The documentary film I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO is a challenging, thoughtful, disturbing film that deals with race, race relations in America (and in other countries, too), and bigotry, all using author James Baldwin's words (narrated by Samuel L. Jackson) and featuring Baldwin in clips from his speeches and interviews, notably from appearances on the Dick Cavett show among others. Emphasis is placed on Baldwin's relationships with three assassinated black leaders--Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King Jr. , and Malcolm X. It is eye opening material, and there are some stinging revelations. It has received an Oscar nomination for best feature length documentary, and is one of several documentaries that I found to be very fine this year. See OSCAR comments below. GRADE------B+
___________________________
The following films were viewed on DVD.....
LOVE AMONG THE RUINS-- 1975--The great Katherine Hepburn and Lawrence Olivier play ex-lovers, reunited decades later when she seeks help from lawyer Olivier to defend herself against
a young man who is trying to marry her for her money. Basically a two character play, these two actors are both at their peak, and it is a pleasure to watch them battle wits and wills. I watched an inferior faded copy of the film, but was still so impressed that I couldn't stop from watching. GRADE-------B+
HOME FROM THE HILL --1959--This movie was part of a Robert Mitchum package with five other films and I'd never heard of it, although it was directed by Vincente Minnelli and featured Eleanor Parker, George Peppard, George Hamilton (still very tanned so early in his career!) and Everett Sloane. Based on a novel by William Humphrey, the film image on the poster boasted "When you talk about GREAT Motion Pictures you will talk about this one!" and the first 20 minutes played like a melodramatic pulp entertainment without the humor. But I have to say that by the end (a long 150 minutes later) I was quite involved with the characters and the (melo)drama, and there were some snippets of humor that also helped keep me awake and entertained. Hamilton, shyly: "I'm dyin' to kiss you!" Girlfriend, coyly: "Don't die!" Mitchum is the wealthy, hard headed patriarch who has tried to seduce every woman in the small Texan town, Parker plays his long suffering wife who has long since refused to sleep with him because of his behavior, Hamilton is their son, torn between allegiance between his father and mother, and Peppard in the more difficult role, is Mitchum's bastard son. who works as a farm hand even as Mitchum refuses to acknowledge the kinship. The two Georges are both terrific--you can really see why they both became famous in the next few years--in fact, they've possibly never been better. For what it is, it was a pleasing pleasure to watch.
GRADE----------B+
MARGUERITE--2015--This French film with Catherine Frot is based on the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, but the name, place and time frame has changed , and she is not quite the amusing, obtuse clown that Meryl Streep portrayed this past year. She is more sympathically portrayed, and in a way that has lowered the entertainment and humor value. Still, both films are generally faithful in ways to the F.F.J. story. I just finished reading a current biography about her life titled FLORENCE! FOSTER! JENKINS! and in spite of the differences, both films can claim accuracy in many ways.
GRADE-------B
SONS AND LOVERS---2003--This is a beautifully filmed British TV four hour movie that plays much like a Masterpiece Theater version of the D.H. Lawrence novel, which I thought I had read, or seen as a film before, but this was all new to me. It features some bold sex scenes, and contains the provocative themes that make Lawrence famous, including exploring the Oedipus complex, parental hatred, spiritual searching, pantheism and others. It is a solid film, well acted and directed. GRADE----------B
FROM TIME TO TIME--2019--Just prior to his writing DOWNTON ABBEY, Julien Fellows wrote and directed this British film which featured Maggie Smith in the leading role as the grandmother who lives in a large house that seems to have ghosts from 30 years earlier that visit her grandson when he comes to stay. It was written as a "family" film, but the film is quite serious and mature in nature as the time frame switches back and forth to tell the story of a missing fortune in jewels and tries to clarify the twisted relationships of the boy's father who is currently missing in battle during WWII, and other relatives. It has some complicated scenes, and I think would appeal mostly to fans of Maggie Smith and Julien Fellows. It also features some other actors who a year later showed up with Smith in DOWNTON ABBEY including Hugh Bonneville and Allen Leech. GRADE---------B
THE FBI STORY--1959--Episodic film about long time agent James Stewart and his faithful wife
Vera Miles who move around the country working on different FBI cases like an airplane bombing, a Klu Klux Klan organization killing Indians in a small town, catching famous gangster, and capturing Communist spies. Highlights of his personal life are also illuminated. Each episode is fairly self contained, so the total effect, although interesting and well acted, softens the dramatic impact of the entire film in general. GRADE--------B
THE PARENT TRAP--1961--Walt Disney film featuring a young Haley Mills who plays identical twins, separated at one year old when their parents divorce, who meet at summer camp, and then plot to bring their parents back together. The plot is leisurely and logical (to a point) and the actors, including Brian Keith and the feisty Maureen O'Hara as the parents are lovely to watch. I even remembered the song "Let's Get Together (What do you say, We could have a swinging time....)" literally word for word. GRADE--------B-
GUMSHOE--1971--Albert Finney is the title character, in a film that feels a little too clever for its own good, both in dialogue and in plotting. Billie Whitelaw, Frank Finlay and Janice Rule also appear, with Stephen Frears directing (FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS, PHILOMENA, THE QUEEN, THE GRIFTERS, ETC...). GRADE--------B-
ST. IVES--1998--aka ROBERT LEWIS STEPHENSON'S ST. IVES--Modestly entertaining film based on a novel and set in the Napoleonic Wars, this low budget production never got released in the U.S. as far as I know. In the vein of TOM JONES 1963, the humor keeps your attention, even if the intrigue and action scenes miss their mark at times. Featuring Richard E. Grant, Miranda Richardson, Jason Isaacs and French actor Jean-Marc Barr, amusing in the lead. GRADE-------B-
KRAKATOA EAST OF JAVA -1969--One of the first disaster films, this film is mostly a disaster itself, the first problem being the title---Krakatoa is actually west of Java, but the producers thought east sounded better than west--and the film was widely ridiculed for that geographical error. Filmed in 70 millimeter for showings at Cinerama theatres, the film did poor business, mostly because the characters in true "GRAND MOTEL" fashion, are not convincing, and given little to do . If you do watch it, you might want to fast forward through much of the first 45 minutes until the special effects start up, although they are repetitious and numbing. A ship sails out nearby Krakatoa to locate a sunken ship that carries a treasure of pearls. On board are 30 prisoners, a diving expert Brian Keith with bad lungs and addicted to drugs, father and son balloonists Rossano Brazzi and Sal Mineo, who have nearly nothing to do, a depressed woman searching for her son (Diane Baker), the captain Maximilian Schell, who single handily drives the 30 prisoners off the ship when they attempt to take control!!!!!!, and the singing wife of Keith, who sings a song about an Old Fashioned Girl while doing a strip tease in front of him. Yes there are a few (unintentional laughs). Lots of terror awaits them, including a long long volcano, fire on board the ship, flying lava and rocks, boiling waters and dead fish, and a big big tsunami. GRADE------D+
OSCAR SHOW SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY---5pm PST--------
TOP FILMS OF 2017
No particular order--following films rated A or A-
AQUARIUS
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
HELL AND HIGH WATER
HIDDEN FIGURES
I, DANIEL BLAKE (yet to open in Seattle)
INDIGNATION
THE INNOCENTS
JACKIE
LA LA LAND
LIFE ANIMATED (documentary)
MIDSUMMER IN NEWTOWN (documentary)
MOONLIGHT
SING STREET
SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU
TOWER (documentary)
ZOOTROPIA
Following films rated B+ but in no particular order
MAN CALLED OVE
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (documentary)
FINDING DORY
CAPTAIN AMERICA
FENCES
LION
EYE IN THE SKY
A BIGGER SPLASH
HOLDING THE MAN
MUSIC OF STRANGERS: YO YO MA AND THE SILK ROAD (documentary)
BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALF TIME WALK
DR. STRANGE
PEOPLE VS FRITZ LANG
JULIETA
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
HANDMAIDEN
BLOWN AWAY BY GREAT ACTING
VIGGO MORTENSON--CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
MERYL STREEP--FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS
HELEN MIRREN--EYE IN THE SKY
DENZEL WASHINGTON--FENCES
VIOLA DAVIS--FENCES
EMILY BLUNT--GIRL ON A TRAIN
BURGHART KLAUBNER--PEOPLE VS FRITZ LANG
JEFF BRIDGES--HELL OR HIGH WATER
GIL BIRMINGHAM--HELL OR HIGH WATER
NATALIE PORTMAN--JACKIE
SONIA BRAGA --AQUARIUS
SALLY FIELDS--HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS
RUTH NEGGA--LOVING
JESSICA CHASTAIN--MISS SLOANE
LINDA EMOND--INDIGNATION AND THE LAND
TRACEY LETTS--INDIGNATION
RALPH FINNES--A BIGGER SPLASH
CASEY AFFLEC--MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
DELIGHTFUL GUILTY PLEASURES
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY
MISS SLOANE
CLOSET MONSTER
GIRL ON A TRAIN
BAD MOMS
THE MEDDLER
HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS
DEAD POOL
ZOOTROPIA
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS
DR. STRANGE
PRESENTING PRINCESS SHAW (documentary)
A BIGGER SPLASH
THE BOSS
SING
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2
OTHER GOOD STUFF
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER-rated B or B-
JULIETA
SULLY
BAD MOMS
COME WHAT MAY
OTHER PEOPLE
UNDER THE SHADOW
TANNA
ALLIED
MISS SLOANE
LOVING
MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
LIGHT BETWEEN TWO OCEANS
PASSENGERS
STRANGE BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
GHOSTBUSTERS
BFG
DON'T THINK TWICE
THE LAND
FREE STATE OF JONES
LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
THE LOBSTER
WIENER
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME
MIDNIGHT SPECIAL
WHISKY TANGO FOXTROT
ROCK THE CASBAH
HAIL CAESAR
RACE
SING
HOLOGRAM FOR A KING
FILMS I HATED OR VERY DISAPPOINTED BY
LOVE WITCH, THE FIFTH WAVE, ZOOM, BATMAN VS SUPERMAN, MORGAN, COMPLETELY UNKNOWN, JASON BOURNE
OSCAR TALK........
For ACTOR--I'd love to see Viggo Mortenson win for CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, but the film was not widely seen. I liked Casey Afflect for MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, but DENZEL WASHINGTON pulls out the stops for FENCES, and he also directed it.
For ACTRESS--Even though I haven't seen it yet, I'd love Isabelle Huppert to win because every French film I've seen her in (more than a dozen) she's been amazing. Emma Stone seems to be the favorite for LA LA LAND. She was fine, and STREEP was very funny in FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS.
SUPPORTING ACTOR--Mahershala Ali added gravitas to MOONLIGHT--my favorite, but Jeff Bridges stole the show in HELL OR HIGH WATER.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS--Just about the only sure thing----Viola Davis for FENCES.
DIRECTING--Will probably go to Damien Chazelle for LA LA LAND, but Barry Jenkins for MOONLIGHT could surprise. Either is fine with me.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE-- I've only seen two of the nominees--I'd give it to LIFE ANIMATED over I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO----but my favorite documentary was not even nominated----TOWER . Check it out--you will be spellbound.
WRITING--Adapted----MOONLIGHT is my favorite here, but they may give a posthumous award to the late, great playwright August Wilson for FENCES.
WRITING--Original---LA LA LAND seems a lock but Kenneth Lonergan's masterful drama MANCHESTER BY THE SEA feels much more textured. I liked Lonergan.
MUSICAL SCORE--I loved the score for JACKIE and MOONLIGHT, but the musical LA LA LAND will be the deserved winner.
SONG-- Justin Timberlake had a monster hit this summer with CAN'T STOP THE FEELING (DANCE DANCE DANCE) from TROLLS, but MOANA had music written by the hot song writer Lin-Manuel Miranda of HAMILTON (on Broadway) fame. Then there's City of Stars from LA LA LAND--the most memorable of the two nominated songs, which might cancel them out. What a contest!!!!!! My favorite--dance dance dance......
TECHNICAL AWARDS may go to a popular film that missed out of some major nominations but scored many technical mentions---ARRIVAL.
SHORTS remain an unknown quality for me---all unseen.
BEST PICTURE----My favorite is MOONLIGHT, but I also love LA LA LAND. There might be a big surprise here, with nine popular titles in the running, I'm guessing if there is a giant twist, it will be in favor of a great audience pleaser------HIDDEN FIGURES, and I wouldn't be disappointed.
Last weekend to catch a nominee. Still playing in Seattle theatres----HIDDEN FIGURES, MOONLIGHT, LA LA LAND, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, LION, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, FENCES, ARRIVAL---and a couple theatres are featuring all 9 Best Picture nominees on Saturday and Sunday. See you at the movies.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Friday, February 3, 2017
MIDSUMMER IN NEWTOWN, MOONLIGHT again, JULIETA, UN PADRE NO TAN PADRE, LITTLE MEN, SILENCE, plus MONSEIUR VINCENT, WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD, FALLEN ANGEL
My goal this year is to write about films before I get to 15 in number so that the blogs are not so long, so this blog features just 9 films.
One of my favorite films from last spring's SIFF is the documentary MIDSUMMER IN NEWTOWN--somewhat of a tongue twister of a title--about children (and a few adults) putting on a production of MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM with songs--and done in a family style. The kicker is that the location is Sandy Hook and the great number of amateur performers were personally affected by the massacre that took place exactly one year earlier in the elementary school. The production deals with the aftermath, showing how kids and adults dealt with losing their siblings, parents, friends or teachers, and trying to proceed with their lives. The film is not grim or depressing (although perhaps a little sad and melancholy at times) and yet it can produce tears of joy in viewing.
