An ‘Unnatural Mother’ in THE LOST DAUGHTER

This is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal’s first film as director, adapting the novel, The Lost Daughter, a film about one woman’s personal journey that is a deeply felt drama with a strong, lead performance. 

A middle aged professor, Leda (Olivia Colman), vacations in Greece and encounters a young mother, Nina (Dakota Johnson), with a little daughter. This triggers her own memories as a young mother (Jessie Buckley) trying to raise two young daughters while working on her doctorate.  It’s a painful remembrance of struggling to reconcile motherhood and career that affects her unexpectedly. When Nina’s daughter goes missing, it causes a stir among the extended family, but it is the girl’s doll that carries significant meaning for Leda.  As Leda becomes more involved with Nina’s family, underlying tensions surface with unexpected, startling results.

Laced with minor elements of suspense, it’s primarily a methodically paced character study about how much we admit to ourselves about our past and what we reveal to others.  It’s all in the details as we get bits of Leda’s life through multiple flashbacks in which Nina’s family becomes a parallel to Leda’s younger self, and the doll becomes a metaphor that links things emotionally.  The comparisons are obvious, but as the film probes deeper, a younger Leda is shown as an overwhelmed parent who must make difficult, heartbreaking choices that culminate in guilt and regret. 

With additional support from Ed Harris and Peter Sarsgaard (Gyllenhaal’s real life husband), Colman is excellent in a non-flashy, nuanced performance that could easily earn her Oscar recognition.  This honest, open-ended film about life and its consequences is likely to resonate with adult females.  It’s an impressive directorial debut that challenges its audience with keen observations without any sugar coating. 

***1/2 of ****stars (add ½* for Colman fans)         (on Netflix)

Selling Out the World in DON’T LOOK UP

 

The end of the world serves as timely fodder for Don’t Look Up, a relevant film and commentary as presented by co-writer/director Adam McKay (Vice) and his high powered cast.

Kate (Jennifer Lawrence) and Randall (Leonardo DiCaprio) are two astronomers who discover a comet on course to strike the Earth and exterminate human life.  At a White House meeting, the President (Meryl Streep) and her chief–of-staff son (Jonah Hill) downplay the emergency at first, but after news leaks, she changes her mind by turning the global crisis into a political event. As the country prepares to launch ‘nukes’ to deflect the comet, a mysterious billionaire (Mark Rylance) emerges with the detection of vast resources within the comet that could revolutionize the world. With a country either believing or downplaying the threat and the comet hurtling closer, can the world survive?

Many characters lose their moral compass and become corrupt with selfish agendas and profiteering, and the film openly serves as an allegory on institutions like the news, climate change, and especially politics and social media where what matters most are what trends or polls the best and how the public responds to media darlings (like Randall who gets caught up in the madness).  

It’s a preposterous setup for a movie, but the whole thing works with good production values and the sheer commitment and zeal of a dream cast often playing things over the top including a manic Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, and Ariana Grande (who sings the title song).

With elements of On the Beach, Dr. Strangelove, Network, and When Worlds Collide, this frenetic satire is likely to split audiences with its offbeat yet thought provoking subject.  (Watch for two amusing end credit scenes.)

***1/2 of **** stars     (on Netflix)

Emotional Subterfuge in THE POWER OF THE DOG

 

Writer/director Jane Campion’s (The Piano) adaptation of the Thomas Savage novel, The Power of the Dog, is an intense, psychological drama performed to perfection by a strong cast.

Set in 1925 Montana, two dissimilar brothers run a cattle ranch.  Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a taskmaster with deep seeded anger, and soft-spoken George (Jesse Plemons) is drawn to a fragile widow, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), who raises her quiet, introspective son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). After George makes Rose his bride, it creates an uneasy environment as Phil torments Rose.  When Phil begins to spend more time with Peter, Rose begins to worry. Is it the beginning of a new relationship, or is there something more sinister at play?

