Tag Archives: movie review

Gone by Midnight: catch these Classic Movies and Series incl. ‘boogie nights’ ‘the pianist’ on Netflix

In what has become a monthly Netflix ritual, some great films have just hours left for you to stream them

As is customary when each month comes to a close Netflix is saying “out with the old, in with the new”. There are many new and exciting titles premiering in the Fall months, including October, before that though, the streaming platform is giving viewers a last call to watch some classic movies.

The large list of films and series going out and becoming unavailable is a long one. As of Thursday, September 30th at midnight PT (so dramatic!) no less than 24 items will cease to be available to stream on the Platform.

While some films might be available on other platforms, and they might one day return to Netflix, it is often the case that they switch to a pay-to-pay status during the time that Netflix removes them from its catalog.

In addition to the movies about to disappear there are film “sequel groups” such as Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2, three Austin Powers movies: Austin Powers in Goldmember, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Karate Kid and Karate Kid II & III as well as Star Trek Seasons 1-3, Star Trek: Enterprise Seasons 1-4 and Star Trek Voyager Seasons 1-7!

While many of these big-time sequel franchises are so well known that you might have already seen them all, the two films that we are featuring, though huge hits in the day, are unique & special and, if you have not seen them or want to revisit, we highly recommend that you go for it now, before Netflix retires them indefinitely.

These “double-view” films are great enough to see again…

Watch “Boogie Nights” one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s classics. This movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham, Julianne Moore and John C. Reilly.

Or the Oscar-winning drama “The Pianist” directed by Roman Polanski. Adrien Brody stars as Wladyslaw Szpillman, a Jewish pianist that was confined to the Warsaw Ghetto and later forced into hiding as the Nazi’s invaded Poland.

Leaving Netflix this Thursday at Midnight:

Air Force One
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Boogie Nights
Cradle 2 the Grave
Evil
, Season 1
Fools Rush In
Insidious
The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid Part II
The Karate Kid Part III
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda 2
No Strings Attached
The Pianist
Prom Night
The Queen
Star Trek
Star Trek: Enterprise
, Seasons 1-4
Star Trek, Seasons 1-3
Star Trek: Voyager, Seasons 1-7
The Unicorn, Season 1
Why Do Fools Fall in Love

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These 8 Netflix Movies are Gone after tonight- August 31, 2021

These Movie gems are about to be ….. Gone!

Some big-name movies are set to be removed from the streaming platform as it makes way for the new Sept 1st arrivals. Among the soon to be departed (including, ironically, The Departed!) there is something for everyone and it would be a real shame to miss out on anyone of these titles, especially if you have never seen them.

Whether comedies staring the likes of John Goodman, Jeff Bridges, Reese Witherspoon or Jonah Hill, or a drama on the making of Facebook with Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg, a love story with Kiera Knightley, or a scary movie like “The Ring”, these diverse movie selections, iconically, each in their own right and unique reasons, are a must watch.

Trailers of each are below:

The Departed

Election

The Big Lebowski

Chinatown

The Social Network

Love Actually

The Ring

Superbad

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‘WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn’

Above: ‘WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn’ Credit: HULU

The story of a fiasco of monumental proportions that deserves to be told

WeWork, from the fabled insanity of the SoftBank funding to the crash and burn of founder and then CEO Adam Neumann would, in any other epoch, perhaps, be the most spectacular and outrageous failure of our time.

However, competing with stories like the Theranos / Elizabeth Holmes saga and more recently wild tales from WallStreetBets, GameStop and various manias-in-the-making (NFTs anyone?) it doesn’t seem as remarkable.

That is until one takes a closer look. With a ‘valuation” ( a term that had little actual meaning in the case of WeWork) of $47 billion at its peak, just a month-and-a-half from near bankruptcy, is one way to try and put the absurdity into context.

In the end, after perhaps a feature film and a couple of more documentaries such as “WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn” it will be brought out how venture capital excesses and ideas like those of SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, who was primarily responsible for WeWork’s meteoric rise that will be seen as the real madness of the age.

