Don't Look Up (2021)

 Despite being packed with stars, the film manages to be more than a popcorn film. Not much more, but rather a popcorn film with heart and a message. 

Here, by chance doctoral candidate Kate Dibiaski (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers a never before seen comet but her shock and awe is short-lived once it is determined that the comet is hurdling toward Earth and it most certainly could destroy the planet. Even her professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) is shocked. At first, the two appear to be a great team, livid that the President, Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep) and her dumbass chief of staff son, Jason (Jonah Hill) can't handle the devastating news because mid-terms are coming up. 

However, after a sex tape leaks, she needs the country back on her side so she decides to send a drone up to deflect the comet only to have that dashed at the last minute by the super rich businessman, Peter Isherwell (an unrecognizable Mark Rylance) who wants to harvest the drone for its resources. Kate is livid so much so that she's censured while an uncomfortable Randall tries to buy into this plan, despite his misgivings. It doesn't help that he's the face of reason after Kate's outburst. She's condemned for hers while he (has one later) is not. And the anchorwoman, Brie (Cate Blanchett) comes onto him in a big way though he appears to be happily married with two college-aged sons. 

Naturally, the two converge again toward the end, both of the film and the world and after the inevitable failure of Peter's plan, Randall makes amends with his wife and Kate finds solace in the arms of a religious rebel, Yule (Timothee Chalamet), while Janie leaves her son alone and escapes to a secret preservation pod to hopefully survive the ordeal. 

Sure, the film is a bit cheesy and ridiculous but it is also a great allegory on the present times and how hesitant the government was to act on COVID. So there is that. And while it is ridiculous and trite, with the end is coming being done in films several times (namely the delightful Seeking a Friend for the End of the World), this one managed to be different as this time, maybe, just maybe, the world could have been saved. But the acting was great and you couldn't tell that this film was made during the middle of an epic pandemic and it was a complex film with many moving parts. While it may not have made you re-evaluate your life or moved you, it was nevertheless a delightful ride. Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-Ariana Grande has a great little sub-plot as a pop star who has a break-up and reconciliation with her ex and then supports Randall's and Kate's cause and sings a great song for them. 

-There are a great much of tidbits McKay sneaked into the script including Janie's ridiculous affair with numerous people and Jason's line on how hot his mother is and that if she wasn't his mother, he'd definitely sleep with her if that wasn't the case, a great nod to one of Trump's line. 

-Once the staff realizes that Peter's mission failed, they rush to their loved ones.

-It is ironic that Janie only offered to save Randall and his wife (or Brie) but Kate never got that call. 

-Kate's ex-boyfriend, Philip (Himesh Patel) is a jerk-face. For the record. 

-Rob Morgan and Tyler Perry are great in their supporting roles. 

-Apparently, there is a post credits scene which I was unaware of so let me know what its like. 

Licorice Pizza (2021)

 After more than eighteen months, I finally returned to the movie theater for this little gem. Fortunately, masks were required in addition to showing proof of vaccination, so I did feel safe. 

This film is certainly unique. Meeting seemingly by chance as Alana (Alana Haim) works her boring day job, Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) is immediately smitten and believes that they are destined for each other despite Alana being ten years older than him and he's still a teenager, so yeah, a relationship would be illegal and yet we are supposed to root for them to end up together. 

Still, while Alana struggles to find her true passion in adulthood, Gary has his life all figured out. He's done some acting, still auditions for commercials and is also a wheeler dealer, starting his own businesses, somehow, though his mother (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) is rather supportive of all of his various endeavors, including water beds (gross) and an arcade. 

Along the way, there are tons of crazy adventures for the teen, including delivering a water bed to Barbra Streisand's boyfriend (at the time), Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper), who threatens to kill his little brother and he gets arrested for what turns out to be for nothing as the cops foolishly arrested and manhandled the wrong child. Alana has her own adventures, dabbling in acting and meeting famous movie star, Jack Holden (Sean Penn), probably based on William Holden before she starts volunteering for a young politician, Joel Wachs (Benny Safdie) who is single for a reason, as it turns out. But, of course, all of their various adventures make them realize how much they like each other and end up together. While the relationship might be all wrong as I don't understand why a grown woman (albeit one who still lives at home with her parents) would find a teenager super attractive (though life with him is never boring) but at least it was a satisfying ending.

