Tag: Historical

Summarizing June 2021

Listen to hear me refer to the June summary as the May summary two-thirds of the time, find out why I think In the Heights was such a success, and learn why I have the same movie in both the Skip and the Good category.

Things mentioned in this post:

Created by women: In the Heights was written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, Life Partners was directed by Susanna Fogel and written by Susanna Fogel and Joni Lefkowitz, and Away We Go was written by Vendela Vida and Dave Eggers.

Judas and the Black Messiah: FBI and the Black Panthers

Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield in Judas and the Black Messiah

Judas and the Black Messiah

?Directed by Shaka King?
?Written by Will Berson & Shaka King?

The review:

I first learned about Fred Hampton in Ava DuVerney’s 13th and so I knew how this film was going to end.* But it was interesting to watch Daniel Kaluuya’s evolution of Hampton as he gained skills as well as the dance between LaKeith Stanfield and Jessie Plemons as FBI informant and agent.** I would have liked Dominique Fishback to have a bigger role, but she was great with what she was given in this movie that’s gonna kick you in the stomach right before the credits roll.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: I paid Matt $6.00. He’s the one paying the HBOMax fee ($12.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Not well for Fred Hampton.
**It’s interesting how we forgive the FBI for their many sins, but so often the Black Panthers are portrayed as the lawless party.
***If there’s an award for best after-movie text on screen, this film will sweep that category.

Questions:

  • Should they have bothered with the makeup for Martin Sheen?
  • Fred Hampton was 21 and William O’Neal was 17 during this film. Should they have cast younger actors?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

With both LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya receiving Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor, Judas and the Black Messiah becomes the first film to have multiple black performers nominated in this category for the same film.

Other reviews of Judas and the Black Messiah:

Queen Latifah and Mo’Nique Dazzle in Bessie

Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith in the film Bessie.

Bessie

Directed by Dee Rees
Written by Dee Rees, Christoper Cleveland, Bettina Gilois

The review:

The always remarkable Queen Latifah gives us a tutorial of blues singer Bessie Smith’s rise to fame and fortune including the usual downturn that comes with biopics of performers. First cast in this film in 1997, Latifah delivers a very physical performance* with a ton of nuance. Mo’Nique also is amazing as Ma Rainey, the singer who teaches Smith the value of performance, and alerts her to the many people who are standing by to cheat blues singers out of their money.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free. Borrowed the DVD from the Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

  • Ma Rainy’s Black Bottom
  • Ray
  • Dreamgirls
  • We are the Best (because I can’t not recommend this punk rock girl film every chance I get)

Further sentences:

*Aside from knock-down-drag-out fights, there is also enough enthusiastic sex to remind you that your generation wasn’t the first to invent sex.

Questions:

  • What was your favorite performance scene in Bessie?
  • Do you prefer Mo’nique or Viola Davies as Ma Rainey?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Charles S. Dutton, who plays Pa Rainey, made his Broadway debut in 1984 in August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Other reviews of Bessie:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: I ain't playing second to nobody! —Bessie. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Mank: Amanda Seyfried Shines

Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman in the film Mank

Mank

Directed by David Fincher
Written by Jack Fincher

The review:

The film that made me wonder if Fincher is feeling old and worn out.* While I can see what he’s doing there with the looping plot and the black and white and the deeper meaning, Herman J. Mankiewicz was not someone I was super interested in,** Gary Oldman’s fine performance notwithstanding.*** However, this is probably worth watching just for Amanda Seyfried, who was excellent as Marion Davies, and it was a solid depiction of Old Hollywood.****

The verdict: Good (ish)

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*His father wrote the original script, so perhaps it was the elder Mr. Fincher who was feeling very beat down.
**You can catalog this under: Tales of a Privileged White Man Who Wastes His Talents and is Generally Horrible to All, Volume 3,458,721.
***Although I really wish they would equalize their age-wise ridiculous casting. Gary Oldman was born in 1958 and is playing a 43-year-old man. Tuppence Middleton was born in 1987 and is playing his similarly aged wife.
****You know, when it was just some fun hijinks to have the stenographer sit around with pasties on.

Questions:

  • How many more films of this ilk will be made before we move on to a more interesting angle? (Like say, the story of that stenographer with the pasties.)
  • What’s your favorite movie about making a movie?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The presenter announcing the Academy Award for best original screenplay to Mankiewicz and Welles at the end of the movie is played by Ben Mankiewicz, a grandson of Herman J. Mankiewicz. Ben Mankiewicz is a presenter for Turner Classic Movies, which frequently airs films by Herman Mankiewicz and his brother Joseph. Ben’s father, Frank, is portrayed briefly in Mank by the uncredited child actor Matteo Menzies.

