20s Movie Review - Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
Genre: Comedy/ Family/ Drama
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Abby Ryder Fortson, Bennie Safdie, Kathy Bates

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 7: A FILM DIRECTED BY A WOMAN
 
Description: When her family moves from the city to the suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.

Review: It’s 1970. Margaret, an 11-year-old girl, is in the top grade of elementary school and right on the verge of puberty. With a Jewish father and a Christian mother, she is searching for the religion that best suits her. This while she has to get used to a new environment, as their family just moves from New York City to the suburbs of new Jersey.

The film shows what goes through the mind of an 11-year-old. Of course at this age you worry about your first kiss, your body changing, friendships.

The film doesn’t shy away from more mature themes either. For example, Margaret and her friends hope to get their period so that they can go through life as ‘real women’ sooner. When one of her friends actually gets it, we don’t see relief, but a crying girl on the toilet. Scared and uncertain. “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” puts you in the shoes of a young adolescent and creates appropriate situations around it, both serious and funny. Well balanced.

The film feels realistic in everything, with the idea that we get a glimpse into a moment in this family’s life. The acting high level. Abby Ryder Fortson play the titual Margaret so well. Her mother is portrayed by Rachel McAdams, where she proofs again why she is one of my all-time favorites. Her role is super strong and I loved her character in it as well. Kathy Bates is a scene stealer as always, playing Margaret’s grandmother.

Margaret seeks support and advice from God, but actually she doesn’t even know of she believes in God. This highlights the uncertainty you can experience at this age. You often allow yourself to be led by you parents or influenced by the environment. It is good that the film shows this and then also show the opposites, with Margaret slowly starting to form her own opinion throughout the film.

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is a beautiful coming-of-age film in which the title character discovers her own identity in a new environment, with appropriate dramatic moment entirely in service of the characters. A perfect movie to make you feel good.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Midnight in Paris

Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Fantasy
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni, Tom Hiddleston, Alison Pill, Léa Seydoux, Corey Stoll, Kurt Fuller, Gad Elmaleh, Mimi Kennedy

Description: While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, nostalgic screenwriter Gil (Owen Wilson) finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.

Review: Gil Pender, from Pasadena, may be a successful scriptwriter in Hollywood, but he really wants to be an author of novels. His ambition is big and he wants to get inspiration. Together with his fiancée he travels to Paris.
Gil is a romantic. When clouds gather up above Paris, he takes the opportunity to wander the streets of Paris in the rain. While fiancée Inez and his mother in law open an umbrella. Owen Wilson is perfect for the role of Gil. There is something about that permanent nostalgic amazement of his, like he sees something we don’t see. Wilson drags us into that experience of his. He is also surrounded by an amazing cast, like Rachel McAdams as Inez and Marion Cotillard as Adriana. Two completely different women, who mess with Gil’s head. Or what about Michael Sheen as know it all Paul, who is really obnoxious. Kathy Bates does a wonderful job as Getrude Stein and Corey Stoll is fantastic as Ernest Hemmingway.
Director Woody Allen uses the power of the human desire for the past. “Midnight in Paris” shows the city of Paris at its best and it’s a magical story. I fell in love with this movie and it has become one of my all-time favorites.

Rating: 5/ 5 

10s Movie Review - On the Basis of Sex

Director: Mimi Leder
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston, Kathy Bates, Stephen Root, Jack Reynor, Ben Carlson, Chris Mulkey

Description: The true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Review: In a sea of dark suites with ties, a blue flared dress suddenly appears, stocking-with-seams underneath. It is 1956 and Ruth Bader Ginsburg is rather out of place at Harvard University where she is starting her law studies. The new batch is welcomed by the dean who consistently refers to them as the ‘Harvard man’. He wants to know from the handful of female students why they are taking the place of the man.
That much has changed in male-female relationships since then is partly due to people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “On the Basis of Sex” looks back at the career of the lawyer who has devoted her working life to straightening out what is legally skewed between women and men.
Felicity Jones is fantastic as the earnest student who, married young and becoming a mother, struggles to find her way in a professional world where men are the ones who get pats on the back. Extraordinary that her husband and professional colleague Martin Ginsberg wo naturally shares her outrage at an unequal society. And becomes the main homemaker.
The film mainly underlines the historical importance of that career and the film is worth watching. I loved seeing her grow. Ruth Bader Ginsberg is one of the most inspirational women in history. She became an icon. The film shows beautifully how the little Jewish New Yorker who grew up debating stuck to the letter of the law while the world around her was rapidly changing.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - When Marnie Was There

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Genre: Animation/ Drama/ Family

Runtime: 103 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, John C. Reilly, Vanessa Williams, Catherine O’Hara, Kathy Bates, Ellen Burstyn, Kiernan Shipka

Description: Due to 12 year-old Anna’s (Hailee Steinfeld) asthma, she’s sent to stay with relatives of her guardian in the Japanese countryside. She likes to be alone, sketching. She befriends Marnie. Who is the mysterious, blonde Marnie?

