tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63349268947647530882024-03-19T02:47:06.767-06:00Rick's Cafe TexanEverybody Comes to Rick'sRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.comBlogger2868125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-28751141475728369842024-03-17T16:13:00.002-06:002024-03-17T16:48:23.999-06:00The American Society of Magical Negroes: A Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/ASOMN_Poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="378" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/ASOMN_Poster.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES</span></b><div><br /></div><div>The term "Magical Negro" is shorthand for a black character whose entire existence is to offer sage wisdom to the white protagonist. Perhaps a good film mocking this trope could be made. <i>The American Society of Magical Negroes</i> is not it. Boring, insipid and in its own way racist, <i>The American Society of Magical Negroes</i> fumbles badly whatever ideas rattled in its head.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meek artist Aren (Justice Smith) is quickly recruited by Roger (David Allen Grier) into a secret society of black people whose entire purpose is to placate white people to prevent said white people from going on murderous rampages against black people. After practicing with an insecure white policeman whom he gives confidence to, Aren's first official assignment is Jason Monk (Drew Tarver), a web designer at Meetbox, a facial recognition company. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unbeknownst to Aren, also working there is Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), a pretty girl whom he met at a coffee shop (after accidentally spilling coffee on her). To his dismay, Aren must fix Jason's professional and romantic life, one that includes Lizzie. Meetbox is in the middle of a scandal due to its failure to distinguish between faces in Ghana, a glitch that was of Jason's making. Despite this, Jason has been selected to present the new and improved facial recognition system to Jason's idol, Meetbox CEO Mick (Rupert Friend). It might have been Lizzie's work, but Jason still gets use out of his white male privilege.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aren, however, is starting to get a sense of himself. So are other Magical Negroes, causing Magical Negro Queen Dede (Nicole Byer) to lose her ability to float. She has already expelled one Magical Negress, forcing her to live as a "regular black woman" (and thus, removing her protection from certain death at the hands of white people). Now she faces greater rebellion by Aren. Will he be able to lead his people to the promised land while still landing the "ethnic" Lizzie?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRirD451g6Aj1JrZ3Kkvfd0FGBCjM_wekho9yk4hM_9W3TXOuKcHb8uRy9a1by65ypxiQEXrk5k0_5hQuULIly6NtyhXZlKvI9eh-vv2Mp6rw5X9jmTvIAQZ8lBi752AOR0WQYW0B41LuADLeHKgsAdh8_jxlvU4HJysUYgGZ1ObxaSie0HwIK73J_2qWj/s500/Negro%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRirD451g6Aj1JrZ3Kkvfd0FGBCjM_wekho9yk4hM_9W3TXOuKcHb8uRy9a1by65ypxiQEXrk5k0_5hQuULIly6NtyhXZlKvI9eh-vv2Mp6rw5X9jmTvIAQZ8lBi752AOR0WQYW0B41LuADLeHKgsAdh8_jxlvU4HJysUYgGZ1ObxaSie0HwIK73J_2qWj/s320/Negro%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I remember hearing something about some kind of outrage over the word "Negro" appearing on black crayons. I figured that this was some kind of Internet joke, but apparently not. I came across <a href="https://www.change.org/p/consumers-who-are-fed-up-with-this-offensive-language-remove-the-word-negro-from-black-crayons">a petition to remove the word "negro"</a> from Crayola crayons because "negro" was offensive. Never mind that "negro" is the literal Spanish word for the color "black" and that the offensive crayon also contained the French word for "black" (noir). To the creator of this Change.org petition, the word "negro" had to be expunged in the same way that Confederate statues, the country music groups Lady Antebellum and the Dixie Chicks (now Lady A and The Chicks respectively) and <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/08/rose-bowl-of-epic-films-grandaddy-of-em.html">Gone with the Wind</a></i> needed to be removed. I read the comments by those signing the "No Negro Crayons" unsure if they are serious or seriously stupid.</div><div><br /></div><div>Watching <i>The Magical Society of Magical Negroes</i>, I am reminded of this faux-rage because its thinking is as shallow as those who find a foreign language needs to be altered due to their own sensibilities (and as a side note, the creation of "Latinx" falls into that mindset). Writer/director Kobi Libii is not subtle about his ideas. The film climaxes in an America Ferrera in <i>Barbie</i>-like rant about how "this country wants (Aren) dead". I would argue that this country does not give a damn about Aren, but it has nothing to do with his race.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rather, it is because Aren is, to use a good Yiddish term, a nebbish. Right from the opening, Aren is so meek and docile that it would be a wonder if anyone actually cared about him to even bother hating him because he's biracial. There's a quick mention by Aren that his mother is white, but this is irrelevant to <i>The American Society of Magical Negroes</i>. Whatever conflicts already existed within Aren about his identity are not explored in this blink-and-you-miss it moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>As a side note, Aren's art is ugly and the gallery owner is right: if he won't fight for his artwork, why should she? His yarn art is being rejected because it is awful, not because he is black. This may be a subconscious recognition from Libii that he may believe his creative output is rejected because of his race versus the fact that it isn't good. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfftRNlL7z2X3hQgSdK1eoD9-s8GweZC0Hl_ly7sbOyZPzozXpKMH9hpP6RZGOAehyphenhyphenoVgdJ_XX-bC04gZQmOHdPuwySg22fozTulnJ7ZeZtb7H0R9XBCzXrhwja9joc2nrZBOYSppRfy4VNFDqOqaMXp_UQGkkXM8ymiCi6_zXhEDak6d1lBI_QwzSN5u/s500/Negro%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfftRNlL7z2X3hQgSdK1eoD9-s8GweZC0Hl_ly7sbOyZPzozXpKMH9hpP6RZGOAehyphenhyphenoVgdJ_XX-bC04gZQmOHdPuwySg22fozTulnJ7ZeZtb7H0R9XBCzXrhwja9joc2nrZBOYSppRfy4VNFDqOqaMXp_UQGkkXM8ymiCi6_zXhEDak6d1lBI_QwzSN5u/s320/Negro%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Libii stumbles greatly in his worldbuilding. Within the first ten to fifteen minutes, Aren gets swept into the world of the ASMN, but there is no sense of mystery or logic to this universe. Who is Dede? Why is she the Queen of the Magical Negroes? Why does she float in the air? What does Thomas Jefferson and Monticello have to do with anything? None of these questions are answered. I am not sure they are even asked. Why not just jump into Jason's story rather than take up time with the insecure cop? Why also would Ghanaians actually want facial recognition? I figure this was to suggest that "all black people look alike", but again, would the lack of facial recognition in Ghana cause this much worldwide outrage?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The American Society of Magical Negroes</i> ends with Lizzie herself being part of a secret society: SOSWAG (The Society of Supportive Wives and Girlfriends). I figure this was meant to be a great twist. I push back against that because Lizzie was neither a wife nor girlfriend to anyone, let alone a supportive one. It's the last unclever moment in a film that imagines itself much funnier and smarter than it is.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is curious that Libii could have had a better story if he had put a greater focus on the love triangle between Aren, Lizzie and Jason. The accidental encounter between Aren and Lizzie in another other film would have been the beginning of a "meet-cute" story. We could have even made Aren a magical being, one of a long line of them, who finds himself falling for his assignment. There is potential in that idea. However, <i>The American Society of Magical Negroes</i> is more interested in trying to find racism everywhere than in mining its potential.</div><div><br /></div><div>I cannot say what kind of actor Justice Smith is. The two other films that I have seen him in (<i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2018/09/jurassic-world-fallen-kingdom-review.html">Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom</a></i> and <i>Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves</i>) have him playing the same type of character that he played here. In <i>The American Society of Magical Negroes</i>, he is playing what I think of as Woody Allen's illegitimate black son: a total nebbish, weak, meek, halting and stumbling. It is to where I now genuinely wonder if Justice Smith is acting or being. He has played the same character three times, so my growing idea that this is how he is in real life is not without some evidence.</div><div><br /></div><div>No one really "acts" in <i>The American Society of Magical Negroes</i>, though I think Grier and Bogan are better than the material. To be fair, the brief parodies of <i>The Legend of Bagger Vance</i> and <i>The Green Mile</i>, heavy-handed as they were, did have the potential to be amusing (though the former used billiards rather than golf). I would argue, however, that 1923 and 1955 were different from 2024. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The American Society of Magical Negroes</i> is too convinced of its own moral rightness and cleverness to be good. It is not funny, it is not romantic, it is not insightful. It is worse than nothing; it is boring. I was nodding off by the end, awakened only by Justice Smith yelling about how American wanted him dead. I know America would not care one way or the other. <br /><p></p><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: F</a></span></b></div></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-17145501171703180922024-03-13T08:40:00.010-06:002024-03-13T08:42:02.556-06:00Rasputin: The Mad Monk. A Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dd/Po_rasp_f01_leeholics.net.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="277" height="358" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dd/Po_rasp_f01_leeholics.net.jpeg" width="277" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">RASPUTIN: THE MAD MONK</span></b><div><br /></div><div><i>Rasputin: The Mad Monk</i> is a Hammer Films production, which may explain why the film is less biopic and more horror film. With only a magnetic performance from Christopher Lee to recommend it, <i>Rasputin: The Mad Monk</i> tells us nothing of the rise and fall of this most notorious of figures.</div><div><br /></div><div>Renegade mystic Grigori Rasputin (Lee) finds pleasures in the flesh of nubile bar-wenches, especially after performing apparent miracles. Scandal forces Rasputin out of his monastery, but this is a blessing in disguise.</div><div><br /></div><div>This allows him to travel to St. Petersburg, where he quickly befriends two people. The first is disgraced Doctor Boris Zargo (Richard Pasco), who is forced to make a living by challenging others to drinking contests. The second is Sonia (Barbara Shelley), who happens to be a lady-in-waiting to the Czarina Alexandra Renee Asherson). Rasputin quickly bullies the former and seduces the latter, his mesmerizing power irresistible to everyone. </div><div><br /></div><div>With Sonia in his grip, he gets her to endanger the Czarevitch so that he can come to save him. Rasputin now is close to total power, alarming two other courtiers. Sonia's brother Peter (Dinsdale Landen) is appalled at Sonia's seduction, but now enraged at her suicide due to Rasputin's influence and rejection of her as his once-mistress. His friend Ivan (Francis Matthews) initially wants nothing to do with any plot to kill this meddlesome priest, but finally agrees to try and kill him. Rasputin, however, proves hard to kill, and it will take extraordinary measures to eliminate this threat once and for all.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyvjk0G0cB3RmK8QvdSuzDUjuV2lNWqt_ZBK27Aq1eGuSjGxPnIXQqZ0wisAJfRNG4Utj_vkhLFXtREbOMqWTxs2svcog2vSQ3FK5mL8lDaQfi4SI9d6zDkITfKfc0bTCQh2_6MdXVo7DONDDK75-02E8IaDDqvH5awyOGjGwvUTimF0vqBdqW3dTNbJI/s1914/Rasputin%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1914" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyvjk0G0cB3RmK8QvdSuzDUjuV2lNWqt_ZBK27Aq1eGuSjGxPnIXQqZ0wisAJfRNG4Utj_vkhLFXtREbOMqWTxs2svcog2vSQ3FK5mL8lDaQfi4SI9d6zDkITfKfc0bTCQh2_6MdXVo7DONDDK75-02E8IaDDqvH5awyOGjGwvUTimF0vqBdqW3dTNbJI/s320/Rasputin%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>It is surprising that the real story of Rasputin, particularly his gruesome end, is not exploited in <i>The Mad Monk</i> despite the great opportunity to do so. In the film, we see him fall to his end and that's the end of it. In reality, the man was shot, poisoned and eventually thrown into a river where he eventually drowned. I do not think, however, that <i>The Mad Monk</i> was interested in historical accuracy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, it was interested in a lurid subject that could mix sex with horror. We get that right from the beginning, when this shadowy figure comes to an inn and first saves a woman from death and then tries to rape her daughter. <i>The Mad Monk</i> uses Rasputin's story to create a more traditional horror film. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Mad Monk</i>'s screenplay by Anthony Hinds (writing as John Elder) does not answer what genuinely drives Rasputin. Is it a lust for power? Is it mere arrogance? Insanity? Truly demonic powers? We also barely touch on how dangerous Rasputin was or his hold on Czar Nicholas II and especially Czarina Alexandra. There is a hint of it when we see Rasputin hypnotizing the Czarina, but unlike the other women he meets, he has a strictly hands-off approach with her. Why not seduce the wife of Russia's autocrat? It would have been a major feather in his cap, but <i>The Mad Monk</i> does not bother explaining this. It also does not make clear if Vanessa (Suzan Farmer), another lady-in-waiting who serves as the bait for Rasputin's killing, actually sees Sonia put the Czarevitch in danger or not. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDW5VAuBM3iLCq4e4vyPlPtNwnxueL41Tfpo351gu1yvqIEaED_zI6ATtvaIWBs2jPHW706xHnmFI_zJgN6beE_REZxrb1lY8FjiRfxjFV9uyum-wmjqfFDcLT38fToSxo5Del7gHNbSwN4ISAfxTxRlTrso5LeP3uhTb9U2zPMxNTSL5JkfFOi_T4VgP/s1920/Rasputin%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="1920" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDW5VAuBM3iLCq4e4vyPlPtNwnxueL41Tfpo351gu1yvqIEaED_zI6ATtvaIWBs2jPHW706xHnmFI_zJgN6beE_REZxrb1lY8FjiRfxjFV9uyum-wmjqfFDcLT38fToSxo5Del7gHNbSwN4ISAfxTxRlTrso5LeP3uhTb9U2zPMxNTSL5JkfFOi_T4VgP/s320/Rasputin%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>To be fair, Hinds does throw in some good lines. The Czarina's personal physician Dr. Zieglov (John Bailey) learns he, through Rasputin's influence, is being replaced with the disgraced Zargo. Angrily turning to Rasputin, he says, "I always knew she was stupid. Now I know she's mad!". </div><div><br /></div><div>The film has some peculiar acting. Shelley's Sonia is at times comical in her hysterics. Of particular note is when Rasputin dumps her. Her cries of agonized despair at losing her lover along with attempts to kill him will be more funny than horrifying to viewers. Lee, however, excels in the role. He is intense throughout, making Rasputin a menacing figure. Director Don Sharp has a great moment when Peter enters Rasputin's mansion, a gift from the Empress. All we hear is Lee's voice as Peter tries to find him in the dark. It is a very effective sequence, made more so by Lee's voice acting.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Rasputin: The Mad Monk</i> was, again, not interested in history but in horror. While it did not hit the mark with me, it is not without some positives. Christopher Lee would have made a great Rasputin in a better film, but on the whole, no one will be mad about the monk. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Rasputin_PA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="607" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Rasputin_PA.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1869-1916</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><p></p><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: C-</a></span></b></div></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-37059210625608598662024-03-12T05:49:00.000-06:002024-03-12T05:49:05.401-06:00Tevya: A Review (Review #1797)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Tevya_(1939_film_poster).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="458" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Tevya_(1939_film_poster).jpg" width="257" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">TEVYA</span></b></div></b><div><br /></div><div>There is scant love for My Yiddishe Papa in <i>Tevya</i>, the first film version of the Tevye the Milkman stories later adapted into the musical <i>Fiddler on the Roof</i>. <i>Tevya</i>, released in the extraordinary cinematic year of 1939, shows that Yiddish-language films could more than keep up with the big studios. </div><div><br /></div><div>Simple Jewish milkman Tevye (writer/director Maurice Schwartz) lives a relatively contented life with his wife Golde (Rebecca Weintraub) and his younger daughter Chava (Miriam Riselle). Chava, more intellectual than her parents or visiting sister Tseytl (Paula Lubelski) also has another difference. This "Jew-girl" has fallen in love with Fedya Galagan (Leon Liebgold), a Ukrainian gentile. To the delight of the gentiles and the horror of her family, Chava marries Fedya, moving away from both her family and her heritage.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now dead to Tevye, he faces more hardships when his new in-laws push to expel Tevye's family from the village despite having lived in relative peace and harmony. More troubles come when Golde dies, leaving Tevye adrift in a hostile world. The Galagans are successful in forcing Tevye and his family out, and now they contemplate where to go. There's Israel, America, Argentina or Palestine. Chava hears of her family's plight. She is also horrified when she sees that her in-laws stole her mother's petticoat despite it being part of Tevye's fire sale. Sneaking away, she begs Tevye to take her back and go into exile with him. Now reconciled, the family heads off to their ancestral lands to start afresh.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGk6fQSl8j_2IwGRKUYsqQZ7lH77DABA8EjFGY9EMwwlMvvD7JjgQpRFf_PVBiuugZ2HnWtsGchkF9YLGVceeND3iXOhXrWxXY9KBF9LSpm3DdRy_3FdyVln1MD5X34wss_Ylu9CNiHHVSt7yjTvdXRJqfrxH7ObW7CFYROIqdI6Dt9bZIHBeT1jXUciU/s640/tevye-1939-image-normal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGk6fQSl8j_2IwGRKUYsqQZ7lH77DABA8EjFGY9EMwwlMvvD7JjgQpRFf_PVBiuugZ2HnWtsGchkF9YLGVceeND3iXOhXrWxXY9KBF9LSpm3DdRy_3FdyVln1MD5X34wss_Ylu9CNiHHVSt7yjTvdXRJqfrxH7ObW7CFYROIqdI6Dt9bZIHBeT1jXUciU/s320/tevye-1939-image-normal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>The surprising thing about <i>Tevya</i>, or at least the first half, is how much of it takes place outside. There are few indoor scenes for about half of the film. In fact, it is not until Chava's wedding that we start getting more and more interior scenes. I do not know why Schwartz decided to make <i>Tevya</i> such an outdoor film. It does make it feel free and natural, so that is a plus. </div><div><br /></div><div>As a director, Maurice Schwartz moves things well and has some beautiful imagery. At Golde's death, we see Chava standing outside the window, unable to grieve with her family as the rain pounds down on her. When Tevye gives the Sabbath blessing after declaring Chava dead, it is also a beautifully filmed sequence. </div><div><br /></div><div>As an actor, Schwartz excels in making Tevye a simple man. There is a simplicity to Tevye, one who accepts almost all things that come his way. Commenting to his horse when the animal does not move despite the lashings, Tevye quips, "He's accustomed to the whip as I am to poverty", revealing his wisdom and self-awareness. He even allows for a bit of comedy when he comes across three Jewish women who beg him to let them ride on his cart to get back home. "A hundred-pound Jewess has two tons of talk!" he bemoans.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is much to praise in <i>Tevya</i>, but there is a major issue in the film. That issue is Miriam Riselle as Chava. She is absolutely appalling in the role. Rarely if ever does Riselle come across as anything other than hysterical. Her acting is so overdone that it becomes maddening to watch. I genuinely cannot remember one moment in Tevye where she was not so over-the-top in her manner. It was as if she was a parody of a silent film actress who was thrust into a sound film, and a Yiddish one at that. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is no other way around it: Miriam Riselle gave one of the worst performances that I have ever seen on film in any language. Overdramatic, almost cartoonish, it stands in stark contrast to everyone in the film. I walk that back a bit. Leon Liebgold as her goyim love interest was also a bit over-the-top in his declarations of love for the "Jew-girl" (the film's words). However, he was nowhere near Riselle's histrionics and almost crazed facial and body movements.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Tevya</i> is a beautiful looking film, one that captures this now-lost Yiddish world. If not for Miriam Riselle, <i>Tevya</i> would be among 1939's myriad of masterpieces. However, it is still a film to holds up well and moves audiences Jewish and gentile alike. </div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: B+</a></span></b></div></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-63455080383378638612024-02-28T10:24:00.004-07:002024-02-28T10:24:29.636-07:00Bob Marley: One Love. A Review (Review #1796)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Bob_Marley_One_Love.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Bob_Marley_One_Love.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE</span></b><div><br /></div><div>It is the rare person who does not like either reggae or its most well-known ambassador, Bob Marley. <i>Bob Marley: One Love</i> is a Marley estate approved biopic on the superstar. That may be the problem. </div><div><br /></div><div>Covering the years 1976 to 1978, <i>One Love</i> details certain events in the life of Jamaican Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Amir). We start with the troubles inflicting the island nation, with rival factions vying for power. Amidst the chaos, Marley has decided to host Smile Jamaica, a peace concert to unite the people. Nefarious forces, however, do not want the Smile Jamaica concert to go on. </div><div><br />This leads to an assassination attempt days before the concert. Bob Marley's wife, Rita (Lashana Lynch) is seriously injured, barely surviving. Bob is hit but not majorly injured. Despite continued protests, Marley rises to the occasion to be the Smile Jamaica headliner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, it is unsafe, so he sends his wife and children to live with his mother in Maryland while he goes to London. Here, he sees the rise of punk music and, while overhearing the Ernest Gold score to the film <i>Exodus</i>, he is inspired musically to create his own work. Marley finds kinship in both Gold's stirring opening theme and the struggle of the Jewish people for a homeland, matching his own hopes for his Rastafarian faith. Out of <i>Exodus</i> the soundtrack, comes <i>Exodus</i> the reggae album. </div><div><br /></div><div>While <i>Exodus</i> is a major worldwide hit, Marley still cannot get tour dates to Africa. He also has to deal with shady business practices from Don Taylor (Anthony Welsh), his business manager. Finally, he has a melanoma diagnosis that will ultimately kill him in 1981. He does, however, return to Jamaica and in archival footage, see Bob Marley perform at the independence celebration for the new African nation of Zimbabwe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirnGduaq31cMIrTkrKrfiSHDojcMdeVbWqEnTYPvxH8G0nGrhYV5exoj4IwNk6_0rv6rJ3_f6fbv-HLnbr1DkS286CPrE_HASAjYKiV3LV4818RWCdLqrbvBghXRzfoDyC6TZh1zuJPjcdvxntvEZx9vV_8i9VhvTT8PPwClk4HxMTjNu-oZoNufTxxDv/s500/One%20Love%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirnGduaq31cMIrTkrKrfiSHDojcMdeVbWqEnTYPvxH8G0nGrhYV5exoj4IwNk6_0rv6rJ3_f6fbv-HLnbr1DkS286CPrE_HASAjYKiV3LV4818RWCdLqrbvBghXRzfoDyC6TZh1zuJPjcdvxntvEZx9vV_8i9VhvTT8PPwClk4HxMTjNu-oZoNufTxxDv/s320/One%20Love%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Perhaps the most curious element in <i>Bob Marley: One Love</i> is how the film failed to make a case as to why anyone would care about Bob Marley. This is especially true for anyone who does not already know Marley or his music. There may be a few people unaware of who Bob Marley, the artist, was. <i>One Love</i> will not enlighten them given that his creative evolution is so haphazardly handled. In a sense, <i>One Love</i> almost expects the viewer to have some background about Marley and reggae. </div><div><br /></div><div>A lot of <i>One Love</i> expects you to have at the least a Wikipedia-sized knowledge about the subject. The film spends its first thirty-odd minutes on the Smile Jamaica story. In a lot of biopics, the events leading up to the concert would have been the film itself, with Smile Jamaica being the triumphant conclusion. However, <i>One Love</i> feels oddly rushed to get to what it thinks is a major turning point in the Marley story. </div><div><br /></div><div>I do not doubt that getting shot at is a major turning point, but outside of archival footage we do not get a firm background into the chaos in Jamaica or the violence in Kingston. Why are there two opposing camps? Why is Marley in particular targeted? Why does he have this hold among the Jamaican people? Same goes for when creating <i>Exodus</i>. What inspired him to delve into deeper subjects? It is, if not strictly speaking a guessing game at least an unanswered question. </div><div><br /></div><div>As a side note, I am dubious that Gold's <i>Exodus</i> score, brilliant and iconic as it now is, did inspire Marley's <i>Exodus</i> album. