Darkest Hour (2017)

Darkest Hour is a vehicle for Gary Oldman, but also for Joe Wright. Starting with Oldman, the makeup is incredible. It's uncanny how much he looks like Churchill. And the speeches some grade A acting. Churchill was an eccentric guy and Oldman plays out the eccentricities. His accent is only intelligible most of the time, maybe on purpose. But I think the director maybe takes too much liberties to make him seem Trump-ish, which just is not correct. He is portrayed as a leader that didn't really know what he was doing but that's not true. He didn't win the war by accident. He was strategic. He was smart, a brilliant historian. His intelligence only comes through in his speeches. He otherwise seems...well, Trumpish. And I don't think that really does Churchill justice.

Apart from Joe Wright taking those directorial liberties, he does some other interesting things. There are two shots that seem to suggest that Churchill was crazy, that he hallucinated: Hitler masks and gas masks. The cinematography and production design (the interior of Buckingham Palace is gorgeous) are notable. I really liked most of the cinematography but it's very dark. The darkness, accentuates the few rays of light. And I get that it's the "darkest hour" but the lighting was certainly a choice, a little extreme at times (like the red bulb). There are some really great angles--I like the busy parliament scenes.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is not as good as the first, a little less charming. The first was a pleasant surprise that did well with an ensemble cast of older British actors, meriting a sequel.  The premise of the movie mirrors the success of the franchise; having done well with the first hotel, they are seeking to build a second hotel.  The focus is less on the exotic nature of India than it is on the new lives these retirees are building for themselves, complete with jobs and new love interests.  There is a detour in Mumbai, giving the audience a change of scenery from Jaipur, but we see little of the majesty of Mumbai.  The movie is really more character driven than the first, which is why it loses some of its charm.  With characters as old as these, death looms over the hotel, with constant reminders that time is limited.  Naturally, the best part of the movie, as with most Indian-themed movies, is the dancing scene towards the end.  Indian music and dance is so much fun to watch, especially Richard Gere trying to do Bollywood.