I skipped a month of reporting, so I have an unusually long list of films to to write about. Here are the new things for this year.
SUMMER OF SOUL---This easily jumps to the top of my list, and will possibly top my year's end list as well. Tapes of a recorded summer long concert covering 6 weekends in 1969, same year that WOODSTOCK concert got all the attention, have finally been assembled along with interviews with singers and musicians and promoters and politicians and the general public fill out this exhuberant and joyous celebration of black soul, pop, gospel, jazz and everything in between, music. The long list of performers include Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Hugh Masekela, the Staple Singers , the Fifth Dimension and many others. Here's the first WOW of the year. GRADE----------A
IN THE HEIGHTS--Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote and is featured in this bright new musical based on his Broadway play which won the top musical Tony award several years ago, and came just before his big hit HAMILTON made him a house hold word. It is filled with lively song and dance routines as it tells the story of a hot summer week in New York City, with major characters wanting to make their dreams a reality, but reality has other plans. I enjoyed the film greatly, but I have two small complaints, though. The singers sing so fast (and some dialogue and lyrics are in Spanish language) and talk quickly too, that I wanted there to be some English subtitles. I got the jest anyway but probably missed some choice lines. My second complaint: the many songs come fast and furious, and in spite of some wonderful direction and clever choreography, there really isn't one great ballad or showstopper in the bunch. The opener song IN THE HEIGHTS is probably the best, but does anyone walk out with the tune or words on the tip of your tongue? The amusingly choreographed song 96,000 is a joy to watch as it pays tribute to director Busby Berkley with scenes of dancing in a giant community swimming pool, but where are songs like (all from HAMILTON) My Shot, You'll Be Back, The Room Where It Happens, Satisfied , the opener Alexander Hamilton, just to name a few of more than a dozen memorable songs? GRADE-------B+
CRUELLA--A new Disney film about the early life of Cruella deVille--she with the half black, half white hair. There is a lot of exposition leading up to the wild scenes of one-ups-man-ship between her (Emma Stone) and her evil mentor (played with delicious precision by the witty Emma Thompson.) The set designs and costumes are spectacularly effective and there is a high level of professionalism, creativity, special effects and humor on display. Very engaging, especially for adults and more mature teens. GRADE------B+
OUR LADIES---This small British film set in the late 1990's concerns a group of teenage girls who travel to the big city from their small village to compete in a competitive musical program, and of course they spend their free time looking to pick up and "shag" teen age boys and doing lots of drinking. The dialogue is loaded with spicy sexual language--it made me wonder if girls were really so forward since they all came from a private religious school run by nuns. But the girls were portrayed with a realistic seriousness and some lines and situations were really funny--sometimes there was so much laughter in the small theatre that I missed the follow up lines. This film was released in London in late 2019 but delayed because of the covid restrictions until this last month in the USA. GRADE-------------B+
RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT!--This Netflix documentary about the remarkable singer, actress and dancer is just about perfect. It has clips from her many films, and great talking heads talking about her life, and Rita also makes many choice observations. It covers all her memorable films (and not so memorable) and delivers some surprising life choices, all in cohesive, timely order. This is a must see for historical film fans, and Rita fans alike. GRADE---------B+
TINA----Here is another fine HBO film documentary about musical pop star Tina Turner, covering her childhood, early days as part of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, her abuse at the hands of Ike and her struggle to start over once she broke from him. In my opinion, they save her greatest song for the end--SIMPLY THE BEST. GRADE-----------------B+
SPARKS BROTHERS---Another fine musical documentary, I knew nothing about this "group" of two brothers who have been together for nearly 50 years and although they were born in Los Angeles, they spent many years making music in England, commuting back and forth, and have been influential with musical insiders. They sound at times like Duran Duran, or Queen, or Super Tramp, or other boy bands (Herman's Hermits and the early Beatles come to mind) but they are very talented) but it is a unique sound and the documentary was always interesting and makes me want to listen to more. GRADE--------B+
