James' World 2

Belfast is a British coming-of-age comedy-drama written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who has described Belfast as his “most personal film” and focuses on a young boy’s childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the beginning of “The Troubles” in 1969. I watched Belfast because of its Oscar nominations. I thought the movie was well-acted, well-written, and somewhat depressing to see what some people will do to satisfy their strong need for control over people or situations, aka “control freaks”.

Belfast chronicles the life of a working-class Ulster Protestant family from the perspective of their 9-year-old son Buddy (Jude Hill) during “The Troubles” in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Buddy’s father “Pa” (Jamie Dornan) works overseas in England, while the family—“Ma” (Caitríona Balfe), elder brother Will (Lewis McAskie), and paternal grandparents Granny (Judi Dench) and Pop(Ciarán Hinds)—live in Belfast.

During the August 1969 riots, a group of…

The Power of the Dog is a Western psychological drama written and directed by Jane Campion. It is based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel of the same name. The Power of the Dog is a well-written and directed movie that covers a wide range of emotions like love, grief, resentment, jealousy, and human sexuality to name a few. I had no idea what to expect from this movie, I soon found out it would soon become one of the greats.

The Power of the Dog opens in 1925 Montana as two wealthy ranch-owning brothers Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Burbank (Jesse Plemons) meet widow and inn owner Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst) during a cattle drive. George who is considered kind-hearted is quickly taken with Rose. Phil, who is harsh, volatile, and considered a bully is much influenced by his late mentor Bronco Henry, mocks Rose’s son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee)

Being the Ricardos is a biographical drama written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between the “I Love Lucy” cast of Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, William Frawley, and Vivian Vance. I anticipated the story to be mostly about the relationships between the four actors and a little about their personal lives.  Instead, I was surprised they decided to go with the horrifying McCarthy era of communist accusations against Lucille Ball.  Not a funny situation but a well-written story.  I would rather they had gone with my expectations.

The film is told from three perspectives: interviews with the show’s three lead writers: Jess Oppenheimer (Tony Hale/John Rubinstein), Madelyn Pugh (Alia Shawkat/Linda Lavin), and Bob Carroll Jr. (Jake Lacy/Ronny Cox); flashbacks; and preparations for a live taping in 1953.

In 1939, 28-year-old and single actress, Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) is contracted to RKO Pictures.  Because she…

“You” is a psychological thriller based on the books by Caroline Kepnes, developed by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble, and produced by Alloy Entertainment and A+E Studios in association with Warner Horizon Television, now Warner Bros. Television. 

This series follows a bookstore manager who is also a serial killer. “You” is also a love story that is as strange as it is intriguing.  It’s brilliantly written and in my opinion, one of Netflix’s finest.

SEASON ONE:
The first season, which aired in September of 2018, follows the story of Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a bookstore manager at Mooney’s in New York, who upon meeting Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), an aspiring writer, becomes infatuated with her. He feeds his toxic and obsessive version of love and romance using social media and other technology to track her presence and remove obstacles in the way of their potential romance.

We…