This post ends my time writing movie reviews on the Missus Lady's blog. At least for now. Maybe I'll do more reviews, now and then. The Missus Lady would like me to do book reviews for some future ABC Wednesday round. I'll think about it. It has been fun being part of this round of ABCW . Purrrrrrrrrrr. The Zookeeper's Wife (2017) Setting: Warsaw, Poland during WWII, 1939 to 1945 This movie is based on the real-life story of the husband and wife caretakers of the Warsaw Zoo, Dr. Jan Zabinski and Antonina Zabinska, during World War II. The couple defied the nasty Nazis by hiding over 300 Jews in the zoo during the war. It is a sad and horrible, yet uplifting, tale. The movie begins with the bombing of Warsaw in September 1939, the start of the war, during which many of the animals died. Dr. Lutz Heck, an actual Nazi commander and a big-time zoologist for Hitler, transfers the best of the surviving animals to German zoos, after convincing the couple that it...

The Missus Lady is at a stage in her life where any story that has a combination of sweetness, magnificence, and wonder gets her crying. She was tearing up as we watched the preview of today's movie to recall what it was all about. Oh, my Missus Lady, purrrrrrrrrr . The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet (2013) Setting: Montana T. S. Spivet is an amazingly brilliant 10-year old boy who is into science. He lives on a ranch in Montana with his mother, an entomologist, his dad, a cowboy, his teenage sister, who wants to be Miss America one day, and Layton, his twin brother. T. S. is so gifted that the Smithsonian Institute wants to give him an award in Washington D.C. for his invention of a perpetual motion machine. Of course the institution think that T. S. is an adult and of course his family members are so self-absorbed that they don't notice when T. S. leaves the house one night. How does T. S. get to Washington D.C.? Who helps him on his quest? When the museum peop...

Today's movie was the first feature film ever shot in Saudi Arabia and directed by a Saudi woman. Purrrrrrrr- ty cool. It's an honest story about a young girl wanting things that she can't have because she is a girl. But, that doesn't stop her. The Missus Lady says she knows what that was like. She says the Mama knew it, too, and even more. The Mama loved to climb trees when she was a kid. One day, when she was 12 years old, an older brother found her climbing up a coconut tree. When she came down, her brother beat her up, saying "Shame on you! You are too old to climb trees."  Mewr. She never said if she ever stopped. Wadjda  (2012) Setting: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Wadjda is a 10 year-old girl who lives with her mother in the suburbs. Her father lives there part-time it seems and now that Wadjda's mother can no longer bear children, he is thinking of taking a second wife.  Will he? If he does, what will happen to Wadjda and her mother? Wadjda is...

The Missus Lady told me that Groundhog Day solidified her as a Bill Murray fan. She stops and watches the movie until the next commercial anytime she comes across it on the TV. Myself, I have yet to watch the movie all the way through. Meeew. Some people may think Bill Murray plays himself in every role. We don't think so. Playing a character loose as a goose is a talent and skill. Both the Missus Lady and I like Bill Murray in Rock the Kasbah, The Monuments Man, The Man Who Knew Too Little, Larger than Life, Olive Kitteridge, Hyde Park on Hudson, and today's movie. St. Vincent   (2014) Setting: Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn Vincent, played by Bill Murray, is an ornery old soul who gambles, drinks, smokes, and lives alone. He regularly visits his wife in a nursing facility. She has Alzheimer's and stopped knowing Vincent years ago. One day Maggie (performed by Melissa McCarthy) and her young son Oliver enter Vincent's life. Their first encounter is Vincent findi...

Six more weeks and I am done with my movie reviews. The Missus Lady has asked me if I would be interested in doing book reviews for the next round of ABC Wednesday . I told her I would think about it. It sounds interesting but I'm not too keen on doing reviews for awhile. Maybe if she wanted Jane Austen, Action Doll, and me to collaborate on something, I might give an absolute purrrring yes. What do you think? My House in Umbria   (2003) Setting: Umbria, Italy Emily (played by Dame Maggie Smith) is a middle-aged British expatriate who lives in solitude in the countryside of central Italy. She's alone not so much as to write romance novels but more so because she has closed down her emotions due to horrible things that happened to her in the past. Emily only trusts her agent. One day everything in Emily's life changes. The train that she is on gets blown up by terrorists.  In the hospital, Emily finds herself drawn to the young girl from the U.S. that Emily met o...

