THE BEGUILED

I definitely didn't hate 'The Beguiled', but I certainly wanted to love it a lot more than I did. Written and directed by Sofia Coppola (whose work I like a lot), and based on the novel The Beguiled by Thomas P. Cullinan, it has a cast of actors that I typically enjoy greatly (Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning), so this should have been a sure thing for me. 

It's beautifully shot, and definitely creates a distinctively haunting mood as it examines the themes of seduction, war, loneliness and desire. Coppola won the Palme d'Or award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for directing it, and I'm happy that she was so honored. Again, this should have been a sure thing for me. The previews really drew me in and made me look forward to seeing it for several weeks...I don't know...maybe I was just expecting too much.

A film of the same name, also based on Cullinan's book, was released in 1971, and starred Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page. I haven't seen that one, but apparently the story in that incarnation was told from the perspective of the man (the wounded Union soldier who is taken in by the Confederate women who nurse him back to health), and this new one is supposed to be told from the viewpoint of the women in the house. Perhaps I should see that one (I LOVE Geraldine Page in anything), and then write a more objective review. I don't think that the female perspective here is the problem for me...I'm not sure exactly what it is. 

Didn't hate it. 

Wanted to love it. 

Neutral on recommendation.

LION

We've been trying to catch 'Lion' for over a month now, but haven't been able to work out a time to see it together until today, and, well, it lived up to all the hype and then some! In a word, it's BREATHTAKING...

I just can't find any fault in this film...powerful and compelling true story of a young Indian boy who gets lost somewhere in the vastness of his country, and finally reunites as an adult with his mother and sister in the tiny and remote village from which he originated...stunning cinematography...every frame is beautifully shot...the ever-charismatic Dev Patel is as engaging as always here (he's excellent in everything in which I've seen him)...Nicole Kidman definitely deserves the Oscar nomination she received for her moving performance...the emotional reunion at the end reminded me a lot of the ending of 'The Color Purple', and affected me just as much, and in the same way...

But the real take-away for me is adorable young Sunny Pawer who plays the lead character as a boy...his is the most hauntingly understated performance that I've ever witnessed from a child actor...just absolutely heart-breaking and astounding...side note: I read that we has unable to attend the premier because he wasn't granted a visa... :-(

Anyway...

Loved it.
Recommend it. 
Bring kleenex...