I thought so at the time, and again yesterday after the Republican congress voted to allow guns, guns, guns to be sold to any mentally ill person that wants one, without background checks!!!!, that EVERY PERSON VOTING ON GUN CONTROL should be REQUIRED to view this extraordinary film MIDSUMER IN NEWTOWN. GRADE------------A
I saw MOONLIGHT again with some friends who hadn't seen it yet, and they reaffirmed my feeling that this film is a unique and moving experience. You haven't seen many characters like this who live in poor parts of town displayed with the dignity, frustration, love and honesty that is on display here. Watching a second time I was especially impressed with the music score and the cinematography and screenplay, all of which have been Oscar nominated. In a few ways, this film could be a "companion double feature" with PRECIOUS (2009), an award winning film that features an abused black teen who is fighting to get herself out of her miserable existence. GRADE-----A
Viewed last October at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Pedro Almodovor's newest film is the lush, colorful, engrossing JULIETA. This melodrama starts with an older woman running into a old friend of her daughter--a daughter she hasn't seen for many years, and this starts her search for the reasons why her daughter won't contact her mother. There are a lot of flash backs and flash forwards, and as always, Almodovar uses style and substance to engage our interest, and he seems to specialize in showing the mystique of womanhood in moving ways. GRADE-----------B+
Occasionally when possible (and not during SIFF) I make an effort to see a foreign film that will appear at my local cineplex out of the blue. Last week I decided on UN PADRE NO TAN PADRE, a Spanish comedy/drama that has all the right moves to be remade into an American comedy that could have some general appeal. Nearly 90 years old and quite mean and stubborn, our hero's father is kicked out of his senior living, so the son, who lives with about 8 others in a communal situation takes him in, where father's cranky disposition rubs the others the wrong way, although they are remarkably patient. Of course he becomes changed after many amusing adventures...but the thing about this film is a strong vein of realism and unsentimentality that makes this film work--something Hollywood wants to avoid when remaking these type of films. I hope you get a chance to see this one in the Spanish language (with English subtitles, of course) before it is ruined by a remake. GRADE-----------B
I've always considered director Martin Scorsese to make profound, intelligent films, whether I liked them or not as subject matter. His new film SILENCE falls squarely into the NOT LIKING category. Based on a a true story, and one that he has personally been interested in telling for many years, SILENCE tells of the persecution of two Jesuit priests and thousands of believers who were persecuted and murdered for many years in the 17th century Japan. Unfortunately, at two hours and forty five minutes long, this dry, dull film repeats the torture, degradation and murder of the two main characters and the people they are trying to preach to in a prolonged and torturous manner. Believe me when I say I felt their pain, and it wasn't pleasant or enlightening, just repetitious and glum. I got the religious symbolism and Christ like symbols--all rather obvious. There are a lot of positive reviews out there, but in spite of some lovely photography, I never want to see this film again, which I can't say for just about every other Scorsese film he's made. GRADE-----------C
VIEWED ON DVD-------------------------------------------
WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD 1991--Helen Mirren gives a forceful portrayal of a British free spirited , widowed woman in the late 1800's who marries a much younger Italian man, then dies in childbirth, leaving her ex-brother and sister in law and a female friend (Rupert Graves, Judy Davis and Helena Bonham-Carter) to try to wrest the baby away from the young husband. This adaptation of E. M. Forster's novel is a tragedy, of course, but the performances are always interesting, the settings and photography (mostly in Italy) are sumptuous, and the story carries the gravitas of history and class conflicts to the forefront. GRADE----------B
LITTLE MEN 2016------Two young teen age boys find their friendship tested when their parents clash over the cost of rental property that one set of parents inherit, and they want to raise the rent on the mother of the other boy. It is a small, subtle film, but made with heart and sensitivity. With Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle, and directed by New Yorker Ira Sachs in his usual unassuming manner--see his LOVE IS STRANGE 2014 and KEEP THE LIGHTS ON 2012. GRADE-----B
MONSIEUR VINCENT 1947-French film based on the life of St. Vincent dePaul, who created a life of service to homeless and jobless persons, this film shows how he came to create what is currently known as St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores and other services, While engaging, there are a number of big skips in time that seem jarring, and make you wish the film was smoother in historical progression. Voted an Honorary Oscar in 1948. GRADE-------B
FALLEN ANGEL 1945--I tried to watch this several months ago, but kept falling asleep. Second try was more successful. Directed by Otto Preminger, this film features Dana Andrews who tries to marry a rich women so he can steal her money and then marry a shallow good looking woman--all from the same town. It's a weird plot, and there are some odd turns, and not always successful. GRADE----------C+
COMING NEXT BLOG-------FAVORITE FILMS OF 2016 and OSCAR COMMENTS!!!!!
One of my favorite films from last spring's SIFF is the documentary MIDSUMMER IN NEWTOWN--somewhat of a tongue twister of a title--about children (and a few adults) putting on a production of MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM with songs--and done in a family style. The kicker is that the location is Sandy Hook and the great number of amateur performers were personally affected by the massacre that took place exactly one year earlier in the elementary school. The production deals with the aftermath, showing how kids and adults dealt with losing their siblings, parents, friends or teachers, and trying to proceed with their lives. The film is not grim or depressing (although perhaps a little sad and melancholy at times) and yet it can produce tears of joy in viewing.
I thought so at the time, and again yesterday after the Republican congress voted to allow guns, guns, guns to be sold to any mentally ill person that wants one, without background checks!!!!, that EVERY PERSON VOTING ON GUN CONTROL should be REQUIRED to view this extraordinary film MIDSUMER IN NEWTOWN. GRADE------------A
I saw MOONLIGHT again with some friends who hadn't seen it yet, and they reaffirmed my feeling that this film is a unique and moving experience. You haven't seen many characters like this who live in poor parts of town displayed with the dignity, frustration, love and honesty that is on display here. Watching a second time I was especially impressed with the music score and the cinematography and screenplay, all of which have been Oscar nominated. In a few ways, this film could be a "companion double feature" with PRECIOUS (2009), an award winning film that features an abused black teen who is fighting to get herself out of her miserable existence. GRADE-----A
Viewed last October at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Pedro Almodovor's newest film is the lush, colorful, engrossing JULIETA. This melodrama starts with an older woman running into a old friend of her daughter--a daughter she hasn't seen for many years, and this starts her search for the reasons why her daughter won't contact her mother. There are a lot of flash backs and flash forwards, and as always, Almodovar uses style and substance to engage our interest, and he seems to specialize in showing the mystique of womanhood in moving ways. GRADE-----------B+
Occasionally when possible (and not during SIFF) I make an effort to see a foreign film that will appear at my local cineplex out of the blue. Last week I decided on UN PADRE NO TAN PADRE, a Spanish comedy/drama that has all the right moves to be remade into an American comedy that could have some general appeal. Nearly 90 years old and quite mean and stubborn, our hero's father is kicked out of his senior living, so the son, who lives with about 8 others in a communal situation takes him in, where father's cranky disposition rubs the others the wrong way, although they are remarkably patient. Of course he becomes changed after many amusing adventures...but the thing about this film is a strong vein of realism and unsentimentality that makes this film work--something Hollywood wants to avoid when remaking these type of films. I hope you get a chance to see this one in the Spanish language (with English subtitles, of course) before it is ruined by a remake. GRADE-----------B
I've always considered director Martin Scorsese to make profound, intelligent films, whether I liked them or not as subject matter. His new film SILENCE falls squarely into the NOT LIKING category. Based on a a true story, and one that he has personally been interested in telling for many years, SILENCE tells of the persecution of two Jesuit priests and thousands of believers who were persecuted and murdered for many years in the 17th century Japan. Unfortunately, at two hours and forty five minutes long, this dry, dull film repeats the torture, degradation and murder of the two main characters and the people they are trying to preach to in a prolonged and torturous manner. Believe me when I say I felt their pain, and it wasn't pleasant or enlightening, just repetitious and glum. I got the religious symbolism and Christ like symbols--all rather obvious. There are a lot of positive reviews out there, but in spite of some lovely photography, I never want to see this film again, which I can't say for just about every other Scorsese film he's made. GRADE-----------C
VIEWED ON DVD-------------------------------------------
WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD 1991--Helen Mirren gives a forceful portrayal of a British free spirited , widowed woman in the late 1800's who marries a much younger Italian man, then dies in childbirth, leaving her ex-brother and sister in law and a female friend (Rupert Graves, Judy Davis and Helena Bonham-Carter) to try to wrest the baby away from the young husband. This adaptation of E. M. Forster's novel is a tragedy, of course, but the performances are always interesting, the settings and photography (mostly in Italy) are sumptuous, and the story carries the gravitas of history and class conflicts to the forefront. GRADE----------B
LITTLE MEN 2016------Two young teen age boys find their friendship tested when their parents clash over the cost of rental property that one set of parents inherit, and they want to raise the rent on the mother of the other boy. It is a small, subtle film, but made with heart and sensitivity. With Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle, and directed by New Yorker Ira Sachs in his usual unassuming manner--see his LOVE IS STRANGE 2014 and KEEP THE LIGHTS ON 2012. GRADE-----B
MONSIEUR VINCENT 1947-French film based on the life of St. Vincent dePaul, who created a life of service to homeless and jobless persons, this film shows how he came to create what is currently known as St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores and other services, While engaging, there are a number of big skips in time that seem jarring, and make you wish the film was smoother in historical progression. Voted an Honorary Oscar in 1948. GRADE-------B
FALLEN ANGEL 1945--I tried to watch this several months ago, but kept falling asleep. Second try was more successful. Directed by Otto Preminger, this film features Dana Andrews who tries to marry a rich women so he can steal her money and then marry a shallow good looking woman--all from the same town. It's a weird plot, and there are some odd turns, and not always successful. GRADE----------C+
COMING NEXT BLOG-------FAVORITE FILMS OF 2016 and OSCAR COMMENTS!!!!!
Saturday, January 21, 2017
LA LA LAND, HIDDEN FIGURES, JACKIE, FENCES, LION, SING, plus the magnificent HOWARDS END, and Hitchcock for the new year--SPELLBOUND, I CONFESS, WRONG MAN, TORN CURTAIN
Since I saw it in October, MOONLIGHT has been hovering on the top of my year end list for being lyrically ambitious and emotionally captivating in ways that are not obvious given the subject matter and setting (covering 15 some years in the life of a child growing up to adulthood) amidst poverty and the destructive drug culture of a decaying southern Florida slum). When I watched the new LA LA LAND I almost forgot about MOONLIGHT altogether. Completely different and captivating, this LA LA LAND is a sweet valentine to Los Angeles, and specifically Hollywood as the "city of dreams", where a young man and young woman who are both dreaming of making it big can meet, dance, sing and fall in love all the while pursuing their fantasy of the big time. This is hardly a unique plot device, but the very game actors (Ryan Gosling as the want to be jazz pianist and Emma Stone as the want to be ingenue com film star) are so pleasing even though neither is a fantastic singer or accomplished dancer that we can easily succumb to this fantasy. Actually, the fact that they sing and dance like normal people adds to the charm and adds a touch of realism. Unfortunately, the plot ends with the predictable, cynical ending for such a story. Still, getting there is a lot of fun, and the new music is memorable, the sets and design are effective, and the film gurgles along in a happy mood. Talk about the opposite of mood coming from MOONLIGHT, which despite some humor and feel good moments, more often ends scenes with thoughtful, disturbing, or wistful feelings. These films are worlds apart, but I heartily recommend both. LA LA LAND GRADE---------------A-
The 1960's had a couple major themes, among them the race to space versus the Russians, and the burgeoning civil rights acts toward equality for people of all races, and these are smoothly blended into an engrossing and entertaining true story about three very talented black women (among others) who were hired by NASA in different departments, but their race limited their advancement, in the rousing comedy drama HIDDEN FIGURES. NASA becomes symbolic of the discrimination in the rest of America at the time, but just as these character's stories become intimate and revealing, the walls of discrimination start to crumble for their careers. Very fine characterizations come from Taraji P. Henson as a math genius facing resistance from her direct supervisor (Jim Parsons) but finding more sympathy from the boss man (Kevin Costner), Oscar winner Octavia Spencer teaches herself about the new "computers" and as the de facto supervisor already wants a permanent position, and Janelle Monae wants to become an engineer, but is held back because these courses are only taught at a whites only college. HIDDEN FIGURES is a major crowd pleaser, with an empowering message, and figures to be the sleeper critical film of the year, along with the emotional LION, below. HIDDEN FIGURES GRADE----------A-
Covering a week from just before JFK's assassination to the time of his burial procession, the new film JACKIE is an intimate portrait of Jackie Kennedy's experience and her point of view that tells her side of that fateful week. (My only criticism: JFK came from a large family, yet the only family member given any time or dialogue is Bobby....possibly the result of an incredibly low-but expertly used-- budget.) Natalie Portman portrays JACKIE with the breathless Marilyn Monroe voice and coy femininity as she takes an interview with a persistent reporter, plans her son's birthday party, argues with executives about the funeral arrangements and discusses her unhappiness with a priest. I've never seen Portman so uniquely displayed (or the real Jackie, as a matter of fact)--her performance is so riveting that I was transfixed, and it would be a surprise if any other actress this year takes the acting Oscar from her. It is her career high. JACKIE GRADE------A-
Based on a popular stage drama written by August Wilson, the new film version FENCES is a well acted, if a bit claustrophobic, experience with excellent performances by director/actor Denzel Washington and Viola Davis as his long suffering wife. His best friend and co worker, his mentally disturbed brother and his two sons also feature prominently. The film captures the love and longing between characters, the anger and frustrations of each character, and the way life can lock you into a path that is not what you expected. Davis seems a sure bet to win the Supporting Actress Oscar this year, having been nominated twice before, for DOUBT (2008) and THE HELP (2011) FENCES GRADE-----B+
Exotic scenery, a powerful story, fine actors and an emotional punch ending make LION another sleeper film (like HIDDEN FIGURES above) to contend with at year's end critical reviews. A lost child from a small Indian village ends up thousands of miles away, having "misplaced" his brother at a train station. After some harrowing experiences among the poor and homeless, he is adopted out to a loving Australian couple, but as a young adult becomes obsessed with finding his biological mother, although he doesn't even know her name or the name of his village. Scenes of his searching seem to end in dead ends for the viewer as well, but the film is well intentioned and it is easy to forgive any dreary moments, knowing that this true story will have a somewhat happy ending. LION GRADE---------B+
It took me about 30 minutes to warm up to the musical comedy animated feature (featuring over 60 popular pop tunes) but the film SING became more likeable as it went along--possibly because nearly all the scenes featured in the ubiquitous trailer come from the first 25 minutes. The plot is that old chestnut of "let's put on a show to make some money" but all the characters are animals, and each has some marvelous attributes (along with wonderful singing voices) and each has a mostly funny back story. SING GRADE---------B
FOLLOWING FILMS VIEWED ON DVD/TV-----------------------------------
HOWARDS END 1991--A new 25th anniversary 4K restoration Blu ray version of the Merchant Ivory production reminded me of what a magnificent film this is, with beautiful photography, costumes, sets, music and other production values. Emma Thompson won a Best Actress Oscar, and Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave and Helena Bonham Carter all give career high performances. Based on a novel by E.M. Forster with a smart screenplay by frequent collaborator writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, this story of two sisters who become involved with two different couples, one rich and conservative, and one tragically downwardly mobile, with the lovely country estate called HOWARDS END connecting them all. Brilliantly realized and filmed. GRADE-----A
STEVE JOBS 2015--Expertly written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Danny Boyle (127 HOURS 2010, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE 2008, TRAINSPOTTING 1996, etc), this bio picture of the computer giant features amazing performances by all especially Michael Fassbender as Jobs, Kate Winslet with an amazingly natural Polish accent, Seth Rogan and Jeff Daniels. Structured as a three part tale, the film deals with the messy relationship with his daughter he wants to ignore, his ex-partner Wozniak he wants to forget, and others who are in his way to getting what his enormous ego wants. Well done. GRADE--------A
NATIONAL VELVET 1944--Elizabeth Taylor gives a glowing portrayal of a girl obsessed with her horse, and Mickey Rooney is the orphaned young man who helps her train her horse. Best of all is the actors who play her parents--Donald Crisp and Anne Revere, who won the supporting Oscar for her role. Their witty, loving banter steals every scene they are in. GRADE------A-
GUNS OF NAVARONE 1961--The World War II story about a small group of men set out to demolish some large guns operated by the Nazis on a small Greek island. Even though the film is handled like an intense docu-drama, the actual story is all fiction. Still gripping entertainment, nonetheless.
