A running tab of movies I’ve seen in theaters or at home, and a quick comment about them. I’ve succumbed to the idea of assigning a personal score for each film. My scale:
- 4 Stars – One of the best, well recommended
- 3 Stars – Recommended, but some issues here and there
- 2 Stars – Problematic, hard to recommend
- 1 Star – Disappointment, stay away
2019 Movies | 2018 Movies | 2017 Movies
The Midnight Sky, December, Netflix. George Clooney directed and stars as the last man on earth after a global “incident” in 2049 (I couldn’t get over the notion that he’s a latter-day bearded David Letterman wandering around his Montana ranch). He connects with the crew of the Aether returning from their mission to Jupiter, evidently the last men and women in space. There’s a nice little twist at the end, but it left me with a lot more questions about how things could have been resolved differently. Overall, an accomplished piece of work but not really a great movie. 3 Stars.
Hillbilly Elegy, December, Netflix. The 2016 memoir by J.D. Vance caused a stir in conservative (and liberal) political circles. I haven’t read it but heard that the book helped explain why so many of the working poor shifted from Democrat to Republican in 2016 (and 2020). Ron Howard’s film strips out the politics to focus on the tale of Vance’s family. In the process it becomes less of a social commentary and more about acting vehicles for Glenn Close and Amy Adams, neither of whom really hit it out of the park. 2 Stars.
Soul, December, Disney+. Pixar’s big Christmas release was enjoyable up to a point, good but not great. It seems an odd thing that Disney and Pixar have taken on the task of exploring existential matters like the meaning of life (Soul, Coco, Up, Inside Out, various Toy Stories, Wall-E). As a group, they are probably the most mainstream explorations of these topics allowed in our society. That said, Soul is decent, offering some chuckles and a few light insights, but it’s not really up to the task of the subject. I enjoyed it but I’m not going to build a philosophy of life around it. 3 Stars.
First Cow, December, Showtime. This is one of those small, independent American films we keep saying they’re not making anymore yet here’s another one. Set in the rough and wild world of 1820s Oregon Territory, it tells the tale of two men who find a bond of friendship, reinforced by a scheme to use the milk of the territory’s first cow. The film has popped up on many Best of 2020 lists and I suppose it is, but in a small way. It’s a good film, well made, and I enjoyed watching it. I’m not sure it holds up to some of the weight being heaved upon it (a critique of capitalism?). Mostly it made me glad I don’t live in 1820s Oregon Territory. 3 Stars.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, December, Netflix. This very theatrical adaptation of August Wilson‘s play features Chadwick Boseman‘s final performance which outstrips even Viola Davis in the title role. The film itself was a bit of a letdown for being so full of big, improbable speeches but I suppose that’s entirely in the lap of August Wilson. Mostly, though, it was hard to get past feeling sad for the unjust early loss of Boseman’s talent to cancer. 3 Stars.
Let Them All Talk, December, HBO Max. I enjoyed this lightweight film about a writer and her friends on an Atlantic crossing aboard the Queen Mary 2. Steven Soderbergh directed and filmed the movie during an actual 7-day crossing, with most of the dialogue improvised by cast including the likes of Meryl Streep and Candice Bergen. Getting a vicarious tour of the ship is maybe even more fun than the mildly intricate plot. Bergen steals most of the scenes she’s in and I wish there was a little more focus on her character. 3 Stars.
Mank, December 2020, Netflix. Clearly a labor of love for director David Fincher, and based on a script by his late father, Mank is the story behind Herman Mankiewicz’s screenplay for Citizen Kane. The film is shot in exuberant black-and-white like Kane and features similarly exuberant performances led by Gary Oldman in the title role. For once, an article I read beforehand actually helped me better understand the film: knowing more about the controversy about Citizen Kane’s authorship helped me appreciate the story in Mank. That’s actually something of a problem for the movie. The more you know about Hollywood and the myths and legends surrounding Citizen Kane, Orson Welles, William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davies and their milieu, the more Mank will appeal to you. I grade myself of middling knowledge on these topics so I’m pretty sure I missed a lot of the subtext Fincher is toying with. This film is well done, thought provoking and somewhat entertaining — but it’s no Citizen Kane. 3 Stars.
The Trial of the Chicago 7, November 2020. This would normally have been in theaters but arrived on Netflix. The Aaron Sorkin-penned film was a pretty good quasi-history lesson of an episode I lived through but was too young to really pay attention. It made some sense of intense characters like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Bobby Seale, William Kunstler and Judge Julius Hoffman (who showed up in John Prine’s “Illegal Smile”). All these names floated across my consciousness at the time in 1969 but I never really put the pieces together. It’s hard to believe what a farce of a trial it was, but my impression is that it was perceived as such at the time, and Sorkin pulled most of the trial dialogue from the actual transcript. The eventual convictions were dropped upon appeal which now seems inevitable but I’m sure didn’t at the time.
I was amused that the 7 included two characters, Lee Weiner and John Froines, who had little to do with the Chicago Democratic Convention riot that prompted the trial. They are sort of a built-in Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern and Sorkin even gives them a few good “Why are we here?” lines. They are finally identified as “give backs”, defendants included so the jury can feel good about letting them off. Like R&G, they metaphorically die off screen and are simply not included in the final sentencing hearing. 3 Stars.
The coronavirus put a big dent in my 2020 movie watching, shutting down theaters from mid-March until who-knows-when. I’ve watched a fair amount of stuff on Netflix and HBO but haven’t been highly motivated to write reviews. Most of the stuff has been fluff with little to recommend. Still, it’s been several months now and I don’t know when I’ll get back into a theater, so maybe it makes some sense to at least acknowledge what I’ve watched and note a few of the better things.
