Cinephile No. 803 “Judy”
Recommendation: 5/5 STARS, SHOWTIME
Plot: “Legendary performer, Judy Garland, arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.” -IMDB
Review: The role of Judy Garland is the role Renee Zellweger was born to play and she does it with force, humility, gravitas, and a deep understanding of the attachment many feel for a woman who first graced the screen as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” In her examination of this character, we are offered a heartbreaking study of celebrity and a firsthand look at the pressure, as well as the addictive need to be in front of an audience.
At times, Judy can seem unhinged and as if she is barely hanging onto reality. With only her kids to give her strength and in desperate need of money, she chooses to perform a series of sold-out concerts in London. This means being away from the very people who are supplying the reason to live. Alone with just her thoughts and addictions, Judy has several out of body experiences and the trauma that served as the genesis of her career is revealed.
Abused by the system, Judy’s path to fame was anything but ordinary. It also reveals a cycle of pain and the lengths in which people will go to maintain fame. As we watch with sadness and empathy, we see a character hunting for normal. Renee Zellweger leaves us yearning for this character and heartbroken at the same time. As Judy gives the performance of a lifetime, we are given a glimmer of hope but left to wonder if that will be enough. Sadly, as any student of history can tell you, it wasn’t.
Cinephile No. 814 “Song Without a Name”
Recommendation: 4/5 STARS, SHOWTIME
Plot: “Georgina's newborn daughter is stolen at a fake health clinic. Her desperate search for the child leads her to the headquarters of a major newspaper, where she meets a lonely journalist who takes on the investigation.” -IMDB
Review: For my 7th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I went searching for something with the same breathtaking power of “Roma.” With “Song Without a Name,” I landed on a film that began with a people devastated by the revolution in Peru and ended with a woman’s desperate search for her stolen child. The revolution serves as the undercurrent for everything we experience and Georgina (Pamela Mendoza) finds herself pregnant in this harsh world. With the intersection of these two realities as our foundation, what follows is a quiet character study evolving into one of the most memorable films I saw last year.
Much like “Roma,” one of the first things you will notice about this film is the absence of color. I think the choice to film in black and white is more than a stylistic choice. In my opinion, I believe it is meant to convey the bleak, desperate, and sorrowing times in which our main character finds herself living. This pain reaches its height when a pregnant Georgina heads into the city to give birth to her child. During the course of childbirth and resting from the ordeal, the baby is stolen. Within hours of giving birth, Georgina is escorted from the hospital and told to come back for her child. When she returns, the clinic is no longer there, and only locked doors remain. This launches a desperate search to find a child no one seems to care is missing.
In her desperation, Georgina turns to a journalist for help. As they begin searching, several things are revealed. First, we get a better sense of understanding of how difficult it is for the poor to seek justice. We also discover that Georgina isn’t alone and there is systemic foul play happening to poor citizens all across Peru. Finally (spoiler alert), this film does something really brave and ends without answering its main question. This isn’t done to frustrate the audience. Rather, it is done to convey a point. Georgina doesn’t know the fate of her child either. We are left with more questions than answers just as she is. For these revelations and the way in which this film makes its central thesis known, I cannot recommend it enough.
Cinephile No. 817 “Alan Pakula: Going for Truth”
Recommendation: 3/5 STARS, STREAM
Plot: “Alan Pakula: Going for Truth" encompasses the personal and professional life of Alan J. Pakula, a lauded filmmaker and an extremely private man, who was unflinching in his commitment to bringing some of the most memorable movies of the last half of the 20th century to the big screen.” -IMDB
Review: For my 10th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I came across a documentary about a man whose movies were well known to me, but a personal story I didn’t fully appreciate. While you may not remember his name, his contributions to the canon of film are staggering. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Klute,” “All the President’s Men,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “Presumed Innocent,” and “The Pelican Brief” are all ground altering pieces of filmmaking that revolutionized the industry and sent it toward telling more honest and direct stories. Yet, like so many talents before and after him, Pakula was taken in his prime during a freak traffic accident. While the beauty of this man’s mind may have left the world too soon, his legacy will withstand the test of time and this documentary is proof.
