Category Archives: Comedy

2024 Films, Comedy, Drama, Emma Stone, Jennifer Grey, Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe

A Real Pain-2024

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A Real Pain-2024

Director Jesse Eisenberg

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey

Scott’s Review #1,452

Reviewed November 25, 2024

Grade: A-

A Real Pain (2024) is a strong-written film about life’s emotions, experiences, joys, and pains. It wonderfully mixes comedy with drama. It’s not one genre or the other but a pot of delicious flavors forming a potent concoction.

Jesse Eisenberg produces, writes, directs, and acts in his creation, making it his own. Kieran Culkin is a revelation as a troubled young man plagued by depression and ravaged by passion.

Emma Stone co-produces.

David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) play New York Jewish cousins with seemingly minor in common who reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother.

David, a reserved and pragmatic father and husband, contrasts sharply with Benji, a free-spirited and eccentric drifter. Their personalities clash as Benji criticizes David for losing his former passion and spontaneity, while David struggles with Benji’s unfiltered outbursts and lack of direction.

In Poland, the pair meets up with a Holocaust tour group that each shares a link to the Holocaust history.

Emotional honesty among the group members and tour guide occurs during their week-long trip as brutal truths and past tensions surface.

A Real Pain is a character study with flawless writing. Eisenberg delivers an effort reminiscent of a Woody Allen film with punchy moments, neurotic characters, and cheeky humor.

Benji and David, more like brothers than cousins, admire and resent each other. Benji wishes he had what David does- a stable job, a wife and child, and peace of mind. David resents the way Benji lights up a room with his passion, quickly becoming center stage while David is forced to lurk in his shadow.

Together, the film belongs to Eisenberg and Culkin as their dazzling chemistry emulates from the screen.

From the first scene, we sense David’s frustration. He rushes to the chaotic airport, hurriedly leaving voicemails for Benji. But the carefree Benji has been at the airport for hours and dismisses David at every measure.

David is the nice guy, selflessly allowing Benji the window seat and first dibs at the shower. But he secretly feels bullied by Benji’s selfishness.

David realizes that people always fall for Benji and give him a pass, which frustrates him. He essentially mocks and calls the tour group assholes but somehow is deemed ‘real’ or ‘honest.’

Benji is tough to like, but Culkin, with wounded blue eyes, allows the audience to realize that he is hurting and suffering from deep pain.

My only knock is why the tour guide, who is mocked and criticized by Benji, ultimately thanks him for his brutal honesty and more or less snubs David.

Compared to the otherwise honest writing, this scene feels forced and unrealistic.

Eisenberg flawlessly delivers a performance that showcases his range of emotions. Sufferingly patient, he explodes during a dinner scene, letting his emotions spill onto the table.

Eisenberg and Culkin’s great acting is showcased, especially during the scenes where they let their emotions rip. Their best scene together is atop a hotel, where they smoke pot and old wounds furiously come to the surface.

Besides the acting, Eisenberg, the screenwriter, immerses the audience in the importance of Holocaust history.

It’s not for the faint of heart. Powerful scenes of the tour group walking through  Majdanek concentration camp are hard to watch, with the knowledge that thousands were exterminated.

Led by a scene-stealing turn from Culkin and a bevy of creative talents by Eisenberg, A Real Pain (2024) is a powerfully funny, emotionally resonant dramedy that finds him playing to his strengths on either side of the camera.

2024 Films, Comedy, Drama, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama, Mark Eidelstein, Mikey Madison, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama, Sean Baker, Yura Borisov

Anora-2024

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Anora-2024

Director Sean Baker

Starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eidelstein, Yura Borisov

Scott’s Review #1,450

Reviewed November 3, 2024

Grade: A

Anora (2024) is one of the boldest films I’ve seen in some time and ranks as my favorite Sean Baker film so far. Tangerine (2015) and The Florida Project (2017) are the other great works.

Those planning to see the film should do homework and learn what Baker films are about. He frequently directs independent feature films about the lives of marginalized people, especially immigrants and sex workers.

Baker’s films are dirty, dark, and outrageous.

Because Anora has received awards buzz and is classified as a romantic comedy, the audience at my showing seemed slightly overwhelmed by its raw nature. While there are comedic moments, they are shrouded in darkness, and I don’t think my audience quite knew how to respond.

Some cover art captured the main couple, played by Mickey Madison and Mark Eidelstein, happily dancing and depicted them with the caption ‘a modern day Cinderella story’. This is misleading to the gritty nature of the story.

Madison plays Ani (Anora), an exotic dancer and part-time sex worker at a swanky Manhattan strip club. She lives in a Russian section of Brooklyn. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya (Mark Eidelstein), the childlike son of a Russian billionaire.

When Vanya’s godfather and parents catch wind of the union, they send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York. Vanya flees the scene, and the others must find him.

Madison is brilliant. Known for a small role as Susan Atkins in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and a role in one version of Scream (2022), the young actress comes on as gangbusters.

Her character is tricky. We only know she lives with her older sister, and their mother lives in Florida with her boyfriend. Presumably, her father is absent, and she has had to find work to support herself. She is brassy, savvy, and intelligent. Most importantly, the audience roots for her.

Madison has an aura surrounding her, and she believably plays loving and hysterical with ease. Ani wants love but is also intelligent enough to know love doesn’t come easy and has a price. Madison channels each emotion with seeming ease.

Baker has become a favorite director of mine. He also writes,  produces, and edits most of his projects. His films are not easy to watch, but that’s what I like about them.

His films take marginalized or dismissed groups and provide representation.

Another standout is Russian actor Yura Borisov. Since Ani is the only character worth rooting for, Borisov’s character of Igor slowly becomes a fan favorite. Assumed to be a henchman merely, he begins to care for Ani and strive to do the right thing amid chaos.

Borisov provides Igor with warmth and kindness in a world of chaos. I yearned to know more about the character. How did he get to be where he is? Did he need to escape Russia any way he could?

It’s hard to like the other characters, and I wouldn’t say I enjoyed quite a few, especially the wealthier ones. I yearned to leap across the aisles and smack Vanya, his mother, and one stripper who is Ani’s rival.

This made me have a visceral reaction to the film and left me thinking about my emotions after it had ended. Anyone who appreciates good cinema knows that the longer you are left thinking about it, the better it is.

Towards the end, Baker incorporates satisfying moments of Ani standing up for herself, especially against Vanya and his mother. This only reaffirmed the passion of her character. Even in despair, Ani remains tough and refuses to be mistreated by anyone.

My favorite sequence is at the end, during a January snowstorm in Brooklyn. A tender moment occurs between Ani and Igor where the writing, cinematography, and camera angles are beautiful.

Anora (2024) is recommended for fans of Baker’s work. He successfully and carefully weaves a tale of adventure, romance, desperation, and the haves versus the have-nots that are emotional and raw.

1982 Films, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, Christine Ebersole, Comedy, Dabney Coleman, Doris Belack, Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, George Gaynes, Jessica Lange, Lynne Thigpen, Romantic Comedy, Satire, Sydney Pollack, Teri Garr

Tootsie-1982

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Tootsie-1982

Director Sydney Pollack

Starring Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr

Scott’s Review #1,449

Reviewed November 2, 2024

Grade: A

Dustin Hoffman is perfectly cast in the romantic comedy Tootsie (1982), a blockbuster hit from 1982 with much going on within its cinematic walls and a progressive-leaning slant.

Sydney Pollack directs and also has a supporting role in the film.

In addition to Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, and Charles Durning give all-star performances.

Tootsie is genuinely funny and a treat for anyone who has ever auditioned or been interested in the acting or theater professions. The popular soap opera or daytime drama genre features directors, producers, and actors intertwining.

Romance, drag, wacky setups, insecurities, and social commentary on gender inequality are analyzed making Tootsie more relevant than most romantic comedies and an unforgettable experience.

Hoffman plays New York actor Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman), a talented yet opinionated perfectionist unable to find work. His flustered agent (Pollack) sends him on a soap opera audition that goes poorly.

