Last Seen Alive

tags: drama, Netflix streaming, movie, thriller

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Will Spann is driving his wife to her parents’ house. They stop at a gas station on the way where his wife mysteriously disappears. He is bewildered and begins to panic, but then suspects foul play. He alerts the authorities but becomes a prime suspect. Detective Paterson leads the investigation and suspects that Will may have a hand in his wife’s disappearance.

Hollywood is hopeless. Good entertaining movies from Hollywood are very rare these days. The only ones I enjoyed this year are Uncharted and Father Stu and I'm not even a fan of Mark Wahlberg. I watched to see if Gerald Butler's acting and Hollywood have improved. No to both.

This movie has no entertainment value to me. I couldn't decide who is the most annoying character because everyone is super annoying: the wife, the parents-in-law, the policeman, the side characters, and Gerald Butler as the husband. I'm sorry but Gerald simply cannot act. In the the first few minutes he and his wife are whispering. In the car. While driving to her parents' house. Why?

His driving also annoyed me. He is constantly moving the steering wheel left and right left and right left and right. On a straight paved smooth highway. Who drives like that? Then he drives like a maniac at the gas station. Idiot.

The wife is approached by a man just outside the door of the convenience store and disappears, her phone off. Frantic husband goes looking for her inside the store and around the gas station, shouting her name loudly every 2 feet. He looks and sounds familiar. Wait a minute, I've seen this lousy scene before. Yep. Same inferior acting. Sigh.

Annoying husband goes to the parents-in-law who are also extremely annoying. Their exchange of dialog is exasperating. Now he goes to the police. What do you know, the policeman is also annoying and an even lousier actor than Gerald. I soon realize this movie is becoming a contest as to what character will annoy me the most. Sheesh!

The story has been done a gazillion times before so nothing is fresh and will put one to sleep. Adding to Hollywood cliché the group who kidnapped the wife are involved in making illicit drugs. But of course!

Not recommended unless you are a fan of Gerald Butler.

The Fellowship Of The Ring

tags: adventure, fantasy, thriller

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From Goodreads

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic adventure, The Lord of the Rings.

Sauron, the Dark Lord, has gathered to him all the Rings of power - the means by which he intends to rule Middle-earth. All he lacks in his plan for dominion is the One Ring - the ring that rules them all - which has fallen in the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

The Lord of the Rings is once again on entertainment news because of Amazon's original prequel series based on the book series and The Silmarillion. Viewers are divided between liking and hating the series because once again woke Hollywood added Blacks for diversity crap. Galadriel also is portrayed differently than the book. Because strong female...Galadriel is an Elven queen, not a warrior! Amazon had to temporarily remove reviews because there were more 1 star and negative reviews than positive.

Viewers are simply tired of seeing classic literature bastardized to satisfy racial diversity equality stupidity. For example. Ariel, the little mermaid is played by a Black actress and it deserves being mocked by several memes, changing the hair color to red, lightening the skin, and making the nose narrower because why would a Danish author make his character Black? Disney did not invent Ariel. I hope it bombs at the box office.

When the debate on the Black Hobbit became an issue with viewers, Neil Gaiman had a Twitter meltdown defending the Black actor included in the series mentioning that there are "brown Hobbits" in the book. I don't remember that when I read it eons ago. So I read it again. THERE ARE NO BLACK OR BROWN HOBBITS AND DWARVES EVER! Browner of skin does not mean they are Black.

"There are 3 different breeds of Hobbits. The Harfoots are the browner of skin, smaller, shorter, and they are beardless and bootless, their hands and feet were neat and nimble, and they preferred highlands and hillsides."

Woke Hollywood and authors like Neil Gaiman should stop their nonsense already! Stop forcing Blacks and Asians playing characters in movie and TV adaptations of novels that have original white European people on viewing public. They should instead encourage non Whites to research their culture, make movies about them, and stop appropriating white culture. Colored people invented the term "cultural appropriation", now the tables are turned and let's see if they recognize themselves. Ha! These wokesters are killing their own industry by making viewers puke at every woke production they come up with. No money for you!

