Rebecca

— I’m not sure “Rebecca” needed a refresh or an update or anything else, but as long as Netflix come up with one, I watched it. Ends up it’s an attractive film with pretty places and pretty people, but it’s missing the unsettling nature infused in every paragraph of du Maurier’s novel and every scene of Hitchcock’s film version. Kirstin Scott Thomas does the best job of the bunch and she’s certainly chilling but anything falls flat bouncing off Lily James. It might be okay if you have no familiarity with the story but otherwise, it’s a disappointment. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 121 minutes. Directed by Ben Wheatley. Starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Ann Dowd.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rebecca-movie-review-2020

The Trial of the Chicago 7

— I’m an unabashed Aaron Sorkin fan and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for his writing skills and, now with two directing credits behind him, his directing potential. Those of us who are of a certain age know the story, but that leaves 85% of the U.S. population with no first-hand knowledge. Given current events, it makes sense to remind people. I personally thought the film was a little slow laying the groundwork but again, just trying to bring viewers up to speed so they have a sense of the era, the politics, and the groups (SDS, Yippies, Black Panthers…) is a tricky task, and one that Sorkin does well. By the time he'd rounded up the characters and gotten them to Chicago, I was hooked. The original trial was theatrical and left many people shaking their heads in disbelief, just as so many events do today. As our country refocuses on policing, elections, and the courts, it does seem like we haven’t travelled very far in 50 years. It's worth seeing. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 129 minutes. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. Starring Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Frank Langella.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-trial-of-the-chicago-7-movie-review-2020

The Boys in the Band

— My familiarity with the “The Boys in the Band” has pretty much been limited to seeing it mentioned among gay theater/film milestones and vague memories of seeing the William Friedkin film version fifty years ago. This all-star version features the same actors who starred in a 2018 anniversary run on Broadway. The play has a gay character for everyone, from campy and flashy to closeted and just coming out of the closet, and everything in between. The plot is something of an all-gay version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” where liquor flows a little too freely at a birthday party, laughter fades as barbs are exchanged and secrets told, a “game” sets everyone on edge, and eventually the party ends, leaving the audience to have witnessed love, self-pity, despair, and something between hopelessness and acceptance. In 1968 it was ground-breaking. Now it’s a period piece in the sense that LGBTQ characters have become more commonplace, but sometimes still seem like caricatures instead of fully formed individuals. Jim Parsons does an incredible job in the lead and most the rest of the cast does a fine job as well with the script they've been given. It’s hard not be exhausted at the end, and to find yourself thinking about what’s changed and what hasn’t in fifty years. I'm lukewarm on the film, but glad I saw it. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 121 minutes. Directed by Joe Mantello. Starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, Brian Hutchinson, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-boys-in-the-band-movie-review-2020