Bob Marley: One Love

The joints are thick and so are the Jamaican accents in the new biopic Bob Marley: One Love. Unless your ears are finely attuned to dialects, you may want to wait for this movie to hit streaming and cable so you’ll have captions available. 

The reggae tunes are cool and plentiful. The music and Marley’s vibe are the film’s main charms. Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) is seemingly always smiling, always moving and always brimming with optimism. Marley, as portrayed by Ben-Adir and in real life vintage clips, is not the greatest dancer but his enthusiasm is contagious. Music is performed on stages, in studios and around fire pits. 

Bob Marley’s life story is told via a handful of flashbacks. Much of the movie is centered around his time in Europe in the late 70s. That’s when Marley recorded and released his landmark album Exodus. Island records exec Howard Bloom (Michael Gandolfini) tries to convince Marley to put a picture of him and the band on the album’s cover but Bob says no. (Yes, Michael is the son of James Gandolfini). 

Bob Marley: One Love is being released on Valentine’s Day but it is not an especially romantic movie. Yes, there’s his loyal wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) who sets him straight and calls out his womanizing in a key dramatic scene. And we see a youthful Bob wooing a young girl. But don’t think that because the word love is in the title that this is necessarily a great date film.

Ya mon, there is quite a bit of marijuana smoked in the film. And whereas some who consume weed tend to lie about, Marley and crew are shown moving, jogging, playing soccer. 

Jamaica in the 70s was the scene of political turmoil which often led to violence. Early in the film, Marley is shot by a home invader but survives. Marley arranges a concert bringing opposing political groups together, leading to a period of peace in the island nation. 

Bob Marley: One Love is for music fans, especially Marley and reggae fans. Is it a definitive biopic? No. But it gives you a some good insight into the life he led, the music he created and the stamp he left on the culture of Jamaica.

Rated PG-13.

Leave a comment

Argylle

Argylle is an action-packed thrill ride. It’s the kind of movie the world needs right now. There’s your pull quote. 

Bryce Dallas Howard is terrific as a spy tale novelist who quickly finds herself doing many of the wild and wooly things her books’ central character Argylle (Henry Cavill) does. 

Argylle is clever, funny, sometimes silly, colorful and, oh yes, violent. But much of that shooting and punching and kicking and exploding is of a comic nature—just as fantastical as the stuff in John Wick films but with a wink from the filmmaker. Argylle doesn’t move nearly as fast as the quick cut preview trailer does, but there are few slowdowns once it kicks off.

Director Matthew Vaughn, whose film Kingsman: The Secret Service (released here nine years ago) was filled with surprises and dekes and feints, brings similar turns and twists to Argylle. Vaughn also directed two Kingsman sequels, an X-men film and the 2007 fantasy Stardust, taken from a Neil Gaiman tale. 

When Elly Conway (Howard) finishes her fifth book, she sends her mom (Catherine O’Hara) the manuscript. When mom offers a critique, Elly takes a train to visit her mother in person. On the train she encounters Aidan (Sam Rockwell) who tells her his occupation is espionage. She notices he’s reading one of her Argylle spy novels. 

In short order, a fracas occurs on the train, starting Elly and Aidan on their adventure that takes them from somewhere in the western U.S. to London and on to the south of France where they visit a vineyard tended by Alfie (Samuel L. Jackson). Ah, but growing grapes is not Alfie’s real mission—he’s guiding spy missions from his man cave. 

Alfie is also the name of Elly’s cat who rides along in her backpack and looks out through the backpack’s round window. He’s not just along for the ride; he gets into the action at a couple of key moments.

Elly and Aidan’s travels take them to an oil tanker where a long battle occurs with a couple of ridiculously creative scenes that scriptwriter Jason Fuchs and Vaughn have crafted to provide some neat visuals.

Also in the film’s cast are Bryan Cranston, John Cena, Dua Lipa and Ariana DeBose. 