I remember reading the main character Maggie Tulliver in George Eliot's The Mill On The Floss described as dark complexioned. Her parents are white English people but she is the only dark complexioned child among her cousins and brother. It doesn't mean she is Black or Asian, or some other colored race. In fact she is frustrated with her extremely straight hair that refuses to curl no matter what she does. When she was acting up and bratty, she ran away from home and went to a homestead where a gypsy family lives, thinking because she has browner skin they'll accept her as their own. It's a good thing George Eliot's books are not popular with Hollywood. Otherwise, they'll make Maggie a Black girl with kinky hair just because she is dark complexioned.

BBC produced films and TV series based on 5 George Eliot books. I've only seen Silas Marner with Ben Kingsley [half Indian half English] as Silas and a bit of Middlemarch. Silas Marner is good but Middlemarch was awful. I haven't seen the other 3 - Daniel Deronda, Adam Bede, The Mill On The Floss -  and don't plan to. They usually ruin the original by  casting super old actors to portray children and teenagers. 

Georgy Girl

tags: Amazon streaming, 1966 British movie, comedy, drama, romance

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From Wikipedia

Georgy Girl is a 1966 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Silvio Narizzano and stars Lynn Redgrave, in the titular role, Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates, and James Mason. It was based on the 1965 novel by Margaret Forster.

The plot follows the story of a virginal young woman in 1960s Swinging London who is faced with a dilemma when she is pursued by her father's older employer and the young lover of her promiscuous, pregnant flatmate.

I've heard of the song Georgy Girl but never knew there is a movie with the same name. I checked IMDB to see if I've seen any movie with Lynn Redgrave. Nope, not one although I've seen several of her sister Vanessa's old movies. What a shame. Lynn was good in this movie. And so are the rest of the cast. I love the dialog and the great acting by everyone. And the song.

Charlotte Rampling plays Meredith, the elegant and beautiful flatmate of Georgy. Meredith goes on dates with other men although she has a steady boyfriend. Meredith is the opposite of Georgy who is not attractive with her dry wiry hair and frumpy clothes.

Highly recommended. Watch it on Amazon streaming.

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The Seekers Georgy Girl song was written for the movie

Spoilers

The Enigma of Room 622

tags: dramedy, mystery

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From Goodreads

One night in December, a corpse is found in Room 622 of the Hotel Verbier, a luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps. A police investigation begins without definite end, and public interest wanes with the passage of time. Years later, the writer Joel Dicker, Switzerland's most famous literary ingenue, arrives at that same hotel to recover from a bad breakup, mourn the death of his longtime publisher, and begin his next novel. Little does Joel know that his expertise in the art of the thriller will come in handy when he finds himself investigating the crime. He'll need a Watson, of course: in this case, that would be Scarlett, the beautiful guest and aspiring novelist from the next room, who joins in the search while he tries to solve another puzzle: the plot of his next book. Meanwhile, in the wake of his father's passing, Macaire Ebezner is set to take over as president of the largest private bank in Switzerland. The succession captivates the news media, and the future looks bright, until it doesn't. The bank's board, including a certain Lev Levovitch - Geneva's very own Jay Gatsby - have other plans, and Macaire's race to the top soon becomes a race against time... A matryoshka doll of a mystery built with the precision of a Swiss watch. Joel Dicker presents a diabolically addictive thriller where a love triangle, a power struggle, shocking betrayals and dangerous envy play out against the backdrop of a not so quiet Switzerland, where the truth twists and turns into something no reader will see coming. A European phenomenon, Dicker's latest page-turner is his most personal novel yet

This is the first novel I've read by this young Swiss author. The novel is full of flaws and at first I was not liking it but I found myself laughing at the absurd characters and story and slowly realized I was loving it up to the very last twist at the end. Speaking of twists, a novel usually has just one or two. Enigma has several twists that I failed to guess who was dead and who killed him until all the possible characters and suspects have been cleared. In the book, the author Joel Dicker misses and pays tribute to his long time publisher who just died and he does it nicely without being maudlin or intrusive in the main story.

