PIECES OF A WOMAN

Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf star as Martha and Sean, a couple on the verge on having their first child. Vanessa insisted on having a home birth and before long, something goes terribly wrong and the baby is lost. Both attempting to move on, they handle the grief in their own ways and as such, drift further apart. Sean self-destructs while self-medicating, while Martha not only has to deal with the lose of her child, but her overbearing mother (played by Ellen Burstyn), who wants revenge against the midwife as she's made to be the scapegoat for the lose of the child. I really wanted to like the movie after viewing the trailer, but other than wonderful performances by both Kirby and Burstyn (I could see one or both get Academy nominations), the film seemed rather dull and sluggish at times, with the exception of the one shot birth scene in the beginning. 5.5/10

Also, rewatched THE GODFATHER PART III today in anticipation of watching the new CODA: THE DEATH OF MICHAEL CORLEONE cut tomorrow. And while Part III can never hold a candle to part I or II, today's viewing was my most enjoyable ever of this film and the story made more sense (probably helped that I had the subtitles on).