Ronald Cue

Berlin: Zoe Kazan and Andrea Riseborough are wonderful in an otherwise stilted and inconsistent story about the value of niceness in New York City. New York can be an unforgiving city, even in the best of circumstances. Unfortunately for the awkward patchwork of characters who populate Lone Scherfig’s listless new melodrama, “ The Kindness of Strangers ” does not take place in the best of circumstances. Everyone in the film is lost and lonely in one way or another; everyone is either helpless or guilty; everyone is either about to hit bottom, or beginning to claw their way out of a hole that’s too deep to escape without some assistance. The young mother whose story provides the spine of this underdeveloped mosaic, is somehow all of those things at once. Played by a tender and compellingly frayed Zoe Kazan, Clara opens the story in the pre-dawn hours by stealing her two young sons (Jack Fulton and Finlay Wojtak-Hissong) away from their Buffalo home, and from the abusive cop husband (Esben Smed as the demonic Richard) who’s recently turned his rage towards his kids. Paranoid that Richard might be able to track them down, Clara drives towards Manhattan without a credit card or a cell phone or anything else that might be useful for someone who’s trying to start a new life. Of course, it’s not as if Richard allowed Clara to develop much of an old life. There’s a reason why she doesn’t have any friends or family to turn to in her time of need ? a reason why the only person she knows in all of New York is her layabout father-in-law, and he’s not going to be much help. Clara is soon forced to sleep in her car and steal her food, the latter habit leading to the strangest development of a movie that often feels like it’s entirely comprised by inexplicable choices and chance encounters: Using whatever currency her whiteness provides, Clara nips a tray of hors d’oeuvres from a high-end cocktail party. As a result, her youngest son develops a taste for caviar, which inspires her to pinch their next meal from an opulent Russian joint she finds near Wall Street. Decorated like the Hermitage and defined by the cock-eyed humor of a Kaurismäki film, the Winter Palace isn’t just a restaurant, it’s also a respite from the indifference of the outside world. The owner (Bill Nighy) is a sweet man who’s quick to trust the fate of his business to anyone who comes in off the street, and his most recent hire ? a handsome, newly released ex-con named Marc (Tahar Rahim) ? seems eager to reflect his boss’ good intentions. Together, they make the joint feel like a warm hug in a cold city, and a hub of kindness in a movie where everyone could use some. And yet, the script (the first Scherfig has written solo) is entirely disinterested in the Winter Palace as a place, or in any of the various institutions that prop up a scattered plot that gets lost whenever it starts to wander between its locations. While the stilted opening act is mostly carried along by the velocity of Kazan’s desperate sense of parental duty (it’s wrenching to watch her balance her own needs with those of her children, and to wrestle with the ways in which they don’t quite overlap), it’s also sustained by the expectation that all of the characters in Scherfig’s messy ensemble are being pulled towards the enchanted restaurant where they’ll be able to redeem each other. And maybe they are, but the film never finds its center of gravity, or sees how the Winter Palace might help galvanize this story into more than the sum of its misshapen parts. While the movie works to depict how kindness breeds kindness, even in the cruelest of environments, it spends much of the time watching its motley collection of lost souls chase their own tails. Perhaps that’s because Scherfig is stepping outside of her comfort zone, and struggling to reconcile the stately European romanticism of her previous work (e. g. “An Education, ” “Their Finest”) with the hardscrabble vibe of a mercenary American milieu. Shooting with a handheld camera that harkens back to her Dogme 95, Scherfig often seems uncomfortable with her own dour locations and depressing story beats; not every New York movie needs to be shaped by the violent edges of a Safdie brothers’ film, but “The Kindness of Strangers” can’t square the direness of its characters with the underlying humanism that draws them together. Scherfig’s solution is a fable-esque logic that makes everything feel somewhat false. Case in point: Safdie favorite Caleb Landry Jones is (kind of) cast against type as Jeff, a twitchy magical idiot type who gets fired from two different jobs because he’s “bad at just about everything. ” It’s hard to tell if he’s supposed to be intellectually handicapped in some way, just as it’s hard to tell if Scherfig is playing his hopelessness for laughs; sandwiched between difficult sketches of Clara’s encroaching homelessness, we see Jeff lose an apartment because he drops his phone in the