The Best of Enemies (2019)

Based on a true story, this film depicts how the leader of the Klan, CP Ellis (Sam Rockwell) and black activist, Ann Atwater (Taraji P. Henson) start to bond.
This movie should not work, and though Henson is brilliant, she is miscast as Atwater, which is unfortunate.
It is Durham, North Carolina in 1971, where the Klan still has a despicable hold on the town and one of the first scenes shows some members shooting up the house of a young white woman solely because she is allegedly dating an African American man. That's right, the Klan hates not just blacks but also communists, Jews and those who like everyone, just so they don't get pushed out, which is exactly what they fear will happen when the elementary school in East Durham (read: the school for the African American children) is badly burned in an electrical fire. However, unable to attend the main elementary school, they have split shifts, which has to be dreadful for everyone.
The NAACP sues the board for this to change but as most of those on the school district and council are Klan supporters, they refuse to rule and instead get the citizens to make the decision themselves in a forum called charettes (something I've never hear of before) led by African American lawyer, Bill Riddick (Baboo Ceesay) who picks Ann and CP to lead the debate, which they agree, rather reluctantly on both sides.
The members of the council (Klanless and Activist-less) learn the issues and then vote after learning about them for two weeks (the issues aren't really discussed) and must win by a two-thirds majority. Fortunately, there are several white liberals so the Klan tries to persuade their decision.
Now, the end is inevitable, yes CP changes his mind. He isn't a bad guy and his life isn't easy. His oldest son has Down syndrome and is institutionalized, which cannot be easy or cheap. And after his rips up his Klan card, he is punished, the Klan burns more than 600 gallons of gasoline from his little shop. But Ann comes through for him, just as she said she would.
Fortunately, the performances are great, not just from Henson and Rockwell but from Anne Heche (Maryann Ellis), nice to her in a film again, John Gallagher, Jr (Lee Trombley) and Bruce MacGill (Carvie Oldham) and while it takes you back to that period, with the smoke everywhere, old cars and cheap gas prices (twenty-six cents per gallon), the film is still missing something. Sure, some of the points are shown with saying little (at the one school, the textbooks are old and the kids are learning stuff they should have learned the previous year), but some of the sessions aren't shown, which is such a shame. While the film was very good, it could have and should have been great. Grade: B+

Bad Times at El Royale (2018)

This was a bizarre and tragically bloody film but it was very well-executed.
The title hotel is located in both California and Nevada, on the state line and on this particular night, a bunch of oddballs are there.
First of all, the hotel is bugged and the mirrors are actually see-through and the manager, Miles (Lewis Pullman) has seen many disturbing things, this night is no different.
There is Father Daniel Flynn, whose not really a priest, searching for stolen money in the floorboards, Agent Sullivan (Jon Hamm), whose motives are never explained, in perhaps one of the films main flaws, singer Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo) and cult escapee Emily (Dakota Johnson) who brought her sister with her against Rose's (Cailee Spaeny's) will. If Sullivan had just listened to his boss and not gotten involved with the kidnapping, perhaps there wouldn't have been a bloodbath.
But there is. Sullivan is only trying to help Rose, but Emily doesn't trust anyone so she kills him and the shot goes through the glass so Miles nearly dies also, and the cult leader, Billy Lee (a shirtless Chris Hemsworth) who managed to cram this film in between all his appearances as Thor.
In the end, only Father Flynn who isn't really a priest (they never are) and Darlene survive taking the money but leaving a bloody, fiery mess behind.
Sure, most of the characters are despicable or do bad things in the film, but the acting is great and style of the film is unique and despite the language, the film has an old-fashioned feel to it, which is not found too often in Hollywood today.
There are some problems with the film. Who is Laramie Seymour Sullivan anyway and why was he in that hotel? Who is the famous dead guy on the film? Does it even matter? (That was the best scene of the film when Darlene calls out Billy Lee.) Also, who was Nick Offerman? But it was great nevertheless and for once, the slow pace didn't bother me, slowly unraveling and showing the plot from different points of view as each character is important. Grade: B+

Ben is Back (2018)

