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Reviews
White Mama (1980)
Good movie in spite of plot issues
The high quality of the acting in this TV drama camouflages some basic holes in the story. The movie was filmed in the 1970s, a time when there was still federal support for low income housing. Poor people were not living on the streets the way they do today. The elderly character, who looks around 80 years old, is not yet eligible for social security, so in order to support herself as a mid-60s person she would have had some kind of job. Here she appears as a widow with no visible means of support. Having the young car thief parolee remove all the contents of her home would not have necessitated her living outdoors where exposure nearly killed her, though she had already been given an eviction notice and could have stayed with a church member until she found a new place. So parts of the plot are strained and seem unnecessary. Despite that, it was a good movie and I recommend it.
Bel Canto (2018)
Subtle points missed by careless viewers
Judging by many of the comments, it seems like many viewers did not understand the movie. It is based on an award winning novel by Ann Patchett, which in turn is based on an historical hostage event that took place in Peru in the 1990s. The movie was a bit too long, but it accurately captured how people from different cultures and economic circumstances can develop deep human connections through the beauty of music. It also deals with issues of greed and responsibility. It is not about Stockholm Syndrome. The rebel group is not bloodthirsty, but rather are a sad, poverty stricken suffering lot there to make a point and engage in a prisoner swap. They bear no disrespect toward their wealthy privileged captives. They do not steal from them or deliberately brutalize them. They are trying to send a message that falls on deaf ears. The end of the movie does not depict the deceased lovers as being alive - they are seen only in the mind's eyes of their beholders. The whole hostage effort ends in a dismal failure as the powerful government forces crush the hostage takers like bugs and slaughter them without remorse, taking an innocent protagonist with them.
Little White Lie (2014)
You can't fix what doesn't belong to you
The discomfort the viewer feels - a bit voyeuristic - echoes the discomfort Lacey feels throughout her entire life as the odd kid out, the darker skin kid. Until it was revealed that she was the daughter of a mixed race affair, the explanation of a distant recessive gene popping up actually seemed plausible. How many of us are mixed race and don't know it? Is it really that shocking? What put me off was her insistence on confronting her parents when this clearly disturbed her father who she claims to love. Once she found out who her biological father was, there was no real point in tormenting her real father, and yet she does so relentlessly. Consider her father the innocent and wronged party whose life was destroyed by his wife's betrayal. He's clearly stressed over discussing this and Lacey's insistence on it is cruel. In the end it solved nothing.
Downhill Racer (1969)
Not a sports movie
Downhill Racer is a character study set against the backdrop of the Olympic ski competition. The main character played by Redford could be an aspiring anything, but in this story he is a skier. He is depicted as cold, egocentric, and selfish - which he is. But he is also severely alienated from a loveless environment created by his judgmental father with whom he has no relationship. He is undereducated too, from one of those tiny towns which today we would recognize as Trump country. Small minded, cheap, impoverished, and only interested in an occupation that brings in money. Being the best at something is meaningless when the biggest career options his girlfriend has are dental hygienist or waitress. He knows his shortcomings all too well and is trying to overcome them while at the same time understanding that everyone is out for themselves.
Sophie: A Murder in West Cork (2021)
Still not enough evidence
The story seems to be a bit repetitive and likely could have been told in just two parts. The victim was a beautiful and introverted wife and mother, a very nice lady who deserved to live her life in peace. The main suspect is an obnoxious bore and a narcissistic attention seeker with a violent streak. While some of his statements are contradictory, there is no physical or forensic evidence pointing to him as the murderer. He cannot be prosecuted based on his stated and retracted confessions or the circumstantial evidence cited by people who already dislike him. Everything he says or does appears to be an attempt to maintain his relevance to anyone who will listen. He can't stand to be ignored.