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZz5WXZ0Gy7rUe4AWORmTG_LjcSSn6iKy77qDjZP3fgiCOwyZahp-rHzrsTVnfvciVcgDzwkR40takGCJlS688QJbHpULb8UrORoRatNn_Uo5WdNANQ-C4vM_HxQeWl0BTKFteCr95cBBI_NNcnVp7D_Dnv29D-ch44I6YmW0N-Tz5nHNRkR6qz8-SYi-c/s3000/One%20Love%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1892" data-original-width="3000" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZz5WXZ0Gy7rUe4AWORmTG_LjcSSn6iKy77qDjZP3fgiCOwyZahp-rHzrsTVnfvciVcgDzwkR40takGCJlS688QJbHpULb8UrORoRatNn_Uo5WdNANQ-C4vM_HxQeWl0BTKFteCr95cBBI_NNcnVp7D_Dnv29D-ch44I6YmW0N-Tz5nHNRkR6qz8-SYi-c/s320/One%20Love%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Over and over, <i>One Love</i> fails to make Marley interesting. We do not get the man or the myth. Instead, we get bits and pieces of each, never forming a full portrait of either. That may be due to having four screenwriters: Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, Zach Baylin and director Reinaldo Marcus Green (with story by Winter and Flowers). Having so many people made <i>One Love</i> unfocused, as if unsure of where to go. The decision to focus, or at least hit on, two events (the Smile Jamaica concert and <i>Exodus</i> recording) were curious ones. I figure a whole film could have been made on either. A whole film could have been built around his Zimbabwe concert. <i>One Love</i> could have also been a straightforward birth-to-earth biopic.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, it just went here and there, never building on anything.</div><div><br /></div><div>Part of <i>One Love</i>'s failed efforts to make a case for a Marley biopic may be due to the Marley estate itself. Having the Marley family approve the film (we get Marley's son Ziggy open the film telling us as much). With the Marley family looking over things, we get a surprisingly clean and safe portrait of the man. Very few hints are made about Marley's myriad infidelities. Rita mentions it in passing, and there are two "blink-and-you-miss-them" moments where another woman may be visiting Marley. It is a strange decision to attempt to whitewash Marley's less admirable qualities.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is stranger to not show us his creativity. Again, we get bits and pieces, but they amount to little.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some credit can be given to the lead performances. Ben-Adir did his best to capture Marley's accent and body movements. However, that is all he did (and as a side note, I thought he was going to topple over in dizziness after performing <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">War</span></i>). Part of the blame is the script, but part of it has to be with Ben-Adir. Lynch was slightly better, but not by much. If there was any sense of anger about Marley's womanizing, we wouldn't know it. We also wouldn't know of her own infidelities through <i>One Love</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Come to think of it, we do not know Bob and Rita Marley through <i>One Love</i>. Perhaps the 2012 documentary <i>Marley</i> would be more informative (though I have yet to see it as of this writing). Until then, <i>Bob Marley: One Love</i> fails to even be a good primer on what should have been a fascinating subject. As it stands, no one will be <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Jamming</span></i> to <i>Bob Marley: One Love</i>.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Bob-Marley-in-Concert_Zurich_05-30-80.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="600" height="265" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Bob-Marley-in-Concert_Zurich_05-30-80.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1945-1981</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><p></p><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: D+</a></span></b></div></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-79301248718849042672024-02-20T07:58:00.003-07:002024-02-27T18:05:57.171-07:00Madame Web: A Review (Review #1795)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/Madame_Web_(film)_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/Madame_Web_(film)_poster.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">MADAME WEB</span></b><p></p><p>When is a Spider-Man movie not a Spider-Man movie? </p><p>I was, to be honest, unaware that there was such a thing as a Spider-Man Cinematic Universe where our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man does not actually appear or is even mentioned by name. Instead, we get various characters from his world with the vague notion that he (be it Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland) is hovering about somewhere in Queens. </p><p>All of these films have some connection to Spidey but don't actually feature the webslinger. There were <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2018/10/venom-review.html">Venom</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2021/10/venom-let-there-be-carnage-review.html">Venom: Let There Be Carnage</a></i>, films that proved wildly popular and successful which despite all logic I did not end up hating. There was <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2022/05/morbius-review-review-1590.html">Morbius</a></i>, as great a debacle as any in the comic book film genre. Now we get <i>Madame Web</i>, the newest effort to create a franchise that seems doomed from the get-go. Perhaps it is to the film's credit that I did not end up hating <i>Madame Web</i>, even if I cannot speak for other members of the audience, but more on that later.</p><p>Darkest Peru, 1973. Constance Webb (Kerry Biché) is a pregnant scientist searching for a mysterious spider with healing properties. Once found, however, her fellow explorer Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) betrays the group, killing everyone to get the rare spider. Connie is hit in the chaos, but the Arañas, a mysterious people who have been the protectors of the rainforest and have spider-like abilities, manage to save Connie's baby if not Connie herself.</p><p>Move on thirty years, where that baby is now Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson). She's a cynical, emotionally distant EMT in NYC, saving lives but vaguely aware of whom she is saving. Her closest friend is her EMT partner, one Ben Parker (Adam Scott), and even that is not a particularly close relationship. Cassie has a near-death experience that leads to her having visions of the immediate future, though that future is not set. </p><p>Good thing that Sims is not aware of Cassie's clairvoyance or her connection to Connie. He is too busy trying to track down three teenage girls whom he has recurring visions of them killing him when he is older. Sims figures that if he can kill them now, he can avoid his fate. He uses vaguely futuristic technology to track down the three troublemakers. There is sweet-natured Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), sarcastic rich bitch Mattie Franklin (Celeste O'Connor) and timid Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced). </p><p>Cassie eventually finds that they are all connected, and she becomes their unofficial protector when she has a vision of a strange spider-like man hunting them all down. She asks Ben to care for them while she goes to Darkest Peru to uncover the past that binds them all together. Ben, who has his own issues in caring for his pregnant sister-in-law Mary (Emma Roberts), does his best, but they still face great danger. Will our heroines save themselves and bring Ezekiel down? Will Ben Parker be a good Uncle Ben to his new and unnamed nephew?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxsjIiB6Hly-ZLvWeFJKhIOVkrHqq_oUJ45h5fQrtUDBBqCM7OYEdc1-eEH9Lz40Z2BhotXP0IFLxb5d63xxks_VoU9NFZOAtd8RjUwY8GWiaRJrBBzJYsgxvQtU-Q32rke3Df1f7j_Vk4qh3tjz_3X6XzBBqjJekCc-1SUrvYPnXvHJXaWe9IYKCProe/s500/Web%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxsjIiB6Hly-ZLvWeFJKhIOVkrHqq_oUJ45h5fQrtUDBBqCM7OYEdc1-eEH9Lz40Z2BhotXP0IFLxb5d63xxks_VoU9NFZOAtd8RjUwY8GWiaRJrBBzJYsgxvQtU-Q32rke3Df1f7j_Vk4qh3tjz_3X6XzBBqjJekCc-1SUrvYPnXvHJXaWe9IYKCProe/s320/Web%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Is it damning with faint praise to say that <i>Madame Web</i> is not the worst film of 2024 that I have seen so far? Out of the six 2024 film releases that I have seen as of this writing, <i>Madame Web</i> is the second-best. That is not a compliment: <i>Madame Web</i> is so clunky, lifeless and pointless that it is inexplicable as to why Sony and Columbia in association with Marvel continue plunging into films that just do not work. </p><p>Everything in <i>Madame Web</i> is pretty much a fiasco. Right from the beginning, director S.J. Clarkson makes one oddball decision after another that it quickly becomes a fun experiment finding which element is the worst one. The film opens with a very poorly shot sequence, where the camera for no discernable reason zooms all over the place while also indulging in various Dutch angles. One genuinely wondered if the cameraman was having a stroke and they decided to just keep rolling. More bizarrely, this same sequence was essentially replayed later in the film.</p><p>Granted, the information Cassie is presented is new to her. However, not once did anyone ask when going over Clarkson's screenplay (writing along with Matt Samaza, Burk Sharpless and Claire Parker) why they just couldn't go flashback instead of repeating themselves. Add to that the sheer illogic of it all: Cassie, who is technically a fugitive, leaves three teen girls with her bestie, flies to Peru, goes into the jungle, manages to find the mysterious Spider-People and then returns to New York in apparently a matter of hours? This trip would have taken days if not weeks, with Cassie and the girls being hunted down at every second. You can suspend disbelief for only so long before it becomes too ridiculous.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivITov2Lhs6UnCFIO4DKmZ60JZ8xHNV75oE4xxWfmLN6HdPpN-gLSlgY4RsJ5Gixrae3AlspEMnu8h51l3aKsrS2VtYNTzBBPUZCAkR8Q_ghD_AYQVDiGzAaJgi-R4AiOkHvxbeVH5LkBxPQmO_P1AUABy5MUDaJM7FadwW2Xn-czdKNrsYlC4a-N45_Mt/s500/Web%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivITov2Lhs6UnCFIO4DKmZ60JZ8xHNV75oE4xxWfmLN6HdPpN-gLSlgY4RsJ5Gixrae3AlspEMnu8h51l3aKsrS2VtYNTzBBPUZCAkR8Q_ghD_AYQVDiGzAaJgi-R4AiOkHvxbeVH5LkBxPQmO_P1AUABy5MUDaJM7FadwW2Xn-czdKNrsYlC4a-N45_Mt/s320/Web%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The screenplay, over and over, appears to go out of its way to be idiotic. What the villain actually does is unclear. Did he gain fame and power with the spider? How does he get visions of his future assassins? How do he and Cassie manage to communicate telepathically? Why insist on killing the three in one blow when killing them one-by-one would have been easier? </p><p>If that weren't enough, having a call-out to a previous Spider-Man film is eyerolling. "And when you take on the responsibility, great power will come," the Spider-King tells Cassie. On a myriad of levels, this does not make any sense. "With great power, comes great responsibility" is from the 2002 <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2012/07/webbed-bliss.html">Spider-Man</a></i> film. However, <i>Madame Web</i> cannot tie itself into the Tobey Maguire version because Uncle Ben is already a senior citizen and Peter is a teenager. <i>Madame Web</i>, moreover, is set in 2003 and the unnamed nephew to Ben Parker is born at the end of the film. It can tie in, albeit forced, with the Andrew Garfield version, but again it still would be almost impossible to do so. Forget the Tom Holland version. Neither Garfield or Holland, to my recollection, quoted the "Great Power" line, so why use it here?</p><p>Actually, forget connecting <i>Madame Web</i> to any of the "Sony-Verse" films. </p><p><i>Madame Web</i>'s disaster goes beyond the screenplay. Everyone in the film is so blank and emotionless. It is astounding to see such a collection of bad performances. One bad performance, I can understand. Having the entire cast be awful is on the director. </p><p>Dakota Johnson is not even trying. One wonders if she was literally drugged into performing. She recited her lines as if she was trying to figure out what the words meant, bringing nothing to the role. Cassie has no personality, no charisma, nothing that indicates she is a functioning human. The trio of Sweeney, Merced and O'Connor all similarly look expressionless. They never connected to each other, but oddly they never looked like they were in conflict. </p><p>Tahar Rahim is an interesting case. He is French, and as such I do not know how strong his English is. He may be quite fluent, but <i>Madame Web</i> can't show us how. There is a curious disconnect between when he speaks and when we see him speak, like the dubbing is off. At times, I wondered if the film was trying to hide him speaking (hence the strange use of Dutch angles and negative space). Scott and Emma Roberts as Ben's sister-in-law Mary were there to do a job and move on.</p><p><i>Madame Web</i> is a nothing. While I have read and heard the vitriol about it, calling it the worst film they have ever seen or the worst ever made, I thought of it more as an enjoyably bad film. It is not good. It is not even a "so bad it's good" film. It is just that in a world that has <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2024/02/lisa-frankenstein-review.html">Lisa Frankenstein</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2024/02/argylle-review.html">Argylle</a></i>, I cannot call <i>Madame Web</i> the worst film of 2024.</p><p>The best summation that I can give <i>Madame Web</i> comes not from me but from another audience member at the screening I attended. While he did not shout out his comments, he was audible enough in his succinct review. He said, and I quote, "This movie sucked". That pretty much captures <i>Madame Web</i> perfectly.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYoLom-vQQB2eqAm-AHcrTphBIudHJM8_fBXJJZW_xch7k9Jdji61YBYD6Gr48wmzYNaC3DLFQZLVIqOJ1QNIe_lIBXwaY-AD4eExIOfggKHLexORGOa6gCLilO40aBYR_R_mbx7pOwhJNjadpR7-uZx4sTvD5ctYEoIgpJ8mic3k4ICjLm2yndblicUy/s480/Web%203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYoLom-vQQB2eqAm-AHcrTphBIudHJM8_fBXJJZW_xch7k9Jdji61YBYD6Gr48wmzYNaC3DLFQZLVIqOJ1QNIe_lIBXwaY-AD4eExIOfggKHLexORGOa6gCLilO40aBYR_R_mbx7pOwhJNjadpR7-uZx4sTvD5ctYEoIgpJ8mic3k4ICjLm2yndblicUy/s320/Web%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Original Madame (Web)</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: D-</a></span></b></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-82136789758292610182024-02-15T05:03:00.078-07:002024-02-15T05:03:00.163-07:00Lisa Frankenstein: A Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Lisa-frankenstein.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="378" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Lisa-frankenstein.jpeg" width="255" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">LISA FRANKENSTEIN</span></b></div></b><div><br /></div><div>I am mercifully not nostalgic enough for the 1980s to want to see something like <i>Lisa Frankenstein</i>. Unsure if it is a comedy with horror elements or a funny horror film, <i>Lisa Frankenstein</i> does have some good elements that push the film hopelessly down.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our heroine, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) has some goth girl elements but is not a pure goth. Her stepsister Taffy (Liza Soberano) is a pleasant, cheerful cheerleader who is genuinely fond of her sister. Taffy does her best to get Lisa to mix with her classmates, but Lisa has her heart only for two people. One of them is Michael Trent (Henry Eikenberry), the brooding, hunky school literary magazine editor. The other is a dead man, a Victorian buried at a bachelor's cemetery.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the disastrous house party where nerd Doug (Bryce Romero) puts his hand on her breast and her hand on his penis, she flees, inebriated and confused, into that cemetery and makes a wish that her Victorian man be with her. As the song goes, lightning strikes and we get The Creator (Cole Sprouse). He is a shambles, even for a corpse, but Lisa hides him out. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is not long before Lisa's wicked stepmother Janet (Carla Gugino) threatens to send her away. Fortunately, the Creature is there to save her by perhaps accidentally killing Janet. He can even get Janet's ear to replace his missing one, as Lisa is a skilled seamstress. The Creator is also missing two other body parts: a hand and a penis. Will Lisa find she can kill two birds with one stone. Will others discover her dangerous necrophile liaisons? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHUw6BLVPHDAjC427sDT0sc00ez_VnUFDAwnA9lLYdMMYEJRVbfjd-PWN1RgpkUeXQHMwy9nN3NeUTNJAuT6K8BFRyFF6HJUvaqHqN0EKPVcD0YZrn_IfG2wPZNla0W1FFBp2PIa9_81fcJTi7Ab6ic9X1SYYD9oVKDoMQMhlcrZ6uriZfuE1Jrzj_uqN/s8000/Lisa%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5333" data-original-width="8000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHUw6BLVPHDAjC427sDT0sc00ez_VnUFDAwnA9lLYdMMYEJRVbfjd-PWN1RgpkUeXQHMwy9nN3NeUTNJAuT6K8BFRyFF6HJUvaqHqN0EKPVcD0YZrn_IfG2wPZNla0W1FFBp2PIa9_81fcJTi7Ab6ic9X1SYYD9oVKDoMQMhlcrZ6uriZfuE1Jrzj_uqN/s320/Lisa%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>At first, I thought <i>Lisa Frankenstein</i> could squeak by as being slightly better than something like <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2024/01/mean-girls-2024-review-review-1785.html">Mean Girls</a></i>. However, as I thought on it, I think that if given the choice between the two, I would opt for the musical than the non-musical. It is a shame because there are a couple of things in <i>Lisa Frankenstein</i> that do work.</div><div><br /></div><div>First is Kathryn Newton as Lisa Swallows. She reminded me of a young Helena Bonham Carter in both look and mannerism. She was doing her best to sell the comedy aspect of <i>Lisa Frankenstein</i>, playing the part as if she were in a quirkier film than the one she ended up in. I do not think that anyone will ever hear REO Speedwagon's <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Can't Fight This Feeling</span></i> again in the same way after her overtly bombastic manner. </div><div><br /></div><div>While Newton was good, for me the clear standout is Soberano as Taffy. In perhaps the only positive element in Diablo Cody's screenplay, Taffy is not the stereotypical wicked stepsister. She's actually quite pleasant and relatable. Friendly, genuinely fond of Lisa to where she stands up for her to both her mother and her classmates, it is nice to see a film where the stepsiblings are actually good people. It's a credit to Soberano's performance that I ended up wanting the film to be from her perspective: the sweet girl caught up in Lisa's looniness. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33gZISAYSl8idAq1tUxKSaYXeTL8PisDRGyOStCt5fR3wdybzkSZ-f83fO1EJ4T3ldQH4VpT6tp1v2vOi6vVMRFBbZOMBHvaviL5XTRIZRuNmLHs8YboxDJd8uCyKQoECWD1MUCHeclrerOkWm-RUpsiOeLjSMjj66HIfbocPGh-oOS2caiEhnTDsA8Nv/s4500/Lisa%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33gZISAYSl8idAq1tUxKSaYXeTL8PisDRGyOStCt5fR3wdybzkSZ-f83fO1EJ4T3ldQH4VpT6tp1v2vOi6vVMRFBbZOMBHvaviL5XTRIZRuNmLHs8YboxDJd8uCyKQoECWD1MUCHeclrerOkWm-RUpsiOeLjSMjj66HIfbocPGh-oOS2caiEhnTDsA8Nv/s320/Lisa%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>As such, the "twist" involving her and Michael seems forced. Moreover, whatever Michael's flaws, I do not think he merited his fate. Taffy certainly did not merit her fate. Here she is: a pleasant, happy-go-lucky girl who genuinely cares for Lisa (though to be fair, apt to say mildly insulting things). She, through Lisa's actions, unknowingly loses her mother, sees her lover hacked and is left deeply traumatized by the entire ordeal. That she can genuinely grieve Lisa along with her stepfather Dale (Joe Chrest) is a credit to how Taffy was not just the better character but the better person.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sprouse, I imagine, wants to break more and more away from his Disney days of <i>The Suite Life of Zack and Cody</i>. Unfortunately, he did not have much to do, as The Creator was inarticulate until the very end. Perhaps to his credit, he did have better facial expressions when he started becoming more human. However, it did not afford him much of an opportunity to show if he could do anything more.</div><div><br /></div><div>Going back a bit to how <i>Lisa Frankenstein</i> went after people with almost a vindictive manner, I find that Doug too did not deserve his fate. We see him only twice: when he manhandles Lisa and when he is lured to his end. In no way would I endorse Doug's behavior of feeling Lisa up or putting her hand on his penis. However, he was drunk and not in full command of himself. Again, while his behavior is wrong, it does not merit his fate. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lisa Frankenstein</i> wants to echo such films as <i>Heathers</i> or perhaps <i>Beetlejuice</i> (the Tim Burton influence being quite strong, especially with the silhouette opening). The difference though is that the people murdered in <i>Heathers</i> were almost all awful, making their ends if not morally right at least not horrifying or cruel. <i>Lisa Frankenstein</i>, conversely, seems to hit people who are not awful enough to celebrate their ends. You cannot empathize with that kind of cruelty, especially if you push your film to want you to like Lisa.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why Doug says that his actions were "not Christian" seems a strange thing to say given that he was not strictly speaking, apologizing for his actions. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lisa Frankenstein</i> might have some good ideas juggling about, but it does not work. This is especially true of the directing. I am at a loss to understand why Zelda Williams was given such a project for her feature film debut. It is hard to imagine that being Robin Williams' daughter did not help in some way. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, people in the theater that I saw <i>Lisa Frankenstein</i> were laughing when Michael's dick was cut off to <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">On the Wings of Love</span></i>. I was not. I was not so much horrified or appalled as I was perturbed by that attempt at forced humor. I, again, got lost in logic, thinking that the penis would no longer function even if Lisa successfully sewed it on. I leave it to you to decide if seeing what is technically necrophilia counts as comedy or not.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lisa Frankenstein</i> could have been good. I did like Newton and Soberano. As it stands however, the film did not win me over. At least it is better than <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2024/02/argylle-review.html">Argylle</a>,</i> so that is a plus in its favor.</div><div><p></p><p><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: F</a></span></b></p></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-80201354551810883812024-02-14T12:15:00.003-07:002024-02-14T12:15:31.056-07:00Anatomy of a Fall: A Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77nREPuotnPHQZ-dBXg0cReJFpNvzt2cs3IITMxaqlJ1J_cV5MY7DHX4tE-kFfSSfb-onlyYX8SduvBXM82U6bwQeW35h3a0fkK0emrC0aPGrWIe3H6TGiK0FUzzRu7fHSwI_O89C7E-OjhPAkhSyJo_Cmz0aUo-p_8w-4rzpOshviZ6GA0vXrngDLDjG/s1467/Fall%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77nREPuotnPHQZ-dBXg0cReJFpNvzt2cs3IITMxaqlJ1J_cV5MY7DHX4tE-kFfSSfb-onlyYX8SduvBXM82U6bwQeW35h3a0fkK0emrC0aPGrWIe3H6TGiK0FUzzRu7fHSwI_O89C7E-OjhPAkhSyJo_Cmz0aUo-p_8w-4rzpOshviZ6GA0vXrngDLDjG/s320/Fall%201.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ANATOMY OF A FALL</span></b><div><br /></div><div>It is said that there is more than one side to a story. <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i>, is a well-crafted albeit long film that peels the layers off a potential crime.</div><div><br /></div><div>An interview between noted author Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) and a student is drowned out by music from her husband Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis). Their visually impaired son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) takes a walk in the woods near the Swiss chalet they are staying at. When he returns with his guide dog Snoop, Daniel finds Samuel laying dead on the ground.</div><div><br /></div><div>What happened to Samuel? Did he accidentally fall, as Sandra initially says to her friend and attorney, Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud)? The police do not think it was an accident, especially since Daniel gives conflicting evidence about where he was in relation to his exact location. Sandra remembers Samuel had a previous suicide attempt which they kept hidden. No dice though, as Sandra is now charged with murder.