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November is the month I could pay just to go watch previews of upcoming movies. November and December are typically the months that blockbusters and Academy Award hopefuls are released. This month I saw two such films. “King Richard” is the true story of Richard Williams and his unorthodox training of his daughters Venus and Serena. I loved this movie so much. It is incredibly pro-family. It’s rare these days to see a movie that offers forgiveness, redemption and family values all in one film. I would vote for Will Smith to get an Academy Award nomination for best actor.
The second major theatrical release I saw was “House of Gucci.” The book by Sara Gay Forden is a page-turner at almost 500 pages, so I knew the film would be long; it’s over two and a half hours. I am a massive Lady Gaga fan, and if she doesn’t get an Oscar nomination, I will be most upset. In my opinion, the movie needed editing desperately; there were sexual situations, long silent shots and side stories that did nothing to add to the actual telling of this twisted tale of love and revenge.
This past month Netflix hit several home runs for me, the first being “Holiday Rush.” This is a sweet movie about a successful DJ who loses his job right before Christmas and must deal with his spoiled children’s reactions and his growing feelings towards a co-worker. My husband and adult children loved this one. I also thoroughly enjoyed “Father Christmas is Back,” although the rest of my crew did not enjoy it as much as I did. The other two Christmas movies I devoured were “Love Hard” and Brooke Shields’ “A Castle for Christmas” with its magical Scottish setting.
The two non-holiday Netflix offerings I enjoyed were “Catching Killers” and “Hypnotic.” “Catching Killers” is a docuseries about the detectives and prosecutors who were in charge of some of the most notorious cases of our time. “Hypnotic” is from the husband-wife duo that brought us one of the smartest Netflix thrillers ever, “Hush.” It follows a therapist who uses hypnosis to control his patients.
And while we are discussing bad therapists, I am loving Apple TV’s “The Shrink Next Door.” Based on the incredible true crime podcast of the same name (try to listen to the podcast first), Paul Rudd plays the therapist who literally takes over the life of his patient, who is portrayed by Will Farrell. You will not believe this is even a true story! Apple TV also offers the Robin Wright directorial debut “Land.” I enjoyed this movie, though at times it could drag a bit.
Amazon Prime served up two sweet, fun Hallmark holiday movies this month. “Christmas on the Menu” and “The Santa Squad” felt like warm peppermint mocha lattes.
Hulu had my favorite dramatic, non-holiday shows. The Michael Keaton-led “Dopesick” is not to be missed. It’s the story of Purdue Pharma and the cover-up regarding the dangers of OxyContin. “Trust Me” is gripping right from the start. It asks the age-old question “how far would you go to protect and provide for your child?”.
Our family has a tradition of seeing a movie together on Christmas afternoon, so I look forward to next month’s reviewing! Until then, pass the popcorn …
by Merrile Stroud
The second major theatrical release I saw was “House of Gucci.” The book by Sara Gay Forden is a page-turner at almost 500 pages, so I knew the film would be long; it’s over two and a half hours. I am a massive Lady Gaga fan, and if she doesn’t get an Oscar nomination, I will be most upset. In my opinion, the movie needed editing desperately; there were sexual situations, long silent shots and side stories that did nothing to add to the actual telling of this twisted tale of love and revenge.
This past month Netflix hit several home runs for me, the first being “Holiday Rush.” This is a sweet movie about a successful DJ who loses his job right before Christmas and must deal with his spoiled children’s reactions and his growing feelings towards a co-worker. My husband and adult children loved this one. I also thoroughly enjoyed “Father Christmas is Back,” although the rest of my crew did not enjoy it as much as I did. The other two Christmas movies I devoured were “Love Hard” and Brooke Shields’ “A Castle for Christmas” with its magical Scottish setting.
The two non-holiday Netflix offerings I enjoyed were “Catching Killers” and “Hypnotic.” “Catching Killers” is a docuseries about the detectives and prosecutors who were in charge of some of the most notorious cases of our time. “Hypnotic” is from the husband-wife duo that brought us one of the smartest Netflix thrillers ever, “Hush.” It follows a therapist who uses hypnosis to control his patients.
And while we are discussing bad therapists, I am loving Apple TV’s “The Shrink Next Door.” Based on the incredible true crime podcast of the same name (try to listen to the podcast first), Paul Rudd plays the therapist who literally takes over the life of his patient, who is portrayed by Will Farrell. You will not believe this is even a true story! Apple TV also offers the Robin Wright directorial debut “Land.” I enjoyed this movie, though at times it could drag a bit.
Amazon Prime served up two sweet, fun Hallmark holiday movies this month. “Christmas on the Menu” and “The Santa Squad” felt like warm peppermint mocha lattes.
Hulu had my favorite dramatic, non-holiday shows. The Michael Keaton-led “Dopesick” is not to be missed. It’s the story of Purdue Pharma and the cover-up regarding the dangers of OxyContin. “Trust Me” is gripping right from the start. It asks the age-old question “how far would you go to protect and provide for your child?”.
Our family has a tradition of seeing a movie together on Christmas afternoon, so I look forward to next month’s reviewing! Until then, pass the popcorn …
by Merrile Stroud
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