"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.
