2024 Films, Edward Berger, Isabella Rossellini, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, Ralph Fiennes, Sergio Castellitto, Stanley Tucci, Thriller

Conclave-2024

Leave a comment

Conclave-2024

Director Edward Berger

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow

Scott’s Review #1,447

Reviewed October 17, 2024

Grade: A

I was fortunate to see the premiere of Conclave (2024) at our local art theater before most of the public audiences had. I anticipate those talking about the ‘twist’ at the end will be stunned. Having been told there was a ‘twist’ at the start but not knowing what it was kept me wondering.

I’ll say nothing more about the ‘twist’.

Admittedly, the premise didn’t wow me over and I only saw Conclave because of the acclaim and awards season buzz surrounding it.

Heavyweight actors like Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini didn’t hurt.

The end product is well written, well acted, and well produced with a tinge of push-pull between liberalism and conservativism that feels timely and relevant.

It’s based on a 2016 novel written by Robert Harris.

The story is fictional and follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, selecting the new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence, expertly played by Fiennes is tasked with running this complex process after the unexpected death of the beloved current Pope.

Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders, most chomping at the bit to be elected the next Pope, have gathered from around the world, Lawrence uncovers a trail of secrets involving the dead Pope, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.

They are locked in the Vatican protected from the outside world until the majority chooses the new Pope.

Edward Berger did a phenomenal job bringing the 1930 epic All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) to legions of audiences and a slew of Oscar nominations. All bets are that he does it again with Conclave.

Peter Straughan, primarily a British playwright, writes the screenplay. The action immediately begins with the Pope’s death and most of it is a slow build, and sometimes even a crawl.

Halfway through I asked myself why Conclave was receiving so much notice. Following the conclusion I could not stop thinking about it for days.

Berger/Straughan play their cards close to the pocket throughout most of the running time toying with audiences expecting a traditional, mainstream affair before the rug is yanked from beneath them.

Usually, dramas or thrillers with a religious theme especially centering around questioning the Catholic church run the risk of dismissal or ridicule. I’m anxious to see how this plays out with Conclave.

In hindsight, more than the obvious make Conclave worth talking about after the upside-down ride that results.

Character-driven, Lawrence questions his faith and devotion and doesn’t even want to be the new Pope. We’re not exactly sure why he wants to leave the church. Is he involved in a secret scandal? Could he be in a relationship?

One intelligent scene mentions that a Pope should not be sure of his faith and should question it. Traditions can be tweaked for the times. A conservative leader mocks the Pope for ruining the Catholic Church with whimsical decisions embracing the current times. Another liberal leader doesn’t think he went far enough.

It’s easy to pick up that Berger/Straughan/Harris have Pope Francis, who was elected in 2013, in mind. Having strongly brought more progressive thought to the Catholic Church it’s easy to see the representation.

Fiennes gives a powerful performance as a decent man who tries to do the right thing without favoritism or conflict. He is subdued but strong-willed and the performance is understated. He gives so much to a role that could be mistaken for too little.

Volker Bertelmann composes the score reminiscent of All Quiet on the Western Front with a soft tone, not bombastic, and slowly increases intensity during scenes. The buildup is tense and magnificent.

Conclave (2024) is a human story about humanity and imperfection. It’s also about human complexities, mistakes, and kindness. It magnifies the scope of the Catholic Church and reminds audiences that those shrouded within its wall are not without imperfections.

It also reminds us that even the Catholic Church has corruption.

1978 Films, Amy Irving, Andrew Stevens, Betty Buckley, Brian De Palma, Carrie Snodgress, Charles Durning, Dennis Franz, Fiona Lewis, Horror, John Cassavetes, Kirk Douglas, Melody Thomas Scott, Thriller, William Finley

The Fury-1978

Leave a comment

The Fury-1978

Director Brian De Palma

Starring Kirk Douglas, Amy Irving, John Cassavetes

Scott’s Review #1,446

Reviewed October 15, 2024

Grade: A-

The Fury (1978) is one of Brian De Palma’s films that flies under the radar and is underappreciated. It contains many of his trademark effects like slow-motion camerawork and incorporates actors who appear in more than one of his psychological thriller films.

The story might be more complicated than it needs to be and while legendary actor Kirk Douglas gets top billing he disappears for a good part of the film before returning towards the end. He hands the reins to Amy Irving who capably carries the rest of the film.

This is a small gripe for a film that ranks pretty close to classics like Dressed to Kill (1980), Carrie (1976), and Blow Out (1981).

I’m as guilty as anyone else for underappreciating The Fury since it’s only my second time viewing it.

The all-star cast features John Cassavetes as the villain, Carrie Snodgress, Charles Durning, Douglas, and Irving. That’s enough to make cinema fans want to see it. There are also unique actors in small roles who flesh out the quirky cast in a major win.

The screenplay by John Farris was based on his 1976 novel of the same name which feels a lot like a popular Stephen King novel.

The Fury utilizes the talents of esteemed John Williams who scored such greats like Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), and Jaws (1975), to name a few. The highly lauded composer aptly uses the music to enhance the overall product.

Events start in Israel when a plot separates CIA agent Peter Sandza (Douglas) from his son, Robin (Andrew Stevens), but the distraught father manages to see through the ruse.

He realizes that Robin is being held at an institute by Ben Childress (Cassavetes) because the teenager possesses supernatural powers that Ben intends to use as weapons.

Meanwhile, Gillian (Amy Irving), a teen with telekinesis, forms a psychic connection to Robin and teams up with Peter to find and rescue him. They are forced to endure villains intent on destroying them for their gain.

I am amazed how well the film, made in 1978, holds up tremendously decades later considering the characters play dated video games and the automobiles are very 1970s. The overindulgence of 1970s ‘stuff’ is what holds the most appeal.

Appealing is the glimpse at hundreds of extras appearing in the many exterior Chicago scenes. While Gillian and her friend La Rue (Melody Thomas Scott) stroll down the boardwalk they pass teams of regular people harkening back to a time long ago.

The unwieldy American sedans popular in the mid-1970s pepper the streets of Chicago while the sofa and carpet styles of the time are prominently featured at the Paragon Institute feeling like a nostalgic hug in authenticity.

When the character of Gillian is introduced during a high school sequence parallels to the film Carrie are immediately noticed. Carrie and Gillian are both high school students, who possess psychic powers, including telekinesis, and these powers harm people who physically touch or provoke her.

The kicker is that Irving also appeared in Carrie but not as the title character.

The best scenes are when Hester (Snodgress) is struck and killed by a car propelling her bloody body through the windshield or when Institute employee, Dr. Susan Charles (Fiona Lewis) is tortured and spun to death over a lavish dinner table setting.

The food references are plentiful, mouthwatering, and fun to track. Hester and Gillian chat and giggle over heaping hot fudge sundaes, while scrambled eggs and dinner are mentioned during other scenes.

Some plot holes or inexplicable story points like Robin’s turn into a psycho and turning on his father because another psychic will replace him aren’t as compelling as other points of the film.

During one scene Gillian has Robin’s powers transfer to her causing her body to writhe and contort in an unconvincing way and Irving looks plain silly.

Being a huge De Palma fan I’m glad I dusted The Fury (1978) off the shelf because it’s a terrific watch with an exceptional cast. It contains many of De Palma’s trademarks making it fantastic, especially for his fans.

1982 Films, Adrienne Barbeau, Camp, David Hess, Dick Durock, Louis Jourdan, Ray Wise, Super Hero, Wes Craven

Swamp Thing-1982

Leave a comment

Swamp Thing-1982

Director Wes Craven

Starring Adrienne Barbeau, Louis Jourdan, Ray Wise

Scott’s Review #1,445

Reviewed October 14, 2024

Grade: B+

Wes Craven’s murky swampland, Adrienne Barbeau’s cleavage, and a battle of good versus evil make Swamp Thing (1982) a titillating watch.

It is marketed as a superhero movie and contains a famous cover art shot of the ‘swamp thing’ carrying a scantily clad Barbeau across a swamp. This is warranted since it is adapted from a DC Comics character of the same name.

Swamp Thing is pure camp and makes no bones about it.

There’s not a lot that is interesting from a story perspective other than a run-of-the-mill plot. The bad guy greedily plots to take over the world with a mysterious serum and is conquered.

But, the visuals make Swamp Thing atmospheric, the bizarre romance works, and Barbeau carries the film making it an entertaining one hour and thirty-one minutes.

Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise) is a botanist on the verge of a breakthrough to wipe out world hunger when special government agent Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau) arrives on the scene to protect him from a threat.

A brief flirtation ensues between the pair.

Psychotic scientist Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan) wants to steal Holland’s research for his fame. An unforeseen accident during the heist turns Holland into the Swamp Thing, an enormous plant-like creature that fights back against Arcane’s henchmen to save Alice.

Swamp Thing hints at Craven’s notoriously dark revenge film, The Last House on the Left (1972) though nowhere near as dark as that film.

The exterior settings resemble each other despite being filmed in different locales and characters frequently charge or flee the woodsy atmosphere in peril. Watching on a streaming service provided a grainy video which enhanced a rawness that helped the film look less cartoonish.

A repeated watch might need better video production to notice subtleties missed during its first viewing.

I can’t be critical of Swamp Thing because it’s an enjoyable experience.

The early romance between Alice and Alec is nice though limited. I confess to nearly being teary-eyed during a tender moment between Alice and ‘Swamp Thing’, now played by Dick Durock. After Alice is shot in the breast she is tenderly healed and held by the creature.

Speaking of breasts, Barbeau bares them during a scene where she bathes in the swamp. The intent is sensational and to showcase her ‘girls’ as much as her running around or being chained in a low-cut dress is.

Being a fan of Barbeau’s this didn’t bother me as much as it should have but where were the scantily clad men? They didn’t exist.

Also laughable is Barbeau as ‘damsel in distress’ when the actress is well known for tough girl roles like Rizzo in Grease or Maggie in John Carpenter’s Escape from New York made only a year earlier.

As she meekly cried out for help I couldn’t help but chuckle inside, especially since her character is part of a government security team sent to protect.

Jourdan is excellent as the evil Anton playing the role over the top like standard superhero villains. This proves successful as we cheer on his ultimate demise.

The musical composer Harry Manfredini also scored most of the Friday the 13th film series (1980-2001) which is easy for fans with a knack for spotting eerie yet 1980s-based soundtracks.

Swamp Thing (1982) may not be a cinematic genius but there is enough to enjoy for the average viewer, especially early superhero fans. Barbeau and Craven make the film better than it would have been without them.

