Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal is my favorite movie of 2020.

The competition was not fierce. I've only liked three movies this year. The other two, Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods and David Fincher's Mank (both on Netflix), are difficult to recommend for all moviegoers, but it's a safe bet that the ultimately uplifting Sound of Metal will touch most anyone who watches.

Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler) plays a punk-metal drummer who is losing his hearing. This is not the typical rock-star-finds-success-then-crashes-with-booze/drugs-story — thank goodness. It's a story of overcoming challenges. Another reason why this should be crowned the film of 2020.

Ahmed doesn't miss a beat here. His empathetic character is played so genuine that the movie can explore further layers and questions such as the divide in those that view deafness as an identity and those who see it as correctable.

Writer-director-newcomer Darius Marder tells the story in a low-key way that is all the more riveting for it. Ironically, it is the sound of silence that is the most telling.

In a nutshell: It's the only movie in 2020 that I'd go see again in a theater in 2021.

Award potential: Sound of Metal has an underdog shot at Best Picture and Best Screenplay, but it will be hard not to nominate Ahmed for Best Actor. 

Plus, it's sure to rock the title of front-runner for the new Best Sound Oscar. (Sound Mixing and Sound Editing have finally been combined.) The sound design here brings the character's auditory condition to life; it's a work of art.

The Ten Buck Review. Worth ten bucks. (Streaming now on Amazon Prime)

Mank

In Mank, director David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac, The Social Network) tells the bittersweet story of fabled '30s screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and the creation of Hollywood's most honored film, Citizen Kane.

Written by Jack Fincher, David Fincher’s late father, Mank is a sharp screenplay that will fully engross film lovers and likely bore casual viewers. Mankiewicz's story is not a beautiful one, but the film's look is — thanks to Eric Messrschmidt's gorgeous black and white throwback cinematography. The look, editing, and screenplay, which is full of flashbacks, pays not-so-subtle tribute to 1941's Kane and films of that period.

Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) plays  Mankiewicz ("Mank") in a bravado performance alongside Mank's personal secretary Rita Alexander played by Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), boss Louis B. Mayer played by Arliss Howard (Full Metal Jacket), and his "co-screenwriter" Orson Welles, played by Tom Burke (The Souvenir). But it is Amanda Seyfried (Les Miserables, Mamma Mia) that turns heads here. She plays starlet and famed Hearst mistress Mario Davies who was forever unfairly linked to fictional Susan Kane, the untalented singer baron Kane promoted in the film. 

Seyfried dazzles on screen and made my at-home-tv experience feel like a large cinema visit.

Aside from Oldman and Seyfried, this all adds up to a series of vignettes that film lovers will respect but miss an emotional connection to. I wanted a little more heart. The film gets lost in the bigness of the time period and would have benefitted from showing us more on the writer's process and the making of such a classic. But I'm a fan of old Hollywood so it still makes my top five films of the year list. (A pretty small list in 2020 of course.) Available now on Netflix.

In a nutshell: Old Hollywood buffs rejoice! Other viewers may skip this for casual movie night.

Award potential: Expect a tall tally of nominations for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Original Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actress, and more. Seyfried and father/screenwriter Fincher each have a good chance to win.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

The Trial of The Chicago Seven

A potential Oscars Best Picture contender quietly landed on your Netflix between Holidate and The Unicorn season one.

Yup, the awards race has begun with the early buzz from recent screenings of The Trial of the Chicago 7 from Oscar-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Moneyball) as well as the announcement that all seven actors will be promoted in the supporting actor category.

It's a stellar ensemble for a film that played in theaters only a few days before hitting your TV via Netflix. The cast includes Oscar-winners Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) and Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), as well as Oscar nominees Michael Keaton (Birdman) and Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon). Yahya Abdul-Mateen (TV's Watchmen), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), and Jeremy Strong (TV's Succession) round out the cast.

Did I mention that this period piece set in 1969 is extremely relevant today? The story follows an infamous trial of seven charged with conspiracy arising from counterculture protests.

OK, since your expectations are as elevated as mine when I watched this, I can confess that I didn't find it worthy of the awards-season hype. However, it is a bofo courtroom drama to watch at home for free. Expect Sorkin's brand of character dialogue, grand speeches, and a big courtroom finish. 

Nobody does it better.

As for the best of the year? The self-important polish of the script makes the characters unlikeable at times and frequently unbearable. There is too much inconsistency to make this Best Picture material. However, as a film, it is completely tenbuckworthy.

In a nutshell: A quality courtroom drama with an all-star cast — free on Netflix.

Award potential: The film, director, writer, and actors are all in the running, but I don't believe the hype. Mark Rylance and Sacha Baron Cohen are the standouts of the seven. Jeremy Strong, so good in Succession, is cartoon-level bad in his role.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

42 (2013)

There's never been a bad baseball film, ever, but some rise to the top. 42 is top 10 material.

