Year: 2016

“The Family”—A Plot of the Broken-Hearted

Written by diana on July 3, 2016. Posted in Television reviews. 3 Comments on “The Family”—A Plot of the Broken-Hearted

Guest blogger: Emily Lewis, founder of MrsMommyBookNerdsBookReviews.com, a fantastic blog reviewing novels focusing on the themes of family and parenting, as well as children’s books. Go check it out! The Family The ABC drama– THE FAMILY— is a psychological thriller that showcases a family trying to recover from a tragedy that occurred a decade before. The politician’s young son disappears when she is campaigning near their home and presumed dead. None of the family members have recovered from the loss and all are fighting their own demons. This television...

“Bloodline”—An Intravenous Infusion of Disaster

Written by diana on June 25, 2016. Posted in Unhealed Wound. 1 Comment on “Bloodline”—An Intravenous Infusion of Disaster

“Bloodline”, a dramatic thriller from the creators of “Damages,” just completed its second season on Neftlix Originals. Exploring the darkest secrets of an affluent American family in the Florida Keys, Bloodline digs deep into the underbelly of the Rayburns, the upstanding pillars of society for their small coastal community. Their past, however, contains dark secrets that have damaged all of them. After an unthinkable crime takes place, the façade of the tight-knit caring family disintegrates, replaced by betrayal, abandonment, and more criminal behavior. The...

“No”—Mad Men in Politics

Written by diana on June 19, 2016. Posted in movie reviews. 5 Comments on “No”—Mad Men in Politics

In this Chilean film, with uncanny similarities to the upcoming election in this country, we see how voting can be manipulated by brilliant promotional advertising. ”No” was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award in 2012. Gael García Bernal (best known for his role as Che Guevara in “Motorcycle Diaries” ) plays René Saavedra, a young advertising talent at the time that General Pinochet has been in power, a dictator backed by the US government and running for reelection in 1988 for another eight years. After fifteen years of military dictatorship and facing considerable...

“Bates Motel”, Seasons 1-3—Mother-Son Obsession

Written by diana on June 13, 2016. Posted in Television reviews. 1 Comment on “Bates Motel”, Seasons 1-3—Mother-Son Obsession

Norman Bates The ongoing television series, A&E’s “Bates Motel” is a prequel to “Psycho”, the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie (1960). In “Bates Motel” we see the backstory of Norman Bates and the unfolding of his relationship with his mother, Norma, and half brother during his adolescence. The first season received critical praise, especially for Vera Farmiga who plays the mother, Norma Bates, who was nominated for a 2013 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The series continues to be A&E’s number one drama series of all time among adults in the...

“Suffragette”—Suffering for the Right to Vote

Written by diana on June 3, 2016. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on “Suffragette”—Suffering for the Right to Vote

This 2015 film about women fighting for the right to vote in England tackles an almost forgotten but nevertheless compelling struggle for women and men alike. Don’t take that right for granted. The suffragette movement in England has received less cinematic attention than in the US [2004 film “Iron Jawed Angels” about the American suffragette Alice Paul] until now, with the release of Suffragette. Suffragette opens outside a London laundry in 1912, where 24-year-old Maud Watts (the talented Carey Mulligan) has worked in squalid conditions as a laundress since she was a child. While delivering...

“Joy”—To Behold

Written by diana on May 26, 2016. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “Joy”—To Behold

Joy is based on the true story of a divorced Long Island entrepreneur, Joy Mangano (played by Jennifer Lawrence), who invented the Miracle Mop in 1989. In the process she overcomes significant personal and business obstacles. Mangano develops an immensely prosperous business empire, first with QVC and later with the Home Shopping Network (HSN). This is all before retail stores realized their distribution channel was going to be decimated—first by QVC and HSN, and later by Amazon. This film (written and directed by David O. Russell) reveals a deeply poignant story about a young intelligent...