Category: See it

Good movie. Worth spending the money.

Wrath of Man

Anytime I see a film that stars Jason Statham, I know it will be action packed, short on dialogue and has a huge body count. “Wrath of Man” lived up my expectations. It had the extra bonus of being directed by Guy Ritchie, the British director known for action, if not subtlety. In this film things are not as they seem. Statham goes to work for a armored car company, but not for the reasons he professes. I do not think that he uttered one full sentence in the whole film and he only had one facial expression throughout. In other words he was perfect, He doesn’t use his martial arts much this time. Most of the action is with guns. There are a number of plot turns as the story is explained. And did I mention that there is a huge body count? A very satisfying action/adventure film. Not one that will be remembered at awards time. Again it was great to see it on the big screen.

Ava

Jessica Chastain stars as a contract killer with a past. She goes home to visit her family in Boston and confront that past. At the same time her bosses are not happy with her. This is an action film. Chastain is a bad ass and she racks up an amazing body count. The middle of the movie lags a little bit. The action scenes are well done. Ava is definitely not one to mess with. Also starring Geena Davis, John Malkovich and Colin Farrell, this is a fun,

The Prom

“The Prom” is a movie musical with a message that was recently on Broadway. Meryl Streep and James Corden star as two narcissist Broadway stars who are looking for a publicity stunt to help revive their careers. They decide to help a high school girl in Indiana who wants to go to her prom with her girlfriend, but it is forbidden. Nicole Kidman as a chorus girl and Andrew Rannells as an out-of-work actor agree to go along. The plot is just an excuse for some outstanding production numbers. The stand out in the cast is Meryl Streep, playing a diva, sings incredibly. I knew she could sing, but not like this! And for a woman of of 71 she looks amazing. Andrew Rannells, who starred in “Book of Mormon”, is also quite good. Corden are Kidman are O.K., but not up to the other two. The Indiana teenagers are a bit cliche, but enjoyable in the production numbers. This is a likable piece of fluff. The production numbers are fun to watch and well produced. A nice way to spend an evening.

Mank

It’s been nine months since I posted on Moviereviewsbymark, but I am going to try to start writing again. Let’s start with “Mank” a film written and directed by David Fincher and starring Gary Oldman. It’s the story of the man who wrote “Citizen Kane” which is one of my favorite movies. Oldman’s character, Herman Mankewicz, was a talented writer and a raging alcoholic. Most of the film takes place in 1940, but there are flashbacks to the early 1930’s when he was a successful writer. The film is in black and white to give it an early ’40’s feel and the acting is quite good, especially Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies. If you are an old movie buff you will love this film. If you are not it is an interesting story with compelling characters. Look for this film to get nominated for a bunch of Oscars.

The Way Back

In “The Way Back” Ben Affleck plays an alcoholic man who is just existing. A former high school and college basketball star, his wife has left him and he lives for his next beer. He is offered the chance to coach his high school’s basketball team. It’s a Catholic school going downhill and the team sucks. Along the way he regains a reason to exist, but still has a problem with alcohol. There is more to his back story, making him more complicated. As he did in the “The Accountant” a few years ago, Gavin O’Connor directs a tight story that does not go in the direction you think it will. Affleck is quite good as the sad sack coach and the kids on the team are realistic as they grow under his guidance. The ending isn’t what you expect, but it is very satisfying. Well made and worth seeing. It’s sort of a “Hoosiers” for the 2020’s.

Dolittle

I wasn’t looking forward to the latest take on the Dr. Dolittle books. I read most of them when I was a boy. They were kind of whimsical, while the various film versions were not. The latest version, starring Robert Downey, Jr., was better than I thought it would be. Downey, using a British accent, is natural as he talks to various animals. It is the actors who voice the animals that really make the movie. They are funny, with differing personalities. Dolittle and crew go off on a quest. They encounter Antonio Banderas as a middle eastern ruler who has it in for Dolittle. Much better than I thought it would be. It may be out of theaters by now, so see it when it is on Netflix.

Bad Boys for Life

Probably the most enjoyable film so far in 2020 is “Bad Boys for Life”. This third installment takes place seventeen years after the last one, but Martin Lawrence and Will Smith have lost none of their charm. The action is great with a large body count but the real reason to see this film is the two stars. There is an interesting storyline that goes into Smith’s character’s past. Lawrence is looking to retire, but Smith won’t let him. Very enjoyable action buddy flick.