According to an oft told anecdote, in 2017, Mr. Neumann needed only 12 minutes of walking Mr. Son around WeWork’s headquarters to convince the SoftBank mogul to shell out an investment of $4.4 billion.

Complex and even more insane ideas motivated the $billions in funding

It was, after all, Masayoshi Son who chose to invest billions based on this “elevator pitch” and who, according to many accounts, egged on the young founder to think bigger, faster and “crazier”. And that advice was taken seriously, by all means.

However, during an era where it is a truism in VC culture, particularly in Silicon Valley, that it’s “harder to get a $100,000 investment than it is to get 100 million, it was ultimately more about systemic excesses, which inexorably lead to the enabling of a megalomaniacal start-up personality like Neumann and give him enough funds to turn him into a madman of nearly historical proportions.

Directed by Jed Rothstein’s (The China Hustle) the new Hulu documentary (trailer below) is a good first draft of an account trying to depict Neumann’s extravagant rise and fall. However the sheer scope and depth of the hubris that underlie, not just the WeWork saga, but the corrupt age itself, that makes the treatment here somehow less successful than a deeper, more insightful look at what brought about this tragic farce could have been.

Making Neumann the center of the madness is an easy way out of asking, and answering, deeper questions

For all his “reincarnated hippie” talk of uniting the world around an idea – after charged his own company $5.9 million for his absurd trademark of the word “we” (which he was forced to pay back when the details leaked)- and how he would unite the world (and be the first world president and trillionaire ), the actual “idea” and the company was based on little more than infantile greed run amok.

Unfortunately, it’s the complex back room mathematics made his “dream” a reality and now this documentary look into it and the real estate “empire of cards” that sill exists after Neumann has long departed. I fear it will require a more revelatory and analytical treatment than this credible and watchable first look can provide. Still worth checking out for the thrill and nonsense of the waning days of pre-2020 excesses nearly beyond imagination. On Hulu now.

Above: Official trailer for ‘WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn’


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Movies to Watch on St. Patrick’s Day featuring Irish Actors and Directors

Bring the Luck of the Irish to your nearest streaming device

The Boondock Saints

We found a collection of Irish movie favorites ranging from action packed to love stories – movies both old and new that you can surely indulge from the comfort of your couch (while also enjoying a pint of Guinness if you’re into that kind of thing). Check out our pick of movies below with trailers that star big names like Leonardo DiCaprio, Norman Reedus, Gerard Butler, Hilary Swank, Judy Dench and more. Enjoy!

The Boondock Saints

official trailer for “boondock saints”

Directed by Troy Duffy. Tired of the crime overrunning the streets of Boston, Irish Catholic twin brothers Conner (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) are inspired by their faith to cleanse their hometown of evil with their own brand of zealous vigilante justice. As they hunt down and kill one notorious gangster after another, they become controversial folk heroes in the community. But Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe), an eccentric FBI agent, is fast closing in on their blood-soaked trail.

Click to Buy the 2 Set – “The Boondock Saints and The Boondock Saints II” Available on Amazon and Walmart.

Also a sequel: The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day – From Troy Duffy, writer and director of The Boondock Saints, comes the much anticipated sequel to the tough, stylized cutting edge saga of the MacManus brothers (Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery). The two have been in deep hiding with their father, Il Duce (Billy Connolly), in the quiet valleys of Ireland, far removed from their former vigilante lives. When word comes that a beloved priest has been killed by sinister forces from deep within the mob, the brothers return to Boston to mount a violent and bloody crusade to bring justice to those responsible. With a new partner in crime (Clifton Collins Jr., Star Trek) and a sexy FBI operative (Julie Benz, TV’s “Dexter”) hot on their trail…the Saints are back! Available on Amazon and Walmart.

The Departed

https://trailers.apple.com/movies/wb/the_departed/the_departed-tlr1b_h1080p.mov
official trailer for “the departed”

South Boston cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes under cover to infiltrate the organization of gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). As Billy gains the mobster’s trust, a career criminal named Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) infiltrates the police department and reports on its activities to his syndicate bosses. When both organizations learn they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin must figure out each other’s identities to save their own lives. Available on Amazon and Walmart.