GRADE--------B+
TORN CURTAIN 1966--Alfred Hitchcock thriller about a scientist who defects to East Berlin because the USA won't allow his research to continue. Paul Newman is the scientist and Julie Andrews is his assistant/girl friend, who is shocked that he would do this, but follows him anyway, unaware that he is a secret agent trying to steal scientific material, and has now put his job in jeopardy, and their lives in danger. The film got mixed reviews (after MARY POPPINS and SOUND OF MUSIC audiences expected Andrews to break into song) but I like this one--lots of suspense, and some excellent tension, including a belabored scene showing just how hard it is to kill someone, a scene where Newman is followed through an echoing museum reminiscent of VERTIGO, a bus ride on a fake bus with the fear of being discovered at any moment. Lila Kedrova has a wonderful sequence as a woman desperate to immigrate to the USA so she tries to blackmail Newman and Andrews into being her sponsors and there's an amusing running gag about a scored ballerina! GRADE------B+
SPELLBOUND 1945--I didn't think I'd seen this one, but a few scenes jogged my memory, especially the dream sequence featuring a Salvador Dali set design with weird psychological symbols, and the tragedy of Gregory Peck's brother, although I didn't remember the story at all, and the ending was a surprise to me, too. Peck tries to impersonate a psychiatrist/doctor, and a radiant Ingrid Bergman is a psychoanalyst who tries to break through his amnesia to uncover the mystery of what happened to the real doctor. There are a number of excellent Hitchcock scenes, especially as the two leads start to fall in love, and many scenes where they just miss being captured by the police. Whether you believe in all the psychoanalytical mambo jumbo might affect your enjoyment, but it is still a smooth, engrossing mystery thriller. GRADE------B+
THE WRONG MAN 1956--I had never seen this film, a serious, documentary like story based on truth, which features a deadly serious Henry Fonda as a man picked up and arrested for mistakenly looking like a robber. The film slowly builds some tension, but I found the most interesting thing is what happens to his marriage to Vera Miles, as the stress and guilt turn her nearly mentally catatonic. This film is perhaps the most untypical "Hitchcock" film I've seen, as he strives more to be faithful to the story, and not to his famous flourishes. GRADE------B
I CONFESS 1953--It had been awhile since I'd seen this film, another film based on a true story, of a priest (Montgomery Clift) who is accused of murder, because the real murderer confesses to him, and he can't confide to the police what was confessed to him in private. His relationship with an old girlfriend further complicates his actions--he doesn't want to betray her trust, and she doesn't want to reveal something sordid in her past. Not the most dynamic Hitchcock film, but engaging nonetheless. GRADE-------B
HOW TO STEAL A MILLION 1966--A light William Wyler comedy, this trifle stars Audrey Hepburn as the daughter of an art dealer dealing in fakes--he paints his own copies!--but when she finds Peter O'Toole (as an art investigator), she falls for him and asks him to steal back a statue that might just be found to be fake that her father is selling. O'Toole is surprisingly amusing--this was his first comedy after LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and he was relatively new to film although he had a number of TV roles before that. Hepburn for course plays herself in her charming, sophisticated fashion. GRADE-------B
SOFT SKIN 1964--Francois Truffaut French film--a romantic drama about a husband having an affair with younger flight attendant, which leads to tragedy. Truffaut admitted that Hitchcock was greatly influencing his style of film making at this time, but this film feels rather glib and inconsequential compared to other films from Hitchcock's canon. SOFT SKIN is watchable, but I was not convinced about the relationship between the two adulterers. GRADE------B
HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON 2012--Bill Murray is actually quite effective as president Franklin Delano Roosevelt but the film which documents the affair he had with his cousin Daisy, played by Laura Linney (in addition to several other women) feels awkward and unconvincing. GRADE-------B-
THE SELLOUT 1952--The lurid poster reads "How much does it take to sell out her man?!? Unfortunately this has nothing to do with the plot! An honest news reporter Walter Pidgeon tries to break a story of corruption in a small town, but becomes compelled to kill the story for personal reasons. The reason is the twist, and it is OK, if not great. With John Hodiak and AudreyTotter. in a film noir that is watchable if not quite lurid enough. GRADE-------B-
BLADES OF GLORY 2007--When I first saw this film in 2007 I thought it was pretty mediocre and rather offensive. Years later I found it to be rather amusing in a vulgar sort of way. Maybe in another 8 years it might become a classic comedy. After being kicked out of professional skating competition, two highly competitive male skaters (Will Ferrel and John Heder) find that if they skate as a couple they can compete again. Comedians Will Arnet, Amy Hoehler, Jenna Fischer and Craig T. Nelson are also very funny at timed, if you are in the mood for such silliness. GRADE-----B-
CRUSH 2001-- British film has three women best friends all turning 40 nearly torn apart when one of them starts to date a 25 year old man. It's an odd mix of friendship, desperation, comedy, revenge and sex, but it lacks the sophistication and lightness that might have made this a better film. The leads are nicely played by Andie MacDonald, Imelda Staunton and Anna Chandler, but the uneven tone and odd plot twists leave a bad taste in the mouth. GRADE-------C+
The 1960's had a couple major themes, among them the race to space versus the Russians, and the burgeoning civil rights acts toward equality for people of all races, and these are smoothly blended into an engrossing and entertaining true story about three very talented black women (among others) who were hired by NASA in different departments, but their race limited their advancement, in the rousing comedy drama HIDDEN FIGURES. NASA becomes symbolic of the discrimination in the rest of America at the time, but just as these character's stories become intimate and revealing, the walls of discrimination start to crumble for their careers. Very fine characterizations come from Taraji P. Henson as a math genius facing resistance from her direct supervisor (Jim Parsons) but finding more sympathy from the boss man (Kevin Costner), Oscar winner Octavia Spencer teaches herself about the new "computers" and as the de facto supervisor already wants a permanent position, and Janelle Monae wants to become an engineer, but is held back because these courses are only taught at a whites only college. HIDDEN FIGURES is a major crowd pleaser, with an empowering message, and figures to be the sleeper critical film of the year, along with the emotional LION, below. HIDDEN FIGURES GRADE----------A-
Covering a week from just before JFK's assassination to the time of his burial procession, the new film JACKIE is an intimate portrait of Jackie Kennedy's experience and her point of view that tells her side of that fateful week. (My only criticism: JFK came from a large family, yet the only family member given any time or dialogue is Bobby....possibly the result of an incredibly low-but expertly used-- budget.) Natalie Portman portrays JACKIE with the breathless Marilyn Monroe voice and coy femininity as she takes an interview with a persistent reporter, plans her son's birthday party, argues with executives about the funeral arrangements and discusses her unhappiness with a priest. I've never seen Portman so uniquely displayed (or the real Jackie, as a matter of fact)--her performance is so riveting that I was transfixed, and it would be a surprise if any other actress this year takes the acting Oscar from her. It is her career high. JACKIE GRADE------A-
Based on a popular stage drama written by August Wilson, the new film version FENCES is a well acted, if a bit claustrophobic, experience with excellent performances by director/actor Denzel Washington and Viola Davis as his long suffering wife. His best friend and co worker, his mentally disturbed brother and his two sons also feature prominently. The film captures the love and longing between characters, the anger and frustrations of each character, and the way life can lock you into a path that is not what you expected. Davis seems a sure bet to win the Supporting Actress Oscar this year, having been nominated twice before, for DOUBT (2008) and THE HELP (2011) FENCES GRADE-----B+
Exotic scenery, a powerful story, fine actors and an emotional punch ending make LION another sleeper film (like HIDDEN FIGURES above) to contend with at year's end critical reviews. A lost child from a small Indian village ends up thousands of miles away, having "misplaced" his brother at a train station. After some harrowing experiences among the poor and homeless, he is adopted out to a loving Australian couple, but as a young adult becomes obsessed with finding his biological mother, although he doesn't even know her name or the name of his village. Scenes of his searching seem to end in dead ends for the viewer as well, but the film is well intentioned and it is easy to forgive any dreary moments, knowing that this true story will have a somewhat happy ending. LION GRADE---------B+
It took me about 30 minutes to warm up to the musical comedy animated feature (featuring over 60 popular pop tunes) but the film SING became more likeable as it went along--possibly because nearly all the scenes featured in the ubiquitous trailer come from the first 25 minutes. The plot is that old chestnut of "let's put on a show to make some money" but all the characters are animals, and each has some marvelous attributes (along with wonderful singing voices) and each has a mostly funny back story. SING GRADE---------B
FOLLOWING FILMS VIEWED ON DVD/TV-----------------------------------
HOWARDS END 1991--A new 25th anniversary 4K restoration Blu ray version of the Merchant Ivory production reminded me of what a magnificent film this is, with beautiful photography, costumes, sets, music and other production values. Emma Thompson won a Best Actress Oscar, and Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave and Helena Bonham Carter all give career high performances. Based on a novel by E.M. Forster with a smart screenplay by frequent collaborator writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, this story of two sisters who become involved with two different couples, one rich and conservative, and one tragically downwardly mobile, with the lovely country estate called HOWARDS END connecting them all. Brilliantly realized and filmed. GRADE-----A
STEVE JOBS 2015--Expertly written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Danny Boyle (127 HOURS 2010, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE 2008, TRAINSPOTTING 1996, etc), this bio picture of the computer giant features amazing performances by all especially Michael Fassbender as Jobs, Kate Winslet with an amazingly natural Polish accent, Seth Rogan and Jeff Daniels. Structured as a three part tale, the film deals with the messy relationship with his daughter he wants to ignore, his ex-partner Wozniak he wants to forget, and others who are in his way to getting what his enormous ego wants. Well done. GRADE--------A
NATIONAL VELVET 1944--Elizabeth Taylor gives a glowing portrayal of a girl obsessed with her horse, and Mickey Rooney is the orphaned young man who helps her train her horse. Best of all is the actors who play her parents--Donald Crisp and Anne Revere, who won the supporting Oscar for her role. Their witty, loving banter steals every scene they are in. GRADE------A-
GUNS OF NAVARONE 1961--The World War II story about a small group of men set out to demolish some large guns operated by the Nazis on a small Greek island. Even though the film is handled like an intense docu-drama, the actual story is all fiction. Still gripping entertainment, nonetheless.
GRADE--------B+
TORN CURTAIN 1966--Alfred Hitchcock thriller about a scientist who defects to East Berlin because the USA won't allow his research to continue. Paul Newman is the scientist and Julie Andrews is his assistant/girl friend, who is shocked that he would do this, but follows him anyway, unaware that he is a secret agent trying to steal scientific material, and has now put his job in jeopardy, and their lives in danger. The film got mixed reviews (after MARY POPPINS and SOUND OF MUSIC audiences expected Andrews to break into song) but I like this one--lots of suspense, and some excellent tension, including a belabored scene showing just how hard it is to kill someone, a scene where Newman is followed through an echoing museum reminiscent of VERTIGO, a bus ride on a fake bus with the fear of being discovered at any moment. Lila Kedrova has a wonderful sequence as a woman desperate to immigrate to the USA so she tries to blackmail Newman and Andrews into being her sponsors and there's an amusing running gag about a scored ballerina! GRADE------B+
SPELLBOUND 1945--I didn't think I'd seen this one, but a few scenes jogged my memory, especially the dream sequence featuring a Salvador Dali set design with weird psychological symbols, and the tragedy of Gregory Peck's brother, although I didn't remember the story at all, and the ending was a surprise to me, too. Peck tries to impersonate a psychiatrist/doctor, and a radiant Ingrid Bergman is a psychoanalyst who tries to break through his amnesia to uncover the mystery of what happened to the real doctor. There are a number of excellent Hitchcock scenes, especially as the two leads start to fall in love, and many scenes where they just miss being captured by the police. Whether you believe in all the psychoanalytical mambo jumbo might affect your enjoyment, but it is still a smooth, engrossing mystery thriller. GRADE------B+
THE WRONG MAN 1956--I had never seen this film, a serious, documentary like story based on truth, which features a deadly serious Henry Fonda as a man picked up and arrested for mistakenly looking like a robber. The film slowly builds some tension, but I found the most interesting thing is what happens to his marriage to Vera Miles, as the stress and guilt turn her nearly mentally catatonic. This film is perhaps the most untypical "Hitchcock" film I've seen, as he strives more to be faithful to the story, and not to his famous flourishes. GRADE------B
I CONFESS 1953--It had been awhile since I'd seen this film, another film based on a true story, of a priest (Montgomery Clift) who is accused of murder, because the real murderer confesses to him, and he can't confide to the police what was confessed to him in private. His relationship with an old girlfriend further complicates his actions--he doesn't want to betray her trust, and she doesn't want to reveal something sordid in her past. Not the most dynamic Hitchcock film, but engaging nonetheless. GRADE-------B
HOW TO STEAL A MILLION 1966--A light William Wyler comedy, this trifle stars Audrey Hepburn as the daughter of an art dealer dealing in fakes--he paints his own copies!--but when she finds Peter O'Toole (as an art investigator), she falls for him and asks him to steal back a statue that might just be found to be fake that her father is selling. O'Toole is surprisingly amusing--this was his first comedy after LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and he was relatively new to film although he had a number of TV roles before that. Hepburn for course plays herself in her charming, sophisticated fashion. GRADE-------B
SOFT SKIN 1964--Francois Truffaut French film--a romantic drama about a husband having an affair with younger flight attendant, which leads to tragedy. Truffaut admitted that Hitchcock was greatly influencing his style of film making at this time, but this film feels rather glib and inconsequential compared to other films from Hitchcock's canon. SOFT SKIN is watchable, but I was not convinced about the relationship between the two adulterers. GRADE------B
HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON 2012--Bill Murray is actually quite effective as president Franklin Delano Roosevelt but the film which documents the affair he had with his cousin Daisy, played by Laura Linney (in addition to several other women) feels awkward and unconvincing. GRADE-------B-
THE SELLOUT 1952--The lurid poster reads "How much does it take to sell out her man?!? Unfortunately this has nothing to do with the plot! An honest news reporter Walter Pidgeon tries to break a story of corruption in a small town, but becomes compelled to kill the story for personal reasons. The reason is the twist, and it is OK, if not great. With John Hodiak and AudreyTotter. in a film noir that is watchable if not quite lurid enough. GRADE-------B-
BLADES OF GLORY 2007--When I first saw this film in 2007 I thought it was pretty mediocre and rather offensive. Years later I found it to be rather amusing in a vulgar sort of way. Maybe in another 8 years it might become a classic comedy. After being kicked out of professional skating competition, two highly competitive male skaters (Will Ferrel and John Heder) find that if they skate as a couple they can compete again. Comedians Will Arnet, Amy Hoehler, Jenna Fischer and Craig T. Nelson are also very funny at timed, if you are in the mood for such silliness. GRADE-----B-
CRUSH 2001-- British film has three women best friends all turning 40 nearly torn apart when one of them starts to date a 25 year old man. It's an odd mix of friendship, desperation, comedy, revenge and sex, but it lacks the sophistication and lightness that might have made this a better film. The leads are nicely played by Andie MacDonald, Imelda Staunton and Anna Chandler, but the uneven tone and odd plot twists leave a bad taste in the mouth. GRADE-------C+
Saturday, December 31, 2016
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK, LOVING, ROUGE ONE; A STAR WARS STORY, PASSENGERS, MISS SLOANE, STRANGE BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, plus a modern day classic DVD---EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE.
