Small Crimes Netflix Movie Review

Small Crimes (2017)

Watch Small Crimes on Netflix
Written by: Macon Blair (co-writer), E.L. Katz, David, Zeltserman (based on a novel by)
Directed by: E.L. Katz
Starring:  Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Molly Parker, Robert Forster, Gary Cole, Macon Blair
Rating: TV-MA

Plot
After serving time for the attempted murder of a District Attorney, disgraced former cop Joe Denton (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is caught between a crooked cop, a vengeful DA, and a mafia kingpin who knows too much.

Verdict
Coster-Waldau does a great job taking narcissist Joe Denton to full term. This movie is always unpredictable. It's a downhill ride in a rickety wagon that could smash to pieces at any second. While it has a few interesting characters, Joe's mom and Junior in particular, it doesn't do enough with them. The transitions to move the plot forward are painfully transparent and stretch credibility. As an indie film it isn't bad.
It depends.

Review
The first scene introduces us to Joe. He's six years sober and just out of jail. Joe is staying with his parents, lost his family during his imprisonment, and is called the slash cop. In the next few scenes he gives up his sobriety, violates the terms of his divorce, and gets attacked.

I wondered why the girl from the bar was into him. It seemed rather odd and this is a guy that's supposed to be pretty street smart. The scene is just a way to get Denton to the police station and introduce the District Attorney Phil. Phil's face is badly scarred. We surmise Joe had something to do with it, and you'll later find out the details.

Joe's plight through the movie is the safest path that harms as few people as possible. Joe's former partner Pleasant (Gary Cole) demands an end the grand jury investigation that could lead to his incrimination. He and Joe were both dirty cops. Joe has to either off an aging mobster or DA Phil.
Joe's mom might be the best character who cuts right through Joe's manipulations and lies, telling him to get a job and stop bragging about being sober in jail. That's not impressive.

This movie is full of twists, keeping you on your toes. Joe seems determined to make mistakes, but that's more hubris than anything else. The biggest issues are the scenes obviously present just to move the plot along. Joe's girlfriend brings the movie to the conclusion, but I never bought her motivation. She wants Joe to have a second chance, but why? Why would she sacrifice for Joe?
I kept wondering how this movie was going to end. There are multiple instances that seem like 'the end,' but the movie keeps marching forward.  The pacing of the last quarter is spot on, even if the conclusion is a bit abrupt.

Grading this as a low budget indie film, it isn't bad. It has a few issues, but it's an entertaining ride. There are multiple 'I can't believe that happened' instances. It wavers between the black comedy and gritty action genre, but it doesn't excel at either.
It's from a similar mold of other Macon Blair projects, his writing and directorial debut I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore (2017) (my review), and supporting roles in the Jeremy Saulnier movies Green Room (2015) (my review) and Blue Ruin (2013) (my review), but Small Crimes doesn't match them.

House of Cards Netflix Series Season 5 Trailer

House of Cards (2013-)
Season 5 - 13 episodes (2017)

House of Cards Season 5 premieres on May 30

Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright play political savages Frank and Claire Underwood. They have maneuvered Frank from Senator to President. They secured the party's nomination for president in season four.  In this season, it's the election against Will Conway (Joel Kinnamon).

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower Netflix Movie Trailer

Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower (2017)

Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower premieres on May 26

Teenager Joshua Wong decides to save Hong Kong from the threat of the Chinese Communist Party. Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in his  courageous fight against China, an activist that inspired tens of thousands.

 

 

SHORT TAKE: THE WASP WOMAN

Vanity, thy name is woman…

…is something William Shakespeare never wrote; he actually used the word frailty. Still, that hasn’t stopped people from using the misquoted ‘vanity’ line to disparage women for ages now. And that’s despite a rash of recent studies which have shown that men care more about their appearance than women do, take more selfies of themselves than women do, and look at themselves in the mirror more than women do.

