February re:commendation: The Trial of the Chicago 7

We are not often as engrossed in a movie as we were in

The Trial of the Chicago 7

What is it? An Aaron Sorkin movie about the aftermath of the Chicago riot of 1968.

Why we love it? This is a court drama, a period piece and also a political story with current overtones. It’s brilliantly written and impressively acted, particularly by Sacha Baron Cohen. It keeps you involved in the story, makes you angry, moves you and occasionally even makes you laugh.

Visually speaking, the period piece is done right, including the costumes, the interiors and, notably, the group scenes, which have both a personal feel and almost a sense of a documentary.

August re:commendation: Shame

This is an Eating a Humble Pie kind of recommendation because when we first watched Shame in a theater, we really failed to connect to it. And then for the longest time we quoted this movie as a prime example of something boring and empty. However, on a whim, we rewatched it recently and wow, did our perception change. We’re properly shamed (sorrynotsorry).

Shame

What is it? A 2011 movie directed by Steve McQueen, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, tells the story of Brandon, an outwardly successful man fighing his inner demons that manifest in sex addictions. When his sister arrives for a stay the facade of Brandon’s world begins to crumble. But it isn’t really about the plot so much.

Why we love it? Not so much for story reasons as for the artistic choices and, especially, the two stars’ performances. Fassbender, especially, is breathtaking in his humanizing and honest portrayal of Brandon. Alien as his life seems to us, his suffering appears universal.

Visually speaking, this movie uses light, camera angles and interior design in a smart way. The New York of Shame both looks good and repels the viewer with its coldness and emptiness, reflecting Brandon’s inner world (or one layer of it). And (we have to add it), Fassbender is quite uncommonly attractive, too.