chirolisa Reviews

The Starling (2021)

Resonant and human

[10/10 · 27 January 2023]

Loved this movie. Real and human and well cast and acted. Thank you for this movie. Well done.

The whole cast was so well chosen and I loved the subtlety of much of the dialogue.

The bird work was pretty amazing and the constellation of comedy and real Emotion is irresistible. I thought Melissa McCarthy would steal the show, and Kevin Kline was amazing in his range, and his quiet humble strength.

I hope all threee leads each got a whole shelf of awards for this movie. It is absolutely gonna change some lives.

I look forward to watching it again to see the subtleties and laugh again. Thanks again.

The Brothers Lionheart (1977)

Great!

[10/10 · 28 January 2007]

I saw this several times when I lived in Sweden. At first I really didn't "get" it. Then I sat down and read the book in Swedish and got so much more of the context. It still brings tears to my eyes. Beautifully acted, beautifully crafted, and showing so much of Swedish character/persona. What a great film. About the topic of death, it is handled in a way that Americans will find odd, unusual, heartfelt, not horribly pedagogical, certainly without a Hollywood influence. It truly is a different film, with adventure, heartstrings, and love (family, not romantic). Never has the dedication of siblings been so well demonstrated.