It doesn’t end well.
The story of Mary Stuart, who left France for her native Scotland in 1561 to take her place on the throne and simultaneously threaten the throne of Elizabeth I, is filled with deceit, lust, religion, power plays and double-crosses. Everything you want in a royal treatment — almost.
Compared to gushy Elizabeth (1998), the film proves too small. Compared to the The Favourite, the recent, inventive, rollicking take on Queen Anne, it seems quite old fashioned. So, it's a film that is neither grand nor bad, simply a solid period piece with few surprises, including the obvious last scene.
What does earn your ten bucks is Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie as Mary and Elizabeth. They are each sensational in their roles of 16th Century frenemies. It's a blast to see history through their performances.
In a December when a dozen of the year’s best films are on screen, and despite the luscious, cinematic shots of Scotland, this film is not as big as the story — something just seems missing. For this, I’d look to first-time film director Josie Roarke who comes from the national theatre/playhouse world. A pretty strong debut, but it's just not the movie of the year I'd hoped for.
In a nutshell: It may not be one of the year’s ten best, but it's worth ten bucks.
Award potential: Potential Academy Award nominations for Best Actress Saoirse Ronan, Best Supporting Actress Margo Robbie and Best Costume for designer Alexandra Byrne (Elizabeth: Golden Age).
The historically inaccurate meeting of the two Queens ( Eyes will roll where heads should have) should keep it out of the Best Screenplay category as well as Best Picture. Leave that stuff for on stage theatre, folks.
The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.
Run to Roma in the theaters — or watch it at home?
Roma, the number one best film of 2018 according to Time magazine, The New York Times, Rolling Stone and countless others, was released in theaters this week. Somewhat surprising and definitely reflective of the times, Roma will debut on your home Netflix the following Friday, December 14.
This scheduling begs a tricky question: Should “the best film of the year” be seen at home or in the theater?
Your decision should take a few items into account including the director — and your screen at home. Writer, director and cinematographer Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Y Tu Mamá También, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) has assembled a stunning film with meticulously shot images and precise sound design that may lose some impact on a laptop with headphones, but should screen well on home theater screens with a quality home theater audio system. The wonder of this film is in the small details, so you’ll need either a theater screen or a home screen that delivers.
In favor of watching at home, I should note that Roma is an intimate and personal story, told from the point of view of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a 1970s housekeeper to a middle class family in Mexico City. Similar to a Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Before Sunrise) film, there is very little plot. It’s a story told through the senses and a series of moments in life. Items that are usually in the background are in the foreground here — not unlike the 1970s housekeeper experience.
I would also factor in your ability to watch a black and white film — in Spanish — at home. I didn’t love Roma above all pictures this year, but I felt as if I was invited to see a moment in time in a world I won’t soon forget. Don’t miss out on this if you’re apt to multitask or snooze on the couch.
The decision? If you live a city with art-house theaters, have a MoviePass and want to fully enjoy one of the strongest movies of the year, then the effort to experience Roma in the theater will surely pay off. If the holidays have cut into your free time, the quantity of quality movies in the theater in December have cut into your budget, you're iffy on art-house foreign films in general, or you just can’t wait, I believe watching it at home will be rewarding as well.
In a nutshell: The only poor choice is to miss out on Roma completely.
Award potential: Did not qualify for Golden Globe Best Picture and doesn't fit the model for the SAG Best Ensemble award, but is a front runner for Oscars Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film — unless the Netflix association has a backlash.
Yalitza Aparicio is on many Best Actress prediction lists, but it's a competitive year to reward a non-showy newcomer in a Spanish-speaking film. She may get overlooked with both Oscars and SAG.
Roma has already won both the L.A. critics and New York Film Critics Best Picture awards, BIFA's Best International Independent Film award and the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks — in the theater or towards a monthly Netflix subscription.
The SAG awards match Oscars' selections more often than the Golden Globes, yet the inexplicable, kooky Hollywood Foreign Press Association's awards get all of our attention.
The 90 members of the HFPA have just one overlap with the 9,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars). Yet, somehow a Golden Globe nod provides a positive impact on both Academy voters and Oscars campaigns. An omission tomorrow could hurt a film on the border, such as First Man, Eight Grade or Mary Poppins Returns.