</div><div><br /></div><div>Did she kill Samuel? Evidence piles up against her. She had an affair with another woman a year before. She had also taken a plot from Samuel's long-gestating novel and crafted a bestseller. Sandra insists that Samuel knew about both and even encouraged the latter. Still, more circumstantial evidence mounts against Sandra. There is a recording of a fight between them, where we don't know who is hitting whom. Her novels could reflect her thoughts, but do those involve killing a man she still resents for being partially responsible for their son's disability?</div><div><br /></div><div>Only the visually impaired witness can save her, but can he provide the key to solve the mystery?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ton2zvYWowFISlqRZYQgPgLRxa0bHYdBjP38rAcmUfgLKY6hVU5zY5vx5963PKJ4ZPmwATcDs2jVqPmJwNp-GieMemYWAH_nzMbPTQM4y9C5kt8QfXgC4fhYSbrQCzWa628XQqy5FjluDY6rCo05KP6CKqv0n7MWUTq6IfpdNGWmCzx-vYw6RNKCTrSe/s500/Fall%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ton2zvYWowFISlqRZYQgPgLRxa0bHYdBjP38rAcmUfgLKY6hVU5zY5vx5963PKJ4ZPmwATcDs2jVqPmJwNp-GieMemYWAH_nzMbPTQM4y9C5kt8QfXgC4fhYSbrQCzWa628XQqy5FjluDY6rCo05KP6CKqv0n7MWUTq6IfpdNGWmCzx-vYw6RNKCTrSe/s320/Fall%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>If I find a fault in <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i>, it is in length. The film runs two hours and thirty two minutes long, and I think that will test more than a few viewers' patience and endurance. It is not exactly a flaw in director Justine Triet's screenplay (cowritten with Arthur Harari). I can see how <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i> builds its case so to speak, in a calm and deliberate manner. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, perhaps in this case, it is too calm and deliberate. I found that the film did not pick up interest until we got to the trial. Here are Huller's best moments, where she again in a calm but firm manner attempts to defend herself from the verbal barbs from the Prosecutor (Antoine Reinartz). Throughout the film, Huller is excellent as the besieged Sandra because she does not become histrionic. She does show emotion: anger when we see her fighting with Samuel. For the most part, Huller plays Sandra in a calm but firm manner: aware of the situation but not giving into despair. </div><div><br /></div><div>She also has the advantage of acting in at least two languages. <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i> establishes that English is the middle ground between the primarily German-speaking Samuel and primarily French-speaking Sandra. As such, Huller speaks mostly in English, at least at one point stating that the translation from English to French does not accurately state what she said. I do not remember if she also spoke German, but it would fit. This element is used well in <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i>, where Sandra becomes openly flustered at her struggle to make herself understood in French. </div><div><br /></div><div>Huller is well-matched by the other cast members large and small. Arlaud is methodical as Sandra's attorney/friend, able to parry with the Prosecutor while being blunt with Sandra about her chances. Reinartz's Prosecutor is sharp and cutting, able to effectively slice her defense with almost malicious glee. Of all the other performances, it is Machado-Graner that holds our attention as Daniel. An innocent who is also wary of people, caught in a terrible situation, he sorts as best he can through this tangled web.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Anatomy of a Fall</i> is a fine film, though I wish it were shorter. Overall, it is a strong film with strong performances, though I would recommend an intermission for the viewer. </div><div><p></p><div><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: C+</a></b></span></div></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-60180585429263893152024-02-13T12:55:00.001-07:002024-02-13T12:55:45.884-07:00Argylle: A Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Argylle_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="251" height="397" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Argylle_poster.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ARGYLLE</span></b><div><br /></div><div>Ah, the curse of modern-day filmmaking. <i>Argylle</i>, the new action-comedy from <i>Kingsman</i> director Matthew Vaughn, was crafted to be the first part of a trilogy leading up to a shared cinematic universe with the <i>Kingsman</i> films. Should the teased-at prequel and future <i>Argylle</i> films actually come about, it might signal more than the dearth of current cinematic output. It might signal the End of Western Civilization itself. </div><div><br /></div><div>Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is promoting her newest novel of her superspy Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill). Her creation, essentially the illegitimate son of Jack Reacher and James Bond, is on his fifth adventure, but Elly cannot find a proper conclusion to her saga. Turning to her mother Ruth (Catherine O'Hara) for help, Elly decides a visit home will help her through the writer's block.</div><div><br /></div><div>To her surprise and horror, she finds herself in a real spy caper when Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell), seemingly an <i>Argylle</i> fan but in reality a superspy himself, saves her from a group of hitmen. He then tells her that her novels appear to predict future acts of espionage, so a shadowy organization named The Division sent goons to abduct her. Now she must help in solving the mystery of how she can be so accurate and a threat to The Division.</div><div><br /></div><div>Division Director Ritter (Bryan Cranston) has a few tricks up his own sleeve to not just capture Elly but his arch nemesis, Alfred Solomon better known as Alfie (Samuel L. Jackson). Why does Alfie have the same name as her beloved cat? Well, no surprise: Elly Conway is the Real Agent Argylle! Alfie and Aiden reveal she was superspy Rachel Kylle or R. Kylle from which she subconsciously derived the name "Argylle". </div><div><br /></div><div>Rachel had been brainwashed into thinking that Ruth and Ritter were her real parents, with her novels being a way for her repressed memories to reveal information the Division monitored. However, her fifth and final <i>Argylle</i> novel was on the verge of revealing what the Division was after. Now using her emerging skills, Rachel/Elly joins forces with her love interest Aidan and Alfie to bring the Division down. Or does she? More twists and turns emerge until at last, things come to a successful conclusion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Or do they? We find that at her most recent book reading promoting her concluding <i>Argylle</i> novel, a man looking very much like Argylle appears, with a mid-credit scene threatening an <i>Argylle: Book One: The Movie</i> coming soon.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF3Sh3RCvSo967OoLL-KlspPP2CMTAbs1ZyigYBUIRN_uxM5mf3QMhl_FD_7pnM039rSXCevy48Ip5TbmKgquLNvfZrziH2mSvRIpi-J0JnPfa-Et8Y_CylYVIq1XHONaAqgv_uc9YqTTGyIER9Yjv0UmhfCaYyhyphenhyphen-ucUySfZ_Uj1HuFad0m5IG6F_S28/s500/Argylle%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF3Sh3RCvSo967OoLL-KlspPP2CMTAbs1ZyigYBUIRN_uxM5mf3QMhl_FD_7pnM039rSXCevy48Ip5TbmKgquLNvfZrziH2mSvRIpi-J0JnPfa-Et8Y_CylYVIq1XHONaAqgv_uc9YqTTGyIER9Yjv0UmhfCaYyhyphenhyphen-ucUySfZ_Uj1HuFad0m5IG6F_S28/s320/Argylle%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><i>Argylle</i> is such a disaster of epic proportions that one watches not even in disbelief or shame that people would possibly imagine the public crying out for more <i>Argylle</i> films. Rather, one watches with a mixture of boredom, frustration and downright anger that audiences were bombarded with this abomination. It is not often when one can watch a film collapse before their very eyes, but that is what we got with <i>Argylle</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is as if everyone involved: cast, crew, perhaps even catering services, was dead-set on making an epic fiasco. Every decision made was so spectacularly wrong, every segment so wildly misguided in every way imaginable that it is a competition as to what element is the most disastrous.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think the winner of that competition is Jason Fuch's screenplay. At a shocking two-hour-nineteen minute runtime, <i>Argylle</i> goes all over the place and never bothers to make sense. My own sense is that the film is so set on building up a grand cinematic universe that it does not bother setting up a single movie. <i>Argylle</i> thinks it is setting up great twists and turns, but it only ends up being a rambling, incoherent mess. Far too clever by half, <i>Argylle</i> just does not make sense.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are small things, such as when for unknown reasons Elly calls her neighbor so that said neighbor can pass the phone call to her mother. I do not know how the relationship between Elly's family and the neighbor is to where Elly has his telephone number, let alone be confident enough to know he'd pass on the call to Ruth. Then there are large things, such as how someone could apparently get shot and killed only to pop up very much alive because the assassin hit the target at exactly the right spot so as to not kill them.</div><div><br /></div><div>From beginning to end, <i>Argylle</i> thinks it is clever and witty when in reality it is stupid to downright insane.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwDcInktpmoH8JAbjRPSUejFQTGVFxXsRIa3fkBGM3YK8z3TfZhV3rszpIGp1LbnE1MUCr_8O54A7S-shT7_eSJalKI8hag2k6Mwa3v4j4A2HkIIE6eOwG3oQD2PNAQNDmtYEEpP-6ntmyItMzSBx8h2nrksDzotnEQLI3EqlZpSJh90nZnGb6uaAGsJZ/s500/Argylle%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwDcInktpmoH8JAbjRPSUejFQTGVFxXsRIa3fkBGM3YK8z3TfZhV3rszpIGp1LbnE1MUCr_8O54A7S-shT7_eSJalKI8hag2k6Mwa3v4j4A2HkIIE6eOwG3oQD2PNAQNDmtYEEpP-6ntmyItMzSBx8h2nrksDzotnEQLI3EqlZpSJh90nZnGb6uaAGsJZ/s320/Argylle%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>The performances are also not there. The closest to a performance is Rockwell, whom is desperately trying to sell the comedic aspects of Argylle. However, he and Bryce Dallas Howard have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. The idea that these two could be or had ever been lovers is laughable; the vaguely hinted-at romance between Argylle and Wiley's stand-in Wyatt (John Cena) is more believable. As much as Rockwell tries, he cannot make what is meant as witty banter between him and Elly remotely good. </div><div><br /></div><div>That, to be fair, is more on Howard than Rockwell. Her delivery was unspeakably bad at just about every turn. Perhaps she was smart enough to see that the dialogue was dreadful, though not smart enough not to have accepted the role. In both versions: meek Elly and allegedly girl-boss R. Kylle, she is horrendous.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have long argued that Henry Cavill cannot act. He is beautiful to look at, but has no skills in creating characters. <i>Argylle</i> should be a perfect showcase for Cavill's thorough lack of acting skills. The character is meant to be stiff, dull and totally blank. Somehow, Cavill can't even manage to make a nonentity like Agent Argylle come across as the exaggerated farce he is. I have to imagine Agent Argylle is meant to be dim and pointless, for I cannot imagine the character presented would be interesting enough for one book, let alone a whole series. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cranston and Jackson were just cashing checks and not bothering with anything. The most unfortunate person here is O'Hara. She is a genuine talent and brilliant comedienne, so to see her wasted by Vaughn in this is sad. </div><div><br /></div><div>Vaughn cannot get past his old tricks, such as staging overblown action/fight scene with music. Why exactly he chose Sylvester's disco hit <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Do Ya Wanna Funk?</span></i> for the bullet train fight one can only guess at. He's done this sort of thing before: wild, overblown, frenetic action sequences. However, in <i>Argylle</i>, they were dull and thoroughly fake-looking. Throwing in more smoke that shifts into hearts is not clever or funny. It's just dull and stupid. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Argylle</i> has nothing to recommend it. Absolutely nothing. No acting. No action. No humor. No heart. The cat is out of the luggage: <i>Argylle</i> is one of the worst if not worst film of 2024 if not among the worst of all time.</div><div><br /></div><div>God Help Us All if they force another <i>Argylle</i> film on us. If for any reason we do have to endure another Argylle horror, Matthew Vaughn should make as its theme song what the audience is feeling: Pet Shop Boys' <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">What Have I Done to Deserve This?</span></i></div><div><p></p><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: F</a></span></b></div></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-55395080444653499362024-02-09T13:52:00.002-07:002024-02-09T13:52:40.366-07:00The Zone of Interest: A Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb4KTAbG3k4preui0eU4-GHa-jUEH6tuIgLPRexpw77ABGYOCzgaK38wMuE8R4AiMV_XikOex91ajyh-uDGPvPf1Eg4Rqp29lFYoqmIxIuHCiR1XxneXkAlxUwTHFdisbFJOw61ichtI0pDD8q5Vx-k7tErl00uB6E-FChv_bxTHT1Xnk3QzhGRrH47Ya/s1500/Zone%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb4KTAbG3k4preui0eU4-GHa-jUEH6tuIgLPRexpw77ABGYOCzgaK38wMuE8R4AiMV_XikOex91ajyh-uDGPvPf1Eg4Rqp29lFYoqmIxIuHCiR1XxneXkAlxUwTHFdisbFJOw61ichtI0pDD8q5Vx-k7tErl00uB6E-FChv_bxTHT1Xnk3QzhGRrH47Ya/s320/Zone%201.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE ZONE OF INTEREST</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>How does evil grow? Quite easily. We, separated by almost eighty years from the barbarism of the Holocaust, can ask how it could have happened. <i>The Zone of Interest</i> lays out a very chilling answer: quite easily, without a second thought. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rudolph Hoss (Christian Friedel), his wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) and their children live what appear to be idyllic lives. They have a pleasant home, complete with a large garden that Hedwig lovingly tends to; there is even a swimming pool and hothouse for their comforts. They have a few people serving them. Even better for Rudolph, his work is literally a few paces away, the facility just behind their garden wall.</div><div><br /></div><div>That facility just happens to be Auschwitz, where the smoke from the crematoriums is never ending. The sound of shootings, screams and trains are quite audible, but they do not disturb the Hoss family home. They are not oblivious or even perhaps indifferent to the sights and sounds of the death camp. They just happen to live beside them. Sure, human ashes may suddenly emerge onto the river while Hoss is fishing and his kids are swimming. This, however, is more an irritant than a horror, a sign of ineptness rather than cruelty.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hedwig is not pleased to learn that Rudolph has been given a promotion that might mean leaving their home. She pushes him to at first fight the promotion, taking up to Hitler if need be. Rudolph at least gets the High Command to allow Hedwig and their children to stay in their lovely home. More good news comes his way when he is allowed back to Auschwitz to head his own operation to transport more people there. There is a celebration for the upcoming operation. Calling Hedwig afterwards, he tells her he was too distracted by wondering how he would gas those attending the event to notice the elegant surroundings. In a flashforward, we see Rudolph descend down a flight of stairs while the sight of the current Auschwitz is seen being readied for that day's visitors. Rudolph continues his descent into darkness.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPcmk9anEfPZyuAR4er4FzXkCa2QqMig0AAO8XYQmOVpRngl8zP1XtU9s5zJwuPfPCKF57ckrRNiHN4b15Eyl035pe_Gm3L14UkZXRjihwuH3plYAtUvLkQy_8KhrfrvNBWxlj8C8gNU29Rtxbhr-4YewiO6CVjQbIZYdEQ5WAkRfcXfm8wb8kPxPiRso/s500/Zone%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPcmk9anEfPZyuAR4er4FzXkCa2QqMig0AAO8XYQmOVpRngl8zP1XtU9s5zJwuPfPCKF57ckrRNiHN4b15Eyl035pe_Gm3L14UkZXRjihwuH3plYAtUvLkQy_8KhrfrvNBWxlj8C8gNU29Rtxbhr-4YewiO6CVjQbIZYdEQ5WAkRfcXfm8wb8kPxPiRso/s320/Zone%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><i>The Zone of Interest</i> brings to mind the familiar quote from Hannah Arendt about the "banality of evil"; when she covered the trial of Adolph Eichmann, one of the creators of the Final Solution. We see that the Hoss family and those friends that drop in are not oblivious to what is going on next door. Far from it: they are fully aware, to where Hedwig's mother wonders if the woman whose house she cleaned is in the camp. She, however, can comment only on how she lost the chance to get her Jewish employer's curtains when she was first sent to the ghetto.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Hoss family, in fact all those who worked for the Third Reich, have accepted the barbarism of the Shoah that they have successfully dehumanized and "othered" all those who are not like them. Early on, one of Hedwig's friends remarks on a beautiful coat that belonged to "a Jewess". Never did any of them ask or care about that woman's fate. They instead focused on how said "Jewess" was half their size, meaning it required alteration. Near the end of <i>The Zone of Interest</i>, Hedwig snaps at one of the camp slaves who works for her, "I could have my husband spread your ashes across the area". It is chillingly reminiscent of when slaveholders would threaten to sell their slaves down river, a reminder of who was in control. I do not think, as I said, that the people here were oblivious but disinterested, the process of dehumanization complete. </div><div><br /></div><div>Director/screenwriter Jonathan Glazer, adapting Martin Amis' novel, takes its time revealing horrors behind the mundane façade. Apart from a few camp prisoners who serve as the Hoss' de facto slaves, we never see inside Auschwitz itself. We hear the sounds of gunfire, of screams, but <i>The Zone of Interest</i> is not about what went on inside the death camp. It is interested in how seemingly normal, even pleasant, people could or would continue life while serving mass murder on a satanic level. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYviDC2p4QHhj3fmjpOShrWLISAbrNMMLbXckXJlGoosBlktPSGfLgeGY2h55pz-VUcv3H1NgVyQfQdR_l1D30dVK9A9eSoq_tgguqbZXjIFMs3x82vpbz9VR2bhXLpgWYbswiat2b3K0vLxOxI7H3qj3y3b8_hnof3jrg1uBO0YBOxQu9iIz3wdxzGzAU/s1920/Zone%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYviDC2p4QHhj3fmjpOShrWLISAbrNMMLbXckXJlGoosBlktPSGfLgeGY2h55pz-VUcv3H1NgVyQfQdR_l1D30dVK9A9eSoq_tgguqbZXjIFMs3x82vpbz9VR2bhXLpgWYbswiat2b3K0vLxOxI7H3qj3y3b8_hnof3jrg1uBO0YBOxQu9iIz3wdxzGzAU/s320/Zone%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>This is what makes <i>The Zone of Interest</i> so effective: it presents us with a cold, dispassionate view of how monstrosity and inhumanity can be so routine. The Hoss family is not presented as raging antisemites or psychotic fanatics. They are presented as what they are: ordinary people who have not so much compartmentalized the horror they benefit from as accepted it as the natural course of things. </div><div><br /></div><div>The performances are equally straightforward, making things more horrifying. Friedel's Rudolph is coldly effective. Seeing him rationally look over plans to have gas chambers and crematoriums run 24/7 is horrifying in its simplicity. Huller reveals Hedwig to be a hausfrau who focuses on her family and the creature comforts her husband's job has provided. She is also a super-bitch, putting her own interests ahead of everything else. </div><div><br /></div><div>That she could discuss her wish to return to Italy for a vacation as people are being slaughtered makes things more grotesque. Yet that is the point of <i>The Zone of Interest</i>, to show how "good people" can not just accept but live comfortably aside unspeakable horrors with no concept that what they are doing is wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div>If there are flaws to <i>The Zone of Interest</i>, it may be that it sometimes takes a too artistic take on things. The film opens with perhaps excessively creepy music from Mica Levi and has an almost painfully long black screen that makes on wonder if the film will ever start. The end, with a sudden shift to the present-day at the Auschwitz Museum as Rudolph metaphorically looks on, is a bit much. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the whole, <i>The Zone of Interest</i> is a chilling portrait of how comfortable people can be with evil. When people ask how such horrors as the Shoah or slavery happen, <i>The Zone of Interest</i> shows that it can happen because good people are fine with it so long as they do not think on it. Slaveowners and people like the Hoss family worked with evil because they did not see it as evil. "We're living how we dreamed we lived", Hedwig states when Rudolph tells her they might have to move. Traits like human venality, indifference and indoctrination have plagued mankind since time began. The sad truth revealed in <i>The Zone of Interest</i> is that the Holocaust was not a true aberration of the human condition, merely the most extreme variation of it. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: B+</a></span></b></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-24780016576081695782024-02-06T14:18:00.004-07:002024-02-06T14:18:43.892-07:00All of Us Strangers: A Review (Review #1790)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5d/All_of_Us_Strangers_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="253" height="375" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5d/All_of_Us_Strangers_poster.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ALL OF US STRANGERS</span></b></p><p>Praise can be a curious thing. There is much praise for <i>All of Us Strangers</i>, a new film that is meant to touch on grief and loss. How it played to me, though, was a slow, dull and ultimately unintentionally hilarious films of 2023.</p><p>Screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott) is struggling in more ways than one. He is struggling in that he is currently not working. He is also struggling emotionally. Living alone in London, he is still dealing with the grief of his parents' deaths when he was 12. </p><p>That grief does not stop him from going to his boyhood home and seeing his parents, Dad (Jamie Bell) and Mum (Clair Foy), who look exactly as they did when they died. Adam lives alone, but to be fair his entire high-rise is empty save for one other person. That is Harry (Paul Mescal), who is open about his attraction to Adam. At first reluctant, Adam later changes his mind and a sexual and romantic relationship between them begins. </p><p>Adam now has the courage to come out to his dead parents. Mum does not take it well initially, while Dad, who suspected as much, is more tolerant. Now Adam and Harry hit the clubs, and Adam has strange visions, culminating in Adam taking his paramour to see his long-dead parents. Eventually, Mum and Dad tell Adam that it is time to let them go. Adam does so, only to return to the high-rise and find Harry is himself dead. Now, Adam has exchanged the ghosts of his parents for the ghost of Harry.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxDwxTZ6S6_EIvk2WZdpTnB1wGFvZzLomAoGfpNCAd0YcGkBw2TUG-LS1TKA7e0k1RQYKEtxA5k7JN0qpJwvuLGCM8yc2sHRAoEGqWP-uxVVGYQRtP2Y8sv1VaE8YATJC3oAcFQXgJQNVj0dA8NDEm9HHejPczragfGag3lqkkXcB6m_0Qh1PmLiTuOwm/s6544/Strangers%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3711" data-original-width="6544" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxDwxTZ6S6_EIvk2WZdpTnB1wGFvZzLomAoGfpNCAd0YcGkBw2TUG-LS1TKA7e0k1RQYKEtxA5k7JN0qpJwvuLGCM8yc2sHRAoEGqWP-uxVVGYQRtP2Y8sv1VaE8YATJC3oAcFQXgJQNVj0dA8NDEm9HHejPczragfGag3lqkkXcB6m_0Qh1PmLiTuOwm/s320/Strangers%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>As I wrote that, Justin Bieber's <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ghost</span></i> popped into my mind. After all, Adam will now settle for the ghost of Harry. It was at this point that I wanted to howl with laughter rather than tears. Think of it: Adam finally let go of the ghosts of his Mum and Dad but now has the ghost of Harry to love forever. I figure many have seen <i>All of Us Strangers</i> as this beautiful meditation on love and loss. I saw it as Adam being a total nutter. </p><p>The entire "he exchanged ghosts" is simply too laughable for me to accept. This is a man who literally lives with ghosts. How am I the only one who does not find the setup hilarious more than heartbreaking?</p><p>Throughout <i>All of Us Strangers</i>, I thought that this would work better as a novel than as a film. I was not far off: <i>All of Us Strangers</i> is based on Taishi Yamata's novel <i>Strangers</i>. Writer/director Andrew Haigh's adaptation did not translate well for me. I think the flaws are that he may have wanted to be too devoted to these large themes of grief and regret to let the present-day scenario play out.</p><p>There is a somberness to <i>All of Us Strangers</i> that stifles the film. The heaviness prevents the film from coming to life, an ironic effect given the subject matter. Yes, I understand that it deals with death and pain. However, there is no joy even in the relationship between Adam and Harry. I did not sense any genuine romance between them. I did not even sense sexual attraction between them. The fact that Adam is old enough to be Harry's father does not help matters (Andrew Scott being older than Paul Mescal by nineteen years). </p><p>Jaime Bell is ten years younger than Scott, but at least there is a logic to the age gap in that Dad was metaphorically frozen in time. <i>All of Us Strangers</i> now asks us to accept that Adam is potentially having sex with ghosts of younger men unless Harry died after Adam came back from his last visit to his parents. It is a bit unclear to me whether Harry died after Adam let his parents go or before. If after, it is a bit unclear if it was suicide or perhaps an accidental overdose. If before, then Adam's entire romantic and sexual relationship was a delusion in his mind.