The Favourite

— “The Favourite” is a wonderful romp that may not be for everyone. If you liked “The Lobster,” you’ll probably like “The Favourite.” It’s a good deal more bawdy than I expected, maybe even a little vulgar, but it’s deliciously served up by three scheming women—Queen Anne herself, her closest friend, the Duchess of Marlborough, and the duchess’ cousin, Abigail. They are something of a political and erotic triumvirate in a world where women depend on men for titles and status and smart women know how to make use of men…and women. Their stories inside the palace touch on pride, loneliness, defeat, flattery, loss, humiliation, greed, envy, lust, and almost any other emotion imaginable. The film moves at a dizzying speed, then slows to savor a moment, and the person who has the upper hand keeps changing. It’s a world where men throw fruit as some poor, naked schmuck, there for their entertainment, or cheer at indoor goose races for fun. Women use their sexuality matter-of-factly, as just another charm in their arsenal, and the line between the affairs of state and of the heart is faint. The three women—Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone—are outstanding and the pace and editing and music all are perfectly thought out. This is an odd film, but a very good one about the cost of going after power. It’s also one of the best films this year.

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[2018. 119 min. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Robert Harley, Joe Alwyn, and Mark Gatiss.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-favourite-2018

Top 22 of 2018

— Here are my 22 favorite films from 2018:

• "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
• "BlacKkKlansman"
• "Boy Erased"
• "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
• ”Cold War"
• ”Eighth Grade"
• ”The Favourite"
• "First Man"
• ”First Reformed"
• "Green Book"
• "The Hate U Give"
• "Hereditary"
• ”Lean on Pete"
• ”Leave No Trace"
• "A Quiet Place"
• ”Roma"
• ”A Star Is Born"
• ”Vice"
• "Western"
• ”Widows"
• "The Wife"
• "Wildlife"

Had I included documentaries, ”Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” would definitely have made the list, and five more documentaries and quasi-documentaries would also have been in or almost in the list:

• ”McQueen"
• ”The Price of Everything"
• ”RBG"
• ”The Rider"
• ”Three Identical Strangers"

Six other films just missed the list:

• ”Black Panther"
• ”If Beale Street Could Talk"
• "Isle of Dogs"
• ”Mission Impossible—Fallout"
• ”The Old Man & the Gun"
• ”The Sisters Brothers”

Mary Queen of Scots

— “Mary Queen of Scots” is a fine film as period dramas go, but not anything extraordinary. It has the lush landscapes and vibrant colors and costumes, as well as a fair share of scheming by treacherous men and sly women. Margo Robbie and Saoirse Ronan do more than an adequate job as Elizabeth and Mary, in spite of a script that spends a lot of time telling us what’s happening instead of letting us see the events. This may be because the film falls into today’s black hole of depicting men as conniving, back-stabbing, buffoons and dandies, in a world where women are sisters with sharp minds and forgiving hearts who would change the world if only the men weren’t in the way. I will say that the film is at its best when focused on the two Queens’ motivations and constraints. What can I say, it may actually be, as one critic suggested, the film for people who didn’t like the less conventional and more outrageous “The Favourite.”

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[2018. 124 min. Directed by Josie Rourke. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, and Jack Lowden.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mary-queen-of-scots-2018