The Little Things (HBO Max)

The Little Things (HBO Max)

If you have three academy award winning actors in the same crime thriller and two of them are cops, who do you think is the bad guy? So much for tension. The best I can say about the movie is I found it disappointing. There was not enough meat on the bone for these stars and a poor script.

This is about unsolved murders of a serial killer in the Los Angeles area. I think they wanted to recreate the mood of the Zodiac and Night Stacker killers. One cop  is a demoted  detective,  who teams up with cocky young detective. They work together to solve what they think is the same case. The story could have been more developed with greater interaction with the killer and the killers motivation. Too much was left to the end of the film where there were some important reveals. One ending scene was just not credible.  

Denzel Washington has  bulked up. He plays his usual cool self with a crocked smile. This is a cake walk for him. Rami Malik was  miscast for the role as a tough L.A. detective. With those big dewy eyes he resembles Bambi more than a L.A. cop. His toughness is dubious. He plays the role too hard and was not convincing. Jared Lato wears his creepy Jesus face on a caffeine high. Of all of them Lato plays a good role.

I think this was a well intended effort that missed the mark.

The Trial of the Chicago Seven (Netflix)

 

The Trial of the Chicago Seven (Netflix)

The Chicago Seven trial was about 52 years ago (1968). I remember some parts but not to the detail of the movie. The historical and cultural significance of this event is enough reason to watch the film. Chicago of 1968 belonged to Mayor Richard Daily and he was not going to tolerate “hippie anarchists” demonstrating in his city. The police were his private l tug force. The protests were against the Vietnam war.

The film is written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. The film’s excellent production is as a result of his detailed and emotional script. Trials can be as dry as toast but here the film is engaging and tense. The movie uses cuts from actual news footage of the riots and beatings which are edited into the film. As to the authenticity of the movie I am sure there was some poetic license  but from what I read most of the events were true. The production went out of its way to have the actors reassemble the actual people.  Abie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin were quite accurate. Abie Hoffman is played by Sasha Baron Cohn, of “Borat” fame. I can not watch any of the Borat movies, they are cringe worthy and in poor taste. But Cohn was outstanding in this role. Not only did he mimic Hoffman but he displayed sincerity to Hoffman’s beliefs. Another outstanding performance was presented by Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, the main  defense lawyer. He sported Kunstler’s ubiquitous glasses atop he forehead. What he  lacked in appearance he made up in his passionate performance. Frank Langella was brilliant as the autocratic Judge Julius Hoffman. Langella used a modified Nixon voice and some of his repartee was almost  Vaudevillian.  Obviously, there were no cameras in the court room so Langella did a lot of over the top ad-lib acting.  He must have had great fun.

This is an ensemble performance with a talented cast too many to list. Sorkin has directed a master peace. For all you kids below 40 this film is a required civic lesson. For the rest of us it is a bittersweet through back. In 1969  I was eighteen and required to register for the draft. In the lottery I had a low number which increased my chance of being inducted. I was not picked.

 

 

The White Tiger (Netflix)

 

The White Tiger (Netflix)

This is a hard movie to watch but absolutely worthwhile. The film depicts extreme poverty and brutality which are over come by determination and cunning. The white tiger is that rare creature rising  above brutal obstacles to ruthlessly achieves its goals.  

This film is a combination of a great script, great acting and great directing. This is an American movie, not Bollywood,  but the actors, director and story are all Indian. The story is about a boy with talent and promise but is chained to poverty and caste discrimination. His obstacles include his family, his village and his tyrannical employer. The depiction of Indian society and culture is harsh. Socialism is a sham  driven by graft. Poverty is desperate and is a motivation to escape. The main character says at one time there were a thousand castes in Indian now there are only two.

