This is my 26th Annual Listing of movies I’ve seen each year. Once again my trend of going to fewer movies each year has continued. I no longer enjoy going to the multi-flex, and find much of what the studio system delivers for playing on multiple screens to be of diminishing interest to me. Luckily, the streaming services, Netflix, HBO, and others have become the new home of the few ‘adult’ films being released each year.
More significantly, I find that the serialized “Tv Shows” that now make up much of the programming on the streaming services, tend to be far more interesting than most of the films in the market place. I don’t think I enjoyed any movie this year as much as the BBC series “FleaBag” which was available on Amazon Prime.
That said – I now no longer discriminate between movies seen in theaters and movies that were created for ‘television’ or streaming services. And I no longer feel compelled to see movies IN a theatre (with the exception of the largest blockbusters that truly benefit from a big screen). I just wish the exhibitors would do a better job screening the films, and find myself disappointed when my ‘big screen’ experience is darker, and less vibrant than my home 4K television.
In any case, here’s the most memorable movies I saw in 2019 (some released in 2018, and a few earlier than that, which I finally got round to seeing for the first time. None of them earned 4 stars from me this year interestingly enough. There was simply no film in 2019 that I didn’t have some reservations about.
1. *** ½ Once Upon a Time In Hollywood – There’s huge advantages to seeing a movie without knowing anything about it ahead of time. That said, if you haven’t seen this film and plan to see it, read no further. I have to say – that the best thing about Quentin Tarantino’s latest piece of cultural pulp fiction is how skillfully he builds your expectations of where the film is going, how well he creates MacGuffins that lead you on, and then how skillfully and satisfactorily he pulls the rug out from under your feet.
Tarantino has been exploring historical times and places in his last few films, and here he places his obsessive gaze on the time and place he knows best, and has the most affection for … Hollywood and movie making in the late 60s. The film is packed with detailed sounds and visual queues that bring back the late 60s in all its psychedelic innocence and splendor. He places his camera behind the wheel of a car as it travels the Sunset Strip, and has interludes made up of no more than the Neon Signs of the time. The film’s plot rambles along, tracking the declining career of a fading actor (wonderfully played by Leonardo Di Caprio) and his stunt double, chauffeur, handyman and best bud, played with unstoppable charisma and appeal by a laid back and charming Brad Pitt. The two generate so much appeal that we get fully invested in them as characters, as well as being a self-referential study in what we used to go to the movies for: star power. They are like Butch and the Sundance Kid — joined at the hip, and fully comfortable in their relationship (despite the fact that one is a ‘star’ and the other a behind the scenes player). There is no animosity in their disparate roles, they are a perfect example of mutual dependency.
The movie is made up of short set pieces, featuring one or the other of these two men, as they careen through the fading days of their careers, and brush alongside the rising influence of Charlie Manson and his cult of followers, as well as the nascent, doomed star Sharon Tate. The two stories are inevitably headed to collide, and our knowledge of what happened to Tate at the hands of Manson’s clan gives the proceedings a sense of growing dread. There are lovely, almost stand- alone scenes, between DiCaprio’s fading cowboy and a dedicated child actress, who takes her work more seriously than he does, and a wonderful sequence in which Pitt has an encounter with Bruce Lee. These two vividly drawn fictional characters, archetypes for the glory days of Hollywood, and they keep brushing up against the real characters and events we know from history.
It all works tremendously well. It produces considerable nostalgia, Pitt and DiCaprio are a wonderful duo, together and apart — and while a bit long – the movie continues to entertain us as he slowly lunges to a reckoning that we see coming, and yet aren’t expecting. Perhaps because I care more about the 60s than the Plantation South or WWII – I found this the most accessible and entertaining of Tarantino’s films in years. His special gift as a filmmaker is wrapping every story he tells with a veneer of everything we fondly remember from B-movies and genre films. Heroes are heroes… violence is candidly violent in a fun and unexpected way, and everything is wrapped with a low-key humor that we recognize as pure Hollywood. Tarantino brings his pure joy of the movies to every movie he makes. And its a refreshing change from a lot of the cynical, feel-bad movie making that we see in a lot of contemporary films. During much of the film, I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face at the chutzpah and panache on display.
2. *** ½ Marriage Story – This year’s proof that the best, serious movies are now being produced and distributed by Netflix (and other streaming services), this is the sort of ‘adult’ drama that the studios no longer touch. It’s a searing portrait of the mine-field that can accompany a divorce, especially when there’s a child involved. While movies of this kind often focus on the child’s emotional journey, this one is all about two adults who somehow wind up veering from an amicable divorce proceeding to an all out war once lawyers become involved.
Adam Driver gives his best, most grounded performance to date as a notable theatre director working in New York, when his wife decides to separate and leaves both the marriage and his theatre company to go to L.A. and do a T.V. pilot. Scarlett Johansson is the wife, and also is solid here — and Noah Baumbach, who both writes and directs, balances the story very well so that you don’t find yourself rooting for one of them over the other. They both have emotional scars from a marriage that has run out of gas, and once the decision to divorce is made, things quickly escalate as lawyers get involved. The supporting cast is deep and solid, with Laura Dern incredibly formidable as one of the lawyers, and a welcome Alan Alda and Ray Liotta as two more lawyers.
There is a lacerating two-handed argument scene between Driver and Johanssen as their mutual frustration escalates into a hurtful battle, and I’ve no doubt this well-written war of words will wind up performed in scene study classes for years to come.
Overall, the movie is sad and woeful – but recognizably human. We’ve all had moments like these in our relationships, and even the theatre and TV business as portrayed in the film are very true representations of the work in those careers. Clearly the best adult drama of the year. And the best work of Baumbach’s interesting career in Independent films.
3. *** ½ – John Wick: Chapter 3 – Can you possibly call a movie about relentless assasins ‘gratuitously violent’? I think not. Violence is clearly the point of a movie like this – and this sequel to a sequel delivers on ratcheting up the action and body count that this series is based on. If you’re looking for great action sequences (and can handle the graphic violence) then you need look no further. This is a remarkable action picture, demonstrating great ingenuity in finding new ways to stage fights, shootouts, and chase scenes. It’s got breathtaking mixed martial fighting, and avoids the frantic editing that makes this sort of thing unwatchable in many films. Keanu Reeves and/or his stunt double do some incredible hand to hand, gun-fu, and every imaginable kind of combat. Its quite breathtaking to watch.
The screenplay also seeks to expand the mythology that started to develop in the second film — that there is a world of assassins, all part of an organization with a strict code and rules. The world is getting so fleshed out (as unlikely and fantastical as it is), that one would think these movies were adapted from a novel or series of books. But they are actually original screenplays, and the writer(s) cleverly keep expanding that universe.
Interestingly, the three movies all take place in almost real time chronological order. The 2nd film takes plays days after the first on ends, this third film takes place immediately after the 2nd film (within minutes!) This film also ends with a clear set-up for the 4th ‘chapter’.
This film has breathless and imaginative action sequences which go on for a dazzling length of time. It’s hard to imagine how much choreography it took to map out so many fight scenes and chases. And fighting with a variety of objects: books, fists, glass walls, guns, knives, swords, and chases on foot, on rooftops, on motorcycles, on horses, in public places (Grand Central Station), in stairwells, in wildly designed rooms in buildings. One clever fight takes place in a room full of weapons in glass cases and the combatants must break open the glass, grab and load a weapon ahead of the other person. As I say – very clever sequences hearkening back to John Woo.
The body count here runs into multiple hundreds — and not because of an explosion or anything. Each person killed is a separate event — often coming at breathtaking speed (and with significant violence – knife through the eye, etc.). So this is not a movie for all tastes — but if you’re looking for clever, well-choreographed action that delivers on shock, tension, and imagination – this is the film to beat this year. But it’s not for the squeamish.
4. *** 1/2 Ford vs Ferrari – the screenplay takes its time to set all the players and circumstances in motion, carefully establishing its characters and the stakes for each of them. But once everything is in place, this becomes one of the best movies about auto racing ever. The race sequences are gripping, convincingly putting you in the driver’s seat and providing nerve wracking suspense.
The fact that the screenplay still creates a sense of victory despite the ironies of the story (which I won’t give away here), shows what a smart screenplay this is, and James Mangold manages to deliver convincing human drama and corporate intrigue to keep this from being just another racing action picture. Christian Bale, as always is solid and terrific, but its Matt Damon who turns in one of his best performances here. There’s also a deep and effective supporting cast. Despite its 2 ½ hour running time, the movie never lags and just races along!
5. *** 1/2 The Last Black Man in San Francisco – This poetic, wistful film was one of the most surprising films I saw this year. Perhaps because so many films about African Americans in urban settings are filled with drugs, gang wars, and street talk, I was moved by the intelligence and quiet intensity of its two main characters, both men of great sentiment, struggling to find their artistic voice. The film’s is rich in emotion, and less concerned with narrative structure. It has beautifully poetic imagery of San Francisco and its inhabitants. The music is often hypnotic. Its the feature debut for director Joe Talbot, who shows remarkable promise and a keen eye for the elegance of a city that has all but become unavailable for its original urban inhabitants. It shows the problems of gentrification but avoids being overly political or strident about it.