That said, here's what's going to happen tomorrow:
Best Picture, Drama
A Star is Born
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
If Beale Street Could Talk
Black Panther
In the past, subpar films like Matt Damon's The Martian
will enter the Comedy/Musical category to secure a slot. However, this
year the race for one of the five drama slots are going to be more, well,
dramatic.
Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, Blakkklansman and Can You Ever Forgive Me?,
despite their obvious musical or comedy elements, have each been
submitted (by their respective studio) in the drama category. The HFPA
may vote however they want.
Most predictions have First Man
in the top five but I think this group may be wowed less by an artful,
solemn treatment of an American astronaut and more by a glossy
celebration of an international rockstar, so I bumped up the Queen
biopic. Roma is not eligible.
Spoiler: First Man
Shocker: Melissa McCarthy’s Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Best Picture, Comedy or Musical
Eighth Grade
The Favourite
Green Book
Mary Poppins Returns
Vice
The romantic film of the year, Crazy Rich Asians, is at the top of most GG prediction lists but it’s light on comedy and musical. I’ve replaced it with Green Book which is peaking at nomination time
Spoiler: Crazy Rich Asians
Shocker: The well reviewed, kiddie sequel Paddington 2
Best Actress, Drama
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Glenn Close, The Wife
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Saoirse Ronan, Mary Queen of Scots
Spoiler: Nicole Kidman, Destroyer
Shocker: Julia Roberts, Ben is Back or Maggie Gyllenhaal,The Kindergarten Teacher or Toni Colette, Hereditary
Best Actor, Drama
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Rami Malek, Bohemian RhapsodyI
Hugh Jackman, The Front Runner
Ryan Gosling, First Man
Spoiler: Steve Carell, Beautiful Boy
Shocker: John David Washington, BlacKkKlansman or Willem Dafoe, Eternity’s Gate or Lucas Hedges, Boy Erased
Best Actress (Comedy or Musical)
Emily Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Kathryn Hahn, Private Life
Constance Wu, Crazy Rich Asians
Shocker: Voters placing Melissa McCarthy, from Can You Ever Forgive Me? in this category instead
Best Actor (Comedy or Musical)
Christian Bale, Vice
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Poppins ReturnsViggo Mortensen, Green Book
Robert Redford, The Old Man and the Gun
Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool 2
Shocker: Henry Golding,Crazy Rich Asians, or Nick Robinson Love, Simon
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Vice
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Michelle Yeoh, Crazy Rich Asians
Spoiler: Nicole Kidman, Boy Erased
Shocker: Margot Robbie, Mary Queen of Scots
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Timothée Chalamet, Beautiful Boy
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Elliott, A Star is Born
Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther
Spoiler: Sam Rockwell, Vice
Shocker: Nicholas Hoult, The Favourite or Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
After a year of struggling to make my MoviePass pay off with a slim choice of quality films, more than a dozen Oscars-friendly films suddenly dropped into the most wonderfully busy time of year. There's no way to see them all, so I thought I'd point out a few favorites that are definitely ten buck worthy.
The Best Picture Front Runners
Black Panther, The Favourite, Green Book, Roma and A Star Is Born are the five films on every respected Oscars prediction list.
Roma opens in theaters on December 5, but moves to Netflix (TV) on December 21 so I'll eliminate that theater visit, followed by removing Black Panther which is available on Netflix now. I favor the bawdy The Favourite (opens November 30) over the pandering Green Book, but A Star Is Born has a magical touch that makes it a must see. Star will be eligible for almost every category and should tally a titanic-sized 13 or 14 nominations. Don't miss it on the big screen.
Recommendation 1: A Star Is Born
The Melodramas
Boy Erased, Beautiful Boy and Ben is Back are all quality, family dramas featuring a parent and child working through difficult situations, but boy, oh boy it will be a blue Christmas if you watch all three.
Timothee Chalamet and Steve Carrell's father/son story in Beautiful Boy and Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges' mother/son film Ben Is Back (opens December 8) will gather the most acting nominations, but we've all seen the alcoholism story before and know how it ends. If I had to choose just one of these tissue-necessary dramas, Nicole Kidman and Lucas Hedges' conversion therapy drama Boy Erased, the one of these that is the least likely to get acting nominations, offers a more unique and hopeful story for the holidays.
