Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

— This is the Tarantino I love, the guy who weaves a clever story out of bits of fact and fiction, taking detours along the way, until you’re not quite certain where you’re headed. Leonardo DeCaprio and Brad Pitt are both so good in this film that it’s hard not to be sucked into and hypnotized by their 1969 tale. DeCaprio’s the fading star living in a house at the end of Cielo Drive and Pitt’s the stunt double who’s been with him since he was a star with top billing. It’s a story that seems, at least to me, to fare better if you have a sense of what Hollywood was like back then, of the environment and the changes the entertainment industry went through as it moved away from the classic westerns of the 1950s to a world inhabited more by hipsters and hippies. I hesitate to say much about the film since it’s meander is part of the fun, along with the nostalgia, the glitz, and the feeling of fuzzy history, as well as the ending itself. It is imaginative and graceful and flawlessly acted, with humor and some occasional absurdity. I liked it a lot.

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[2019. 161 min. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/once-upon-a-time-in--hollywood-2019

Chasing Happiness

— I’ve never been much of a fan of the Jonus Brothers, so almost everything in “Chasing Happiness” was a revelation to me. It’s partly a biographical look at the three brothers lives so far, but also a confessional with lots of soul searching. The brothers get together after not seeing each other for several years, intent on sharing their feelings, speaking their minds, and clearing the air before getting back together as a group. It paints a picture of them as likable, talented, and doing the best they could to self actualize and find happiness without losing their sibling closeness. It feels a little too much like a therapy session, but it kept my interest. It manages to be sensitive and portray each of the brothers’ own truths without becoming too melodramatic, presenting an intimate look at what transpired during their careers, both as a group and individually. Although they’re still young, I'm led to believe they've come through their challenges and remain mostly whole. [Amazon Prime.]

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[2018. 96 min. Directed by John Taylor. With Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Kevin Jonas.]
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jun/01/jonas-brothers-chasing-happiness

Echo in the Canyon

— “Echo in the Canyon” may not be perfect but I still hung on every word spoken by those who were part of a group of folk/rock luminaries that ended up living in Laurel Canyon in 1964-67, roughly from the advent of the Bryds until David Crosby was fired from them and Neil Young left Buffalo Springfield. Depicted is a time of easy collaboration, when talented people bounced both tunes and ideas off each other as they roamed freely from house to house, and sometimes bed to bed. It’s structured as Jakob Dylan’s homage to the time, coming out of his era-tribute album of the same name and a 2015 concert, and using footage from the concert to amplify interviews with the luminaries themselves, as well as staged conversations among Dylan, Regina Spektor, Beck, and Cat Power, purportedly trying to get a handle on how it all happened and how it continues to influence them 50 years later. That’s all well and good, but the wonderful part of the film is the interviews with Jackson Brown, Eric Clapton, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Graham Nash, Tom Petty, Michelle Phillips, John Sebastian, Ringo Starr, Stephen Stills, and Brian Wilson—those who were part of the folk-rock revolution in one way or another, in addition to historic footage of the Mamas and the Papas, Buffalo Springfield, and the Byrds. Interestingly, there was a lot of Beach Boys and Beatles footage, even though they didn’t really live there, while Joni Mitchell is missing, as are the Doors and Love. It’s a wonderful film for someone exactly my age, since this shift to more complicated rock with more meaningful lyrics so greatly affected the soundtrack of my life. It’s not a perfect film, but I certainly enjoyed it.

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[2018. 82 min. Directed by Andrew Slater. Featuring Jakob Dylan.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/echo-in-the-canyon-2019

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

— This is a gorgeous film with exquisitely composed and richly layered images. Instead of an in-your-face approach, this is almost a luxurious homage to a city that's constantly evolving, sometimes renewing and rebuilding and other times deteriorating. On the surface, it’s the story of best friends Jimmie and Mont. Jimmie is forever painting windows and taking care of exterior maintenance on a grand Victorian home in the Fillmore District that his grandfather was said to have built in 1946, even though his family lost the house at least twenty years earlier and an elderly couple lives there now and keeps trying to shoo him away. When the couple gets evicted, Jimmie sees it as an opportunity to reclaim his family home and he and Mont move in. Even as they’re moving in, viewers know it can’t last, but it's worth it for the warmth and complexity of Jimmie and Mort’s friendship, the contrasts inherent in the city, and the ever-present question of how our past defines us and if the past we thought was ours ends up to be something different, are we different? Despite an ending that was a little awkward, the film is well worth seeing and a good look at friendship and belonging, as well as urban evolution. The camerawork and sound are also deserving of praise.

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[2019. 121 min. Directed by Joe Talbot. Starring Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, and Danny Glover.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-black-man-in-san-francisco-2019

Midsommar

— After the creepiness and horror of last year’s “Hereditary,” I was expecting something great from this year’s “Midsommar.” It is creepy and bloody, but somehow it doesn’t pack quite as much wallop. There’s a different feeling about it since it takes place mostly in daylight, during the time of the midnight sun. The real horror still reveals itself slowly, but at some point the paganism, symbolism, and blood-letting become too much. Anthropological customs and rituals that are terrifying because they seem to be comprehensible, start to become more plot device than cultural possibility. It’s still a very good horror film, but without the punch of “Hereditary.” If you like creepy and aren’t adverse to blood, this is a good film for you!

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[2019. 147 min. Written and directed by Ari Aster. Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, and Will Poulter.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/midsommar-2019

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