Category Archives: Biography

1993 Films, Angela Bassett, Biography, Brian Gibson, Jenifer Lewis, Khandi Alexander, Laurence Fishburne, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Shavar Ross, Vanessa Bell Calloway

What’s Love Got to Do with It-1993

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What’s Love Got to Do with It-1993

Director Brian Gibson

Starring Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne 

Scott’s Review #1,502

Reviewed November 22, 2025

Grade: A-

Many biographies have been made in cinema over the years, but What’s Love Got to Do with It? (1993) is the only one, to my knowledge, about the legendary and leggy singer Tina Turner.

The blues and rock diva, known for her lioness wigs and powerful voice, had a rough road to achieving her greatest success in her 40s.

Made over thirty years ago, more modern biographies have both succeeded (Bohemian Rhapsody-2018 and Rocketman-2019 come to mind) and failed (Respect-2021), but impressively, What’s Love Got to Do with It? holds up well and provides emotional power throughout.

Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne are exceptionally well cast. As Tina and her abusive husband, Ike, the actors give a lot of investment and believability into the performer’s tumultuous relationship.

The film, based on Turner’s 1986 autobiography I, Tina, is not quite a solid A because Bassett, while terrific as Turner, lip-syncs to Turner’s vocals. It’s left unclear why Ike is such a controlling tyrant and why she stayed with him for close to 20 years, and some aspects are embellished from the autobiography.

But the acting and other aspects usurp these nitpicky particulars.

The production numbers when Turner performs are electric, and the film’s best parts. Especially ‘River Deep-Mountain High’ and the title track allow Bassett to embellish the superstar in raw fury and guttural range.

It is clear how the actor channels Tina through gestures, stage confidence, and passion for her art. It’s beautiful to observe and be inspired by.

The story is based on the life of the legendary soul singer, who was born Anna Mae Bullock to an absentee mother and father and a meager upbringing in the rural South. When her grandmother, who raised her, dies, she reconnects with her birth mother and sister (Jenifer Lewis and Phyllis Yvonne Stickney) in 1960s St. Louis, where she meets the charismatic Ike, already an established star.

As a musical team, Ike and Tina take the charts by storm. But as his physical abuse worsens, Tina has to make the tough decision to leave Ike and set out on her own.

This eventually leads to her climactic return to the pop charts in 1984, achieving massive success.

The abuse scenes are startling and challenging to watch. At first, Ike appears smitten with Tina (whom he renamed), but he beds her while married to another woman. The luster quickly wears off as he becomes militant about her performances and berates her when she dares to question his authority.

A brutal rape scene in a music studio left me shocked and sickened.

Again, I wondered what made Ike the way he was, and it’s a minor misfire by director Brian Gibson and screenwriter Kate Lanier. I asked if his own father beat him and subsequently taught him that fame and success are the be-all and end-all, but it gnawed at me that I had no proof.

A brief flashback of Ike’s father being stabbed in front of him told me little.

Also mysterious is why it takes Tina so long to finally leave him, even though she is willing to be penniless as long as she can keep her stage name. Her kind friend, Darlene (Khandi Alexander), urges her to leave him for years.

Delightful is watching Bassett and Fishburne play off each other, proving that amazing chemistry is so important in film. I never bought that Ike really loved Tina; instead, saw her as a talent to solidify his career.

The finale, a live performance by the real Tina, propels Bassett’s already divine performance. The audience can confirm that her portrayal is spot on by identifying similarities.

With a miscast, the differences would have been glaring.

Thanks to superb acting, impressive production design that encapsulates the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and a hefty dose of the star’s greatest hits, What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993) is one of the better biopics.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor-Laurence Fishburne, Best Actress-Angela Bassett

#46 Favorite Film, 1990 Films, Biography, Crime Drama, Debi Mazar, Favorite Film of the Year, Joe Pesci, Kevin Corrigan, Lorraine Bracco, Martin Scorsese, Michael Imperioli, Mob, Paul Sorvino, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson, Tobin Bell, Tony Sirico, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films, Top 50 Films

Goodfellas-1990

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Goodfellas-1990

Director Martin Scorsese

Starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

Top 250 Films #46

Scott’s Review #349

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Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Director Martin Scorsese adapts Goodfellas, a crime-mob film, from Nicholas Pileggi’s 1986 nonfiction book. Pileggi helped Scorsese write the screenplay.

The film is more matter-of-fact in its telling than the purely dramatic The Godfather, with added wit and humor, and excellent editing.

Featuring powerful acting by Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci, it is a memorable classic mob film that can be enjoyed via repeated viewings.

Largely ad-libbed, the film is rich in good dialogue and contains one of the highest totals of curse words in film history.

The film is told from the first-person narrative of the lead character, Henry Hill.

Henry, now in the Witness Protection Program, recounts his years affiliated with the mob from 1955 to 1980.

We meet Henry as a youngster in Brooklyn, New York. He is half-Italian, half-Sicilian. He idolizes the “wise guys” on the streets and intends to one day join their ranks.

From there, the film describes the trials and tribulations of Henry’s group of miscreants. Henry meets and falls in love with Karen (Lorraine Bracco), and their tumultuous love story is explored through tender moments and affairs.

What I love most about Goodfellas is the love of the characters and the sense that you are part of the action. The film is a highly stylized family drama- gritty nonetheless, but the viewer feels like they are part of things and a family member- milestones are celebrated, and meals are shared.

We see Henry grow from a teenage gullible boy who idolizes the neighborhood men to being part of the group.

The other characters, such as vicious and volatile Tommy DeVito (Pesci) and Jimmy “The Gent” Conway (De Niro), are aged and mature.

Bracco’s character is interesting. Unlike most of the female characters in The Godfather films, she is not content to merely sit on the sidelines and look past her husband’s shenanigans and torrid affairs with floozies.

She is a more modern, determined woman, and Bracco plays her with intelligence and a calm demeanor. She wants to be Henry’s equal instead of just some trophy wife.

Pesci deservedly won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role; he is brutal and filthy but a mesmerizing character.

During a memorable scene, his character Tommy jokingly teases Henry, but when Henry responds in a way that displeases Tommy, the scene grows tense, and Tommy becomes increasingly disturbing.

His famous line “What am I a clown- do I amuse you?” is both clever and haunting in its repercussions.

I adore the soundtrack that Scorsese chose for the film—spanning decades, he chooses songs true to the times, such as “Layla” (1970) or “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” (1964), which are just perfect.

Worth noting is that when a scene plays, sometimes the song is mixed in with the narrative so that it enhances the scene altogether—becoming a part of it rather than simply background music.

If one is looking for the perfect mob film, one that contains music, wit, charm, and fantastic writing, Goodfellas is among the best.

I prefer The Godfather and The Godfather II, but while Goodfellas has similarities to these films, it is also completely different and stands on its own merits.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Martin Scorsese, Best Supporting Actor-Joe Pesci (won), Best Supporting Actress-Lorraine Bracco, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Film Editing

#89 Favorite Film, 1967 Films, Arthur Penn, Biography, Crime Drama, Denver Pyle, Drama, Estelle Parsons, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Gene Wilder, Michael J. Pollard, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films, Warren Beatty

Bonnie and Clyde-1967

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Bonnie and Clyde-1967

Director Arthur Penn

Starring Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway

Top 250 Films #89

Scott’s Review #628

Reviewed March 25, 2017

Grade: A

Bonnie and Clyde is an excellent 1967 crime drama that is not only a great film, but also successfully and surprisingly influenced an entire generation, becoming somewhat of a rallying cry for the youth generation of the time.

Released in a tumultuous period in history (the Vietnam War, the Sexual Revolution, and Civil Rights), the film fits the times and was groundbreaking in its use of violence, blood, and sex.

The film holds up tremendously well to this day and is beloved by intelligent film lovers everywhere.

The film begins with snapshots of the honest Bonnie and Clyde- a duo of bank robbers who rampaged the southwest during the Great Depression.

Set in steamy Texas, circa the 1930s, the film tells its story.

Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) meets Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) when he tries to steal her mother’s car one hot day. Instantly infatuated with each other, the steamy duo team up and become partners in crime.

Over time, they enlist others and become more successful bank robbers, with the stakes rising with each heist.

Rounding out the crew of criminals are gas-station attendant, C.W. Moss, and Clyde’s older brother Buck, played by Gene Hackman, along with his wife, Blanche (Estelle Parsons), an innocent-minded and sometimes hysterical preacher’s wife.

Bonnie and Clyde is a unique film in many different ways- the quick-cut editing style influenced Sam Peckinpah in his movies to come, and the film uses a fast-paced rat-a-tat-tat style that symbolizes the gunfire, a significant element of the film.

Blood spurts from victims’ bodies in a style never before seen on the big screen, which led to many filmmakers’ comfort with using increased violence.

You could say that Bonnie and Clyde took away the innocence of Hollywood films and shook all of the traditional elements inside out.

The film’s conclusion is one of the greatest in cinematic history.

Far from an idyllic, happy ending, the traditional one in those days, the law finally catches up with Bonnie and Clyde, with grim results for the pair, and their demise is gruesome but true to form.

We have fallen in love with the characters, so their hasty exit from this world is tough to stomach, and as they writhe and twitch with each gunshot wound, the bullets pummeling the bodies, the scene is a difficult one to watch.

The love story between Bonnie and Clyde is intense yet sweet, and the casting of Beatty and Dunaway is spot-on. Smoldering with sexuality- as Bonnie fondles Clyde’s gun, who does not see this as a phallic symbol- their relationship is fraught with stamina and emotional energy.

The two actors feed off of each other and fill the scenes with gusto. Their chemistry is part of what makes the film so great.

One of the best scenes is the shoot-’em-up showdown at a ranch where the robbers are hiding out. The scene is laden with intensity and violence. As Buck is mortally wounded, Blanche is blinded and captured, soon to make a grave mistake in revealing one of the identities of the others.