All that’s minor league stuff, though. As we learn in The Wasp Woman, only a female has the testicular fortitude to go so far as to steal a scientist’s untested youth potion made from the jelly of a queen wasp and inject herself with it on the off chance it might make her look a few years younger.

Now, to be fair, there’s a little more to Janice Starlin’s choice to risk becoming a wasp-headed monster than just seeing some crow’s feet and frown lines in the mirror. You see, Janice also happens to be the head of a cosmetic empire whose success, in part, has been based on having her image plastered all over its products’ packaging. But now that Janice has the ravaged face of a woman in her forties (really?), it was considered necessary to remove her ancient visage from all advertising. Unfortunately, doing so turned out to be just as bad for sales as having a hag on the box, so profits are sagging anyway.

The film seems to imply that, along with all of the usual stuff, society places an extra burden on women to maintain their physical attractiveness more so than it does men. if they don’t, there will be emotional and financial consequences. Because of this, a number of reviewers have heralded The Wasp Woman as one of the first feminist monster movies.

I suppose if we view Janice as symbolic of all women, then there is something to that notion. But on a more individual level, what Janice is going through is pretty common to just about everyone, man or woman. Writing for The Atlantic, Joseph Burgo, Ph.D., a psychotherapist and the author of Cinderella: A Tale of Narcissism and Self-Harm, Why Do I Do That?, notes…

“In his [eight] stages of psychosocial development, the psychologist Erik Erikson identifies the ‘crisis’ of middle age as a conflict between generativity and self-doubt. Generativity means we come to place increasing value on guiding the next generation—as parents, educators, artists, or social activists. A person who instead remains self-centered, unable to accept the changing of the generational guard, grows increasingly dissatisfied and stagnant.  People who make contributions to the younger generation and to society at large tend to feel good about themselves at this stage and find it a consolation for the loss of top billing. They will grow old with a sense of grace and acceptance. Those who can’t bear the shift to a supporting role may become increasingly narcissistic in the unhealthy sense of the word. Even adults who haven’t seemed particularly narcissistic for most of their lives may become so as they age. They will ape the behaviors, clothing, and attitudes of the young, trying to preserve their sexual appeal. They may opt for plastic surgery. Socially, they become more self-absorbed and insensitive, demanding to remain the center of attention.”

In other words, people who live their lives in service to others tend to be happier as they age, while those who remain self-centered become increasingly miserable as time goes on. Heck, they may even start making stupid decisions such as injecting themselves with wasp queen jelly and turning into homicidal monsters. You know, it’s almost as if all those times the Pope has harped on the necessity of serving others (like here, here, and here, for example), he might have actually been on to something.

Pocahontas (1995)

Genres

Adventure, Animation, Drama, Musical, Romance

Directors

Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Irene Bedard, Judy Kuhn, Mel Gibson, David Odgen Stiers, John Kassir, Russell Means, Jim Cummings, Christian Bale, Linda Hunt, Danny Mann, Billy Connolly, Frank Welker, Michelle St. John, James Apaumut Fall, Gordon Tootoosis

Storyline

Pocahontas (Irene Bedard), the daughter of an Algonquin chief, falls in love with Captain John Smith (Mel Gibson), an English soldier who journeyed to the New World to begin a fresh life.

Opinion

I used to watch Disney movies all the time when I was a kid, but I'm not sure I've ever seen "Pocahontas" from start to finish. I'm an adult now and I've still struggled to get to the end. Sure, this is a quite magical film that has a lot to teach, but I found it a bit boring. Kinda like Malick's "The New World".

The reason why this doesn't and won't ever work for me is the story. It's a story we all know, the love story between a Native American princess and an English soldier, and I've probably heard of it too many times. Unlike Disney's other movies, this one is based on a true story, but it's far from being accurate. Also, it isn't very compelling, it proceeds slowly yet at times it is incredibly rushed - just think about Pocahontas not understanding a word of English in one scene and talking with John, in English, in the very next scene. But since it's a kids movie I guess it's not supposed to be logical.

