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The Father (2020)
Fast approaching this age....
...and this gives an insightful, worrying glimpse of what may yet come. My mother had mild dementia (is there such a thing?) but died before it could become full-blown. My mother-in-law was much further immersed in it, and it was so hard to watch. This movie hit so very close to home, and also was heartbreaking, coming from Anthony's perspective.
Joy in the Morning (1965)
OMG
I read the book as a teenager in the 60's and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a lot of insight into young love and adjustments made upon marriage. There was also immense struggle due to poverty and parental disapproval. In the book, Annie was charming, innocent, and immature, as was Carl, though he frequently exhibited male bluster and superiority to hide it. This wasn't Betty Smith's best book, but it evoked the reality of life as a very poor, young, newly married couple.
I actually just re-read the book last week, being in a nostalgic mood during this pandemic. Then tonite I find the movie on TCM and watch it with the book fresh on my mind. What a massive disappointment! It had so little of the book and changed characters and actions so much that it was almost unrecognizable as the same story. Unfortunately, this happens with most books made into movies, so I'm really not surprised.
Bridgerton (2020)
Ho-hum
Never read the books, so I can't critique the differences, but I'm a sucker for period pieces brought to the screen. This is one I won't be rewatching; the storyline was confusing, the sex scenes gratuitious and overlong, and the premise for the Duke's aversion to fatherhood not credible.
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
Thoroughly Engrossing
I know nothing about chess, but I can appreciate great acting and storyline, and this was riveting! I went through a whole range of emotions watching this, several times yelling at the screen...this one should not be missed!
Belgravia (2020)
Comfortable
It's written by Julian Fellowes, so we kind of know what to expect, but it had enough drama and little side stories to keep me happy. I've never read the book, but again, it's Julian Fellowes, so I had the ending figured out before the end of the first episode. These are the best kind of stories to watch in these horrible, tumultuous times - gives one a little needed escape from reality. That said, I absolutely loved the performances of Harriet Walter and Tamsin Greig as the proud Countess of Brockenhurst and the stalwart Anne Trenchard, respectively.
They both played their roles to perfection.
Unorthodox (2020)
Profoundly moving
Hard to believe that people live like this here in the USA. Esty's life was an eye-opener, and her journey to personal freedom was tense but exhilarating.
Le Bazar de la Charité (2019)
Glad I didn't watch the dubbed version
This was a thoroughly enjoyable story; starting with a horrendous fire at a charity bazaar, it follows some survivors as they come to terms with their experience.
The costuming was wonderful, and the actors were genuinely marvelous. The villain in the story put me in mind of Charles Boyer in "Gaslight" - just dripping with disdain and evil. As several reviewers noted, this had to be binge-watched.
Like a really good book, I just had to see it through!
Ready or Not (2019)
Scary funny
Just saw it with my daughter and granddaughter. Since the trailers gave a pretty good idea of how the story goes we were not unready for the plot. Still, it had some pretty good sequences, resulting in some comedic horror that took us by surprise. Yeah, Grace screamed a lot, where she shouldn't have, but hey - she had good reasons to. Samara Weaving did a superb job of conveying her terror.
P.S. Did anyone else think of "Mars Attacks" at the end of this film?
Blinded by the Light (2019)
A Feel-Good Film
I just took my special-needs brother to see this, as he is probably the biggest Bruce Springsteen fan on this planet, and has been for 30+ years. I myself wasn't expecting too much, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's a coming-of-age tale as old as time, but it's upbeat, fun and exuberant.
Elizabeth I (2017)
Adequate, but no depth
Elizabeth I is a fascinating subject; this docu-drama barely touched the tip of the iceberg. Her life just can't be documented in this 3 hour time allotment. If you want to see the best to date drama, watch the 1971 version with Glenda Jackson.
It ran over 7 hours, and included so much more of Elizabeth's life.
I really wish we could somehow combine Cate Blanchett with Glenda Jackson's
portrayal; Cate as the younger, Glenda as the older, while using the more accurate 1971 script.
The Last Kingdom (2015)
Fantastic series
I've read all the books (Saxon Tales) in the series, and this show does an excellent job of bringing it to the screen. David Dawson is wonderful as Alfred, and Alexander Dreymon IS Uhtred. I do have one quibble with him, though. His hair style is Season 3 is just not realistic, and diverges too much from his previous styling in the first two seasons.
Jane Eyre (2006)
Still waiting for a truer version of the book
I have watched every Jane Eyre version made. While they all mostly have good points, they all still miss the mark. This one was a really missed opportunity;
with nearly 4 hours play time, it could have covered so much more from the book. The dialogue in the book was so rich - but very little made it into this version. I'm almost tempted to write a screenplay myself because I'm continually disappointed with the screen versions. More time spent on her childhood, including the Reed family and servants, as well as her friendship with Helen at Lowood. The Rivers family, especially St. John, would have been much better if their characters were more developed.
Book Club (2018)
Knowing laughs throughout
This was a fairly predictable movie; nevertheless, I had some good laughs while watching. I am of a similar age as these women, and also belong to a book club. Many of our life discussions are similar to those in this movie (plus: we also drink wine). I went into this with low expectations based on the reviews, but was very pleasantly surprised at how much was relatable.
The Water Diviner (2014)
A favorite movie
This is one of those movies that you just can't forget. Russell Crowe is excellent as the grieving father of three sons thought to be killed on the battlefield. I'm not going to quibble about the politics of the war; but the aftermath shown in this movie was so moving. A lovely romance, a lost son found, and a warm friendship develops with his erstwhile enemy. Who could ask for more?
The Shape of Water (2017)
Fantastical
Once I settled into appreciation that this was a different type of film (much like Pan's Labyrinth), I thoroughly enjoyed it. All of the reviews on this site offer much better explanations for the plot, etc. so I don't feel it's necessary for me to dissect it. I will say one thing, though (maybe someone further down addresses it) but this brought to mind the 1984 movie "Splash".
To Walk Invisible (2016)
Lovely and well acted
This was a lovely biopic of the Bronte sisters - perhaps a little too much of their brother, though. Several commenters noted difficulty understanding the dialogue.
I have found that closed captioning is an absolute necessity when viewing anything British. Just a suggestion.