Hello friends, glad to be back after a little absence. This time I present you guys a list of movies you will love and wish have discover earlier.
“Life, here I come”. Young Adult (2011)
Here I present you a short list of wonderful movies with no PC crap, no ridiculous fights, no annoying CGI, no lefty propaganda, no stupid race-mixing, no feminism, no skinny short women beating guys who are twice their size, no women beating guys at chess… Can you even imagine a movie about a woman without all of the above? Well, my friends, they do exist and they are all from the 21st century.
These movies are about what makes us human, joys, tragedies, sorrows, loneliness, mistakes, what do we do when life gets in our way and how we must persevere no matter what.
So, without further ado, here they are:
7. Still Alice (2014)
“All my life, I’ve accumulated memories, they’ve become in a way my most precious possessions”
At her 50th birthday, a well-educated college professor we’ll know as Alice starts to show signs of memory loss. She thinks everything is ok, but then she starts forgetting things about the lessons she is supposed to teach and her students start complaining. She goes to visit a doctor who will diagnose her with a strange case of the Alzheimer disease for a relative young person. She starts reorganizing her life and recording messages to herself in her laptop. She receives a great support from her family, particularly by her husband and her artistic daughter, Lydia, who is an aspiring actress. Also, Alice prepares herself to end her life at the moment when the disease becomes too unbearable to deal with.
Julianne Moore in Still Alice
A realistic and emotional story of a woman living with Alzheimer's disease. I learned a few things from this movie: Alzheimer tend to attack mostly women and very well-educated people, and previous memories tend to become quite vivid.
A strange case of a movie with two directors, who also happened to be two men who were a gay couple in real life. Based on a book by an author called Lisa Genova. Many experts have said this is Julianne Moore’s best performance of her entire career, she won a well-deserved Oscar for it and a plethora of other numerous awards. Kristen Stewart plays the aspiring actress and daughter of Alice, Lydia, the beautiful Kate Bosworth is nice in the role of her other daughter and Alec Baldwin completes the cast as Alice’s husband.
Still Alice is the best movie ever made about the Alzheimer's disease. You cannot miss it.
Watch trailer here:
Still Alice Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth Drama HD
Fun fact: Julianne Moore interviewed National Alzheimer’s Association consultants in the course of her research for her role. She also underwent Alzheimer memory testing, which she passed.
6. Brooklyn (2015)
“You have to think like an American. You'll feel so homesick that you'll want to die, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won't kill you. And one day the sun will come out - you might not even notice straight away, it'll be that faint. And then you'll catch yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past. Someone who's only yours. And you'll realize... that this is where your life is”.
Eilis Lacey, a quiet and demure Irishwoman, emigrates to the United States of the 1950s to find employment after the lack of opportunities in her own country. She has troubles adapting to her new life in states and her sisters letters make her feel even mire homesick. Eventually things start working out for Eilis as she finds a job at a store, selling perfumes, and start dating a young Italian plumber. But after a terrible event she is forced to go back to Ireland. There she will start working as a bookkeeper and meets a handsome and well-off young man who even proposes marriage to her. But suddenly, an old spiteful woman for whom Eilis used to work find out about a secret she is hiding to all in the community. When Eilis confronts this old woman she will remember the reasons why she even left that place before.
A still of Brooklyn. Via Fox Searchlight
Beautiful cinematography and an impeccable production design. Lovely images of the Brooklyn of 1951. Irish and American Saoirse (pronounced Sur-Sha) Ronan gave an excellent performance as the quiet but determined Eilis Lacey in a role that gave her a second Academy award nomination.
A movie about finding your place in the world. Just because you were born in a certain place doesn’t mean you belong there or that you have to stay there for the rest of your life. Find your own place in this world.
Watch trailer here:
BROOKLYN: Official HD Trailer
Fun fact: The city of Brooklyn, New York in this movie was actually shot in Montreal, Québec for budgeting reasons, as the production was unable to turn 2015 Brooklyn back into 1950s Brooklyn. Only two days of production were spent in Brooklyn, one in order to create the brownstone exterior shots, and a second to film at Coney Island.
5. Lost in Translation (2003)
“I just feel so alone, even when I'm surrounded by other people”.