toaster, and lose a temp gig because he mistakes a fluffy dog named Beyoncé for a bed sheet and buries it under a massive pile of cloth. Arriving at a soup kitchen in need of a meal, Jeff stands on the wrong side of the counter, and gets handed an apron instead. But Scherfig is also determined to not let things get too detached from reality, and so she occasionally shortchanges the film in other areas. Kazan and Rahim are both immensely charismatic actors, but “The Kindness of Strangers” cuts off their most romantic scenes, as though stifling their chemistry might help restore the movie’s balance between misery and magic. In a narrative that hinges on acts of pure generosity, it’s also strange that Marc wants something in return for the charity he shows to Clara and her kids. It’s not quid pro quo creepiness, but his motivations are too cloudy for a movie that overcomplicates its most basic emotions. Read More: Casey Affleck’s Narrative Directorial Debut ‘Light of My Life’ Is Headed to Berlin Even the most capable characters are vaguely unreal. That includes Alice ? a heaven-sent ER nurse played by the shapeshifting Andrea Riseborough, predictably brilliant and elusive in a role that a lesser actress might have smothered with moral virtue ? who’s so pure of heart that she uses her free time to run a meeting group for people in need of forgiveness (the role of guilt is over pronounced and under-explained). While “The Kindness of Strangers” is Clara’s story, it’s Alice whose generosity holds it together, and Alice who’s self-interest threatens to pull it apart. Even the helpers need a hand of their own. “I’m nobody’s numero uno, ” Alice laments, but she never abandons her angelic nature, and her persistent goodness pulls everyone to one side or the other; it would be awful enough that Clara’s husband is an abusive cop, but Scherfig feels compelled to turn him into a psychopathic killer, and the whole movie tips over into the absurd. There’s a palpable urgency to the film’s kindness, and a real despair to the film’s inability to make us believe in it. Grade: C- “The Kindness of Strangers” premiered at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival. It is currently seeking U. S. distribution. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
Damn the first trailer is my kind of movie. Its looks so good. JACOB I REPEAT JACOB BATALON. The Man at the Market When the supermarket clerk tallied up my groceries, I was $12 over what I had on me. I began to remove items from the bags, when another shopper handed me a $20 bill.?“Please don’t put yourself out, ” I told him. “Let me tell you a story, ” he said. “My mother is in the hospital with cancer. I visit her every day and bring her flowers. I went this morning, and she got mad at me for spending my money on more flowers. She demanded that I do something else with that money. So, here, please accept this. It is my mother’s flowers. ” ? Leslie Wagner, Peel, Arkansas. Here are 30 more acts of kindness you can do in two minutes or less. Jim and the Job My neighbor, Jim, had trouble deciding if he wanted to retire from the construction field, until he ran into a younger man he’d worked with previously. The young man had a wife and three children and was finding it difficult to make ends meet, since he hadn’t worked in some time. The next morning, Jim went to the union office and submitted his retirement paperwork. As for his replacement, he gave them the name of the young man. That was six years ago, and that young husband and father has been employed ever since. ? Miranda MacLean, Brutus, Michigan. A Family’s Food Angel While going through a divorce, my mother fretted over her new worries: no income, the same bills, and no way to afford groceries. It was around this time that she started finding boxes of food outside our door every morning. This went on for months, until she was able to land a job. We never did find out who it was who left the groceries for us, but they truly saved our lives. ? Jamie Boleyn, Emmett, Idaho. These 12 heartwarming stories will restore your faith in humanity. Color Me Amazed I forgot about the rules on liquids in carry-on luggage, so when I hit security at the airport, I had to give up all my painting supplies. When I returned a week later, an attendant was at the baggage area with my paints. Not only had he kept them for me, but he’d looked up my return date and time in order to meet me. ? Marilyn Kinsella, Canmore, Canada. This 1954 essay on humanity is more relevant now than ever. Yasu + Junko for Reader's Digest Seven Miles For Me Leaving a store, I returned to my car only to find that I’d locked my keys and cell phone inside. A teenager riding his bike saw me kick a tire and say a few choice words. “What’s wrong? ” he asked. I explained my situation. “But even if I could call my wife, ” I said, “she can’t bring me her car key, since this is our only car. ”?He handed me his cell phone. “Call your wife and tell her I’m coming to get her key. ” “That’s seven miles round trip. ” “Don’t worry about it. ” An hour later, he returned with the key. I offered him some money, but he refused.?