Being the Ricardos

 

Being the Ricardos (Amazon Prime)

The film is a drama bio, pseudo-documentary. The drama part incorporates story points to deflect some unpleasant realities. When the story starts there are three older individuals who worked with Lucy on the show. They intermittently  narrate the story presenting facts or fiction.

Lucille Ball was a phenomenal comedian. She was a master (mistress) of physical comedy. At the height of “ I Love Lucy” the  show had sixty million viewers. She was a perfectionist and to the chagrin of her comedy writers micromanaged scenes.  She was  an adroit businesswoman and a brutal negotiator. She was the first  pregnant woman on a TV program which was taboo at the time. The ending is a whitewash  to rehabilitate Ball’s reputation.

Arron Sorkin is the writer director. The film is disjointed. This is unusual  for Arron Sorkin who is an award winning writer. The film centers on a critical week. The days of the week serve as chapters.  Then the story pivots to other parts and the transitions are not quite clear. Lucy is portrayed as supporting her husband, Desi Arnaz, and desiring a home life. Desi’s philandering is an undercurrent in the movie but its toxicity is peripheral to the story.

Nicole Kidman plays Lucy hard. Lucy is a difficult  actress and a tough businesswoman. She does not shy away from consequences. Some nuanced reflection of her actions would have benefited the character. Javier Bardem is Desi Arnaz. He is a natural for the role with his Latin background. He plays Desi more as a businessman than an actor and the film suggests he was overshadowed by his wife. Wonderful performances were delivered by J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda and Tony Hale.

Unless you a fan of “I Love Lucy” ,which was excellent, or a big Lucy fan, I would not spend twenty dollars to see this film. It was for free on Amazon Prime. I do not know why the movie is for free but I suspect it is a way to advertise the movie and get feedback.

Licorice Pizza

 

Licorice Pizza

Quirky is the best adjective to define this movie. It is about two would be lovers who circle each other but have a hard time landing. Alana Haim plays Alana Kane a twenty five year old photographer’s assistant who meets a precocious fifteen year old Gary Valentine played by Cooper Hoffman (son of Seymour Philp Hoffman). Gary is obsessed with Alana but their courtship has many road bumps. The story takes place the San Fernando Valley in the 1970’s. The sets are festooned with 70’s long forgotten furniture and lots of polyester.

This is Alana Haim’s first acting role. She is part of the Haim Sister pop rock group. Her role as Alana Kane perfectly suits her. Her acting is self-assured and natural. She has comic chops and great timing. She and Cooper Hoffman have good chemistry. It is a bit strange for a twenty five year old to have a fifteen year old love interest (there are certain laws).The sexiest thing in the movie is a long denied kiss.

Gary is a hustler. He was a would-be child actor, a purveyor of water beds, and a pinball parlor impresario. Off and on Alana teams up with him in his ventures which do not always succeed. Their relationship is fractured and they have tertiary liaisons to their mutual annoyance.

Usually the principal actors are the focus of the film. What makes this movie succeed besides the interaction of Gary and Alana are the hilarious vignettes by the supporting cast. John Michael Higgins (Best in Show) opens a Japanese restaurant. His sketches with his Japanese wife/wives are uproarious and border on offensive. Sean Penn plays Jack Holden based on William Holden. The Jack Holden character could not be further removed from the actual Sean Penn. He plays Jack as an actor who has peaked and does stupid dangerous stunts for his fans. Bradley Cooper should return his paycheck because he is having too much fun. His acting is over the top and very funny. Also the entre Haim family is in the film, albeit with bit parts. The are other well-known actors you need to keep an eye out for.

