Last Tango in Halifax

Hi Film Fans!

Happy New Year to you all!  May this year bring you lots of fun movie entertainment...and other wonderful things!

I might begin this review by admitting that I knew nothing about the movie...but the title did not thrill me:  Last tango? Halifax?   Like Last Tango in Paris? Yuk!  Something about Halifax, Nova Scotia?  Hmm...not a place I've been interested in that much!

OK, let's get past the bizarre title.  The "tango" refers, I believe, to the dance of life...which continues into our senior years.  Halifax is a place in England.

England...yes indeed, another masterpiece emerges from the land of Big Ben.  

Consider the other film wonders of recent times:  Downton Abbey, The Crown, Rocketman, The Gentlemen, Emma, Tenet, Rebecca...the list goes on.

The movie tells the story of a couple who, having known and been attracted to each other as teens, meet again after 60 years and, of course, fall in love.  The plot line is no secret: the ads for the series say it loud and clear.  

In order not to give anything away, I will add just one more note about the plot:  The two families of the senior couple who fall in love are, well, to say the least, a bit dysfunctional!  Add to that the usual recipe for trouble: two families who are financially, culturally, and socially on opposite ends of the spectrum.  

A recipe for disaster?  No.  A recipe for fun!

The film brilliantly shows that even with the best of intentions, a marriage always involves two families, sometimes at odds, sometimes in harmony, and always on the verge of disruption.  Every character in this film is flawed.  But aren't we all?  What could be more human and real in a film?

The actors are brilliant.  The leads have been given the high British honor of Sir and Dame.  Knighted, they are worthy of top recognition in their long and illustrious acting careers.  

After the first episode in this three-season wonder, we were hooked!  We binge-watched and then some!

Put this at the top of your list...particularly if you are in your "golden" years!  Folks who can look back at the what-ifs and shoulda, coulda, woulda's of life will love this film gem.

 

The Queen's' Gambit

Hi Film Fans!

It has been a while since my last review, but I recently saw an extraordinary film that I would highly recommend.  Let's talk about The Queen's Gambit.

Oh my, what an original, creative film!  It is an eight part mini-series that tells the story of a young girl who struggles to become a chess master.

I will comment briefly on what makes this flick fascinating without giving away details of the plot.  Consistent with the goal of this blog, I strive to make the reviews short and intentionally vague!

Many of the grandmasters of chess are raised in affluent and supportive environments.  Parents often spend fortunes on lessons and tournaments.  In some countries, like Russia, the government provides finances for training.

Now imagine a child raised in an orphanage.  Imagine the same child adopted by parents who who don't care much about her and care less about her interest in chess.  Moreover, what if the young girl is hooked on tranquilizers as a kid and "raised" by an alcoholic mother?

Is it possible for someone from a culturally impoverished and dysfunctional background to become a chess great?  What are her chances?

Watch the film to find out!

Several actresses play the protagonist, Elizabeth Harmon, at different stages of her life.  But is the young adult actress, Anya Taylor-Joy, who dazzles as the aspiring chess player in her late teens and early 20s.  She creates a very shaded, multi-faceted genius, perhaps slightly autistic, who perseveres to achieve a dream.

How does the establishment, those used to coddled male chess stars, react to the newcomer?  With brutal criticism and toxic incredulity.  The naysayers are everywhere!  Therein lies the fascination of the film. It seems like the whole world is against the young chess star.

Clearly, young Beth, later known as Elizabeth, travels a lonely road to recognition.  But wait...just when the girl seems most isolated, supporters do emerge.  Who are they?  Again, for you the viewers to discover!

I guarantee you will be glued to the screen for all eight episodes.  As we root for the brilliant kid to succeed, we learn about the complex and competitive world of professional chess.

Be sure to put this one at the top of your watchlist...I'll give it an A+...one of the best I've seen in recent years.

Enjoy!

Seberg

Hi film fans!

It's been a while since Valerie and I have offered our thoughts on films.  With the virus out there and the country in turmoil, perhaps it's time to just hunker down and enjoy what Hollywood has to offer.

Just a reminder about our mission:  We tend to laud films we like rather than pan those we don't.  We keep the reviews short.  We try never to spoil the details of the plot.

We have been at this since 2010, a full decade now, so please look back at our myriads of past reviews and you might be inspired to view some of the film wonders of the recent past.

The film SEBERG takes us back to the 1960s.  Jean Seberg was an American actress splitting her time between the U.S.and France.  After playing minor roles, she hit the big time when she landed a gig opposite the wildly popular Jean-Paul Belmondo.  The film was an international hit:  Breathless

Only 22 at the time, the actress played a Herald Tribune employee who hangs out in Paris with a charming but hardened criminal, played by Belmondo.  It was a classic, so consider going to Amazon and seeing it.  The plot moves slowly, like many 60s and 70s films, so be patient.  Don't miss the fantastic, more action-packed Richard Gere update years later.