“Let’s just say I needed the exercise, ” he said. Then, like a cowboy in the movies, he rode off into the sunset. ? Clarence W. Stephens, Nicholasville, Kentucky. Take a look at these incredible photos of heartwarming moments. The Little Lift One evening, I left a restaurant just ahead of a woman assisting her elderly mom. I approached the curb and paused to see if my arthritic knees could climb it. To my right appeared an arm to assist. It was that of the elderly mom. My heart was so touched. ? Donna Moerie, Goldsboro, North Carolina Bounty For a Navy Wife I was balancing caring for a toddler and working a full-time job, all while my Navy husband was on extended duty overseas. One evening, the doorbell rang. It was my neighbor, a retired chief petty officer, holding a breadboard loaded with a freshly cooked chicken and vegetable stew.?“I’ve noticed you’re getting a little skinny, ” he said.?It was the best meal I’d had in months. ? Patricia Fordney, Corvallis, Oregon. Here are 10 life-changing acts of kindness you can do right now. My Granddaughter’s Dress I saw a dress in a consignment shop that I knew my granddaughter would love. But money was tight, so I asked the store owner if she could hold it for me.?“May I buy the dress for you? ” asked another customer. “Thank you, but I can’t accept such a gracious gift, ” I said. Then she told me why it was so important for her to help me. She’d been homeless for three years, she said, and had it not been for the kindness of strangers, she would not have been able to survive. “I’m no longer homeless, and my situation has improved, ” she said. “I promised myself that I would repay the kindness so many had shown me. ”?She paid for the dress, and the only payment she would accept in return was a heartfelt hug. ? Stacy Lee, Columbia, Maryland White Shoulders A woman at our yard sale wore a perfume that smelled heavenly and familiar.?“What are you wearing? ” I asked. “White Shoulders, ” she said.?Suddenly, I was bowled over by a flood of memories. White Shoulders was the one gift I could count on at Christmas from my late mother. We chatted awhile, and she bought some things and left. A few hours later, she returned holding a new bottle of White Shoulders. I don’t recall which one of us started crying first. ? Media Stooksbury, Powell, Tennessee. Try these effortless ways to be nicer to people. Breaking Bread Last December, before work, I stopped at a deli and ordered an everything bagel with cream cheese. It was toasty warm, and I couldn’t wait to dig in. But as I left the store, I noticed an older indigent gentleman sitting at the bus stop. Knowing it would probably be his only warm meal of the day, I gave him the bagel. But all was not lost for me. Another customer from the deli offered me half of her bagel. I was so delighted because I realized that in one way or another, we are all looked after. ? Liliana Figueroa, Phoenix, Arizona “I Can Still Help” As I walked through the parking lot, all I could think about was the dire diagnosis I had handed my patient Jimmy: pancreatic cancer. Just then, I noticed an elderly gentleman handing tools to someone working under his stalled car. That someone was Jimmy.?“Jimmy, what are you doing? ” I yelled out. Jimmy dusted off his pants. “My cancer didn’t tell me not to help others, Doc, ” he said, before waving at the old man to start the car. The engine roared to life. The old man thanked Jimmy and drove off. Then Jimmy got into his car and took off as well.?Take-home message: Kindness has no limits and no restrictions. ? Mohammed Basha, Gainesville, Florida. Start giving these 10 little compliments to people every day. Top Note When my husband died unexpectedly, a coworker took me under her wing. Every week for an entire year, she would send me a card saying “Just Thinking of You” or “Hang in There. ” She saved my life. ? Jerilynn Collette, Burnsville, Minnesota He Kept an Eye on Me Driving home in a blizzard, I noticed a vehicle trailing close behind me. Suddenly, my tire blew! I pulled off the road, and so did the other car. A man jumped out from behind the wheel and without hesitation changed the flat.?