Month: May 2025
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The Magic of Belle Isle spreads sweetness over everything
The Magic of Belle Isle is a 2012 film directed by Rob Reiner. It’s a sweet, heartwarming story about a crusty drunk of a washed up writer played by Morgan Freeman. He spends the summer house sitting / dog sitting with plans to stay dead drunk all summer.
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The Last Showgirl bathes Pamela Anderson in overdue starshine
The Last Showgirl finally gives Pamela Anderson a chance to do something besides romp on a beach, and boy does she take the opportunity and run with it. And while I’m talking about brilliant performances, Jamie Lee Curtis turns in one as well.
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Fountain of Youth – it’s the journey not the destination
Fountain of Youth fits neatly into the archeology adventure genre filled with favorites like Indiana Jones. It’s light and fun with car chases, gun fights, cool secret passages in pyramids, and a bickering brother and sister.
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In the Summers, three family summers with Dad
In the Summers is an insight into a family as two siblings grow to adulthood. We see only three summers of their lives as they grow and spend time with their highly imperfect father in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
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Sirens brings something different to your TV screen
Sirens explores a lot in just 5 episodes. It asks many questions without answering them. It’s based on the old story about sirens singing so seductively that sailors crashed their boats on the rocky cliffs of the island where the sirens were imprisoned. In this retelling of that old story, we see it from the…
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Jazzy, a film about BFFs and growing up
Jazzy looks at girlhood, best friends, and growing up in a different way. We see the girls from age seven up to about 13 in the film. They are both Lakota tribal members living in a trailer park in a small town in North Dakota.
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Yara tells a true crime story from Italy
Yara Gambirasio (Chiara Bono), a 13 year old girl, was walking home one night in 2010 from a sports center very close to her home when she disappeared. The case, based on a real crime, took years to resolve and was built on DNA evidence. This review contains spoilers.
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The Light in the Hall, a Welsh mystery series
The Light in the Hall is a six part Welsh series. Reporter Cat (Alexandra Roach) returns to her small town when the convicted murdered of her childhood friend is released from prison. Her efforts to write a story about that long ago disappearance bring up all kinds of secrets.
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The Secret Life of Bees, revisiting an old favorite
The Secret Life of Bees is a perfect rewatch when you’ve reached the end of everything new on all your streamers. It stars a gaggle of women, and was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood from a novel by Sue Monk Kidd.
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Étoile, a triumph of a series
Étoile looks like a story about ballet, but it’s really a series full of funny characters, weirdos, outcasts, big egos, and rampant artistic temperament. The series was created by Daniel Palladino and Amy Sherman-Palladino who directed most of the episodes as well. It’s already set for a second season and I can’t wait to see…