Movie Review Thread

[poorpete]

Howard

On Disney Plus, a documentary on Howard Ashman, made by the friends who loved him. A clear look at the life of one of the wittiest songwriters ever, a relatively regular by-the-numbers but often moving chronological review of his life. I get it's about his life, but I wish there was more appreciation to the exact words he wrote. Sometimes they went in depth, like in the opening to Beauty and the Beast, but sometimes there's little talk, like only about the purpose and awards won for "Under the Sea." And the title song for "Beauty", a sweeping ode to love and life, written on his deathbed, is not discussed at all. But hey, it still offered a lot, and some of the behind-the-scenes views, especially Jerry Orbach singing "Be Our Guest", is fantastic.

[poorpete]

52 By Women 2020 #53: Dance, Girl, Dance

There's a tremendous scene when Marueen O'Hara, playing our hero, performs the hula, competently, artistically well, and desperately needs the success. We cut to the promoter watching, a cigar-chomping man, who does little chomping as we clearly see him bored out of his mind. He shows no empathy to the desperation or joy for the art. Then Lucille Ball comes in and gives a more sexualized performance and the man is chewing it up (the cigar and the dancing). She gets the job. The scene encapsulates the message of the film, art vs commerce and a critique of the male gaze, questioning why it deserves so high a place to make-or-break a woman's career.

That this all culminates in the two leads fighting it out with their hands was inevitable (and entertaining). Although the film clearly sides with Maureen's character, virtuous and true, it is loving to Lucille's character too (she's a hoot in this), giving her a happy ending on her terms, with no moral scolding. The scolding stays directed at the men. Since only a handful of films were directed by women during Hollywood's golden age (in this case, Dorothy Arzner), it's understandable feminists mine these films for any positive messages. But this is a gold mine, clear in its intent and ahead of its time.

I will say that the film took a while to bring me in, the first half's melodrama feeling competent but a tad stale. But everything came together eventually and the last half of the movie I was enthralled.

[Kyle]

[poorpete]

Maybe, though Disney distributed it and it's scored by Howard's collaborator Alan Menkin. I wonder if it's because of what behind-the-scene archival footage they had available. I guess my main thought: as a big fan of Howard, it worked for me, but if you come in with little knowledge, you still might be moved by his life story, but I dunno if you'd full appreciate what made his lyricism so great.

[poorpete]

52 By Women 2020 #54: Beyond the Lights

Working my way backwards in the Gina Prince-Bythewood filmography. Here's her take on fame and the fight to be yourself. The film tackles mental illness very well, and shames what we do to celebrities who deal, the monsters around them.

Great performances all around in this one. Gugu Mbatha Raw should be a star. Nate Parker shows why he was, pre-me-too, heading for superstardom, as he's sympathetic, poised, and hunky here. Minnie Driver is great here, good to see her get a fun ~villainous role. Machine Gun Kelly perfectly suited for his role. One of those films where all the minor characters are real people, and it's fun and weird, like when Don Lemon plays a key part in the climax. Said on the "Black Check Podcast" but I agree here, one of the few films about stardom where all the songs are believably hits in this alternate-universe. And added bonus of an intense adoration of Nina Simone.

Why this wasn't a hit? Could it be as simple as the title? Available on Kanopy.

[poorpete]

52 By Women 2020 #55-64
Ten Short Films, ranked high to low. Didn't feel these should count towards the 52 when I watched them, but since I'm past the goal, here they are. They are available on Kanopy and/or YouTube. Made between 1907 and 1942. 134 minutes total.

Meshes of the Afternoon - a fun, surreal, purposely confounding look into dream logic by Maya Deren and her husband. We watch and don't quite know what part of it all is supposed to be reality and what is fiction. Some take the beginning as real and the ending as real, and everything else as a dream, but I'm not sure, and think part of the fun is not knowing for sure. It features some amazing shots and camera moves, including one where she bounces off the walls and the camera does the same, that was so exciting and I am pretty sure I haven't seen mimicked anywhere else. They filmed this for $250. Reading up, Deren didn't like surrealism, saying she was interested in the truth not entertainment. But this film is surreal and entertaining despite her protests. Ah well!



Papageno
Look, I stan for Papageno.I love animation and the silhouette work of Lotte Reiniger. So this is so in my wheelhouse. It's great, and the only issue I have is the fault of Mozart, I always don't like Papageno's worst moment, but love everything else around it and Reiniger hits all the right notes here (pun!).



The Stolen Heart
A quality fairy tale. It's got creepiness, it's got whimsy, and it's got a happy ending. More fun silhouette animation by Reiniger.

