Category Archives: Romance

I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming

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I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming         4 stars

At this year’s Chicago International Film Festival, I took in a most unusual war time drama. German director Isabelle Stever’s I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming tells us the LGTBQ story of Olya and Oleh who are in a long-term transgender relationship. This story happens to be set during the opening months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the suburbs of Kyiv. Not only does the young couple have to live in the shadow of war, but they also have to deal with the transphobia of their fellow countrymen. Ukrainian screenwriter Anna Melikova set out to write about what happens when one partner in a lesbian relationship decides to transition into a man. (In the movie it is Oleh who becomes a trans-man.) But then the invasion happened, so she decided to write these events into the screenplay. The couple and Olya’s parents find they must evacuate their home due to the threat of the invading Russian army at the same time that Olya is feeling resentment toward Oleh because she now must be in a heterosexual relationship. When the couple reaches the border and tries to flee the country to go to Germany, they are prevented from crossing since able bodied men may not leave and must serve in the military. As they ponder their situation things get worse when it is reported what the Russians did in their town of Bucha. The movie is one of only a handful of dramatic productions set in the tragedy of the Ukraine war. Plus, it makes viewers aware of the challenges of being LGBTQ in a culture unsympathetic to their issues. The movie is filmed in a very static fashion with still cameras and shots at indirect angles from the subjects, making it appear like we are peering into their world. Amazingly, the director who does not speak Ukrainian was able to pull off this feat. I recommend I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming especially if you haven’t seen a dramatic portrayal of transgender people before.

Juliet, Naked

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Juliet, Naked                      4 ½ stars

For a pleasant change I took in a romantic comedy, Juliet, Naked which is recently released and stars Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd.  This was not your typical silly derivative romantic comedy, but one that has a more real feel to it, one that has several laughs that can be described as low key, but still very amusing.  O’Dowd is Duncan who lives with his long time girlfriend Annie (Byrne) in a quiet British coastal town and is obsessed with Tucker Crowe, an American rock star who made a splash twenty five years earlier and hasn’t been heard from since.  Duncan even has a website dedicated to his favorite artist and one day receives a recording of an early unfinished version of a Crowe album called Juliet, Naked.  Duncan of course thinks this is a fantastic find, but girlfriend Annie is not so impressed so she writes an anonymous review dismissing the recording as nothing very special, much to the disgust of Duncan.  Well, eventually who should find the review but Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke) himself.  Crowe actually agrees with Annie and the two set out to have a regular ongoing correspondence of everything going on in their lives.  We find out that Crowe has made a mess of his life having several children by different women, all of whom he has declined to take responsibility for.  Of course you can see that these two internet friends will have to get together and explore how they can relate in person.  This is when things really start to happen and life gets much more complicated.  The movie works well with its genuine writing and some outstanding performances by all three main characters.  It is also aided by the contributions of two young actors as two of Crowe’s children.  Juliet, Naked is based on a novel by Nick Hornby and works well as a comedy that deals with some real relationship issues, but also delivers its share of comedic moments.  The movie is made even better when you consider it has original music actually sung by Ethan Hawke!

A Star Is Born

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A Star Is Born                     5 stars

The film that is being talked about as the movie of the year has finally arrived.  There has been a lot of hype building over the new remake of “A Star Is Born” starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in the lead roles and I can dare say it has lived up to the hype.  Cooper who is an accomplished actor is not just the star as country rock singer Jackson Maine, but also co-wrote and directed Star.  Lady Gaga already an amazing musician is in her first starring role as Ally, the talented singer songwriter who has been trying to make it in a tough business, but whose attempts are only met with disappointment.  When the two meet, the romance starts and her career takes off, while he slowly deteriorates as he is sunk by alcoholism and drug abuse.  It is a very familiar tale as it has been done three times before, twice about Hollywood actors, then in 1976 about musicians with Barbra Streisand.  This time it is again about the music industry, but Gaga makes her part completely believable since without all the makeup and glitter we know her for, she looks quite ordinary and not attractive. We can believe it when the industry says she doesn’t have the looks.  I am told that Cooper actually learned to change his voice and does a remarkable job as a singer for this role.  In the scene where Jackson forces Ally on stage at his own show and gets her to sing her own song, it becomes unforgettable as she belts out the song that will be long remembered.  The scenes between the two stars seem completely real and believable as they are obviously falling for each other.  I cannot leave Sam Elliot’s role unmentioned as Bobby, the older brother of Jackson who raised him after their father died and who stands watch as Jackson slowly destroys himself.  The story is of course very familiar as one performer rises to stardom while her partner falls to his demons and can only drag down her career with him.  This new version of A Star Is Born should not be missed.  It will be talked about for months and I will bet that it will receive no less than ten Academy Award nominations next year. 

