MOVIE REVIEW: MARRIAGE STORY

A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a gruelling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes.

Director: Noah Baumbach

Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Azhy Robertson, Julie Hagerty, Merritt Wever, Wallace Shawn

Release Date: December 13, 2019

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Rated R for language throughout and sexual references.

Runtime: 2h 17min

Review:

Noah Baumbach’s Marriage story is as subtle as it is familiar.  You’d be hard pressed to ignore echos from films like 1979’s Kramer vs Kramer which starred Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep or even 1989’s The War of the Roses with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas.  Perhaps every generation needs one or two films that captures the slow-moving disintegration of a love story perhaps to act as a counterweight to the endless Rom-Coms that Hollywood churns out.  Baumbach’s film does a fine job of capturing what those singular films have in the past by capturing the ordinary and mundane that can lead to larger life events.  We never see the marriage in its heyday and it’s probably for the best that its only referred to but never explicitly shown, capturing how those fiery moment have faded into the mundane.  At the film’s center are two performances that keep your attention even through the quieter moments which pepper the film.  Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson keep it watchable and engaging throughout.  I’ll readily admit that I’ve never understood Driver’s appeal, in my opinion he’s been playing version of the same character since he first hit the screen, but it’s hard to ignore his measured but realistic performance.  The film paints his character in a slightly more sympathetic light which makes him easier to like since the film tends to follow him more than Johansson.  Scarlett Johansson is just as strong even if her character is a bit more distant from the center of the film.  Still both are likable for the better part of the film even as things start to get more and more pointed leading to an explosive confrontation which is realistic in its gloves off emotional brutality.  If this makes the film sound like a decidedly dour affair, it’s not.  In fact, the film is an ebb and flow in emotions with moments of levity coming as readily as the sadder moments.  The supporting actors all have fun moments with Laura Dern channeling her Big Little Lies character.  Alan Alda and Ray Liotta both have smaller roles, but each leave a lasting impression and make you wish they’d been on screen just a tad more.  As a whole, Marriage Story is a bitter sweet tale about what happens once the romantic comedy moments end

A

MOVIE REVIEW: RICHARD JEWELL

During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, security guard Richard Jewell discovers a suspicious backpack under a bench in Centennial Park. With little time to spare, he helps to evacuate the area until the incendiary device inside the bag explodes. Hailed as a hero who saved lives, Jewell's own life starts to unravel when the FBI names him the prime suspect in the bombing.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde

Release Date: December 13, 2019

Genres: Drama

Rated R for language including some sexual references, and brief bloody images

Runtime: 2h 9min

Review:

Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell is an engaging but flawed filmed even though the performances and direction is strong all around.  Eastwood crafts an engrossing film about the truth life event with Paul Walter Hauser delivering a singular performance.  Hauser gives Jewell a sort of Forrest Gump vibe from the get go even though it’s readily apparent that certain aspects of Jewell’s life reeked of warming signs.  He’s painted as an earnest if somewhat delusional individual who ultimately wanted to do the right thing.  His interplay with Sam Rockwell and Kathy Bates really gives the film a spark that gives the understated film life its beating heart.  Unfortunately, the film’s script takes massive liberties with another real life person and their actions.  It’s a glaring misstep that damages the film’s credibility by deciding to go for a clichéd and misogynistic take on the female reporter who is the defacto villain in the film.  It’s a bit puzzlingly that Olivia Wilde would take the role in the first place and then give the character nearly no depth.  Having Jon Hamm do Don Draper with an FBI badge only exasperates how problematic the characterization is.  The fact that Clint Eastwood and his screen writer have no issue taking such an antiquated approach really keeps the film from being some truly special if they’d just gone for a more nuanced approach to the story.  As is, it’s a well acted drama that tells the story of a true life event with fictionalized elements.

B-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Marriage Story

With the weekend fully occupied by my annual New York City trip, today I took advantage of my "recovery day" today to check out Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

A divorce seen from all points of view.

Marriage Story is the sort of movie I expect to loathe. No explosions. No gunfights. No Jason Statham. Why even bother making that movie, am I right?? This one, though? I liked it. It's good. It's clever. It's deep. I mean, still no Statham, but, well, you can't have everything, I guess.

Marriage Story dives deep into the divorce of an actor (Scarlett Johansson) and a director (Adam Driver), poking at the story from all sides. Determined to split amicably, the two are pulled in different directions by extraneous forces, as they navigate the challenging terrain of their separation and its effects not only on themselves, but also on their young child. Johansson and Driver are brilliant, and--while he may not have Taron Egerton's Oscar, either--this is probably the closest anyone's gotten to Egerton's fantastic work in Rocketman all year long. Authentic, devastating performances by both leads. The supporting players are no slouches themselves, with Wallace Shawn, Alan Alda, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, and Julie Hagerty among the notables fleshing out this layered tale. Marriage Story is inescapably sad, but also funny at times. It realistically portrays how a person might hate and love someone at the same time. It is a complex, well-crafted story whose only real flaw is that the painful subject matter makes its excessive length cumbersome. It also confirms my theory that most trouble starts with having Laura Dern around, so there's that.

Marriage Story clocks in at 136 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout and sexual references."

Marriage Story is a heartbreaking, hopeful work of art, and I recommend it with some surprise but no hesitation.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Marriage Story gets eight.

