Small Axe (2020) anthology

We really liked this powerful series, based on true events (1969-1982) in London's West Indian community, showing their colorful lives going on until racism rears its ugly head. Director/co-writer Steve McQueen, a 1969-born Londoner of West Indian heritage, has been working on the project for ten years, and finally turned it into five feature films, totaling nearly six hours, which we streamed on Amazon Prime on three different days.

It's racking up nominations and awards, mostly in film, although imdb.com and the Independent Feature Project call it a TV mini-series. It'll be interesting to see what the Academy decides. Here is further discussion on that topic from Variety.

Mica Levi is credited as composer for the first three, but I remember only the songs, mostly reggae, natch, including Bob Marley's 1973 song from the proverb: If you are the big tree, we are the small axe. Someone created a Spotify playlist but I haven't cross-referenced it with the imdb lists below.

The acting (see below) and cinematography (Shabier Kirchner) perfectly complement the stirring stories.

Mangrove, at 2:07, is the longest and is based on the 1971 trial of the Mangrove Nine (wikipedia) which followed a riot of residents vs. police in 1970. The cast includes Shaun Parkes as the Mangrove restaurant owner Frank Crichlow, Letitia Wright as the leader of the British Black Panthers, Alex Jennings as the white judge, and many more. Alastair Siddons co-wrote the script with McQueen. Here's a list of the songs. We watched this one on its own.

Lovers Rock comes next, at 1:10, and takes place during one night before and during a house party in the 1980s. Technically a romance, it veers wildly between the joy of the party-planners and -goers to the systemic racism they must endure, and stars Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn and Micheal Ward, among others. There's a scene of exuberant dancing that wasn't that long in the script, but McQueen let the camera run and kept it in the final cut because the cast had such a good time. Courttia Newland is the co-writer, and the songs are listed here. We made this into a double feature with the following.

Red, White and Blue, 1:20 long, is based on the life story of an actual man named Leroy Logan (born 1957), who, as a child, witnessed police assaulting his father and, as an adult, contemplates quitting his lab work to effect change in the police force. John Boyega and Steve Toussaint shine as the adult Leroy and his father Ken. Watch to find out what happened to Logan in real life. Newland co-wrote this script as well. This song list is also on imdb.

Alex Wheatle began our third viewing session. At 1:06, it's another biopic (the real Wheatle was born in 1963), jumping back and forth in time from his prison term to his wretched childhood to his time as a DJ to the 1981 Brixton uprising. Sheyi Cole is amazing as Wheatle, even when he doesn't say anything. As above, see the movie to find out how his life turned out. My regular readers know that we watch (at home and otherwise when possible) with closed captions for the hearing impaired. Due to the strong dialects, captions are absolutely essential for us white boomers and, even then, I was not completely sure what every phrase meant. McQueen offered the real Wheatle a crack at the script, but was refused, so Siddons co-wrote it. The song list is on imdb and no one is credited with the score.

Education wraps up the anthology. It's 1:03 long and is a fictionalized account of British-West Indian children's relegation to so-called "special" schools in the 1970s. Like the others, it's maddening, but this one offers real hope for change. Kenyah Sandy is terrific as 12-year-old Kingsley, who cannot read. McQueen himself is dyslexic and was not educated properly so this is personal. Siddons is, again, the co-writer here. Like in Lovers Rock, there's an extended musical sequence, but unlike the former, this one is painfully awkward and Jack and I laughed out loud at it. The song list on imdb is woefully short, and, once again, there's no composer credited.

McQueen was last blogged for Widows, Levi for Marjorie Prime, Wright for Black Panther, Jennings for Denial before playing the Duke of Windsor in The Crown, and Boyega for Detroit. All the rest are new to me, though I want to tell you that Cole, making his feature debut, was still in acting school when he was cast and Sandy had already played Simba in the London West End production of The Lion King.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is a big 97%, but its audiences' averages are chopping it down, with Mangrove at 82%, Lovers Rock at 73,  Red. White and Blue at 71, Alex Wheatle at 30 (what??), and Education at 74. They're just wrong. All are worth a few hours of your time.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Jack and I loved this terrific movie, about a #MeToo vigilante, that the New York Times called a "hard candy with a sour center." It's surprisingly funny at times. Carey Mulligan, as Cassie, brilliantly heads the cast, which includes Laverne Cox as her boss. Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, and Chris Lowell (the latter towards the end) are former classmates, and Jennifer Coolidge and Clancy Brown are her parents. One reviewer commented that the word "rape" is never uttered and that the potential or actual rapists are played by actors known better as affable comedy stars.