Bob Harris is an American fading movie star who arrives in Tokyo to shot a commercial for a Japanese whisky brand. Charlotte is a young American woman graduated from Yale University and recently married to a photographer. They both feel lonely in a big crowded city. They start to encounter each other by chance in fancy hotel where they are both staying until finally they introduce themselves properly at the hotel bar. When Charlotte’s husband goes on a trip for work, Charlotte invites Bob to party with friends. They drink, dance and sing karaoke songs. They form a strange bond, almost like a father and a daughter. But later they kind of separate to reconcile nearly at the end of Bob’s stay in Tokyo. Before saying goodbye, Bob shares a secret with Charlotte and they both have to part ways.
A Still of Lost in Translation
One of the best movies ever made about loneliness. So far, this is director’s Sofia Coppola masterpiece. The movie Her (2013) by Spike Jonze was a response to this one. And they are both starred by Scarlett Johansson. I remember being at the movies back then and the first shot of the pink panties really struck me. And can tell you something else, a lot of people didn’t like Bob and Charlotte kissing, there was criticism about this; they preferred a story somewhat about a father and an adopted daughter.
Watch trailer here:
Lost in Translation Official Trailer #1 - (2003) HD
Fun fact: Bill Murray said he based his character in Lost in Translation (2003) on Charles Bronson.
4. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005)
“He said that I beat 250,000 other entries. And do you know what else? It wasn't even my best one”.
Julianne Moore and Laura Dern in The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
In the 1950s it was common that housewives used their ingenuity to win thousands of dollars in word contests of jingles and slogans organized by big companies looking to advertise their products.
The incredible story of Evelyn Ryan, a woman from Ohio with ten children and a talent for writing jingles for radio and TV commercials. She is married to an alcoholic husband, who lost his voice for singing in an accident, and is forced to work at mediocre jobs. Evelyn wins a lot of prizes, appliances and shopping sprees at the local supermarket. All of these makes her husband jealous as he feels his role as a provider threatened. He starts to verbally attack Evelyn and even causes an accident.
One day Evelyn discovers her husband has secretly taken a second mortgage on the house and hasn’t made the payments. Facing an imminent foreclosure, Evelyn most, once again, recur to her talent for writing jingles in order to hopefully win a prize that could save the roof over her head and her family.
A still of The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
Another one on this list with Julianne Moore, and once again she was great and should have received more praised for it. Woody Harrelson did a terrific performance as the alcoholic husband with violent tendencies and debts problems.
It has been accused of being too happy-go-lucky and a sugary story but I prefer to call it heartwarming and light. I remember back then in 2005 when this movie came out, the guy of the video club recommended it to me saying it was a movie that made an impact on him. And he was right, it’s a wonderful story about resourcefulness and perseverance. If losing your house it’s not a big motivation for you to continue working and moving ahead in life, I don’t know what’s going to happen to you. Now go and watch this one with your family, you all will love it.
Watch trailer here:
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio Trailer
Fun fact: Some of the dresses worn by Julianne Moore in the film belonged to the real-life Evelyn Ryan. Her children had saved them and offered the use of them for the film.
3. Love, Rosie (2014)
"Sometimes you don't see that the best thing that's ever happened to you is right under your nose"
British Catholics Rosie and Alex have been best friends since they were five years old. When they become teenagers, at Rosie’s 18 birthday, they share a kiss; Rosie was drunk and the morning after, she doesn’t seem to give importance to the kiss. But Alex is starts to have feelings for her. They make plans about studying in Boston and have a great life. But life starts to get in Rosie’s way when she gets pregnant at 18 by a bad boy named Greg who suddenly abandons her. Meanwhile, Alex loses his virginity to a hot girl named Bethany, which makes Rosie a little jealous, and moves to Boston. Rosie decides not to tell Alex about her pregnancy and stays in London and gives birth to a girl named Katie.
As her daughter starts growing up, Rosie gets a new job as a handmaid in a fancy hotel, moves from her parents’ house and has casual sex with a police man. In Boston Alex gets a pretty girlfriend named Sally. Rosie goes to Boston to visit Alex, but they have an argument one night and separate again. Then, Greg, the bad boy who left Rosie after she got pregnant reappears in her life. She is angry to see him, but end up reconciling and marrying. Later, Alex suffers a blow when he discovers that his girlfriend Sally is pregnant, but he is not the father. Disappointed, Alex leaves Sally to live somewhere else.
