Back at it with Harriet, For Sama and Honeyland

I'd like to say my delay in posting these reviews was due to some wonderful reason, like I was meditating in Tibet with the Dalai Lama or I was on a secret mission or the space bar was stuck on my laptop. Alas, nothing quite so dramatic, just a lot of The Office episodes, afternoon naps and a smattering of ennui. By this time, you may have already seen the films below, and if not, given the current world situation, you may have some extra time on your hands.

1/29/20 Harriet, nominated Best Actress, Best Original Song, 2019 

A friend of mine, who is more of a movie geek than I am, didn't really like Harriet; not because the topic wasn't worthy, she just thought it should paint Harriet Tubman as less of a comic superhero and more of a real person. This was hard for me to wrap my head around, because as far as I'm concerned, the woman was pretty superhuman, I mean I get lost (really) in my own neighborhood, and I have GPS; Harriet Tubman walked hundreds of miles in the wilderness with only the stars to guide her, all the while fighting off headaches and 'spells' from a blow to the head when she was younger. AND, she wasn't traveling alone, as she was bringing slaves out of the South into the free North, and none of her 'passengers' was killed. That is pretty amazing to me. Cynthia Erivo was amazing as Harriet Tubman (who SHOULD be on the $20 by now), bringing a no nonsense and can do attitude to her mission of leading slaves to freedom. Tubman escaped from slavery in Maryland by walking, maybe hitching a ride in a wagon to Philadelphia. In an effort to save her family and be reunited with her husband, she went back to Maryland many times to help family members and others escape. There are some big names in supporting roles including Leslie Odom, Jr. as William Still, an abolitionist affiliated with the Underground Railroad; Jennifer Nettles as Eliza Brodess, the widow of Harriet's owner; and Janelle Monae as Marie Buchanon who owned a boardinghouse where Harriet found respite and friendship. I suppose it was a forgone conclusion that Renee Zellweger was going to win for her role as Judy Garland, but I was pulling for Cynthia Erivo. I also loved the song "Stand Up", especially after the performance at the Oscars. I wouldn't say that a film about slavery is necessarily a family film, except this is more than that; it's about a woman, facing horrible circumstances and incredible odds to do amazing things, never giving up. She wasn't just an inspiring woman, but an inspiring human. If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend doing so.

2/2/20 Pain and Glory, nominated Best Actor, Best International Feature Film, 2019

Um. Yeah. I was going to write that I'm hot and cold on Pedro Almodovar films, but in all honesty, I have to say I'm mostly cold. I did not care at all about the highs and lows of director Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), his loves, his drug addiction, his childhood. That's basically what the movie is about. There are highbrow critics who thought this was the best movie of 2019 or the best of Banderas's career, but I don't think so. In fact, I would put this in the category of "I stopped caring after 15 minutes". Use that two hours to see something else on this list.

2/5/20 For Sama, nominated Best Documentary Feature, 2019

Sadly, Syria has become an incubator for documentary films over the past five years (or longer?) due to the civil war, oppression and brutal attacks on its civilian population. I have not yet seen The Cave, also from Syria, but I did watch For Sama, and boy, it was tough. Waad al-Kateab is filming her daily life and that of her husband and friends as they valiantly try to tend to the sick, wounded and dying in Aleppo, Syria, while dodging bombs and coping with shortages. During filming, Waad discovers she is pregnant, which raises existential questions for her, like who would knowingly bring a child into this world? It is heartbreaking watching the doctors and nurses try to bail out a sinking ship with a paper cup, trying not to give up and hoping the and waiting for the rest of the world to help. There is a small glimmer of hope, but you have to look hard to see it, but I still think you should watch.

2/7/20 The Edge of Democracy, nominated Best Documentary Feature, 2019

I don't know if it was because I was watching this right before going to bed or what, but it took five nights to watch this documentary about the nascent democracy movement in Brazil. Petra Costa, the director, had some direct connections to former President Lula through her parents' activities in Brazil. It was definitely interesting and gave me a perspective into a country which I have been fascinated with for a long time, and it has implications for the current political situation in Brazil. Stick with it and take a few nights if you need to.

2/15/20 Honeyland, nominated Best Documentary Feature, Best International Feature Film, 2019

Honeyland was one of my favorite movies of all the nominees. It was beautifully filmed and showcased a woman I would love to meet, Hatidze Muratova, a wild beekeeper in North Macedonia, a country in the Balkans, bordering Kossovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania, a true melting pot of cultures, languages and religions. The film follows Hatidze as she collects honeycomb to 'grow' and nurture her own hives, using just smoke and maybe a face covering to protect herself from the bees. She sells the honey she harvests to buy necessities for her and her elderly mother, maybe treating herself to hair coloring. Her mother is an invalid, blind and hard of hearing, and the exchanges between the two of them are heartwarming and heartbreaking. Hatizde has lived on this land her whole life and it has been in her family for generations. Her life is about to undergo a change when a family of nomads moves in next door; at first, I think she's glad of the company, people to laugh with, share meals with, teach the children the ways of honey bees, but then it turns into one of those nightmarish movies, like Neighbors, and things don't end very well. But Hatizde has a spirit that might dim, but, I felt it still burned, even though it was subdued. I just loved this movie. If you are looking for something different, or maybe you're homeschooling and want to do some World History/Geography/Environmental studies, you would get your money's worth with this movie. Do not be afraid of the subtitles, there is so much that you can infer and feel without understanding the language. Consider all the crap movies you have watched and how you're like, well, that was two hours of my life I'll never get back, and then watch Honeyland and feel redeemed. It will do your soul good, I promise.

2019 Documentary Shorts

Regular readers know that I love documentaries, and I have special place in my heart for the documentary shorts. I usually go to the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis and make an afternoon of it. However, time constraints this year have forced me to Plan B. Almost all of them were available online, except for St. Louis Superman.