The script is based on stories told by Talbot’s long-time friend, Jimmy Fails, who here plays a ‘character’ named Jimmy Fails. It’s Fails first feature film and he is a hauntingly natural presence. The plot, what there is of it, centers around the love Jimmy has for a Victorian-style house his grandfather originally built, and where he lived as a boy before his family fractured. He continues to visit the house, now owned by well-to-do white people, which he still cares for. Through circumstances, he and his close friend Mont, wind up moving into the house and squatting there, Jimmy having had no home of his own for many years. Their close friendship is the other element in the movie, which is touching and surprisingly doesn’t veer into any territory regarding their sexuality.
The entire film has a dreamlike quality to it – with some stunning imagery. Ultimately, its plot structure doesn’t hold up and its hard to know where we are at the end of the film — but the journey is fascinating and fresh. For a low-budget, independent film made by first-timers, its a remarkable achievement.
6. *** ½ Avengers: Endgame – As the next chapter in the Avengers Saga begun last year with the excellent, Avengers: Infinity War. Avengers Endgame has the unenviable task of trying to top the excitement that film generated. Well – as evidenced by the record-shattering box office, and the applause the film is being met with in live screenings – Endgame delivers on putting a capper on this first phase of the Marvel Universe.
It’s a remarkable feat of juggling. Over 60 characters from previous Marvel movies appear in the film and amazingly each seems to have their moment. I think the film may be a bit baffling and difficult to follow for anyone who missed the previous film, as well as the many prior Marvel films that came before it. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say the movie travels in time and brings back moments and situations from many past Marvel films — providing a satisfying coda to the many plot lines in the Marvel Universe. As someone who’s seen all the films (and used to read all the comics they’re based on) – there’s a terrific amount of ‘aha’ moments and satisfied payoffs that can only be appreciated if you’re steeped in the mythology. But even without this, the film features a nice mix of sentiment, comedy, and the most complex action battle scenes ever seen. The sheer bravado of successfully mixing the wide variety of super-heroes, gods, aliens, spacecraft, and humans in a way where everything could exist in one place is pretty impressive.
That said, I don’t think this film packed quite the same wallop as Infinity War. The first hour of the film is spent in solemn mourning – appropriate given the circumstances — but a bit of a downer. Thank goodness we get a lot of surprises as old characters sport new personalities and characteristics (loved Bruce Banner and what has happened to Thor!). Overall – this is a remarkable testament to the creative energy and sheer technical virtuosity that the Marvel/Disney team, led by directors Anthony & Joe Russo display here. Its hard not to be impressed. And its also interesting that they found a way to deal with the inevitability that certain actors would eventually want to be relieved from playing a given role in film after film. It’s clear this film is meant to end an ‘era’ of the ever-evolving Marvel Universe – as its the first film that doesn’t have a teaser scene during or after the credits. And wow – what credits. So many many many people involved in the making of a film this huge. This appears to be the culmination of the digital renaissance of movie picture making! Is there anything now that can’t somehow be shown on the silver screen?
7. *** 1/2 Toy Story 4 – I don’ t think this fourth sequel adds anything new to the adventures of these beloved toys — but it succeeds in capturing many of the virtues of the prior films: A heartwarming story (Woody gets a resolution that is reminiscent of the way Captain American gets resolved in the Avengers movie!), familiar friends (they even managed to bring back the voices of Don Rickles and other voice actors who are no longer with us — spooky, but welcome), and stunning Pixar animation. The backgrounds and environments are now extremely detailed and full of life. While it doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch of the earlier toy story movies – there are some nice pleasures to be had – particularly the spooky Gabby Gabby and her cronies, a delightful Keanu Reeves as Canadian stunt rider toy Duke Caboom, and the comic clowning of Keegan- Michael Key and Jordan peele as Ducky and Bunny.
There are lesser Pixar pictures, and ones that resonate wonderfully for all ages — and this, like the Toy Story films that came before it, is definitely in the wonderfully resonant category, even if its not the best of the lot. It’s hard to not enjoy and admire it, especially for a 3rd sequel!
8. *** Uncut Gems – A lot of positive fuss has been made by critics of this somewhat mainstream film written and directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, who have a distinctive ‘guerilla’ film-making style. I feel the film may be overrated, but there is no question that it has a distinctive style and flare.
This is without question, the busiest, most chaotic, and continuously edgy film I’ve seen this year. That makes the film easier to respect than to enjoy. It has a somewhat bravura performance by Adam Sadler, as a jeweler in Manhattan’s Diamond District, whose life is in a constant state of chaos. He seemingly is never satisfied with what he has, and continues to keep himself in a constant state of jeopardy by being unsatisfied by what he has, and constantly seeking better. His marriage and his family (which he seems to care about deeply), are held at bay as he maintains a sexually charged affair with one of his employees. He is addicted to the thrill of compulsive gambling, and owes money to a variety of gangster loan sharks who are always at his heels, and he is looking for a ‘big score’ due to his recent acquisition of a rare ‘black opal’ that he believes will give him the cash he needs to settle his debts and/or subsidize his dreams of big payoffs through long-shot sports betting.
The movie proceeds at a furious pace, with Howard compulsively trying to solve one problem while creating a myriad of others. He’s a fast talker, well liked by many, but with lots of enemies who are fed up with his excuses. The cinematography is brilliantly busy, fully capturing the street vibe of Howard’s world — with real world characters from the sports and music world, an unblinking look at urban culture, as well as the most accurate depiction of jewish culture seen on the screen in a long time. Howard, like many in the diamond trade is Jewish, and the movie is set around Passover time and includes a terrific family scene at a Sedar.
This is a character that, on its surface, is totally unredeemable. A crude, self-sabotaging, selfish man, and its to Sandler’s credit that he uses his personal charisma and comic instincts to make the guy likable – even as you can’t believe the horrible choices he continues to make. Overall, it’s a gritty, scary and exhausting ride. But perhaps not a ride for everyone, as this is not a film in which the character learns anything or is redeemed. It is howeverm an unblinking portrait of an optimistic fool’s road to self-destruction.
9. *** The Irishman – Martin Scorsese, at age 77 is still at the top of his powers. By virtue of its release by Netflix (instead of a major studio), he is able to bring to the screen a 3 and a half hour epic that is the capper of his career telling stories about the mob. With a stellar cast of legendary actors led by Robert De Niro (in one of his best performances in years), Joe Pesci and Al Pacino, the story spans many decades, flashing back and forward throughout. Some truly amazing digital effects were used to de-age the principal actors, so that they could convincingly play their younger selves (instead of the usual tradition of double casting with a younger actor playing a character’s younger self.)
Scorsese’s mastery with the camera, and his ability to stage large scenes, both domestic and street violent, is very much in evidence. However, I must confess that much of the movie had a been there, seen that quality. There’s nothing surprising to show in the ruthless ethics of the mob. Throughout the picture, Scorsese puts up little text overlays – letting us know that such and such was killed in 1980 by 8 bullets to the head, etc.
The one thing that is different here however, is that for the first time, we’re shown the effect this life has on the conscience of its inhabitants (at least those few who weren’t rubbed out), and there is a poignancy to seeing an aged Robert DeNiro as Frank Sheeran, recollecting his past from his wheelchair in a nursing home. There’s a greater life span being shown here than in previous films, and it does give the drama greater weight.
Most enjoyable is the stunning period recreation, particularly of the 50s and 60s… and for those interested in the rise and fall of Jimmy Hoffa (played by Pacino), history buffs will find all the political and gangland tie-ins of greater interest than perhaps I did.
10 *** Midsommar: This second film from writer / director Ari Aster is a slow building creep-out for those with the patience to see where it leads. The cinematography and musical score keep building suspense as it’s clear something bad is going to happen, though unlike most contemporary horror films, it is in no hurry to tip its hand and deliver gore early on. Instead, it’s all about atmosphere, and the steady, slow progression to what we suspect will be a nasty outcome.
After a somewhat confusing opening in which heroine Dani experiences a horrible family tragedy – she joins her boyfriend on his friends on a trip to Sweden to witness a communal ritual that is conducted once every 90 years. Her emotional stability is very fragile, and her relationship is teetering on dissolution. Neither her boyfriend nor his friends really want her along for the trip – but her wishy-washy boyfriend just can’t not invite her. Surprisingly, she agrees to go. And what unfolds for the group of friends is increasingly discomforting. On the surface, it’s a lovely, flirty, druggy ritualistic cult that seems inviting, even enticing, but slowly reveals disquieting rituals that take place in the odd architecture and cliffs in this cloistered enclave.
It has the sort of psychological, slow-build tension of films like Rosemary’s Baby and The Wicker Man, but is infused with subtle visual effects that show the point of view of their drug-induced visions. Once the audience is drawn into the realities of the rituals, the horror unfolds in an almost beautiful manner. A very stylish, and dread inducing piece of work.
11 *** I lost My Body – This animated film from France is one of the most unusual animated films in recent memory. It’s largely about the journey taken by a disembodied hand that escapes from a lab, and travels purposely…somewhere. There is a parallel story about a young man who develops an infatuation with a young woman, and also is on a journey – to discover who she is, and to develop a relationship with her, which takes the shy boy to unexpected places. But it’s the adventures of the hand that gives this film its unique and melancholy feel. The film appears to be hand-animated (no pun intended), and has a wonderful hypnotic score to accompany the largely wordless hand scenes. The animators work in a series of controlled color palettes, as they jump from one story to another, and they inevitably lead to one another. The film requires a bit of patience but completely holds your interest as the unusual journeys continue to emerge.
