Throwback Thursday: Money Monster (2016)

In our world, currency of any kind is a necessity. Without it, we cannot provide for ourselves and our families. But it also has the power to corrupt.

In the 2016 film, Money Monster, Lee Gates (George Clooney) is the host of a financial television program. The set is hijacked by Kyle Budwell (Jack O’Connell), an irate investor. Lee and his producer, Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts), have a limited amount of time to unravel a conspiracy in front of millions of viewers before it is too late.

Directed by Jodie Foster, this film is fantastic. Roberts and Clooney, as usual, have fantastic chemistry. There is an unspoken knowledge of each other that makes their characters click perfectly as host and producer. Though O’Connell may seem like the typical unhinged antagonist, the motives behind his actions, unfortunately, make sense.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

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Throwback Thursday: Carnage (2011)

One of the things I find fascinating and frustrating as a grownup is that we claim to have the ability to be mature and think things through in an intelligent and reasonable manner. That being said, it is amazing how easy it is to revert back to childish behavior.

The 2011 film, Carnage, is based on the play God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza. After two eleven-year-old boys get into a fight in Brooklyn Bridge Park, their parents meet up to figure out what exactly happened and mend fences. Michael and Penelope Longstreet ( John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster) and Alan and Nancy Cowan (Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet) hope to resolve the problem in an adult and expedient manner. Instead, the conversation devolves into revelations of the character’s flaws as both spouses and parents.

Directed by Roman Polanski, this movie reveals what happens when people stop being polite and start being real (to borrow a quote from The Real World). The most interesting narratives are the ones that reveal our shortcomings as human beings. This one has revelations oozing from the core, asking all of us to look at our own imperfections and be honest about the weaknesses we need to work on.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Throwback Thursday: Freaky Friday (1976 and 2003)

The only way we can truly understand someone else is to walk in their shoes.

In 1976, the movie Freaky Friday was released. In 2003, the reboot hit theaters. When a mother and her teenage daughter switch bodies (Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster in 1976 and Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in 2003) for a day, the only way to return to normal is to see the world as the other sees it.

I like the unique appeal of both films. Besides the comedy of misunderstanding, the narrative comes from a genuine conflict that the mother has no idea what her daughter is going through and visa versa.

Do I recommend them? Yes.