Michael decides to reinvent himself as actress Dorothy Michaels and wins the part. What was supposed to be a short-lived role turns into a long-term contract, but when Michael falls for his castmate Julie (Jessica Lange), complications develop.

Hoffman flawlessly merges with Dorothy, a feminist,  to make her a character the audience loves and champions. This is a risky assignment and could easily make the character a goof or not be taken seriously.

Not only does Hoffman look convincing in a dress, wig, heels, and a feminine southern accent, but he makes us forget he’s a man.

The hilarity of other characters not knowing Dorothy is Michael is there when a romantic quadrangle develops. Neurotic Sandy Lester (Garr) is in love with Michael while he is in love with Julie who thinks Michael is Dorothy. Finally, Julie’s father, Les (Durning) falls for Dorothy.

The New York setting works wonderfully as struggling actors, greedy agents, and temperamental directors co-exist on tense sets, over dinners, and at many schmoozy parties. This presents the grit of New York show business in the 1980s when the city was crime-infested and dangerous.

The hustle and bustle perfectly showcases the time.

Pollack and screenwriters, Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal, add satire to the soap opera, or as mentioned in the film, the politically correct, daytime drama, world.

The horny and inept longtime cast member, John Van Horn (George Gaynes) needs a teleprompter while the sexy ingenue April (Geena Davis) prances around in underwear. Hurried script rewrites and pages of dialogue to memorize makes the cast frazzled and rushed.

Tootsie takes an important though lighthearted approach to sexism but at least it’s recognized. Dorothy scolds her boss and director Ron (Coleman) for calling her demeaning nicknames like ‘Tootsie’ and treating Julie, who he’s casually dating, poorly.

Michael begins to realize that he doesn’t treat Sandy well either so he learns from his experience as a woman and being judged on beauty rather than anything else.

It forces the audience to realize this too. Tootsie was released in the early 1980s when women’s liberation was strong and more women were in the workplace so the message was timely.

The producer of the fictional soap opera is female which enhances the gender message brought across.

Still, the comedy takes center stage and the film isn’t a message movie. The funny moments feel fresh as the characters work their magic. Julie first assumes Dorothy is a lesbian when they nearly kiss and Sandy thinks Michael is having an affair with Dorothy which means he is having an affair with himself.

The antics go on and on and resemble the classic Some Like It Hot (1959) especially tender moments between Les and Dorothy.

Tootsie (1982) holds up well decades after release. Smart dialogue, witty sequences, and strong characters make it a timeless treasure to revisit often.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Sydney Pollack, Best Actor-Dustin Hoffman, Best Supporting Actress-Jessica Lange (won), Teri Garr, Best Screenplay-Written Directly for the Screen, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song-“It Might Be You”, Best Sound

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

Four Weddings and a Funeral-1994

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Four Weddings and a Funeral-1994

Director Mike Newell

Starring Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell

Scott’s Review #1,444

Reviewed October 8, 2024

Grade: A-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay

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

Gremlins-1984

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Gremlins-1984

Director Joe Dante

Starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates

Scott’s Review #1,443

Reviewed September 28, 2024

Grade: B+

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Police Academy-1984

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Police Academy-1984

Director Hugh Wilson

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

Scott’s Review #1,442

Reviewed September 27, 2024

Grade: B+

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

But I’ll try.

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

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

Thus, the audience adores and roots for them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love Actually-2003

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Love Actually-2003

Director Richard Curtis

Starring Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson

Scott’s Review #1,438

Reviewed September 8, 2024

Grade: B

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mean Girls-2004

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Mean Girls-2004

Director Mark Waters

Starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey

Scott’s Review #1,433

Reviewed July 21, 2024

Grade: B+

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This provides a nice progressive message.

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

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

Serial Mom-1994

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Serial Mom-1994

Director John Waters

Starring Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake

Scott’s Review #1,432

Reviewed July 8, 2024

Grade: A-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She’s a cinema villain to remember.

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

The writing and the cast make Serial Mom a winner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

There’s Something About Mary-1998

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There’s Something About Mary-1998

Director Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly

Starring Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon

Scott’s Review #1,428

Reviewed June 16, 2024

Grade: B+

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2023 Films, Comedy, Cord Jefferson, Dark Comedy, Drama, Erika Alexander, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama, Issa Rae, Jeffrey Wright, Leslie Uggams, Satire, Sterling K. Brown, Tracee Ellis Ross

American Fiction-2023

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American Fiction-2023

Director Cord Jefferson

Starring Jeffrey Wright, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown

Scott’s Review #1,421

Reviewed February 11, 2024

Grade: A

American Fiction (2023) is an intelligently written expose of black culture and a poignant family drama mixed as one. Cord Jefferson makes his feature directorial debut with the satirical comedy-drama which he also wrote.

The film explores how perceptions of black people, mostly by white people but even amongst themselves, are categorized into neat little boxes.

Usually, the negative stereotypes are assumptions of bad grammar, poverty, and hardships in ghetto situations.

While some may be sympathetic these beliefs are either conscious or subconscious and they are propelled by the media. In the case of the film, through literary works.

Are white people intimidated by intelligent black people, the film questions. How do the intelligent black people feel about themselves?

American Fiction is a witty, smart, funny, and poignant film that will make you laugh as often as it makes you think about the perspectives offered.

Jefferson brilliantly offers up both an education and powerfully drawn black characters. In the middle is a sentimental family storyline that had me enraptured by almost all the characters.

The writer/director bases his film on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett. Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is a highly intelligent African-American upper-class writer and professor living in Los Angeles.

He is a frustrated novelist-professor who doesn’t make much money or sales from his serious works.

Needing money after moving back to Massachusets on a leave of absence, he decides to write an outlandish satire of stereotypical “black” books, only for it to succeed by mistakenly thought of as serious literature and published to both high sales and critical praise.

He struggles with keeping his alter ego a secret while questioning the lack of intelligence with people assumed to be the liberal elite and the general public.

Wright is great and leads the charge of a dynamic cast. He makes his characters believable and their motivations clear while still showing Monk’s conflict. Monk has lived a privileged life with education, social status, and success.

His experience as a black man is different than other black men and he is smart enough to know this while still wrestling with his feelings.

Wright is dynamic at showing many emotions.

To make the film even better, the supporting characters are delightful with their own stories, making me fall in love with them. Special call-outs are for Sterling K. Brown and Erika Alexander who plays Monk’s brother and girlfriend, respectively.

Brown as Cliff is a successful surgeon but lives a conflicted life as a newly ‘out’ middle-aged gay man. He dabbles in drugs and promiscuous behavior but all he wants is approval by his family.

Alexander is a successful public defender and neighbor of the Ellison’s going through a divorce. She relates to Monk while challenging him on his bullshit and is a richly carved character.

Also, Leslie Uggams Monk’s mother suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Ellison’s housekeeper Lorraine (Myra Lucretia Taylor), and Issa Rae as Sintara Golden are weaved into the canvas seamlessly and with purpose.

The film’s ending left me scratching my head and caught me off guard. While clever, it made me wonder if what I had just seen was reality or fantasy. Providing three different endings as adapted film options it’s tough to know which if any actually happened but maybe that’s the point.

I left the movie theater having laughed out loud, thought, and been entertained.

American Fiction (2023) made me feel like I had seen something relevant that would help me understand people better and give me insight into what other people feel.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Actor-Jeffrey Wright, Best Supporting Actor-Sterling K. Brown, Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Original Score

Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: 2 wins-Best Film, Best Lead Performance-Jeffrey Wright (won), Best Supporting Performance-Erika Alexander Sterling K. Brown, Best Screenplay (won)

1972 Films, Adventure, Agostina Belli, Comedy, Drama, Giancarlo Giannini, International, International Comedy, International Drama, Italian, Lina Wertmüller, Mariangela Melato

The Seduction of Mimi-1972

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The Seduction of Mimi-1972

Director Lina Wertmüller

Starring Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, Agostina Belli

Scott’s Review #1,420

Reviewed February 4, 2024

Grade: B+

Lina Wertmüller, a visionary female director around a time when there were few female directors with notoriety, created The Seduction of Mimi (1972), a flavorful Italian adventure/drama/comedy.

