Co-written and directed by Joon Ho Bong, Parasite won the Palme d’Or of the Canne Film Festival 2019, with Jin Won Han credited co-writer.
Ho Bong’s screenwriting and directing credits include 14 movies and some shorts, such as Okja, Snowpiercer, and The Host.
The movie follows the unemployed Ki-taek’s family. The family takes an uncommon interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks family for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
The young man of the family, played by Kang-ho Song, is tutoring a young boy who is part of the Parks family. Watching the trailer, I sense something peculiar is happening between him and the family.
The cast includes Hye-jin Jang, Sun-Kyun Lee, and Yeo-Jeong Jo.
Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, Little Women comes to the movie screen once again with a stellar cast of women and a couple of men. Many renditions of the classic book have come to us over more than 100 years of moviemaking.
The first adaption of Little Women was a British silent film in 1917 starring Gaiety Girl Ruby Miller. In 1918, U.S. silent film starred Dorothy Bernard. The first talking movie starred Katherine Hepburn and directed by George Cukor in 1933. The second movie starred June Alyson and Elizabeth Taylor with Mervyn LeRoy directing in 1949. The third starring Wyona Ryder in 1998. Then, a modernized version in 2018 starring Melanie Stone.
Gerwig, who directed the sleeper hit Lady Bird, crafted Little Women in a way the draws both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott. The movie unfolds as the author’s alter ego, Jo March, reflects back and forth on her fictional life.
In Gerwig’s take, the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women each determined to live life on her terms — is both timeless and timely.
Portraying Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, with Timothée Chalamet as their neighbor Laurie, Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.
Gerwig’s signature filmmaking shines through with stunning backdrops and charming costumes.
Rightfully written and directed by Terence Malick, The Hidden Life follows the life of Franz Jägerstätter, which the Catholic church beautified in 2007, as a conscientious objector to World War II and Hilter.
Winner of Cannes 2019 François Chalais Award, Terrence Malick, masterfully guides August Diehl, who plays Jägerstätter, an Austrian. Known as a rambunctious young man and womanizer, Franz leaves the small town where he grew up to work in the salt mines.
He returns three years later, riding a motorcycle and a devout Catholic. He marries Franziska, played by Valerie Pachner, whose religious faith is almost as powerful as Franz.
Franz denounces Hilter and WW II, resulting in the small town cauterizing him. He continues tending farm alongside his wife and children.
Eventually, the Nazis sent him to prison for his religious faith and denouncing Hilter and the war, saying he could not be both Catholic and Nazi. They executed him in 1943, and Franz becomes a martyr and beatified by the Catholic church.
I invite you to take a look at Malick’s movie, The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt, Sean Pen, and Jessica Chastain. He uses similar angles and tender moments to tell the story of a young boy growing up with an angelic mother and a spiteful father.
The trailer shows Malick’s talent for serene and pastoral countrysides of quiet long and buoyant moments of love and joy. Only Malick can tell the story of Jägerstätter’s tragic end to a blissful life taken by a strong belief and devotion to God.
The red carpet interviews at TIFF discuss Malick’s direction and the area where they filmed the farmhouse. The Jägerstätters lived in St. Radegund, a small village of 500 people in Upper Austria, near Salzburg and the German border. In the same province, where Hitler was born and spent his early youth–not far from Berchtesgaden, his mountain retreat during his years as head of the German state.
The video captures them sharing their experiences working with Malick.
He arrives home, but the consequences of him being a conscientious objector will be a sad and frightful ending. The camera work and acting drive the scene forward with Malick’s direction.
The next two clips are Malick’s signature work, narrative with telling their story through his wife’s letters.
My interest in this movie started when I first saw the trailer on Facebook. I watched it muted because I didn’t want to be rude, playing the sound in public.
I saw a movie that I wanted to see.
The situation in the story is interesting because we appear to see a perfect student named Luce, played by Kelvin Harrison Jr. His teacher, Harriet Wilson, played by Octavia Spencer, suspects him to be violent.
Julius Onah co-wrote and directed Luce, a smart psychological thriller adapted from JC Lee’s play of the same name. Lee also co-wrote the screenplay with Onah.
Onah talked about collaborating with Lee on the screenplay, “Despite how different we are on some levels, we have a similar sensibility when it comes to storytelling and the way we want to explore ideas and issues. Neither of us want to tell stories that are prescriptive or didactic in how they explore complex social issues. We both want to ask people to consider their blind spots, and to recognize their experience of the world will never be identical with anyone else’s.”
An all-star high school athlete and accomplished debater, Luce is a poster boy for the new American Dream. As are his parents, played by Naomi Watts and Tim Roth, adopted him from a war-torn country a decade earlier.
When Luce’s teacher, Ms. Wilson, makes a shocking discovery in his locker, Luce’s stellar reputation comes into question. But is he really at fault, or is Ms. Wilson preying on dangerous stereotypes?
Watching the trailer, Onah creates an intense, multi-layered, and entertaining look at identity in today’s America.
Written and directed by one of Spain’s most successful filmmakers, Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory follows a film director played by Antonio Banderas. Banderas won Cannes Film Festival 2019 Best Actor for his role and New York Film Critics Circle, Best Actor.
The director reflects on the choices he’s made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.
Watch the trailer, and you get a feel for what happens in the movie. The movie is in Spanish with English subtitles. The film also stars Penelope Cruz, who is Almodovar’s muse. His movies launched her career.
The director reflects on the choices he’s made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.
The director reflects on the choices he’s made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.
I love the colors in this movie, so vibrant.
The movie clip shows the reason Banderas won Best Actor at the Cannes Festival.
