00s Movie Review - Signs

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Mystery
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones

Description: A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.

Review: When director M. Night Shyamalan found a book about crop circles, he also found the theme for his next film. The fact that there have been crop circles for so long and no one can explain them, it a mysterious, fascinating yet scary phenomenon. Off course there have been plenty of alien films, with them attacking our planet. But “Signs” is different. More than a leg in the crops, shadows, sounds and a video shot with a shaky cam we don’t get to see of the aliens. But that’s exactly what makes “Signs” so scary. Shyamalan manages to give you goosebumps, on the moments you don’t see anything but know something is there.

The cast is great, all of them. “Signs” is one of my favorite films and it always scares me. No matter how many times I see it. It’s movies like this that make Shyamalan a great director. Which he is!

Rating: 5/ 5

 

 

Movie Review - The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Director: Michael Showalter
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 126 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, Vincent D’Onofrio, Mark Wystrach
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 13: A MOVIE WITH AN ACTRESS YOU LOVE
 
    
Description: An intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Baker (Jessica Chastain).

Review: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” is based on the 2000 documentary of the same name. It’s the type of film you see at least one of every Oscar season: the true story of someone who climbs from a simple status to great success, after which the empire quickly collapses. Once again, the American Dream turns out to be a lot easier to realize than to maintain.
The fact that the broad outlines of this story are not particularly unique does not seem to have escaped the makers’ attention. By opening with news footage, it is immediately clear where this story will end: scandals, lawsuits and damaged reputations. It is actually quite refreshing that this information is not saved by shared immediately, if only because the viewer can then see clearly where exactly things went wrong in the otherwise almost chronological narrative.
Actually, right at the beginning, when the young Tammy Faye falls for the charms of fellow student Jim Baker. He preaches the Christian faith enthusiastically, but is a little too eager to let slip that living according to God’s law is perfectly compatible with living in luxury. It is typical of Jim’s talent for trying to put things right. A car that clearly does not fit the modest financial status situation of the young couple is not an unwise purchase, but simple a gift from God.
Tammy Faye and Jim soon fall madly in love and get right into the marriage business so they can consummate their marriage. The consequence is that they both have to drop out of college, because the university has a rule prohibiting students from marrying each other. It draw the boundless naiveté of the young couple, for whom religion may not be the best possible guide.
Their enthusiasm for their religion proves to be contagious and so the couple soon finds its way to television, where they can express their love of God in all his glory to an audience of millions, including songs and puppets shows for young viewers. This turns out to make a remarkably good living, as donations from the viewers are accepted as proof of their faith.
Thus, over the years, Tammy Faye’s outfits become more extravagant and the makeup more lavish. So much so that a makeup artist for a television interview would like to remove everything on her and apply something less ostentatious. But alas: the face appears to contain the necessary permanent make-up and he enormous eyelashes may bot be touched, because they are Tammy Faye’s trademark.  
At such time it becomes clear that she is first and foremost a television star and only then an evangelist. And can the television work of Tammy Faye and Jim actually be described as an expression of religion or is it just pure entertainment? The fact that at a certain point the couple opens a Christian theme park gives a nice indication in which corner we may look for it.
But all the makeup ultimately appears to conceal a woman who seems to have purely good intentions. Already at a young age Tammy Faye realizes that she is a lot more theatrical than most people, but pleasantly enough she is a lot more sincere in her beliefs than you would expect based on that.
Where Jerry Falwell openly uses his preaching on television to proclaim his arch-conservative agenda and Jim is only too happy to talk down such figures, Tammy Faye turns out to be remarkably faithful to her progressive views of the faith. This manifests itself in a great sense of charity even leading her to talk to AIDS patients on her television program.
The question is how this can be reconciled with her exorbitant lifestyle, which is paid for entirely by the voluntary donations of her viewers. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t really have an answer for that. Whereas Jim Baker shows himself soon enough to be a hypocrytical figure who values his status over what he preaches, Tammy Faye remains a bit too much of an enigma, especially when it comes to morality.
Quite striking, since “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” is set up as the great Jessica Chastain show. In the title role, the actress pulls out all the stops and consistently manages to impress with acting that is naturally grand and theatrical, but also fragile. Andrew Garfield offer fine counterplay as Jim Baker.
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” is exactly the Oscar season film you can expect from it: the smoothly told story of the rise and fall of a striking person, which act as a showcase for the lead actress. Chastain deservedly won an Oscar for this performance.

