Category Archives: science fiction

Stream the Films on Netflix or Amazon

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Source: JesShoots

Netflix or Amazon

Your family wants to watch a good movie, and you need help picking a good family movie. Without spending too much time searching, I found the following movies streaming on either Netflix or Amazon.

  1. Early Man
  2. Incredibles 2
  3. Five Fingers of Marseilles
  4. Christopher Robin
  5. A Quiet Place
  6. Disney’s Earth
  7. Alvin and the Chipmunks
  8. VeggieTales Takes a Look at a Meaningful Life
  9. Dolphin Tale
  10. The Sandlot
  11. Lady Bird
  12. Logan
  13. Kull: Skull Island
  14. Boss Baby
  15. Diary of a Wimpy Kid – The Long Haul
  16. Little Italy
If you liked "Chicken Run" and "Wallace & Grunt," you'll like "Early Man."
If you liked “Chicken Run” and “Wallace & Gromit,” you’ll like “Early Man.”

1. “Early Man”

Early Man brings laughter to the household because the movie is cute and filled with fun and likable characters. Dug, voiced by Eddie Redmayne, is a prehistoric caveman with goofy friends. The situation is hilarious, where the invaders are challenged to a game of soccer because Dug and his tribe need to win back their home.

The movie will capture your family’s attention because the kids relate to the innocence of the idiots, and adults will find the story funny. The undertone of humor in the situations makes parents chuckle. The claymation takes the story to a whole new level of brilliance.

"Incredibles 2" is just as good as "Incredibles" because Brad Bird directed both.
“Incredibles 2” is just as good as “Incredibles” because Brad Bird directed both.

2. “Incredibles 2”

Incredibles 2 is an ideal family movie because it is about a family of superheroes. Other superheroes are also enthralling to see how the family adjusts to being superheroes when mom, Elastic Girl, leaves the family at home with dad in charge. Jack-Jack’s superhero powers are totally out of this world. Brad Bird wrote and directed the movie. His screenplay flies along with tight dialogue and plenty of funny moments. I strongly recommend this movie for family movie night because it is pure entertainment and will satisfy all ages.

If you want to watch back-to-back movies, I strongly recommend the prequel, Incredibles. Again, Brad Bird directs a funny and action-packed film for the whole family.

My library includes both movies because, on family movie night, we all agree to watch Incredibles. I loaned the Blu-ray to friends who haven’t seen it yet. When they return it, they profusely thank me as we discuss our favorite scenes.

Any scene with Edna is my favorite. She is such a funny and quirky character. In Incredibles 2, she goes way out and befriends Jack-Jack.

All the voice actors’ return in Incredibles 2 shows how capable Bird is as a director. Pixar will not fail you because the voice actors create delightful characters.

Finding a well-made Western is pure joy.
Finding a well-made Western is pure joy.

3. “Five Fingers of Marseilles”

Five Fingers of Marseilles is a western set before and after Apartheid in South Africa. The inhabitants of Marseilles are under the oppression of a corrupt police force, and Five Fingers is a group of rebels that stands up to it.

Tau executes two police officers, and he flees the town. The Five Fingers breaks up, and Tau chooses a life of crime and gets arrested.

Two decades later, he is discharged from prison as the dreaded outlaw known as The Lion of Marseilles.

He returns home wanting comfort and reconnection with those he had disregarded. Tau is entangled in another injustice and rebuilds the Five Fingers. Together they fight for justice.

Scripted by Sean Drummond, the story is believable and moves along quickly. Directed by Michael Matthews, the movie is in English with subtitles.

It's a unique story about growing up, but not too seriously.
It’s a unique story about growing up, but not too seriously.

4. “Christopher Robin”

Winnie the Pooh, along with his best friends of the Hundred Acre Wood, leaves home for the big city to help Christopher Robin, who is now a father and in the workforce, become the loving and playful boy he used to be.

The journey is delightful, with silly Pooh and friends trying so hard to help Christopher. The movie will capture your heart.

Directed by her husband, Emily Blunt is so believable in "A Quiet Place."
Directed by her husband, Emily Blunt is so believable in “A Quiet Place.”

5. “A Quiet Place”

A Quiet Place trailer is an intense and scary movie. The story follows a family who must be quiet. Directed by John Krasinski, the supernatural thriller stars Krasinski and his wife, Emily Blunt. The film is enthralling and made so much money that the studio is producing a sequel.

Disneynature opens the world of nature to kids of all ages.
Disneynature opens the world of nature to kids of all ages.

6. Disneynature’s “Earth “

Disneynature celebrates each Earth Day with the release of a documentary celebrating Earth, the environment, and animals. The first of the series was Earth, released in 2009. The movie set a documentary opening-day record, grossing $4 million from 1,804 theaters.