12 *** Jo Jo Rabbit – Taika Waititi (who brought such welcome humor to Thor: Ragnarok) has written, directed and plays Adolf Hitler in this interesting mash-up that combines elements of The Diary of Anne Frank with a sensibility straight out of Wes Anderson. Its a stylistic high-wire act, both funny in its child-like portrayal of “Adolf”, an imaginary friend of title character JoJo, who idolizes the Fuhrer, who serves as both the angel and devil on his shoulder, and deeply sad and dramatic in its depiction of the realities of German hatred and bigotry, as well as the fate of Jews and those who sought to aid them during this troubled time. Wonderful razor-edge performances by Sam Rockwell, a radiant Scarlett Johansson, Stephen Merchant, and an appealing Thomasin McKenzie — not to mention the child actors playing JoJo and his pal Yorki. The movie feels a big long and the shifts from broad comedy to horrific tragedy can be unsettling — but the movie succeeds in bringing originality and fresh style to a well-tred genre. It focuses on the ‘good’ Germans, who risked their lives to defend the lives of others, and even the clownish trainers of the Hitler Youth Corps make redemptive choices by the end. The movie implies there is goodness in all of us, and it takes circumstances to bring this out. We see this play out in the transformation of Jo Jo himself, as he grows out of the propaganda that created his fear of those unlike himself, and embraces a greater humanity (all at the age of 10). Clearly Waititi is speaking metaphorically through World War II, of the more relevant issues of how hate is spread (and can be overcome) in our own times.
13 *** Knives Out – Director / Writer Rian Johnson once again delves deep into genre – this time paying homage to the Agatha Christie style whodunnit – replacing the twitty Britishness with an American veneer. Daniel Craig is the ‘gentleman detective’ sporting a deep South cajun accent and looking quite happy to not be playing James Bond. Its a pure genre exercise, and about as far in style and scope from his Star Wars film as possible. But you quickly realize you’re in the hands of an assured, confident director.
Its surprisingly reverent to the Christie formula – featuring an old eccentric house, the suicide (or is it murder?) of a famed Mystery Writer and features the sort of all-star cast we’re used to from Christie film adaptions including Chris Evans (freed from his duty as Captain America), Jamie Lee Curtis (freed from scream queen chores), and a welcome Michael Shannon (creepy and menacing as ever).
It’s whodunnit business as usual, with grilling of the suspects, a detective who doesn’t seem too sharp but is more observant and alert than he appears, a handful of red herrings and switcheroos, and about half way through the film it picks up more momentum than one normally sees in these sorts of proceedings. The particular spin here is that it takes place in contemporary America and touches lightly on politics, privilege and other social issues just enough to make it feel fresher and more relevant, than the tired Christie adaptions that continue to be made. Mostly it’s for those who like to see the detective catch his man (or woman) and deliver that final ‘so this is what actually happened’ speech that feels so familiar and satisfying.
14 *** Gloria Bell – Apparently Julianne Moore was so taken by Sebastian Lelio’s foreign film “Gloria”, that she decided to executive produce and star in an American remake, convincing Lelio to write and direct this new version. Like the original, its about a rather ordinary middle-aged divorcée who finds joy in life through music and dancing. This version, reset to club-life in Los Angeles, finds its vibrancy in Moore’s wonderfully unself-conscious performance. In it, she winds up in a relationship with a recently divorced man, engagingly performed by John Turturro, which takes some surprising turns, much like life. The film is an honest character study of a few months in a life of one single, middle-aged woman – by turns joyous, despondent, needy, emotionally vulnerable, and guarded. Moore is a treasure on screen, always revealing far more than we traditionally see in film ‘heroines’.
15 *** Fyre – This Netflix documentary was one of two dueling documentaries on the Fyre Festival in the Bahamas that ended in disaster. (The other, which I’ve not seen, was on Hulu). As an event planner myself, I couldn’t help but watch in wonder at how this festival, under the leadership of entrepreneur, Billy McFarland, focused all its energies on marketing and social media, and did so little to plan and execute the event itself. The documentary does a good job of showing the events that led up to the Festival itself, a calamity that ended up in many law suits, and the eventual arrest and imprisonment of McFarland. Even knowing ahead of time what eventually results, its fascinating to see this train wreck in progress, with its inevitable conclusion of an army of millennials, who spent several thousand dollars to attend this exclusive, luxury event, arriving to find the dream getaway they had purchased, would turn out to be nothing but empty promises, their luxury villas would turn out to be tents with soggy mattresses, their gourmet food would turn out to be cheese sandwiches, and they had no way to even get home! What a contrast this millennial event is to Woodstock (another favorite documentary about a musical event).
16 *** Echo in the Canyon – a music documentary celebrating a very specific time and place – the Laurel Canyon, California folk-rock scene of 1965-67. An interesting mix of clips from that time, and interviews with those who were those musicians as they appear today. Featuring music and memories of the Byrds, The Beach Boys, Mamas and the Papas, Buffalo Springfield. Also interviewed are artists who were influenced by their music including Tom Petty, Graham Nash, as well as new performances of these classic songs in a live concert performance featuring Jacob Dylan (son of Bob), Beck, Fiona Apple, Regina Spector, Cat Powers and others. It’s a bit scattered in its structure but brings back great memories and great music. If you’re a fan of 12-string guitar folk rock – you’ll find much to enjoy here.
17 *** Spider Man: Far From Home: I wasn’t a fan of the latest Spider Man reboots – and find the character as re-developed for the Avengers films and later in his own “Spider Man: HomeComing” to be inconsistent with the confident wise-cracking teen we know from the Comic Books. Nonetheless, given the choice to make a movie super hero who is unconfident, ultra-shy, and afraid of assuming responsibility with his great powers – Tom Holland does a great job with this version of Spider Man. And this sequel to the Homecoming film, “Far From Home” is much better than the original reboot. It remakes the superhero film as a teen flick in the spirit of old John Hughes movies in a way.
What’s interesting here is how they’ve continued the ongoing saga of the Marvel Universe, by placing this in the context of the events in the last Avenger’s movie. Tony Stark is dead and gone (along with Captain America and a number of other heroes), and the aftermath of half the earth’s population being destroyed, and then restored, is actually articulated. Characters who were killed and then resurrected are referred to as being ‘blipped” and are now 5 years older than those who lived. It’s an interesting idea overall.
The introduction of another classic Spiderman character “Mysterio” is nice to see – though there are twists on the classic character. Jake Gyllenhaal is effective here, and brings the A-list casting that continues to grace the Marvel movies. Also nice to see are familiar Marvel Universe faces now playing more prominent roles, especially Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, and the reigning star of the Marvel Universe, Samuel Jackson, who now seems to appear in almost all of the films!
The effects are very good, and the acting is consistently sharp – and the movie serves as a nice bridge between the first phase of the Marvel Universe, and wherever its headed under the stewardship of wily producer, Kevin Feige. It’s nice to see Spidey back in the hands of Marvel – even if co-produced with Amy Pascal and Sony Pictures.
It’ll be interesting to see what will happen now with other wayward Marvel characters now that Disney has purchased Fox studios as well! Will the X-Men be joining these movies now?
18 *** Deadwood: The Movie – It may be unfair including in a movie list a movie that originated on HBO, but since it’s titled “the movie” I figured – why not? Especially given that I’ve long awaited the final chapter in this once-beloved HBO drama. Rather miraculously, the movie lovingly brings back everything that made the original series so fascinating: Terrific ensemble acting, luscious vulgar almost Shakespearian dialog, and a fresh look at these characters ten years after we last saw their story.
The movie works well (I’m told) even if you weren’t already familiar with the series and its characters. Flashbacks to the original story quickly and effectively fill in the backstory necessary to know each character’s history. Amazingly, this saga of capitalism, corruption and politics during the birth of this town which finally became part of a new state, feel fresh and newly relevant.
19 *** The Farewell – this low-budget, high concept art house film has an interesting central premise. If someone in your family is dying, do you hide the truth from them? What makes this particularly interesting in this case is this glimpse into Asian culture – where the cultural norm is for the family to bear the burden of knowing of the upcoming death, and their decision not to tell their aging grandmother that she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The performances here are very natural and unforced, and as the lead grand-daughter, Awkwafina, gives an unself-conscious performance that is raw in its emotion, and vanity free. Shuzhen Zhou, as grandmother Nai Nai, gives a lovely performance that clearly illustrates why her family is so attached to her.
The movie doesn’t stray far from its central premise (based on a real life family), and is quite low- key overall – but it does leave one to ask themselves its central question: Is it better to know one is terminally ill? or is it not? Would you tell your family? And why does western culture feel one way about this, and eastern culture another. An interesting glimpse into societal norms and customs that are quite different from our own.
20 *** Missing Link – Another stop-motion animated film from the animation wizards at LAIKA. As always, the stop-motion animation is wonderful, highly detailed, and just a wonder to behold. This time they’ve mixed in some computer animation for backgrounds, but it all blends rather seamlessly. Particularly wonderful are the densely animated fight scenes and chases. I imagine though, a documentary on how the film was made would be even more interesting than the film itself.