You’ve probably noticed a generally tense mood in the nation and the world in recent months. It’s not necessary to list the reasons why in this review. 

But it is necessary to tune out the world occasionally. Argylle provides a healthy dose of escapism with an engaging story, an array of memorable characters, an energetic soundtrack and one cool kitty. If you could benefit from a couple of hours of fun, you might like Argylle. It’s rated PG-13.

In theaters now, coming to Apple TV+ at a yet-to-be-announced date.

Leave a comment

American Fiction

American Fiction is a brilliant film about racial hypocrisy and the people—both white and black—who exploit it. Be ready to laugh. Some of the satire is over the top but much of it is not that far from reality.

American Fiction is also a story about a family in transition… a family that happens to be black. They are dealing with death, divorce, dementia, economic concerns, new romance, promiscuity, etc. Things that many families confront. Be ready to cry.

American Fiction has a talented cast, led by Jeffrey Wright as writer/teacher Thelonius “Monk” Ellison. Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown are his siblings. Leslie Uggams is his mother. Erika Alexander is his new girlfriend. Issa Rae is a Sintara Golden, a writer whose work elicits a strong response from Monk. Wright is nominated for a Golden Globe and a possible Oscar nomination may be still to come for Wright (and for other cast members, too). Be ready to applaud.

After being placed on leave from his university teaching position for offending a student’s sensibilities, Monk returns home to Boston to visit his family. He attends a conference where he observes Golden’s “authentic” black voice being hailed by a mostly white audience. He responds by anonymously writing a ridiculous book about his imagined experiences as a beaten-down black man. The book becomes a critical and financial hit and wins a big award.

Meanwhile, Monk finds new love with beach house neighbor Coraline (Erika Alexander) and addresses his mother’s descent into dementia. 

Cord Jefferson, who wrote the script and directed, could be an Oscar nominee for best adapted screenplay. He would be a long shot to get a director nod from the Academy. Not just because he is a first-time director but also because competition in that category is strong this awards season. In case you’re wondering, Jefferson is a mixed-race man. 

American Fiction is a likely nominee for Best Picture. It is a film that entertains and may trigger a response or two you were not expecting. Does the film have a “message?” That depends, I think, on your own life experiences.

In one of the film’s scenes, Monk goes into a book store and sees his previously written books included in the black authors section. He tells the store clerk that his books are not “black” books per se and should be included in the general inventory. Similarly, I would suggest that, while some may see this as a “black” movie since it has a mostly black cast, American Fiction is not just for black audiences. It’s for everybody.

 It is clever and different. American Fiction is a must-see! (Rated R.)

Leave a comment

The Boys in the Boat

The book was better. I’ve never read the book but I know it was better than the movie version of The Boys in the Boat. 

If you enjoy cliché-ridden sports stories about individuals and/or teams who overcome steep odds to claim victory in their field of competition, then this movie is for you. I myself was bored with this film.

Okay, a few positives: The depiction of Seattle’s Depression-era shantytown was impressive, no matter whether it was real or partly computer generated. The moving grandstand, on a rail car I guess, which allowed spectators to move parallel to the crew teams as they moved down the Hudson River is cool. And the overhead shots of the sculls racing along provide a pleasing images.

A big negative: Director George Clooney chose Joel Edgerton to play Al Ulbrickson, coach of the University of Washington crew team. The team goes on—spoiler alert—to represent the U.S. at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Sorry, but to me it just seems wrong to cast as the leader of Team USA… an Aussie! No disrespect to Edgerton, a fine actor, but were there no Americans available for this role? 

That’s not as bad as Ava DuVarney’s casting of Brits to play MLK, LBJ and George Wallace in her movie Selma. That still stinks!

