Biopic

Maria

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Maria
  • IMDb: link

Maria explores the final days of renown opera singer Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie) looking back on her life in a self-medicated haze that blurs fantasy and reality in her quest to rediscover the voice she lost years ago. The standouts here are Jolie’s performance, for which she trained 7 months to learn to sing opera (a mix of both Jolie and Callas’ voices are used throughout the film), and the film’s amazing look courtesy of cinematographer Edward Lachman, set decoration by Sandro Piccarozzi, and costumes by Massimo Cantini Parrini.

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Widow Clicquot

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Widow Clicquot
  • IMDb: link

Widow Clicquot

Widow Clicquot follows the struggles of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett) taking up the reigns of her husband’s (Tom Sturridge) vineyard after his death with few allies (Sam Riley and Ben Miles), a vineyard in debt from failed harvests hemorrhaging money, life under the temperamental rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, and fighting both and the elements and a world uncustomed to a woman running a business. While attempting to honor her husband by producing wine he would be proud of, the film also intercuts moments of their marriage highlighting his temperamental nature which led to his death.

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Young Woman and the Sea

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Young Woman and the Sea
  • IMDb: link

Young Woman and the Sea

Based on the true story of the first woman to swim the English Channel, Daisy Ridley stars as Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle. After filling in a little of her early life (including surviving the Measles as a child to the utters surprise of everyone), the film moves forward with the young Trudy’s (Olive Abercrombie) fascination with swimming following her sister Meg (Lilly Aspell and Tilda Cobham-Hervey) into lessons and eventual competitions proving herself the best female swimmer England had to offer. This will lead to the Olympics and eventually the English Channel as new challenges to overcome.

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The Boys in the Boat

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Boys in the Boat
  • IMDb: link

The Boys in the Boat

As director, George Clooney has tackled period pieces before (see Leatherheads, The Monuments Men, and the terrific Good Night, and Good Luck). This time Clooney follows the journey of Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) who joins the University of Washington junior varsity rowing team not out of any love for the sport but as a way to help cover his tuition during the lean years of the Great Depression. Rowing, or crew, isn’t the most cinematic of sports, but the screenplay by Mark L. Smith which adapts Daniel James Brown’s non-fiction novel, plays on the intense conditioning, hard work, and teamwork of the sport with the JV crew the underdog team at a university of underdogs with much to prove to themselves and others.

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Nyad

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Nyad
  • IMDb: link

Nyad

Based on true events, Nyad offers the attempts of retired long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) who in her 60s became obsessed with completing the swim from Havana to Florida which she failed to accomplish in her 20s. While in many ways your typical sports drama featuring an athlete overcoming impossible odds, and driven (and haunted) by personal experience, the film’s story is elevated by the performances of Benning and by Jodie Foster who plays Diana’s best friend and coach throughout her multiple attempts to make history.

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