1994 Films, Andie MacDowell, British, Charlotte Coleman, Comedy, David Bower, Hugh Grant, James Fleet, John Hannah, Kristin Scott Thomas, Mike Newell, Richard Curtis, Romantic Comedy, Simon Callow

Four Weddings and a Funeral-1994

Leave a comment

Four Weddings and a Funeral-1994

Director Mike Newell

Starring Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell

Scott’s Review #1,444

Reviewed October 8, 2024

Grade: A-

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) is a surprisingly fresh and delightful romantic comedy and one of the better offerings of the 1990s. It is likely an inspiration for Love, Actually, from 2003, which I have seen recently, and they would be paired well together.

Both are British or set in the London area and have an English sophistication often lacking in American rom-coms.

The key to Four Weddings and a Funeral’s success is the writing. Storylines about real life emerge and relatable, awkward, and flawed characters grace the page. Lovelorn audience members who may have lost love or suffered from loneliness may relate most.

This is a huge win for a genre that often plays it safe or revels in predictability. Crisp writing goes a long way.

The main couple are played by Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell and made them household names plummeting them to a successful decade in similar films, especially Grant.

Lovable Englishman Charles (Grant) and his group of friends seem to be unlucky in love. They frequently gather at parties or weddings never finding what they truly want, linking them together for life.

When Charles meets a beautiful American named Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at a wedding, he thinks his luck may have changed. But, after one magical night, Carrie, deemed ‘slutty’ returns to the States, ending what might have been a wonderful long-term relationship.

As Charles and Carrie’s paths continue to cross usually at someone’s wedding and one funeral, Charles believes they are meant to be together, even if their timing always seems to be off.

Grant shines in his role despite believing his performance was hideous, at least before the film received many accolades. Mike Newell, the director, provided conflicting direction making it hard for Grant to play the role in a particular way.

His stuttering and confusion, though, are what makes his character so endearing.

MacDowell is good too. It’s not clear why she doesn’t drop everything right away and date Charles or why she chooses an older Scottish guy to marry but the story-dictated situations only make the characters shine brighter.

Once the first wedding occurred I found myself hooked. I couldn’t wait to find out what three nuptials would be forthcoming and who the funeral was for.

Could it be a main character or even Charles or Carrie?

That makes Four Weddings and a Funeral compelling especially as the supporting characters are fleshed out.

We get to know Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas), a bitchy friend who seems to judge everyone she meets. Her snobbery is slowly replaced with vulnerability when it’s revealed that she has always loved Charles.

Other characters like Tom (James Fleet) and Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman) are comic relief while a same-sex couple, Gareth and Matthew (Simon Callow and John Hannah), and Charles’s deaf brother David (David Bower) are part of the group with no judgments about their sexuality or disability.

In 1994 this was a searing victory and a feeling of inclusion is apparent.

The icing on the cake is a spectacular soap opera moment when a bride and groom are about to take their vows only for one party to admit their love for another character. Hysterics, a meltdown, and good old-fashioned drama commence and make the scene satisfying.

I didn’t expect to enjoy Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) as much as I did. Audiences agreed and the film was rewarded with two surprising Oscar nominations.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay

1984 Films, Christmas, Comedy, Corey Feldman, Dark Comedy, Fantasy, Frances Lee McCain, Horror, Horror-Comedy, Howie Mandel, Hoyt Axton, Joe Dante, Judge Reinhold, Michael Winslow, Phoebe Cates, Polly Holliday, Steven Spielberg, Zach Galligan

Gremlins-1984

Leave a comment

Gremlins-1984

Director Joe Dante

Starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates

Scott’s Review #1,443

Reviewed September 28, 2024

Grade: B+

A mishmash of film genres like black comedy, horror, and Christmas, Gremlins (1984) is one of the films responsible for the new Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating of PG-13 introduced in the mid-1980s.

Too soft for an adult R rating but too scary for a PG rating many films fit better in the PG-13 category.

The film features a cute E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (1982) reminiscent creature named Gizmo. Since Steven Spielberg’s executive produced Gremlins, there are comparisons to the successful mega box office film.

But Gremlins is darker than E.T. especially when the spawn of Gizmo emerges in a fierce, aggressive manner and one dons a mohawk-style haircut. Many of the gremlins die and a few humans are killed by the gremlins giving it a scarier vibe.

This is thanks to director, Joe Dante, who gives the film a 1950s B movie style that offers a dark campy style.

A gadget salesman, Randall Peltzer (Hoyt Axton) is looking for a special Christmas gift for his son Billy (Zach Galligan) and finds one at a store in Chinatown. The shopkeeper is reluctant to sell him the “mogwai” but does and warns him never to expose him to bright light, or water, or feed him after midnight.

Naturally, when Randall returns to his home in the United States all of this happens and the result is a gang of gremlins that decide to tear up the town on Christmas Eve.

There are a couple of ways to view this film. The ‘message’ is a statement of the consumer culture running rampant in the 1980s. Wanting everything but not appreciating things is stated during the final scene.

The Chinese shopkeeper repossesses the “mogwai”, scolds the family for their negligence, and criticizes Western society for its carelessness with nature.

In a touching scene, Gizmo, having bonded with Billy, bids him goodbye. The touched shopkeeper concedes that Billy may be ready one day and, until then, Gizmo will be waiting.

Anyone with a pet will get a teary eye or two.

One can also view Gremlins as an entertaining popcorn flick with superior special effects and a fun story. The visual effects and the art direction are worth a pause for. Impressive are the sequences in the town where the stores and homes are perfectly dressed for the holidays.

The Christmas lights, trees, snow, and other trimmings provide feelings of warmth and spirit.

Galligan and Phoebe Cates who plays his love interest, Kate, have wonderful chemistry as a teen romance blossoms. This makes the audience more invested in their peril as they try to save the townspeople from doom.

Axton and Frances Mee McCain who plays Billy’s mother, Lynn, also are rootable. They are believable as a lovely suburban couple who have a wacky side.

Corey Feldman and Judge Reinhold appear in small roles as a friend and Billy’s obnoxious boss, respectively. Neither role is developed or necessary but familiar faces are always nice to see in cinema.

Polly Holliday nearly steals the show as the dog-hating Ruby Deagle. In a clear nod to Mrs. Gulch in The Wizard of Oz (1939) she sneers and snickers in an ill-fated attempt to have Billy’s dog destroyed.

Delightfully, she gets a death scene where the gremlins terrorize her to death when her stair chair goes wonky and throws her out a window. Holliday is a hoot and must have had a ball playing the villain.

Other stock characters like the disbelieving police force are cliched and only serve to hinder the actions of the main characters.

Gremlins (1984) is a darling film that holds up well. It’s mischievous without going full horror and can be enjoyed by the entire family on Christmas Eve. The quirky comedy elements and cool visuals make the film fun and impressive.

1984 Films, Bruce Mahler, Bubba Smith, Comedy, David Graf, Donovan Scott, G. W. Bailey, George Gaynes, Hugh Wilson, Kim Cattrall, Leslie Easterbrook, Marion Ramsey, Michael Winslow, Scott Thomson, Steve Guttenberg

Police Academy-1984

Leave a comment

Police Academy-1984

Director Hugh Wilson

Starring Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, G.W. Bailey

Scott’s Review #1,442

Reviewed September 27, 2024

Grade: B+

Police Academy (1984) is a fun slice of nostalgia for me that oozes back memories of being a pre-pubescent boy that it’s difficult to put my ‘critic’ hat on long enough to review the film adequately and impartially.

But I’ll try.

1980s cinema is filled with movies like Police Academy featuring bumbling antics and situation comedy gags with little film integrity or artistic merit. The dimwitted and sex-crazed characters, usually male, go from one situation to another with the hopes of fun and sex.

The franchise depends on basic slap-stick humor, usually based on simple characterization and physical comedy. As with many similar films, the theme is a group of underdogs struggling to prove themselves, while various authority figures try to suppress them.

Thus, the audience adores and roots for them.

Yes, Police Academy is riddled with cliches, idiocy, and a disrespect for law enforcement but only in the softest of ways. Filmmakers have no ill contempt and only intend to follow a well-used comedy formula to produce a hit.

Quite a hit it spawned six sequels culminating in 1994’s lame Police Academy: Mission to Moscow.

When the mayor of an unnamed crime-ridden city loosens the restrictions on entering the police academy to get more cops on the street, all manner of oddball characters enlist to join the force.

Among the cadets are sexy Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), hulking Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), blonde Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall), and sound effects-generating Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), who all have to show initiative and courage when they are faced with tough situations out on patrol.

The law enforcement villains are Police Chief Henry Hurst (George R. Robinson) and Lieutenant Thaddeus Harris (G.W. Bailey) who scheme to make the training unbearable so the recruits will quit.

In predictable form, the good-looking Mahoney and Karen fall in love while the incompetent rookies manage to save the day and bust some thugs. They receive recognition for bravery and graduate from the academy.

Beneath the surface is the racial diversity of three prominent black characters who became popular staples of the franchise. There are a few ethnic slurs but those are by the villains who receive their comeuppance.

There are several LGBTQ+ situations one of which involves two of the foils purposely being sent to a gay bar and dancing the night away with masculine leather men. Later, Commandant Eric Lessard thinks Mahoney has provided him with fellatio (it’s a female prostitute), and thinks he sees Mahoney making out with a man.

The inclusion is a nice touch for the time and it’s unclear if the message is that the foils may be gay but the situations are meant for laughs and that being straight is better.

Nude scenes featuring female characters exist and we do see male characters shirtless but like many 1980s mainstream R-rated films the females are nude and the males are not.

An unfair double standard that has mercifully changed over the years.

A terrific and apt comparison to the Police Academy (1984-1994) franchise is that they are like the Friday the 13th (1980-2009) franchise. So many sequels follow a similar formula so the audience knows what to expect and adores the redundancy.

I’ve seen both series numerous times and never get tired of them.

Police Academy (1984) is not high art nor meant to be analyzed. For pleasing entertainment and a chance to root for the underdog, the film is satisfying and provides a chuckle or two and I won’t feel guilty for my enjoyment.

2024 Films, Arkasha Stevenson, Bill Nighy, Horror, Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sônia Braga

The First Omen-2024

Leave a comment

The First Omen-2024

Director Arkasha Stevenson

Starring Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy

Scott’s Review #1,441

Reviewed September 26, 2024

Grade: B

Having six and a half hours to kill on a late-night international flight to Europe I eagerly desired some good horror to pass the time away. What better way to while away the minutes than some religious treachery?

In truth, I accidentally thought The First Omen (2024) selection was the recent The Exorcist: Believer from 2023. Further, I also thought the film was a solid ninety minutes but I was wrong again. The running time is an unwieldy one hundred and nineteen minutes, a lifetime for a horror film.

So, The First Omen had much going against it before I was even ten seconds into the film.

While not a great film mostly due to a corny and far-fetched story, The First Omen is memorable for its moments and the stylistic approach to camerawork. 

