Past seven days

Highlight of the week is Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds, a Turkish film about two youths who dream of opening a cinema and making films.  I learned a little about Mexican corridos in El Otro Lado, a documentary.  Skip Cold Prey, a run of the mill horror movie about college-aged friends trapped in an abandoned winter resort--it pays some homage to The Shining but the story is pretty unoriginal and I didn't understand who the killer was supposed to be.

About 111 Girls
Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds
Cold Prey
Off the Map
El Otro Lado
Short Term 12
Swirl

Wizards

After an apocalypse, humans are now dead or mutated from the nuclear fallout.  The real ancestors of humans, creatures such as fairies and dwarves rise up to live in peace.  After several millenia, their queen births twins, Avatar (voiced by Bob Holt), the one still using magic, and Blackwolf (Steve Gravers), who has found a way to use technology against the wizards, hoping to lead the mutants into a revolution. An animated film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi.

Past seven days

A long holiday weekend means lots of tv watching.  Although I didn't watch too many movies, I did watch some tv series on Netflix Instant:  House of Cards (2013), Top of the Lake, and Ripper Street.  I also tried Spiral, a French series (take a pass); and Rock Slyde, a comic film noir (looks like a small budget film and it shows).

Afternoon Delight
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
A Useful Life

Past seven days

Even though I haven't had a lot of reviews up, it doesn't mean I haven't been watching. Any of these you are interested in?

The Game
Hell Drivers
Monster Squad
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Prince Avalanche
Someone Like Me
Straight Time
Things to Come
Try and Get Me (aka Sound of Fury)

Morning Glory

Here's an ex-prisoner movie, but since it's based on a book by LaVyrle Spencer, you know it has a romantic bent. It's a made-for-TV film.

Set in the Depression era on the brink of World War 2, just-paroled Will Parker (Christopher Reeve) looks for work, and answers an ad from widowed farmer/mother Elly Dinsmore (Deborah Raffin, also a co-writer on this one). She’s known as a recluse and is looking for a “husband” to help her tend her farm, especially since she is pregnant.

Elly warns Will to keep away from the bee colony, it was managed by her dead husband and she considers it a danger now, but Will insists it can be a moneymaker and defies her. He becomes part of the family, first in a marriage of convenience, but then as these films often do, it turns into a more meaningful relationship with Elly.

The sheriff (JT Walsh), local waitress/loose woman (Helen Shaver) and other narrow-minded citizens make trouble for Will. Nina Foch plays a kindly librarian who knew Elly when she was younger and continues to be a helpful friend. In an unusually non-villainous role, Lloyd Bochner is a lawyer who helps them when Will is arrested for a serious crime.