SEARCH THIS BLOG

Monday, January 14, 2019

"On the Basis of Sex"


“The word ‘woman’ does not appear even once in the U.S. Constitution,” a judge tells Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  “Nor does the word ‘freedom,’ Your Honor,” she replies.

Director Mimi Leder opens the film with a classic contrast of a scene, a lone woman marches and steps into the esteemed institution among a sea of men in suits.  In 1959, bright-eyed Ruth (Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”) is one of the nine women admitted to Harvard Law School.  Her husband, cordial Marty (Armie Hammer, “The Man for U.N.C.L.E.”), is a second-year student.  When he is stricken with cancer, Ruth steps up by attending his classes in addition to hers, and caring for him and their toddler, Jane.

The film depicts the incomprehensible discrimination that women endured at that time.  From the moment of the dean's dinner where female students are asked why they think they're worthy in place of a worthier man, ignored in class or not taken seriously by their peers or superiors, rejected by law firms for sexist reasons even after graduating the top of the class from Harvard and Columbia, taking a backseat to men in career and social circles. Women are expected to stay home and men to go to work.  If women choose to work, they can only be secretaries, teachers or nurses.  It's just a natural order of things.

Ruth ends up teaching about sex discrimination at a university whereas Marty is on a fast track to become the youngest partner of a major firm specializing in tax laws.  The relationship between Ruth and Marty is illustrated wonderfully.  Marty is admirably supportive and progressive. Their marriage is a truly egalitarian in all aspects of life – education, career, household chores, childcare and parenting – serving as role models for their growing kids, Jane and James (Callum Shoniker).  It's no surprise that, Jane (Cailee Spaeny), now in her teens, grows up to be fearless and foward-looking.

Ruth and Marty jointly take a pro-bono case about a man, Charles Moritz (Chris Mulkey), who is denied by the tax courts caregiver deductions.  He is an unmarried man paying for a nurse to care for her ailing mother at home. Caregiver deductions are handily given to women, widowers or men whose wives are incapacitated because women are presumed to be caretakers.  In an era where discrimination on the basis of sex is legal, this case has a transformational potential to topple the systemically discriminatory legal system and open the doors to gender equality.

Ruth makes an alliance with the head of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Mel Wulf  (Justin Theroux), convincing him to add ACLU's name to the legal brief, essentially backing it.  While being undermined at every turn by various parties, Ruth is undaunted.  Constant challenges and setbacks do not deter her from moving forward with conviction, even as she's not without doubt.  Armed with a brilliant legal mind and passion for doing what's right, she is an epitome of resilience, persistence and determination.  Jones turns in a formidable performance.

When the government responds with a brief that lists all the federal laws that discriminate against women, the plan is to focus on winning this one case, and then tackle these laws one by one.  Far easier than done when the law is not on your side.  Asking judges to enforce or uphold the law is not the same as making or changing it.  This case could set a legal precedent and result in a far-reaching impact that would touch generations to come.

The courtroom showdown is one of the best aspects of the film.  Dramatic oral arguments against ticking timers.  Plan to deflect probing questions and redirect into the tax deduction aspect for one man derails, Ruth doesn't yield.  When backed into a silent corner, she stands up and turns it into an impassioned speech about radical social change that resonates.  Times are changing.  In order for the country's culture and lives to change for the better, the laws have to change first.  With her utterly compelling closing argument, soft-spoken Ruth sets the future on a different course and leaves a lasting legacy towards equal rights.

Glass-shaterring figure Associate Supreme Court of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn't get nicknamed 'Notorious RBG' overnight.  “On the Basis of Sex” is one poignant, remarkable story on how it all began.  Full of fascinating insights, it is trailblazingly engaging and inspiring.

https://www.sdentertainer.com/movies/movie-review-on-the-basis-of-sex/

DVD: https://amzn.to/2w2EW2p
Blu-ray: https://amzn.to/2YzJREd
Video: https://amzn.to/2EflYKu
Book: https://amzn.to/2JHyvcZ

Sunday, January 6, 2019

"Escape Room"


It's no surprise that Hollywood would turn a popular interactive game, escape room, into a movie.  In real life, you pay to be locked in a room with several people and spend an hour to discover and decipher riddles and puzzles that would ultimately let you out.  If you aren't able to solve them, well, you still get out safely when the time is up.

In "Escape Room," six strangers receives a sleek black box, each containing an intriguing invitation to participate in an escape room activity with a prize of $10,000 for the winner.  They are timid physics college student Zoey (Taylor Russell), nerdy gamer Danny (Nik Dodani), hotshot businessman Jason (Jay Ellis), former miner-turned-trucker Mike (Tyler Labine), scarred war veteran Amanda (Deborah Ann Woll) and stuck-in-a-rut warehouse worker Ben (Logan Miller).

While these people seemingly have nothing in common, eventually they find that they are chosen because of something in their past that makes them who they are.  The mysterious game master seems to know the smallest details of their lives and tailor the game specifically for them.

The game begins before any of the participants realizes as they sit in the waiting room.  After the initial denial that this is real and that they are trapped, they realize they have no choice but banding together and figuring out the hidden signs and personal clues in order to survive the death traps – from being baked alive in an oven-heated waiting area, submerged in a frozen forested lake, falling down an elevator shaft in an upside down bar, poisoned to death in a hospital triage, hallucinating in a trippy room, to crushed into pieces in a study room.  Then there's also a suspicion whether the game master is one of them.

The interconnected sets are creatively designed and challenges tricky, packed with paranoia and terror.  The participants come up fatally short in each room since the game is rigged to ensure zero survival.  Every passing moment, every death rattles the survivors more and more.  The question is who would do this and why. The ending makes it clear that there's a larger entity at work and sets up for an even more preposterous sequel.

If you could believe in the total impossibility of the execution, you'll enjoy this tension-filled ride.  There is no escaping in "Escape Room."  This psychological horror thriller will keep you thrilled and at the edge-of-your seat.

https://www.sdentertainer.com/movies/movie-review-escape-room/

DVD: https://amzn.to/2Q7U0ot
Blu-Ray: https://amzn.to/2YxWD5U
Video: https://amzn.to/2w1ofnT

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Upcoming Movies: September 2019


[Originally posted on 08/25/19]

September 6
"It Chapter Two" - 27 years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.

"A Night Hunter" - A weathered Lieutenant, his police force, and a local vigilante are all caught up in a dangerous scheme involving a recently arrested, troubled man who's linked to years of female abductions and murders.

September 13
"The Goldfinch" (https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/goldfinch/) - A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"Hustlers" - Inspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.

September 20
"Ad Astra" (https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/ad-astra) - An astronaut travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. He uncovers secrets which challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.

"Rambo: Last Blood" (https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/rambo-last-blood) - Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission.

September 27
"21 Bridges" - A disgraced detective in the NYPD is given a shot at redemption.

"The Hunt" - Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are, or how they got there. They don't know they've been chosen - for a very specific purpose.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019