Bob Marley: One Love: This was released in theatres and stars the unknown to me Kingsley Ben-Adir who plays in the title role. I think that he does an excellent job in this role. This is not a comprehensive biography of the life of Bob Marley, with only glimpses into some of his early days. Rather, this story begins at the time when Jamaica was gaining its independence from the United Kingdom, and there was political violence in and around Jamaica.
Bob Marley and his Wailer band were getting more well known, but there was a great deal of violence, including an attempted assassination of Bob in a house, where before the home invasion his wife Rita (played by Lashna Lynch from the most recent James Bond and The Woman King fame) was shot in her car. It was political in nature because Bob was looking to have a free concert for all, to help join everyone together with music. Bob was a true believer in Rastafarian beliefs.
After the assassination attempt, Bob had suggested Rita and the children leave and seek refuge and safety in the US. Rita made a full recovery from her shooting, but was very lucky to have survived. She had a complicated relationship with Bob, on top of being a back up singer in the band. For me, I had limited knowledge of Rita, but nothing was very positive. She seemed intent on maximizing her own profit from her relationship with Bob.
The movie I found a bit slow, and I would have liked to see more of the creative process in Bob creating these iconic worldwide hits. Where was the inspiration for the songs? Some of which were shown but not in the detail I would like to see. Certainly when you visit Jamaica you hear this music at every resort and around the island. The ONLY place on the island that smoking pot is legal is at Bob’s house. But I digress. In summary, I like the music and the main performance. I think that there could have been more detail. I note that many of Bob’s children were involved in producing and the music in this production. They did well in choosing the actor for their Dad without a doubt.
Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich: This is a documentary on Netflix, which outlines the heiress Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of British media magnet, and disgraced business owner Robert Maxwell. He disappeared from his yacht, named after his daughter Ghislaine, and was found a day later. Later he was found to have taken millions in pensions from his employees. Ghislaine then moved to NYC, and managed to find herself another rich man Jeffrey Epstein. The main story is her involvement, and trial, for the sexual escapades of Jeffrey Epstein, her literal partner in crime, and herself.
Epstein is now infamous for being one of the world’s most notorious sexual predators of young girls in Florida, and around the world. Ghislaine, as she was accused, was the faciliator to bring in these young women for the sexual exploits. She recruited the girls directly initially, including stalking some retail workers from fancy stores in NYC, and then later became the trainer for other young girls to find other girls. Often this started as massages, either of Epstein’s feet or more full body. Each girl was well paid for their encounters but there were a few that resisted and turned on Ghislaine, Jeffrey and some of their famous clients like Prince Andrew. Ghislaine at one point had said that Epstein had a “medical condition” where he must orgasm mutiple times a day, and that she just couldn’t “keep up”. This documentary gives some background into Ghislaine’s life and then about the people accusing her in the trial. Epstein was arrested, imprisoned in NY and mysteriously was found dead in his cell of an apparent suicide. Ghislaine was left to be accused and tried. They authorities needed to find her first.
In the end, you see that justice (eventually) is served, but not after it took a beating with the plea deal that Epstein managed to secure in Florida for himself upon his first charges being laid. Sadly Epstein and Maxwell together had no regard for those who they viewed as targets for their own sexual gratification, and used money and power to coerce and threaten most to just play along. There was a fund to assist those who were abused by Epstein and Maxwell, and it’s a start for those who are looking to put their lives back together.
Mondays With Robbie 