Phil is a bitter person with a hard, sadistic demeanor, bullying the weak and inexperienced. You realize something deeper is going on; this man is hiding a secret.   He repeatedly references his mentor, Bronco Henry, and their past relationship and subtext have major implications on the present. 

This is a character study about lonely people in an isolated environment where innocence is corrupted and compassion exists with evil.  The film, vividly shot with a setting and mood not unlike Days of Heaven, plays like an adult western.   Cumberbatch is incredible in a challenging role, emoting at times with facial expressions without saying a word. Together with Dunst in her best dramatic role and Australian actor Smit-McPhee, all three are sure to be recognized Oscar time.

The film ends with a remarkable, chilling shot, raising as many questions as it answers, and with a vibe similar to No Country for Old Men, it may require repeated viewings to pick up the subtle nuances of a masterful film and welcome return of a great director.

**** of ****stars   (on Netflix)

Anderson the Standup Guy

Comedian Louie Anderson passed at 68. This multiple Emmy Award winner was a standup comedian frequently appearing on late night talk shows especially with Johnny Carson. He later was a game show host of Family Feud and frequently appeared on TV and films. I remember decades past seeing him as the opener for Roseanne Barr at the Warner Theater. Funny guy.

Meat Loaf is Gone

 

Singer Meat Loaf passed away at 74. This Grammy winner was a popular rock star especially in the seventies and eighties. He was an actor too appearing in such noteworthy films as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Fight Club, and Wayne's World. His greatest album was Bat Out of Hell from which several hits emerged including I'd Do Anything for Love and the classic anthem, Two Out of Three Ain't  Bad. A couple decades ago, we saw him perform at Merriweather Post Pavillion, and he was terrific.

A Celebration of Life in TICK, TICK…BOOM!

Director Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tribute to the life of Broadway wunderkind Jonathan Larson and his play, Tick, Tick…Boom!, forms the basis of this musical drama that covers the events before his play Rent set the entertainment world on fire.

It’s 1990 as gay rights and AIDS are affecting lives, and Larson (Andrew Garfield) is a struggling playwright pushing thirty whose life is upended as he works on a new musical to impress an audience of industry movers.  Measuring himself against great artists who achieved fame at an early age, the clock is ticking to accomplish his dream. He has an abundance of energy and love, but does he have enough for his friends, namely his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp), an aspiring dancer, and his best friend Michael (Robin de Jesús), who gave up his dream of acting for Wall Street? On the eve of the premiere, he struggles to compose one more, key song as time is running out for him.  

This is Larson’s story before he won the Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and universal acclaim.  Akin to A Chorus Line, it’s about the thrill and disappointment of mounting a show with the pressures, sacrifice, and emotional toll of the creative process.  Larson’s life is informed in his music as he incorporates his own experiences and inspirations, while the energetic songs are imaginatively presented as an organic outgrowth of the story.  Watch for Broadway cameos galore especially in the euphoric, diner song, “Sunday”.

This personal valentine to stage musicals carries an emotional heft (and a spectacular performance by Garfield who also sings) and concludes with a somber epilogue, a tribute to a bright, creative beacon.  A must for fans of the Great White Way.

***1/2 of **** stars (add ½* for Garfield fans)

A Great Songwriter is Gone

Song lyricist Marilyn Bergman has passed at 93. Together with her surviving husband Alan, they cowrote some of the most popular songs on radio, stage, film and TV. A multi Oscar, Emmy,  and Grammy winning team, their songs were covered by such stars as Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Neil Diamond, and Barbra Streisand, and worked with composers like John Williams, Quincy Jones, Michel Legrand, Marvin Hamlisch, and Dave Grusin.Their pop songs included Nice n Easy and You Don't  Bring Me Flowers. TV theme songs included Maude and Good Times.

But it is the film songs that they made their mark. Such classics as The Way We Were, The Windmills of Your Mind, Papa Can You Hear Me?, and How Do You Keep The Music Playing? are forever etched in memory. 

