Rustin (2023)

 Pros: Once again, this film details a hidden part of history, one not taught in schools (or at least not when I was a child, some two decades ago). Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo) is the man who not only comes with the idea of the March on Washington, he is also leading the charge of organizing everything. However, he's a polarizing figure in the NAACP community as he's both a homosexual and a former Communist. Still, thanks to Domingo's mesmerizing performance and tight screenplay, this film is well worth your time.

Cons: Honestly, there isn't a true con with this film either, which is a good thing, as the film is great, with a good score, tight editing and great scenery. I suppose the only nitpick is that you don't know what sort of job Rustin gets after resigning from the NAACP.

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A

Side Notes: The supporting cast is great and includes Jeffrey Wright, Glynn Turman, Audra McDonald, CCH Pounder, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Warren, Chris Rock (with the gray hairs) and as the indominable Mahalia Jackson, Da'Vine Joy McDonald.

-Johnny Ramey stars as the young preacher Elias Taylor, who struggles with his sexuality as he is married to the lovely Claudia, who starts out as worshipping Rustin but quickly grows toward hatred as her husband's truth comes out. Ramey gives an inspired performance, one worth of an Oscar nomination. 

-Rustin was raised Quaker and preaches non-violence.

-Aml Ameen is Martin Luther King, Jr. 

-Peanut butter and jelly holds up better than cheese. 

-The March on Washington was the largest peaceful march in DC to date, the statistics will not change given the current political climate. 

Past Lives (2023)

 Pros: Essentially a three person drama, this film details the week Nora's (Greta Lee) old childhood friend from Korea, Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) visits New York, complicated by her husband, Arthur (John Magaro). While it is obvious that Hae Sung and Nora are soul mates, she remains faithful and he doesn't push the issue. Sure, the film is a bit melancholy and near maudlin, but it is also mesmerizing and the score is haunting complete with great performances, realistic and authentic. 

Cons: Honestly, there is a true con, even though the film is simple and moves at a snails pace, it is still breathtaking, and except for a bit of Korean curse words, it is also reasonably family friendly.

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-Nora is a playwright and Hae Sung is some sort of engineer.

-For some reason, Nora's green card is set to expire which is one of the reasons why she marries Arthur as soon as she does.

-In Korea, they have a term for people who randomly meet, believing that they've likely met in their past lives. 

-The ending is haunting, with Nora sobbing into Arthur's shoulders.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

 Pros: This film might deal with a seldom mentioned aspect of American History, one that I never learned about in either high school or college, despite being a history minor, which just proved how incomplete the history books are. Leonardo DiCaprio shines as Ernest Burkhart a World War I vet who goes out of Oklahoma and unwillingly gets intertwined in his uncle's (Robert De Niro's) diabolical and pure evil plan. They live on Native American (referred to a the old-fashioned term Indian throughout the film) land and struck it rich when oil was discovered. While Ernest meets Mollie (Lily Gladstone) on his own, he marries her and then plots to have her sisters killed so all the money will go to him and his children. DiCaprio is a marvel, showing vast range and Gladstone is a revelation. The film might be overstuffed and long but it should be required viewing for high schoolers. The film is top-notch from top to bottom and shows an incredible attention to detail with flawless editing, cinematography, set decoration and score. 

Cons: While the intro is brilliant, what I don't understand is why Mollie had to run by her expenses by an attorney and yes, there are too many characters, especially white men but these are only small problems in an overall brilliant film.

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-The supporting cast is solid and includes Jesse Plemons and then in near cameo roles Brendan Fraser, Tantoo Cardinal and John Lithgow.

-While Ernest claims that he loves his wife and I certainly think that he does, if he really loved her, he wouldn't poison her with tainted insulin or have her sisters murdered.

-When Ernest hears of his youngest daughter's death, he does breakdown, proving that he has a heart, buried underneath all that greed. 

-While this book is supposed also describe the birth of the FBI, that isn't really detailed in the film though it appears that they are first group to finally succeed in getting to the bottom of what was going on as others tried and failed, due to intervention from Bill Hale (De Niro). 

-Mollie does eventually divorce Ernest and remarries but still dies young due to her diabetes. 

-This cast also includes two singers: Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson in prominent roles. 

Nyad (2023)

 Pros: Despite Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) being a controlling know-it-all, you can't help but root for her. She's strong and unstoppable and refuses to take any shit, though her life was far from easy, her father, whom she admired, walked out on the family and she (along with numerous others) was raped by her swimming coach. And she attempted to swim from Cuba to Miami before and now, she's thirty years older. But she sets out to accomplish her mission, nevertheless and you hope she succeeds. And when she does, you can't help but get emotional.

Cons: While there isn't a true con, this film just isn't as put together as some of the other great films from the summer (see Oppenheimer and Barbie), but fundamentally, it is a solid film and details how much time and far into the swim Nyad is.

Recommend: Yes

Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-Jodie Foster and Rhys Irfans shine in strong supporting roles, as the best friend/coach and navigator respectively.

-Ironically enough, Diana's feat was never ratified and remains uncertified due to 'lack of witnesses' so I guess her team of 40 other people means nothing.

-Mary Oliver is a great inspiration and her childhood was oddly and tragically similar to Diana's. 

-Swimming for anything more than ten minutes is beyond my limited abilities. 

Fair Play (2023)

Pros: Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich are brilliant as Emily and Luke respectively, engaged couple by night, competing analysts by day, keeping their private life a secret at work, as it goes against company policy. Everything goes to shit (basically literally) when Emily gets a promotion and Luke stays her analyst. It is a slow burn but when shit hits the fan, it blows up and you are at the edge of your seat waiting for it to happen. The style is great, with the apartment appearing both sleek and lived in and the score is mesmerizing. Also, shout out to all the period references, we need to continue to normalize this. 

Cons: While there is a lot of cursing (which is my one vice, but this was just too much and unrealistically done), the biggest issue is why exactly Luke was a pity hire by Campbell (Eddie Marsan). It is never fully explained or understood. That being said, the script was still perfectly tight.

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-For the record, Luke does rape at Emily in the bathroom at their engagement party. She says stop and he keeps going. He does at least look horrified when she point blank tells him what he did. However, she goes off the deep end, slashing at him with a kitchen knife.

-These analysts are crazy, they drink, go to strip bars and work their butts off, no hobbies are ever mentioned or discussed.

-The gender reversal is cleverly done.

-Luke is a sweet, supportive boyfriend, at first but after Emily uses her own mind, things quickly sour. After her promotion, they only have sex once but before, they can't keep their hands off each other. 

-Despite Luke's love for that firm, once he learned that he wasn't wanted, he should have started looking another job.