Bombshell (2019)

From the very start, this film reminded of the Big Short. It is not as good, but it's pretty damn good.

The story of Fox News female presenters, and the sexual harassment case they brought against their CEO, a story that is not from the 1960s but sickeningly from 2016, blew my mind. How Charlize Theron transformed herself (looks, gait, speech), how Margot Robbie used her face like a canvas to paint so many pictures, how Nicole Kidman walked the line between shrill and sensitive, these women were a marvel to watch. And the story was, as said before, just sickening to watch.

I have reservations about what these Fox News women presented to the world, and what this vile channel and its affiliates continue to present, but my politics aside, these are women who were treated like commodities, and when they finally rose against that, they were almost wiped out.

To think that this happened/happens in this century and in this decade, in this world and in that country, and is not only tolerated but also protected, it is terrifying to think what the women in the rest of the world go through.

Great performances, good film, important to watch.

The Gentlemen (2019)

If you like Guy Ritchie's style of film-making, this film will hit all the right notes with you.

There's style, there's smart dialogue, there's an awesome cast, there's a complicated plot that gets unravelled layer by layer, there's brutal violence, there's fun, there's dark humour...and did I mention the style already? Let's say it again for good measure.

I enjoyed this film from beginning till end, with all its twists and turns and predictability. It just made me smile.

Plus there's Matthew McConnaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Jeremy Strong, Colin Farrell, Eddie Marsan, Henry Golding, Tom Wu, Michelle Dockery and a whole host of others to make you smile. But above all, above them all, there is Hugh Grant in the best role of his life, one that he clearly relished doing.

I loved this film. That's all.

Little Women (2019)

I know my opinion completely goes against the grain on this one, but this film was a complete disappointment to me. Yes, it's a host of female characters, in a story written by a female author, and a film directed by a female, which is all reason to rejoice - but no, I did not like this at all.

I have grown up reading Little Women from the age of 10 all the way through my late teens, over and over again. I love the characters - Jo and Laurie more than anyone else - and I feel that I know their souls. I have seen this novel filmed badly enough times to be used to that. But somehow this version offended me most because I expect better in this day and age. Plus it got hyped as a great adaptation and got Oscar glory and so much good press that I guess I hated its shortcomings even more.

The acting is so unconvincing, it is like watching a high school play. Most of the filming is suffocatingly chaotic. I would've enjoyed the stylisation, and the jumping through time, if I had connected with any of the characters, but that didn't happen.

So, I am fine being the odd one out here, as I just cannot like this film.