Lucas Hedges delivers another excellent performance is another underrated film from last year.
Ben (Hedges) somehow escapes from his sober house to come back and celebrate Christmas with his family, including his saint of a mother, Holly (the great Julia Roberts). Holly is thrilled to see him again while his sister, Ivy (Kathryn Newton) and step-father, Neal (Courtney B. Vance) are far more skeptical, but eventually Neal lets him stay. Holly sweeps the house for drugs, though she doesn't know where his secret stash is and they try to get through the day, Christmas Eve.
But he is manipulative, and convinces Holly to take him shopping so he can get his younger siblings a present that's actually from him and then Holly takes him to a meeting, which is where things start to fall apart. Holly finds some drugs in his shoes, after a simple joke and then after attending a Christmas pageant, they return to find the family dog (who saved his life) gone so Ben and Holly set off to find him and Holly learns many devastating truths about her son, how he got his friend hooked by telling her how great drugs were and that he still owes his dealer money which is why Ponce (the dog) was taken.
The night gets worse and worse, Holly learns that Ben's history teacher is a dealer (real great of him to sell to his students) and that one of his childhood friends is still high and even though Ben insists that Holly shouldn't trust him as you can never believe an addict, she still turns her back on him and he steals her car. The film ends with Holly finally giving up (which cannot be easy) and reporting him to the police before getting the call that Ponce's been found and then having to give Ben CPR in an abandoned barn, nearly dead, but he sucks in some air so the cycle can begin again, though Neal has already taken out a second mortgage on the house so I guess his next place is prison.
It is such a shame for Ben to have been in this position in the first place. The scene in the mall where Holly confronts the doctor who she holds responsible (as we all do) who is now suffering from Alzheimer's (and probably was starting to when Ben was fourteen). Ben had a minor snowboarding accident and was prescribed a painkiller and dosage kept increasing. The doctor told Holly that they weren't addicting, but that was obviously not the case. She should have done her own research so everyone knows you can't really trust doctors, which is such a crying shame.
Now, while the ending ticked me off, though he said several times throughout the film that he wasn't worth saving, it was super selfish to attempt suicide on Christmas as now that will ruin the holiday for his younger siblings, but then he lives, at least is breathing but the film get cuts off, which is a crying shame.
The film is not easy to watch but Roberts and Hedges deliver brilliant performances and Newton is also great in her smaller role and Rachel Bay Jones delivers a hell of a cameo. So watch the film and hold your kids tight and be vigilant, as the edge of the cliff is closer than you think. Grade: B+

Burning (2018)

I will start by saying that foreign films aren't my favorite (though Bicycle Thieves, The 400 Blows and Cinema Paradiso are among my favorite and best films of all time) but this one got such rave reviews, I had to try it out.
It is a slow burn of a film and you feel like you're almost watching a documentary. It is essentially a three person drama and mystery. Lee Jong-so (Yoo Ah-in) is a loner and incapable of answering a simple question when applying for jobs. But he's not dumb. I do wonder how he's able to live as his father is broke and in prison, facing some serious assault charges (a physical fight, not sexual) and he doesn't have a job.
His life is beyond boring (I know the feeling) until he starts to fall in love with his old classmate, Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo). But she returns from a trip with the rich and useless Ben (Steven Yeun) in tow. (Okay, he's not completely useless, Ben can cook.) Jongso even describes Ben as Mr. Gatsby, which couldn't be accurate.
Things finally start to get interesting when Hae-mi vanishes. The theories abound, but you know Ben is behind this twist of events. But Ben is murdered in the end, stabbed and then burned in his expensive Porsche at the hands of Jongso, who then completely strips down, including his boxers, tossing them to burn before driving away, and that's the end.
For the record, my theory on Ben (thanks to his box of women's make-up) is that he grooms these women, lost and in debt and sells them to North Korea, I don't fully know why, but I do. He doesn't seem the type that would get his hands dirty.
Now, while I have issues with the film, including the length (way too long), the performances were good and it forces you to pay attention and think, watching every little move to figure out what happened to Hae-mi. Grade: B+

Bel Canto (2018)

This film has what most major Hollywood films lack, a realistically diverse cast.
The film centers around a birthday concert in a mansion full of dignitaries from all over the world. Roxane Coss (Julianne Moore, lip syncing as though her life depended on it, which it literally did) is the highlight of the event but she's not happy to be there and is there only for the paycheck. Needless to say, she gets a little bit more than she bargained for.
Despite the armored guards, rebels take over and take everyone hostage. Quickly, they let all the women and children go but not Roxane go as she is a powerful bargaining chip.
The situation goes on for several weeks, enough for two sets of people to fall in love. Roxane and the wealthy Japanese businessman, Mr. Hosokawa (Ken Watanabe) have their moment. Mr. Hosokawa was besotted with Roxane just listening to her and it is only confirmed by seeing her in person. The other is Mr. Hosokawa's translator, Gen (Ryo Kase) who speaks at least four languages and can teach as well. He only has eyes for Carmen (Maria Mercedes Coroy) who is one of the rebels but still has a hunger for knowledge. So, yeah, Stockholm syndrome is a real thing.
Now, while some have accepted their fate and try to make the best of things, there is still a hateful undertone throughout and there is an unnecessarily bloody ending, even after the rebels toss down their arms, they are still killed in cold blood and nothing is mentioned because of it.
Still, there are plenty of interesting characters and the acting is rather good. That being said, I found the ending hollow, not Roxane's voice, still full and rich, but it ends sadly, while the hostages are free, they, too, are disappointed as the government now has also let them down. There are no winners here, only those who have lost more. Grade: B+

