Vice (2018)

Amy, Jack, and I loved this satirical bio-pic of Dick Cheney, though it made us liberals sigh and groan, watching the VP and his wife control the country with politics and goals so divergent from our own.

Christian Bale (last blogged, and Oscar-nominated, for The Big Short) completely disappears into the role of Cheney, with his much-reviewed 45 pound weight gain and top-notch hair and makeup. As his wife Lynne, Amy Adams (most recently in these pages for Nocturnal Animals) brings passion and power to the woman behind the man who, in later times, might have become influential in her own right. Sam Rockwell's (last in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri for which he won his first Oscar) George W. Bush and Steve Carell's (most recently in Beautiful Boy) Donald Rumsfeld are terrific as well, with hair, makeup, voice inflection, and even humor. It's a huge cast, but they are the highlights.

Director/writer Adam McKay (won his first Oscar for co-writing The Big Short and was nominated for directing it) is nominated for Golden Globes directing and writing here, among the picture's six Globe nominations--Bale and Adams are also nominated for SAG awards. See my list here. I predict a Best Makeup Oscar nomination as well.

Bale studied up on heart disease for the role. So when McKay had a mild heart attack during post production, he remembered Bale's method acting which may have saved his life (watch this short video). Black and white footage of McKay's heart stent surgery is in this movie--he calls it his cameo.

The music by Nicholas Britell (last blogged for Battle of the Sexes) can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music. I don't remember the songs, other than America from West Side Story playing over the credits (here's a clip from the WSS movie).

Another bit of trivia is that a musical number was produced and shot but eventually cut because it didn't work with the narrative.

There's a very funny "crazy credits" gag, too, before America, reminding us that this is a satire, even though so much of it is true (the gag is clearly not). And another one at the very end, so don't rush out before the movie is completely over.

The cinematography by Greig Fraser (after his Oscar nomination for Lion he shot Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) may cause Motion-Picture-Motion-Sickness or MPMS (see my running list here) in sensitive people. I think. I have been bingeing movies this week and they're beginning to run together.

We three saw this in a matinee on Christmas day (the 14th year of this particular family tradition), which was opening day in this case. Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are now averaging 64 and 57%, respectively.

Three from the Jewish Film Festival 2018

I enjoyed the 2017 releases Monkey Business, The Cakemaker, and The Last Suit, parts of the festival several weeks ago.

Of the three, my favorite was Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators, a delightful documentary about Margret and Hans Rey, who authored the beloved children's books.

Director Ema Ryan Yamazaki makes her feature debut, as does Erin Sanger, who wrote Sam Waterston's (best known for 368 episodes of Law & Order (Jack has probably seen them all), Golden-Globe nominated as Most Promising Newcomer for The Great Gatsby (1974), his work that I've enjoyed also includes Interiors (1978), Hopscotch (1980), The Killing Fields (1985) (Oscar-nominated), September (1987), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), The Man in the Moon (1991), Serial Mom (1994), Nixon (1995), 25 episodes of The Newsroom, and 55 episodes of Grace & Frankie) narration. I find that this movie started as a Kickstarter campaign. The link previews the animation used to tell the Reys' story from escaping the Nazis and beyond.

I don't remember much about Jason Cummings' (it's his second feature and his first was also a documentary) music and it's not available online, so you'll just need to rent or buy the movie. Here's the iTunes link.

Rotten Tomatoes doesn't have enough reviews to give it any averages, but don't let that deter you from seeing it.

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The Cakemaker, about a German pastry chef stalking the wife and son of his dead lover in Jerusalem, is going on my list of food movies. Everything looks yummy and the story is good, too.

Stars Tim Kalkhof and Sarah Adler are new to me, despite being experienced. This is director/writer Ofir Raul Graizer's first feature.

Dominique Charpentier's (her first feature, too) lovely piano solos can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.

The movie has a number of nominations and wins and Rotten Tomatoes' critics are eating it up, averaging 98%. Its audiences average a tasty 81. Watch it on Netflix.

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In The Last Suit (AKA El último traje), an 88 year old tailor runs away from Buenos Aires to Poland to look for an old friend he knew in WWII. Miguel Ángel Solá is the cantankerous Abraham Burzstein and Ángela Molina is María. Pablo Solarz directs and wrote the screenplay. I'm not familiar with any of them.

I made a note after seeing it that the screening had terrible sound, even though we were promised a great soundtrack by Federico Jusid (scored Neruda and much more). Some of his music can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is a buttoned up 78% but its audiences are looser at 92. I don't see anywhere to stream it, however. There are DVDs for sale but I wouldn't buy it, especially at those prices.

Decoding Annie Parker (2013)

Amy and I didn't hate this story of a determined cancer patient interwoven with the work of the scientific team who discovered the BRCA gene. We watched it at home Christmas Eve because Phil had told me days before about the website and app Kanopy which allows us to stream movies with a library card account number. It is based on the true stories of Parker and Dr. Mary-Claire King and was, as you may have noticed, released theatrically four and a half years ago.

Samantha Morton (last blogged for The Messenger in 2009) is terrific in the emotional title role as is Helen Hunt (most recently in these pages for 2012's The Sessions which earned her an Oscar nomination) as the businesslike scientist King. Aaron Paul (last blogged for Smashed a few months before this movie's release) has been, like Morton and Hunt, recognized for his work in this picture.

This was director/co-writer Steven Bernstein's (cinematographer on Monster (2003)) first time directing a feature (another one followed), and the debuts of co-writers Adam Bernstein and Michael Moss as well. The timeline can be hard to follow (her hairstyles don't help). It was helpful to read later that Annie was born in 1951.

Steven Bramson's (new to me) pleasant soundtrack can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.

Clearly we didn't check Rotten Tomatoes, with critics averaging 56% and audiences at 41, before watching this. But we weren't sorry we did.

Roma (2018)

Amy and I enjoyed this languid story of a maid and her employers in a Mexico City neighborhood called Roma, taking place over ten months in 1970-71. Directed, written, filmed, and co-edited by Alfonso Cuarón (he won two Oscars and more for directing and editing Gravity), this movie is based on his memories and the protagonist Cleo is based on his family's maid Libo.

Yalitza Aparicio plays Cleo with no previous acting experience and, apparently, she and the other cast members got their scene pages right before shooting (the same day) so their reactions could be fresh. Marina de Tavira (she has a few dozen credits, including Nora's Will), as the lady of the family, is the exception in the cast, being a seasoned actor.

This Netflix original has no composer, but a long list of songs, about half of which can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.

On most critics' short lists for Best Foreign Film and all-around Best Picture, this also has the amor of Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 96% and 83 from its audiences.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

This Coen Brothers' Netflix original is a bit uneven, with six distinct chapters, each with different casts and stories, but all old west themed. Typical of a Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan Coen were most recently in these pages for writing and directing Hail, Caesar! and they do the same here) project, there is much parody and some cringing.

