A meteor lights up the night sky and crashes into Earth. Big bugs are multiplying in the forest. One is shown biting, burrowing, and exploding inside a human body. Malik Khan (Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal) wakes up in a motel room with bloodshot eyes and large insects loudly scurrying along the walls. The former Marine is out the door, contacting “base” and off to pick up (really, kidnap) his sons from his separated wife. He plays it as a “secret mission” adventure to his sons (ages 10 and 6), but it’s soon apparent that “it’s not a road trip, it’s a rescue mission.” This is the intriguing premise of Amazon Studios’ Encounter (released December 2021, 1h 48m).
Malik jumps back and forth between bonding with his sons and losing his temper with them when they act like young boys who don’t know where they’re going. The “mission” gets dangerous as Malik’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic and the alien bug infestation more difficult to comprehend. The older boy isn’t seeing what his dad sees. They didn’t pack anything either, besides lots of bug spray. The plot goes off the rails with a couple of violent interactions. Malik’s parole officer, Hattie Hays (Octavia Spencer, underused again, but always terrific), enters the fray and tries to persuade him to bring the boys home. It’s too late for that now. An APB is in full force.
The soundtrack moves from menacing to ambient, from Selena Gomez to Slayer, and sometimes deliberately out-of-sync as when Phil Collins’ (“Take a Look at Me Now) Against All Odds” plays during a shotgun encounter with a militia man. I particularly enjoyed the following conversation when the boys are not enjoying the heavy metal music dad has on the radio: “What kind of music do you guys like?” Older son, “K-pop.” “That’s why you’re in the back.” Younger son, “Barbra Streisand.” “That’s why you’re both infected.”
“We’re a long way from base,” Malik says as they’re barreling down the highway. The movie is a long way from where it started, too. The trailers lead one to think it’s a sci-fi space movie. It quickly becomes a family road trip compounded greatly by Dad’s PTSD and eventually a manhunt. The film strains plausibility and Malik’s behavior will go beyond the limits for some. Ahmed is outstanding again, however, and so are the young boys. It’s a decent movie with moments of action, suspense, and it keeps you guessing…at least for a while.
D² Rating ◼◼◩☐☐
Trivia: For which 2016 HBO series did Riz Ahmed win the Emmy for Best Actor in a Limited Series?
Jonathan Larson wrote and composed the rock musical Rent in 1996. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize, Tony for Best Musical, and be one of the longest-running shows ever on Broadway (12 years). Larson died of an aneurysm the night before Rent opened Off-Broadway. tick, tick…Boom isn’t about Rent and doesn’t dwell on his gut-wrenching death but it’s a foreboding presence in the film as Larson throws himself into writing his first musical.
tick, tick…BOOM is a musical drama directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights) in his debut as a film director. In a nutshell, it’s a movie musical based on a stage musical about writing another musical, all under the shadow of the upcoming iconic musical. Yes, it sounds like an unfilmable mess. Surprisingly, it’s a fun, infectious and vibrant account of a young theater composer’s journey through love, friendships, and the stress of life in NYC.
Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man) plays Larson in a Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated performance. It’s been quite a year for Garfield as he also gained acclaim for his role as Jim Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. It’s 1990 and he’s working at the Moondance diner while preparing for the workshop of his play Superbia; a sci-fi musical eight years in the making. He needs to come up with a new song for a critical moment in the play. Deadlines and his 30th birthday approach (his hero Stephen Sondheim had his theater debut at 27, thus the ticking time bomb.) While his friends are getting “real” jobs, Larson is mentally blocked and thinks he’s a failure. As a playwright, he’s “one of the last of my species.” His selfish, compulsive behavior strains relationships with girlfriend (Vanessa Hudgens, High School Musical) and best friend (Robin de Jesus, The Boys in the Band). He finally composes a good, fitting song and the workshop is well received, but no offers to produce Superbia.
It’s a musical so the singing performances better be good, and in this case, they are. The songs are funny, moving, and uplifting. Garfield turns out to be a capable singer and energetic dancer. Sondheim’s “Sunday” at the Moondance enlivened by Broadway legends embodies the joy of musicals. It’s Miranda’s love letter to Broadway. tick, tick…BOOM is a must-see for Broadway musical lovers and entertaining for the rest of us. It may also renew your interest in Rent. I just noticed that the 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour is coming to my town in April. I’m in luck.
D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐
Trivia: Andrew Garfield made his feature-film debut in what 2007 film directed by Robert Redford and starring Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, and Redford?
