tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39963539441206673862024-03-20T19:54:09.533-04:00Pop Culture ScribeShlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.comBlogger941125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-90030269581625517472024-03-20T19:51:00.003-04:002024-03-20T19:51:33.731-04:00March Movies Part 2: The Taste of Things & Irish Wish<p>Today I present you with both a high-brow option and a low-brow option. Watch one, watch them both, either way you will have a grand time!</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/La_Passion_de_Dodin_Bouffant_2023_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="269" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/La_Passion_de_Dodin_Bouffant_2023_film_poster.jpg" width="235" /></a></b></div><b>The Taste of Things: </b>Written and directed by Tran Anh Hung, and starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel, this film was France’s official entry to the Oscars. When you sit down to watch it, please ensure you have already eaten or have plenty of snacks on hand because you are going to be starving by the end of it.<p></p><p>Set in 1889 on a French country estate, this is a story of Dodin (Magimel) and his cook, Eugenie (Binoche), two people who are obsessed with preparing incredible meals. They are also lovers, but while Dodin wants to get married, Eugenie doesn't see the point. Her life is perfect as is, why ruin it with marriage? Over the course of two hours, you will be treated to sumptuous, languid scenes of these two people (assisted by a woman named Violette and her young niece, Pauline, who proves to be a culinary wunderkind) making delicious meals. These scenes were all shot using real food instead of cinematically staged items, and there is no soundtrack except for the sound of vegetables being chopped, meats sizzling on the stove, and wine being splashed into a pan. Sidenote, my fiance, who was a chef in a former life, would routinely call out the next step in the recipes they were preparing, and he would be right. So, the script is certainly brimming with culinary accuracy.</p><p>There is plenty of interpersonal drama afoot, but everything between the humans takes place in the background while the food is the delicious foreground. This is a contemplative, lush film and I can't imagine anyone would have any regrets when watching it. Well except that they are now very, very hungry.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Irish_Wish_film_poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Irish_Wish_film_poster.png" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>Irish Wish:</b> From the sublime to the ridiculous. Directed by Janeen Damian, with a script from Kirsten Hansen, this is Lindsay Lohan's latest Netflix romcom. And frankly, I am quite charmed that this is the direction she has chosen for her career. One can never get enough of silly romances that take place in spectacular settings, and this one certainly delivers.<p></p><p>Lohan plays Maddie, a book editor who is hopelessly in love with Paul Kennedy (Alexander Vlahos), an Irish author whose book she has helped write. Unfortunately, she doesn't tell him about her true feelings, and at the book launch, he is charmed by her best friend, Emma (Elizabeth Tan). After a whirlwind courtship, the two are headed to Ireland to get married, and Maddie is on her way as a bridesmaid. When she gets there, she goes on a tour of the scenic countryside, happens upon a magical "wishing chair," wishes that Paul was marrying her instead, and when she wakes up the next day...well, you see where we're going, right?</p><p>What follows is your standard set of tropes about getting what you wished for, which makes you understand what you should have actually wished for. There's a handsome Englishman, James Thomas (Ed Speelers), who is serving as the wedding photographer, but...you can see where that's going, right? This film is spectacularly dumb and spectacularly splendid, and if you're not sprawling on the couch and watching it this weekend, you really have not made good life choices. I watched it to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and while I'm sure Irish people are mortally offended by this film, I had a swell time!</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-79841439928755829762024-03-17T18:33:00.001-04:002024-03-20T19:52:47.604-04:00March Movies Part 1: Dune Part Two, The Eras Tour, Lift<p>Well the Oscars are over so it’s back to watching a hodgepodge of films for me. I managed to watch one in theatres and the rest on streaming so read on to find out what might float your boat this month.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Dune_Part_Two_poster.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Dune_Part_Two_poster.jpeg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>Dune: Part Two</b>: If you saw <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2021/11/fantastical-films-dune-french-dispatch.html">Dune</a>, then you already know what you're getting into right? I don't really know what to tell you about this film. First off, it's nearly three hours long. So surely that is already a bridge too far. Did I think this movie needed to be three hours long? Absolutely not. Did I think it was filled with sci-fi jim jams, Game of Thrones tropes, and truly spectacular desert cinematography interspersed with lots of lingering shots of beautiful actors looking out onto the vista or at each other with ambiguous intent? Absolutely yes. <p></p><p>Listen, this is a long fantasy epic that feels exactly like the first movie except now we spend way more time in the desert riding a bunch of phallic-seeming sandworms. This movie is...fine. I sat through it all, enjoyed all the cinematic sequences, and remembered exactly 5% of it after I left. It looked like a lot of effort went into putting it together, and I'm sure the fans of the novel are so spectacularly glad to have this cinematic ode to it, much like I was when the Lord of the Rings movies were coming out. So this is not my jam, but if you're a Dune person? Go ahead and run to the theaters.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Taylor_Swift_The_Eras_Tour_film_promotional_poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="258" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Taylor_Swift_The_Eras_Tour_film_promotional_poster.png" width="213" /></a></b></div><b>The Eras Tour</b>: Um, again, you already know what you're getting into right? It's a 3-hour concert film and Taylor Swift is going to go through all of her greatest hits. As someone who only got into her music when she released the <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2020/08/folklore-album-of-year.html">Folklore</a> album, I definitely spent the majority of this movie waiting for the Folklore section to come up. But there were plenty of good bops along the way that I recognized from their periodic resurgence on the UK Top 40 and other pop culture tidbits that have been popping up throughout the year as this record-setting tour took over the United States. I might not be a Swiftie, but I don't live under a rock people. <p></p><p>This concert is an absolute extravaganza and is choreographed to perfection. Swift is the consummate entertainer, and between the production design, costumes, and yes, the music, this is definitely an incredible way to spend a long weekend afternoon. Obviously, having some knowledge of Swift's music is helpful, but as long as you know some of the songs, I highly recommend you give this film a watch. If nothing else, you can feel like you're part of the zeitgeist without having to bankrupt yourself for actual concert tickets. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c0/Lift_2024_poster.webp/259px-Lift_2024_poster.webp.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c0/Lift_2024_poster.webp/259px-Lift_2024_poster.webp.png" width="259" /></a></b></div><b>Lift</b>: Do I remember 5% of this movie? Um, maybe less. But is it a perfectly serviceable action thriller when you're home and on the couch and need a new Netflix jam? You bet!<p></p><p>Kevin Hart plays Cyrus, a high-end thief who is enlisted by Abby (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a former flame who now works for Interpol (of course), to help her catch an evil billionaire with a plot to take over the world (of course). The plot involves an NFT heist, so this is definitely a movie of our times, but otherwise the rest of it is a standard series of tropes and action set pieces throughout Europe, including some shenanigans in Venice, which is always a grand place to have some chase sequences. Will you be surprised by anything in this movie? No. But will you be entertained? Sort of!</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-69131375598597119862024-03-04T17:23:00.001-05:002024-03-04T17:23:46.377-05:00And the 2024 Oscar Goes To...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/af/96th_Academy_Awards_Poster.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="248" height="367" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/af/96th_Academy_Awards_Poster.jpeg" width="248" /></a></div>Yup, another year has passed and I'm back with my Oscar hot takes. Barbenheimer was the cinematic event of 2023, but we still live in a patriarchy, so the wrong movie seems to be nabbing all the kudos during awards season. Le sigh. Follow along for more feminist ranting below!<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><b>Best Picture</b>: Overall, this is a solid list of films, featuring powerful stories, tremendous performances, and a real range of genres. My personal pick for the Best Picture of 2023? <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2023/06/past-lives-heartbreaking-romance.html">Past Lives</a>, hands down. That movie made me feel more feelings than I had felt in eons. It has zero chance of winning Best Picture this year, which is a real shame, but I'm glad it at least nabbed a nomination. My pick for runner-up is a tie between <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2023/07/july-movies-part-3-barbie-oppenheimer.html">Barbie</a> and <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2023/11/november-highlights-part-1-holdovers.html">The Holdovers</a>, two movies that I absolutely loved, that both feature comical performances but oh so much soul. And who also owe a great deal to their wonderful production design - one is very pink and vibrant, the other is capturing New England in the middle of a blizzard, and it's all perfect for telling a story about humans and/or dolls and their everyday struggles. <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2023/12/december-movies-part-4-anatomy-of-fall.html">American Fiction</a> and <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2023/12/december-movies-part-4-anatomy-of-fall.html">Anatomy of a Fall</a> are tied for third place - one is an insane and incisive comedy, the other is a moody French courtroom drama. They couldn't be more different from each other, but they both were wildly unique and entertaining and had me glued to the screen. Then we have <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2024/01/january-jams-part-1-poor-things-color.html">Poor Things</a> and <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2024/02/february-films-part-1-nyad-rustin-zone.html">The Zone of Interest</a>, again, two wildly different movies, but both of which tell extremely compelling stories. These are good movies, and they have been feted by critics, but while they certainly had interesting moments and featured some brilliant feats of storytelling, production design, and sound design, neither film was consistent throughout the entire runtime, and I would find my attention wavering at various points. And then finally we have <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2024/01/january-jams-part-2-iron-claw-maestro.html">Maestro</a>, <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2023/07/july-movies-part-3-barbie-oppenheimer.html">Oppenheimer</a>, and <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2023/10/october-offerings-part-2-killers-of.html">Killers of the Flower Moon</a>, a trio that I would categorize as "important" pictures directed by white male "auteurs." Maestro was probably the most entertaining of the three, but maybe that was because I could watch it leisurely at home on Netflix and revel in some of its funnier moments and flourishes. Oppenheimer held some interest for me as a former scientist, but lost me with its moral ambiguity and extreme maleness. Yet, somehow, it is the frontrunner to win this award, which I find tremendously annoying. And Killers of the Flower Moon? Sigh. I don't care how much you tell me that it is centering Native American stories. It is still mostly just about white men exploiting Native Americans and that's a hard pass from me. Especially if you're going to tell that story for an interminable three and a half hours. <br /><br /><b>Best Director</b>: So, in a year where three of the Best Picture nominees were directed by women, we still only nominated one woman for Best Director? Cool. Cool, cool, cool. As such, I am rooting for Justine Triet to win for Anatomy of a Fall, but the chance of that happening is 0%. I would have loved for Celine Song or Greta Gerwig to pick up the statuette for Past Lives or Barbie, but that is not to be. Instead, it seems like Christopher Nolan might have the edge for Oppenheimer, which...fine. Not because I liked this movie, but because I have loved his previous movies, and he has never won Best Director in the past. So this is more of a lifetime achievement award. I certainly don't think Martin Scorsese needs another Oscar for Killers of the Flowers Moon. Yorgos Lanthimos and Jonathan Glazer have both done creative and inspiring work in Poor Things and The Zone of Interest so I wouldn't be mad if they won, but again, I didn't particularly love those movies. As far as I'm concerned, none of these nominees are my pick for Best Director this year, so bah humbug.<br /><br /><b>Best Actress</b>: Lily Gladstone seems to be a lock for Killers of the Flower Moon, and while I hated that movie, I can't fault her performance in it, so I am down to hand her the award. I do think Sandra Huller was masterful in Anatomy of a Fall, having to act in three languages and be insanely ambiguous throughout so you are always questioning her motives. Plus she was also in The Zone of Interest, delivering a chilling performance as a Nazi - what a year she has had. Emma Stone was incredible in Poor Things, delivering a full-body performance that relied on her speech and physicality to convey the evolution and growth of the protagonist. Annette Bening was great in <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2024/02/february-films-part-1-nyad-rustin-zone.html">Nyad</a>, and Carey Mulligan was fine in Maestro. Overall, a wonderfully strong category, but Gladstone's going to win and make history, and that will be great.<br /><br /><b>Best Actor</b>: Cillian Murphy has this locked for Oppenheimer, and much like Nolan, I'm willing to go along with this as more of a lifetime achievement award. He does fine work in this film, so even if I didn't like the movie, I can't fault the actor. Personally, I would love to see Jeffrey Wright win for American Fiction, but at least he finally got a nomination. Likewise with Colman Domingo, who has been popping up in everything lately and seems fated to win an Oscar in the very near future. He was wonderful in <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2024/02/february-films-part-1-nyad-rustin-zone.html">Rustin</a>, but he will not be able to stop the Oppenheimer express. Paul Giamatti also delivers an absolutely brilliant performance in The Holdovers - again, this is a strong category, but the frontrunner is running away with it.<br /><br /><b>Best Supporting Actress</b>: Da'Vine Joy Randolph is going to win for The Holdovers, and I am 100% on board. She is phenomenal in that movie - I keep thinking back to one wordless scene she has with her sister that manages to convey an entire relationship within a few seconds. I'm very glad America Ferrera was nominated for her epic monologue in Barbie, and both Danielle Brooks and Jodie Foster delivered searing performances in <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2024/01/january-jams-part-1-poor-things-color.html">The Color Purple</a> and Nyad respectively, so I was happy to see them get recognized. I love Emily Blunt, but her role in Oppenheimer certainly wasn't anything to write home about, so good for her, but also, *shrug.* Let's go Da'Vine!<br /><br /><b>Best Supporting Actor</b>: Robert Downey Jr. appears to be the foregone conclusion here for Oppenheimer. For the life of me, I cannot tell you why. Every year, people rally around some film or performance that I find so perplexing, and this category is the one where I find myself most confused. Why would you award Downey or Robert De Niro for Killers of the Flower Moon, when you could be giving a statue to Sterling K. Brown for his engaging work in American Fiction, or Ryan Gosling for playing a freakin' Ken doll? Mark Ruffalo was decidedly weird in Poor Things and I wouldn't say he was "acting" so much as he was hamming it up, so I'll pass on that. This category is just a mystery to me. I will be scheduling my bathroom break for when they hand it out.