Shirley Has Left Us

Actress Cindy Williams has passed at 75. Her lengthy career in TV and films included The Conversation and the breakout hit, American Graffiti.  She became a nationwide sensation with Penny Marshall in the comedy series Laverne and Shirley, a spinoff from the hit, Happy Days. Her character Shirley Feeney was originally a blind date for Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) in a memorable episode that led to Laverne and Shirley. At one time it became the most popular show on prime time. Its chemistry echoed the best of Lucy and Ethel on I Love Lucy.

I met Cindy at The MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention several years ago, and she couldn't have been sweeter. (It was also cool to see her show some love for another celebrity, Erik Estrada from CHIPS!)  She was a TV icon.

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT and Its Antiwar Message

The first German version of the anti-war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, (previously filmed in 1930 to Oscar glory and an excellent 1979 TV movie,) as co-written and directed by Edward Berger, is an outstanding work of cinema.

Amid World War I in 1917 France, young, enthusiastic German soldiers are sent to frontline trenches and bloody fighting.  Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) and his buddies are quickly disillusioned by the grim realities of warfare where soldiers are dying en masse, fodder in a hopeless war.  The months roll by, and then German emissaries desperately attempt to reach an armistice to avoid countless more casualties.  As the conflict is ending and new recruits arrive, Paul and his remaining comrades desperately struggle to survive the remaining moments of the war.  

There are powerful visuals and effective use of sound with remarkable contrasts between intense combat and the subsequent stillness and silence.  The impressively choreographed, battle scenes heighten in scale with tanks and planes, and yet the most effective moments are horrifying and traumatic during close quarters and hand-to-hand fighting.  Filled with painful ironies, the film makes a point to depict what it is like to kill another person and to see a comrade fall.  It attempts to show how Paul and his friends struggle to survive harrowing conditions yet maintain a shred of humanity.  

Though the narrative in this version deviates somewhat from previous versions (especially with its diplomatic subplot), this is an impressive achievement of adapting familiar material for a new audience.  It also shares its DNA with Paths of Glory with the class contrasts and the vanity of military leadership. As one of only a handful of truly great films on WWI, it is in rarified company.

**** of **** stars     Netflix

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS and its Quirky Tale of Class Dynamics

 

In Triangle of Sadness, writer/director Ruben Östlund tells an offbeat tale of class contrast that is an interesting take on human behavior amid change.

Divided into three parts, the story introduces a young couple, Carl and Yaya, on a luxury cruise aboard a deluxe yacht populated with eclectic personalities and wealthy business types all of whom are pampered by a dutiful crew led by a reclusive, eccentric captain (Woody Harrelson).  Among the topics of dinner conversation are philosophy, Capitalism, Communism, and Marxism even as buffeting rough seas become the ultimate test of intestinal fortitude.  When the boat wanders into dangerous waters, it results in a shipwrecked group of survivors who must learn to coexist and survive with whatever makeshift hierarchy is needed.

The pieces are there for a potentially great story, but viewer reaction may vary with how they are assembled (with its deliberately truncated ending).  A couple of minor scenes go nowhere in this unconventional narrative that mixes characters and the dinner from Hell. It has a slight feel of The Gods Must Be Crazy and recalls Swept Away.  There are characters we get to know and others who make brief appearances while minor characters are suddenly thrust into the spotlight. It’s a study of contrasts between not just the passengers and the staff, but the staff and the cleaning workers. It’s also a tale of observing protocol and subsequently breaking those rules when faced with extreme adversity.

Some of the visuals are outrageous, perhaps excessively so; think of Monty Python’s Meaning of Life. The film generates some humorous moments, as it attempts to walk a fine line between satire and drama.  One thing is sure; you may never think of a cruise the same way again. 

