The Whole Truth

Yuck - everything - I just can't even. All in all, I say: RUN AWAY

La Mante (Aka The Mantis)

A 6 episode French mystery series on Netflix. The Mantis as in a praying mantis - a serial killer. She stalked and killed eight men before she was caught. The 8 men were all guilty of doing horrible things. Why would she do that? At first we think - ah, her husband beat her - then we wonder, nope because she watched her mother die. In the last episode we find the real reason. Now, if you know a lot about serial killers, women killers, in particular you will guess the ending. If you don't it will probably surprise you. If she's in jail why the series. A copycat is on the loose. There is so much going on in this. Basically it boils down to 1 person does 1 horrible thing a long time ago and present day over 18 people are dead, killed brutally. And many other people's lives are in shambles. All in all, I say: SEE IT - the acting is just so good.

An Hour Behind

A Hallmark like movie I saw on Amazon. Emily Rose (Haven) shows up late for a blind date because she forgets of Daylight Savings Time and meets the wrong guy who we know is the right guy for her because it's Hallmark. There are misunderstandings all along the way, but it's true love. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Death Note

The American remake of a Japanese horror film on Netflix. A demon arranges for someone with a lot of anger to find a book that contains more than 60 rules, several pages with names, several blank pages, and the demon itself. Basically - because it's really complicated & we never get to know all the rules (in fact you will think the people stupid for not reading all the rules before they act) - if you own the book you write someones name in the book and how you want them or die if you want to be specific. Then, the demon kills that person. You must keep going. If you do nothing for 7 days the books ends up with someone else. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - I bet the Japanese version is better and makes more sense.

Five Came Back

IMDb writes, "Five present-day directors discuss five wartime directors who voluntarily joined WW2 in order to film it: William Wyler (presented by Steven Spielberg), Frank Capra (Guillermo del Toro), George Stevens (Laurence Kasdan), John Ford (Paul Greengrass) and John Huston (Francis Ford Coppola). Narrated by Meryl Streep and written by Mark Harris (adapted from his 2015 book Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War). Written by kiran gill". It's told in three episodes. The last one made me cry because of the Holocaust - I just can't imagine. These are some of my favorite directors and I never knew they were involved in the war. You hear about the actors, but no one else.
William Wyler directed:
Roman Holiday
**The Best Years of Our Lives
The Letter
Mrs. Miniver
Memphis Belle - the documentary

Frank Capra directed:
It's A Wonderful Life (which flopped when released)
**It Happened One Night
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Mr Smith Goes to Washington
Arsenic and Old Lace

George Stevens directed also no relation:
**Shane
Giant
A Place in the Sun
Diary of Anne Frank (the B & W you saw in school)
Woman of the Year
**Gunga Din

John Ford directed:
The Quiet Man
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
**Stagecoach
The Searchers
3 Godfathers
The Grapes of Wrath (the one you watched in school)

John Huston directed:
**Key Largo
Treasure of Sierra Madre
Chinatown
Prizzi's Honor
Annie
The Maltese Falcon

All in all, I say: SEE IT on Netflix

Bright

Max Landis (Mr. Right) wrote and David Ayer (End of Watch) brings us an action adventure cop movie. I saw it on Netflix. If you take out the Orc in your mind and replace them with African-Americans you can see how clever the writer and director are - they are shining a light on race and prejudice in a clever way. Joel Edgerton (Black Mass) is the only Orc in LA who doesn't have a clan and has joined a human occupation - cop. Will Smith (Aladdin) is the long time cop who needs a partner and gets the orc. Noomi Rapace (GWDT) plays the bad guy - who is an elf with awesome martial skills FYI. The fight scenes in this are so cool. The movie itself is dark and gritty. The plot is not really original - despite being SyFy. 2 cops have to protect someone from gangs, bad guys, and other cops. All in all, I say: SEE IT - especially since they are rumored to be making a sequel already. **Also, see the Google Search thing Wired does on Youtube with Smith and Edgerton - it's funny.

