If Beale Street Could Talk

— Barry Jenkins knows how to lovingly tell individual stories that also tell the story of a larger group. In Jenkins’ film, and the James Baldwin novel upon which it is respectfully based, Beale Street represents the street in black neighborhoods throughout the U.S. where the black experience played out and continues to play out. The film tells two related stories from one person’s perspective—one affirming the power of love and the other the power of family. Jenkins looks at how blacks are viewed from a white perspective but, by using one of the black characters as narrator, manages to also look at how the black community sees itself. Although it looks at white oppression and the black struggle in the 1970s, there’s no denying the issues remain largely the same today. Perspectives are further shuffled by shifting forward and back in time so some of the narration is reflective and some of it reactive. What makes all of this work is exquisite cinematography, fine acting, and a score that‘s perfectly woven throughout. There are times where the film nearly lags from slow pans or knowing gazes but the scene usually moves on just in time. If there was anything I might have changed, it would be to have tightened a few such scenes, but it is a gorgeous film no matter what.

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[2018. 119 min. Directed by Barry Jenkins. Starring KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, and Colman Domingo.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/if-beale-street-could-talk-2018

The Last Laugh

— Great stars make “The Last Laugh” likable enough but not so captivating that I didn’t play games on my iPad through most of it. It had its moments but it’s certainly not among the best of the films about old people following their dreams. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2018. 98 min. Written and directed by Greg Pritikin. Starring Chevy Chase, Ricahrd Dreyfuss, and Andie MacDowell.]
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/movies/the-last-laugh-review.html

Bird Box

— A film I liked watching although I’m sure I was supposed to be uplifted by the end more than I was. It’s gotten odd press and less than favorable critic reactions but I mostly enjoyed it, particularly the bulk of the film where she and the small group of survivors interact. The trip on the river and the ending? Not so much. Sandra Bullock really is a good actor. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2018. 124 min. Directed by Susanne Bier. Starring Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson, and Jacki Weaver.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bird-box-2018

The Upside

— Yes, it’s a bromance that includes comedic stereotypes when dealing with race, gender, disability, and wealth, but it’s still kind of funny. In fact, a few times I laughed out loud. There’s good, old-fashioned, “Odd Couple” chemistry between Phil (Bryan Cranston), the wealthy quadriplegic who lost his wife to cancer, and Dell (Kevin Hart), his ex-con caretaker who isn’t meeting his alimony payments and has a son who won’t talk with him. Throw in Nicole Kidman as Phil’s smart, sensible, admiring, long-suffering, and probably lovelorn executive assistant, and you’ve got three good actors who can pull off this kind of comedy and make it look easy. It doesn’t leave you pondering any great issues afterwards, and it’s a little embarrassing to enjoy the irreverence, but I wasn’t expecting more than some fun and that’s just what I got.

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[2017. 126 min. Directed by Neil Burger. Starring Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston, and Nicole Kidman.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-upside-2019

On the Basis of Sex

— This is a film for all the RBG fans in the world, and for all the women who remember how they were perceived in the eyes of the law in the 1960s. It may not be the best film of the year, but it’s a crowd-pleaser and rightfully so. Concentrating on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s early career, the film focuses on a landmark case Ginsburg argued, putting the first chink in legal gender discrimination and changing the world forever. It offers an interesting take on Ruth and her husband Marty’s relationship too, depicting it as one of shared responsibilities and mutual support. The story is compelling and it’s good to have a vision of Ruth circa 1972, before the rock-star fame she’s acquired as a Supreme Court Justice. It’s also good to be reminded that cursing and protesting and electing people who only claim to favor change may not be as effective as hard, methodical work, done in the background to bring change within the current system. It’s well worth seeing, particularly if you have an interest in Ginsberg or the struggle for gender equality.

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[2018. 120 min. Directed by Mimi Leder. Starring Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston, and Kathy Bates.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/on-the-basis-of-sex-2018

Vox Lux

— A complicated tale, also called “A 21st Century Portrait,” with concerns that are decidedly 21st century concerns. It’s a film in three parts, opening in 1999 when Celeste, an innocent 13-year-old student, is shot in a vividly realistic school shooting reminiscent of Columbine. While she’s recovering in the hospital, her sister, Eleanor, helps her write a song about her feelings which she performs for a church service. The song strikes a chord in the mourners’ hearts and an agent quickly shows up. The second part takes place in the 9/11 era, and the two girls find themselves part of the NYC music world where Celeste’s image is created and her music tailored for popular consumption, pushing her toward stardom even if, along the way, a one-night stand with a rocker results in pregnancy. Fast-forward to 2017. Celeste is about to begin a new tour and a beachside attack, vaguely reminding us of the 2015 Sousse attacks, has terrorists wearing masks associated with Celeste's concert costumes. Gone are any traces of innocence and Celeste is a world-renowned pop star, estranged from her daughter who lives with Eleanor, and from Eleanor as well. She seems nearly immune to the world around her, operating more on autopilot than as an active participant except when she’s on stage behind heavy make-up, revved by her adoring fans as they escape into her music. It does become “a 21st century portrait” where pop culture and terrorism and politics have all morphed in double time. There’s something unsettling about the parallel of Celeste’s difficulties as a wealthy pop star who’s adored by millions, with the violence that’s become routine (9/11, school shootings, terrorist shootings) but just as the violence becoming commonplace has put a dent in our common humanity and civility, so fame can become singularly focused, dimming the view of humanity and hardening the soul. The film just misses the mark of pulling off what they were trying, but it’s a noble attempt that’s got me thinking about how we’ve adapted mentally to terror, both as individuals and as a society.

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[2018. 104 min. Written and directed by Brady Corbet. Starring Natalie Portman, Raffey Cassidy, Jude Law, and Stacy Martin.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/vox-lux-2018

Destination Wedding

— The title calls up images of Lifetime and Hallmark movies and that’s not at all what this is. Well, not exactly. It may get to a similar place but with a little better acting—at least on Winona Ryder’s part—a lot better script and and a whole lot more dialog. In fact, there’s so much dialog that it’s sure to turn off some viewers. Reeves and Ryder have good chemistry, but one of them is talking, and talking quickly, during most of the film. It’s clever, sometimes funny, often sarcastic talk that I liked, with a destination wedding in the background. In fact the wedding itself is of little consequence except for the links of a few participants to Reeves’ and Ryder’s characters. I thought this was a sharp and entertaining romcom diversion, but I recognize it’s not for everyone. [Netflix Streaming.]

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[2018. 90 min. Written and directed by Victor Levin. Starring Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/destination-wedding-2018

The Edge of Seventeen

— A coming of age comedy that’s definitely among the best of them. Nadine’s never exactly fit in and felt lucky to have one friend in the sea of schoolmates. Well, she may be invisible but her feelings strike all our cores and she’s so clever and sarcastic, and the ways she deals with her social pain make for a great look at coping with high school alienation. Her tongue’s a little too sharp and her world view a little too egocentric, but this is a look at the journey, not the starting point, and it’s a wonderful journey to watch. Woody Harrelson as one of her teachers and Kyra Sedgwick as her mother also are memorable. [DVD]

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[2016. 104 min. Written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Kyra Sedgwick, Woody Harrelson, and Blake Jenner.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-edge-of-seventeen-2016