I'm trying to catch up on all the flood of year end films, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks I can publish my top films of 2016. Here's what I've seen this last month of the year.
Painful guilt and regret steep the well acted MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, as a sudden death forces a young middle aged man (an excellent Casey Affleck) back to his hometown to organize his older brother's funeral, and face his demons. He is also named the guardian of his teen aged nephew, a task that he vehemently rejects, and must also confront his ex-wife (a translucent Michelle Williams.) As his history unfolds, it becomes evident what ghosts haunt his past. The film is written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan who wrote and directed the moving film YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (2000) but I'm partial to his last nearly unseen film MARGARET (2011) about a teen who witnesses a tragic accident and tries to set thing right but is met with road blocks by the adults around her. That film is some kind of masterpiece which has haunted me for nearly five years...............GRADE-------B+
The great two time Oscar winning director Ang Lee has once again impressed me with BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK, adapted from a best selling novel about a young soldier home on temporary leave who is showered with praise for his role in a horrible battle in Iraq and must tour the country to accept the (sometimes) vacant praise of his public. The story makes a number of vivid, shocking points regarding the pointlessness of war and the abuse soldiers can receive from the public. Ang used a higher frames per second technique and has been criticized for using it for what is basically a drama (not a science fiction blockbuster, apparently) but in most theatres that technique is not so noticeable (only three theatres in the world were equipped to project it to greatest effect) , and I give him kudos for experimenting such a potentially important visual effect. Kristen Stewart is very effective in a small role as his sister, and the film, which has not done much business in the United States, is about the trials of veterans of the Iraq war--not a popular subject for Americans. Too bad, because it is a smart, engrossing, disturbing film. GRADE--------B+
Based on a true story, LOVING is a well acted, low key telling of an interracial couple in the early 1960's who must fight for the right to marry in Virginia just prior to the equal rights laws that were adapted shortly thereafter. The chemistry between Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton really keep the viewer involved. GRADE------------B+
Watching the new Star Wars Story ROGUE ONE, it felt like wrapping up in a warm soft blanket by a fireplace, reading a lovely old novel. The film is just as engaging as any other STAR WARS film, and of course, the pacing, editing, music and set design are all first rate. Fans will be happy. GRADE-----------B+
The new science fiction film PASSENGERS plays like a deep space chamber drama for four people, with some humor and romance thrown in for good measure. The first half works the best, as traveler Chris Pratt is accidentally woken from what was supposed to be a 90 year nap while traveling to another world, but he finds his life aboard the empty vessel to be very lonely. A year later when another passenger (Jennifer Lawrence) wakes, the two begin what seems like an idyllic life together, until the truth about how they were awaken threatens their love and life. It is a small film, but I enjoyed the special effects and tension created by the lonely life in deep space. GRADE----------B+
Some of it may feel a bit calculated, but there is no denying that Jessica Chastain inhabits her new role as MISS SLOANE, a high profile lobbyist who wins a lot. When she starts a new high profile case, the film twists and turns in a very entertaining fashion and the thriller ends in a surprising manner. GRADE-----B
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard are pretty, movie star like characters in the slick, World War II thriller ALLIED that is easy to watch, but I wish it was even better. Soldier Pitt suspects his wife may be a German spy, and the action and suspense keep you watching this lovingly photographed film. GRADE--------B
This odd, amusing tale set in pre-Harry Potter times and set in New York City features Eddie Redmayne as a wizard who is a care taker for lots of strange animals. The fanciful tale, STRANGE BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, was written by the author of the Potter novels, J.K. Rowlings, and it is fitfully wondrous. I am mildly curious to see another chapter of this story. My main complaint is that nearly every scene is filmed at night or in a darkened room, or in rainy or snowy weather. I had a headache trying to watch the perpetually darkened screen. GRADE----------B
When a Chinese taxi driver hits a motorcyclist due to his drunken passenger, he helps the injured man to the hospital, but finds himself liable for his medical bills, plunging his family into a desperate downward spiral of destitution, in this film noir thriller that becomes bloodier as it progresses, in OLD STONE . This is a first feature from Johnny Ma and one looks forward to seeing what else he can do. GRADE---------B
She may have a colorful way with costume design and make up, but the LOVE WITCH director needs a better story and better actors. Director/writer Anna Biller certainly creates a look--a pop Technicolor tribute to the hippie 70's, but the story has a woman who uses potions and magic to seduce men into loving her, but this was dull--the men become tiresome to her so she kills them off. Yawn.
GRADE----------D+
______________________Viewed on DVD___________________
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE 2011---Nominated for best picture and best supporting actor (Max von Sydow), this clever, moving drama about a child trying to understand the sudden death of his father during 9/11 turns into a mystery as he tries to find the owner or lock for a key that he thinks his father (Tom Hanks) left for him, since they always played mind games with each other. His desperate mother (Sandra Bullock) tries to break through, as the kid scours New York City, meeting new people and making friends. Wonderfully creative and moving. GRADE-----A
UP 2009---Superior Walt Disney animation with a moving, sentimental story, helped along with dollops of humor by the cranky old man (voiced by Ed Asner.) GRADE-------A
CRIME IN THE STREETS 1956--The promotional cover of the DVD is quite lurid--so that I forgot that I'd seen this film about 2 years earlier. James Whitmore plays a social worker who tries to defend and defuse some angry teenagers in a very poor part of town. They are well played by a young John Cassavettes, future director Mark Rydell and the wonderful Sal Mineo as "Baby." GRADE----B+
RANDOM HARVEST 1942--Sentimental drama about a man who wakes up after an accident having had amnesia, returns home to his wealthy lifestyle, forgetting all about the family he had started with Greer Garson for many years earlier. Pleasant enough tear-jerker. GRADE------B
SARAH'S KEY 2010--A young boy is left locked in a closet when the Nazis pickup his family. Decades later, the new owner (Kristen Scott Thomas) of the apartment feels compelled to trace the family roots and discovers some disturbing issues, including her own reservations towards her family. GRADE-------B
THE RAT RACE-2001--When I first saw this 15 years ago, I remember laughing a lot, but I couldn't remember anything about the plot or characters except Rowan Atkinson's weird Italian accent. Watching it recently, the first 20 minutes is deadly dull, but if you stick around to the start of the race (all contestants are racing to get to a bag of 2 million dollars first) things pick up for some zany slapstick fun. The funny ensemble cast includes Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr. Seth Green, John Cleese, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Nijamy, Dave Thomas, Wayne Knight, and many more, and most of them have some very very funny slapstick moments. If you get in the mood, the last hour is a hoot. (It is sort of a funnier, shorter version of IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD....) GRADE-------B
THIS CHRISTMAS 2007--A smooth comic version of the family gathering for a Christmas celebration with the son with a secret, another son with a secret talent, the mother with a decision to make, a daughter with an unfaithful husband, etc, and it is all blended together with some copious Christmas carols and hymns in the background. With Chris Brown (singing the title song, natch) and Idris Elba, Delroy Lindo, Loretta Devine, Regina King, Lupe Ontiveros and others, all likeable and charming at times. GRADE--------B
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING 2007--An older writer with a mental block (Frank Langella) befriends a young scholar who wants to write his biography (Lauren Ambrose), while his daughter (Lili Taylor) has her own issues. Set in academia, this is a smart thoughtful character study. Langella is superb. GRADE----------B
THE INVITATION 1952--Father tries to buy a husband (Van Johnson) for his ailing daughter (Dorothy McGuire) but friend (Ruth Roman) tries to block the deal. Not bad, although the title didn't remind me of the plot. GRADE-------B
WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? 1985--Made for British TV, this Agatha Christie thriller is mildly interesting and intriguing for a murder mystery. GRADE-------B-
CLUE 1985--This old murder mystery chestnut based on the board game has some fun with the characters, and this version featured all three ending. Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn, Colleen Camp, Micheal McKean, Eileen Brennan and Tim Curry as well as others all seem to be having a very funny time. GRADE---------B-
THE REVOLT OF MAMIE STOVER 1956--Jane Russell is run out of San Francisco (!) in the mid-40s for prostitution (!) and ends up in Honolulu where she works as a "dancer" and falls for writer Richard Eagan, who treats her with respect, while also keeping another respectable woman friend on the side. All this just before the Pearl Harbor attack. Pic looks good in CinemaScope and Technicolor and is not exactly boring. Agnes Moorhead plays the "Madam" of the dance club, and the film is quite watchable, if a bit peculiar. GRADE--------B-
SEA WIFE 1957--Richard Burton and Joan Collins survive a sinking ship during wartime and end up on a raft together with two other men. Burton falls for her and nick names her "sea wife"--not realizing that she is a nun. The big surprise here is that Collins steals the movie from Burton! GRADE-------C+
ARMORED CAR ROBBERY 1950--A nifty film noir outing with a ruthless cop on the trail of heartless thieves. Minor but effective. GRADE-----C+
THE MACKINTOSH MAN 1973---Low key spy thriller with Paul Newman and Dominique Sanda and James Mason, with an unfortunately dull ending. Considering the talent and the director John Huston, this film is easy to watch, but a let down nonetheless. GRADE------C+
HOLIDAY HEART 2000--A good hearted drag queen takes in a drug addicted woman and tries to help raise her daughter. Alfre Woodard has some fine moments as the mother, but the film made me wince at times, and Ving Rhames singing as a drag queen--just not believable!!!!!!
RALLY ROUND THE FLAG BOYS 1958--Based on a popular novel at the time, the first 45 minutes of this film bored the tears out of me, and I kept watching mainly because Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman, Joan Collins, Tuesday Weld and Jack Carson have all been better in other roles. Finally the film started to gain some humor and wit and there were some goofy, funny scenes to be sure, but I hope never to watch this one again. GRADE------------C
SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPATE 1947--This murder mystery has been filmed three times, but I'm not sure it was worth being filmed once. The action is flat and comically odd. Nothing really memorable occurs, and the actors, though pleasant, were unmemorable. GRADE------C
AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL 1951--Based on a stage play, this "comedy" felt more like a vanity role for Monty Wooley, who is fired from his job at age 65, so he contacts the president of the company that owns his company, and manages to get his job back. Yawn. Even the charm of an early Marilyn Monroe, and David Wayne and Thelma Ritter couldn't breathe much life into this one. GRADE----------C
Painful guilt and regret steep the well acted MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, as a sudden death forces a young middle aged man (an excellent Casey Affleck) back to his hometown to organize his older brother's funeral, and face his demons. He is also named the guardian of his teen aged nephew, a task that he vehemently rejects, and must also confront his ex-wife (a translucent Michelle Williams.) As his history unfolds, it becomes evident what ghosts haunt his past. The film is written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan who wrote and directed the moving film YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (2000) but I'm partial to his last nearly unseen film MARGARET (2011) about a teen who witnesses a tragic accident and tries to set thing right but is met with road blocks by the adults around her. That film is some kind of masterpiece which has haunted me for nearly five years...............GRADE-------B+
The great two time Oscar winning director Ang Lee has once again impressed me with BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK, adapted from a best selling novel about a young soldier home on temporary leave who is showered with praise for his role in a horrible battle in Iraq and must tour the country to accept the (sometimes) vacant praise of his public. The story makes a number of vivid, shocking points regarding the pointlessness of war and the abuse soldiers can receive from the public. Ang used a higher frames per second technique and has been criticized for using it for what is basically a drama (not a science fiction blockbuster, apparently) but in most theatres that technique is not so noticeable (only three theatres in the world were equipped to project it to greatest effect) , and I give him kudos for experimenting such a potentially important visual effect. Kristen Stewart is very effective in a small role as his sister, and the film, which has not done much business in the United States, is about the trials of veterans of the Iraq war--not a popular subject for Americans. Too bad, because it is a smart, engrossing, disturbing film. GRADE--------B+
Based on a true story, LOVING is a well acted, low key telling of an interracial couple in the early 1960's who must fight for the right to marry in Virginia just prior to the equal rights laws that were adapted shortly thereafter. The chemistry between Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton really keep the viewer involved. GRADE------------B+
Watching the new Star Wars Story ROGUE ONE, it felt like wrapping up in a warm soft blanket by a fireplace, reading a lovely old novel. The film is just as engaging as any other STAR WARS film, and of course, the pacing, editing, music and set design are all first rate. Fans will be happy. GRADE-----------B+
The new science fiction film PASSENGERS plays like a deep space chamber drama for four people, with some humor and romance thrown in for good measure. The first half works the best, as traveler Chris Pratt is accidentally woken from what was supposed to be a 90 year nap while traveling to another world, but he finds his life aboard the empty vessel to be very lonely. A year later when another passenger (Jennifer Lawrence) wakes, the two begin what seems like an idyllic life together, until the truth about how they were awaken threatens their love and life. It is a small film, but I enjoyed the special effects and tension created by the lonely life in deep space. GRADE----------B+
Some of it may feel a bit calculated, but there is no denying that Jessica Chastain inhabits her new role as MISS SLOANE, a high profile lobbyist who wins a lot. When she starts a new high profile case, the film twists and turns in a very entertaining fashion and the thriller ends in a surprising manner. GRADE-----B
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard are pretty, movie star like characters in the slick, World War II thriller ALLIED that is easy to watch, but I wish it was even better. Soldier Pitt suspects his wife may be a German spy, and the action and suspense keep you watching this lovingly photographed film. GRADE--------B
This odd, amusing tale set in pre-Harry Potter times and set in New York City features Eddie Redmayne as a wizard who is a care taker for lots of strange animals. The fanciful tale, STRANGE BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, was written by the author of the Potter novels, J.K. Rowlings, and it is fitfully wondrous. I am mildly curious to see another chapter of this story. My main complaint is that nearly every scene is filmed at night or in a darkened room, or in rainy or snowy weather. I had a headache trying to watch the perpetually darkened screen. GRADE----------B
When a Chinese taxi driver hits a motorcyclist due to his drunken passenger, he helps the injured man to the hospital, but finds himself liable for his medical bills, plunging his family into a desperate downward spiral of destitution, in this film noir thriller that becomes bloodier as it progresses, in OLD STONE . This is a first feature from Johnny Ma and one looks forward to seeing what else he can do. GRADE---------B
She may have a colorful way with costume design and make up, but the LOVE WITCH director needs a better story and better actors. Director/writer Anna Biller certainly creates a look--a pop Technicolor tribute to the hippie 70's, but the story has a woman who uses potions and magic to seduce men into loving her, but this was dull--the men become tiresome to her so she kills them off. Yawn.
