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Mindwalk ( Prime Video )

A poet, a physicist and politician wander around together on a small island (Mont.St Michel) off the coast of France and discuss the meaning of life. That’s it! Nothing more and nothing less. We weren’t quite expecting this and it took a little while for us to orient ourselves and to try to immerse ourselves into the conversation. The movie was made 30 years ago and was directed by Bernt Amadeus Capra based on his own short story based on a book by his brother. Sam Waterson plays what seems to be a rather young US Senator who has just lost his bid to run for President, John Heard is his friend the poet and former speech writer whom he is visiting and Liv Ullman plays a physicist whom they meet on the Island. She apparently has discovered some breakthroughs in lasers and is contemplating the long-term effects on climate change, potential weapons and the survival of the planet. She carries the film with her description of atomic theory of matter, electrons and her painful awareness of the implications of her work. The politician clings to ideas of not giving up on the possibility of incremental changes. The poet quotes his predecessors and some of the wisdoms of their ancient writings. You have to come to this film prepared to ponder the secrets and meaning of the universe which we were not. Perhaps if you have the right mindset you will get more out of the film than we did. (1990)

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A Secret Love- (Netflix)

We came to this documentary film believing it was about a pioneering case that challenged the law about same-sex couples and helped to make ground breaking precedent. We were obviously mistaken in our expectation. Who we did meet were two amazing women, Pat Henschel and Terry Donahue, the latter of whom had been an established professional women’s baseball player in her younger years. They did find romance in a time when love between women was usually not openly expressed. The film was directed by Chris Bolan who is the great nephew of Ms. Donahue. The movie followed these women into their senior years and we see how their families came to accept them and how they transitioned into a senior living facility. This is a touching movie about a love affair between two women, which will inspire future generations of women who might now be more able to openly express such feelings.

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Greed

The title says it all. Richard McCreadie (Steve Coogan) is a billionaire businessman who knows how to take advantage and squeeze every dollar (or pound) out of any business negotiation. He certainly has the upper hand when he is bargaining with women clothing makers in the third world countries who were making clothes for well-known (and often expensive) brands selling in the United States and throughout the world. The contrast between the opulent lifestyle of this rich businessman and especially the poor women who sometimes work for just a few dollars a day becomes highlighted during the plans for a birthday celebration for Sir Richard on a Greek Island. Writer, director Michael Winterbottom clearly knew the point that he wanted to make in this film and the dramatic conclusion certainly made it in spades.(2020)

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AND THEN WE DANCED-sp

This was the Swedish Oscar entry for best film. It is the brainchild of writer-director, Levan Akin, who is telling a story about dancers in Georgia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, which is his native country. The film introduces the viewer to a very particular style of dancing, which we learned is practically a national sport in Georgia. We meet our main character, Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani), as he is auditioning for a professional Georgia Dance Company. He meets Irakli (Bachi Valishvili), who is also trying out for a position in the dance company. They ultimately are attracted to each other and have a forbidden sexual affair. The storyline gives us a glimpse into Georgian culture and particularly, the struggle of the main characters. The dancing although unique to our eye is nevertheless quite powerful. Although, we could appreciate the tensions between the various protagonists and their families, the film was unnecessarily long in trying to depict the societal pressures again gay individuals. We watched several characters as they grapple with and ultimately come to terms with who they really are, which while enlightening and poignant was just overly drawn-out.(2020)

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1917- rm

One of us was especially looking forward to what we hoped to be a classic war movie about World War I. Two British soldiers (Dean-Charles Chapman and George McKay) are chosen to make a dangerous journey through the trenches and battlefields to reach some other troops who are planning to advance on German troops but unknowingly will be led into an ambush which will destroy 1,500 troops, including the brother of one of the two chosen messengers. There was no radio communication available because it had been disrupted and we are not sure why additional teams of messengers were not chosen for this important mission. As you would expect, there is running, crawling through smoldering battlefields, occasional enemy encountering enemy soldiers, and even an air attack. One of the main features of this film is that director Sam Mendes gives the impression that the entire movie was done in one continuous take. Unfortunately, it is repetitious and predictable with few surprises, but we certainly do not believe it will go down as a classic war film despite the Oscar hype. However, battlefield and war aficionados might want to see it, but others may choose to skip it. (2020)

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Truth and Justice-sp

This film is Estonia’s entry for best foreign picture. It is based on a classic Estonian novel, apparently well known to everyone who grows up in Estonia. It takes place in the 1870s in the rural area as Andres (Priit Loog) and his wife Kroot (Maiken Schmidt) settle down on a rural farm, which they have gone into debt to purchase. Their goal is to be successful and bring up a family with a male heir who can carry on what they hope will be a successful endeavor. Things became complicated and difficult as the neighbor, Pearu (Priit Võigemast) is somewhat devious and there are personal and legal conflicts that soon develop. The young couple finds it not so easy to make everything the way you want to it. The story line allows the viewers to see the growth of children and how relationships and aspirations of the entire family young and old play out. While the setting beautifully captured by magnificent cinematography, and the time period may be unfamiliar to most of us, director and writer Tanel Toom has taken a classic Estonian novel by Anton Tammsaare and portrayed its humanity and universality, which will nevertheless touch some of the audience (2020).

