Two Movies seen on TCM: The Little Foxes (1941) and The Narrow Margins (1952)

I've been hooked on TCM for years now. I just always remember being a fan of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, James (Jimmy) Steward, John Wayne, and many many more. Around a decade ago, I used to do some reviews of movies I saw on TCM. I figured I'd start it up again. If you're interested, click on through.

Two Movies seen on TCM: Honeysuckle Rose (1980) and The Woman in the Window (1944)

I've been hooked on TCM for years now. I just always remember being a fan of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, James (Jimmy) Steward, John Wayne, and many many more. Around a decade ago, I used to do some reviews of movies I saw on TCM. I figured I'd start it up again. If you're interested, click on through.

Two Movies seen on TCM: The Sea Wolf (1941) and Semi-Tough (1977)

I've been hooked on TCM for years now. I just always remember being a fan of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, James (Jimmy) Steward, John Wayne, and many many more. Around a decade ago, I used to do some reviews of movies I saw on TCM. I figured I'd start it up again. If you're interested, click on through.

Two Movies seen on TCM: The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) and Hollywood Canteen (1944)

I've been hooked on TCM for years now. I just always remember being a fan of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, James (Jimmy) Steward, John Wayne, and many many more. Around a decade ago, I used to do some reviews of movies I saw on TCM. I figured I'd start it up again. If you're interested, click on through.

A Movie Review: Sing Street

Sing Street. Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is growing up in Dublin. The year is 1985 and the economy is in the dumps. His father hasn't worked in awhile. His mother is working just 3 days a week. The family can no longer send Conor to his current school so he is sent to a Christian Brothers school, which is free (I'm thinking it was free). His first day is a mess. He walks into school and there are fights breaking out everywhere. He also unfortunately runs into the school bully. This encounter; however, hooks him up with a fellow student named Darren (Ben Carolan). As the two are leaving school one day, they notice a pretty young girl named Raphina (Lucy Boynton). Conor approaches her and learns that she wants to be a model. Conor quickly states that he's in a band and is looking for a model for his upcoming music video. The problem is that he has no band. To take care of that, Conor and Darren go off looking to start a band.

With inspirational help from Conor's brother Brendan (Jack Reynor), the band begins to develop their musical taste and style. As each song is develop, Raphina is the music video love interest. Conor falls for Raphina hard; however, Raphina currently has an older boyfriend and has dreams of moving to London.

Will Raphina eventually fall in love with Conor and leave her older boyfriend? What will become of this band with the catchy tunes?

This film was directed and written by John Carney who also is known for Once and Begin Again. With that, you know there are going to be some catchy tunes.

So how does this movie rank with those other two? I have my opinion and I'm sure others do, as well. I think I'll not rank them. Instead, I'll say that this is an excellent movie that gets you totally immersed in the 80s. There is something beautiful about the relationship between Conor and Raphina. Sure there is some teenage lust on Conor's part, but the underlying foundation of this relationship is an emotional connection. I also love the fact that this movie doesn't over-look certain aspects of the 80s that are inappropriate such as the gay jokes. It let's the viewer see how society changes and doesn't make these kids look like they are way ahead of their times.

Like all music films that have to wrap in a couple hours, there are my standard complaints. How did Conor learn to play the guitar when he initially stated to his band mates that he was just a singer? How did they progress to be such a great band in such a short period of time -- I've seen plenty of bands around Los Angeles who aren't nearly as good as Sing Street who were maybe together for a couple of months?  Why did Conor not know that his brother Brendan used to play the guitar? Admittedly, they were separated by 6 years, but did Conor never hear his brother practice? I will admit, I wish the movie had a different twist on the ending. I'm not saying that the decision that Conor and Raphina make at the end doesn't make sense as it totally makes sense in the context of the movie; however, I just think it could have been handled in a more realistic manner. In trying not to give away the ending, I'll just say that the ending is what two really stupid teenagers would attempt to do and would likely end up with them making major headlines in newspapers (of course, maybe that's the point).

Warning: accents are thick so it'll take a few minutes to understand what is being said. Luckily, Conor and Raphina are easy to understand, but some of the minor characters are more difficult to understand.

