The Queen’s Gambit – 10
Take me away. Take me to a different
world. Take me to a time and place that
I only vaguely remember. Make it
alternately as tedious and as electric as real life. Show me a passion.
There are so many cool things about this mini-series. 1) It’s 7 episodes. Who does 7 episodes? Well it took 7 to tell this story, so that’s what they did. 2) It’s slow paced at times. So is life. In telling this story, the lulls are important too. 3) The chess scenes are shot as action scenes in a sport. There is as much intensity and excitement, build-up and let down, as sports provide. It’s brilliantly handled and chess experts have bent over backwards to praise its authenticity.
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Beth Harmon, chess prodigy. Life is a roller coaster for Beth. Orphaned at a young age, she spends years in an orphanage, where she is routinely given tranquilizers, which start her down a dependency trail. The janitor in the basement that teaches her a lot about chess and a little about life, realizes she has a brilliance in her chess moves and helps launch her into something that will not only add meaning to her life, but give her a sense of direction. Sometimes, that’s all you need. Taylor-Joy is simply magnificent in this “star is born” role of a lifetime. Although she’s been acting for awhile, this time out she’ll need to clear some shelf space for the awards that should pile up. As a fan of great acting, there is a singular thrill watching someone in the role they were born to play. Sometimes, life is just a cabaret that way.
Classic Movie Watch
To Be Or Not To Be -10
Finally, a classic that stands the test of time. A brilliant script carries us to Poland as the Nazis are invading and a resistance is forming. Jack Benny and Carole Lombard are terrific as the husband and wife who are the stars of a theater troupe that finds themselves in the middle of plots, subplots, and counter-plots in the underground. How the entire troupe uses its Shakespearian skills to have influence is a wonderful story. Directed by Ernst Lubistch and currently available on HBO Max and TCM this is a short screwball comedy that should probably be ranked higher than #149 on Sight And Sound’s poll.
I Am Woman – 8
It probably wasn’t cool for a guy to like Helen Reddy as much as I did. This biopic doesn’t touch on things I know as a fan, like the great songs like “LA Breakdown” on her first album, or her earlier, quicker and shorter version of a song she wrote, “I am Woman.” She refined that song into an anthem, and that is terribly misrepresented in the movie, but that’s ok. Helen Reddy had several hits during her hot streak. It’s always interesting to wonder why a certain artist became a star, and others, equally talented, never catch that big break.
Tilda Cobham-Hervey is excellent as Helen. She’s no Rami Malek, but in many ways Helen
Reddy was as drab as Freddie Mercury was colorful. So, don’t watch unless you were a Helen Reddy
fan, and would like to fill in some gaps that you may not know.
Fargo – 6
The 4th season of Fargo went about the way most 4th seasons go. Out of gas, but still gaseous. Just a different gas. I hung with this longer than I should have, because viewing time has to be budgeted. I stayed because I’m a huge Chris Rock fan and I wanted to see how he’d do as an actor. Only fair, as it turns out. I stayed longer because of Jesse Buckley, the wonderful actress who puts the “Fargo” into this Kansas City based story. She’s a serial killer with the requisite Minnesota accent in this season. I loved Jessie in “Wild Rose” and she could become a big star. I say could, because you never really know, but she plays the most convincing character, the poisoner who is more threatening than the mobsters battling for the control of the city. That’s a feat in itself, but still not enough to watch. If you have some curiosity about Fargo, head back to that first Billy Bob Thornton-driven season. It still holds up. I made it to the last episode, and while it had its moments, it was a disjointed mess without a character to care about. Four strikes and you’re out.
Utopia – 5
This is a controversial series about a pandemic virus. It’s all tied to a comic book that I guess predicted the virus, and it’s silly and implausible and a struggle to watch, not to mention too close, too soon.
Belushi – 9
I took the bait and signed up for the 3 month free trial of Showtime in order to watch what I have missed of Homeland, Billions, and Shameless, but the first thing I watched was this documentary on John Belushi. I was a dedicated viewer of the early Saturday Night Live and I’m wondering how many “Not Ready For Prime Time Players” there have been by now. Many stars have been produced by SNL, but few as interesting as John Belushi. Was his brilliance dampened or brightened by his drug use? You’ll get to decide. This doc marches you from his childhood, through his stardom, to his early death. There’s a lot to learn, and a lot to cover here, and the filmmakers do it justice. As interesting and entertaining as Belushi was.
Perfect in ’76 – 8
If you are a sports fan you know that the last undefeated college basketball team was Indiana in 1976. The legend of Coach Bobby Knight is very much tied to this team. What you will learn from this Showtime Documentary is that Knight meant that to be the case. He challenged this team from the beginning to go unbeaten and he pushed and prodded them all year to that end. Let’s face it, most great coaches have an arrogance about them. It’s on full display here. The question is, how much of a necessity is it? Again, you get to decide. This brought back a lot of memories, because I have to admit the individual players had faded from my memory
David Byrne’s American Utopia – 10
It’s hard to appreciate a song you’re hearing for the first time, but if you are a lover of music you’ll still generally know when it’s good. Such is the case with This HBO special which is a Spike Lee directed production of David Byrne’s Broadway play based on Byrne’s album of the same name. Lee overlays some graphics late in the show, but for the most part just lets the music do the talking, and since Byrne’s fame came from the rock group The Talking Heads, that’s appropriate. He is aided by an international ensemble of 11 singing, dancing musicians who swerve and weave around Byrne on a barren stage during the catchy songs. It’s a show of diversification and appreciation, and Byrne narrates briefly during the journey. There are some messages here, and I’d be lying if I said I caught them all. Nor would I call myself a fan of Byrne, only because I can’t follow everyone. That’s not the case with the wildly enthusiastic audience in this small theater where it was filmed.
The music and performances are unique and as the show rolls along it just gets better and better until the last third, which is stunning. I have to be honest and say that I don’t know many people who will watch this, because it’s not for everybody, but those that do will be rewarded. This, is art.
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