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Felicity Jones

On the Basis of Sex – RBG Fights the System

January 10, 2019 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

“Courts ought not be affected by the weather of the day, but will be by the climate of the era.”

Before she became a Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one who fought against sex discrimination. One the Basis of Sex focuses on her life from the time she entered Harvard Law School until she began to argue appeals to begin to break down the barriers to equality—law by law.

In the opening scene, as credits are shown, we see a sea of men all headed the same direction. It turns out that they are on their way into the law school. We see just one woman among them. Later we learn that there are nine new women law students that year. As the new students begin their studies, the dean addresses the new class by speaking about what it means to be a “Harvard Man”. That was the world at the time Ruth (Felicity Jones) began her journey towards being a lawyer. And it didn’t get better when she graduated. Not able to find employment at a law firm, she teaches law at Rutgers. As the turbulent 1970s dawn, she teaches a class focusing on sex discrimination, noting that under the law, women do not have rights. When her husband Martin (Armie Hammer), a tax attorney, brings her a case in which a man can’t get a deduction that a woman could, she sees it as a chance to chip away at the law.

The film speaks of sex discrimination not as an abstract, but as the reality in Ruth’s life. She serves as the victim of the systemic sexism of the day. Even though it is clear that she has the intelligence and the drive to be a good attorney, each firm she interviews with finds a different reason why they won’t hire her, ranging from we already have one woman, why would we want two? to the wives would be jealous. Martin recognizes her gifts and is supportive. But such male benevolence is hard to find elsewhere in the film. Even an old childhood friend, Mel Wulf (Justin Theroux), now at the ACLU, supports her in theory, but not so much in action. The male condescension reaches its highest point (or deepest depth) when one of the judges in her appeals case mansplains the three branches of government and how laws are made.

The film also spends time on the Ginsburg’s family life, with special emphasis on Ruth’s sometimes troubled relationship with her teenage daughter Jane (Cailee Spaeni). Jane at first feels as though her mother dismisses her, but in time the two come to appreciate each other. Ruth sees in Jane a new generation who will not accept the status quo and who will fight for change.

The film gets a bit dramatic at times. In reality, I doubt the arguments in an appellate court on a $270 tax case is very exciting, but for this film, it seeks to put us on the edges of our seats. As first Martin, then Ruth, make their case, it seems destined to lose, until Ruth comes up in the final moments to turn the tide. But that drama is what gives the film a sense of urgency to remind us that the battles for justice are not done.

Sitting close to fifty years removed from the time of the film, it may seem that the attitudes of that time were ridiculous. However, as the issues are discussed, arguments are often made that such changes in the laws will destroy the family and fabric of society. Often it is asserted that the male dominant society is the natural order of things. Should women be firefighters or combat troops? While some may find such claims out of date, they continue to be made in many gender related issues that continue to be struggled with to this day.

Fans of Justice Ginsburg (who knew judges would ever have fans?) will be happy to know that the real RBG does make a brief appearance atop the Supreme Court steps at the end of the film, which brought some applause at the showing I attended. That she is so recognizable is a testament to the role she continues to play as we continue to need champions of justice.

Photos courtesy of Focus Features

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Armie Hammer, biopic, Cailee Spaeni, Felicity Jones, Justin Theroux, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Inferno – Dan Brown’s Final Installment Gets the Hanks Treatment

January 24, 2017 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

Dan Brown’s novel, The DaVinci Code, became a worldwide phenomenon, quickly followed by 2006’s cinematic version directed by Ron Howard; three years later, the two teamed up again to translate Brown’s first novel in the Robert Langdon series, Angels & Demons, into a cinematic sequel. Nearly a decade later, they have crafted an Italian panic room, with the Harvard professor trapped in his own head after an assassination attempt leaves him with amnesia and a world-altering virus on the loose.

Inferno is the last published Brown work, with Origins expected in 2017. The series, both print and film, is simply too financially worthwhile for the creators to abandon it, so it seems likely that Inferno won’t be the last in the series. Even though it was the least well received, it still proved financially worthwhile. That may be the mutually proficient pairing of Hanks (always a draw) and Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Rogue One) that allows for a romantic-less partnership unlike most of the action films that seem designed to work the protagonists into bed together.

But while the film was critically slammed (19% on Rotten Tomatoes) and Hanks’ performance seems to be that of a perpetually frustrated middle-aged man with a lack of only the most necessary memories, and it fails to engage for too long in the strongest of Brown plot points (deducing clever historical clues), I found the film provocative. Maybe it’s my love of art history, mystery, and faith, but Inferno puts Langdon in the crosshairs of several organizations out for what he knows, with a simple, good person, Jones’ Sienna Brooks, as a sidekick. That’s entertaining even if it doesn’t make any sense that Ben Foster’s maniacal “overpopulation theory” scientist Betrand Zobrist would provide clues to stopping the plan he believes will save the Earth from destruction. [For the record, Foster steals every scene as he does …. in every film he makes.]

