Category Archives: Drama

Soul

Soul       4 ½ stars

Disney Pixar’s award winning animated film Soul is a bit of a departure from the studio’s usual productions. While intended mainly for young audiences there is a blend of metaphysical wisdom mixed in with the colorful magic that only the more mature watchers will appreciate. We meet Joe (Jamie Fox), a middle school band director who hasn’t reached his dream of being a jazz performer in New York despite years of trying. He gets his chance at a great gig when due to an accident he finds that he is transported to an otherworldly realm referred to as the Great Before. This is the place where souls receive their personalities before they travel to earth to be matched to a new body. Joe is mistaken for one of the mentors, old souls that have lived their lives and now pass on their wisdom to the young new souls. Joe meets one unfortunate new soul called Soul 22 (Tina Fey) who has rejected past mentors like Abraham Lincoln, Ghandi, Copernicus and Carl Jung for thousands of years and is an irritation to the Counselor Jerrys that run the Great Before. Then because of an unlikely accident the pair travel to earth together to be united with Joe’s body, though not in the planned way. It is then when the real magic happens with 22 encountering real life in the city and must learn to appreciate the many wonders of living while Joe struggles to find a way to make his appointment for his jazz performance. There are some moments of great tension and scary scenes, but they are done with enough care so are still appropriate for the young viewers. Still the message comes through that our hopes and dreams are what makes our lives worth living. Be sure to give Soul a try if you haven’t already.

Anora

Anora    4 ½ stars

The movies made by writer/director Sean Baker always seem to feature those struggling to survive on the edge of society. Think of The Florida Project about a young single mother living in a rundown motel or Tangerine about a transgender sex worker. Baker seeks to humanize those who live in the margins. The same can be said about Anora, the movie about a young sex worker in New York named Anora or Ani (Mikey Madison) whose world intersects with New York’s Russian oligarchs. At the start of the movie Ani is seen grinding away with clients along with several other nearly nude women at a strip club. Until a rich young Russian man named Ivan asks for a Russian speaking girl. Ani fits this requirement and is pleased to make his acquaintance. Ivan asks her if she works outside the club, and she agrees to meet at his mansion. It’s not really his mansion as Ivan is the son of a Russian oligarch and he is supposed to be in America to get an education. Ivan, whose English is only passable behaves like a horny puppy as the two go at it in the bedroom. Soon Ivan offers to buy her services for a week, paying a hefty price. He gets to be seen by his friends with a beautiful woman on his arm and she gets to live like a queen for a week. The fairytale romance escalates when the pair travel to Las Vegas along with Ivan’s entourage and they decide to get married, allowing Ivan to stay in America instead of returning to Russia to work for Daddy. At this point the movie seems like a new Pretty Woman, but then reality sets in when Daddy and Mother who are in Moscow find out that their son has married a hooker. A trio of Russian strongmen arrive at the mansion led by Toros (Karren Karagulian), a sort of babysitter for Ivan, who was unaware of Ivan’s antics. They have been ordered to check on the situation and upon finding it to be true follow Father’s orders to get the marriage annulled. What follows can only be described as manic comedy as Ani battles against the Russians with profanity and physical resistance while the misbehaving boy, Ivan runs away, abandoning his new bride who is now a captive. This group of four are a good copy of the Keystone Cops in an extended scene traveling all over New York trying to find the lost Ivan before his parents arrive from Moscow in their private jet. The movie belongs to Mikey Madison who makes Ani a sympathetic character despite her chosen profession. Some might remember her from Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood as the Charles Manson follower incinerated by a flamethrower. Expect her performance in Anora to be long remembered. The movie should also make audiences despise the privilege awarded to the insanely rich Russians living in America who make their billions off the working class in Russia. I must also mention that director Sean Baker manages to give one of the Russian goons named Igor a level of humanity as he takes pity on the poor Ani performing an act of kindness toward the end of the film. Baker as usual finds ways of giving his characters true humanity.

