The Odyssey

The Odyssey is epic. It is a master class in direction.  This journey combines several stories which, on their own, could be movies. Besides the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men encounter various adventures in their ten-year return to Ithaca. The journey back home is their motivation.

Some of the scenes are fantastical. The Cyclops and the Laestrygonians (giants) are gruesome and impressive. Christopher Nolan prefers not to use CGI. Even in the Cyclops scene, Bill Erwin is in costume and, with other mechanical devices, brings the Cyclops to life. For the ships and battles involving hundreds of soldiers, they are all real. They spent every dollar of the $250m production budget.

This is an ensemble movie. Time on screen is not proportionate, even with three hours. Matt Damon gives a stoic performance in his quest to return home. You can feel the weight of his journey. He is in most of the scenes of the movie. Nolan wanted Damon to grow his own beard; no prosthetic was used. The different lengths of beard indicate when the film was shot.

Tom Holland plays Telemachus, Odysseus’s son. He never gives up hope that his father is alive, defying the taunts of his mother’s suitors. He appears in several scenes, fighting would-be suitors for his mother and keeping his father’s memory alive. He plays the role with faithfulness to his father and by defending his mother.

Anne Hathaway plays Penelope, Odysseus’s wife. In most of the scenes, she sits behind a screen, weaving a burial shroud by day and unweaving it at night to keep the suitors at bay. After Odysseus’s twenty-year absence, Penelope does not give up hope that her husband is alive. She is defiant. This was a brave performance by Hathaway. She appeared to have no makeup or enough to make her look older and weary. No Prada was used in the making of this film.

An outstanding performance was given by John Leguizamo as Odysseus’s faithful servant. In his role, he is nearly blind, making his acting more challenging. He conveys his loyalty to Odysseus and disdain for the suitors even as they torment him.

Charlize Theron is Calypso, the nymph who keeps Odysseus on her island, feeding him lotus flowers to forget his memory. Her screen time is short. It is implied they were romantically involved, but what else are you going to do on an island for seven years?

 Zendaya is Athena, who protects Odysseus on his journey. She appears infrequently, is somber, and almost sad. Robert Pattinson is one of Penelope's suitors. He is sleazy and does a good job of it. Lupita Nyong'o is Helen of Troy. A short but important role. Elon Musk objected to a black woman portraying Helen of Troy. Where was he born?

The crescendo of the movie is Odysseus's return. He takes on all the suitors. This is the scene where Odysseus proves his identity by shooting an arrow through twelve axes handles.

The locations were an important part of the quest for authenticity. It has been well advertised that this film was shot in IMAX. I do not have much experience with IMAX film, but the audio was deafening. It was uncomfortable.

I have one observation of Nolan’s script. One of the characters uses the  F**k word. I am not a linguist, but I do not think that word was in fashion in the BC era.

This is a three-bathroom movie. Lay off the Diet Coke.

Pressure

 

Pressure

The story of D-Day is well documented; still, this film captures the intense pressure to launch the invasion and the critical role of the meteorological forecast. This all sounds very technical, but it's just a background for some outstanding acting.

The story begins three days before D-Day, when Eisenhower demands that his meteorological team provide a forecast with certainty. The Scottish Group Captain James Stagg is appointed chief meteorologist, and he soon clashes with the American Colonel Irving P. Kirk. Kirk has served with Eisenhower on several campaigns, so he has Eisenhower's confidence.

General Eisenhower is played by Brendan Fraser. He gives an intense performance, capturing the immense pressure of Eisenhower’s decision to launch the largest sea and air invasion and putting thousands of soldiers’ lives in peril. He wants certainty in the forecasts, but what he gets is conflicting opinions. This uncertainty is the crux of the movie.

Andrew Scott plays James Stagg; he delivers a brilliant performance. He is very confident in his forecast and remains steadfast even in the face of Eisenhower’s haranguing. Eisenhower never lets up on the pressure, and Stagg does not bend.

Chris Messina plays Irving Kirk. His confidence borders on arrogance, and his antagonism toward Stagg is palpable. Kirk relies on historical weather patterns, whereas Stagg argues that the North Sea is unpredictable and that weather patterns can shift within the same day.

Another important character is Kay Summersby, portrayed by Kerry Condon. She is Ike’s personal assistant and something of a whisperer, calming him and chiding him. There are salacious stories about Ike and Kay, but that is for another movie.