A still of Love, Rosie
Life gets in Rosie’s way again. And after a terrible event, Rosie and Alex see each other again. Alex writes a letter to Rosie, but her husband Greg intercepts and hides the letter. One day Bethany, who is having a successful life as a model, traveling around the world, enters the hotel where Rosie works, now as a receptionist. And Rosie tells her that Alex is living in Boston. Rosie’s daughter, Katie, is now twelve years old and has a friendship with a boy named Toby which reminds Rosie of her friendship with Alex. Rosie later finds out that Greg is cheating on her and she goes and punches him in the face and leaves him. Rosie finds the letter Alex wrote to her and that Greg hid from her. And her feelings for Alex start to change.
Not everything is over for Rosie yet. She suddenly finds an opportunity to owning a little property in a beautiful place near the sea which she will turns into a hotel. Then, after some incident, Alex will reappear in her life, again.
Alex and Rosie in Boston. Via: https://alphacoders.com/
Based on a book called “Where Rainbows End” by author Cecelia Ahearn (good they changed that title), German director Christian Ditter gives it a British charm and makes a very pretty movie, and the best of his career. Phil Collins’ daughter Lilly Collins, famous for her dark eyebrows, does a very nice job as the feisty Rosie in what could be the best role of her career so far.
The soundtrack is really nice with a range that includes Beyoncé, Lilly Allen, and Elton John’s superclassic Tiny Dancer, but it’s Alone Again (Naturally) by Gilbert O’Sullivan the one that steals the show, and this movie wouldn’t have been the same without it. I remember as a kid listening to this song over and over again in my parent’s car and not knowing what was its name or who sang it, but thanks to Love, Rosie I rediscover it and now I can listen to it over and over again on YouTube.
Yeah, it has some stupid clichés of romantic comedies, but they are just a few and you will not lose sense of the story. A little gem I discovered last year that is going to surprise you. You will not believe how good this movie is.
Life is going to get in your way more times you can imagine, you will miss connections and opportunities; but you can’t let all of that stop you. One almost feel a little pleasure in all the obstacles Rosie and Alex have to face in this story, but maybe that’s what makes this movie so charming.
Watch trailer here:
Love, Rosie Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Movie HD
Fun fact: Director Christian Ditter allowed Lily Collins and Sam Claflin to improvise the scene where Rosie and Alex walk the streets of Boston after their night out. Both actors said that this was their favorite moment of the shoot.
2. Young Adult (2011)
“Life, here I come”.
After finding out that Buddy, her high school boyfriend is married and has a new baby, Mavis, a 37 yearl old writer in a period of writing block, packs her stuff, takes her dog, and leaves a messy apartment behind with a man sleeping in her bed, a man she had a one night stand with, and, at the sound of “The Concept” by Teenage Fanclub, drives her Mini Cooper to her a little hometown in Minnesota in the hopes of winning back Buddy.
Once she arrives, she uses her credit card to pay for a hotel room, goes out to eat junk food and later to a bar. There she encounters by chance a nice man from her high school called Matt who was the victim of a hate crime in high school. Mavis tells Matt her plan to win back Buddy, but Matt tells her to forget such thing.
Finally she meets buddy at a sport restaurant where coincidentally Matt works. They chat for a while. Mavis tells Buddy she is in town for a real estate business. Buddy is friendly to her, but nothing happens after that. In the meantime she continues getting up late, eating junk food and drinking booze. She visits Matt and drinks of the moonshine he makes in his basement.
Things get a little spicy when Buddy invites Mavis to a live performance of the all-women rock band in which Buddy’s wife plays the drums. Mavis goes to a place to fix her nails and make up and meets Buddy at the bar where Buddy’s wife is playing. Mavis acts al funny and flirtatious with Buddy. When the band starts playing a cover of “The Concept” by Teenage Fanclub she even has the nerve to tell him that song was playing the first time she went down on him! Buddy takes Mavis back to her place and share an innocent kiss, which leaves Mavis thinking she just gotten what she wanted.
But Things complicate after that. Mavis’ parents reappear, and she gets drunks and starts making a scene at a party at Buddy’s house in front of all the guests, including her parents. The next day, Mavis will have to decide what is she finally going to do with her writing block and her life.