I love watching films by first-time directors partly because they may become the next Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock, or Greta Gerwig. Sometimes a blueprint is served up for what’s to follow in said directors career.

Arkasha Stevenson must have studied films by Italian horror director Dario Argento, the devilish late 1960s horror classic Rosemary’s Baby, or both.

There is a gothic look and the film was shot on location in Rome providing authenticity. What better backdrop than the city the Roman Catholic Church is most associated with?

The costumes are excellent specifically the clothes worn by the nuns. They represent the 1940s or the 1950s even though the film is set during the 1970s and somehow this works.

For fans of the classic The Omen from 1976, The First Omen serves as a prequel with a couple of satisfying tie-ins to that great film. I can think of two examples incorporated simply because the filmmakers wanted to please moviegoers watching this film because of the original. 

There were sequels made in 1978, 1980, 1982, and 1985 but those must be completely forgotten.

When a young American woman named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) is sent to Rome to work at an orphanage before she begins a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith.

Along with the kindly Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson), she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.

You see, Brennan explains that radicals within the church, desperate to regain power against the rise of secularism, seek to bring about the Antichrist to create fear and drive people back to the church, with a young orphan named Carlita (Nicole Sorace) intended to be his mother.

There is little need not to reveal that the Antichrist is Damien, the little boy adopted in The Omen (1976) who wreaks havoc.

The standout moments are quite good. One day, Margaret spots Carlita showing a nun named Anjelica a drawing of a pregnant woman being restrained; moments later, Anjelica self-immolates and hangs herself after she proclaims, ‘It’s all for you’.

This moment is a fantastic ode to a similar scene in The Omen and I nearly got goosebumps recalling that epic, frightening sequence.

There’s another where Margaret runs into Paolo, a man she may or may not have slept with who tells her to “look for the mark” before being struck and cut in half by an oncoming truck.

The final climax which mostly resembles Rosemary’s Baby is so convoluted that I stopped trying to make sense of the story and instead appreciated the wonderful visceral birthing scenes which were controversial.

The film looks authentically like it’s from the 1970s which is another win for Stevenson and it could easily be watched right before watching The Omen.

I’m intrigued by Stevenson’s direction and wonder what else she’ll do in the future.

The First Omen (2024) is a quality religious horror film sure to scare religious zealots and somewhat please fans. It’s not great but it has enough going for it to deserve a watch.

2024 Films, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Horror, John Krasinski, Joseph Quinn, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Sarnoski

A Quiet Place: Day One-2024

Leave a comment

A Quiet Place: Day One-2024

Director Michael Sarnoski

Starring Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou

Scott’s Review #1,440

Reviewed September 24, 2024

Grade: B+

I was skeptical about watching the film A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) since the John Krasinski and Emily Blunt team do not appear (on screen anyway). And let’s be honest, the third in a horror film series is not usually a revelation and more times than not, a money grab.

Be that as it may, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and Krasinski does serve as a producer investing in quality over convention.

It’s a prequel to the surprise hit A Quiet Place (2018) which once again brought the horror genre credibility so it more or less sets the stage for what’s to come later in the events.

The setting of New York City is great as the loud and bustling city parlays well with the hearing-infused theme and counterbalances the necessity for quiet as viewers already know.

Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o who is having nice success in the horror genre after appearing in Jordan Peele’s Us (2019) stars alongside an adorable cat who is a hell of an actor.

Nyong’o plays a terminally ill cancer patient named Sam living out her days in a hospice facility. Depressed, she yearns for a trip to the Big Apple to live again remembering how she would accompany her pianist father for pizza and a concert as a child.

When she goes on a field trip to see a puppet show in Manhattan with her primary nurse the shit hits the fan. Frightening creatures appear out of nowhere to attack and terrorize the city.

Casting Nyong’o is a wise move for credibility. In addition to being an Oscar-winning actor, she’s also a great talent. Since the film requires silence, the actors must use facial expressions and body language to reveal emotions which Nyong’o does well.

Sam experiences shock, horror, and wonderment as she glimpses the monsters and realizes the wrath of terror they are on. Nyong’o is up to the task.

She pairs well with actor, Joseph Quinn as Eric who we know little about except he is kind. The pair slinks around the city doing their best to avoid death by monster and their relationship is tender but not predictable.

In a standard film, they would escape and conquer their foes or a tepid romance might be added, but Sam is dying and intends to save Eric and her darling cat by any means necessary.

As a cat lover, the incorporation of Frodo immediately captured me. Not only does it make sense for a terminally ill cancer patient to cling to a furry friend, but the scenes of Sam losing Frodo and finding him again had me in tears.

How many horror films have that effect?

Suspension of disbelief is required in certain scenes. There is no way a cat would passively agree to be cradled by its owner underwater, especially in a sewer or the Hudson River. But, it’s fun to pretend.

Despite A Quiet Place: Day One being a good movie there are few surprises from a story perspective and A Quiet Place (2018) is the best of the trio of films.

But this film sets up the events in the others and it’s a better story angle than merely continuing where Part II left off.

In a nice nod, Djimon Hounsou reprises his role from Part II so we know where the character originates but he has little to do. Perhaps if there is another installment it may center around him. 

The visual and special effects marvel and provide jumps and frights in the right places. Thunderous outbursts of mayhem balance the ‘quiet’ moments.

For a third installment, A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) keeps the story character-driven as we follow a day in the life of Sam and her journey. This is the key to the success of these John Krasinski-created films.

2023 Films, Andrew Haigh, Andrew Scott, British, Claire Foy, Drama, Fantasy, Independent, Independent Drama, Jamie Bell, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Paul Mescal

All of Us Strangers-2023

Leave a comment

All of Us Strangers-2023

Director Andrew Haigh

Starring Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy

Scott’s Review #1,439

Reviewed September 22, 2024

Grade: A

A moody, dark-lit experience, All of Us Strangers (2023) is a dreamy affair in all the best ways. It’s a bit of a ghost story combined with a love story and can be challenging to explain. 

Especially noteworthy are some elements like the lighting and mood which serve as enhancers. The lavish setting of London, England, and its surroundings are presented as lonely and depressing.

Loneliness is an encompassing description of the film summing up the character-driven story set mostly in an enormous yet almost vacant luxury high-rise apartment.

The vacant building is an effective backdrop to the main character’s experience.

We get inside his head and travel down a tunnel of self-reflection and acceptance just as he does. It’s unclear what is imagined or real, raising the stakes and catapulting the viewer into a world of questions.

The best pleasure comes after finishing the film and wondering how all the pieces come together or even if they do. I wasn’t sure what happened in the conclusion but the overall experience left me thinking. 

The British film follows a lonely screenwriter named Adam who works as a television writer. He develops an intimate relationship with his mysterious male neighbor while revisiting memories from the past involving his parents.

Andrew Haig directs the film and Andrew Scott plays the screenwriter from which the story is his vehicle. Paul Mescal plays his neighbor and love interest.

Haigh is best known for efforts like 45 Years (2015) and Lean on Pete (2017). Both are quiet films and character-driven. All of us Strangers is the best of the trio, though.

The film also has some teary moments of sweetness mostly shown through an LGBTQ+ lens but the film is not only for members or allies of the community but for anyone with a heart or craving something cerebral.

Viewers who have lost parents far too soon before feelings are expressed and only cherished memories remain will find All of Us Strangers to resonate mightily.

Specific to the LGBTQ+ community, what gay man wouldn’t want to travel thirty years into the future and have deep conversations with his parents about his lifestyle? Having missed those prominent years because of death. 

In the story, Adam’s parents died in a car accident when he was a child. Since he never ‘came out’ to them he travels to their house outside of London and imagines conversations with them separately and together. 

The best scenes are between Andrew Scott and Claire Foy who plays Adam’s mother. They are lengthy and poignant and brilliant acting by both are showcased. 

In an ideal fantasy, his mother would leap into Adam’s arms and champion his lifestyle becoming his most ardent supporter. Haig writes the scenes better than that as real-life situations might play out with conflict and misunderstandings.

The mother wants to understand and support but has hesitancies and ideas about a lifestyle different than Adam’s. The scenes become tense and complex not because of shouting but because of a deep struggle for understanding.

Not to be outdone by Foy’s performance in the unique relationship between father and son deliciously played by Jamie Bell. 

Adam has resented his father’s emotional distance for years never forgetting how he needed his father’s support as a child and never got it.

In a powerful scene, Adam and his father embrace. The embrace is one that Adam needed as a child.

The film is for everyone because why wouldn’t anyone want to visit their dead parents years later? Even if still alive there are things between parent and child never said or expressed. 

So many scenes are emotional, poignant, and meaningful in All of Us Strangers. 

The finale is trippy and made me recall David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (1992) where what is real may not be and who we think a character’s life is all about may not be so.

Though wrapped in fantasy, All of Us Strangers (2023) is focused on grief through a deep emotional lens and uses superior acting to tell its story.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Film, Best Director-Andrew Haigh, Best Lead Performance-Andrew Scott

2003 Films, Alan Rickman, Andrew Lincoln, Bill Nighy, Billy Bob Thornton, British, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christmas, Claudia Schiffer, Colin Firth, Comedy, Denise Richards, Emma Thompson, Gregor Fisher, Heike Makatsch, Hugh Grant, January Jones, Joanna Page, Keira Knightley, Kris Marshall, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Lúcia Moniz, Martin Freeman, Martine McCutcheon, Richard Curtis, Rodrigo Santoro, Romantic Comedy

Love Actually-2003

Leave a comment

Love Actually-2003

Director Richard Curtis

Starring Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson

Scott’s Review #1,438

Reviewed September 8, 2024

Grade: B

Love Actually (2003) is a British romantic comedy perfect for watching around the holidays, especially on Christmas Eve. Perhaps even on Valentine’s Day, the setting is tinsel-laden and filled with holiday merriment and sweetness.

It involves an ensemble cast of dozens but surprisingly not hard to follow. The myriad of stories had me naturally more invested in some than others, preferring the heavy drama to the silly side plots.

The film begins beautifully as a voice-over narrator sets the stage and message of love. He ruminates about pure and uncomplicated love of lovers, and friends, and points out that the messages from the 9/11 victims were messages of love and not hate.

The story then switches among the interconnecting “love stories” of many people.

The quick segment nearly left me in tears and to let the poignant message sink in.

I was pleasantly surprised to find nine stories some of which intersect with others. I am a fan of this type of storytelling but not all of them connect with others which might have made it too confusing or even better layered.

Some stories are not given a lot of exposure but the balance feels close to right.

I preferred the first half of Love Actually to the second. I had heard of the film and finally watched it twenty years later but anticipated more of a sappy romantic comedy than anything of substance, especially since the rom-com master Hugh Grant stars.

