Freddy's Cine It

Plot Summary: Charles (Tim Key), a quirky twice‑lottery‑winning loner, hires his favorite disbanded folk duo: Herb (Tom Basden) and Nell (Carey Mulligan), to play a private concert on his remote island. Old romantic wounds resurface as they reconnect. Director: James Griffiths Screenplay: Tom Basden & Tim Key Producers: Rupert Majendie, Tom Basden, Tim Key, Carey Mulligan Music: Adem Ilhan Cinematography: G. Magni Ágústsson Editor: Quin Williams Starring: Tim Key as Charles Heath Tom Basden as Herb McGwyer Carey Mulligan as Nell Mortimer Sian Clifford as Amanda Akemnji Ndifornyen as Michael   ***SPOILER ALERT*** The Blabbermouth and the Ballad It’s been a week since I watched The Ballad of Wallis Island, and now my 38-year-old brain is being put to the test. Let’s see what survived the fog. First off, I didn’t...

Plot Summary: Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson), a desperate single mother of a seriously ill daughter, spirals through eviction, job loss, and tragedy in one catastrophic day. In a last-ditch attempt to get medicine, she starts a bank standoff — but a shocking twist reveals her daughter actually died hours earlier, and Janiyah has been dissociating from reality. Eventually, with support from a bank manager and detective, she surrenders peacefully amid growing public sympathy. Director & Writer: Tyler Perry Producer(s): Tyler Perry Cinematography: Justyn Moro Music: Dara Taylor Editing: Nick Coker Cast: Taraji P. Henson as Janiyah Wiltkinson Sherri Shepherd as Nicole (bank manager) Teyana Taylor as Detective Raymond Sinbad as Benny Glynn Turman as Richard (Janiyah’s boss) Rockmond Dunbar as Chief Wilson Ashley Versher as Tessa  ...

Plot Summary: Grieving widow Kate Garrett (J. Moore) struggles to keep her Pennsylvania horse farm afloat after losing her wife. When her estranged, drug-addicted daughter Claire (S. Sweeney) returns bloodied and in distress, a gripping thriller unfolds as Kate fights to protect her child, confronting escalating danger, moral dilemmas, and the lengths a mother will go to save her kids. Director: Michael Pearce Screenplay: Brad Ingelsby Producers: Brad Ingelsby, Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Kevin J. Walsh Music: Jed Kurzel Cinematography: Benjamin Kračun Starring: Julianne Moore as Kate Garrett Sydney Sweeney as Claire Garrett Domhnall Gleeson as Jackie Kyle MacLachlan as Richard Garrett Fiona Shaw as Jessie Oliver Edmund Donovan as Ryan   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Cheese, Wine and Echo Valley Alright, so picture this. It’s a ...

Plot Summary: In 1956, Tommy Wilhelm (Robin Williams), a down-on-his-luck salesman, loses his job and marriage. He moves to New York seeking redemption through a risky investment set up by Dr. Tamkin (Jerry Stiller). As his life spirals, debt, family strain, and betrayal, Tommy must face harsh truths about himself and “seize the day.” Director: Fielder Cook Producers: Chiz Schultz, Brian Benlifer Screenplay: Saul Bellow (novel), Ronald Ribman (screenplay) Starring: Robin Williams as Tommy Wilhelm Jerry Stiller as Dr. Tamkin Joseph Wiseman as Dr. Adler (Tommy's father) Glenne Headly as Margaret, Tommy's estranged wife Richard B. Shull as Rojax   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Jerry Stiller Got Me Here Hey everyone, I’m back with a hard-to-find movie featuring the one and only Robin Williams. The reason I picked Seize the Day was actually Jer...

