Tag: biopic

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Favourites – K – The Keeper (2018) Movie Review

Director: Marcus H Rosenmuller

Writer: Marcus H Rosenmuller, Nicholas J Schofield (Screenplay)

Starring: David Kross, Freya Mavor, John Henshaw, Harry Melling, Michael Socha, Dave Johns, Barbara Young

Plot: The Keeper tells the extraordinary love story between a young English woman and a German PoW, who together overcome prejudice, public hostility, and personal tragedy. While visiting a PoW camp near Manchester at the end of WWII, Margaret Friar, the daughter of the manager of the local football team, notices young German soldier Bert Trautmann. 


Tagline – He came as an enemy… And became their hero.

Runtime: 2 Hours

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Outstanding

Story: The Keeper starts with the war ending, the English are putting their lives back together and the German Prisoners of war are helping with the rebuilding process. Jack Friar (Henshaw) a local shopkeeper who wheels and deals with the soldiers, while noticing one of the prisoners, paratrooper Bert Trautmann (Kross) has goalkeeping skills.

Jack offers Bert a place in his shop and being the goalkeeper for his local struggling football team, soon the teams fortunes turn around and suddenly the locals including his daughter Margaret (Mavor) learn that just because he is German, he didn’t have a choice but to fight. Bert builds a reputation which will make him one of the greatest goalkeepers of an era, one whose story will change football in England forever.

Thoughts on The Keeper

Characters – The characters in this film are based on the real people, Bert Trautmann was a paratrooper for the Germans in World War II, he was captured by the English becoming a prisoner of war, waiting for his chance to return home, he must serve around the village where his goalkeeping skills are discovered seeing him sign for Manchester City. Outside of football he must prove that he was a solider with little choice, but to fight for the Germans, he must overcome all the hate that is thrown his way, while falling in love with an English woman, breaking the boundaries of post war feelings. Margaret is the local woman that isn’t happy about having a German around the village, but slowly gets to learn that he didn’t have a choice, as the two slowly start to fall in love, showing how people need to learn to forgive, instead of holding on the hate. Jack Friar is the man who gives the Bert a chance to go in goal for a local team, a place to work away from the camp and lets him into his life, he is a typical wheeler and dealer. Jock Thompson is the Manchester City manager who offers Bert a chance at a major team, he has a bigger job at bringing a city together to support a man that could change the team’s fortunes.

Performances – David Kross is brilliant as the solider turned goalkeeper, he shows us the pain a war soldier would have been through, just showing the hope he wants a new life after it. Freya Mavor is wonderful too in her role, which shows us how somebody would stand up for a change. In the support roles we have strong work from everybody through the film.

Story – The story here follows the life and career of former prisoner of war, turned professional goalkeeper Bert Trautmann, how he found love and had to build bridges after the war to make history. Before watching this story, I only knew one major part of Bert’s career, the FA Cup final he won with a broken neck, this is shown and is very scary to watch, when you think about the safety in sport now. Outside of this we get to dive into how the English must learn to forgive the Germans for what happened in the war, something that was never going to be easy, but it was the only way to move forward, this is show through the different levels of acceptance Bert must achieve, his personal life is also very interesting to see, with the ups and downs which could have broken any man, showing the horrors war did to him too. This story is a must watch for any of the sports fans out there, it is told in a way that does show people can be good, not everyone is considered to be bad.

Biopic/Sport/War – We do follow Bert’s time from his POW days to his return to football after his own personal tragedy, seeing this shows how the war can create a divide that needs to be broken and with sport, it gave him a chance to build the bridges.

Settings – The film uses the settings well, they are kept simple for the most part, with it being focused on the small village and the football stadiums.


Scene of the Movie – The cup final.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain hate filled characters, are just basic with why they are created, a little bit more about them would have given them more reason to hate.

Final Thoughts – This is a brilliant biopic about one of the most iconic men to every play football, we see his life which was filled with so much to overcome, he still managed to make history.

Overall: Brilliant Biopic.

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Movie Review

Rachel Weisz Weekend – Denial (2016) Movie Review

Director: Mick Jackson

Writer: David Hare (Screenplay) Deborah Lipstadt (Book)

Starring: Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall, Andrew Scott, Jack Lowden, Caren Pistorius, Alex Jennings

Plot: Acclaimed writer and historian Deborah E. Lipstadt must battle for historical truth to prove the Holocaust actually occurred when David Irving, a renowned denier, sues her for libel.


