Win Win

“Win Win” was released in 2012. The film was directed by Thomas McCarthy (known for: 2012 and Meet the Parents). It is about a man who learns that using people to get money is a lose-lose. The acting is excellent and the script first rate. It’s about the choices we make regarding the people we let into our lives.

The story begins as a struggling lawyer, Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), takes over guardianship of his client, Leo Poplar (Burt Young). At first it seems to make sense to make money off Leo. After all, Mike is almost broke and has a family to feed. It appears to be a “win” for Mike for a little while. Unfortunately though, the situation soon goes bad. Leo’s grandson Kyle (Alex Shaffer), shows up one day looking for his grandpa. Kyle has run away from his mother Cindy (Melanie Lynskey) who is a drug addict and Kyle needs refuge from her.

Mike takes him into his own home and finds out that Kyle is a star wrestler. He has a chance to be a real champion, which Mike uses again for personal gain. Things go along pretty smoothly for a while until Kyle’s mother shows up with an attorney, Mike sternly realizes he will gain nothing through taking care of Leo and Kyle. He has to make a moral decision at that point which makes the title Win Win indeed an ironic one.

This is a heart warming story. The characters are real, like the ones on an ordinary suburban street. Are people more important than profits? That’s the basic question Win Win raises. There are slow moments but it’s an entertaining vignette of Mike and the choices he makes.

Spotlight

spotlight

“Spotlight” is

The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

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Spotlight is incredibly entertaining and extremely well made.

Check out some of the cast! This powerful ensemble is one reason why it’s so amazing:

Mark Ruffalo
Michael Keaton
Rachel McAdams
Liev Schreiber
Stanley Tucci
Billy Crudup
-Many more

There are many more A-listers in this film. One can’t help but wonder if they wanted to lend their names to decry something this big and this powerful about the church.

My conclusion:

We have a system of law that is faulty. We also have a system of the free press which is flawed. Put them together and you have a flawed but highly capable system, more so than any other I know of in the world.

This movie is about the free speech/reporting side. We see reporters acting as humanitarian heroes. For so long, no one said anything about this perversion of the church. These reporters get more and more to the core of reporting it, they just can’t stop. It is exciting to watch and feel a part of in real time. Another film that could easily be the film of the year. If you’re a human who feels things, go see it!

The Eyes of My Mother

The cover image connotes horror and discontent. I asked myself, “was it through her eyes or her mother’s.” And then of course, there was the more literal interpretation and someone’s eyes are involved here. The latter haunted me so I went and watched the movie.

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This isn’t a bad movie but it won’t appeal to all horror fans. Beyond that circle, it really won’t appeal. It’s the story of a young girl who’s grown up on a creepy farm, the movie is in black and white and the images are very creepy. She is secluded from friends and family apart from her elderly mother and father. It’s never addressed why they are such old parents. There are many possibilities there.

There is a tragedy that occurs and then many aspects of oddities play out. The film is very slow going and tries to give insight as to how people can be nurtured to be killers. Still, the nature/nurture question weaves throughout. A couple of the characters who did bad things appeared to me to be mentally challenged. I saw that as a major flaw in the script. People who murder must do so of their own sane conviction to deserve revenge. There were sometimes rhyme and reason to this and other times not. It’s easier to get into revenge movies when the antagonists “have it coming.” This film tried more to show how depraved a mind can become when bereft of attention and love. As the little girl grows up, we become psychologists, invited to draw conclusions about the girl. I prefer to be shown or told what the characters are. They left way too many questions unanswered for the revenge parts to resonate with me. I can’t recommend this film. The black and white creepy cinematography is pretty cool but other than that, I think they missed the boat with this one.

The Transfiguration

Troubled teen Milo is training himself to be a better predator. He also has a fixation on Vampire lore. A young lady is about to come into his world who just might take it all to the next level. It’s a film about desperate people in lifeless situations. How do these kids deal with it? Through fantasy and other means.