The story here is nothing special, and is weaker than the animation work, despite nice voice performances from Zach Galifianakis as the title “Missing Link” (a wonderfully designed ‘monster’ who chooses to name himself Sally), and Hugh Jackman (playing a Brit explorer). There is nonetheless some nice gentle humor throughout and its fun to watch. I would think kids would particularly enjoy this one for its silly sweetness.
21 *** Late Night – A perfectly likable, if highly implausible ‘buddy comedy’ for women – in which the two mismatched souls are a television host and a new television writer (instead of the usual cops or spies). The talented and always interesting Mindy Kaling wrote and co-stars in this ‘feminist’ comedy which benefits greatly by having the inimitable Emma Thompson as the central protagonist. The film confronts the issues of diversity hiring, and the dumbing down of television in a non-strident and entertaining manner and one can’t help but enjoy Kaling’s character’s spunk and optimism and await the inevitable transformation of Thompson’s scrooge-like talk-show host. No surprises here at all – and everything that happens is predictable if you suspend disbelief (a lot) — but there’s undeniable charisma in this oft-time charming cinderella story.
22 *** Booksmart – a fresh coat of paint on a well-tred genre — the ‘last day of high school’ movie. What’s fresh is its about two high-achieving honor students, both girls, played appealingly by Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, and directed by Olivia Wilde – so it offers a female perspective into the teen raunch comedy. Its a bit smarter and stylish than this genre often is, and entertaining as a cross between older John Hughes teen films and more contemporary, raunchier R rated fare.
23 *** Long Shot – an odd hybrid of man-child comedy (i.e. Seth Rogan films in general), romantic comedy (as it is ultimately about an unlikely romance) , and a political film. It’s entertaining enough, but thoroughly implausible. Perhaps it’s intended to be a satire (which might explain the odd turn by Bob Odenkirk as a President who would rather be a movie star). Despite an appealing performance by Charlize Theron, none of this really holds up to scrutiny. It’s hard to accept what Theron’s character, as an accomplished politician with an eye on the presidency, would see in Seth Rogen’s character, but if you ignore the lack of chemistry or logic – its entertaining (and funny) enough to make it watchable.
24 *** US – Jordan Peele follows up with his acclaimed horror film, Get Out, with this more mainstream entry into the realm of psychological horror. Borrowing from a grab bag of genre tropes from home invasion movies to Invasion of the Body Snatchers— this film falls more into “Twilight Zone” territory.
The tour-de-force attraction for the cast, is the ability to play both the main family characters of this movie, as well as their evil doppelgängers who appear in their driveway one evening. Why do they look like us? And why are they carrying scissors? The actors have a field day playing their evil selves, and in many ways the evil beings are more interesting than the regular folks they are terrorizing. The question the movie seems to pose is: what are these manifestations?
While it seems at first that there will be interesting psychological revelations and deeper social significance revealed – the answers turn out to be more mundane, as we learn that these red- jump-suited beings are appearing all over, and this family is just one of many that are experiencing this phenomenon. To me, at this point the movie loses a bit of steam – and just becomes an us vs the monsters movie, albeit an effective one with lots of suspense and violence. It’s a good, somewhat standard horror-suspense film (elevated by the strong performances), but feels a bit disappointing due to its lack of greater social context.
25 *** Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese – Full Confession – I’ve never been a fan of Bob Dylan. But there’s no doubt that Martin Scorsese is a great filmmaker with a real taste for authentic rock and roll. His “Last Waltz” is a classic – and his use of rock music in his many films has always shown he has an ear (and an eye) for authentic music.
I was curious about the historical perspective being examined here, a legendary tour nearly 45 years ago, in which Dylan went on the road with an assemblage of musicians, and poets including Joan Baez and Alan Ginsberg . I was surprised to find, that Dylan, in performance (and there’s plenty of performance footage here mixed in with talking heads, and interviews past and present) is incredibly gripping. Despite his unusual voice, he sings with such conviction and authenticity, that he’s riveting on stage. The interesting musicians who played with him on this tour, most notably Scarlet Rivera on violin, feel alive and spontaneous.
More than anything, Scorsese manages to splice together from archival footage and new interviews, a peek into the essence of the creative spirit at the heart of these children of the 60s. A magical mystery tour captured in all its anarchistic splendor.
26 *** Dolemite is My Name – This Eddie Murphy starring biopic of black comedian, singer, blaxploitation film star Rudy Ray Moore clearly makes its central point if, as a white person (as I am) you’ve never heard of Rudy Ray Moore and his character Dolemite. Apparently, Moore was an underground comedy star, an ambitious man who finally found his performing niche by recording extremely vulgar comedy hours, reciting blue rhymes that spoke of pimps, whores, and cocksuckers. His albums were never able to be played on the radio or marketed openly, but were sold underground as word of mouth spread amongst African-American neighborhoods who fully appreciated the street authenticity of his Dolemite character, and found him beyond hilarious.
For the first hour of the film, despite Murphy’s confident portrayal of this motherfucker who was going to fuck everybody up, I found the character and his act not funny in the least. And again, that appears to be the point – his comedy was intended for and delighted a different audience than the likes of me. I suspect that a more urban audience will find the film more fun than I did.
Nonetheless, the second half of the film, where Moore decides he wants to risk all his success and become a national star by making a movie starring himself (though he had no idea of how films are made, and what they cost.) He spends every penny he’s earned, and borrows against his future record royalties in his quest to create a ‘great’ movie that audiences will really love – His Audience! At this point, the movie starts to play like an upbeat, triumphant version of “The Disaster Artist”. You can’t help but root for this man who has such faith in himself and is willing to risk everything to accomplish his dream. The film-making section of the film is great fun, and the film’s message of what it takes to be victorious when you’re “people like us”, is very winning.
While vulgar comedy like this isn’t my cup of tea – director Craig Brewer and writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski build the film in such a way as you can’t help but root for the inevitable, if hard to believe if it weren’t true, triumphant ending. And ultimately its a good lesson in the gap between what is critically successfully, and what is grass-roots popular with certain audiences. Moore knew what his people wanted in entertainment – and despite all odds, he delivered,
27 ** ½ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Somewhere, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars was a movie that startled and delighted audiences. Now, in the 9th ‘episode’ of this tiresome franchise (not including the various spin-offs), the trilogy of trilogies finally completes itself (or does it?)
What we’ve got is more more more of the same. Lots of space ships, lots of light saber battles, lots of muppet-like alien species, lots of secret relationships revealed, and, to make things ‘satisfying’ for the faithful, the return of many characters. Apparently no one is ever truly dead in the Star Wars Universe. The force can return any character back to the franchise. Even Carrie Fisher, who is actually dead in real life, manages to have a fairly significant role in the film.
The problem is that ultimately nothing is ever really at stake if characters who are killed, or deemed killed, are never really gone. The tragedy of losing a beloved friend is minimized when it turns out they are not really dead. The ‘stakes’ of this war among the stars is as bloodless as the many battles where people are shot and simply fall to the floor. And lethal wounds by light saber (for example), can be magically healed. This movie has more resurrections to the Walking Dead.
But hey, it’s Star Wars. There are cool visual effects (especially the sequence set on a planet with a huge ocean and giant waves and rain), and John William’s score still rouses the emotions. But unless you’re amongst the faithful – this go round is just another ‘been there, seen that’. I guess you don’t mess with a formula that’s worked for 44 years!
28 **½ The Two Popes – A master class in acting from two greats, Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins — playing two real life popes and dramatizing the philosophical struggles and scandals of the Roman Catholic Church in the last 20 years or so.
The film effectively addresses the philosophical divide between the conservative branch of the religion, as embodied by Pope Benedict (Hopkins), and a more reform-minded view as embodied by Pope Francis. The film centers around 2012, when Benedict makes the unconventional choice to retire as Pope.
There are interesting ideas presented here, and the film effectively shows the inner workings of the pope election process, with significant flashbacks to the oppression in Argentina politics which greatly informed and traumatized the future pope Francis. But I suspect this film would be of far greater interest to Catholics and people who care about and revere religious leaders. I found it interesting, but a bit long, and was more interested in the friendship that emerged between the two spiritual leaders, more than the overall religious politics.
29 ** ½ El Camino – The prospect of a movie that continued the story-line of what may be the greatest television show of all time, “Breaking Bad”, certainly sounded appealing – particularly since it was being written and directed by the series creator Vince Gilligan. What a shame then that it contains none of the brilliance of the original series. The story line follows what happens next (as well as flashbacks to earlier times) in the life of the one main character left alive at series end, Jesse Pinkman.
Unfortunately, the movie is on the dull side, and if it didn’t offer some flashbacks to introduce characters from the TV series (all of whom were more interesting actors than Aaron Paul’s Jesse) it wouldn’t hold much appeal at all.
There are some interesting tense standoffs that work well as action scenes, but there are also endless murky ‘hiding out’ or ‘looking for things in dark places” that are fairly boring to watch.
It’s not that this is a horrible movie or anything, but it feels both unnecessary and a real let down after the brilliant writing and performances from the original series.
