Who is killing U.S. Military Academy cadets in 1830? The first hanging is initially thought to be self-imposed, but upon examining the body, suicide is clearly not the cause of death. Then another cadet is found hanged and a third disappears. The military brass is frantic about the possibility of scandal at the fledgling academy. They hire retired detective Augustus Landor to investigate. The alcoholic widower comes with some baggage and is still mourning his daughter who ran off a few years earlier. Landor enlists the assistance of a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe, a delicate outcast with a penchant for dark poetry. Suspicion centers on the family of Dr. Marquis, who performed the autopsy of the first victim. A destructive fire seems to resolve the case.
The Pale Blue Eye, adapted from the Louis Bayard novel of the same name, is directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart). Christian Bale (Batman trilogy) stars as Landor and Harry Melling (The Queen’s Gambit) as Poe. The two leads work well together; Bale, understated and taciturn, and Melling, intriguing and peculiar. Their alliance is tested as the search for the killer takes a sinister turn. They also stand in for what the other craves, a father figure for the hesitant Poe and a child figure for the heartbroken Landor. Gillian Anderson, Toby Jones, and Robert Duvall round out a fine cast. The gray, bleak winter, as presented by Cinemaphotographer Masanobu Takayanagi, paints a gothic, tense atmosphere for the military campus.
The Pale Blue Eye has a lot going for it, an accomplished director, stellar performances, and a striking look. Melling’s bringing to life the mind of Edgar Allen Poe is a career highlight. The film’s connection to Poe is an interesting historical narrative. His observational skills will determine the outcome. The story is a compelling slow burn. The ending pulls the rug out. It’s an overlooked gem of 2023.
(The Pale Blue Eye is streaming on Netflix – running time 2 hr 8 m)
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia: Harry Melling played Dudley Dursley in what film series?
Answer: Melling played Dursley in five of the Harry Potter movies.
Sad news yesterday. Tragic, but not surprising. That just makes it sadder. I’m re-sharing my post from last November about the Sinead O’Connor documentary, Nothing Compares. I had a mix of emotions while watching it: heartbreaking, inspiring, and frustrating. It’s the life story of a courageous, complicated woman. Showtime documentaries are now streaming on Paramount +. Hulu and Amazon subscribers can view it with a Showtime add-on. The film will impact you.
Sinead O’Connor. The skinhead ripping up a photo of the Pope in 1992 on Saturday Night Live. Her haunting, penetrating look from the cover of I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got and the “Nothing Compares 2 U” video. The sounds of “Mandinka,” that upbeat college-radio rocker from her compelling debut album, The Lion and the Cobra. Little did we know in 1987, that her days as an indie rocker were short-lived. Showtime’s latest musical documentary, Nothing Compares, focuses on 1987-1993 and ignores her life since then. Just like the world did.
The film opens with a scene that portends her exile from the pop mainstream. It’s October 1992 at Madison Square Garden’s gala celebrating 30 years of Bob Dylan. She’s set to perform his “I Believe in You” off the Slow Train Coming album. Immediately upon Kris Kristofferson’s introduction the boos ring out loudly throughout the arena. The reception doesn’t lend itself to playing the Dylan song. She decides to play Bob Marley’s “War,” which she played two weeks earlier on SNL. She runs off the stage into oblivion and the movie takes us back to her youth.
She had a traumatic childhood, including an 18-month stint at the notorious Magdalene asylums (or “laundries”). Writing and singing songs with her early band was a refuge for her. She shaved her head to protest the girly image already being foisted on her. The doc shows footage where the old male interviewers can’t figure out why such a “pretty young thing” would shave her head. She was pressured to end her pregnancy during the making of that startling debut album. U.S. record buyers got a softer cover photo of The Lion and the Cobra to spare them the original U.K. cover with her yelling her lungs out. The second album made her an international star with its cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” A #1 hit and a video that has been seen on YouTube over 300 million times. Oh, what a bright future for that one-of-a-kind mesmerizing voice that could transform from a whisper to a scream before you knew what hit you.
My U.S. original LP – the softer version The original U.K cover
But she was never going to follow the predictable path or be quiet about social justice issues. Before the SNL appearance in 1990 she refused to have the national anthem sung before a New Jersey concert to protest the Gulf War. Frank Sinatra and Joe Pesci led the outcry to “kick her ass” and “smack her.” On the heels of the SNL performance her third album was already looking at choppy waters in public opinion, but she certainly didn’t help her commercial success by releasing an album of jazz standards. The movie goes silent about her life after the early ’90s, with the exception of the fast forward epilog. She would continue to explore different styles of music and confound listeners, including reggae, covers, and traditional Irish music. She married four times and had four children. Her son committed suicide. She became ordained as a priest (not recognized by the Church). She changed her name but continued performing as Sinead O’Connor. She had several serious health issues.
