Knives Out (2019)

Knives Out, like all classic mysteries, is about misdirection. In the spirit of that this film isn't what it purports to be at all. It's not a murder mystery. The circumstances of the death is revealed early in the film and it becomes about something else entirely. I can't say what that is without spoiling the film. But the mystery here isn't whodunit. It is another mystery entirely.

I have often felt writer/director Rian Johnson can be a bit overrated but I do appreciate what he tries to do in his films, upending our expectations and challenging the tropes in movie genres. Sometimes I think he is more successful at than than other times. I think Knives Out is one of his more successful times.

His second take on the mystery genre (the first being the also impressive Brick) goes in a completely different direction than one would expect. It fits quite nicely into the mold it is breaking but upends it from the inside out. He does to the mystery genre some very similar to what he did with the sci fi blockbuster genre in The Last Jedi.

All the pieces of the classic mystery are there. He has his brilliant but eccentric detective, the dysfunctional rich family (every member of which has a motive), the twisted events of the night in question. And then he takes it all and does something different with it. Knives Out is most successful when it is doing the opposite of what this sort of story is supposed to be.

It is also so much fun because of the kind of cast which makes these sorts of films so much fun. Star studded, clearly all having the time of their lives, camping and hamming it up just enough to be fun but not overdoing it as to be silly. Johnson films his story in a similar fashion, adding just enough creativity and character without overdoing it beyond reason. It's a perfectly balanced fun time which surprises just enough. It is a smart crowdpleaser.

But it is also a critique of our current cultural reality. The story explores themes of immigration, wealth creation, and social hierarchies.  In this way it exposes our xenophobia and hypocrisy, so prevalent at this time in history. By centering his story around his lead character and tying the motives behind the crime to racial, gender, and cultural stratification he finds a way of embedding within his fun film a critique of American politics in the film's era. Knives Out once again defies what we think it is going to be.

Knives Out is clever and fun and entirely satisfying all while being subversive, but no so much as to spoil the fun.

Knives Out
Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Christopher Plummer, Jaeden Martell, Noah Segan, Frank Oz
Writer/Director: Rian Johnson

Queen & Slim (2019)

From the first scene of Queen & Slim there is a sadness running through the film which permeates every moment. We see a couple on a date that isn't going well. There is a loneliness, a disconnect, which is recognizable. And as the film progresses through what feels fairly inevitable to anyone paying attention to life in America in the 21st century, that sadness grows as there is more and more loss. But the beauty of Queen & Slim is how in all that sadness, there are moments when we find pure joy, where connection is made and refound. That even in this America there is a possibility of happiness, maybe fleeting, maybe ephemeral, but real none the less.

"Are you happy?" one character asks another. "Sometimes" is the simple yet brutally honest answer.

Screenwriter Lena Waithe keeps her dialogue gorgeously simple. She doesn't have her characters give loquacious oratories filled with colourful clever dialogue. Her characters here speak with a concise and poetic straightforwardness which gives them a chance to express much with their faces, their eyes. There are moments the film has the characters speak without moving their lips, as if we are hearing their thoughts or echoes of something they said. So much more is said visually but when they do speak, what they say is powerful.

"What do you want?" we hear Kaluuya's character ask as he looks at Turner-Smith. She answers, also without opening her mouth a painfully honest response.

Director Melina Matsoukas explodes in her feature directorial debut by filming what may be the most beautiful film of 2019. Her use of colour and light is stunning. She sets he scenes in a way that keeps her leads separate at first, slowing bringing them closer together until they are almost blending together in a powerful love scene near the end, a scene boldly juxtaposed with a scene of protest and violence. Her choices are rich and original. Queen & Slim is absolutely gorgeous to watch and the story she is telling is continually surprising, despite the sense of inevitability I mentioned established early on. It is like we all know where this has to go but how it gets there remains unexpected.

At the centre of the film are two powerful performances. Kaluuya has broken out recently but I think I have still never been as moved by him as I was here. His face is riveting to watch as he wrestles with becoming something he never thought he would. And Turner-Smith is a magnetic vision. Her character is a complex revelation through her performance. "I know how strong you are" Kaluuya tells her near the end. And we feel every ounce of that strength.

Queen & Slim is just about everything I could want from a movie. I can't stop thinking about the little moments of happiness, of joy, which sit with me after the credit roll.

