The HBO six-part series, Years and Years, is a dystopian drama of the near future that rivals “The Handmaid’s Tale” but with a focus on technology and financial crisis.
In Years and Years the
viewer witnesses a 15-year projection of nuclear strikes, technology that
allows sulky teens to project Snapchat-style filters over their faces, and
concentration camps for refugees and dissidents in Great Britain.
The harrowing image of Vivienne Rook MP (Emma
Thompson), as an outspoken celebrity business woman turned political figure à la
Trump, divides the...
Lizzie–Quiet Desperation
Lizzie— a psychological thriller– is a reinterpretation of the story of Lizzie Borden, the accused murderer of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1892. Starring and produced by Chloe Sevigny and premiering at Sundance Film Festival last year, the viewer sees the highly restrictive circumstances of women in a patriarchal society and what happens to them when they actively fight against a lifetime of subjugation.
Lizzie Borden, a thirty-two year old single woman, has very few options other than residing with...
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood–A Lackluster Fairy Tale
Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to movie buffs. And Once Upon a Time in Hollywood continues to feature the themes Tarantino cherishes. With a fully-loaded cast of A-list actors, especially Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, what we witness is more a “buddy film” than the advertised “tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s Golden Age”. But for the audience who does not know the story of Charles Manson and his grasp on the American collective psyche, the film needs more backstory to fill in plot holes. On the plus side, Tarantino...
Wild Rose–Mothers and Daughters with Impossible Choices
Wild Rose centers on a young single mother and ex-con who dreams of moving from Scotland to Nashville to become a country singer. This indie is currently in theaters.
Rose-Lynn Harlan (newcomer Jessie Buckley) dreams of becoming a country music star, while grappling with the regaining the trust of her two school-age children who have been cared for by her mother (the always remarkable Julie Walters) during her incarceration for drug dealing.
Why should she give up something she knows she is so good at? On the other hand, is success worth sacrificing her relationship with her children? ...
The Farewell–Family Matters
In the
opening scene of The Farewell,
taking place in a local hospital in China, the winsome and irrepressible
grandmother, Nai Nai, has a complete physical, but has no idea of what it
portends. Her sister and doctor tell Nai Nai everything is fine, she need not worry. She has stage 4 lung cancer.
Determined
to spare Nai Nai bad news, her adult children, under the pretext of planning a
wedding for one of the grandsons, gather the family for what is to be presented
as a family reunion. The granddaughter,
Billi, a young millennial living in New
York City (played by...
Victoria and Abdul (2017)–An Imperial Friendship
In Victoria
and Abdul the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria (the majestic Judi
Dench) is about to be celebrated in all its pomp and circumstance. The year is 1887 and Queen Victoria is sixty-eight years old. An honorary gold coin–
a Mohur– has been minted as a token of appreciation from British-ruled India recognizing
Victoria as the Empress of India. Two Indians are conscripted to deliver the
Mohur: Abdul (Ali Fazal) and Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar).
The early comedic scenes tease with the warm-hearted, kind
and generous nature of an elderly...