The Best of Me, 2014 film - A history of Dawson who faces problems of an abusive father, finds a true love and a new father

NICHOLAS SPARKS 

The Best of Me film

General Information
Premiered	October 17, 2014
Starring	James Marsden as Dawson Cole Luke Bracey as young Dawson Michelle Monaghan as Amanda Collier Liana Liberato as young Amanda
Budget	$26 million
Box Office	$35,926,213

TRAILER

The Best of Me is an American romantic drama film directed by Michael Hoffman and written by Will Fetters and J. Mills Goodloe, based on Nicholas Sparks' 2011 novel of the same name. The film stars James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan with Luke Bracey and Liana Liberato.

Shooting began on March 6, 2014 in New Orleans. The film was released on October 17, 2014 by Relativity Media. Previews in selected test markets were shown on October 15.

PLOT

The film -- the story of Dawson and Amanda -- moves between alternate scenes of the couple's relationship in 1992, and their current separate lives. 

Dawson Cole works on an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana. An explosion on the job nearly kills him, throwing him into the water, but miraculously he survives. After his recovery months later, Dawson learns that his close friend and surrogate father—Tuck—has died, so he returns home for the first time in almost twenty years to carry out Tuck's final wishes, with the deceased's appointed lawyer.   

When he arrives at Tuck's house, Dawson is surprised to find that Tuck arranged also for Dawson's high school girlfriend, Amanda, to join him. It seems that Tuck's intention was to heal some old hurt between them. However, Amanda is now married. Dawson was born into a notorious criminal family with its abusive father. In flashbacks, it is revealed that as a teenager, he once left his father's home and stayed overnight in the garage of Tuck Hostetler, a local mechanic who had recently lost his wife, allowed Dawson to live with him and eventually considered him as his own son.   

Dawson and Amanda attended the same high school and began dating, soon falling in love. On the afternoon of the prom, Dawson's father and brothers beat Tuck. Dawson, angered, goes to his father's, intending to kill him with Tuck's rifle. However, as they scuffled, Dawson's cousin, an expectant teenage father, was unintentionally killed. Thus, in exchange for a lighter sentence, Dawson testifies against his own father and brothers. Since Dawson would not be paroled for at least four years, he cut ties with Amanda, forcing her to prefer college over waiting his release.   

After Tuck's death, Amanda and Dawson meet with his lawyer and learn that they are to scatter Tuck's ashes at a cottage he owned with his wife. Later, Dawson and Amanda spend a passionate night together. They have lunch and discuss their plans, during which he is reminded how she insisted but refused at the time to visit him at prison. The following day, Amanda decides to return to her family and her strained marriage, to fulfill her family commitments.   

When Amanda goes home, Dawson remains at Tuck's to restore the garden. However, she later decides to split up with her husband, and she leaves Dawson a voicemail expressing her love. Before anything more can happen between them, Dawson is attacked and almost killed by his brothers, having been almost pushed in front of a moving train. He knocks them out, but after calling 911, he was spotted by his father across the railroad tracks and is shot dead.   

Meanwhile, Amanda gets a call that her son has been in a car accident. On arriving at the hospital, the doctor tells her he needs a heart transplant. That same night, as a donor was found, Amanda had a dream of Dawson sitting at her bedside, and when awoken by the doorbell rung, it's her mother, who came to tell her that Dawson had been shot and killed by his father.   

One year later, Amanda gets a call from her son telling her he found out the donor's name and that maybe she knew him: Dawson Cole. Shocked and happy upon hearing this, she drives back to the house Tuck had left them. It is there that Amanda reads the letter Dawson had left her, telling her how much he loved her. She proceeds to take a walk through the garden Dawson had beautifully arranged for her before he died.  

Rating: 10 Stars

Soul Man, 1986 - Comedy: Young Man disguises himself as black to get into Harvard

Soul Man is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Steve Miner and written by Carol L. Black. C. Thomas Howell stars as a white male law student who pretends to be black in order to qualify for a scholarship. Its title refers to the song of the same name by Isaac Hayes and David Porter; the original soundtrack includes a version performed by Sam Moore and Lou Reed.

