Category Archives: Drama

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.

Conclave

Conclave              4 ½ stars

In Edward Berger’s new movie Conclave, we get a peek at one of the most secret societies in the world. (Berger previously gave us All Quiet on the Western Front in 2022.) The conclave is the Catholic Church’s process for selecting a new Pope after the passing of the preceding his Holiness. In the movie, based on the book by Robert Harris, the Pope has just passed away and within hours Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) arrives and finds that it is his job to manage the conclave, only he is experiencing his own crisis of faith. He also considered the father to be a friend. As the cardinals gather, we learn who some of the candidates are and that some have their own agenda and that there are some who had deep disagreements with the progressiveness of the former pope. We also see that divisions between the cardinals extend beyond church policy and into race and country of origin. As we get into the voting process, secrets are revealed, and the intrigue expands. We learn of secret meetings that the Pope had just before his passing. To an extent the story is like a spy story or even a murder mystery. The cardinals are split into two camps, the old school conservatives and the progressives who preach tolerance of other faiths and the LGTBQ community. Each faction is maneuvering to get their guy to the necessary number votes to be named the new Pope. I appreciated the efforts of the filmmakers in making sure we can identify all the important characters. Many movies miss on this matter. There are a few surprises that occur late in the story, and I cannot say more about them for fear of spoiling your enjoyment. The movie should not be considered a form of high literature and is really just interesting entertainment that includes some very good performances. I expect to see some Academy Award nominations including acting awards for Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci. I would not count on it to win Best Picture at this point though. Just go see it and enjoy the experience.

Better Days

Better Days         4 stars

The movie Better Days, released in 2019 is a representation of the high stress levels on high school students in China combined with the prevalence of bullying among peers in the schools. Based on actual events it follows the life of Chen Nian, a high school girl going through final exams which determine the fate of millions of Chinese every year. Nian is from an impoverished home where she lives with her mother and where they are being hounded by creditors. As if this isn’t enough Nian is being bullied by some of the girls at her school, but the level of bullying is much more extreme than what kids experience here in America. It rises to the level of criminal behavior, and for poor Nian the police and her teachers are completely ineffective in dealing with the problem, so she turns to Xiao Bei, a local street punk who himself is constantly beaten by local gangs. Bei vows to protect her from the abusive classmates. It is then that the movie turns into more of a doomed romance story between the two main characters. There are more aspects of the story including a police investigation and deaths of some students that I won’t go into, but it is a very compelling story with some good performances. The story does get a little confusing as some of the editing is done with flashbacks and because of the unfamiliar Chinese names the characters have. It helps to be able to do a little rewinding to follow the plot. The movie is significant as the real events led Chinese authorities to examine the problem of bullying in their schools that resulted in reforms that successfully reduced the problem. Be warned that the level of violence toward these kids is more than we would expect in a story concerning high school students. Better Days was nominated for Best International Feature Film in 2021.

House of Gucci

House of Gucci                  4 stars

The movie to see this week is the true crime drama House of Gucci, Ridley Scott’s take on the treachery and backstabbing that went on in the family handbag business of Gucci from the seventies to the nineties. Much of the movie is about the squabbles and double crosses over the differences of opinion on how to run the family business. But the thing that really makes the movie is Lady Gaga’s performance as Patrizia Reggiani, the daughter of a middle-class business owner who married Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) and then forces her own ideas of running the business on others with dire consequences for everyone involved. The story develops slowly but gets progressively more interesting with each move turning one family member against another. Al Pacino is his usual convincing self as Aldo Gucci, one of the two brothers that are the primary owners of Gucci. Jared Leto is unrecognizable as Paolo Gucci, the clueless cousin of Maurizio who falls victim to Patrizia’s schemes. I was not familiar with the story of the Gucci empire and you will probably be better off not knowing the background before seeing the movie. With every scene she is in, Lady Gaga proves that she deserves the title of movie star as she determines the mood of the film throughout. She proves that her performance in A Star is Born from four years ago was no fluke.

Don’t Look Up

Don’t Look Up   2 ½ stars

I was among the first to view Adam McKay’s new satirical comedy Don’t Look Up, just released in theaters. McKay has previously brought us The Big Short and Vice, both inventive and amusing films. In Don’t Look Up we have a star-studded cast in a movie about the approaching end of the world. Leonardo DiCaprio is Michigan State astronomer Dr. Randall Mindy and Jennifer Lawrence (who we haven’t seen much of lately outside of The X-Men franchise) is grad student Kate Dibiasky who have just discovered a new comet in the solar system. Unfortunately for them and the rest of humanity the calculations show that the five to ten kilometer wide comet will crash into earth in just six months and will cause a cataclysmic event and destroy all human life. The Don’t Look Up title refers to the faction of disbelievers who deny the facts before them including the visible comet in the sky. The parallels to the environmental crisis and the denials we see are obvious. Most people are more interested in following social media and watching what is going on with their favorite pop stars than the stories of impending doom. (Good for Ariana Grande mocking herself.) Even President Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep) and her dimwitted son Jason, serving as White House Chief of Staff (Jonah Hill) cannot be bothered with listening to science and just want to move on. (The elections are coming soon.) A lot of the humor is a spot on indictment our media obsessed culture in America, but overall the movie goes overboard on the ridiculous plot, including a tech mogul (Mark Rylance) who is more interested in profiting from the situation than saving the planet. The movie, at two and a quarter hours could have been much shorter and did not have to rely on so much CGI effects to make its point. I read that many of the stars jumped at the chance to be in this satire, but after a while I thought the point had been made. The rest was unnecessary flush and craziness.

West Side Story

West Side Story                5 stars

We’ve had a few movie musicals hit the theaters in the past year to great acclaim such as In the Heights and Tick Tick Boom. But December brought us the big one, Steven Spielberg’s remake of the classic 1961 West Side Story. This updated version has all the same memorable musical numbers of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim performed to perfection. Add to it the free flowing dance numbers done by ethnically correct actors and an updated take on the racial tensions between the white gang called the Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks and you have a sure hit on your hands. The Romeo and Juliet story brought to the blighted streets of New York requires a young cast and it was filled out with very talented actors. They include Rachel Zegler as the love struck Maria and Ansel Elgort (of Baby Driver) as her lover Tony who have some great chemistry between them. The gang leaders, Bernardo (David Alvarez) and Riff (Mike Faist) bring their race hating contempt to reality in their roles. Ariana DeBose as Anita, the girlfriend of Bernardo has some very energetic performances in “America” and her preaching to Maria about the dangerous path she is taking. Of course the presence of Rita Moreno cannot be missed with the specially created role of Valentina made for her. She was the original Anita in the 1961 version sixty years ago. At the age of 90 she shows that she has still got it. Other than the music I could not remember that much of the original movie (based on the Broadway musical), but the story of the doomed lovers in the setting of a racially tinged gang war is something that is relevant across multiple eras. I hope it is finding a wide audience.