00s Movie Review - Mona Lisa Smile

Director: Mike Newell
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Stiles, Dominic West, Ginnifer Goodwin, Marcia Gay Harden, John Slattery, Topher Grace

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 46: A MOVIE ABOUT A CLUB
 
Description: A free-thinking art professor (Julia Roberts) teaches conservative 1950s Wellesly girls to question their traditional social roles.

Review: A progressive teacher encourages female students to get more out of life than just getting married. Set in the 1950s, where at the very conservative Wellesley college for women, art teacher Katherine Ann Watson starts her job. Katherine deviates from all the strict rules.

“Mona Lisa Smile” has a lot to it. Besides the attempts you see Katherine making to make her students think, you see their lives of these students, as well as Katherine’s.

The central issue of choosing a career is not presented in a one-sided wat. Although Katherine’s opinion prevails positively throughout the film, “Mona Lisa Smile” also gives space to other ideas on relationships, work and ambitions as a woman.

The cast is great. Julia Roberts, as Katherine, is really good. Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ginnifer Goodwin are among the students and all these women have a different idea about life, love and ambition. This movie is carried by women.

“Mona Lisa Smile” is a beautiful film about that was a women’s life goal and what was expected of women in the 1950s. A film about thinking differently, about life choices and about love.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 77: Ant-Man

Director: Peyton Reed
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Anthony Mackie, Judy Greer, Michael Peña, John Slattery, Hayley Atwell

Description: Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Review: In “Ant-Man” we follow Scott Lang. Scott is a burglar who was just released from prison and is trying to straighten his life. He wants to do good for his daughter. Scott realizes that this isn’t easy: he is fired and his ex only lets him see his daughter when he has a steady income. Scott decides to do one last burglar job: break into a safe of a rich man. In that safe isn’t any money though, but a suit. This suit belongs to Hank Pym, a genius inventor. Pym set up the burglary and wanted Scott to steal the suit. The suit gives you the ability to shrink to ant size. Scott has been chosen to wear it and becomes Ant-Man, to stop Prym’s protégé Darren Cross.
Originally Edgar Wright was going to direct “Ant-Man”. Peyton Reed took over that job and he did it well. This time the hero isn’t a millionaire, God or scientist. He is an average man, even with a criminial past. And it’s not the end of the world that’s at stake, or the universe. It’s a lot smaller, but still important. This makes it all fresh and new.
It takes some time for something to really happen, but once we are there “Ant-Man” is great. There is a lot to enjoy: great action sequences, interesting characters, humor. The scenes where Ant-Man shrinks and enhances himself again are fantastic.
A lot of questions were raised when Paul Rudd was cast as Scott Lang, but I think he showed everyone he is capable of carrying a big movie like this. He did a great job, he is charismatic, funny and really perfect for the role.
“Ant-Man” is a highly enjoyable Marvel film. I loved it!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 24: Spotlight

Director: Tom McCarthy

Genre: Drama/ Thriller

Runtime: 128 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Live Schreiber, John Slattery, Brian D’Arcy James, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup

Description: The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

Review: Marty Baron, the new boss at The Boston Globe, is very honest on his first day: he wants to write a story about the sexual abuse by Catholic priests and he wants the whole world to know about it. That’s easy to say for Baron, because not only is he Jewish, he also has no connection to the conservative and close community that is Boston.

The journalist team Spotlight notices that people have looked the other way for many years, when local priest John Geoghan structurally molested children in various parishes. And when they dig deeper, they stumble upon more priests. The church settled with many victims and their parents, but some priest just joined another parish. It’s clear that the church has power.

Director Tom McCarthy isn’t so much attacking the Catholic church with “Spotlight”, but he is raising questions to why no one did anything, when lots of people clearly knew about it. We also learn that many of the victims didn’t want any publicity or were afraid.

“Spotlight” is very detailed, just look at the hundreds of cubicles at The Boston Globe. And the actors had an eye for detail while preparing for their roles. This film is made with a lot of dedication.

Michael Keaton, who already played a convincing editor in “The Paper”, succeeds again in his role as Walter Robinson in “Spotlight”. His most fanatic journalist is Michael Rezendes who focuses on the legal side of everything. He is played by Mark Ruffalo. This is the best performance in the film. Rachel McAdams plays Sacha Pfeiffer. She gets the tough task to interview the victims. Also a very strong performance.

“Spotlight” is a strong biographical drama about investigative journalism, with strong performances and a disturbing story.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 156: Ted 2

Director: Seth MacFarlane

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 115 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, Jessica Barth, Patrick Warburton, John Slattery, Morgan Freeman, Sam Jones, Giovanni Ribisi, John Carroll Lynch, Liam Neeson

Description: Newlywed couple Ted (Seth MacFarlane) and Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) want to have a baby, but in order to qualify to be a parent, Ted will have to prove he's a person in a court of law.

Review: “Ted” was a great comedy and although I loved it I wasn’t excited about a sequel. Comedy sequels don’t have a great reputation. “Ted 2” is no exception.

“Ted 2” brings back Seth MacFarlane and his cursing, drug using teddy bear. This time ted has to proof in a court of law that he is a person and not an object. Together with his best friend John they work their way to a happy ending.

There is still a lot of chemistry between Mark Wahlberg and the animated bear and there are jokes. But it’s more of the same and it’s never as funny as the first film. Mila Kunis has been replaced by Amanda Seyfried, who I can appreciate for her self-mockery in “Ted 2”. The movie also has some awesome cameos.

“Ted 2” is still a fun comedy, but the movie is way too long and it offers us nothing new.

Rating: 2,5/ 5