Any fans of Federico Fellini will immediately draw comparisons to his films with saucy banter, odd characters, and lively music. But amid the fun exists importance.

Wertmüller produces a film with more of a defined plot focus than Fellini usually does.

The key to the enjoyment of The Seduction of Mimi is twofold. Actors, Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato starred in three of Wertmüller’s films together, usually as love-torn yet bickering couples with lots of drama and misunderstandings.

The other films are Love and Anarchy (1973) which I have not seen and Swept Away (1974) which I have seen.

The actors work so well together that anyone familiar with them will instantly be delighted especially during high-energy scenes when they spar or passionately solidify their romantic intentions.

Giannini was Wertmüller’s muse in a time when rarely if ever a male actor was a muse of a female director.

The other nicety is the title of the film. One might assume (I did) that the character of Mimi is female and is seduced by a male but in Wertmüller’s film, it is the reverse. This causes traditional gender stereotypes to be turned on their heads with more awareness of assumptions.

Mimi (Giannini) is a Sicilian dockworker who inadvertently becomes involved in an increasingly complicated series of personal conflicts.

After he loses his job after voting against a Mafia kingpin in a ‘secret’ election, Mimi leaves his frazzled wife Rosalia (Agostina Belli) to find work. He moves to Turin, where he engages in an affair with a Communist organizer, Fiorella Meneghini (Melato).

Soon Mimi finds himself juggling not two but three relationships and three children while plotting to take revenge against the corrupt forces that ruined his life.

The Seduction of Mimi is quite good but I’m more partial to her other films like Swept Away and the hysterically brash Seven Beauties (1975), her best work in my opinion.

Still, there is a lot to enjoy about ‘Seduction’.

Taking nothing away from Melato’s performance, Mimi is the focal point and Giannini is a pure delight. For viewers unfamiliar with his work, his dazzling green eyes and almost manic style fills the character with pizazz and passion.

The actor is also great at making his wacky shenanigans seem realistic.

Beyond the hijinks, Wertmüller offers serious messages about sexual hypocrisies, political dilemmas, and corruption. She mixes jokes with purpose so that the audience learns a thing or two while being richly entertained.

Like her obvious mentor, Fellini, she appreciates good satire and incorporates that into her films.

Visually, there’s some cool and wacky camera-angle stuff going on. Mimi repeatedly notices moles, beauty marks, or otherwise odd eccentric facial features which come into focus as shaky closeup camera shots.

Since the film is so Italian it’s joyful to watch it for this aspect alone. There are frequent sequences shot on location in Sicily, and around Italy, a treat for those partial to European films.

The Seduction of Mimi (1972) is a film I’d like to see again for more appreciation and further examination. It’s a film that has more going on than meets the eye and leaves its viewer pondering more specifically regarding the Union storyline.

2023 Films, Barry Keoghan, Carey Mulligan, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Emerald Fennell, Jacob Elordi, Richard E. Grant, Rosamund Pike, Thriller

Saltburn-2023

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Saltburn-2023

Director Emerald Fennell

Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike

Scott’s Review #1,417

Reviewed January 19, 2024

Grade: A

Emerald Fennell, as a director (she also acts) is someone to keep a close eye on.  With only her second film, Saltburn (2023), she has quickly drawn comparisons to Darren Aronofsky and Yorgos Lanthimos by creating wickedly daring comedies rife with sharp dialogue and peculiar tastes.

Okay, I’m drawing those comparisons on my own.

The point is that she creates films that are not necessarily for mainstream audiences but will satisfy the peculiar cravings of those seeking left-of-center and hard-to-predict films.

She also wrote the screenplay.

Those wary of hard-to-digest scenes involving blood, sex, nudity, and other depravities, be forewarned.

Her first film was the revenge-themed and Academy Award-winning Promising Young Woman (2020) starring Carey Mulligan who makes a return appearance in Saltburn.

This time out Fennell offers us a beautifully daring story centering around privilege, jealousy, and desire. The film offers unlikable characters with enough twists and turns to keep the audience off guard and confused as to who to root for or against.

Will the characters we hate stay hated? If this sounds vague it’s because the film is filled with mystery.

Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is an awkward young man struggling to find his place at Oxford University the recipient of a scholarship for those with financial hardships. His mother is a recovering drug addict and his father is dead.

Unpopular, he finds himself drawn to the charming and handsome Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who also happens to be filthy rich. Felix is the envy of almost everyone as they strive to be his friend or bedfellow.

After Oliver does Felix a favor, they become buddies, and Felix unexpectedly invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer vacation.

The lavish Oxford University is grandiose and scholarly with lots of preppy and wealthy intellectuals. As the snobs partake in parties and wild games Oliver is looked down on by everyone but Felix. The spoiled students are not meant for the audience to like.

I love how Fennell incorporates legions of insecurities suffered by the have-nots struggling to fit in which is a common theme of hers. The only kid willing to give Oliver the time of day is a creepy Jeffrey Dahmer type.

Anyone familiar with cliques on college campuses will be firmly in Oliver’s corner. He’s a good kid after all, who has been dealt a struggling hand at life, what with his parent’s issues and all.

The shit hits the fan when Oliver arrives at Saltburn which makes Oxford seem minimal in comparison. Manicured and sprawling lawns complete with a center maze are overwhelming to Oliver to say nothing of the group of oddballs that make up the family and staff.

Suddenly though, everything becomes weird, and the tone of the film shifts.

The final forty-five minutes are riveting with unexpected events transpiring after a wild party to celebrate Oliver’s birthday. Felix, his sister, and their parents are involved in shenanigans that make the viewers question everything they’ve seen thus far.

Mulligan doesn’t have much to do in Saltburn. Her role amounts to little more than a cameo which would be more irritating if the other characters weren’t so richly written.

Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant sizzle as aristocratic types oblivious to everyone else and their wealthy surroundings. It’s almost as if they assume everyone lives this well.

The sexual scenes of desire are breathtaking and startlingly explicit. In one scene, two characters make out with bloody mouths and in another, one character masturbates in a bathtub while another character spies on him and lustfully licks the faucet a few minutes later.

The best acting performance belongs to Keoghan who delivers a complex and spirited character who we’re not sure what will do next or sometimes why. He possesses an innocent yet creepy veneer which is tough to figure out.

His naked dance sequence is one of the wildest in cinema history.

Fennell hits another grand slam with the eerie yet fascinating Saltburn (2023), a delicious examination of the class system. The mixture of the groveling poor with the callous rich makes for a brilliant story.

I can’t wait to see what she does next.

2023 Films, Adam Rodriguez, Channing Tatum, Comedy, Drama, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Matt Bomer, Salma Hayek, Steven Soderbergh

Magic Mike’s Last Dance-2023

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Magic Mike’s Last Dance-2023

Director Steven Soderbergh

Starring Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek

Scott’s Review #1,415

Reviewed January 14, 2024

Grade: C-

Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023) is the third and final installment in the Magic Mike trilogy, following the successful Magic Mike (2012) and the dismal Magic Mike XXL (2015).

Billed as ‘The Final Tease’ the sub-title of the last release is rather appropriate since there is nary a bare bum to be found much less any other nudity. Since the film is about the male stripper industry there is laughingly more female flesh than male.

While there are a couple of titillating sequences containing thrusting and gyrating the tone is watered down and extremely safe. Nothing warrants the R-rating that Magic Mike’s Last Dance received.

After my horrific review of Magic Mike XXL in which I awarded it a solid ‘F’ I will keep my manners in check and be mindful that Magic Mike’s Last Dance is intended to entertain on a late night.

I have rated it a generous ‘C-‘.

The film is pretty bad with no character development whatsoever, poorly written dialogue, and little chemistry between stars Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek. Mike is the only likable principal character in the bunch.

I’m very surprised that respected director Steven Soderbergh who received an Oscar nomination in 2000 for the terrific Traffic would have anything to do with this film.

His style is unnoticeable except for a setting of wealth and a brief and mediocre mention of capitalism and the rich manipulating the poor which the director sometimes includes in his films.

