Stan & Ollie

Here's another fine mess I've gotten into.

So my writings have slowed down to a crawl. I think it's a crawl. A huge factor is that my local theaters have yet to show If Beale Street Could Talk. I don't know if they will before the Oscars. But I need to review something. That something is Stan & Ollie, a film which the Oscars bypassed. It's another fine trip down Hollywood memory lane.

It's 1953. Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C. Reilly) were comedy stars in the 1930s. They're past their prime now and looking for a comeback. A parody of Robin Hood is their best bet. So they go on tour in the United Kingdom to impress a prospective producer. Their wives, Ida (Nina Arianda) and Lucille (Shirley Henderson), soon join them.

Trouble follows. The tour initially plays to almost empty seats. Their manager gets things going with a few public appearances. But their prospective producer backs out, which means no movie. They have personal misgivings with each other, primarily fueled by a contract dispute in 1937. Ollie's failing health is no help either. They threaten to quit each other. But they can't do it. They need each other.

Coogan and Reilly are the boys alive again. They look the part, act the part, and while they don't perfectly sound the part, get their diction just right. They're great characters as much as they are great imitations. We're invested in their struggles with their pasts and futures. Their chemistry with each other and their wives is genuine. The Boys' ultimate reconciliation leaves us on a high note.

Director Jon S. Baird (Filth) works from a script by Jeff Pope. The opening credits showcase Laurie Rose's cinematography as the camera follows Stan & Ollie to the set of Way Out West. Their ensuing three-way argument with themselves and boss Hal Roach (Danny Huston) tells us a lot about their strained relationship in a short time. The rest of the film's 97 minutes is the same. The Boys' creative and personal differences play out in the concise plot. We understand the Boys' history as they evaluate their own.

Stan & Ollie's text epilogue relates their final years; Ollie dies in '57, then Stan retires and dies in '65. It's a bit sad, but not depressing. We see them rediscover their partnership as entertainers and as friends. We end with them happy with whatever time they have left. We're pleased with that. See it for yourselves. Then, see a Laurel and Hardy feature. They're still funny after many decades.

Mary Queen of Scots

Queen Elizabeth I of England shone in the cinematic spotlight many times. Behind her is her cousin and arch-rival, Mary I of Scotland. The conflict between queens is depicted once again in Mary, Queen of Scots, which sees the directorial debut of theatrical director Josie Rourke.

In 1561, Mary (Saoirse Ronan) returns to her native Scotland to assume the throne. As Queen Elizabeth's (Margot Robbie) cousin, Mary has a claim to her throne. Mary knows it, and asks repeatedly to be named successor.  Elizabeth doesn't take it that well. She offers her cousin a potential suitor or two; Mary eventually settles on Lord Darnley (Jack Lowden).

Meanwhile, Protestant Cleric John Knox (David Tennant) doesn't take kindly to the Catholic Mary. He uses his pulpit to turn public opinion against Mary. A few conniving noblemen, including Darnley's father Matthew (Brendan Coyle), manipulate Mary. Mary pushes back. But the scoundrels gain the upper-hand. An attempt to reconcile with Elizabeth doesn't go as planned.

There was a Mary, Queen of Scots in 1971 with Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson. Beau Willimon's screenplay is actually based on John Guy's 2004 biography, Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart. Let's get that out of the way.

The film opens and ends with Mary's execution for her alleged involvement in the Babington Plot. We don't even get her side in the story. Was she innocent or not? Did her ambitions leave her no friends or defense from treason charges? Who knows. The film skims through history in 124 minutes and it's easy to lose track with the verbose dialogue.

Let's talk about the leads. Mary's progressive and inclusive beliefs earn her the audience's respects. .She's a bit too insistent on asking Elizabeth for succession rights, but she's not as conniving as history suggests. She'll fight when she has to and does it well. We're rightfully outraged as Lord Darnley and the other men antagonize her. Her execution is a legitimately tragic moment.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, is emotionally frail. Her conflict with Mary makes her more pitiable than hateable. But she's still compelling. Mary and Elizabeth's conflict is dulled by the film's pace and them never meeting but once. Their climactic meeting, as historically defiant as it is, makes the film worth it.