Last Night in Soho

Last Night in Soho            4 stars

In Edgar Wright’s latest thriller drama horror Last Night in Soho, we first meet Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie of Jojo Rabbit and Leave No Trace) in an old house where her bedroom is decorated in old movie posters of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Sweet Charity and other relics of the sixties. She dances to sixties pop tunes played on a turntable in an elaborate dress made of newspapers. But Ellie really lives in the present in rural Cornwall, England and is fascinated by everything about the sixties and dreams of becoming an accomplished fashion designer. Then Ellie gets her big chance when she is accepted to a famous fashion school in London.  The young girl doesn’t exactly fit in with her streetwise classmates and soon moves off campus, renting a room above a bar where landlady, Miss Collins (the exquisite Diana Rigg in her final performance before passing away last year) says she needs to pay two months rent upfront and no male guests are allowed after 8:00. It is then that things take a mysterious turn when Ellie goes to sleep and the room becomes a sort of teleportal device sending Ellie to a hopping neon light covered 1965 London with all the flashy fashions and pop songs of the sixties. The mood of the movie shifts as the themes become darker and more sinister. Ellie becomes connected to a girl called Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy of The Witch and Emma) who may or may not actually exist. Unlike Ellie, Sandie faces the world with total confidence and owns the room she enters. She perfectly nails a rendition of Petula Clark’s 1965 hit Downtown. The movie embodies the look and feel of the decadent time period of the sixties and has some fine performances including Matt Smith’s Jack, a sort of sixties pimp who operates the acts at a London gentlemen’s club.  Eventually, though the movie devolves into full blown horror thriller mayhem when it gets to an over the top ending. I admit that I did not see the ending coming, so I won’t say more about it. If you are in the mood for a good thriller horror film, Last Night in Soho hits the spot.

The French Dispatch

The French Dispatch       4 stars

Fans of Wes Anderson will instantly recognize the director’s style in this latest anthology and tribute to The New Yorker magazine in The French Dispatch. It’s a collection of stories that are presented as belonging to the final issue of a fictional magazine called The French Dispatch. Each of the writers present their stories, all set in a French village called Ennui, that all seem surreal yet plausible at the same time. The movie has the same style we remember from Isle of Dogs, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom: the fascinating sets, the quick editing, the dry narration and a collection of well known actors. In fact this time we get a real overload of them including Bill Murray, Francis McDormand, Timothee Chalamet, Owen Wilson, Edward Norton, Benecio del Toro and Adrian Brody just to name a few. Anderson is said to have a fascination with The New Yorker so many of his characters are meant to be representations of various writers, art critics and the like, which means little to me. I just enjoyed the movie and the way that he tells the stories. I won’t go into any detail about the individual stories except to say that my favorite was the one about the man in prison for a double murder who attracts the attention of the art world with his abstract nude paintings of one of the prison’s guards. I have seen most but not all of Wes Anderson’s movies, so now I may have to look up the ones that I missed. His movies aren’t for everyone, but those who are fans of his previous movies will undoubtedly love The French Dispatch.

Pinocchio

Pinocchio             3 ½ stars

Last year’s Pinocchio by Matteo Garrone updates the Disney animated movie to a live action version, where the bright fairy tale gets converted to a much more grimy version about a wooden boy puppet who desires to become a real boy. Having never seen the Disney cartoon I didn’t have anything to compare it to, but I understand that it is more true to the original novel than the 1940 Disney version. Pinocchio and company live in a fantastical world where fantasy and magic abound. We can understand why the puppet wants to run from Gepetto (Roberto Benigni) and find a better life. The problem is that Pinocchio is not all that smart and constantly finds ways to get into trouble, leaving others to rescue him including a fairy who looks out for him. The movie is long but is suitable for children and brings with it a message about the consequences of mischief and disobedience.