Despite me not being completely thrilled with the age difference in the plot, it kept you on your toes and was never boring and Paul Thomas Anderson is a masterclass, with brilliant writing and cinematography and flawless editing, this film is nevertheless superb and definately a must see by all. Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-An interesting tidbit is that Alana's family, including her parents and sisters are portrayed by her real life sisters and parents.

-Cooper Hoffman is the son of the late great actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

-The controversary surrounding John Michael Higgins faking a Japanese accent while he speaks to his Japanese wife while speaking normally to everyone else is just stupid and ultimately doesn't serve a purpose as he can't understand Japanese anyway but both of them certainly seem to understand English. And no, I didn't find that part funny.

-On the other hand, the scene where they let gravity take the moving van to get gas is both thrilling and hilarious. 

-Skylar Gisondo is also great as Lance, a fellow child actor, who Alana brings to a Seder and he announces that he's an atheist so the evening doesn't end well. 

-While Alana might be a well-known singer, I truly think she's also an extremely talented actress. 

Being the Ricardos (2021)

 Well, Lucy (Nicole Kidman) is having a hell of a week. Despite being cleared by the committee, newspapers have caught wind that she's a communist (not true), tabloids have reports that her husband, Desi (Javier Bardem) cheated on her and she's twelve weeks pregnant (though she continues to smoke and drink) and is worried about how that will effect her hit TV show as Desi wants the writers to incorporate it into the show though they're convinced that CBS will disagree.

Told in five acts, following the TV show as it develops and gears up to film live on Friday evening (in front of a live studio audience) with flashbacks, you learn how much Lucy contributes to the show thought she's gunning for Desi to also be credited as being an EP and how much she needs the show, given that it saved her career. She was dropped by her studio after her first juicy role but then found success on radio and TV shows and she was insistent that she and her husband work together though he's of Cuban descent. And then, at the very end just when her show appears to be saved, she learns the truth: Desi did in fact cheat on her, his pregnant wife (scumbag) and how she gets through the show after the reveal. 

While I do think the film would have benefitted from a bit more of an explanation of why being viewed as a communist was such a big deal in 1952, I found the film solid, though Bardem was miscast as Desi. He did his best but while Kidman managed to disappear under Ball's skin (despite being at least a decade older than Ball actually was), Bardem didn't managed to capture Desi's innocent charm. The rest of cast was also great, and the screenplay was snappy, thanks to Sorkin's immense talents in that regard. Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-The supporting cast includes J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy and Tony Hale and all are brilliant.

-I need to watch Lucy's good film with Henry Fonda, the one which led to her contract not being renewed. 

-Lucy has some great revelations while folding laundry. I wish I did.

-The beginning scene where Lucy has to guess who it is covering her eyes seems to be rather stupid. 

-I'm glad the show did have a female writer.

-The film ending mentions nothing of communism but rather that Lucy filed for divorce immediately after the show ended. 

Joe Bell (2021)

 This is a brilliant little drama with a limited cast. Mark Wahlberg is great as Joe Bell, who feels (rightfully so) that he failed his son, Jadin (the great Reid Miller) in his life and is determined to honor his memory by walking across the country to raise awareness on the evilness of bullying. The ending packs a powerful, emotional punch. 

Now, this is an important film in many ways, but it takes a while for Joe Bell to take his own advice though his son warned him early on that he's a hypocrite. Which is accurate. And while he urges forgiveness, he curses out a note apologizing on his son's grave. It never fails to surprise me how cruel children can be. 

