This film is based on the real story of Brittany O'Neill. She is a writer and Director Paul Downs Colaizzo’s friend and former roommate. She began a similar journey toward better health in her late 20’s. Brittany Forgleris is 27 years old and she lives in New York. She’s everyone’s best friend but she’s not a best friend to herself. She goes to a new doctor and the reason for her visit is to try to get a prescription for Adderall. This is a combination medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. The doctor advises Brittany to get healthy. She needs to lose weight, lower her BMI, blood pressure and blood sugar. Brittany is too broke to join a gym and she’s too proud to ask for help. Brittany doesn’t know what she’s going to do until she starts a conversation with her neighbor Catherine. Brittany can join the running club that Catherine belongs to and she can start by running one block. Brittany decides she’s going to start running and this decision leads to another decision. She sets a goal to run the New York City Marathon!!
This film was a LOT better than I thought it would be!! You can see the muscles coming on and the weight coming off of Brittany’s body. Jillian Bell actually lost 40 pounds during filming just like Brittany. Jillian Bell worked with a marathon trainer to help her figure out how her running style would look and to evolve throughout the film. She goes from a novice to an experienced runner training for a long distance run. There is a set back when Brittany over trains and she gets a stress fracture. There are positive messages when characters change slowly over time and they learn how to be kinder to others and to themselves. The characters make mistakes, they are relatable, and they try to succeed at doing better. There is courage, perseverance and self-control. 5* (I really liked this movie)
104 min, Comedy directed and written by Paul Downs Colaizzo with Jillian Bell, Jennifer Dunda, Patch Darragh, Alice Lee, Erica Hernandez, Max Pava, Michaela Watkins, Adam Sietz, Dan Bittner, Mikey Day, Lil Red Howery, Kate Arrington, Beth Malone, Micah Stock, Esteban Benito.
Note: Imdb 6.8 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 89% with 175 critics 87% audience with 1338 ratings, Roger Ebert 3* Monica Castillo, The Washington Post 3* out of 4* Ann Hornaday, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Cath Clarke, Letterboxd 3.3*, Metacritic 72 out of 100 with 33 critics (24 positive, 8 mixed, 1 negative) 5.6 out of 10 (16 positive, 7 mixed, 8 negative), Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 1172 reviews, Common Sense Media Joyce Slaton, 5*, age 15+, 3* positive, 3* role models, 4* sex, 4* language, 4* drinking, drugs, smoking.
Special Note: The cast and crew actually got to film at the New York city Marathon and this is the first time a non-documentary film crew has been allowed to shoot there. During filming, many of the runners thought that Jillian Bell was really running and it was being filmed as part of a documentary. Several times other runners stopped to help her during the more difficult scenes. She didn’t have the heart to explain she wasn’t actually running the Marathon!!
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Les Cowboys 2015
The time period of this film is 1995. Alain and his wife Nicole have a son Georges and a daughter Kelly. Alain is an aspiring country singer and the family attends festivals with American western dancing and singing. While at an event without Kelly, the family learns that their sixteen-year-old daughter is missing. She has been taken by her Muslim boyfriend that they know nothing about. Alain is furious and desperate to find Kelly. Alain contacts local authorities but they are very ambivalent about helping the family? He receives a letter from Kelly saying she is okay and she wants to be left alone? Alain is accompanied by his son Georges (he really doesn’t want to go on these trips) and they travel long distances for several years to locate Kelly. She was not found in Syria and Yemen. They find themselves to be always one step behind the Muslim people who have Kelly. Over time, Georges decides he can’t do the traveling anymore and Alain goes alone. Later, Georges continues the quest on his own without Alain. During all this time, the mother Nicole has been the only family member to move on with her life?