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BOMBSHELL-rm

You have heard about the situation where Roger Ailes, the long-time creator and boss of Fox News Network was ousted from this position by the Murdock family who owned the Fox Enterprise, after charges of sexual harassment were validated against Mr. Ailes. This film, with an all-star cast of actors and actresses who were made to resemble the real people they played, tells the story of the brave women who made this happen. The story centers around Megyn Kelly who is played by Charlize Theron. We see the pressure and sexual harassment she received by the powerful boss of Fox Network, Roger Ailes, played by John Lithgow, who is depicted as the obese and somewhat wobbly boss of the mammoth network. We also follow the experience of Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), a fading anchor at Fox who after some agonizing tells her story of being harassed and actually starts the ball rolling against Mr. Ailes. We also meet other players, men and women at Fox, some familiar and some who worked behind the scenes. They are played by excellent actors and actresses and their work is interspersed with actual film clips. While the story is quite dramatic and revealing and a very important one to document, we found it somewhat disjointed. In the end, however, it will be an important part of the epic story of American television journalism. (2019)

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QUEEN & SLIM-rm

This is a road trip movie but under tragic circumstances. It is directed by Melina Matsoukas with a screenplay by Lena Waithe based on a story by her and James Frey. It stars Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith. The film opens as we meet a black couple who are on their first Tinder arranged date. Things go wrong in what should have been an innocuous police stop. Within a few minutes, it turns into a horrendous situation where the young woman is shot in the leg and the police officer is killed. We follow the frightened couple as they flee and become labeled as wanted criminals. We get insight into the prejudiced environment that could allow such a situation to develop. We also come to see how family and friends as well as friends of friends try to help this couple survive against the unfair forces that are pitted against them.

If you were someone who grew up being taught that the police are fair and are your friends, you will be clearly reminded that certainly this has not been the case for many people in the United States, especially many people of color. The message of this film is important and terrifying but the film left something to be desired. (2020)

 

 

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The Irishman-nf

Despite the fact that this film is directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Robert De Niro, as Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran and features Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa along with other great actors such as, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano, Anna Paquin, and others, we suggest that you think twice before committing yourself to this three and a half hour movie. The story is based on an excellent book, “I Heard You Paint Houses,” by Charles Brandt, which MB reviewed more than seven years ago (click here to see the review).

At the beginning of the film we meet an older Frank Sheeran as he is reflecting how he turned into a gangster and a ruthless murderer. There is not any clear explanation how a seemingly sensitive man who cared about his family could emerge as this serial killer. There is a suggestion that his experience in World War II might have primed him for this way of life.

The screenplay, based on the book by Charles Brandt, is written by Steven Zaillian, who previously wrote the story for Schindler’s List, which may account for how he is able to suggest emotional turmoil, although it is often not fully explained. The movie features flashbacks where the actors are skillfully “de-aged” as we encounter earlier events in the lives of their characters. One of the central themes is an insight and explanation into the death of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, who was an important character in this movie and whose body in real life was never found after he was eliminated. Unfortunately, the inordinate length of this film only underscored its inability to help the viewer really understand any of the characters

If you are drawn to gangster movies and enjoy the work of this cast of actors and the renowned director, you might find this collection of unending “rub-outs” of interest but be sure you have lots of popcorn or your favorite snack to help you persevere (2019).

Your comments are welcome below:

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The Song of Names – sp

The title of this movie refers to an imaginary song that consists of the names of hundreds of thousands of Jews killed at the Treblinka Nazi Extermination Camp in Poland during World War II. The screenplay by Jeffrey Caine is based on a novel by Norman Lebrecht, introduces us to a young boy, Dovidl, who happens to be a violin prodigy and is being left at the home of a British family during the early days of the turmoil in Europe in the 1940s. The rest of the boy’s family is returning to Poland not realizing the fate that awaits them there. The story progresses through flashbacks of different phases in the life of Dovidl, who is played by Luke Doyle (ages 9 to 13), Jonah Hauer-King (ages 17 to 23), and Tim Roth as a middle aged man. Martin, the young boy who is in the British family becomes more or less Dovidl’s brother and interacts with him during the various stages of their lives. Martin is played by Misha Handley (ages 9-13), Gerran Howell (ages 17 through 21) and by Clive Owen as a middle aged man.

The flashbacks may at first be a little confusing as they occur but the emotional theme of the story will be quite clear. It is expressed not only in the cold facts of history, but through the beautiful emotional violin music, which reflects the storyline of everlasting grief and the mourning, which go with it.Francois Girard, 2019

The producers who put together this international production along with director, Francois Girard were apparently the first fictional movie team granted permission to film inside the Treblinka Memorial. Not only is the music haunting and unforgettable, but so is this creative story (2019).