The Sound of Metal

 

The Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime)                                                   December 15,2020   

                        This is an art house movie, low budget with great acting. It is a story of transition from the norm to a new reality. Riz Ahmed plays Ruben Stone a hard rock metal drummer who after four years of drumming and performing with his girlfriend is losing his hearing and he eventually goes deaf. Deafness shatters his life. He goes to an otolaryngologist and is told he has lost about 80% of his hearing.  An cochlear implant would cost about $40k dollars, money he does not have. He winds up in a school/halfway house for the deaf. From here his journey into the deaf world begins.

An effective method in the film is when Stone cannot hear there is no sound or subtitles, as if the viewer is deaf also. Parts of the movie are done in sign which Stone starts to master by  attending classes with children. The gestures are expressive and beautiful.

Riz Ahmed gives an amazing performance. His deafness is catastrophic, he is shut out from the world he knows. His pathos and angst consume him. His frustration is maddening and explodes in to rage. He cannot accept his deafness and coping challenges him. His journey into deafness is the crux of the movie.

There are two other supporting characters of note. Olivia Cooke plays his girlfriend. She does not have many scenes but shows how their relationship progressively deteriorates as his deafness progresses. They still love each other even as their relationship is ending.

Paul Raci plays Joe who runs the school for the deaf. He gives a sincere performance of a person who exists and functions in the deaf world. From his perspective deafness is not a disability. His mission is for Rubin to accept his new situation and not be limited by it. Rubin’s resists to Joe’s help and they clash.

Rubin’s interaction with the deaf children at the school is tender and delightful. Rubin enjoys being with the children and he learns from them. They do not resent their deafness. Deafness is a handicap only if you make it so.

The movie is elegant and the ending is beautiful.  

 

Mank

 

Mank (Netflix)                                                                                                                                   December 11, 2020

Mank is the diminutive for Herman Mankiewicz who along with Orson Wells co-wrote the screenplay “Citizen Kane”. The title role of Mank is played by Gary Oldman in a bravo performance reminiscent of his Oscar winning portrayal of Churchill. Mank is an acholic, compulsive gambler gadfly who cannot keep his mouth shut insulting powerful people and testing the love and affection of those close to him. Oldman delivers a masterful performance commanding all these emotions.

This film is multilayered and has some particulars of note:

·         It is in black and white. Mimicking the movies of the 30’s and 40’s.

·         It extensively uses flashback. The flashbacks here work to give background to different plot points.

·         The characters represent (with literary license) real people of the 1930’s and 1940’s. Such as Orson Wells, Louie B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davis (Hearst’s mistress) and Upton Sinclair. The film stands of its own but having some knowledge of these individuals makes the film more interesting.

There are notable supporting actors. Lily Collins plays Rita Alexander who is Mank’s secretary transcribing his  dictation for Citizen Kane while he is convalescing from a busted leg. Mank’s behavior is cantankerous but over time they become close. Marion Davis is played by Amanda Seyfried. Her performance is subtle. On the surface she is portrayed as a wide eyed platinum blond starlet but she understands the perils posed by the film. The main character in Citizen Kane is presumed to be based on Hearst and another character is based on her. Neither feel  their portrayals are flattering and they want to stop the film. Hearst is played by Charles Dance who gives a cool and dispassionate performance; he is not rattled by Mank’s tirades. Hearst embodies the raw political and capitalist power he exerts over California at that period.

Orson Wells appears  briefly in the picture but displays his trademark arrogance and perfectionist approach to film making.  The real Louie B. Mayer was a prick and he is portrayed as such. There are numerous other actors all contributing fine performances.

Mank and Orson Wells won Oscars for the screen play of Citizen Kane in 1941. Herman Mankiewicz died at the age of 55 from complications of alcohol. In the desert of videos on demand,  this an oasis worth seeing.

First Cow

First Cow

This is an art house movie which generates a small box office but gets numerous nominations and accolades (Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 95). It has the feel of a documentary and the pace is very slow. The cinematography  is unimpressive and  the visual scenes  monotonous.

