To All the Boys I've Loved Before
I just learned a new word: Epistolary e.g. telling a story via exchange of letters. This Netflix original has that aspect which involves our heroine, Lara Jean, writing 5 letters to boys she has had a crush on.
Her little sister then sends the letters that Lara Jean has kept for years and the Pandora's Box opens. So to keep up appearances, she invents a fake boyfriend to keep the secret from coming out and embarrassing her further.
Several subplots involving that the boys are somewhat "taken" by other important people in her life, e.g. her older sister away at college. And we have have the Dead Disney Parent adding another aspect to the mix.
Nicely done, certainly reminiscent of Pretty in Pink, the ugly duckling getting the prince. They even sample John Hughes movies, Say Anything, Juno and other RomCom favorite tropes.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Her little sister then sends the letters that Lara Jean has kept for years and the Pandora's Box opens. So to keep up appearances, she invents a fake boyfriend to keep the secret from coming out and embarrassing her further.
Several subplots involving that the boys are somewhat "taken" by other important people in her life, e.g. her older sister away at college. And we have have the Dead Disney Parent adding another aspect to the mix.
Nicely done, certainly reminiscent of Pretty in Pink, the ugly duckling getting the prince. They even sample John Hughes movies, Say Anything, Juno and other RomCom favorite tropes.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Miss Bala
Gina Rodriguez stars as Gloria, in this Female Fighting Back version of Sicario 2. What starts as a promising set up (2 women go to a club and bad s@#$ starts to occur...) winds up in a mess or stereotypes: drug cartels, forced prostitution, American DEA saviors).
The fact that it was "filmed in Mexico" using majority Mexican persons doesn't make up for this shabby script. It devolves into a Born in East L.A., which is pretty silly in this day and age. Including Gina, there are really few positive or redeeming characters here. Maybe the little brother...
In the underworld, everyone is a gangster. You'd think that in a country of 130 million people you'd get some better stories than this: e.g. Coco. But perhaps those good stories only exist in Hollywood's imagination.
Directed by McAllen, TX native Catherine Hardwicke.
* * * due to good aerial photography .
The fact that it was "filmed in Mexico" using majority Mexican persons doesn't make up for this shabby script. It devolves into a Born in East L.A., which is pretty silly in this day and age. Including Gina, there are really few positive or redeeming characters here. Maybe the little brother...
In the underworld, everyone is a gangster. You'd think that in a country of 130 million people you'd get some better stories than this: e.g. Coco. But perhaps those good stories only exist in Hollywood's imagination.
Directed by McAllen, TX native Catherine Hardwicke.
* * * due to good aerial photography .
Gaza * Sundance Film Festival 2019
The theme of this year's Sundance Film Festival was "Risk Independence". Not only could this apply to independent film making for which Sundance is the mountaintop, but it also weighs toward the types of film that Sundance tends to favor: those from filmmakers with another voice not commonly heard.
One does not primarily go to Sundance to view what will be available in the local Multiplex in a month or two. Rather, be expecting to have an eye-opening movie experience. Maybe you'll like it and maybe you won't.
Gaza is at heart a documentary, but edited with a narrative arc that made it seems like a layered story line with several families. All the stories involving living in Gaza, described as a 25 mile by 7 mile area, blocked to the north by Israel, blocked to the south by Egypt and blocked by the Mediterranean Sea, where Israel ships enforce a 3 mile limit.
As a result of this siege, prompted by a 2014 war and election of Hamas-backed leadership, Israel has withdrawn all of its settlements in Gaza. While humanitarian aid does come in, the local citizens must make do with what they have to raise families, earn a living and hope for a better tomorrow.
Some of the families featured were the Bakr family, where the husband strives to make a living as a fisherman, while living in a refugee camp with 3 wives and 20 children. Another man featured is a taxi driver who has recently been imprisoned for 20 months in a debtors prison. Another is a young teenage girl who plays her cello and hopes to study abroad if the opportunity ever comes. The thought of going to America is like going to the moon for her.
Andrew McConnell, Director of Photography did an excellent job with the various everyday shots, from the basics of getting a haircut or having a cup of coffee to military jet bombings (not explicitly stated who was responsible), paramedics treated wounded and tire fires which are quite a sight to see.
Thought-provoking, spotlighting another part of the world, out of the ordinary. Director Garry Keane said it took a lot of editing of 250 hours of footage over several years to make this 90 minute movie. No wonder it beat the Sundance odds: 14,500 entries for 100 spots.
* * * * *
One does not primarily go to Sundance to view what will be available in the local Multiplex in a month or two. Rather, be expecting to have an eye-opening movie experience. Maybe you'll like it and maybe you won't.
Gaza is at heart a documentary, but edited with a narrative arc that made it seems like a layered story line with several families. All the stories involving living in Gaza, described as a 25 mile by 7 mile area, blocked to the north by Israel, blocked to the south by Egypt and blocked by the Mediterranean Sea, where Israel ships enforce a 3 mile limit.
