Having one hand out of commission for a few weeks has put the squeeze on the pace of my art-making. In the meantime, I've been watching lots of movies and streaming programs, So, here are some reviews in case any of these shows are on your 'to watch' list:
*The Portable Door (wtih Sam Neill) - This is an adventure fantasy that is quirky, quite mysterious and odd at the beginning, and entertaining. The Jim Henson Company, run by Jim Henson's daughter, was involved in making some of the characters in this film.
*The Triplets of Belleville (animated) - It is amazing that this film has so little spoken language in it. The animation (cartooning) is great in terms of conveying story, place. depth, and emotion. I loved the opening song by the trio and if you aren't aware, it received two Oscar nominations in 2004 (one for best original song and the other for best animated feature).
*The Most Reluctant Convert - This movie is the story of C.S. Lewis' conversion from atheist (that he chose to be at age 14) to man of faith, and it has religious overtones. That said, having been a reader of some of his books (e.g. The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, etc.) it is interesting to me to learn about those famous authors I've read -- theiir life paths and the events that shaped them and influenced their works.
*The Birdman (with Michael Keaton) - I didn't like the movie.
*Winchester (with Helen Mirren) - This was a well-done movie about Sarah Winchester, inheriter of the Winchester rifle fortune, and the house she continued to build on throughout her life. The story is well-written and involves a doctor and some ghosts.
*The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (with Martin Freeman) - I like Martin Freeman as an actor, but I didn't like this movie. I didn't even watch it all the way through.
*The Monument's Men (with George Clooney) - It's an interesting movie about the vast range of art recovered by a team (comprised of Allied nations' military personnel) during WW2 that the Nazis took and hid for a different post-war purpose. It was an amazing effort! The recovered art works were returned to as many of their owners as possible.
*Dunkirk - This is a good-to-know WW2 story of the rescue at Dunkirk. It has some sad parts. and it was also slow-moving in some scenes.
*Pinocchio (del Toro's version) - I liked this movie and think it is a good one for boys especially. I loved the Geppeto, Pinocchio, and Sebastian characters. The retelling of the story of why Pinocchio is created and how he learns about life is lovely, There are dark characters too including the introduction of a Fascist officer-father of one of the boys Pinocchio meets. The story is a very interesting retelling of the original story in whch Pinocchio was not so nice. In this one, he is nice while a bit naive as well as head-strong, and there are some very good messages in the movie. Aside from that, the stop-action filming process used was amazing and incredibly tedious. Plus, the physical characters used are stand-alone works of art and ingenuity! The movie has an all-star cast of voices including those of David Bradley (from the Harry Potter movies), Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Ron Perlman among the rest of the cast.
*Enola Holmes 2 (with Millie Bobby Brown) - This movie wasn't as engaging as the first Enola Holmes.
*Esio Trot (with Dustin Hoffman, Richard Cordery and Judi Dench; story by Ronald Dahl) - James Corden narrates this cute movie about three older singles living in the same apartment building -- in which two become a couple.
*Hunt for the Wilderpeople (with Sam Neill) - I watched the entire movie--it's ok, but there are many other better movies to see.
*Tolkien - I liked this movie which covers Tolkien's sad and difficult youth, his forging of a group of close friends who called themselves the TCBS, a romance, serving in the war, and living with a vivid imagination that he wrote, drew, and created languages for--that would become some of the stories he would eventually write. Interestingly, Tolkien and C.S.Lewis were friends though the connection with Lewis isn't mentioned in this movie.
*Goodbye Christopher Robin - The man we think of as the writer of Winnie the Pooh comes across in this movie as stern, morose, and possibly having suffered from PTSD due to military service. His son was an important part of the legacy Milne has left to generations of children as a result of the book's writing.
*Dickensian (streaming series) - This is a a multi-episode murder mystery with a series of stories and characters from Dickens' books. It is very clever and well-done...the staging and costuming are great, and the characters and stories are engaging!
*Queen Charlotte (streaming series) - This is an excellent series in every way!
*Bridgerton Season 2 (streaming series) - I'm so glad to have finished watching the entire season and liked it. A few months passed between the end of episode #4 and watching the remaining episodes. Before watching the remaining ones, I kept wondering how they were going to make a full season of episodes considering where #4 had left off.
*The Crown Season 1, episodes 1-5 (streaming series) - I found this series slow and not particularly enjoyable.
*Versailles Season 3 (streaming series) - The acting, sets and costumes are all well-done. My overall reaction is that I liked it enough to watch all 10 episodes, even though it wasn't extraordinary.
This is my take on the shows listed. Please feel free to make a comment, if you have some other takeaways from them or with other recommendations.
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