“It had to end…it had to stop.” Bridget Donovan sums up the saga of Ray Donovan, and particularly, the lifelong strife between Ray and his con-man father, Mickey. Ray Donovan: The Movie gives fans the conclusion to the series they were robbed of after Showtime unexpectedly canceled the show after the season seven finale. The movie is basically an extended season finale and picks up right where it left off in 2020: a shootout gone awry with Bridget’s husband dead and Mickey on the run. It’s a must-see if you were a fan of the series.
The dour, impeccably attired, Mercedes Benz-driving Hollywood “fixer” is Liev Schreiber’s role of a lifetime. Ray is haunted by the suicide of his little sister, sexual abuse by his priest, and the amoral antics of his father. He gains some solace from wife Abby (Paula Malcomson), daughter Bridget (Kerris Dorsey), and son Conor (Devon Bagby). As time goes on, Abby has died, Conor is in the military, and Bridget is struggling to find her place in the clan. The show gradually shifts away from bailing out celebrities to exploring the Donovan family dynamic and relocates from Calabasas, CA to NYC.
Jon Voight is fantastic as Mickey throughout the series. Reprehensible, yet compelling. His behavior is appalling, but you can’t help rooting for him as he struts down the street trying to look cool as an old man. Brother Terry (Eddie Marsan) is a former boxer suffering from Parkinson’s. Bunchy (Dash Mihok) is child-like and suffering from a lifetime of mental issues after being sexually molested by his priest. Half-brother Daryll (Pooch Hall) is Mickey’s illegitimate son from an affair who finds himself way in over his head trying to keep up with him. All suffer from fateful life decisions and painful circumstances beyond their control. Bridget tells the brothers, “You were taught to forget.” Whisky remains their constant companion.
The movie opens with a three-minute dialog free recap and quickly starts shedding light on the family history. Ray’s phone sessions with Dr. Amiot (Alan Alda) provide an effective framing technique for the movie’s narrative. Ray’s assistant Lena (Katherine Moennig), Bunchy’s Mexican wrestling wife Teresa (Alyssa Diaz) and other characters reappear to take a final bow. Flashbacks reveal a young Abby behind the bar, a young Ray (Chris Gray) being groomed to take care of things, and a perfect young Mickey (Bill Heck) well on the way to a lifetime of crime. Secrets are revealed including how Mickey landed in jail for 20 years.
Ray and his brothers have lost a lot in life. As Dr. Amiot offers, “trauma is a thief.” Ray Donovan is a tortured individual. The Ray v. Mickey showdown can’t possibly resolve itself in a harmonious manner. The Rolling Stones close it out with “Shine a Light.” “The angels beating all their wings in time, May the good Lord shine a light on you, Come on up now.” That’s the happiest ending one could hope for.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia: Jon Voight won an Oscar for his role in what film as a paraplegic Vietnam veteran.
Updated Post: Oops. Somehow, I deleted the music paragraph of this post before publishing it. Music is an important component of the movie, so if you’re interested check out the full post.
Did you grow up in the 1970s? If so, Licorice Pizza could be for you. If you were raised in Southern California, particularly the San Fernando Valley, then it’s a must-see film. I grew up in the 70s, but on the westside of L.A. over the hill from the Valley. The experiences were similar at our age; we just had the beach closer by. Inspired by Fast Times at Ridgemont High and American Graffiti, the film transports you back to the 70s as an unlikely pair run through the Valley in search of love, purpose, and adventure.
Licorice Pizza is written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. I have to say, that his films are a mixed bag for me and have often left me wanting a little more clarity, never more so than The Master. I thought I’d enjoy Inherent Vice – set in the 70s along the L.A. beach communities- but it was incoherent at times, as well, maybe because it was the first film adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon book. The astounding Daniel Day Lewis couldn’t engage me in the forbidding and cold Phantom Thread. There Will Be Blood was darkly terrific and flipped the script of one of my favorite books, Oil, by Upton Sinclair. The dramatic rom-com Punch Drunk Love was a completely likeable change of course for Anderson and Adam Sandler. Boogie Nights is probably my favorite Anderson film with Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, and many others involved in the Golden Age of Porn, also set in the 70s in the San Fernando Valley.
Paul Thomas Anderson works with a regular core of cast and crew. Same goes with the music. Johnny Greenwood, multi-instrumentalist of Radiohead, has composed numerous film scores, including five with Anderson. His score for Licorice Pizza reflects the ambiance of the 70s and is bolstered by a stellar list of artists representative of the era: Stephen Stills, Taj Mahal, Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Paul McCartney & Wings, Mason Williams, James Gang, Donovan, Gordon Lightfoot, Seals & Crofts, The Doors, and David Bowie.
