Reviews

The film starts off as a Lucille Ball/Vivian Vance escapade and ends as Quentin Tarantino drama. I guess that's what we call fluidity. Parasite is terrific. The cast is embraceable. The actors were recognized by the Screen Actor's Guild for the "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture." Hurray for Parasite.

Joe Swanberg was on the precipice of becoming a recognized force in the indie film universe. He has plugged away for years making one film after another. They have grown from the "has promise" stage to the "this is pretty good" level. Drinking Buddies looked like he had found his footing and was going to build upon this success. It did not hurt Joe that his former muse, Greta Gerwig was nominated for a Golden Globe with "Frances Ha". Happy Christmas is blessed with a July release so that the world may not see it on the shelves in December 2014. This one needs to go straight to the cardboard bin in the Supermarket. It felt as if some devious film production executive found a movie that Joe made in college with his friend Anna and released it to cash in on their celebrity. Anna Kendrick ... how could she have put her name on this? The "lobby poster" looks like the graphic artist mated her with Mister Ed. She is not propped up by George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. Swanberg rolled back to the days when the hand-held camera shook and the movie was under lit since they could not open up the aperture anymore because the camera was already shaking. The audio supervisor was somebody's cousin and the budget could not afford the good microphones so they bought the East German surplus. Pray this will not be passed off as an artistic technique of the director. The unforgivable sin was when they used a scene where Kendrick forgets her line for a moment and the audience watches in bewilderment as she catches herself and continues. The cry of "We'll fix it in post" may have been abandoned. Neither Swanberg nor Kendrick can be so secure in their careers that they can afford to throw a wrench in the works. The big difference between those films from college and today is that the viewer is paying full price plus the cost of popcorn and soda to see a movie that is fit to be viewed while sitting on a metal folding chair.

Throughout the eight episodes of The Honourable Woman the viewer is treated to a relevant, gutsy, challenging television experience. If you ever dismissed or plead ignorance over the Arab - Israeli conflict, you now have an emotional stake in the conflict. The characters are complex, the actors are skilled artisans. Ever since Maggie Gyllenhaal was slinking around in Secretary she has established a reputation for conquering the challenging, controversial roles. Maggie has conquered once again. The Honourable Woman will win a lot of trophies once the awards season has arrived. Amongst the superior cast is one actor who may have placed an exclamation point on his heretofore fine body of work. The trophy engravers should get a jump on etching Stephen Rea's name on the hardware from the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Emmy and Blockbuster(sic)awards. Rea simply owned every scene in which he appeared. His star rose with the release of the feisty film, The Crying Game whose plot twist remains one of the great and respected spoilers that is kept mum to this day. His efforts were rewarded with an Oscar nomination to go along with his Tony nomination. Twenty plus years later, it is time for this native and resident of Northern Ireland to get his due. Will The Honourable Woman return for another season? Hugo Blick and company drained every ounce out of the script and characters. Perhaps the dawn should best be left unsaid.

The cheerful, omnipotent parish priest who tends to the needs of his flock is a job description that I can only grasp through the eyes of the cinema. I cannot say that I know of too many priests that have the qualities of Father Lavelle. On the other hand, I do not know many priests that where a straw hat, sing, whistle, and play basketball like Bing Crosby in the Bells of St. Mary's. And I never was taught by a nun who looked like Ingrid Bergman. That said, I do not live in Ireland and cannot say that this person does not exist. While he struggles with his demons, his fate in the church is sealed. The bishop panders and pontificates with his blah, blah, blahs while Father Lavelle meets his parishioners face-to-face and shares their burdens as we were taught as children from the Catechism. His fate is sealed because he is an anomaly, or rather considered one by the church. One of the popular pondering's of Catholics is to imagine a person who is able to receive all seven sacraments of the church. They are Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick. Father Lavelle is in the unique position of receiving all seven, which unlike hitting for the cycle in baseball, means he will be cast as an outsider within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Despite this he plies his trade with an unbridled vigor whilst he peers and superiors prattle on with their unheeded advice. Brendan Gleeson won the Irish Film & Television Academy Best Actor Award for his portrayal in Calvary. (He defeated his son Domhnall who was also nominated). If I had a vote, I would nomination as for best actor in the 2015 Academy Awards for a superb performance of a terrific character.

When it comes to television, The Fall is as good as a television series gets. Once I started watching, I had no intention of turning off the five hours of content that comprise season 1. Even though you may not have heard of this show, it ranks up there with American dramas such as "House of Cards", "True Detective", "Breaking Bad", "Homeland",and "The Wire".

Despite the compelling content, the show is hardly a mainstream event. It exists well below "the radar". At least it will remain below the radar until the world discovers that Jamie Dornan, the star of "Fifty Shades of Grey", which opens February 14, 2015 costars with Gillian Anderson of "The X Files".

