Sick of the Pretend World of Christmas Movies? Get Back To Real Life With These Compelling Documentaries!

[I review "Cocaine Quarterback: Signal Caller for the Cartel," "John Candy: I Like Me" and "Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip To Remember"]

Cocaine Quarterback: Signal Caller for the Cartel (2025)

The true, almost unbelievable, story of convicted drug trafficker Owen Hanson's rise from USC football player to smuggling drugs for one of the world's most dangerous cartels.

What do you do when you get a sports scholarship to USC to play volleyball and you are faced with losing your position if you don't get stronger?  Why, you go down to Mexico and get some steroids.  And what do you do when you bulk up and get drafted as a walk-on to play USC football?  Why, you play football.  And what do you do when your football career doesn't take off?  Why, you start smuggling drugs.  Those were the decisions that Owen Hanson made, and this is his story.

Growing up in Redondo Beach, California, Owen lived a modest lifestyle.  He was a star high school volleyball player, so was thrilled to be awarded a scholarship to play volleyball for USC.  But when that didn't work out as planned, he was able to join the USC football program as a walk-on in 2004.  But while at college, he subsidized his lifestyle as a campus drug dealer feeling he needed the money to "fit in with those USC kids."  Who knew that small side hustle would turn into a major illegal enterprise?

After college when his teammates were getting drafted for the NFL, Hanson was at loose ends so he turned to real estate, but then the 2008 recession hit and he was once again wondering what to do with this life.  Hey, what about that drug thing he used to do?  Sounds like a plan.

Hanson was able to align himself with a Mexican drug lord (not sure how one does that) and soon was hobnobbing with celebrities, athletes and other high rollers. He trafficked cocaine, meth, ecstasy and heroin in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Australia as well as running an offshore sports betting website. He claimed he made $1 million a day at one point.  And according to the Attorney General's Southern California office, Hanson was also the leader of a violent racketeering enterprise called "ODOG," which used intimidation and force to keep customers in line.

But then, enter gambler R.J. Cipriani, AKA Robin Hood 702, who supposedly gave his gambling winnings to people in need.  Hanson aligned with him in an elaborate scheme to launder his drug money and that worked for a time, but when Cipriani lost $2.5 million of Hanson's money playing blackjack, Hanson was in big trouble with the cartel.  Hanson then sent Cipriani death threats, poured fake blood on his Cipriani's parents' graves and sent videos of executions to his family members to try to get his money back.  Well, don't mess with Robin Hood 702, especially his parents.  Now the FBI was involved and they were on to Hanson.

And that's only part of the story. There is much more.

Directed by Jody McVeigh-Schultz (And Mark Wahlberg is one of the executive producers), much of Hanson's story is told by him from prison along with many of his cohorts. Believe it or not, we watched this series because our son said one of the kids he knew from high school baseball was in the series! And there he was! 

Is Hanson still serving time? Does Hanson have any new side hustles?  Well, you will have to watch and find out.  Easily bingeable as each of the three episodes has a run time of about 40 minutes. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a compelling three-part true-crime series about ego, power, and poor judgment. (Amazon Prime)

John Candy: I Like Me (2025)

An affectionate profile of actor John Candy directed by Colin Hanks.

John Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian who was probably best known for his work in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and "Uncle Buck," though he starred in over 35 films before his untimely death from a heart attack at the age of 43.

Hanks (son of Tom Hanks) relies on rare and never-before-seen archival footage, outtakes, private home videos, audio commentary, movie clips and interviews with family and his famous friends to tell John Candy's story. 

Born in 1950, John grew up in Toronto, Ontario, in a working class Catholic family. Sadly his father died at the age of 35 from heart disease when John was 5 - on his 5th birthday! John was interested in theatre and found himself as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City in the 1970's and its SCTV sketch series alongside Eugene Levy, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Joe Flaherty, Catherine O'Hara and Rick Moranis, all of whom gained fame of their own. And then Hollywood came calling.

