MOVIE - A Most Wanted Man

R (2:01)
Limited release 7/25/2014
El Con with Sheila First Day of School 8/7/2014
RT Critic:  90    Audience:  71
cag: 5.5 - Hard to say you "love" such a sad story, but it was amazingly done
Directed by Anton Corbijn
Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions
based on a book by John leCarre

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Defoe, Robin Wright, Grigory Dobrygin

My thoughts:  As I was watching the amazing Philip Seymour Hoffman, I kept remembering that this was his last film.  He was brilliant; nonstop smoking, drinking, thinking...caring.  It was the kind of story that unfolds, makes you attend carefully so that you can figure out what's going on.  You begin to see into each of the characters; their motivations, their stories.  It was amazingly done.  I don't know much about directing and exactly what it is that a director does to make this sort of characterization jump out at you, but this amateur movie-watcher is guessing that Mr. Corbijn did a terrific job.

RT Summary:  When a half-Chechen, half-Russian, brutally tortured immigrant turns up in Hamburg's Islamic community, laying claim to his father's ill-gotten fortune, both German and US security agencies take a close interest: as the clock ticks down and the stakes rise, the race is on to establish this most wanted man's true identity - oppressed victim or destruction-bent extremist?

MOVIE - God's Pocket

R (1:28)

Limited release 5/9/2014

Saw it at The Loft on Friday, 5/16/2014

RT Critic: 32%  Audience:  35%

Cag: 2/It was okay

Directed by John Slattery

IFC Films

Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Turturro, Richard Jenkins

My comments:  I kept wondering where this was going, since they showed the near-ending at the beginning and then told the story leading up to it.  Was it supposed to be a dark comedy?  There were a few tongue-in-cheek places that made me laugh, but not enough comedy to count it as a COMEDY.  Yes, there was a feel for this neighborhood (a real one?  in Philly?), but it was bleak, dark, depressing and filled with alcoholism.  I did think the ending was particularly good, however.

Rotten Tomatoes says:  In the gritty, blue-collar neighborhood of God's Pocket, Mickey Scarpato's crazy stepson, Leon, is killed in a construction "accident," and Mickey quickly tries to bury the bad news with the body. But when a local columnist comes sniffing around for the truth, things go from bad to worse. Mickey finds himself stuck in a life-and-death struggle compounded by a body he can't bury, a wife he can't please, and a debt he can't pay. Acclaimed actor John Slattery makes an impressive jump behind the camera with an assured directorial debut that shows he has a razor-sharp eye for conveying the absurdity, cruelty, desperation, and tragic optimism of the people he portrays. Like life, his scenes seamlessly fuse humor and heartbreak, but it's Slattery's wit and confident style that make the portrait so authentic. Featuring a top-shelf cast and impeccable cinematography, God's Pocket oozes with talent and marks the emergence of an inspired directorial presence.

MOVIE: Doubt

Rating: Time flew by
Viewed: Tuesday, Mar. 2; Crossroads with Sheila
Rotten Tomato: 78% Mine: 80%, almost the same
EW: C+ cag: B+
Genre: Drama
Realeased: 12/12/08
PG-13 (1:44)
Directed (& written by) John Patrick Shanley
Meryl Streep (Acad Award nominee best actress)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (AcAw nominee supporting)
Amy Adams (AcAw nominee supporting)
Viola Davis (AcAw nominees supporting) ***

I had never planned to see this movie - I was nervous watching the previews (I hate the very real problem about sexual abuse concerning priests, even if it is probably just a handful) , and I've always had a....problem.....with the Catholic church. But it was dollar night, with popcorn and soda two bucks each (hey, five dollars for dinner and a movie - who can pass that up?) I'm glad I went. There's a reason why movies get Academy Award nominations. The acting was just plain superb! Viola Davis had perhaps a ten-minute part, but OH MY GOSH! I feel like I can get in front of a class of kids and act it up, but this kind of talent is just awe-inspiring. I couldn't pick out one performance and say it was better or not as good as another.

The story: Sister Aloysius (Streep) is the hard-nosed principal of a NYC parochial school in 1964. Father Flynn (Hoffman) is the middle-aged priest of the church. The two have opposing views about "keeping up with the times." Young Sister James (Adams) is a new teacher who loves teaching history to her 8th graders. She's the one who goes to the principal with things that she's noticed about Father Flynn and one of her students - a black boy who is also an altar boy.

There's never any real proof about anything in this movie, we are left to our own imaginings - as are the protagonists of the story. I've never seen the Tony-Award and Pulitzer Prize award winning play, which is said to be better, but I did enjoy this film very much. And I don't think it's FAIR to compare a play and a movie, especially when they're written by the same person. You just have to sit back and enjoy the incredible acting for an hour and three quarters. It flew by. I'm glad I saw it.