Other reviews of Mank:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: Irving, you are a literate man. You know the difference between communism and socialism. In socialism, everyone shares the wealth. In communism, everyone shares the poverty. Read the three sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

Wild Nights With Emily | Dickinson Like You’ve Never Seen

Susan Ziegler and Molly Shannon in Wild Nights With Emily

Wild Nights With Emily

Directed by Madeleine Olnek
Written by Madeleine Olnek

The review:

I’m willing to bet that everyone reading this knows about Emily Dickinson and I’m also willing to bet that if you watched this film, you would find what you know about Dickinson to be missing a rather important piece of information.* Molly Shannon takes on the Dickinson role and her portrayal is in a lot of ways the opposite of Cynthia Nixon’s portrayal in A Quiet Passion. You’ll get the flavor of Dickinson’s life and learn a truth long suppressed.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free via Kanopy, Multnomah County Library’s streaming service
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Aside from writing process while alive, the story of the publication of Emily Dickinson’s poems after her death is an interesting one. This movie gives a few insights into what went down, but if you’re interested, you might want to read This Brief Tragedy by John Evandelist Walsh.

Questions:

  • When you think of Emily Dickinson, what do you think of?
  • Once you know the truth suppressed, how do you feel?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

No trivia, but I give you this excerpt of Q&A from a KQED article:

Although the film is set in the 19th century, you wrote the script with contemporary colloquial expressions. Did you want to avoid the trappings of a period piece?

I’ve been really moved, if that’s the right word, by Drunk History. It’s shown us that historical pieces, when they’re stripped of all the pretension that we associate with them, are really about people in situations dealing with ideas. When I was reading Dickinson’s letters, I was surprised by how contemporary so much of the language was. It shocked me: jokes and things that you would never think someone in the 1800s would say. So I didn’t want the actors’ attention on presenting the period. We’ve seen that in a million films. I was interested in everyone focusing on what each person felt in that situation, the connections with other people and what they were struggling with.

(It’s a good article. Recommended) (I’m also a fan of Drunk History for the same reasons.)

Other reviews of Wild Nights With Emily:

Adrift is a Survival Win

Shailene Woodley in the film Adrift.

Adrift

Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
Written by Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell, and David Brandson Smith

The review:

I think one has to be in a certain mood to watch survival-at-sea-type films, and if you are anywhere near such a mood, please find time for Adrift which is not only a solid entry into the genre, but a great depiction of a woman getting things done.* I thought the back-and-forth structure worked well for the film’s general tension—there was both respite and insight in the flashbacks and I liked how they were often linked to the present. Claflin is good, and Woodley is her usual excellent self, so there’s no reason not to find and watch this film of survival.

The verdict: Recommended

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*That we don’t have a better pipeline to these types of films is frustrating. I was intrigued by the trailer but did not prioritize this film for a few years. Part of it was not being in an ocean survival mood, but I wonder if I would have been quicker on the draw if I knew how much woman power this film has?

Questions:

  • How would you have cut the trailer to better bring out this story?
  • What’s your favorite Shailene Woodley role?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

According to Shailene Woodley, there were times on the open sea when, except for the director and cinematographer, everybody was throwing up overboard due to severe seasickness.

(I’ve never wanted to be an actor, and for sure I’ve never wanted to film a movie on open water.)

Other reviews of Adrift:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: What's it like sailing out there on your own? —Adrift. Read the three sentence movie review.3SMReviews.com

Rebecca 2020: A Reminder to Catch Up With The 1940 Best Picture

Armie Hammer and Lily James in Rebecca (2020)

Rebecca (2020)

Directed by Ben Wheatley
Written by Jane Goldman, Joe Shrapenel, Anna Waterhouse

The review:

While this new version of Rebecca brings us the story of the second Mrs. de Winter in Technicolor and with a bigger budget* than its predecessor, it manages to drag, even though its runtime is eight minutes shorter.** I appreciate Kristin Scott Thomas’s take on housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, but it wasn’t as effective as Judith Anderson whose performance made the 1940’s version so enjoyable. Overall, the kind of newer version that is fine, especially if you haven’t seen the previous version, and perhaps it will encourage people to seek out Hitchcock’s classic.***

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*So much lingering on vast vistas! Perhaps that’s what made it seem long.
**On the plus side, though Maxim’s proposal retains its put down, Lily James has a bit more agency as the second Mrs. de Winter, especially near the end of the film.
***Which, if your library doesn’t have it, is a little hard to find. This needs to pop up on streaming tout suite!

Questions:

  • What’s your Rebecca pleasure? 1940 or 2020?
  • Would you like to live in the suite of rooms that were Rebecca’s?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The car is a 1937 Bentley.

I got some great Cruella de Ville vibes from the driving scenes.

