Posts

Showing posts from January, 2020

Bombshell Review

Image
(A version of this article originally appeared on kernelnow.com / mynewslike.com) One of the world’s most widely discussed issues is also one of its most unfortunately frequent – male-on-female sexual harassment. Whilst not an entirely modern problem, the very public investigation, debate and decry of it is , with cases emerging on an alarmingly regular basis. Each walk of life seems to have them – usually with one high-profile, watershed moment to trigger the discussion. The movie world has Harvey Weinstein, the sports world has Larry Nassar, and the journalism world has Roger Ailes. Bombshell tells the story of the latter, and the women bravest enough to speak out against the all-powerful news patriarch just as society took its first, overdue steps towards gender equality. Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) is about to get mad. (source: Lionsgate) The story is brought to bear through the world-weary eyes of Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), the first to seek action against t

Jojo Rabbit Review

Image
(A version of this article originally appeared on kernelnow.com / mynewslike.com) A comedy about Hitler. A comedy.. about Hitler. That’s the absurd if reductive premise to Jojo Rabbit , written and directed by cinema’s surprising starlet Taika Waititi, who alongside credits in both franchise and indie fare now holds the dubious distinction of being “ the only choice ” that Fox Searchlight had in mind to play history’s most famous genitally-challenged racist/dictator/mass-murderer. To be fair, he’s not EXACTLY playing Hitler. Instead, he’s playing an imaginary version of “der Führer” that exists in the mind of Johannes ‘Jojo’ Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a ten year old boy besotted with one of the world’s most charismatic tyrants at an age where youngsters crave such glorious heroes. It probably doesn’t help Jojo’s cause that his home life features a distinct absence of the supposed “male role model” who isn't his tyrannical leader to latch upon, as his father is in some