The Pleasures of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Disney is making gold out of its animated classics like The Jungle Book and now Beauty and the Beast, a glorious, live action remake featuring a captivating performance by Emma Watson who has grown leaps and bounds from her Harry Potter years.

Once upon a time, a girl, Belle (Watson), has dreams beyond her village and is desired by a narcissistic Gaston (Luke Evans).  When her father (Kevin Kline, always a delight) disappears, she searches for him and finds an obscure, cursed castle ruled by an angry beast (Dan Stevens) with a haunted past that only her love can redeem.  

This is a dream supporting cast (Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, and Audra McDonald) among many more who spend a good portion of the story as animated-inanimate objects who are given emotional poignancy. Josh Gad almost steals the film as Gaston’s feisty companion. (The film also makes a point of integrating its entire cast to reflect a real, inclusive world.) 

Director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) knows how to make a good musical, and he takes the hallowed ground of the beloved,  animated feature and embellishes it into a gorgeous production enhanced by creative sets and costumes with stunning visual effects. Aside from a few tweaks to characters and subplot, nothing much has changed, and the two major set pieces in the original are given a grand reenactment:“Be Our Guest” and the title song. Alan Menken has adapted his original songs (written with the late Howard Ashman and Tim Rice) and score to great effect.

Beauty and the Beast  has (with La La Land ) resurrected the movie musical, and despite its legendary pedigree, this lush version is a joy. “Be our guest!”

**** of **** stars

LOGAN and Its Tortured Warrior

A very different take on Marvel super heroes by writer/director James Mangold, Logan is a dark reinvention of the X Men mythology with an intense performance by Hugh Jackman.

Set in Texas in 2029, Logan (Jackman), formerly Wolverine, is a limo driver who cares for an elderly Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the telepath whose unfettered bouts of dementia threaten to wreak destruction.  This is a bleak world with mutants nearly extinct. When a girl, Laura (Dafne Keen), who may have special abilities, is thrust into their existence, the trio forms a makeshift family of sorts. Not far behind, a military group emerges to study mutant powers and more.  This leads to a desperate cross-country pursuit to a refuge called Eden which may or may not exist and a brutal confrontation between good versus evil as Logan battles overwhelming numbers and firepower. 

The actions scenes are startlingly effective; this is a more vivid, graphic depiction of violence and language.  The mood is somber and Logan is a man in pain, an alcoholic trying to forget his past and dealing mental and physical wounds that reduce him to a pale shadow of his former self.  Being very reluctant to help anyone else outside of Charles, it is the relationship between Logan and Laura that drives the story.

With direct references to Shane, the film has an emotional, touching end with a memorable, symbolic act.  This is one terrific, yet elegiac vision of great Marvel characters done with ferocity.

Forget the end credits-this one has a marvelous, pre-movie teaser not to be missed. 

***1/2 of **** stars  (add 1/2 * for Marvel fans)

Oscar Pix Mix

The worst Oscar miscue in its history will overshadow the winners and losers to a degree. How such a thing could happen and not corrected for several minutes will haunt the TV crew but especially the accounting firm who blew it....I was a bit surprised when Moonlight won Best Picture over La La Land which was starting to gain steam with multiple awards especially Director and Actress for Emma Stone. The vote may have been close. (Moonlight as a film does linger in the mind an

d heart.) Casey Affleck winning was a tiny surprise after Denzel was gaining steam with SAG. Viola Davis' winning set things right and this won't be her last visit to the podium. Mahershala Ali was gracious in his win.

Jimmy Kimmel did a fine job moving things along and ad libbing moments with good effect. The tourists being brought to meet the Oscar front row was funny and the snacks from the ceiling in parachutes were a nice touch. No major political speeches although there were a few statements that made their point. Ah, 365 days til the next Oscars....

 

2017 OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR 2016 FILMS

OK, I’ve seen all Best Picture nominees and a few other titles but not all. Enjoy.