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq8on2b3hyphenhyphen45yKQtXYAqy2A23FLGVAy1uTPTqp62TD3llVNlq4WKOpcNi_AhT6vKZQ800qXDauOUD8QGi1b5ytA_43jEumirIEN2mcGHqA8r6Ne2a3PejZmY8yCD5MYhyphenhyphenZKQfkTUZUSxgBq5H09WeJRhI_EySZ_7KqTCJ-1lHeLcmkRVmOgo9cwMnTkJv/s8000/Strangers%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5333" data-original-width="8000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq8on2b3hyphenhyphen45yKQtXYAqy2A23FLGVAy1uTPTqp62TD3llVNlq4WKOpcNi_AhT6vKZQ800qXDauOUD8QGi1b5ytA_43jEumirIEN2mcGHqA8r6Ne2a3PejZmY8yCD5MYhyphenhyphenZKQfkTUZUSxgBq5H09WeJRhI_EySZ_7KqTCJ-1lHeLcmkRVmOgo9cwMnTkJv/s320/Strangers%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>It almost comes across as a strange blend of Patrick Swayze's <i>Ghost</i> and Bo Derek's <i>Ghosts Can't Do It</i>. Either way, it all looks strange to silly, with the efforts to wring great drama out of those scenarios making things more unintentionally amusing.</p><p>The best scenes in <i>All of Us Strangers</i> are when Adam is with one or both of his parents. It is a strange thing that Bell and Foy, despite playing dead people, are the most alive of our small cast. They are allowed to be fully-formed people, with conflicting emotions. When Scott is with either of them, the film improves. When Adam tells his Mum about his sexual orientation, she looks genuinely puzzled. "Homosexual? Since when? You don't look homosexual?". I can see it as Adam projecting, but it still works. Same when Bell's Dad talks about how Adam was bullied and suspected that Adam might be gay. </p><p>As much praise as Scott and Mescal have received, I did not see them as a romantic pair, age gap notwithstanding. There is almost a dourness to their affair, one where neither is allowed to be human. Instead, their relationship matches the pseudo-artistry <i>All of Us Strangers</i> is so openly going for. Rather than be a living thing, it becomes ART! par excellence, making things stand out all the more. There is a certain stillness and distance here, as if Adam and Harry are a bit stiff with each other.</p><p>That, for me, is one of the film's greatest issues. It is a very quiet film, perhaps too quiet. It is one that focuses so much on the weighty themes that it does not allow for actual human interaction, at least among the living.</p><p>Again, my sense is that <i>All of Us Strangers</i> reads better than plays better. It is a film that drags, sometimes slips into tedium and/or parody, and keeps things too artsy for me. </p><p><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: D-</a></span></b></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-63430270519352335912024-02-05T17:21:00.003-07:002024-02-06T13:54:19.837-07:00FairyTale: A True Story. A Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c6/Fairytale_a_true_story.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="260" height="382" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c6/Fairytale_a_true_story.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">FAIRYTALE: A TRUE STORY</span></b><div><br /></div><div>"I do believe in fairies, I do, I do". That, I understand, is how Tinker Bell is saved by children when they watch the stage version of <i>Peter Pan</i>. Never having attended such a performance, I cannot say for sure if this does happen or continues to. <i>FairyTale: A True Story</i> is very loosely based on a real-life case. It is, however, more about faith than facts, and a surprisingly deeper and sadder film than people might think.</div><div><br /></div><div>In World War I Britain, young Frances Griffiths (Elizabeth Earl) goes to stay with her cousin Elsie Wright (Florence Hough) and her aunt and uncle, Polly (Phoebe Nicholls) and Arthur (Paul McGann). Frances' father is missing in action, and while Francis herself is not dwelling on that, it is Polly who is more anxious. Polly is still struggling with the grief of losing her son Joseph, keeping his room exactly as it was.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also grieving the loss of a son is celebrated writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Peter O'Toole). He lost his son in the war, and has found comfort in a firm belief in spiritualism. His friend, celebrated magician Harry Houdini (Harvey Keitel) does not believe in spiritualism and sees it as a way of defrauding vulnerable people. However, Sir Arthur will not be dissuaded from his beliefs. He is more convinced when, through the work of Theosophical Society speaker Edward Gardener (Bill Nighy), Sir Arthur sees pictures of fairies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Frances and Elsie are firm believers in fairies who live near a brook. To prove that fairies are real, they use Arthur's camera to photograph them. Polly and Sir Arthur believe the pictures are genuine. Arthur and Houdini do not. However, the girls are too young to know anything about faking images, and a photographic analysis shows the pictures themselves are genuine. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, are the fairies themselves genuine? While Sir Arthur champions what became known as the Cottingley Fairies, others are convinced the whole thing is a scam. <i>Stratford Argus</i> reporter John Ferret (Tim McInnerny) ferrets out the Wrights while fairy seekers swamp the private land. Will the fairies reveal themselves? Are Frances and Elsie pulling a fast one over everyone? Will skeptic Harry Houdini and true believer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle find who is right?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5NEc3Yc_Yal19WQN05PsNm3n6Wts9ZCuxQ4HGrZRn-MSkcFRSseKwcO4BNAu4CvBuK2KW6a7a9dqTPJIupo26D2k5frPL2s_VW2e8qwcrALPyZaXmzMxJuOjq2s1JVumEgx_7DiUAxPXNQfBm26swT-ANWAAyqbWIacENPQq95bjS3gKVmncbiIjxjkS/s1280/FairyTale%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1280" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5NEc3Yc_Yal19WQN05PsNm3n6Wts9ZCuxQ4HGrZRn-MSkcFRSseKwcO4BNAu4CvBuK2KW6a7a9dqTPJIupo26D2k5frPL2s_VW2e8qwcrALPyZaXmzMxJuOjq2s1JVumEgx_7DiUAxPXNQfBm26swT-ANWAAyqbWIacENPQq95bjS3gKVmncbiIjxjkS/s320/FairyTale%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>What I found in <i>FairyTale</i> is that in reality, the veracity of the Cottingley Fairies is secondary to the theme of the film. <i>FairyTale</i> is really about faith and grief. So many of the people in <i>FairyTale</i> want to believe in something outside the observable world. Almost all of them are desperate for there to be an afterlife, something in the great beyond, something that cannot be seen. The adults in particular, save perhaps for Houdini, are going through some great grief that finds an outlet in something both supernatural and sweet. Fairies, therefore, would be the perfect beings.</div><div><br /></div><div>Early on in <i>FairyTale</i>, we see the belief in fairies almost as a coping mechanism. The shadow of young Joseph hangs over the Wright home. Elsie has dealt with the loss in a matter-of-fact manner save for her continued use of a fairy palace Joseph had made. Frances, more guileless and more believing, might have found in the fairies a way to not deal with her father's disappearance and potential death. Only Gardner, whose faith is not based on any grief but genuine belief, comes across as a bit looney.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is a credit to director Charles Sturrige that he got some wonderful performances out of his cast. Nighy's Mr. Gardner comes across as comically crazy, someone who sounds rational but who can have children genuinely making him believe that he has accidentally disturbed a fairy ring. Harvey Keitel and Peter O'Toole, despite both having small roles, do quite well individually and together as the doubtful Houdini and the faithful Doyle. O'Toole in particular has such a wonderful way of delivering dialogue. His monologue about his belief in the supernatural to Houdini is an especially effective piece of acting. One might not consider Keitel the first choice for Houdini, but he does well in <i>FairyTale</i> as the more doubtful of the two. McGann, sadly underused, also did well as the more loving but doubtful father.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKgS0_6TbFTW8tPh874sLInAgJFeLrjrWSdbdAWAR-MgRzHWMNv1SOHoW7eyh7KKgrLMthfsr9KwBX-mwrGrWU3mg8UqVy5PXpfrEh1My59dz1wDrwm-6SH3L21kZIA26xW-MUBmNpMA_qZ_PIRpQUibaeeU0pqoIh-T6iu9Xf47QJY-tAgR3Fg0ZtFRB/s654/FairyTale%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="654" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKgS0_6TbFTW8tPh874sLInAgJFeLrjrWSdbdAWAR-MgRzHWMNv1SOHoW7eyh7KKgrLMthfsr9KwBX-mwrGrWU3mg8UqVy5PXpfrEh1My59dz1wDrwm-6SH3L21kZIA26xW-MUBmNpMA_qZ_PIRpQUibaeeU0pqoIh-T6iu9Xf47QJY-tAgR3Fg0ZtFRB/s320/FairyTale%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>The two girls, Elsie's Hoath and Earl's Frances, were pleasant without being insipid. They played the parts correctly: as two girls who truly believe the fairies are real, even if Hoath was meant to be slightly more doubtful.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is also a credit to Ernie Contreras' screenplay (with story by Contreras, Tom McLoughlin and Albert Ash) that it gave room for doubt. Granted, not much, as we saw the fairies interact with the girls. However, it brought a certain plausibility to both the reality of fairies along with those more skeptical. <i>FairyTale</i> does lean in perhaps too much into the former. The film does have a scene where Ferret, having discovered what appears to be the accepted truth about the Cottingley Fairies (they were cutout figures posed for the camera). However, when we see a literal ghost pop out and the evidence fly off into the wind, we sense that <i>FairyTale</i> does lean in too much on the "fairies are real" side.</div><div><br /></div><div>I imagine that, while well acted, the final scene would trouble to infuriate Houdini. In the film, he does not denounce the girls while not accepting the reality of fairies. He exposes frauds, but he sees no deliberate effort to deceive or take advantage of others with the girls. Are fairies real?, he is asked. "As real as you wish them to be," is his answer. This seems a slightly strange idea for the skeptic to state.</div><div><br /></div><div>Moreover, the real story of the Cottingley Fairies is more complicated. In reality, Elsie was sixteen years old, not the child she was presented. <i>FairyTale</i> never goes into exactly how they managed to photograph fairies. To be fair to the film, <i>FairyTale</i> was not interested in historical accuracy or in revealing the truth about the fairy photos. It aims to be a fantasy, one that appeals to children while still grappling with more adult subjects like grief and coping with that. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>FairyTale: A True Story</i> is anything but. A better film could be made of how adults were so easily taken in. The motives of Elsie and Frances is never explored, though given how it wants to be more wholesome, they weren't going to be. On the whole, with generally well-acted roles, it may not be a true story but it is serviceable </div><div><p></p><p><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: C+</a></span></b></p></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-34589120035170884172024-02-01T15:48:00.001-07:002024-02-01T15:48:53.439-07:00The Book of Clarence: A Review (Review #1788)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/TheBookOfClarence_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/TheBookOfClarence_poster.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE BOOK OF CLARENCE</span></b><p></p><p>Is there such a thing as black blasphemy? <i>The Book of Clarence</i>, I figure, thought of itself as a more inclusive representation of Scripture by having an almost all-black cast. However, it ended up playing like a spoof of Biblical films that was in turns bizarre, silly and downright offensive.</p><p>Separated into three Books (<i>The 13th Apostle, The New Messiah</i> and <i>The Crucifixion</i>), we start in Jerusalem, 33 AD. Street hustler Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) and his little buddy Elijah (RJ Cyder) are doing their best to survive the rough streets of the Roman occupied Judean capital. Clarence is dismissive of the newest Messiah to come through Jerusalem, even if one of His disciples is Clarence's own twin brother Thomas (Stanfield in a dual role). Clarence has gotten into trouble with local boss Jedediah the Terrible (Eric Kofi-Abrefa) and needs to come up with a lot of shekels to pay back his debt.</p><p>Now, during a marijuana-induced hallucination where the smokers literally get high, Clarence hits upon two good ideas (at least good to him). First, he will join Jesus' crew and become the 13th Apostle. After that causes the other apostles to break out into laughter, Clarence decides he will become a rival Messiah. He does become successful in his Messiah hype, aided by Elijah and a gladiator slave Clarence managed to free, Barabbas (Omar Sy), who claims to be immortal save for his heel.</p><p>Clarence becomes so intoxicated with his growing wealth and influence that he can afford to dismiss the claims of Jesus' mother Mary (Alfre Woodard) and adoptive father Joseph (Brian Bovell) about Jesus' miracles, such as bringing clay pigeons to life. He can romance Jedediah's sister Varinia (Anna Diop) but cannot escape the wrath of Pontius Pilate (James McAvoy). Will Clarence end up showing he can rival Him? What of Benjamin (Benedict Cumberbatch), the dirty unkempt beggar who comes through the story and finds himself alongside Clarence? Will he look like a literal white savior?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MujGuZmIuPT_vWcZJbKRf9XmClgft413ytXQ0ieqQ7yaPxL8Shx8ZlZsk6-FVyK71-_mn-pUqcGOhX3ZrpNHMlJMqanzuZQg9T7AZK-QPEv0BgznN_-COLSLt6tLrYSVevYFErOLxzxYYCB26Mrl9wN0RmB6OSWUDqvhlyA5JHuoMqa8x5Ha72Vq9SbC/s1366/Clarence%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1366" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MujGuZmIuPT_vWcZJbKRf9XmClgft413ytXQ0ieqQ7yaPxL8Shx8ZlZsk6-FVyK71-_mn-pUqcGOhX3ZrpNHMlJMqanzuZQg9T7AZK-QPEv0BgznN_-COLSLt6tLrYSVevYFErOLxzxYYCB26Mrl9wN0RmB6OSWUDqvhlyA5JHuoMqa8x5Ha72Vq9SbC/s320/Clarence%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><i>The Book of Clarence</i> is for those who thought <i>Monty Python's Life of Brian</i> was too reverential towards Christ. In many ways, <i>The Book of Clarence</i> plays like a whacked-out parody of Biblical epics, with a little representation thrown in. After all, isn't it time we had black Hebrew Israelites? </p><p>You can read the casting in <i>The Book of Clarence</i> one of two ways. One is to have the Jewish characters played by black actors because for some reason people just assume Jews in the time of Christ were not black. This line of thinking also allows for the Judeans in <i>The Book of Clarence</i> to be reflective of our times, as the oppressive Romans are all played by white actors. It might have been daring to have a literally all-black cast and had the Romans also played by black actors. However, since <i>The Book of Clarence</i> appears, in part, to try and "reflect the modern world", it was not about to suggest black people were anything other than oppressed.</p><p>As a side note, it is interesting that representation via casting black actors in historic films and television applies only to white historic figures (Jodie Turner-Smith as Anne Boleyn, Adrian Lester as Lord Randolph 2018's <i>Mary Queen of Scots</i>). To my knowledge, there has never been a call for LaKeith Stanfield to play Cesar Chavez or Jodie Turner-Smith to play Anna May Wong. I am curious as to what the reaction would if Turner-Smith were indeed cast as Wong. Yet, I digress. </p><p>The other way of looking at things is to see <i>The Book of Clarence</i> as being about the Black Israelite movement, which then makes the film closer to propaganda. The Black Israelite movement maintains that black people are the true Jews, and that is one of their less eccentric ideas. They have been labeled anti-Semitic, racists and Holocaust deniers. I do not know if writer/director Jeymes Samuel had that in mind when crafting that film. However, having literal black Israelites does leave him open to accusations as such.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ3euwLTEw_5mnVppZssCUV_61qT1c2U_kCiQWLuS_dtBosHj7iHCVhg5Z3sUdHd8GnHbh7pL0dE0_7ZsYzdp_6N3Xl4Larq7G45MHrEcb6YLvWNxP_WUM34muGrZxcHg9L0TqkBnriFSdws9lFZXjDp12Un8v4sOwyoM3nL1ZKQ3gnRkqbHvQTHz6UhG/s3000/Clarence%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ3euwLTEw_5mnVppZssCUV_61qT1c2U_kCiQWLuS_dtBosHj7iHCVhg5Z3sUdHd8GnHbh7pL0dE0_7ZsYzdp_6N3Xl4Larq7G45MHrEcb6YLvWNxP_WUM34muGrZxcHg9L0TqkBnriFSdws9lFZXjDp12Un8v4sOwyoM3nL1ZKQ3gnRkqbHvQTHz6UhG/s320/Clarence%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I have no way of looking into Samuel's soul. I can look at <i>The Book of Clarence</i> and declare it simply awful separate from any real or unintended propaganda elements. In many ways, the film plays like a joke, and an unoriginal one at that. Certain times, Samuel's music plays like Miklos Rozsa's <i>Ben-Hur</i> score on steroids. Other times, the hip-hop soundtrack makes things look even odder than people literally floating after smoking weed.</p><p>Perhaps a little leeway can be granted when you have Elijah's sole character characteristic be smoking joints. However, <i>The Book of Clarence</i>'s determination to be simultaneously of its time and of our time makes the dichotomy look nutty.</p><p>What is one to take when your performances are all over the place? David Oyelowo's John the Baptist is playing things for laughs, slapping Clarence for trying to fake his way to baptism (which John does anyway). Cumberbatch too seems to think the film is spoof until he meets a grisly end, one filled with bitterness. One moment he's camping it up (I think he did the "Buddy Christ" from <i>Dogma</i> meme), the next he's going on about how humans are "God's only mistake". </p><p>The worst is McAvoy, who is so hammy as Pilate to where one could see he isn't bothering to try and make this remotely serious. That may be the point, and perhaps <i>The Book of Clarence</i> is meant as a spoof. If so, no one informed Stanfield, who is so stoic for most of the film. With an affected theatrical accent, Stanfield thinks he is in a serious film. Everyone else appears to think they are in a comedy, intentional or not. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggVLNZJioiHIuWUgIZbKqTrTcww2Yq0zcUzOWQTq4zF351eGxRrQzWqsJwbipdSiuNfzWLhlEhPTZqHknTwLFtIzH3HmVpZTKU70u9SeLehLh_bfNVjmiQu2KHNExaUeKYj_rADlPl33gEjUognTVaJDQic-EfRDAjgR-iYLITubgiCb8QkdUsnmLku2w/s500/Clarence%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggVLNZJioiHIuWUgIZbKqTrTcww2Yq0zcUzOWQTq4zF351eGxRrQzWqsJwbipdSiuNfzWLhlEhPTZqHknTwLFtIzH3HmVpZTKU70u9SeLehLh_bfNVjmiQu2KHNExaUeKYj_rADlPl33gEjUognTVaJDQic-EfRDAjgR-iYLITubgiCb8QkdUsnmLku2w/s320/Clarence%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I will touch briefly on the theological aspects of the film; limited as my knowledge of Scripture is, I am aware that the story Mother Mary told about the clay pigeons is from the gnostic Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which was seen as heresy even in the third century after Christ, though apparently is accepted as fact in the Koran. The story of the woman caught in adultery (the Gospel of John 8:1-11) is similarly far off from actual Scripture. For reasons unclear, the wanton woman being stoned was Mary Magdalene (Teyana Taylor), whom was condemned as "that whore who sexes the Romans". In a more bizarre twist, the woman was saved when Jesus (Nicholas Pinnock) literally raised His hand and stopped the flying stones midair. <p></p><p>Granted, Biblical knowledge may not be strong among even self-proclaimed Christians, but why add these elements when they are not needed?</p><p>Clarence is rejected by the Apostles, in part, because he rejects the Immaculate Conception. The Apostles literally use the term "immaculate conception". It is the laziness of <i>The Book of Clarence</i> to confuse the doctrine of The Virgin Birth (Christ being conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit to a virgin) with the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (the Roman Catholic belief that Mary herself was conceived free from sin). They are not the same. Moreover, if we go by <i>The Book of Clarence</i>, Clarence is theologically correct to reject "the Immaculate Conception" as it is about Mary, not Jesus.</p><p>I think <i>The Book of Clarence</i>, far from being about representation in Biblical films, is a comedy. It is unclear if it was meant to be a comedy. I do know the audience was laughing at various points in the film. It is not well-acted. It is not well-directed. While one song, <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Nights Over Egypt</span></i>, is good, it feels so wildly out-of-place even in the hip-hop soundtrack. As a side note, referencing King Tut is so out-there since it would not make sense on any level.</p><p>Those who would look upon <i>The Book of Clarence</i> as blasphemy might miss something entirely. Yes, it is blasphemous. It is also idiotic, boring and a waste of everyone's time: cast, crew and audience. </p><p><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: F</a></span></b></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-44946614571947881202024-01-30T18:13:00.000-07:002024-01-30T18:13:00.488-07:00Golda: A Review (Review #1787)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/Golda_poster.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="257" height="388" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/Golda_poster.jpeg" width="257" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">GOLDA</span></b><p></p><p>No one can foresee the future. <i>Golda</i>, the film covering Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir's tenure during the Yom Kippur War, was I figure meant to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of that war. Instead, it comes on the heels of Israel's newest war of survival against Hamas. As a film, <i>Golda</i> moves well keeps things going, even if at times it becomes a bit heavy-handed with its symbolisms. </p><p>Using the narrative frame of an inquiry into the causes of the Yom Kippur War, we see a commission call an old woman into its chambers. That old woman is former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren). Various flashbacks take her to October 5, 1973.</p><p>While there are rumblings that Egypt will attack the Jewish state, Prime Minister Meir is dubious, as is her Defense Minister, the formidable eyepatch-wearing Moshe Dayan (Rami Heurberger). Almost too late, Meir sees that Israel will be attack and she orders a partial mobilization but no preemptive attack.</p><p>That may have been a poor decision, as Egypt and Syria launch a full-scale assault on Israel. Even Dayan is left horrified when he observes the Syrian troops from the air. He is close to losing his mind, but still Meir will not let him go. She also faces the grandiose military plans of Ariel "Arik" Sharon (Ohan Knoller) and the machinations of U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schriber). Kissinger would rather want a negotiated settlement to not incur Arab wrath and keep the oil flowing. No dice for Meir: it is total victory and recognition of Israel by Egyptian President Sadat or nothing.</p><p>Unlike Kissinger and Sadat, however, Meir knows that she has a few cards up her sleeve, mostly the knowledge that in his eagerness to be the Arab leader to wipe the Jews off the planet, he is leaving Cairo undefended. The war ends with an Israeli victory but at a high cost for the secretly ill Meir.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRX0EdHrsKrhcXFWG8Cw2sOg7Cf3tN-P7GlbZiFE6rfGWhLmM2_jCxURTYjwSz7J4ElSIGwW4RhyphenhyphenCxOqmAe8ftUFRetiLVBPGSCpMfufdV7PTDUNTQM0i2EhW1X3EMwXR3GCTmfK41Uk0f8y5Lk9cUM1G9GIBMXzaJkZkO6HI1uCBQiT0p9LKsL738Cps/s1823/Golda%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1823" data-original-width="1823" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRX0EdHrsKrhcXFWG8Cw2sOg7Cf3tN-P7GlbZiFE6rfGWhLmM2_jCxURTYjwSz7J4ElSIGwW4RhyphenhyphenCxOqmAe8ftUFRetiLVBPGSCpMfufdV7PTDUNTQM0i2EhW1X3EMwXR3GCTmfK41Uk0f8y5Lk9cUM1G9GIBMXzaJkZkO6HI1uCBQiT0p9LKsL738Cps/s320/Golda%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In many ways, <i>Golda</i> is safe. Director Guy Nattiv and screenwriter Nicholas Martin do not delve deep if at all into Meir's troubled mind and/or soul on the war. It is kept mostly behind the scenes, particularly when Meir and/or her staff listen in on the various battles. Granted, <i>Golda</i> is not going to have scenes of her leading troops into battle across the Sinai. However, it also does not explore much if anything about Meir or those around her.</p><p>We know, for example, that Meir has an aide whose son is sent to the front. We pretty much know what that young man's fate will be. However, it felt almost as if both her aide and the son (one barely seen, one never seen) were there to "humanize" the war. Given the past horrors of the Shoah which she was fully aware if (even if she did not live through them herself), I do not think Meir went into this situation unaware of the human cost.