GRADE----------D+
______________________Viewed on DVD___________________
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE 2011---Nominated for best picture and best supporting actor (Max von Sydow), this clever, moving drama about a child trying to understand the sudden death of his father during 9/11 turns into a mystery as he tries to find the owner or lock for a key that he thinks his father (Tom Hanks) left for him, since they always played mind games with each other. His desperate mother (Sandra Bullock) tries to break through, as the kid scours New York City, meeting new people and making friends. Wonderfully creative and moving. GRADE-----A
UP 2009---Superior Walt Disney animation with a moving, sentimental story, helped along with dollops of humor by the cranky old man (voiced by Ed Asner.) GRADE-------A
CRIME IN THE STREETS 1956--The promotional cover of the DVD is quite lurid--so that I forgot that I'd seen this film about 2 years earlier. James Whitmore plays a social worker who tries to defend and defuse some angry teenagers in a very poor part of town. They are well played by a young John Cassavettes, future director Mark Rydell and the wonderful Sal Mineo as "Baby." GRADE----B+
RANDOM HARVEST 1942--Sentimental drama about a man who wakes up after an accident having had amnesia, returns home to his wealthy lifestyle, forgetting all about the family he had started with Greer Garson for many years earlier. Pleasant enough tear-jerker. GRADE------B
SARAH'S KEY 2010--A young boy is left locked in a closet when the Nazis pickup his family. Decades later, the new owner (Kristen Scott Thomas) of the apartment feels compelled to trace the family roots and discovers some disturbing issues, including her own reservations towards her family. GRADE-------B
THE RAT RACE-2001--When I first saw this 15 years ago, I remember laughing a lot, but I couldn't remember anything about the plot or characters except Rowan Atkinson's weird Italian accent. Watching it recently, the first 20 minutes is deadly dull, but if you stick around to the start of the race (all contestants are racing to get to a bag of 2 million dollars first) things pick up for some zany slapstick fun. The funny ensemble cast includes Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr. Seth Green, John Cleese, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Nijamy, Dave Thomas, Wayne Knight, and many more, and most of them have some very very funny slapstick moments. If you get in the mood, the last hour is a hoot. (It is sort of a funnier, shorter version of IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD....) GRADE-------B
THIS CHRISTMAS 2007--A smooth comic version of the family gathering for a Christmas celebration with the son with a secret, another son with a secret talent, the mother with a decision to make, a daughter with an unfaithful husband, etc, and it is all blended together with some copious Christmas carols and hymns in the background. With Chris Brown (singing the title song, natch) and Idris Elba, Delroy Lindo, Loretta Devine, Regina King, Lupe Ontiveros and others, all likeable and charming at times. GRADE--------B
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING 2007--An older writer with a mental block (Frank Langella) befriends a young scholar who wants to write his biography (Lauren Ambrose), while his daughter (Lili Taylor) has her own issues. Set in academia, this is a smart thoughtful character study. Langella is superb. GRADE----------B
THE INVITATION 1952--Father tries to buy a husband (Van Johnson) for his ailing daughter (Dorothy McGuire) but friend (Ruth Roman) tries to block the deal. Not bad, although the title didn't remind me of the plot. GRADE-------B
WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? 1985--Made for British TV, this Agatha Christie thriller is mildly interesting and intriguing for a murder mystery. GRADE-------B-
CLUE 1985--This old murder mystery chestnut based on the board game has some fun with the characters, and this version featured all three ending. Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn, Colleen Camp, Micheal McKean, Eileen Brennan and Tim Curry as well as others all seem to be having a very funny time. GRADE---------B-
THE REVOLT OF MAMIE STOVER 1956--Jane Russell is run out of San Francisco (!) in the mid-40s for prostitution (!) and ends up in Honolulu where she works as a "dancer" and falls for writer Richard Eagan, who treats her with respect, while also keeping another respectable woman friend on the side. All this just before the Pearl Harbor attack. Pic looks good in CinemaScope and Technicolor and is not exactly boring. Agnes Moorhead plays the "Madam" of the dance club, and the film is quite watchable, if a bit peculiar. GRADE--------B-
SEA WIFE 1957--Richard Burton and Joan Collins survive a sinking ship during wartime and end up on a raft together with two other men. Burton falls for her and nick names her "sea wife"--not realizing that she is a nun. The big surprise here is that Collins steals the movie from Burton! GRADE-------C+
ARMORED CAR ROBBERY 1950--A nifty film noir outing with a ruthless cop on the trail of heartless thieves. Minor but effective. GRADE-----C+
THE MACKINTOSH MAN 1973---Low key spy thriller with Paul Newman and Dominique Sanda and James Mason, with an unfortunately dull ending. Considering the talent and the director John Huston, this film is easy to watch, but a let down nonetheless. GRADE------C+
HOLIDAY HEART 2000--A good hearted drag queen takes in a drug addicted woman and tries to help raise her daughter. Alfre Woodard has some fine moments as the mother, but the film made me wince at times, and Ving Rhames singing as a drag queen--just not believable!!!!!!
RALLY ROUND THE FLAG BOYS 1958--Based on a popular novel at the time, the first 45 minutes of this film bored the tears out of me, and I kept watching mainly because Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman, Joan Collins, Tuesday Weld and Jack Carson have all been better in other roles. Finally the film started to gain some humor and wit and there were some goofy, funny scenes to be sure, but I hope never to watch this one again. GRADE------------C
SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPATE 1947--This murder mystery has been filmed three times, but I'm not sure it was worth being filmed once. The action is flat and comically odd. Nothing really memorable occurs, and the actors, though pleasant, were unmemorable. GRADE------C
AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL 1951--Based on a stage play, this "comedy" felt more like a vanity role for Monty Wooley, who is fired from his job at age 65, so he contacts the president of the company that owns his company, and manages to get his job back. Yawn. Even the charm of an early Marilyn Monroe, and David Wayne and Thelma Ritter couldn't breathe much life into this one. GRADE----------C
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
MOONLIGHT, TOWER, AQUARIUS, THE ARRIVAL, DOCTOR STRANGE, THE HANDMAIDEN, THE MAGNIFICANT SEVEN (2016), DENIAL, TANNA, CLOSET MONSTER plus on DVD-- ALFIE (1967), THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET, GLASS MENAGERIE (1973), MARTY and COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA
In August 1966 a mad man with rifle arrived atop a TOWER at the University of Texas and for 90 minutes terrorized the campus with sniper shots, killing and wounding dozens of people in one of the first mass shootings in this country, and this unusual and insightful film tells that story in an incredible mixture of live photography, rotoscopic animation, interviews and dramatized interactions. The film is fascinating as it shows the courage, hope, teamwork and pain of the dozens of bystanders and victims, as well as dealing with the guilt of many of the survivors. It is a remarkable achievement that fills you with anxiety, wonder, encouragement, and yes, terror. I'd call TOWER a documentary, but it feels so personal and fascinating that it could be a terrific drama. This is one of the year's finest films in any case. GRADE------------------A
This introspective three part film MOONLIGHT about a sensitive black child growing to teen hood and then to adulthood in an impoverished south Florida town as he deals with bullying, toxic masculinity, drugs, sex, love and wanting to fit in, is filmed in a lyrical, poetic fashion, and feels, many weeks after viewing, like some sort of miracle masterpiece---one that we haven't ever seen before in cinema. This film, along with TOWER, AQUARIUS and the forthcoming British film I, DANIEL BLAKE form my four favorite films of the year so far. Each deals with man's inhumanity towards man, but personalizes these themes to become hopeful, humanistic visions of the best society could be. Don't be afraid to see MOONLIGHT because of subject matter, because it will inspire and move you. GRADE---------------A-
Set in Recife, South America, this engrossing character study film AQUARIUS is blessed with a dominatingly subtle lead performance by the great Sonia Braga, who in her late sixties finds herself alone in an ocean side apartment complex--the other tenants have been slowly forced out by the devious actions of the new contractor/developer who want to tear it down for a new, glamorous high rise. The film starts with a long prologue where the lead is engagingly played by a surprisingly effective woman in her twenties (excellent casting!)--we don't meet Braga for nearly 30 minutes, but when we do, we know all we need to know about her history and temperament. The film is a likeable slow burn, but many scenes are very memorable and there are some very surprising developments. But the film belongs to Sonia Braga (DONA FLOR and HER TWO HUSBANDS 1976, KISS OF SPIDER WOMAN 1985, MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR 1988 etc) and this is her greatest cinematic moment. GRADE---------A-
Aliens have landed on earth, and now we have to figure out how to communicate with them, in the new sci-fi film THE ARRIVAL. Taken from the point of view of the lead linguistic doctor, and played with understated effectiveness by Amy Adams, the engrossing film is one of the better thinking person's science fiction experiences, and a surprise (although not illogical) ending make this film one to see on the big screen. Well directed by Denis Vileneuve (SICARIO 2015 and PRISONERS 2013.) GRADE-----------B+
Compelling and at times a bit bizarre, the new film by Chan Wook Park (STOKER 2013, LADY VENGEANCE 2005, OLD BOY 2003) is an exquisitely filmed story based on the Sarah Waters novel FINGERSMITH, now called THE HANDMAIDEN and set in Japan and Korea. There are a number of twists as a man and woman attempt to defraud a very wealthy lady of her inheritance. This three part film, with some overlapping action in each part, is a heady mixture of horror, sensuality, and criminality, with a mixture of lush settings, beautiful costumes and well acted performances. A droll, satisfying experience for the experienced film goer--others might be shocked. GRADE--------------B+
Thankfully a new Marvel Comic Book character has arrived, and the new film DR. STRANGE is an instant success. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, this film starts us at the beginning of his story. He's a brilliant but egotistical surgeon (natch!) who is involved in a deadly car crash that mangles his hands. (I mean really, shouldn't he know better than to be messing on his smart phone computer while driving in the pouring rain on a twisty highway while speeding!!!!!!!!) Tilda Swinton plays the master
Ancient One who teaches him how to harness his metaphysical powers (!) and soon he's off fighting the bad guys who want to destroy the world. Cumberbatch is sardonic and compelling, the film doesn't take itself too seriously, and the special effects of a city folding up on itself felt borrowed from INCEPTION, but in a good way. It's not perfect, but I sure enjoyed it more than THE GREEN LANTERN and the nasty DEADPOOL. I'm ready for the next installment, please. GRADE--------B+
Based on a true story about a Holocaust denier who sues a writer for libel when she criticizes his opinion that the Holocaust never happened, DENIAL is engrossing and well cast with Rachael Reisz as the author, Tom Wilkinson as a lawyer and an odd Timothy Spall as a fascist denier. The film works in fits and starts, but I wish the film had been more dramatically effective by the end. GRADE----------B
A lively, creative Canadian film about a questioning young man with a cruel, violent father, CLOSET MONSTER is technically rough around the edges, but engaging enough. Our hero wants to be a special effects make up artist, but he needs to keep his sexuality a secret from dad. When he falls for a co worker his world starts to unravel. His only female friend helps, and he talks to his gerbil for guidance (voiced by Isabella Rossellini). This first time director shows promise. GRADE----B
Filmed in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, this exotic version of ROMEO AND JULIET called TANNA, may not have the beautiful Shakespearean language but the film is pleasingly effective and has stunning photography, and the completely amateur cast is very good. GRADE----------B
It's got a fine cast and the new MAGNIFICENT SEVEN looks good, but the action becomes stogy and the film suffers in comparison to the original THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960). Certainly watchable if you have enough popcorn, but a disappointment nonetheless. Best cast members are the underplaying of Denzel Washington, the over playing of Vincent D'Onofrio, and the just right likeability of Chris Pratt. The other characters have their moments, but barely register in the long run. GRADE-----B-
Actors Boyd Holbrook and Elizabeth Moss are fine as two characters who are in separate prisons, in THE FREE WORLD. Holbrook has just been released from prison, trying to make a life for himself. He tries to befriend Moss who is trapped in an abusive marriage, and may be a murderer. To me the plot felt too predictably contrived, and it just gets more unbelievable by the end. GRADE--------C+
The following films were viewed on DVD------------------------------------------------
THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET (2013)--Possibly the most awkwardly forgettable title in years, this quirky comedy drama tells of a young genius 10 year old boy who takes a road trip from Montana to the Smithsonian Museum to collect a Baird Prize for inventing a perpetual motion machine. He has a very moody and unusual family, and carries with him a very dark secret. Directed with his usual creative flair by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (AMELIE 2001), this film is a splendid mixture of drama/ comedy/ tragedy and heart. The excellent cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis, Callum Keigh Rennie and young Kyle Catlett . GRADE-------A-
ALFIE (1966)--Excellent comedy/drama was Michael Caine's first leading role, and he runs with it, playing a cad who seduces woman (for pleasure and money) and then moves on, not really engaging in a relationship of any depth. You see his sadness and emptiness, even as he is being cavalier and unemotional. (He constantly speaks directly to the camera.) His "birds" include Vivien Merchant, Millicent Martin, and others, until he meets his match in the sexy, older woman--played with sly aplomb by Shelley Winters. GRADE-----------A-
MARTY (1955)--Based on a stage play about an average Joe--called Marty, who is looking for love but he knows he is short and fat and ugly. One night he accidentally meets a simple plain woman who is also looking for love and they click. The supporting characters are marvelous including his mother, brother and sister in law, and his slacker friends. It's a touching story, well acted, and Ernest Borgnine won the best actor Oscar for it. GRADE--------B+
COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA (1952)--Also based on a stage play, this is an Oscar winning vehicle for the best actress Oscar which went to Shirley Booth, who plays the annoyingly positive, patience, over weight wife to alcoholic husband Burt Lancaster. The film also featured a large supporting role for Richard Jaeckel who plays a cocky high school athlete, even though he'd been in several films since 1942--his youthful face had him playing teens for nearly 20 years beyond his teen years. GRADE---------B+
THE GLASS MENAGERIE (1973)--This made for TV film has an interesting take on the mother character, played by the always fascinating Katherine Hepburn, and Sam Waterston, Michael Moriarty and Joanna Miles are all in top form in this Tennessee Williams play about a controlling mother trying to find love for her handicapped daughter and career success for her poet writing son. Moriarty is especially effective as the "gentleman caller" who manages to lift Miles out of her shyness, if only for an hour. The dramatic set up is simple, but the writing so magnificent that I remembered lines from this play that I hadn't seen or read for over 40 years. GRADE--------B+
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (1948)--Here's an unabashedly romantic story of lost and unrequited love, told mostly in flashback. Joan Fontaine is effective as a teen girl who lives next to a concert pianist Louis Jordan. She follows his career, and eventually has a brief tryst with him, although he does not know her name. When they must separate due to a long concert tour, he does not return to her so she marries another man because she is pregnant. Tears, anguish, forgotten love, faithfulness,---this film has it all. GRADE-----------B
BLACK WORK (2015)--This compelling British made for TV movie tells of a police woman who tries to find out who killed her deep under cover detective husband because she's getting no help from the station she works for. There were times when the coincidences piled up, but the film moves right along and offers some shocking surprises along the way. GRADE-------B
ARABESQUE (1966)--Gregory Peck plays an hieroglyphics expert recruited to decode a message that puts him in the mix of international intrigue and danger, in the silly chase film that tries hard to capture the thrills and laughter of director Stanley Donen and writer Peter Stone's earlier superior film CHARADE, which I truly love. The only thing that really captured my attention in this lame adventure was the beautiful Sophia Loren, who brightened every scene for me, in spite of a few laughs and modest thrills. GRADE--------C+
