Inside Man: The Great and the Not So Great

 One of my all time favorite movies is Inside Man, directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington (who doesn't love Denzel?)  It also stars Clive Owen (who doesn't love Clive Owen?)  It is a taut story of a bank heist where is begins to appear that the robbers do not actually want to rob the bank of its massive amounts of cash.  It is told out of time sequence by interviews with all the hostages who were ultimately released.  While it is completely effective as a film about the heist, a more nuanced interpretation reveals much that Spike Lee has to say about racial and class issues.  You can watch this amazing movie on HBOmax, Hulu (with premium subscription), and Amazon Prime Video (with premium subscription).  

So, that was the "great."  Now on to the "not so great."  The new 4 episode series on Netflix of the same name has an enticing cast.  It stars two of my other favorites, Stanley Tucci and David Tennant.  Tucci plays an inmate on death row for strangling his wife.  He's the inside man.  Tennant is a Vicar in the UK in a separate story.  The stories intersect because Tucci, a former criminology professor, takes unsolved criminal cases while incarcerated (like that is a thing).  This is how the two stories intersect.  As absurd it is that Tucci moonlights as a detective, the story in the UK is equally, if not more, absurd.  So, while is is watchable since the casting and pacing is good, in the end, it just doesn't make a lot of sense.

Obvious conclusion: if you can only watch one "Inside Man" in your life, please, please, please choose the Spike Lee masterpiece.  If you are bored and looking for something absurd to distract you from anxiety about the end of democracy, watch this new offering from Netflix.  

 Well, apparently it has been some time since my last post.  My last post was in February of 2019. A lot has happened since then 😉.  Quite an understatement.  Of great deal of relevance to this blog, I think I have only seen 3-4 movies since the shelter in place days of the pandemic.  This is a significant deviation from my pre-pandemic movie viewing habits.  In those days I would typically see 3-4 movies a month! But I have not been deterred from indulging in my passion for visual/virtual entertainment media. While I cut the cable cord approximately 6 months ago, I am in streaming heaven.  I primarily watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Apple TV, PBS Passport, BritBox, Acorn and HBOmax.  Somehow between all the streaming channels I have access to, I can usually find something to watch or rewatch. So given the state of my change in viewing habits, I have updated my blog to include reviews and recommendations from tv streaming.  I hope my friends find my suggestions helpful in navigating the sea of offerings. Look for more posts in the future.  I will put the link on Facebook but feel free to follow me here.  As a teaser, I will end this post with a recommendation to watch "Under the Banner of Heaven" on Hulu.  It is a dramatization of a true crime event where there is a murder being investigate which implicates members of the Mormon Church based on a book of the same name.  It's the one series I have watched recently that really stuck with me.  Give a look-see and let me know what you think.  

Oscar and Golden Globes Biggest Snubs 2019

My latest rant is about how my favorite movie of 2018-19 was snubbed by the Oscars and Golden Globes.  I give my highest recommendation for the film, "Leave No Trace."  Leave No Trace

This film is from the director and writer of another excellent film, "Winter's Bone," Debra Granik. rec

I highly recommend both of these wonderful films.  You won't be disappointed.

War, What Is It Good For? Absolutely Nothing.

I starting thinking about some great movies I've seen over the years and realized many of them were set during WWII. So here goes....my list of the best WWII movies in the last few decades:
(not in any particular order, I think they're all great)

Life is Beautiful
Europa, Europa
Au Revoir Les Enfants
Empire of the Sun
Mediterranea
A Midnight Clear
Schindler's List
The Pianist
Das Boot
Sophie's Choice

All of these should be seen. Let me know if you see any you haven't seen before.

Is Life Biutiful for the World's Poor?

Just came home from seeing "Biutiful" with Javier Bardem directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Wow! This is a very heavy film. Bardem's performance is amazing. It feels like you are just watching someone's life. This film reveals the lives of poor people and illegal immigrants in Spain and how they try to survive. It is very hard to watch and quite painful. However, you cannot leave this film and not feel immense gratitude for the lives we live.

More Clowns

Thanks to my loyal followers for reminding me of some more great movies by "clowns" including Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation" and "Broken Flowers." Thanks to my hubby for Robin Williams in "Good Will Hunting." Others suggest Robin Williams in "Dead Poet Society," Tom Hanks in "Philadelphia," and Steve Martin in "Simple Twist of Fate."

Send in the Clowns

My sister-in-law commented on one of my blogs about great movies. She said, what about "Stranger Than Fiction?" "Stranger Than Fiction" is a clever, quirky film starring Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, and Queen Latifah. I wasn't a Will Ferrell fan until I saw him in this movie. He was wonderful in this serious role. It got me thinking about other comedians or comedic actors who I came to appreciate when I saw them in wonderful, non-comedy roles. I hated Jim Carrey until I saw "Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." This is another clever, quirky film with terrific performances by both Carrey and one of my favorite actresses, Kate Winslet. She can do anything! Then there is Adam Sandler. Typically, Sandler is a bit too juvenile for me. But, check him out in a serious drama called "Punch Drunk Love." An amazing performance by Sandler. I can't think of any others at the moment. Can you?