The Current War

The Current War?

More like the out-of-date war.

OK, enough joking. The Current War went through a lot to get released.

I first saw the trailer for the film with Blade Runner 2049 two years ago.  It was supposed to debut the following month. By the time I saw the trailer, its original distributor, The Weinstein Company, was felled by certain circumstances. That, and its lukewarm reception during the Toronto International Film Festival, sent it back to the drawing board. It's finally here to light up the box office. But is it a blinding light or a faint glimmer? Let's discuss.

In 1880, Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) debuts his Direct Current electrical system. It works better than gas lights, but it only covers a square mile. George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) decides to outdo him with his long-range Alternate Current System. The "war of the currents" is born. Edison smears the AC system as dangerous and this leads to the development of the Electric Chair. Westinghouse hires Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) to help power his system. Edison and Westinghouse set out to light the Chicago World's Fair.

Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) works from a script by Michael Mitnick. The best part of the film is the Electric Chair subplot. It's potentially controversial, but it would make an interesting film by itself. The "war of the currents" speeds through thirteen years as Edison fires cheap shot after cheap shot while Westinghouse practically ignores him until the end. The "AC is Bad" campaign barely dents Westinghouse's business. Tesla barely figures into the story until he meets Westinghouse late into the film.

Sounds boring, doesn't it? But some parts sparked my interest. Cumberbatch as Edison is a delightfully arrogant genius with a soft side. His relationship with his wife, Mary (Tuppence Middleton), is endearing. His work on the phonograph and kinetograph is fascinating to watch. Shannon as Westinghouse makes for a likable "antagonist." Hoult makes the most of his comparatively limited screentime as Tesla. Amongst the supporting cast, there are at least two standouts. One is Tom Holland, who is memorable as Edison's assistant. Samuel Insull. The other is Connor MacNeil as William Kemmler, the first man to get the Electric Chair; MacNeil plays Kemmler as a pitiful wreck, even if his crime is brutal.

The film looks as good as that first trailer did. Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung starts the film off spectacularly when Edison first tests his lightbulbs in a dark field for his investors. Chung's work shows off the immense production design by Jan Roelfs. The CGI-enhancements to the sets are practically invisible. Editors David Trachtenberg and Justin Krohn make the story intelligible. And on the aural side, Danny Bensi and Saunder Juriaans create an intense score.

The Current War is an interesting film. There's not much tension in this "War of the Currents." But it's lively enough to spark some interest in reading on the current events. I already started. It does warrant some curiosity caused by its delay. See it at least once. Prepare to be educated.

Dolemite Is My Name

... And busting busters is my game!

(That's not the actual phrase. The actual phrase isn't family friendly.)

The next few months have plenty of Oscar-likelies on the docket. Fortunately, a few of them are on Netflix, meaning that if it's not playing at a theater near you, you can still see it at home a few weeks later. On the top of the list is this Thanksgiving's Martin Scorsese's eagerly-awaited The Irishman. Right now is the comedic biopic Dolemite Is My Name.

In the early 70s, Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) tries to make it in Los Angeles. By day, he's an assistant manager at the Dolphin's of Hollywood record store. By night, he's an emcee at a comedy club. His dreams of making it big never went bigger. He meets a neighborhood bum named Rico (Ron Cephas Jones), who spins outrageous yarns of a swaggering, rhyming pimp named Dolemite. The stories give Rudy the inspiration for a new comedy act. After Dolemite's first records are smash hits, Rudy and his friends decide to take him to the big screen.

Now for the production. Rudy gets his friends, including Ben Taylor (Craig Robinson) and Theordore Toney (Titus Burgess), on the film crew. Rudy gets playwright Jerry Jones (Keegan-Michael Key) to write the film and actor D'urville Martin (Wesley Snipes) to direct and star as Dolemite's arch-enemy, Willie Green. He sets up base at the rundown Dunbar Hotel - which only works when the crew swipes electricity from another building. His inexperience in film leads to some interesting results. But no major studio wants the end result. Will Rudy avoid a lifetime of debt?

Yes.