The film acknowledges her conversion to Islam in 2018 by closing with a recent performance of her wearing a hijab while singing “Thank You for Hearing Me.” It doesn’t make up for skipping a quarter century of her life. Many rock documentaries (and docs in general) focus on the well-known, successful, and controversial periods of their subject’s life. I get it, but that approach here reinforces her longstanding public image and misses an opportunity to fill in the blanks. But the film does highlight her life-long fight against sexism, racism, and the Catholic patriarchy. She was mocked by people who would later support her. She was a trailblazer. A no-regrets iconoclast. “They tried to bury me; didn’t realize I was a seed.”
I’ve never been a big fan of Guy Ritchie movies (The Gentleman, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels). His zany gangster films, with cockney slang the dialog of choice, have been a struggle for me. So, it was with some trepidation that I took the plunge with his newest film, The Covenant. (You’ll see it sometimes listed as “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” to differentiate it from several other films of the same name.) The tale of a U.S. soldier and his Afghan interpreter is new territory for Ritchie, and he takes on a welcome restraint in a realistic, suspenseful portrayal of war.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Master Sgt. John Kinley and Dar Salim as his interpreter, Ahmed. Ahmed is outspoken and doesn’t always follow orders despite the fact that his predecessor was killed by a bomb explosion. His persistence to question some of Kinley’s directives pays off when he saves the unit from being ambushed by the Taliban. Later, while checking for insurgent arms cache the team is attacked and all but Kinley and Ahmed are killed. Kinley is wounded and incapacitated. The harrowing odyssey that Ahmed endures to get back to base with Kinley is superhuman and the jaw-dropping saga of the movie. The movie jumps to California as Kinley recuperates, unaware of how he was saved but knowing that Ahmed had a lot to do with it. Ahmed and his family are underground in Afghanistan evading the Taliban, while Kinley is exacerbated at home fighting the bureaucracy to obtain visas for them. Kinley flies back to Kabul in an attempt to save Ahmed himself.
The U.S. employed over 50,000 interpreters over the course of the war in Afghanistan. Thousands of interpreters remain behind almost two years after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. The Taliban considers them traitors and continues to pursue those who helped the U.S. They have killed 300 former interpreters. While Kinley and Ahmed did not exist, The Covenant is a composite story inspired by true events such as theirs. Ritchie tones down his usual hyperactivity and focuses on the unspoken trust between soldier and interpreter. (The protracted battle scenes at the mine, and particularly the dam, show that Ritchie hasn’t gone soft on us.) Kinley and Ahmed rarely speak throughout their ordeal. They communicate unwavering respect and honor through their eyes all the way home.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia: Jake Gyllenhaal had his breakout role in what 1999 film about a young West Virginia man trying to get a science scholarship to avoid working in a coal mine?
It’s 1984 in Beaverton, OR, and running shoe titan Nike is on the verge of shutting down its basketball shoe division. Sales of Nike’s shoes for hoops are getting crushed by Converse and Adidas. The upcoming NBA draft is the event of the year to lock in new talent. Michael Jordan is considered off-limits; he’ll cost too much money and is already a longtime Adidas devotee. Talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) is convinced Nike should pursue him after watching tape of Jordan in the 1982 NCAA championship game. He’ll have to woo Jordan’s mother (Viola Davis), work around his agent (Chris Messina), and navigate many legal, business, and financial hurdles. We all know how this story ends. Nevertheless, Air is an engaging behind-the-scenes tale of the journey, surprisingly entertaining and suspenseful considering it’s a movie about the origin of a court shoe.
The stellar cast puts you right there in the thick of the action (yes, there is action in the corporate headquarters). Once again, Matt Damon proves that he’s one of our finest actors embodying a genuine, sympathetic character as Vaccaro. He’s a frumpy workaholic, dressed in beige, beeper attached to belt, while dining regularly at the local convenience store. You’re with him every step of the way. Ben Affleck directs the film (his fifth time at the helm after Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo, and Live by Night) and also stars as Nike co-founder, Phil Knight. He’s part yoga, part magnate as he pulls up every day to work in his purple Porsche and then strolls around the office barefoot. (His feet are literally on the desk). After Ozark, Jason Bateman was solidified as one of my favorite actors, and he shines here as a VP with his quick, witty banter. Chris Messina almost steals the show as the cutthroat agent and delivers an all-time foul-mouthed tirade over the phone. Michael Jordan requested that Viola Davis play his mother and she brings it with a calm forcefulness.