Alan Pakula’s real talent was his ability to connect with people and find their individual stories. With surgical precision, he could get at the details and force an audience to think more than consume. Alan also did something that should ring true to all future filmmakers; make movies for yourselves. The pressure of the studio and outside opinions will always be there, but if you don’t make movies you yourself would want to watch, then what is the point of pursuing this art form.
While “Going for Truth” isn’t a revolutionary piece of documentary filmmaking, it does remind me of why I connect with this medium so deeply and profoundly. As I left the theater and walked into the Hollywood night, a smile hung on my face and I began to think of all those films that have meant so much to me.
Cinephile No. 818 “Liberte”
Recommendation: 1/5 Stars, SKIP
Plot: “Madame de Dumeval, the Duke de Tesis and the Duke de Wand, libertines expelled from the court of Louis XVI, seek the support of the Duc de Walchen, German seducer, and freethinker, lonely in a country where hypocrisy and false virtue reign.” -IMDB
Review: For my 11th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I hoped for a French film that would challenge me in new and exciting ways. Instead, I was treated to a hedonistic, perverse, and vile embarrassment to the art form of filmmaking. For two hours, I watched exiled aristocrats lumber through the forest in an attempt to live out their deepest and darkest sexual fantasies. By the time the credits rolled, I had seen and experienced things I believed only existed in the worst corners of the internet.
Without a shadow of a doubt in my mind, “Liberte” is the worst movie I have ever seen. It often feels plotless and void of any real meaning. It lacks character development and a solid point. Instead, it is porn in the form of powdered wigs. If you took at all of the worst qualities of every film I have ever written about in my cinematic adventures, they would pale in comparison to this film. As someone who chooses to critique cinema, I see it as my absolute responsibility to convince you to stay from this film at all costs.
When I walked away from this lifeless film, chastity was the only real option for me. As far as this film is concerned, I believe it is best burned in a barrel and erased from human history.
Cinephile No. 819 “The Sterile Cuckoo”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “Two students from neighboring colleges in upstate New York are swept up in a tragic romantic interlude calling for a maturity of vision beyond their experience of capabilities. Pookie Adams - a kooky, lonely misfit with no family and no place to go, insists on calling all those who won't participate in her world, "weirdos," clings to a quiet studious Jerry, who has the ability to make a choice of living in Pookie's private little world or be accepted by the society that Pookie rejects. Unwittingly, it is through their awkward relationship that Pookie actually prepares Jerry for the world of "weirdos" that she doesn't fit into or wish to be a part of.” -IMDB
Review: For my 12th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I decided to spend some time with a classic film starring Liza Minnelli as Pookie Adams and Wendell Burton as Jerry Payne. From the very beginning, it is easy to tell that Pookie is the star of the show. Possessing overpowering and tireless energy, she overwhelms every person she meets. Jerry, for his part, is her polar opposite. He is studious, quiet, and focused on getting the best grades possible in college. Attending different schools, it is a chance encounter that brings them into each other’s orbit. From here, we are left to ponder and study the age-old saying about opposites attracting.
Quickly, Jerry realizes what we’ve all come to understand by now. There is no one in the world like Pookie. At times, she can be off-putting, judgmental, and in desperate need of attention. Possessing the patience of a saint, Jerry gives the relationship his best and they begin to fall deeply in love. From here, the story becomes a question of whether this is just young love or does it have staying power.
The relationship continues innocently enough until Jerry withdraws to focus on his studies. This is where the romance takes a dramatic turn as Pookie announces she is pregnant. Suddenly, what was cute and innocent becomes very real. From here to the very end of the film, the movie takes on a very different tone just like a real relationship. While I would never give away an ending, this film decides to unwrap itself slowly and methodically by asking you to put yourself in the shoes of the characters you’ve been watching. For me, I could think of no better way to end this film.
Cinephile No. 820 “Clemency”
Recommendation: 5/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.” -IMDB
Review: For my 13th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I focused my attention on a subject I have been wrestling with for quite a while. For much of my life, I have supported the concept of a humane death penalty. In recent years, as I have been introduced to stories about people being wrongly convicted and the systemic racism existing in the criminal justice system, my opinion began to change. As I write this, I do not believe the state should be involved in matters of deciding who lives and dies. Above all else, I believe the government should focus its attention on rehabilitation. A film like “Clemency” and its focus on the drama of death row coupled with the weight of putting people to death cemented my belief even further.