This is a positive profile, and that is fitting, since no one seemed to have a bad word to say about him.  He was a sort of "every man," a good guy. However, underneath the comedy was a guy who suffered from a sometimes crippling anxiety and the fear that he would die young, like his Dad.  He felt he was on borrowed time and sadly he was.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a wonderful tribute to a wonderful actor. It's fun hanging out with him again. (Amazon Prime)

Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember (2025)

Actor Chris Hemsworth embarks on a motorcycle road trip with his dad, Craig, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

After consulting with clinical psychologist Dr. Suraj Samtani and learning about Reminiscence Therapy, Chris Hemsworth goes on a road trip to Melbourne and the Australian Outback with his father, Craig, 71, to not only spend time together but to help his dad remember.

Revisiting past experiences is a great way to help cognition.  Memories from the past help the brain. This is part of Reminiscence Therapy and Chris is hoping it will help his Dad, who has the early signs of Alzheimer's.  Since his dad used to race motorcycles, they embark on a motorcycle road trip, starting in Melbourne where Chris spent his teen years.  They return to the house they lived in during the 1990's that Chris has completely redone to look like it did when they lived there (thanks to the cooperation of the current owners).  His mother, Leonie, Craig's wife of over 40 years, joins them and they watch some home movies and look at family photos.

And then it's off to Bulman, in the Northern Territory, where Chris and his brothers spent their very young years. The town is primarily an Aboriginal community four and a half hours from the nearest town.  Craig had found a job there rustling buffalo and cattle, and Chris was able to find many of the men who had worked with Craig 35 years ago. Seeing old friends also helps the brain, because it requires us to think back to how we knew our old friends and what we did together. And interacting with community slows the rate of cognitive decline.

With family photos and archival footage, we see the life that Chris led  There is a photo that Chris has of his dad and him in a spot in Bulman and they are able to find it in the present day in a very poignant moment. But for all of the bonding that Chris and his dad do, Chris is reluctant to ask his dad how he feels about the diagnosis and his memory loss.  He admits on camera that part of the reason he doesn't ask is because he doesn't want to face the answer. But on their last night together, the two camp out and he finally asks his dad how he feels about the diagnosis and Craig shares what he is going through.

It is interesting to see Craig's transformation as the film goes on.  He is at first forgetful and quiet, but as the two take their journey of remembering, Craig is seen to open up more.

Chris' mother and Craig's wife of over 40 years weighs in as well as Dr. Samtani. And then, if I might digress for a moment, there is Chris sharing his feelings in some juicy closeups as he recounts his childhood.  He is one handsome guy.

Directed by Tom Barbor-Might, this is a bittersweet journey.  On the sweet side, Chris bonds with his Dad and the trip seems to be helping Craig, but on the bitter side, Hemsworth knows that he is losing the man his father once was.  He also reveals that he has inherited two copies of the APOE4 gene, one from his mother and one from his father, which makes it eight to ten times more likely that he will eventually develop Alzheimer's. And sadly, every year there are over 10 million new cases of dementia.  This film sheds light on that as well as what we can all do to ward it off. And it reminds us to not take our parents for granted.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a revealing look at the issue of dementia but even if you are not interested in that, this is a very heartwarming and important story of father/son love (it brought tears to my eyes). But it's also a cool road trip and it shows the very kind, human side of a superstar. There is something here for everyone. (Hulu)

See You Next Time!

And Happy Holidays!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

My November 2025 Movie Picks and Pans!

[I review the psychological thriller, "The Woman in Cabin 10," as well as the black comedy "The Roses" and Ben and Amy Stiller's documentary about their parents, "Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost."]

The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025)

An investigative journalist becomes involved in a tangled mystery while on a luxury cruise ship.

Recovering from the trauma of witnessing a source's murder, investigative journalist Laura "Lo" Blacklock (Keira Knightley) receives an invitation from terminally ill billionaire Anne Bullmer (Lisa Loven Kongsli) to join her and her husband, Richard (Guy Pearce), and some other wealthy guests, aboard their luxury yacht sailing to a fundraising gala in Norway.  Anne wants Laura to write about her new charitable foundation.

