The viewer sees that American conductor Leonard Bernstein chose a heterosexual lifestyle, while his beloved wife (of almost 30 years), Felicia Montealegre Bernstein, allowed him his male to male dalliances.- But, didn't we already know this? As always, Matt Bomer was pleasant to look at for a couple of minutes for icandy. Unfortunately, I found the film quite boring, except for the skills of the main actors; Bradley Cooper & Carey Mylligan, who were each nominated for best actor/actress Oscars. I didn't consider watching the film a waste of my time, but I really was not entertained either. I was glad when it was over.
Reviews
5 Reviews
From
(2022– )
Where are the monsters?
28 May 2023
This is not horror. This series is very similar to the TV series called Lost (2004-2010). It's more about people finding themselves in a world that makes no sense and how they adapt or die. By season 1, episode 6, I found my mind wandering away from the show & watching the news or doing some household chores because the characters didn't interest me enough to stay intrigued. I'm trying to watch season 1, episode 7 now and it's still difficult for me to stay tuned-in. I know that I will not be watching season 2. I would like to make it completely through season 1, but I keep getting distracted because it's really a quite boring TV show.
God's Own Country
(2017)
Well paced storyline with intense character development
29 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Not a dull moment in this entire film. It's a wonderful love story of two men who are very, very different from one another. The younger one, named Johnny, is on a quick path of self destruction, with nightly binge drinking & anonymous sexual encounters, where he doesn't even fathom he's touching another human being. He's so young, to be so emotionally detached from everyone, including his own family, who indeed put a lot of unfair pressure on this young man, to keep the farm going, with no help from anyone else, after his father has suffered a debilitating stroke. Johnny has had to stay on the farm & take care of it and his physically challenged father too, while all of his friends have gone off to enjoy their youth on college campuses. Yes, Johnny is being required to accept adult responsibilities and grow up very quickly. But, it doesn't seem like he's ready for it, hence, his destructive acting-out. Johnny lives on this farm with his very seemingly hopeless & judgmental father & his paternal grandmother, who is physically fit & anything but dimwitted. His father & grandmother initially are both constantly looking down on Johnny, for never being good enough at his duties on the farm, which are clearly mundane chores for Johnny. Even though Johnny's father & grandmother are never satisfied with anything Johnny contributes to the farm, it was impossible for this viewer to stay angry with them for long, because this film constantly reminded me of their own vulnerabilities, fears and humanity too. Early on in this film, I realized that these characters, like all of us, have life's unexpected challenges come our way, and we don't always do or say the right things to those we need and love. So, this film and the actors subtle, yet powerful performances, brought a lot of compassion to the forefront of my heart for all these characters involved. In some way, I could relate to all of them because unexpected inconveniences or serious life challenges typically come into each of our lives at some point, and if we are to be survivors, we must deal with them, and find a solution. And this film is a story of each character surviving through life's challenges & also embracing life's "blessings," ....which brings to my mind our fourth interesting and vulnerable character; the kind & gentle Romanian migrant farmworker named Gheorghe, who comes to the UK all alone and with nothing, in order to find a better life for himself. Johnny's father has temporarily hired Gheorghe to help out on the farm, which is falling apart, due to mismanagement. This migrant farmworker lived on a farm in his native Romania and we immediately see that he knows very well how to manage a farm, through his care and compassion for the animals and for the people who live there too, his appreciation for the land, the beautiful sky and his admirable and responsible work ethic. When Johnny and Gheorghe begin their physical relationship, Johnny tries to treat Gheorghe like he treats everyone, with no human emotion and only the physicality of the moment. But, Gheorghe's character knew how to set boundaries with tact and move their relationship into a completely different direction, which was healthy for both of them, allowing respect and trust, friendship, commitment & love to grow between them. It was very nice to watch Johnny's evolution toward a healthy direction throughout this film. His character became very teachable, with the right type of firmness and patience necessary from Gheorghe. The fifth character in this film is the farm itself, because it is the element which kept everyone together & why Johnny and Gheorghe were brought together in the first place. Throughout the film, the farm (located in stunningly beautiful Yorkshire, UK) transitions admirably too, and at some point near the end of the film, I realized that this family was probably financially positioned better than most of the people in the area because of the beautiful and productive large amount of land they owned, with the village below them, in what seems to be a valley. The farm actually looked like quite a privileged place to live. I thought the acting was superb, and I want to thank each of the four main actors in this film for giving me almost 2 hours of pure compassion and admiration for imperfect characters, who sometimes made me uncomfortable, because some of their scenes are so intense. I'll probably watch this movie again though, which is rare for me.
I completely lost interest after episode 11/4
9 December 2022
Everything about this season became monotonous after the 4th episode; the characters were repetitious, boring and had no depth to their personalities. As a gay man, this program attacked every homosexual stereotype imaginable. Was I insulted? No, I just found the show unoriginal & borrowing from any gimmick the writers could desperately incorporate into their dull script. I even started doing household chores while the show was on because I completely lost interest. Even though this season did not hold my undivided attention, I managed to make my way through until the final episode & by this time, I couldn't have cared less what happened to any of the characters in the end. What a shame because I've been such an AHS fan all these years. This was as bad as listening to one of your most boring college professors lectures.
Étoile sans lumière
(1946)
Piaf and Yves Montand
13 October 2011
Could Hollywood's famous movie musical "Singin' in the Rain" be imitating this French film -only 6 years later? I think so! Watching "Étoile Sans Lumière" was delightful and here we get to experience, not only Édith Piaf's image, but her magical singing, as well. She was barely 30, while making this movie. One hour into this film, Yves Montand shows up, making his movie debut... and this viewer had the privilege of seeing him shirtless. Here we have 2 pop legends that transcended time, cultures and languages. I was in Paris earlier this month, having coffee at an outdoor café, when a lady came to our table and sang "La Vie En Rose" with such soul, and in the style of Piaf. People are still imitating & honoring this magnificent talent -a half century after her passing. Few entertainers endure this long. I'm grateful that we have the opportunity to see such an incredible vocal talent, from years gone by, still performing in the moving image today. Piaf was in only 8 movies. So, this one is a rare treasure indeed! There are, however, countless films where Piaf's vocals continue to be featured to this day. Merci, Mademoiselle Piaf (RIP).
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