Recommendation 2: Boy Erased
The Best Picture Contenders
These films are vying for a slot in the Oscars Best Picture race: All Is True, BlacKKKlansman, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, First Man, Mary Queen of Scots, Mule and Vice.
I must confess I haven't seen All Is True, Mary or Vice, and while I respected the artsy gusto of First Man I think it has a Houston-sized problem with matching subject and tone.
That leaves BlacKKKlansman and Can You Ever Forgive Me?, two dramedies that I fully enjoyed. Melissa McCarthy creates one of the best film characters of the year and I'd hate for anyone to miss it.
Recommendation 3: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Films You Can Stream Tonight
December is a busy time to hit the theater, but these Academy Award eligible films are available on your TV: Black Panther, BlacKKKlansman, Crazy Rich Asians, Eight Grade, A Quiet Place plus the documentaries RGB and Won't You Be My Neighbor. All great choices, but I'd pick the one that pairs best with wrapping presents.
Recommendation 4: Crazy Rich Asians
Music-Based Crowd Pleasers
Everyone should see the first hour of A Star Is Born and the last 20 minutes of Bohemian Rhapsody in the theater. Mary Poppins Returns should be a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time at the theater as well.
I've already picked A Star Is Born, and Mary Poppins Returns won't be flying out of theaters until January, so I can narrow your December choice to the Freddie Mercury biopic because it will, it will rock you.
Recommendation 5: Bohemian Rhapsody
The Ten Buck Review: All worth ten bucks.
In a class of its own.
In early 18th century England, the family of Abigail Hill (Emma Stone) was reduced to poor circumstances, and she was forced to work as a servant. Lady Churchill (Rachel Weisz), Lady of the Bedchamber and close advisor to Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), took Abigail in. Years later, Queen Anne, named Abigail to be Keeper of the Privy Purse, reversing the fortunes of Lady (Sarah) Churchill.
It's a perfect setup for a Merchant Ivory production or pehaps a Shakespearan tragedy, yet The Favourite is a black comedy that plays more like Heathers and Reversal of Fortune collided with the bunny burner moments of Fatal Attraction.
Simply put, director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster) has created the comedy romp of the year, and assembled a trio of actors that sizzles onscreen.
The sharply angled camera pivots and extreme wild angle lenses physically prepare the audience for something never seen before on film, and that's half the fun. The contest for Queen Anne's affection is thrilling in the most peculiar way. Not to mention there is plenty of duck racing, tomato tossing and pineapple eating. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, I can assure you it is not. For everyone else, prepare yourself for a royally wicked time.
In a nutshell: This is not a highbrow affair, but a dark comedy featuring a cynical set of characters you can't take your eyes off of. Not for the whole family. Not for Christmas week.
Award potential: Expect quite a tally. I predict Oscars nominations for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, two for Best Supporting Actress, plus technical awards such as Best Makeup and Hair and Best Costume.
It's a frontrunner for the SAG ensemble award. Colman (The Crown) should fall in line right behind Glenn Close and Lady Gaga for Golden Globes and other awards, and her chances may improve in time.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks. (Opens Friday, November 30)
Extra five cents: The posters for Lanthimos' films, like his work, are in a league of their own. I've included a few below:
Director Felix Van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy is beautiful.
The film takes place in cinematographer Ruben Impens’ vision of Northern California’s Marin County. If you’re not watching close enough, you may think you’ve stumbled upon a drug abuse episode of TV’s Big Little Lies. The story to be told is not as easy on the eyes.
Boy is another “based on a true story” addiction story, and there are only two ways these stories go. However, Beautiful Boy offers more welcome realism than Ben Is Back (in theaters December), and interesting characters that elevate it from melodrama familiarity.
The film is based on two memoirs. One by father David Sheff (Steve Carell) and another by son Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet), but the film is told mostly from the parental side. It’s a solid choice; this is where the uniqueness lies.
David, a journalist, approaches the crisis by gathering stats, expert facts, and first-hand stories. Eventually he realizes he’s not in control. Similar to Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges' Ben Is Back, it explores the powerless aspect of parenting at this level — and the power of unconditional love.
In a nutshell: An emotional roller coaster that adds up to a tender, powerful story. Stay through the credits.
