"Jackie," starring an amazing Natalie Portman, walks a fine line between historical record and artistic inquiry. Loosely based on an actual interview of the newly-widowed Mrs. Kennedy by Life journalist Theodore White (Billy Crudup), the movie's present occurs approximately one week after November 22, 1963, but jumps around in time to tell its story, hitting key events from Jackie's time as First Lady (with particular attention being paid to the televised White House tour she gave on February 14, 1962) and the hours and days immediately following the assassination.
Much of the film recreates iconic photographic images (such as LBJ taking the oath of office aboard Air Force One) with actors who, for the most part, bear little or no resemblance to the historical figures they're playing. And although the movie doesn't provide a lot of insight into Jackie's character, Portman's performance is probably one of the best of her career. "Jackie" is not an expansive biopic, and like Camelot, Jackie remains a mythic figure, not a human one.
Friday, December 30, 2016
Passengers - 2 1/2 smiles
At its heart, "Passengers" is an old-fashioned love story clothed in science fiction and special effects. The script requires stars Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence to to do all of the heavy lifting since they are the only people on screen (with an occasional appearance from robot bartender Arthur played by Michael Sheen and a late cameo by Laurence Fishburn). Pratt and Lawrence make a strong couple. They have good chemistry and Lawrence is able to plumb the conflicting emotions that drive Aurora, her character. Jim (Pratt) awakens 90 years early from a 120-year voyage to a distant colony. The ship is a huge empty vessel with all of the people in hibernation sleep pods. These early scenes with Jim as the only character are slow and Pratt fares better when Aurora (Lawrence) wakes. Pratt's alone scenes lack an emotional punch although we can see that he's lonely to the point of desperation.
Initially, Jim tries to find a solution, but he learns there is no way for him to go back to sleep. He will die of old age before the ship reaches its destination. If he wants to stave off loneliness, he will have to wake someone else up. Jim tries to resist this temptation, but he becomes fascinated with one woman, writer Aurora Lane. When he finally decides to wake her, he condemns her to the same limbo existence he is enduring. Jim is a flawed character, but the script goes to great lengths to present his actions as sympathetic. It also helps that Pratt has a lot of on-screen charisma. With 40 minutes remaining, the film kicks into high 'save the ship' gear and once all of the explosive flames have been extinguished, you wonder, with all the complex technology, that fixes the ship? "Passengers" is entertaining enough and lovely to look at.
Initially, Jim tries to find a solution, but he learns there is no way for him to go back to sleep. He will die of old age before the ship reaches its destination. If he wants to stave off loneliness, he will have to wake someone else up. Jim tries to resist this temptation, but he becomes fascinated with one woman, writer Aurora Lane. When he finally decides to wake her, he condemns her to the same limbo existence he is enduring. Jim is a flawed character, but the script goes to great lengths to present his actions as sympathetic. It also helps that Pratt has a lot of on-screen charisma. With 40 minutes remaining, the film kicks into high 'save the ship' gear and once all of the explosive flames have been extinguished, you wonder, with all the complex technology, that fixes the ship? "Passengers" is entertaining enough and lovely to look at.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
La La Land - 4 smiles
On the surface, "La La Land" might seem like a fluffy little movie. However, there's a lot more going on: a love letter to old movie musicals, a tribute to various Los Angeles locations, a comment on the consequences of following your dreams. Plus it's writer-director Damien Chazelle's follow-up to his stunning 2014 feature debut, Whiplash. "La La Land" is probably one of the best musicals to reach theaters in a very long time. Chazelle has turned back the clock with the camera work, the color palette, the style - it's straight out of the 1950s. And stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone seem to be channeling Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The opening number is a prime example of complexity and long takes - it opens on the 105/110 interchange, where drivers exit their cars and use singing and dancing as an antidote to impatience and road rage.( Other settings include the Hermosa Beach pier, the Watts Towers, the Colorado Street Bridge, Grand Central Market, Griffith Observatory and Angel's Flight.) The setting is modern day, but the feel is old-fashioned, which is enhanced by Chazelle's use of primary colors.
The two central characters, Mia (Stone) and Sebastian (Gosling) are stuck in that traffic jam and their screwball first meeting consists of his loudly honking horn and her flipping him the bird. They continue to run into each other over the next few weeks around town. Mia is a would-be actress who works in a corner coffee cafe on the Warner Bros. lot. Sebastian is a jazz pianist who's fired from his gig at a restaurant when he refuses to limit his playlist to Christmas tunes. Mia and Sebastian are both independent-minded, stubborn, goal-oriented people whose idealism about their art is in conflict with their desire to succeed at it. Nonetheless, they fall in love and the rest of the movie chronicles their journey to achieve their goals. Chazelle requires tremendous range from his leads and Stone and Gosling are up to the challenge. They have to sing and dance (which they do well enough) and have to be able to handle drama and comedy. More importantly, there has to be chemistry and Stone and Gosling really light up the screen. All of the musical numbers are well-produced and masterfully choreographed and the songs are not only entertaining but memorable. (The soundtrack should do well.) And the final 15 minutes of the movie are not to be missed as Chazelle combines flashbacks, flashforwards, dream sequences and multiple musical reprises into a dazzling time-spanning montage. It's in this finale that Chazelle's skill as a director is so evident. "La La Land" is not to be missed.
