I only saw one movie this month. Pretty pathetic. Except it was a very busy month. I traveled to San Jose to see two stage shows put on by South Bay Musical Theatre: Big River (the Huckleberry Finn musical) and Broadway By the Decade: The 1990s, a revue consisting of songs from that decade’s best musicals. It was a very fun trip! Almost immediately after returning, I hopped on a plane to Florida to attend the Miami International Boat Show. I stayed with Chris in a high-rise condo and took a “water taxi” to the show for a couple of days. It was a lot of fun, but I caught a cold right after returning, which was the usual drag. Continuing on my health decline: My arms—especially my left arm—have started to tingle (i.e., fall asleep) a lot, apparently due to the Type 2 diabetes I suffer from. BOOKS: I listened to Don’t Wake Up by first-time novelist Liz Lawler and started Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. I am enjoying Jewell’s book enough to want to read all of the rest of her books. I am also continuing to read plays by Neil Simon plays, including Come Blow Your Horn, The Star-Spangled Girl and Last of the Red Hot Lovers; I am currently reading (and quite enjoying) Little Me. MUSIC: I began listening to everything by Fleet Foxes.
Here’s the movie I saw in February:
SHOPLIFTERS (2018)—After reading a ton of excellent reviews of this Japanese film, I decided to check it out at a local art theater. It’s the story of a ragtag group of people—some biologically related, others not—who live in house “off the grid” and in a state of poverty. There’s a father and son (more or less) who help make ends meet by stealing from the local markets. Then the family takes in—or semi-kidnaps—a young girl who evidently is living in an abusive household, and provide her with a more friendly environment, even if it is much more offbeat. Director Kore-eda Hirokazu wanted to explore the concept of what exactly constitutes a family, and really accomplished his goal with this often moving picture. It rambles at times and needs a little tightening up, but it was very interesting. (8.5)
Friday, March 15, 2019
January 2019
I saw only four movies in January—mostly old pictures—which for me is a typically low number for the beginning of any year. Also typical: the rain hit SoCal, so it was (and continues to be) very wet here in L.A. I developed some pain in my left arm, which has caused some discomfort sleeping on my left side, and my left forearm to keep falling asleep. Going to the doctor this week to have it checked out. This month, I enjoyed an a cappella show put on by Beverly Hills High School; although Jenna didn’t have any solo parts, it was still a wonderfully executed performance. I also booked two Carnival cruises, one for this December on the Inspiration, and one for December 2020 on the new Panorama ship, which isn’t even finished being built yet. MUSIC: I listened to numerous recent chart hits, as well as an album by Kero Kero Bonito. BOOKS: I listened to Her Last Secret by Barbara Copperthwaite, and read a bunch of Neil Simon plays (God’s Favorite, Gingerbread Lady, Prisoner of Second Avenue, Chapter Two), and plan to continue reading more by him.