Award potential: The film has too many melodrama qualities and unlikely to be recognized other than the acting and screenplay categories. Chalamet is a likely bet for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, a spot he held last year for his work in Call Me By Your Name.
Carrell is skilled with balancing comedy and drama, but some elements of this role are out of his range and he's in a competitive, high bar category. I’d call him a wild card for Best Actor. Maura Tierney and Amy Ryan are great, but not likely to be recognized for their limited roles.
The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.
“I’m a better Dorothy Parker than Dorothy Parker.”
Melissa McCarthy’s new film Can You Ever Forgive Me? is not an actual plea to forget her criminally bad 2018 films, The HappyTime Murders and Life of the Party, but it does serve as one.
McCarthy is stellar as Lee Israel, a moderately successful writer who stumbles on a unique way to pay the rent — literary forgery. Israel finds herself uniquely qualified to create private letters of past literary figures such as Fanny Brice, Noël Coward and Dorothy Parke — and sign them as such.
I authentically enjoyed this compelling story that takes us inside the world of New York’s used bookstores, but it’s McCarthy’s portrayal of a fireball loner that makes it unforgettable. As a woman who wants to find her place, yet instinctually hates everyone she encounters, McCarthy creates of the most memorable characters on film this year.
Add Richard E. Grant, in one of his best roles as accomplice Jack Hock, and you have one of the most memorable duos on film this year.
In a nutshell: The surprise film of the year featuring a character you won't forget anytime soon.
Award potential: The film isn’t big or important enough to make the Oscar Best Picture list, but lock her up as a nominee for Best Actress and Lee for Best Supporting Actor. The true life Lee considers these letters “to be my best work,” and this is McCartney and Grant’s best work as well.
Strong potential at the Golden Globes in the comedy/musical categories.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
Any reputable list of 2018 Oscar Best Picture front runners will contain these titles: A Star Is Born, The Favourite, Roma and Green Book. Green Book recently won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Is it one of the top four films of the year?
Green Book, named for a 1960's guide used by black motorists to help navigate road travel and lodging, works as both a crowd pleasing dramedy and as an odd couple road film, but not much more.
The chemistry and dialogue between bouncer and driver Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) and musician and employer Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) is spot on. The film, written and directed by Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, Something About Mary), is witty and gorgeous to look at. It winningly invites the audience to follow the two (real life) characters driving their way through north and southeast America in 1962.
This film has heart and it tugs at yours as Hollywood does best. Unfortunately, a sentimental, feel good story set so squarely in the racial politics of the 1960's was inappropriate enough to keep me from fully enjoying this well crafted film. A difficult call, but I can't recommend this one.
In a nutshell: It's an enjoyable road film with two compelling actors and many feel good movie moments. However, it's difficult to not see this as the white savior, feel-good movie of award season.
Award potential: Expect nominations anyway for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score and a host of other slots including a Best Costume nomination for designer Betsy Heimann.
Ten Buck Review: Not worth ten bucks.
You'll find none of the magic of the Harry Potter stories. Nor will you find a story.
Wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmanye) returns with his magical suitcase and a mixed bag of storytelling in this new installment in the J.K. Rowling universe.
You’ll also meet Grindelwald (Johnny Depp),Albus (Jude Law), Leta (Zoe Kravitz), Theseus, Tina, Torquil, Arnold, Credence, Nagini, Queeni, Abernathy, Seraphina, Pottermore, Nifflers, Pickett, Titus, Finn, Poppy, Marlow and dozens of other characters and creatures stuffed into this movie that threads together too many characters and thoughts without a true draw for the casual film watcher.
I’m sure Potterfiles will enjoy the flashbacks, flash forwards, franchise fluff and surprise revelations, but there’s nothing here for other moviegoers. There are some surprises at the end that don’t really complete your film watching experience, they just set up the next installment.
It doesn’t help that this movie starts and ends with literal and figurative darkness. Even Depp’s role takes a grimmer turn as a flour-dusted, Trumpian leader who shows his 1920’s devoted followers (and the audience) how the inferior race of humans, er, muggles, will soon bring earth the Holocaust and atomic bombs. Oh what fun for the holidays!
Like too many movies of this decade, Fantastic Beasts aspires to be a popular franchise and marketable universe, never a full film. I prefer my serials on TV.
