Exploring Food and Movies

 Friday: Forgotten Island (2026)          Jo and Raissa are best friends living the Philipines. Jo is wild and obsessed with the fantasy world of Nakali. Raissa is incredibly smart, but also can be just as wild. They have a strong friendship. Raissa is going to college in the US. Jo struggles with this. She doesn't want to be apart from her best friend. The night before Raissa is going to leave they end up at the beach. A portal opens and they are sucked inside. They wake up on a island with strange creatures. They are in Nakali. The two friends have no idea how they got there. A whole day is missing from their memories. With the help of a dog man, Raww, they retrace their steps. The longer they are there the worse it will be for them. I thought this movie was really good. The story line and animation were good. Very unique and original. Really funny. It was cool to see them use anime styles in some scenes. I can't wait to watch it again. Saturday: Uncle Bu...

 Friday: All Good Things (2010)         This movie is based on true events. David is the son of a wealthy real estate tycoon. He wants nothing to do with the business. He dreams of opening a natural foods grocery store. One day he meets Katie while repairing her sink. She is a tenant in one of his dad's buildings. They hit it off. They have a whirlwind romance and are soon married. David starts to change. His becomes controlling. Clearly he has mental health issues that he's not addressing properly. After he finally goes to work for his dad, things get worse. Then Katie disappears. David is a suspect. I thought this movie was alright. It's based on the case of Robert Durst. Saturday: Practical Magic 2 (2026)          Sally has done her best to keep herself and her daughters away from magic. It's not easy. Her aunt Jet discovers a magic book that talks about ending the curse on their family. Anyone the Owens woman fall in love with dies. ...

 Friday: Finding Emily (2026)        Owen is a young man who works at a university in Manchester. Among other things he works at the night club. One night he meets a beautiful young woman named Emily. They really get on. She gives him her number. The next day he tries to call but realizes the phone number is missing a digit. He's desperate to find her. All he knows is her first name and that she goes to the university. Owen thinks he's finds her, but it's another Emily. This Emily is working on a psychology paper about how love can makes you crazy. Owen would be the perfect subject. So she offers her help in finding his Emily. Together they go on a wild adventure to find Emily. I thought this movie was good. A good romantic comedy. Finally. Of course it gets bonus points for being British. I will admit that Owen's accent is hard to understand sometimes. But I watch enough British TV and movies that I could understand pretty well. Sunday: 10 Dance (2025)   ...

 Friday: The End of Oak Street (2026)        Denise lives with her husband and two kids. She is struggling with her marriage and finding her purpose. Strange things start to happen in her neighborhood. Like a plant showing up in her neighbor's yard that hasn't been around in thousands of years. Then one night there is a big flash of light. In the morning Denise and her family start to notice things are off. Then they see a dinosaur. Somehow their neighborhood has been transported back to the Mesozoic era. Her family has to try and survive. Hopefully finding a way back to their time. I thought this movie was ok. The acting wasn't great. There were these weird shots where there would be a close up of the side of someone's face but you could see the person in the background in focus too. There was a weird blurring around the close up face. It just looked bad. Luckily they didn't do that the whole movie. Some of the plot points where just a little too convenient. Sa...

 Friday: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)         Everyone has forgotten that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. He has to try and move on with his life. Peter devotes all his time to being Spider-Man. He watches his friends go through college. Not long after they graduate things start to change for Peter. His powers are evolving in ways he can't control. He's worried it's too much. So he tries to find a way to control them. Meanwhile something is possessing people. It moves from person to person invisibly. The focus seems to be the Damage Control building and what's being held in it's vaults. While adapting to his new powers, Peter must try and stop this invisible force. I thought this movie was good. I wasn't sure how they would top the third one. They came up with a good story. Although the third one is still better. They introduced a new character. Her addition to the MCU is interesting. We'll see where that goes. Saturday: Like Minds (2006)       ...

 Friday: The Odyssey (2026)        Odysseus went to fight in the Trojan war. Decades later and he still hasn't returned. His wife and son must deal with all the suitors who would marry her and become king. Odysseus is living on a beach with no memory of his past life. His companion helps him to remember. After they won the war he and his men mad their journey home. Odysseus makes decision after decision that puts his men's life at risk. They face cyclops, giants, sirens, and more. Still he is determined to get home. I thought this movie was good for the most part. It is a true epic. It is a long movie, but it keeps you engaged. The sets and the locations are amazing. Most of the acting is good. I just don't think Matt Damon is the best actor. His roles are hit or miss. He's not bad in this, just not that good. Also I'm just not that big a fan of Christopher Nolan films. Except the Batman trilogy. I get drawn in with these great casts, and then end up not liking ...

