Month: August 2021

Move over Kardashians! There’s a new gamily in town and they are all Haart! This is My Unorthodox Life featuring the Haart family.

Fashion queen and reigning CEO of a growing and diverse modelling empire, Julia Haart has vaulted into the world of unscripted television an seems right at home. Draped in high-end threads and usually discussing topics that would make even the most contemporary women blush, Ms. Haart has flung the doors wide open on her post-Orthodox life and has brought her whole family along for the ride.

Just eight years ago Julia Haart, then Talia Hendler, was living a traditional orthodox Jewish life in a tight knit community in Brooklyn, New York. She was the mother of four children and, outwardly, she was the picture of a dedicated wife and mother. Inwardly, she was struggling with her mental health as the restricted lifestyle of the community was stifling her natural personality and interests.

Days after her eldest daughter’s wedding, Julia fled the Haredi community and began her journey to completely redefining herself. Within a few years, Haart was the founder and owner of a designer shoe company. As she built her career she was simultaneously deconstructing her life, her faith and her understanding of what is possible in life.

My Unorthodox Life is just the next step in the free-spirited Haart’s reimagined life. The show focuses on her family and how they are finding their way in the secular world. cameras follow her, her three grown children and her youngest son, whom she shares custody with her ex-husband, still in the Haredi community.

The show is outrageous and funny and poignant at times. Though unscripted, it is still heavily produced and quite evidently a vehicle to flog the family’s business ventures. This doesn’t take away from the draw of the show, though. It’s still an intriguing foray into the world of the orthodox faith and the journey of integrating into secular society.

Despite some criticism from the Jewish community, Haart is adamant that she is not anti-Semitic but simply living her life and sharing her journey. She talks frequently of free choice, authenticity and the dangers of conformity. Despite the bizarre world of the ultra-rich and fashion forward, the show has a touching undertone of compassion and hope.

My Unorthodox Life is definitely an interesting watch and a binge-worthy chose for these late days of summer. Check it out, now streaming on Netflix.

Two love stories, decades apart, connected through an accidental discovery is the premise for this film adaptation of Jojo Moyes‘ novel, The Last Letter from Your Lover. While not exactly an instant classic, this sweet romance flick will leave you feeling nostalgic.

Director Augusine Frizzell, of Never Goin’ Back fame, brings a gifted cast together in this forbidden love story set simultaneously in the 1960s and modern times. The aesthetic of the 1960s story is gorgeous. Frizzell’s eye for mood paired perfectly with costume designer, Anna Robbins‘ deep understanding of timeless elegance and vintage cutting edge fashion. This combination makes The Last Letter from Your Lover an extremely visually interesting watch.

The story focuses on Felicity Jones as journalist Ellie who is on the search for the people, and love story, behind a love letter she discovers. Shailene Woodley, as 1960s disconnected young wife, Jennifer Stirling, falls into a love affair with a journalist whom she meets through her husband. Over time the pair falls in love and writes a series of love letters to each other.

The affair ends abruptly when Jennifer suffers a car accident that wipes her memory completely. Decades later Ellie uncovers the full story and decides to play match-maker. In the process of trying to bring two star-crossed lovers together she finds love of her own.

Shailene Woodley embodies the young socialite, Jennifer, completely. She is poised, elegant with just a touch of sass. Jennifer’s independent, yet conflicted, spirit shines through Woodley’s natural demeanor perfectly. Jones, for her part, provides a solid performance as slightly chaotic writer, Ellie. But it is Callum Turner, as Jennifer’s lover, Anthony, who steals the show. He is gentle and earnest and wonderful to watch onscreen.

Released to mix reviews, The Last Letter from Your Lover, is a genuinely good movie for the genre. It is interesting and endearing and full of wonderfully charming moments. It is a perfect chick-flick pick. Streaming now on Netflix.

Finally, a drama where English majors are cool. Well, if not cool, at least relevant. Brough to us by the utterly charming and creative Amanda Peet, The Chair is funny and thoughtful and so well written that it seems like a gift from the gods. Its funny and relatable and covers modern social issues directly without being heavy handed or self-righteous. This limited series delivers everything you could want in a fresh and delightful way.

Peet, along with her writing partner, Annie Julie Wyman, created an interesting cast of characters to populate the English department at the fictional Ivy League institute, Pembroke. They did more than just create a winning cast of characters, they consistently brought interest and realism to the series as they explored topics of freedom of speech, racism, sexism and ageism episode by episode.

The series opens with Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, portrayed to perfection by Sandra Oh, beginning her first day as Chair of the department. The Peet/Wyman duo provided Oh with a strong character who is independent, driven and still slightly neurotic in her doubts and insecurities. They drew an outline and left Oh to fill in the details in the way only she could. She is funny and authentic and earnest throughout the series without being campy or sappy. Her genius as a comic and dramatic are given room to breathe in The Chair.

