The Pursuit of Love is a fantastical and melodramatic look at the lives of two cousins coming of age between the two world wars. It’s a period piece about the social limitations of womanhood and the frustrations of the proto-feminists at the center of the story.
The Bookshop, from Catalan director Isabel Coixet, is so very, very English that the emotional life of the characters is buried deep. Almost no action and an unnecessary voice over explaining things make this an unusual but ultimately moving film.
Mary Poppins Returns was a disappointment. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t really good either. I expected it to be really good. I’m a sucker for a musical, so I was surprised that this one didn’t make me jump with joy.
The Party brings a dysfunctional collection of people who know each other’s secrets into the same room. It’s a wild and wonderful thing to watch.
Dear Frankie is a 2004 film, but just joined the features available on Amazon Instant Video. It was new to me, and thoroughly enjoyable. Emily Mortimer is Lizzie, the mother of 9 year-old Frankie (Jack McElhone). Lizzie’s mother Nell was played with chain-smoking verve by the late Mary Riggans. The three of them have been on the run from Frankie’s …