 Thursday: Enola Holmes 3 (2026)        Enola is getting married in Malta. On the way to her wedding she finds out her brother, Sherlock, is missing. He was working on a secret case. Enola starts to uncover a plot that goes back decades. She also discovers her fiance's family is involved. I thought this movie was alright. These movies are fun, just not always the best acting. Friday: Supergirl (2026)         Kara is traveling around to red sun planets and partying. Accompanied by her dog Krypto. While she is in a bar one night a young girl, Ruthye, comes to ask the patrons for help. Her whole family was killed by Krem and his crew of pirates. Ruthye wants revenge. No one will help her. After a brawl reveals Kara's abilities Ruthye goes to her for help. Kara is unwilling to help. While they are talking Krem and his crew come to steal a ship and decide on Kara's. She tries to fight back. He poisons Krypto and takes off. The only cure is the ant...

 Friday: Young Woman and the Sea (2024)        This is based on a true story. Trudy was born in 1905 and raised in NYC by her parents who were German immigrants. She was tenacious from a young age. She was very ill as a child but pulled through. During that time women weren't taught to swim. But after a major accident on a ferry Trudy's mom was determined that her daughters would swim. Trudy loves to swim. Later after some obstacles she joins a women swim team. Through hard work she becomes a record breaking competitive swimmer. Even competing at the 1924 Olympics and medaling. Still no one took woman athletes seriously. So in an attempt to gain attention for them Trudy decides to swim the English Channel. It is a very difficult swim. Spoiler alert: she becomes the first woman to swim the channel. I thought this movie was alright. A very interesting story. She was an incredible woman. Trudy broke the men's record for crossing the channel by 2 hours. Saturday: Th...

 Saturday: Power Ballad (2026)        Rick is an American living in Ireland. He was in a band when he was young that never took off. Now he is the lead singer in a wedding band. At a big wedding Rick meets Danny Wilson. Danny is an American pop star who was part of a band now trying to go solo. He is friends with the groom. At first Rick is annoyed by Danny's presence at the wedding. But then they get to talking about music and get on well. They spend the night talking and playing each other their songs. After the wedding Rick returns to his life. Danny goes back to the US. He struggles to write songs. He ends up using a song that Rick wrote. It becomes a hit. Rick hears it and knows it's his song. No one believes him. He is determined to prove he wrote it and get some credit. I thought this movie was good. Nick Jonas is Danny. He is acting is alright. It's just hard to know with him. He is reserved. So most of the time he comes off as either not really committi...

 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 ...

 Friday:  Mortal Kombat II (2026)          Shao Kahn is an evil warrior trying to take over all the realms. When Kitana was a young girl he took over her realm. Now as an adult she goes along with what he wants, but will never fully be on his side. He has his sights set on Earthrealm. A tournament will take place. Earth champions versus his champions. Earth is down one champion. The new chosen champion is Johnny Cage, a washed up action star. He is reluctant to join them, but has no choice. Earth's champions must fight to protect their planet. I thought this movie was ok. I should have skipped it. The acting and the story were not good. Some of the battles were entertaining. There are some funny moments. My only connection with the game this movie is based on is playing it at arcades. I always chose Kitana (mostly because she was one of the few female characters they had). So it was cool to see her in this movie. Saturday: Remarkably Bright Creatures (...

 Friday: Michael (2026)        This is based on a true story. Michael Jackson is a young boy living in Indiana. His father, Joesph, forces him and four of his brothers to be in a band. From a young age it is clear Michael has talent. Joesph is controlling and abusive. All that matters is that they are perfect and become famous. They become the Jackson 5 and are soon picked up by Motown. Once Michael reached his 20s he was ready to do his own thing. He wanted to go solo. But his father wouldn't let him. He could record an album he just also had to still perform with his brothers. Michael's first album was a hit and he started on his second. He needed to try and separate himself from family, especially his father. Even as his fame rose he struggled get out of the control of his dad. I thought this movie was good. It's definitely a sugar coated version of events. There is a lot they leave out. It does look like they are thinking of doing a second movie. So it will ...

 Friday: You. Me & Tuscany (2026)        Anna is a young woman who lost her passion for cooking after her mother passed. She's been housesitting, but it's not enough. One night she meets and Italian man, Matteo. They hit it off and he tells her about his empty villa in Italy that he never uses. Anna takes this as an invitation to use her pre-paid plane ticket and fly to Italy and stay at his empty villa. She gets caught by his family. They assume she is his fiancee and she goes along with it. Anna is introduced to the rest of the family, including Matteo's adopted brother Michael. Michael and Anna immediately hit it off, but can't do anything because she is engaged to his brother. When Matteo shows up things get even more complicated. I thought this movie was alright. It's cute and nice to have a new romantic comedy come out in theaters . It's just a little cheesy and over the top for me. Almost like a Hallmark movie or the like.  Saturday: The Bad Guys...