Another positive: The Boys in the Boat is rated PG-13. So you can take the whole family. There’s romance that’s sweet and innocent and only one veiled reference to sex (but it’s married couple sex, so that’s okay.) Little kids might be amused if they’ve never seen any of these kinds of stories. And even 90-somethings might dig a movie set within their lifespans. But overall, this is ground that has be trod by makers of sports movies time and time again. Although… there are not many films about rowing. (Unless you count the rowing in the recent Lessons in Chemistry.)

If Nana loved Emma Stone in La La Land and thinks that the movie Poor Things looks interesting, steer her instead to The Boys in the Boat. She may nod off during TBITB, but she is also less likely to walk out ashen-faced.

The Boys in the Boat is the kind of movie that Nick Saban might take his Bama team to see the night before they face Michigan. It emphasizes teamwork, stick-to-it-ivness, conditioning and all that. Or, maybe not, since it’s a lily-white cast of characters. As mentioned before, and merits mentioning again, the film is rated PG-13.

Leave a comment

2023 Movies… Favorites and others

It was great to get back into theaters this year and see movies on the big screen!

I’ve put the movies I saw this year into three groups:

MOVIES I LIKED A LOT…

John Wick Chapter 4. Not just an orgy of violence, it is ballet. The cast, the stunts, the locations, the story… wow! Keanu Reeves and company deliver one of the best action movies I’ve ever seen.

The Holdovers. Clever story and script, strong performances, some good laughs and a big dose of humanity make this a perfect movie for grown-ups. Paul Giamatti is excellent as usual.

American Fiction. A comedy about white guilt and those people who exploit it—both black and white. It’s also a family story with Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown as siblings and Leslie Uggams as their mom. Opens in St. Louis in January.

Oppenheimer. Big movie. Loud. The physicist’s life is divided into two parts: pre-bomb and post-bomb. Director/writer Christopher Nolan crams a lot of narrative into three hours. Robert Downey Jr.’s explosive performance likely to be among this film’s award winners. Not only was this film a critical success, it did huge box office numbers too.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3. More fun with this odd cast of characters, each of whom is developed more fully here. Loved the art direction and the song choices. 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. With references to previous Indy movies and lots of entertaining chase scenes. The use of time travel as a plot device is weak but the movie checks most of the boxes we’ve known and loved in the Indiana Jones series. Welcome back, Dr. Jones!

The Burial. Jamie Foxx is excellent as a personal injury lawyer who takes funeral home owner Tommy Lee Jones as a client. 

MOVIES I LIKED SOMEWHAT…

Dumb Money. Better job of telling its story than expected. Paul Dano is great, as usual. 

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Weird time of life for all kids, especially girls. Classic teen book finally gets the screen treatment it deserves.

Champions. Woody Harrelson in a movie with heart. He coaches a basketball team of developmentally challenged kids. 

Cocaine Bear. Silly, goofy, fun. And Ray Liotta!

The Last Voyage of the Demeter. A slow build horror film. Nicely executed.

Book Club: The Next Chapter. Basically a raunchier version of a Hallmark movie with bigger stars. Candace Bergen is the standout among the four senior actresses.

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One. Effects and stunts triumph over story and characters. I was more impressed by the Rome chase than the dangling train bit.

Napoleon. Has its moments. Spectacular battle scenes. 

Priscilla. Her side of the story. The woman in the title role (Cailee Spaeny) did a nice job but that whole relationship was creepy. 

The Exorcist: Believer. Some good scary moments. And Ellyn Burstyn’s return.

No Hard Feelings. Jennifer Lawrence has charisma and range. Several good laughs.

The Flash. Highlight of the film is Michael Keaton’s return as Batman.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Chris Pine is good but what the heck is Hugh Grant doing in this movie?

MOVIES I DID NOT LIKE…

Asteroid City. Wes Anderson overload. Pointless.

Five Nights at Freddy’s. Not scary. Josh Hutcherson’s overacting gets tedious.

Strays. Cute idea, dumb execution.

The Boys in the Boat. Sports movie clichés aplenty. I was bored.