One may compare this to Ed Wood or The Disaster Artist, the former sharing this film's pair of screenwriters, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. But the production depicted here is more competent in comparison to the other films. It's still pretty humorous. Jones has to tone down Rudy's unwieldy mix of ideas into a suitable film. A passionate scene goes bonkers. The fight staging is awkward. A bunch of film students make up much of the crew. It's no surprise D'urville isn't sold on the whole thing.

Eddie Murphy capably leads the way. He plays both Rudy and Dolemite with delightful enthusiasm. The often profane dialogue isn't for everyone, but it's so over-the-top that it's worth at least a laugh or two. Beneath the enthusiasm is a man uncertain if his work will get distributed. We understand the stakes as he nearly drives himself to debt to finance Dolemite. Ultimately, his goals and dedication win the audience's admiration.

Now let's not forget some other names. Snipes is a great straight man as D'urville, while Da'Vine Joy Randolph is a standout as Dolemite co-star Lady Reed. Snoop Dogg and Chris Rock get some amusing cameos as DJs in separate scenes. Ron Cephas Jones as Rico is a memorable presence. Luenell's performance as Rudy's aunt also makes the most of her limited screentime. And on the technical side, the standout is the colorful wardrobe by Ruth E. Carter.

Dolemite Is My Name is a pretty good biopic. I'd imagine familiarity with Rudy Ray Moore and Dolemite is needed before seeing it. Still, it's a good story about a man making a name for himself. Whether on Netflix or Theaters, Dolemite makes the most of any screen. See it at least once to see what I mean.

Judy

The next Oscars are two weeks earlier than normal this time. So you might want to start your countdown soon. I started mine with Judy, the biopic which sees Renee Zelweger portray the one and only Judy Garland.

Around 1968, Judy is practically broke and needs a comeback. Her agent suggests a concert tour in the UK. She reluctantly agrees to the proposal, leaving her youngest kids, Lorna and Joey Luft with their father Sidney (Rufus Sewell). Her inner demons threaten to impede her performances. But a nice guy named Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock) comes along and becomes her fifth husband. That relationship goes sour when the tour gets extended, perhaps indefinitely. But she finds the strength to carry on.

And then she died in June, 1969. OK...

Director Rupert Goold and writer Tom Edge adapt Peter Quilter's stageplay End of the Rainbow. The film opens with young Judy (Darci Shaw) getting a pep talk from Louis B. Mayer (Richard Cordery) on the set of The Wizard of Oz. A few more flashbacks follow to show Judy's painful upbringing on the MGM lot. It perfectly contextualizes her later problems. Most of the film deals with Judy's later struggles with her declining health and worsening addictions. There is some levity, especially with two fans named Stan (Daniel Cerqueira) and Dan (Andy Nyman) who befriend Judy, and it's very needed.

Zelweger doesn't disappoint as Judy Garland. Her weary face, made possible by Jeremy Woodhead's makeup team, says a lot about her rough life. She still works to support her family in spite of her rough life. She gets to enjoy some happiness with her kids and later, Mickey Deans. She gets the audience's sympathy the whole way through. Her musical performances invigorate the film. The climactic performance of Over the Rainbow is the film's strongest number. You'll know why when you see it.

Technically, the flashbacks are the best part of the film. On one hand, Judy's rough treatment at MGM isn't delightful. But on the other, her moments of disobedience are. Her scenes with Mickey Rooney (Gus Barry) show excellent chemistry. Kave Quinn's production design and Ole Bratt Birkland's cinematography create a colorful world. Its most distinctive color, of course, is the shear emerald green. 

Judy is a tough movie to watch. After all, it's a film about the sad, final months of a fading Hollywood star. It's a film that might make some people reconsider show business. Its moments of levity made it easier, and as said before, it needed them. Keep that in mind if you decide to see it. Whether you want to see it again immediately is up to you. 

Downton Abbey

I never followed the ITV series Downton Abbey in its day. So I went into its film spin-off pretty blind. Avid fans of Julian Fellowes' cast of characters will get more than their money's worth. Everyone else has a lot of reading to do.