Anyway, in spite of the boring plot and some distracting characters - I usually love the animal sidekick but this time they are all over the place -, "Pocahontas" still manages to be quite charming and the credits go to the animation made of simple yet detailed backgrounds and characters that are so expressive they are able to convey all their feelings. 

The songs also help to enjoy the film a bit more, especially the beautiful "Colors of the Wind", the perfect song to deliver one of the film's themes, the love of nature and the need to reconnect with it and give it more value. I feel like this is a very important teaching for kids, especially nowadays.

New & Leaving Netflix US Full List for May

Netflix has a lot of new content for May, the full list of what's coming and leaving follows.

Arriving

Arriving May 1

• American Experience: The Big Burn
• American Experience: The Boys of ’36
• Anvil! The Story of Anvil
• Blood on the Mountain
• Chaahat
• Chocolat
• Decanted
• Don’t Think Twice
• Drifter
• Forrest Gump
• Happy Feet
• In The Shadow of Iris NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Love
• Losing Sight of Shore
• Malibu’s Most Wanted
• Nerdland
• Raja Hindustani
• Richard Pryor: Icon
• Under Arrest Season 5

Arriving May 2

• Bodyguards: Secret Lives from the Watchtower
• Hija De La Laguna
• Maria Bamford: Old Baby NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Two Lovers and a Bear

Arriving May 5

• Chelsea Season 2 NETFLIX ORIGINAL – New episodes continuing every Friday 
• Handsome: A Netflix Mystery Movie NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Kazoops! Season 3 NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• The Last Kingdom Season 2 NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• The Mars Generation NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Sense8 Season 2 NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Simplemente Manu NNa NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Spirit: Riding Free Season 1 NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Arriving May 6

• Cold War 2
• When the Bough Breaks

Arriving May 7

• LoveTrue
• Stake Land II
• The Host

Arriving May 8

• Beyond the Gates
• Hunter Gatherer

Arriving May 9

• Norm Macdonald: Hitler's Dog, Gossip & Trickery NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Queen of the South Season 1
• All We Had

Arriving May 10

• El Apóstata
• The Adventure Club

Arriving May 11

• Switched at Birth Season 5
• The Fosters Season 4

Arriving May 12

• Anne with an E Season 1 NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• All Hail Julien: Exiled Season 1 NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Get Me Roger Stone NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Mindhorn NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Master of None Season 2 NETFLIX ORIGINAL 
• Sahara NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Anne with an E Season 1 NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Arriving May 15

• Command and Control
• Cave
• Lovesong
• Sherlock Season 4
• The Intent

Arriving May 16

• The Break-Up
• The Place Beyond the Pines
• Tracy Morgan: Staying Alive NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Arriving May 18

• Riverdale Season 1
• Royal Pains Season 8

Arriving May 19

• BLAME! NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• The Keepers Season 1 NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Laerte-se NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 3 NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Arriving May 21

• What’s With Wheat

Arriving May 22

• Inglorious Basterds
• They Call Us Monsters

Arriving May 23

• Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Dig Two Graves

Arriving May 24

• Southpaw

Arriving May 26

• Believe
• Bloodline Season 3 NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• I am Jane Doe
• Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• War Machine NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Arriving May 28

• Bunk’d Season 2

Arriving May 29

• Forever Pure
• A New High

Arriving May 30

• F is for Family Season 2 NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• House of Cards Season 5 NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Marvel’s Doctor Strange
• Masterminds
• Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust NETFLIX ORIGINAL

 Coming Soon!

