Rocketman

— “Rocketman” almost begs comparison to “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the two most recent, rocker biopics, both focusing on the 1970s and 1980s. I know many people who loved “Rhapsody” but I’m not one of them, seeing it more as a film of great songs strung together by a limp script. “Rocketman” is much more to my liking, and it integrates the music into the story—in fact it’s really a surreal musical. Sometimes campy, sometimes a spectacle, often tender. Some of the songs become part of the scripted story, moving the narrative along and reminding us how many interpretations there are for the lyrics. It’s hard to know if the facts have been altered for the story, or if its just truth filtered by memory, but you sense the essence is untouched. In the end, it’s a story of overcoming the past, of acceptance and forgiveness, and of moving forward. I was moved. [I’d also mention (a) you realize how many Elton John songs are lingering in your own memory and are part of the music of your own life, not surprising after more than 50 top 40 hits, (b) that “Rhapsody” relied on prosthetics, mimicry, and acting, but “Rocketman” concentrates on emotions more than on matching Elton John’s flamboyant style, singing voice or performances, and (c) you realize that it, like "Booksmart," doesn’t avoid same-sex sex, making you wonder if LBGTQIA acceptance really is becoming mainstream.]

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[2018. 121 min. Directed by Dexter Fletcher. Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, and Richard Madden.]
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/26/rocketman-review-right-spectacle-elton-john

LBJ

— Interesting and sympathetic look at Lyndon Johnson and the events leading up to his presidency and to his decision to move forward with landmark civil rights legislation. Harrelson is superb, even under a ridiculous amount of makeup and, although the film may be simplistic and righteous, it’s still oddly captivating. [DVD]

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[2016. 98 min. Directed by Rob Reiner. Starring Woody Harrelson, Michael Stahl-David, Richard Jenkins, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/lbj-2017

Booksmart

— This is a tender, funny, coming-of-age film about two over-achievers who’ve been focused on studies until the last day of high school when they decide to make up for lost time. There are plenty of other films with a similar plot, some of them good. This is one of the better ones! I was a little worried through the first half since it seemed to focus on being funny, almost as though it was trying to stifle the underlying and more serious aspects. Luckily, it fully redeemed itself in the second half, even to the point of adding enough depth to all the stereotypic jocks and cheerleaders to show they might not be any more stupid or unmotivated or mean spirited than the brainy kids and nerds, a message I tend to like. In the end, it’s another film that reminds me that the high school experience really doesn't look that much different after 50 years, or at least the affect those experiences have on individuals. What’s changed may be the activities themselves; these people certainly are more sexual, curse a lot more, and have more freedom than my generation, but they also have more eyes focused on them thanks to technology and social meda. The film is held together with spectacular acting and an easy, believable rapport between the two main characters. First time director Olivia Wilde deserves some credit too, since the film is viewed from the two girls’ perspective, not from a man’s notion of what two girls might be thinking. It's a little rough in places, but I liked it a lot.

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[2019. 106 min. Directed by Olivia Wilde. Starring Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/booksmart-2019

Avengers: Endgame

— Oh my, there sure are a lot of Avengers and loose ends to tie up. I went in expecting it to be too long with too many plot lines, too confusing and too much. But it wasn't. It was fun and didn't even seem like three hours. I guess if you enjoyed all the previous installments leading up to this one, you're already programmed to like it.

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[2019. 181 min. Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Brie Larson, and Tom Holland.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/avengers-endgame-2019

John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum

— By the third installment of the John Wick saga, I expected to know what I was in for, but this one exceeded what I might have dreamed. Wick is still the stoic, determined, former hitman brought back into the fray after a puppy given to him by his dead wife is killed, now with a price on his head and every hitman in the world out to get him, but this iteration streamlines the dialogue so the bulk of the film is almost one lengthy fight scene after another. These scenes are choreographed with care and often focus on knives more than guns, perhaps for a more personal but certainly no less bloody end to things. In one scene, two dogs act as weapons and in another horses are enlisted for killing and maiming. The imagery is reminiscent of violent video games, and the “hero” and a few of his cronies keep surviving against all odds, and moving on to the next, more difficult level. How the film doesn’t end up being absurd is anyone's guess. In the end, it may be the truest nod to the genre. It’s good at what it is, but it’s not for anyone the least bit squeamish or opposed to unrestrained violence.

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[2019. 130 min. Directed by Chad Stahelski. Starring Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, and Laurence Fishburne.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/john-wick-chapter-3--parabellum-2019

Wild Nights with Emily

— I remember when Julie Harris was celebrated for her Emily Dickinson in “The Belle of Amherst” and later, when Cynthia Nixon garnered acclaim as Emily Dickinson in “A Quiet Passion.” I thought I’d had my fill of Emily biopics until “Wild Nights with Emily” changed the narrative entirely. Instead of a shy, solitary, spinster, scribbling poems on scraps of paper and stashing them in the attic for a lifetime, this film uses a raft of letters Emily wrote to her sister-in-law Susan, to depict a livelong lesbian relationship with Susan, living side by side with both women moving freely from one house to the next. Emily writes furiously but isn’t published, not because she didn’t want the world to read her poetry, but because she’s a woman in a world of male editors and her unusual, non-rhyming style just isn’t well received. Instead of a biopic, this is more a comedy-bio-drama. It’s hard not to be impressed by how clever parts of the film are. It comes at you from several perspectives, and some scenes look more like a community theater melodrama while others are quirky, Hollywood film. Sometimes a scene is played mostly for laughs while the next scene seems completely serious. Camera angles are often a little off kilter, head shots may be a little too tight, and lighting can be unusually harsh. The unevenness seems like a weakness but, in the end, it may make sense since the film’s dealing with something of an academic or scholarly issue, questioning if the mysterious and reclusive picture we’ve all heard was fabricated or not. It’s not a great film but it is an interesting one, particularly if you took more than a few literature courses in college.

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[2018. 84 min. Directed by Madeleine Olnek. Starring Molly Shannon, Susan Ziegler, and Amy Seimetz.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wild-nights-with-emily-2019

Wine Country

— A trip to Sonoma Wine Country to celebrate one person’s 50th birthday offers a group of old friends a chance to reunite, unwind, reassess, and rebuild. Think “The Hangover” with women and by women. The cast is stellar but their material’s not quite up to their talents. Sometimes it seems like the characters made the film as an excuse to get together, but they don’t appear to have figured out how to have as much fun as the “Oceans" trilogy cast. What’s interesting are the topics they discuss. Evidently fictional women focus on about the same things as fictional men, and have moments where they can’t resist reverting to adolescent, off-color humor. If only it had the depth of “Sideways,” a far better wine country experience. Poehler bats a solid “meh” for her directorial debut, mostly because the cast members, with the exception of Tina Fey, are just on comedic autopilot. Maybe they needed less script and more time to ad lib. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2019. 103 min. Directed by Amy Poehler. Starring Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph, Paula Pell, and Tina Fey.]
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/06/wine-country-review-amy-poehler-netflix-comedy-is-a-drunken-riot