Saving Mr. Banks with Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson and Colin Farrell was so worth going to see. I laughed, I cried I felt for P.L. Travers as an adult, adored her as a child played by Annie Rose Buckley. This story of how the movie Mary Poppins got made is one which gives the audience much more than just a 'story'. It is powerful.
Mr. Walt Disney pursued the film rights of this movie for 20 years. It was only when P.L. Travers is stretched financially that she agrees to meet with Mr. Disney. But she has her own idea of how the movie should be represented. Fireworks, misunderstandings you name it. In the meantime, you laugh, you cry and you fall in love. You fall in love with the story of Mr. Banks.
The film is wonderfully edited by Mark Livolsi. Much credit goes to him in how he inserted the story of the young girl 'Ginty', who grows up to become P.L. Travers. Colin Farrell is brilliant as her father, and as I really want you to see this movie I'm not saying anything more about the story of her Dad.
Needless to say Tom Hanks - he just keeps on getting better and Emma Thompson, both are brilliant. The support cast held up their roles wonderfully well too. Coming out of this movie after crying my eyes out which shows this is a woman's movie, I was so glad I had seen it. It has a most wonderful section on forgiveness - one of my own topics. How great to hear about it in a big budget movie.
It also shows the impact on how we grow up and the effect into our current lives. Something I work with daily with my clients. Yes, this movie is one I could suggest anyone watch who wants to learn something about how the past affects the future. Saving Mr. Banks could help you saving yourself!
Another 4 1/2 out of 5.
Showing posts with label Tom Hanks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Hanks. Show all posts
Monday, December 23, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Captain Phillips - movie review
Movies based on true happenings I always find interesting and this movie, Captain Phillips, is no exception. In 2009 Somali pirates hijacked a US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama - the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in 200 years. Although there were only four hijackers, Captain Richard Phillips played by Tom Hanks was able to get them off the boat into the lifeboat. Unfortunately, they took him with them. Tom Hanks does such a great job with this role, he may get another Oscar nod.
In the meantime, the US Navy sent a boat and the seals were sent from Virginia. Director, Paul Greengrass does a really great job in keeping the tension high. In fact this story could have been quite boring, but it wasn't. The tension between Captain Phillips, Tom Hanks and the leader of the Somali Pirates, Muse played by Barkhad Abdi was kept at a high level, as both men interact with each other.
I remember hearing about this event at the time, but thought they stopped the Pirates on the cargo ship, but they weren't. They were stopped on the lifeboat. Muse, the leader was talked off the lifeboat onto the US Navy ship, and ended up in a Missouri jail, whereas the other three were killed.
I found that I was quite exhausted from the adrenaline rushes the up and down and even when you know the outcome the director made it great to watch. 3 1/2 out of 5.
In the meantime, the US Navy sent a boat and the seals were sent from Virginia. Director, Paul Greengrass does a really great job in keeping the tension high. In fact this story could have been quite boring, but it wasn't. The tension between Captain Phillips, Tom Hanks and the leader of the Somali Pirates, Muse played by Barkhad Abdi was kept at a high level, as both men interact with each other.
I remember hearing about this event at the time, but thought they stopped the Pirates on the cargo ship, but they weren't. They were stopped on the lifeboat. Muse, the leader was talked off the lifeboat onto the US Navy ship, and ended up in a Missouri jail, whereas the other three were killed.
I found that I was quite exhausted from the adrenaline rushes the up and down and even when you know the outcome the director made it great to watch. 3 1/2 out of 5.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Movie Review - Cloud Atlas
Last night my friend Trish drove us one and half hours north so we could see Cloud Atlas. We got there a little later than we would have liked and had to sit five rows from the front. The screen seemed enormous right in front of us. Even though this is a long movie, we did not notice how close we were, or feel the time. Cloud Atlas is mesmerizing. It is a movie I know I will see at least once more, in fact maybe more than that.
I need to say first of all, if you are a person who does not like watching movement back and forth through time, then this movie is not for you. The concept of many lives and the intersection of a group of people is fascinating. I spent time, trying to pick out the actors in the different time sequences. At first it was a bit unsettling, or distracting as one goes from one time to another then other quite quickly and then you begin to piece together the different story lines. As the movie begins to go into the middle and the story lines spend longer in the time frames you get to become involved with the different characters.
Does this movie answer the question of reincarnation (of which I am a proponent) does it suggest, as I believe it does, that all time is one, and these events in these different time settings are taking place at the same time Hard to tell, which is why one needs to see this movie several times.
The main actors play six roles each, then others play less, but most are in each story line. Tom Hanks plays a wide range of roles as does Halle Berry (some were hard to figure who she is until the end. Oh yes, you must remain to the end when the credits roll, and then they show you all the characters they played. What a treat.
