we have talked a great deal about movies so far. how important they are in our efforts to beat the heat.  how wonderful the movie theater seats can be.  how two mature adults can design games to challenge themselves that involve guessing the number of people to attend a given movie.

but we have not talked about the movies themselves.

I know that some of you read movie reviews in the New York Times or other more local newspapers. I know that some of you check Rotten Tomatoes for their critics’ and audiences’ ratings.  however, I also know that you are dying to hear what the Desert Dynamic Duo (PJ and Neil) say about the movies that are in the theaters at this time.

here they are, listed in priority order.

• The Exception (the Kaiser’s Last Kiss)– the best movie we saw this past week. Christopher Plummer is wonderful. the scene and the substance of the movie is riveting and shocking at times. very powerful.

• Churchill –second best. amazing portrait of the man (Brian Cox) and his agony in deciding whether to support the D-Day invasion of Normandy, given his horrific decision making in the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I.
• The Hero — Sam Elliott has a spectacular performance, but there were too many themes that touched too many old wounds for the two of us.

• Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer — Richard Gere is fantastic. but he plays a character that is difficult to love. the movie makes you squirm. but it is a movie that sticks with you.

• Paris Can Wait — PJ loved this movie. or more accurately, he loves Diane Lane. however, there is absolutely no plot to this movie. if you want to watch Diane Lane for 92 minutes, this movie is for you.

• The Beguiled — terrific cast and great performances. gripping. but we both hated the movie. we did not like this movie. absolutely not. why? it paints the male species as having no redeeming value whatsoever. this is an anti male movie.

PJ and yours truly may be good at picking seats in movie theaters. we may be good a selecting popcorn and candy for a movie.  but, we do not claim to be good selectors of movies.  and we surely do not claim to be careful and caustic critics of movies.

therefore, I invite your reviews and comments on the movies we have seen, or, for that matter, any others that you have seen.