Reel Corner - April 2024

April 2024 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine

Turning 20 in 2024!

CONGRATULATIONS, Pink Magazine 20 years and still going strong!

Below are several films released in 2004. Even 20 years later, these movies remain relevant, compelling, and entertaining. I suggest you revisit all of them, as they can be easily streamed, providing a wonderful night of movies guaranteed to be good.

Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman | Directed By: Clint Eastwood

Frankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best, and the two soon form a close bond.

Before Sunset
Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy | Directed By: Richard Linklater

Nine years after Jesse and Celine meet, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.

Sideways
Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen | Directed By: Alexander Payne

Two men reaching middle age, with not much to show but disappointment, embark on a week-long road trip through California's wine country, just as one of them is about to take a trip down the aisle.

The Notebook
Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling
Directed By: Nick Cassavetes

An elderly man reads to a woman with dementia the story of two young lovers whose romance is threatened by the difference in their respective social classes.

Napoleon Dynamite
Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries | Directed By: Jared Hess

A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.

Mean Girls
Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey
Directed By: Mark Waters

Cady Heron is a hit with “The Plastics”, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of “Alpha Plastic” Regina George.

RAY
Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington | Directed By: Taylor Hackford

The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age 7, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and ‘60s.

The Reel Corner joined Pink in the first issue, April 2004! The first film review was on Wale Rider, a small, independent, New Zealand film.

WHALE RIDER
An extraordinarily beautiful film, Whale Rider is filled with expansive landscapes, massive whales, and an incredible performance from a 14-year-old newcomer Keisha Castle-Hughes. An emotionally powered story of rejection, bravery, love, and destiny, this coming-of-age-story of a young girl is a radiant tale of the Māori tribe and their struggle in finding an heir. This film tells a memorable story that transcends all generations. The realistic cast of characters embodies the Aussie/New Zealand style of moviemaking that gives a documentary feel.

Now 33 years old, Keisha Castle-Hughes continues to make films in Australia and New Zealand.

References: www.imdb.com

Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachu-setts, where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts, especially films, she has traveled to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters, Park Plaza Theater and Northridge. To support her habit of frequent movie going, Donne is a vaccine medicine nurse consultant and also the author of 4 Interview Pillars available on Amazon. See you at the movies!