Tom & Jerry

 Everyone's favorite cartoon cat and mouse duo are back. 

Tom & Jerry talked and sang in a 1993 animated movie that some people want to forget. This live-action movie has them mainly mute save for some stock sound clips. The end result is not a classic, but it's not a total loss either.

Tom and Jerry find themselves in New York City. Their shenanigans lead them to the fancy Royal Gate Hotel. There, our human lead, Kayla (Chloe Grace Moretz), steals a resume to get herself a job as event planner. The main event is the wedding of the apparently-famous Ben (Colin Jost) and Preeta (Pallavi Sharda). It's sure to go wrong if the staff finds Jerry living there. So Kayla hires Tom as the Hotel Mouser to get rid of Jerry. It all goes destructively wrong for her.

The title characters are the best part of their film in many ways. Every animal in the film is a cel-shaded cartoon character like them. The integration of animation and live-action here is as flawless as Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Tom and Jerry also get the best comic bits. Tom crosses a wire to get to Jerry, deals with his conscience (Lil Rel Howery voices both his inner angel and devil), and co-operates with Jerry for a high-speed chase on a skateboard. A few other cartoon animals, including Spike the Bulldog (Bobby Cannavale) and Butch and his Alley Cat gang (Nicky Jam and The Plastic Cup Boyz), are decent antagonists.

The least interesting part of the film are the humans. Kayla zaps away her likability by conning away that resume. She gets some of it back in the end once she owns up. Not all of it. The subplot with Ben and Preeta was pretty dull; the film spends so little time explaining who they are. A few other humans, Terrance (Michael Pena) and Mr. DuBros (Rob Delaney), were just there. The film spends so much time on them instead of the ones the movie is named for.

Tom & Jerry is an OK movie. The uninteresting humans and sometimes crude jokes aren't appealing, but the animated effects are. The animation keeps it from becoming a total failure. See it once if you have nothing to do. Whether to see it again is up to you.

Or, not at all.

Nomadland

Nomadland is the reason I got Hulu. The highly anticipated film went there as its streaming venue. It's sure to appeal the most to much older folks. But there's some stuff I found intriguing.

Chloe Zhao (The Rider, and eventually, Eternals) directed, wrote and edited this adaptation of Jessica Bruder's nonfiction book. Her story revolves around the fictional Fern (Frances McDormand), a "houseless" woman in 2011. Her city of Empire, Nevada went away along with her husband and the Gypsum plant where she worked. So Fern packs up everything into her van, "Vanguard," and hits the road as a nomad.

She finds work and fellow nomad Linda May (as herself) at Amazon. Linda May gets Fern connected to Bob Wells' (as himself) nomad community. Wells essentially wrote the book on vandwelling. He and the other nomads help her get used to life on the road. Fern's travels help her deal with her life. 

We follow Fern on her travels across the country. After Amazon, she gets work at the Badlands camp ground and as a frycook at Wall Drug. She also meets people in outdoor sales. Her relationship with another nomad, Dave (David Strathairn, not as himself), helps thread the plot. It's also connected by Joshua James Richards' impressive cinematography of rural America and Ludovico Einaudi's mellow score. 

Let's not forget the star. McDormand is eerily believable as the nomadic Fern. We see her pack up her Vanguard in her first scene. Her world-weary appearance says all why she'd go nomad instead of planting roots elsewhere, as she nearly does with Dave and his son. Her time on the road isn't easy especially when she suffers van trouble. But she finds ways to overcome it. It's pleasing to see her finally find peace and fulfillment on the open road.

The other nomads essentially play themselves. We, and Fern, get to hear why they took to the road. We get to see how they prepare for the road, too. The real life nomads are a likable bunch of people. Another featured nomad, Charlene Swankie, has a memorable scene with Fern as she helps her fix a flat. Overall, the nomads are the film's most captivating part.

Nomadland intrigued me enough to want to read the book. Fern is fictional but her times are not. What else was kept from page to screen? There's plenty to see in this cinematic road trip. It moves along strongly at 108 minutes. It's ready for a Hulu home matinee anytime. It's worth the price.

Hamilton

How does a massive printed biography
About the USA’s first treasury secretary
Written by Pulitzer-Lauded Ron Chernow
Become an also Pulitzer-Lauded Broadway show? 

Broadway may be closed for now,

So how do you find out how

History became exciting on stage?

Well now, why don't you read this page?

A cultural phenomenon of the Great White Way
Is preserved on Disney Plus for all who pay.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s dynamic words and music
Make Hamilton a worthy streaming pick.

Hamilton, of course, is Alexander Hamilton (Miranda). Hamilton arrives in New York City in 1776, in time for the Revolution. He meets the likes of Lafayette (Daveed Diggs), Hercules Mulligan (Okieriete Onaodowan) and the show’s narrator, Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr), “the damn fool who shot him.” He joins General George Washington (Christopher Jackson) as his right-hand man and marries Eliza Schuyler (Phillipa Soo).

In 1789, Hamilton is named the First Secretary of Treasury under First President Washington. He makes rivals of Thomas Jefferson (also Diggs), James Madison (also Onaodowan) and especially, Aaron Burr. His affair with Maria Reynolds (Jasmine Cephas-Jones) nearly tears his public and familial reputation into shreds. It all leads to the infamous duel with Burr.

This film review is technically also a play review, a first for me. It's actually a filmed performance of the Original Broadway Production. Actually, it's stitched together from three separate performances. The cinematography by Declan Quinn is as dynamic as the music. It's so seamless when edited by Jonah Moran. You’ll hardly see anything amiss in the continuity. If, at all. 

It barely feels like a 160-minute-long film. Miranda’s sung-through (and rapped) libretto features showstopper after showstopper. We have the likes of Hamilton’s rousing My Shot, the somber Hurricane and King George III’s (Jonathan Groff) hilarious Greek Chorus numbers. The time goes by fast as you see these numbers in action.

There’s a great cast preserved here. Miranda maybe the title character, and a compelling one, but he gives equal time to Odom Jr. You can see and feel the developing rivalry between Hamilton and Burr. You’ll feel for Burr when he takes his tragic shot. Also compelling is Anthony Ramos as John Laurens and Hamilton’s son, Phillip, who both take fateful duels with different results. Soo, Renee Elise Goldsburry (as Eliza’s sister, Angelica), Diggs and Onaodowan also standout in the cast. And then there’s George III.

Hamilton perfectly preserves the original Broadway production by director Thomas Kail. It's a lively American History Rap Musical that's sure to outwit the cynics in seconds. This is the next best thing for those who couldn't see it on stage. It's sure to get people excited for the film version of Miranda's earlier musical, In The Heights, scheduled for this year. Count me as excited.

News of the World

We now bring you the News of the World straight from Amazon Prime. In today's News, we have a Western odyssey adapted by Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies from Paulette Jiles' novel. It's a decent way to spend a slow Sunday Morning. Read on for more:

1870, Texas. Captain Jefferson Kidd (Tom Hanks) is a veteran of the Confederate Army. He now goes town to town reading the newspapers for a paying audience. One day, he finds an overturned wagon, its driver lynched and its passenger, Johanna (Helena Zengel), alone. She was raised by Kiowa tribesmen, then was re-captured by soldiers. She's an "orphan twice-over" with an Aunt and Uncle nearby. Kidd finds himself forced to escort her to them.