Kim is more than just a glass-ceiling smashing academic, she is also a daughter and a mother, a lover of language and a conflicted friend. She is one of the most relatable characters in a series in a long time. And she is not alone. The whole cast is filled with folks with truthful back-stories laid out in honesty and filled with human fragility and humour.

Early on, Dr. Kim steps into a department meeting where we are introduced to the most eclectic and delightful cast of academics. Bob Balaban, Holland Taylor and David Morse are reoccurring characters that give Oh consistent solid performance to play off of. Their understated yet entirely captivating offerings onscreen give depth and interest to the whole series.

Although The Chair offers just six episodes, it is more well-rounded, with characters that are more fully developed, than some series that are five times it’s length. Each episode builds a continuity of story that we can actually care about. The topics make us think, but not too hard and the humour is utterly delightful without being forced.

The Chair is more than binge-worthy, it is the show we didn’t know we were waiting for. It is the perfect rainy day watch that will make you wish for more. Let’s hope Netflix gets the hint and picks this gem up for another season or four. But for now, check out season one now on Netflix.

Jason Momoa in an action flick playing a grieving husband bent on revenge – yes please! Sweet Girl is Momoa’s latest action offering and it is everything we’ve come to expect from the popular action star and more!

Ray Cooper (Momoa) is a loving husband and father. His wife Amanda (Adria Arjona) becomes ill with cancer and her health declines quickly. The doctor offer Ray, Amanda and their daughter Rachel (Isabela Merced) a glimmer of hope when he suggests that a generic drug that is waiting FDA approval may be the answer they were waiting for. Just days later the drug is pulled from production and Amanda eventually dies.

Overcome with grief and overwhelmed by medical debt, Ray is convinced that the pharmaceutical company is to blame for his wife’s death. As he begins to research the connect between Big Pharma and the government he finds himself pulled into a convoluted web of pay offs, cover ups and profits at any cost. It becomes clear to him that he is the only one working to connect the dots and throw light on the shady world of government lobbyists.

Ray risks it all to get vengeance for the loss of his wife. The closer he gets to discovering who is ultimately responsible for causing his wife’s death the more perilous his situation becomes. He’s not entirely alone in his pursuit though. His young daughter, Rachel, is watching and learning and following in his footsteps … right to the end.

Sweet Girl has some terrific action sequences but the plot is a lot to sort at times. It trods along, quite heavy-handed at times, yet still manages to surprise and delight us. There are moments that are tender and sweet and heartbreaking in the midst of some of the most intensely physical action sequences out there. There is also a major plot twist that pops up most unexpectedly.

Momoa, for his part, is wonderful. He displays a full range of emotion and delivers a scene of a man wrecked by grief with a level of authenticity that is sure to draw a tear or two from even the most cynical viewer. As expected, his action sequences are spot on but his moments of subtle emotion are a hint at untapped talents that is truly exciting to contemplate.

Sweet Girl is a sweet watch for fans of Momoa. And as an action flick its a decent offering and well worth the time. Be sure to check it out, streaming now on Netflix.

Being a teen of the 90s. I am very familiar with the tunes of R & B sensation, R. Kelly. I thought I was also familiar with the rumors and accusations against him but the 2019 docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, was an in-depth revelation of the alleged abuse, manipulation and perverse practices of the singer. All of which were glossed over for decades in favour of making profits and protecting the money. Even a video tape of Kelly sexually abusing a minor could not stop him.

Surviving R. Kelly gives an unvarnished account of Kelly’s rise to fame, his narcissistic behaviors and his uncanny ability to doge consequences for his crimes. Former partners, childhood friends and ex-employees all agreed to be interviewed for this Lifetime series. A number of heavy weights in the music industry also lent their voices and opinions to this project, including John Legend, Wendy Williams and Chance the Rapper. But their voices pale in comparison to the voices of the survivors.

Over six episodes, dozens of women – survivors – detail their experiences of manipulation, control and abuse at the hands of Robert Kelly. Some of the allegations date back before his illegal marriage to pop-star, Aaliyah, in 1994. The most serious of the allegations surround the release of a sex-tape that featured a fourteen year old girl. This discovery led to a charge of child pornography in 2002 and a trial that eventually saw Kelly found not guilty.

Following the trial, Kelly’s experienced surprisingly little backlash from his fans and even less from the music industry. He continued to make music, appear in concert and enjoy collaborations with other artists. While very few in the industry distanced themselves from Kelly, all seemed to know of Kelly’s exploits, at least anecdotally, and chose to continue to make money off the singer instead.

Over time, it became known that Kelly had settle several sexual assault cases out of court over the years. Women who had escaped controlling and abusive relationships with Kelly, including his ex-wife, Andrea Kelly, began to speak out about their experiences with the recording artist. While professionally there were few consequences for Kelly, women began to listen and believe the survivors. And they began to organize.

