Tag: Ryan Gosling

First Man–Not Over the Moon

Written by diana on December 14, 2018. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on First Man–Not Over the Moon

First Man is a movie biopic about the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, in the years 1961 to 1969 . We are introduced to Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and his days before being selected for the dangerous mission of first “Man on the Moon.” Armstrong is involved in a series of errors while flying experimental missions, in training for the NASA moon landing. While he is undergoing the rigors of flight simulation, his two-and-a half-year-old daughter is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. Despite the couple’s best efforts, the child dies, leaving the parents and their...

La La Land–Insipid But Entertaining

Written by diana on February 19, 2017. Posted in movie reviews. 3 Comments on La La Land–Insipid But Entertaining

This 2016 Academy Award nominated musical (a record-tying 14 nominations), written and directed by Damien Chazelle (the wunderkind creator of the astonishing Whiplash, see my December 8, 2014 review) is this year’s can-do-no-wrong rom-com starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. La La Land is a bold resurrection of the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers 1940-50s musical with a blend of nostalgia (using filtered-lens cinematography and costumes) mixed with the novelty of contemporary millennial life in Los Angeles. A flip-book of competing images of vintage and modern LA with twirling skirts...

“The Big Short”—We Were All Duped

Written by diana on December 21, 2015. Posted in Unhealed Wound. 2 Comments on “The Big Short”—We Were All Duped

The Big Short “The Big Short”, based on Michael Lewis’s book, is a film that wildly fluctuates between comedy and deadly serious criticism of Wall Street. The producers, shouting out “Finance For Dummies”, follow a group of outlier financial analysts who predicted and bet on the fall of the U.S. housing market. 2011’s “Margin Call” told a similar story. “Wolf of Wall Street” also focused on investment banking as one excessive party, with attempts at humor. The Big Short, a true story, feels like a lecture with subtitled definitions of arcane financial acronyms like CDO in PowerPoint slides....

“The Ides of March”–Beware, Beware!

Written by diana on October 18, 2011. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “The Ides of March”–Beware, Beware!

Is it possible for any political candidate to win and yet remain true to his or her original values? Movies about dirty politics such as “Wag the Dog”, “All the President’s Men”, “The Manchurian Candidate”, “Primary Colors”, “Bob Roberts” and “The Candidate” (to name a few) has yet another winner in this category–“The Ides Of March”. Based upon the Beau Willimon play, Farragut North, “The Ides of March” explores new ground as well as covering familiar territory about media’s...

“Blue Valentine” –Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Written by diana on August 7, 2011. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 4 Comments on “Blue Valentine” –Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

This critically acclaimed Sundance 2010 darling features Michelle Williams (in an Oscar-nominated performance) and Ryan Gosling in a Generation X’s portrait of a marriage from hell reminiscent of Tennessee Williams’ classic, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and John Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under the Influence”. Blue Valentine’s story is simple and straightforward. A young nurse, Cindy Heller (Williams) lives with an abusive father, an adrift mother, and cares for her ailing grandmother. She has endured a violent relationship with a high...