As with the series, the film follows the noble Crawley family and their servants who live in the estate of Downton Abbey. Both the upstairs and the downstairs are shocked when King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) come calling. They plan to spend the night at Downton as part of a tour. Celebrations are in order, and through the hectic preparations, come subplots:

The servants are kicked further down by the snobbish Royal Butler Mr. Wilson (David Haig) and the royal staff. They plan to strike back. Servants Daisy (Sophie McShera) and Andy (Michael C. Fox) plan their wedding. Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith), gets in an inheritance squabble with another relation, Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton). Retired Downton butler Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) is called back into service. All cope with the changing times.

Oh yeah, and an assassin comes for the King. But that's resolved by the halfway point.

Did everybody get that?

Michael Engler, who directed the show's finale, among other episodes, handled this movie too. Fellowes, once again, wrote the script. Its first half-hour or so is sure to test the uninitiated. The film's vast ensemble of characters and their issues show up pretty quickly. It's easy to get lost in the unfamiliar territory. Still, there's plenty of humor here, mainly provided by Violet's delightfully acidic wit ("I never argue - I explain."). The overall plot is easy to follow, though. As said before, fans of the show will feel right at home at Downton.

A few more thoughts on the characters. David Haig does a great job at making Mr. Wilson detestable. It's easy to see the servants' frustrations when they have to put up with him. The Royal Chef, Monsieur Courbet (Phillipe Spall), is so pompous he's hilarious. The King and Queen themselves are likable characters, unlike their aforementioned servants. The highlight of the cast, of course, is Violet. Staunton, as Maud, does a good job playing off of her.

A few familiar technical faces return from the show. John Lunn's score, including the show's main theme, sets the film's majestic mood. Production Designer Donal Woods and Costume Designer Anna Robbins create an alluring rendition of 1927 Yorkshire. Among the new technical faces, there's cinematographer Ben Smithard and edtior Mark Day. Whether indoors or out, upstairs or downstairs, the scope of Smithard's work is marvelous. The best edited scene is the dinner scene when Downton servant Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) accidentally reveals that he and the Downton staff served the King and Queen's latest meal. You can feel the awkward, dreadful silence until Queen Mary genuinely compliments the meal.

Downton Abbey welcomes its fans with open arms. Everyone else needs to get up to speed before or after the movie. It might make some new fans along the way. As for me, I'm now a bit more interested in the show and Fellowes' earlier film Gosford Park. I had a few questions during its 122 minutes. But they're easy to get now that I've read up a bit more on the show.

The Addams Family

That creepy and kooky household first drawn by Charles Addams for the New Yorker over eighty years ago refuses to stay buried in the crypt of obscurity. Say that ten times fast.

Anyway, The Addams Family has risen in computer-animated form. Its macabre wackiness makes up for some cliched story elements. Let's see what I mean:

Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia Addams (Charlize Theron) just want a home for their family. Sure, they and their clan are bizarre and macabre, but they're still good to each other. They already got chased out of "the old country" by fearful townsfolks. So they settle "somewhere no one in their right mind would be caught dead in:" New Jersey. They hire escaped asylum inmate Lurch (co-director Conrad Vernon) as their butler and settle in a haunted asylum. 

Thirteen Years Later, the Addams, now with kids Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz) and Pugsley (Finn Wolfhard), live isolated from the world. The fog vanishes and they discover the appallingly sunny town of Assimilation. The town is run by reality show host Margaux Needler (Allison Janney), who decides the gloomy Addams estate needs a makeover. Even if it means flattened to the ground. 

Wednesday decides to go to Junior High with Margaux's frustrated daughter Parker (Elsie Fisher). They horrify their mothers by switching their fashion tastes. Meanwhile, Pugsley has to master his "Mazurka" sabre dance for his Addams' right of passage. Unfortunately, there's still the matter of Margaux rallying the townsfolks against the Addams.

The screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Pamela Pettler has plenty of family-friendly macabre humor. A few highlights include Morticia using her parents' ashes as makeup and Wednesday's "Frankenfrogs." Practically anything Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) does is sure to get plenty of laughs. Meanwhile, Assimilation is perfectly creepy before we see the depths of Margaux's villainy. Wednesday and Pugsley's subplots sound familiar, but I forgave the familiarity. Not the ending. The resolution is so rushed that Margaux's comeuppance, if it can be called that, is underwhelming.