The story is pretty much episodic once Kidd undertakes the mission. First, he and Johanna evade a trio of despicable men who want her that badly. Let's leave it at that. They then encounter a tanner Baron Mr. Farley (Thomas Francis Murphy) who wants Kidd to read from his White Supremacist Press. Kidd inspires a revolt when he instead reads about the survivors of a mine disaster. Overtime, Kidd comes to regard Johanna as a surrogate daughter. Certain scenes, including the shootout with the three jerks, are perfectly tense. The overall story unfolds in a slow and steady 118 minutes. 

There's a good cast here. Naturally, Hanks as Kidd is a good man. He easily keeps calm when rowdy patrons act out. He's reluctant to take on Johanna, owing to his troubled past, but he's more than willing to fight the despicable men for her. Zengel is great in her first American film. Her relationship with Kidd is the film's endearing plot thread. The villains they meet perfectly play such despicable men. One of Farley's workers, John Calley (Fred Hechinger), helps save Kidd from his boss. He unfortunately leaves the film after that.

It's a technically well-done film. The cinematography by Dariusz Wolski is made for the biggest screens possible. There's a massive cattle drive and sand storm, along with spectacular views of the barren plains of Texas. See if you notice that most of the cities Kidd visits were actually one set. It's an amazing feat of production design by David Crank. The Oscar-shortlisted Score by James Newton Howard adds grandeur to the visuals. It's a shame that it's not available in theatres everywhere. 

It's instead available on many streaming services for almost $20. Check out the News of the World if you want a Western Epic right away. It's an easy distraction from the current News of the World. Its slow story is made better by its two leads. Its price should come down next month with its physical media release. That'll leave you plenty of time before the Oscars on April 25th.

Judas and the Black Messiah

One of the many names I left out of my review of The Trial of the Chicago 7 was Kelvin Harrison, Jr., who played Fred Hampton, the Illinois Chapter Chairman of the Black Panthers. He gave legal support for defendant and Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale until his assassination. Hampton plays a much bigger role in Judas and the Black Messiah, where he's played by Daniel Kaluuya.

In my defense, there were so many names in that film.

1966. William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) impersonates a federal officer to steal cars. He picks the wrong man to rip off and the FBI come calling. Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) offers to drop the charges if O'Neal agrees to infiltrate the Chicago Black Panthers. O'Neal does so and he becomes the Panthers' security chief and one of Hampton's close confidants. Eventually, Mitchell tasks O'Neal with betraying Hampton to the Feds.

Director Shaka King (Newlyweeds) co-wrote the script with Will Berson and Kenny & Keith Lucas. The story is easily dominated by Kaluuya as Fred Hampton. We see how easily he was able to unite disparate groups - even white confederates - into his Rainbow Coalition. We see him and the Panthers give back to their community. The community pays him back by repairing the Panther HQ when the police torch it. His relationship with Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback) is a good one. He's an admirable man through and through.

Stanfield is a fine lead as O'Neal. His opening attempted car theft is amazingly almost successful. He would've gotten away with it if a guy didn't see through the ruse. The editing by Kristan Sprague makes this and other action scenes perfectly tense. But much of the film has O'Neal merely observing and reporting the events. His biggest action is the off-screen drugging of Hampton. Still, his betrayal of Hampton is a tragic choice rather than an evil one. He's also quite clever when he has to save face. 

What about the rest of the cast? Plemons as Mitchell is a likable agent who pressures O'Neal to stay on task and welcomes him in his home. A few agents, including J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen), are overzealous racists. The creepiest scene involves J. Edgar asking about Mitchell's infant daughter's future boyfriends. This unnerves him and the audience equally. Two other compelling characters are Jimmy Palmer (Ashton Sanders), and Jake Winter (Algee Smith), who take justice into their own hands with tragic results. 

Judas and the Black Messiah is a great way to spend Black History Month and beyond. Its strongest aspect is Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton. Expect him to get Oscar notice next month. But you'll have to hurry as it's only on HBOMax for a little over three more weeks. That's just when the nominations are announced. It's a memorable film for an unusual film year.

Welcome to Chechnya

Welcome to Chechnya is the other potential contender for the Visual Effects Oscar I mentioned. Its listing in the shortlist is unprecedented for a documentary. Its visual tricks are necessary for its sensitive subject matter. Let's get going.

David France (How to Survive a Plague, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson) chronicles Chechen activists Olga Baranova and David Isteev. They've helped LGBT people escape state-sanctioned violence. Cops, relatives and strangers alike committed atrocities against them. The Chechen leader denied the violence, and the existence of LGBT-people in his country, but it's real. The film shows videos to prove it. 

That's where the visual effects come in. France disguised the featured refugees with face-swapping "Deep Fake" technology. The digital masks work pretty well. You might spend much of the film not even realizing there are visual effects. There's a few blurry seams, though, but they're not distracting. One of the refugees, "Grisha," is digitally unmasked before our eyes to reveal Maxim Lapunov, who tried to sue the Chechen Government for its abuse. 

We see the refugees in a safe house: their first stop before, hopefully, leaving the country. When Lapunov's boyfriend, "Bogdan," attempts suicide, they can't call an ambulance in fear of giving themselves away. Fortunately, he gets better, and his and Lapunov's relationship provide some levity in the story. The first depicted refugee, "Anya," disappears from a German safe house. We see reactions to the disappearance of gay pop star Zelim Bakaev and the unfair dismissal of Lapunov's case. Baranova and Isteev's mission to extract refugees is tense, justifiably so.

This is not a family friendly movie, at all. It's still a necessary story told in a necessary way. Be prepared for a bleak, and sometimes hopeful, 107 minutes if you decide to press play on HBOMax. Welcome to Chechnya is also one of the fifteen films cited for this year's Documentary Oscar. I'll just wait for the final five before I see the potentials.

Bloodshot

Now for another film I could have seen last March. It's Bloodshot, a sci-fi thriller based on a 90s comic book superhero. Last week, Xfinity, my TV provider, had free movies to watch. Also last week, Bloodshot became one of ten films shortlisted for this year's Visual Effects Oscar. Last night was the last night for the free movies. So I watched it last night.

Our hero is Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel), a US Marine happily married to Gina (Tallulah Riley). One day, on vacation, the two are seized by bad guy Martin Axe (Toby Kebbell). He kills them. 

The End?

No. 

Ray is brought back to life as a super-strong cyborg. Dr. Harting (Guy Pierce) replaced his blood with nanobots that fix his injuries. Ray can't remember his past; when he does, he goes after Axe. Once Harting gets him back, Ray awakens as a super-strong cyborg. He later gets revenge on the man who killed him and his wife...

What?

Turns out his past was a computer simulation. Harting's techie Eric (Siddharth Dhananjay) plugs in a new motivational nemesis for Ray on each mission. They then reset his memories and the process repeats. It's an ingenious plan that screenwriters Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer came up for them. It's amazing that the villains aren't sick of it by now. Naturally, Ray isn't happy about it and he goes after Harting to make it stop.

The film was directed by Dave Wilson, a visual effects supervisor for Age of Ultron and a cutscene director for several Star Wars games. He helps make the most of a $45 million budget. Ray's self-repairing nanobots swarm around him to repair anything from a cut to grievous face disfigurement. The nanobots also give him an eerie super mode. The other visual highlights come from the conjuring of "real" digital environments. It's a stunning display of CGI that certainly earned the film its shortlist citation.

The evil scheme seems to acknowledge how cliched the film is. The first obvious sign is "Axe" playing Reservoir Dogs with Psycho Killer. See if you can spot some other references in my summary. But it's still a decent motivational plot for Ray. We're invested in his quest for justice, and then, answers. We're surprised as he is when he finds Gina. Overall, it's a good performance for Diesel.