The concessions person explained that the movie theater had four loaded school buses for the 10:00 am showing. He talked about the kids swamping concessions with orders of sixty kids’ treat packages. Disney conducted an all-out campaign to encourage schools and families to attend the Earth Day opening, a wise move on their part.

Three Animals Tell the Story

In the movie Earth, we are introduced to a mother polar bear and her two cubs as we first catch sight of their snouts peeking out from their winter den. The movie charts several other animals, but the documentary focuses primarily on these three animals to tell the story of Earth: the polar bears, humpback whales, and African elephants. It is by far an epic film, giving the attention this endangered planet deserves.

Any movie night can become your own special Earth Day by watching a Disneynature film or one of the older Disney films about nature called True Life Adventures. Adventure movies focus on wildlife, and an Oscar-winning series initiated by Walt Disney himself. He truly loved wildlife and saw the importance of conveying the message to keep your planet sustainable. Once your family views a Disneynature documentary, you can discuss the need to change our living habits and help preserve our planet Earth, and the importance of keeping it intact for many generations to come.

7. “Alvin and the Chipmunks”

Alvin and the Chipmunks were super popular in the late 1950s and then returned in 2007 as computer-generated images, known as CGI. The three little rascals look more real than ever now. Like the movie poster says, “Things are going to get messy.”

JETT Records executive Ian Hawke, a former college roommate, rejected his most recent song. To make the story even more interesting, Dave had, at one time, a relationship with Claire Wilson, his next-door neighbor.

Favorite Scene

Alvin and his two buddies sing “Only You And You Alone.” Dave realizes he discovered three diamonds in the rough.

The movie takes off, and the Chipmunks sing the songs he writes, and he keeps them fed and sheltered. The singing and montages in the film are brilliant. Jason Lee does a fantastic job of playing off the little CGI animals.

One of my favorite scenes is when Theodore wakes up in the middle of the night, scared from a nightmare. Dave helps him feel safe by letting him sleep in his bed. Very cute; any parent or child will relate to this scene, later revisited with Uncle Ian in a rather poignant scene.

Little Rascals

But the chipmunks, being little rascals, cause some problems for Dave. But they are so adorable you can’t help but laugh, which makes this an ideal family movie. A cute scene is when Alvin tries to create the mood for Dave’s reunion dinner with Claire. The dinner becomes odd. She bails on Dave when he confesses, “My life is being sabotaged by talking chipmunks.”

Alvin and the Chipmunks want to make up for the blunder, so they record a song and get a record deal with Ian Hawke. Now, Alvin and the Chipmunks are more famous than the Jonas Brothers. The little animals are working so hard to keep up with the demand. Dave worries about them and tries to get control over the situation. With missed opportunities and Hawke’s underhanded scheme to steal the chipmunks, Dave lets them go. Hawke tells the chipmunks to call him Uncle Ian. He wants to make money off them without their well-being in mind. The little guys are overworked. They miss Dave, and Dave misses them.

Family Can Watch Together

Directed by Tim Hill, the movie is fun for anyone, but it’s one the family can watch together without worrying that parents will get bored or that jokes will go over the kids’ heads. The talented cast and voice actors make the movie. Some of the cast members are Jane Lynch from Glee, Justin Long as Alvin, Matthew Gray Gubler as Simon, Jesse McCartney as Theodore, David Cross as Ian Hawke, and Jason Lee as Dave.

Behind-the-Scenes

The Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD has a behind-the-scenes featurette detailing how they created the chipmunks’ singing. It is well worth the look, and you will discover the real singers of the movie.

VeggieTales are pure magic for the little ones.
VeggieTales are pure magic for the little ones.

8. “VeggieTales Takes a Look at a Meaningful Life”

The VeggieTales, in general, are great family movies because they are light and fluffy. The jokes are clean, and the situations are hilarious. Sure, the tales bring in the Christian faith, so what? They are fun, and kids and parents have a good time watching the veggie characters interact with each other without legs or arms, yet they still move things around in the air as if they have extremities.

They carry books and a football. The veggies don’t walk with legs. They bounce to and fro because they are vegetables.

One such VeggieTales movie that went directly to DVD is It’s a Meaningful Life – A Lesson in Being Content. The story is somewhat like Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. The classic movie follows a sad businessman as he reflects on how his life has turned out, and he wishes he had never been born. An angel guides him to the right path by showing how important his life is. The movie boasts James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, and Donna Reed.

Would Life Be Better?

The VeggieTales character Larry the Cucumber plays Stewart, who loves playing football and wants to play in the Salad Bowl. He wants to be famous for all the fortune that goes with fame. But he gets injured in a game, and his dream ends. Many years later, silly-but-sweet Stewart cares for his family and friends. He loves his job at the toy train factory.

