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Yesterday, Today and Tom Morrow, Rock Island, IL (2026)

12/17/2025

In remembrance of director/actor Rob Reiner, I watched the 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally" yesterday. Many have said this is one of the best romantic comedies of all time. Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) have known each other for years. After driving across country to New York City together they go their separate ways. But upon bumping into each other multiple times, they are becoming very good friends, but they fear s*x would ruin the friendship. Rated "R", mostly for language, this is one killer script written by Nora Ephron. The film is mostly dialogue, not a lot of action, but some of the wittiest dialogue ever. One of the best lines ever, after the faked or**sm in the restaurant is "I'll have what she's having". Did you know that is Rob Reiner's Mom who delivered that classic? The music is amazing in this film also, with the great "It Had to be You" playing in the background. I've never been a big Billy Crystal fan, but the pairing of him and Meg Ryan just works. Both have their flaws, but together they just work. Nice to see Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby as best friends to the couple also. This is a fun, romantic movie that we will always have. Thanks to Ephron and Rob Reiner. R.I.P. Very recommended film.

12/16/2025

Recommended to me by a friend, "Brightburn" from 2019, was my film to review yesterday. This is an "R" rated film with a lot of gore and violence. It is definitely an interesting premise. Instead of an alien from another planet that is brought up by midwestern farmers that grows up to be a super hero called Superman. What would happen if this child became evil and used super powers for his own selfish desires. This is a scary film that made me very nervous at about the halfway point. It is a well made film, good special effects, good acting and a realistic story and setting. The only actor I was really familiar with was Elizabeth Banks, who plays the adoptive Mom. I think she is very good. The young boy, played by Jackson A. Dunn is also good, creepy and silently menacing. I won't tell you how this movie ends, but you will have an opinion after all is said and done. Technically, a well-made film that I'm going to recommend, especially if you like a good scare.

12/15/2025

From 1985, and I've never watched it until yesterday, "Santa Claus The Movie". This is the story of a master toymaker who discovers a magical kingdom of elves in the North Pole and becomes Santa Claus. But when his eager-to-please elf, Patch (Dudley Moore), leaves for the big streets of New York City, he becomes mixed up with a dastardly toy tycoon's plan to take over Christmas. And so begins his adventure to rescue Patch and to save Christmas for all the children of the world. Produced by the Salkinds who produced Christopher Reeves' "Superman", I would say this film is really more for younger kids. It feels a little condescending to me, like we're all little kids. Some of the special effects are really good, and others are not so good. I love the reindeers though and the Henry Mancini score. John Lithgow plays the villainous toy tycoon. I am reminded of Snidely Whiplash from the Dudley do-Right cartoons. Sooooo over the top. I would say this film isn't great, but it does have a good heart. However, greed is everywhere. Could there be more product placement in the film? Moderately recommended.

12/14/2025

I set aside 4 hours yesterday, in my snow surrounded home, to watch the second movie of the legendary "Lord of the Rings" trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. I saw the extended version of "Lord of the Rings The Two Towers", released in 2002. This film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, like it's predecessor. It won two awards, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. In this one, the continuing quest of Frodo and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring of Power. Frodo and Sam discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum. Aragorn, the Elf archer Legolas, and Gimli the Dwarf encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden has fallen under evil Saruman's deadly spell. OK, it is a complicated story, especially if you've never read the J.R.R. Tolkien novels. And there is no recap at the beginning of this film. But, one of the great things about this film, is it's ability to catch you up as you go along. All the previous lead actors return and if they weren't stars before this, most of the actors became stars after this film. The battle scenes are long and violent, even more than the first film. The CGI is amazing and even though it's long, I couldn't stop watching. Gollum is much more prevalent and mesmerizing, and I really love the giant tree-men.
The costumes are great, the makeup is great, the music is great and the CGI and sets are amazing. You might want to watch the first film prior to this one, if you haven't already seen it. I think this film is epic, and I recommend it.

12/13/2025

Just added to Netflix streaming yesterday, "Wake Up Dead Man" A Knives Out Mystery", is rated PG-13. This is a great movie to spend curled up on the couch inside, while the snow blankets everything outside. This is the third and newest addition to the Knives out movies featuring Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc. This one mostly takes place at an old church run by scoundrel Monsignor Jefferson Wicks played by Josh Brolin, in another memorable baddie role. A new younger priest played by Josh O'Connor is assigned to the parish, and war soon follows, resulting in several deaths. As good as most Agatha Christie mysteries, this script is written by Rian Johnson (who also directed). And what a great cast of suspects, that include Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close, Thomas Hayden Church, Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis and Andrew Scott. This movie is about 2 1/2 hours long, but the pace is quick and the film is almost over before you know it, I think I liked the first Knives Out movie the best, but I believe this one is better than the 2nd. Oh heck, they're all good and a lot of fun. I love a good mystery and this is one of them. Recommended.

12/12/2025

Every time I turn around, I see Mark Wahlberg in a new movie. He must be one of the busiest guys in Hollywood. Yesterday I watched the 2025 film, "Play Dirty". It's an action, heist film now available on Prime. This film is rated "R" for language, violence, blood and some nudity. An expert thief rolls out the biggest heist of his life, from director Shane Black. Parker (Mark Wahlberg), along with Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), Zen (Rosa Salazar) and a skilled crew, stumble onto a score that pits them against the New York mob. Also in the film is Tony Shaloub. (I love him as Monk, but I have to admit, he does play a good heavy. ) The pacing of this film is rapid, in fact you need to really pay attention sometimes. It's also sometimes hard to root for Walberg's character. He's not really a very good guy, but he does give $10K to a woman whose husband he just killed. I guess he's not all bad, eh? Overall, I enjoyed this movie, mostly a complex story with some good stunts. I wouldn't say it's a great film. Still, it's worth a watch.