I found it interesting in this film how the action of one family member changes everything for the other family members!! The only one seemingly able to cope is Nicole, the wife and mother. I would have thought that she would be the one most upset? All along, Alain is assuming that Kelly has been kidnapped against her will? Even after receiving the letter, he still can’t believe the truth that Kelly left on her own? Possibly, Nicole and Georges but not Alain may think that their disapproval doesn’t matter because Kelly went willingly with her boyfriend? The one aspect of this movie that doesn’t seem to add up for me is why is John C. Riley in this film as L’Americain?? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
104 min, Drama directed by Thomas Bidegain and written by Laurent Abitbol, Thomas Bidegain and Noe Debre with Francois Damiens, Finnegan Oldfield, Agathe Cronne, Ellora Torchia, Antoine Chappey, Maxim Driesen, Jean-Louis Coulloc’h, Gilles Treton, Francis Leplay, Djemel Barek, Mounir Margoum, Leila Saadali, Laure Calamy, Antoine Regent, Ilianna Zabeth.
Note: Imdb 6.7 out of 1855 views, Roger Ebert 1 1/2* out of 5* review by Glenn Kenny, Rotten Tomatoes 82% with 45 critics 70% audience with 300 ratings, RollingStone 3* out of 4* Peter Travers, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Leslie Felperin.
Special Note: Filmed in Rhone-Alpes, France; Udaipur, Rajasthan, India; Antwerp & Brussels, Belgium. Francois Damiens plays Alain Balland and this role is similar to the role of Sacha in Gare Du Nord of 2013. There is a mistake in the scenes of the 9/11 attacks in America. A reporter states that the Department of Homeland Security is in a panic because of the attacks? This Department did not exist on 9/11 but was created in November 25, 2002. In the review by Glenn Kenny on the Roger Ebert web site he states: “This film has been pushed as a variation of the John Ford film The Searcher. I believe the invited comparison is pretty ill-advised?”
I found it interesting in this film how the action of one family member changes everything for the other family members!! The only one seemingly able to cope is Nicole, the wife and mother. I would have thought that she would be the one most upset? All along, Alain is assuming that Kelly has been kidnapped against her will? Even after receiving the letter, he still can’t believe the truth that Kelly left on her own? Possibly, Nicole and Georges but not Alain may think that their disapproval doesn’t matter because Kelly went willingly with her boyfriend? The one aspect of this movie that doesn’t seem to add up for me is why is John C. Riley in this film as L’Americain?? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
104 min, Drama directed by Thomas Bidegain and written by Laurent Abitbol, Thomas Bidegain and Noe Debre with Francois Damiens, Finnegan Oldfield, Agathe Cronne, Ellora Torchia, Antoine Chappey, Maxim Driesen, Jean-Louis Coulloc’h, Gilles Treton, Francis Leplay, Djemel Barek, Mounir Margoum, Leila Saadali, Laure Calamy, Antoine Regent, Ilianna Zabeth.
Note: Imdb 6.7 out of 1855 views, Roger Ebert 1 1/2* out of 5* review by Glenn Kenny, Rotten Tomatoes 82% with 45 critics 70% audience with 300 ratings, RollingStone 3* out of 4* Peter Travers, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Leslie Felperin.
Special Note: Filmed in Rhone-Alpes, France; Udaipur, Rajasthan, India; Antwerp & Brussels, Belgium. Francois Damiens plays Alain Balland and this role is similar to the role of Sacha in Gare Du Nord of 2013. There is a mistake in the scenes of the 9/11 attacks in America. A reporter states that the Department of Homeland Security is in a panic because of the attacks? This Department did not exist on 9/11 but was created in November 25, 2002. In the review by Glenn Kenny on the Roger Ebert web site he states: “This film has been pushed as a variation of the John Ford film The Searcher. I believe the invited comparison is pretty ill-advised?”
The Cave 2019
The setting of this film is in Director Feras Fayyad’s native war torn Syria from 2016 to 2018. He is following a dedicated team of doctors. They tirelessly treat casualties in an underground hospital. The women are also battling systemic sexism just because they are women?? The setting of the underground hospital seems like a subterranean landscape like the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max 1979. Life is too dangerous above ground and there is a network of secret tunnels under the city of Ghouta near Damascus. The heart of the film is pediatrician Dr. Amani. She is a young Syrian woman operating in unimaginable conditions. She has great humor and fortitude.