Here are the movies I saw in January:
COMPULSION (1959)—This crime drama, based on the Leopold and Loeb murder trial, was fairly decent until Orson Welles showed up as the attorney representing the two young killers. Overall, pretty forgettable. (7)
GREEN FOR DANGER (1946)—One of my favorite actors, Alastair Sim, stars as a police detective trying to get to the bottom of a man’s death at a rural British hospital during World War 2. He is, as always, absolutely splendid. A fun whodunit! (8)
DESTROYER (2018)—Nicole Kidman plays against type as an American detective who has seen too much of the booze and rough stuff. She had once infiltrated a bank-robbery gang and managed to illegally sock away some money; the guilt has driven her half-crazy, and now her formal crime boss, long off the grid, has come back to haunt her. Contains a solid double-whammy twist at the end. Kidman—who has been “uglified” via makeup as Charlize Theron was in Monster—is fantastic, and so is the film! (10)
MY MAN GODFREY (1936)—My Facebook friend Shirlee Hauser was recently challenged to post 10 still images from movies that had a special significance to her—one each day. I love old movies, and what she wrote about My Man Godfrey inspired me to watch it. It’s a boisterously funny comedy featuring William Powell as a “forgotten man” (i.e., Depression victim) who takes a job as a butler to Carole Lombard’s ultra-wealthy but hopelessly kooky family. The two develop an attraction for one another—more on Lombard’s side—and it doesn’t hurt that the two actors were previously married. Their on-screen chemistry in this lunacy is perfect. Nice to see Powell in a non-Thin Man role—he is pure perfection in this movie. (10)
Here are the movies I saw in January:
COMPULSION (1959)—This crime drama, based on the Leopold and Loeb murder trial, was fairly decent until Orson Welles showed up as the attorney representing the two young killers. Overall, pretty forgettable. (7)
GREEN FOR DANGER (1946)—One of my favorite actors, Alastair Sim, stars as a police detective trying to get to the bottom of a man’s death at a rural British hospital during World War 2. He is, as always, absolutely splendid. A fun whodunit! (8)
DESTROYER (2018)—Nicole Kidman plays against type as an American detective who has seen too much of the booze and rough stuff. She had once infiltrated a bank-robbery gang and managed to illegally sock away some money; the guilt has driven her half-crazy, and now her formal crime boss, long off the grid, has come back to haunt her. Contains a solid double-whammy twist at the end. Kidman—who has been “uglified” via makeup as Charlize Theron was in Monster—is fantastic, and so is the film! (10)
MY MAN GODFREY (1936)—My Facebook friend Shirlee Hauser was recently challenged to post 10 still images from movies that had a special significance to her—one each day. I love old movies, and what she wrote about My Man Godfrey inspired me to watch it. It’s a boisterously funny comedy featuring William Powell as a “forgotten man” (i.e., Depression victim) who takes a job as a butler to Carole Lombard’s ultra-wealthy but hopelessly kooky family. The two develop an attraction for one another—more on Lombard’s side—and it doesn’t hurt that the two actors were previously married. Their on-screen chemistry in this lunacy is perfect. Nice to see Powell in a non-Thin Man role—he is pure perfection in this movie. (10)
Most Anticipated Movies of 2019
Of the 30 “Most Anticipated Movies of 2018” I wrote about a year ago, I only ended up seeing half of them. Of the 15 I did see, only seven of those wound up in my Top 20 (of 85) new films I saw in 2018. In fact, a few of the movies I was looking forward to either got pushed back to 2019 (Where’d You Go Bernadette, Charming, Teen Spirit), and Woody Allen’s A Rainy Day in New York looks like it may never be released at this point. So there seems little point in assembling a “most anticipated movies” list at all, except to continue to prove how feeble I am at predicting what I will like, or how bad I am at even knowing which great movies will even be released in the coming year. Nonetheless, once again, here are the movies I’m looking forward to in 2019.
