlds, the animate land of Andalasia, and now, the harsh, racaus world of New York City, complete with honking taxis and frenetic pedestrians. There she met a divorce lawyer named Robert Philip (Dempsey) and eventually fell in love, married, and lived happily ... well, not quite ever after. As this new story opens, it is 10 years later and Giselle and her husband are moving to the suburbs with their child and new baby in tow. On arrival, it's clear that something isn't quite right as their new home in Monroeville seems to be under the control of Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph) who is not what she seems. As Giselle struggles with this new twist, she makes a wish, wanting everything to be a perfect fairy-tale. The spell backfires and it turns both her live-action world and the animated world of Andalasia upside down. There are more songs in this sequel than in the original, a good account given by Idena Menzel who once again plays Nancy. Rated PG.

New on Apple +

Spirited (2022):
Just when you thought you had seen every possible variation on the Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol," from the Muppets to George C. Scott, to the Alistair Sim version from 1951, along comes a truly different twist. Set in the present day, the star here, the Scrooge of the story, is a character named Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds). As expected, he is a miserable soul given to creating chaos and grief all around himself through his thoughtless, sometimes mean, stingy mannerisms. As Christmas Eve approaches, Briggs is visited by the first of three ghosts, this one being the spirit of Christmas Present played by Will Farrell. Each Christmas Eve, this spirit seeks out a wretched person to reform, and this time it's Briggs. Unlike Dickens' original story, Briggs turns the tables on the ghost and soon has Christmas Present examining his own past, present and future, completely forgetting the original mission. This is the first version of "A Christmas Carol" told from the perspective of the spirits themselves, Past, Present, and Future, and it's clear that they picked on the wrong Scrooge this time. Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer also stars, as does Sunita Mani from the series GLOW, as the spirit of Christmas Past. An interesting spin on an old classic, and a musical version at that. Rated PG.