“He’s shell-shocked, George. He’s not himself. He may never be himself again.” Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is not a movie about dialogue, but that line from the film certainly says a lot about the movie and about those who will survive being trapped at Dunkirk. This movie is bleak. It’s wonderfully filmed. But it is bleak.…
Chaos. From the opening scenes as masses of people in the dark night are hurried into a building and a room to disrobe, a man with a hat, averting his eyes from anyone in charge, a large red X painted across his back, helps to lead those masses into the building, helps them leave their…
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.…
Bridge of Spies hits every mark. It’s a great movie—plot, pacing, performances, punch. The movie slowly pulls you into the characters (spies, FBI, CIA, attorneys) and time period (Cold War), exposing unexpected twists such that just as you think you know the story arc, another layer is added. It brings a needed bittersweet element toward…
The Nightingale is a wonderful read, an eloquently written and gently told story. Unlike the last couple of WWII novels I read, this book is more of what you would expect from fiction set in a war-torn France, a book that appeals for its stories of relationships using the war and devastation to France as…
I enjoyed this film—for what it was and for what it did not do. Sure, it could have been deeper. It could have been darker. But even the title indicated it wasn’t trying to do those things. And it was nice to see a country through a different lens than the one permanently smudged and…
Over the course of reading this book, I described it a few different ways. Initially, it felt disjointed and too jumpy. Then I settled into the rhythm. I began to learn the characters and their relations. And I started to read the stories of Teddy’s life—-those disorganized, jumping around, no respect to chronology stories—-I started…
I’ve said before that sometimes I need time before I write about a movie. Usually, that’s just a couple or a few days to let a movie sit and settle inside of my mind, wanting my review to reflect not only my gut reaction but also any lingering impressions. American Sniper, though, took weeks. Several…
First, I should note that I did not read the book Unbroken. And unlike my norm, I heard a bit too much about the film before seeing it. Whether that colored my perception of the movie, I’ll never know for certain, but it is a factor to consider in understanding the various views of the…
The Book Thief is another book I picked up to “read before the movie,” and I’m delighted I did. The genre (1940s Germany) isn’t what I typically turn to, but the story is told from a perspective of a young girl that allowed me to slip into this time and tragic period and settle into…
And the Mountains Echoed is an enjoyable, albeit at times confusing, read. Hosseini writes beautifully, and you easily feel the emotion, passion, and tension of each character’s story. The frustration comes in the blending of several people’s stories. As each narrator changes, sometimes in first person and sometimes in third, I felt a hurdle, more…
After watching Dirty Wars over in Five Points, I walked across the street from the theater to reschedule next week’s hair appointment, and as I attempted to communicate with the reception staff, I realized I was exhausted—from the film. (Okay, yes, there was a glass of wine during the film too, but this was mental…
Actually, I read only about one-third of this book. Between the subject matter and writing that felt a bit directionless, I just could not keep at it. Life’s too short and there are too many enjoyable reads to keep going. 🙂 But since I did not even finish half, I will withhold any rating other…