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Movie Review: Five Came Back (1939)

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Synopsis: While flying from Los Angeles to Panama, a commercial flight carrying nine passengers and three crew members gets caught in a storm, is thrown off course and crashes in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Weeks later, with rescue hopes abandoned, three people already dead and hostile natives lurking in the jungle, the plane is repaired but only has one working engine, restricting the amount of weight it can handle, only five of the remaining survivors can escape. The decision about which five comes down to Vasquez, a convicted anarchist facing execution who is now carrying a gun. Who's in it? The movie stars Chester Morris , Lucille Ball , John Carradine , Allen Jenkins , Patric Knowles and Joseph Calleia . Review: I came across Five Came Back last night while scrolling through movies and thought it sounded interesting enough to add to my list. I wound up watching it this morning and it was as entertaining as I was hoping it would be. The film does take a bit to get ...
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Movie Review: The Gruffalo (2009)

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Synopsis: In an effort to calm her scared children, a mother squirrel decides to tell the story of a little mouse who travels through the woods in search of something to eat. When the mouse encounters three different predators, a fox, an owl and a snake, he avoids being eaten by scaring them with his description of the fictional Gruffalo. There's just one problem, the Gruffalo is real, and his favorite food is mouse. Who's in it?  The animated movie uses voices from Helena Bonham Carter , John Hurt , James Corden , Robbie Coltrane and Tom Wilkinson . You can read my review here:  Movie Review: The Gruffalo (2009)
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Book Review: Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution by Eric Jay Dolin (2022)

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Synopsis: While some historians consider them controversial and they are often referred to as pirates, privateers working on behalf of the thirteen colonies in exchange for profit were a common occurrence during the American Revolution. This non-fiction book tells their story and argues privateers were as important to the success of the rebelling colonies as any official and celebrated piece of the United States military. Review: I came across Rebels at Sea at a bookstore several weeks ago but, since I was a bit undecided about buying it, I requested a copy through our local library first. I finally finished reading it and can honestly say it is a book that is worth adding to your history collection. I knew enough about the American Revolution to know piracy/privateering was common. However, I never fully understood just how organized and targeted that effort was before reading this book. It wasn't just a group of sailors looking to make a profit, it was a pseudo navy that did a...
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Movie Review: Reptilicus (1961)

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Synopsis: Danish miners dig up a frozen section of a prehistoric reptile's tale and transport it to an aquarium in Copenhagen. When the freezer door is accidentally left ajar, the tale thaws out and begins to regenerate. Soon after, Denmark is terrorized by the giant lizard, which is able to spew a toxic green slime. Who's in it? The movie stars  Bent Mejding ,  Asbjørn Andersen ,  Ann Smyrner ,  Mimi Heinrich and  Carl Ottosen. Review: My wife wasn't feeling well last night and went to bed early so I wound up scrolling through my movie library in search of a film I would enjoy but knew she wouldn't. After some decision making, I settled on Reptilicus and, while I had some doubts about this Danish monster movie, it ended up pleasantly surprising me. I'll start out by saying, as far as the special effects go, they were about what you would expect to see from a film from 1961. Reptilicus looks fake and it was easy to tell when some of the actors were standing...
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Movie Review: Shadow of the Cat (1961)

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Synopsis: A wealthy woman is murdered by her husband and servants and buried in the woods. As her killers search for her will, they discover an unexpected obstacle, her pet cat, which is seeking revenge after witnessing her brutal death. This leads to a confrontation as the villains try to capture and kill the cat before it kills them or drives them insane, something that does not go unnoticed by the woman’s niece. Who's in it? The film stars Andre Morell , Barbara Shelley , William Lucas , Conrad Phillips and Vanda Godsell. You can read the review here:  Movie Review: The Shadow of the Cat (1961)
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Movie Review: Foxhole (2021)

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Synopsis: Three sets of soldiers in three different wars take shelter from the enemy in a foxhole only to be given a moral dilemma, whether it's choosing between maintaining their post or taking a wounded comrade to a field hospital or whether to take an enemy soldier prisoner or kill them. Who's in it? The movie stars James Le Gros , Alex Breaux , Alex Hurt , Andi Matichak and Cody Kostro. Review: I came across Foxhole on one of my movie channels several weeks ago and added it to my library because it sounded somewhat unique. I mean, it was a war film, but it was a war film telling three different stories set in three different wars (American Civil War, World War I and the Iraq War). I finally got around to watching it this morning and was pleased with that decision. While the concept for each story was the same, the various dilemmas each group of soldiers faced were tailored to the specific situation. The Union soldiers from the Civil War segment, for example, had to dec...
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Movie Review: Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022)

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Synopsis: After his mother dies, a young Craig Poole is hired by the wealthy John Harrigan to read to him three times per week along with various other chores, a job Crag continues into his teen years because he begins to consider Harrigan a friend and mentor. When Harrigan dies, Craig places the smart phone he had purchased for the elderly man in the coffin with him and, after receiving an $800,000 inheritance, calls the phone to leave a thank you message on the voice mail. The next morning, he receives a text message from Harrigan, which is becomes convinced is just a hacker or a glitch. However, when he calls the phone again, to complain about a bully at school, Craig begins to believe it might be something more after that bully is found dead the next day. Who's in it? The movie stars Jaeden Martell , Donald Sutherland , Joe Tippett , Colin O'Brien and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. Review: I let my wife pick out a movie for us to watch last night and after scrolling through sev...
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