He ponders what he would be if he weren’t injured, had become a famous football star, and had made lots of money. Would life be better? He changes the past to show Steward what it would be like if it had happened the way he wanted. A moral is learned through Christian teachings, and Stewart learns a lesson about life.

Multi-Grammy Winner – Steven Curtis Chapman

What the movie is really about is the song “Meant to Be,” produced by Steven Curtis Chapman, a multi-Grammy winner as well as a Dove Award winner. Of course, It’s a Meaningful Life has the traditional new silly song called “Goodnight Junior.”

You can even visit the VeggieTales website and download some excellent activities from the movie for kids and parents to do together. The DVD includes cool family bonus features, such as sing-along songs, interviews, audio commentary, and the Meaningful Family Life Guide.

9. “Dolphin Tale”

Dolphin Tale is a true story that follows a teenage boy, Sawyer, played by Nathan Gamble. Sawyer meets his best friend, a dolphin, washed up on Clearwater Beach in Florida. Dolphin is named Winter, who loses her tail after being snagged in a crab trap. He decides to take responsibility for Winter at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and his life changes.

The dolphin plays herself in the movie, making it realistic for families to watch. The Blu-ray/DVD offers several perspectives on the dolphin’s story. The featurettes are entertaining but educational at the same time.

Sawyer helps find a prosthetic expert to fit Winter with a prosthetic fin—a fantastic and unbelievable feat – never been done before. I encourage families to watch this movie together because it is one of the best family movies I have ever seen. The film will tug at your heartstrings, featuring a talented cast including Morgan Freeman, Ashly Judd, and Harry Connick Jr.

10. “The Sandlot”

The Sandlot is a movie everyone in the family can enjoy because its story has both tension and apprehension, making it a film kids can watch with their parents. The film is about kids growing up in the 1960s, when kids could play on the streets and have more freedom. They didn’t need permission to go places or to stay in touch with their parents. They just played and had fun all day.

Scotty, a new kid in the neighborhood, tries to make friends with the kids who play baseball on the sandlot. It’s hard at first, but the boys come around, and the adventure begins. Scotty learns to play baseball as the story follows him and his buddies on an adventurous summer quest to retrieve a baseball with a Babe Ruth autograph. The movie entertains audiences of all ages, featuring some of the wildest moments, scary situations, and a first kiss. All nine boys grew up that summer and became best friends. The film is enchanting and a fun comedy.

Director Greta Gerwig is from my hometown.
Director Greta Gerwig is from my hometown.

11. “Lady Bird”

The movie is not only filmed in my hometown but also about it. I marvel at the phenomenon of connection. That’s the feeling I have toward Lady Bird because it’s set in my hometown.

Greta Gerwig’s movie follows a teenage girl, played by Saoirse Ronan, who calls herself “Lady Bird” and goes to a Catholic school similar to Gerwig’s High School.

The story is charming, no matter where you live, because it is about being a teenager with a prominent dream to go to college and be away from home.

She tries to be who she really is while contending with the crazy life of high school and her relationship with her mother.

And, Lady Bird received esteem at festivals, from the public, and the industry.

12. “Logan”

Hugh Jackman stars under the direction of James Mangold. Mangold’s notable credits include Walk the Line, which he co-wrote; The Wolverine; Girl, Interrupted; Cop Land; Knight and Day; Ford v. Ferrari; and 3:10 to Yuma.

An operation run by the government turns mutant kids into killers. Logan begins mentoring a mutant girl with two claws rather than his three. The movie is dark and gets more serious, but laughs and merriment appear toward the end.

A Harry Potter alumnus, Tom Felton, looks mighty mean, suntanned, and ready to be the wicked, bad guy.

13. “Kong: Skull Island”

Being promoted as a reimagining of the beginning of the mythic Kong, an exciting, creative venture, I acknowledge that remakes are not original. Yet, the movie is supposedly original, so don’t name it Kong.

The movie follows a diverse group brought together to research an uncharted island in the Pacific. The island is stunning, but dangerous. The group adventures into a strange and unfamiliar island, and they are unaware of exploring the realm of the mythic Kong.

14. “The Boss Baby”

The Boss Baby is a hilarious movie that the family is sure to like. The impact of a new baby’s arrival is told from a delightfully unpredictable narrator, a heatedly creative 7-year-old named Tim.

The voice of Alec Baldwin dons a suit and speaks in a sly, animated way. The movie’s heart-filled message about the meaning of family should appeal to the whole family.

15. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid – The Long Haul”

The last Wimpy Kid movie has a new cast, and it looks entertaining, although a road trip? I could be amusing. Watch the trailer, and you might see some familiar faces from the earlier movies.