A Movie Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane

10 Cloverfield Lane. The movie opens with Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) dealing with a breakup. She gets into her car and drives into the night. In a sudden moment, a truck crashes into her. She wakes up in a small cement room that is part of a bunker, handcuffed and an intravenous tube attached to her arm. She's being held captive or is she? Eventually, the door opens and Howard (John Goodman) walks in. He doesn't initially give her a feel-good sense. She soon is introduced to another individual, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.). Emmett tells Michelle that he fought his way into the bunker. What is going on? Howard and Emmett are convinced that America has been attacked via chemical warfare.

After Michelle is confronted with compelling proof that there is something seriously wrong in the outside world, the three of them settle into a semi-comfortable situation. Yet, signs start to pop up that indicate that Howard is not mentally stable. Michelle and Emmett initiate an attempt to gain greater freedom.

This movie reminds one of Room. I have to say that I enjoyed 10 Cloverfield Lane much better. Maybe it has to do with the Sci Fi elements of this movie. Room was about trying to escape a terrible situation. 10 Cloverfield Lane deals with taking a leap of faith, depending on gut feelings. In Cloverfield, it is obvious that something has happened. Yet, there are clues that Michelle and Emmett are being protected by a psychopath. What does one do? Which risk is worse: staying with a madman or potentially facing the aftermath of a chemical attack? The tensions just grow.

My one issue: I think there are two major flaws towards the end of the movie. One has to do with Michelle and her clothing. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but it just seemed off considering what we learned about the outside world. The second has to do with why certain parts of the bunker that broke weren't fixed. The answer to that one is obvious when it comes to the story line, but still.

My Fall/Winter 2015 Movie Rankings

I caught 18 movies during the fall and winter. Here are my rankings:

Oscar Worthy Movies

I know a number of these movies didn't make it, but we all have a right to our opinions. At a minimum, I think the movies I selected are all well received by critics.

Sicario
Carol
The Revenant
The Martian
The Hateful Eight
Spotlight

Popcorn fun movies

Creed
The Peanuts Movie

Entertaining (or solidly depressing for many in this section)

Everest
The Big Short
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
Brooklyn
Black Mass
Room
Steve Jobs

Loved, but can't help but think theft

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Solid

Bridge of Spies

Definitely below par (maybe suffering due to comparison to previous Bond movie?)

Spectre

A Movie Review: The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight. The setting of this movie is Wyoming just after the Civil War. John Ruth (Kurt Russell) is a bounty hunter. He is transporting Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to Red Rock via stagecoach. A severe blizzard is on the way and so along the way the stagecoach picks up another bounty hunter named Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and a newly appointed sheriff named Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins).

The blizzard forces them to stop at Minie's Haberdashery. They are greeted by Bob (Demian Bichir) who claims that Minie took time off to visit family. This raises suspicions with John Ruth and Major Marquis Warren. Their suspicions are justified as a number of the individuals in the Haberdashery are there to rescue Daisy.

This movie is filled with great bloody violent fun. The characters are also very black and white. Though initially there isn't full trust, the stage coach companions (John Ruth, Major Marquis Warren and Sheriff Chris Mannix) all find themselves surrounded by the members of Daisy Domergue's gang. They are essentially the good guys fending off the bad guys.

There are some nice moments where Major Marquis Warren starts to make assumptions on what is happening around him. I love those moments in film when folks start to put two and two together.

Should this movie have been an Oscar nominated film? I think so. I personally would have added it in place of Brooklyn, Room or The Big Short. Of course, there are 10 spots so it could have slipped into the 9th spot.

A Movie Review: The Revenant

The Revenant. Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) are out hunting. They are part of a fur trading expedition. Back at the camp site, a Native American tribe launches an attack on the traders. Hugh and Hawk rush back to the camp, which is being over-run. The camp was next to a river and so a small few make it to one of the boats, escaping down the river. We learn why the Native American tribe attacked. The daughter of the chief was kidnapped and they're out looking for her. In this case, the fur traders had nothing to do with the kidnapping of the daughter.

The surviving fur traders turn to Hugh Glass to lead them back to their outpost. Though there are disagreements, Hugh convinces Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) to abandon the boat and head back via land. He is convinced that the Native Americans are waiting down the river and will ambush the boat and so it is much better to go by land to avoid the assured ambush.

Early one morning, Hugh is off either doing some scouting or out looking to hunt. He is attacked by a mother bear and is severely injured. He is found by the fur traders and they do their best to provide him medical care as well as attempt to carry him back to their outpost; however, they soon come to the conclusion that it isn't possible to carry him all the way back. Captain Henry decides that it is best to end Hugh's pain and shoot him, but in the end he isn't able to do so. He offers a bonus to anyone who will stay with Hugh until he dies. John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) and Bridger (Will Poulter) volunteer to stay behind along with Hawk.