1/26/20 Life Overtakes Me - As refugees flee their home countries and the familiar surroundings and resettle (or try to) in new countries, there is all kinds of adjustments that have to be made, new languages to learn, and the fight to stay in the desired country after seeking asylum. This short film was made in Sweden and followed families seeking asylum, but also coping with their children who are suffering from is being called "Resignation Syndrome". It's almost as if the children quit wanting to live; they stop eating, stop responding to their parents or any stimulation. Some of the children have been in this condition for 6-12 months. It's heartbreaking watching the parents massage the children, talk to them and try to include them in family activities and hope for them to wake up. It is possible, and one of the doctors suggests (and the example in the film seems to bear her out) that once the family's situation becomes stable, like asylum is granted, and the parents become more calm and less stressed the children start to come out of the suspended animation state. Cases of Resignation Syndrome have increased in Sweden in the last ten years, and new cases are appearing in Australia among refugees. It made me wonder if children being held or coming to the United States under uncertain conditions are experiencing this syndrome and it's not being reported. Life Overtakes Me is available on Netflix.

1/26/20 Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl) - So far this is my favorite of the four shorts I have watched. The title says it all, girls in Kabul, Afghanistan are learning to skateboard and they are definitely still in a warzone. This could have been a depressing story, focusing on the war and the poor treatment of women and girls, but I found myself crying tears of happiness and joy at the spirit of the schoolgirls, but also their mothers and their teachers (I often cry watching documentaries). Muslim extremists frown on girls going to school or having any kind of education or freedom, which makes going to school a very dangerous proposition. The girls go to school and then learn to skateboard; skateboarding outdoors is also dangerous, so there is an indoor 'skate park' where they learn all the basics. The teachers are women as are the skateboarding instructors. Listening to all of the women talk about the importance of the school and the skateboarding is so uplifting; mothers talking about how they were prohibited from going to school and were forced to marry when they were very young and they want something better for their daughters. There is a school administrator who inspired me to a few fist pumps as she seemed fearless in the face of men who opposed the school. The skateboard instructor who was once a student who aspired to participate in international competitions. The energy and joy of the girls, the giggling and teasing, but also incredible support they have for one another is awesome and uplifting. I have been recommending it to everyone. It's available online through A&E. The organization that supports this endeavor is Skateistan.org. You will thank me later.

1/30/20 Walk Run Cha-Cha - Paul and Millie Cao met as youngsters in Vietnam, but were separated when Paul left for America to begin a new life. They kept in contact and eventually Paul was able to bring Millie to the United States and they re-connected and married. We meet them while they are in a dance lesson, and I really had no idea what the movie was going to be about, I thought just dancing. Dancing became kind of like their second chapter together as a couple after both had successful careers and their daughter was grown and out of the house. They both take the dancing very seriously, taking private lessons and competing. Paul is the more serious of the two, rarely cracking a smile, and Millie seems to light up when she talks about dancing and listening to Western music when she was growing up. Watching them dance together was very touching. I don't think it was the 'best', but I did enjoy it. This is also online, available through general searching or on Vimeo.

1/30/20 In the Absence broke my heart. In the Absence documents the sinking of the MV Sewol, a South Korean ferry, in April 2014. It also shows in real time video and recorded radio and phone exchanges the sheer incompetence of the South Korean authorities to make any real attempt to rescue the passengers, many of them students, before the ferry sank. It is so hard to describe what happened, because it makes no sense. Government authorities were more concerned about the appearance of making a rescue and filming the scene than actually doing anything productive. A group of civilian divers did their best to recover the victims, but they were also battling the government who eventually ordered them to stop their efforts. Two of the divers were interviewed or testified in a later public forum, and you could see how tortured they were by not being able to complete their task. It was chilling to watch parents, survivors and ordinary Korean citizens marching and protesting against the government. There were several scenes that made tear up, and one of them was when the ferry was recovered, four years after the disaster, and the remaining victims were brought home. The families wanted to get closer, maybe see the bodies (I don't know if that would have been good), but the authorities were keeping them locked out, and the families are shouting about how they have been forced to wait and they were getting aggressive (I didn't blame them), the camera shows members of the police/security forces waiting in the area (waiting for a conflict) and as the families are yelling, one of the officers is shown wiping away tears. It was as if she knew what was happening was wrong and she felt horrible for what was happening. There was no narration to the film, but interviews, recorded exchanges from a variety of officials, news footage and super titles providing time frames to the disaster as well as information about what was happening. It was moving and aggravating and it was hard to find anything positive in the outcome. This documentary is available on YouTube.

Buddha, Mt. Seorak, S. Korea

Three more nominees: The Two Popes, American Factory and Breakthrough

12/26/19 The Two Popes, nominated Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2019

I cannot speak to the accuracy of The Two Popes, especially the scenes within the conclave where the Cardinals vote for the new pope. I thought the ballots were burned, so perhaps that part is speculation. At any rate, the film looks at the unusual circumstance and relationship between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce) created when Pope Benedict stepped down from his lifetime appointment to the papacy and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis. The two men couldn't be more different or on opposite sides of almost any argument. The movie flashes back to when Jorge was a young man, before he entered the priesthood and then his time as a priest during the time of the junta in Argentina. The flashbacks show Bergoglio's flaws and his human side, which some may not believe are suited for a position that is considered infallible. Bergoglio repeatedly tries to resign his post as Cardinal, but Pope Benedict continually refuses him. The movie shows the human side of Pope Benedict as well, as he and Pope Francis watch the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina together, fact or fiction, it was an enjoyable scene to watch. Pryce is nominated for Best Actor and I think the odds are against him since Joaquin Phoenix seems to be the favorite this awards season. Hopkins is nominated for Best Supporting Actor and that may be a little more open, with two nominations for The Irishman (Joe Pesci and Al Pacino), Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (haven't seen this yet) and Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. I know Hanks is usually the favorite any time he's nominated, but I thought Pesci was really, really good.

1/12/20 American Factory, nominated Best Documentary Feature, 2019

American Factory was hard to watch, I really felt the heartache and frustration and disappointment of the men and women of Moraine, Ohio, as they tried to make a new life at a new factory built and run by the Chinese glass factory Fuyao. I wasn't surprised by the culture clash and differences, but I was surprised at how big and wide the divide was, and the hostile attitudes expressed by both at the end of the film. I thought something seemed familiar about the filmmaking and the topic, the General Motors Assembly Plant, but I just found out that the filmmakers also made 2009 nominee, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant by Julie Reichert and Steve Bognar. This was the same plant. Everything seems pretty positive and full of potential and hope to bring back good paying jobs to southwestern Ohio. The Chairman, Cao Dewang, is aware of the differences in culture and work practices and at first seems okay with it, up to a point. The Chinese are absolutely opposed to any kind of unionization and threaten to shut the plant if the unions come in. Eventually, the lower than expected wages, the safety concerns and other practices put the two sides in opposition to one another. In my Pollyanna world, I kept thinking if the two sides could talk, really talk and get some kind of understanding and not fall into stereotyping (it happens on both ends), it could have been so much more beneficial. This is the first nominated documentary I have seen, so I can't honestly say if I think it will win, but I found it powerful, relevant and full of humanity. It's distributed by Netflix, so it's available on streaming, and I strongly recommend watching it, for so many reasons. 


