Sylvie's Love (2020)

 There should be more films like, period pieces starring African Americans about African Americans.

Tessa Thompson shines as Sylvie Johnson, who whittles her time away during the hot summer watching the TV at her father's record store where she meets jazz saxophonist Robert Holloway (Nnamdi Asomugha). While the attraction is immediate and mutual, she's engaged to Lacy Parker (Alano Miller, a solid if typical 1950s male). That doesn't stop them from hooking up but Robert gets a gig in Paris and she lets him despite being pregnant with his child (once again, use protection, people). 

Flash forward, five years later, both have careers on the up-swing and Sylvie manages to land a job as an assistant producer for Lucy Wolper's (Wendi McLendon-Covey) cooking show, something that she loves. However, Laci (who married her because he loves her) isn't truly supportive and eventually, after Robert re-enters the picture, the marriage does crumble. And when Robert catches wind of this news, he gives up his shiny career to become a family man but he can no longer find a career in music and his trip to Detroit back fires badly so now it is his turn to lie to Sylvie and dumps her and returns to Detroit with his tail between his legs.

Fortunately, Sylvie changes her mind and gets him back, so happy endings for all. While the film is somewhat of a slow-burn, it is exquisitely filmed and styled with great, brilliant acting and while the Civil Rights movement is mentioned, it is only in the background as this film focuses on two people trying to pursue their dreams and each other at the same time. The film also managed to give the characters (and there were probably a tad too many of them) personalities, in addition to truly capturing the spirit of the time period which I always marvel at. Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-Pay attention to the dinner Sylvie and Lacy host for a new account he will get. While the white couple is gracious, they are also racists and Lacy was awarded the account solely because of the color of his skin. While Sylvie is offended, Lacy doesn't care. He's all about the money.

-Both McLendon-Covey (as the Julia Child inspired TV chef who loathes high heels) and Eva Longoria's Carmen needed far more screen time. Ditto for Ryan Michelle Bathe as the original producer for Lucy's show who hires Sylvie. 

-Once again, use protection. There are so many forms of it, even in the 1950s and I believe that it was legal in New York where this film occurs. 

-I liked that they wrapped up the film by showing the epilogue over the credits.  

The Midnight Sky (2020)

 This was mostly a good film, though I felt that there were perhaps some scientific inaccuracies.

Augustine Lofthouse (George Clooney) decides to stay behind in Antarctica to keep watch over the research station as the entire continent is evacuated due to a mysterious illness gripping the planet (sound familiar?). However, this illness is far worse than the dreaded COVID as basically by the time the film begins Augustine is the last person left alive or so we're led to believe. However, a research shuttle is still roaming around in space and Augustine is determined to give them a message so they don't return to a dead planet.

The film then flips back and forth between Augustine and Iris (Caoilinn Springer) whom he discovers was left behind as he fights to get to another satellite station to deliver the message and the research space ship, Aether who is manned by five diverse astronauts who have their own struggles including Sully's (Felicity Jones's) pregnancy and the ship being somehow thrown off course. 

And then when Augustine finally gets his message to the ship, pilot Tom Mitchell (Kyle Chandler) refuses to believe that everyone is dead and decides to take a return pod and go back to Earth anyway and Sanchez (Damian Bichir) decides to join him, to give Maya Lawrence (Tiffany Boone) who tragically dies in a meteor shower, leaving just Sully and the Captain Gordon Adewole (David Oleyowo) to make the return trip, while back on Earth Augustine, ill enough to need daily dialysis treatments dies, revealing that young Iris was merely a figment of his imagination, finally giving him the relationship with his daughter, certainly his deepest regret. It is revealed that Sully is actually his daughter, which I figured out almost immediately during the first flashback to a younger Augustine. 

While I hate twists like that, I did find this film satisfying though I found parts unrealistic or inaccurate such as when Augustine falls into the deep, cold water due to cracking ice, he manages to swim for a bit and it isn't until he rises that the hypothermia sets in, which just made no sense. On the other hand, Aether sling-shotting around the Earth to use Earth's gravity to return to Jupiter's moon which can manage to support life just as was done in another brilliant solidary space film, based on a book, The Martian. 

Still, the film was brilliantly acted and went by quickly and relatively smoothly and I did truly enjoy it. Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-Gordon is revealed to be the father of Sully's unborn child and it appears that there certainly some love there but the pregnancy catches them both off-guard which leads me to a constant point I've made time and time again: there is this lovely little invention called a condom which is pretty effective, if one is used. 

-The same also applies to Iris's parents when they meet. Ethan Peck (grandson of the brilliant actor Gregory) is young Augustine turning in a brilliant performance, even matching his voice to meet Clooney's while Sophie Rundle shines as Jean Sullivan enamored by Augustine though she lies and tells him that she isn't pregnant when she actually is. 

