movie review
Reviews of new and classic family-friendly films; the perfect picks for movie night.
Minari movie review
Start writing... Stitched together in an effortlessly organic manner, Minari unfolds as a series of beautifully observed vignettes of a Korean immigrant family trying to stake their claim for a piece of the American dream.Minari is writer-director Lee Isaac-Chung's distilled version of his own childhood growing up in rural Arkansas in the 1980s. Fittingly, the film feels like flipping through a scrapbook of episodic memories and formative experiences. Stitched together in an effortlessly organic manner, it unfolds as a series of beautifully observed vignettes of a Korean immigrant family trying to stake their claim for a piece of the American dream.Hoping to run his own farm, Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun) moves his wife Monica (Yeri Han) and two children, Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and David (Alan Kim), to a plot of land in Arkansas. Monica isn't too happy about living in a trailer in the middle of nowhere and makes her feelings known right away. This marital tension simmers throughout the film, and is realised in the occasional conflict.Gloating “Korean people use their heads” to his son, Jacob ploughs his own furrows. Dispensing abstract belief in God for the American Dream, he digs his own well, takes out a loan to buy a tractor, and grows Korean vegetables to sell them to the expanding Korean population in nearby cities. But as he finds himself over his head, not to mention his family's budget, Monica must take matters into her own hand to ensure the family comes before the farm. For Jacob to be a dreamer, Monica must be a realist.The family dynamics change instantly on the arrival of Monica's mother Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung). The veteran Youn is a delight to watch, especially when paired with newbie Kim, whose performance is unstudied but no less affecting. In the beginning, David's relationship with his grandma is testy in an endearing way, but it inevitably softens over their shared love for pro-wrestling, “mountain water” (Mountain Dew) and card games. Chung frames their clashes like comedic interludes, but without losing any of the film's emotional hold over us.Authenticity is built on achingly intimate details. When Soon-ja arrives all the way from South Korea, she brings with her bags packed with Korean chili flakes and dried anchovies. Overcome with emotion, Monica tears up. There is a familiarity to this routine that will resonate with anyone who has ever moved to a new city or country, and can't find the grocery essentials from back home. For Monica, it is an emotional moment because, for once, someone thought of her. The invisible workload of being a supportive wife to Jacob and mother to Anne and David has relegated her own dreams and desires to second-class status, like in most traditional Asian families. Her mother bringing her anchovies is someone recognising her existence, and thus her needs. Yeun, Youn and Kim may have attracted everyone’s attention this awards season, but it's Han's performance which lingers longer because it’s impossible to watch her and not weigh our own relationships with our mothers.Serving as the central metaphor is the herb which gives the film its title. Soon-ja takes David to plant some minari seeds near a creek on the edge of their homestead. Minari is a perennial herb known to grow on all terrains. More importantly, after it dies in the first season, it returns stronger in the second, revitalising the water and soil around it. It perfectly sums up the immigrant experience, the sacrifices made by the first generation to ensure the second thrives. As the metaphor takes root in the narrative, the Yi family too slowly find the strength and resilience to carve out their place in America.Motifs are drawn from classical elements. Fire, water and earth are a disruptive as well as productive influence, symbolising the challenges of acclimating to a new country. Jacob's plants wither without water, and the family turns to the creek, where the minari is planted, for water to run their own home. Fire destroys their barn, but also helps the Yi family hit the reset button. And what is Minari about if not taming the land to reap its rewards?David lashes out at Soon-ja for not acting like “a real grandma.” His conception is entirely American: one who bakes cookies, not one who feeds him yucky potions for his weak heart. Most certainly, not one who wears men's underwear and swears during card games. When Jacob and Monica get into a heated argument, the children fling paper planes with “Don't fight” written on them. When Soon-ja reminds David and Monica of their favourite ballad, both appear to have forgotten it entirely. It's an example of how their American future is slowly supplanting their Korean past.
By Zarinabanu Zarinabanu5 years ago in Families
Yes Day - A Netflix Movie Review
Yes Day is on Saturday! I wonder what we can talk Mom and Dad into saying yes to? Released to Netflix, Yes Day is a 2021 film. Parents of three children are challenged to having a ‘Yes Day.’ Being parents who usually say no, this day proves to be a tough one. What crazy adventures will their children get away with on this whirlwind fun adventure?