Hayden Christensen played young Darth Vador.
Hayden Christensen played young Darth Vader.

16. “Little Italy”

Little Italy focuses on two childhood friends, Leo (Hayden Christensen) and Nikki (Emma Roberts). The movie is directed by Donald Petrie, who brought us Miss Congeniality, starring Sandra Bullock.

As in a classic story, Leo and Nikki become attracted to each other when they are adults. Their parents’ own contentious pizzerias put a bite on their passionate romance. If you are familiar with the story, this particular one is not a tragedy. Some classic stories end unhappily, but this romantic comedy is safe for a blossoming romance.

Streaming Movies are Rewarding

Watching a good movie with the family can be rewarding on many levels. They are upbeat, funny, and honorable. Whether you rent them on Netflix, Amazon, or cable, the stories share a message that the whole audience can relate to, refreshingly.

Spielberg With Crichton: “Jurassic Park” and “ER”

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Steven Spielberg and Michael Crichton made a great creative team.
Steven Spielberg and Michael Crichton made a great creative team. | Source

Friendship With Benefits

Steven Spielberg and Michael Crichton developed motion pictures and television programs, notably the Jurassic Park franchise and the long-running ER series. The two men, who were dear friends working together, are a fascinating story of success.

Dinosaurs from “Jurassic Park”

An acquaintance, a high school teacher, told me about a time he showed his students the movie Jurassic Park. At the end of the film, some of his students thought dinosaurs were still alive on our planet. Not that the students were stupid. The movie was realistic enough to make the dinosaurs appear real in their minds’ eyes.

The movie’s detailed and realistic images of various dinosaurs, along with its story, acting, and sound, created a realistic world based on Crichton’s bestselling novel.

The original movie focuses on a devastating effort to produce and clone dinosaurs for an innovative theme park.

The franchise began in 1990 when Spielberg grabbed the rights to the unpublished book. Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment purchased the rights to the novel.

After four sequels, the franchise flourished, with the first two based on Crichton’s books, and it spawned tons of video games, comic books, and theme parks.

The franchise resurrected Richard Attenborough’s career and bolstered the careers of Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Lauren Dern, Chris Pratt, and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Jurassic Park’s motion picture franchise includes a water excursion at Universal Studios theme parks.

The franchise movies alone have grossed close to $ 5 billion worldwide.

Crichton and Spielberg Winning Team

The success of the Jurassic Park franchise indicates that Crichton and Spielberg made a winning team. They invested their good fortune in an American medical television series that proved just as fruitful as the dinosaur movies.

Under the umbrella of Amblin Television, Crichton and Spielberg’s team created the medical drama ER. The show lasted 15 years and won several prestigious awards, bringing together famed talents that I will mention later in the article.

If anything, ER is a lesson in producing an award-winning television show and practically keeping it on the air for years. I am sure students of film and television classrooms study this series in its entirety. They identify and highlight the factors that contributed to the show’s high ratings and large worldwide audience.

Endless drama in an Emergency Room kept viewers glued to the TV.
Endless drama in an Emergency Room kept viewers glued to the TV.

Emmy Award Winners

The show won multiple Emmy Awards, with 124 nominations and 22 wins, reflecting the caliber of work that stood behind and in front of the camera, launching the stellar careers of George Clooney, along with Anthony Edwards, Noah Wyle, Julianna Margulies, and Maria Bello.

“ER”

Although I never watched the series as a whole, but as clips from different shows, I tend to shy away from medical shows. ER taps into the intimate workings of an urban training hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its vigilant emergency room.

Every week, fans glued themselves to the television and watched quirky and unique medical professionals save lives in a place where nothing is taken for granted or guaranteed. The emergency room doors open, and another distraught person or persons gets placed in their hands, life or death, within an hour’s worth of television programming.

Endless Series

Even though I didn’t watch the series, I watched the Collector’s Edition DVD of the 15th and final season, an all-time favorite of multiple emergency room drama shows.

The series lasted as long as it did because of the talented writers, as evidenced by the final season, particularly in the show’s ending. The arc ties into the earlier seasons, including Noah Wyle’s professional choices and personal life.

Now, Wyle is starring in HBO’s Emmy-winning The Pitt, very similar to ER, but set over one day in an emergency room in Pittsburgh.

Curtain Call

The final season is a curtain call for all the show’s lead characters. They returned one way or another, including those who died on the show.

One point of view about the medical drama is the large cast of major actors who left due to injury, death, firing, or disappearance. Like most long-running shows, I understand that cast members go in hopes of bigger and better careers.