Filled with violence, double-crosses, and various psychos too varied to explain, Inferno has a mostly frantic pace that entertains and challenges. There’s not much here on overpopulation theory, but it’s still the driving force behind this Howard/Hanks collaboration. And it’s highly unlikely to be the last.

Special features on this Sony release include deleted and extended scenes, a director’s journal by Ron Howard, a study of Langdon, Foster’s Zobrist, and Jones’ Brooks, and a study of the views of hell portrayed here. 

Filed Under: DVD, Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Angels & Demons, Ben Foster, Dan Brown, Davinci Code, Felicity Jones, Inferno, Tom Hanks

3.7 Going ROGUE (ONE)

December 20, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

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http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Rogue-One.mp3

This week, pastor and Jedi master Greg Banik and ScreenFish co-editor Jacob Sahms join forces with Steve to take on the evil Empire in ROGUE ONE! But does this movie know the difference between good and evil? They chat about the politics of war, changing views on religion and the nature of faith.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

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Special thanks to Greg Banik and Jacob Sahms for chatting with us!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast, Star Wars Tagged With: Dark Side, Darth Vader, Death Star, Felicity Jones, Force, Jedi, jyn erso, Krennic, Mads Mikkelson, Rogue One, Star Wars, Stormtrooper, war

Rey’s Identity Revealed! Or Not at all…

April 14, 2016 by Steve Norton 2 Comments

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Will Rey’s real parents please raise their hands?

The reveal of the trailer of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has everyone talking… but not just about that particular film.  All of a sudden, the internet is abuzz with the potential of the film’s lead character, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), being the mother of none other than Rey from The Force Awakens.  Though Daisy Ridley has shot down these rumours herself (apparently she knows her character’s story but isn’t saying), it hasn’t stopped fan boy culture from firing on all cylinders about it.

So, since everyone is talking about it, let’s enter into the conversation ourselves. With that in mind, here are five likely candidates who may have passed on their DNA to the young Jedi-to-be.

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  • Luke Skywalker – In many ways, he is the most obvious and likely of choices. Arguably the most powerful Jedi, for him to have conceived a child over the last three decades and run from the responsibility (like his father) seems like a logical progression for his character.

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  • Leia Organa & Han Solo – The most convenient of choices, to be honest. By making Han—or, as Ren calls him, ‘the father you never had—and Leia her parents, Rey’s battles with Kylo Ren have a brother/sister dynamic we’ve never seen before.

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  • Mara Jade – One of the most beloved characters of the (now) unofficial extended Star Wars universe, it would be a love letter to the fans to bring Mara Jade’s character to the big screen. She, the one-time love interest of Luke Skywalker, could be an excellent edition to the next generation of storytelling.

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  • Supreme Leader Snoke – This theory that the epitome of evil would conceive a Jedi daughter isn’t far fetched either. (Again, see Vader, Darth.) He seems surprised by her abilities—but that’s easy enough to lie about publicly. If Snope is Rey’s father, it creates another opportunity for a character grappling with generational sin. (Although, let’s be serious, we’ve been down this road before…)

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  • You know, another Jedi… – Here’s a fun idea. Wouldn’t it be amazing if, somewhere in the galaxy, there was another Jedi who’s last name wasn’t Skywalker? While Han seems to indicate that he’s aware of the identity of her parents, that doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s directly related to him or members of his family. While the Star Wars universe is used to having everyone connected, there is no definitive reason why she needs to be anything more than the offspring of another mysterious Jedi.

 

Filed Under: Current Events, Film, Star Wars Tagged With: Felicity Jones, force awakes, Han Solo, jyn erso, leia organa, Luke Skywalker, mara jade, Rey, Rogue One, Star Wars, Supreme Leader Snoke

Star Wars Rogue One: Stars Announced

May 13, 2015 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

rogue oneHere’s a little bit of Star Wars news to satiate you until the next trailer is released (and we can endlessly pick it apart for clues to the real thing). However, it’s not for The Force Awakens.

Per Variety, the director of Star Wars: Rogue One, Gareth Edwards, has announced some casting for the film that’s set to debut on December 16th, 2016. We already knew Felicity Jones and Riz Ahmed were going to be in lead roles, but we’ve now learned that Diego Luna (Y tu mamá también) will play the role of a rebel fighter in the film. Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises; Bloodline) will play the main villain.

So far, Edwards has mentioned that the plot will involve the acquisition of the Death Star plans by the Rebellion. The film will take place between Episodes III and IV, but will be closer to the latter.

The struggle between good and evil will be quite interesting if Edwards can pull off the delicate balancing act of re-bridging the prequels to the main trilogy.

To get caught up, here’s AMC’s Movie Talk on what Rogue One means:

Filed Under: Current Events, Film, News Tagged With: Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, Gareth Edwards, Rogue One

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