Category Archives: Drama

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You                 4 stars

You might remember a movie from last year called Nightbitch, starring Amy Adams about a mother of a young child dealing with the stresses of motherhood. Well, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You by director Mary Bronstein and starring Rose Byrne (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the voice of Mother in “I Am Mother”) takes that premise and puts it on steroids. The movie appeared at the Sundance Film Festival last year and got a lot of attention. It comes from A24, the studio known for movies with darker themes and complex characters. Linda, played by Byrne, is dealing with many stresses in her life at the same time. She has an overly anxious daughter who has a mysterious illness requiring her to have a feeding tube, and she can’t seem to put on enough weight. She has a doctor (played by director Mary Bronstein) for the daughter who keeps insisting that she come in for a face-to-face meeting and that she should participate in a support group. (Here we see the feelings of guilt some mothers experience.) Linda’s husband (Christian Slater (True Romance)), who she has conversations with over the phone, is perpetually absent and is not at all helpful. She is a therapist who sees patients that are generally confused about life and are very self-centered. She herself is seeing a therapist (Conan O’Brien like you’ve never seen him before) who is hostile toward her and doesn’t seem to care about her problems. If that isn’t enough, the living room ceiling of her rented house has collapsed leaving a flood of water all over the floor, forcing her into a hotel room with her daughter until repairs can be made. All these events combine to make the audience feel a high level of stress. (If you have been a mother, you will probably be thinking “I never had things this bad!”) Although the agony that Linda goes through is exaggerated, the movie successfully portrays the stress that can go with being a mother, especially one who isn’t getting enough support. Her one source of relief comes from a neighbor in the hotel, a handyman named James (A$AP Rocky (Highest 2 Lowest)) who occasionally watches her daughter while Linda is out (as well as supplying recreational drugs). Much of the credit for the feel of the movie has to go to Byrne, who portrays a mother trying to find solutions to problems while nearly breaking down from all the pressure. At no time does any real relief come for Linda, even when she removes the feeding tube from her daughter in a particularly graphic scene. It’s definitely not a feel-good movie and there are times when it drifts into full blown horror (like when Linda is examining that awful hole in the ceiling). I have to agree with the choice of nominating Rose Byrne for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She expresses the overwhelming feeling of anxiety from being a mother and how one must set her own needs aside. After watching this movie, you might want to talk to your mother and apologize! For the curious, some other notable movies about motherhood are Minari, Parallel Mothers, The Lost Daughter, Tully and The Kids Are All Right. (Later this summer watch for Toy Story 5 when Conan O’Brien will appear as Smarty Pants.)

Roma

Roma                    5 stars

Last year’s Roma, by master filmmaker, Alfonso Cuaron brings us an expertly told story of a house maid in 1970’s Mexico City working for a well off middle class family.  Filmed in black and white and spoken in Spanish and an indigenous language with subtitles, seems simple in outlook, but looks at many broad issues with its choice of scenes and character interactions.  The whole movie is told from the point of view of young Cleo (Yalitza Apaticio) the dark skinned poor maid and nanny of the white family consisting of a father, mother, four children and a grandma and dog.  She is not closely involved with the family but is just close enough for us to get the sense that something is wrong in their world.  The movie takes place in the early seventies and has sets that look exactly like you would think they would.  The turbulent times are reflected in scenes of civil unrest and there are even references to the pop culture of the times like a recording of Jesus Christ Superstar.  The most obvious theme of the movie is the disparity between the wealthy employers and the poverty of the world around them characterized by Cleo’s situation.  Another theme relevant for our times is the role of the women in maintaining order while the men are the one’s responsible for most of the suffering going on.  Alfonso Cuaron previously gave us Gravity, Children of Men and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  Roma is possibly his best work so far and may be the best film of the year in spite of the choice made this week by the Academy of Motion Pictures.  However, Cuaron was appropriately rewarded with three Oscars including Best Director.  A special warning should be made that there are a couple of scenes in the movie that may be hard to watch.

Greta

Greta                                    2 ½ stars

Greta by writer/director Neil Jordan brings a different twist to the stalker movie genre.  It stars Chloe Grace Moretz as young naïve Frances who having recently moved to New York City finds herself making friends with a French widow named Greta (Isabelle Hubbert) whom she has recently met.  The two met after Frances returned a lost handbag to the woman after finding it left on the subway.  The two seem like a good match since Frances has recently lost her mother.  Of course this is all too good to be true as we find out that Greta has some rather sinister motives that put poor Frances in peril.  Fortunately for her (and the movie) she has a very concerned roommate with good advice and a beautiful apartment in Manhattan who is played by Maika Monroe (from that great horror film It Follows).  The film follows much of the formula that goes along with your standard stalker movies including misfortunes befalling a pet (a dog in this case).  There was nothing especially noteworthy about this film other than the performance by Hubbert who is especially well-suited to the role of Greta.  Also present in the film is Zawe Ashton of Velvet Buzzsaw fame.

