Broadcast point: “Back to Win,” “Parents vs Influencers,” “Quiz,” and “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”

Welcome back, Ben Affleck! Oscar-winning Hollywood actor for “Argo” and “Will Hunting”. Rebel genius “starred in a dramatic role in which the character and the actor meet. It’s Gavin O’Connor’s” The Way Back “since early April on Now-Sky Cinema: When Salvation from Alcoholism Passes Through Sports and Participation. In CEI’s National Film Rating Committee and Traffic Agency “Flow Point” this week, there is also talk of: “Parents vs Influencers”, an Italian comedy by Michela Andreozzi with Fabio Volo and Giulia De Lellis (Now-Sky Cinema); the mini-series “Quiz” by Stephen Frears arrives on TimVision from England; Finally, DC Comics champions return in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”, the reloaded version of the blockbuster 2017 movie (now and other platforms).

“Back to Winning” (Now-Sky Cinema)
A nice surprise that came out in early April was the existential sports drama “Return to Win” (“The Way Back,” 2020) directed by Gavin O’Connor starring Ben Affleck, a well-known American actor, screenwriter and producer who won an Academy Award for Best. Screenplay of 1998 with colleague Matt Damon, for Will Hunting. Rebel genius “and in 2013 he won the Academy Award for Best Picture with the movie“ Argo. ”Among that, many successful roles as an interpreter including John Wells“ The Company Men ”(2010), and Terrence Malick“ To the Wonder ”(2010). 2012) and “Liar Love. Gone Girl” (2014) by David Fincher, not forgetting Batman in the Zack Snyder trilogy. Despite his full career and personal life – he has been married to actress Jennifer Garner for more than a decade and father of three – Ben Affleck has never hidden his fight against alcoholism, a problem that has threatened to derail more than once. This fragility made her in the thriller “Back to Win”, which deals with former NBA champion Jack Cunningham (Affleck) who is now about fifty years old and who lives modestly and works as a construction worker. Sites, separated by his wife, depends entirely on the bottle. Jack wakes up in the morning and drinks, during the day he constantly turns to the bottle, until in the evening he runs out of alcohol on the sofa at home without further desire to live. To him, it seems that there will be no tomorrow, the colors on the horizon are all in the gray range. One day, he receives an unexpected call from Father Edward (John Aylward), the high school principal as he has established himself as a champ: Father Edward offers him the men’s team seat, to train the school’s basketball team. After some hesitation, Jack embarks on this project and thus tries to tame his inner demons …
The story, an existential sports drama, is also part of the educational film by focusing on the educational value of sport, which is able to open horizons of salvation for talented youth as well as fertile ground for building friendship and solidarity relationships. The ringtones are not sweet at all. On the contrary, the film does not give us easy solutions, neither for the boys nor for Coach Jack. “Returning to victory” really accompanies us in shallow suffering, and invites us to investigate the causes of a person’s deviation from his path, and how we can (re) return to a new life, return to the game and dream of victory. The first step is that which leads to “we” that allows “I” to emerge from her stifled isolation, from her silent suffering, to open up to a sincere request for help.
If the movie exhibits some uncertainties or might seem a bit overwhelming in certain clips, then Ben Affleck’s interpretation is precisely that of an intense, correct, and poignant one, to anchor it firmly on the right track, with thickness and density. Affleck makes Jack’s character cross over into his private life, accusing him of being pitiful and not giving too little of the emotion. In your health bin! From a pastoral point of view, the “return to victory” should be evaluated as desirable, problematic, and appropriate for discussions.

Parents versus Influencers (Sky Cinema-Now)
In his third direction after “Nine and a Half Moons” (2017) and “Brave Girls” (2019), Romanian actress Michela Andreuzzi focuses with the comedy “Parents vs Influencers” on the stormy relationship between parents and teenage children, a complex relationship by way of Devices and social media. Plot: Paolo (Fabio Volo) is a widowed father who studies literature in the same high school as his daughter Simone (Gennifer Francesconi) attending school. The relations between the two parties have always been on a great deal of understanding and dialogue, until a mobile phone arrived to divide them between them. In addition, the girl dreams of a career as an influencer who follows in the footsteps of the social singer Eli or Nora (Julia de Lillis) … the direction of the film is pleasant and smooth, while acknowledging that Andreuzzi is a new and attractive narrative character. The topics are present, current and attractive, as are some successful dialogues; The thing that does not add, however, is the coherence of the story, which is often extended or resolved in stereotypical situations, between simplicity and cunning. Well, the idea, which translates into a somewhat intangible pleasure, without much substance. From a pastoral point of view, Fathers versus Influencers is recommended – simple, superficial.

TimVision Competition
English filmmaker Stephen Frears, author of great UK portraits such as “The Queen” (2006) and “Philomena” (2013), never misses anything. In 2020, he ran a mini-series ‘Quiz’ event, telling of the birth of the hugely popular gaming show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? On the ITV network, in special reference to the media lawsuit case of the Ingram spouses. In a nutshell: Charles Ingram (Matthew McFadden, the famous face of the series “The Succession”) pushed by his wife Diana (Sian Clifford) is taking part in 2001 in the popular TV competition hosted by Chris Tarrant (Michael Sheen) and clinching a million pounds sterling jackpot. After the glory, the cold shower: the producers are suing for fraud, claiming that there is help from the public. This opens a difficult legal battle whose reverberations are still being felt today.
Frears masterfully manages the story by combining yellow levers with those in satirical comedy, creating a mural of English society prey to game fever, which seems to be the only way to move the social elevator. The author keeps the narrative tension high and specifically the mystery surrounding his characters, who escape the easy polarization between good and evil. The explanations of McFadden and Shane cited above as well as Helen McCrory are certainly commendable. From a pastoral point of view, “Quiz” is highly recommended, problematic and appropriate for discussion.

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (Now e altre piattaforme)
The DC Comics superhero trilogy signed by Zack Snyder in 2017 was supposed to be closed with “Justice League”, after the titles “Man of Steel” (2013) and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) . However, in 2017, Snyder left the project for personal reasons, leaving the leadership to Joss Whedon. The outcome of the “Justice League” was uncertain and the takeovers were slow. A few years later, Warner Bros. gave Snyder the green light allowing him to regroup and deliver some blockbuster sequels. As of the end of March 2021, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is available live, and is the tale of superheroes Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg committed to saving the planet. On closer examination, the darker and darker story that triumphs in spite of its powerful duration (about 240 minutes), made graceful, however, by dividing it into chapters. Narration has an undoubted rhythm and beyond the surplus of special effects (we’re from the “Avengers” parts to be clear), the introspective work on superheroes is amazing, and it’s all played out with dramatic accents. From a pastoral point of view, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is recommended, problematic and appropriate for an accompanying adult or teen audience.

(Sergio Perugini)