Skip to main content

Bookstore Pen Pals and the Giant Starfish

 Monday: Edge of the City (1957)

          Axel is on the run. He ends up in New York City. At the docks he gives the name of an acquaintance and gets a job. His crew leader is a bully that Axel doesn't get along with. Axel is a bit of a loner. Despite that he soon becomes friends with a black man named Tommy. Tommy takes Axel under his wing and brings him on to his crew. The two men grow close. Axel reveals more about his past and why he is on the run. Axel's past comes for him. Not long after that his old crew leader, who is racist, has had enough of working with a black man at the same level. He starts a fight that changes everything. I thought this was a good movie. Sidney Poitier plays the charming and supportive Tommy.

Tuesday: Pal Joey (1957)

         Joey is on the search for a club to sing in. He finds a burlesque club down on their luck. He convinces the owner to hire him as an MC and performer. Joey is a ladies man. All the ladies love him except Linda, who is a bit of a challenge. Which makes him like her more. Joey has dreams of having his own club but lacks the funds. After performing for a wealthy widow he starts an affair with her. She agrees to buy him a club but gets jealous of the attention he gives to Linda. The love triangle soon becomes complicated. This movie is alright. I didn't realize until I was half way through the movie that I have already seen it. But I haven't written about it on this blog.

Wednesday: 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)

         Helene is a script reader living in NYC. She loves reading English literature. But she has a hard time finding used copies of the books she wants in NYC. Helene writes to a bookshop in London hoping they will have the books she wants. They send her some beautiful used books that don't cost very much. This starts a decades (1949-1970) long correspondence between Helene and the various employees of the bookstore. They become friends. Helene even sends them food packages as they are still dealing with rations after the war. They all grow to love receiving the letters and sending Helene books. I liked this movie a lot. It's based on a true story.

Friday: Our Friend (2019)

          This movie jumps around in time looking at the friendship between a couple, Matt and Nicole, and their friend Dane. Dane and Nicole were friends in college. Matt became friends with Dane when he started dating Nicole. Later in their life Matt and Nicole have two girls. Matt works as a journalist traveling around the world. This puts a strain on their marriage. Dane is always there to help. His life is at a standstill. He still lives at home, can't commit to relationships, and works a crummy job. Nicole is diagnosed with cancer. As it progresses Dane moves in to their house to help. He is a huge help to the family. This movie is alright. It is pretty sad but has some lighter moments. It is based on a true story.

Saturday: The Suicide Squad (2021)

          The villains are brought together again to help the government fight evil. A small island called Corto Maltese is taken over by a dictator. The island is also home to a top secret experiment called Project Starfish. It is believed to be a great weapon that could be used to attack the U.S. The villains are to go to the island, find The Thinker, and shut the project down. It doesn't go exactly as planned and ends in a big bloody and weird battle. I can't say much more without giving things away. I thought it was good. Better than the first one. It is really weird and really gory. Many of the squad members die. Margot Robbie is awesome as Harley Quinn as always. Idris Elba was great as Bloodsport. He has this great moment where he drops through several floors of a building and ends in the perfect position to take down a bad guy. So cool.

Sunday: Dark Habits (1983)

         This is a Spanish movie. Yolanda is a night club singer. Her boyfriend overdoses and she runs away. She ends up at a convent. The nuns take her in. This convent is different from others. The nuns have strange names like Sister Rat and Sister Damned. Some take drugs, one writes racy novels, and one has a pet tiger. Yolanda becomes friends with the Mother Superior. But she lives in constant fear of the police coming after her. The convent is struggling to stay open and Mother Superior is desperate to find funds. This movie was ok.  

         

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Migrating Ducks and the Prophecy

 Monday: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005)       Mrs. Palfrey is left at a retirement home in London by her family. It is not at the level of luxury she's used to. But eventually she does get used to it. Still she gets rather lonely. She has a grandson who lives in London, but he never returns her calls. After taking a fall Mrs. Palfrey is rescued by a young writer named Ludo. They become friends. He becomes more of a grandson to her than her own grandson. They keep each other company and make each other's lives better. I thought this movie was alright. Sunday: Double Feature- Suncoast  (2024) and Migration (2023)         Suncoast is based on a true story. Set in the early 2000s this movie is about a teenage girl named Doris. She spends most of her time taking care of her terminally ill brother. Her mother, Kristine, is very demanding. Kristine also shows more affections to her son and just expects Doris to do nothing else but care for her...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shoyu Ramen and the Baron

        Friday I went to a place called Hapa Ramen.  It's on SE Gladstone. It actually has it's own parking lot. That being said there is only 5 or 6 spots. It's a small place. You order and then you find your table. I sat at the ramen bar. The decor is dark. Most of the walls and part of the bar is covered in dark wood panels. There are also shelves with lots of plants and Japanese decorations. It is also a whiskey bar. They even have pairings with the different menu items. I didn't get any. I ordered the Shoyu Ramen which has pork and a marinated egg. It was really good. But I forgot to ask for no onions, which ruined it a little for me. To be fair the menu didn't say it came with onions but I guess that's a common ingredient in ramen. The service was good.  I would go back for sure. I know it's a place my sister would like. Especially because she told me about it. Monday: Going Hollywood (1933)          Sylvia is a young teacher ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grogu and the Friendly Neighbor

 Friday: Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)         The Mandalorian (Mando) and Grogu are working for the New Republic. There are still many Imperial Warlords out there even if the Empire has fallen. Their new assignment is to find a warlord who is dangerous but not much is known about him. The Hutts have information on him. They will give it to Mando if he can rescue their nephew, Rotta. Rotta has been kidnapped and made to fight in nightly cage matches. Mando and Grogu set out to rescue him, but much more is at play than they knew. I thought this movie was good. It's a stand alone adventure. So if you haven't watched the tv series you'll be ok. Wish I had known that before I gave me parents (who went with me) a recap of all three seasons. Oh well. They still enjoyed it. Grogu is so cute. And that's all the matters. Saturday: WarGames (1983)          David is an intelligent teen who is great with computers. While trying to get ...
Post a Comment
Read more