Emerald Fennell makes a stunning directing and writing debut in the gradually unfolding plot. The title was apparently inspired by the fact that Brock Turner, the Stanford student who was convicted of sexual assault in 2016, was called a "promising young man." Until reading that, I thought it had to do with Cassie's taking a different life path than what was expected of her. Margot Robbie and Mulligan are among the producers, but Robbie doesn't appear on screen.

As I write I'm streaming the score by Anthony Willis, available by subscription on Apple Music and Spotfy. The songs play an important role, too. Fennell sent a playlist to Mulligan before shooting, and it featured Toxic by Britney Spears, a favorite of Fennell's. Soundtracks with the songs are also on Apple Music and Spotify, but these playlists inexplicably don't include Spears' tune, so you can listen to it, again on Apple Music and Spotify.

I must mention the colorful cinematography, including wide screen centered shots, by Benjamin Kracun, as well as Cassie's great Barbie-doll hair, styled by Bryson Conley and Daniel Curet.

Mulligan was last blogged for Wildlife, Cox for Grandma, Brie for Happiest Season, and Lowell for The Help after 26 episodes of GLOW (among other roles). Coolidge and Brown have worked a lot since they were profiled in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans and Cowboys & Aliens, respectively.

Burnham was in these pages for directing and writing Eighth Grade, but didn't act in it. Fennell wrote six episodes of Killing Eve and was one of the show runners, but many of you have seen her acting in The Crown as Camilla Parker Bowles, as well as other roles (I have not seen Call the Midwife). She has a cameo here as "Host of BxxxJxxx Lips Make-up Video Tutorial." SEE NOTE BELOW*

Willis, Kracun, and Conley are new to me. Curet was nominated for two Emmys for the wonderful series Pushing Daisies, in which Anna Friel had a similar haircut.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are making good on their promises, averaging 91 and 88%. We rented this on January 15, and it's available, for a fee, on several platforms.

*NOTE: I substituted BxxxJxxx for the actual oral sxx word because Blogger put a warning on this post that it contains adult content, requiring readers to agree before proceeding to the post. Weird, since it came out two and a half years ago and most of the readers clicked on it when it was new.

Soul (2020)

Pixar, now part of Disney, has done it again, with this sweet, clever, metaphysical animated story of a teacher, moonlighting as a struggling jazz pianist, who literally stumbles into the "Before Life" and makes a friend.

Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey, as Joe and 22, lead the enormous and distinguished cast of voices, with help from Graham Norton, Alice Braga, Phylicia Rashad, Questlove, Angela Bassett, Daveed Diggs, June Squibb, and so many more. I have to tell you my favorite line. Joe asks 22 why she, a disembodied soul, sounds like "a middle-aged white lady." She says, "I just use this voice because it annoys people."

Pete Docter is credited as director and Kemp Powers as co-director, with story and screenplay attributed to them and Mike Jones.

We streamed the soundtrack, by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, immediately and repeatedly after watching the movie on Disney+ on January 8. You can hear the soundtrack with a subscription to Apple Music, or free on YouTube or Spotify, among others. As fans of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jack and I are familiar with Batiste's music. We realized that the drawings of Joe's long fingers match Batiste's very well. The captions in the movie often mention "melodic trilling," and now we hear Batiste playing that on The Late Show from time to time. The soundtrack combines Batiste's jazz with the ethereal stylings of Reznor and Ross, a rap track by Diggs, and a folk song by Cody ChestnuTT.

Foxx was last blogged for Just Mercy, Fey for Wine Country, Braga for Elysium, Rashad for Creed, Bassett for Black Panther, Diggs for Blindspotting, Squibb for Blow the Man Down, Docter for Inside Out, and Reznor and Ross for Mank.

Norton is the host of an English talk show and Questlove the music director for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Powers wrote One Night in Miami, which we will see very soon. Jones has worked on a few other projects, mostly Pixar, and Batiste, as I mentioned, is music director for a third talk show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics agree with us and everyone we know, averaging a soulful 95%, and its audiences are close behind at 88.

First Cow (2019)

We enjoyed this story of an American cook and a Chinese immigrant making a living among Oregon fur trappers in the early 1820s. With lots of nominations and a few wins already, the movie adds much to director/co-writer/editor Kelly Reichardt's filmography. John Magaro is the taciturn cook and Orion Lee the voluble immigrant. Look for cameos by Ewen Bremner (with his thick Scottish accent) and Rene Auberjonois, and Toby Jones settles in in the third act.

Jon Raymond co-wrote the screenplay, based on his 2004 novel The Half-Life.