SUFFRAGETTE (2015)--Based on real events, this dour, grim film tells the story of a married mother who gives up her family life for the struggle for women to vote in the early part of the 20th century in London. Carey Mulligan is very serious as the lead, and Helena Bonham Carter adds some quirkiness to her character. Meryl Streep appears very briefly but effectively as the Mother of the movement. The ending surprised me--spoiler alert!!!--it might have made more sense to base the film from the point of view of the tragic suffragette than the Mulligan character. GRADE------C+
MURDER BY DEATH (1976)--The gags and jokes are hit and miss in this comedy thriller that spoofs a number of sleuths as they try to figure out the murders arranged by their eccentric host played by Truman Capote. Peter Falk, Elsa Lancaster, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Eileen Brennan, Peter Sellars, Alec Guiness and others each have their moments, but the script by Neil Simon is full of racist, sexist, homophobic jokes that are mostly very unfunny, and the funny ones make you groan or feel guilty for enjoying them. The finale is particularly lame. There is some cleverness to the idea of the spoof, so it's all the more sad that so much of it doesn't work. GRADE------C
This introspective three part film MOONLIGHT about a sensitive black child growing to teen hood and then to adulthood in an impoverished south Florida town as he deals with bullying, toxic masculinity, drugs, sex, love and wanting to fit in, is filmed in a lyrical, poetic fashion, and feels, many weeks after viewing, like some sort of miracle masterpiece---one that we haven't ever seen before in cinema. This film, along with TOWER, AQUARIUS and the forthcoming British film I, DANIEL BLAKE form my four favorite films of the year so far. Each deals with man's inhumanity towards man, but personalizes these themes to become hopeful, humanistic visions of the best society could be. Don't be afraid to see MOONLIGHT because of subject matter, because it will inspire and move you. GRADE---------------A-
Set in Recife, South America, this engrossing character study film AQUARIUS is blessed with a dominatingly subtle lead performance by the great Sonia Braga, who in her late sixties finds herself alone in an ocean side apartment complex--the other tenants have been slowly forced out by the devious actions of the new contractor/developer who want to tear it down for a new, glamorous high rise. The film starts with a long prologue where the lead is engagingly played by a surprisingly effective woman in her twenties (excellent casting!)--we don't meet Braga for nearly 30 minutes, but when we do, we know all we need to know about her history and temperament. The film is a likeable slow burn, but many scenes are very memorable and there are some very surprising developments. But the film belongs to Sonia Braga (DONA FLOR and HER TWO HUSBANDS 1976, KISS OF SPIDER WOMAN 1985, MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR 1988 etc) and this is her greatest cinematic moment. GRADE---------A-
Aliens have landed on earth, and now we have to figure out how to communicate with them, in the new sci-fi film THE ARRIVAL. Taken from the point of view of the lead linguistic doctor, and played with understated effectiveness by Amy Adams, the engrossing film is one of the better thinking person's science fiction experiences, and a surprise (although not illogical) ending make this film one to see on the big screen. Well directed by Denis Vileneuve (SICARIO 2015 and PRISONERS 2013.) GRADE-----------B+
Compelling and at times a bit bizarre, the new film by Chan Wook Park (STOKER 2013, LADY VENGEANCE 2005, OLD BOY 2003) is an exquisitely filmed story based on the Sarah Waters novel FINGERSMITH, now called THE HANDMAIDEN and set in Japan and Korea. There are a number of twists as a man and woman attempt to defraud a very wealthy lady of her inheritance. This three part film, with some overlapping action in each part, is a heady mixture of horror, sensuality, and criminality, with a mixture of lush settings, beautiful costumes and well acted performances. A droll, satisfying experience for the experienced film goer--others might be shocked. GRADE--------------B+
Thankfully a new Marvel Comic Book character has arrived, and the new film DR. STRANGE is an instant success. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, this film starts us at the beginning of his story. He's a brilliant but egotistical surgeon (natch!) who is involved in a deadly car crash that mangles his hands. (I mean really, shouldn't he know better than to be messing on his smart phone computer while driving in the pouring rain on a twisty highway while speeding!!!!!!!!) Tilda Swinton plays the master
Ancient One who teaches him how to harness his metaphysical powers (!) and soon he's off fighting the bad guys who want to destroy the world. Cumberbatch is sardonic and compelling, the film doesn't take itself too seriously, and the special effects of a city folding up on itself felt borrowed from INCEPTION, but in a good way. It's not perfect, but I sure enjoyed it more than THE GREEN LANTERN and the nasty DEADPOOL. I'm ready for the next installment, please. GRADE--------B+
Based on a true story about a Holocaust denier who sues a writer for libel when she criticizes his opinion that the Holocaust never happened, DENIAL is engrossing and well cast with Rachael Reisz as the author, Tom Wilkinson as a lawyer and an odd Timothy Spall as a fascist denier. The film works in fits and starts, but I wish the film had been more dramatically effective by the end. GRADE----------B
A lively, creative Canadian film about a questioning young man with a cruel, violent father, CLOSET MONSTER is technically rough around the edges, but engaging enough. Our hero wants to be a special effects make up artist, but he needs to keep his sexuality a secret from dad. When he falls for a co worker his world starts to unravel. His only female friend helps, and he talks to his gerbil for guidance (voiced by Isabella Rossellini). This first time director shows promise. GRADE----B
Filmed in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, this exotic version of ROMEO AND JULIET called TANNA, may not have the beautiful Shakespearean language but the film is pleasingly effective and has stunning photography, and the completely amateur cast is very good. GRADE----------B
It's got a fine cast and the new MAGNIFICENT SEVEN looks good, but the action becomes stogy and the film suffers in comparison to the original THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960). Certainly watchable if you have enough popcorn, but a disappointment nonetheless. Best cast members are the underplaying of Denzel Washington, the over playing of Vincent D'Onofrio, and the just right likeability of Chris Pratt. The other characters have their moments, but barely register in the long run. GRADE-----B-
Actors Boyd Holbrook and Elizabeth Moss are fine as two characters who are in separate prisons, in THE FREE WORLD. Holbrook has just been released from prison, trying to make a life for himself. He tries to befriend Moss who is trapped in an abusive marriage, and may be a murderer. To me the plot felt too predictably contrived, and it just gets more unbelievable by the end. GRADE--------C+
The following films were viewed on DVD------------------------------------------------
THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET (2013)--Possibly the most awkwardly forgettable title in years, this quirky comedy drama tells of a young genius 10 year old boy who takes a road trip from Montana to the Smithsonian Museum to collect a Baird Prize for inventing a perpetual motion machine. He has a very moody and unusual family, and carries with him a very dark secret. Directed with his usual creative flair by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (AMELIE 2001), this film is a splendid mixture of drama/ comedy/ tragedy and heart. The excellent cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis, Callum Keigh Rennie and young Kyle Catlett . GRADE-------A-
ALFIE (1966)--Excellent comedy/drama was Michael Caine's first leading role, and he runs with it, playing a cad who seduces woman (for pleasure and money) and then moves on, not really engaging in a relationship of any depth. You see his sadness and emptiness, even as he is being cavalier and unemotional. (He constantly speaks directly to the camera.) His "birds" include Vivien Merchant, Millicent Martin, and others, until he meets his match in the sexy, older woman--played with sly aplomb by Shelley Winters. GRADE-----------A-
MARTY (1955)--Based on a stage play about an average Joe--called Marty, who is looking for love but he knows he is short and fat and ugly. One night he accidentally meets a simple plain woman who is also looking for love and they click. The supporting characters are marvelous including his mother, brother and sister in law, and his slacker friends. It's a touching story, well acted, and Ernest Borgnine won the best actor Oscar for it. GRADE--------B+
COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA (1952)--Also based on a stage play, this is an Oscar winning vehicle for the best actress Oscar which went to Shirley Booth, who plays the annoyingly positive, patience, over weight wife to alcoholic husband Burt Lancaster. The film also featured a large supporting role for Richard Jaeckel who plays a cocky high school athlete, even though he'd been in several films since 1942--his youthful face had him playing teens for nearly 20 years beyond his teen years. GRADE---------B+
THE GLASS MENAGERIE (1973)--This made for TV film has an interesting take on the mother character, played by the always fascinating Katherine Hepburn, and Sam Waterston, Michael Moriarty and Joanna Miles are all in top form in this Tennessee Williams play about a controlling mother trying to find love for her handicapped daughter and career success for her poet writing son. Moriarty is especially effective as the "gentleman caller" who manages to lift Miles out of her shyness, if only for an hour. The dramatic set up is simple, but the writing so magnificent that I remembered lines from this play that I hadn't seen or read for over 40 years. GRADE--------B+
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (1948)--Here's an unabashedly romantic story of lost and unrequited love, told mostly in flashback. Joan Fontaine is effective as a teen girl who lives next to a concert pianist Louis Jordan. She follows his career, and eventually has a brief tryst with him, although he does not know her name. When they must separate due to a long concert tour, he does not return to her so she marries another man because she is pregnant. Tears, anguish, forgotten love, faithfulness,---this film has it all. GRADE-----------B
BLACK WORK (2015)--This compelling British made for TV movie tells of a police woman who tries to find out who killed her deep under cover detective husband because she's getting no help from the station she works for. There were times when the coincidences piled up, but the film moves right along and offers some shocking surprises along the way. GRADE-------B
ARABESQUE (1966)--Gregory Peck plays an hieroglyphics expert recruited to decode a message that puts him in the mix of international intrigue and danger, in the silly chase film that tries hard to capture the thrills and laughter of director Stanley Donen and writer Peter Stone's earlier superior film CHARADE, which I truly love. The only thing that really captured my attention in this lame adventure was the beautiful Sophia Loren, who brightened every scene for me, in spite of a few laughs and modest thrills. GRADE--------C+
SUFFRAGETTE (2015)--Based on real events, this dour, grim film tells the story of a married mother who gives up her family life for the struggle for women to vote in the early part of the 20th century in London. Carey Mulligan is very serious as the lead, and Helena Bonham Carter adds some quirkiness to her character. Meryl Streep appears very briefly but effectively as the Mother of the movement. The ending surprised me--spoiler alert!!!--it might have made more sense to base the film from the point of view of the tragic suffragette than the Mulligan character. GRADE------C+
MURDER BY DEATH (1976)--The gags and jokes are hit and miss in this comedy thriller that spoofs a number of sleuths as they try to figure out the murders arranged by their eccentric host played by Truman Capote. Peter Falk, Elsa Lancaster, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Eileen Brennan, Peter Sellars, Alec Guiness and others each have their moments, but the script by Neil Simon is full of racist, sexist, homophobic jokes that are mostly very unfunny, and the funny ones make you groan or feel guilty for enjoying them. The finale is particularly lame. There is some cleverness to the idea of the spoof, so it's all the more sad that so much of it doesn't work. GRADE------C
Thursday, October 20, 2016
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, GIRL ON A TRAIN, UNDER THE SHADOW, KEY LARGO, MALTESE FALCON, DESIGNING WOMEN.....
Winner of best picture at this year's SIFF among the Fool Serious Pass Holders is a soulful, emotional film that was shot in the Pacific Northwest, called CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, and featuring a passionate, subtle performance by Viggo Mortensen, who won the SIFF best actor award this year. He plays a counter culture father who has moved his family into the forests of Washington state, and lives completely off the grid, living self sufficiently, trading for goods from crafts his family makes, and killing their own meat, and growing their own vegetables and fruits. When his depressed wife commits suicide while under hospital care, he and his five children venture into society to attend the funeral of their mother, much to the anger of their grandfather, who blames Mortensen for her death. There's a lot of humor, tension, and engaging encounters with society, and the film entertainingly captures the dilemma that the family faces. My only complaint: the director seems to want to use extreme closeups way too often, and also many scenes have an obnoxious hand held jerkiness to them. But this film is an excellent mix of humor, emotion, philosophical sophistication, political discourse, and family relationships. There hasn't been a film this astute (and subversive) since ALICE'S RESTAURANT (Arthur Penn) back in 1969 and Milos Forman's film version of HAIR in 1979. This is one of my FAVORITE films of the year. GRADE---------A-
Based on a world wide best seller (I swear I see at least one woman a day reading this book in public) the new thriller GIRL ON A TRAIN is a slickly engaging murder mystery thriller with solid production values and effective acting. There are some similarities to the last block buster best seller made into a film GONE GIRL two years ago, but TRAIN is more palatable, and certainly less cynical and brutal. There were some coincidences that I felt were a bit much---like how the three main woman characters all share the same psychiatrist.....and he seems to be rather intimately cozy with them all. Also the main male is or has been on intimate terms with all the women at some point or another. (Sorry if I spoil anything....). And it is a bit much that the main character just happens to witness such significant moments from the window of her passing train---I'm lucky to see a jogger or a cyclist when I'm on a train. Still, GIRL ON A TRAIN is entertaining Hollywood pablum that keeps you intrigued to the end, even if you figure it out at the two thirds point. GRADE----------B+
A U.K, Qatar, Jordan co production, UNDER THE SHADOW is set during the Iran-Iraq war, and ramps up the tension by having a mother and daughter under great stress as their city is under siege from flying rocket bombs and their many neighbors are fleeing the apartment building for safer rural areas away from the fighting. With the doctor husband away at the war zone, the wife, who was training to be a doctor herself when a change in regime forced her into a more traditional role, becomes immersed in a local witch craft tale that has evil spirits threatening her child---or is it merely symbolic of the war violence? If you saw the Australian film from a couple years ago called THE BABADOOK, you know that the manifestation of evil can provide many shivering chills and UNDER THE SHADOW connects on many levels of satisfaction for the viewer. GRADE-------B
---------------------------------------
From October 2nd through October 7th I attended the Vancouver International Film Festival. When these films open around the country (like UNDER THE SHADOW above) then I will write about them, but in the meantime, here is a brief listing and rating for some of the better films to watch for:
I, DANIEL BLAKE---a masterpiece of humanist drama by British director Ken Loach--his best. GRADE----A
AQUARIUS--Brazilian film featuring the great Sonia Braga in vivid character study of woman fighting local corruption in housing market. GRADE----A-
JULIETA--the new Spanish film by Pedro Almodovar--another slick melodrama of love and passion, mostly told in a long, emotional flashback. GRADE---B+
PERSONAL SHOPPER--French film by director Oliver Assayas (his best so far) with fascinating performance by Kristen Stewart--a compelling mixture of glamour, psychic suspense, murder mystery and grief. GRADE----B+
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA--Director Kenneth Lonergan's observant, moving drama told with many flashbacks, of the tragic events that keep a man from moving on with his life. GRADE--B+
A QUIET PASSION--Terence Davies film about the life of American poet Emily Dickinson (portrayed gamely by Cynthia Nixon) is belabored and excruciatingly painful to behold. GRADE--D
Other decent films include: MALIGUTIT (SEARCHER)--the new film set in the Arctic by the director of THE FAST RUNNER, THE ORNITHOLOGIST--a kinky Portuguese film by the director of O PHANTASMA, LIFE AFTER LIFE--an allegorical drama from China, and OLD STONE--a Chinese/Canadian production with film noir ambitions.