The biopic picks up the story post-Breathless, when Seberg is famous and dealing with the usual problems movie stars face:  which of several houses to live in and which of several men to enjoy!  Tough life, no?

Looking for a raison d'etre, the star got involved in the Black Power movement.  Soon, she was the focus of an FBI smear campaign against her.  Can't say more...that's for our viewers to discover.

I laud this film for its engaging script.  The film plays out like a thriller, where we are on the edge of our seats awestruck at each new development.  We wonder how long the young actress can survive the traumas of her off-screen life.

Seberg had serious emotional issues.  Like Marilyn Monroe and other fragile stars, she teetered on the edge much of her life.  She sought an anchor in a constantly changing world.

Kristen Stewart offers a best-actress-worthy performance, portraying the actress-turned-media-victim with extraordinary skill.  For you vampire movie lovers, you will recall that Kristen was the star of the Twilight series.  She's come a long ways since being in love with two vampires!  She offers a knockout performance in Seberg.

A final word: It is sadly ironic that the film deals with social injustice in America.  Today's news is not really news after all.

Enjoy the film.  It is one of the best out there right now.  By out there, I mean at home, of course.  COVID-19 has changed all of our lives.  We too seek an anchor.

JoJo Rabbit

Question: Is it ever ok to find humor in the Holocaust? This is not a new subject for discussion. Many agree that one can laugh at Nazis, but not the Holocaust, not the victims. After all, laughing at someone takes away their power (e.g., The Producers’  “Springtime for Hitler”).

What do you think? 

With this as a background, I highly recommend seeing the recent Oscar-winning film, JoJo Rabbit, written and directed by New Zealand’s Taika Waititi, who bravely even plays Adolph Hitler in the film. As he says, “What better way to insult Hitler than having him portrayed by a Polynesian Jew?”

Set in WWII, “JoJo is a 10 year-old German boy who idolizes Adolf Hitler, but is forced to reconsider his ideals when he discovers that his mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their house.” Like Life is Beautiful, seeing this environment through the eyes of a child reminds us of how fragile we all are. We look to the children to take our world to a better place.

This film is an artistic, visual masterpiece. The Academy Award-winning screenplay is exquisite. You’ll find yourself involuntarily laughing (at the absurdity of Nazis) while half holding your breath in tension. 

The cast includes talent from Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell, even Rebel Wilson, but it is the boy, Roman Griffin Davis, who completely carries the film, appearing in nearly every scene.

In these days of increased anti-Semitism and overall cruelty toward the Others in our society, JoJo Rabbit is a brilliant treatment of an uncomfortable reality. I will remember this film.

Downton Abbey - The Movie

Whether you've been living under a rock for several years, due to choice or circumstance, or you were a dyed-in-the-wool devotee of Downton Abbey, I recommend you plop yourself down in a comfortable, cool, dark theater and for two hours steep yourself in the bygone era of the early 1900s. Now, I try not to romanticize past eras, even those I've lived through. The very definition of nostalgia conveys a certain rose-colored glass perspective, often far from reality. HOWEVER, for these two hours you will be immersed in a time of manners, civility, pomp and regalia, and a certain comfort within the very constriction of convention. (Boy, couldn't we use that now!) Listen closely to the conversations of British aristocracy. They're not stuffy at all! Words are measured and refined, but the substance and the passion are there. All your favorite characters are there...well, not MATHew, but, you know... The movie? Short on plot: the King and Queen are coming. That's it. But the film is a reunion for fans, a snapshot of a time and place, with more humor than the series ever had. There is one side narrative of poignant relevancy, and another scene of deep familial sentiment. It's all I needed, and I enjoyed every minute. Oh - and if you're new to the D.A. phenomenon, or you're forgetful, don't worry; Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson (out of character) take us through a quick review before the show.

Isobel: "How you hate to be wrong."
Violet: "I wouldn't know; I'm not familiar with the sensation."

Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu3mP0c51hE

Bad Times at the El Royale

Hi Film Fans!

Every so often an "art house" film comes along that knocks our socks off!

Bad Times at the El Royale is one of them.  This film is as bizarre and fascinating as I've ever seen.

Never the spoiler, I'll just say a few words about the plot:  A hodgepodge of weird, dysfunctional characters meet at a hotel on the California-Nevada border.  Each is there for a different reason, some not so savory.

