WONDER WOMAN 1984 & PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman

Carey Mulligan as Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas as a “Promising Young Woman”

WONDER WOMAN 1984 & PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

I keep wanting films, superhero or not, to feature men and women in equal, supportive love relationships.

Patty Jenkins wrote and directed “Wonder Woman 1984” and directed the previous version of “Wonder Woman; and Emerald Fennell wrote and directed “Promising Young Woman.”  (Patty Jenkins and Emerald Fennell)  So, it is safe to say that both films are from a female prospective.

In the United States, women won the right to vote in 1920 with the 19th amendment, so “Wonder Woman 1984” takes place 64 years after women won the right to vote.

Gal Gadot portrays Diana Prince, the super hero woman, whose greatest wish is to have the love of her pilot back, who died in the first “Wonder Woman” film, when they were fighting the Nazis together.

“Wonder Woman 1984” comes close to equality and mutual respect, but Diana starts losing her power the longer she stays in the relationship with her pilot, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), and vice versa.

She also finds herself pitted against another woman, Barbara Minerva / Cheetah (Kristen Wiig).

I thought that Envy would have been a better name than Cheetah.

Carey Mulligan, who portrays Cassie in “Promising Young Woman,” finds love at one point with children’s doctor, Ryan Cooper (Bo Burnham), but an ugly video recording interferes with their relationship.

I was grateful that “Promising Young Woman” proved not to be as graphic as my imagination felt it could have become.

Granted, life is messy, whether one is male or female, especially with the “Me Too” era interfering with normal libidos. 

And, both sexes need to feel lucky, if they do not get matched with a sociopath or psychopath.

Cassie is neither.  She is a defender, who is determined to prove that the life of her childhood friend mattered.

I found her performance strong, with a certain childlike charm to it. That is what made it watchable for me.

Likewise, Diana in the first and second “Wonder Woman’s,” also exhibits a childlike charm, when she meets her pilot for the first and second time.

Diana (Gal Gadot) catches the bad guys at the mall.

Ryan (Bo Burnham), asks Cassie (Carey Mulligan) to hold the spit in his coffee.

The couples in both films are adorable, which is what is so heartbreaking.

Maybe the next sequels will give me what I was wanting to see.  I truly hope that does not mean taking the sex out of the romance.

Don’t misinterpret, both films are excellent and on the recommended list.

But, I really want to see men and women being equal, respectful, supportive, and forever together.

In the next hundred years, if possible.

Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) and her pilot, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) in “Wonder Woman 1984.”

Cast[edit]

  • Gal Gadotas Diana Prince / Wonder Woman:
    An immortal demigoddess, Amazon princess and warrior. Diana is the daughter of Hippolyta, the Amazonian queen of Themyscira, and Zeus, the king of the Olympian Gods.[6] Gadot spoke about the character’s evolution, saying in the first film “[Diana] really is a fish out of water, coming from Themyscira into man’s world and learning about the complexities of human life, really. In Wonder Woman 1984, she’s been around. She’s wiser and she’s more mature. She’s guarded and lost all of her friends throughout the years. But she’s still doing the right thing, yet she is different from when we last saw her.”[7] Gadot added, “In the first movie, we really explored the journey of the coming-of-age, of how Diana Prince became Wonder Woman, and owned her full strengths and powers.”[7]
    • Lilly Aspell reprises her role as young Diana from the 2017 film.
  • Chris Pineas Steve Trevor: An American pilot and spy from World War I and the love interest of Diana, who had died during the events of the first film. Apparently, he was brought back to life when Diana unknowingly made a wish on the Dreamstone and his soul possesses another man (portrayed by Kristoffer Polaha in the mirror reflections, but only Diana can see his face).[8]
  • Kristen Wiigas Barbara Minerva / Cheetah:
    A highly insecure geologist and gemologist who befriends Diana before becoming imbued with mystical abilities that gradually transform her into an apex predator-like superhuman. She allies herself with Lord to fight Diana.[9][10][11]
  • Pedro Pascalas Maxwell “Max Lord” Lorenzano:
    A struggling yet charismatic businessman, famous for TV infomercials, and the founder of Black Gold Cooperative.[12][13] Max’s character, according to Jenkins, is modeled on Bernie Madoff and Donald Trump.[14][15][16] After spending the majority of his life searching for the mythical Dreamstone, Lord acquires it after manipulating Minerva. Lord uses it for personal gain and power, and he absorbs its gifts after wishing to become the living form of the stone. Director Patty Jenkins has stated Pascal’s performance as Lord was inspired by Gordon Gekko from Oliver Stone‘s Wall Street and by Gene Hackman‘s portrayal of Lex Luthor in Richard Donner‘s 1978 Superman film, with Jenkins describing Lord as “a villain with potential to be dangerous and scary”.[17]
    • Lambro Demetriou and Jonny Barry appear as young Maxwell “Max Lord” Lorenzano at ages 8 and 15, respectively.
  • Robin Wrightas Antiope: Hippolyta’s sister, general of the Amazon army and Diana’s aunt.[18]
  • Connie Nielsenas Hippolyta: The queen of Themyscira and Diana’s mother.[18]

Additionally, Lucian Perez appears as Alistair, Maxwell’s son from his divorce; Amr Waked appears as Emir Said Bin Abydos, the ruler of oil-rich Bialya;[19] Kristoffer Polaha appears as the man whose body Steve inhabits (credited as “Handsome Man”);[20] Natasha Rothwell appears as Carol, Barbara’s boss at the Smithsonian;[21] Ravi Patel appears as Baba Jide, a man who keeps documents of the Dreamstone’s history; Gabriella Wilde appears as Raquel, Maxwell’s assistant;[22] Oliver Cotton appears as Simon Stagg, Maxwell’s corporate investor; Kelvin Yu and Asim Chaudhry briefly appear as Barbara’s colleagues at the Smithsonian, Stuart Milligan appears as the President of the United States;[23][24] Patrick Lyster as General Petersen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (credited as “CJCS (Oval Office)”);[25][26] and Constantine Gregory as Russian General.[27]

Lynda Carter, who played the titular heroine in the 1970s television series, makes a cameo appearance midway through the film credits as Asteria, a legendary Amazon warrior who anciently possessed the powerful winged suit of armor.[28][29] Gadot’s husband, Yaron Versano, and their two daughters, Alma and Maya, make brief appearances near the end of the film.[30]

Directed by Patty Jenkins
Produced by ·         Charles Roven

·         Deborah Snyder

·         Zack Snyder

·         Patty Jenkins

·         Gal Gadot

·         Stephen Jones
Screenplay by ·         Patty Jenkins

·         Geoff Johns

·         Dave Callaham
Story by ·         Patty Jenkins

·         Geoff Johns
Based on Wonder Woman
by William Moulton Marston[1]
Starring ·         Gal Gadot

·         Chris Pine

·         Kristen Wiig

·         Pedro Pascal

·         Robin Wright

·         Connie Nielsen
Music by Hans Zimmer
Cinematography Matthew Jensen
Edited by Richard Pearson
Production
companies		 ·         DC Films

·         Atlas Entertainment

·         The Stone Quarry
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date ·         December 16, 2020 (United Kingdom)

·         December 25, 2020 (United States)
Running time 151 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $200 million[3]
Box office $164.1 million[4][5]

 

Wiki of Wonder woman 1984:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman_1984

What sets Wonder Woman 1984 apart from your other films? (Cast) :

https://www.google.com/cameos/0xa6QV2Z/01VNKy?kgmid=/g/11gdrdv3l3&hl=en

 

Ryan (Bo Burnham) and Cassie (Carey Mulligan) singing together in “Promising Young Woman.”

