Tag: Drama

Harriet is the Movie Harriet Tubman Deserves

Harriet

The review:

Kasi Lemmons directs the incredible Cynthia Erivo in Harriet, giving Ms. Tubman a worthy story that is painful, tense, and hopeful throughout.* Erivo leads an excellent cast and the movie keeps the focus on the former and current slaves rather than tells the story through the eyes of white people.** This is also a biopic that includes a fair amount of speechifying that never comes off as pedantic, it isn’t draggy and has no endless scenes of drug use.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $4.00
Where watched: Academy Theater with Matt, who also enjoyed it

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*So rarely do we get to see women take the reins and steamroll over all the messages they are being told. That it’s a woman trapped in slavery makes this narrative all the better.
**I say this because so many movies about the black experience in the USA get co-opted by the white narrative (I’m looking at you Mississippi Burning)
***I’m looking at you Bohemian Rhapsody,and Walk the Line, and Straight Outta Compton. Though I had forgotten that Harriet Tubman experienced spells where she collapsed. So there’s a goodly amount of fainting.

Questions:

  • How do you feel about a British person playing a US hero?
  • Have you watched Kasi Lemmons‘ other films? (Black Nativity, Talk to Me, The Caveman’s Valentine, Eve Bayou) I’m thinking about a director retrospective in 2020.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

This is the first feature film to be made about the life of Harriet Tubman.

Other reviews:

Harriet quote
(I love this quote so much!)

Atlantics: Current Events With a Twist

Atlantics

The review:

Mati Diop’s Atlantics takes a current event topic* and crafts a unique story about the women who are left behind. This was a very atmospheric film that got more interesting as the movie continued. Mame Bineta Sane as Ada is a compelling main character.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*People attempting to escape grinding poverty by sailing across the Mediterranean for the chance of a better life

Questions:

  • What elements of this film worked for you?
  • How did you come to watch this film? (I watched it because it’s a Filmspotting Golden Brick nominee)

Favorite IMDB Trivia Item:

Mati Diop, with her submission of “Atlantics” to the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, is the first black woman director in history to compete in the festival’s competition.

Other reviews:

The Irishman is Too Long and Those Guys Don’t Really Look That Young

The review:

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is worth watching for its excellent performances—Joe Pesci was my favorite—but ultimately is a bloated, overly long story that isn’t very interesting.* This is a less-bloody Scorsese film,** and uses de-aging technology so that the main actors, all over 70, can play themselves at much younger ages.*** It may be that I’ve grown impatient with stories of manly men doing manly things,**** but this movie didn’t resonate with me at all.*****

The verdict: Skip

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider watching these other Scorsese films instead:

Further sentences:

*It might have worked better as a four-episode limited series, but I would guess Mr. Scorsese thinks he’s too good for TV.
**but its lack of drama and tension had me wishing I was re-watching The Departed
***While everyone seems to be very impressed by this technology, I didn’t find it to be successful. Robert De Niro never looked actually young and thus it wasn’t always clear which of the many time periods we were in.
****For example, I just can’t get excited about Ford vs. Ferrari, even though it’s populated with actors I love.
*****And oh my god, if I had to see one more shot of Peggy (Anna Paquin) quietly observing her father I was going to figure out how to make a compilation video and then morph that into one of those big-eyed animals crying video. We get it already! She’s the moral center of the film! She has nothing else to do than to sadly judge! Where are the female characters in this film?!?

Questions:

  • What did you think of this film that 96% of Rotten Tomato Critics found Fresh?
  • What are the pluses and minuses of de-aging actors?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Robert De Niro wanted the film to retain the same title as the book I Heard You Paint Houses.
Me too, Mr. De Niro.

Parasite: With Whom Does Your Loyalty Lie?

The review:

The glee about Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite had me reluctantly adding it to my list; when I finally watched it, I was rewarded with a roller coaster of a movie that was just as good as I’d been hearing. Ki-taek and his family’s plight—living in poverty in a sub-basement—had me rooting for them* as Ki-taek seeks to better himself by taking a job as a tutor for a rich family. From there I cycled through so many emotions as the narrative shifted and twisted leaving me gasping aloud several times and reacting verbally** more than once.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost:$9.00 (though free due to gift card. I did buy $9.00 worth of popcorn and wine)
Where watched: Hollywood Theatre

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Throughout the film I loved the family’s interactions. They enjoyed each other’s company and were all in it together, no matter how dire their situation. I rarely see such close-knit families on screen.
**What? No! Oh my god!
***This review is intentionally unspecific because it’s best to just go in cold and be rewarded. It gets a bit bloody there in one part, but it’s doable to shield your eyes if you need to.