By Marielle Sabbag5 years ago in Families
The Last Full Measure Review
I was born on April 11, 1997; exactly thirty-one years after Airman William H. Pitsenbarger died in the Vietnam war. Until this film came out, I knew nothing about him. I knew almost nothing about the war at all. I went into The Last Full Measure expecting a film which was…okay. All it had to do was tell a story and keep my interest; maybe make me cry a little from time to time. It did all that.
By Michaela Calabrese5 years ago in Families
Family is Everything Even on TV
Growing up in a Mexican American family I had a lot of cousins to bond with, and considered them unofficial siblings. Our aunts and uncles showed us unconditional love, as well as the true meaning of family. We learned to be there for one another no matter what, no questions asked. That type of family connection has always been important to me. When I set out to watch something, whether it be a movie, or a TV show I always get heavily invested in the ones that are deeply rooted into the family, and their culture.
By Mandy Raquel5 years ago in Families
A Millennial Parent's Guide to Movie Night
As a millennial, and a parent to two small children, nothing has brought me more excitement than sharing some of my favorite old-school childhood movies with my kids. However, thanks to modern day technology and the types of movies and shows they are accustomed to, the movies of my past haven’t always resonated with them in the same way. Doesn’t mean I haven’t still made them watch!
By Kristina Cutrufello-Rojas5 years ago in Families
Gimme Me Some of That Baby Mama Drama
We've all seen those TV shows and movies that over exaggerate the pregnancy glow and how wonderful it is to be pregnant (I mean, don't get me wrong, being pregnant is an incredible thing. You are literally creating a new human being inside of your body. It's totally badass) but they never show the down sides and/or complications of being pregnant.
By L. M. Williams5 years ago in Families
Movie Review: 'Minari'
The American dream is for everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, the American dream, prosperity, independence, freedom, are available to everyone. Some people place hurdles in front of the dream based on their prejudice, petty hatreds, and ignorance. But those hurdles can take nothing away from the true American dream and those who fight to achieve it. A good example of that is the new movie Minari.
By Sean Patrick5 years ago in Families
Klassic Kitchenware
Two things we care About, Quality and Customer That’s why we do no not give dealership to others, we setup up our Own selling and distribution warehouse in that particular country and manage the operations in our supervision. At our manufacture unit, we carefully look after our products quality & manufacture them according to health standard. We are the only kitchenware who gives life time guarantee of their products.
By klassic kitchenware5 years ago in Families
Pieces of a Woman: A Heartbreaking Portrayal of Grief
My eyes are squeezed shut. I can hear the panting and crying of the woman giving birth. There are words of encouragement scattered amongst a repetition of the words “push harder” that are always followed by a long hoarse groan. I vow to myself silently that I am never going to have a child or even have sex because childbirth sounds inhumane. All of a sudden, there is a crash, and a shrill scream pierces the air. A strong cry punctuates the silence that follows, and there is a collective gasp around the room. I open my eyes to find my friend has fainted and fallen from her chair and the woman on the television screen has given birth to a baby girl. I was 11 years old when I studied the process of human reproduction. In some of the classes, me and my friends were in a constant fit of giggles, especially when learning about the male anatomy, and in others stunned into silence, our minds unable to reconcile the stories we had been told and actual biological fact.
By Eliza Wright5 years ago in Families
Critics Hate Hillbilly Elegy. Top Story - January 2021.
First a book, then a New York Times Bestseller, now a Netflix film, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of A Family and Culture in Crisis , depicts the abuse, drug addiction, and overall redneck fuckery that occurs in my home state, Kentucky, and other parts of Appalachia.
By Jessica Bugg5 years ago in Families
Spend The Night In With Lots Of Laughs To Share
There is a movie that just came out this year that is going to really get some smiles going in the family. This is a comedy that for everyone to watch. The movie has a full cast passing out the laughs. It is a funny adventurous movie called The Sleep Over. There are adorably comical kids who are roaming about in this movie. Malin Akerman plays the mom in this movie named Margot who also is a well-known thief that plays the cello. Ken Marino is the husband named Ron who is also a pastry chef. Sadie Stanley is the daughter named Clancy who is trying to build up the courage to ask her mom for what she would like to do in life. The daughter is also a cello player.
By Shelly Bartley5 years ago in Families