PLOT

Mark Watson is the pampered son of a rich family who is about to attend Harvard Law School along with his best friend Gordon. Unfortunately, his father's neurotic psychiatrist talks his patient into focusing on his own happiness instead of spending money on his son. Faced with the prospect of having to pay for law school by himself, Mark decides to apply for a scholarship, but the only suitable one is for African Americans only. He decides to cheat by using tanning pills in a larger dose than prescribed to appear as an African American. Watson then sets out for Harvard, naïvely believing that black people have no problems at all in American society.

However, once immersed in a black student's life, Mark finds out prejudice and racism truly exists. He meets a young African American student named Sarah Walker, whom he at first only flirts with; gradually, however, he genuinely falls in love with her. In passing, she mentions that he received the scholarship she was in the running for at the last minute. Due to this, she not only has to handle her classes but work as a waitress to support herself and her young son George.

Slowly, Mark begins to regret his decision as he continues to experience problems because of his skin tone. He gets arrested by a cop who assumes that he is a thief because he is driving an expensive car, is put on the receiving end of many hurtful racial stereotypes by white people and finds himself subjected to sexual harassment by his landlord's daughter, Whitney, who is eager to explore what she perceives to be the "exotic" thrill of sleeping with a black man.

After a chaotic day in which Sarah, his parents (who are not aware of his double life), and Whitney all make surprise visits at the same time, Mark drops the charade and publicly reveals himself to be white. He is surprised to find that many are willing to forgive him for the charade after considering his reasons for doing so, but Sarah is furious. Mark has a private conversation with his professor. He has learned more than he bargained for, admitting that he still doesn't know what it is like to be black because he could have changed back to being white at any time.

Because Mark must forfeit his scholarship, his father agrees to loan him the money for school, but with exorbitant interest. He goes to Sarah and begs for another chance, to which she agrees after Mark stands up for her and George when two male students tell a racist joke in front of them.

Rating: 10 Stars (Super Fun)

Don't worry Darling - The housewife Pugh suspects a sinister secret being kept from its residents by the man who runs the place (Pine).

 Don't Worry Darling is a 2022 American psychological thriller film directed by Olivia Wilde from a screenplay by Katie Silberman, based on a spec script by Carey Van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, and Silberman. The film stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, and Chris Pine. The film follows a housewife (Pugh) living in an idyllic company town who begins to suspect a sinister secret being kept from its residents by the man who runs it (Pine).

TRAILER

PLOT

Alice and Jack Chambers are a married couple who live in Victory, California, an idealistic desert company town in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Every day, the men leave for work at Victory Headquarters in the surrounding desert, in which their wives are discouraged from entering or even asking about their husbands' work. The women enjoy luxuries and lounging while caring for their homes during the men’s absence.

Alice spends her days with other wives, including her best friend Bunny. One resident, Margaret, has become an outcast after experiencing a mental breakdown and taking her son into the desert, resulting in his apparent death, although she claims Victory took him from her as punishment for breaking the rules. At a party hosted by Victory's enigmatic founder, Frank, Alice witnesses Margaret's husband attempt to give her medication after an outburst. Alice and Jack then have sex in Frank's bedroom, but she notices Frank secretly watching.

Riding the trolley across town, Alice sees a plane crash in the desert and rushes to help. She stumbles onto Headquarters in the desert and touches one of its mirror-like windows, experiencing surreal hallucinations about another life before waking up at home that night. In the following days, she experiences increasingly strange occurrences and receives a phone call from Margaret, who claims to have seen the same things. After brushing off Margaret, Alice witnesses her slit her own throat and fall from her roof. Before she can reach Margaret's body, Alice is dragged away by men in red jumpsuits who work for Frank and experiences strange visions.

Jack dismisses Alice's claims and says Margaret is simply recovering from a household accident, corroborated by the town physician, Dr. Collins, who makes a house-call at their residence. He prescribes medication for Alice, which Jack declines, and she steals Margaret's heavily redacted medical file from his briefcase. Alice becomes increasingly paranoid, and during a company celebration where Frank gives Jack a promotion, she breaks down in the bathroom. Comforted by her friend Bunny, Alice attempts to explain her suspicions, but Bunny reacts angrily, accusing Alice of jeopardizing their livelihood in Victory.

