Monday Moments - Babygirl

 This is a PSA - ugh.  This movie, Babygirl, annoyed the heck out of me.  I do like Nicole Kidman as an actress and she's had good buzz on this film.  

Nope, sorry Nicole as Romy.  You can try, but age is catching up.  Antonio Banderas, as husband Jacob - oh sigh.  Young intern dude - Harris Dickinson as Samuel - well enough acted but a bit ick. 

Let me save you time and money.  It's a bit cringe, bordering on annoying "porny", creepy.  The couple next to me left.  The woman kept saying, "This is stupid."  I think the man was fine with watching Nicole get naked and live out some fantasy thing.

So, why didn't I leave?  I was killing time on Inauguration Monday, in a funk, and it was best I sat in a dark room - ha!

Movie Review - Bombshell

Bombshell, I think, is a must see movie. Based on fact, it chronicles the downfall of Fox news titan Roger Ailes (played with lecherous perfection by John Lithgow) after multiple accusations of sexual harassment. Gretchen Carlson, former Fox and Friends co-host (Nicole Kidman) got the ball rolling with a lawsuit and then felt shunned, twisting in the wind, waiting for others to substantiate her claim. Headliner Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) grapples with her experiences, her life, her power, and what it could mean to come forward also. And finally, Margot Robbie is Kayla, a composite character. She is a compilation of many women’s stories. She’s the young foot soldier determined to make it big, to help shape America’s moral fabric. As she climbs the ladder,  she begins to question what it really takes – must she relinquish dignity, truly climb on that casting couch.

Carlson basically was the forerunner of the Me-Too movement. Her bravery got women talking (together and to the people who count, the ones who can fire a man with such hubris to think that his word and power will not be questioned). The Fox news building was abuzz with people taking sides, trash talking, starting rumors, etc. Meanwhile, Megyn Kelly was walking a fine line. Charlize Theron is uncanny in her portrayal of Kelly. She shows how victims don’t always recognize the insidiousness of sexual harassment, and that an unspoken culture of silence can help perpetuate it. (EW Jan 2020)

When Megyn Kelly made her decision to accuse Ailes, the Fox owners – the Murdochs – recognized that this was huge,  it was time for Ailes to go. This was not a situation that could just be shoved into a corner. Women were talking and demanding action and respect.

Bombshell handles the whole story in a very classy manner. This isn’t strident. The movie shows the politics of power, the actions of men and women, the culture of men and women in the workplace. The actresses are excellent at portraying the delicate matter of negotiating the workplace, of trying to be successful while keeping ones dignity. I was impressed and you’ll be transfixed by Theron, worthy of Oscar buzz. Kudos all around.

Movie Review Madness - Aquaman

 Aquaman is eye-popping entertainment and cheesy fun. Jason Momoa is a big man with a big heart, a head of wavy hair, and a twinkle in those eyes. He’s in on the joke and has a smashing good time underwater or on dry land. It’s time for him to rise above his mortal means and join in to help Atlantis. It’s been his destiny all along.  In back story, we see him learn swim skills, trident skills, and more from Willem Dafoe. It was summer camp for the kid. He also is loyal to his mortal father and honors the memory of his mother (a fishy Queen Nicole Kidman).

Other members of the cast – Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren – offer a swimming stew of friendship, revolt, power struggles, jealousy, and more. The key to survival for underwater Atlantis and the surface world is the Trident of Atlan. Aquaman’s quest to find it and put it to good use is fun and the plot weaves in and out of seaweed, fish, and seahorses carrying underwater knights.  The movie effects are well done as life bobs along in the water – bubbles, waves, and more.

Jason Momoa carries this movie and is a worthy addition in the DC pantheon. He swaggers, grins, and can hoist a Trident above all others. No need to hold your breath for too long. Treat yourself to a huge tub of popcorn and dive into Aquaman, the movie. 

Movie Review - The Beguiled

The Beguiled opens in 1864 Virginia. It’s a hot steamy day as a young girl combs the woods for mushrooms. She comes across a wounded Union soldier and helps him back to the Seminary Girls home and school where a few young ladies remain. The headmistress (Nicole Kidman) helps clean his wound and sew him up. She chooses to not put out the blue scarf as a signal to the local Confederate patrols. Instead she agrees to protect him as he heals. And so the tension begins.