30 ** ½ Yesterday – I expected a bit more from a film directed by Danny Boyle and featuring the music of the Beatles… but this likable but otherwise dry film just doesn’t have much of a spark. Its an original idea, but the high concept of the world not knowing who the Beatle’s are (as well as other high-profile products), isn’t fully developed — and the love story doesn’t quite connect either. Enjoyable – but easily forgotten.
31 ** ½ The Lion King – As I watched this latest remake of The Lion King, I was a bit at a loss as to why the film didn’t work for me. The computer-realized animals were some of the best seen in films, the visual design was splendid. But I never got swept up in the movie in the way I was with the animated original or Julie Taymor’s stage version. Perhaps it’s one retelling of the same story too often.
The new musical arrangements of the classic songs, didn’t pack the same emotional punch as the original versions. Perhaps it was the curious interplay of realistic animals, realistically speaking, with faces that were both animal realistic and yet sort of human in the way expressions were rendered. But something kept me from being stirred by the story. I did enjoy the comic tone of Billy Eichorn and Seth Rogen as Timon and Puma, but I didn’t connect at all with the voices of Donald Glover and Beyonce as Simba and Nala. I wasn’t brought along on the quest and challenge that Simba goes through.
Interestingly, this is marketed as another of Disney’s “live-action’ remakes of classic animated films, but there isn’t a live moment in any of it. It’s all computer animated, right? So its really an animated remake of an original that really doesn’t improve on it – except visually. I very much enjoyed wunderkind director Jon Favreau’s remake of the Jungle Book — but found myself oddly disengaged from this one — other than admiring the work that went into making such realistic looking animals. However it packed no more emotional wallop than a visit to an animal park.
32 ** 1/2 Captain Marvel – The problem with super-hero movies that involve god-like characters, interplanetary travel and warring alien species is that amidst all the flashing light- saber type weapons and light-speed space shifts there’s nothing to give you perspective on what’s happening. This time-shifting, sort-of-origin story of the incredibly powerful female hero, Captain Marvel has all that to contend with and it makes it more of a light show than a visceral action pic. Overall, there is a ‘been there, seen this’ vibe to most of the story and the action. To its credit though, the film has the good fortune to cast Brie Larson as the title hero – and she brings a relaxed charm to the character that thankfully leavens the cosmic galactic elements and brings things down to earth. At least when she can. By the time she’s glowing and shooting through space like a rocket – you deeply miss the humanity and the sense that there is a human being going through all this. I much preferred scenes like a fight on top of a train – where at least the sense of danger was more immediate and relatable.
More interestingly, in the never-ending saga of the Marvel cinematic Universe, is the placement of this film in the 80s, and the introduction of the early days of Nick Fury – played once again by Samuel L. Jackson – who brings much needed humor and relaxation to everything he does. Interestingly, and rather spookily, his performance is completely digitally redone to knock 30-40 years off his actual age. The period setting also allows for some great jokes and nostalgia for the state of technology at that time. (Along with the Irishman, its been a big year for allowing actors to play their much younger selves)
I think ultimately Marvel was hoping for as timely and welcome an impact in its first female starring super-hero movie, as it had for the socially groundbreaking Black Panther movie of last year. But ultimately, this is just another link in the ever-connected saga of all the Marvel superheroes – and serves as the teaser and set-up for the Avengers sequel that followed a few months later. Yes, its nice to see a strong female and with it a message of empowerment, but the screenplay doesn’t really deliver on the potential promise of this.
In any case, now that Disney has bought Fox and the rights to many of the superheroes previously licensed by them – it’ll be interesting to see if X-Men, Deadpool and other parts of the Marvel Universe will now fall into the same epic serial story line as we’ve seen from Iron Man to here. One thing’s clear – no matter how good or bad each individual Marvel movie is — they have a captive audience that pours in for each chapter. This film opened to record box office – and paved the way for the Avenger’s film that followed this summer to become the highest grossing film of all time. It’s a shame though that this movie, on its own, wasn’t more fun or interesting.
33 ** ½ RocketMan – The rock biopic is back – probably spurred on by the phenomenal success of the overrated “Bohemian Rhapsody” – and as it turns out, this Elton John biopic is directed by the same director who took over on Rhapsody when Bryan Singer was fired — Dexter Fletcher.
This film takes the unusual approach of eschewing reality in favor of a musical fantasy in which all the character’s in Elton’s story tell the story of his life through his songs – an approach more akin to a Broadway Musical than a typical film (though it at times is reminiscent of the P.T. Barnum musical – The greatest showman).
Unfortunately, the story is a retread of various boo-hoo stories of musicians and artists. Misunderstood and unloved as a child, they exhibit incredible artistic gifts, triumph over adversity to become a star, and then go through the purgatory of alcohol, drug and sex addiction. A star is born again and again. The twist here (as it was in Bohemian Rhapsody) is the added ‘baggage’ of growing up gay.
To its credit, the source music is those many great Elton John tunes – and when not being sung by other characters, Taron Egerton does a great job singing (rather than lip-synching) the songs – in a style reminiscent and stylistically Elton’s – but never an exact retread of the original recordings. That’s fresh and enjoyable. On the other hand – we’re robbed of seeing the rather interesting realities of John’s performances – and instead get phantasmagoria recreations. The saddest of these is John’s breakthrough show at the Troubadour, where instead of showing us a recreation of that supposedly remarkable performance – we’re given “Crocodile Rock” (not even written at that time), and we see John (and the audience) floating in the air. I’d so much have rather seen the actual impassioned delivery and piano theatrics I’ve heard so much about. (In Bohemian Rhapsody they recreated the famous Live Aid performance – and that was the best part of the film).
The film is entertaining enough — but the story is just too melodramatically presented throughout. Its an oft-told tale, told yet again.
34. ** ½ Joker – One can’t argue that there is some solid film-making going on here, and Joaquin Phoenix gives a balls-to-the-walls performance as a sick, dangerous and sad human being. The production values are high, and its well-directed by Todd Phillips. BUT. What is the point of this movie? How is one supposed to feel when viewing it? It’s deeply dark and depressing, provides no redeeming or uplifting message, and one learns absolutely nothing from this movie (except that mental illness is a sad and bad thing).
Yes, it provides yet the deepest explanation of the origin of one of Batman’s greatest foes… but is it worth wallowing in this otherwise depressing story? There are echoes and allusions to Occupy Wall Street and class warfare mixed in here, but none of that is what really informs the Joker’s motive or actions. He is just embraced as a symbol by the mob.
Its hard for me to see why this movie attracted such a large audience as it’s somewhat excruciating to watch, needlessly long and self-indulgent. Even for a former comic book aficionado such as myself, I can’t see what satisfaction watching this movie offers. I respect the performance and the artistry, but reject the screenplay. Then again, I suppose some people like to see people suffer.
35 ** Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw – In the history of the unholy relationship between artistic imperative and sudio marketing, has there ever been a worse title than ‘Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”? (*Note: In all fairness, this year’s “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” may be every bit as bad a title.
The title of this film is so cravenly market-driven that there can be no doubt that there was no artistic impulse behind this movie. The franchise monster must be served, even if most of the cast of the long-running Fast & the Furious franchise have taken a leave of absence. In marketing terms – this is what is now known as a spin-off. Spin-offs have traditionally not fared well (see “Solo” spun off from the Star Wars movies), and here we have no exception. This latest Furious film bears little resemblance to the previous films (which albeit, mutated over time from a film about street racing, to bigger and bigger stunt spectacles.)
Here, the franchise abandons any sense of reality, and the resulting loud, cgi-filled, stunt filled explosion-fest feels more like 3rd grade spy movies married to SuperHero movies. None of it is grounded in anything resembling reality, and it’s hard to be invested in any of the many shoot outs, chases, and car vs helicopter battles. It’s all quite a shame, as the cast is charismatic and game. Dwayne Johnson brings his usual charm, and Jason Statham has genuine action-film bonafides — and they’ve even added a bad-ass woman fighter to keep things appropriately me- too. But the fights are all shot in rapidly edited jerky-cam, often cutting back and forth between different battles – and one rarely knows exactly what is happening other than the good guys are fighting and the bad guys are shooting – and lots of bodies, bullets, and vehicles fly through the air. The action is all a bit of a been-there-seen-that yawn. It lacks the sense of fun and outrageousness of the best of the F&F movies.
The premise, such as it is, is these two guys hate each other (though of course there’s no particular reason why), and rather than ignore one another, they banter, banter, banter tossing one comic put-down after another. A lot of cheap laughs. An indestructible half man, half robot villain – and more plot holes than you could ever fill. Even when the finale is set in Samoa and the army of bad guys arrive on the island, they are in an array of cars, ’cause, vehicles are part of the F&F formula — never mind how they flew to Samoa and found a flotilla of vehicles that could then be exploded and destroyed.
I generally have enjoyed the F&F movies, but found this one a bit of a bore. It’s hard to get emotionally involved in fights and chases that look like they exist for no other reason but to provide generic action. This franchise appears to have lost its soul. (I actually found myself missing Vin Diesel!)
36 ** Wine County – Amy Poehler wrote and directed this Netflix Film about a group of woman who have been friends for many years and gather to celebrate one of their group’s 50th anniversary, by spending a week together in Napa. Its an all-star case of former Saturday night comedians, but unfortunately the comedy is rather mild. Its nice to see a comedy that is focused on women and their mid-life issues, but its somewhat rambling and neither funny enough nor touching enough. If not for the expectations we bring to seeing these great women comedians working together – I’m not sure the film would have sufficient heft or appeal. But its passably entertaining.
