Gravity (2013)

 Pros: Despite the simple and quite frankly only moderately realistic story, the film feels real, with a painstakingly realistic performance from Sandra Bullock who makes you feel like she could be the next woman in space. The set is fantastic, set thousands of miles above Earth and the camera work is out of this world (pun intended!) so the film is a visual masterpiece and while the ending is simple it is also incredibly epic. 

Cons: The dream scene is a bit bizarre and yes, while it is probably realistic that the Russians would launch a missile which would set a ricochet and cause the deaths of so many innocent lives in space, I found it odd that everything went from being alright to nuclear in a matter of seconds. 

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-It is unclear of the time frame of this film but Ryan Stone (Bullock) never drinks, eats or goes to the bathroom during the course of this film.

-The amount of hurdles she has to overcome is insane, a fire and lack of fuel are just a few of them.

-George Clooney does die about halfway through the film and yet we know so little about his character.

-Ryan's daughter dies after tripping while playing tag and hitting the hard ground beneath her, I find that, while possible, an unrealistic albeit tragic way to kill a small child.  

Fanny (1961)

 Pros: Playing like a tame harlequin romance, this film doesn't really have anything new or interesting or even a twist on the classic boy gets girl pregnant and leaves to pursue his dreams, leaving his child to grow up with a different parent. Fanny (Leslie Caron) insists that Marius (Horst Buchholz) gets on the ship to sail the world because she doesn't want him to come and regret staying behind with her; however, when he discovers the truth, he is likely equally as livid. Given that this is 1950s coastal France, Fanny ends up marrying the older but wealthy Panisse (Maurice Chevalier) who is thrilled about the baby, never mind that it isn't even his. Still, the performances manage to be delightful enough to carry this semi-dated film.

Cons: I suppose the trite plot doesn't exactly do the film any favors, though comedy is sprinkled throughout. The cinematography is also incredibly dated, despite being nominated for an Oscar at the time and yes, I find it unbelievable a bit gross given the age gap (at least four decades) between Fanny and Panisse. 

Recommend: Maybe, depends on who's asking

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-Leslie Caron is nearly thirty when she portrays the eighteen-year-old Fanny, who does age about ten years throughout the course of the film.

-Fortunately, this film does contain a happy ending though I wish it would have included a solid epilogue as opposed to one that was just implied.

-This film is slightly edgy for a 1961 film, using the word pregnant and having a show girl in just a bra as her blouse. 

-Charles Boyer, as Marius's father, Cesar, earned the Oscar-nomination here and yes, he does solid work but so does Chevalier. 

-Buchholz's ascent is basically non-existent in the film which is bizarre as everyone has a French accent which makes sense as the film takes place in France. 

To Leslie (2022)

 Pros: This film has a truly real feel, despite some plot gaps, but it is authentic. You feel like you're in that gritty, roadside motel rather than a Hollywood lot which is also great to have. The performances are also solid, if a bit stereotyped from the alcoholic titular Leslie (Andrea Riseborough, Oscar-nominated) to the too kind manager, Sweeney (Marc Maron) to the diversity character, portrayed as being slightly mentally disturbed Royal (Andre Royo). Still, at least there were feelings and motivations behind the characters. 

Cons: Sure, I mean I suppose it's typical for lottery winners to blow their money and end up in poverty, but I doubt any of them had such a large downfall as Leslie, basically homeless and she abandons her beloved son. And while she is judged horribly for it, especially by Nancy, her nasty sister-in-law (Allison Janney), they seem to forget that it appears Leslie tried to help everyone and spread her winnings too thin. And it's clear that they know Leslie has a drinking problem but no one ever offers to take her to rehab (though I doubt they'd have the funds) or even an AA meeting, which is just bizarre to me. Besides, Nancy has her own drinking problems. 

Recommend: Honestly, unsure

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-Owen Teague continues to deliver great work as Leslie's son, disgusted that she constantly picks alcohol over him and livid that she stole money from his roommate for her dirty habit.

-It is shocking how quickly Leslie, Sweeney, and Royal get that diner up and running.

-Leslie's road to recovery is a bit of an odd one, but she does show a lot of willpower as she even orders alcohol at a bar and just stares at it. Despite everyone being against her recovery, save for Sweeney, she doesn't relapse. 