1984 it is indeed. Trivial Pursuit, Rubik’s cube, Members Only jackets, and “Where’s the Beef?” all make an appearance. The music is an ’80s time capsule: Cyndi Lauper, The Clash, Squeeze, Violent Femmes, Dire Straights, and Big Country. “All I Need is a Miracle” may reflect Vacarro’s chances of signing Jordan.
Michael Jordan is a hidden figure in the film, only his back or voice are discernible for a few short moments. It was a conscious decision which reinforces the notion that the film is about Air Jordan not Michael Jordan. He is the shoe, and the shoe is him. It’s that kind of reverence that defines the saga of the Air Jordan. Air Jordans became a worldwide status symbol in sneaker culture, streetwear fashion, and hip-hop. Annual sales expectations were $3M; it didn’t take long to hit $162M. If you like basketball, sports business, sneakers, and the 1980s, you’re in for a slice of movie heaven. If not, you’re still in luck. Air is a timeless underdog story about dreams and determination. You can’t go wrong with that.
(If you missed Air in the theater, it is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.)
D² Rating: ◼◼◼◼☐
Trivia: With Air, Affleck and Damon have been in nine movies together. What was their last one?
Showtime does it again. Another captivating rockumentary by the network that has recently brought us the stories of Sinead O’Connor, Sheryl Crow, the Go-Go’s, the early aughts NYC scene, and New Order. It’s an imaginative film apropos for its subject, the musical iconoclast David Johansen. The inventiveness of the approach has much to do with director, Martin Scorsese (along with David Tedeschi) who has previously chronicled George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones. Personality Crisis: One Night Only is more a concert film than the usual biopic. It features a live performance by Johansen interspersed with new and archival interviews. The front man for the groundbreaking New York Dolls who transformed into the lounge act alter ego, Buster Poindexter, has a lot to talk about.
It’s January 9, 2020, and David Johansen is celebrating his 70th birthday at the Cafe Carlyle in New York City. He’s there for an intimate evening of “Buster Poindexter singing the songs of David Johansen from his teen years to the present day.” The cabaret live performance is the foundation of the movie. It’s immediately apparent that Johansen is in his element on a stage. He’s a natural performer bantering with the small audience and sharing stories from all walks of his life, like prophetically hanging out with flamboyant theater actors at 16 years old. But this isn’t story telling or a comedy show, it’s a concert. And what a surprisingly great show it is! He’s a cool cat, still styling the pompadour, and snapping his fingers to the beat. The Boys in the Band Band are outstanding; the guitar, bass, drums, and piano all a beautiful complement to Johansen’s gravely, emotive vocals. The multiple concert songs are all allowed to shine in their entirety; the historical interludes occur in between songs.
Interviews and footage over the years reveal quite the assortment of life experiences: “starting” the punk movement at a show in Newcastle, England, “I had to go to jail in Memphis dressed like Liza Minnelli,” superfan Morrisey organizing a Dolls reunion tour in 2004, hosting his Sirius radio program, Mansion of Fun, auditioning for the movie version of the Broadway play Hair, and “the bane of my existence,” his conga-line big hit “Hot, Hot, Hot,” with the “Ole, ole, ole, ole” chorus.
The New York Dolls had extraordinary influence considering that the original lineup lasted only a few years with two albums. Despite a mixed reaction and poor album sales, they inspired Kiss, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Guns N’ Roses, The Damned, Motley Crue, and more. Johansen, Johnny Thunders (guitar), Arthur Kane (bass), Jerry Nolan (drums), and Sylvain Sylvain (piano, guitar) were a rock and roll band; one that portended punk and glam while bedazzling audiences in high heels, satin, makeup, spandex, and dresses. The film contains vintage performances of songs from 1973’s self-titled debut album, “Jet Boy,” “Trash,” “Lonely Planet Boy,” and the classic first song, “Personality Crisis.”
Personality Crisis is a little long at 2:07 and I would have enjoyed more on the early 70s heyday of the original band. But this is a movie about David Johansen, not the New York Dolls. Johansen’s 50-year career has experienced a few personality crises, but for him they have been opportunities for reinvention and ongoing good times. He likes “intelligent ridiculousness.” He wants to “bring the walls down and have a party.” “We call it playing music, not working music.” It’s a joy to watch him and his band still playing.
(Stream it on Showtime, Paramount +, or Amazon Prize Video.)
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia: Who produced the landmark first album by the New York Dolls? (He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and is best known for his 1972 album Something/Anything?)
