Movies Of The Spirit - Page 18 of 20 -

MR. CHURCH

Mr. Church (Eddie Murphy), Marie (Natascha McElhone) and Charlotte (Britt Robertson).

MR. CHURCH

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

“Mr. Church” is not a tragedy, rather it is more about love and compassion. Eddie Murphy elevates this niche, but every time he attempts a drama, he is ignored.

This film’s theme focuses on the predicament of being poor in America, and about how it gives us the opportunity to nurture each other in its finest sense.

The story features a single mom, Marie (Natascha McElhone), who has one daughter, Charlotte (Britt Robertson as the older Charlotte and Natalie Coughlin as young Charlotte).

Mr. Church (Eddie Murphy) was hired by Richard, Marie’s deceased, married, ex-lover, to cook for her for six months, by which time, Marie is expected to die of cancer.

In return, Mr. Church will not have to worry about his finances for the rest of his life, receiving a lifetime salary.

The little girl, Charlotte, is not provided for in Richard’s will.

By taking this role, Murphy is sure to offend everyone. The racist white will not want him to care for two white women, and the racist Black population will not understand why he would even consider such a subservient Black role.

I get why Murphy’s serious acting is ignored. Except, everyone who sees this film, comes out enthralled by the amount of love that is displayed by every single character in this film.

Little Charlotte grows up to make her own mistakes, coming to the realization that Mr. Church is the only family she has.

Charlotte does pull her moral weight in this story. A poor, white young man, Larson (Christian Madsen) finds that she is his only friend, and allows her to pull him out of his deepest despair.

Mr. Church has his own demons, but through service to others (not just Charlotte and Marie), he redeems himself.

This story rings true. Having been raised by a single mom myself, I found that I could really relate.

We live in a country that worships riches above all else. This can really play havoc on the self-esteem of those who do not make it in such a world.

You usually do not get asked to the prom. You may remember, who cared enough to teach you how to drive a car. And, the belief that you are not worthy of love is hard to shake.

The truth is that we all matter in each other’s lives. We all matter, and we all have the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Mr. Church is a 2016 American drama film directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Susan McMartin that is well worth the price of admission. Hopefully, it will be out on DVD soon

10/24/16 # Mr. Church

THE ACCOUNTANT

Dana (Anna Kendrick) watches in amazement as the accountant, Chris (Ben Affleck), solves a complex problem.

THE ACCOUNTANT

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

Ben Affleck breaks the geek mold in “The Accountant” as an autistic, mathematics savant. If you know anything about high functioning autism, you may find this an interesting human study.

One of the things that doctors are very careful not to suggest in autism is that it is not caused by poor parenting. This film, however, is very politically incorrect.

In this film, our main character (Ben Affleck as Christian “Chris” Wolff) and his normal brother (Jon Bernthal as Braxton “Brax”) are deserted by their mother, and their colonel father has child abuse badges on his uniform.

The accountant, Chris, has the typical autistic focus and detail orientation, which suits him to a career as an accountant. And, thanks to his father, both brothers develop exceptional abilities in the self-defense arts.

Autistics are famous for feelings disconnect, so it is not surprising that Chris and his brother, equally share this quality, when it comes to killing or hurting others.

Chris’s skillset suits him for working with some pretty shady and powerful types. The world he creates for himself is as a loner, who needs to recover from human interaction and who can disappear at a moments notice.

Autistics are blunt and honest to a fault, and so is our accountant, Chris. His blunt communication style gives rise to many humorous moments in the film. The climax of this film is also such a moment.

His odd behavior is accepted by a sweet, Mid-West couple, who are very grateful for his tax help. They humorously discover his other skills, when he takes up their invitation to come to their property to shoot.

There is romance in this film. Anna Kendrick, of the Twilight film series, plays an accountant, Dana Cummings, who discovers a discrepancy in the books. Chris is called in to track it down. She expresses amazement of his focus and skill.

Our accountant, Chris, responds to kindness. Because of his tendencies, I found their relationship very similar to the vampire series, Twilight, very romantic and very dangerous. I loved the scene where Chris slowly closes the door, as he watches her sleep.

