Starring John Magaro and Orion Lee, First Cow is a story of human connection featuring a loner/cook named Cookie and a Chinese immigrant called King Lu.
Set in Oregon Territory among a group of fur trappers, the two men collaborate on business that’s reliant on the participation of a wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow.
Directed by Kelly Reichardt, additional key cast includes Toby Jones, Alia Shawkat and Rene Auberjonois.
I’m curious about those ‘cakes,’ the bromance and the historical period in which First Cow is set.
Ewen Bremner, Scott Shepherd, Ted Rooney, Gary Farmer, Patrick D. Green, Dylan Smith, Lily Gladstone, Orion Lee and Mitchell Saddleback also star.
You’d think that trying to wrap my ‘non-numbers-oriented’ head around the financial market speak of The Big Short might be the hardest thing about the movie. That would be incorrect. Because being forced to endure the musical tastes of Michael Burry, Christian Bale’s eccentric character proved far more challenging.
Burry’s penchant for heavy metal aside, the story about the men who saw the credit and housing bubble collapse coming – and proceeded to profit from it is one I enjoyed quite a bit. The narrative structure, dialogue, pace, editing and performances all came together beautifully. Steve Carell was particularly entertaining as Mark Baum. A performance I see as a great follow-up to his notable work in Foxcatcher (2014).
LikeThe Wolf Of Wall Street (2013), the Wall Street setting of The Big Short is very much a boys’ club and from such situations often comes the opportunity for rather entertaining banter, hence my appreciation for the film’s dialogue.
Director, Adam McKay’s movie didn’t teach me anything new in terms of how the world works. What it did do is remind me that it pays to have a good understanding of the reality of the bank’s priorities and what that can come to mean for the average person.
Some people have called The Big Short depressing. The reality the film deals with isn’t the kind of news that’ll make your day. However, there’s humour here and the information within the movie, plus its creative execution makes the experience worthwhile.
The Big Short is based on a book of the same name by Michael Lewis. Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt and Christian Bale are the main stars. Watch it if you’re curious.
There is one reason it took me a while to write about Carol, the latest Todd Haynes directed film starring my favourite; Cate Blanchett and the also generously gifted Rooney Mara. I haven’t really liked the trailers that came before. But a month or so has passed since the first and now comes this really very beautiful version.
I love this trailer because a good job was done with the editing and music. I also particularly like the fact that I could quite easily ignore the ‘textual interruptions’ since the footage was still visible in the background. What a wonderful compromise.
I’ll be watching because of the super acting talent, what looks like breathtaking cinematography and the story about the experience of two individuals in a time when life wasn’t as easy for them as it should have been.
Carol is based on the novel, The price Of Salt by Patricia Highsmith.
Release Date (s): November 20th, 2015 (US), November 27th, 2015 (UK), December 17th, 2015 (GER), January 13th, 2016 (FRA)…
When I saw the trailer for Unbroken in 2014, I became very excited; first because I love Angelina Jolie. Second because Jack O’Connell is one of my recent favourite actors (he was brilliant in Starred Up (20013) and lastly, the Louis Zamperini story.
Directed by Jolie and with British actor O’Connell in the starring role, Unbroken is the story of a man (Zamperini) who overcame one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after another.
Zamperini’s story of physical and mental endurance began well before the near fatal plane crash in WW2 that changed the course of his life.
Unbroken (2014), John D’Leo, C.J. Valleroy
It is, in fact, the vital relationship he had with his family, namely his big brother, Pete, that really helped prepare him for every extraordinary thing he was able to accomplish in the years that followed.
Thank goodness for the people who add immeasurable value by the way they encourage and believe in our capabilities, especially when we don’t.
The screenplay was penned by the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan. As such, clearly, the film had everything going for it from the writers, cast, crew and beyond.
The performances that stick in my mind come from O’Connell, of course, and Miyavi who plays the character of Sergeant Watanabe. Garrett Hedlund, Domhnall Gleeson and Jai Courtney also do a great job
If you haven’t already watched Unbroken, know that it’s a brilliant story of the extraordinary strength of the human spirit. One that is so well told that you’ll be glad you had the chance to learn about Mr. Zamperini.
As if I needed more reasons to love Angelina Jolie!
The Movie My Life 