What Movies Did You Watch in November 2022?

Sergeant York (1941) - I recently met a grand-nephew of Alvin York and earlier this year I went to the grave of Audie Murphy (the highest decorated soldier of WWII and basically the "Sgt. York" of that war). Those things and the fact that my wife had not seen the film motivated me to watch it again. Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan both turned in great performances.

6/8
 
Nope (2022)

Horror: Not going to say what this is a about..... Anyhow, this one started out strong but fizzled as it went on and then disappointed at end..... being generous with this ranking..... 4.5/8
 
"I'll See You In My Dreams" (1951) - 5/8

The musical story of lyricist Gus Kahn (1886-1941), best known for standards like "It Had To Be You" and "Makin' Whoopee". Danny Thomas as Kahn, and Doris Day as his wife Grace. Amusing tale with some standard melodrama. Beautiful production. Danny Thomas displays expert cigar-chomping skills. Mary Wickes is excellent as the acerbic housekeeper.

Some tidbits about Kahn and this flick:

- Kahn's daughter Irene was the first wife of Groucho Marx's son Arthur
- Harry Antrim, who played Kahn's father-in-law, may be more familiar as the Mayberry drug store owner in The Andy Griffith Show.
- Kahn wrote "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" in 1931, which became a #11 hit for the Mamas & the Papas in 1968.
 
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - A bit too long but how can you complain about getting to watch Angela Bassett and some other beautiful Black women on the screen? I liked the anti-colonialism theme and did not find it too preachy or "woke". The tribute to Boseman was appropriate and very tasteful. I liked the tie in to the Mayan/Aztec origin of the water people. It would have been better with some editing.

5/8
 
Last edited:
The Prisoner of Zelda (1937) - How did I not see this film before? Very good action/adventure film with quite a bit of swashbuckling. How did they not cast Errol Flynn in this one? Actually, I am glad they did not as Ronald Coleman does a great job playing the dual role as king and the heroic tourist. The story is a familiar one of royal lookalike as old as Mark Twain's Prince and the Pauper and probably older.

6/8
 
Kiss the Girls (1995) 4/8 Based on James Patterson novel of the same name. Morgan Freeman plays Alex Cross and does it well. Not as good as the book, but not terrible either.

Along Came a Spider (2001) 4.5/8 Another Patterson novel and Freeman plays Cross again. This one isn't close to the book, but as a movie it's a little better than it's predecessor. Not really a sequel as the only connection is Cross to the first movie.
 
Dennis the Menace Christmas (2007) Kids picked this because it's loosely a Christmas movie and they like the first DTM written by John Hughes. Well, we discovered what a made for TV movie is. Completely lazy script despite some not half bad comedic editing. Not one memorable performance. Comedian Godfrey shows up as a Christmas angel but brings nothing funny to the table. The last third suddenly becomes "A Christmas Carol". That's the Academy Award winning actress who played Nurse Ratched as Mrs. Wilson. 2/8

Wizard of Oz (1939) You know it. A true cinematic masterpiece. You have to admire the creativity of these really old fantasy type movies when it comes to special effects. Throw the original King Kong in that discussion, too. I could do without Judy Garland's near sobbing in half her scenes, but otherwise, I don't know how they could have executed this task any better in 1939. Just about everything the medium of film can be. 7.9/8.
 
Wizard of Oz (1939) You know it. A true cinematic masterpiece. You have to admire the creativity of these really old fantasy type movies when it comes to special effects. Throw the original King Kong in that discussion, too. I could do without Judy Garland's near sobbing in half her scenes, but otherwise, I don't know how they could have executed this task any better in 1939. Just about everything the medium of film can be. 7.9/8.
I am watching it in installments with my almost 4 year old granddaughter. Oh, my God! It is so much fun to watch it again through her eyes. It is a masterpiece. The sets, the acting, but most importantly, the music, damn near perfect.
 
I am watching it in installments with my almost 4 year old granddaughter. Oh, my God! It is so much fun to watch it again through her eyes. It is a masterpiece. The sets, the acting, but most importantly, the music, damn near perfect.
I've read it was miserable to make. The actor who played the tin man was once interviewed and the interviewer said "must have been a lot of fun on set," to which he responded "like hell it was fun". Margaret Hamilton in an appearance on Mr Rogers downplayed her words but essentially said it was pretty much the hardest work she's done in her life.
 