One of the finest parts of the film experience is the well-executed, didn’t-see-it-coming plot twist. Many memorable twists occur in a movie’s final scenes to maximize the impact of the reveal. Good twists are a surprise at the time, but upon further reflection, or watching the movie again, are often hiding in plain sight. I didn’t intend to spread my favorites throughout the years, but it turned out to be so – the following list covers every decade from the 1940s to the 2010s, with the exception of the 1950s. Once again, the order and narrowing it down to 10 were difficult, so I made it a top 11. Needless to say, this post is one big spoiler so if you still plan to watch one of these films, beware.
11. Atonement (2007): The lives of Robbie (James McAvoy) and Cecilia (Keira Knightley) never happened. They both died during the war – Robbie in Dunkirk and Cecilia during the London bombing. Briony (Saoirse Ronan) had been narrating the movie from her perspective as she wrote her autobiography later in life. She re-united them in her book as a way of compensating for falsely accusing Robbie of raping her cousin and denying them a life together.
10. Arrival (2016): The film opens with Louise (Amy Adams) grieving the death of her young daughter. She is actually envisioning her future, not remembering her past. As a linguist, she immersed herself in the language of the friendly aliens who arrived on Earth in a group of 12 spaceships. The aliens perceived time in a circle, a nonlinear state of the past, present, and future simultaneously. Amy’s communications with the aliens rewired her brain and she embraced her future despite knowing its inevitable pain.
9. Shutter Island (2010): Edward Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is not an investigator at Shutter Island, but actually Andrew Laeddis, a patient there undergoing a role-playing treatment to shake him out of his delusion. The film ends as he regresses back to character as he still can’t live with the knowledge that he was responsible for the death of his family. (He had killed his wife after she murdered their children.) He is taken away to be lobotomized.
8. The Sixth Sense (1999): Malcolm (Bruce Willis) was dead the whole time. Malcolm died in the first scene as a former patient broke into his home and shot him. The movie cuts to a year later when it seems like the incident was a life-altering event for him to help young Cole (Haley Joel Osment). In retrospect, the most familiar and obvious clue to Malcolm’s fate was Cole’s famous line, “I see dead people.” Director M. Night Shyamalan’s movies are filled with big twists, but his third film and first breakthrough, is still a standout.
7. Get Out (2017): Rose (Allison Williams) is taking boyfriend Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) home to meet her parents. Aaah, how nice. Rose is actually continuing her longtime selection of young black men to be subjects for her parents to implant the minds of upper-class whites into their supposedly physically superior bodies. While Chris is being prepped for the operation, he escapes by killing his way out, lastly seen crouching over a dying Rose. What follows next is simply priceless: instead of being a cop pulling up, it’s Rod (Lil Rel Howery), friend of Chris and TSA agent. He has one of the best placed f-ings ever, “I’m TS-mother-fuckin’ A. We handle shit. That’s what we do. Consider your situation fuckin’ handled!” (Rod had previously been to the Police trying to buddy up with them as fellow law enforcement while they laughed him out the building with his theory that Chris had been kidnapped for mind control purposes.)
6. Citizen Kane (1941): Charles Foster Kane’s dying last word was “Rosebud.” This mysterious word motivates a journalist to investigate Kane’s life. In a film of flashbacks from the perspectives of friends and associates, the life of a wealthy newspaper tycoon is unveiled. Rosebud is revealed to be the name of his childhood sled: a sign of yearning for happier times as a kid despite his money and fame. The film closes with the sled being tossed into a bonfire with the rest of Kane’s belongings. (For more about this landmark film, often considered the greatest of all time, check out the Netflix film Mank; a 2020 black-and-white biographical film of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane.)
5. Soylent Green (1973): It’s 2022 and NYC has 40 million people, and only the elite can afford apartments, food, and water. Their homes are heavily secured, while the poor live on the streets, drink water from spigots, and eat processed wafers: Soylent Red, Yellow, and the new and improved Green variety. Detective Robert Thorn (Charlton Heston) discovers the true source of the wafers and utters one of cinema’s classic exclamations, “Soylent Green is people!”
4. Psycho (1960): Alfred Hitchcock presents the mother of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) as the killer complete with the dutiful son covering up for her. However, Norman has an entire second persona and becomes his mother. He dresses up as her, kills people, and truly believes he is his mother. “Mother takes over.” The film, bolstered by the image of his mummified mother, and of course, the Marion (Janet Leigh) shower scene is an indelible piece of film history.
3. Gone Girl (2014): I’ve discovered in writing this post that some complicated plot twists are not easy to briefly explain, none more so than Gone Girl. Amy (Rosamund Pike) is simply one of the most conniving, manipulative, and ruthless characters you’ll ever meet. Husband Nick (Ben Affleck) is no Saint either. Amy disappears, stages her death, and becomes pregnant using Nick’s sperm from a fertility clinic. The film ends with the couple back together and pretending to be happily married. Yes, there’s a lot going on in between there. Amy’s master plan is evil, yet fascinating in its complexity, calculations, and audacity.