Hugh continues to cling to life, which distresses John Fitzgerald who assumed that he would die quickly. As Hugh continues to grow weaker, an apparent deal is struck between John and Hugh. John will help Hugh commit suicide and in exchange John will make sure that Hawk is transported safely back to the outpost. A problem arises when Hawk arrives on the scene while John is assisting in the suicide. Hawk attacks John. John, in what appears to be driven perhaps more by his mental instability versus intentional, kills Hawk. In a panic, John hides Hawk's body, leaving Bridger in the dark of what he's done.

Later, claiming that the Native American tribe is drawing close, John convinces Bridger that they need to abandon Hugh and run for their lives. They partially bury Hugh in a grave and then take off. Hugh starts to recover and then slowly makes his way back to the outpost to exact revenge on John.

This movie is set against a dreary, cold, snow covered landscape. Against that harsh landscape, people make sometimes cruel decisions. Yet, these decisions can be seen as necessary. Should Captain Henry have pulled the trigger on Hugh? Would that have been murder or an attempt to save the larger group. In some ways, no one is necessarily moral. For example, the Native American tribe attacks all camps with abandon, even those that have nothing to do with the kidnapping of the daughter. They only deal with one camp that can provide them with needed supplies. John comes to a harsh agreement with Hugh as he is fearful of both the elements and Native Americans who are on the warpath. Yes, we learn throughout the movie that John is guilty of one misdeed after another (murder, theft, abandonment), but was the suicide agreement a wrong one to make? This movie casts many of the characters in either a negative or positive light, but I think what makes this movie great is that many of the actions these characters make are not as easy to define as one might initially think.

    

My Top 10 2015 Movies

I finally saw The Revenant this weekend. With that, here's my list of Top 10 2015 movies.

1. Sicario -- perfect crime drama.

2. Carol -- what a love story.

3. The Revenant -- you're in a harsh landscape, and decisions are made.

4. The Martian -- this isn't a Golden Globe comedy, but a movie about ingenuity.

5. The Hateful Eight -- they die one by one.

6. Spotlight -- is that how journalist used to do real investigation.

7. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation -- great action movie.

8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl -- to die with a sense of amazement, hopefully that is how death should happen for us all.

9. Mad Max -- another great action movie.

10. Cinderella -- just makes you want to live in a fairy tale.

A Movie Review: The Big Short

The Big Short. This movie studies a handful of individuals who went against the conventional wisdom that all was well with America's housing market between 2005 - 2008. Not only did these people think that not all was well, they felt that America was going to go through some serious troubles. And as we all know, they were right.

The movie starts with Michael Burry (Christian Bale) studying data for a Mortgage Backed Security (MBS). A mortgage backed security is a number of individual home loans that are bundled together and sold as a bond. As he goes through the list, he notices that a number of individuals are behind in their payments. He decides to bet against these loans. In order to do so, he has to set up the deal with a Wall Street firm. The firm is more than willing to take the other side of the bet.

Rumors start to fly on Wall Street that someone on the West Coast (Burry) has shorted the housing market. Soon Wall Street employee Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) joins in, but he needs help. By random luck, he runs into Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and his team. Baum, like Burry, likes to do his research. Burry loved looking through reports, Baum liked to hit the ground so he sent his team to Florida to look around at various locations. They become convinced that there is something up with the housing market.

Initially, their bets don't pay off even as evidence mounts that the housing market is collapsing. These individuals find themselves losing money. Yet, they hold firm and finally their bets pay off.

This movie looks at a terrible situation and attempts to get the audience to understand what was going on during the housing bubble. It also highlights that those who go against the grain are sometimes right even though everyone around them thinks they're a joke.

The movie lightens things up with various comedic moments and also tries hard to explain complex financial terms to the average movie viewer.

This is definitely a movie worth one's slightly over 2 hours of life.

A Movie Review: Carol

Carol. It has been awhile since I saw this film, but I just can't get over how lovely the movie is. The movie has taken on a fairy tale resonance with me. The love affair between Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) is beautifully told.

Carol and Theresa meet at a department store. Theresa works in the toy department. Carol is looking for a Christmas gift. There is immediate attraction. Carol on the sly leaves behind her gloves while ordering a train set. Theresa takes the opportunity to connect with Carol. There are complications. Both are in relationships with men. Carol is married with a child, but has had previous relationships with women. Theresa has a boyfriend.