After doing a little research on autism, I discovered that many famous individuals and NFL players have autism. Amadeus Mozart, Charles Darwin, Thomas Jefferson, Michelangelo, Andy Warholl, and Albert Einstein, were all famous autistic adults.

And, famous autistic athletes include Michael Phelps, Terry Bradshaw, Pete Rose, Bruce Jenner, Magic Johnson, Jackie Stewart, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Nolan Ryan, Jason Kidd, Greg Louganis, Andy LaRoche, Alex Trevino, Derek Lowe, Scott Eyre, and Tom Gorzelanny.

I found “The Accountant” to be very thought provoking and entertaining.

Famous autistic people:

http://autismmythbusters.com/general-public/famous-autistic-people/

Diagnosis, Causes & Symptoms of autism:

https://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/tool-kits/100-day-kit/diagnosis-causes-symptoms

10/18/16 # The Accountant

THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK

Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.

THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK

By Marlene Ardoin

Having lived through the Beatle’s phenomena, I cannot believe that it only lasted for four years, 1962 to 1966. This documentary, “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week” beautifully captures their evolution as artists and as leaders, growing up before our eyes.

In the beginning, they appeared to be light-hearted and fun loving. As they traveled the world, 166 concerts in 15 countries and 90 cities, they bumped into existing moral dilemmas.

In the South, there was the question of segregation at one of their concerts, a war in Vietnam was raging and a very large generation of baby boomers were trying to come to terms with their own sexual repression.

By the end of their four years of touring, The Beatles were spent, exhausted and no longer light-hearted. They express sympathy for Elvis. “He had to do it all by himself, at least we had each other.”

In this documentary, they are compared to Mozart in terms of the sheer number of great songs that they wrote during the course of their career. Ringo Starr was the anchor, and each of the three guitarists, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, took turns writing songs. Their songs are timeless and were a reflection of the era in which they lived.

At the end of the documentary, we are treated to the 11 song live concert at Shea Stadium 1965.

The Beatles were the first performers to perform at a sporting arena. After the Ed Sullivan show, the crowds that they attracted were unprecedented. We even get to see their final concert in San Francisco 1966.

A big thank you to director Ron Howard, who completed this film in spite of the lawsuit over Shea Stadium performance.

10/10/16 – # The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years

SNOWDEN

snowden-real-and-unreal

Edward Joseph Snowden – Real and unreal (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

SNOWDEN

By Marlene Ardoin

What stayed with me after seeing “Snowden”, was the fact that he did not finish high school and that his moral sensibilities were deeply offended while working for the U.S. government.

I am reminded while listening to a radio show, that so many lower income youths join the services to fix their teeth, have a place to live and to get an education. The caller pleads that the government does not have the right to ask them to go against their moral beliefs.

After looking into the reason for Snowden not finishing high school, I discover that his whole family worked for the government, and it just involved the family being relocated and a bad case of mononucleosis.

Snowden chose not to return to high school. He passes the GED test to get his diploma. He has a very high IQ. And, at this point, he decides to take online college courses from Britain, instead. This is not at all the impression I got from the film. In fact, his whole family is missing from this film.

Filmmaker, Oliver Stone, does a good job of playing at our heart strings in his most recent film, “Snowden.” I received the impression that the young Edward Snowden was a victim of circumstances.

As far as his moral beliefs go, he listed himself as a Buddhist, when he enlisted in the Armed Services. So, this is not your normal Ten Commandments kind of a moral upbringing. How could Stone explain this to the American public in his film?

I can relate to the real Snowden, but I wonder if it was decided that the truth may not be sympathetic enough. Stone appears to be on a mission to make Snowden heart-wrenching.

The broken legs, the epileptic seizures and the offending surveillance scenes really do make him worthy of sympathy. I for one, will never have a computer in my bedroom after seeing this film.

There are victims depicted in this film. Edward Snowden may not be one of them.

“Citizenfour,” which won the Oscar for Best Documentary, is recommended as a more truth filled source.

Wiki biography of Edward Snowden:

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

Preview of “Citizenfour”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKkF-X4QLB4

SULLY

Sullenberger manages to land the aircraft in the Hudson without any casualties.

sully-with-co-pilot-jeff

Tom Hanks as Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and Aaron Eckhart as co-pilot Jeff Skiles.