 Cast[edit]

 

Wiki for Promising Young Woman:

Promising Young Woman – Wikipedia

Promising Young Woman – Official Trailer:

Promising Young Woman – Official Trailer 1 – Bing video

4/15/2021 # Wonder Woman 1984 & Promising Young Woman

HAMILTON

(c. to r.) Eliza (Phillipa Sooas), George Washington (Christopher Jackson), and Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda).

King of Great Britain and Ireland, Elector of Hanover (Jonathan Groff).

HAMILTON

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

If you were able to see the actual play, “Hamilton,” on stage, you were one of the lucky and prosperous ones.

I figured that if I subscribed to Disney Plus for $69.99 a year, I would be able to see the film version of the play for a lot less than one ticket to the actual play, which ranges from $451 to $809.

The film version of “Hamilton” with Lin-Manuel Miranda was worth the subscription.  About two thirds of the way into the play, it hit me what a miracle it was that America birthed a government that was to be responsible for protecting the people, not a king, not a rich man’s personal interest, but the people.

Alexander Hamilton was one of the idealists, who gave his heart, his soul and all his worldly gifts into making that happen. 

Is there anywhere else on earth that someone of no birth rank to speak of, can rise to a high position in life, based on his own drive and merit?

In my research, I discovered that there was another film made in 1931, “Alexander Hamilton,” which covered the same material, but with live period action, with horses and period buildings.

I included a few clips of it below.  I did not get the same emotional jolt from those film clips.

While the real Hamilton was not a perfect man, I can reasonably say that he did value his marriage to Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton.

She was the educated daughter of Continental Army General Philip Schuyler, who married Hamilton in spite of his being a bastard son.

Eliza helped Hamilton with his governmental writings (they were in her handwriting), she bore him eight children, and after his death, she did everything in her power to preserve his legacy.

The play almost gave the impression that Hamilton and Eliza only had one son, Philip, who died in a duel.  Hamilton’s oldest son, Philip, was trying to defend his father’s honor from insult. 

Hamilton was also the first governmental figure involved in a sex scandal. 

Eliza gave Hamilton two more children after the scandal, and there is no evidence that he was ever involved with Eliza’s older sister, Angelica, who was in Europe most of the time.

When his eldest son, Philip, was shot, Hamilton was devastated. He aged in just two years after, then died himself, in the same kind of a duel three years after his son’s duel.

But, Hamilton’s death was not in vain, he kept Vice President Aaron Burr, whom Hamilton did not trust, from ever becoming President. 

And, to conclude, Alexander Hamilton never owned a slave.

I have only good things to say about the film, “Hamilton,” which made me interested enough to read about the history of our own United States government.

Eliza, dying Philip and Hamilton.

Cast[edit]

Carleigh Bettiol, Ariana DeBose, Hope Easterbrook, Sasha Hutchings, Elizabeth Judd, Austin Smith, and Seth Stewart also appear as ensemble members.

Hamilton
Official release poster
Directed by Thomas Kail
Produced by ·         Thomas Kail

·         Lin-Manuel Miranda

·         Jeffrey Seller
Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Based on Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
Starring ·         Daveed Diggs

·         Renée Elise Goldsberry

·         Jonathan Groff

·         Christopher Jackson

·         Jasmine Cephas Jones

·         Lin-Manuel Miranda

·         Leslie Odom Jr.

·         Okieriete Onaodowan

·         Anthony Ramos

·         Phillipa Soo
Music by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Cinematography Declan Quinn
Edited by Jonah Moran
Production
companies		 ·         Walt Disney Pictures[1]

·         5000 Broadway Productions

·         Nevis Productions

·         Old 320 Sycamore Pictures

·         RadicalMedia[2]
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures[2]
Release date ·         July 3, 2020
Running time 160 minutes[3]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $12.5 million (stage production)[4]

Hamilton, the visionary architect of the modern liberal capitalist economy.

 

Wiki Hamilton (2020 film):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_(2020_film)

 

Alexander Hamilton (1931 film)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYNDE_qdiIY

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3MY3srjGOY

 

In the 1780s, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (George Arliss) forcefully puts forth his political belief in a centralized government, only to find several against him, including senators Thomas Jefferson (Montagu Love) and Timothy Roberts (Dudley Digges). When Hamilton offers to compromise by supporting a plan to build a capitol on the Potomac River, Roberts plots Hamilton’s downfall by hiring married Mariah Reynolds (June Collyer) to seduce him, and then making the affair public.

https://www.directv.com/movies/Alexander-Hamilton-RFJJd2FGaUFwdWlFLy9ON0srN0tWQT09

 

Wiki of the real Alexander Hamilton:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton

Why Alexander Hamilton Never Became President – Biography:

https://www.biography.com/news/why-alexander-hamilton-never-became-president\

Alexander Hamilton – Biography, Duel & Legacy – HISTORY:

https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/alexander-hamilton

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, Hamilton’s wife:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Schuyler_Hamilton

 

Philip Hamilton (1782-1801):

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/hamilton-philip-hamilton-1782-1801/

 

The Women of Hamilton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HT3FSQ8uJw

King George William Frederick:

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/king-george-iii

3/14/2021 # Hamilton

SOUL

Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, a passionate jazz pianist and music teacher whose soul gets separated from his body after an accident.

SOUL

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

With Covid 19, fires, tornadoes and riotous elections to compete with, “Soul” hits all the right notes as one of the top films of 2020.

I do not normally like animated films, but this one held my attention.

Jamie Foxx plays the voice of Joe Gardner, who is a passionate jazz pianist and a music teacher, whose life is put on pause.  Sound familiar?

This pause allows Joe to do some thinking about his current life. 

He appears to have low self-esteem in regard to his work as a teacher, while he longs to be a jazz pianist.

On the one hand, he gets retirement, health care, paid vacations and sick leave, while on the other hand, he could choose an insecure, nomadic life with none of the above.

The question that arose for me was “Why”?

If he loves playing piano to a crowd, why is the sacrifice so formidable?

Joe is forced to consider what makes his life worth living.  He considers the taste of good food, the wonder of a leaf falling from a tree, loving interactions with others, human encouragement, and time to spend with his family.

As a musician, his source of love would probably come from an audience, because he would be spending so much time on the road.  There is no time to develop a lasting human relationship. 

His deceased father was a musician, and his mother now makes a living as a seamstress.

It occurred to me that it is not fair that so few musicians or artists make a decent living.

In order for them to be recognized, they need to devote almost all their time to honing their craft, practicing, playing, dressing the part, and being a charismatic performer.

It is no mystery why so many successful artists have drug or alcohol problems.

Is it all about fulfilling one’s life purpose or do we choose the safe life in order to have a sane and secure life.

Maybe he should try something new.   I am not talking about going into life with a fresh, enthusiastic perspective, unless one has the narcissistic disorder.

If individuals get to do what they love, everyone benefits.  How about some kind of safety net?

Wouldn’t it be better that he gets to try out what he really wants to do, which could very well be teaching.

I thought “Soul” was very thought provoking and very timely. 

Joe gets to see his life from a soul’s perspective.