A still of Young Adult. Photo: Paramount Pictures
Written by Diablo Cody, this is her last good movie after the excellent Juno (2007) and the horror fantasy about a killer succubus, Jennifer’s Body (2009). Canadian director Jason Reitman, (Juno, Up in the Air, Labor Day) crafted with this one what could be probably the best movie of his career.
Charlize Theron was excellent in this role, she should have received more praised for it. She said about this one: “Being a bitch wasn’t hard for me at all,” she laughs. “Okay, I take it back – that’s the stuff you dream of doing, especially having a director like Jason saying, ‘Yeah, more of that!’
The soundtrack is really nice with music by The Lemonheads, Veruca Salt and covers of 1990s rock classics by Faith No More, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. At one point you can listen to What’s up? By the 4 Non Blondes.
A strikingly beautiful woman incapable of happiness. A gen xer pushed to a side. A spoiled brat that gets her comeuppance and learns the lesson in the end. A movie about a woman where the man is not the bad guy, instead she is the antagonist! An alcoholic woman that makes a great character you just want there on your screen, but wouldn’t want to have in your family.
A movie you will want to watch again and again. Trust me.
Watch trailer here:
Young Adult (2011) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers
Fun fact: Charlize Theron was Jason Reitman's first and only choice for the lead role.
1. Blue Jasmine (2013)
“Anxiety, nightmares and a nervous breakdown, there's only so many traumas a person can withstand until they take to the streets and start screaming”.
Jasmine, a former Ney York City socialité whose birth name is Jeanette, arrives in San Francisco to stay at her adopted sister’s working-class apartment. She is ruined after her husband went to jail for fraud; moreover she just had a nervous breakdown and was found wandering in the streets. From here the movie splits in two, and we get to see flashback of Jasmine’s previous and luxurious life, her houses at the beach and in the country, the lavish parties, her shopping, and her sessions at the gym. Now, in San Francisco, she has to figure out what is she going to do with herself. Her adopted sister, Ginger, is now divorced from a man named Augie who lost his lottery money in a bad investment by Jasmine’s husband, and has two boys. Ginger is now in a relationship with a working-class man named Chili, who is basically a younger version of Augie. Jasmine drinks a lot of vodka, takes pills and has episodes of depression. Ginger suggest her to work as an interior decorator, but first Jasmine must take computer lessons because she doesn’t know how to use a computer. There she will befriend a woman named Sharon who invites her to a party.
At the party, Jasmine meets the quiet but ambitious Dwight who wants to get married in order to advance his political career. Jasmine lies and tells him she works as an interior decorator and they both start dating. At the same party, Ginger meets a man and starts seeing him which makes Chili angry and violent. Things go well for Jasmine until one day she encounters by chance Augie, Ginger’s ex-husband, who tells her about her adopted son. Later, Ginger will discover that the man she met at the party hides a secret form her and she decides to get with Chili. Jasmine lies to Ginger and leaves the apartment and will start to remember again her lost and fabulous life.
Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine. Via: https://collider.com/
Somewhat inspired by real life events of con man Bernie Maddox, Jewish-American director crafted with this one his best movie of the 2010s and one of the ten best movies of his vast and prolific career. The yellowish cinematography, the exquisite production design by Allen’s frequent collaborator Santo Loquasto, the San Francisco locations intertwined with the New York ones and the cool soundtrack makes this film a true gem of recent cinema.
Aussie Cate Blanchett, perfect in the role of Jasmine, won a well-deserved Oscar for this movie. This has been the best role of her entire career.
Blue Jasmine has been called Woody Allen’s version of A Streetcar Named Desire, and, if that is true, I was really amazed at the results. Too bad it’s a little short, at 1 hour and 38 minutes; I would have liked it to be a little longer. A masterpiece you cannot miss.
Watch trailer here:
Blue Jasmine Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Woody Allen Movie HD
Fun fact: Cate Blanchett had to use her influences to secure the Louis Vuitton suitcases you see in the movie.
This is my third collection of movie reviews on Ecency, check the others here:
@thereadingman/5-underrated-time-travel-movies
@thereadingman/12-cool-classic-movies-you
Don’t be shy and share your thoughts with us in the comment section. Have you seen any of these cool movies? Which one do you plan to watch first? Have another great movie about women you want to share? Leave it in the comments.
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Until next time.
Take care.
The reading man.