The two central characters, Mia (Stone) and Sebastian (Gosling) are stuck in that traffic jam and their screwball first meeting consists of his loudly honking horn and her flipping him the bird. They continue to run into each other over the next few weeks around town. Mia is a would-be actress who works in a corner coffee cafe on the Warner Bros. lot. Sebastian is a jazz pianist who's fired from his gig at a restaurant when he refuses to limit his playlist to Christmas tunes. Mia and Sebastian are both independent-minded, stubborn, goal-oriented people whose idealism about their art is in conflict with their desire to succeed at it. Nonetheless, they fall in love and the rest of the movie chronicles their journey to achieve their goals. Chazelle requires tremendous range from his leads and Stone and Gosling are up to the challenge. They have to sing and dance (which they do well enough) and have to be able to handle drama and comedy. More importantly, there has to be chemistry and Stone and Gosling really light up the screen. All of the musical numbers are well-produced and masterfully choreographed and the songs are not only entertaining but memorable. (The soundtrack should do well.) And the final 15 minutes of the movie are not to be missed as Chazelle combines flashbacks, flashforwards, dream sequences and multiple musical reprises into a dazzling time-spanning montage. It's in this finale that Chazelle's skill as a director is so evident. "La La Land" is not to be missed.
Sing - 2 1/2 smiles
"Sing" has a great soundtrack, but a fairly generic story that's disjointed at times. Moana and Kubo and the Two Strings are better animated movies. Even Zootopia has a more creative story. Thematically, the movie relies on the standard, 'follow your dreams.' And while it's hard to criticize an animated movie that embraces such a kid-friendly idea, it feels shallow and left me wanting more. Most of "Sing's" creative energy is invested in the musical numbers and this is where it shines. Nearly all of the purported 80+ sings featured in "Sing" are pop hits of the past and present. There's only one new song: the Stevie Wonder/Ariana Grande duet, 'Faith' and Tori Kelly does a moving rendition of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah.' Other notable songs re-sung by members of the cast include Seth McFarlane's Sinatra trio ('My Way,' 'Come Fly with Me,' 'Fly Me to the Moon'); Reese Witherspoon doing Taylor Swift ('Shake it Off'), Katy Perry ('Firework') and Survivor ('Eye of the Tiger'); Matthew McConaughey's unusual rendition of 'Call Me Maybe'; Nick Kroll doing Gaga ('Bad Romance'); Taron Egerton crooning Sam Smith's 'Stay with Me' and Scarlett Johansson breaking loose with 'Set It All Free.'
The plot is fairly simple: koala Buster Moon (McConaughey), a theater owner on the brink of bankruptcy, comes up with a singing competition to bring in some funds. The finalists for the show include Mike (MacFarlane,) a sleazy mouse; Rosita (Witherspoon), a stay-at-home mom with two dozen piglets; Ash (Johansson), a punk rock porcupine; Johnny (Egerton), a gorilla with a bank robbing father; Meena (Kelly), a teenage elephant with acute stage fright and Gunter (Nick Kroll), a flamboyant pig. "Sing" is undeniably a crowd pleaser, but only for its soundtrack.
The plot is fairly simple: koala Buster Moon (McConaughey), a theater owner on the brink of bankruptcy, comes up with a singing competition to bring in some funds. The finalists for the show include Mike (MacFarlane,) a sleazy mouse; Rosita (Witherspoon), a stay-at-home mom with two dozen piglets; Ash (Johansson), a punk rock porcupine; Johnny (Egerton), a gorilla with a bank robbing father; Meena (Kelly), a teenage elephant with acute stage fright and Gunter (Nick Kroll), a flamboyant pig. "Sing" is undeniably a crowd pleaser, but only for its soundtrack.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - 3 1/2 stars
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is a spin-off from the Star Wars movies, a stand-alone tale that's very entertaining. In terms of timeline, "Rogue One" is a prequel set before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the film that first introduced us to Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and company. Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso, a tough fugitive who leads a band of rebels to steal the plans for a new weapon dubbed a 'planet killer,' aka the Death Star. True to Star Wars lore, there's a familial tie here that brings Jyn into the fray between the Rebel Alliance and the evil Galactic Empire led by Darth Vader - Jyn's father Galan Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) happens to be the lead scientist designing the weapon. Together with her ragtag crew, including spymaster Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Jyn embarks on a suicidal mission to retrieve the schematics so the rebels can defeat the Death Star.
