FILMS from AFAR

This page is dedicated to film reviews written by the 5th-6th grade students of one of my relatives. "Wonka" review by Lucas CK (5th grade - Fall 2024) Short plot summary: A man with big dreams of chocolate goes to a town that's all about chocolate. Characters: ·       Willy Wonka: A man who is a miracle chocolate maker. ·       Noodle: A girl who is Wonka's “buddy.” ·       Mrs. Scrubitt: A lady who is a giant scammer. ·       Bleacher: A man who is also a giant scammer. ·       Willy Wonka’s mother: Also a great chocolate maker. ·       Oompa-Loompa: A tiny man but a big annoyance to Wonka. ·       Slugworth: A popular chocolate factory owner. ·       Prodnose: Another popular chocolate factory owner ·       Fickelgruber: ANOTHER popular chocolate factory owner.   Long plot summary: So there’s a man named Wonka and he’s a great chocolate maker. (This movie is based off of the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. ) He lived with his mom and then he left for this town that's all about chocolate. When he got there he made friends and foes.   Review: Ultimately, it's a great movie; it could use some touches here and there, but other than that, I think it’s a five star review. "The Simpsons" review by Kaylynn (6th grade - Fall 2024) The Simpsons   Movie  is a classic. Many people have been watching the television show for a long time. It brought joy to several generations to hear the voice of Homer Simpson eating donuts while working, and how could we forget Abe Simpson’s lectures about the war at the dinner table. The Simpsons are a family filled with smarts and comedy. T he Simpsons Movie , in my opinion, earns a five star rating. It's filled with adventure and thrill; it also shows the struggle to keep healthy relationships going whether it's a relationship with your kids or with your partner. It helps you understand the struggle of life outside and inside home and with your family. In the end it all works out; Homer Simpson and his family have a better connection. If you have time to put this movie on your screen, do it, and don't forget to watch the television series as well!  "Terminator 2" review by Julien N. (5th grade - Fall 2024) Short summary :  A boy named John is getting hunted and protected by two Terminators. Characters John: A boy who thinks he’s tough. Terminator: Has no outside feelings (meaning facial expressions) and doesn’t speak a lot. T-1000: Annoying bad guy that speaks twice in the whole movie. Sarah: Toughest mom out there but she’s kind of insane.                                     Short Plot  A boy named John is raised by foster parents in the Californian suburbs because his dad died and his mom is in a mental hospital. The movie continues with a shootout when the Terminator is protecting John while T-1000 is trying to kill him.   Overall : This is a very good movie, and I would watch it 10,000 times! 10/10! "10 Things I Hate About You" review by Rhiett C. (5th grade - Winter 2024) Characters   Katrina: a girl who “isn’t a normal teenager” Patrick : a boy who might have some anger issues Cameron: the person who is crazy in love with Bianca and the dude who makes the dominos fall Bianca: the sister of Katrina who wishes she (Katrina) were normal Michael: the guy who tries to put reason into Cameron’s brain Joey: the guy who’s just a pain but is pretty much used in this movie   Plot Ten things I hate about you is a comedy based off of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.” It is about a boy, Cameron (Joeseph Gordon-Levitt) who transfers to a school and while with his guide, Michael (David Krumholtz) is showing him around he sees the most popular, and beautiful girl Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) whom Michael says is part of “the-dont-even-think-about-it group”. He wants to take her to prom but sadly her father (Larry Miller) is very strict and has a rule that she and her sister, Katrina (Julia Stiles) cannot date until she has graduated from highschool. Knowing that his first daughter does not want to date any time soon he decides to make the rules centered off of Katrina. He says that when Katrina dates Bianca can date. Wanting to date Bianca and for her to be able to date him, Cameron tries to find just the right guy for Katrina to date. When he finds someone perfect, Patrick, he has Joey (Andrew Keegan) bribing Patrick (Heath Ledger) into dating Katrina but it soon becomes real….   Overall review Overall I really enjoyed watching it, and it has become one of my favorite movies. I do think that it is for audiences ages 10 and up. "Barbie" review by Ainsley D. (6th grade - Fall 2023) I went to see the Barbie movie with my mom over the summer. Even though (spoiler alert!) it was about a mother and her daughter, I always felt and still feel like there was a bigger plot alluded to in the story. I believe the reality of this movie was the difficulties of living as a certain gender’s stereotype. Mainly, this movie focuses on the difficulties as a woman, or the female sex. My evidence? If we flashback to the scene where Barbie and the mother snap the other Barbies out of their “Ken-dom” trance, the mother makes a fair point about the problems and scenarios that real women have to face daily: things like appearance, relationships, and even how to act ( and I know that women like myself hate being told how to act “lady-like”). And here’s where we get serious. Plenty of people, female, male, or non-binary, are insecure of their behavior and appearance. So many of us beat ourselves up over things we can’t control, like eye, hair, and skin color. Worst of all, we take out our anger about ourselves and lash out at other people. We make fun of people’s differences just because we hate our differences and we’re embarrassed of ourselves. In fact, most bullies are who they are because they are embarrassed of themselves, while some are bullies because of problems at home. The truth is, reality and the way people react to things is mostly unfair, and no matter what we can do or how much power we have, you can’t make someone kind or honorable. The reason I wrote this review is because the Barbie movie taught me to support people more often. There is no way in the universe that you could know how hard someone has it, so be kind, and be supportive. "Legally Blonde" review by Kaylynn D. (5th grade - Fall 2023) I recommend Legally Blonde to those of you who like watching a Beverly Hills girl who has a major in fashion turn into a hardworking Harvard law student. It teaches you to never underestimate the power of blondes and the color pink even though I hate it. And finally it teaches you not to ruin your gorgeous pink high heels. "The Breakfast Club" review by Dylan B. (6th grade - Fall 2023) Plot: There's a group of high school students who all got detention on a Saturday. They eventually start bonding, and getting along with each other. And at the end of the film each of the students reveal why they got detention. Characters: There's a jock, a nerd, a princess, a criminal, and a basket case. The jock (Andrew) was in detention for taping together a nerd's hairy butt, which injured him. The nerd (Brian) was in detention for using a flare gun in his locker. The princess (Claire) was in detention for ditching school to go shopping. The criminal (Bender) was in detention for pulling the fire alarm at school. And the basket case (Ally) had detention because she had nothing better to do. Setting: The setting was a high school library, and some of it was set in the school halls/vents. Fun fact, the majority of filming was in an abandoned school called Maine North High School in Des Plaines. Strengths: The movie is hilarious, the acting is on point, the plot is great, though at times it doesn't make total sense, but none of those parts affect the overall movie review. Audience: I say you should be 11 years old or older since it's rated [R], but I feel like the rating is only because of some dark humor, adult content, and language. Rating: My rating is a 9.9/10. This movie is a classic 80s film, some may say it's one of the best movies of all time. You should most definitely go watch it! Poster images and film stills courtesy of each reviewed movie's US distributor.

