Movie Review

Youth

Youth is a 2015 Italian comedy-drama film written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. It is the director’s second English language film, and stars Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel as best friends who reflect on their lives while holidaying in the Swiss Alps. It is a story of the eternal struggle between age and youth, the past and the future, life and death, commitment and betrayal. The cast also includes Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, and Jane Fonda.

This film received awards, nominations, critical acclaim and  features some of my favorite actors/actresses. The scenery is great, music good, the acting outstanding. This is NOT reason to see this film. I found it long, strange, a bit disjointed at times. The plot is sort of a series of days in the lives of the two main characters, played by Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel.   There is a pervasive sense of sadness and futility in the story and that is not fun. Sometimes such a trend is compensated with a happy ending or a message worthy of some thought. Those things do not happen here. If you are looking for entertainment, skip this.

 

Movie Reviews

Joy

Joy is a 2015 American biographical comedy-drama film, written and directed by David O. Russell^[4] and starring Jennifer Lawrence as Joy Mangano, a self-made millionaire who created her own business empire. Mangano was a divorced mother with two children in the early 1990s when she invented the Miracle Mop and became an overnight success, after which she patented many other products, often selling on the Home Shopping Network and QVC. The film is a semi-fictional and inspirational portrayal of how Mangano overcame personal and professional obstacles to rise to the top.

I liked this film. The acting is good, Jennifer Lawrence does quite well. It is also an interesting story and the pace of the film held my interest. There is a bit of inconsistency in the first part as compared to the second. The early story of a persistent mother trying to launch a business portrays her as naive and lacking in business skill. As the story unfolds, the struggle continues. Hard work, determination and persistence are hampered at every turn. As the story transitions to a second act, Joy is not well treated by the channels thru which she markets and the financial freedom she sought is elusive. When professionals including lawyers are consulted, no one seems interested in helping. This may be a plot device to build tension and put us in her corner, but some of the events seem a bit hard to accept as presented. Joy’s second act is one of triumph and we applaud her as we roll to a happy ending. What did not make sense for me is the rather sudden switch as Joy becomes a confident, savvy, resourceful and confident person taking on all comers and rolling on to success. This requires aspects of her personality that were never evident in the early story. Other than this flaw of transition,this is entertaining and more fun to watch as it is supposedly a mostly true story.This is one worth watching.

 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

I’m not going to analyze this one. If you enjoyed the first movie, you should see this one. The same crazy family is back, with most of the original cast and it is simply fun and amusing. The unexpected parties to the wedding is not one you anticipate but it is the kickoff to the crazy and complicated journey. The story is fun, the acting is good, the pace is right. Solid entertainment.

Ricki and the Flash

Ricki and the Flash is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Diablo Cody, about a woman who leaves her family to become a rock star and later gets a chance to make amends. The film stars Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer, Kevin Kline, Sebastian Stan, Rick Springfield, Audra McDonald, and Ben Platt.

OK, so the acting is good and it is engaging to see Meryl Streep  create another persona you would not expect. She does a fine job as an aging rocker who never quite made it to the big time. Ricki does get drawn back to the family, but it is not quite correct that she “makes amends”.  It is a good story, funny at times, good music, a bit of insight into the life of a lower tier musician and solid entertainment. While   Streep creates Ricki with skill, the plot line in this will not be enough for this to rank as one of her more well received films. That is no reason to skip this.

 

 

Movie Reviews

Carol

Carol is a 2015 British-American romantic drama film directed by Todd Haynes. The screenplay written by Phyllis Nagy is based on the groundbreaking romance novel The Price of Salt (also known as Carol) by Patricia Highsmith. The film stars Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy and Kyle Chandler. Set in New York City during the early 1950s, Carol tells the story of a forbidden love affair between a young aspiring photographer and an older woman going through a difficult divorce.

This movie was acclaimed by critics and nominated for awards. The acting is quite good,but I cannot see why this was complimented. The two main characters never demonstrate or voice the reason for their actions. We have only our observation of events to follow as a story. No explanation of motivations ever emerges. The pace of the movie is slow. This could have been a much shorter film if the extensive sequences of the two women driving around in a car, looking out at rain and not speaking, were eliminated.  If you are looking to skip a movie that got nominations this season, this is the one.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is a 2015 Irish–British–Canadian romantic drama film directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby, based on Colm Tóibín‘s novel of the same name. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, and Julie Walters. Set in 1951 and 1952, the film tells the story of a young Irish woman’s immigration to Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within them for her.

This is another film praised by the critics. It is a story providing insight to the lives and struggles of immigrants in a past era. This is well acted and moves along at a good pace. The only problem I have is the main character, she is not an admirable person. Her motivations are always a bit muddy and she leaves home for America and a new life almost impulsively. Her adapting and overcoming are a good story but just when she seems to have a good life, she has reason to return to Ireland. There she is swept up by events but abandons her friends and her fiance without communication or explanation, to forge a new life. When events remind her of the reasons she left, she bails out again with no advance notice and little explanation. I found her a bit hard to root for. However, it is an engaging and entertaining film.

Terminator Genisys

Terminator Genisys is a 2015 American science fiction film directed by Alan Taylor and written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. The fifth installment in the Terminator franchise, following 2009’s Terminator Salvation, the film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger (reprising his role as the eponymous character), Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney. The plot follows soldier Kyle Reese in the war against Skynet; Reese is sent from the year 2029 to 1984 by John Connor, leader of the Human Resistance, to protect Connor’s mother Sarah. When Reese arrives in the past, he discovers that the timeline has been altered and Sarah has been raised by a reprogrammed Terminator.

I enjoy Arnold, and have been entertained by all in this series. This film is no exception, however, I am tired of how this story line is twisted again and again to keep the franchise going. It is time for me to get off this bus. This is good entertainment, so I do not want to seem negative. As to comparing this segment to others, it is as good as most.