“Magic” Mike Lane (Tatum) has suffered a bad business deal that has left him bartending at parties in Florida. He meets a rich businesswoman, Max, played by Salma Hayek, who pays him for one of his legendary dances.

Smitten, Max immediately offers him a job directing a show at a famous theatre in London.  The show will include a smoldering feast of hot new dancers that Mike will choreograph.

The storyline, admittedly secondary in this type of film, has so many holes I wouldn’t know where to start, but the weakest point is expecting the audience to buy Mike and Max as having fallen in love after one dance.

Romance is a hard-swallow made worse by Max’s demanding personality and insecurities over her ex-husband. She’s a bit of a tyrant made more noticeable by Mike’s even-keeled nature.

While not worldly, Mike is kind and I desired to see him paired with nearly any other character other than Max.

Tatum is a much better actor than most assume based on his pinup beefcake good looks. Has anyone seen him in Foxcatcher (2015)? Sadly, the actor is given weak material to work with that does nothing to challenge him.

Furthermore, we are cheated and only see him twice in his underwear. Some stripper.

Supporting characters like Max’s brooding daughter, Zadie, and opinionated manservant, Victor, are stock and given uneven dialogue to work with. They are presumably added for comic moments that never come.

To be fair, the film is set in London in addition to Miami, and a few decent exterior shots of both locales are added which helps the film.

A ridiculous Zoom call cameo sequence meant to include Mike’s ‘bros’ from the other films (Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, and Joe Manganiello) is a treat but has an ill-effect since that’s all we get from the handsome fellas.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance would have been saved if a scantily clad reunion dance had commenced with the ‘bros’ but sadly none was to be found.

The first film, Magic Mike (2012) is the only one of the three worth spending any time on. Pure juicy entertainment mixed with polished machismo is what was offered and Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023) loses the ‘magic’ and instead offers a shriveled pickle of what used to be a commanding phallic symbol.

2023 Films, Best Film of the Year, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Emma Stone, Fantasy, Mark Ruffalo, Science Fiction, Willem Dafoe, Yorgos Lanthimos

Poor Things-2023

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Poor Things-2023

Director Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe

Scott’s Review #1,413

Reviewed December 27, 2023

Grade: A

Yorgos Lanthimos is a peculiar director and the suggestion is for potential viewers to be familiar with his work before seeing his latest film release, Poor Things (2023).

I’ve said recently that other directors like Alexander Payne, Todd Haynes, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorcese can easily be added to this list with a style not for everyone but that Cinemaphiles will salivate for style and texture alone.

Anyone who has seen Lanthimos’s Dogtooth (2009) or The Lobster (2016) will know exactly what I mean.

With Poor Things, he hits a grand slam home run that might garner him some Academy Awards in what can be arguably classified as his most progressive film.

Mentions like the art direction, cinematography, set design, and fantastic performance by Emma Stone must be immediately celebrated and called out as highlights.

The film is hardly mainstream or conventional and way out there channeling a parallel to Frankenstein with frightening and gothic sets and sequences galore.

All with a twisted and refreshing feminist quality.

Ultimately, I was satisfied with the knowledge that I had witnessed a cinematic marvel that encourages repeated viewings.

During the nineteenth century in London, England, Bella Baxter (Stone), is a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) who is referred to as ‘god’.

He inserts the tender brain of the baby she was carrying when she leaped from a bridge to her death suicide style.

Under Baxter’s protection and supervision, Bella is eager to learn but acts like a toddler with limited speech and motor skills. She teeters around smashing plates with gleeful joy as she discovers her surroundings.

With superior intelligence and a hunger for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and horny lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents from Lisbon, Portugal to Paris, France, and back to London.

Free from the knowledge and the prejudices women of her time were forced to endure, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. She challenges societal norms with her vision and determination.

I can’t think of anyone else to play the role of Bella other than Stone. With wide eyes filled with wonder, she infuses her character with comedy and wit as she asks questions many women have but never dare to utter aloud.

Especially in Victorian London.

Ruffalo is outrageous and Dafoe is hideously stoic. Both actors bring star quality and wacky performances in different ways.

The look of the film is to die for as Lanthimos offers a looming fairy tale set design led by cinematographer Robbie Ryan.

The European cities of Lisbon, Paris, and London are given their chapters in the film and their focus. The waterfront in Lisbon in particular resembles the real city in a gothic and foreboding way.

The hotel in Paris where Bella becomes a prostitute is regal and polished. Bella wonders aloud why the male customers get to decide which woman they want to spend time with instead of the reverse.

It’s a fair question.

Her friend and fellow prostitute introduces her to socialism while Madame Swiney (Kathryn Hunter) explains capitalism.

Finally, the musical score by Jerskin Fendrix offers shrieking classical strings mixed with haunting pizazz and perfectly timed arrangements. They promote tension and drama at just the right moments.

2023 was a fabulous year for women in cinematic terms but not so much by the United States Supreme Court but that’s another story. The bombast and box office enormity of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is followed by Lanthimos’s celebration of the thought-provoking Poor Things.

Both elicit insightfully quirkiness that successfully bulldozes over traditional gender norms with messages that women can do whatever they set out to do which is a vital quality for young minds to be exposed to.

Oscar Nominations: 4 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Yorgos Lanthimos, Best Actress-Emma Stone (won), Best Supporting Actor-Mark Ruffalo, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design (won), Best Production Design (won), Best Original Score, Best Makeup and Hairstyling (won)

2023 Films, Alexander Payne, Christmas, Comedy, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Drama, Paul Giamatti, Tate Donovan

The Holdovers-2023

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The Holdovers-2023

Director Alexander Payne

Starring Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Scott’s Review #1,410

Reviewed November 22, 2023

Grade: A

The snowy New England setting is just one of many aspects of The Holdovers (2023), director Alexander Payne’s latest release gets right. There’s a stuffy prep school, the tumultuous 1970-1971 in world politics, and teenage angst in the mix.

The early 1970s-era set pieces and Americana comfort food are brilliantly and prominently placed to offer security in a world with tragedy and loneliness The jazzy soundtrack also features hits of the time, embracing the viewer in beautiful nostalgia.

Finally, the three lead characters are well-defined and their complexities are displayed in raw form making them rich relatable flawed thanks to strong acting performances.

Paul Giamatti leads the charge as a sarcastic teacher with his great acting and meshes well with newcomers Dominic Sessa as a rival student and Da’Vine Joy Randolph as a kind but wounded cook.

Anyone who has seen Payne’s films like Election (1999), Sideways (2004), The Descendents (2011), or others knows that he sprinkles satirical depictions of contemporary American society in his works.

There is frequently sadness and morosity to the content saved from depression by warmhearted and caring characters.

I savored the quiet moments of human connection that were crafted in The Holdovers.

Events occur over about two weeks beginning at Christmas break and culminating in early January so holiday cheer and sadness are themes.

Paul Hunham (Giamatti) is a classics instructor at Barton University, a prep school outside of Boston. He is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go.

At first, despising each other he eventually forms an unlikely bond with one of them, a damaged, but witty troublemaker named Angus Tully (Sessa).

He also connects with the school’s head cook, Mary (Randolph), who has just lost her son in the Vietnam War (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and shows romantic interest in Lydia Crane (Carrie Preston), a Barton faculty member.

Giamatti is terrific and my favorite character. As a grumpy teacher, the character could have been a one-note standard or stock.  But as events go on we learn more about his past and despite being an authority figure he has demons and insecurities of his own.

During emotional moments he calmly offers a voice of reason which is a comfort. He’s stoic and rough around the edges but he genuinely cares about people making him likable.

Sessa and Randolph, despite being supporting characters each have their own stories.

There wasn’t much awareness about mental illness in 1970 compared to current times and Angus, who takes medication is fearful of spiraling down the same rabbit hole that cost his father his sanity.

Will he follow in his Dad’s footsteps?

A teary scene occurs when Angus visits his father in a facility. Hopeful of progress, Angus is quietly shattered when his father reveals paranoia about his food being poisoned by the staff.