Harlequin
I love the worlds Reiniger created. Harlequin is a mischievous kid, led by impulsive joy, even if it means stealing a man's wife and then so easily throwing her aside for someone else. As for if he realizes the errors of his way or gets his commupance... I don't remember! Eh, I guess I'll have to watch it again.

Ashenputtel (Cinderella)
Last one from Reiniger. Hit's all the notes we know from Cinderella. Even though I much prefer Disney's version, this deserves it's due for appearing long before, and telling the story well.

Mabel's Strange Predicament
This is a rarity in which Chaplin's Tramp is relegated to a secondary character, and by golly it works really well. Chaplin gets the bigger laughs here and it's obvious that he's onto something really special, but Mabel does good work here too. She's fun!

Caught in a Cabaret
Directed by Mabel Normand, but the Tramp is nearly fully formed here. Silly walks, pratfalls, stunts, and mistaken identity, all Chaplin hallmarks, all here.

Suspense
A short by Lois Weber, which if you want to see an early example of what Hitchcock did better, check it out. Otherwise it's a simple damsel in distress story. She's scared, a bad guy is menacing, a good guy rescues her, the end.

Mabel's Blunder
Men fight over Mabel. It's alright.

L'Enfant De La Barricade
Early film by Alice Guy-Blaché. It's a very short story, told fine. Not essential.

Here's the 64 films so far if you want more info
https://letterboxd.com/poorpete/list/52 ... n-in-2020/

[poorpete]

Mean Girls

Doesn't count for my list even though it was written by Tina Fey, is so clearly in her tone and style (the best), and everything not is a clear mimic/homage/sister-film of Amy Heckerling's "Clueless" (you can buy both, sold as a two-pack as "Girls Rock", at your local superstore). What both have in common too are two stand-out star-making career-defining (for better or worse) roles by their leads. It was good, a lot of fun gags and lines, and assembled perfectly. But films like this thrive on rewatchability, so ask me again in 10 years.

[poorpete]

52 By Women 2020 #65: The Go-Gos

Acclaimed film by a woman + Documentary on the Go-Gos = Inevitable that I'd watch this. A thorough look at the greatest hits of the Go-Gos, and by greatest hits I don't mean just their best songs, but "The Formative Years (punk rockers)," "The Rise (Stardom)", "The Excess (sex, drugs, etc)", "The Sniping / Backstabbing / Raw Feelings (that still burn each other decades later", "Dissolve/Disillusion," and the finale "Growing Old Together." One note I will say, is there were more than a few points in their story where they were asked "do you all still get along?" they say "yes", but we now know they are lying. That they say the same now, we hope this time they're being honest. But why not, they're being amazingly honest about everything else. Also, this has some choice words for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but is also a bit of a promotion to get them in there. Mad at the game and playing the game. But: they're right. It's wrong that they've never been considered and they should be mad because they should be in, but also: they should be in.

Available on Showtime

[Phoebe]

Pride & Prejudice, movie version with K Knightley

Out of desperation because there's nothing good on Netflix, and this had popped up freshly acquired and being promoted to me like crazy, I decided to give it another chance. I approached it in the spirit of forgiveness that it has to do in a few hours what the miniseries has half a day to accomplish, and I was indeed rewarded for this. I actually ended up genuinely liking it overall, which is really saying something because it is hard to watch a version that has a completely unsympathetic and unappealing Lizzie who has exactly two facial expressions (bland staring, and truly frightening giggling).

Nevertheless, the advantages of this movie:
It cuts out boring things I like least about the miniseries - Jane Austen does a terrific job of describing all these other non-elizabeth non-darcy scenes in the book, but the miniseries drags a lot of them out interminably. Everything with Mr Collins takes a super long time in the miniseries, and all the scenes with Lydia are a bore. In my older age I also find movie Mr Collins less attractive than I once did, possibly because I am so resentful of Amazon prime for taking away the second season of that miniseries where he plays the doctor. Anyway, I am now more able to appreciate his slimy unctuousness, even as compared with the particularly slimy and unctuous mini-series Collins.