2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980): Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s biological father! Enough said.
1. The Planet of the Apes (1968): George Taylor (Charlton Heston) is on the beach next to the Statue of Liberty, half buried under the sand. “I’m back home. We finally really did it. You maniacs, you blew it up. God Damn you, God Damn you all to hell.” The planet with talking apes as the intelligent, dominant species was Earth all along. His spaceship never left Earth but accelerated about two millennia ahead in time.
Trivia: Whose life story is Citizen Kane primarily based on?
Answer: William Randolph Hearst
Trivia: Although he didn’t quite make my list, this director of Inception and Momento is known for these and other intricate twists?
In my previous posts on the Oscars, I’ve discussed the dismal ratings for the ceremony and the ongoing attempts by the Academy to improve them. Let’s not worry about all that this time. The Best Picture nominations this year run from blockbusters (Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water) to critical favorites that few people saw (Tar and Triangle of Sadness). Often by now many of the categories are sure things building an unstoppable momentum during the Awards season. That’s still the case, but there are some uncertainties this year. There should be a couple of surprises (let’s hope)!
Due to a combination of going to the theater, streaming, VOD, and good old DVDs, I was able to see nine of the ten Best Picture nominees. Still looking for On Demand or DVD options for Triangle of Sadness. Here’s my predictions for the major categories (I omitted the three short film categories).
Best Picture:Everything Everywhere All at Once. After sweeping the Directors, Producers, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, Everything…appears to be the sure winner. I couldn’t stand the non-stop frenetic visual overload, but its creative crazy experience complete with kung-fu and hot dog fingers has captivated many people. The movie is just as the title says. The other Best Picture nominees in addition to the four named above are: The Banshees of Inisherin, Women Talking, All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, and The Fabelmans.
Lead Actress:Michelle Yeoh (Everything…). I’m going with the momentum of Everything…and the Academy’s chance to reward Yeoh over yet another titanic performance by Cate Blanchett (Tar).
Supporting Actor:Ke Huy Yuan (Everything…). After cleaning up on the pre-Oscars Awards circuit, Ke better have his speech prepared. His acceptance speeches are refreshing and heartfelt (he was a child actor in Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom and thanks Spielberg for believing in him.)
Supporting Actress:Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). Jamie Lee Curtis could sneak in here for her scene-stealing performance in Everything…but Bassett should win.
Original Screenplay: Banshees of Inisherin. With nine nominations this is Banshees…best bet to take home a trophy.
Adapted Screenplay: Women Talking: Sarah Polley’s screenplay has received high praise for capturing the horrific plight of an isolated community of Mennonite women.
Documentary Feature:Navalny. I didn’t catch any of the best doc features this year. The poisoning of the Russian opposition leader must be quite a tale.
Animated Feature:Pinocchio. This is a total lock. Guillermo del Toro has re-imagined the beloved story of the wooden puppet.
Cinematography:All Quiet on the Western Front. Another clear-cut winner.
Visual Effects:Avatar: The Way of Water. Ditto. Visual effects soar into a new dimension with the striking aqua blue wonderland of this film.
Film Editing:Everything… It’s either fantastic editing in Everything…or utter chaos. I lean toward the latter and hope this is the category that Top Gun: Maverick wins an Oscar.
International Film:All Quiet on the Western Front. No question here. This is a brutal, extraordinary film.
Costume Design:Elvis. Elvis never looked better in his pink suit.
Makeup and Hairstyling:Elvis. Brendan Fraser’s enormous transformation in The Whale could also win this one.
Production Design:Babylon. This three-hour indulgence in Hollywood lore got some terrible reviews, but the sets look extravagant.
Sound:Top Gun: Maverick. All Quiet…could come away with this, as well.
Score:All Quiet… A toss up along with Babylon or Elvis.
Original Song:“Naatu Naatu” (RRR)
The Academy Awards are on ABC Sunday, March 12th at 5:00 p.m. (repeated at 8:00). It’s back to a single host, as Jimmy Kimmel is back for the third time. Hours of the red-carpet parade precede the actual awards telecast. I don’t think I’ll match my 18/20 predictions for last year’s winners. I’ll report back after the ceremonies.
Trivia: When and where was the first Academy Awards ceremony?
After sweeping the Directors, Producers, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as the Golden Globes and Spirit Awards, Everything Everywhere All at Once was a shoo-in for Best Picture. Nominated in eleven categories, it won seven, including Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, and Editing. All Quiet on the Western Front had a very good evening taking home the Oscar for Production Design, Score, Cinematography, and Best International Film. The Whale celebrated Brendan Fraser as Best Actor and the transformational work of his makeup team. The two mega blockbusters won for Visual Effects (Avatar: The Way of Water) and Sound (Top Gun: Maverick). Pinocchio and Navalny were Best Animated Feature and Documentary, respectively. Sarah Polley was awarded Best Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking. The Banshees of Inisherin with its nine nominations was shut out.