I'm with the Missus Lady. I can't decide which movie not to talk about. So, this week you get two thoughtful kindly hearted stories. Both are British films. The Humans really ought to visit the British Isles one day. This Beautiful Fantastic (2017) Setting: A British city   Some people classify this story as a modern fairy tale. I don't know why. Isn't it possible for a timid soul to dream possibilities for herself, fall in love with an unlikely person, become almost like a daughter to a grumpy neighbor, and grow a beautiful garden seemingly overnight? This is definitely a feel good movie. It's also a tearful one for sentimentals like Missus Lady. Hero Man looked quite satisfied with the ending, too. Their Finest    (2017)   Setting: London, 1940 World War II Catrin is hired by the Ministry of Information to provide a woman's point of view on propaganda films in production. Proving herself to be a decent script writer, she is assigned to work on the next f...

Something good, happy, nice, and wonderful is developing in our home. I can't put my finger on it. Just feels like it. Purrrrrrr. Miss Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (2005) Setting: Any bucolic town USA (movie was shot in the Pasadena and Glendale area) Frank (played by Robert Carlyle) is a grieving widower who gets passed on a dangerous mountainous road by happy guy Steve (performed by John Goodman). Minutes later Frank catches up to Steve who somehow crashed on a wide portion of the road. Frank keeps Steve talking while waiting for the ambulance and during the ambulance ride. Steve tells him about being a kid in love with Lisa and taking ballroom dance classes from Miss Hotchkiss. Young Steve and Lisa promised each other that they would meet on a certain day in the distant future at Miss Hotchkiss' school, which was where adult Steve had been heading. Steve got Frank to promise to go to the school and tell Lisa that he tried to get there. Frank does. Before h...

Today's movie is about "So what that I'm an old person and screw you for thinking so." Pause. "I'm doing it anyway." My Humans are those kind of people. At least I think so and they think so. That's all that counts. Purrrrrrrr. Redwood Highway (2013) Setting: Oregon Marie lives in a retirement facility in southern Oregon. She has been invited to her granddaughter's wedding on the Oregon coast about 80 miles away. Because Marie is a difficult woman, meaning she and her kids have major friction, she can't get a ride there. So what else can the old coot do but sneak out one morning with her backpack and fishing pole and start walking up the Redwood Highway. Road trip! Is Marie a experienced hiker? What does her family do when they find out she's gone from the facility? Does Marie's orneriness get ironed out by the people she meets on the way? Does she meet someone who may be her true love? What caused her to be such an unh...

According to the Missus Lady, if you asked the Mama, who I knew as the Tiny Old Lady, "What have you been doing?" and she happened to be very tired, she would answer, "I have been to see the queen." I miss the Little Old Lady. Mewwwwwww Queen of Katwe (2016) Setting: Katwe, a slum in the city of Kampala Uganda This movie is based on the life of Phiona Matessi, an Ugandan chess queen. This young woman won several junior chess championships in Uganda, as well as represented the country in four Chess Olympiads, which are tournaments with teams from various countries. What is very inspiring about Phiona's story is that the odds were quite high against her learning to play chess when you consider her circumstances. Mewwww. Phiona and her family lived in a large slum called Katwe. When she was nine years old, she had to leave school because her father had died and the family could no longer afford to send her to school. She was also needed to help care fo...

I love a movie with penguins. Who wouldn't, I ask you? Who? Maybe owls. This movie stars a dog. Rrrrfh . I like dogs. My first friends and protectors were dogs. I love dogs. Rrrfh . Sometimes Missus Lady and Hero Man remark how much like a dog I am. My Humans so know me. Rrrrfh. Oddball and the Penguins (2015) Setting: Middle Island off the coast of Warrnambool, Australia Fairy penguins do indeed have a breeding colony on Middle Island off the southwestern coast of Australia. And, Oddball was an actual maremma sheepdog who saved the colony of fairy penguins from dying off on Middle Island in 2006. So, purrrrrrr , this movie is inspired by a true heart-warming tale. Why were the fairy penguins dying off? How did the farmer who owned Oddball knew he could protect the penguins? Also, who among the townspeople didn't want the little penguins to flourish, and why didn't they? I love this movie. Rrrrfh! Purrrrrrrrrrr. A note from Su-sieee! Mac: The letter O ...