PETER RABBIT 2: RUNAWAY---Animation mixed with live action, this follow up to PETER RABBIT from a few years back is charming and I though pretty funny, especially with Peter voiced by British actor James Corden, and I was pretty hoppy watching it. GRADE----------B+
BLACK WIDOW--Another Marvel Comics film with a lot heart, centered around the "fake" family that is torn apart when the two sisters are still young. That's the first 20 minutes, and we get to see what the Scarlett Johansson (Natassha) character had to put up with being trained as an killer before she escapes to become an Avenger . I was impressed with the whole fake family unit which includes Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour, who gets all the funny lines. The action sequences are pretty good--they reminded me of quality James Bond 007 films. GRADE-------B
FOUR GOOD DAYS --Mila Kunis nearly steals the film from the great Glenn Close. They play daughter and mother, trying to keep Kunis clean so she can get a drug that keeps her from relapsing. Drug addiction may be a familiar theme, but watching these two women interact kept me engaged. GRADE------------------B
THE QUIET PLACE II--Here's an effective follow up to the first film, with a lot of tension generated by quiet scenes. My big questions is: why does the mother and her kids walk around with no shoes or socks, when the aliens have smashed up many buildings, windows, cars, etc. Other characters seem to wear their shoes sensibly. GRADE------------B
FINDING YOU--Talented violinist can't get a professional position, so she goes off to Ireland to find herself, learns to play better in pubs, and finds a cute actor boyfriend, who may or may not still be attached to his actress girlfriend. The scenery is great, the music is toe tapping, and the film is rescued by the moving role of an elderly mysterious woman in senior care who the violinist reads to, played with great dignity by Vanessa Redgrave. A simple pleasure. GRADE-----B
HERE TODAY---It's an awkward lame title, but I found the jokes about an older writer (Billy Chrystal) who is suffering from dementia and needs the care of a jobless, big hearted woman (Tiffany Haddish) to be pretty funny, even when the film wallows occasionally in schmaltz. If you go in with low expectations, the film can be a delightful surprise. GRADE-----------B
THE ICE ROAD--This Netflix film has Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder and Laurence Fishburne as big rig drivers driving across northern Canada frozen waters with melting ice blocking their way, as well as another threat. As action thrillers go, this one is not bad, and Neeson, well, he's the man. GRADE----------------B-
THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES--Animated madness. On a family road trip to deliver their daughter to college, electrical devises have gone berserk, declaring to take over the universe against mankind. Not bad, and amusing if you are interested and in the right mood. GRADE--------B-
12 MIGHTY ORPHANS--Based on a true story, an orphanage in 1939 hires a football coach who builds up a team, lifting morale. Luke Wilson, Robert Duval, Treat Williams, Wayne Knight and a likeable drunk doctor played by Martin Sheen star in this old fashioned sports drama. GRADE---------B-
THE TOMORROW WARS--Chris Pratt is a likeable actor and manages to keep us interested, even if the plot holes are enormous at times (especially the time travel mumbo jumbo) and the coincidences keep mounting. But the monsters are diverting and plot just keeps zooming along. GRADE--------B-
THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD--We are supposed to believe that skinny Angelina Jolie is a tough firefighter who can out run a fire (and the bad guys) with a shovel and heavy gear (I didn't believe it). Towards the end a young boy is eating rationed food and asks her if she eats it. Sure. That's why you're so skinny. I'm lean, she responds. Modestly entertaining. GRADE----------B-
THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT--Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga take any real horror out of these conjuring films--they are too sensible and smart. I felt like I've seen many excorcist films, and this one had nothing new to offer. Some scares were great but others were ho hum. (The best scenes are given away in the trailer, which I saw 6-8 times.) Wish it were better. GRADE-----B-
F9:THE FAST SAGA--In spite of some entertaining sequences of car and truck chases, the film is rather dumb and boring. It goes waaaay over the top. Sending a hot car into space strapped to a rocket--really? It's one of my least favorite in the FAST AND FURIOUS series, and John Cena seems to growl and frown excessively. The actors seemed happier to see each other scene for scene, than I was to see them. GRADE---------C+