Jack and I watched it separately on different days. The first chapter, starring Tim Blake Nelson (last blogged for Colossal) in the title role as a singing sharp-shooting cowboy, is Jack's favorite and it definitely has the most humor. The second features James Franco (since The Disaster Artist I will soon have seen him in every episode of the HBO series The Deuce) as a bank robber. The third stars Liam Neeson (just seen in Widows and several trailers for movies coming soon) as an impresario. The fourth is based on a Jack London story about a prospector played by Tom Waits (most recently in these pages for The Old Man & The Gun). My favorite is the fifth, with Zoe Kazan (last blogged for The Big Sick and worked in three episodes of The Deuce) as a young wife in a wagon train, inspired by a story by Stewart Edward White. Lastly, we have Tyne Daly (after Spider-Man: Homecoming she's been in thirteen episodes of the new Murphy Brown show) as a lady on a stagecoach. The cast is huge but I'm not going to go through each one.

Carter Burwell's (last blogged for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) score can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music. The theme is clearly based on The Streets of Laredo (wiki).

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are singing its praises, averaging 92%, while its audiences are a bit more reserved, at 77. With a Netflix subscription you can stop and start and decide for yourself.

Leave No Trace (2018)

Jack and I liked this story of a father and daughter living in the woods of Portland, Oregon. Ben Foster (last blogged for Hell or High Water) and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (now 18 years old, she's new to me) are terrific as the pair who make occasional trips to town but yearn for their solitary life. Dale Dickey (most recently in these pages for Being Flynn) makes an appearance in the second act.

Director Deborah Granik co-wrote the script with Anne Rosellini (they performed the same duties on Winter's Bone). The movie is based on the 2008 novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock, which, in turn, is inspired by a pair found in Forest Park, Portland, in 2004.

Cinematographer Michael McDonough (last blogged for Darling Companion, which was shot in mountainous Utah and Colorado; he also shot Winter's Bone) gives us gorgeous pictures of Eagle Fern Park in Eagle Creek OR.

Though he hasn't yet shown up in this blog, I've heard the music of composer Dickon Hinchliffe  in Married Life (2007), Last Chance Harvey, Cold Souls, and Winter's Bone, among his several dozen projects. You can stream the score to this movie on spotify and Apple Music.

We've seen versions of this story before, e.g. Captain Fantastic, but this is really good. Even before noticing that it has a perfect 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (and 82 from audiences), we streamed it a couple of weeks ago due to its availability (scroll down on this page) and its number of nominations on my running list.

Private Life (2018)

Jack and I loved this cringey dramedy about an awkward 40-something couple desperate to have a baby. Kathryn Hahn (after Bad Moms she was in 24 episodes of Transparent and eight of I Love Dick) and Paul Giamatti (after Straight Outta Compton he's been in 36 episodes of Billions) are perfectly cast as the volatile Rachel and frustrated Richard. I particularly laughed at Rachel's public outbursts, considering the title.

Kayli Carter (new to me) comes on strong in the second act as their niece Sadie and Molly Shannon (most recently in these pages for The Little Hours) and John Carroll Lynch (last blogged for The Founder) are Sadie's bewildered parents.

I'm going to guess that director/writer Tamara Jenkins (profiled in Juliet, Naked, which she co-wrote) has had some experience, first- or second-hand, with in vitro fertilization, because there's a lot of science in this movie.

There is no composer, only an eclectic mix of songs, listed here, including Quicksilver Girl in its original 1968 version by The Steve Miller Band and a cover by Nellie McKay.

Two weeks ago we picked this from my list of nominees and winners and watched it on Netflix because it looked interesting. Rotten Tomatoes' critics agree with us, averaging 94%. Its audiences are a bit cooler at 79. It's not for everyone but is right in our wheelhouse.

At Eternity's Gate (2018)

Visually magnificent, this depiction of Vincent van Gogh's artistry and descent into madness also features a Golden-Globe nominated performance by Willem Dafoe (last blogged for Murder on the Orient Express after his Oscar nomination for The Florida Project) as the troubled painter.

The synopsis on the movie's official website is so good I'll quote it: it's "a journey inside the world and mind of a person who, despite skepticism, ridicule and illness, created some of the world’s most beloved and stunning works of art. This is not a forensic biography, but rather scenes based on Vincent van Gogh’s letters, common agreement about events in his life that present as facts, hearsay, and moments that are just plain invented."

Director/co-writer Julian Schnabel is also a multi-media artist, which explains the marvelous depictions of the van Gogh painting. Schnabel has directed four features before this, and I've seen and loved three--Basquiat (1996), Before Night Falls (2000), and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), all of which he co-wrote. The screenplay was co-written by Jean-Claude Carrière (co-wrote and was Oscar-nominated for The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1973), That Obscure Object of Desire (1978), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1989); in his 87 years and 146 credits some noteworthy credits are Taking Off (1971), The Tin Drum (1979), The Return of Martin Guerre (1982), Valmont (1989), and Birth (2004)) and Louise Kugelberg (her debut).

The supporting cast includes Rupert Friend as loving brother Theo van Gogh and Oscar Isaac as fellow painter Paul Gaugin (most recently in these pages for The Death of Stalin and Annihilation, respectively). Stella Schnabel (worked with her father on Basquiat and Before Night Falls) as Gaby and Emmanuelle Seigner (the love interest in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) as Madame Ginoux are the women in van Gogh's life, among the several people telling him what he should do.

Shot on location in Arles, Buches-du-Rhône, and Auvers-sur-Oise, France, the stunning photography by Benoît Delhomme (last blogged for The Theory of Everything) will cause Motion Picture Motion Sickness or MPMS for us sensitive individuals (here's the list so far). Jack doesn't get ill from the jumpy camera moves but he thought it was excessive in this case. I did have to look away from time to time.

I enjoyed the music by Tatiana Lisovkaia (spelled this way on imdb, where she has one other credit, and Lisovskaya on the album) more than Jack did. You can stream it on YouTube or Apple Music and decide for yourself.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 82%, are much more enthusiastic than its audiences at 53. Not for everyone, the movie has a few long, dreamy sequences that may make some impatient. I loved it.

Boy Erased (2018)

We found this disturbing story about gay conversion therapy in the bible belt very good, with well-meaning yet wrong-headed adults trying to change their gay kids' orientation. Lucas Hedges (last blogged for Mid90s) is Golden-Globe nominated for playing Jared, a Texas teenager who truly believes he can "pray the gay away." Russell Crowe (most recently in these pages for The Nice Guys) is totally believable as Jared's Baptist minister father Marshall and Nicole Kidman (before we saw her cameo in How to Talk to Girls at Parties I wrote about her in The Beguiled) just wonderful as his loving, pious mother with the bouffant platinum 'do and ever-changing manicures. The boy Gary with the bleach-blond hair is played by singer and model Troye Sivan, who co-wrote and performed the song Revelation, the movie's other Golden Globe nomination.

