Category: movies

Joker

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, human rights, movies, things getting worseLeave a comment
  1. Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant. He certainly deserves the Academy Award for Best Actor.
  2. The theme of economic inequality is important in 2020. It will be one of the big issues of the next 10 years.
  3. Joker is a story of mental illness. A cautionary tale warning us to provide better health care or the worst can happen.
  4. It will be studied by film students for decades alongside Taxi Driver. I thought the cinematography superb. Robert De Niro perfect casting.

Joker .. was inspired by 1970s character studies and the films of Martin Scorsese (particularly Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy) …

The film polarized critics; while Phoenix’s performance, the musical score, cinematography and production values were praised, the dark tone, portrayal of mental illness, and handling of violence divided responses. … (68% on Rotten Tomatoes)

Joker has grossed over $1 billion, making it the first R-rated film to do so …

… the most profitable film based on a comic book …

Phoenix is interested in doing a sequel.

 

 

 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

On By Rick McIn books, movies1 Comment

This book has sold well over 4.5 million copies. And it’s legit.

Excellent.

The audio version superbly well read.

Pretty much anyone would enjoy the life story of the marsh girl, who attended only 1 day of school surviving alone from about the age of 10.

It’s at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder.

Reese Witherspoon will produce the film.

Where the Crawdads Sing is a 2018 novel by Delia Owens.

It has topped the The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2019 for 27 non-consecutive weeks.

The story follows two timelines that slowly intertwine. The first timeline describes the life and adventures of a young girl named Kya as she grows up isolated in the marsh of North Carolina from 1952–1969.

The second timeline follows a murder investigation of Chase Andrews, a local celebrity of Barkley Cove, a fictional coastal town of North Carolina. …

Blinded by the Light (2019 film)

On By Rick McIn movies, musicLeave a comment

Continuing the string of recent Hollywood films inspired by classical musicians.

I liked it.

Cheesy and lightweight, but still a feel-good film.

Blinded by the Light is a 2019 British comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha, inspired by the life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor and his love of the works of Bruce Springsteen. …

Set in the town of Luton in 1987 Thatcherite Britain, the film tells the coming-of-age story of Javed, a British-Pakistani Muslim teenager whose life is changed after he discovers the music of Springsteen. …

I discovered Springsteen in about 1974. Influential music critic Jon Landau declared him the future of Rock and Roll that year.

This film is set in 1987. The Boss is no longer new and cool.

Nor are his fans.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

 

Born Standing Up – Steve Martin

On By Rick McIn books, humour, movies, TVLeave a comment

With friends in Idaho, summer 2019 I saw Martin Short and Steve Martin LIVE in An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life.

It was hilarious.

That was Steve’s return to stand-up after decades.

Steve is age-74 now. Everyone of my generation loved his comedy. Indeed, I thought he was an overnight success — like Robin Williams.

Not so as I learned in his 2007 memoir Born Standing Up. Steve Martin paid his dues. He had many, many very hard years breaking into the business.

It chronicles his early life, his days working for Disneyland, working at low tier coffee shops and clubs as a comedy act … and the reason why he quit stand-up comedy altogether at the height of his fame in 1981. …

The audiobook is read by Steve. I recommend it.

Brittany Runs A Marathon

On By Rick McIn moviesLeave a comment

This charming little movie is 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Brittany Runs a Marathon is a 2019 American comedy …

It stars Jillian Bell  and  Utkarsh Ambudkar.

Jillian Bell is FUNNY. A former writer for Saturday Night Live.

Utkarsh is hilarious too.

The film follows an overweight woman in New York City who sets out to lose weight and train for the city’s annual marathon.

The story of Brittany was inspired by a real person – Brittany O’Neill, who appears in photos before the end credits.

 

The Mule – Clint Eastwood

On By Rick McIn moviesLeave a comment

I can’t recall a Clint Eastwood film I didn’t enjoy. He is a master storyteller.

He’s a curmudgeonly Republican in real life. And is very believable as a politically incorrect old man in his recent films.

It is Eastwood’s first acting project since 2012’s Trouble with the Curve, and his first starring role in a film directed by him since 2008’s Gran Torino. …

He is facing financial ruin and is estranged from his ex-wife Mary and daughter Iris, for always putting work before family. … Desperate for money, he … becomes a “mule” transporting cocaine through Illinois for a Mexican drug cartel. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Serenity – Matthew McConaughey

On By Rick McIn moviesLeave a comment

Weird but watchable. Only 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, I’d still recommend.

Matthew McConaughey is always good.

Serenity (2019 film) appears to be about a hard drinking, fishing boat captain who is approached by his ex-wife to murder her abusive husband.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Once upon a time in Hollywood

On By Rick McIn moviesLeave a comment

Once upon a time in Hollywood is a fictionalized version of the Manson murders.

I’ve seen all the Tarantino films.

My reaction to this one is similar to the rest. He’s a talented director with important things to say — but each movie would be better if he wasn’t so self-indulgent.

The highlight is his version of Hollywood 1969. It was a weird and special time and place.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I did enjoy the ensemble cast.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% …

The Hollywood Reporter said critics had “an overall positive view”. Some calling it “Tarantino’s love letter to ’60s L.A.'”, praising its cast and setting. Others were “divided on its ending.”

Blood Work by Michael Connelley

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

Blood Work is a novel written by Michael Connelly which marks the first appearance of Terry McCaleb.

The book was used as the basis for the 2002 movie of the same name, starring Clint Eastwood. …

McCaleb was a top man at the FBI until a heart ailment forced his early retirement.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Children of Men by P. D. James

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

P. D. James is one of the greatest crime writer all time. She died in 2014 (aged 94).

I’d read a number of her books over the years — but nothing like The Children of Men (1992).

Set in England in 2021, it centres on the results of mass infertility. James describes a United Kingdom that is steadily depopulating and focuses on a small group of resisters who do not share the disillusionment of the masses. …

In 1994, the sperm count of human males plummeted to zero …

In 2006, a film adaptation was directed by Alfonso Cuarón, starring Julianne Moore and Clive Owen. …

The movie plot is much changed. Far more dramatic.

The book is subtle. Slow paced and philosophical.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The shocker of the book is when one of the protesters gets pregnant. And delivers the first baby in decades.

I can’t say I enjoyed this book as much as James’ usual whodunnits. But it is well executed if you are interested in this kind of dystopian novel.

While reading this tale on Kindle, I was simultaneously listening to The Testaments (2019) by Margaret Atwood. The sequel to another dystopian novel of infertility.