Review: Now that grandmaster Hayao Miyazaki passed the torch after “The Wind Rises”, the question remains whether Japanese animation will be the same. With this Studio Ghibli film, Miyazaki has trained a team of very talented animation directors and draughtsmen. The studio has developed a unique style that has bridged the gap between the graphic rough Japanase anime and the sweet style of Walt Disney. Stylistically, the emphasis is on the hand-drawn animation, where the computer only serves as a support. And personally, I have always preferred the hand-drawn style. Thematically Ghibli is universally oriented with emotional stories that weave old Japanese traditions with Western values. In addition to Miyazaki’s extensive oeuvre, his colleagues have managed to enchant the world.

The newest film is the compelling and dreamy “When Marnie Was There”. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi took care of this full-length animation, based on the novel by British children’s book author Joan G. Robinson. The book was a favorite for Miyazaki, who often sought a connection with Western literature for his film adaptations. Yonebayashi succeeds in fusing traditional English elements with Japanese influences, although his characters have a western look, as the vast majority of Ghibli productions. The clever thing is that Yonebayashi doesn’t shy away from adult themes such as illness, loss, loneliness and abandonment and manages to capture this in an imaginative but for the animation studio remarkably earthy setting.

Central is twelve-year-old Anna, a talented girl who, in a poignant opening dialogue, declares that the world contains an imaginary circle in which she clearly stands outside. The girl is not noticed by her surroundings and was given up for adoption as a child. Anna also suffers from a severe form of asthma. In order to get some rest and fresh air, her adoptive mother sends Anna to family on the coast. The nosy girl loves to draw, and quickly starts to explore her surroundings. During her first exploration, she discovers an eccentric country house overlooking a swamp area. Anna thinks she recognizes the house and the blonde girl sitting at the window from her dreams and decides to investigate. Her host family maintains that it is an empty mansion, but Anna cannot let it go. Once she comes into contact with Marnie, the blonde girl at the window, a special friendship develops.

Yonebayashi constantly plays with the thin line between dream and reality. The bond between Anna and Marnie becomes so close that both threaten to lose themselves in the friendship. This never becomes threatening, but both girls want to try to hold on to what connects them for as long as possible, even if the world around them changes.

Although it’s not that hard to guess what’s really going on, it’s easily forgiven since we were again treated with beautiful imagery, a timeless story and lots of heart. Studio Ghibli really needs to keep creating.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Blind Side

Director: John Lee Hancock
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Jae Head, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens, Kathy Bates

Description: The story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman (Sandra Bullock) and her family.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 17: A MOVIE SUGGESTED BY A FRIEND

Review: The true story “The Blind Side” is based on, tells the tale of a boy from a bad neighborhood who lives without the safety of a caring family. His name: Michael Oher. Michael goes from school to school and never found a place where he was loved. This changes when he is discovered as a football talent at a Christian elite-school. Sports he can do well, but learning and studying is a bit harder for Michael, since he never learned how. His nickname is Big Mike, because of height and size. One evening, Leigh Anne Touhy sees Michael wandering through the rain and takes him home. From that moment on, Michael becomes a big part of the Touhy family and he gets a chance on a better life, education and sport.
What makes this story so special is that Michael is taken in without any trouble. Leigh Anne, her husband Sean and their kids Collins and SJ don’t mind having him around and welcome him with open arms. The Touhy family is your perfect America family, they live in a big, beautiful house, father and son love football, the daughter is a cheerleader. It’s almost hard to believe that such a wealthy family takes in Michael this easily, since he comes from the this easily. This gives the film a feel-good atmosphere.
It's very easy to see Michael had a tough life. He barely speaks, is shy, doesn’t make contact with other people. Thanks to the Touhy family, Michael can open up, be himself and live his best life. And most of all because of Leigh Anne, who he has a special bond with.
The story is heartwarming and if you are an emotional person like me, you will shed a tear now and then.
Sandra Bullock is fantastic in her role, I loved her portrayal of Leigh Anne Touhy. She is fierce, strong, caring and treats Michael like her own son. Very understandable that Bullock won an Academy Award for this performance.
“The Blind Side” is a beautiful film, based on an amazing story that will fill your heart with joy.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Review - Richard Jewell

Director: Clint Eastwood
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 131 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde

Description: American security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely reported that he was a terrorist.

