2019 films: The Irishman and Knives Out

It seems from February until Thanksgiving cinema is a vast wasteland, filled with throwaway movies. I've learned over the eight years of doing this blog that I can pretty much wait until November before I have to worry about serious Oscar contenders. Sure, there's always the odd special effects nominee or underdog picture that sneaks onto the coveted list of nominated films, but not as often as you would think. It's time to focus, because nomination morning will be here before I know it.

12/1/19 The Irishman, 2019, not yet nominated

I can't address how many, or if any, of the events in The Irishman are true or accurate, that's probably the purview of another blog and another writer (or two or three), however, Martin Scorsese's film about the purported events in the life of Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran  (played by Robert DeNiro), Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) and other members of the mob are definitely worth watching. The three plus hours goes pretty fast (although to be honest, I had to split it out over three nights), and some of the story lines were familiar to me, and the acting was really terrific. Joe Pesci is Russell Bufalino and he exercises a lot of control and influence very quietly, he lets other people throw punches, shoot guns and otherwise get their hands dirty. Pacino is a little over the top as Hoffa, but I guess Hoffa was a larger than life character. The movie follows Sheeran's rise through the Bufalina organization, from driving trucks to work that was a little more violent, to working with/for Jimmy Hoffa. Sheeran narrates the film, taking us back through time; there are a lot of time jumps, so you do have to pay attention (sometimes I don't do that very well). There is also a parade of characters, some with similar names or appearances and it can get confusing (back to that paying attention part). It's a  little like Goodfellas meets The Sopranos. One of the things about the movie that's getting some attention is the digital de-aging of the actors, many of whom are in their 60s, taking them back to their 20s, 30s, etc. The mystery of what happened to Jimmy Hoffa and where his body is still remains a topic of interest as evidenced by the buzz the movie has received. We'll see how the nominations shake out because the movie was distributed by Netflix and had a very limited theatrical release, which rubs some voting members the wrong way, who may still be bitter that Roma (also distributed by Netflix) did so well last year.

12/5/19 Meeting Gorbachev, 2018

With all of the craziness in the world these days, especially around international relations and threats to ramp up nuclear weapons from various quarters, it felt like a good time to watch this documentary by Werner Herzog and Andre Singer about Mikhail Gorbachev. Growing up during the Cold War and actually remembering many of the events from the 1970s and 1980s, I appreciated seeing them from Gorbachev's perspective and with historical context. Gorbachev was the polar opposite of his predecessors, which while that worked to the West's advantage, it turned out to be his political death knell. In ninety minutes, Herzog takes us through Gorbachev's rise in the Communist Party; his relations with Western leaders including Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Helmut Kohl; his beloved wife, Raisa (I don't think I can name any other wife of a Soviet leader, or most leaders, but we knew Raisa) and his family; and his sad decline, in health and status. Herzog is an amazing filmmaker, and I have seen may of his feature films and his documentaries, and my only qualm with him is that sometimes he injects himself into the story. I guess it works on some level and sometimes gives us more insight, but still, I occasionally wish he would shush. If you're a political science nut or a history buff, I totally recommend watching this film.

12/6/19 Knives Out, 2019, not yet nominated

When I first saw the trailers for Knives Out, I immediately thought of Robert Altman and Gosford Park (I have since read that writer/director Rian Johnson used that film as one of his inspirations). I really don't want to give anything away about this star-studded ensemble murder-mystery because it's still out and I'm recommending it to anyone who asks and I want it to be a surprise. Christopher Plummer is Harlan Thrombey, a famous mystery writer whose death throws his family into chaos. His family members include his eldest daughter, Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her husband, Richard (Don Johnson who was actually pretty good) and their ne'er do well son, Ransom (Chris Evans); his younger son, Walt (Michael Shannon); his daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Colette); and other assorted family members. Harlan also has a nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas), who provides medical care but also friendship, and she seems to be the only person who has no expectations from Harlan. Harlan's death appears to be a suicide, but someone has contacted private detective, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig with a delicious Southern accent) to dig a little deeper. This is where I have to stop for fear of revealing a clue. The main setting for the film is a beautiful, creepy estate and the interior sets are clever. There is a lot to pay attention to visually. The performances are terrific, quirky, funny, surprising, and de Armas as Marta was a fabulous surprise (she was in Blade Runner 2049, which I barely remember watching), keeping up with the veteran cast and giving them a run for their money; I look forward to seeing her in more films. Benoit Blanc is a great departure for Craig, and he seems to savor it; I think he would get along famously with Hercule Poirot if that was possible on time-space continuum. I don't normally go to movies with people, but this would be an exception to the rule if I hadn't already seen it; there's a lot to discuss afterward.

12/6/19 Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Best Actress, 1974

I watched Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore totally by fluke, but since it was on The List it was a happy fluke. It was also a bit of coincidence because it was directed by Martin Scorsese forty-five years ago. Alice was one of his earliest films, squeezed in between Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. Ellen Burstyn stars as Alice Hyatt, a housewife who is married to an abusive man who has squashed her dreams of becoming a singer. After he is killed in a truck accident, Alice packs up her son, Tommy, and heads to California, making a few stops along the way. One of her longest stays is in Tucson where she lands a job at Mel & Ruby's Diner (Vic Tayback plays grumpy Mel) where she bumps heads with sassy Flo (Diane Ladd) and meets David (Kris Kristofferson) a regular customer and a local rancher who has romantic intentions. Heading into 2020, it might not seem to be a big deal to have a woman headlining a film, but in 1974, the early days of the women's movement and a time when most female roles in movies were wives, helpmates, mothers, sex kittens, it was a big deal. Alice Hyatt is forced to become the head of her small family unit, making decisions (some of them questionable), raise her son and maybe follow her dream. Burstyn brings a level of humanity and reality to Alice, she loves her son, but struggles with his wise-ass attitude; she wants to be loved, but has learned her self-respect is worth more. It's probably not a movie on most people's watch list, but it was recently on Turner Classic Movies, and if you catch it, you should give it try. It's interesting to note that Harvey Keitel appears in the movie as Ben, one of Alice's questionable decisions; it was Keitel's third film with Scorsese (third of many); Jodi Foster plays Tommy's friend, Audrey, and she starred in Scorsese's next film, Taxi Driver (along with Keitel and Robert DeNiro). Alice was turned into a 30 minute sitcom starring Linda Lavin; Tayback reprised his role as Mel; Diane Ladd was in the series as a replacement for Polly Holliday's Flo.