</p><p><i>Golda</i> also at times leaves things unanswered. The main unanswered sections involve Dayan. At one point, he was shaking so much that I wondered if he had Parkinson's Disease. He also appeared to be at times almost going mad. To be fair, the situation would be almost unbearable to those going through it. However, we still get something of a distance with everyone in <i>Golda</i>.</p><p>At times, there are stabs at drawing us into just how close Israel came to falling. Golda Meir at one point tells her secretary that if the Arabs manage to take Tel Aviv, she would not be taken alive. It was a good effort, but not a completely successful one. <i>Golda</i> also indulges in symbolism that is at times opaque and at times far too overt. One scene has her literally with blood-stained hands as a major operation is going on. The closing scene, for reasons I cannot fathom, has dead birds all around her hospital room. </p><p>Some of the acting is curious. Helen Mirren did not sound like Golda Meir. She sounded like Helen Mirren. Apart from that though, I think Mirren did well, though not great as Golda (I think Ingrid Bergman's performance in the television miniseries <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2015/08/israels-golden-girl-woman-called-golda.html">A Woman Called Golda</a></i> was closer to the real Meir). Part of it is the script and directing, but part of it is with Mirren. Schrieber faces an uphill battle with Kissinger, as most actors focus on the late Secretary of State's distinctively accented bass voice. He did well, though again not great.</p><p>The film does have some positives. Dasha Dauenhauer's score worked well, particularly when Kissinger and Meir face off in Meir's kitchen. </p><p>On the whole, <i>Golda</i> is an acceptable film, not great, but could be a good primer into this tumultuous time in Israel's troubled history and the woman behind it. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Golda_Meir_(1964)_cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="677" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Golda_Meir_(1964)_cropped.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1898-1978</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: C+</a></b></span></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-6412439313903157812024-01-20T05:15:00.107-07:002024-01-21T18:36:04.574-07:00Echo Episode Five: Maya<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pCnpotHLGs_FggfVvNhVSvssuroEKPP590X3a061nsPl6vQxobr7h1cMIAR_Z22_8Jw1Ua_z-qfjpMA_J8orEMs2zwl95AT4HTe0dqTn2bNyzzW11B6DgESLNltDE_TDHXUlbY-eIJLUl8rBA1mvNqd6O2rCN19lwpZMpfZg9VkxJ41tVbSoTE5VqBUX/s1154/Web%20capture_21-1-2024_171739_www.imdb.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="1154" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pCnpotHLGs_FggfVvNhVSvssuroEKPP590X3a061nsPl6vQxobr7h1cMIAR_Z22_8Jw1Ua_z-qfjpMA_J8orEMs2zwl95AT4HTe0dqTn2bNyzzW11B6DgESLNltDE_TDHXUlbY-eIJLUl8rBA1mvNqd6O2rCN19lwpZMpfZg9VkxJ41tVbSoTE5VqBUX/s320/Web%20capture_21-1-2024_171739_www.imdb.com.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ECHO EPISODE FIVE: MAYA</span></b></div><p></p><p><i>Maya</i>, our fifth and final episode of <i>Echo</i> does something that I did not think possible: make the case that somehow, five episodes of this series was five episodes too long. It should be remembered that <i>Echo</i> was planned as an eight-episode first series now reduced to a five-episode miniseries. <i>Maya</i> is a disaster, a total snoozefest that does not justify its existence.</p><p>With Maya (Alaqua Cox) having turned down Wilson Fisk's (Vincent D'Onofrio) offer to go with him to New York, he has decided she must be eliminated. He has a few aces up his sleeve. Once again, Fisk is holding Bonnie (Devery Jacobs) hostage, along with her grandmother Chula (Tantoo Cardinal). They will be missed at the Choctaw powwow, as it is getting ready to take place. Zane (Andrew Howard) is also there, able to bully Biscuits (Cody Lightning) into parking wherever he wants to launch an RPG into the powwow to kill Maya should she pop up.</p><p>While Maya wrestles with what to do, she has a visit from her dead mother Taloa (Katarina Ziervogel), who advises her that she is the living embodiment of all the qualities of her various strong female Choctaw ancestors. From Lowak, strategy. From Tuklo, cunning. From Chafa, ferocity. From Taloa, love. Each "echo" within her. With that, she goes to a final confrontation with Fisk and his men. </p><p>To confront and defeat Fisk, she is able to summon the power of the ancestors (if not the ancestors themselves), even transferring their powers to Bonnie and Chula. For their part, both Biscuits and Uncle Henry (Chaske Spencer) are able to destroy Kingpin's minions. As for Maya? She uses her powers to send Kingpin back to his troubled past so that he can heal and cry. Crying and asking what she did to him, Fisk leaves. Maya is also ready to go, but not before going to a backyard barbeque with her FAMILY. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzs2H0rhAdr9MCfE0tx9oj0F3rOso-Y6G1ZyrfYJc-V3d7V9jVUopSYJGtiOpK64rrBR7J27EK1SBxHPKRHr3EVuyuoshJzUJ_th63kYHdUijgZNgymuZZUCrUwEJP4njjC2W9o66K4ZPXsGRcrALim6OukWGdeIJuMwifSoYek504lrRLDv-fVIUOW06O/s500/Maya%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzs2H0rhAdr9MCfE0tx9oj0F3rOso-Y6G1ZyrfYJc-V3d7V9jVUopSYJGtiOpK64rrBR7J27EK1SBxHPKRHr3EVuyuoshJzUJ_th63kYHdUijgZNgymuZZUCrUwEJP4njjC2W9o66K4ZPXsGRcrALim6OukWGdeIJuMwifSoYek504lrRLDv-fVIUOW06O/s320/Maya%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>It is a bit hard to decide which element in <i>Maya</i> is the worst and which is the most unintentionally funny. Is it the idea that the various ancestors would return to rally around their descendant, a one-legged deaf, mute, potentially lesbian Native American? Is it that said ancestors managed to give power to Bonnie and Chula so they can take down men stronger, taller and younger than they are? Is it how easily it is for Maya to slip into the powwow without Fisk's goons noticing?</p><p>What about Henry managing to fire his gun at Zane, causing the RPG to launch into fireworks? Maybe Biscuits managing to run over more of Fisk's goons with his truck demolition derby style?</p><p>I think it might be how Maya manages to go into Fisk's mind and bring about healing to him. It was true then, it is true now: all major criminal masterminds really want is a hug.</p><p>I freely admit that I know nothing of the comic book character; however, I think that the name "Echo" comes from her ability to mimic or "echo" her opponents' powers. Now, it is that she is an "echo" of her strong female ancestors.</p><p>It took four people to come up with that?</p><p>A system glitch caused me to watch Maya with subtitles turned off, and I was surprised that I followed the story surprisingly well without the subtitles. That is no thanks to Cox, who still cannot express any emotion to save her life. Sydney Freeland poorly directed her to be as blank as possible. Not that Freeland's direction of D'Onofrio or anyone else was any better. </p><p><i>Maya</i> has nothing of interest. I am puzzled how anyone would think Echo would be a long-running series to add into the mythos of the world's longest and most expensive soap opera.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1/10</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next: <i>Echo</i>: The Complete Series</span></b></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-82137406951302368012024-01-19T07:28:00.100-07:002024-02-01T18:25:43.720-07:00Echo Episode Four: Taloa<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOcyd5H1NSvvUy7cn7-UUMgVXt9iqqCPQbO9X4qhZs1qW0HHNYWx3129pCg_pF5OOx2hIHXVMVgS1Z8gTEXZPS0ruAPEb5u0aU2wM1Hye9NH0TwXV40pXkADHi1Z-xXxIQmwWdv3h2iToeCs7Uv5wKVvkxmtEVHCgKBAdL1G6uhy-IW889LBeqICLAMLg/s809/Web%20capture_21-1-2024_73024_www.imdb.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="809" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOcyd5H1NSvvUy7cn7-UUMgVXt9iqqCPQbO9X4qhZs1qW0HHNYWx3129pCg_pF5OOx2hIHXVMVgS1Z8gTEXZPS0ruAPEb5u0aU2wM1Hye9NH0TwXV40pXkADHi1Z-xXxIQmwWdv3h2iToeCs7Uv5wKVvkxmtEVHCgKBAdL1G6uhy-IW889LBeqICLAMLg/s320/Web%20capture_21-1-2024_73024_www.imdb.com.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ECHO EPISODE THREE: TALOA</span></b></p><p>It is amazing what a little Alison Krauss can do for me. <i>Taloa</i>, the fourth of five <i>Echo</i> episodes, was in a lot of ways still as bad as anything Echo has managed to pop out. However, anytime one can appreciate a good song, it can lift it up just enough for me to think well of it.</p><p>Now we feature not a strong female Choctaw woman, but young Maya (Darnell Besaw), denied ice cream because the seller does not understand her American Sign Language. Observing this is Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), who is enraged by said ice cream seller's behavior. He grabs him off the street and proceeds to punch the literal life out of him (it is unclear if the ice cream seller died as a result of the attack). Maya sees the aftermath, and proceeds to kick the visibly injured, potentially dying man before Fisk whisks her away.</p><p>As a side note, I think Kingpin's reaction was wildly over-the-top and excessive given the situation. Yes, the ice cream seller was a bit obnoxious to a deaf girl, but I don't think beating him up to where you almost if not actually kill him is the right response.</p><p>Back to present-day Oklahoma, where Kingpin is not upset or angry about seeing the person who shot him in the eye and left him for dead. Far from it: he wants to have their old traditional Thursday dinners again, just like before when he had his ASL interpreter killed for knowing too much.</p><p>As a side note, why not just get another henchman to learn sign language rather than go to the trouble of hiring one just to bump them off? Details, I guess.</p><p>Fisk wants Maya to be his successor as Ruler of the Criminal Underworld, urging her to return with him to New York. Maya is in need of wisdom, and who better than her estranged grandmother Chula (Tantoo Cardinal)? Chula tells her of how Maya's mother Taloa (Katerina Ziervogel) came to be born, not in a white hospital, but in the woods. Taloa had the gift of healing, which Maya could use now. Will Maya choose to join Fisk or return to the upcoming Choctaw powwow?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupSQpNE51KXwDUD09TwCvzE61xXc78cYe20c_UwxVexUzmvln99Eihr4gDxCisNvYFwNTzVCBRnbV5gYB5JnwcSl23DqBY0qBE6xgAKmeq4ghYmLyJLrGaaVIZMtVbVFfqJZP5u1HkV4qj4q8vfI5SyCI6b4DNhMnanpXJn9VUOQIhCNhA6J8ItYA_Pxr/s281/Taloa%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="190" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupSQpNE51KXwDUD09TwCvzE61xXc78cYe20c_UwxVexUzmvln99Eihr4gDxCisNvYFwNTzVCBRnbV5gYB5JnwcSl23DqBY0qBE6xgAKmeq4ghYmLyJLrGaaVIZMtVbVFfqJZP5u1HkV4qj4q8vfI5SyCI6b4DNhMnanpXJn9VUOQIhCNhA6J8ItYA_Pxr/s1600/Taloa%202.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><p>As part of the montage for the various characters while Maya sorts out her decision, we hear Alison Krauss' cover of <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Down to the River to Pray</span></i>. It is a beautiful cover, and it does its best to make the situation into a very sad one as the various characters wrestle with their decisions. However, what I have found is that the music carries a lot of the emotional weight in <i>Echo</i>. It is not the performances, or the scripts, or the situations that do so. <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Down to the River to Pray</span></i>, while a lovely song well-rendered by Krauss, simply should not be what sells the situation.</p><p><i>Taloa</i> in some ways is almost comical. Kingpin is such a wimp, at one point screaming that Maya kill him with the same hammer he used to kill his abusive father. "FREE ME!" he screams, and one wonders why on Earth he would insist that only this one-legged, deaf, mute, potentially lesbian Native American should take his empire. D'Onofrio does try to sell the drama, but how can he when there is no drama?</p><p>At one point, Fisk is impressed with just about everything Maya does, down to shooting him in the head. </p><p>Cox is wrong for the part because she is simply incapable of showing any emotion. Her facial expression never changes, and that is simply deadly for a show with her as the lead. </p><p>One of the most curious elements is how Kingpin has some kind of technology to make Maya understand what he says without an ASL interpreter. A contact allows her to "see" Fisk's words turned into Sign Language. My thinking is that he could use that technology to go legit and make millions. Why waste it on just one person?</p><p><i>Taloa</i> makes suggestions that there is some spiritual connection between Taloa and Maya which does not land. To be fair, the scene between Cardinal and Cox works well. That is due mostly to Cardinal and due to how the conversation is done mostly silently. I think that is more realistic than most of Echo has been.</p><p><i>Taloa</i> is built up by Krauss and Cardinal. Everything else is not worth the limited time we have. With one episode left, <i>Echo</i> is leaving no mark.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3/10</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next Episode: <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2024/01/echo-episode-five-maya.html">Maya</a></i></span></b></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-2547025166360258942024-01-18T07:15:00.107-07:002024-02-01T18:26:19.557-07:00Echo Episode Three: Tuklo<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Pddnh6Kpjf9Zvn5-ui0y1LUa483O720-iUszJo5FD-zDj81uKZ48sGoD95H1alpisseMcSNkFkyO6VSY8sVOIJxoGLz4NbTWCxsMk9Gr7xV-0R9TMe3aWoPG_lS_G_M560Khz8hGyCd5Og-zzsDzBIA2WjkLIaN1Y5GMsKlab7bG-20nIqh0hzWaOGgE/s281/Echo%203.1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="190" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Pddnh6Kpjf9Zvn5-ui0y1LUa483O720-iUszJo5FD-zDj81uKZ48sGoD95H1alpisseMcSNkFkyO6VSY8sVOIJxoGLz4NbTWCxsMk9Gr7xV-0R9TMe3aWoPG_lS_G_M560Khz8hGyCd5Og-zzsDzBIA2WjkLIaN1Y5GMsKlab7bG-20nIqh0hzWaOGgE/s1600/Echo%203.1.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ECHO EPISODE THREE: TUKLO</span></b><p></p><p>My understanding is that the Choctaw nation is a matriarchal society. As such, it should not be a surprise that the miniseries <i>Echo</i> builds its whole mythos around strong female Choctaws. <i>Tuklo</i>, the third episode, keeps to its thread of starting with a strong female ancestor to our one-legged, deaf, mute, potentially lesbian Native American antiheroine. Surprisingly devoid of plot, <i>Tuklo</i> is almost filler for something that is not there.</p><p>Oklahoma Territory, 1800's. Young Tuklo (Dannie McCallum) wants to join the Lighthorsemen, a group of Native American guards protecting their people against all enemies foreign and domestic. She is told that she cannot due to her gender. "Women are life-givers. Men are life-takers," she is reminded. Nevertheless, she persisted. Tuklo eventually goes all Mulan and saves the Lighthorsemen from attack by the white man.</p><p>Moving on to present-day, Maya (Alaqua Cox) has visions of her strong female ancestors but is abducted by Vickie (Thomas E. Sullivan), an employee at the skating rink owned by Maya's Uncle Henry (Chaske Spencer). Vickie knows of the bounty on Maya and wants it. He holds Maya and Henry hostage, later taking Maya's cousin Bonnie (Devery Jacobs) when she comes snooping around. In comes Zane (Andrew Howard), one of Wilson Fisk's main henchmen, to collect Maya. Unsurprisingly, Zane kills Vickie, though what exactly happened to the two white trash women that make up Vickie's Bloodhound Gang is left unexplained.</p><p>Zane is about to fulfill his mission to kill Maya, throwing in Henry for good measure, when his <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">New York Minute</span></i> ringtone goes off. Maya and Henry, apparently, are saved at the literal last minute by Don Henley. Maya's temporary escape is for naught, for who happens to come to her hideout but none other than Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio)? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKT-9G4X98uocEZ0CXbtBmFPyJLMhh-Efu3WQbepUJXSHi5NdPocyk78282H6i0aL8hgFnTiR9i1YZ-HeHf0yQeFdD0G_DV_XpIpVwpkjbSjRFAYXSKo98zV1bxXfDlmqsHG1PqG9_nyfWBzpR2LPmwJMsPzwAzlroWiwrMWskMw5EyyC_3w73Mmz4vSN/s876/Web%20capture_21-1-2024_7514_www.imdb.com.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="876" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKT-9G4X98uocEZ0CXbtBmFPyJLMhh-Efu3WQbepUJXSHi5NdPocyk78282H6i0aL8hgFnTiR9i1YZ-HeHf0yQeFdD0G_DV_XpIpVwpkjbSjRFAYXSKo98zV1bxXfDlmqsHG1PqG9_nyfWBzpR2LPmwJMsPzwAzlroWiwrMWskMw5EyyC_3w73Mmz4vSN/s320/Web%20capture_21-1-2024_7514_www.imdb.com.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p><i>Tuklo</i> is the only episode not directed by Sydney Freeland. Catriona McKenzie does the honors, and perhaps that is why <i>Tuklo</i> is slightly better visually than past Echo episodes. The episode begins in the style of an old silent Western film, complete with title cards. The action scene at the laser tag area of the bowling alley is perhaps an homage to <i>The Lady from Shanghai</i> (though perhaps that is giving them far too much credit). You also have a nice visual of Maya hung upside down with a disco ball above her.</p><p>Granted, this makes no sense to the actual story since it would have been easier to simply remove Maya's prosthetic leg and tie her up than literally hang her upside down in the middle of the rink. Details are not important when you can make it look nice. </p><p>The visual moments in <i>Tuklo</i> are what elevate it. Those are the only things that elevate it, for in reality, <i>Tuklo</i> does not move the narrative forward. What you have are the two stories: Tuklo and Maya, neatly split in half, with the second half being almost unnecessary. A lot of Tuklo's second half revolves around everyone waiting for Zane to show up, but there is nothing there.</p><p>There is a whole lot that either does not make sense or is unimportant. When facing almost certain death, why does Bonnie decide this is the best time to reprimand Maya for her failure to make contact? Why do the villains throw Maya's prosthetic foot at her rather than hold onto it, so she won't be able to escape? What did happen to Vickie's two girl conspirators? Who are they? Why are they there at all? There is mention by another of Zane's men that one of them drove off, but I do not remember if they were ordered to hunt her down. Our white trash trio kind of just came and went. Vickie's death is not unexpected, though again, looked nice. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIKBLlvD4OAHOh21KVawYjhl3Rgn_g35Qutq48IQRg8e1pB4fsfZlQGJ_B-RM5OuZpVpK9HZWfKmCAenC1CurxmUFztnZEwQDqyJ2v80RlLErjGCs3m1S6s90h8XZyZuAD2rU2vYsTD8sNCPPrA5bE2ja1uqWqO6WXbDX-rCtyJ5uqUGKNI1DO2WO3Rvv/s2838/Tuklo%203.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2838" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIKBLlvD4OAHOh21KVawYjhl3Rgn_g35Qutq48IQRg8e1pB4fsfZlQGJ_B-RM5OuZpVpK9HZWfKmCAenC1CurxmUFztnZEwQDqyJ2v80RlLErjGCs3m1S6s90h8XZyZuAD2rU2vYsTD8sNCPPrA5bE2ja1uqWqO6WXbDX-rCtyJ5uqUGKNI1DO2WO3Rvv/s320/Tuklo%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Moreover, it is a cliche to have a cutesy ringtone for our henchman. That on top of having our leads saved at the literal last minute by said ringtone. Maya nor Henry do not appear all that surprised that things turned out the way they did, a very strange attitude to take. Fisk coming in is not that shocking. </p><p>That three people have a "story by" credit and a mere two people wrote <i>Tuklo</i> suggests that there really is no one overseeing things. </p><p>There are no performances here. Perhaps Howard's Zane can be given grudging credit for being a camp Russian henchman (at least he sounded Russian to me). Everyone else was just there, saying things and being thoroughly unconvincing about it all. </p><p><i>Tuklo</i> showed that even with a director with a better visual style, no amount of nice or clever imagery makes up for lousy scripts. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3/10</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next Episode: <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2024/01/echo-episode-four-taloa.html">Taloa</a></i></span></b></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-75231940924181733312024-01-17T05:45:00.077-07:002024-02-01T18:26:49.206-07:00Echo Episode Two: Lowak<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLnzBmASmvhk_HMuwZ1Eh66ENzYVwhsPmp8dIABg5Vcp7u46EaYhQZRUQ9DenblIrxf5dYbHrvFs3UYhAA6n5_z0xqFHvRDMHSiZv2EbP0817Lw8EkA6Wzc2kLto7yiAT9byuLDNKQPjVKgEiFSI8Tcls6w0Jujw6E_3FSWk4l2VilaRCyxJH1LAVMxpQ/s2500/Echo%20Dos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLnzBmASmvhk_HMuwZ1Eh66ENzYVwhsPmp8dIABg5Vcp7u46EaYhQZRUQ9DenblIrxf5dYbHrvFs3UYhAA6n5_z0xqFHvRDMHSiZv2EbP0817Lw8EkA6Wzc2kLto7yiAT9byuLDNKQPjVKgEiFSI8Tcls6w0Jujw6E_3FSWk4l2VilaRCyxJH1LAVMxpQ/s320/Echo%20Dos.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ECHO: LOWAK</span></b></div></b><div><br /></div><div>It is only two episodes into the five-episode run of <i>Echo</i> and already a theme is fast emerging. Each episode will be named after a strong Native American female, though I imagine that none will be as strong as our one-legged, deaf, mute, potentially lesbian Native American. <i>Lowak</i> has an astonishing six "story by" writers and four credited screenwriters. How four to six people could come up with something like <i>Lowak</i> almost makes the case that the studios were right to not want to have large writers' rooms if it was going to be so muddled and poor.</div><div><br /></div><div>We go to 1200 A.D., where Choctaw warrior princess Lowak (Morningstar Angeline) plays for keeps in the Native American lacrosse. With her people's survival on the line, Lowak must win, which she does. Moving to present day, we see that former hitwoman Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) is still taking refuge in her hometown of Tamaha, Oklahoma to regroup after killing Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin, her former mentor and boss. She plans to take over Kingpin's empire, telling her Uncle Henry (Chaske Spencer) that it is time for a "Queen-Pin". As part of her plan, she opts to place a bomb on a shipping container on its way to New York, getting unwitting help from her idiot cousin Biscuits (Cody Lightning).</div><div><br /></div><div>It is only through the power of the ancestors that Maya manages to free her prosthetic leg when it gets caught in the train link. Due to the damage to her prosthetic leg, Maya has to go to her grandfather Skully (Graham Greene), who tells her of her distant ancestor Chafa, the first Choctaw and savior of her people. Her grandmother Chula (Tantoo Cardinal) eventually learns that Maya is back, as does Maya's cousin Bonnie (Devery Jacobs), both due to Biscuit's general idiocy. Henry, who works for Fisk, warns Maya that she is playing with fire, but she will not listen. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6JNPaG1Ge8ShufGQ7U9K3Xl4grlKjlZzU4wPEh1N4ipUMyZE4ZCgrmXUS2Ayyb3zbmcvzk3rP1pRpxPgQKBOPearfsz4oNiNi6gqfrtXQ-CVVUAlGjXRlsVuEsyhCm8m4kfmZWYlr3Dzjn6d1-SEpbQbiXTEeu8qtTTuRFiin5VUCYqnHvVtlTRVUHXz/s5088/Echo%202.2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3392" data-original-width="5088" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6JNPaG1Ge8ShufGQ7U9K3Xl4grlKjlZzU4wPEh1N4ipUMyZE4ZCgrmXUS2Ayyb3zbmcvzk3rP1pRpxPgQKBOPearfsz4oNiNi6gqfrtXQ-CVVUAlGjXRlsVuEsyhCm8m4kfmZWYlr3Dzjn6d1-SEpbQbiXTEeu8qtTTuRFiin5VUCYqnHvVtlTRVUHXz/s320/Echo%202.2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I figure that each succeeding <i>Echo</i> episode will connect Maya with another one of her strong, female ancestors. We got that in <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2024/01/echo-episode-one-chafa.html">Chafa</a></i>, and we get that in <i>Lowak</i>. How exactly this multigeneration contact can take place to where Maya can summon the power of Lowak to free her from the train <i>Echo</i> does not explain. I guess I am just supposed to take it on faith that Native Americans can get superpowers through their heritage, even if they do not know exactly from where these powers come from.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lowak</i> does feature some curious tropes that are now both cliche and slightly laughable. The ancestor Lowak somehow can take down a group of Native American men physically stronger and bigger than her also apparently due to her connection with her mythical, mystical ancestor. Maya similarly has almost superhuman strength and agility to silently take to a moving train, with poor Biscuits trying hard to keep up in Chula's truck.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chula just so happened to see Biscuits drive by her in her thoroughly damaged truck. That is so unoriginal that it makes one want to scream. Why not, for example, have Bonnie pop in on Biscuits, see the extensive damage, and text their grandmother photos of what Biscuits did. It might have provided for more interaction between characters and even brought a bit of lightness to <i>Echo</i>, a show that seems to think it must be thoroughly<span> serious to be good.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lowak </i>also indulges in a bit of comic racism when Skully is attempting to sell Indian tchotchkes to a couple of idiot <i>na hullos</i> (Biscuits' term for Anglos). As Skully works to sell them on on the importance of the objects by making vague claims of their powers and autheticity, they hear from him what appears to be a Native American chant. It is clear that he is saying "Buy this damn thing" but says it in a cliched Native American sing-song manner that <i>Lowak</i> suggests that anyone with good hearing would be so easily fooled. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oddly, it reminds me of a similar scene from of all things, the Whoopi Goldberg/Ted Danson comedy <i>Made in America</i>. A pair of old white women go into Goldberg's Afrocentric gift shop, delighted in the many voodoo dolls and black paraphernalia that they purchase. <i>Made in America</i> was meant as a silly comedy. <i>Echo</i> is meant as a respectful homage to Native American women by making them superheroines. Yes, I know that that scene was meant to be a bit of lightness, but it does not work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Again, we have a lack of good performances save for Greene and to a lesser extend Cardinal (the face she makes when she sees Biscuits drive away in her all-but-demolished truck is weird). Cox has such a hard face, one that shows no emotion. Lightning, to be fair, was tasked to play an idiot and wimp, so I guess he did well in that role. Jacob's Bonnie gets little to do, and it is a shame. </div><div><br /></div><div>What I figure was meant as the exciting section on the train looked second-rate, unexciting and a bit boring. <i>Lowak</i> continues to have the issue of simultaneously speaking and signing. I wish it would commit to one or the other. Oddly, the best scenes in Lowak are the ones not involving Maya. Both when Skully & Biscuits or Chula & Henry are involved, we see glimpses of a better story. The interplay between Biscuits and Bonnie on the other hand, did not work, though to be fair they were over walkie-talkies. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lowak</i> again has four screenwriters and six story creators. The question then is, "it took six people to come up with this?". </div><div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2/10</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next Episode: <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2024/01/echo-episode-three-tuklo.html">Tuklo</a></i></span></b></p></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-25164878239196388392024-01-16T06:48:00.001-07:002024-02-01T18:27:15.382-07:00Echo Episode One: Chafa<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqWZnT_r7QaIlRsOBSmHkyaCdh-L722__sPpDl9rOgCzdNowGZ7-4p-cyaQxlef35LlXgQkSjWKdbS6e5Nd12ljQXjHgk2V8dbmNMauLhNFVAorSq1Oipm1vB3r7wBGM7833Ef4syvs5w9pp9-cKucowv-V1nG2suTL6695vzfA85QNGRYQXRDeHkSSYy/s1000/Echo%201.1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="1000" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqWZnT_r7QaIlRsOBSmHkyaCdh-L722__sPpDl9rOgCzdNowGZ7-4p-cyaQxlef35LlXgQkSjWKdbS6e5Nd12ljQXjHgk2V8dbmNMauLhNFVAorSq1Oipm1vB3r7wBGM7833Ef4syvs5w9pp9-cKucowv-V1nG2suTL6695vzfA85QNGRYQXRDeHkSSYy/s320/Echo%201.1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ECHO: CHAFA</span></b></div></b><p></p><p>I was asked to watch <i>Echo</i>, the new Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series build around a deaf, mute, one-legged potentially lesbian Native American. I know nothing of past MCU Disney+ shows and genuinely do not care to. Nevertheless, I am honoring the poll results asking me to review each <i>Echo</i> episode, all five of them. Perhaps I should consider myself lucky, as I understand that <i>Echo</i> was meant to be eight episodes long in a first season, then cut down to six episodes until it went to five for a one-season run. A miniseries, I understand, versus a long-spanning section to the world's longest and most expensive soap opera. <i>Chafa</i>, the first episode, feels more like a "Previously On" episode meant to catch up viewers like me who know nothing of our heroine. As such, it is a poor introduction and harbinger of more bad things.</p><p>Young deaf, mute Native American girl Maya Lopez survives a car accident that killed her mother Taloa (Katarina Ziervogel) and which leaves her with one leg. Her father William (Zahn McClarnon) takes her to New York City, which somewhat pleases Taloa's mother Chula (Tantoo Cardinal). William is part of the nefarious criminal work of Wilson Fisk also known as Kingpin (Vincent D'Onfrio). Maya (Alaqua Cox) has become a fierce hitwoman for Fisk as well as his informal niece. She faces off against a mysterious figure known as Daredevil (Charlie Cox, no relation to Alaqua), able to stand on equal footing with the Man Without Fear.</p><p>A chance encounter with Clint Barton aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) quickly convinces her that Fisk ordered her father's killing and in turn shoots Fisk in the head. Now running to her hometown of Tamaha, Oklahoma five months later, she does make contact with her Uncle Henry (Chaske Spencer) and her cousin Biscuits (Cody Lightning). Hiding out in her grandmother Chula's neglected home, she does not plan to stay long or make contact with her former BFF, cousin Bonnie (Devery Jacobs). Maya does contact her grandfather Skully (Graham Greene) and plans now to become the Queenpin of the New York underworld. Unfortunately, the Kingpin is not dead, and we see that he awakes from what I figure is a coma.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1UJlgc3zNSEaAdZuV6b2KTMBpSdl3wj6uCTGqM7cU_sUBwVfLOnWORX1vYjRlw_1VVtQeLZh_nrtrvCQ4YkOnGOmAAEvNzO5awQcPABJjFziZBF292cnuDLu1SpLEUmPftCeSw6sefN7Vn2FLaCYweWCeZ87la1xeqTWsHvbx2WAscs5WVkLhhnIq9Pa/s3836/Echo%201.2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1604" data-original-width="3836" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1UJlgc3zNSEaAdZuV6b2KTMBpSdl3wj6uCTGqM7cU_sUBwVfLOnWORX1vYjRlw_1VVtQeLZh_nrtrvCQ4YkOnGOmAAEvNzO5awQcPABJjFziZBF292cnuDLu1SpLEUmPftCeSw6sefN7Vn2FLaCYweWCeZ87la1xeqTWsHvbx2WAscs5WVkLhhnIq9Pa/s320/Echo%201.2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I have heard about the importance of representation, but <i>Echo</i> veers dangerously close to parody of those efforts. Our character centers around a deaf, mute, one-legged Native American. If she ends up being a lesbian, we would have run through an entire gamut of minorities. <i>Chafa</i> is a shockingly weak debut episode far beyond the idea of centering a show around a deaf, mute, one-legged potentially lesbian Native American.</p><p>As our lead cannot communicate vocally, we need American Sign Language to not just see what Maya thinks but what others are saying to her. In my admittedly limited knowledge of ASL and the ASL community, my observations are that all communication is through signing. The non-deaf person does not speak with his/her vocal cords to speak to the deaf person. <i>Chafa </i>instead has almost everyone simultaneously speak and sign. That has the curious effect of slowing things down. The hearing actors appear to be reciting the dialogue for the television audience. If everyone signs or in Kingpin's case has an ASL interpreter at the ready, why do they have to speak at all?</p><p>Only once late in <i>Chafa</i> did we see what I think would be a more realistic conversation where all sides sign at each other. Why, however, Biscuits has to sign to his dog, Billy Jack, I cannot fathom a guess.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1giGXFA8pdgZqU14u1Sw-ED3rknh1waxrKzH2hJ6jjrc1yAj83KdE8tIS-o6cs-zjg2a9Mh7xLVYDjvgE6Wmwdg9fdba3uD1bptqNa8q2YqZVCpmQZ0p4ZbfAFBwnb7DmDVugHYZhZA345dK1yizYFbs_nadWHLRLg8yzwQosvOQ64Ip44cGApRhZhHR/s3836/Echo%201.3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1604" data-original-width="3836" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1giGXFA8pdgZqU14u1Sw-ED3rknh1waxrKzH2hJ6jjrc1yAj83KdE8tIS-o6cs-zjg2a9Mh7xLVYDjvgE6Wmwdg9fdba3uD1bptqNa8q2YqZVCpmQZ0p4ZbfAFBwnb7DmDVugHYZhZA345dK1yizYFbs_nadWHLRLg8yzwQosvOQ64Ip44cGApRhZhHR/s320/Echo%201.3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><i>Chafa</i> has other issues apart from the curious decision to speak and sign simultaneously. Alaqua Cox has exactly one expression throughout: a permanent scowl no matter what the situation. It is impossible to decipher what Maya is thinking and going through when her expression never changes. Perhaps to compensate, Lighting appears to go overboard as the goofy, near-idiot Biscuits. Spencer's Uncle Henry matches Cox in looking permanently angry. Almost everyone appeared to be in a foul mood.</p><p>That is except for three. There is the aforementioned Lightning. There is Greene, who brings a bit of a spark as Skully. Finally, there is D'Onofrio, but unlike the others, his Wilson Fisk is a generally weak, pathetic wimp of a man. Why this criminal mastermind seems to hold this deaf, mute, one-legged Native American so close to his heart never comes across in<i> Chafa</i>. For that matter, Renner's cameo (which I understand was pulled from <i>Hawkeye</i>) does not make sense. Why would she so quickly take his word that Fisk was behind William Lopez's killing? </p><p>None of these questions are answered in <i>Chafa </i>despite the episode having four credited screenwriters. Moreover, director Sydney Freeland made some curious decisions. When Maya and Fisk are in his limo accompanied by Fisk's ASL interpreter (he's the only character who does not sign despite being her unofficial uncle and mentor), the interpreter is hidden in shadow. Like most of <i>Chafa</i>, we simultaneously heard and saw the signing. Here was no exception, but the way the scene was shot I would have found seeing the interpreter next to impossible. Had I been Maya, I would not have understood what Fisk was saying simply because I would not have been able to see the interpreter. It was a curious cinematic decision.</p><p>As a side note, Charlie Cox's Daredevil appears exactly once and is so unimportant to <i>Chafa</i> that is a puzzle as to why he is there apart from name recognition. There was nothing in their encounter that shows she is close to Daredevil's equal, let alone strong enough to get Fisk's admiration for passing this test. </p><p><i>Chafa</i> does nothing to build interest in it. The lead is blank, the story rushed and a bit disjointed and is almost hilarious in its conclusion. Seriously, despite shooting Fisk at point-blank range, Maya is unaware that Kingpin survived? How could he have possibly survived this? To be fair, why would he be all but begging for his life or not have any idea that she would discover his involvement in her father's death? Even at a mere five episodes, this will be a long <i>Echo</i> to sit through.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2/10</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next Episode: <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2024/01/echo-episode-two-lowak.html">Lowak</a></i></span></b></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-25276757833675236642024-01-15T08:18:00.164-07:002024-01-15T08:18:00.133-07:00The Beekeeper (2024): A Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/The_Beekeeper_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="378" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/The_Beekeeper_poster.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE BEEKEEPER</span></b></p><p>I admire, even respect, films that know what they are. Such is the case with <i>The Beekeeper</i>. An action movie that tells its story quickly, hits its familiar beats and has a cast fully aware of itself, <i>The Beekeeper</i> is good entertainment.</p><p>Adam Clay (Jason Statham) is living a quiet life far off the grid raising bees. His only human contact is his landlord, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), a retiree with a respectable bank account who manages a charity. Unfortunately, scammers get Eloise to fall for a phishing scam, bilking her and her charity of millions. Despondent, she kills herself.</p><p>Initially thought of as a suspect by FBI Agent and Eloise's daughter Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Clay is quickly cleared. He, however, is now determined to find the scammers and bring justice to them. He reaches out to his former paramilitary group, known as The Beekeepers, for help. They get him the address and name of United Data Group.</p><p>Clay soon makes quick destruction of UDG, sending its head Mickey Garnett (David Witts) fleeing from the inferno. As Parker investigates the phishing crime, neither she nor Clay initially realize that this is part of a major crime headed up by Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson). Derek is a rich, vulgar ne'er do well who does not shrink from sending thugs to keep his empire growing. Despite the efforts to protect Derek by former CIA head Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons), Clay is coming.</p><p>How high does Derek go to? What is his connection to a mysterious but powerful figure, his mother Jessica (Jemma Redgrave)? As the unrelenting Clay marches onwards, destroying anyone who gets in his way, Eloise and her partner Wiley (Bobby Naderi) follow behind, discovering the Beekeepers and Derek's connection to the highest power. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1isH2SnjMzV0VzXeusu2KINhmZo4IgCS-rN3kwy7lx_8EsSpvKUQBqUXhrO9OZhDIdVuHodskNFxZSStXc71KIL9XmRpq-etudIG8n484MhhwP69-1e4Fjds8M9T2SySPb10jht_5NSMYbiWRPF5ndsuZL6b4C0Mz32wkPcRyt61dXvxH6mJfTJ5xnetB/s500/Beekeeper%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1isH2SnjMzV0VzXeusu2KINhmZo4IgCS-rN3kwy7lx_8EsSpvKUQBqUXhrO9OZhDIdVuHodskNFxZSStXc71KIL9XmRpq-etudIG8n484MhhwP69-1e4Fjds8M9T2SySPb10jht_5NSMYbiWRPF5ndsuZL6b4C0Mz32wkPcRyt61dXvxH6mJfTJ5xnetB/s320/Beekeeper%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Again, in its hour-forty-odd minute running time, <i>The Beekeeper</i> gives the audience what it wants: violent action, a stoic character, and an almost outlandish villain. The strong thing about <i>The Beekeeper</i> is that no one in front of or behind the camera ever tries to be smarter than Kurt Wimmer's screenplay. It is a simple, straightforward story and never suggests that there has to be more. This mysterious figure, with a shadowy past, is taking down a criminal enterprise.</p><p>I think one major plus in <i>The Beekeeper</i>'s favor is the relatability of the crime. Clay is not taking down spies or a massive government conspiracy. Instead, it is internet scammers who take advantage of vulnerable people. People either know people who have been scammed or have been scammed themselves. As such, there is a vicarious thrill in seeing these people taken down in sometimes particularly vicious ways. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg755GFuoZYbvl1qK9C9bcDvYAn2nFkoCCKa11doZmUfETNI1RS-KUpy_UC7veGhNZHwJnUjP179auL97aMBnMiFOz4OltJOsmmzVjEK63VXKKs0vZfoWxAFHs0LnOnqv52VZGFqqtoABT7BKz-ZpQXt3kgzRroP-VKst2x1DE581ZlPCHDvy7kOL8Ui8Oh/s1178/Beekeeper%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="1178" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg755GFuoZYbvl1qK9C9bcDvYAn2nFkoCCKa11doZmUfETNI1RS-KUpy_UC7veGhNZHwJnUjP179auL97aMBnMiFOz4OltJOsmmzVjEK63VXKKs0vZfoWxAFHs0LnOnqv52VZGFqqtoABT7BKz-ZpQXt3kgzRroP-VKst2x1DE581ZlPCHDvy7kOL8Ui8Oh/s320/Beekeeper%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><i>The Beekeeper</i> is also blessed with actors and performers who know what this film is and play it as such. No one will ever say that Jason Statham is an actor in the "Statham IS <i>King Lear</i>" mold. He is an action star, asked to do nothing more but take down criminals and show little emotion. As he approaches 60, Statham shows no signs of slowing down. Stoic in his delivery, his understated manner works well with some of his costars. Hutchinson as the vaguely Hunter Biden-like Derek is loving every minute, going all-in on the crazy and entitled nepo baby. </p><p>The big surprise is Irons as Derek's minder. This is clearly a paycheck role, where he knows that he is almost unnecessary to the film and does not try to give his all. It is not a bad performance, and in fact he seems to be joining in the fun of things. </p><p>Others, though, do not fare as well. Jemma Redgrave did her best to mask her British accent, but it still slipped through. Raver-Lampman was not the most convincing as either a grieving daughter or committed FBI agent, but it was serviceable. Naderi as her somewhat comic relief partner was better. </p><p>The action scenes were at times a bit too violent for my tastes, but I think they worked well and will please action fans. Efforts to try to make the Beekeepers some kind of mythic figures, down to sending a Beekeeper who gets dispatched quickly (and violently) do not work as well as director David Ayers intended. Moreover, another assassin hired by Westwyld came across as almost parody.</p><p>On the whole, though, <i>The Beekeeper</i> knows what it is and lives up to its goals. Enjoyable and entertaining, I hope <i>The Beekeeper</i> does not inspire a franchise but stays a single event. </p><p><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: B-</a></span></b></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-71679428053233353812024-01-14T08:10:00.000-07:002024-01-14T08:10:05.076-07:00Mean Girls (2024): A Review (Review #1785)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Mean_girls_2024_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="269" height="370" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Mean_girls_2024_poster.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">MEAN GIRLS</span></b></div></b><p></p><p>Despite being a cultural touchstone beloved and quoted by millions, I have yet to see the original <i>Mean Girls</i>. As such, the 2024 film version of the Broadway musical based on the 2004 film is my first foray into the world of The Plastics. After experiencing this <i>Mean Girls</i>, it will almost certainly be my last foray. Hateful, insipid and pointless, <i>Mean Girls</i> is garbage.</p><p>Having spent her life in Kenya, homeschooled Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) now goes to a different and more dangerous jungle: the American high school. Here, she finds herself pretty much ostracized save for two outcasts. There is artistic Janice (Auli'i Cravahlo) and her FLAMBOYANTLY GAY friend Damian (Jaquel Spivey). Despite their warnings, Cady soon falls in with the ultimate rich bitch clique The Plastics, ruled by queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp). Regina rules over North Shore High with a firm grip, aided by her courtiers, the weak-willed Gretchen (Bebe Woods) and airhead Karen (Avantika).</p><p>As a side note, I'm sure that the queen bee being named "Regina", which is also Latin for "Queen", is a mere coincidence, but I digress.</p><p>The Plastics soon take Cady from Kenya under their vicious wing, though Janice and Damian ask Cady to report to them what is being said. Naïve and guileless, Cady does as she is told. There is trouble, however, when Cady falls for Aaron (Christopher Briney). He happens to be Regina's ex, which makes him off-limits to the other Heathers, I mean, Plastics. Cady, however, is too drawn to Aaron's beauty, down to faking being weak in math (her favorite subject) to gain his attention.</p><p>It's not long before trouble starts brewing. Regina, aware of Cady's desires and Aaron's interests, goes back for her ex, breaking Cady's heart. Janice reveals her and Regina's past connection, and a <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Revenge Party</span></i> is planned. Things, however, don't go exactly as planned, leading to more chaos until ultimately things settle down and peace returns to North Shore High.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJuV8vPdWr7ivk-8uzpHs_eK7TsmEBxXCOtvbX38PhiMm9zmld2DQE0ya4Cb4NghXWiJiqGcr23R7PTkeHofbk6Aw0jC-H3XY8sGtqFT-38nqVJ3V-t59rwLaJ39Jf7VyIJvLn6badj2vox5SEhTuLTK6-XDvdAcKgWie9AfwMuhF3Ec-DlBu4SozzRhf/s500/Mean%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJuV8vPdWr7ivk-8uzpHs_eK7TsmEBxXCOtvbX38PhiMm9zmld2DQE0ya4Cb4NghXWiJiqGcr23R7PTkeHofbk6Aw0jC-H3XY8sGtqFT-38nqVJ3V-t59rwLaJ39Jf7VyIJvLn6badj2vox5SEhTuLTK6-XDvdAcKgWie9AfwMuhF3Ec-DlBu4SozzRhf/s320/Mean%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>As it has been twenty years (!) since the original <i>Mean Girls</i>, I imagine that this version needed updating to make it make sense to the next generation of <i>Queen Bees and Wannabes</i> (the nonfiction book <i>Mean Girls</i> served as the basis for). I figure that social media did not play a large or any part of the original version. Perhaps therein lies one of the problems in <i>Mean Girls</i>. It is trying to be trendy and hip when it really is, or should be, a product of its time.</p><p>Try as I might, I could not fathom why people would be so invested in the goings-on at North Shore High. Possibly Regina's literal and metaphorical fall at the Talent Show would go viral through it being outrageously hilarious (which it wasn't here). However, in one of the film's montages, we had people do some kind of "Regina Challenge" where they try to recreate said fall, which was apparently due to her weight gain. I cannot accept that this insignificant moment at a high school talent show would inspire such a reaction, even in our TikTok Era. </p><p>A major issue for me with <i>Mean Girls</i> is that the film more than lives up to its title. I found every single character so unlikeable that I genuinely could not root for anyone to succeed, not even Aaron. I figure Cady is meant to be our protagonist and the one with whom we are supposed to care about. Instead, I found her in turns blank and vicious. Her wrath against Regina may have been understandable. However, her quick rise from allegedly sweet naïf to vengeful bitch never felt real. Moreover, at times it came across as Janice manipulating Cady the same way Janice insisted that Regina was manipulating Cady.</p><p>Regina was created to be the ruling monster, but oddly, she came across as almost tame in her maliciousness. She was intolerant and obnoxious, but I do not think she was as bad a monster as Janice. Yes, I thought Janice was the meanest of mean girls. For as much as <i>Mean Girls</i> wanted us to think of her as justified in going after Regina and being angry at Cady's transformation, Janice is the one that I felt was downright evil. The delight people took in bullying bullies just did not sit right with me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfs65q3bRA8c2dw4hNZbcnq0mQoY9aV5V6p_HxFb2Je1o8YO6OLEoFrRGezceyOi8PAPTpcoBYt_TE81PTo3MR3AtRBgdALG-yXE28xY-AiS4KO1tweJP14xxQGa4ukw5lLvUk767JZb5Jvycpu92FB-1XMvYxy2RwE_qsSkpWJJzqx9kC9JO42Iwk9xf/s500/Mean%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfs65q3bRA8c2dw4hNZbcnq0mQoY9aV5V6p_HxFb2Je1o8YO6OLEoFrRGezceyOi8PAPTpcoBYt_TE81PTo3MR3AtRBgdALG-yXE28xY-AiS4KO1tweJP14xxQGa4ukw5lLvUk767JZb5Jvycpu92FB-1XMvYxy2RwE_qsSkpWJJzqx9kC9JO42Iwk9xf/s320/Mean%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Her musical number, <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I'd Rather Be Me</span></i>, was not a declaration of empowerment or being true to herself. It was an entitled, obnoxious, arrogant number, one where I literally wrote "<i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Raise Your Right Finger</span></i> --Janice is bitch" (I thought the song's title was <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Raise Your Right Finger</span></i>) as that seemed to be the takeaway from what I figure is meant as a showstopping number. <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I'd Rather Be Me</span></i> pretty much reinforced my view that every character in <i>Mean Girls</i> is so awful that you want every person to get run over by a bus. </p><p>Everyone, even Kevin G. (Mahi Alam), the Mathlete Captain who apparently is under the delusion that he is the Indian Eminem. One can have some fun with the Mathlete Captain being so desperate to be cool. Here though, it came across as obnoxious instead of endearing. His ripping his shirt open after winning the state championship made him look genuinely insane. Why he went to the Spring Fling dance wearing just a letterman jacket to cover up his bare chest will always be a puzzle to me. I figure it was to signal that they had come straight from the competition to the dance (because audiences apparently are too stupid to not realize both events were on the same day). However, someone would have told him, "Kevin, put on a shirt and dress well for a formal dance". </p><p>I think the closest part where there was an attempt at wit is when, during the apology sessions, one person apologized to another for telling her that they were off during <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Revenge Party</span></i>. Referencing a musical number in the film itself at this point is not clever. It is idiotic. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0clFBsMQKC_N_cEcz-7EvXHT4_5ynhZSZT9oN-U-l_lx2QAnrVrRXNPP5ukwIdqvljLi9ujhA818jmuLtWTAzmVaDf9xUVOqba0z8qpH45kuovUunEHZnBcL1dQR6ny9w005yw1kHt58fv4AUJAEZLP7u4iDiLTwOhNez_Pm4JR95_hJUdOxsZTvpysC/s140/Mean%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="140" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0clFBsMQKC_N_cEcz-7EvXHT4_5ynhZSZT9oN-U-l_lx2QAnrVrRXNPP5ukwIdqvljLi9ujhA818jmuLtWTAzmVaDf9xUVOqba0z8qpH45kuovUunEHZnBcL1dQR6ny9w005yw1kHt58fv4AUJAEZLP7u4iDiLTwOhNez_Pm4JR95_hJUdOxsZTvpysC/w200-h200/Mean%204.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>A good musical will live or die by its songbook. <i>Mean Girls</i>, which is one of many Broadway musical adaptations of popular films currently in vogue*, does not have a musical moment that stands out. I'll walk that back a bit. Out of the songs in <i>Mean Girls</i>, the one that I thought was the best was <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Stupid with Love</span></i>. There is something slightly amusing in hearing one is "smart with math, but stupid with love". The rest of the songbook goes from the merely dumb to the downright hideous. <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Sexy</span></i>, the song at the Halloween party (and where I was close to walking out of the theater) I think tries yet again to be contemporary by including social media as part of the sequence. Still, I wonder why anyone would care about a high school Halloween party where everyone is dressed as sexy, down to a sexy Eleanor Roosevelt.