SULLY

By Marlene Ardoin

January 2009 was a month of miracles. The first African American became a U.S. President, and on January 15^th, an American pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger saved 155 passengers by landing his plane on the New York Hudson River.

The film, “Sully”, not only captures this event, but it plays homage to the experience of an older pilot, who used his years of training to its maximum advantage. His aircraft was disabled by striking a flock of Canada geese during its initial climb out of LaGuardia Airport of New York City.

We all have had experiences where we cannot believe that something is happening, then we are forced to let go and let intuition take over. The angel guides of Sully Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and his crew landed what appeared to be an impossible plane landing.

Happening just a few years after New York’s 9/11 event in 2001, the New York rescue teams were well prepared for such an event.

This film also brings up the question of what other actions might have been taken. Of course, the event had to be investigated, even though all the passengers were saved. Someone has to think about the damage to the plane. Can one sue the Canadian geese? How about the Canadian government as the responsible party?

Sully had no previous experience with water landings, but he was a glider pilot and a safety expert. In this film, he tells the investigators that he just eye-balled it. Tom Hank’s Sully has a lot of personal dignity and charm in his communication style.

Here are a few interesting side facts.

His co-pilot, (Aaron Eckhart as Jeff Skiles) was a relative stranger. They had little experience flying together. “At the time of the accident, Captain Sullenberger had logged a total of 19,663 flight hours, 4,765 of which were accumulated in A320 aircraft. He was also a safety expert and a glider pilot.

The first officer was Jeffrey B. Skiles, 49, who was on the last leg of his first assignment in the Airbus A320 since passing the training course to fly the type. Skiles has accrued 15,643 flight hours throughout his career.

Sully’s own father, committed suicide in 1995, which is not brought up in the film. “On December 7, 1995, Sullenberger’s father committed suicide by gunshot shortly after being released from the hospital for major surgery. He had been suffering from depression in the face of a long and difficult convalescence ahead of him.” Among other things, Sully is a suicide prevention activist.

Sullenberger married fitness expert and television personality Lorraine “Lorrie” Sullenberger in 1989 (Laura Linney as Lorraine Sullenberger), with whom he has two daughters, Kate and Kelly. The Sullenbergers reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.

And director, Clint Eastwood, has made yet another provocative film featuring the resilience of Americans.

Chesley Sullenberger – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

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

Real events vs. Hollywood depiction:

http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/sully/

9/21/2016 # Sully

NINE LIVES

Rebecca (Malma Weissman) shares her feelings with Mr Fuzzypants (Kevin Spacey)

NINE LIVES

By Marlene Ardoin

Jennifer Garner is luminous in “Nine Lives.” She is so wise and tender. The noble theme is not to become so busy in life that you do not have time to enjoy the beauty in your life. And, that beauty is not another tall building designed by business tycoon, Tom Brand (Kevin Spacey).

Beauty is represented everywhere in this film. Tom’s beautiful wife, Lara (Jennifer Garner), his daugher, Rebecca (Malma Weissman), Rebecca’s birthday cake (spectacular!!) when she turns eleven, and Tom as a cat, himself. He is magnificent in that form.

Tom’s transformation occurs shortly after stopping by Felix Perkin’s (Christopher Walken) pet shop to pick out a cat, Mr Fuzzypants, for his daughter’s birthday. For maybe the first time, he is forced to become a part of his own family.

He also has a wonderful son, David Brand (Robbie Amell) from his first marriage, who is trying his best to make his father proud of him. David goes to heart-wrenching great lengths to do this.

This film has beautiful characters, Jennifer Garner and Christopher Walken as the cat whisperer stand out for me. There is also a lot of go-for-the-crotch slap stick in this, but overall, I came away feeling glad that I saw this film.

8/28/16 # Nine Lives

BAD MOMS

Moms unite, overwhelmed mother of four, Kiki (Kristen Bell), distraught mom Amy (Mila Kunis) and single mom Carla (Kathryn Hahn).

