MOVIES
Please
forgive my brevity this month.
The Fall Guy – 9
Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling have great chemistry. It’s a good thing. Gosling plays a stunt man of almost
superhuman powers and Emily plays his director and they bounce through action
set pieces that are movie and non-movie ones.
It’s all incredibly ridiculous but in such a fun way I wish more movies
could pull off this balance.
A Quiet Place: Day One – 9
Three movies in and the Quiet Place franchise is maintaining its quality. This is a first-class production of how the alien invasion began, and while the surprises are not what they used to be, solid script, and Lupita Nyong'o is a great addition to the story.
Emilia Perez – 9
There are a couple of sure things here. One, this movie is a totally unique work of art. Two, it will be a topic of intense discussion for a long time. It’s already controversial, and in this world that will go on for a while.
The fact that this movie wasn’t exactly my cup of tea shouldn’t obscure the fact that it is well done. I still have not been able to make it through last year’s Oscar Winning Best Picture, Here, there, and Everywhere, or something like that. I made it through this one because it is a great story. A drug kingpin with a family realizes that he’s made enough enemies and he needs to change his identity. How he does it, with a sex change operation, is the story. Of course, things do not go as planned.
Emilia is played by the transvestite actor Karla Sofia Gascon and
she has rightfully been nominated for an Oscar for her work. She is pretty amazing and will probably be
the favorite. Zoe Saldana will also be
considered the favorite for Supporting Actress, in the role of Emilia’s
attorney, although I thought she had more screen time than the lead role.
One little thing I haven’t mentioned.
For some strange reason they decided to do this as a musical, and that’s
my biggest problem with it. I didn’t really
care for the music. It seemed very
simplistic to me. But, what do I know? You might hum it for the rest of your life.
Juror #2 – 8
Clint Eastwood’s probable last directorial effort caught me by
surprise by making an implausible story almost believable. The juror in the title is serving on a murder
trial and begins to realize that he himself may be the murderer, even if
accidentally. Now comes a moral dilemma,
and to me, moral dilemmas make the best movies.
Confess to free the innocent man and jeopardize you and your
family? What would you do?
A Real Pain – 7
Jesse Eisenberg’s much lauded directorial debut is mercifully short. Two cousins decide to tour Poland to connect
with their Jewish heritage. Jesse stars
and his cousin is played by Keirnan Mcculkin who won a Supporting Actor Golden
Globe for the role. Both are extensively
irritating to each other, and to me. It’s
a nice character study of two characters that I didn’t understand.
Nightbitch - 6
I love Amy Adams. I have no idea why she
did this movie. She plays a mother
really struggling with motherhood who is turning into a dog. I’m not making this up. I really tried to understand what they were
getting at here, but it’s a black comedy/horror/drama/fantasy film and it’s not
a pleasant watch.
Back in Action – 6
Cameron Diaz came out of retirement to star in this action movie. She and Jamie Foxx are secret agents who
appear to die in the line of duty and, to escape their dangerous lives, assume
new identities, get married, have kids, and live nice calm lives. Until.
Well, everyone has a camera phone, and they blow their cover. The crazy action begins and the snappy
dialogue can’t make up for the formulaic and rather lame writing. Can’t complain since I’m coming out of
retirement myself.
Saturday Night – 4
I can remember the debut of Saturday
Night Live in 1975 like it was yesterday, which is odd given that so much of my memories have moved from the “distant” to the “non-existent” column. But that first season was unlike anything we
had ever seen on television, and we sat enthralled at the sketches, good, bad,
and awful. The Not Ready for Prime-Time
players became first, household names, and later – legends. As the show approaches its 50th anniversary
its impact on modern culture can’t be overstated. Truth be told I’ve only watched a fraction of
the 980 episodes, but the good bits have escaped into the viral world, even before there
was a “viral.”
This movie tells the story of the first episode and if it is anywhere close to
the truth, it’s a miracle it ever got to air.
It portrays Lorne Michaels as a bumbling idiot bouncing around like a
pinball trying to pull it all together.
While the actors who are given the thankless task of portraying the
future legends are not bad, the script is just terrible. I can’t think of a movie lately that I looked
forward to so much that was such a letdown. There are a few good moments, but for
the most part this is awful, just awful.
STREAMING/BINGING
and what’s left of Network Television
Prime Target – 9
Apple+ hits with a unique action thriller about a math whiz who has unlocked
the secret to some very serious algebra, or something like that. There are bad guys who don’t want him
learning what he’s getting close to, and they have been killing people who get
this close. So, he may be doomed. Or, he may be ingenious enough to figure it
all out. Only 3 episodes so far, and I’m all
in.
The Night Agent (season 2) – 5
The first season was a big Netflix hit and it appears to have been written by
Shakespeare compared to the drivel that has been thrown together for season
2. Major disappointment without a
believable moment. Too bad.
Silo (season 2) – 8
After a stellar first season, the second series got a little
stuck in a stagnant loop. Some great
moments, but lacking the electricity.
Still a first class sci-fi story about one future that’s not so great.
Let it Be – 8
The Disney channel is showing the original 1970 documentary, long suppressed by
the Beatles. It was recently expanded
into a much longer documentary by Peter Jackson and it was a stellar work. This is an abbreviated version that shows
some chinks in the camaraderie of the group. The Let it Be album was the last
one released, although it was actually recorded before the Abbey Road
album. While there were struggles
within, the musical magic is still there as the curtain is pulled back. For a fan like myself, this is just a thrill.
Buy Now! The Shopping
Conspiracy – 10
Netflix exposes the Amazon shopping strategy in this incredible
documentary. And it’s not just
Amazon. Cell phone makers like Apple and
many others that fuel our economy are exposed.
But, we all know that there’s a massive science behind it all. What we don’t know, that is really stunning,
is how the waste of our economy is dealt with on a global scale. It will blow your mind. The visuals are amazing and I can’t believe
it.