I immediately felt an emotional connection to stories like the United Kingdom Prime Minister (Grant) and his romantic connection with Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), a junior member of his household staff. This ‘boy meets a girl from the wrong side of tracks’ felt authentic and laden with possibilities.

Another win is the love story between Sarah (Laura Linney) and handsome creative director, Karl (Rodrigo Santoro). Their buildup and near tryst after a Christmas party had me in their corner, and rooting for the pair to overcome an obstacle involving Sarah’s dependent brother.

Finally, my favorite couple is writer Jamie (Colin Firth) and his Portuguese housekeeper, Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz). Their sweetness and innocence are gleeful and true and rooting for them to get together despite language barriers was easy. 

Richard Curtis, who directs and writes the screenplay, misses an opportunity when he creates an unfulfilling love triangle between newlyweds Juliet (Keira Knightley), Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and best man Mike (Andrew Lincoln). Initially unclear if Mike is smitten with Juliet or Peter the traditional route is chosen instead of an LGBTQ+ presence.  

In one story, the horny British lad named Colin (Kris Marchall) unsuccessfully tries to woo British women and decides to go to America to get laid. Predictably, he meets one hot woman after another in the mid-west USA.

This story is hokey and could have been dropped altogether in favor of more screen time for the more interesting stories.

In the final act, I was disappointed when the film teeters too much towards cheesy with a tepid Christmas pageant where many stories come to a head.

This culminates with a silly chase throughout Heathrow Airport where one character jumps security and outwits inattentive airport personnel to catch his love interest before she leaves on a flight to New York.

Since 9/11 is mentioned in the beginning this tired plot device is surprising given the times of heightened terrorism and deserved respect for airport security.

Curtis rips off Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights (1997) in the epilogue by using the same song, ‘God Only Knows’ by the Beach Boys, and the same wrap-up of what happens to the characters.

Despite the thievery, I did enjoy seeing what happens in my favorite stories.

Love Actually (2003) wobbles a bit by trying to have all nine stories pack a punch but the effort is nice and the message of love closes out the film.

We know happiness and Christmas miracles usually don’t pan out but it’s nice to escape and pretend they do.

1965 Films, British, Donald Sutherland, Hammer Horror, Horror, Maurice Kaufmann, Peter Vaughan, Silvio Narizzano, Stefanie Powers, Tallulah Bankhead, Yootha Joyce

Die! Die! My Darling!-1965

Leave a comment

Die! Die! My Darling! -1965

Director Silvio Narizzano

Starring Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, Peter Vaughn

Scott’s Review #1,437

Reviewed September 2, 2024

Grade: B

Die! Die! My Darling! (1965) is a British horror film released under this name in the United States but originally titled Fanatic in the United Kingdom. This was frequently done for marketing purposes.

The film follows a young woman played by Stefanie Powers who wanders into the clutches of an old wacko played by legendary actress, Tallulah Bankhead. The once-sultry actress is unrecognizable as an elderly, hobbling old crone who is a religious freak.

She blends well into the 1960s trend of a once sexy and acclaimed actress going the horror route sans glamour or makeup. Bette Davis did the same thing most notably in 1962’s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? who Bankhead’s character is similar to.

One could argue that Davis led the pack with heavyweights like Joan Crawford, Joan Fontaine, and Veronica Lake.

Patricia Carroll (Powers) plays an American woman who travels to London to marry her boyfriend, Alan (Maurice Kaufmann). While there, Patricia decides to visit Mrs. Trefoile (Bankhead), the mother of her deceased ex-fiancé, to pay her respects and chat with the woman before marrying Alan.

Upon arriving, however, Patricia discovers that Mrs. Trefoile’s grief over her son’s has transformed her into a lunatic and the woman plans to ‘save’ Patricia by holding her prisoner and helping her see God’s light.

Along for the ride are Mrs. Trefoile’s staff: housekeeper, Anna (Yootha Joyce), groundsman, Harry (Peter Vaughn), and mentally challenged, Joseph (Donald Sutherland).

The film is a perfect late-night watch and not to be taken too seriously. Once Patricia is locked in the upstairs bedroom of the quaint English cottage it’s no surprise that she will eventually escape.

The fun is watching her many attempts at freedom and the inevitable conclusion.

Director, Silvio Narizzano, provides some genuine thrills and peril that would make Hitchcock proud. When Patricia crafts a makeshift rope by tying bed linens together to climb down the side of the house I held my breath hoping she would make it as she carefully scales past two characters chatting near a window.

The comical element is how she cannot physically overpower the old woman or Anna. She is younger and stronger than either and has the will to survive.

But, Die! Die! My Darling! also isn’t meant to be analyzed but merely enjoyed. Narizzano fulfills that request with a nice set design of the cottage interiors, superior acting by Bankhead and Powers mainly, and real moments of peril the audience can enjoy.

As the viewer, I felt emotionally invested in the characters and couldn’t wait for Patricia to escape and Mrs. Trefoile to get her just desserts.

I mostly enjoyed Patricia’s determination and going toe-to-toe with the wicked old woman. Some characters might have cow towed to her demands but Patricia remains strong in what undoubtedly was an effort to provide 1960s feminism.

This counterbalances nicely with Mrs. Trefoile’s old-fashioned religious fanatism. It’s the old versus the new especially when Patricia admits she’s not into religion.

Bankhead is the highlight and I could only imagine Davis playing the role instead. Bankhead plays the part magnificently and real glamour shots of Bankhead appear to have been used to show a younger Mrs. Trefoile who used to be an actress.

The film is a cat-and-mouse affair and begins with a quick graphic of a cat chasing a mouse and fans familiar with Hammer Horror Productions can rest assured that the cheap but effective sets are on full display.

A creak here and there and battered couches and walls only enhance the experience.

Die! Die! My Darling! (1965) is recommended for horror fans or fans of Bankhead seeking a glimpse of her stripped down and only three years before she died at age sixty-six.

2024 Films, Alyla Browne, Horror, Kiah Roache-Turner, Ryan Corr

Sting-2024

Leave a comment

Sting-2024

Director Kiah Roache-Turner

Starring Alyla Browne, Ryan Corr

Scott’s Review #1,436

Reviewed August 18, 2024

Grade: B-

Sting (2024) is a lightweight but suspenseful, late-night horror flick. It takes a bit to get going and at only a one hour and thirty minute running time that’s too long for it to take off and have a satisfying effect.

The set designs are the best part as the wintery Brooklyn, New York atmosphere pairs well with the dingy and stuffy walk-up apartment complex where the action occurs and a family lives.

The dusty rooms, creaking floors, and walls are well-done thanks to dim lighting and a secluded vibe. I bought that the family lives this way but felt cozy thanks to these trimmings.

As with seemingly most modern horror films the plot doesn’t make much sense nor is it plausible.

To compare Sting to other films it plays like Arachnophobia (1990) with a dash of Alien (1979) thrown in but is inferior to those films lacking either the campy humor or the wonderful special effects.

The film is not scary but at most thrilling.

Sting reintroduces a spider as the protagonist with marginal success. The spider starts innocently but grows into a sinister carnivore with human beings as its desired menu item.

Events surround twelve-year-old Charlotte (Alyla Browne) who obtains a pet spider who becomes her pride and joy and who she names Sting. Once she realizes that Sting plans to eat her entire family Charlotte goes into protector mode and must fight for their survival.

Directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, an Australian director unknown to me she uses mostly Australian actors.

Sting starts well with a scene involving an elderly tenant named Helga who begins to hear noises in the walls and assumes they are rats. She calls a local exterminator.

Helga has dementia and the audience quickly realizes she has already called an exterminator but has forgotten. The investigating exterminator is snatched by an unknown force and dragged into the wall canals of the old building.

Then Roache-Turner takes us back to four days prior.

This point immediately made me invested in the film especially when other characters are introduced and we learn the connection to Helga.

What’s going to happen in the next four days?

Unfortunately, Sting loses steam from this point introducing marginally interesting characters. Charlotte, her overworked stepfather, Ethan (Ryan Corr), her clueless and frazzled mother, Heather (Penelope Mitchell), and her creepy German Aunt Gunter (Robyn Nevin).

Stock characters like a boozy Spanish neighbor, the weird Asian kid upstairs, and the comical black exterminator are included.

Hey, at least diversity was added.

The only likable character is Ethan. He struggles to connect with the bratty Charlotte through graphic novels, and the demands put upon him by Heather’s family who do not like him for some reason.

The poor guy serves as the building superintendent, works a day job, attempts to do creative work by night, and is a surrogate father. Sounds like a hero to me.

The point of the family drama only adds filler to the already slow-paced film and has nothing to do with the main event of Sting eating the family.

Charlotte is quite unlikable and I rooted for Sting to turn on her and make her its next victim. She mostly pouts and broods and has a sense of entitlement. I’m not sure why Roache-Turner made the character this way and should have softened her.

Events do pick up towards the end when finally a character is killed and the others accosted and put into webs presumably to be dined on later.

Since Charlotte is the character we are supposed to root for and I hated her this was anticlimactic.

Predictably but also clever is how a perfect sequel setup occurs at the end. I’m not sure Sting is good enough to warrant a sequel but box office receipts will determine this.

Sting (2024) is entertaining and fun but little more. I’ve already started to forget about it.

1963 Films, Art, Gunnel Lindblom, Ingmar Bergman, Ingrid Thulin, Jorgen Lindstrom, Swedish

The Silence-1963

Leave a comment

The Silence-1963

Director Ingmar Bergman

Starring Gunnel Lindblom, Ingrid Thulin

Scott’s Review #1,435

Reviewed July 28, 2024

Grade: A

Like most Ingmar Bergman films careful concentration is highly recommended. Consistently in the art film genre, his films are rich with substance and deep thought. Being alert and focused makes his films most rewarding.

The Silence (1963) is not one of his best-known films taking a backseat to The Seventh Seal (1957), The Virgin Spring (1960), and Wild Strawberries (1963) three of his more recognizable works.

It is no slouch and is quite excellent resembling Persona (1966) a Bergman film yet to be released.

The Silence is sometimes considered the third film in a trilogy that includes Through a Glass Darkly (1961) and Winter Light (1963) and focuses on spiritual issues. But they need not be watched sequentially.

His films often center on one character caring for another character with brewing anger, conflict, or self-reflection about life and death and the existence of god.

Traveling through an unnamed European country on the brink of war, sickly, intellectual Ester (Ingrid Thulin), her sister Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), and Anna’s young son, Johan (Jorgen Lindstrom), check into a near-empty hotel for shelter.

They cannot verbally communicate with the locals even though Ester is a linguist. They also have trouble communicating with each other due to estrangement.

Anna provokes her sister by enjoying a dalliance with a local waiter, while Johan, left to himself, has a series of strange encounters that heighten their growing isolation.

There is also an elderly hotel porter and a group of Spanish dwarfs who are part of a traveling show.