• Supernatural Season 12
• Supergirl Season 2
• The Flash Season 3

Leaving

Leaving May 1

• 11 Blocks
• Alfie
• Bang Bang!
• Black Mamba: Kiss of Death
• Cujo
• Doomsdays
• Fantastic Four
• FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue
• Flicka: Country Pride
• Garfield’s Fun Fest
• Invincible
• Jetsons: The Movie
• Jurassic Park
• Jurassic Park III
• The Lost Word: Jurassic Park
• Paulie
• Samurai Headhunters
• Stephen King’s Thinner
• Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
• The Doors
• The Real Beauty and the Beast
• The Seven Dwarfs of Auschwitz
• The Sons of Katie Elder
• The Wedding Planner
• Things We Lost in the Fire
• To Catch a Thief
• Treblinka: Hitler’s Killing Machine
• Truly Strange
• Turf War: Lions and Hippos
• Van Wilder: Freshman Year
• Venom Islands
• World War II Spy School

Leaving May 2

• Good Luck Charlie Season 1
• Good Luck Charlie Season 2
• Good Luck Charlie Season 3
• Good Luck Charlie Season 4
• Kickin’ It Season 1
• Kickin’ It Season 2
• Kickin’ It Season 3
• Scrubs Season 1
• Scrubs Season 2
• Scrubs Season 3
• Scrubs Season 4
• Scrubs Season 5
• Scrubs Season 6
• Scrubs Season 7
• Scrubs Season 8
• Scrubs Season 9

Leaving May 5

• Amapola
• Flubber
• Grosse Pointe Blank
• The Recruit
• What About Bob?

Leaving May 7

• American Dad! Season 7
• Bob’s Burgers Season 2

 Leaving May 11

• American Dad! Season 8

Leaving May 15

• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown Season 1
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown Season 2
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown Season 3
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown Season 4
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown Season 5

Leaving May 17

• American Dad! Season 9
• American Dad! Season 10

Leaving May 19

• Step Up

Leaving May 26

• Graceland Season 1
• Graceland Season 2
• Graceland Season 3

Out of Africa (1985)

Genres

Biography, Drama, Romance

Director

Sydney Pollack

Country

USA

Cast

Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen, Shane Rimmer, Malick Bowens, Joseph Thiaka, Stephen Kinyanjui, Michael Gough, Suzanna Hamilton, Rachel Kempson, Graham Crowden, Benny Young, Leslie Phillips, Annabel Maule, Iman

Storyline

It follows the life of Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep), a Danish Baroness and plantation owner in Kenya who has a passionate love affair with Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford), a free-spirited hunter.

Opinion

I put off watching "Out of Africa" for years, literally, because of its length. Never in my life I would have thought I'd be able to stomach a two and half hour long romance. Never. Well, I finally got my courage up and watched it and it wasn't half bad. Actually, it was a quite beautiful and moving film.

What I liked the most about this film is that it doesn't just tell about the love story between a married Danish Baroness and a hunter - although it is the focus of the film -, but it tells about the love this woman has for Africa, a love that in my opinion is way more beautiful than the heart-wrenching romance she shares with the hunter. Still, this isn't the best part of the movie. 

In spite of its very slow, almost glacial pace, Sydney Pollack's film still manages to be very intriguing thanks to a deep and very well developed leading character that is wonderfully portrayed by Meryl Streep who manages to convey all the qualities of Karen Blixen, from the intelligence to her charms. The other main character, Robert Redford's, isn't bad either, but at times he doesn't feel very believable, and Redford not speaking with a British accent may be one of the reasons. Apart from this, Redford as well gives a good performance.

Quite striking are also the beautiful, classical cinematography - it looks very aged at points though -, the breathtaking, exotic settings and John Barry's incredible score that is both great to listen and the perfect fit for the story.

Solace Movie Review

Solace (2015)

Rent Solace on Amazon Video
Written by: Sean Bailey, Ted Griffin
Directed by: Afonso Poyart
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Abbie Cornish, Colin Farrell
Rated: R

My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!

Plot
Psychic John Clancy (Anthony Hopkins) works with FBI special agent Joe Merriwether (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to find serial killer Charles Ambrose (Colin Farrell).

Verdict
This is just a few steps above a throw away crime thriller. The main things that set it apart are the talent involved and the twist with a psychic. This could have done so much more with the genre and premise, but the idea is never developed. Even at the end I'm wondering why the actors agreed to be in this. The one thing this does well is manifesting psychic visions.
It depends.

