MOVIE - All Is True

PG-13 (1:41)

Limited release 5/10/2019

Viewed Memorial Day, 2019 at the Maple Theater in Bloomfield, MI - a pretty cool theater

IMBd: 5.9/10

RT Critic:  72  Audience:  76

Critic's Consensus:  Impressively cast and beautifully filmed, All Is True takes an elegiac look at Shakespeare's final days.

Cag:  5/Loved it 

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also starred

Sony Pictures Classics

Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench 

My comments:  A pretty decent movie.  All is true?!?  That's what I kept wondering as I watched this movie...how much is true and how much is just of the author's imagination?  How much is based on tidbits of information?  There's so much controversy about Shakespeare, the man and the myth, lol!  There's even a huge faction that say it wasn't even a guy named Shakespeare that did the actual writing of any of the plays.  This movie was totally interesting, thought-provoking, and whether it is true or not, was a great piece of historical storytelling.  The poor older gent behind me fell asleep, I suppose it was slower going than the adventure-packed stuff that is thrust down our throats for the last couple of years.  I really enjoyed this one a lot.  And Branagh's depiction of the bard is a blast to watch!  AND with Judith Dench as Anne...be still my heart!

RT/ IMDb Summary  The year is 1613, Shakespeare is acknowledged as the greatest writer of the age. But disaster strikes when his renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground, and devastated, Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a troubled past and a neglected family. Haunted by the death of his only son Hamnet, he struggles to mend the broken relationships with his wife and daughters. In so doing, he is ruthlessly forced to examine his own failings as husband and father. His very personal search for the truth uncovers secrets and lies within a family at war.

MOVIE - Victoria & Abdul

PG-13 (1:51)

Wide release 10/6/17

Viewed Sunday, 10/15/17 at Gettysburg Majestic with Claudia

IMBd: 6.9/10

RT Critic:  68  Audience:  72
Critic's Consensus:  Critics Consensus: Victoria & Abdul reunites Dame Judi Dench with the role of Queen Victoria -- which is all this period drama needs to overcome its imbalanced narrative.

Cag:  6/Awesome  5/Loved it  4/Liked it a lot  3/Liked it  2/It was okay  1/Didn’t like it

Directed by Stephen Frears

Focus Features

Based at least partly on a true story, which the Brits hid for many years!

Actors:  Judi Dench, Ali Fazal (and Dumbledore plays the Prime Minister of England!)

My comments:  While watching, although I'd heard that this story is based on fact, I wondered how much.  After getting home I did a little research, and was delighted to find that at least some of the story is based on fact.  The humor included, whether real or not, was excellent.  I discovered that Abdul spends over 10 years with Queen Victoria.  I wish the movie had showed this much passage of time more effectively.  Judi Dench ROCKS!  Ali Fazal, who plays Abdul, is apparently a Bollywood star.  He did a really good job with the role, I enjoyed very much watching his expressive face.  One reviewer summed it up pretty well....it's how joy and humanity are combined that makes it.  How much you think is real and how much is fake is up to the beholder.  It's a good movie no matter which it is!  Recommended.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  The extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria's (Academy Award winner Judi Dench) remarkable rule. When Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a young clerk, travels from India to participate in the Queen's Golden Jubilee, he is surprised to find favor with the Queen herself. As the Queen questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance with a loyalty to one another that her household and inner circle all attempt to destroy. As the friendship deepens, the Queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes and joyfully reclaims her humanity.

MOVIE - Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

PG (2:02)

Wide release 3/6/15

Viewed 3/17/15 at ElCon

RT Critic: 63 Audience: 67

Cag: 3/Liked it, with reservation

Directed by John Madden

20th Century Fox

Based on the book by

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Richard Gere, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Richard Gere

My comments:  Well.  I was so looking forward to this, I loved the first one so much. But this one was ... different.  It was more depressing, and more stupid.  The addition of Richard Gere was dumb, I was embarrassed for him.  Poor Sonny, the writers made him a dolt for over 50% of the movie The filming in India was great.  There were a few good chuckles, and an Indian wedding has always seemed really cool to me.  Entertaining, but certainly not great.

RT Summary  Now that The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is full up with its long-term residents, co-managers Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) and Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) have a dream of expansion, and they've found just the place: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. With plans underway, Evelyn and Douglas (Judi Dench and Bill Nighy) venture into the Jaipur workforce, wondering where their regular breakfast dates will lead. Meanwhile, Norman and Carol (Ronald Pickup and Diana Hardcastle) navigate the swirling waters of an exclusive relationship, as Madge (Celia Imrie) juggles two very eligible suitors, and recent arrival Guy Chambers (Richard Gere) finds a muse in Sonny's mother, Mrs. Kapoor (Lillete Dubey) for his next novel. As his marriage to Sunaina (Tina Desai), the love of his life, quickly approaches, Sonny finds his plans for the new hotel making more claims on his time than he has available. Perhaps the only one who may know the answers is Muriel, the keeper of everyone's secrets. As the big day nears, family and guests alike find themselves swept up in the irresistible intoxication of an Indian wedding.​ 

MOVIE - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Most Excellent Movie!
Limited release 5-4-2012
Viewed Tuesday 5/4/12fvgrge
PG-13 (2:04)
RT: Critics 76 Au/dience 84
cag:  Loved it/5 at El Con alone (I'd gone the week before, 1/2 hour before showtime, and it was completely sold out!)
Director:  John Madden
20th Century Fox

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy

A group of British retirees meet for the first time at the airport in London, departing for what they think will be a snazzy hotel in India that will allow them to live more cheaply than in expensive London.... comfortably.   Dev Patel is the youngest son who is trying to get his father's rundown Marigold Hotel open and back on its feet.  Needless to say, the joint isn't exactly what anyone expected.  But they all bond...in their own ways...and, for the most part, take their new lot in life and go for it.  All the characters are wonderfully portrayed.  It's a rich story in a great setting and I loved every moment of it!