David Ayer directed The Beekeeper. The story follows a man’s, played by Jason Statham, brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes.
He’s revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as “Beekeepers.”
The cast includes Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, and Josh Hutcherson.
Directed by Ridley Scott, House of Gucci follows the headlines of the shocking true story of the family empire behind the Italian fashion house of Gucci. The Blu-ray/DVD comb-pack is now available.
I enjoyed watching the acting, amazing talent, though the pace of the film is slow. Like Scott’s The Last Duel, too much posturing by the actors. But, this is the director and editor’s job of starting the scene later and ending it sooner. I don’t think Scott has lost his touch. Perhaps the lack of pre-screening with audiences is the cause. That we can blame on the pandemic with the closing of the movie theaters.
Costume, makeup and the production design impressed me as well. Overall, the movie sparked my interest in how a family could self-destruct. That is an interesting story to tell. I don’t think Reggiani is totally to blame.
If you want to see some talented actors, see the movie. It’s worth it.
Spanning three decades of love, betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately murder, we see what a name means, what it’s worth, and how far a family will go for control.
The scandal-ridden real-life family drama House of Gucci, the latest film from Scott, the protean director of such classics as Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and Thelma & Louise.
Recognized and admired around the globe, Gucci is the fashion label of founder Guccio Gucci, who opened his first quality leather goods store in Florence, Italy, precisely one hundred years ago.
In the late 1970s, the story begins at a critical juncture in the famed Italian fashion empire’s history. As the Gucci family’s global reach has broadened, there are have hints of financial improprieties, stifled innovation and a cheapening of the brand. Guccio Gucci’s two sons, the colorful and wily Aldo, played by Al Pacino, and his more conservative and detached sibling Rodolfo, played by Jeremy Irons, oversee the Gucci business.
The tenacious Aldo has no intention of ceding control of the family concern, certainly not to his fanciful son Paolo, played by Jared Leto. He is more interested in becoming a clothing designer. His brother Rodolfo’s timid and overprotected scion, Maurizio, played by Adam Driver, would prefer to study law than assume the mantle of a global fashion empire.
Then Maurizio meets and falls in love with the beautiful and ambitious Patrizia Reggiani, played by Lady Gaga, and marries her against his father’s wishes. Uncle Aldo finds a kinship in the cunning Patrizia. Together, they persuade Maurizio to set aside his legalistic ambitions and join the company, thus becoming the presumptive heir — much to the displeasure of the hapless Paolo, whose design dreams outweigh his talent.
For a short time, the bad blood simmers, and the various members of the Gucci dynasty begin to co-exist. But as Gucci rivals threaten to erode their preeminent place in the quality fashion hierarchy, Patrizia goads Maurizio into staging a coup. After inheriting his father’s position in the company, the couple slowly and stealthily seizes control of the business. They connive Paolo into selling his shares by dangling false promises. And with the help of the family’s financial advisor, Domenico De Sole, played by Jack Huston, shortly after Aldo is released from prison for tax evasion, they buy him out as well.
As sole head of the company, and with a fresh infusion of financing from outside investors, Maurizio is no longer hesitant to revel in his power and the privilege it accrues. Having betrayed his family, he now turns on Patrizia and starts an affair with a childhood friend, Paolo Franchi, played by Camille Cottin.
Her ambitions are thwarted, and her marriage in tatters, Patrizia becomes panic-stricken and desperate. Maurizio files for divorce. She forges a dangerous alliance with a crafty psychic, Pina Auriemma, played by Salma Hayek.
Maurizio launches an ambitious plan to revive the Gucci name and reputation by hiring an up-and-coming American designer, Tom Ford, played by Reeve Carney. A deadly power struggle ensues, and Maurizio is besieged on two sides. The tenacious Patrizia and the company’s investors who abetted by his once trusted advisor, De Sole, attempt to wrest control of the fashion empire from the Gucci family’s hands.
I will pick up the book and give it a read before watching the movie. My daughter took ballet for 10 years, and it is a demanding, alluring, and disciplined art.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, Red Sparrow follows Dominika Egorova, played by Jennifer Lawrence, when she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika, and her mother faces a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons.
After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust. The thriller also stars, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jeremy Irons.
Another interesting note is the movie is based on a book series, and I wonder if the next book in the series will be produced.
The Blu-ray/DVD hit the streets with streaming at the usual platforms. I am not sure how the movie did at the box office. If you haven’t seen it, now is the time to take a look. I find the storyline interesting because it is based on a book written by a former government operative. In interviews, they claim he based it on his experiences in the secret intelligence agency.
Here is the TV Spot. Like all TV Spots, it’s a bit short.
The second trailer tells us the story of a ballerina turn spy in Russia. The trailer also tells us who is starring with Jennifer Lawrence.
Here is the first movie trailer but it doesn’t say much, which is why I am interested in reading the novel.