As for the show…well, there was no slap, or anything approaching that level of drama. Jimmy Kimmel announced that his “crisis team,” led by Creed (Michael B. Jordan) was in place to deter any stage-storming member of the audience. Of course, he took a couple shots at Will Smith and the feted celebrities, but nothing too cutting. Likewise, the political speeches were fewer and shorter than in years past. Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and David Byrne boosted the Best Song performances with star power. But what the Academy Awards had this year in abundance was emotion. Numerous moments of not a dry eye in the place. Most of the Award recipients were first-time winners, including all of the Everything…team. John Travolta presided over the In Memoriam, accompanied by Lenny Kravitz playing his song “Calling All Angels.” Always a poignant tribute, Travolta was choked up throughout paying respect to his dear Grease costar, Olivia Newton John, who passed away in August.
Top Gun: Maverick was cited several times for saving the movies this summer. The Oscars tried to take advantage of this in the opening segment by visually inserting Jimmy Kimmel into the cockpit of a F-18 with Tom Cruise which morphed into Kimmel descending by parachute onto the Dolby Theater stage. Did it draw people into sticking around? Well, initial ratings were similar to last year with over 16 million viewers. Stability is a good thing when the audience has plunged for all Awards shows in recent years. It was a no-drama, back-to basics program with the single host, presenting all 23 categories (and not removing eight behind-the-scenes awards from prime time as they did last year), and letting most of the acceptance speeches play out without the dreaded “wrap it up” music. Maybe they’ve finally given up on trying to shorten the program. The show ran 3:37, within seconds of last year’s running time. This won’t entice the TikTok generation to pay attention, but it’s the traditional way to honor our films. A rich heritage of almost 100 years.
(Previous Post Correction: I said that I had seen nine of the ten Best Picture nominees, still waiting to see Triangle of Sadness. Wait, my wife and I did see that! Wow, forgetting that I’ve seen a Best Picture nominee is a combination of the following three things: I’m getting old and forgetful, some movies just get lost in the shuffle, and we didn’t like it much, lots of projectile vomiting.)
Here are the winners (I picked 15/20 v. 18/20 last year)
Best Picture:Everything Everywhere All at Once
Director:Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Everything…)
Lead Actor:Brendan Fraser (The Whale)
Lead Actress:Michelle Yeoh (Everything…)
Supporting Actor:Ke Huy Yuan (Everything…)
Supporting Actress:Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything…)
Original Screenplay: Everything…
Adapted Screenplay: Women Talking
Documentary Feature:Navalny
Animated Feature:Pinocchio
Cinematography:All Quiet on the Western Front
Visual Effects:Avatar: The Way of Water
Film Editing:Everything…
International Film:All Quiet…
Costume Design:Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Makeup and Hairstyling:The Whale
Production Design:All Quiet…
Sound:Top Gun: Maverick
Score:All Quiet…
Original Song:“Naatu Naatu” (RRR)
Trivia: Following up on the Oscar predictions post trivia question, what film became the first Best Picture winner at those 1929 Academy Awards?
Answer: Wings, starring Clara Bow, directed by William Wellman, and the only silent film to win Best Picture.
Emily is $70,000 in debt with college loans. Each time a job looks promising, the background check with her felony conviction, crushes her chances. She struggles at a Door Dash-like job. She storms out of an interview for an assistant designer position after it turns out to be an unpaid internship. A fellow food deliverer tells her he got $200 for simply buying an appliance and gives her the number to call for a similar opportunity. It’s a shady gig, and contradicts her moral compass, but she decides to give it a try. So begins Emily’s harrowing experience as a “dummy shopper” in a credit card fraud ring.
Emily (Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation, The White Lotus) is a fearless anti-hero. Her missions become riskier; the first purchase is a TV, then it’s a luxury car. She’s hard to like, but you can’t help rooting for her, particularly when she’s getting a beatdown from an unscrupulous sort. It’s her show, you’re just along for the ride. Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy) is excellent as Youcef, a Lebanese immigrant and co-captain of the crime ring. He’s relaxed and inspires trust as he conducts the orientation: what you’re going to be doing is illegal, no one will get hurt, and if you’re not comfortable you can leave right now. Gina Gershon (Bound) shows up as the HR head of the graphic design company. First time director and writer, John Patton Ford, keeps it tight and focused with a 96-minute run time.
