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Reviews
Chowchilla (2023)
I remember
I'm old enough to remember the Chowchilla kidnapping and this fine documentary is a time machine back to those days. Others have told you about what happened, but I'm here to tell just how well made this motion picture is. The 'acting' in the reconstruction of the ordeal is so seamlessly Integrated into the footage from the 70s that it's easy to forget it wasn't filmed while it was actually happening. The blase inconsideration and incompetence of the kidnappers is breathtaking which makes the ending heartbreaking. Not easy to watch but very important in bringing childhood trauma in focus. Kudos to all involved in making this fine film.
Ferrari (2023)
So much promise wasted
Driver is electrifying, but not one single character in this movie shows the least bit of change. Consequently, the movie is somewhat boring. The cars are beautiful but there's not a lot of racing until the end. It's mainly about Ferrari's relationship with his wife and his mistress. Driven businessman neglects grieving wife for younger woman who "understands" him. Hold the presses. There is a brief flashback to when the Ferraris were young and in love. I wanted to see more of those two and how they turned into the bitter couple we see in almost all of the movie. Everyone else is a cypher. The race drivers? They are the faintest of sketches with hardly a dozen lines among them. Thinking about this after it was over, I wondered if Mann was so mesmerized by Driver's and Cruz's performances that he decided to leave everything else on the cutting room floor. Or was it just an empty screenplay from the get go? Came home and watched Ford v. Ferrari, and yes, as I remembered, it was populated with people to care about. A much better racing movie throughout.