Downsizing, 2017

Downsizing is a 2017 American science-fiction comedy-drama directed by Alexander Payne, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jim Taylor. The film stars Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, and Hong Chau and was released theatrically in December 2017. It runs for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The film explores an unusual idea: what if scientists discovered a way to permanently shrink human beings to only five inches tall? Developed as a possible solution to overpopulation and the world's environmental problems, the technology dramatically reduces the amount of resources each person consumes.

But downsizing is not only presented as a way to save the planet. People quickly discover that their money goes much further in a miniature world, allowing ordinary people to afford luxurious homes and lifestyles that would be impossible at full size.

The story follows Paul Safranek (Matt Damon), an ordinary man who sees downsizing as an opportunity to escape his financial struggles and build a better life. Along with his wife, Audrey (Kristen Wiig), he decides to undergo the irreversible procedure and move to the luxurious miniature community of Leisureland.

What begins as a seemingly simple decision to become small soon takes Paul into an unexpected world filled with wealth, inequality, friendship, environmental concerns, and questions about what truly gives life meaning.

Genre: Science Fiction, Comedy, Drama

Director: Alexander Payne

Writers: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

Starring: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau

Runtime: 135 minutes

Release: December 22, 2017

TRAILER 

PLOT

Paul Safranek is an occupational therapist living in Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife, Audrey. The couple struggles financially and dreams of having a more comfortable life. Their situation changes when they learn about “downsizing,” a revolutionary procedure that permanently shrinks human beings to approximately five inches tall.

The procedure was developed as a response to the planet's environmental problems. Because downsized people consume far fewer resources, scientists believe that widespread downsizing could reduce humanity's impact on Earth. At the same time, people who undergo the procedure can sell their possessions and move their money into miniature communities, where ordinary savings can provide them with a much higher standard of living.

Paul and Audrey decide to take the procedure together. They believe that downsizing will allow them to escape their financial problems and start over in the luxurious miniature community of Leisureland. However, while Paul is already undergoing the procedure, Audrey changes her mind at the last moment. Paul wakes up five inches tall and discovers that Audrey never went through with it.

Devastated, Paul eventually divorces Audrey and begins living alone in Leisureland. He becomes increasingly disappointed with his new life, realizing that becoming small has not automatically made him happy.

Paul eventually meets Dusan Mirkovic, a wealthy and charismatic Serbian downsized man who lives a lavish lifestyle in Leisureland. Through Dusan, Paul is introduced to a world of parties, luxury, and international connections. During one of these encounters, Paul meets Ngoc Lan Tran, a Vietnamese activist who was imprisoned and forcibly downsized by her government. After being placed in a box and transported out of Vietnam, she survived the procedure but lost part of her leg.

Ngoc Lan becomes one of the most important people in Paul's life. Although she is initially suspicious of him, Paul eventually begins helping her with her work among poor and disabled residents in Leisureland. Through her, he discovers that the miniature community has its own enormous social inequalities. The wealthy live in luxurious neighborhoods while poorer downsized people struggle in neglected areas.

Paul's relationship with Ngoc Lan gradually changes his perspective. Instead of focusing only on his own disappointment, he begins to understand the struggles of people around him.

Meanwhile, scientists make a terrifying discovery. The environmental damage affecting Earth is accelerating much faster than expected. Humanity may eventually become unable to survive on the planet.

A Norwegian scientist named Dr. Jorgen Asbjørnsen reveals that a group of scientists has developed a massive underground shelter in the mountains of Norway. The shelter is designed to protect a small population of downsized people from the coming ecological catastrophe. The survivors would seal themselves inside the colony and remain there for thousands of years, allowing humanity to survive even if civilization and most life on Earth disappear.

Paul, Dusan, and Ngoc Lan travel to Norway to see the colony. Paul initially believes that joining the community may be humanity's best chance of survival.