Renfield. Nic Cage is fun but this horror flick had little charm for me.

Can’t wait to see what 2024 has to offer!

Leave a comment

Napoleon

Ridley Scott’s new film Napoleon is the kind of movie that’s not often made anymore. It’s a historical drama with epic battles, gorgeous costumes, spectacular palaces, luxurious coaches, romance and a beheading. (Spoiler alert: the film opens with Marie Antoinette getting the neat neck slice.) This is a big movie with big ambitions.

Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) is a successful military leader (well, up until overplaying his hand in the battle of Waterloo). He combines his bravery, his military skills with his political acumen to become Emperor of France during this period of French turmoil. 

He spots, woos and weds Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) and goes to work trying to sire an offspring but she is unable to bear him a child. (Their lovemaking is depicted in a less than erotic and seemingly functional manner.)

Napoleon appears to have, as they used to say, “a cast of thousands,” in some of its battle scenes. Or, in these days of clever effects and AI trickery, maybe a bunch of soldiers and horses copied and pasted over and over. In any case, the war scenes are violent and bloody. Some of the distant shots of camps and hordes of advancing troops are obviously manipulated, but the closeup warfare looks good and many sequences are memorable.

Despite all his accomplishments, Napoleon was responsible for a great number of lives lost on battlefields. The film’s end notes offer up a scorecard of sorts listing casualty totals, a number that led to his being sent to live out the last few years of his life in exile on the island of St. Helena.

A question that arises is… Is Joaquin Phoenix the right guy to play Napoleon? Napoleon is a complex character; so is Joaquin. He’s a big star, yes, and a recent Oscar winner. He’s had box office and critical success. And having him cast in the role was likely a major reason the movie was able to get made. But as I watched the movie, I kept wondering if Ridley Scott had considered others for the role or was he locked in on Phoenix from the get-go? 

Maybe that thought occurred because of the handful of laugh-out-loud moments in the movie that  would not have been included in an epic, spectacle movie like this just a few decades ago. 

Because of the grand scale of the battles in Napoleon, this film should be seen on a movie theater screen. The same has been said of several films that have been released this year but in this case the suggestion is one to seriously consider. Of course Napoleon will be on streaming platforms shortly but if you can catch it on a big screen, do so.

Napoleon is not a “must-see” film but… if you enjoy those big, epic films and if you are a Joaquin Phoenix fan, go for it. Rated R.

Leave a comment

The Holdovers

The Holdovers is funny. AND it has loads of genuine humanity. Once the film’s situation is set up, you’re likely to guess how things might turn out. But getting there is, as they say, half the fun. Go see this movie!

Paul Hunham, the main character in The Holdovers, is a person I (and, presumably, you as well) would not like in real life. But because this unlikable schlub is played by the great Paul Giamatti, well, you figure from the outset that he might have some redeeming values.

He’s a teacher at a residential private boys school in New England in 1970. He is not popular with his students nor with the school’s leadership. As the boys get ready for Christmas break he saddles them with homework. And when break begins, he’s the one faculty member tapped to supervise the few who are not headed home for the holidays. They are the holdovers.

Soon several of the young men are whisked away in a wealthy parent’s helicopter, leaving Hunham with just one student, the angsty Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) along with the school’s cook Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

The forced interactions between Hunham and Tully lead to a series of episodes on and off campus, some with other school staff and townies. Mary Lamb is mourning the recent loss of her son in Vietnam. Her interplay with the two men becomes a bigger part of the story than is signaled early on.

Through their time in close quarters with one another, portions of their backstories are revealed, some with surprising details. Without tipping too much of the story line, there are risks taken by each of the three that bring about, um, interesting outcomes.

This performance ranks among Paul Giamatti’s best and he is an actor who has played numerous memorable roles. My wife and I enjoyed Randolph as a sassy police detective in Only Murders In The Building. And Sessa is a rookie in his first movie appearance!

