Month: October 2022
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Stars at Noon, new film from director Claire Denis
Stars at Noon grabbed my immediate attention because it was directed by Claire Denis. It stars Margaret Qualley, who was so wonderful in Maid. I went into it expecting something good. I’m sorry to report it was disappointing.
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Jaula (The Chalk Line) brings Spanish suspense and horror
Jaula is a Spanish film available on Netflix under the title The Chalk Line. It stars Elena Anaya, who has been in several English language shows in small parts. Here she’s the lead in a film that can’t decide if it’s a mystery, a horror movie, or a psychological thriller.
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Descendant: meet descendants of the survivors from the last slave ship
Descendant is a sweeping tale of American history and of the descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the U.S. long after slave ships were outlawed. It’s a story of ancestry, survival, and American racism.
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Downton Abbey (2019), clever capers and royal visits
Downton Abbey has spun off two movies from the popular TV series. This one, from 2019, is about a royal visit from King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) that set the residents of Downton Abbey atwitter. It featured a delightful minor rebellion from the servants quarters that made the story fun.
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From Scratch: Zoe Saldana shines in this real life drama
From Scratch is a gut-wrenching, heartbreaker of a love story. It’s based on a memoir by Tembi Locke with Zoe Saldana playing the lead character as she navigates family, marriage, parenthood, and loss. There are spoilers ahead.
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The School for Good and Evil: the stars come out to play
The School for Good and Evil is about the magic world of fairy tales and the battle for good and evil between the heroes and villains who live in those stories. It’s the kind of movie where big name actors come out to ham it up and play everything over the top just to have…
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Bad Sisters: Problem solving mayhem
Bad Sisters is a remake of the Belgian series Clan, which I now want to see too, because I absolutely loved Bad Sisters. It’s about 5 Irish sisters who mess things up regularly and humorously. It’s also about family love and loyalty and taking care of the people you love.
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All My Puny Sorrows, a family wracked by depression
All My Puny Sorrows is a sad tale of depression and suicide. A Mennonite family struggles through huge losses that they are unable to stop.
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Finding Ola, I felt perfectly represented
Finding Ola is an Arabic language TV series from Egypt. Finding Ola is about a woman who divorces in her 40s and finds a way to reinvent herself. More than anything I have ever seen, it’s my story. Everything Ola did and felt and experienced as a newly divorced woman resonated with me completely. I…
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Resurrection: Rebecca Hall in a deranged horror flick
Resurrection stars Rebecca Hall in a story about abuse, trauma, and madness. Hall gives a totally convincing performance as a woman driven to insanity by the sudden reappearance of the man who abused her twenty years ago.