Home Sweet Christmas 2024 - Movies (Dec 11th)
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A Beautiful Imperfection 2024 - Movies (Dec 11th)
Piece by Piece 2024 - Movies (Dec 11th)
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Sugarcane 2024 - Movies (Dec 10th)
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How to Make Gravy 2024 - Movies (Dec 10th)
The Last American Vagabond - (Dec 11th)
Chris Jansing Reports - (Dec 11th)
Portrait Artist of the Year - (Dec 11th)
Shetland - (Dec 11th)
Katy Tur Reports - (Dec 11th)
Andrea Mitchell Reports - (Dec 11th)
Tyler Perrys Assisted Living - (Dec 11th)
Deal or No Deal - (Dec 11th)
Four in a Bed - (Dec 11th)
Shop Smart, Save Money - (Dec 11th)
The Kelly Clarkson Show - (Dec 11th)
Big City Greens - (Dec 11th)
Homes Under the Hammer - (Dec 11th)
A Bite to Eat with Alice - (Dec 11th)
Ninjago- Masters of Spinjitzu - (Dec 11th)
The Voice - (Dec 11th)
Northwoods Survival - (Dec 11th)
Life Below Zero - (Dec 11th)
Question Everything - (Dec 11th)
The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle - (Dec 11th)
Empire of the Sun glaringly shines insight into the impoverished wealthy amidst war-torn China. Spielberg is one of a handful of directors that everyone acknowledges. Whether your interest lies with films or elsewhere, he is known to all for his eclectic filmography that tackles nearly every single genre available. The beauty of his directorial talents, is that he can manipulate any subject matter and transform its contents into an accessible piece of entertainment. From hard-hitting crime capers (‘The Sugarland Express’) to the depiction of African-Americans succumbing to racial/sexist abuse (‘The Color Purple’). He has the ornate ability to disassemble history and shape the remnants into his Hollywood mould. But at what cost? Does Spielberg’s contagious requirement for accessibility downplay the severity of its subject matter? Well, Empire of the Sun may just be the most perfect example to answer the aforementioned question. It illustrates my eternal adoration for the man as an auteur, as well as his damned tendencies that bring down his historical endeavours. A young British boy living with his wealthy family in war-torn Shanghai, becomes separated from his parents where he is soon retained as a prisoner of war in an internment camp. An epic adaptation of Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel, that heavily relied on a fictitious narrative to convey his own vivid memories of World War Two. A story of three vital themes that power both the characters and the central narrative. Opulence, faith and humanity. Spielberg commences the first act in a worrying light of unnecessary affluence, following a white family with an abundance of possessional wealth traversing the segregated streets of Shanghai embattled by poverty. The bitter aftertaste of supremacy as “peasants” desperately fight for survival. Whilst it may harken to real events, they make for unlikeable characters due to their careless perception in the environment they are enshrouded in. The father and mother are non-characters, merely acting as fuel for Jim’s coming-of-age journey, and Spielberg paid far less attention to the surrounding chaos which consequently diminished the severity of the war’s impact. It can be argued that the entire story, including the first act, is told through Jim’s perspective. But the naive ignorance to represent the lives that were truly affected was extremely profound. Then Jim, in the crowded streets of Shanghai, becomes separated from his parents. Mugged, abandoned and lost. His opulent lifestyle relinquished from his selflessness. Gradually, Spielberg constructs an epic that conveys the loss of innocence. This once fragile young boy, unbeknown to the horrors of the world, now utilising his intuition to survive the brutality of war independently. Spielberg definitely downplayed the brutalism of conflict, and instead opted for an endearing focus on Jim’s abrupt development from a timid boy to unsung hero. Unsurprisingly, it worked. Spielberg’s screenplay presents Jim with a plethora of challenges that tests the will of humanity in its entirety. From attempting to escape the internment camp to resuscitating the recently deceased. Jim encompasses every notion of humanity during this heightened time, naturally making him relatable. His actions slowly further his development into adulthood in such a short space of time, with much gratification aimed at Spielberg’s masterful attention to characterisation. Initially proclaimed as an atheist, Jim experiences metaphysical moments believed to be acts of faith, likening him to a deity of some kind. “Giving life” for a brief moment to the recently passed, which was an ounce of blood pumped to the brain. Witnessing a soul be