1/17/20 Breakthrough, nominated Best Original Song, 2019

I'll be honest, if Breakthrough wasn't on the Oscars list, I would never have watched it; I can't even say it was an unexpected find. It's not that it was terrible, it's just not my thing. When I saw the previews, I thought, nope, I won't be going. Sigh. So here we are. The movie is based on the true story of John Smith falling through a not so frozen lake in St. Charles, Missouri and being put into a medically induced coma. The doctors had no expectations of a full recovery, but his mother, Joyce (Chrissy Metz), had other ideas. She was so fervent and adamant in her belief and her prayers that you could say she willed John to get better. Movies like this really aren't my thing, so if I'm going to like it (or maybe just watch it) at least the acting needs to be good. I'm sorry, but it wasn't. Topher Grace was Pastor Jason, and while I believed Anthony Hopkins could have Pope Benedict, I did not at all believe that Topher Grace was a pastor. The music was okay; "I'm Standing with You", written by Diane Warren and performed offscreen by Chrissy Metz is nominated for Best Original Song. It was a good song, but I have a feeling that the new song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin for Rocketman, "(I'm gonna) Love Me Again". The movie wasn't my thing, but you may like it.

2019 movies - probable nominees: Marriage Story, Apollo 11, Bombshell

Since a lot of these are pretty fresh or may get new legs with DVD releases, I'm going to go light on plots and just give you my go/no go recommendation. It will be faster for all of us, I promise.

12/13/19 Marriage Story, 2019, not yet nominated

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson star as a married couple that is getting unmarried; their initial attempt is to do it without lawyers, but it doesn't quite go as intended. The movie is bi-coastal as Driver's Charlie is building his reputation and career as a stage director in New York City, while Johansson's Nicole wants to break away from his shadow and re-establish her acting career in Los Angeles. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, the story follows the ebbs and flows, highs and lows of a disintegrating marriage, including the low blows, dirty pool and spewing of venom that might have slipped out or might have been intentional. Unfortunately, there's a child in the middle, and that's the cause of the fights and anguish. The performances are spot on, the feelings are palpable, even on my teeny iPad mini. Laura Dern as Nicole's lawyer, Nora, has gotten lot of rave reviews, but I couldn't stand it, and maybe that was kind of the desired result, but, it seemed way over the top to me. Alan Alda took a brief turn as Charlie's lawyer, Bert, and he never disappoints; his delivery and cadence always keep my attention. I don't know if you have to see this movie, I don't feel like I had to, except it's probably going to get nominated for something, so, then I have to. A couple friends have seen it and really liked it. 

12/20/19 Apollo 11, not yet nominated 2019

My biggest regret about this documentary on the moon landing with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin is that I didn't see it on the big screen. Damn it. The movie is made up of archival footage, including film taken by the astronauts while in space and on the moon and film of the control center. There is no voiceover or commentary, whatever audio is from the participants. It really captures the excitement that took over the whole world, and this is before social media and twenty-four hour news cycles. We board the space capsule/rocket with the crew of three (Michael Collins was the third man); hear and watch the takeoff; watch the orbit of the rocket and hear conversations between the crew and mission control; it's crazy. Even if you don't have any interest in the space program, you should watch it. I defy you to not get goosebumps. If you have kids, you should watch it with them and revel in the scientific and human achievements. There may be a nomination for best documentary, maybe editing.

12/21/19 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, not yet nominated, 2019

This was not what I thought it was going to be. I saw the documentary on Mister Rogers when it came out over a year and a half ago, so I was not sure that any feature film could really do him justice. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood isn't a bio-pic, exactly, and it's not really fiction, and it's not really about Mister Rogers. It's about the people he influenced, specifically one person, Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), a feature writer for Esquire magazine. Lloyd has some unresolved anger issues, mainly directed at his absent father, played by Chris Cooper, and his wife, Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson) is caught somewhat in the middle.  His editor assigns him the task of writing a brief article on Mister Rogers. Lloyd is suspicious and doesn't believe that Fred Rogers is real, and looks for an angle to expose. Director Marielle Heller really slows the pace of the film, at least it seems that way to me, and it kind of fits Mister Rogers' pace of life, and forces Lloyd to slow down a little. I think the writers were wise to take a different tack when telling Fred Rogers' story, because the documentary is still in the air, if you will, and it would have been too much comparing going in if this film followed the regular biographical line. By introducing Lloyd (who is based on writer Tom Junod), it lets viewers see Mister Rogers from a different perspective, and lets Mister Rogers tell his story (or not, because he can be quite evasive).  Tom Hanks is uncanny as Mister Rogers, the look, the mannerisms, speech patterns. I don't think you have to see this on the big screen, but I do recommend watching it (and then watching the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor).

12/24/19 Judy, not yet nominated, 2019

Wow. Just wow. As much as Tom Hanks became Fred Rogers, Renee Zellweger became Judy Garland. I grew up listening to "Judy Live at Carnegie Hall" and of course watching The Wizard of Oz and I recently finished reading a biography of her, so I feel like I'm in a good place to review Judy. The movie focuses on the very end of her career when she had become so unreliable due to her drug use and drinking, that she was almost left no choice but to go to London for a series of concerts. The movie uses flashbacks to her early days under Louis B. Mayer and a studio system that treated actors, even stars, like cattle. It sets the table for many of the issues that Judy struggled with her entire life. The real Judy Garland had definite facial expressions and characteristics, and it seemed to me that Zellweger nailed them. Zellweger did her own singing as well, which is a gutsy move, and I she was tremendous. Garland was a complex woman, who was tiny but had a big voice, however her self-esteem often disappeared when she was off the stage. We get glimpses into Garland's personal life, with her bitter divorce from Sid Luft (Rufus Sewell) and the battle for her two youngest children, Joey and Lorna; there is the briefest of appearances by Liza Minnelli (Gemma-Leah Devereaux), her eldest child, but it only serves as an introduction to Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock), Judy's last husband. I don't know if I would say that Judy is an entirely uplifting, feel good movie; there are definitely moments that made me feel good, but I would say I felt more melancholy and sad at the loss and waste of talent, and sadness at her loneliness. Don't let that deter you from seeing it. I will be very disappointed if Zellweger doesn't receive a Best Actress nomination; there may also be a Best Costume Design and Best Hair and Makeup.