Tagline – The whole world knows the Holocaust happened. Now she needs to prove it. 

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Interesting Courtroom Drama

Story: Denial starts when acclaimed writer and historian Deborah Lipstadt (Weisz) has her latest book about the horrors of the Holocaust being released, only her in her book to slams historian and renowned denier David Irving (Spall). David Irving has built up a reputation for being able to fight his case and decides to sue Deborah for libel.

After the years or preparation Deborah watches how Anthony Julius (Scott) and Richard Rampton (Wilkinson) look to make a trial where Deborah will win, without having to put the holocaust on trial, they want to keep it together for argument, with the case being about proving David’s research, rather than whether the holocaust happened.

Thoughts on Denial

Characters – Deborah Lipstadt is an acclaimed author that has made her career out of writing about the horrors around the holocaust, this has created an enemy in David Irving, that she has always been denying the holocaust happened. She must defend her own accusation against him, putting her trust in a group of lawyers to fight the case, despite the fact she would like to put the spotlight on the events, over the facts being disputed. Richard Rampton is the lawyer that is running the case in the courtroom, he has methods that Deborah doesn’t like, until she sees how he has truly been planning the case. Anthony Julius runs the case behind the scenes, he has a huge reputation with his previous work which made headlines and must be strict towards Deborah over what she wants to happen in the case. David Irving is the famous Holocaust denier, he has made a career out of his theories, which has given him a huge following, he decides to sue Deborah for criticising his beliefs, where he uses his natural charisma to get people behind him, despite his anti-Semitic behaviour being clear to see.

Performances – Rachel Weisz in the leading role is great to see, she shows just how helpless Deborah looks during the case, that puts her own reputation on the line. Timothy Spall steals the show with his depiction of David Irving, showing how he is the more colourful character in the case. Tom Wilkinson shows he will always be able to bring a quiet character to life in the moments he needs to shine, while Andrew Scott proves that his rising star will get involved in the major performances.

Story – The story here follows Deborah Lipstadt who has her own book sued for libel by holocaust denier David Irving, forcing them into a court case, which will be about whether he has been making up the truth for his own benefit or whether she had the right to question his beliefs. The story is an interesting one to follow, seeing an conspiracy theorist being put in a courtroom to prove his fictional story about the truth is fascinating to see, having a court case just about whether something as horrific as the holocaust is bad enough, but seeing how everybody seemed to have a fine balance between who could win, was also interesting. The story does struggling to start with, because of the large number of time jumps, with it starting in 1994, before the case happening in 2000, with small scenes in the build up to the case, through the years, but once we get into the courtroom, we are grasp by the story.

Biopic – The biopic side of the story focuses more on the case, rather than the people involved, which could take away just how much the case did take out of the people involved.

Settings – The film does use the courtroom as the main location for the story to move forward, with most of the external locations being ideas of where the story could end up going, with most being office, apart from the haunting trip to Auschwitz.


Scene of the Movie – The court case.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The early time jumps, we seem to have one scene, then jump two more years down the line.

Final Thoughts – This is an interesting courtroom drama, that shows how the truth managed to get all the way to a courtroom, when it was clear it happened, showing even conspiracy theorist could challenge the truth.

Overall: Interesting, but not Intense drama.

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Movie Review

Emma Stone Weekend – Battle of the Sexes (2017) Movie Review

Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

Writer: Simon Beaufoy (Screenplay)

Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Natalie Morales, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming

Plot: The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.


Tagline – He made a bet. She made history.

Runtime: 2 Hours 1 Minute

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Great Look at History Making

Story: Battle of the Sexes starts when women’s tennis champion Billie Jean King (Stone) decides to boycott the Lawn Association Tournaments run by Jack Kramer (Pullman) who isn’t offering equal pay to the women’s games to start her own tournament for the women. Bobby Riggs (Carell) a former grand-slam winner has been dealing with his gambling addiction which is costing him his marriage.