The Holdovers is directed by Alexander Payne who also directed two of my favorite films, The Descendants and Nebraska. Sideways (also with Giamatti) and Election are also highlights of his resumé. The original screenplay is by David Hemingson. It is rated R for language.

(The film’s wintry setting has helped me get ready for some snowfall. And credit to all concerned for avoiding any anachronisms. It looks like 1970.)

Leave a comment

The Exorcist: Believer

The Exorcist: Believer is intense. You don’t have to actually believe in demonic possession to get a bit unnerved by the the film’s climax. And it’s not just the climax that makes The Exorcist: Believer a movie that merits your attention.

Director David Gordon Green bakes in tension from the film’s opening image of two dogs fighting, to the depiction of the 2010 Haitian earthquake, to a neighbor yelling about garbage cans, to siblings arguing on the way to school, to two girls making a questionable after school choice. 

From a setting of apparent domestic bliss enjoyed by Angela (Lidya Jewett) and her single dad Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.), this young girl and her friend Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) step into misfortune when they walk home from school through a wooded area. They are discovered three days later, cowering in a horse stall on a farm. When they are brought to a hospital, the real trouble begins.

While the girls are missing, Victor has less than pleasant dealings with Katherine’s parents Miranda (Jennifer Nettles) and Tony (Norbert Leo Butz), who make their strong Christian beliefs known immediately. In short order, it becomes obvious that something terrible has affected the girls. 

In the film’s second act, nurse Ann (Ann Dowd) reveals to Victor that Angela somehow knew that the woman was once on track to become a nun but had her dream derailed when she became pregnant. 

Victor tracks down Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) who had written a book about demonic possession. She, of course, is the mom from the 1973 film The Exorcist. She offers hope to Victor, tells him she doesn’t know where her daughter Regan is, and she comes to Katherine’s home to see if she can provide in-person help.

Victor prepares his home for the exorcism. The girls are strapped in. Their parents stand by apprehensively. A Catholic priest is recruited but says the diocese recommends psychiatric help for the girls instead. When he bows out, Ann takes over. Also on hand are Katherine’s Baptist pastor (Raphael Sbarge), a voodoo type healer (Okwui Okpokwasili) and a Pentecostal pastor (Danny McCarthy). 

This team effort produces a frightening mixture of fury and sound with smoke and flames and screams and images and general tumult. The effect IS unnerving. 

This film is said to be a direct sequel to that 50-years-ago movie that gave audience members adverse reactions, with many leaving the theaters and throwing up.

In the half century since William Friedkin’s massive hit, filmgoers have been exposed to lots of horrible things on movie screens. Which means the new Exorcist film does not have the immensely shocking impact of its predecessor. But it does generate an emotional response. 

Hats off to the two young girls for whom these roles had to be challenging. Will their performances affect their future lives? TBD. Ann Dowd’s work in this film is impressive. And how cool to see Ellen Burstyn who was approaching her 90th birthday when she filmed her scenes!

The Exorcist: Believer is rated R.

Leave a comment

Dumb Money

This is a real movie! One might be forgiven for figuring a film starring the likes of Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen etc. with a title like Dumb Money to be a silly trifle. Yes, it has some laughs but this movie has a story, told well.

The title is a term supposedly used by big time hedge fund traders to refer to small time individual stock traders. The hedge fund folks trade in such huge volume that their influence is massive. In 2020 and 2021, a movement led by a nerdy guy in suburban Boston pushed up the price of Gamestop stock. 

Keith Gill (Paul Dano) AKA Roaring Kitty is that guy. The film also focuses on fictional folks who get into the market, mainly via the Robinhood app, and ride with Gill to keep buying Gamestop stock. Among the actors portraying those citizen stock traders are America Ferrara as a hardworking early Covid era nurse and Anthony Ramos as a clerk in a Gamestop store.

