The Pale Blue Eye
This is an old-fashioned detective story which revolves around a set of murders that happen at West Point Military Academy around 1830. An experienced if somewhat unconventional detective played by Christian Bale is brought in to solve the problem and to save the reputation of the fledgling Academy from possible closure.
The detective enlists the aid of a young recruit by name Edgar Allen Poe, played by Harry Melling, to act as an insider and get him much needed information about the private lives of cadets there. This is a highly engrossing and richly layered movie with impressive acting from both lead actors complemented by an unexpected end.
Blue Miracle
This true story of an orphanage saved from being shut down is well told in a simple and heartwarming way. The main character ‘Papa’ Omar runs an orphanage which is in dire financial straits. He finds an opportunity to save it by participating in a prestigious Fishing Tournament partnering up with a washed up American played by Dennis Quaid who captains an old fishing boat and who has won the tournament twice.
Omar is initially skeptical of his chances but is encouraged to give it a try by his wife. The film sensitively portrays the vulnerabilities of the orphanage children and their painful past who now face the prospect of returning to a life on the streets.
The cinematography and the visuals are great. This is a gritty and down to earth no-frills movie which does credit to its realistic portrayal of orphanage life.
News of the World
This movie features an American civil war veteran who makes a living as a travelling newsreader to people who live in small rural towns. While travelling he finds a small girl alone in the woods at the scene of a lynching.
The girl had been kidnapped by Kiowa Indians and she had been living with them for the last 6 years before the US Army rescued her and arranged for her to be sent back to her remaining relatives. The girl is of German ancestry and speaks no English. The movie portrays them facing off numerous dangers and adventures amidst the dangerous landscape of the post-civil war south while trying to get the girl to safety and her relatives.
This is a well-paced and balanced movie, somewhat predictable but with good acting from Tom Hanks in the lead role. Nominated for 4 Oscars namely Cinematography, Production Design, Score and Best Sound.
Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood stars as an aged and recently widowed Korean war veteran and retired Ford factory worker who ends up mentoring his young neighbor through a challenging time.
Set in a tough neighborhood where the Hmong people are numerous, Eastwood’s neighbors are a Hmong teenage Boy and Girl. The Boy tries to join a gang and is given the initiation rite of stealing Eastwood’s prized 1972 Ford Torino. Found out the Boy apologizes and is sent over by his family to make amends by working a few days for Eastwood. Their relationship steadily improves and Eastwood takes it upon himself to mentor him. Under constant pressure from gang members to join them Eastwood takes on the challenge of shielding the boy from them.
Reasonably good acting from Eastwood and also Bee Vang and Ahney Her who star as the Hmong teenagers make for a fairly good movie.
Les Misérables
This multi starrer features Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway in an adaptation of a Musical of the same name originally adapted from the Epic novel by Victor Hugo and based in the early part of the 19th Century.
Jackman stars as a wanted fugitive on the run constantly to evade detection by the authorities. In the process he adopts a young child of one of his factory workers and cares for her as his own as he searches for his own redemption. This movie adapts itself to the social reality of France and the unrest that grips it during that period in time.
Be prepared for a huge number of songs but then it’s understandable being a musical with a reasonably good score. It was nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Movie, Best Actor, Costume design, Production design and Original Song and won 3 for Actress in a supporting role, Sound Mixing and Makeup and Hair styling. This is an extraordinarily well put together movie which moves effortlessly around it’s many different narratives. A must watch for any lover of Literature and Music.
The Wonder
This movie is about an English nurse who takes on an assignment to watch and observe a young Irish girl ‘Anna’ who has been on a prolonged 4 month fast.
Set in the mid 1800’s in rural Ireland just after the ravaging famine. Anna belongs to a very religious and devout family who have lost their elder son a short while earlier. Anna believes that her brother died as a result of God’s wrath as she was being abused by him. The Nurse experienced with trauma gained from war time service during the Crimean war forms a liaison with a local journalist and they attempt to help the girl.
The part of the nurse is played very well by Florence Pugh. This is a very good movie with a unique story line and with excellent Cinematography, Production design, Sound and Direction.
The Little Things
This is a dark psychological crime thriller featuring Denzel Washington and Rami Malek. It features Denzel Washington as County deputy sheriff Joe Deacon who while on a work trip to the Los Angeles sheriff’s office comes across a case involving a possible serial murderer. Joe had formerly worked at the same office as a detective and had an unsolved case which caused him much turmoil and which eventually lead to a divorce and a heart attack.
Joe makes friends with the Chief detective there and tries to help with solving the case leading to a camaraderie between the two with Joe guiding him through the case and helping him deal with difficult emotional and ethical issues that come up when dealing with a suspect who they believe fits the profile of the serial killer.
This is a reasonably well scripted movie with good acting from both Washington and Malek. The main suspect is played by Jared Leto who does an outstanding job and is very convincing in his role.
