22 July

"22 July" tells the story of gun violence that happened in Norway.

In the film, all of the leaders of the country are meeting with the Prime Minister; the children of these government officials are at a sleep-away camp on a nearby island.

The violence was perpetrated by a lone gunman, portrayed as a Nationalist, alt-right, xenophobic young man. Over seventy people were murdered that day, with hundreds more injured.

The beginning of the film shows the gunman's every move, first detonating a bomb at the Prime Minister's offices as a diversion, then traveling to the camp to murder the children of the government officials. The film is astonishingly real, with children running for their lives from the gunman. Every American who has lost someone to gun violence, or has seen stories of massacres on the national news, will find these images at once startling and all too familiar.

The movie also showcases the story of a survivor of the attack how his life will never be the same. It shows his recovery, the post-traumatic stress he suffers, and what survivors families go through after such an attack.

Not for the faint of heart, now streaming on Netflix, 5 stars.

London Road

"London Road" is a musical based on a play of the same name.

In 2006 in Ipswich, Suffolk, a number of women went missing in the town. The women were abducted and later found murdered.

The movie is based on interviews of the residents of London Road; every word spoken or sung in the film is from the interviews.

Starring Olivia Coleman, who has been in "Broadchurch" and "The Crown", the movie is bizarre at best. The score is jarring, which creates an air of unease in the street, which mirrors the residents' anxieties about the missing women.

Now streaming on BritBox, available on DVD, two stars.

Buttons

"Buttons" is a musical starring Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury, made in 2018.

The movie made its debut at Christmastime in 2018, and is a Christmas film.

It is supposed to be a lighthearted, holiday filled romp through Victorian America. Although, after watching it, it goes in the "sad as all get out Christmas movies" category, of which I am not a fan.

I love Dick Van Dyke. I have loved his classic "Dick Van Dyke Show" for years. I have seen several of his films, both comic and tragic, as well as many of his television shows. And I loved his performance in 2018's revamp of "Mary Poppins." To my mind, his scene was the best of the entire movie. I am a definite fan.

I also have a soft spot in my heart for Angela Lansbury. I love the 1970s film "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" in which Lansbury stars as "Englantine Price", a clumsy do it yourself witch who takes in three children from London during the bombing in World War II.

That being said, both Van Dyke and Lansbury were not enough to save this film. The plot was depressing, in the vein of "It's a Wonderful Life." If you love sad Christmas movies, this one's for you.

Now on DVD, "Buttons", ironically, two stars.

A Grand Night In

"A Grand Night In: the Story of Aardman" tells the story of Aardman Films, the studio that makes stop motion animation films.

They are the makers of Wallace and Grommit...

....as well as Shawn the Sheep.

The British studio has made a series of feature length films in the U.S., beginning with "Chicken Run."

They have also done "Arthur Christmas", "Flushed Away", "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit", "The Pirates", and "Early Man."

This movie gives viewers an inside look into the Aardman studios, as well as the painstaking process of stop motion animation. 

While I find their villains too villainous for my tastes, I have always loved Aardman films. Now streaming on Netflix, 5 stars.

The Irishman

"The Irishman" is a monumental movie starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino.

Also starring in the film are Ray Romano, Bobby Canavale, Anna Paquin, Harvey Keitel, and more.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film is a mob film, recounting the story of Frank Irish, a mobster in Philadelphia. The film is taken from a book: "I Hear You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt.

DeNiro plays Frank Irish, who narrates the film. Al Pacino plays teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa.

The cinematography in the film is revolutionary; as the move spans several years, the characters age. This was accomplished by using film footage of DeNiro, Pesci and Pacino in years past, from earlier movies.

Make no mistake, this film is a mob movie to the last. There is mob violence throughout, which is disturbing. As a person who has never seen "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas" or any other mob movies, it was quite graphic to me. But, that goes along with the genre. It's like a vampire movie: at one point or another, you're going to see blood.

An amazing film, completely snubbed at this year's Oscars.

Three and a half hours long; if you love mob movies, this movie is for you. Now streaming on Netflix, 3 stars.