Tag: Joel Edgerton

“Thirteen Lives”—An Unlucky Number?

Written by Diana Paul on August 18, 2022. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on “Thirteen Lives”—An Unlucky Number?

Thirteen Lives (directed by Ron Howard) retells the heart-pounding rescue mission from June 23, 2018. A dozen Thai soccer players, aged 11 to 16, and their coach were trapped in a flooded, terrifyingly claustrophobic cave system during an unexpected monsoon rainstorm in northern Thailand. A massive international rescue effort of more than 10,000 people are deployed to save the twelve soccer players and their coach. Will rescuers be able to deliver them to safety without a loss of life? Potential disaster lurks around every twist in the labyrinthine...

“Underground Railroad”–Tracking US History

Written by Diana Paul on July 5, 2021. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews. 1 Comment on “Underground Railroad”–Tracking US History

Based upon the Pulitzer-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, Underground Railroad, is produced and directed by Barry Jenkins (“Moonlighting”). This gripping portrayal is an allegorical account of slavery and the role it has played in American history from colonial times. The Underground Railroad, in the mid-1800s, was actually a network of safe houses and routes from the southern US up into Canada– with other routes to Mexico (which had abolished slavery decades earlier). The book and film re-imagine these escape routes and safe havens as an actual train...

“The Gift”–Nothing is Free

Written by diana on June 25, 2018. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “The Gift”–Nothing is Free

The Gift is a 2015 American-Australian psychological thriller written, co-produced, and directed by Joel Edgerton (Academy Award nominated for his role in “Loving”). This is his directorial debut, and it is a winner! Darkly unnerving, The Gift first conveys a vibe of horror, but then the narrative moves in the direction of “Fatal Attraction”, with a deft maneuvering of plot, character, style, and tone. No blood or gore, but a heart-pounding series of scenes without a stewed rabbit. The film stars Jason Bateman (of “Ozark” and “Arrested Development”...

“Loving”–The Right to Choose

Written by diana on March 13, 2017. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on “Loving”–The Right to Choose

LOVING movie Loving, directed by Jeff Nichols (“Mud”), is based on Richard and Mildred Loving, the plaintiffs in the landmark 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia invalidating state laws prohibiting interracial marriage. (The archaic term “miscegenation” was used in those days.) Much of the United States had anti-miscegenation laws. It wasn’t until 1967 that the Supreme Court struck down those statutes. Loving opens as a tender romance between Richard Loving a white construction worker and tinkerer in car mechanics (the relative newcomer Joel Edgerton,...

Tag: Joel Edgerton

“Thirteen Lives”—An Unlucky Number?

“Underground Railroad”–Tracking US History

“The Gift”–Nothing is Free

“Loving”–The Right to Choose

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