The Banshees of Inisheren…Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleason.

First time I’ve been in a movie theatre in a few years. The movie…DAAAAARK.
 
Its on my radar. It looked good (and dark). Do you recommend?
I applaud movies like this. It’s different. Whether I liked it is a harder question.

It‘s filmed in remote parts of Ireland that I’ve visited. When I saw it, I wasn’t at all familiar with the plot...just knew it was a movie made in the west of Ireland with a couple big names in it…

Recommend it? I think some people will hate this movie. It‘s a well-made movie. It’s dark. The question is whether it’s a story people want to take in. Recommend it? Saw it a few days ago and I’m still not sure what to think of it.
 
Last edited:
A light weekend followed by two days of being sick means lots of movie watching:



The Last Duel: 4.75/8

A stellar cast, stellar director and based on a true story, but I just couldn't get into it much.



Spirited (AppleTV): 6.75/8

What a genuine delight this was! It's nice to go into a movie with no expectations and be blown away. Both Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell (who can be very hit or miss) brought their A game. Octavia Spencer is also excellent.

I'm kind of disappointed that it's on Apple TV, because with a wider audience I think it would become a new Christmas Classic.

I also fully predict that it will be on Broadway in the next 5 years. The songs may not all be A-list, but they're all catchy and it's a good story. A fresh take on Dicken's "A Christmas Carol".



Disenchanted (Disney+): 4.5/8

Worth a watch if you're a fan of the original, but it doesn't hold a candle to it's predecessor. Enchanted was a huge success not only because of Amy Adams, but a solid supporting cast with Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden and Idina Menzel. They all take a back seat to Adams in the sequel. And in her own right, she's great in the movie (I don't know that there's a role she can't play), but at the same time the movie suffers from the lack of the strong ensemble the first movie had, as well as the songs just not being as good.


Smile (Paramount+): 4.5/8

Nothing inherently bad with it, just not my kind of movie.


Secret Headquarters (Paramount+) 4.75/8

While mostly a kids movie, it's the adults that carry the movie, in particular the leads of Owen Wilson and Michael Pena.


The People We Hate At Weddings (Prime Video): 5.5/8

A pretty enjoyable comedy that's also a bit of a RomCom. Solid cast of Allison Janney, Kristen Bell and Ben Platt.


Licorice Pizza (Prime Video): 5/8

A good movie, but also an awkward movie. The movie basically revolves around a 15yr old and a 25yr old striking up a friendship and a "will they or won't they" relationship for the entire movie. Apparently inspired by true events. Also, it felt weird that this kid accomplishes so much in basically what amounts to less than a year. Some people don't do as much in a lifetime as he supposedly does in less than a year.

Enola Holmes 2 (Netflix): 5/8

As a Sherlock Holmes fan, and fan of mysteries in general, the Enola Holmes series has been a fun addition to the Sherlock lore.


Mickey: The Story of a Mouse (Disney+): 5/8

If you're a Mickey fan, or even just a Disney fan in general, this documentary about Mickey's history is worth a watch.


A Christmas Story Christmas (HBO Max): 6/8

As someone who's always found "A Christmas Story" highly overrated, I must say I very much enjoyed the sequel. In fact, I'd say it's far better than the original. It's a fun movie in it's own right while also honoring the original, in particular the dad. The star of the sequel though is the mom (who's been recast since the original mom is now 83, and the sequel is set in 1973). She's now played by Julie Hagerty, who some will know from the Airplane movies or the mom in Just Friends. She steals the show with some great comedic moments.
 
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

Horror Comedy: A different type of Zombie movie.... or it really wasn't about the zombies right... more of a romance but anyhow it wasn't my type of flick. It did though start to get good but then it ended... there must be a sequel right? .... 3.0/8
 
Santa's Slay (Canada-2005)

Horror: In the small town of Hell Township home of the North High Diablos Santa has landed for a visit but his 1000 years of being nice has ended and now he is free to do what he was intended to do.... to Slay the townfolks. Fun film but silly at times.... 4.5/8
 
Top