At first, Pierce as Dr. Harting may seem unremarkable. But his villainy hits you like a ton of bricks when the conspiracy is revealed. His cyborg henchmen, Dalton (Sam Heughan) and Tibbs (Alex Hernandez), are decent bad guys who do better playing nice. The highlights of the supporting cast are KT (Eiza Gonzalez), a cyborg who turns good, and hacker Wilfred Wiggons (Lamorne Morris). These two characters are great support for Ray.

Bloodshot is a fine action film with an outstanding villain plot and visual effects. Its overall premise is basic but it gets the job done. It's a good way to spend a slow day in-doors. Don't spend too much on it, though. My next film review is on another shocking contender for this year's Visual Effects Oscar. It's coming soon:

Promising Young Woman

Rain came to complicate my day. So how do I pass the time? I found an answer on Amazon Prime. It's Promising Young Woman, the directorial debut of actress and Killing Eve writer Emerald Fennell. It'll grab your attention for 113 minutes and will never let go. Let's read on.

The Promising Young Woman is Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan). She and her best friend Nina were med students years ago. Nina was raped and driven to suicide by their classmate, Al Munroe (Chris Lowell). Cassie is now a shell of her former self. By day, she lives with her folks and works at a coffee shop. By night, she goes to bars and clubs looking for "nice guys." They say they're nice, but they're the type who take advantage of drunk women, as Cassie pretends to be. She reveals herself to scare them straight.

One day, Cassie's classmate, Ryan Cooper (Bo Burnham), walks into her coffee shop. They hit it off right away. He even tells her Al is going to get married. Cassie decides to exact revenge on those who doubted Nina. That's before she takes revenge on Al himself. But does she expect her revenge to be simple? Does she have a plan in case stuff goes wrong? No, and yes.

There's never a dull moment in the screenplay. That's because Cassie is a sharp character. Her backstory and methods are compelling. The opening scene shows her deal with one "nice guy." The "nice guys" think she's psychotic once she drops the drunk act, and there's a few times where she seemingly crosses the moral event horizon. But we soon learn that she won't go too far. She'll make them think she did. She saves her worst for the one directly responsible. That helps her keep the audience's sympathy. Yes, Carey Mulligan's performance lives up to the hype and then some.

Now to her supporting cast. Burnham as Ryan is a genuinely nice guy, perhaps the nicest in the film. So it's a shock when we see that he's not that nice. When Al finally appears in person, we see what a pathetic loser he is. A pathetic, unrepentant loser. The nice guy award goes to Al's lawyer, Jordan Green (Alfred Molina). His one major scene shows him truly repentant for his crooked lawyer past. It's a very strong scene that needs to keep him in Oscar contention. A few other highlights include Cassie's employer, Gail (Laverne Cox), her former classmate, Madison (Alison Brie), and former Dean Walker (Connie Britton).

The film's technical expertise shows Oscar promise. Its production design is as bright as can be. We have a neon-lit pharmacy and an imposing cabin, the latter being the site of Cassie's final confrontation. Cassie's wardrobe is just as bright and cheery as the sets. Perhaps it's to make it obvious that she's not so cheery. The cinematography and editing collaborate the strongest when Cassie gets proof of Nina's rape. There's also a good score by Anthony Willis and a nice set list on the soundtrack.

As you might have guessed, Promising Young Woman is not for everyone. Anyone who presses play on Amazon, or wherever it's streamed, will get a stunning revenge story with one of the best movie anti-heroines in years. The seemingly-bleak ending is thwarted by one last surprise. You'll be pleased when you see it. This was certainly worth paying almost $20 for to rent! I've got a few more high price rentals to come. Stay tuned.

The Little Things

Now for another film that Steven Spielberg could've directed. It's a murder mystery called The Little Things, which was written in the 90s by John Lee Hancock. The final result has Hancock direct his own script. Was it worth the wait? Maybe.

1990. Joe "Deke" Deacon (Denzel Washington) is a deputy sheriff in Bakersfield. One day, his superiors send him to his old precinct in Los Angeles to collect some murder evidence. His short stay is extended when he's tasked to solve a new killing spree. He's partnered with detective Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) for the investigation. Deke lost his old L.A. job over a previous murder investigation. These new killings are evidently the work of the previous killer.

Their investigation points to eccentric repairman and "crime buff" Albert Sparma (Jared Leto). Either he knows everything, but he won't tell, or he's wasting valuable time by pretending to know everything. That's what the interrogations point to. Our heroes have to solve the case before the killer decides to strike again. 

The film starts off strong with an attempted victim (Sofia Vassilieva) escaping the killer. A tense scene unlike what comes next. Sure, there's some decent chemistry with Deke and Baxter during their investigation. But the story's relaxed pace is anything but tense. There's nothing to shake the plot forward except the FBI coming in. That bad? Compare this to Seven (which many reviewers did, as it was written around the same time), which had a killer with a clear M/O, or The Silence of the Lambs, which had a victim in need of saving. Those are better stakes.

I've got a bit to say about the film's polarizing ending. Washington and Malek are good leads with interesting backstories. But then there's Leto as Sparma. He's supposed to be creepy, and he looks it, but he's a bit obnoxious. The film drags out the ambiguity of his guilt over 128 minutes. He's too giddy as he drives the investigation into a brick wall. His giddiness proves to be his biggest mistake. The fallout leads to what led to Deke losing his L.A. job. The resolution shows our heroes learning almost nothing.

The Little Things added by the technicals do a lot. The now Oscar shortlisted makeup/hairstyling team visualizes Sparma's creepy visage and helps age Washington and Judith Scott (as his ex-wife, Marsha) pretty good. There's some alluring nighttime photography by John Schwartzman. We also have a creepy score by Thomas Newman, which was also shortlisted by the Oscars. While the overall pace is slow, editor Robert Frazen kept the opening scene nice and tense.

The Little Things is an OK murder mystery. Its leads are good, as are its visuals, but its slow pace and over-ambiguity deflate any tension. The ending wasn't catastrophic but it wasn't perfect, either. It's on HBOMax now, but not for much longer. You have two weeks or so to see it if you want to. At least, if you want to catch up on prospective Oscar candidates.

Palm Springs

I got myself a free trial of Hulu on Thursday. I'll keep it past the trial to see whatever else awaits. My first review from Hulu, and 600th overall, is last summer's comedy, Palm Springs. It's not a long movie, so let's hurry up and review it.

November 9th, the day of her sister's wedding. Sarah Wilder (Cristin Milioti) is the alcoholic maid of honor. But then she meets Nyles (Andy Samberg), the boyfriend of one of her sister's bridesmaids. Sparks fly until suddenly, arrows fly. Somebody's out to get Nyles. Nyles escapes into a weird, glowing cave and Sarah does too...

November 9th, the day of her sister's wedding. Sarah realizes she's been through this before. Nyles confirms they are now in a time loop. Sarah decides to get unstuck in time; after all, she has better things to do than live today tomorrow. But everything she does lands her back at square one. A little quantum physics might save the day.

Andy Siara's screenplay gives Nyles and Sarah plenty of wacky time-loop escapades. There's a fake pirate attack at the wedding, a doomed flight aboard a small plane and dangerous driving. It's delightfully absurd stuff. It also gives Nyles and Sarah multiple tries to confront their screwed-up lives. Not a moment is wasted during 90 minutes as they try to better themselves. It's rewarding to see them finally escape the time loop together. How they do that I won't say.

