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Reviews
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Gotta Hand It To Them
As a white male conservative, I really wanted to hate this movie. But when I took into account how great this movie must "feel" to blacks and Jews and other marginalized populations, I couldn't help but appreciate what Spike Lee was trying to do here. Because it doesn't take itself too seriously, Blackkklansman is downright fun to watch; the characters are likeable enough and the script moves very well. So if you'll put away your politics for a couple hours and try to see the world through other people's eyes -- just for fun -- you'll laugh, have a good time; and with an element of surprise you may even benefit from a sense that we're all in the same family, however dysfunctional that family may be.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
Richard E. Grant Steals the Show
All you have to do is watch Richard E. Grant's performance in this movie, and you'll be convinced he was robbed at the Oscars. In fact, it is Richard's spot-on rendering of his character that makes this movie a must-see. Melissa McCarthy, on the other hand, is actually kind of drab in this movie, quite underwhelming, although, to be fair to the actress, she has very little to work with in terms of a character; the character itself is drab and underwhelming. And so, again, let me expound that McCarthy's character -- if not the movie itself -- is only brought to life by Richard E. Grant's rendering of the most lovable sleezeball you'll ever meet on film. Only the English can be so convincing, can pull off this kind of depth of character.
The Favourite (2018)
Could Be Any Old Lesbian
The Favourite is a lot of fun to watch. It has just the right blend of comedy, tension, and sadness. The performances are stellar, without question. Definitely worth watching. Just remember to overlook a few things: it has very little to do with the Queen of England. In other words, in the end, this could be a movie about any rich old lesbian who never really feels sure about the "love" given her by any young beautiful girl. Another thing that bothers me is that too much of the movie takes place in the queen's bedroom, giving the whole production a kind of stage-play feel. And since it feels like a stage-play, you expect sharper, more sparkling dialogue which, for the most part, is missing largely here. Good movie. But nothing to take away.
Roma (2018)
RELAX And YOU WILL SEE
If you're the average movie-goer, you probably think that movies are made for your approval -- that movies should pander to your amusement; strive to make you laugh, cry, feel inspired, etc. And that's fair enough. But Roma is not one of these. It takes its cues from Italian directors De Sica and Fellini more probably than from our own current Hollywood. So, Americans, be advised: Roma does not come to you -- you must go to it. But if you are willing to kick-back, relax, and let yourselves be drawn into the childhood world of writer/director Alfonso Cuarón's 1971 Mexico, in all its political and socioeconomic turmoil, and into the lives of sweetly resilient women who once nurtured and protected him there, you will find your cinematic magic. Let this film wash over you like a warm bath, transfix you, mesmerize you. Demand nothing from it. Expect nothing. I promise you'll emerge with a profound appreciation for life beyond yourself, for the lives of other people, and those many unsung heroes we usually never notice. You'll love your own home more, your own people. In this way we are privileged to experience Alfonso Cuarón's artful masterpiece. Roma is a major contribution to the craft of cinema, and exemplifies with exceptional aptitude that art does not pander -- it elevates.
The Wife (2017)
Implausible with Eventually Unlikeable Characters
Before I review The Wife, let me first say that Elizabeth McGovern's performance in this film, which lasts only 2 precious minutes of screen-time (yes, I timed it) was the most engaging performance I've seen in recent years, certainly the most striking in this particular film. But now let's digress to The Wife: I was ready to see a movie which praises "the woman behind the man"; I was ready to bathe in themes of devotion and love and female servitude and quiet desperation. So I went in liking our characters and already appreciating the wife (played brilliantly by Glenn Close). I was sure of a stalwart, loving woman and saw nothing wrong with the adequately, if clumsily appreciative husband (a totally convincing Jonathan Pryce). Their two adult children tether the marriage well enough, although the pregnant daughter is used only as a brief distraction, and the brooding son is far too brooding, if annoyingly so (Max Irons clearly over-acts his part here). But then the film turns out to be nothing I had expected it to be. I was duped. And while I didn't mind being duped -- the alternate story is just as compelling -- still, the title character, the wife, ultimately behaves in a way that is contradictory to her 30 years of dedication. I kept thinking, certainly in that amount of time she has defeated her demons. But, no. In turn it eventually becomes hard to digest how our married couple seems never to have discussed their long-running agreements, that vanity and triviality could ever challenge their bond at this point. But it does. And the wife character ends up looking -- quite disappointingly -- like a selfish, shallow, seething, vicious, person; who, apparently, nobody ever really knew, and who, only now, after 40 odd years has decided she's unsatisfied. This is so implausible. And by the improbability of this, the writing seems to fall apart, plot, character, and all. (Now, all that aside and nevertheless, go and get yourself some Elizabeth McGovern!)
What Still Remains (2018)
MORE OF A TV EPISODE THAN A MOVIE
I have to agree with the review by "Laughing out loud". I watched this movie for its high ratings, which, I am now convinced, are fake. This movie feels more like a pilot episode for a TV series than an actual movie-theater movie (clan vs. clan with a heroine centerpiece - *sigh). If I had wanted to watch television, I would have watched television. I mean, even low-budget indie films will sometimes offer a gritty little worthwhile movie, and I was hoping for something close. But, honestly, you won't find it here. Don't waste your time.