When There Is Nothing Playing At The Movie Theatres That Makes You Want To Leave Home: Some Good Movies You Can Watch in Your PJ's! Part 2

[I review "A Man Called Otto," "Murder Mystery 2," and "M3gan"]

My local theatre has still not been able to lure me back, so here I am in Part 2 of sitting home in my PJ's with a glass of wine enjoying some good movies.  Join me?

A Man Called Otto (2022)

A grieving widower just wants to end it all but something always happens to interrupt his suicide attempts.

Based on the 2012 novel "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman, this is a remake of the 2015 Swedish dramedy made from that book.  I am usually against remakes of perfectly good foreign language films but since I didn't see that film, I am going to pretend this isn't a remake because FINALLY a movie I really loved!

Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks) is a 63 year-old widower living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Otto is not a happy man. He has not taken the death of his school teacher wife well.  In fact, he plans to commit suicide.  But Otto is also a control freak, and one of his roles in life is keeping order in his housing project, telling people off, making sure his neighbors are doing what they are supposed to do and that people don't drive down the private street in his complex, so these concerns keep interrupting his attempts to end his life.

Through a series of flashbacks, we meet the young Otto, played by Hanks' real life son, Truman. We witness his courtship of his wife, Sonya (Rachel Keller), see their lives together and get glimpses into why Otto is the way he is.

Speaking of neighbors, during a suicide attempt, Otto is interrupted by his new neighbors: Marisol (Mariana Trevino), Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and their two daughters, Abbie (Alessandra Perez) and Luna (Christiana Montoya). In fact, despite his gruffness and unfriendly demeanor, Marisol worms her way into Otto's life, asking for his help babysitting the children when her husband needs to go to the hospital and helping her learn to drive, all once again interrupting his attempts to kill himself. 

Likewise, other events happen to keep Otto alive.

Planning to kill himself by jumping in front of a train, Otto saves an old man who falls onto the tracks right before him. It goes viral and Otto is a hero.  Likewise, despite Otto's desire to die and his innate grumpiness, he has a soft spot for his neighbor, Reuben (Peter Lawson Jones), who had a stroke and is cared for by his wife, Anita (Juanita Jennings). A real estate company is trying to swindle them out of their home and Otto goes to bat for them. Otto also takes in Malcolm, a transgender youth, who was one of Sonia's students and whose parents have kicked them out of their home.

Slowly but surely, though Otto wants to die, he learns to live.

Many Brits consider Judi Dench a "National Treasure." I propose that Tom Hanks be given that moniker here in the U.S.  From his beginnings on TV as a guy pretending to be a woman so he could live in a women's only apartment complex ("Bosom Buddies") to his Oscars for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump" to his AFI Life Achievement Award, Tom has proven himself to be one of our foremost actors and this performance is the cherry on top. I am shocked that it didn't give him an Oscar nod or that this film did not get any nominations.  It's one of the few films I actually liked this year and the acting ensemble is first rate with special kudos to Mariana Trevino.

With a screenplay by David Magee (based on the book by Backman and the screenplay by Hannes Holm from the 2015 film) and directed by Marc Forster, this is a sentimental, sometimes heart-wrenching story of finding meaning in life after tragedy.

Rosy the Reviewer says...finally, a movie I am not going to complain about.  In fact, I loved it.  You will too.  And I proclaim Tom Hanks a National Treasure! (on DVD and for rent on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

Murder Mystery 2 (2023)

Audrey (Jennifer Aniston) and Nick Spitz (Adam Sandler) are back but now they have started a detective agency but working together has taken a toll on their marriage.

This is the follow-up to "Murder Mystery," which premiered on Netflix in 2019.  I guess it was very popular, because here we are again for the sequel. I guess despite my verdict about it (that it was fun but you probably wouldn't remember it a few days later), someone did remember it and deemed it sequel worthy. I actually didn't remember it and had to read my review of the first one to remind myself.  I won't go into my usual rant about sequels (I don't like them), but this is timely since Sandler just won the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Award for American Humor and was roasted and raved about recently during the ceremony broadcast on CNN. And it's a fun movie.

So as a recap, in the first "Murder Mystery," we met Nick and Audrey Spitz.  He was a New York cop and she was a hairdresser and on a European vacation they got involved in a murder on a yacht and actually became suspects and had to solve the murder to save themselves. 