Queen & Slim
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Indya Moore, Chloe Sevigny, Flea, Sturgill Simpson
Director: Melina Matsoukas
Writer: Lena Waithe

The Irishman (2019)

The Irishman is a masterclass in classic Scorsese. It's a gangster period film, filled with the kind of new-Hollywood assassination set pieces that audiences come to appreciate in these films, laced around sympathetic character studies of flawed Italian American men with toxic masculinity issues, played by his troupe of usual A+ list actors, topped off with the holy grail of highbrow crime drama casting coups, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. It is Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed, and even Gangs of New York all rolled into one. It is long without ever dragging, filled with the cinematic visuals and the story telling panache Scorsese excels at. Fans of this sort of film and this director's work will eat it up.

What I am not sure The Irishman does is offer us anything new. It is so busy being everything we expect from a Scorsese film it never veers from that. First off I will clarify this isn't a bad thing. We get exactly what we would expect. It is entertaining and delivers the exact payoffs we want from this sort of film. Devotees will flip out over any suggestion Scorsese and his signature style aren't the be all and end all, but that doesn't change the fact that The Irishman feels like every Scorsese film. For what it is The Irishman delivers the goods. I'm just not as excited about these goods as I might have been at one time.

What risks and innovation Scorsese is not taking with his art, he is taking with the release of that art. The hubub around the film is centered on its streaming released on Netflix, a controversial but growing in popularity approach to distributing film, especially the sort of films we call "cinema." Sure it was one thing for Alfonso Cuaron to release an art film on Netflix, but New Hollywood's God almighty?? And Oscar baiting epic featuring expensive age defying special effects? In an age when Spielberg is deriding the changing nature of the way we consume film, Scorsese is charging right in and it is not only bold but likely smart.

In many ways Netflix is perfect for this film. The runtime might be prohibitive for a larger audience but now that we are used to binging on our own couches, a 3 hour twenty minute pulpy crime drama is easily digestible. One can rewatch moments, perhaps those which clarified certain plot points or moments which were just extremely enjoyable, or moving. Watching the film on demand at our own pace, may be the best way to experience The Irishman.  It will probably reach a much larger audience than it would in a traditional theatrical run.

Cause lets face it, The Irishman isn't cutting edge cinema. Scorsese's style has moved from the emerging Hollywood revolution, to the dominant cinematic art form, to the style of the previous generation. This is not a condemnation. I know I'm going to get flack for not worshiping at the temple of Scorsese. His work is brilliant. The Irishman is the work of a master. But it is not the work of a master who is innovating and redefining what he can do. And he shouldn't have to. When you are as good as him do what you want. But as I watched it, I rarely found myself excited to be watching it, not in the way I was excited to see Goodfellas. This isn't the Scorsese who re-made Cape Fear a film which feels like he's trying to be something new, for better or worse. This is the Scorsese who does what Scorsese does best.

This is similar for De Niro and for Pacino. They are doing excellent work here, the kind of excellent work playing the kinds of characters they always do. I'm not sure these performances are going to stick out when I think about the great performances of these actors. Any actor would be praised for giving such a performance but in the repertoire of these men will it be remembered as a stand out? The film is getting quite a bit of attention right now in the moment. Will The Irishman stand out over time as a stand out or be remembered as just another strong turn from some artists with great careers?

Whether one wants to buy into this version of events of one of the most captivating mysteries of the 20th century, one can certainly see the power of the story. By the end De Niro's restrained expression of all he lost through his work is palpable. The Irishman is quality entertainment made by experts at their craft and it is available in ways that will give audiences a chance to enjoy it. Really what else do we want from a good movie?

The Irishman
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Bobby Canavale, Anna Paquin, Harvey Keitel, Jack Huston
Director: Marin Scorsese
Writer: Steven Zaillian

21 Bridges (2019)

21 Bridges is a solid cat and mouse action thriller with a strong cast, a fun premise, and a satisfying run. While the film likely won't throw you for any loops as its story is rather predictable, the route to get there is entertaining and fun. For an average time at the movies, 21 Bridges manages to be pretty good.

Interestingly the movie's title, referring to the gimmick introduced in the trailer, has very little to do with the story. Yes the NYPD close off Manhattan while they search for the criminals but the film does little to nothing with that for something that is such a big part of the promotional material and is the name of the frickin movie for crying out loud. As the story went on I kept waiting for that plot point to be relevant and it never got there.

Instead the film skims the surface of some rather of the moment social issues and ends up falling in line with some pretty well trod cop movie cliches. But the film's cast are all strong making the story a fun watch as they get into their roles. Stephen James and Sienna Miller in support roles are both are extremely gorgeous and both are just as talented, but it is Chadwick Boseman and J.K. Simmons who light up the cinema with their chemistry and screen presence.

So 21 Bridges is a solid popcorn film. Could it have been more? Likely. There is potential in this plot to make a deeper dive into the issues the film raises. There was a small part of me that wished it had reached a little higher. But in the end, I was entertained and wasn't disappointed.

