2019 films - Toy Story 4, The Farewell and The Hustle

10/20/19 They Killed Sister Dorothy, 2008

Dorothy Stang was a nun living and working in Brazil who was brutally murdered for her work to protect the Amazon Rainforest and the poor who lived there. She crossed paths and had violent encounters with the ranchers who wanted to cut the forest down. The documentary uses interviews with her brother; Sisters in her order, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur; the peasants she helped; the ranchers she angered; and the men accused of shooting her in cold blood. It also includes footage from the trials of the men who were accused of killing her. Sister Dorothy was passionate about her love of the Amazon and the people who lived who lived, so passionate she was willing to risk her life. The fires in the Amazon recently made my viewing of this film vey timely.

11/23/19 The Farewell, 2019, not yet nominated

I don't know if The Farewell will be nominated for any Oscars, although I think Adapted Screenplay might be a possibility. A few of my movie loving friends kept telling me I needed to see The Farewell, and I finally got around to it. The screenplay, by Lulu Wang, was based on her story that she did for American Life, which was based on real life events in her family. Billi Wang (Awkwafina) and her parents live in New York City, while her grandmother still lives in China. Billi finds out from her parents (reluctantly) that Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) has been diagnosed with lung cancer, which devastates Billi. It doesn't get better when her parents tell her they are going back to China for a 'family reunion' to say their goodbyes to Nai Nai, they're not telling her she's ill, and Billi isn't invited. It's Eastern tradition versus Western cerebralism, because Billi thinks they should be honest and tell her grandmother, but that's not how it's done in China; they don't want to worry Nai Nai, so they are all getting together for the wedding of Billi's cousin. The movie moves between those awkward family moments we all have (sibling rivalry, meeting up with relatives you haven't seen in a long time), to celebrating one's cultural and history, to dealing with the mortality of a beloved grandmother. Awkwafina was terrific (she was one of the only things I liked from Crazy Rich Asians which I otherwise pretty much loathed) and I think she showed that she doesn't just do comedy, she tapped into some pretty serious emotions and dramatic moments. I wish I would have gotten this review done before Thanksgiving in case you were looking for a break from football and Christmas movies, but you still have time to watch this during the interminable Christmas marathons, and I recommend that you do. There are subtitles, but don't let that turn you off.

11/27/19 Toy Story 4, 2019 Not yet nominated

I don't want to sound like the Grinch or Scrooge, but this was not the best animated movie ever, and it wasn't even the best Toy Story movie in the franchise. The story picks up after Woody and company are adopted by Bonnie and given a new home with her other toys. Sadly, Bonnie no longer wants to play with Bo Peep, so she is sent off to the land of misfit toys (oops, wrong movie), and Woody is heartbroken. Bonnie makes a new toy at school, called 'Forky'. Forky has some existential issues: he's garbage and should be thrown out, he doesn't want to exist as a toy. Unfortunately, he's Bonnie's favorite toy, and as he escapes the confines of the family's RV, Woody chases after him. Then all sorts of adventures and misadventures ensue: some very creepy ventriloquist dummies are the henchman for a voiceless talking doll; Woody meets up again with Bo, who is now a liberated woman, Buzz listens to his inner voice and becomes a problem solver; and Keanu Reeves becomes one of my favorite animated characters in the franchise as Duke Caboom. I do like that production crew includes old and familiar voices (Annie Potts, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris and Joan Cusack to names a few), but also brings new voices (at least to the franchise) like Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner, Carl Weathers, Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key. Of course there is the familiar sound of Randy Newman on the soundtrack. It's probably going to get nominated, because I think it's been codified into law that any Pixar film gets nominated for an Oscar, and will usually win. Now that the grown up review is done, I do think that kids will like it (but those dummies are kind of scary) and it could be a good family flick instead of watching The Santa Claus 2 again.

11/28/19 The Hustle, 2019

I kind of want my Redbox points back, because this movie wasn't even worth a free rental. I like Rebel Wilson (although I think she is going to be typecast which would be a shame) and I like Anne Hathaway, but this movie was so disappointing. I thought it was going to be funny, and it had maybe five laughs, otherwise, it was cringeworthy. Don't confuse this with the much buzzed about movie with Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers.  I didn't, but that would have been a good excuse.

Die Hard, Joker, Spider-Man and Tender Mercies

9/13/19 Reversal of Fortune, Best Actor, 1990

I remember when the Claus von Bulow case was in the news. It was very titillating, the life of the ridiculously wealthy. This was before the internet and 24 hour gossip cycles. I vaguely remember when the movie Reversal of Fortune was released, perhaps I was no longer interested. I honestly don't recall it making that big of an impression, much less being an Oscar nominated film. Glenn Close is Sunny von Bulow who really doesn't do too much in the film and Jeremy Irons won an Oscar for his portrayal of Claus von Bulow, the pompous and snooty husband of the inert Sunny. Ron Silver is famous (or infamous) defense attorney Alan Dershowitz. Claus von Bulow is accused of attempting to murder Sunny by injecting her with an overdose of insulin. von Bulow's haughty demeanor doesn't endear him to anyone, but Dershowitz takes the case to fund his other pro bono work. I am a big fan of trial dramas/mysteries/biographies, but I didn't find this suspenseful or even well acted. I was surprised to learn that Irons beat out Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves, Richard Harris in The Field and Robert DeNiro in Awakenings. I was looking forward to seeing this film, but was pretty disappointed.