A similar arc is given to Nyles' arch-enemy, Roy (JK Simmons). He's the one who shot Nyles with arrows at the start. He kills Nyles in increasingly absurd ways throughout the time loop. And he also has his own issues to work out. One of the best scenes is when he and Nyles make peace at his home. Sure, it ends with Nyles getting an arrow in the chest, but it was necessary. How they became enemies in the first place is hilarious.

Overall, Palm Springs is a great fantastical comedy. Its leads are great, its antagonist is likable and the pace never lacks speed. It maybe the best time loop comedy in a while. It's ready for you once you get Hulu. It's an easy way to spend the night, over and over again.

The Midnight Sky

The worst film I ever saw in theaters was Knowing in 2009. It was an utterly pointless Apocalyptic thriller in which nothing the main characters did even mattered. Way to waste two hours. So while I didn't like Netflix's Apocalyptic drama, The Midnight Sky, that much, at least it was better than Knowing.

George Clooney directed this adaptation of Lily Brooks-Dalton's novel Good Morning, Midnight. He also stars as Augustine Lofthouse, an Arctic research scientist who might as well be the last man on Earth. They never specify what happened, but in 2049, "The Event" covered Earth with radioactive clouds. Augustine is also terminally ill from an also unspecified illness. One day, he finds a little girl, Iris (Caoilinn Springall), in the base. He also finds the spaceship Aether returning to Earth. He needs to tell them to "go away, there's nothing there," but his signal's weak. So he and Iris have to set out for another base with better tech.

Meanwhile, we meet the crew of the spaceship Aether. Commander Tom (David Oyelowo) and his team of five went to one of Jupiter's moons. The crew includes Engineer Maya (Tiffany Boone), medic Sanchez (Demian Bichir), pilot Mitchell (Kyle Chandler) and Tom's partner, Sullivan (Felicity Jones). They have no idea what happened to Earth. Will they care when they get there? Or can ground control call Commander Tom and warn him in time?

The screenplay by Mark L. Smith, as you can tell, divides the story up in two fronts. But there's a third front: flashbacks to Augustine's days decades before "The Event." He's played there by Ethan Peck, who does an eerily good job at getting Clooney's mannerisms down.

Meanwhile, Clooney as Augustine tries to survive certain death on two different fronts. His time with Iris gives him some nice moments. But the pace of it all is frigid for two hours. A slow and almost humorless pace. It's slightly jolted by a jarring scene in which Augustine survives falling into the ice. It's jarring because it immediately, immediately, follows Iris's one and only line.

It's slightly better aboard the Aether. The crew there is a likable bunch of people. It's Sullivan who ultimately has the most relevance to the plot. She's an interesting character and her chemistry with Tom is good. Unfortunately, one of the crew is killed during a space walk. That moment soured my enthusiasm for the rest of the film. Especially since I considered that crew member a highlight. Their return trip is ultimately a slow space ride but the crew made it easier.

I also liked looking at the Aether. It's a marvelous rotating craft visualized by production designer Jim Bissell. The crew floating through zero gravity was pretty nifty, too. Check out the view of space. The view back on Earth, with the arctic snow and the bases therein, is good too. Martin Ruhe's cinematography is astounding as is Alexandre Desplat's latest Golden Globe nominated score. At least it's a good movie to see and hear.

The Midnight Sky is better than Knowing because it didn't try to sour-by-sugar its ending. The state of the world is bleak and the characters face an uncertain future. Just how will they ensure the survival of humanity? It's not a pretty picture. But it ultimately wasn't completely pointless. Still, be prepared for a slow two hours if you watch it. Try to find something more uplifting to watch afterwards. Even if it's, ironically, Mad Max Fury Road.

The Prom

The Golden Globes announced their nominations today. One of this year's musical candidates is The Prom, the film version of Matthew Sklar, Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin's recent Broadway musical. It's a silly and satirical takedown of homophobia and a sincere romantic film. Let's go in for the setup:

Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep) and Barry Glickman (James Corden) are vapidly idiotic Broadway stars. When their latest Broadway bomb, Eleanor! The Eleanor Roosevelt Story, detonates, Dee Dee and Barry decide to take up a cause. They find one with High-Schooler Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman). Emma is a lesbian who wanted to take her girlfriend to prom. So the PTA cancelled it. The two stars join with former sitcom star Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells) and eternal chorus girl Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman) on the next tour bus to Edgewater, Indiana.

The Broadway Fools barge into town with their condescending Liberal ways. This flummoxes Emma and infuriates Mrs. Greene (Kerry Washington), the PTA leader and, unbeknownst to her, the mother of Emma's girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose). Dee Dee and company find it hard to get through to the locals. But only Principal Hawkins (Keegan Michael-Key) is willing to help Emma's case. Their time in Edgewater helps the actors become better people. As in, actually selfless people.

This Netflix production is directed by Glee creator Ryan Murphy and written by Martin and Beguelin. The Broadway Fools are obvious mockeries of "selfless" star activists. We get Trent singing a hilariously stale love and tolerance song, while Dee Dee's big show-stopping number is Not About Me. Trent redeeming a few of Emma's homophobic classmates in another number is optimistically silly. If you think they're annoying then the actors did right.

But it's Emma and Alyssa's love story that's the most compelling part. Pellman and DeBose have great chemistry and their musical numbers are endearing. Why shouldn't they be together? You'll be as outraged as they are when the PTA pulls a nasty surprise halfway through. It's rewarding to see them stand up for themselves at the end.

Their plight inspires the Broadway Fools to re-evaluate their lives. And it's an almost strong arc (almost because Dee Dee fluctuates). It was a good decision to open the film on the initial PTA meeting, instead of during the opening number like the stage version. It gives the emotional plot more relevance that way.

Now for the other technical highlights. The vibrant production and costume designs add to the goofiness of the musical numbers. They're lit in really-bright primaries by Matthew Libatique. Even Emma and Alyssa's duet, Dance With You, is lit in bright pink and covered with cherry blossoms. Over the top? No, just right. There was suddenly snow in one number and nowhere else. Where'd that come from? 

I never attended - by choice - my High School Prom. But I found this prom a fun movie night. It's an energetic musical with relevance. It could've been shorter than its 132 minutes but it mostly went by well. See it on Netflix if you want. It's certainly better than the next Netflix film I'm about to review:

Dragon Quest: Your Story

Now to another animated film that debuted on Netflix last February after an international theatrical release in 2019! It's a CGI anime film based on the Dragon Quest video games, specifically Dragon Quest V from the SNES. The series is a cultural mainstay in Japan, but a cult curiosity in the US, where it was once marketed as Dragon Warrior. The film is called Dragon Quest: Your Story. Here's the review: 

Our hero is Luca, son of the warrior King Pankraz and his Queen Mada. The evil Bishop Ladja wants to summon the almighty evil Grandmaster Nimzo, so he steals away Mada. Luca and Pankraz travel the world and meet a few friends. But when they encounter Ladja, he kills Pankraz and enslaves Luca and his alleged pal, Prince Harry.

Ten years later, Luca and Harry make a messy escape from Ladja's dungeon. The main plot kicks in when Luca learns he's apparently the Zenithian Hero, the Special destined to vanquish Nimzo forever. There's even a Legendary Sword to prove him such. He has to get it back from the ravaging Bjorn the Behemoose. Along the way, Luca is forced to choose between two of his old friends, sweet Nera and fiery Bianca, to take to the altar. Now to fight Ladja and....