Many people in Syria have been driven from their homes by relentless bombings by their own military and outside forces such as Russia. There is a calm in the tunnel because there is nowhere else left to run feeling. The Cave is actually a lighthouse for those in need above and below the city’s war-torn surface. Unfortunately, the hospital supplies and staff dwindle and the city survivors face endless threats from airstrikes and starvation. Dr. Amani Ballour stays calm when she is berated by sexist men for not staying at home to be a mother. He believes he could get medication in the town if a male doctor had written the prescription? Dr. Ballour has real problems to solve and she doesn’t have time for negative chit-chat!! Samaher is a nurse and she seems to be able to help with doing everything. Surgeries and cooking meals out of limited rations. Many of the stories told in The Cave and also Last Men in Aleppo are about events happening in this war that never reach the news.
There are many people of all ages coming to the hospital for treatment. Everything is in short supply and some things are completely gone. Children and adults need treatment for shell fragments, chemical burns and malnutrition. The children can go all day without having anything to eat? The hospital staff is happy to eat salad and popcorn. You can see the injuries and pain of the people and also of the hospital staff. How long will the hospital be in one piece and able to provide treatment? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
107 min, Documentary directed by Feras Fayyad and written by Alisar Hasan and Feras Fayyad with Amani Ballour and Salim Namour.
Note: Imdb 8.1 out of 10 with 362 views, Rotten Tomatoes 96% out of 100 with 56 critics. Roger Ebert 3 1/2* out of 4* Monica Castillo, Amazon 5* with 4 reviews, Metacritic 83 out of 100 with 21 critics (19 positive, 2 mixed) 6.3 out of 10 with (5 positive 3 negative).
Special Note: Filmed in Syria. This film was shortlisted for the Documentary Feature Oscar but Director Feras Fayyad was denied a visa to the US to attend any events to promote his film?? This is a follow-up to the documentary Last Men in Aleppo.
Syrian Conflict: The war in Syria began on 15 March 2011 with demonstrations called the Arab Spring. The protestors demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad. In 2013, Hesbollah entered the war in support of the Syrian army. Russia has supported the Bashar al-Assad government of Syria since 2011, politically, military aid and direct military involvement since September 2015. As a result of the conflict there is terrorism, violence, civil unrest, kidnapping, use of chemical warfare, bombardment by war planes in the air and armed conflict. On 14 April 2018, the US, France and the UK carried out a series of military strikes with aircraft and ship-based missiles against multiple government sites in Syria.
Many people in Syria have been driven from their homes by relentless bombings by their own military and outside forces such as Russia. There is a calm in the tunnel because there is nowhere else left to run feeling. The Cave is actually a lighthouse for those in need above and below the city’s war-torn surface. Unfortunately, the hospital supplies and staff dwindle and the city survivors face endless threats from airstrikes and starvation. Dr. Amani Ballour stays calm when she is berated by sexist men for not staying at home to be a mother. He believes he could get medication in the town if a male doctor had written the prescription? Dr. Ballour has real problems to solve and she doesn’t have time for negative chit-chat!! Samaher is a nurse and she seems to be able to help with doing everything. Surgeries and cooking meals out of limited rations. Many of the stories told in The Cave and also Last Men in Aleppo are about events happening in this war that never reach the news.
There are many people of all ages coming to the hospital for treatment. Everything is in short supply and some things are completely gone. Children and adults need treatment for shell fragments, chemical burns and malnutrition. The children can go all day without having anything to eat? The hospital staff is happy to eat salad and popcorn. You can see the injuries and pain of the people and also of the hospital staff. How long will the hospital be in one piece and able to provide treatment? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
107 min, Documentary directed by Feras Fayyad and written by Alisar Hasan and Feras Fayyad with Amani Ballour and Salim Namour.