The Bookshop (2018)

This was another little film that should have been better than it was.
Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) is a widow who converts a long empty building into her new home though it never mentions where she lived before or what her previous occupation was.
She faces both support and opposition in her small town but tries her hardest to persevere.
Mrs. Gamart (Patricia Clarkson, with a stagy British accent) is fine with having a bookstore but not in the old historic building that Florence has selected, as she had her own sights on that building and will use whatever means necessary to get her own way, whether ethical or not (sounds familiar?).
In Florence's corner is the old recluse Mr. Brundish (Bill Nighy). Side Note: Bill Nighy is in basically ever British movie ever only now, he finally looks old. Mr. Brundish is a huge book lover, but hates author pictures, so the back covers are burned. But he utterly adores Ray Bradbury and even thinks Lolita should be read by everyone. The scene where he attempts to tell off Mrs. Gamart is epic and one of the best scenes of his career.
There are two other characters, Milo North (James Lance) who is the typical one-dimensional villain and Christine (Honor Kneafsey), Florence's little helper who is a rather lively character for a child but she's great. However, the reasons behind Christine being forced to find work elsewhere needed more explanation.
And it ended sadly, despite all of Florence's courage, she is forced to go out of business but Christine is determined not to let the evils win, 'accidentally' burning down the building so everyone ends up disappointed.
Still, Nighy and Mortimer deliver brilliant performances and have palpable chemistry. And I do love books, but the film just had too many questions to be as good as it should have been. Grade: B

Gloria Bell (2019)

This was an odd little melodic film, centering around a brilliant performance from Julianne Moore.
Gloria Bell (Moore) is a divorced woman with two moderately successful adult children and a grandson whom she adores. Though she rarely sees her ex (Brad Garrett), they are still on good terms more or less and she seems to be alright with her job, as a claims adjuster, but she really only comes alive on the dance floor.
It is there where she meets Arnold (John Turturro), who is also divorced, far more recently than Gloria's and they start a relationship.
The remainder of the film follows that doomed relationship. While Arnold is a good person, his former wife and daughters (fully functional adults) are still completely financially dependent on him and he can't stand when Gloria gets sentimental with her former husband.
Unfortunately, there are some major flaws in the film, such as, Gloria taking Arnold back after he abruptly leaves her in the middle of dinner. He then leaves her again in Las Vegas and this time, Gloria gets her just desserts. However, when Gloria returns to the hotel room, it is unclear if Arnold also takes Gloria's stuff to and the awkward scene with the creepy Sean Astin afterwards, just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Was she assaulted or just robbed?
But she finds her way back to the dance floor in the end, and perhaps that is all that matters.
Moore is a revelation (as per usual) and Turturro is great also in a role where you both pity and despise him at the same time. Michael Cera and Caren Pistorius are also good in the rather underwritten roles of Gloria's children, though you also needed an explanation of Cera's absent wife, but that barely effects the main plot.
Still, you are invested in Gloria's journey and you have a great soundtrack along the way. Grade: B

First Man (2018)

This film covers a lot of ground before fizzling out after the moon landing.
The film begins before Neil (Ryan Gosling) joins NASA. He just a pilot but it never mentions for whom. Later, he is selected for NASA and the film really gets underway.
Sure, the film covers the six years leading up to Apollo 11 and hyper focuses on some details while skirting over others, highlighting the devastating fire that killed Neil's friend, Ed White (Jason Clarke) and then barely mentions the next two and a half years before Neil gets his opportunity to fly to the moon, also jumping back and forth between the advances in the space program and the Armstrong's home life (who knew that the Armstrongs lost a young daughter due to some sort of cancer?)
While the film is great in transporting you back to the 1960s, it tries to tell all sides, even showing those who were against the space program, taking all the funding away from most important causes, and demonstrates truly how claustrophobic the space capsules were, the ton goes from intense to breezy in the blink of an eye. But the script just covers too much, which is a shame as Foy (as Janet, Neil's wife) and Gosling give remarkable performances and the film is well put together, but it falls short of being the masterpiece it should have been.
After the intense scene of the near-disaster in air, the flight that actually has success is not focused on until they finally land on the moon. And then, the film ends with Neil in quarantine and Janet going to see him, touching fingers with glass between. There is no finishing statements on what happened to the Armstrongs afterward or the space program in general, leaving the film feeling super incomplete.
Unlike Gosling and Chazelle's last pairing, this film is a true ensemble piece, with great support from Clarke, Corey Stoll (as an asshole Buzz Aldrin), Christopher Abbott, Patrick Fugit (whose character died too soon), Kyle Chandler (always great) and Ciaran Hinds. All the other pieces were there too, brilliant score, flawless editing and great camera angles, but I have rather the film focused solely on the months leading up to Apollo 11 and that flight rather than on everything else. Sadly, this film fell short, Apollo 13 remains the best space film in Hollywood. Grade: B+

