Monday Movie Reviews, Vol. 5--Based On True Life Stories * Spotlight My Health

Here are my Monday Movie Reviews, Vol. 5–Based on true life; my take on some movies I’ve recently watched. I didn’t realize until I started writing my reviews that most of them are based on true life stories, which I tend to like. Let’s get started!

Defiance
Stars: Daniel Craig and Liv Schreiber

Set during WWII, this movie is about the Eastern European Jews slaughtered by the Germans. We find three brothers that escape and flee to the forest that they played in growing up.

Having found their other family members murdered by the Nazi’s, they plot revenge. Along the way, the brothers are joined in the struggle to survive by other Jews that have fled into the same forest for their own survival.

Together for the next several years this run-down, terrified group of people, join together to live in the woods, each helping around the camp for the good of all. The group is led and kept together by the brothers. The risk of being caught is very high, but worth the time of freedom,

This group of people survives for several years through multiple moves, illnesses, and fights with the Nazi’s. This is a movie worth watching to see the perseverance of humans when faced with unbelievable odds. Defiance is based on a true story.

Freedom Writers
Hilary Swank

Freedom Writers is based on a true story of middle school students and one of their teachers.

A brand-new teacher played by Hilary Swank, fresh out of college and full of her ideals, she is given an “at-risk” class that is extremely racially divided and are dubbed “incapable of learning”. All are at each other’s throats due to dislike and distrust of each other. BIG TIME!

They don’t even want to be in the same room without fighting, let alone sit next to each other. All are in gangs; the hostility is always there.

Teacher and students have a very shaky start where the students scuff at everything their teacher tries to do to get through to them. Many other teachers don’t think this class is worth bothering with as they are low-man on the totem-pole and they have the grades to prove it.

Eventually their teacher gets them each a book that is more about what they are “living” which strikes up some interest in the students. She then gives each a notebook to start journaling, which helps her get to know the students better. Both sides start getting through to the other.

Change Begins

The students begin learning respect for others, and even more importantly, respect for themselves. These students turn themselves around, bring their grades up and eventually begin leaving their gangs and go on to further their education after high school, but it’s not an easy road.

While this movie line may sound familiar, it still hits a one/two punch for inspiration. It’s a good family movie, although frustrating at times, because you want to grab hold of some students and give them a good shake…..lol.

Many lessons in this true story for the young adults, but also reminders for the parents. It’s a feel-good movie that just might bring a tear or two to your eyes.

American Made

Tom Cruise plays the lead role in this movie and it’s nothing like his movie Top Gun. This movie is about Barry Seal, an ex TWA pilot, the drug trade in the beginning to middle ‘80’s and America’s part in the whole sordid mess.

American Made is such a fast-paced movie, that I could barely keep up with the people that come and go throughout this movie. Maybe you will have better luck than I did.

While Mr. Seal starts out as the only pilot for Central American cartels to fly drugs to the US and guns back; he soon needs to hire many more pilots and is raking in the money at a ridculous pace.

It’s then the CIA begins to notice and recruits him to continuing do his runs, but for them, the Magellan cartel and Reagan White House. Remember the “contra” and Ollie North hearings……….this is somewhat how it went down. Plenty of alleged government deception and corruption. Kinda sounds like 2020 to me.

This movie is worth one watch, on a day you have absolutely nothing else to do, but I know I won’t watch it again.

Bombshell
Starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie.

Charlize plays Megyn Kelly and Nicole Kidman plays Gretchen Carlson.

Bombshell is about three, smart, strong and ambitious woman, who want to take down Roger Ailes, played by John Lithgow. Who is Roger Ailes and why do they want to take him down? Remember the “good ole boys” club of years ago? Well, it’s still alive and kicking.

Mr. Ailes may have single-handedly put Fox News on the map, but to the detriment of who? Why the women, of course. They risked their careers to bring him down—definitely an underdog facing Goliath kinda thing. But, unfortunately, too true.

These three women dared to expose the rampant culture of sexual harassment that was the norm for so long at Fox News, with Mr. Ailes being the head culprit.

In the summer of 2016, Gretchen finally comes forward and brings a lawsuit against the CEO of Fox with more women eventually telling their stories.

The tension steadily builds with this movie, keeps you interested and amazed that this is still going on in the workplace today. (Weinstein anyone?) There’s lots of sexual innuendo in this movie, so may not be appropriate for a younger audience.

Rebels On Pointe
Stars: Les Ballets Trockader de Monte Carlo

I have to say that I totally enjoyed this movie. A true story that looks into the history of Les Ballets Trockader de Monte Carlo, which is an all-male drag ballet company. The troupe was started over 40 years ago, putting this ballet group years ahead of its time.

At first this ballet troupe of men ran into many hardships, but perservered and became international sensations. I would absolutely love to see them. They do not present the usual ballet that we all think of when we think “ballet”. Instead, the “Trocks” as they are referred to, present their take on ballet in a humorous way that still allows the audience to see their ballet talent.

This group of men consider themselves family, and you quickly want to be included in the family. We get to see how the troupe got started and through to current times. They include us in their daily routines, see the lives of several of the dancers and what it takes to perform in this troupe.

You can catch some of their dances on YouTube, but if you want to know the how, why, when, and where, you will definitely want to watch Rebels on Pointe in its entirety!

I want to include one last movie I’ve recently watched, although it’s not a true story. I watched this movie by myself and then, again a day or two later, with my family; it tickled my funny bone and hope it does your too.

My Spy
Stars: Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman and Kristen Schaal

Dave Bautista surprised me in this movie, as he seems to have some comedic timing going on that I found quite funny. He plays an ex-ranger, who has recently become an operative for the CIA.

He is joined up with Kristen Schaal to do surveillance on a mother and daughter who seems to be associated with the bad guy the CIA is searching for. The two set-up in the same building as Sophie (little girl) and her Mom.

JJ (Bautista) and his partner go into Sophie’s apartment and plant cameras and listening devices throughout. What they didn’t account for is their feisty little dog, who finds one of the cameras and takes it to Sophie. The smart little girl backtracks the device and locates the two spies.

Next comes the bribing of JJ, by Sophie, to teach her how to be a spy. This quickly becomes a battle of wits between the two, and Sophie seems to have complete control of the big guy. This is a lightweight, very enjoyable movie that the entire family can watch together.

These are the movies I’ve watched over the last several weeks. I enjoyed them and hope you do to. Let me know what you think; did you like them or may not?