One gorgeous scene occurs when Anna ventures into the city alone and is openly advanced by a waiter in a cafe. He places her change on the table and knocks a coin to the floor. When he crouches down to retrieve it he quickly brushes her leg.

Later, she watches a show in an uncrowded theatre and is both repelled and fascinated when a young couple begins to have sex in a seat nearby.

Anna returns to the cafe, brushes past the waiter, and returns to the hotel.

The scenes exude sexuality since Anna is cautiously but certainly on the prowl for sex. She and the unnamed waiter have an instant animalistic attraction that smolders onscreen.

Some say the relationship between Anna and Ester can be interpreted as a push and pull between the same person. That impacts me as much as two separate people and I kept thinking of this point throughout the film.

Bergman incorporates several shots of the two women either side by side or their faces very close. This enhances the idea that they could be one person with deep psychological conflict.

There is no question that The Silence was influential to other films to come. Three Women (1977) and Mulholland Drive (2001) immediately come to mind since both delve into cerebral and dreamlike relationships between two women.

The film is shot in black and white like most if not all of his other films. This creates a stark mood and supports the conflict in the storyline, especially Ester’s illness.

Furthermore, because of the language barriers and emotional drama, there is little dialogue making the film almost like a silent movie.

It’s an incredible work with familiar storylines created by Bergman that question the complexity of relationships, thoughts, and emotions.

I was left with the message from The Silence (1963) that human beings are incredibly complex and it’s wonderful that it’s explored in cinema.

Thanks to ownership of a robust Criterion Collection set of thirty-nine of Bergman’s films I can look forward to seeing more of the brilliant Swedish director’s works.

1978 Films, Brooke Adams, Don Siegel, Donald Sutherland, Horror, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin McCarthy, Leonard Nimoy, Philip Kaufman, Robert Duvall, Science Fiction, Veronica Cartwright

Invasion of the Body Snatchers-1978

Leave a comment

Invasion of the Body Snatchers-1978

Director Philip Kaufman

Starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Veronica Cartwright

Scott’s Review #1,434

Reviewed July 22, 2024

Grade: A-

Even though this film is a remake and remakes are usually not as good as the original I am partial to the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers versus the 1956 release.

This might even be one of the best remakes ever.

The 1950s version has a campy science fiction element popular in the decade of frightening, otherworldly features like The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) or Invaders from Mars (1953) meant to promote invaders taking over the Earth.

This was enough to scare the bejesus out of middle America, USA, and their white picket fence-encased neighborhoods.

The 1970s version leaves behind any camp in favor of a straight-ahead sci-fi/horror hybrid. A glamorous and artistic approach oozes from the 1970s and various exterior sequences of San Francisco that make it superior to the original.

It’s a more polished and mainstream-ready product which works better for this film.

By far the best scene is the final scene between a perfectly cast Donald Sutherland and Veronica Cartright which left chills going up and down my spine.

I won’t spoil the fun but suffice it to say that the actor’s facial expressions make the scene exceptional mixed with the creepy sound effects.

Director, Philip Kaufman also toys with his audience when he teeters ambiguously between his leading ladies. Is Cartright the ‘final girl’ or is it Brooke Adams? In parallel to Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), the lead may not be who you assume it to be.

Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) is a health inspector who assumes that when his friend and colleague Elizabeth (Brooke Adams) complains of her husband’s strange mood, it’s a cheating husband or an exaggerated concern.

He begins to worry, however, as more people report similar observations about their loved one’s strange behavior.

His concern is confirmed when writer Jack Bellicec (Jeff Goldblum) and his wife (Veronica Cartwright) discover a mutated corpse creating a city-wide epidemic where humans are replaced by alien doubles void of humanity or emotion.

The casting is first-rate, especially because Sutherland is front and center. The actor does wonders with his bulging blue eyes and a spacey demeanor. This works well in a film where we wonder whether his character is ‘one of them’.

He’s also a good actor and easily carries the film along with Adams and Cartright.

Kaufman peppers the film with eerie atmospheric elements like the mysterious parasitic alien race scurrying to harvest before their planet dies, and small seed pods amid hallucinogenic pink flowers.

The success is mainly because the audience doesn’t know if they should hate the aliens or feel sorry for them. Since they are ambiguous this leaves confusion and therefore a sense of empathy.

Speaking of the exterior sequences, a great one occurs on the streets of San Francisco when a hysterical man warns Elizabeth and Matthew of danger as a mob pursues him. He is then killed in a hit-and-run, surrounded by emotionless onlookers.

Eagle-eyed viewers will spot Kevin McCarthy, the leading man in the 1950s film, and director Don Siegel.

When this scene plays it is eerie and cements the fact that the small group of friends must stick together against a mob of clones.

Wisely, Kaufman assures that the story does not play for laughs or appear over the top or silly. The gritty camera angles, superior makeup crew, and wonderfully effective sound effects confirm that he is making a film to be remembered.

Taking what the 1950s version created but only scratched the surface of the potential during a cinematically safe decade, the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers has muscle and compels from start to finish.

Years later, it still holds up wonderfully well among similar stylistic and popular horror films like Jaws (1975), Carrie (1976), Dawn of the Dead (1978), and Halloween (1978).

On a larger level, it also confirms the 1970s as the greatest decade for horror films.

2004 Films, Amanda Seyfried, Amy Poehler, Comedy, Jonathan Bennett, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Waters, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Tina Fey

Mean Girls-2004

Leave a comment

Mean Girls-2004

Director Mark Waters

Starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey

Scott’s Review #1,433

Reviewed July 21, 2024

Grade: B+

Upon its release, I doubt that the creators of Mean Girls (2004) knew how big of an influence the film would become. Not only becoming a box office hit it also became a Broadway musical with a reboot twenty years later.

It’s also one of those films everyone has heard of and immediately knows what it’s about.

After reading a self-help book about high school social cliques, Tina Fey, who stars in it, wrote the screenplay. The book also delved into school bullying and its damaging effects.

Mean Girls the film is intended to be a comedy and skirts over the horror and contempt that is the reality of vulnerable students being picked on by mean girls. I doubt that in real life ‘mean girls’ victims’ would appreciate a comedy based on their terror and ridicule.

A darker version while depressing would also be closer to reality. I took Mean Girls as a fantasy.

Nonetheless, the film is a roaring success if for no other reason than examining the insecurities and hierarchies of the high school (and middle school years) which ninety percent of adults would likely soon forget forever.

This is powerfully done via comedy so that we can all laugh at the over-the-top and hypocritical actions of the characters in different scenarios.

It’s fun to watch because it takes us back to a time in cinema when its star Lindsay Lohan was an up-and-coming sensation, and before co-stars Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried were Oscar-nominated actors.

Cady Heron (Lohan) is a sophisticated yet naïve student, educated in Africa by her scientist parents. When her family moves to the suburbs of Illinois, Cady gets to experience public school and experiences the cruel laws of popularity that divide her fellow students into tightly-knit cliques.

She unwittingly finds herself in the good graces of an elite group of cool students dubbed “the Plastics,” but soon realizes how her shallow group of new friends earned this nickname. They are led by Regina (McAdams), a rich, popular mean girl.

Things quickly go south after Cady becomes smitten with Regina’s ex, Aaron (Jonathan Bennett).

Despite the title, the film is for anyone with teenage angst, a crush on a fellow student, or feeling either left out or part of a group at the expense of other unpopular kids.

The message of mean girls is universal and therapeutic since audiences can cheer along with Cady especially when she exacts her revenge on queen bee Regina in hilarious form.

The cat-and-mouse play between the two characters is merciless and delightful in the cruel measures to one-up the other in pure comical fashion.

Lohan and McAdams deserve kudos for energetically infusing the characters with likability even during scenes when they should be hated.

Cheering when Regina gets hit by a bus never felt so good.

The writing is astounding and surprisingly good with vicious quick wit and humorous scene after scene.

Wisely, the film ends after one hour and thirty-seven minutes which is a perfect length for a teenage comedy. Anything longer might have made it drag because the ending isn’t unexpected or a huge surprise.

Since we assume Cady will emerge victorious, which she does, the conclusion is satisfying and the event hints at a sequel.

The film is peppered with diversity which is also an enormous win. The principal of North Shore High School, Mr. Duvall (Tim Meadows) is black while other ethnic characters appear.

This provides a nice progressive message.

Watching the film twenty years following its release I never expected to enjoy it quite so much as I did. This is a testament to the power of Mean Girls (2004), director Mark Waters, and Tina Fey who create something that holds up well.

1994 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Joan Rivers, John Waters, Kathleen Turner, Mary Jo Catlett, Matthew Lillard, Mink Stole, Patty Hearst, Ricki Lake, Sam Waterston, Satire, Suzanne Somers, Traci Lords

Serial Mom-1994

Leave a comment

Serial Mom-1994

Director John Waters

Starring Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake

Scott’s Review #1,432

Reviewed July 8, 2024

Grade: A-

Serial Mom (1994) is led by an uproarious performance by Kathleen Turner, in the 1990s still in her cinematic heyday, the latter-day John Waters comedy fires on all cylinders. She wickedly goes full steam ahead in a pulsating performance deliciously deserving of an Oscar nomination.

The film is directed by Waters, known for perverse and gross-out fare like Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1975) so any chance for an Academy Award is laughable.

Though, Serial Mom is much safer than those films choosing slick 1990s mainstream camerawork over raw shots of dogshit on the sidewalk.

Still, Turner hits it out of the park playing a ‘June Cleaver’ character with a murderous dark side.

Beverly Sutphin (Turner) appears to be an unassuming upper-middle-class housewife living with her dentist husband Eugene (Sam Waterston) and their teenage children, Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard), in suburban Maryland.

She is secretly a serial killer who kills people over trivial slights or offenses like insulting her son or blowing off her daughter. The dastardly mom uses creative weapons like her station wagon and a fire poker to kill her prey.

Serial Mom is strictly for ravenous fans of Waters and I’m not sure it will win any new fans over. But I’ll stress how much of a mainstream affair it is compared to his more dangerous 1970s films.

It pairs well in look and feel with Hairspray from 1988 and both films star Ricki Lake.

Some have referred to it as a slasher film but that would steer it in the horror vein or knife-wielding maniac territory. Beverly isn’t Freddie, Jason, or Michael Meyers. She is fun and does as much damage with a sneer or a smirk as with a weapon.

Beverly is also the type of woman you’d like to be friends with but are terrified of crossing. After all, she kills in the defense of her kids so she’s a good mother with a wicked sense of humor.

When she delights in crank-calling her neighbor Dottie Hinkle (deliciously played by Waters’s regular Mink Stole) to get a rise out of her, we cheer her on.

Later, when charged and sent to trial for her dirty deeds, she fires her attorney and takes over her case amid rabid fan response. Beverly becomes a local hero.