<br /><br /><b>Best Original Screenplay</b>: I dearly hope Celine Song wins for Past Lives. But Justine Triet and Arthur Harari seem more likely for Anatomy of a Fall. Which is fair, but still. Justice for Past Lives! I wouldn't be mad by a win for David Hemingson for The Holdovers, but I'll pass on Maestro and <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2023/12/december-movies-part-1-killer-may.html">May December</a>. That's all I have to say about that. <br /><br /><b>Best Adapted Screenplay</b>: This category is WILD. It is ridiculous that Barbie is nominated here when it's one of the most Original movies I've seen, but that's the wild and wacky Oscars for you. I would love for Greta Gerwig to take home a statue for this screenplay, but I have no idea who is going to win here - the current favorite appears to be Cord Jefferson for American Fiction, which I absolutely cannot quibble about. Obviously, I am not rooting for Oppenheimer, and I am lukewarm on Poor Things and The Zone of Interest. So I am certainly looking forward to seeing who gets this award on Sunday night, because it might be the only one where I'm genuinely surprised and delighted. <br /><br />That's all for the major categories. A <b>Best Sound</b> win for The Zone of Interest would be cool as that's the only movie where I actually paid attention to the Sound Design, and I would love for Barbie to at least get some love for <b>Best Costume Design</b> and <b>Best Production Design</b>. It has been a rather staid run-up to the event, with all the same people nabbing the awards over and over again, so this promises to be a rather boring ceremony. I'll be hoping for some lovely speeches from deserving winners, but I wouldn't say no to some spectacular upset where suddenly Barbie and Past Lives end up beating out Oppenheimer for everything. Hey, if there's one thing Barbie taught me, it's that a girl can dream.Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-36940369963265361212024-02-25T14:20:00.006-05:002024-02-25T14:20:55.453-05:00February Films Part 2: Lisa Frankenstein, Drive-Away Dolls, Next Goal Wins, Bank of Dave, Nai Nai & Wai Po<p>This month has featured a real hodgepodge of films so here's an update on two films in theaters, and three you can catch on streaming if it's too cold to leave the house.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Lisa-frankenstein.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Lisa-frankenstein.jpeg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>Lisa Frankenstein: </b>I saw this film and I promptly forgot all about it until I sat down to write this review. So that is certainly not a ringing endorsement Directed by Zelda Williams and written by Diablo Cody, this film is a genre mash-up set in the 1980s, that tells the story of Lisa (Kathryn Newton), a teenage girl who suffered a personal trauma when her mother was murdered and now is having a hard time getting along with her father's new wife (played to catty perfection by Carla Gugino). Her new stepsister, Taffy (Liza Soberano), is very kind, but is also a very cheerful cheerleader, which doesn't quite gel with Lisa's whole silent gothic vibe. Of course, Lisa loves hanging out at the local cemetery, and one day, during a storm, a lightning strikes animates the corpse of a Victorian-era man who was buried there (played by Cole Sprouse). He shows up at Lisa's house and she must hide him away in her bedroom. What follows is a bit of a high school tale, a bit of a romcom, a bit of gothic horror, and a whole lot of 80's tropes. <p></p><p>The story is quite the hodgepodge and is all a bit aimless and forgettable. Everything seems very comic until it all gets very murderous towards the end. The most notable thing about this film is the aesthetic - it's definitely an homage to Lisa Frank, and every frame is suffused in vibrant fun colors that make this film always a pleasure to look at, even if it isn't always a pleasure to watch. I wouldn't recommend watching it in theaters, but if you need a bit of a diversion, or if teen gothic comedy horror is your jam, your mileage may vary.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/Driveaway_dolls_poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/Driveaway_dolls_poster.png" width="215" /></a></b></div><b>Drive-Away Dolls: </b>Directed by Ethan Coen, who also co-wrote the screenplay with his wife Tricia Cooke, this movie is set in 1999 and stars the spectacular duo of Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as two lesbians who unwittingly steal a valuable briefcase and are now on the run from all the unsavory folk who are trying to retrieve it. Many hijinks ensue, including various delightful cameos from award-winning actors.<p></p><p>This movie is exactly what you would expect from a Coen brother. It's a little raunchy, a little bloody, and a whole lot silly. You are not going to be able to predict what is in that suitcase and why. Ultimately, that's not even very important, because the point of this film is to watch these two women on a road trip, learning to navigate their different approaches to getting laid at lesbian bars, and teaming up to defeat some incompetent gangsters. This is such a spectacularly queer movie, and all it cares about is exploring how women fall in love and/or lust, while the men are just a bunch of buffoons causing unnecessary violence. It's a diverting and fun two hours at the movies and certainly is the most unique experience you can hope to have this month. Down with the patriarchy!</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/Next_goal_wins_2023.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/Next_goal_wins_2023.png" width="213" /></a></b></div><b>Next Goal Wins:</b> Directed by Taika Waititi who also co-wrote the screenplay with Iain Morris, this movie is everything you may have expected from the trailer. It's an underdog sports story, based on the true story of the American Samoa football team, who were the worst football team in the world. They had never scored a goal in international competition, so the President of the country's Football Association, Tavita (played here by the incredible Oscar Kightley), decided to advertise for a coach from the US. He got Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), a man who had coached several US MLS teams but was currently being banished to American Samoa for increasingly volatile behavior. So now we have a mean coach with a chip on his shoulder, and a team of lovable misfits who have never scored a single goal. Can you see where this is all going?<p></p><p>You're going to get training montages, heartbreak, inspirational monologues, disappointments, triumphs, and a lot of personal growth. There's a whole journey in the coach's relationship with Jaiyah Saelua (Kaimana), a non-binary fa'afafine member of the team, who ended up being the first trans player in international soccer. There's a lot of cultural adjustment that needs to happen and plenty of mockery of this white man and his preconceived notions of Samoans. This is not a surprising or revolutionary movie by any means, but it is certainly a fun treat if you love this particular film genre and need a great team of underdogs to root for.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Poster_for_Bank_of_Dave_(2023).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="291" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Poster_for_Bank_of_Dave_(2023).jpg" width="271" /></a></b></div><b>Bank of Dave:</b> Speaking of rooting for the underdog, here's another wonderful tale of a man who went up against unscrupulous British bankers after the 2008 global financial crisis. This movie tells the true-ish story (and that "ish" is doing a LOT of work here, because this movie is heavily fictionalized) of Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear), a successful businessman from Burnley who started lending money to friends and members of the local community when they were getting turned down for bank loans. He loaned out nearly a million pounds and every single person returned his money back to him. So he comes up with the idea of setting up a local bank that would serve the community and give all profits back to local charities. However, in order to set up a bank, you need a banking license, so he hires a lawyer named Hugh (Joel Fry) to help with all the paperwork. Together, the two of them embark on a real David vs Goliath quest against the London regulators, who haven't approved a new banking license in over 150 years.<p></p><p>Written by Piers Ashworth and directed by Chris Foggin, this is a great story about taking down the establishment, tearing down the banking boy's club, and arguing for more socialism and less late-stage capitalism. It has a lot of "eat the rich" energy, and as someone who works for a British bank, you know I enjoyed all the sections talking about capital requirements and compliance. But overall, this is just a sweet, fun, typically British film about fighting for what's right, and having a small town in the North go up against greedy rich men in London. It's charming, there's a romance subplot with Phoebe Dynevor from <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2020/12/bridgerton-rapturous-regency-romance.html">Bridgerton</a>, and Hugh Bonneville gets to swan about as an evil villain called Sir Charles. I ate it up with a big ol' spoon - how could you not?!</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Nai-Nai-WaiPo.jpg?w=1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Nai-Nai-WaiPo.jpg?w=1000" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>Nai Nai and Wai Po: </b>Don't have hours to spare to watch a movie? How about 17 minutes to watch a thoroughly charming Oscar-nominated short film? Directed by Sean Wang, this is a movie about his two grandmothers, who live together in a house in California. They may have started out as in-laws, but over the years, these two women have developed a deep and abiding friendship, and now they regard each other as sisters, even sleeping in the same bed. They are 83 and 94 years old, and they look out for each other, ensuring that they still feel cared for and loved in their old age. With their grandson at home, making this film, their silliest and wisest selves are unleashed, and over the course of 17 minutes, you will be treated to two old ladies who have really cracked the code of aging with grace and humor. You simply must watch this film. It will make you laugh, help you embrace your mortality, and give you a whole new idea of how to plan out your retirement.<p></p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-36995727476138159412024-02-22T20:47:00.001-05:002024-02-22T20:47:23.104-05:00Australian Binges: Fisk & Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries<p>The globalization of streaming means that I have suddenly found myself watching more TV from other countries than just my usual fare of British panel shows. Turns out Australians are making some pretty great TV, so it's time for you to indulge in some of their work.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://occ-0-2794-2219.1.nflxso.net/dnm/api/v6/6AYY37jfdO6hpXcMjf9Yu5cnmO0/AAAABbreM7JHCI_dxgmzPphc83efUCWKGBhYwJoUtBls3z2TUlOnLURTpGp72nokGiZOT9GltXiRcHhHNm2fqzhWVpdRDx8M138r7OFe.jpg?r=c51" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://occ-0-2794-2219.1.nflxso.net/dnm/api/v6/6AYY37jfdO6hpXcMjf9Yu5cnmO0/AAAABbreM7JHCI_dxgmzPphc83efUCWKGBhYwJoUtBls3z2TUlOnLURTpGp72nokGiZOT9GltXiRcHhHNm2fqzhWVpdRDx8M138r7OFe.jpg?r=c51" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>Fisk:</b> Created by Kitty Flanagan and Vincent Sheehan, this is a riotously funny show about a lawyer named Helen Tudor-Fisk (played by Flanagan) who needs to get a new job in Melbourne after both her love life and her work life fall apart in Sydney. She finds a temp gig at Gruber & Gruber, a firm run by the brother-and-sister team of Ray and Roz Gruber (Marty Sheargold and Julia Zemiro), who are in need of another pair of hands since Roz has just been struck off the register and can't practice law anymore. They specialize in probate law, so Helen suddenly finds herself inundated with clients who are contesting wills and getting into legacy disputes. All of which is bit hard on her as she is emphatically not a people person and is now having to deal with people when they are particularly emotional. <p></p><p>The show is a hilarious workplace comedy that also has a giant beating heart. In just twelve episodes over two seasons, I fell hook, line, and sinker for the employees of this little law firm, as incompetent and zany as they may be, and the final scene truly brought a tear to my eye. These actors are absolute champions, and I desperately need to watch more seasons of this show ASAP because I am not ready to say goodbye to Melbourne. In the meantime, I'm going to be drafting up my will. If only I could get Fisk to help me.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Msfishertitlecard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="400" height="199" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Msfishertitlecard.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries: </b>I waxed poetic eleven years (!) ago on this blog about <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2013/12/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries-madcap.html">Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries</a>. Well, I only recently discovered that creators Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger developed a spin-off in 2019. We now have a new heroine, Peregrine Fisher (Geraldine Hakewell), who is the niece of the now-dead Phryne Fisher from the original series. Peregrine never knew her aunt, but Phryne left her whole estate to her, so she moves to Melbourne, meets her aunt's friends at The Adventuresses' Club, and suddenly discovers that she might have shared Phryne's knack for solving murder mysteries. And of course, there's the hot police detective, James Steed (Joel Jackson), that she teams up with, whether he likes it or not.<p></p><p>The time period for this show is the 1960s so the production design is superbly psychedelic and Peregrine's wardrobe is a ravishing delight. The first season consists of four episodes that are each almost 90 minutes long, so you're essentially watching four compelling films. In the second series, we get eight 45-minute episodes, and let me promise you, there is a great story arc. I was a little surprised at how quickly the love story progressed in the first episode of that second season, but rest assured, these writers are consummate professionals, and they know how to turn things around. Each episode deals with a very unique and interesting case, and they also try to feature diverse storylines featuring people from all walks of life who ended up in Australia during this particular period of history. It's a fun, preposterous, engaging, and delicious show, and I wish there was more I could watch. Sadly, they pulled the plug after those two seasons, but if you have missed Phryne Fisher, I can assure you, Peregrine is a wonderful substitute.</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-8361320475525305942024-02-11T17:52:00.001-05:002024-02-11T17:52:34.231-05:00February Films Part 1: Nyad, Rustin, The Zone of Interest<p>Yes, this is where you get reviews of all the Oscar-nominated films that were pending on my to-do list. I had a busy week getting caught up, and now you can read my reviews to see if you want to get caught up too.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/Nyad_film_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/Nyad_film_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>Nyad: </b>Written by Julia Cox and directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, this film tells the real-life story of Diana Nyad, a woman who completed a marathon swim from Cuba to Florida at the age of 64, a feat that she had previously failed as a young woman, and which no other swimmer had been able to complete in the intervening years. It's a remarkable story of perseverance and passion, and while I vaguely remember hearing about this story in the news, it was informative to spend two hours watching a movie about this woman and everything that needed to happen before she was able to accomplish this astonishing feat.<p></p><p>Annette Bening does an incredible job portraying Nyad, both in terms of the physicality of the role, but also conveying her slightly abrasive personality. It makes sense that in order to even think about such a feat, you need to have a slightly unhealthy level of self-confidence, and Diana can certainly be off-putting with her self-centeredness. As a counterbalance, therefore, we have Jodie Foster as her best friend and subsequently, coach, Bonnie Stoll, the stalwart right-hand woman who keeps the whole operation going and ensure that all Diana has to do is swim. </p><p>While this movie is a little clunky and the special effects can sometimes look pretty obvious, I was incredibly moved by Bening and Foster's performances, and can see why they have been nominated for Oscars. The friendship portrayed between these two women is so touching, and accompanied by Alexandre Desplat's score, there were definitely moments that moved me to tears. I don't know why I expected this to be a story of how Nyad accomplished the swim on her first try; there were several attempts, and watching the plan evolve, and the lessons learned as she undergoes horrors like jellyfish swarms, sharks, unpredictable currents, etc. was thrilling. This is a great movie about what humans can accomplish when they put their mind to it, but also how they cannot accomplish these things alone. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/RUSTIN_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/RUSTIN_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>Rustin: </b>Colman Domingo stars as Bayard Rustin, the gay civil rights leader who orchestrated 1963's March on Washington, the largest peaceful protest ever conducted to date. The movie briefly touches on earlier events in the 1950s when Rustin was a close collaborator of Martin Luther King's but was then forced to resign from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference after Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. threatened to leak rumors of a fake affair between Rustin and King. However, the movie then shifts to 1962 when Rustin gets the idea for this March and subsequently manages to use his powers of persuasion and organizational skills to accomplish this monumental feat of civil protest.<p></p><p>Written by Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black and directed by George C. Wolfe, this film highlights a Civil Rights pioneer that I had never heard of before. His sexual orientation played a big part in why he was relegated to roles behind-the-scenes, but the movie also points out how he truly believed in the cause and didn't mind taking a back seat as long as the work got done. This is a man who fought for what was right, didn't think any task was beneath him, and now rightfully deserves to be lauded for his phenomenal work that was instrumental in leading to the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. </p><p>While the subject matter seems heavy, the film has a deft touch, with Domingo never portentously weighing down proceedings but ensuring we always see the energy and enthusiasm Rustin brought to this work. Are there horrific flashbacks to his past? Of course, the man is both Black and gay, his life was not easy. But this movie is a celebration of a man who did important, history-changing work, and you'll walk away from it with a sense of quiet wonder.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/24/The_Zone_of_Interest_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/24/The_Zone_of_Interest_film_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>The Zone of Interest:</b> Written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, who loosely based the story on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis, this is a movie about Rudolf Hoss and his family. What's interesting about this family? Hoss was a Nazi and the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and he and his family lived in an idyllic house right next door to the camp. So what follows is a film that occasionally seems to tell a tale of domestic peace and tranquility, and then will chillingly feature a line of dialogue or just a sound that makes it clear these people are absolute monsters.<p></p><p>The most notable aspect of this film is its sound design. You start to notice that while you might be able to hear some birds twittering in the background, you can also hear gunshots and screams and burning furnaces. It's the ultimate sign of human indifference - these people live next to a concentration camp and the sounds of genocide have merely become background noise to them. However, other aspects of this film were a little too artsy and incomprehensible for me and didn't work as well in keeping me engaged. And while I greatly appreciated the first half of the film that took place within the house and garden, the second half where Hoss is stationed in another location and is mostly dealing with other Nazi generals felt like a much less necessary film that had nothing new to say. </p><p>Towards the end, there are some scenes where we see the modern-day Auschwitz Museum and the janitorial staff vacuuming the carpets and cleaning the windows of the exhibits. It is yet another chilling reminder of how the mundane business of living can be in such close proximity to such abject horror. This is a movie that has found a novel way to make you feel even more horrified by the Holocaust; while some of its ambitions far exceed its grasp, it still demands a viewing because it is so powerfully told.</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-11210882994764345632024-02-07T15:51:00.000-05:002024-02-07T15:51:27.254-05:002024 Plane Movies: Scrapper, Honor Society, Mafia MammaAnytime I take a vacation, I watch a bunch of movies on the plane. Sometimes they are not very good, but this time I got very lucky, with three rather surprisingly fun films that were filed under the category of "Movies Under Two Hours." I mean, what more could you want?<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a3/Scrapper_poster.jpg/330px-Scrapper_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="330" height="240" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a3/Scrapper_poster.jpg/330px-Scrapper_poster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Scrapper</b>: Written and directed by Charlotte Regan, this is a movie starring Lola Campbell as Georgie, a twelve-year-old girl who is living all by herself after her mother's death. Georgie has been lying to social services, claiming that she's living with her uncle, and no adults are aware of her current circumstances. Her best friend Ali (Alin Uzin) is well aware, but of course, hasn't told a soul, so the two of them have a grand time hanging out at her house and planning out their schemes to get rich by stealing bicycles and selling them for parts. Georgie is an extremely responsible child who is diligently paying the rent and cleaning the house, so there's no reason for anyone to suspect that anything's amiss, until her estranged father, Jason, comes home and discovers the current state of affairs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jason is played by the ubiquitous Harris Dickinson, who showed up in a bunch of films last year and is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. Here he does a wonderful job as a bit of a wastrel who didn't stick around to take care of his partner or their daughter but must now find a way to reconcile with this young girl who is a stranger to him. The two of them have an uneasy truce, mostly because Georgie can't afford to have him rat her out to social services, but as the movie progresses, a fragile bond gradually develops between these two lonely people. It's a funny, sweet, and moving film, simply told, with heartfelt performances from its two lead actors. Lola Campbell is definitely a revelation and I look forward to seeing what she does next. Till then, just marvel at her work in this film.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Honor_Society_2022_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Honor_Society_2022_film_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>Honor Society:</b> Angourie Rice stars as Honor, a young woman who desperately wants to get out of her small town and decided early on that she could only achieve this goal by getting admitted to Harvard University. As such, her entire high school career has consisted of a series of careful calculations of academic excellence and extracurricular achievement. Now, in her senior year, she needs to get a coveted recommendation from her guidance counselor, who has a connection at Harvard. However, when she finds out that she is in competition with three other students to get this recommendation, she must come up with a plan to take down her competitors.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know it all sounds a bit cutthroat, but trust me, this movie has a lot of heart. Honor's schemes initially exploit perceived weaknesses in her foes, but this woman isn't just some ruthless Tracy Flick, and there are some excellent twists and turns as her plans start to go awry. I saw some twists coming, but others were completely out of left field; this is a genuinely surprising and fun movie that I'm shocked I hadn't heard about until I got on a plane. Written by David A. Goodman and directed by Oran Zegman, this is a delightful high school comedy that is sure to brighten up your day.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Mafia_mamma_film.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Mafia_mamma_film.png" width="216" /></a></div>Mafia Mamma</b>: Written by Debbie Jhoon and Michael J. Feldman and directed by Catherine Hardwicke, this film kind of came and went at the theaters. But as I was watching it on the plane, my friend Laura kept leaning over and looking at my screen, finally going, "what are you watching, this movie looks really funny!" And yes, it is. Toni Colette stars as Kristin, a woman living in New Jersey who has just sent her only son off to college, discovered that her husband has been cheating on her, and is on thin ice with her bosses at her terrible job. Her life is a shambles, so when she gets a call from Italy informing her that her grandfather, who she never met, has died and appointed her executor of his will, she decides to fly off to Italy and have a grand vacation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, her vacation plans don't quite come to fruition as she quickly discovers her grandfather was a mafia boss and she is now expected to take over the family business. What follows is a ridiculous comedy of a straight-laced American woman having to suddenly turn into an Italian mafia mamma. She is guided by her grandfather's consigliere, Bianca, played by the great and good Monica Bellucci, and is assisted by some henchmen, and each scene just keeps getting wilder, bloodier, and cruder as the movie progresses. This is a very R-rated comedy, and is well worth a viewing for its over-the-top histrionics. Is it the greatest movie ever made? Of course not. But is it shockingly entertaining? You bet.</div>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-33249176960972343062024-01-30T17:14:00.009-05:002024-01-30T17:14:54.274-05:00January Jams Part 3: Mean Girls & The Brothers Sun<p>To close out January, I offer up two extremely different pieces of pop culture that will cater to absolutely every conceivable genre you are yearning for. A bold claim, you say? I stand by it!</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Mean_girls_2024_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="269" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Mean_girls_2024_poster.jpg" width="233" /></a></b></div><b>Mean Girls:</b> Twenty years following the original film, we now have the obligatory nostalgic remake. However, this one, while still written by Tina Fey, is based off the subsequent Broadway musical adaptation. So now we have a tale of high school drama that is further enhanced with music.<p></p><p>I will not re-hash the story of this movie; you’ve had years to revel in its glory. In this version, Angourie Rice takes over as our heroine, 16-year-old Cady Heron, the new girl who has to make her way through the scary wilds of an American high school, and will face off against Regina George (played here by the fabulous Renee Rapp), the mean but popular girl who rules the school. There are some fun cameos throughout the film of the random adult teachers (Jon Hamm has a particularly hilarious turn as the hapless and bro-y sex education/PE teacher). But overall, this movie mostly serves as an homage to the original, gleefully calling back the most iconic lines, and reminding us just how we love Glen Coco.</p><p>The music is peppy and fun but not particularly memorable. I do find myself periodically humming “my name is Regina George,” while my fiancé has not stopped bopping to “Revenge Party” since we got out of the theater, but overall, I could take or leave the music. The joy of Mean Girls has always been in the cast and that dialogue, and here we get a faithful recreation of the original that left me wondering if we really even needed this version. If you loved the movie in 2004, you should watch this adaptation. But I doubt anyone will be re-watching this adaptation in years to come. The original is still impossible to beat and I might just need to go back and watch it again on October 3rd.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/The_Brothers_Sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/The_Brothers_Sun.jpg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>The Brothers Sun: </b>I will confess, I was a little skeptical about this show at first. The pace was a little slow and I wasn’t sure I cared enough to keep watching hour-long episodes. But oh dear God, I have now devoured all eight episodes and this show is a freakin’ masterpiece that deserves your eyeballs posthaste.<p></p><p>Created by Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk, this is the story of the Sun family, Taiwanese gangster who lead a major crime syndicate. However, when the father, "Big Sun" (Johnny Kou) is attacked by a rival, the eldest son, Charles (Justin Chien) travels to Los Angeles to find his mother, who left the family years ago with his little brother in tow. Who plays the mother? Michelle Yeoh. So you better believe you're in for an amazing ride. Sam Song Li plays Bruce, Charles' younger brother who had no idea his family was involved in anything criminal and must suddenly come up to speed with a lot of troubling information when his introduction to his long-lost elder brother involves watching him and his mother dismember the dead body of an assassin that was trying to kill them. Talk about a complicated family reunion.</p><p>This show has some of the most incredible and impeccable stunt choreography I have ever seen on any screen. Every episode has a new miraculous action set piece that finds fun and inventive ways for our heroes to destroy their enemies and display their sublime martial arts skills (Justin Chien in particular is a delight to watch as he plows through everyone in his path). Things can get a little bloody, but mostly these fight sequences feel like you're at the ballet, and I would find myself perched on the edge of my seat, gleefully glued to my screen. The story is polished and intriguing and the final resolution is blissfully satisfying, while still leaving open possibilities for a second season that I need to happen NOW. So enter this kung fu wonderland and get ready for a bloody good time. </p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-11042347658069989142024-01-19T16:53:00.000-05:002024-01-19T16:53:18.707-05:00Comedy Binges: Still Up, Colin from Accounts, What We Do in the Shadows<p>Do you need some laughs in a variety of accents? Then I've got a slew of great sitcoms to recommend to you, from England, Australia, and...Staten Island.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/shows-and-films/s/still-up/images/season-01/show-home-graphic-header/key-art-02/4x1/Apple_TV_Still_Up_key_art_graphic_header_4_1_show_home.jpg.large_2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="800" height="93" src="https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/shows-and-films/s/still-up/images/season-01/show-home-graphic-header/key-art-02/4x1/Apple_TV_Still_Up_key_art_graphic_header_4_1_show_home.jpg.large_2x.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>Still Up:</b> Created by Steve Burge and Natalie Walter, this is a supremely charming little series about two insomniac friends who call each other up late at night to have long chats and go over the day's events or anything else going on in their life. Antonio Thomas and Craig Roberts play Lisa and Danny, and over the course of eight episodes, you will see the two of them get into some funny scrapes and then some bittersweet drama as they have to grapple with some difficult and challenging decisions. It's perhaps a testament to the chemistry that these two actors have that it came as a complete shock to me that we even get an episode about how they first met and became friends; as far as I was concerned, these two had known each other their whole lives.<p></p><p>This show is a gentle little comedy, very sweet, but also funny, with plenty of character growth and development from start to finish. You will like these characters, but also hope they can eventually get out of their own way and get their life back on track. And, spoiler alert, in episode eight, you'll be cheering for them as they do just that.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Colin_From_Accounts_Key_Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="419" height="182" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Colin_From_Accounts_Key_Art.