Author Archives: Ron

About Ron

I like to watch movies and share my thoughts on them. I have been writing reviews and distributing them since 2013.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Trial of the Chicago 7              5 stars

It may be a cliché to say it but if you see one new movie this holiday season make it The Trial of the Chicago 7. While not a documentary, writer/director Aaron Sorkin has put together a dramatic recreation of the 1969 federal trial of the leaders of the protests held in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention. The movie is mainly a courtroom drama with eight defendants charged with conspiracy to incite a riot. It blends in archival footage of the Chicago riots and flashbacks showing the protests that started in Grant Park. I was too young at the time of the trial to be aware of it, but I do remember the news of the riots and some of the names of the main participants. While not a completely accurate portrayal of the trial, it does show real events like Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers being bound and gagged in the courtroom and the testimony of the former Attorney General Ramsey Clarke. The movie is supported by several first rate performances including Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden of the Students for a Democratic Society, Sasha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman and Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin of the Youth International Party (Yippies), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale, and Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, the liberal defense attorney for the defendants. Frank Langella is notable as the judge Hoffman who frequently loses control of the trial and frequently hands out contempt charges. Michael Keaton makes a brief dramatic appearance as Attorney General Ramsey Clarke who severely damages the government’s case. (It’s too bad the judge wouldn’t let the jury hear it.) The movie serves as a reminder of what the country went through in 1969 and how easy it is to lose our constitutional freedoms and as an education to those who weren’t here to see the events. It’s a safe bet to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award as well as a few others.

Argentina, 1985

Argentina, 1985                 4 ½ stars

I went back a few years to watch Argentina, 1985 which is being shown on Amazon Prime Video. The film was released in 2022 and was directed by Santiago Mitre who also directed The Summit. This is a dramatic representation of the civil trial that took place in Argentina in 1985 when the leaders of the former dictatorial government were put on trial by the new government for their crimes against humanity. During this dark period of history thousands of Argentinians were “disappeared” for their opposition to the regime. Some had committed crimes, while others were innocent, but all were systematically executed without due process. The federal prosecutor, Julio Strassera (Ricardo Darin) is reluctant to take the case hoping that the new government won’t charge the former regime. He knows that it will be very challenging as there are many people who are still loyal to the old military government, and it will be tough to find witnesses willing to testify. He would have to not only prove the crimes but also show that the leaders knew they were happening. He is aided by the young deputy, Luis Ocampo (Peter Lanzani) whose own mother still believes in the innocence of the military leaders. Together, they must recruit a team of young lawyers and students to do the research since none of the older lawyers will take on the job. Together this team finds the evidence and witnesses needed to hold the trial. They do this despite the threats of violence leveled against them through telephone, the mail and mysterious men in cars. Most of the film focuses on the trial itself showing the dramatic testimony given by the survivors. We already know the outcome going in since this is a historical event, but it is a testament to the courage of these men and their team in standing up to powerful men. It is more inspiring than even the Nuremburg trials. I only hope that others facing evil authoritarian governments can learn from the examples of these events. My only complaint is that the movie was only available with English dubbing and not in the original Spanish, which I think would have made it more powerful.

Amulet

Amulet                 4 stars

Besides giving us a deadly pandemic 2020 has also brought us a new wave of horror movies made by women. This year we had Relic, Shirley and She Dies Tomorrow, all made by women directors showing us they can be as creepy as men. Now we have Amulet, by actor Romola Garai in her first effort as writer/director. In this slow moving horror movie, we follow, Tomaz, a homeless ex-soldier who finds himself in a hospital in London. A Catholic nun (Imelda Staunton) takes pity on him and arranges for him to live in a house where a young woman, Magda, is caring for her aged mother. We see Tomaz doing small home repair jobs in the very rundown house and being fed great meals by Magda. It’s hard to place the period of the setting. It could be anytime in the eighties or nineties. Periodically, there are flashbacks to his time serving in a foreign army where he sees himself as a protector of a woman in the woods. Things take a long time to develop, but eventually he makes his way up to the attic with Magda to see the mother that requires so much care. She turns out to be a wretched horribly disfigured being in great pain who turns on Magda when given a chance. Suffice it to say this mother is not human at all, but something supernatural. Naturally, there are other secrets that Magda and the house hold that are gradually revealed, just as we expect to see in a well written horror movie! Tomaz then sees himself as a sort of savior who must free Magda of this prison, but he will find out that evil can be found in unexpected places and what happens when it is not properly dealt with! This being a horror movie written by a woman we get an interesting take on things to be most afraid of including a view on what childbirth is like! (Hint: It’s bloody and painful.) If you can make it through the first half of the movie you will appreciate the eventual payoff.