Spencer

Spencer               4 ½ stars

Pablo Larrain’s Spencer is a biopic of a different sort, one that sets the mood early with a view of a pristine kitchen with a sign that says “They Can Hear You”. The discordant jazz score tells us that this is a story filled with tension and distress. We are viewing the Christmas holiday with the British Royal Family, around 1991 and the primary focus is on Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart in her best role to date). She has been married to Prince Charles for ten years and it is clear this is not the picture of happiness. Throughout the movie the camera is always on Diana and we only get a periphery view of the rest of the royals. Diana interacts more with the staff of the palace including Major Alistar Gregory (Timothy Spall), Maggie, her dresser (the great Sally Hawkins) and the chief cook (Sean Harris) and the police assigned to guard the palace. The set schedule and assigned wardrobe for each occasion brings out how for Diana this is a prison where she has little freedom. Although it is never spoken we know that there is another woman in the picture. There is no character representing Camilla Parker Bowles and we never hear her name, but it is clear there is something unwelcome going on. In this fictionalized drama, Diana is haunted by ghosts of Britain’s and her family’s past. Her own family estate lies vacant and boarded up, but the memories still occupy her. The one bright spot in her life are her two sons, William and Harry. When we see her with them her entire mood and that of the film becomes bright and warm. The music and cinematography contribute to the feeling of the movie but it is really Stewart’s performance that make this a great movie. I don’t think it is too early to say that Kristen Stewart is the one to beat for the Best Actress Academy Award. (Of course, I am waiting to see Lady Gaga in The House of Gucci.)

Memoir of a Snail

Memoir of a Snail             5 stars

Memoir of a Snail is the new stop motion animated movie from Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot that tells the story of its protagonist Grace Pudel whose life is filled with one tragedy after another. The techniques of stop motion animation where clay models are molded and photographed, one frame at a time are remarkable in this film. Grace (voiced by Sarah Snook of Succession) is a lonely recluse, symbolized by her collection of snails, both living and handcrafted ones. She narrates the story of her childhood to her favorite snail, named Sylvia, named after the author Silvia Plath. Her one friend in the world is an elderly woman named Pinky (Jackie Weaver) who we first meet as she dies in Grace’s presence. But then Grace recounts how Pinky has had a life full of adventure and has had her own tragedies, (such as when her husband was eaten by a crocodile). Grace remembers everything about her childhood including being in the womb of her mother with her twin brother, Gilbert followed by her premature birth and subsequent death of her mother. The two siblings grew up poor, taken care of by their alcoholic and disabled father (after he was hit by a drunk driver). They were very close and grew up often reading works of classic literature, though Grace eventually transitioned to trashy romance novels. Then when the father died the twins were split up in different foster homes with Grace going to Canberra to be cared for by a nudist swinger couple in Canberra. (Of course, young Grace has a different understanding of what swinger means.) Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee of Power of the Dog) was sent to live with a religious couple in Perth who force their foster children to work under dreadful conditions, then take all the money they earn. These stories are filled with heartache and abuse but are told in such a witty manner it all becomes quite humorous. The story becomes one of hope as Grace, with Pinky’s help breaks free from her shell and finds a way out of her reclusive life. The movie has many very adult images and is certainly not suitable for children. Some adults may even be offended by the sexual imagery on the screen. Memoir of a Snail is a truthful depiction of the realities of life’s challenges and the hopes for a better future. It may be the best animated film of the year. Look to hear of it during the Academy Award nominations.

Challengers

Challengers        3 ½ stars

Challengers by Luca Guadagnino takes us into the world of professional tennis and combines it with probably one of steamiest love triangles ever in the movies. The sweat dripping off the bodies of the two male leads, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor makes you feel the heat coming off the screen. The energy of these two expended while engaged in their matches aided by the quick camera shots from the point of view of the ball is equaled by their hot scenes with co-star Zendaya with one or the other or both at the same time in the make-out scenes. In one scene at an outdoor party, Nelly’s It’s Getting Hot in Here is playing practically making it a theme song for the movie. The actual story of these three characters is almost unimportant, but it is about two tennis stars, Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor) who are friends as teenagers and make the acquaintance of female tennis star, Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) at a college tournament. The movie follows these three over a period of several years as one or the other has gained Tashi’s affection. Tashi assumes various roles through the story: lover, wife, coach and homewrecker, told through a fractured timeline with multiple flash backs. The movie centers on a single match between the two male tennis stars that lasts through the entire span of the movie with extended scenes telling the history of their complicated relationship. A major part of the story is about Art’s stardom as a tennis player, but he is in a slump wondering if he can make a star appearance at the next US Open. Tashi, his wife, has a plan to get Art’s confidence by him playing against former friend Patrick in a match at a local tournament. But the story is secondary, of course to the steaminess of the character’s scenes together. I noticed that the movie lacks any real supporting cast. Normally, there would be supporting characters that the leads confide in or have some relationship with. Here, any other characters are just there for background, including Tashi’s immediate family. The three main characters seem only to interact with each other. I cannot finish this review without mentioning the brilliant score by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. It is a fast-moving thumping dance score combined with disco that amps up the action taking place on the court. The score should receive some attention when the Oscar nominations come. Less so with the other categories though.  Look for Luca Guadagnino’s next film, Queer, to be released early next year.