Note: Imdb 8.1 out of 10 with 362 views, Rotten Tomatoes 96% out of 100 with 56 critics. Roger Ebert 3 1/2* out of 4* Monica Castillo, Amazon 5* with 4 reviews, Metacritic 83 out of 100 with 21 critics (19 positive, 2 mixed) 6.3 out of 10 with (5 positive 3 negative).
Special Note: Filmed in Syria. This film was shortlisted for the Documentary Feature Oscar but Director Feras Fayyad was denied a visa to the US to attend any events to promote his film?? This is a follow-up to the documentary Last Men in Aleppo.
Syrian Conflict: The war in Syria began on 15 March 2011 with demonstrations called the Arab Spring. The protestors demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad. In 2013, Hesbollah entered the war in support of the Syrian army. Russia has supported the Bashar al-Assad government of Syria since 2011, politically, military aid and direct military involvement since September 2015. As a result of the conflict there is terrorism, violence, civil unrest, kidnapping, use of chemical warfare, bombardment by war planes in the air and armed conflict. On 14 April 2018, the US, France and the UK carried out a series of military strikes with aircraft and ship-based missiles against multiple government sites in Syria.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Blue Caprice 2013
The setting of this film is the Beltway Highway on the East Coast in 2002. An abandoned boy is brought to America and he is drawn into the shadow of a dangerous father figure. They were the two people involved in the Beltway sniper attacks. Ten people were killed and three people were wounded in the Washington, D.C. area and parts of Virginia. They were described as mass murderers but their sustained, long-term viciousness marked them as serial killers. The shooters left Tarot cards at certain crime scenes with messages. Some had the message, “For you Mr. Police” and “Code: ‘Call me God’” and “Do not release to the press.” For a long time, authorities and the media assumed they were looking for one person as the killer. It was also thought he was a white man? These misconceptions were not cleared up until after John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were arrested.
Muhammad and Malvo met in Antigua and Lee became a surrogate son to Muhammad because his mother left him. John Allen was obsessed with killing his estranged wife Mildred. She had a restraining order against him and he couldn’t see their three children. At one time, he too the children to Antigua without Mildred’s permission and she was the custodial parent. Supposedly, the real motive for the shootings was to provide an elaborate cover for murdering Mildred? Initially Malvo took credit for being the trigger man in every killing. But, he was protecting Muhammad. He thought he would not be put to death as a minor but it was possible Muhammad would get the death penalty? Muhammad also had Matrix style fantasies of humankind toiling under the yoke of an evil machine with overlords. He had vague future plans to kill a policeman, bomb more police at a victim’s funeral, extort money from the U.S. Government and train other fatherless boys to fight The System. I had seen this film before but I didn’t remember very much about it? I do remember the headlines in the newspapers and the fear by the public of being killed randomly. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
93 min, Bio directed by Alexandre Moors and written by R.F.I. Porto and Alexandre Moors with Tequan Richmond, April Yvette Thompson, Isaiah Washington, Abner Exposito, Raul and Laura Aquino, Cassandra Freeman, J.W. Cortes, Maul Donte Davis, Nick Soviecke, Margaret Horning.
Note: Imdb 6 out of 10 with 5,326 views, Rotten Tomatoes 83% with 83 critics 51% audience with 7,248 ratings, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* Matt Zoller Seitz, RollingStone 3 1/2* Peter Travers, Metacritic 76 out of 100 with 25 critics (positive 20, mixed 5, negative 0), 6.9 out of 10 (positive 21, mixed 6, negative 2), Slant Magazine 3 1/2* out of 4* Thomas Hachard, Amazon 3.2* of 5*.
Special Note: There is a mistake when Lee is walking towards the Army recruiter. A Lexus RX SUV is seen but the film takes place in 2001 and this model was not produced before 2003. This Caprice model sometimes had and then sometimes didn’t have a wheel cover on the front left wheel? When the Caprice is driving towards Washington DC, it has a different license plate number than during the rest of the film? The Caprice was modified by Muhammad to have a cutout in the backseat for a rifle barrel to be inserted through the opening. It was large enough for the shooter to see the intended victims.
