Month: July 2022

Movie of the Week: ‘I, Tonya’

Jeff Mitchell

“I, Tonya” (2017) – “America.  They want someone to love, but they want someone to hate.” – Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) Twenty-eight years ago, during the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, the most hated person in America was a 23-year-old figure skater.  Tonya Harding.  The American public directed their ire – fueled by a constant media swarm from very reputable and questionable news outlets – at Ms. Harding due to the infamous assault on her main rival Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver) at a Detroit ice rink just one…

Pick ‘Apples’. This eccentric, minimalist dramedy is one of the year’s best films.

Jeff Mitchell

“Apples” – It’s a pandemic!  No, not COVID-19, but without warning, various Greek citizens succumb to mysterious cases of amnesia.  Medical experts can’t pinpoint the transmission methods or the underlying reasons why someone suddenly cannot recall their name, spouse, or home address.  Worse yet, a discernable cure isn’t anywhere in sight, and the condition appears permanent. Thankfully, Athens isn’t under a lockdown, and doctors don’t wear protective attire or squirt frequent dabs of sanitizer when treating their new forgetful patients, but director/co-writer Christos Nikou and co-writer Stavros Raptis don’t exactly…

‘Mr. Malcolm’s List’ checks out. It’s a light, gratifying 19th-century rom-com.

Jeff Mitchell

“Mr. Malcolm’s List” (2022) – It’s 2022, and dating isn’t easy. Millions of single men and women subscribe to dating apps, type their bios in 500 words or less, choose photos, and then attempt to sort through the madness of endless profiles, looking for a date, relationship, or permanent partner.  Hey, this modern-day courtship process sounds convenient.  A godsend.  Not exactly. Everyone throwing their hat into this smartphone or laptop pursuit is presented with the same infinite choices of potential connections.  After a while, the search through the electronic memoirs…