The whole episode with Wickham is a lot more truncated and less painful, and you can see how Wickham's flattery of Lizzie makes her feel better after she genuinely believes that Darcy finds her unattractive. The movie also makes it clear that fundamentally she has eyes only for Darcy even while being a bit boosted by Wickham's attentions, as anyone would be after this type of flattery when they were rejected by a man they thought particularly handsome. But it's clear how superficial that is for Lizzie and that he is never really a tempting option; he merely gives her an excuse to mask her own inner struggle and make more conversation with Darcy. Her interest in him is not explained on the basis of her actually liking or preferring him, so much as it motivates feeling ill-disposed to Darcy. The movie also does a much better job of making her discovery of Darcy's machinations to separate Jane and Bingley quite dramatic and shocking. Like, she is deeply pissed off at Darcy in that moment and thinks that he has grievously wounded her sister's entire life forever, so there's a lot more edginess in their interactions, and it's clear in the movie that she is blaming herself and feeling guilty about being attracted to Darcy because he has done something so terrible in her eyes. As perfect as Lizzie in the mini-series is, they do portray her as much more contemplative and cagey; it's not clear that she's truly struggling with her own feelings of attraction to Darcy and that Wickham is in no way shape or form an option until we get to Pemberley. Much more cerebral, if you will, which is great for Austen and great for miniseries, but the movie is better served by giving us that access to Lizzie's emotions.

Another advantage of the movie is that Jane is obviously super cute, and Bingley is a really good and sweet/hapless bingley, so you can easily see how he is pining for her but incompetent at pressing his own case forward and easily diverted by the others. The Jane in the miniseries is beautiful in a way that makes sense in the context of the book, but not in a way that has great chemistry with miniseries Bingley or makes their immediate attachment to one another believable. Basically you can believe of miniseries Jane that she is too long suffering and mild to express herself more vigorously, and you can see why even Bingley's sisters like her in spite of her situation because disliking her would be something like disliking a lamb, but she's so mild and bland that it's not clear how she and Bingley formed any powerful connection in the first place, unless all he wants is a woman to stare at him doe-eyed and nonverbal. But Bingley actually says he likes jolly times and dancing, so this is not entirely persuasive. Movie Jane is on the whole more attractive and lively than movie Bingley, so you can see why he is crushing on her immediately.

The other good thing about this movie is the Mr Darcy, who is in fact a good actor and in many ways a more believable Mr Darcy. Nobody can hold a candle to Colin Firth's Darcy, of course, and no one will ever recreate such a good surprise encounter at Pemberley. That's as good as it gets! but in a way it is better for me to appreciate the movie while not being blinded by the dazzling lights of Colin Firth. I can appreciate how cute this younger Darcy is without finding him attractive personally, whereas I think I speak for a great many women in saying we are all ready to leap upon Firth's Mr. Darcy at a moment's notice, so we give a pass to certain ways he's not as well as suited to the role. For one thing, he looks much older and more brainy and mature, which is okay when it comes to seeing why Lizzie would fall in love with him, but it also makes him look more like a dad to his little sister than a big brother, and it is far less believable that he is shy and taciturn by nature. The movie Darcy does a good job coming off as stiff but passionate - you can believe that he is truly crippled by shyness, so anything he does to approach Lizzie or even settle the problem with Mr Wickham seems like a major step on his part. It also helps to explain why Elizabeth's sisters are not immediately fainting dead away at the sight of Mr. Darcy, because it is beyond belief that anybody could fail to find Colin Firth immediately gorgeous, whereas you can see why the movie Bingley might be considered cuter and more appealing to the girls than movie Darcy, and it makes sense when the younger sisters make fun of Darcy's long lashes and cow-like demeanor.

There are still so many things to hate about the movie - the interactions between Darcy and Lizzy are so utterly impoverished compared to Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, and the choices to deviate from the proper script and embellish with nonsense are unforgivable. But there is one exception: the way Lizzy is very pointedly sassy with Darcy at their first meeting explains why he is immediately smitten with her and realizes he has met his match. I don't like the fact that he makes his assessment of her attractiveness after actually getting to speak with her for a few minutes - in the mini-series it's much better because he has only a quick glance at her while he is extremely stressed out and feeling put on the spot to dance, standing there near the middle of the floor, and then he immediately discovers his f******. But at least in the movie Darcy knows that he has said something wrong and is sure that Lizzie heard it and is judging him for it, and he's also feeling a believable introvert reaction to being at a noisy, crowded ball. So he is set on his heels a bit from the start and that helps to explain things.

[poorpete]

Awesome. I can't remember if I watched it, so I should probably watch it.

52 By Women 2020 #66: Harriet
I was ready to want to like this film, loving Lemmons' "Eve's Bayou" and Tubman being a true local, national, and worldwide hero. But I knew this film got mixed reviews. The trailer wasn't exciting. I have posted elsewhere that I personally thought Tubman's life would be better as a miniseries (there's chapters that are ripe for in-depth storytelling, early life/head trauma, slave life, the escape, freedom, moses/conductor, the civil war "general," the suffragette, and her elderly life). Then, seeing the DVD box, the above-the-title lead actors are Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr, and Janelle Monae, and I immediately pre-second-guessed the film again. Oh! Harriet should be a musical! Why have three acclaimed singers lead the film and not have it be full of song.