The story of Jackie Robinson's integration of MLB is in expert hands. The combo of writer-director Brian Thomas Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River) and actor Chadwick Boseman (Get On Up, Black Panther) as Robinson is top of the order material. 

It's a story that has been told in film before; but not well. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) starred Robinson as himself, for real. Even stranger, Boseman in 42 plays Robinson better than Robinson played himself. 

Playing a man who has to keep his thoughts inside while insults are shouted his way, Boseman has to communicate more often with facial expressions, which he strikes a perfect note for. It doesn't hurt that Boseman has the athletic chops as well.

Throw in Harrison Ford as Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey and John C. McGinley as the Dodgers' legendary radio announcer Red Barber and you have a big-time Hollywood treat.

I saw the 2013 premiere of this film in Dallas introduced by Jackie's daughter Sharon Robinson. The family did have a role in this film so there is a degree of glossiness to it. When it comes to 20th Century heroes, I'm fine with that.

While praised for its accuracy of events, the consensus critique of this film is that it doesn't go deep enough into Robinson's struggle. In his memoir, he wrote that he couldn't bring himself to salute the American flag or stand for the National Anthem knowing he was "a black man in a white world." That's still a discussion today, so we can hope for a film with more grit in the future. For now, a glossy formula film about a 20th Century hero is completely ten-buck worthy.

In a nutshell: A great American 20th-century true story told with movie magic

Award potential: 42 was not a factor in 2013 Oscars and similar award groups. Boseman was a newcomer at the time.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

Bill & Ted Face The Music

Whoa! It's been 31 years since the original, but Wyld Stallyns couldn't keep this sequel from happening after the Keannussance of 2019, the year Keanu Reeves became bankable again. But should it have happened? After all, comedy sequels are hard and nothing looks older than a 55-year old sporting Ted hair.

The quick answer is —yes way! 

The joy of Bill and Ted (Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter) and their most excellent chemistry makes it breezy enough to enjoy and you'll catch yourself laughing out loud quite a few times. It's a dumb comedy filled with dumb characters, but with these two bros it works in a way that doesn't when, say, the otherwise brilliant Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell make a dumb comedy. The unpretentiousness of this dated teen duo certainly works in the film's favor.

So many things could have gone heinously wrong of course. Their daughters (Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine) are introduced, ugh, but not in the usual pass-the-torch way a franchise might use them. They are utilized not as springboards for a new spinoff universe, but as fresh characters that can experience the "whoa" of time travel for the first time as they round up Mozart, Louis Armstrong, and Jimi Hendrix to create the song that will save mankind. They are, in a word, bodacious.

The film tricked me a few times by introducing 2020 CGI technology, and a new assassin character. Both had my eyes rolling until it turned out the film didn't go deep into the bag of SFX or action. And just when the plot seemed to be going too broad and contrived, it pulled back quickly.

There is a lot of fan service here but those returning characters, such as William Sadler as Death, deliver on laughs. And the new ones, such as Holland Taylor and Kristen Schaal in new roles, helped the story party on.

Face the Music certainly benefits from a year without new movie content and a great 2020 comedy to compare it to, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much cinematic joy it brought.

Is this ten buck-worthy new film worth a trip to a crowded theater during a pandemic? Nope. Is it worth the $19.99 home rental cost? Probably not. But if two or more of you want to rent it, you'll be satisfied with that bodacious choice.

In a nutshell: In the world of comedy sequels, it is most triumphant.

Award potential: Despite being one of the only theatrical releases of 2020, it doesn't have a chance in any categories.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

Best Baseball Film Matchups

There's never been a bad baseball film. Ever. I swear. But when you pair them up competitively, which films come out on top?


Bull Durham vs. Field of Dreams
Both Kevin Costner films will make any top ten list of sports films, but which one is tops? If you're playing Field of Dreams, I will watch. It was nominated for Oscar's Best Picture. However, when choosing the purest baseball movie, Bull Durham is truest to "the Church of Baseball" and perhaps the most fun all around. 

The first film about baseball in the minor leagues isn't just romantic and funny, it changed the focus of sports movies for years to come. In the words of Bob Costas, Bull Durham "gave us the romance of baseball without the violins." Winner: Bull Durham.

The Bad News Bears vs. Sandlot

This is the showdown that I'd like to see filmed today. 1976's Bad News Bear crew versus 1993's Sandlot team. Why can't someone make this? You're killing me, Smalls. The Sandlot simply owes too much to the former to take a win here. The pennant goes to: Walter Matthau and The Bad News Bears.