Licorice Pizza stars Alana Haim as Alana Kane and Cooper Hoffman as Gary Valentine in their feature film debuts. Haim is one of the sisters in their namesake pop rock band and Hoffman is the son of frequent Anderson collaborator, Philip Seymour. Anderson is close with the Haim family and directed a few of the group’s videos. Alana’s two sisters and parents are all in the film (along with the director’s partner, Maya Rudolph, and their kids). Haim is remarkable in portraying her character’s search for an elusive something to hold on to. It’s not that she’s lost, but she’s going through the motions of life without any goals for the future. Valentine is just the opposite. A childhood performer, budding entrepreneur, and insanely confident from the moment he introduces himself to Alana. Oh, did I mention that he is 15 years old, and she is 25? Under other circumstances this would be an inappropriate relationship, but not here. There’s nothing sexual unless you count the moment when she flashes him her boobs (and that scene is shot from behind Alana). Also, he is the adult in many ways. He holds court at the iconic Valley restaurant Tail o’ the Cock like he’s a movie producer who instead of bourbon orders Coca Cola. She doesn’t have anywhere else to be and can’t resist going along for the ride. They are the joy of this movie, particularly Haim and her understated realizations as she finds herself.
Licorice Pizza is another unique, disjointed, and unconventional story from Paul Thomas Anderson. It’s authentically 1973, the good and the bad. The clothing and hairstyles, cringe-worthy stereotypes, long lines for gas, the music, and the dawn of waterbeds and pinball arcades. It keeps you guessing, introduces some mystery storylines (the #12 guy), and is too long at 2:13. Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn even show up as a producer/Barbra Streisand’s boyfriend and aging Hollywood actor, respectively. It’s a cluttered film, but I had a good feeling coming out of the theater. It keeps growing on me, but I’m not quite sure why. Part of it had to be the trip down memory lane. But more than that, being in the company of Alana and Gary. They’re the glue that holds it together. Their relationship is wholesome, funny, crazy, and conceivable.
D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐
Trivia ? – Where does the title of the movie, Licorice Pizza, come from?
Answer: A defunct Southern California record store chain that had 34 stores in the 70s.
A young girl growing up in the forest with her father who is training her to become an assassin. Their life is all about grooming Hanna to kill the CIA agent that is hunting her down. The training is all-consuming, focusing on intense physical fitness, memorizing reams of knowledge, and remaining emotionless and mentally steadfast in tense predicaments. This is the premise of the 2011 film Hanna and its namesake three-season Amazon Prime Video series (2019-2021).
Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) plays Hanna in the film, directed by Joe Wright (Darkest Hour). Her father is played by Eric Bana (Hulk) with Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) in the CIA-investigator role. Her father once recruited pregnant women into a CIA program where their children’s DNA was enhanced to create super soldiers. After the project was shut down, all the subjects were eliminated except Hanna. Pursuit, escape, and awesome fight scenes take place around the world (Germany, Finland, Morocco) accompanied by a pumping soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers.
The Amazon series is based on the movie, holding true to it, particularly in Season One, but branching out into other realms of espionage and intrigue in Seasons Two and Three. David Farr, writer of the movie, also created the series. Esme Creed-Miles stars as Hanna, Mireille Enos (The Killing) as Marissa the CIA investigator, and Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) as Hanna’s father (Season One). Dermot Mulroney (Seasons Two and Three) and Ray Liotta (Season Three) have key supporting roles. Spain, Paris, Prague, and the U.K. provide exotic backdrops. Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs deliver a musical post-punk racket to the proceedings (Season One).
The CIA’s latest diabolical effort is training women to assassinate young people identified as potential future troublemakers for world order. Yeah, it’s quite a concept and does get into Bond territory without the cheesy humor. The adrenalized chase, escape, and fight scenes are worth it alone to watch the series. Just watching the animal-like movements of Hanna darting through the woods is a rush. The fights are stylized, choreographed wonders. I’ll admit I’m a big fan of these scenarios – Charlize Theron, Tom Cruise, and the many more movie characters that find themselves surrounded by a bunch of really bad guys. How do they get out this? Hanna has many missions where the odds are against her. Besides the physical aspects of the confrontations, her mental preparedness is just as fascinating. The way she approaches a dangerous situation – from scanning the scene at all angles, identifying the weak spots of her pursuers, to charting her escape route – is like she’s a human Terminator.