At first, the encounters seem fairly innocuous.  A salesman, a priest, and a singer await their rooms in the lobby of the hotel.  Question is:  Are they who they say they are?  What are they really doing there?  And when others arrive, why are they there as well?

Nothing is as it first seems.  The sunny opening gets "noir" fast!

The brief overview may not seem that gripping.  But the film draws you in and keeps you glued to the screen.  Things start to happen, and first appearances quickly crumble!  Before long, there's a conflict between good and evil, and between diverse personalities, that leads to tense drama and eventual violence.

Have I piqued your interest?  I can't say more.

Let me comment on the actors:

John Hamm:  If you thought he could never be anyone other than Don Draper in Mad Men, think again!  Hamm is sleazy, and not so sleazy, as his character evolves.

Chris Hemsworth: The well-known Hollywood hunk is one bad dude!  Think of anyone who is pure evil....that's him!

Dakota Johnson:  Having earned her rep as the adventurous lover in Fifty Shades of Grey, she is a far cry from that role.  Check out the shotgun she carries!

Jeff Bridges:  The wonderfully versatile actor is a long ways from "the Dude" in The Big Lebowski. 
Now he's a well-spoken priest...or is he?

Lewis Pullman: A relative newcomer to Hollywood, the son of Bill Pullman, sometimes steals the show.  Yes, he's that good.  Watch him change as the freaky events unfold!

Cynthia Erivo:  The British actress, currently embroiled in a debate about whether she is the right actress for the role of Harriet Tubman in a soon-to-be-released movie, sings beautifully.  She epitomizes the conflict between morality and immorality in the film.

So, we have a film with great actors and a truly original plot.

But why do I really love this movie?

I am amazed at how it unfolds like a morality play.  Every act is shaded.  No one is totally right, and no one is entirely wrong.  Don't miss the fire symbolism that represents hell...and the angelic singer's voice that represents heaven.

Need I say more?  The film shocks but is laden with deep and troubling messages.

Go to Netflix or other sources and catch this one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Grade:  A++.... one of the best I've seen.

Rocketman

Hi Film Fans!

Hollywood has been on a roll with film biographies.  Remember Jamie Foxx in Ray?  He brought the music and life of Ray Charles to life.  Remember Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody?  He did Queen with pizazz!

I for one love the music biopics.  They are full of great sounds and wonderful dance.  They depict the magic of some of the great performers and get us inside their often painful voyages to stardom.

Now we have Rocketman.  The film tells the story of Elton John.  Never the spoiler, I'll tell you why this film is so much fun.

First, there is the music.  Elton John's repertoire of great tunes seems endless, numbering in the hundreds, and many of the famous ones fill the screen. Of course, Sir Elton did more than just create memorable songs.  He performed them with over-the-top costumes, wild antics at the piano, and charismatic showmanship that is rarely matched.

OK, since I just mentioned costumes, that too is part of the experience.  Word has it that Elton John lent his actual costumes to the actor playing him.  There are so many varieties of outfits and glasses that the audience is mesmerized by the wild presentations.

Guess I'll have to think out of the box the next time I buy a pair of glasses!

Then there's the story.  We go back to Elton's childhood to see how it all began.  We discover that he came from a dysfunctional home and demonstrated genius on the piano before he was ten years old.  We learn that he was pained by this family's lack of acceptance of his life, from being gay to performing at rock concerts.

What about the acting?  Great stuff here.  The lead is played by Taron Egerton.  Who?  A relatively unknown actor, to be sure.  I did a bit of research and learned that his claim to fame was a minor role in the cult British spy thriller, Kingsman.  I also learned that he played the lead in a film about a British ski jumper, Eddie the Eagle.

Seems that Egerton was made for the Elton John role.  He simply knocks it out of the park when it comes to depicting the famous singer.  He has the same outlandish moves of the music star.  He will no doubt be Best Actor material for the Oscars.

My favorite Elton John song is "Crocodile Rock."  In my view, the film truly dazzles when we see Elton perform the classic rock tune in front of thousands of viewers.  This is the moment he seems to fly...like a rocket!

Do I have any criticisms of the film?

The biop left out two of the singer's most famous songs.  The first is "Can you feel the love tonight?"  Made for Disney's Lion King back in '93, the song is one of the most moving in music history.  The other is "Candle in the Wind", which Elton sang at Princess Diana's funeral back in '97.

I would also have enjoyed seeing a bit of Elton in the past two decades.  There is no mention of his being knighted by the queen.  There is no mention of his long and loving relationship with David Furnish.  There is no mention of the dignified life he has led since his days of drugs and booze.

If you like wonderful song and dance, and you enjoy seeing how stars are born, run out and see this film.

I guarantee you will put it right up there with Bohemian Rhapsody.....or at least close to it!