Sunset Boulevard (1950)

This is one of the top films of all time for a reason.
Joe Gillis (William Holden) is dead. That's no spoiler, it's the opening scene. But lets start at the beginning. Joe is a script writer who is going through a severe dry spell and is broke beyond all reason. On the run from the collection agency, he drives his car into a driveway of what he believes is an abandoned mansion, old and decaying away. However, that's not the case. It is the house of former silent film superstar Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson, a revelation). Her beloved chimp has just died so she mistakes Joe for the coffin guy but then upon discovering he's a writer, she asks if he would read her script. He decides to milk the situation, something he will later come to regret. She offers him the editing job and insists that he move into the guest house, a room above the garage which he does. And soon, he becomes a spoiled prisoner. Her script is awful and dated, just as Norma's whole house is frozen in time. She allows his car to be taken away so he can't really leave and Norma's personality is volatile. Joe hitches a ride to spend time with his friends, she grabs his razor and attempts suicide. Sure, she is depressed, without the cameras surrounding her but she needs attention among other things. But this attempt got him to come back so it served its purpose.
Fortunately, a chance meeting his friend's fiance, Betty Shaffer (Nancy Olsen) inspires him to work on a script which actually has promise. Betty actually met Joe back at the beginning when he was begging for a job. She's a reader (that's a job of some sort) at Paramount and has read one of his old scripts which contains a portion that she feels shows real promise. So Joe sneaks out of the house at night so they can work on it together, and Betty falls in love with him though she's engaged to the nice Artie Green (Jack Webb).
Norma cannot have this, she's a star and no one leaves a star so she tries to sabotage the relationship. But Joe realizes that he's being a tool so he ends things with Betty but decides to leave anyway and tells Norma the truth, her career is history and her fan letters have all been written by her first husband, former director and now butler, Max (Erich von Stroheim) though he won't admit it. So Joe leaves but Norma shots him (I assume she ordered the gun and had it delivered with Max's knowledge) three times and he falls into the newly cleaned out pool to his death. And she breaks with reality. But the TV stations bring in cameras so she perks up and prepares herself for her final close up.
The plot is brilliant, with intricate twists and turns and excellent characters and performances not to mention the excellent cinematography, editing and scenic design (which won a much deserved Oscar). The dialogue is memorable and cannot be forgotten. The role of Norma is utterly perfect for Swanson who has one of the most expressive faces ever on screen. All four stars were nominated for much deserved Oscars though none of them won, which is just a shame though 1950 was a great year for films though this one might just be the greatest. Grade: A

The Hollars (2016)

This film had major issues. Sally Hollar (the great Margo Martindale) suffers a seizure and is found to have a brain tumor and must have major surgery as soon as possible. Her situation is so precarious that her wayward son, John (John Krasinski) flies in from New York.
Despite the fact that he never calls home and won't marry his pregnant girlfriend, Rebecca (Anna Kendrick) for whatever reasons, John is far more normal than his older brother, Ron (Sharlto Copley) who stalks his ex-wife and sneaks into her house to spend time with his daughters and is pissed that she's moved on while he hasn't. And the patriarch (Richard Jenkins) is in denial about his plumbing business going bankrupt.
The film is touchingly sweet at times and real but has issues and the ending is devastating and falls flat. Who knows if the business will survive this recession and what was the problem with John and Rebecca's relationship in the first place, I mean, yes becoming a parent must be terrifying, but still, it didn't make much sense to me. Also, Jason (Charlie Day) as Sally's annoying nurse, he was extremely obnoxious and having Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Jason's wife and John's former high school girlfriend and only having her in one scene is just ridiculous, she's too good of an actress to be in so little of the film.
That being said, it had good music and did show a great little snapshot of a family in turmoil. It's just a shame that so many talented good actors were wasted with this flimsy script when it could have been so much better. Grade: B

Bend it Like Beckham (2002)