Review: During the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 a bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park. Security guard Richard Jewell was the big hero who prevents a blood bath. At least for the first couple of days. On day four, the Atlanta Journal reports that the discoverer of the bomb is most likely to be the bomber.
Jewell went from hero to culprit in just a few days and whole America condemned him. Richard Jewell is a typical hero for a Clint Eastwood film: American, taunted and forgotten. And on the big screen he is both adjustable and distant.
Richard Jewell is an everyday man, chubby, always wants to do the right thing and living with his mother. He likes to talk and please. But above all Jewell wants to be a part of law enforcement. Preferably as a police officer, but campus officer or security guard will do too. As long as he can use his compulsive sense of justice to protect others. Nobody really takes him seriously though. As seen while working as a security guard during the Olympics at Centennial Park. First when he is trying to talk to some teens that are breaking beer bottles. But when he discovers an unmanned backpack, he alarms the cops at the scene. They think it's nothing, but it eventually turns out there is a bomb inside. Because of Jewell acting so quickly, many lives were saved after the bomb goes off.
Jewell is seen as the hero of the day, people already want to write books about him. But on day four his life completely changes, when he is all of a sudden the main suspect in the case.
When we see Jewell at the start, we can see that he is a good person at heart. Making sure his boss gets his supplies and Snickers. But him being a loner and overly-interested in everything that has to do with law enforcement makes him look suspicious.
The movie makes you believe that Richard Jewell is a hero and not the criminal the press and FBI make him out to be. But there is still this feeling of what if he did do it?
It’s first and foremost the cast that makes this film so good, touching and strong. Paul Walter Hauser, a fairly unknown actor to me, takes on the role of the titular character and makes him layered and human. Kathy Bates plays his mother and is solid and convincing as always. Olivia Wilde is also very good in her role as journalist breaking the story. But it’s Sam Rockwell that leaves the biggest impression. He is a sympathetic character, since he is the only one that has ever really listened to Jewell and took him seriously. And he does everything to help Jewell and proof his innocence. Because he simply believes it.
I think the story has been brushed up a bit, for Hollywood’s sake, but overall “Richard Jewell” is an incredibly gripping story and it has some really good performances.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Reviews - The Highwaymen

Director: John Lee Hancock
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Kathy Bates, John Carroll Lynch, William Sadler, Kim Dickens

Description: A pair of Texas Rangers (Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson) come out of retirement to catch the infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.

Review: Former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Benjamin Maney Gault return from retirement to end the criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde.
Director John Lee Hancock has some historical dramas on his resumé, like “Saving Mr. Banks” and “The Founder”. In “The Highwaymen” he went into a different direction. It’s the tale of two heroes hunting for the world’s most infamous criminal duo.
The film’s strength is its depiction of the 1930s. Hamer and Gault are trying to fight their way though the country where, due to the economic crisis, the citizens have become more fond of murdering outlaws than the actual law.
How both characters respond to everything around them is very different. In this contrast we see the true characters.
“The Highwaymen” is not an action/ chase movie. Its power is set in the silent moments, where Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson get the chance to translate the historical story into words, facial expressions and motion. Both actors are definite favorites of mine and are excellent in this film.
We are actually missing Bonnie and Clyde here, but it was a conscious choise of Hancock to give them almost no screen time. The consequences of their actions, the search for them and the men hunting them are the focus of the story. And this makes “The Highwaymen” into a melancholic film experience.

Rating: 4/ 5

90s Movie Review - Dolores Claiborne

Director: Taylor Hackford
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, David Strathairn, Bob Gunton, John C. Reilly

Description: A big-city reporter (Jennifer Jason Leigh) travels to the small town where her mother (Kathy Bates) has been arrested for the murder of an elderly woman that she works for as a maid.

