Category Archives: Crime

Bad Education

Bad Education                   4 ½ stars

I heard some good things about the HBO TV movie Bad Education so decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed by the Hugh Jackman starring vehicle about a huge school embezzlement case in Long Island, New York based on actual events. The movie follows Frank Tassone (Jackman), superintendent of one of the nation’s wealthiest school systems and Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), his second in command as they raise the Roslyn school system’s profile getting a record number of student acceptances to top colleges and ever increasing local property values. Unfortunately, things start to come apart when one enterprising student on the high school student newspaper starts looking at the spending of the school system at local businesses and non-existent companies at the same time that Gluckin’s idiot son gets caught charging home improvement supplies on a school credit card. What follows are coverups and the shifting of blame until the source of the lavish lifestyles of the two school administrators eventually becomes apparent. (Imagine an administrator with a collection of suits, a BMW who takes first class airline seats on trips to Europe!) The story is told as a comedy/drama with some funny moments that is aided by outstanding performances from Jackman and Janney as well as the young actors portraying the students. This TV movie has received widespread praise and a couple of Emmy nominations that is well deserved. I am glad that I took the time to see it and you should look for it too.

Honey Don’t

Honey Don’t                       3 ½ stars

Honey O’Donoghue is a female private detective solving cases in and around Bakersfield California where she mainly sees clients who need to know if their spouse or partner is cheating on them. The movie poster says “She only has two desires and one of them is justice”. It doesn’t take long before you figure out what the other one is. Margaret Qualley is Honey in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s new film Honey Don’t. She is a rock-solid detective almost like that of a Raymond Chandler private eye who talks like one of those B movie film noir detectives out of the forties. Her one weakness is that she can’t turn down flirtatious women and often ends up in the sack with them. As the movie begins O’Donoghue becomes involved in a case of a fatal car accident in the desert where one of her potential clients has been found dead. A local police officer, Marty Metakawitch (Charlie Day) on the scene believes it to be a simple car accident, but O’Donoghue thinks there is more to it. A running gag in the film is Marty asking Honey to join him in a drink, but she says “I Like Girls” to which the clueless Marty says “You always say that.” It doesn’t take long until more murders are discovered, and O’Donoghue finds leads that indicate that a local church called the Four-Way Temple may be somehow involved. The church is led by the Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans) who is a real douchebag who likes to engage his female parishioners in sex and has some side businesses going on too that sometimes require the elimination of certain problems. During her investigations Honey encounters MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza), a female police officer who also happens to be gay and Honey does not miss the opportunity. (But don’t worry. The sex scenes are pretty tame.) Honey also has a sister who has a large brood of children which Honey is very protective of. All of the female characters seem to have one thing in common and that is having bad relationships with their fathers, especially true for Honey and her sister. When one of the sister’s girls (who was beaten by her idiot boyfriend) goes missing, O’Donoghue pays the boyfriend a visit in his trailer asking where she is. Not getting a good answer, Honey gives him what he deserves and let’s just say you had better not mess around with Honey. Like other Coen movies there is plenty of ironic violence and moronic villains to go around. The movie falls apart somewhat due to a plot that isn’t quite coherent. I felt there were some things being left out leaving it less than satisfying. But I will say that Margaret Qualley’s performance makes up for the film’s shortcomings. I would love to see her in a sequel. She has been in some great roles including those in Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, Poor Things and The Substance. This movie by Coen and Cooke (who is Ethan Coen’s wife) is the second in a planned B-movie trilogy that are centered around lesbian characters. The first was last year’s Drive-Away Dolls that also starred Qualley as a girl on a road trip with her very uptight friend. (Along the way they encounter some very inept crooks and an all-lesbian soccer team.) It is one that I recommend. The third installment is still in the works. I have no idea what Coen and company have in mind yet, but I will certainly watch for it. Also, I am convinced that I have no need to visit Bakersfield, California.

Richard Jewell

Richard Jewell                   4 stars

The based on a true story film, Richard Jewell is a very professional telling of the wrongful treatment of the security guard that discovered the bomb that exploded in Centennial Park at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Jewell, played by Paul Walter Hauser was hailed as a hero for saving many lives for a few days, but then was identified as a suspect by the FBI and was vilified by the news media, all with no real evidence linking him to the crime. Hauser, very convincing as the slowwitted wanna be cop, previously played the bodyguard of Tanya Harding in I, Tanya, a similar role. Excellent performances are also given by Sam Rockwell as the private attorney representing Jewell who never gives up on his client, Kathy Bates as Jewell’s suffering mother (for which she received an Academy Award nomination) and Jon Hamm, the sleazy lead FBI investigator who would never admit he was wrong. The story is a well told cautionary tale about how a rush to judgment can ruin a person’s life and reputation all in the quest of scoring big headlines. Even now many people remember the sensational nature of the story instead of the final result that Jewell really was the hero at Centennial Park. The events happened well before the arrival of social media, but the warnings of misleading stories are even more relevant today with Twitter and Facebook. Even with all that, it’s impossible not to notice the political nature of a story that attacks the reputation of the FBI and the news media. The movie arrives 23 years after the event and 12 years after Richard Jewell’s death. So, why release it now when the current administration constantly tries to discredit the FBI and the news media? The agenda is unmistakable. Even so, the movie is well done and serves to clear the reputation of a good man.