The first evening at sea, Lo ducks into Cabin 10 to avoid her ex-boyfriend, Ben (David Ajala), a photographer working for the Bullmers, and encounters a mysterious blonde woman (Gitte Witt) there. After dinner, Anne privately reveals to Lo that she has stopped taking her medication and plans to donate all of her fortune to charity. 

That night, waking to a ruckus and a woman's scream next door, Lo finds a bloody handprint by Cabin 10 and witnesses someone fall overboard. She alerts the ship and despite Laura's insistence that there was a woman in Cabin 10, all guests are accounted for and she is told that no guest was staying in Cabin 10. 

Did she imagine it?  Was it a hallucination brought on by my her guilt about her source? No, Laura knows what and who she saw so she sets out to solve this mystery.

In the meantime, the trip continues.  When Laura meets with Anne again, Anne appears to have forgotten their earlier conversation and when Laura sneaks into Cabin 10, she finds blonde hair in the sink drain. Then some other strange things start to happen. But the more she asks questions, the more the crew and guests refuse to believe her suspicions and in fact start thinking there is something mentally wrong with her.  But as she gets closer and closer to solving the mystery that is unfolding on the ship, Laura realizes her life is in danger.

What is going on?  Who was that blonde woman in Cabin 10?  And who was it that Laura saw fall off the ship?  And why won't anyone believe her?

Based on the 2016 novel by Ruth Ware, adapted by Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse and Simon Stone and directed by Stone, this is a classic, old-fashioned, psychological thriller.  You have the troubled journalist, a fish out of water hanging with very rich people (played by some recognizable British actors - Hannah Waddingham, David Morrissey, Art Malik, et al); everyone on the yacht is seemingly suspicious; our heroine witnesses a murder but no one believes her; and there is a big twist.

If you read the book, you know how this will go. Or maybe not.  I'm not sure what it says about me or the book, but I read it and could not remember the twist.  I'm also not sure what it says about me that I couldn't help but think how fun it would be for there to be an episode of "Below Deck" that featured a real life murder mystery like this.  But, I know, that would be pushing "reality TV" too far.

Rosy the Reviewer says...despite some "Huh?" moments and Laura doing some stupid stuff, this is a fast-moving psychological thriller reminiscent of those old Hitchcock films that will satisfy fans of "woman in jeopardy" stories. (Netflix)

 The Roses (2025)

A "reimagining" of the 1989 film "The War of the Roses."

I almost dislike remakes of perfectly good films as much as a I dislike sequels, and the original "The War of the Roses" is a perfectly good movie that I think would stand up today, but who can resist Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch as a married couple battling it out when their marriage goes wrong? And there are some distinct differences between the two films, so I am going to go along with the "reimagining" angle instead of calling this a remake.  And if you never saw "The War of the Roses," then this will all be new to you. 

Architect Theo (Cumberbatch) and aspiring chef Ivy (Colman) meet in London in the kitchen of a restaurant where Theo is having a work lunch and when Ivy shares that she is moving to America, Theo says they should go together. Ivy replies "We haven't even had sex yet," to which Theo replies, "That's minutes away."  And he was right.  Off they go to have hot and heavy sex in the cold walk-in fridge.

Fast forward ten years, Theo and Ivy are married with two children, Hattie (Delaney Quinn) and Roy (Ollie Robinson), and living in Mendocino, California (but actually filmed in England in Devon - I thought that was the case, because I lived in Northern California and used to go to Mendocino quite often and it didn't look familiar. So then couldn't help but wonder why Mendocino)? 

However, the cracks in the marriage are already starting to show.  Ivy is a free spirit who spoils the children with desserts and fun while Theo is more regimented and health and exercise conscious.  But then, since Ivy had given up her career dreams to raise the children, Theo presents her with a restaurant. She names it "We've Got Crabs!"

But later, while Ivy's restaurant takes off, Theo loses his job in a catastrophic way, and in a reversal role, becomes the stay-at-home dad where he imposes his discipline on the kids, even having them sign commitment documents to exercise and eat right. And this time, with Ivy's success, she tells Theo she will pay for him to build them a dream house, which he does.  

