Thoughts on:       The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 Disney animation)


after watching a YouTube video by Lindsay Ellis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIIWy3TZ1eI&t=807s

I had forgotten the goofy gargoyles, the graphic blood of Qusimodo's torture scene and the intense evil of Frollo. While I respect what Disney tried to do the themes of serious justice and a gregarious gargoyle almost seems bipolar. The McDonald's toy tie-in is just plain weird. Thanks for the views of the real Paris. Also for showing the unfortunate need for the presence of soldiers with major weapons who completely missed the guy (@11:30 in referenced video) hiding a bag within the foliage.

Suburbicon (2017)

Directed by: George Clooney

Written by:   Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, George Clooney and Grant Heslov

I did NOT watch this movie, only viewed the trailers.


Odd, I wonder why George Clooney and The Coens didn't concentrate on the black family's experience in the white neighborhood. Seems like that experience would result in a more interesting movie. Was this a Coen reimagining of Fellini's Satyricon (1969)?

Lore (2017 -       )

6 episodes on Amazon Prime

I have watched some of the Lore episodes on Amazon.  They are well-directed and acted, but super unnerving. The fact that these events really happened makes it way too dark to binge the episodes.

Mindhunter (2017 -   )

Season 1 - 11 episodes


This was a great series to binge watch (although I did have to take a mental health break now and then). I hope that season 2 is in production to be released soon.  This is a smart well-written series making even the known, exciting and involving. This series, taking place in 1977,  details the birth of the new view of multiple murderers, their motives and their game plan so that they could be apprehended or even stopped.  The team is Jonathan Groff (as FBI instructor Holden Ford), Holt McCallany (as Veteran FBI agent Bill Tench) and Anna Torv (as the former academic now liaison to the FBI Wendy Carr.



POSSIBLE SPOILER: 

The last episode had great acting by Jonathan Groff (as character Holden Ford). This scene taking place in a hospital corridor the viewer could see how all the evil that the character of Holden Ford had to absorb, but could not expel was literally clogging and choking him.

This Is Not What I Expected (2017)

A Chinese film seen on Netflix 10/22/2017


This is an entertaining rom-com mixed with a Bollywood movie mixed with tantalizingly well-imaged cuisine. The beats of this film are formulaic, right down to the rich boy loses talented girl, talented girl loses rich boy in sensitive montage and score.  However this film is charming, the comedic timing spot on due to the two leads Takeshi Kaneshiro (as Lu Jin) , Dongyu Zhou (as Gu Sheng nan), the food presented and a very charismatic dog (a bull terrier called "Boss" who has no listing on IMDb). The dialogue (going by the subtitles and the actors' expressions) is quirky, the situations outrageous, but they made made me laugh.  The ending is equally as staged, but again the two leads and Boss (the bull terrier) allow the viewer stay invested. Remain for the concluding credits, there is an extra scenes followed by beautifully shot international sunsets.

Miss Hokusai (2015)

watched on Netflix l0/21/2017



Beautiful anime both for lovers of traditional anime and the artists known as Katsushika Hokusai and his daughter Katsushika Oi. The artwork that Hokusai is most known for is called The Great Wave. It is almost a puzzle hunt, looking for the art among the beautiful images of this film.  Hokusai focused artwork on landscapes and images of Japanese people from all levels of society.  However, this is primarily an anime about family, living your life and dedication.  While there is a sadness, the movie does end on a positive feeling.  No doubt assisted by the soundtrack. The details of Hokusai's life are not in documentary/fact format, but the viewer will get a true feel for his art and life by just watching and absorbing.

My Life As A Zucchini (2016) --- Ma vie de Courgette (original title
PG-13
l hour 6 minutes

Watched on Netflix 10/20/2017








This film was one of the nominees for 2017 Oscar for animated films (Zootopia won). While this a sweet story with a very happy conclusion, it is not for younger children. However with adult supervision, this film could teach young children important life lessons. The first few moments of this movie are quite dark. The reasons that the children are in foster care is also realistic and not sugar-coated.  The stop-motion animation is bright, involving and with more details than can be absorbed.  The soundtrack is very French and goes well with the animation style. The movie moves slowly, but is not boring. The French spoken is basic, but the English subtitles are helpful. It even renewed some of my high school French vocabulary skills.  This movie portrays life with a happy ending without eliminating the different routes many of us take.  Stay for the closing credits, about half way in is an imaginative bonus scene which was funny and still poignant.