The Batman

The Batman        4 stars

In 2022 we got yet another incarnation of the most depicted, depressed superhero in movies, TV or comic books. This time it is Matt Reeves (two iterations of The Planet of the Apes movies) giving us his version of the caped crusader, otherwise known as Batman. What can he do that Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan or Joel Schumacher haven’t already done? Apparently, it is creating the darkest and moodiest Batman yet to hit the big screen. This Batman (Robert Pattinson) has seemingly been suffering from PTSD ever since his parents were murdered some twenty years before. He regularly goes skulking around Gotham City looking for criminal gangs to beat up on and shows them no mercy. Bruce Wayne, the millionaire, does appear in a few scenes, as well as his butler, Alfred (Andy Serkis), but he is not the playboy type that has been seen in other Batman movies. He typically shares in Batman’s moodiness. The entire movie takes place at night, with much of it in the rain to add to the gloomy feel of it. There isn’t even a hint of comedy throughout the movie. In Reeves’ movie Batman isn’t just a crime fighter. He must also take on the role of detective when a series of high-profile murders are taking the lives of the most prominent men in the city including the mayor and the DA. At each crime scene a letter is left addressed to Batman with a puzzling riddle that he, together with Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright (probably the finest actor in the movie)) must find the answer to. Slowly it is revealed that a web of corruption has infected every level of the local government, and this hidden psychopath has made it his mission to clean things up while also believing he can get Batman to help in the endeavor. Each victim seems to have ties to a crime boss named Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), a real slimeball who operates an exclusive club and hangout for criminals in Gotham City. One other character figures prominently in the story. Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz in her most athletic role yet) is a showgirl at Falcone’s club and wants answers as to what happened to her missing friend there. She can help Batman in finding the truth but tends to go off on her own with a vengeance. (She also provides a home for several cats.) There are hints of a love interest as well. When the murdering psychopath (Paul Dano) is finally unmasked, it seems that he and Batman are like two sides of the same coin, each having a deep need to root out the corruption in the city, only the murderer doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process. The Batman combines elements of what we’ve seen in the comics and the more recent movies as well as traditional detective noir stories. It has plenty of action and story packed into its almost three-hour running time. And there is word of another The Batman movie in the works!

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.

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.

Kajillionaire

Kajillionaire         4 ½ stars

Miranda July’s third feature as director, Kajillionaire, is a real treasure featuring a very odd performance by Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood. Her previous features The Future and Me and You and Everyone We Know were well received, but I never managed to see either one. Her movies are described as quirky with some very oddball characters and Kajillionaire fits right in. Wood exchanges her robot acting to play a young woman named Old Dolio, who has been raised by her parents Robert (Richard Jenkins) and Theresa (Debra Winger) to participate in their con games to rob people of their money and valuables. They aren’t really that good at what they do and are barely getting by. This leads to some very funny scenes. Old Dolio (don’t ask about her name) obviously has never known affection and doesn’t know how to behave around people. Wood has been made to look about as unattractive as possible in the role and masters the part. The trio spend their time stealing from post office boxes and visiting elderly people in order to rob them. They live in an old office building that is very cheap on the condition that they remove the soap suds that leak into the space on a daily basis. (Don’t ask.) Things change for Old Dolio when the trio are joined by Melanie (Gina Rodriguez), a young woman who likes the idea of being a grifter, but has a different take on it. Kajillionaire displays a wide range of emotions for its characters and gets to the point of what life is about, though in a very amusing way. Now I feel that I need to check out Miranda July’s other movies.