The dialog, situations, the love triangle, the unbelievable characters are silly but oh so entertaining. The author wrote himself into the story which is not a new idea because William Goldman wrote a fictional character of himself in The Princess Bride. I am comparing the silliness and comic book feel of Enigma to the The Princess Bride, being almost a satire maybe, I am not sure. The book is a tad long at over 600 pages, my only complaint, but I didn't notice because I was enjoying the novel. The mystery of Room 622 storyline was confusing at the beginning because of the several timelines jumping back and forth but I got used to it and didn't mind after 200 pages. I just paid attention to the years things happened, what's what, and who's who. 

Great read. Highly recommended for readers with sense of humor and adventure.

Chillaxing Critters

 

A Private Affair (Un Asunto Privado)

tags: Amazon streaming, comedy, crime, murder-mystery, Spanish series

8 episodes

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From Amazon

1940s, Galicia. Marina Quiroga, a bold upper class girl with the soul of a detective, decides with the help of Héctor, her loyal butler, to trap the killer who has been terrorising her city.

My favorites Aura Garrido and Jean Reno are the leads, how can I not watch. I like the first two episode so far and will rate when I am done watching the complete series. Amazon is showing interesting series [at least to me], at last.

Update September 24, 2022: 5 stars.

Highly recommended. Watch in original European Spanish with English subtitles. Dubbing in English is always atrocious.

Father Stu

tags: based on true story, Catholic priest, drama, family, redemption, streaming on Netflix

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Based on a true story, Father Stu is an unflinchingly honest, funny and ultimately uplifting drama about a lost soul who finds his purpose in a most unexpected place. When an injury ends his amateur boxing career, Stuart Long moves to L.A. dreaming of stardom. While scraping by as a supermarket clerk, he meets Carmen, a Catholic Sunday school teacher who seems immune to his bad-boy charm. Determined to win her over, the longtime agnostic starts going to church to impress her. But surviving a terrible motorcycle accident leaves him wondering if he can use his second chance to help others find their way, leading to the surprising realization that he is meant to be a Catholic priest. Despite a devastating health crisis and the skepticism of Church officials and his estranged parents, Stu pursues his vocation with courage and compassion, inspiring not only those closest to him but countless others along the way.

The movie is currently Number 1 on Netflix and I can understand why. It is well scripted and acted, inspiring for everyone not just for Catholics but for all faiths. It's superior to any current movies Hollywood is churning out these days. The soundtrack is awesome also. 

Highly recommended.

Ringo Starr is 82

82-year old Ringo Starr does jumping jacks in time to the music after a 2 hour show in Pittsburgh Saturday; second of a three night stand in Pennsylvania: Easton Friday, Philadelphia Sunday. Some guys not as old as Ringo go home to Delaware on weekends and fall off their bike. pic.twitter.com/0JlN56E6xt

— Kristinn Taylor (@KristinnFR) September 11, 2022

He was 65 years old in this 2005 video. Don't Pass Me By is still my favorite from the double album White Album. It was originally written as country western by Ringo. Great song and I like the humor in the story/lyrics.  

I listen for your footsteps

Comin' down the drive

Listen for your footsteps

But they don't arrive

Waitin' for your knock, dear

On my old front door

I don't hear it, does it mean

You don't love me anymore?

Don't pass me by

Don't make me cry

Don't make me blue

'Cause you know

Darling, I love only you

You'll never know it hurts me so

How I hate to see you go

Don't pass me by

Don't make me cry

Don't make me blue

I hear the clock a-tickin'

On the mantel shelf

I see the hands a-movin'

But I'm by myself

I wonder where you are tonight

And why I'm by myself

I don't see you, does it mean

You don't love me anymore?

