Season 1
Verity is a thrilling, entertaining psychological twist of a film, starring Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway and Josh Harnett in the starring roles. It follows the successful career of an accomplished thriller novelist played with aplomb, confidence and sexual personality, by Anne Hathaway who is paralyzed and appeasingly braindead after a car accident in Vermont where she and her children are living. Following a tragic accident resulting in the death of her 9 year old daughter, Verity Crawford has a car accident that halts her from continuing her daily writing career. Harnett'[s character engages Johnson's character to move into their almost haunted house and research Verity's notes and progress, ignorer to complete a writing series that's been started, unbelmpwnst to the world.Harnett's character Jeremy wants to retain the silence around his wife's paralyzed state and engage Lowen.played by Johnson, to continue her novel series. We discover that Verity is a twisted, manipulative person who abhors and resents her children , as she perceives they detract from her husband's adoring demeanor of her affection.
Primetime is a seedy adaptation of the biography of the TV show in 2007 who ch debuted on primetime on NBC, To Catch a Predator, hosted by Chris Hansen. It's a raw, critty, sensationalist presentation of the investigative and exposing world of television journalism that takes no prisoners and will go to any length to garner viewers and ratings. The show ran for 4 years and Pattinson was amazing as Hansen, a flawed, philandering character whom will g0 to any length to catch a viewer and gain nterioty. He is creepy and exaggerated and an opportunist. Pattinson was spot on and amazing in his presentation and the morals and ambitious producer was equally unlikely.
This is a film that demands watching. It is a feel good movie, based on a true story of a French quadriplegic whom is privileged and very wealthy aristocrat, whom is looking for a care giver whom he finds in Driss, played by Omar Sy. They forge upon a beautiful relationship where Driss' devil with care attitude encourages the reserved man to embrace life, participate in adventures, engage in potential love relationship, better his relationship with his daughter, and survive his grief of having lost the love of his life, his wife, after her death from a terminal cancer diagnosis. This circumstance caused him to attempt to take his life in a paragliding accident which instead resulted in his handicap. The chemistry between the actors and the sincere friendship they developed which is portrayed in the film created a synergy that made this film a huge commercial success. The film cost $10million to make and made over $446million globally, garnering a Cesar award for Driss' actor Omar Sy and 7 other Cesar nominations.
Precious, released to critical acclaim in 2009, follows the life of a 16 year old girl, living in Harlem in the late 1980s. She is subjected to continual sexual and verbal and physical abuse by her parents and has a child from her father, and then becomes pregnant with a second one when it's discovered by her high school principal whom makes arrangements for he to be transferred to another school, for gifted students whose circumstances are our of the ordinary and in this case, that means her being a pregnant minor. In this environment, she finds acceptance, emotional support and is recognized for her abilities and promise to access scholastically, giving her much confidence. Lee Daniels is well known for directing Monsters Ball which won the Oscar for Best film in 2001 and this film was lacking distribution when Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry stepped in and bank rolled it and convinced studios to release it. Well their gamble paid off in spades. It won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, it was made for $10million and garnered $63million at the box office and was nominated for 6 Oscars winning two. It's a fabulous film of hope, compassion and promise.
Released first in London in 2019 and then worldwide in early 2020, The Gentlemen is a comedy drama film, co-written, produced and directed by Guy Ritchie. It stars Matthew McConnaughy, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant and a cast of repeated character actors that Guy Ritchie often hires for his films. It is a fast paced narrative, narrated by Hugh Grant's character and follows the main character played by Matthew McConnaughy whom is a marijuana kingpin looking to sell his company to the billionaire American played by Jeremy Strong. There are several other plots simultaneously occurring with cross reference to the main one, the sale, and it's a delightful study of power between the classes, presentation, greed and crime. It's available to stream on Netflix and has been followed up with an eight part series also available on Netflix, called the Gentlemen 2.
Late Fame, released in 2025 is a sleeper film, directed by Kent Jones, which chronicles the life of former poet, Ed Saxberger, played by Willem Dafoe, whom has been a postal worker for 37 years and lives a quiet life in lower NYC. He is approached by a zealous fan and fellow poet whom encourages him to attend the weekly group meetings that he has with colleagues that are all under 30 aspiring poets and writers and they gather to philosophize about the creative process and poetry. They are all well-off and sort of entitled creatives searching for a purpose and they are striving for self-identity. The groups performance falls flat and they are no very impressive but Dafoe is outstanding, based on his performance, his compassion and his integrity. I rate it a 2.5 stars out of 5, and it's mostly because of his stellar performance, but it is a lonely film that leaves you haunted and it was not a favorite.
The Talented Mr. Ripley, made in 1999 for $40 million and grossing $128 million globally, nominated for 5 Academy Awards, is a highly stylized, visually beautiful psychological thriller starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett, in a sweeping film set in a fictionalized town in Southern Italy. It takes place in the mid 1950s and is about class distinctions, entitled lifestyles, duplicity and intrigue. It is based on a novel the same name. It is a must see - one of my top 10 films of all time!
Tony is a poignant comedic drama set in Provincetown, Rhode Island during the summer of 1975. It stars Dominic Sessa as a 19 year old Anthony Bourdain, Antonio Banderas as Chef and Leo Woodall as Sal, a kitchen co-worker of Tony's who is implied to be the introduction of drugs to Tony's world. It is based on a fictionalized romantic journey that Tony embarks upon, by following a co-Student from Vassar College, for the summer. He gets a job accidentally, in a kitchen, first cleaning dishes and then evolving to a young creative chef. It is a vulnerable, sensitive and poetic introduction to the chaos and creativity that became Anthony Bourdain's life as a cultural batboy who traveled the world exploring culinary secrets and whom died tragically, by his own hand, in 2018. It is a must-see film, one of the top 5 this year.
On the End has been written and directed by newcomer, Ari Selling and has been making rounds at film festivals across the country. It is available in parts, on YouTube. It tells the fictionalized version of the true story of Montauk local, Tom Ferreira, whom was a local mechanic, 3rd generation Montauk resident, who is confronted by the greedy, scheming minds of a local realtor and her husband, looking to claim his property for financial gain. He falls in love with a fellow diabetic, Freckles, wonderfully played by Mirelle Enos whom is the backbone and inspiration for Tom, masterfully played by Tim Blake Nelson and his desire to fight back and retain what's rightfully his. It's a gem of a film, shot with beautiful lighting and mood and is a must see when released.
Walk the Line is a genuine, realistic portrayal of the life of Johnny Cash, from his trio band formation in Memphis, to his touring days and his epic performance at Folsom Prison. The 2005 film was co-written and directed by James Mangold and not only chronicles the life of Johnny musically, but also personally, including his self-destructive drug and alcohol addiction, his romance with June Carter and his tumultuous relationship with his father. It is a beautifully done film with a tremendous performance by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon whom had wonderful chemistry and great musical talent in the film. It is available to stream on HBO Max and Amazon Prime.