released into heaven, however counteracted by the infamous Nagasaki atomic bomb. These “acts” grant Jim the power of self-belief, fully realising his potential as the “hero” of optimism. There’s nothing more optimistic and endearing though than watching a juvenile Christian Bale steal the entire film. Malkovich and Havers ground the enthusiasm of Bale’s performance, yet his commanding presence at such a young age cements him as a talent to behold. Tender moments were handled with delicacy, whilst the louder moments fused with his boisterous personality. Quite simply, one of the best young performances I’ve seen. Williams’ signature score, ever accompanying Spielberg’s work, elevated the grandeur of the spectacular production design yet somewhat exhumed family-friendly vibes commonly found in his previous work. Admittedly that’s a personal conflict of my own, but again did diminish the more powerful scenes. Jim’s fascination with aircraft wasn’t fully realised and felt like an afterthought to coincide with the Japanese “friend” in the final act, although not a substantial detriment to the overall story. In the blazing heat of war camps, Empire of the Sun shines as an epic that showcases the very reason for my Spielberg idolisation and his cursed ability to lessen the severity of history. Regardless, you’ll laugh, gasp and cry during this coming-of-age tale, and that’s the true beauty of this auteur’s timeless work.
_**Even great people have a dud on occasion**_ A British boy (Christian Bale) living with his wealthy parents in Shanghai is separated from them when Japanese forces invade in the early years of WW2. He then has to survive the war in a POW camp. John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers and Joe Pantoliano play fellow prisoners. Based on J.G. Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel, “Empire of the Sun” (1987) was Steven Spielberg’s first venture into ‘meaningful’ filmmaking. It’s not without historical interest. For instance, the beginning situation in China is compelling, highlighted by a potent ‘slap’ scene that wakes the pompous kid up to reality. From there, though, the movie becomes a tedious prison camp flick with too many ambiguities and drawn-out scenes. Bale does an admirable job in a challenging role, especially considering his age, but IMHO he overdoes it and so the boy comes off hyperactive and annoying. Check out the low-key indie “I Am David” (2003) for a more effective take on similar material. The film runs 2 hours, 33 minutes and was shot in China, England and Spain (you can fairly easily figure out which parts were shot where). GRADE: C/C-
A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.
John Rambo is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he'd want to return - the jungles of Vietnam.
The end of the XIX century. Petya, an eight-year orphan who has been cast in training German acrobat Karl Becker, who curses and beatings would incorporate the new assistant to the circus profession and ruthlessly exploited child in their speeches. The only consolation, brightens the harsh life gutta-percha boy, as referred to Petya on the posters, is the concern of the carpet clown Edwards, who regretted the fatherless and secretly taught him this circus arts...
A female poet and author faces the harsh realities of a besieged Leningrad. Based on Olga Berggolts' memoir of the same name.
When Luna's superstitious family hides all the mirrors in the house, she decides to recover them, only to accidentally fall through one, transporting her to a new magical world. There she finds multiple versions of herself who have been confined and have grown jealous of her living in the real world while they hide in the shadows. Luna has to try and figure out how to escape while also being confronted with her identity crisis.
In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow - she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader.
Little Wing tells the story of 12-year-old Varpu, who's quickly growing to adulthood, and about her mother, who doesn't want to grow up. Varpu lives with her mother and has never met her father. One night Varpu has enough of her riding buddies and her mother. She steals a car and drives up north in search of her father, of whom she only knows the name. But her father is not exactly what she had expected. Meeting him trigger something in Varpu and mother's life, making them realize their role in each other's lives, and in the world.
Robert is stuck on a boating holiday with his parents in the English countryside. Impatient to grow and become a man, an unexpected sight cracks his world open.
A boy's life is turned upside down when he learns that he is the last of a group of immortal warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the dark.