</p><p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Sexy</span></i> and <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Someone Gets Hurt</span></i>, the song Regina sings at the party when she recaptures the weak-willed Aaron, have an issue that plagued the production. Again and again, I thought how the musical numbers would work <b><i><u>on a stage</u></i></b>, but never translated <u><i><b>onto film</b></i></u>. Even something like <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Stupid with Love</span></i>, with the backup vocalists playing along, would fit perfectly in a stage production than on screen. A stage allows for greater unreality, where people breaking out into song is plausible. A good musical film can do likewise, if the songs are good. I am hard-pressed, however, to think anyone walked out of either stage or screen <i>Mean Girls</i> singing <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Apex Predator</span></i> or <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">World Burn</span></i>.</p><p>Even weak songs would not sink something if we got something original with the material. Instead, from what I understand, we got basically a remake with music. I do not understand the interest in telling a story people already know and just inserting songs into it. It is one thing when you do something original to an established play or film (such as when Lerner & Lowe took <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2019/04/pygmalion-1938-review.html">Pygmalion</a></i> to craft <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2019/04/my-fair-lady-1964-review.html">My Fair Lady</a></i>). To just make the same thing with a few song-and-dance bits is a puzzle to me. </p><p>Curiously enough, <i>Mean Girls: The Musical</i> lost the Best Musical Tony to <i>The Band's Visit</i>, which is yet another musical adaptation of a (slightly-less popular) film, one of its twelve losses out of twelve nominations. Even more curiously, its fellow Best Musical nominees that year were <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2013/12/a-lovely-shade-of-winter.html">Frozen</a></i> (another musical adaptation of a film) and <i>SpongeBob SquarePants</i> (a musical adaptation of a television show that has had feature films). Where are Rodgers & Hammerstein when you need them?</p><p>I cannot be too hard on the actors given that they had poor direction from Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez, Jr. (their generation's Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins?). Probably the worst is Spivey, who served no purpose except to be FLAMBOYANTLY GAY and throw sass whenever sass was needed. I would say just about everyone in <i>Mean Girls</i> was blank or boring. Rice had no charisma to make Cady interesting (though to be fair, she does look like she could be Jenna Fischer's daughter). Rapp was surprisingly tame as Regina, whom I figure was meant as an uber-bitch. Cravalho, also to be fair, was probably the best singer out of the cast, but her character was so awful I wanted to avoid her as much as I could. </p><p>Credit, perhaps, can be given in that <i>Mean Girls</i> has an adequately Academy Award-qualifying cast. Gretchen is Latina; we hear her remark before her number <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">What's Wrong with Me?</span></i> how her "Abuelita" (Spanish for "Grandmother") sang the song from the music box Gretchen had gifted Regina years ago. Karen is Indian, Janice is Polynesian, Damian is black (and FLAMBOYANTLY GAY). The adults, such as Tina Fey and Tim Meadows recreating their roles from the original had very little to do here. Jon Hamm is wasted as the lazy, clueless coach as was <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2023/10/joy-ride-2023-review-review-1653.html">Joy Ride</a></i>'s Ashley Park as the French teacher. Both are too talented to be given nothing to do.</p><p>Oddly, the Lindsay Lohan cameo felt like it went on too long. I wonder why Lohan was not cast as Ms. Norbury instead. It would have at least given a new twist on the tale versus just retelling the same story. I would not have minded if Cravalho had played Cady or if Briney had been recast to allow an actual singer to play Aaron. I understand that he initially turned the role down due to the script requiring him to sing, accepting once whatever songs he had were cut. My question is, "why not just cast an actor who not only can but wants to sing?". Briney is not a major star or acting talent that he was the only person to play Aaron, who came across as rather milquetoast in the film. Again, if one is making a musical, cast people who can sing as well as act.</p><p><i>Mean Girls</i> is one of a small group of films where I was close to walking out. I stayed only to give a full review. As one who went into Mean Girls with no real point of reference outside whatever has filtered through the culture, this version might make me never watch the original. It is certainly not fetch by any standard.</p><p><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: F</a></span></b></p><p>*There are musical adaptations of among other films <i>Rocky, Beetlejuice, Back to the Future, Mrs. Doubtfire, A Christmas Story, Pretty Woman, Legally Blonde, Big, King Kong</i> (yes, <i>King Kong</i>) and <i>Mean Girls</i>' unofficial inspiration, <i>Heathers</i>. To my mind, the Heathers and the Plastics are cut from the same cloth. </p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-19854054009136655822024-01-03T17:22:00.001-07:002024-01-03T17:22:50.684-07:00The Holdovers: A Review (Review #1784)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Holdovers_film_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="378" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Holdovers_film_poster.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE HOLDOVERS</span></b><div><br /></div><div>There is an old cliche in film reviewing, "I laughed. I cried". With <i>The Holdovers</i>, I found that cliche fit. I did laugh. I did cry. A well-acted, well-written, well-directed film, <i>The Holdovers</i> delights and moves, even if it goes on longer than it perhaps should. </div><div><br /></div><div>Barton Academy, 1970. As staff and students at the prep school prepare to close for the Christmas holiday, there will be a skeleton crew to keep watch over the few students who will have to stay at Barton. These students, colloquially known as "holdovers", are watched over by one teacher and one cook. This year, it is kitchen supervisor Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) and Professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), who teaches ancient history to, in his words, "philistines". Hunham is open about his overall contempt for the students: he calls them philistines to their faces. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not that his Barton students know what a philistine is or care either about Hunham or ancient history. They just want to move up in life, no knowledge required. All but one of Hunham's students gets a failing grade. Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) passes, but he is equally disinterested in things. Much to his horror, Angus is a last-minute holdover, his mother and stepfather cancelling his trip so they could go on a delayed honeymoon.</div><div><br /></div><div>As Tully, a frenemy, a jock with hair too long for his father's liking and two child students (a Korean and Mormon) are forced to stay, Hunham sees no reason why they can't be learning, working and exercising during this break. Fortune smiles on the group, however, when Jason Smith (Michael Provost), the hippie jock, leaves early when his father finally overlooks Jason's long hair. Mr. Smith has sent his helicopter and agreed to take every student whose parents agree to go with them. Everyone manages to reach their parents for permission, except for Angus.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now with both Hunham and Tully angrier at the situation, they slowly come to terms with each other and themselves. Mary, for her part, reconciles herself to the death of her son, Curtis, who was killed earlier in the year in Vietnam. As the break goes on through Christmas and New Year's Day, the three of them reveal secrets, accept things as they are, and find resolution to their various issues.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99WScOFfLO5JdRrmXcQd-kbAobFe4GbDJ3TD8oVmzQiqa0BCJc40p1iAYQK4d1AC2s7fapD8w71qPofWOWt9jvwF1kl5sUmXRyV8DwvooUYEXocxIsn2W2pxvppzqrzpQ5UDobqU_hu_shHxxkpcZQQdW5ewEJ5xaCG9liLV_skL-sxx-P7ERZIC7T0K6/s500/Holdovers%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99WScOFfLO5JdRrmXcQd-kbAobFe4GbDJ3TD8oVmzQiqa0BCJc40p1iAYQK4d1AC2s7fapD8w71qPofWOWt9jvwF1kl5sUmXRyV8DwvooUYEXocxIsn2W2pxvppzqrzpQ5UDobqU_hu_shHxxkpcZQQdW5ewEJ5xaCG9liLV_skL-sxx-P7ERZIC7T0K6/s320/Holdovers%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><i>The Holdovers</i> is firmly set in the early 1970's, starting from its opening credits to the overall aesthetic. We are so immersed in this time period, yet <i>The Holdovers</i> never seems dated or stuck in the past. Rather, it is one of the freshest, most original films of 2023, in turns funny and heartfelt. It is a credit to director Alexander Payne how well he navigates his cast and keeps the film going.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is Paul Giamatti's best performance out of so many wonderful performances that he has given. As Paul Hunham, he is acerbic, aloof, cutting. "I don't understand," Teddy Kountze (Brady Hepner) states when Hunham gives his class schoolwork over the holidays. Without missing a beat, Hunham retorts in a dry, dismissive manner, "That's glaringly evident". What makes Giamatti's performance so brilliant is that he makes Hunham into a flawed yet fully formed person. Other actors might have made him perpetually sardonic or deliberately cruel. Giamatti, however, makes him more rigid but not without sense. He values knowledge and loathes these wealthy scions who coast through life without any effort. He may be blunt to the point of insulting, but as <i>The Holdovers</i> moves, we see how he cocooned himself.</div><div><br /></div><div>Giamatti makes Paul, if not cuddly, at least understandable, almost relatable, in his flaws and quirks. Moreover, we see the gradual shift in his nature and outlook. It is a subtle shift, best captured from when he refers to his temporary ward as "Mr. Tully" to "Tully" and finally "Angus". We get wonderful moments of acting from Giamatti, some which just have his face tell us. When he sees the Barton employee that he imagines might be interested in him kiss someone else, he turns away to face the audience. The look of sadness and resignation is deeply affecting.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8gnaD8gMaCUdquCAKvTwCqrisahHh-oCxPB1CHp_1Wd-p_E2Fl_2kFTwsfouKqKnbUXAzFadt37flhD62GtmybJ3oPeu0A7G444hiL1ppnogSpLlDt5xesAMsMkZdYpzR8tKA995ixxtjCX7R6VivAOI1t966RMHrxTw6-Z2Ued4E9SFVGy6qMW4wVZC/s1200/Holdovers%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8gnaD8gMaCUdquCAKvTwCqrisahHh-oCxPB1CHp_1Wd-p_E2Fl_2kFTwsfouKqKnbUXAzFadt37flhD62GtmybJ3oPeu0A7G444hiL1ppnogSpLlDt5xesAMsMkZdYpzR8tKA995ixxtjCX7R6VivAOI1t966RMHrxTw6-Z2Ued4E9SFVGy6qMW4wVZC/s320/Holdovers%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>Randolph more than holds her own as Mary, who is funny and heartbreaking. At one point, she remarks to Paul, "You can't even dream a whole dream, can you?" after hearing what he would like to do if he weren't at Barton. Her best scene is at the Christmas party she, Paul and Angus attend. Slightly inebriated, she finally allows herself to grieve for her son. The next day, she remarks to Paul that she had "cocktail flu", the best euphemism for a hangover I have heard.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sessa in a standout debut performance is equal to acting alongside these veterans. Angus is in turns maddening and lonely, guarding secrets and sadness behind his sarcasm. </div><div><br /></div><div>David Hemingson's screenplay is sharp and funny without being saccharine or cynical. It keeps to their characters and how they would speak, but it also gives each character a complexity and growth through their time together. Paul, for example, explains to a store Santa the origin of St. Nicholas of Myra. It is true to how he sees the world but still manages to be funny without making Paul look bonkers. Paul's kiss-off to his hated schoolmaster is one of the best kiss-offs in film, showing a wit behind the goings-on. </div><div><br /></div><div>If there is an issue with <i>The Holdovers</i>, it is the length. It does feel longer than its two-hour-plus runtime. I understand that the first set of holdovers was there to set characters, but I think that section could have been cut.</div><div><br /></div><div>That, however, is a minor flaw. <i>The Holdovers</i> is a delightful, intelligent film. You care about these characters, even with their flaws and quirks. A film that has you chuckling one moment, quietly sighing the next, it is a nice time staying with <i>The Holdovers</i>. </div><div><p></p><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: A+</a></span></b></div></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-76304149715029621072023-12-30T14:48:00.149-07:002024-01-02T06:40:30.216-07:00Poor Things: A Review (Review #1783)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Poor_Things_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="378" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Poor_Things_poster.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">POOR THINGS</span></b><div><br /></div><div>The term "acquired taste" is one that <i>Poor Things</i> rightly earns. A film that in my opinion is trying too hard to be eccentric, it just left me cold.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mad scientist Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) is keeping his newest creation far from the public gaze. She is Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a woman he literally brought back to life. He found her shortly after she successfully committed suicide, and to his surprise found she was heavily pregnant. He opted to install her unborn child's brain into her head and managed to create a new woman.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bella stumbles through Baxter's home a bit like an unhinged Helen Keller only with all her senses intact. She says the first thing that pops into her mind to "God" as she calls Godwin. Bella is uncouth in her eating and has motor skill issues, but she has discovered a new hobby: auto-erotic exercises with fruit.</div><div><br /></div><div>She has also discovered Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef). Max is Godwin's assistant whom he brought to monitor Bella's progress. She is not in love with him as the concept is foreign to her. Somehow, though, Max has fallen for Bella. A marriage is soon planned, as Godwin knows he won't last forever. </div><div><br /></div><div>Enter Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo). A shady lawyer brought in to draw up the marriage contract, he soon discovers Bella as the ultimate sexual conquest. They run off together, with Max distraught and Godwin merely non-plussed. All their "furious jumping" is too much even for lothario Duncan, who attempts to taper down our nympho. She, however, will not be denied. A sailing journey to get Bella under control fails, especially after she discovers both philosophy and poverty. Eventually, they end up destitute in Paris, where he goes mad and she goes to a brothel.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bella becomes the queen of whores, yet even her growing knowledge of such things as socialism and lesbianism seems rote. Finally brought back to London by Max to see a dying Godwin, there is one last twist before their nuptials courtesy of Alfie Blessington (Christopher Abbott). Will Bella become her own woman?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOmP-DvJWZZMBLOaY1u23FFkZ-6rtgQxmb9rhxCTpgXhwhHAQnveGMTxjjrID4jvDg05fEibB2UwNXVGelX8muOoQeMe4oAQZ85NRIg9afvrLyBggInX3HggDOeikIKnZQ9FuzfSHJn_YVtd6-FerE44Ylh7A-Na2pML_bDQpSfUNAv_qQrbs2x2hg80Y/s500/Poor%20Things%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOmP-DvJWZZMBLOaY1u23FFkZ-6rtgQxmb9rhxCTpgXhwhHAQnveGMTxjjrID4jvDg05fEibB2UwNXVGelX8muOoQeMe4oAQZ85NRIg9afvrLyBggInX3HggDOeikIKnZQ9FuzfSHJn_YVtd6-FerE44Ylh7A-Na2pML_bDQpSfUNAv_qQrbs2x2hg80Y/s320/Poor%20Things%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Essentially a more lighthearted <i>Frankenstein </i>with a bit of <i>The Island of Doctor Moreau</i> and <i>Freaks</i>, I was not impressed with seeing how many times and in how many ways Emma Stone could get humped. I think it was because sometimes things were a bit too eccentric for me in its efforts to be funny. I get what director Yorgos Lanthimos was going for in his visual style. The film is split into a black-and-white opening section and a color section, bringing color once Bella finds the joys of furious jumping.</div><div><br /></div><div>I get that this is some kind of steampunk universe, where things are exaggerated and overt. It is just that I did not laugh once. I think it is because I could never shake the idea that Poor Things was trying too hard. Everything from the performances to the visuals to Tony McNamara's screenplay adaptation of Alasdair Gray's novel were too open about their eccentricity for me to accept even this fantasy world.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Did he lay with you?", a displeased Duncan asks Bella after she wanders off without him to explore the joys of Lisbon. "No, we were against the wall," she replied in her not-quite monotone but more staccato delivery. A lot of what is meant to be funny just did not hit me. At one point, Duncan attempts to literally toss another passenger, Martha (Hanna Schygulla) off the ship for giving Bella endless books to read. Martha seems almost delighted by his unhinged efforts, but as I watched I was not laughing. It was not horror at the sight but my sense that, while I got that all this is supposed to be broad, it did not impress me.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeQ9nb9nTtyHfU6XqIzVR8Hle0sa2_cr2bbUBldbXpNFJ4SCkvi6H5Emc__qToQq7DSHgu5Ynvb9EGhEjmtfYC2RhiMKkqEyf10X-9xHrzxYCxdhOuKKZ-Me0QjBjQ6d_b8SQ_ZAlX6n1nAYSRsrAdfQcNPs5YaNhRsCO90Fd05KIRjymyvpu-z7nPQuC/s500/Poor%20Things%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeQ9nb9nTtyHfU6XqIzVR8Hle0sa2_cr2bbUBldbXpNFJ4SCkvi6H5Emc__qToQq7DSHgu5Ynvb9EGhEjmtfYC2RhiMKkqEyf10X-9xHrzxYCxdhOuKKZ-Me0QjBjQ6d_b8SQ_ZAlX6n1nAYSRsrAdfQcNPs5YaNhRsCO90Fd05KIRjymyvpu-z7nPQuC/s320/Poor%20Things%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>That also goes to the performances. Many have lauded Emma Stone's turn as Bella, our naive nympho. I will grant that her performance is technically skilled. However, that is what I kept seeing: a technically skilled performance as opposed to the character. I never saw "Bella Baxter" but "Emma Stone acting". I do not know if that is a compliment or insult here. Did she give a good performance? Yes. Did she ever convince me she was the character? No.</div><div><br /></div><div>I would say the same for all the performances. Again, I appreciate that <i>Poor Things</i> is meant to be broad. I just thought it was a bit too broad for me. I could not shake the idea that since everyone was in on the joke, it just did not make it funny for me. Ruffalo and Dafoe each play their part in the same vein, with deliberately mild exaggerations. I confess never believing that Duncan would sacrifice everything for the sake of pleasing Bella, probably because things were played so big that it did not make sense to me for him to be driven mad by her loss. Dafoe was probably the most grounded out of the three, not making Godwin into a crazed mad scientist (even if he was that). </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Poor Things</i> does have a strong aesthetic in its world building. That should be a plus in its favor. Its two-hour-plus runtime was a strong negative though. Maybe the film could have lost a couple of Bella's sexual encounters in the brothel, such as a father bringing his two boys to see him have sex with her to teach them about sex.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately though, I found less to like than things to hate in <i>Poor Things</i>. I did not hate it, but I could not embrace it. </div><div><p></p><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: C-</a></span></b></div></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-47890814237068309512023-12-29T02:49:00.218-07:002023-12-29T02:49:00.140-07:00The Color Purple (2023): A Review<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Color_Purple_2023_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="258" height="387" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Color_Purple_2023_poster.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE COLOR PURPLE </span></b></div></b><div><br /></div><div>It is a bit difficult for me to look on the musical adaptation of <i>The Color Purple</i> because I am familiar with the 1985 film adaptation. As such, I already know the story and cannot help thinking of the original film. With that said, 2023's The Color Purple does have some good elements despite my familiarity with the subject.</div><div><br /></div><div>Going from 1909 to 1947, we get the life of Celie Johnson. Young Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) is abused physically, emotionally, and sexually by her father Alonso (Deon Cole). She is on her second child by Alonso, who promptly takes her child away after birth. If not for her sister Nettie (Hallie Bailey) life would be unbearable.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is not long before Nettie catches the eye of Mister (Colman Domingo). Alonso would rather pass Celie off to him, and with that, Celie goes to marry Mister. Mister is as abusive to Celie (Fantasia Barrino) as Alonso. In one respect, he is worse: he drove Nettie off his land when she refused his advances. Celie lives forever under the shadow of Mister's true love, blues chanteuse Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson). Shug is her own woman, unbossed and unbought as they say. She is not afraid of Mister, down to calling him "Albert", his actual name.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also unafraid of Mister is his son's wife Sophia (Danielle Brooks). She's large and in charge, telling Mister and his son Harpo (Corey Hawkins) what's what. She won't allow Harpo to beat her and promptly leaves when he so much as tries. Shug eventually comes to stay with Albert and bonds with Celie, finding in her a kindred spirit. Harpo turns his house into a juke joint, where Shug is Queen of the scene.</div><div><br /></div><div>Celie, through time and the encouragement of Shug, Sophia and Harpo's new girl Squeak (pop singer H.E.R., billed as Gabriella Wilson H.E.R.) slowly comes into her own. Able to at long last stand up to Mister after discovering a cache of letters from Nettie, she embarks on her own as Shug's traveling companion and eventual career as a seamstress of renown. Things come full circle for Celie, able at last to reconcile her past and future through curious twists of fate.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcJ1C-SNrD723pjKcaARbzALKav_ZVRLq8xG61vVNe6pXX47tx3FQmsWMbcyBp92jg7xtT_8m9rzJPUB_MpedwMfKC73TlF9KzgBVtq9ujKODWs4UGoDQ8jlN7KWbs4aiQxNqIcyf-R0nBpvNI6iztOgvxhOQ0riF92Ayob0txp1kqsqKFUYlDH8PzKMu/s500/Purple%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcJ1C-SNrD723pjKcaARbzALKav_ZVRLq8xG61vVNe6pXX47tx3FQmsWMbcyBp92jg7xtT_8m9rzJPUB_MpedwMfKC73TlF9KzgBVtq9ujKODWs4UGoDQ8jlN7KWbs4aiQxNqIcyf-R0nBpvNI6iztOgvxhOQ0riF92Ayob0txp1kqsqKFUYlDH8PzKMu/s320/Purple%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />When you have a film as well-known and beloved as 1985's <i>The Color Purple</i>, one runs the risk of merely copying the original when making a remake. 2023's <i>The Color Purple</i> has the difference of being a musical adaptation of Alice Walker's novel. I would not have thought that the story would lend itself to a musical. I was somewhat wrong, in that <i>The Color Purple</i> can work as a musical.</div><div><br /></div><div>I say "somewhat wrong" not out of ego. Rather, it is because try as the film might, it could not shake off its Broadway roots. My mind kept going to the phrase "too staged". Almost every musical number felt unrealistic. I know that is a strange criticism of a musical, but I hope to clarify myself. In the most successful film musicals, like <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2018/12/the-sound-of-music-1965-review-review.html">The Sound of Music</a></i> or 1961's <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2019/02/west-side-story-1961-review-review-1174.html">West Side Story</a></i>, the musical numbers were as organic as possible. There is, granted, an unreality to people singing and dancing on film, but those films did not feel unnatural or exaggerated in how that was presented.