You'd be hard-pressed not to find something to like in this documentary, which has appeal beyond the musician's enormous international fan base. Despite the fact that Springsteen himself doesn't sit for an on-camera interview, as most of his bandmates do in Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band , he provides the narration. It sounds like he may be reading a script, but any potential stiffness or distance in that is overpowered by the insights he and his bandmates offer into what makes the legendary E Street Band tick as a tight-knit company and what drives Bruce as a performer, and, corny as it sounds, a human. Springsteen is downright soulful about performing live ("a deep and lasting part of who I am. And how I justify my existence"), the tragic loss of friends and bandmates ("different parts of the same spiritual body… God bless them"), aging (the film is dedicated to his mother, who passed away at 98 in February), and about hoping his fans leave his concerts with a feeling of love and a smile. Footage from the 2023-24 world comeback-from-COVID tour provides the beat to concisely-edited interviews about the band's history, their creative process, Bruce's influences, the importance of their lifelong relationships, and the "story" Bruce weaves about "life, death, and everything in between" with his 28-song setlist. Like the band's concert attendees, come for the music and stay for the story. Read the full review at Common Sense Media Images couretesy of Hulu

This didactic and potentially emotionally taxing documentary will draw interested viewers but moves a little slowly to appeal to much broader audiences. The struggles of the Indigenous peoples of native Canada to resist the decimation of their land, or Yintah , are difficult to watch. The documentary follows their resistance over the course of many years, focusing especially on two very determined and brave women. When the movie gets out of the weeds of the pipeline fight to put the resistance into social and historical perspective, it packs a wallop. This includes a consideration of the historical displacement, internment, and genocide of native peoples, as well as the contemporary tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The breathtaking scenery will also stay with you, underscoring the protagonists' fight to protect their land. Definitely worth a watch. Full review available at Common Sense Media Images courtesy of Netflix