Motherless Brooklyn

Motherless Brooklyn      3 ½ stars

One movie that has long been on my list to see is Motherless Brooklyn which came out about a year ago. It is a real pet project of Edward Norton who wrote the screenplay, directed and stars in the picture going back to 2001. The movie is about a gumshoe detective, Lionel Essrog (Norton) in 1950’s New York City whose boss and mentor is murdered, so Lionel spends the rest of the film trying to solve the crime. The movie is based on a 1990’s crime novel, but Norton set the story in the fifties after he acquired the rights to it. The movie is in the style of a fifties Film Noir and has a plot that is quite complicated. I will give some background without giving too much of the plot away. Lionel’s investigation takes him to a story of corruption within the city government involving a city official named Moses Randolph (Alec Baldwin) who has made it his mission to remake the city into his vision of a world class city at the expense of the poor and working-class people that inhabit it. The Randolph character is based on the actual city planner in the fifties, Robert Moses, who tore down black neighborhoods to build his parks and bridges and interfered with mass transportation like buses and trains because they were used by poor people and blacks. Alec Baldwin is brilliant as the character who craves power and despises those who care about the welfare of disadvantaged people. (Remind you of anyone?) Lionel has a condition, Tourette syndrome, that causes him to blurt out annoying and offensive remarks, but is otherwise and intelligent person. Sometimes this gets to be distracting from an interesting plot, but otherwise Norton gives an excellent performance. The rest of the cast is pretty amazing, including Bruce Willis, Willem Dafoe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Cherry Jones, Josh Pais and Michael Kenneth Williams. It’s clear that Norton was out to get the best actors he could. At 2 hours, 24 minutes, the film tends to drag at times and you may have to pause the movie and back up to catch some of the key plot points, but it will be worth it. The jazz score written by Thom Yorke and performed by Wynton Marsalis is also amazing to hear helping to give the movies a very fifties feel.

The Phoenician Scheme

The Phoenician Scheme                 4 stars

If you’ve seen a Wes Anderson movie before you already have an idea of what to expect. His best includes The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Asteroid City. (Also, remember The Fantastic Mr. Fox). Anderson has a unique style identified by faded colors, stationary cameras, and characters with stilted and rapid fire speaking that is instantly recognizable. His new film, The Phoenician Scheme, is no different and shares themes as well as actors from previous films. Common devices he uses are espionage and parental challenges, both of which are present in this one. There are two main characters that cover the entire film. There is the shady industrialist, Zsa Zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro of Sicario and The French Dispatch) who has an uncanny ability to survive multiple plane crashes and his estranged daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton who is a newcomer) who he wants to leave his empire to and who happens to be a nun. Korda is in the process of setting up a vast infrastructure project to secure his legacy, but he needs the cooperation of a series of odd characters to “cover the gap”; that is, to help fund his project. Thus, his travels to various parts of the globe to try to secure their cooperation by doing odd things like having a basketball shooting contest in a railroad tunnel. It’s also clear that these various businessmen have not been treated all that well by Korda. There is also an assembly of rival industrialists who are trying to thwart Korda’s plans, thus the assassination attempts. The all-star supporting cast includes Jeffrey Wright, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed and Scarlett Johansson. Bill Murray, a Wes Anderson regular even makes an appearance as God in what appears to be scenes of the afterlife. Throughout the movie it’s the great pairing of Del Toro and Threapleton with a little help from Michael Cera as Bjorn, a Norwegian tutor that really makes the movie. They have a good sense of comic timing while applying Anderson’s trademark style of deadpan delivery. Amid all the zany happenings lies a message of the care of a parent for their child even if it’s not delivered well. Considering all the movies that have been made by Wes Anderson over the past thirty years, The Phoenician Scheme is one of the better ones even if the style is very familiar.

The Accountant 2

The Accountant 2             2 stars

After eight years, accountant and deadly killer Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is back in director Gavin O’Connor’s The Accountant 2, the sequel to the 2016 generically named The Accountant, also by O’Connor. This time around the autistic genius and weapons expert has been recruited by a US Treasury agent (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to help her investigate a human trafficking ring in Mexico that has extended its reach into the United States. She soon finds out that some of his methods aren’t exactly legal. (But first we get an amusing taste of what it’s like for the socially awkward Christian to try a dating service where his literal way of speaking puts off every woman he talks to.) When it becomes clear just how violent and far reaching this criminal gang is that he is facing, Christian must reach out to his estranged brother, Braxton (Jon Berthal) who is a professional killer in Europe, and persuade him to come back to the US to help him in the case. Only now things are complicated by the appearance of a trained female assassin (Daniella Pineda) whose motives are unclear. But, on Christian’s side is a special group of computer savvy teenagers from a special school for autistic children whose hacking skills go beyond that of the specialists working for the US government. There are many moments of comedic banter between the two brothers that the writer must have thought was important to include, but given the serious nature of the crimes involved, it sometimes seems out of place. Like the first movie, the action and violence go to extreme levels with an absurdly high body count. The risks they take and the kill ratio they achieve go well beyond anything approaching credibility. Some people who are familiar with those who are autistic may find it offensive to portray an autistic character in a movie this way. It certainly doesn’t do much for the cause of those with this disorder. Many movie goers may like this type of comedic action movie, but I am not among them. I found last year’s The Fall Guy, also a popular violent action movie, preferable given its lighter premise. There may be another sequel to The Accountant coming. It won’t bother me if it takes another eight years for it to come out.