Malcolm1980's 2020 Review Thread

[malcolm1980]

2/22

Little Women (Greta Gerwig) **** - This is the nth adaptation of the classic Louisa May Alcott novel about the plight of four sisters during the 1860's Civil Era America. I haven't read the book but I have seen the oft-celebrated 1994 version so I'm familiar with the story. While I liked the story and that film quite a bit, I have to admit I didn't quite get why some people are so like all-capitals passionate about it (maybe because I'm too much of a dude, eh, I don't know) But after watching Greta Gerwig's adaptation: I GET IT NOW. I completely get it now. It makes me wanna actually sit down and read the book. Gerwig infuses the film with such warmth and such humanity. It's all practically radiating from the screen. It feels so fresh, so vibrant, so alive. It's brought to life by an outstanding ensemble cast. Gerwig's 2-for-2 for me. I love it.

[malcolm1980]

2/23


Bombshell (Jay Roach) *** - My catching up on Oscar contenders continues with this film which dramatizes the plight of Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson and their "bombshell" of sexual harassment complaints against Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News. The film is pretty much a standard "true story" docudrama that HBO does a lot (which is understandable since Jay Roach has directed a number of them). But the cast is what makes this film though. Charlize Theron does a great job of making me care about someone whose politics I find mostly abhorrent (still didn't deserve to get sexually harassed). I have to say I know Theron and Margot Robbie got all the accolades for this film but I'm surprised John Lithgow didn't get the same. He makes Roger Aisles so believably human when it could have easily devolved into caricature. The Makeup Oscar win was deserved.

Awaara (The Vagabond) (Raj Kapoor) ***1/2 - A judge throws out his wife after he suspects that the child she's carrying might not be his but rather the bandit that kidnapped her. That bandit then pushes the child to a life of crime. Thanks to my MUBI subscription, I'm getting a crash course on Indian cinema and this one is I believe a classic Bollywood film. Is it a bit overlong? Sure. Is it a bit on-the-nose and preachy and melodramatic in parts? Certainly. But despite the long running time, it is largely entertaining and it does feature quite possibly one of my favorite Bollywood musical numbers (I'll let you guess which one). And to think, I've never heard of this film before last week. I highly recommend people catch it.

[malcolm1980]

2/26

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Joe Talbot) ***1/2 - A young black man is obsessed with buying back an old palatial looking house in a gentrified neighborhood in San Francisco, which he believes to have been built by his grandfather. This is a film that has a lot on its mind. After seeing this film apart from having the song "San Francisco" stuck in my head, gave me a lot to chew on: the passage of time, gentrification, a sense of loss, distorted history, etc. It's beautifully shot and features a great score. It's superbly acted too, especially by Jonathan Majors who is truly unforgettable in this. I don't know if it was completely successful but it's a fine, fine debut and marks the coming of an exciting filmmaking voice in director Joe Talbot.

Border Incident (Anthony Mann) *** - A Mexican detective and an American federal agent go undercover to infiltrate a ring who smuggle in illegal migrant workers to the United States. This film was made in friggin' *1949* and somehow it is still relevant to this day? Imagine that. If anything, things have gotten worse in this particular situation since then. Director Anthony Mann has slowly become one of my favorite filmmakers of this era and he does an excellent job ratcheting the tension in this (kudos to casting an actual Mexican to play a Mexican, Ricardo Montalban who was also likewise excellent). The film may have a way too neat ending and I'm sure it glossed over and simplified a bunch of things (and it's mid-tier Anthony Mann) but it's an overall solid crime drama.

[malcolm1980]

2/27

Harriet (Kasi Lemmons) **1/2 - This is the biopic about the earlier years of slave turned abolitionist Harriet Tubman just before the American Civil War. You know, there has yet to be a definitive biopic on the life of Harriet Tubman which is surprising since she's such a fascinating figure, you'd think there be one by now. We're gonna have to keep waiting though. This film, is...I hate to use this phrase but there's no other way to describe it...overly Hollywoodized. It seems like the script had to add a lot of things in an effort to make this a film for the masses, right down to a truly silly climactic scene that I won't spoil here. It is held together by Cynthia Erivo's fantastic performance and John Toll's beautiful cinematography. At the end of the film, before the credits, an on-screen epilogue telling people about Harriet's time as a spy for the Union during the Civil War and how she liberated hundreds of more slaves during that time. I thought, "Hey, I thought I was getting that movie! i want that movie!" I'll be waiting for that movie.