42 vs. 61*
In a matchup of stories, Jackie Robinson's integration of MLB (42) versus Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle's quest to beat Babe Ruth's single-season home record (*61), Robinson's tale is obviously ahead in the count. So is the production. The combo of director Brian Thomas Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River) and actor Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) as Robinson is a winning lineup.

61* touts director and noted baseball fan Billy Crystal and Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan) as Roger Maris and Thomas Jane (Hung) as Mickey Mantle. Crystal's love of baseball and eye for the small details of the sport can be felt in every scene. You can't go wrong with either film, but I'd give Robinson's story the edge. Winner: 42.

Cobb vs. Pride of the Yankees
In the battle of the b'ball biopics, we have heavy hitters Tommy Lee Jones (Ty Cobb) and Gary Cooper (Lou Gherig). Gherig was much more likable than Cobb and so is his film — which also has Babe Ruth as Babe Ruth. No joke. Winner: Pride of the Yankees.

Moneyball vs. Million Dollar Arm

In the battle of true stories of behind-the-scenes baseball, Jon Hamm's Disney film comes up short. Brad PItt's film is money. Who would have thought that Michael Lewis’ 2003 nonfiction book about the math of baseball could be major league entertainment? Apparently, the top screenwriting team of Aaron Sorkin and Steven Aaillian did. As well as director Bennet Miller (Capote, Foxcatcher) and the shiniest star in Hollywood too. Pitt may have won the Oscar this year for Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, but this is his all-star best performance. Winner: Moneyball.

The Rookie vs. Rookie of the Year
When you're looking for a family film with hijinks and heart, go with Dennis Quaid's 2002 film directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blindside, The Highwaymen, The Founder) not the popular 1993 comedy. This is the most one-sided matchup on the list. Winner: The Rookie.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame vs. Damn Yankees

In a musical matchup, you'd think 1949's hit MGM musical with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Esther Williams would have knocked it out of the park, but there's not a lot of baseball there. In fact, Kelly and Sinatra's characters spend more time as vaudeville performers (their other job) than on the field. And the team is a fictitious one, the Chicago Wolves.

On the flipside, Gwen Verdon does her damndest to wow you in every scene, and the story revolves around a real damn team, the Washington Senators (and a matchup with the New York Yankees). Winner: In the musical match up, you can't beat Damn Yankees.

The men of Eight Men Out vs. the women of A League of Their Own

Eight Men Out is an eighties gem that needs to be seen. It features a pre-Say Anything partnering of John Cusak and John Mahoney and a pre-Major League Charlie Sheen. But how does one compare the darkness of Shoeless Joe and the bribe-taking 1919 Chicago White Sox team with the sunniness of The Rockford Peaches and opening day for All-American Girls Professional Baseball League? There's no darkness in baseball! Winner: A League of Their Own.

Awards: The only baseball films to be nominated for Oscars' Best Picture are: The Pride of the Yankees, Field of Dreams, and Moneyball. None have won.

The Ten Buck Review: All are worth your ten bucks.

Greyhound

Greyhound is a World War II thriller adapted from The Good Shepherd, a 1955 novel by famed naval fiction writer C.S. Forester. Adapted by none other than its star Tom Hanks. 

It's an adventure that was meant to open in theaters June of 2020 but has headed to Apple+ TV instead. Yes, you heard all that correct. Tom Hanks, America's Captain, has come to save us from a summer without new movies.

Hanks drives this terse thriller with a steady hand. The film is a brisk 91 minutes so it's essential that we are on board with the familiar Hanks as a heroic leader within the first few minutes. The action does not stop.

Director Aaron Schneider (Get Low) serves up a straightforward naval film with a simple mission. U.S. Navy Commander Ernie Krause (Hanks) leads an international convoy of 37 Allied ships across the treacherous Black Pit of the North Atlantic while being pursued by German U-boats (and his insecurity of inexperience).

The film, with its dynamic display of rough seas, was clearly meant for the big screen, giving viewers a hint of what a mission of this sort might have felt like. Similarly, the U-boats are mostly hidden to the viewer, creating the greatest unseen movie villain this side of Jaws.

Hanks anchors this film and lets us know everything we need to know about the commander with just simple gestures. He's amazing. While I appreciated the simplicity of a war film with one mission versus a convoluted epic, the same way I found 1911 perfect, I do wish the film had been a little longer to explore the other characters on board.

In a nutshell: This is a straightforward naval film and a real fresh treat for WWII-film lovers, but don't expect any romance or humor. Do expect a masterful, minimalist performance by Hanks.

Award potential: The Academy is recognizing TV releases this one unique year. However, the sturdy Hanks has reached the point in his career where he's not nominated. Don't expect any FX nods either. As amazing as the Atlantic comes to life, there are a few scenes of TV-quality CGI that should have been movie-quality. Its TV release will make it difficult for sound awards.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks. (Or a month's subscription to Apple+.)