I learned something new from this film, Operation Tiger. This was a rehearsal for the invasion. Slapton Sands was the site of the exercise because it resembled Utah Beach. Live ammunition was used to accustom soldiers and recruits to the sounds and smells of combat. There was a miscommunication about the start time of the exercise, and when the bombardments began, more than 700 servicemen were killed by friendly fire.

Aside from the story's historical nature, the film is well-scripted and well-acted. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 87%.

 

The Bride

 

The Bride

We're still at the start of this year, but hands down, this film is the worst movie of the year. This is Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, and she stumbles badly. I normally do not comment on direction, but this movie is chaotic.  It seems that the actors ad-libbed their roles.

This is the bride of Frankenstein.  As with the original 1935 film Frankenstein, or as they call him in this version, Frank, he is seeking companionship. He goes to the mad scientist, they dig up a corpse, and with a few bolts of electricity, the bride is reanimated.

The movie is a hot mess. Gyllenhaal tried to stitch different motifs in the film. There was the monster subject, then the gangster element. Since the film was set in the 1930’s, there was jazz era music and dancing. These elements conflicted with each other. She made her own monster.

Gyllenhaal must have called in her favors. For such a crap movie, the star lineup is impressive. Christian Bale is Frankenstein. He is hardly recognizable with heavy prosthetics and staples on his face.  I had a hard time identifying   Annette Bening as the mad scientist. Penelope Cruz looks dowdy as an assistant inspector. Peter Sarsgaard plays the police inspector; thankfully, he fits the role. She got her brother Jake Gyllenhaal for free.  

Jessie Buckly is the bride. Throughout the movie, there is tar on her face. To pay homage to the 1935 version, her hair is frizzed. Mel Brooks gave Madeline Kahn the same hairstyle in Young Frankenstein (a much better movie). Hopefully, no one saw this movie before she received the Oscar for Hamnet.

There are just five seconds at the end of the film that the movie has heart and is coherent.

I think Maggie deserves a mulligan. Good luck next time.

 

Project Hail Mary

 

Project Hail Mary

This is a joyous movie. It is a science fiction movie, but it is about friendship and sacrifice. Ryan Gosling is Ryland Grace, a scientist and reluctant astronaut. The Sun is in jeopardy of being extinguished in thirty years due to a microorganism called Astrophage. There is one star, Tau Ceti, that has survived the Astrophage infection, and Project Hail Mary is to go to that star system and determine how it has survived.

This movie has the weight of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I think it is that good. Gosling is the main protagonist, and he carries the movie. He plays the role with humor and tenderness. Sandra Huller is Eva Stratt Grace’s superior and the head of Project Hail Mary. When she fails to persuade Grace to go on the mission and save humanity, she has him drugged and placed on the spacecraft. After prolonged suspended animation, Grace awakens to find that his two shipmates have not survived, and he is alone.

On his journey, Grace encounters a rock-like, five-legged alien astronaut whom he names Rocky. Rocky is also on a mission to save his plant’s Sun from the Astrophage. Each cannot live in the other’s atmosphere. Since Rocky is a mechanic, it builds compartments where Grace and he can survive. They become true friends willing to sacrifice for each other. As silly as it may seem, the scenes can bring tears to your eyes.

The overall special effects are dazzling. Rocky is a puppet and not CG. There were several puppeteers operating Rocky in the style of Japanese puppetry, Bunraku.

This movie is more than just sci-fi; it defies that label. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 95% score.

 

 

Blue Moon

 

Blue Moon (Amazon Prime)

Blue Moon is basically a one-man play with a wonderful supporting cast. Ethan Hawke is Lorenz (Larry) Hart, the American lyricist and half of the famous Broadway songwriting team Rogers and Hart. This is a short film, about 1.5 hours, focusing on the opening night of Oklahoma and the adulation for the play, contrasting with Hart’s disparagement of it and his regret for declining to write it.

Hawke delivers a bravo performance. Hawke’s portrayal captures Hart’s disappointments and the facades he presents. Aside from costuming and makeup, dialogue is the film's main feature. Hawke captures the character's tone at the nadir of his career. His famous songs are behind him, and new ones depend on collaborations he can sustain with his former partner. Hawke captures Hart’s mercurial nature. Hart is a great songwriter, but he needs new opportunities. Compounding his artistic struggles with his alcoholism.