When Billie Jean’s tournaments start taking off, they are excluding from the Grand Slam events, Bobby Riggs comes up with the idea to challenge Billie Jean to an exhibition game which would get the press interested in both the players, putting the spotlight on the women players in the way they deserve.

Thoughts on Battle of the Sexes

Characters – The characters here are based on the real people, I have no idea how accurate they are. Billie Jean King is the number one tennis player in the world, she wants to earn the same prize money as the men and after not getting it she starts her own competition for the women in the game and beating Bobby would change everything for her, off the court she is dealing with her own feelings towards another woman despite being happily married. Bobby Riggs is a hustler and former grand-slam winner, he has a gambling problem which has cost him his marriage and has come up with an idea to challenge one of the top women’s players, defeating the current number one, Billie Jean steps up with the press turning the match into major deal. Bobby does play this like the exhibition that it was, knowing he is taking the bad guy role in this game, not truly caring about the outcome, more focused on the show around it. Marilyn is a hairdresser that does start an affair with Billie Jean, her role leaves Billie losing part of her game being involved in what was considered a forbidden romance. Rosie is one of the women players that joins Billie in her new league, one of many that just wants to be treated equal.

Performances – Emma Stone and Steve Carell are both fantastic in the leading roles, we see just how much Emma makes Billie look like a player that wants to change the game, while Carell makes us love to hate his cocky arrogant player. Elsewhere in the cast we have strong performance throughout the film without taking the shine of the performances of the leading pair.

Story – The story follows the real events leading up to one of the most watch games of tennis in history. We get to look at how Billie Jean lead the change in tennis for equality within the game which should be front and centre of the story. We do get to see how both Billie and Bobby have personal problems with relationships which were being explored at the time. The big and most entertaining part of the story comes from seeing the build up to the big game, where Bobby is playing into the press more than anything. The slightly confusing part of the whole story comes from wondering if Bobby knew what he was doing and whether he was actually supporting the women’s game, the film shows him making it a show for the cameras, which could see him trying to bring them to the forefront of the conversation rather than just being somebody trying to put them down.

Biopic/Comedy – The biopic side of this film does show us just how much of an impact Billie Jean had on tennis during the 70s how she made a difference for the prize money and views of tennis. The film is set with a comic tone with most of the laughs coming from just how outlandish Bobby is meant to have been.

Settings – The film is set in the 1970s with each location, costume or outfit looking like we are part of that time.


Scene of the Movie – The match.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The scoring in the match, it isn’t clear enough.

Final Thoughts – This is a great to watch biopic about one of the biggest games in tennis history, it has brilliant performance throughout and will leave you want to see what happened next.

Overall: Brilliant biopic.

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Movie Review

Dark Waters (2019) Movie Review

Director: Todd Haynes

Writer: Matthew Michael Carnhan, Mario Correa (Screenplay) Nathaniel Rich (Magazine Article)

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Pullman, William Jackson Harper, Mare Winningham, Victor Garber

Plot: A corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.


Tagline – The Truth Has a Man on the Inside

Runtime: 2 Hours 6 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Important Case, Told Too Slowly

Story: Dark Waters starts when defence attorney Robert Bilott (Ruffalo) gets invited to put a lawsuit against the very chemical company who works for by Wilbur Tennant (Camp) who has lost his whole herd of cows to different illness, ones he believes to be environment.

Robert decides to take the case, much to his boss Tom Terp (Robbins) annoyance, which will see him take on one of the biggest firms in America, with the claim they deliberately poisoned the water for years.

Thoughts on Dark Waters

Characters – Robert Bilott has been working to defend chemical companies for years, now he is asked to lead a case against one of the biggest firms DuPont, which could put his own career as a lawyer on the line to expose one of the biggest poisoning and lack of care in America. Sarah is the wife of Robert’s she doesn’t like his work to start with, but sees how it might even be effecting people in their own life, backs him in his fight against the company. Tom Terp is Robert’s boss, he isn’t happy with him putting the case together to start with, only once he sees his case, he will back him to do the right thing. Harry Dietzler is the lawyer that handles to trial for Robert, he knows how to play the courtroom to get the best out of the situation.

Performances – Mark Ruffalo in the leading role is the highlight of the film, he shows the sacrifice the man made to win the case. When it comes to the supporting case Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins and Bill Pullman are all strong with their roles in the film.