Muhammad and Malvo met in Antigua and Lee became a surrogate son to Muhammad because his mother left him. John Allen was obsessed with killing his estranged wife Mildred. She had a restraining order against him and he couldn’t see their three children. At one time, he too the children to Antigua without Mildred’s permission and she was the custodial parent. Supposedly, the real motive for the shootings was to provide an elaborate cover for murdering Mildred? Initially Malvo took credit for being the trigger man in every killing. But, he was protecting Muhammad. He thought he would not be put to death as a minor but it was possible Muhammad would get the death penalty? Muhammad also had Matrix style fantasies of humankind toiling under the yoke of an evil machine with overlords. He had vague future plans to kill a policeman, bomb more police at a victim’s funeral, extort money from the U.S. Government and train other fatherless boys to fight The System. I had seen this film before but I didn’t remember very much about it? I do remember the headlines in the newspapers and the fear by the public of being killed randomly. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
93 min, Bio directed by Alexandre Moors and written by R.F.I. Porto and Alexandre Moors with Tequan Richmond, April Yvette Thompson, Isaiah Washington, Abner Exposito, Raul and Laura Aquino, Cassandra Freeman, J.W. Cortes, Maul Donte Davis, Nick Soviecke, Margaret Horning.
Note: Imdb 6 out of 10 with 5,326 views, Rotten Tomatoes 83% with 83 critics 51% audience with 7,248 ratings, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* Matt Zoller Seitz, RollingStone 3 1/2* Peter Travers, Metacritic 76 out of 100 with 25 critics (positive 20, mixed 5, negative 0), 6.9 out of 10 (positive 21, mixed 6, negative 2), Slant Magazine 3 1/2* out of 4* Thomas Hachard, Amazon 3.2* of 5*.
Special Note: There is a mistake when Lee is walking towards the Army recruiter. A Lexus RX SUV is seen but the film takes place in 2001 and this model was not produced before 2003. This Caprice model sometimes had and then sometimes didn’t have a wheel cover on the front left wheel? When the Caprice is driving towards Washington DC, it has a different license plate number than during the rest of the film? The Caprice was modified by Muhammad to have a cutout in the backseat for a rifle barrel to be inserted through the opening. It was large enough for the shooter to see the intended victims.
The Wind and the Lion 1975
I have seen this movie before but I forgot about that when I selected this to watch. This story is based on a historical incident involving the kidnapping of Ion Perdicaris. She’s an American expatriate living in Tangier. Ion is a man in the incident but the story was changed with Ion as a woman for this movie. Another change is in an American attack on the Bashaw’s palace in Tangier. Two children and the battle between the American and German forces were all invented by Director John Milius. The setting is the beginning of the 20th century. An American woman is abducted in Morocco by Berbers. The Berbers are a group of indigenous people of North Africa. The majority of Berbers are settled farmers or migrant workers. Today some Berbers identify as Arabized Berbers and they live in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia Northern Mali and Northern Niger. The attempts to free Ion range from diplomatic pressure to military intervention.
The Marines began as the dominant power when they marched in but then they are outnumbered after Raisuli is captured? The scene shows how unexpected their arrival was and how fast they move. This is because they came in unopposed and no one was expecting them. Even the American Ambassador was not informed they would arrive? In this time period, the US was far from a world power despite the Spanish American War and our presence in China. Even so, we dared to play the imperial game the way the British or French would!! Actually, the entire business of the rescue is fiction and not historically accurate. American Consul Pedicaris wasn’t an American, he was British. This is common because America didn’t always have a presence in places where a consul was needed. The leaders are are acting in a manner reflecting only their personal agendas and not the attitudes of the world at large? 3* (This movie is OK)
119 min, Action directed and written by John Milius with Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, John Huston, Geoffrey Lewis, Steve Kanaly, Vladek Sheybal, Nadim Sawalha, Roy Jenson, Deborah Baxter, Jack Cooley, Chris Aller, Simon Harrison, Polly Gottesman, Antoine Saint-John.
