Going to the Movies

I don’t go to the movies very often because my siblings, who go fairly often in the late afternoon or evening to a movie theater close to forty miles away from where I live in an area with lots of businesses and rather heavy traffic. Because I suffer from night blindness, which is not a problem on country roads at night, but business districts have lots of lights and several lanes of traffic going both ways, so I find it rather difficult. Also, if my younger brother is going, most of the movies they see have a lot of bombings, shootings and car wrecks which don’t appeal to me.

The real Newton Knight is on the left.

However, when my sisters Elaine, Suzanne and I were camping in the Catskills in June, Suzanne brought a Mother Jones magazine which told the true story of the real Newton Knight, a poor white farmer, who lived in Mississippi. He was forced into the Civil War and then deserted when he realized he was fighting for the rich plantation owners, who wanted to keep their slaves.  Because we knew a movie Free State of Jones was coming out, we all agreed we wanted to see it when we got home. We went to a late afternoon showing which wasn’t a problem for me because in June it stays light.

Free State of Jones certainly had its scenes of battles and killings, but because it was historical, and I certainly know about that and have seen other Civil War movies, I could deal with it. It wouldn’t be accurate if there weren’t any. Actually, the movie was only partially historical. A lot of things were added by the writers. However, Matthew McConaughey as Knight, who organized free and poor white farmers as well as runaway slaves to fight for their own state, and the woman who played his second, common law wife, the freed slave Rachel, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, kept us from being too upset that it wasn’t always historically accurate or how closely it hewed to what we’d read in the magazine. 

I held my breath many times as the bad guys closed in. When I downloaded pictures for this blog, I saw the actor they chose was a perfect fit for the real Newton Knight. It’s a movie I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Who could be afraid of a giant like this?

The second movie I went to was The BFG, based on the book by Roald Dahl. I actually like children’s movies, but rarely go to them. I saw more of them when I was teaching, especially when I was substituting and the absent music teacher had movies for me to show rather than teach music. Also, when I was teaching I often showed movies that went along with what I was teaching, or a book I’d read to the class, like The House of Dies Drear. Even though I don’t remember reading the Roald Dahl book, I thought I’d enjoy it. So I asked my seven year old great-granddaughter, Ellie, if she’d like to go with me. Of course, she did. I absolutely adored the movie. It was delightful. Ruby Barnhill, played the story’s heroine, Sophie, who lived in an orphanage with a strict matron. She was so perfect in the part. But what I really, really enjoyed was the BFG – big friendly giant.

 

Mark Rylance played him, and I fell in love with him. I have no idea how they made him into such a huge giant – bigger that the tallest trees. I can see how they put false huge ears and nose on him, but I couldn’t figure out how they elongated his neck. I know it’s all done with digital editing, though. What I loved about this character was his sweet smile. How could anyone not love him? He was such a gentle giant. Also, I loved his mixed up words like butterflies becoming “buttery-flies” and so many other words he mixed up. Those large ears of his were able to pick up secret whisperings, whisperings he caught in jars and stored in his cave. I especially enjoyed the scene where he was invited to dine with the queen because through Sophie, she had been warned of the huge evil giants. That scene of him in the huge dining room in the palace dwarfing everything and everyone was so funny.

Did my Ellie enjoy it as much as I did? Well, she fell asleep for a good half of it because she’d been up late the night before at her grandmother’s house, and had to get up early. Still she liked what she saw of it. Or at least she said she did. This was a movie I could watch again.

The third movie I saw this summer was one my two sisters and my sister-in-law Joanne went to on our annual sisters’ day, that Joanne arranges for the combined birthdays of Elaine, Suzanne and me even though it’s not on our actual birthday. She takes us out to lunch and picks up the tab for us as her birthday gift to us. Usually, she has other events planned, too. This year it was a short shopping excursion after lunch and then to a movie theater to see Florence Foster Jenkins, a true story about a socialite, who wanted to sing at Carnegie Hall.

Meryl Streep did an awesome job of playing her. I read somewhere that she had to hire a voice singer to teach her how to sing off key. Hugh Grant did a nice job as her loving husband. Even more I loved the pianist they hired to work with her, Cosme McMoon, played by Simon Helberg. The looks on his face when she started screeching her high notes singing opera, were priceless. We laughed all through the movie. At least until the end we did. I don’t know about my sisters and sister-n-law, but I was teary eyed at the end, but then I do tend to get teary eyed over sad endings.

The real Florence Foster Jenkins and her husband.

So what’s the next movie I’m going to see?  While this blog is posted, I’ll be in California visiting my youngest daughter, Mary. We plan to see Southside with You. I’m pretty sure we’ll both enjoy it because the reviews have been good.  I’ll be able to use her computer to check this blog, for comments unless it’s while we’re camping in Yosemite for a few days. Even then I can go into the archives to read the comments. I’d love to hear what movies you particularly liked.

What movies have you seen and enjoyed?