Movie Review: ***^ Philomena (2013)

 This is a movie of a mother, Philomena (Judi Dench/ Sophie Kennedy Clark)  trying to find her son 50 years after he was adopted.  She is from Ireland, and was in a home run by nuns.  They sold her child to a couple from America, which is where he had gone.  She recruits a reporter, Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) with the help of her daughter, Jane (Anna Maxwell Martin).  The home for the nuns was not helpful and would not tell them anything.  They said the records were burned in a fire.  Turns out the nuns burnt them while keeping the relinquishment papers.  A neighbor tells them they were selling babies for $1000 pounds each. 

She and the journalist who is pursuing the story, head to America to see if they can track him down.  They discover who he is, Michael Hess (a lawyer who served on Reagan's and Bush's staff.  He died from AIDS some years before.  Philomena is looking for some sign he thought about her.

Turns out he was looking for his, and went to the same nunnery and was told that she didn't want anything to do with her son.  The nuns knew they were both looking, but the old nun said it was their penance.  

He insisted on being buried in Ireland there at the cemetery where he was adopted.  This is so his mother could pay his respects, and she did.

This story in actuality was written by the reporter Martin Sixsmith.

In Theaters: **** The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)

After being let go by her newspaper, Andrea/Andy (Anne Hathaway) takes employment with her old boss in the fashion world.  She is in charge of the magazine part of the business.  However Miranda (Meryl Streep) doesn't really want her.  Andrea has to prove herself every day.  She finally does scoring an interview with Sasha (Lucy Liu), who is mega rich and doesn't give interviews.  Their is an old friend, Emily (Emily Blunt) who use to work with Andy but is now running a business.  She is a major advertiser so they must visit with her.  She has a new rich boyfriend.  Miranda's head assistant, Nigel (Stanley Tucci) would like a bigger job and more recognition.  Miranda is due for promotion, but the owner dies before it is announced.  The son takes over, and goes a different direction with downsizing, or selling.  Everything is about to change as Emily's boyfriend is planning to buy and then Emily will run things, kicking Miranda to the curb.  However in the end there is another buyer, Sasha, who will not be that active so Miranda keeps her job, and Andy moves up and all are happy.

Interesting look at the fashion world, which is not my scene.  Lady Gaga sings at the fashion show.  Miranda skips out and Nigel gets his chance.

In Theaters: ***** The Sheep Detectives (2026)

The Sheep Detectives is an excellent movie.  I wanted to clap and the end and did a little, but others did not.

How they can make the sheep work with humans, especially since the sheep only talk to themselves and not with people.  But in this case they are the brains as well.

George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) loves his sheep.  He would not think of butchering them, but just sells their wool.  However he has leased some land to his neighbor, Caleb Merrow (Tosin Cole) who does butcher his sheep.  Needless to say, Hardy does not like him.  Hardy also does not like the butcher, Ham Gilyard (Conleth Hill).  Hardy reads to his sheep; detective stories which they very much like, and the most clever of them, Lilly (Julia Luis Dreyfuss) seems to be able to solve the mysteries before Hardy reads the end.  

There are two newcomers in town.  One is the daughter of Hardy, who he has not seen for many years as she was adopted, Rebecca (Molly Gordon).  Hardy has been seeking reunification with her and to introduce her to his sheep.  She was adopted and the local priest, Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith).   The other is a reporter in town to cover a cultural event which is put together by Beth Pennock (Hong Chau).  It is pretty lame.  She has feelings for Hardy, and steals a letter to her.  

One morning Darby does not feed the sheep like usual, nor give them his medication.  The sheep find him dead.  Merrow bad been trying to get him to sell his sheep.  He discovers the body.  Officer Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun) takes over the investigation.  He is not very bright and concludes it is a heart attack.  