The Old Man & the Gun

The Old Man & the Gun                 4 ½ stars

There is yet another fine movie showing in the theaters now. That is The Old Man & the Gun featuring two long time legends of Hollywood, Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek.  It is a movie driven by the two main characters that really doesn’t have a lot going on.  It is based on the true story of Forrest Tucker, a convict who in the early eighties escaped from prison and carried out a string of bank robberies at age seventy that confounded the police.  What really drives the movie is Redford’s charm and his smile.  The most enjoyable parts are when he is talking with or charming Jewel (Spacek) while she thoroughly enjoys his company while believing little of what he tells her about himself.  Casey Affleck contributes to rounding out the film as he portrays the Texas lawman trying to track down Tucker and his Over the Hill gang as the crime spree spreads from one state after another.  Redford has said that this is his last picture as an actor.  I don’t know if that is true, but The Old Man & the Gun is a brilliant send off in any case.

Welcome to Marwen

Welcome to Marwen                     4 stars

Welcome to Marwen from director Robert Zemeckis employs some very imaginative techniques to tell the story of Mark Hogencamp (Steve Carell), an illustrator who lost his memory after being beaten by some local thugs.  Having lost his drawing talent Mark has created a fantasy world made up of miniatures dolls and models in an imaginary town in Brussels during World War II.  Mark has an alter ego named Hoagie represented by an American airman doll who frequently takes on Nazi soldiers aided by some very courageous women who make up the town’s population.  Each of the women figures represents a woman who plays a part in Mark’s life.  Mark lives alone outside of town and seems to be a broken man, but he manages to stay connected to people through his town called Marwen which he photographs creating intricate stories about his characters.  I found the movie quite engaging with the way it moves from the fantasy world to reality and how the events in Marwen are related to things going on in Mark’s real world.  The special effects are well done using stop action photography and animation to create some great action sequences.  The story is based on the actual true events of Mark Hogencamp who created this imaginary world and became famous through exhibitions of his photography.  I found the movie uplifting and entertaining which apparently most movie critics don’t see based on the mostly negative reviews it has been getting.  Robert Zemeckis has been making movies for ages and I am sure most viewers have seen some which includes Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Cast Away and Forrest Gump.  In my opinion he has another winner that more people should be seeing.

The Invite

The Invite            4 ½ stars

In The Invite, now in theaters we meet Joe (Seth Rogen of Dumb Money and Long Shot) and Angela (Olivia Wilde of Don’t Worry Darling and Meadowland), a married couple whose marriage is clearly headed for trouble. Joe has anger issues and is dissatisfied with his job as an associate professor at a music conservatory. Angela is a stay-at-home mom who takes care of their tween daughter and loves to decorate the house (apartment) tastefully. From the moment Joe arrives home one evening, the bickering starts and I was wondering what I am in for. Before long Angela reveals that she has invited the upstairs neighbors for an evening dinner and learns that Joe has forgotten to pick up some wine for the occasion. In fact, Joe can’t remember the evening plans at all and is in no mood to be entertaining guests, so the arguing continues. When the couple, Hawk (Edward Norton of A Complete Unknown and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) and Piña (Penélope Cruz (who is amazing in everything)) arrives it doesn’t take long before we see that Joe resents them over their noisy amorous activities at night while he and Angela are trying the sleep. We find out that Hawk used to be a firefighter while Piña is a “sexologist”. (The story also depends on the strategic placement of certain windows in the apartment that I find difficult to explain.) Also, it soon becomes apparent that this new couple has a certain agenda in mind for their hosts that will play out through the evening. The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde (her third time out directing after Booksmart and Don’t Worry Darling), is actually a remake of the Spanish film, The People Upstairs, one of a few sex comedies that have appeared over the years. Her direction combined with the writing of Rashida Jones and Will McCormack have given us a smart sex comedy driven by the talents of these four great actors. This is a well written comedy that depends on the dialogue of the actors and the well-coordinated interaction between them. They easily go from what seems to be a friendly conversation to something that turns into a conflict revealing deep resentment. This is not at all the kind of comedy that usually typifies a Seth Rogen movie. You feel like you are watching a real dinner party with layers of deep feelings being slowly peeled away. If this type of smart comedy sounds appealing to you, then you should be sure to see it while you can.