Dornan is the antagonist with Anderson playing the protagonist. He delivers a five star performance as Peter Spector, a loving father, philandering husband, professional bereavement counselor whose career is spiraling towards termination, and a psychotic serial killer. He is smart,physically fit, and is prone to allowing his heart dictate actions that will challenge his brain to fix when things go haywire. He supports his practices with pearls of wisdom from the Irish bard T.S. Eliot and German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Anderson plays the protagonist, Detective Chief Inspector Stella Gibson of the Metropolitan Police Force who has been brought to Belfast to assist in the capture of the murderer of professional female who is the former daughter-in-law of a well-connected, corrupt member of the Belfast police board. We are forewarned that politics plays a big role in policing Belfast. The viewer must also keep in mind an adage about Northern Ireland, "To see what it was like during Victorian times, go to Northern Ireland. The laws that govern women's sexual rights date back to 1861."

We are not in Kansas, Dorothy.

Even though Dornan is the villain and Anderson is our hero, the audience is made aware of the many personality nuances that they share . Both characters are feisty, independent, domineering, well educated, ruthless, and indefatigable in pursuit of their goals. The difference is that Spector murders his chosen victims and Gibson specializes in catching psychotic criminals. To paraphrase Anderson's character, "Gibson is tasked with apprehending a serial killer known as "Peter". Gibson is the subject and Peter, the serial killer is the object. The act of apprehension expresses the verb function". Beyond this clear directive, the storyline is blurred by both diligent and dysfunctional behaviors occurring within the corrupt, corporal environment of Belfast. We see the charms and curses of this volatile city. If police business occurs near the infamous Shankill or Falls Roads, they must employ tactics used by the allied armies in Iraq and Afghanistan. The simplest steps carried out by law enforcement require a para-military police presence in order to succeed.

The supporting cast is expertly played by a mostly Irish cast. Niamh McGrady is wonderful as Constable Danielle Ferrington, who becomes DCI Gibson's personal assistant while pursuing the killer. As the two police officials get to know each other, the show injects a splash of levity, which is needed to break the dark nature of the story. The assistant commissioner of police is played by John Lynch. Lynch portrays this tortured public official who has allies himself with dark side whenever it serves his purpose.

A handful of characters who display scruples manage to keep this "house of cards" from collapsing.

The six episode, second season of "The Fall" will air this fall on BBC2 & Netflix.

Once again, here I sit with my laptop opened in front of me inspired to record my reflections about another Paul Thomas Anderson movie. Let me share a secret with you. I watched this film without realizing that it was a P.T. Anderson production. I had the movie on my hard drive and watched it purely on my slightest recollection that this movie should be good. My expectations were met and I found my appreciation for the direction, design, cinematography, and story telling piqued. I felt vindicated that my aesthetic senses remained consistent to previous stimuli of Anderson. The film gave me an unintended kick in the gut as we watch Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The performance he gave us in "Magnolia" creeps into my vapid moments when I am prone to daydreaming. While watching "The Master", I am constantly reminded of his amazing range, comparing the two roles of an enabling health provider with an all loving, slightly psychotic cult leader. Not to sound trite but Hoffman will be sorely missed. On the opposite spectrum, we witness the rebirth of Joaquin Phoenix's acting career. Playing the lead character whose life provides the context of the story, he gives a performance that allows us to feel every writhing moment of his tormented life. Once again, the ubiquitous Amy Adams does yeoman work while receiving minimal accolades. I love seeing Rami Malek show up in more and more films. His performance as Cpl. Merriell "Snafu" Shelton in "The Pacific" gave him instant credit as a budding actor. Same goes for Jesse Plemons who helped bring the series "Breaking Bad" to a conclusion with an exclamation point rather than a period. Paul Thomas Anderson shoots the movie on a 65mm Kodak film that had not been used in a full length motion picture for 16 years. The film stock is designed to withstand the rigors of the 70 mm Panavision projection. Every main character records closeups that exposes every imperfection on their Hollywood sculpted appearances. Phoenix morphs. into a man with poor posture, a scrawny physique, ptosis (a drooping eyelid) while the camera emphasizes his natural micro-cleft lip. The only thing missing was a mole with an ingrown hair. Anderson's trademark dramatic scenarios stand true as the family structure is replaced by community, the protagonist is chock full of flaws, and a plethora of symbolic metaphors are dropped as if they were part of an Easter egg hunt. All the while the actors are allowed to act, and improvisations are welcomed by the director. Perhaps a sign that Paul Anderson is mastering his trade when the movie does not dawdle and the production clocks in at a svelte 144 minutes. As much as we appreciate Stanley Kubrick, we do not need another Barry Lyndon. The Master is a directorial masterpiece whose actors breathe life into a rather flaccid story. Here is another secret, I did not realize that story was a bit dull until I needed to summarize my reflection of an under-appreciated film that is destined to have a long shelf life.

