MOVIE - Disobedience

R (1:54)

Limited release 4/27/2018

Viewed Thursday, June 21, 2018 at Majestic in Gettysburg
IMBd:  6.8/10

T Critic:  84  Audience: 80
Critic's Consensus:  Disobedience explores a variety of thought-provoking themes, bolstered by gripping work from leads Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, and Alessandro Nivola.

Cag: 5 It was really wonderful

Directed by Sebastian Lelio

Bleecker Street

Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola

My comments:  Another powerful movie with exceptional performances.  Whoa, being gay in an Orthodox Jewish community!  Totally impossible, "Disobedience" showed a depth of humanity and love in the Orthodox Jewish community which, as much as I'd love to believe might happen, truly can't imagine that it would.  For most of the movie you get "typical" reactions from people.  Yes, my heart broke for a young woman of faith who was definitely not heterosexual, choosing to follow the beliefs she was raised with and marry a man she did care about but was not attracted to.  My heart broke even more for her husband, who ended up being an incredibly honest, loving, spiritual man.  The kind of spiritual leader that I could definitely believe in myself, and would help to heal our world.  Oh yes, I shed some tears, and I walked out of the theater thinking, "what could possible be the next step in a story like this one?"  Well done, well done.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  From Sebastián Lelio, the director of the Academy Award-winning A Fantastic Woman, the film follows a woman as she returns to the community that shunned her decades earlier for an attraction to a childhood friend. Once back, their passions reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality. Written by Lelio and Rebecca Lenkiewicz and based on Naomi Alderman's book, the film stars Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola.

MOVIE - Denial

PG-13 (1:50)

Limited release 9/30/16

Viewed 10/24/16 with Sheila (& others?)
IMBd: 6.3/10

RT Critic: 81   Audience:  75
Critic's Consensus:  If Denialdoesn't quite do its incredible story complete justice, it comes close enough to offer a satisfying, impactful drama -- and another powerful performance from Rachel Weisz.

Cag: 4/liked it a lot

Directed by Mick Jackson

Participant Media

Based on a true story

Rachel Wiesz, Tom Wilkerson

My comments:  Saw this with Sheila and had a bit of a talk about it afterwards.  Learned a lot about the British justice/legal system, lots of things are different from the US.  Hard to believe that people actually either believe that the Holocaust never happened or want to totally erase it from history.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Based on the acclaimed book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, DENIAL recounts Deborah E. Lipstadt's (Academy Award (R) winner Rachel Weisz) legal battle for historical truth against David Irving (Cannes Award winner Timothy Spall), who accused her of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier. In the English legal system, the burden of proof is on the accused, therefore it was up to Lipstadt and her legal team to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust occurred.

MOVIE - Oz the Great and Powerful

PG (2:07)

Wide release 3/8/13

saw it at ElCon with Sheila on Tuesday 3/12/13

RT Critic: 61  Audience: 69

Cag: The more I got into it, the more it grew on me, 4-Liked it quite a bit

Directed by Sam Raimi

Walt Disney Pictures

Actors:  James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weiss

Rotten Tomato Synopsis:  When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking-that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity-and even a bit of wizardry-Oscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well. When small-time magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) pulls one flimflam too many, he finds himself hurled into the fantastical Land of Oz where he must somehow transform himself into the great wizard-and just maybe into a better man as well

My comments:  It started out a little slowly at first, but as I got into the movie and story I really liked the way it paralleled the original and used the same characters and premises, just fleshing them out.  Yay, munchkins! The reality vs. animation worked really well, the makeup was excellent.  Boy those three actresses are gorgeous!  I adore James Franco in anything, and don't agree with the naysayers about his role in this particular movie.  Sure, maybe it could have been cast a bit better, but he pulled it off quite well....at least, good enough for me!

MOVIE - The Brothers Bloom

A suspenseful romantic comedy with a "sweet" touch or two....
PG-13
1 hr. 49 min.
Released May 15, 2009
Dollar Tuesday at the Grand, alone
RT: 62% cag 92% (I really liked the acting/chemistry/characters of Brody and Weisz)
Directed by Rian Johnson
Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo

Brothers Stephen and "Bloom" Bloom were sent from foster home to foster home when they were young boys. Mischievous might be a way to describe them. But when they are 13 and 10, we discover Stephen's penchant for creating intricate "stories" that they act out, step by step, toward a reward of some kind. They are con men.

25 years later, Stephen is still writing the "stories", they are aided and abetted by an almost-silent female sidekick nicknamed Bang-Bang, and Bloom has had it. He wants out. He wants to live a "real" life, not a story. Stephen convinces him to pull one last con. By now they are international con men, playing for big stakes. This one will be tricking a peculiar heiress, played by Rachel Weisz. And now it starts getting really good, trying to figure out what's con (most of it), what's not, and watching the relationship grow between Bloom and Penelope. That was my favorite part, watching those two characters interact.

Great sets and scenery, this was filmed in four places - Serbia, the Czeck Republic, Romania and...darn, I can't remember.

Fun, fun, fun.