Brooklyn

official trailer for “brooklyn”

A 2015 romance and historical drama. Young Irish immigrant Eilis Lace (Saoirse Ronan) navigates her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her past disrupts her new vivacity, and Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. Available on Amazon and Walmart.

P.S. I Love You

https://trailers.apple.com/movies/wb/psiloveyou/psiloveyou-tlr1_h1080p.mov
official trailer for “ps i love you”

A 2007 romantic film. When Gerry (Gerard Butler), the husband of Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank), dies from an illness, she loses the love of her life. Knowing how hard Holly will take his death, Gerry plans ahead. Beginning on her 30th birthday, she receives the first in a series of letters written by him, designed to ease her grief and encourage her to move forward to a new life. Available on Amazon and Walmart.

Philomena

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/weinstein/philomena/philomena-tlr1r_h1080p.mov
official trailer for “philomena”

In a 2013 drama film directed by Stephen Frears, based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by journalist Martin Sixsmith. 1952, Irish teenager Philomena (Judi Dench) became pregnant out of wedlock and was sent to a convent. When her baby, Anthony, was a toddler, the nuns took Philomena’s child away from her and put him up for adoption in the United States. For the next 50 years, she searched tirelessly for her son. When former BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) learns of the story, he becomes her ally. They travel together to America to find Anthony and become unexpectedly close in the process. Available on Amazon and Walmart.

Once

https://trailers.apple.com/movies/fox_searchlight/once/once-tlra_h1080p.mov
official trailer for “once”

2007 Irish romantic musical drama film written and directed by John Carney. The film stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as two struggling musicians in Dublin, Ireland. A vacuum repairman (Glen Hansard) moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova), who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love. Available on Amazon and Walmart.


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Hulu premieres ‘Nomadland’: Critics Fave, Golden Globe nominated film

Watch the drama on Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

The film that was added to the AP best films and National Society of Film Critics 2020, as well as an Oscar contender will now be available for viewers to watch starting February 19, 2021.   Movie-goers can either visit the big screen available anywhere movie theaters are open, or opt for a stay-at-home watch.

Read More: AP Names ‘First Cow’ and ‘Nomadland’ the best films of 2020

https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1338269105892179969/vid/1280x720/z3x8TEf5wfneHknb.mp4?tag=13

Above: Official Trailer for “Nomadland”

The movie, starring Frances McDomand will be on the Hulu platform and will premiere on its regular service tier, meaning that as long as you are a subscriber, there will be no additional purchases necessary. 

The concept is sure to be relatable for many, as it deals with struggles to survive in hard economic times, and follows her journey and experience traveling across the American Heartland looking for ways to get back on her feet. 

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The story is based on the book of the same title, telling a tale of darker side of the American economy, one where many low-cost labor pools have resulted in many transient older adults, Americans that have to be incredibly resilient and find creative ways in order to survive. 

The movie with Frances McDormand, who plays as a widow, unable to afford her home during the recession, sells her home and packs up all her necessities into her van.  There she embarks on journey through the American West, living in her van, as a modern-day, nomad, picking up seasonal work and relying on the compassion and generosity in her travels. Written, edited and produced by Chloe Zhao.


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‘Mank’ gets 6 Globe Nods Including Best Film: Thoughts on ‘Citizen Kane’ and Historic Cinema

A total of 6 nods for “Mank” were announced during the nomination ceremony for the 78th Golden Globe Awards.  The film about “Citizen Kane” available on Netflix is now leading the most nominations for the company, with no other streaming service (Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime or Apple TV+) coming close.   Last year Netflix dominated at the Globes and it appears they will follow the same lead, commanding a total of 42 nominations (22 in the film category and 20 for television series).

Co-writer Herman Mankiewicz landed a nomination for best film (drama). Best actor for Gary Oldman.  Best director for Jack Fincher.  Best supporting actress for Amanda Seyfried.  Best score and best screenplay for Jack Fincher. 

“Despite a stressed pandemic year, there is a comfort of sorts in embracing traditions, perhaps it is a hopeful sign that we will get out of this eventually,” Oldman said in a statement. “The Golden Globes are such a sign of both tradition and normal.” 