She’s a cinema villain to remember.

Waters is great because he finds the perfect balance of camp and wit to make a smart film not merely a slapstick one. Many cinema comedies don’t work because the laughs feel canned instead of fresh.

The writing and the cast make Serial Mom a winner.

The ridiculous antics and situations Beverly gets involved in make the audience want to know what she does next. Who doesn’t love a well-to-do character who turns sinister? It’s fun to watch a rich suburban town turn into a shit show of high entertainment.

Besides Stole, my favorite supporting actors are Mary Jo Catlett and Matthew Lillard. Catlett has brilliant comic timing as a neighbor, Rosemary, while Lillard was on the cusp of becoming a horror/comedy star with 1996’s Scream.

Regarding cameos, I could have done without the Suzanne Somers cameo playing herself which didn’t land all that funny but Patty Hearst as juror #8 is a winner.

The ‘white shoes after Labor Day’ sequence is hysterical.

Serial Mom (1994) is a cult classic for the ages and on par with most of John Waters earlier, classic raunchy comedies.

2024 Films, Austin Butler, Crime Drama, Drama, Emory Cohen, Jeff Nichols, Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon, Norman Reedus, Tom Hardy

The Bikeriders-2024

Leave a comment

The Bikeriders-2024

Director Jeff Nichols

Starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy

Scott’s Review #1,431

Reviewed July 1, 2024

Grade: A-

The Bikeriders (2024) immediately informs the audience of the time and place the film will be told. A dry and dusty midwestern, USA between 1965-1973 is the window explored and the defiance of the characters drawn.

This period is the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, assassinations, Woodstock, and many other historical moments. Dangerous, the culture and people were changing and very rebellious.

Director Jeff Nichols, who also wrote the screenplay based on ‘The Bikeriders’ by Danny Lyon wonderfully presents a time capsule of a group of bikers who forged their subculture away from the uncertainty of the rest of the world.

After a chance encounter at a local biker bar, strong-willed Kathy (Jodie Comer) is drawn to handsome and mysterious Benny (Austin Butler), the newest member of the Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals led by the enigmatic Johnny (Tom Hardy).

Much like the country around it, the club changes with time, transforming from a basic gathering place for local outsiders into an underworld of violence, forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

The strongest parts of The Bikeriders are the beginning and end with portions in the middle section making it drag and lowering a potential ‘A’ rating to an ‘A-‘.

But the other sections are so rich with characterization and events that they usurp the dull parts.

Nichols, who has also directed Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012), and Loving (2016) likes to focus on the decade of the 1960s in America with conflicted characters. He likes to work with Michael Shannon who has a small yet pivotal role as a man who ponders life.

We meet Benny in a bar where he sips a drink. He is hastily told by two local thugs to remove his biker jacket. After a bloody fight in the parking lot, we realize how much the biker club means to him and what it symbolizes.

It’s a club where the vermin, weirdos, undesirables, and those cast aside by society find a place and are cared for by one another. That is until the years pass and things change by meaner and less loyal bikers.

The symbolism resonates with all because time never stands still and good things always come to an end.

The Bikeriders is told from the perspective of Kathy through a series of interviews with her friend, Danny (Mike Faist). He is the real-life author of the book the film is based on.

Comer is outstanding in the lead female role. She is strong and resilient, attracted to the dangerous lifestyle and the bikers, but only has eyes for Benny and will not be taken advantage of.

She chronicles specific events like fights, death, and rape, in painful yet thoughtful detail inviting the audience into her dark world.

Butler and Hardy are also terrific. Arguably co-leads, Butler’s Benny is childless, freer than Hardy’s Johnny, a family man. Johnny sees Benny as the next leader of the Vipers but Benny wants none of that.

Both men are tortured by comparisons to the club and life outside the club. During a long homoerotic scene, Johnny and Benny are dangerously close to kissing as Johnny discloses the reasons why Benny should lead the club.

The scene is smoldering as the unspoken connection can be felt in raw form. Nichols doesn’t dare to make the film into anything LGBTQ+ related but the nuances and subtleties exist.

Besides the acting, the gritty environment oozes with richness. The soiled biker bars, sticky floors laden with blood, beer, and vomit, emit from the silver screen.

You can almost smell the environment.

The bad teeth, foul language, and tacky midwestern accents, all portray the loneliness of these characters and how they cling to the club for dear life.

Nichols and the author Lyon depict a fresh look into the world of motorcyclists and the culture they lived and died in for a brief time. The Bikeriders (2024) presents violence mixed with brotherhood and loyalty which is fascinating to watch.

2020 Films, Ann Dowd, Armie Hammer, Ben Wheatley, British, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Thriller

Rebecca-2020

Leave a comment

Rebecca-2020

Director Ben Wheatley

Starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas

Scott’s Review #1,430

Reviewed June 30, 2024

Grade: A-

Impossible to compare to the legendary 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film, I tried very hard to take the 2020 retelling of Rebecca based on its merits. After all, it’s been eighty years and other attempts have been made mostly forgotten or irrelevant.

Aware of lukewarm reviews by other critics I desperately washed those aside and settled in for a macabre, dark ghostly British thriller.

The film is quite good! Feeling fresh and with a polished cinematic look, I’d describe it as a modern British offering despite being set long ago.

For comparisons, it reminds me of the British television series Downton Abbey (2010-2015) in look and feel. A grandiose estate, dutiful servants, and rank and file of other wealthy and not-so-wealthy characters.

A young newlywed (character nameless) arrives at her husband’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast and finds herself battling the shadow of his first wife, Rebecca, whose legacy lives in the house long after her death.

The lead actress, Lily James, who at first I couldn’t recall who she was, is most known for Downton Abbey and the 2023 film The Iron Claw.

The character she plays, the insecure second Mrs. de Winter is confused, and haunted requiring terrific acting. James hits it out of the park on that front.

Emotionally abused by her employer, wickedly played by Ann Dowd, she is instantly heroic and likable so we are happy when she graduates from servant to queen bee.

I cringed at first when I realized that the gorgeous and lovely Kristin Scott Thomas was playing the pivotal role of the villainous Mrs. Danvers. Known for the film The English Patient (1996) where she played the romantic Katharine Clifton, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to go so dark.

Boy, was I wrong? It took me a bit to channel out the dastardly performance by Judith Anderson from the original and accept Scott Thomas. She gets better with each scene and even forces the audience to sympathize with her.

Finally, Armie Hammer is good in the lead role of Maxim de Winter. Handsome, sophisticated, and wealthy, he peculiarly fancies a lady’s maid who inexplicably becomes his wife.

We wonder what he sees in her when his deceased wife ‘Rebecca’ was gorgeous, affluent, and a perfectionist. Rebecca was presumed to have drowned in a terrible boating accident but as events unfold we wonder if there’s more to the story.

If only the characters communicated with each other it would have eliminated confusion. Maxim refuses to talk about Rebecca. If his true feelings were revealed he’d have a different kind of second marriage.

Besides the story and the acting, other trimmings make Rebecca circa 2020 worthy of watching.

The cinematography captures crashing waves and high cliffs that provide a haunting mood. The dining room and kitchen sequences brim with goodness and wonderful meals.

The art direction and set design are overall flawless in the presentation.

The costume party that Mrs. de Winter eagerly plans and hopes will admonish the house of any thoughts of Rebecca go wrong which for viewers is a delight because the scene is already rich.  With help from Danvers a regal red costume is designed and prepared to showcase Mrs. de Winter.

When she confidently descends the staircase the startled crowd gasps with fright at the similarities between her and Rebecca. Maxim angrily dismisses her to change outfits while Danvers smirks in the background.

She’s won round one.

The Danvers/Mrs. de Winter feud is my favorite aspect of Rebecca (both original and 2020 versions) so it’s delightful to see it work so well with Scott Thomas and James.

There is nothing quite so satisfying as watching a film with little expectations but finishing feeling fulfilled and still thinking about it the next morning.

I’ll always watch 1940s Rebecca as a treasured friend but Rebecca (2020) quite capably offers a modern spin with good acting and lavish production values.

2023 Films, Annette Bening, Biography, Drama, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Sports

Nyad-2023

Leave a comment

Nyad-2023

Director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin

Starring Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans

Scott’s Review #1,429

Reviewed June 28, 2024

Grade: B+

Nyad (2023) is a perfect example of a film made much better by the performances of its lead actors.

Heavyweights, Annette Bening, and Jodie Foster bring heart to their characters, making the viewer empathize and fall in love with them even when not likable.

Despite receiving Oscar nominations for both actors I semi-resisted watching the film and had it on my list for quite some time before biting the bullet and pressing play.

The previews enshroud the film in safety offering a feel-good, Cinderella-type story, pleasant but perhaps little more. A sports biography at that any nitwit searching Google could tell how the film would go.

The conclusion while inspiring is unsurprising and, spoiler alert, Bening as famous swimmer Diana Nyad, dramatically lumbers onto the sand of the Florida Keys amid cheers and chants of ‘Diana, Diana, Diana!’.

She is breathless and haggard but acknowledges her fans and friends.

Filmmakers, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin only needed to add slow-motion filmmaking to make this thunderous ovation more sappy. 

But they didn’t, and the husband and wife directors do an admiral job of incorporating various colors and cool editing tricks to make Nyad a bit more cutting-edge than it might have been.

The true story of tenacity, courage, friendship, and the human spirit’s triumph, is explored by telling of the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad.

Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of sixty, Diana has an epiphany.

She completes an epic swim of one hundred-and-ten-mile trek from Cuba to Florida, a feat she failed decades earlier. It takes her four years along with her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (Foster) and a dedicated sailing team.

Bening and Foster have tremendous chemistry and every scene together sizzles with authenticity and humanism. Both are gay, it’s assumed they are longtime partners or a married couple. But it’s explained early on that they dated ‘for a minute’ and became best friends.

It turns into a film about female friendship and determination rather than romance. Other than Diana’s one feeble attempt at dating an uptight Los Angeles blonde neither woman date at all.

The flashier role goes to Bening who does not mind looking hideous in her film roles. Determined and aggressive, she slowly transforms into bloated, puffy, and unrecognizable, especially after her long swims.

A wonderful actor, Bening powerfully relays Nyad’s absolute need to attempt this historic feat. She sees her life passing her by and even though she is hardly a failure she doesn’t see herself as anything more.

Foster on the other hand is calm cool and collected, quite familiar with Nyad’s trials and tribulations and bouts of neediness. She’s spent years cow-towing to these needs.

But, Foster’s Bonnie is hardly a patsy or merely a supportive friend. She’s way more. In a brilliant scene, Bonnie confronts Diana and the pair have a blow-up scene. Bonnie needs more from her life and deserves it.

The women grow even closer after this emotional scene.