An interesting and refreshing observation…typically guns would be ubiquitous in such movies set in the criminal underworld. No sign of one in Emily. Instead, blunt objects, hands, tasers, box cutters, and pepper spray do the dirty work. The absence of firearms creates a different type of suspense.
There’s a range to Aubrey Plaza’s normal deadpan delivery in Emily the Criminal (she hosted SNL last Saturday, January 21st, and addressed her impassive image, “I’m so happy to be here, and yes I mean that. I do care about things!”). She’s unpredictable, but there’s no vacillating on her next move. Emily and Youcef are physically attracted to each other and actually care for one another, but there’s no time for romance here. “You’re a very bad influence.” Who says that to who? Maybe Emily is the criminal after all.
(Emily the Criminal had a successful theater run and is now one of the most watched movies on Netflix.)
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia: Aubrey Plaza starred in what popular superhero TV series based on a Marvel Comics character?
Meet Me in the Bathroom is a documentary film directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, based upon the book of the same name by Lizzy Goodman, and the name of a Strokes song from their 2003 album, Room on Fire. So, it’s no surprise that The Strokes are the headliner of this ode to the NYC/Brooklyn rock scene of the late 90s and early 2000s. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are the co-headliner in the film with supporting roles from James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and Interpol with appearances from TV on the Radio, The Rapture, and the Moldy Peaches. Showtime’s Meet Me in the Bathroom is a grainy scrapbook from the formative years of these diverse bands, most of which are still going strong. I have just one album apiece by The Strokes and TV on the Radio, but four of the five by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and all seven by Interpol (see previous posts about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol New Music Alert: Five Bands You May Not Have Heard of (and One You Have) and Interpol & Spoon Concert Review: A Sublime Juxtaposition of Musical Styles).
The film is all archival footage with no current interviews. As with many a rock documentary, the early live performances and rehearsals are the highlights: The Strokes opening for The White Stripes in 2002, “something was completely unleashed that night.” Karen O getting mobbed at the early Yeah Yeah Yeahs shows. James Murphy taking The Rapture under his wing at his DFA record label and then forming his own creative outlet, the highly danceable electronic punk of LCD Soundsystem. Interpol working on an early version of “Untitled” and rocking “Slow Hands” in concert.
These bands were greatly impacted by 9-11 with many being in the vicinity of the Twin Towers that day. It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve seen the footage; 9-11 will never cease to shock us. A musical migration from Manhattan to Brooklyn soon followed as musicians took over abandoned warehouses, continuing their DIY ethic. Buzz about bands was created by seeing them play at local venues and word of mouth; social media wasn’t born quite yet. The bands and their fans developed a spirit of community.
The film shows the pressures of early success, particularly on band leaders Julian Casablancas of The Strokes and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The Strokes also blamed singer-songwriter Ryan Adams for contributing to guitarist Albert Hammond’s drug dependency, another major obstacle for the band to overcome. Karen O was sensationalized as the female lead of a rock band facing constant expectations to live up to her mesmerizing stage presence. The groups stayed together through challenges that would have doomed many other young bands. Were they (are they?) the last rock renaissance? The scene’s cultural importance is still being debated as they continue to make new music. If “Last Nite,” “Maps,” “PDA,” and “North American Scum” hold a special place in your heart, check out Meet Me in the Bathroom.
D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐
Trivia: This band formed in Brooklyn in 1999, later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and was in the Meet Me in the Bathroom book, but not in the film.
It’s 1952 and eight-year-old Sammy Fabelman is heading to the big, dark movie theater with his parents. Cecil B Demille’s circus spectacle, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” is on the marquee. Sammy is mesmerized throughout the movie, but it’s the pile-up train crash done with miniatures that forever opens his eyes wide open. He asks for and receives a train set for Hanukkah and re-creates the train crash over and over. With an assist from Mom (Michelle Williams) he is allowed to use Dad’s (Paul Dano) 8mm movie camera. Now, he can watch the train crash repeatedly without destroying the new trains. Soon, he is filming his friends and family and telling stories through the lens. The Fabelmans is the story of Spielberg’s childhood through the eyes of Sammy. It’s a remarkable origin story for one of our greatest and most influential filmmakers.
Sammy quickly learns that film is more than pretty pictures and storytelling. He rounds up the neighborhood kids and figures out how to depict firing blanks from toy guns just like in a real western. At 13, he wins an Eagle Scout merit badge for directing his schoolmates in a 40-minute war movie. While reviewing the footage from a family camping trip he unveils a family secret which will turn his life upside down. Movies can provide escape but also spotlight painful reality. His high school years in northern California demonstrate how film has the power to win friends, mollify school bullies, attract girls, beautify, humiliate, and stretch the truth.