The soldier (played by a charming Colin Farrell) has his smooth Irish brogue working for him as he verbally seduces each female – girls from age 10 up to the older teen (a hot stifled Elle Fanning) to a yearning for a man’s touch young woman (a repressed but lovely Kirsten Dunst). And the headmistress herself is not immune to his charms. Each female in the house slowly feels she is “special” in his eyes and they vie for attention. Whether it’s dinner where they all dress up, play music, sing, and flirt. Or if they come into his room to “check on him”.

Tension mounts and this movie is a slow burn. Each moment hints at danger, and in the distance musket shots echo. Director Sofia Coppola has an eye for filming a pretty picture, each southern tableau dripping with moss and sexual heat. Jealousy builds and then erupts. Then all hell breaks loose in the house. Let’s just say this does not bode well for the one man in the pit with circling cats. I won’t say more. The Beguiled is a mood movie. It’s a slow pace build to quite a finale.  Excellent acting and storytelling. When do you wave the blue scarf?

Movie Review Madness - Lion

Based on a true story, the movie Lion is up for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and also for Dev Patel as Lead Actor. This is a very worthy film – heartrending and uplifting too.  We first meet Saroo at age five (played so well by Sunny Pawar. His liquid brown eyes will melt your soul), and his big brother Guduu (Abhishek Bharate) is also so good. They are in a small town in India. Poor – they struggle to help their mother by stealing coal off the trains. With a small knapsack worth, they earn milk. Their mother works by moving rocks. The poverty is tough, but the family love is strong.

Guduu seeks night work and Saroo tags along, but falls asleep. Guduu leaves him on a bench, admonishing him to not leave. Well, the boy awakes confused, wanders on to a freight train, sleeps, and awakens as the train travels far – all the way to Calcutta. He’s lost, doesn’t speak Bengali, and after a few years of wandering, then being caught in an orphanage, he’s finally adopted by a couple in Australia (played by Nicole Kidman (also Oscar nominated), and David Wenham).

Flash forward and we meet a grown Saroo (Dev Patel). He’s well- adjusted and off to Melbourne to begin college. There he begins to re-think and remember more of his childhood and wants to find his real mother, brother, and sister. He loves his adoptive parents and doesn’t want to hurt them. But, this is his destiny and history and obsession.  I won’t tell more. I just promise you it’s excellent.

The film is lovely, well-acted, and will touch you on many levels. I highly recommend this film.  Lion builds through character, flashback, and a yearning until it roars.

Movie Review Madness: The Railway Man

The Railway Man is based on a true story that shows the horrific aftermath of war – the mental despair that can occur. We meet Eric Laskow (Colin Firth) as a world weary man riding trains in England. His brilliance shines through when he chats with Patti (Nicole Kidman), and they fall for each other. Soon after marriage, she sees the real Eric as he suffers from war flashbacks.  

In flashback we uncover his story. World War II in Burma, the British are beaten by the Japanese and men are taken prisoner. Eric Laskow, from the signal corps, and his buddies managed to steal enough parts as they dismantled gear to rebuild a radio. Meanwhile they are part of the slave labor building a railroad. Unfortunately, the Japanese discover the radio and also a map Eric has drawn. He admits to the radio and the map but had no ulterior motives. They suspect spying and Eric is subjected to horrific torture. The film handles this well – you cringe just watching the reactions of other prisoners.  

In present day, Patti wants to help. She seeks out a fellow war hero to get more of the story. Henley tells her and also reveals to Eric that he’s found the Japanese man who did the torture. The man now conducts tours for the war museum. To reach some closure, Eric travels to Burma and confronts the man. He’s come to kill him, but as they talk he breaks down. He realizes, as does Takashiki, that they are different men now. Sadly they did their jobs as twenty year olds, with huge regrets.  

There is closure for The Railway Man. This well done low key film depicts the underlying horror of war with gravitas. Colin Firth is restrained and you feel for the fiber of his soul.  It is a very serious film that tells a great tale of forgiveness and bravery.