Life at the Movies

Twenty minutes was too much. I sat down to watch the highly praised Son of Saul (2015, Hungary), not really wanting to, but still considering the film one to see. Its subject isn’t easy viewing. It is difficult to watch. Son of Saul is set in the Auschwitz concentration camps of World War II. They…

There is no place like home, even when space and time are obstacles A home is what the main character in a story is looking for, but this key character starts life in a movie with a sense of ‘home’. Say the main character is all cozy, comfortable, at peace. Eating pizza from the shop…

The Joker, Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter all wear masks. Their masks disguise the real self. In The Dark Knight (2008, USA), The Joker reveals what happened to him when he was a child to become an underground criminal. He then put on a mask. He is not only physically altered (a permanent ‘smile’), but emotionally…

The Huntsman Winter’s War (2016, USA) is a medieval fantasy, that continues the narrative of Snow White and the Huntsman (2012, USA). Challenging first act The prominent character, Queen Freya, isn’t sympathetic, at first. Freya cannot have love in this life so turns into the Ice Queen. She rises up an army and overtakes her sister’s…

Places in the Heart (1984, USA) is one inspirational film from the 1980’s. There is a trial from the outset, later becoming a story of overcoming the odds. The story Bad news comes to the Deep South, 1935. In the midst of the Great Depression, a death comes to the Spalding family. On his duties…

Despite its familiar themes, Concussion (2015, USA) is still fresh. It brings out of the film closet a topical issue. Hollywood has always been forerunners when it comes to bringing to the fore the timely issue, whether we would agree or not on the issue. Concussion is another forerunner, as it depicts the struggle to…

There is nothing like the feeling of knowing the Supreme Being is with you, in The 33 (2015; Chile, USA). Thirty-three miners are trapped, but the prospect of escaping unscathed may make them think, God is with them. God is with us The 33 is based on a true story, so to claim God is…

Through the hard times with each other We seem to need each other more than ever through a hard time. Being together through a hard time can lighten the load. There is something comforting about being with people, through hard times, as well as good times. Humans in hard times can support, encourage and help…

The 33 (2015; Chile, USA) depicts an event that happened in Chile six years ago, when a gold and copper mine collapsed. Thirty-three miners were stranded inside the mine as a salvaging attempt began. According to the film, mining accidents happen with regularity throughout the world. This Chilean one was covered in the media quite…

Is there such a thing as a close-knit family? Apparently, there is. According to My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016, USA), now available on DVD/Blu-ray and on demand. In it, being Greek means you have an extended family that is tight and unbreakable, and sometimes this is misunderstood by outsiders as strange. The film’s writer,…

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