So times passes.  Hattie (Hala Finley) and Roy (Wells Rappaport) are now teens, and Ivy starts to feel shut-out of the kids' lives, and Theo is jealous of Ivy's success.  Despite attempts to save the marriage and with the kids away at boarding school, the marriage goes to hell. Theo wants a divorce but he thinks he deserves to keep the house, since he designed it and built it.  However, Ivy thinks she deserves it because she paid for it.  In fact, Ivy doesn't want Theo to have anything, so the two make each other's lives unbearable with cruel tactics - really bad stuff like trying to hurt each other's businesses and reputations. And then it gets worse!

Directed by Jay Roach from a screenplay by Tony McNamara (based on the 1981 novel "The War of the Roses" by Warren Adler), Colman and Cumberbatch are great to watch, even when they are doing terrible things to each other. But I couldn't help think that it took too long to get to the mean, I mean, fun parts.  I remember the earlier film, "The War of the Roses" being faster moving and funnier.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this film is all about Colman and Cumberbatch, and if you like them and you never saw the original, you might enjoy this film, but I did see the original and liked that one better. But watching Colman and Cumberbatch was worth it to me (for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime).

Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost (2025)

Amy and Ben Stiller reminisce about their famous parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.

Stiller & Meara were a husband-and-wife comedy team made up of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara that was popular primarily in the 1960s and 1970s. The duo made frequent appearances on television variety shows such as "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Stiller and Meara were among the earliest graduates of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe to become famous.  They were regulars on "The Ed Sullivan Show, but the two also had separate careers. Anne starred on "Archie Bunker's Place" from 1979-1982 and had film roles and Jerry had a career boost as George Costanza's father on "Seinfeld."

Jerry saved everything so after their deaths, their children Ben and Amy Stiller go back to the apartment where they were raised and where their parents lived for so many years, and as Ben and Amy go through all of the mementos of their parents' lives, theirs and their parents' stories unfold with the help of home movies and other archival footage. 

Though this film covers Anne's and Jerry's careers and shares footage from some of their comedy bits, this heartfelt film, written and directed by Ben and Amy, it is almost more about what it was like for Ben and Amy growing up with famous parents who worked together.

Anne would often say it was difficult to see where the act ended and the marriage began. Likewise, the kids would hear them yelling and weren't sure if they were rehearsing or fighting. Ben and Amy share anecdotes and personal observations about their lives with these remarkable people who they clearly loved and admired. And it's a remarkable documentary.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a poignant and fun tribute to a wonderful pair of actor/comedians who deserve to be remembered. (Apple+)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

Do You Like True Crime Mysteries? Then These Compelling Documentaries Are For You!!

[I review the documentaries "Amy Bradley is Missing," "Death in Apt. 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg," and "The Perfect Neighbor"]

Amy Bradley is Missing (2025)

A three-part docuseries about a 23-year-old woman who went missing during a Caribbean cruise enroute to Curacao in 1998. 

This intriguing documentary explores the case of Amy Bradley, who on March 24, 1998, was last seen by her father sleeping on the deck chair of her room's balcony on the Royal Caribbean "Rhapsody of the Seas" cruise ship at 5:30am.  By 6am, she was missing.

A thorough search of the ship was done and when authorities were alerted, the Netherlands Antilles Coast Guard, thinking she may have fallen overboard or jumped, conducted a four-day search in the surrounding waters. Nothing was found.

At the time of her disappearance, Amy was 23 and a graduate of Longwood University. She was known for her strong swimming abilities as well as having previously worked as a lifeguard. She came out as gay to her family while in college, and though her parents were not happy about that, they acknowledged it was her life and they loved her unconditionally.

Amy's dad, Ron, had won an all-expenses-paid family cruise from his employer; and Bradley joined her family on that fateful trip on the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas en route for Curaçao.  They were joined by Amy's brother, Brad. Amy had a full-time job as a waitress, but was planning to start a new job at a computer consulting firm after her return from the cruise.