Kendrick's directorial debut shows great potential in her ability to blend moods, her sense of pacing to build suspense, and her visual eye for what to put in frame--and what to leave out. Woman of the Year could be accused of skating on the surface of the perpetrator's horrific criminal record. Zovatto's Alcala is appropriately creepy, but the film makes pains not to dwell too much on the actual crimes, which are seen in flashbacks that cut away at key moments and get at a small fraction of his alleged crimes. Instead, Kendrick seems more interested in conveying the era's rampant sexism. Men are depicted on a predator range that runs from needy neighbors and single-minded bachelors to dismissive and insulting authority figures to a serial killer nearly getting away with an estimated 130 murders. Female viewers in particular are likely to find something to relate to, despite the generational changes, whether that be the gut-level terror of a man following you in a parking lot or the frustration of being ignored, underestimated, or disbelieved. Full review available at Common Sense Media Images courtesy of Netflix

Despite gorgeous actors, an enticing location, and an interesting idea to set this film at a writer's retreat for global literati, there's a surprising lack of passion in the package as a whole. Lonely Planet has all the elements to appeal to the core streaming demographic of middle-aged women, but something's missing. This is no Nicholas Galitzine tearing off Anne Hathaway 's clothes in The Idea of You . When Hemsworth peels back Dern's bathrobe to nuzzle a shoulder, her tepid response is "Careful there." When she refers to him as "kid," he proves her right by storming off. What Dern and Hemsworth do bring is a maturity and credibility to their dialogues as well as their characters' backstories. Even though the female characters are drawn with more complexity than Owen is, we believe that he would be attracted to a woman on the other side of success, who knows herself and has her values firmly in place. Owen and Katherine are both likable characters, especially in contrast to the more superficial literary celebrities partying hard at the kasbah, and the development of their relationship is pleasant, like a leisurely stroll through the colorful markets, arid hills, and pastel streets of the film's Moroccan setting. Full review available at Common Sense Media Images courtesy of Netflix

This twisty, time-traveling mystery produced by M. Night Shyamalan squeezes maximum moodiness and suspense out of its lush Southern setting and complex characters. Both are set up skillfully in Caddo Lake , with a combination of handheld cameras dropping us into the middle of its characters' complicated lives and sweeping drone- and lake-level footage conveying a parallel, unsettling swampiness in their natural environment. The storyline is gripping and the acting persuasive, although the resolution may leave you feeling that overlapping threads haven't been completely tied up. Read the full review at Common Sense Media Images courtesy of MAX

A fast-paced, entertaining, and slightly wacky genre-bender, this generationally targeted film is sure to find a rapt audience and also shows off its feature debut writer-director's unique voice. It's What's Inside (that counts?) begins with a mind-messing tale of body-swapping, and then layers in a steady stream of visual flashes. Characters are lit throughout in bold colors, sent into rooms distorted by broken mirrors, carved up among split screens, and reenacted in animated collages. Situated somewhere between sci-fi, psychological horror, and social comedy, it's all quite startling, twisty to sometimes confusing, and generally a lot of fun. Full review available at Common Sense Media Images courtesy of Netflix

If the presence of Will Ferrell draws audiences into this gentle, meaningful, and funny meditation on gender identity and friendship, then all the better. Will & Harper is a tender and entertaining film, lovingly conceived with the best of intentions, and edited together for maximum emotional effect. Ferrell may be the reason the film got made, and the driving force behind its promotion and pull, but despite his celebrity he's there as a kind of everyman (" Ricky Bobby !" a bystander shouts) and witness. We watch him slowly let down his comedic guard and realize the seriousness of his friend's experience, shedding tears over her pain, grasping both the beauty and the dangers she now faces as a trans woman, and comprehending his own responsibility as her straight, famous friend. The story is about Harper's journey, but the film represents a voyage for them both. This is how hearts and minds get changed. The pair have both shown significant courage and vulnerability in opening up on screen to share this experience. The film captures their conversations, set up before they're even together in person when two separate interviews are spliced together as if in dialogue. It's one example of the clever editing and use of transitions which keep the road movie visually and aurally interesting. Other examples are the overlapping of maps tracking their movements, the counting of days, the interweaving of humor (highs) and drama (lows), and the fantastic assignment of poignant, fitting tunes for each stage of their journey, from Sonny & Cher's I Got You Babe , to a version of Simon & Garfunkel's America, Dylan's Shelter from the Storm , to The Band's The Weight , and finally buddy Kristen Wiig's excellent "Will & Harper" theme song during closing credits. Full review at Common Sense Media Images courtesy of Netflix