This is a truly great film. Jesminder (Parminder Nagra) is preparing to go to university to become a solicitor but her true love is football (aka soccer) which is simply not allowed but she soon receives an offer, nevertheless to play on a girl's team when she is discovered by Jules Paxton (a very young Keira Knightley) and so she joins, without her parents' knowledge.
The plot thickens as Jess's sister, Pinky (Archie Panjabi, we never learn her real name is engaged) is engaged to a man called Teet (Khuvinder Ghir; that name is enough of a turn-off) but the engagement is called off by his parents when they misinterpret Jess's friendship with Jules as a sexual one, Jules's mother, Paul (Juliet Stevenson) believes the same thing. The Bharmas (Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan) are furious and no amount of pleading from her coach, Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) can change their minds. Fortunately, at least Jess's best friend and closeted homosexual Tony (Ameet Chana) has her back and comes to her games.
Things go from bad to worse as Jess falls in love with her coach and Jules is livid as she was nursing her own crush and they have a very large argument about the whole thing. But then the wedding between Pinky and Teet is back on but the only day they could schedule the hall is the same day as Jess's big football final with a scout coming all the way from America.
Fortunately, her father lets her go as it appears that she is at her father's funeral instead of her sister's wedding and it is a good call. Jess gets the opportunity of a lifetime, an American scholarship to pay and have a chance to go pro. And even more fortunate, her family is behind her and Joe is thrilled, but she doesn't want to chance it so they don't kiss until right before she leaves for America. Why do kisses actually mean something in Hollywood films? They mean nothing in real life, that's for sure.
Okay, enough venting. In this case, it appears that Joe and Jess are making things work long distance as Joe does get closer to her family at the end of the film and Jess is doing what she loves without any regrets.
Now, I could nitpick this film to death and am thankful that there was that rule in place that coaches can't date their players, though naturally, I was rooting for them to end up together in the end. But it is also unfair that Jess missed all those practices leading up to the final game but was still allowed to play, would that still happen in real life? I doubt it.
That being said, the film is still excellent with a fresh take on a tried-and-true plot with excellent performances all around, interesting editing (good juxtaposition) and great music. It is just a shame that Nagra didn't become a bigger star after this amazing performance. Grade: B+

My Man Godfrey (1936)

This was a rather bizarre film, but then again, it is more than eighty years old.
Godfrey (William Powell) is a homeless man picked up by Cordelia Bullock (Gail Patrick) as part of a ridiculous scavenger hunt for rich people who have too much time on their hands. But it is Cordelia's younger sister, Irene (Carole Lombard, eventually the third Mrs. Clark Gable) who falls in love with him and invites him into her home to be their butler. He accepts this offer and does an excellent job though that family is certainly something else. Dizzy is one word but just plain bizarre is another. Who else would steal a horse and lock it in the library overnight? That was very foolish and certainly wasn't very nice to the horse.
But Godfrey has a secret and it isn't that he stole Cordelia's strand of pearls; he's secretly wealthy. He came from a wealthy family but after a disastrous break-up (need more details!), he abandoned his family and found comfort and true meaning by living on the streets in a hooverville. Along with his old college friend, Tommy Gray (Alan Mowbray) he invests his small income in stocks and while he grows richer, Alexander Bullock (Eugene Pallette), the father, loses of his money, after all, this is the depression.
Godfrey has turned the dump into a successful bar/nightclub and resigns from being a butler but will not admit that he loves Irene so she gives him no choice but to marry him, having the mayor show up and everything to marry them.
While they are meant to be together, after all, this is a Hollywood and the main two characters always end up together, no one should be forced and hoodwinked into a marriage, so that isn't right.
Despite the frivolousness of the characters and plot and that you need more details than the Hayes would allow, it still managed to fly by and keep my interest the whole time which is always a relief and I might even watch it again. It is still somewhat timely (though the government doesn't take sixty percent of the wealthy's income in taxes, too bad), as there are so many wealthy people unaware and uncaring about the poverty living under their noses and there is more to these people than meets the eye. Grade: B+

Love, Simon (2018)