Oscar 2020

I’m a little late in posting my thoughts on this year’s Oscar race. Here goes.

BEST PiCTURE: In my opinion 2019 was not the greatest year for movies. Summer blockbusters were tepid at best. A couple of little films stood out. When the nominations for picture of the year came out, there weren’t a lot of surprises. “The Irishman” was the early front runner, with “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…” not far behind. “The Irishman” is very well done, but way too long. “Once Upon a Time…” is a good Quentin Tarantino film, but I’m not sure it’s his best. The latest leader is “1917”, a World War I epic. It’s different and interesting, even though it meanders a bit. “Parasite” is a South Korean tale about the class system. I think ‘1917″ will win, but this is one of the categories that could surprise us. Frankly, I am not enthusiastic about any of the nominees.

BEST ACTOR: Joaquim Phoenix looks like a sure thing for this category. His performance was intense, showing a dissent into madness. All of the others nominees were quite good. Leonardo DiCaprio added another good performance as an almost has-been actor in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…”. Jonathan Pryce made Pope Francis’s back story compelling in a film that was almost all dialogue. Antonio Banderas was finally nominated for the Spanish film “Pain and Glory” and Adam Driver gave a great performance in “Marriage Story”. It was arguably his best performance to date. He will probably win an Oscar some day.

BEST ACTRESS: This is probably the category with the strongest nominees. From the beginning it has been Renee Zellwegger’s award to lose. Her performance as Judy Garland in her last year is mesmerizing. In any other year Charlize Theron in “Bombshell” would probably be the front runner. Her Meghan Kelley was spot on. Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman was also great, making the historical figure human. Sairose Ronan continues to give realistic, interesting performances as she did in “Little Women”. Finally Scarlett Johannson is nominated for her nuanced performance in “Marriage Story”.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: It looks like Brad Pitt is the front runner in this category. He was really the center of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…” plus the feeling in Hollywood is that he deserves the award. I thought Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers was equally as good, but this isn’t his year. Al Pacino and Joe Pesci were incredible in “The Irishman”. Pacino, especially, was great, giving a real performance for the first time in years, not just shouting at the camera. Finally, Anthony Hopkins made me take a new view of Pope Benedict, a not totally sympathetic character. Still, this is Pitt’s year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: It is nice to see that there are so many strong roles for women. Laura Dern, as the smarmy divorce lawyer in “Marriage Story”, has been winning a lot of the pre-Oscar awards. She was very good, playing a not-too-likeable character. Kathy Bates, as the mother in “Richard Jewell” gave another good performance and was the heart and soul of the film. Florence Pugh as Amy in “Little Women” added something to that role that predecessors couldn’t. And Margot Robbie did an excellent job as a harassed employee of Fox News in “Bombshell”. Look for her to be nominated in the future. If I were voting, my choice would be Scarlett Johansson in “Jo Jo Rabbit”. I have always liked her as an actress, but she gave a warm, funny and deeply moving performance as the title character’s mother. She stole every scene she was in.

BEST DIRECTOR: This race is between Sam Mendes for “1917”, Quentin Tarantino for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…”, and Bong Joon Ho for “Parasite”. Todd Phillips for “Joker” and Martin Scorsese for “The Irishman” don’t seem to be in the running. Tarantino’s chances depend on how the Academy views his film. He may just get the writing award as he has done in the past. “Parasite” will win Best Foreign Film, but I don’t think the director will take home the prize. That leaves Sam Mendes, who did a good job in “1917”.

There are my thoughts on the Oscar’s top 5 categories.

Richard Jewell

Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial effort is “Richard Jewell”, based on the true story of the man who found the bomb at the 1996 Olympics. By finding it he saved countless lives, but ended up being blamed for putting it there. Jewell is a police wannabe, an overweight nerd who still lives with his mother. The supporting cast is very good with Kathy Bates as his mother, Jon Hamm as a FBI agent who doggedly pursues him, Olivia Wilde as a journalist who will do anything for a story and Sam Rockwell as Jewell’s only friend and attorney. The lead is played by Peter Walter Hauser who has had small parts in other films. He does a convincing job as Jewell. This is one of Eastwood’s better films lately. It moves and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Unfortunately it shows us how the government and the press can torment us.