However, after arriving in Norway, Paul discovers that the situation is more complicated. The colony is designed to be sealed permanently, meaning that once the people enter, they will essentially abandon the outside world. Paul becomes increasingly uncertain about whether escaping to safety is the right thing to do.

Dusan ultimately decides not to enter the colony. He chooses to remain outside with his friends and continue living his life rather than spending thousands of years underground.

Paul also makes a surprising decision. Instead of entering the underground refuge, he decides to stay outside with Ngoc Lan. He realizes that he would rather live a meaningful life helping other people than isolate himself in an attempt to survive at any cost.

Paul returns to Leisureland with Ngoc Lan and begins dedicating himself to helping disadvantaged people. His transformation is complete: at the beginning of the film, he wanted to become small because he believed it would make his own life easier. By the end, he understands that the size of a person's life has nothing to do with its value.

The film ends with humanity facing an uncertain future, while Paul chooses compassion and human connection over wealth, comfort, and survival at any price.

Rating: 10 Stars

The Minus Man, 1999 - Amazon Prime

The Minus Man is a 1999 American psychological thriller and crime drama directed and written by Hampton Fancher, based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Lew McCreary. The film stars Owen Wilson as Vann Siegert, alongside Janeane Garofalo, Brian Cox, Mercedes Ruehl, Dwight Yoakam, Dennis Haysbert, and Sheryl Crow. With a running time of approximately 111 minutes, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 1999, before receiving a limited theatrical release in the United States on September 24, 1999.

The story follows Vann Siegert, a drifter who arrives in a quiet coastal town and appears to be an unusually calm, polite, and even charming man. He keeps to himself, speaks softly, and seems almost harmless — the kind of person nobody would immediately suspect of anything sinister. But beneath his gentle exterior lies a deeply disturbing secret: Vann is a serial killer.

TRAILER 

PLOT

Vann Siegert is a mysterious and seemingly ordinary man who arrives in a small American town with no known past and rents a room in the home of Doug and Jane Durwin, a couple still struggling to cope with the disappearance of their daughter. Polite, reserved, and quiet, Vann quickly settles into the town's routine and finds a temporary job at the post office. To those around him, he appears to be nothing more than a lonely man trying to start over. What nobody knows is that Vann is a serial killer who chooses his victims according to his own deeply disturbing logic.

Vann believes that some people are so unhappy, desperate, or broken that they would be better off dead. Convinced that he is doing them a kind of favor, he uses poison to cause discreet deaths, often making them appear to be accidents or overdoses. After killing a woman named Casper, a drug addict he met during his travels, Vann moves on to the new town and attempts to build the appearance of an ordinary life.

At work, he meets Ferrin, a young woman with whom he begins to develop feelings. Their growing relationship reveals another side of Vann, who seems to long for a conventional life even though he cannot completely abandon his compulsion. At the same time, he continues observing people around him and deciding who, in his distorted view, should become his next victim.

One of those people is Gene, a popular young man from the town. Vann offers Gene a ride and eventually murders him, breaking the rules he had established for himself: never kill someone he knows and never kill within the community where he is living. Afterwards, Vann participates in the search for Gene and even attends memorial events held in his honor, calmly standing among people grieving for a death he himself caused. His behavior becomes increasingly disturbing precisely because, despite being a murderer, he is still able to play the role of a kind and seemingly harmless man.

Meanwhile, investigators begin to notice that several deaths may be connected. The discovery of a rare poison used on the victims brings the police closer to the truth. Vann realizes that his identity may be at risk and begins showing signs of paranoia. At the same time, his relationship with Ferrin becomes increasingly unstable, revealing that beneath his calm exterior is a deeply troubled man who is incapable of forming normal emotional connections.

When Jane Durwin is found dead, the investigation takes another turn and her husband, Doug, becomes a suspect. Vann watches everything silently, knowing that the police are looking in the wrong direction while he remains virtually invisible. The situation finally convinces him that he must leave town before his past is uncovered.