No movie review from me today. But, here's a photo of purrrrrrrrrrrrty me taking a snoozer of a stretch .  See ya next week with a movie . Ciao. A Note from Su-sieee! Mac Molly the Cat refused to write about today's selection, A New Kind of Love , a 1963 silly comedy romp starring the sparkly and sparking duo of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. She said, "How can I write about the movie, Missus Lady, when I've never seen it? Also, it's not on Netflix." Always the logical cat, Missy Molly is, by golly. Molly gave me her glare of a stare then a turn of her back when I said she could paraphrase what I told her about the movie. That Girl! She didn't care that it was one of my favorite movies from my teenage years, making the circuits of the day, evening, and late Saturday night movie stations. It was a funny, sexy, actually quite layered, love story, but one I'd probably cringe at a lot if I were to see it for the first time today. A Ne...

Sir Billy Connolly is one of the Missus Lady's favorite actors. Until she saw Mrs Brown , she thought of Connolly as being that Scottish actor in a 1980s high school sitcom who played the teacher of a class of specially smart, and troubled, kids in New York City. It was when the Humans first signed up for Netflix that Missus Lady got on a Billy Connolly kick and came to realize how versatile an actor he is. The Man Who Sued God (2001) Setting: Some place in Australia Steve (so wonderfully interpreted by Billy Connolly) is a lawyer turned fisherman. Not sure if he does it for a living or just says that's what he does. One day his fishing boat is struck by lightening. Ka-Bloom! The insurance company tells him that they will not honor his claim because it was destroyed by an Act of God. Oh-oh. Steve sees red. And, sues! But, who does he sue? Uhm...the churches. Yup. Steve sues the churches because they are God's representatives on Earth. How are the churches g...

This week's movie selection is an old one starring Timothy Bottoms and a young fetching Dame Maggie Smith.  Some film guys categorize the movie as a comedy-drama, while others call it a bittersweet romantic comedy. Mister Hero Man says that often a movie is considered a comedy because a drama just happens to have natural funny elements to it. I suppose. But isn't that the life of humans anyway? Missus Lady says that this movie is in the same vein as Harold and Maude , which was released two years prior to this one, except the story of love is more obvious between a woman twice the age of a young man. Missus Lady says she doesn't know how she missed this movie when it first came out. Maybe it had a small run because of the theme. I don't know why many people are askance at a May–December relationship. The Missus Lady would know. The First, and Late, Husband was twice her age. People had asked if the First, and Late, Husband was someone famous or if she (not knowing ...

We've been quite busy this week getting everything ready for a  party this Saturday. Missus Lady and Hero Man will be celebrating their #21 anniversary. It's a casual affair at the house.  There are so many things to do, but the Humans don't seem too concerned that they've only done a few things. Missus Lady is learning that it takes her longer to do things and that she poops out sooner. Not sure what Hero Man thinks, but he does seem to be having fun.  Boxes still line one wall of the living room. Missus Lady says that if she moves the boxes, then something will have to go into that space. Neither want to think about what can fill the space, and they do want to fill it to cover the dark spot I left when I used to lie there. When Missus Lady thinks the boxes can stay where they are, she says, "Let's go with being thought of as eclectic." We shall see. Purrrrrrrrrrr. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) Setting: Feudal Japan We love this movie! All t...

The Humans own the movie I'm writing about today, one of the few that they actually see over and over. This is one of the Missus Lady's favorite musicals. Maybe top favorite. Every so often she breaks out singing "I've just been to the windy city" (usually while cooking or cleaning) and if Hero Man is nearby, he joins in. Happy sounds!  Yeah, they like to sing along during the movie.  The movie was made in 1953, the year that the Missus Lady was born. She said she first saw the movie when she was a teenager so all the Indian-and-Cowboy stuff was your regular movie rigmarole. She knows better today, she said. All in all, she likes this movie because of the songs and she loves how much fun Doris Day had singing and dancing as Calamity Jane. Calamity Jane Setting: The Dakota Territory in mid-1870s to 1880s. I think without the musical stuff, the story would be considered a screwball comedy in the best way. Girl loves boy (not Wild Bill Hickcock) who loves ...

