Diplomat’s Delight- Darkest Hour, Film Review

Gary Oldman is an excellent actor but to convince you that he is Winston Churchill seemed the impossible he made possible. The lanky actor became overweight and old with the hair and makeup but his acting talent remained flawless behind the layers of England’s dynamic Prime Minister.

Darkest Hour comes down to the moments leading up to the British soldiers stranded at Dunkirk and challenge of Hitler finally invading the entire Europe. It is an excellent historical account of the Prime Minister’s early days and how he dealt with some of the toughest decisions he probably ever made in his life. It is a must watch for every leader to learn and observe what happened, what could be and what you become?

The best scene in the film is between Winston and King George. The King visits Winston and shows his support for showing grit against Hitler and whatever the outcome he will remain a highly respected leader in his eyes. The film has been directed by Joe Wright and since his debut film Pride and Prejudice, Darkest Hour is one of his finest work so far. Anthony McCarten who wrote the film The Theory of Everything brought his Oscar touch to Darkest Hour.

Kristin Scott Thomas played the role of Winston’s wife, Clementine and she left her mark with her confident body language and deep set eyes. Lily James as Winston’s typist symbolizes the hopeful generation that went on to increase development after the war.

Gary shines all the way and while it gets exhausting to get to the end, he holds you to the task of his short war in convincing his cabinet not to give in to Hitler.

 

 

All That Blue, Film Review Moonlight

Moonlight was the most deserving winner at the Academy Awards this year. The film has been directed by Barry Jenkins and this is his second film only. Playwright Tarell Alvin McCarney has written the story and if this is any success to go by, he may write more screenplays.

Moonlight is Chiron’s story, the little boy who is facing an absent mother, the teenage boy who is facing an alternative sexuality and the man who is facing his lover. Barry transitions the life of Chiron in a natural way, you grow up with him but you need a strong heart to watch this reality. There are no guns blazing, drugs pouring or domestic violence going out of hand. It is just the story of a boy who looks blue in the Moonlight.

Chiron meets Juan and he becomes his mentor. Juan defines Chiron’s journey.

There are excellent performances by all the 3 Chiron’s from the little Alex Hibbert, young Ashton Sanders and adult Trevante Rhodes. Juan is played by Mahershala Ali, the first Muslim to win an Academy for Best Supporting role and Chiron’s mother is Naomie Harris.

Moonlight is a tough story relayed like the blue ocean, still and deep.

Beauty in Space, Passengers Review

Passengers Courtesy Collider

Jennifer Lawrence has the beauty but so does Chris Pratt. These two “Passengers” are the only ones awake in the starship Avalon. Engineer Jim Preston takes a very long time before deciding to wake up Aurora Lane and making her think it was by mistake, but he was just lonely.

Passengers has been written by Jon Spaihts who has also co-written Prometheus and his wave of mysterious story unfolds over a bar table. Director Morten Tyldum who last did The Imitation Game is in excellent form with Passengers, but more credit should go to the Production Design team of Guy Hendrix. He brought life into this space adventure and while he may have lost out on the Oscar, he made up with the Art Directors Guild Awards.

Passengers is an interesting modern dilemma, where if we were to actually accomplish and set forth on a journey to a new planet, what can happen? When all else fails, what counts most? In this situation Jim longs for human contact and Aurora is furious when she finds out the truth, naturally because they both have to face the fact that they will die. Their only Agony Aunt is the android bar tender Arthur played by Michael Sheen.

If you want a love story with a scientific twist, then go for this film. There is a likely sequel, especially with the ending being open-ended.

Hugh Up for an Academy- Florence Foster Jenkins Movie Review

 

Florence Foster Jenkins courtesy of Counter Currents

Hollywood is known to make unusual pairs, for example Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt in the Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Leonardo DiCaprio with Cate again in The Aviator. But nobody ever expected Meryl Streep to work with Hugh Grant for the film Florence Foster Jenkins, but yes it has happened.

Florence Foster Jenkins really did exist and was a rich heiress in the 1930s living in New York. She loved acting and music by Mozart but she was never a really good actress or singer. Director Stephen Frears who directed The Queen, which gave Dame Helen Mirren her first Oscar, could not have chosen a perfect actress like Meryl Streep to be Florence Foster Jenkins.

The film starts with a theatre scene, where her husband St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) is narrating a scene about an angel, and Florence comes down dressed gaudily as an angel with wings. Florence gets the idea to do something different and proceeds on a quest to learn how to sing and we meet her pianist Cosmé McMoon (Simon Helberg). He cringes and cannot believe that this terrible voice is so ambitious and that her husband is doing everything possible to make her dreams come true. Florence is suffering from syphilis, which she contracted from her first husband, and St. Clair Bayfield is almost 15 years younger to her but they have an understanding.

Watching Meryl Streep be her usual quirky artistic self is amazing. The real show stealer is Hugh Grant. He is the perfect English gentleman and even though he loves Florence and cannot bear her bad publicity, this role should certainly gain him a BAFTA Award. Simon Helberg who is famously known as Howard from the TV series The Big Bang Theory is apt for his meek pianist honest performance.

Fame can make or break you and with Florence Foster Jenkins you learn that you are unstoppable until the public let you.

My Dear Lady- Grace of Monaco Film Review

Nicole Kidman as Grace of Monaco, Photo Courtesy of Fan Pop

To write a film review will not do enough justice, except help garner more votes for the film’s leading lady to win an Oscar, so here is a poem dedicated to an incredible character and a woman the world should not forget.

 
My Dear Lady

Fair, fearless and faithful,

You carry the Grace of love like a diamond in your heart,

The Star that follows you is your own humble light

 

My Dear Lady

Courage comes to those who are most scared,

Wisdom rescues you when you reach the end,

Wishes are real because your fairytale does exist

 

My Dear Lady

Compassion stares you in the eye,

You don’t falter because right and wrong are just but simple,

Reality is nothing but what you make of it

 

My Dear Lady

Beauty follows you in every step,

Love admires you in every form,

Kindness settles the mood

 

Congratulations to Nicole Kidman in advance for a wonderful move in her career of great films, Grace of Monaco.