@ZOLA--The film feels like a Twitter written script--oh yeah, it was a Twitter story. It is also sleazy and has a disjointed feel, and it's seeped in violence, prostitution, bullying, and criminality. I felt like I needed a shower after watching this train wreck of a story, but I did like the work of Taylour Paige who I recently saw in BOOGIE and MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, and also the menacing pimp Colman Domingo, also in MA RAINEY'S. GRADE---------------C+
WRATH OF MAN--Jason Statham plays a cold, mysterious security man until it becomes clear that this Guy Ritchie film is basically a cold violent revenge/ avenge thriller that we've seen before in various forms. GRADE--------------C+
THE HIGH NOTE--Basically the assistant of a popular singer wants to make it big as a record producer, but insecure singer keeps her in check. However, I was surprised by the ending! GRADE------C+
TOGETHER TOGETHER--Patti Harrison plays the surrogate mother for single 40-something Ed Helms who wants a baby. These two standup comedians each have their moments, but the film is very subdued and low key and seems to amount to not much. GRADE--------C+
THINGS HEARD AND SEEN--Although advertised as a horror film, this film doesn't go there so much as a mental anguish drama caused by a young wife's loneliness and suspicion of her husband's infidelity when they move from the city to a small village. Amanda Seyfried is fine and James Horton is a cad, and oddly he does have two nude (from behind) scenes of no importance! GRADE--------C+
GOOD ON PAPER---The main character is a standup comedian, but the little stories she tells the live audience at the start of several scenes have no humor and no impact. She meets a man who looks good on paper but may have a problem with telling the truth. I found this to be quite dull despite a promising set up. GRADE---------C
HITMAN'S WIFE'S BODYGUARD--This violent chaotic comedy nearly drove me from the theatre in the first 20 minutes, and in retrospect, I wish I'd left. The over the top plot makes no sense, sometimes a one liner or double take made me laugh, but the film looks so frenetic and the camera work is so wiggly that I couldn't tell what was happening in most scenes. Ugh. GRADE-----------D+
VINTAGE OLDIES SEEN ON TV or DVD-------------------
NOTTING HILL 1999--Believe it or not, I've never seen this film except in brief clips, and of course that famous line "I'm just a boy standing in front of a girl asking her to love me." or is it a girl in front of a boy---nonetheless, I found this to be an enchanging and fanciful romantic comedy that was just about perfectly acted and scripted, with many many memorable scenes. GRADE----A
BEE GEES:HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART--2020--Here's a near perfect documentary that was insightful, informative and entertaining that covers the brother's childhood, early successes breakups and stardom. I come away with a greater understanding and appreciation of their musical legacy. GRADE---------A-
DON'T WORRY, HE WON'T GET FAR ON FOOT 2018--I believe this was the closing night feature of the Seattle International Film Festival which I missed, the film is based on the book by John Callahan who lost the use of his legs during a tragic drunken auto accident and became known for his caustic witty cartoon drawings. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Callahan, Jonah Hill plays this AA sponsor and Gus Van Sant is the director. The comedy drama deals with the anger and resentment Callahan had to deal with but the film suggests he managed to overcome many issues. Jack Black plays his friend whose drunkenness caused the accident, and Rooney Mara plays his care giver and girlfriend. GRADE-----------B+
CAST A DARK SHADOW 1955--Dirk Bogarde marries then murders his older wives but meets his match when he tries to engage with a stranger new to town. This black and white blu ray copy of British film noir looked terrific. GRADE-----------B+
THE HONEY POT 1967--A smooth and sophisticated comedy-mystery written and directed by Joseph L. Mankeiewicz (LETTER TO THREE WIVES, ALL ABOUT EVE, CLEOPATRA, SLEUTH, ETC) is inspired by the play Volpone by Ben Johnson. Wealthy Rex Harrison takes on an assistant (Cliff Robertson) to play a trick on the three women who meant the most to him in his life (Susan Hayward, Capucine and Edie Adams) calling them all to his side and fake dying, to see which woman wants his estate money the most. They all have a reason for wanting it. But a murder changes the game, and the comic tone becomes more sinister. Maggie Smith is a nurse maid to one of the women and becomes intertwined with the proceedings and nearly steals the movie from the other women. There are a number of twists and turns, and Harrison plays his role to the hilt. GRADE---------------B+
