She Said

She Said (2022)

Directed by Maria Schrader

Screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz

Based on the New York Times investigation by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey & Rebecca Corbett, and the book, "She Said" by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey

Stars: Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle, Angela Yeoh, Irwin Reiter, Samantha Morton and Ashley Judd

I knew about the sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein from Ronan Farrow and his exposé for the The New Yorker. I did not know that there was another article that came out at the exact same time. It was eye opening to see this version of events.

The New York Times have were publishing articles about figures that had sexual harassment allegations against them like Bill O'Reilly and a certain former disgraced president that I will never name. Jodi Kantor (Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Mulligan) get a tip that Weinstein had a pattern of harassment, abuse, rape and paying the women off to silence them. They will use all means to break Hollywood's dirty open secret wide open.

It's so strange that the events of the movie happened five years ago. It is crazy how to the national conversation has changed since then. I know this movie is going to be compared to Spotlight. I would not blame you. Both movies deal with reporters meticulously writing a story of the utmost importance. An article that will change the world.

There have been buzz with this movie. I can see it. I felt that most of the performances were lacking. The only standouts for me were Morton and Judd. I feel that the movie is going to be forgotten, because the events happened recently.

Rating: 8/10

Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Screenplay by Mark Boal

Stars: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Fares Fares, Jennifer Ehle, Édgar Ramírez, Mark Strong and James Gandolfini

One of my most anticipated releases of 2012 was Kathryn Bigelow's latest feature, Zero Dark Thirty.Waiting on bated breath as the movie didn't come out in wide release until it was nominated for five Oscars on Thursday. Bigelow's last film was the Oscar winning The Hurt Locker, which was my number one movie of 2009. I fully expected that this movie was surpass it. Needlessly to say, I was slightly disappointed with it.

Maya (Chastain) is CIA operative who has been reassigned to Pakistan after the events of 9/11. She witnesses first hand what interrogators do to get the information they need to find the most wanted man ever. The small groups of operatives go off of leads and intelligence reports to find the exact whereabouts of bin-Laden. Is he in a cave as the American people all believed? Was he hiding in place sight and nobody knew anything about it? That was Maya's number mission to locate and bring bin-Laden to justice.

I remember the night when the president announced that Osama bin-Laden was killed. People were gathering in front of the White House cheering on his death. Watching a movie, I remembered a phone interview I had with former Fox commentator John Gibson on his radio show a few years back. He asked me if the US should go into Pakistan to get UBL. I said, yes. We debated on how can the US invade a friendly country to get the mastermind behind 9/11. He had to pay for killing 3,000 people that day. I was proven right. In your face, John Gibson. Suck on that.

As stated before, my expectations with this movie were very high. I thought it was going to blow all of the other movies out of the water. Was the movie intense? Yes. They were few and far between, expect the last act of the movie was edge on your seat. I had the same feeling when I saw The Master. The movie felt empty. I was bored was the movie, shifted around in my seat. I think that Chastian's performance deserved the nomination for Best Actress. There were specific moments in The Hurt Locker that I back on with awe. I guess, that would be said with the last moments of the movie, but it had to be added in when the US captured bin-Laden as they made the movie. Without that last part of the movie, it would been another disappointment as I had many this year.

My Rating