The screenplay by co-director Takashi Yamazaki speeds through the long video game in just 102 minutes. Necessary, but not perfect. The film presents its prologue in SNES graphics form. Luca meets Nera and Bianca, but the speedy plot doesn't give their relationships the time to breathe. So when one of them abdicates to the other, it's more "meh" than "ahh." Luca spends all but one scene with Prince Harry before Ladja shows up. And it has Prince Harry being a royal pain (he gets better). Gootrude the Slime (Slimes being the series' mascot creature) is an important character for the climax, but he's just there for most of the time. The climax derails its chosen one narrative for a meta-fictional twist. It may make or break the film for some, but I thought it was OK. The surprise villain was a delightfully smug jerk.

What it gets right is the technicals. The character designs aren't exactly lifted from Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama's designs from the games. But they're recognizable. What this means is that the monsters are still goofy and the humans are equally cartoony. Ladja's design is perfectly creepy. The 3D environments they inhabit and their magical spells are visually stunning. Again, see it on the biggest TV you can find. Koichi Sugiyama's iconic soundtrack from the game scores the film. It only adds to the majesty of the visuals.

Its plot may go at lightspeed, but Dragon Quest: Your Story is anything but unintelligible. Its dramatic qualities are mostly inert but its plot points are understandable. You need not be familiar with the games to understand it all. It also has a good sense of humor and a mostly good pace. Its technicals are on par with any Pixar release. I'd like to find some other CGI anime now. This one is worth at least a watch. It's still on Netflix if you want to.

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

 I must make a few apologies. 

First is for something in my Early Man review. A trailer for this about to be reviewed film played during that movie in 2018. I erroneously thought it didn't have a clear title. But it did: A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. It didn't register as a title for some reason. 

Anyway, the second apology is for not seeing this sooner (it debuted on Netflix in February of last year). It's a real breather from the heavy dramas about to pile up my schedule.

Our hero is Shaun the Sheep, a bit character from the Wallace and Gromit shorts that got his own franchise. He had his own movie once (which I never saw in theaters) and it got an Oscar nomination. This is his second movie, which debuted in UK Cinemas in 2019. And it got a BAFTA nomination. Fortunately, it's still eligible for an Oscar nomination, one of 27 films eligible this protracted year.

This time, Shaun gets a surprise visitor to his farm: an alien puppy named Lu-la. Lu-la took her parents' spaceship for a ride and got stuck on Earth. She needs Shaun's help to find her ship's remote so she can get home. But  Agent Red of the Ministry of Alien Detection (MAD) wants to make Lu-la's stay permanent. But her hazmat goons mistake Bitzer the Dog for an alien and they go after him.

Meanwhile, Shaun's Farmer decides to take advantage of the UFO-craze in their town. He plans to make an alien theme park called Farmageddon. That's where they meet for their final slapstick confrontation.

Slapstick moves the plot along. The cast communicates in grunts and grumbles. The only intelligible name is the one in the title. But you'll understand who's who in terms of story role. The plasticine characters have such lively personalities. You don't need to be familiar with the franchise to understand this plot. There are some sci-fi homages that need some familiarity, though. It's a goofy and fun romp that keeps things going for 87 minutes. Its ending was nice, too.

And for the technicals. Lu-la and her race are appealing alien life. Who wouldn't want a plush of her? There's some cool CGI to visualize her weird powers. An impressive display is a burp so loud it's heard in Africa. There's also some great CGI to visualize outer space. Watch it on the biggest TV you can find. Tom Howe's lively score fits the slapstick perfectly; it's also majestic when conveying Lu-la's powers and outer space.

It's been almost a year and Farmageddon is still on Netflix. Anyone looking for a light home matinee will get their money's worth. It's sure to entertain kids and adults alike. It may even motivate one to seek out the Shaun the Sheep TV series, the earlier film or any of the Wallace and Gromit toons. And levity is always needed for times like this.

Sound of Metal

Ruben and Lou are the heavy metal duo Blackgammon. Ruben (Riz Ahmed) is the drummer and Lou (Olivia Cooke) is the vocalist. They've had plenty of experience with the Sound of Metal, which is also the title of this Amazon Prime exclusive.

One day, Ruben suddenly goes deaf. He finds himself with around 26% capacity hearing. He wants to get through his latest tour but that's becoming impossible. Lou fears he'll relapse into drugs and helps him meet Joe (Paul Raci). Joe, deaf since Vietnam, runs a community for deaf recovering addicts. Joe tries to help Ruben and others like him adjust to a soundless world. But Ruben is looking forward to afford some Cochlear Implants. They're not what he expects.

This marks the feature directorial debut of Darius Marder, a co-writer of 2013's indie thriller The Place Beyond the Pines. He co-wrote the script with his brother Abraham and Pines director Derek Cianfrance. It's an intense story even without gunfights or car chases. Ruben's hearing loss is initially nightmarish. Anyone with some sudden disability can empathize. But we see him learn to accept it in due time. There are some slow spots but it's natural considering Ruben's arc

Ahmed's performance is great. One can tell that Ruben lives life fast - mostly - and hard. He's still a nice guy with a great relationship with Lou. His sudden deafness tells him to slow down. He finds some new friends and a purpose as a teacher's aide. He sells his RV and bargains to buy it back like a desperate addict (something Joe notices). We see the desperation and pity in his eyes. His story is a great case study for the Five Stages of Grief.

The most obvious technical stars are the sound people. They distort and undistort Ruben's sound world for the audience to hear. We sometimes hear the sound perfectly normal. It then sounds like being underwater. It's simply muffled in other times. The cochlear implants make it sound like an old video game. So it's a relief when he finally removes them for sweet silence. I just spoiled the ending, didn't I? Anyway, the sound mixing is a great model for anyone looking to join that field. There's also no underscore save for an end credits song.

I should have seen Sound of Metal sooner. It's a story that means a lot of things. But it especially means that having a disability is not the end of the world. It's not as depressing as I thought it be. Ahmed and the sound designers deserve whatever praise they get - or have gotten. It's still on Amazon Prime ready for you to press play. Prepare to hear a lot without hearing it.

Da 5 Bloods

I once again go to Netflix to continue my sprint towards 2020's best movies. Da 5 Bloods is Spike Lee's latest joint. Yesterday, it was voted Best Film by the prestigious National Board of Review. Who knows if it will win the Oscar. But it won't be ignored on nominations day.

Vietnam, 1971. "Stormin" Norman (Chadwick Boseman) leads the Bloods - Paul (Delroy Lindo), Eddie (Norm Lewis), Otis (Clarke Peters) and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr) - into battle. One day, they are assigned to secure a box of gold bars from a downed CIA airplane. The gold bars are meant for Lahu fighters against the Viet Cong. Norman and the Bloods decide to take the gold for their fellow Black Americans. Norman is killed by the Vietcong and the treasure is seemingly lost.

Before last year. A mudslide has uncovered the gold's resting place. Norman's remains aren't that far behind. The surviving Bloods return to Vietnam to get both of them back. They're joined by Paul's estranged son David (Jonathan Majors), Hedy (Melanie Thierry), a French anti-landmine activist, and Vietnamese tour guide Vinh (Johnny Tri Nguyen). Paul's erratic behavior makes the trip tense. A French businessman named Desroche (Jean Reno) and his mercenaries aren't helping either.

Lee and his BlacKKKlansman co-writer Kevin Willmott rework a screenplay from Paul De Meo and Danny Bilson. Its main plot will instantly remind one of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; there's even a homage to that line. The whole story revolves around Paul, who runs the gamut from cool old guy to angry bigot to erratic vet to deeply insecure man. It's a test of the audience's sympathy ultimately rewarded. Delroy Lindo's dynamic performance will keep you watching for the whole 156 minutes. 