21 Bridges
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Sienna Miller, Stephen James, J.K. Simmons, Tayler Kistch, Keith David
Director: Brian Kirk
Writers: Adam Mervis, Matthew Michael Carnahan

Frozen II (2019)

I'm struggling with Frozen II. There are things they are trying to do I truly appreciate, but I'm not sure they accomplish them as well as I would hope. The film has moments of real power and emotion but also has difficulty with some authenticity. I am not normally a fan of Disney sequels. This one doesn't frustrate me as much as some do but I don't think it won me over entirely either, leaving me more cold than warming my heart.

The issues I have with Frozen II, both positive and negative, are hard to discuss without spoiling aspects of the plot so stop reading if you don't want to know anything about the movie. I don't spoil the movie truly just have to discuss aspects of it some prefer not to have knowledge of. Frozen II is about right relations, coming to terms with a colonial past, and in light of that trying to do what's right. I appreciate the film takes this on. Frozen was strong with the way it challenges fairy tale tropes such as what true love is and the role of women in these sorts of stories. To take on a challenge like colonialism seems a good choice.

Frozen II's heart is in the right place but in balancing its ambitions with its desire for blockbuster storytelling something has to give. The story sets up the royalty of Arendelle to take on their history's role with the oppression of the indigenous people of the area, literally having encamped them so the dominant culture can benefit, and gives them the opportunity to undue that history, destroying the very system set up to benefit Arendelle at the cost to the Nothuldra. But conveniently their sacrifice turns out not to be one. They are able to abolish the oppressive system in a way that doesn't have any cost at all to Arendelle. Win-win! But not quite honest. The saving grace at the last minute comes out of no where, a narrative problem this film suffers from. This just feels intellectually dishonest. There needed to be some cost to the transformation, to doing what is right, because otherwise there is no challenge to it. And perhaps it also justifies not doing it if there is a cost. But in Frozen II everyone always just ends up happily ever after. Kinda the opposite of what the first film set us up for, and not representing how things work in the real world.

But so much of Frozen II feels like it's just that easy. The whole story is a deus ex machina extravaganza. The film relies on a created mythology and magic meaning the film makers can just make everything work the way they want. When they need a solution for a plot point, magic. Did the plot paint us into a corner? Have some non-disclosed or explained magic just work our way out of it! None of it feels logical or narratively consistent. The story instead has a real constructed feel, like they were always working toward their beats, plot points, and morals to the story, so it never mattered how they got there, just that they got there. The magic is never explained in a cohesive way. We are just to accept it all as okay.

But despite the narrative flaws Frozen II is a stunning film to see. Visually the movie has some of the most impressive animation I've seen in a while. The scope of the project is remarkable. I saw it on an Imax screen and I'm glad I did. The music, while never quite as catchy as the first film's music, remains full on Broadway style, with complex narrative driven lyrics and lovely yet intricately arranged music. For me All Is Found was the winner but I can see how others may be popular too. I'm already sick of Into the Unknown though...

So, while not a disaster, I struggled to appreciate a lot about Frozen II. Yes the film tackles a lot and I hope the message it is trying to make is palatable to the masses in a way that it can have some cultural impact. I don't disagree with the message, I just worry it sugar coats it far too much. I guess I had higher hopes and while I loved so much of what they tried to do, little of it gelled for me.

Frozen II
Starring: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Johnathan Groff, Josh Gad, Sterling K Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton, Jason Ritter, Jeremy Sisto, Ciaran Hinds, Alan Tudyk
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Writer: Jennifer Lee

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is not the movies you think it is. If you want a story of the life of beloved children’s entertainer Mr. Rogers go see the documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor. This is not his story. It is the story of another man whose life was touched by his brief interaction with Mr. Fred Rogers, and why Mr. Rogers is the hero we all need at this time.

Based on the writings of Esquire writer Lloyd Vogel who interviewed Mr. Rogers for his magazine’s feature a writer who had been famous for writing dark exposés and upon meeting Mr. Rogers goes through a major life change. We watch as he is transformed just through having a relationship with a man who is like no one he has ever met before, perhaps no one we will see the likes of again.

Tom Hanks plays Rogers as an enigma, an otherworldly light whose very presence is transformative. It is like he is goodness personified. Vogel’s attempts to pin him down to the real world are met with loving resilience. He isn’t normal in any sense of the world. In fact if we hadn’t all grown up watching him on TV we might say his character was unbelievable but yet he is so familiar that we can understand what Vogel is going through.