The final season includes movie stars Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance. The main arc centers on Catherine Banfield, the ER’s medical director, played by Basset, and her husband, Russell Banfield, played by Vance. Both are intense and effectively support their respective sides of the issue.

The series ends well, and that is what matters to the fans. The finale is rewarding to those who faithfully followed the multiple storylines.

George Clooney

I am sure you’ll appreciate watching the episodes, knowing that you can watch them again and again since you own the DVD. The cast changing through the years might throw you off, but it is graced with guest appearances from Clooney and other original cast members.

If you still need an emergency room fix on television, there are similar shows that follow ER’s formula, which validates the series even more, such as Grey’s Anatomy, a long-running show as well.

Gobots: 1984 Saturday Morning Cartoons and Toys

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The 1984 animated cartoon series stood the test of time, with die-hard fans appreciating the talking machines.

Gobots

Gobots Look Like Transformers

Gobots fans are out there, and I am excited to share Challenge of the Gobots: The Original Mini-Series with fellow fans. The 1984 animated cartoon has stood the test of time with those who appreciate the cartoon look of talking machines.

Challenge of the Gobots: The Original Mini-Series is the original five-episode mini-series. The 80s cartoon in the DVD package offers eternal life to the Gobots. Any Gobots enthusiast treasures the opportunity to watch action cartoons.

The DVDs are few and far between, but worth the find because the stories are entertaining when cartoon quality may get you down.

As you watch the Renegades follow Cy-kill when they embark on their mad quest to conquer the galaxy, starting with Earth, only Leader-1 and his Guardians can stop the Renegades and Cy-Kill.

Leader-1 is the hero, and his band of Guardians is all set for the task of saving the universe.

Leader-1 is a Legend

Back in the 80s, the question all the kids asked every Saturday morning while they played with their Gobots toys and watched the Gobots cartoons was, “Can Leader-1 and the Guardians save the true last Engineer?”

Watching now, you see the poor quality of the cartoons. Somehow, the kids were fascinated by the stories and facial expressions, and they sat in front of the television every Saturday morning for one year, watching 65 episodes, each lasting 22 minutes.

It reminds me of the good old days on Saturday mornings when you could watch mediocre cartoons in your pajamas, and it was still a cool thing to do while the parents slept. Just think, kids, watching the Gobots, never thought about how Leader-1 is a legend. But he is because this mini-series launched him as a legend. He is far better than any Transformer.

The story of the Gobots portrayed in the series “Challenge of the GoBots” and the follow-up film “GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords” mentions the alternative universe.

Transformers

Those who are not familiar with Gobots should know they are not robots. They are aliens that need your support more than anything right now. Tonka brought them into existence in the 1980s, but now, they are non-existent. They are a collector’s item and sell for a pretty penny on eBay.

Gobots are far superior to the Transformers because Hasbro bought Gobots in the early 1990s. Leader-1 and Bugbite are some of the Gobots’ names given to Transformers. That means the Gobots came before the Transformers. They saved Earth before the Transformers.

Seeing “Gobots” instead of “Transformers” in the movie marques is the only way they could have survived. I am sure it was a copyright issue. The two entities were so similar that they competed for attention. Transformers won out in the long run.

The Gobots toys fashioned the robot phenomenon that grabbed the kids’ attention for a brief time in 1984.

Who Owns Gobots?

The Gobots and the Transformers looked a lot like each other. Both competed as franchises until Hasbro purchased the intellectual property – the invention or idea, not the toys – when they bought out Tonka in 1991. Gobots became part of the alternative universe of the Transformers franchise.

Hasbro never purchased the Gobot toys or likenesses. The company owned the fictional aspect of the property. Bandai, a Japanese company, initially owned the toys, and Tonka never acquired them.

“You’re bluffing, Cy-Kill. You wouldn’t dare shoot with the Last Engineer, and we won’t give him to you.”

Gobot Children’s Books With Illustrations

Two books about the Gobots in 1984, authored by Robin Snyder and illustrated by Steve Ditko, War of the Gobots and Gobots on Earth, told the backstory of the talking machines.

The first book tells the story of the Guardian battling with the Renegade GoBots. The war comes to Earth after the Renegades disturb a space shuttle mission. The story is comparable to the Transformers because they fight on Earth frequently. The second book is not as good, but kids found both books entertaining. Today, they are out of print and hard to find.

Where to Find Gobot DVDs?

The Gobot products sold well. Then they phased out when the Transformers took over the scene. Hasbro created personalities for each of the Transformers with character profiles, unlike the Gobots.

Gobots came across as simple machines that looked like their names, such as Tank and Dozer. Transformers arrived as complex machines with names like Megatron and Optimus Prime.

Even though the Gobot books are hard to find, Amazon offers DVDs, coloring books, and games. The collector items go fast, and it’s a hit or miss on Amazon.

