How Do you Know, written and directed by James L. Brooks

How Do you Know, written and directed by James L. Brooks

Well, the name itself is funny and invites some controversy and it is an invitation to see this spectacle.

There are some good reasons to watch this film, one of which is to see Jack Nicholson in his last role…

To date

Jack Nicholson has announced his interest in a remake of Toni Erdmann, a triumphant film that was produced…in my land.

How Do You Know is not an effervescent, ecstatic comedy, which explains in part the low rating it received from critics.

However, the actors offer very good performances, although it is not the best role in which you could see Mythical Jack.

Reese Witherspoon is a somewhat confused, attractive, amusing and tolerant young woman called Lisa.

She has a relationship with Matty aka Owen Wilson, who appears to be interesting, but also bewildered man.

Matty’s extravaganza makes for some hilarity.

In one scene, Lisa spends the night with this bachelor and she is told to change from her dress.

This outlandish young man has a closet with women clothes…

An incredible number of bathrobes and auxiliaries!

What color do you want?

Lisa is astonished, for there are all the nuances of the rainbow on display.

This is of course a laughing matter for the viewer, but a disturbing discovery for a potential partner.

This man is not just sleeping around.

Matty does this systematically and with peculiar attention to details, changing outfits and he has big goals…

He intends to sleep with hundreds of women.

Lisa packs up and leaves this “unconventional” macho character.

A few times.

Alas, she also shows frailty when she decides to return and listen to the declarations and promises of this serial partner.

Fortunately, there is George.

Paul Rudd is nearly perfect as the romantic, clean, moral, decent, good looking, and modern eligible man.

For some time, he seems so delightful that the woman just does not believe it- this is what comes to mind.

Otherwise, how could she stay with the ingratiating, gallant, but rather immoral, derisive Matty?

Jack Nicholson plays Charles, George’s father and a villain.

Regrettably, this part does not offer the once God of cinema the chance to make the audience think back at:

R.P. McMurphy, J.J.Gittes, Warren Schmidt, Will Randall, Colonel Nathan R. Jessep, The Joker or any of his other memorable performances

Charles has been involved in serious malfeasance and he wants his son to take the blame and save him.

Because of other crimes committed when he was nineteen, the father is facing a life sentence.

So, why not get the son to do some decades of prison instead?

In a comedy, this means amusement, if not hilarity.

Overall, How Do You Know is good entertainment.

Snatch, written and directed by Guy Ritchie

Snatch, written and directed by Guy Ritchie

                A first look at Snatch provides almost ecstatic entertainment.

However, seeing this comedy for the second time will reveal most of its flaws and the sense déjà vu can be tedious.

In addition, it is not just the fact that the viewer has watched Snatch once, but he or she realizes that there are many clichés within.

When the undersigned saw Snatch first, maybe fifteen years ago, it was exhilarating and triumphant.

The performances were stupendous.

The dialogue effervescent and glimmering.

The plot and the exchanges are exaggerated, but the participants do not take it too seriously.

It is a comedy after all

Moreover, very few of us would know what the gangsters look like, how they talk to each other…except from other movies.

Turkish and Tommy organize illegal boxing matches, only the athletes they manage keep falling to the ground, commit suicide, become crazy or get into fights with a tremendous “pikey”.

The latter is a triumphant fighter, Mickey O’Neil, a clever, frightening gipsy portrayed by Brad Pitt.

Turkish sends Tommy to get a caravan from the Irish Gipsies, but the vehicle they get loses two wheels just off the camp.

In the resulting kerfuffle, Gorgeous George, a boxer about twice the size of Mickey gets flattened out and incapacitated.

Without a boxer to enter the game they organize with Brick Top, a sadistic, ferocious, heinous mobster, that feeds his dead enemies to the pigs, tommy proposes that mickey enters the game.

He will, but he wants a…caravan for his mom.

He is ready to bet on it and if he loses, he would fight for no money, but if he wins, he gets caravan, shoes and more.

In addition, of course, Mickey wins.

At the fight, the mobster Brick Top wants to rig the game and have Mickey fall in the fourth round.

Only the rebellious, brave character does not.

There is a terrible wrath…The Wrath of Khan.

The savage mob leader orders his hench men to set the caravan of the disobedient “pikey” on fire and kill his mother.

Under the threat that the others will be murdered too, Mickey has to enter another game and actually fall in the fourth this time.

Well, I will let you ponder and divine what happens.

This complicated boxing gig is only part of the story, which involves numerous colorful personages like

Franky Four Fingers- an over the top performance from Benicio Del Toro-Cousin Avi, Boris the Blade, Bullet- Tooth Tony- played an excellent, creative ex-footballer, Vinnie Jones, Doug the Head and others

A huge diamond is stolen from Belgium, brought to London by Four Fingers, who has a problem with gambling and disappears, case with precious stone and all, on the initiative of Boris the Blade.

