Hannah (Mia Farrow), Holly (Dianne Wiest), and Lee (Barbara Hershey) are sisters (somewhere in their 30s) from a show business family in Manhattan. Their parents, Norma (Maureen O’Sullivan- Farrow’s real mother) and Evan (Lloyd Nolan) are still together, though can be combative and cranky towards each other.
Thanksgiving at Hannah and Elliot’s Upper West Side Manhattan apartment
Hannah has been married to Elliot (Michael Caine) for four years. He is a British financial advisor, but has a penchant for poetry. Unbeknownst to Hannah, he has developed feelings for Lee (revealed via his internal monologue at the opening of the film).
Elliot (Michael Caine)
However, Lee has been living for several years w/ an older European painter, Frederick (Max Von Sydow). He isn’t a people person, but is a boyfriend, mentor, and financial support for Lee.
A view of Central Park
Hannah is the success of the sibling trio, but taking a break from acting to raise her children. Her first husband, Mickey (Woody Allen), is a comedy show writer and hypochondriac. Mickey goes on a (rather funny) quest for religion, fearing he might die soon.
A flashback scene: Mickey (Woody Allen) and Holly (Dianne Wiest) at a concert
Holly is the insecure single sister who is a struggling actress; she recently started a catering business with her actress friend (or perhaps frenemy), April (Carrie Fisher). One time, Hannah even set up Holly w/ Mickey. (Wow, looks like even 30 yrs ago, there was a lack of eligible single men in NYC- LOL!)
April (Carrie Fisher)
On a catering job, Holly and April meet an architect, Michael (Sam Waterston in an uncredited role). Michael was bored at the party, thought they were pretty, and ended up showing them around Manhattan, pointing out his favorite buildings. (That sounds like a cool date, or in this case- quasi-date!)
Michael (Sam Waterston) meets Holly (Dianne Weist)
Michael takes Holly to the opera (which he loves); she gets excited about the potential for a relationship. April tells her that Michael also asked her to the opera when they meet after a rehearsal. (Uh oh, not a good sign!)
View of a bookstore in Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan
Elliot hangs around Lee’s neighborhood, then runs into her one afternoon. They browse through an old bookstore together. He doesn’t reveal his feelings, but insists on buying her a volume of e.e. cummings poetry.
Lee (Barbara Hershey) looks through a book of poetry with Elliot (Michael Caine)
I’d never seen this film before, though I’d heard about it many times. Both Caine and Wiest won Oscars for their roles. The dialogue is great, but you shouldn’t expect less from Allen (who wrote and directed). Though the themes are quite serious, there are some funny moments. I also enjoyed seeing the scenery of ’80s NYC- it was quite different from when I lived there (2005-2009). Check out this film for yourself!
NOTE: This review contains SPOILERS for the movie.
A poster for the film Lion.
I went to see this MUST-SEE film 3 weeks ago (w/ the NetSAP book club); I had read a FEW chapters of the book upon which its based (A Long Way Home) by Saroo Brierley. The theater (Landmark E St in DC) was packed that SUN afternoon- like nothing I’d seen before! I heard that MANY people has been coming to see La La Land; however, the Oscar buzz had been strong re: several other recent films (incl. Fences, Hidden Figures, and Moonlight). Last year, #OscarsSoWhite was a VERY popular hashtag on Twitter (and other social media); this year, there are diverse movies in the mainstream theaters… AND they’re making money, too.
Five year-old Saroo (Sunny Pawar) with his eldest brother, Guddu (Abhishek Bharate)
As soon as I saw him, he just felt like the kid that I’d been imagining and feeling, and then we got him into the rehearsal space and I put a camera on him. I just felt like we were watching our movie. -Garth Davis, director (on Sunny Pawar)
The MAIN reason to see this film is Sunny Pawar, the unknown child actor who plays Young Saroo. He had never acted before and didn’t speak English. The ONLY other performance I can compare it to is that of the tween Anna Paquin in The Piano. Unlike Paquin, Pawar doesn’t have a LOT of dialogue; he expresses himself mainly through his eyes and actions. At the start of the film, Saroo is living with his siblings and mother (played by Priyanka Bose) in the village of Ganesh Talai in the Khandwa District of Central India. He and his older brother, Guddu, go out each morning in the hopes of getting some change, fruit, or (if they’re lucky) milk. His mother works in a quarry, hauling rocks; her husband left her for another woman in a different town (this is discussed a BIT in the book). They are a happy family, though VERY poor and uneducated.
Young Saroo (Sunny Pawar) in the homeless children’s center in Calcutta.