I love the interactions between Carol and Theresa. Theresa is much younger and to some degree much more timid about moving forward with the relationship. Carol is more aggressive in a subtle way. Outside influences play a significant role in their relationship and the way the must navigate through this breaks the heart.

A Movie Review. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has disappeared, driven by the fact that his nephew Ben Solo/Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) turned to the dark side while training to be a Jedi under his guidance. Yet, his sister Princess/General Leia (Carrie Fisher) needs him. The Empire has returned to the scene, re-emerging as The First Order. The problem is that no one knows where Luke Skywalker is; however, Luke did leave a clue -- probably in case an emergency arose.

Leia sends pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to meet with Lor San Tekka (Max von Sydow) who has a map that leads to Luke Skywalker. Somehow, The First Order is also aware that Lor San Tekka knows the location of Luke Skywalker. So both The Resistance and The First Order descend on the planet Jakku. Poe Dameron arrives first, but The First Order soon descends on the scene. Poe Dameron hides the map with robot BB-8. Poe is than taken prisoner by Kylo Ren.

BB-8 eventually runs into Rey (Daisy Ridley). The First Order figures out that BB-8 has the map and put out a bounty on the robot. With the assistance of a former stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), Rey escapes the First Order and flies off in the Millennium Falcon!!! Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) find a pin needle in a haystack, coming across their ship.

This provides the set-up for the rest of the movie as the Resistance must both battle The First Order and search for Luke Skywalker.

So what did I think of this major blockbuster movie?

A pleasant enough popcorn movie. I say pleasant. It isn't a brilliant popcorn movie like the first Iron Man or The Dark Knight. The major knock I have on this is that I couldn't help but think this movie is nothing more than J.J. Abrams' youthful re-imagination of Star Wars: A New Hope.

Also, what gets really irritating about this movie is all the wink winks to the original Star Wars. It got to the point where it felt like J.J. Abrams was ripping off the first movie.

And what's up with both Rey and Finn holding their own to some degree with Kylo Ren in their individual lightsaber fights? It just drives me nuts when a highly trained warrior has difficulty fighting folks with limited skills. That's the one thing that irritated me with Man of Steel. How could Superman battle a trained warrior in General Zod when Superman had no previous experience in dealing with someone so powerful?

So I've read some of the theories out there and here's what I think about two of them (spoilers). Please note I'm not a super Star Wars fan so I don't know every minor detail about the franchise.

Is Kylo Ren a double agent? I don't think so. Someone killing off the person that he killed off (I'll leave that one a secret), would seem to indicate he is not a double agent. One should only go so far. If Kylo is a double agent, he went too far in killing off you-know-who. I'm not saying that Kylo Ren won't eventually find redemption, I'm just saying he's no double agent.

Who is Rey's father? Luke? Leia? Obi-Wan's grandchild? Or reincarnation of Darth Vader. I toss out the Darth Vader part. As mentioned in one article I read, Darth Vader was redeemed in Return of the Jedi. Also, it just seems too out in left field to learn that Rey is the reincarnation of Darth Vader. I could buy her being Luke's, Leia's or Obi-Wan's. The more seems to give credence to all 3 ideas. Rey being Luke's daughter seems the most obvious based on the movie, but then that could just be a red herring.

A Movie Review: Creed

Creed. Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) has a troubled youth. But then fate arrives. Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad), wife of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, arrives at a youth facility. Adonis is not her son. Apollo had an extramarital affair and Adonis is his son. So because of this relationship, she takes him in.

The movie fast forwards to Adonis as a young adult. He has a solid job at a Los Angeles financial firm. Yet, he wants to be a boxer like his father. During the weekends, he heads down to Mexico for boxing bouts. After a string of victories, he decides to resign from his job and make boxing his career. Mary Anne is furious and a local boxing training camp in Los Angeles refuses to train him.

He decides to head to Philadelphia and see if he can convince Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him. Rocky resists, but is eventually convinced to become his trainer. Word eventually gets out that Adonis is Apollo's son. Adonis is then given a chance to fight the current light heavyweight champion Conlan (Tony Bellew). It might seem ridiculous for a new comer to be given a chance to fight the current champion; however, the current champion due to his crazy lifestyle is facing time in prison, which will essentially end his boxing career. Also, a planned fight was cancelled because the challenger broke his hand. So he desperately wants one last fight before heading off to prison.

