Barbie

 

Barbie

There are many words to describe this movie, witty, clever, funny but most importantly smart. The film has societal messaging and comedy helps make the delivery acceptable. Not to be accused of spoilers there were scenes where the audience laughed out loud. The script is a balance between absurdity and seriousness. The word patriarchal defines the status quo and is a target of the Barbies.

The cast is full of talent. Margot Robbie is the perfect Barbie (what else) her comic timing is great. Just from the expressions in her eyes, you can see when doubt of her existence emerges. It is not all silliness, there are warm and tender scenes in the film and Robbie delivers. Her awkwardness and cluelessness in the real world are clever.

Then there are the Ken’s. The main Ken is Ryan Gosling. He is a buffed boy toy who is sexually naive. He does a lot of posing and his overacting works well. There are many Kens in the movie and Ken’s main rival is Simu Liu. They are rivals for Barbie. There is a great dance-off with all the Kens which is more entertaining than combative.

The one non-Ken in Barbie land is Allan played by Michael Cera. His low-keyed acting style plays perfectly for an outcaste in the perfect Ken world. He does break type in one scene to his surprise and ours. Kate McKinnon perfectly plays Weird Barbie. She is un-Barbie in looks and brains. Mattel actually made a limited edition of Weird Barbie (for $50).

Will Farrell is the real world president of Mattel. His trademark wackiness is on display. He provided some of the better laughs. Rhea Perlman (Danny DeVito’s wife) is the spirit of Ruth Handler the creator of Barbie (Barbie was named after her daughter, Barbara). Ruth gives Barbie sage advice.

Make sure to watch the opening scenes of the movie it is a witty parody of a classic sci-fi movie.

Barbie outgrossed Warner Brother’s The Dark Knight with $1.2b worldwide. Not bad for a doll.

Blade Runner 2049

Blade Runner 2049                                                                                                          October 6, 2017

Blade Runner 2049 (a.k.a. 2049) and the original Blade Runner are more like siblings than twins. They share DNA but are uniquely different. The original Blade Runner is classic film noir with gloomy rainy Los Angles of the future (2019) and murderous replicants hunted by Blade Runners. 2049 is a journey to find answers dating back to the original Blade Runner. At the heart of both movies are the perils and evolution of artificial intelligence.

 It is not necessity to see the original Blade Runner before watching 2049. 2049 is a sophisticated standalone sci-fi movie with a solid plot. Parts of the original Blade Runner are referenced in 2049 so seeing the original film will give a more holistic experience.

The movie is exhausting with a run time of 163 minutes (the original master piece is 117 minutes). There are some slow parts and surgical editing would have been welcomed.

Ryan Gosling is the replicant Blade Runner working for the LAPD. He is named K but is later called Joe. He shows some human tendencies making him reluctant to perform his duty. Gosling performance for the most part is monotone. A sadness permeates his performance. He is more introspective than Deckard (Harrison Ford).

His LAPD boss is Lt. Joshi played by Robin Wright. Wright gives her usual frosty performance. She is abusive treating Gosling like a disposable non-human. She tasks him with a secret mission.

K has a hologram girlfriend named Joi (what else) played by Ana de Armas (Cubana). When they have sex (very safe sex) another female is used as a proxy and melds with Joi. Not a critical plot point, but interesting to watch.

Jared Leto plays Niander Wallace. He takes over the failed Tyrell corporation and manufactures replicants. Eventhough, he looks like Jesus, he exudes evil. His screen time is unfortunately short but his performance is effective. Wallace’s replicant henchwoman in named Luv, played by Sylvia Hoeks (Dutch model). She beats the crap out of Gosling with round house kicks to the head. Aside from her physically she gives a very effective and surprisingly tender performance.

In last 30 minutes Harrison Ford finally shows up. He is best be described as grizzled.  Ford is in hiding in an abandoned Las Vegas like city. He gives an excellent performance. This is where parts of the original movie come into play. This is the crux of the movie. He and Gosling have great chemistry.

The director of 2049 is Denis Villeneuve director of “Arrival”. His directorial style is decidedly different from Ridley Scott’s. Both films are moody. The original is heavy with darkness and endless drizzle. 2049 is less damp but the mood is anticipatory of something profound to come.

In fear of my life I will not comment of the movie’s plot but I will say it is an intriguing extension of the original film. Philp K. Dick would have approved.

La La Land L

                                                                                          January 28, 2017

The title La La Land, means:

“the mental state of someone who is not aware of what is really happening. La-La Land —used as a nickname for Los Angeles, California”,

The film is a combination of traditional l Hollywood musicals and drama. To legitimize the film as a musical the opening scene has Angelinos stuck in traffic breaking out in joyous spontaneous song and dance. Would this work on the FDR?

The theme of the movie is “things that could have been”. Ryan Gosling is a pianist who loves jazz but compromises his principals to get steady work. Emma Stone is a barista/actress who feels defeated by dead end auditions. As with all musicals boy meets girl and hearts a flutter. For musical talents, Gosling took six months training to play the piano. He was impressive; his fingering was more complicated as the film progressed. His singing was more like those Grammy spoken word awards. Emma Stone has more of a singing voice and gives a solid Broadway rendition.

As for the dancing neither one was Fred Aster or Ginger Rogers. Their numbers were heavily choreographed. You could almost hear them saying, 123…123…123. In tribute to Busby Berkeley one number had them dancing in the air with stars courtesy of the Griffith Observatory.  

Gosling and Stone are outstanding dramatic actors and when the film focuses on their relationship without song and dance, they are in their element. The relationship is complicated as both pursue their dreams. They support each other and fall away from each other. The consequences of their actions give the film a complexity, with a ting of sadness, unusual for musicals.

Adulation for this film is wide spread. Unlike the Golden Globes the Oscars do not have a musical/comedy category. How do you compare this movie to the current crop great dramas? How do you nominate Ryan Gosling as best actor as opposed Denzel Washington or Andrew Garfield? How does Emma Stone compete with Viola Davis or Nicole Kidman or Taraji P. Henson?

Every few years Hollywood gets nostalgic. Back in 2011 the black and white silent screen film “The Artist” won best picture. This could be one of those years. 

The Big Short

Intentionally or unintentionally The Big Short is funny. This could be seen as gallows humor.   The main characters identify the impending collapse of the mortgage market which is refuted by the major financial institutions. The tension of the movie is who will win the bet. Every one over the age of twenty knows the answer. What makes the movie intriguing is how this band of financial savants/misfits, put their firms on the line holding to their convictions while the “experts” deride them.

All the actors were sterling. The main actors are Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt. Christian Bale gives a spectacular performance. He plays Michael Burry a one eyed bare foot doctor who probably has Asperger and listens to heavy metal music to calm himself. Aside from being certifiable he is a financial genius. He sees what others do not see and bets big on it.

Steve Carell plays Mark Baum who is devoid of social skills. Between bouts of depression and anxiety he delivers some of the best humor of the movie relying on his comedic chops. Ryan Gosling is Mr. Slick. Abrasive and fast talking his rudeness is epic. Brad Pitt plays Ben Rickert, the mellow financial mentor. He is too mellow and is nearly wasted for the part.

To explain complex financial concepts the movie employs humorous vignettes. One has Antony Bourdain explaining the mortgage bundling to create derivatives by making a bouillabaisse as an analogy. Another has Selena Gomez explaining synthetic credit default swaps. I think she hurt herself. Jengo blocks were used to illustrate credit ratings (it worked).

This movie is outstanding, too bad it is all true.