*** of **** stars    Amazon Prime

La Lollo Is Gone

Italian film actress and sex symbol Gina Lollobrigida has passed at 95. She was at her peak of worldwide popularity in the 1950s and 1960s with such films as Beat the Devil, Trapeze, and Buena Sera Mrs Campbell (which served as the main plot of Mamma Mia many years later.) She was courted agressively by billionaire Howard Hughes. She co-starred with the top male superstars of the day including Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, Rock Hudson, and Sean Connery. (She co-starred in Solomon and Sheba with Tyrone Power when he died suddenly and was replaced with Yul Brynner.)

Here is a related story when I was a young boy. My mom would shop the DC department stores when they were the classy retail giants, and she ran into Gina in Garfinckels in the women's lounge and got her autograph (below). I still have it after more than 50 years!

 

Culture War in WOMEN TALKING

 

Based on a true story, Women Talking is an allegorical tale of abuse brought to emotional angst by writer/director Sarah Polley and a great cast.

In a remote, Mennonite settlement where the way of life is devoid of modern technology and conveniences, girls are repeatedly victims of sexual assault by the village men amid a culture of male domination where only the boys receive schooling and grow up to perpetuate this vicious cycle of violence.  With no prospect of change, many of the women (including Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, and Frances McDormand), who suffer from anxiety, anger, and depression, band together to discuss their options. In their world where ‘what they think does not matter’, and knowing any dissent could result in being banished from the settlement, their desperation gives way to a courageous plan.  Can they find a way out of their hopelessness and forge a better life for themselves and their children?

This is a great ensemble of actresses (while Ben Whishaw has a significant role as a trustworthy male), and though the film almost feels like a stage production primarily set in a barn, Polley makes this a cinematic journey with effective use of cinematography, music and editing. What is remarkable is how simple lines of dialogue coalesce into unexpectedly powerful moments, and you will have an appreciation for these brave women who risk everything. The film explores each woman’s personal reasons to leave or stay while guided by specific tenets including- to protect their children (especially the girls), being true to their religious faith, and having the right to free thinking.

It’s a minimalist story, but by the end, the emotional payoff is affecting and resonates, (potentially triggering a trauma response for the audience).  It’s an important film with far-reaching implications for humanity. 

  **** of **** stars

Cinematographer Extraordinaire

Cinematographer Owen Roizman has passed at 86. You may not know his name, but you know the films he shot. They were among the best of the 1970s and 1980s including The French Connection, The Exorcist, Three Days of the Condor, Network, and Tootsie. He lensed Taps, Absence of Malice, and the original films of The Stepford Wives and The Heartbreak Kid. He was nominated for five Oscars and was respected among his peers with a lifetime award with the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers).

The Extraordinary Life of ELVIS

Elvis is an entertaining biopic centering on the complicated relationship between Elvis Presley and his manager.  It’s an ambitious film enhanced by the visual dazzle of director/cowriter Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge).

Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), a music promoter with a mysterious background, muses on his long tenure managing the career of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler).  Starting in 1955, Elvis is a young boy curious about blues houses and black gospel music. Years later, Parker hears about Elvis’ popularity as a singer in the Deep South and seeks him out as his meal ticket. Soon, Elvis rockets to fame with his voice and gyrations which cause a sensation among the teenaged girls and runs afoul of religious groups.  Under Parker’s foresight and guidance, Elvis’ career expands to films and the new medium of television, and he becomes a sensation with stage performances in Las Vegas. However, the innumerable concerts take a toll on his marriage and physical health even as he clashes with his exploitive manager.

Butler, in a star making role, commands the screen throughout the film, while Hanks is astonishing as the villainous, controlling Parker, part con artist, confidant, and manipulator who extracted whatever could be profited (including merchandising).

The film, amid a background of news headlines, gives some startling reminders that Elvis was the highest paid entertainer in history, and his concert attracted an all-time satellite TV audience.  The film also offers insight into his personal life including his controversial military service and touches on black musical influences like B.B. King.

Luhrmann shows his love for this subject with imaginative direction frequently employing fluid camerawork, split screens, and rapid edits that jump back and forth in time. It’s engrossing and a cut above most musical biographies with its strong performances.

**** of **** stars (for Elvis fans)    on HBO Max