12/25/19 Bombshell, not yet nominated, 2019

I cannot remember the last time I needed a hot shower after watching a movie, but I absolutely felt that way after seeing Bombshell; John Lithgow is creepy good as Roger Ailes, make your skin crawl creepy. Bombshell tells the story of the sexual harassment charges that were brought forward by former Fox talk show host (and Minnesota native) Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) and later corroborated by several other women at the network or formerly at the network. There are three main female protagonists, Carlson, Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and Kayla Pospisil ( (Margot Robbie); and they are each in different phases of their relationship with Ailes; Carlson at the end, disgusted and angry; Kelly, whose career is really taking off, but she is seeing and hearing things that are making her question; Kayla (who is not a real person, as far as I can tell) is in the very beginning of her professional career and very naïve. How this all unfolds is really what the movie is about, so you are now on your own as far as that goes. We're in the Fox newsroom, so there are plenty of Fox on air personalities in the background, and making appearances walking across the screen; at times, I found that as disturbing as Roger Ailes. Some actors/characters required a lot of makeup to look like their real life counterparts, and some of the make up was really good and spot on; other times, I found it really distracting, like the poor actress, Anne Ramsay, who played Greta Van Susteren. I don't know what intern did that make up, but it was terrible; she's not even listed in the cast list on Wikipedia, and she had more screen time than others who did get listed. The performances by the three lead actresses were really good, but I think Robbie was particularly good, playing an eager conservative producer, first on Gretchen Carlson's show and then moving up (?) to Bill O'Reilly's show. She has aspirations of being on air and meeting Roger Ailes. In a smaller support role, Kate McKinnon is Jess, another producer on The O'Reilly Factor, who befriends Kayla and tries to give her pointers on the show. I should also mention Connie Britton was frightening as Beth Ailes, Roger Ailes's wife who had blind faith in her husband's behavior (it was nice (?) to see her in an atypical role). There is a lot going on here, some of which you probably heard about on the news when the scandal was breaking, some parts that were not common knowledge, and maybe some things that were totally fictionalized, and I'm not an expert on it, so I don't know. Director Jay Roach (Trumbo, Meet the Parents) kept the pace pretty fast, packing a lot of action in less than two hours. It just occurred to me that for the most part, the women in the film were restrained, occasionally understated, as if they had to keep all of their emotions in check, whereas the lead men, mainly Ailes/Lithgow, were allowed to explode and vomit verbally whenever the mood struck, which was often. Aside from needing a shower when the movie was over, I wasn't sure if I loved or liked it. I think right now, I liked it; I loved Robbie's performance; and I liked Theron's and Kidman's performances. I think there may be some nominations for technical Oscars, like editing and makeup and hair; I'm not sure how the acting nominations will play out, a possible Best Supporting Actor for Lithgow, but I don't know how you really break out the performances of Robbie, Theron and Kidman.

That's all for a while. Check my travel blog for some fun stuff in the coming days.

Woman at War (Iceland), The Peanut Butter Falcon, Ford v Ferrari

12/7/19 Woman at War, 2018

Woman at War is set in Iceland and uses the incredible landscape as part of the action. Halla is an environmental activist and choir leader who is waging a battle against heavy industry development in Iceland, and the threat to destroy natural wonder and resources. There is a subplot, a case of mistaken identity, that runs through the film that is kind of fun to watch; it plays havoc with the authorities trying to catch Halla. In the meantime, Halla receives a letter telling her she is in line to adopt a child from Ukraine, which is at risk because of her illegal activities. Halla has a twin sister, Asa, (played by the same actress, Halldora Geirhardsdottir), who doesn't always agree with her sister's extreme actions. I really enjoyed the film; the scenery is beautiful; it's quirky, but not too much that you forget what is happening or that it's annoying; and it's timely. The director very cleverly inserted the soundtrack into the movie by placing musicians and singers in the action, moving along with the story. I don't think I have ever seen this before.  

12/7/19 The Peanut Butter Falcon, 2019, not yet nominated

If I went by the title alone, I probably would have totally skipped this movie, and shame on me. Feeling guilty for not liking Joker as much as my brother did, I watched it on his recommendation. It stars Zack Gottsagen as Zak, a young man with Down's Syndrome with very big dreams; Shia LaBeouf as Tyler, a loner who is still missing his deceased brother and getting into a lot of trouble stealing crabs from other fisherman; and Dakota Johnson who is Eleanor, Zak's guardian (for lack of a better word) at the senior citizen's home where he lives. He lives there because he has no relatives and there are few resources where he lives in North Carolina. Zak seems to get along with the residents, especially Carl (Bruce Dern), who watches wrestling videos with Zak. That is Zak's dream, to go to wrestling camp and become a professional wrestler. Zak escapes the home, with help from Carl, and winds up hiding on Tyler's boat. They get off to a rocky start, but eventually forge a bond based on honesty, humor and adventure. Eleanor catches up with them and tries to take Zak back, but Tyler intervenes and tells her she should treat him like a man and not a little kid. LaBeouf was terrific, it was nice to see him acting instad of being in the news; he was totally believable (to me) with his southern accent and his relationship with Zak. Gottsagen was fun to watch; he held his own with LaBeouf, Dern and Johnson; his character was asked to go through a range of scenarios and emotions and he was amazing. The movie is PG-13, there's some swearing and violence, but I think it may actually be a good film for the family; probably not your traditional holiday film, but I think it has a holiday spirit: love, redemption and family. If it gets any nominations, I'm thinking maybe screenplay and possibly acting ('possibly' because that category can get crowded). There's a whole backstory to how and why this movie was made which you should check out on on your own.