The hedge fund guys figure to make money by shorting the Gamestop stock, betting that it will crash. Real life money men, shown living in luxurious surroundings, are Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen), Ken Griffin (Nick Offerman) and Steve Cohen (Vincent D’Onofrio looking quite different from how you’ve seen him before).

Davidson is Keith Gill, Kevin’s brother. He has my favorite line in the movie—sorry for spoiling—when he tells his parents, “Doordash IS a real job. I’m a first responder!” 

Also in the cast are Shailene Woodley as Kevin’s wife and Sebastian Stan as Vlad Tenev, one of the co-founders of Robinhood. (Robinhood gets a considerable amount of credit/blame for the volatility of Gamestop stock. The fictional traders become upset when the app shuts down trading in a credit crunch.)

Director Craig Gillespie punctuates Dumb Money with internet meme videos and TV news clips—some genuine, others cleverly constructed. The film moves quickly with segments that jump between scenarios to an energetic hip-hop soundtrack. 

Dumb Money begs comparison with the 2015 film The Big Short which told the story of people who made money while many Americans suffered financial losses—many even lost their homes! during the housing crisis of the late aughts. Dumb Money actually does a better job of relating what happened during these more recent events than The Big Short did telling what happened in this century’s first decade. The Big Short has many memorable scenes and a stunning cast but did not detail the big picture, admittedly complicated, as clearly as it should have. The script for Dumb Money is by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo from the non-fiction book The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich. 

Among the film’s executive producers are the Winklevoss twins, made famous in the 2010 film The Social Network. Dumb Money is rated R. No nudity but lots of language. 

Leave a comment

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Horror films tend to fall into two main categories: cheesy and over the top or lower key and brooding. The Last Voyage Of The Demeter is of the latter variety. Creepy, yes, with peril lurking but revealing itself gradually. The film takes itself seriously—no winking at the audience.

The title is a bit of a spoiler. The onscreen text at the film’s opening is more of a spoiler. But, even if you know the ultimate outcome—as with Titanic or Apollo 13—the journey and its challenges and surprises provide the cruxes of the tale. 

The story, adapted from a chapter of Bram Stoker’s book Dracula, has hints of trouble from the loading of cargo onto the Demeter at an Aegean port. A wooden box with a curious logo falls and is about to hit young Toby (Woody Norman) when Clemens (Cory Hawkins) saves the kid from certain death. When another would-be crew member bails, Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) adds Clemens to the ship’s crew.

As the Demeter prepares to embark on its voyage to London, Toby (and dog Huckleberry) gives Clemons a tour of the lower section including the livestock pens and the cargo hold. The ship looks great in the film, above and below deck. There’s cautious camaraderie among the sailors. First mate Wojchek (David Dastmalchian) is a bit severe. Cook Joseph (Jon Jon Briones) is quite religious. 

Liam Cunningham who was Davos Seaworth in Game Of Thrones, seems to channel Sean Connery a bit in his portrayal of Captain Eliot. (Although Connery was Scottish and Cunningham is Irish.)

In short order, bad things start to happen. Among them, the discovery of a stowaway (Aisling Franciosi). A woman on board is considered bad luck by the crew. Clemons, a med school graduate, helps nurse her out of unconsciousness. She provides clues as to the source evil presence aboard the ship. The livestock is attacked and killed.

Director André Øvredal reveals small glimpses of Dracula which become more complete leading up the film’s climax. Each of the crew members has a confrontation with Drac. The outcomes are not good, some worse than others. 

Without tipping too much in this review, the final scene of the film is, to a certain extent, satisfying. 

The script by Bragi F. Schut and Zak Olkewicz was in so-called “development Hell” for nearly twenty years, per Wikipedia. A round of applause for those Hollywood folks who actually got this movie made!

Interesting credit on the film’s end scroll… for “Covid Marshalls.” The film was shot in 2021, shortly after we all got our first two vaccine shots. You did get your shots, right? 

Leave a comment