There have been several Asian-themed offerings that I’ve enjoyed. Tigertail, about a Taiwan immigrant Dad estranged from his very American daughter, was not bad (2 stars). The Half of It was a better Cyrano-inspired story of an Asian teen coming to terms with love (3 stars). Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series, Never Have I Ever, was a little too predictable but the characters won me over; I’m looking forward to the next season, whenever that might be (3 stars). The PBS documentary series, Asian Americans, gives a Ken Burns-like overview of a variety of Asian American stories and contributions to our history, many of which I didn’t know or didn’t know well (3 stars).
I blew through the second season of Dead To Me which was well-acted but awfully contrived, though I’ve come to realize that’s probably part of the point (3 stars). Even more contrived and ultimately off-putting was Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood (1 star). Bruce Springsteen’s Western Stars was a pleasant-enough diversion mixing a concert in his barn with a series of interstitial Marlboro commercials (2 stars); glad I didn’t pay for it in a theater. [BTW, Bruce came out with a new full-band album in November, Letter to You, that’s quite good. Way to go, old man. Still, it’s hard these days to sit down and listen to a full album. The video version is on AppleTV so I haven’t seen that. Oh well.]
In the search for something we can both watch during dinner, Barb and I re-watched several seasons of old Great British Baking shows, Secrets of Great British Castles because Diana recommended it, the latest season of Kim’s Convenience, and the gay cerebral palsey romp (yes!) Special because Dan and David recommended it…which turned out to be better than we expected.
July 4 brought the Disney+ airing of Hamilton which we watched several times with various friends. We enjoyed it a lot but I don’t think we need to see it in a theater now.
Later in the year, Barb and I enjoyed The Queen’s Gambit, an unexpectedly interesting fictional story about a female chess champion played by Anya Taylor-Joy (see Emma below). Big year for her. Enola Holmes was entertaining enough and clearly meant to be the start of a new franchise. I became involved in three seasons of Borgen with its pleasantly low-stakes political machinations in Denmark. I also chewed through the first season of Mystery Road from Australia, a murder mystery in the Outback; one more season to go.
November and December brought a few more video diversions. A new season of The Crown featuring the Diana years was worth a binge and spawned lots of articles and discussions. I enjoyed it; Barb boycotted for having intensely lived through the period (as witnessed by our bookshelf of Diana books and magazines), plus her belief that Olivia Coleman is too tall to play Queen Elizabeth II. We found mutual comfort in the Great British Baking Show, though it was a little sad seeing them cope with quarantine restrictions. I made it through the second season of Mystery Road and found the two films that preceded the series; that’s enough of Outback drug murders for the time being. I also worked through six increasingly preposterous episodes of The Undoing in which Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant play a beautiful rich couple sorting out a murder. The best thing about the series, though it telegraphed the whole plot, was the opening credit sequence featuring a little redheaded girl (just like Nicole, who also sings “Dream a Little Dream of Me”) playing in a garden until her bubble bursts. In search of light mysteries we could both watch during dinner, Barb and I started on The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, a series produced in the 1970’s with stories, sets and actors seemingly closer to Monty Python than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I watched a great deal more crap — and way too much news — but these are some of the programs that made a dent in my psyche and helped get us through this year of the pandemic and the election.
Emma, March 2020 at AMC Columbia with Barb. We used a free pass and my birthday Stubz gift of a bucket of popcorn to see this version of the Jane Austen story. I was pulled in by memories of Clueless and previews of Bill Nighy’s performance as Emma’s father (he seems to do more than most actors with a raised eyebrow and curl of the lip, though in fact most of his best moments are already in the previews). I was not at all familiar with the actress, Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays Emma or the director, Autumn de Wilde, but both were impressive. I was charmed by the style and mannerisms of the film which seem to fit the story but at the same time seem a little fantastical and over-the-top. Overall, the film ran about 10-15 minutes too long for me, particularly the dances, but I enjoyed the tale and the telling. I especially liked several old-time ballads featuring vocals by Maddy Prior. I’d heard the name but had to look her up to remember she’s had a long career with Steeleye Span and as a solo artist with a variety of partners. Her voice is lovely, warm and smooth, and I’ve been happy to listen to more of her work since seeing the film. 3 Stars.
Once Were Brothers, February 2020 at Charles Theater, Baltimore. Give Robbie Robertson his due, he’s a great storyteller in control of his legacy. This movie cements the story he wants told about his life and the glory years of The Band. It pays to have a friend like Martin Scorsese help seal the deal. I read Robbie’s book, Testimony, two years ago and this film largely follows its contours, sharing its strengths and shortcomings. I wish this film included a more rounded assessment of the band, its relationships and feuds after The Last Waltz. It seems disingenuous for Robbie to say he would have been happy to play together again if anyone had only asked. There’s a lot more to the story, but at this point Robbie is the only one doing the talking. It makes me curious if Garth Hudson will ever come forth with his version of the band’s story but there’s probably not much upside fighting Robbie’s juggernaut. Regardless, the main point of the whole exercise is to celebrate what great music these “brothers” produced together. Going through their extensive catalog is always a worthwhile journey. 3 Stars.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire, February 2020 at AFI Silver Spring with Laurie. One of the most sumptuous, artistic films I’ve seen. A French production with subtitles, it transports you to a closed seaside world of a few women and their relationships. Exquisitely performed, directed and shot, the film includes a remarkable emphasis on tiny sounds and silence. Very well done. 4 Stars.
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