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jabrownstoryteller
Reviews
Hold the Dark (2018)
Thought provoking, atmospheric, gorgeous cinematography
I came in with an open mind, and let myself drift into the story being told. I think that helps. A lot of times we come in thinking we know what is going to happen, and that can make a story less enjoyable, at least for me.
I didn't find ANY of the characters particularly likeable, and I don't think I was supposed to. I did, however, find them interesting and memorable.
This isn't a story that is going to explain everything, or as some reviewers have pointed out, anything at all. It's widely open to interpretation from the moment it starts all the way to the end. For me, the movie was explained in the words of the female lead talking about her husband, who left her to go to war. "I don't have a memory that doesn't have him in it. He said he'd never leave me. Words like that shouldn't be worthless." The way she delivers those lines hit me like a ton of bricks. I think everything that happened here is rooted in those three sentences. There are some things I would have liked to see that I didn't, but I am tempted now to read the book and see if some of those questions are answered regarding backstory.
This movie isn't for everyone, but it will be something you remember, and I think it's worth watching. Maybe even more than once.
Patrick Melrose (2018)
Benedict Cumberbatch Nailed It!
I hope he is nominated for some serious awards because I can't recall ever being so moved by an actor's performance before. He hit the highs and the lows of this character with bang on savageness in all the right places and then turned around and made me cry more than once. He made me feel it. So few actors can do that. I highly recommend this series. It is well done, artistically produced and acted the hell and back. Amazing job!
A Perfect Man (2013)
A Movie about relationships
I agree with the other reviewers that the summary of this movie is wrong. He doesn't fall in love with his wife, he's always loved her, kept her separate from himself, and apart from the way he measured himself as a man, but there is never any doubt for me that he loved her.
She's his touchstone, but their relationship is not enough to define his own definition of what it is to be a man. He keeps that score based on how many women he sleeps with. All meaningless encounters that amount to notches in his belt, and reassure him that his man card has the right amount of stamps on it it.
It's a situation he finds perfect until his wife, who knows about his countless infidelities, finally reaches her limit on and says, no more. Her abrupt departure from his life makes him reevaluate what matters most to him and how he has been measuring his existence and he realizes that he has been wrong about pretty much everything.
For her, she wants to understand what she did or didn't do that led them here, and comes to realize that it was never about the changes she made in herself, or the compromises she accepted to maintain her marriage, because the problem was in his view of how men are "supposed" to behave, and in hers about what women are "supposed" to tolerate.
This is story about stereotypes and the havoc they can cause in a relationship. To be a man he has to behave this way, and to be a woman is to tolerate it, because that is what they do. Neither of those is true, but many relationships have ended because of people's belief that this is what they are "supposed to do."
I loved this movie. I loved the games they played together. I loved the way the leads interacted, and reacted to each other together and apart. I loved that even though their relationship was ending (or seemed to be) they were both still very certain of how they felt for each other.
I could have done without the scene where he helped her pack and destroyed her clothes because he was petulant and angry, but I suppose that level of emotional immaturity needed to be visually displayed. I probably could have also done without the incredible number or women that came onto him time and time again. It made it almost seem like he was a prisoner of others actions and not responsible for his own choices.
I liked that they acknowledged that so much history between two people is hard to walk away from, even if the history is painful.
I also liked the way it ends. Full of hope and possibility even after everything that has happened. Both leads were amazing, and more people should give this film a chance.
Blue Jay (2016)
One of the best films of 2016
**small spoiler**
This is an incredibly intimate film, in all the best ways. People often confuse intimacy with sex, so let me clear, I don't mean sex. There is a kiss and miss, but the words, and the emotions these two bring to life are deeper, and more meaningful than what some couples share in an entire life time. The chemistry is perfect, their interaction is superb as it burns you down and takes you back through memories of the life you once had, or always wished you had. It was like sitting by a stream on a quiet summer, day and letting the flowing water hypnotize and soothe you.
There is nothing I didn't love about this wonderful film. It's streaming on Netflix now, and if you have some down time this holiday season, I recommend spending it with Mark and Sarah. You can hear their souls singing in their performances, and in his writing, and to me that makes Blue Jay a piece of art.