Bonnie, Clyde, and C.W. barely escape with their lives, and their antics from this point become bloodier and bloodier. The cat-and-mouse play during this scene makes it the most suspenseful of them all.

Amid all the violence, a fantastic scene unfolds when Bonnie and Clyde meet at a secret location with Bonnie’s mother. A local townswoman, not an actress, was cast in the pivotal role of Bonnie’s mother, and the scene is an emotional experience.

The woman’s kindness and sensibility, and the sheer “regular person” she encompasses, humanize Bonnie and Clyde, and ominously, their downfall is soon to occur.

A highly influential film, Bonnie and Clyde is a film that is still quite relevant, especially for those who appreciate good movies and rich, intelligently written characters who are flawed yet humanistic, layered with complexity.

This is what director Penn carves out, and the film is an all-time Hollywood classic.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Arthur Penn, Best Actor-Warren Beatty, Best Actress-Faye Dunaway, Best Supporting Actor-Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, Best Supporting Actress-Estelle Parsons (won), Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography (won)

#132 Favorite Film, 1980 Films, Biography, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, John Turturro, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Sports, Top 250 Films

Raging Bull-1980

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Raging Bull-1980

Director Martin Scorsese

Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

Top 250 Films #132

Scott’s Review #1,256

Reviewed May 14, 2022

Grade: A

Raging Bull (1980) might be director Martin Scorsese’s most personal film and his most character-driven. His other films contain great characters, rich with life, but with the focus firmly planted on controversial real-life boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) there is much to explore.

His descent into madness is hard to watch but also impossible to look away from.

It’s tough to top the De Niro/Scorsese pairing featured in Taxi Driver (1976) when the actor simply kicked the audience’s ass with his ferocious portrayal of maniacal Travis Bickle. LaMotta arguably surpasses that portrayal because the boxer experiences the highest of the highs with the lowest of the lows.

And the audience is whisked away with him on the journey from heaven to hell. Arguably director and actor’s finest film, Raging Bull is often painful to watch, but it’s a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero who we can’t help but explore.

A double-pairing film extravaganza of watching Taxi Driver and Raging Bull is a fabulous idea though the viewer may need a Valium to combat the resulting anxiety after experiencing these films.

I love the title that is Raging Bull because it is so apt and central to the film. Fueled with machismo, testosterone, and anger, Jake LaMotta certainly is a raging bull.

Screenwriters Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin, frequent collaborators of Scorsese’s, adapt the story from Raging Bull: My Story, a 1970 memoir written by LaMotta.

Raging Bull tells the story of an Italian-American middleweight boxer as he struggles through the ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown. He possesses a self-destructive and obsessive rage, jealousy, and animalistic appetite that destroys his relationship with his wife and family.

Wonderfully cast as his wife Vickie is Cathy Moriarity who is a gorgeous girl from the Bronx who falls head over heels in love with Jake. Joe Pesci plays his well-intentioned brother and manager, who unsuccessfully tries to help Jake battle his inner demons.

Jake’s inability to express his feelings enters the ring and eventually takes over his life. He is sent into a downward spiral that costs him everything.

Comparisons to the exceptional Rocky (1976) are cute and perhaps contain some merit on paper but whereas the former is heroic and compelling, the main characters are nothing alike except that they are both struggling boxers who achieve success.

Both are sports films but Raging Bull is much, much darker and purely a character study.

The cinematography by Michael Chapman and the Film Editing by Thelma Schoonmaker is deserving of accolades and make the picture as flawless as it is.

Scorsese adds enough boxing scenes to showcase the fantastic editing that is required for these difficult scenes. The editing is lightning quick and the thunderous bombast makes the viewer feel each blow of the glove on the skin. The blood and sweat are legendary components of these scenes.

The black and white cinematography is jaw-dropping especially powerful during the kitchen fight scene between Jake and Joey. The brutal buildup is hard to stomach as Jake’s dementia becomes evident.

Despite the other qualities of the film that bring it all together, my favorite aspect is the performance that De Niro delivers, winning him a much-deserved Best Actor Oscar.

He is powerful and animalistic playing both subtle rage and explosive anger. His tragic final act as a much older and fat man is shrouded in heartbreak and pain for both the character and the viewer to experience.

All the pieces of Raging Bull (1980) add up perfectly into a masterpiece. The violence and pain are enshrouded in poetic dialogue and beautiful illuminating camera work exploring one man’s battles and struggles both inside the squared circle and internally.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor-Robert De Niro (won), Best Supporting Actor-Joe Pesci, Best Supporting Actress-Cathy Moriarty, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing (won), Best Sound

#139 Favorite Film, 1962 Films, Adventure, Alec Guinness, Andre de Toth, Anthony Quayle, Anthony Quinn, Arthur Kennedy, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Biography, Claude Rains, David Lean, Drama, Epic, Jack Hawkins, Jack Hedley, Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole, Top 250 Films

Lawrence of Arabia-1962

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Lawrence of Arabia-1962

Director David Lean

Starring Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif 

Top 250 Films #139

Scott’s Review #355

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Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is quite a grand film that must be seen on a large screen. This will ensure full appreciation of the enormous scale of the production.

Numerous shots of objects in the distance are featured, and the small screen dulls the experience.

An excellent film from top to bottom and groundbreaking at the time, due to the scope and vast proportions of the production, Lawrence of Arabia achieves its place in cinematic history.

It’s a treat to revisit from time to time.

The film is divided into two parts with an intermission, as with epics that last nearly four hours.

Peter O’Toole stars as T.E. Lawrence, a bored British Army Lieutenant who talks his way into a transfer to the Arabian desert.

As the film opens, it is 1935, and Lawrence has just been killed in a motorcycle accident. While this concept of revealing the ending and working backward is common in current films, it was novel in 1962 when the film was made.

While in Arabia, Lawrence successfully bonded bitter rival tribes to unite against Turkish oppression during World War I. He meets two young guides and other central characters there: Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) and Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif).

Much of the film features the battles between the rival tribes and Lawrence’s struggle to achieve peace.

Many location sequences of Lawrence and company traveling miles and miles of hot desert are featured.

Some complain that Lawrence of Arabia is too slow-moving a film, but that is its selling point. I find the scenes of the group languishing across the desert incredibly lush and rich in meaning.

The intense heat and beating sun are fantastic in their cinematic grandeur. The film is meant to take its time—precisely what an experience in the Arabian desert would be like—and the mountainous dunes and swirling winds are brilliantly filmed.

David Lean is the king of the sprawling epic, and Lawrence of Arabia is his crowning achievement.

Lawrence is a well-written, layered, and complex character. He is not easy to describe or understand, which is also to the film’s credit.

The sheer weight loss that O’Toole underwent over the two years it took to film Lawrence of Arabia is impressive enough, but he was also a tortured soul emotionally.

The epic film Lawrence of Arabia (1962) requires a half-day of dedicated viewing, but it is worth every minute.

For a reminder of what an actual, breathtaking film looks like sans the oversaturated CGI and quick edits, one should take a deep breath and appreciate this work of art for its majestic look.

Oscar Nominations: 7 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-David Lean (won), Best Actor-Peter O’Toole, Best Supporting Actor-Omar Sharif, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Music Score-Substantially Original (won), Best Sound (won), Best Art Direction, Color (won), Best Cinematography, Color (won), Best Film Editing (won)

#174 Favorite Film, 2003 Films, Biography, Bruce Dern, Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Patty Jenkins, Top 250 Films

Monster-2003

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Monster-2003

Director Patty Jenkins

Starring Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci

Top 250 Films #174

Scott’s Review #347

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Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Monster (2003) may feature one of the best acting performances of all time-Charlize Theron simply embodies the role of the notorious female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, in a simply astounding triumph.

The mannerisms, the anger, and the charisma that Theron portrays are nothing short of brilliance.

This brazen acting is simply the best aspect of Monster and the main reason to witness the film.

Besides this, the film itself is also great.

The film immediately focuses on Theron- we meet the down-on-her-luck prostitute sitting in tatters underneath an overpass.

Suicidal and with five dollars to her name, she goes to a dive bar for one last beer- having blown someone for the five dollars she reasons that the money will go to waste if she does not spend it.

Her older confidante is Thomas, a grizzled man assumed to be an occasional client of hers, who is played by Bruce Dern. She goes to a gay bar and meets Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a lesbian.

Aileen insists she is not gay but winds up spending the night with her in Selby’s family home. The two form a connection and bond immediately, spending more time together and becoming immersed in each other’s lives.

When Aileen is brutally raped and beaten by a client, she begins down a dark and murderous path, killing men she meets after she steals their money.

Selby eventually catches on to this and is conflicted over whether to turn her friend in or serve as an accomplice to her crimes as the police close in on the pair.

Enough cannot be said of Theron’s performance. She simply becomes Wournos- from her walk to her infamous manic mannerisms, and her hair flip.

Theron, a gorgeous woman, gained weight, used false teeth, and became simply unrecognizable in the role of a brutal, angry, and trashy-looking woman.

Ricci also deserves praise, but plays her role as a bit clueless or dimwitted, counterbalancing Theron’s manic, in-your-face role. It works well. Both characters are longing for love and companionship and both are misfits.

In a sweet scene, the pair go roller skating together, hand in hand, to the famous rock song, “Don’t Stop Believin”.

This is a great scene.

One can argue the fact that director, Patty Jenkins, softens the way that Wournos is written. Known as a hardened, mean woman, Jenkins writes her as much more sympathetic.

This can also be attributed to the fact that Theron emits some vulnerability to the character- the woman never knew love until she met and bonded with Selby.

