Home

▼

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks #63: All in the Family Edition - Adopted/Foster Families


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.
---
This week's Thursday Movie Picks is All in the Family Edition: Adopted/Foster Families

---



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.

---

 So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

---
---
If you are participating be sure to add your blog post to the linky widget below (Enter your Blog Post URL, your Blog Name and your email {which will remain hidden}). Please also visit the other participating blogs, spread the word about this meme, and also link back to my blog on your own Thursday Movie Picks post :)
---
Participating Blogs/Bloggers
at

17 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2015 at 6:37 AM

    Great topic! :-) I haven't seen any of these, but I did read White Oleander. Egads! What a grim story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WandererOctober 1, 2015 at 3:07 AM

      I read the book too. I love the book's prose, which fits the characters: Ingrid is a writer/poet and Astrid is an artist.

      Delete
  2. DellSeptember 24, 2015 at 7:58 AM

    There 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.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2015 at 2:30 PM

    Haven'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.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownSeptember 24, 2015 at 6:25 PM

    Ohh I haven't seen any of these! Sadface :(
    Orphan sounds really interesting though, might have to check that one out in time for Halloween :)
    - Allie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WandererOctober 1, 2015 at 3:11 AM

      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.

      Delete
  5. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 24, 2015 at 7:39 PM

    I 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.

    ReplyDelete
  6. joel65913September 24, 2015 at 8:24 PM

    I 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WandererOctober 1, 2015 at 3:15 AM

      Hmm...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.

      Delete
  7. BirgitSeptember 24, 2015 at 10:29 PM

    I 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

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2015 at 4:26 AM

    Wow, 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.

    ReplyDelete
  9. DanielSeptember 25, 2015 at 9:22 PM

    I 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.

    I 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WandererOctober 1, 2015 at 3:21 AM

      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.

      Delete
    2. DanielOctober 1, 2015 at 10:50 AM

      Yeah, 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.

      Delete
    3. WandererOctober 1, 2015 at 8:57 PM

      I didn't know there were two versions. The only one I'm familiar with is the first.

      Delete