Several films were discussed this month, with The Holdovers being the pick. The film earned an Academy Award for Da'Vine Joy Randolph as best Supporting actress.
Priscilla: Based on Priscilla Beaulieu’s own story around her relationship with Elvis Presley. The film was slow, with scenes where Priscilla wanders around an empty Gracelands, perhaps used to show her loneliness when Elvis was on tour but did not make for interesting viewing. Elvis was badly cast. It was rated as 2-3/5.
The Beekeeper: One man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as "Beekeepers". This was an action thriller with generic action and lots of great stunt work. Rated as 3/5.
Argylle: A reclusive author, who writes espionage novels about a secret agent and a global spy syndicate, realizes the plot of the new book she is writing starts to mirror real-world events. It was a light-hearted satire on spy films, with lots of twists and turns. It was rated as 3/5.
Force of Nature: Five women participate in a hiking retreat but only four come out the other side. Federal agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper head into the mountains hoping to find their informant still alive. This was promoted as “Dry 2” which was probably for marketing purposes as it was not a sequel, but a film around Aaron Falk. Some great scenery of Australian rain forest which created atmosphere around the mystery. The performance by Eric Bana who plays Falk was a bit wooden with little emotion except when angry. It was rated as 3/5.
Bob Marley: One Love: The story celebrates the life and music of the icon who inspired generations through his message of love and peace. It depicts Bob's powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. This was an interesting documentary with some worthwhile performances and great music. It was rated as 3/5.
The Holdovers: THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly history and classics teacher at a New England prep school during Christmas break caring for a damaged, brainy student and with the school's head cook, who lost a son in Vietnam. The atmosphere of the era (pre technology) where people talked was well created. The development of the relationships between the three people was well covered, with each of the characters also developing in their own way. This was rated as 3.5-4/5.
Joy Shirley
Priscilla: Based on Priscilla Beaulieu’s own story around her relationship with Elvis Presley. The film was slow, with scenes where Priscilla wanders around an empty Gracelands, perhaps used to show her loneliness when Elvis was on tour but did not make for interesting viewing. Elvis was badly cast. It was rated as 2-3/5.
The Beekeeper: One man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as "Beekeepers". This was an action thriller with generic action and lots of great stunt work. Rated as 3/5.
Argylle: A reclusive author, who writes espionage novels about a secret agent and a global spy syndicate, realizes the plot of the new book she is writing starts to mirror real-world events. It was a light-hearted satire on spy films, with lots of twists and turns. It was rated as 3/5.
Force of Nature: Five women participate in a hiking retreat but only four come out the other side. Federal agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper head into the mountains hoping to find their informant still alive. This was promoted as “Dry 2” which was probably for marketing purposes as it was not a sequel, but a film around Aaron Falk. Some great scenery of Australian rain forest which created atmosphere around the mystery. The performance by Eric Bana who plays Falk was a bit wooden with little emotion except when angry. It was rated as 3/5.
Bob Marley: One Love: The story celebrates the life and music of the icon who inspired generations through his message of love and peace. It depicts Bob's powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. This was an interesting documentary with some worthwhile performances and great music. It was rated as 3/5.
The Holdovers: THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly history and classics teacher at a New England prep school during Christmas break caring for a damaged, brainy student and with the school's head cook, who lost a son in Vietnam. The atmosphere of the era (pre technology) where people talked was well created. The development of the relationships between the three people was well covered, with each of the characters also developing in their own way. This was rated as 3.5-4/5.
Joy Shirley