Don't pass me by

Don't make me cry

Don't make me blue

'Cause you know

Darling, I love only you

You'll never know it hurts me so 

Sorry that I doubted you

I was so unfair

You were in a car crash

And you lost your hair

You said that you'd be late tonight

About an hour or two

I said, that's alright

I'm a-waitin' here

Just waitin' to hear from you

Don't pass me by

Don't make me cry

Don't make me blue

'Cause you know

Darling, I love only you

You'll never know it hurts me so

How I hate to see you go

Don't pass me by

Don't make me cry

Don't make me blue

Ringo Starr wrote this in 1963 and sang lead. It was the first Beatles song he wrote by himself. In an interview for a New Zealand radio station during their 1964 tour of Australia, Ringo is heard in the background saying "sing the song I've written, just for a plug." Then, Paul says "Ringo has written a song called 'Don't Pass Me By.' A beautiful melody. This is Ringo's first attempt at songwriting." At this point, Paul and John actually sing a verse of it and Ringo says, "It was written as a country western, but Paul and John singing it with that blues feeling has knocked me out. Are the Beatles going to record it? I don't know. I don't think so, actually. I keep trying to push it on them every time we make an album." Paul then states, "Unfortunately, there's never enough time to fit Ringo's song on an album.

The Hobbit

tags: fantasy, reread

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From Goodreads

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent.

Great adventure and fantasy for all ages. Read it. It is short at 370 pages.

2022 Outstanding South Korean Dramas

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

16 episodes, 60 - 62 minutes, Season 1 complete

tags: dramedy, [bit of] romance

Woo Young-Woo is extremely smart and she also has autism spectrum disorder. She never forgets what she sees, but she lacks in social skills and empathy. Woo Young-Woo begins to work as a trainee lawyer at a large law firm. While working there, she faces prejudice and irrationality against her, but she solves cases with her own unique perspective and grows as a lawyer.

Although the main character Attorney Woo is a 28 year-old lawyer, the drama is kinda bildungsroman because she has autism and only becomes fully an adult towards the end of the first season. The writing is absolutely perfect. I love her immediate boss, Jung Myeong-Seok's admirable and warm personality, that I was rooting for him when he fell ill. I read there will be a second season because fans around the globe love the series. I'm looking forward to the second season.

Alchemy Of Souls

20 episodes, 62 - 70 minutes, Season 1 complete

tags: fantasy, mages, magic, romance, sageuk

The fate of these people become twisted due to "hwanhonsool" (the soul of the dead takes over the body of another living person).

In the country of Daeho, Jang Uk comes from the noble Jang family. He holds an unpleasant secret about his birth, which people all around the country talk about. He is a troublemaker. Jang Uk happens to meet Mu-Deok. She is an elite warrior, but her soul is trapped in a physically weak body. She becomes Jang Uk’s servant and secretly teaches him how to fight.

Seo Yul comes from the noble Seo family. He seems perfect with good appearance, intelligence, and strong martial arts skills.

Go Won is the crown prince of Daeho. He hopes to become a generous king.

A period drama, comedy, horror, shamans, mages, the baddest villains, romance, lots of sword fight, pretty and cute young leads, and the obligatory love triangle. Here the triangle becomes a polygon with 4 young men and 2 young women, it is dizzying at first but eventually settled to a rectangle, then a triangle. Whew! 😄Second season with 10 episodes will be aired in December, 2022.

The love polygon - Crown Prince, nobles and mages Jang-Uk and Seo Yul are all in love with maidservant Mu-Deok. Crown Prince calls her Filthy Mu-Deok because she used to wear tatty clothes.

Little Women

12 episodes, 60+ minutes, ongoing Saturday and Sunday

tags: 3 sisters, corruption, loosely based on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, mystery

Three sisters get involved in a case that leads them to fight against the richest and most influential family in South Korea. They grew up in a terribly poor environment with an inattentive mother and absent father who lives abroad.

Oh In-Joo is the oldest sister. Since she was a young child, she realized that money was the most important thing to protect herself and her family. Her dream is to live an ordinary life like other people. She gets involved in a case that could change her life.

Oh In-Kyung is the middle sister. She is an enthusiastic reporter at a news station. She believes in doing the right things. She believes money doesn't rule life. She now begins to dig into a mysterious case that she first faced when she first became a reporter.

Oh In-Hye is the youngest of the three sisters. She is a student at a prestigious arts high school and she has a natural talent for painting. She often feels her two older sisters' love for her is too much.

There are only 3 sisters, not 4. I'm guessing Beth is not included because nobody will want to watch if the middle sister dies. The story is a mystery involving an ambitious wealthy politician and his involvement in a series of deaths in the present and 4 years before. Interesting story line and the acting and script are really good.

I gave all 3 series 2 thumbs up on Netflix.