At the Movies with Joyce & Don Fowler

Posted 12/8/21

WARWICK SHOWCASE

 

HOUSE OF GUCCI

*** ½ (Joyce) HH (Don)

So Lady Gaga was great. Joyce and I at least agreed on that.

It takes more than Gaga to make a great …

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At the Movies with Joyce & Don Fowler

Posted

WARWICK SHOWCASE

 

HOUSE OF GUCCI

*** ½ (Joyce) HH (Don)

So Lady Gaga was great. Joyce and I at least agreed on that.

It takes more than Gaga to make a great movie.

Joyce and I disagreed on just about every other aspect of this tediously long (2 hours and 40 minutes)  tale of overindulgence, deceit, power grabbing, immorality, and just plain old bad behavior.

Joyce got into the long, boring soap opera and enjoyed the story and the characters.

I didn’t like any of them, especially Adam Driver’s snide Maurizio, son of Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons), heir to half of the Gucci fortune. And he couldn’t care less, at one point throwing it all away.

But the Gucci’s are all about family. And what a family it is.

Jared Ledo plays the obnoxious, ignorant other son and he makes an interesting character before getting on my nerves.

But Lady Gaga is the one to watch. Daughter of a trucking company owner, she innocently falls in love with Maurizio, slowly changing from a sweet young girl to a conniving manipulator.

The trailers play the movie up like a murder mystery, but by the time it happens, the movie closes with scenes of a Gucci store and a statement of its financial success,

Rated a big R.

Note: As I am not driving yet, Joyce drove me to the Showcase, where handicap parking spots are close to the doors. Handicap access is excellent, with flat carpeted walkways to the theatres and plenty of seats with no stairs to climb and spaces for wheelchairs.

    

NETFLIX

 

THE POWER OF THE DOG

****

(Tense psychological Western tale)

Benedict Cumberbatch gets another powerful performance as Phil Burbank, who with his brother George (Jesse Plemens) runs the family ranch in Montana in the 1920’s.

The two-hour movie opens with the brothers and their cowhands herding cattle across the plains, giving the atmosphere of a good old fashioned western.

“The Power of the Dog” turns out to be so much more.

The group stop at a restaurant run by a widow (Kirsten Dunst) and her teenage son, where Phil proceeds to show his manipulative, sadistic side by scaring off the other diners, and putting down the young boy.

George, the complete opposite of his manic brother tries to calm things down, sympathizing with the woman and quickly courting her.

George brings her back to the ranch where she is further menaced by his brother, who does an about face by taking the boy under his wing and trying to make a cowboy out of him..

The movie is filled with impending doom as you question Phil’s motives.

The question of masculinity raises its head, along with what motivates people to act as they do.

The Western turns into quite a psychological drama with a shocking ending that leaves you with a lot to ponder.

Not your typical western, by any means, but a fascinating look at relationships, character development, and a whole lot more.

It is a bit slow, but the acting and scenery keep you glued to the screen.

Rated R.

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