Worth the Watch - February
The weekend is upon us and a good 2 hours of entertainment and insight is always worthy of consideration, especially when friends and family can enjoy it.
Here are some good ones out there available for viewing online.
Dark Waters (2019)
Honestly, any film with Mark Ruffalo starring is worthy of consideration. He is a great actor. This film is about an attorney who digs deep to uncover the scary truth about a company that were so greedy they poisoned the entire community. If it was just that you could be forgiven to give this film a miss, but it’s more than that: the script is very good, acting is compelling and the overall structure of the film is well crafted. It’s just a very good film. As one film critic put it: “Dark Waters calls upon all of us to do what's right to help those around us even if that causes discomfort and suffering.”
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% (critics) / 95% (audience).
Munich: The Edge of War (2022)
Based on the international bestseller by Robert Harris, it tells the story of Hugh Legat, British civil servant, and Paul von Hartmann, German diplomat, who travel to Munich for an emergency Conference. As two old friends, they find themselves in a web of political turmoil and eminent danger. The ultimate question is - can war be averted and, if so, at what cost? Acting is impeccable.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (film critic) / 76% (audience)
Don’t look up (2021)
I find it almost comical that film critics gave this an overall score of 58% while the audience gave it 78%. I think any production that criticises the general societal consensus is shot down by film critics. And this film certainly does that. It’s a satire on society’s desperate need for sound-bites and celibrities. And this is done against the back-drop of death and an environmental disaster. It’s actually brilliantly done.
Downfall: The Case against Boeing (2022)
Isaac Feldberg said “Downfall is rigorously reported and short on melodramatic flourish, instead presenting the facts with a cold, furious clarity that better suits its subject”. This documentary uncovers and explains the investigation into the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people. It’s excellently done and shows the terribly truth of business decisions that are so greedy, it causes an absolute disaster for the lives of so many people.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (film critics) / 91% (audience)