Primarily focusing on two individuals, Warden Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard) and Anthony Woods (Aldis Hodge), this film asks us to closely inspect the supposed guilt of Anthony while also looking into the life of Bernadine, who at times comes across as emotionally dead inside because of the weight of the work. As we learn more about each of them, we are left to make our decisions. This isn’t a film providing simple closure and easy answers. It forces self-reflection as each character wrestles with their own demons.
As this film moves toward its final act, these two-dimensional characters on a screen become whole persons. For Anthony, this becomes true as his support network rises up around him. For Bernadine, this becomes profoundly apparent as she stands alone in the decision of the state. As the choice becomes known, you as an audience member have to wrestle with your own beliefs. Lots of movies try to tackle these big moral issues, but very few of them do it with the grit and grace of this film.
Cinephile No. 821 “The Two Popes”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.
Review: For my 14th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I turned my attention to an ongoing debate about the future of the Catholic Church. Using Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins), Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), and the unprecedented resignation of a living Pontiff as the basis for such a grand discussion was enthralling for someone like me who finds themselves standing on the outside of western faith. With the understanding that the audience may be at different starting points in their knowledge of the Catholic Church, the writers begin this story by pulling back the curtain on the politics of selecting a new Pope. This is a brilliant and revelatory decision. While I wasn’t raised Catholic, I have always been jealous of the traditions, pomp, and circumstance surrounding the church. In the selection process, we uncover those traditions, but we also get a glimpse of man’s true nature, as well as the chaos existing in the modern church.
As Pope Benedict begins his tenure, he is met almost immediately with scandal surrounding his actions as a German citizen during World War II, charges of pedophilia against clergy, and abuse of funds by the Vatican Bank. In the midst of this chaos, we see a Benedict that is withdrawn, alone, and silenced by the calls for reformation from both within and outside of the church. Juxtaposed against this imagery, we are offered glimpses of Cardinal Bergoglio who is progressive and of the people. Both men have wildly different ideas about the future of the church, and thanks to an invitation to visit Rome, we are treated to a debate of monumental proportions.
As they debate, Benedict reveals his intention to resign. While he remains a man of faith, he finds himself overcome with doubt and unable to hear the voice of God. In his loss, we discover his intentions. He has called the Cardinal to Rome because he believes Bergoglio can make the necessary changes to save the church. Of course, this all comes as a shock to the Cardinal who has his own doubts and a past that is far from perfect. Before history is written, we are treated to a man succumbing to his fate. As he is revealed as Pope Francis to the world, we are once again treated to the pomp of circumstance of the Catholic Church and left placing our hopes in a new leader.
Cinephile No. 823 “Forman v. Forman”
Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM
Plot: “A look at the life and work of director Milos Forman, from the Czech New Wave to Hollywood.” -IMDB
Review: For my 16th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I made an effort to spend some time with a director, Milos Forman, that I didn’t know very well. Of course, I know “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Amadeus,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” and “Hair.” Beyond these foundation-shifting films, I was curious to learn the inspiration behind the direction. Like lots of other directors, Forman’s path began with a deep love affair with film and a need for truth. Raised in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe and then under the cloud of socialism, this need for truth was even more profound.
Forman eventually fled Europe for America in an effort to pursue his dream. Without a network, he would need an opportunity and someone to believe in his talent. Like so many success stories before him, that opportunity came when he least expected it and need it the most. As films and opportunities started coming at him, Milo never forgot about his homeland. He used his final years to inspire the next generation of filmmakers and build a lasting legacy.
Cinephile No. 824 “Ready for War”
Recommendation: 5/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “Andrew Renzi sheds light on the lives of three of the estimated thousands of immigrants who volunteer for service in the American military yet find themselves deported from the US once their tours of duty are over.” -IMDB
Review: For my 17th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I turned my attention toward a documentary about an unthinkable travesty that isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Like lots of people, I knew the US military recruited non-citizens for active duty service. I assumed once their service was completed, they in return received full citizenship. “Ready for War” works to dispel this assumption by focusing on three veterans who were betrayed and deported by the government they served after being convicted of a crime. For two of the men, this meant a long legal battle where being allowed to reenter the US and reunite with family was on the line. For the third man, feeling as if he had been stabbed in the back, turned to the cartel where his talents are used by a known enemy of the United States.
