Watching It Now on Netflix

Rogue One is a 2016 prequel to the legendary Star Wars: A New Hope Plot: We finally learn the incredible story of how a band of rebel outcasts join forces to attempt to steal the Death Star schematics and save the galaxy from the clutches of the evil Darth Vader and the Empire itself. My Take: I'm a huge Star Wars fan, so this movie faced an uphill battle with me liking it from the start. However, an engaging cast, riveting music, and outstanding storytelling made me believe that this was a fantastic addition to the Star Wars universe. It's not just a great Star Wars universe movie; it's a great movie in and of itself. Even if you don't care much for Star Wars, it's worth a watch. You won't regret it!!

Kubo and the Two Strings is a 2016 animated children's movie that was nominated for two Oscars. Plot :  Kubo is a young boy who has the ability to control certain objects by simply playing his very special musical instrument. This is a story of a young man who searches for his father's most important lost possession in order to defeat a mystical evil entity. My Take: Such a beautiful and well-made film! As a fan of Miyazaki-made films, I was so pleased to hear that the producers consider this a homage to that legendary film-maker. The music is fantastic, and the animation style is so distinct that this film stands out from so many others in the crowded animated market. Not just for kids!

Dead Like Me is a 2003-2004 fantasy/sci-fi/comedy/drama television series starring Mandy Patinkin, Ellen Muth, and Jasmine Guy. Plot: Grim Reapers walk the earth, harvesting souls when they die so that they can safely proceed to whatever comes next.  Patinkin leads one very quirky group of Reapers that have their own set of issues: how to survive in a world where they are only semi-living. My Take:  Typical Showtime series.  Exceedingly dark, quirky, and funny in every way.  The acting is stellar, and the characters are all distinctly different and so very inappropriate in different ways. This series only went two seasons because creative differences between the writers of the show and Showtime that led to the cancelling of the well-received, and highly watched, series.  Such a shame. Dead Like Me got ratings for original programming on Showtime that took seven years to match.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is a 2010 Fantasy Action movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ben Kingsley. Plot:  Gyllenhaal plays Dastan, an adopted Prince who is known more for his impetuous, fight-first nature than for being a thoughtful, intelligent son of the King.  His father's army is tricked into invading a holy city whose secret, crown jewel is an item of unimaginable power.  The one who possesses this item has the ability to control time, and soon a power struggle ensues as Dastan is caught in the center of a plot designed to bring down his father's kingdom and perhaps destroy the world. My Take: I resisted seeing this in the theaters once the poor box office numbers started to emerge.  As a fan of Gyllenhaal's, I relented to finally watching it one night at home on Netflix.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun the movie was, with a good plot and lots of action.  Gyllenhaal was his typical charming self, and the movie had eno...

Illusion is a 2004 independent romantic drama starring Kirk Douglas (post-stroke and currently his last dramatic role) and Michael Goorjian (who also wrote and directed the film). Plot: In one fantastical night, dying filmmaker Donald (Douglas) is shown a series of films about his son, Christopher's (Goorjian) life.  A son that he has always refused to acknowledge.  Shown how this abandonment has affected Christopher, Donald sees a man whose lack of self-confidence gets him into a lot of serious trouble and keeps him away from the love of his life.  Will Donald be able to help his son or will it be too late...for the both of them? My Take: Kirk Douglas, after his stroke, is still showing why he is one of the best actors of the past century.  This is a very angst-filled film, with a touch of fantasy intermingled. The parent-child dynamic in the film was well-done.  Can a father, who has been completely immersed in his career his whole life, learn to love th...

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a 2010 Fantasy/Sci-Fi movie starring Nicholas Cage and Jay Baruchel. Plot:  Cage stars as Balthazar, a master sorcerer who has searched for hundreds of years for the next apprentice.  Living in New York, he comes to realize that college physics student, Dave (Baruchel), is that apprentice.  He then begins to train him in the ways of magic in order to prepare him for what is to come: a showdown with one of history's most evil sorcerers. My Take:  This is a movie that I would never had seen in the theater simply because it didn't look like a movie I would enjoy.  However, watching it in my own living room, on a whim one night, proved it to be an entertaining and fun movie.  Baruchel is perfectly typecast as the lovable loser who tries to avoid his fate as a powerful sorcerer destined to save the world.  Nicholas Cage does a nice turn as his mentor in what is a fairly predictable story.  Predictable can be a lot of ...