This time around Audrey and Nick have started their own detective agency and you know how working together can be for married couples..sometimes it doesn't promote togetherness.  Let's just say the two have a lively marriage with lots of bickering. Think Nick and Nora Charles from "The Thin Man," except less sophisticated banter, but I guess nothing brings two people together like solving a murder together.  And that's what happens.

Their friend, Vikram ‘The Maharajah’ Govindan (Adeel Akhtar), invites them to attend his wedding on his private island, all expenses paid, which the pair accept. Enter the soon-to-be usual suspects: Vik’s French fiancé Claudette Joubert (Melanie Laurent), his  business partner Francisco Perez (Enrique Arce), his former fiancé Countess Sekou (Jodie Turner-Smith), her lady-in-waiting Imani (Zurin Villanueva), Vik's sister Saira (Kuhoo Verma) and Colonel Ulenga (John Kani), minus his left arm courtesy of saving Vik from an assassination attempt.

At Vik and Claudette's reception, Vik makes a grand entrance on an elephant except it's not Vik, it's his bodyguard, Lou (Larry Myo Leong).  Lou has been stabbed and Vik has been kidnapped and the kidnappers want $70 million.  Enter hostage negotiator Connor Miller (Mark Strong) who doesn't think much of Nick and Audrey, and during a botched exchange of money with the kidnappers and more people dying, Nick and Audrey realize they are being framed once again and must solve the mystery to absolve themselves, the same thing that happened the first time around!

Written by James Vanderbilt and directed by Jeremy Garelick, there are lots of twists and turns, car chases, an out of control helicopter and Audrey hanging from the Eiffel Tower in what looks to be an homage to "True Lies" and an ending in true Agatha Christie style with all of the suspects in one room being interrogated by Nick and Audrey and the true killer and kidnapper unmasked.

Jennifer has perfected the twitchy, nervous character she inhabited for "Friends" and, Adam Sandler, well he has always been Adam Sandler from Stud Boy on the MTV game show "Remote Control" to SNL to feature comedy films like "Billy Madison" and "Waterboy," though now, in his maturity, he has shown his ability to take on drama ("Uncut Gems"). So if you are an Adam Sandler fan, he delivers his usual schtick, though toned down a bit and Anniston is at her fluttery best.

So when all is said and done, as we expect (so this is not a spoiler!), the mystery gets solved and their relationship is repaired. In fact, Nick has a romantic surprise for Audrey.  He takes her to Paris's Love Lock Bridge and they hang up their lock and then they are off to a "honeymoon" in Greece via helicopter.  But, uh oh, wouldn't you know, the pilot turns out to be a bad guy and we are all set up for "Murder Mystery 3!"

(By the way, this wouldn't be Rosy the Reviewer without a personal side note so here it is: Hubby and I also went to the Love Lock Bridge in Paris and left our lock there!  I'm just saying... but glad we didn't have to solve a murder to get there).

Rosy the Reviewer says...Anniston and Sandler deliver their usual schtick helped by some exotic locations and the occasional laugh. It's not "Citizen Kane," but do we really expect that when we watch an Adam Sandler movie? Yes, it's silly but maybe it's just the kind of diversion we need in this world of school shootings and government unrest and if you are an Aniston and/or Sandler fan, you will enjoy this. (Netflix)

M3gan (2022)

A robotic doll takes on a life of its own (as they do).

Yes, I enjoy the occasional horror film.  In my mind, there are two kinds of horror films - the really gory, bloody, scary ones like "Hostel" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and then there are the ones that aren't meant to be particularly scary or bloody and are actually kind of fun and funny like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Happy Death Day."   

This story of a life-size robot looking after a little girl falls into the latter category. 

Little Cady's (Violet McGraw) parents were killed in a car accident and she is now being cared for by her not particularly maternal Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), who just happens to be a busy robotics engineer.  Her toy company, Funki, makes Perpetual Pets, AI toys, and her boss is pressuring her to come up with a toy that is cheaper than the competition, but she has been secretly working on her own project - a robot that can bond with its human owner.  Because Cady is still grieving, Gemma creates M3gan, a Model 3 Regenerative Android with a Titanium core and gives her to Cady. M3gan can do everything from telling Cady a bedtime story to reminding her to flush the toilet.  She even can sing "Titanium!"   