The film takes place in the 1820’s in the northwest territory, it is referred to as historical fiction. The essence of the film is the friendship between two strangers. One is a Chinese man who is running away from a murder he committed   and the other character is a cook named Cookie. One day Cookie see a girl walking with a small buck of milk. Cookie tells his partner he can make small cakes with the milk which they can sell. They call them oily cakes and they are instantly popular making them money (the cakes are like the zeppoles at the San Janeiro festa on Mott street) . Food in the wildness is bland and repetitive so the cakes are a popular treat. The milk comes from the first cow in the territory and at night they steal  milk to make their cakes. For the rest of the story is they are pursed by men of cow’s owner. Apparently stealing milk is a high crime in the wildness.

The acting is passive. Aside from the milk cow theft there is no real action. Except for two Indian women there are no female actors. The two recognizable actors are Toby Jones (Truman Capote) and Scott Shepherd (Die Hard) who have supporting role. I am unfamiliar with the protagonists , which means nothing or diminishes their performance. I watched this movie twice since the first time I feel asleep and missed some key  scenes.

Why am I writing this review? In case you want to see film  (VOD on Amazon) I  want to give you a heads up. The film gives you the milk but no cookies.

The Old Guard

The Old Guard

I will watch anything Charlize Theron is in: a perfume commercial,  as a one armed truck driver (Mad Max Fury Road), as an assassin with bad hair (Atomic Blond), as an overweight serial killer (Monster), even having sex with Seth Rogen, yuk (Long Shot). Since Charlize was in this movie I watched it. I was lost, I had no idea what was going on. My befuddlement is age related. I did not know the movie was based on a comic book of the same name. If you are over the age of thirty I recommend you to the  summary plot in Wikipedia. The Old Guard is  a band of immortal mercenaries. They do not age, their wounds heal and they can not be killed. They never say how old are but drop hints like the Crusades (one and two). One deficit of the movie their immortality is not explained.

Charlize leads of a group of three male mercenaries. A young female marine joins their ranks when she discovers she is immortal after a terrorist cuts her throat. Here too there is no backstory how she became immortal. The plot is not complicated, good guys fighting bad guys. To demonstrate their  indestructibility there is a lot of shooting, I mean a lot. They have Deadpool like regeneration with bullets popping out of their faces. There is a subplot concerning their immortality which makes it more interesting than just a shoot-m-up.

The villain in this movie is a pharmaceutical CEO who has nefarious plans for the immortals. This movie must have been made before the current pandemic because once vilified pharama CEOs are now our saviors. God help us.

Comic movies do not require much acting, but this film has some serious players. Charlize Thorn is an Oscar winner for Monster. Chiwetel Ejiofor may not be familiar to American audiences but he is an excellent British actor (see Pretty Dirty Things). The female marine is played by Kiki Layne. I do not know her work but she received very good reviews for her part in If Beale Street Could Talk.

If you have Netflix the movie is included in your package. Should you see this movie?  Sure, it beats dusting.

p.s. From the last scene, there will be a sequel.

Ford vs Ferrari

Ford vs Ferrari                                                                                                                 June 22, 2020

I do not know why I missed this movie on video on demand, my loss. This is a terrific movie based on true events. The characters are strong and dynamic and their interactions/conflicts  drive the movie. Ford vs Ferrari refers to the competition  between these two motor giants at La Mans. Ferrari being the powerhouse and Ford the upstart. Carroll Shelby, played by Matt Damon, is the chief designer for the Ford racer. Christian Bale is Ken Miles the brilliant but mercurial driver.  Bale is fantastic in the role. He literally morphs into the character incorporating the accent, facial expressions, and explosive personality. His weight loss here is reminiscent of his role in the “Machinist” but not as extreme.

This is an ensemble performance with all  actors  making compelling contributions. Matt Damon is the legendary Carroll Shelby, driver and auto designer (e.g. Shelby Mustang). He plays Shelby in an understated and controlled manner but with passion. When pushed he is capable of  punching  Miles in the face or telling the Ford execs to go pound sand. They are two opinionated great friends. The Ford execs do not come off  well (except for Lee Iacocca). Henry Ford II comes off like a jerk, and this was confirmed by Wikipedia. The Ford executives want to win La Mans, which  frames the movie.

Ken’s wife is played by Caitriona Balfe gives a strong and touching performance. She plays the supportive wife but under her calmness she knows a wrong turn could be fatal at any time. Their son gives a tender performance and humanizes Ken Miles.