37 ** The Hustle – This vehicle pairing Australian comic actor Rebel Wilson with Anne Hathaway, is essentially a female remake of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” but the chemistry just isn’t there. Anne Hathaway’s character isn’t very appealing or funny, and the humor is slapdash and crude at times. The original DRS (which itself was a remake of something else), wasn’t that great, and this is an even lesser effort. A ‘con’ movie that doesn’t fool or give enjoyment to its audience, just doesn’t fill the bill. Wilson is an original and fun presence, but a little bit of her goes a long long way.
38 *The Dirt – The unlikely Oscar nominations for Bohemian Rhapsody no doubt encouraged others to make rock biopics – but its hard to imagine in 2019 why a misogynist celebration of the worst juvenile behavior of the heavy metal band Motley Crue (umlauts missing from their name) encouraged someone to make this particullar movie. I’ll say up front I was no fan of their music, and this movie did little to change my mind. So what’s being celebrated here? Is this meant to be a nostalgic look at the excess of the time with its drugs, addiction, exploitation of women, and senseless destruction of property? It doesn’t appear as if the musicians learned much other than the joys and hazards of partying – Rock on if you must – but there’s not much to recommend in this joyless bacchanal.
*** ½ Bad Times at the El Royale – This clever, twisty film noir written and directed by the clever Drew Goddard delivers surprise after surprise as it slowly reveals the interconnections between some fresh, original characters brought to life by a terrific ensemble cast including Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm Dakota Johnson, and Chris Hemsworth. Set in a Lake Tahoe Motel (loosely modeled on the famed CalNeva) on the California/Nevada border, its got terrific cinematography and production design. While a bit long at nearly 2 and a half hours, it does a remarkable job of sustaining interest and ratcheting up suspense and curiosity throughout. I won’t divulge any additional plot points as knowing as little about the film as possible is part of the fun since not knowing where the film is headed is definitely part of the fun. Be warned that it is dark and violent, but also has a comic edge to it. Also some great writing, including my favorite line in recent cinema: “Shit Happens. Pass the Whiskey.”
*** ½ Green Book – This film was a surprise from Director Peter Farrely, who was best known for broad comedies. It falls squarely in the genre of buddy films in which two dissimilar people of two different races, overcome their preconceptions and become friends (think Driving Miss Daisy, 48 Hrs, etc). Its theme of overcoming racial prejudice strikes a timely note this year, and the film has won a number of awards including an Academy Award for Best Picture. As it turns out, it IS a surprisingly crowd-pleasing, sweet, warm and funny story, brought to life by two fine performances by Viggo Mortensen (who both embraces and somehow overcomes the cliches associating with playing an Italian American guy with mobster ties), and Mahershala Ali, who brings both dignity and vulnerability to his portrayal of the remarkably talented real-life classical/jazz crossover artist Dr. Don Shirley, who chose to tour with his trio in the racially intolerant Deep South in the winter of 1962.
The screenplay apparently plays fast and loose with the facts involving the real-life Shirley, (his family has disavowed the film), and a few moments of the screenplay feel too calculated to be plausible. Tony Lip is shown early on to be extremely prejudiced and uncomfortable with black people, even going so far as to throw away glasses that were drunk by some black repair people in his home – and yet he nonetheless accepts the job to drive Shirley and exhibits little of that prejudice even early in their trip… It appears that establishing scene was just so their eventual friendship is an even greater lesson learned. But all that said, the movie works very well, and with great humor and emotional heartstrings, we are won over by the relationship that evolves. We are thrilled to see Tony Lip defend and protect Shirley from the rednecks and biases of the South, and equally gratified to see Shirley teach Tony how to better present himself, communicate with his wife, etc. There is no doubt the film desires to present Tony Lip in the most positive way (he is remarkably caring for his ‘boss’), and we are warmed by the development of the friendship that the two men develop over the course of their 8-week trip. This is definitely a feel-good film with a nice sense of humor. But it does work! There’s also some remarkable piano playing, and, I assume that digital trickery is at hand making it appear as if Ali himself is doing all that amazing piano playing. The music itself is just terrific, with a nice sprinkling of Professor Longhair and others in the soundtrack as well.
Despite any misgivings one might have about the realism, or real-world honesty of the film, it is a winning screenplay with winning performances. A sort of romantic comedy if you will, about the ability to overcome prejudice. Very “Hollywood” in its bones. But working well within those well- established rules.
*** ½ Spider Man – Into the Spider-Verse – Those imaginative guys, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller take a daring risk of creating an animated Spider-Man movie to the big screen. I imagine Sony was looking to expand its franchise (even though they’ve allowed Marvel to once again produce Live Spider Man movies). What’s surprising and startling here is what a strong movie this turns out to be. It’s got more heart and action than most of the live Spider Man movies, and the animation is some of the most imaginative seen on the screen in recent years. The conceit of the film is that there are multiple universes, each with their own Spider Man, and due to evil- doings of the evil Kingpin – the multiple spider-verses begin crashing together, giving us not one, but, I think, five different Spider Men, as well as a Spider Woman, and a Spider Pig! There is irreverent humor throughout – but overall the film is serious in tone, centering on a young black man, Miles Morales, who becomes the latest to be bitten by a radioactive spider and given great power (that, as we know, comes with great responsibility).
Each of the Spider Men, women, and pig are rendered in a different animation style, so that the film is a fascinating hodgepodge of animation technique and drawing style. The overall film cleverly incorporates a lot of the graphic conventions of comic books, and is ‘meta’ enough to reference the fact that comics exist. All the cosmic, multi-universe stuff affords the opportunity to show off some of the most psychedelic animation seen in film since, well, Yellow Submarine. Its exciting and stimulating to watch, though eventually a little tiring due to the sheer energy of a lot of the animation. And at 2 hours it may be too much of a good thing. The storyline, though interesting, isn’t quite engaging enough to justify its two hour length. But it’s fun for comic geeks who will recognize its inventiveness in paying homage to the Spider Man comics, while innovating and stretching our expectations. (Doctor Octopus in this film is a female Doc Ock! A great nod to our times for not just female heroes, but female villains as well!). It shines far more brightly than the more recent Spider Man live action reboots. A remarkable surprise!
*** Stan and Ollie – A surprisingly poignant look at the friendship that develops out of a long performing partnership. Avoiding the usual bio-pic trappings, this story focuses on the final years of the remarkable career of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy – whose brand of copy was unique to them and completely missing in today’s comedies. The slow, almost silent ‘routines’, dances and songs that made up their act have a gentleness that has been lost to the ages.
John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan do a remarkable job recreating the style, delivery and performance tics of the famed comic duo. But beyond this, they get under the public personas, and into the hearts of these two great performers, who in real life were quite different from the roles they played in films. Stan was a workaholic and the ‘brains’ of the pair, and “Babe” Hardy, was the more sentimental, loving, and innocent. Stellar prosthetic makeup and body suits do a remarkable job of making them look the part — but the performances show great care to recreate the unique style of the duo.
At first we’re focused solely on the imitation at work here — but as the movie moves along, we are touched by the realities of what a long career and partnership are like, especially at the end of a career and a world that has moved on past their gentle comedy. My only fault with the film was the directorial decision to sometimes make their ‘real life’ scenes look quite deliberately like they are on a film set. Reality seems to come and go. But perhaps the director is trying to say they were always, really on a stage. In any case, the directorial distractions (including a sort of showboating steady-cam shot at the beginning of the film), don’t detract from the affection we wind up feeling for these two souls. A welcome departure from the usual bio-pic treatment by focusing on who they were, rather than a moment by moment history of their career.
*** Can you Ever Forgive Me? – It’s no small feat to take two unlikeable characters and yet make a compelling movie about their lives. Credit Melissa McCarthy and Richard Grant (as well as director Marielle Heller) with finding the right tone to keep us engaged and rooting for these two misfits who find one another and work a forgery scam on an unsuspecting world of celebrity autograph collectors. Maybe it’s because we don’t have much sympathy either for the buyers of such artifacts, and feel no one was really harmed with this forgery. Maybe its just because we like people who are able to beat the system and like movies about conmen (and women) in general. To her credit, McCarthy doesn’t play this cute, and fully embraces the rudeness and unpleasantness of the misanthropic author Lee Israel – who finds her historic celebrity biographies fall out of fashion, and desperate for cash, begins authoring letters by the likes of Dorothy Parker, Noel Coward and other literary wits. The screen adaption (of Lee’s book about her life as a forger), does a good job of pacing the material – and creating a credible set of circumstances for the escalation of this scam. We feel sorry for these societal misfits, and root for them to not be caught, while the film maintains the suspense of their plot unraveling and how it affects their oddball relationship. Most interesting is the shy, will they or won’t we relationship that forms and yet doesn’t between Israel and Anna, a bookshop owner.