This was a great book and the film is equally as excellent. Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) is a typical high school senior who believes that he is just like everyone else, which isn't entirely true, I didn't get a car on my sixteenth birthday but whatever. However, unlike me, Simon has a huge secret and one that he believes will change everything, also not true. He's gay and no one knows, especially not Leah (Katherine Langford) one of his best friends who he has known since kindergarten as Leah is falling in love with Simon.
The plot kicks into gear when the school's gossip blog confirms that the high school has one closest gay kid and Simon forms a secret online relationship with him. Both are closeted and relatively scared and frightened to come out and both really start to like each other. And then the awkward kid, Martin (Logan Miller), who really is, okay, well, he could be a nice person but he accidentally sees the emails and uses it to blackmail Simon to get Simon to set him up with the new girl, Abby (Alexandra Shipp) who is crushing hard on Simon's other best friend, Nick (Jorge Lendeborg, Jr). Yeah, this is an interesting love hexagon.
But in one of the most embarrassing moments ever on screen, Martin interrupts the singing of the National Anthem and professes his love for Abby and it backfires so he posts the screenshots of the private emails between Simon and his mystery man.
Fortunately, Simon has great parents in Jack and Emily (Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner) who are pretty understanding and Jack apologizes for all those jokes he has make throughout the years in one of the best father-son scenes in cinematic history and the best scene of Duhamel's career. But his friends are pissed, as they have every right to be and some of the other kids at school aren't nearly so kind but the awesome drama teacher, Ms. Albright (Natasha Rothwell) puts them promptly in their place.
And finally, Simon posts his own blog, urging his online crush to come forward as life is always better when you have someone to share it with. And, at the eleventh hour, Bram (Kelynan Lonesdale) comes forward as the email buddy and they do fall in love. Nick and Abby start dating and Leah is eventually okay with Simon's homosexuality and things are just as they always were, getting coffee every morning before school and coming up with interesting costumes for Halloween.
Overall, the film is solid, with great performances from both veterans and newcomers and though there are many characters, the personalities nevertheless come across on the screen, which is rare. And there is mid-film musical number for on good reason which is just great. Everyone, please go rent this film. Grade: A-

All the Money in the World (2017)

This film is crazy good.
The story is completely bizarre. J. Paul Getty (a very good Christopher Plummer) is the richest man whose ever lived, investing heavily in oil but he is frugal and looks for every loophole possible when doing his taxes, and he had a pay telephone installed in his London mansion so his guests could make calls.
Even when his young grandson, Paul (Charlie Plummer, no relation) is kidnapped, he won't pay the ransom, refusing to give in. His mother, Gail (a brilliant Michelle Williams) doesn't have the money and no one believes her.
She is smart and shrewd but is no match for her former father-in-law. And there are many theories as to who kidnapped the pyrotechnic teenager, who was kicked out of his school for setting it on fire, including one that he staged the whole thing. Which is not the case, as who would arrange to have his ear chopped off?
In the end, all it took when Getty's hunchman, Fletcher Chace (Mark Wahlberg) calling him out for what he is for Getty to pay the ransom so at least the film has a relatively happy ending, proving that money doesn't truly buy happiness.
I cannot believe that this film had numerous scenes redone filmed in just a matter of days. And Plummer did brilliantly as though the role was made for him. Williams and Wahlberg are solid in their roles also and the film has a lovely old-fashioned feel to it which is just awesome and rare. The film, despite being rushed, pays attention to all the little details such as all of Getty's rare artwork which he will spend more on that his family, and he dies surrounded by his artwork, not his family. Grade: A-

Game Night (2018)

This film was incredibly cheesy but it had a bunch of actors that I like and Jason Bateman. Max (Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) are an incredibly competitive couple whose game nights are epic. And when Max's brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler, always great) comes to town, he decides to kick things up a notch by faking a kidnapping which turns to be real. Things get interesting. Turns out that Brooks isn't the successful person he's led everyone to believe; he really sells crap on the black market and is wanted by several dangerous criminals including the Bulgarian (Michael C. Hall) and this other guy played by Danny Huston.
There is a kidnapping within a kidnapping within a true hunt for a criminal. The Davis's creepy cop neighbor, Gary (Jesse Plemons) is pissed that he was cut out of game night after his divorce so the second kidnapping was his idea but Brooks is really a criminal. And he takes the list of people in witness protection (once he expels it from his body, gross) he sells it to the highest bidder and tips off the people on the list for a price. Yeah, he's a real upstanding guy.
Fortunately, the acting is decent and this film is packed with actors that are better than the film: Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury (nice to see you again), Sharon Horgan, Billy Magnussen and Chelsea Peretti. Unfortunately, the acting is the highlight as the film isn't funny and only mildly suspenseful but it is far from the worst way to spend an evening. Grade: B-