I am not sure the film gives. Any insights into Fred Rogers the human being. There is a moment he talks about parenting his children where we see that he too suffers pain and frustration but his capability for selflessness, forgiveness, and his complete embracing of love in a way that feels almost unreal, takes him beyond that again. This film’s Rogers is a saint. Director Heller frames her tale as an episode of his show, just unreal so we are safely in a fictional world but soothing and reassuring enough for us to take on the real world.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood captures what it was for Vogel about meeting Rogers which helped him grow and shares that piece with al of us so perhaps we can remember a bit of what it was like to be a child, and to watch him, and feel like he was talking directly to us and affirming who we are exactly as we are.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Starring: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper
Director: Marielle Heller
Writers: Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster

Pain & Glory/Dolor y gloria (2019)

As I was watching Pain & Glory I felt something missing which I had a hard time putting my finger on. It is the story of an aging director struggling with his physical and emotional pain while flashing back to memories from different periods in his past, especially his childhood. It took me a while to get into the story, often feeling quite removed from what was going on and taken out of the story numerous times.

Part of this, for me, might have been the stylistic choice to block most of the present day scenes in a less cinematic manner, almost staged like a soap opera with little camera movement or cuts, and rigid almost wooden performances. This is contrasted with the flashback scenes which feel very pastoral and more lush creating a dichotomy between the two parts of the story. While this is somewhat explained in the final moment of the film, for me it was jarring. That mixed with the film’s rather abrupt and often staged feeling transitions meant the film never felt like it flowed.

Almodovar’s seemingly self-referential story often feels stunted and stalled. He connects to moments of the past and then shuts them down right away. Again, this is made to feel like the point but it is a point of frustration and kept me from getting swept away in his story. I keep feeling like more was being taken away. His meeting of an old lover not only comes at us rather abruptly (in one of those too coincidental to feel real moments movies tend to do) but then is shut down faster than we can start to feel the emotional impact of it. Again this is contrasted with a scene from his past of his first moments of sexual awakening which is quite artfully done.

Throughout Pain & Glory I would just be getting into the emotional resonance of the story when he would take it away and start something new so I often felt it wasn’t reaching me. I never felt either the pain or the glory and wished more of that felt real.

Pain & Glory
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz
Writer/Director: Pedro Almodovar

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Ford v Ferrari feels like what you would get if a masterful artist did paint by numbers. It is a completely formula crowd pleaser which innovates in no way what so ever offering nothing original in insight yet is beautifully formed and performed. It hits all the beats that audiences gobble up and quite genuinely makes for an engaging experience. It is just what we have got 1000 times before and will get 1000 times again.

I will give it to them. I was moved by the father son riffs and fell into the trap of the classic sports movie cliches, especially at the end when we watch breathlessly as we see if he will win or not. I almost felt guilty for falling for this as it does seem so manipulative and predictable but the earnestness with which this film presents its story is just infectious so I decided to just enjoy it. The ending, based on true events, has that typically satisfying mix of muted triumph that lets us see a hero’s journey with just a tinge of regret.

Mangold made a beautiful film with Logan but here he exceeds that by making Ford into a gorgeous, sumptuous visual buffet, dripping with the sort pastel lushness that evokes the past. And I’ll hand it to Bale and Damon who both give the kinds of intricate performances we come to expect from these caliber of actor.

But.

I got bored. The film is every car racing movie (I even felt it evoked Pixar’s Cars) and pretty much every sports movie. It presents itself as an elaborate dick measuring story but thankfully moves past that to be a tribute to the lightly insufferable men who achieve something great, if by something great you mean building a fast car and driving it better than the next guy. Honestly I think I am just at the point where these stories bore me. What does that offer? I tried relating to the pursuing your dream ideal that in itself is a lovely idea, but again this film’s story is so dependant on a rather remote and exclusive class of dream, one that I have a hard time justifying as anything but indulgent, that it was difficult to get myself worked up for it.

And the film doesn't help by being so by the book. The story feels plotted so precisely from one event to the next. Establish problem for protagonists here. Insert character development moment here. Insert building humanizing moment here. Move plot forward.... and on and on. Ford v Ferrari felt like a text book on how to make Oscar bait.

When I say that I don’t mean it is bad. I just mean it held nothing of interest for me. I may have let myself enjoy some of its sentimentality because who doesn’t want that. But as soon as the credits rolled I was done and it was mostly forgotten.

This is that sort of film I can recommend to folks who maybe don’t see a lot of films and don’t seek a lot of radical ideas in their entertainment. Solid, well made, and engaging. It is completely accessible. But it is also as vanilla as any film hitting the awards circuit this year.