But wouldn't you know...M3gan decides she not only needs to play with Cady and remind her to flush the toilet, but also become her protector. And who wouldn't want a robot friend to look after you and do your dirty work? But then as time goes by M3gan takes it a bit too far. Those who threaten Cady must be taken care of.

• Hostile neighbor - check.
• Hostile neighbor's vicious dog - check (warning for dog lovers.  Possible triggering)
• A bully that hurts Cady - check

But despite some graphic ear pulling and all hell breaking loose in the last half hour, you will chuckle. This is one of those fun horror films.

With a story by James Wan, a screenplay by Akela Cooper and direction by Gerard Johnstone, this is a sort of modern day "Frankenstein," all about creating a monster and what can go wrong when technology runs amok.  One could argue, it already has. The monsters have already been created.

This is a timely story especially with the advent of AI's latest invention - ChatGPT - which can write essays and make art and even take your MCAT for you and get you into medical school.  Pretty soon we won't be able to tell the real from the AI. But this is also a cautionary tale about being a lazy parent.  Let a robot take over parenting duties and you get what you deserve.

This is a Blumhouse (Jason Blum) production.  Blumhouse has practically taken over the horror film genre but that's a good thing because Blumhouse can be counted on to dish up everything from scary, gory, bloody to scary, gory funny to just plain funny and sort of scary.

Side note: Though M3gan is played by Amie Donald (voice by Jenna Davis), I couldn't help but think that M3gan looked uncannily like Chloe Grace Moretz.  Sorry, sometimes my mind goes off in tangents! 

Rosy the Reviewer says...revenge is a dish best served cold and our little M3gan serves her revenge cold as ice but believe it or not the film is actually heart-warming. (on DVD and for rent on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

(NOTE:  If you are looking for a particular movie or series, check out this cool site: JustWatch.  It tells you where you can access all TV series and movies)

When There Is Nothing Playing At The Movie Theatres That Makes You Want To Leave Home: Some Good Movies You Can Watch in Your PJ's!

[I review "Empire of Light," "The Good House" and "She Said," all films that you can stream at home.]

Yep.  Since the pandemic, the movie industry has been suffering and it shows.  I used to be an at least once-a-week movie goer, but, since the pandemic, when Netflix, Prime and all of those other streaming services stepped up to make our lockdown more enjoyable, it now takes a lot for me to get out of my jammies, eschew the wine and head out to the movie theatre.  It has to be something I really want to see and right now, nope (speaking of which, I did go out to see "Nope."  An exception.  I loved it.).

So if you are feeling like I am, you love movies but there is often nothing that makes you want to venture out, here are some options.  You can stay home in your jammies, drink some wine and enjoy some good movies!

Empire of Light (2022)

Lonely people connect in a 1980's English cinema - "The Empire."

Hilary (Olivia Colman) is the manager of the Empire Theatre, a movie theatre in the English seaside town of Margate. It's one of those plush, old-fashioned theatres we don't see much anymore - Big heavy velvet curtains over the screen and comfy, velvet-covered seats.  She lives alone and doesn't seem to have much going on except hanging out with the other theatre staff, and oh, maybe her occasional sexual dalliances with her pervy, married boss (Colin Firth). And strangely, Hilary may work in a movie theatre, but she never watches the movies. 

Then Hilary meets Stephen (Micheal Ward), a young black man who is hired to work in the theatre. It's Margaret Thatcher's England, a time of unemployment, turmoil and racism. Skinheads are rampant and Stephen is often the brunt of their violence. But he and Hilary share a relationship as they work together in the movie theatre, and Hilary eventually discovers that movies matter, that there are always chances for change and renewal and, though things don't go exactly as planned for Hilary, we have faith that she will make it.

There is a scene early in the film when Hilary is showing Stephen around the movie theatre. The two bond in the "pigeon room," an abandoned ballroom on the top floor that is prone to pigeons getting in and flying around.  They discover a pigeon with a broken wing and Stephen fixes a little "cast" for it out of his sock.  A pigeon with a broken wing that will eventually fly away is a rather blatant symbol for what will happen in Hilary's life but it's still a touching scene.

