eepaddock

Finally , a movie about life, privilege, and misfortune all rolled into an intelligently written film. Paul Giamatti plays a history professor at a private school having students of privilege attending in 1971. Those who have done poorly in his class are required to be holdovers during the Christmas break in an effort to attain a passing grade. Each of these young holdovers has a unique story which expands as the film plays out. The stories within the story are well thought out and fit together perfectly. The acting is impeccable as each character feeds off of the others to expertly weave the tale. Giamatti plays his professorial role with expertise being serious, funny, sad, obnoxious, and extremely intelligent all at the same time. Amazing range as always!! This is a worthwhile film depicting life with all its pimples and boils in full display. Don't miss it.

A strange film that is both riveting and dysfunctional. It's a shame that the actors all gave quality performances but the writing was a train wreck filled with irony, satire and sarcasm. I admit I couldn't look away, but I felt myself waiting for a climactic conclusion that never took place. The premise is quite intriguing, but falls flat on twists and turns which don't come together. As usual Ralph fienes was excellent as a deranged chef sporting a mangled ego along with a biting vendetta. No pun intended on the "biting" reference. Nicholas Hoult 's performance is also spot on and quite annoying to boot. I guess I just missed the point completely here.

This film presents an interesting take on Jewish immigration during World War Two. Ken Burns et al do a good job of giving us the backstory of how FDR's administration approached the situation and the constant barrage of anti semitic forces working to keep the United States out of the war for as long as possible. The documentary is raw, graphic , and in your face but people need to see this to realize that life is precious. Man's hatred and cruelty knows no bounds but if we are reminded of it by films such as these, hopefully we can keep ourselves in check to try never to repeat this type of heinous cruelty.