One night, after Guddu goes off to work (telling him to wait), Young Saroo goes to sleep at the nearby train station. When he wakes up, he doesn’t see ANYONE around, so he gets on an empty train to explore… and it takes off! He ends up in the busy city of Calcutta and somehow survives on the streets for 2 mos. (though he doesn’t know the language, Bengali). One day, a seemingly kind woman, Noor (Tannishtha Chatterjee- star of Brick Lane), living near the train tracks takes him to her apartment. She feeds him, gives him a bath, and asks about his life. Young Saroo suspects something is wrong when Noor’s male friend (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui- one of India’s BEST character actors) visits and checks him out. In no time, the quick-witted (and fast-running) kid is out the door!
After some time at a crowded homeless center (more like a prison) for kids, Saroo gets the news from Mrs. Sood (a kind social worker) that an Australian couple- Sue (Nicole Kidman) and John (David Wenham) Brierley- want to adopt him. He wonders if everything possible was done to try and find his mother, and Mrs. Sood confidently says “yes.” The local police had interviewed him, ads had been put in the newspapers, BUT his family was a LONG way from Calcutta (which is located in West Bengal).
Sue (Nicole Kidman) and Saroo (Sunny Pawar) meet for the first time.
When Saroo reaches Australia (Tasmania to be exact), he easily takes to his new life w/ the Brierleys, who are solidly middle-class and run a charter boat business. He is a comfort to Sue after the family faces challenges w/ his younger brother, Mantosh, who suffered much before he was adopted (also from India). John instills in Saroo a love of the outdoors.
The adult Saroo (Dev Patel) uses Google Earth to find his way home.
Dev Patel does a good job as the grown-up Saroo (incl. accent), a young man who loves his adopted family, but feels compelled to find his birth mother. She “could be out there suffering,” wondering where he is, he tells long-time girlfriend Lucy (Rooney Mara). Some friends in his graduate certificate program think that w/ modern technology (Google Earth) he could try and find his old hometown.
Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel at the BFI London Film Festival
Nicole Kidman (an Aussie), has been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar; she does a fine job as a kind, understanding, and VERY emotionally strong mother. Saroo and Mantosh are “not blank slates” as her own children would’ve been, Saroo explains in one of my favorite scenes. Sue could’ve had her own (natural) children, she admits, BUT she and John chose to adopt knowing there are already MANY kids out in the world that need good homes. (Kidman, in real life, has adopted children.)
Another element that makes this SUCH a compelling film is it’s superb editing; the life of the adult Saroo is intercut (at times) w/ that of his younger self. Seeing the plate of jalebi at his Indian friends’ house takes Saroo back to when he saw that sweet treat being fried in the marketplace. The music is very good (never over the top), which is quite suited for the film. This story has a big pay-off in the end, which is true to life!
Tanner (Ben Foster) and Tobey (Chris Pine) drink beer on their ranch.
This is (most likely) the “dark horse” in the Best Picture category in the Oscars, BUT if you like fine films, you need to check it out! I heard great reviews of it on 2 different podcasts, BUT finally saw it tonight (thanks to Redbox). This film takes you on a journey (not TOO long or short); it has interesting characters (including the bit players); and Jeff Bridges is in it (so what’s NOT to like!?)
Deputy Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and his partner.
Deputy Marcus Hamilton (Bridges- one of my faves) is 3 weeks from retirement when he gets VERY interested in a curious case. Two men have been robbing branches of a particular West Texas bank for moderate sums of cash. These men are our main protagonists- brothers Tanner (Ben Foster) and Tobey (Chris Pine) Howard. Tanner is a loud-mouthed ex-con ONLY out of jail for a year; he enjoys robbing banks. Tobey is more quiet, and his reluctant partner. Though they are VERY different men, they love and protect each other.
Tobey Howard (Chris Pine) has his eyes on the future.
This is labeled as a crime drama and a Western, BUT I feel it defies genre conventions. There is much humor, thanks in part to Bridges and his Native American/Mexican partner, Alberto (Gil Birmingham). There is easy chemistry between Foster (a bundle of energy and volatility) and Pine (somber, scraggly haired, and unglamorous). I NEVER saw what the fuss was about Pine until this film! The music and cinematography (by Giles Nuttgens, who has worked w/ BOTH Deepa Mehta and Mira Nair- two of my fave directors) are VERY well-done; too bad I didn’t see it earlier on the big screen.
Piku (Deepika Padukone) gets ready to clean the house; the maid was fired by her father.
I heard about this film from MANY young (20s/30s) desi people. It was released in the Spring of 2015; it’s NOT a typical Bollywood film, though the stars hail from mainstream Indian cinema. Amitabh Bachchan (Bhashkor Banerjee) and Deepika Padukone (Piku) play Delhi-based Bengali father and daughter respectively. One of my favorite actors- Irrfan Khan (Rana) plays the driver who takes them from Delhi to Calcutta.