Jones brings a gutsy confidence to her role as Jyn, much like Carrie Fisher and Daisy Ridley did before her. Rounding out the cast is an impressive list of diverse actors: besides Luna, there's Riz Ahmed, Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen. Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy's screenplay leaves little room for subplots and, unfortunately, character development of any of the characters other than Jyn. But "Rogue One" mainly works because of director Gareth Edwards keeps things so narrowly focused. And you know going in that there will not be a sequel to this story. So you can enjoy two hours of escapist fun and then anticipate the release of the next Star Wars adventure in December, 2017.
Jones brings a gutsy confidence to her role as Jyn, much like Carrie Fisher and Daisy Ridley did before her. Rounding out the cast is an impressive list of diverse actors: besides Luna, there's Riz Ahmed, Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen. Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy's screenplay leaves little room for subplots and, unfortunately, character development of any of the characters other than Jyn. But "Rogue One" mainly works because of director Gareth Edwards keeps things so narrowly focused. And you know going in that there will not be a sequel to this story. So you can enjoy two hours of escapist fun and then anticipate the release of the next Star Wars adventure in December, 2017.
Friday, December 16, 2016
The Edge of Seventeen - 3 1/2 smiles
Being 17 is full of anguish and drama and so is "Edge of Seventeen," a movie with a smart script from first-time director Kelly Fremon Craig and a powerful performance by Hailee Seinfeld. The course of the movie follows Nadine (Hailee Seinfeld) during her junior year as she learns that the most important thing is not popularity, getting good grades or losing her virginity, but being comfortable in her own skin. Nadine, an outsider all of her life, is cursed with having a popular older brother, who is a top athlete and loved by everyone. Nadine and Darian (Blake Jenner) have a fractious relationship that isn't helped by their mother's obvious preference for her son. Nadine has found solace in the friendship of Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), the sister she never had. But when Krista starts dating Darian, Nadine's world comes apart.
Nadine often comes across as petty and self-absorbed (like most 17 year olds), but she's also sympathetic. And with typical teenage drama, she tells her teacher, Mr, Bruner (Woody Harrelson) that she's going to kill herself. He doesn't believe her and neither do we although she may think she's semi-serious. Nonetheless, we get most of the humorous dialogue when Nadine is talking with Mr. Bruner. And as Nadine grows and changes, she begins to see things more clearly: betrayals that aren't really betrayals, perfect lives that aren't quite so perfect and people hurt by her actions who don't deserve the pain. It's a strong script that can make the characters and circumstances seem real. "The Edge of Seventeen" is certainly worth seeing.
Nadine often comes across as petty and self-absorbed (like most 17 year olds), but she's also sympathetic. And with typical teenage drama, she tells her teacher, Mr, Bruner (Woody Harrelson) that she's going to kill herself. He doesn't believe her and neither do we although she may think she's semi-serious. Nonetheless, we get most of the humorous dialogue when Nadine is talking with Mr. Bruner. And as Nadine grows and changes, she begins to see things more clearly: betrayals that aren't really betrayals, perfect lives that aren't quite so perfect and people hurt by her actions who don't deserve the pain. It's a strong script that can make the characters and circumstances seem real. "The Edge of Seventeen" is certainly worth seeing.
Miss Sloan - 3 smiles
"Miss Sloan" is about money and power in Washington DC and validates the public's cynicism about how things really work in the Capitol City. And the person willing to walk the closest to the edge and slip through all the loopholes is the one who usually wins. And that person is Elisabeth Sloan (Jessica Chasten), who has mastered all the methods of how to lose friends and alienate people, but is an especially effective lobbyist. When a group working for a bill designed to close gun sales loopholes approaches her, she surprises everyone by resigning her current position and signing on with millionaire philanthropist Rodolfo Schmidt (Mark Strong), who admires her results (but not necessarily her tactics). She soon finds herself matching wits with her former colleagues and is eventually the center of a congressional subcommittee looking into some of her previous activities.
Jessica Chastain's powerful performance as a career-obsessed lobbyist who is smarter and slicker than all other contenders is the best thing about "Miss Sloan." Elizabeth is driven to win at all costs and moments of humanity are infrequent. The supporting cast is top rate. Guru Mbatha-Raw has a showy part at Esme Manchurian, the liberal assistant who becomes the face to the media of Elizabeth's campaign. Allison Pill is her former right-hand who is now part of the team opposing her. That team is led by Michael Stuhlbarg's Pat Connors. Veteran actors Sam Waterston plays George Dupont, the head of the NRA's lobbying firm and John Lithgow is the congressman Dupont has in his pocket. "Miss Sloan" is less about being pro- or anti-guns than it is about exploring the lobbying forces arrayed for and against the NRA. As a dramatic thriller, it keeps you involved and interested, even if you really don't like Miss Sloan very much.
