Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

— There’s a reason they’ve been churning out Star Wars episodes for forty years and it’s not just because the CGI is good and the weird creatures and droids are cute. Above all, they give you characters you care about and a good story. “The Rise of Skywalker” is about what I expected—fantasy, fun, and basic values making me feel like I'm settling into a comfortable easy chair. I’m not so heavily invested in everyone’s lineage that backstory-building side trips are important to me, but in Star Wars-land, such forays are still interesting and help push people back and forth between the light and dark sides of the “Force,” often thanks to memories more vivid than any I’ve ever had as well as “Force Ghosts” popping up when they're needed the most. Every two or three years, when a new one arrives in theaters, I find myself enveloped in the world George Lucas originally set into motion, and it’s “real” again for a few hours of immersion. This one is no more exceptional than the last one, but that’s not a bad thing. Oh, and it's kind of a nice nod to its beginnings that the first two credits go to Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill.

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[2019. 141 min. Directed by J.J. Abrams. Starring Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Anthony Daniels.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-movie-review-2019

The Two Popes

— This is an unexpectedly thoughtful film, although I’m not sure how an individual viewer’s Catholic bias might affect their take on the story. For me, it’s an interesting look inside a corner of the Vatican, as well as the differing theological core the two men—Popes Benedict XVI and Francis—have. A clever script and outstanding acting hold center stage, and without them we wouldn’t get a picture of the seemingly unlikely growth of their relationship, their passion and concern for their flock, or their own personal fallibility. It’s certainly fictionalized, but it’s hard to know how close it comes to the flavor of their actual relationship. The scholarly sparring between conservative and liberal is engaging and, as they begin to understand each other, their opposing views give way to common ground. It’s an excellent film and, if I had to fault it in any way, I’d say the subtitles, when Italian or Latin is spoken, are sometimes difficult to read and probably very difficult if viewing on a personal device. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2019. 125 min. Directed by Fernando Meirelles. Starring Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-two-popes-movie-review-2019

6 Underground

— If you can make it through the first 15 interminable minutes of car chase, and then a bit of back and forth in time to introduce the idea, it becomes a perfectly mediocre action film. The story is okay, with Ryan Reynolds displaying his signature sarcastic cuteness. There’s a little gratuitous blood-letting every half hour or so, in case you’ve grown immune to the frenzied, Michael Bay pace and, in the end, a group of antisocial, self-appointed agents succeeds is staging the overthrow of a government while getting in touch with their softer selves. Sigh. There are plenty of spy films that do a much better job than this tired one. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2019. 127 min. Directed by Michael Bay. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Melanie Laurent, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ben Hardy, Adria Arjona, and Dave Franco.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/6-underground-movie-review-2019

The Report

— “The Report” is a low-key, slowly building depiction of Daniel J. Jones’ 5-year, post-911 investigative efforts after Senator Diane Feinstein put him in charge of a Senate Intelligence Committee to evaluate the implementation of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques. What evolves is an interesting look at the questions of ends justifying means, at the pressures elected politicians face, at the line whistleblowers walk between patriot and traitor, at the dangers inherent in losing control, at the value of separation of powers, and at the responsibility of government to exemplify the nation’s values. The film lacks some pizzazz, and there are scenes depicting torture that, while brief, are still difficult to accept. It ends, not exactly with a patriotic flourish, and not exactly with the resolution we might want, but more softly and probably with a more realistic reveal. The film has it’s flaws, but Adam Driver does a fine job at Jones and Annette Bening does an outstanding job as Feinstein. I watched on a snowy day and it was a fine way to avoid the weather. [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[2019. 119 min. Written and directed by Scott Z. Burns. Starring Adam Driver, Annette Bening, and Jon Hamm.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-report-movie-review-2019

Richard Jewell

— Eastwood does straight-forward films and I like that. He knows how to let characters develop and events unfold without rushing back and forth in time, and he ends up with films that are paced well. It’s just good film making and, with films like “Richard Jewell,” layered in such a way that at the end, there are lots of issues for viewers to consider. Jewell is something of a common man and certainly no hero, but he comes with many characteristics too many people make fun of—he’s overweight and has few friends, he wants to be a policemen and just doesn’t seem to have what it takes, he still lives with his mother, and the list goes on, but he means well and tries hard. The problem, of course, is that the story picks up not as he is bullied on the playground, but as an adult and by the FBI and the press. Jewell’s life is forever changed, not by truth, but by reporting and ethics gone awry. The film tells the story of Jewell and his mother and the whirlwind that swept around them when it shouldn’t have. By the end it’s hard not to think about the shift away from news reporting to opinion pieces, and away from factual pieces to those filled with suggestion and supposition, and to wonder how much worse it could have been today with social media mobs dispersing half-truths and adverse emojis. Mixed with that is the government’s treatment of Jewell, and their total disregard for his rights, and to wonder how much worse it would have been today, knowing the direction our government has taken. It’s hard to see the film, even knowing the story’s been fictionalized with aspects included that never happened and with gaps filled in for the sake of continuity, and not be a little appalled by what happened then and a lot worried about what could happen now. It’s a good film and worth seeing despite issues raised by its depiction of the journalist who broke the story.

