Reviews

When watching "Conversations with Friends" I read that it was written & directed by the same team as "Normal People." I enjoyed "Conversations..." so decided to give a look at this one. I saw a trailer which showed the two main characters, but really had no clue about the plot or anything else in this piece. Little did I know that I was in for an amazing viewing experience!

From the very first episode I was captivated by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal. These two actors immediately made me care about their characters, Marianne and Connell, and their tentative relationship . I am delighted that the series is streaming, because I binge-watched several episodes right away, finished them shortly thereafter, and since have watched it again...twice!

When re-watching, it became even more clear that these two lovers came into the relationship with baggage. Marianne lived in an unhappy, unsupportive family environment. Connell's home life was nurturing, however, he suffered from anxiety and self doubt.

The journey through these challenges into maturity and personal insight is fraught with missteps; misunderstandings, assumptions, and egocentric thinking. Both Marianne and Connell are drawn to each other, yet both are unable to fully commit to a mature relationship due to their own underlying issues. Their deep, inexplicable connection to each other weathers storms, drought, insults, and injuries, yet never dies.

This is a story of love, and how it can survive and even flourish over time, despite the frailties and faults of our wounded selves.

Direction, musical score and songs, and editing are all first rate. The supporting cast is excellent. Camera work is amazing. The use of extreme close ups, so important to the emotional intensity of the story, is beautifully executed.

I cannot say enough about Ms. Edgar-Jones and Mr. Mescal. Their chemistry is palpable. But it is their individual talent that makes their characters spring to life and capture our hearts. Special recognition to Paul Mescal, who bravely bares Connell's soul to us, with intensity and sensitivity seldom experienced on the screen.

I am looking forward to more exemplary work from Mr. Mescal on the screen.

I have heard the cast members, director, and other production team members rave about Ms. Rooney's novels. I am so glad her books were adapted for the screen, and that I got to see them!

This is a film shot much like "28 Hotel Rooms", centered on two characters meeting in a hotel room for the express purpose of sex. But that is where the similarity ends. Here, the character of Nancy, a widowed retired teacher, has actually hired a sex worker, Leo Grande, to provide sexual fulfillment, something she has never experienced in her 63 years. The ensuing meetings bring these two strangers through a journey of revelations, each to the other, and especially to themselves. Each has their own agenda. Throughout the film we find out who they are, what their lives have been, and why they are now in this place at this time, for this purpose..

The script is excellent. There is humor and pathos and surprises as we witness their dialogue, tentative at first, then more honest, more revealing, more intimate as their meetings continue.

Daryl McCormack's performance is enthralling in its depth and subtlety as Leo is drawn to his client's search for self satisfaction and the pleasure she has never had Emma Thompson is astonishing as a woman fighting against her self- imposed restrictions, to allow herself the experience of a sexually fulfilling encounter. This is a courageous performance, rife with unvarnished honesty and self-exposure.

I was riveted to these characters, to their respective journeys, to their secrets and their hidden agendas.

I was deeply touched by this film...the script, the direction, the amazing performances. I will definitely watch this again.

Claire Denis once again delivers a film of nuance, sensuality, secrecy. We are treated to excellent performances by Ms. Qualley, & Mr. Alwyn. Supporting roles by Mr. Romano, Mr. Ramirez, & Mr. Safdie contribute well. This world is one of heat, sweat, ruins.

Our protagonists are desperate people. There is subterfuge. There is danger. There's sex. There are secrets. There's heat, in the air and in their touch.

Qualley is riveting. She's on the move. Desperation emanates from her skin. Her glib retorts belie the fear darting from her wide eyes. She is relentless in her ability to look for allies.

Alwyn is at first slow, measured, calm. Later, there's anxiety building within his edifice of control. He is abandoned. He is left.

These are two people caught up in circumstances beyond their control. Each has lost their moorings. Needing each other, yet hesitant to fully trust. They are in their own singular world for which they are ill equipped & poorly prepared.

Sex brings comfort; momentary perhaps, yet with a sense of intimacy and security. They are thrown together on the run.

Denis creates a milieu of darkness, where one cannot see well. Then there cracks letting streaks of light in. Could it be love?

There is a humor that is singularly Irish; sometimes dark, always a little "off" from the obvious narrative humor that is American. Acting by this stellar cast is superior across the board. Cinematography of the natural Emerald Isle landscape is magical. Of course, lilting Irish music playing throughout gives a heartwarming glow to it all.

And then there's the story. A story of rural life, of generations, of disappointment and redemption, of dreams denied and those fulfilled. It's a simple story, in the end, albeit rambling, turning, stopping an starting in the telling. A very Irish story. An emerald jewel of a story. This is worth your time and emotional investment.

This is a story that creeps up on you in the first episode, slowly wraps itself around you by the 2nd and 3rd episodes, and then keeps you tightly in its grasp throughout. Marvelous character portrayals by Mr. Spencer and Ms. Blunt captivate and infiltrate your heart, making you a confederate to their steadily growing affection, from curiosity and convenience, to respect and reliance, all the way through to love and devotion.

Set in the post civil war west, a vast land of beauty and vitality, that can turn quickly and without warning into a deadly abyss , devoid of any consideration for life.

The men and women of this place and time , with spare exceptions, are hard and deceitful, heartless and brutal, eager to violate all principles, values and laws to increase their chances at climbing above the fray.

Our travelers are met by hardships and obstacles, mostly man-made, as they journey to distant destinations with dreams of retribution and recompense.

