An Offbeat Career

Actor and author Charles Grodin passed at 86. This star of stage and screen had a dry sense of humor and often played memorable, offbeat characters. He shined in the original The Heartbreak Kid and lent comedic support in Heaven Can Wait and Dave, and he starred in one of the best buddy films with Robert DeNiro, Midnight Run. He starred in various TV shows and other films like The Lonely Guy and The Beethoven films. He was also a regular talk show guest. Did you know he turned down The Graduate? He also played opposite Miss Piggy in the hilarious The Great Muppet Caper. Not bad at all.

 

93rd Oscars During Pandemic

The 93rd Oscars happened and although it sorely missed the grandness of a packed auditorium, it made up for it with a technically proficient ceremony in an altered format. It was still a suspenseful, emotional show and had a few surprises. 

Nomadland took its lion's share with Best Picture, Director, and, in a tight race, Actress for Frances McDormand who became a three time lead winner only behind Kate Hepburn with four. Most key nominees were present. In a switch, Best Actor and Actress were announced after Best Picture. Anthony Hopkins, who had last minute momentum from the British Academy Awards for The Father, stunned expected posthumous favorite Chadwick Boseman. 

There were no musical numbers or elaborate film clips, and the one terrible moment was a live "guess if the song was an Oscar winner, nominee or not". (This year's nominated songs were sung in total in a pre-Oscar show. Smart move.) Still the show ran 3 1/2 hours with acceptance speeches allowed full grace. The telecast was really amazing to pull off all things considered. Here's hoping next year returns to normal, pomp and circumstance.

 

2021 OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR 2020 FILMS

 

OK, this year’s Oscars have been affected by the Pandemic and though many categories are fairly certain, there will be surprises.  I also have not seen quite all the Best Picture nominees having to rely mostly on streaming access. So I am sticking my neck out in bold. Here’s hoping for a celebration of quality films. Enjoy.

PICTURE-Nomadland

ACTOR-Chadwick Boseman is honored posthumously for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

ACTRESS-a toss up with Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman vs Frances McDormand in Nomadland vs Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

SUPPORTING ACTOR-Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah

SUPPORTING ACTRESS-Yuh-Jung Youn in Minari

DIRECTOR-Chloé Zhao for Nomadland

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY-Promising Young Woman goes head to head with Trial of the Chicago 7

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY-Nomadland

ANIMATED FEATURE-Soul

FILM EDITING-The Sound of Metal

CINEMATOGRAPHY-Nomadland with Mank on its heels

PRODUCTION DESIGN-Mank

ORIGINAL SCORE-Soul

ORIGINAL SONG-Speak Now from One Night in Miami

SOUND MIXING and EDITING-The Sound of Metal                                       

COSTUME DESIGN-Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

MAKEUP& HAIRSTYLING- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom                                              

VISUAL EFFECTS- Tenet

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM-Another Round          

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE-My Octopus Teacher

ANIMATED SHORT-If Anything Happens I Love You

DOCUMENTARY SHORT-A Love Song for Latasha

LIVE ACTION SHORT-Two Distant Strangers

 

More Depth in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

 

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier finished its limited series run on Disney Plus in an action packed finale that ties up most of its plot threads. Whilw they didn't quote stick the landing, the series allowed more depth into Sam's personal life and his choice whether to become the new Captain America and Bucky's attempts to break free of his guilt over being a killing machine. Part of the fun is seeing the dynamics of these two.as they bicker and slowly bond. Some old faces (Sharon Carter, Batroc, and Baron Zemo) and some new ones all add to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While not as compelling as Wandavision, it had good moments especially in its reference to an earlier black super soldier and call backs to previous Marvel films like the Blip which wiped half the world as an important plot point. Production values and stunt work are outstanding. This is a promising start for what hopefully will be more of this pair of Avengers.

A Heartfelt SOUL

 

A fascinating tale of hope and redemption, Soul is Disney Pixar’s latest entry in feature animation. Laced with themes of second chances and celebrating the joy of life, it is surely one of the best films of the year. It’s Pixar, right?

Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is a struggling jazz musician who teaches part time sharing his love of jazz while yearning for a career in his true passion.  As fortune smiles with a golden opportunity that could change his life, tragedy strikes, and he is literally plunged into an ‘out of body’ world of uncertainty and confusion.  Desperate to return to his mortal life, he befriends another soul, (voiced by Tina Fey) and together they race against time to get to an important gig. Reevaluating his life and dreaming of a better future, can Joe reclaim his destiny and have happiness?

Pixar’s animation is so vivid and lifelike particularly the depiction of its otherworld enhanced by impressive visual effects to make this a sumptuous, cinematic experience. And then there is that jazz soundtrack, a wonderful collection of rich, melodic chords. 

With elements from other similarly themed films like Heaven Can Wait and All of Me, and like many Pixar films, the storyline builds feeling and pathos slowly into an affecting narrative that by the end, has a hefty, emotional payoff.   What comes through is Joe’s realization of the effect he has on other people, of shared experiences and how important and precious is life, one that is worth fighting for, even sacrificing for. 

It’s a deep, reaffirming film with plenty of heart and, yes, soul. There are two certainties this awards season: Soul will win Oscars, one for Best Animated Feature and one for Best Score; bank on it.

