Back to the Movies!

[gilda_elise]

The library had a whole lot of new movies come in, so all of these are from last year. While not all great, a decent bunch of movies, all in all.

MAY MOVIES

May 5 - American Pastoral (2016)
An All-American college star and his beauty queen wife watch their seemingly perfect life fall apart as their daughter joins the turmoil of '60s America.
Director: Ewan McGregor
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Peter Riegert

Good, but pretty depressing. Shows how lives can sometimes hang by a thread.

May 6 - Denial (2016)
Acclaimed writer and historian Deborah E. Lipstadt must battle for historical truth to prove the Holocaust actually occurred when David Irving, a renowned denier, sues her for libel.
Director: Mick Jackson
Stars: Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall

Having seen Nimoy’s movie on the subject, it makes me wonder how often people have had to prove that the Holocaust was real. Intense and maddening.

May 11 - Doctor Strange (2016)
While on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts.
Director: Scott Derrickson
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Benjamin Bratt

I enjoyed the movie, far more than I thought I would going by the reviews. Yes, the fight scenes went on far to long, but that seems to be de rigueur when it comes to movies based on comic book heroes.

May 12 - Mr. Church (2016)
"Mr. Church" tells the story of a unique friendship that develops when a little girl and her dying mother retain the services of a talented cook - Henry Joseph Church. What begins as a six month arrangement instead spans into fifteen years and creates a family bond that lasts forever.
Director: Bruce Beresford
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Britt Robertson, Natascha McElhone, Madison Wolfe

Eddie Murphy is excellent is this over-looked movie. Really quite excellent.

May 17 - Allied (2016)
In 1942, a Canadian intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris

A decent, but not great, movie. The ending was something of a surprise, though.

May 19 - Nocturnal Animals (2016)
A wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.
Director: Tom Ford
Stars: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney

Two stories told in conjunction, it took a bit to figure out what was what. A strange, but oddly compelling movie.

May 26 - Passengers (2016)
A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 90 years early.
Director: Morten Tyldum
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Andy Garcia

Not at all what I expected, but I did enjoy it. Reminded me of science fiction movies of a different era.

May 27 - Rogue One (2016)
The Rebel Alliance makes a risky move to steal the plans for the Death Star, setting up the epic saga to follow.
Director: Gareth Edwards
Stars: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Forest Whitaker, Jimmy Smits

I actually enjoyed this movie more than I did the latest Star Wars installment. I certainly found the characters much more appealing. I actually cared what happened to them.

Comments

[catalenamara.livejournal.com]

Agree re "Rogue One"; very good movie. I hadn't expected much, since I thought "The Force Awakens" was basically a retread of the original. So "Rogue One" was quite the pleasant surprise.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

It really is very good. It's too bad that that's not the movie that sequels were planned for. The Force Awakens was a complete disappointment.

[gaeln.livejournal.com]

Could you reccomend just one? Other than Dr. Strange which I have already seen :)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Hm, I don't know if I could narrow it down to one. But narrowing it down to two, I'd go with either Mr. Church or Passengers. Oh, what the hell. Mr. Church. *g*

[gaeln.livejournal.com]

Mr Church is on our Netflix! Thank you :)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Hope you enjoy it!

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

I hadn't even heard of Mr. Church, but it sounds like it might be fun; thanks for the tip!

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. :-) It really surprises me how many movies with well known actors in them aren't advertised more than they are. This one certainly should have been.

[spikesgirl58.livejournal.com]

Out of all of these, only the last one made it to Stockton. I will have to see if the library has any of these in stock. Thanks, as always, for your reviews.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

All of them I borrowed from our local library, so yours probably stocks them, too. And I'm sure there are several that you'll enjoy.

[spikesgirl58.livejournal.com]

I will have to check it out - thanks! :D

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I've not seen any of these films but thanks very much for reminding me to look out for Denial which I'd heard about a while ago and then completely forgot about it.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Denial was interesting, though disturbing and heartrending at the same time. Still, it's a movie worth watching.

[hsv-fangirl.livejournal.com]

I too really loved Rogue One!

I need to watch Mr. Church. It sounds very good.

xx

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Yes, Rogue One was excellent, far better than the last Star Wars movies in the series. I sometimes think they tried too hard with the other one.

I think you'll really enjoy Mr. Church. An excellent movie!

[tinny]

I've been meaning to watch Rogue One at the theatre, but missed it (of course. I always do :/ ).

I've never heard of Mr. Church, but I'll follow your rec and try to find it.

Passengers got ripped to shreds by tumblr for the "how dare he wake her just because he's lonely and then make it all about him, how sexist and stalkery" thing. I haven't seen the movie, and tumblr tends to over-freak-out, so I didn't quite know what to make of it. Made me not want to watch it, though.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

It sounds as if many on Tumblr can't imagine what that kind of loneliness would be like, to live decades without any human contact, while knowing that it would be possible to have it by waking someone up. And I think the movie does a good job of showing the ramifications, both good and bad, of his doing so. It must be nice to be so sure that they wouldn't do the exact same thing. Such absolute assurance usually only comes from the very young, so I'm assuming, it being Tumblr, that that's the case.