The cast is outstanding starting with Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy. (Mateo Zorgan is also excellent as the young Sammy.) Imagine being directed by Steven Spielberg while you’re portraying Steven Spielberg. Michelle Williams is once again looking at an Oscar nomination for Mitzi, the suppressed free spirit and could-have-been concert pianist. She is the heart of the film. Paul Dano is Burt, Mitzi’s polar opposite as the reserved straight-arrow focused on being the family’s steady breadwinner. Seth Rogen and Judd Hirsch bring a burst of energy to the rather restrained film.
We have all been touched by Spielberg’s movies. Whether it’s the epic blockbusters like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Indiana Jones, or Jurassic Park. Or the serious adult fare, The Color Purple, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Lincoln, or Munich. And the themes throughout his work: ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, a childlike sense of wonder, goodness in humanity, and exploring the extraterrestrial. The Fabelmans sets the stage for all that and concludes by sending Sammy off to Hollywood at 16 years old. The final scene is another classic for the Spielberg annals. A cameo by an auteur portraying a legendary director. Never has lighting a cigar been filled with such anticipation.
(The Fabelmans is still running in some theaters and also available on demand.)
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia: A 13-year-old Christian Bale made his film debut in what 1987 Spielberg film?
The documentary film, Moonage Daydream, begins with a Nietzche quote, followed by Bowie’s voice, then images of the moon. It’s a telling intro to the musical/visual mash-up that awaits you. You may find it a frustrating audio-visual sensory overload. Or a mesmerizing sound and vision experience. I land somewhere in the middle. I found the rapid cutting chaotic, annoying, and fragmented (similar, but even more overstimulating than the 2021 Velvet Underground documentary, see previous post The Velvet Underground Doc is a Testament to Their Everlasting Influence). I did, however, appreciate the never-before-seen live concert footage and viewing his oil and acrylic paintings. Above all, it gave me a better understanding of his life philosophy, the overwhelming need for change and self-exploration, “articulating the strange corners of the mind” in song.
Brett Morgen had approval from the Bowie estate and unfettered access to his archives (Morgen previously directed the outstanding Kurt Cobain documentary, Montage of Heck). Moonage Daydream is not the standard doc format of greatest hits, linear biography, and interviews with family members and fellow artists. This is experience over information, a colorful cosmic stream of consciousness. It will either be the greatest editing you’ve ever seen, or you’ll say “editing, what editing?” It’s an ambitious film about the intertwined art and life of a mercurial performer. (Mercurial indeed, anyone else remember their confusion when listening to Low for the first time?)
Despite the incessant kaleidoscope, deep tracks, rare concerts, and noteworthy images make their presence known. “Hallo Spaceboy,” an excellent song off the experimental concept album, Outside, was a special treat, including the remix version featuring the Pet Shop Boys. “All the Young Dudes,” written by Bowie and made into a huge hit by Mott the Hoople, is highlighted by an early live performance. The concert footage from the early ’70s with Bowie in full glam gear and backed by the Spiders from Mars band is classic. The frolicking “Oh You Pretty Things” and the transcendent “Quicksand,” represent Hunky Dory (see previous post on its 50th anniversary Hunky Dory at 50: David Bowie Finds His Voice and the Rest is Rock History). “Warszawa,” from the instrumental side of Low, makes its ominous appearance. The music weaves through the art, film, and fashion montage. Film clips abound and if you’re paying attention, you’ll catch War of the Worlds, 2001 Space Odyssey, and Clockwork Orange.
Moonage Daydream is for true Bowie fans only. There are plenty of other docs and books if you want more information about the life and career of David Bowie. (I particularly liked the movie Five Years and the book Starman by Paul Trynka.) The most illuminating part of the experience for me was hearing from Bowie in his own words what drove his continual embrace of change. Much has been written about his chameleon-like nature but hearing his voice was poignant and gave me a deeper understanding of his remarkable inner world. “Our ability to refute chaos is one of the worst mistakes we made.” Stagnation and safety were an intolerable state of affairs for him. “I hate wasted days.” He detested L.A. but made a point to go there “to test his writing.” Even on breaks from touring and recording, the film shows him traveling around the world, particularly Africa and Asia, on a never-ending mission to grow as a human being. “I’ve always been looking for myself.” The search never ended. “None of us exist. We’re in the twilight zone.”
(Moonage Daydream is streaming on Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.)
D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐
Trivia: During a break from his solo projects, what rock band did Bowie front from 1988-1992?
Answer: Tin Machine
Trivia #2: What is the name of Bowie’s last album released just two days after his death in 2016?
Answer: Blackstar (★), an extraordinary secret swan song with a final style switch; playing with a band of local jazz musicians.