**** of **** stars.   (Disney plus)

Prolific Texan Passes

Prolific author/screenwriter and beloved Texan, Larry McMurtry passed at 84. I confess to never having the pleasure of reading his work, but I have seen his films. This Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winner was responsible in great measure for the source books or adaptive screenplays for Hud, The Last Picture Show, Terms of Endearment, Brokeback Mountain, and TV's Lonesome Dove. Maybe it's time to pick up one of his novels.

 

Actor Played a Mean Banjo

Actor George Segal passed at 87. He was a movie star in the 1960s and 70s and made a splash and got an Oscar nomination in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Other films followed like The St Valentines Day Massacre, and he was one of the all star casts of The Longest  Day and Ship of Fools. He starred in some sleepers like Where's Poppa and The Hot Rock. He was paired with Barbra Streisand in the marvelous The Owl and the Pussycat and with Glenda Jackson in the romantic gem A Touch of Class. He transitioned from leading man to character actor and a recent role on TVs The Goldbergs with episodes to be aired. And the man could play a mean banjo too!

A New Improved JUSTICE LEAGUE

 When DC Comics' film Justice League came out a few years ago having been started by Zack Snyder who bowed out for personal reasons and completed by Joss Whedon, the final result was a mildly entertaining film but a bit disjointed. The public clamor for Snyder's cut has resulted in an unprecedented concession by Warner Brothers with a remarkable, restored version adding a $70 million dollar budget, cut scenes and reshoots which premiered on HBO Max as a 4 hour (6 chapters and epilogue) special edition rated a soft R. 

Well, is it any good? Yes, this fascinating, grand presentation is a stronger film thanks to comparisons with its predecessor. Some scenes are new while others are vastly different than before whereas other scenes are only slightly altered. A number of main characters like Aquaman, The Flash, Superman, and especially Cyborg have longer moments and a better context. The scenes with the villain are better executed with more implications. The film has no credit scenes and ends with major loose threads, cameos, and an ominous nightmare. Whether these plot points will be carried forward remains to be seen. While general filmgoers will find this a long experience, those hard-core comic fans will have much to savor. It even comes close to rivaling the Marvel brand.

*** of **** stars (add * for comic fans)

Yaphet Kotto and His Dream

Actor Yaphet Kotto passed at 81. This veteran of stage and screen since the sixties had many memorable roles. He had bit parts in films that grew to larger roles like a groundbreaking black villain in the James Bond film, Live and Let Die, one of the crew of the scifi horror classic, Alien, and a tough lawman in Midnight Run.  He guest starred in many TV shows including an excellent original Hawaii Five 0 episode as a traumatized war vet and in a marvelous holiday episode of Night Gallery. But the TV role he owned was the leader of a group of Baltimore detectives in Homicide: Life on the Street.

I was lucky to be a Facebook friend with him.
Did you know he turned down the role of Lando Calrissian in Star Wars or Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation? And he was there at the Lincoln Memorial in DC in 1963 when Martin Luther King Jr. made his speech. Kotto realized his dream. 
 

Reassessing History with JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

Inspired by true events and a reexamination of a controversial figure, Judas and the Black Messiah is a passionate study of friendship and betrayal with strong performances and sharp direction (Shaka King).

In Chicago in 1968, a young, charismatic leader of the Black Panthers, Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) is galvanizing support from the people first with blacks and then expanding to other demographics with the promise of services like a medical center and education. His crusade to form a powerful, rainbow coalition to fight oppressive, racist white power captures the attention and wrath of FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover. In the meantime, an informant, Bill O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), is recruited by an FBI agent (Jesse Plemons) to infiltrate Hampton’s gang and help bring him down.  As O’Neal struggles with his conscience and fear of discovery and Hampton fights to keep his cause alive, the FBI and law enforcement are targeting the Panthers, and the violence and brutality leads to an ultimate confrontation that will alter their lives forever.

The film’s revisionist point of view shows police as subversive law breakers, conspiring to murder Panther members. A number of scenes may resonate with current news headlines, and in fact, there are DNA threads that call back to Spike Lee and John Singleton. 

The cast is uniformly strong especially Kaluuya whose dynamic personification of Hampton rings true especially during the inspiring rally scenes. Stanfield is equally effective as the guilt ridden ‘follower’ with a hidden agenda.

The film ends with a somber, sobering postscript that punctuates a vivid, hard hitting story that is sure to provoke a strong response. King has a talent that promises greater films to come; this film is a giant step.

***1/2 of **** stars (on demand)

 

Family Is Forever in WANDAVISION

 

Wandavision concluded its 6 hours of programming spread over weekly mini episodes. This grand experiment served in expanding on the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and setting up Phase 4 (and a new super hero) which will lead into the next Dr. Strange sequel, Captain Marvel 2, and Spiderman followup. 

By not releasing all the episodes at once like most streaming channels, this series steadily built buzz on a mystery involving our couple, Wanda and Vision, living in a succession of classic TV sitcoms but leading to something ominous and mystical. I won't give anything away but suffice it to say any Marvel fan will likely love this incredibly well produced and big budgeted adventure fantasy with its heartbreaking love story about the meaning of happiness and the trauma of loss. 

The cast is excellent from the wonderful Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany to a terrific supporting cast we could not get enough of. The final episode is spectacular and while it  does answer most questions, it also raises some new challenges.

Marvel has really knocked it put of the park with the quality of its writing and visual effects. The thing to keep in mind is this is about two Avengers, and it is their story.  In the end, I was moved. And there is hope. I won't say more. (There are two end credit scenes). I signed up for Disney Plus just for this show,  and I am so glad I did. "What is grief if not love persevering?"

**** of **** stars (for Wandavision fans)