But songs do play a big role in the film, in the most striking scenes. Erivo sings here (not just the acclaimed credit song), often quick hymns that are from the era but also true to Harriet's feelings, and it's wonderful. They're over too soon, but maybe that's the point. We want more singing but I mean, why does the caged bird sing? These are people, being heroes, but still not yet being their full potential, so why not have Odom and Monae play free characters who still never get to sing? Also, btw, there's a montage played to Nina Simone's "Sinnerman" and it might've been my favorite part. Take note, filmmakers, I'm a sucker for good use of Simone!

Anyways, as for the story, sure it's a bit by-the-numbers, but so was her life. She's enslaved, she escapes, then she becomes a hero. It's directed well, acted well, though the screenplay might be the weak point. Since it's Hollywood there's a lot of suspenseful "close calls," and though obvious that Tubman had her share, they all felt more like story contrivances than historic truth. I think it'd have been more exciting to just see her kick ass in her task, than being the barer of luck or divine intervention.

[poorpete]

52 By Women 2020 #67: Hustlers

A great two-hander (edit: I don't like when people write "pun not intended" in prose because chances-are you very-much intended it, but I already posted this before editing this to note: the pun was not intended), with Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez starring (up there with Out of Sight with my favorite roles of hers, proving again why she why she became a film star first). I was sold early on, when J Lo teaches Wu how to pole dance, reciting move after move, while ballet music played behind it. It was a clear mission statement: this is art. One thing I really loved about this film was the music, which was confidently switched between classical quartets and dance hall hip hop. No Nina Simone though, what's the deal? (Kidding.) Firmly within the third wave feminists view (don't hate women for playing the game), showing both the sisterhood of strippers (my other favorite scenes take place in the dressing room, where the girls joke, comfort, and place a firm boundary between what they do and sex, and fun small parts for Lizzo (featuring Sasha Flute) and Cardi B that aren't stunt-casting) and the 80% sleazy men they deal with (but also take money from, legally then illegally). Director Lorene Scafaria should have her blank check after this. Trust her with your film budgets, studios!

[Phoebe]

Lizzo with Sasha saynomore I will watch this.

[poorpete]

Lizzo in it for a few minutes, Sasha in it for about 4 seconds. But exciting nonetheless

52 By Women 2020 #68: Water Lillies
Completed the fourth of four films of Céline Sciamma, director of "Girlhood" (very good), "Tomboy" (great), and "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" (masterpiece). This one would fall somewhere between very good and great. I still need to meditate on it. Like her four films, this is another where the two or three or four main characters are women, dealing with gender roles and relationships. "Portrait" was notable for featuring almost no men, in this one there are no adults (apart from the director's cameo as a McDonalds cashier). The original French title translates to "Birth of the Octopi", and as much as like the poetic beauty of the English title, there's something fun and fascinating about the original. They both refer to two scenes in the film, with the "octopi" scene the more memorable. I can't wait for what Sciamma chooses to show us next.

[poorpete]

52 By Women 2020 #69: La Pointe-Courte

Agnes Varda's 1955 debut, a low-budget black-and-white filmed-on-location film about life and love, sets all the parameters of the French New Wave that would become the focal point of the film world four years later. And it's a beauty. From her start, Varda is a master at shot composition, makes sense given her start in still-photography, and this might be the prettiest film I've seen from her. And maybe the first use of this striking shot, which I have no idea what its name is, but shows up every few years in a great film and is always appreciated:



As for the story, it's pretty good, and I love the play on a will-they or won't-they but with a married couple. Available on the Criterion Channel.

[poorpete]

52 By Women 2020 #70: Le Bonheur

Still working my way through how I feel about this movie, because it is both saying a lot but also quiet about what it really thinks. Is this a film about the power of happiness or a caustic satire or a creepy horror film? I'm not sure! Varda was not direct about her intention. Her cast seems to disagree on what happened and the moral too. The lead actor sees his character as good, honest, and led by joy. Others see him as oblivious and self-centered and a monster. The climax, and how it concludes, is either a comeuppance... or not! I have spoilery thoughts, but I'll keep that to Letterboxd. Half way through this I felt it was the least memorable of the Varda films I've seen, but once over I've gobbled up as many reviews, essays, and behind-the-scenes videos I could find. Ask me later.