The film’s mid-section got a bit boring and I found myself tuning out until the big finale I knew was coming.

Since I knew Diana would eventually achieve her goal the three or four attempts feel dull. Bad weather, a jellyfish, fatigue, or other issues force the team to cancel the attempt.

Going in I would have guessed I’d rate Nyad (2023) a ‘B’ but thanks to Bening and Foster a ‘B+’ is a must.

There is so much to be said for brilliant acting and these two ladies know how to deliver the goods.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Annette Bening, Best Supporting Actress-Jodie Foster

1998 Films, Ben Stiller, Bobby Farrelly, Brett Favre, Cameron Diaz, Chris Elliott, Comedy, Jeffrey Tambor, Lee Evans, Lin Shaye, Markie Post, Matt Dillon, Peter Farrelly, Richard Jenkins, Romantic Comedy, Sarah Silverman

There’s Something About Mary-1998

Leave a comment

There’s Something About Mary-1998

Director Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly

Starring Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon

Scott’s Review #1,428

Reviewed June 16, 2024

Grade: B+

Since many films are released within the romantic comedy genre most are disposable and forgettable. Very few stand out initially let alone stand the test of time.

Decades later, There’s Something About Mary (1998) holds up well mostly because of its chemistry and laugh-out-loud memorable moments. It also has a heart and is not mean-spirited showcasing a brewing romance people can relate to.

Watching in 2024 particularly interesting is the appeal of Cameron Diaz since retired from acting, and a young Ben Stiller who was then in his heyday and a box-office gem. Brett Favre, who then was a superstar NFL quarterback makes a cameo appearance.

Pleasing is to watch a hit film from decades ago that still offers appeal.

Ted’s (Ben Stiller) unexpected dream prom date with Mary (Cameron Diaz) in 1985 is disastrous due to an embarrassing injury at her home causing them never to get to the prom. Mary leaves town shortly after.

Thirteen years later, pre-social media in 1998, Ted hires shady investigator Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) to track down Mary so he can reconnect with her. Pat becomes obsessed with her and lies to Ted about Mary, finding out everything he can about her to trick her into dating him.

Ted realizes the truth and travels to meet Mary in Miami, Florida where she is a successful orthopedic surgeon to reconnect with her.

Instantaneous hilarity comes to mind from two legendary scenes involving Ben Stiller’s Ted that most people have heard of.

While using the bathroom at Mary’s house before leaving for the prom Ted gets his private parts or ‘frank and beans’, caught in his zipper. Every male viewer will squirm in imagined discomfort but the hijinks with Mary’s parents and neighborhood firefighters who get involved make the sequence legendary.

This pairs well with a later scene when Ted masturbates just before his date with Mary to relax. Mary mistakes some ‘residue’ on Ted’s ear for hair gel and hilariously applies it to her hair causing it to stick straight up in the air during dinner.

Both scenes still feel fresh and natural years later and are now historical.

The introduction of Tucker (Lee Evans) a third admirer of Mary doesn’t work so well in hindsight. The revelation that he is not a British architect but merely a pizza deliverer who injured his back to get close to Mary feels forced and unnecessary.

The triangle between Ted/Mary/Pat is just enough.

The inclusion factors are impressive. In 1985, Mary had a black stepfather and a mentally disabled brother both of whom she adores. When Ted drives from Rhode Island to Florida he stops at a rest area and is assumed to be gay. This is preceded by a session with a psychiatrist who suspects Ted may be gay.

These additions go a long way to showcase normalcy in these individual areas.

It’s also impressive that the Farrelly brothers (Peter and Bobby), who direct the film, make Mary a surgeon paving the way for female viewers to aspire to the same.

There’s Something About Mary gets a slight knock for exploiting female breasts, Mary is seen at least twice through a window putting on a bra while a male spies on her from the distance.

The characters are benevolent especially Ted and Mary making it easy for the audience to root for them. Thanks to the tremendous chemistry between Diaz, Stiller, and Dillon, There’s Something About Mary (1998) feels fresh and romantic without a forced feeling.

2023 Films, Austrian, David Wagner, Drama, Gerhard Liebmann, International, International Drama, International Romance, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Romance, Luka Dimic, Romantic Drama

Eismayer-2023

Leave a comment

Eismayer-2023

Director David Wagner

Starring Gerhard Liebmann, Luka Dimic

Scott’s Review #1,427

Reviewed May 31, 2024

Grade: A-

Eismayer (2023) may be the first Austrian-language film I’ve ever and is the first Austrian LGBTQ+ film. Similar to German cinema there is a cold and stark naturalistic veneer to the filmmaking making it feel moody and foreboding.

I’ve said this many times before but the statement still has merit. The LGBTQ+ cinema genre has been saturated with offerings since the late 1990s, especially into the 2000s and it can be difficult not to tell the same story continuously.

As proof of the above, our Prime subscription contains numerous LGBTQ+ films to showcase so we decided on Eismayer which sounded interesting.

It focuses on the military, is Austrian, and focuses on a love story between two soldiers. The fact that it is based on a true story held special intrigue.

Sergeant Major Eismayer (Gerhard Liebmann) is known and feared as the toughest training officer in the Austrian Armed Forces. He is ruthless and unfeeling with recruits and a staunch disciplinarian, with order and macho toughness.

Unsurprisingly, the new batch of recruits despises him.

Surprisingly, in his personal life, he is a loving father to his son whom he adores and treats his wife respectfully.

But when he starts to fall in love with Falak (Luka Dimic), a recruit who is unashamedly out and proud as a gay man Eismayer must decide if his closeted existence is worth it.

The director, David Wagner, paints a lovely canvas of the love between two men that slowly takes shape. He wisely makes the running time less than an hour and a half so the film doesn’t drag.

It’s not a shock what develops between Eismayer and Falak because their embrace appears on the cover art but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment.

I like the direction Wagner takes with this story. Eismayer being the title character the focus is on his character not the couple as a whole. The plot centers on his plight to come to terms with his sexuality and also make it publicly known.

He doesn’t have to come out naturally but if he wants to have an open and honest romance with Falak he must do this genuinely.

It’s unexplained why Eismayer is the way he is but one can easily guess why. His father was probably stoic and military-like he is and the expectation was to be macho and tough at all costs, showing no vulnerability.

To satisfy his urges he is reduced to having hot sex with willing recruits in the back seat of a car but it’s hardly candlelit dinners and romance nor satisfying.

In addition to being in love with Falak, he admires his courage to be out and proud in a traditionally masculine environment.

We know virtually nothing about Falak’s backstory. What made him come out? What was his father like?

While there has been a clear shift in acceptance of gays in the military a story like this hasn’t been told in film to my knowledge.

Gone hopefully are the days when LGBTQ+ filmmakers told stories of mere resistance to a gay character’s happiness as an obstacle to their joy and acceptance.

There is a raised eyebrow or two when Falak makes his homosexuality evident in the shower and one grizzled senior officer complains that ‘fags don’t belong in the military’ but the younger officers have little issue.

They even applaud at the end when Eismayer and Falak kiss and embrace, cementing their open and blossoming romance.

A fantasy? Possibly, but Wagner gives the likely predominately gay male audience something to admire and cheer for.

Understated, but packs an emotional punch and an uplifting and inspiring message, Eismayer (2023) is an Austrian film I hope will inspire more American filmmakers.

2021 Films, Aaron Sorkin, Biography, Drama, J.K. Simmons, Jake Lacy, Javier Bardem, Linda Lavin, Nicole Kidman, Nina Arianda

Being the Ricardos-2021

Leave a comment

Being the Ricardos-2021

Director Aaron Sorkin

Starring Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem

Scott’s Review #1,426

Reviewed May 7, 2024

Grade: B+

Aaron Sorkin who has written or directed such efforts as A Few Good Men (1992), Moneyball (2011), and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) is typically associated with mainstream films.

While quality projects, he will never be accused of being a dangerous or auteur director. Since he is in the director’s chair for Being the Ricardos (2021) I knew going in that the film would be more or less a safe venture.

Ironically, the film that tells the story of famous comedian Lucille Ball played by Nicole Kidman, and her husband Desi played by Javier Bardem is not a comedy. It’s a drama mixed with a biography for those audiences unfamiliar with the duo explaining who they are.

For those of us at least mildly familiar with the iconic black and white show ‘I Love Lucy’ that pivoted television shows into the spotlight in the 1950s, Being the Ricardos serves as a slice of nostalgia.

The film depicts many aspects of the relationship of the pair and the challenges that went into producing the hit television show every week. But it also delves heavily into their rocky marriage, political smears, and cultural taboos that the show helped break.

Whoever thought that a pregnant character or a Cuban leading man would have stirred so much controversy?

But in the 1950s things were different and anyone even open to the idea of Communism faced career ruination.

Sorkin successfully treats the viewers to lengthy debates in the writers’ room, contentious star feuds, and the creative process in general.

More subtly, we see how a powerful woman in show business was the exception, not the rule, and how norms were very different for women.

The events of the film mostly surround one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy.”

J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda play loveable Fred and Ethel, Lucy and Desi’s comical next-door neighbors in the sitcom. In real life, the actors despised each other frequently hurling insults at each other.

Comedy legend Linda Lavin makes a surprising appearance as Madelyn Pugh. The then-older television writer provides interviews along with other writers and producers to explain the earlier events.

Kidman is center stage as the icon. A brilliant actor in any role she is cast she does effectively depict the breathy voice and the mannerisms of Lucille Ball but she doesn’t look like her. Originally, Cate Blanchett was attached to the role and I’m very curious how she would have played her.

The obvious choice might have been television’s Debra Messing, brilliant on Will & Grace even portraying Lucy in one fantasy episode. My hunch is that Messing was too great a risk of lowering the film to sitcom standards and she isn’t a ‘movie star’ either.

And again, Being the Ricardos isn’t a comedy.

So, Kidman delivers the goods with some reservations mostly revealing what a strong woman Ball was and how she created many of the hilarious skits she is known for while not making the character seem like an idiot.

Bardem is also good in the role of Desi. He mixes conservative machismo with a thirst to be daring and challenge the mold. His womanizing would ruin their marriage but he was a savvy businessman and the film shows this.

An entertaining biopic that probably will be forgotten over time Being the Ricardos (2021) nonetheless shines a spotlight on the early days of television as a new medium and the hurdles its stars had to face in the woeful days of early apple pie and white picket fences that defined America.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor-Javier Bardem, Best Actress-Nicole Kidman, Best Supporting Actor-J.K. Simmons

2023 Films, Drama, Ethan Hawke, International, International Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Pedro Almodovar, Pedro Pascal, Shorts, Spanish, Western

Strange Way of Life-2023

Leave a comment

Strange Way of Life-2023

Director Pedro Almodóvar

Starring Ethan Hawke, Pedro Pascal

Scott’s Review #1,425

Reviewed April 22, 2024

Grade: A-

Pedro Almodóvar is a unique film director. Spanish, his films are flavorful, saucy, and unpredictable. He tends to mix melodrama, wacky humor, and a colorful landscape frequently sprinkling LGBTQ+ elements even if they are not classified with that specific genre.