Belfast

Belfast  5 stars

Kenneth Branagh’s much anticipated film about growing up on the streets of Belfast in the late sixties is quite the drama told through the eyes of a nine year old boy. Based in part on his own experiences, we meet Buddy, the younger son of a working class family who is mainly interested in getting chocolate from the local store and hanging out with his grandpa. But then reality sets in when the violence erupts with riots and Molotov cocktails on the street of his family’s home. It’s the time of the ethno-nationalist, religious struggles between the Protestants and the Catholic minority that claimed so many lives and forced many Irish to leave their homes that they have known for generations. The main cast is excellent including the parents and especially Ma (Judy Dench) and Pa (Ciaran Hinds) who are all Protestant. The father (Jamie Dornan) is targeted by a local hothead, also Protestant who believes he is not doing his part to rid the community of the Catholics, (even though they have also lived here for generations). The film does little to explain the reasons for the conflict. That has been the focus of other earlier movies. It’s purpose is to show us the pain inflicted on ordinary people and why families chose to leave friends and relatives for a land where nobody knows them. It is all done in black and white and has plenty of nostalgia in the form of the music, movies and TV of the times including clips of John Wayne westerns and Star Trek. There is plenty of Oscar buzz around Belfast and I would have to say it will be a strong contender for the Best Picture Oscar already. The man who brought us Cinderella and Thor has given us one fine movie this year. I am already looking forward to his next work, Death on the Nile.

The Burial

The Burial            4 stars

I went back and viewed a gem of a movie from last year that I had missed and was not even aware of. The Burial written and directed by Maggie Betts is a throwback to the legal dramas of the nineties. But this legal drama has the distinction of starring two of the greatest talents working today: Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones. It starts with a display on the screen: “Based on real events”. (The movie is based on a 1999 New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr.) We first see hot shot personal injury lawyer Willie Gary played by Foxx in a court room doing what he does best: performing in front of a jury in the style of a preacher on Sunday morning. Gary is rich and proud of the fact that he has never lost a case. We next see Jeremiah “Jerry” O’Keefe (Jones), the owner of several funeral homes in southern Mississippi that have been the family business for decades, at home with his large family. Jerry has run into hard times, the result of a bad business decision and needs a buyer for part his business. He turned to a megacorporation owned by Canadian Raymond Loewen (Bill Camp) for the deal, but a few months later Loewen still has not signed the contract and Jerry’s lawyers, Hal Dockens (Mamoudou Athie) and Mike Allred (Alan Ruck) think that Loewen is just trying to force the funeral home business into bankruptcy so that it can then be bought up in a fire sale. It is then that the star power of Willie Gary comes to the attention of Jerry’s legal team, so they try to recruit him for the case against Loewen. In order to convince Gary to take the case though, the lawsuit damages are increased from $8 million to $100 million, making it worth it to Gary. This is all set up for the real drama that takes place in the courtroom and in meetings between the lawyers and their client as they struggle to win the case against the corporate giant. Many confrontations happen and a few surprises are discovered in testimony in traditional legal drama fashion. Although the case is about the little guy taking on a giant over a legal contract, with it being set in southern Mississippi we find out that the case is really about race, only adding to the drama. What really makes the movie is the first rate acting or rather performance by Jamie Foxx (who is probably best known for playing Ray Charles in Ray). Add to it Tommy Lee Jones (of The Fugitive) as the southern gentleman and you have a truly entertaining movie, even if it looks a bit dated, including 1990’s references to Johnny Cochran and O. J. Simpson.