Category: Movie of the Week

Movie of the Week: ‘Notes on a Scandal’

Jeff Mitchell

“Notes on a Scandal” (2006) – “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.” – Sun Tzu Barbara (Judi Dench) is history teacher at a London high school, and she’s been in the classroom for decades and nearing retirement.  It couldn’t come quick enough, as her patience is as thin as Timothee Chalamet on a hunger strike.  Never married and a social loner, Barbara is unhappy, but her mood turns when Sheba (Cate Blanchett) – a beautiful, tall, and cultured 30-something – arrives on campus to teach art.  Since Sheba…

Movie of the Week: ‘Sea of Love’

Jeff Mitchell

“Sea of Love” (1989) – New York City Police Detective Frank Keller (Pacino) reaches 20 years on the force, and his colleagues start whispering, “Retirement.”  Hey, let’s face it, no one murmurs in NYC, so yes, he hears their calls.  Walking away with his pension has its appeals, but Frank’s a homicide detective through and through.  He has no plans to open a B&B in Clearwater Beach because solving murder cases is his life’s work, and he’ll have to roll up his sleeves for this puzzling new one. In director…

Movie of the Week: ‘Brooklyn’

Jeff Mitchell

“Brooklyn” (2015) – Saoirse Ronan shines in a beautifully-filmed movie about a young Irish woman starting a new life in the bustling streets of New York City while struggling with the emotional pulls of home in County Wexford.  Along with Eilis’ (Ronan) homesickness, writer Nick Hornby pens several amusing and warm moments with her boarding housemates and a new love interest, and with the film’s throwback vibe to pictures of yesterdecade, “Brooklyn” is the most graceful and lovely cinematic experience of 2015. “Brooklyn” was nominated for three Oscars: Best Picture,…