A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Review

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Review

This is a delightful, heartwarming movie that is not about Mr. Rogers. The movie is about the journalist Lloyd Vogel witnessing the pure kindness of Mr. Rogers and how his influence changes how he deals with his own personal issues. The movie is framed as an episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood with the opening of the show introducing us to Lloyd Vogel.

Throughout the movie, we cut back to this fake episode that is playing out like a dream for Lloyd. The movie deals with the elements of the show, the puppet characters, and even the mailman with the "how it's made" segment. Tom Hanks is so good as Fred Rogers, I loved him as Walt Disney in Savings Mr. Banks, even better here. Matthew Rhys does a great job as the main character, Llyod Vogel. In a small supporting role Susan Kelechi Watson, playing Andrea Vogel, does a wonderful job with the little she's given.

It's a movie about a man with anger and little faith in humanity overcoming those issues after seeing the real pure effect that Mr. Rogers has on the people around him. Through learning that Mr. Rogers is just a person with problems, but learning how to deal with those and overcome them, Lloyd gains a new perspective on his own life and his relationship with his father that abandoned him as a child. A good quote in the movie is when Llyod asks Mrs. Rogers, "what's it like to be married to a living saint?" She responds by saying that she doesn't consider Fred a saint because that makes it seem like who he is, is unattainable, which means that anyone can be a kind, generous, caring humanitarian just like Mr. Rogers, if they are willing to do the work.

Not knowing what to expect with this film, I was surprised how touching and heartwarming it is. I think a lot of people can relate to Llyod's character and his journey of acceptance to his current life situation. It's a powerful message about dealing with your personal problems and treating people with compassion in order to create happiness in your life. This movie makes you appreciate and view the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood show in a way that highlights the values of the show. There was a wonderful documentary called Won't You Be My Neighbor about Mr. Rogers, and this is a great companion piece to that film. I highly recommend it.

The Joy Luck Club - Book Review

The Joy Luck Club Review

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is wonderful tale about the hardships of mother-daughter relationships. I once had to read an excerpt chapter for a class, and I was immediately intrigued by the characters and story. I remember when I was a kid, my mom used to watch the movie, so I had known of this book for some time. When I go to thrift stores I like to browse the book section to see if anything catches my eye. I saw that they had a fairly good condition paperback of The Joy Luck Club. So I bought it! A good addition to my growing library.

One thing that I do love is the narrative flow of the story. Everything feels like it is in continuity with each other even though it bounces back from present to flashbacks, and between different characters perspectives. Each chapter adds to the overall story. At it's heart the book is about the connection and disconnection between mothers and daughters and the influence that American culture has had on the second generation of women.

The present day story

is set during the 1950's in San Francisco, and the flashbacks go all the way back to the 1920's in China. Each of the four mothers share their experiences growing up in China. They share stories about their different experiences; such as having to give up twin babies and being in an arranged marriage. The mothers also share stories about how they grew up disconnected from their own mothers.

Author Amy Tan does a great job not only showing the generational gap between the mothers and daughters, but also the evolution of the mother-daughter relationship from China to America. The story is told in four parts, and each part has four entries. This represents the four mother-daughter relationships that are revealed throughout the book, with the exception on one character that has passed away at the start of the story. Each character reflects on their relationship with their mother, and how that has affected their current relationships, either with their daughters, or the daughter with their family and husbands.

The book does a great job of showing the condition of life in China during the 1920's – 1940's. Each story provides sympathy for the mothers, who from the daughters' point of view seem strict, conservative and unemotional. The main story line revolves around the June Woo and the death of her mother. The ending where June is reunited with her long-lost half sisters in China, is very touching and even brought tears to my eyes. Tan is a tremendous writer that conveys the struggles of Chinese-Americans in the 1950's and the generational struggles between mothers and daughters. This is a book that women of all ages can relate to and enjoy.

The Call of the Wild-Movie Review

The Call of the Wild (2020) Movie Review

Based on the book by Jack London, The Call of the Wild is the story of a dog going from a domestic, spoiled life in the city, through an adventure in the Alaskan wilderness to find where he truly belongs. This is an adventure film for the whole family, harking back to the old Disney adventure films, like Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea or Swiss Family Robinson. 

There are several notable actors throughout the film, but the main lead is Harrison Ford, who gives a great performance despite acting alongside a CGI dog. His relationship with the dog, Buck, is touching and heartwarming. They both find where they truly belong in the world, and go in peace. Buck takes an incredible journey from his pampered life in the city, to being an Alaskan sled dog, to helping Harrison Ford's character recover from his loss.

Besides Harrison Ford, there are several notable actors throughout the film. Omar Sy, has the second biggest role, and does a great job playing the leader of the dog sled that delivers the mail. There are other actors that I was surprised to see pop up as well. But the story is always about Buck, and the character growth he has throughout the movie.

While this isn't the best family film, there is a lot to like about this movie, including the importance of having a connection, be it man and dog, man and family, or dog and other animals, we are all searching for our connection to the world. 

That's the true message of the film and there were a few teary eyed moments throughout. Having not read the book, I cannot speak to how true it stays to the source material. It may not be a Christmas film, but if you need a family movie to pop on during the winter months, give this one a shot.