As a result of this siege, prompted by a 2014 war and election of Hamas-backed leadership, Israel has withdrawn all of its settlements in Gaza. While humanitarian aid does come in, the local citizens must make do with what they have to raise families, earn a living and hope for a better tomorrow.
Some of the families featured were the Bakr family, where the husband strives to make a living as a fisherman, while living in a refugee camp with 3 wives and 20 children. Another man featured is a taxi driver who has recently been imprisoned for 20 months in a debtors prison. Another is a young teenage girl who plays her cello and hopes to study abroad if the opportunity ever comes. The thought of going to America is like going to the moon for her.
Andrew McConnell, Director of Photography did an excellent job with the various everyday shots, from the basics of getting a haircut or having a cup of coffee to military jet bombings (not explicitly stated who was responsible), paramedics treated wounded and tire fires which are quite a sight to see.
Thought-provoking, spotlighting another part of the world, out of the ordinary. Director Garry Keane said it took a lot of editing of 250 hours of footage over several years to make this 90 minute movie. No wonder it beat the Sundance odds: 14,500 entries for 100 spots.
* * * * *
2019 Movie Preview
Coming this year
Glass - January 13
M. Night Shyamalan's latest: can he ever top The Sixth Sense? Bruce Willis returns to help
What Men Want- February 8
Remember What Women Want (2000) ? this is the female version, starring Taraji P. Henson, Tracy Morgan
Captain Marvel - March 8
Brie Larson stars as the female Marvel version
Dumbo - March 29
Disney live/animated mashup - directed by Tim Burton
starring a Southland View (and Disney) favorite, Colin Farrell
Avengers: Endgame - April 26
Get your tickets now!
Glass - January 13
M. Night Shyamalan's latest: can he ever top The Sixth Sense? Bruce Willis returns to help
What Men Want- February 8
Remember What Women Want (2000) ? this is the female version, starring Taraji P. Henson, Tracy Morgan
Captain Marvel - March 8
Brie Larson stars as the female Marvel version
Dumbo - March 29
Disney live/animated mashup - directed by Tim Burton
starring a Southland View (and Disney) favorite, Colin Farrell
Avengers: Endgame - April 26
Get your tickets now!
On the Basis of Sex
As if US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg weren't a good enough cover for the topic, we now have an upgrade done by her own nephew Daniel Stieplman. I'll say it now: this is the best lawyer movie that I've seen. Especially "That One", which I never thought was that great of a book or movie.
Starring Felicity Jones, we begin as most law does at Harvard Law, the training academy start, with Harvard Law standing in for Hogwarts. Sam Waterston plays the evil Dean Griswold (or Wormer, can''t make these names up) who tells Ruth to explain why she is taking a spot that a man could otherwise have.
Like in RBG, we see the early marriage of her and Martin Ginsburg (Armie Hammer), who gets sick while they are both in law school. Spoiler alert, he survives and the movie spins around their long time work and family partnership.
The main point is her first arguments "on the basis of sex" to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Having just made my first argument to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, most everything was pretty realistic, other than the large crowd watching and the dramatic pauses. Will she win? Whatever happened to her anyway?
Nice period details from the 1970s. I give this my highest rating of:
* * * * *
Starring Felicity Jones, we begin as most law does at Harvard Law, the training academy start, with Harvard Law standing in for Hogwarts. Sam Waterston plays the evil Dean Griswold (or Wormer, can''t make these names up) who tells Ruth to explain why she is taking a spot that a man could otherwise have.
Like in RBG, we see the early marriage of her and Martin Ginsburg (Armie Hammer), who gets sick while they are both in law school. Spoiler alert, he survives and the movie spins around their long time work and family partnership.
The main point is her first arguments "on the basis of sex" to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Having just made my first argument to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, most everything was pretty realistic, other than the large crowd watching and the dramatic pauses. Will she win? Whatever happened to her anyway?
Nice period details from the 1970s. I give this my highest rating of:
* * * * *
2018 Year End Recap
This marks year 6 of my movie blog and I saw and reviewed about 50 films.
The Number 1 post far and away was Panacea, a 22 minute independent film that had a Rio Grande Valley connection and played in a fund raising event here locally. Over 1000 pages views.
So I think that bodes well for independent film making. Kind of like retail, the industry has to streamline and get back to roots to differentiate itself from the mass of information available online. It also helped that I met the actors and they were able to use my review as promotion as well. Win/Win.
The next most popular views were another Valley connection, Sicario 2, set in McAllen, TX. It was over the top but is was exciting to watch. Shifting gears the next most popular was completely different, the documentary about Mr. Rogers, Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Rounding out the list were Solo: A Star Wars Story. I think everyone wants to see what it was all about. By those lofty standards it was a disappointment. We'll see how they get it back on track for December 2019.
Then a classic, Mean Girls. I listened to a podcast that Regina George was a great movie villain. It was your basic high school movie. Finally I Can Only Imagine, a Christian themed movie about the song of the same name by Casting Crowns. A well done biopic.
Worst movie of the year? Vice - an awful biopic of Dick Cheney. 1 of 5 stars. Walked out. Not even worth a review.
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