The Queen's' Gambit

Hi Film Fans!

It has been a while since my last review, but I recently saw an extraordinary film that I would highly recommend.  Let's talk about The Queen's Gambit.

Oh my, what an original, creative film!  It is an eight part mini-series that tells the story of a young girl who struggles to become a chess master.

I will comment briefly on what makes this flick fascinating without giving away details of the plot.  Consistent with the goal of this blog, I strive to make the reviews short and intentionally vague!

Many of the grandmasters of chess are raised in affluent and supportive environments.  Parents often spend fortunes on lessons and tournaments.  In some countries, like Russia, the government provides finances for training.

Now imagine a child raised in an orphanage.  Imagine the same child adopted by parents who who don't care much about her and care less about her interest in chess.  Moreover, what if the young girl is hooked on tranquilizers as a kid and "raised" by an alcoholic mother?

Is it possible for someone from a culturally impoverished and dysfunctional background to become a chess great?  What are her chances?

Watch the film to find out!

Several actresses play the protagonist, Elizabeth Harmon, at different stages of her life.  But is the young adult actress, Anya Taylor-Joy, who dazzles as the aspiring chess player in her late teens and early 20s.  She creates a very shaded, multi-faceted genius, perhaps slightly autistic, who perseveres to achieve a dream.

How does the establishment, those used to coddled male chess stars, react to the newcomer?  With brutal criticism and toxic incredulity.  The naysayers are everywhere!  Therein lies the fascination of the film. It seems like the whole world is against the young chess star.

Clearly, young Beth, later known as Elizabeth, travels a lonely road to recognition.  But wait...just when the girl seems most isolated, supporters do emerge.  Who are they?  Again, for you the viewers to discover!

I guarantee you will be glued to the screen for all eight episodes.  As we root for the brilliant kid to succeed, we learn about the complex and competitive world of professional chess.

Be sure to put this one at the top of your watchlist...I'll give it an A+...one of the best I've seen in recent years.

Enjoy!

Seberg

Hi film fans!

It's been a while since Valerie and I have offered our thoughts on films.  With the virus out there and the country in turmoil, perhaps it's time to just hunker down and enjoy what Hollywood has to offer.

Just a reminder about our mission:  We tend to laud films we like rather than pan those we don't.  We keep the reviews short.  We try never to spoil the details of the plot.

We have been at this since 2010, a full decade now, so please look back at our myriads of past reviews and you might be inspired to view some of the film wonders of the recent past.

The film SEBERG takes us back to the 1960s.  Jean Seberg was an American actress splitting her time between the U.S.and France.  After playing minor roles, she hit the big time when she landed a gig opposite the wildly popular Jean-Paul Belmondo.  The film was an international hit:  Breathless

Only 22 at the time, the actress played a Herald Tribune employee who hangs out in Paris with a charming but hardened criminal, played by Belmondo.  It was a classic, so consider going to Amazon and seeing it.  The plot moves slowly, like many 60s and 70s films, so be patient.  Don't miss the fantastic, more action-packed Richard Gere update years later.

The biopic picks up the story post-Breathless, when Seberg is famous and dealing with the usual problems movie stars face:  which of several houses to live in and which of several men to enjoy!  Tough life, no?

Looking for a raison d'etre, the star got involved in the Black Power movement.  Soon, she was the focus of an FBI smear campaign against her.  Can't say more...that's for our viewers to discover.

I laud this film for its engaging script.  The film plays out like a thriller, where we are on the edge of our seats awestruck at each new development.  We wonder how long the young actress can survive the traumas of her off-screen life.

Seberg had serious emotional issues.  Like Marilyn Monroe and other fragile stars, she teetered on the edge much of her life.  She sought an anchor in a constantly changing world.

Kristen Stewart offers a best-actress-worthy performance, portraying the actress-turned-media-victim with extraordinary skill.  For you vampire movie lovers, you will recall that Kristen was the star of the Twilight series.  She's come a long ways since being in love with two vampires!  She offers a knockout performance in Seberg.

A final word: It is sadly ironic that the film deals with social injustice in America.  Today's news is not really news after all.

Enjoy the film.  It is one of the best out there right now.  By out there, I mean at home, of course.  COVID-19 has changed all of our lives.  We too seek an anchor.

JoJo Rabbit

Question: Is it ever ok to find humor in the Holocaust? This is not a new subject for discussion. Many agree that one can laugh at Nazis, but not the Holocaust, not the victims. After all, laughing at someone takes away their power (e.g., The Producers’  “Springtime for Hitler”).

What do you think? 

With this as a background, I highly recommend seeing the recent Oscar-winning film, JoJo Rabbit, written and directed by New Zealand’s Taika Waititi, who bravely even plays Adolph Hitler in the film. As he says, “What better way to insult Hitler than having him portrayed by a Polynesian Jew?”

Set in WWII, “JoJo is a 10 year-old German boy who idolizes Adolf Hitler, but is forced to reconsider his ideals when he discovers that his mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their house.” Like Life is Beautiful, seeing this environment through the eyes of a child reminds us of how fragile we all are. We look to the children to take our world to a better place.

This film is an artistic, visual masterpiece. The Academy Award-winning screenplay is exquisite. You’ll find yourself involuntarily laughing (at the absurdity of Nazis) while half holding your breath in tension. 

The cast includes talent from Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell, even Rebel Wilson, but it is the boy, Roman Griffin Davis, who completely carries the film, appearing in nearly every scene.

In these days of increased anti-Semitism and overall cruelty toward the Others in our society, JoJo Rabbit is a brilliant treatment of an uncomfortable reality. I will remember this film.