WANTED FOR MURDER 1946--British film noir about a disturbed rich man who takes to strangling single women, yet leaving clues for the police as if wanting to get caught. On the same dvd as CAST A DARK SHADOW above--it's not as strong a film but it looks great on Blu ray. GRADE---------B
THE CHEAP DETECTIVE 1978--This Neil Simon comedy is pretty funny if you are in the right mood. Peter Falk plays the lead, and he has a number of ex-girlfriends including Louise Fletcher, Madeline Kahn, Ann-Margaret and Eileen Brennan, and also featured are James Coco and Stockard Channing. The film is a parody of MALTESE FALCON and CASABLANCA and film noir in general and I quickly found much to laugh about. You'll love it or hate it. GRADE---------B
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES 1996--Barbra Streisand directed and stars in this comedy/romance/drama, which I enjoyed better this time than when I first saw it in 1996. She portrays an "ugly" duckling college professor who falls for fellow professor Jeff Bridges, who has a problem with beautiful woman who distract him too much. They make a deal to stay platonic unless he's given lots of notice if she wants sex (!) Yes, an odd premise but the first half plays well like a romantic comedy, and then gets weird when they marry and after a few weeks she wants sex, and he has a break down. Her vain, sarcastic mother always has a rude comment to make about the situation, and Lauren Bacall has a lot of fun with the part. Pierce Brosnan is her brother in law with whom she has had a long attraction, and her glamorous sister is Mimi Rogers. The film is not perfect but it is more interesting than most romantic comedy/dramas. The main problem is that Streisand is not ugly even when she is trying to be dowdy, and when she does do a major physical make over you can sympathize with Bridges' shock (my wife and I both said she looked better before the make over.) GRADE-------B
LOST IN YONKES 1993--Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway play for 1991, this Neil Simon comedy drama has two great child actors, and Mercedes Ruehl, Richard Dreyfuss and Irene Worth. The strict Grandma's two male grandchildren must move in with her while their father tries to make some money during the depression as a traveling salesman. Ruehl plays her slightly handicapped daughter who is dating another "special" man (David Strathairn.) Dreyfus plays a small time crook of an uncle who takes the boys under his wing. It's a solid story with some great character actors. GRADE--------B
HALSTON 2019--Ewan McGregor is a pretty good Halson and Krysta Rodiguez makes an outstanding Liza Minelli in this bio pic of the famous designer. There is a lot of homosexual activity and drug use that may annoy some viewers. GRADE------------B
THE 12TH MAN--2017--This Norwegian film is based on a true story of a dozen men sent out as spies during WWII and working against the Germans, but things go very wrong early on in their mission, and 11 men are captured and quickly shot as spies. The last 12th man spends several months avoiding Nazi soldiers and tries to make his way to London. It's a remarkable effort (when trying to escape he loses both his shoes, and its the middle of winter in Germany) and many people don't trust him. GRADE--------B
HOT MILLIONS --1968--This low key, slow burn comedy has Peter Ustinov trying to extort money from the British company he works with. He meets and marries his new secretary (Maggie Smith) and the two have a charming relationship that develops in an unusual manner, and the ending is a heartwarming surprise. Karl Malden and Bob Newhart also star. GRADE-------B
5 FLIGHTS UP --2014--A warm and thoughtful story of a retired couple who decide to move to an apartment on the main floor, or at least one with an elevator. It helps that Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman play the couple, and the humor is gentle but pointed as they have to deal with fussy and rude New Yorkers and pushy and odd estate agents. GRADE--------B
PEOPLE WILL TALK--1951--Cary Grant is a doctor who meets, then marries Jeanne Crain who has recently discovered she's pregnant. The themes include premarital sex, suicide, societal gossip and trust. It's a serious comedy, and the leads are excellent. GRADES-------B-
SHACK OUT ON 101--1955--This small isolated cafe becomes a hot bed of international spies and nuclear secrets, and one of the spies is having an affair with the waitress, but the strongest reason for seeing this fiilm is one of the first appearances of Lee Marvin who plays a young cook, happy to torment and abuse the waitress Terry Moore. Keenan Wynn plays the cafe manager, and Frank Lovejoy is one of the spies. It's a curious film noir, and you can see why and how Marvin became such a big star 10 years later. GRADE------------B-