Needless to say, Monster (2003) is a dynamic, energetic film, thanks in large part to the powerful performance of Charlize Theron- a role that awarded her the Best Actress Academy Award.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Actress-Charlize Theron (won)

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 2 wins-Best First Feature (won), Best Female Lead-Charlize Theron (won), Best First Screenplay

#179 Favorite Film, 1993 Films, Ben Kingsley, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Biography, Drama, Epic, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Steven Spielberg, Top 250 Films, War

Schindler’s List-1993

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Schindler’s List-1993

Director Steven Spielberg

Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes

Top 250 Films #179

Scott’s Review #775

Reviewed June 19, 2018

Grade: A

Schindler’s List (1993) is a film that is arguably Steven Spielberg’s finest directorial work and Liam Neeson’s finest acting performance.

The film is as disturbing as it is awe-inspiring as many emotions will undoubtedly envelop any viewer- most of them dark and dire.

Spielberg’s most personal story centers on the devastating Holocaust of World War II that will grip and tear audiences to pieces.

The work deservedly secured the Oscar award for Best Picture and Best Director as well as numerous other accolades.

Oskar Schindler (Neeson) is a powerful German businessman who arrives in Krakow, Poland during the antics of World War II, presumably to make his fortune. Handsome and respected, he is charismatic and feared by the German army, who have forced most of the Polish Jews into the overcrowded ghettos where they await their fates.

Schindler himself is a Nazi, but becomes more humanistic than most and ultimately against the Holocaust killings. He establishes a factory and hires a Jewish accountant (Ben Kingsley) to assist.

As he is tremendously affected by the inhumanity he sees throughout the city, he makes arrangements to hire and thus save the lives of over a thousand Polish refugees.

He does so by allowing them to safely work and be productive in his factory. The story is reportedly true and was a rare instance of humanity in a cold and ugly chapter in world history.

To be clear, Schindler does not start as a hero and is admittedly rather an unlikely one. The man is a businessman, greedy, and undoubtedly flawed. He plans to use the Jews because they are cheap labor and can be used to his advantage.

Because of the very long running time of the film (over three hours), Spielberg slowly depicts Schindler’s complex character growth and eventual determination to save these poor people from the Auschwitz gas chambers.

Spielberg shoots Schindler’s List entirely in black and white with tremendous results. The camera work adds such ambiance and style to the 1990s film- so much so that throughout the film I felt as if I were watching a documentary from the 1940s.

The film is epic and choreographed with precision and timeliness- some of the best camera work in cinema history as far as successfully creating the perfect solemn and dreary mood.

Supporting turns by Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes must be noted. In vastly different types of roles, both shine.

As the understandably nervous, Jewish accountant for Schindler’s factory, Itzhak Stern is most notable for creating the famous “list”. This contains the names of those who would be transferred to the factory and thus have their lives spared.

Kingsley, a brilliant actor, fills the character with empathy and heart.

Conversely, Fiennes plays a dastardly character in that of Amon Goth, a commander at the concentration camp. Evil and known for taking glee from killings, he is the man instrumental in deciding to exterminate all of the people in the ghetto.

A pivotal character, Goth is important because he is the man who makes Schindler realize how sickening and inhumane the treatment is.

Fiennes carves the character with so much hate that he is believable in the part.

One of the most beautiful scenes is aptly named “the girl in red” and is highly symbolic and worthy of analysis. Oskar watches as prisoners are escorted, presumably to their executions. He notices a three-year-old girl walking by herself- she is clad in a bright red coat.

The coat is Spielberg’s only use of color throughout the entire film.

The scene is incredibly important as the girl stands out, proving that all the Nazi commanders are accepting of her death. In tragic form, Oskar later sees her dead body draped in her red coat.

The scene is sad and powerfully distressing.

Schindler’s List (1993) is an outstanding film that elicits such raw emotion from anyone who views the masterpiece. By no means an easy watch and most assuredly “a heavy”, the film depicts the true struggles and catastrophic events occurring not all too long ago.

A film for the ages that simply must be seen by all to appreciate the terror and inhumanity that occurs throughout the world.

Oscar Nominations: 7 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-Steven Spielberg (won), Best Actor-Liam Neeson, Best Supporting Actor-Ralph Fiennes, Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Original Score (won), Best Sound, Best Art Direction (won), Best Makeup, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography (won), Best Film Editing (won)

#239 Favorite Film, 2018 Films, Aaron McCusker, Adam Lambert, Aidan Gillen, Allen Leech, Ben Hardy, Biography, Bryan Singer, Dexter Fletcher, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Gwilym Lee, Joseph Mazzello, Lucy Boynton, Mike Myers, Musical, Musical Drama, Rami Malek, Tom Hollander, Top 250 Films

Bohemian Rhapsody-2018

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Bohemian Rhapsody-2018

Director Bryan Singer

Starring Rami Malek

Top 250 Films #239

Scott’s Review #836

Reviewed December 3, 2018

Grade: A-

Crafting a biography of a performer with a personality the size of Freddie Mercury is challenging, but it can be done successfully.

The filmmakers of Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) opt to go in a decidedly mainstream direction, proving a wise choice as the film becomes an enthralling foot-stomping crowd-pleaser.

While nitpicking about accurate timelines and rigid facts may be disappointing, others who are content to sit back and enjoy a heartfelt biopic will undoubtedly love the film.

Rami Malek performs flawlessly as the legendary British rock band Queen’s singer Mercury. I will go out on a limb and state that this could be the young actor’s crowning achievement and his “role of a lifetime”.

The film wisely chronicles the singer’s initial struggles finding his bandmates and the band’s subsequent rise to fame and fortune during the 1970s and 1980s.

Predictably, as with many rock bands, infighting, drug use, and jealousies reared their ugly heads.

Other points of interest featured are Mercury’s personal life and his HIV diagnosis, culminating in his ultimate death in 1991 at the tender age of forty-five.

Less so a biography of the band, Mercury takes center stage as the film’s point. With his four-octave vocal range and operatic sensibilities, the star was a force to be reckoned with. He was nobody who would back down from either studio executives or pesky reporters eager for a scoop about his personal life and preference for male companions.

Malek sinks his teeth into an enormous role that is undoubtedly intimidating for most actors and an unbelievable challenge for the casting department. With boldness and charisma for miles, what actor could ever fill this challenging role?

Malek completely shines as he dons dentures to emulate Mercury’s famous overbite, a fact that the film nearly over exaggerates.

With wounded eyes and clever dialogue, Malek delivers witty one-liners and comical comebacks with a smirk, a hand wave, or a retort of “my dear”. The actor is careful to perfect the dramatic and emotional scenes flawlessly and portray the singer as a lonely and isolated being.

To the delight of most classic rock fans, Bohemian Rhapsody features many songs from the Queen catalog. “Killer Queen,” “Hammer to Fall,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” and the game-changing “Bohemian Rhapsody” are featured, along with the histories and stories behind many of these legendary hits.

Perhaps the loveliest tune, “Love of My Life”, which Mercury wrote for his fiancée Mary Austin, is prominently featured.

The film concludes with the band’s fantastic performance at Wembley Stadium in London for the Live Aid event 1985. A breathtaking finale, this final sequence is jaw-dropping with emotion, heart, and entertainment, and is the film’s finest moment.

As the story reaches its climax at this point with Mercury’s HIV diagnosis (a death sentence for gay men in the 1980s) and revelation to his bandmates, the lengthy scene will not leave a dry eye in the house.

A weakening Mercury powered through his illness to deliver a dynamic performance.

Bohemian Rhapsody’s (2018) numerous historical inaccuracies and incorrect timeline of events have been called into question.

Also, the fact that two members of Queen (Brian May and Roger Taylor) had a staggering amount of creative control is cause for alarm.

Additionally, further reading suggests that the characters of Mary and Mercury’s manager, Paul, may not have been as good or bad as they were respectively written. These points may be valid, but the film is a major champion as a source of good entertainment.

Oscar Nominations: 4 wins- Best Picture, Best Actor- Rami Malek (won), Best Sound Editing (won), Best Sound Mixing (won), Best Film Editing (won)

2024 Films, Biography, Drama, Fernanda Montenegro, Fernanda Torres, International, International Drama, Political Drama, Portuguese, Selton Mello, Walter Salles

I’m Still Here-2024

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I’m Still Here-2024

Director Walter Salles

Starring Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, Fernanda Montenegro

Scott’s Review #1,464

Reviewed February 9, 2025

Grade: A-

A powerful political drama led by a riveting performance by Fernanda Torres gives a frightening view of government corruption. Her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, also plays a small yet pivotal role in a double dose of brilliant acting.

Ironically, twenty-five years after Montenegro, Torres was nominated for an Oscar for Salles’s film Central Station (1998). What lovely desserts!

Director Walter Salles showcases a loving family at the forefront that provides empathy for the audience. Events slowly build, so time is spent investing in the characters first so that we care about them before becoming immersed in their peril.

Though the setting is early 1970s Brazil, the stark reality is that corruption still exists in many countries, even the United States of America. While Brazil is now a democratic country, the US is teetering towards a villainous dictatorship. Brazil is also still threatened by the villainous right wing.

This adds a layer of fear that something that happened so long ago can quickly occur again.

The story is true.

Eunice Paiva (Torres/Montenegro) investigates her husband Rubens’ (Selton Mello) disappearance while trying to maintain family stability. Rubens is a former Congressman turned civil engineer opposed to military dictatorship. One night, he is taken away for questioning and never returns.

Most of the early events take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Paiva family resides in a beachfront house and regularly celebrates with neighbors and friends. The kids play volleyball and enjoy life. One of the kids travels to London with family friends, joyfully exploring her obsession with the Beatles.

Salles perfectly exposes this forty-five minutes or so of celebration before turning to the darkness of the rest of the story.

There is a foreboding quality despite the parties, the drinking, the laughs, the many photographs, videos, and quiet moments between family members.

One of the daughters and her friends are stopped by military guards at a checkpoint and harassed. Eunice sees a tank drive by filled with military personnel. Ruben’s best friend needs to flee Brazil before something terrible happens to him.

Even the lighting turns darker once Rubens, Eunice, and her daughter are questioned at a military facility.

Dark sequences feature Eunice being kept in a dimly lit cell for days, dirty and disheveled.