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>Colin from Accounts:</b> Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall (who also wrote the show, and are married in real life, a charming fact I just learned!) star in this delightful tale about Ashley and Gordon, two single people who meet when Gordon accidentally runs over a dog because Ashley distracted him on the street. The dog doesn't die, but after they take him to a vet, they have to pay for a significant surgery and now have to take care of this special-needs animal. Gordon is a middle-aged man who owns a brewery, while Ashley is a struggling medical student, and as they get increasingly entangled in each other's lives, much comedy, drama, and yes, even romance, results. <p></p><p>The tone of this show can veer largely into drama in some episodes, and you're going to be made uncomfortable in the tradition of squirmy British sitcoms everywhere (makes sense that Australians would have a similar sitcom sensibility as their colonizers). But overall, this is a beautiful romantic comedy about two slightly weird people with a lot of baggage who come together in an unexpected fashion. And yes, you need to watch it to find out who Colin from Accounts is.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/What_We_Do_in_the_Shadows_Title_Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="274" height="181" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/What_We_Do_in_the_Shadows_Title_Card.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>What We Do in the Shadows: </b>I know I'm late to the party, OK? This show has already been on for five seasons but I only just binged it all last year and am now here to tell the rest of you stragglers to get caught up. If you never saw the original movie by Taika Waititi, this is the story of a bunch of ancient vampires who live together in a house, and have a human familiar who has to provide them with humans to feed on and generally deal with the admin of getting by in the 20th century without getting caught. <p></p><p>In the TV show, the setting has been moved from New Zealand to the rather comic location of Staten Island, and we have Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, and Mark Proksch as the vampires (Kristin Schaal joins in the fun in later seasons), along with Harvey Guillen as their hapless familiar, Guillermo, who keeps laboring under the delusion that he will be turned into a vampire any day now. Every single season of this show is incredible, with the stakes constantly getting raised and the vampire world-building always leading to increasing complications and the introduction of further threats to our merry band of selfish but somehow still lovable protagonists. They always manage to find a fresh take on this tale as old as time, and the shenanigans are always wild and wonderful, whether they're having to deal with other supernatural beings, a bunch of clueless humans, or the endless bureaucracy of the Vampiric Council. So sink your teeth into this show - you'll have a bloody good time.</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-16763081377238739532024-01-11T16:29:00.005-05:002024-01-11T16:29:52.529-05:00January Jams Part 2: The Iron Claw & MaestroNeed to get more biopics into your cinematic viewing rotation? Well there are currently two powerful films you can watch. Warning though, you might have to bring a hanky.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3a/Iron_claw_film_posterjpg.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3a/Iron_claw_film_posterjpg.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b>The Iron Claw:</b> Written and directed by Sean Durkin, this is the true story of the Von Erich family, a wrestling dynasty that was dogged by horrifying tragedy in the early 1980s. Zac Efron plays Kevin, the eldest son of the family, and boy is he ripped and almost unrecognizable in this role. He is a quiet but stoic man who loves his younger brothers deeply and is desperate to take care of the family. Unfortunately, he is up against the wild ambitions of his father, Fritz (Holt McCallany), a former wrestler who never garnered as much fame as he thought he deserved and is now hellbent on creating a family wrestling empire that will take the wrestling world by storm. </div><div><br /></div><div>The second oldest son, Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), is a discus thrower due to compete in the 1980 Summer Olympics, but the boycott sends him back home where he now joins Kevin and their other brother David (Harris Dickinson) in the ring to compete as a fierce trio of brothers. Meanwhile, their youngest brother, Mike (Stanley Simons), would much rather be a musician, but don't you worry, he'll end up in the ring too. </div><div><br /></div><div>The wrestling sequences are wonderfully choreographed but the meat of this story is about the string of tragedies that hits this family in rapid succession, leading Kevin to become convinced the family curse might not just be a superstition but actual fact. I won't give anything way - suffice to say, I was expecting one tragic death and then got way more than I had bargained for. It's a lot to take, but these actors are incredible, particularly Efron as the stalwart older brother who has to watch his beautiful family unravel in front of his eyes and has to reckon with the pressures of toxic masculinity and the unhealthy relationship he has with his father. It is beautifully written, powerfully acted, and even though it's heavy, it will certainly move your heart. Watch this movie and then go tell all the men in your life to have a nice little cry. They will thank you for it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Maestro_poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Maestro_poster.png" width="216" /></a></div>Maestro</b>: Directed by Bradley Cooper, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Singer and then stars in it, this is the story of Leonard Bernstein, the man who was America's first great renowned conductor. It chronicles his early beginnings when he got the call to make his conducting debut at the New York Philharmonic when a guest conductor fell sick and his subsequent meteoric rise. It is also a love story, a tale of his relationship with the actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan, putting in a dazzling performance), who he would go on to marry. Their marriage was complicated by the fact that Bernstein continued to have affairs with men, so you know...that's a bit of a challenge.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are a Bernstein fan, this movie should be right up your alley. The score consists entirely of Bernstein's compositions, so you may notice familiar snippets throughout the film. As I am a Bernstein novice, I was less moved by that aspect of the film, but I did find the acting by Cooper and Mulligan to be quite stellar, with both affecting those strange pseudo-British accents of the 1940s that I associate with screwball comedies. They banter deliciously in the early parts of their courtship. and later on, when their marriage has started to sour, there is a surreal and bizarrely comic scene, where they are having a fight while the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade takes place outside their windows. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is a visually inventive movie, and it captures so much of the joy and passion that Bernstein put into his music. It isn't a standard, dull biopic, instead finding clever cinematographic ways to elevate the material and give us something that feels just a little bit out there. It's not a hagiography, but an honest portrait of a complicated and brilliant man, and it might compel you to spend some more time exploring the many sides of Leonard Bernstein.</div>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-11619449057235387992024-01-08T17:29:00.000-05:002024-01-08T17:29:08.221-05:00January Jams Part 1: Poor Things & The Color Purple<p>All the movies seeking awards recognition are out in theatres, so it’s time to watch them and gear up for the Oscars. Here are two wildly different movies that feature wildly wonderful lead performances to kick off your New Year:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Poor_Things_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Poor_Things_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b>Poor Things: </b>After giving us <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-favourite-ladies-in-waiting.html">The Favourite</a>, writer Tony McNamara and director Yorgos Lanthimos have teamed up again to give us this film adaptation of the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray. They’re also working with Emma Stone again, who delivers a remarkable performance that is destined for a nomination. She plays Bella Baxter, a sort of Frankenstein’d woman who has the brain of an infant courtesy of the creepy surgeon, Godwin Baxter (Willem Defoe, in a piece of perfect casting). Godwin is your classic mad scientist, obsessed with interspecies crossovers and pushing the limits of what the human body can endure. He enlists the help of Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef), an eager young medical student who is fascinated by Godwin’s work and who agrees to track Bella’s progress to adulthood. <p></p><p>Unfortunately, no one accounts for the arrival of Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a lusty lawyer who takes a fancy to the naive Bella. He convinces her to go away on an adventure with him and the two embark on a long journey where our heroine gets to explore her sexuality and discover the joys of female autonomy. This is a very funny but weird movie, one that is stylistically inventive and fascinating but terrifically odd in terms of content. </p><p>Poor Things is enjoyable but I didn’t find it particularly profound. The most compelling things about it are the cinematography by Robbie Ryan, the dissonant score by Jerskin Fendrix, and the incredible way that Stone moves: she has this unsteady gait of a child who is just coming to terms with having limbs, and she truly delivers a remarkable performance, even if all the things she is being asked to do in this film are weird and raunchy as hell. If you are not into body horror, you might need to skip this film as aspects of it will make you squeamish. But if you are into funny and creepy vibes, this could be your next favourite film.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Color_Purple_2023_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="258" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Color_Purple_2023_poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div><b>The Color Purple</b>: Written by Marcus Gardley and directed by Blitz Bazawule, based on the 1982 novel by Alice Walker, as well as the subsequent film and musical adaptations that have taken place in the decades since, my views on this movie are very similar to my views on Poor Things. Namely, the movie is fine, but the real reason to watch is a standout performance from the lead actor, Fantasia Barrino, who plays Celie. <p></p><p>I had never seen or read any version of The Color Purple prior to this movie so the story was completely new to me. Unfortunately, not new enough - I tend to have very little patience with narratives where women of color are exploited, abused, molested, etc. Which is immediately how this tale begins, in 1909 Georgia, with the teen Celie (played by Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) giving birth to her second child after her guardian impregnated her again, and then he takes the baby away from her. He then marries her off to Mister (Colman Domingo), a creepy man who already has three kids at home and needs a wife he can abuse and mostly treat as a maid. And oh yeah, Celie’s sister, Nettie, who is very intelligent and has big ambitions, is forced to run away when both their guardian and Mister separately try to assault her. Yeesh.</p><p>So that’s how we begin and what follows is a story of Celie facing a long life of abuse and neglect. But then she encounters some new women like Sofia and Shug (the magnificent Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson) who have figured out how to live life on their own terms and not kowtow to the abusive men in their lives. Celie is initially bewildered by these women, and they are also bewildered by how Celie can be such a mouse who doesn’t hit back or demand more respect from Mister. It’s frustrating because while these women are good role models, they don’t really know how to help Celie, failing to recognize how a woman who has only known cruelty since she was a little girl might have no concept of her own self-worth and the right to seek better treatment. </p><p>Nonetheless, I did find myself very moved at various stages of this film, and watching Celie gradually fight back and come into her own is an incredible thing to witness. I just didn’t want to watch her being treated so poorly to begin with. The ending is truly joyful and uplifting, and the movie does maintain a rousing tone throughout, thanks to it being a musical with some powerful songs that take place in some rather extraordinary and creative set pieces. It’s a novel visual spectacle, but I wish it didn’t tell such a tale as old as time.</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-64178417143119749642024-01-05T17:07:00.003-05:002024-01-05T17:07:36.186-05:00Mystery Binges: Bodies & A Murder at the End of the World<p>It’s January and you need a juicy murder mystery to binge over the cold weekend, right? Well, I’ve got two great shows for you, so head on over to a warm couch and settle in for a spell.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Bodies_2023_TV_series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Bodies_2023_TV_series.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><b>Bodies: </b>Do you love time travel as much as you love mysteries? And British people? Well, this is the show for you. Created by Paul Tomalin and based on the graphic novel by Si Spencer, this is an eight-episode twisty mystery that takes place across four different time periods (one of which includes the future), so prepare to be mildly confused at the beginning and then delighted as you gradually put together all the pieces like a glorious cinematic jigsaw puzzle. <p></p><p>Our protagonists across these four different eras are played by Kyle Soller, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Amaka Okafor, and Shira Haas. The one thing they all have in common is that they are police detectives, but of course, that means very different things in 1890 versus 2053. And all four of them are investigating the mysterious appearance of the same dead body in the middle of the same London street, multiple years apart. How is that possible? Oh, just you wait.</p><p>Obviously, it’s hard to talk about this show since you don’t want to give anything away. So just take my word for it that it is intriguing and captivating and you won’t be bored for a second. The costume and production design are absolutely impeccable, even when the show must do that awkward thing of trying to portray how people dress and look in the future. It’s the perfect binge watch, a show you won’t be able to stop hitting “Play Next Episode” on as you encounter every conceivable cliffhanger. What are you waiting for?!</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f6/A_Murder_at_the_End_of_the_World_-_Promotional_Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="282" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f6/A_Murder_at_the_End_of_the_World_-_Promotional_Poster.jpg" width="256" /></a></b></div><b>A Murder at the End of the World:</b> Created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, this is an intriguing seven-episode series that delivers a juicy mystery. Our main protagonist is Darby Hart (Emma Corrin), a young woman who has just published a true crime memoir about how she and her ex-boyfriend, Bill (Harris Dickinson), investigated a series of cold cases and eventually tracked down a serial killer. She then receives an invitation to join an exclusive gathering at a remote Icelandic retreat owned by tech billionaire, Andy Ronson (Clive Owen). She has no idea why she has been invited, but she could use some extra publicity for her book sales and decides to attend. Of course, once she gets there, things go awry. And as per the title of the show, she has to solve a murder.<p></p><p>There are twists and turns aplenty and, spoiler alert, there may be more than just one murder before the show is done. There’s a blizzard that cuts off access to the outside world so it’s this great locked room mystery with some real And Then There Were None vibes as our heroine must identify the killer before everyone ends up dead. Along the way there are many red herrings, flashbacks to her past, and a supporting cast filled with mysterious strangers who all have alibis and motives and shady pasts that need to be looked into. </p><p>Is the ending any good? I certainly thought so! This show is incredibly moody and dark and cold, like it’s Scandinavian setting, but the reveal in the final episode really tickled me. Corrin is doing fine work throughout (with a very good American accent) but the show could sometimes drag in the middle episodes and I wasn’t always fully engaged with what was going on or the motivations of the other random characters. But that finale was well worth the binge and I'm intrigued to hear if you think so too.