FYRE—Documentary about the now-infamous, would-be music festival that was billed as a luxury experience but slowly unraveled into well documented disaster. (Jan. 18) UPDATE: I watched enough of it to satisfy my curiosity.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD—Third installment in the Dreamworks animated adventure will apparently find a mate for Hiccup. (Feb. 22)
CAPTAIN MARVEL—Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. (March 8)
US—In Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out, a mother and father take their kids to their beach house, expecting to enjoy time with friends, but their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some visitors arrive uninvited. (March 15)
AVENGERS: ENDGAME—Follow-up to 2018’s Avengers superhero saga wraps up the story of Thanos. (April 26)
AD ASTRA—Brad Pitt in a sci-fi space adventure. Sounds good to me. (May 24)
FLARSKY—Excellent test screenings have got me interested in this Seth Rogen/Charlize Theron comedy. (June 7)
TOY STORY 4—When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy. (June 21)
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD—A faded TV actor and his stunt double embark on an odyssey to make a name for themselves in the film industry during the "Helter Skelter" reign of terror in 1969 Los Angeles. Directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie. (Aug. 9)
WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE?—After her anxiety-ridden mother disappears, 15-year-old Bee does everything she can to track her down, discovering her troubled past in the process. Based on the Maria Semple novel and starring Cate Blanchett. (Aug. 9)
IT: CHAPTER TWO—In the sequel to the 2017 horror movie, it’s 27 years later, and the Losers Club have grown up and moved away…until a devastating phone call brings them back. (Sept. 6)
DOWNTON ABBEY—The Crawley family is back on the big screen after a splendid six-season run on TV. (Sept. 20)
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW—Amy Adams in an adaptation of the A.J. Finn psychological thriller novel. (Oct. 4)
THE ADDAMS FAMILY—An animated version of Charles Addams' series of cartoons about a peculiar, ghoulish family. (Oct. 18)
LAST CHRISTMAS—Emilia Clarke and Emma Thompson in a rom-com. Sign me up! (Nov. 15)
FROZEN 2—The delightful Disney animated feature gets a sequel. (Nov. 22)
FYRE—Documentary about the now-infamous, would-be music festival that was billed as a luxury experience but slowly unraveled into well documented disaster. (Jan. 18) UPDATE: I watched enough of it to satisfy my curiosity.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD—Third installment in the Dreamworks animated adventure will apparently find a mate for Hiccup. (Feb. 22)
CAPTAIN MARVEL—Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. (March 8)
US—In Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out, a mother and father take their kids to their beach house, expecting to enjoy time with friends, but their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some visitors arrive uninvited. (March 15)
AVENGERS: ENDGAME—Follow-up to 2018’s Avengers superhero saga wraps up the story of Thanos. (April 26)
AD ASTRA—Brad Pitt in a sci-fi space adventure. Sounds good to me. (May 24)
FLARSKY—Excellent test screenings have got me interested in this Seth Rogen/Charlize Theron comedy. (June 7)
TOY STORY 4—When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy. (June 21)
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD—A faded TV actor and his stunt double embark on an odyssey to make a name for themselves in the film industry during the "Helter Skelter" reign of terror in 1969 Los Angeles. Directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie. (Aug. 9)
WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE?—After her anxiety-ridden mother disappears, 15-year-old Bee does everything she can to track her down, discovering her troubled past in the process. Based on the Maria Semple novel and starring Cate Blanchett. (Aug. 9)
IT: CHAPTER TWO—In the sequel to the 2017 horror movie, it’s 27 years later, and the Losers Club have grown up and moved away…until a devastating phone call brings them back. (Sept. 6)
DOWNTON ABBEY—The Crawley family is back on the big screen after a splendid six-season run on TV. (Sept. 20)
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW—Amy Adams in an adaptation of the A.J. Finn psychological thriller novel. (Oct. 4)
THE ADDAMS FAMILY—An animated version of Charles Addams' series of cartoons about a peculiar, ghoulish family. (Oct. 18)
LAST CHRISTMAS—Emilia Clarke and Emma Thompson in a rom-com. Sign me up! (Nov. 15)
FROZEN 2—The delightful Disney animated feature gets a sequel. (Nov. 22)
Best and Worst Movies of 2018
I saw 85 movies in 2018. That’s five less than in 2017, but 12 more than in 2016.
Of the 85 movies I saw, 71 were released in 2018; the rest were older films.
I awarded 13 movies a perfect “10” (as opposed to only five in 2017—that’s a pretty significant upswing!).
As with previous years, I know I missed some outstanding movies in 2018, and I’ll need to catch up on some of them (see “Sorry I Missed You,” below).
The best movie I saw in 2018 was Isle of Dogs. I saw it twice in the theater. I loved this movie very much.
The rest of my “perfect 10” movies were Adrift, Incredibles 2, Leave No Trace, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Eighth Grade, Mission Impossible: Fallout, Juliet Naked, Searching, A Simple Favor, The House With a Clock in Its Walls, Bad Times at the El Royale, What They Had.