The 78th Golden Globe Awards is set to be hosted by comedians Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler on February 28, 2021, and will be telecast live on NBC at 5 p.m. 

A hall of mirrors, not only of reflections on “Kane” and “Mank” but this very moment in time

Seeing “Mank” on netflix, in painstakingly low tech black and white on and ancient 2004 vintage plasma flat screen many coincidences seemed to converge and collide. 

In the final sequences of Mank as the epilogue divulges the Oscar win for best screenplay and indicates that “Citizen Kane” was the final film written by Herman J. Mankiewicz, while as is part of Hollywood history and lore, it was the first by Orsen Wells, as a director and actor. 

And Mank was released a day after it was announced that Warner Bros. would begin releasing all its films (the next 17, at any rate) simultaneously on HBO max and in theaters. For many, particularly those in the movie theater business, this was seen as a possible death knell for live cinema. 

And, taking this thread further, “Mank” also touches on the fact that Citizen Kane, which in many ways marks the birth of modern filmmaking, was only released at all due to legal maneuvering by RKO Radio Pictures, and Orson Wells only had the contract allowing him full autonomy because of his status as a radio star…

Radio, in other words, was present at the inauguration of modern cinema while Streaming attends the death of the movie theater experience, for the time being, at any rate. 

And while these various technical marvels, the luxurious, sensual and powerfully stimulative immersion in a dark theater, on the one hand, and the inconsistent and convenient yet ever evolving systems of today both share, as a prerequisite to all creation the written, spoken and word and the imagination the imbues its invocation.

A movie for the ages and a single man’s creative life that was fulfilled through it’s creation

Adding to the layers of what seems like uncanny timing, “Citizen Kane” inspirational subject in real life, William Randolph Hearst, was at the time of the film’s initial release, rich on the level that would compare to Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos today, but was a newspaper Publisher. Newspaper publishing is yet another storytelling technology that, already at that time was considered on its way out, and in “Mank” there is even a scene where Hearst touts “Talkies”, movies with sound and dialog, as the technology that would captivate the future. 

Implying, inadvertently perhaps, that we are at a similar crossroads of change, and that, while streaming, digital publishing and beyond may be “the future”, the light of good works, and of a great story well told, will shine into eternity, as will “Citizen Kane” and the man who originally conceived it: Mank.


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AP Names ‘First Cow’ and ‘Nomadland’ the best films of 2020

Above: Photo / Nomadlad

Although 2020 was not the best year for various things humans like and need (I’ll leave the rest to your imagination), films, it seems, were good, even great, nonetheless. 

Even amidst the challenges from a delayed, postponed or hindered production environment, some shows triumphed. The greater the struggle the more beautiful the butterfly, it would appear. 

Every year AP compiles lists of the best movies of the year and these are at the absolute top of the list:

First Cow:

Set in the early 19th century, in a settlement near Columbia River, what is now Oregon.  Two settlers, one a skillet cook, the other a Chinese immigrant partner up to make their fortune on the frontier.  Their success, depends on one valuable ingredient, the prized dairy cow that neither of them owns.  Jonathan Raymon wrote the script based on the novel “The Half-Life”, directed by Kelly Reichardt and stars: John Magaro and Orion Lee.

Time calls the film “song of this weird, rough-edged stretch of stolen land we call America, a place where tenderness is still the most precious commodity”

Nomadland:

Frances McDormand stars in the drama as a widow, unable to afford her home during the recession, sells her home and packs up all her necessities into her van.  There she embarks on journey through the American West, living in her van, as a modern-day, nomad, picking up seasonal work and relying on the compassion and generosity in her travels. Written, edited and produced by Chloé Zhao.

And rounding out the top ten:

3. “Mank”

4. “Dick Johnson Is Dead”

5. “Minari”

6. “David Byrne’s American Utopia”

7. “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”

8. “Soul”

9. “Collective”

10. “Sound of Metal”


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Aliens and “Galactic Federation” reported on by Major News Outlets as if ‘Real’

Above: Photo Collage / Lynxotic

NBC News,  Forbes and others all picked up a story relating to Alien confirmation by head of Israel’s security space program 

Professor Haim Eshed served from 1981 to 2010 as the head of Israel’s security space program, as well as having rank as a former Israeli Defense force general.  Eshed, an 87 year old with vast experience within the space program and reputable publications in academia broke news at an extraterrestrial level.  