Review
This fits the pulp crime genre with the likes of The Frozen Ground (2013) and Insomnia (2002), b-movies that somehow got top tier talent. Did someone convince Hopkins to agree, and the other actors jumped at the chance to work with him?

This feels like an extended The X-files episode. It's pulpy, but at least it jumps right into it. Hopkins is a psychic that the cops often use to break a case. The editing is slick, bringing the thought process of a psychic to the screen. That is the highlight of this movie and is very well done.

The best thing this movie does is manifesting psychic visions. We see pieces, but not the whole. During the course of the movie visions become more complete and the images become clearer.
The story is less than subtle and often cheesy. The plot has enough of a twist that this detective story isn't a complete chore. At times it feels like it wants to be a dark crime story like Se7en (1995), but I might be making that connection just because I wanted more out of this. With the way the psychic aspect was played up, I expected a lot more from the ending.

If you think Raymond looks familiar, that's Kenny Johnson who played Lem in The Shield (2002-08). He's not the only The Shield alum, Sloman played by Matt Gerald, was Tommy.

Before We Go (2014)

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director

Chris Evans

Country

USA

Cast

Chris Evans, Alice Eve, Emma Fitzpatrick, Mark Kassen, Daniel Spink, Elijah Moreland, John Cullum, Scott Evans

Storyline

A woman (Alice Eve) misses the 1:30 train from New York to Boston and a street musician (Chris Evans) spends the night trying to help her make it back home before her husband does.

Opinion

Romances are still not my thing, but I decided to give "Before We Go" a chance anyway because I was interested in seeing what Chris Evans would do at his directorial debut. Well, he didn't do a terrible job, but neither a great one.

But it's not entirely his fault. The biggest problem is indeed the story. Although it really looks like a "Before Sunrise" remake - which should be good since Linklater's film was pure genius -, the story to this film never seems to take off, and that's probably because instead of just having two people doing random things in New York and enjoying themselves, it lingers way too much on the woman's secret and it ends up being quite annoying.

The dialogue contributes to the failure of the film. Forget about the amusing talks about ordinary things between Jesse and Céline, all that comes out of the two main characters' mouths is clichéed and not very believable.

"Before We Go" isn't even as visually appealing as Linklater's masterpiece, however, it still benefits from a good leading duo. Although they come nothing near to Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, Chris Evans and Alice Eve both do a good job, they have a good chemistry, and they have the power to keep you watching until the end, even though the film isn't that good.

Anne with an E Netflix Series On the Way to Green Gables Video

Anne with an E (2017-)
Season 1 - 8 episodes (2017)

Anne with an E Season 1 premieres May 12

Based on the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables, where orphan Anne Shirley (Amybeth McNulty) is adopted by a couple expecting a boy to help them on their farm.

 

 

Okja Netflix Movie - A Message from Lucy Mirando Video

Okja (2017)

Okja premieres on June 28

Directed by Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer) and starring Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, Giancarlo Esposito, and Lily Collins, a young girl risks everything to prevent a massive company from kidnapping her best friend, a giant animal named Okja.
This will get a theatrical release in the U.S. and South Korea.

 

 

Ingobernable Netflix Series Season 2 Announcement

Ingobernable (2017-)
Season 2 (2018)

Ingobernable Season 2 premieres in 2018

In this Spanish language series, when Mexico's president Diego Nava compromises his ideals, his wife Emilia Urquiza (Kate del Castillo) leaves him. When he's found dead she's the main suspect, already presumed guilty and now on the run.

The Week Of - Fourth Adam Sandler Netflix Movie Coming in 2018

The Week Of (2018)

The Week Of premieres in 2018

The fourth of the original four movie deal from October 2014 with a new deal announced in March 2017 for four additional movies, this stars Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. It's directed by Robert Smigel.
It covers the week of preparation for a wedding between Sandler's character's daughter and Rock's character's son.