I'm streaming the music by William Tyler right now with my subscription from Apple Music. It's also available free from his website.

Director of photography Christopher Blauvelt gives us lush pictures of the Pacific northwest, shot in the aspect ratio of 1.37:1, close to the 4:3 non-high-definition TV ratio, but technically known as the Academy ratio for 35mm, standardized in 1932.

Reichardt was last blogged for Certain Women, Magaro for Carol, Bremner for Wonder Woman, Jones for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Raymond for Meek's Cutoff.

Lee is new to me though not new as an actor. This is Tyler's feature debut after a seven minute documentary he made about his own music. Though I've yet to write about Blauvelt, we've seen much of his work--he shot Meek's Cutoff (4:3 aspect ratio), The Bling Ring, Certain Women (super 16 aspect ratio), Mid90s, and Emma., to name a few.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are jumping over the moon, averaging 95%, while its audiences are practically lactose intolerant at 60. Nonetheless, we liked it when we watched it on Showtime January 5. You can also rent it on Amazon Prime and iTunes.

Another Round (Druk - 2020)

Jack and I really liked this story of four Danish school teachers who decide to test whether drinking will perk up their sad lives. The title literally translates to bender or binge drinking. Terrific performances by Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, and Lars Ranthe highlight this both funny and moving feature, book-ended with scenes of teenagers on an alcoholic spree. 

Thomas Vinterberg directs from a script co-written by him and Tobias Lindholm. Vinterberg's daughter Ida participated in the real-life drinking game, Lake Run, that opens and closes the movie, and was to star as Mikkelson's character's daughter. When Ida was killed by a texting driver four days after filming began, Vinterberg almost ceased production. He didn't, and her character was replaced by a second son. This New York Times review contains no spoilers for a change, and delves into the importance of alcohol to Danish culture.

No composer is named, but I can offer you one playlist on Apple Music and another on Spotify.

Sturla Brandth Grøvlen provides the gorgeous photography.

Vinterberg was last blogged for Far from the Madding Crowd. Mikkelsen has been in, among others, Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002), Casino Royale (2006), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and At Eternity's Gate. Grøvlen shot Shirley.

We rented this on December 29th from the distributor's website, benefiting our favorite local theatre. If you have a favorite, see if you can do the same. In our case, we made the transaction on a MacBook and then used AirPlay to send it to the Apple TV. If that's too challenging, read this for some tech support.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is 92% and there are not enough audience reviews for an average. We definitely recommend it.

Death to 2020 (2020) and Yearly Departed (2020)

Jack and I laughed and winced at both of these TV specials comedically wrapping up the past year. We saw both New Year's Eve, as a substitute for congregating with friends.

Yearly Departed is less well known so I'll start there. In its 43 minutes, women comedians pay tribute to things we lost last year. I heard an interview with Phoebe Robinson somewhere and, although I haven't yet read her books (one is called You Can't Touch My Hair), I'm a fan. She is MC of this funeral-styled ceremony featuring, among others, Rachel Brosnahan and Tiffany Haddish, and concluding with Sarah Silverman. There are two men on screen with almost no lines. It's on Amazon Prime video. Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is 80% and its audiences' 60. 

Death to 2020, on Netflix, has had more promotion. It's an hour and ten minutes, with Laurence Fishburne narrating and Samuel L. Jackson, Lisa Kudrow, Kumail Nanjiani, Leslie Jones, Hugh Grant, and more, playing people who would have been affected by real events of the past year. Yikes--Rotten Tomatoes' critics are averaging a deadly 37%, which makes its audiences' average of 62 look pretty good.

Nevertheless, we recommend both highly. I will not be adding these to my movie index, because they are TV specials.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

We didn't much like what seemed to be a good choice to keep us awake without a New Year's Eve gathering, starting the movie before a late dinner and continuing afterwards. The best things to recommend are the wardrobe, the fireworks scene in the middle, and the aerial catfight near the end.

The enormous cast, led by Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, and, especially Kristen Wiig, is just fine. But the thing is way too long (2:31) and just didn't work for us. We wanted to like it, especially as it's directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins, from a screenplay by her, Geoff Johns, and Dave Callaham.

I like to quote cartoonist Nicole Hollander, who once wrote that a chick flick has too much talking and not enough hitting. This one had too much talking AND too much hitting.

Hans Zimmer's lively score can be streamed with a subscription on Apple Music and free on Spotify.

Lindy Hemmings is credited for the fun 80s clothes.