Note: Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 7,741 views, Rotten Tomatoes 63% with 16 critics 70% audience with 4,901 user ratings, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 359 reviews, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*.
Special Note: Filmed in Real Alcazar, Seveill, Andalucia, Madrid, Huelva, Spain. A list of BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, in charge of ratings from universal (age 4+ and 18 adults only) requests to remove horse falls caused Director Milius to withdraw this movie from an intended UK video release in 1990. He claimed that no animal cruelty had taken place concerning horses? His claim was supported by stuntman Terry Leonard. Milius threatened to sue the BBFC for besmirching his professional reputation? Twenty U.S. Marines were using in the making of this movie and several Special Forces troops came from the Spanish Army. The military scenes are used as training films for the U.S. Marine Corps.
The Marines began as the dominant power when they marched in but then they are outnumbered after Raisuli is captured? The scene shows how unexpected their arrival was and how fast they move. This is because they came in unopposed and no one was expecting them. Even the American Ambassador was not informed they would arrive? In this time period, the US was far from a world power despite the Spanish American War and our presence in China. Even so, we dared to play the imperial game the way the British or French would!! Actually, the entire business of the rescue is fiction and not historically accurate. American Consul Pedicaris wasn’t an American, he was British. This is common because America didn’t always have a presence in places where a consul was needed. The leaders are are acting in a manner reflecting only their personal agendas and not the attitudes of the world at large? 3* (This movie is OK)
119 min, Action directed and written by John Milius with Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, John Huston, Geoffrey Lewis, Steve Kanaly, Vladek Sheybal, Nadim Sawalha, Roy Jenson, Deborah Baxter, Jack Cooley, Chris Aller, Simon Harrison, Polly Gottesman, Antoine Saint-John.
Note: Imdb 6.9 out of 10 with 7,741 views, Rotten Tomatoes 63% with 16 critics 70% audience with 4,901 user ratings, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 359 reviews, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*.
Special Note: Filmed in Real Alcazar, Seveill, Andalucia, Madrid, Huelva, Spain. A list of BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, in charge of ratings from universal (age 4+ and 18 adults only) requests to remove horse falls caused Director Milius to withdraw this movie from an intended UK video release in 1990. He claimed that no animal cruelty had taken place concerning horses? His claim was supported by stuntman Terry Leonard. Milius threatened to sue the BBFC for besmirching his professional reputation? Twenty U.S. Marines were using in the making of this movie and several Special Forces troops came from the Spanish Army. The military scenes are used as training films for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee 2007
This film is based on a nonfiction book by Dee Brown and it’s a historic chronicle explaining how Native Americans were displaced as the United States expanded west. The time setting is the 1880’s after the U.S. Army’s defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The U.S. government continues to push Sioux Indians off their land. Senator Henry Dawes introduced legislation to protect the rights of Native Americans. Elaine Goodale is a school teacher in South Dakota. She joined the Sioux natives and Western-educated Santee Daota tribe member Dr. Charles Eastman in working with this tribe. Lakota Chief Sitting Bull refuses give in to mounting government pressure.
This film shows what happened to the Indians and how their land was stolen from them. Charles Eastman studied medicine and returned to help the Indian people. When he saw what the westward expansion was doing to his people, he tried to get Henry Dawes to listen to what he has to say. Dawes was an attorney and politician, a Republican US Senator and US Representative from Massachusetts. Shown in this film are two intense massacre scenes. One at the Little Big Horn with the Indians killing killing people and the other at Wounded Knee with the white people killing Indians. Women and children also die in the massacre and from epidemics due to diseases. The school house environment for the Indian children is bleak and oppressive. There are educational moments about this history. There were peace treaties but they were largely broken and rewritten because of greed for railroad and mining territory by the white people. Even Siting Bull became weary of the battles and casualties. He turns in his rifle and moves to the reservation. Charles Eastman was appalled by the poverty, lack of purpose, deadly fever epidemics and restlessness shown by the Indians and this finally lead to the incident at Wounded Knee. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
133 min, TV Drama directed by Yves Simoneau and written by Daniel Giat with Anna Paquin, Chavez Ezaneh, August Schellenberg, Duane Howard, Aidan Quinn, Colm Feore, Fred Dalton Thompson, Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, Wayne Charles Baker, Brian Stollery, Shaun Johnston, Gordon Tootoosis, Billy Merasty, Morris Birdyellowhead, Eddie Spears.
