Movie #1332 "A United Kingdom" is a movie I want to recommend, first for its historical account of a time in recent history that I , personally, knew nothing about (and I'm sure others didn't either), and second for the excellent acting of the two leads (Oyoyello (from "Selma") and Pike (from "Gone Girl") and the bad guys --Tim Felton (Draco from "Harry Potter" series) and Jack Davenport (Twat in "Pirate Radio". Another motivator for seeing this film might be the director, Amma Asante, female director of "Selma," who puts together a film that moves quickly, esp. in the opening, and is able to furnish a conflict that spans several years, but still manages to pull us in with the many twists and turns within that one conflict. I really believed these two were in love and therefore felt for them whenever it seemed they were being pushed apart. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 was that it was just a tad too long (I didn't really feel that, but the people I was with felt that way, and I think that's because it relies on dialogue instead of action in a lot of places).
A UNITED KINGDOM 2017 PG-13 I would give this 4 out of 5 stars
Meeting at a dance in 1947, African prince Seretse Khama and London office worker Ruth Williams share a love of jazz and an instant attraction. When they wed after a brief courtship, their interracial union sparks an international political crisis.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Movie #1331 ........................."Hacksaw Ridge"
Movie #1331 "Hacksaw Ridge" -- I waited a long time to see this film, but I always try to see all the nominated films for oscars, so I finally sat down to watch this on the day of the Oscars. The reason I waited is that I have a tough time watching any man's inhumanity to man so war pictures offer challenges for me to watch --- I still can't get certain images out of my mind from "Saving Private Ryan" and I am here to tell you, this film is worse. So if you are like me, you will also find more than an hour's worth of this film so very difficult to watch --- it's "Braveheart" to the nth degree. I remember saying about that film that I felt I was in the middle of the battlefield experiencing every attack, every hit, and I felt the same way here. I wanted to turn it off several times, but the way I got through it was to be doing something else "while" watching. Until.....the meat of the film. When Dos makes his heroic moves to save some 75 men that day on Hacksaw Ridge. It was a wondrous thing to watch ---- such heroism ----- almost as if God were taking each step with him. And I'm not one to enjoy preachy films, but this spiritual heroics came along with this man --- he lived and breathed being a Christian and worrying about the other guy , and to me, that was so heroic that I couldn't keep my eyes away from what he was doing. I'm sorry I can't explain this any more, but it truly was a great cinematic achievement , and one that I was glad to have experienced. That being said, I think it is worth watching the first hour so you can get to the last 40 minutes; however, it isn't a film for everyone, but I do recommend it. 4 stars out of 5. And wow on Andrew Garfield's acting!!!
'HACKSAW RIDGE" 2016 2 hours and 11 minutes 4 stars out of 5 rated R
'HACKSAW RIDGE" 2016 2 hours and 11 minutes 4 stars out of 5 rated R
Based on a true story, this World War II drama focuses on Desmond T. Doss, a conscientious objector who becomes a hero while serving as an unarmed medic during the brutal and bloody fight for Okinawa.
Movie #1330 ........................."Enemies Within"
Movie #1339 "Enemies Within" is the last short action film that was nominated for an oscar this year, and it's the least of them, in my opinion. It runs 25 minutes or so and it felt long because it was pretty static --most of the film is an interrogation scene with a non moving camera, reading subtitles like watching a tennis match. I thought it went way too long. The ending was okay, but this was I reacted to the least and would give it 3 out of 5 stars. Once again, it is available on iTunes for a minimal price. What I liked most about it is that it concerns extreme vetting and it shows how that works, and that topic is so topical right now. That makes this film very important to see.
"ENEMIES WITHIN" 2016
"ENEMIES WITHIN" 2016
ENEMIES WITHIN (ENNEMIS INTERIEURS)
Director: Selim Azzazi
In what could have easily been the most powerful, poignant short film of the year, ENEMIES WITHIN attempts to dissect the horrors of Islamophobia and the fear of extreme vetting. What starts as an innocent quest for French citizenship by an Algerian man ends in life-shattering blackmail. Director Selim Azzazi brilliantly executes two lengthy, compelling interrogation scenes, but his staging is rather elementary, playing out like a less fluid Asghar Farhadi film (mind you, that’s still a huge compliment). The camera is limited to standard coverage and Azzazi never takes advantage of the restrictive space in order to heighten the tension. Cutaways to flashbacks are an interesting idea, but take viewers out of the immediacy of the film’s urgent, devastating situation. As such, the success of ENEMIES WITHIN lies entirely in the performances. Admittedly, the two leads are great, but it feels like a missed opportunity not to take more advantage of aesthetic flourishes. What’s more, the division of the two separate interrogations breaks up the film in a rather unflattering way. As an extended play on loyalty and notions of liberty, equality, and fraternity, ENEMIES WITHIN is certainly some of the smartest short film writing I’ve seen in quite some time, but as a stage play-esque visual piece, it’s a far cry from the works of Sidney Lumet.
Movie #1329 ......................."The Railroad Lady"
Movie #1329 "The Railroad Lady" was a cute short action film nominated for an oscar this year. It dealt with a lonely woman who daily sets her alarm and opens her window when it goes off and waves a flag as a train goes by --- until one day, when someone on the train throws a note off to her. The story escalates from there. I really enjoyed this and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. It can be seen one I-tunes for a minimal price.
"THE RAILROAD LADY" 2016 30 minutes
"THE RAILROAD LADY" 2016 30 minutes
A touching story between a lonely woman and a TGV train driver.
Director:
Timo von GuntenMovie #1328 ........................."Sing"
Movie #1328 "Sing" this is the live action one that won the oscar for its category, and it is not the full length animated feature with the same title ---- anyway, what a delightful story this is. It concerns a young girl coming in to a new school and wanting to be included in the choir --- how universal that feeling is. And if you have ever felt left out, you will delight in the ending of this film. That's all I want to say about it. I would give it 4 stars out of 5, and it deserved the award!
"SING" 2016
"SING" 2016
FILM SYNOPSIS
Young Zsofi is having a hard time fitting in at her new school, and her distress grows when the choir director treats her cruelly despite her love of singing. Along with her friend Liza, Zsofi investigates the revered teacher in an attempt to reveal her true nature.
directors: Kristof Deák and Anna Udvardy
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Movie #1327 ........................."Silent Nights"
Movie #1327 "Silent Nights" was the short action film that I thought would get the oscar because it had the most meat in it than the others, to me. It is also very topical, dealing with a Ghanaian refugee. Desperate times in the film for this refugee who meets up with this volunteer who works at a housing shelter and tries to help him, even when he tries to steal from them --- he's desperate and harboring a secret. She is very fragile and falls in love. A very tender story that deals with the sacrifices we make for those we love. I liked this one a lot --- brought to tears. Once again, saw it on iTunes in a bundle of all the oscar-nominated live action shorts.
"SILENT NIGHTS" 2016 30 minutes I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars
A volunteer at a housing shelter falls for a Ghanaian refugee.
Director:
Aske BangMovie #1326 .........................."Timecode"
Movie #1326 "Timecode" is an oscar-nominated Live Action Short film 2017 which I saw on iTunes and found very charming --- it was my favorite of the bunch. I don't want to tell you too much because the whimsical tone of it and the surprises push the narrative of this short film. However, I can say that it deals with two security guards, Luna and Diego, who communicate rather oddly to each other. It's funny and worth the 15 minutes' time to watch it, if you get a chance to see it! These cost something now to see them ---- maybe you'll be able to stream them for free in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)