In a nutshell: Bloodless, but too bleak for kids. Adults will only enjoy this rambling film if they are Rowling fanatics.
Award potential: It’s a mess, but visually a stunning one. Potential nominations for Best Visual FX, Costume, Hair and Makeup and Production Design.
The Ten Buck Review: Not worth ten bucks.
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Like the band Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody is for the fans. Unlike the band, the film is quite conventional. That lack of edge is somewhat disappointing (I wonder what a deeper or more inventive film could have been) and somewhat liberating (it’s a lot of fun on a weekend to see the band’s story play out in such a lighthearted way).
Freddie (Rami Malek from Mr. Robot) and the band members were cast as crowd-pleasing lookalikes, and they lip-synched the songs to Queen recordings. These choices, and a brisk screenplay that covers Freddie’s full life, take the film to a paint-by-the-numbers format that delivers more like a TV movie than the recent A Star Is Born experience.
That is, until the bravura closing Live Aid sequence, which makes this film worth ten bucks after all. The ending has a kind of magic that forgives all the flaws before. You'll leave the theater with a strut in your step.
In a nutshell: BoRhap has all the problems of a too-brisk, overly sanitized biopic and you'll see all of the rock biopic cliches play out, but by the end it will, it will, rock you.
Award potential: Malik, an inch shorter than Mercury, captures much of his larger than life persona, especially in the music numbers. He’s a front-runner for a Best Actor (Music/Comedy) Golden Globe win and should be in the running for a Oscar Best Actor nomination. The film could score nods for Best Costume and Best Makeup and Hair as well.
The Ten Buck Review: Eventually, it's worth ten bucks.
"Women with knives. How Greek."
Director Wash Westmoreland's (Still Alice) Colette presents Englishwoman Keira Knightley as Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, a French country girl whose literary gifts impressed all of 19th Century Paris.
Of course, 19th Century Parisians think her "Claudine" novels are written by Henry Gauthier-Villars (Englishman Dominic West), known in the literary community as "Willy," and presented onscreen with an insufferable series of scenes that each remind you what a bad man he is.
It's unfortunate that this film was released after The Wife, one of the year's best films with the same story — too.
Colette was a pioneer in women’s rights, an author who shocked readers with her Claudine novels, penned the popular Gigi and was nominated for the Nobel prize in literature in 1954. This flawed film, considerably enhanced by 2018 hindsight, should have done more justice to her. It should have been every bit as good as The Wife.
In a nutshell: Keira Knightly's radiant personality portrays Collette's sparkling intellect onscreen and she's delightful to watch. However, the full film experience pales to The Wife, released a month prior.
Award potential: Never count out Keira, but this might be the year to overlook her and this film as Best Picture. British opera composer Thomas Adès' score and Andrea Fleshch's costumes should find their way to Oscar nominations. Giles Nuttgens' gorgeous cinematography is a possible nomination, but I'd call it a long shot.
The ten buck review: Not worth ten bucks.
Ben is Back brings Julia Roberts back to quality film conversation at precisely the same time Homecoming, her Amazon Prime series, brings her to TV. Everything in that sentence is good stuff; so is her performance here.
Peter Hedges (Manchester By The Sea) is also on double duty this season as Robert’s son Ben in this film, and son to Nicole Kidman’s character in Boy Erased. His performance is equally noteworthy.
It’s a good thing these two dynamos were cast because nothing else in this theatric, play-on-film matters except them; it’s a clear character drama focused on Ben’s relationships with family, hometown and drugs.
Roberts
plays her role with a mix of emotions that only a few actresses can
pull off. I expect her Oscar clip will be one from an early scene where her character abruptly shifts
from unconditional loving mom to a spine-shivvering rule giver. She's amazing.
Robert’s character is (ugh) named Holly and the film is set in the days before Christmas, but please look elsewhere for a holiday film at Christmastime. This is a family drama with very little seasonal delight to unwrap.
The back third of the film stirs up more road adventure than realistic for Robert’s character, but forgive that for the chance to see Roberts light up the screen playing a mother with undying love.
In a nutshell: A heartbreaker not a heartwarmer
Award potential: Two unforgettable performances should be rewarded, but don’t expect the movie to make the cut.