The movie theatre is a place where people gather to have shared experiences, to form a sort of community for a few hours. That's why movies matter.  But here the movie theatre is also a symbol of individual human connection as we meet lonely Hilary and understand her story. Writer/director Sam Mendes, who won a Best Director Oscar for "American Beauty" in 1999 and whose latest film "1917" was nominated for Best Picture last year, has created a nostalgic tribute to the movie theatres of his youth and reminds us that no matter who we are or our circumstances in life, we can all come together at the movies and have some of the same feelings and emotions, get some other perspectives on our lives and feel connected to the rest of humanity. We can also fly away to other worlds. 

Olivia Colman is just wonderful here, as she always is. It's refreshing to see an actress "of a certain age" starring in a film. I know it is not easy for older actresses to get work, but this is a case in point that older actresses don't have to resort to silly movies (that I won't name) that make fun of older women to get work. But then, this is a British film and the Brits don't seem to have the same problem with ageism as Hollywood does.

Rosy the Reviewer says...the film has strengths and weaknesses, but it is beautiful to look at thanks to Roger Deakins' cinematography, and if you are a fan of tour de force performances, Colman does not disappoint. (HBO Max)

The Good House (2021)

Hildy Good (Sigourney Weaver) is a realtor in Wendover, Massachusetts.  Everything seems to be good in her life, until it isn't.

Sigourney Weaver plays Hildy Good, a realtor and descendant of one of the Salem witches.  She was once a very successful realtor but things haven't been so good lately since her husband of 22 years left her for a man and her family staged an intervention that landed her in rehab.  And to make matters worse, while Hildy was in rehab, Wendy, her arch nemesis (Kathryn Erbe), stole her clients. To those around her, her stint in rehab seemed to work but she never really stopped drinking, she just hid it. Hildy also rekindles a fumbling but sweet romance with her old high school love, Frank (Kevin Kline), a local contractor/handyman. Kline is always pleasant to have around.

However, one night alone in her basement Hildy drinks two bottles of wine and scares herself and swears off the booze. For a time, anyway.

Meanwhile, Hildy befriends Rebecca (Morena Baccarin) and is drawn into her life, discovering that she is having an affair with Peter (Rob Delaney), the local psychologist.  She promises she won't tell but later, when Peter goes to Wendy instead of Hildy to sell his house, Hildy threatens him.  She also starts drinking again and everything goes to hell. Will Hildy survive this?

Based on the book by Ann Leary with a screenplay by Thomas Bezucha, Maya Forbes, and Wallace Wolodarsky and directed by Forbes and Wolodarsky, this is a story about a functioning alcoholic, a woman who says she doesn't NEED alcohol, she just likes it. "I was born three drinks short of comfortable."  It's a story about women and drinking and how easy it is to tell ourselves we are okay when we aren't.  Also there is a bit of "House Hunters" in this (don't you just love to see other peoples' houses?), as Hildy shows houses to her clients and a bit of "Intervention," well, you know, because there is an intervention. This is also one of those movies where you want to yell at the screen - "HILDY, DON'T HAVE ANOTHER DRINK!"

Sigourney breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience, a device I haven't seen for awhile and not a huge fan of, so at first it's a bit disconcerting, but she is wonderful in this, and I have to say, it is refreshing to see an actress of a certain age playing a real woman in an adult story that doesn't make fun of old ladies. Okay, I'll say it. Do you hear me "80 for Brady?" 

Rosy the Reviewer says...we need more movies like this, movies for adults about adults dealing with adult issues. (On DVD and for rent on Apple+)

She Said (2022)

New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor broke the Harvey Weinstein story of sexual harassment in Hollywood igniting the #Metoo movement.  This is their story.

In 2016 Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) is investigating Trump's hanky panky for the New York Times.  Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of director Elia Kazan) is working on immigration issues.  Twohey is pregnant; Kantor is a young working mother. As 2017 rolls on, Kantor gets a tip that actress Rose McGowan was sexually assaulted by Miramax producer Harvey Weinstein, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood.  Though initially reluctant to cooperate, McGowan eventually tells Kantor that Weinstein raped her when she was 23.  Then Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow also weigh in, though neither want to be named.  Frustrated, Jodi gets Megan Twohey to help her.