The cast definitely earned that Best Ensemble award the National Board also gave them. David, the film's deuteragonist, has an arc as strong as his dad's. The final shootout with Desroche and his men gives David the chance to be a hero. It's rewarding to see. The other Bloods are a likable bunch with their own affairs to settle. Their first scene at a Vietnamese hotel says a lot about their past before we see it. Their happiness when they finally find the gold is infectious. Naturally, it puts the audience on edge when the Bloods face danger. A lot of danger. Finally, Boseman as Norman makes the most of his limited screen time. 

Newton Thomas Siegel's cinematography is the standout technical achievement here. The film switches through aspect ratios depending on locale or time period. It felt extra significant, for example, when the jungle trek unveiled its full 16:9 aspect ratio. The flashbacks look straight out of a 60s news report. Speaking of which, the present Bloods play their past selves without visual trickery. It makes sense considering what they've been through. 

Meanwhile, the action scenes are perfectly tense thanks to editor Adam Gough and the sound designers. The standout scene is when the Bloods, Hedy and her friends, team up to extract David from a landmine. It's a riveting scene you need to watch for yourselves. The soundtrack is populated by a few Marvin Gaye songs from his What's Going On album and an emotional score by Terence Blanchard.

Da 5 Bloods is a strong story about facing one's past. It's also about how trouble can start with good intentions. It's not an easy sit, both in tone and length, but it gives one a lot to think about. So much that it might require their own movie. It's still ready for a Netflix home matinee. See it if you want a wild and crazy experience.

Emma.

The other film I meant to see last March is Emma., the latest take on Jane Austen's last novel published in her lifetime. I'm old enough to remember two other film versions in the mid-90s (one being Clueless), but I never saw them. But I've now seen this film, which marks the directorial debut of photographer Autumn de Wilde.

Let's see if I can cut through the knotted romantic threads. Emma Woodhouse (Anna Taylor-Joy) prides herself as a matchmaker. She already set up her governess, Mrs. Taylor (Gemma Whelan) with wealthy Mr. Weston (Rupert Graves). She decides to take on orphaned girl Harriet Smith (Mia Goth) as her new best friend. Mr. Martin (Connor Swindells) proposes to Harriet, but Emma sets her up with vicar Mr. Elton (Josh O'Connor). But Mr. Elton likes Emma instead. Emma likes Mr. Weston's son Frank Churchill (Callum Turner) instead. Emma's brother-in-law, Mr. Knightley (Johnny Flynn), likes her too. Emma doesn't like him back. But then they do like each other.

Everybody got that?

Eleanor Catton's screenplay is a perfectly complicated comedy of manners. The characters, at their worst, are never loathsome people. Maybe except for Emma's sister, Isabella, and her husband, who never stop bickering. But even Mr. Elton, who coldly can't "think about Miss Smith when Miss Woodhouse is near," is a likable dolt. He seems heartbroken when Emma rejects him (but then quickly rebounds). 

A few more likable characters come with Emma's doddering father (Bill Nighy) and eccentric neighbor Miss Bates (Miranda Hart). He's got some odd quirks but he's still a loving father. She talks a lot but she still has feelings. Harriet, meanwhile, reveals herself more complicated than she appears

There's also Emma herself. Taylor-Joy is pretty good as the socially ignorant Emma. The movie is about her learning to be more considerate. We see the consequences of her thoughtlessness in due time. One of the most devastating for her is hurting Miss Bates's feelings. Her social ignorance never rises to loathsomeness. Her love-hate relationship with Mr. Knightley is just as good as Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (with and without Zombies). 

There's plenty to see and hear in Emma. Alexandra Byrne dresses Emma herself in searingly bright dresses, including a gold one that sadly, is in one scene. Her house, which is seen throughout the film, is an impressive estate visualized by Kave Quinn. There's also some great English scenery photographed by Christopher Blauevelt. We also have an energetic folk score by David Schweitzer and Isobel Waller-Bridge. There's quite a bit to consider come Oscar time in a few months.

Emma. (period included) is sure to please Austen fans. Austen's dry wit is alive and well after 200 some years. I don't know how it compares to the other films, or to Clueless, but it's a good romantic comedy. A few viewings maybe needed to get through the love triangles within love triangles. But it's a good way to spend 124 minutes or so. Perhaps I should have seen it last year in theaters.

Perhaps...

[Title Here]

Surprise! It's The Invisible Man!

I meant to see this modern take on HG Wells' classic thriller last year. But you might guess why I didn't go. At least we have the film on streaming! So let's get to it!

Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) should be happy. She left her abusive scientist boyfriend Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). A few weeks later, word comes that he killed himself. His will bequeaths her - in a backhanded contrite fashion - $5 million provided she stays sane and crime-free. Why would that be a problem?

Because it seems someone is following her and messing with her life. It's almost as if Adrian is haunting her from beyond the grave. Either that, or he's found a way to make himself invisible and is haunting her that way. That's what Cecilia figures out, and she's right. Even worse, Adrian's brother and executor, Tom (Michael Dorman), is in on the scheme. They're out to cut off Cecilia from the rest of the world. So it's up to Cecilia to expose them before she's stuck in solitary or with him.

Director and writer Leigh Whannell's screenplay draws as much from The Cat and The Canary as it does with the novel. That movie and play also had a woman stalked by a fiendish figure after she inherits money on the condition she's sane. It's just that it's not in a haunted house.

But anyway, this film gives us a strong story about a woman who stands up for herself. Moss as Cecilia is compelling as she deals with her invisible enemy. Her supporting cast, Harriet Dyer as her sister Alice, Aldis Hodge as her cop friend, James, and Storm Reid as his daughter, Sydney, are a nice bunch. Dorman as Tom was a convincing nice guy until he dropped the act. As for the villain himself, Jackson-Cohen as Adrian's presence is persistent even if his screen time is not.

It makes the most of its $7 million budget. For starters, there's Adrian's invisibility suit, which makes him look like a black golf ball. But that seemingly goofy design turns creepy when the suit glitches in and out of visibility. How did they do that? The complete invisibility effects were flawless. The cinematography and editing keep things tense even when there's nothing there. The spookiness is amplified by Benjamin Wallfisch's unnerving score and some equally creepy sound effects.

I'd tell you to see The Invisible Man, but you can't. So see the movie with his name instead. It's got sci-fi thrills and emotional chills in a 124 minute package. It's a marvel that it was made for such a low budget. See it wherever it's streaming legally for a memorable home matinee. There was one other film I wanted to see before things went haywire in March. That film is next:

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Jagshemash! My name Borat. I'm big reporter for nation of Kazakhstan. I was on movie screens fourteen years ago in famous movie film called Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. But that movie film make America think Kazakhstan is big joke. So I go to Gulag. But Premier Nazarbayev decide to give me chance. He tell me to deliver gift to American Premier (soon to be not Premier) to win America favor. That gift is Johnny the Monkey.

Actually, due to certain circumstances, like kitty kat says, I can't deliver gift to American Premier. So I aim for next best thing: American Vice Premier.

But my daughter Tutar stow away with me to America. She ate Johnny the Monkey on the way there. So I decide to offer Tutar to American Vice Premier. What follows is trip full of things kitty kat won't let me say. But he let me say Tutar learns to be independent woman who questions what her daddy (me) says. It's a problem because I will be execute if I fail. All this and more are in Amazon Prime exclusive movie film called Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

And you want to know who the kitty kat is?

Me. Jethro. Trying my best Borat. Time to talk as myself.