Adam Sandler's latest movie Sandy Wexler starring Jennifer Hudson released on Netflix two weeks ago, following The Ridiculous Six and The Do-Over.

Chris Rock  has two upcoming comedy specials that Netflix paid $40 million for.

PODCAST 253: Terminator Salvation & Terminator Genisys

This week the Horror Duo polish off the Terminator franchise. Forest covers the only Terminator film set in the future, Terminator Salvation, complete with Christian Bale freak out. Cory discusses how he actually kind of likes Terminator Genisys, the most complex Terminator film to date.

CONTINUE READING

The Founder Movie Review

The Founder (2016)

Buy The Founder on Amazon Video
Written by: Robert Siegel
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellini, BJ Novak, Laura Dern, Patrick Wilson
Rated: PG-13

My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!

Plot
Salesman Ray Kroc turned two brothers' innovative burger joint, McDonald's, into one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world through ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness.

Verdict
Keaton is always great and the origins of this story are engrossing, but once this becomes greedy guy attacks everyone around him for a few dollars it lost my interest. We've seen that story before and this mixed documentary and drama to such a great effect in the first half.
Offerman and Lynch are great as the McDonald brothers, and current McDonalds should take some queues from their speedy system, two menu items and your order is ready in seconds.
This is a great movie that drops the ball for the ending.
Watch it.

Review
The first scene is well done with a tight opening on Keaton as he's hustling milkshake machines. It puts us right where I expected this movie would take us, with Kroc working the salesman angle in the 1950s. The diners are incredibly accurate. Where did they find them? Are they sets? The locations and sets are impeccable.

Kroc is struggling to sell milkshake machines and an order for six surely has to be a mistake. When the McDonalds brothers tell him they need eight, he has to check it out. He's having trouble selling just one.
I don't know if it's true, but the movie claims McDonalds invented ready made meals and eating out of the bag without flatware. The brothers developed a system for speedy food. I don't think McDonalds today is this automated, though it helps when the menu is limited. That and I'm not sure you could get teens to buy in. In the '50s working at McDonalds seemed like a career, not a throwaway job. A throwback diner could really excel in today's market.

This is part documentary and part process engineering. The scene where the brothers develop their kitchen system is really well done. It's setup, execution, and payoff. The movie excels on all fronts from editing and directing and even the integration of flashbacks. Offerman and Lynch play off each other extremely well. I would love to see more of them as they really stand out. Keaton could act his pants off and and convince you he's still fully clothed.
The brothers had the plan and Kroc had the ambition. The brothers see their dream becoming viable, Kroc sees dollar signs. Kroc doesn't care about safety, atmosphere, or efficiency. He wants to monopolize an idea. His concern only extends as far as brand identity that will ensure more franchises.

As Kroc becomes famous, he's embarrassed to admit he didn't found the first diner, happy to let everyone assumes he did. The last half runs into the greed is good trope we've seen in movies like this. It abandons developing Kroc and he pushes the brothers out of their own business. He presents a handshake deal on giving them one percent of the profits in perpetuity. I don't know why the brothers would trust him after what he's done to them. Even if you just wanted to excise Kroc out of your life, you have to know you're leaving a lot of money on the table. Kroc never honored that handshake agreement. This is a story of why good people don't succeed. Kroc tells the brothers just as much.

The end is drastically truncated, with a quick flash forward showcasing Kroc's wealth and importance, but we don't delve into the man, not like the first half did. The second half could have focused on Kroc's decision to become sole heir to the empire, making it more emotional. It also could have focused on the brothers seeing their dream excel with someone else at the helm.What we got wasn't very original. A small focus on the characters would have helped instead of trying to cram the high points of the story into the film.
The final scene has Kroc hand out a business card with the title "founder" on it. The brothers never got any of their promised royalties. The good borrow, the great steal.

