Reviews and more!

  What a travesty is this scandal. After spending many years writing recommendations and congratulating or commiserating with my students over their acceptances or rejections, this documentary kind of broke my heart. The fact that rich people could just use that “side door” to get their kids into prestigious universities made me sick. Using actors to advance the story worked for me — they were speaking the words from those wiretaps. And the film ended with the “perp walk” of many defendants with their names, pleas, and sentences overlaid — well-done.

  I’m such a sucker for teen dramedy! I heard about this movie from a teacher friend, so I thought I’d check it out. Vivian is impressed by new student Lucy, who calls out BMOC Mitchell for his inappropriate remarks. When he continues to bother Lucy, she attempts to report him to the principal, but Principal Shelly basically blows her off (which REALLY bothered me).  When Vivian discovers that her mother was a true activist as a teenager, she decides to use her mom’s actions as a model for calling out sexism in the school. She eventually becomes a hero for other girls at the high school. I did enjoy this movie, but it was definitely a lite version of an issue film with a nod to other issues besides sexism. That being said, it’s an entertaining film.  🎥🎥🎥

  The amazing Frances McDormand gives an understated, stunning performance as Fern, a sixty-something woman whose husband, job, and even town are gone. Selling most of her worldly goods, she buys a van to travel to where seasonal work is. In the process, she meets other nomads traveling similar paths. There’s even a loose encampment in the desert, where she meets other wanderers and gets tips on how to live this rough life. Some of the characters in the film are actually true nomads, lending a verisimilitude that brings you in as a viewer. Lose yourself in this journey.  🎥🎥🎥🎥

I’m such an Anglophile that even a show about soccer is one that I’ll check out! This 6-episode series details the change in soccer from a game mostly played by posh English lads to one played by working class lads as well. Mills and other factories had their teams, and the public (private) schools had theirs. When they met as competitors, the upper class guys definitely had the edge and were proud of it. When a mill owner tries to even the playing field by hiring two excellent players from Scotland, even their own team is unhappy, but eventually they realize that their chances of winning are substantially increased. There’s also a subplot involving the man whose name is historically associated with the changes in the game, Arthur Kinnaird. It’s worth a watch — interesting history and  good acting.