The series deals in dichotomies. Between Hanna, the sheltered girl who has never had a friend, tasted a candy bar, or run some errands around town, to the badass not scared of anything. Between the conspiracy thriller full of CIA plots, masterminds behind the scenes, and a killing army of girls to a coming-of-age story under extraordinary circumstances. But it’s the cat-and-mouse game and love-hate dynamic between Marissa and Hanna that is the heart of the show. The relationship bounces from mother-daughter, to killer-hunted, to in-between indifference. The series culminates with one of the extremes winning out.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia ? – In what 2007 film did Joe Wright also direct Saoirse Ronan, earning seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Ronan?
Soaring above modern-day Belfast in color turns into a black and white scene of an active working-class neighborhood with kids playing in the streets and Moms keeping watch and chattering with the neighbors. This tranquility is fleeting as the street transforms into a war zone with Protestants marching through throwing rocks, looting Catholic-owned stores, and burning cars. Young Buddy’s trash can lid goes from a make-believe prop to a shield from the shower of rocks. So begins Belfast and Northern Ireland’s Troubles in 1969.
Belfast is based on director Kenneth Branagh’s (My Week with Marilyn, Murder on the Orient Express) childhood through the eyes of nine-year old Buddy, played by newcomer Jude Hill. Buddy’s Mom (Caitrona Balfe, Outlander) tries to keep the house afloat and take care of Buddy, his older brother, and the grandparents. Father (James Dornan, Fifty Shades of Grey) is off working construction in England for weeks at a time. Grandmother, (Judi Dench, Shakespeare in Love) and Grandfather (Ciaran Hinds, Munich) putter around and share their wisdom with Buddy. Grandpa’s advice to Buddy on how to improve his grades and win the girl is priceless.
The entire film is shot in black and white, except for when the family attends the movies, a highlight in life for Buddy (and Branagh as a kid). The color contrast of Raquel Welsh in One Million Years B.C and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang exalt the magical escapism of the movies. The Van Morrison-dominated soundtrack is especially fitting. The eight classics and one new song he wrote for the film ring of Belfast. Really, who better than Belfast native Morrison?
Buddy’s life is school, playing, movies, stealing candy, a crush on a classmate, and a disconcerting dread as he observes his parents’ strife. He sees it in their eyes as they struggle to pay the bills and fear more violence is coming (and it is). He hears bits and pieces of adult conversation through the hallways, open windows, while watching Star Trek, and from out on the toilet (a toilet out back has become a throne to hold court). This is the film’s balancing act, interspersing Buddy’s childhood world view and experience between the violence of The Troubles. Buddy’s world wins out. The family continues to dance, sing, and laugh amidst the uncertainty of their future.
While the film chooses sentimentality over religious violence, “the decision” increasingly lurks behind everyone in the tight-knit community. Do they stay put in the only place they’ve been their entire lives or relocate to somewhere safer and start over? The movie is dedicated to these souls: “For the ones who stayed, for the ones who left, and for all the ones who were lost.”
Belfast is still in select theaters. If you’re like me who makes it a point every year to see all the Best Pictures nominees before the Academy Awards, be sure to see it. It’s a lock for a Best Picture nomination. Maybe a first Oscar for Branagh after five previous nominations? Winning the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival bodes well for its awards chances.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia ? – Branagh is known for starring and directing adaptations of this famous playwright?
The overbearing, obsessive father micromanaging the lives of his daughters, tennis superstar sisters Venus and Serena Williams. I wasn’t sure this story interested me when I first heard about it. I’m not a huge tennis fan, but as a devoted sports follower, I am well aware of their greatness. Serena is at GOAT status. But what little I had heard about Richard Williams over the years was negative and unflattering. How would this film, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men) in conjunction with the Williams sisters as producers, tell the story of the father/coach?
King Richard stars Will Smith (Men in Black, I, Robot) in a commanding, multi-dimensional performance. It’s an Oscar nomination for sure, and just could be his first win (previously nominated for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness). This movie is about him. His 78-page plan for success…prepared before the sisters were born! A roadmap from Compton to Wimbledon. Practices for the girls at all times of day and night, rain or shine. Shunning the Junior circuit, the usual stepping stone for all the other tennis star hopefuls. Going against the advice of expert coaches, such as his mantra to, “open your stance.” He never stops talking, doesn’t take no for an answer, and infuriates everyone in his orbit. He’s also funny, bringing home numerous zingers in his understated bravado. All delivered in his short shorts and knee-high white socks.