The technical highlights are the makeup/hair and costume designs by Jenny Shircore and Alexandra Byrne. Elizabeth and Mary's wardrobes, in particular, stand out with their bright hues. Elizabeth's white-painted face and searing red wig are a memorable visage. Her debilitating smallpox bout is appropriately creepy. The production design by James Merifield is less colorful in comparison but still impressive. Max Richter's score stands out with its rousing main theme.

Mary, Queen of Scots's historical discrepancies didn't bother me. In fact, the movie did not bother me at all. It did confuse me with its skimming through history. Its overall story presents Mary as a woman whose good deeds still got her betrayed. That's a compelling subject even if its presentation wasn't perfect. See it if you want. It's not Best Picture material but Shircore and Byrne's work may surely get it some good Oscar attention.

Vice

My first film review was for the George W. Bush biopic W. for a College journalism class. That film had Richard Dreyfuss play VP Dick Cheney to Josh Brolin's President Bush for director Oliver Stone. It's Cheney's turn for a biopic in director/writer Adam McKay's Vice, in which Christian Bale plays Cheney to Sam Rockwell's President Bush.

Cheney starts out as a drunken Yale dropout. But when his wife, Lynne (Amy Adams), tells him to sober up, he does. He later interns under Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), where he learns the art of political war. He later becomes Chief of Staff under President Ford. He's then a Representative for Wyoming and later, President George HW Bush's (John Hillner) Secretary of Defense. He also comes to accept his gay daughter, Mary (Alison Pill). And they all lived happily ever...

...No, they didn't.

Finally, he accepts George W. Bush's offer to be his running mate. Once he's Vice President, Cheney handles the War on Terror's most controversial aspects. His ruthlessness even divides his daughters. Meanwhile, Cheney needs to pay attention to his frail heart.

The film flat out admits that it's not totally accurate. But, as the title screen says, "We tried our (censored) best." Its storytelling methods are as unconventional as The Big Short's. There's a fictional narrator named Kurt (Jesse Plemons) to set the stage. Dick and Lynne have a faux-Shakespearean conversation. A fictional news anchor (Naomi Watts) chimes in for several bulletins. A waiter (Alfred Molina) offers Cheney and co. some tasty underhanded tactics. There are facts and figures, too. But the most off-kilter moment is a fake-out ending complete with credits (which I referenced above). It leads to a wacky take on a dour time.

Christian Bale as Dick Cheney is silent but deadly. His political maneuvering is masterfully executed. He has some humanity but he throws it out at the end. His most sympathetic moment is his initial desire to turn his life around. His story holds our attention for the film's 132 minutes. Bale is masterfully sculpted into Cheney's likeness by an Oscar-shortlisted team including veteran winner Greg Cannom (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mrs. Doubtfire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

The rest of the cast also stands out. Carell as Rumsfeld is a capably smug mentor for Cheney. Adams is equally sympathetic and conniving as Lynne Cheney. Rockwell's George W. is likable and amiable. Pill's Mary Cheney is the most sympathetic of the ensemble. Colin Powell (Tyler Perry) is just as good in his fleeting appearances.

Editor Hank Corwin is once again here to educate and enrage us. He'll educate you as Cheney's tenures are written on-screen. He'll enrage you with Cheney and co.'s bad behavior. It's worse when we see the consequences of their actions on innocent people. He and McKay are surely daring us to laugh at the crooked characters now. Nicholas Betrill's also Oscar-shortlisted score is as introspective and powerful as its subject.

Vice's mid-credit scene anticipates a bi-partisan political response. It's a bit heavy-handed as two panelists at a focus group (with McKay as the liberal) come to blows over the movie. It's this scene alone that might make or break the film for some people. The film that precedes it is a strong portrayal of a political schemer. Its laughs are uneasy but plenty. One way or another, its points will stick in your mind. Whether you like it or not is another thing.