Thoughts on some new movies
I haven't done a movie review in a while but I have seen a whole slew of movies lately, so here goes:
1)Mary Queen of Scots: I thought both Margot Robbie (Queen Elizabeth) and Saoirse Ronan (Mary Queen of Scots) were excellent. And I thought it was an interesting spin on the story, making Elizabeth seem kind of hesitant and wistful that she had no children while Mary came off as more laser focused on her ambition to rule both England and Scotland. Downside: All the Scottish lords looked the same (dark and hairy) so it was hard to keep track of which one was behind which plot. They could have used more "word screens" to explain what was going on to those viewers not intimately familiar with Scottish history.
2)VICE: Christian Bale really does disappear into the role of Dick Cheney and Amy Adams was great as his wife Lynne. There were also a lot of interesting cameo roles. I would disagree with the critics who said it was just a total character assassination of Cheney. I thought the filmmakers displayed a grudging respect for Cheney's Machiavellian ways. That being said, I liked The Big Short by the same director better.
3)Roma: The black and white photography was gorgeous. The 2 main actresses--Yalitza Aparicio (Cleo) and Marina de Tavira (Sofia)--were excellent. And there was a good sense of time and place (Mexico City in the 70s). But I don't know that I'd agree with all those film critics who said this was one of the best movies of the year. I also didn't think that all the men in the story had to be such complete jerks in order to show how valiant the women were.
4)On the Basis of Sex: This was my favorite movie of the four. It tells the story of Ruth Bader Ginsberg's rise from Harvard Law student to Supreme Court Justice, focusing on the gender discrimination case that really got her career rolling. And who wouldn't want a marriage like the Ginsbergs'? Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer were perfectly cast as the Ginsbergs.
1)Mary Queen of Scots: I thought both Margot Robbie (Queen Elizabeth) and Saoirse Ronan (Mary Queen of Scots) were excellent. And I thought it was an interesting spin on the story, making Elizabeth seem kind of hesitant and wistful that she had no children while Mary came off as more laser focused on her ambition to rule both England and Scotland. Downside: All the Scottish lords looked the same (dark and hairy) so it was hard to keep track of which one was behind which plot. They could have used more "word screens" to explain what was going on to those viewers not intimately familiar with Scottish history.
2)VICE: Christian Bale really does disappear into the role of Dick Cheney and Amy Adams was great as his wife Lynne. There were also a lot of interesting cameo roles. I would disagree with the critics who said it was just a total character assassination of Cheney. I thought the filmmakers displayed a grudging respect for Cheney's Machiavellian ways. That being said, I liked The Big Short by the same director better.
3)Roma: The black and white photography was gorgeous. The 2 main actresses--Yalitza Aparicio (Cleo) and Marina de Tavira (Sofia)--were excellent. And there was a good sense of time and place (Mexico City in the 70s). But I don't know that I'd agree with all those film critics who said this was one of the best movies of the year. I also didn't think that all the men in the story had to be such complete jerks in order to show how valiant the women were.
4)On the Basis of Sex: This was my favorite movie of the four. It tells the story of Ruth Bader Ginsberg's rise from Harvard Law student to Supreme Court Justice, focusing on the gender discrimination case that really got her career rolling. And who wouldn't want a marriage like the Ginsbergs'? Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer were perfectly cast as the Ginsbergs.
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