Nothing like waiting until the last minute to see some Oscar contenders, but that I did, finally earlier this evening watching the live action short films nominated for a 2016 Oscar. The five films were mostly heavy, hard subjects with one endearingly lovely tale wedged in the middle. As usual, they were all very good.…
45 Years is one of those quiet, introspective dramas that demonstrates how risky it can be to pull at the scabs of old wounds of a marriage before they are healed, or, perhaps, ever. Whether an actual, physical wound or the emotional achilles heel of a relationship, you don’t always know what’s underneath. And for Kate,…
Go. See. This. Movie. Okay, sure, it highlights and explains a fair part* of the greed and corruption that led to our economic crisis in 2007/2008. And yes, I wish more people would understand the risk of un(or under)regulated Wall Street. But it’s also a really great film! The Big Short patiently (and partially) explains (quite…
The Revenant was among the top five (or so) most-anticipated films for me this year. The previews promised drama, suspense, and amazing landscape as a backdrop. The film, an epic early 1800s piece focusing on survival and revenge, did not disappoint. After seeing the film, I remarked to a friend that it was good, but…
Watching movies during flights usually isn’t my typical use of the time. But a recent flight found life not so typical. And 99 Homes had an actor nominated for a Golden Globe, so I partook. The movie was good, but it was also relatively quickly forgotten. The film—about an evicted home owner whose house is…
The Danish Girl is a beautiful film—warm and thought-provoking. It moved a bit too slowly for my preference, but I get that. It is about the characters and their difficult journey in navigating an emotional state of their marriage and life. This character study needed a pulled-back pace. It needed time to reflect on what…
If you know me and know anything about this movie, you’ll likely–and correctly–guess that I enjoyed it. The movie is a wonderful, aptly timely, social commentary on bigotry, fear, and the risk of being quick to judge and quick to condemn. The story follows the screenwriter Dalton Trumbo while he is blacklisted in Hollywood. The…
As is within my realm of reflections, this movie, less than a year old, was fair game for review. I’m glad I took the time to watch it. Love and Mercy is certainly not a traditional biopic. It jumps between Brian Wilson as a younger Beach Boy to his life as an adult in the…
I saw this movie some time ago. It was just after the wide release of the film. When my movie companion was available for a film, I suggested it. He said, “Nothing like a major church cover up to make one cynical before the holidays.” Okay, so that’s his humor, but yes—Indeed. He had a…
Read this book. Everyone. Soon. Now. No, it’s not an easy subject matter. But it addresses one of the absolute guarantees of life: death. I originally bought this book, having heard the author interviewed on a podcast discussing end-of-life issues, for work. I often discuss end-of-life issues with clients as we talk about advanced…
Suffragette provides a glimpse into a dim area of history. It’s a good movie, solid in its cast and tale. But it does not rise above the bleakness that surrounds the story. And it will not appeal to many, even if those many prefer not to admit the horrible treatment of women for so long.…
I remember the 2004 election. I remember it being one of the first during which I paid a bit more attention to candidates and positions (rotely following the herd in my past). I remember being in the midst of an internal shift in the way I viewed politics. But I don’t clearly remember the events…
Adultery—-it’s painful stuff. It’s one thing to be the adulterer. It’s another thing to be the other person. It’s something else—and I say much greater—to be the one cheated on, the one who accepts or turns a blind eye or even who is blindsided. But imagine the teen or preteen child of the married couple…
I’ve never read David Foster Wallace’s work (yet), but you needn’t have in order to dive deep into the new movie about his interview by Rolling Stone’s David Lipsky, who spent several days with the author while Wallace wrapped up his book tour on the heels of publishing Infinite Jest in 1996. After Wallace’s suicide…
What an interesting, engaging film Tangerine is. Occurring all in the course of a day, Christmas Eve, the movie follows Sin-Dee, a transgender prostitute just released from four weeks in jail, as she tries to find her boyfriend/pimp and confront him for cheating on her while she was in jail. To sum up the movie…