Despite the compelling nature of 1970/1971, I breathed a sigh of relief when events moved to 1996 and, finally, 2014. The lighting became sunnier, the family had moved on, and their lives had a new meaning.

Enough raves cannot be given for Torres’s performance. Instead of giving Eunice a weepy, overly emotional quality, she plays her as strong and confident, always in control. Torres relays the woman’s pain, confusion, and heartbreak through her eyes and facial mannerisms, relaying her agonizing uncertainty.

Montenegro plays Eunice, an elderly older woman with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease, in a short but powerful scene.

Eunice knows her husband is involved in anti-military communications and supports him as a brilliant woman. She is not a simpering weak woman but an empowered, confident one.

Eunice returns to college and graduates law school at forty-eight, becoming an expert on Indigenous Rights.

So, the character and real-life figure inspire women and men to persevere under extreme circumstances. Both Eunice and Rubens are heroic.

As if there was ever doubt, Rubens Paiva’s true fate is revealed during the end credits, amid photographs of the real Paiva family.

Justice was never served.

The film portrays a biography of a man who wants to do the right thing and surrounds himself with allies and intellectuals who share his beliefs.

In the terrible state of United States politics in 2024, I’m Still Here (2024) resonates deeply on many levels. This compelling work teaches me a lesson in standing up for what’s right amid uncertainty and fear and connecting with like-minded people.

I may not need to see the film again, but the message was clear and hit home.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Actress-Fernanda Torres, Best International Film (won)

2024 Films, Biography, Boyd Holbrook, Drama, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, James Mangold, Monica Barbaro, Musical, Musical Drama, P. J. Byrne, Scoot McNairy, Timothée Chalamet

A Complete Unknown-2024

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A Complete Unknown-2024

Director James Mangold

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning

Scott’s Review #1,457

Reviewed December 27, 2024

Grade: A-

James Mangold, who directs the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (2024), celebrates the folk singer as a humanitarian and champions Dylan’s dedication and confidence in his art.

Mangold is well known for directing other musical biopics, such as Walk the Line (2005), which focused on the lives and careers of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. He even incorporates Johnny as a prominent character in Dylan’s film, so there is a correlation between the two films.

With A Complete Unknown, Mangold focuses only on 1961-1965 rather than a decades-long approach beginning with the events in New York in 1961.

Set against a blossoming and vibrant music scene and a decade of tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic nineteen-year-old from Minnesota arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music.

He crosses paths with folk greats and his idols, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Joan Baez, and finds a niche within their Greenwich Village circle.

Like them, he is sympathetic to humanity and runs in the same circles as the Civil Rights movement and other humanitarian efforts.

Based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book, Dylan Goes Electric! The film follows Dylan from his earliest folk music success to the momentous controversy over his use of electric instruments at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

Timothée Chalamet is exceptionally well cast. The actor, able to play waifish twinks, a fantasy chocolate maker, or a drug addict, is just as believable as Bob Dylan. His speech pattern is adjusted, and his vocals are convincing as he immerses himself in the folk world. 

He also plays guitar and harmonica frequently during the film.

The best scenes are when Chalamet performs in a dingy open mic club or on the festival stage. The actor performed a mind-blowing forty Dylan songs, so the film was showcased on the music.

The art and set design are pretty marvelous. The plumes of smoke in bars and the cloudy, smoky settings feel true to the 1960s when everyone regularly lit a cigarette or two.

A poet, Dylan knows and loves his craft and doesn’t waver in his notion of shaking up the folk world with an electric guitar, and Chalamet successfully replicates this.

Interestingly, Mangold doesn’t explore the singer’s family life or upbringing but instead focuses on the uproarious switch from acoustic to electric guitar and the stir it caused.

While not a womanizer, he does carry on an affair with Baez (Monica Barbaro) and dates Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) during this time. Russo (changed from Suze Rotolo at Dylan’s request) is a fascinating character since she reportedly influenced Dylan’s work during that period.

The focus is on creating the singer’s famous music rather than any demons or drama he may have faced.

In retrospect, this is a wise move by Mangold, and while the pacing of the film is relatively slow, the focus is crystal clear, and the 1960s revolution is front and center mixed with Dylan’s art.

The film feels fresh and authentic with the knowledge that Bob Dylan gave his approval stamp and served as an advisor or consultant to the finished piece. Since he had a hand in the overall product, there was a feeling of satisfaction knowing that the singer-songwriter was involved.

There are no blowup fights over jealousy, dramatic pieces about unfair songwriting credits, or other backstabbing trials and tribulations. Instead, the film does a great job of reaffirming that Bob Dylan is one of the greatest songwriters ever.

A Complete Unknown (2024) is a pleasing film, and I happily hummed ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ and ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ on the way home from the theater.

I still am.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-James Mangold, Best Actor-Timothée Chalamet, Best Supporting Actor-Ed Norton, Best Supporting Actress-Monica Barbaro, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Sound

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

Nyad-2023

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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

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

Being the Ricardos-2021

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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 working on 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 between 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, Biography, Drama, Harris Dickinson, Holt McCallany, Jeremy Allen White, Lily James, Maura Tierney, Sean Durkin, Sports, Stanley Simons, Zac Efron

The Iron Claw-2023

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The Iron Claw-2023

Director Sean Durkin

Starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson

Scott’s Review #1,416

Reviewed January 15, 2024

Grade: A

I was pleasantly surprised by how compelling and character-driven The Iron Claw (2023) is. Being a sports drama there is always a risk of cliches and little in the way of surprises but director Sean Durkin who also wrote the screenplay, delivers the goods.

Powerfully acted by all of the actors involved The Iron Claw is also profoundly sad and very hard-hitting emotionally which caught me off guard.

The trials and tribulations of the Von Erich family are explored in a fact-based story that honors the family ties with compassion and heart making the audience fall in love with and understand the feelings of the family.

There are triumphs but also much heartbreak with some outstanding acting in support of a very sad real-life story.

Efron who plays Kevin Von Erich gives the best performance of his career as a reasonable, stable young man living in a world of chaos.

It is perplexing, especially given the December release why the film received no awards mention especially for Efron.

One miss, most notable with Kevin, is the inclusion of a ridiculous wig and jacked-up body making him look more like a cartoonish Incredible Hulk than the clean-cut all-American young man that the real Kevin looked like.

Being a huge fan of professional wrestling as a youngster in junior high school the Von Erich family was somewhat familiar to me. However, I had to search my memory for long-forgotten specifics.

The family, led by former wrestler Fritz (Holt McCallany) was well-known throughout the 1970s-1990s in local Texas circles and then nationally as professional wrestling gained popularity. His sons Kevin (Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike (Stanley Simons) are the focal points.

The true story of the inseparable brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling is recounted. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

The family, similar perhaps to the Kennedys, were known for a widespread myth about a family curse, called the ‘Von Erich curse’.

The film has some narration from Kevin who immediately informs the audience of this curse which sets the tone for the chain of events the film explores.

Durkin is careful to present the film so masterfully as a cautionary tale about parental influence, sibling rivalry, and the various dangers of the professional wrestling business.

The Iron Claw begins with a black-and-white sequence from probably the 1950s when Fritz was a struggling local wrestler. His famous ‘finishing maneuver’ was called the ‘iron claw’ meant to make his opponent submit to the wrestling match.

From there the story is largely told from the point of view of Kevin wonderfully played by Efron. Kevin, now the oldest sibling following the tragic death of his older brother at age five, serves as the brother’s leader.

While he yearns for a title belt largely to satisfy the demands of his father, he is usurped by brothers Kerry and David in different ways. He meets a local girl, Pam (Lily James), who is an intellectual and supports him emotionally.

They make a fabulous couple because they are equals. Conversely, the Von Erich mother is a traditional housewife and the entire family is taught to show no emotion.

In a wonderful scene late in the film, Kevin’s son teaches him that it’s okay to cry and show love through emotion. Kevin sobs with relief and it’s a beautiful and pivotal lesson the film teaches.

The other actors are outstanding, especially kudos to Jeremy Allen White (Kerry), and the parents (Maura Tierney and McCallany) but there is not a weak performance to be found.

It is unnecessary to be a professional wrestling fan though it is a treat to see long-ago stars like Ric Flair, Harley Race, and Bruiser Brody represented.

The Iron Claw (2023) like Boogie Nights (1997) did for the porn industry shows the flaws, the hopes and dreams, and the pain of a category of people (professional wrestlers) too often dismissed and discarded.

As Durkin examines wonderfully, these people also have a story to tell.

2023 Films, Biography, Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Drama, Josh Hamilton, Martin Scorsese, Matt Bomer, Michael Urie, Sarah Silverman, Steven Spielberg

Maestro-2023

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Maestro-2023

Director Bradley Cooper

Starring Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan

Scott’s Review #1,411

Reviewed December 3, 2023

Grade: A

Brilliance personified defines Maestro (2023), a film directed by and starring Bradley Cooper. As if that isn’t enough Cooper co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Singer and co-produced the project with Martin Scorcese and Steven Spielberg.

With riches such as these players involved equates to adequate muscle to make the film a necessary watch brimming with creativity and good storytelling.

There is no disappointment whatsoever in the buildup. Maestro expresses powerful acting, creative direction, and a musical score encompassing the works of the man being examined, Bernstein.

At the conclusion, I found myself feeling like I’d been hit by a Mack truck. The epic portrayal of one family’s love for one another was overwhelming.

Combined with the art appreciation left me astounded with culture and further knowledge of the composer.

The story is not as much of a straightforward biography as one might imagine though when the film begins in the 1940s the famous composer is just on the cusp of his first big break. By sheer luck, he is asked to fill in for an ailing conductor, Bruno Walter, one evening.

But at its core Maestro is a torrential and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan) who was a well-known theater actress.

They meet at a party and fall madly in love spending most of their time together. The intrigue is that Leonard is gay and quite openly so before he meets Felicia and becomes famous.