12/8/19 Ford v Ferrari, 2019, not yet nominated

I only had the faintest idea what Ford v. Ferrari was about, and even then, I still didn't quite get it, but it got some good reviews and it's in the time frame where you expect it to be nominated. It's based on the true story of Henry Ford II and Ford Automotive's quest to build a legitimate race car to compete with Ferrari in LeMans and other races. Matt Damon is Carroll Shelby a race car driver and designer who was brought in by Ford to develop the car; Shelby brought in Ken Miles (Christian Bale) to drive and help with the design. Miles is a very difficult character, he doesn't get along with a lot of people because he doesn't suffer fools and he's very good at what he does, and he knows it. The movie looks at Ford's involvement in the design and building process as well as the butting in to the strategy of racing, to the point of ordering Miles to be excluded. Miles is a hot head and Shelby has to be the moderating source and also a visionary, which isn't easy. Because I wasn't previously familiar with the story of Shelby, Miles and Ford II, I didn't have any preconceptions or knowledge of the outcome, which helped with the suspense: I really did not know how it was going to end. Bale brought a cocky intensity to Miles, often providing commentary as he's racing, while Damon is a good counterbalance to Bale, rarely shouting, but using his Texas drawl to make people think he's not as sharp as he is, but he truly sees the big picture. As a total sidenote, I don't know if the portrayal of Henry II is accurate, but on film, Tracy Letts makes him seem to be the biggest wanker, at least to me. If you can catch this movie before it hits the DVD/streaming run, I would do it. The photography is amazing; the perspective from inside the car, and the racing shots in general are crazy. If I had to bet, I would say it will pick up nominations for sound and film editing. 

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.

Three films about real life and fictional heroes: Maiden, Pavarotti and Hellboy

11/28/19 Maiden, 2018

Maiden is why I love documentaries so much. It has unapologetic protagonist in Tracy Edwards; a challenging, life-changing event in the Whitbread Round the World Race; antagonists in the form of the all-male teams against whom Tracy and her crew were competing; and an uplifting and empowering message.  In 1989, Tracy Edwards assembled an all-female crew to compete in a grueling around the world yacht race. Director Alex Holmes includes footage filmed by the crew during the race; historical news clips and interviews; and current interviews with the crew, the competition and journalists. Tracy is brash, abrupt, certain in what she wants, but not always sure of how to get it and she's balanced by her shipmates' temperaments and experience. Tracy's confidence hides her insecurities and fears of failure, and that honest portrayal is part of what makes the movie so compelling to watch. Additionally, the footage shot during the race is terrific, the waves of the ocean crashing on the boat, the icy conditions as the race goes around Cape Horn. I feel like it's been a while since I have strongly recommended a documentary (or any film, really), but let me encourage, cajole, suggest you rent Maiden. #girlpower

11/29/19 Hellboy, 2019

I watched the 2019 version of Hellboy because I've seen the previous live action films directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Ron Perlman, and I enjoyed them, so why not. David Harbour stepped into the horns as Hellboy and Ian McShane played his adopted father, Trevor Bruttenholm. I was a big fan of the original franchise, and was as skeptical as many critics and fans, so I was ready to not like it. I was pleasantly surprised. This film was rated R (the earlier films were PG-13) and they let fly the F-bombs and plenty of blood spray, but otherwise, it had demons from the other world, action, humor. The story was probably not as strong as it could have been, but depending on my mood and what I'm watching, sometimes that doesn't bother me, and it didn't bother me here. I was curious to see how this would develop and what a sequel would look like, but it doesn't sound like that's going to happen. I enjoyed it, and if you're looking for something for the long winter nights coming up and you're looking for a wisecracking demon movie, give Hellboy a watch.

11/29/19 Pavarotti, 2019

I enjoy opera, but by no stretch of the imagination am I an expert. I know what I like, I know the main voices and I've been to several operas, but that's about it. Pavarotti was more than an opera star, he was a global cultural icon, playing to hundreds of thousands of fans around the world, donating time and money to children's charities; even if you knew nothing about opera, you probably heard of Luciano Pavarotti. Director Ron Howard shows us the many sides of Pavarotti, the playful, jovial, grouchy, insecure using news footage, interviews with Pavarotti, his family, friends and critics. Howard does a terrific job of capturing Pavarotti's joie de vivre and his love of people. I feel like I learned a lot about Pavarotti, but also about opera. I know a lot of people are turned off by the thought of opera, even if they have never heard it (aside from maybe some comedic or over the top performance, like the Bugs Bunny cartoons), but some of it is really good. I don't know if this will be nominated for an Oscar since it doesn't expose any scandal, there's no underdog or any of the other usual themes in nominated films, but it's still very well done. I don't know if I can convince you to watch it, but I hope so, and maybe give the opera a try. Too much?

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.

Beating back writer's block: Mary, Queen of Scots, Free Solo, Rango

It's been a while, a pretty long while as a matter of fact. I have no excuse. So, without further ado, here we go.

4/2/19 Mary, Queen of Scots, nominated Best Costume Design and Best Hair and Makeup, 2018 

I know I said I didn't really have an excuse, but I think I am going to blame Mary, Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan as Queen Mary and Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I. Yup, that's my story. When I initially heard about the movie, I was excited because the Elizabethan period is so lush with characters and intrigue and costumes. Sadly, that excitement left pretty quickly. I would say as soon as I heard Queen Mary speak with a Scottish accent, I was disappointed. It didn't stop there. Oh, let me clarify, even though Mary was Queen of the Scots, she was raised in France and wouldn't have had that accent. It didn't stop there, from casting decisions to not great acting to a not great script and a total disgregard for history (there may have been a teeny tiny disclaimer that they were just using history as a suggestion, but I didn't see it). It is pretty to look at, but I wouldn't spend two hours watching this land of make believe. In case you didn't pick it up from the other clues, the movie focuses on the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth, cousins and rivals. Whew, crossed that one off the list.

