As I get older I remember less. Films have always been a joy and I want to remember as much as possible (at least the good ones). Good films make you think.
Modern Features
"Fremont" (2023) An Afghan translator tries to fit into America.
"Maestro" (2023) A confusing account of Leonard Bernstein. Good music.
"Queen Bees" (2021) Pleasant story about senior woman going to a retirement home and inter acting with interesting characters.
"Ben & Ara" (2015). An African Muslim, disciplined meets undiciplined man with (for her) radical ideas. They get together while she deals with cultural conflictds.
"Barbie" (2023) Sex, stratification, stereo typing. Oscar winning song.
"Gran Turismo" (2023) A young man is intensely interested in stimulated racing and somehow becomes an actual Grand Prix racer. One danger pointed out is you might be killed, but a great danger is you might kill someone. True story. Very impressive
"Rustin" (2023) Focused on Bayard Rustin during famous march on Washington.
"Poor Things" (2024) I missed the deep philosophical meaning, perhaps because I was distracted by the frequent graphic nudity. Starts off with a woman who tried to kill herself while pregnant. A Frankenstein like doctor took the baby's brain and put it in the mother. Emma Stone did deserve her Oscar.
"American Fiction"(2023) An interesting story about writing. Is connected to author of "James". See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/05/james-better-known-as-jim.html
"The Beautiful Game" (2024) Based on stories from the Homeless World Cup.
"Bank of Dave" ()2023 Based on true story of an English effort to establish a fairer bank and the resistance it encountered.
"Scoop" (2024). The BBC trying to pin Prince Andrew down regarding his relation with Jeffrey Epstein and sexual contact with minor.
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always" (2020) About a pregnant teenager supported by a cousin seeking an abortion in New York. The procedure is set. The supporting cousin is approached by a young man and she gives in to him.
"Nafsi" (2021) Although set in Kenya, pretty close to 100% English. Things that can go wrong with surrogacy and to appreciate the desperation of women who can't have babies.
"Mean Dreams" (2017) is about an abusive father, his teenage daughter and a would be protective boyfriend.filmed in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
"The Peanut Butter Falcon" (2019) A Down syndrome young man breaks from an institutiond searching for a wrestling school and reams up with a man.
"Emma " (2020) is another adaptation on favorite writer Jane Austen. Some readers may be offended, but it does capture the comedy of manners and life of the English middle class.
"Redeeming Love" (2022) An improbable love story, making it powerful. Set around the California Gold Rush.
"Guitar Lessons" (2022) A Metis boy persuades a grumpy man to give him guitar lessons. A good relationship film.
"Gigi & Nate" (2024) Young man paralyzed and helped by a Capuchin monkey. The monkey is incredibly charming.
"8:37 Rebirth" (2021) Twenty years after a fatal shooting.
"Ezra" (2024) Divorced parents have autistic son and have a few disagreements. Funny, but also serious.
"His Three Daughters" (2024) Three sisters who don' get along gather together when their father is going to die soon. Well done.
"Rez Ball" (2024) Lured in by LeBron James, as a producer who I am learning
to respect as human and a super human basketball player. Typical sports story with a coming from behind.
Set on Indian reservation team and there is a suicide, reminding me a bit
of "The Grizzlies".
"Lonely Planet" (2024) Romance set in Morocco.
"The Buckingham Murders" (2024) produced by major Bollywood star, Kareena Kapoor Khan who also was the leading actor. This is mostly in English with some Hindi dialogue. A complicated plot. Set in Buckingham, England.
"Ordinary Angels" (2024) Based on a true story of a young girl with a liever disease requiring a transplant. Hilary Swank played an alcoholic hair dresser who felt a sense of purpose in helping.
"Titanic: The Musical" (2023) British musical around the fatal voyage.
"Civil War" (2024) Action film, no ideology. Following from journalist viewpoint.
"Sebastian" (2024) The most explicit homosexual I have ever seen which was uncomfortable for me. There was a story about a young writer who did stories about gay sex workers and found himself with mixed emotions.
"Sight" (2024) True story of a Chinese immigrant who became a laser surgeon for eyes, Dr Ming Wang.
