Reel Corner - February 2020

The Reel Corner Highlight: And The Winner Is...

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AND THE WINNER IS...


February 2020 Issue
by Donne Paine

It’s the award season once more. 

The Golden Globes are already behind us, and the coveted Oscars are this month on February 9.

If you are a movie-goer like The Reel Corner, you might agree there really weren’t many films to get excited about in 2019. Never fear, The Reel Corner has highlighted a few worth seeing.

The Golden Globes Best Drama: The World War I epic “1917”

1917 Rated R  |  Directed, produced and co-written by Sam Mendes

Starring: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Mays

1917 is an epic war film based in part on an account told to Sam Medes by his paternal grandfather, Alfred Mendes. It chronicles the story of two young British soldiers during World War I who are given a message to deliver. It warns of an ambush during a skirmish, soon after German retreat.

It has the emotional makeup of Saving Private Ryan, with the stark scenery of another era. Cinematography and art direction creating the battlefields will certainly carry home a prize Oscar night.

Ford v Ferrari

Rated PG-13  |  Directed by James Mangold

Starring: Matt Damon, Christian Bales, Josh Lucas

This film is a long shot for an Oscar, but The Reel Corner found it to be authentic, fun and interesting. The plot follows a determined team of American engineers and designers, led by automotive visionary Carroll Shelby and his British driver, Ken Miles, who are dispatched by Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca with the mission of building the Ford GT40, a new racing car with the potential to finally defeat the perennially dominant Ferrari racing team at the 1966 24-Hours Le Mans race in France.

The movie is Oscar nominated for Best Film, yet the key actors were sadly ignored.

The Irishman

Rated R  |  Directed by Martin Scorsese

Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Harvy Keitel, Ray Romano, Anna Paquin

Ever wandered what happened to the very out-spoken, very powerful union boss Jimmy Hoffa?

Welcome The Irishman.

With platforms like Netflix, a film like The Irishman can bypass theaters, and be three hours long. The Reel corner watched it all the way through with out any pauses. It is that good!

Frank Sheeran, who is now an elderly man in a nursing home, wants to confess and recount his time as a hit man for a crime syndicate. It is 1950s Philadelphia. Sheeran, working as a delivery truck driver starts to sell some of the contents of his shipments to a local gangster. Sheeran begins jobs for Russell Bufalino, head of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family, including “painting houses,” which is a euphemism for murder. Soon Russell introduces Sheeran to Jimmy Hoffa, head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who has financial ties with the Bufalino crime family. Hoffa becomes close to Sheeran and his family, especially his daughter Peggy, and Sheeran becomes Hoffa’s bodyguard.

The cast of heavy hitters does a remarkable and believable portrayal of the real-life characters of the day. Al Pacino was born to play Hoffa.

Also up for the Academy Award Oscar for Best Picture include:

Little Women, The Joker, The Marriage Story, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, JoJo Rabbit and Parasite.

See you at the movies.



ReelCorner 1219 Donne
Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts­—especially films—she travels 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—Coligny, Park Plaza and Northridge theaters. To support her habit of frequent movie going Donne is a retired executive recruiter and staff development consultant. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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