</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-51533012154256467852023-12-31T19:45:00.000-05:002023-12-31T19:45:03.360-05:00December Movies Part 5: Anyone but You, Migration, Ferrari, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan<p>Alright, it's time for a buffet of movie reviews to close out 2023. Do you want a raunchy romcom, an animated movie about some birds, a biopic about a man who made some cars, or a Bollywood drama about social media? Well, keep reading!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/56/Anyone_But_You_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/56/Anyone_But_You_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b>Anyone but You: </b>I wasn't going to watch this movie. But then I discovered it was directed by Will Gluck (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Ilana Wolpert), and my interest was piqued. He directed the phenomenal Easy A, so I figured maybe this movie wouldn't be terrible. And oh man. It was splendid! Starring Sydney Sweeny and Glen Powell (two wildly attractive yet also thankfully personable actors) as Bea and Ben, this is a story of two people who had a disastrous one-night stand but now have to reunite at the wedding of Bea's sister and Ben's childhood best friend...in Australia. They hate each other, but they don't want to ruin the wedding weekend, so they decide they need to put up a front. Obviously, things don't go smoothly.<p></p><p>It's very tropey, but it's a classic, and the script has just the right amount of sizzle to make this a very R-rated comedy. Also, please note the couple's names: Bea and Ben. This entire movie is an ode to Beatrice and Benedict from Much Ado About Nothing, with references to the play sprinkled throughout the film as delightful nerdy Shakespearean Easter eggs. The tone is always light and breezy but also carries a great deal of heart, and the supporting cast are quite wonderful and unexpected and keep things moving along. If you've been pining for a classic romcom, your prayers have been answered. Get thee to this movie!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cb/Migration_(2023_film).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cb/Migration_(2023_film).jpg" width="202" /></a></div><b>Migration:</b> Do you want something more PG-rated? Then this might be the film for you. Written by Mike White (creator of <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2021/08/summer-tv-schmigadoon-white-lotus.html">The White Lotus</a>, but don't expect any sexy shenanigans or murder here) and directed by Benjamin Renner, this is a charming movie about a family of mallard ducks that decide to migrate to Jamaica for the winter. They are led by patriarch, Mack (voiced brilliantly by Kumail Nanjiani), who is very anxious about leaving the comfortable pond they have always lived in. But he wants to please his wife, Pam (the equally brilliant Elizabeth Banks), who is longing for adventure, so they embark on this journey with their kids Dax and Gwen (Caspar Jennings and Traci Gazal) and Mack's grumpy uncle Dan (Danny DeVito). <p></p><p>Unfortunately, they get a little lost, and instead of ending up in the Caribbean, they find themselves in the wilds of New York City. Here they befriend a pigeon (natch) named Chump, voice by Awkwafina, and many adventures ensue, some of which involve a very evil chef who wants to turn them all into dinner. It's a fun, diverting, entertaining movie, and the ideal treat if you're a New Yorker who loves seeing the city in animated form.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f6/Ferrari_film_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f6/Ferrari_film_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>Ferrari: </b>Written by Tory Kennedy Martin and directed by Michael Mann, I like to think of this movie as <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2021/12/weekend-watch-house-of-gucci-power-of.html">House of Gucci</a>: The Sequel. Which is slightly unfair because it's not an awful movie. But because you can't even laugh at it, you're just left spending two rather dull hours watching non-Italian actors do their best Italian accents and deal with the dramatic fallout of mixing business with pleasure. <p></p><p>Adam Driver plays the titular Enzo Ferrari, and we follow his strained relationship with his wife, Laura (Penelope Cruz), with whom he founded his company. It's 1957, they are having financial difficulties, their son Dino just died last year at the age of 24, and oh, Enzo has been having an affair since World War II with another woman, Lina (Shailene Woodley), with whom he has a son. So you know, typical Italian stuff. On top of this, we have lots of car racing, lots of drama with Ferrari's drivers, and the high stakes of the upcoming Mille Miglia race throughout Italy. This is a film about a man who is desperately trying to maintain control as every aspect of his life is evading that control, and I don't know. I didn't find it particularly compelling, I thought the actors were fine but only serviceable, and overall, it left me cold. But maybe if you're a huge fan of Ferrari and his legacy, this is exactly what you've been looking for? Your mileage may vary. Pun intended.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/Kho_Gaye_Hum_Kahan_film_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="283" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/Kho_Gaye_Hum_Kahan_film_poster.jpg" width="256" /></a></b></div><b>Kho Gaye Hum Kahan: </b>Directed by Arjun Varain Singh (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Yash Sahai and my girls Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti), this is a vibey and solid Bollywood Netflix movie about the trials and tribulations of our modern age and everyone's smartphone addiction. We follow a trio of friends from boarding school: Imaad (Siddhanth Chaturvedi), who is a stand-up comedian and is a commitment-phobe who is constantly going on Tinder dates with women he will never meet a second time; Ahana (Ananya Pandey), who thought she was in a solid relationship with her boyfriend of two years, but is now floundering after he has unexpectedly asked her for a break; and Neil (Adarsh Gourav), a personal trainer who still lives at home with his parents but is desperate to build a business, get some celebrity clients, make a lot of money and live his best life. <p></p><p>These are three well-rounded characters and as the film progresses, each gets a robust storyline that centers on how their constant reliance on their phones and the need to compare themselves to what they see on their Instagram feeds is fueling immense amounts of loneliness and insecurity. There's nothing revelatory in this movie, but it is well-told and hits very close to home, particularly when assessing the horrors of the modern dating landscape. This movie can get intense at times, but overall, you can let it wash over you and bask in its moody Mumbai vibe. In that way, it's just like doomscrolling through your phone.</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-62887626971206137172023-12-28T23:01:00.001-05:002023-12-28T23:01:43.613-05:00December Movies Part 4: Anatomy of a Fall & American Fiction<p>Seeking some quality cinematic fare that's bound to get some awards love? Well then I highly recommend a tense courtroom drama/thriller that is partly in French, and a brilliant comedy about a Black writer who decides to write "a Black book". That's what we call range!</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Anatomy_of_a_Fall_(2023)_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="261" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Anatomy_of_a_Fall_(2023)_film_poster.jpg" width="219" /></a></b></div><b>Anatomy of a Fall:</b> Directed by Justine Triet (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur Harari), this movie won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (Triet is only the third female director to win this award). It stars Sandra Huller as Sandra Voyter, a German author who lives in a remote house in France with her French husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis) and blind son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner). The movie opens with Samuel's dead body outside on the snow, which Daniel discovers when he is returning from a walk. What then follows is an impeccable mystery and courtroom drama where we try to figure out the circumstances of this death and whether our heroine is a murderer.<p></p><p>This movie is simply brilliant. There's a crucial language component to it - a lot of this film is in English, because Sandra's French is not that good and she will speak English to her son or her lawyer, or eventually in court when the questioning is too complicated for her to have to deal with in French. It's fascinating to see how things sometimes get lost in translation - I'm sure there were numerous other examples, but I found it weirdly telling that at one point during questioning, Sandra replies (in English) that a particular passage in one of her books was 20 pages long, and the prosecuting lawyer says (in French), 27. It's not a material error, but still conveys how dangerous this woman's position is, going to trial in a country where she doesn't speak the language with ease and could easily have her words misinterpreted.</p><p>The real star though is Milo Machado Graner, who plays her young son, Daniel. He is precocious and wise, wears all his emotions on his face, and despite the extreme trauma of the events that are transpiring, does some significant detective work to help us reach a satisfying conclusion. It's an absolutely gripping movie, unfolding mostly in a courtroom, with increasingly tawdry revelations and red herrings. I was glued to the screen and I'm willing to bet you will be too.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d7/American_fiction_xxlg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d7/American_fiction_xxlg.jpg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>American Fiction</b>: What an incredible movie. Based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett and directed by Cord Jefferson (who also adapted the screenplay), this might be the funniest movie I watched this year. Funny with a great deal of satirical bite.<p></p><p>Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonius "Monk" Ellison, an English professor who is fed up with his woke white students and fed up with white publishers who won't publish his novels of literary fiction because they aren't "Black enough." As a joke, he sits down and writes a stereotypically Black novel, one full of slang and downtrodden characters, gun violence, clashes with the police and the other tropes that pop culture has taught us to expect from Black characters. He sends this to his agent, who is rightfully appalled, but Monk insists that the novel be sent out to various publishers under a pseudonym. The intention is for the publishers to realize it is a joke and that he is mocking them for their racist taste. But of course, turns out they love the book and want to buy it for substantial sums of money. </p><p>What follows is insane and wonderful and thought-provoking. And utterly hysterical. Monk must now pretend to be the author of this godforsaken book, and the lie keeps building and building upon itself as the book continues to get more acclaim. Along the way, he is also dealing with some family drama, with folks like Sterling K. Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross playing his amazing siblings, as well as dealing with his anger towards another Black author that he deems to be a sellout, played by the wonderful Issa Rae. It's a wild ride, and the ending is particularly sublime. You absolutely MUST watch this film - it is incisive, funny, and moving, an absolutely heartwarming piece of magic that also has deeply cutting things to say about American society. Cord Jefferson miraculously balances the tone of this film with pitch perfect precision and Jeffrey Wright delivers the performance of his career - give them all the awards.</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-19729271195505999152023-12-22T09:22:00.000-05:002023-12-22T09:22:39.879-05:00December Movies Part 3: Leave the World Behind & Wonka<p>OK, you want to go out for a movie and then come back and watch another one on Netflix? I have just the two films you seek.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Wonka_2023_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Wonka_2023_film_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>Wonka:</b> Directed by Paul King (who also gave us the whimsical <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2015/04/paddington-cute-comical-caper.html">Paddington</a> movies) from a script he wrote with Simon Farnaby, this is an utterly charming confection of a film that imagines the origins of Willy Wonka and his magical Chocolate Factory. Timothee Chalamet stars as Wonka with a supporting cast that is stacked with incredible actors like Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant, Keegan Michael-Key, Rowan Atkinson, and quite a few of the comic troupe from <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2022/03/sitcom-surplus-ghosts-abbott-elementary.html">Ghosts</a>. The British folk are putting on their best panto performances, dialing it up to 100 and cackling with evil glee if they are villains, or helping our hero with eager cheer if they are the good guys - or dancing a silly dance and begrudgingly saving the day if they are an Oompa Loompa, like Hugh Grant. <p></p><p>I had no idea this movie was a musical, so from the opening bars I was hooked by its splendor and silliness and impeccable production design. I also left the theater in dire need of some chocolate. I won't give away any plot because you need to just let the theatrical hiijnks unfold in front of your eyes, but you would have to have a heart of stone to not end up with a big grin on your face. It's a frothy, fun film that is perfect for the holidays and should be added to your watchlist immediately. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2d/Leave_the_World_Behind_film_poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2d/Leave_the_World_Behind_film_poster.png" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>Leave the World Behind:</b> Knowing that this movie was coming out on Netflix, I sought a copy of the novel by Rumaan Alam from my local library and devoured it in a few days. I really enjoyed the novel, but also couldn't quite fathom how someone could turn it into a good movie. Well writer-director Sam Esmail has tried to adapt it, and the result is...middling.<p></p><p>Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke do a fine job playing Clay and Amanda, a couple from Brooklyn who rent a Long Island vacation home with their two younger children, Rose and Archie (Farrah Mackenzie and Charlie Evans). But then as weird things start to happen, the family have to let in George (the wonderful Mahershala Ali) who owns the house, along with his daughter, Ruth (Myha'la). As the film progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that something is very wrong in the world, and we might be on the brink of an apocalypse. Yeah, I know, it's a lot to deal with.</p><p>Esmail has a great visual style and there are some jaw dropping set pieces in this movie that are appropriately shocking and creepy and manage to convey the goosebumps that this book gives you as you read it because everything starts out so ordinarily but then devolves in utterly incomprehensible ways. However, I really did not appreciate the major change he made from the book, i.e. turning the character Ruth into George's daughter, instead of his wife. In the book, the two are an older married Black couple, and they have an interesting dynamic with Amanda and Clay who are liberal white folk. Instead, by turning Ruth into George's daughter, Esmail unnecessarily sexualizes the character, making her an object of lust for the teenage son, Archie. It is nice to have a young Black woman who doesn't mind calling Amanda out directly on her racist bullshit, but you could have just as easily done that with an older woman. Also, Amanda is written as a complete misanthrope, while in the book she's just a career woman trying to take a break and get some quality family time. Esmail did such a great job writing the male characters (Hawke is particularly excellent at conveying Clay's abject uselessness in this state of affairs) but then, like too many male directors are wont to do, he reduced the women to absolute caricatures.</p><p>I certainly did not hate this movie, and if you're the type of person who can't be bothered to read, you will probably still get a good sense of what the novel was like if you watch this film. Despite all my quibbles about Esmail's script, I was charmed by the final scene of the movie, for very particular reasons. To me it did end up capturing the essence of the novel (be warned, it's an ambiguous ending), and was an audacious way to end after all the creeping dread of the preceding two hours.</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-60453110566683483662023-12-20T17:50:00.000-05:002023-12-20T17:50:15.250-05:00December Movies Part 2: The Archies, Family Switch, Mr. Monk's Last CaseIt's cold, it's rainy, why bother going out? Stay indoors and check out some streaming movies! Whether you're looking for some Christmas, Bollywood, or murder comedy, I've got something for everyone.