THE GIVER--2014--Based on a young adult novel series, this ambitious film about a society the seems democratic on the surface is rather autocratic, hiding truth and free choice for the "good" of the citizens. Elder Jeff Bridges is the "giver" who instructs the youthful Brenton Thwaites in the past history, opening his eyes to the falseness of society. Meryl Streep makes a creepy official. GRADE------B-
HAMSTEAD--2019--A divorced woman meets and tries to help a man who has lived for 17 years in a shack he built on government property but now the city is trying to kick him out. Diane Keaton and Brendon Gleeson star, with Lesley Manville as a trouble maker. Based on a true story, the film is low key and likeable, but maybe not too memorable. GRADE----------B-
YOU CAN'T CHEAT AN HONEST MAN--1939--W.C. Fields is a circus owner with a beautiful daughter who falls for the ventriliquest Edgar Bergan, but of course Fields objects. He ends up insulting the rich society couple who have a son that is courting the daughter played by Constance Moore. GRADE--------B-
THE BANK DICK--1940--W.C.Fields accidentally foils a bank robbery and is awarded a job as bank security officer, and his ineptitude keeps a banker from loosing money on a fake scheme. As in all Fields films, excessive booze and a beautiful daughter plays a main theme in the comedy. GRADE---B-
NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK--This time Fields is a script writer trying to sell a director a film with an outrageous plot, which is completely acted out in scene to scene. Singer Gloria Jean plays his daughter--who has a glorious voice. The fantasy/movie scenes are rather stupid but Fields makes the most of them with comic bits, many including his hats. GRADE------B-
THE SECRET OF THE WHISTLER 1946--Richard Dix, who has starred in most of the Whistler series, again stars as an artist who lives off his rich wife, while keeping a mistress (his model, natch) on the side. His life changes when his sickly wife gets wind of the affair. GRADE--------B-
THE THIRTEENTH HOUR --1947--Richard Dix owns a struggling trucking company. When his truck is stolen, a cop is killed by the robber, but Dix is framed for the murder. GRADE-------B-
THE RETURN OF THE WHISTLER--1948--A soon to be married couple are stranded in a small town when their car breaks down. In the morning, the bride to be has disappeared (separate bedrooms, naturally) and the groom struggles to find her, uncovering a whole new set of truths about her. Dix did not appear in this film. All the Whistler films had solid, complicated plots, filmed in black and white, and were good examples of film noir style within their small budgets. GRADE---------------B-
AGATHA AND THE TRUTH OF MURDER--2018--An older nurse is murdered on a train and more than a year later writer Christie is hired to find out who and why by her older roommate. Set during the time Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days with police out looking for her. GRADE---B-
AGATHA AND THE CURSE OF ISTAR 2019--Christie goes to Baghdad seeking relaxation, but finds an attractive archaeologist with a bullet in his forehead (her future 2nd husband!) and a murder to solve. This is the second PBS film using different actors as Agatha Christie, portraying what might have happened in her life. GRADE-----B-
AGATHA AND THE MIDNIGHT MURDERS---2020--A single setting in the basement of a restaurant during an air raid, someone has stolen the manuscript of her final Poirot mystery, and they are in the basement with her. All the British actors are fine, but the low budgets and low key drama begs for some glamour. GRADE---B-
THE WAR LOVER--1962--A modest WWII film with Steve McQueen as an arrogant but skillful flier who bullies his crew, and when he dislikes someone he has them transferred out of his circle. Robert Wagner is his quiet friend, but when Wagner starts a wartime affair in London McQueen tries to muscle in on the lover Shirley Anne Field. GRADE---------C+
TERROR STREET--1953--Soldier/flier Dan Duryea returns from being gone on a long mission, but finds his wife dead and he is framed for her murder and has just 24 hours to find the real killer. Nice film noir but needs some oomph. GRADE--------C+
SLUGGER'S WIFE--1985--A Neil Simon drama about baseball player who excels on the field when his singer wife is in attendance, but when she tries to build up her own career on the road, he falls apart. Michael O'Keefe, Rebecca deMornay, Martin Ritt and Randy Quaid are featured in this dull, pointless slog, surprisingly directed by the normally fine Hal Ashby who directed such classics as BOUND FOR GLORY, THE LANDLORD, SHAMPOO, HAROLD AND MAUDE, LAST DETAIL, COMING HOME and BEING THERE.