I Lost My Body

I Lost My Body   4 stars

To call the animated French film I Lost My Body unconventional is certainly something of an understatement. The 81 minute film tells a story of a young Frenchman in Paris in three separate storylines. The first, animated in color, follows the journey of a severed hand that can move and has senses and thoughts of its own. The hand escapes from a refrigerator and travels through the city trying to find its body. Along the way it encounters many dangers such as a pigeon, a pack of ravenous rats and a playful dog. Hopefully, that doesn’t bother you too much. A second segment is a flashback to the childhood of Naoufel, the owner of the hand, who was a happy youngster, that is until both his parents were killed in a car crash and he had to live with an uncaring uncle. This part is all done in black and white and shows his dreams of the future. The third segment follows Naoufel as a young man (still with hands intact) struggling to survive by delivering pizzas in the city, something he is not very good at. Then one evening he has a brief encounter with a young woman, Gabrielle, via an apartment intercom where he was trying to make a delivery, and he senses that they have a connection. So he sets off to find out more about her in order to arrange a meeting again. Unfortunately, for Naoufel this quest might look more like stalking to some people. The animation is all hand drawn and done in a vivid manner that keeps your attention throughout the short movie. All of the segments have a common thread of dealing with loss and seeking to connect with those that we care about. If the unusual subject matter doesn’t turn you off, I would recommend seeing this animated movie. It is in French with subtitles. As it has an adult theme, it should not be viewed by children. The movie is unconventional and surprising with an uplifting message.

The Prom

The Prom            2 ½ stars

The Prom is the new Ryan Murphy directed musical comedy on Netflix that brings together the talents of Meryl Streep, James Corden and Nicole Kidman performing a string of Broadway type musical numbers. The premise is that this group of narcissistic actors after bombing in their latest production (about Eleanor Roosevelt and FCR) need a charitable cause to give them new credibility. They land their sights on a young lesbian teen girl who is being denied her right to go to the high school prom with her girlfriend because of the intolerance of the community (the PTA, of course). The school happens to be in a small Indiana town, since the writers see Indiana as a bastion of intolerance, I suppose. I just hope that their perception doesn’t reflect reality at this point. This group of New York actors are joined by Juilliard graduate Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells of The New Normal) and proceed to try to persuade the parents to allow the all-inclusive prom that Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman) is asking for. While there are a few well done songs, most of them are forgettable. Much of the movie is what I imagine High School Musical must have been like if I had seen it. There is some unnecessary padding of the story with the personal problems of the self-centered actors that takes focus away from the plight of the young kids. Meryl Streep puts in her usual best effort as a privileged diva. Keegan Michael Key is notable as the high school principal who wants to keep the peace while also getting acquainted with his idol, Dee Dee Allen (Streep). Tracey Ullman makes a worthwhile cameo as the estranged mother of Barry Glickman (Corden). Newcomer Pellman does a creditable job as the poor teen who is the center of the scorn of her classmates. The subject of the intolerance of gay people coming out would seem to be out of date in 2020, so I hope it would really apply to an earlier time in the Midwest, but that may be my wishful thinking.