Alice and Jack invite their neighbors to dinner, with Frank and his wife, Shelley, as special guests. In private, Frank confirms Alice's suspicions and taunts her by saying he hopes she continues to challenge him. Spurred by his confession, she attempts to expose him over dinner, but Frank makes her appear delusional to the other guests, causing Jack grief over her deteriorating mental state. In the aftermath, Alice begs Jack to leave Victory, to which he feigns agreement, but he instead has her taken away by Frank's men. Dr. Collins forces Alice to undergo electroshock therapy, during which she sees visions of herself in the 21st century, struggling to make ends meet as a surgeon named Alice Warren and living with the unemployed, lazy, and disgruntled Jack.

After her treatment, Alice is welcomed home and resumes her normal life, but comes to realize the visions are her real memories. Realizing he can no longer conceal the truth, Jack finally admits it: Victory is a simulated world created by Frank, where Jack and the other men lead their version of perfect lives; the women they have forced into the mid-20th century simulation are unaware that their lives, children and Victory itself do not exist. When the men leave for work each day, they are in reality logging out of the simulation for real jobs and to maintain their drugged wives, whose minds stay in the simulation. Jack argues that Alice was miserable in the real world while Victory means they can both finally be happy, but she is infuriated for him putting her in the simulation without her consent. Jack begs her to stay, forcefully holding on to Alice, prompting her to fatally smash a rocks glass over his head, causing his death in both the simulation and reality.

Frank is immediately alerted to Jack's death, while Bunny finds Alice and explains that she has always known Victory was a simulation, but chose to stay to be with her children, who died in real life. She tells Alice that her real body will be killed by Frank's minions, so she must get to Headquarters – the exit portal from the simulation. Alice silently confronts the neighborhood, leading the other wives to become aware, while the husbands panic. Fleeing in Jack's car, Alice is chased by Dr. Collins and Frank's men, maneuvering them into fatally crashing into each other. Meanwhile, Shelley fatally stabs Frank to take control of Victory. Arriving at Headquarters, Alice has a final simulation vision of Jack, then puts her hands on Headquarters just as Frank's men reach her. The screen cuts to black, and Alice gasps for air.

Rating: 10 Stars

Harry & Meghan in a documentary about their Royal and personal life

Harry & Meghan is an American documentary series streaming on Netflix, starring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The series has six parts and covers the couple's relationship from their early courtship to their decision to step back as working members of the British royal family and their subsequent activities. It also includes interviews with family, friends, historians, and journalists.

TRAILER

PLOT

Harry and Meghan share information about the early days of their romance, detailing out their first date and revealing their exchanges via email, their personal nicknames, and photos and footage from their one-week visit to Botswana. They also discuss details about the night before their relationship was made public, during which they attended a Halloween party with Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. Harry also talks about the impact his mother's death has had on his life and on his relationship with the paparazzi and the press, and draws comparison between her experience and the treatment received by Meghan. Commenting on his mother's 1995 interview, he said he believed his mother was "deceived into giving the interview" but spoke "the truth of her experience". He describes his childhood as being "filled with laughter, filled with happiness and filled with adventure," but states that he had "little help or guidance" after his mother's death. He further discusses his relationship with his other girlfriends and the public pressures put on female members of the royal family, adding that men within the family chose "to marry someone who would fit the mould as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with." Harry and Meghan's children, Archie and Lilibet, also appear in the episode.

Doria Ragland sits down for her first public interview since her daughter Meghan and Harry started their relationship. She discusses her daughter's childhood, accompanied by images that show the two together. Harry, referring to headlines such as "(Almost) Straight Outta Compton", claims that at the start of their relationship members of the royal family were wondering why Meghan should be treated differently from other women who married into the family and were harassed by the press and their advice was not to say anything, though he points out the difference between their experience and hers to be "the race element." Meghan reflects on an incident from her childhood when a stranger shouted the N-word at her mother. There are also discussions on Brexit and its impact on the British society. The couple also discusses their experience when their respective parents went through divorce. Meghan details out her surprise at the formality within the royal family, adding that it was not only on the outside but "carried through on the inside." She described herself as a hugger, which she said could be "really jarring for a lot of Brits." The couple also shares details about the night they became engaged, and Harry's proposal at Kensington Palace.

