Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share three movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple simple: Each week there is a topic for you to create a list of three movies. Your picks can either be favourites/best, worst, hidden gems, or if you're up to it one of each.For further details visit the series main page here.
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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is All in the Family Edition: Adopted/Foster Families
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Every last Thursday for the
first nine months of 2015 I'm running the All in the Family Edition and this is the last theme for the edition. The year has really flown by hasn't it? Next week is already October and it will be the start of the Halloween edition which is always fun.
White Oleander (2002)
This movie does not paint a pretty picture of the foster system. White Oleander follows Astrid who is placed in a string of foster homes after her mother is jailed for murder. Michelle Pfeiffer is great in this, so ice cold.
Belle (2013)
I'm a sucker for period dramas and this one is such a pretty one. It's also based on a real person and stories of mixed race children is not often told. The movie tells of Belle, a mixed raced illegitimate child of an African woman and a navy admiral, who was raised by her aristocratic great uncle in 18th century England.
Orphan (2009)
I'll sneak in a pick that is a little Halloweeny for my last spot. In Orphan, a family that recently lost a baby of their own decides to open up their home to a child that needs one; they adopt a young Russian girl, Esther. Little do they know there is something not right with Esther.
White Oleander (2002)
This movie does not paint a pretty picture of the foster system. White Oleander follows Astrid who is placed in a string of foster homes after her mother is jailed for murder. Michelle Pfeiffer is great in this, so ice cold.
Belle (2013)
I'm a sucker for period dramas and this one is such a pretty one. It's also based on a real person and stories of mixed race children is not often told. The movie tells of Belle, a mixed raced illegitimate child of an African woman and a navy admiral, who was raised by her aristocratic great uncle in 18th century England.
Orphan (2009)
I'll sneak in a pick that is a little Halloweeny for my last spot. In Orphan, a family that recently lost a baby of their own decides to open up their home to a child that needs one; they adopt a young Russian girl, Esther. Little do they know there is something not right with Esther.
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So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?
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Check out some of my random Thursday Movie Picks
Thursday Movie Picks #28: Movies with Colour in the Title
Thursday Movie Picks #17: Movies Featuring Amnesiacs
Thursday Movie Picks #25: Bank Robberies
Thursday Movie Picks #13: Zombie Movies
Thursday Movie Picks #22: Movies that Feature a Family Secret
Thursday Movie Picks #28: Movies with Colour in the Title
Thursday Movie Picks #17: Movies Featuring Amnesiacs
Thursday Movie Picks #25: Bank Robberies
Thursday Movie Picks #13: Zombie Movies
Thursday Movie Picks #22: Movies that Feature a Family Secret
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Great topic! :-) I haven't seen any of these, but I did read White Oleander. Egads! What a grim story.
ReplyDeleteI read the book too. I love the book's prose, which fits the characters: Ingrid is a writer/poet and Astrid is an artist.
DeleteThere is definitely something not right about Esther. Great pick. I think that's an underrated film. Belle is very good, as well. Love Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Tom Wilkinson in that. Haven't seen White Oleander.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen White Orleander, but Belle is a good pick. Love Gugu Mbatha-Raw there! I also picked Orphan, anyway! Love how it defies the cliche.
ReplyDeleteOhh I haven't seen any of these! Sadface :(
ReplyDeleteOrphan sounds really interesting though, might have to check that one out in time for Halloween :)
- Allie
Yes...yes...it's a popular horror flick. It will probably be a popular pick for one of TMP Halloween Edition theme :) Another reminder for you to check it out.
DeleteI haven't seen White Oleander or Belle, but the latter is in my Netflix queue. I really should see the former. Orphan is a nice choice! I liked that one.
ReplyDeleteBoth are lovely :) Hope you see them.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these. White Oleander is one I've avoided because it looks so downbeat despite Michelle Pfeiffer in the cast. Orphan isn't my thing but Belle is in my Netflix queue and I'll be watching it soon.
ReplyDeleteHmm...I dunno, but I don't find White Oleander overly depressing. I think it's because things doesn't just happen to Astrid, she does do things too that get her in a bit of trouble herself. There's also sort of a dreamy quality to the movie which I like.
DeleteI Haven't seen any of these but I do really want to see Belle. I forgot about White Oleander but it sounds interesting and the last one sounds downright scary
ReplyDeleteWow, this is the second Thursday that you've given me the perfect opportunity to check out White Oleander and I can't believe that I still haven't.
ReplyDeleteYes....and why? ;)
DeleteI REALLY liked Belle. But I feel like that story could/should have gotten an even better movie. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is SO great in it, though.
ReplyDeleteI guessed the twist in Orphan as soon as I saw that ribbon around her neck in every promo shot. Haven't seen White Oleander yet, though.
Wait why? What does the ribbon give away? When I initially saw the ribbon in the promos I thought the story was going to be like that old folktale of a woman wearing such a ribbon which her husband later curiously takes off. Anyway for me what gave away Esther's true nature was when she started interacting with the couples children; how different she was with the children than how she was with the adults.
DeleteYeah, there are two versions of that folktale, one in which her head falls off, and one in which she has an old withered neck (or it has burn marks or some other terrible deformity) that reveals her "true" self. I figured it had to be one or the other and was pretty sure they wouldn't be so obvious as to go with the former.
DeleteI didn't know there were two versions. The only one I'm familiar with is the first.
Delete