 Saturday: Is This Thing On? (2025)        Alex and his wife Tess are separating. Alex struggles with it. Not fully understanding what was wrong. One day he signs up for a open mic night at a comedy club as a way to avoid paying the cover charge. He discovers he likes it. It is a way for him to work through what is happening in his life. Meanwhile Tess is looking back at what she gave up to be a mom and a wife. They both try to rediscover their identities. I thought this movie was alright. Awkward at times. Sunday: Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (2026)           This is wrap up film for the TV show. This movie takes place during WWII. Tommy is living in self imposed exile after many believed he had died. His son Duke is now the leader of the Peaky Blinders. Duke is approached by a man who wants him to move fake money to help the Germans. By doing so ending the war in Germany's favor. Tommy's sister as well as others tell him he ne...

 Saturday: Wildhood (2021)        This is a Canadian film. Link learns that his father has been lying to him. His mom, who is First Nations, didn't die. Link runs away with his little brother Travis to look for his mom. Along the way he meets Pasmay, who is also First Nations. Pasmay agrees to give them a ride on his way to a powwow. They search for Link's mom. Along the way Link and Pasmay realize they have feelings for each other. I thought this movie was alright.  Sunday: Tron: Ares (2025)           Two companies are competing to bring AI beings to the real world from the grid. Julian's company has had success in building strong fighters, like Ares. But they only last for a short time in the real world. Julian is trying to find the permanence code. Eve continues her late sister's work to find the code. They are from the other company started by Kevin Flynn. Julian wants the code by any means. He uses Ares to track down Eve. Ares ...

 Friday: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)         A man claiming to be from the future holds a crowded diner hostage. He is there to recruit people to help him on his mission. In the future AI has taken over and destroyed everything. It is starting at the time he goes back to. If they can plug in safe guards at the beginning then it will save the future. The people who end up going with him have started to see troubling signs. A teacher couple are run out of their school by teens under the control of their phones. A mother who lost her son in a school shooting discovers a horrible new program for parents like her. Along with the others they have to work together to stop the future events from happening. I though this movie was good. I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. It is very weird. It is like different episodes of the show  Black Mirror that end up all coming together. It comments a lot on the current state of the world, and technology...

 Saturday: Sorry, Baby (2025)         Agnes is a young woman living in small college town. A traumatic event took place while she was in grad school. She struggles to move on. Everyone else has moved on like nothing happened. As time goes by she gets a job at the college and starts to see someone. Still it takes time for her to move on. I thought this movie was alright. It has a lot of awkward moments. The writing is unusual.  Sunday: Double Feature- Sentimental Value (2025) and Bonus Track (2023)           Sentimental Value is a Norwegian film. Nora is an actress. Her father, Gustav, is a well known film director. When she was little her parents got a divorce. She didn't see much of her dad after that. Later when she is an adult her mom passes away. Gustav comes back into their lives. He still owns the family home and wants to shoot a movie there. He wants Nora to star in it. She refuses. Gustav ends up running into an American act...

 Friday: No Other Choice (2025)         This is a Korean film. Man-su was let go after working at a paper factory for many years. He struggles to find a new job. Without his income his family has to start making cuts. It really starts to wear down on Man-su. There is a position at another paper factory. There are only a few men qualified for the job. Man-su realizes if he eliminates the competition he will get the job. So he eliminates them, permanently. I thought this movie was alright. Weird and violent. The acting is good. Saturday: Merrily We Roll Along (2025)          This is actually a broadway musical that they filmed. It shows the friendship of a lyricist, Frank, a playwright, Charley, and a writer, Mary. The plays starts in the mid 70s. Frank is a big shot in Hollywood. Mary comes to visit him after the success of his most recent movie. Their relationship is strained. He doesn't even talk to Charley anymore. From there the story...

 Thursday: I Like Movies (2022)         Lawrence is an awkward high school senior. He is obsessed with movies. One day he hopes to make movies of his own. To help save up for college he gets a job at a video rental store. Lawrence develops a complicated relationship with his older manager, Alana. His antisocial behavior starts to drive people away. He has to change his ways or lose everyone. I thought this movie was alright. Friday: Marty Supreme (2025)         An extremely ambitious young man, Marty, wants to be a pro ping pong player. He is talented but doesn't have the means to compete. After making his way to London for a competition he runs across a former famous actress. Somehow he convinces her to be with him. After getting back home he is instantly in trouble. It sets off a series of events that continues to get worse. He needs money to get to Japan to compete. Every lead on money becomes more chaotic and dangerous. Still he is determ...

 Wednesday: Merv (2025)        Anna and Russ share a dog named Merv. They recently broke up. Soon they notice that Merv isn't acting like his usual self. They take him to the vet and find out he's depressed. So they have to do all they can to make him happy. Russ takes him to a dog friendly resort by a beach. Anna tags along. It's awkward but they want to be there for Merv. They start to remember why they liked each other in the first place. I thought this movie was alright. Cute but not the best. It is Christmas movie. Saturday: Song Sung Blue (2025)          This is based on a true story. Mike, stage name Lightning, is a performer mostly known for being an impersonator. At a state fair he meets Claire, another impersonator. They hit it off. She thinks he would be a good Neil Diamond. They put together a tribute act and go by Lightning and Thunder. They fall in love and get married. They have great success. They open for Pearl Jam. Then...