The Addams are still delightfully ghoulish. Gomez and Morticia have great chemistry together, while Wednesday and Pugsley are creepy, yet sympathetic kids. Bette Midler is a great choice for the witchy Grandmama while Snoop Dogg as the gibberish-speaking Cousin Itt is a hilariously odd choice. Margaux's best scenes are when she's over-the-top evil.

The character designs are a great CGI approximation of Addams' original drawings. The Addams themselves are an eclectic bunch of eccentrics. The "normals" are generally gaudy. The production design provides a perfect clash between the Addams' gothic environment and Assimilation's eye-gauging "perfectness." The highlight of Mychael and Jeff Danna's score is their rendition of Vic Mizzy's famous theme song. They even re-enact the opening of the sixties show before the end credits.

The Addams Family is a fine reintroduction to this famous family. Its ghoulish humor is sure to entertain the adults as much as the kids. It's not a perfect film, but it wasn't boring. Its 105 minutes should make for a good pre-Halloween matinee. 

Joker

The Joker is ready for his close-up, Mr. DeMille!

Wait, Mr. DeMille's dead.

But The Joker still wants his close-up!

Forget a close-up! How about a movie!

Yay!

Yay?!

Batman's number one enemy now has a movie of his own. Joker tells an origin story spun by director Todd Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver. It's a movie with conflicting emotions. Let's find out why.

The future Clown Prince of Crime is Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix). In 1981, Arthur lives with his mother, Penny (Frances Conroy), in bleak Gotham City. He's a rent-a-clown by day and aspiring stand-up comic by night. Unfortunately, he's often the only one who laughs at his jokes, which is exasperated by his Pseudobulbar Affect. Gotham citizens think he's either a creeper or easy pickings. A fellow clown loans Arthur his gun. He loses his job when he's caught with the gun.

Arthur, in full clown attire, is harassed on the way home by three yuppies. He shoots them dead. This inspires the disaffected populace to rise up and take on the rich. In the midst of it, Arthur learns about his mother's connection to billionaire Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen). It leads to a string of heartbreak and mayhem for Arthur which culminates in a guest spot with his favorite talk show host, Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro). 

The film's opening scene sets up Arthur's life perfectly. Clown struggles to put on a happy face, Clown enjoys himself on the job, Clown gets jumped by hoodlums. Simple as that. The rest of these 122 minutes gives neither Arthur nor the audience little levity. Some comedy exists, but you'll notice the tragedy and violence even more. Penny Fleck's connection to Thomas Wayne leads to a shocking revelation, which is quickly debunked ... sort of. Penny also has more secrets to share. Arthur's attraction to neighbor Sophie Drummond (Zazie Beetz) turns sour. Let's just say this Gotham City needed a Batman yesterday.

Now for the star of the show. We first empathize with Arthur and dread the inevitable outcome. We want him to succeed in life, but not in the way that he does. His laughing fits are emotionally devastating given his condition, but they become easier when he embraces his persona. After that, he's happy even when we're not. Joaquin Phoenix's performance never loses the audience's attention. I don't think, and hope not, he intended to keep their sympathy for very long.

Now we go for the technicals. The first point goes to costume designer Mark Bridges for designing Arthur's memorable clown attires. His climactic Joker suit looks like an alluring comic book extract. Many points go to the Makeup and Hair departments headed by Nicki Fuderman and Kay Georgiou. They deserve recognition for Arthur's normal disheveled look, his clown makeups and the violent damage they're put through. Production designer Mark Friedberg and cinematographer Lawrence Sher deserve points for visualizing Gotham City at its bleakest. Finally, there's also editor Jeff Groth and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir for sustaining the dread. Take a bow.

Joker is not an easy matinee to sit through. Arthur's miserable existence is depressing and the film's violence is shocking. Some might say that it's also empty headed nonsense. But at least it raises concerns that some people need to listen to. How it raises its concerns makes it captivating to listen to. You'll find a method to the madness if you see it. Look elsewhere if you want a happier film.

Where are the happy films?