Slam Netflix Movie Review

Slam: Tutto per una ragazza (Slam) (2017)

Watch Slam on Netflix - Excludes Switzerland, Italy // Buy the Book

Written by: Nick Hornby (novel), Francesco Bruni & Ludovica Rampoldi & Andrea Molaioli(screenplay)
Directed by: Andrea Molaioli
Starring:  Ludovico Tersigni, Barbara Ramella, Jasmine Trinca
Rated: TV-MA

Plot
Adapted from the Nick Hornby book of the same name, this Italian language movie depicts sixteen year old skateboarder Sam, looking to move to California and go to university. That changes when he meets a girl and is soon faced with the possibility of becoming a father.

Verdict
This raises a few interesting points about teenage parenthood, but never explores them fully. Being predictable isn't bad, but frequent dream sequences become bewildering and infringe upon the plot of the movie.
Skip it.

Review
Previous Nick Hornby adaptations include Fever Pitch (2005) and About a Boy (2002).

Sixteen year old Sam has to face his future when he might become a father. This could potentially derail his plans and his mother is against him raising the child, herself having had Sam at sixteen. Sam's already concerned about having a kid as a teenager, which despite that doesn't cause him to use protection, and his mom urging him to not raise the child is a surprise. He has to reconcile becoming a teen father and the fact that while his mom says he is her greatest blessing, if she had to do it over she wouldn't have kept him.
His girlfriend's parents aren't thrilled with the prospect of a baby, concerned about their daughter's future.

It took me a while before I realized what the voice over actually is. At first I thought it was Sam in the future, but then I realized it's Tony Hawk reading excerpts from his biography. That's the real Tony Hawk.

This employs a couple really long dream sequences/time skips. They become increasingly weird as they are so long. At first I thought it was a dream, but then I second guessed that because it just kept going. It must have been a way to pad the run time.  Leaning more on the time skips, this could be a rather interesting sci-fi movie.

This addresses a difficult situation and brings up many interesting points. There are too many cooks in the kitchen, with the teens and both parents wanting to express an opinion. The potential baby's last name is a serious point of contention.
This ends up rather scattered. I don't have a problem with the predictability, but it presents issues without really exploring them. The frequent time jumps are just disorienting, and while it attempts a deeper meaning with Tony Hawk's biography, it just doesn't get there. I really like the soundtrack with Cake and The Pixies, though I wasn't sure why this pulled '90s songs.

Bill Nye Saves the World - Bill Explains Stranger Things Video

Bill Nye Saves the World (2017-)
Season 1 - 13 episodes (2017)

Watch Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix

Bill Nye's talk show focuses on the connection between science, pop culture, politics, and society.
Bill will tackle sex, global warming, GMO's, technology, and alternate medicine, with plenty of celebrity guests.

 

 

Bill Nye Saves the World - Bill Explains Gilmore Girls Video

Bill Nye Saves the World (2017-)
Season 1 - 13 episodes (2017)

Watch Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix

Bill Nye's talk show focuses on the connection between science, pop culture, politics, and society.
Bill will tackle sex, global warming, GMO's, technology, and alternate medicine, with plenty of celebrity guests.

 

 

Dear White People Season 1 Netflix Series Stay Woke Featurette

Dear White People (2017-)
Season 1 - 10 episodes (2017)

Dear White People Season 1 premieres on  April 28

Based on Justin Simien's film of the same name, this focuses on racial tensions as students of color attend a predominantly white Ivy league school.

 

 

 

 

Against 13 Reasons Why

13 Reasons Why (2017-)
Season 1 - 13 episodes (2017)
Watch 13 Reasons Why Season 1 on Netflix // Buy the book Thirteen Reasons Why

Eric and Ward argue over 13 Reasons Why with Eric presenting his reasons why the show isn't good.

Also Watched - Better Call Saul S2, Big Little Lies, Beautiful Girls

Also watched - The Founder, Better Call Saul S2, Big Little Lies, Beautiful Girls, 13 Reasons Why, Priceless

The Founder (2016)
Salesman Ray Kroc turned two brothers' innovative burger joint, McDonald's, into one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world through ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness.

