Hangman

I rented it on Directv OnDemand. Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman) tries, but he isn't that great in this. Karl Urban (R.E.D) is his partner who recently lost his wife - he's better, but even he can't help the film which is poorly edited and directed. The stunts are pretty piss poor too. Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect) does her best. It has potential, but falls short of really being scary or even interesting. A lot of flaws. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Vincent (aka Vincent n'a pas d'écailles)

A French film I caught on Amazon Prime. IMDb writes, "Vincent is a quiet, unassuming man. Who happens to have superhuman powers when exposed to water. He lives a life that keeps him away from others for the most part. Then he meets a girl. Then his powers are discovered. And his life changes."It was slow, short, and very French - the ending is up to you the viewer. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Fearless

A UK series about an activist lawyer who is about to lose her father, wants to adopt, and is trying to protect the woman of a Syrian doctor as well as free an innocent man from prison which shines light on a conspiracy between MI6, CIA, and a local politician played by Jamie Bamber (Law & Order UK). Jonathan Forbes (Catastrophe) also stars as a gay ex-cop who helps her. She is brilliant. I was pleased with the 6 episode season that I watched on Amazon Prime. All in all, I say: SEE IT

A Joyous Christmas

I think they all struggled to act in this. The editing feels all over the place. I just didn't "feel" it. IMDb writes, "A young self-help author returns to her hometown during the Christmas holidays to promote her new book. She soon discovers the true meaning of Christmas and family"All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Christmas Getaway

The two main characters were/are both on The Last Ship. I guess they needed the job on their time off. Teryl Rothery (SG1) also stars - does a fine job as always. There isn't a ton of chemistry between the two, but it's cute. IMDb writes, "A travel writer takes a Christmas vacation, but finds herself double-booked with a widower, his mother, and his daughter at the holiday site." All in all, I say: SEE IT

Rocky Mountain Christmas

Lindy Booth (Librarians), Treat Williams (Chicago Fire), and Kristoffer Polaha (Get Shorty - tv) all star and they all do an excellent job. Some of the best acting in a Hallmark Christmas movie I've seen. The plot is fine - she has opportunity of job of her dreams, but since the death of her aunt who raised her she feels the pull of the ranch back home. Her uncle needs help running the place. Polaha is a movie star who has no family and has a part coming up as a ranch hand - falls in love. It was well done. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Downsizing

Unexpectedly amazing! Matt Damon (Bourne) plays a dissatisfied middle class married man about to have his life turned upside down in a very small way :) He plays this part perfectly. His neighbor Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Bastards) is entertaining as his neighbor once downsized. Udo Kier (Blade) is also surprising in his role. There are recognizable people scattered here and there to enrich the tale. Humour pops up unexpectedly throughout. Maybe it will make you think some about your life and priorities. I enjoyed this. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Pitch Perfect 3

Well...it felt like it didn't have the same spark as the first two. I liked some of the songs - I always do. I like some of the lines the main character delivers - as always. But there are parts that are too long and uninteresting - and parts that were interesting and should have lasted longer. The judges - not enough of them. Rebel's character - too much of her. It just didn't do it for me like the first two. All in all, I say: SKIP IT unless you've seen the first two in which case go ahead, but you were warned.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Well...it leaves everything open ended. It's very Taoist / Shinto. There is some action. There is a lot of talking. There are some surprises. There are some cute creatures. There are some laughs. I don't know - it felt more childish than the last one. It felt long compared to all the other ones. I was a little bored at times - I was not satisfied with the way things went. I wish it had been done a bit more like Rogue One. All in all, I say: SKIP IT unless you have seen ALL the other ones in which case SEE IT but you won't like it very much.

