Lovelace 2013

     Linda Lovelace became a household name in the early 70’s.  Linda Boreman was living in the Florida suburbs when she meets Chuck Traynor.  They get married and Chuck has big plans.  He arranges for Linda to make a movie and they are off and running.  Her film becomes a moneymaker.  Six years later, Linda authors a tell-all book about what she really went through.  She becomes a crusader against domestic violence.

     This a very tough movie to watch.  It really shows there are two sides to every story.  Linda was lucky to be alive at the end of her marriage to Chuck!!  There is a lot of food for thought after viewing this film.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

93 min, Drama directed by Jeffrey Friedman, Robert Epstein with Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Wes Bently, Sharon Stone, Romeo Brown, Hank Azaria, Bobby Cannavale, Chris Noth.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 6.1 out of 10, 54% critic 37% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hannah Arendt 2012

     This film is a look at the life of German-Jewish philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt.  She was a reporter for The New Yorker during the 1961 war crimes trial of the Nazi Adolf Eichmann.  Footage of the actual trial is used.  Arendt is the author of Eichmann in Jerusalem and The Origins of Totalitarianism.

     So dull, I cannot begin to tell you how dull this really is.  If you are tired or susceptible to falling asleep in front of the screen, this will really put you out.  There are subtitles to read and they might make it just a little bit more difficult to drift off immediately.  Maybe I am just not a “thinker,” I cannot imagine wanting to read her books either?  2* (I didn’t like this movie)

113 Min, Biography directed by Margarethe von Trotta with Barbara Sukowa, Axel Milberg, Janet McTeer, Julie Jentsch, Ulrich Noethen, Michael Degen.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 86% critic 77% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

What Maisie Knew 2012

     This film is adapted from an 1897 novella by Henry James and updated to a contemporary New York City setting.  Susanna is a rock musician with a six-year old daughter, Maisie.  Her relationship is on the rocks with Beale, an art dealer and Maisie’s father.  Susanna is self-involved and Beale is egotistical.  Maisie spends a lot of time with her former nanny who is now married to Beale.  She also spends a lot of time with Lincoln, Susanna’s new boyfriend.  Susanna leaves on a music tour and Beale decides to relocate back to England.

     The two people who should be taking care of Maisie are the most uninvolved.  The two people who really care and take care of her are not related to her at all.  Slightly predictable, I could see where this was going a mile away but Aprile does an outstanding job in her role as Maisie.  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

98 min, Drama directed by David Siegel, Scott McGehee with Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Onata Aprile, Alexander Skarsgard, Joanna Vanderham. 

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 7.5 out of 10, 88% critic 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone 2013

     Burt was bullied as a kid and he didn’t have any friends until he met Anton.  Burt received a magic kit for his birthday and he started learning slights of hand with Anton.  Years later they have a very successful magic show in Las Vegas.  The only problem is they fight with each other during every performance and they don’t enjoy doing the magic anymore.  They split up and Burt isn’t able to translate their show into a one-man-show.  Steve Gray, another magician has started to draw his own crowds with his gritty street wizard show.

     A good idea and premise but fails to dazzle in a lot of scenes.  Can be somewhat predictable and repetitive in the comedy.  Carey is a nut case but not as grating as he can sometimes be.  3* (This movie is OK)

100 min, Comedy directed by Don Scardino with Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde, Alan Artkin, James Gandolfini, Michael Herbig, Mason Cook, Luke Vanek, Zachary Gordon.

Note:  Blockbuster 2 ½*, imdb 5.9 out of 10, 36% critic 34% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Hunt 2012

     Lucas is a 40-year-old divorced day-care worker.  He’s trying to arrange for his teenage son to start living with him instead of his mother.  A young girl, Klara, gets mad at Lucas because she tries to give him a gift and he says he cannot accept the gift.  He asks her to give the gift to her older brother instead.  She tells the manager Lucas did something bad.  Everyone in the town turns against Lucas, his son is not allowed to see him and he’s not welcome to shop in the local grocery store.  The police become involved since many of the children have come forward with the same story.

     This is tough movie to watch because of the theme but with very good acting.  Once everyone believes something about you, how do you change their minds?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)  

115 min, Drama directed by Thomas Vinterberg with Mads Mikkelsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lasse Fogelstrom, Susse Wold, Anne Louise Hassing, Lars Ranthe, Alexandra Rapaport.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 8.3 out of 10, 93% critic 94% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Before Midnight 2013

     This film is the sequel to Before Sunset (1995) and Before Sunrise (2004).  Jesse and Celine have twin daughters and Jesse has a teenage son from his previous marriage.  Jesse is feeling a lot of remorse because he lives in France and Hank lives in Chicago with his mother.  He thinks the geographical distance is bad for both of them.  Hank has just spent the summer with the family on a vacation in Greece and he has just left for Chicago.  The family has been staying with an author colleague of Jesse.

     The entire film is dialogue.  Talking, talking and then arguing, arguing.  I could not take anymore and I didn’t finish this film.  It’s like going to someone’s house and you never say a word but they never shut up!!  2* (I didn’t like this movie) 

109 min, Drama directed by Richard Linklater with Ethan Hawke, Julie Delphy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Jennifer and Charlotte Prior, Zenia Kalogeropoulou, Walter Lassally, Ariane Labed, Yiannis Papadopoulos.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 8.1 out of 10, 98% critic 83% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Secrets of Highclere Castle 2013:

     Highclere House in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom was built by the earls of Carvarvon as their home.  When an architect of Westminster Parliament did Neo-gothic remodeling on the house, the name was changed to Castle.  The 5^th Earl was an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist and he accompanied Howard Carter during the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922.  He married a wealthy woman and her fortune was used to pay for the upkeep on the castle and finance his trip to Egypt. The estate is the site of the filming of Downton Abbey.  Many more visitors are coming to view the estate since the popularity of the PBS series.   The current 9^th Earl has been able to finance much-needed repairs on the castle structure and other buildings located on the grounds.

     This good and provides a lot of information about the estate, the past earls and the present country life.  Since I’m a fan of Downton Abbey, it was nice to see more of the Castle and learn the history.  I was surprised about the tie-in to the discovery of Tutankhamen.  There are replicas at the Castle of some of the items found in the tomb.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

60 min, Docu directed by Vicky Matthews with Samuel West, Paul Brooke-Taylor, Fiona Herbert, Colin Edwards, Robert Hawker, George Herbert, Tom Hibberd Eddie Hughes. 

Note:  Blockbuster 2 ½*, imdb 8.3 out of 10.