____________________________________________
The following films were viewed on DVD-------
THE MALTESE FALCON--1941--A convoluted mystery by writer Dashiell Hammett and director John Huston doesn't mar the enjoyment of this Humphrey Bogart classic which features memorable turns by a fey Peter Lorre, a sly Mary Astor, and a droll Sydney Greenstreet. Not nearly as difficult to follow as THE BIG SLEEP. GRADE---- A-
KEY LARGO --1948--Based on a stage play, this atmospheric drama directed by John Huston features a number of hotel workers and guests held captive during a long, intense night by a notorious gangster trying to make a comeback in the United States, all this during a hurricane! Edward G. Robinson is very effective as the cruel Rocco, and Claire Trevor deservedly won a best supporting Oscar as his alcoholic girlfriend. Bogart and Bacall are effective as a stranger who stumbles into the situation and he falls for hotel worker Bacall, who is unusually (and effectively) low key. GRADE----------A-
O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE--1952--Five very effective O. Henry stories are filmed by different actors ( including Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Farley Granger, Charles Laughton, Marilyn Monroe, Dale Robertson, Richard Widmark and others) and directors (including Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks, Henry King and Jean Negulesco. The stories are all funny, touching, dramatic and surprising. The most famous story is last: THE GIFT OF THE MAGI. GRADE--------B+
DESIGNING WOMEN--1957--Colorful comedy has sports writer Gregory Peck meeting and mating and marrying within a few weeks glamorous clothing designer Lauren Bacall. The silly plot has him trying to deny that he ever knew, much less dated a beautiful actress, hired to work with Bacall. The humor did grow on me, and there are a number of wonderfully silly slapstick moments. GRADE----B-
BUONA SERA, MRS CAMPBELL--1968--I just finished reading both Shelley Winters biographies published in the 1980's, and they are both funny and entertaining--among the best I've ever read. I read them 30 years ago, and they still hold up today as evocative and interesting visions of a Hollywood actress and the lifestyles of the glamorous from the mid century. Plus, Winters is a funny, sarcastic, blunt writer, so I've been curious to see some more of her many films. This film is not great, but it has a sparkling comedic cast including along with Winters, Gina Lollobrigida, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, Telly Savalas, Lee Grant, and others, and it has a charming, sexy style. GRADE-----------B-
PETE'S DRAGON--1977--This musical/part animated Disney film featured a gung ho supporting performance by Shelley Winters--she plays a hill-billy type of matriarch who sings and dances and is villainously trying to kidnap Pete back to her side. Singer Helen Reddy is the lead who gets to sing the main hit song Candle on the Water which I actually remembered, and the lively cast includes Red Buttons, Jim Dale, Jim Backus and Mickey Rooney. It's not a great plot, and tiresome at times. GRADE---- C
THE 5TH WAVE--2016--Based on a young adult novel, this dull, cliched science fiction film about the world being taken over by aliens was so boring that I turned it off after one hour. GRADE---D
Based on a world wide best seller (I swear I see at least one woman a day reading this book in public) the new thriller GIRL ON A TRAIN is a slickly engaging murder mystery thriller with solid production values and effective acting. There are some similarities to the last block buster best seller made into a film GONE GIRL two years ago, but TRAIN is more palatable, and certainly less cynical and brutal. There were some coincidences that I felt were a bit much---like how the three main woman characters all share the same psychiatrist.....and he seems to be rather intimately cozy with them all. Also the main male is or has been on intimate terms with all the women at some point or another. (Sorry if I spoil anything....). And it is a bit much that the main character just happens to witness such significant moments from the window of her passing train---I'm lucky to see a jogger or a cyclist when I'm on a train. Still, GIRL ON A TRAIN is entertaining Hollywood pablum that keeps you intrigued to the end, even if you figure it out at the two thirds point. GRADE----------B+
A U.K, Qatar, Jordan co production, UNDER THE SHADOW is set during the Iran-Iraq war, and ramps up the tension by having a mother and daughter under great stress as their city is under siege from flying rocket bombs and their many neighbors are fleeing the apartment building for safer rural areas away from the fighting. With the doctor husband away at the war zone, the wife, who was training to be a doctor herself when a change in regime forced her into a more traditional role, becomes immersed in a local witch craft tale that has evil spirits threatening her child---or is it merely symbolic of the war violence? If you saw the Australian film from a couple years ago called THE BABADOOK, you know that the manifestation of evil can provide many shivering chills and UNDER THE SHADOW connects on many levels of satisfaction for the viewer. GRADE-------B
---------------------------------------
From October 2nd through October 7th I attended the Vancouver International Film Festival. When these films open around the country (like UNDER THE SHADOW above) then I will write about them, but in the meantime, here is a brief listing and rating for some of the better films to watch for:
I, DANIEL BLAKE---a masterpiece of humanist drama by British director Ken Loach--his best. GRADE----A
AQUARIUS--Brazilian film featuring the great Sonia Braga in vivid character study of woman fighting local corruption in housing market. GRADE----A-
JULIETA--the new Spanish film by Pedro Almodovar--another slick melodrama of love and passion, mostly told in a long, emotional flashback. GRADE---B+
PERSONAL SHOPPER--French film by director Oliver Assayas (his best so far) with fascinating performance by Kristen Stewart--a compelling mixture of glamour, psychic suspense, murder mystery and grief. GRADE----B+
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA--Director Kenneth Lonergan's observant, moving drama told with many flashbacks, of the tragic events that keep a man from moving on with his life. GRADE--B+
A QUIET PASSION--Terence Davies film about the life of American poet Emily Dickinson (portrayed gamely by Cynthia Nixon) is belabored and excruciatingly painful to behold. GRADE--D
Other decent films include: MALIGUTIT (SEARCHER)--the new film set in the Arctic by the director of THE FAST RUNNER, THE ORNITHOLOGIST--a kinky Portuguese film by the director of O PHANTASMA, LIFE AFTER LIFE--an allegorical drama from China, and OLD STONE--a Chinese/Canadian production with film noir ambitions.
____________________________________________
The following films were viewed on DVD-------
THE MALTESE FALCON--1941--A convoluted mystery by writer Dashiell Hammett and director John Huston doesn't mar the enjoyment of this Humphrey Bogart classic which features memorable turns by a fey Peter Lorre, a sly Mary Astor, and a droll Sydney Greenstreet. Not nearly as difficult to follow as THE BIG SLEEP. GRADE---- A-
KEY LARGO --1948--Based on a stage play, this atmospheric drama directed by John Huston features a number of hotel workers and guests held captive during a long, intense night by a notorious gangster trying to make a comeback in the United States, all this during a hurricane! Edward G. Robinson is very effective as the cruel Rocco, and Claire Trevor deservedly won a best supporting Oscar as his alcoholic girlfriend. Bogart and Bacall are effective as a stranger who stumbles into the situation and he falls for hotel worker Bacall, who is unusually (and effectively) low key. GRADE----------A-
O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE--1952--Five very effective O. Henry stories are filmed by different actors ( including Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Farley Granger, Charles Laughton, Marilyn Monroe, Dale Robertson, Richard Widmark and others) and directors (including Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks, Henry King and Jean Negulesco. The stories are all funny, touching, dramatic and surprising. The most famous story is last: THE GIFT OF THE MAGI. GRADE--------B+
DESIGNING WOMEN--1957--Colorful comedy has sports writer Gregory Peck meeting and mating and marrying within a few weeks glamorous clothing designer Lauren Bacall. The silly plot has him trying to deny that he ever knew, much less dated a beautiful actress, hired to work with Bacall. The humor did grow on me, and there are a number of wonderfully silly slapstick moments. GRADE----B-
BUONA SERA, MRS CAMPBELL--1968--I just finished reading both Shelley Winters biographies published in the 1980's, and they are both funny and entertaining--among the best I've ever read. I read them 30 years ago, and they still hold up today as evocative and interesting visions of a Hollywood actress and the lifestyles of the glamorous from the mid century. Plus, Winters is a funny, sarcastic, blunt writer, so I've been curious to see some more of her many films. This film is not great, but it has a sparkling comedic cast including along with Winters, Gina Lollobrigida, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, Telly Savalas, Lee Grant, and others, and it has a charming, sexy style. GRADE-----------B-
PETE'S DRAGON--1977--This musical/part animated Disney film featured a gung ho supporting performance by Shelley Winters--she plays a hill-billy type of matriarch who sings and dances and is villainously trying to kidnap Pete back to her side. Singer Helen Reddy is the lead who gets to sing the main hit song Candle on the Water which I actually remembered, and the lively cast includes Red Buttons, Jim Dale, Jim Backus and Mickey Rooney. It's not a great plot, and tiresome at times. GRADE---- C
THE 5TH WAVE--2016--Based on a young adult novel, this dull, cliched science fiction film about the world being taken over by aliens was so boring that I turned it off after one hour. GRADE---D
Saturday, October 1, 2016
A MAN CALLED OVE, PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER, BAD MOMS, SULLY, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN, COME WHAT MAY, LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS, OTHER PEOPLE, COMPLETE UNKNOWN, ZOOM, plus Billy Wilder's masterwork SOME LIKE IT HOT plus Bogart and Bacall classics BIG SLEEP, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT, DARK PASSAGE
From SIFF earlier this year comes the Swedish film, based on a popular novel, A MAN CALLED OVE. He's depressed after the recent death of his wife, and spends a number of scenes trying unsuccessfully to commit suicide, being constantly distracted. The film reminded me of HAROLD AND MAUDE at times, but perhaps lighter and funnier, as it flashes back in time to revel much of Ove's history, using two different actors to portray Ove at different times of his life. Rolf Lassgard plays the older cranky man, who won best actor at this year's SIFF, and Filip Berg plays his younger, handsome self, and Viktor Baagoe plays Ove as a child. He meets some new neighbors who manage to pull him out of his depression temporarily, and give the film some moving moments, but the film avoids becoming too sentimental. It's a lovely character study, full of humor, sadness and irony.
GRADE-----------B+
Based on a true story, this thriller, THE PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER which premiered at SIFF in May, tells the story of German Fritz Bauer who hunts down Nazi Adolf Eichmann with the help of the Israeli secret service Mossad, but by doing so may cause him to be committing treason. Actor Burghart Klaussner is so effective as Bauer that I thought he would have a heart attach while portraying this hard driving, smoking, drinking, man with his own secrets. He is riveting, as is the entire supporting cast. GRADE--------B+
Actor Tom Hanks and director Clint Eastwood combine to give us a smooth, engrossing version of the "miracle on the Hudson," the true story of the pilot who landed a disabled plane on the Hudson river without a single loss of life. SULLY may not be a masterpiece, but it compels your attention by careful reconstruction of the before and after moments of what could have been a major tragedy in a quick and matter of fact approach that can only occur with all quality work by all film makers involved. GRADE----------B
Most comedies of late have resorted to becoming as gross and vulgar as possible when it comes to (getting sexual) laughs, and the new film BAD MOMS is no exception. Fortunately, this film also has a very clever and witty script that balances out the outrageous gags with some very profound, witty plotting, and mix with that an all out frontal comic assault by Kathryn Huhn as the more outrageous of the moms, and you have a film that despite some crude sexual humor, is actually quite amusing much of the time. Mila Kunis is a mom at the end of her rope--over worked, under appreciated, and her husband has just been kick out of the house. She feels that she cannot become the perfect mom expected of her (kid's extra curricular activities, lunches, PTA meetings, homework, plus housekeeping, full time work, etc.) and she shares her frustration with Kristen Bell and Huhn, and they all agree to step back from being so overwhelmed, but they butt heads with the domineering head of the PTA (an amusing Christina Applegate) who knows how to get what she wants. There are a few predictable moments, but mostly I laughed throughout much of the film, and have to give it high marks for that reason. GRADE----------B
Based on a popular novel, and directed with his usual flair for weirdness by Tim Burton, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN is a visually fascinating telling of a young teen who loses his grandfather to a mysterious death, only to discover that he has special powers, and must find this "home" despite the misgivings of his parents. I have not read the novel, but I found the plot to be fascinating as it unfolds, and discovering the "talents" of each child was a surprise to me. By the last third, the action takes over the buildup, and the special effects take over. Still, a unique and engrossing film for those who have not read the novel. GRADE------B
A beautifully photographed film (mostly in New Zealand) enhances the story of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS as it tells of a childless light house keeper and his wife on a lonely island who
find a baby in a rowboat, and adopt the child as their own, without reporting this to the nearby village. Several years go by, but one day they realize that the child belongs to a rich woman in the village who had lost her husband and child in a storm on the ocean. The film is a love story and a tragedy, and the two actors involved (recent Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbinder) are extremely effective and affecting (as is the child's biological mother played by Rachael Weisz).