His questionable behavior and unconventional methods are counter balanced by his life as a dedicated family man with an undeniable love for his daughters. Not just Venus and Serena. There were three other daughters! I had no idea. They all share the same small bedroom and the back of the VW van on the way to the next practice. I never heard about his wife at all, either. Brandy, played by Aunjanue Ellis, was an integral part of the family and their all-consuming tennis journey. Everyone had a role in this family enterprise.
King Richard is out in theaters now and streaming on HBO Max (at 2:24, it’s maybe a little long.) It’s a remarkable, unknown backstory. This isn’t about the grass courts of Wimbledon, it’s about the cracked pavement and saggy nets of the Compton courts. (When they’re lucky and persistent enough to play on country club courts, the difference is startling, as is their presence there). The movie is also not about all the championships the sisters have won. It’s about their early years as 8-14-year-olds. As the older sister, the story focuses on Venus as she overcomes the seemingly insurmountable odds against her. We can argue about his methods, but with dogged determination Richard’s plan for the girls actually became a reality. He called them his “ghetto Cinderellas” and they became champions.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia ? – Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, second only to whom?
Just four albums. Active only from 1965-1970. No hits. Yet, Velvet Underground is one of the most influential bands ever. Their mix of avant-garde and rock opened the minds of David Bowie, Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, Brian Eno, New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Joy Division, and many, many more.
Todd Haynes is an ideal director for the Velvet Underground story. His previous films include Velvet Goldmine, a fictional account of the glam rock days of the early 1970s with the three main characters patterned after David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed and I’m Not There which depicts various sides of Bob Dylan, each played by a different actor, including Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Cate Blanchett. So, not surprisingly, The Velvet Underground is artsy, challenging, trippy, and visually overwhelming at times. As it should be for its avant-garde subjects. A straightforward rock biopic would not do the band justice or be true to their unconventional nature. (See it in your local independent theater as I did or streaming on Apple TV+).
The band members are introduced one-by-one by a black and white video portrait (“Screen Tests” by Andy Warhol) on half the screen with the other half devoted to a whirling collage of images, the band, New York City, and artistic visuals. This technique was employed throughout the movie with the screen split into four, eight, or more frames rotating images in quick succession. A lot going on. In a positive nod to convention the movie timeline rolls out chronologically. A non-linear storyline on top of the film’s entrancing and fleeting visuals, might have asked too much of the viewer.
The two living band members, multi-instrumentalist John Cale and drummer Maureen “Moe” Tucker, are our conduit back to the mid-60s. John Cale looks back on the insanity of that time period like it was yesterday. He divulges that the band’s signature “drone” sound was modeled after the hum of a refrigerator. Moe goes off on a hilarious rant about how the band hated the hippies and the flowers in their hair. California dreaming was not them; more like NYC nightmares. Archival footage and interviews with friends, family, fellow artists, and surviving members of the scene paint a complicated picture of Lou Reed. Innovative, driven, provocative, and just plain tortured. A four-piece rock and roll band was never going to hold him.
A highlight of the film is the look behind the scenes at Andy Warhol’s art collective “The Factory.” Velvet Underground was the house band for the music, art, and film multimedia experiment. Warhol invited German model Nico to join the band over Reed’s objection. The exotic blonde brought some beauty to the black-clad somber rockers. Never mind that she couldn’t sing. And Lou Reed would never be known as a fine singer. But together? Their vocals somehow became another defining element of the eccentric sound of their first album. But that was all for Nico. As John Cale says, “Nico was a wanderer. She wandered in…and just wandered out.”
The Velvet Underground combined art and “street.” They were idiosyncratic . They would de-tune their guitars in search of something extravagant. As super fan Jonathan Richman (who saw them live over 60 times) said, “they’d make a sound onstage, never to be heard again. Group sound.” Reed’s deadpan vocals and boundary-busting guitar, Cale’s unique viola and bass, Morrison’s traditional guitar, and Moe’s simple, steady pounding produced music both brutal and elegant. The movie is an all-encompassing music, art, and film experience. Just like the band.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia ? – Velvet Underground’s first album contains this cover design by Andy Warhol?
Answer: A yellow banana sticker with “Peel slowly and see” printed on it. Those who did found a pink, peeled banana beneath.
No Time to Die finds 007 retired from MI6 and living in Jamaica. He is recruited by the CIA to find a kidnapped scientist which leads to a showdown with a powerful adversary. The plot revolves around Project Heracles; a bioweapon that is coded to an individual’s DNA and infects like a virus upon touch. It’s lethal to the target, but harmless to others. The weapon had noble purposes for mankind at the outset, but could cause immeasurable death and chaos in the wrong hands.