Using interviews with fellow ship's passengers, Amy's family members, FBI and others as well as re-enactments and film footage, this three-part docuseries directed by Phil Lott and Ari Mark details the efforts to find Amy, descriptions of the many sightings that have been reported over the years and speculation about what could have happened to her. 

• Did Amy commit suicide by jumping off her balcony?
• Was Amy pushed off the balcony?
• Did Amy fall from the balcony by accident?
• Did Amy leave the ship of her own accord?
• Was Amy abducted by sex traffickers

A case is built for each theory.  See what you think.

As an aside, the series also notes some dangers associated with cruising.  Out on International waters, you are on your own.

In the many years since her disappearance, several people have claimed to have seen Amy in Curacao, Barbados and other locations but authorities have been unable to corroborate the sightings though this has fueled speculation that Amy was a victim of human trafficking.  Amy's whereabouts are still unknown, though tips and sightings continue to come in.  Will the mystery of her disappearance ever been solved?

As they say, it's not the destination, it's the journey.  This journey is a fascinating mystery.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this stranger than fiction real life story is highly addictive but also highly disturbing.  I won't be taking a cruise anytime soon. (Netflix)

Death in Apartment. 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? (2025)

School teacher, Ellen Greenberg, was found dead in her apartment with over 20 stab wounds and her death was initially ruled a suicide and the case was closed!  What!?

Produced and directed by Nancy Schwartzman, this 3-part mini-series explores the death of Ellen Greenberg whose gruesome death was ruled a suicide.  Later it was ruled a homicide and then changed back to a suicide. No one could believe that was possible and her parents fought to keep the case open.

On January 26, 2011, Ellen Greenberg's fiancee, Sam Goldberg, left the apartment he shared with Ellen and went down to the gym in their Philadelphia apartment building. When he returned, he found the apartment door latched from the inside. He asked the apartment concierge for help and called Ellen repeatedly.  He eventually broke down the door and found Ellen's body with 20 stab wounds and a knife sticking out of her heart.  He called 911 and when the police came, Ellen's death was ruled a suicide because the door had been latched from the inside, the apartment was not disturbed and she had no defensive wounds.  Because it is not a crime to kill yourself in Pennsylvania, the case was closed, the apartment was cleaned and Sam's attorney uncle removed Ellen's phone and computer.  And that was that.

But wait a minute.  Later, the coroner ruled it a homicide but basically it was too late for much of an investigation since the scene had been cleaned and electronics removed.  What did the police have to go on?  But c'mon. Something to go on would be 20 stab wounds, some of those stab wounds in the back of her neck! And what about those bruises? And was Sam's testimony to be believed? But, later, after what appeared to be pressure from the police, the coroner changed his ruling back to suicide. 

To everyone who knew her, Ellen was a charming, happy person.  Yes, she was depressed about her teaching job and it was observed that she often didn't wear he engagement ring. But there were no indications that she wanted to kill herself. After her death, Sam went on with this life but Ellen's parents, Josh and Sandee Greenberg, weren't having it and began a crusade to find out the truth, and six years after Ellen's death, Stephanie Farr, a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote Ellen's story.  She put Ellen's story all together and no one had really seen the full story until then. It became a cause celebre and this mini-series is a result of that. In fact, Elle and Dakota Fanning are two of the producers. Taking a case to the media is often the only way to get some movement. 

Through archival materials, crime scene photos interviews with friends, relatives and Ellen's parents as well as with the coroner, police officers, a private investigator hired by Ellen's parents, the district attorney, Farr and others, Ellen's story is told and the errors in the investigation of her death and the bureaucratic failures are revealed.

This story is important and amplifies something that could touch any of us - the sometimes difficult task to get justice.

Rosy the Reviewer says...suicide or homicide? You decide.  But, c'mon, 20 stab wounds? (Hulu)

The Perfect Neighbor (2025)

On June 2, 2023 in Ocala, Florida Susan Lorincz shot and killed her neighbor, Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens through the door as Owens, angry that Lorincz had been antagonizing her son, knocked on her door. So much for a perfect neighbor.

