Author: Lucy

To start out with, I do not like political movies, or tv shows, or Law and Order, or anything of that genre. However, this movie was so much more than just a political trial between the United States and its dissatisfied people, it was an inspiration. The movie follows a trial between the US government and the leaders of 7 different protest groups who were at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968 and engaged in violence with the police. The 7 defendants were charged with conspiracy (among other charges) between their groups that they went to the convention with the intention of causing violence, when in actuality they meant to protest peacefully.

First, the movie did require some background knowledge that I did not have, and I had to look up a bit about that time period and the people in the movie including political leaders and some unfamiliar jargon. So I would say the movie was not one hundred percent accessible to someone who is learning the history of the Vietnam protests for the first time through this movie. I also thought the pace of the storyline at the beginning was a bit fast, as they sped through the process of how the trial actually came to be and I was definitely confused right when the trial started about what exactly was going on.

Those critiques aside, everything else about the movie was just amazing. I could not believe it was a true story, and when looking up some facts afterward I found out that most of it is true, especially the courtroom difficulties with the judge. The cast was also absolutely stacked, and they played so well off of each other, especially Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen. I also really enjoyed the humor that Sacha Baron Cohen and Jeremy Strong brought to an otherwise very grim and serious plot line.

I really admired the style of how the movie transitioned between the present trial and its goings-on with the actual protests that had happened. Someone in the cast would say a specific sentence, or start describing something, and the audience was transported back in time to that event happening. They also mixed in what I think was actual footage from the protests with the movie version, which made it feel even more realistic and heart-wrenching when the protesters were being beat up by the police. It was actually a bit unnerving, because a lot of the protests and police brutality were similar to what is happening today and the protests that began this summer. I find it kind of depressing that 50 years later, we have to fight the same way to try and get our government to listen to us.

Overall, I would highly recommend this movie, for lovers of political drama and for those who just want to know more about our past. The movie is available on Netflix, and I think it is a great watch because of how relevant it is, with protests still going on over the Black Lives Matter Movement and other political issues today.

RBG is a documentary honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s live and legacy in the justice system. It follows her from being a Supreme Court Judge through her life and her unprecedented popularity as a pop culture icon. Magnolia Pictures is offering it in their virtual cinema for just $7.00, and the proceeds all go to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation in support of their Women’s Right’s Project. Ginsberg actually was one of the project’s co-founders back in 1972. The $7.00 includes both the purchase of the film (not rented) and a long-form Q and A session with the award-winning directors of the documentary, Betsy West and Julie Cohen, which was filmed earlier this summer. I am excited for this film because I think it is a great way to honor the passing of RBG earlier this year, and I think it will be a great documentary as well!

You can purchase the film to watch here: https://magnoliapictures.vhx.tv/checkout/rbg-michigan-theater/purchase?purchase=1

Sacha Baron Cohen has done it again! Almost. If I had not seen the first Borat, I would have said that this move was just phenomenal. However, my roommates and I decided to watch the first movie after we finished the second, and I had forgotten how hilarious it was.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm follows a Kazakhstanian reporter who must redeem his transgressions from the last movie (where he mostly just embarrassed his country) by bringing a gift to some of Trump’s closest supporters in order to gain his favor and put Kazakhstan on the in with the world’s most powerful leaders. When his original plan does not work out, he must try and offer his own daughter as this gift.

The Borat in this film seemed to have a lot more heart (and a more cohesive storyline) than the original. We actually do see some genuine moments between him and his daughter, and the movie is less focused on Borat’s shenanigans and more on following a plot line. I liked this aspect, however it felt much less like a mockumentary as it did an actual movie, and that was not exactly what I had sat down expecting to watch.

I did particularly enjoy the role of his daughter, and I would say that she was possibly as funny if not funnier than Sacha Baron Cohen. The two of them worked well together and had great chemistry when improvising the different scenes, and I liked how she made him seem more human. I also thought she did some great and hilarious acting on her own as well, and it was nice to have more of a variety of scenes than just Borat making a fool of himself. She had a nice character arc, and I do think she brought the movie up from being just average to pretty good, because another movie of just Borat may have seemed repetitive or uninteresting.

I also had forgotten how incredibly raunchy and offensive Borat is, and it really made me laugh to see him in Texas, asking for horrible things from people and them not blinking an eye. My roommates and I kept having to remind ourselves that other than Borat and his daughter, these were not paid actors, just people who had signed a contract and agreed to be in something that they had no idea what it was. I really enjoyed watching him make fun of pro-choice people, those who believe Coronavirus hoaxes, and just Trump supporters in general. It was also definitely a bit scary seeing how many people did not even seem fazed when Borat said something horribly offensive or wrong, because they truly believed it. Especially when he stopped at a Trump rally, and we saw people heil Hitler, sing about killing various types of people, and generally be incredibly offensive.

Overall, I would say the movie was good, but not even close in caliber to the original. But I definitely thoroughly enjoyed it, and I would recommend for anyone who has a thick skin and doesn’t get easily uncomfortable! It is currently available on Amazon Prime Video.

As soon as the music started, I suddenly remembered how much I love classical music, and how much I miss seeing it live. A literal pang went through me- how cheesy, right?? But I do miss live theater and live music. However, this digital presentation was certainly still very enjoyable and I especially liked how different the pieces were from each other. I also really appreciated how many pieces they did, as a quartet doesn’t usually do 5 pieces in the same show!

I particularly enjoyed the two pieces by Coleridge-Taylor, Five Fantasiestücke, Op. 5 (Mvts. i, iii). They both sounded so different than pieces I have heard before, with so much more intricate tunes and a ton of interesting chords as well. The first movement I loved, and it was so rich and deep. Such a contrast to the Mozart piece that they had played before it, which sounded similar to the music I would typically expect from a string quartet. The third movement was also very unique, and I loved the way the different instruments played off of each other, creating different tunes that sounded so nice together. It also had such a beautiful contrast between slower, sweeter parts and high, excited ones. I love when a piece can bring together two very different paces of music and still make them sound like such a coherent work.

I also especially liked the Debussy piece, Quartet (Mvts. iii, iv), as I always enjoy pieces written by him. I really like impressionist composers, and his music is very familiar to me. Many people know him for Clair De Lune, but he has several other pretty famous pieces as well. The interaction of the different instruments really made the music interesting, especially in the start of the third movement, which was so languorous and gentle. It made me imagine sitting on the front porch after a long day, watching the sun set with a cup of tea in your hand and your dog at your feet- that is to say, very peaceful. The fourth movement was so powerful and quick-moving, and you could even see this in the physical movements of the players as they moved their whole bodies with the music. I loved as the instruments separated into their own parts, and then came back together in unison several times to form such beautiful harmonies. The swell at the ending of the fourth movement into its finale was probably my favorite part of the performance.

Overall, this was a gorgeous set done by the Takás Quartet. Each was so unique and distinct, and I love when a group does many shorter pieces so I get to experience more artists and works of music. The digital presentation is streaming through Saturday October 24, so go watch it if you see this in time!

Link to the presentation: https://ums.org/digital-presentations/

Borat 2, also known as Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, follows a similar format to the original Borat movie. In the  mockumentary/comedy film written and starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat, a Kazakh man, returns to America with his young daughter. It is scheduled to be released on October 23, on Amazon Prime Video. It takes place about 14 years after the original movie, and in this one, Borat learns more about American culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2020 elections. I am excited to watch this movie, because I found the first Borat movie to be hilarious, and I am hoping this sequel does not disappoint!

The link to watch Borat 2 on Amazon can be found here:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08K3SDZJ9/ref=atv_me_com_c_wiyi1L_naPxFB_1_1