Sessa provides a low-key performance that envelopes the character.

Randolph as Mary is kind yet depressed. She tries to find the good in people while realizing she’s been left out of the game in many instances. Her breakdown scene at a Christmas party allows Randolph to flex her mighty acting muscles.

I relished in the retro Christmas lights, the suburban houses with 1960s and 1970s living room and kitchen set pieces, the sweaters, the hairstyles, and the coffee mugs and plates.

The set designers flawlessly depict a time long ago.

I wanted to sit down and dine on Mary’s scrambled eggs and bacon or Lydia’s Christmas cookies. I yearned to sip a Miller Lite with Paul and Angus.

Finally, I smiled pleasantly at the movie theater scene featuring Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man, an obscure American Western film from 1970.

With precision, Alexander Payne creates another outstanding film featuring the trials and tribulations of good characters dealt losing hands.

The Holdovers (2023) proves that a quality film with terrific writing, a moderate pace, and dramatic and comic moments, draws cinema fans to theaters as much as a cliched superhero film.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Actor-Paul Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress-Da’Vine Joy Randolph (won), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing

Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: 3 wins-Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Performance-Da’Vine Joy Randolph (won), Best Breakthrough Performance-Dominic Sessa (won), Best Cinematography (won)

1986 Films, Charlie Sheen, Comedy, Jennifer Grey, John Hughes, Matthew Broderick, Wayne Newton

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off-1986

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Ferris Bueller’s Day Off-1986

Director John Hughes

Starring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck

Scott’s Review #1,396

Reviewed September 7, 2023

Grade: B

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) is one of the best-known of the John Hughes collection featuring 1980s teen, coming-of-age comedies. On par with The Breakfast Club (1985) and Pretty in Pink (1986) in name recognition memory banks especially for teenagers growing up in this decade.

Iconic moments like Ben Stein’s teacher’s monotone attendance roll call the name ‘Bueller’ repeatedly, and the term ‘Save Ferris’, which became the name of an alternative rock band, are legendary.

The film has its moments of creativity and Matthew Broderick’s portrayal of the title character was charming and star-making. Watching the film, though, decades later the slapstick feels overwhelming to the drama and there isn’t much angst like other Hughes films.

There isn’t much deeper meaning besides one day to skip school and have an adventure.

This makes Ferris Bueller’s Day Off fun and lighthearted but silly in comparison to more mature Hughes efforts. The film is about being young, free, and having fun but not much more, and the hijinks between the students and the authority figures sometimes feel tired.

Ferris Bueller (Broderick) is brilliant at skipping school and getting away with it despite being an intelligent student. He causes the high school principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) much irritation and the ultimate pursuit to catch Ferris in the act.

The young man plans one final outing before graduation with best pal Cameron (Alan Ruck) and his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara).  They ‘borrow’ Cam’s father’s expensive Ferrari and journey through the streets of Chicago.

Ferris’s sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey) seethes with rage at her brother’s antics while their successful but dimwitted parents Katie (Cindy Pickett) and Tom (Lyman Ward) remain clueless.

The superior aspects of the film are the frequent sites of Chicago and Broderick himself which raise the film above mediocrity decades after its initial release.

Broderick followed his contemporaries like Michael J. Fox and Emilio Estevez as the cool and likable all-American boy next door. His performance makes the film better than it might have been and the fun is watching him outwit rivals like the principal and other villains he encounters.

Hughes creates a nice ‘day in the life’ style that follows the characters from early morning until evening which keeps the events contained well.

A high point of the film and where it picks up steam is when the gang gets to Chicago. We suspect the teenagers, while they skip school via fibs, merely have a case of ‘senioritis’ and otherwise are superior students. This is confirmed by the sophisticated and intellectually stimulating places they visit.

They indulge in lunch at a swanky French restaurant and visit the worldly Art Institute of Chicago for good old-fashioned culture. Not to appear too snobby they hobnob with blue-collar folks at an afternoon Cubs baseball game.

Where Ferris Bueller’s Day Off feels dated is with the ditziness of Ferris’s parents. The teen easily bamboozles his parents with his feigned illness and when his father notices Ferris in a nearby taxi cab he shrugs it off as his imagination.

The most laughable instance of the parent’s cluelessness is when mom Katie, in the passenger seat, appears not to notice her son running in front of their car when sister Jeanie slams on the brakes. She instead scolds Jeanie for driving recklessly.

These and other setups involving the over-the-top principal feel more like cliches than genuine laugh-out-loud moments. But this was common in 1980s comedies.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) feels fresh in some parts but dated in others making the experience humorous but hardly legendary. Whereas The Breakfast Club holds up very well this film doesn’t as much.

1962 Films, Comedy, Fred Astaire, Jack Lemmon, Kim Novak, Richard Quine, Thriller

The Notorious Landlady-1962

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The Notorious Landlady-1962

Director Richard Quine

Starring Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Fred Astaire

Scott’s Review #1,390

Reviewed August 16, 2023

Grade: B+

If viewers can look past the messy nature of The Notorious Landlady (1962) and the schizophrenic pacing that appears intermittently then the film is enjoyable.

It’s not platinum status but a decent enough flick, especially for Kim Novak and Jack Lemmon fans, who were big stars. This is the third and final film that the duo starred in.

Like the film, their chemistry goes in and out but appealing is to see Novak in a comic role whereas the genre is familiar territory for the funny Lemmon.

After her husband mysteriously disappears, Carly Hardwicke (Novak) finds it impossible to rent a room in her lovely London apartment, because everyone assumes she’s responsible.

American diplomat William Gridley (Jack Lemmon), is new to the city and desires a residence with her. It doesn’t hurt matters that Carly is easy on the eyes. William becomes smitten with her unaware of her troubles.

When his boss, Franklyn Ambruster (Fred Astaire), learns what Gridley has stumbled into, the two men try to clear her name. A series of lies and misunderstandings catapult events into a compelling mystery.

Even though neither William nor Carly are British the foggy locale works well and provides foreign mystery. They reside in a courtyard type of home where neighbors can see in or they can see out to other apartments. This comes into greater play towards the end of the film.

This is just one example of an Alfred Hitchcock influence from 1954’s Rear Window which director Richard Quine heftily borrows from. He’s wise to do so since he secured Novak, fresh from her role in Vertigo (1958) two years earlier.

Shit, even the title ‘The Notorious Landlady’ borrows the title of the 1946 Hitchcock masterpiece, ‘Notorious’.

There’s also a secret locked door that Carly references and forbids anyone from entering adding suspense and foreboding.

Despite tepid chemistry between the stars I ultimately enjoy their romance. It’s a hard sell that the gorgeous Carly would fall head over heels for the everyman William but she does.

They win me over during a dramatic scene where an attempted romantic dinner of steaks goes awry and instead, a massive fire erupts. The burgeoning lovers cling together in a sweet embrace that cements their appeal.

The tension is supposed to be about whether Carly murdered her husband and has designs on William. Red herrings like kitchen poisons and the like make an appearance but I was more interested in the impending mystery of said husband than really believing she’d want to kill William.

The last act brings the reemergence of a threatening character, an unexpected villain, and a race to save another character in dangerous peril.

A courtroom scene also adds to the tension.

The central storyline is satisfying, edge of your seat, and suspenseful. I assume Quine was going for it.

Within the story, The Notorious Landlady shifts genres a whopping three times! The tone is all over the place, first romantic comedy, then suspense and drama, and finally slapstick.

During the finale when Carly and William race to a retirement community and scramble to stop an out-of-control wheelchair, I half expected Laurel & Hardy or The Little Rascals to make a cameo.

Poor Fred Astaire has little to do and struggles for relevance as measured against Novak and Lemmon’s characters. At times I’d even forgotten he was still in the film.

The Notorious Landlady (1962) is an entertaining vehicle and a must-see for fans of Novak or Lemmon eager to see a largely forgotten film that offers something fun.