Vann prepares his escape and leaves behind small traces of his existence, including an envelope connected to Ferrin, before driving away. On the road, he realizes that he may be followed by a police officer and believes that he is finally about to be confronted. Instead, the encounter ends unexpectedly: the officer simply looks at Vann, smiles, and drives away in another direction, leaving him free to continue his journey.

With no arrest, confession, or definitive explanation, Vann disappears down the road once again. The film ends with his fate deliberately left ambiguous: a man who longs to be normal but continues to carry the conviction that some lives are disposable. The Minus Man never turns Vann into a conventional villain; the real horror lies in his ability to see his murders as acts of compassion while continuing to live among ordinary people without them realizing who he truly is.

Rating: 10 Stars

Brooklyn (2015) - Amazon Prime

Brooklyn (2015)

Brooklyn is a 2015 historical romantic drama film directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Irish author Colm Tóibín. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as Eilis Lacey, a young Irish woman who emigrates from County Wexford to Brooklyn, New York, in the 1950s.

Production

The film was directed by John Crowley and adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby from Colm Tóibín's novel. It was produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey.

Filming took place in Ireland and Canada, with locations used to recreate both 1950s Ireland and Brooklyn.

Setting

The story takes place primarily in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland, and Brooklyn, New York, during the early 1950s. The contrast between the two locations reflects Eilis's emotional struggle between her Irish origins and the new identity she develops in America.

TRAILER 

Plot

In the early 1950s, Eilis Lacey lives with her mother and older sister, Rose, in the small Irish town of Enniscorthy, County Wexford. Eilis struggles to find meaningful employment and has few prospects for an independent future. Through arrangements made by Rose and Father Flood, a priest living in Brooklyn, Eilis is given the opportunity to immigrate to the United States.

After an emotional farewell to her family, Eilis travels by ship to New York. The journey is difficult, and she suffers from severe seasickness. Upon arriving in Brooklyn, she moves into a boarding house run by the strict but caring Mrs. Kehoe, where she lives with several other young Irish women.

Eilis finds employment at a department store and begins taking evening accounting classes. Although she gradually becomes more independent, she is initially overwhelmed by homesickness and struggles to adapt to American life. Father Flood recognizes her difficulties and helps her obtain an opportunity to study accounting, encouraging her to build a future for herself.

Eilis eventually becomes more comfortable in Brooklyn and begins dating Tony Fiorello, a young Italian-American plumber. Their relationship develops gradually, and Tony introduces her to his large, close-knit family. Eilis realizes that she is falling in love with him.

Their relationship becomes serious, and Tony proposes marriage. Eilis secretly marries him in a civil ceremony before returning to Ireland for a visit.

While Eilis is in Ireland, tragedy strikes when Rose unexpectedly dies. Eilis remains with her mother, grieving and helping her through the loss. During her stay, she becomes increasingly involved in the social life of Enniscorthy and attracts the attention of Jim Farrell, a respectable young Irish man from a well-established family.

Jim's interest in Eilis creates a new possibility for her. She could remain in Ireland, close to her mother and surrounded by the familiar life she once missed, while potentially beginning a relationship with Jim. Meanwhile, Tony remains in Brooklyn, waiting for her return.

Eilis becomes increasingly torn between her old life in Ireland and the new life she has built in America. The conflict forces her to confront the extent to which she has changed since leaving Ireland.

Eventually, Eilis encounters a woman who knows about her secret marriage to Tony. Realizing that her secret could be exposed, Eilis understands that she can no longer pretend that she is free to begin a new life with Jim.

Eilis returns to Brooklyn and reunites with Tony. She tells her mother that she has made her choice, accepting that Brooklyn has become her home and that her future lies with Tony.

The film ends with Eilis confidently embracing the life she has chosen, having transformed from a homesick young immigrant into an independent woman capable of deciding her own future.