BAD MOMS

By Marlene Ardoin

“Bad Moms” teaches us that it is OK to say “no” to your kids and to other adults. Amy Mitchell (Mila Kunis), as a distraught mom, becomes really good at this. It comes down to a choice between maintaining her sanity and or developing fibro myalgia from jangled nerves.

Amy learns about boundaries the hard way. And, she is not the only one who needs to learn it. She meets two other moms at a local bar, single mom Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and overwhelmed mother of four, Kiki (Kristen Bell). They click as friends, who have each other’s back. They rebuild each other’s self-esteem. You do not have to be a mom to identify with these women.

Enter super mom and PTA President, domineering bully Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate), who can afford to have Martha Stewart cater her parties. As the story progresses, we find that this adversary really lives in a paper house.

How do you defeat a bully? You have to defeat them. There is no other way.

OK, so now you are the PTA President, now what? Do you go on giving shitty wine parties? Your kids are fixing their own breakfasts, but who taught them how to make that fancy frittata? Someone needs to fill in the missing pieces. Your kids have not been this way before, and you have. Either you teach them or someone else will. Some parents actually think raising their own kids is something like putting on shitty wine parties. Let’s have a drink in front of the web-cam.

I loved this film, because I think that the scrutiny of moms and teachers, for that matter, has gone too far. They are human beings, not robots. Most newly minted moms are still in the process of growing up themselves. Give them a hand, not worn out hate and judgment.

Amy’s kids are nice. Manners are important. Amy has taught them to be aware of the feelings and needs of others. No life-long narcissists here. Amy’s husband, Mike (David Walton), on the other hand, is her third child. He is caught sexually vaping in front of a web-cam.

This story will ultimately leave you with a final sense of relief, relaxation, and release of guilt, blame and shame. Mila Kunis really has the Ashton Kutcher comedic style down, effortlessly cool, but unassuming. This is a must see back to school from me.

8/11/2016 # Bad Moms

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

A single father, Ben (Viggo Mortensen), with his six children, is Captain Fantastic.

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

By Marlene Ardoin

A single father, Ben (Viggo Mortensen), with his six children, navigates his way around the death of his bipolar wife in the best possible Buddhist way.

We find that he and his wife, a former attorney from a wealthy family, have home-schooled their children in an isolated wilderness. Both parents were very critical of society. The children have been groomed to be athlete fit, healthy, intelligent, analytical, well-read, creative, independent, survivalist, brave and self-sufficient individuals. If the world as we know it fell apart tomorrow, this family would be ready.

It is a clash of two schools of thought on raising the next generation, in which neither school is totally without flaw. We gradually realize that this father has given it his all. But, having to carry on alone, in the midst of his grief, almost unravels him.

The death of his wife forces him to reenter the real world. The close knit family discovers that they are not in any way, shape or form, prepared to live in the real world, as we know it.

As they observe the new found world, they encounter sick people, fat people, and beautiful girls smoking cigarettes, kind people, and people with different beliefs, old people and gullible people. It is sort of like Prince Buddha coming out of the palace walls for the first time in his life. It is a shock.

I would have liked to have the husband’s family and background filled in. He is obviously very intelligent and free-thinking. How did he get that way? Who were his parents? And, how did he meet his wife? And, the ultimate mystery is what caused his wife’s bipolar condition? From my research, I find that it rarely occurs in childhood, but develops in adulthood. Is it caused by brain chemistry or by built up inner emotional turmoil?

His wife’s mother, Abigail (Ann Dowd), is compassionate enough, but her husband, Jack (Frank Langella), seems to blame his son-in-law for everything.

Everyone is in a fragile state due to the circumstances with plenty of blame to go around. But, by being so opinionated, he creates more strife than can be borne by the children’s father, Ben. And, Jack is forcing the children and Ben to make a choice. I think I know what caused his daughter’s manic depression.

The real core of this story is the emotional shift of full-force sympathy for the young father, Ben, as he and his children navigate their grief and bring closure to everything in the Buddhist way. They choose love and truth.

