Goodbye Christopher Robin

First Hit: Touchingly deep story about how the 'Winnie the Pooh' books came into existence.

Alan Milne (Domhnall Gleeson), a writer of comedic plays and books, was deeply affected by his time in the British Army during WWI, the war to end all wars. Fighting in the trenches he saw the horrors of war—bloody corpses everywhere being feasted on by flies.

Returning from the war, he had difficulty adjusting to life in London. The sudden noises and flashes of light and color brought on severe debilitating impulsive actions that were harmful to himself, his wife Daphne (Margot Robbie), and friends.

Struggling with his experience of war he wrote a book called Peace with Honour in 1934 to protest war and why countries fight with each other. However, struggling to find traction in his life and to get away from the noises that he believes are causing his post war troubles, he and Daphne move to the country. Cotchford Farm, in Hartfield Sussex was a large rambling place with acres of land filled with woods.

Soon after moving Daphne has a child, Christopher Robin Milne (Will Tilson), who is a bright inquisitive child. Neither Alan nor Daphne knew much about parenting so they hire Olive (Kelly Mcdonald) as a nanny. She and Christopher create a strong meaningful bond.

However, when Olive has to leave to tend to her mother and with Daphne in London, Alan and Christopher start spending time in the woods together. This is where the magic and healing for Alan begins and the expressive mind of Christopher is opened and Milne is inspired to write the Winnie the Pooh books, which quickly became beloved by children all over the world.

The film does an amazing job of setting the above story and segueing the story into the power of imagination. The dance between the relationships of Olive and Christopher, Christopher and his parents, Alan and Daphne and most importantly Olive and the Milne’s was powerfully effective. The acting, especially of Tilson, was extraordinary. Additionally, the scenes of an older Christopher (Alex Lawther) and Alan was amazing, especially when they talk at the overlook.

The cinematography, especially the capturing of lighting, was amazing.

Gleeson was powerful as the traumatically affected writer looking for internal creative space to process his creative angst and joy. Robbie is excellent as the mother who didn’t adjust well to motherhood but loved her son and husband. Tilson was sublime as Christopher. He captured the magic of imagination in his eyes and spirit. Mcdonald was amazing as Christopher’s nanny. Her caring heart and deep love for her own life and the life of the Milne’s was wonderfully captured. Lawther was very strong as the older Christopher trying to find a way to lose the shackles of being one of the most famous and celebrated boys in history. Frank Cottrell Boyce and Simon Vaughan wrote an excellent script. It captured the depth of the story all the way through. Simon Curtis knew what he was doing and made this story come alive in all ways. The direction of this story through these actors was amazing.

Overall:  Not being familiar with Winnie the Pooh stories, I was driven to want to read them.

Women in Gold

First Hit:  Although a bit methodic it was an interesting story and one deserving light.

The Nazis took private property as their own during their invasion of Austria. In the case of this story they stole a famous Klimt painting called “Adele Bloch-Bauer I” or the “Woman in Gold” from Maria Altman’s (Helen Mirren) childhood home.

The subject of this painting was Maria’s aunt Adele who lived with them in her family’s Austrian home. Maria fled to the United States and her family was either killed by the Germans in a camp or died on their own. She wants “what is rightfully” hers. She hires an old family friend’s son Randol Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds) who is a lawyer whose family also suffered under the Nazi’s rule in Austria.

Working together they end up suing the Austrian government for rightful ownership of the paintings the Nazi’s took from her Austrian home. It seemed that the aim of telling of this story was to do this through emotional righteous digging, guilt, and the wrongness of the Nazi’s and not on the depth of the characters. Not that this way of telling the story wasn’t good however, it skimped on what might have been a more amazing story.

Mirren was strong and was effective enough, although I found her back and forth on the willingness to pursue this case to be oddly off-putting. Reynolds was bland, and it may have been because whom he was portraying might have been meek but it would have been better if Reynolds mined the character further. Katie Holmes had a minor role as Reynolds wife and her part, like the film, didn't fully engage me. Alexi Kaye Campbell wrote this from stories by the real life Altman and Schoenberg. It is a wonderful story that could have used more depth. Simon Curtis did a good job of directing what was given to him.

Overall:  This was a satisfying story that could have been deeper.

My Week with Marilyn

First Hit: I really liked this small snippet view of Marilyn’s life.

I remember viewing a few early films with Marilyn in them and wondering how much of what I saw on screen was an act or was it just her.

“My Week with Marilyn,” if anything, added to my belief that she was mostly being herself and not a particular character. Michelle Williams plays Marilyn as I would have perceived her to be. Smart but in a childlike way; difficult to work with because of her stage fright and performance fears; and quirky because her beauty created situations of which I think she was ill prepared to deal with.

This film takes place during a week of filming “The Prince and The Showgirl” with Sir Laurence Olivier (played by Kenneth Branagh). During this time the studio has hired a young man as 3rd Assistant Director (gofer) named Colin Clark (played by Eddie Redmayne).

Colin befriends Marilyn and it is his story that this film is representing. Clark wants to be in films and although he comes from a wealthy family, he will do anything to work in films. When he gets hired on this film to work with Olivier and Monroe he is in heaven. However, he quickly realizes that this is a difficult art which can be made more difficult by quirky people.

Monroe, famous for her stage fright, showing up for work hours late, and flubbing her lines, infuriates Oliver who is also directing the picture they are in. His anger and not so gentle put-downs of Marilyn’s foibles create even more tension which pushes Marilyn deeper into despair.

This is where Clark gets his chance; he’s young, sympathetic, and bends to Marilyn’s requests for companionship even though she is married at the time to Arthur Miller (played by Dougray Scott). This is the story about Clark and how he grew to know that when Marilyn was on her game she captivated people, but when she was off her game she frustrated and disappointed people, including him.

Williams was fabulous as Marilyn. For me she captured all that Marilyn’s screen persona was about while giving a glimpse as to who Marilyn was. Branagh was perfect as the arrogant English Sir Laurence Olivier who felt that Hollywood filmmaking and acting was more of learned craft and that actors needed to study the way he did. Redmayne was great as the wide-eyed naive young Clark who was confident enough of his character and charm that Marilyn might actually leave her life for him. Scott was dark and broody while succumbing to Monroe; it's what I would have pictured for Miller's character. Julia Ormond was simply charming as Vivian Leigh, Olivier’s wife. Emma Watson was very engaging as the costume girl Lucy that Colin first wanted to date until Marilyn captured his attention. Adrian Hodges wrote the script from a book by the real Colin Clark. Simon Curtis captured the beautiful scenes, sets and Williams as Monroe in a way that made the story come alive.

Overall: I enjoyed this film and its glimpse at an iconic film star.