Plot Summary: Set during China's Cultural Revolution, The King of Children tells the story of Lao Gan, an educated youth sent to a remote village in the Yunnan-Guizhou region to work as a teacher. Director: Chen Kaige Producers: Xi'An Film Studio Screenplay: Adapted from Ah Cheng's novella with the same name Starring: Xie Yuan as Lao Gan Chen Shaohua as Principal Chen Yang Xuewen as Wang Fu   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Jumping Into Chinese Cinema Blindfolded Hey everyone. So, back in January, the internet had a little moment, and suddenly, millions of Americans rushed to a Chinese social media app called Red Note. I got curious, joined in, and ended up discovering a whole new world of culture thanks to some incredibly welcoming Chinese users. Naturally, I decided to ask for movie recommendations, and wow, they flooded in. But despite all the amazing suggestion...

Plot Summary: A Soviet anthology film featuring three comedic stories that explore morality, deception, and irony, adapted from O. Henry’s works. Each tale brings characters into humorous and thought-provoking situations, showcasing human nature through a lens of wit and satire. Director: Leonid Gaidai Producers: Mosfilm Screenplay: Vladimir Vladimirov Starring: Vladlen Paulus as "Shark" Dodson (voiced by Oleg Dal) Aleksandr Shvorin as Bob Tidball Rostislav Plyatt as landlord Yuri Nikulin as thief Georgy Vitsin as Sam, adventurer Aleksei Smirnov as Bill Driscoll Sergei Tikhonov as Johnny Dorset (voiced by Margarita Korabelnikova, in some scenes speaks in his own voice)   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Story 1: "The Roads We Take" Today, we took a little break from Frank Oz's filmography and watched a Soviet movie by the very po...

Plot Summary: The film revolves around Beth, a novelist, whose marriage takes an unexpected turn when she overhears her husband, Don, sharing his candid, less-than-enthusiastic opinion about her latest book. This revelation puts their relationship under strain, offering a humorous and poignant look at honesty, love, and creative ambition. Direction and Story: Nicole Holofcener Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Beth Tobias Menzies as Don Michaela Watkins as Sarah Arian Moayed as Mark Jeannie Berlin as Georgia   ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Long-Awaited Movie Night Hello, dear reader! After months away from the world of cinema (my last venture was a Kazakhstan-themed director week), the wife and I finally sat down to watch a movie together last Friday—and stayed awake through it! We chose You Hurt My Feelings (2023), a film about two couples in their late forties, (maybe earl...

Plot Summary: The film follows Asa, a young man returning from his Russian naval service to his sister’s nomadic family on the desolate Hunger Steppe of central Asia. Eager to start his own life as a shepherd, Asa must first win the hand of the only eligible girl in miles, his mysterious neighbor Tulpan. Director: Sergey Dvortsevoy Starring: Askhat Kuchinchirekov as Asa Samal Yeslyamova as Samal Ondasyn Besikbasov as Ondas Tulepbergen Baisakalov as Boni   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Realism and Raw Authenticity Today we are leaving Kazakhstan with the movie "Tulpan" by Sergey Dvortsevoy, who also directed our first movie of the week, " Ayka ." Let me tell you, right away, that this is an amazing, unbelievable film. If in yesterday's documentary, "The Eagle Huntress," I felt that I was watching something fictional, today was the opposite. Some scenes are so real that it look...

Plot Summary: The film follows the lives of four adolescent boys in a rural village in mid-1990s Kazakhstan, each grappling with their own personal struggles and self-destructive behaviors. Set against a backdrop of socio-economic upheaval, the film portrays their search for purpose and direction in a bleak and challenging environment. Director: Emir Baigazin Screenplay: Emir Baigazin Starring: Nurlybek Saktaganov as Zharas Madiyar Aripbay as Chick Madiyar Nazarov as Toad Omar Adilov as Aslan   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Visual Symbolism and Atmosphere Third day in Kazakhstan, and now we are in deep! As you must already know from the synopsis, we have four different stories that loosely connect in the end, or at least you know the four different pre-teen kids you're going to spend some boring time with come from the same remote village. And damn, shit looks really boring out there. Baigazin em...