Story – The story follows a defence attorney that will risk his career to take on a giant firm accused of dumping chemicals into the water supply causing countless numbers of side effects that affects millions, this case does go on for decades and we see the ups and downs along the way. The story is important because it shows how bad the corruption in a company can be, which is sadly, one of the weaknesses in the story, we are trying to get too much information out, while not having enough to work with because of the number little cases involved. With the scale of the story being this big, it would have been better to get a mini-series, which could have explored more of what was going on in the grand scale of things.

Biopic – This was the important story of one man’s struggle to try and make a difference when taking on a massive company that will do anything to keep the little man down.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show us just what the company was doing and how the people had been affect by their careless action.


Scene of the Movie – The cases start.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – There is too much to cover in just a movie.

Final Thoughts – This is an interesting look at the important case that showed how hard one person worked to make a different against a company that wouldn’t give him a chance.

Overall: Could have had more.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nomination – S – Mary Queen of Scots (2018) Movie Review

Director: Josie Rourke

Writer: Beau Willimon (Screenplay) John Guy (Book)

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, David Tennant, Guy Pearce, Gemma Chan, Ismael Cruz Cordova

Plot: Mary Stuart’s attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.


Tagline – Born to Power

Runtime: 2 Hours 4 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Beautifully Shot

Story: Mary Queen of Scots starts as Queen Mary (Ronan) returns to Scotland a widow, her presence in Britain as put Queen Elizabeth (Robbie) position of Queen of England under pressure, as Mary has a rightful claim to the throne.

Mary does want to create peace, asking for one simply thing, to be the heir to the throne, while Elizabeth isn’t willing to accept this demand unless Mary marries an English nobleman, with her choice being Robert Dudley (Alwyn), while Mary falls for Henry Darnley (Lowden). As the tensions between the two queens rises, a potential war starts brewing for control of Britain.

Thoughts on Mary Queen of Scots

Characters – Queen Mary has returned from France after the death of her husband, she takes her place as Queen of Scotland looking to rebuild a nation, she wants to keep the peace between the two nations with her sister Queen Elizabeth, she wants to put her own place as heir on the line, believing she will get the chance if Elizabeth doesn’t have children. She has her own marriage with an English man, the one not selected for her and is always finding herself controlled by the actions of men, despite wanting to find her position of power. Queen Elizabeth is worried that Mary will put them into a war, she wants to stop the threat sooner, though her demands are simply, marry an English noble man and the two can live in harmony. We do know Elizabeth tendencies from history, though we also see how she is being controlled by the men around her, just like Mary. When it comes to the men we meet, we see countless noble men that are trying to put their own name of power into position so they could one day control their country, none of them want what is best for either Queen.

Performances – Saoirse Ronan is incredible in the leading role showing that she is a major talent in the industry who can step into any role, while Margot Robbie shines in the supporting role, never looking out of place in her role in the film. Everyone else is strong through the film, letting both the two leading ladies shine the most.

Story – The story here follows Mary Queen of Scots who returned to Scotland looking to unite the two countries with her sister Queen Elizabeth ruling England, while the people around them, always try to stop the two working things out. This is a story based on history, it shows how leaders will try to create peace, only for people around them never wanting to let this happen, it showed how Queen might have power, but they didn’t have control however much they tried to get their ideas through. It shows how in a by gone age, people would look down on a woman in power, believing they had duties to produce babies and heirs rather than actually rule the land. We do focus more on the struggle of Queen Mary and how she tried to always do the right thing and the downs that came her way.

Biopic – The biopic side of this film plays into the history of the two Queen of Britain who both tried to do the right thing to help bring people together and never were given the control.

Settings – The settings look beautiful for each shot, with the sets look stunning, while the outdoor locations are breath taking.


Scene of the Movie – The meeting between the two.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We could have seen more from the Elizabeth side of the story.

Final Thoughts – This is a beautifully shot movie that tells a huge moment in history that showed that the women in power never got the power they were meant to have.

Overall: Important Historical Drama.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nomination – O – Richard Jewell (2019) Movie Review

This is under O because of star Olivia Wilde.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Writer: Billy Ray (Screenplay) Marie Brenner (Magazine Article)

Starring: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm

Plot: American security guard Richard Jewell saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely reported that he was a terrorist.


