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: **** Stan and Ollie (2018)

****Stan & Ollie (2018) This movie features the classic comedy duo, Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C. Reilly) at the end of their careers.  They have agreed to do a European tour, mostly through Great Britain, Ireland and Scotland.  This is a great character biopic.  It adds their wives, Ida Laurel and Lucille Hardy, (Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson) when they catch up with the tour.  These two women tolerate each other.  The driving force, who hopes to make money off the tour is Hal Roach (Danny Huston).  When Laurel and Hardy go after each other for past perceived wrongs the movie gets very interesting.  Of course after this there is a heart attack on the part of Ollie, and a reconciliation with genuine caring and affection. 

Movie Review: Night at the Museum

Night at the Museum is an intriguing story.  At one time it seems to lose its way with just too much noise, confusion and stuff going on, but it gets back to the major plot. 

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) takes a job as a night watchman. He doesn’t really want to, as he is an inventor who has had bad luck.  However, in order to continue to visit his son who lives with his ex-wife, he needs a job. He replaces three old codgers, which provides cameos for Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs.  The thing only the night watchmen at this museum know, everything comes to life at night.  This is because of an ancient Egyptian tablet.  Amongst the characters we also meet Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) Sacagawea (Mizuo Peck) Jedediah a cowboy (Owen Wilson) and a centurion (Steve Coogan). We also add a tour guide (Carla Gugino) at the museum, for a love interest.  Our old codgers are too pleased about being replaced.  The plan to steal the tablet, and anything else they can take, and pin it all on our new night guard.  It is gong to take the cooperation of everyone to fix this mess.  Worse, if any museum characters are out at night, the turn to dust, and it will be the end of the job.

Disney Movie Review: **Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (1996)

I love the Wind in the Willow, but this movie misses the essence, while keeping the shell.  The Moles want to get Toad Hall so they can put up a dog food factory, grinding up the animals.  To do this they keep tempting Toad (Terry Jones) with motor vehicles.  He ends up in prison for 100 years.  However the maid's daughter (Julia Sawalha) helps him to escape for money.  The have to get back to Toad Hall, which the moles are going to blow up.  Rat (Eric Idle) Mole (Steve Coogan) and Badger (Nicol Williamson) all come off as heroes.  They trick the moles into blowing up the wrong building.  All would be happy, but Mr. Toad graduates from motor cars to airplanes.
This movie is not animated.  It has the characters played by humans in costume.  A cameo is John Cleese playing Toad's lawyer.  He is not a very good defense lawyer.