His boyfriend is David Oppenheim, played by Matt Bomer.

This sat well with me and I was impressed by their openness well before the LGBT movement. Unfortunately, we see little of David or Bomer after the early days and Leonard becomes enamored with several young aspiring composers. He then took to doing lines of cocaine into the 1970s and 1980s.

What the film does well is reveal that Felicia is aware of Leonard’s sexuality and loves him despite his appetite for men. This is not always easy for her. They share a love that is stoic and unadulterated and they become one in their bond making it unbreakable.

Maestro gets very dark in the later stages when Felicia is diagnosed with terminal cancer but this gives Cooper and Mulligan a chance to shine, and dazzle the audience with mesmerizing acting performances.

It’s tough to showcase one because both are so good.

Cooper has given the best performance of his career.

Enveloping himself into the role so much that it’s staggering how he gets the mannerisms of Bernstein.  The composer’s energetic style of expressive body movements and gestures which he was noted for as a conductor are done to perfection by Cooper.

Mulligan doesn’t play the wife role. She has her own story and makes the audience empathize with Felicia’s struggles to deal with her husband’s sexuality especially when rumors come to light affecting her children.

Mulligan gives a genuineness and heart to Felicia’s battle with cancer.

Cooper’s direction is excellent. The first part is shot in black and white giving an artistic, old Hollywood-style feel making the cigarette smoking look glamorous and sophisticated. The lush art direction merges into blurry shadows and angular lighting that fits the mood.

The color enhances the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s time as the characters age. The hairstyles and outfits gleam with sophisticated New York style and the Bernstein’s Long Island home is palatial.

Ironically, the darkest parts of the film are the most vivid and colorful.

Finally, the musical score features legendary Bernstein pieces that give truth to the production not only reminding viewers how talented he was but the choices made enhance each scene where a number appears.

I smiled when a number from West Side Story, perhaps his best-known work was featured.

A knock-out scene of Leonard conducting at a cathedral is lengthy and dramatic culminating with Felecia looking on from the side of the church. At this moment, I knew that the couple were true soulmates.

Maestro (2023) is an exceptional piece of filmmaking that easily secures Bradley Cooper his place in cinema history both in front of and behind the camera.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor-Bradley Cooper, Best Actress-Carey Mulligan, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling

1974 Films, Biography, British, Georgina Hale, Ken Russell, Robert Powell

Mahler-1974

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Mahler-1974

Director Ken Russell

Starring Robert Powell, Georgina Hale

Scott’s Review #1,404

Reviewed October 15, 2023

Grade: A

Anyone brave and open-minded enough to expose themselves to a Ken Russell film is in for an experience in great cinema. The British director frequently fuses music, odd visual sequences, and vivid colors into his art.

There is a specific mood one must be in to flourish in the moment and the dream-like perplexities of a film of this ilk but the result will be an appreciation for creativity in filmmaking.

My personal favorite Russell film, and I’m still getting my feet wet in all things Russell, is Women in Love (1970) followed by The Devils (1971), a journey into madness.

Hardly straight-laced, Mahler (1974) conceptualizes the music of the famous Austro-Bohemian composer and delves into the life and times of the man.

Gustav Mahler (Robert Powell) is returning to his home in Vienna, Austria following a stint conducting at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Traveling via train with his wife, Alma (Georgina Hale) he reflects on pivotal moments in his life.

Mahler dwells on memories of his overbearing father, of his once powerful but now failing relationship with Alma, and of the anti-Semitism that forced him to convert to Catholicism.

A garish sequence also reveals the death of his child.

A side story on the train features Alma’s lover, Max (Richard Morant), also on the train, urging her to leave Mahler and get off with him a couple of stops before Vienna.

Russell shifts time quite often so that at first it’s tough to figure out what is happening and more specifically if events are in the past or the future.

But once acclimated it’s easy to reflect on the stages of life and the various players. Better still is to ruminate about the happenings after the credits have rolled.

The best films require some ponderance after they end rather than simply forgetting them fifteen minutes later and Mahler is one of those films.

Knowing Russell, (has anyone seen The Devils?), he sometimes incorporates religion into his work. Mahler, a Jew, is forced to relegate his religion to get his work showcased. So, there is religious conflict and debate.

Mahler’s conversion to Catholicism is expressed by a wacky fantasy sequence in which he undergoes a baptism of fire and blood on a mountaintop, presided over by Cosima Wagner (second wife of the composer, Wagner).

The character wears horrid black lipstick and other odd attire like a Prussian helmet and a bathing suit with a cross on the front and a swastika on the rear.

The sequence is one of the best and technically brilliant with fire, rocks, and mountains on display. It’s also choreographed amazingly well and features unique musical compositions.

The style of Mahler (the film) is visual and artistic but also a chance for classical music fans to appreciate the compositions. Also, for novice fans eager to be introduced to quality music the film is equally as important.

I love my rock n roll like any other red-blooded American but the chance to soak in classical pieces from Mahler and Wagner is a pure treat in cultural goodness.

British actor Robert Powell is cast exceptionally well bearing a stark resemblance to the real Mahler. Oftentimes morose and sullen he is a tortured artist. But the expressions in his work like the song cycle Songs on the Death of Children reveal his complexities.

Powell is successful at exposing the audience to the emotional nuances that often pair with great artists.

Georgina Hale as Alma is just as good. Staunchly supporting her husband but yearning for her slice of the happiness pie she is also conflicted.

Mahler (1974) is a film about filmmaking and art appreciation. Thanks to Russell’s vision he challenges the conventional viewer with a unique journey through the weird and wild but more importantly, the chance to revel in something of brilliance.

2023 Films, Alden Ehrenreich, Alex Wolff, Benny Safdie, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Biography, Casey Affleck, Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Drama, Emily Blunt, Epic, Florence Pugh, Gary Oldman, Gustaf Skarsgård, James Remar, Jason Clarke, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Matt Damon, Matthew Modine, Rami Malek, Robert Downey Jr., Tony Goldwyn

Oppenheimer-2023

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Oppenheimer-2023

Director Christopher Nolan

Starring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt

Scott’s Review #1,384

Reviewed August 1, 2023

Grade: A

Knowing the films of Christopher Nolan who directed works like The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012), Inception (2010), and Dunkirk (2017) I expected what I would be served with by his new film Oppenheimer (2023).

This would include a big booming soundtrack and an arguably more ‘guys’ genre film, but with intelligence, than other contemporary hits like Barbie (2023).

Dark and looming with complexities are usual for Nolan so I settled in for a three-hour epic journey centered on the atomic bomb and physics that has unexpectedly become a blockbuster.

Speaking of the pink phenomenon its simultaneous release with Oppenheimer led to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon on social media, which encouraged audiences to see both films as a double feature.

This forever links the two vastly different films that were responsible for filling movie theaters once again.

I expected to enjoy Oppenheimer but was jarred (in a good way) by the sheer brilliance of its construction. Prepared for more mainstream fare that typically follows a biography or historical piece I was instead overly fascinated by the experimental elements enshrouding a more conventional film.

During World War II, Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Groves Jr. (Matt Damon) appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project.

Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work came to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witnessed the world’s first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.

The film is constructed marvelously in every way and is authentic to the eye. The first notice is that it feels like it’s the 1940s 1920s or 1960s or anywhere in between depending on where the film goes.

The art design, costumes, and makeup feel natural rather than stagey which helps its audience escape into the scientific world.

Speaking of, Nolan constructs the film in a series of pockets and goes back and forth between periods. We see Oppenheimer many times as an aspiring upstart with visions, a confident, established physicist, and in 1963 when President Lyndon B. Johnson presented him with the Enrico Fermi Award as a gesture of political rehabilitation.

His personal life is also explored.

Many, many scenes shift back and forth involving different characters at different ages. Most of the scenes in the 1940s take place in the desert at Los Alamos, New Mexico while the later years are set in a stuffy conference room where Oppenheimer is grilled for his left-leaning and suspected Communist politics.

The cinematography led by Hoyte van Hoytema provides some edgy moments especially when Oppenheimer descends into frightening and psychedelic hallucinations of those suffering the aftereffects of the atomic bomb. Images of peeling and melting faces are terrifying.

Cillian Murphy successfully makes Oppenheimer sympathetic especially after he creates the bomb and is left forgotten by his government.

Various moments in the film showcase Murphy at his best. After relinquishing his deadly bomb after a test the government callously tells Oppenheimer that ‘they’ll take it from here’. The look of dread, regret, and sadness in Murphy’s crystal blue eyes speaks volumes.

Another great scene occurs when President Harry S. Truman (Gary Oldman) a left-leaning democrat calls Oppenheimer ‘a crybaby’ when he expresses interest in returning land to the American Indians.

The supporting cast is a bevy of riches with several top-caliber actors appearing in cameos. My standouts in larger roles are Robert Downey Jr. shredding his Iron Man superhero persona as a slighted and venomous Lewis Strauss, intent on revoking Oppenheimer’s security clearance, and Emily Blunt as the boozy biologist and former communist wife of Oppenheimer.

My biggest takeaway from Oppenheimer (2023) though is a powerful one. The difference between the United States of America during and post World War II and in present times, 2023.

Then, a patriotic infrequently questioned nation brimming with pride and glory, where nationalism was rampant and expected and those with foreign respect were cast aside as traitorous.

Now, a divided country half of whom support an ideology based on hate, racism, and cultlike dedication to a corrupt ex-president, and the other focused on diversity inclusion, and equality for all.

This film resonated so powerfully well and in so many different ways.

