Ed Wood (1994)

This film portrays a piece in the life of one of the worst directors of all-time, Edward D. Wood, Jr (Johnny Depp).
Ed Wood is relatively creative on a shoestring budget, but the ideas behind his films are simply wretched. Without the backing of any studio, not even a B-studio, Ed hookwinks business owners or churches into funding his crazy ideas and he assembles an oddball assortment of people to act in them, including his girlfriend, Dolores Fuller (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau) whom he accidentally befriends and gives him his final film roles. Though it is fascinating to see how Ed worked, his friendship with Bela is what carries the film as Landau is a revelation, showing just as dedicated Bela was to the craft. After his death, the breath almost leaves the film. Fortunately, Patricia Arquette enters and she's great as someone who finally gets Ed.
While Ed's directing style is bizarre, his films remain cult classics though I had no intentions of watching any of them. But Bela thinks that Ed is very efficient, as Ed records each scene only once. And the films have such a cheap look about them; fortunately, this film does not look cheap though I haven't decided if the decision to film in black and white was a good one or not but it was entertaining and the performances are brilliant. Landau fully deserved his Oscar for this role. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Ed Wood secretly liked dressing in women's clothes and Depp somewhat makes a very attractive woman as well.
-T'he funniest scene is when Ed and Kathy (Arquette) enter one of movie premieres and everyone at the screening is just throwing stuff at the screen. Who knew they had so much food on them?
-Lugosi was harboring a secret morphine addiction which is almost his undoing.
-Bill Murray is good in his small role of an actual person who struggles with his sexuality. He is one of Ed's friends and usually has a role in one of his films.
-Ed recruits Kathy's chiropractor is be a double for Lugosi. Who know if it actually works or not?

West Side Story (1961)

Again, the plot line is simple. Girl sees boy and the two instantly fall in love. Too bad that they are from different backgrounds and can't be together.
Maria (Natalie Wood) is new to America but Tony (Richard Beymer) was born there. They meet at a dance but Maria is Puerto Rican while Tony is Polish. Each of them have the support of their every own gang (not really, but in theory). At least Tony went straight and got a real job while the rest of them just roam the streets, picking on each other.
The rumble gets out of control and one from each side dies so Tony and Maria must get away but the message gets jumbled so Tony winds up dead to.
Now, while the plot is simple, the choreography and singing is not. The main reasons to turn out for the film is the dancing and score as the dialogue is pitiful at times, such as when Tony declares that he loves Maria, she just says yes and their meet-cute dialogue is atrocious. But the songs are so memorable that you can almost forget some of the weak parts and Rita Moreno is just brilliant as Anita, Maria's friend and almost sister-in-law. She fully deserved her Oscar. Natalie Wood does her best as Maria though she's not even remotely Puerto Rican, she's Russian, but she owns the last scene, scolding everyone for picking hate over love and friendship. It's a shame that so much bloodshed occurred all because two people fell in love. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris give solid supporting performances as Riff and Bernardo who both meet tragic ends. But I found Ned Glass's Doc (who owns the drug store) to give the most effective performance in the film (other than the utterly brilliant Rita Moreno).
-For the 'wedding' scene, both Tony and Maria get wedding rings.
-Men are truly pigs as they assault Anita even though she's just trying to help.
-The end credits are unique, something that is commonplace now but not in 1961.
-Despite being a small character, Anybodys (Susan Oakes) plays an important role about breaking the gender mold and a whole paper could be written on her character alone.

Vera Drake (2004)

This is a very basic film, with basic, ordinary characters.
Vera (Imelda Staunton) shines as Vera, a cleaning woman in 1950 London with a husband and two adult children, but she also performs illegal abortions though that's not what she calls it. She calls it helping young girls who are in trouble.
Now, her method is bizarre to say the least. She uses some sort of syringe full of water and soap and shoves up the girl's ass and a few days later, the bleeding starts. I can't believe that that works, but apparently it does and she gets away with it for years.
But she finally gets caught to the shock of her whole family. Her mechanic husband, whom she loves dearly had no idea. Her children react differently. Sid (Daniel Mays) is furious and ashamed while the downtrodden Ethel (Alex Kelly) is more supportive though she barely says a word for the whole film.
Now, while the film is well acted and shows a slice of life for the average person, it is a bit jumbled in parts. The plot line for one of the wealthy families Vera works for is under-developed and cuts off after the daughter, Susan (Sally Hawkins) is raped and has a legal but incredibly expensive abortion. And it has a sad ending as Vera is punished and put into prison for her crime.
Still, it is painfully realistic and forces you to think. Was Vera really committing a crime or was she really just trying to help people? Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-This film features cameos from Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Eddie Marsan and Call the Midwife's Fennella Woolgar.
-Each of the women getting the procedure react differently. Some are pleased while others feel guilty.
-Ruth Sheen is a scene-stealer as the arranger of the procedure who pockets the funds while Vera does all the dirty work, including going to prison and gets none of the reward.

