Judge, Juror #2, and Executioner

You just can’t beat a good idea. . . which is why most iconic stories have found their way onto the silver screen more than once – case in point, Little Women. Reuniting the director/actor dream team of Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan just two short years after their success with Lady Bird, this 2019 effort follows adaptations released in 1917, 1918, 1933, 1949, 1994 and a 2018 tv movie (and no less than eight television versions) – I’ll leave it up to you as to what that proves (perhaps that classics are eternal. . . or maybe, that Hollywood can no longer muster up even one original idea). Gerwig, adapting one of her favourite novels (written by Louisa May Alcott), creates a visually striking world, from its perfectly framed opening shot to its closing scenes, the lush, New England landscape a brilliant backdrop for this nineteenth century tale. Each home, architectural flourish, costume choice, and colour selection painting a nuanced, impressionist piece of artwork.

Every once in a while, a feel good movie is just what is needed. Like a hot cup of cocoa, it can warm the heart, enliven the spirit, and bring comfort to the troubled brain. Just what the doctor ordered this 2019, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, directed by Marielle Heller, reminds us just how important a man like Fred Rogers is – even eighteen years after his final episode aired (and sixteen years after his death). Based upon the article “Can You Say... ‘Hero’?” by Tom Junod (published in the November 1, 1998 Esquire magazine), it is a story that juxtaposes the harsh realities of an embittered, emotionally angry investigative journalist, Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys – The Americans), with the kind-hearted soul of PBS childhood icon Mr. Rogers (Tom Hanks), it just happens that Lloyd’s editor, Ellen (Christine Lahti), feels like it is the perfect time for the man to pull back on the reigns and do a lighter bio-piece on the beloved man.

As you read this review, my recommendation would be to go to Youtube and search for the song “Smile” (there are several versions, I would recommend Nat King Cole’s) – and listen to it in the background. Playing a part in both the trailer and film Joker (2019), the poignant lyrics (by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons) tells you that, “If you smile through your fear and sorrow Smile and maybe tomorrow You’ll see the sun come shining through For You.”, even while the beautifully melancholic melody (written by Charlie Chaplin) tells you a wholly different story. . . one of a smiling clown truly hiding a frown. Also look for a special screening of Chaplin’s Modern Times that plays a part in the film – The Tramp playing the clown despite the crippling burden people and society have put on him.

Once upon a time. . . in Hollywood, a young man named Quentin was fascinated with all things movies. So much did he love those moving pictures of the silver screen that he found a job at the Video Archives, a rental store in Manhattan Beach, California. And, almost like a fateful fairy tale scene in one of his beloved movies, a young Tarantino somehow found his way into the business, becoming a director of success and acclaim. Utilizing his unique vision, he re-purposed those films that he devoured in his long hours at the video store, bringing history alive with a modern spin, melding past and present in most unique ways. With a romantic brainstorm, the acclaimed filmmaker decided that ten motion pictures would encompass his entire filmography, making his most recent effort, Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood, his second last, a narrative that turns a loving eye to his fantastical hometown – all I’m missing is voice over work from Kurt Russell, and I’ve got the beginnings of my intro to a documentary on the man. A revisionist history of 1969 Los Angeles, Quentin Tarantino writes and directs his least focussed picture, a meandering love letter to the City of Angels. Born in 1963, the filmmaker, who was only the tender age of six the year the movie is set, utilizes his vast knowledge of television and movies to build a vivid picture of that time. Though, by doing so, it also makes for his least accessible feature to date. . . for not only is there graphic violence, much like all of his other pictures, but, to my estimation, you also have to be a passionate film history buff while also needing to have a love for the way movies are crafted to truly appreciate what Tarantino is doing here.

An effective method of telling a dark story is often through the eyes of a child. . . and there is arguably no darker event in human history than the Holocaust. Earning praise from audiences worldwide and criticism by academics who lament its inaccuracies, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), directed by Mark Herman (who also adapted the story for the screen, based upon John Boyne’s novel of the same name), is an emotional, poignant depiction of one of the most horrific blemishes of our collective past. Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is an eight year old boy living in Berlin. With a father (David Thewlis) moving up in the military, a supportive mother (Vera Farmiga), and an older sister, Gretel (Amber Beattie), they are leaving their life in the big city for a cold home in the rural unknown.