First Man

First Man                             4 stars

First Man from director Damien Chazelle gives us a spectacular look of what it must be like to be on board those early space missions of the sixties.  It follows the career of astronaut Neil Armstrong from 1961 until the Apollo 11 moon mission with all the perils involved in space travel.  I found the moments about the time during the missions to be mesmerizing, but the parts of his personal life to be less so.  Maybe Ryan Gosling was not best suited for the role.  That cannot be said about Claire Foy who played his wife who brought some very painful emotion to her role.  Chazelle is best known for previous works La La Land and Whiplash both of which I found to be superior films.  First Man comes close but just misses that level.  The visual effects were first rate and the movie received a well-deserved Oscar in that category.

BlackkKlansman

BlackkKlansman                 5 stars

I finally watched the Spike Lee movie BlackkKlansman from last year and have to say the wait was worth it.  This film about a black cop in Colorado Springs in the seventies who infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan chapter in every bit as relevant today as it is for the times that it portrays.  The movie is quite graphic with the colorful language that the white racists to describe the blacks that live in their city.  There is little left to the imagination here.  And the cops who are working undercover to infiltrate “The Organization” have to appear to be every bit as racist as those they are investigating.  I understand that when Lee was introduced to the book it is based on, he took an immediate interest in it and wanted to include some comedic elements that he is known for and he wanted to relate it to events today.  To that end he shows us the confrontation that happened in Charlottesville in 2017 so that we are reminded that this hateful element of American society is still here and shows no signs of lightening.  Both John David Washington and Adam Driver were excellent in their roles.  And Topher Grace does a creditable job of portraying David Duke, the leader of the Klan.  The film well deserved its Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and will provide plenty of opportunity for discussion and analysis.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

The Devil Wears Prada 2                4 stars

It has been twenty years since a young Andy Sachs took a job at the high fashion magazine Runway where she worked for the most demanding and condescending boss in the industry; i.e. Miranda Priestly. That was The Devil Wears Prada in 2006, when Academy Award winner Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!, Sophie’s Choice portrayed one of her most iconic characters and Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, Colossal) had one of her early film roles as Miranda’s assistant. Now they have returned in The Devil Wears Prada 2, again directed by David Frankel (Hope Springs, Marley & Me), where publishing has reached the digital age. (It’s hard to imagine it, but the original movie happened before smart phones.) Andy left Runway long ago, became a successful investigative journalist and won a prestigious award only to find out by text that she was fired. Fortunately, the owner of Runway, Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) immediately hires her to be the magazine’s features editor where she will once again report to the highly critical Miranda who did not approve the new hire and is just waiting for Andy to fail so she can fire her. The ever-loyal Nigel (Stanley Tucci (Conclave, A Midsummer Night’s Dream)) is still there as the fashion director, where he helps to keep things running smoothly, having a bigger role than in the first film. A lot has changed in twenty years. In the internet age, Runway is no longer a print magazine and is now digital. When billionaires can buy out a company on a whim, journalism is not at all what it used to be. Careers can be quickly destroyed. Budgets get slashed. (Gasp. Miranda has to hang up her own coat!) And guidelines from HR must be followed. Miranda still humiliates her subordinates, but she has lost some of her bite in her later years. When the Runway team must protect their revenue stream, they pay a visit to Dior, one of their biggest advertisers, and find that Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt (The Smashing Machine, Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place)) now runs the place. Miranda now has to accept whatever deal Emily has to offer to the publication with no negotiation. Andy’s friend Lilly (Tracie Thoms (Grindhouse)) is still there to encourage her. Andy shows she still has it by landing a first interview with fashion icon Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu (Kill Bill)) who has been recently divorced from her billionaire husband, Benji (Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder)). Benji cares little about traditions of the past and is only interested in making more money in this new age. It is clear that the publishing business is not what it used to be, though there is still opportunity to meet celebrities of the fashion industry, particularly in one scene at Miranda and husband, Stuart’s (Kenneth Branaugh (Death on the Nile, Belfast)) sprawling house. (Many celebrities appear as themselves though I didn’t recognize them, save for Jon Batiste.) And what would a fashion movie be without a trip to fashion week in Milan? We get a good look at the latest eye-popping dresses on supermodels in the Italian city. (And there is a special appearance from a certain pop music star, that I will not reveal here.) The movie’s soundtrack is very appropriate to the times, including songs from Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa. The sequel loses a little of its impact from the original, but does have a feel-good ending, showing that despite being in a cutthroat industry, the characters do end up supporting each other. The Devil Wears Prada 2 may not be one of the year’s biggest hits but is certainly worth seeing. Look for Emily Blunt in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Disclosure Day.