Oscar Nominations: 7 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-Christopher Nolan (won), Best Actor-Cillian Murphy (won), Best Supporting Actor-Robert Downey Jr. (won), Best Supporting Actress-Emily Blunt, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing (won), Best Cinematography (won), Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Original Score (won), Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling

2023 Films, Ben Affleck, Biography, Chris Messina, Drama, Gustaf Skarsgård, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Matt Damon, Sports, Viola Davis

Air-2023

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Air-2023

Director Ben Affleck

Starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck

Scott’s Review #1,358

Reviewed April 19, 2023

Grade: B+

Ben Affleck both directs and co-stars in Air (2023), a sports drama that is surprisingly neither cliched nor enshrouded in a big climactic showdown at the conclusion. This happens in way too many sports-centered films.

Other than basketball game clips occasionally playing in the background the action takes place within boardrooms rather than on the court.

Being a basketball fan is not required.

There is a measure of predictability in Air which I didn’t mind, again surprising. Anyone superficially familiar with National Basketball Association superstar Michael Jordan knows about his famous  Air Jordan sneakers. His colorful footwear overtook the nation during the 1980s and 1990s.

This film is based on the true story of its origin and the circumstances surrounding it.

Air is a crowd-pleaser in every sense of the word with energy and affection and not a slow moment to be found.

An unlikely partnership develops between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s struggling basketball division revolutionizing the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand.

A Nike basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) comes up with an unusual and risky offer to land Jordan, a rising college star who would become the most successful NBA player in history.

His parents, Deloris and James (Viola Davis and Julius Tennon) cleverly negotiate for their son to earn his share of the pie usually saved only for executives and business people rather than the sports star. Deloris knows the worth of her son’s immense talent and unmovingly sticks to her guns.

A treat for anyone who grew up in the 1984 era, countless pop songs and pop culture references are included. Every few minutes, snippets of upbeat tunes emote from the screen adding pleasure and nostalgia to the film.

Peppered throughout also include automobiles, office telephones, fax machines, and basic computers. There’s even an early car cell phone included.

Other famous sneaker brands of the time like Adidas and Converse are represented during a time when celebrities and the like were starting to align with sneakers to make large profits.

I’ve said this too many times but in films set during a different time it either looks authentic or it looks like modern actors dressed for the times.

Affleck as a director knows his stuff in this regard. He is a good actor but a very good director.

Damon is the film lead and does so convincingly. Either wearing a padded suit or chunking up to fit the character of Sonny, it’s unclear which, the actor appears as a ‘regular guy’ rather than a Hollywood movie star. This is tricky to pull off for a big star but here it works.

Sonny’s earnestness to save Nike and his connection to the Jordan family feels fresh and unassuming. He’s painted as a good guy and counterbalances other scheming and bloodthirsty sports agents like David Falk, impressively played by Chris Messina.

Jason Bateman also shines brightly as Sonny’s colleague, Robby Strasser, a man revealed to be lonely. In a touching moment, Sonny brings Robby a birthday cake on a working Sunday, when his special day would otherwise have been forgotten.

Davis can never do wrong but is the anchor of the film and the role of common sense.

Finally, the character of Michael Jordan is portrayed in the film, though his face is not seen, and has limited dialogue.

Thanks to a crackling screenplay and genuine sincerity, Ben Affleck’s Air (2023) has gotten butts back in movie theater seats. It proves that people do love the theater when served a satisfying offering.

2022 Films, Adrien Brody, Ana de Armas, Andrew Dominik, Art, Biography, Bobby Cannavale, Brad Pitt, David Warshofsky, Drama, Julianne Nicholson, Scoot McNairy, Toby Huss, Xavier Samuel

Blonde-2022

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Blonde-2022

Director Andrew Dominik

Starring Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale

Scott’s Review #1,305

Reviewed October 7, 2022

Grade: A

Blonde (2022) is not the kind of film that I expected.

When I became aware that a new film vehicle showcasing the legendary film icon Marilyn Monroe was in the works, I assumed it would be a biographical-style effort. After all, this is hardly the first time the star’s life has been explored.

Throw in bits about her struggles, her love life, her famous screen roles, and her rise to fame, and there you’d have it.

My only real thought was who would be playing her?

Films about Marilyn have been made before, including the most recent effort I can recall, My Week With Marilyn (2011), starring Michelle Williams, a superior film but hardly groundbreaking or well remembered ten years later.

Released via the Netflix streaming service, director Andrew Dominik kicks the shit out of any preconceived notions about glamorous, happy, and prosperous Marilyn.

He creates a story focused on the dark side of the star: her failures, her insecurities, her forced abortions, and her humiliations. The result is a film that is both tragic and profound, and it should be well remembered.

Blonde delves into facts and some of the more profound thoughts of the legend herself, creating a muddy and dreamlike quality that makes the viewer apprehensive about what’s going on.

Since it’s based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 fictional memoir, which is her interpretation of events, it makes truth and imagination all the muddier.

It’s not happy days watching Blonde, which left me wondering if Marilyn had a happy day in her life. From her abortions to sexual harassment, drug addiction, and physical abuse by her husband, she excitedly scampers off to a date with President Kennedy, only to be forced to give him oral sex.

Ana de Armas, known for Knives Out (2019) and No Time to Die (2021), is brilliant as Marilyn. Her mannerisms, speech patterns, and facial expressions reveal a genuine, layered portrayal rather than a carbon copy imitation of her.

Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons in two hours and forty-seven minutes of storytelling. It is advisable not to watch the film in one sitting, but instead spread it over three nights to let the story unfold.

Events begin with her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, marked by an abusive mother and an absent father, and her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements. Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.

In a way, Marilyn suffered from a split personality, longing to be Norma Jeane and despising Marilyn.

Enhancing the ambiguity, Dominik elects to use cinematography that is sometimes blurry as if in a sleepy haze, and sprinkles color with the primarily black and white filming. He even films one abortion scene from the perspective of Marilyn’s vagina.

These creative details lead me to classify Blonde as an art film and a highly interpretive one.

While not a crowd-pleaser, Blonde is not all doom and gloom either.

Tidbits about her most famous films, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and Some Like It Hot (1959) are featured, showcasing one or two neat camera tricks, so it appears that de Armas is acting opposite Tony Curtis.

I worry that poor reviews for Blonde may hinder de Armas’s chances of receiving an Academy Award nomination. Positive reviews usually help secure Oscar recognition.

Thankfully, despite many critics and viewers having issues with the film, de Armas has received worldwide acclaim.

Bobby Cannavale and Adrien Brody are excellent as Marilyn’s husbands, controlling Joe DiMaggio and insecure artist Arthur Miller. Both actors combine effective acting with distinguished portrayals, allowing the audience to appreciate the appeal of both men.

Other interesting subplots involve Monroe’s ‘throuple’ romance with bisexual actors Cass and Eddy, and a haunting exposure of the abuse suffered by Marilyn at the hands of her mother, Gladys, wonderfully played by Julianne Nicholson.

There is little doubt that Blonde (2022) is an unconventional film that may not appeal to everyone. However, it’s the down-and-dirty texture and tour-de-force portrayal of Monroe that won me over.

It chilled me to the bone in the best possible way.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Ana de Armas

2022 Films, Austin Butler, Baz Luhrmann, Biography, David Wenham, Drama, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Kodi Smit-McPhee, Luke Bracey, Musical, Musical Drama, Olivia DeJonge, Tom Hanks, Xavier Samuel

Elvis-2022

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Elvis-2022

Director Baz Luhrmann

Starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks

Scott’s Review #1,299

Reviewed September 16, 2022

Grade: B+

Once I knew that Australia’s own Baz Luhrmann was directing the new film Elvis (2022), I immediately formulated an expectation of what the film-watching experience would be like.

I anticipated a specific type of filmmaking, where an auteur artist merges fast-paced music videos with a dramatic biopic into a cohesive film.

Other Luhrmann offerings, such as Moulin Rouge (2001) and The Great Gatsby (2013), incorporate contemporary musical elements and are highly visual and stylistic. I knew what I was going to get and was prepared for it.

Elvis is no different, and Luhrmann’s style is an unconventional risk not for everybody.

I mostly enjoyed the film, but I didn’t quite love it either, seeing both the good and the not-so-good aspects.

At two hours and thirty-nine minutes, it goes on way too long.

Perhaps contradicting this point is that Elvis does improve as it progresses, initially feeling jarring, overwhelming, and disjointed due to rapid editing and rapid camera work.

A Dramamine is suggested until one is comfortable with the sudden bursts of turbulence. I semi-joke, but there is a period of sinking into Luhrmann’s style that is necessary, especially if you have never seen one of them.

The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), and his complicated relationship with his opportunist manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), and his wife, Priscilla (Oliva De Jonge).

The story delves into the singer’s rise to fame and the evolving cultural landscape in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s.

Like many films, the events start much later than the main story, in this case, 1997. Parker is on his deathbed, ruminating about how he first met Elvis and helped make him a legendary icon.

Much of the film takes place in glitzy Las Vegas, where Elvis had a long-term residency. However, it’s worth noting that the star’s working-class roots and impoverished upbringing in a predominantly black neighborhood had a tremendous influence on his music.

The Vegas setting applies a sparkling veneer, mixed with a sense of isolation, especially in scenes that show Elvis’s million-dollar penthouse view of Sin City. The star frequently pulls all the black curtains to reside in solitude.

Butler starts slow but ends up doing a fabulous job of portraying the iconic star, no easy feat. At first, I had difficulty buying the actor as Elvis, but as time went on, he became more immersed in the role.

The best scenes, hands down, occur during the performances. The sheer rawness of his act and the famous wiggle that left fans dizzy with eroticism are compelling and authentic, to say nothing of titillating.

The young actor exudes charisma just as the real-life star does, and this is most evident on stage. The dramatic scenes don’t work as well, and Luhrmann strangely skims over the controversial weight gain years, the 1970s, that Elvis experienced.

I expected Butler to don a fat suit, but there was none of this.

This miss can almost be forgiven when a heart-wrenching final performance of ‘Unchained Melody’ by the honest Elvis is showcased. The number is fraught with emotion and tenderness, leaving me feeling sympathy.