PICTURE-La La Land

ACTOR-Denzel Washington for Fences who I love but Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Bay nailed it and this will be close

ACTRESS- Emma Stone for La La Land but Isabelle Huppert is a legit threat and Natalie Portman too

SUPPORTING ACTOR-Mahersala Ali in Moonlight made a big impression in his brief scenes but keep an eye for Dev Patel and even Jeff Bridges.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS-Viola Davis for Fences is long overdue

DIRECTOR-Damien Chazelle for La La Land

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY-Manchester by the Sea most deserved

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY-Moonlight for sure

ANIMATED FEATURE-Zootopia

FILM EDITING-La La Land with Arrival as possibility

CINEMATOGRAPHY-La La Land but Lion or Arrival have a chance

PRODUCTION DESIGN-La La Land

ORIGINAL SCORE-La La Land hands down

ORIGINAL SONG-City of Stars from La La Land

SOUND EDITING-Hacksaw Ridge typical action film choice

SOUND MIXING-La La Land typically a musical gets this

COSTUME DESIGN-Jackie unless La La Land sweeps the tech categories

MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING-Star Trek Beyond

VISUAL EFFECTS-The Jungle Book

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM- The Salesman and its political firestorm leaps ahead of Toni Erdmann

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE-O.J. Made in America

I skipped the shorts

Figure La La Land will garner the most awards maybe barely short of ten, still impressive. In recent years the awards were divided liberally but this might be one of those years where one film grabs the glory.  There is always a surprise during the awards but which category? For the first time in many years, no other films will win more than 2 Oscars. Rumor has it that a certain couple from a 50 year old classic will present Best Picture!

HACKSAW RIDGE and the Remarkable Pacifist

Mel Gibson has come back from personal controversy to reassert his directorial prowess in Hacksaw Ridge, the incredible, true story of a conscientious objector during World War II who wanted to enlist for his country but would not kill a human being.

When the war starts, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) volunteers for active duty, but in basic training, Doss’ beliefs and refusal to pick up a rifle lead to a clash with his commanders and the contempt of his fellow soldiers. As an unarmed medic, Doss and his group participate in The Battle of Okinawa. As soldiers fall around him, amid the horror of ground warfare, Doss tries to save as many comrades as possible. When U.S. forces retreat from the ridge, what happens next is beyond belief as Doss, physically exhausted, refuses to let anyone perish and left behind as he rescues dozens on men single handedly amid Japanese fire.

Garfield is wonderful portraying Doss’ wide eyed innocence while conveying his deep faith and determination under fire; what shines through is the man’s simple decency.  There are strong parallels with Sergeant York whose war hero also objected to fighting in war.

He is surrounded by strong cast members including Theresa Palmer as his girlfriend, Hugo Weaving as his tortured father, Vince Vaughn, and Sam Worthington.

At times old fashioned and despite a bit of overkill in its graphic Saving Private Ryan type of violence, this is a well-paced, splendid war film that singles out the courage and conviction of a real life war hero whose wartime deeds and sacrifice carry quite the emotional impact and become overwhelming pathos in the end.

 ***1/2  of  **** stars

The Man Who Wrote About the Movies

Richard Schickel was a long time film critic who wrote for decades at Time Magazine as well as many books particularly biographies on major figures in motion pictures. He passed away at 84 and leaves a body of written work that examined the art of movies, a subject to which he devoted his life.   He also produced many documentaries on the subject especially an excellent series on PBS over forty years ago called The Men Who Made the Movies which explored some great directors including Hitchcock, Capra, Wellman, Minnelli, and Hawks among others. He was one of the respected voices that helped me determine if a film was worth my time. Others like Vincent Canby, Pauline Kael, Charles Champlin, Andrew Sarris and Schickel (before Siskel and Ebert became famous) were a beacon to what aligned with my taste in good movies.  There are some good critics now but few who have the insight and consummate devotion as Schickel.

