Lady Chatterly's Lover (2022)

 Pros: Here, we have an epic love story that finally ends in a happy ending or as happy as possible ending, with Connie Reid Chatterly (The Crown's Emma Corrin) finally being reunited with her lover, gamesman Oliver Mellors (Jack O'Connell). But they are not free to marry as neither of their previous spouses will grant them a divorce, dooming their child to an illegitimate existence. Still, despite this issue, this is a couple you can't help but root for, with their somewhat contemporary ideals and yearning to do some good in the world still reeling from World War I. 

Cons: You don't really have a good grasp of Connie's background, especially her relationship with her father who encourages her to stay in a platonic marriage for her protection and financial stability. We also don't understand why Bertha (never shown on screen) won't divorce Oliver, though it is likely so she can suck his war pension dry. However, why would her new lover be okay with that? 

Recommend: Yes, though there are a lot of sex scenes and nudity

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-Joely Richardson's Mrs. Bolton is a surprise ally.

-Rumors do spread at a shocking rate in this small-knit community.

-Matthew Duckett is the husband in this film and while he and Connie start out very much in love, after the war and his devastating injury, he takes advantage of her and is determined to use his God-given right as being born in the elite to rule over the lower class, unaware of how the workers might feel. In other words, while he is worthy of some sympathy, he is also a royal jerk. 

-Despite encouraging Connie to have a child with another man, it has to be the right man and Oliver doesn't fit that description. Apparently, having an heir is quite important. 

-Children do always suffer for the sins of their parents, unfortunately. 

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

 Pros: A solid plot with good performances make this film worth your while as Maggie (Hilary Swank) longs to be a fighter, something far more than the white-trash waitress she is and eventually she wears down veteran but timid trainer, Frank Dunn (Clint Eastwood, complete with a grizzled voice) into training her and she does well, very well, though hardly anyone cares, certainly not her overweight, welfare-loving mother (Margo Martindale). With a solid narration by Scrap (Morgan Freeman), this film is not just about a woman boxer beating the odds, it also details Frankie's difficult decision to end Maggie's life after her career-ending injury, leaving her at the mercy of a ventilator, completely paralyzed, thanks to that darn stool. And it doesn't shy away from that controversial issue.

Cons: The subplot of all the other guys in the gym (including Danger {Jay Baruchel} who has an intellectual disability) is painfully underdeveloped, though the film's biggest sin is you never learn the actual outcome of the fight and if the opponent, Billie (Lucia Rijker) is punished or even feels any guilt over what happened with Maggie. You also never learn how much money Maggie earns from her fights. You also never learn what happened between Frankie and his daughter. 

Recommend: Probably

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-Maggie's family really show their true colors after her injury; how money-hungry they really are.

-There are some other solid supporting performances from Anthony Mackie, Mike Coulter and Michael Pena. 

-Both Swank and Freeman would win Oscars for this film and both deliver natural, solid performances.

-By the end of the film, despite all his reluctance, Frankie views Maggie as his surrogate daughter.

-I'm glad that Maggie never gets a love interest throughout this entire film, it's a refreshing change of pace. 

She Said (2022)

 Pros: A timely story with solid performances fill this film which does jump around and has a lot of ground, both literally and figuratively as Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) have a lot of women to track down, mountains of evidence to discover and explore all to expose a man who has the entire Hollywood community at his fingerprints as everyone bows down to him as though he's a God, treating the women he destroys along the way as fools and scapegoats. While the film is a little long, you wish it was longer, you wish you had more details on how utterly wretched this man actually was. The performances are tight and shows most of the characters in multiple ways as Megan becomes a mother early in this film and Jodi already is one. It also shows the fear that still lives strongly in these women decades after the abuse was over and does a good job of referring to both the famous and lowly, all of whom were victimized in the same way, though only Ashley Judd appears in person.

Cons: Honestly, not really any, though the plot does have some skips in time to get everything in as tightly as possible and yes, you wish that you could get the reactions of others (from the women mentioned to supports of Weinstein to the random moviegoers across the county), but these are minor details in an otherwise great film.

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-The supporting cast is solid, if largely white (save Andre Baugher and Angela Yeoh) include Patricia Clarkson, Samantha Morton (great) and Jennifer Ehle.

-You learn a good amount of the details and power behind NDAs and how they don't protect the victim in the slightest. Also, long story short, never sign one as they take away your voice.

-While the husbands of Megan and Jodi play important roles, they are very much secondary characters as you don't ever learn what their jobs are. 

-This film would be a good companion piece for Bombshell or All the President's Men, proving the investigative journalism is not dead and can never die.