Movie Reviews 2

 

Movie Reviews 2

In "Leave No Trace," (2018) a father and daughter live off the grid in a forest near Portland, Oregon. When a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are gobbled up by Social Services and forced to live a “normal” life in “approved” housing. The father suffers from PTSD and can’t stand it. He plots their escape back into the wild. But the daughter finds her new life increasingly attractive and doesn’t want to leave. It is clear that something must give, and since the pair are strongly devoted to each other, the resolution cannot be a happy one. This is one of those little gems that gets no recognition but is much better than many Oscar nominees. Stars Ben Foster as the father and Thomasin McKenzie as the daughter. Great performances all around, hits on all cylinders, no missteps, a movie that will "move" you. Highly recommended.

Another recommended movie is "The Bookshop" (2017). Very British, very slow moving, & very good. Emily Mortimer has the leading role as Florence, a widower and the persecuted owner of a small-town bookshop in England. She delivers the performance of her career. Bill Nighy & Patricia Clarkson are spot-on in the major supporting roles. Clarkson is Florence’s nemesis, Violet, an influential and well-connected local resident who wants to wrest the bookshop from Florence. Clarkson excels at understated malignancy. Nighy is Edmund, a wealthy recluse who frequents the bookshop, develops feelings for Florence, and tries to mediate the dispute, with disastrous results.

“Emily” (2022) is perhaps better known than most movies reviewed here, but in case you missed it, it deserves a shout-out. It’s a period piece in which Emily Bronte, during her last illness, reviews her past life, with emphasis on the major emotional event therein, a clandestine affair with a local clergyman, William Weightman. William is torn between his attraction for Emily and his loyalty to his religious role. Ultimately, the latter wins, and Emily is devastated. It is during her attempted emotional recovery, which never fully succeeds, that she writes her masterpiece. Early on, the movie features a terrific séance sequence in which Emily dons a mask and is “possessed” by the spirit of her dead mother. The emotional tone of the sequence moves from light-hearted to warm and loving to terrifying, and it works at all three levels. Emma Mackey is perfect as Emily, with a strong supporting cast. Abel Korzeniowski contributes an outstanding score. The movie is very good; the score is even better.

"The Lost King" (2022) is the story of Philippa Langley, British housewife turned amateur historian, who spearheaded the search for the lost tomb of King Richard III. She had to take on much of the British establishment, which refused to take her seriously, to get the deed done. As the story has it, Langley was disparaged and belittled, and when her hunch about the burial site, smack in the middle of the city of Leicester, proved correct, she was edged out of any credit for the discovery by university officials. All because she was a small unassuming female with a nervous disorder. She perhaps wisely didn’t tell all those humbug doubters that she also had visions in which King Richard appeared and conversed with her although the audience is privy to these episodes. Ultimately Langley was awarded an MBE by the government for her pivotal role in the discovery. Langley is played by Sally Hawkins who never gives a bad performance. The film also features a magnificent score by the Frenchman Alexandre Desplat. Highly recommended.