The Tragedy of Macbeth

 

The Tragedy of Macbeth (Apple +)

There have been several productions of Macbeth in theaters and films. Joel Coen’s Macbeth is unique. His black and white interpretation uses minimalist sets with long shadows forecasting a tragic drama. His sets are more like theater rather than film.

Denzel Washington is Macbeth; his performance is masterful. He transforms Macbeth from an ambitious traitor to a paranoid monarch who’s decent into madness is complete. Washington uses his decades of acting culminating into this bravo performance. Frances McDormand’s nonverbal performance is as forceful as her dialogue. She is the cunning wife who eggs on Macbeth to his murderous deeds. Brendan Gleeson is King Duncan with only a brief performance before death cuts him short. The entire cast is stellar.

An outstanding performance is given by Kathryn Hunter as the witch (she plays all three witches). She is described as a virtuoso physical performer. As the witch she transforms  herself from a knotted soothsayer into the three witches. She uses her deep guttural voice to make her prophecies. Her acting is enough reason to see this film.

For many of us reading Macbeth was a required part of the curriculum. This Macbeth is optional.

 

Luzzu

 

Luzzu (Amazon Prime)

A Luzzu is a traditional Maltese multicolored wooden fishing boat with a pair of eyes painted on the bow to guide the fishermen back to shore. It is a metaphor for the price of change. Jesmark Scicula is the hard scrabble fisherman trying to eke out a living from fishing made harder by overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea. He has a sick baby boy and is desperate for money. His wife Denise is  the classic Maltese beauty played by Michela Farrugia, anguished by her son’s condition. Malta has socialized medicine but specialized baby formula still costs forty euros and if you want the best medical care you must pay.

Luzzu tells many tales. As Jesmark searches for more opportunities to supplement his income he spirals into the local black fishing market. The Luzzu fishermen catch a modest number of fish which for generations sustained them but with overfishing their catch is depleted. Jesmark’s growing desperate financial condition pushes him into criminal activities.

The Luzzu is leaking and needs repair. This boat belonged to his grandfather’s grandfather and is a symbol of a bygone lifestyle. To raise money he goes to the office of the European Union who encourage fisherman to give up fishing for a bounty on their boats and be reeducated  for another profession. He gets 7,000 euros for the boat and takes it to the junk yard to be trashed. He uses the money to buy a used refrigerated truck so he can transport illegal fish. His descent is complete.

The financial situation and Jesmark’s increasing involvement in the black market strains his marriage. Denise’s family is more affluent and Jesmark  resents their assistance. His mother-in-law is not generous with her help and disdains Jesmark. Her sour face needs no words.

The movie presents other signs of change. The film is shot in one of Malta’s bays. Opposite the bay is a ship container port with hulking cranes silhouetting the horizon. The scene could be easily mistaken for Elizabeth New Jersey. There is a shot of a three lane highway choked with traffic. In 1969 there were only three traffic lights in Malta. In the past immigration was the norm now guest workers emigrate to the island for work. It is debatable if all change is good but undeniably it is inevitable.

Jesmark Scicula is an actual fisherman. For a novice actor he gives a compelling performance. He received the award for best actor at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The film was selected as the Maltese entry for the best international feature film at the 94^th Academy Awards.

The Tender Bar

 

The Tender Bar (Amazon Prime)

The Tender Bar is a tender story. It is a coming of age story based on the memoir of J.R. Moehringer and directed by George Clooney. JR, the lead character, portrayed by Daniel Ranieri, as the young JR and Tye Sheridan as his older self. JR receives several life lessons from the local bar “The Dickens” which is owned by his Uncle Charlie played by Ben Affleck. Uncle Charlie bestows worldly advice to JR such as never hit a woman even if she stabs you with a pair of scissors.

Ben Affleck is laid back as Uncle Charlie who assumes the role as the father figure. This is not a stretch for Affleck but he is endearing with JR. Daniel Ranieri is another great child actor. He displays maturity and confidence in his acting and is adorable. Christopher Lloyd plays the grandfather as a curmudgeon with a deeply buried good heart. I just wish there were more scenes with Lloyd. Tye Sheridan carries most of the film. He journeys from a working class neighborhood in Manhasset to Yale and a as a copy boy at the New York Times. His father, The Voice (a radio disk jockey), comes in and out of his life but never stays. He is a nasty alcoholic and he does hit women. Briana Middleton is the beautiful Sydney his erstwhile girlfriend who entices him and then drops him several times. Another life lesson.

The Tender Bar is easy to digest and very satisfying.

C’mon C’mon

 

C’mon C’mon (Amazon Prime)

Joaquin Phoenix is the consummate actor, playing roles from Johnny Cash to the Joker. In this movie he   portrays Johnny the title character as melancholy and moody. This sets the tone for the movie. It is shot entirely in black and white normally an effect of film noir. In some scenes characters are in deep shadow only showing part of their face.

Johnny is a radio journalist working on a project interviewing kids around the country asking them what they think about the future and their lives. He has not seen his sister Viv in a year since their mother’s death from complications from Alzheimer’s. Viv has to go away to take care of her estranged husband who is having a mental breakdown and she asks Johnny to look after his nephew Jessie played by Woody Norman. He is a precocious nine year old who gives an emotional performance of a child maneuvering the uncertainties of a family in crisis. The relationship with Johnny is rocky and over time a bond develops but not without challenges. Johnny finds out dealing with a kid is hard. Protecting him and reprimanding him is a balancing act. Much of the movie is interaction between Johnny and Jesse interspersed with scenes with Viv explaining how to deal with Jesse.

Johnny clearly loves Jesse and puts up a lot with his antics. This is not a straightforward feel good movie, it has many emotional speed bumps. If you have the holiday blues this is not your movie.

 

Don’t Look Up

 

Don’t Look Up (Netflix)

Don’t bother. This is an example of a film with a roster of A list stars and an awful script sprinkled with over acting. The star lineup includes Leonardo Di Caprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Mark Rylance, Jonah Hill and others. The film’s premise is a life ending killer comet hurtling towards earth. This is a rehashing of a number of other doomsday sci fi films.

The film starts out as farce, meanders into political satire and back to farce. Some scenes depicted far right comet deniers  with their red baseball caps. This was a veiled reference to Trumpers.

The acting was from bad to silly. Di Caprio is the lead scientist who hyperventilates and pops Xanax. Streep is the Lady President who is more worried about the midterm elections than the comet. Laurance is chicken little and no one heeds her warning. Blanchett is flippant talk show host who ignores the scientific warning.

What a waste of talent.

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)