Other reviews of Rebecca (2020):

Orange background with a white frame. Text: Show me an eligible bachelor and I'll show you a room full of women acting like they've lost their minds. —Rebecca (2020) Read the three-sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

The Trial of the Chicago 7 Feels Like Now

Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch and Sacha Baron Cohen backed by a wall of protesters in the Trial of the Chicago 7

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Directed by Aaron Sorkin
Written by Aaron Sorkin

The review:

It’s baby boomer nostalgia written and directed by our favorite walking and talking baby boomer: Aaron Sorkin.* But this is baby boomer nostalgia that all generations should catch up with because holy cow, the parallels with today. This film has a tight script,** great performances,*** and manages to balance ten-plus main characters in ways that let them have their moments.****

The verdict: Recommended

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*You know, walking and talking like in The West Wing. I had hoped that Sorkin was born after 1965 so I could have said: …baby boomer nostalgia written by everyone’s favorite Gen Xer that includes political parallels that will seem familiar to the millennials and Gen Z-ers. But alas. Sorkin was born in 1961 and he’s too old to be a Gen Xer, so no dice with that sentence.
**The intro of the many players is handled in a robust and amusing fashion.
***Tom Hayden and Abbie Hoffman are the main players, and to my great surprise Hoffman was played by Sacha Baron Cohen. I had no idea!
****I liked seeing the different approach to protesting that the various groups brought. It’s common to hear about “the protesters” during the 60s, but they didn’t act as one body.

Questions:

  • What part of this film reminded you of today?
  • Which of the seven (eight) did you identify with most?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Sacha Baron Cohen admitted he was terrified of having to do an American accent for the film. He had used a few different variations of the accent before for comedic reasons, but never for a dramatic role. He knew Abbie Hoffman had a unique voice, having a Massachusetts accent but also having gone to school in California, and was worried he would “sound wrong.” Aaron Sorkin had to reassure him that the role was “not an impersonation, but an interpretation,” which Baron Cohen claimed did not help much.

Other reviews of The Trial of the Chicago 7:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: I think the institutions of our democracy are wonderful things that right now are populated by some terrible people. —The Trial of the Chicago 7. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Coming of Age with Northern Soul

A picture of Elliot James Langridge in the film Northern Soul

Northern Soul

Directed by Elaine Constantine
Written by Elaine Constantine

The review:

Northern Soul is a fine niche* coming-of-age movie from the usual male point of view. I loved the setting and all of the grimy details, especially the intersection of drug use and the dance scene.** While it follows the usual coming of age/drug use trajectories, the enthusiasm for Northern Soul music makes this a fun watch.

The verdict: Good

Cost: free via Hoopla, one of Multnomah County Library’s streaming services.
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*The niche in question is Northern Soul music which Wikipedia tells me is “a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the English Midlands in the late 1960’s from the British mod scene, based on a particular style of black American soul music…with a heavy beat and fast tempo.” You can read more here, including the information about how the lesser or unknown tracks were the most popular Northern Soul music. A plot point hinges around this.
**At times, it seemed that the big pops of color were the uppers the characters were taking.

Questions:

  • What music was your coming of age music?
  • Would you have been into Northern Soul in the early 1970s? (Or were you?)

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Was originally only meant to be playing in five screens across the UK but due to high demand it got a blanket release of over 160 screens

Other reviews of Northern Soul:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: Listen, you! This is Northern Soul, not Northern Arsehole! —Northern Soul. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

The Magic of Ordinary Days is Decent

A picture of Keri Russell and Skeet Ulrich in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie The Magic of Ordinary Days

The Magic of Ordinary Days

Directed by Brent Shields
Written by Camille Thomasson

The review:

The two words that prompted me to watch a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie are Skeet and Ulrich.* This was a decently acted little film, though I did give some of its historical detail the side eye.** This was a film that fulfilled its HHF duty and was an okay way to spend some movie time.***

The verdict: Good

(Minus the historical inaccuracy)

Cost: Free via DVD from the Multnomah County Library.
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Plus, it was on the shelves at my library branch and DVDs that don’t have to come from other branches are filled much faster than those that come from afar.
**I appreciate the side story of the Japanese Americans living in internment camps and being used for farm labor during the war. I could even get on board with a farm wife on whose land they were working striking up a friendship. But I’m pretty sure that they were not able to go into town to shop for material at the dry goods store, and I’m almost positive that there is no way the farm wife would have been able to take them for a drive in the county. Japanese Americans were in a prison camp. They didn’t get to go gallivanting around. I think the movie leaves viewers with an inaccurate picture of what it meant to be a prisoner. Plus, one character states that the Japanese American men who went to fight in the war were drafted. This is untrue as the 442nd Infantry Regiment was a volunteer unit. If you’d like a fuller picture of the Japanese American experience in World War II, I suggest the book The Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda.
***Skeet was fun to watch. I wonder if he was then the age of the actors who play his kids on Riverdale?**** Mare Winningham as Ulrich’s sister Florence tended to pull focus from most people when she was on screen.
****He was 35 in 2005, so he was ten years older than Cole Sprouse’s 25 years in 2017 when Riverdale debuted.

Questions:

  • Can you imagine marrying a beet farmer sight unseen?
  • What would have been your favorite part of beet farming life?