Rounding out my Top 20 movies of the year, I must include A Quiet Place, Jurassic World, The Mule, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Miracle Season and The Favorite.
Other movies I really liked in 2018: Mary Poppins Returns, Love Simon, Game Night, On Chesil Beach, A Star Is Born, Crazy Rich Asians, Wildlife, Beautiful Boy, Bohemian Rhapsody and Fahrenheit 11/9.
WORST MOVIE I SAW IN 2018: BlacKKKlansman.
VASTLY OVERRATED MOVIES OF 2018: Black Panther, Phantom Thread, Ready Player One, The Endless, Hereditary, The Party, First Man.
BEST OLDER MOVIES I SAW IN 2016: The Greatest Showman, Entertaining Mr. Sloane.
SORRY I MISSED YOU:
Shoplifters (Have since seen)
The Miracle Season (Have since seen)
Every Day
Red Sparrow
The Meg
Flower
In the Fade
Ismael’s Ghosts
Keep the Change
A Private War
You Were Never Really Here
The Rider
Love After Love
The Tale
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Bumblebee
Claire’s Camera
Colette
Custody
Dark River
The Escape
Mary and the Witch’s Flower
A Mother's Worst Fear
Night Comes On
Of the 85 movies I saw, 71 were released in 2018; the rest were older films.
I awarded 13 movies a perfect “10” (as opposed to only five in 2017—that’s a pretty significant upswing!).
As with previous years, I know I missed some outstanding movies in 2018, and I’ll need to catch up on some of them (see “Sorry I Missed You,” below).
The best movie I saw in 2018 was Isle of Dogs. I saw it twice in the theater. I loved this movie very much.
The rest of my “perfect 10” movies were Adrift, Incredibles 2, Leave No Trace, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Eighth Grade, Mission Impossible: Fallout, Juliet Naked, Searching, A Simple Favor, The House With a Clock in Its Walls, Bad Times at the El Royale, What They Had.
Rounding out my Top 20 movies of the year, I must include A Quiet Place, Jurassic World, The Mule, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Miracle Season and The Favorite.
Other movies I really liked in 2018: Mary Poppins Returns, Love Simon, Game Night, On Chesil Beach, A Star Is Born, Crazy Rich Asians, Wildlife, Beautiful Boy, Bohemian Rhapsody and Fahrenheit 11/9.
WORST MOVIE I SAW IN 2018: BlacKKKlansman.
VASTLY OVERRATED MOVIES OF 2018: Black Panther, Phantom Thread, Ready Player One, The Endless, Hereditary, The Party, First Man.
BEST OLDER MOVIES I SAW IN 2016: The Greatest Showman, Entertaining Mr. Sloane.
SORRY I MISSED YOU:
Shoplifters (Have since seen)
The Miracle Season (Have since seen)
Every Day
Red Sparrow
The Meg
Flower
In the Fade
Ismael’s Ghosts
Keep the Change
A Private War
You Were Never Really Here
The Rider
Love After Love
The Tale
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Bumblebee
Claire’s Camera
Colette
Custody
Dark River
The Escape
Mary and the Witch’s Flower
A Mother's Worst Fear
Night Comes On
December 2018
I started December by taking a four-night Carnival cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada. The highlights were a walking tour of Catalina restaurants I’d done before, and a pedicure I got on the ship. Otherwise, it was a pretty dismal cruise, but I guess 18 good cruises out of 19 is nothing to sneeze at. I ended the month by entertaining some friends from China who were in town; naturally, I took them to Huntington Library, a massive botanical gardens where I usually take out-of-town guests. We also had a fun lunch at a Chinese restaurant on Olympic and Sepulveda that I must remember to go back to. BOOKS: I read and enjoyed Kathryn Croft’s The Warning, but gave up on Rachel Abbott’s And So It Begins—she is one of my favorite mystery writers, but after more than two hours listening to the audiobook, I was bored. MUSIC: I listened to new albums by Elvis Costello and The Beths, as well as the Mary Poppins Returns soundtrack.