Joel Edgerton (last blogged for Loving) directs, co-wrote, and stars as Mr. Sykes, the leader of the conversion camp, who is not depicted as a monster. It's Edgerton's second time directing and sixth time co-writing a feature. His co-writer this time was Garrard Conley, who wrote the 2016 memoir on which the movie is based. When we saw photos, at the end of the movie, of Conley and his parents, we thought how happy his mother must be to have Kidman play her in the movie.

Some time ago, I heard an NPR commentator who opined that the one good thing about gay conversion camps is to give these kids a community they didn't know existed. That happens in the comedy But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), too.

Edgerton, Kidman, and Crowe are all Australian and have not, I think, ever worked together before this. Kidman and Crowe were set to be in a 2005 project that fell through and had been hoping for another ever since. Their US southern accents are just fine, too.

The haunting music by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurrianns (most recently in these pages for scoring Complete Unknown), as well as Sivan's song, can be streamed on spotify, Apple Music, and more.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are averaging 81% and its audiences a respectable 77. With only a few local screenings now in this neck of the woods, the movie will be available for streaming January 15, 2019 and for sale two weeks later. It may make you angry but it's uplifting as well.

The Favourite (2018)

Jack and I loved, as expected, this costume dramedy of two women vying for the attention of England's Queen Anne. Based on fact, it adds much absurdity to the pathos of the addled and ailing 18th Century Queen and the mean-spiritedness of the rivals.

Olivia Colman (last blogged for The Lobster) is wonderful as Anne and Rachel Weisz (most recently in these pages for Disobedience) and Emma Stone (last blogged for Battle of the Sexes) are delightfully vicious as the scheming Sarah and Abigail, respectively.

There was something quite disturbing in director Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster and I chose to skip his next project, but we both enjoyed the trailer for this one so much we knew we had to see it. Lanthimos works from a screenplay written by Deborah Davis (her debut) and Tony McNamara (new to me despite two other features and a number of TV episodes)

Even without the terrific acting and crazy story, the look of this picture is marvelous. Cinematographer Robbie Ryan (after Ginger & Rosa I saw his American Honey and The Meyerowitz Stories, to name just a few of his credits) uses wide angle and occasionally fish-eye lenses, all the better to show us the magnificent production design by Fiona Crombie (I did see her work in Truth and six episodes of Top of the Lake) and intricate costumes by Sandy Powell (I singled out her work in Carol and she was Oscar-nominated for it).

This movie cleaned up at the British Independent Film Awards, winning Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress for Colman, Best Supporting Actress for Weisz (Stone was also nominated and all three have been nominated for everything so far), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Makeup & Hair, and Best Casting. I've made a list of selected nominations and awards sorted by title.

No composer is credited. Instead the music is classical orchestral works and an Elton John instrumental on harpsichord, all of which you can stream from this spotify link. I recently subscribed to Apple Music and most of the songs are there, too, except for Didascalies by Luc Ferrari (stream on youtube). It starts very quietly but gets louder and more insistent and I turned it off. In the movie, that discordant music, blessedly in short spurts, promotes the discord of the action.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are favouring, er, favoring, this one, averaging 94%, as opposed to is audiences at 63. We suggest you see it on a big screen before the Oscars.

The Front Runner (2018)

Jack and I enjoyed this tale of Gary Hart's failed 1988 presidential campaign and looked forward to seeing it despite its tepid reviews. Hugh Jackman (last blogged for The Greatest Showman) is perfect as the charismatic and confident Hart and Vera Farmiga (after writing about her in The Judge, I thought we saw her in Boundaries (2018), but I didn't write about it) is also good as his cool and calm wife Lee. The cast is huge, and most characters have defined personalities. Some noteworthy ones are J.K. Simmons (most recently in Zootopia) as campaign manager Bill Dixon, Mark O'Brien (last blogged for Arrival) as staffer Billy Shore, Sara Paxton (new to me despite many credits) as Donna Rice, Mamoudou Athie (after his first appearance in these pages for Patti Cake$ he was in eight episodes of The Get Down as Grandmaster Flash) as reporter AJ Parker, and Alfred Molina (after I wrote about him in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot he was in eight episodes of Feud: Bette and Joan) as Ben Bradlee, executive editor of The Washington Post.

Director/co-writer Jason Reitman (last blogged for Tully) keeps everything moving with the story based on the 2014 book All the Truth Is Out by Matt Bai and the screenplay cowritten by Bai (his screenwriting debut; he played himself on one episode of House of Cards) and Jay Carson (also a debut and he was co-producer of 39 episodes of House of Cards).

We liked the Colorado locations but, apparently it was shot in Georgia. Also, one goof is a card on the screen that reads "Four years later" after 1984 but it actually cuts to three years later in 1987.

Composer Rob Simonsen's (after Tully he scored 58 episodes of Life in Pieces) work can be streamed on both spotify and Apple Music. Fourteen songs are listed on imdb, including Dave Brubeck's Unsquare Dance, a personal favorite with now three mentions in this blog in a year and a half. Note that Farmiga does her own classical piano playing in the movie.

As I said, tepid, with Rotten Tomatoes' critics averaging 58% and its audiences 52. Gone from big screens in these parts (we saw it two and a half weeks ago), the movie is scheduled for DVD release and streaming in February 2019. It won't waste your time, especially if you remember the events, are an unabashed liberal, or a big fan of any of the cast.

Blindspotting (2018)

Jack and I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a man, days from the end of probation, who witnesses a heinous police shooting and is tempted in other ways to jeopardize his freedom. Like Green Book, it's a drama about a serious subject with plenty of humor. We need a new term because dramedy is too light for this content.

Daveed Diggs (original cast of Hamilton, ten episodes of The Get Down, three of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, ten of Black-ish, and a rap song in Zootopia) and his lifelong friend Rafael Casal (new to me) wrote the script and star as Collin the felon and Miles his lifelong friend and loose cannon. The cast includes Janina Gavankar (her face is familiar because we saw all 38 episodes of The Mysteries of Laura) as Collin's ex-girlfriend and employer Val and Jasmine Cephas Jones (real life girlfriend of Anthony Ramos, Diggs' Hamilton castmate, and daughter of Ron Cephas Jones who plays Randall's father on This Is Us) as Miles' wife Ashley.

This is the second feature for director Carlos López Estrada. The movie was nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Diggs is nominated for Best Male Lead at the Spirit Awards.

Diggs and Casal are proud Oakland natives and the location shots are spectacular.

The movie has many many songs (here's a list) in addition to a score by Michael Yezerski (he's worked on over a hundred projects, none of which I've seen). There are clips of his work on his website. I think I liked the music but it's been two weeks since we saw it.

We streamed this on iTunes, in part because of Diggs' Spirit award nomination and more because of his interview on WTF with Marc Maron. Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average of 93% and its audiences' of 86 should lead you to watch it as well.

Green Book (2018)

We loved this story of an Italian Bronx bouncer chauffeuring a cultured African-American jazz pianist on a 1962 tour of the deep south. Based on a true story, it's already racking up nominations and awards (here's my selected list, sorted by title).