Other sheep who play in the story are Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) who is a mysterious ram who worked in a carnival fighting in a ring against dogs and was rescued by Hardy; the winter lamb (Tommy Birchall) who is ostracized being born at the wrong time of the year; Sir Ritchfield (Patrick Stewart) who is always regal; Mopple (Chris O'Dowd) who helps with the investigation, and accidentally gets his face covered with a cloth and knocks things over in the house during the reading of the will

Lastly also new in town is Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson), the lawyer for Hardy and there to read the will.  The will leaves most everything to Rebecca and she becomes the primary suspect.  It also divulges there is another brother in South Africa.  Harbottle talks to him on the phone.  

This movie is very fun with sheep doing crazy sheep things, and their coaching Derry with the investigation.  

Movie Review: **** The Aviator (2004)

Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) is really messed up.  At times he is able to control his mental illness, but his demons seem to come out again.  He is a genius and a money making machine; but sometimes genius gets him in trouble.  He also has drive.  He supplies planes for TWA, but eventually buys TWA.  He orers some new long distance planes, and wants to use them for flights to Europe, but the owner of Pan Am, Juan Trippe (Alec Baldwin) has the contract and a monopoly, and a senator, Senator Ralph Owen Brewster (Alan Alda) in his back pocket.  When he is brought before a senate hearing for misuse of public funds on airplane projects, he calls it the way he sees it, and informs the committee Trippe and Brewster work together and it appears the senator is influenced by Trippe due to money and donation.  Hughes in the end gets to move into Europe.  Managing his business affairs was Noah Dietrich (John C. Reilly).

Hughes is also a womanizer with a fling with Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and a desire for Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale).  

Hughes was also a test pilot, and crashed a couple of planes, the second of which almost killed him and left him with PTSD and burn scars.

Very good biographical sketch of Howard Hughes.

Music Review: The Doors: The Best of the Doors, 1985

 There are several best of the Doors C.D.s.  This is the 1985 version with 2 c.d.s  The Doors establish a pleasing beat with repetitive guitars, and then generally add the vocal melody on top of that.  It works well for most songs, but sometimes the back music is too repetitive.  

Most of their music I could live without, but there afre a few numbers that are very nice.  This would include, "Light My Fire," "Break on Through," "Hello, I Love You" and "Riders on the Storm" which is my favorite.  It is a very long song and goes on several tangents, but always comes back to "riders on the storm."

Movie Review: **** Labor Day with Kate Winslet (2013)

 Labor Day is a movie that lets you know love can be found in the strangest of locations.  Adele (Kate Winslet) has been abandoned by her husband, Gerald (Clark Gregg).  Adele is left depressed but still cares for her son, Henry (Gattlin Griffith and portrayed as an adult by Tobey Maguire who also narrates).  Another man enters the picture in the person of Frank (Josh Brolin) escaped prisoner who was convicted of murder.  He convinces Adele and Henry to take him home.  He says just for the weekend, but by the time the weekend is over they decide to all take off to Canada.  Adele gets her money from the bank to pay for the trip.  This and Gerald leaving father a note, and telling the girlfriend he is leaving leads several people to know what is gong on.  Adele loves Frank, as the sirens come to the house he ties Adele and Henry up so they can say they were kidnapped.  Franks gets 25 more years, 10 for escape and 15 for kidnap.  Adele tells the prosecuting attorney they were not kidnapped, but he cautions then she would be charged with aiding.  

Henry takes up baking.  He was taught by Frank while he was there for a short time.  He also likes baseball, as given confidence by Frank.  However when father wants his son she does not object.  Frank makes contact after seeing Henry with his pie in a magazine.  He mentions seeing Adele when he is released.  That is what happens, and the love story finally finds a home.

I was in tears at this point.  The movie built to that climax very well.  

Music Review: Andrea Bocelli: Cieli Di Toscana (Tuscan Skies)

 Andrea Bocelli is more than a singer, he is a gift.  This C.D. is recorded in Italian and even though I don't understand what is being said, I enjoy the music, the high tenor notes and the times he holds a note out for longer than seems humanly possible.  

This album was released in 2001 and became the highest selling album in the world that year.  It sold millions of copies in the first weeks after it was released.  It was #11 on the U.S. billboard 200 and #1 on the US classics billboard.