After discovering the ability to search by actor, S went for one of his favorites --
Saoirse Ronan. That led us to
Violet & Daisy, which is a rather odd little film about a pair of teenage female killers for hire. Not one of my favorites, although there are a few cute moments.
S picked out another
Matt Damon movie for me, and we watched
Behind the Candelabra. It's the based-on-a-true-story tale of piano performer Liberace, and his tumultuous relationship with a forty-years-younger lover played by the aforementioned Mr. Damon. I wasn't quite sure what to think of this one, in part because I know so little about Liberace. Many of the scenes see way too over the top to be real, but he was a pretty colorful and flamboyant guy, so who knows? The transformations of
Michael Douglas and Matt Damon are impressive.
Due to the current lack of a baseball season, we scratched the itch with
The Natural.
Robert Redford stars in this cute story of an over-the-hill ball player finally getting his chance to shine. My only complaint is the extremely abrupt ending.
The Sea of Trees is a bleak film, but not a dark one -- if such a thing is possible. It's a meditation on regret, apologies, loss, remembrance. It's also a real place in Japan, a haunted forest where people go to die. There were some obvious editing errors, but it was nevertheless a thought-provoking look at the aforementioned, as well as marriage.
The Lobster is not one I would recommend. It's an interesting premise -- single people are shipped off to a hotel where, if they do not find love within the prescribed time, they are turned into an animal of their choice. It's a bit difficult to find unusual premises in movies these days. (Have most of them been made already?) That's why I find it especially disappointing when something novel just doesn't work out well.
I had not heard of
The Danish Girl before we watched it. I am a little surprised that I had not. It is the loosely-true story of the relationship between two Danish artists in the early 20th century, and it is an investigation into gender fluidity and intimacy, devotion, love, and acceptance. I was surprised by its sensitivity. After seeing it, I was not surprised to learn that the lead actress,
Alicia Vikander, won an Oscar for her performance (although she won it for best supporting actress -- was that commentary from the Academy?); I was a little bit surprised to realize that she played Ava in
Ex Machina. I also recognized
Matthias Schoenaerts, but I can't figure out why.
Suite Francaise, perhaps? (Despite not having blogged about it, I did actually see it.)
After discovering the ability to search by actor, S went for one of his favorites -- Saoirse Ronan. That led us to Violet & Daisy, which is a rather odd little film about a pair of teenage female killers for hire. Not one of my favorites, although there are a few cute moments.
S picked out another Matt Damon movie for me, and we watched Behind the Candelabra. It's the based-on-a-true-story tale of piano performer Liberace, and his tumultuous relationship with a forty-years-younger lover played by the aforementioned Mr. Damon. I wasn't quite sure what to think of this one, in part because I know so little about Liberace. Many of the scenes see way too over the top to be real, but he was a pretty colorful and flamboyant guy, so who knows? The transformations of Michael Douglas and Matt Damon are impressive. 
Due to the current lack of a baseball season, we scratched the itch with The Natural. Robert Redford stars in this cute story of an over-the-hill ball player finally getting his chance to shine. My only complaint is the extremely abrupt ending.
The Sea of Trees is a bleak film, but not a dark one -- if such a thing is possible. It's a meditation on regret, apologies, loss, remembrance. It's also a real place in Japan, a haunted forest where people go to die. There were some obvious editing errors, but it was nevertheless a thought-provoking look at the aforementioned, as well as marriage.
The Lobster is not one I would recommend. It's an interesting premise -- single people are shipped off to a hotel where, if they do not find love within the prescribed time, they are turned into an animal of their choice. It's a bit difficult to find unusual premises in movies these days. (Have most of them been made already?) That's why I find it especially disappointing when something novel just doesn't work out well.
I had not heard of The Danish Girl before we watched it. I am a little surprised that I had not. It is the loosely-true story of the relationship between two Danish artists in the early 20th century, and it is an investigation into gender fluidity and intimacy, devotion, love, and acceptance. I was surprised by its sensitivity. After seeing it, I was not surprised to learn that the lead actress, Alicia Vikander, won an Oscar for her performance (although she won it for best supporting actress -- was that commentary from the Academy?); I was a little bit surprised to realize that she played Ava in Ex Machina. I also recognized Matthias Schoenaerts, but I can't figure out why. Suite Francaise, perhaps? (Despite not having blogged about it, I did actually see it.)
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