Below are are the movies I saw this month. Upon further reflection, I am surprised by how many of these movies are either documentaries (Fahrenheit 11/9) or based on true stories (The Mule, Bohemian Rhapsody, Can You Ever Forgive Me, The Favourite, Roma, The Miracle Season).
THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (2018)—I have always enjoyed anthology films. It’s rare that feature films consisting of a bunch of shorts strung together are excellent all the way through, but there are almost always some gems in these “short story” type movies. Most of the ones I’ve seen tend to be horror anthologies like Creepshow, or dramas based on Somerset Maugham stories (Trio, Quartet). I’m not sure there has even been a Western anthology before, but Joel and Ethan Coen are the perfect pair to conjure one up. Of the six shorts in Buster Scruggs, most of them are at least good, with only the final chapter somewhat disappointing. The title film, which kicks the whole thing off, is by far the best; it features Tim Blake Nelson as a grinning, fast-draw sociopath who gets a real kick out of killing people…until he meets a competitor who’s a pretty fast draw himself. The fine cast includes James Franco, Liam Neewson, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan, Tyne Daly and Brendan Gleeson. (9)
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (2018)—The Queen biopic paints an astonishing picture of the late, great Freddie Mercury, a larger-than-life personality played to perfection by Rami Malek. Although entertaining, the movie is full of understandable dramatizations—along with plenty of half-truths and full-blown lies. That kind of soured me on the film retroactively, but I liked it when I was watching it. (8)
THE MULE (2018)—In what may be Clint Eastwood’s last-ditch attempt to win a Best Actor Oscar, he directs himself in the true story of Leo Sharp (changed to Earl Stone for the film), a World War II (changed to Korean War) veteran who becomes a drug runner in his 80s. Bradley Cooper is a Special Agent trying to catch the evil drug lords, and Dianne Weist is Clint’s estranged ex. It’s a low-key but highly watchable movie, with Clint much less of a grouch than he was in 2008’s Gran Torino. (9)
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? (2018)—Melissa McCarthy plays real-life author Lee Israel, who notoriously ran afoul of the law by forging and selling signed letters by famous authors like Noel Coward and Dorothy Parker. A good portion of the movie is about Israel’s friendship with Jack (Richard E. Grant), a fellow boozer. Israel is quite unlikeable, but McCarthy plays her with a heaping helping of pathos. Dolly Wells is good as a bookseller who buys some of Israel’s letters and attempts to begin a romantic relationship with her. (8)
ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE (1970)—Joe Orton’s 1964 black comedy play gets the cinematic treatment. This is a four-hander about how a bloke (Peter McEnery) is taken in by a brother and sister, who live with their old dad. Sadism, scandal and homosexuality ensue. I found the movie entertaining and quirky; someday I would like to see a stage version of it. It has inspired me to seek out other Orton films and plays. (8)
THE FAVOURITE (2018)—I had seen the trailer for this dark, historical comedy-drama several times, so I knew what to expect. While critics may have slightly overpraised it, I did thoroughly enjoy the apparently true story of Queen Anne of Great Britain (reigned 1702-1714) and the two women who jockey to be her favorite. The performances of all three main actresses—Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone—are absolutely the best of the year. It is interesting that I saw this movie one day after finishing Entertaining Mr. Sloane, as both films are dark comedies with equal measures of sadism, homosexuality, cruelty and personal politics. (9)
FAHRENHEIT 11/9 (2018)—Michael Moore’s latest documentary is much less about the election of Donald Trump and more about the general disintegration of democracy and rise of national corruption across governmental platforms. Much of Moore’s wrath is aimed at the clean-water crisis in his hometown of Flynt, Mich., which local officials brought about by greed and corruption. His attention bounces around a bit, so we get stuff about gun control and other national crises. And he gets a few licks in on Trump, too (a comparison to Hitler was one of the high points). Overall, very well done, but I still want to see a scathing indictment of the Trump election and presidency. (9)
