Herself. An intriguing title for a film. After I watched it, I thought about an improvement on the title might have been Her Self, for Sandra (in a winning performance by Dunne) finds her self in the events that will transpire. The film absolutely captures the figure of a woman literally beaten down, unsure of herself but with, somehow, […]
What a different film from the 2017 version, which I had loved. It’s puzzling that this one, written by essentially the same writers (director Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Dave Callahan) and with the same director (Patty Jenkins), could fall so short of the previous version. Could the fact that it had so many (17) producers have made
This is a Pixar movie renowned for its colorful history of bringing movies to children (e.g., the Toy Story series, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Up, Coco, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc.). In Soul, it is up to its reputation in superb animation and graphics, characterization, and music (Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross). Whether or not children will grasp the intended principles
And what a night! After Cassius Clay’s victory over Sonny Liston in 1964, four friends meet to celebrate. They are prize-fighter Cassius Clay (Goree), NFL hero Jim Brown (Hodge), pop star Sam Cooke (Odom), and Malcolm X (Ben-Adir). Sitting in Malcolm X’s hotel room, the four reflect/argue about what they are and are not doing for the rights
I love beautiful stories, and this is one. Just as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks) keeps his audiences transfixed with his “news of the world”, I stayed entranced throughout the odd journey of this grieving ex-soldier and a 10 year-old German girl, Johanna (Zengal), brought up by the Kiowa Indians for four years after they killed
For a long time, Jamal Khashoggi was a highly respected journalist in Saudi Arabia known as “the voice of Saudi media”, one who was very close to the monarchy and considered a spokesman for it. But while he was a part of that system, he was also a reformist who would eventually be advocating for the
Actress turned writer/director Emerald Fennell made a big splash at Sundance back in January with “Promising Young Woman.” Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan garnered instant awards attention for a performance that’s unlike anything else in her filmography. “Promising Young Woman” is an original script that’s part satirical revenge flick and whole hardily a conversation starter. Aside from Mulligan’s
Macabre thriller with some humor is how I would describe Beasts Clawing at Straws. It consists of a series of vignettes about a disparate group of people whom you gradually—only very gradually—realize are connected with one another. To make it more complicated, characters evolve across time, so that who you think they are in the beginning is different from how
What people do when they get older varies immeasurably, depending on family, circumstances, personal preference, and many other reasons. That there is a group of oldsters who travel around—mostly in vans and RVs—is new to me, as probably for most of us. Some are facing the end of life and want to make the most of it,
Wander Darkly is an apt title in that viewing it is like wandering darkly throughout the course of the film. I have some inkling of what writer/director Tara Miele is trying to do, but it just doesn’t work—at least not for me. The constant flashes back and forth between reality and memory became tiresome for me in