Ah ha! The secret to enjoying this film is watching it twice. It is also imperative that you don't read the novel on which it is based. I've read several reviews where people who had read (and loved) the novel were terribly disappointed. I have not read the book, so ignorance is bliss. A second run through is always good in order to allow an American to pick up the subtle points of the conversation. The director moves us through the story using some simple ploys in order to keep confusion from arising between the flashbacks and real time action. The movie boasts a fabulous cast that carry off their roles in a clean, concise direction with aplomb. From Hurt to Hardy, there is a range of accomplished actors with an appearance from Downton Abbey's Laura Carmichael. The ubiquitous Brendan Cumberbatch is sterling while sporting yet another over-the-top hairpiece. Gary Oldman restores faith in his thespian skills following his Batman roles. Colin Firth and Mark Strong are exceptional as always. Now, I must secure a copy of the book to see what I am missing!

I honestly felt that The Lone Ranger was going to deliver the critical acclaim and awards to that sparse mantle at Johnny Depp's house. I use the word felt because in my "heart" I felt it was time. Just because I wanted it to happen obviously did not convince the cosmos that the time had come. Johnny Depp who is beginning to resemble Middle America is not going to win any bling for his work in The Lone Ranger. He's not that good, plain and simple. Armie Hammer had me convinced that he was big enough for this iconic role following his acclaimed "dual role" performance in The Social Network. However, the director found it necessary to base this version of the Lone Ranger on the "cartoon" version so that the character played by Hammer is neither iconic nor comic. James Badge Dale added another notch in his resume of characters that he played with aplomb. Tom Wilkerson's character is hard to find in the early part of the movie due to the "uber-beard" that he sports. Who's to say why you would want to hide Tom Wilkerson. Helena Bonham Carter needs to stop playing prostitutes. Barry Pepper is another big name whose presence cannot stop the bleeding. Gore Verbinski's long-awaited summer blockbuster is a movie where tremendous amount of talent is wasted, along with a bunch of Disney dollars. The film leaves so much to be desired. You might pick at the basic conflict of whether we are watching a satire, a comedy, or a drama. It shifts gears so often that the audience is clutched with confusion. The pinnacle of the movie comes as the ubiquitous Hans Zimmer kicks the orchestra into high gear with the adrenaline producing, "William Tell Overture". The Lone Ranger atop Silver (played by a relative of Mister Ed) goes into high gear and then, KABOOM - the movie shift gears and goes off in another direction. The movie concludes with a hint that another chapter may be forthcoming. No one in the audience seemed to give a hoot after 2 hours and 29 minutes of watching a waste of talent and resources.

If ever there was a movie that was bound to disappoint me, it would be Frances Ha. I am a not-so-easily-amused-boomer looking for a punch line from the Millennia's. They toss the lines out fast, frequent, and occasionally some are humorous. A younger man sitting behind me "LOL'd" more than I, but I am okay with it. Frances Ha grabbed hold of me as it whisked by and never let me go. Greta is Greta and that is great. The cinematography at some points is so good that I felt like I was looking at a still photograph in a classy gallery. You might read reviews where comparisons are drawn of Diane Keaton, Woody Allen, Lucy & Ethel,etcetera, etcetera. Noah and Greta have made a modern masterpiece that speaks the language of 2013. Lets credit their art-making rather than explain it as an extension from the past. "Frances Ha" is a classic even though no one clubs you over the head in order to drum up the fact that you are watching a classic. It quietly goes about it's business of entertaining the audience. I admit that I came into the movie with some preconceived baggage. I groaned at the thought of another David Bowie song making another statement in yet another movie. Truth is that the song fit in a very amusing scene. In 2007, I met Greta while she was stumping "Hannah Takes the Stairs" at the Maryland Film Festival with director Joe Swanberg. I was a driver for the festival who hustled the directors/actors/screeners from the airport to the festival and vice versa. I picked up Greta and her New York posse at the train station, in a 10 passenger van. This was really funny since the train station is next door to the film festival. It took much more time to herd them into the van than the 30 second commute. Greta got the joke and I caught a glimpse of the character, Frances six years ago.

P.S. I forgive Greta for that train wreck of a movie "Arthur". Greta, like Frances Halliday has to pay the rent whether we like it or not.