1984 Films, Anthony Michael Hall, Comedy, Jami Gertz, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, John Hughes, Molly Ringwald, Paul Dooley, Romantic Comedy

Sixteen Candles-1984

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Sixteen Candles-1984

Director John Hughes

Starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, Anthony Michael Hall

Scott’s Review #1,389

Reviewed August 14, 2023

Grade: B

While recently re-watching a string of John Hughes-produced or directed films from the 1980s I set upon them with fresh eyes. Some scenes or themes that worked in the mid-1980s would be inappropriate in a more sensitive and post-Me Too! movement.

Hughes, of course, was the king of the teen angst, coming-of-age, romantic comedies that usually starred Molly Ringwald.

Sixteen Candles, Hughes’s first directorial effort was released in 1984 and launched him to superstardom and immense popularity. Films like The Breakfast Club (1985) and Pretty in Pink (1986) would follow to much acclaim.

What he did so well was provide maturity and a message to otherwise dumb and raunchy comedies that populated the decade and they had a fresh female perspective whereas others were typically male and hormone-driven.

Already angst-ridden Samantha (Molly Ringwald) wakes up on the morning of her sixteenth birthday to find her busy family has completely forgotten her special day.

Samantha already pines for the handsome senior Jake (Michael Schoeffling), but worries that her dorkiness and lack of sexual experience will be a turnoff for the popular boy.

Meanwhile, Samantha must constantly rebuff the affections of nerdy Ted (Anthony Michael Hall), the only boy in the school who seems to take an interest in her.

As enjoyable as Sixteen Candles is I’d list it as the weakest of the Hughes films. It serves as more of a blueprint for the genius he would become.

Ringwald carries the film with ease made more impressive since this was one of her first film roles. She infuses Samantha with a blend of confidence but also insecurity and worry so that most American teenage girls could see themselves in her.

Pretty but not a pinup blonde, Samantha is intelligent and the girl next door. She lives in a suburban neighborhood, is middle class, has loving but distracted parents, and siblings focused on their trials and tribulations.

Most can relate to that.

A wonderful and tender moment between Samantha and her father, Jim, played brilliantly by Paul Dooley nearly moved me to tears. His wisdom and kindness as Samantha emotionally reveals her love for Jake to her dad is warm and solid epitomizing what a dad should be to his daughter.

A tepid series of misunderstandings occur between Samantha and Jake, who ironically has noticed her and shares the attraction. She freezes when face to face with him, and flees, so he naturally assumes she is a bitch and has no interest in him.

It takes so long for the lovebirds to connect that more possibilities and scenes are left unexplored. The film ends as soon as they reveal their feelings so there isn’t enough for the audience to celebrate.

We also know almost nothing about Jake. He is a rich kid whose parents are vacationing in Europe but what makes him tick? He could have any girl in high school and dates the pretty blonde girl but what makes him so drawn to Samantha?

The casting of the four grandparents serves no purpose other than comic relief and an inaccurate message of how bumbling older people are. One refers to Samantha’s ‘boobies’ while another stinks up the bathroom.

Worse yet, the inclusion of a foreign exchange Asian student named Long Duk Dong is riddled with cliches and stereotypes only played for laughs.

These characters are caricatures.

Finally, the groping and taking advantage of drunk female characters now feels dated if not flat-out inappropriate. In 1984, the scenes are meant to be funny.

Still, Sixteen Candles (1984) accurately depicts the loneliness and problems that face nearly every teenager in the history of the world. With a warm message of belonging and a sweet subtext, the film is a recommended watch but watch out for those stereotypes.

1985 Films, Andrew Dice Clay, Comedy, Dody Goodman, Hector Elizondo, Johnny Depp, Leslie Easterbrook, Rob Morrow

Private Resort-1985

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Private Resort-1985

Director George Bowers

Starring Rob Morrow, Johnny Depp, Hector Elizondo

Scott’s Review #1,382

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Reviewed July 26, 2023

Grade: B

Depending on what type of film you are looking for Private Resort (1985) may be just what the doctor ordered.

A version of Animal House (1978) or Porky’s (1981) shifted to a sunny beach resort is the perfect summer setting for a sex romp with enough g-strings, boobs, and bare butts to make even non-prudish viewers blush a little.

Suffice it to say, director George Bowers, mostly known as a film editor, and screenwriter Alan Wenkus wasn’t seeking any Academy Award nominations.

Though silly, thoughtless, and caked with terrible acting Private Resort is a fun flick.

Shamelessly, since its 1985 release the distributors have callously billed mega Hollywood star Johnny Depp as the ‘star’ of this film. Someone even dared to add his photo to the film’s cover art, which I nearly used when creating my film review.

In reality, Depp plays second fiddle to Rob Morrow, who is the film’s real star and proudly displays more bare flesh than Depp does.

Morrow also proudly dons a dress and wig for a lengthy drag performance.

Thankfully, another source cleverly depicts a lineup of bronzed and toned beach bodies donning the letters that spell ‘Private Resort’ (see above) on different cover art.

Horny teenage buddies, Ben and Jack (Morrow and Depp) decide to spend a weekend in a swanky Miami beach resort chasing the flock of equally horny and scantily clad women they encounter.

How they have the money to afford a room is never explained.

Their fun is parlayed when they cross paths with a shifty jewel thief played by Hector Elizondo and his leggy girlfriend Bobbie Sue (Leslie Easterbrook). Throw in a romance with all-American-looking waitress Patti (Emily Longstreth) and sultry Dana (Karyn O’Bryan) and you’ve got a plot.

Bowers throws in enough physical comedy and antics to keep the action moving along in a speedy one-hour and twenty-two-minute running time.

The gags follow films like Caddyshack (1980) or any of the other countless 1980s slapstick comedies and you can pretty much bank on what you’ll be served up.

Why, the opening scene follows a parade of sexy female sunbathers slathering suntan lotion on or suggestively bending over for all to see. Many were uncredited so my hunch is that adult film stars were used.

Morrow is the standout and his boyish charisma lights up the screen especially when he becomes smitten with Patti. The fresh-faced pair make a perfect match and exude young love becoming the heart of the film.

Elizondo and Easterbrook dutifully perform their parts as one-dimensional foils and MILF roles respectively. Decent actors are worlds above any of the other supporting actors in terms of talent. Even comic actress Dody Goodman goes way over the top in her role as the wealthy grandmother to Dana.

Andrew Dice Clay, then known as Andrew Clay also appears.

Private Resort gets a severe wrist-slapping for two crass fat-shaming scenes not worth giving time to other than to mention it’s not kind to plump girls.

I first saw Private Resort (1985) as a teenager when it was first released and loved it. This was before I blossomed into a snobby film critic. Seeing the film a million years later with more sophisticated tastes I still find it fun, especially on a scorching summer night.

That’s got to count for something, right?

2023 Films, America Ferrera, Comedy, Emerald Fennell, Fantasy, Greta Gerwig, Issa Rae, John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Margot Robbie, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman, Ryan Gosling, Satire, Will Ferrell

Barbie-2023

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Barbie-2023

Director Greta Gerwig

Starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera

Scott’s Review #1,381

Reviewed July 23, 2023

Grade: A

Greta Gerwig is a tremendously talented director who is influencing Hollywood films. The gifted woman crafted Lady Bird in 2017 to critical acclaim and forges ahead with another feminist and progressive project.

With Barbie (2023) she takes a traditional and iconic ‘Barbie doll’ product by Mattel and explores the positives and negatives of the doll throughout its existence.

A cool opening sequence harkening to Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey explains the evolution of the doll.

Barbie incorporates gender balance, creativity, thought, satire, and slapstick comedy fraught with meaning. Not forgotten is heart and humanity and a look at how much progress has been achieved for women over the years and how much more is still needed.

As if that’s not enough, Barbie deserves praise for its direction, production design, costumes, music, and cast performances.

Well done.

The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, who decide to go on a journey of self-discovery following an existential crisis Barbie faces. Deemed the ‘stereotypical’ Barbie she begins having peculiar and ‘un-Barbie’ thoughts of death and analytics and must return to the real world to find her doll’s owner.

She soon longs to return to Barbie Land which is a perfect place. Unless you’re a Ken who exists merely to pine after Barbie. But, do they secretly resent this?