Emphasis on the word incredible , because this post is, after all, for the letter I for ABC Wednesday. The film I'm talking about today is incredible, no doubt about it. You know what else is incredible? The changing weather patterns. Incredible Harvey. Incredible Irma. And, the incredible high temperatures we had over the weekend. Depending on who was talking, it was 106, 116, or 119 degrees last Saturday. It was so hot I didn't want to eat. Not move a tiny bit at all. I kinda wished the Missus Lady would've shaved me. And, now, tonight, it got so cool, I snuggled on the couch next to the Missus Lady, who was under her comforter. Sacré bleu!   Mewwwwwww. Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance (2015) Setting: Cefn Ffirest, Wales, a once-upon-a-time mining village This is a documentary about a bunch of working class people who pooled their money to purchase a racehorse to breed and raise her foal into a winning racehorse. They called themselves t...

The Missus Lady knew right away what movie she wanted me to review for the letter H. Mewwww. The movie is labeled a romantic comedy. Considering the subject matter, it's the best way to go.  Female hysteria.  Both Missus Lady and Hero Man had no idea that was a medical thing, and a very common diagnosis at that. Treatment was manual stimulation by a professional physician. I kid you not. Purrrrrrrr. The other night Missus Lady was wondering if there was a connection between hysteria and hysterectomy. It turns out yeah. The root hystera comes from the Greek, meaning of the womb . According to the Wikipedia article about female hysteria, the condition was known way back in ancient Greece times. Some Greek eggheads thought that a woman's womb wandered about her body, I suppose like a snake, causing all kinds of havoc. What's interesting is that female hysteria stopped being a major complaint in the 1900s.  Could it be because of a certain invention? Let me assure...

Hero Man and Missus Lady watched two bank heist movies recently.  I thought that was unusual because they don't normally like that kind of movie. But, then they weren't the usual slick, devilish robbery films with young or younger folks. No. The main characters are in their 70s.  Mewwwwwwww. One movie was made in England, while the other was based in the United States. The story lines are similar.  The seniors are upstanding citizens who manage to live comfortably on their limited income. Then, pow! their former companies announce that they are doing poorly so they must decrease or stop the monthly current pensions. Mewwwwwww. Golden Years (2016) Setting: Southwest England (filming was done in Bristol and the Cotswolds) Arthur and Martha become criminals by accident. Arthur is standing by the bank door when the armored car guard bumps into Arthur and is knocked out cold. The locked satchel full of money pops out of the truck. Arthur's reaction: Take the money ...

Hello ABC Wednesday visitors!  We're six weeks into the alphabet, so if this is your first time to the blog, welcome. My name is Molly the Cat, and I'm writing movie reviews for this ABCW round. The Missus Lady, one of my humans and the writer of this blog, is letting me try out my words. Nice of her, don't you think? Missus Lady usually has two or three choices for me to pick from. Today's pick is one that the Missus Lady saw more than several years ago, way before my time. I chose it anyway because the Missus Lady liked it so much, and it introduced her to Gerard Butler. Purrrrrrr. Dear Frankie (2004) Setting: Greenock, Scotland This is a story about a mother who loves her young son so much that she is willing to lie about his father. Nine-year-old Frankie, his mom, Lizzie, and grandmother are constantly moving because they are running away from Frankie's abusive dad. But, Frankie doesn't know that his dad is a bad dude or that they're avo...

Purrrrrrr. I had a great day yesterday. The Missus Lady and Hero Man said it was my birthday and that I was seven (seven!) years old. I got extra petting, extra cooing, and extra time outside. I also caught a bird which I brought into the house. The Humans had no idea I found it until almost dinner time. Purrrrrrrr. In honor of my bird day, I picked this movie for you this week. The Eagle Huntress (2016)   Setting: The plains of Mongolia This is a docu mentary about A isholpan, a 1 3 year old nomad girl, whose father is teaching her to be a golden eagle hunter. That is a very cherished profession in their culture, which is passed on from one generation to the next. O nly the males can bec o me eagle hunters, because, as it usually goes, females do not have what it takes to handle eagles while galloping on horses . Aisholpan's father, having no sons, was not going to let his profession die with him. Good for him! From the start of her training, A isholpan shows that s...