The screenplay credits Sacha Baron Cohen, the creator and portrayer of Borat himself, and eight other writers. The film gives Borat and Tutar (in reality, Maria Bakalova) a crazy trip across the East Coast. Its politically incorrect humor is not for everyone. But it does a good job showing the idiocy of being narrow-minded. Borat is so narrow-minded that he makes conspiracy theorists, like the two he meets, almost look sane. The normal people seen casually going along with Borat's wackiness is amusingly horrifying.

Of course, Borat and Tutar are idiotically narrow-minded. But Baron Cohen and Bakalova play their parts with utter sincerity. These absurd characters feel like real people. Seriously. They question their minuscule worldview during the film and end up marginally better people. Marginally, but still. There's a great makeup team giving Borat some wacky disguises and Tutar a progressively glamorous appearance.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is either a long awaited sequel or completely unnecessary. I'm sure it will please fans of the first film. It's just as as politically-incorrect and as insightful as the first film. Its climactic twist is perhaps the most topical of its jokes. Did I say too much? 

It tested my comic tolerance quite a bit. But it got better once I understood the method to its madness. You might see what I mean when you press play on Amazon Prime. 

One Night in Miami

I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that my local theaters never played If Beale Street Could Talk in time for the Oscars. I would have seen it the first weekend it was out. Seriously.

Anyway, Regina King, who won an Oscar for that film, makes her directorial debut with One Night in Miami. Kemp Powers adapted his own stage play for this Amazon Prime exclusive. It just became available for the service this past weekend. And I wasted little time in watching it.

February 25, 1964. Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) is crowned the World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Sonny Liston. Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom, Jr.) are in the audience. The four of them meet that night at Malcolm's motel room. 

They spend the night conversing about their roles in Black America. Among the subjects are Clay's converting to Islam (where he'll rename himself Muhammed Ali), Malcolm's desire to leave the Nation of Islam, Brown wanting to pursue a movie career and the sounds of Cooke's music. It's an eventful night.

We also have an eventful prologue to Fight Night. It's a good introduction to the ensemble. Brown meets a family friend (Beau Bridges) who turns out to be racist. Meanwhile, Cooke plays to a cold audience at the Copacabana. Also meanwhile, Malcolm talks to his wife about his aforementioned plan. We don't need to hear them monologue like Shakespeare to air their frustrations. Their faces speak for themselves. We see them deal with their fears and doubts during the night.

Finally, we have Cassius Clay, whose showmanship is perfectly presented by Goree. The film opens with his narrow victory against Henry Cooper. His victory against Liston gives him much to think about. Much of the film is about Clay debating whether to convert or not. Malcolm's doubts with the Nation of Islam give Clay his own doubts. We see his humility and thoughtfulness unfold during the night. Overall, Goree, Odom Jr, Ben-Adir and Hodge make a great ensemble to spend 110 minutes with.

One Night in Miami is an excellent way to spend your day anywhere. You'll get to know the men behind four modern legends in no time. You'll get a compelling story about using one's fame to advance social justice. You'll rarely notice that it's a stage play on film. The titular night is a lot of things, but it's never boring. It's a great addition to Amazon Prime's film catalog. 

And I've got a few more to get through.

Mank

Orson Welles made his screen debut as the uncredited narrator of 1940's The Swiss Family Robinson. Nobody seems to acknowledge that perhaps because 1.) he was uncredited, 2.) he wasn't on screen, and 3.) it wasn't Citizen Kane. As his first film as filmmaker and star approaches its 80th anniversary, it's time to acknowledge his co-writer, and some say, only writer, Herman J. Mankiewicz. The movie is called Mank.

In 1940, "Mank" (Gary Oldman) is hired by Welles (Tom Burke) to co-write Citizen Kane. He's holed up in a house in the desert with his secretary, Rita Alexander (Lily Collins) and Mercury Theater producer John Houseman (Sam Troughton). He dictates the script to the former and the script is supervised by the latter. They've got about 60 days to finish it.

EXT. HOLLYWOOD - DAY AND NIGHT (1930-1937)

We also see Mank's pre-Kane days as a writer for MGM. He and his brother, Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Tom Pelphery) rise up in Hollywood. We also see him mingle with William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance) and his mistress, Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried), the real life inspirations for Kane's Charles Foster Kane and his wife, Susan Alexander. Mank's past experiences shape the script and inspire him to confront Welles for credit.

David Fincher dusts off a script his late father, Jack, wrote ages ago. It's a good script even if its central thesis has long been disputed. One thing it gets right is its chronology; slug lines (like the one above) denote Mank's pre-Kane days. No getting lost in time jumps thanks to editor Kirk Baxter. But on the subject of thesis, we don't see Hearst try to stop Mank from writing Kane, not to the extent that he antagonized Welles in real life. The finale skips from Mank delivering the script to Welles to them winning the Oscar for Best Screenplay.

The film is a great movie to look at. The Black-and-White cinematography by Erik Messerschmidt almost looks straight out of the 1940s. Almost, because it's not in the Academy Ratio. But there's even cigarette burns for reel changes. The visual effects team deserve praise for its practically invisible work. Production Designer Donald Graham Burt helps make Old Hollywood look intimidating. It's just waiting for a film noir to happen. It's all set to another great Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross score that's equally creepy and sentimental.

What about the cast? Oldman as Mank mostly dominates the film. We see how he became a disillusioned alcoholic and how he sobered up to co-write his masterpiece. It's a compelling arc throughout the time jumping. It's mostly dominating because there's a good supporting cast too. Seyfried, Collins and Tuppence Middleton (as Mank's wife "Poor" Sara) are strong presences. Arliss Howard also stands out as Louis B. Mayer, who tries to sell himself as a "family man" but is subtly failing. Burke as Welles is a dominating force in his few scenes. Perhaps the most surprising cameo is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) as Upton Sinclair. Jamie McShane portrays Shelly Metcalf, the film's most sympathetic minor character.

Mank is another fine entry in Netflix's streaming catalog. It's an interesting story about the origins of one of history's most acclaimed pictures. It's also a compelling story about a man finding meaning and passion in his life. That's a good angle no matter which side of the authorship question you're on.

Mine: Welles and Mank deserve equal credit.

It's worth a chill on Netflix. You still got time before the Oscars.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

I've got a busy week planned full of movies I've put off till now. So let's go. First on the docket is The Trial of the Chicago 7. Steven Spielberg was supposed to direct Aaron Sorkin's script about a decade ago. But we now have Sorkin himself directing his own script. 

The Chicago 7 stand accused of inciting the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins) and John Froines (Daniel Flaherty) are the seven. Their eighth, unofficial member is Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). All are represented, officially or not, by William Kunstler (Mark Rylance). US Attorney General John Mitchell (John Doman) wants to make examples out of the "leftist radicals". Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella) is ready to convict them. "The whole world is watching" as the protestors put it.

You can already tell this is a heavy ensemble film. 

So let's get down to highlighting the best. Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman gets the funniest lines and moments. He also proves himself perhaps the most insightful of the 7. Strong as Rubin is also funny and proves himself a good man. The most compelling characters are Dellinger, Hayden, Kunstler and especially, Seale. We see how none of them wanted trouble, but trouble wanted them.

Judge Hoffman runs the gamut from arrogant incompetence to arrogant callousness. Prosecutors Richard Schultz and Thomas Foran (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and JC MacKenzie) show themselves as good guys despite their positions. Michael Keaton gets a good cameo as former Attorney General and star witness Ramsey Clark. The characters I mentioned are a memorable bunch. I can go on, but I won't.