Father (Amitabh Bachchan) and daughter (Deepika Padkone) share a hug.
General Thoughts about the Film:
‘Piku’ is about relationships and responsibility. You feel for the characters & that kind of connect, is a huge bonus for any film.
…what is wrong with movies that are mostly dialogue and the interactions of close knit families? I found it realistic and I am not from India. Seemed kind of representative of one of the elements of the universal human experiences to me.
–Excerpts from IMDB reviews
If you’re a sensitive viewer who takes offense to toilet humor, this is film is NOT for you! In fact, there is NOT much to the story, aside from the road trip that this trio (along w/ a loyal manservant) go on. Piku is a very concerned, stressed-out young architect who lives w/ her 70 y.o. cranky and constipatedfather. She is a partner in a small architecture firm w/ her friend, Syed (Jishu Sengupta). Though Piku is nearing 30 and not yet married, her father isn’t concerned. Syed sets her up w/ a single guy he knows, BUT Piku has nothing in common w/ him.
Marriage without purpose is for the low IQ. -Bhaskor’s philosophy on marraige
Rana (Irrfan Khan) and Piku (Deepika Padukone) share a snack on the road
Opinions re: Irrfan Khan’s performance
Irrfan is fabulous. He’s given some of the film’s best moments and the talented actor only elevates those moments with his superior act.
Irrfan Khan is known for his gifted talent of never disappointing his viewers. With this film, once again, he proves how worthy his presence is.
Rana (Irrfan Khan) and Piku (Deepika Padukone) seeing the sights of Kolkata.
The MAIN reason I wanted to see this film (now streaming on Netflix) was Irrfan Khan. Though Rana now runs his family’s car rental business, he had planned for in a different life. He is a decent, hardworking man w/ family obligations of his own. Rana has a LOT of patience- he’ll need that on the road w/ Piku and her father!
Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) is bullied by the Hess family
NOTE: This review contains MILD SPOILERS for the FX series (inspired by the Coen brothers’ film- Fargo).
I heard about this show from a former co-worker (who called it “the best show on TV”) and via little snippets online. However, it took me SOME time to get into the story and finish watching the DVD set (which I purchased on sale from FYE). I watched it twice to get a better understanding of the story.
Lester happens to meet Lee Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) in the ER
If you enjoy watching British actor Martin Freeman (The Hobbit; Sherlock), then this show MAY make you into a fan.He gets to stretch his acting muscles here, NOT only playing the meek, mild, “Nice Guy” you’d expect.
Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) interviews Lester at his desk in the insurance office.
The good guys on this show are ALMOST as interesting as the baddies- you’ll want to cheer for them for sure! Deputy Molly Solverson (Alison Tolman) is a humble, earnest, and observant 2nd gen police officer in her hometown of Bimidji, MN (which is close to Fargo, ND). Molly is around 30, looks like an average Midwestern woman (thank you, producers), likeable, BUT sometimes undermined in her role (by the males in her department).
Deputy Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks) in his patrol car
She finds a complementary foil in reluctant cop and loving single dad, Officer Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks). On my second watch, I LOVED seeing their working friendship evolve into a slow-burn romance. Tolman and Hanks have such an easygoing and sweet chemistry- it’s rare to see in modern TV. Murder investigations CAN bring people together!
Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele play FBI agents
There are several well-known actors who are guest stars on the show; I esp. liked seeing Key and Peele as two clueless FBI agents. In a few of their scenes, I wondered if they were making fun of the two cops on Season 1 of True Detective or perhaps such sketches from their OWN show.
The “new” Lester flirts with a young woman in Vegas
One of my favorites on the show is Lou (Keith Carradine), a retired cop who now runs a diner; he is also a widower and Molly’s father. Lou and Molly have such a GREAT relationship; we see the love and respect shine through in every scene they share. At times, Lou is concerned re: the safety of his daughter, BUT he never undermines her ability to do her job. (FYI: Season 2 goes back in time to find Lou, played by Patrick Wilson, as a young deputy.)
Malvo tries to get info out of Lou Solverson in his diner
If you like Billy Bob Thornton, then this series will simply be a treat; the veteran movie actor creates a scary good villain and chews up the scenery. He transforms himself w/ different hair, clothing, posture, manners, etc. I think Fargo is definitely worth a watch (esp. b/c of the VERY strong acting, writing, cinematography, and music). It’s a character drama mixed w/ a police procedural, w/ sudden doses of violence (which is to be expected also in MOST of the Coens’ films).
Knightleyemma 