[malcolm1980]

2/28

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller) ***1/2 - A rather cynical writer for Esquire magazine is assigned to do a profile of Fred Rogers but finds his own life changing instead. This is (un)officially my last 2019/Oscar contender catch-up film before I officially close the book on the 2019 film year. I have to say this is kind of a remarkable film. I thought we didn't need a Fred Rogers biopic after the documentary last year but director Marielle Heller found some way to to make one without exactly making one. Instead, she uses the real life figure of Fred Rogers to make a film that examines the nature of being good, forgiveness, human decency and faith in a serious, nuanced and, frankly beautiful way that is seldom seen in film these days. Lesser filmmakers who try it often fall into the trap of being sappy, trite and corny which Heller and the script doesn't do. I dare say it's practically almost Capra-esque in a good way. Tom Hanks is the only person who could have approximated the kindness exuded by Fred Rogers and he does it very well.

[malcolm1980]

2/29

The Invisible Man (Leigh Whanell) ***1/2 - This is the updated version of the classic "Invisible Man" monster movie. This time, the Invisible Man is an abusive, rich husband who found a way to be invisible, stalking his estranged wife. We've seen the Invisible Man trope used throughout film history in various forms. But writer-director Leigh Whanell updates this to the now, using it as an allegory for the #MeToo movement and the problem of domestic abuse. But make no mistake, this is still a pretty scary thrill ride of a horror film and it is anchored by a fantastic performance by Elisabeth Moss. It has some pretty great visual effects too. I have to say, this is an excellent start for the year in horror.

[malcolm1980]

3/1

Where Is My Friend's House? (Abbas Kiarostami) ***1/2 - A young boy accidentally takes his classmate's notebook and takes it upon himself to try and find his house to return it so his classmate won't get expelled. The film, at first, feels a bit slight but as it goes on, it reveals itself to be a truly rich film. On the one hand, this is a truly insightful portrait of childhood. Something about this film reminded me of my own even though I'm not Iranian and nothing in this film happened to me exactly. On another level, there's an almost documentary like glimpse into Iranian society at the time. This is the first film of Kiarostami's Koker trilogy (I've already seen the third). I've long been an admirer of director Abbas Kiarostami and this film reminds me exactly why.

[malcolm1980]

3/3

Aelita: Queen of Mars (Yakov Protazanov) **1/2 - A young man travels to Mars on a rocket ship and leads an uprising against the titular Martian queen who's in love with him. First off, I didn't know the Soviets also made science fiction films during the silent era. Well, now I know. There are visuals here especially in the first half that almost rivals Fritz Lang's Metropolis which is still a few years away at this point. But being that this is a Soviet film, it is also kind of a pro-Soviet propaganda angle. The meshing of the two isn't quite as effective here as it is in their dramas and documentaries. It gets a bit silly in the end. It's still an interesting looking film that's worth checking out if you're a student of film.

[malcolm1980]

3/3

Violent Cop (Takeshi Kitano) *** - A police detective infamous for being violent towards perps gets entangled in a drug ring facing off against a ruthless assassin. It's been a minute since I delved into the cinema of "Beat" Takeshi Kitano. MUBI is doing retrospective on some of his works so I might as well take advantage. Despite the title, this is actually a fairly slow burn film (but the pace actually makes the bursts of violence more of a jolt). It's really a very deliberate procedural which builds and builds to something dark and shocking which naturally, I won't reveal here. I found it kind of rough getting there. It's not my favorite Kitano film but it has a lot of things I admire about his work in it.

[malcolm1980]

3/6

The Chess Players (Satyajit Ray) *** - It's 1860's India. Two high-ranking officers of the king's household are both obsessed with playing chess meet every day for a game. All the while the British are moving in to usurp control of the state. This is from director Satyajit Ray, his first in Hindi (his films have been in Bengali). I noted that it does feel a bit more "Bollywood"-ish than the other films I've seen from him. It's an interesting film but it's far from my favorite. I found the tone to be all over the place. Mixing the humorous scenes of the two chess addicts with the more serious scenes English colonizers moving in didn't always work. But still, it's a Satyajit Ray film and he's always worth a watch.

Baraka (Roy Fricke) ***1/2 - How to describe this film? It's basically a montage of images that's part nature documentary, part travelogue, part religious documentary. The stunning footage all edited together to feature length to create this not quite Koyaanisqatsi, not quite The Man with a Movie Camera but a mixture of elements of both of those with a dash of Terrence Malick thrown in. The result is quite extraordinary. There is no narration and no dialogue yet manages to be thought-provoking nevertheless. I wonder why I waited so long to see this. Heh. I saw this on YouTube and quality is still quite stunning. I wished I saw it on the big screen.