Michael Barrett

An unexpected satire of the Trump administration with an absolutely all star cast. A must see and pleasant surprise but not for rose looking for a sci-fi film.

I saw this film over the last two days. I was drawn to it because a friend commented on how wonderful was the music. I hardly noticed the music until toward the end when the romance became real, but the soundtrack is available on line and the music, by the London Symphonic, is lovely. But what is truly wonderful about this film is the development of the love between Jack and Joy. The acting and dialogue are superb. You can second guess what’s going to happen between the two characters, but the subtle development is a reward. I got terribly emotionally involved after I took a break to explore the biography of Lewis, but I suspect I would have had the same reaction had I not done that. I urge any one who sees this film o read the CS Lewis book “A Grief Observed,” particularly the introduction by Douglas Grisham. People who see the movie or who otherwise know about Lewis will know who I mean.

Fun to watch but I had little sympathy for the main characters and had a little trouble following what was going on at some points. Was this the same Emma Stone who starred in LaLaLand? I guess both characters were pretty ambitious. Total lack of romance except with the dogs. I’m glad they used a metal detector to locate the necklace.

Powerful film where the camera lets us intimately follow two soldiers on a seemingly impossible mission while vividly displaying the horrors of war as if we were there. I haVe seen every Oscar favorite and this now my favorite. It definitely should win for sound, sound mixing (a challenge with a seemingly endless camera tracking), cinematography and artistic design. Best director is certainly a possibility.

I was six years old when this movie was made and I failed to see it until last night (I am about to see the National Theatre staged version tonight). I was fascinated by how well written is the script (the dialogue was truly sophisticated, although it is rare to hear so many people speak so well). The cinematography and the musical score reached perfection. To see Marilyn Monroe in a bit part was a treat. The Eve character reminds me a bit of Trump.

I was disappointed. Emily Blunt is a fine actress but I found her cold and somewhat detached, certainly not like the warm Julie Andrews, the real Mary Poppins, governess here and in “The Sound of Music”. The music was unmemorable (along with the really amateurish lyrics) and the plot was not smoothly presented. The bike dance seemed only presented in anticipation of the probable Broadway production and had little to do with progressing the film. This was an entertainment but too long and uninspiring.

I can’t believe I didn’t see this when it first came out since I was on Martha’s Vineyard when the original was being filmed. The original was one of my favorite films. This one is very uneven, predictable and unbelievable. How Murray Hamilton remained as mayor of Amity stretches the imagination. The writing, dialogue and all, is pretty terrible, and it’s by the same folks. I bet Peter Benchley wasn’t happy. Even John Williams’ score, except when the original themes are present, doesn’t hack it. I suspect that he didn’t actually write it. Maybe I didn’t see it before because I heard bad things about it. Or maybe I just blotted it from my memory.