Those who know me, know that  my Italian is slightly limited. But you do not have to be a polyglot to read the expression on Enzo Ferrari’s face when he reacts to the insulting offer Ford made for his company. The Italians come off just a bit elitist.

The racing scenes are intense and a big part of the narrative. The camera work is impressive given the high speeds and  the demanding course. There must have been an army of drivers.

As they say, better late than never.

The King of Staten Island

The King of Staten Island                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    June 16, 2020

This is not a funny movie. It is a semi-autobiographical story about Pete Davidson. His father died at 9 11 and much of the film deals with painful consequence of this event. Pete’s character  is a slacker named Scott. He has self-destructive traits attributable to his father’s death. What makes the memories worst is that he lives on Staten Island where half the population are firemen  and the other half cops. Also his mother, Marisa Tomei, is dating a fireman. When a boy loses his father at a young age he has to blame someone to answer the “why” question. With age he understands  there may be no answer, but not Pete.

The first half of the movie is rough with Pete doing drugs being subjected to tough love and bad relationships. The latter part of the film is a redemption movie. Pete goes from the bottom to finding acceptance from the people he pissed off. The director is Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Trainwreck, Superbad) and this is probably his most unfunny movie he has made. There were some comic scenes, but overall this is a dark tinged drama

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Pete Davidson pulls off the dramatic acting. Given his background his angst is genuine. He delivers his performance in his usual phlegmatic style with eruptions of rage. He has reprehensible traits. He uses drugs, has no job or interest in work, a lazy lover and has a far fetched dream of opening a tattoo restaurant. As a counterbalance , in one scene he is taking two kids to school and he is very tender and caring with them, like a father.

Marisa Tomei plays the mother. This was an easy role for her in the fashion of Spiderman’s Aunt May. Since I know nothing of Staten Island culture I can not comment on her accent or style of dress. Steve Buscemi plays a fireman, which in his past life he actually was. He is a bridge between Pete and his late father since they worked together. It would have been nice to have more meat on his role.

Since we are in a movie desert any mirage is welcomed. But this mirage costs $20.00 bucks. Thank you Amazon.

Cats

Cats                                                                                                                                                                       March 30, 2020

I saw the theatrical version of Cats twice. The essence of Cats is its beauty and simplicity.  Wonderful songs, great dancing and minimal  staging defined it. The story  is based on a collection of poems by T.S. Elliot. Why Tom Hooper, the director, decided to blow up this story into a rambling quasi Busby Berkeley  production is a mystery? The cast members are extremely talented, well known and expensive. They include: James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, and Francesca Hayward. The production cost $100m and the box office was $76m. Adverting costs usually doubles production, so we are talking about $200m all in. You may remember  NYC cabs with plastic roof advertisements sporting cat ears.

Is this film in the company of past cinematic bombs like, Heaven’s Gate, Pluto Nash or Hudson Hawks; I think not. Jennifer Hudson sings a powerful rendition of Memories. There were some impressive dance numbers and Francesca Hayward ,who is a principal ballerina,  gave  graceful performances. Some actors were nearly unrecognizable such as Idris Elba. I think the silliest thing in the movie were the giant sets. If a cat sat in a chair the chair was huge  making the actor look small (if you ever saw the children’s movie The Borrowers, you know what I mean) . Their cat tails danced and ears wiggled thanks to CG. The costumes were an abundance of fur but the makeup was very good. Judi Dench looked like a huge dust ball. Ian McKellen was wasted and had a minor role. Rebel Wilson kept on spreading her legs with her tail in between. If she was trying to imitate a cat, she looked more like a plump burlesque dancer.

One really bad scene was when the cats were rummaging through garbage cans and eating what were obviously cheap plastic props. It was cartoonish. Also Hooper interjected dialogue which was not part of the original Carts and it did not help the production.

Why did I spend $20 to see this on Amazon Prime? I guess it was morbid curiosity. The director is no light weight. He directed the King’s Speech and Les Misérables . The cast is outstanding and the songs are classics although they did add some diddlies that fell flat . The original Cats was a small tight production. What Hooper did was supersize it  which diminished its essence and soul. Unless you want to send your unemployment money foolishly for On Demand wait for HBO.

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