F1

F1                           3 ½ stars

Summer is here and with it comes the time of the summer blockbuster. Leading the way is F1, the very loud and action-filled movie about life on a Formula 1 racing team, the most prestigious motor sport in the world. And of course, a blockbuster must have an A list actor for the lead. Filling that role is Brad Pitt, looking his usual rugged and laid-back self as Sonny Hayes, a veteran driver who gave up the Formula 1 circuit long ago after being injured in a horrifying accident. (Pitt was last seen in last year’s Wolfs which I have not seen.) A blockbuster racing movie also requires plenty of camera shots of fast cars maneuvering around one another and shots from inside the cars showing the intensity of the drivers, all with the roar of the engines filling the room and an announcer describing the action. F1 has all this plus a story of two drivers on the same team often at odds with one another. Hayes is the sixty something veteran who has all the experience and confidence needed to win, while young Joshua Pierce (Damson Idris) is the rookie who has the right stuff but needs the experience. It is the owner, Rueben (Javier Bardem of Dune and Being the Ricardos) who convinces Sonny to come back to the race circuit and save his losing and nearly bankrupt team, APX. Thus, the drama revolves around these two drivers and the team as Sonny has to learn that it takes a team to win and it can’t be up to just one man. F1 deviates from the formula of most racing movies such as Ford v. Ferrari as there is no character portraying the opposition. The other cars and drivers are for the most part nameless faces that furnish the background without being a part of the story. And since APX is one of the worst teams on the track, their objective is not really to win a race, but just to be in the top 10 finishers. So, the premise is not what I am used to in a movie about race car drivers. Some of Sonny’s moves on the track would seem questionable. It’s hard to imagine him not being disqualified for them in a real race. Pitt is naturally at home in the role of the handsome, solemn veteran who can handle whatever is thrown at him, except perhaps for the lasting effects of the injuries he suffered years before. The movie does include a couple of subplots to give it some depth beyond the racing. The team’s technical director is Kate (Academy Award nominee Kerry Condon of The Banshees of Inisherin), an Irish woman who is an expert in her field of designing race car components. She has a few run ins with Sonny, not necessarily confined to race cars. And there is a member of the team’s board who may not share the interests of the team’s owner and seems to have his own agenda. The race scenes are exciting, but viewers who are not familiar with the jargon or the significance of changing the tires for varying conditions may find these scenes confusing. F1 is not my favorite racing movie, but for the action, it is worth seeing. It is of course a good one for Brad Pitt fans to check out too.

Klaus

Klaus                     4 stars

Klaus is an animated Christmas movie from last year that gives us a different take on the Christmas story of Santa. This beautifully animated tale tells a new origin story of Santa set in a cold village in the north where the residents all seem to resent one another. That is, until a young postman is assigned to the village and discovers an old carpenter who makes children’s toys. Jesper devises a way to get the toys delivered to the children of the town, but his motives may not be quite altruistic. If you haven’t seen Klaus yet, I suggest that you check it out this holiday season. The movie was nominated for a Best Animated Feature Academy Award.

Da 5 Bloods

Da 5 Bloods        5 stars

I only recently found out about Spike Lee’s new movie, Da 5 Bloods that was released on Netflix back in June. With the pandemic it didn’t get a lot of attention this past summer. It has been described as an action movie about four black American soldiers returning to Vietnam, but it is much more than that. Lee brings this fictional story to the screen that gives us a history lesson and expresses the anguish that black men have gone through in giving their service to a country that doesn’t repay them. Lee starts with some archival footage of events leading up to the sixties and the Vietnam War that sets the tone. The four men in their seventies, played by Delroy Lindo, Norm Lewis, Clarke Peters and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. have journeyed to Vietnam in the present to reclaim the body of their fallen comrade and squad leader, Stormin’ Norman (Chadwick Boseman). Only they are also there to claim the treasure of gold that the US intended to pay to local Vietnamese to fight against the Vietcong. The men had buried the gold in the jungle during their tour during the war. Lee gives us scenes of the jungle fighting but in an interesting casting choice the older men also play the young versions of their characters in the war in 1968. The men, who call themselves Da Bloods, are all emotionally traumatized by the war and other events in their lives, especially Paul (Lindo) who has never gotten over the death of Norman as he blames himself for the loss. The movie is probably the best performance that Lindo has done. Chadwick Boseman who died this year gives us a fine performance in one of his last roles. There are several Vietnamese characters in the movie that give us their point of view of the war. They typically refer to it as The American War. Not only do we get plenty of emotional drama from the characters, but there is plenty of shooting and action when some rogue Vietnamese officers get wind of the mission. The outcome is reminiscent of other classic movies like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre when greed overcomes loyalty. (If you listen carefully you may hear a reference to that film.) There is no shortage of graphic scenes and the movie clocks in at two and one half hours so the dedicated viewer is in for quite a ride. Da 5 Bloods is another fine achievement by director Spike Lee and is destined for multiple awards in the awards season.

