A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.
Follows the charming yet troubled Ben Burns (Hedges), who returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve. Ben's wary mother Holly Burns (Roberts) welcomes her beloved ... See full summary »
Director:
Peter Hedges
Stars:
Julia Roberts,
Lucas Hedges,
Courtney B. Vance
Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
Director:
Steve McQueen
Stars:
Viola Davis,
Michelle Rodriguez,
Elizabeth Debicki
Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years.
Director:
Felix van Groeningen
Stars:
Steve Carell,
Timothée Chalamet,
Maura Tierney
When Lee Israel falls out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception. An adaptation of the memoir Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the true story of best-selling celebrity biographer Lee Israel.
Director:
Marielle Heller
Stars:
Melissa McCarthy,
Richard E. Grant,
Dolly Wells
In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne (Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Weisz) governs the country in her stead. When a new servant Abigail (Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.
Laurel and Hardy, the world's most famous comedy duo, attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song - a grueling theatre tour of post-war Britain.
Director:
Jon S. Baird
Stars:
Stephanie Hyam,
John C. Reilly,
Shirley Henderson
A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.
I just enjoyed a preview screening of "Green Book," a heartwarming family film scheduled to release over the Thanksgiving holiday. Green Book is based on a true story about a black concert pianist (played by Mahershala Ali) who tours the American Deep South in the early 1960's, and takes along a rough-and-tumble Italian bar bouncer as his driver/fixer (played by Viggo Mortensen). The driver begins the tour as a northern racist who takes the eight week assignment because he needs quick cash, while the pianist starts the tour as a lonely and pompous prick unable to fully navigate the white world where his music is highly valued, and equally uncomfortable in black-America. Through the film we see the two characters find each other and themselves as they subtly bond, and we feel the connection as a real friendship blossoms. The title of the film comes from a once essential tour book that listed hotels and other businesses willing to serve black customers, in an era when American blacks were legally equal to whites but discrimination remained grossly overt. I was fortunate to see Green Book at Dartmouth College in a packed 237 seat theater with an audience that responded well to the drama and humor, and to the empathy developing on-screen. Green Book is a well-crafted PG-13 film that pulled excellent reviews in festival showings, and tells an important story in a touching way. The film shines a light on an ugly part of American history, and offers hope that by connecting with diverse characters and lives we can overcome our divisions. It's a wonderful story that perfectly fits our present times, and it needs to be shared.
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I just enjoyed a preview screening of "Green Book," a heartwarming family film scheduled to release over the Thanksgiving holiday. Green Book is based on a true story about a black concert pianist (played by Mahershala Ali) who tours the American Deep South in the early 1960's, and takes along a rough-and-tumble Italian bar bouncer as his driver/fixer (played by Viggo Mortensen). The driver begins the tour as a northern racist who takes the eight week assignment because he needs quick cash, while the pianist starts the tour as a lonely and pompous prick unable to fully navigate the white world where his music is highly valued, and equally uncomfortable in black-America. Through the film we see the two characters find each other and themselves as they subtly bond, and we feel the connection as a real friendship blossoms. The title of the film comes from a once essential tour book that listed hotels and other businesses willing to serve black customers, in an era when American blacks were legally equal to whites but discrimination remained grossly overt. I was fortunate to see Green Book at Dartmouth College in a packed 237 seat theater with an audience that responded well to the drama and humor, and to the empathy developing on-screen. Green Book is a well-crafted PG-13 film that pulled excellent reviews in festival showings, and tells an important story in a touching way. The film shines a light on an ugly part of American history, and offers hope that by connecting with diverse characters and lives we can overcome our divisions. It's a wonderful story that perfectly fits our present times, and it needs to be shared.