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Francis McDormand (Fargo) is a formally battered wife whose daughter was raped, killed, and burned over a year ago with no leads. Her son is trying to move on and her ex has a hot young girlfriend. She needs/wants to find closure. A beautifully subtle Woody Harrelson (Zombieland) is the sheriff on the case - he's dying however and his letter to her to priceless if not prophetic. His deputy may be her only hope except he's an asshole, a racist, and pretty stupid - brilliantly played by Sam Rockwell (Charlie's Angels). I hope everyone in this is nominated. It is funny, real, and really outrageous at times. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Romance at Reindeer Lodge

A woman wins a contest and ends up in a unexpected place at Christmas. Basically, Santa's house complete with Mrs. Clause and reindeer. She falls in love with a guy who is staying at the same lodge whose family wants to buy it. The acting is really bad, the scenery is horrible, and the writing is worse. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Christmas Next Door

The fake snow is a little irritating. It's classic Hallmark and predictable. IMDb writes, "Eric Randall (Jesse Metcalfe), a famous author who writes about how to stay a bachelor is forced to look after his niece and nephew over the holidays and, with the help of his Christmas-loving neighbor, April Stewart (Fiona Gubelmann), he learns to find love and the Christmas spirit". All in all, I say: SEE IT - it's ok.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

It's based on a comic book series. Directed by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) and starring Dane DeHaan (Tulip Fever) and  Cara Delevingne (Suicide Squad). It's a similar theme to 5th Element - love conquers all. It has adventure and weird aliens. It was nicely filmed - I don't know..there was just something off about it. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle

This was kind of heavy on the God and faith. It follows to young kids who fall in love, are separated, and find each other again. That kind of meant to be - destiny kind of thing. The chemistry between the two wasn't great. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Sharing Christmas

This one is pretty low budget. The actress isn't that great. He does an ok job. The plot is a little strange and the editing is off some. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Christmas Encore

Maggie Lawson (Psych) does a good job. Brennan Elliott (UnReal) does an amazing job. The script and directing aren't bad. IMDb writes, "A struggling actress earns the lead part in the production of 'A Christmas Carol', and falls in love with the director. But, the cast and crew need a Christmas miracle to save the show when the theater loses its lease." All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark.

The Christmas Cottage

Steve Lund (Bitten) does a good job. The two main characters are believable. Two people that had gone their separate ways are brought back together for a wedding. They spend the night in a magical cottage and all their old feelings are brought back to the surface. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark

Runaways

A tv series by Marvel on Hulu. IMDb writes, "After discovering their parents are super-villains in disguise, a group of teenagers band together to run away from their homes in order to atone for their parents' actions and to discover the secrets of their origins." I have enjoyed it - the kids are decent actors. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Personal Shopper

Kristin Stewart () shops all the major fashion houses in Paris for her boss - a model during the day. At night she visit the house of her deceased brother to connect with his spirit. She and her twin brother are/were mediums. All of this happens during the time a jealous lover plots a wicked plot. The ending is creepy and a little confusing. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Get Out

Allison Williams (Girls), Bradley Whitford (West Wing), and Catherine Keener (The Croods 2) are the creepy white people. It's funny and scary. Very, very well done. The script, acting, and all are excellent. I like the TSA character the best. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Step

A documentary about a girl's school that is working to empower women and help all the low income girls in the area to go to college. This focuses on how Step and the competitions have influenced the girls. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Leap!

Elle Fanning (Super 8) is an orphan girl in France who wants to escape the orphanage in order to become a ballerina. Dane DeHaan (Tulip Fever) is an orphan boy who wants to help the girl and become an inventor by working for the architect of the Eiffel Tower. It seemed a little long and a little far fetched. All in all, I say: RENT IT or STREAM IT

Magical Christmas Ornaments

""After a bad breakup, former Christmas lover Marie (Lowndes) loses her Christmas spirit. Trying to restore it, her mother sends Marie Christmas ornaments from her childhood, and a coincidental blessing follows each one. Marie's Christmas spirit gets another boost when she meets her handsome neighbor, Nate (Penny), and feels a spark with him while celebrating the season. When Marie's boss assigns her to edit the book of the man who caused her holiday heartache, however, the task resurfaces doubts from the past and even causes her to push Nate away. Feeling lost both at work and in love, Marie looks for a Christmas miracle to give her the confidence to pursue her work goals and to try to win Nate back. As Christmas approaches, Marie must follow her heart's passion - both at work and in love - and hope for one more blessing from her magical Christmas ornaments."