Cruz looks good in this clip. I suspect the scene is a flashback when the brothers are with their mother.
Biography projects can be touchy because the screenwriter, Shia LaBeouf, takes a subjective look at his own traumatic experiences.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Alma Har’el, Honey Boy journeys the life of the young actor’s mean-spirited childhood, including his fledging adult years.
He struggles to reconcile with his father, played by LaBeouf, and deal with his mental health, fictionalizing his ascent to stardom and subsequent crash-landing into rehab and recovery.
Noah Jupe plays the young actor, with Lucas Hedges playing the older version of Otis Lort.
Har’el navigates the different stages in LaBeouf’s frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon.
Enter dancer-singer FKA Twigs makes her feature-film debut, playing neighbor and kindred spirit to the younger Otis while living in their garden-court motel home.
Har’el’s feature narrative debut is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between filmmaker and subject, exploring art as medicine and imagination as hope through the life and times of a talented, traumatized performer who dares to go in search of himself.
The trailer shows hardline misery, though Jupe is hardcore and shows committed acting skills.
Learning about LaBeouf’s traumatized childhood and knowing he worked for Disney studios in Even Stevens, what role did the studios play in helping him overcome, clearly, a bad upbringing?
In the red band trailer, I don’t see any difference from the “regular” movie trailer.
Co-written and directed by Sam Mendes 1917, it is an epic drama during the most intense period of World War I. Krysty Wilson-Cairns co-wrote the screenplay with Mendes. They focused on the story based on his singular vision of telling the story of two young British soldiers, Schofield, played by George MacKay, and Blake, played by Dean-Charles Chapman, who are given a seemingly impossible mission. That is what you see happening in the first trailer with Colin Firth as a British commander giving their task.
In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message to stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s brother among them.
When I first saw the title, I thought the movie was about the 1917 revolution in Russia. Any world history fan will tell you that was a significant point. So, it bears in mind that a lot happened in Europe that year.
The movie also stars Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Mendes won an Oscar for American Beauty and directed two James Bond movies, Skyfall and Spectre.
Mendes takes filmmaking to a new level with continuous shots and storytelling through the countryside without using the exact locations. The featurette shows incredible production value.
After watching the featurette, I view the second trailer differently. The cinematography stands out as one character in the movie.
Three more movie clips are below, and watch the camera keeps rolling; They shot everything in one long take.
The extended featurette sets us up for a rocket ride of a movie.
Two more clips show how the scenes in the movie are continuously one shot.
The following trailer proves we will not get bored watching this movie.
Co-written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, Harriet follows a story based on the inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter. Harriet Tubman, played by Cynthia Erivo, is one of America’s genuine heroes.
Erivo is a talented singer and starred in the movie Widows, directed by Steve McQueen.
Harriet escaped from slavery and fought slavery by helping to free other slaves. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of enslaved people and changed the course of history.
Lemmons’ directing credits include Eve’s Bayou, and she is also an actress. The story is by Gregory Allen Howard, and he contributed to the screenplay.
The following two clips show a well-acted movie with exciting talent.
The following two featurettes describe Harriet as having superpowers like a superhero. Fascinating, and I wonder if that is true or just folklore.
The following two movie clips are scenes in the trailers and featurettes. The settings seem extended and offer more than what was in the trailers and featurettes.
Co-written and directed by Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit brings humor and pathos to his World War II satire. The story follows a lonely German boy named Jojo, played by Roman Griffin Davis.
Jojo’s view of the world is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother, played by Scarlett Johansson, is hiding a young Jewish girl, played by Thomasin McKenzie, in their attic.
Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, played by the director – Waititi, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.
Waititi is best known for directing Thor: Ragnarok and Hunt for Wilderpeople. Christine Leunens co-wrote the screenplay with Waititi.
Sam Rockwell and Rebel Wilson also star in the movie.
The second trailer is funny. I know it’s not a good idea to joke about the Nazis and the Holocaust, but it is entertaining and hilarious.
The movie clip shows how much Davis and Johansson look alike, mother and son.
The following clip shows the ultra-silliness of the movie. Davis is so charming as the boy with an active imagination.
The following clip might be blocked, but it is funny, and I hope you can see it.
I like the following clip because it is so funny with great timing.
The featurette is thorough and discusses all aspects of the movie.
The movie looks like a lot of fun to watch. I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback about the comedy.
The following two featurettes are about Editing and Production Design. They are for those who love to learn more about the film and its production value. Watching the featurette on editing, you can see how much Griffin looks like Johansson.
In the next featurette, I love how they explain the use of colors and the camera. It is such a gorgeous-looking film.
Only Tom Hanks can play Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Watch the trailer, and tears will form. The kindness and generosity of Hanks are distinguished to portray one of the most well-known icons in children’s television.
Directed by Marielle Heller, who brings emotional rhythm to movies like Can You Ever Forgive Me? – nurturing Oscar-nominated performances from Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant.
The studio calls this movie “a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism,” based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod.
After a jaded magazine writer, Junod, played by Matthew Rhys, is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor.
Inspired by the article “Can You Say. . . Hero?” by Tom Junod, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster turned the story into a screenplay. Both writers worked together on the episodic show Transparency and the movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
The rest of the exceptional cast includes Susan Kelechi Watson and Chris Cooper.
The featurette is a deserving message about a man who wanted people to be happy with themselves. It was okay to have feelings.
After viewing this featurette, all I want to do is see the movie.
I hope this movie changes people’s hearts, and they see the good in everyone.
Watching Tom Hanks in the next three clips is a treasure. He is such a fine actor and makes the movie believable.