The protagonist is Balram Halwai played by Adarsh Gourav. His performance was outstanding. He is ambitious and clever but is  capable of reprehensible actions to escape his lot. The dark evolution of his character is the heart of the movie. His sins are camouflaged by a corrupt society. The introduction of Priyanka Chopra as Pinky and Rajkummar Rao as Ashok add  complexity to the film.  They are married and return to India from America. Ashok is the son of the brutal landlord of Barlram’s village and a businessman. Ashok wants to bring American business techniques to his father’s operation but is blocked by implacable graft.  Whereas Ashok tries to straddle two societies,  his wife Pinky is decidedly more American and finds the treatment of Balram cruel. In the end Pinky’s higher morals are tested but she fails. At the point of being discarded like a piece of trash Balram becomes the white tiger again.

The supporting actors do a great job and the movie could not have succeeded without them. I am not certain but I assume locals were also caste. The cinematography was gritty, there were no postcard shots of India. Warning some of the scenes are hard to take.

The movie is entirely shot in India and the poverty is not glossed over. Slumdog Millionaire had brutal scenes, but also redemption. The white tiger does not seek redemption only success. I would not be surprised if this film in nominated for best foreign film. Thanks Marie.

 

The Climb

 

The Climb (Amazon Prime)

I have to stop reading the posters at the Angelica movie theater on Houston Street. The critics lauded this movie with accolades: humorous, smart, great bromances flick etc... The poster was plastered  with laurels from a number of film festivals. At best I found the film annoying.

The main characters are relatively unknown, at least to me. Mike is played by Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle is played by Kyle Marvin. It is written by  Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, produced by Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin and directed by Michael Angelo Covino. Is there a pattern here? The film was made in 2019 but released in 2020 with several push back dates. So the box office of $710,000 is a victim of COVID. Mercifully, it cost only $5.99 to watch.

The film is sectioned in chapters with titles like “Lets Go” and “I’m Sorry”. So there is no continuous story line. Acting is not a hallmark of this film. Mike is an alcoholic jerk who betrays Kyle more than once and although Kyle is the victim he stays loyal to Mike. Emotions never reach a boiling point, although flabby punches are thrown. Mike is reprehensible and Kyle is made of play doe. It is hard to relate to someone who just lets themselves be dumped on.

There are some recognizable names. Gayle Rankin plays Kyle’s wife, Marissa,  and George Wendt (Norm from “Cheers”). The movie takes place wherever they do ice fishing (is that a thing?). The funniest scene of the movie is when Kyle’s friends give him a bachelor party in a tiny  icehouse on a frozen lake and they hire a stripper. There is also a scene which is a total rip off from the “Graduate”. At Kyle and Marissa’s wedding Mike barges into the chapel wearing a white dinner jacket and shouts, “I object”. Dustin Hoffman did it better.

There have been numerous cycling movies, this one is in the back of the pack.  

One Night in Miami (Amazon Prime)

 

One Night in Miami (Amazon Prime)

One Night in Miami is a fictional drama of a meeting among four black icons in 1964: Malcom X, Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), James Brown and Sam Cooke. The gathering is in celebration of Cassius Clay’s  defeat of Sonny Liston to become the heavy weight champion. It takes place in the Miami motel room of Malcom X.

The subject matter is quite heady encompassing race relations, religion, life changing decisions  and prejudice. The movie is based on a play of the same name and the majority of the film is discourse  rather than action. The main interaction is between Malcom X and Sam Cooke and they are  polar opposites regarding the black experience. Malcolm X’s  focus is on black nationalism while Cooke was seen as pandering to white audiences. Not only is Cooke a successful singer but also a businessman and in a heated argument Cooke tells Malcom X  real power is economic power. The film covers other major events; the conversion of Cassius Clay to Islam and changing his name to Muhammad Ali and James Brown making the decision to leave the NFL and pursue his acting career.