Jessica Chastain's powerful performance as a career-obsessed lobbyist who is smarter and slicker than all other contenders is the best thing about "Miss Sloan." Elizabeth is driven to win at all costs and moments of humanity are infrequent. The supporting cast is top rate. Guru Mbatha-Raw has a showy part at Esme Manchurian, the liberal assistant who becomes the face to the media of Elizabeth's campaign. Allison Pill is her former right-hand who is now part of the team opposing her. That team is led by Michael Stuhlbarg's Pat Connors. Veteran actors Sam Waterston plays George Dupont, the head of the NRA's lobbying firm and John Lithgow is the congressman Dupont has in his pocket. "Miss Sloan" is less about being pro- or anti-guns than it is about exploring the lobbying forces arrayed for and against the NRA. As a dramatic thriller, it keeps you involved and interested, even if you really don't like Miss Sloan very much.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Moonlight - 2 smiles
"Moonlight" has received so much critical acclaim that, maybe, I was expecting too much. Director Barry Jenkins's script is sharply divided into three sections, emphasizing certain aspects of the African-American experience: extreme poverty, drug addiction, single motherhood and rendering them only in the most basic, narrative forms. Each section follows Chiron at various points in his life (Alex Hibbrt as a shy child, Ashton Sanders as an awkward, searching adolescent and Trevante Rhodes as a cynical adult) as Chiron comes to understand and accept his homosexuality. Unfortunately, the details of the story are so broadly sketched that it left me with a lot of unanswered questions. And the camera work, dizzying around and around shots, and shaky, hand-held shots, drove me crazy. I guess that in itself was enough to put me off of this movie.
However, the acting does elevate the script into something approaching excellence. Mahershala Ali as a drug dealer with a heart of gold is excellent as an understanding father-figure to Chiron, but scenes later he's gone and you're wondering why. Hubert has the least to do of the three Chirons, but his nearly mute performance is compelling for the pain etched onto his face. And later in the film, the adult Chiron reunites with his friend Kevin (Andre Holland) and the chemistry is palpable. Nothing in the film is as moving as this reunion scene. "Moonlight" has already won awards and should do well come Oscar time.
However, the acting does elevate the script into something approaching excellence. Mahershala Ali as a drug dealer with a heart of gold is excellent as an understanding father-figure to Chiron, but scenes later he's gone and you're wondering why. Hubert has the least to do of the three Chirons, but his nearly mute performance is compelling for the pain etched onto his face. And later in the film, the adult Chiron reunites with his friend Kevin (Andre Holland) and the chemistry is palpable. Nothing in the film is as moving as this reunion scene. "Moonlight" has already won awards and should do well come Oscar time.
Moana - 4 smiles
"Moana," Walt Disney's latest animated release, is an absolute delight. As the story opens, the chieftain's daughter Moana (Cravahlo) is perpetually vexed that her father (Temuera Morrison) will not allow her to venture beyond the reef encircling their island home. But the island and the ocean around it are slowly dying because long ago, a capricious demigod named Maui (Dwayne Johnson) stole - and subsequently lost - the precious stone 'heart' of the fertile goddess Te Fiti. When the sea itself entrusts that heart to young Moana, she knows that she must set sail beyond the reef, find Maui and, with his help, restore Te Fiti's heart. Obstacles along the way include a horde of pirates, a treasure-loving monster crab (Jemaine Clement) and the lava monster Te Ka, who also wants the Heart of Te Fiti. But the principle obstacle for Moana to overcome is her demigod partner, Maui, who is vain, selfish and utterly uninterested in her mission.
Directors John Musker and Ron Clements stick to a bankable formula with just enough innovation to feel current (be sure to check out the chicken sidekick). And the musical numbers by Opetaia Foa'i, Mark Mancina and Lin-Manuel Miranda are memorable, with the ensemble introduction 'Where You Are,' Clement's hilarious 'Shiny' and the show-stopping 'How Far I'll Go' (sure to garner an Oscar nomination). Dynamic CGI, lush greens, sunlit golds and deep blue sea, enhance the experience. "Moana" tells the story of a modern heroine, a smart, resourceful leader and it's a movie that's sure to garner kudos from everyone.
Directors John Musker and Ron Clements stick to a bankable formula with just enough innovation to feel current (be sure to check out the chicken sidekick). And the musical numbers by Opetaia Foa'i, Mark Mancina and Lin-Manuel Miranda are memorable, with the ensemble introduction 'Where You Are,' Clement's hilarious 'Shiny' and the show-stopping 'How Far I'll Go' (sure to garner an Oscar nomination). Dynamic CGI, lush greens, sunlit golds and deep blue sea, enhance the experience. "Moana" tells the story of a modern heroine, a smart, resourceful leader and it's a movie that's sure to garner kudos from everyone.
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