Spain’s International Oscar nominee Saturn Return ( Segundo Premio ) picked up Best Film and Directing awards at the leading Spanish Film Festival of Málaga last May and has been widely praised by Spanish critics. It’s a film packed with local references and a dedication to its city of origin, Granada, and one that also pulls from a long tradition of on-screen representations of rock-n-rollers from well beyond Spain’s borders. Content-wise, it should have no trouble appealing to a broader audience, but visually and narratively it’s an ambitious endeavor, making it a bold choice for the Academy Awards. The film is loosely based around an actual 1990s-era band out of Andalusia called Los Planetas. Titles tell us this is not a story about the band, but rather about the legend of the band. To reinforce this, characters aren’t referred to by name (credits label them “the singer,” “the guitarist” and so on), except for the one female, May (Stéphanie Magnin), who leaves the group in an opening scene. Spliced together in non-linear vignettes voiced-over as recollections from the main characters (think Daisy Jones & the Six without the on-camera interviews), the story arc is loosely formed around the band’s journey to make a third album after an initial success and then a flop. They’re in need of new musicians after May’s departure. They also need new songs, but the guitarist’s (Cristalino) descent into heroin addiction is complicating that process. The singer (Daniel Ibañez) is fixated on recording in a New York City studio. He demands a budget for the trip from his music label’s executives, who send him home to make some music first. Continue reading on the AWFJ website .

If you’re curious what the future might hold for humanity, and how targeted investments can help get us there, you could do worse than to have a conversation with Reema Khan.   Khan is the founder and CEO of Green Sands Equity, a boutique venture capital firm focused on investing in the technology, healthcare, space and frontier tech fields. Frontier tech includes subcategories like quantum computing, brain-computer interface and nuclear fusion.    It’s heady stuff, and Khan knows it. There are “ideas and technologies that aren't here today, but when they come, they could bring paradigm shifts with them,” she says. “We want to have some part of our portfolio invested in a future that could be. It’s a big bet we take on these deep tech companies.”   But technology is only part of the equation, Khan notes. “It isn't possible for any technology or innovation to solve problems for the world or to make the world a better place unless there is cultural readiness for acceptance of it.”    That, she says, is why she also dedicates time and resources to advocacy and philanthropy, with a special focus on empowering women and minorities. Khan is an ambassador to the United Nations for Women in Science & Technology on behalf of the Royal Academy of Science International Trust. She is also a trustee of the SETI Institute and Chairwoman of their Endowment Committee. The SETI Institute is a scientific organization, funded in part by NASA grants, dedicated to investigating the nature of the universe and the prevalence of life beyond Earth. Khan funds the SETI Forward Award for the Carl Sagan Research Center, a prize which supports undergraduate students interested in careers in astrophysics, astrobiology and astronomy.   “My overarching philosophy is that progress is punctuated by increases in knowledge, and what we want to do is not work on making the world just more convenient, but we want to discover new truths and new ways of looking at the world and solving problems,” she says. “I often say progress lies not in enhancing what we have today, but in towards what will be.”   Green Sands also specializes in political and policy strategy aimed at helping countries design incentives and strategies to attract foreign direct investments. The firm is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in New York, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. That global vision brings an inherent “humility,” Khan argues, in seeing and approaching topics from different perspectives, as well as in staying “constantly curious.”    Khan herself was born in Saudi Arabia and raised between Europe and the US. “We often say that at Green Sands we have the DNA of an entrepreneur, a scientist and a diplomat,” she says. “We’re all free thinkers and people who care about the world. We are very global.”   Here, Khan shares insights into the work of Green Sands and her thoughts on the role of private equity in shaping the future.   Continue reading at SUCCESS.com

