Denny G., FL

            Leave The World Behind (2023 - Netflix):  I thought this was a bit weird - good cast though (Julia Roberts, Mahersala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon)!  I also thought Farrah MacKenzie was interesting as Roberts/Hawke's teenage daughter.  The story centers around a National cyber attack, and its message could probably be interpreted multiple ways:  our reliance on technology, our vulnerability, coping with a crisis, watching our own backs vs. watching out for our neighbors - I honestly don't know.  I think this is considered a thriller which is true to a certain extent, but some of it falls flat.  In the world we're living in now, it's something to think about though.

            Rain Man (1988 - Tubi or Pluto):  Loved the movie the first time I saw it, and still do - very touching!  Dustin Hoffman's Oscar was well deserved, but Tom Cruise certainly held his own.  Such a good movie!

            Daughters (2024 - Netflix):  This emotional documentary takes us to a D.C. prison in 2019 where a dinner dance is held for several incarcerated black men and their daughters (whom they rarely, if ever, see let alone have any contact with).  I guarantee that you won't get through this without shedding a tear or two.  We learn a little bit about the girls and their "absent" fathers, and how the families are coping under the circumstances.  The reunion was joyful in some cases, but not in others.  Kudos to Angela Patton who created this unique program!

            Cheers to you both!

           

Steve & Chris S., IL

Just a quick note to relay how grateful we are to continue to receive and read your Movieviews.  We look forward to it every month.  This month we took you up on your splendid review of Nowhere Special and found it to be one of the most moving cinema experiences we have ever shared.  Fabulously acted and heart-gripping to engage. It was absolutely immersive.  I have passed your recommendation along to several others. Thanks so much.

 

Holly V., IL

            Thank you so much for recommending Nowhere Special.  It was amazing.  I kept thinking throughout how much those two actors must have bonded before filming began.  They had such wonderful chemistry.

            On your recommendation I watched Notes on a Scandal.  I found it very disturbing to watch this young actor in so many graphic scenes until I found out he wasn’t as young as the character he played.  Then I could really enjoy the outstanding performances of Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett.  Thank you.

 

Art S., IN--Reviews

Went with two friends in the Over 55 Meetup Group and one new member joined us (who will probably never return) to see the new movie, The Substance.  I am not exaggerating when I say it was the WORST movie I have ever seen.  The others agreed.  It starred Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid in a small but insipid role, and Margaret Qualley.  Even the few others with a speaking role were awful and totally unbelievable.  Blood might also be a supporting if not starring role.  It won an award at the Cannes Film Festival and had a Tomatometer score of 90%.  So much for trusting that as a measure of the quality of a movie.  I'm not a prude by any means and both the actresses had great bodies, but nudism was so much a part of the theme of the movie that I can't imagine women enjoying it because I thought it was used just a badly as nudism in movies that exploit women.  There were multiple scenes just repeated over and over so that they had no special meaning or shock value the third of fourth time you saw them.  We saw three trailers (all horror films) before the movie began, so we should have known this one was going to be a horror film, too, but we thought maybe it would have more of a plot or story or artistic rendering, but we were Wrong!  I'm not seeing any more movies in theaters until I read reviews from people or sources I trust. I think there were only two more people in the theater except the four of us.  Thank God it was a Tuesday movie where the seats are only $7.  Trust me, you do not want to see this movie!