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[2019. 129 min. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, and Kathy Bates.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/richard-jewell-movie-review-2019

Dolemite Is My Name

— I avoided this film for a while, sensing something inherently worrisome in the title. Eddie Murphy shines as Rudy Ray Moore and, pretty quickly, squelched my fears. I felt a slight twinge at the very beginning when his initial narration reminded me of his SNL Buh Wheat character, but that was just a flash and shifted once things got rolling. Moore is a failed singer/comic who ends up adopting a foul-mouthed, sex-crazed stand-up character called “Dolemite” and, eventually, makes his own, low-budget Dolemite film in the 1970’s Blaxploitation genre, believing the only things his audience wants in a film are comedy, nudity, and kung-fu. The thing that’s interesting is that Murphy resists taking the character to that of a caricature, and the more realistic view makes our view of Blaxploitation a little more difficult 40 years later. Looking at Moore, we’re struck by his focus and his ability to follow his dream and excite others to get on board with him. But we know Blaxploitation films tended to portray black people in unflattering rolls—pimps, drug dealers, prostitutes—and to keep a separation between blacks and whites, but audiences also saw more black people on the screen including some who were heroes or antiheroes (Superfly, Shaft). You have to wonder how the films affected black audiences. Did they mostly cause them to see their futures as pimps and drug dealers, or catch the black power vibe and believe they could be heroes. Did the films only fuel the flames of bigotry for white audiences, or at least introduce them to a world that isn’t only white? “Dolemite” is not a great film even if Murphy’s part in it is great, but the introspection viewer's have can’t help but make us see the past a little differently and maybe broaden our understanding of what we are today. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2019. 117 min. Directed by Craig Brewer, Starring Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, and Mike Epps.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dolemite-is-my-name-2019

Marriage Story

— This feels like a very personal look at a breakup from the perspective of each person’s individual pain, confusion, and evolution, more than from a couple’s perspective. Although there are a few scenes of loud anger and a couple of very sharkish attorneys stirring the pot (Laura Dern is perfect), for the most part its more an implosion than an explosion for a couple who at their core want to find the best path for their son and their individual souls so they can build new lives on the other side of marriage, after coping with the tidal wave of divorce that seems to take on a life of its own. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are exceptional, making it easy to feel their pain and confusion, and making it a film well worth seeing. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2019. 136 min. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach. Stqarring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, Alan Alda, and Azhy Robertson.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/marriage-story-2019

The Irishman

— I finally carved out three and a half hours to watch “The Irishman” and see if all the hubbub’s deserved. It is. Scorsese and his acting pals pulled off an extraordinary film, albeit a lengthy one, focused on a mob hit man’s look back at his life. There’s not much wrong with the basics—Scorsese sets a perfect mood throughout, the tale is interesting and written well, and the acting is amazing—but haven't we already seen plenty of top tier mob films? A few things set this one apart, making it even more worth seeing. On a technical side, the use of CGI for reverse aging is something new and incredible. Flashbacks going back as many as thirty years are probably half the film, and De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci are miraculously transformed as need be. Even better, you can detect slight changes in things like posture, quickness, or excitability depending on the age they're portraying, attesting to their skills as actors and to Scorsese’s remarkable direction. Looking at the story, although the historical events occurring in the background and affecting the action seem to drive the plot, the film is really about the relationships of the three primary characters, about a long-term friendship and ultimate betrayal. There's a dreamlike quality to the film, but with matter-of-fact recollections that, taken together, form a portrait of each person that could only exist when an entire life is considered. I would have liked the film to be quite a bit shorter, but I can see how it ended up being so long, understanding a shift that’s happening as a result of streaming, allowing directors to edit a film to the length they believe is best, not based on theater or television time constraints. It's one of those films where all the pieces fit together perfectly and, at the end, you sit back and say "aah" with a satisfied grin on your face as the credits roll. Some people avoid gangster films, but if you don’t, this is “must see” material. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2019. 209 min. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, and Bobby Cannavale.]
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/nov/10/the-irishman-review-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-al-pacino-joe-pesci-netflix