This is a great movie that provides homage to the Rocky movies, but at the same time hands the reins over to (should he want it) Michael B. Jordan. There is the catch the chicken scene. There is a photo of Rocky with his young son, who now lives in Vancouver. There is a scene of bikers (not young kids), surrounding Adonis as he is out running.

I'm not saying this is an Oscar worthy film, but it is a solid popcorn movie.

And the 1st or 2nd sequel will probably have Conlan getting an early release from prison and challenging a cocky new champion Creed to a re-match.

A Movie Review: Brooklyn

Brooklyn. Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) lives in a small Irish town. She is unable to find full-time work so via the Catholic Church, she is able to relocate to New York where she is employed by a department store and lives at a boarding house for women. The local priest that sponsored her move to New York signs her up for accounting courses at a local night college. She also runs into a young Italian named Tony (Emory Cohen) at an Irish dance hall event. They start dating and consider getting married. Then disaster strikes back in Ireland. Eilis' sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) dies unexpectedly. Eilis heads back home where the temptation to stay is strong. She ends up being torn between her new life in America and the familiarity of Ireland.

There are a couple things with this movie that irritate me. First, I just don't by the relationship between Eilis and Tony. I feel like a snob for saying so, but Eilis is way smarter and intelligent then Tony. I can't help but think in the long run she'd grow bored with him. Second, we know up front that she moves to America due to her inability to find work. When the decision to return to America or not must finally be made, she comes up with a totally different reason for coming to her final decision. And I really don't support the final argument she makes -- trying here not to give spoilers -- because I think it is defensive and weak.

I will say this movie does shine in places. For example, the time spent on the ship and how Eilis must learn how to navigate life on a boat provide some great tidbits of 1950s travel. I also enjoyed the scenes of Eilis back in Ireland and seeing how even though it appears she hasn't changed all that much as a person, she really had taken on the look of a big city woman.

I just can't say that this is a brilliant movie, because I found the underlying theme of the movie (a decision regarding the old vs new) flawed.

A Movie Review: The Peanuts Movie

The Peanuts Movie. Honestly, what a sweat and simple movie. The over-arching story line is about Charlie Brown and his crush on the Little Red-Haired Girl. The movie doesn't go for updating the Peanuts for a new generation. There are no cell phones. No computers. Phone calls are still made via rotary phones.

The movie also interweaves all the old favorites from the Peanuts catalog. There is the hockey game on the frozen pond. There is Charlie Brown trying to fly a kite. Lucy is still charging 5 cents for her advice -- though I did notice she gave Charlie Brown a free book. And Sally considers her brother a hero even though he finds himself filled with self doubt. And then there is the adorable Snoopy, flying his dog house over Europe.

Yes, this is a movie for children and all adults who are still young at heart.

 

A Movie Review: Spotlight

Spotlight. This movie is based on real events regarding a massive cover-up by the Boston Catholic Archdiocese regarding child molestation. The movie title comes from the investigative team for the Boston Globe. Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton) leads the team as they carefully go through the evidence. Many of their leads come from newspaper clippings where short articles were written up regarding settlements between the Catholic Church and victims, but no follow-ups were ever made. So this isn't just a move about the corruption within a church, but also about the free pass provided the church by the community.

This is a movie that really makes one consider a career in journalism. I think a top notch movie often does that -- be it a musician, an FBI agent, a police detective. I love how this movie follows the reporters as they question victims, former Catholic leaders, lawyers and various other individuals.

There is a lot more to love about this movie:

I love how the movie deals with the most simplest of things -- time, as an example. Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) is working with a support group, interviewing various members of the group. Unfortunately, Sept 11th, 2001 happens and the whole newspaper focuses in on the aftermath of the terrorist attack. I really like how Sacha Pfeiffer responds to the group leader, mentioning the fact that 2 months has passed. It allows the viewer to put things into a timeline context.

I love how the movie makes things personal when Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James) figures out that child molesters are living just around the corner of his house. It is personal, because he has children and he obviously knows the neighborhood children. And yet, he can't say anything to his neighbors.

I love how the movie tosses in tidbits. One being that we're viewing the final days of a dying media -- the all powerful newspaper; that we're just about to enter a new world of journalism.

And being a numbers guy: I love how they toss out statistics throughout the movie.