*** At Eternity’s Gate — This intimate portrait of the final years of Vincent Van Gogh’s life shares a number of the pleasures of the recent animated film “Finding Vincent”. Once again, we get to see the world we’ve seen in Van Gogh’s paintings, and meet the people and places we know from those indelible images. This however is a far more compelling film than that beautifully animated film — as it strives to get to the heart of the artist. Willem Dafoe gives a deserving, Oscar-nominated performance as the tortured artist, and brings credibility to his madness, passion, and desperation as an artist who lived to paint. Unrecognized, and even ridiculed by his peers, he finds friendship only in his relationship with another revolutionary artist, Paul Gauguin, also interestingly brought to life by Oscar Isaac.
What distinguishes the film most however, is that its directed by Julian Schnabel, an artist himself, who brings his own artistic sensibility to recreating the world around Vincent, including a strange visual effect used at times to mirror his madness. (He envisions the world seen through bifocals, where the focus point is different in the top half and bottom half of his vision — a rather disturbing effect that makes one feel if perhaps the film has a defect. Thankfully, this is used somewhat sparingly). But almost every frame of the movie is lit amazingly, and much of the film is quiet and introspective – showing Vincent soaking up the world around him and transferring it to canvas. There are in fact, a number of segments where we simply watch him paint! A treat for an aspiring painter like myself – and I believe that both Schnabel and Dafoe did some or all of the actual painting seen in the film.
This is certainly not a film for all tastes – as it is often slow-moving and introspective. But for those interested in art, there is remarkable segments of discussing art in philosophical terms — including a wonderful scene in which Vincent, now held in an asylum, has an extended conversation with a priest who questions him on why he considers himself an artist, and why he chooses to paint. Personally, I found the film captivating and arresting as well as touching. Others, particularly those unfamiliar with Van Gogh and his contemporaries, may find it far less compelling.
*** Free Solo – This Academy Award winning documentary works on multiple levels. First, it is, as expected, a stunning filmed observation of Alex Honnolds successful ‘free solo’ climb up the unclimbable face of El Capitan in Yosemite. The photography is breathtaking and vertigo inducing, shot by fellow climbers (on ropes, unlike Honnolds) as well as drones. Secondly, its a fascinating look at the personality of this young man, in a ‘profession’ that regularly kills its participants who die falling from great heights, since they climb without ropes, nets, or pitons – just through sheer will, skill, and bare hands. During the period of time covered in the film, he has acquired a second love, a girlfriend, which must compete with his first love – climbing. Their relationship is tested by his resolve to conquer this climb. Both of them are fascinating individuals, and their relationship is a critical part of the film. And finally, there are the filmmakers themselves – who are also at great risk (even with ropes this is a difficult and dangerous height to work from, and in addition to climbing, they are working with cameras. They are also at risk in the film, because they are familiar friends with Alex, their subject, and well aware they may be complicit in his death. All in all, it’s a nail-biter and fascinating to watch the complexity of his attempt.
*** If Beale Street Could Talk – This ‘prestige’ film from last year is beautifully photographed and features wonderful costuming and lighting. It makes 1970s Harlem look beautiful and romantic. There’s no trash, no graffiti, and the world has a romantic glow to it. Perhaps this is suitable for what turns out to be an extremely sentimental, almost melodramatic story which is wedded with a powerful protest message about bigotry and the price is exacts on families. That said, the bigoted cop is broadly drawn (even if its a valid stereotype), and its more than strange that neither Fonny nor Tish seems to have pointed out during the court case and to the lawyer, that they’d had an encounter with the very cop who arrested and testified against Fonny. The audience is aware that this cop had a grudge to play out – but there were even witnesses to the initial incident which should have been included in the court case that convicted him. Its as if only the audience was aware of the cop’s motive in the false arrest.
The most interesting scene in the movie was between Tish and her family, and her ‘christian’ in laws, who were so cold and hostile upon hearing the news of Tish’s pregnancy. It was a powerful scene – and yet those characters were then abandoned and never seen again.
While I can’t deny the power of the story told here – it was just too sentimental and beautiful for me to fully believe the characters and the situation. A more realistic portrayal would have engaged me more. This placed more like an urban, gothic romance that a real slice of life. Beautifully photographed though, to be sure!
*** The Old Man & The Gun – this is another movie supposedly based on a true story, which feels like the truth may have been stretched quite far to make a piece of entertainment about a charming, rogue robber. (It reminds one just a bit of the equally hard to believe “Catch Me If You Can”, in which a scam artist is pursued by the FBI and eludes them repeatedly.). Here, Robert Redford is the charming, warm and generous rascal, Forrest Tucker who has had a career of bank robberies, and many, many prison escapes. It’s a likable enough film, and Robert Redford works his magic here making Forrest a rascal to root for, but there’s a lot here that makes no sense and stretches credulity. How is it that this man, who has been arrested for armed robbery so many times, and broke out of prison so many times – is allowed to be released shortly after the arrest that ultimately takes place in this film. Is it just that he’s too likable for anyone to really want him to stay in prison? Casey Affleck plays the cop who is bent on catching him — and strangely, when he finally finds his man in a restaurant bathroom – and recognizes him, he basically just lets him go free. Was he after him or not?
Still, we get Redford doing what he does best, and still looking quite handsome and charming at age 82 — and an unlikely but sweet romance between him and Cissy Spacek is reminiscent of courtly romances of old. Plus we get an aging Danny Glover and gravel-voiced Tom Waits as his accomplices. So, suspend your disbelief, and just go along for the sentimental ride.
** ½ – Heriditary – After seeing this year’s 2nd film by new psychological horror maestro Ari Aster, Midsommar, I decided to visit this acclaimed first film. It drew a lot of critical raves for its fresh departure from the current torture horror and things that jump out and scare you horror. What Aster is doing, here, and in Midsommar, is more films of dread than horror.
Here too, we have a slow-building, where is it going, psychological genre film. This one, though filled with some genuinely scary images, suffers a bit from a lack of narrative cohesion. It isn’t until the end of the film that you finally figure out what may or may not have been going on throughout the events in the film.
This is definitely a more art-house horror film — too slow moving for a Friday night date night horror fix. At just over 2 hours it moves fairly slowly along. Luckily it holds together with a spectacularly committed performance by Toni Colette, and all the rest of the cast is interesting as well. Altogether – I found it a bit too obtuse for my taste – and the subject of ‘grief’ has never been one I get very engaged with. Still, if you’ve the patience to let the dread build out – there are some genuinely creepy moments that make the film worthwhile.
** ½ You Were Never Really Here – This is the first film I’ve seen by acclaimed director / writer Lynne Ramsey and its clear that she has a rather specific agenda as a filmmaker. This film is rich in atmosphere, character and emotion, and surprisingly sparse in exposition, plot, etc. If one isn’t familiar with the novella its based on – I’m not sure you would even understand the rather complicated web of interconnected characters and conspiracies. In short, a disturbed, suicidal veteran has taken on rescuing young girls from sex-traffickers as a vocation. He handles the abductors with unfeeling violence, using a hammer and duct tape as his primary weapons. All the while, he has thoughts of suicide and flashbacks to the many horrors he has experienced and/or witnessed. It’s an intense, but not terribly likable film. You either admire the brooding, committed performance of Joaquin Phoenix (who seems to specialize in these sort of roles), or you just don’t quite know what’s going on. The point is, his character (known only as Joe), is barely a real human. He is so outside society that he isn’t really there at all. For the most part we watch him suffer and brood (he’s even more messed up than Ethan Hawke in “First Reformed”, the year’s other seriously ill male figure). Its haunting – but also bewildering. I find it quite riveting, in a self- indulgent sort of way. But it took me reading external criticism of the film to even begin to fathom out what sort of the backstory and images in the film were. This is definitely art-house fare.
** ½ Widows – This arthouse thriller by academy award winning director Steve McQueen features a strong cast, and aspires to be an adult caper film with a social conscious. For me though, the plot was convoluted, and I didn’t remotely buy Viola Davis’ character as a rich wife of a well-known criminal, who suddenly, of necessity when the drug cartel comes calling, decides to take up crime herself and recruit the other ‘widows’ of gangsters who were all killed in a botched heist.
There’s welcome woman empowerment at play here – and the cast is quite strong, but these woman swing into becoming criminals far too easily and confidently. There’s also a deep string of conspiracies and corruption explored with ties between Chicago Politics and its criminal element that felt melodramatic and over-complicated. I wanted to become engaged in this but never quite did.
**1/2 Mandy – This strange mashup of a Grindhouse / Art House film actually appeared on several Top ten films of 2018 last year – despite being a Nicholas Cage starring revenge pic. I was curious as to why – and was astonished and bewildered to see one of the strangest movies I’ve seen in years. Reminiscent of David Lynch, Fellini, and Robert Rodriguez / Quentin Tarrantino – this is Nicholas Cage at his most extreme. By the time you find Cage, howling like a banshee, covered in blood, sitting on a toilet, chugging vodka in his tights whities – you know you’re in something totally unique. And mind you – it takes a long time to get here. The movie moves slowly like a psychedelic hallucination. Everything about the film is surreal – the exteriors are often lit in Bright reds and blues, the characters movements are sometimes blurred leaving traces behind (to reflect a drugged state), and the music, cinematography and often bizarre and even grotesque performances all add to the overall strangeness of the film.
Yes, ultimately it does feature a chain saw duel – and Cage winds up smelting together a medieval sort of sword / axe and much much blood is spilled, along with being nailed to the floor, burning people alive and more. But its definitely not your typical revenge drama — as it reeks of strangeness. I can’t say I enjoyed the film or would recommend it, but its slow-burn weirdness (including the strange casting and character of its title character), makes this cult-movie heaven. Smoke a bit of something and see it in the wee hours of the morning but the full nightmare effect.