Review: On stage she won prize after prize, but Hollywood found her too fat. But there was help. Master of horror Stephen King offered Kathy Bates the role of a lifetime in “Misery”. An Oscar for that role and several memorable roles later, Bates gives away another great performance in yet another Stephen King adapted film.
Dolores Claiborne worked for a demanding rich lady for years. When this woman, Vera, is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, Dolores is the main suspect. This accusation brings home her estranged daughter Selena, who works as a journalist now. And the past they usually won’t speak off, comes out.
It’s a strong mystery thriller, with a good focus on the bond between Dolores and her daughter Selena. Kathy Bates is again very solid in her performance. She overshadows all the other actors. Jennifer Jason Leigh is also very strong.
“Dolores Claiborne” is one of King’s better adaptations.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Favorites: Midnight in Paris

Synopsis: Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) travel to Paris as a tag-along vacation on her parents' business trip. Gil is a successful Hollywood writer but is struggling on his first novel. He falls in love with the city and thinks they should move there after they get married, but Inez does not share his romantic notions of the city or the idea that the 1920s was the golden age. When Inez goes off dancing with her friends, Gil takes a walk at midnight and discovers what could be the ultimate source of inspiration for writing. Gil's daily walks at midnight in Paris could take him closer to the heart of the city but further from the woman he's about to marry.

Unique Selling Point: The movie is magical, I fell in love with it right away. It manages to show Paris in the most beautiful way possible. And the perfect leading man was chosen for the role of Gil Pender: Owen Wilson.

Most Valuable Player: Director Woody Allen. His unique way of telling a story, and showing the beauty of a beloved city, worked really well.

Best Moment: At the end, when Gil sees Gabrielle again. He tells her that he’s going to stay in Paris and Gil invites her for a cup of coffee. It starts to rain. Gabrielle tells Gil she doesn’t mind getting wet and that Paris is at its best when it’s raining.

Quotables: "Midnight in Paris"

I stated my love for this movie many times already. I’m actually in love with this movie, as much as I’m in love with Paris. It’s just a brilliant concept, with a loveable leading man played by Owen Wilson. And full of memorable quotes, that I am going to share with you today in this item.



Inez: You're in love with a fantasy.
Gil: I'm in love with you.

Inez: You always take the side of the help. That's why Daddy says you're a communist.

Ernest Hemingway: No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure.

Gil: They are your friends and I have to admit I'm not quite as taken with them as you are.

Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion.
Ernest Hemingway: I hate it.
Gil: You haven't even read it yet.
Ernest Hemingway: If it's bad, I'll hate it. If it's good, then I'll be envious and hate it even more. You don't want the opinion of another writer.

Ernest Hemingway: Picasso only thinks that women are to sleep with, or to paint.

Gil: You know how I think better in the shower, get all those positive ions flowing.

Gil: That's what the present is. It's a little unsatisfying because life is unsatisfying.

Gertrude Stein: The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.

Ernest Hemingway: I believe that love that is true and real, creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving or not loving well, which is the same thing. And then the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face, like some rhino-hunters I know or Belmonte, who is truly brave... It is because they make love with sufficient passion, to push death out of their minds... until it returns, as it does, to all men... and then you must make really good love again.

Helen: We saw a wonderfully funny American film last night.
Inez: Who was in it?
Helen: Oh, I don't know. I forget the name.
Gil: Wonderful but forgettable. It sounds like a film I've seen. I probably wrote it.

Movie Moments: "Midnight in Paris"

I love the city of Paris and I'm madly in love with this Woody Allen movie. Love everything about it. Here are my favorite moments from "Midnight in Paris".

Moment # 1: Opening
We see all the beautiful places in Paris, by day and by night, with sunshine and rain.

Moment # 2: In love with a fantasy
Gil tells Inez how much he loves Paris, how he would want to live here someday. He loves Paris especially in the twenties and when it’s raining. Inez doesn’t understand why Gil loves Paris so much and tells him he’s in love with a fantasy. Gil tells Inez he’s in love with her.

Moment # 3: Arguing with the guide
Gil, Inez, Paul and Carol are listening to a guide who’s telling a story about Rodin.’Inez is fascinated about how much Paul knows. Paul thinks he knows more about Rodin, but the guide correct him. Paul doesn’t agree with the guide and starts arguing with her. Gil backs the guide up and tells Paul she’s right. When he does, Inez isn’t paying attention anymore.

Moment # 4: Gill gets lost
Gil decides to stroll Paris by night, all by himself, but gets lost. All of a sudden a car passes by and the passengers want him to come with them.