ROMA (2018)—Shot in gorgeous black and white, this Spanish-language Alfonso Cuarón-directed film won huge raves toward the end of the year. The film features centers around a upper-middle-class family in the Roma district of Mexico City: a mom and dad with their four kids, a couple of maids, and a dog. The film’s story focuses on Cleo, one of the maids. The plot unfolds at a snail’s pace, but it is absolutely gorgeous to look at; when drama occasionally happens, the viewer is grateful. I liked the movie, but 15-20 minutes could easily be cut out of it. At times, the film is very moving. (8)
THE MIRACLE SEASON (2018)—Although I've never been much of an actual sports fan, for some reason I am a total sucker for underdog sports movies, from Rocky to McFarland, USA. This particular movie tells the real-life story of a high-school girls’ volleyball team that overcomes tremendous odds, etc. It’s also a relentless tearjerker, extremely manipulative, and highly effective. William Hurt and Helen Hunt play the adults; Danika Yarosh and Erin Moriarty are a pair of super-cute volleyball players. (9)
MARY POPPINS (1964)—I saw the original Poppins when I was a kid, but I was too young to remember anything about it half a century later. With a sequel finally in theaters, I knew I would need to refresh my memory about the story and characters. Naturally, the movie is loaded with the signature Disney charm. But even though I’d been warned about Dick Van Dyke’s horrendous Cockney accent, it was much worse than I could have imagined. God, is it terrible. The special effects in this movie are also pretty cheesy compared to what they can do now. But the Sherman Brothers’ songs more than make up for any deficiencies in the film, and Julie Andrews is practically perfect in every way. (9)
MARY POPPINS RETURNS (2018)—Emily Blunt takes over the lead role in the Poppins sequel, and although nobody could equal Julie Andrews, Blunt is very good at making the character her own. I enjoyed the sequel songs very much. The film is a little bit too long, like its predecessor, but there is a lot of magic here, and no bad Cockney or dated SFX. So in several ways, I liked the sequel more than the original. (9)
THE FEELS (2018)—I am a fan of Taiwanese actress Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians, TV’s Fresh Off the Boat), so I was delighted to hear that she’d be playing a lesbian in an indie comedy. And Wu is definitely the highlight of The Feels, which is a sort of lesbian Big Chill, with seven people (many previously unacquainted) getting together to celebrate the impending marriage of Wu and her fiancé. The movie is indie verging on mumblecore, pleasant but unremarkable except for Wu’s excellent acting and enormous beauty. Note: Watching Wu in this film inspired me to download and watch the fifth episode of the sci-fi anthology TV series Dimension 404, which features Wu playing another lesbian. She’s great in this episode as well. (7)
CREED II (2018)—By my count, this is the eighth Rocky movie, and like the best movies in that series, it copies the best elements of what has come before. In this one, the son of Apollo Creed gets to fight the son of the guy who killed him, Ivan Drago, as depicted in Rocky IV. That’s a pretty good setup. What follows is very similar to the plot of Rocky 3; enough said. It’s all very predictable but undeniably enjoyable. (8)
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959)—As a fan of mystery literature and film, it’s fairly embarrassing that I have virtually no relationship with Sherlock Holmes—and I am loath to count the horrendous Robert Downey Jr. movie I saw a true entry in the Holmes canon (although I understand that the current Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly Holmes & Watson “comedy” may be even worse). I have long been curious about The Hound of the Baskervilles, and this Hammer Studios remake—supposedly the first Sherlock Holmes movie to be filmed in color—is supposed to be one of the best. It’s definitely watchable, although I understand numerous liberties were taken in telling the story to bring it up to Hammer’s “scarifying” standards. Peter Cushing is the Holmes I’d always imagined, nothing against Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays him on TV. As a way of ringing 2019, I thought it would be good to finally take this one off the bucket list. (8)
Below are are the movies I saw this month. Upon further reflection, I am surprised by how many of these movies are either documentaries (Fahrenheit 11/9) or based on true stories (The Mule, Bohemian Rhapsody, Can You Ever Forgive Me, The Favourite, Roma, The Miracle Season).
THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (2018)—I have always enjoyed anthology films. It’s rare that feature films consisting of a bunch of shorts strung together are excellent all the way through, but there are almost always some gems in these “short story” type movies. Most of the ones I’ve seen tend to be horror anthologies like Creepshow, or dramas based on Somerset Maugham stories (Trio, Quartet). I’m not sure there has even been a Western anthology before, but Joel and Ethan Coen are the perfect pair to conjure one up. Of the six shorts in Buster Scruggs, most of them are at least good, with only the final chapter somewhat disappointing. The title film, which kicks the whole thing off, is by far the best; it features Tim Blake Nelson as a grinning, fast-draw sociopath who gets a real kick out of killing people…until he meets a competitor who’s a pretty fast draw himself. The fine cast includes James Franco, Liam Neewson, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan, Tyne Daly and Brendan Gleeson. (9)
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (2018)—The Queen biopic paints an astonishing picture of the late, great Freddie Mercury, a larger-than-life personality played to perfection by Rami Malek. Although entertaining, the movie is full of understandable dramatizations—along with plenty of half-truths and full-blown lies. That kind of soured me on the film retroactively, but I liked it when I was watching it. (8)
THE MULE (2018)—In what may be Clint Eastwood’s last-ditch attempt to win a Best Actor Oscar, he directs himself in the true story of Leo Sharp (changed to Earl Stone for the film), a World War II (changed to Korean War) veteran who becomes a drug runner in his 80s. Bradley Cooper is a Special Agent trying to catch the evil drug lords, and Dianne Weist is Clint’s estranged ex. It’s a low-key but highly watchable movie, with Clint much less of a grouch than he was in 2008’s Gran Torino. (9)
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? (2018)—Melissa McCarthy plays real-life author Lee Israel, who notoriously ran afoul of the law by forging and selling signed letters by famous authors like Noel Coward and Dorothy Parker. A good portion of the movie is about Israel’s friendship with Jack (Richard E. Grant), a fellow boozer. Israel is quite unlikeable, but McCarthy plays her with a heaping helping of pathos. Dolly Wells is good as a bookseller who buys some of Israel’s letters and attempts to begin a romantic relationship with her. (8)
ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE (1970)—Joe Orton’s 1964 black comedy play gets the cinematic treatment. This is a four-hander about how a bloke (Peter McEnery) is taken in by a brother and sister, who live with their old dad. Sadism, scandal and homosexuality ensue. I found the movie entertaining and quirky; someday I would like to see a stage version of it. It has inspired me to seek out other Orton films and plays. (8)
THE FAVOURITE (2018)—I had seen the trailer for this dark, historical comedy-drama several times, so I knew what to expect. While critics may have slightly overpraised it, I did thoroughly enjoy the apparently true story of Queen Anne of Great Britain (reigned 1702-1714) and the two women who jockey to be her favorite. The performances of all three main actresses—Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone—are absolutely the best of the year. It is interesting that I saw this movie one day after finishing Entertaining Mr. Sloane, as both films are dark comedies with equal measures of sadism, homosexuality, cruelty and personal politics. (9)
FAHRENHEIT 11/9 (2018)—Michael Moore’s latest documentary is much less about the election of Donald Trump and more about the general disintegration of democracy and rise of national corruption across governmental platforms. Much of Moore’s wrath is aimed at the clean-water crisis in his hometown of Flynt, Mich., which local officials brought about by greed and corruption. His attention bounces around a bit, so we get stuff about gun control and other national crises. And he gets a few licks in on Trump, too (a comparison to Hitler was one of the high points). Overall, very well done, but I still want to see a scathing indictment of the Trump election and presidency. (9)