People get killed, hacked, cut into pieces and the diamond changes hands, until it finally reaches a derisive location.

I will not divulge the secret.

Snatch is phenomenal in its inventiveness and creativity, the hilarity of many, if not most of its lines is appreciable.

Mrs. Miniver, based on the book by Jan Struther

Mrs. Miniver, based on the book by Jan Struther

                Mrs. Miniver is an admirable motion picture.

It has been included on The New York Times’ List of Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, available here:

                http://www.listchallenges.com/new-york-times-best-1000-movies-ever-made/checklist/15

Among the Eight (!) writers that have contributed to the script, we find the reputable James Hilton.

                He was the author of the sublime:

                Lost Horizon, an exceptional book that was adapted for the big screen

                Mrs. Miniver has won an extraordinary number of Academy Awards- Six!

                In addition, these are the  most important ones at that, including for:

                Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Writing, Screenplay…

It all happens during the First part of World War II, when the protagonists have to face the challenges of the terrible conflict.

Moreover, they all prove that they have stamina and almost, if not all of the imaginable Character Strengths:

Bravery, Persistence, Perspective, Citizenship, Forgiveness and Mercy, Perspective, Creativity, Modesty,

Integrity, Vitality, Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence, Appreciation of Excellence and Beauty, Hope and more

Lady Beldon seems to be the exception, for she is in the first part pretentious and arrogant, snobbish and retrograde.

She refuses to accept the relationship between her granddaughter, Carol, and Vin Miniver, the latter being “only middle class”.

Lady Beldon feels this is unacceptable and besides, the young man is a pilot and he could die at any moment.

This changes and the older woman is not only embracing the new “relatives” but she even gives away the prize for the best rose.

There many worthwhile, philosophical themes in this wonderful film, one of which would be to enjoy the present:

Carpe Diem!

Carol is aware that her husband can die very soon, given that he has to fight the Nazi invading planes.

However, she talks with her mother in law and speaks about the fact that she is and will enjoy every given moment.

This has reminded me of Dostoyevsky and his last three minutes, the time left for him on this earth, before his execution.

The genius writer has decided to pass his life in front of him in one minute, say goodbye to family and friends in another and finally, to admire a ray of sunshine falling on the roof of a church nearby.

The author of Crime and Punishment is pardoned at the last moment and talks about this unique experience in his masterpieces, the feeling of the man who is about to die, how he would rather live on a bare rock, in the middle of the ocean, rather than see the end of life in the next minutes or hours.

A German pilot land near the house of the family and Mrs. Miniver is not only brave, but proves resilience and manages to face the Nazi who starts talking about killing women and children.

Dunkirk, the subject of one of the best films last year- 2017- is mentioned only in a segment of this motion picture.

Clem Miniver takes place in the sensational evacuation of the British Army by private boats, an operation that changed the fate of the war.

More details about that are given in another of 2017’s Best Pictures, Darkest Hour, with Gary Oldman in the role of Winston Churchill.

                Mrs. Miniver is without a doubt a supreme work of art.

Bugsy, based on the book by Dean Jennings

Bugsy, based on the book by Dean Jennings

                Bugsy is an exhilarating motion picture.

The hero, based on the gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel is fascinating, controversial and mesmerizing.

Evidently, this is in large part due to the astonishing talent of Warren Beatty who gives a performance equal to the classic one from:

It is difficult to assess how much of a liberty the writers have taken with the real story of the “creator” of Las Vegas.

However, the result is fantastic.

Bugsy is interesting, amusing, outlandish, endearing for most of the time, even if this is not the real image of a mobster.

He arrives in Los Angeles to take care of some business for him and his infamous partners in crime:

Meyer Lansky – portrayed by the Oscar nominated for this role, Ben Kingsley, Charlie Luciano and other Mafia leaders

As he likes the atmosphere, the glamour, the houses, he decides in what looks like a flash to stay.

Indeed, when passing in a car in front of one of the mansions, Bugsy stops the vehicle and goes in.

He asks to see the owner, who is an acclaimed opera singer, amazed at the way the visitor is moving around his home…

What about the hotel X, the gangster asks and the host answers that Bugsy will enjoy it, since it is among the best…

It is not for me, it is for you and do not call me Bugsy, nobody does…answers Benjamin Siegel and opens his bag.

He wants to know how much the house is worth and when the answer is maybe 40,000, he offers 60,000.

Therefore, he moves in and starts arranging the business side, which means showing bravery and extreme audacity.

When there is a robbery and he finds that his partner has lied, claiming that $ 10,000 more had been stolen, the mobster decides to collaborate with Mickey Cohen aka Harvey Keitel (also nominated for an Oscar for this role).