Surviving R. Kelly, produced by several notable names in the music industry, including Dream Hampton and Tamra Simmons, does not shy away from critiquing the response of its own. The docuseries pays tribute to the women who formed a grassroots resistance to Kelly, the women who believed the survivors first, the women who were unwilling to let a perpetrator off the hook, no matter how charming he seemed.

These women, namely Tarana Burke and Oronike Odeleye, worked, and continue to work, to hold aggressors accountable and bring truth to light. Justice is often illusive but accountability can be attained through a number of different channels. Burke and Odeleye lead a legion of women and have activated a movement across the globe that calls on the public to believe victims and hold perpetrators responsible.

Surviving R. Kelly is an interesting and difficult watch. The inclusion of opinions from psychologists to explain how the mind of an abuser works and how society responds to accusations in enlightening and valuable information that makes this docuseries an important watch for those who are able.

Take care though, there is explicit and difficult content throughout this series. Now available on Netflix.

The Outer Banks of South Carolina are a paradise for the rich and a daily grind for the working-class. The social divide is extreme and the teens on the island have their own way of navigating the chasm as they confront corruption, greed and loss in their lives.

Outer Banks follows a group of teens who are caught up in a mystery that quickly overwhelms them. John B (Chase Stokes) leads a group of working class teens known as “Pogues”. His father went missing months ago and he relies on his friends and his quick wits to survive on his own.

While trying to understand how his father went missing John B discovers that his dad was researching a legendary shipwreck. That shipwreck, and the gold it reportedly holds, becomes the catalyst for a chain reaction of events that drive John B and his crew to the brink. With law enforcement and the island’s wealthiest land developer hot on their trail.

Created by Josh and Jonah Pate and Shannon Burke, Outer Banks currently has two seasons available on Netflix and a third in development. Although this is a teen focused drama, it rises above its contemporaries by providing a genuinely interesting mystery, pretty impressive writing and a cast that live each moment rather than merely act through a script.

Chase Stokes, as John B, is captivating onscreen. He is full of authentic responses and subtle expressions that make his character vulnerable and tough and entirely likeable. Madelyn Cline is Sarah Cameron, the rich girl love interest of John B. She delivers Sarah as more than an upper class snoot but as a regular teen girl who struggles with belonging and finding her place in her world.

Jonathan Daviss and Rudy Pankow portray John B’s two best buds, Pope and JJ respectively. These roles could easily cross over to cheesey stereotypes but Daviss and Pankow approach their roles with honesty and simplicity. This, coupled with really good chemistry, bring believability to these sidekicks.

The real stand out in this teen cast though is Madison Bailey. She brings rich girl “Pogue,” Kie to life. She is dynamic and fully inhabits her role. Kie is likeable, smart and the glue who holds her friend group together and Bailey serves up a beautiful, understated performance through the first two seasons.

Unlike some other teen dramas, this one has an air of believability with a cast you can actually root for. Make some time in your summer schedule to binge the first two seasons of Outer Banks.

Guy Ritchie is back at it. With one of his favourite collaborators, Jason Statham, Ritchie offers us another action packed flick that is full of his signature quick cuts, intricate plot and eye-popping sequences. This is Wrath of Man.

Patrick Hill (Jason Statham) is new on the job for an armored truck service. After barely passing the qualifications testing, Patrick is shown the ropes by veteran guard Bullet (Holt McCallany) who becomes his partner. The company had been a recent target of hijackers and many of the guards were still reeling from the loss of a fellow guard during that robbery. Patrick remains lowkey as he finds his footing on his early runs but before long another hijack is attempted and everyone realizes Patrick has a hidden set of skills that make him perfect for this job.

It is revealed, in a series of flashbacks, that Patrick’s son was murdered in a job gone bad. Patrick had been working recon for a hit on an armored truck when a rival gang ambushed him and his young son., leaving Patrick critically injured and his son dead. Patrick lost everything after that day except his drive for revenge.

After penning and directing eleven movies, Guy Ritchie has figured a few things out. He has perfected high adrenaline action sequences and aptly pairs them with quippy dialogue and intriguing exposition. He has also realized that Jason Statham is a name to draw a crowd.

This is Statham’s fourth movie with Ritchie, his fifth collaboration is due out next year. The two got their start together in Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels where Statham, though part of an ensemble cast, stood out for his tough guy persona and unforgettable charisma onscreen. Ritchie must have recognized the magic immediately because he added Statham to the cast of his next two films.

For twenty-five years these two, Ritchie and Statham, have formed a lasting friendship and a winning Hollywood collaboration. With four films under their belts and a fifth on deck the future is nothing but bright for them … and for we who get to benefit from their partnership. Be sure to watch their latest offering, Wrath of Man, on Netflix now.