-In the end, Leslie stops drinking for her son and though it takes a while, James does eventually re-enter her life. 

The Defiant Ones (1958)

 Pros: Solid acting leads a great film, with a groundbreaking screenplay. Noah (Sidney Poitier) and Joker (Tony Curtis) are strapped together as they escape a work detail after a devastating car accident. They hate each other, don't understand each other but are forced to work together and rely on each other's strengths to survive, though thanks to the Hayes Code, it is all for naught. Still, the acting is great and the screenplay is solid enough to carry the film.

Cons: This film hasn't really aged well given the language used and the only female role in the film, the farmer's wife (Cara Williams) while well-acted, she's horny and falls in love with the first man she sees in months, Joker. She's cruel to Noah and only cares about escape, forgetting even about her own son. So her entire character is a giant problem. 

Recommend: Yes

Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-Both Curtis and Poitier were Oscar-nominated for this film and likely canceled each other out, failing to win.

-The little boy ends up shooting Joker, I suppose he gets away with it in the long run.

-Both men have their opportunity to escape, Joker in a car, Noah on a train, but they give up that up to stay with the other.

-I believe the film takes place in Kentucky where racism was still very much present. 

-Despite all the rain and puddles the men jump into, somehow they still have dry, usable matches and cigarettes. I just don't understand. 

Daisy Jones and the Six: the TV Series; Recap and Reaction

 Normally I would detail the pros and cons of this show but because I've read the book and found it delightful (despite containing basically the same twist of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo), I will instead inform you of why the book is better and everything the show did wrong.

First of all, the band is supposed to have six members which is how they come up with that as a band name but the show eliminates one of the players substituting Camila (Camila Morrone) as the sixth. The show also glosses over or doesn't include the band's middle album which helps them get back on track after Billy's (Sam Claflin's) stint in rehab. The show eliminates Camila's and Billy's twins, though that can be explained because they move up the timeline by two years. The show has the band's last concert in October 1977 while the book has it in July/August 1979, so the timeline is more condensed for no particular reason or explanation.

However, the biggest and most disappointing difference is how this show portrays Billy's relationship with Daisy Jones (Riley Keough). Sure, there is a smoldering quality to their attraction in the book, combined with both of them having addiction issues and talent to spare but Billy doesn't go as far as he does in the series, and even their interviews in which they intend to destroy each other are done better in the book. In fact, basically all the scenes are done better in the book. 

Here, Camila leaves Billy and he tries (and eventually succeeds) in winning her back while in the book, Camila tells Daisy she needs to leave the band as Billy would never leave Camila for Daisy. The book also kills Camila off from lupus not cancer as its implied in the show. Camila's a completely different character in the show than the book, the other characters less so. 

Despite my numerous problems, there are actually a few parts the show gets right, including the essence of Graham's (Will Graham's) and Karen's (Suki Waterhouse's) relationship. The show may have introduced Caroline and done Karen's pregnancy reveal differently, but at least they dealt with the pregnancy's conclusions and reactions the same way, though it should have emphasized Karen's main reason for getting the abortion was Graham refusing to give up his life to raise a baby. 

I know I'm largely bashing the show which is such a shame. I don't like doing this but the actors (and the show was well acted as the roles are juicy ones) deserve so much better and Taylor Jenkins Reid, the author, deserves so much better as do the readers who adored the book (of which I am including myself). 

Still, the music is great and the acting is superb, with great chemistry among all of them, each actor filling the screen with natural performances and they largely capture the time period flawlessly, which Amazon has always excelled at; it's just a shame that they changed so much of the book and needlessly ruined parts of the story. Grade: B

Side Notes: 

-Suki Waterhouse previously portrayed Sam Claflin's wife in 2014's Love, Rosie. 

-The show also gives Daisy a daughter (of unknown origin) while the book mentions her a adopting a couple of boys. 

-While Warren (Sebastian Chacon) does mention (at the end) that he misses signing tits but while mentioned in the book, the show doesn't describe the time that happened to him as he was thrilled to bits about whole thing. 

-The show also has original member Chuck (Jack Romano) becoming a dentist while he actually dies in Vietnam.