Trish and I, as we discussed the movie after, agreed some we picked out right away, others no. This happened particularly with Hugh Grant's six roles. I only had him pegged in a couple of them. But the acting, make up and sets are phenomenal. Other actors, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving,(who plays a wonderful Devil) Jim Sturgess, whom I fell in love with in several of his roles, Doone Bae, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, (quite easy to pick out due to his size and look,) James D'Arcy, Xun SZhou, and Susan Saradan (also easy to pick out due to her look). And the list goes on. Most playing six roles, some less.
There is some comic relief, especially when four (including Jim Broadbent) go to 'escape' the home they have been put into. I believed I ended up clapping when they succeeded. Just shows how much you get into the story lines being portrayed.
This is not your usual everyday movie, if you like to be entertained for several hours, have a guessing game as to who the character you are watching is being played by and see some great sets, magnificent make up, then see this movie. The concept of reincarnation is not really discussed, it is touched upon in some dialogue, but mostly visually shown how we inter react in many different lives playing different parts.
One criticism, and another reason to see this movie again. Sometimes, the language, especially in one story line, is very hard to understand. It easier the longer you watch that time line, but still, much of it is lost in translation.
If you can stand time jumps in movies, and follow story lines and enjoy how one person will say something in one story line and then have it shown in several following story lines go see this movie. For me, I'll definitely being seeing it again.
4 1/2 out of 5. (loss of 1/2 a point due t some of the dialogue is not understandable, even though it does fit in with the movie).
I went and watched this movie again yesterday. I enjoyed it more, if possible, than the first time. Why? Because I knew what was coming and was able to spend time on catching things I had missed the first time. Its surprising how much you miss when you are trying to keep up with the plot lines, the different characters etc. I had fun this time. Also, making it more enjoyable I was able to catch the language which I complained about in my original review. I would say I understood 90% of it this time. Next time, I'll be able to catch it all - hopefully. This is a great movie, the philosophy, the levels, the depths, the social comment, the everything is really worth seeing. Hope you go!
I need to say first of all, if you are a person who does not like watching movement back and forth through time, then this movie is not for you. The concept of many lives and the intersection of a group of people is fascinating. I spent time, trying to pick out the actors in the different time sequences. At first it was a bit unsettling, or distracting as one goes from one time to another then other quite quickly and then you begin to piece together the different story lines. As the movie begins to go into the middle and the story lines spend longer in the time frames you get to become involved with the different characters.
Does this movie answer the question of reincarnation (of which I am a proponent) does it suggest, as I believe it does, that all time is one, and these events in these different time settings are taking place at the same time Hard to tell, which is why one needs to see this movie several times.
The main actors play six roles each, then others play less, but most are in each story line. Tom Hanks plays a wide range of roles as does Halle Berry (some were hard to figure who she is until the end. Oh yes, you must remain to the end when the credits roll, and then they show you all the characters they played. What a treat.
Trish and I, as we discussed the movie after, agreed some we picked out right away, others no. This happened particularly with Hugh Grant's six roles. I only had him pegged in a couple of them. But the acting, make up and sets are phenomenal. Other actors, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving,(who plays a wonderful Devil) Jim Sturgess, whom I fell in love with in several of his roles, Doone Bae, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, (quite easy to pick out due to his size and look,) James D'Arcy, Xun SZhou, and Susan Saradan (also easy to pick out due to her look). And the list goes on. Most playing six roles, some less.
There is some comic relief, especially when four (including Jim Broadbent) go to 'escape' the home they have been put into. I believed I ended up clapping when they succeeded. Just shows how much you get into the story lines being portrayed.
This is not your usual everyday movie, if you like to be entertained for several hours, have a guessing game as to who the character you are watching is being played by and see some great sets, magnificent make up, then see this movie. The concept of reincarnation is not really discussed, it is touched upon in some dialogue, but mostly visually shown how we inter react in many different lives playing different parts.
One criticism, and another reason to see this movie again. Sometimes, the language, especially in one story line, is very hard to understand. It easier the longer you watch that time line, but still, much of it is lost in translation.
If you can stand time jumps in movies, and follow story lines and enjoy how one person will say something in one story line and then have it shown in several following story lines go see this movie. For me, I'll definitely being seeing it again.
4 1/2 out of 5. (loss of 1/2 a point due t some of the dialogue is not understandable, even though it does fit in with the movie).
I went and watched this movie again yesterday. I enjoyed it more, if possible, than the first time. Why? Because I knew what was coming and was able to spend time on catching things I had missed the first time. Its surprising how much you miss when you are trying to keep up with the plot lines, the different characters etc. I had fun this time. Also, making it more enjoyable I was able to catch the language which I complained about in my original review. I would say I understood 90% of it this time. Next time, I'll be able to catch it all - hopefully. This is a great movie, the philosophy, the levels, the depths, the social comment, the everything is really worth seeing. Hope you go!
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