"Carry-On" (2024) Action packed film at Los Angeles Airport with Jason Bateman playing a bad guy.
Series
"Black Snow" (2022) My first of the year, actually spread over New Year. Set in Australia in a section comprised of a mix of Europeans and South Sea Islanders. A murder mystery.
"DI Ray" (2022) a police drama set in Birmingham England. Race and sex. Done well.
"Beef" (2023) with a road rage incident escalating to dangerous (and humorous) levels.
"Hotel Portofino" (2022 )British family owns a hotel in Italian resort area. Petty crimes, mixed relations. Carries forth into the Mussolini regime as an English conclave. Lots of twists.
"The Gentlemen" (2024). A Guy Ritchie creation. Con rivalries.
"Apples Never Fall" (2024) from a book I read by Liane Moriarty. Actually filmed in Australia, but set in Florida.
"The Newsreader" (2022) excellent series set in the 1980's Australia.
"You Don't Know Me" (2021) A Nigerian immigrant accused of murder explains himself.
"The Lincoln Lawyer" (2022) An offshoot of the movie in a series format. A lawyer given a second chance after being rehabilitated after addiction. Good plotting.
"Mr. Bates vs.The Post Office" (2024) Based on a true story where the British Post Office mismanaged some procedures with some subsidiary store post office branches that caused much hardship. The controlling management denied any responsibility and demanded payments. Toby Jones did a good job.
The Perfect Couple (2024) Story of well off people in Nantucket with infidelities, drug abuse and a suspicious death.
Older Features
"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949) starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. Spectacular cinematography that won an Oscar. Typical of the time slant on indigenous and feminist.
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978) Horror film with Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum
"Chocolate" (2001) A film seen originally when it came out. It influenced me enough to seek out chocolate with chil pepper. I've always liked Juliet Binoche and surprisingly she is well paired with Johnny Depp.
"Meet the Parents" (2000) is a comedy headed by Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, both of whom are very funny. A young man goes though the gauntlet to get permission to marry his girl friend.
"The Breakfast Club" (1985) brings 5 high school teenagers to a weekend detention. At first we are aware they are all very different, but in the course of one days they learn they have a lot in common.
"Moneyball" (2011) Computer statistician enter the traditional world of baseball. Inspired by a book by favorite author, Michael Lewis.
"Appointment with Danger" (1951) A cop and robber story, only it is about the Postal Service security chasing the murderous robbers. Alan Ladd used to be a favorite, but now he seems ordinary.
"Chaplin" (1993) One of the most famous film stars was more complicated than we realized. This is well done.
"The Divorce of Lady X" (1938) Old English style comedy, very well done. Laurence Olivier very good.
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"All Good Things" (2010) Based on an unsolved mystery.
"21 Jump Street" (2012) has juvenile humor, lots of action, hard not to laugh sometimes.
"Scarlett Street" (1945) A very mild mannered Edward G. Robinson being conned.
"Spanglish" (2004) Spanish speaking woman comes to work as a maid in American home and makes a few adjustments.
"Speed" (1994) Actually saw when it first came out but didn't note. First feature for Sandra Bullock. Lots of action. Enjoyed.
"Pitch Perfect" (2012) Acapala song groups in contests. Some romance. Lots of music.
"Angel and the Bad Man" (1947) John Wayne western, but he is tamed by a Quaker, Gail Russell.
"I Walk Along" (1948) A crime drama with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster. Well done.
"Beetlejuice" (1988) Goofy.
"Little Lord Fauntleroy" (1936) a black and white film. Early start for Mickey Rooney.
"Deadline U.S.A." (1952) Near the end of Humphrey Bogart's career. A newspaper dealing with murder.
"Witness" (1985) Set in Amish country. Police corruption.
"My Favorite Brunette" (1947) Comedy well done with Bob Hope quips.
"The Front Page" (1931) An early talkie. Fast talkers, old phones. Conflict between love and love of a job.
"Far and Away" (1992) Poor Irishman and wealthy woman on impulse take off together (he portraying himself as her servant). End up in Boston and find out things not as expected. Lots of action.