Lea Seydoux (Madeleine), Ben Whishaw (Q), Naomi Harris (Moneypenny), Ralph Fiennes (M), Jeffrey Wright (Felix), and Christoph Waltz (Blofeld) reprise their earlier roles, while Lashana Lynch (the new 007), Ana de Armas (Paloma) and Rami Malek (main villain, Safin) add new characters to the mix. Christoph Waltz is shockingly underused, while Ana de Armas provides some flirty flair taking on a bunch of bad guys with James in her cocktail dress and high heels. Viva la Cuba!
The movie continues the franchise’s longstanding tradition with another wild ride of an opening sequence, this time with James and Madeleine racing through the stony streets of Matera, Italy in an Aston Martin, of course. Then it jumps ahead five years to a jaw-dropping Spiderman-like kidnapping in a tall building. Other cinematography highlights include a spooky, foggy forest setting and a coastal highway chase in Norway that resembles a Hot Wheels track (The Antlanterhausveien, known in Norway as the “Construction of the Century.”)
It’s the 25th film in the James Bond series. There’s all the iconic Bond themes we have come to expect and enjoy: techno gadgets, “shaken, not stirred” martinis, beautiful women, tuxedos, the scar-faced villain, and that iconic music which immediately lets us know the world we are in. The complicated and intertwined plot between good and evil is also common in many Bond movies. So, No Time to Die is a best-of Bond in many ways. It is mostly situations we’ve seen before. But is that so bad, particularly in the 5th and final performance by Daniel Craig? Those definitive Bond-isms are the comfort food, while the fantastic visuals, exotic locales, and fast pace keeps us continually engaged for the entire 2:43 (yes, the longest Bond movie ever, but I didn’t see much, if anything, to cut). I didn’t keep track, but the body count has got to be a Bond record, as well. While maybe the most violent of Bond films, dare I say that it’s also one of the more emotional? It’s the end of a Bond era. The movie makes that very clear.
D2 Rating ◼◼◼◼☐
Trivia ?s – (Can’t have just one trivia ? with this topic.) How many men have played James Bond? Bonus points for naming them all.
Answer: Six – Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig
Trivia ? – Where did the name James Bond come from?
Answer: The name came from American ornithologist, James Bond, a Caribbean bird expert. Bond creator, Ian Fleming, was an avid birdwatcher and had a copy of Bond’s Caribbean birds field guide. He thought it was the perfect name for the character he was creating.
Saint: A person acknowledged as holy or virtuous (formal); kind and patient (informal).* There’s certainly not many saints by this definition in Newark, NJ. Rather, the main characters of The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of New Jersey are brutal, impulsive, and all in need of sensitivity training. One minute, Dickie Moltisanti, is charming and going out of his way to help others. The next, he is killing those closest to him.
Dickie (Alessandro Nivola in an impressive leading-man debut) is a middle manager in the DiMeo crime family, which includes Johnny Soprano, his brother Junior, Silvio, Paulie, Pussy, and Buddha, all from The Sopranos series. The 1967 Newark riots serve as the film’s backdrop as tensions rise between the Italian-American and African-American communities, particularly their crime organizations. One of Dickie’s black associates, Harold, takes part in the riots and breaks away to start his own black crime organization. Ruthless violence breaks out between the warring parties, including a new form of torture (at least to me) which…let’s just say it involves auto shop equipment.
Rightly so, much has been made of James Gandolfini’s son, Michael, playing the young Tony Soprano. (It should be noted that he first appears almost halfway into the film; William Ludwig also deserves credit for playing Tony as a boy.) The film’s special moments are watching teenager Tony struggling to navigate his world while capturing his father’s mannerisms, voice, and walk as only he could. Tony is smart, but always getting into trouble – setting up a gambling ring at school, stealing test answers, and taking an ice cream truck for one hell of a joyride. It’s “Uncle” Dickie who Tony looks to for guidance. His mother (Vera Farmiga) is what they used to call hysterical, but hysteria is understandable when you consider her lot in life. His father (Jon Bernthal) gets thrown in jail for four years and misses Tony’s formative years. Dickie’s uncle (Ray Liotta, who plays Dickie’s Dad and twin brother) tells him to leave Tony alone and let him find his own way. He does this for awhile, but upon seeing how torn up Tony is without his Uncle, Dickie decides to get back in his life and makes plans to meet him at the soda shop. Fate intervenes, Dickie never shows, and Tony is left waiting alone.