According to the professor’s claims, aliens are real, they have made contact with some humans and are in fact working alongside various governments, and lastly, they (meaning the aliens) will not reveal themselves to the general public until they have decided that we (humans) are ready.  All this, based on an interview with The Jerusalem Post, along with another recent interview for the Tel Aviv newspaper Yediot Aharonot.

NBC, among more than a dozen news outlets that picked up the story, stuck to the facts, which is to say; the fact that these statements were made and what the detail was in the various claims. Only at the end of the article titled: Former Israeli space security chief says extraterrestrials exist, and Trump knows about it was any sort of pushback or questioning of the statements mentioned.

The equivocating comments were from Nick Pope, who, according to NBC, used to investigate UFOs for the British Ministry of Defense, described Eshed’s remarks as “extraordinary.” They also quoted him as saying “Either this is some sort of practical joke or publicity stunt to help sell his book, perhaps with something having been lost in translation, or someone in the know is breaking ranks,”

The implication is, either NBC and others are in tune with the idea that all of this (including Trump being in talks with aliens) is at least possible, if not likely, or they are writing entire articles, as if they are “The Onion“; from a perspective of total suspension of disbelief. Like a news story that is actually making fun of itself. Third option is aliens are definitely real, in contact with human governments and we need to just get used to it.

“There’s an agreement between the U.S. government and the aliens. They signed a contract with us to do experiments here. They, too, are researching and trying to understand the whole fabric of the universe, and they want us as helpers.”

Professor Haim Eshed, former head of Israel’s security space program

As if this year couldn’t get even stranger, in the last month of 2020, here comes bizarre news of the existence of aliens.  What is even harder to believe is big news outlets are covering this story not to debunk or fact check, instead, seeming to acknowledge there could very well be intelligent lifeforms beyond humans and Earth. Which, of course, there could be.

This comes after other news regarding mysterious monoliths appearing in strange locations, including: Utah, California, UK and even Romania, which begun the spark of the conspiracy they were planted by aliens. Apparently in that case human “art lovers” are more likely the source.

There has been a long history of people claiming they witnessed Unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Yet a UFO doesn’t necessarily mean aliens, just that they cannot be identified, with some sitings attributed to phenomena like astroids and meteors, etc. Yet it is not out of the realm of scientific plausibility that aliens can exist, thus the ongoing coverage. 

What sounds even more far-fetched than an alien- human alliance is that Eshed alleged that Trump was made aware of the aliens. According to Eshed, Trump was going to disclose their existence but the “Galactic Federation” told him to wait until humanity is further evolved and is more ready to absorb the information.  If you wren’t aware, the Galactic Federation is the alien formed organization with an underground base built on Mars.

Based on Trump’s inability to censor or filter any of his thoughts, let alone something as huge as ALIENS, it is hard to believe he won’t be tempted to tweet out the revelation.  

“The UFOs have asked not to publish that they are here, humanity is not ready yet. Trump was on the verge of revealing, but the aliens in the Galactic Federation are saying: ‘Wait, let people calm down first.’ They don’t want to start mass hysteria. They want to first make us sane and understanding.”

PROFESSOR HAIM ESHED, FORMER HEAD OF ISRAEL’S SECURITY SPACE PROGRAM

Naturally, the retired professor and former general isn’t the first high profile individual to make claims about aliens.  Canada’s former defense minister, Paul Hellyer made public back in 2013 he believes E.T.s are present on earth and have seen a UFO. Even Edgar Mitchell, the Apollo 14 astronaut and sixth man to walk on the moon  spoke out about Roswell and aliens in 2015. Many astronomers are confident there is life beyond Earth, but the actual proof or search for intelligent life, continues to be unsuccessful so far. 

So the big questions still posed, “are we alone?” and “where are they?”


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