Movie Review: The Personal History of David Copperfield, starring Dev Patel

 Movie Review: The Personal History of David Copperfield starring Dev Patel

I really did not get this movie--maybe because I was tired and the movie failed to get my full attention; or it could be, had I read the novel by Charles Dickens I would have been more interested in reviewing the filmization of the story.

How does the movie start?  A young man is telling an audience. his life story. Why are people interested in listening to the childhood and coming of age experiences of a young man narrated in his own words?  Maybe it does not matter if the story is interesting; story telling skills are more important. The audience listens and listens till the movie ends with an applause.

The film further pushes the reach of the nonwhite actors in characters firmly placed in European stories. If Cinderella can be Afro-American, David Copperfield a 19th Century Englishman, can be played by a Desi actor.

Image: Film poster, courtesy of Wikipedia

Movie Review: Nomadland (2020)

 

Movie Review: Nomadland (2020)

Screenplay based on Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder

Life comes in billions of flavors.  Nomadland is the story of people living out of their cars, vans, trucks, and RVs.  Fern, played by Frances McDormand, was living a happy life with her husband in Empire, Nevada when the main employer of the town, a factory making drywalls, went out of business.  Fern’s husband died and Fern had to move.  Fern is now living out of a van, hopping from one campground to another, occasionally working on temporary positions. How are these modern-day nomads seen by their family members?  As lazy people who are running away from the responsibilities that come with a settled life.  But these nomads genuinely love their mobile lifestyles and do not want to think far enough when they will be old and frail and ready to call a grave their permanent home.

Image: Courtesy of bayshorebroadcasting.ca

Movie review: The Sound of Metal (2019) starring Riz Ahmed

 

Movie review: The Sound of Metal (2019 starring Riz Ahmed

 

A young drummer falls victim to the occupational hazard of constantly dealing with loud noise.  Only on losing most of his hearing he realizes he has been exchanging his health (hearing to be precise) with a small amount of money.  The epic advice from the doctor may make some in the audience question their own lives and the choices they constantly make on how to earn a living: “You have the responsibility to preserve what you have.”

Image: Film poster, courtesy of Wikipedia

Movie Review: ‘The Father’

The story of ‘The Father’ resonates globally with people trying to cope with the fast-paced modern life with its high demands on time and energy of individuals, and the slow-paced aging parents.  In the movie, the father has dementia and is suspicious of his caregivers; the daughter is torn between modern life, finding love for herself, and taking care of the father.

The story is complex, and it is hard for the audience to differentiate between reality and the father’s imagination. Did the daughter really try to suffocate the father with a pillow?  Did the son-in-law really slap the father?

But no matter how enigmatic the story is, the movie is a five-star because of a brilliant performance by Anthony Hopkins.  Hopkins knows how to remain relevant at every stage of his life. 

Image: 'The Father' poster, courtesy of Wikipedia.