“I was going to get off two miles back, ” he said. “But I didn’t think that tire looked good. ” ? Marilyn Attebery, Spokane Valley, Washington. Being kind to strangers is great, but don’t forget these ways to be nicer to yourself. My Commander’s Call It was one of my first missions on a gunship during the Vietnam War. I was scanning for enemy fire when I spotted a bright object that looked as if it were coming straight at us. “Missile! Missile! ” I shouted into my interphone. The pilot jerked the airplane as hard as he could, dumping guys from one side of the craft to the next. Well, turns out the “missile” was a flare we had just dropped. Suffice it to say, the guys weren’t pleased. Back at the base, my commander put an arm around my shoulder. “Sergeant Hunter, ” he said, “you keep calling them like you see them. Better safe than sorry. ”?That kind act gave me the confidence to be one of the top gunners in my squadron. ? Douglas Hunter, Fort Walton Beach, Florida 21 Apples From Max When my grandson Max told his mother, Andrea, to donate any check she would give him for his 21st birthday, Andrea got an idea. She handed Max’s brother Charlie a video camera. Then she took out 21 $10 bills from the bank and bought 21 apples at the supermarket. When they spotted a homeless man, Andrea told him, “Today is my son Max’s 21st birthday, and he asked me to give a gift to someone to help him celebrate. ” She handed the man a $10 bill and an apple. The man smiled into the camera and announced, “Happy birthday, Max! ” Soon, they passed out their booty to men and women waiting in line at a soup kitchen. In a unified chorus, they wished Max, “Happy birthday! ” At a pizza parlor, Andrea left $50 and told the owners to feed the hungry. “Happy birthday, Max! ” they shouted. With one last $10 bill and apple, they stopped at Andrea’s sister’s office. Unable to contain her laughter or her tears, she bellowed into the camera, “Happy birthday, Max! ” ? Dr. Donald Stoltz, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Don’t miss these 21 acts of kindness that changed these people’s lives. How Did She Know? I was driving cross-country to start a new job. What began as a fun adventure turned into a nightmare when I realized I had run through most of my money and still had a ways to go. I pulled over and let the tears flow. That’s when I noticed the unopened farewell card my neighbor had shoved in my hand as I left. I pulled the card out of the envelope, and $100 dropped out?just enough to get me through the remainder of my trip. Later, I asked my neighbor why she had enclosed the money. She said, “I had a feeling it would help. ” ? Nadine Chandler, Winthrop, Massachusetts Yasu + Junko for Reader's Digest Photograph by Yasu+Junko; Prop Stylist: Sarah Guido-Laakso for Halley Resources Raised Right Children were playing at the recreation area of an IKEA stor
If anything this is by far my favorite rendition of the of opening theme. I need that soundtrack. Okay, I will pretend I didnt see this #it.

Kindness of Strangers is one of those weird events that seldom happen in Real Life. It occurs when the hero is in trouble and suddenly gets help from a person whom he has never met before and whom he'll probably never meet again. It can be anything. Stranger can give the hero money if he really needs to buy a train ticket. Or he can give the hero the train ticket and say something like, "Oh, I don't need it anyway. Please take it. " Stranger can hide the hero in his basement for a few minutes. Or lend the hero a pair of trousers. It can be anything, any possible example of human kindness to the person the hero meets only once in his life. Author usually uses this trope to help hero in situation where these three conditions occur: Hero is in trouble and only another person can save him; Secondary characters are in the same trouble or another and can't help the hero; Story takes place in the area where there is high possibility of meeting other people (city, park, road, etc. ). Notably, Kindness of Strangers is not the trope used to introduce a new character. Also, one stranger does not aid the hero many times; that is the Mysterious Protector. Stranger does not give the hero any Unobtainium or mysterious advice or gifts; this would be the shop assistant in The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday. Kindness of Stranger is usually "passive help"; it does not involve aiding hero in his fight with bad guys/monsters. It is more similar to asking your neighbor to lend you a screwdriver. Examples open/close all folders Film Jack Reacher, running away from pursuers, hides in the crowd of people observing the scene. One of the strangers lends Jack a baseball cap so he can hide better. Stranger doesn't say anything and we don't see him again; In World War Z, while searching for drugs for his sick daughter, the hero is aided by the pharmacist who gives him the drug and a few points of advice of how to use it. It's the only scene in which we see the pharmacist. Live-Action TV In season nine of Supernatural, Castiel is human and homeless for several episodes, and is helped by various strangers, most notably a random driver who sees him on the side of the road and stops to check if he's okay, gives him a lift to the nearest gas station, and hands him a few bucks to get a sandwich. Homeless people are also friendly and willing to help him, prompting Castiel to note that people who have the least seem the most willing to share. Unfortunately, one person he mistakes for a kind stranger turns out to be a Reaper sent to kill him.