The title of this documentary is, of course, ironic.  Lorincz was a white woman living in a predominantly black neighborhood and was the neighbor from hell calling the police multiple times on the kids in the neighborhood, accusing them of noise, stealing, messing with her truck and on and on.  And Lorincz could not understand why this was happening to her because she thought of herself as "the perfect neighbor."

Using mostly bodycam footage from the many times sheriff's deputies responded to her 911 calls, security tapes and recordings of her calls as well as her questioning after the shooting, this film directed by Geeta Gandbhir is like an elevated version of "Cops" with "The Blair Witch Project" thrown in. There are no talking heads and no narration which gives the film a "you are there" feel and  the film is very real and disturbing. This is reality TV.

This was an important case because it brought the controversial "Stand your ground" laws to light.

Florida has a "Stand your ground" law meaning, if people feel threatened, it's okay to defend themselves.  And that's what Lorincz did. She said she was in fear for her life and that she was afraid that Owens would break through the door and kill her. However, the film is an indictment of "Stand your ground" laws and states that those laws play a part in over 700 deaths a year with a higher rate of black people being killed by whites.

On one side, gun critics argue that “stand your ground” is less a law than a "license to kill. They call it a “shoot-first, think-later” doctrine that magnifies America’s ugliest reflexes around race, fear, and power. They say, in the wrong hands, it turns prejudice into justification, allowing fear itself to be used as a weapon.

Second Amendment enthusiasts say the law is clear.  The right to bear arms is sacred and defending your life is a right. 

So what happened to Susan Lorincz?

That's the mystery you will have to solve by watching this film, but for me the greater mystery is how Susan Lorincz ended up being such a miserable and hateful person, not to mention a monster of a neighbor and how many more like her are out there? 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a disturbing experience that makes me wonder about my neighbors. (Netflix)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

Some New September Movies You Will Want To See: Spike Lee's Latest, a Fun British Murder Mystery with Geriatric Detectives and a Shocking Documentary!

[I review Spike Lee's - "Highest 2 Lowest" - as well as "The Thursday Murder Club" and the documentary "Unknown Number: The High School Catfish"]

Highest 2 Lowest (2025)

When a music mogul is caught up in a ransom plot, he must make a life-changing moral decision.

David King (Denzel Washington) is a New York City music mogul and the founder of Stackin' Hits Records. He needs to buy back his majority ownership of his company to avoid a buyout by a rival label.  But to raise the cash to do that, King needs to put up many of his personal assets including his penthouse and art collection as collateral. But the day the deal is to go through, King receives a call from an anonymous caller who says he has kidnapped King's son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph), and the kidnapper demands $17.5 million in Swiss 1,000-franc notes.  There goes King's deal to buy back his company but he agrees with his wife, Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera), to pay the ransom.  But then, in a twist of fate, we learn that it wasn't Trey who was kidnapped, it was Trey's best friend, Kyle (Elijah Wright), who is also the son of King's driver and best friend, Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright).

So now King is caught in a moral dilemma and needs to do some soul searching. Does he pay that ransom and ruin his business for somebody else's son? And what happens, if he goes after the kidnapper himself? 

Spike Lee directs this crime thriller which he describes as a "reinterpretation" of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film "High and Low," which was based on the 1959 novel "King's Ransom" by Ed McBain.  This is Lee's fifth collaboration with Washington and the first since "Inside Man," which he directed 19 years ago.

I have always been a big Spike Lee fan ever since his first feature film "She's Gotta Have it (1986)," and this film has many of the elements we have come to expect from Lee.  It's a bit of a love letter to New York City exploring urban life; it has a big opening sequence, dynamic camera movements and a bold style. It's a commentary on the music business, and it wouldn't be a Spike Lee film without some sports references ("Go Yankees!") But it's also a story of friendship and family, which I liked, but sadly the first half of the film was slow moving and felt overdramatic and the soundtrack was annoying, but then happily as the film progressed, the second half picked up and there was Spike Lee at his best. I also appreciated the sharp dialogue thanks to the screenplay by Alan Fox and the appearance of A$AP Rocky as a greedy, ambitious rapper.  