• —Hallmark
• The editing is a little flawed in this.
• All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark

With Love, Christmas

"Melanie Welch (Ullerup) is a hard-working ad executive who finds herself teamed up with uptight coworker Donovan Goodwin (O'Connell) to come up with the ultimate Christmas commercial for a new cell phone. To make things more complicated, Melanie is Donovans secret Santa in the annual office gift exchange. To keep her identity secret, she sends Donovan emails from Santa to determine the perfect gift for him. However, her plan comes to a halt when Donovan mistakenly assumes another co-worker is his secret Santa, prompting Melanie to work to show Donovan that she's his perfect Santa."

—nadawi

All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark

Christmas in Angel Falls

Beau Bridges (Fabulous Baker Boys) is the head angel. IMDb writes, "Guardian angel Gabby is sent to Angel Falls to revive the town's forgotten Christmas spirit, and unexpectedly finds love in the process." Paul Greene (Bitten) does his usual good job. I like Rachel Boston (I Hate Kids) but I do feel like she always has the same character. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark.

Godless

A western that caught my interest and I couldn't stop watching. Michelle Dockery (Downtown Abbey) takes on a wounded man to help her break some horses and through a series of other events a gang of bandits are brought to the town. Jack O'Connell (Unbroken), Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber), and Merritt Wever (TWD) all star. The acting is amazing, the writing is good, and the back drop is perfect. It is an amazing western with women at the center - strong women. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Netflix.

A Christmas Prince

Rose Mclver (iZombie) is a journalist trying to make her mark. She pretends to be a tutor in order to get into a European palace to get the real story behind the next ruler. They end up falling in love - the writing and acting are decent. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Netflix.

The Christmas Train

Danny Glover (Predator) is a director. He's taking a train to see his family for the Holidays. He's also planning a special production. He makes it so a long lost couple has a second chance. Dermot Mulroney (Shameless) and Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Father of the Bride) do a good job as the couple. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark.

The Christmas Secret

A woman with two kids is struggling. She needs to pay rent, find and keep a job, gain custody of her kids, and plan for Christmas. With the help from loving people in a local town she finds all her wishes will come true. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark

Coco

Pixar's new masterpiece. A young boy who loves music - which goes against a long family grudge - accidentally ends up on the wrong side of "life" on Mexico's Day of the Dead. The music is so good - it is so great to see Hispanic culture on the big screen too. You will cry - you will always cry at a Pixar people. All in all, I say: SEE IT - on the big screen.

A Gift to Remember

A woman accidentally knocks over a man in a crosswalk with her bike. He hits his heads so hard he gets amnesia. While she tries to help him figure out who he is, they fall in love. It's so cute and romantic. All in all, I say; SEE IT on Hallmark

A Bramble House Christmas

A man investigates a nurse who took care of his estranged, dying father. He ends up falling in love with her instead of proving he took his dad for all he was worth. David Haydn-Jones from Supernatural stars. It is simple and sweet. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark

Alias Grace

Based on the Margaret Atwood book  on Netflix. Based on the true story of a shocking killing in Canada. A young girl acting as a servant in a house helps one of the other servants kill the owner and the woman who runs the household. A psychiatrist is asked to evaluate her to see if she is innocent or guilty in order to recommend she be released. He becomes caught up and obsessed with her and can't tell if she has split personality or if she's a really good liar. What is really does though - as with her other novels - is point out the foul treatment of women in our time. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Wanted

An Australian TV show about two women that after years of standing silently at the same bus together they finally have to talk because...they become hunted by the mob and by the police. The become best friends on their trek to hide. There's a lot more than meets the eye behind this story and season two is being filmed as we speak. I really liked this series and watched season one in one sitting. All in all, I say: STREAM IT on Netflix

Mindhunter

I don't usually like things about serial killers but this is insanely good. Once I started I couldn't stop and it had me freaked out like my heart racing. It's about the beginning of the Behavioral Sciences Unit at the FBI and the people that first created the term serial killer and set up the profiles used to this day. It is so creepy and so good. Acting, writing, directing, scenery, everything... All in all, I say: SEE IT on Netflix.