Tagline – The world will know his name and the truth.

Runtime: 2 Hours 11 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Shocking Trial by Media

Story: Richard Jewell starts as we meet Richard Jewell (Hauser) a man that has always wanted to work in law enforcement, starting in a mailroom where he meets lawyer Watson Bryant (Rockwell) before moving into security just in time for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, while on duty he discovers a suspicious package, which turns out to be a bomb, saving thousands of lives.

With no idea who left the bomb, FBI agent Tom Shaw (Hamm) is leading the case, which starts to look into Richard, while ambitious ruthless reporter Kathy Scruggs (Wilde) is looking to get the story first, Richard turns to Watson to help him prove that he is innocent after the press turns on him.

Thoughts on Richard Jewell

Characters – Richard Jewell is a man that has always dreamed of working in law enforcement, he will always follow the law even too close to the line, never over it. He might rub people the wrong way, with his honest persona, which Watson is the only way to see through. He is always wary on his duty as a security guard, which is why he discovered the bomb, saving people, he wants to clear his name because he knows he hasn’t don’t anything wrong. Watson Bryant is the lawyer that represents Richard after the two have had friendship in a previous job. He sees that Richard is bring framed by a media trial and will do everything in his power to defend him. Tom Shaw is leading the investigation, he also leaks the idea they are looking at Richard, which puts his job on the line, with him needing to find the suspect fast. Kathy Scruggs is the reporter that is always looking for a juicier story, she gets the story about Richard out there being the one that leads the goose chase. Bobi is Richard’s mother that has raised him well, honest and to work hard, she is left distraught by the stories about him knowing just how honest he is to the world.

Performances – Paul Walter Hauser is brilliant in this leading role, showing the calm the man shows despite the pressure thrown on his character. Sam Rockwell once again shows us to be a wonderful supporting actor, while Jon Hamm and Olivia Wilde are strong throughout, Kathy Bates is fantastic too showing all the added stress and trauma placed on her character.

Story – The story here shows the security guard that saves thousands of lives from a bombing that the media decides to turn into the prime suspect despite his innocence, where he needs to prove his own innocence before the case just gets framed onto him. This story is based on the real events, which saw thousands saved from certain death, only shows how the panic to solve the case saw one person accused of being guilty of the crime, even though he saved them. It shows how the media has become judge and jury at times, which can be more damaging than the crime itself. This does highlight just how sudden somebody can be turned from hero to villain, though it would have been interesting to see and learn a little bit more about the full investigation.

Biopic/Crime – This film uses the real event to show Richard Jewell’s life just before and just after the bombing, showing us how the crime was focused on the wrong person, sadly, we don’t spend enough time trying to solve the crime.

Settings – The film uses a few main settings, the bombing locations, which is the horrors of the events, the home which shows us the loss of privacy the Jewell family received and the offices where questioning takes place.


Scene of the Movie – The private hearing.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not looking at solving the crime.

Final Thoughts –This is a fascinating drama that showed us the shocking story of trial by media of an innocent man with impressive performances throughout.

Overall: Fascinating.

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Movie Review

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Movie Review

Director: George Roy Hill

Writer: William Goldman (Screenplay)

Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin, Henry Jones, Jeff Corey, George Furth, Cloris Leachman

Plot: Wyoming, early 1900s. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid are the leaders of a band of outlaws. After a train robbery goes wrong they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. Their solution – escape to Bolivia.


Tagline – They’re taking trains… They’re taking banks… And they’re taking one piece of baggage!

Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: True Classic

Story: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starts in the 1900s where Butch Cassidy (Newman) and his outlaws, including his trusted best shot The Sundance Kid (Redford) are looking for their next score, which sees them doing a double on the same train, the second robbery sees them needing to go on the run from ruthless bounty hunters.

Butch and Sundance go to their normal haunts to escape, which this time just don’t work, they look to head to Bolivia for freedom, only to learn that the toughest lawman and the best tracker are hot on their trail.