ROMA (2018)—Shot in gorgeous black and white, this Spanish-language Alfonso Cuarón-directed film won huge raves toward the end of the year. The film features centers around a upper-middle-class family in the Roma district of Mexico City: a mom and dad with their four kids, a couple of maids, and a dog. The film’s story focuses on Cleo, one of the maids. The plot unfolds at a snail’s pace, but it is absolutely gorgeous to look at; when drama occasionally happens, the viewer is grateful. I liked the movie, but 15-20 minutes could easily be cut out of it. At times, the film is very moving. (8)
THE MIRACLE SEASON (2018)—Although I've never been much of an actual sports fan, for some reason I am a total sucker for underdog sports movies, from Rocky to McFarland, USA. This particular movie tells the real-life story of a high-school girls’ volleyball team that overcomes tremendous odds, etc. It’s also a relentless tearjerker, extremely manipulative, and highly effective. William Hurt and Helen Hunt play the adults; Danika Yarosh and Erin Moriarty are a pair of super-cute volleyball players. (9)
MARY POPPINS (1964)—I saw the original Poppins when I was a kid, but I was too young to remember anything about it half a century later. With a sequel finally in theaters, I knew I would need to refresh my memory about the story and characters. Naturally, the movie is loaded with the signature Disney charm. But even though I’d been warned about Dick Van Dyke’s horrendous Cockney accent, it was much worse than I could have imagined. God, is it terrible. The special effects in this movie are also pretty cheesy compared to what they can do now. But the Sherman Brothers’ songs more than make up for any deficiencies in the film, and Julie Andrews is practically perfect in every way. (9)
MARY POPPINS RETURNS (2018)—Emily Blunt takes over the lead role in the Poppins sequel, and although nobody could equal Julie Andrews, Blunt is very good at making the character her own. I enjoyed the sequel songs very much. The film is a little bit too long, like its predecessor, but there is a lot of magic here, and no bad Cockney or dated SFX. So in several ways, I liked the sequel more than the original. (9)
THE FEELS (2018)—I am a fan of Taiwanese actress Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians, TV’s Fresh Off the Boat), so I was delighted to hear that she’d be playing a lesbian in an indie comedy. And Wu is definitely the highlight of The Feels, which is a sort of lesbian Big Chill, with seven people (many previously unacquainted) getting together to celebrate the impending marriage of Wu and her fiancé. The movie is indie verging on mumblecore, pleasant but unremarkable except for Wu’s excellent acting and enormous beauty. Note: Watching Wu in this film inspired me to download and watch the fifth episode of the sci-fi anthology TV series Dimension 404, which features Wu playing another lesbian. She’s great in this episode as well. (7)
CREED II (2018)—By my count, this is the eighth Rocky movie, and like the best movies in that series, it copies the best elements of what has come before. In this one, the son of Apollo Creed gets to fight the son of the guy who killed him, Ivan Drago, as depicted in Rocky IV. That’s a pretty good setup. What follows is very similar to the plot of Rocky 3; enough said. It’s all very predictable but undeniably enjoyable. (8)
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959)—As a fan of mystery literature and film, it’s fairly embarrassing that I have virtually no relationship with Sherlock Holmes—and I am loath to count the horrendous Robert Downey Jr. movie I saw a true entry in the Holmes canon (although I understand that the current Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly Holmes & Watson “comedy” may be even worse). I have long been curious about The Hound of the Baskervilles, and this Hammer Studios remake—supposedly the first Sherlock Holmes movie to be filmed in color—is supposed to be one of the best. It’s definitely watchable, although I understand numerous liberties were taken in telling the story to bring it up to Hammer’s “scarifying” standards. Peter Cushing is the Holmes I’d always imagined, nothing against Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays him on TV. As a way of ringing 2019, I thought it would be good to finally take this one off the bucket list. (8)
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