Year: 2020

The troubling drama ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ always hits the mark

Jeff Mitchell

“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” –  Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) is in trouble. She’s the oldest, 17, in a working-class family with younger siblings, her mother (Sharon Van Etten) and an aloof, frosty stepfather (Ryan Eggold), and this troubled teen often feels overlooked.  Ignored.  Her mom’s semi-disregard for Autumn is not out of malice, but with other kids to tend to, her eldest – in a pinch, when such time-squeezes may appear in bunches – can fend for herself. So, this reserved, unsure-of-herself teenager tolerates her way through her small town in…

Oscar-nominated ‘Corpus Christi’ spins an inspirational tale and a tense countdown

Jeff Mitchell

“Corpus Christi” – “No seminary accepts convicts like you.” – Father Tomasz (Lukasz Simlat) “Doesn’t matter where you’re coming from.  All that matters is where you are going.” – Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia) Daniel (Bielenia) doesn’t wish to think about his previous travels. This slight, young Polish man – with glittery sapphire eyes and an impish crewcut – has crashed into life’s dead ends and incessantly circled in nowhere cul-de-sacs.  He actually resembles an Eastern Bloc version of Scottish hooligan Renton (Ewan McGregor) from “Trainspotting” (1996), but sans any mates to…

Just Because Wednesday, Movies at Home: The “Fifty Shades” series

Jeff Mitchell

Just Because Wednesday features our favorite films, and this Wednesday is no exception.  Well, a little exception, because we aren’t highlighting one movie, but an entire series! The “Fifty Shades” series – “Fifty Shades of Grey” (2015), “Fifty Shades Darker” (2017) and “Fifty Shades Freed” (2018) – is the very best film adaptation in Hollywood history!  Yes, please step aside “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962), “The Godfather” (1972), the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and “The Shining” (1980).  Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson have perfectly brought billionaire playboy Christian Grey…