A Merry Django Christmas to all! The 10:00 AM Christmas morning premier of Django Unchained at a very large suburban Baltimore AMC Multiplex cinema was sold out. Not to worry, there is plenty more of Django to go around. Quentin Tarantino has given us the gift that keeps on giving. I believe that this was the first movie where I walked away wishing that I could read the book it was based upon. This will not happen anytime soon unless director/writer Quentin Tarantino releases Django Unchained as a novel. This story is not a remake of the 1966 "spaghetti western", Django starring Franco Nero. But I digress. Pulp Fiction thrilled most viewers, discounting the folks that showed up for Travolta's return to the big screen and found Tarantino a little too rich for their blood. Some of us rushed to see Reservoir Dogs and found our second Tarantino dish was a little rich for our taste. Moving on, I was first in line to see Jackie Brown. The umpire called a strike two on Quentin. Holy cow! And then along comes Kill Bill who knocks it out of the park. One more year and Kill Bill II would finish the set in fine fashion. Inglorious Basterds, the movie that changed so many spell checkers, was an anomaly. Quentin had the chutzpah to change history. Not everyone liked the fact that Quentin took the license to kill Adolph Hitler in this movie. By this time, I was swilling the Kool-Aid and let Tarantino drive the car. Django Unchained is more of the same, except better. The movie is funny, violent, profane, and remains true to the real evil slave-tender, i.e. the American history that sanctioned slavery. No need to make up any additional drama when it comes to a society that permits slavery. I counted (this is not official mind you) 66 times when the "N" word is dropped. This is perhaps the most wicked word in our vocabulary, and it is used with an excessiveness to remind us that the slavery-devil was calling the shots in 1858. Quentin drops Don Johnson into this story playing a wicked Tennessee plantation owner. Johnson is the trump card that QT holds with most of his movies. The question is, "which tried and true actor is going to get a chance to let the public see them in the sunshine again"? Don Johnson is the winner of this role in Django. Christoph Waltz, a brilliant actor who had faded from Hollywood (and is another spell- checker destroyer) won the Oscar for his role in Inglorious Basterds. Kurt Russell, David Carradine, and John Travolta showed their fans that they had plenty of stuff left in their tanks. (David Carradine' s tank was officially emptied with his passing) The movie shows off the hard work that is synonymous with Tarantino movies. The clip of Waltz and Foxx riding their horses in a couple of feet of fresh snow in poor lighting feels like a segment that the crew worked too hard to edit out of the movie. That's just my guess. Django Unchained gets a lot of the silliness out of the way early, and allows the stars, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel Jackson to do what they do best. Act. And act they do. Please pick your favorite roll after seeing the movie. None will disappoint. Samuel Jackson may be the most "out of character" as a despicable employee of DiCaprio. Leonardo scene with the skull of "old Ben" is one of his best ever. As he slams his hand on the table, I only wonder if the resulting laceration was on purpose. Did Tarantino let the camera roll and capture the moment as the thespian plied his skill? I am a sucker for a director who has a list of actors that show up again and again in his movies. Tarantino's cast for Django is almost as large as the characters of the Bible. He pays respect to Franco Nero, the original Django. Michael Parks delivers the goods as always. Quentin's does a bang up job in his role as an Aussie. Simply put, Quentin does a bang up job with his gift of Django Unchained. Next: Kill Bill 3.

As of the 19th of November 2012, 76 reviews have been posted for the movie Lincoln on IMDb. If I may,allow me to leave the reader with twelve fresh points about this wonderful movie.

(1) Not once did I ever look at my watch. The movie could have played for another 449 minutes and I would have been thoroughly entertained. (2) Daniel Day Lewis was never one of my personal favorite actors. He is now. (3) I never left my seat at the conclusion of the movie. I stayed put and saw it twice. Both times the movie brought tears to my eyes. I was not alone. (4) I saw this film in a stadium style theater. God bless the senior citizens who climbed a lot of steps to see this movie. (5) Both showings I attended were in front of a packed house. The house applauded following both viewings. (6) Spielberg added a dramatic piece of scene setting background music to Lincoln that was also used to great effect in "Saving Private Ryan". (7) I agree with a local review published in Baltimore. The reviewer said that as Lincoln walks, his lumbering steps remind you of how the back half a costumed horse prances on the stage. Actually, I prefer Lincoln's horse to the 2011 War Horse by leaps and bounds. (8) Kevin Kline, in an uncredited role, portrays an wounded soldier. I'm not sure, but I think I was able to pick him out, but I wouldn't bet on it. That makes quite a statement when an actor of Kevin Kline's reputation takes a roll as an extra. (9) How many Academy Awards will this movie win? I would not by surprised if lead male, female, and supporting male and female awards go to this cast. (10) Speaking of supporting actor, how in the world do you pick between Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, and James Spader? (11) God bless Doris Kearns Goodwin for the time she spends building the characters of "Team of Rivals". The characters popped to life in Kushner's screenplay. (12) I wish Abraham Lincoln could have seen the diverse audience, young and old, all colors, who reveled with this movie. Everyone left a better person for seeing this motion picture masterpiece.