What the two discover as they weed through the miasma that is Miramax, for decades Weinstein has been sexually harassing actresses and staff and everyone knew it.  But they kept quiet as Weinstein paid the women off and made them sign nondisclosure agreements. No one said anything because no one wanted to lose their jobs. That is what Jodi and Megan had to deal with. They identified the women but the women were afraid to talk because of the NDA and out of shame.  But then Jodi and Megan get a tip to speak to Irwin Reiter, one of Weinstein's former accountants.  He shows Jodi an internal memo that circulated at Miramax in 2015 detailing abuse allegations. Full steam ahead!

Now despite threats from Weinstein, an article is in the works and Ashley Judd and a former employee decide to come forward and be named.  After the article is published on October 5, 2017, 82 more women came forward. Weinstein was arrested and is currently serving a 23 year sentence for sexual assault offenses in New York and has just recently been given an additional 16 years for offenses committed in Los Angeles.

Because of Twohey and Kantor, the #MeToo movement began and the sexual harassment of women in the work place was exposed, and though there is still much to do, reforms, both legal and in the workplace, happened.

I wasn't sure that I wanted to see this film because haven't we all heard enough about Harvey Weinstein?  But this movie does for sexual harassment what "Spotlight" did for child abuse in the priesthood and what "All The President's Men" did for Watergate. Those films honored investigative reporters who uncovered misconduct in areas where such misconduct was either ignored or swept under the rug and we would never have known if it wasn't for them.

With a screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (based on Twohey's and Kantor's article) and directed by Maria Schrader, this isn't just a story about Weinstein, it is a story about a system that protected abusers.

And just as I had originally thought "Spotlight" was going to be a dry investigative "Dateline" sort of film, it turned out to be my favorite movie of the year and went on to win a Best Picture Oscar.  This one isn't going to win an Oscar but it wins as an inspiring story of two intrepid women who brought habitual sexual abuser, Harvey Weinstein, down.  And how appropriate that it was two women who did that. 

Though the film is a bit slow to get going, once it does, it's a fascinating look at how these kinds of investigative stories get published.  It's also a look into the lives of two dedicated women. They were not just New York Times investigative reporters, they were young mothers and the film does a good job of showing just how difficult it is to juggle a difficult job while keeping a family together, and yet they kept going, taking phone calls in the middle of the night, getting on planes, knocking on doors, all while trying to juggle their home lives.  Their husbands must have been saints. 

Mulligan and Kazan are believable, especially Kazan who is an actress to watch.  Mulligan seemed uncharacteristically understated here but that could be because her character was suffering from post-partum depression.  Here's something: I always get Mulligan mixed up with Michelle Williams. Do you?

The whole issue of "He said/she said" is one reason why so many sexual abuse victims don't come forward.  It's her word against his and the shame surrounding these incidents is also a barrier.  But as more women stand up and demand to be heard, hopefully there will be fewer of these incidents.  But the fight is not over. There are still more Harvey Weinsteins out there. But at least now more people will believe what "she said."  

Rosy the Reviewer says...an important film about two women who, against great odds, took on an important issue and made a difference for women.  (Available to rent on most streaming platforms)

So put on your jammies, grab a glass of wine, and watch some good movies in the comfort of home!  That's what I'm doing! More recommendations to come!

Cheers!

And you know what?  Here's another option.  When there is no movie you want to see, you can always read a book or share one with those you love?

And remember, books are available for free at your local library!

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

(NOTE:  If you are looking for a particular movie or series, check out this cool site: JustWatch.  It tells you where you can access all TV series and movies)

For Your Consideration, Part II. Have You Seen These Oscar Nominated Films and Performances?

[I review another film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar - "All Quiet on the Western Front" - and the Best Actor nominated performance of Paul Mescal in "Aftersun" and the Best Actress nominated performance of Andrea Riseborough in "To Leslie," hers being a controversial Oscar nomination]

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

"War is hell."

So said General William T. Sherman about the Civil War.  He was right but he had no idea just how hellish because WW I - The Great War - was yet to come, a war that killed 9.7 million military personnel and over 10 million civilians, all to secure mere inches of land fighting along a trench secured front. 

And many of those trenches were along the Western Front, the place where the German and French armies met and what eventually decided the war.