Main Themes

* Immigration and identity

* Homesickness and belonging

* Love and marriage

* Family and loss

* Coming of age

* The conflict between the old world and the new world

* Choosing one's own future

Principal Cast

- Saoirse Ronan — Eilis Lacey

- Emory Cohen — Tony Fiorello

- Domhnall Gleeson — Jim Farrell

- Julie Walters — Mrs. Kehoe

- Jim Broadbent — Father Flood

- Fiona Glascott — Rose Lacey

- Jane Brennan — Mrs. Lacey

- Jessica Paré — Miss Fortini

- Eva Birthistle — Georgina

Rating: 10 Stars

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Amazon Prime

 Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a 2013 American-German action horror film written and directed by Tommy Wirkola. It serves as a continuation to the traditional German folklore fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel". The film was produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, and Beau Flynn, with music composed by Atli Örvarsson. It stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton in the title roles, alongside Famke Janssen, Peter Stormare, Thomas Mann, and Pihla Viitala.

TRAILER 

Plot

Abandoned in a dark forest by their parents, young siblings Hansel and Gretel wander into a gingerbread house where they are captured by a cannibalistic witch. The witch forces Hansel to continuously eat sweets while preparing to cook Gretel. However, the siblings overpower the witch, push her into her own oven, and burn her alive. Following this traumatic experience, they discover they are immune to witch magic and spend the following decades traveling as notorious bounty hunters specializing in tracking and killing dark witches.

Years later, adult Hansel and Gretel arrive in the town of Augsburg, where several children have recently gone missing. They stop Sheriff Berringer from executing a local woman named Mina, whom he accuses of witchcraft, by demonstrating that she lacks the red eyes characteristic of dark witches. Mayor Evers hires the duo to locate the missing children. Investigating a witch's cabin, Hansel and Gretel capture a dark witch and learn that a celestial alignment known as the "Blood Moon" is approaching.

Muriel, a powerful Grand Dark Witch, requires the hearts of twelve children—six boys and six girls—along with a secret thirteenth ingredient to perform a ritual during the Blood Moon that will render all dark witches immune to fire, their primary weakness. Muriel attacks the town, abducting the final required child and taking Gretel's friend Ben captive. She severely injures Gretel, while Hansel is lured into the forest by a witch and separated from his sister.

Hansel wakes up in the forest, rescued and healed by Mina, while Gretel is rescued by Edward, a gentle troll enslaved by Muriel. The siblings reunite at an abandoned cottage in the woods, which they recognize as their childhood home. Muriel appears and reveals the truth about their parents: their mother, Adrianna, was a powerful Grand White Witch, and their father was a human. To complete the Blood Moon ritual, Muriel needed the heart of a Grand White Witch, choosing young Gretel. To protect her children, Adrianna sent them away, but the townspeople, led by Berringer, burned Adrianna at the stake and hanged their father.

Muriel abducts Gretel to use her heart as the final component of the ritual. Hansel, Mina, and Ben gear up with specialized weapons to launch an assault on the witches' gathering site. Mina uses her white magic to provide sniper fire, while Hansel fights through the horde of dark witches. Edward turns against Muriel to save Gretel, though he is severely wounded.

As the Blood Moon eclipse peaks, Hansel disrupts the ceremony, preventing Muriel from cutting out Gretel's heart. Mina mortally wounds Muriel with a holy weapon, but Muriel stabs Mina before fleeing to the original gingerbread house. Hansel, Gretel, and Ben pursue Muriel inside the house, engaging in a brutal physical fight. Gretel decapitates Muriel with a wire trap, ending her reign of terror.

With the children saved and Augsburg liberated, Hansel and Gretel receive their reward and continue their journey as witch hunters, now joined by Ben and a recovered Edward

Cast

Jeremy Renner as Hansel

Gemma Arterton as Gretel

Famke Janssen as Muriel (Grand Dark Witch)

Pihla Viitala as Mina (White Witch)

Derek Mears as Edward the Troll (voice by Robin Atkin Downes)

Thomas Mann as Ben Walser

Peter Stormare as Sheriff Berringer

Rainer Bock as Mayor Evers

Rating: 10 Stars