Year: 2021

Reviews of “Minari,” “Two of Us” and “I Care a Lot,” as well as a Top 10 Movie list blog preview, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network, available by clicking here ...

“I Care a Lot”(2020 production, 2021 release). Cast: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Dianne Wiest, Eiza González, Chris Messina, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Macon Blair, Alicia Witt, Damian Young, Nicholas Logan. Director: J Blakeson. Screenplay: J Blakeson. Web site. Trailer. Inflicting cruel intentions on others is a truly despicable act. But, as appalling as that is, it’s even worse when they’re camouflaged in what appears to be heartfelt, altruistic sincerity. The malice permeating such circumstances is staggering, leading to an array of indignities. Of course, such scenarios can also sow the seeds of retribution against the perpetrators, as an unscrupulous business owner discovers for herself in the bitingly cynical new dark comedy, “I Care a Lot.” Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) has got quite a sweet deal going for herself. As the owner of a legal guardianship agency, she assumes legal responsibility for the care of seniors who are unable to attend to their own needs, many of whom are afflicted with various forms of dementia and memory disorders. In many of those cases, the patients either have no families to provide care or their relatives are judged unsuitable in one way or another (negligent, abusive, disinterested, etc.). And Marla’s apparent sense of ...

With theaters back open and the awards season in full swing, film fans have more new viewing options than they have had in a long time, either from home or in moviehouses. Find out about some excellent new selections and leading awards contenders on Thursday, March 25, on the latest edition of The Good Media Network’s Frankiesense & More video podcast with yours truly and host Frankie Picasso. Tune in at 1 pm ET on Facebook Live by clicking here for a lively discussion of new releases worth seeing (and some worth avoiding). And, if you don’t see it live, catch it later on demand! ...

“Two of Us” (“Deux”) (2019 production, 2021 release). Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Martine Chevallier, Léa Drucker, Jérôme Varanfrain, Muriel Bénazéraf, Augustine Reyes, Hervé Sogne. Director: Filippo Meneghetti. Screenplay: Malysone Bovorasmy, Filippo Meneghetti and Florence Vignon. Web site. Trailer. We’ve all been led to believe that “Love conquers all.” But is that really the case? Aren’t there situations that arise where, no matter how much love is present, it can’t solve every problem that arises? And, if so, then what? How can circumstances be resolved satisfactorily? Such is the dilemma raised in the heartwarming and heartbreaking new French love story, “Two of Us” (“Deux”). Madeleine Girard (Martine Chevallier) and Nina Dorn (Barbara Sukowa) have been in love for years. They met while on vacation in Rome, and now, as they’re ready for retirement, Madeleine plans to sell her Paris apartment so that they can return to the Eternal City to live out their golden years together. There’s just one catch: Before Madeleine took up with Nina, she was married and had two children, and, after her husband died, she never told them about her same-sex relationship, even now as Anne (Léa Drucker) and Frédéric (Jérôme Varanfrain) have reached adulthood. They’re aware of ...

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, Tuesday, March 23, at 2 pm ET, available by clicking here. And, if you don’t hear the show live, catch it later on demand, now available on Sound Cloud and Amazon! ...

“Nasrin”(2020). Cast: Nasrin Sotoudeh, Ann Curry, Reza Khandan, Nima Khandan, Mehraveh Khandan, Narges Hosseini, Jafar Panahi, Shirin Ebadi, Taghi Rahmani, Marietje Schaake, Monsoureh Shojaee, Olivia Colman (narrator). Director: Jeff Kaufman. Writer: Jeff Kaufman. Web site. Trailer. We can all use a little help from time to time. There are even times when we can use a lot of it, and, in those instances where we’re up against seemingly impossible odds, such as being under the thumb of despotic authority figures, it’s positively essential. Thankfully, there are champions out there who are willing to rise such occasions, even when it comes to putting their own well-being on the line, as illustrated in the new biographical documentary, “Nasrin.” Nasrin Sotoudeh may not be a familiar name to many of us. But, to countless Iranians who have come under attack by the Islamic state’s authoritarian fundamentalist rule, she has been a godsend. As one of the nation’s (indeed, the world’s) most passionate and prominent human rights advocates, Nasrin is an attorney who speaks her mind and fights aggressively for her clients, often confronting a brutal, autocratic government and a capricious, unreliable court system. In her many years of practice, she has fought hard ...