Viggo Mortensen (last blogged for Captain Fantastic) is wonderful as the nonstop talking, nonstop eating Tony Lip AKA Tony Vallelonga; Mahershala Ali (most recently in these pages for Hidden Figures after winning an Oscar for Moonlight) is transcendent as the classically trained Don Shirley PhD; and Linda Cardellini (last blogged for The Founder) is delightful as Tony's warm, loving, and practical wife Dolores.

Director/co-writer Peter Farrelly has taken a sharp turn away from his slapstick history (e.g. the Dumb and Dumber series (1994 and 2014), There's Something About Mary (1998), several segments of Movie 43, more) with this thoughtful dramatic piece titled for the actual book used by black people to find safe places to visit in Jim Crow south. Tony Lip's actual son Nick Vallelonga is a co-writer and he and other members of the Vallelonga family appear on screen, though we didn't know it at the time. We also did not know that the real Tony Lip was on The Sopranos, playing Carmine Lupertazzi, and other roles (here's a photo). Nick has been behind and in front of the camera for 25 years. The third co-writer Brian Hayes Currie has had a couple dozen small acting parts (and makes a cameo as a Maryland State Trooper near the end of this one) and makes his screenwriting debut here. There are lots of truly funny bits sprinkled into the drama.

The set design, especially that Carnegie Hall apartment, is terrific and today I told a fiber artist that she should see the beaded robe that Dr. Shirley wears in that scene. And, oh, that Cadillac!

My regular readers know how much the music in any movie means to me and this one is wonderfully music driven. Both the trailer and the movie begin with Dave Brubeck's Unsquare Dance (I also mentioned its appearance in Baby Driver) a jaunty tune in a tempo of seven, which makes this musician happy. For more Brubeck, here's a YouTube playlist.

Kris Bowers (last scored Little Boxes) trained Ali and was his piano double on camera. The soundtrack album is available at the usual outlets and can be streamed on spotify from this link.

There are lots and lots of songs, many with vocals, and here are two playlists (one, two). And, to delve deeper into the music of the Don Shirley Trio, you can listen to this playlist, that one, or the "Best of Don Shirley" on YouTube

Many people can't identify this movie by its title. But when I say, "Driving Mr. Daisy," they know immediately. Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 82%, are slightly less enthusiastic than its audiences at 94. We say see it.

Sammy Davis Jr.; I’ve Gotta Be Me (2017)

I loved this documentary about the entertainer (1925-1990) who broke ground in so many ways. Here's a short trailer and a longer one.

Director Samuel D. Pollard has a long list of credits and the work here is exemplary. I was lucky enough to see it in a big festival crowd where Pollard made an appearance.

You can't see it in theatres but in February 2019 it will be on the American Masters series on PBS. Passport Level PBS donors will be able to stream it after that. Donate (contact your local station--it needs your support) and then watch it!

Widows (2018)

Jack and I liked this thriller about women who complete their late husbands' botched heist. The enormous cast is headed by Viola Davis and Liam Neeson (last blogged for Fences and Silence, respectively). The other women thieves are Michelle Rodriguez (she was in 26 episodes of Lost, Battle in Seattle, and plenty more that I haven't seen), Elizabeth Debicki (most recently in The Great Gatsby), and Cynthia Erivo (her babetteflix debut was for Bad Times at the El Royale).

The rest of the starring men are played by Colin Farrell (last in Roman J. Israel, Esq.), Robert Duvall (in The Judge four years ago), Brian Tyree Henry (best known to me as Paper Boi in 17 episodes of Atlanta), and Daniel Kaluuya (Oscar-nominated for Get Out and last blogged for Black Panther). All seven of the above are on the poster.

Director/co-writer Steve McQueen (Oscar-nominated for directing 12 Years a Slave, which won Best Picture in 2014) is featured in a cute little short before the feature, thanking us for coming out to the movies in person. He and co-writer Gillian Flynn (who adapted her own novel into the screenplay for Gone Girl) based the script on the 1983 British TV series written by Lynda La Plante. There are plenty of twists and turns in this version, and, although Jack found it a little contrived, we both thought it quite entertaining, though violent.

Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt (last blogged for Queen of Katwe), does marvelous work with contrast, especially Davis' chocolate complexion with her snow white apartment, wardrobe, and matching dog Olivia (here's an article about this adorable bitch).

Hans Zimmer (last in these pages for scoring The Boss Baby) provides exciting music, 22 minutes of which you can stream on youtube.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 91%, are much more enthusiastic than its audiences at a lukewarm 65. It's very likely to rack up a nomination or two. I have begun my yearly summary of nominations sorted by title. The link is to the right if you're on a computer. Otherwise, go here.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Jack and I enjoyed this bio-pic about Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the band Queen, leading up to its 1985 Live Aid performance. The movie should have been shorter, and there are some glaring mistakes in the chronology--not that I would have known. What I did learn from watching the movie is that I'm a fan of the band Queen despite never having bought any of their albums—their songs are so good!

Rami Malek (I haven't seen any of his starring roles, but he had small parts in Night at the Museum movies in 2006, 2009, and 2014, Larry Crowne, The Master, and Ain't Them Bodies Saints) is pretty great as Mercury. Malek is of Egyptian background, and Mercury (birth name Farrokh Bulsara) was from Zanzibar, an island off the coast of what's now known as Tanzania. Almost all the music is pure Queen, though, at times, Malek's voice is mixed with Mercury's and that of singer Marc Martel (credited for additional vocals). Malek also had to learn to talk with the buck teeth prosthetic. I'm not familiar with the actors who play the other three members of Queen, though none is a novice: Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, and Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon. Mazzello looked familiar to me, and research turned up his appearance as a kid in Jurassic Park (1993) (here's a photo) and as a young adult in The Social Network (another photo).

Supporting cast includes Lucy Boynton (after I called her luminous in Sing Street, she was in the ensemble of Murder on the Orient Express) as Mercury's friend Mary, Allen Leech (last blogged for The Imitation Game) as groupie Paul, and Mike Myers (most recently in these pages for a cameo in Inglourious Basterds, plus several listings for Razzie Awards) as the permed record producer with sunglasses. In Myers' Wayne's World movies, the Wayne and Garth characters banged their heads to Bohemian Rhapsody--Myers threatened to quit if the song wasn't included--and it helped reestablish Queen's popularity after Mercury's death in 1991. Now that you know about this cameo, pay attention to the dialogue in his scene.

Director Bryan Singer (last blogged for X-Men: Days of Future Passed) was fired two weeks before the end of production. Various reasons have been given: absences from the set? Health problems? Ill parents? He threw something at Malek? Singer was replaced by Dexter Fletcher (his fourth feature) but Singer has the Directors Guild credit for this movie. The screenplay is by Anthony McCarten (most recently wrote Darkest Hour) with the story by McCarten and Peter Morgan (last penned Hereafter).