The film opens with the eight defendants preparing for Chicago. Editor Alan Baumgarten goes back and forth between them, often having them finish each others' sentences, while we see news of the 60s. The trial comes after that. It's only in flashbacks much later that we see the protests and the riots in Chicago. The film spares no one from the chaos of those scenes. Or the slowness of much of the trial. 

The Trial of the Chicago 7 came out during a weird year. I finally saw it during another. It gives you a lot to think about over 130 minutes. It's got a fine bunch of actors though some stand taller than others. It's ready to watch on Netflix. Chances are, it'll still be there by April.

Tenet

So this is supposed to be 2020's first great summer blockbuster.

I didn't take the offer to see Christopher Nolan's latest film, Tenet, during its theatrical release (there were some theaters open). So I waited to get the Blu Ray from Amazon to watch it. I know that Nolan's films make much more sense upon repeated viewing. But. Never. Was. This. Truer. Than. With. This. Movie.

The protagonist of Tenet is … The Protagonist (John David Washington). He starts the movie by foiling a terrorist attack at the National Opera of Ukraine. Our hero is taken prisoner and, one cyanide capsule later, is inducted into the Tenet Organization. Now let's see if I can explain this clearly:

The MacGuffins of the movie are objects with "inverted" entropy. We see our hero fire at an already shot up wall and the bullets return to the gun. They've been coming from the future. Tenet thinks someone is planning to destroy all existence with an inverted bomb. Mr. Protagonist and Tenet agent Neil (Robert Pattinson) are assigned to the case. Their Antagonist is oligarch Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh). His abused wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) is willing to help our heroes. But whether backwards or forwards, the mains don't have all the time in the world.

Everybody got that?

Nolan's screenplay gives a full textbook's worth of exposition about time inversion and stuff. A lot of it would've been understandable had the sound mixing been better. The dialogue is often drowned out by Ludwig Goransson's booming score. And there's a lot of dialogue. A key plot point involves a fake Goya painting that Sator blackmails Kat with. How? It's easy to get lost after the third or fourth exposition lecture

It does get better when the action picks up, though. There's a heist at an Oslo Airport that involves crashing a live 747 into a hangar. That leads to an inverted fight with Our Hero and Neil against two of the same guy. They have a car chase in Estonia where they try to stop Sator from getting inverted Plutonium. And there's a spectacular siege of Sator's home base. These scenes show off the best of Jennifer Lame's editing. The international locales are splendidly photographed by Hoye van Hoytema. 

Let's devote a paragraph to the inverted effects. It's simply more than playing the footage backwards. There's some amazingly complicated choreography in motion. We see our heroes going forward while everyone else goes backward. In the same shots. The Airport fight scene is a perfect highlight. We even see clouds go back and forth behind the Protagonist. The technical prowess is the film's most intriguing part.

I'd normally say a blockbuster like Tenet needs to be seen on the big screen. But if your TV is the biggest screen around, so be it. The film is a visual marvel even if its mechanics are confounding. As I said, repeated viewings may help you understand the plot. Keep in mind that it's not an easy home matinee at 150 minutes. You may also get the published script from places like Amazon. I did.

Soul

I should have seen Soul back in June. But, once again, things didn't go that way. A bit like a day for the Pixar film's protagonist, music teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx). He gets a gig with the Jazz band of the esteemed Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). Then he steps into an open manhole and finds himself somewhere else...

Joe refuses to go to the light of the Great Beyond. He instead goes to the Great Before, where new souls are counseled by historical greats and entities all named Jerry. Joe is assigned to counsel the cynical soul number 22 (Tina Fey). She'll get an "Earth Pass" once she gets her "spark." Since she'll not need it...

But Joe and 22 get back to Earth anyway. She occupies his body and he occupies a cat's. The ensuing escapades motivates 22 to live and Joe to rethink his life. They'll have to hurry up and solve their existential crises. A busybody soul accountant named Terry (Rachel House) looks to pull them back to the other side.

Director Pete Docter and his co-writers Mike Jones and Kemp Powers create one of Pixar's funniest scripts. One young soul gleefully admits to being "a manipulative egomaniac." We see 22 frustrate even Mother Theresa. 22 in Joe's body displays some blunt philosophy. I can go on but there's some seriousness too. "You can't crush a soul here. That's what life on Earth is for," 22 says at one point. But she and Joe find purpose in their time on Earth. Their "spark" being their motivation. The existentialism hits hardest the more one thinks about it.

A film about Jazz needs a great soundtrack. Soul has it. The Jazz tracks were scored by Jon Batiste, while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross handle the bulk of the main score. Batiste's tracks are lively numbers sure to please Jazz devotees. Reznor and Ross's electronic music sells the eeriness of the afterlife. It's great music paired with great production design. It's sure to give Oscar's Music Branch a headache determining its eligibility. But it's still cool.

Want another reason to get Disney Plus? Soul is a reason. It keeps Pixar's reputation for story and technical excellence going strong. You'll be surprised at its sense of humor. Look out for some cameos too. Its 101 minutes are time well spent on Earth. Soul would've premiered with a short called Burrow had it fully premiered in theaters. That short is also on Disney Plus. I should look at it too.

Mulan

I gave myself Disney Plus for the new year. So it's time to catch up on some more movies. The first film I'll review from the service is Mulan, the live-action take on Disney's animated take on the beloved Chinese folktale. Say that ten times fast.

Hua Mulan (Yifei Liu) aspires to be a great warrior. Her parents aspire her to make her a "good wife." Meanwhile, China is invaded by Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee) and his warriors. The Emperor (Jet Li) calls for one man from every family to serve in the Imperial Army. Unfortunately for Mulan, the only man of her family is her injured father Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma). So she takes his armor and sword and enlists as "Hua Jun." Mulan proves herself a capable recruit. The army has to hurry to prevent Khan and his sorceress ally Xian Lang (Gong Li) from reaching the Emperor.

Unlike The Lion King, director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) and the four screenwriters don't re-enact the earlier animated film in live-action. For starters, there are no animal sidekicks or musical numbers. Harry Gregson-Williams incorporates some of Matthew Wilder and David Zippel's iconic tunes in his rousing score, but that's it. The story set to that score is a decent one. On one hand, Mulan's plight is understandable. On the other, her relationship with fellow soldier Chen Honghui (Yoson An) is less compelling than the one with her sister, Xiu (Xana Tang). Both should be equal.

Liu is still a strong Mulan. She's a strong warrior and devoted family member. Her interactions with the town Matchmaker (Cheng Pei-Pei) are humorous. The final battle with Khan is an exciting one. Jet Li as the Emperor shows some awesomeness when he takes on Khan. Jason Scott Lee and Gong Li are formidable villains, but Gong Li's Xian Lang leaves the most impact. Mulan's Commander Tung (Donnie Yen) was an OK character; a bit too routine, though.

In addition to Williams, Caro's technical crew is pretty good too. Production Designer Grant Major visualizes grand locales from the Imperial City to Mulan's Tulou. Cinematographer Mandy Walker adds to the grandeur with her work. Would've been nice to see it on the big screen, but oh well. The wall-running and wall-jumping during the fighting is spectacular. Xian Ling's magic makes for nifty visual effects, though some questions (what happens to the folks she possesses?) aren't answered. Meanwhile, costume designer Bina Daigeler and the makeup team create memorable looks for all.

I definitely would've seen Mulan back in March. But 2020 had other plans. But I've seen it now. It's a decent action film with a strong lead and memorable villainess. At least it's not a flat retread of its animated counterpart. It's got some surprises. It's a good reason to get Disney Plus. I got the yearly plan.