February 13, 2022

Once Upon a River (2019) Movie Review

Director: Haroula Rose

Writer: Haroula Rose (Screenplay) Bonnie Jo Campbell (Book)

Starring: Kenadi DelaCerna, John Ashton, Tatanka Means, Ajuawak Kapashesit, Kenn E Head, Lindsay Pulsipher

Plot: Margo Crane’s odyssey on the Stark River introduces her to a world filled with wonders and dangers.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Once Upon a River starts as teenage girl Margo (Crane) finds herself being taken advantage of by a family member, which will lead to her father Bernard (Means) looking to move her away from the community, ending in tragedy.

Finding herself alone in the world, Margo looks to travel along the river in hopes of finding her mother that left them years before, along the way she will learn a lot about life, from the different people she meets along the way.

Thoughts on Once Upon a River

Thoughts – Once Upon a River is a coming-of-age tale that will show the hardship thrown upon a teenage girl who loses her father and looks to find her mother, learning about the world in a different way than she should, one which will make her grow up faster than she was prepared for. This does show the incredibly difficult journey that Margo must go on, one where she doesn’t know what she needs of wants from her journey. Kenadi DelaCerna in the leading role is amazing as we see what her character must go through and with a great supporting cast, all bringing something to the table to help Margo through her journey. This is a powerful drama that will leave an impact on you, as you see just how hard the journey has been for Margo.

Final Thoughts – Once Upon a River is a powerful coming-of-age tale.

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominations – M – Monster (2003) Movie Review

Director: Patty Jenkins

Writer: Patty Jenkins (Screenplay)

Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen, Annie Corley, Pruitt Taylor Vince

Plot: Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.

Tagline – The first female serial killer of America

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Monster starts when prostitute Aileen (Theron) has found herself struggling to make ends meet in life who is thinking of ending everything, until a chance meeting with Selby (Ricci) a quiet timid young lady who is being forced to hide sexuality from the world by her family.

After Aileen gets rape by one of her clients, she kills the man, using the money to help fund a life with Selby, as the two look to escape the lives they had, only Aileen keeps killing clients, making her a fugitive with the pair on the run.

Thoughts on Monster

Thoughts – Monster is the drama looking at the life of Aileen Wuornos who had always seen her life be difficult with her life in prostitution making her depressed, but it will see her become one of the first known female serial killers in America, after she starts killing the clients. While her first kill is one that could easily be justified, it is what follows where the cold-hearted killer just starts going through the motions of the murders while trying to keep together. Charlize Theron won her Oscar for this performance, you can see why, she is incredible, with Christina Ricci being ana amazing supporting performance in the film too. This is a movie that will show both sides of a killer, one that you can understand and one that will give enough focus on somebody slowly starting to lose it.

Final Thoughts – Monster is a brilliant look at how someone can become a killer when pushed too far.