Favorite Sushi Movie Scenes

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Movies that have scenes with sushi. Look at my list, and you’ll find some films you recognize.

Sushi in Film

Before we look at sushi movie scenes, I want to share the first time I ate sushi with you. I thought eating raw fish was not a delicacy. I thought I’d develop a super long worm in my stomach if I ate any of it.

A Japanese friend invited me to eat at a sushi restaurant near me. I told her of my fear of eating sushi. She told me the place she had in mind served her favorite sushi rolls, saying, “I will make sure you eat the good sushi.”

One day, I started thinking about sushi scenes in movies. I am excited about the idea and perused movies with sushi themes or scenes worth mentioning. I even asked some sushi masters if they knew of any sushi scenes in film. I went further and asked some sushi experts if they recalled seeing any sushi scenes in movies.

I discovered that there are nine movies with sushi scenes while writing this article. Two I left out because they are not my favorite.

The result of my search is fruitful, and the list is below. Most people will recognize these movies. They are well-known and made tons of money at the box office.

Seven Favorite Sushi Scenes

  1. Isle of Dogs (2018)
  2. The Breakfast Club (1985)
  3. Sex and the City 2 (2010)
  4. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
  5. Defending Your Life (1991)
  6. John Wick 3: Parabellum (2019)
  7. Johnny English (2003)

The sushi scene in Wes Anderson’s 2018 stop-motion animation classic, “Isle of Dogs,” took nearly six months to complete.

1. Isle of Dogs (2018)

Stop-motion animation movies by Wes Anderson take a whole new level of the filmmaking process. Anderson’s stories keep the audience interested in the sparky dialogue and visual touches of humor. For some, the movie may seem a bit quirky. The sushi scene in Isle of Dogs is a masterpiece of stop-motion animation.

The whole premise of the scene is to poison the despotic leader of the Asian nation that sends dogs to the remote island. If you haven’t seen this movie, I recommend it. All of the Anderson movies entertain.

2. The Breakfast Club (1985)

John Hughes wrote and directed The Breakfast Club. A few years later, he wrote and produced Home Alone. The movie is about five high school students sharing detention, who eventually talk about their problems and discover they have a lot in common. Each student is different, but all are exaggerated stereotypes.

The poignant movie stars Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Hall. Even today, I can safely say this is a movie that cuts deeply into the overall problems of public education in America.

My daughter relates to this movie because each student is very different from the others. They become friends while serving detention. Each student copes with the social pressures of high school, adapting to the high school scene as best they can.

The sushi scene is so funny because Ringwald opens up her bento box, and the others look at her like she opened up a can of sardines.

Kim Cattrall (far right) was also a sushi champion in “Sex and the City 2” (2010), but for different reasons. Source: Martamenchini, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

3. Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Sex and the City 2 takes a silly look at sushi to entice a romantic interlude. Samantha covers sexy areas of her naked body. She is waiting for her lover when the phone rings. She obviously can’t answer the phone.

Honestly, I have never seen the cable show or the movies. I did watch the clip, which is age-restricted. Unfortunately, the clip with sound is no longer available. I posted one without sound. Hopefully, you’ve seen the movie and or gotten the idea. The visual of this scene is what is funny, not the dialogue.

The above video is restricted because the content has suggestive characteristics.

4. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

One of my favorite Pixar movies is Monsters, Inc, where we watch Mike Wazowski, the green, one-eyed friend of Sulley, take Celia out for a special sushi dinner. We see the exaggerated greetings of sushi chefs upon the monsters entering the restaurant, and Mike’s girlfriend, Celia, is very impressed.

The scene is hilarious because Mike tries to keep it romantic despite the slapstick humor from Sulley, who’s trying to keep the monsters from finding out about Boo, a child forbidden in the monster world.

5. Defending Your Life (1991)

Defending Your Life follows Albert Brooks’ character, Daniel, who dies after getting hit by a bus while driving his brand-new BMW.

He ends up in Judgment City defending his life. Going through the rigors of Judgment, he decides to dine at the sushi bar. I have a clip of the scene below poking fun at the over-the-top hospitality of sushi chefs.

The movie is fun to watch and also stars Meryl Streep. Her character goes through Judgment better than Brooks’ character, the prevailing theme of this deadpan funny film.

6. John Wick 3: Parabellum (2019)

A sushi scene in a John Wick movie fits the production design with vibrant reds and metallic undertones. Of course, Chad Stahelski directs a dark and rainy scene. Though Keanu Reeves is not in this scene, Asia Kate Dillon, playing The Adjudicator, approaches the sushi bar. Here we see how skilled the assassin is at being a sushi chef.