There are a ton of positives to delve into regarding Barbie but one slight miss is proximity to silly comedy and goofiness. This is mostly offset by the meaning of the film but my fear is some audiences may be overwhelmed by gag jokes and lose the overall point of the story.

Let’s take a deep dive. The production design and art direction are dazzling and immediately noticed. Particularly, I’m referring to Barbie Land and its pink and pretty sets. Luxurious pools, streets, houses, and cars are rich with color and ooze a fun vibe.

I can’t imagine these teams being overlooked during the year-end awards season.

Robbie and Gosling looking blonde, buff, and tanned are wonderfully cast and not only look the part but quickly switch from physical comedy to heavy drama without looking foolish.

Robbie, for example, while the classic Barbie type has layers of emotion that she channels. And Gosling could have been looked the buffoon with over-the-top sequences if not for a startling good dramatic scene towards the film’s climax.

The supporting casting is brilliant and includes Kate McKinnon as ‘weird Barbie’ a perfect role for her to release her comic beast. How lovely to see Rhea Perlman again in the small but powerful role of Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel and creator of the Barbie doll.

Finally, America Ferrera and Will Ferrell add both comedy and meaningful spirit to their roles. And how could the inclusion of British stalwart Helen Mirren as the narrator not create credibility?

The main attraction though is the writing. Isn’t it always when intelligently done?

The dynamic duo of Gerwig and Noah Baumbach (famous for among other works the 2019 film Marriage Story) pair well giving equality messages to both Barbie and Ken. While easy to dismiss Ken his role is valued and respected within the overall context of showing that everyone deserves a seat at the table.

I was touched by the film in various moments more than I ever expected it to be. Wonderful sentiments about being a mother are powerfully stated by Ruth and Gloria (Ferrera) during various scenes and messages such as everyone deserving respect and serving a purpose are hard not to get choked up over.

Barbie wins points for diversity and inclusion with nearly every ethnic group represented and a transgender character, Dr. Barbie (Hari Nef) featured prominently.

Providing roaring entertainment, bubble gum sets and design, and a message that will break your heart while exuding intelligence Barbie (2023) is a win.

It’s a story about the wills of plastic and humanity making for a perfect harmonious blend. Who would have thought a film about Barbie would be so important?

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor-Ryan Gosling, Best Supporting Actress-America Ferrera, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Original Song-“I’m Just Ken”, “What Was I Made For?” (won)

1957 Films, Audrey Hepburn, Comedy, Fred Astaire, Musical, Musical Comedy, Romantic Comedy, Stanley Donen

Funny Face-1957

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Funny Face-1957

Director Stanley Donan

Starring Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire

Scott’s Review #1,375

Reviewed July 7, 2023

Grade: B

The results of Funny Face (1957) are mixed and the word ‘cute’ pops to mind on more than one occasion.

On the one hand, audiences are served a sophisticated look at the fashion industry and the sleek style of Paris, France in the 1950s. The outfits and set design are fab revealing the cultured and colorful modeling world while the makeup and hairstyles match the time with fragrant gusto.

The screenplay is riddled with plausibility issues bordering on offensiveness, silliness, and a good look at the patriarchal mindset of the times. The message is twofold. The fashion industry and Hollywood equally embraced these norms at the time the film was made.

In a word, the overall film is dated.

New York City fashion photographer Dick Avery (Fred Astaire) is tasked with finding a model for a new assignment. Discouraged, he is struck by the beauty of Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn), an intellectual bookstore employee he photographed by accident.

He convinces Jo to go with him to France, where he continues photographing her against Parisian backdrops, while they scramble to pull together a fashion show along with crusty Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson), a fashion magazine publisher.

Dick and Jo fall for one another, only to find hurdles to overcome along the way.

The musical numbers are plentiful but rather second-tier. Bouncy songs like ‘Funny Face’ and ‘On How to Be Lovely’ are decent but not memorable. The highlight is “S, Wonderful’ appearing during the finale and perfectly wrapping the Paris experience and the film in a shiny bow.

Comparisons can be made to An American in Paris (1951) and not just because both are set in Paris use the same tune (S Wonderful) and are composed by George Gershwin. There’s more buried beneath the surface that ties the two films.

Both lead characters, Jerry and Jo, wind up with the wrong partners, in reality, inappropriate for each other. Jerry should be with the comparable Milo while Jo should be with the dashing and artistic Flostre (Michael Auclair). Instead, Jerry chooses the waifish Lise while Jo lands the ancient Dick.

Astaire is old enough to be Hepburn’s grandfather which makes the romance odd.

Of course, in An American in Paris and Funny Face, Milo and Flostre are made to be the foils. They are merely obstacles to be overcome by the preferred couple.

Another irritant is the demeaning nickname that Dick calls Jo, ‘funny face’. Hardly a dog, Hepburn is quite beautiful though the film makes the audience assume she is wrong for the modeling world. The reality is she fits right in looking perfect in every dress or costume she dons, or photograph she appears in.

A better casting choice would have been not classically beautiful singers/actors such as Barbra Streisand or Bette Midler though admittedly neither had surfaced at that point.

Though shot on a soundstage, Funny Face rebounds from implausibility with gorgeous ariel views of historic Parisian landmarks that envelope the glitter of the theme.

Shots of the Eifel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and the broad Champs-Elysees are robust and made me rewatch this sequence again.

In parallel, the Greenwich Village, New York City setting where other events in the film take place is an intelligent choice to define the artistic and bookish characters.

The opening titles of Funny Face (1957) are creative and polished reflecting the maturity of the subject matter and style of the 1950s.

With no chemistry, Hepburn and Astaire carry the film as best they can with a dated and tame screenplay.

Oscar Nominations: Best Writing, Story, and Screenplay-Written Directly for the Screen, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction-Set Direction

2022 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Independent, Independent Comedy, Satire

Triangle of Sadness-2022

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Triangle of Sadness-2022

Director Ruben Östlund

Starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean Kriek, Woody Harrelson

Scott’s Review #1,374

Reviewed July 2, 2023

Grade: A

When I realized the director of Triangle of Sadness (2022) had directed Force Majeure (2014) and The Square (2017) I became very interested in seeing it. I’m not sure I ultimately ‘got’ The Square but Force Majeure was a thought-provoking slice of cinematic brilliance that I still think about now and then.

Sure, Triangle of Sadness was rewarded with three Academy Award nominations, deservedly so. Still, Ruben Östlund has a knack for challenging his audience to think outside the box, cinematically or otherwise with a robust look at social classes.

He crafts a subject matter about class systems and the haves and have-nots that has been explored before in film many, many times. But, in Triangle of Sadness, it feels fresh and fraught with many different possible directions.

The wicked dark comedy explores political talking points like capitalism, communism, and socialism and challenges standard ways of thinking.

It’s on par with the popular HBO series The White Lotus but on steroids.

I cannot recommend the film more heavily especially geared toward those desiring expressive and deep-textured films with some meaning.

Despite the dreary title, it’s far from a dour experience. There are quite a few laugh-out-loud moments, especially in scenes featuring severe vomiting amid sea sickness.

The rich and famous embark on a luxury cruise with fine dining and servants galore. But after a devastating storm leaves several passengers and staff stranded together on a deserted island the power exchange begins to shift and the social hierarchy is turned upside down.

Events mainly surround a celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), who are invited on the luxury cruise for promotional purposes. Yaya is a social media influencer.

They are joined by a Russian oligarch Dimitry and his wife Vera, and an elderly couple Clementine and Winston, who have made their fortune manufacturing grenades and other weapons. Therese, a wheelchair user only capable of speaking a single phrase in German following a stroke; and Jarmo, a lonely tech millionaire who flirts with Yaya.

Besides possibly, Therese, there is not a sympathetic rich character to be found.

The yacht staff are more sympathetic although we don’t get to know all characters very well. Highlights are the head of staff, Paula, who demands the staff obey the guests’ without question, Abigail, a cleaning woman, and the yacht’s captain, Thomas Smith (Woody Harrelson), who spends his time drunk in his cabin, and despises the absurdity of the guests’ wealth.