His biggest façade is that he is gay. To maintain this act, he pursues a relationship with a young art student half his age, played by Margaret Qualley.  He gives her flowers and promises to introduce her to his famous associates to advance her career. Despite his adulation, the relationship is not consummated. She knows he is gay. Back in the 1940’s, being outed as gay was a career killer, so their relationship was more symbiotic than romantic.

The emotion that defines Hart is a profound sadness, which Hawke captures. Hart is in search for his next big break and his inability to be his true self.

Bobby Canavale is his talkative bartender friend who, without success, tries to limit Hart's drinking. Margaret Qualley is the tall glass of water that Hart uses as a shield to hide his forbidden desires. Andrew Scott is Richard Rogers, who seems to distance himself from Hart, implying that Hart was difficult to work with.

Ethan Hawke is almost unrecognizable because of the makeup. They use cinematic magic. Hawke is 5’10”, while the real Hart was 5’. In the film, Hawke appears smaller, matching Hart’s size.

The movie is an engaging biopic, and Ethan Hawke earns a well-deserved best actor nomination.

Hamnet

 

Hamnet (Amazon Prime)

Hamnet deserves the awards it has received. It won the Golden Globe for best picture. Chloe Zhao is nominated for an Oscar for best director, and Jessie Buckley is nominated for best actress and is in strong contention to win. 

The film is about love, grief, and surviving both. William and Agnes were passionate, and she became pregnant before marriage. When they married, he was eighteen, and she was twenty-six. Their family grew with a daughter and twins, Hamnet and Judith. Shakespeare’s successful career as an actor and a playwright took him away from his home to London. During this absence, his beloved son Hamlet dies of the plague. Hamlet's death burdens their marriage, and her son's grief consumes Agnes.

Jessie Buckley as Agnes delivers an outstanding performance. Her acting is powerful; her grief feels real. The death of Hamlet strains their marriage, and she scolds William for being away when Hamlet dies. He also feels devastated for not being home when Hamlet passed away. Her performance will greatly boost the film's chances of winning Best Picture.

Besides Buckley, the cast is excellent. Paul Mescal plays William Shakespeare. Besides sorrow, he conveys guilt. His performance is nuanced. As a tribute to his son, he writes Hamlet. The film's highlight occurs when Agnes watches the play and realizes how William feels about Hamnet’s death. Mescal is not nominated for an Oscar and did not win the Golden Globe. This snub contradicts his great performance.

The children were also great. Of note was Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet. The young actor's interpretation of the role was nuanced.

For the Oscars, Hamlet has solid competition, but I give it strong odds.

Marty Supreme

 

Marty Supreme

Marty Mauser is a world-class table tennis player. Despite his relentless ambition for his sport, he is completely reprehensible. He lies, steals, and abandons his pregnant childhood girlfriend. To further his career, he is willing to be humiliated and throw a match.

 All this said, Timothee Chalamet brilliantly plays this character. Chalamet never eases up on Marty’s intensity. His portrayal of Mauser makes him unlikable. He is an apex conniver.

The cast is fantastic. Gwyneth Paltrow came out of retirement to play Kay Stone, a faded, retired actress, a bit past her expiration date. Stone and Mauser have a sexual liaison, but it is devoid of love. He uses Stone as a means to an end. She desires someone other than her husband. Their relationship is transactional.

Her husband, played by Kevin O’Leary, known as Mister Wonderful from the TV show Shark Tank, delivers a fantastic performance. His character as Milton Rockwell is a pen magnet who shifts from being a potential benefactor to Mauser’s tormentor. He takes pleasure in humiliating Mauser. O’Leary is quite comfortable as an actor.

Odessa A’zion, Racheal Mizler, is Marty’s very pregnant girlfriend. Staying in character, Marty denies being the father. She wants to leave her husband, but Marty is not a safe harbor.

Some members of the cast are eclectic. Besides Kevin O’Leary, there are other non-traditional actors. John Catsimatidis, who owns Gristedes and D’Agostino, plays a businessman. There is also Issac Mizrahi, the fashion designer, who plays Stone’s publicist. Penn Jillette, the magician, plays a farmer. As nontraditional actors, they gave great performances. Fran Dresher played Marty’s mother. She is an actress, but her last gig was the national president of the SAG-AFTRA actors' union. Her gravel voice is her hallmark.

The set design was impressive. It depicted New York City in the 1950s. Everything looked authentic, from the cars and police uniforms to the tenements. I can attest to their realism since this was my neighborhood back in the 50s.

Timothee Chalamet won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, so he has strong odds for an Oscar.