Gadot and Jenkins were last blogged for Wonder Woman, Pine for A Wrinkle in Time, Wiig for Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Callaham for Zombieland: Double Tap, and Zimmer for Hillbilly Elegy. Johns has created, developed, and/or written dozens of TV episodes based on DC comics; and Hemmings has distinguished herself by costuming, among others, Topsy-Turvy (1999), for which she won an Oscar, My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight, and Wonder Woman.

If you are more inclined to follow Rotten Tomatoes' audiences, averaging 74%, than its critics at 60, do watch for a cameo by Lynda Carter, TV's original 1970s Wonder Woman. It's available by subscription on HBO Max.

Happiest Season (2020)

We loved this brand new holiday classic, a dramedy about a woman going to meet her girlfriend's family, only to discover the girlfriend hasn't come out to them. That doesn't sound funny but there are lots of laughs, with Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as the main couple Abby and Harper. Mary Steenburgen is hilarious as Harper's tightly wound mother Tipper (!), as is Daniel Levy as Abby's best friend John. Alison Brie is Harper's uptight sister Sloane and Aubrey Plaza plays it straight (see what I did there?) for a change as Harper's high school friend Riley. The cast is big and star-studded even beyond those names.

This is the second feature that actress Clea DuVall has directed and written, sharing screenplay credit this time with Mary Holland, who plays Harper's other sister Jane, also very funny. DuVall appears only in the end credits in a photo next to Plaza.

The soundtrack by Amie Doherty is available to stream on Apple Music with a subscription and for free on Spotify.

Stewart was last blogged for Certain Women, Davis for Tully, Steenburgen just now for Elf, Plaza for Ingrid Goes West, and Doherty for The High Note. Levy is best known for creating and starring in all eighty episodes of Schitt's Creek and Brie for 38 of Mad Men as Trudy Campbell, 110 of Community as Annie, and 30 of G.L.O.W. as Ruth.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 83%, are a bit more joyful than its audiences at 76. It's a Hulu original, so we streamed it that way.

This is the fifteenth year that Jack and I have watched a movie together on Christmas day after opening presents and before dinner, but the first of those fifteen years without Amy. Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow. Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow.

Lovely, Still (2008)

I hated it. For the record Jack didn't but didn't love it either. We thought this would be a nice end to our Christmas day, because imdb called it "a holiday fable...of an elderly man discovering love for the first time." With Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Adam Scott, and Elizabeth Banks, what could go wrong? The story, that's what.

The third act really pissed me off, and I'm not going to tell you what it was because of my policy to avoid spoilers. Nicholas Fackler directs and writes, with "additional writing" by Tim Kasher.

The music by Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott isn't available to stream.

Burstyn was last blogged for All I Wish and Scott for The Overnight, which was in the middle of his 97 Parks and Recreation episodes and before five of The Good Place and 14 of Big Little Lies, among others. We also really liked his twenty episodes of Party Down (2009-10), which we watched this summer.

Banks was most recently in these pages for voicing a part in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and Landau for a voice in 9. Landau died in 2017 at 89 and was best known for roles in 76 episodes of Mission: Impossible (1966-69, North by Northwest (1959), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), and Ed Wood (1994), for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. This is the only feature fiction film for Fackler and it's Kashler's debut.

We watched it on Amazon Prime video.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are lovelier than I, averaging 73 and 75%, respectively. Oh, well. As my mother used to say, that's what makes horse racing.

Elf (2003)

On the day before Christmas I said to myself,
"A holiday movie? I haven't seen Elf!"

Jack was willing to watch again the sweet and slightly corny story of a tall man-child, raised by Santa and his elves, who locates his birth father in New York City. The big cast, led by Will Ferrell in the title role, with Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, and Zooey Deschanel, to name a few, doesn't disappoint.

This was Jon Favreau's second outing as a director, this time working from a script by David Berenbaum.

The soundtrack by John Debney is available by subscription on Apple Music and for free on Spotify.

Ferrell was last blogged for Downhill (possibly the last movie we saw in a theatre before the lockdown), Asner for The Heart Specialist,  Caan for New York, I Love You, Steenburgen for A Walk in the Woods, Deschanel for Rock the Kasbah, and Favreau was last blogged as a director for The Jungle Book. Newhart (91) is a comedian whose records we played in my childhood apartment and went on to star in, among others, two sitcoms bearing his name for a total of 326 episodes from 1972-1990. Search for him on google and you'll have many opportunities to hear his buttoned-down 60s humor. This is the first of five produced screenplays by Berenbaum but I've seen none of the others. His Frosty the Snowman movie is in pre-production.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are fairly cheery, averaging 84 and 79%, respectively. We watched it on Hulu.