In this country, we rightfully go above and beyond to praise those who we deem as protectors of the American dream. We can’t get enough of reunion videos, stand in ovation as servicemembers walk through airports, and give up first-class seats for those that serve. This documentary asks us to extend that same kindness and caring to those who fought for our flag but weren’t born in this country. It also asks us to deeply look at the systemic and policy failures that have allowed this to happen.
By personalizing the individuals, we see them as American citizens because this is the only home they have ever known. Seeing them in Mexico, separated from their family, we come to understand that Mexico can never be home. As their legal battles linger on and freedom becomes harder to grasp, I was left with a single thought, we must do better than this. While this injustice doesn’t impact a large group of people, an injustice anywhere deserves our full attention.
Cinephile No. 825 “The Last to See Them”
Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM
Plot: “Amidst the sun-bleached fields of southern Italy, a farming family's isolated existence becomes besieged by a sinister destiny.” -IMDB
Review: For my 18th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I wanted to see a daring indie film that could only be seen at a film festival. With “The Last to See Them,” the ending is known at the beginning of the film. We know the family featured in this movie are all going to die. Knowing the ending, we are left to piece together the puzzle. This means that every single moment of the film matters; every frame could be an important detail. From the introduction of characters to the fateful moment, you will feel like Sherlock Holmes trying to reconstruct a crime scene happening in real-time.
At times, the moments in this film can feel mundane. After all, we are watching a family go through their normal routines. As we inch closer and closer to their end, these mundane details matter more than any other film I have seen. Still, the film asks a lot of the audience. More than any other film I saw last year, this movie blends tension and a request for patience together in an almost unnerving fashion as we watch family dynamics and interactions with strangers play out before us.
This film does a superb job of utilizing sound to keep you engaged in mundane details. Before you know it, we arrive at the end. Violence takes center stage and you see if your guesses were true or not. For me, I didn’t find the ending satisfying. After working so hard to get to this point, I was hoping for more. I didn’t need walls painted in red and a Tarantino style ending, but I found myself longing for something more than what we were given. For this reason, I recommend you stream this film.
Cinephile No. 826 “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open”
Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM
Plot: “After a chance encounter on the street, a woman tries to encourage a pregnant domestic abuse victim to seek help.” -IMDB
Review: For my 19th film of the 2019 AFI Film Fest, I went looking for a challenge and another distinct indie film that can only be found at a festival such as this. My search brought me to “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open” a movie about a chance encounter. Our story begins with Alla traveling down the street when out of nowhere she witnesses domestic abuse in action. Rather than being a mere bystander, she decides to take Rosie into her care. This opens up a story about pregnancy, survival, abuse, victimhood, and what it means to offer someone help who isn’t ready to receive it.
Rosie doesn’t trust easily particularly when it comes to strangers. Despite multiple attempts, Alla isn’t able to get her to share all of the facts around her predicament. Naturally, Rosie is fearful for herself, her abuser, and her unborn child. Tirelessly reframing and much debate, Alla convinces Rosie to visit a safe house for battered women. In a movie about such a huge subject, this feels like the first win. But save your applause! Nothing about this film is easy and neither is the journey to safety.
After a few twists and turns, Rosie and Alla arrive at the safe house. Again, this will feel like another victory. What comes next will be hard for lots of us to understand, especially if we have never been in this situation. At times, it can feel like a debate and protection for an abuser. You will find yourself pleading with Rosie. You will also find yourself excited and disappointed. You will also find yourself longing for some sense of closure. In these situations, none of these things come easily and that is the overall takeaway from this film.
Cinephile No. 827 “Son-Mother”
Recommendation: 2/5 Stars, SKIP
Plot: “A widow who works tirelessly at a failing factory in sanctions-gripped Iran receives a marriage proposal that could mean financial security but could also tear her family apart.” -IMDB
Review: For my 20th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I wanted to spend some time with a Middle Eastern film. “Son-Mother” is an Iranian based movie focused on a widow, trying to make ends meet in an Iran that finds itself on the verge of economic collapse due to international sanctions. If things weren’t bad enough, she finds herself caring for a new-born and a young son.