Moment # 5: The Fitzgeralds
Gil meets Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The actual Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Gil realizes that he's now in 1920’s Paris.

Momemt # 6: Ernest Hemmingway
Gil meets writer Ernest Hemmingway, one of his idols. He asks Hemmingway if he wants to read his novel, but he won’t. He does want Gil to meet Gertrude Stein.

Moment # 7: Adriana
Gil meets Adriana, Picasso’s mistress. He’s speechless when he first sees her and Adriana loves Gil’s writing. They immediately hit it of and start a conversation.

Moment # 8: Gil’s view on Picasso
Inez and Gil are attending an art exhibit with Paul and Carol. Again Paul is showing of his knowledge and starts talking about a Picasso painting. Gil saw that exact painting the night before, when he met Picasso and tells them the real story behind it. It shuts them all up.

Moment # 9: Salvador Dali
Gil meets painter Salvador Dali. He starts talking about a rhinoceros and how he could paint Gil with a melting lip. Gil starts telling him about Inez, that he’s not sure if he loves her or not. And about Adriana, how fantastic she is.

Moment # 10: Gil kisses Adriana
While taking a walk at night, Gil kisses Adriana. He gives her earrings, which she loves and then they take a carriage ride.

Moment # 11: Inez cheated on Gil
Hemmingway read Gil’s novel and he doesn’t understand why the leading character doesn’t see that his fiancées is cheating on him. This makes Gil think about Inez and Paul. He ask Inez and she denies it. Later she admits to have spend a couple of nights with Paul, but Gil just has to get over it. Gil doesn’t want to go back to America with her and decides to stay in Paris.

Moment # 12: Paris in the rain
Gil encounters the girl he met before, when he was listening to a Cole Porter record. He tells the girl, who is named Gabrielle, that he has decided to stay in Paris. When he wants to take her out for a cup of coffee, it starts raining. Gabrielle tells Gil she doesn’t mind getting wet and that Paris is at its best when it’s raining.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 12: Paris in the rain

In the Picture: The Characters from "Midnight in Paris"

“Midnight in Paris” is a piece of artwork itself. What a beautifully made movie and with such wit and class. I had to select some characters for this item, because we don’t get to know all of them equally as much. Here are some characters from “Midnight in Paris”.

Gil Pender
Played by: Owen Wilson
Gil is a successful Hollywood screenwriter, but he’s also distracted by so many things. He’s struggling to finish his first novel, set in an antique shop. While he and his fiancée Inez are vacationing in Paris, Gil mentions he would want to live in Paris someday. When Gil is walking the streets of Paris by night, he gets lost and than enters the world op Paris in the 1920’s, his favorite era.

Inez
Played by: Rachel McAdams
Inez is engaged to Gil and thought it would be fun to travel along with her wealthy parents. She thinks Gil’s ambition of writing a novel is just a romantic daydream and Inez also doesn’t see the true beauty of Paris. In other words, Gil and Inez have almost nothing in common.

Adriana
Played by: Marion Cotillard
While visiting Pablo Picasso, Gil meets his mistress Adriana. He’s instantly attracted to her. Adriana is a very passionate woman and can find all the beautiful spots in Paris and shows them to Gil.

Paul Bates
Played by: Michael Sheen
Paul is a friend of Inez’ and a real know it all. He has a lot of specialties and Inez is fascinated by him. Off course Gil can’t stand him, because Paul is a very annoying man who brags about his knowledge. He later finds out Inez slept with Paul a couple of times and she thinks Gil shouldn’t make a big deal out of it.

Gertrude Stein
Played by: Kathy Bates
Gertrude agrees on reading Gil’s novel and sees a great story in it. She isn’t only an expert in literature, also in art.

Zelda Fitzgerald
Played by: Alison Pill
Zelda is Scott Fitzgerald’s wife. She isn’t the domestic kind, because she likes a good party and is extremely chaotic. Zelda can overdramatize when something happens, especially when it comes to her husband.

Ernest Hemmingway
Played by: Corey Stoll
Ernest is a very skeptical but genius writer. Gil asks him to read his book, but Ernest declines. He tells him that a writer should never let another writer read his work. Eventually Gertrude tells Gil that Ernest did read his book and loved it.

Salvador Dali
Played by: Adrien Brody
Salvador is as weird as his paintings. He sees art in the strangest places, objects and shapes. Salvador is very interested in Gil though, he would make a great painting.

Favorite Character: Gil Pender