While this is a great film, and even though Jadin was appearing on screen while he was just existing in Joe's mind, you never learn how Jadin did what he did, nor do we hear the argument from his parents over how the school handled (or rather fail to handle) the situation where a bunch of others beat Jadin up for not accepting him the way he was. Still, the acting is great with a role that fits Wahlberg like a glove and Connie Britton shines as Jadin's mom. She's always spectacular and both of the Bell boys (Miller and Maxell Jenkins) are also great. Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-Gary Sinise has a great cameo as a county sheriff who relates to Joe in more ways than you can imagine.

-It truly is dangerous for Joe to be doing what he does.

-The only funny part is when Joe groans over having to explain himself to another lawman.

-It is a given that Cher will be at a gay bar on drag night. A given. 

-It is not clear if Marcie (Morgan Lily) is a sibling or not.

The Bishop's Wife (1947)

 Well, I can officially say that this isn't the best Christmas movie with an angel in it.

Dudley (Cary Grant) comes back to Earth to make Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) realize how lucky he is. But Henry is determined to build a new cathedral and is pandering to his wealthiest client, Mrs. Hamilton (Gladys Cooper) who is a nasty, bitter woman lording her money over people so they will obey her every command. And he ignores his wife, Julia (Loretta Young), which is never acceptable. He has no time to visit his old parish nor his friends and then Dudley comes along. Dudley is supposed to make Henry's life easier though he doesn't really do that; instead, he spends time with Julia and finally gets Henry to see her as a person again and gets people to open up and repent or admit the truth about themselves. In the end, everything works out and Henry starts to love his wife all over again. Sure, no new cathedral, but is it really needed? I never thought so, when renovating the existing one would be a better idea instead of naming of an unremarkable, rich dead man. 

While Cary Grant is a delight, it is also weird seeing not getting the girl, though he couldn't, as he isn't alive and Julia's married to someone else and with Hays code, she had to stay with her husband. Still, the film was packed wall to wall with talent and the characters are interesting and some scenes had good banter, the film just fell flat to me as I didn't find Henry a character to root for. So, this will not be added to my Christmas movie rotation. Grade: B

Side Notes:

-Two children actors from It's a Wonderful Life make appearances here: Bobby Anderson (little George Bailey) is a leader of a snow ball gang and Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu) is Debby Brougham, the delightful daughter of Julia and Henry.

-Oscar-nominated Elsa Lanchester, Monty Woolley and James Gleason all also have supporting roles.

-The dog, Queenie, is huge. 

-Donating money is never a bad thing and yet, it oddly feels that way in the case of this film.

-There is no way Young and Grant performed all those ice skating moves themselves. 

Johnny Belinda (1948)

 Boy, how times have changed.

While this film doesn't specify when the events occurred, as no motor vehicles are shown, it was probably turn of the century Canada where the entire town and even her own father (Charles Bickford) and Aunt Aggie (Agnes Moorhead) call Belinda MacDonald (Jane Wyman), the Dummy. It's an insult, big time. Fortunately, the town's new doctor, Robert Richardson (Lew Ayres) realizes her potential and soon Belinda's his star student. However, the town bully, Lachlan McCormick (Stephen McNally) also has his eye on her. His girlfriend, Stella (Jan Sterling) has to tell him to stay away from her. Yeah, that is something that you should never have to tell your significant other, to stay away from another. But Locky gets drunk and rapes her. And you know what happens in Hollywood when you have unprotected sex, whether consensual or not. And Belinda does get pregnant. Naturally, her father does not react well, though trying to bully the information out of the victim isn't the best way to handle things.

However, the town interprets the event incorrectly, believing that the doctor is the culprit so life becomes difficult for all parties, and Locky turns into a murderer as well after he and Mac fight due to Mac discovering the truth. And the town then tries to strip Belinda of her son and Locky attempts to kidnap him but she shoots him in the back, dead. So a trial ensues. Fortunately, Stella's big crush on the doctor comes through and she admits that she married a complete and total jackass so Belinda gets her happy ending, thank goodness. 