[Phoebe]

Definitely want to see about the birth of the octopi! Varda is the one who did a film called Nausicaa and they would not let her show it in France due to some sort of political controversy over French-Greek relations, not sure what - I searched and found this but there's not a very substantial explanation. Anyway, good stuff, I want to see some of this!

[poorpete]

52 By Women 2020 #71: Vagabond

So am I ashamed that Agnes Varda made films for nearly 65 years, and I was alive for 38 of those years, and I didn't watch any of her films until this year, a year after her death. This is the seventh film of hers I've seen this year, and that should be enough of a recommendation, but to be clearest: she is fast becoming one of my favorite filmmakers. This film, a vagabond travelouge, is best when we sit with the characters she meets. My favorites, based on what I've read after, are fan favorites too: the cute old lady and the tunisian pruner -- the film contains snippits of how the characters felt long after the vagabond left, and his short scene is incredibly moving.

Available on the Criterion Channel.

[Phoebe]

I don't know that you would have appreciated her films during your first decade? But who knows. Anyway, I have watched a film pressed upon me urgently by Netflix, called On Body and Soul - this title is a translation of Hungarian. It will not be enjoyed by the usual crowd that does not enjoy the subtitled movie, the weird and slow-moving movie, etc.

This is indeed a very weird movie. I can't decide whether I liked it or not - it was certainly interesting and impactful, but was it good? The scenes of dreaming about snowy forests were really, really good, and all the story associated with that was good. However, I can't say I "enjoyed" it because of the occasional bloody and traumatic scenes - scarce but also necessary to the plot. There is very brief incidental nudity, also part of the plot, but definitely NOT a movie for kids (not even for this old lady)! However, the violent scenes are imo extremely intense and disturbing, perhaps all the moreso because they aren't like other scenes of big splashy Hollywood violence, but were very realistic. For example, the movie is set mostly in a slaughterhouse, which provides a thematic context very important to the story, so you see disturbing things of the sort that go on in a slaughterhouse.

Anyway, insofar as it deals with communications among people, and/or perhaps animals, the movie has a lot of interesting and unusual things to say. The actors are interesting and compelling. The story is thought provoking in a good way - someone had some great ideas for a movie and started running with them. On the other hand, did they end up running in the right direction? That is less certain.

The woman at the center of the plot apparently has Aspergers (or maybe that's not a thing anymore - maybe it's all "ASD"? I take issue with a lot of this...), and definitely OCD behaviors. The way that was depicted was rather bothersome to me. I can't get into all of it without giving major spoilers, but the movie sort of lumps together neuro-atypicality and spiritually or experientially atypical things with actual seriously mentally ill behavior. It's all sort of taken as a piece in a way that bothers me. Finally, the main relationship depicted in the story is between this woman and a man who is obviously twice her age, and it's not clear to me why their relationship isn't primarily paternal/mentoring as opposed to romantic/sexual, even under the strange circumstances. It's not like it's wrong that they have such an age gap, but I'd like to know why the default setting on such age gaps isn't set to "father figure" rather than "I love you and must submit to you sexually or else". Why? I don't want to have sex with men my father's age, and if someone else my age does, more power to them, but why is their experience so often the Norm in the world of film? Why are OCD people always depicted in such a weird way in movies, especially when OCD is so common relative to, say, the number of people who have sex with men twice their age?

In sum, tl;dr: deer appear in the movie, which is good, and they should have just made the movie all about the deer and called it a day.

[poorpete]

[poorpete]

52 By Women 2020 #72: The Gleaners and I
Satisfies two things you want from a good documentary: being well made (having Varda at the lead, with her artistic and personal touch) and the push for change (in this case in finding greatness in the outcasts, in recycling and reusing). Was trying to think of a filmmaker so adept at both documentaries and narrative film. I'm thinking Scorsese, Demme, Orson Welles, and Spike Lee. But really, the most similar to Varda is Werner Herzog, who also gets personal with his documentaries (narration and entering the story) though he is down about humanity and fatalistic about nature, while Varda seeks the joy and the pain and complications of life -- while she is a celebrator of humanity. There's a lot that's good about this film but it seems most people who love this have gleaned the "push for change" message and how it changed how they see the world. For that review, I'll need time.

52 By Women 2020 #73: Varda by Agnes
She has made other films trying to sum up her career, her life, and her inspiration, all the while being inspiring, affirming, and placed in that career itself. At this point, I think I still like Beaches of Agnes better, but there's a lot to like here. Also, this is her last film, so we see her fully at her final moments, still making great work. But I think wait on this until you see more of her films. OR watch this first, to get an idea of who this person is, who she was, and then start at the beginning.