The Ghost Writer
This is a political thriller involving the actions of a former British Prime Minister which are under investigation by the International criminal court. It stars Pierce Brosnan as the ex-prime minister and Ewan McGregor as the ghost writer who is tasked with writing his memoirs. The action unfolds for the most part at the ex-pm’s temporary residence at Martha’s Vineyard where he stays out of reach of investigating authorities.
While researching on his own the ghost writer finds ominous clues which lead him to former acquaintances of both the ex-pm and his wife causing him to question their honesty. The ghost writer also finds clues in an earlier manuscript written by a previous ghost writer implicating the ex-pm’s wife.
Directed by Roman Polanski this movie is finely crafted and well directed. The acting is very convincing and the Production design and Sound is good. A dark and ominous mood hangs over the entire movie making it very suspenseful. Overall, an impressive political thriller.
The Big Short
This is a movie about the 2007 US Housing Bubble which created the subsequent financial crisis which rocked the world and the US particularly. This movie is an attempt to explain to the viewer the many layered systems of corruption manipulated by Wall Street Banks and financial institutions which allowed them to profit off risky investments.
Starring Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling. Very entertaining and highly informative, this movie helps explain the financial catastrophe in 2007 and how greed and incompetence worked in the financial system around that time. This movie is extremely accurate factually and very well crafted in terms of the real-life experiences of 3 sets of people who were front and center of the crisis.
Superbly directed by Adam McKay and with stellar acting from Christian Bale and Steve Carell, it was nominated for 5 Oscars Best Picture, Actor in a supporting role, Direction and Editing and ultimately winning for Adapted Screenplay.
Hustle
This is a movie about Basketball and relationships. Starring Adam Sandler who is cast as Stanley Sugarmen a travelling scout for the Philadelphia 76ers this movie stars real life NBA stars in action. Stanley is much appreciated by the 76ers owner Rex and is promoted to Assistant Coach but Rex passes away and his son takes over who demotes Stanley once again back to his old job. Stanley travels to Spain where he comes across an outstanding talent ‘Bo Cruz’.
Stanley brings him to the US where he is rejected by the 76ers, Stanley quits his job to focus on coaching Bo for the NBA draft. Bo faces significant issues and has a friend in Stanley to help him adapt.
This movie combines amazing acting by Sandler who was nominated for Outstanding performance by the Screen Actors Guild Awards and equally impressive direction by Jeremiah Zagar. This is a high adrenaline breezy movie that will have you rooting for the underdog hoping he can overcome his own demons to break through and succeed.
The Fabelmans
This is a movie about a Family dissolving while a young son finds his passion and purpose. An intimate and poignant movie by celebrated Director Steven Spielberg about his own Family. This is a self portrait with sensitivity and grace.
Young Sammy Fabelman is taken by his parents to see the classic movie ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ and is transfixed with it, this starts off his love affair with movie making encouraged by his mother. Staring with an 8mm camera and manually editing the film reel for post production effects he slowly graduates to making more sophisticated movies while all along being a spectator to his parents’ marital problems and his mothers’ affair with a family friend eventually leading to a devastating split between his parents.
This is a beautiful Movie expertly crafted with great acting, wonderful sound and near to perfect direction. Nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Motion Picture, Directing, Music, Best Actress, Supporting Actor, Screenplay and Production design. It’s hard not to imagine that Spielberg was deliberately ignored by the progressives for the top prize over the portrayal of his mothers’ infidelity and the effect on his family life given the Academy has increasingly become politically correct.
Blackberry
This is an up close and gritty look at the founding and initial successes of the iconic Blackberry phone. It traces the struggles to create a market for the world’s first smartphone which carried email and messaging on it. Told humorously and with great acting by lead actors Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton and Matt Johnson.
This is a well told story of the immense competition that characterized the race to capture the smartphone and wireless data market. It showcases the raw talent and the relentless drive for innovation that led the development of these devices and is a must see for all aspiring entrepreneurs.
Sound of Freedom
This movie is based upon the life of a Homeland security agent Tim Ballard who gives up his job to embark on a mission to rescue a child sold into sex trafficking. This is an incredibly honest film without any Hollywood lucre. Told with a minimal amount of melodrama and focusing on the actual victim experience, it provides a raw down to earth glimpse, of the ugly world of child trafficking.
Tim Ballard manipulates a pedophile into giving him a lead on a child being trafficked and manages to rescue him but finds that the boy’s sister has also been trafficked. He then manages to get an assignment from his superior and goes to Cartagena in Colombia where he befriends a reformed former cartel member and using the help provided by the Colombian police, they manage to finally rescue the girl and many other children along the way.
This movie stars Jim Caviezel of ‘Passion of the Christ’ fame and also Mira Sorvino and Bill Camp. This film is a must see for anyone who wants to understand the true nature and extent of Child trafficking in the World.