Where Hands Touch (2018)

Okay, so from the moment I watched this trailer, I had to get my hands on this film and now, I finally have.
First of all, the second half is far better than the first half. The first half seems almost cheesy and unrealistic, with stilted dialogue but the second half, while far grimmer, is actually better with a tense feeling constantly clinging in the air.
Leyna (Amandla Steinberg) should not exist in Hitler's Germany. Though her mother claims Leyna was conceived in love, Leyna's father is long gone, never mentioned if he was killed fighting for France or if he was forced to return home. Leyna's younger brother, Koen's (Tom Sweet's) parentage is never mentioned.
Her love interest is the complete opposite and falling in love with her goes against everything he stands for. Lutz (George MacKay) is an active member in the Hitler youth and is training to be a soldier, and can't wait to go to the front line to nobly serve his country, just as his father did before him. However, his father has different plans for him.
While it is served up as romantic teenage love story, it is actually far more of love story between parents and children. Kersten (Abbie Cornish) makes countless sacrifices for Leyna to just stay alive, having her brother-in-law forge papers which testify to Leyna's sterilization, which makes her action halfway through the film very problematic, and when an SS soldier takes a dislike to Leyna's skin color, Kersten insists on going to the workhouse instead, though it is only a matter of time before Leyna is sent to another work camp, where fortunately, she is put to work in the kitchen, not to be punished for the sins of her mother.
So, fine, Leyna and Lutz fall in love and sneak around, as their relationship is forbidden and almost get caught a few times and despite Kersten's warnings and not wanting to let Leyna out of her sight, Lutz nevertheless takes Leyna to his house, while his father is out of town and they rashly have coitus, without a condom.
And you know what happens in Hollywood films every time a couple has unprotected sex, that's right: pregnancy, though that word is never uttered throughout the whole film. I knew this from the moment Leyna vomits.
You never truly know if she's okay with the whole pregnancy thing, though she does mention that she is proof of what Hitler would hate most of all, a black German having a baby, though surely she also realizes how dangerous it is for her to be in a camp with little food or hygiene and disease spreading like wildfire and certainly she also partially in denial about the whole thing and I don't judge her for that.
Then Lutz returns. His father had him transferred from the front to the camp, so he will survive. Though never mentioned outright, his father (Christopher Eccelston) is basically a pacifistic and is only a Nazi to protect his family, though all his changes does no good when he learns that Lutz is in love with a Negro. Lutz saves Leyna from being killed and is horrified to learn what the conditions are truly like in the camp. His father has taught him a valuable lesson, that war is not something to glamorize or aspire to, there is no dignity in killing others.
Leyna doesn't tell him about the baby, he has to figure it out on his own. They nearly make the filthy latrines seem hot and he wants them to escape, completely disillusioned  with his dream, but she knows that that will certainly be the death of them. Now, what we know is that they are close to liberation so Leyna's right, but Lutz has no way of knowing this.
In the end, Leyna is sent to be marched back while Lutz disagrees with this plan, not that he has any power. His father shoots him in the back but gets Leyna to a displaced person camp. His father knew that death was emminent for Lutz anyway and I knew that there was no way that both could survive the war, not even in a Hollywood film, but it was sad nevertheless.
Leyna, thank goodness, gets her happy ending. Finally able to actual be pregnant and have a chance to have a healthy baby, she reunites with her brother and mother. So, history has an odd way of repeating itself. For the majority of the film, she criticized her mother's choice when ironically enough, she makes the same choices herself.
Okay, plot rant over. Sure, I feel that Germany is still too pretty and safe in the first half of the film, as the film starts out in 1944, springtime. Surely even most devote Germans knew that the war was hopeless by this point and I also thought that all the Jews had already been rounded up but apparently not as that happens several times throughout the film. Despite history being my minor, one of us needs to do more research and maybe that person's me.
Fortunately, the performances are great. Steinberg and MacKay are two best actors of their generation  and manage to sizzle on screen despite wanting to yell at them for so ridiculously stupid and Cornish and Eccelston give subtle layered performances, though their characters are not given center-stage.
I guess my takeaway from this whole thing is that I'm glad that Amma Asante tried her hand at a Holocaust romance, something which I've dreamed of doing in the past and she also exposes a seldom discussed portion, being black in Hitler's Germany and while the characters she creates are interesting, it is still missing something (perhaps more realism), which is a shame as these actors and performances deserve better. Yet, it managed to be better than I expected and ended differently than I hoped for, though I knew going in that one of them had to die. This is a vast improvement over A United Kingdom, though it isn't as good as Belle, but rather falls somewhere in the middle. But it is worth watching nevertheless. Grade: B