Some of the actors are better known than others. Lesli Odem Jr plays Sam Cooke, Kingsley Ben-Adir is Malcom X, Eli Goree plays Cassius Clay and Aldis Hodge as James Brown. Lesli Odem played Aaron Burr in Hamilton. The best and most intense performances were between Sam Cooke and Malcom X. I was not too impressed with the Cassius Clay performance. Actors try to mimic Clay but they just do not get it right. James Brown made the least contribution.

The tension of the film is more philosophical than physical, although arguments do get heated. At times, the film is more about their differences rather than what they have in common.  This is  social commentary worth watching and remembering.

This is the directorial debut of Regina King (Watchmen). This film is a novel way of capturing  the black movements of the 1960’s. It would have been interesting to include Martin Luther King Jr. in the discussion or maybe a black female perspective such as Angels Davis or Sherley Chisholm .

Promising Young Women (Amazon Prime)

 

Promising Young Women (Amazon Prime)

This is film noir in daylight. Cassie  Thomas, as played by Carey Mulligan, has a normal and somewhat dull existence. She is thirty years old lives at home and is a barista at a local coffee shop. This is what you would not expect from a promising young woman. Her career in medicine was derailed by an incident in medical school. She was top of  her class but dropped out. The film is her journey to settle scores. She no qualms going to extremes. The plot is complex with the twists and turns.

The role is a bit of out of character for Mulligan. She usually plays more positive gentler roles. Here she gives an intense psychological performance. Her character is deceptive and manipulative which Mulligan plays perfectly.

The movie is not all dark, there are some lighthearted moments. Her parents played by Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler’s mom in American Pie) and Clancy Brown give her a suitcase for her thirtieth birthday. Their home is classic kitsch. Different style chandeliers, a plastic tablecloth and gold detail on the padded headboard. Her parents do not have a clue what Cassie is doing.

The supporting cast is another strong point of the film. Bo Burnham plays her almost boyfriend (they have issues). He has no idea what he is getting into when he starts dating Cassie. There is also Christopher Mintz-Plasse ( McLoven from Super Bad) and Sam Richardson ( from Veep). Alfred Molina plays the lawyer and Molly Shannon, who unfortunately has a small role.

The film never petters out. The climax is stunning.  This movie is worth your while.

 

News of the World

 

News of the World (Amazon Prime)

Let’s get to it. This is a slow movie, 115 minutes slow. For a western most of the plot is pretty  predictable. The heart of the movie is the tender relationship Hanks develops with his co-star, Helena Zengel. Tom plays Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a former Confederate soldier and Helena plays Johanna, an orphaned ten year old German girl who was abducted by Indians after they massacred her family. Tom travels from town to town reading the news to rural towns people charging a dime for admission. Besides informing the locals of the news the readings were a welcomed distraction from their hardscrabble life.  The film takes place in post-Civil War Texas. Under Reconstruction confederate soldiers had to show loyalty cards and could not carry firearms. The Texas landscape is bleak and baren, a metaphor for a defeated state and its people.

Captain Kidd finds Johanna abandoned on the road. After her parents were killed by Indians she was raised by the Kiowas and no longer speaks English. The majority of her dialogue is a few native words  and some broken English. Kidd obligates himself to return Johanna to her only relatives, her aunt and uncle.

This is basically a two actor film. There is a smattering of Indians and ex-confederate soldiers, but the main drama is between Captain Kidd and Johanna. Tom Hanks is a versatile actor who has played roles from the beloved Forest Gump to a cast away FedEx executive. Here Hanks is like Mr. Rogers on horseback. He is sincere and caring. Over the course of their journey he develops a fatherly affection for Johanna.

Helena Zengel is a Germain actress (what else) with little screen time in the US. With limited dialogue the majority of her performance is portraying emotions and nonverbal communication which she does  well. She is sad but strong willed. Their relationship is not easy. She is defiant and resists returning to the white world. Her relationship with Captain Kidd is tumultuous but they bond over time.

This movie is like comfort food, welcomed and easy to digest. News of the World is a reprieve from cable news.