Between this and Boy Erased, Hedges is up against himself this season so it will be interesting to see what categories he’s positioned for. He's a contender.
Courtney B. Vance is solid as the tough love stepfather, but this is a two-person film.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
Ben is Back opens December 7, 2018.
First man? Man, oh man. I've been out of this world excited about the next Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, La La Land) film, whatever it would be, since 2016. And when I heard that he was taking on the Neil Armstrong story, on the eve of the 50th anniversary year of the moon landing no less, my ticket was sold.
With First Man, director Chazelle has created a film that immerses viewers in the personal space of Armstrong to give some sense of what those early, historical flights must have been like. Wow. The opening scene inside a violently shaking X-15 space capsule, littered with dials from the 1960's and the haunting sound of a container being pushed to its limits, is unlike anything I've ever seen in a space film before. That experience happens at least two more times and should have the sound effect awards locked up.
Those scenes are amazing accomplishments in a film that somehow left me underwhelmed.
At fault is most likely Chazelle's focus on Armstrong's down-to-earth life. Ryan Gosling (Drive) plays the reclusive, unemotional Armstrong, and Claire Foy (The Crown), plays his wife who seeks a more normal life for her family. Two reserved actors portraying unemotional figures does not make for a riveting two hours and twenty-one minutes. Unless it's Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, of course.
As for the pivotal moment, Chazelle plays it neutral, skipping all the iconic scenes such as the flag mounting that ended the Russia-USA space race, and focuses on what Armstrong might be thinking about at this historical moment. For a gen-X guy like me that has witnessed that sequence set to the guitar-laced MTV theme song a few hundred times, it is a jolt to imagine the haunting quietness of that zen moment. It's also quite a bland let-down to the rocket fire energy of everything that got us to that moment.I want to respect the restraint it took to focus on this man's thoughts, but I couldn't feel much staring into a space helmet, and we are all just guessing anyway.
Then, Chazelle goes wheels off and adds to the story. He adds a climactic moment that's as likely to have happened as an old lady named Rose tossing a necklace off the Titanic. I rolled my eyes where I should have wept.
Restrained. Neutral. Thoughtful. Somewhat cold. It's an expertly crafted film that let me down as a movie goer.
In a nutshell: You'll feel like you experienced some of what those early flights were like, but that's all you'll feel.
Award potential: There will be nominations in all sound categories. Best picture, director and actor are likely and likely vulnerable for a underwhelming October film. A Best Supporting Actress nomination for Claire Foy seems unlikely given the restrictions of her 1960's astronaut wife role.
Ten buck review. Worth ten bucks. See it in a theater and see it in IMAX. There will be no point to watching this on TV.
Born this way.
I've seen many films at my local, midtown theater and never knew that room could sound so good. Starting with the electrifying opening scene of A Star Is Born, which transports you in a cinematic sweep to the Stagecoach festival stage, you realize you're watching a film that aspires to be a big deal. It is. Turns out, Bradley cooper can direct — and sing.
We know his co-star, Lady Gaga, can sing. Her first song is an a cappella Somewhere Over The Rainbow, that plays as the film title graces the screen. It's an obvious nod to Judy Garland, who starred in the first remake of this film in 1954. Soon after that scene, we realize that Lady Gaga can act too. I loved her stripped-down performance as Ally, a superstar on the rise.
Cooper and Gaga not only provide musical authenticity to their characters, but they have solid chemistry in a film that is part tender love story and part every-rock star-movie-ever. Yeh, we've all seen part of this story before, but I crazy heart loved it anyway.
No surprise it all feels familiar. A Star Is Born has been created for four generations of movie lovers. This treatment follows the 1937 original, the 1954 Judy Garland musical, and the Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson version in 1976.
Despite the film legacy, Cooper's version is thankfully free of irony. The rise to fame is chill-inducing, the romance is authentic and tender and the fall from grace is well, heartbreaking. It's one of 2018's must-see films.
In a nutshell: Cooper and Gaga make beautiful music together, until they don't of course.
Award potential: Like the musical Chicago (2002), Star will likely be nominated across the board in acting, musical and technical categories. Likely twelve or thirteen nominations, including the big five.
This stellar version will be the most honored version, which is no small feat. Fredric March and Janet Gaynor earned Best Actor/Actress nominations in 1937 and James Mason and Judy Garland also received those nominations for their remake. No pressure, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. A win at the Oscars will prove difficult, but both should prepare their Golden Globe speeches now.