What would I have liked to have seen in this movie:

I would have loved a few scenes of Cardinal Law (Len Cariou), meeting with his staff as they discussed the Spotlight investigation. Cardinal Law knew the investigation was happening. What was he thinking? Well, maybe that is just something we don't know.

A Movie Review: Spectre

Spectre. I suspect that re-watching the previous Daniel Craig movie versions of the James Bond series would have been useful. There were various references that one knew had to deal with the prior movies, but I personally just couldn't recall the specifics. To me, it is a little unfair to reference Quantum of Solace, which was way back in 2008. James Bond isn't like the Harry Potter series where a new movie came out every 18 months.

Anyways, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is on a mission in Mexico. The former M (Judi Dench) sent him on the mission. The current M (Ralph Fiennes) knows nothing about this and therefore places Bond on suspension for making a serious mess in Mexico.

Bond will not allow a suspension to take him away from his mission. Bond attends a funeral in Rome of one of the individuals he killed. The widow of the man gives Bond info on a secret organization called Spectre. With this information, he begins to unravel the true nature of Spectre.

As hinted above, I found this movie a touch hard to follow as there are references to previous Bond movies. I think if one really wants to get into the background of the movie, re-watching the previous Daniel Craig movies would be useful.

There is one thing that really got me irritated about this movie. That one thing has to do with how the Bond girl, Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), character is portrayed. We know before she is introduced to us that she knows how to take care of herself. We also learn that she knows how to handle a weapon. She even takes a major part in saving James Bond from an assassin. And yet, when the second to the last big action scene takes place, she is basically just the hot Bond girl being protected by James Bond. Mercy, she knows how to shoot, why doesn't she pick up a weapon?!?! There are weapons all over the place, next to dead bad guys. I swear I saw Bond pick up a gun from a dead bad guy. What, she couldn't pick up one, as well?!?! To me, this is a serious flaw in the movie. If you're going to write a character who knows how to handle a weapon, then let that character handle a weapon when the need arises.

A Movie Review: Room

Room. Ma/Joy (Brie Larson) and five-year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay) are being held captive by Old Nick (Sean Bridgers). They are held captive in a shed, which is perhaps the size of one of those super small apartments in New York City that you read about every so often. Inside is a small bedroom/living room/kitchen/bathroom. Ma/Joy was kidnapped at the age of 17. At some point later, via rape, she gets pregnant with Jack.

To shield Jack from his harsh life, Ma/Joy creates a fantasy world in which their room/prison is all that there is and that Old Nick is an alien who provides them with the necessities of life.

Ma/Joy had attempted to escape before, but with the birth of Jack it appears that she had put that thought on hold. She decides to make another attempt when she learns that Old Nick is unemployed, potentially putting Jack and her at risk. She has to inform Jack that she created a false reality for him. Then she has to convince him to be a participant in her escape plan.

I found this movie an interesting study on how individuals recovery from emotional trauma. This movie could have dealt with the desire for revenge, but once Ma/Joy and Jack escape to freedom there is little discussion about Old Nick. Instead, we see how Ma/Joy deals with her emotional scars and how Jack adjusts to a very very big world.

A Movie Review: Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs. The movie opens with Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) and his marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) preparing for the launch of the Macintosh at an Apple Event. Apple fans are outside the auditorium, waiting for the doors to open. Yet, there is a problem. The Macintosh has a bug that prevents it from saying, "Hello." He also has domestic problems. He refuses to recognize that a child named Lisa is his biological daughter and he has issues with his ex-girlfriend.

The movie then continues through Jobs' forced exit from Apple, his launch of NeXT and his eventual return to Apple.  

This movie feels like a no holds barred look at Steve Jobs. I don't think that anyone can walk away from this movie without thinking that Steve Jobs was a jerk to his family and friends. He over-looked his flaws, but expected perfection and total loyalty from those around him. It also shows a man with a vision who fails twice, but keeps to that vision and eventually wins out. A complex view of an iconic man.

What do I wish the movie had dealt with? I wish the movie had looked into his involvement in Pixar. I'm actually not an Apple fan and don't know a whole lot about Steve Jobs, but based on the movie I can't help but wonder if he got involved with Pixar because it was a way to connect to his daughter.

One part of the movie I question: towards the end of the movie -- honestly, I don't think this is a spoiler -- Lisa is at an Apple launch event for the iMac. There is another parent-daughter argument going on and she refuses to meet with her father. Okay, so why even show up at the event in the first place if you're angry with your father?