The Souvenir

— Critics love this film and it is very good, but somewhat unpleasant too. It’s two hours of Julie’s relationship with Anthony unfolding and deteriorating over time, presented in that manner where various scenes are depicted, each giving a clue to the personalities involved, letting the truth of their relationship come into sharper focus with each succeeding scene. As a viewer, you feel detached because you know you’re just observing a moment in time, but it’s hard not to feel voyeuristic too, as though you’re watching moments so personal, they shouldn’t have had any witnesses. As the relationship evolves, it becomes one of drug dependency and codependency, with Julie ignoring and maybe denying Anthony’s addiction as long as she can, pulling away from her friends and studies. In the end the tale exists firmly in the past, having been part of Julies’ evolution, but the intimate memories linger. The film was a little long and oddly dull, but it probably needed to be slow-moving and somewhat murky. I liked it but I don’t think I enjoyed it. Honor Swinton Byrne is fantastic as Julie, obviously getting some of her wonderful mother’s talent—and Tilda Swinton plays her mother in the film.

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[2019. 120 min. Written and directed by Joanna Hogg. Starring Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, and Tilda Swinton.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-souvenir-2019

Yesterday

— Sometimes a great premise is almost enough to carry a film and this is one of those times. The idea is just so clever and so intriguing that you know you’ll enjoy things, particularly if you’re a Beatles fan—and if you aren’t, what’s wrong with you? It takes a little too long to establish the basis of the story, probably because everyone in the theater already knew what was going on from having seen the previews. A struggling musician, after colliding with a bus during a world-wide blackout, discovers he’s the only person in the world with any memory of the Beatles or their amazing songs. He begins to recreate them, recording them as his own. When you’re my age and there are 16 of the most famous Beatles’ songs in a film, it’s hard not to tap your feet and sing along in your head. More interestingly if you’re a few generations younger, I think you might be doing the same thing. These are tunes that have wormed their way into the nation’s core and are part of our subconscious, shared memory. There’s also a love story woven throughout the film that manages to be touching by the end but, honestly, I’m not sure how since I didn’t sense much chemistry through most of the film. I enjoyed “Yesterday” although I wouldn’t call it “great,” just mostly fun and Kate McKinnon manages to infuse quite a bit of that fun in the film.

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[2019. 116 min. Directed by Danny Boyle. Starring Himesh Patel, Loily James, Joel Fry, Kate McKinnon, and Ed Sheeran.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/yesterday-2019

The Dead Don’t Die

— Pretty classic Jim Jarmusch but also pretty mediocre Jim Jarmusch. It’s clever and certainly elicits chuckles and an occasional guffaw, sometimes even a groan, but there just doesn’t seem to be enough story for the time spent. It’s possible it could garner a cult following, particularly given the talented cast. After all, who doesn’t want to love a zombie flick? I enjoyed it but just wasn’t wowed by it.

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[2019. 104 min. Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tom Waits, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, and Danny Glover.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-dead-dont-die-2019

Murder Mystery

— Someone should be embarrassed to have made this film, and those of us who watched it on it’s Netflix opening weekend, making it the biggest opening for any Netflix film, should slap ourselves for blindly assuming it would be decent entertainment. Aniston and Sandler are both capable of pulling off a lighthearted comedy whodunit, but not this one. The plot is passable but not clever, the humor falls flat too much of the time, and Sandler seems determined to tell genital jokes that might get a laugh out of twelve-year-old but not most adults. As if that’s not enough, there appears to be a lot more product placement than necessary, perhaps pointing to a growing revenue stream for Netflix. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2019. 97 min. Directed by Kyle Newacheck. Starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer, Aniston, Luke Evans, and Terence Stamp.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/murder-mystery-2019

The Biggest Little Farm

— I wasn’t sure I wanted to see this film, thinking one half could easily be finger pointing and the other half could be a kumbaya moment, both of which have lost their effectiveness on me. Instead, I had fun, particularly through the first half of the film as John and Molly Chester, who know very little about farming, try to create a farm on soil long ago depleted of its nutrients, with an eye toward all the parts co-existing in perfect harmony and sustainability. John Chester directed the documentary and knows what a pretty picture looks like, even if he sometimes adds music that’s a little too cute. He does see the humor in their learning experiences, and is also saddened by the disillusionment he feels when his idealism takes a hit. In the end, he wants the farm to be a microcosm of the earth, with man able to take the earth on a similar, healing journey toward harmony. The film’s just a little too long, but still provides a good stimulus, spurring us to think about biomes, interdependency, predators, protectors, the beauty and unpredictability of nature, and maybe about the current state of our fragile planet.

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[2018. 91 min. Directed by John Chester. With John Chester, Molly Chestrer, and Matthew Pilachowski.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-biggest-little-farm-2019

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