Voice cast

Additionally, Daveed Diggs plays Paul, Joe’s neighborhood nemesis;[3][8][9] Cora Champommier plays Connie, one of Joe’s middle school band students; Wes Studi, Fortune Feimster and Zenobia Shroff play other soul counselors named Jerry;[5][7] Margo Hall and Rhodessa Jones play Melba and Lulu, Libba’s co-workers;[5] June Squibb plays Gerel, a soul who meets Joe before going to the Great Beyond;[7] and Esther Chae plays Miho, a bassist in Williams’ band.[12] Cody Chesnutt provides his vocals, from his song “Parting Ways”, as a street singer with a guitar.[13] John Ratzenberger cameos as an offscreen voice in Joe’s memories, a role for which he was uncredited.[14][15] Sakina Jaffrey, Calum Grant, Laura Mooney, Peggy Flood, Ochuwa Oghie, Jeannie Tirado, and Cathy Cavadini provide the voices of Doctor, Hedge Fund Manager, Therapy Cat Lady, Marge, Dancerstar, Principal Arrayo and Dreamerwind.[5]

Directed by Pete Docter
Produced by Dana Murray
Written by ·         Pete Docter

·         Mike Jones

·         Kemp Powers
Starring ·         Jamie Foxx

·         Tina Fey

·         Graham Norton

·         Rachel House

·         Alice Braga

·         Richard Ayoade

·         Phylicia Rashad

·         Donnell Rawlings

·         Questlove

·         Angela Bassett
Music by ·         Trent Reznor

·         Atticus Ross

·         Jon Batiste
Cinematography ·         Matt Aspbury

·         Ian Megibben
Edited by Kevin Nolting
Production
companies		 ·         Walt Disney Pictures

·         Pixar Animation Studios
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release date ·         October 11, 2020 (BFI)

·         December 25, 2020 (United States)
Running time 101 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $150 million+[1]
Box office $7.6 million[2]

 

Soul wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_(2020_film)

Joe finds himself mentoring 22 (Tina Fey), a soul trapped in the Great Before with a dim view of life.

1/27/2021 # Soul

MULAN (2020)

Mulan (Yifei Liu) plays many roles, when she takes her father’s place during a Rouran invasion.

MULAN 2020

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

The one issue that has been bothering me is why the live action “Mulan” 2020 is rejected, while the animated “Mulan” was embraced by the Chinese.

Many reasons were given, but they all seem superficial to me.

The young actress, Yifei Liu, who plays Mulan, was the center of a Mulan boycott, because during the Hong Kong riots she tweeted, “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong.” She just seems upset, because Hong Kong was being damaged.

(Hong Kong’s political stalemate would be to transition the appointed chief executive position into a legislature-elected mayor of Hong Kong won by a female leader, Carrie Lam.  The demonstrations ended when the Coronavirus took hold.)

Disney really wanted Mulan to be a success in China, to the extent of allowing the Chinese government to approve the script.  While all the actors are Chinese, the creative team, was not, which was another reason the film was criticized. 

The film’s director was New Zealander Niki Caro, and the writers were three women and a man.  It is safe to say that this film is strongly from a female point of view.

Critics did not like where Mulan was filmed, in China, where Muslims were rounded up.  They did not like the image of the phoenix.  They did not like the look of Mulan’s love interest, Yoson An.  They did not like the character, nicknamed Cricket.  They did not like the choice of Cheng Pei-pei, as the matchmaker, because the role was below her ability.  They did not like Mulan’s round, communal home, a Tulou, because it was not the right era.  And, last but not least, there was no singing in Mulan 2020, like in the animated version.

I have watched both the live Mulan and the animated Mulan several times, but I cannot figure it out.  I loved them both. Eddie Murphy was great as the insecure dragon, with a sidekick, the lucky cricket. 

The live Mulan had humor, but its strength was more in its beauty.  I thought the mythical phoenix against the full moon was gorgeous.  And, Mulan, herself was more beautiful, especially when contrasted with her more status quo, sister, who accepts an arranged marriage as normal.

In the animated version, Mulan’s father prays to the ancestors that Mulan will be matched.  In the live Mulan 2020, Mulan’s father prays to the phoenix that Mulan will be protected on her journey.

In the animated film, the point is made several times that women are not allowed to speak in front of men.  In the live Mulan, her father takes pride in Mulan’s qi and skill, but is coerced by the community to have Mulan hide her abilities.

Could it be that the live Mulan 2020 was challenging the Chinese status quo? 

The One-child policy in China revealed the preference of male over female offspring.  Daughters were unwanted.  But, those who chose to keep their one daughter, poured a lot of energy into educating that daughter.  Surprisingly, in a land where men outnumber women (114 to 100), China has 61% of all self-made female billionaires in the world.

It is only in the last decade, that Chinese authorities moved to close down factories that manufactured shoes used in foot binding.  Tiny feet meant that they did not have to work.

Those women, who do work, make about 8% less than men for the same work, on top of being sexually harassed on the job.  About 25 to 40% of Chinese women experience domestic violence in the home.  Single women are also priced out of buying property.

In conclusion, the live Mulan 2020, has not one successful woman, but two, Mulan and Xianniang (Gong Li).  Maybe this was just too much for the Chinese status quo.

During the pandemic, Mulan 2020, made 70 million dollars in the box office, plus 35.5 million on Disney Plus, which to date equals 105.5 million dollars.  Not bad for a lame duck movie, during a pandemic, which was also heavily pirated in China.

I feel that Mulan 2020 is a call for a healing in male/female relationships in the world, not just in China.

Disney’s live Mulan is set to be free with a Disney Plus subscription on Dec. 4, 2020.  You can watch the animated Mulan below for free. I hope you get to see both the animated and the live Mulan 2020.  Enjoy.

Mulan Full animated Movie HD (with a few breaks in the dialogue) 1998:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKweNJ3HsOo

Mulan practicing qi with her father’s sword.  Xianniang (Gong Li), practicing advanced qi.

Cast

  • Yifei Liuas Mulan, the eldest daughter of Hua Zhou who defies both tradition and the law by disguising herself as a man by the name of Hua Jun in order to enlist herself in the Imperial Army in place of her ailing father.[6]
    • Liu reprised her role in the Mandarin-languagedubbing of the movie.[7]
    • Crystal Rao portrays a young Mulan.
  • Donnie Yenas Commander Tung, the high ranking leader of the Imperial Army and mentor to Mulan.[8] Both Tung and Chen are based on Li Shang from the animated film.[9]
  • Jason Scott Leeas Böri Khan, a Rouran[9] warrior leader intent on avenging his father’s death. Khan is based on Shan Yu from the animated film.[10]
  • Yoson An[10]as Chen Honghui, a confident and ambitious recruit who joins Commander Tung’s unit, and becomes Mulan’s ally and love interest.[11] Both Chen and Tung are based on Li Shang from the animated film.[9]
  • Gong Lias Xianniang,[10] a powerful witch with shapeshifting abilities and an ally of Böri Khan.[12]
    • Gong reprised her role in the Mandarin-language dubbing of the movie.[7]
  • Jet Lias The Emperor of China, a wise benevolent ruler of China who orders the mobilization of troops via the conscription of one man from each household to fight the invading Rouran army.[13]
    • Li reprised his role in the Mandarin-language dubbing of the movie.[7]
  • Tzi Maas Hua Zhou, Mulan’s father and a famed war veteran, who is now recalled to the Imperial Army despite his frail health.[14]
  • Rosalind Chaoas Hua Li, Mulan’s mother and Zhou’s wife.[14]
  • Xana Tang as Hua Xiu, Mulan’s younger sister.[12]The character was added to the film’s plot because the filmmakers felt that “this added a broader emotional context and added more motivation for [Mulan’s] character”.[9]
  • Ron Yuanas Sergeant Qiang, the fiercely loyal second in command of the Imperial Regiment.[15]
  • Jun Yu as Cricket, a hapless recruit who joins Commander Tung’s unit. Cricket is based on Cri-Kee, a cricket from the animated film.[16][9]
  • Jimmy Wongas Ling, a recruit who joins Commander Tung’s unit.[17]
  • Chen Tangas Yao, a gruff recruit who joins Commander Tung’s unit.[18]
  • Doua Mouaas Chien-Po, a recruit who joins Commander Tung’s unit.[17]
  • Nelson Leeas The Chancellor, a member of the Emperor’s council in charge of conscripting new recruits to join the Imperial army. The Chancellor is based on Chi-Fu from the animated film.[19]
  • Cheng Pei-pei[20]as the Matchmaker
    • Cheng reprised her role in the Mandarin-language dubbing of the movie.[7]
  • Arka Das as Red Fez, who is possessed by Xianniang to enter a palace which she and Böri Khan conquer[21]

Additionally, Ming-Na Wen, the original voice of Mulan in the animated film and its sequel, cameos as an esteemed guest who introduces Mulan to the Emperor.[22] Utkarsh Ambudkar and Chum Ehelepola were cast as Skatch and Ramtish, a couple of con artists,[11] but their roles were cut from the final film.