Thoughts on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Characters – Butch Cassidy is the leader of the outlaws, he knows how to talk himself out of any situation, keep his gang in order and he won’t kill anybody unless the situation calls for it, he wants to not leave a trail of bodies behind him. The Sundance Kid is the quickest shot in the land, he never misses his target and is loyal to Butch. The pair together are a lethal combination that will get the robberies done is the most efficient manner. Etta the lover of Sundance, a school teacher who is still single at 26, which has already put her in a bad bracket for the society, she doesn’t get involved in the robberies, but does join them when they go on the run.

Performances – Paul Newman and Robert Redford are both fantastic giving career highlights in their roles, they have wonderful chemistry which shines through the film and helps on the adventure the two characters find themselves on. Kathrine Ross completes the main cast which sees her standing toe to toe with the male leads.

Story – The story here follows the notorious outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid who have been robbing banks for years until their latest job does wrong and sees them needing to go into hiding in Bolivia, with trackers and lawmen after them. This is one of the classic movies of all time, it does show one of the most famous outlaw partnerships in American history and we get to follow them when they are at the peak of their reputation, where they must deal with consequences of the people that want to end their robberies. Like most of the westerns for the time, we get the outlaws that come off charming for the most part, which does seem to be the way, lets make the criminals the popular ones and the lawman the villainous figures, sure the pair didn’t kill people and their reputation is key to how the country thought of them. It is a fun watch with comedy playing into how the story is told, which is fun to see.

Biopic/Crime – The biopic side of the film is how the film is loosely based on the real story behind the two outlaws, it shows us just how the two went on the run after getting caught too deep in the world of the crime that they had become famous for.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show us the world that the two men would be operating in, first the American side as well as the Bolivian side of their adventure.


Scene of the Movie – The last stand.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We could have learnt more about their robberies before the one that went wrong.

Final Thoughts – This is a fun western that shows us two of the most famous outlaws in the land, it has excellent chemistry between the leads and flows wonderfully.

Overall: Must watch classic.

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Movie Review

Goalie (2019) Movie Review

Director: Adriana Maggs

Writer: Adriana Maggs, Jane Maggs (Screenplay)

Starring: Mark O’Brien, Kevin Pollak, Georgina Reilly, Eric Bruneau, Steve Byers, Ted Atherton, Janine Theriault

Plot: Biopic of the life of legendary NHL goaltender Terry Sawchuk.

Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Surprising Look at Sports Conditioning

Story: Goalie starts as we see how Terry Sawchuk grew up under the shadow of his older brother who was waiting for scouts to give him a chance in the big time, only his father Louis (Atherton) needed him to work to keep a roof over the family. After his brother sudden death, Terry builds up his own reputation as an ice hockey goalie.

Terry gets signed by Detroit under coach Jack Adams (Pollak) while remaining humble in his new found fame, where his reputation continues to grow, as he continues to play through injuries to make history as one of the most legendary goaltenders in the game.

Thoughts on Goalie

Characters – Terry Sawchuk came from a struggling family, where he idolised his brother a young ice hockey goaltender who is meant to have a big future, after his brother’s death, Terry takes the role and builds himself a reputation which sees him signed to the big time after an injury to the current goaltender. Terry becomes the best tender in the league, though not a price, he plays through injuries that should be rested, which sees him going through addictions to cover up his own pain. Jack Adams is the Detroit coach that gives Terry the big break, he sees him as the star of his team, but also knows that he needs a goaltender fit and ready, whenever one gets injured, he searches for a replacement instead of a temp, which does create tension between the two when the injuries start catching up. Pat Morey is the woman Terry marries and starts a family with, she does deal with his problems that he is facing standing by him while keeping their children safe. We do see the players that all admire the goaltenders and have more fun during the season, because of the lower number of injuries they suffer from.

Performances – Mark O’Brien is wonderful in this leading role, he shows us every emotional problems Terry went through, the pain he feels through the season, in his head and the delight when things go his way. Kevin Pollak does bring some star power to the film, making a big impact in his scenes, while Georgina Reilly shows us how to do the supporting spouse who might not take everything that comes her way.