Although, the story can stand on its own, it’s disjointed and without at least some sense of the TV series, you may find yourself lost. For fans of the show, in addition to Michael Gandolfini as Tony, it’s fun to see the other portrayals from the show. For the most part the casting is excellent, with Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, and Corey Stoll as Junior, embodying the Sopranos-vibe circa late 1960s. Paulie and Sylvio, however, seem capable of just providing a few laughs. Dickie is mentioned, but never shown in The Sopranos.
The Many Saints of Newark just opened in the theaters on October 3rd (I ventured back in to the theater!) and is also now streaming on HBO Max. If you watched The Sopranos, you know you gotta check it out. It’s not the TV series, but provides a fascinating look back into their lives, particularly Tony’s. Does it help explain the man Tony Soprano? Yes and no. The movie’s narrated bookends by Dickie’s son Christopher (played by Michael Imperioli in the series) are perhaps telling (Sopranos reminder: Tony kills Christopher in the series). Maybe this would have made a great Limited Series…
* Oxford Dictionary
D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐
Trivia ? – How does The Sopranos series begin in the 1999 pilot?
Answer: Tony passes out at a bar-b-que and gets referred to a psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco).
Bonus Trivia ? – What does Tony tell her he does for a living at first?
Prisoners living in vertical cell blocks where the inmates above are fed while those below starve. How do they survive on the lower floors? The Platform is a 2019 Spanish Netflix film production taking place in the stark confines of the so-called “Vertical Self-Management Center.” Once a day, a smorgasbord of food descends through the hole in the tower. The prisoners are allowed only a couple minutes to feed before the food is lowered to the people below them. If the people at the top only took what they needed, there’d be enough food for everyone. Nobody ever does that.
Each level has two people sharing a sparse, concrete cell. Each month, the pairings are split up and moved to different levels. This is the equalizer. One month you’re feasting, the next you’re starving. It turns out everyone is just as selfish when fate delivers a bountiful supper. What starts out up top as a buffet of meats, wine, desserts, and even escargot, is gradually reduced to bones, crumbs, and disgusting leftovers. On the bottom levels nothing is left.
One inmate, Goreng (Ivan Massague), sets out to change things. He gets a high floor and rides the food platform down attempting to prevent the upper levels from eating, and at a certain point, rationing the food into portions from there on down. Violence and desperation ensue.
The simple premise of the movie is witty and suspenseful. The film is a wild ride sending you up and down the tower to who knows what. At times, you want to look away, but can’t. The music accentuates the silent horror of the situation. The Platform is not for everyone. I’m not sure how much it was for me. It’s dark, grisly, and not for weak stomachs, in more ways than one (violence and eating). It’s a cynical look at humanity. We’re not all that bad, are we? No, but the pandemic has shown us that the actions of some people have implications for the rest of us. Vaccine opposition and shopping carts full of toilet paper, for instance. It makes you think about it. The ending of the movie is left open to interpretation. There could be some hope in the final scene, but it depends on how you look at it.
D² Rating ◼◼◪☐☐
Trivia ? – The Platform won the People’s Choice Awards for Midnight Madness at this Canadian Film Festival?
Audrey Hepburn: Style Icon. Natalie Wood: Mysterious Death. Two recent documentaries remind us that these two women should not be primarily known for a little black dress and drowning off Catalina Island. Family members greatly informed both docs and archival footage and interviews bring them to life. Both films are part standard bio-doc fare, part authentic inside looks at their subjects that only close friends and family can provide.
Audrey
Audrey Hepburn is my wife’s favorite. Thanks to her, I have watched the classic Roman Holiday, as well as much of her other work. There are several Breakfast at Tiffany’s-themed articles around the house. So, we were looking forward to the 2020 Netflix documentary simply called Audrey.
I had no idea about her childhood and had forgotten about her life’s work after the acting career. She was abandoned by her father at age six and raised in harrowing conditions while the Nazis occupied the Netherlands during WWII. She spent the last five years of her life traveling the world as a UNICEF ambassador working to feed hungry children in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Her performing began with ballet in London (the film weaves in ballerinas dancing at three stages in Audrey’s life to represent…what, I’m not sure. (These artsy interludes did not work for me or relate to the storyline.) Her first significant role was on Broadway in Gigi. After numerous small roles on the screen came Roman Holiday. The 1953 film co-starring Gregory Peck and directed by William Wyler, catapulted her to stardom. She swept the Best Actress awards winning the Academy Award, BAFTA (British version), and Golden Globe; becoming the first to do so. Sabrina, co-starring Humphrey Bogart and directed by Billy Wilder, followed the next year.