Surviving Queen bandmates May and Taylor were creative consultants and former Queen manager Jim Beach was a producer. Perhaps their control had something to do with why Mercury's drug use, his promiscuity, and even his homosexuality were glossed over.

Mercury's flamboyant costumes are great fun and I suppose they're accurate. The wigs, however, are distracting. We're so used to the fabulous wig work in Saturday Night Live that anything less stands out.

The movie opens and closes with Queen's appearance at Live Aid. The 20 minute set was shot in its entirety, before everything else. There's a rumor that it will be released separately. Here's video of the original 1985 performance and an article about the re-creation. Imdb has pages and pages of trivia, some items of which are above. One of my favorites is that the filmmakers requested recordings of people singing along with Queen. They got thousands and mixed them all into the movie. There are goofs and spoilers on that site, too. Just follow the links.

As expected, there is no soundtrack composer. The soundtrack album is available to stream from this link and there are other songs listed on this page.

Though Rotten Tomatoes' critics are not rhapsodic, averaging 62%, its audiences are, coming in at 93, #2 at the box office its second weekend of release. We saw it in IMAX. The bad news is there were no closed captions available in that format. The good news is that the sound was great.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

We loved this true story of a woman who forged and stole letters by literary icons and sold them when she had rough times in 1990s New York.

Melissa McCarthy (last blogged for Ghostbusters) is a triumph in a departure from her usual slapstick roles. I would say she "played it straight," but her character Lee Israel is an alcoholic lesbian, wearing ill-fitting men's jackets on her curvy frame. As Israel's friend Jack Hock, Richard E. Grant (most recently in Their Finest) is a delightful foil to her witty petulance. Dolly Wells (her actual friendship with actress Emily Mortimer was parodied in twelve episodes of Doll & Em (2013-15), among Wells' many credits) is sweet as one of the buyers duped by Israel, and Jane Curtin (last in The Spy Who Dumped Me) is terrific as Israel's socialite agent.

Director Marielle Heller (most recently helmed The Diary of a Teenage Girl) works from a screenplay, adapted from Israel's 2008 memoir, by Nicole Holofcener (last wrote (and directed) Enough Said) and Jeff Whitty (his screenwriting debut -- he wrote the book for the Broadway musical Avenue Q, and more). Not having read the book, I can't tell you how many witticisms were written by Israel and how many by Holofcener and Whitty, but the script sparkles.

The New Yorker magazine's review (as always, filled with spoilers) mentions the various Manhattan locations reflecting the time and place, including bookstores (Argosy, Westsider, the Housing Works Bookstore Café, and Logos) and a gay bar (Julius').

There are lots of songs (listed here) as well as original music by the director's brother Nate Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl). The 15 track album is available at all the expected outlets and can be streamed on spotify.

You don't need Jack and me to recommend this Oscar bait when Rotten Tomatoes' critics are averaging 98% and its audiences 86.

Beautiful Boy (2018)

Not for the faint of heart, this story of a meth addict's effect on his family is based on memoirs by the addict and his father. Jack and I liked it. Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet are terrific (last blogged for Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show and Call Me by Your Name, respectively) as the father David Sheff and son Nic Sheff, especially the latter, going through all the mood swings of drug use. Maura Tierney (some of her best work was in White Sands (1992), 97 episodes of NewsRadio (1995-99), 189 of ER (1999-2009), Scotland, Pa. (2001), nine episodes of Rescue Me (2009-11), and seven of The Good Wife (2012-13)--I haven't watched any of her 43 of The Affair) and Amy Ryan (most recently in these pages for Bridge of Spies) are in the background as David's second wife Karen and first wife Vicki. Coincidentally, Tierney was in one episode of The Office with Carell, and Ryan was in 17 earlier ones, with her character Holly dating Carell's Michael in many of them.

Director/co-writer Felix van Groeningen did the same on the moving The Broken Circle Breakdown though I failed to say so in the blog. Van Groeningen and Luke Davies (Davies adapted the book that became Lion) adapted David Sheff's Beautiful Boy and Nic Sheff's Tweak, both published in 2008.

Trivia: the crazed drawings of Nic's in the movie were actually drawn by Jasper Sheff, David and Karen's now 24 year old son, whose birth and young life are depicted in the movie.

The title comes from the John Lennon tune of the same name, written for his second son, Sean Ono Lennon. I can't help but remember that his firstborn, Julian Lennon, got little, if anything.

There's no composer on this movie. I counted about thirty songs in the credits when we saw it Friday. Fourteen are on this spotify playlist and 25 on the imdb list, including Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof, sung by Perry Como.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are lukewarm on this, averaging 69%, and, apparently, not enough viewers have weighed in to give an audience average. Instead, 95% of viewers who voted clicked "want to see." You should probably see it too.

A Walk in the Woods (2015)

Jack and I loved this wise-cracking, road-trip, buddy picture, with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte hiking the Appalachian Trail. It's based on Bill Bryson's memoir of the same name, but had to be adapted, since Redford and Nolte were in their 70s when this was shot and Bryson and his friend Steven Katz were 44 when they hiked. Paul Newman was supposed to co-star but he died in 2008.

Redford (last blogged for The Old Man & the Gun) and Nolte (most recently in these pages for The Company You Keep, which also starred Redford) are pretty funny as the determined writer Bryson and the out of shape Katz. Women making notable appearances are Emma Thompson (last blogged for The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected (2017) as Bryson's wife, Kristen Schaal (since Sleepwalk with Me, she was in eleven 30 Rock episodes, three of Wilfred, 66 of Last Man on Earth, and more) as a fellow hiker, and Mary Steenburgen (most recently in these pages for Book Club) as the proprietress of a motel along the trail.

Director Ken Kwapis (covered in He's Just Not That Into You) works from the screenplay adapted by Bill Holderman (co-wrote and directed Book Club, which I panned) and Michael Arndt (when I wrote about his work in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, I said I wanted to see his latest, A Walk in the Woods). Arndt is credited under the pseudonym Rick Kerb, which wikipedia says he uses for script revisions.

We stayed home for Tuesday movie day and watched this on Amazon Prime, in preparation for seeing author Bryson at an event this weekend. While watching, I complained that I wanted to follow along on a map and I wanted to know how old they were supposed to be. After reading the trivia background for this, I understand why those parts were omitted. Because of the actors' age disparity with the source material, they didn't want to talk about ages. And the filmmakers chose to show McAfee Knob in Virginia (wiki) out of order geographically. Also, some math in the middle determines the year the movie takes place as 2014 (and a character sings a 2013 song, Get Lucky), but something at the end says it's 2005.

McAfee Knob is spectacular, as is the Fontana Dam in North Carolina (wiki), and the photography by John Bailey (of his dozens of credits I appreciated his work in American Gigolo (1980), Ordinary People (1980), Continental Divide (1981), The Big Chill (1983), Silverado (1985), The Accidental Tourist (1988), Groundhog Day (1993), As Good As It Gets (1997), The Anniversary Party (2001), The Producers (2005), He's Just Not That Into You, The Way Way Back, and more) is magnificent, both from the air and on the ground. The filmmakers must have had so much fun shooting on location. We certainly enjoyed seeing those locations!