** 1/2 Juliet, Naked – Ethan Hawke seemed to be everywhere in 2018 movies, and here he is again. Unfortunately, this adaption of a Nick Hornsby novel is a bit scattered. As in most Nick Hornby novels, the plot centers, in part, around the world of music. And in this case the heroine, Annie (not the Juliet of the title), is ending one relationship with an obsessed music nerd (Chris O’Dowd), and accidentally winds up in a friendship & budding relationship with the object of his obsessions, cult musician Tucker Crowe (Hawke), who hasn’t performed in years. The overarching theme is probably ‘starting over’ or ‘second chances’ and the characters are interesting enough. But you don’t really have a rooting interest in any of these people, and those expected a traditional rom-com will come up short. Breezy and enjoyable, but with no lasting impact. It lacks the fun of earlier Nick Hornby adaptions like “High Fidelity”.
** First Reformed – This movie from famed writer Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver), received a lot of critical ink and wound up on a lot of 2018 Best Film Lists. I think however, it’s an example of a film best enjoyed by film students, who pick up on all the many references to other famous European Art Films. Viewed on its own, its quite turgid, slow and bewildering.
Ethan Hawke plays a troubled priest struggling with a loss of faith, his relationship to his church that has lost relevance in an era of megachurches, and whether faith can resolve the growing crisis of global warming and the poisoning of the planet. The film has a somber, austere style, with long dialog scenes, even longer non-dialog scenes, and a general sense of dread. The plot begins somewhat straightforwardly, but becomes increasingly odd and eventually abandons any semblance of naturalism and flies into the fantastical in its final scenes. Its another film that ends abruptly and unexpectedly and leaves one scratching their head.
Normally I have no problem with this sort of film-making, but the subject matter of ‘loss of faith’ and the self-loathing and self-flagellation of a member of the clergy who has lost his way feels a tired subject to me. Ethan Hawke gives a wonderful performance, but it’s not enough to keep the film engaging for me. This is definitely a love it or hate it film – and despite critics who understand Schrader’s game plan and influences here, I just found myself impatiently bored.
** Mary Poppins Returns – Could use a spoonful of medicine to help this sugar go down. Unnecessary remake / extension of the beloved Mary Poppins character — with Lin Miranda grinning maniacally throughout the movie. Everyone seems delighted at everything. Forgettable music doesn’t make you forget the classic tunes of the original. Nothing much here to appeal to anyone over the age of 5. The only real sparks of life here are a cameo by Dick Van Dyke (still spry and devilish at 90!) and one by Angela Lansbury (who still sounds great!), both occurring far too late in the film. Even Mary Poppins doesn’t seem to hang around long … she’s there for just a few days and then goes home. Smart Woman.
* Aquaman – The continuing miserable streak of DC Comic movies shows no signs of abating. This Aquaman, featuring the newly reimagined Aquaman introduced in the Justice League movie, is a high-gloss, tacky as hell, adventure. Despite the fact that Jason Momoa has sufficient charisma and makes Aquaman somewhat agreeable to spend time with, the script here is Grade D. Some of the worst dialog seen in film in a long time. (To quote from a review I saw: “Black Manta yells ‘Call me Black Manta!”, Ocean Master yells “Call me Ocean Master!”, Aquaman yells “I am Aquaman!” Now that’s writing!!!
It’s shiveringly horrible to see a great actor like Willem Dafoe swimming upstream in a terrible miscasting – and choking on the horrible lines he has to speak. Nothing in his performance suggests he has any interest in the role. He’s literally a cypher. 1-dimensional characters like this have rarely graced a contemporary film, and it feels like the cheesy stuff of the 50s in tone. And though the digital effects folks have a field day with the psychedelic undersea design elements – the characters couldn’t look more green-screened if they tried. I couldn’t help but laugh thinking of how much energy went into making the hair of all the characters float around so it looked like they were actually underwater. The effects are good, but when everything else is so phony feeling, what difference does it make?
Despite having an experienced action director in James Wan – all of the immense action sequences have the look and feel of a video-game. It almost looks as if that’s intentionally the style they were going for. Everything looks like a console game.
This film was a considerable pill to sit all the way through, and one of the most embarrassing superhero efforts in recent memory.
2017 *** Brawl in Cell Block 99 – From its title, I sort of expected a pulp, genre driven picture – but what this is is a rather serious-minded melodrama, albeit one with very graphic violence. Vince Vaughn is almost unrecognizable here as a former boxer, laid-off auto repair shop worker, who resorts to selling drugs to support his wife and make it possible for them to raise a family. He’s a deeply moral man with a strict code of conduct, and winds up going to prison rather than give up anyone associated with his drug dealings.
Once in prison, his former drug connections threaten to torture his wife and their unborn baby, unless he does their bidding and gets himself transferred to Maximum Security prison and kills a prisoner there. Placing his family above all else – he does what he feels he has to do and descends into the sickening hell of a prison run by a sadistic and corrupt warden, played by an equally unrecognizable Don Johnston.
Unlike many prison movies that play out as b-movie romps — this is much darker stuff indeed. It actually makes quite compelling drama and Vaughn’s stoic performance adds gravity to the proceedings. Written and Directed by S. Craig Zahler – who is becoming a bit of a critic’s darling with his dark, serious, violent independent films. Certainly a director to watch!
2016 ** HardCare Henry – The concept here is more interesting than the movie itself. Essentially, what the filmmakers have done is done a feature-length film as told from the perspective of a first-person shooter game. Henry, who turns out to be a cyborg (half human, half machine), has no memory but is being pursued and attacked by bad guys. We see all of the movie from his point of view – seeing only his arms (which usually have weapons in them), and occasionally his feet (when he looks down). The Rating is R… and the reasons for the R rating pretty much say everything you need to know: “ non-stop bloody brutal violence and mayhem, language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug use”
This was recommended to me by someone who really likes action movies – but I have to say it was long and tiresome to watch, not to mention a bit dizzying. It looks like it was shot with a GoPro camera and looks more like video game frames than film. Novel idea, but the overall execution, story, and action are nothing new. For first-person shooter fans only (who want to watch someone else playing rather than actual playing).
1994 – *** Nobody’s Fool – I watched this one because I had just read the novel on which it was based. The novel seemed unadaptable to film, as it was purely an exercise in character and small town life, with very little plot. The movie, adapted and directed by Robert Benton – thinned the novel to its essence, shaved off several plot lines and many characters, and populated it with an exceptional cast led by Paul Newman, as well as Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Jessica Tandy, and a young Philip Seymour Hoffman. In fact, they all look so incredibly young viewed today in 2019.
The movie turns the novel into a romantic comedy, and makes the characters charming and likable, (Paul Newman is far too charismatic for the novel’s central character, Sully), and yet the movie works well in its own terms – even though the point of it is as evasive as it is in the novel. Still, its a great set of characters to be around for just under two hours (as opposed to almost 600 pages in the novel). Both have their merits and its interesting to see how cleverly Benton pairs down the shaggy book into something that works as a movie.
1985 – *** Police Story – This was young Jackie Chan’s breakthrough film that made him an international star. It’s hard to appreciate what a financial risk this was, with Chan writing, directing and starring in an action film that predates visual effects. All the mayhem and stunts you see in this film were actually performed live! Of particular interest are the added features where Chan talks about the number of injuries, near-death, and the degree of outright fear he had before undertaking these remarkable stunts. It puts it all in context.
Viewed with 2019 eyes, the film is pretty flat. Dialog and characters are pretty mundane, and Chan hasn’t figured out yet if he wants to make a dramatic film or one that capitalizes on his goofy, comic side. Be aware that the attitudes towards women in this film feel absolutely archaic, when viewed with contemporary eyes.
Still, there are a number of clever fight scenes, some spectacular stunts (if you remind yourself that these really happened and were not just visual effects. In that context, watching people crash through windows, jump across escalators and make spectacular leaps and jumps is pretty breathtaking, even if the overall movie feels rather dated.
1927 *** My Best Girl. I had the rare opportunity to see Mary Pickford’s last silent film at a special screening which featured live organ accompaniment by Mark Herman, playing the historic Mission Inn’s Kimball Pipe Organ. This film, considered by some as the progenitor of the romantic comedy, is delightful to watch despite (or perhaps because of) it being a silent film. Interestingly, in the screening we saw (probably broadcast from a DVD) it was in Sepia Tones (for all the internal scenes), and Black and White for the exterior scenes. Pickford starred in the film with Charles “Buddy” Rogers, who she would later marry after divorcing Douglas Fairbanks. Pickford also produced the film, under the banner of Pickford – Fairbanks studios and distributed by United Artists (which she co-founded with Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith – the film distributor that empowered the original ‘independent’ film producers. (Additional Trivia Note: Pickford, ‘America’s Sweetheart” was one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences).
The film is known for capturing the miracle of two people falling in love with each others at the same time their characters were. It’s a nice blend of romance and slapstick, and its formula has been adopted by many of the romcoms we still see today – where two people truly in love surmount the many obstacles and misunderstandings that come between them. In the end love conquers all!
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