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Irishman

Dearest reader(s), Monday I spent nearly half of my day off trying to digest Martin Scorsese's The Irishman.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailer.

An aging mob hitman recounts his past and his relationship with infamous union leader Jimmy Hoffa.
Let it be noted I've already taken much heat for suggesting this film might not be the second coming of Christ...or at least the second coming of the Godfather. Take me to task if you will, but I've probably already heard it. That being said: I didn't hate this movie. I think it's being classed a masterpiece by default, because the individual pieces *should* add up to something spectacular. In my mind they don't, BUT...I didn't hate it.

Let's start with the obvious: the Irishman is too long to be as slow as it is, or too slow to be as long as it is. There are plenty of moving pieces, but it's not half complicated enough to justify such a bloated runtime. Robert DeNiro is, of course, more than alright in the lead; it's a role he could sleepwalk to awards glory. His by-the-numbers assassin isn't particularly sympathetic, but, portrayed as a normal person ravaged by age and a few pangs of regret, he appears to be the good guy...or maybe the least bad guy? Al Pacino's Jimmy Hoffa is an ice-cream loving buffoon, so convinced of his own untouchable status that he almost seems an easy mark. It's a convincing performance, but not a particularly noteworthy item on the Pacino CV. The supporting cast is a who's who of "that guy who was in that mob movie": Joe Pesci, Bobby Cannavale, Harvey Keitel, Stephen Graham, Ray Romano. Everyone is capable; no one is remarkable. The film does feature a pretty terrific soundtrack of old 50s and 60s nuggets, with Marty Robbins' "A White Sport Coat (and a Pink Carnation)" bringing particular joy to this old 60s nugget. The Irishman is an interesting enough story that, unfortunately, isn’t particularly well told, although the movie did prove a marginally better sleep aid than the most recent Avengers flick, so there ya go, Scorsese: you got one over on Marvel.

The Irishman runs an interminable 209 minutes and is rated R for "pervasive language and strong violence."

The Irishman is a deliberately-paced tale of violence and betrayal.

While its individual ingredients taste of past brilliance, the finished recipe is more Monday night leftovers than Christmas dinner. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Irishman gets five.
Fangirl points: Jack Huston!

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Review of Knives Out

This weekend the cinema offered one of my most hotly-anticipated titles of the year: Rian Johnson's Knives Out.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

When a well-to-do author dies a suspicious death, a private investigator attempts to unravel the case while the millionaire's family fights over his estate.

Knives Out is a proper, original murder mystery, with a layered story and plenty of clever twists to keep the audience engaged. Set almost entirely in a Clue-like old mansion, the atmosphere is almost equal parts lush and creepy, with a healthy side of humor. The all-star cast includes such luminaries as Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, Daniel Craig, LaKeith Stanfield, Toni Collette, and Don Johnson. Most are very good, with Evans turning in a particularly fun performance. Collette, unfortunately, is woefully miscast to the point of being distracting. Neither mattered as much to me as having Don Johnson on my screen. Knives Out is deliberately paced enough to border on too slow, making the two-plus hour runtime seem somewhat longer, and there's an uncomfortable political interlude that serves a purpose, but (for my money) not enough of a purpose to justify what it costs the picture. Overall, I didn't love Knives Out as much as I'd hoped, but--without spoiling any particulars--I think that's more down to it not playing out as I'd have liked than to any shortcomings as a film.

Knives out clocks in at 130 minutes and is rated PG13 for "thematic elements including brief violence, some strong language, sexual references, and drug material."

Knives Out is a sharp, darkly funny mystery that can rightly be counted among the year's best movies. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Knives Out gets eight.

Fangirl points: In addition to Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" featuring on the soundtrack, Knives Out name-checks the musical Hamilton and the movie Baby Driver. Win/win/win. Also, in case you missed it before: DON JOHNSON.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: FROZEN 2

Elsa the Snow Queen and her sister Anna embark on an adventure far away from the kingdom of Arendelle. They are joined by friends, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven.

Director: Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck

Cast: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Ciarán Hinds, Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton, Jason Ritter, Rachel Matthews, Jeremy Sisto

Release Date: November 22, 2019

Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Rated PG for action/peril and some thematic elements

Runtime: 1h 43min

Review:

The original Frozen was a film I ignored as long as I possibly could.  Once I finally succumbed to the weight of its cultural impact and finally watched the film, I was left shrugging my shoulders.  The film itself is perfectly fine but it reminded me a lot of older Disney films which never really did much for me.  The songs were catchy enough to make the whole thing watchable.  The sequel has a very similar feel with a story that’s adequate if uninspired.  Honestly, the music is the center piece of this animated musical.  The songs are all solid enough but sadly none are nearly as memorable as “Let It Go” from the original.  As such, it’s easier to dissect the fairly routine story that doesn’t hold any sort of tension for anyone over the age of 10.  Pixar has raised the bar so high for children’s films that it’s almost quaint to run into a film that’s perfectly fine just catering to its core audience while leaving very little for the adults in the audience.  It’s a shame the story isn’t a bit more dense because the cast is all impressive with Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell carrying the film with great ease.  Josh Gad’s Olaf still fluctuates between amusing to annoying and his character is given a bigger role in this sequel.  Ultimately, this sequel checks all the boxes to keep the younger kids entertained but I doubt anyone will look back on this entry with sort of great fondness or affection. 

B-