4/11/19 Free Solo, Best Documentary, 2018

My preference for best documentary was RBG, the film about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Free Solo features Alex Hohnhold, a quirky, but focused, free solo climber, and his attempt to free solo up El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Free solo climbing is done without ropes, pulleys, ladders or nets, so clearly, a challenging sport regardless of the locale, however, adding El Capitan into the mix, makes the climb one of the most difficult climbs undertaken. The film gives the viewer insight into Hohnhold's preparations, his relationship with his girlfriend, and a little bit of a look into his past and what motivates him. There are a few minutes of an interview with his mother, but she seemed a little distant and I got the vibe they weren't that close (I'm happy to be wrong in that perception). It's clear that Alex needs to climb, that's where he seems the most comfortable: climbing, prepping for a climb, talking about a climb. A friend of mine saw the movie in the theater with an audience (something I avoid as much as possible) and said you could hear the collective gasps of the audience as Alex made his way up the cliff, and that added to the suspense and thrill of watching the movie. I watched it at home, on my old boxy tv, by myself, and I knew how it ended. Two very different experiences, and whether my opinion would have been different, I'll never know, but I did like the movie, appreciated Hohnhold's (and the crew's) courage and strength and determination, but I didn't love it. I loved RBG, which I should say, in full disclosure, I saw in a theater with other people. Hmmm. Coincidence? These are two very different movies, with two very different protaganists, so it seems a little unfair to say one is better than the other. Co-director Jimmy Chin also co-directed Meru, another climbing documentary about climbing Meru in the Himalayas. That was an amazing film (seen on the big screen) and I totally recommend watching it.

4/27/19 Rango, Best Animated Feature, 2011

I vaguely remember watching Rango back in 2011 and don't recall anything spectacular about it. In 2011 I watched all of the nominated films, but I didn't write about them, but I remember not being in awe over any of the animated films from that year. Johnny Depp voices Rango, an iguana who gets displaced or misplaced and winds up in a small Western town facing a water shortage and needs a new sheriff. That's all I have. I couldn't pay attention. 

A last push the night of the Oscars 2019

As I finish this entry, the night of the Oscars, there are eleven films I haven't seen. It's my worst showing in the last couple of years, but I felt so uninspired and house-bound during this ridiculous deep-freeze we've had here, that I'm actually thrilled with how many I have seen.

2/10/19 The Wife, nominated Best Actress, 2018

Glenn Close has been nominated for Best Actress for her role as the wife of author Joseph Castleman (Jonathan Pryce). We meet the Castlemans in 1992 just prior to Joseph receiving the call that he has won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Joe is garrulous and outgoing, a man who thoroughly enjoys his celebrity, including the adoration of female fans, which Joan (Close) has tolerated for many years. Through a series of flashbacks and the prodding of biographer Nathaniel Bone (Christian Slater), we learn how Joan and Joseph met, he was her professor and they had an affair, and also how Joan was responsible for getting Joseph noticed by her bosses at a publishing house. The outside world sees the Castlemans as a golden couple, with their long and successful marriage and their beautiful children; but we get to see the cracks, their son, David (Max Irons), who is desperate for his father's approval of his own writing; Joan, who may be reaching the end of her tether just being known as the wife of Joseph Castleman. The tension and relatively small cast and few sets made it feel like this could be a play (it was based on the novel by Meg Wolitzer); Joan is a very internalized character, restrained in her emotional display, until she can't hold it back anymore. Is it enough to win? I don't know. I think so and I hope so, but Olivia Colman was really good in The Favorite (I hated that movie), and Lady Gaga was good in A Star is Born, so I guess we'll find out tonight.

2/17/18 Hale County This Morning, This Evening, nominated Best Documentary, 2018

There are so many ways to do documentaries: they can have a narrator, telling us everything that's going on; subtitles providing helpful information as the events in the documentary unfold; they can follow a very specific topic or cause; they can be investigative, uplifting or heartbreaking. I prefer documentaries that inform me of something, especially something with which I am unfamiliar. I wanted to get that from Hale County This Morning, This Evening but I didn't. There is some beautiful photography in the documentary filmed in Hale County, Alabama, but I wanted to know more about the people in the movie. It seemed like the camera was just rolling, maybe picking up bits of dialog; there are a few 'interviews', but I felt it was really hard to connect with the stories. I wanted to know more about the young people who were trying to change their lives and raise their young families. We got a little, but I wanted more (which is actually a good thing versus not being interested at all). I contrast that with the documentary short that I watched right after Hale County (I saw them both on-demand from PBS), called While I Yet Live (on YouTube as well) which was about a group of African-American women who quilt, but it was more than that, they shared their stories of why it was important, why they did it, a little about growing up in their small town.

2/16/19 Shoplifters, nominated Best Foreign Film, 2018

Shoplifters is Japan's entry in the Foreign Film category, and it gives us a different look into what we think we know of Japan and Japanese society. Shoplifters also redefines what it means to be a family, is it blood or is it a group of people who care about each other and share a living space. Osamu leads this assemblage which includes his long term partner, Nobuyo; the owner of the house they live in; her granddaughter; and a young boy who they 'adopted' years ago. They eke out a living by shoplifting, working factory jobs and by hostessing (dancing). Their lives are moving along nicely, even with their financial challenges, they seem happy. One day, on the way home from a hard day of shoplifting, Osamu and Shota (the young boy) find a little girl sitting by herself, appearing to be without adult supervision. They bring her home and she becomes one of the family, finding love and attention she was missing from her real family. It's not an easy transition, but a normal one as everyone figures out their new place in this new family arrangement. Everyone has their secrets, and some of these come into the open over the course of the movie. Even though the movie is set in Japan, and there are probably traits or themes that are specific to Japan, what I liked about the movie is also the universality of family and love, even when conditions are difficult. The ending doesn't sugar-coat anything, and that's probably a lot closer to reality, but I wish it would have ended differently. I don't think I would have objected to a little sugar-coating.