The Simple Brilliance of HELL OR HIGH WATER

Actor/Writer Taylor Sheridan has found a career path with his screenplays Sicario and now Hell or High Water, a deceptively simple parable of brotherly love and life’s tough lessons amid a Texas landscape setting.  With echoes The Asphalt Jungle and particularly Bonnie and Clyde particularly in its depiction of economic hard times forming a somber background, two brothers stage a crime spree robbing bank after bank for an extremely personal reason and pursued by a determined Texas Ranger played winningly by Jeff Bridges.

Ben Foster and Chris Pine provide stark contrast as brothers (with an intense Foster that a maniacal Jeremy Renner would be proud.) Sheridan depicts his characters as neither totally good nor bad but rather with interesting shades of grey.

The script is lean and the interplay of dialogue is a thing of beauty especially in its fatalistic prescience of fate and destiny as the criminals and law are on a violent collision course and a memorable finale.

Beautifully photographed with a complementary soundtrack of vocals and instrumentals, it’s about breaking patterns of existence and altering a way of life despite formidable obstacles. It is a fascinating journey.

**** of **** stars

LION and the Power of Maternal Love

Based on a true story, Lion is an affecting chronicle that spans continents and decades as a boy’s personal loss is rekindled as an adult.  It is an engaging, emotional story that tugs at the heartstrings to its touching conclusion.

In 1986, in India, an impoverished five year old boy, Saroo, is separated from his family at a train station and is transported hundreds of miles away with no idea how to get back to his family.  Told from his point of view, Saroo is lost in a sea of humanity, but we never ever lose our compassion for his plight and seemingly hopeless search. We witness his innocence amid other homeless children and adult strangers who may or may not be friendly.  One day he is adopted by an Australian couple and transported across the ocean to another country which opens up a whole new world, and many years go by when the adult Sharoo (Dev Patel) has an epiphany that compels him to search for his birth mother. Haunted by memories of past life, his visions become an obsession and a mystery to be solved with modern technology.

A good cast is led by Patel and Nicole Kidman as the adoptive mother.  The story recalls such epic films as Empire of the Sun and A Boy Ten Feet Tall with a young boy challenged without his natural parents and traveling great distances for salvation. Beautifully shot, the locations here become a supporting character.  It is this long, emotional journey back to his beginnings, this self discovery that makes his journey ours as well.

***1/2 of **** stars

The Pleasures of LEGION

I saw the 1.5 hr pilot episode of FX's Legion, a very different Marvel adaptation with connective threads to X-Men. Written and directed by TV's Fargo show runner, Noah Hawley, it starts in a really wierd, psychoanalytical setting with a young man who may or may not be mentally disturbed or traumatized, OR BOTH! The fact he may have telekinetic powers is almost an afterthought. Imaginative, mesmerizing visuals (for TV) and bizarre characters and an intriguing script add up to a thoroughly engrossing and unusual spin to a superhuman, or metahuman, or mutant origin story. I love shows like The Flash, Gotham and Agents of SHIELD, and I have sampled and been quite impressed by the three Defenders so far to stream on Netflix, but anyone who thinks (I was one) that we are saturated by superheroes on tv and film, should sample this show. It is entirely original in its concept and execution. In fact it does not begin with any normal premise and challenges its audience. Some of it is dark and conspiracy laden,but what shines through are its lead characters well portrayed by Rachel Keller and Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey!) under the masterful guidance of Hawley.  Oh, and there is a sweet love story to boot.

The Professor Emeritus

Professor Irwin Corey passed away. This comedian was a funny send up of intellegentsia and high minded establishment. He dressed like a wacky, old school teacher and spoke in gibberish. He was adorable. He came from vaudeville and worked stage through TV and movies. Described as an amalgam of Einstein and Chaplin, he worked with or appreared with legends like Lenny Bruce, Johnny Carson, Jackie Gleason, Steve Allen, Woody Allen, and many more through eight decades. He was also passionate for political causes and generous with the needy. I remember growing up seeing him on countless talk shows. What a silly man; what fond memories. The man was 102.