Hanks is good as the slimy and curmudgeonly manager, but I never felt sympathy for the character. If the film can be believed, he ruined Elvis as much as he brought him success, but Hanks never made me forgive the man. I also wasn’t interested in his backstory.

It will be hard-pressed ever to make me enjoy Hanks more than in his Oscar-winning back-to-back turns in Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994), his two best roles.

Elvis, the film, does better when it serves as a musical performance rather than a biography. Sure, the drug use and the disputes with family and manager are dramatic but it’s the performances of ‘All Shook Up, ‘Unchained Melody’, and ‘Can’t Help Falling Into Love’ that win me over.

In pure Luhrmann form, many of the familiar songs are done in different tempos and interpretations, but that’s part of the fun.

Comparisons to recent musical biographies, such as Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) and Rocketman (2019), are fair.

Elvis (2022) is not as good as those films, but it’s above average and succeeds when it entertains, showcasing how the star’s determination and grit prevailed despite outside influences.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor-Austin Butler, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, and Hairstyling

2005 Films, Biography, Drama, James Mangold, Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Patrick

Walk the Line-2005

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Walk the Line-2005

Director James Mangold

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon

Scott’s Review #1,264

Reviewed June 8, 2022

Grade: A-

An example of exceptional casting, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, flawlessly depict country music stars Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, respectively. Both embody the real-life troubled stars, he more than she, and bring to life the biopic Walk the Line (2005).

Perturbing only slightly is Witherspoon’s win for Best Actress and Phoenix’s lack of a win for Best Actor. He deserved the win, up against the stiff competition, and she perhaps won because of a soft year in the Best Actress category.

I also think her performance teeters on a supporting turn but the decision was made to include her in the lead actress category.

But one could argue Oscar’s imbalances or missteps all day long.

Nonetheless, they both shine especially during any scenes they appear in together especially music-related. The chemistry is the main reason for the film’s success and recognition of the figures it portrays.

Walk the Line begins with the examination of the rise of country music legend Johnny Cash (Phoenix) beginning with his humble days as a boy growing up on the family farm in rural Arkansas, where he struggles with his father’s (Robert Patrick) anger and bullying.

As the years quickly go by, Cash ends up in Memphis, Tennessee., with his wife, Vivian (the underrated Ginnifer Goodwin), and breaks into the music scene after finding his successful country sound.

While on tour, Cash meets the love of his life, singer June Carter (Witherspoon), but Cash’s volatile lifestyle threatens to keep them apart.

The risk of rock star biographies is that they can suffer from relying too heavily on cliches or become a one-trick pony with a predictable ending. Towing the standard line is fine but a truly great film needs something to blow the viewers away.

The story is rather standard since we know the pair get together and face rough times, but the sweet spot is Phoenix and Witherspoon. They make the audience believe every nook and cranny of their relationship, warts and all.

Both actors reportedly sang, played their instruments, and seemed to live the lives of the country stars, all without help, giving Walk the Line much credibility.

Since Phoenix is a method actor this is unsurprising.

My only disappointment with the film is Witherspoon winding up with Oscar gold and Phoenix not. Thankfully, this would change with his win for the brutal portrayal of The Joker in Joker (2019).

I love how the beginning of Walk the Line starts with a legendary performance in Folsom State Prison in 1968. Events then backtrack to 1944 before finally culminating with present times again.

Director, James Mangold plays the safe route with the finale. Cash unsurprisingly performs “Ring of Fire” on stage and after the song, Cash invites June to a duet and stops in the middle and proposes.

June accepts and they share a passionate embrace on stage. Johnny and his father reconcile their relationship.

This is a warm and satisfying ending and rather refreshing after having to squirm through various scenes of Johnny’s drug abuse and scrapes with the law. Mangold also prominently features dark storylines like the loss of Johnny’s brother and his father’s abuse.

Hats off by the way to Robert Patrick for a powerful performance as Ray Cash.

Walk the Line (2005) is a Hollywood film but one made well and pleasing to the eyes and ears. It pays tribute to the legendary stars because of dynamic acting performances and duets that make one fall in love with the songs all over again.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Actor-Joaquin Phoenix, Best Actress-Reese Witherspoon (won), Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing

2006 Films, Alex Jennings, Biography, Drama, Helen Mirren, James Cromwell, Michael Sheen, Political Drama, Stephen Frears

The Queen-2006

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The Queen-2006

Director Stephen Frears

Starring Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen

Scott’s Review #1,253

Reviewed May 8, 2022

Grade: A

Before the Netflix series, The Crown (2016-2023), loudly stomped into existence and took the world on a historical journey through the trials and tribulations of British royalty there was The Queen (2006).

Starring Helen Mirren, the film is a quiet telling of the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II, especially immediately after the death of Princess Diana and the conflict and contention that took place.

Ironically, The Crown was created and primarily written by Peter Morgan, who also wrote The Queen. He created The Crown because of The Queen so there is an instant correlation between the two brilliant projects and the handwriting is very similar.

Stephen Frears, who also directed Judi Dench to an Oscar nomination for Philomena (2013) is at the helm and won himself an Oscar nomination for directing as well as scoring a win for Mirren.

The Queen is a terrific film across the board and Mirren is phenomenal in her portrayal of the grand dame. She cleverly fuses stiffness and stoicism with subtle warmth and humanity few see from the queen, at least publicly.

Layers of complexity are provided to an already mysterious public figure.

Following the death of Princess Diana in a fiery auto accident, Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren) and Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) struggled to reach a compromise on how the royal family should publicly respond to the tragedy.

The family’s need for privacy and the public’s demand for an outward show of mourning are in the balance. This causes mayhem and drama behind the sacred walls of Buckingham Palace.

The acting of Mirren and the direction are what make The Queen pure magic and a standout among the many royalty-themed films to emerge since the beginning of motion pictures.

First of all, Mirren looks like the part of Queen Elizabeth II and this goes way beyond wearing glasses and a sweater or having the same hairdo. She encompasses the role and this is no small feat.

The mannerisms, the speech patterns, and the lowkey attitude are the amazing nuances that the actress can somehow channel.

It feels more than Mirren dressing up like royalty and showing up scene after scene. She does something much more with the unspoken looks and inner workings of the queen that become apparent to the viewer.

Frears chooses to include many closeups of characters, mainly of Mirren, which only encircles what each character is thinking and pondering.

The film is very subdued with a lovely musical score adding texture and appeal to each frame. The inclusion of archival footage is powerful realism.

Merely nine years after the real-life death of the uber-popular Diana the event was still so fresh in the minds of viewers that releasing The Queen at this time was a stroke of genius.

It’s no secret that while Queen Elizabeth II is respected she is worlds away from wildly popular Diana and emits a coolness that baffles the public.

Thanks to Mirren, the public gets a glimpse into the heart and soul of a mysterious person and that’s a good feeling indeed.

However, Mirren couldn’t have delivered fully if not for the talents of Michael Sheen as Prime Minister Tony Blair. Generations apart and with differing views they spar and respect each other, slowly forging a friendship of sorts.

The Queen (2006) hardly needs bombs, bombast, or quick editing to get its point across, though speaking of editing, a fantastic job of it with family scenes of Diana.

The film lures the viewer into its web and makes them feel like an insider amongst the walls of royalty.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Stephen Frears, Best Actress-Helen Mirren (won), Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score

2021 Films, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Biography, Crime Drama, Drama, Jack Huston, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Lady Gaga, Ridley Scott, Salma Hayek

House of Gucci-2021

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House of Gucci-2021

Director Ridley Scott

Starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto

Scott’s Review #1,244

Reviewed April 10, 2022

Grade: B+

Upon the release of 2021’s House of Gucci, much award buzz surrounded the film, especially for Lady Gaga’s performance. A story of a once lofty Italian fashion family of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s seemed a prime winner on many levels.

Sadly, reviews quickly turned mediocre or downright lethal as more and more people saw the film, reducing it to a meager one lonely Oscar nomination in a category viewed as minor.

The accolades were expected to be much loftier, but the buzz was tarnished very quickly. Critics largely dismissed the work as too campy and melodramatic for its own good but did praise the acting. Some ripped it to shreds entirely.

Mainstream audiences were a bit kinder than the average critic.

While I recognize the criticisms and even agree with some, mostly its uneven pacing, I find House of Gucci a resounding guilty pleasure. The main appeal is Lady Gaga, who takes charge, playing an unlikable manipulator whom you shouldn’t root for but will anyway.

Here is a brief synopsis for those not familiar with the real-life story of the rise and crumble of the Gucci empire.

The shocking true story of the family behind the Italian fashion empire inspires the film. When Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), an outsider from humble beginnings, marries Maurizio Gucci and all his wealth, her unbridled ambition and manipulations tear the once close-knit family apart.

The family legacy quickly unravels and triggers a domino effect of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and murder.

With a cast including heavyweights such as Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Jared Leto, there is much to focus on in the acting department. Besides Hayek, who plays a psychic, all contain Gucci blood.

All are terrific except Leto, who suffers from overreaching for the stars in terms of the emphasis he puts on being a red-blooded Italian man. He overacts.

Notably, all the principal cast members are American, not Italian, which is why I found their language, culture, and mannerisms to be authentic, a testament to their talent.

The fact that the legendary Ridley Scott directs House of Gucci is a surprise. Known for either science fiction or different sorts of offerings like Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), and Gladiator (2001), House of Gucci feels like a stretch for the seasoned director by way of subject matter.

Perhaps he phoned it in? There is little that is a cinematic spectacle in House of Gucci and its straight-ahead drama. Some argue it’s shot like a television movie. While I disagree that it’s as dismal as all that, I do get the point.

From the camera lens, the film is saved tremendously by the juicy and lavish sequences that transpire in Milan, Italy. The decadence of the 1980s is never more apparent than amid the fashion capital of the world.

With luxurious estates, nightclubs, and enough exterior scenes to satisfy anyone who has been to Milan (I have!), it’s enough to save most viewers from the ho-hum story.

