This movie showed at my local theater for quite a while earlier this year. When it came back with the Oscar nomination for William Dafoe, I knew it was a show I had to push it to the top of my list. For me, the cinematography was used in a way that didn't work and added unnecessary distraction from the movie and the performances. That said, the scene with Vincent's evaluation in Auvers-sur-Oise was a shining scene that highlighted Dafoe's performance. This scene confirmed he is deserving of that Oscar nomination and, for me, his performance is in the top two performances for male actors in 2019.
IMDB Synopsis: A look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
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There is a point in this movie when I misted up. Hearing about judges in the 1970s determine cases and have them declare that a job is better done by a man because they are better math highlights how far we have come in the gender battle for equal rights. However, having worked in the private sector for the last two decades, and based on my experiences and the experiences of many co-workers, I've snarkily said the #metoo movement should really be called #whohasnt. This movie reminded me that we've come far, and have a long way to go.
One example is a senior executive at a large multi-national company who recently wrote a book about how women could work with men. She categorized all men into various groups and highlighted how women can best work with each group. She's taken her book to conferences and apparently had lines of women anxious to read her book. While today it isn't rare to see articles written about how men can *advocate* for women in the workplace, or *support* women in the workplace or be an *ally* of women in the workplace, there are no articles that I've found which show how men can modify themselves to figure out how best to work with women. There is so far to go. But this movie looks not at the beginning, as well illustrated by this movie, but at a point just prior to traction. The initiative taken by a few, to bring a case to court and advocate for the rights of men based on gender. Again, my frustration is high that in order to gain traction on gender rights, a case for male discrimination had to be found before the initial traction grabbed hold. There is so far to go, but the path would have been longer if not for these initial events in the 70s and the preceding decades. And that is why I became misty while watching parts of this movie. IMDB Synopsis: The true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice. This is a typical fish-out-of-water story and looking at the movie poster you immediately know the general story portrayed in this movie. I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston's characters, but this movie could be caught on your next flight or at home on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
IMDB Synopsis: A comedic look at the relationship between a wealthy man with quadriplegia and an unemployed man with a criminal record who's hired to help him. Isn't it Romantic takes us on a journey of our favorite rom-coms and then shows us this new one within a single show. Rebel Wilson makes us laugh out loud on many occasions throughout the show and this is the perfect, light movie to watch when you have 90 minutes to spare.
IMDB Synopsis: A young woman disenchanted with love mysteriously finds herself trapped inside a romantic comedy. This was an interesting movie/documentary which told the story of people working against the system set to destroy them. In this case, German Jews hid their heritage and in some cases they "hid" among those in free society. Miraculously, some succeed their quest until the end of the war. I loved the fact these four stories were based on true life events, however, the flow of this movie was disrupted when switching between the reenactments and the interview components. I was looking forward to this movie for so long that in my case it was a set of expectations that couldn't be met
IMDB Synopsis: While Joseph Goebbels infamously declared Berlin "free of Jews" in 1943, 1,700 managed to survive in the Nazi capital through the end of WWII. The Invisibles traces the stories of four young people who learned to hide in plain sight. Certainly I am not the target demographic for this movie. But I thought the previews were interesting and I had it in the back of my mind as a movie that I wanted to check out if I had time. Today I caught this show and I was reminded throughout that I am not the right audience for this show. I thought the plot was tired and it didn't change as the show progressed. A lot of the acting felt flat to me. That said, a number of audience members were found laughing often and seemed to enjoy the movie more than I.
One bright spot in the show was the performance by Andy Garcia. He seemed completely believable in his role and I loved the scenes he was in. IMDB Synopsis: A 90-year-old horticulturist and Korean War veteran is caught transporting $3 million worth of cocaine through Illinois for a Mexican drug cartel. This was an incredible film. Taking original footage from the war, they've enhanced the film and added voice overs from the veterans themselves bringing the experience of a WWI soldier to life. Watching this documentary of The Great War provided a more personal experience, and for me it was as impactful as WWII movie Saving Private Ryan.
My showing of They Shall Not Grow Old was apparently a special viewing and included a recorded introduction by Director Peter Jackson. He invited us to stay after the credits for an additional 30 minutes of video to learn more about how the film was made. I found this to be immensely interesting. I loved learning about the process, the considerations made and the research completed to make this film as authentic as possible IMDB Synopsis: A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war. |
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August 2019
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