If you know anything about Blowfish, it’s one of the most difficult to prep. True, you only need to cut it. Incorrectly preparing Blowfish releases toxins and could have killed Dillion’s character.

7.  Johnny English (2003)

The hilarious Johnny English film series stars Rowan Atkinson in the title role, with Ben Miller and John Malkovich in supporting roles.
It is a parody and tribute to the James Bond franchise and Atkinson’s Mr. Bean character.

Watch this sushi scene and enjoy the bumbling character Atkinson, who is so brilliant at portraying.

Dune Drifter

“Dune Drifter” Absolutely the Lowest High Tech

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Written and directed by Marc Price, Dune Drifter begins during an ongoing battle for humanity. A rookie space fighter pilots become assigned to join a pivotal battle against an armada of unbeatable enemy ships.

A trainee pilot, played by Phoebe Sparrow, navigates a combat ship called Gray 6 as part of the Gemini unit and the Dune squadron, hence the movie title. She and her gunner, Daisy Aitkens, are shot down. They crash land on a nearby planet called Erebus. With the gunner mortally wounded and her life support only set to last two days, her only option is to fix her ship.

The sudden appearance of an enemy craft offers the answer, but as the pilot looks for parts to use on her ship, she’s horrified to spot another survivor. An enemy alien soldier, Simon Dwyer-Thomas, has no intention of letting her escape.

The low-CGI effects remind me of the science fiction movies Roger Corman produced, where some talented directors such as James Cameron and Joe Dante emerged. Price keeps the film fast-paced, including twists to keep me interested in the story. Price uses low-budget backdrops to keep the post-production down. Sparrow holds her own, convinces me she’s a survivor and gets the bad guy. Though the story is not original, it held my attention, focusing on the story more than the special effects.

I must admit, I needed help reviewing this movie because I am not a big science fiction fan. I looked at Erik Mortensen’s review on Geeky Hobbies, and Camillo De Marco’s on Cineuropa. Both helped me understand the excitement of this movie.

Science fiction movie fans are sure to rave about this movie. It’s an indie, a sci-fi film that they can pull the DVD from their library and share with their friends in the comfort of their home theater.

A Dark Path

“A Dark Path” Limits Horror By Lack of High Tech

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A Dark Path

Written and directed by Nicholas Winter, A Dark Path follows sisters Abi and Lily on their way home from a party in eastern Europe. They get lost. With no signal and an unreliable GPS, they try to navigate their way out using road signs. Their front tire suddenly blows out along a narrow road through a deep forest.

They find themselves completely cut off from the outside world with no spare tire or cell service. Soon they discover that this is no ordinary forest. They understand why no cars come here because the locals know what lives in the woods. They’ve woken it, and there is nowhere to run.

The movie lacks a lot of essential elements. All the reviews I saw were negative.

High Tech “Time Loop” Immediately Delivered Flat

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Time Loop

Written and directed by Ciro Sorrentino, Time Loop follows a father and son team of scientists played by Mino Sferra and Sam Gittins, respectively.

They unlock the secret of time travel while researching time movement. When the father and son perform their first test, they get trapped in a time loop. The result is their past actions have grave consequences in the present and future.

Time Loop

The story takes place in in a quiet Italian village, as the story unfolds the son has to face consequences for choices he hasn’t made yet, which is a nice spin but not original.

Ellie Poussot also stars as Celestine Dijoux.

The movie won several awards, including the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival for Best Horror and Science Fiction Film, MedFF for Best Photography, Toronto International Spring of Horror and Fantasy Film Festival for Best Film, and Virgin Sprint Cinefest for Gold Award as Debut Filmmaker.

watch little joe

Sci-Fi Thriller “Little Joe” is a Shrewd Flower

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The sci-fi and psychological thriller follows a mother and her son, who is affected by a genetically engineered plant. The red-flowered plant mysteriously shares its scent while the story twists and turns until the end.

The sci-fi and psychological thriller follow a mother and her son, who is affected by a genetically engineered plant. The red-flowered plant mysteriously shares its scent while the story twists and turns until the end.

Directed by Jessica Hausner, Little Joe follows Alice, played by Emily Beecham, who won the Best Actress award at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Alice is a single mother and dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species of plants. She engineered a unique crimson flower, remarkable not only for its beauty but also for its therapeutic value. If kept at the ideal temperature, appropriately fed and spoken to regularly, this plant makes its owner happy. The story gets interesting when Alice goes against company policy and takes one home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe, played by Kit Conner. They christen it “Little Joe.” But as their plant grows, so too does Alice’s suspicion that her new creation may not be as harmless as its nickname suggests.

Don’t believe this mumbo-jumbo, but it explains how the plant influences people.