I knew very little about Licorice Pizza, but I give it five Yelp stars.

p.s.- Licorice Pizza was a chain of record stores with 34 locations in LA. By the time it was sold in 1985 and eventually rebranded as the national chain Musicland (and later Sam Goody)

Belfast

 

Belfast (Amazon Prime, Apple)

Belfast, a heartfelt beautiful story. Belfast is loosely based on  the autobiographical story of Kenneth Branagh, the writer and director of the film. The film starts in color showing present day Belfast with impressive architecture and public sculptures. To depict 1969 Belfast the film switches to black and white. This is an effective devise giving the movie the feel of a documentary. The cinematography is direct and wonderful for its clarity. 1969 is the start of the “Troubles”, sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics. Before the Troubles there was harmonious coexistence. The tranquil neighborhood was a place where a mother’s call for her son is passed along street by street by cousins and neighbors.

The close knit family consists of Buddy the nine year old played by Jude Hill, Ma played by Caitriona Balfe, Pa played by Jamie Doran, Granny played by Judi Dench and Pop played by Ciaran Hinds. Jude is outstanding. His performance reminds me of the child star in JoJo Rabbit. So poised and natural. He brings humor to the bleakness of the period. He has the normal adventures of a nine year old from misguided petty larceny to blossoming puppy love with a Catholic girl. Jamie Doran gives a natural easy performance. This is probably his best work without bondage. Ma of course is the rock of the family. Pa works in England to support the family and returns on weekends. Financial burdens and peril weigh on her. However, she can still  dance and sing with her husband. Granny and Pop are the extended family. Ciaran  Hinds gives a touching performance offering Buddy sage advice about girls and long division. Judi Dench has a modest but essential role.

This movie is uplifting. Family and a bit of humor are a potent mix.

 

Power of the Dog

 

Power of the Dog (Netflix)

A friend recommended this movie, I knew nothing about it. It is a Western set in the 1920’s in Montana about two successful brothers who own a large cattle ranch. The brothers are total opposites.

Phil, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is the stereotypical macho cowboy lean, rough, mean and unwashed. The polar opposite is George his brother, played by Jesse Plemons. George rides horses wearing suit with bowtie, is kind and  bathes. These comparisons appear stark but underly the complexity of the film. The film is in layers which unfold revealing repressed passions and temptations.

Benedict Cumberbatch is magnificent. He embodies Phil. He is an intimidating bully who always seems angry. His anger escalates  when George marries a widow, Rose Gordon, played by Kirsten Dunst. Phil totally despises Rose to the point she seeks refuge in alcoholism. This has to be one of Dunst’s best performances. The dejection on her face and persecution by Phil is palpable. Phil’s cruelties  are shrouded in his insecurities. Rose has a son, Peter played by Kodi Smith-McPhee. His delicate nature complements his willowy physique. His ten gallon hat consumes him. Smith-McPhee’s acting is sublime. Peter is a new target for Phil’s disdain and intimidation. But Peter does not cower and collapse like this mother. This willow has thorns.

The story is rich and complex. As the layers unfold the true nature of the characters emerge. Strong becomes weak and weak becomes strong.

The title of ‘The Power of the Dog’ is a reference to a verse in Psalm 22 of the Book of Psalms, which is a part of the Christian Old Testament as well as the third section of the Hebrew Bible. Since I am not a theologian I will leave interpretations to others.

This amazing movie is for free on Netflix. It cost $30-$39m to produce for a box office of $160,000. Hollywood accounting is arcane, but this suggests the streaming platforms are more concerned with prestige rather than profit. A small box office do not rule out nominations.

 

Tick Tick Boom

Tick Tick Boom (Netflix)

I am not the right person to review a musical film. I though an octave was something you bought at  the farmer’s market. This film has energy, warmth and pathos. It is about Jonathon Larson and his artistic challenges to write a Broadway musical. In case you do not know who Larson is, he wrote and composed Rent (which my wife reminded me we saw). The film has musical numbers but also dramatic scenes depicting Larson’s struggles to write a  musical. The creative process is a mix of failures, emotional turmoil and success-even if only brief.  

Andrew Garfield gives a bravo performance. On the “Late Show” Garfield said he never sang before, but Lin-Manuel Miranda, the director, wanted him for the part. Garfield took singing lessons. When I made the remark that Garfield was just mouthing songs my son corrected me saying I knew nothing about melody, range and hitting the notes. According to Wikipedia there are loads of cameos from famous theatrical composers and musical actors. I have no idea who the are but they were  great.