It is easy to see how Vikander and Fassbinder ended up becoming a real life couple during the filming of this story. In spite of my best efforts otherwise, copious tears were flowing from my eyes by the end of this film................. GRADE-------------B
Also premiering at SIFF last May with solid visuals and technically superior in all categories, this French film COME WHAT MAY tells of a small village forced to flee due to advancing Nazi troops. The film balances several story lines, including a father who is imprisoned and must leave his young son behind with strangers. While the set up may be familiar, the film satisfies on many levels, especially what may become one of his last beautifully memorable musical scores by the aging Ennio Morricone. GRADE--------B
From SIFF comes a modest but successful comedy drama of a struggling young gay man who returns to his small town from New York City to help care for his mother (played subtly by comedian Molly Shannon) who is dying of cancer. The title is generic--OTHER PEOPLE--but the film creates some affecting characters and is quite moving at times, and very funny at other times. GRADE------------B-
This SIFF film, COMPLETE UNKNOWN, left me frustrated and bored--it's an intriguing idea that seems to go nowhere. Married man Michael Shannon attends a dinner party where a friend shows up with a woman he seems to recognize, but she denies knowing him. He follows her home and eventually gets her to confess that she is his ex-girl friend, played by Rachael Weisz. There is a lot of talking, and an interesting couple played by Kathy Bates and Danny Glover pop up-- they have just one scene---I'm not sure why, as they could easily be cut from the film. The film ends in an uninteresting, unresolved manner, and I was very impatient with it. GRADE---------D+
From SIFF, this boring juvenile film called ZOOM mixes live action with animation. In fact, top billing is Gael Garcia Bernal who only appears as an animated character suffering from a shrinking penis (no kidding). Smart move to not appear physically, Bernal. The other top billing is Allison Pill who works in a sex doll factory, and is determined to have a gigantic breast implant (which she does!) because she feels inferior to all the sex dolls she makes with her sexist boy friend (no kidding). Other ho hum subplots involve a doll stuffed with heroin and mailed across the border to Canada which must be retrieved. Ugh. Maybe 13 year old boys might find this film amusing, but most of it is smarmy. GRADE-----------D
==========VIEWED on DVD/TV ===================================
SOME LIKE IF HOT (1959)----Certainly one of the best films Billy Wilder ever directed, the best sexiest performance by Marilyn Monroe, the cleverest performance by Tony Curtis, the funniest acting by Jack Lemmon, and the funniest, wittiest comedy every made, this film is a pleasure to watch again and again. "Well.......Nobody's perfect!"--the final line of a perfect comedy. GRADE------A
THE BIG SLEEP(1946)----I've seen this film at least half a dozen times, and each time I swear I'm going to figure out the mystery part, but at the hour mark I give up and just let it happen, as it becomes incredibly convoluted towards the end, and there are actually some plot devices (including a murder) that are never explained. Mostly I enjoy the smart, witty dialogue that engulfs every scene. Here are three of my favorites lines:
Number 1--
Vivian: I don't like your manners.
Marlowe: And I'm not crazy about yours. I didn't ask to see you. I don't mind if you don't like my manners, I don't like them myself. They are pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings.
Number 2--
Marlowe: She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up.
Number 3--
Marlowe: My my my---such a lot of guns around town and so few brains. You know you're the second guy I've met today that seems to think a gat in the hand means the world by the tail.
GRADE-------A-
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944)--This was the first pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, where they fall in love on screen and in real life too. I never seem to remember the plot, something about a boat and moving around freedom fighters, but within 10 minutes I realize that Bogart and Bacall have a very steamy chemistry, and that this is the film that includes the famous line from Bacall---"You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow."
Their chemistry is at it's strongest here, I think. GRADE-----------------B
DARK PASSAGE (1947) This is my first viewing of this odd film. Bogart has just escaped from prison for killing his wife, for which he is innocent. You don't see his face for nearly half the film as he is getting a different face so he won't be caught while he tries to find out who the real killer is. Bacall plays sort of a stalker--a woman who likes him and tries to help him. The plot is weird, with a lot of coincidences with the characters. Bruce Bennett and Agnes Moorehead give nice performances, but I just kept shaking my head at the plot but I wasn't bored........... GRADE---------B
THE WIDOWER (2015)--A PBS mini series in three hours, but I watched it as a single film. This tells the true story of a male nurse who tries to murder all three women he marries to get their insurance. Nothing great stylistically, but the actors are good, especially the lead Reece Shearsmith, and the story is rather fantastic and engrossing. GRADE------B
THE IMMIGRANT (2014)---Two young sisters immigrate to New York in 1921, but one must remain in a hospital due to a lung infection. The other gets involved with a slick nightclub owner who forces her into prostitution. She tries to leave with the help of the nightclub owner's brother, who loves her. The story is rather melodramatic but the film is redeemed by a luminous performance by Marion Cotillard (an Oscar nominee for this film). GRADE-------B-
MISSING PERSON (2009)--This low budget film noir features Michael Shannon who goes in search of a man missing since 9/11 and is being sought by his wife. It's a curious story (the husband is involved, unknowingly to himself) with the abduction of kids into the drug trade, and he doesn't want to go back to his marriage. The film isn't bad, just leisurely and without much energy. GRADE-----------C+
MOMMY (2015)---French bad boy director Xavier Nolan has made some very interesting films, including one of my favorites from 2013 called TOM AT THE FARM and ELEPHANT SONG (2015). This film is is one of his more recent films, about a single mom with a very difficult ADHD son who is loud, vulgar, violent, and very unpleasant . The actors are game, and a neighbor who is a teacher tries to inject some calm and discipline into their life style. Unfortunately, there is a little too much hand held camera work for my taste, and the teenager, while effective, is so unlikeable for much of the film that it becomes difficult to watch. GRADE-------C+
Private screening of
FINAL CUT (2015?) This documentary/fictional film is a hybrid--a film made up of thousands of film clips from hundreds of different films, edited together to tell a cliched story of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back again after a misunderstanding. I saw this film two years ago, but this time I loved it even more. It is so much fun seeing dozens of actors playing the same role, and the film is a witty love story to epic films. I think the title might be LADIES AND GENTLEMAN FINAL CUT. It was made in eastern Europe, and has never been released commercially. I think the film is made for education purposes only and the name of the director is Gyorgy Palfi. It doesn't show up in IMBd or Rotten Tomatoes and has only been shown by SIFF a few times. If you get a chance to see it, do so. GRADE-----------B
GRADE-----------B+
Based on a true story, this thriller, THE PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER which premiered at SIFF in May, tells the story of German Fritz Bauer who hunts down Nazi Adolf Eichmann with the help of the Israeli secret service Mossad, but by doing so may cause him to be committing treason. Actor Burghart Klaussner is so effective as Bauer that I thought he would have a heart attach while portraying this hard driving, smoking, drinking, man with his own secrets. He is riveting, as is the entire supporting cast. GRADE--------B+
Actor Tom Hanks and director Clint Eastwood combine to give us a smooth, engrossing version of the "miracle on the Hudson," the true story of the pilot who landed a disabled plane on the Hudson river without a single loss of life. SULLY may not be a masterpiece, but it compels your attention by careful reconstruction of the before and after moments of what could have been a major tragedy in a quick and matter of fact approach that can only occur with all quality work by all film makers involved. GRADE----------B
Most comedies of late have resorted to becoming as gross and vulgar as possible when it comes to (getting sexual) laughs, and the new film BAD MOMS is no exception. Fortunately, this film also has a very clever and witty script that balances out the outrageous gags with some very profound, witty plotting, and mix with that an all out frontal comic assault by Kathryn Huhn as the more outrageous of the moms, and you have a film that despite some crude sexual humor, is actually quite amusing much of the time. Mila Kunis is a mom at the end of her rope--over worked, under appreciated, and her husband has just been kick out of the house. She feels that she cannot become the perfect mom expected of her (kid's extra curricular activities, lunches, PTA meetings, homework, plus housekeeping, full time work, etc.) and she shares her frustration with Kristen Bell and Huhn, and they all agree to step back from being so overwhelmed, but they butt heads with the domineering head of the PTA (an amusing Christina Applegate) who knows how to get what she wants. There are a few predictable moments, but mostly I laughed throughout much of the film, and have to give it high marks for that reason. GRADE----------B
Based on a popular novel, and directed with his usual flair for weirdness by Tim Burton, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN is a visually fascinating telling of a young teen who loses his grandfather to a mysterious death, only to discover that he has special powers, and must find this "home" despite the misgivings of his parents. I have not read the novel, but I found the plot to be fascinating as it unfolds, and discovering the "talents" of each child was a surprise to me. By the last third, the action takes over the buildup, and the special effects take over. Still, a unique and engrossing film for those who have not read the novel. GRADE------B
A beautifully photographed film (mostly in New Zealand) enhances the story of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS as it tells of a childless light house keeper and his wife on a lonely island who
find a baby in a rowboat, and adopt the child as their own, without reporting this to the nearby village. Several years go by, but one day they realize that the child belongs to a rich woman in the village who had lost her husband and child in a storm on the ocean. The film is a love story and a tragedy, and the two actors involved (recent Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbinder) are extremely effective and affecting (as is the child's biological mother played by Rachael Weisz).
It is easy to see how Vikander and Fassbinder ended up becoming a real life couple during the filming of this story. In spite of my best efforts otherwise, copious tears were flowing from my eyes by the end of this film................. GRADE-------------B
Also premiering at SIFF last May with solid visuals and technically superior in all categories, this French film COME WHAT MAY tells of a small village forced to flee due to advancing Nazi troops. The film balances several story lines, including a father who is imprisoned and must leave his young son behind with strangers. While the set up may be familiar, the film satisfies on many levels, especially what may become one of his last beautifully memorable musical scores by the aging Ennio Morricone. GRADE--------B
From SIFF comes a modest but successful comedy drama of a struggling young gay man who returns to his small town from New York City to help care for his mother (played subtly by comedian Molly Shannon) who is dying of cancer. The title is generic--OTHER PEOPLE--but the film creates some affecting characters and is quite moving at times, and very funny at other times. GRADE------------B-
This SIFF film, COMPLETE UNKNOWN, left me frustrated and bored--it's an intriguing idea that seems to go nowhere. Married man Michael Shannon attends a dinner party where a friend shows up with a woman he seems to recognize, but she denies knowing him. He follows her home and eventually gets her to confess that she is his ex-girl friend, played by Rachael Weisz. There is a lot of talking, and an interesting couple played by Kathy Bates and Danny Glover pop up-- they have just one scene---I'm not sure why, as they could easily be cut from the film. The film ends in an uninteresting, unresolved manner, and I was very impatient with it. GRADE---------D+
From SIFF, this boring juvenile film called ZOOM mixes live action with animation. In fact, top billing is Gael Garcia Bernal who only appears as an animated character suffering from a shrinking penis (no kidding). Smart move to not appear physically, Bernal. The other top billing is Allison Pill who works in a sex doll factory, and is determined to have a gigantic breast implant (which she does!) because she feels inferior to all the sex dolls she makes with her sexist boy friend (no kidding). Other ho hum subplots involve a doll stuffed with heroin and mailed across the border to Canada which must be retrieved. Ugh. Maybe 13 year old boys might find this film amusing, but most of it is smarmy. GRADE-----------D
==========VIEWED on DVD/TV ===================================
SOME LIKE IF HOT (1959)----Certainly one of the best films Billy Wilder ever directed, the best sexiest performance by Marilyn Monroe, the cleverest performance by Tony Curtis, the funniest acting by Jack Lemmon, and the funniest, wittiest comedy every made, this film is a pleasure to watch again and again. "Well.......Nobody's perfect!"--the final line of a perfect comedy. GRADE------A
THE BIG SLEEP(1946)----I've seen this film at least half a dozen times, and each time I swear I'm going to figure out the mystery part, but at the hour mark I give up and just let it happen, as it becomes incredibly convoluted towards the end, and there are actually some plot devices (including a murder) that are never explained. Mostly I enjoy the smart, witty dialogue that engulfs every scene. Here are three of my favorites lines:
Number 1--
Vivian: I don't like your manners.
Marlowe: And I'm not crazy about yours. I didn't ask to see you. I don't mind if you don't like my manners, I don't like them myself. They are pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings.
Number 2--
Marlowe: She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up.
Number 3--
Marlowe: My my my---such a lot of guns around town and so few brains. You know you're the second guy I've met today that seems to think a gat in the hand means the world by the tail.
GRADE-------A-
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944)--This was the first pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, where they fall in love on screen and in real life too. I never seem to remember the plot, something about a boat and moving around freedom fighters, but within 10 minutes I realize that Bogart and Bacall have a very steamy chemistry, and that this is the film that includes the famous line from Bacall---"You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow."
Their chemistry is at it's strongest here, I think. GRADE-----------------B
DARK PASSAGE (1947) This is my first viewing of this odd film. Bogart has just escaped from prison for killing his wife, for which he is innocent. You don't see his face for nearly half the film as he is getting a different face so he won't be caught while he tries to find out who the real killer is. Bacall plays sort of a stalker--a woman who likes him and tries to help him. The plot is weird, with a lot of coincidences with the characters. Bruce Bennett and Agnes Moorehead give nice performances, but I just kept shaking my head at the plot but I wasn't bored........... GRADE---------B
THE WIDOWER (2015)--A PBS mini series in three hours, but I watched it as a single film. This tells the true story of a male nurse who tries to murder all three women he marries to get their insurance. Nothing great stylistically, but the actors are good, especially the lead Reece Shearsmith, and the story is rather fantastic and engrossing. GRADE------B
THE IMMIGRANT (2014)---Two young sisters immigrate to New York in 1921, but one must remain in a hospital due to a lung infection. The other gets involved with a slick nightclub owner who forces her into prostitution. She tries to leave with the help of the nightclub owner's brother, who loves her. The story is rather melodramatic but the film is redeemed by a luminous performance by Marion Cotillard (an Oscar nominee for this film). GRADE-------B-
MISSING PERSON (2009)--This low budget film noir features Michael Shannon who goes in search of a man missing since 9/11 and is being sought by his wife. It's a curious story (the husband is involved, unknowingly to himself) with the abduction of kids into the drug trade, and he doesn't want to go back to his marriage. The film isn't bad, just leisurely and without much energy. GRADE-----------C+
MOMMY (2015)---French bad boy director Xavier Nolan has made some very interesting films, including one of my favorites from 2013 called TOM AT THE FARM and ELEPHANT SONG (2015). This film is is one of his more recent films, about a single mom with a very difficult ADHD son who is loud, vulgar, violent, and very unpleasant . The actors are game, and a neighbor who is a teacher tries to inject some calm and discipline into their life style. Unfortunately, there is a little too much hand held camera work for my taste, and the teenager, while effective, is so unlikeable for much of the film that it becomes difficult to watch. GRADE-------C+
Private screening of
FINAL CUT (2015?) This documentary/fictional film is a hybrid--a film made up of thousands of film clips from hundreds of different films, edited together to tell a cliched story of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back again after a misunderstanding. I saw this film two years ago, but this time I loved it even more. It is so much fun seeing dozens of actors playing the same role, and the film is a witty love story to epic films. I think the title might be LADIES AND GENTLEMAN FINAL CUT. It was made in eastern Europe, and has never been released commercially. I think the film is made for education purposes only and the name of the director is Gyorgy Palfi. It doesn't show up in IMBd or Rotten Tomatoes and has only been shown by SIFF a few times. If you get a chance to see it, do so. GRADE-----------B
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