9/18/19 Die Hard, National Film Registry, 1988

Until I watched Die Hard this past fall, I had never, ever seen a Die Hard film in its entirety, or even any significant portions. Honest. Most people are probably familiar with the basic premise, but in the event you are not, Bruce Willis is John McClane, a New York City police officer who is in Los Angeles to try and reunite with his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedalia). Holly is an executive who works in a swanky skyscraper. McClane arrives in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve (thus apparently cementing the film's place in the pantheon of Christmas films), at the same time terrorists, led by the inimitable Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. Bad timing for McClane, but lucky for his wife and the attendees of the company Christmas party; oh, and bad timing for Gruber and company. McClane takes on around eight henchman equipped with automatic weapons and explosives, and no surprise, he comes out the winner (really, this is not a spoiler). He and Gruber play a game of chess as McClane tries to race the clock before Gruber accomplishes his goal of stealing over $640 million dollars in bearer bonds and destroying the skyscraper. Willis/McClane fights his way, with his gun and his smart-ass mouth, taunting Gruber, but also trying to convince the LAPD that he's not one of the bad guys. I did like Willis' performance, but Rickman steals the show (not an original thought on my part) by being the cold blooded, restrained, intellectual, mysterious bad guy. It foreshadows a little bit his role as Snape in the Harry Potter series. I liked the movie, and I'm glad I finally saw it so I can keep with any offhand references to it, but I didn't love it. I don't feel the need to watch it over and over. But, that's just me.

10/3/19 Joker, not yet nominated, 2019

I honestly do not know how to write this, because I know the vast majority of people who have seen Joker have loved it, including my brother, who was very disappointed in my response. Honestly, I had no desire to even see the movie, much less on opening night. Joaquin Phoenix is Arthur Fleck/Joker, who attempts to make a living playing a clown and aspires to stand up comedy, but he faces ridicule from his fellow clowns and abuse from kids on the street. Arthur takes care of his mother Penny (Frances Conroy) who used to work for industrialist Thomas Wayne. Arthur seems to have some mental issues that confuse fiction and reality. Robert DeNiro is Murray Franklin, a late night talk show host in the vein of Johnny Carson; Arthur fantasizes being on the Murray Franklin show and doing his stand up routine. Arthur also has feelings for his neighbor, Sophie (Zazie Beetz), and we are led to believe they have a romantic relationship. Gradually, Arthur is pushed to his breaking point by discovering the truth about his childhood and his mother's actions; his mistreatment by his fellow clowns; and ultimately, his failure on the Murray Franklin show. Even though the film is set in Gotham, and Thomas Wayne looms large in the background, there are only a few threads to link Joker to the future Batman. Phoenix is totally committed to Fleck, and there is no question his performance will be nominated for an Oscar (or, I guess it would be a huge surprise if he was not nominated), but I just didn't care. That was the only way I could explain it to my brother, I didn't care. What I saw was a man who was beaten, downtrodden, humiliated and he took his revenge by killing people and reveling in the violence. Meh.

10/13/19 Tender Mercies, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, 1983

Sometimes a movie doesn't need special effects, action scenes or over the top sex scenes. Tender Mercies is one of those movies. Written by Horton Foote (To Kill a Mockingbird), directed by Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy) and starring Robert Duvall, it takes the viewer on a quietly emotional journey that took me by surprise. Duvall is Mac Sledge, a washed up alcoholic country singer who finds a refuge with Rosa Lee (Tess Harper) and her son, Sonny. Rosa is a widow whose husband was killed in Vietnam. She lets Mac stay on her property in exchange for working on it. Mac has his demons, a failed marriage and hostile relationship to a popular country singer, Dixie (Betty Buckley), an uneven relationship with his daughter Sue Anne (Ellen Barkin) and his status as a has-been in the music world. Sonny battles the bullies at school over not having a dad (apparently the sacrifice of dying for your country wasn't enough for them) and Rosa tries to keep her gas station/motel going. Even though you kind of know that Mac and Rosa are going to get together, it's subtle and it just kind of happens, no big fireworks. Mac and Rosa get married; Mac and Sonny develop a close bond and Mac gets 're-discovered' by a local band. Duvall does his own singing in the film. Of course, you can't have all of these wonderful things happen without something to counterbalance it, so there is a tragedy, but even the tragedy is handled with reserve and restraint. It's like Mac and Rosa just absorb disappointment and sadness like body blows, but keep moving on, leaning on each other and their strong bonds and their faith. Duvall is terrifically understated and you really believe the chemistry between him and Tess Harper (who should have been nominated as Best Supporting Actress). I had no expectations of the movie, not being very familiar with it at all, but I really enjoyed it and if you're tired of CGI and/or superhero movies or just want to watch a human story, find Tender Mercies on Netflix or from the library.

10/19/19 Spider-Man: Far From Home, 2019, not yet nominated

Eh. Spider-Man: Far From Home is set after the Avengers' universe-splitting Endgame and the death of Iron Man (I'm so sorry if you haven't seen it yet, but seriously?) and Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is back at school. He and his classmates are off to Europe where they run into The Elementals and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). Honestly, I really didn't care. I wanted to, but I couldn't. I did like that Happy, Iron Man's bodyguard/chauffeur, makes more than a cameo. I never bought Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, I liked Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire (until Spider-Man 3, ugh). The movie was good, not great, and I would say you should see it if you're a megafan of the MCU or Spidey, but if you're ambivalent, give it a pass.