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Color Purple</i>, conversely, made almost every musical number grand, big and obvious that it veered very close to parody. The opening number, <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Mysterious Ways</span></i>, was so massive in the choreography that I thought I was watching a stage presentation versus a film. Another number, <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">She Be Mine</span></i>, is almost bizarre when young Celie is walking through a group of men in a chain gang keeping rhythm before she ends up walking through a group of women who choreograph a dance at a waterfall while doing laundry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Intentionally or not, <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">She Be Mine</span></i> brought to mind Sam Cooke's <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Chain Gang</span></i>. Again, I know this is a strange criticism for a musical, but <i>The Color Purple</i> was curiously big on choreographing its musical numbers with elaborate dance numbers that looked more suitable for a theater stage than a film. I can see how a number like <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Push Da Button</span></i> might be big and almost over-the-top. It is Shug Avery's debut performance at Harpo's juke joint. However, why have an elaborate dance number for <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Workin</span></i>, where Harpo is singing and dancing with his work crew when building said juke joint? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kqKRBDG_wHfQbdoUV-csV4slqDMtk3hyq1Xbd3oTKIIz9gpuud7zXP66im2ptmJRTtKB3Ipr8Vpoe0IjL51EHa0sC9falZWnBsMqFkOvLCaLFj0IwKE8TBOyrcUJ0I2gxMiVqs0OsUSxu6tZuia1Vw0YYtv63sLtAAdCzQTZjB9sMDQUKJODRmLhI9ZE/s500/Purple%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kqKRBDG_wHfQbdoUV-csV4slqDMtk3hyq1Xbd3oTKIIz9gpuud7zXP66im2ptmJRTtKB3Ipr8Vpoe0IjL51EHa0sC9falZWnBsMqFkOvLCaLFj0IwKE8TBOyrcUJ0I2gxMiVqs0OsUSxu6tZuia1Vw0YYtv63sLtAAdCzQTZjB9sMDQUKJODRmLhI9ZE/s320/Purple%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>I understand that several numbers from the stage musical were cut from the film version, with only <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Keep It Movin</span></i> and <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Superpower (I)</span></i> being written for the film. Both new songs are fine, the former catchy and the latter well delivered by Barrino. However, I think some of the other songs could have been cut, or at the very least not delivered in such an elaborate fashion that only served to call attention to themselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the whole the performances were quite good. The standout was Brooks as Sophia. Big, bold and brassy (as Mister, Senior observed, "more entertaining than a radio show"), Brooks dominates whenever on screen. That is not to say that she does not have quiet moments. When softly pleading with Celie for her to stay when Sophia is locked up, Brooks is deeply moving. </div><div><br />Henson is commanding as Shug Avery, though at times I felt she was making the character less bold and assertive as she should have been. Wilson aka H.E.R. had a smaller part but she did well as Squeak (real name Mary Agnes). Barrino, who played Celie on Broadway, really came into her own late in the film, particularly her solo number <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I'm Here</span></i>. She and Henson also had a wonderful scene in <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">What About Love?</span></i> (not the Heart song), an Art Deco fantasy that subtly suggests a Sapphic relationship between them. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think that we did not see as much acting as we could have from Barrino or Henson due more to director Blitz Bazawule and screenwriter Marcus Gardley, which despite the film's two-hour-plus runtime felt oddly rushed. The directing of the male actors showed a curious element. Domingo and Hawkins came across as almost too nice to be these harsh men. Yes, Domingo's Mister slapped Celie hard. As I watched, however, I never felt that Domingo was brutal. In short, I think he was playing someone who was cruel, but he never convinced me that he was Mister. He was Colman Domingo playing Mister. Only Louis Gossett, Jr. as Old Mister in a small part did well. </div><div><br /></div><div>I would say that David Alan Grier as Reverend Avery, Shug's disapproving father, was the most cartoonish in his portrayal.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Color Purple</i> does have excellent production work and cinematography, capturing the look of early Twentieth Century rural South. It also has some nice bits of dialogue. "If they're rough around the edges, you know they soft on the inside," Celie tells Shug. While talking about seeds, the double meaning is well-crafted. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is hard to shake the memory of the 1985 original in this adaptation. Using <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)</span></i> from the original here helps. It is not a bad inclusion, but those kinds of callbacks don't help separate the new from the old. Ultimately, I think it did not translate well from stage to screen, yet while <i>The Color Purple</i> fails to get away from the past, it does decent enough in its crowd-pleasing presentation.</div><div><p></p><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: B-</a></span></b></div></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-43572539227165434362023-12-28T00:09:00.002-07:002023-12-28T12:54:53.002-07:00Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: A Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Aquaman_and_the_Lost_Kingdom_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Aquaman_and_the_Lost_Kingdom_poster.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM</span></b><p></p><div>2023 may finally be the year when those long-held ideas about "superhero fatigue" finally come to fruition. This year we have had seven live-action superhero films, and all but one of them are sequels: <i>Ant-Man 3, <a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2023/03/shazam-fury-of-gods-review.html">Shazam 2</a>, <a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2023/06/the-flash-2023-review.html">The Flash 2</a>, Captain Marvel 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, <a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2023/09/blue-beetle-review.html">Blue Beetle</a></i> and now <i>Aquaman 2</i>. Technically, all these films have other titles as all but <i>Blue Beetle</i> are sequels, but I frankly don't want to type them all out. We close out this cacophony of people in tights with <i>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom</i>. Is it a terrible film, or even a terrible superhero film? No, for I still think <i>Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</i> is still far, far worse. <i>Aquaman 2</i> is just there, neither a horror or a thrill, a product of people essentially exhausted by it all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Arthur Curry aka Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has mostly settled into his role as King of Atlantis. He has his wife Mera (Amber Heard) and their son, Arthur, Jr., watched over by Arthur's father Tom (Temuera Morrison). Aquaman's old enemy David Kane aka Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) still seeks revenge against him for the death of Manta's father. Manta's scientist Stephen Shin (Randall Park) has located a powerful trident that soon begins corrupting Manta's mind. In exchange for releasing the entity behind the Black Trident, Manta will be avenged.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is very bad news. Releasing the orichalcum deposits hidden within Atlantis may bring about an ecological disaster that will destroy the sea and surface worlds. Despite everyone's best efforts, Shin and Manta have acquired the deposits. In order to help them, Aquaman now has to get his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) out. Orm, for his part, detests having anything to do with Arthur, but it is better than prison.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is discovered that the way to release the villain Kordax from his ice prison is through the blood of the royal line. That puts Arthur, Jr. in danger. Will Arthur and Orm put aside their differences to save Arthur, Jr. and stop Kordax? Will Atlantis finally emerge from the shadows to take its place among the surface nations? Does anyone care?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_0Z5hCmFAW1cVtBKYeJREaPZvDcT3p3oeVfKx_RPL7bDXVsFx2PkPPLRRSezTBtnblfzb2HMzas7WIRhluGVpPJqt0OW_JRD-2YLMtU-uibmIqS9cgVkxIWg8ev5E8vfxG01zLrJmvVK0GpweVYd-H7h2xyWqVAG7ZjTnrUIkdmhSNhG6qfMtUxvz_VN/s2532/Aqua%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="2532" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_0Z5hCmFAW1cVtBKYeJREaPZvDcT3p3oeVfKx_RPL7bDXVsFx2PkPPLRRSezTBtnblfzb2HMzas7WIRhluGVpPJqt0OW_JRD-2YLMtU-uibmIqS9cgVkxIWg8ev5E8vfxG01zLrJmvVK0GpweVYd-H7h2xyWqVAG7ZjTnrUIkdmhSNhG6qfMtUxvz_VN/s320/Aqua%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I think by now <i>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom </i>was doomed mostly through not fault of its own. There is a curious lethargy to things, as if everyone involved is just tired and wants to get all this over with. There is no enthusiasm for anything in <i>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom</i> because whatever story it is telling is just not interesting or engaging enough to pay attention.</div><div><br /></div><div>At times, there seems to be almost a desperation about the whole thing. I feel for Momoa, whom I sense really did his absolute best to sell the film and the character. He played Arthur as mostly intentionally funny, someone who enjoyed things and had a quippy manner to him. His best moments were not when fighting against Mantra but in endlessly ribbing Orm. "Come on, Castaway. Grab Wilson and let's go," he tells his brother. Another time, he quips, "Look, Loki, I'm not looking for advise here".</div><div><br /></div><div>It is going to be maddening to comic book fans to try and explain how DC's Aquaman knows about Marvel's Loki. Momoa really did try to sell <i>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom</i> as a fun, almost goofy film. He is almost desperate in the comedy, such as when attempting to sell the human-phobic Orm about the joys of steak and beer or convincing him that cockroaches are a delectable sweet. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl68yvs7mygU2H9SHpor2fBhjNSAok1w51U_unB_V9K2wCIrEZJhCZo-Js3-JVhQcjpnHxQ-VFJdNKU2p63T2b83KmJXuWTldIY1I6TQKKPedXEhWzEMcB5jWTWXdPL4hWmbdtkrcwGLjeozxq9U7xzy0Icgt5UrDoqFuD_c5le8QQtPDSPKN3zyVJ2CI/s500/Aqua%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl68yvs7mygU2H9SHpor2fBhjNSAok1w51U_unB_V9K2wCIrEZJhCZo-Js3-JVhQcjpnHxQ-VFJdNKU2p63T2b83KmJXuWTldIY1I6TQKKPedXEhWzEMcB5jWTWXdPL4hWmbdtkrcwGLjeozxq9U7xzy0Icgt5UrDoqFuD_c5le8QQtPDSPKN3zyVJ2CI/s320/Aqua%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>This is played perfectly well against Wilson, about the only one to emerge from <i>Lost Kingdom</i> with any sense of dignity. I think it is because he appears to be wholly committed to this project. Other actors, such as Nicole Kidman as their mother, the barely seen Amber Heard or Abdul-Mateen II's villain, are either too bored or too broad in their own performances. Wilson is taking all of this seriously. Perhaps too seriously, but Orm is a more serious character, so I cut him some slack.</div><div><br /></div><div>Park, who has also bounced between DC and Marvel, is the opposite of Momoa. Yes, he is playing desperate. However, he is playing desperate as in he does not want to be there and cannot wait to get out. Try as I might, I could not shake my sense that things here were cobbled together from bits and pieces, strung together almost by sheer will. Though the screenplay is credited to David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (who also has a story credit), Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, star Momoa and director James Wan also have a story credit. My sense is that there were more people involved. It cannot be a coincidence that there is a global warming element in <i>Lost Kingdom</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>At one point, Mantra remarks that things are now to his benefit. "Thank goodness for global warming," he says. Shin replies, hesitantly, "That's not exactly a good thing". It might have been a good thing, but I think most people frankly have grown too bored with the messenger to care. Oddly, I was reminded of <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2013/06/more-like-quest-for-good-script.html">Superman IV: The Quest for Peace</a></i>. Both films ends with some kind of speech about the <i>topic du jour</i>: nuclear disarmament and global warming respectively. Granted, <i>Lost Kingdom</i> at least did not focus exclusively on global warming and ended with I think rock music as the King of Atlantis all but told us to rock on. How interesting that the ending reminded me of <i><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2010/05/metal-to-max.html">Iron-Man</a></i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can say that, for myself, I did not hate <i>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom</i>. It does have pretty colors.</div><div><br /></div><div>While I cannot recommend it, I cannot find it in my heart to demolish it. I did not hate <i>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom</i>. My main reason is that it is not a terrible film. It is really a nothing film. It is something to have in the background while you are doing your dishes or the laundry. It fills the emptiness of sound. I suppose that is a positive. </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom</i> has as its tagline, "the tide is turning". I think most everyone will agree with that, though it may not be turning the way anyone at DC or its rival Marvel would like it to. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: D-</a></span></b></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334926894764753088.post-49961460612255576562023-12-27T00:36:00.259-07:002023-12-27T17:18:02.561-07:00Maestro (2023): A Review (Review #1780)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Maestro_poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Maestro_poster.png" width="259" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">MAESTRO</span></b></p><p>I have been assured that a film can be both a good movie and a plea for Oscar consideration. As such, <i>Maestro</i> is a fine example of both. On the former, <i>Maestro</i> is quite good, flowing easily from fantasy to reality and filled with top-level performances. On the latter, <i>Maestro</i> is cowriter/director/producer/star Bradley Cooper's naked <b><u>GIVE ME AN OSCAR</u></b> film, as passionate a plea for Oscar glory as has come down the pipeline in a while.</p><p>Maestro covers the career of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (Cooper), particularly his marriage to Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). Lenny is thrust into the limelight when, as the assistant conductor at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the 25-year-old Bernstein fills in at almost the last minute with no rehearsal time. </p><p>His unexpected debut is a total smash, elevating him to the highest ranks of conductors as well as composers. Despite a romantic relationship with clarinetist David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer), Lenny soon falls quickly for Felicia, a Chilean aspiring actress who like Bernstein, is attempting to forge her way in the artistic world of New York.</p><p>Felicia is enthralled with Lenny, and he too seems to be madly in love with her. Eventually they marry and have three children. Bernstein's career rises higher and higher, not just becoming America's first world-renowned conductor (and an openly Jewish one too) but also a feted composer of such works as Broadway's <i>On the Town</i> and <i>West Side Story</i> along with symphonic work. Felicia, for her part, has a respectable if not grand stage career, working more at home than the stage.</p><p>However, things soon start shifting. Success for Bernstein have corrupted him somewhat. He is more open about his same-sex liaisons, much to Felicia's irritation. She is not horrified or even particularly angry about his same-sex liaisons, but had asked Lenny to be discreet, which he is now no longer. One particularly enraged fight on Thanksgiving has her tell him that if he is not careful, he will end up a "lonely old queen". Perhaps as a way of purging himself from his demons, he creates the symphonic work Mass, and despite their struggles they remain together until Felicia's death from cancer.</p><p>At the end, Leonard Bernstein is now as open as possible with his trysts, even being physically intimate with a conducting student of his from the Tanglewood Music Center. He is a legend, but he is also a lonely old queen, dancing his last years away and still missing Felicia. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtvdtgY1rdynheU1VnutxkM_p7VOh7Fvq_6mPZFgt1p9rdW-Hv6v8Xu2xVm8znNegux2MOp4M_zdT_V7mlncetCtlCwQQ1DuS3E3eLUOUMv2HKtV33nWO0Hg4bSXVtKuPNcCqp7FPHKfS7jhd0GJq_8D8dxhzf0jDOLpnSvRDPPVGI93YKeI6iKfTYU49/s1549/Maestro%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="1549" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtvdtgY1rdynheU1VnutxkM_p7VOh7Fvq_6mPZFgt1p9rdW-Hv6v8Xu2xVm8znNegux2MOp4M_zdT_V7mlncetCtlCwQQ1DuS3E3eLUOUMv2HKtV33nWO0Hg4bSXVtKuPNcCqp7FPHKfS7jhd0GJq_8D8dxhzf0jDOLpnSvRDPPVGI93YKeI6iKfTYU49/s320/Maestro%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><i>Maestro</i> has an interesting set up in that about half the film is in black-and-white, half in color. It is a credit to Cooper and editor Michelle Tesoro that the transition is not jarring. In fact, it actually works quite well, suggesting life pre-and-post marriage. To my mind, the black-and-white section works best. We see the evolution of the romance between Bernstein and Montealegre as well as their rising careers. It does not shy too far away from Bernstein's same-sex relationships (the first time we see Bernstein is when it is clear he was in bed with another man) but we can see how they did genuinely fall in love.</p><p>Once we get to color, we get a shift in their relationship. I think that might have been the purpose, but it does leave a bit of a mystery over how Felicia eventually grew to accept or at least tolerate Leonard's infidelities. "Fix your hair. You're getting sloppy," Felicia snaps at Lenny at a party after seeing him kiss a young male guest. While the double meaning is clear, I do not remember ever seeing a moment before this that Felicia was aware of Lenny's proclivities. Was she angry that he was fooling around in general or with a man in particular? The black-and-white section showcased their relationship as a genuine love story, and I do not question that. I do, however, question whether she had ever expressed any kind of reservations or disappointment or disillusionment over his activities or desires. </p><p>As <i>Maestro</i> goes on, Lenny's private indiscretions become more the focus. It is not a bad thing, but on reflection I wonder if Bernstein would want people to focus on what he did with his body than on his body of work.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6eIehg6EZSYVuOvLTFPHNBKmEp6aJoe0VTGaOTnbFt3lTUeNpbaCyki0OvNOh3q-UgAMPP6sUJ1k5pwt8gRBSxEvxduD13azGUo1yloSgZR7XmJadZmwIwKpY0Qv_4I5QNFLjGuHZvpu_dCA4D01-caN_qWs0ORHRQGoVONwF5itgodz9QVHAn7vYHKF/s4876/Maestro%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2743" data-original-width="4876" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6eIehg6EZSYVuOvLTFPHNBKmEp6aJoe0VTGaOTnbFt3lTUeNpbaCyki0OvNOh3q-UgAMPP6sUJ1k5pwt8gRBSxEvxduD13azGUo1yloSgZR7XmJadZmwIwKpY0Qv_4I5QNFLjGuHZvpu_dCA4D01-caN_qWs0ORHRQGoVONwF5itgodz9QVHAn7vYHKF/s320/Maestro%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>As a director, Bradley Cooper does some wonderful work in <i>Maestro</i>. A sequence where his and Felicia's relationship finds a reinterpretation from a <i>Wonderful Town</i> dance number works remarkably well. While a flight of fancy, it actually felt surprisingly grounded. The black-and-white section where Felicia brings Lenny to the stage and flirt via dialogue is so well acted and staged. Just before we transition to color, we get a visual cue where we see Felicia almost literally standing in Leonard's shadow. Again, it makes me think that the black-and-white section was more inventive, more original. Once we shift to color, Maestro becomes more a standard biopic. </p><p>Even here, however, Cooper makes strong choices. The Thanksgiving argument between them is done in one master shot. We do not cut to any closeups or move away from them. It is as if Cooper is making the viewer a witness to Felicia's mix of rage and fear, Lenny's arrogance and denial. </p><p>Cooper also gets strong performances out of his cast. Mulligan has been one of our best actresses working today. <i>Maestro</i> shows her in top form. Felicia does have rather patrician tones in her delivery, but I figure this is how she spoke. Mulligan can communicate her mix of rage and public embarrassment in silence as well. At the <i>Mass</i> debut, she observes Leonard holding his latest boy-toy's hand openly while sitting next to her. The emotions swirling through her: the public humiliation, the hurt, the anger, all flow through Mulligan's face.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlKBGbkFa3GU-asb0gqR4YGmibsYC1ZN38PHsFawGU__tFmJ7Uy9h2BRn87vV01Bjc7eeu1peJiZWlja2KoDPcTyAY9ox3-YT3wXR_cOMujZdq7C5pHvWkxHn1XT8LSWUd5fG8DNSTraHOfwonw31223tUl0zxNPgCBWb_bzHxMNJHZV1g3BHe0T1yecp/s1102/Maestro%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1102" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlKBGbkFa3GU-asb0gqR4YGmibsYC1ZN38PHsFawGU__tFmJ7Uy9h2BRn87vV01Bjc7eeu1peJiZWlja2KoDPcTyAY9ox3-YT3wXR_cOMujZdq7C5pHvWkxHn1XT8LSWUd5fG8DNSTraHOfwonw31223tUl0zxNPgCBWb_bzHxMNJHZV1g3BHe0T1yecp/s320/Maestro%205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Cooper does well in the film too. I would argue that, again, in the color section, he is too actorly and mannered with his focus on getting Bernstein's gravelly voice and physical mannerisms. In the black-and-white section, we see just a nice young man on the make, eager to get a career and a girl. At that point, we can almost forgive how in his enthusiasm for Felicia he threw away his then-romantic/sexual partner Oppenheim. There is a sweetness in his courting of Felicia that makes Lenny likeable. At the party where they first meet, they have a conversation where he points out their similarities that plays so well.<p></p><p>As a side note, I do wonder why Snoopy was so important to Leonard, but I digress.</p><p><i>Maestro</i> also has surprisingly strong performances from Sarah Silverman as Leonard's sister Shirley and Matt Bomer as David Oppenheim. While both are small performances and are pretty much gone when we go to color, they still are memorable.</p><p>One aspect in <i>Maestro</i> that is brilliant is in how the film used Bernstein's music to set mood. Oftentimes in film, people will use music not written specifically for the film to create moments with varying degrees of success. Maestro, however, uses such works as selections from <i>Fancy Free</i> or the <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Postlude</span></i> from <i>A Quiet Place</i> to both set the mood and advance the story. Even when not using Bernstein's music, such as when we hear Bernstein's beloved Gustav Mahler, the music works well. </p><p>It is also a chance to hear the breath and variety of Bernstein's music, everything from West Side Story to symphonic works. </p><p>Perhaps using R.E.M.'s <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)</span></i> was a misstep. I get that perhaps Maestro was signaling that by the end of his life and career, Bernstein's ego was now thoroughly out-of-control. Still, somehow it comes across as tacky. </p><p>Finally, on the issue of the makeup use. There was controversy over the use of prostethics to make the Gentile Cooper look like the Jewish Bernstein. I think the makeup worked, especially if you want Cooper to look like Bernstein. Cooper, after all, was going for as close to an embodiment of Bernstein as possible in appearance, voice and mannerisms. My view is that the controversy was blown out of proportion.</p><p><i>Maestro</i> is not a perfect film. It is, I think, longer than it should be. Sometimes one does feel as if you have to know who some of the other people in the film are to justify their involvement. One would, more than likely, not have a firm knowledge of who Aaron Copland or Jerome Robbins were, let alone the writing team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green. I also think that both Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre would not want to have their private lives be revealed in this way or in any way at all. However, Maestro works as a portrait of creative people in love who still struggled to reconcile themselves to each other. A love story and insight into creativity, <i>Maestro</i> works well.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbepfKRKG-Izt_L8xsO05V3szWwwVx6wzmd-AjSDZuGHoip6A4OC5u7N9WpKzBf44nbTUus9YqkPY7hgyWTIDZSW3qFWdXghjYvNEybIQ9Ht0A6YBGuYcl_RWG6zh6sFIhS9NgOmi479Fb3Tp8hL72NRUn-Ns94ceJvA8F_C2Zj8m0EmzXaAmw_BD0E_oG/s1200/Maestro%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbepfKRKG-Izt_L8xsO05V3szWwwVx6wzmd-AjSDZuGHoip6A4OC5u7N9WpKzBf44nbTUus9YqkPY7hgyWTIDZSW3qFWdXghjYvNEybIQ9Ht0A6YBGuYcl_RWG6zh6sFIhS9NgOmi479Fb3Tp8hL72NRUn-Ns94ceJvA8F_C2Zj8m0EmzXaAmw_BD0E_oG/s320/Maestro%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Felicia Montealegre Bernstein: 1922-1978<br />Leonard Bernstein: 1918-1990</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.rickstexanreviews.com/2009/05/new-categorization-method.html">DECISION: B+</a></span></b></p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16611922269342141654noreply@blogger.com0