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/The_Archies_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="283" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/The_Archies_film_poster.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><b>The Archies</b>: All I knew about this film was that it was directed by Zoya Akhtar and was based on Archie comics. Zoya is my favorite Indian director and I devoured Archie comics as a kid so this film was supposed to be a slam dunk, right? Unfortunately, I did not realize that a bunch of nepo babies had been cast in the lead roles: Archie is played by Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson, Agastya Nanda, Veronica is Shahrkuh Khan's daughter, Suhana, and Betty is Sridevi’s daughter, Khushi Kapoor, who, to be fair, is the only one I actually liked in the film). Rounding out the cast we have Mihir Ahuja, Vedang Raina, and Aditi "Dot" Saigal as Jughead, Reggie, and Ethel. But the supporting cast is largely superfluous because of course the main story is about the love triangle and Archie messing around with Betty and Veronica. Dude would have really loved dating in 2023 and all the ethical non-monogamy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Interestingly, the movie is set in the 1960s, in an Anglo-Indian community in India called Riverdale that was established by a British general who loved the country and decided to stay after Independence instead of going back to London. The production design and costumes are gorgeous and this is a wonderful movie to look at. There is also a song almost every minute, which is excessive even by Bollywood standards, but that soundtrack is ridiculously infectious and my fiancé still keeps humming, “Archie, Archie, everything is politics!” weeks after we finished watching the film. But the script is rather basic and the acting performances from these newbies do nothing to elevate the material. This movie is certainly a charming way to while away an afternoon, but don’t expect anything revelatory.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d0/Family_switch_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d0/Family_switch_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>Family Switch: </b>Written by Victoria Strouse and Adam Szytkiel, and directed by McG, this was my first Christmas movie of the year. Ed Helms and Jennifer Garner star as Bill and Jess, two loving parents who are trying to manage their angsty teenage kids, CC and Wyatt (Emma Myers and Brady Noon), along with their new baby and dog. When the family go to an observatory to take a holiday photo, they all get into a fight, with the son accusing his father of knowing nothing about his interests, the mother and daughter bickering about how neither one understands the other, etc. You know, standard family drama. But, of course, when they wake up the next morning, they discover they have all switched bodies - the father is now in the son’s body and vice versa, and ditto for mother and daughter. And then shenanigans ensue.</div><div><br /></div><div>We’ve all seen many movies like this. You’ll probably be able to predict every beat from start to finish. But it’s a Christmas movie and we don’t watch those for surprises and unpredictability! We watch them for silliness and jollity! This movie is dumb and will not be entering my list of movies I rewatch every year. But did I regret watching it this year? Not for a single instant. Ho ho ho!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mr-monks-last-case-peacock.jpg?fit=990%2C557&ssl=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mr-monks-last-case-peacock.jpg?fit=990%2C557&ssl=1" width="320" /></a></div>Mr. Monk’s Last Case</b>: I have not seen an episode of Monk or thought about this show for more than a decade. But back when it was airing on USA, my parents and I would sit down and religiously watch it every Friday night (yeah, I was a wild and crazy youth). So, imagine my surprise when I got an email from Peacock telling me that they were now streaming a Monk movie about what happens when Adrian Monk (the always wonderful Tony Shalhoub) has to help his stepdaughter whose fiancé dies in a bungee jumping accident on the day before her wedding. Could it be - gasp - murder?!</div><div><br /></div><div>Obviously, it IS murder and for 90 minutes we get a diverting mystery involving a Bezos-esque corrupt tech billionaire and some familiar faces from the old show. This is all taking place post-pandemic so there are some fun jokes about how everyone is now sanitizing their hands and behaving like Monk, but as you can imagine, the pandemic was an absolute disaster for his mental health. In fact, there’s a rather dark thread throughout this film about Monk’s state of mind and it definitely didn’t jibe with the comic tone of the rest of the proceedings. But ultimately, this was a good nostalgia watch - I don’t think it will mean anything to people who never watched the show, though the mystery was quite fun to follow, but if you did regularly watch Monk in the olden days, this might scratch an itch you never even knew you had.</div>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-74608182215727071812023-12-16T22:52:00.000-05:002023-12-16T22:52:04.039-05:00Documentary Binges: Beckham & The Super ModelsDo you want to watch something more substantial than a movie but less time-consuming than an entire season of a TV show? Well, might I recommend two riveting celebrity documentaries that shine the spotlight on some people who have already been in the spotlight for their entire lives.<div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://dnm.nflximg.net/api/v6/WNk1mr9x_Cd_2itp6pUM7-lXMJg/AAAABQja8MptDkd2v7Q4-LaAWsNj2lSV1N5oK1Q2yZWhugkSL7GYB936wT2utCh2ovL1ME_txI-pDmWx1W8uInamEVIv47y6CHq3o3ZxNVz7_cyH9r2MMrryMgYdB2T77WoF35Uqng.jpg?r=420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://dnm.nflximg.net/api/v6/WNk1mr9x_Cd_2itp6pUM7-lXMJg/AAAABQja8MptDkd2v7Q4-LaAWsNj2lSV1N5oK1Q2yZWhugkSL7GYB936wT2utCh2ovL1ME_txI-pDmWx1W8uInamEVIv47y6CHq3o3ZxNVz7_cyH9r2MMrryMgYdB2T77WoF35Uqng.jpg?r=420" width="229" /></a></div>Beckham:</b> Directed by Fisher Stevens (you might recognize him as Hugo from <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2019/08/succession-wealthy-woes.html">Succession</a> and have to adjust your brain to the idea that he is also an Oscar-winning documentarian!), this is a brilliant biography of David Beckham, the man, the myth, the legend. I have always been aware of Beckham's existence, but mostly because of <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2011/12/bend-it-like-beckham-remember-when-two.html">Bend It Like Beckham</a>, and not because I actually ever watched him play football. And of course, to me he mostly existed as Posh Spice's husband. </div><div><br /></div><div>But in this series, we get four hours that chronicle his childhood, with a father who molded him to become a footballing machine; his relationship and marriage to Victoria; the absolutely vitriolic treatment he received from the British press and the British public when he was unfairly blamed for England losing the World Cup; and the many ways in which his career kept morphing. This is a man with a singular dedication to his sport, and he almost refuses to say a bad word about anyone or even acknowledge his own mental health struggles in pursuit of this blinding ambition. </div><div><br /></div><div>My favorite part of this documentary is how we get to watch players watch themselves in important matches. It's one thing to see them just chatting about their lives. But the minute Fisher Stevens turns on a match and then the camera focuses on their faces, it's like their eyes get extra-focused and steely and this smile blossoms on their faces, and that's it. This is who they are, and they seem to remember every match like they just walked off the pitch. It is also gloriously entertaining to hear Victoria's Beckham's side of the story, and the many indignities she had to face as a footballer's wife. Sure, she might have been Posh Spice, but once she had some kids, her main concern was, "how am I going to keep these kids in school?!" While the documentary briefly addresses rumors of infidelity (with nothing actually being admitted, because that's what happens when your documentary subject is also serving as the producer), this is ultimately a story about a couple that fell in love when they were super young and exposed to startling levels of worldwide fame, who have now built a life together that seems to have worked out well. It's a delightful biography, compellingly told, and now I finally understand what all the fuss was about.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/shows-and-films/t/the-super-models/images/season-01/show-home-graphic-header/key-art-02/4x1/Apple_TV_The_Super_Models_key_art_graphic_header_4_1_show_home.jpg.large_2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="800" height="93" src="https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/shows-and-films/t/the-super-models/images/season-01/show-home-graphic-header/key-art-02/4x1/Apple_TV_The_Super_Models_key_art_graphic_header_4_1_show_home.jpg.large_2x.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Super Models</b>: Directed by Roger Ross Williams and Larissa Bills, this is an excellent documentary about Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford, four women who became models in the 80s, and then became so famous that they officially became supermodels. As someone who is not remotely into fashion, I knew these names, of course, but nothing else about these women, so for four hours I was spellbound by their stories.</div><div><br /></div><div>Each of these four women has a unique history, and the first episode is all about their family backgrounds and how they made it into the business. It was astonishing how naive their parents were, sending out these teenage girls into auditions and then global international campaigns with absolutely no supervision. The women talk about the different modelling agencies at the time, some of which treated the girls like family and ensured they had strict rules to follow so they didn't get in trouble, while others were lax and treated these girls simply as the means to making a boatload of money. Sadly, there are of course some tales of abuse, and we also see some rather horrifying talk show interviews, where the women are asked about their weight, and simply treated as pretty objects to throw a dress onto, with no thoughts or ideas of their own. It's also incredible how they describe the current state of modelling versus what they were doing in the 80s and 90s - they didn't have the ease of Photoshop and digital cameras, so they had to work diligently with their photographers to come up with these iconic photos with no touch-ups or special effects.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a compelling and wonderful series that highlights the glamor and grittiness of the profession, and it is fascinating to see how all four women had very different career trajectories and ideas about how they wanted to live their post-supermodel lives. Throughout, there is a wonderful thread of sisterhood and support, a reminder that the true key to a woman's success is to have other women championing her along the way. It's amazing to see these women brought back together in this documentary and note how their friendship has endured and how easily they fall back into the old rhythms as they pose for a photoshoot when they're now in their 50s. Turns out these models are still pretty super.</div>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-46691887643823590212023-12-10T21:26:00.001-05:002023-12-10T21:26:52.121-05:00Literary Binges: The Other Black Girl & Lessons in Chemistry<p>I recently caught up on two adaptations of books I absolutely loved. I exhort you to actually read these books, but if you can't be bothered, these eight-episode adaptations have done a pretty great job of bring the world of these novels to life on the small screen.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/The_Other_Black_Girl_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="282" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/The_Other_Black_Girl_poster.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><b>The Other Black Girl</b>: Based on the novel by Zakiyah Delilah Harris, who serves as co-creator of this show with the formidable Rashida Jones, this is an incisive and surprisingly hilarious thriller about a Black woman trying to make it in the very white world of publishing. Sinclair Daniel stars as Nella, a Black woman who works at Wagner Books as an editorial assistant and is keen to become an editor. When a new editorial assistant, Hazel (Ashleigh Murray), joins the firm, Nella is excited that she will finally have one other Black colleague. <p></p><p>However, things start to take a disquieting turn - Hazel seems to be very supportive of the sisterhood, but then also quietly undermines Nella at key moments, and things just feel a little bit off. And then a mysterious stranger approaches Nella and tells her to watch out for Hazel. Which leads to a whole investigation of who this woman is and how exactly her story is intertwined with that of a Black author from the 80s who served as Nella's inspiration for getting into this business in the first place.</p><p>This is a fantastic adaptation that captures the essence of the novel in every scene and walks that tightrope between horror and hilarity with every step. The book was like a literary answer to <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2017/03/get-out-horror-of-racism.html">Get Out</a>, and the TV adaptation is a worthy successor to that film, fully capturing the many facets of the Black experience, and how a person can be too Black for the white world, but then not Black enough for the Black world. The story takes some wild and outrageous twists, but you just have to hang on for dear life and go on this ride. It is funny, it is ridiculous, it is sublime. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/Lessons_in_Chemistry.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="306" height="170" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/Lessons_in_Chemistry.jpeg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>Lessons in Chemistry</b>: Based on the novel by Bonnie Garmus, this adaptation was created by Lee Eisenberg and stars Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott, a female chemist in the 1950s who faces misogyny at every step in her career but then finds an unexpected partnership and romance with fellow chemist, Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman). <p></p><p>Of course, the course of true love never did run smooth, and the film is mostly focused on what happens with Elizabeth and her daughter Mad (people mistakenly think that stands for Madeline, but it's just Mad) as they try to build a life for themselves and also learn more about Calvin's origins. While a lot of this show is about Elizabeth's struggles in the scientific community, there's also the crossover when she becomes the host of a popular cooking show, that turns into a feminist rallying cry for women all over the country who have stifled dreams and ambitions.</p><p>This is a decent adaptation and is certainly well-acted, with impeccable production design and costumes that beautifully capture that 50s aesthetic. But the show also inserts additional plotlines that weren't in the original novel and takes away other elements, so your mileage may vary if you were a big fan of the book. I can certainly understand why they made these changes and the show stands well on its own, but I did feel like it paled a little bit in comparison to the novel. It's still a wonderful story though, and if television is your preferred medium for storytelling, this is certainly a delicious story to treat yourself to for eight hours. </p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-48517045471002342282023-12-09T15:17:00.003-05:002023-12-09T15:17:57.171-05:00December Movies Part 1: The Killer, May December, Dream Scenario<p>It’s time to kick off the month with a collection of oddball films that are all a little bit strange and a little bit intriguing. I can’t say any of them were my favorite movie of the year, but each one was thought-provoking in its bizarre little way.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/The_Killer_2023_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/The_Killer_2023_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>The Killer</b>: Directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker, based on a French graphic novel series by Alexis Nolent and Luc Jacamon, the film stars Michael Fassbender as the eponymous killer. He is an elite assassin for hire, and we are treated to his interior monologue on how to do this job ruthlessly and efficiently. It is important to be cool, calm, and calculating, without an ounce of empathy or human feeling that could get in the way of this very dispassionate job. However, the movie opens with a botched assassination, and what follows is a twisty thriller that is gory but also kind of funny, where we are following this very self-serious man who has such confidence in his ability to get every little detail right…except now all those details are going wrong. I’m not sure I ever got fully invested in what was happening in this movie (the fact that I watched on Netflix meant that it was also a fairly distracted viewing), but this is probably a good lazy afternoon movie, something to get the blood pumping, with a few unexpected chuckles. It might be too dark and bloody for some folk, but if you like a stylish action thriller and wish Fassbender did more movies, this should be right up your alley.