New Zealander Niki Caro was hired as the director of the film, which made Mulan the second Disney film with a female director and a budget above $100 million following A Wrinkle in Time.[31]

Screenplay by ·         Rick Jaffa
Amanda Silver·         Lauren Hynek·         Elizabeth Martin

Mulan as herself, without any disguise.

Wiki Mulan 2020:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulan_(2020_film)

Mulan: A Case of Failed Empowerment |Compares animated (1998) with live film (2020) – Video Essay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZccG-wtt5FA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re4eFE5b5tU

Disney’s Mulan (2020) |Animated Official Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK8FHdFluOQ

Disney’s Mulan 2020 cast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_F_U6GQ_w4

Why Chinese viewers hate Disney’s ‘Mulan’:

https://supchina.com/2020/09/11/why-chinese-viewers-hate-disneys-mulan/

 

Challenges to Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in China:

https://www.asafeworldforwomen.org/global-news/asia/china/4898-challenges-to-womens-rights.html

 

Wiki Women in China:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_China

 

Female Billionaires in China:

https://knowledge.ckgsb.edu.cn/2019/12/19/entrepreneurship/female-billionaires-in-china/

Mulan with her fighting unit and her commander.

11/29/2020 # Mulan 2020

GOOD WITCHES #2: The White Haired Witch

Bingbing Fan, plays the witch, Jade Raksha

Jade’s love interest, Zhuo Yihang (Huang Xiaoming) is the grandson of Governor Zhuo Zhonglian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFnuFKdG1ok

(By clicking on the link above, you can view this film for free with a few breaks)

GOOD WITCHES #2:

The White Haired Witch

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

I was searching for a “good witch” film, but the choices were either too violent, too crude, too sexy, and none of the American witches seemed kind.

Please let me know if I missed one, but just when I was about to settle, a Chinese film pops up with the title, “The White Haired Witch.”

Apparently, in the Chinese culture, witches can protect the vulnerable.  They are more like guardian angels. 

In “White Haired Witch,” Bingbing Fan, who is the witch, Jade Raksha, is exquisitely beautiful, can play the flute, can handle a sword and is idealistic.

She fights the soldiers, who oppress the people for their own gain.

Jade’s love interest, Zhuo Yihang (Huang Xiaoming), is the grandson of Governor Zhuo Zhonglian, who is murdered by traitorous local government officials.

This story is about loyalty, honor and true love.

And, without giving too much away, her hair turns white at the film’s climax, which dramatizes the seriousness of what occurs.

The women in this film are mature and fair in their assessments of love.

They do not feel that love can be competed for, ordered or forced.

They believe that words and actions have consequences and that truth matters in love.

Actions and sincerity matter in love.

And, they believe that one cannot be faulted for loving.

As a romantic, I was personally moved by parts of this film.

The writer, Yusheng Liang, also a poet, has the spirit of Jade’s mother appear to her for counsel at one point.

The spirit of her mother tells her that if she uses all her powers, she would not need to be rescued.

The relationships of fathers and daughters are also on display in this film.

One father allows himself to become a eunuch for his daughter; another father tells his daughter to light a lantern for him, if he does not return.

When Zhuo Yihang is introduced, he is part of a team being tested on top of a rock that is balanced above the water.

In the test, he allows himself to be sacrificed, so that his team advances.

In the Master’s evaluation, Zhuo is offered the leadership position, because he demonstrated sacrifice for the greater good.

Jade begins to love him, when he demonstrates that he is not heartless.

Zhuo grows into her assessment of him by the film’s end.

Witch, Jade Raksha, plays the flute.

The White Haired Witch:

Theatrical Release Date: China, 2014
Director: Zhang Zhiliang
Writer: Yusheng Liang
Cast: Bingbing Fan, Xiaoming Huang, Li Xinru, Wenzhuo Zhao

BluRay released: March 10th, 2015
Approximate running time: 104 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin, Dolby Digital Stereo Mandarin
Subtitles: English
BluRay Release: Well Go USA
Region Coding: Region A

(White Haired Witch is an adaption of Liang Yusheng’s wuxia novel titled ‘Baifa Monü Zhuan’ and it’s literal English translation of it title is ‘Story of the White Haired Demoness’. Previous film adaptions include Story of the White-haired Demon Girl (1959), White Hair Devil Lady (1980) and The Bride with White Hair and its squeal The Bride with White Hair 2, both were released in 1993.)

Witch, Jade Raksha, transforms her appearance.

Wiki of writer Liang Yusheng:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Yusheng

Wiki of actress Fan Bingbing:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_Bingbing

Wiki of actor Huang Ziaoming:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huang_Xiaoming

This story is about loyalty, honor and true love.

10/25/2020 # The White Haired Witch

GOOD WITCHES, # 1: “A Discovery of Witches” 2018

Dr. Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) learns how to light a candle with her finger.

GOOD WITCHES: # 1:  “A Discovery of Witches” 2018

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

I am not a fan of horror films, especially during the fire/pandemic/election season, which Halloween has become, but I wanted to honor All Saints’ Eve in a positive way.

So, while browsing the video racks, a title caught my eye, “A Discovery of Witches,” containing two DVDs.

I decided that I could review films about “good witches.”

Turns out, “A Discovery of Witches” is a 2018 BBC America television series, Season 1, about a witch, Dr. Diana Bishop, who is resisting the discovery of her witch birthright.

Diana (Teresa Palmer) is a tenured historian at Yale, studying alchemy and science at Oxford, who happens to be a powerful witch, unbeknownst to her.

Diana is brilliant, ambitious and achieves her academic position by her own merit.

She is self-made, before she starts using her witch powers.

Why do women represented in film have to have special powers or be a witch, in order to have achieved something?

Diana also has strong female support, not only in academia, but she was raised by her aunt, Sarah Bishop (Alex Kingston), who has a lesbian partner, Emily Mather (Valarie Pettiford).

Both Diana’s aunt and partner are witches.

Diana was raised in a spell protected country home in the United States.

Because of these circumstances, Diana holds the belief that she should be able to love, whomever she loves, regardless of social norm.

The story also brings up the question of what should be the next, evolutionary step for witches, vampires and demons.

Diana’s love interest, Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), is a geneticist, a vampire and a Professor of Biochemistry, who has been tracking the decline in the vampire specie.

Season 1 is a treasure of witch possibilities, which Diana discovers she cannot evade.

Magic keeps happening for her, whenever her need is great.

And, she fits the description of being a good witch.

In Season 1, she is forced to embrace her witch power, if not perfectly.

In her research, a book finds her.

It is a bewitched manuscript in the Bodleian library.