Hotel Beau Sejour

A Belgium mystery series, so in French. A young girl wakes up only to see herself dead - she freaks out as one would. Then something really gets your interest - it turns out at least 5 people - maybe more can still see her. Not only do the 5 or more see her on the day she died - there might be another reason they see her. There are 10 episodes - with each one we follow her as she uncovers secrets, lies, and conspiracies. Something very tragic - more tragic than the main character dying because you know we started off that way - happens in the 9th show that will break your heart. I didn't guess the killer at all - I couldn't find any hints of who it was. All in all, I say: SEE IT - wow - everything about it blew me away. The story, plot, was so well thought out - acting excellent - editing and directing well done. I saw it on Netflix

Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery

A Hallmark mystery series that centers around an archaeologist played by Courtney Thorne-Smoth from Ally McBeal and the FBI agent played by James Tupper from Men in Trees who uncover an art theft ring. It felt a little off in some parts - a little shaky. It also seemed kind of long. I guessed the killer in the first 10 minutes, so it's not a very well thought out plot. If this movie was just to introduce these characters and the next movie in the series is good - then I will forgive them this. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Glace (Aka The Frozen Dead)

A French Netflix original series. Warning it is dubbed. Although I HATE that, the plot and acting were enough to keep me watching the entire season. A cop is drawn into a shit storm by a serial killer who use to be his partner. A ton of past and new crimes are uncovered and brought to the surface. A lot of people die before it can be concluded. It would have been so much better in French. The acting, the plot, well, everything was very well done. I was hooked. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

This is a fantastic reboot of the original movie which centered around a board game. This time it's a video game - four kids in detention come across the game and are sucked into the world of Jumanji. The weakest kid becomes Dwayne Johnson's character (Central Intelligence) who has no weaknesses and is by far the best actor in this - he does a fantastic job. I laughed the entire film. Jack Black (Kung-fu Panda) is really a self-obsessed blond girl. Kevin Hart (Central Intelligence) is really a tall football player, so his jokes are quite funny. I loved the premise, the action, the humour is clever. There are two guest stars that you will love. All around fantastic piece of work. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Last Scene Alive: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

Hallmark channels latest Teagarden mystery. One of her ex's is a writer and he's written a new mystery with characters based on his home town which means Aurora is in it. Someone is making it into a movie and the actress in the lead is murdered. I love this series, so if you've seen all the others then All in all, I say: SEE IT

Molly's Game

This was amazing, but what else would one expect from Aaron Sorkin the writer of West Wing. Everyone in this does a stellar job at dishing out Aaron's insane monologues - it is quick witted and a true story very well told. Everyone in this should be nominated and he better get a nod for best director and best writer at the academy this year. All in all, I say: SEE IT. If you like anything Sorkin has ever done SEE IT

A Ring by Spring

Tennessee native Rachel Boston (I Hate Kids) is told by a fortune teller that if she isn't offered a ring - an engagement by spring that she will never marry. It kind of makes her rethink her life. She ponders why her past relationships didn't work and does she really want to get married. Meanwhile, she's working at a company run by a great guy who has fallen for her. This one kind of annoyed me because it seemed repetitive and long. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Love on the Slopes

A young woman is trying to get her own column in a travel magazine.Her editor says it's hers if she can go out west and overcome her fears. She meets a travel photographer who is also living in some fear - fear of talking in front of groups and fear of falling in love again. You get the idea - it's a Hallmark movie. It's well acted, well written, and they have chemistry. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Royal New Year's Eve

Hallmark movie where a struggling clothing designer meets a Prince and they fall in love. The acting, editing, and writing were decent in this. It's one of the better Hallmark productions. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Fountain of Youth

Another Amazon independent tv series. All of season one consists of 8 minutes episodes. The actress is struggling to work and happens to meet an old friend who is a cop now. He needs someone who appears to be very young to help him with a 21 Jump Street situation. It was actual pretty funny. All in all, I say: STREAM IT

The Incredible Jessica James

Jessica Williams (Daily Show) is a struggling playwright in New York. She has broken up with her boyfriend, met a potential new boyfriend (Chris O'Dowd from Get Shorty tv), and is teaching youngster how to write plays. It's a quick witted written script. The acting is decent. It's on Netflix. All in all, I say: SEE IT if you're bored otherwise - nothing new.