Harry and Meghan discuss their engagement interview, which she describes as a "structured reality show" that was "rehearsed". The couple, as well as Meghan's mother, further discuss their relationship with the media and paparazzi after the couple's romance was made public. There are also discussions on racism in the history of the British Empire. Harry reflects on the moment he was wearing a Nazi uniform at a Halloween party during his youth, something he describes as "one of the biggest mistakes of his life". Harry also discusses the existence of "a huge level of unconscious bias" in the royal family which he claims contributes to its problems, giving Princess Michael of Kent wearing a blackamoor brooch as an example. Meghan explores her relationship with her father Thomas Markle and her paternal side of the family. She mentions that she has not been in touch with her half-sister Samantha Markle for over a decade but is close to Samantha's daughter, Ashleigh Hale. Meghan claims that Hale could not be invited to her wedding in 2018 as advisors thought it would not have been appropriate to invite her but not Samantha. Meghan also talks about her father Thomas staging paparazzi shots before the nuptials.

The episode starts by covering the couple's wedding day. The couple talks about their struggles in their first residence Nottingham Cottage, which they said was too small. Meghan reflects on her first official engagement with Queen Elizabeth II and then discusses her own role in organizing a fundraiser for survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. Harry claims there was resentment in the royal family at the popularity of Meghan during their tour of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The episode also compares the coverage received by Meghan and her sister-in-law Catherine during their respective pregnancies. Meghan also discusses her suicidal thoughts and how she was allegedly not allowed to get help. Harry claims the communications offices at the palace work against each other. He talks about his disappointment "to see [his] brother's office copy the very same thing" his father Charles once did. He also talks about their decision not to serve "[their] child up on a platter" by appearing in front of a hospital after he was born. The couple also discusses their tour of Southern Africa, and how Meghan did not expect a part when she was asked about her mental health be used in an ITV documentary.

Harry claims the palace's advice was not to take legal action once Meghan's letter to her father was published by The Mail on Sunday, but they filed a lawsuit after seeking independent legal advice. Meghan's lawyer claims there were "negative briefings" from the palace to "suit other people's agendas". Harry talks about their decision to go to Vancouver Island after talks with his father as they could have more privacy there. The couple also talks about the palace's alleged attempts to block Harry from seeing the Queen in person, and he emphasizes his grandmother was not blindsided as by December 2019 their plans to leave were in the making "for a minimum of two years." Harry discusses the leaking of a letter he had sent to his father, which mentioned he and Meghan "were willing to relinquish [their] Sussex titles." Harry then alleges that his brother William screamed and shouted at him at the Sandringham Summit, while his father said "things that were just simply untrue" and the Queen remained silent. Harry claims that a statement put out on his and his brother's behalf after the meeting, which denied tensions between them, was released without his permission. He emphasizes that the decision to leave was his, not Meghan's. They also suggest that Meghan's half-sister could have been involved in some of the online abuse directed at her. Meghan talks about the death threats she received as a result of hateful content spread on social media platforms.

Tyler Perry talks about how he assisted Harry and Meghan upon their arrival in the U.S. as he offered them somewhere to stay for six weeks, while the royal family still thought they were in Canada. As non-working royals, they no longer had state-funded security. Meghan mentions MailOnline's attempts during the litigation to get access to all text messages on her phone. They also talk about how a group of Meghan's friends, allegedly without her authorization, talked about her letter to her father in a People magazine article before it was published by the Mail. Harry blames Meghan's miscarriage on the actions of the Mail due to the stress they caused. The couple discusses their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, which Meghan says had been a long time in the making. There is also a mention of an investigation into allegations of bullying against Meghan. Meghan confesses that she thought the biggest takeaway from the interview would be about her mental health struggles, but instead it turned into a conversation about race. Harry describes his grandfather Prince Philip as "a man of service, honour and great humour", and said returning to the UK for his funeral was hard because of his family's attitude. The documentary also discusses Jason Knauf's witness statement during Meghan's court case against the Mail, who is the former aide to Harry and his brother William.

Rating: 10 Stars