Mickey is the man who stole the money, but since he was better than the old lying partner was, he is named as the leader of the operation.

At the center of the plot, we have Virginia Hill, played by the real life wife of Warren Beatty, Annette Bening.

Bugsy becomes infatuated with Virginia and is very violent to other men when they seem to insult or just disconsider her.

In one scene, he throws a young man through a window, only to find that it was Virginia’s brother.

The relationship is very complicated and brutal, the woman throwing various objects at the gangster.

When they travel to the desert casino where they have a gambling place, Virginia drives the car away, leaving Bugsy and Mickey Cohen in the middle of the sand dunes.

Benjamin Siegel is the founder of Las Vegas, where he closes the existing dirty place and he builds a new casino and hotel.

However, this project could bring his downfall, because running costs are way over the initial budget.

When he talks to his partners, the cost of the investment is estimated at about one million dollars.

However, as the construction is stopped, plans are changed and funds are stolen, the initial estimate rises.

Bugsy wants the pool to have sun all day long and this is a sensible request, like the one that the piscine needs to be seen from the casino.

Nevertheless, the increasing cost and the prospect of losing money angers the Mafiosi and the result is dramatic.

Besides, they learn that about two million of their dollars have been stashed away in a secret account in Switzerland.

Bugsy is a formidable, glorious motion picture.

The Circle, based on the book by Dave Eggers

The Circle, based on the book by Dave Eggers

The Circle has not been too well received by the critics, if we consider its Metascore of only 43.

It means that most of the reviews have been negative and even the popular vote stands at only 5.3.

However, this viewer has enjoyed it.

The Circle is not in the same league with The Social Network, but it is a good entertainment nevertheless.

The actors Emma Watson, Tom Hanks and John Boyega offer remarkable performances in the leading and supporting roles.

In addition, the themes are poignant and the problems raised by the narrative could not be more relevant.

Privacy, social media and the internet dominate our professional and private lives today with mixed effects.

Studies have showed that for those who are happy in general, social media adds some wellbeing.

However, for the rest of men and women, Facebook and the rest only add to depression and other ills.

They are online to watch others travel, enjoy themselves, share with family and friends wonderful moments.

Mae is the main character in The Circle.

This young woman is hired in a company that could be modeled on one of the GAFAM giants, or more likely, it is a matrix with elements from all.

GAFAM would stand for the major tech giants:

Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft all have a huge influence on people’s lives and a combined worth of trillions of dollars.

The Circle, the company in the film, could be any one of the big five, with some creepy elements added in.

Mae Holland passes a difficult test that reminds one of what Google and the other Rat Pack use to employ the brightest.

The protagonist has to show that she has remembered the name of the woman who has greeted her at the reception.

Many other Character Strengths have to be on display, together with an exceptional IQ and EQ.

Very soon after getting this magnificent opportunity, aspects from The Circle start showing the downside.

Employees are expected to spend most of their time- in fact all- on the premises of the firm and even if it is not compulsory, it looks like it.

Then they need to merge their private social media profiles with the professional ones and engage with the multitude of groups, teams that The Circle uses to promote its services and profile.

One night, Mae escapes the headquarters that resemble a prison to take a canoe and get in the water.

Very soon, she gets into a serious danger and is saved at the last moment by the Coast Guard, just before drowning.

The complex message here is that she was saved only because two of the omnipresent Circle cameras have notified her presence.

Therefore, the issue here is that:

We have an option and need to choose between privacy and the more important need to be safe…

After this near death experience, Mae becomes prominent and involved in a project that sends online all of her life…

Except the moment when she is in the bathroom, Mae has everything uploaded on the internet, even the parents ‘life, making way for an embarrassing scene wherein they are seen by many millions in delicate, intimate scenes.

Furthermore, they promote and launch a new product with which they can find fugitives from justice.

When they want to use the same technology to find a normal human being, tragedy strikes and the new technology is derailed…

However, it is only for a few days.

I Vitelloni, written and directed by Federico Fellini

I Vitelloni, written and directed by Federico Fellini

                I Vitelloni is a superb film.

                However,It is not in the same league with:

La Dolce Vita, 8 ½, Amarcord, The Nights of Cabiria, La Strada, Juliet of the Spirits but it is outstanding nevertheless.

I Vitelloni was nominated for one of the Twelve Oscars (!) for which Federico Fellini was listed.

Moraldo Rubini, Alberto, Fausto, Leopoldo and Riccardo are all friends.

Moraldo Rubini is the positive, almost the role model type.

Signature strengths abound in the description of this character:

Integrity, Fairness, Wisdom and Knowledge, Justice, Temperance, Transcendence, Humanity and

Humility/modesty, Forgiveness and Mercy, Prudence, Self-regulation, hope, Gratitude, Love, Kindness and more.