Rating: 3/ 5

00s Movie Review - Erin Brockovich

Director: Steven Sodenbergh
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 131 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger,  Cherry Jones, Conchata Ferrell

Description: An unemployed single mother (Erin Brockovich) becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city’s water supply.

Review: Good fact-based drama without many special moments, which nevertheless managed to surpass the level of the average TV movie of the week. This mainly thanks to the clear direction of Steven Sodenbergh the acting of Julia Roberts and Albert Finney, the fine camera work and the music by Thomas Newman. This largely compensates for the straightforward screenplay, which deviates from the beaten path only once in a while. The film has undeniably become Roberts’ film. At first glance, her character appears to be a stereotypical “white trash” woman, with three children from two different fathers, showing cleavage and wearing ultra-short skirts. But it’s Robert’s  credit that she manages to make it a believable woman. After she gets into an accident and she loses the lawsuit, Erin persuades her lawyer Ed Masrey to give her a job at his office.    
There, she finds herself on the trail of a major scandal when she dives deeper into a real estate issue and talks to Donna Jensen. She has been diagnosed with cancer and her husband and children have also fallen ill. A nearby concern Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) wants to buy their house, but has also paid the doctor’s fees. Erin finds this strange and begins to investigate the matter. Soon many more people turn out to be sick, and their stories are shocking and moving without becoming sentimental. Roberts manages to portray Erin’s drive and charm beautifully, so that the viewer even understands when her children begin to miss her presence, as well as het new lover George.
Despite PG&E’s outrageous practices and the tactics they employ to delay or sabotage the case there are also funny moments, particularly in the altercations between Roberts and Finney. For balance, it would have been even more enjoyable of Finney had gotten more one-liners instead of exclusively with Roberts.
I always love watching this movie, because it’s such an inspiring story. Erin made such a difference in so many people’s lives.

Rating: 4/ 5

TV Review: 11.22.63

Genre: Drama/ Mystery
Year: 2016
Number of Episodes: 8
Starring: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay, Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones, Daniel Webber, Lucy Fry. T.R. Knight, Josh Duhamel, Gil Bellows

Description: High school teacher Jake Epping (James Franco) travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy - but his mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber), falling in love, and the past itself, which doesn't want to be changed and shouldn't be changed.

Review: In “11.22.63” James Franco plays Jake Epping. He travels back in time to prevent the murder of John F. Kennedy.
When it comes to book adaptations, most actors decide not the read the book before starring in the movie or TV show based on it. Or they say it’s ‘a dream come true’. James Franco, a big Stephen King fan, asked author King himself for the film rights of “11.22.63”.
Franco eventually got the lead role. He plays teacher Jake Epping, recently divorced and no clear future plans. His friend Al Templeton, who owns a diner, shows Jake a mysterious closet. When you walk into it, you end up in Lisbon, Maine. In the year 1960. Always the same place, always the same time. When you return, only two minutes have past. And when you step into the closet again, everything that happened before is undone. Al tried to prevent the murder on John F. Kennedy (11.22.63), but hasn’t succeeded. Because he is very sick, Al asks Jake to try and do it for him.
“11.22.63” dives into the murder. Most conspiracies are left behind and there is a more close study of Lee Harvey Oswald. But the show is mostly about the sixtees. According to Franco it was Stephen King’s chance to enhance everything he loved about that time, but also everything he hated.
Stephen King’s books have been made into movies and series so often. Some were flops and some were a success. I’m glad to say that “11.22.63” is a good one. A great metaphore for reality. And James Franco, who is a favorite of mine, did a wonderful job. Even Stephen King was enthusiastic about his performance.
“11.22.63” is a good mini-series, that stays exciting. You really get lost in the sixtees, just like King’s books always get you lost in his worlds.