Not Rated | 1h 37min | Drama, Horror | 21 April 2017 (UK)

When troubled teen Milo, who has a fascination with vampire lore, meets the equally alienated Sophie, the two form a bond that begins to blur Milo’s fantasy into reality.
Director: Michael O’Shea
Writer: Michael O’Shea
Stars: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine, Jelly Bean

We’ve had a trend of superheroes in the real world type films. Now we have one in the vampire theme. Milo tries to be a vampire in secret. It’s his way of coping with a very bad family situation being raised by his dope addict brother. His therapist at school can’t see what he’s up to though she does ask him about harming animals. We watch him sink deeper and deeper into his fantasy. When Sophie enters his life, a bad situation becomes worse and Milo slips out of control into his delusion.

The director is Michael O’Shea and he does an amazing job with dark lighting and sound. This film is very entrancing because of his talents. I’ll be looking for more from him in the future. All horror films need to see this film, it’s very good in my opinion. If you can handle the vampire and blood content, it’s also a good drama. There is much here to be analyzed over coffee and I love that about this film.

Bridge of Spies

“Bridge of Spies” is a film directed by Steven Spielberg. For some these days, that may not be persuasive enough to buy a ticket so let me say it is crafted to make a historical event come alive on screen. It stars Tom Hanks but doesn’t rely on his huge appeal. Hanks lets the story play out on its own without grandstanding with his character. There’s an excellent cast with him and they all work together to make this film amazing.

There is so much to enjoy here. It’s first of all interesting because it is a true story. Second, it heralds the accused’s right to a solid defense. There is much here about negotiations in and out of country. It’s also a period piece replete with authentic props and there is a remarkable conclusion one may or may not expect.

“Bridge of Spies” is top notch storytelling about an event that should be remembered from the cold war. A couple questions are addressed:

How can people thought of as evil make grand gestures of humanity? Why should we put effort into defending the rights of those such as a foreign spy?

There are parts of those questions that require a long telling so the length of the movie may put off some. I was bored at times but I kept regaining interest. If one can keep ones attention span alive between the slower scenes, “Bridge of Spies” has many engaging moments and a most intriguing payoff. This is yet another in the sequence of movies I’ve been reviewing lately that definitely could win movie of the year. It is a story told by Spielberg worth watching.

The Revenant

My intro to the film: This review attempts to be spoiler free. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, known most recently for directing “Birdman,” has created a visually stunning movie of survival and revenge. It’s clearly the fruit of much labor on behalf of the director and all the actors. It shows and works in the movie. Unfortunately the audience has to labor as well through a lot of slow scenes, some of which are probably unnecessary.

The two main roles are played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. Their characters are rough, gritty, and at times difficult to watch. There are some scenes in this film that made even me feel like hiding my eyes. Is this any surprise since this movie is about frontiersmen surviving in sub zero temperatures. There are Indians, hatchets, musket type rifles, buffalo, and bears. Aside: This film contains the most frightening bear maul I’ve ever seen on film. Even Paul Bunyan would recoil.

Short synopsis: Hugh Glass is a frontiersman alongside Jon Fitzgerald and a group of rough ones. They are making their way through the snowy forest terrain. Through a course of events and a bear mauling of Hugh, the story becomes one of survival. Hugh is determined to survive the attack and take revenge on those who abandoned him for dead.

My conclusions: There is a signature drum soundtrack but not as extensive as the one in “Birdman.” The camera pans and zooms are also signature of Iñárritu. It’s a long sit but I can say that fans of “Birdman” and westerns about revenge will probably really enjoy this movie. The cinematography is incredible. My wife and I actually felt cold in some of the scenes even though we had a raging fire going with the heater on. Movie lovers and reviewers especially will enjoy this movie. I foresee Oscar nods. It’s one of the best of 2015 for sure. I did find it overly long and belabored at times though and that made it lose a star with me.