Star Broke the Color Barrier

Actor/director Sidney Poitier has passed at 94. This Hollywood legend was a major force in breaking the color barrier by becoming a lead actor in the fifties and sixties and being the first black to win a leading actor Oscar (for Lillies of the Field). His career spanned old Hollywood to the new and an impressive roster of film classics like  The Blackboard Jungle, Edge of the City, The Defiant Ones, Duel at Diablo, and my personal favorite, A Patch of Blue. But few actors had as powerhouse year as he had in 1967 when he had three Oscar nominated box office hits in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, To Sir With Love, and In the Heat of the Night (Best Picture winner).

 He would go to direct several films including the smash hit Stir Crazy. The year Denzel Washington won his Best Actor Oscar, he noted that the Academy awarded Sidney a lifetime Oscar. This was a movie star period.

The Film Scholar/Director

 

Director Peter Bogdonovich has passed at 82. Influenced by French New Wavers, he started as a film scholar and preservationist writing several noteworthy books and interviewing many legendary directors including Howard Hawks, John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock , and Orson Welles. He started directing with indie king Roger Corman and started a trio of outstanding films in the early 1970s beginning with his multi Oscar honored The Last Picture Show, his tribute to screwball comedies in What's Up Doc?, and the nostalgic comedy Paper Moon with Oscar winning Tatum O'Neal. He had some bombs like At Long Last Love but would come back with Mask. He also acted in The Sopranos and in the Kill Bill films.  He loved film.

THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH and Minimalist Shakespeare

 

Shot magnificently in black and white using nominal sets, this brooding tale of treachery and retribution, The Tragedy of Macbeth is writer/director Joel Coen’s (minus brother Ethan for the first time) adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play Macbeth featuring a pair of powerhouse performances.

Prompted by three prophesying witches, Macbeth (Denzel Washington) is yearning for power, and following a victorious battle, finds the Scottish King favoring his own son as heir.  Encouraged by wife, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand), he kills the King and covers up his deed while murderously pursuing others in the royal court.  Amid subterfuge and conspiracy, loyalties are tested, and as newly throned Macbeth and his wife grow fearful and delusional, an English army approaches with a powerful reckoning.

This is acting on a fundamental, pure level, and the lead actors and cast are thoroughly convincing.  Washington is a perfect Macbeth full of pride, bravado, cold bloodedness, and later madness, and he is matched by McDormand’s scheming spouse who in turn descends into her own depression.  Various settings are immersed in fog which acts almost as a separate character, while stark, haunting imagery and menacing, symbolic figures (especially birds) give this an otherworldly feel not unlike classic Ingmar Bergman.   

The overlapping themes touch upon morality, corruption, suspicion, and vengeance. The spoken Early Modern English can be a challenge to mainstream audiences, but enough is conveyed contextually and from sheer commitment by the cast. Indeed, an abundance of idioms and iconic phrases in today’s world originated from this source material.  Shakespeare’s words are a dazzling blueprint for any medium; even a play hundreds of years old with a minimalist interpretation has a brisk pace without losing mood or narrative. The Bard has rarely been so well presented cinematically.

**** of **** stars

Youthful Angst in LICORICE PIZZA

Licorice Pizza is writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s (Magnolia) ode to his teen years and features winning performances by two newcomers, Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman (Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son).

It’s the early 1970s, and high schooler Gary (Hoffman) is an aspiring actor who takes an immediate interest in an older woman, Alana (Haim) who in turn is intrigued by this teen.  Although she makes clear that they are not boyfriend/girlfriend, there are definite vibes between the two. Gary is the eternal optimist and hustler who can spot a money making opportunity and promotes get rich schemes including a new sensation, waterbeds, and later, pinball machines.  In contrast, Alana has self-doubts and poor self-esteem; she wants to find her calling and leave her overbearing parents. When the gas shortage crisis strikes the nation, Gary focuses on a new business venture while Alana volunteers for a charismatic political candidate.   Truths emerge, and though their relationship is complicated, Gary and Alana come to an important realization.