This is the story of 17-year-old Paul Baumer (Felix Kammerer) and his school friends, Albert Kropp (Aaron Hilmer), Franz Muller (Moritz Klaus) and Ludwig Behm (Adrian Grunewald), who, in 1917, three years into WWI, are caught up in the patriotic fervor of the war and the glamour of possibly becoming war heroes, so they enlist in the Imperial German Army. Oh, how easy it is to get teenagers riled up about going to war. They are sent to Northern France, wearing recycled uniforms of dead soldiers (there are particularly upsetting scenes about how that all worked), where they meet "Kat" Katczinsky (Albrecht Schuch), an older soldier, but their romantic ideals of war are soon shattered as Ludwig is killed the first night and the realities of trench warfare set in. Add barbed wire, poison gas, tanks and aircraft and it's a hellish reality, indeed.

Based on the 1929 anti-war novel by Erich Maria Remarque, with a screenplay by Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell, and directed by Berger, this film, a remake of the 1930 American film of the same name (there was also a 1979 TV version), is from the German soldier's point of view and evokes man's inhumanity to man, brutally capturing the hell of war.   

As you know, I am not a fan of remakes, especially remakes of perfectly good foreign films, but this is the flip side, a German remake of an American film, and I give it a pass because, for one thing, it's been over 90 years since the original, and modern filmmaking technology enables the filmmakers to really show just how brutal and grueling war is. And I think that needs to happen to stop war. But this is also a good, well-acted and engrossing story of young men swept up into something they could barely comprehend.

Watching this film I was struck by how much I have missed good, old-fashioned linear movie-making. 

I have missed a good story that is easy to follow from beginning to end, with a point that is easily made and one that filled me with emotion. With the popularity of movies like "Everything Everywhere All At Once," superheroes and horror, I was getting nervous that I wasn't going to enjoy movies anymore, but this one renewed my hopes. It's a real life horror film that depicts the horrors of war.  It's difficult to watch, but this is a film everyone needs to see. If we don't understand what a horror war is, we will never stop the politicians who promote it.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this one probably won't win Best Picture, but it won my heart. In German with English subtitles. (Netflix)

Aftersun (2022)

A young woman reflects back 20 years on a summer spent with her father.

Eleven-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio) is on a summer holiday at a budget resort in Turkey with her 30-year-old Scottish father, Calum (Paul Mescal). Sophie records the holiday on a video recorder and that footage is interspersed throughout the film. If you do the math, Calum was very young when Sophie was born, and he is still young. They are even mistaken for brother and sister. He is now amicably separated from Sophie's mother and is a loving father but he seems depressed and worried about money. Something is not right with Calum. His life perhaps hasn't turned out as he had hoped but he doesn't want to lay this on his child.

This is a leisurely venture into the mind of an eleven-year-old on vacation with her Dad with some flashbacks from the older Sophie's point of view as she reviews those videos.  Now as an adult, perhaps Sophie understands more clearly what her Dad was going through during that sunny summer vacation in Turkey.

Written and directed by Charlotte Wells, this is a British film about how we never really know our parents.  Sophie is a perceptive 11-year-old, but she is also an 11-year-old.  She is on vacation and, though she loves her Dad and senses some unease with him, she also wants to have fun. She likes to play arcade games with a newfound friend; she wants to watch the older kids flirt.

I read somewhere this question: Do children ever question whether or not their parents are happy? That stuck with me.  So true. I don't think as a young girl I ever wondered (or cared) if my parents were happy. However, I remember sitting on the edge of my parents' bed one day with my Dad and asking him, "Why is it that I know my friends better than I know you and Mom?"  He was probaby taken aback, but maybe not.  I was that kind of kid.  He replied, "Because we don't want to burden you with our problems."  Okay, and off I went. I was eleven. It never occurred to me to ask "What problems?"

The film takes forever to get going, at least 40 minutes before much happens, and even then it's just  a series of small vignettes that evoke the 1990's, though I never really understood the rave references that are interspersed throughout. But Mescal and Corio create a believable father/daighter relationship that pulls you in, and eventually we, and she, realize the pain he was going through.

As for Paul Mescal's Oscar nominated performance?

 I am hard pressed to see how this performance merits a Best Actor Oscar nomination.  It's not that Mescal isn't a great actor, he is. It's just that his role is very understated. I didn't get the Oscar performance vibe from it. There was perhaps five minutes of Oscar-worthy scenery chewing.  But maybe that's the draw. Subtlety. Mescal is being rewarded for believability and realness. But if I had seen this film before I knew he was nominated, I would not have said, that guy is going to get a Best Actor nomination for that performance.

