Film Reviews by CW

Not for the sexually squeamish. Odd, quirky, fierce, comic, heartbreaking. Sibling rivalry and great love. Using sex to alleviate loneliness. I had first read about the series in The New Yorker. I agree that each episode gets better so I am looking forward to series two.  I also wanted to watch because Phoebe Waller Bridge, the writer of King Eve, wrote and stars in Fleabag. Sian Clifford plays her tense driven sister. Olivia Coleman is marvellous as the mean self centred narcissistic wife of their father. 

Maybe I just didn’t get it. Unlike movies that are as interesting now as when first shown, to me, this just doesn’t stand the test of time. I wanted it to be funny but it wasn’t. I tried to watch it but after about 20 minutes gave up. Maybe fans of Alec Guinness would appreciate it but I did not. Sorry. I found it boring. Hated the paintings too. 

As with some of the others reviewers, I hadn’t heard of this story. Years ago I spent a few weeks at University if Kentucky & Transylvania University & remember the beauty of the campuses. Sadly I didn’t go to the library to see the books in the secure section. Amazing true story, not based on true story, but the real thing. It was interesting seeing the real men who committed the heist. Very well done.

Binge watching. To me, this series is as compelling as The Good Wife. I like the court room scenes and the relationships in and out of work. I like that there are strong intelligent women characters with a good sense of humour and I like that this is a drama about blacks and whites. Lest I go through the series too quickly, I limit myself to 2 episodes a day. Looking forward to the next series. Well done.

Another WOW from the brilliant director Spike Lee. I agree with all favourable reviews. Hard to believe that this outlandish story is true! Script is from the book written by Ron Stallworth. As always with Spike Lee movies, the casting, directing and story are perfect. My gosh what a lengthy career. There are funny moments and shockingly vile moments and at the end you see actual footage of recent racial hatred in the US. Timely. Now Trump firing up the frenzy of racists. A must see.

The reviews detail this short sweet movie. I was touched by the small kindnesses of the characters. I laughed to see David Lynch in his role as just a nice guy whose best friend was a tortoise. The interview with Harry Dean Stanton in the special features is well worth seeing. I believe it was made before the movie. Much of the script is lifted from things HDS said and did. I hadn’t known that he was in about 250 films. Retrospective of his career. In the interview you see and hear him sing several songs. Lovely. 

I like vampire movies - both the “serious” dramatic ones and the funny ones. This is neither. Perhaps writer and director thought it amusing but I did not. Why Roman Polanski made it is beyond me. I thought it was going to make me laugh. After a few minutes I watched on fast forward a bit, continued at regular pace, gave up. 

Now I understand why Burt Lancaster considered this is finest role. I appreciated that his words were dubbed in Italian. Slow careful study of a grand nobleman, the patriarch of his family. Long luxurious scenes of a huge party with royalty, townspeople and military resplendent in their uniforms. Women in sweeping dresses. Waltzes. Drowsy beautiful hot landscapes. A marvellous study of a time period and Sicilian upper class. 

Very thought provoking movie, a study of a troubled man and the daughter he adores and cares for. He is her guide, provider and teacher. He cannot live amongst people so they spend their time foraging and living in the woods, often hiding. Their bond is huge. I liked that other characters in the film - social workers, psychiatrists, a farmer and group living in caravans in the woods all treat them with love and compassion. There are no bad guys. Debra Granik was the writer and director. This is one of those movies that makes you decide to see all the others works the writer and director did. Beautiful and slow. Excellent acting.

So glad to be able to watch Lina Wurtmuller’s Swept Away again. Lead actors are absolutely marvellous. They worked with the director on several films. She studied with Fellini. Madonna and Guy Ritchy did a remake but the original is definitely the one to see. Shocking, brutal at times, sexual, romantic, sad. We laughed and gasped. Just wish that Lina Wurtmuller’s Seven Beauties was available in UK. Story takes place on a yacht and later on a gorgeous remote island with pale sand and the clearest water.

Okay, not serious important fare. But it provided laughs, an interlude between thought provoking disturbing documentaries and movies (such as the marvellous brave Human Flow which I highly recommend). I was so happy to find a movie with 4 Ab Fab older actresses. It just seemed as though they, and the men, were having such fun acting their parts. Yes, at times silly and predictable, who cares? A pleasant departure from movies starring overly used actors and actresses or the current faves of the year. Good sorbet with talented, hard working, clever, extremely fit actors. Refreshing to watch a movie about older women who are still attractive, intelligent, happy and sexy.

Whew. I had to watch this over two nights because it was too depressing for one go. Young kid living with his grandfather because his father is in prison. Gets talked into holding drugs for a thug. Gets caught. Short prison sentence but v rough for him. Bullied and coerced to hold contraband. Grandfather forced to pay value of drugs to thugs. Our kid gets out. Gets into trouble again. Goes back in facing 3 years. Story ends. We know he will either die in prison or be forever in trouble. No hope. No way out. Dark, depressing and since it was well researched including prison interviews, probably accurate depiction of life in prison and thugs ruling the streets. Grim. 

I am so glad to have seen a Human Flow. It was almost unbearable to watch and learn about the millions of people who have had to leave their homes. The numbers are staggering. I had to reverse the dvd at times to be able to read and absorb the statistics shown in the subtitles. Ai Weiwei takes you to countries around the world. As a documentary directed and produced by an artist, sometimes the beauty of colours is shown even while you are seeing tents and clothing that go on for miles. Sometimes the shots are high up and people look like ants swirling around massive camps.  You see a city in Syria bombed into oblivion with not even a weed left to eat. Over 65 million refugees. You perceive the dilemma when thousands of people arrive in a countryside or city. The impact of all these people who come often with just the clothes on their backs or a small bundle of belongings. No food, water, housing, toilets. Children not in school. Lives on hold. Climate change and refugees are biggest concerns. This is a powerful, stunning, extremely important documentary that I highly recommend. I agree that at times it is difficult to read white subtitles against white or beige background. I watched twice to be able to write down statistics. Ai Weiwei is noble and brave. 

First I listened to the audio book with Mike Grady as the reader. Beautifully done. Then I heard that years ago the book had been made into a TV drama so I rented it from the always fabulous Cinema Paradiso. I like that the author, William Boyd, wrote the screenplay. Perfectly cast and directed, superb acting. The main character, Logan Mountstuart is played by 4 actors (3 men, one young child) because the book spans his life from the beginning to the end of the 20th century. Great thought put into costumes and sets. Knowing the book, I appreciated the editing of the TV series that captures the essence of the story. I have watched the first two episodes and look forward to seeing the rest. I highly recommend.

Loved it. John Malkovich is very convincing as director of the silent movie who will do ANYTHING to get his film made, even sacrificing his actors. Willem Dafoe is brilliant as the vampire pretending that he is an actor playing the part of Count Orlok. Eddie Izzard is marvellously campy as the young man trying to make a deal with the count. What contributed to the grand fun was that it seemed as though the actors were throughly enjoying their roles. The “business” of Count Orlok - hissing, smearing, clicking his nails, sucking in his breath - were perfect. Dafoe nailed the role. Campy, compellingly, delightfully fun.