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The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Beyond Expectations
Thinking this to be the usual tale of endearing Irish characters in a charming Irish tale, I tuned in to this movie with those expectations. Impressed as I was by the actors' performances, five minutes into the story, I was thrown instead into an intense experience of relationships tossed by the wind into torrents of dispair. Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan impressed me with their portrayals of people wrangling with emotions and unfulfilled wishes. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrel had drawn my attention before by remarkable roles wherein they slipped effortlessly it seemed into Regional American dialects, especially Gleeson in "Cold Mountain." Their chracters' actions and motives in "Banshees" defied analysis time and time again, though Condon's character brought a note of triumph into the story.
I've never been to Ireland and am not familiar with true Irish English speech. What held me transfixed was the dialogue here: unlike anything I had heard before. Even when I lost patience and sympathy with the characters' behavior, my ears remained tuned to sound of it. I'll definitely be watching (and listening) to "Banshees of Inisherin" again.
Stalingrad (1993)
Opening Scene
None of the reviews I have read mentions the opening scene of citizens (including children) receiving aid from rescuers who free them from buildings partially destroyed due to the the effects of a Tsunami, in which a rescuer tells a child that he had five fathers. This scene from recent history precedes the WWII setting in which we see the arrival of German soldiers in Stalingrad. The lack of a tie-in did not affect my appreciation of this stunning portrayal of soldiers battling for control of Stalingrad. Few WWII movies measure up to its standards. Among those mentioned, I would add "Letters From Iwo Jima."
Camp Arrowhead (2020)
Ignore the Clichés
Inspite of the clichés that kept adding up, I continued watching this movie, finding it a refreshing relief from the loud and mean movies we keep getting from Hollywood (the ones where everyone acts as if its normal to flaunt the sex and to use gutter language when talking with your parents or children.) The religious themes didn't slam me in the face but were more like an undercurrent. While ithe identity of the stranger was obvious halfway through the movie, still it was a pleasant experience. I was glad to see Mariette Hartley. What I can't figure out is why the actor who played the stranger was omitted from IMDb's listing of the cast.