Besides Garfield’s outstanding energetic performance the film has a strong supporting cast. His girlfriend played by Alexandra Shipp, presents Larson with the pivotal question; when do you stop striving for the impossible? Of course they break into song. His boyhood friend Michael, who gave up on acting, went to the dark side and got a job in advertising. It is a dear friendship and Michael is there even when he is pushed away.  I am not sure if they broke out in song but probably they did. A poignant scene is when an actor portraying Steven Sondheim gives Larson positive feedback. As you may know Sondheim recently passed.

The film is not about his famous play Rent, but rather a play he labored over for many years, Superbia, which was never produced. Tragically Larson died of  aortic dissection at age 35. He posthumously won a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He died on the first day of Rent’s off Broadway preview performance.

 

  

King Richard (HBO Max)

 

King Richard (HBO Max)

Richard Williams is a dedicated father but he is an annoying person. This is a Horatio Alger story but here Horatio is black and female.  His drill sergeant  method guiding  his daughters  to tennis stardom is admirable but dictatorial. He had an 84 page plan for the girls tennis stardom but he could not succeed without the remarkable talent of Venus and Sarina. As he said he has two Michael Jordans.  The film is a biopic, it tells a good story but lacks dramatic tension. The story could have been as effective on PBS. Surprisingly on HBO Max it was for free.

Will Smith gives his usual performance. This is a toned down “Bad Boys” act. Same face contortions, same leaning over into your face, same eyebrow lifts, same tone. As he demonstrated in “Ali” he can do better but he did not try here. Aside from the two delightful young girls who played Venus and Sarina the other character of note was Aunjanue Ellis who played his wife Oracene “Brandy” Price. She is a partner in her husband’s quest for their daughters success but she corrects the course when she things go wrong. The two young girls who portray the future tennis greats are very sweet and almost never push back on the intense regiment they have to follow. May we all have teenagers like them.

Names of famous tennis stars were dropped everywhere. From a historical perspective it was interesting to see how many tennis players had the same coaches. There were reenactments of actual tennis matches. The other actors were bit players mostly folding to Richard’s demands. While both sisters are showcased as potential tennis greats this is the rise of Venus and her early wins.

Not to dissuade you from seeing this movie other critics have given this film glowing reviews.

Dune

 

Dune

Seventy year old men should not watch Part One movies since seeing Part Two may be a bit tenuous. This is the first part of the epic 1965 sci fi novel by Frank Herbert. There are two books running 800 pages in all. The 1984 version of Dune was a box office flop. Dune was one of those 1970’s college campus must reads like Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse Five (I never read Dune).

This Dune has a lot of energy and an A rated cast. The plot is dense but it boils down to some basic elements: feudalism, palace intrigue, colonization, exploitation and a sprinkling of Zen. It is best to watch this movie in chunks. Dune is a great visual movie. The special effects are spectacular with futuristic spacecrafts traveling between planets. The battle scenes are different from other sci fi films in that they involve hand to hand combat. The costumes are unique and a key part of the movie. I am confident Dune will receive Oscar nominations for costume and art production.  

Timothee Chalamet plays Paul Atreides the ducal heir. He is still willowy but gives a strong performance.  He does not have the muscle mass of an epic hero. In one scene he disrobes to put on a desert survival suite and his back looks a portable xylophone. Oscar Isaac is focused and gives his usual strong performance. Jason Momoa provides an ample dose of arched eyebrows. Zendaya has a few scenes at the end of the movie but she does what she does well, smolder. With the exception of Chalamat there are too many diverse scenes for one character to have a sustainable dramatic impact, which is not a bad thing.

If you are a sci fi fan this is a must see. The movie’s visual effects alone are worth seeing. I did not watch the epic credit roll at the end because after 156 minutes I had to do what seventy year old men need to do.