The Christophers

The Christophers             5 stars

Steven Soderbergh has directed, written and done cinematography for more great movies than I can count including Sex, Lies and Videotape, Magic Mike and the Oceans Eleven series. Now he has done it again with The Christophers, a film that takes on the subject of what makes art great while also criticizing the influence of the rich in valuing art. Plus, it shows off the talents of two great British actors working today: Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings series and the dreadful Cats) and Michaela Coel (Mother Mary). McKellan is Julian Sklar, an aging accomplished artist who hasn’t painted any new works in thirty years. He is known for painting a series of portraits called The Christophers but never finished the last series of paintings. It is rumored that the partially done works are stashed away in his attic. Now he has become a recluse, hiding away in his London house while collecting checks for his appearances as a judge on a TV reality show. Coel is Lori Butler, who once had a starting career as an artist but now works as an art restorer, as she is known for her ability to mimic the styles of famous painters. Lori is approached by Sklar’s two greedy children (James Corden (Cats) and Jessice Gunning) who offer her the chance to make some money by getting hired as Sklar’s assistant. The plan is for her to gain access to the house, find the unfinished paintings, complete them to make them look like Sklar’s work, and put them back. Then, after the artist dies his children will “find” these lost works, put them on the market and make millions. Sounds like a great plan, right? What could go wrong? If you have ever seen a similar crime movie, the answer is plenty, right? The appeal of the film doesn’t depend on how the plan will turn out. We are pretty sure the crime won’t go according to plan. The real interesting thing is watching how this pair interact with each other, relating their experiences in the art world, while engaging in a battle of wits against each other. The two are masters in mind games against the other. At times Sklar becomes abusive, issuing caustic comments, walking around dressed in a bath robe and criticizing Lori. Lori stands up to him but keeps silent when needed. When she gets fired, she refuses to accept the termination. Most of the movie takes place in Sklar’s home and special recognition must go to the production team for creating something that looks like it would belong to an artist who has lived there for decades. The house is filled with tools of the trade and various knick-knacks that one would expect. It is a pleasure to see these two stars on the screen together. Can it be too early to think of Oscar nominations for both?

Gloria Bell

Gloria Bell            4 stars

Gloria Bell, starring Julianne Moore as Gloria, a middle aged divorced woman who loves to go to clubs and dance to seventies music is one of the most fun movies I have seen so far this year.  It is directed by Sebastian Lelio, who also directed the previous version, Gloria made in Chile, a few years earlier.  In the movie, Gloria seems happy, but she is dealing with her two adult children, who don’t seem to have time for her and have their own problems.  She also is trying to start a relationship with a newly divorced man, who she likes, but soon finds out that he is certainly not right for her.  Through it all, Moore puts on a convincing performance as a woman who is resilient and won’t allow others in her life stand in the way of her own happiness.  I encourage everyone to see this one while it is still in theaters.

Laura

Laura                     5 stars

This well known mystery from 1944 has been on my wish list for a very long time and I finally got around to seeing it.  Known as one of the best made mysteries ever, it stars Gene Tierney as the murdered Laura, a young socialite who is sought after by a number of men and Dana Andrews as Detective McPherson who must solve the case.  The story introduces a number of suspects who are questioned by the detective who becomes obsessed with the subject, Laura, who then strangely appears at her own apartment very much alive.  The film is well constructed as each suspect appears to have a good story for why they are innocent while important clues about the actual events appear.  It is still a masterpiece that holds up to the test of time and packs plenty of style and drama in the short 90 minute run time.  The film was directed by Otto Preminger in what was only his second directorial effort.  Also present in the movie is a young Vincent Price as a weak willed admirer of the young Laura.

Hotel Mumbai

Hotel Mumbai   4 stars

Hotel Mumbai tells the true story of the Islamic terrorist attack on the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, India in 2008.  It’s a well done presentation of the absolute terror that the victims of the attack went through facing young men with automatic weapons and hand grenades while having no defense other than running and hiding.  It also depicts the acts of heroism that the staff of the hotel displayed in protecting the guests of the hotel, many of whom are quite wealthy.  The movie doesn’t hold anything back as it shows just how horrifying it must be to be to be experiencing such a terrible event.  I remember well the news of the attack back around Thanksgiving in 2008.  The attack seemed to go on forever before the Indian Special Forces finally killed all the terrorists involved.  At the end of the movie we are shown much about the outcome of the story.  In all well over 100 people were killed across the city.  Of the victims in the hotel, half were the hotel staff.  Also, it took 21 months to restore the damage left behind and reopen the hotel.  If you see Hotel Mumbai be ready to feel more tension and dread than you do from any horror movie.