While the plot is basically a soap opera, it also displays how gossip can ruin a person and how you should never underestimate a person just because they can't hear (in this case) and fortunately, the great acting elevates this film into something special. Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-It is bizarre that Robert offers to marry Belinda after Johnny is born, but not once he finds out that she's pregnant as this was a time when being born out of wedlock can truly brand a person for life. Yeah, if he had just married her once he was informed, the two deaths could have been avoided. 

-Apparently, at some point for some unknown reason, Locky's wealth evaporates through the course of the film.

-Aunt Aggie really does manage to redeem herself by the end of the film. 

-Even though Robert Richardson is supposed to be the hero of the film, it is actually Belinda as Robert makes some assumptions about Belinda from time to time, including assuming that Belinda blocked out the rape from her mind like it's a trauma (which it is), and while she may have, he should never assume.

-Belinda never has her follow up visit with Dr. Gray. 

-The timeline between announcing the marriage bands between Locky and Stella and their actual wedding is bizarre as I thought the bands were read in the weeks leading up to the wedding, not months as they don't get married until after the baby is born. 

The Search (1948)

 This film details a story seldom told: What happened to the child survivors of the Holocaust?

They are scooped up and taken to transient camps, identities are noted and if no family members are still living, they are eventually taken to Palestine. However, one little boy (Ivan Jandl) can't or rather doesn't speak. 

Now, the viewers know the whole story, his mother (Jarmila Novotna) survived and is going to cross all of Europe over and over again until she finds her son, dead or alive. However, the little boy escapes from the transport as the scars of surviving Auschwitz never die, but he finds an American GI, Ralph Stevenson "Steve" (Montgomery Clift) who takes pity on the boy and befriends him, gets him to start opening up and takes to calling him Jim. Everything is fine until Steve's co-worker's family shows up and this stirs up all the emotions little Jim has long buried. He wants his mother who is believed to be dead and Steve wants to bring him to the US though that is a difficult and lengthy process. Fortunately, everything does work out in the end, with an ending that could have only happened in Hollywood (though I'm sure there were some miraculous reunions) and while I'm glad the mother and child were reunited, it left Steve out in the cold, without complete closure.

Still, this is a film that could not have been made today, filmed in the aftermath of the war in Nuremberg with what appear to actual survivors of the Holocaust, with the hollow eyes and true fear of the truck nearly breaks down. Little Ivan was awarded a special Oscar and he undeniably deserved it. While Clift was good, in his screen debut, his role was relatively small though he was nevertheless nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the start of what would be a promising and bright future which was tragically cut far too short. That all being said, this film should still be considered a must-watch. Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-Wendell Corey was also great in his small role as Steve's superior officer.

-I'm glad of the amount of languages used and that none of the children magically spoke English. 

-I do wish the DVD offered a subtitle option. 

-While English might be considered the best language by Steve, it is not the only language. 

-I wonder what finally triggered Jim into recognizing his real name. 

California Suite (1978)

 Based on Neil Simon's play, this is sort of mish-mash of great actors thrown together in what should have been four separate movies as none of the characters ever overlap, which is annoying.

There is the long-divorced couple, living on opposite ends of the country who need to figure out who their wayward daughter should live with; the bickering couples competing to ruin their vacation for the other couple; the devoted husband who can't say no to the stripper his horny brother got for him and the British stage actress finally nominated for her first Oscar. 

By far, the best plot is the latter, with Maggie Smith brilliant as an actress, Diana Barrie, who both wants to win and regrets flying in all this way knowing that's a big chance she could lose, but at least she has her supportive husband, Sidney Cochran (Michael Caine) only in a twist, he's a homosexual. He loves her, adores her, but they mostly have a fake marriage. 

It is a shame that this film managed to get so many good actors in mediocre plots in a film that just makes no sense. I found the talents wasted. Still, Maggie Smith was great, clearly the best role in a film with too many roles, jam packed to the point of overflowing. Grade: B-

The Power of the Dog (2021)

 This is a great slow burn of a film.

