Veron The Reviewer

Downsizing  is a science fiction drama starring Matt Damon, Hong Chau, and Christoph Waltz. The film centers on the fictional concept of downsizing: using experimental techniques to shrink a human down to 5 inches tall. Starring Matt Damon as everyman Paul Safranek, Hong Chau as downsized Vietnamese activist Ngoc Lan Tran, and Christoph Waltz as Dusan Mirkovic, a well-connected downsized businessman, the film explores social issues in the context of the world of the shrunken-down people, such as poverty, discrimination, wealth disparity, and immigration rights. The plot revolves around Paul and his experiences after downsizing. Paul and his wife Audrey decide to downsize to make the most of their meager savings, since downsized people are able to get more value for their money. Audrey ultimately abandons Paul and refuses to go through with downsizing, which Paul only finds out after the fact. This leads Paul to try to make a new life for himself in Leisureland, a city for the downs...

Penguin Bloom  is a drama film starring Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln. Watts plays Sam Bloom, a avid sportswoman who leans onto an unstable railing while on vacation in Thailand, causing her to fall over the railing and break part of her spine. Sam is therefore unable to move her legs after this, and the film chronicles her struggles to stay optimistic in the face of the tragedy and her fragile relationships with her husband and children, but she begins to regain some hope when the eponymous Penguin Bloom, a wounded Australian magpie found by the children, becomes a constant companion in the house and Sam grows to care for it. The plot is simple motivational "based on a true story" fare, with the arrival of wounded animal serving as the catalyst for embracing changes in life and overcoming adversity. It's not a bad thing, since these types of stories can be genuinely good. This one, however, seems rather mediocre, as the simple story blatantly tugs at the heartstrings to...

Godless  is a Western drama series. It stars Jack O'Connell, Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy, Merritt Wever, and Jeff Daniels. Jack O'Connell plays outlaw Roy Goode who stumbles into the mining town of La Belle. Michelle Dockery plays Alice Fletcher, a widowed rancher living on the outskirts of the town; Scoot McNairy plays Sheriff Bill McNue, the burdened lawman doing his best to enforce the law in La Belle; and Merritt Wever plays Mary-Agnes McNue, Bill's sister and the de-facto mayor of the town. Jeff Daniels plays villainous gang leader Frank Griffin, who seeks only to hunt down Roy and get revenge for Roy's abandonment of his gang. The plot is simple, being more of a slow-burn build-up of relationships up to the climactic final confrontation, much like 11.22.63 , another period drama I previously reviewed. Roy spends most of his time helping to raise Alice's son and manage Alice's horses, doubtlessly hoping to rest and escape from his outlaw past. Bill spen...

11.22.63  is a science-fiction thriller drama series starring James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay, and Daniel Webber, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. The story centers on Jake Epping (Franco), an English teacher who discovers a portal to the past, specifically to a day in 1960. His friend Al (Chris Cooper), who previously used the time portal multiple times and is now dying of cancer, tells Jake to go back to 1960 and attempt to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald (Webber). This begins Jake's journey into the past, attempting to find out if Oswald had any assistance his scheme, and to ultimately stop him from carrying out the killing. The story is suitably tense and thrilling, and while a lot of sequences seem to be utterly divorced from the main storyline of stopping the assassination and some drag on for a little too long, they serve as a fascinating exploration of the 60s, provide interesting side-plots for more thrills, and t...

The Flight Attendant is a thriller comedy-drama series starring Kaley Cuoco, Michiel Huisman, Zosia Mamet, Rosie Perez, and Michelle Gomez, among others. It is based on the novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. Its story concerns the misadventures of hedonistic and alcoholic flight attendant Cassie Bowden as she desperately tries to solve an increasingly complex mystery while the authorities and her past catch up with her. The plot was twist-filled and had an abundance of thrilling moments. It was also a fascinating study of someone like Cassie, dealing with a lot of baggage and trauma by losing herself in alcohol and other hollow indulgences. The story featured assassins, corporate espionage, murder, betrayal, and a bevy of personal secrets. There are a few concurrent plot lines running, and most of them (except one) basically tie back to the central mystery Cassie must solve or are extensions of Cassie's interpersonal conflicts with the people around her, making the story ti...

The Edge Of Seventeen  is a 2016 comedy-drama film starring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, and Kyra Sedgwick. The film focuses on troubled seventeen-year-old teenager Nadine (Steinfeld) as she grapples with the growing relationship between her best friend Krista and her brother Darian, dealing with the fears of her friend "abandoning" her for her brother and navigating through the lingering trauma of her father's death. The film shows an honest, raw examination of what it means to truly grow up. Throughout the entire film, Nadine presents a sarcastic facade to everyone and behaves in rather self-centered ways. We can understand that she is likely still reeling from the death of her father, and her mother is distant, while her brother is too wrapped up in shouldering responsibility in domestic life to really put up with her. Everyone gave great performances, especially Hailee Steinfeld, almost effortlessly juggling the shifts between her snarky exterior and her more vu...

Pieces Of A Woman  is a drama film directed by Kornél Mundruczó and written by Kata Wéber. It stars Vanessa Kirby as Martha, Shia LaBeouf as Martha's partner Sean, and Ellen Burstyn as Elizabeth, Martha's mother. It is a deeply affecting and emotionally intense drama centered around the aftermath of the tragic stillbirth of Martha and Sean's daughter. The at-times heart wrenching and doubtlessly sincere performances from everyone involved are what make the film so great. The cinematography, especially in the opening act, feels intimate, as if you were peering into the lives of the characters as they navigate the uncomfortable fallout from the inciting incident, all the way to the sad-yet hopeful finale. The acting is impeccable. Vanessa Kirby, best known for being Princess Margaret in the first 2 seasons of The Crown , delivers what is probably the best performance of her career, especially in the standout sequence near the beginning of the film where Martha begins to go in...