Goodbye Beautiful

Barbara Hale passed away at 94 and was the last surviving cast member of TV’s greatest courtroom drama, Perry Mason, where she won an Emmy Award and millions of fans for her dedicated, loyal Della Street.  She had a long movie career and also did several TV movies of Perry Mason with long time costar Raymond Burr. Her son was The Greatest American Hero, William Katt).  Long out of the public eye, she lives on in over 270 episodes of the classic TV show that featured “The Case of…” To paraphrase Paul Drake’s oft used greeting on the show, “Goodbye Beautiful”.

Connor’s Beloved Private Eye

Mike Connors passed away at 91, another fondly remembered actor whose tough, private eye, Mannix, ran for eight action packed seasons. Following in the footsteps of Peter Gunn, this was the last show created by Lucille Ball’s Desilu Studios and was the ‘other’ show created by the late Bruce Geller after Mission Impossible. What a one-two punch!

The show would open with a setup scene that cut to a marvelous, opening credits montage abetted by a catchy title theme. With a loyal secretary, Peggy (Gail Fisher), you knew Mannix was one of the good guys, a compassionate hero, and no matter how bleak things looked, he would triumph in the end. 

One by one, these icons of the baby boomers and beyond are leaving us, but Connors had a long TV/movie career capped off by this beloved, classic TV character who will live on forever.  

Life Lessons of FENCES

Pulitzer Prize winning August Wilson was a renowned playwright whose personal writings for the stage included this slice of 1950s life for a black family at a crossroads. Well-directed for the screen by Denzel Washington and repeating his and Viola Davis’ Tony winning performances, this is a heartfelt tale of a family torn apart by broken promises and shattered dreams. 

Troy is a strong willed husband and father who displays much bravado while spinning yarns as he works in a sanitation crew. When his teenage son Cory has an opportunity to play for his high school football team and possibly attract college scouts, Troy, who was once talented enough at the wrong time to play pro baseball, discourages his son’s desires and has his own ideas for him. As Cory learns to stand up to his father, the two faceoff even as a dark secret emerges that threatens Troy’s family and his future.

When Washington gets great material, he can put on an acting clinic.  He conveys a bitter tone in Troy who is a proud man with a flawed past and whose boisterous manner masks inner demons and regrets.  Davis may have sealed her Oscar with her role as the dutiful wife who must contend with unfulfilled wishes and betrayal. There is not one false note in their interplay. 

The dialogue is authentic and reflects Wilson’s ear for how people talk.  Amid its authentic period flavor and urban setting, the conflicts and past sins of a family in turmoil ring true through Wilson’s words, sharp direction, and grand performances.

**** of **** stars

"Who Can Turn the World on With Her Smile?"

You knew it would happen one day , but when Mary Tyler Moore passed away at 80, it was the beginning of the end of our childhoods growing up watching Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show-both all time comedy classics that were showered with Emmys and viewers/critics love for many years.  An evening with her on TV was a pleasant, fun, wonderful memory.  She did many more TV shows and movies especially almost winning an Oscar for Ordinary People by playing a troubled mom.  She would bring a smile to your face, and even though she had health issues that she advocated like diabetes, her contributions to TV history particularly as the career woman circa 1970 are profound.  (It is ironic that her co-owned production company with former husband Grant Tinker produced great shows like Hill Street Blues –and now, within a year, Tinker is gone too.) At least we have hundreds of hours of reruns of her to savor forever. We will miss you Mary.

 

A Family Crisis in MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Writer/Director Kenneth Lonergan has a reputation for depicting affecting, human conflict realized by excellent acting.  In Manchester by the Sea, he has mastered the art of observing intimate behavior where you can feel and even smell this world inhabited by real people right down to minor characters.

Lee (Casey Affleck in an Oscar worthy performance) is a handyman in Boston who suffers the loss of his brother (Kyle Chandler) and must deal with the prospect of being guardian for his teenage nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges).  Their tentative relationship and bond experiences growing pains.  Traumatized by previous events, Lee also carries hidden rage, and when a face from his past visits, it brings back painful memories as he must reconcile not just his past, but his nephew’s future.