"Naked Alibi" (1955) Competent cop drama.
"Carlito's Way" (1993) A gangster movie centering on Puerto Ricans. Lots of gratuitous violence and sex, but slickly done. Interesting plot and character development. A wide range of music, Latin, rock and even classical.
"Hook" (1991) An extension of the Peter Pan story. Never grow up was the mantra from the original, this version shows some of the dangers of growing up
"From Russia with Love" (1964) James Bond against SPECTRE. Set in Turkey.
"The Secret Garden"(1993) A children's classic well done. Maggie Smith.
"The Dark Knight" (2008) A blockbuster film based on Batman. Well done special effects and action.
"Moll Flanders" (1996) cleaned up version of Daniel Defoe novel. Enjoyed.
"Cry Danger" (1951) Dick Powell released from prison and wanting to prove his innocence. Rhonda Fleming plays a lover, even though married to friend who had participated in robbery. A few surprises.
"Prometheus" (2012) Science fiction exploring for origins of mankind.
"The Sting" (1973) Paul Newman and Robert Redford in this blockbuster con.
"Ocean's Eleven" (2001) Robbery of Las Vegas Casino tied to released prisoner's desire to get his wife back.
"Ocean's Thirteen" (2007) is another Las Vegas grand heist. An interesting feature was a song by Frank Sinatra, the original Danny Ocean.
"They Call me Mr. Tibbs" (1970) Critics considered this a let down from"In the Heat of the Night", but Sidney Poitier it was serviceable.
Documentaries
"Citizen Jane: Battle for the City" (2017) About Jane Jacob's battles for neighborhood in New York City against the efforts of Robert Moses.
"Butterfly in the Sky" (2024) Covered history of "Reading Rainbow" with LeVar Burton. Government funding subject to politics.
"Tell them you love me" (2024) It seems to be a reenactment of an unusual set of events. A white woman professor was charged with having non consensual sex with a severely handicapped man. How does one prove and wonder if the man benefited from the relationship. Facilitated communication was at the heart and is still controversial.
"Easter Island Origins" (2024) Brings up to date theories abut origins. Polynesian origins suggested by DNA testing, but some connections to northern Colombia.
"Seymour: An Introduction" (2015) Concert pianist becomes a piano teacher giving high level advice.
"20 days in Maruipol" (2023). A Russian siege of a Ukrainian city. Bombs, destruction, severe injuries, dead. An upsetting image was of desperate citizens robbing stores. Egotist Putin has no shame.
"Ancient Apocolypse" (Second Season 2024) Feels earth history has been punctuated with cataclysmic events that destroyed advanced civilizations. Ice ages, floods. Interesting to me was a connection between pre-Incans and Rapa Noi (Easter Island). Hallucinogenic drugs similar in the Amazon jungle and Utah/New Mexico. The Mayans for astronomy.
"Exit Through the Gift Shop" (2010) Confusing as hinted about Banksy, but only peripherally. More about artist Thierry Guetta (better known as Mister Brainless).
"Daughters" (2024) Black daughters given chance to meet their incarcerated fathers. It seems like a reward for bad behavior, but really is part of a healing process that benefits society.
Animated
"Antz " (1998) Woody Allen lays his usual neurotic self.
"Sing" (2016) A lot of catchy tunes for a wide range of tastes.
"Smallfoot" (2018) a Pixar story making a point about differences. Pleasant music.
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"Flushed Away" (2006) High class rat gets flushed down the toilet. Mixes with sewer rates and falls for one.
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"Inside Out 2" (2024) A Pixar carrying on from "Inside Out" as Riley hits puberty.
Shorts
Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave" (1995). Winner of 1996 Oscar for Animated Short
"Paddle to the Sea" (1969) Based on child hood favorite book read multiple times. Has the advantage of showing nature and human interaction.
"Julia's Stepping Stones" (2024) Narrated by Julia Richert recounting how she developed into a woman's documentary film maker
Check for foreign films. seen in 2024 They widen your awareness and let you appreciate talent. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/12/foreign-language-films-2024.html
Last year's English films: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/12/films-2023-english.html
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