Questions:

  • What was your favorite scene in this film?
  • What do you think the title refers to?

Other reviews:

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The Parks’ house, said in the film to be designed by a fictional architect named Namgoong Hyeonja, was a set completely built from scratch.

Marriage Story : a Tense Dissolution

The review:

Noah Baumbach gets at the nuance of divorce* with Marriage Story and his script leaves a lot of room for incredible performances by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.** It’s a painful divorce, but not an overly angry one, which means the movie is tense throughout, but there isn’t much yelling.*** It’s also a movie that is a tiny bit too long**** and has humor sprinkled throughout; it comes with a very clear message about the strange nature of divorce proceedings.*****

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home with S. North, who didn’t like it as much as I did.

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*There are a lot of examples of a couple in the midst of uncoupling acting very much like the couple they have always been, which is what I would guess makes divorce difficult.
**Azhy Robertson is also very good as Charlie and Nicole’s son Henry (he was also good as Ethan Hawke’s son in Juliet, Naked) and god bless Martha Kelly; her role as the social worker was the most painful and hilarious scene in the movie.
***I’m guessing a heart rate monitor would have had me at an elevated level for most of the movie.
****While one song from the Sondhiem musical Company was fine, the second wandered into indulgent territory
*****The lawyers’ interactions were fascinating, especially how they shifted from emphatically making a point to chitchat.

Questions:

  • Do you think the blame falls more on one person more than than the other in this film? If so, who?
  • What’s your favorite movie with a social worker in it?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The theme of theater is reflected in the film’s production design and the architecture. Charlie and Nicole have a proscenium arch in their apartment. In Nicole’s mother’s house, characters move in and out of rooms that interconnect to the kitchen like a backstage to the main stage. During Nicole’s monologue she walks in and out of rooms and similarly, Nicole and Charlie walk between rooms during the fight scene, these moments echo how actors move in plays.

Other reviews:

Knives Out Left Me With That Good-Movie Boost

The review:

Rian Johnson shows he has skills with yet another genre* by directing Knives Out, which is 130 minutes of delight. This movie could have been weighted down by its stellar cast,** but everything clicks and jibes along as the pieces fall into place. The mystery is well-crafted,*** the movie is funny, and the mansion shows off some great set decoration, including an amazing chair.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $6.00
Where watched: St. Johns Twin Cinema with S. North

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Noir (Brick), sci-fi time travel (Looper), franchise action/adventure/sci-fi (The Last Jedi), things for the band the Mountain Goats
**There’s something enjoyable about watching actors who seem to be enjoying the acting they are doing. Ana de Armas is the linchpin who makes the movie work, and I especially loved Noah Segan as the fawning Trooper Wagner. Also, hasn’t Christopher Plummer had a good run lately?
***Though what do I know? My brain isn’t good at solving mysteries. I’m always surprised when it comes time to figure out who done what.

Questions:

  • What was the most egregious action performed by any member of the Harlan Thrombey’s family?
  • If you had to live with one of Harlan Thrombey’s family members, which would you choose?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Despite playing his mother in the film, K Callan is actually six years younger than Christopher Plummer.

Other reviews:

The Art of Self-Defense is Dark, Amusing

The review:

Riley Sterns directs Jesse Eisenberg* in The Art of Self-Defense a dark comedy that feels more intellectually funny than viscerally funny. While that first sentences feels like damning the film with faint praise, it was an enjoyable film experience and I especially enjoyed Alessandro Nivola’s** straight-faced Sensei whom I couldn’t quite get a bead on. This was one of those films that felt removed enough from the world I couldn’t fully settle in, but its artificial environment and subtle commentary and humor were well done.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $1.25 via Redbox
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Eisenberg was excellent as always; I don’t think I’ve ever not liked one of his performances.
**I also caught another excellent performance of his this year. He was Rabbi Dovid Kuperman in Sebastían Lelio’s Disobedience.