Far from glamorous actors, Haim and Hoffman carry the entire film with their awkward chemistry while Sean Penn as a William Holden type actor and Bradley Cooper as a manic Jon Peters contribute amusing appearances.  There are instances of political incorrectness of the time, and the age difference of the two leads (not dissimilar from Woody Allen’s Manhattan, featuring a minor in love with an older adult), might raise an eye or two.  

As usual, Anderson (Boogie Nights) vividly depicts the period with contemporary music and fashion of the times, and his narrative plays this slice of life like stream of consciousness as it sensitively captures the insecurities and excitement of young love while never losing focus on his two lead characters. They are worth knowing.  

***1/2 of ****stars (add ½* for Anderson fans)

The Dark Pleasures of NIGHTMARE ALLEY

 

Director Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) moves from horror fantasy to film noir drama with ease in his adaptation of Nightmare Alley, a novel previously filmed to great effect in 1947.  This lurid, period piece, a tale of deception and greed, is a showcase for his visual prowess and displays a splendid acting ensemble. 

Stan (Bradley Cooper) is a drifter with a dark past who gets a job at a carnival assimilating with the performers and learning the art of performing as a mentalist.  Together with Molly (Rooney Mara), they perform a solo act to great success and attract the attention of a skeptical psychologist, Dr. Ritter (Cate Blanchett), whose recorded sessions with the wealthy and powerful prove invaluable to Stan and could prove a financial windfall. However, their con game carries enormous risks and potentially deadly, catastrophic consequences.  

Del Toro’s carnival world is a macabre, fascinating assortment of offbeat characters amid a dark, bizarre setting, a perfect playground for Del Toro to display his cinematic style.  The imaginative set designs and stylish costumes are imbued with vivid colors, all beautifully shot.

It seems every character has a checkered past especially Stan who is not so much an evil person as an opportunist and survivor. Blanchett plays a sultry, alluring femme fatale who you just know is trouble.  When she and Cooper meet, sparks fly; their scenes are sublime.  This is a dream cast of performers at the top of their game including Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, and David Strathairn.

While mainstream audiences may not quite appreciate its edginess and moody atmosphere nor its uncompromising end, the film is a feast for del Toro cineastes and lovers of this genre. 

**** of **** stars (for fans of del Toro)

Déjà Vu in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS

The Matrix set a new standard and transformed scifi action films winning Oscars for its technical verisimilitude. Director/cowriter Lana Wachowski revisits the series with The Matrix Resurrections, a clever update that brings back familiar storylines, characters, and twists.

Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a computer game programmer whose Matrix game is drawn from his memories.  His regular trips to the coffee shop often coincide with a married mother named Tiffany (Carrie-Ann Moss). The two feel a connection, and when a figure appears from Thomas’ past, it sets things in motion for a radical reassessment of their reality. And so begins a rediscovery of their past and the seeds to a new beginning.

The conceit here is The Matrix, a self-aware reflexive game with references to the real world, is the very essence of the film’s narrative while reimagining the past as present and future with iconic moments reenacted or referenced in quick flashbacks and familiar characters in new iterations.  Neil Patrick Harris and Jessica Henwick are good additions, but the real draw here is seeing Reeves’ Neo and Moss’ Trinity reunite. The power of love is a mighty powerful thing, and their bond is what drives the story.

Action scenes which introduce new wrinkles to ‘bullet time’ (from the original film) are well done, but the novelty has worn off to a degree.  Further, the hand to hand combat, while proficient, misses the world class, exotic fight choreography from earlier Matrix films. Finally, the absence of Matrix stalwarts, Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving, is noticeable.

Considerable plot points are packed into the film, and not everything makes sense the first time; it requires repeated viewings to understand its intricate narrative.  It is better than The Matrix sequels? Yes, but nowhere near the original.

*** of **** stars