12/11/2025

What are the odds, that while picking out a Christmas film out of the blue, that I chose the worst one of all time? Well, I'd have to say pretty good. Yesterday I watched "A Snowball Christmas" on Prime. It starred Alicia Witt (I've seen her somewhere, can't remember where) and Donald Faison ("Scrubs") and Christina Milian (another ? ). Released in 2013, the story is about a cynical TV exec who looks at the perfect town inside a Christmas globe and is magically transported to it. When she wakes up in a perfect snow-covered town, married to a local woodsman, she discovers it's not all just a fantasy. It's kind of a "Scrooge" like tale where the lead (Witt) is a pretty awful person, but is soon converted to being nice. The problem was, I disliked her even more at the end. Terrible acting, terrible story, terrible filming. Why did they even bother to make this trainwreck? Strongly discouraged!

12/10/2025

A golden oldie romantic comedy from 1984. Can you believe "Splash" was released 41 years ago? Directed by Ron Howard, this film feels a little hokey today, but I still enjoy it. It's rated PG-13, because it does contain some brief nudity, Allen Bauer (Tom Hanks) is rescued from drowning as a young boy off Cape Cod by a young mermaid (Daryl Hannah) Years later, he returns to the same location, and once again manages to fall into the sea, and is rescued once more by the mermaid. Using maps from a sunken ship, the mermaid decides to search for Allen in New York City, sprouting legs when her tail dries. On finding Allen, they fall in love, but she has a secret, which will no longer be a secret if she gets her legs wet. Adding more humor to the film is John Candy, as Allan's ne'er do well, goofball brother and Eugene Levy as a scientist looking to capture the mermaid. Tom Hanks looks so young in this movie. He and Daryl have a lot of chemistry I thought. And I love the restaurant lobster scene! If by chance, you have never seen this film, I'm recommending you give it a try.

12/09/2025

This week the nominations came out for the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards. The film "Train Dreams" was nominated in both groups. I had thought about watching this film on Netflix before, but this made up my mind for me. Rated PG-13, and based on Denis Johnson's novella, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly changing America of the early 20th Century. Joel Edgerton plays Grainier and he gives a memorable performance, running the gamut of emotions. Also in the film is Felicity Jones (2nd movie I've seen her in this week). And William H. Macy has a small but good role in the film also. I think the cinematography is wonderful in this film also. I'm glad to see this film get recognized, a simple story about a man who lives a simple life in nature. I have to say it's probably one of my favorites of this year. I recommend this film.

12/08/2025

OK, so today we have another corny romance Christmas movie. "Santa Bootcamp" was released in 2022 and is rated "G", perfectly fine for the kids, but I'm not sure the kids will be all that interested.
To be honest I was going to watch something else last night, but I just didn't want to think too much. And with this film, I didn't have to..think that is. The one thing this movie has going for it is Rita Moreno. I do love her and she has the cute role of Belle (Is she really Mrs, Claus?) She teaches students how to be a Santa Claus. The main story centers around cute Emily. Hired by shopping mall magnate Ed Mancini to host a Christmas gala for his biggest investors, Emily heads to Santa Bootcamp - to find the perfect Santa and the inspiration she'll need to make the evening a success. And of course once there, she meets the handsome chef Aiden. Also in the cast as Belle's husband Chris, John Schuck. Anyone remember Sgt. Enright from the old TV series "McMillan and Wife". Fun to see him again. Now I'll finish by saying this is not a very good movie, but sometimes you just need something you can smile at and say to yourself, "How hokey is this?". Recommended, only if you're in the mood.

12/07/2025

"The Mummy's Tomb" was the Svengoolie movie of the week last night. From 1942, it's only 1 hour and 1 minute long. That's a quickie. This film is a sequel of "The Mummy's Hand". A high priest travels to America with a living mummy to kill those who had desecrated the tomb of an Egyptian princess thirty years earlier. It actually features two of the actors, who were there 30 years ago, but not really. They had to age the actors to look older. Although not in the first movie, Lon Chaney Jr. went through the mummy wrapping and makeup processing, starring as Kharis. Other than the makeup, it must have been an easy film for him....not a single line to memorize. These old mummy movies are pretty much all the same, but I still like them. In fact, I had one of the old monster model kits of "The Mummy". I painted it yellow, so it looked really old. But I digress. Is this a good movie? Not really. But I liked it. How about a "it's only an hour" recommendation?

12/06/2025

Another Christmas movie yesterday. I watched "Oh. What. Fun." on Prime. It's a new 2025 film with some well known actors. But to be truthful, I watched it because Michelle Pfeiffer was in it. She plays the Mom, Claire, a far cry from Catwoman. Claire plans a special Christmas, but when she is forgotten and left behind by her family, she decides to do what she wants to do. (Kind of sounds like "Home Alone" in reverse doesn't it?) When they realize that she's missing, their holiday is at risk. Also in this film is Dennis Leary, Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Joan Chen and Eva Longoria. I think the message here is, Don't forget to appreciate all your Mom does for you, especially on Christmas. This movie has some funny scenes, including a very funny shoplifting scene, but it also has some lessons to teach. I actually expected more from this film with Michelle in it, but I was slightly disappointed. I'll give this a moderate recommendation.

Yesterday, Today and Tom Morrow

12/17/2025

12/16/2025

12/15/2025

12/14/2025

12/13/2025

12/12/2025

12/11/2025

12/10/2025

12/09/2025

12/08/2025

12/07/2025

12/06/2025

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