The plot for this movie seems simple enough for almost every audience to grasp despite the subtitles. What gets lost in translation is what happens next. As a suitor begins pursuing marriage with her, a cultural tradition that will find itself lost on a western audience appears. In order for the marriage to happen, the mother is forced to part ways with her older child by placing him in a school for special needs orphans. This movie doesn’t do a great job of explaining the reasoning behind the school, the tradition that led to the decision, or the angst of the decision. This is a real shame because up until this point, this film was quite relatable.
Not fully understanding what was going on, I spent the last third of the film trying to figure out what was driving this movie. This was a distraction and kept me from fully grasping the plot and appreciating the film. With a cleaner and more easily understandable middle, this film could have really shined. Instead, it became one of the few skippable films I saw at this festival.
Cinephile No. 828 “Richard Jewell”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “American security guard, Richard Jewell, saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely reported that he was a terrorist.” -IMDB
Review: For my 21st film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I spent some time with the latest offering from director Clint Eastwood. To fully appreciate this story, you must understand Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser).
We’ve all met guys like Richard who take low-level jobs with a certain amount of authority way too seriously. In this case, Richard is a security guard hired to keep the peace during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA. Immediately, you will notice the dialogue needs some work. It can come across as fake and inauthentic. The writing gets much better as this film progresses, but the opening 30 minutes are a bit rough. It is in the chaos of an explosion and the actions taken by Richard to save people that this film really begins to shine.
As the smoke begins to clear and stories of heroism emerge, Richard is exalted for his bravery. As the country celebrates his selflessness, a tip is slipped to an overly ambitious reporter that casts doubt on his story. With his life flipped upside down, Richard doesn’t do himself any favors by choosing to speak to the press. This only amplifies the suspicion level and paints him in a darker shadow. With the FBI breathing down his neck, it becomes apparent Richard will need legal representation. For that, he reaches out to someone from his past.
Enter Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell)! Watson has an ax to grind against the government and believes in the innocence of his client. Sam Rockwell brings a much-needed level of humor to this film. As he goes to toe-to-toe with the FBI and government lawyers, we watch a real-life David vs. Goliath battle play out before our eyes. With the government’s case unraveling, you will find yourself cheering for the simple heroism of Richard and pain for anyone who believed he was anything but a good and decent man.
Cinephile No. 829 “Sophie’s Choice”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust.” -IMDB
Review: For my 22nd film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I turned my attention to the work of Meryl Streep and the classic film, “Sophie’s Choice.” To fully understand Sophie (Meryl Streep), we must understand where she has been and the things she has had to endure. As a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, she lost countless loved ones and had to make impossible choices. From the outset, we don’t understand the depth of those choices, but the lingering impact remains. In America and dating Nathan (Kevin Kline), we can see in her eyes she is still wrestling with the truth.
Despite the weight of the past, Nathan and Sophie find themselves seemingly infatuated with each other. When Stingo (Peter MacNicol) moves into their building, we are offered a deeper understanding of their relationship through his eyes. In Nathan, we find a character we cannot trust, who is no stranger to fits of rage, and deep jealously. In Sophie, Stingo finds a confidant and someone to process life in New York City.
In the midst of one of Nathan’s violent rages, Stingo and Sophie escape the city and find themselves alone. Over the course of an evening, we learn the pain of Sophie’s choice, who Nathan really is, and more untold horrors from the Holocaust. It is in these moments, we see the brilliance of Streep’s performance and a fully formed image of who Sophie is. It is a performance that will stay with me long after the details of this story begin to fade.
Cinephile No. 830 “Marriage Story”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.” -IMDB
Review: For my 23rd and final film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I wanted to spend some time with actors and a writer/director that I know and respect. In “Marriage Story,” starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson and written/directed by Noah Baumbach, I found the most authentically written script of the year. Despite its title, this movie isn’t a tale about marriage, as much as it is a story about a relationship falling apart. Only in the opening scene do we get a sense of how these two people see each other. Beyond those loving words, this is a divorce story through and through.