Bipolar disorder slideshow

http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/ss/slideshow-bipolar-disorder-overview

Noam Chomsky

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

Buddhism

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

Captain Fantastic Circle in the woods

8/2/2016 # Captain Fantastic

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

The Legend of Tarzsan - Tanzan and Samuel L Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson lures Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) back to the Congo.

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

By Marlene Ardoin

Like America, Africa was exploited horribly. “The Legend of Tarzan” highlights this truth with the fascinating story of an infant raised by a female gorilla. This fantasy somehow reveals the truth, but with a far more joyful outcome.

It was not just the slave trade, but the exploitation of ivory trade, trophy trade, diamond trade and every other kind of greed. Unfortunately, these evils are still a reality of today. If only Tarzan could come to the rescue.

Our story opens with the handsome, refined Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) sipping tea in an English mansion, looking up and saying, “No”. This image of him contrasts radically with the Tarzan who is unleashed later in the African part of the story. His American wife, Jane (Margot Robbie), insists on going on the journey with him.

Samuel L. Jackson plays a mercenary, who is sent to lure Tarzan back to the Congo. Jackson finds himself ill-equipped physically to keeping up with a Tarzan and the other natives. All he has is a gun, which won’t help him much if he is stranded in the middle of a lush and very dangerous jungle.

Christoph Waltz plays a corrupt merciless Belgian captain sent by King Leopold of Belgium to find diamonds and control the region. In other words, he is King Leopold’s stooge.

And, the part about a King Leopold of Belgium is a true fact. Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second King of the Belgians, chiefly remembered for the founding and exploitation of the Congo Free State as a private venture.

Leopold extracted a fortune from the Congo, initially by the collection of ivory, and after a rise in the price of rubber in the 1890s, by forced labor from the natives to harvest and process rubber. Under his regime millions of Congolese people died; modern estimates range from one to fifteen million, with the consensus figure climbing by around ten million.

Why do they need Tarzan to come back to the jungle? Apparently they cut a deal with one of the chiefs, who wants Tarzan dead for killing his son, who killed Tarzan’s gorilla mother, in an initiation rite of passage.

As it turns out, Tarzan and his wife are welcomed back to the Congo, not only by the animals, but by a specific African tribe, where Jane grew up.

This story keeps getting better and better. It has a magnificent cast, gorgeous scenery, amazing animal footage and a very warm-hearted story. And, I promise, it has a very, happy ending.

The Legend of Tarzan - Leopold II of Belgium

Leopold II of Belgium

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

7/13/2016 # THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

THE MEDDLER

Susan Sarandon rides with J.K. Simmons.

The Meddler, Susan and Rose

Lori (Rose Byrne) is uncomfortable with mom’s help.

THE MEDDLER

By Marlene Ardoin

Susan Sarandon, as Marnie, is more of a fairy god-mother, than a meddler. A good meddler’s motivation comes from a place of love, and a bad meddler comes from a place of criticism or envy. Marnie is a good meddler.

We get a step by step how-to-get-over the death of a doting husband. Marnie’s husband has made sure that she has more than enough to survive on her own, but Marnie is a natural giver. And, now we know the secret of a great marriage, two-way, great giving.

Marnie relocates from the east coast New York area to the west coast Los Angeles area.

What is so delightful about this film is watching Marnie gradually open to a new way of life, new friends, and learning how to fill the void of her recent solo life. Anyone who crosses her path is sure to feel the force of her great big heart.

At first, her daughter, Lori (Rose Byrne), is uncomfortable with her presence, but when mom gradually builds a new life for herself, the tables turn as Lori begins to miss her mother’s unconditional support and love.

Marnie’s god-mother recipients include an elderly woman in the hospital who is unable to speak, a young black boy in a computer store who shows her how to use the new phone, a lesbian couple who have a young daughter, and a divorced cop (J.K. Simmons) who gets his chickens to lay eggs by playing them music.

We also get treated to watching her open herself to the possibility of male attention. She clearly knows the difference between love and lust. The demonstrations of both are humorously presented.

This is a warm-hearted story.

As a group of elderly, middle-class females were leaving the showing, I overheard them wondering if the lesbian couple had any lesbian friends? I hope that is not the only takeaway that they got from this movie.

7/11/16 # The Meddler