CBS This Morning (November 13, 2016)
Live with Kelly (November 16, 2016)
Tag: TV
The Escape Artist (2013) starring David Tennant
NOTES: This is a SPOILER-FREE review. The original BBC version was shown in three parts (an hour each). The version shown in the US on PBS was edited to two parts (90 minutes each), which is the one I saw.
You do not know how you will react to the law, until the law happens to YOU.
The premise is VERY interesting, yet as the tale goes on, it becomes less and less believable. The tension created and acting are the main reasons to check it out. You will find parallels to Cape Fear. Game of Thrones fans will be pleased to see Anton Lesser (Maester Qyburn) and Kate Dickie (Lysa Arryn).
David Tennant (who gets to use his own Scottish accent) is in the lead role of Will Burton, a successful 38 y.o. barrister (lawyer who can go to trial) and devoted family man (w/ a wife, played by Ashley Jensen, and young son). Tennant’s face is very expressive, esp. the eyes, and he makes the legal talk sound like second nature. I esp. liked the interactions w/ the child actor who played his son. Tennant and Jensen have great chemistry as marrieds, too.
Will has been voted as the #1 junior barrister under 40 in London; he is congratulated by clerks and fellow barristers at the (private) firm where he works. In the #2 position is Maggie Gardner (Sophie Okonedo), a woman who respects Will but has a long-time professional rivalry with him. Okonedo is an actress that should REALLY be more known; she has the ability to be whip smart, strong, and also vulnerable (like Tennant). Maggie is a BIT surprised when Will decides to take on the case of suspected murderer, Liam Foyle (Toby Kebbell- most recently in the Ben-Hur reboot).
We learn that Foyle asked his solicitor to request Will, who has never lost a case. As he tells his son’s class at career day, Will believes that “everyone deserves a defense.” However, the details of this particular killing turn his stomach and keep him up late at night. Also, Foyle is NOT the most pleasant defendant (Kebbell makes a creepy villain), which may turn off the jury. Check out Season 1, Episode 3 of Black Mirror (Netflix)to see Kebbell’s acting range.
The More the Merrier (1943) starring Jean Arthur
Do you realize that practically most of the trouble in the world comes from people lying to people? Just take Hitler, for instance. -Dingle on morals
This funny and VERY well-written romantic/screwball comedy, directed by George Stevens (A Place in the Sun, Giant) is a MUST-SEE for any fan of classic film! I saw it for the first time (on TCM) last week, then wondered why I’d never heard of it before.
Damn the torpedoes – full steam ahead! –Dingle on seizing the moment
In WWII era Washington, DC, there is a housing shortage and “8 women for every man,” BUT Connie Milligan (Jean Arthur) ends up w/ TWO unwanted roomies. First, there is retired industrialist, Benjamin Dingle (James Coburn- Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner), then mechanic-turned-soldier, Joe Carter (Joel McCrea). Mr. Dingle sublets half of his room to the younger man, considering him “a high type, clean cut, nice young fellow.” When Dingle plays (unlikely) matchmaker, hilarity and romance ensue!
There are two kinds of people – those who don’t do what they want to do, so they write down in a diary about what they haven’t done, and those who are too busy to write about it because they’re out doing it! -Dingle on life
Best Speeches: 2016 Democratic National Convention
Michelle Obama
Vice President Joe Biden
Former President Bill Clinton
President Barack Obama
Khizr Khan: Father of deceased Pakistani-American Muslim Bronze Star & Purple Heart recipient (Capt. Humayun Khan)
What To Watch Now
On Netflix:
Broadchurch – Veteran Brit powerhouse actresses (Charlotte Rampling; Marianne Jean Baptiste) join the strong ensemble cast as dueling barristers (lawyers) in S2 of the crime drama set in the quiet, beautiful, close-knit town. It’s time for the trial, BUT there is still suspense. We learn more re: another crime from the past of DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant). I’ve seen the first 3 eps so far.
Orange is the New Black – This show continues to grow (new guards and inmates come in, incl. a young/hijabi/black/Muslim woman and a celeb akin to Martha Stewart, played by Blair Brown). How will Sophia deal w/ being in isolation? What will Piper do next now that she has the rep of being a badass? Will Crazy Eyes ever find real love? The jail is overcrowded now, w/ a large pop. of Latinas bused in. I have only seen 3 eps- need to get back into it soon!
In Theaters:
Finding Dory – My mom (big fan of Finding Nemo) & I saw this yesterday afternoon (TOO hot to be out)- we LOVED it! The short film (Piper) was SO cute/well-made/touching! The octopus, Hank (Ed Oneill) was my fave; it was esp. cool how he blended into the environment around him (like a chameleon). Gorgeous Brits Idris Elba & Dominic West play two seals. Veteran comedy actors (Eugene Levy & Diane Keaton) voice Dory’s kind/encouraging parents.
Free State of Jones – The McConaughssaince continues w/ this (based on a true story) historical drama set during the Civil War. But I must admit that the first 5 mins are tough to watch (bloody/gory/realistic); the diverse audience I saw it w/ gasped and cringed at some scenes. There is absolutely NOTHING glam re: war, and boy does this film show us that! The pitch-perfect Matthew is joined by luminous Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle) and Mahershala Ali (who MANY will know from House of Cards on Netflix). In his role as Moses, an escaped field slave separated from his wife and young son, Ali gets to show us a LOT more of his talent. Even in the quiet moments, he is a strong screen presence.
No man outta tell another man what he’s gotta live for or what he’s gotta die for! –Newton Knight declares to his small band of followers- runaway Confederate soldiers, poor white farmers (including widows w/ children), & runaway slaves
I can’t believe that history like this is NOT taught in schools! I’m SO glad that I got to see it for free at a pre-screening. Unlike what Col. Robert Gould Shaw (played by Matthew Broderick in Glory) said in one his letters to his mother (“I do not know these men, their jokes, their songs”)- Knight can relate to the blacks around him. He lived in the swamps w/ them, foraged for food/fished w/ the men, etc. Check this film out if you can!
On TV:
The Night Of – This is an HBO limited series starring British-Pakistani actor, Riz Ahmed, and veteran actor, John Turturro (who had to take over after the death of James Gandolfini). The story centers on a Pakistani-American college kid from Queens, Nas Khan, who is questioned, then arrested, for the murder of a young woman he picked up in his father’s cab one night while on the way to a party. The original story comes from across the pond (England), where the accused suspect was played by boyish/waifish Ben Whishaw; that story was focused on class from what I’ve heard. This version doesn’t shy away from the fact that the suspect is a Muslim male, or the inherent suspicions that come w/ that in post-9/11 era.
Knightleyemma 