Oven-Dried Tomatoes

I had a great time with this one. It is tense, has a lot of grand ideas and the actors, especially Lupita Nyong’o, do an awesome job. For the same reason, those massive great ideas, I think the film is a bit confused with its plot an message. Some of the set pieces here, namely that “dance” sequence towards the end are nothing short of sublime. I loved that and will not soon forget it. I want to see more from Peele, he’s a very talented movie maker. I just hope he branches out beyond the horror/thriller genre because i think there’s a lot to offer there.

It’s one of those movies that i was immediately skeptical of. Mostly told via laptop screens, text messages, monitoring cameras, news broadcasts,…but it really captured my attention because it is well done, the characters are not dumb and I had no clue where it was going next.

It’s a nice movie. Sweet, but so very predictable.

Set in the 17th century Japan this is a horrifying and brutal film about faith. Two Jesuit priests go looking for a missing  mentor. He, along with many others, are missionaries trying to spread Catholicism in Japan.  Not an easy task and the response from the authorities there is very determined and violent. The two, played by Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield, go on the terrible journey, smuggled in, hide for months on end protected by villagers who are “believers”. They witness first hand how strong these people’s faith is, they also experience betrayal and a whole lot of pain. Faith and religion change when they propagate and spread. They get hybridized and blended. One character named Kichijiro is a fascinating example of a Catholic who seems to have taken the power of confession to the extreme. How many times can one do horrible things, betray his people and then get the slate wiped clean by confession? Many times it seems. This is supposed to be based on a true story and is really one of Scorsese’s most personal films it feels. The struggle of balancing the guilt with faith and hoping that there is a God out there who is listening (in this case a Christian God) is a theme in his films. Here, it is front and center. It’s not a fun movie to watch but it is an excellent one.

Yes, late to the party in recognizing how awesome this film is. I had never seen it for whatever reason. I suppose when it came out I was too young and dumb to watch a long long black and white movie. Glad I did now. It is a brilliant masterpiece. Schindler is one of those men (Liam Neeson) who can sell anything to anyone. He’s a business man and industrialist in Nazi Germany -by default a Nazi. His journey from a selfish sales person, making money, shmoozing to Nazi officers, building a fortune….is one hell of a story. He recognizes slowly that the horrible stuff happening to Jews and other minorities are on his hands too even if he never fires a weapon. What does one man do? Can he save some lives? one life, a thousand? or maybe many thousands? The atrocities shown are horrible here but there is also a the flip side of the good side of human nature. One man’s actions can make a big difference to generations. Beyond the story, this a beautifully shot film, with its slow pace and the very small use of color it haunts and persists.

looks great of course, the acting is tremendous and the film is beautifully crafted. This one felt a bit cold, keeping emotions at bay or just under the surface. The story is about a fashion designer (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his latest model/muse. She is an agent of disruption into his otherwise precise, orderly world, a world filled with women. He has his sister who never married and runs his fashion house. The memory of his beloved mother who was his original inspiration and mentor. His numerous clients who count on him to dress them in the loveliest of custom made dresses. Enter Alma who is soft spoken, pretty and strong-willed. The interplay between the two and the slow, methodical and at times crazy dynamic keeps this beautiful film humming.