Multiple songs may get nominated for Oscars' Best Original Song, but Shallow will be a front runner until we see what Mary Poppins Returns has in its bag. Judy Garland's song, The Man That Got Away, lost to Frank Sinatra's Three Coins in the Fountain. Streisand's Evergreen won at the 1977 Oscars, somehow knocking out nominee Gonna Fly Now from Rocky.
The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.
A slow burn.
Glenn Close plays Joan Castleman, wife to newly named Nobel Prize recipient Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce from Game of Thrones). As the title suggests, her husband-propping character might have just as well been called “the wife.”
In a story adapted by Jane Anderson (Olive Kitteridge), from the novel by Meg Wolitzer (The Interestings), Joe receives international recognition for his work and Joan is proudly recognized as “the love of his life.” The film is set in the Bill Clinton 90’s but it certainly resonates in 2018.
As the film unfolds, it allows you to look closer into the face of the marvelous Glenn Close. You’ll see that there is more to the Castleman story than initially meets the eye. Close, who once played a bunny boiler in 1988’s Fatal Attraction, delivers a subtle, simmering performance here. I can't think of anyone else who could convey so much with just facial expressions, but her character has much to say too.
Eventually tensions heat up, but instead of the blowout most films would showcase, viewers are eyewitness to something more realistic for a 40-year marriage.
Rising director Björn Runge takes this story close to film excellence but misses a bit. He uses multiple flashbacks (ugh) and the scenes after the final plot turn feel like the ending to a lesser, popular film. However, in a nice irony, the award seasons will focus less on the film itself and all on one woman — Glenn Close.
In a nutshell: A slow burn marriage drama, with two great actors and the bravura performance of the year.
Award potential: No dramatic actress (Roberts, Kidman, Viola) nor multi-talented diva (GaGa) stands a chance against six time, er, seven-time nominee Close on Oscar night.
It's normally too early to declare such things, but I can comfortable say that Close will be nominated and win Best Actress and she and GaGa will each win for corresponding Golden Globe categories. Most people assume Close has won; she has not.
Jonathan Pryce and Christian Slater have shots in actor roles, but I don't expect much recognition for them. the director or the film itself.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
Not so simple.
In this new thriller, Mommy blogger Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) becomes an unlikely friend to the mysterious Emily (Blake Lively), and offers to pick up her son for a play date after school. It's a simple favor that becomes a complicated problem when Emily goes missing. Oh yeah, it's also a comedy.
Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) directs this mystery with a balance of humor and suspense, which is often a deadly formula. For most of the film, all this works; Kendrick and Lively kill each line. When they are on screen together, Kendrick puts a perfectly punctuated spark in each word of dialogue and Lively bounces back at her with either a well-timed snap or a curious inflection that adds fire to the mystery.
It's not a perfect film. Halfway through, the plot gets as ridiculous as Lively's sexpot business outfits, but this duo was perfectly cast. Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett couldn't pull off this light touch in Ocean's 8 earlier this year. With Ocean's, I think we all suspected the actresses were above the absurd material and wasting their time. This cast, including Henry Goldman, is perfectly cast for a good time. A Simple Favor simply delivers on that raunchy fun, popcorn thriller we've been waiting for.
In a nutshell: Forgettable but fun. Kendrick and Lively are to die for.
Award potential: None.
The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.
Not sure where Mile 22 is going.
Director Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg, both of action thriller Lone Survivor, team up for their fourth film together. Wahlberg stars as James Silva, a CIA, Bourne-wannabe with a few ticks of his own. A large portion of the “plot” centers around a 22-mile transport in a film that has as much difficulty moving forward as its characters in that journey.
This doesn’t mean the film isn’t a pleasure in parts. There are a lot of expertly crafted suspense scenes and two lean-forward action scenes (featuring Iko Uwais) strung together. However, the finale (no spoilers here) choses to set up a franchise versus telling a solid story, which seems like a little grenade thrown at the viewer.
In a nutshell: Not unwatchable, and fun in parts, but not worth the sequel it clearly hopes for.
Award potential: None.
The ten buck review: Not worth the same ten bucks spent on Mission Impossible.