Focused on such a heavy subject, I didn’t think this film would be so funny, but even as it swims through infidelity, separation, splitting parental duties, and Johansson’s character choosing to leave New York for LA, it manages to do it with a sense of humor. It manages to do this by not painting anyone as a bad guy. Instead, we are made to feel for both characters. For Johansson, we get the feeling she has long stood in the shadow of her husband and hungered for a chance to create her own path. For Driver, we see a man who desperately wants to remain in the life of their son.
In the end, it is their son who complicates the divorce. How to parent and splitting time between New York and LA, drives the tension even further. It finally erupts in a scene taking place in Driver’s apartment. Without a doubt, watching these two actors go toe to toe felt raw, emotional, and real. As an audience member, you feel their frustration. In my mind, this scene is some of the finest acting I have ever seen in my life. It will leave you lost and searching for some sort of amicable end. Emotionally exhausted, you can rest assured we will get there, but the journey there will hit close to home.
Cinephile No. 831 “Ford v. Ferrari”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “American car designer, Carroll Shelby, and driver, Ken Miles, battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.” -IMDB
Review: I assume it began with a foot race. Then we tamed horses. Easily bored, we built chariots. Years later, the bicycle was born, and man would find himself tested by locomotion. When the automobile was introduced to the world, we learned it was meant for more than transport. Like all the forms of travel that proceeded it and those that will follow, human beings used this new tool to race in a never-ending quest to complete faster laps and reach randomly chosen finish lines. “Ford v. Ferrari” is a race traveling through space and time. For this go around, we find a cocky driver, Ken Miles (Christian Bale), and a speed-obsessed racecar builder, Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), at the center of a radical idea. Can the family car-focused Ford compete with the racing pedigree of Ferrari in the ultimate test of endurance, 24 Hours of Le Mans?
Of course, this radical idea was not born out of thin air. Like most things in this world, it began with an insult; a shot across the bow aimed at the Ford Motor Company’s direction after a failed buyout of the cash-strapped Ferrari. In order to compete and compete quickly, Ford turned to Shelby and his expertise and connections to some of the best drivers in the world. In Shelby, they found Miles and a unique talent for racing perfection. With the right men for the job, Shelby and Miles went to war building and racing a pinnacle vehicle for the job.
With the visual and auditory spectacle of racing taking front and center of this film, the drama is delivered thanks to the behemoth that is Ford constantly getting in its own way. Shelby’s confidence in Miles is sky high, but Ford is not so sure. They go as far as making Miles race for his place on the team which gives this movie the champion and hero you need. Without spoiling too much, Miles earns his place and an opportunity to pursue the elusive perfect lap. At Le Mans, perfection is achieved, but in a way that will leave you brokenhearted for our driver. For its final thirty minutes, this film deserves to be seen. After the credits roll, take it easy on those city streets. Cops may not understand racing is in our blood.
Cinephile No. 832 “Knives Out”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.” -IMDB
Review: Walking into the theater for “Knives Out,” I was genuinely nervous. I have seen this sort of film before. It tempts us toward the cineplex with a super cast and then collapses under the weight of its own twists and turns before failing completely due to its poor writing. I am looking at you “Murder on the Orient Express.” Almost instantly, you can tell this film will be different. It presents itself with fully formed characters, all possessing a motive, and all carrying a bit of relatable coolness into every scene. Once I got past my fear, I found myself settling in and enthralled. The game here is to look for clues and I found myself examining every scene.
A lot like a game of Clue, we are trying to figure out who murdered the father and patriarch of this family. Everyone seems to have a reason to wish for his death and everyone has something to gain from his passing. Like a lot of other past thrillers, this film presents reveals in waves. Unlike a lot of other recent attempts, the truth is perfectly conceived from the point of view of our main protagonist (Sorry to be so vague. I am trying to not spoil anything). Of course, the truth in these sorts of matters is anything but simple which brings us to the third act.
In the final act, we learn of the truth behind the will and a separate investigation. There is another round of backstabbing, anger, and ultimate truth. When the final picture is painted, everything is presented brilliantly, clearly, and in the most satisfactory way. Leaving the theater, I was more than pleased with this film and its chosen direction. It made me believe in this genre of film again.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
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