October 2019

This was a comparatively major month of my 2019. Edith Steele, my dear friend since high school, passed away at age 87. Her death left me feeling sad, but she was definitely ready to go. I visited her son Jay in San Jose and saw his theater group’s outstanding production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. (I also spent some time familiarizing myself with the score prior to seeing the musical.) I spent what amounts to my life’s savings to clean and paint my apartment’s kitchen, following a cooking accident last year that left the walls and ceiling of that room covered in soot. (It looks much better now!) I reported for jury duty, and came very close to being chosen to participate in a three-week trial, but fortunately I was spared after three days. I also walked out of a movie, the critically lauded The Lighthouse—it just wasn’t for me. Conversely, while I was in San Jose, I saw the Downton Abbey movie again, this time with Jay. BOOKS: I spent much of the month listening to the audiobook of Stephen King’s The Institute, which was excellent, and have started listening to J.P. Delaney’s The Perfect Wife. 
Here are the movies I didn’t walk out of in October:

LUCY IN THE SKY (2019)—In 2007, astronaut Lisa Nowak was arrested on charges of attempting to kidnap U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman, who had been romantically linked to Nowak’s former lover. The scandal made for some rather lurid headlines 12 years ago; now a slightly modified version of the story reaches the big screen with Natalie Portman as the astronaut and Jon Hamm as the former lover. The movie is the big-screen directorial debut of TV’s Noah Hawley, whose series Fargo I have enjoyed for a few years. The film is occasionally compelling (Portman is always fun to watch), but the film meanders somewhat and it lacks real spark. Some interesting cameos include Ellen Burstyn, comedian Tig Notaro and Nick Offerman. (7)

PARASITE (2019)—This Korean thriller is about how members of a lower-middle-class family infiltrate, one by one, an upper-class family by becoming their chauffeur, housekeeper and kids’ tutors. In order to accomplish this, they must conspire to have the people in those current positions sacked. That turns out to be a colossal problem when the previous housekeeper enters the picture. This is a movie in three parts. The first third is the setup. The second third is an explosion of violence and suspense. And the final third describes the after-effects of the middle part. About 80 percent of the movie is gripping and exciting; the other 20 percent should have been cut or re-thought. Still, it’s worth seeing for the good 80 percent. (8)

JOJO RABBIT (2019)—Here’s the best movie I’ve seen so far this year, a black comedy that combines pathos, hilarity and genuine heartfelt emotion. Finally, the Hitler youth get their own comedy! At times, it’s almost like Monty Python’s The Diary of Anne Frank. The excellent cast includes Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Stephen Merchant; as the kids, Roman Griffin Davis and Thomasin McKenzie are utterly superb. And director Taika Waititi is extremely funny as an imaginary Hitler. (10)

JOKER (2019)—Joaquin Phoenix stars as the famous DC comics villain, who starts out as Arthur Fleck, an aspiring standup comedian who suffers from a mental disorder that causes him to laugh uncontrollably at inappropriate times. This “origin story” explains how he became Joker, the deranged and dangerous clown. It is intense and very dark. (9)

EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD MOVIE (2019)—This is the continuation of the phenomenal Breaking Bad TV series. With the series’ main character having been killed off in the climactic episode, the movie puts all of its focus on Jesse Pinkman, his partner in crime. The action picks up immediately after the final show of the series, and we learn what becomes of our young anti-hero. It is at times quite suspenseful and intriguing, like having one more episode. (9)