<p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/May_December_poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/May_December_poster.jpeg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>May December</b>: Written by Samy Burch and directed by Todd Haynes, this is a story about a woman named Gracie (Julianne Moore) who slept with her 13-year-old student, Joe, was arrested, gave birth to his child in prison, and then subsequently married him years later when she got out of prison and he was old enough to consent to this (the adult Joe is played wonderfully by Charles Melton). Now, a movie is being made of her story and a famous actress named Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) comes into town to shadow Gracie and interview her friends and family about her life and the impact to her community. But what follows is an extreme and weirdly campy story about an actress who goes way too method, an emotionally disturbed woman who still has no sense that she did anything wrong, and a man who is coming to grips with the fact that maybe his relationship is a little bit screwed up and he missed out on his entire childhood. <p></p><p>I honestly don’t know what tone this movie is going for. It’s mostly a bit dark and icky, but the score is kind of absurd and feels like you’re in a heightened soap opera. Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are turned up to 100, while everyone around them is muted and more in touch with reality. Ultimately, I came away feeling the most sympathy for Joe, and Charles Melton's performance, especially in the final scenes, was startlingly moving. I ended up doing a deep dive into the real-life Mary Kay Letourneau case that this whole movie is loosely based on, and was shocked how so many of the details were identical. It’s a disturbing tale, disturbingly told, so…bravo?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/Dream_scenario_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/Dream_scenario_poster.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><b>Dream Scenario</b>: Written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, this is a very weird, funny, and sad movie about what happens when an ordinary man named Paul (Nicolas Cage, in yet another odd but remarkable role) randomly starts showing up in the dreams of people all around the world. In these dreams he is usually just walking by, being extremely passive, not doing a thing. At first this is an oddity, but as more people start to realize they have seen him in their dreams, he goes viral. And he, being a bit of a loser who has always aspired to greatness, mistakenly thinks that he will be able to leverage this fame in a way that will serve him. But of course, that is not how the world, and social media, work, and he soon finds himself stirring up a maelstrom. <p></p><p>This movie goes all over the place but it is a tight 100 minutes that is thought-provoking and entertaining. Some of the dream sequences can start to feel like a horror movie, so be prepared for some nightmares, but overall, Cage’s central performance keeps this film on firm ground. You feel for this shlub who got carried away by the promise of Internet fame, and the films proceeds relentlessly, adding in numerous twists to his predicament and making a larger commentary on influencer culture and our capitalist world. It is very funny but also tinged with plenty of melancholy. Isn't that exactly the mood you want for a December film?</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-78908093673515453232023-11-29T18:05:00.003-05:002023-11-29T18:05:47.612-05:00November Highlights Part 4: Priscilla & Saltburn<p>Is it that time of year when you're jonesing to watch some movies written AND directed by women? Or do you just want to stare at Jacob Elordi for a few hours? Well, here are two movies from our best female filmmakers that feature intriguing supporting performances from Jacob Elordi!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Priscilla_poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Priscilla_poster.jpeg" width="216" /></a></div><b>Priscilla:</b> Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, this is a beautiful and sweeping story of Priscilla Beaulieu, the woman who would meet and marry and eventually divorce Elvis Presley. Played with heartbreaking innocence by Cailee Spaeny (an Oscar nomination seems inevitable), we begin the movie with the fourteen-year-old (!) Priscilla, who has moved with her family to Germany, where her father is stationed at a US military base. She is lonely and homesick, and for some godforsaken reason, after meeting her at a party, the 24-year-old Elvis (played by Jacob Elordi), sets his sights on dating her. <p></p><p>Prsicilla's parents are weirded out by this, but what is weirder is that they still allow it, which is how you know they are American, because what Indian parent would ever allow this kind of nonsense (they might sanction a child marriage, of course, but not child dating!). The entire film unspools like a guide to grooming a teenage girl, but the pedophile in question is Elvis Presley and everyone around him seems totally fine with arranging things so Priscilla can stay over at Graceland and be with him while he continues to have affairs and break her heart.</p><p>This movie is mostly melancholy vibes with incredible costumes, makeup, and hairstyles. After all the bombast of last year's <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2022/06/june-movie-round-up-jurassic-world.html">Elvis</a>, it's nice to get a film from a woman's perspective of this famous man, and surprise, surprise, like many famous men, he had oodles of talent and treated women like accessories. You spend this entire movie watching Priscilla fight to be with this man and wanting to go "oh sweetie, no." And then you watch the inevitable realization dawn on her that this was a bad decision. It's a tale as old as time, but in the hands of Sofia Coppola, it's a tale that's still beautifully and compassionately told. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Saltburn_Film_Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Saltburn_Film_Poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></b></div><b>Saltburn: </b>Written and directed by Emerald Fennell, this is yet another glorious confection for your eyeballs. If you loved <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2021/01/promising-young-woman-what-ride.html">Promising Young Woman</a> (and who didn't?), this candy-colored aesthetic is going to feel familiar, but Fennell has now moved the action to her home turf of rich and ridiculous British people. And oh, is it divine. <p></p><p>The movie follows Oliver Quick (the incredible Barry Keoghan, in a performance that ought to get some awards attention this year), a young scholarship student at Oxford University in 2006. He is lonely and ignored but when he somehow befriends Felix (Jacob Elordi, playing a VERY different character from Elvis), a rich kid who seems to have a penchant for picking up strays, what follows is a very intense and volatile friendship. Eventually, Ollie is invited to stay with Felix at his family estate of Saltburn for the summer. What follows is a hedonistic and wild visit that is going to lead to some terrible revelations and some incredibly caustic humor about Felix and his family. Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant play Felix's parents, and let's just say they capture British aristocratic daffiness and repression to absolute perfection. </p><p>The soundtrack is wonderful, the acting is brilliant, and the screenplay veers wildly into every genre, managing to be both horrifyingly funny, thrilling, and macabre. It is a mind-bending marvel that will keep you glued to the screen for two hours and you will definitely hear some gasps in the audience as some twists and turns come flying out at you. It's everything you want from a movie, and more, so don't delay. Take a trip to Saltburn immediately. </p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-19606625808067788552023-11-25T14:02:00.000-05:002023-11-25T14:02:08.768-05:00November Highlights Part 3: Wish, Napoleon, The Ballad of Songbirds & SnakesThe studios decided to release a slew of blockbusters for the Thanksgiving weekend and I have watched them all. What follows are reviews of three films, two of which are two and half hours long, and one of which is 90 minutes. No points for guessing which one gets my least tepid recommendation.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/WishMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/WishMoviePoster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b>Wish</b>: Written by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore and directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, this is Disney's latest effort in giving us a strong female character who isn't motivated by a love interest but is capable of getting shit done by herself (but also with the help of family, friends, a goat, and a star). Our heroine is 17-year-old Asha (voiced by Ariana DeBose) and she lives in the magical realm of Rosas that is ruled by a supposedly benevolent sorcerer named King Magnifico (deliciously voiced by Chris Pine). He is the protector of all the citizen's wishes - these are their most heartfelt desires, and at the age of eighteen, they hand their wish over to Magnifico to relieve themselves of the burden of carrying this wish in their hearts. In return, Magnifico will periodically hold a Wish Ceremony where he will grant one citizen's wish.</div><div><br /></div><div>Asha applies to be the King's apprentice, but during the interview, she quickly realizes that maybe he isn't quite the benevolent ruler she believed him to be. When he refuses to grant the wish of her 100-year-old grandfather, she sets off a radical chain of events that leads to a lot of magic, revolution, and everyone in Rosas discovering the importance of having a life's purpose. It's a sweet film, the animation is quite lovely, and the cute side characters (including a goat voiced by Alan Tudyk and a very adorable wishing star) are peak Disney magic. I definitely did NOT like the songs though - the lyrics created a syncopated rhythm that rubbed me the wrong way, but maybe after repeated listening I'll get on board (that has already happened to me when it comes to the main song, just not the other ones). Overall, it's a solid effort, and Asha is a great addition to the stable of Disney princesses. So if you want some light holiday fare this weekend, this movie might fulfill your wish.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/96/The_Hunger_Games_-_The_Ballad_of_Songbirds_%26_Snakes_official_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="254" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/96/The_Hunger_Games_-_The_Ballad_of_Songbirds_%26_Snakes_official_poster.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><b>The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</b>: Directed by Francis Lawrence, from a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt adapted from Suzanne Collins' novel, this is a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy that gives us the background of Coriolanus Snow, the man who would eventually become the brutal President of Panem. In this story, Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) is an 18-year-old student at the Academy. He is a Capitol citizen, but his family has fallen on hard times after the death of his father, and they are barely scraping by. Coriolanus is determined to win the Plinth Prize scholarship to alleviate his family's financial woes, but in a twist, it turns out the Prize will be awarded to the student who serves as the best mentor in the 10th annual Hunger Games. Coriolanus's mentee is Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Ziegler) from District 12 and as he tries to gain her trust and help her survive in the Hunger Games, a dangerous love story unfolds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Listen, you don't need me to spoil the rest of the story, you already know that Coriolanus turns out to be a ruthless tyrant. But this is his origin story, highlighting the many choices he could have made and how he finally succumbed to ruthless ambition instead of his heart. The movie is well done but could have done with more judicious editing. It also turns into a bit of a musical, because Lucy Gray is a singer and she sings way too much in this film (probably in a bid to replicate Jennifer Lawrence's success on music charts when she sang The Hanging Tree in the previous movies). The best character is the film, however, is Lucky Flickerman (played to perfection by Jason Schwartzman), the first TV host of the Hunger Games. The events of the Games are horrific, but his ability to recap them with a bizarrely comic insouciance is incredible. I still can't think of him referring to one of the contestants as "ill Dill" without giggling. So yes, if you're a fan of the franchise, this might be worth a trip to the theater. But if you've never watched The Hunger Games before, skip this one. It is definitely not a feel-good holiday film. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Napoleon_Film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="258" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Napoleon_Film_poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><b>Napoleon</b>: Written by David Scarpa and directed by Ridley Scott, this is the story of Napoleon's ascent to power, his marriage to Josephine, and eventual descent. When I got out of this movie, all I had to say was, "This is making me question whether Ridley Scott ever made good movies - what with <a href="https://popculturescribe.blogspot.com/2021/12/weekend-watch-house-of-gucci-power-of.html">House of Gucci</a>, and now this film, I don't know why we ever thought the man was a good filmmaker." So yeah, it's a pretty brutal two and a half hours at the movies. I nearly cheered when we were finally introduced to the Duke of Wellington because I knew that meant the Battle of Waterloo was imminent and Napoleon's fall from grace was nigh. But it still took another forty minutes for the movie to wrap up from there.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a movie with many battle set pieces that are beautifully choreographed but oh so repetitive after a while. After all, there's a limit to how many horses and men I need to see slaughtered by cannonball. Also, like with most Scott movies, there's a baffling lack of attention to accents that is so distracting - every actor gets to choose how they talk, so despite everyone purportedly being French, we have Joaquin Phoenix playing Napoleon with an American accent, while Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) and most of his advisors are British. The "love" story is dumb and useless, and basically what you expect when men are in charge of a film and want to throw a bunch of incoherent sex scenes into a film to liven up proceedings. Also, weirdly, the score from Pride & Prejudice would play when Josephine and Napoleon had scenes together, and that is the greatest indignity of all, because that music is sacred and reserved for Elizabeth and Darcy, goddammit! The entire movie's color scheme is dark and dingy and blue, and overall, it was less of a spectacle and more of a snooze. I had no sense of why Napoleon was doing anything, but all I wanted was for him to get exiled soon so I could leave. To quote Jared Leto from House of Gucci - Boof.</div>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-21191460958156885412023-11-16T21:18:00.004-05:002023-11-25T14:02:18.449-05:00November Highlights Part 2: Quiz Lady & Fingernails<p>If you don't want to step into a theater and are looking for a streaming binge, perhaps one of these movies is for you. One is a raucous comedy about two sisters trying to make some money off a quiz show, while the other is a speculative romantic drama about a world in which couples can take a test to find out whether or not they are in love. So yeah. It's a broad range.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Quiz_lady_poster.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Quiz_lady_poster.png" width="216" /></a></div><b>Quiz Lady</b>: Awkwafina and Sandra Oh play two sisters (what more do you need!), Anne and Jenny, who had a difficult childhood with their tumultuous parents, who eventually got divorced. Jenny left to become an actress, but Anne is the responsible one who stayed behind in the family home while their mother moved to a nursing home. Unfortunately, now their mother has escaped the home and jetted off to Macao with a new boyfriend, leaving behind a mountain of gambling debts that Anne must now pay off. When Jenny arrives to help out with the situation, she puts a plan into motion that eventually culminates in Anne having to consider participating in Can't Stop the Quiz, a quiz show that she has obsessively been watching since she was a child.