The Great, season 2, is improbable and ribald, with its mangled view of Russian history and its dumpster fire attitude toward the human race in general. Mixed in with the coarse vulgarity of its comedy are gems of wisdom about governing, love, equality, and women’s rights.
Haifaa Al-Mansour is a woman director from Saudi Arabia. She has the distinction of being the first woman in that country to direct a film. That was in 2012. Since then she’s gone on to direct several more films. By now we can draw some conclusions about her.
The Great is a rowdy and ribald comedy based very loosely on the story of Catherine the Great of Russia. It bills itself as “an occasionally true story.” There really was a Catherine the Great of Russia. Stop there. That was the true part.
All the Bright Places looks at some very serious topics through the eyes of young people. It’s a touching, powerful film about grief, mental health, and suicide. Heavy stuff, but dealt with in sensitive and ultimately hopeful ways.
For all the problems and rebranding involved in bringing 3 Generations to the screen, I expected it to be a mess. It was actually quite good. The emotions were real and alive. The performances were excellent.
The only thing I remember about the first The Beguiled is that Clint Eastwood was in it. I wouldn’t even guarantee that memory. Now there’s a new The Beguiled directed by Sophia Coppola that promises to be a more female version of the story.
Set for a December 25 release, 20th Century Women stars Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, and Billy Crudup in a story set in 1979. Jimmy Carter is on the TV talking about a “crisis of confidence” – he was sure right about that one – and a group of women team up to raise a troubled teen (Lucas Jade …
Trumbo is a fact-based story about Dalton Trumbo, a screenwriter who was blacklisted during the Communist scare of the 1940s and 50s. Bryan Cranston is brilliant as the chain-smoking, hard-drinking writer who lead other Hollywood writers in a quiet but effective revolt against blacklisting. Trumbo served time in prison for his liberal beliefs, as did many others during the hysterical …
Trumbo is a slice of American history written through the lens of pop culture and Hollywood. The film details the life of Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted as a Hollywood writer in the 1940s for being a Communist. It’s based on the biography Dalton Trumbo by Bruce Cook. The film stars Bryan Cranston as Dalton Trumbo. Louis C.K., …
