Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of January 16, 2023
Women Talking
Rated PG-13 for sexual assault, mature thematic content, bloody images and some strong language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
In Theaters
This week we have a couple of powerhouse dramas hitting theaters, starting with the highly anticipated drama Women Talking. The story centers on an isolated group of women from a strict religious community who in 2010, after suffering a tremendous amount of sexual abuse from the men, had to choose one of three options to survive: do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. Starring Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Frances McDormand and Ben Whishaw, the commune must weigh their choices carefully and the debate is both heated and draining. Written and directed by Sarah Polley, the dialog is intelligent and sharp, and for a movie with mostly talking, the movie still manages to be riveting. Polley, with the help from a marvelous cast, manages to draw you in fast, making you feel like you are in the room, making the decision with them. Sure it is challenging to watch, but the attention it demands and the ways in which the arguments and the story unfolds, creates an empathy that is unavoidable. This one came so close to making my top 10, and I still think it might should have been included. A
Living
Rated PG-13 for smoking and some suggestive material
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
In Theaters
This quiet little indie, based on the Kurosawa classic, starts Bill Nighy as a quiet, reserved, and rather ordinary man, who, upon news of his impending mortality, chooses to try to do something meaningful with his short remaining time. Sweet and simple, the movie is a tremendous piece of acting on the part of Nighy, who could come up with his first Oscar nomination at the age of 73. And many folks, including myself, are cheering him on in the hopes that this happens. While the film has some sadness on a basic level, it manages to put a smile on your face when it very easily could have been melancholy. For that reason alone, it manages to be the “feel good movie of the year” in a way that is true and honest and not in the least bit manipulative. It puts life and legacy, and all that they entail, in perspective. A