Movies, Documentary, Drama
We often think of today’s politics as brutal and ruthless. Watching A Royal Affair, which explores the politics of Denmark just before the American and French Revolutions, reminds us that politics has always been a brutal affair. The film is not uplifting, as it portrays the political maneuvering at the Danish court, but it offers an excellent history lesson. After watching the film, I wanted to find out to what extent it was historically accurate. According to Wikipedia—which I generally trust—the film is very accurate in its portrayal of how the personal physician of the king tried to bring Enlightenment values to the government of Denmark.A Royal affair
Movies, Drama
If you are hoping to learn a lot about Leonard Bernstein’s artistry, Maestro will disappoint you. There are two moments where one gets a sense of Bernstein’s creative power. Otherwise, the film is dedicated to chronicling his complicated love life. Bernstein is homosexual but marries and has children. Bradley Cooper (director and actor of Bernstein) focuses on telling this story. Bernstein’s musical artistry merely serves as a background that remains largely unexplored. I once saw a little video of Bernstein teaching the history of music in five minutes at Harvard. Given the title Maestro, I was hoping music would be at the center of the film. Perhaps there is a good documentary on Bernstein I can look for.Maestro
Movies, Comedy, Drama
Crocodile Dundee was made with $7 million and took in over $300 million at the box office. It was the commercially most successful Australian film ever. Because the film became so popular, I wasn’t sure whether I had seen it or not. It turns out I had never seen at least the first “Crocodile Dundee” movie, and I fully appreciate why it was so successful. It is utterly charming. A young journalist happens to be in Australia when she hears the news that a man in the outback was attacked by a crocodile and then managed to rescue himself through an ordeal of several days.Crocodile Dundee
Movies, Drama
I love films about music legends such as Marley, Walk the Line, and Ray *because the soundtrack is guaranteed to be excellent. So I could not wait to see *Elvis. It starts out strong but pretty soon it fails to create the magic of great movies that pull you in and make you believe what you see is a real story. Baz Luhrmann, who wrote and directed the film, never lets you forget that the film and Elvis’s true life are different.Elvis
Movies, Drama
I saw the original top gun movie and was not very impressed. It lacked depth and tried to make it up with too many acrobatic jet fighter stunts. Not surprisingly, I had no plans to see the sequel. But Top Gun Maverick received raving reviews. Every review I read claimed that the sequel was much better than the original. I got a chance to see it on a big cinema screen. Top Gun Maverick is a fantastic film. I was impressed with the storytelling, the camera work, the suspense, and the surprising twists and turns. No wonder that this is the best crossing film Tom Cruise has ever participated in. You can see that all people involved treated it as a labor of love. You can sense that the script was rewritten and reworked many times so that it would reach a level that is rare for action movies made mainly for young people. See Top Gun Maverick. I extend my rare money-back guarantee for it. If you don’t like the film, I will reimburse you for the price of the tickets.Top Gun Maverick