The voices of these two migrant souls bring us the words of their poetry, their yearning, their deep and genuine grief. The honesty, passion, and spiritual truth of these words are at once magnificent and full of sorrow. I don't know who could experience journeying with these two searching souls and not shed some tears for them and ourselves.

Peter Facinelli wrote a terrific screenplay here. This is a fast-paced, action packed, wise cracking, romantic crime caper that keeps you rooting for the "bad guy." New York City is utilized to its best advantage here. Tried-&-true metropolis pros lend their talents. Guys like Joe Pantoliano, Michael Madsen, Vincent Gallo, and more, rounding out a terrific cast Jaimie Alexander is perfectly cast in a pivotal role, presenting our boy with a dilemma of conscience, all the while sensing something redeemable, even worthwhile, in our pickpocket protagonist.

Mr. Facinelli's smart & snappy dialog is spot-on for this NYC jaunt loaded with criminals, cops, city streets, cigarettes, and cool.

If you want to watch a movie made for popcorn, that flies by in the blink of an eye, this is the one.

Watching Joel Edgerton bring Narvel Roth to life in this character-driven story of a man's pursuit of humanity and redemption is a riveting journey.

Narvel is a master gardener, meticulously managing his life and his gardens, orderly, predictably, consistently.

The chaos of his former life of crime returns through a young woman, his employer's niece, who brings Narvel's past life of crime to the present, as his orderly existence crumbles around him.

Edgerton is masterful, bringing us into Narvel's journey with the cool, quiet, reluctant moves of a cautious man edging his way out of his self imposed solitude, through the mayhem of his former life, and out the other side - more content, open, and reaching out to love and acceptance.

Although halting and wayward at times, this story is compelling, leading us into Narvel's soulful search for a life worth the trouble.

This is a sensitive journey into the sadness of war and the anguish of those who remain when a soldier dies. Foster and Harrelson are two soldiers tasked with notifying the NOK (next of kin) upon a death in the field of battle. Harrelson's Tony Stone, a career Marine, is breaking in the newly assigned Will (Foster), just out of rehab after severe war wounds. Their relationship is the basis of the story. Tony is a career Marine, tough & disciplined, covering deep-seated guilt and grief. Foster's Will is initially displeased, even resentful, of his assignment. We accompany these men on their mission, as they knock on doors to homes they are about to upend, even shatter, with their scripted speech.

Morton's Olivia, a recipient of the awful news, is at once accepting and apologetic. Will's sympathy is open bare. He is, at first unknowingly but assuredly, smitten.

These performances, without a misstep or a fault, are remarkable and memorable. This is a tale of woe. This is a story of the cruelty of war, the redemption of friendship, the restoration of love.

I first saw this film several years ago. I have never forgotten those characters; their pain, their struggles, their humanity.

This is what excellent film making is.

This film walks the line between being warm, touching and heartfelt without resorting to maudlin sentimentality.

Cromwell and Bujold deliver extraordinary performances as an ageing couple grappling with the unfair, unwanted realities of the onset of dementia and the subsequent loss of independence.

Cromwell's Craig Morrison takes center stage throughout most of the story, as he fights the local housing authority while building a new house for his beloved wife and himself.

Bujold's Irene fights against the insidious, unrelenting disease of dementia, as she tries with all her might and will to continue living life as she has always done. Although she cannot win the war, she manages to continue her daily life, with her husband's help...for a time.

Writing, direction, and acting are awe inspiring. Cromwell's performance is indelible as the fiercely independent, stubborn husband. Bujold's Irene goes straight to the heart, as she matches her husband's independent spirit in her own struggle.

I came across this film by accident. It turned out to be a very happy accident, and I am grateful for it. This is a grownup movie. Youthful viewers may not be patient or aged enough to appreciate this story, but those of us who can envision growing old are in for a wonderful film experience.

This film drew me in with the excellent acting by the cast, especially Nicholas Hoult, Kristen Stewart, and Guy Pearce. The tight, close camera work brought the emotional journey of both lead characters up front and intense. The emergence of fraught feelings was revealed primarily in quiet, subtle measures of eyes and faces, rather than dialogue. It didn't take long for me to be riveted.

A fragile, soft musical score augmented the quiet control of the dystopian society and their emotionless mandate.

This is a vastly underrated film. Viewers just need to be a little patient, and let the intensity build. Stewart brings her remarkable immediacy of emotion here, definitely worth the watch.

First of all, Jack O'Connell is wonderful! Emma Corrin is quite good. Matthew Duckett is excellent. The supporting cast is notable. Editing, music, cinematography... all well done. Sound occasionally not quite clear enough. I'm impressed by the explicit nature of the sex scenes. Both actors, especially Mr. O'Connell, carry them off beautifully, with unabashed lust & longing. None of it looks artsy or contrived, which is a relief. I have no issue with the nudity, as it occurs naturally within the story. I do agree that the emotional side of Connie & Oliver's affair is given somewhat short shrift. We don't see tangible emotional intimacy until near the end of the film.

Connie is frivolous, flirty, and superficial in the beginning. Faced with a disabled husband, the shocking prospect of a sexless marriage, and the realization that her value is as personal caretaker and breeding mare she seeks solace and gratification with the gamekeeper.

Oliver is lonely, scarred by war and his wife's infidelity and desertion. He is handsome, muscular, intrinsically masculine, and lives on the estate....the perfect sexual fling for Connie! Not much time is spent on their burgeoning love, which is the film's most noticeable shortcoming.

Oliver is the best of the characters in this love story. Clifford, the husband, is the most pathetic. Connie is the most changed.