NetherBeast Incorporated

This is a pretty funny movie I saw on Amazon streaming. A company owned and run by vampires accidentally hires a human to and things start to go horribly wrong. For an independent film it was actually decent - decent acting, decent premise, and decent writing - the only issue I had was the editing. All in all, I say: STREAM IT

Basic Witch

An Amazon tv show - the entire season is 8 minutes episodes about a woman who lives in a world where being a witch is a real thing. It's a comedy - I think it would better if it was professional instead independent  and where more fleshed out with better actors. All in all, I say: STREAM IT if you're bored

Here's Negan

Robert Kirkman wrote this companion to TWD series to give fans background on Negan's character. It was good. All in all, I say: READ IT - if you've read TWD series.

The Midnight Line

The most recent release of Lee Child's next book in the Jack Reacher series. It's typical Reacher, but this time around the entire book was well written - either he had no ghost writer help or the entire thing was ghost written (is that the correct tense?). Amazon says, "Reacher takes a stroll through a small Wisconsin town and sees a class ring in a pawn shop window: West Point 2005. A tough year to graduate: Iraq, then Afghanistan. The ring is tiny, for a woman, and it has her initials engraved on the inside. Reacher wonders what unlucky circumstance made her give up something she earned over four hard years. He decides to find out. And find the woman. And return her ring. Why not?

So begins a harrowing journey that takes Reacher through the upper Midwest, from a lowlife bar on the sad side of small town to a dirt-blown crossroads in the middle of nowhere, encountering bikers, cops, crooks, muscle, and a missing persons PI who wears a suit and a tie in the Wyoming wilderness.

The deeper Reacher digs, and the more he learns, the more dangerous the terrain becomes. Turns out the ring was just a small link in a far darker chain. Powerful forces are guarding a vast criminal enterprise. Some lines should never be crossed. But then, neither should Reacher.". All in all, I say: READ IT if you've read the others.

The Diner at Webb Gin

I love Diner's which is why I was so bumbed out by this place. ALL the bread has dairy in it - all the fish and chicken they buy already made from someplace and just heat up - has dairy in it. They also cook almost everything in dairy - so I was left to next to nothing to eat. The prices make it too hard to be all like it's ok I'll just get a side of fries and be super happy that everyone else is having a great meal. All in all, I say: ENJOY - just don't invite me.

The Greatest Showman

Hugh Jackman (Logan) plays PT Barnum, the circus guy. It's a musical, but the dancing and singing was good. It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. It didn't feel like it lasted very long and I enjoyed a couple of the songs. I just couldn't stop thinking about the poor animals. All in all, I say: SEE IT if you like musicals.

Shut Eye

On Hulu - Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) is a con man - he and his wife (Georgia native KeDee Strickland from Secrets & Lies) are tarot card reading, palm reading, fortune telling hustlers. When they moved to CA from Vegas they thought they would get a couple of high rollers and then move on with all the money. Instead they ended up working for the Gypsy Mob. The mishaps of the characters and the fact that Jeffrey's character sees things kept me watching two seasons straight. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan (Interstellar) wrote and directed the movie based on the true story of the troops that withdrew from battle with the Nazi's. I already knew the story. The cinematography was good - there were too many actors to name. There was one performance I liked - Tom Hardy (Taboo) all he did was fly a plane and maybe speak 2-5 lines, but he did the best work in this. I will be honest and just say I was bored. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Lady Bird

Greta Gerwig (Jackie) writes and directs this somewhat biographical look at her relationship with her mother. Saoirse Ronan (Hanna) plays a 17 year old in her last year at a Catholic school in Sacramento, California, and she's applying to colleges. Her mother Laurie Metcalf (Big Bang Theory) is struggling to keep the family together after her husband loses his job and as it seems her daughter may be losing her mind. It has some funny moments - the script is its strength. The acting was good - I just felt like some of the situations were a little overly dramatic, but that's writer's prerogative. All in all, I say: RENT IT

The Mountain Between Us

Idris Elba (Luther) is a doctor who is lost in his life. He boards a small plane, the pilot has a heart attack, and crash. Kate Winslet (Avatar 2) is also a passenger. She's a war journalist trying to get home for her wedding. They help each other survive. The cinematography is excellenet. The acting is excellent. The script is ok - perhaps that's what was missing. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad - if that makes sense. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Spoiler: The dog lives