The film is as much about revisiting old wounds and finding a way to move on in life. It is about the fragility of family dynamics where a delicate balance can be thrown into disarray.  Beautifully filmed, there is good use of its New England setting, and the film is structured in a series of timely flashbacks that give crucial background to present events.  Lonergan is not afraid to linger on a scene an extra beat to let it play out with fully developed characters. 

Honest and unflinching, it is about real life where there are sometimes no simple answers, and the issues may not be tied up neatly.  It’s a beautifully rendered drama that does not take the easy path.

**** of **** stars

HIDDEN FIGURES and History’s Unsung Heroines

This rousing film reveals the little known contributions of a trio of black women who overcame discrimination to help NASA launch a man into space.  Hidden Figures is a real crowd pleaser with winning performances by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe in particular with terrific support from Kevin Costner.

In the early 1960s, NASA is desperate to keep pace with the Russians who are first in space with a satellite and manned launch.  Despite segregation laws and statutes that  hinder job advancement and higher education, three women of color including a math prodigy Katherine Johnson (Henson), a talented computer expert Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer), and engineer Mary Jackson (Monáe), defy  the odds in helping the US space program at a critical point in the ‘space race’.  As the trio, led by Johnson, strive to prove themselves in a male dominated world and the coming computer revolution, astronaut John Glenn prepares to pilot the most challenging, dangerous US space flight ever, and the calculations for a safe orbit and reentry are in question as the countdown begins for history.

Much of what happens is based on fact, a fascinating history lesson amid the Cold War and civil rights movement. (The film has an added aura with the passing of the real life Glenn.)  Henson is outstanding in a choice role, and Costner as a NASA director compliments her perfectly. Spencer has the best comeback line, and Monáe is an actress to watch. The balance of serious drama, tension, and humor is well done as each female lead gets a moment to shine while overcoming great adversity.  

Never short on heartwarming scenes, this amazing story (from the novel) is done justice by scriptwriters Allison Schroeder and director Theodore Melfi. Watch out for this one-like The Blind Side, it has tremendous goodwill and its solid work should garner Oscar attention.

***1/2 of **** stars

The Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds

It’s been a very tough year with the loss of several cultural icons, but the passing of Carrie Fisher now followed by her mom, Debbie Reynolds, one day later is almost unbearable. It should somehow have been the other way around and separated by years, but life is that way.

I have always known the name Debbie Reynolds all my life as one of the movie stars from Hollywood’s golden age.  She was the last surviving principal of Singin’ in the Rain, perhaps the greatest musical of all time.  In the all-star blockbuster, How the West Was Won, she was the one who memorably bridged the epic from start to finish.  And who can forget her wonderful, tour-de-force performance in The Unsinkable Molly Brown?

After so many films and TV appearances in sitcoms and talk shows that spanned the better part of seven decades, Debbie was a household name and one who brought a smile to your face despite a turbulent personal life. She was one of the first who championed a Hollywood Motion Picture Museum which became a reality.  Her radiance and goodwill were only exceeded by her exuberance and enthusiasm.  I am hoping somewhere both mother and daughter are at peace together, maybe having a debate every now and then.  We miss you Debbie.

A Voice for Many is Gone

Carrie Fisher was a special person who spoke her mind and resisted playing the game in Hollywood. The daughter of screen legend Debbie Reynolds and pop singing star Eddie Fisher, she forged her own acting career quite young. I remember the precocious teen in Shampoo and her Star Wars films as everyone’s beloved, space princess. With a respectable film career (including Hannah and Her Sisters), she made an even bigger mark as a top notch author, screenwriter and script doctor. And don’t think that too many Oscar ceremonies went by without a bit of input from Fisher’s comedic sensibilities. With A Force Awakens, she earned a new generation of followers. She bravely brought to light her own personal struggles with substance abuse and mental illness. While we have her words and films including her next Star Wars film she completed filming, a strong voice has been silenced. The rest of us will have to carry the torch she held so well by herself. Rest in peace Carrie.