-There are some interesting name choices for Sully's unborn daughter, hopefully they pick Caroline, by far one of the better choices. 

-Shockingly Maya doesn't recognize the classic Neil Diamond song "Sweet Caroline". I guess she was too young when that song was played on the radio but this is the slightly distant future. 

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

 Here is another great film told in almost real time. 

Ma Rainey (the unrecognizable but brilliant Viola Davis) is a celebrated jazz musician and is in Chicago to record some of her songs but of course, there is plenty of drama, namely between the studio musicians. Levee (Chadwick Boseman) is the trumpet player, talented, cocky and as the film progresses, mentally unhinged, and he has his own arrangement of one of Ma's songs which she hates. He also is a songwriter and wants to start his own band and become just as famous as Ma. Ma is certainly a diva, but she knows that she can act like a bitch because she has something they want and once they have that, they will cut her loose which is basically correct and is what she more or less states halfway through the film.

The film is illuminating to see how the two interact though they have very few scenes together but Levee gets what he wants, he gets fired because he doesn't respect Ma despite being warned by the other musicians and making eyes at Ma's young lover, Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige) who may or may not be lesbian but is rather hungry for fame herself, considering she is fine with almost immediately having sex with Levee. But Mr. Strudyvant (Jonny Coyne) doesn't think that the songs will be hits but buys them off him anyway and then things take a turn for the worse. Levee has known the other musicians for bit by now, but is a different kind of person than they are, he doesn't believe in God and heard his mother be raped when he was just eight years old and when he and Cutler (Colman Domingo) get into a fight, he has no issue pulling out a switchblade and when the wise pianist, Toledo (Glynn Turman) accidentally steps of Levee's shoe (though I failed to see a scuff mark) and doesn't make the proper reparations, Levee stabs him and eventually he fades away, never to be seen in the movies again, while Ma stares into the abyss in the back of her shiny new car, upset that the white man will make more money off her voice than she will. 

While Viola Davis receives top billing, Boseman is certainly the lead and delivers certainly one of the greatest performances of his career, demonstrating a wide range of emotions while Davis is equally as brilliant in a role that is smaller but absolutely just as important. The screenplay is solid too, giving each character a personality that still shines through from page to screen though a couple of cuts are too jarring. Still, you do feel like it is 1927 and that is no small feat. Grade: A-

Valley Girl (2020)

 This film wasn't as bad as expected even though the plot's been done a thousand times before. 

Julie Richman (Jessica Rothe) is a typical rich teenager, enjoys shopping with her friends but she longs for more though they don't understand why, considering she's dating the perfect guy, the perfectly blond and bland Mickey (Logan Paul). Nevertheless, she wants something real and by chance meets Randy (Josh Whitehouse), who is a bit rough around the edges with tattoos (the horror) but this is 80s after all. 

Nonetheless, they get together but she has a perfect life and no one approves of this relationship while Randy is encouraging of her dreams but is also a screw-up and Mickey isn't thrilled despite his new relationship with Julie's former friend, Karen (Chloe Bennet). 

Of course they get back together, in a bit of contrived turn of events, Randy and his friends end up playing at Julie's prom, but honestly, until then, I found the film relatively realistic in a throwback to the 1980s sort of way and I liked the songs, classic 80s. However, while the performances were solid, if they were going to make this a genuine musical they should have gotten stronger singers because while Rothe and Whitehouse try, they are better at acting than singing. Still, this film wasn't a bad way to spend a Saturday night. Grade: B

Side Notes:

-The scene Julie has with her parents (Rob Huebel and the always lovely Judy Greer) is great and she has the best and most important line in the film: "Maybe I'm not as needy and boring as you."

-For the record, a man should be able to take care of his family but a woman can do that, too.

-In the end, I did like Julie's other two friends much more than Karen, Stacy (Jessie Ennis), who eventually ends up going to Dartmouth and the dancer Loryn (Ashleigh Murray).

-Randy's friend, Jack (the underused Mae Whitman) is also a delight though her character is painfully underdeveloped. 

-Apparently, this was filmed back in 2017 but was shelved for years. 

The Prom (2020)

 I don't really know where to go with this film. Sure, it's packed with talent and the musical numbers are spectacular, but I found the plot relatively old and tired and the cast great and miscast at the same time.

Indianans can't stand different so when Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman) wants to take her girlfriend to prom but of course, the PTA throws a hissy fit and cancels prom and some narcissistic has-been Broadway stars take pity, wanting to get positive attention and join her cause. 

I thought that when Emma arrives at prom just an hour in, I thought the film would be over but there was a twist, the PTA planned a second, secret prom and didn't tell Emma about it which leads us attempting to get her fellow students to become more tolerant and raise awareness for her story and find the funding for another prom. 