Hausner states, “In this sense, Little Joe is a parable about what is strange within our­selves. This becomes tangible in the film by means of a plant, which is apparently capable of changing people. As a result of this change some­thing unfamiliar emerges, and something believed to be secure is lost — the bond between two people.”

The plant traumatizes those it pollinates with foreboding, austere colors and energetic drums and strings as a soundtrack. Throughout, you sense an awkward interpersonal relationship. It comes across in Alice’s contact with her colleague Chris, played by Ben Whishaw, who is devious and calculating while he tries to romance her. Having Whishaw play against type is ominous since we’re familiar with him as Q in the James Bond franchise and Mary Poppins Returns as the amicable father and brother. Chris courts Alice, demonstrated by uneasy offers for an after-work drink, then faltering struggles at kisses. Still, the red plant remains in the background, adversely affecting Chris’s ordinarily friendly and playful dog, bringing more tension to the story and jolting me out of my seat.

As a parallel, we watch human Joe begin his first romantic relationship with his first girlfriend, Selma, played by Jessie Mae Alonzo, another source of anxiety. Alice realizes her little boy is becoming a young man and more of his person, spending less time with her. It’s a sad moment for Alice, but something more profound is happening, and she discounts it. Perhaps she shouldn’t, giving the message to parents that they need to connect to their kids.

Hausner associates the film as more abstract and artificial than real life, even though scenes occur in greenhouses, laboratories, and real locations. Shot with mint green and white with the red flower. “We chose these almost childish colors to give the film the characteristics of a fairy-tale or fable.”

The movie sounds simple but is more complicated, and the story is driven as a psychological thriller about a plant that undermines a young boy’s life.

“Every working mother is familiar with being asked the question, which is often led with accusation: ‘So, who looks after your child when you go to work?’ Little Joe is about a mother who is tormented by her bad conscience when she goes to work and ‘neglects’ her child. A mother whose feelings are ambivalent because the plant is Alice’s other child: her work, her creation, the product of her labor. And she doesn’t want to neglect this child either or lose it. But which of her children will Alice choose in the end?” explains Hausner.

automation, robot goes rogue

Robot Revenge in Sci-Fi Thriller “Automation”

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Take a workplace robot named Auto, the company jerks his chain, and he transforms into a killing machine when he discovers a more efficient model will replace him.

Before Garo Setian directed, produced, and edited Automation, he co-wrote the screenplay with Rolfe Kanefsky and Matthew L. Schaffer. 

robot movie, sci-fi thriller

The film stars Elissa Dowling, Parry Shen, Graham Skipper, Sarah French, and Sadie Katz as office employees assail into danger by a vindictive robot. 

The storyline caught my attention, but I didn’t think the movie would be intelligent as a sci-fi thriller. Sure, it’s low-budget, and the script is witty. But, more heart in this movie and the creative team’s performance would have been good. But, it’s hard to do so within the financial means.   

automation, robot movie, sci-fi

Then, it’s revenge time for the robot, and he is not messing around. I liked the movie’s unorthodox chills. 

The Blu-Ray release of the movie includes separate commentaries with Setian and Writer Rolfe Kanefsky and Setian and Anahit Setian with Producer Dan Bowen, deleted and alternate scenes, bloopers, Behind The Scenes featurettes Writing The Screenplay and Building “Auto” with “Evil’ Ted, “Auto’s Voice” An Interview With VO Artist Jim Tasker and bonus interviews with cast and crew.

Mystery Sci-Fi, Thriller “The Fare” Ignites With Romance

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The Fare, movie poster

Harris, played by Gino Anthony Pesi, is fatigued without peace with the world. He makes a living as a taxi driver. His next fare, Penny, played by Brinna Kelly, intangles themselves trapped in a neverending ride that loops and loops, eventually changing their lives eternally.

Written by the lead actress, Kelly, and directed by D.C. Hamilton, when Harris picks up a lovely woman named Penny as his next fare, he finds himself captivated. Notably, right up until she disappears from the back seat without an imprint. As he frantically tries to come to terms with what happened, he resets his meter and is promptly back to the time she first climbed into his cab. He and Penny find themselves entangled in an endlessly circling ride that transforms their lives eternally.

The Fare, mystery woman

The Fare screened internationally, taking many awards, such as the Director’s Prize for Overall Concept and Execution at FilmQuest, the Special Mention Jury Award at Fantasporto, and Best Dark Fantasy/Supernatural Film at the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival.

Overall the story is intriguing with believable acting and unpredictable. I expectations of what I thought would happen didn’t. I could not figure out what was the cause of the looping. The movie is romantic and worth seeing as an indie film.   It reminds me of a Hitchock film or an episode from The Twilight Zone.