Nathan Larson is credited as composer (as he was on Juliet, Naked) and the band Lord Huron is "featured" for their five songs, all of which are on this spotify playlist, along with two from Larson.

Rotten Tomatoes has certified this rotten, with a critics' average of 46 and audiences' 48%. We thought it was a delightful way to spend a couple of hours on the couch.

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Jack and I liked this noir, violent dramedy about strangers with secrets who meet in a 1969 (probably) motel on the California-Nevada state line. With a kick-ass soundtrack, a good cast, and terrific production design, it's quite entertaining for most of its 2:22 running time (but could have been shorter).

Jon Hamm (last blogged for Nostalgia) shows his comedy chops as the brash salesman and Cynthia Erivo (I love briefly seeing her athleticism in the trailer for her upcoming movie Widows; she won the 2016 Tony for originating the role of Celie in The Color Purple on Broadway) beautifully sings her own songs as her character Darlene rehearses in her room. Jeff Bridges (most recently in these pages for Hell or High Water) is convincing as the addled priest and Dakota Johnson (last blogged for A Bigger Splash) is radiant as the foul-mouthed hippie Emily. The hapless hotel clerk is Lewis Pullman (the son of Bill Pullman, he played Bobby Riggs' son in Battle of the Sexes) and the handsome and usually bare-chested cult leader is Chris Hemsworth (most recently in Avengers: Infinity War).

Director writer Drew Goddard (who adapted The Martian's screenplay from a novel) directs his second feature and writes his fifth. I read somewhere before we saw it last week that a big studio movie from an original screenplay is a rarity these days. It's been said that the year is 1969 because of a clip of President Nixon on a TV. The motel, with the state line running right down the middle, is inspired by the Cal Neva Resort at Lake Tahoe (here's the wiki article).

We can thank Martin Whist (art director on Down with Love (2004) and A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) and production designer on other movies I haven't seen) for the wonderful production design, including many loving shots (we loved it, anyway) of a Wurlitzer jukebox.

I found two links for the songs, tunefind and spotify, and they're lots of fun, especially for us folks of a certain age. You may not even notice the original score by Michael Giacchino (composed the soundtrack for Coco) but I'm enjoying streaming it from this link while I write.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences, averaging 73 and 76%, respectively, are somewhat cool on this. We think it's worth watching.

The Hate U Give (2018)

This powerful story about an African-American teenager who witnesses her black friend killed by a white cop should be required viewing for anyone with white privilege. As our heroine Starr, whose compartmentalizing of her poor black neighborhood and her wealthy white prep school is challenged by the tragedy, Amandla Stenberg (just turned 20 and has been acting for eight years) is fabulous, and so are Regina Hall and Russell Hornsby (last blogged for Girls Trip and Fences, respectively) as her parents Lisa and Maverick. Also putting in good performances are Anthony Mackie (most recently in these pages for Avengers: Infinity War) as a scary guy named King, comedian Issa Rae (I've liked all 24 episodes of Insecure) as an activist lawyer, and Common (after Selma I saw him in his three episodes of The Chi) as Uncle Carlos. Over 150 cast members are listed on imdb but that's all you're getting from me now.

Director George Tillman Jr. (helmed Notorious and some others I didn't see) works from a script by Audrey Wells (I really liked The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), and Shall We Dance (2004), all very different in tone from this project), who skillfully adapted Angie Thomas' 2017 young adult novel.

The original score by Dustin O'Halloran (last composed for Puzzle) can be streamed on spotify or on youtube with commercials (after the 20th track the youtube playlist moves to other topics). There are also plenty of songs, listed here.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are as rhapsodic as we are, averaging 97%, while its audiences, at 75, need to hate a little less.

First Man (2018)

Jack and I enjoyed this story of Neil Armstrong before and during his historic 1969 moonwalk, but it's too long at 2:21. The actors are compelling, especially Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy as Neil and Janet Armstrong (Gosling was last blogged for Blade Runner 2049 and Foy won awards for playing young Queen Elizabeth in twenty episodes of The Crown). Also featured in the enormous cast are Jason Clarke (most recently in these pages for Mudbound) as Ed White, Kyle Chandler (last blogged for Game Night) as Deke Slayton, Corey Stoll (most recently in The Seagull) as Buzz Aldrin, Shea Whigham (first time in the blog in Take Shelter) as Gus Grissom, and a grown-up Patrick Fugit (We Bought a Zoo) as Elliott See.

Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle (for La La Land) makes his first movie that's not about music and without writing the script himself, working instead from a screenplay by Josh Singer (co-writer of The Post), based on the Armstrong biography by Pulitzer Prize winning author James R. Hanson.

Here's my other problem with this movie. I sometimes wrote about Motion Picture Motion Sickness/MPMS, and I have a running list of movies that make some of us sensitive souls nauseated by the unchecked swinging of a camera. Every one of Chazelle's four features is on that list (70 before adding this one). This one is bad! Right off the bat we have Armstrong testing an aircraft and the camera is shaking intensely. Every time any of them takes off it had me looking away from the screen and waiting for the camera to return to the tripod. Usually I mention the MPMS towards the end of the post but this is egregious. For what it's worth, Jack does not share this sensitivity.

Justin Hurwitz (won two Oscars for La La Land) is Chazelle's only composer and you can stream his whole hour and five minute soundtrack on youtube. I haven't gotten all the way through it so I don't know how many songs, listed here, are on that video, but, at about a half hour in, you will hear musician Leon Bridges reciting the protest poem, Whitey on the Moon. This article about the poem and a video of its composer Gil-Scott Heron reciting it are interesting.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are much more enthusiastic, averaging 88%, than its audiences at 63. Some say Chazelle will get another Oscar nomination. I can't bet on it.

Milestone alert! I have now published posts about 1100 different movies on this blog since September 3, 2008. My alphabetical list includes the count.

Mid90s (2018)

Jack and I quite liked this story of a middle-school boy who escapes his unhappy home life by following around bigger boys at an LA skateboard park. At times leisurely, at times hectic, the movie features young Sunny Suljic (played one of the skateboarders in Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot) as Stevie and a trio of professional skateboarders. Na-Kel Smith, in his film debut, is wonderful as the cool-headed leader Ray, and Olan Prenatt, also his film debut, is also very good as the hothead known as Fuckshit. Ryder McLaughlin (was in one other feature, with Suljic, and some TV) is the awkward one known as Fourth Grade.

At home, Lucas Hedges (last blogged for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) is Stevie's violent brother and Katherine Waterston (most recently in these pages for Logan Lucky) his hapless mother.