This is the very book, which other witches, vampires and demons have been seeking for centuries.

The time span of Season 1 is about 40 days, in which Diana finds love with a handsome vampire (Matthew Goode), uncovers the secret of her parent’s death, and learns a few of her witch powers along the way.

She also comes to realize that her mother and father are just on the other side of the veil, looking out for her.

Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, and at the end of Season 1, Diana is escaping the bad witches and is about to take a leap into another century.

This film was just what I was looking for and definitely honors All Saints’ Eve.

Season 2 was interrupted by the Covid 19 outbreak.

My understanding is that Season 2, which was filmed just before Covid 19 happened, will air sometime in 2021.

Deborah Harkness is the author of “All Souls Trilogy,” upon which this series is based, so it has a female viewpoint.

I will be watching.

Vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode)and reluctant witch, Dr. Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer)

Cast and characters[edit]

Main[edit]

Diana (center) with the two women who raised her.

Wiki for “A Discovery of Witches”:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Discovery_of_Witches_(TV_series)

Wiki of Deborah Harkness:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Harkness

 

Season 1 trailer:

https://autofreak.com/a-discovery-of-witches-season-2-release-date-cast-plot-trailer-and-the-renewal-announcement-of-the-season-2/47112/

Season 2 trailer:

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-10-11/discovery-of-witches-air-date-watch/

A Discovery of Witches Jumps Back in Time: Interviews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRJ-fLwqrBk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvpMzMZNe4s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeWnuLjRlUM

Deborah Harkness, “The Book of Life”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNKzm8WwV7k

Magic, Science & History: Bestselling Author Deborah Harkness Reveals How They Influence Her Novels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGlCThFXGyU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkfje8S2OVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgQHLhYOw5Q

10/20/2020 # A Discovery of Witches 2018

THE COVID-19 FILMS – Pandemic (2006), Contagious (1997), Outbreak (1995), Contagion (2011)

Introduction by Marlene Ardoin

Astrologers seem to think that Covid-19 will have a solution around January 12th, 2021, quieting down during the summer, then raging again September through mid-December of 2020.

In the meanwhile, the films included here will give some tips on how to stay safe.

What I liked about all of these films was the casting of women in the roles of doctors, who possess character, self-sacrifice and intelligence.

We need to be aware that pandemics can happen in our environment in many ways.

If you click on the links of Pandemic (2006) and Contagious (1997), you will be able to watch the entire movie.

Outbreak (1995) with Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo was the most entertaining to watch, except, one of the options selected was to drop a bomb on an entire population to contain an outbreak.

In Contagion (2011) with Matt Damon, people go crazy, like rushing out to grab everything off the grocery shelves, only crazier.

Pandemic (2006) addresses the problem of independent individuals, who do not believe the facts, and who may even want to make a profit off the circumstances.

The movie theaters are still not open, so I thought that it might be good to watch something on the 4th of July that could be useful as well as entertaining.

Stay well and try to enjoy your 4th of July.

Pandemic (2006)

With Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, French Stewart, Faye Dunaway,

Kevin Kiner, Armand Mastroianni, and Jennifer Jean Cacavas

Pandemic | Coronavirus Movie  /Full Movie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YiBZp2JXXI

 Plot:

On a beach in Australia, two American surfers say goodbye to each other as one is about to leave for his flight back to California. The two men don’t notice the large number of dead birds on the beach. On the flight, the surfer returning home starts coughing up blood and dies before the plane can land. Back in Australia, the other surfer is found dead in his apartment. Kayla Martin (Tiffani Thiessen) is a medical doctor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who has been assigned to the case. She and the local officials carry the body of the surfer out of the plane and start processing people to be put in quarantine until they can be evaluated for exposure. During the transfer, one of the passengers escapes to complete a business deal and unknowingly spreads the virus throughout Los Angeles. It is also revealed that outbreaks of the so-called “riptide virus” (as it comes to be known), an offshoot of the bird flu, are occurring in other cities around the world.

The situation is complicated further when one of the passengers, a convicted drug lord being transported by the FBI, escapes with the help of associates and a number of the other passengers, some of whom are infected. He proceeds to steal the medication needed to fight the outbreak and blackmails the local and state officials. As the epidemic worsens and the death toll rises all over California, the governor (Faye Dunaway) and mayor (Eric Roberts) have to find a way around their political differences so that they can make tough decisions dealing with the blackmail scheme, as well as a frightened populace and all of the problems associated with a widespread and deadly epidemic.

At the end, Kayla and her scientist team are able to find a cure: the drug lord’s clear immunity to the virus is caused by his concurrent tuberculosis infection. Tubercular antibodies stop the virus from attaching to his lungs. They discover that administering antibodies from persons who have tuberculosis will cure the infected and give the others immunity from the virus. Blood from tuberculosis-infected persons is purified and administered to people, and Los Angeles is saved.

 Contagious (1997) | Lindsay Wagner Full Thriller

With Lindsay Wagner, Elizabeth Peña, Ken Pogue, Brendan Fletcher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDzYxXLdqyE

Plot:

A plane where shrimp tainted with cholera was served, arrives from South America to Los Angeles. Soon after, the first patient dies from the disease. Because this person was a cocaine dealer, there is some suspicion that the drug is somehow related to the disease. Therefore, a narcotics detective (Elizabeth Peña) is put on the case, while in the hospital an experienced doctor (Lindsay Wagner) tries to prevent the outbreak from turning into an epidemic.

 Outbreak (1995)

With Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman and Donald Sutherland, and co-stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin Spacey and Patrick Dempsey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5povsMKfT4

Plot:

In 1967, during the Kisangani Mutinies, a virus called Motaba, which causes a deadly fever, is discovered in the African jungle. To keep the virus a secret, U.S. Army officers Donald McClintock and Billy Ford destroy the camp where soldiers were infected.

Twenty-eight years later, Colonel Sam Daniels, a USAMRIID virologist, is sent to investigate an outbreak in Zaire. He and his crew—Lieutenant Colonel Casey Schuler and new recruit Major Salt—gather information and return to the United States. Ford, now a brigadier general and Daniels’ superior officer, dismisses the latter’s fears that the virus will spread.

Betsy, a white-headed capuchin monkey that is host to the virus, is smuggled into the country. James “Jimbo” Scott, a worker at an animal testing laboratory, is infected when he steals Betsy to sell on the black market. Jimbo fails to sell Betsy to Rudy Alvarez (who also becomes infected), a pet-store owner in the coastal-California village of Cedar Creek. After releasing the monkey in the woods outside of the nearby community of Palisades, he develops symptoms on a flight to Boston and infects his girlfriend, Alice. Their illness is investigated by Dr. Roberta Keough, a CDC scientist and Daniels’ ex-wife. Jimbo, Alice, and Rudy die, but Keough determines that no one else in Boston was infected.

A hospital technician in Cedar Creek is infected when he accidentally breaks the vial of Rudy’s blood. The virus quickly mutates into a strain capable of spreading like influenza, becoming airborne and causing a number of people to be infected in a movie theater. Daniels flies to Cedar Creek against Ford’s orders, joining Keough’s team with Schuler and Salt. As they begin a search for the monkey, the Army quarantines the town and imposes martial law. Schuler is infected when his suit tears and Keough accidentally sticks herself with a contaminated needle while treating him.

When Ford provides an experimental serum which cures the original strain, Daniels realizes that he was aware of the virus before the outbreak. Daniels learns about Operation Clean Sweep, a plan for the military to contain the virus by bombing Cedar Creek, incinerating the town and its residents, ostensibly to prevent Motaba’s expansion to pandemic proportions. However, McClintock, now a major general, plans to use the operation to conceal the virus’s existence so it can be preserved for use as a biological weapon.