Questions:

  • What is your favorite dark comedy?
  • Has Jesse Eisenberg ever not been the tense and introverted character?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Writer and director Riley Stearns trains and teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Other reviews:

On Second Viewing, Five Feet Apart Upgrades to Recommended

The review:

Truth: a combo of slight obsession* and Redbox discount meant I watched this film a second time this year. But it got me mentally plotting out an essay about quality films that people discount because 1)they feature young female characters 2)they’re about love 3)they are made for teenage girls.** I’m here to say this is a quality flick and if you are looking for good acting, all the feelings, and an institutional setting transformed into something magical, do not miss Five Feet Apart.

The verdict: Recommended (upgraded from Good in March)

Cost: $1.25
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Channing Tatum has disappeared. In his absence, there is a thing for skinny, not-age-appropriate, curly dark-haired actors. Namely Timothee Chalemet and Cole Sprouse. I’ve caught nearly all the Chalemet, which leaves me with Sprouse, and Riverdale. I first watched this film when I didn’t know Cole Sprouse was a thing, and I wanted to re-evaulate.
**I will never get around to writing this essay; this review is standing in for it.

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite movie that everyone says isn’t worth bothering with?
  • Is Haley Lu Richardson just getting started, or are we at peak Haley Lu?
  • Moises Arias. Tell me what you think is his best role?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Both Cole Sprouse and Moises Arias are former Disney Channel stars and have also worked together in Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana (2009) and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Day Care (2006).

Other reviews:

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: Scorsese, Without the Wise Guys

The review:

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is Scorsese without the wise guys and the good fellas.* This movie is firmly set in the 1970s, and is a great hardscrabble mother-son film.** Packed with tons of period details*** and good performances by both Ellen Burstyn and Alfred Lutter (plus a very young Harvey Keitel**** ) this was a Scorsese treat.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Although Alice has the lip that we’re used to from the wise guys.
**I’ve just googled “mother-son film” and, based on those results, I can say that it might be one of the best.
***Including what was probably considered a happy ending when the film was released; in 2019, I gave it the side eye.
****It’s probably worth watching just to see him eventually suck all the air out of the room

Questions:

  • Alice’s parenting style is not currently in fashion. Is this a good or a bad thing?
  • What would have been an actual happy ending for this for this film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Hot off her success with The Exorcist (1973), the studio granted Ellen Burstyn total creative control over this project. She had two goals: to make a movie about woman with real-life problems, and to secure an up-and-coming filmmaker as the director. Upon selecting the script, Brian De Palma brought Francis Ford Coppola to Burstyn’s attention, who suggested she consider Martin Scorsese. While impressed with Scorsese’s talent after viewing Mean Streets (1973), Burstyn still hesitated to hire the director, fearing he could only direct men. When she asked Scorsese what he knew about women, Scorsese replied, “Nothing, but I’d like to learn.” Satisfied with his enthusiasm, Burstyn immediately hired Scorsese.

Shane: Manly but Not Toxic

The review:

George Stevens’ Shane is a manly Western, but not toxically so, and includes an interesting performance by Alan Ladd* and a terrible performance by Brandon De Wilde.** The farmer/cowman stakes are high in this film, and the movie is interesting, though not overly tense or gripping. There’s also a fight scene that had me marveling at how much fight scenes have changed in the last 60 years.***

The verdict: Good

Cost: free from the Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Much like my view of Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, Alan Ladd’s small frame (compared to today’s standards) and placid demeanor struck me as somewhat feminine in presentation. Somewhere in this phenomenon lies an interesting commentary about moving toward a society with gender equality and seeing men’s muscle mass increase, and women’s body size decrease.
**Good lord, if only they had cast a kid who could act! I spent the entire movie wondering where all the good child actors were hanging out in the 1950s, because I don’t see many quality performances from the under-10 set. Also, there seemed to be an industry-wide acceptance of terrible child acting because Brandon De Wilde was nominated for an Oscar for this performance.
***There was a lot of circling before the actual fighting got underway. It eventually got to some big fight action, but it took its time getting there. Also, the foley artists got completely carried away with the sounds of breaking glass, though they did a great job with the men grunting.

Questions:

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Having witnessed, during his World War II service, the profound effects a bullet could have on a man, realism was important to George Stevens during the making of the film. This therefore is one of the first movies to use stunt wires to pull the actors or stuntmen backwards to simulate when they’ve been shot.