Better Call Saul (2015-)
Season 2 - 10 episodes (2016)
Jimmy McGill is a former grifter who is now a lawyer. He wants to do the right thing, but at the same time, becoming a lawyer hasn't been the dream he imagined.

Big Little Lies (2017)
Mini-series - 7 episodes
The apparently perfect lives of first grade mothers are anything but, culminating in them becoming suspects in a homicide investigation.
The homicide investigation is secondary to the entanglements of their personal lives as they unfold.

Beautiful Girls (1996)
A piano player at a crossroads in his life returns to his hometown high school reunion. His friends face similar situations where life hasn't worked out quite like they anticipated.

13 Reasons Why (2017-)
Season 1 - 13 episodes (2017)
This drama is based on a 2007 young adult novel. Clay (Dylan Minnette) finds a box on his doorstep addressed to him two weeks after his classmate Hannah ended her life. Inside he discovers thirteen tapes with thirteen reasons why Hannah did it.

Priceless (2016)
A man down on his luck gets a job driving a truck across the country, but the contents of the truck lead to life altering decision.

13 Reasons Why Season 1 Review

13 Reasons Why (2017-)
Season 1 - 13 episodes (2017)
Watch 13 Reasons Why Season 1 on Netflix // Buy the book Thirteen Reasons Why

FULL SEASON REVIEW. CONTAINS SPOILERS.
This drama is based on a 2007 young adult novel. Clay (Dylan Minnette) finds a box on his doorstep addressed to him two weeks after his classmate Hannah ended her life. Inside he discovers seven tapes outlining the thirteen people that are reasons why Hannah did it

Sandy Wexler Review

Sandy Wexler (2017)
Watch Sandy Wexler on Netflix

Part three of Sandler's four movie deal with Netflix, Adam Sandler plays talent manager Sandy Wexler who falls for his latest client, Courtney Clark (Jennifer Hudson).

The Get Down Season 1 Part 2 Review

The Get Down (2016-)Season 1 Part 2 - 5 episodes (2017)
Watch The Get Down on Netflix

Created by Baz Luhrman, the second half of season 1 continues the story detailing the origin of hip hop during the '70s in the Bronx.

Tramps Netflix Movie Review

Tramps (2017)

Watch Tramps on Netflix
Written by: Adam Leon (screenplay), Adam Leon &Jamund Washington (story by)
Directed by: Adam Leon
Starring: Callum Turner, Grace Van Patten, Michal Vondel, Mike Birbiglia
Rated: TV-MA

Plot
A stolen briefcase and a case of mistaken identity provides the chance for attraction between two aspiring criminals in New York.
Danny is tasked by his brother to make an exchange, but Danny swaps the wrong bag.

Verdict
If anything it's too vague. That in itself isn't bad. I don't need to know what's in the bag, but I do need to know the stakes. This basic questions seems like a constraint problem. While this is an indie at it's core and the actors did a fine job, it lacks the punchy dialog to really set it apart. Instead of sharp dialog, a heist was introduced instead.
It depends.

Review
This has a simple setup. Danny has to make an exchange on behalf of his brother. This is the end result of an elaborate robbery with his driver Ellie. I don't know why it takes two people to grab the bag, but that is the foundation for the rest of the movie. Danny switches the wrong bag, and he and Ellie must track it down.

Danny and Ellie are thrown together due to their situation. They aren't people that would normally interact. He's the good natured idiot and she's street tough and jaded. He's chatty and curious, but she rebukes his attempts at conversation. She's there for one thing, money. It's clear he likes her, but she's having none of it.
Without knowing the stakes, I wasn't sure what the retribution for losing the bag would be. What's going to happen to Danny or his brother? We're only talking about a few grand. There's some back and forth over shares for the robbery and who will get what. That seems to be the only reason Danny or Ellie care about retrieving the bag.

This definitely has an indie feel with a focus on the city and the characters. This is a bit of Before Sunrise (1995) combined with a crime caper. It's cute, but I wanted it to do more.