Since we are spending more time at home in the evenings, we’ve been watching more movies than usual. I thought I’d rate four of the recent ones we’ve seen and give a plug to an upcoming one.
My Spy – (PG-13) Amazon Prime.
This movie puts Dave Bautista (JJ) and Chloe Coleman (Sophie) together in an action star meets precocious cute kid formula. Kristen Schaal also plays a nerdy IT character. The plot is basically that nine-year-old Sophie catches JJ, a hardened CIA operative, spying on her family during a routine surveillance operation. In exchange for not blowing his cover, JJ begrudgingly agrees to show Sophie how to be a spy. What at first seems like an easy task soon turns into a battle of wits as Sophie proves you don’t need much experience to outsmart a seasoned agent.
We laughed out loud several times and that felt really good. This won’t win any awards, but it was a blast to watch.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – (PG-13) Netflix.
Okay, this is a Will Ferrell movie. I’m not a big fan either and was very skeptical. But throw in some famous actors/singers, set it in Iceland (very cool, no pun intended), add a love story and a music competition, and you’ve got an entertaining movie.
It was worth it all for the best song of the movie, “Husavik (My Hometown).” It is song by Will Ferrell and Molly Sandén (lip synching by Rachel McAdams).
My Octopus Teacher (Documentary) Netflix.
This documentary is a year-long look into the life of Craig Foster, a burnt out filmmaker, and the bond he develops with an octopus. Set in Cape Town, South Africa, the underwater filming is fascinating. However, when Foster starts using anthropomorphism to represent the octopus as “teacher,” it really takes away from the mysterious world of the octopus. In summary: this is a nice quiet movie for those who like exploring the creatures and plants of the sea.
Swing Kids (TV-14) Amazon.
The 2018 version of this film is set during the Korean War. The soldiers at a POW camp plan a tap show to distract both themselves and the prisoners from the hardships of war. A former Broadway dancer and a rebellious North Korean soldier lead them, and the prisoners find freedom in dancing. About halfway in, it gets horribly violent and I stopped watching. Spoiler alert: everyone you care about dies, and I do not recommend.
Coming soon: The Prom (Netflix – Release 12/11/2020)
This movie stars someone I know and I can’t wait for it to come out. There are some big names like Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden starring in it, but it is local actor, Bailey Sonner, who is making her film debut. Bailey’s mom and I have been friends for over thirty years, and it’s been wonderful to watch Bailey’s acting career grow in new directions.
The Prom is set in a small conservative town in Indiana where a high school girl is banned from her prom because she wants to take her girlfriend. At the same time, some self-obsessed NYC theater stars involved in a recent flop decide to go to Indiana to help the girl and redeem their image with a good cause.
Bailey Sonner, who plays a character in the Godspell cast of this movie says, “This story celebrates friendship, acceptance, love, hope, and holding on to a vision of a new world. I think we could all use a little bit of that.”
We could use a lot of that!
