Unhealed Wound – Page 36 – Passion for Art, Movies, and Culture

1917—This Great War Is Not So Great

Written by Diana Paul on February 2, 2020. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on 1917—This Great War Is Not So Great

The multiple award-winning 1917 is inspired by “American Beauty” writer-director Sam Mendes’s great grandfather’s experience during World War I. Almost everything you’ve ever seen in a war film is here in 1917. There are several homages to the classic Stanley Kubrick film, “Paths of Glory” (1957), including the technique of tracking a long take, seemingly a continuous single-shot with no cuts, of the brutal trench warfare that cost 9-12 million soldiers’ lives. (The calculus for civilian deaths would double the total.) It is as if we’re in...

“Parasite” –Living Off Your Host

Written by Diana Paul on January 27, 2020. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on “Parasite” –Living Off Your Host

Parasite This Korean multiple award-nominated, SAG Globe winning movie, Parasite, has captured the critics’ minds as it delves into the income gap, greed and class discrimination between the “one-percenter” wealthy Park family and the destitute, marginally employed Kim clan. The theme of the competitive, desperate search for wealth at one end of the income spectrum versus the content, oblivious upper-class entitlement at the other end permeates South Korean director, Bong Joon-ho’s films (“Snowpiercer” and “Mother” in particular.) This difficult theme...

Godfather of Harlem—Partners in Crime

Written by Diana Paul on January 19, 2020. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on Godfather of Harlem—Partners in Crime

Inspired by a true story, Godfather of Harlem skillfully interweaves the combative and competing forces of the mafia with the battle for civil rights in the mid-‘60s. In the riveting Epix limited series, Godfather of Harlem, we see the character Bumpy Johnson (the exceptional Forest Whitaker) re-enter the world of organized crime after being released from Alcatraz. Drugs have taken over many of New York’s poor communities, and the Italian mafia runs most of them, now including the crime syndicate of Harlem which had been Bumpy Johnson’s exclusive domain. Not...

Marriage Story (2019)-The Bonds of Love

Written by Diana Paul on January 14, 2020. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on Marriage Story (2019)-The Bonds of Love

Nominated this year for eleven Academy Awards, Marriage Story portrays two people who really care about, respect, and love each other, and yearn for a “gentle” amicable divorce resolution. They also are determined to nurture and nourish their young son, Henry, with as little wounding as possible. Written, directed and produced by Noah Baumbach (of “Squid and the Whale”, another excellent film about divorce), this film eviscerates what happens in even the best-intentioned divorces, reminiscent of the classic 1979 film “Kramer vs Kramer”. Charlie...

Happy New Year 2020: The Year of the [Metal] Rat

Written by Diana Paul on January 5, 2020. Posted in Lunar New Year, Unhealed Wound. No Comments on Happy New Year 2020: The Year of the [Metal] Rat

Happy Chinese New Year 2020! The Buddha taught rats first, among the animals in the Buddhist pantheon, and rats rank first on the Chinese zodiac. Though people who follow Western animal symbolism do not consider the rat either adorable or auspicious, nevertheless the characteristics of the rat are considered spirited, witty, alert, flexible, and that of a survivor. The Chinese New Year will begin on January 25, 2020 with the final celebration on February 11. The Metal Rat Year is going to be a strong, prosperous, and lucky year for those who conduct financial research and follow through...

My Top 15 Movies and TV Series for 2019

Written by Diana Paul on December 31, 2019. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. No Comments on My Top 15 Movies and TV Series for 2019

Here are the reviews I wrote this year with the criteria that they were available online or were at local movie theaters, although not necessarily under broad distribution nor widely distributed through move theaters. Of the 43 reviews, here are my favorites. Another difficult year to make my listicle. As in past years, both television and cinema have continued to produce phenomenal story-telling and intriguing characters. The following list is not ranked, only grouped by genre and date of review. INDIES and FOREIGN CINEMA 1) Lo and Behold–Reveries...