I adore his films though they frequently blur together for me.

Though a Spanish film, Strange Way of Life (2023) is only Almodóvar’s second English language film and to my knowledge his first short feature film.

Watching the brief thirty-one-minute offering I fantasized about a full-length feature or even a television series based on the story and characters.

Since it’s short we get right down to business quickly.

One day Silva (Pedro Pascal) rides a horse across the desert to Bitter Creek to visit Sheriff Jake (Ethan Hawke). It is quickly revealed that twenty-five years earlier, the sheriff and Silva, worked together as hired gunmen.

They fell in love during a passionate encounter with three whores and barrels of wine who ditched the men when they realized they were not valued.

Silva provides Jake with the excuse that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship but rather to rescue his son Joe (George Steane) from persecution for being suspected of killing Jake’s late brother’s wife, also a whore.

After Jake and Silva sip wine and enjoy a lovely meal they quickly engage in animalistic sex and reignite their long-dormant passion.

While Silva is gung-ho about reuniting Jake has reservations.

Pascal, who is everywhere due to the success of his television series The Last of Us is fabulous to watch. His sexy machismo pairs well with his passion for his soulmate. Because his character of Silva intends for him and Jake to live out their days running a ranch he is a more inspiring character than Jake.

This point is a nod to the groundbreaking Brokeback Mountain (2006) whose characters also flirted with running a ranch together during a time when any gay relations were forbidden territory.

Hawke is quite good too though I’m partial to Pascal. Buttoned up and law-abiding he rebuffs Silva’s advances, at first.

It’s nice to see Hawke in a gay role. Both characters are masculine thereby dismissing silly LGBTQ+ stereotypes that too often appear in cinema.

It also doesn’t hurt to get a glimpse of Pascal’s bare butt or Hawke’s buff physique as they while away time in the bedroom.

I love the sweaty and muscular Western genre being the backdrop of an LGBTQ+ film and tipped upside down. Not to reduce it to a tepid John Wayne film cliche there exists a gorgeous and melodic fado singer throughout the film.

It is performed by Manu Ríos.

This counterbalances the Quentin Tarantino-ish blood and violence with lovely music.

The film is titled after a 1960s Portuguese fado song by Amália Rodrigues

Since Strange Way of Life is a brief experience many facets could have been explored. Why did Silva leave Jake in the first place? What made him suddenly have a realization after twenty-five years? Were there other men at that time?

Being critical that the film is short and deserves full-length feature status it nonetheless deserves to be towards the top of Almodóvar’s catalog a testament to its power.

Strange Way of Life (2023) successfully takes a macho genre like the Western and lights it on fire proving that two men can be tough and tenderly love each other.

1971 Films, British, Crime Thriller, John Hurt, Judy Geeson, Richard Attenborough, Richard Fleischer, Thriller

10 Rillington Place-1971

Leave a comment

10 Rillington Place-1971

Director Richard Fleischer

Starring Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt

Scott’s Review #1,424

Reviewed March 22, 2024

Grade: A

Richard Fleischer has directed films such as Dr. Doolittle (1967) and Soylent Green (1973) that are remembered better than 10 Rillington Place (1971).

That’s a shame because the film is one that I hadn’t seen nor heard of but is chilling, macabre, and masterful in its bleakness and atmosphere.

It’s also wonderfully acted.

One can’t help but notice the stark similarities to Frenzy, an equally disturbing and great 1972 film by Alfred Hitchcock.  Did this film influence the master of suspense to create that one? Only he knows the answer to that question.

Mostly set in one dreary apartment building in London named 10 Rillington Place it tells the true story of the British serial killer John Christie (Richard Attenborough), who committed many of his crimes in the tall terraced house, and the miscarriage of justice involving his neighbor, the simple-minded Timothy Evans (John Hurt).

Timothy was used by John as a scapegoat for the murders.

John is a seemingly model citizen but a killer, as the audience witnesses in the first scene. He poses as a kindly doctor who convinces naive women that he can cure whatever might ail them whether it be aches and pains or making a pesky pregnancy go away.

He usually strangles them to death and buries them in a makeshift graveyard in the pretty garden in front of his residence.

The main story in 10 Rillington Place follows John as he cons a pregnant bride (Judy Geeson) struggling financially to utilize his help and medical methods. John’s dutiful and clueless wife, Ethel (Pat Heywood) slowly discovers her husband’s shenanigans but will she fall prey as his next victim?

Of course, Richard Attenborough steals the show as the demented killer with a calm, cool, and collected exterior. As an average-looking Joe type, he can use his trusting appearance to his advantage.

I’d trust him.

Attenborough became an Academy Award-winning director for 1982’s Gandhi so he knows his craft well. He also directed Cry Freedom in 1987 and Chaplin in 1992.

In actor mode, he is phenomenal in the crazed killer role. His greatest skill is his demeanor. Thoughtful and pondering he never plays psycho or nuts. He is careful but that’s part of his creepiness. With every noise, he peers out the window drawing the living room curtain ever so slightly revealing his face.

Hurt and Geeson are terrific as the young couple with the cards stacked against them. They are simply looking for tranquility and the means to raise their child.

Simplicity is a winning formula and most of the film is subdued thanks to Fleischer’s laid-back direction techniques.

The look of 10 Rillington Place is perfection. The colors are muted and faded giving a dank and depressing look. Even a bright red velvet sofa appears dark and dreary.

As Timothy and Beryl agree to lease the top floor flat this will not bode well for them and somehow we can just sense this.

Towards the end of the film, it is almost too much to bear with the knowledge that John strangles a toddler to death and unceremoniously stuffs the child, wrapped in a blanket in a washroom.

Brilliantly, the murders rarely happen onscreen and with none of the principal characters. That’s what’s so haunting about the film and reminds me of Hitchcock’s Frenzy.

Remember the scene where the necktie killer lures a female victim upstairs to her death? There is silence and a shot of the staircase for seemingly an eternity until the killer descends the stairs.

We know what’s happened.

What we don’t see is sometimes much more frightening than what we do see.

The ghastly reveal at the end of 10 Rillington Place that the story is based on real-life events packed a punch since I didn’t have this knowledge going into the film.

Thankfully, 10 Rillington Place (1971) has received its just desserts in terms of praise and achievement in recent years. This proves that great films are like cream and rise to the top…..eventually.

2023 Films, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Blitz Bazawule, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, Danielle Brooks, Drama, Fantasia Barrino, Halle Bailey, Louis Gossett Jr., Musical, Musical Drama, Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Steven Spielberg, Taraji P. Henson, Whoopi Goldberg

The Color Purple-2023

Leave a comment

The Color Purple-2023

Director Blitz Bazawule

Starring Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson

Scott’s Review #1,423

Reviewed March 16, 2024

Grade: B+

In 2023, director Blitz Bazawule recreated the famous 1985 cinematic version of The Color Purple by Steven Spielberg with mostly good results though it won’t be remembered like Spielberg’s is.

Bazawule is also a visual artist, rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer so his version differs greatly from Spielberg’s in style and production design.

The ‘new’ version feels closer to what a feel-good Broadway stage version might feel like with incorporated musical numbers breaking up the drama and sometimes the comedy.

The Color Purple was a stage version and before that a much bleaker novel by Alice Walker so I’m not averse to comparing the 2023 version to all that preceded it.

Since we are talking cinema, although I’m more partial to the 1985 version mostly because that one packed a much greater emotional punch I think the numbers are a wise move and are choreographed well.

My favorite by far is ‘Hell No!’ an aggressive and anthemic stomp performed by a defiant Sofia (Danielle Brooks) and later reprised when mousy Celie (Fantasia Barrino) finds a set of balls.

We all probably know the story but here is a brief synopsis for those unfamiliar with the plot.

Set in the Deep South (Georgia) from the early 1900s until the 1940s, the main story follows the shy and put-upon Celie. She is raped and forced to bear the children of her father who then sells the babies. She is sent to marry and live with ‘Mister’ (Colman Domingo) who beats her and sets his sights on Celie’s sister Nettie (Halle Bailey).

Nettie and Celie are the best of friends but through circumstance lose touch for years.

The decades march on as Celie finds her voice and independence thanks to Sofia, jazz singer Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), and other kind folks.

The Color Purple is a lovely look at perseverance, extraordinary strength, and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood during a difficult time in history.

Black women especially were not always treated well.

The casting is uneven. I wasn’t completely won over by Barrino as Celie. The one-time ‘American Idol winner can sing and was Celie on Broadway in 2007 but I kept musing how exceptional Whoopi Goldberg was in the part in 1985.

Speaking of Goldberg, she appears in a cameo role early on as a midwife.

Henson, as Shug, has a tremendous voice and confidence providing the glamour and outrageousness needed for the role. However, she is supposed to be a drop-dead gorgeous woman who Celie is madly in love with and Henson doesn’t have the looks.

As my apt husband announced, Beyonce Knowles would have been a brilliant casting choice.

The standout is Brooks as Sofia, justifiably receiving the sole Academy Award nomination. The instant she appears on screen bullying her meek husband Harpo she has the audience wrapped around her finger giving as good a performance as Oprah Winfrey did in 1985.

While the musical numbers incorporate more of the Broadway-style they also contain a musical rock video vibe that takes away a bit of the cinematic production.  The dance moves are so perfect that they make the film feel ‘fun’ when it should feel ‘tragic’.

Even though Spielberg’s version was accused of excessive sappiness, it’s downright raw compared to the 2023 version. The finale is overly sentimental and the reunion of Celie and Mister, Mister now suddenly converted to a saint, is unrealistic.

Everything ends up so perfect for Celie and that’s all well and good but the fairy tale ending offsets some of the anguish she goes through early in the film.

Finally, Sofia’s big scene when she punches the mayor and other white townsmen lack the emotional heartbreak that the 1985 version did.

Held on its own merits, the film is a success. The Color Purple (2023) never drags and entertains from the first scene to the last. It’s a crowd-pleaser so those looking for a gooey experience will enjoy this version.

It’s safe waters without languishing towards dull or ineffectual.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actress-Danielle Brooks

Welcome to my blog! 1,425 + reviews posted! My name is Scott Segrell and I reside in Stamford, CT. My blog is a diverse site featuring tons of film reviews I have written since I launched my site in 2014. I hope you enjoy perusing the site for latest or greatest films or to search for your own favorites to see how we compare. Please take a look at my featured sections at the top of the page which change often! Utilize the tags and category links.