If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk              5 stars

A leading contender for a Best picture nomination this year has to be If Beale Street Could Talk, Barry Jenkins follow up film to 2016’s Moonlight.  This film, set in the early seventies in Harlem is based on a novel by African American writer and novelist James Baldwin and is about racial injustice as it affects the two families in the story.  However, the movie is mainly a love story between the two young lovers, Tish (newcomer Kiki Layne) and Fonny (Stephen James), childhood friends who have gotten engaged and are about to spend their lives together.  Their world is suddenly shattered when Fonny is wrongfully accused of a rape that he did not do and is caught in a legal system that has little regard for the truth or justice.  It is when Tish comes to visit Fonny in jail that the news is broken that she is pregnant with their child, so the injustice spreads further.  In one very dramatic scene, Fonny’s family is invited over to Tish’s family where the news is broken to all.  Then we really find out the family dynamics involved, especially when Fonny’s holy roller mother come down hard on young Tish condemning her for her sins causing all sorts of fireworks to come out.  Regina King is perfect as Tish’s mother struggling to hold the family together and do what she can to get to the truth and free Fonny.  The masterly done scene set ups and dialogue gives the film a very authentic feel.  Much attention to detail went into the costumes and sets making it seem like the early seventies again.  Much of the film is told in a nonlinear fashion so we see the loving couple together interspersed with scenes dealing with lawyers and prison guards showing the peril the characters are in.  Count on Best Picture and Best director nominations for If Beale Street Could Talk.  And look for it in theaters as it goes into wider release.

Second Act

Second Act                          2 stars

Jennifer Lopez is back for another romantic comedy, something she does so well based on previous efforts like Maid in Manhattan, The Wedding Planner and Shall We Dance.  Unfortunately, the story isn’t quite up to her talents in this Peter Segal directed film.  Maya (Lopez) is single, has a boyfriend (Milo Ventimiglia) and is a talented employee who knows the products working in a big box store.  She is up for a promotion but gets passed over for a man with a better education who she finds difficult to respect.  Maya is encouraged by her friends to find something better and applies for something out reach on Madison Avenue.  One of her friends happens to be very tech savvy and he sets up a fake job profile for her much more attractive to the Madison Avenue execs.  She lands the big consultant job and settles in for the huge challenges ahead.  It is then that things take an unexpected twist and one of the greatest coincidences takes place that changes the course of the lives involved.  I won’t go into it here, but suffice it to say some past relationships resurface in surprise fashion.  The most interesting time I had was trying to identify the many supporting actors that appeared in the movie that I immediately recognized.  Leah Remini is Maya’s best friend Joan.  Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical is a product developer and the daughter of the company executive (Treat Williams from What Happens in Vegas).  Charlyne Yi from Knocked Up and Paper Heart is one of Maya’s assistants.  The usually evil Dave Foley from the Middle and The New Adventures of Old Christine is here in a typical role.  Larry Miller from the Christopher Guest/Eugene Levy comedies is the manager at the big box store.  And Annaleigh Ashford of masters of Sex shows up as one of the employees hoping to take down Maya in the competition for best new product.  Things get very tense for the main character in this comedy, but things will work out in the end as they inevitably do.  See Second Act if you are a Jennifer Lopez fan like me, but otherwise I am sure you can find other more interesting films.

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.

Long Shot

Long Shot                            3 stars

It has been a long time since we’ve had a good rom-com at the movies.  This week’s offering of Long Shot attempts to address that drought and goes a long way towards succeeding.  The movie stars the beautiful Charlize Theron as Charlotte Field, the youngest Secretary of State in US history and the wildly comical Seth Rogen as an out of work sharp witted journalist named Fred Flarsky who crosses paths with the Secretary at a big Gala.  Remarkably, the two have a shared past that involves a shockingly amusing episode when the two were only teenagers.  The Secretary then pitches to Fred the idea of hiring him as a speech writer which he then accepts which leads to more awkward situations.  Since this is a Seth Rogen movie there are plenty of sight gags, awkward sexual encounters and some serious drug use.  As this is also a political comedy, there are gags involving world leaders and celebrities that are based on some pretty absurd circumstances, such as, the president wishing to leave after a single term to pursue a movie career.  (But then in these times we live in who am I to claim something is absurd.)  Although it has its funny moments, it doesn’t quite measure up to the comedy I’m used to seeing in an episode of Veep.  One sign of the film’s shortcomings is the use of actors for the roles of TV news anchors instead of casting real anchors to play themselves.  I felt that would have helped it to look a little more authentic, like other political comedies have done.   One surprise in the film is the casting of Andy Serkis as Parker Wembley, a wealthy billionaire and media owner seeking to influence the politicians to favor his personal political views.  He was amusing and completely unrecognizable.