But, oh geez, did I love him in "Normal People." He and and his co-star, Daisy Edgar-Jones (she went on to star in "Where the Crawdads Sing"), helped get me through the Pandemic.  It was one of the best series of the year (and if you missed it the first time around, you must see that series).

Rosy the Reviewer says...a wistful coming of age tale, all about trying to make sense of one's parent, and despite it's slow progression, the film eventually cast a spell.  Will Paul Mescal win the Best Actor Oscar?  No, but I see one in his future. (Amazon Prime)

To Leslie (2022)

Maybe winning the lottery isn't such a good thing, after all.

Leslie (Andrea Riseborough) is a West Texas single mom living with her teenaged son.  She wins $190,000 in the lottery and plans to buy her son a guitar and herself a house.  Six years later, she is broke, homeless, a drunk and a drug addict, estranged from her son (Owen Teague), friends and other family members. All she has to show for herself now is a pink suitcase filled with junk.

What happened?

The film doesn't really go into details or a flashback about what happened over those six years, but the story is not an unusual one when it comes to lottery winners. Believe it or not, it's a common outcome for many lottery winners.  They are more likely to go bankrupt than anyone else, a phenomenon that occurs when people are suddenly rich but have no idea how to handle money. And it is clear when Leslie wins with all of her "Woo hoos" and "I'm buying everyone a drink" reaction to her win, that she is a good old girl, ill-prepared for success.

So this is all about just how far down will Leslie go?  Can she redeem herself?

After several false starts (she really wants to be good), Leslie finally has an epiphany of sorts, meets Sweeney (Marc Maron who puts in a surprisingly poignant performance), a motel manager who gives her a job cleaning the rooms that includes room and board and he also helps her get clean. But will she make it?

So winning the lottery can be controversial.  And, believe it or not, so can an Oscar nomination.

There is Oscar controversy around this film.  Well, not the film itself but around the star, Andrea Riseborough and her Best Actress nomination. Her nomination was a big surprise, especially a performance in a film that only made $27,000.  And that's not for opening weekend, that was what it made for its entire run last year (it came out in March). Nobody saw it. 

So how can someone get an Oscar nomination when no one has seen the film?

Written by Ryan Binaco and directed by Michael Morris, this is your basic low-budget indie film, shaky camera and all, which might explain why no one saw it, even with an unrecognizable but excellent Allison Janney in the cast.  It's also grim and not a fun movie to watch, but Riseborough's performance makes the film so word must have gotten out about that.  The rest is Oscar controversy history. 

And here is the controversy.

Allegedly there was a grassroots campaign for Riseborough that included private screenings of the film by some of Riseborough's famous fans, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, and other celebrities advocating for her on their social media. However, the Academy has a rule against campaigning.  Film reps are only allowed to contact voters once a week per movie and supposedly there were more than that. Okay, I get that part, but not sure how word-of-mouth is really breaking any rules.  But there are those who are not happy about who Riseborough might have replaced in the nominations, such as Viola Davis, thus a flap has been stirred up.  As a result of this mini-scandale (I'm using French because I am a classy gal), the Academy conducted an investigation and Riseborough's nomination was upheld, but the Academy has also said it will conduct a review of campaign procedures for the future.

But, did she deserve the nomination?

Yes, she is as deserving as any of the other actresses. Hers is a raw, believable performance, especially considering Riseborough is a British actress playing a West Texan. It's a difficult role and she is all in.  I believed every minute of her performance.  And why shouldn't she be nominated?  She is not new to films. She has been in the biz since 2005, starred in many films but is one of those actresses where you recognize her face, but you don't know her name.  Among her many credits, she played Michael Keaton's love interest in "Birdman," Wallace Simpson in "W.E."  and most recently starred in "Amsterdam" and has four projects already in post-production. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...will she win the Best Actress Oscar?  No, but this nomination will certainly help her career.  We will now know her name and not just her face and she is certainly deserving of that. (Amazon Prime)

Final thoughts: Why was Andrea Riseborough's Best Actress nomination so controversial and Paul Mescal's was not?  No one really saw "Aftersun" either. They both took the place of other, more well-known, actors who might have been nominated. I remember thinking Brad Pitt deserved one for his role in "Babylon," but he was snubbed. So everyone needs to get over griping about Riseborough's nomination.  She deserved it.

 

Thanks for Reading!

See you at the Oscars March 12!

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