2/18/19 At Eternity's Gate, nominated Best Actor, 2018

So conflicted about At Eternity's Gate - I thought Willem Dafoe as Vincent Van Gogh was terrific, he captured his tortured soul and passion for painting, but Julian Schnable's direction was annoying, frenetic. Perhaps that was to convey the idea of Van Gogh's confusion and erratic behavior, but I hated it, and the fact that you have a cast of really good actors (Oscar Isaac as Gaughin, Mads Mikkelsen as a sympathetic priest and Rupert Friend as Vincent's brother, Theo), just let them act. The scenery is gorgeous. Spinning around and using weird lenses was not necessary. The movie focuses on Van Gogh's last few years as he struggles with his mental health in Arles and Auvers; there is some insight into Van Gogh's relationship with Gaughin; and the screenwriters posit a different theory of Van Gogh's death. I think my favorite movie about Van Gogh is still Loving Vincent, an animated biographical film, also looking at the circumstances of his death. It is beautifully drawn/painted; if you are interested in animated technique, watch it.

2/21/19 Roma, nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, 2018

I have to admit it took me a good 30-40 minutes to really settle into this film written, directed, filmed and edited by Alfonso Cuaron. The movie, set in 1970 Mexico and filmed in black and white, is a devoid of super heroes, CGI, special effects and a big name cast. And that is totally okay. The movie tells a story of a middle class family in a Mexico City neighborhood and their maid/housekeeper/nanny, Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio in her film debut). The family goes through its daily life, including domestic troubles which aren't investigated or explained, we just see them happen and see the consequences of them on the family. Cleo is a big part of the children's lives and even the matriarch of the family sees her something more than a housekeeper (although sometimes not). The family is going through a crisis as the father has absented himself, with the excuse of a conference, but he has really left the family. Cleo has a boyfriend, Fermin, who has convinced her to have sex with him, but he is later unwilling to accept the consequences of his actions, he's even hostile to Cleo. The family surprised me with their support of Cleo and her pregnancy, willing to help with baby furniture and not firing her, which was Cleo's fear. I don't want to ruin it because I think it's a movie that should be seen (it's a Netflix production and available via streaming), but there is a scene towards the end, when the family is at the beach, that was incredibly compelling and heart-stopping, and I really didn't know how it would end. Personally, I think the movie was too long, and I would have liked a lot less whining from the children, but it is a lovely story, with wonderful, naturalistic acting from Aparicio, gorgeous cinematography from Cuaron (that's a given) and a nice surprise (for me, apparently everyone else in the world loved it months ago).

2/22/19 Can You Ever Forgive Me?, nominated Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2018

Melissa McCarthy plays writer Lee Israel who turned to forgery when her writing failed to pay the bills. Saying the Israel is a prickly personality might be considered an understatement. She struggles with interpersonal relationships, seeing them as a necessary evil; she prefers the company of her cat, Jersey. Despite this, she forms a friendship of sorts with Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant), a gregarious drug dealer, who eventually helps Lee in her scheme. After Lee's writing stalls out, she starts to create forgeries of famous people and selling them around New York City. After Lee gets a little carried away with a letter from Noel Coward which turns out to be her undoing, and she needs Jack's help. Lee doesn't hide her anger and frustration at not being more successful, especially after she starts drinking. Periodically, she lets her defenses down, especially when she meets up with her ex-girlfriend, Elaine (Anna Deavere Smith) and you can almost feel how lost Lee is without Elaine, but that ship has sailed. I'm a big fan of Melissa McCarthy; I think she is one of the most talented and fearless comic actresses out there, and maybe that's why she's in so many bad movies, but with the right script and right director, she is a force to be reckoned with. This role is not slapstick funny, but rather relies more on a tone of voice and attitude to convey Lee's snark, but also her other facets. McCarthy is so good in her delivery, you feel the biting sarcasm. The role is so different from her other parts, and she embraces it. The movie is worth watching, DVD is fine.

2/23/19 A Star is Born, nominated Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Song, 2018

The nomination should be for the best re-re-adapted screenplay since this is the fourth movie with this title and essentially the same theme. Bradley Cooper is Jackson Maine, a singer/songwriter in the twilight of his career, maybe due to drugs, drinking and a painful and disorienting tinnitus, who meets Ally (Lady Gaga) a young, aspiring singer-songwriter who lacks the confidence, but not the talent, to be a star. Their romance is a whirlwind, with Ally joining Jackson on stage, until she takes the stage, up front and center, and blows the audience away. She also gets the attention of a music producer who has a vision for Ally, and becomes her manager. Predictably (especially if you've seen the other versions) Ally surpasses Jackson in fame, which spurs his alcoholism and jealousy. I honestly don't think this should be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay or Cinematography; it will probably win for "Shallow", which, as much as I don't want to admit it, is a really great song. Lady Gaga is more than up to her role as Ally, I'm not sure how much of a stretch it was for her, but it made curious to see her in another role. I liked the movie, but for me, if it wasn't nominated, I might not have seen it. I don't think it brought anything new to the table, except showcasing another talent of Lady Gaga. It seemed like Bradley Cooper was doing his Sam Elliott impression, which was handy, because Elliott plays Jackson's older half brother. Most of you have probably already seen it and more than likely have a much more favorable opinion.

2/23/19 Border, nominated Best Makeup and Hairstyling, 2018

What a nice surprise. I was reminded of Guillermo del Toro as I watched the fantasy elements unfold in the Swedish film Border.  Tina (Eva Melander) is a customs guard at a seaport and has an unusually strong sense of smell, which she uses to find smugglers. She goes through her daily routine: work, going home to be with her boyfriend, Roland and occasionally visiting her father in a care home. She looks very different from most of the people around her, and feels like she is different, but isn't sure how. One day she smells something wrong with a passenger coming through, but it seems like he is clean, but Tina is certain, and hones in on his phone where she discovers a hidden SD card that has child pornography on it. This sets off one of the plot points as Tina and her special sense are used to help the police delve deeper into this ring, and you get the feeling that she feels a sense of self worth that she might not have had before. The other main plot has to do with Vore (Eero Milonoff), another passenger that Tina stops, but she's not 100% certain as to why, except the viewer notices the similarities in their appearances, and Tina is drawn to him, and offers him a place to stay at her guest house. Vore explains to Tina who she really is, and they begin a relationship. The movie is a fantasy-mystery, and Tina is a character you can care about in a story that has current day relevance. In the hope that you will check it out (I found it serendipitously on Amazon Prime last night), I don't want to give too much away. Eva Melander brings a humanity to her character and apparently went through fours of makeup everyday.