The December holiday season has its traditional films, like “ It’s a Wonderful Life ” or “Elf.” But what about summer? The season may not have officially started yet, but thanks to the heat wave that recently swept the Bay Area, it feels like it’s come early.  It’s hard to pinpoint a definitive summer flick, maybe because there are so many — and they cross every genre. From horror to romance, and from Martha’s Vineyard to Mexico to the Mediterranean, there’s something for everyone this summer on the small screen. Find a film to match your mood. Face your fears: ‘Jaws’ The film that inspired the Hollywood summer blockbuster schedule we know and love today, Steven Spielberg’s “ Jaws ” may not instill quite as much fear as it did in 1975, when its effects looked newer and John Williams’ iconic score wasn’t yet a meme. But you may still find yourself wondering what lurks beneath the water’s surface after revisiting this screamer.  Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw make an unforgettable trio in shark-hunting action scenes punctuated with macho banter. Shaw’s monologue about an incident in the Pacific Ocean, involving both the atomic bomb and a pack of man-eating sharks, is haunting. If you’re feeling really brave, cue up the sequels, too.  Watch it : Streaming on Prime Video. Feel the drama: ‘Call Me by Your Name’ When this melodrama from Italian director Luca Guadagnino (“ Challengers ”) and veteran scriptwriter James Ivory (“A Room With a View”) premiered in 2017, the buzz was about the sexy scenes between stars Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer (and a peach). But the languid summer season in the northern Italian countryside is no less memorable.  The filmmakers perfectly convey the heat and boredom of sizzling days over a leisurely, well-heeled summer. Between trysts, the boys amble rural paths, lie by the pool, flirt with local girls, linger over family meals and enjoy ice cream in the village plaza. Sure, there’s the angst of first love, but summer is palpably inviting in this film.  Watch it : Streaming on Prime Video. Think about others: ‘Terraferma’ This Italian feature from director Emanuele Crialese (“L’Immensità”) forms part of a growing body of European films grappling with the realities of mass migration. The 2024 International Oscar nominee “Io Capitano,” also from Italy, is another. “Terraferma” is set during summer season on the tiny island of Linosa, where locals find themselves increasingly dependent on tourist euros as their fishing traditions die out.  But the island’s tourism is threatened when boatloads of African refugees begin literally washing up on their shores. Giddy scenes of partying vacationers fade into poignant underwater images of scattered personal items, and finally to a heartrending slo-mo sequence of beachgoers tending to parched refugees who’ve crawled out of the sea. Emotional stuff. Watch it : Streaming on Prime Video. Take a chance on music: ‘Mamma Mia! ’ Who can forget Meryl Streep swaying up a cliffside path to a white stucco wedding chapel overlooking the Mediterranean? How about Pierce Brosnan , Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård dancing on a boat perched atop the sparkling sea? Or a sexy Christine Baranski flirting with a much younger man on the beach, belting “Does Your Mother Know?”   This ABBA tribute, featuring other classics from the Swedish supergroup like “Dancing Queen” and “Our Last Summer,” filmed on location on the Greek isles. Whatever you may think of the silly plot or the actors’ dubious musical chops, the setting is undeniably alluring. You’ll be forgiven if you sing along. Watch it : Streaming on Prime Video. Get romantic: ‘Y Tu Mamá También’ Director Alfonso Cuarón (“Gravity”) returned home to Mexico to shoot this 2001 classic , which shifts from buddy film to road movie and, finally, into a story of sexual exploration, life and death. The film launched the U.S. careers of Gael García Bernal (“ Cassandro ”) and Diego Luna (“ Rogue One ”), who play best friends embarking on a journey through the Mexican countryside with an older Spanish woman (Maribel Verdú).  They’re in search of a fabled beach, and along the way they become intimate with the woman — and each other. With a rousing soundtrack and political undertones, this is a sexy, evocative movie that might make you want to set off on the road this summer to destinations unknown.  Watch it : Streaming on YouTube. This article originally ran in the San Francisco Chronicle . https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/best-summer-movies-streaming-19465900 Call Me By Your Name still courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

The tagline on this film reads, "Live. Love. Jump." and that's exactly the story this haunting documentary tells. With impressive access to its handful of extreme-sport enthusiasts, Fly offers an insider's view of a small community of high-risk base and wingsuit jumpers from around the world. Over the course of several years' worth of interviews, the filmmakers go inside people's homes and get intimate with their lives to understand why they risk those lives to jump and, well, fly. They're able to offer quite a lot of personal detail to tell the stories of three couples' lives and passions. The spectacular go-pro and drone footage (the film premiered on IMAX) underscores both the beauty and the risk. One of the six people profiled dies, and another breaks her back. Yet they and their partners say it's all worth it and they get back out to carry on even after these accidents, describing flying and base jumping as a "religious experience." A memorable scene splices together images of a woman floating in an indoor flying simulator while her boyfriend is wingsuit flying in China, all set to operatic music. One admits it's a selfish pursuit: "You get in when you don't have much to lose." But they're following their dreams, and they explain this quite convincingly to the camera, even from beyond the grave. Full review at Common Sense Media Images courtesy of Disney+