Note: Imdb 7.1 out of 10 with 5,751 views, Rotten Tomatoes 78% audience with 3,813 scores, Common Sense Media Charles Cassady Jr. age 14+, 3* out of 5*, 3* positive, 3* role models, 3* violence, 3* language, 1* drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 1511 ratings, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*.
Special Note: Filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This film was originally developed in 1995 as a two-part miniseries for ABC. August Schellenberg previously played Sitting Bull in Witness to Yesterday 1973 and Crazy Horse 1996. After an Oscar rejection speech by Sacheen Littlefeather, Marin Scorsese approached Marlon Brando about starring in this film. They worked on a script for several months but the it wasn’t completed. Several scenes were filmed at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald and the Alberta Legislature building in Edmonton, Alberta.
Awards: Outstanding Made for Television Movie, Cinematography, Single-Camera Picture Editing, Makeup for Miniseries, Sound Editing, Single Camera Sound Mixing.
This film shows what happened to the Indians and how their land was stolen from them. Charles Eastman studied medicine and returned to help the Indian people. When he saw what the westward expansion was doing to his people, he tried to get Henry Dawes to listen to what he has to say. Dawes was an attorney and politician, a Republican US Senator and US Representative from Massachusetts. Shown in this film are two intense massacre scenes. One at the Little Big Horn with the Indians killing killing people and the other at Wounded Knee with the white people killing Indians. Women and children also die in the massacre and from epidemics due to diseases. The school house environment for the Indian children is bleak and oppressive. There are educational moments about this history. There were peace treaties but they were largely broken and rewritten because of greed for railroad and mining territory by the white people. Even Siting Bull became weary of the battles and casualties. He turns in his rifle and moves to the reservation. Charles Eastman was appalled by the poverty, lack of purpose, deadly fever epidemics and restlessness shown by the Indians and this finally lead to the incident at Wounded Knee. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
133 min, TV Drama directed by Yves Simoneau and written by Daniel Giat with Anna Paquin, Chavez Ezaneh, August Schellenberg, Duane Howard, Aidan Quinn, Colm Feore, Fred Dalton Thompson, Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, Wayne Charles Baker, Brian Stollery, Shaun Johnston, Gordon Tootoosis, Billy Merasty, Morris Birdyellowhead, Eddie Spears.
Note: Imdb 7.1 out of 10 with 5,751 views, Rotten Tomatoes 78% audience with 3,813 scores, Common Sense Media Charles Cassady Jr. age 14+, 3* out of 5*, 3* positive, 3* role models, 3* violence, 3* language, 1* drinking, drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 1511 ratings, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*.
Special Note: Filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This film was originally developed in 1995 as a two-part miniseries for ABC. August Schellenberg previously played Sitting Bull in Witness to Yesterday 1973 and Crazy Horse 1996. After an Oscar rejection speech by Sacheen Littlefeather, Marin Scorsese approached Marlon Brando about starring in this film. They worked on a script for several months but the it wasn’t completed. Several scenes were filmed at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald and the Alberta Legislature building in Edmonton, Alberta.
Awards: Outstanding Made for Television Movie, Cinematography, Single-Camera Picture Editing, Makeup for Miniseries, Sound Editing, Single Camera Sound Mixing.