As the film continues focusing on her major roles, it’s time for Holly Golightly in the little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The word iconic gets overused (shoot, I probably have already on my website), but with Audrey Hepburn you know it’s the only word. The clothes, the style, the facial expression; penetrating, inviting, and a little mischievous. Call it fashion, style, or Hollywood, she’s an icon.
My Fair Lady is also an interesting back story. Her nervousness of replacing Julie Andrews, who had played Eliza Doolittle on Broadway, and the reception to her voice being dubbed on the musical numbers. Despite these fears, the film was a critically-acclaimed box office hit.
The film spends a good amount of time on Audrey’s love of family, her role with UNICEF, and her relationships. Her first husband, Mel Ferrer, was temperamental and controlling and her second husband, Andrea Dotti, blatantly cheated on her (Audrey was also unfaithful during the marriage). She referred to her final relationship of 13 years with Robert Wolders as the happiest years of her life. She died of appendiceal cancer in 1993 at the age of 63.
As a result of looking at other aspects of her life, the filmography focuses on the famous movies, at the expense of lesser known films or overlooked gems in her career. I’ve always liked Wait Until Dark, the 1967 film where she plays a blind woman being terrorized in her home. All in all, the film succeeds is heralding her classic films and shining a light on her life at home and worldwide humanitarian efforts. She was more than a fashion icon. She was one of the last legends of the Golden Age in Hollywood and a mother, wife, and volunteer.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia ? – Who did Audrey Hepburn co-star with in her first musical, Funny Face?
Answer: Fred Astaire
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind
What’s your first thought when you hear the name Natalie Wood? Rebel Without a Cause or West Side Story? Maybe. Mysterious drowning death? Probably. Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind is an act of love by her daughter, Natasha Wagner, and based on her memoir. The HBO film (streaming now on HBO Max, Amazon Prime video, and Hulu) covers her lifetime in acting and attempts to shed some truth on her mother’s death, particularly regarding the involvement of her stepfather, Robert Wagner. For, as this movie can’t escape, the night of November 28, 1981 continues to overshadow her life. (I just happened to be on a day trip to Catalina that day.)
Natalie Wood was a child actress! First appearing at age seven in Tomorrow is Forever as a post-WWII orphan with Orson Welles and Claudette Colbert, followed a year later with Miracle on 34th Street. She played the daughter of characters played by Fred MacMurray, Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Bette Davis, among many others.
Natalie Wood became a star in 1955, with the teenage rebellion movie, Rebel Without a Cause, co-starring James Dean and Sal Mineo. Another Academy Award nomination came in 1961 when she played a high schooler navigating love in Splendor in the Grass. She played Maria in the hit musical, West Side Story, also in 1961. She had more success in the 1970s with television, culminating in 1979 with a Golden Globe for the remake of From Here to Eternity.
Of course, Robert Wagner has a lot of screen time, both in archival footage of their years together (they were twice married to each other, in 1957 and again in 1972) and a current interview of him recounting the events of that fateful night. We know she was on Wagner’s yacht, Splendour, with him and actor Christopher Walken, with whom she was filming the movie Brainstorm at the time. Captain Dennis Davern was the only other person on board. It’s been confirmed that there was lots of alcohol consumed and that Wagner and Walken had an argument. After that it’s all speculation, and as time went on, more and more theories abounded including affairs with every possible combination of the three. Natasha thinks her mother went outside on deck to tie the dingy to the boat, because it was knocking against it and preventing her from sleeping. She fell, hit her head, and drowned. The official cause of death was “accidental drowning.” The L.A. County Sheriff reopened the case in 2011 and shortly thereafter the cause of death was changed to “drowning and other undetermined factors.” Robert Wagner was named a person of interest (not a suspect) later in the ongoing investigation.
The film puts a nice spotlight on her remarkable film and television career and intersects that with family photos and interviews from those who knew her. She also did something quite admirable, particularly for the time period; taking control of her career, on her terms, and pushing back against the male-dominated studios. The documentary cannot answer what happened that night. The fact that Walken and Davern refused to partake, as did Natalie’s sister, actress Lana Wood, who puts her mother’s death on Wagner, only keeps the speculation spinning. The film is a delightful tribute to a full life of 43 years and a sorrowful reminder of dying way too young, how we’ll never know.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia ? – Who was Natalie Wood’s co-star in Splendor in the Grass?