The main events on the ship take a while to get to and the film is divided into chapters. Part 1: Carl and Yaya, Part 2: The Yacht, and Part 3: The Island.

I realized after the fact that the point of the slow build is to show the dynamic between Carl and Yaya, the main characters. Both models and living life based on their looks they are wildly insecure, bickering over money and gender roles.

While not likable nor complete assholes either, enjoyable is a chance to get a fleshed-out perspective on where they are coming from.

My adoration for the film largely stems from not knowing what is going to happen but knowing that at some point the shit is going to hit the fan.

The setup is perfect, especially the put-upon staff. While they are not abused, the relationship is clear. The passengers are in a position of power, the staff is not.

This will soon change.

Late in the game, I unexpectedly found myself rooting for a minor character who takes center stage in the last chapter turning events upside down.

Comparisons can also be found in the recent Best Picture winner Parasite (2019) and old-school international films Swept Away (1974) and L’Vventura (1960).

These are all brilliant films and my hunch is that Triangle of Sadness (2022) will hold up well perhaps achieving even greater acclaim as the years go by.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-Ruben Östlund, Best Original Screenplay

1971 Films, Christopher Guest, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Diana Rigg, George C. Scott, Satire

The Hospital-1971

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The Hospital-1971

Director Arthur Hiller

Starring George C. Scott, Diana Rigg

Scott’s Review #1,369

Reviewed June 11, 2023

Grade: A

An example of the freedom to craft one’s vision allowed in cinematic works during the first half of the1970s, The Hospital (1971) is a testament to the creativity and exceptional writing and what can happen when studios and producers leave the creatives alone to make the film they want to make.

One can dismiss any preconceived notions of the classic medical dramas that flooded television networks during the 1970s and 1980s. The Hospital is not formulaic or contrived.

No, The Hospital is a dark work drooling with satirical examples of the politics and shenanigans within the medical community. Oftentimes, secondary activities come at the cost of good care and quality medicines.

Before you imagine a doctor and nurse cavorting in a janitor’s closet, it’s a deeper film than it appears on the surface despite the inclusion of witty comedy. A lax patient care, staff deaths, and the dismissal of nearby residents because of a new drug rehabilitation project are explored in this fascinating film.

At a rundown Manhattan teaching hospital, chief of staff Herb Bock (George C. Scott) is riddled with multiple personal and professional problems after two doctors and one nurse are found dead almost simultaneously.

He assumes the rash of deaths is due to dimwitted staff who are overworked amid the chaos.

Suicidal, he meets the intelligent daughter of a patient who knocks him off his feet with her studious personality and reflections of the world. Barbara Drummond is played by Diana Rigg.

Immediately noticeable is the clever and well-paced screenplay while I was unknowledgeable of the fact that Paddy Chayefsky had won the Oscar for writing the film. Immediately, the chaos of a city hospital is exposed but not in a cliched way like a series like ER or Grey’s Anatomy might show.

Nobody is going into cardiac arrest on the operating table or having convulsions in the waiting room amid lame dramatic music.

The Hospital is more cerebral than that.

Unknown patients and little-known hospital staff go about their everyday business like clockwork until confusion with daily tasks causes events to go awry.

Like real-life.

The brilliance is how director Arthur Hiller casts regular-looking actors in almost all the roles. They look and act like everyday hospital staff so that the proper tone is set. This is even before we meet and get to know Herb and Barbara. They answer phones, walk around with charts, and hustle after emergencies.

Chayefsky and Hiller mirror director Robert Altman in many ways mostly in the dialogue and how seemingly unimportant scenes mean a whole lot.

In robust soliloquy-style scenes between Herb and Barbara the audience ‘gets them’. They are both desperate, wounded, and unhappy yet possess the sophistication and awareness to realize how similar they are.

They immediately connect, fall in love, and nearly run off together. It’s that simple. They are willing to flee their lives after meeting for five minutes. But will they ultimately take that plunge?

A key character is revealed to be Barbara’s father and a whodunit begins after it comes to light that the deaths are not accidents. Who is responsible and what their motivation is is the key to the story.

Scott does wonderful work with his character and rivals his excellent performance a year earlier in Patton (1970). Herb is more introspective with the world on his shoulders.

The Hospital has more than one daring scene. Herb, though impotent, basically throws Barbara down on the table and rapes her. The shocker is she makes light of it the next day and almost seems to have enjoyed it.

Barbara and Herb are both complex characters that the audience needs to ruminate over.

My favorite part of The Hospital (1971) is the setting. That Hiller puts you inside what a real urban hospital was like in 1971 is brilliance. The satire comes into play with the writing which questions decision-making and incompetence within the hospital walls.

Only, the result is a scathing look at hospital practices and will hit home to anyone terrified of entering a hospital only to never come out again.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Actor-George C. Scott, Best Original Screenplay (won)

2022 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama, Epic, Flea, Jovan Adepo, P. J. Byrne, Period Drama

Babylon-2022

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Babylon-2022

Director Damien Chazelle

Starring Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt

Scott’s Review #1,365

Reviewed June 4, 2023

Grade: A-

Babylon (2022) is a film that will largely divide audiences. Slightly late to the table, I viewed the film after the awards season hoopla had ended and the film came up empty-handed. Sure, a few nominations were received but much more was expected from the epic Hollywood-themed venture.

I’m a fan of director Damien Chazelle, most famous for the similarly set Los Angeles film La La Land (2016), which I adore.

His direction style reminds me a great deal of Baz Luhrmann’s with the incorporation of intense musical numbers during many scenes and a strong chaotic and frenetic nature.

I realize this style is not for everyone so I’m not surprised Babylon is somewhat revered and somewhat reviled. This isn’t always a bad thing as a good film debate can be fun.

I adore Babylon mostly for the powerful and potent silent-era Hollywood story and the terror stars of the 1920s faced with the realization that sound had entered their pictures and they were expected to keep with the times.

Sadly, many careers ended in devastating fashion sinking one-time big stars into depression and despair.

The acting is superb and major props go especially to Margot Robbie as debaucherous film star Nellie LaRoy and newcomer (to me) Diego Calva as handsome Mexican immigrant Manny Torres. Both actors elicit superb performances that should have landed them Oscar nominations.

The major overtones that Chazelle incorporates into Babylon are those of ambition and outrageous excess, but also belonging and acceptance. The rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood are explored.

As Hollywood makes the transition from silent films to talkies, ambitious up-and-coming actress Nellie and aging superstar Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) each struggle to adapt to the new medium as well as a rapidly changing world.

And Manny just wants a seat at the table.

Another reason I love the film is the dedication and exposure given to pre-sound Hollywood movies which nobody remembers. I struggle to recall ever viewing a film from that era with my earliest film being the 1930 film All Quiet on the Western Front.

The hit film The Artist (2011) may have paid tribute but it’s not the same and Babylon goes for the jugular in showcasing an entire movement that is now largely forgotten.

Cinema fans will respect Babylon.

Besides the film’s characters, there is so much movie stuff to appreciate. A Hollywood movie set, repeated takes, scripts, dialogue, lighting equipment, and rehearsals, make for a feast of riches for any cinephile.

The weak point is the behemoth length of the film. At three hours and nine minutes, an epic length, the erratic structure is a challenge to get through. A piecemeal approach can sometimes affect the continuity and it did detract a bit in this case for me.

If one can sit still long enough the final thirty minutes is superb. A tidy wrap-up and truthful storytelling give several characters a proper sendoff. The film ends in 1952 so a great conclusion befits.

Before we get to this point though, a nailbiting sequence involving Manny and a fiendish Los Angeles gangster played by Toby MacGuire is second to none. Fake money, a rat-eating entertainer, and pornographic dwarfs make for an odd adventure that one can’t look away from.

A fascinating and bombastic experience, Babylon (2022) loudly delves into the silent film world and gives a proper head nod to a long-forgotten period.

The film successfully makes me appreciate Hollywood and its history more than I already do.

Oscar Nominations: Best Musical Score, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design