To prevent Daniels from finding a cure, McClintock orders him arrested for carrying the virus. Daniels escapes before he and Salt fly a helicopter to the ship at sea which carried Betsy. Daniels obtains a picture of Betsy and releases it to the media; a Palisades resident, Mrs. Jeffries, realizes that her daughter Kate has been playing with Betsy in their yard and calls the CDC. Daniels and Salt arrive at the Jeffries’ house where Salt tranquilizes Betsy after Kate coaxes her out of hiding in the woods nearby. When he learns from Daniels about Betsy’s capture, Ford delays the bombing.

On their return flight, Daniels and Salt are chased by McClintock in another helicopter. Salt fires two rockets into the trees to deceive him into thinking that they crashed. Once back in Cedar Creek, Salt mixes Betsy’s antibodies with Ford’s serum to create an antiserum; although Schuler has died, they save Keough. McClintock returns to base and resumes Operation Clean Sweep, refusing to listen to Ford. Daniels and Salt fly their helicopter directly into the path of the bomber’s approach to its target.

With Ford’s help, Daniels persuades the bomber’s flight crew to detonate the bomb over water and spare the town. Before McClintock can order another bombing, Ford relieves him of command and orders his arrest. Daniels and Keough reconcile as Cedar Creek’s residents are cured.

Contagion (2011)

With Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5VfNKCQF60&list=PLLfvFMBJknm2j2zGm5ZN5ELpftsmD7y7l&index=8&t=0s&app=desktop

Plot:

Returning from a Hong Kong business trip, Beth Emhoff meets with a former lover during a Chicago layover. Two days later, back home in suburban Minneapolis, she collapses with seizures. Her husband, Mitch Emhoff, rushes her to the hospital, but she dies of an unknown cause. Returning home, Mitch finds that his stepson, Clark, has also died. Mitch is isolated but found to be naturally immune; after being released, Mitch protectively keeps his teenage daughter, Jory, quarantined at their house.

In Atlanta, Department of Homeland Security representatives meet with Dr. Ellis Cheever of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over concerns that the disease may be a bioweapon. Cheever dispatches Dr. Erin Mears, an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, to Minneapolis where she traces everyone who had contact with Beth. She negotiates with reluctant local bureaucrats to commit resources for a public health response. Soon after, Mears becomes infected and dies. As the novel virus spreads, several cities are placed under quarantine, causing wide-spread looting and violence.

At the CDC, Dr. Ally Hextall determines the virus is a combination of genetic material from pig and bat-borne viruses. Research on a cure stalls because scientists are unable to discover a cell culture within which to grow the newly identified MEV-1. Dr. Cheever determines the virus too virulent to be researched at multiple labs and restricts all work to one government site. Dr. Hextall orders University of California researcher Dr. Ian Sussman to destroy his samples. Believing he is close to finding a viable cell culture, Sussman violates Cheever’s order and eventually identifies a usable MEV-1 cell culture using bat cells, from which Hextall develops a vaccine. Other scientists determine the virus is spread by respiratory droplets and fomites, with a basic reproduction number of four when the virus mutates; they project that 1 in 12 of the world population will be infected, with a 25–30% mortality rate.

Conspiracy theorist Alan Krumwiede posts videos about the virus on his blog. In one video, he claims to have cured himself of the virus using a homeopathic cure derived from forsythia. People seeking forsythia overwhelm pharmacies, turning violent when limited supplies run out. During a television interview, Krumwiede discloses that Cheever secretly warned his fiancée to leave Chicago before quarantine was declared. Cheever is informed he will be investigated. Krumwiede, having faked being infected to boost sales of forsythia, is arrested for conspiracy and securities fraud.

Using an attenuated virus, Hextall identifies a potential vaccine. To expedite the vaccine development, Hexall bypasses the informed consent test subject process. She instead inoculates herself with the experimental vaccine, then visits her infected father. She does not contract MEV-1 and the vaccine is declared a success. The CDC awards vaccinations by lottery based on birthdates. By this time, the death toll has reached 2.5 million in the U.S. and 26 million worldwide.

Earlier in Hong Kong, World Health Organization epidemiologist Dr. Leonora Orantes and public health officials comb through security video tapes of Beth’s contacts in a Macau casino and identify her as the index case. Government official Sun Feng kidnaps Orantes as leverage to obtain MEV-1 vaccine doses for his village, holding her for months. WHO officials provide the village with earliest vaccines and Orantes is released. When she learns the vaccines were placebos, she runs to warn the village.

In a flashback to the spillover event, a bulldozer razes palm trees while clearing a rainforest in China, disturbing some bats’ natural habitat. One bat finds shelter in a pig farm and drops an infected piece of banana, which is eaten by a pig. The pig is slaughtered and prepared by a chef in a Macau casino, who transmits the virus to Beth via a handshake.

7/4/2020 # The Covid-19 Films – – Pandemic (2006), Contagious (1997), Outbreak (1995), Contagion (2011)

POWERFUL BLACK HEROES IN RECENT FILMS – “21 Bridges”, “Just Mercy”, “Green Book”, “Black Panther”, “Fruitvale Station”, “42”

POWERFUL BLACK HEROES IN RECENT FILMS

By Marlene Ardoin

From 2013 to 2020, the last eight years, three major Black film stars have emerged, Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Mahershala Ali.

Prior to 2013, Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy were the major Black film stars, who did all the heavy lifting.

Although, Washington and Murphy are still making films.

Murphy has “Coming 2 America” out in 2020 and Washington stars in a 2021 crime thriller, “The Little Things.”

In general, I would say that a new generation of Black stars are becoming heroes, but both generations have a way to go in accepting women as equal partners.

Danzel came close in his 1993 “The Pelican Brief” with Julia Roberts, but in the end, she was still a damsel in distress.

Chadwick Boseman, in “Black Panther,” gives respect to female warriors, but he does not share the throne with them.

The new generation of Black male stars are trying to define what it is like being Black in America, and are willing to show their more sensitive sides.

This has all happened against the backdrop of Obama’s and Trump’s presidencies.

There is some progress, however, age, gender and race are still major blocks in how Blacks, women and age are portrayed in film.

2020 – “21 Bridges”

Following in his father’s footsteps, Chadwick Boseman portrays a decent police detective, with strong moral values.

He appears to be unmarried and is taking care of his mother, who has dementia.

He is comfortable in his position, until he uncovers a hornet’s nest of bad cops, who have somehow made it okay to make money by drug dealing. 

It appears that they all have their reasons, even the drug dealers, whom are almost heroic and full of pathos.

It all comes down to what kind of world we want to live in. 

Honor or dishonor.  Killer or peacemaker.  Reason or chaos.  Revenge or forgiveness.

And, if we do make the right moral choice, do we now live a life full of self-sacrifice that requires us to always look over our shoulder?

 2019 – “Just Mercy”

Michael B. Jordan plays a real life attorney, Bryan Stevenson, who devotes his life to helping falsely accused Black inmates, who are on death row.

This film uncovers many layers of ugliness that makes watching it again, undoable, for me.

The inmates, who are falsely accused, have different reactions.

Some blame themselves.

 And, some are resolved to being burned at the stake.

They do not believe that anyone would ever want to help them, because of some poor choices.

Stevenson is also unmarried in real life, because he did not feel that marriage was a safe or compatible choice.

 2018 – “Green Book”

Mahershala Ali plays the real life classical pianist, Dr. Don Shirley, (another true story) who hires a driver to take him on a tour into Deep South KKK territory.