Woman of the Hour

Woman of the Hour        4 stars

Last year’s Woman of the Hour is a true crime thriller that is based on the time that an actual serial killer appeared on a TV game show, The Dating Game as a contestant. In 1978 Rodney Alcala had been murdering women for years by luring them to remote locations while posing as a photographer. He appeared on the game show as Bachelor Number 3 where he answered questions from female contestant Cheryl Bradshaw and was chosen by her to go on a date. The movie, directed by and starring Anna Kendrick introduces us to Cheryl (Academy Award nominee Kendrick) and Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) separately before the fateful episode of the iconic TV show. We see how Alcala uses his charm to convince the victims to accompany him before he kills each one. As the killer, Zovatto is alternately likeable and menacing in the role. Cheryl is a struggling actress having a difficult time finding roles when her agent lands her an appearance on a TV show, which happens to be The Dating Game. She is not very thrilled about the idea but goes along with the idea as it will give her some exposure. So, she does the show where she is expected to look pretty and ask each of the three bachelors prearranged questions that will appeal to the audience. There is more to the movie though, as it is set in the 1970’s, a time defined by sexism. Cheryl must calmly endure sexist remarks from men about her appearance. She has to be overly polite with her male neighbor in conversations to make sure she doesn’t hurt his feelings. But when the big moment comes for her TV appearance, she decides she has had enough of pleasing men and asks her own challenging questions of the three bachelors that includes one dimwit and one sleazebag, causing them to squirm and upsetting the TV host (Tony Hale). Finally, when the two meet face to face, Cheryl has a conversation with Alcala and gets the sense that there is something not right about the guy which leads to the intense final confrontation between them. The way women are poorly treated is further exemplified by a scene when one woman recognizes Alcala as a suspect in a murder and is routinely dismissed by the police and other men. The movie is more than a true crime story as it paints a picture of the seventies showing how women are objectified in this man’s world. This was a challenging subject for Kendrick to choose for her first effort at directing. Let’s hope to see more projects from her.

We Live in Time

We Live in Time                 4 ½ stars

At first glance We Live in Time might sound like another romantic tragedy about a couple in love facing the challenge of their lives that doesn’t end well. Two things make the film more interesting than that. One is the combined performances of the two leads, Florence Pugh as Almut, a rising superstar chef with her own restaurant, and Andrew Garfield as Tobias, a working stiff who is going through a tough divorce. The second is the imaginative way that director John Crowley and screenwriter Nick Payne chose to tell the story in a non-linear fashion covering critical phases of the brief time that this couple spends together. Both Pugh and Garfield have given us outstanding performances in recent years, Pugh in the horror movie Midsomer, the science fiction film Don’t Worry Darling and the period piece Little Women, and Garfield in the musical Tick, Tick…Boom!, The Eyes of Tammy Faye playing televangelist Jim Bakker and the war film, Hacksaw Ridge. Here they work well together as the young British couple trying to figure things out. It is a little puzzling to the audience at first as the film starts somewhere in the middle of the relationship as they deal with the question of having children. It is only later that we find out how they meet with Almut running Tobias over with her car and her visiting him in the hospital afterwards. There are at least three time periods that the film alternates between, that include such dramatic events as a cancer diagnosis and a pregnancy that ends with giving birth in a service station. The events are put together in a way that raises the drama with each scene and may leave you a little weepy by the end. One scene in particular shows conflict between the two when Almut decides to compete in a high-profile cooking competition despite being ill with cancer, against Tobias’ wishes. Her decision seems irresponsible, but Pugh’s performance makes you believe she is doing the right thing. We Live in Time stars two great actors of their generation and should convince us to make the most of the time we have.