Actor Jonah Hill makes his directing debut--he doesn't appear on screen--and it's his first script as well, though he's credited with "Story by" on a few projects, including Why Him? The movie is short, running only 1:24, yet there are a few slow auteur moments, with the camera lingering just a bit too lovingly on a reaction shot. We were swept along all the same. Apparently Hill got into skateboarding around the same age, but he's quick to say it's not autobiographical.

Hill handpicked all the songs--I counted about thirty on screen in the end credits. The soundtrack on spotify has thirty tracks, but some of them are Hill commenting on the making of the movie. Others are instrumentals by composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (last blogged for Gone Girl). Here's a short article on the music selection and here's a video of my favorite, Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are averaging 78% and its audiences 88. This may give you a mild case of Motion Picture Motion Sickness/MPMS, if you are an occasional sufferer.

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)

Jack, Lucinda, and I loved this documentary about the seminal jazz pianist, one of the founders of be-bop. It was screened last month as part of our city's celebration of the Harlem Renaissance. Musicians and non-musicians alike in our theatre appreciated his unique technique.

Director Charlotte Zwerin (1931-2004) (I didn't see her other work) collected impressive live footage of Monk (1917-1982) and combined it with historical data and interviews to make a compelling 90 minute biography of one of my jazz idols.

Some of my other favorite musicians in the movie are saxophonists John Coltrane and Phil Woods, and pianist Tommy Flanagan. The original score is by Dick Hyman (his other work includes Zelig (1983), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), and Moonstruck (1987)). Here's a list of some of the songs in the movie.

I have on both vinyl and digitally Monk's album Underground, which you can stream in its entirety. Be sure to look at the wonderful album cover as well.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics average out at 83% and its audiences 89, thirty years after initial release. You can watch the whole thing, in five parts, beginning with this page. Or you can rent or buy it from iTunes.

Colette (2018)

Jack and I thoroughly enjoyed this bio-pic/coming of age story about the groundbreaking French author (1873-1954). Keira Knightley is terrific in the title role (she was last blogged for The Imitation Game) and Fiona Shaw (I loved My Left Foot (1989), The Butcher Boy (1997), Fracture (2007), and eight episodes of Killing Eve, among her many credits) wonderful as her mother Sido. I was a little confused about their relationship, since she called her parents by their first names. Just more aspects of the unconventionality of the character, whose full name was Gabrielle-Sidonie Colette before she decided to go by her surname. As Colette's opinionated and arrogant husband Willy (AKA Henri Gauthier-Villars), Dominic West (most recently in these pages for one of the 2018 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts) is perfectly cast.

Those who have seen the trailer or read up on the subject know that Colette had flings with women. Two of them are in this movie: Eleanor Tomlinson (last blogged for Loving Vincent) as Georgie from America and Denise Gough (she was in '71 and Juliet, Naked, though I failed to say so) as Missy.

The story chugs along at a satisfying pace--I never once thought of places it needed trimming, thanks to the script by director Wash Westmoreland, Richard Glatzer, and Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Westmoreland and Glatzer co-directed and co-wrote Still Alice and Lenkiewicz co-wrote Disobedience). The story is credited to Glatzer, Westmoreland's husband, who died of ALS in 2015.

The early scenes in this movie of our teenage heroine and her older soon-to-be-husband did remind me of Colette's story of Gigi (I saw it on Broadway as well as the movie). Maybe that's why I thought Sido was not her mother, since Gigi lived with an older woman not her mother. Colette also wrote the books on which the movie Chéri was based.

Below-the-line kudos to costume designer Andrea Flesch (new to me), production designer Michael Carlin (Oscar-nominated for The Duchess, which also starred Knightley in the title role), and cinematographer Giles Nuttgens (last blogged for Hell or High Water) for the beautiful scenes shot in Budapest, Paris, and the United Kingdom.

The lovely classical score by opera composer Thomas Adès in his feature debut isn't available online, but you can read this list of songs or listen to some of his other work.

We're even more enthusiastic than Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences, who are averaging 86 and 74%, respectively, and we urge you to see this. The spoken words are all in English, though shots of her writing are in French.

A Star Is Born (2018)

Jack and I are not alone in liking this musical about a young talented singer rising to glory as her famous love interest falls to ruin with alcoholism and depression. It's the fourth movie by this name, after versions in 1937, 1954, and 1976, and some say the earliest one was based on What Price Hollywood (1932)--the ones in the 1930s were about actors and the following three about musicians.

Lady Gaga (in her film debut playing a part--she's done many videos and cameos as herself) shines as the star Ally, and she has top billing over co-star/director/co-writer Bradley Cooper (last blogged for Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2) who is wonderful as well as Jackson. It's a big cast, but my favorites include Sam Elliott (most recently as The Hero) as Jackson's brother/road manager, Andrew Dice Clay (last blogged for Blue Jasmine) as Ally's father, and Anthony Ramos (most recently in these pages for Patti Cake$--note, my corrections were accepted on imdb and he's now included as a cast member of that movie).

In his directorial debut, Cooper shows flair, with a script co-written by him, Eric Roth (last blogged for adapting Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close), and Will Fetters (new to me). Cooper gave his own dog Charlie a part, too.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique (most recently shot Money Monster) and his crew shot some concert scenes at Coachella in Indio, California, last year. Beyoncé was supposed to headline that festival and, after she dropped out due to her pregnancy, not only did Gaga fill in, the production invited audience members to pay $10 to Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, dress in country attire, and be extras in the movie shoot. Their phones were locked in Yondr pouches, which Jack and I experienced when Chris Rock came here for standup not too long ago. Other concert footage was shot at a country music festival, also in Indio, with Cooper performing a ten minute set before Willie Nelson performed.

The movie has a close connection with Willie Nelson, because his son Lukas not only coached Cooper on guitar, but also his band Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real perform as Jackson's band in the movie. Cooper had several voice coaches as well, since Gaga convinced him it would be best if they performed live instead of lip-syncing. The music is good fun, ranging from blues-rock to country with some pop towards the end.

Before I started writing, I listened to the whole soundtrack on spotify, which, my regular readers have learned, I prefer to youtube because the commercials come in infrequent clumps instead of before every song. All the songs are singly featured on youtube so you can listen there if you want. Here's a list of all the songs, their composers, and performers.

As I said, most people like this, including 90% of critics and 85% of audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Definitely worth your time.

The Old Man & the Gun (2018)

Based on a true story of an elderly "gentleman bank robber," this delightful movie has laughs, action of a geriatric sort, no violence, and references to star Robert Redford's previous work here and there. Redford (last blogged for Truth) announced in August, after his 82nd birthday, that he'd retire after this movie.

Love interest Sissy Spacek (most recently in these pages for The Master) is charming and cohorts Danny Glover and Tom Waits (last blogged for Sorry to Bother You and Seven Psychopaths, respectively) are amusing and no spring chickens themselves. Casey Affleck reteams with his A Ghost Story director/writer David Lowery as the detective who wants to catch the robber in the 1980s. Lowery based the script on a 2003 New Yorker article by staff writer David Grann, who was able to interview the real robber, Forrest Tucker, before Tucker's 2004 death in prison (you can read the full article here).