I’ve mentioned earlier how House of Gucci feels uneven. It’s hard to pinpoint precisely, but there’s a feeling of a gaping hole or something missing from the film. Sure, there is enough drama and schemes to make television’s The Bachelor proud, but there is a glaring misfire throughout.

I would have assured that Lady Gaga made the Best Actress Oscar list, but sadly, this was not to be. This is too bad because she gives it her all as badass Patrizia. She is a woman not to be fucked with, and when she turns the tables on her husband and the love of her life, he had better watch out.

It’s a shame that all the dots didn’t connect for House of Gucci (2021).

With such a terrific cast, juicy locales, and a respected director, the film could have been a contender. Instead, it’s a pretty good film that does not need to be watched a second time.

Oscar Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling

1987 Films, Biography, Drama, Esai Morales, Lou Diamond Phillips

La Bamba-1987

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La Bamba-1987

Director Luis Valdez

Starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto

Scott’s Review #1,242

Reviewed April 3, 2022

Grade: A-

The brief musical career of Mexican rock ‘n’ roll star Richie Valens is showcased in a lovely little film called La Bamba (1987).

The film spawned a massive United States number-one hit, the title track, for the band Los Lobos, that filled the summer with rich culture and a hummable beat. The song is a recreation of Valen’s earlier hit from 1958.

I’m humming it as I write this review!

The film itself is flavorful and tinged with Latino colors and traditions such as the importance of family. It provides a much-needed look at diversity and recognition of a young talent taken way too soon.

His rise to stardom is the main focus but not forgotten is his influence on his family, most notably his younger brother in which love, respect, jealousy, and conflict engulf their relationship.

Valens, a Los Angeles teenager played by Lou Diamond Phillips, becomes an overnight rock ‘n’ roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called “Donna” that he wrote for his girlfriend (Danielle von Zerneck) whose parents didn’t want her to date a Latino boy.

But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob (Esai Morales), and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash, in which he is terrified of flying, just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly (Marshall Crenshaw).

Foreshadowing indeed. It’s common knowledge that Valens tragically died in a plane crash over Iowa, alongside Holly and other prominent musicians.

Lou Diamond Phillips is fantastic in the lead role of Ritchie. The actor can entertain the audience while staying true to the life of the Mexican star. Not merely resembling him physically, Phillips brings Ritchie’s famous life and energy to the table.

Not lasting long in this world, the actor infuses as much soul as he can into the ill-fated singer successfully creating a dedication to his life.

The supporting actors are all terrific. Highly talented is Morales, his character of Bob is conflicted by his brother’s success but also closely bonded to him. As mama Connie, Rosanna DeSoto is fiercely protective of her cub while championing his career path and natural talent. Finally, Elizabeth Pena deserves praise for playing Rosie, the victimized girlfriend of Bob.

The interracial romance between Ritchie and Donna is also a strong area of La Bamba. Many decades after their short romance differing races coming together is commonplace but there are still those who object. The chemistry between Phillips and von Zerneck is palpable but mostly I imagined how nice it was between the real-life figures and the endless possibilities had the singer not perished.

Director and writer, Luis Valdez deserves credit for giving meaning to this relationship by making it obvious that other marginalized minority communities can be assured that most people support their unions.

La Bamba (1987) is a film where all the parts come together in perfect form. The music, the culture, and the characters, all brim with life and meaning, ironically since the biography could have easily been a downer. Instead, it inspires and teaches unity and the forever-lasting power of music.

Yes, there are occasional cliches but I enjoyed the film immensely.

2021 Films, Andy Bean, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Biography, Demi Singleton, Drama, Dylan McDermott, Jon Bernthal, Judith Chapman, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Saniyya Sidney, Sports, Tony Goldwyn, Will Smith

King Richard-2021

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King Richard-2021

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green

Starring Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Scott’s Review #1,238

Reviewed March 13, 2022

Grade: B+

King Richard (2021) is an inspirational, feel-good Hollywood film with a strong message. It champions the little guy rising beyond expectations to achieve greatness.

Audiences will be left with a warm feeling of possibility and the idea that nearly anything can be achieved with hard work and determination.

The story of the world-famous tennis stars, the Williams sisters, and their parents, happens to be true, lending the necessary credibility to make this film quite enjoyable. It’s a conventional film that contains many cliches, yet it’s a heartwarming family drama.

Richard Williams (Will Smith) is determined to write his daughters, Venus and Serena, into the tennis history books while also keeping them educated and away from the drug-infested streets of Compton, California, where they reside.

Along with his wife Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis), they defy all odds in their meteoric rise to fame and fortune just as Richard had planned.

The Williams family’s story is told in an uplifting fashion as they face trials and tribulations along the way, like gang violence and racism. The sisters would soon become two of the world’s greatest sports legends.

An excellent performance by Smith leads the film, though I’m careful to make the bold statement that it’s his best role ever. I haven’t seen Ali (2001), but have heard he brings down the house in that role, again playing a real-life figure.

Time will tell.

The lesson learned about Smith is that when he skirts away from his usual summer popcorn blockbuster action roles, in which there are many, he is truly a great actor.

Plenty of backstories are given to Richard, and the violence and marginalization he has faced in his past, living as a child in Louisiana. His occasional shrewdness and feistiness can be forgiven as the character is explored very well.

Aunjanue Ellis, unknown to me before this film, is a revelation. As Brandy, in the assumed second-in-command supportive wife role, she does way more than one might have expected. In one tense scene, she lays down the law with Richard and refuses to play the second fiddle.

Ellis brings a subdued toughness and quiet to the role that not all actresses can bring.

The casting all around is strong. Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as Venus and Serena are believable, though they are not given the material that Smith and Ellis are afforded.

Delightful are Jon Bernthal and Tony Goldwyn in supporting roles as coaches.

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green sticks to a straight-ahead approach and achieves his intended goal. He forges into R-rated territory with some of the gang relationships and an occasional racist remark.

Still, the effect is soft-touch only, and the main message is how a struggling black family can succeed.

I enjoyed the depictions of California and then sunny Florida throughout the 1980s and the 1990s, and finally into more recent times. It felt realistic and appropriate to the film, especially when real-life incidents like the Rodney King police beatings were shown.

The editing team is flawless, especially in the multiple tennis match sequences, which are very difficult to shoot and make seem real. The continuity is exceptional and a massive undertaking.

A safe passage and not a film to be watched a second time or dissected much with post-credit discussions, King Richard (2021) is nonetheless a winner. It provides enough positive vibes to leave its viewers smiling and determined to beat any odds.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Actor-Will Smith (won), Best Supporting Actress-Aunjanue Ellis, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song-“Be Alive”

2009 Films, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Biography, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Ewan McGregor, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Romantic Comedy, Jim Carrey, Leslie Mann, LGBTQ+ Comedy, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ Romance, Rodrigo Santoro, Romantic Comedy

I Love You Phillip Morris-2009

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I Love You Phillip Morris-2009

Director John Requa, Glenn Ficarra

Starring Jim Carey, Ewan McGregor

Scott’s Review #1,235

Reviewed March 5, 2022

Grade: A-

Easily the most daring and arguably the best film role of Jim Carey’s career, I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) is a delightful romantic comedy featuring same-sex characters in the central roles.

At the risk of being too fluffy, there is a sardonic and wry wittiness that I fell in love with.

Those criticizing the film as ‘gay porn’ are silly since there is hardly a sex scene to be critical of or anything more than would appear in a traditional male/female romantic comedy.

Prudes wouldn’t see a film as I Love You Phillip Morris anyway.

It is based on the 1980s and 1990s real-life story of Texas con artist, impostor, and multiple prison fugitive Steven Jay Russell who was clever beyond belief and successful at outwitting his opponents.

I Love You, Phillip Morris, is the directorial debut by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra who received a nomination from the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Steven Russell  (Carrey) becomes a cop, gets married, and starts a family, but after a terrible car accident, he vows to be true to himself. Thus far in his life, he has played by the rules and done what is expected of him and because of the crash, he pivots to an emotional bloodletting.

The key irony is that Steven is telling the audience his story from his deathbed so most of the activity is in the past. This is the hook because it made me wonder how and why he died. But is there a twist?

He comes out of the closet, moves to Florida, and finances a luxurious lifestyle with bad checks and credit cards. Arrested and now in prison, Steven meets Phillip (Ewan McGregor), a mild-mannered inmate who becomes the love of his life.

Determined to build a beautiful life with his partner, Steven embarks on another crime spree.

The film caters to the LGBTQ+ audience but has a crossover appeal so that all audiences can enjoy it. This is in large part thanks to the screenwriters and whoever had Carey and McGregor in mind for the film.

Too often films centering around gay characters are deemed second fiddle and not profitable but with bigger stars, the audiences will come.

I Love You Phillip Morris is an independent film that builds momentum when the message is that big stars are comfortable in gay roles, something Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal taught us a few years earlier in Brokeback Mountain (2005).

Jim Carey, fabulous in The Mask from 1994, and having his share of hits and misses over the years, is perfect in the role of Steven. It’s the most interesting role he has portrayed since he gets to provide his usual physical humor in a role that matters.

LGBTQ+ audiences see a character who makes them laugh without the typical gay stereotypes.

Straight audiences will see a character whose sexual identity doesn’t matter to them.

Props go to McGregor as well who makes a perfect counterpart for Carey as the calm, cool, and collected ‘straight man’. The film could not have worked without him.

He meshes so well with Carey that the audience instantly roots for Steven and Phillip to ride off into the sunset despite being criminals.

The stereotypes are limited but the subject matter of AIDS, especially given the time in which the film is set, is given notice. This is a win and Requa and Ficarra are very careful not to teeter too close to the edge of doom and gloom while respecting the disease.

At its core, I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) is a romantic comedy, and the trials and tribulations of Steven and Phillip are told. I immediately fell in love with them and viewers will too.

It’s a film that feels fresh and alive with the exploration of character richness that is not easy to come by.