gmj-00016 Reviews

Maiden (2018)

Surprisingly Captivating

[8/10 · 27 July 2019]

After being reluctantly dragged to this movie by my spouse, I found myself surprising interested in a sailing race I would normally consider the silly pursuit of the idle wealthy. I came to care whether the female crew succeeded in its unlikely quest.

The movie is well worth seeing even if you know or care nothing about around-the-world sailing.

Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019)

Blah!

[4/10 · 15 July 2019]

While some attribute the word "love" to the relationship, IMHO the documentary showed only a self-indulgent man and an obliging woman. While Cohen may have liked Marianne over many years, he liked other women and drugs just as much. She generally returned the favor. Viewers who are not hopeless romantics are likely to be bored by the telling of their story.

The Upside (2017)

Very Enjoyable Movie Mislabeled as Comedy

[8/10 · 9 February 2019]

I never saw the French version and probably never will watch it with subtitles. That said, I very much enjoyed this largely serious drama with too few humorous touches to accurately call a "comedy"..

The Big Sick (2017)

Neither Very Romantic Nor Very Funny

[6/10 · 5 March 2018]

My basic problem with this movie is that I was never convinced that the movie's Romeo was ever truly in love with his Juliet. He liked her and did not want her to die but, until she was on her deathbed, he easily found acceptable replacements. The cultural conflict with the hero's parents was only mildly interesting since it was obvious that the family had no choice but to accept whoever the son brought home. In my view, the film was okay to watch if one had nothing better to do on a rainy day.

Darkest Hour (2017)

Historical Fiction is not Non-fiction

[10/10 · 13 December 2017]

The most negative reviews posted here seem to center on the fact that this film is not entirely accurate. There are tens of thousands of books and documentary films about WWII and its participants which claim to be entirely historically accurate. Darkest Hour is not one of them. Instead, it is a 125 minute long movie which effectively evokes the drama surrounding one critical month of British history. If critics want a history lesson, perhaps they should visit a library instead of watching movies.

Brad's Status (2017)

Angst of a Middle Aged White Guy

[5/10 · 26 September 2017]

This upper middle class white guy who wishes he were an upper class white guy is not an unsympathetic character. He just is not a very interesting one but then neither are most of the other characters. The movie is not bad but I wish that I had waited for a rainy afternoon to watch it on Netflix.