Three sentence movie reviews: Selma

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I was bracing myself for violence as depicted in Twelve Years a Slave, and was relieved that this movie’s violence was not on that level.  But the violence shown was horrible.*  Very good performances by all and completely worth watching.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

*I kept thinking how the police officers on the bridge who attacked the marchers had to go home and eat their dinner.  And what did they have to say about their day?  And what do their now-grown children say about their father’s actions during the Civil Rights Movement.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/intl/uk/2014/selma.html
(A comment on the poster noted that on the four-color poster, Dr. King’s neck had been slimmed down.  I looked and it was true.  See for yourself. Another comment supposed that this had to do with this being the British version of the poster, and Brits being more familiar with actor David Oyelowo than Martin Luther King.  To that I say, “hmmmm.”)selma_ver2

Three sentence movie reviews: Love and Basketball

love_and_basketball_ver2

I’ve seen this before,* and remembered loving it; and I’m happy to report that despite the passage of 16 years, this movie is still as fresh and as enjoyable as it was at the turn of the millennium. Partially this is due to Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ability to write and film a love story, and partially because Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps go above and beyond their acting duties and infuse their characters with so many levels of humanity, you can’t help falling in love with them yourself.** Overall, I think it’s a travesty that Prince-Bythewood isn’t directing a feature film every couple of years or so.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

*In 2000, when I was in Lincoln, NE for a wedding and borrowed a bike so I could ride to the theater.
**I do have some problems with the “forth quarter” of the movie, but those quibbles are not for the three sentence movie review.

If you are in the mood for a longer review, I think Roger Ebert makes some good points about the kind of “sports film” this is.  Reading it, I’m reminded of how I miss his reviews.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2000/love_and_basketball_ver2.html