Personally, I found Mrs. Greene's (Kerry Washington's) change of heart, from rigid, perfectionist PTA president to accepting her gay daughter (Ariana Debose) in a matter of hours to be unrealistic. And having Broadway stars Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep) and Barry (James Corden) be friends with Angie (Nicole Kidman) and Trent (Andrew Rannells) who are in the chorus line, all be friends is also ridiculous. 

Still, despite everything, the acting is solid (despite some awkward pairings) and I'm a sucker for great musical numbers and this film contained several, I just wish this film was better to match the talent in it. Grade: B

Side Notes:

-The pairing of Meryl Streep and Keegan-Michael Key (as the high school principal) was predictable and while they had good chemistry, the age difference was not something I could get behind and nearly threw up for the first kiss.

-I think Andrew Rannell's Trent would make a natural drama teacher. 

-I can't believe that there hasn't been a musical on Eleanor Roosevelt's life yet. 

Mank (2020)

 Citizen Kane is largely considered the greatest film of all time and I can certainly agree with that. This film sort of details how the screenplay come about. 

Herman Mankewicz (Gary Oldman) is an alcoholic, washed out once celebrated screenwriter for MGM though he loathes Louis B. Mayer (Arliss Howard) with a passion. He meets the lovely Marion Davies (a surprisingly great Amanda Seyfried) who is in love with William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance), the newspaper mogul. The film then proceeds through various flashbacks including the election of John Merriam and Upton Sinclair for Congress and how the studio manipulates the election and Mank, as he insists on being called, is furious with how the situation was handled. 

And then the screenplay is finished and it mirrors Hearst's life so much that lawsuits are threatened left and right, from Mank's younger brother, Joe (Tom Pelphrey), Marion, and even Mank's long suffering wife, called Poor Sara throughout (Tuppence Middleton) beg him to change everything but he refuses and the wunderkind Orson Welles (Tom Burke) likes it even though he balks when Mank wants the credit.

While this film is flashback heavy and the propaganda film probably deserve its own film, it is still very well done, with brilliant cinematography in moody black and white, flashbacks to the classic that is based on and Oldham manages to convince everyone that he's still in his forties, when he's actually over sixty. But he's excellent and Seyfried is pitch perfect in her smaller role. And you do manage to feel as though you're transported back to 1940 which is no easy feat. Grade: B+

Side Notes:
-Lily Collins provides good support as one of Mank's two secretaries whose husband is fighting over in Europe.

-The ending notes should have been in a different font color as they were difficult to read in white.

-Also, if someone wants to commit suicide, you should take the gun, not just the bullets. 

A Few Good Men (1992)

 This is a solid film if it is about a depressing topic and the film title sums up the amount of men I actually believe are good in this world. 

Though the term hate crime is never used, a young Hispanic marine is hazed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where he dies shortly after the tragic incident. Naturally, the young marines are charged with many crimes even though they claim they were only acting on orders from their superior officers. Cavalier young, hot-shot attorney, Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is assigned to defend them and, quite frankly, he doesn't take the job that seriously, certainly not at first much to the chagrin of interior affairs investigator Joanne Galloway (Demi Moore, proving that she's more than just a pretty face). Now, do they have proof that the coronels ordered this 'Code Red'? Not at all, but that doesn't stop them from putting their life on hold, burning the midnight oil along with Danny's 'assistant' Sam (Kevin Pollak) to win this case and there are plenty of holes none of which are made clear until Coronel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson), conceited, sexist and an asshole who both ordered his men not to touch Santiago (the victim) but also ordered a transfer (which actually wasn't the case) as Santiago's life was in grave danger, so Danny argues that both couldn't be the case. And eventually Jessup admits that he ordered the code red so Santiago could be whipped into shape so people's lives weren't going to be in danger, as Jessup's job of protecting the country is far superior to all other jobs so he should get a free pass but he doesn't. However, the men doesn't completely get away with the hazing, they're still found guilty of conduct unbecoming of a marine, which is accurate and receive dishonorable discharges which is exactly what they wished to avoid, but they still killed a man. And Danny gets to be the hero, which is a position he never imagined he'd find himself in. But he's the oddball hero of the story nonetheless.

Smartly written by Aaron Sorkin, this is a tight screenplay and the acting is superb considering this film is packed wall to wall with talent and it forces you to think, should Jessup have made that order for the 'greater good'? Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-Jessup is also extremely sexist, telling Danny that Joanne outranks him and that there is nothing sexier than getting a blow job from your superior officer. Gross, but nobody calls him out on it.

-Danny really does think better with his bat. He's a huge baseball fan, it appears to be all he watches and plays on a softball league. 

-Do Danny and Joanne get together, we'll never know.