<p></p><p>Written by Jen D'Angelo and directed by Jessica Yu, this movie features little moments that touch you and big moments that make you chortle. Will Ferrell is fun as the game show's host, a nice nod to his years playing Alex Trebek on Saturday Night Live. Jason Schwartzman also shows up as a smarmy contestant who has amassed a winning streak on the show and that Anne will have to take down. But at the heart of it all is the relationship between these two sisters and the various misunderstandings that have torn them apart. These two actresses do fine work here, and it is genuinely heartwarming to watch their journey. So give it a chance - this is a movie that could surprise you in unexpected ways.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Fingernails_2023_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="258" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Fingernails_2023_poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><b>Fingernails</b>: Directed by Christos Nikou, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Stavros Raptis and Sam Steiner, this movie is mostly vibes, based off a tantalizing central premise. As you know, though, I am a plot person, and I do have to say there wasn't enough plot to sustain this film's two-hour runtime. But still, some of the vibes were worth it, given the cast you have assembled here. Jessie Buckley and Jeremy Allen White play Anna and Ryan, a couple that have taken the "test" that proves they are both in love with each other and meant to be together. However, Anna then starts working at the Love Institute, a place that serves as a quick bootcamp for couples where they do exercises designed to strengthen their bond and heighten the love they feel for each other before they take their test. It's clear that Anna feels like her relationship with Ryan needs some work and she tries to surreptitiously trick him into doing some of these love exercises at home with her (he has no idea that this is where she works, which maybe tells you already that this relationship is in trouble). <p></p><p>But the added wrinkle is that her colleague at the institute is Amir (Riz Ahmed), and of course, the two of them start vibing right away. I won't spoil the story any further (there isn't that much to spoil after all), but let's just say that this is your typical work of speculative fiction, a treatise on free will vs determinism and whether you can really just have a test tell you you're in love and then plan your whole life around that certainty. It's certainly a novel idea, reasonably well executed, but it doesn't...nail the landing, if you will. And if you're wondering why the movie is called Fingernails, it's for reasons I refuse to get into, so that can be the one truly surprising thing you get out of watching this film. </p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-5363236032522566152023-11-11T19:23:00.002-05:002023-11-25T14:02:31.540-05:00November Highlights Part 1: The Holdovers & The Marvels<p>November has started off well in the theaters. This weekend do you want to see a quiet comedy-drama set over Christmas in New England at a nearly empty boys' boarding school? Or do you want to see the latest blockbuster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that features three incredible female superheroes? Let's be real, it's not a choice, you should do both.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Holdovers_film_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Holdovers_film_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b>The Holdovers</b>: Written by David Hemingson and directed by Alexander Payne, this movie is an absolute delight. Set in New England in 1970 during the winter break at a boys' prep school, we follow the adventures of the cantankerous Mr. Hunham (Paul Giamatti, who is sublime as a Grinch who does have a heart hidden in there somewhere as we unpeel his backstory), the Ancient Civilizations teacher that none of the boys like but who has agreed to serve as the sole supervisor for any students who aren't going home for the holidays. Initially there's a small group of boys who are "held over" for the break, and none are happy about it, but the least happy is Angus (Dominic Sessa), who thought he was heading to a sunny beach vacay in St. Kitts but gets a call from his mother at the last minute that she is taking a honeymoon with his new stepfather instead and he has to stay back at school. <p></p><p>Eventually, Angus is the only boy left at the school as the others manage to find other plans, so it's just him, Mr. Hunham, and Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph, in a truly wonderful performance), the school's cafeteria manager. This is a particularly hard Christmas for Mary, because her only son has just died in Vietnam - unlike the other rich kids who ordinarily attend this school, he didn't have the luxury of being able to just head straight to college after graduation. So you have this very odd trio trying to survive Christmas together, while they all feel extremely alone in very different ways. It's a beautiful story, compellingly told, and the ways in which these people find points of commonality and come together over the course of two weeks is truly a Christmas miracle. This is the perfect bittersweet holiday movie, a wonderful character study, and a simple cinematic pleasure that will warm the cockles of your heart on even the most blustery winter day.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7a/The_Marvels_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="238" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7a/The_Marvels_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b>The Marvels:</b> Directed by Nia DaCosta who co-wrote the screenplay with Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik, this movie is sheer entertainment from start to finish (which is only 105 minutes, the shortest Marvel movie to date). Starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani as Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau (they're workshopping a superhero name), and Ms. Marvel respectively, this is a story about how these three disparate superheroes have their powers entangled, forcing them to become a dream team that have to fight together to help battle some aliens who seem determined to destroy multiple planets. The stakes are high, but the people who wrote this movie were higher. <p></p><p>There are a LOT of goofy elements in this movie and your mileage may vary when it comes to cats that spew tentacles out of their mouths or a random musical interlude with some aliens who only speak in song. But none of that matters where you look at the central trio and the amazing choreography afoot as they have to learn to work together and use their powers in concert with each other. It's really clever and fun and visually spectacular. And of course, Ms. Marvel's family members also feature prominently throughout the movie, which meant there were lots of random lines in Hindi/Urdu that were not captioned and felt like they were thrown in just as a sly aside to me. Representation matters, people! This is a fun, zippy, entertaining ride on the Marvel train - I didn't remember any of the back story of these characters going into it, but you know what, that didn't matter. Just walk in and surrender to the power of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-41457677810646519312023-10-29T21:47:00.001-04:002023-11-25T14:02:44.403-05:00October Offerings Part 3: The Persian Version & Dicks: The Musical<p>From the ridiculous to the sublime - the final two films I saw this month vary widely in tone and gender dynamics, but they are both wonderfully entertaining in their own way. Whether you want to watch two adult men Parent Trap their insane parents, or watch an Iranian-American lesbian learn to appreciate her mother's background, you're going to have a very unique experience at the theater.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/Dicks_the_musical_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/Dicks_the_musical_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b>Dicks: The Musical:</b> Written by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson (who also star in the film), and directed by Larry Charles, this is a supremely silly movie (based off their supremely silly off-Broadway musical) about two very straight white men in New York (they are gay in real life, which is why their attempts at playing straight are called out right away in the opening credits) who are top salesmen for their respective companies. When those companies merge, they are pitted against each other and become bitter rivals. But they look like each other (they don't actually, but they are supposed to be identical twins, so just roll with it OK!) and eventually realize that they were separated at birth. What follows is a ridiculous musical where these two men get to meet their parents, played by the insanely well-cast Megan Mullaly and Nathan Lane, and come up with a plan to bring the two of them back together again.<p></p><p>Listen, your mileage is definitely going to vary with this movie. But it's barely 90 minutes, so even if you hate it, you won't have to endure it for very long. It is extremely bizarre, very New York, and oh, did I mention that Bowen Yang also plays God in it? Like, the literal God. I cannot over-emphasize the silliness. But it's kind of amazing that this movie exists and it is a campy ridiculous good time. And the closing credits feature a lovely blooper reel where Nathan Lane has a moment where he just goes, "I can't believe I'm in this movie." Neither can I, Nathan, neither can I.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3f/Persian_version_poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3f/Persian_version_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b>The Persian Version: </b>Immigrants, roll on up to see this film, because it will blow you away. It is a very specific story, but tells a very universal tale of growing up in America when your parents have grown up somewhere else and trying to reconcile those two identities. It also offers up a tender portrait of the harsh relationship mothers and daughters can have, that is only resolved when you sit down and think about what exactly your mother's life was like before she moved to America. Written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz, this is a supremely beautiful, funny, and touching movie about women (Muslim women in particular!), and the resilience that is the foundation of any immigrant's journey across the globe.<p></p><p>The cast of this film is particularly wondrous - Layla Mohammadi plays Leila, an Iranian-American filmmaker in Brooklyn who is the ninth child of her family: the only daughter and a lesbian to boot. She and her mother have experienced a significant rift because her mother did not approve of her marriage to another woman, and their differences seem irreconcilable. But as the movie progresses, we watch Leila's journey, and how it eventually parallels her own mother's journey as a young girl in Iran. It's a bittersweet story, told with a great deal of heart and humor, and Niousha Noor's performance as Leila's mother, Shireen (as well as Kamand Shafieisabet's performance as her younger self in Iran), is remarkable. In a particularly profound moment, Shireen, who becomes a realtor, sells a storefront to an Indian immigrant in New Jersey who sets up the first Patel Brothers in the state. She believes in helping out other immigrants and that one moment was all I needed to stop seeing this film as an Iranian movie, and see it as a movie about the melting pot. This is also a beautifully shot film, with many artistic scenes and flourishes that make me very excited to see more of Keshavarz's work. Immigrants, we get the job done!</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996353944120667386.post-88321335927205048302023-10-22T16:20:00.001-04:002023-10-22T16:20:10.256-04:00October Offerings Part 2: Killers of the Flower Moon & Cassandro<p>Next up in October, I watched one movie that was three and a half hours long and purported to be about Native Americans while really mostly just being about white dudes, and another that was an hour and a half long and focused on the world of Mexican wrestling and a gay man who was trying to break barriers as an "exotico." Both are based on true stories, and no points for guessing which film proved to be far more entertaining and compelling.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Killers_of_the_Flower_Moon_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="258" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Killers_of_the_Flower_Moon_film_poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><b>Killers of the Flower Moon: </b>Sigh. I watched this movie just to get it over with. And I swear I went in with hope. I wanted this to be the kind of three and a half hour movie that is truly worth it, something where you go into the cinema and come out transformed and awed. But no, halfway through I started looking at the time and wondering why I was still trapped in the theater.<p></p><p>This film is Martin Scorsese's adaptation of David Grann's book of the same name. Set in the 1920s, this is the story of how a number of Osage Native Americans were killed in Oklahoma as part of a plot to get their oil rights. At the time, the Osage Nation was incredibly wealthy following the discovery of oil on their tribal land, but a crime boss named William King Hale (played very effectively by Robert De Niro) came up with a scheme to murder several members of the tribe and inherit their rights via his nephew Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio, playing a both weaselly and hapless man to excruciatingly good effect) who was married to an Osage woman, Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone, a phenomenal actress who unfortunately spends most of this movie weeping as more of her relatives die tragically).</p><p>Look, I get that Scorsese thinks he started with a movie that was about two white dudes and he managed to actually incorporate a great deal more about Osage culture and tradition and make it "diverse." But at the end of the day, this is still just a movie about two murderous white dudes and the Native Americans are mostly hapless victims being exploited by colonizers. And yes, that is the history of America in a nutshell, but why not tell this story from Mollie's point of view instead? Also, not for nothing, but I had to do a lot of research to even understand the beginning of this film and how the Osage got all this wealth. Why not spend more time exploring that backstory that is exclusively Native American before we spend an interminable three and half hours with DiCaprio and De Niro bumbling their way through some gruesome murders and courtroom drama? This movie absolutely did not need to be this long - there was not enough plot to sustain it, and it was bloated and self-indulgent. Marty, you tried, but you failed.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/Cassandro_film_poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/Cassandro_film_poster.png" width="216" /></a></div><b>Cassandro:</b> Directed by Roger Ross Williams from a script he wrote with David Teague, this is a beautiful movie about the real-life lucha libre Mexican wrestler, Saul Armendariz (played with much heart and warmth by the always reliable Gael Garcia Bernal). In the early 1980s, Saul lived in El Paso, Texas but regularly crossed the border to wrestle as a character named El Topo in lucha libre matches. But after meeting a trainer named Sabrina (the equally amazing Roberta Colindrez), she suggests that he might be more suited to wrestling as an "exotico," a wrestler who performs in drag and incorporates feminine movements and gimmicks as they wrestle. <p></p><p>Saul is openly gay, and the world of lucha libre is pretty explicitly homophobic, with people routinely yelling out slurs during matches and deriding the exotico wrestlers. Also, Saul's main argument against wrestling as an exotico is that they are never allowed to win. Nonetheless, Sabrina convinces him to give it a try, and thus, the character of Cassandro is born.</p><p>You have to watch the film to understand the transformation that takes place. There's some exquisite stunt choreography at play, and at its core, this is a story of how you can only be the most powerful version of yourself when you embrace who you really are. Cassandro brings such a wild and joyful energy to his matches that the crowd is swept away, and before you know it, people aren't screaming the f-word at him, and are rather chanting for him to win the match. This is a great biopic, destined to make you smile, and a reminder of how we always need more positive stories about people who break barriers and make the world see that there's nothing to fear by being different. And it's only an hour and a half long, so really, you have absolutely nothing to lose. Cassandro! Cassandro!</p>Shlokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01059531499992251002noreply@blogger.com0