I only recently became acquainted with the iconic, beautiful, and compelling Indian actress Sridevi--who was in nearly 300 films. She has now suddenly passed away at the only 54. This is a terrible loss, so I'm taking this moment to recommend both Mom and English Vinglish, two of her more recent films. Mom is a rape-revenge thriller, released in 2017. After her step-daughter is brutally assaulted by a gang of men, step-mom Devki takes matters into her own hands. Mom is pretty great, while not for those easily triggered by brutal violence. This is a tight thriller. 4/5 English Vinglish is a little older, released in 2012. In English Vinglish, Sridevi plays the matriarch to a family who underestimates and takes her for granted. Being the only one in her family to not speak any English, Shashi decides to secretly take English classes. This film is so lovely and wonderful. If you don't feel great after watching English Vinglish, I don't know what's wrong with you! 5/5 |
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Colossal is really something different, fresh, and new! Anne Hathaway stars as an barely functioning 30-something alcoholic who goes back to her hometown after a break-up. She reunites with a guy from high school who gives her a job at his bar. Meanwhile, she figures out that at a certain time of the day, if she has been drinking, and if she is in the playground, she's somehow responsible for and can control the movements of a giant monster that suddenly appears in Seoul, South Korea. It's hard to make that synopsis short and sweet. Colossal is awesome. It's weird and funny and dark and serious too. It's a monster movie about addiction, toxic masculinity, resentment, and anger. 5/5 Mad is about a recently divorced bipolar woman who has a breakdown and ends up in the hospital. Meanwhile, her two daughters are rather selfish and self-centered and unsure of what to do with the mother they are kinda ashamed of, mad at, and a little scared of. This is one of the better psychward movies I've seen. Mad does a really good job at representing mental illness as something people live and deal with everyday, but that it can be a real struggle no matter how "weird" you think a person is. The performances are understated and lovely. I appreciated the care taken with this little gem. Maryann Plunkett is wonderful as mom, Mel. 4/5 Science Fiction is not my go-to genre but a good Sci Fi is always a good thing. I tend to prefer quiet slow movies, so this being both quiet and slow, as well as being a stellar Sci Fi, has a lot going for it. This film is about a linguist hired by the US government to find a way to communicate with aliens who have come to earth with a message that needs translation. This is a meditation on language and making meaning, the nature of communication, and about meaningful connections. Amy Adams is excellent as the linguist struggling to translate and make sense of the mysterious, visual language. Villeneuve is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. 5/5 Bright Lights is a documentary from Fisher Stevens about the incredible mother-daughter relationship between Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher. This doc provides unprecedented access to the behind the scenes lives of the two screen legends as Debbie battles some health issues in her old age. Carrie Fisher is my idol -- for her books and being a brave face of Bipolar disorder and less for Star Wars, though Leia is a legendary badass -- so this was very exciting for me to see Carrie in action after reading all of her books. One aspect that I knew very little about was Carrie as a singer and part of her mothers nightclub act. Fascinating, entertaining, touching, fun, and funny! 5/5 Through the Wall is an Israeli romantic comedy about a hasidic woman who wants to get married but doesn't have a groom. It's a little predictable, but what romantic comedy isn't? Are we ever actually surprised by the coupling at the end? No. No we are never surprised. Through the Wall is quirky and funny and cute and delightful. It's easy and breezy with the right amount of silly and sad. It was a little as though Muriel's Wedding and My Big Fat Greek Wedding had an Orthodox baby. I enjoyed this one. Give it a try! 4/5 Beware the Slenderman is a very intense new documentary from HBO. It was was shot over the course of 18 months after a 12 year old girl was stabbed 19 times by her two classmates who were trying to please Slenderman. This film is terrifying. Not because "Slenderman" is scary, he's really just your average modern day boogie man; he's basic folklore. He's the Pied Piper... This film is terrifying because 1- teenage girls are just about the scariest creatures out there and 2- mental illness. This film gets 'real' very quickly. Beware the Slenderman follows the year long court case in which in would be determined if the two accused 12 year olds would be tried as adults or children. So, watching this as the mother of a teen girl I was simultaneously reminded I'm already somewhat living in a horror movie and that I would hate to see anything bad happen to my daughter or worse, because of her. Terror, indeed. Secondly, as a person with mental illness this documentary terrified me because of how we treat and deal with mental illness and criminality. This film sorta punched me in the guts in a way I was not expecting...at all. 5/5 Sonita is a very powerful documentary about a teenage girl living illegally as an Afghan refugee in Iran who is facing being sold into marriage. Instead, she breaks the law (women cannot sing) and she becomes a Hip Hop artist. Sonita's bravery is astonishing. I'm a big fan of Iranian cinema and this is no different. I'm a fan. This is an excellent documentary. Show your sons and daughters. 5/5 |
LindseyHere is where I post new reviews as I see films throughout the year. Archives
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