Story – The story here follows the career of legendary ice hockey player Terry Sawchuk who was considered one of the greatest goaltenders the sport ever saw. The story does show more of the personal life, which showed how difficult being a goaltender was, with clubs only have one and an injury meant you were axed, this increased the pressure on the player who would have to work through injuries just to keep his job, way before the union was involved in the sport. We don’t seem to learn too much of the pure joy of success or how much he wins, which could have been made clearer, while it also doesn’t paint enough of the importance of the union being included, just how much it changed the later stages of Terry’s career. The focus is solely on his personal battle to stay in a team and giving up his own health, family and future to keep his role in the team, no matter how good he was considered in the sport.

Biopic – The biopic side of this film only shows the personal struggles that Terry went through, but not enough of the joy of success on the ice.

Settings – The film keeps us in the era that we are going through, with the locker room being key to how Terry’s mind was going forward.


Scene of the Movie – Terry gets involved with banter.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not seeing or feeling the success felt by the players.

Final Thoughts – This is a good look at how sport evolved after seeing a player suffer for so long with the effects it took on his body and his mind.

Overall: Biopic 101.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nomination – H – A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (2019) Movie Review

We Have this film under H because Tom Hanks is considered a front runner for an Oscar this year.

Director: Marielle Heller

Writer: Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster (Screenplay)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Christine Lahti, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Tammy Blanchard, Wendy Makkena, Enrico Colantoni, Chris Cooper

Plot: Based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod.

Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Enjoyable

Story: A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood starts as journalist Lloyd Vogel (Rhys) has built up his own reputation of being an aggressive journalist that will usually put together articles that don’t show the person in the best light, he has one last chance for his latest piece, with loved children’s host Fred Rogers (Hanks), who is the only person who agrees to be interviewed by him.

As Lloyd learns more about Mr Rogers, he starts to believe he is the nicest person in America, he shows incredible patience, while the people around him might panic, he remains calm, he starts to show Lloyd the values of life and what he could achieve by being that little bit calm, opening him up more to his relationship with his wife Andrea (Watson) and his estranged father Jerry (Cooper).

Thoughts on A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood

Characters – Lloyd Vogel is a journalist who has given himself a reputation of writing articles that don’t show the person in the best light, his reputation has made him unpopular with celebrities that are now refusing to talk to him, except one Mr Rogers. He grew up in a dysfunctional family after his mother’s death and his father’s behaviour which has made him cold to the world and with his own marriage hitting a few rocks because of his own distant relationship with his wife, his time with Mr Rogers opens up his eyes to his own mistakes in life and learns to take a step back to people. Fred Rogers is the loved children’s television host that has bought forward life lessons in his show, pushing children and adults to talk about their own feelings as they start to struggle with them, he is always calm, always polite and always finds time for people, including Lloyd who he sees is having his own problems. Jerry Vogel is the estranged father of Lloyd, he walked out on him when his mother was dying, which has always caused tension between them, he is trying his hardest to reconnect after years of mistakes. Andrea is the wife of Lloyd that is getting tired of the behaviour of Lloyd, she wants to support him in his achievements and wants him to improve his relationship with his father, to become the father, he didn’t think his own was to him.

Performances – Matthew Rhys is in the leading role, he does a wonderful job with it being his character that needs to go through the biggest arc. Tom Hanks playing the nicest guy in America, while also being one of the nicest guys in the America is easy for him. Chris Cooper and Susan Kelechi Watson in the supporting roles all work well through the film.

Story – The story here follows a journalist on the verge of losing his career that gets a piece to work on that will let him explore his own troubles by meeting Mr Rogers, where he learns to tackle his own problems in his life. This is a story about self-discovery through meeting somebody who has a completely different look at the world. The story does put the highlight on family, forgiveness and futures, which is important for Lloyd to discover. Where the story can fall slightly short at times, would be not spending enough time with Mr Rogers, outside of America, he isn’t well-known, so it isn’t easy enough to connect with just how inflectional he was to the people he affects. We do also fall into the same tropes that we know will always need fixing in a relationship within a family.

Biopic – The biopic side of this film does show the time when the two meet, with Lloyd needing this chance encounter with Fred Rogers.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show everyday life for both characters as well as the iconic location used for Mr Rogers show.


Scene of the Movie – Christmas Dinner.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Mr Rogers isn’t well enough known outside of America.

Final Thoughts – This is a pleasant viewing experience with wonderful performances that is all about finding your ability to embrace your feelings in life.

Overall: Pleasant Throughout.