Month: September 2021

Movie of the Week: ‘The Drop’

Jeff Mitchell

“The Drop” (2014) – This small-time mob picture overflows with secrets and a sense of dread, but Tom Hardy’s and Noomi Rapace’s characters bring a blooming and sweet romance amongst the grit and grime of their surroundings. This is James Gandolfini’s last on-screen role, and it is a good one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Directed by: Michael R. Roskam Written by: Dennis Lehane Starring: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, and Matthias Schoenaerts Rated: R Runtime: 106 minutes

‘Belfast’: You might fall in love with Branagh’s love letter to his hometown

Jeff Mitchell

“Belfast” – Aug. 15, 1969.  Apollo 11 landed on the Moon the month before, and a modest music festival called Woodstock kicked off that day in Bethel, New York.  These two landmark events took place 384,000 km and 5,087 km away, respectively, from Buddy (Jude Hill), an inquisitive and lively kid from Belfast, Northern Island.  Well, the said engineering marvel and rock concert might as well be 100,000,000 km away because Buddy’s world is his mom (Caitriona Balfe), dad (Jamie Dornan), brother (Lewis McAskie), granny (Judi Dench), and grandad (Ciaran…

‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ changes perceptions

Jeff Mitchell

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” – Mention Tammy Faye Bakker to anyone who lived through the 1980s.  The first image that comes to mind for many such folks is comedienne Jan Hooks playing her during a 1987 “Saturday Night Live” The Church Lady sketch.  Tammy Faye/Jan begins hysterically crying with mascara pouring down her face after she says, “I put my hands up, and I said, ‘Demonic raisins, I rebuke you!’” Raisins?  If you’ve never heard (or seen a clip) of Tammy Faye Bakker, she and her husband, Jim, ran…