He hires a former bouncer, who is also several shades of prejudice, but who needs the money.

During the making of this film, Shirley’s family was not consulted.

His family insists that he was not gay, but rather escaped into academia and his chosen art.

In real life, (not covered in the film) he did marry a young woman, but came to the conclusion that he could not manage being married and being a pianist.

 2018 – “Black Panther”

Chadwick Boseman is the humanitarian Black Panther king and the first African American super hero.

 Michael B. Jordan opposes him, as the tough, bitter nephew of the former Black Panther king.

As a child, he was abandoned in America in an environment of deceit and betrayal. 

Neither of these characters marry nor raise a family in this film.

Boseman’s character is put in the position of righting the wrongs of the past, and it is his own humanity towards others that saves his life.

The African proverb, “The foolish build barriers, while the wise build bridges”, was inserted into this film just before Donald Trump was elected President.

2013 – “Fruitvale Station”

Michael B. Jordan portrays the ill-fated 22 year old Oscar Grant, (true story) who was murdered by Bart police on a New Year’s Eve in 2009.

Oscar was attacked by gang members, and the police were called. 

BART officer Anthony Pirone kneed Grant in the head and forced the unarmed Grant to lie face down on the platform.

While Pirone held Grant down in a prone position, Mehserle drew his pistol and shot Grant in the back.

Grant was rushed to Highland Hospital in Oakland and pronounced dead later that day.

The events were captured on multiple official and private digital video and privately owned cell phone cameras.

Grant was survived by his mother, sister, daughter, and girlfriend (his daughter’s mother).

A wrongful death claim was filed against BART following his death.

Jordan knew that Grant’s daughter may one day see this film about her father, so he wanted Grant to be portrayed in a way that she would be proud to see.

Eleven years later, George Floyd and others are still dying at the hands of police.

(The role of the police is to make the arrest, not to punish.)

 2013 – “42”

Chadwick Boseman portrays the ground breaking, Jackie Robinson, (another true story) who becomes the first African American to play in major league baseball.

In 1947, Robinson had exceptional baseball skills, including the ability to turn the other cheek, when he was confronted with ugly forms of racism at a time when Blacks and Whites were still segregated in the U.S.

He had a wife and a child, who also witnessed his daily humiliation, but his grace under duress and his success as a ball player, made Robinson a role model for both Black and White children.

6/27/2020 # POWERFUL BLACK HEROES IN RECENT FILMS – 21 Bridges, Just Mercy, Green Book, Black Panther, Fruitvale Station, 42

CRAZY RICH ASIANS

Gjoh Peik Lin’s (Awkwafina) (r.) wealthy father is played by the very funny Ken Jeong, (l.) who meets Rachel (Constance Wu). (center)

CRAZY RICH ASIANS

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

The 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party is in 2049, so that means that the Chinese family in “Crazy Rich Asians,” must have fled China around 1949 to Singapore.

 We are still in quarantine, with no cinemas open yet, so I found that for around $5, I could buy a DVD at Walmart, which is what I did for “Crazy Rich Asians.” 

I have since, watched this film about six times. I love it. It has everything that the pandemic is denying me.

I can live vicariously in a world that has unlimited money to buy things and, it features many large, fun gatherings (a welcome home party, bachelor parties, Academy Award style weddings, and a huge, over the top engagement party).

I also connected with the Cinderella type theme. 

Unbeknownst to Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), a pretty New York economics lecturer,  is that her boyfriend for about a year, is Nick Young (Henry Golding), heir to a wealthy, Chinese family in Singapore.

Nick casually invites Rachel to go with him to Singapore to attend his best friend’s wedding, Colin Khoo (Chris Pang).    

Rachel, who has a best friend in Singapore, Goh Peik Lin (Awkwafina), agrees to go with him, still not knowing what she is getting into.

Luckily for Rachel, she has the type of personality that attracts many allies.

Of course, she has Goh Peik Lin, whose family is also rich, so she has some means behind her predicament, since she is the product of being raised by a single mom, Kerry Chu (Tan Kheng Hua).

Gjoh Peik Lin’s wealthy father is played by the very funny Ken Jeong.  I love his reaction to Rachel, when she tells him that her boyfriend is Nick Young.

Rachel also acquires allies within Nick’s family, his cousin Astrid (Gemma Chan) and his cousin Oliver (Nico Santos).

What is missing from this family picture, are the fathers of our two main characters, Nick’s father and Rachel’s father.  My imagination went wild in both cases.

Anyway, when Rachel first arrives at the Singapore airport, she realizes that this is a very special place.  “This airport has a butterfly garden and a movie theater!”

I, personally, would have found everything that I needed just at the airport.

The food and the music in this film were the elaborate frostings on top of the cake.

And, the best friend’s wedding, is the most beautiful wedding that I have ever witnessed.

Nick’s mother, Eleanor Sun-Young (Michelle Yeoh), studied to become an attorney, but gave up that future for the keys to the kitchen, an absent husband and an overbearing mother-in-law.

But, like Rachel’s mom, she gets a beautiful child.  

This film, “Crazy Rich Asians” is guaranteed to cure the pandemic blues on every level.

Nick (Henry Golding) introduces Rachel (Constance Wu) to his mother, Eleanor Sun-Young (Michelle Yeoh).

Cast:

  • Constance Wuas Rachel Chu, Nick’s girlfriend and Kerry’s daughter[5]
  • Henry Goldingas Nicholas “Nick” Young, Rachel’s boyfriend and Phillip and Eleanor’s son[6][7]
  • Michelle Yeohas Eleanor Sung-Young, Nick’s domineering mother and Phillip’s wife[8]
  • Gemma Chanas Astrid Leong-Teo, Nick’s cousin and Michael’s wife, a fashion icon and socialite[9][note 1]
  • Lisa Luas Shang Su Yi, Nick’s grandmother and the matriarch of the family[12]
  • Awkwafinaas Goh Peik Lin, Rachel’s charismatic confidant and best friend, and Wye Mun’s daughter[13]
  • Ken Jeongas Goh Wye Mun, Peik Lin’s wealthy father[14]
  • Sonoya Mizunoas Araminta Lee, Colin’s fiancée and heiress to a billion dollar resort chain[15]
  • Chris Pangas Colin Khoo, Nick’s childhood best friend and Araminta’s fiancé[16]
  • Jimmy O. Yangas Bernard Tai, Nick and Colin’s former classmate[16]
  • Ronny Chiengas Eddie Cheng, Nick and Astrid’s cousin and Fiona’s husband from Hong Kong[16]
  • Remy Hiias Alistair Cheng, Eddie’s brother and Nick and Astrid’s movie-making cousin from Taiwan[12]
  • Nico Santosas Oliver T’sien, Nick’s second cousin[16]
  • Jing Lusias Amanda “Mandy” Ling, Manhattan lawyer and Nick’s former girlfriend[17]
  • Carmen Sooas Francesca Shaw, Nick’s snobby ex-girlfriend[18]
  • Pierre Pngas Michael Teo, Astrid’s husband[16]
  • Fiona Xieas Kitty Pong, Alistair’s girlfriend and Taiwanese soap opera star[19]
  • Victoria Lokeas Fiona Tung-Cheng, Eddie’s wife from Hong Kong and Nick’s cousin-in-law[20]
  • Janice Kohas Felicity Young, Astrid’s mother and Su Yi’s eldest child[11][note 1]
  • Amy Chengas Jacqueline Ling, Mandy’s heiress mother and Eleanor’s friend[21]
  • Koh Chieng Munas Neena Goh, Peik Lin’s mother[22]
  • Calvin Wong as P.T. Goh, Peik Lin’s brother[23]
  • Tan Kheng Huaas Kerry Chu, Rachel’s mother[23]
  • Constance Lauas Celine “Radio One Asia” Lim, gossiper and member of Radio One Asia[24]
  • Selena Tanas Alexandra ‘Alix’ Young-Cheng, Su Yi’s youngest child[23]
  • Daniel Jenkinsas Reginald Ormsby, manager of the London Calthorpe Hotel[25]
  • Peter Carrollas Lord Calthorpe, owner of the London Calthorpe Hotel[25]
  • Kris Aquinoas Princess Intan, a wealthy royal[23]
  • Tumurbaatar Enkhtungalag as Nadine Shao, one of Eleanor’s best friends[26]

Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan has a cameo appearance during the Radio One Asia sequence.[27] Singer Kina Grannis cameos as Colin and Araminta’s wedding singer during the marriage sequence, and Harry Shum Jr. makes a brief appearance as Astrid’s ex-fiancé Charlie Wu in a mid-credits scene.

Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) (right) with two of her allies, Goh Peik Lin (Awkwafina) (left) and Nick’s cousin Oliver (Nico Santos) (middle).

Wiki Crazy Rich Asians:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Rich_Asians_%28film%29

5 Reasons Why Everyone Loves Henry Golding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lip2gP0-HuE

Henry Golding Biography Family, Childhood, Body, Height, Age, Net Worth, Krishtuve-tk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixt0Sx_jFUM

Golding’s The Travel Show: Kuala Lumpur (2015 Week 50):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpfT5YP1-u4

Golding’s BBC The Travel Show – Thailand Canals (Week 15):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVPOXOA4F7E

Henry Golding Talks About How He Met His Wife:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7YO_NUQ6xE

Liv Lo Talks About Henry Golding’s Fame & Seeing His Onscreen Kisses With Other Women:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCU4iCHJvrc

Henry Golding Shares What It’s Like Filming Intimate Scenes in ‘A Simple Favor’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLB8c_bf2kc

The ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Cast On Filming In Malaysia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNiqL_P64YM

Constance Wu, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Michelle Yeoh & Henry Golding Discuss “Crazy Rich Asians”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xqaIN8_Ss8

The Cast Of Crazy Rich Asians Talk About The Incredible Response The Movie Received:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksK-5V0zu48

Screen Times: “Crazy Rich Asians”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_v1IbsU7bk

China Rich Girlfriend (sequel to Crazy Rich Asians):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Rich_Girlfriend

5/30/2020 # Crazy Rich Asians

EMMA 2020

Johnny Flynn as George Knightley and Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma Woodhouse

EMMA

Film review by Marlene Ardoin

When I first viewed this film, pre-Covid 19 era, I knew that “Emma” had something different about it, but I could not put my finger on it.

After a little research, I discovered that it not only has a female director, Autumn de Wilde, but it also has a female writer, Eleanor Catton.

The point of view of this Jane Austen classic is totally feminine.

We see the romantic interest, George Knightley (Johnny Flynn), in the very beginning of this film, throwing off his clothes, and then is dressed with all his fussy, but manly glory.

Sexual politics is the topic of this story and Knightley has our votes from the very beginning.

Men and women are being judged, then pitted against each other for some kind of advantage in the ranking.

This was an era with very obvious class divisions (the Georgian era in 1815 was right before the Victorian era).

Also, women were not allowed to own property, because they were property.

In fact, Jane Austin was living in a cottage on her brother’s property, when she began writing novels.

In the original story, Knightley was supposed to be the older friend of Emma’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) father.

In this film, he is closer to her age, rather than about seventeen years older than she.

Although delightful, it does not make sense as to why he is so often the guest of her father, except, maybe he is checking her out.

They make a perfect couple, but cannot stop criticizing and disagreeing with each other in the beginning of their relationship.

The father gets what is going on, but Emma does not.

She is spoiled, beautiful, and headstrong.

 Emma assumed the status of her father’s companion, since the time her mother died, when she was around twelve.

Emma interjects herself into the lives of others as a matchmaker, without any real credentials of her own.

She eventually succeeds in putting a powerful spell on Knightley, who, like her father, finally allows her to have her way.

The real writer of this story, Jane Austin, was the daughter of a clergyman.

 And, I cannot think of a single story, where she presents the clergy in a kindly manner, and this is no exception.

Although, I do think Austin was an authority on the subject matter, having observed the culture all her life.

The characterizations in this film are interesting, entertaining and drop dead gorgeous.

While each characterization is strong, the most interesting character is the director, Autumn De Wilde.

It turns out that this is her first film at age 49.

She is a well-respected photographer, but was not given the green light to make a film until now.

De Wilde has a grown daughter, is very feminine, but with the making of this film, she becomes androgynous in appearance.

There is no doubt that De Wilde has a very keen eye for both male and female beauty, as is evident in all her photo shoots.

I am not sure if the androgynous persona allowed her to make her cast feel at ease, or if her real self is finally being allowed to shine.

In my opinion, “Emma 2020” is the absolute best version yet.

Autumn de Wilde feminine version.

Autumn de Wilde androgynous version. 

Cast

Directed by Autumn de Wilde
Produced by ·         Tim Bevan·         Eric Fellner

·         Graham Broadbent

·         Pete Czernin
Screenplay by Eleanor Catton
Based on Emma
by Jane Austen
Starring ·         Anya Taylor-Joy·         Johnny Flynn

·         Josh O’Connor

·         Callum Turner

·         Mia Goth

·         Miranda Hart

·         Bill Nighy
Music by ·         Isobel Waller-Bridge·         David Schweitzer
Cinematography Christopher Blauvelt
Edited by Nick Emerson
Production
companies		 ·         Perfect World Pictures·         Working Title Films

·         Blueprint Pictures
Distributed by Focus Features
Release date ·         14 February 2020 (United Kingdom)
Running time 124 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Box office $25.2 million[1][2]

Autumn de Wilde directs actors and actresses in “Emma.”

 

Emma (2020) Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_(2020_film)

 

Which Emma movie is better? 2020 or 1996?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ_DwAN3evw

 

Autumn de Wilde’s secret for directing your first film at 49?:

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-02-22/autumn-de-wilde-emma-director

 

Autumn de Wilde trivia: 31 facts about the famous photographer:

https://www.uselessdaily.com/movies/autumn-de-wilde-trivia-31-facts-about-the-famous-photographer/

 

Director Autumn de Wilde on EMMA’s legendary love story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyP2w_hGNiI

 

Anya Taylor-Joy & director Autumn de Wilde on EMMA. | Full Q&A [HD] | Coolidge Corner Theatre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyDhhwDq-S4

 

Emma Cast Anya Taylor-Joy & Johnny Flynn Chat Nude Scenes & Mia Goth’s Orgasm | MTV Movies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD9wCB0_ulI

 

Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn Talk Emma and The New Mutants:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNlJKYTxAmE

 

Anya Taylor Joy and Jonny Flynn – Emma Interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXLED-10KW4

 

Anya Taylor-Joy on starring in Jane Austen’s classic tale ‘Emma’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALmIIUU9Ryc

 

EMMA | On-set Interview with the Cast & Filmmakers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwbrG89Uwkk

 

“EMMA” behind the scenes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_WMU_iSKDI

 

Projector: Emma. (2020) (REVIEW)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe6SRNTw_6k

 

Book vs. Movie: Emma (1996, 1997, 2009, 2020):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTSYYtcsuzA

5/4/2020 # EMMA 2020                                                                   

© All rights reserved | License: | By BLAZE 2.5.2