YouTube. Bringing animation to these useless trinkets does no favors! Did he the 4th wall. 2:44 Amazing things eh, why was he looking down at the Nomad hmmm? i sMeLl a nEw sHip. Yet another white wash movie set in NYC where no Anglo runs into a person of color. When did this movie make it theaters. I do not see a U.S. release date. December 6, 2018 4:09AM PT Lone Scherfig ’s “ The Kindness of Strangers ” will open the 69th edition of the Berlin Film Festival. The Danish director’s ensemble drama, starring Zoe Kazan, Andrea Riseborough and Bill Nighy among others, follows a group of people trying to survive a New York winter. It will open the Berlinale on Feb. 7, 2019.?Scherfig is a regular in Berlin: Her film “The Birthday Trip” played there in 1990 and “On Our Own” in 1998. “Italian For Beginners” won the Silver Bear in 2001, and “An Education, ” with Carey Mulligan, screened at the 2009?Berlinale?before going on to receive three Academy Award nominations. “How lovely that Lone Scherfig is back and that her most recent work will open the 2019 Berlinale, ” said Dieter Kosslick, director of the Berlinale. “Her feel for characters, strong emotions and subtle humor promises a wonderful start to the festival. ” It marks the last time Kosslick will head the team selecting the?opening film as he is stepping down from the position he has held since 2001. “I am truly honored that Dieter Kosslick has selected our film to celebrate such a festive and important evening, ” said Scherfig. “It will be a great joy to watch it for the first time alongside the renowned Berlinale audience. ” “ The Kindness of Strangers ” was written by Scherfig herself. Other cast members include Tahar Rahim, Caleb Landry Jones and Jay Baruchel. The film is set in a Russian restaurant in New York. Kazan plays Clara, a mother with an abusive cop husband, and Riseborough is Alice, an ER nurse who runs a therapy group. Rahim is Marc, the restaurant manager, Landry Jones is Jeff, a young guy looking for a job, and Baruchel plays John, a lawyer with self-esteem issues. Nighy is Timofey, the restaurant owner. The restaurant serves as “a crossroad as our characters flow in and out of each other’s lives, discovering that their liberation and hopes ultimately lie in each other’s hands, ” according to a press statement about the film. “In a time of growing insecurity and little mercy, the smallest coincidences and kindness can turn into the most surprising of outcomes. ” The movie is an?English-language Denmark-Canada co-production with Sweden, France and Germany, and was filmed in Toronto, Copenhagen and New York.?HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales and distribution rights, backed by Ingenious Media and Apollo Media. The Alamo Drafthouse chain has abruptly closed its theaters in Brooklyn and Yonkers amid the coronavirus epidemic. The chain made the announcement Friday night without disclosing any reasons. It said all tickets, including convenience fees and ticket add-ons, will be automatically refunded. “Until further notice, we are deeply sad to say that Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn [... ] The AMC, Regal, Cineplex and Alamo Drafthouse chains have imposed limits on sales as a safety precaution in response to the coronavirus pandemic. AMC Theatres, which has 661 locations in North America, and Regal Entertainment Group, which has 564, both announced Friday that will be reducing their maximum capacity by at least 50% due to [... ] As the coronavirus pandemic brings moviegoing to a halt in multiple countries, it’s slowing down attendance at North American multiplexes. The openings for “I Still Believe, ” “Bloodshot” and “The Hunt” are all coming in below expectations. Disney-Pixar’s “Onward” is heading for a repeat victory at the box office with about $16 million at 4, 310 locations, [... ] Just as things in Europe were getting really bad, they’ve gotten a lot worse. Cinema shutdowns across Europe on Friday, in addition to travel bans and multiple film and TV shoot postponements, have left Europe’s film industry facing a perfect storm ? and sent shockwaves across the whole of its movie industry. They also saw [... ] The canceled SXSW Film Festival will still hand out awards by allowing jurors to see the festival’s competition films. SXSW director of film Janet Pierson made the announcement on Friday, which would have been the opening day of the festival. The event was canceled on March 6 due to the coronavirus pandemic. “This was going [... ] The Premios Platino, Iberoamerica’s most prominent annual film and TV awards event, has canceled its 7th?edition, citing concerns about the Coronavirus pandemic. Set to take place for a third time at the Xcaret resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, this edition was going to include an inaugural industry event to run May 1-3, culminating in [... ] AMC Theatres is not ready to roll credits on American moviegoing amid the coronavirus pandemic. The theatrical exhibition giant will enforce a new attendance guideline, only filling its theaters to 50% capacity so customers can engage in “social distancing” and potentially stave off the transmission of COVID-19. In addition to the audience restrictions, AMC said [... ].
1:48 Jon Snow lol :D. Spoiler alert: The killer is the bad guy. Harley: Joker and I broke up. Arthur Fleck: I never met this woman in my life.

C3PO: “Taking one last look. at my friends.” Shows shot of Rey and Po who had little to no screen time with him Because according to Disney: Screw the OG cast.