 It is about two brothers, Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons) who are ranch hands and seem to be different night and day, just as the Randall brothers in Outlander. And then George falls in love with the sensitive cook at a local restaurant, Rose (Kirsten Dunst). Naturally, Phil reacts badly to the news, intimidating her constantly, driving her to the bottle, and while you might think Phil is jealous, halfway through, the film suddenly takes a different direction.

It is after Rose's son, the intelligent Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) arrives and stumbles onto Phil's secret stash of medical magazines, heavily implying that he's a homosexual and he softens toward Peter and the two bond, despite Rose's attempts at thwarting the match. But the pairing can never be, not just because its 1926 Montana but because like any good adaptation of a novel, a death occurs and it manages to be suddenly though you do eventually piece everything together. 

Now, while the plot seems minor, it is a devastately beautiful coming of age film for young Peter, as well as a good character study for Phil. And the acting matches the complex characters beat for beat. Jane Campion penned (and directed) a wonderful screenplay and the score and cinematography will leave you haunted for days. And with all the subtleties, the film just might actually deserve a second viewing. Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-Probably my only problem with the film is that Thomasin McKenzie, one of the greatest actresses of her generation is painfully underused as the assistant housekeeper. Keith Carradine also has a cameo as the governor.

-It is weird how the brothers call their parents Old Lady and Old Gent, I feel its demeaning.

-Despite Phil's Yale education, he often acts like a barbarian, refusing to clean for a fancy dinner and George can barely tell him to clean as Phil is just so intimidating. It's disturbing. 

-I do wish we were given as to why and how the brothers became ranchers. 

-It seems foolish to burn hides that could have had a better purpose. 

-The reason why Peter doesn't become ill is he uses gloves. A small detail that turns out to be vitally important. 

Tick, tick...Boom! (2021)

 This film was a delightful masterpiece and who knew Andrew Garfield could sing. And play the piano.

Detailing the week leading up to his thirtieth birthday (which will officially end his youth), Jonathan Larson (Garfield) is hyper-focused and has tunnel vision, unable to focus on anything other than his showcase for a musical about outer space and the future which he has slaved away on for eight years (yikes!) and pushes off talking to his sweet girlfriend, Susan (Alexandra Shipp) and can't be happy that his friend, Michael (Robin de Jesus) has a great job and swanky new apartment, freaking out when his power in his apartment is cut, thinking that marketing or advertising jobs are beneath him, even though he'd be brilliant at it.

 And then his showcase finally happens, but the results are mixed. While he is lauded, the show won't get the funding it needs and Jonathan receives some devastating news so he learns that his problems are superficial but digs in his heels and keeps going.

This was the show that Jonathan wrote and never lived to see, dying painfully young and far before his time, and while Rent is by far his most famous production, I actually found this one better. The songs blend in with the plot so much better and move it forward effortlessly and the ending one nearly had me crying as it was just so good.

Filmed during the pandemic, the actors do an amazing job of transporting us back to 1990 New York City, capturing the atmosphere and attitudes not to mention the look of the time and make us forget that the pandemic was swirling around outside. They create the character for us before our very eyes and are excellent. Garfield certainly better be in consideration for an Oscar. And the cameos, wow. And this film manages to mean something, makes you glad to be alive which is especially poignant considering when it was made. This film is a must watch and without a doubt, one of the best of the year. Grade: A

Side Notes:

-There are plenty of great cameos in one of the musical numbers: Andre De Shields, Phillipa Soo, Joel Gray, Bebe Neuwirth (rocking the gray hair), Brian Stokes Mitchell and Chita Rivera.

-Richard Kind and Bradley Whitford (always great) have small roles as Walter Bloom and the great Stephen Sondheim, whom Jonathan adores.

-My witching birthday was my last, my thirty-first.

-Jonathan does keep a messy apartment. 

-Showing how hectic a dinner can get was a great scene. 

-Vanessa Hudgens is great as one of the vocalists in Jonathan's workshop. 

-The show really did need a full band.

-Also, what in the world is the fake fat that they were attempting to advertise?