Judy J, CA

            I want to write more about Harley And Katya. Katja Wass a sixteen-year-old skater from Russia was selected to represent Australia. Her father had recently killed himself by jumping off a tall building. Harley was an aboriginal Australian. The fame attention was too much for them. Katy was killed shortly after her 18th birthday. The US passed a law that all Olympic contenders must be at least 18.

            Field of Dreams: I remember seeing the 1989 film and liking it. A farmer in Iowa, whose father was a baseball player, heares voices yelling that if builds a baseball field on his farm, “they will come." The movie is the improbable, but it is an entertaining story of how he does it.

            Bombshell is a biopic about the actress Hedy Lamarr. She was an inventor as well as an actress. One of her inventions made possible computers and the internet.

            Two that I particularly liked are the Last Laugh, and

            Giving Voice follows a handful of the hundreds of high school students participating in a national competition to perform monologues from August Wilson's plays.

 

Carol Mueller

Thanks, Barb. Happy Halloween to you too.

 

R.B.H,C

As always, I enjoyed your Movie Views this morning.  I'll see Oppenheimer one day as it sounds like an amazing biography of one of the most important characters in the 20th Century. I've seen a couple of documentaries and know that during his Berkeley years he lived just a few blocks away on Marin Ave.  You didn't mention Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, but I read that their relationship was vividly portrayed and poignant.

 

Isabel J., CA

I enjoyed reading the October Movie Views.

 

Denny G., F

            Thank you for the October issue - WOW - you had a bunch of contributors this time, didn't you?!  I'm anxious to see Still - I love Michael J. Fox, but don't have Apple TV, boo hoo.  I recently streamed an older movie (And the Band Played On) which I thought was ironic due to the recent news that HIV funding was being cut - dang!  I will get my comments to you later. (Barb's note: I sent her an advanced copy of my review of And the Band Played On.)

            And the Band Played On: 1993 (MAX):  Brava, Barb - you've summed this up perfectly!  This was a movie for television, by the way - fascinating (the research), maddening (the politics) and heartbreaking (the lives lost).  I'm going to add a few more names to that sprawling cast:  Lily Tomlin, Phil Collins, Steve Martin, BD Wong, Charles Martin Smith, David Dukes, Ricard Masur, Swoosie Kurtz.  It's a must see!

            Reptile: 2023 (Netflix):  I thought this crime drama featuring Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Silverstone was pretty good but sluggish.  I especially admired del Toro's character as a dedicated cop regardless of the circumstances.  I also liked the chemistry/bond between del Toro and Silverstone (who played his wife) - there was something very special there.  It's a bit predictable, but I don't think that necessarily took away from the movie.

​

Brooke C., AZ

Re: Dan in Real Life: I find the movie charming too!  And I love the concept of "Plan to be surprised." (Barb’s Note: She mentioned the movie when we saw the Stray Cat production of Gloria, and I sent her our review from the Archives.)

 

Art S., IN

            Went to the Art Cinema theater yesterday with a friend to see the new movie, Nyad, which was about Diana Nyad's attempts to swim the 111 miles from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida, without a shark cage. It's a true story of perseverance and the attitude of never giving up your dream--very inspiring. The two actresses who played the two main characters looked so much like the real people, it was astounding. Nyad, besides being a marathon swimmer with all kinds of awards, has also written books and gives talks, almost like a storyteller, around the world and on TV. Earlier newsreel and TV footage of her is interspersed throughout the movie. Annette Bening played Nyad in her sixties when she made several attempts to swim from Cuba to Fla. and has a great figure, well-toned and muscled. Jodie Foster was excellent as her best friend, and Rhys Ifans as the skipper of the boat that accompanied her was also quite good. They are the only cast with much dialogue. There were hundreds of people who worked on the movie as the credits just kept rolling on forever, especially those who did special effects. Nyad, which is the name Diana took from her stepfather, means "water nymph." There are some scenes showing a teenage Nyad and her coach that were done very well, suggesting that some abuse had occurred but it is not graphic at all. There may be Academy Award nominations for Bening and Foster, but I doubt Bening will get one, as they have skipped over her before, and although you were impressed with the actress's prowess and what she had to do to get in shape to perform in this movie, she never seemed as approachable or as likeable as the real Nyad .