Get Back – 10 (Disney+)
The greatness of the Beatles is on full display in all its beauty and conflict in this almost 9 hour documentary from Peter Jackson, culled from the Let It Be Sessions.
On the verge of disintegration, with only 1 album ahead, the
Beatles decided to go back to basics, and without a lot of studio enhancements write,
record, and perform a whole new album in a month, the Let It Be album.
I have many observations:
Paul is the driving force of creativity. Pumping out classics-to-be is 2nd
nature. John is struggling to keep up,
and George is actually catching up.
I was surprised that George Martin played so little role in
this album, but it makes sense as there is little production.
The Beatles use a musical shorthand that I don’t understand. They sure are good at it!
Because cameras were rolling, I think they were probably on
their best behavior, especially Paul.
There are parts that are hard to take, and there are parts that bring the purest wonderment. If your wish was to go back in time and witness The Beatles, you will love this trip.
West Side Story – 9
Steven Speilberg is at his best in what will
probably go down as a masterpiece despite flopping at the box office. The sets and scenery and dancing are
phenomenal, as good as anything that’s ever been put on the big screen. Newcomer Rachel Zegler is stunning as Maria,
as is Ariana Debose as Anita, the role that Rita Morena won an Oscar for in the original.
Unfortunately, there was one huge casting mistake. Ansel Elgot as Tony was a huge misfire for me, as he has less charisma than a chair, making it hard to believe that Maria would fall for him. Also, Rita Morena is shoehorned in for nostalgia’s sake, but her scenes bring things to a screeching halt. These are unfortunate, because without these two mistakes, this would be in the top two or three musicals of all time. One more thing: This year there are two scenes that are so stunning they should live forever. The one that is in this movie, is the singing and dancing of "America" with all the joy and love for this country that no longer seems to exist.
Tick, Tick….BOOM - 9
Andrew Garfield jumps into the Best Actor Oscar race playing
Jonathan Larsen, the writer of Rent.
Although just about 30, Larsen is desperate to write a Broadway musical,
and his ups and downs are portrayed here, weaved around a one-man show. Creative people are often troubled, or at
least put themselves under a lot of stress, and Garfield conveys that. Larsen would die suddenly before Rent opened
on Broadway. Directed by Lin
Manuel-Miranda of Hamilton fame, this would be a great musical in any year.
The Power of the Dog – 9
Benedict Cumberbatch is the other top Oscar Best Actor
contender playing a troubled cowboy in Jane Campion’s latest. Set in Montana, the echos of current
television hit Yellowstone are audible.
The breathtaking scenery, the family disfunction. Cumberbatch plays a closeted cowboy who harrasses then befriends his brother’s stepson, Peter.
Peter is played by Kodi Smith-McPhee in a stunning performance that will
likely net him a supporting actor Oscar.
And as good as the acting is, it’s the script and the ending that make
this movie something special.
Music Box: Jagged – 9
Music Box: The Sounds
of Kenny G: - 9
Music Box: Mr.
Saturday Night – 9
Bill Simmons is doing music documentaries under the “Music Box” heading for HBO, the entity that grabbed him when he pissed off ESPN one too many times. , and they are all fine, competent, and often enthralling.
“Jagged” is about the Alanis Morissette dominated music period, but her prior period as a teen star in Canada is equally fascinating. Alanis seems grounded about the whole “fame” thing.
“The Sounds of Kenny G” is a surprisingly interesting
portrait of the popular woodwind player.
“Mr. Saturday Night” is Robert Stigwood and the story of the amazing profit home run he hit with Saturday Night Fever. Gene Siskel would’ve loved this doc.
Val - 9
My childhood included bad Super 8 movies, slides and photographs, all of which would have come in handy had I become famous and played Doc Holiday in Tombstone.. Val Kilmer went through the same thing, often of his own choosing, and ended up giving a knock-out performance as Holiday, making this a fascinating self portrait. Kilmer takes us through his childhood, his roles, and his throat cancer which has crippled his voice. He narrates through a rasp, but that doesn't diminish his story. Much like Get Back, this is a great peek at how the minority live - those with talent.
Encanto - 9
Yes, I watched an animated Disney film. This one is a fantasy set in Columbia and it is filled with bright colors, a wonderful story, and superb music written by Lin Manuel-Miranda, who is everywhere these days. I wasn't wowed by it, but I was certainly entertained.
Woman at War – 9
This is a foreign film about a woman in Iceland who is a deadly serious climate crusader, and the drama is significant, but what makes this film is a recurring sight gag worthy of Monty Python, and every single time it recurred, I laughed out loud
Don’t Look Up – 9
This is an anti-review of a silly little satirical movie directed by Adam McKay. The Antivaxxers will understand. Finally leftist Hollywood has made a
movie worthy of the right, defending liberty and decrying big government. The story is that leftist scientists played by known activists Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, want people to believe that a comet is about to destroy earth, but fortunately, the
Patriots adeptly sniff out the hoax as just a way to control the thinking of the
public. As the hoax reaches its supposed
climax, the divisions grow and reaffirm what I’ve been saying. Hope there’s no World War III, because these
days, the U.S. would never come together to win a war. Stay until the end when leftie, commie Meryl
Streep sees the future. Also, I laughed
out loud. A lot. I could be wrong, but I actually think this
will be one of those movies that live on, maybe even to “classic” status. It’s got that feel. Conservatives will certainly elevate it to that status.
Mix Tape – 7
If you have ever compiled a mix tape you know that special joy of expecting one song to follow another – for the rest of your life, because that’s the way you designed it on a cassette. It’s 1999 and 12-year-old Beverly finds a broken mixtape made by her late parents. She goes exploring, tracking down each song and trying to find the hidden message her parents intended to send her. This is harmless fun and a nice cast. It’s just enough to distract you from today’s music.
Being the Ricardos – 8
At times amusing, at times entertaining, this condensation of numerous events into one week of filming by the great Aaron Sorkin, comes across as a stretch. The controversial casting of Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as Lucy and Desi dominate the watching of the movie as much as the pre-movie chatter. Kidman is a little stiff for her role, while Bardem is a little more believable. There are so many subplots going on, it can’t help but be suspenseful.
The actors playing Vivian Vance and William Frawley (Fred
and Ethel Mertz on the show) are Nina Arianda and J K Simmons, and they have
the best lines, so they steal the show.
I’m a big fan of Arianda from her work on Goliath and when I first heard
she was in the movie, I thought she would be a perfect Lucille Ball. Wrong again Ricardo.
Coming soon - The Year in Review.....
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