12/15/18 Peppermint, not yet nominated, 2018
When I saw the previews for Peppermint, I thought it would be good for Netflix, and I was right. It's a good revenge movie starring Jennifer Garner as Riley North, a mom and wife whose husband and daughter are shot by order of a drug lord. After the trial fails to produce any results that resemble justice, Riley takes things into her own hands. There may be something twisted or cathartic (depending on your point of view) about enjoying revenge movies like this where someone just goes batshit crazy on the bad guys. The protagonist learns martial arts, uses explosives, becomes a computer/tech whiz, takes punches, but gives harder ones, and man, do we feel better. I did wonder what the movie would have been like if we could have gotten a glimpse into her training routine, because how did she go from working in banking to being an assassin? There's some intrigue, a little twist, but I didn't think it was a deep thinking movie, and that was fine with me. I didn't watch Alias with Garner, but I recall from clips that there was some martial arts and other similarities with Riley North, so maybe Garner was looking to return to a more action packed role. And that's no judgement for me; if men can do it, why can't women? If you're looking for a movie to watch with some friends over pizza and your beverage of choice, add this one to the mix. As for Oscar nominations, it's a longshot, but action movies like this always carry the possibility of sound editing/mixing nominations.
12/20/2018 Mary Poppins Returns, not yet nominated, 2018
I was skeptical about Mary Poppins Returns, and I don't think I was alone in that. Julie Andrews will forever be Mary Poppins and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "A Spoonful of Sugar" are the songs she sings, so I think it was really brave of Emily Blunt to take on the role, although not in a remake, but a long-delayed sequel. The movie is set in the 1930s, around twenty or twenty-five years after the original, so some characters have moved on, while others have aged. The Banks family is once again Mary's raison d'etre, (certain things will be left out since the movie just came out this week and I do not want to spoilt it), and her accomplice isn't Bert the chimney sweep, but Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), a former apprentice of Bert's who is a lamplighter. Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) Banks are trying to take care of Michael's children since his wife died. Even though we never meet her, we get the clear impression that she handled everything, and Michael is struggling mightily, hence Mary Poppins. I think it's a good ten or fifteen minutes (that's what it felt like) until Mary makes her grand entrance, and almost immediately, I was engaged in the story. There are a lot of songs, and lots of possibilities for nominations; there is the combination of live action with animation, just like in the original; instead of the chimney sweeps dancing, the lamplighters have a show stopping number; and there is a financial kerfuffle that could cost the Banks' their family home. Through it all, Mary handles the children and the various adventures with aplomb and calm, never getting flustered, which is what we all want from Mary Poppins. The movie sets and costumes are beautiful and colorful, more opportunities for nominations. I liked the movie, and perhaps over time, I will love the movie, or at least hold it in my memory with the same affection as the original. I'm not sure what is holding me back, because I thought Emily Blunt was tremendous, demonstrating her ability to sing and dance, all with a very posh attitude, with a touch of cheekiness; Lin-Manuel Miranda was very good, but something about the Cockney accent bugged me; the children were good as well (although I had to laugh every time they did something, my friend would say "I hate children"); and there are stars sprinkled throughout the film, in big, little and surprise roles (Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Julie Walters to name a few). One of the big problems I had was the character of Michael Banks seemed to suck the life and joy out of every scene he was in (perhaps that was the point, but I was noticeably happier when he was offscreen). I am glad I saw this in the theater.
12/22/2018 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, not yet nominated, 2018
If I thought too hard about Mamma Mia - Here We Go Again, I probably couldn't watch it with a straight face; there are too many things that defy logic, reality, time travel and singing ability. The only thing I care about is the music, and thanks to this movie, and its precursor (which began life as a theatrical musical), the music of ABBA will pretty much never die. The characters from the original film return (Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard), with a few key additions, including Lily James as a young Donna and Cher as Donna's mother and Sophie's grandmother. The story goes back and forth between young Donna, who having just graduated from Oxford, goes off to have adventures around Europe before she settles on an idyllic Greek island, and current day with Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) getting ready to reopen Donna's hotel. The best thing about the movie is it introduces some of ABBA's lesser known songs (well, I knew them, but I'm guessing a lot of people didn't) like "When I Kissed the Teacher" (which took a strange turn and also had a cameo appearance from Bjorn Ulvaeus), "Why Did It Have to Be Me" and "Andante, Andante"; of course, there were well known gems, like "Waterloo" (featuring Benny Andersson on the piano), "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and perhaps the biggest number is "Fernando" sung by Cher (I hope I didn't ruin that bit, but I thought it was common knowledge she was in the movie). The locale is beautiful, with filming being done in Croatia on the island of Vis, and the songs are terrific; the acting is good, but the story just seemed hit and miss for me. I hope they quit while they're ahead.
12/24/2018 Gosford Park, Best Original Screenplay, 2001
Since Gosford Park has been on cable at least twice this past week and I watched it, I figured I should review it. There is something about this Robert Altman movie that I have always liked, having seen it originally in the theatre and watching it when I find it on television. It is set on an English estate in 1932 and has a full cast of characters, above and below stairs and adds in a good old fashioned mystery. Julian Fellowes, who later created "Downton Abbey", wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay. The main plot involves the lord of the manor, Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his wife, Lady Sylvia (Kristen Scott Thomas), who are hosting a hunting party on their estate; the guests include gossipy cousin Constance, Countess of Trentham (Maggie Smith); actor, Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam); American film producer, Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban). The below stairs cast include Helen Mirren as Mrs. Wilson, head housekeeper; Eileen Atkins as Mrs. Croft, cook; Emily Watson as Elsie, head housemaid; Clive Owens as Mr. Parks, valet to one of the guests; and Ryan Phillippe as Mr. Denton, valet to Mr. Weissman. Like most Altman films, there are a variety of subplots involving upstairs, downstairs and many that crossover between the two. All of these are happening even as someone is plotting a murder. There are so many things going on, that even after watching it more than four times, there are new nuances that I picked up. If you enjoy "Downton Abbey" and have not yet watched this, I think you will enjoy it, Maggie Smith gets ready for her role as Dowager Countess of Grantham. Helen Mirren is wonderful as always, Ryan Phillippe is creepy as valet Denton, Gambon does not at all resemble Dumbledore. It really is a feast of wonderful actors in large and small roles. I feel like I have seen so many movies lately that I can barely get through one time, that I feel really pleased that I can watch a seventeen year old movie and still enjoy it.