2018 Oscar nominated Documentary Shorts

February 2019
You wouldn't believe the weather we've had here, or maybe you would. This year it has been a soul-sucker, and the thought of walking to the Riverview Theatre between blizzards and ice just didn't appeal to me, and luckily all of the shorts are available online, either Youtube, Amazon Prime or Netflix. Check them out, you won't regret it (I'd tell you if you would).

A Night at the Garden - A couple of my movie friends have debated whether this short film of archival footage from 1939 is really a documentary, or worthy of a nomination. The footage, which was shot in 1939 at a American Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden, is only about seven minutes, and features Fritz Kuhn, a naturalized American citizen (his citizenship was later revoked), exhorting the crowd to return America to its white, Christian roots. The rally is briefly interrupted by Isadore Greenbaum who charged the stage and was tackled and removed. It's frighteningly similar to many rallies we have seen in America, and some European countries, and perhaps that's why it earned the nomination. My issue with the nomination is that the director didn't create the footage, there's little context (more information on Kuhn, how the rally was organized, aftermath, information on Greenbaum - why he did what he did, repercussions, etc.). It's guaranteed to spur an emotional response in light of our current presidential administration, but I don't think that makes it a nominee or winner for Best Documentary Shorts.


Lifeboat is a documentary about the volunteer crews who sail along the Libyan coast, although not too close, looking for boats with refugees. Many (all?) of the boats are ill-equipped for any serious sea journey and are overcrowded and filled with people are scared, sick, not necessarily swimmers, and often cannot safely return to their home country. The filmmakers interview one of the crew, an English captain, who explains why he, and the others, do what they do, that for them it's a moral imperative, and he sees no other choice. Several of the refugees are interviewed as well, and while it's easy to say 'these people' shouldn't come here or there or anywhere, when you listen to their stories, and hear the fear in their voices about how they got into this situation and where they came from, it's difficult to hold the hardline. Many were stolen from their villages and sold in other countries for prostitution or labor; some were falsely accused of crimes and were imprisoned while their families were being extorted for their release; others were fleeing their homes to avoid harm coming to their children. It would benefit the world if 'first world' countries would actually get to the root of these reasons and try to find remedies. The 'catch' is that most of these countries don't have any natural resources that interest the global powers, therefore, they don't care. Thank goodness for the volunteers who risk their own safety on these rescue missions.

Black Sheep is about Cornelius Walker's experience growing up in Essex, England, after his mother moved his family out of London, with the hope that they would be save from racially motivated violence. I think it's safe to say that given what happened to Cornelius, that is ridiculously ironic. Cornelius and his family are black, and they have (unknowingly?) moved to a very racist housing estate in Essex where Cornelius is verbally and physically assaulted by his white neighbors. The documentary uses close ups shots of Cornelius as he tells his story intercut with dramatic re-enactments with an actor as Cornelius. He recounts his fear and anger, sometimes directed towards his father, but also towards the white kids. He makes a decision that I think is understandable, but perhaps not in his best interest: he tries to become white. In his mind, remember this happened when he was a young teenager, if he was white, they would accept him, so he bleached his skin, saved his money for contact lenses, and straightened his hair, and bought clothes that the white teenagers bought. This tactic actually works; they seemed to 'forget' his color and brought him into their group. Unfortunately, Cornelius also took on some of their more violent traits, getting into fights with other black kids, sometimes instigating the attacks. I think what he did represented one of the very basic characteristics of the human race, the need to be accepted by others, and how far someone is willing to go for that acceptance. What I wished was included is a little more about Cornelius now; I couldn't tell if he was eventually sent to jail, did he escape that violent lifestyle, reconcile with his father? What I also thought about was, were the white kids really racist or just afraid of someone they didn't know very well? They didn't seem to hold too tightly to a racist ideology; I think a true, hard core racist/white supremacist would not have accepted Cornelius because they knew he was still black, and that his parents were black. So was there hope with those kids if Cornelius would have tried something else to win their friendship? It would have added a different facet if there was an interview with one or two of his neighbors/friends to get their perspective.

End Game looks at palliative and end of life care, from the perspectives of the patients, the families and the caregivers. In many of the instances, the patients are aware of what is going on and able to communicate their wishes: do they want to be in hospice or stay at home. This ability to share these thoughts and all the fear and sadness that accompany them can be very helpful for their loved ones. People tend to run away from these discussions, which can make the time leading up to the final moments uncertain and fearful. When it is possible for people to have more of a say in their care, it gives them just a little more control than they have over everything else. The film shows us hospice volunteers and staff interacting with residents, discussing treatment, but also listening to them, maybe singing hymns. It's not an easy film to watch, but it is really important and shows the beauty of human kindness and death with dignity and bravery. It was a Netflix film and is online. I also recommend Extremis, also about end of life care and life-ending decisions; this was a Netflix film as well. 

Period. End of Sentence. There are so many things that I loved about this documentary (available on Netflix) that I'm sure I'll forget something. In no particular order: it's about empowering a group of people who have historically been stripped of all empowerment; it shows the importance of micro economies and their impact; it discusses a taboo subject (menstruation); and provides a brief glimpse into a part of the world many of us will never experience. Starting at the beginning, menstruation is practically a forbidden topic in this village in India (and probably most villages), and many people (male and female) don't really understand what it is or why it happens, just that it's awkward and very disruptive. We learn about girls who quit school because they can't safely change clothing (men and boys leering at them), they're too embarrassed, people think they're 'dirty'. The advent of a less expensive sanitary napkin, made in the village, by the girls and women of that village is a game changer. The new employees learn how to use the napkin for themselves, and that helps them become advocates and great sales people; they also learn how to make them, which builds camaraderie with their fellow co-workers, that puts money in their pockets, allowing them to contribute to their household, and save for their own dreams, like training to become a police officer. How basic and simple, yet you can see the transformation of these girls who were shy and embarrassed to being able to speak for themselves, and even talk to their fathers or brothers and show them the factory. It's almost impossible to comprehend what a huge difference some sheets of cotton and fabric can make, especially in the US or Europe where we have so many options and I don't anyone who would think of quitting school for lack of this product. The napkins are called "Fly" because they will help the girls and women fly upward and reach their dreams. It's about a dream, and any entrepreneur in the US, Europe, Asia, anywhere, should appreciate how this dream is made into reality. Seriously, watch this film. It's less than a half an hour.