Doubt (2008)

This is a simple film with a superb cast.
The plot is basic: did Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) abuse the young Donald Miller (Joseph Foster II)? The strict Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) certainly believes so, despite the obvious lack of evidence. Sure, Donald was caught drinking communion wine, but why? Was it an act of rebellion against his abusive father? Or was it freely given to him?
Sister James (Amy Adams) first feels that he's guilty but after a simple talk, she doesn't think that he was inappropriate to the boy, despite almost immediately seeing a tender hug between the two after Donald's stuff spills out of his bag.
But in the end, Sister Aloysius fibs and gets Father Flynn to resign which finally puts a smile on the face of the known troublemaker, William London (Mike Roukis). While it is a victory for her, it is a victory for Father Flynn as he gets a promotion and the ability to continue his path of destruction, still Sister Aloysius has her doubts.
Though this film occurs in 1964, it could almost occur in any time, as the priests will always be superior to nuns and have sneaky ways of getting away with their crimes. The acting is fabulous and there is not a line out of place. All four of the main actors received Oscar nominations and they undoubtedly deserved them. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-It strikes me as odd that Sister James and Sister Aloysius aren't wearing wedding rings as is typical of nuns, being married to God and all.
-Sister Aloysius was actually married to man who was killed in World War II.
-Why does Mrs. Miller (Viola Davis) say that Donald would have been killed if he stayed in his old school? I need to know these things.
-My favorite scene is the juxtaposition between the meal the priests share and the meal the nuns share. They couldn't be more different.

Carol (2015)

This is another film that has two strong central female characters: Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara).
It is also a love story. Carol is already going through a divorce from her wealthy husband, Harge (Kyle Chandler, playing against type) and is lonely though she adores her daughter, Rindy.
But she finally finds someone whose company she enjoys: store clerk and wannabe photographer Therese.
They start a slow burn romance which comes to a head on New Year's Eve. However, by that point, Carol is a broken woman, as Harge has filed for full custody of little Rindy so she and Therese set off on a road trip, to everyone's dismay, including Therese's boyfriend, the kind Richard (Jake Lacy).
But the romance is cut off abruptly when it is discovered that Harge sent a spy to record the sexual acts of Carol to be used against her in the custody battle. So she cuts things off with Therese and sends her long-time friend and occasional lover, Abby (Sarah Paulson) to fetch Therese.
Therese is devastated but pulls herself up by the bootstrap and starts picking pictures for a living.
Carol tries to return to normal but can't face living with a lie even if its for her daughter. So, the two reconnect at the end of the film, once again, having a happy as possible ending.
While the plot is simple, the film is reminiscent of the popular melodramas of the 1950s (Written on the Wind is one of the few I've seen), it is all about feeling and Blanchett and Mara give superb performances though I don't understand why Mara was nominated for supporting actress when she and Blanchett are co-leads. But you feel as though you have been transported back to 1952, which is no small feat and you are glad that Carol decided to be true to herself, picking her happiness over her daughter's which is a small win, but a win nonetheless. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-I wonder if Rindy liked her train set.
-Where does Carol get all her money?
-What kind of name is Harge? That is almost reason enough to divorce him.
-Who sent the telegram to Carol and then wasn't her gun loaded?

Emma (2020)

Anya Taylor-Joy shines as Emma, described as handsome, clever and wealthy and she is certainly all three of those adjectives.
Because she's rich and has nothing else to do, she enjoys meddling in the love lives of those around her including her new friend, the orphan Harriet Smith (Mia Goth) while ignoring the signs front in from of her.
A life-long family friend, George Knightly (Johnny Flynn) is in love with her. But she doesn't see it until the third act (there are four in this film). While the plot might seem trivial, and it is as it is about rich people becoming even happier, it is still a delight to watch, and everyone does have different personalities, from the annoying Ms. Bates (Miranda Hart, Chummy from Call the Midwife), hypochondriac Isabella (Chloe Pirrie), to the lovely and talented Jane Fairfax (Amber Anderson). Even Emma's father (Bill Nighy) is a character with some of the best facial expressions of the film, making the most of the few lines that he has.
While the film is a bit odd, trying to turn a serious romance humorous, with brilliant performances, the film is nevertheless worth everyone's time with the grand sets, unique score and lovely costumes. And it is always nice to have a happy ending. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-The opening scene shows Emma selecting flowers she wants to give her governess and she has two servants with her, one holds the lamp while the other snips the selected flowers.
-The line that caused everyone in the theater to gasp was when Emma declared that Ms. Bates wouldn't stop talking after saying three boring things.
-It is unclear how Emma and Harriet actually meet, but their friendships carries the film, for better or worse.

Hustlers (2019)

Was Jennifer Lopez robbed of an Oscar nomination? I found Florence Pugh better in Little Women, quite frankly. That being said, Lopez delivers a completely natural performance as the Mama Hen Ramona Vega but she is also manipulative and insensitive and feels that she needs to take what is not hers.
One of the best strippers/pole dancers in the business, newcomer Dorothy (Constance Wu) is mesmerized by Ramona, just as everyone else is and with just a simple conversation, Ramona takes Dorothy under her wings. And life is good, but then the stock market crashes and Dorothy gets pregnant so they part ways for a couple of years. Dorothy's baby daddy leaves her and she needs money.
By this time, Ramona's devised a new plan, which involves the male equivalent of date raping men. They slip them some spiked drinks and run up charges on the men's credit cards, with the men not realizing anything's happened until they get their bank statements.
Needless to say, I do not approve. While these men are slimy and inconsiderate, not to mention unfaithful to their wives, they did not deserve what was dished out to them, and I felt that when the women were finally caught, the punishment they received was far too light.
That being said, the film is stylish and the performances are natural, with not a line or motion out of place. While no one in this film is a good, moral character, it was a great ride nevertheless. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-There are some great supporting performances from Julia Stiles as the fearless and tireless journalist, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart as fellow schemers, Cardi B and Lizzo as fellow dancers, Madeline Brewer as a junkie and Trial & Error's Steven Boyer as a wronged man.
-This film does pass the Bechdel Test, which is always a relief.
-Lili Reinhart's Annabelle throws up constantly, whenever she feels guilty.
-The soundtrack is also great.
-Jennifer Lopez really looks great. She looks better at fifty than I ever will.