Future Man

On Hulu - I haven't seen the entire series. The idea is funny - the acting is good - it's just some of the stuff is well...gross and gross sexual humour too. I could do without that stuff. I keep watching because I like Eliza Coupe and miss seeing her on Happy Endings. Josh Hutcherson (Hunger Games) also stars. All in all, I say: TRY IT

Enchanted Christmas

Alexa PenaVega (SpyKids) and her husband star as a long lost couple who are brought together to put on a holiday extravaganza in a small town. It's great that Hallmark uses a minority cast as the leads - and about time. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Finding Father Christmas

Erin Krakow (When Calls the Heart) does an ok job in this. She's looking for a father she's never met once her mother passes. She finds herself in a small town at a local theatre. She finds something else she never expected - family and a man who will love and support her (Niall Matter from Eureka). All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

You have to see the directors cut with sub-titles it's hysterical. There is so much to quote in this. It is a cult classic - so damn funny. I have seen it over a dozen times. Recently, I even went to see it at the ASO where John Cleese himself answered questions afterwards. It is a must for all movie lovers. All in all, I say: SEE IT then BUY IT and then quote it incessantly.

The Sweetest Christmas

A struggling chef uses an old love's restaurant kitchen to enter a contest and finds love. Lacey Chabert (Party of 5) does a great job; she was made for Hallmark movies. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Trainspotting 1 & 2

Jonny Lee Miller (Elementary) and Ewan McGregor (Star Wars) both star. A group of Scottish drug addicts find drugs, avoid the cops, and cause mayhem. When I saw it in theatres it blew me away. There is a scene in a toilet and a scene with a rug on the floor that were crazy cool. All in all, I say: SEE IT - it's a cult classic.

So, 20 years have passed and believe it or not all the addicts are still alive - for the time being. Some have changed and some not so much. It's not as revolutionary as the first, but you do get to see where people end up. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Regarding Henry

Harrison Ford (Star Wars) is a tough lawyer who is cheating on his wife and is very power hungry. Someone he screws over shoots him and his entire life turns upside down. He has to relearn so much. He falls in love with his kid and his wife all over again. It is a touching movie now just like it was in the 90s. Annette Bening (Dick Tracy) is amazing in this. All in all, I say: STREAM IT

She's All That

Freddie Prince Jr (24) and Rachel Leigh Cook (Get Carter) star as high school kids who fall in love and discover what they want for the future in college. He gets to know her as a bet, and she gets sucked in because he's smart and not at all who she thinks he is. Of course, Matthew Lillard (Scream) is in it - you will be surprised to learn that Paul Walker (Fast & Furious) is also in this. It's a lot like an 80s movie but done in the 90s. All in all, I say: STREAM IT

Magic Stocking

A magic stocking helps a family getting over loss find the holiday spirit and love. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark

Murder on the Orient Express

Sidney Lumet's (Network and  Power) production was so good.  Lauren Bacall (Key Largo), Albert Finney (Skyfall), and Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca) made up the star studded cast - that really helped make the film a classic. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet) brings it to the screen again - again with a star studded cast. He also puts his touch on it - long shots, upper angles, close-ups that are seriously close up. Penelope Cruz (American Crime Story), Willem Dafoe (Boondock Saints), and Daisy Ridley (Star Wars) to name a few. All in all, I say: SEE it on the big screen - the scenery is to die for.

Finding Christmas

A city guy and a country guy find themselves without girlfriends and decide to do something drastic over the holidays to get out of their funks. They switch houses for the season. They find love again, too. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark

The Perfect Christmas Present

Sam Page from The Bold Type makes a living discovering the perfect gifts for people. But when an old college friend hires him to find the perfect gift for a girlfriend; he falls head over heels in love. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hallmark

Thor: Ragnarok

The next Marvel movie in the series - Thor finds himself imprisoned, discovering a new sibling, and viewing the possible destruction of his home. It is filled with funny little scenes and interesting characters. It reminded me of the first Guardians movie. It was just plain fun. All in all, I say: SEE IT