Moraldo has a beautiful, candid and charming sister- Sandra Rubini.

Fausto Moretti is infatuated and attracted to her.

However, this is the evil character of the narrative, although he does experience if not a Redemption, at least some form of rehabilitation.

Fausto seduces Sandra, who becomes sick at an event and the doctor brought to see her asks for privacy.

This is when the dark side of Moretti is on display.

He runs home and tries to escape, by running away from the small town, only to be trapped by his father.

Fausto is so weak that he takes another beating, with the belt no less, from his parent later in the film.

Sandra is pregnant and the honorable father forces his son to do the moral gesture of marrying the girl.

The newly wed is then offered a job in a small shop where he tries to seduce the wife of the owner.

This man is feverish in his pursuit of women.

In one instance, he is at the cinema with his spouse and does not hesitate to touch the woman on the other side.

When she leaves the theater, Fausto gets up, walks out of the cinema and follows the woman to her house.

The poor wife is left to wait for him in front of the theater, after the show is finished and the lousy man has not returned.

He is fired from his job, when his employer understands what the shop assistant tries to do with the owner’s wife.

Moraldo is slow to realize how vicious, rotten and flawed his friend is.

Fausto lies about the reason why he was fired and convinces Moraldo to help him get some statues from the shop he had worked in.

Faced with the artwork, Moraldo protests that this is stealing, but his “friend” convinces him that he deserves reparation and a severance package, that he decides to take for himself.

Sandra gives birth to a child.

Nevertheless, her husband is not prevented from cheating her once he becomes a father and has an affair with a performer.

This is the moment when finally, Moraldo thinks more seriously about Fausto and his series of insults and shenanigans.

He tells his brother in law that he should have thought about his wife, before sleeping with another woman.

Sandra is at the end of her resilience and has a breakdown after which she disappears, terrifying her family…

-          Will she come back?

-          Has she done something drastic?

It takes some minutes of drama before we get an answer to these questions.

The Getaway, based on the novel by Jim Thompson

The Getaway, based on the novel by Jim Thompson

                The Getaway has its good moments

Nevertheless, it is not Papillon, The Great Escape, Bullitt, Junior Bonner or The Towering Inferno.

Steve McQueen was one of the best actors in Hollywood and in this film and we can see why, even if it is not his best role.

He plays Doc McCoy, a recently released robber who is involved in a Getaway with his wife Carol.

The latter is portrayed by Ali MacGraw, one of the stars of past decades, launched by The Love Story.

Robert Evans was the husband of this actor and he talks about their relationship in the book called:

The Kid Stays in the Picture

This book is an excellent narrative about the movie industry, even if the author sounds false at times.

As a former actor, producer and head of The Paramount Studio, Robert Evans offers insight into so many aspects of Hollywood.

From the making of The Godfather and the way an Italian director had been selected, with whom so many differences have erupted, to the selection of actors like Al Pacino- an artist so unknown at the time that various people involved did not know how to spell the name of this new comer-to the producing of hits like Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, the aforementioned Love Story, The Kid Stays in the Picture is packed with incredible information and gossip on the movies.

Robert Evans reveals many secrets from his marriage to Ali MacGraw, the meanness of her partner in Love Story, the manner in which this film was conceived and released and the separation.

The actor has a love affair with her partner on The Getaway, the very hot at that moment star of this film.

Carol McCoy helps her husband get out of jail and in the first part it is revealed that she had to cheat on him for that.

Doc is so mad that he kicks his wife, even after a scene where it looked for a while that she might kill him.

The robber says that he only believes in money and nothing else.

The marriage is under pressure and the atmosphere between husband and wife, who are partners in crime is heavy.

-          “in God we trust”

Doc shows his spouse the stacks of bills they get from robbing a bank and says that he only trusts in those bills.

Along the way, there are many developments…and the ones involving an enemy, a vet and his wife are among the most interesting.

One thief pretends to help Carol as she tries to place the bag with money in a box at the rail station.

However, while he took the bag, put it in the compartment, he switched keys and later stole the luggage.

“The oldest trick in the book” says a disappointed Doc when they open the door and there is no money inside.

Taking back the money from the stranger makes for some thrilling moments and there is humor involved.

There are some car chases, but they look dated when compared with today’s special effects enforced scenes.

One other scene highlighted the differences between the sixties and the attitudes of today, regarding waste.

The hero and his wife have to take refuge in a garbage bin and they are collected by a truck and thrown at the waste zone.

All the refuse, bags, filth is not sorted and what is worse, it keeps flying away in an awful manner.

                The Getaway is not a masterpiece, but it can be enjoyable.