So Lee's surefire direction is apparent here, but this movie is all about Denzel Washington, who is at the top of his game. Nobody plays it big like Denzel. But Wright, coming off his Oscar nom for "American Fiction," is also a wonderful actor and holds his own with Denzel. Uh, Denzel, may I call you Denzel?

Rosy the Reviewer says...though the film has some issues, it's compelling and has a message of hope, that sometimes life's "lowest" is more about getting back to the basics than taking you down. Thank you, Spike! You still got it!  May I call you Spike? (Netflix)

The Thursday Murder Club (2025)

Four retirees living in a retirement village, pass the time trying to solve cold cases but soon find themselves involved in a real life very hot whodunit.

As a retiree myself, I learned that in retirement, it is important to find meaning, and psychiatrist Ibrahim Arifv (Ben Kingsley), former trade union leader Ron Ritchie (Pierce Brosnan), and Elizabeth Best (Helen Mirren), whose former work remains a mystery for much of the film, though I figured it out early, have found meaning by forming the Thursday Murder Club (TMC), which meets weekly to discuss old cold cases. They all live in Cooper's Chase, a retirement village in the English countryside and are soon joined by new resident, Joyce (Celia Imrie), a retired nurse, whose medical knowledge is needed. The group was inspired by a murder case once handled by Detective Inspector Penny Gray, a friend of Elizabeth's who is now comatose in hospice.

Meanwhile, Ian Ventham (David Tennant), one of the owners of Coopers Chase, wants to redevelop it into luxury flats.  His partner, Tony Curran (Geoff Bell), opposes that idea as do all of the residents. Tony promises the residents he will block the sale but then Tony is found dead.

The TMC now has a real case to investigate and they enlist the help of young detective constable Donna de Freitas (Naomi Ackie), who has just come from London and is bored with the routine tasks she is given at the police station, not to mention the English countryside where nothing seems to happen. The Club must now rule out the usual suspects, and in so doing, find themselves embroiled with local crime boss, Bobby Tanner (Richard E. Grant), another murder, and that earlier unsolved case that Detective Penny Gray had been working on.

If you like cozy British mysteries, how can you go wrong with this very British story based on the book by Richard Osman, which is part of his popular mystery series (screenplay by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote), directed by Chris Columbus and with such an oh-so-British all-star cast? The film is also a sort of comedy and has some funny moments, but what I liked most was that even though these actors are "of a certain age," the film did not try to create comedy by making fun of them. Some filmmakers think it's funny to see a sex-crazed 80-year old smoking pot and telling everybody to f**k off. I don't.

Rosy the Reviewer says...though the resolution of the film is kind of a stretch and the plot one of those convoluted ones we have come to expect from British mysteries, it's fun watching these veteran actors do their thing. And do you think there will be a sequel? Duh. (Netflix)

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025)

This true-crime documentary focuses on the cyberbullying of a young girl and her boyfriend in a small Michigan town.

In 2020, teens Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny, who were boyfriend and girlfriend living in small Beal City, Michigan, started to received thousands of text messages - 40 to 50 a day. The texts were very graphic and from an unknown number. It was assumed that the messages were coming from a classmate attempting to break up their relationship. The texts were not only really explicit but cruel, even telling Lauryn to kill herself. They also referenced personal aspects of their lives that only someone close to them would know.

The harassment went on for over a year, causing paranoia in the town and ruining relationships as everyone was suspicious of everyone. Lauryn was even accused of doing this to herself, but eventually the FBI became involved and the identity of the catfish was discovered. 

And it was totally shocking.

I love documentaries and have always been fascinated by catfishing (I have been watching "Catfish," the TV show from the beginning), though this wasn't really a standard catfish story. But it is an extremely compelling mystery directed by Skye Borgman, and the ending is about as shocking as you can get, but I wish there had been answers. Even now, I don't really understand why the person did it, even though there was an attempt to explain, but mostly I was left feeling very strange by Lauryn's final reaction to it all and the end of the film was very unsettling.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like documentaries, this is an engrossing one that will shock you. (Netflix)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!