Author: msobczak1138

MoviesLeave a comment

Les Misérables (2019)

msobczak1138

A man reaps what he sows.

Watching Les Misérables is like watching a prophecy filmed a year ago about the social unrest in America today.  The only difference is that the movie is located in France.  The film’s no-frills direction, realistic acting and white-knuckle pacing made me feel like I was watching a documentary.  The film won the 2019 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize, and was nominated for Best International Feature for the 2019 Academy Awards.

Continue reading “Les Misérables (2019)”
MoviesLeave a comment

Fighting with My Family (2019)

msobczak1138

Florence Pugh had what many actors would consider to be a career year in 2019.  She starred in Midsommar and Little Women, earning an Oscar nomination for the latter.  Her first movie out in 2019 was actually Fighting with My Family, and if I had seen that movie before the other two, I still would have been convinced she was a star in the making.  Together, the three films  showcase not just how nimbly she adapts to different genres (horror, period piece and comedy), but how convincingly she acted in each of them.  If it weren’t for COVID, I’m sure we would all be talking about her role in Black Widow, but we’ll have to wait until November (at the earliest).

Continue reading “Fighting with My Family (2019)”
Movies1 Comment

The Hunt (2020)

msobczak1138

“The most controversial movie of the year!”

The “controversy” surrounding this movie was manufactured by the president himself, who dissed the movie in an angry tweet.  I doubt he watched this movie himself, and instead relied on his handlers to confirm how awfully it treats his beloved red-staters.  Those evil Hollywood liberal elites!  Damn them!  Damn them all to hell!

Continue reading “The Hunt (2020)”
TelevisionLeave a comment

I’ll Be Gone in The Dark

msobczak1138

Not all murders are created equal, or equally entertaining.

This series primarily serves as an examination of the life of Michelle McNamara, a true crime blogger who spent years investigating and chronicling the crimes of a man known under many names, including the East Area Rapist, the Oakland Night Stalker and the Visalia Ransacker.  Between 1973 and 1986, the man she would eventually name The Golden State Killer would commit at least thirteen murders, fifty rapes, and 120 burglaries across California (thank you, Wikipedia).

Continue reading “I’ll Be Gone in The Dark”
MoviesLeave a comment

Mulan (2020)

msobczak1138

Bravery – Truth – Loyalty – Devotion to Family

When I initially heard that Disney was doing a live-action version of Mulan, I thought I wouldn’t bother to see it.  I hadn’t seen the original cartoon, released back in 1998.  Back then, my wife and I had been married six months, so I believe she and I mostly saw films targeted for adults back then.  While I was familiar with the plot of the animated film (a young girl with exceptional fighting prowess and no interest in marital affairs takes her aging father’s place in the Imperial Army), I never sought out watching it.  I’ve never had more than a passing interest in kung-fu movies, or movies based in the ancient orient that involved a lot of swords clanging and people flying around.

Continue reading “Mulan (2020)”
MoviesLeave a comment

Safety Not Guaranteed (Netflix)

msobczak1138

To me, acting falls into two categories: transformational and charismatic.  Transformational performances are those where the actor becomes another person, undergoing significant physical changes to convince us that they have become someone else.  Examples of this would be Charlize Theron in Monster, Gary Oldman in Churchill and Renee Zellweger in Judy.  The physical transformations typically include weight gain or loss, application of makeup, and an uncanny impersonation of vocal and other mannerisms.  These performances are usually tagged as “Oscar bait”, universally applauded and admired as feats of skill.

Continue reading “Safety Not Guaranteed (Netflix)”
Movies1 Comment

Greyhound (AppleTV+)

msobczak1138

When you have been a consumer of movies and television for a long time, eventually you get to play the “remember when” game with your favorite actors and actresses.  Case in point:  Tom Hanks.  Remember when he starred in a TV show that was a riff on Some Like it Hot?  (That was Bosom Buddies, which ran from 1980-82.)  Remember when he starred in an adult sex comedy? (Bachelor Party in 1984.)  Remember when he played a thirteen year-old kid transported into a thirty year-old body in Big (way back in 1988)?

Continue reading “Greyhound (AppleTV+)”
Movies3 Comments

Palm Springs (Hulu)

msobczak1138

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.  Man finds himself reliving the same day until he finds a way to escape the loop.  You may have immediately thought of Groundhog’s Day, the Bill Murry classic.  That movie came out in 1993.  Since then there have been other films that have utilized the concept, including Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day in 2017 (and its sequel, Happy Death Day 2U in 2019).  Recent TV shows have also followed this pattern, from Westworld (where the hosts relive the same pre-programmed day until they revolt) to Upload (Amazon Prime), Undone (also Amazon Prime) and After Life (what’s up over at Amazon Prime, anyway?).  I could go all the way back to the Greek legend of Sisyphus, but then we would be heading into TL;DR territory.  (TL;DR: “too long; didn’t read”)

Continue reading “Palm Springs (Hulu)”