The are fun photos of Redford as a younger man used to depict the robber earlier in his life.

I'm immensely enjoying streaming the light jazzy soundtrack by Daniel Hart (last in these pages for scoring A Ghost Story) on spotify, where the commercials come in occasional clumps instead of after every song on youtube.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics line up more with Jack and me, averaging 90%, than its audiences at 69. We recommend this pleasant diversion.

Puzzle (2018)

Jack and I loved this lovely story of a timid old-fashioned housewife whose world opens up when she finds she has a knack for jigsaw puzzles. So old fashioned that, for the first ten minutes or so, I thought the movie was set in the 1950s--her print shirtwaist dress, cluttered house, cooking, cleaning, catering to the males in her family.

Kelly Macdonald (last blogged for Goodbye Christopher Robin) adopts a vaguely New York accent to play Connecticut resident Agnes (Jack didn't buy her accent at all) with subtlety and grace. Irrfan Khan (most recently in Jurassic World) is delightful as Robert, the jaded millionaire in the spectacular Manhattan digs who appreciates Agnes' skill. Agnes' mechanic husband Louie, who does not appreciate her, is played with range by David Denman (best known to me for 31 episodes of The Office and eleven of Parenthood, as well as small parts in Men, Women & Children and Logan Lucky). Their sons Ziggy (Bubba Weiler, who is new to me) and Gabe (Austin Abrams, who co-starred in Brad's Status), are more sensitive than their dad, especially Ziggy.

This is the second time directing for Marc Turtletaub (he produced Everything Is Illuminated (2005), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Sherrybaby (2006), Sunshine Cleaning, Jack Goes Boating, Safety Not Guaranteed, Loving, and more--I didn't see his other directing gig). Oren Moverman (last blogged for The Dinner) and Polly Mann (her debut) adapted the script from a 2009 Argentinian movie called Rompecabezas (it means puzzle in Spanish) written and directed by Natalia Smirnoff. One spoiler-prone Village Voice reviewer wondered how Agnes can be so sheltered. I didn't, really. It's just the style of the story, and probably comes from the source material.

About Robert's New York house: I've been looking online but cannot find info on it. The circular room with the engraved walls and starburst floor is worth the price of admission. Props to the location team, as well as production designer Roshelle Berliner (her work includes Choke, Precious, and Life During Wartime, to name a few).

Composer Dustin O’Halloran's (most recently in these pages for scoring Lion) soundtrack can be streamed from this spotify link and is available for sale on iTunes and Amazon. Ave Maria is sung twice, once as source music on a subway by a blind busker, sung by blind countertenor Matthew Shifrin (not available online, so here's something else).

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are averaging 83% and its audiences 85. Assemble at the theatre and see this.

A Simple Favor (2018)

I loved this stylish thriller/comedy about a nerdy obsessive single mom who meets a mysterious woman when their sons become friends. Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are terrific as Stephanie and Emily and were last blogged for The Accountant and Café Society, respectively. Henry Golding (in his second movie role after Crazy Rich Asians) is good as Emily's smitten husband Sean.

The comedy makes this extra good, not least from the Greek chorus of judgy kindergarten parents, led by Andrew Rannells (he was the first Elder Price in The Book of Mormon on Broadway and also played Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys, both on Broadway and touring; I also watched all 22 episodes of The New Normal and his 35 of Girls, where he played Elijah), with Aparna Nancheria (familiar because of various episodes of Inside Amy Schumer, Crashing, Master of None, and High Maintenance) and Kelly McCormack (new to me).

Comedy is what we expect from director Paul Feig (most recently in these pages for helming Ghostbusters). The trailer says "from the darker side of Paul Feig." From the script by Jessica Sharzer (her feature without a co-writer), adapted from the 2017 novel by Darcey Bell, he brings laughs and suspense in equal parts.

The wardrobe by Renee Ehrlich Kalfus (profiled for her work in Hidden Figures, for which she won the Costume Designers Guild award for Excellence in Period Film) is both laughable--for some of Stephanie's fashion crimes--and spectacular--Emily looks smashing in everything.

Stephanie is a video blogger AKA vlogger. Whenever we see her video page of mommy vlogs, there's a list on the right of all her previous videos. I'd like to know how to do that--I manage a youtube page for a nonprofit and it never shows a list of only the videos we've uploaded, instead suggesting viewers look at others' work. If anyone can tell me how to fix that please write me at babetteflix at gmail.

Theodore Shapiro's (last blogged for The Polka King) sultry and exciting score, which can be streamed on spotify, is supplemented by a list of songs, many of which are French.

Jack couldn't go with me this week, which is why his opinion isn't recorded. But Rotten Tomatoes' critics are solid at 84 and its audiences 80%.

Eighth Grade (2018)

This delightful independent dramedy about an against-all-odds optimistic, though shy, girl will remind most of us of the pain of adolescence and give us a little hope for the next generation.

Elsie Fisher is marvelous as Kayla (she played one of the coach's kids in McFarland, USA, though I failed to write that, and, beginning at age five, did voices on the first two Despicable Me movies, though I failed to see them). Photography began the week after she finished eighth grade. Josh Hamilton (last blogged for Away We Go) is her befuddled and against-all odds patient dad.

Director/writer Bo Burnham makes his feature and fiction debut and apparently took script suggestions from Fisher.

This is the second soundtrack for composer Anna Meredith and it can be streamed from this spotify playlist. Listen and see if you agree with writers who've called her music uncategorizable.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics agree with us, averaging 98% and its audiences aren't far behind at 87.  It has left theatres in this area, but will be available for rent this week, beginning September 25, 2018.

Madame (2017)

I liked this cringy screwball comedy a lot. Toni Collette is very good as the tightly wound American Anne who invites her maid to a fancy dinner party in her Paris home so as to have an even number at the table. This is the best of the three movies I binged on the flight home from Europe last month.

Collette (last blogged for Hearts Beat Loud) is joined by Harvey Keitel (most recently in Youth) as her more relaxed husband Bob. The distinctive Rossy de Palma (one of Almadóvar's favorite actresses, she's been in his Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989), The Flower of My Secret (1995), Broken Embraces, and Julieta, to name a few) is wonderful as the maid Maria, as is Tom Hughes (best known to me as Prince Albert in 16 episodes of Victoria) as Bob's pot-stirring son Steve. Michael Smiley (I've seen many of his projects but couldn't place him) has the pivotal role of the art dealer.

This is the second time directing and third feature script for French director/writer Amanda Sthers (I had not heard of her and could guess how to pronounce her name but have no idea).

Matthieu Gonet's (also new to me) lovely soundtrack with the usual accordions and acoustic guitar solos to make it sound French can be streamed from this spotify link.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics do not agree with me, averaging 39%, and its audiences come in at only 57. It can be rented or bought on iTunes and Amazon right now.