Unfinished Sky 2007
This film is based on a screenplay titled De Poolse Bruid by Kees van der Hulst. John Woldring is a very honest Australian Outback sheep-farmer and he leads an isolated life. It’s just John and his dog Elvis on the farm. One night an exotic looking woman turns up at the farm. She has been running barefooted, she’s bruised and bleeding plus she’s very dirty from the running. She can’t explain what has happened to her. She doesn’t speak English and she’s extremely frightened!! Grumpily, John takes her into his home but he feels he doesn’t have a choice. She needs help and probably has no other place to go? He learns over time that she’s an Afghan refugee. She is looking for her other illegally emigrated relatives. John tries to help her with the language and he buys children’s books for her to read. John was married before but his wife died and he lets Tahmeena wear her clothes since she has nothing of her own to wear. Thameena and her relatives were brought to Australia by human traffickers and they are probably looking for her?
It’s very tragic what has happened to Thameena and her relatives. Her daughter Shahla has also been taken somewhere in Australia but she doesn’t know where is is? John is also trying to help Thameena find her daughter but she becomes almost suicidal when their first contact is not with her people and her daughter isn’t there. John learns that Thameena had escaped from virtual imprisonment at a local tavern. It at the travern that Thameena was beaten. As time goes by, John learns more about what happened to Thameena and that she is still in danger from the traffickers. They don't want anyone to learn what they have been doing and try to stop them. What they are doing is illegal but it their business??
3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
Note: Imdb 6.8 out of 10 with 930 views, Rotten Tomatoes 90% critic with 10 reviews 82% audience with 612 ratings, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 33 reviews, eyeforfilm.co.uk 2 1/2* out of 5*, themoviedb.org 65% user score.
94 min, Drama directed and written by Peter Duncan with William McInnes, Monic Hendrickx, Milo (John's dog), Bille Brown, Christopher Sommers, David Field, Sam Cotton, Kristina Andersen, Renai Caruso, Zulaikha Deen, Scott McRae, Roy Billing, Mercia Deane-Johns, Philippa Coulthard, Hannah Cocker.
Special Note: Filmed in Queensland, Australia. This film is a remake of another film titled The Polish Bride 1998. The title refers to a puzzle John had been working on with all blue pieces except for some white clouds at the top. Thameena started helping John with the puzzle but the sky is unfinished. Elvis is an Australian cattle dog. This breed of dog is extremely alert and intelligent plus loyal to their owners. They are wary of strangers and they bark to alert their owners. They are energetic and not suited for apartment or small space living. They thrive when they are given work to do. I have met some of these dogs in my neighborhood and they can try to dominate other dogs in passing.
It’s very tragic what has happened to Thameena and her relatives. Her daughter Shahla has also been taken somewhere in Australia but she doesn’t know where is is? John is also trying to help Thameena find her daughter but she becomes almost suicidal when their first contact is not with her people and her daughter isn’t there. John learns that Thameena had escaped from virtual imprisonment at a local tavern. It at the travern that Thameena was beaten. As time goes by, John learns more about what happened to Thameena and that she is still in danger from the traffickers. They don't want anyone to learn what they have been doing and try to stop them. What they are doing is illegal but it their business??
3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
Note: Imdb 6.8 out of 10 with 930 views, Rotten Tomatoes 90% critic with 10 reviews 82% audience with 612 ratings, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 33 reviews, eyeforfilm.co.uk 2 1/2* out of 5*, themoviedb.org 65% user score.
94 min, Drama directed and written by Peter Duncan with William McInnes, Monic Hendrickx, Milo (John's dog), Bille Brown, Christopher Sommers, David Field, Sam Cotton, Kristina Andersen, Renai Caruso, Zulaikha Deen, Scott McRae, Roy Billing, Mercia Deane-Johns, Philippa Coulthard, Hannah Cocker.
Special Note: Filmed in Queensland, Australia. This film is a remake of another film titled The Polish Bride 1998. The title refers to a puzzle John had been working on with all blue pieces except for some white clouds at the top. Thameena started helping John with the puzzle but the sky is unfinished. Elvis is an Australian cattle dog. This breed of dog is extremely alert and intelligent plus loyal to their owners. They are wary of strangers and they bark to alert their owners. They are energetic and not suited for apartment or small space living. They thrive when they are given work to do. I have met some of these dogs in my neighborhood and they can try to dominate other dogs in passing.
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