Ford v Ferrari
Starring: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas
Director: James Mangold
Writers: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jason Keller

Lady and the Tramp (2019)

I am known for not being a fan of the Disney live action remakes of their animated classics. They present a bit of a double bind. They either stick too close to the source material and never quite capture the magic of the thing they are copying, or they vary too much and don't tell as interesting a story. Whatever the path they pale in comparison with their inspiration.

Lady and the Tramp isn't different. It is not as magical as the 1955 classic but in many ways it just didn't annoy me as much as the other recent remakes. As I watched it I found myself enjoying it far more than I expected and far more than the cinematic remakes Disney has been pushing out lately.

Sure it follows the formula they continue to stick to, generally following the same story but updating many features such as removing the racism, making the films more ethnically diverse, and giving more agency to the female characters. All of that is appreciated. There is no Siamese Cat song here (probably for the best) as it is replaced by a new song (not nearly as memorable) which accomplishes the same plot point without the racism. Lady has far more personality than she does in the original. Tessa Thompson's attitude is delightful and the chemistry she has with Justin Theroux is compelling. All the real life dogs (actual strays I understand) are adorable. The film sticks pretty damn close to the original story although it does flesh it out a bit more. Whether or not that fleshing out is needed is up for debate.

But you find yourself in that spaghetti in the alley moment and the idea of the excitement of meeting someone special for the first time is brought into clear and beautiful focus.

Perhaps the film just wasn't quite as ambitious or pretentious as some of it's peers. Perhaps it is the stars' energy which bring life to this telling. Perhaps it was Yvette Nicole Brown's scene stealing cameo that did it for me. I don't know what made it work for me more than previous remakes, or at least not not work. But overall I think it was just the sheer charm of the animals and the enduring appeal of the story which made me not hate Lady and the Tramp in "live action."

Lady and the Tramp
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Justin Theroux, Yvette Nicole Brown, Janelle Monae, Thomas Mann, Kiersey Clemons, F. Murray Abraham, Adrian Martinez, Sam Elliot, Ashley Jensen, Benedict Wong, Clancy Brown, Ken Jeong
Director: Charlie Bean
Writers: Andrew Bujalski, Kari Granlund

Charlie's Angels (2019)

This is the Charlie's Angels movie I've been waiting for. While the TV series was second wave 80s women empowerment, and the 2000s movies erred on the side of wink wink self-awareness, this film takes the concept of a female powered spy agency to where it really should be. Here we get bad ass female spies who get the job done. A smart funny script with just enough twists and turns to keep us on our toes, a talented cast who are fun and sexy without being reductionist, and a generally entertaining film that is a fun time at the movies.

The film does a little bit of feminist 101; women are told to smile, men take credit for their accomplishments, women can be and do anything they want, all that jazz. But the film takes the concepts here a lot further. The story actually works in a more sophisticated sort of gender analysis which plays into breaking down concepts of what femininity and being femme means, what sexy means, the differing approaches and methods men and women may use to obtain their objectives, and how gender plays into how we orient people, the assumptions we make of them, and our expectations. Writer/director/co-star Elizabeth has brought to her Charlie's Angels a perspective which was always missing from the series until now, a female gaze on female heroes. Wait until the end, there are revelations here which help to drive home this film's message. Also stay for all the cool cameos from Angels past... and maybe future.

Banks is a revelation here. Not only is she as magnetic and brilliant on screen as she always is, her direction is spot on, merging action and comedy with the sort of character development needed to take a film like this up a notch from standard forgettable action fare. So far she has focused on the mainstream films behind the camera. I am eager to see what she can do if she went with a more serious film.

So Charlie's Angels becomes a truly satisfying and entertaining film while being in your face. Not afraid to make the "lead" a lesbian, not afraid to play with the audience's misogyny enough to play with our expectations. And not afraid to make us see action heroes differently.

Charlie's Angels
Starring: Kristin Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, Elizabeth Banks, Djimon Hounsou, Sam Clafin, Patrick Stewart, Noah Centineo, Luis Gerdardo Mendez, Chris Pang, Nat Faxon
Writer/Director: Elizabeth Banks

The Good Liar (2019)

I love a good grift movie and The Good Liar is one of the better ones I've seen in a while. Two charismatic leads, a talented director, and compelling story make for a fun time. It ends up being a little thinner than I would have hoped and the plot's resolution might rely on a little too much suspension of disbelief, but it remains entertaining as hell and watching Mirren and McKellen work together is a true delight.

Award winning director Bill Condon sets out fairly earnestly to tell the story of the wealthy widow and the aging conman. He doesn't add too many flourishes, allowing the chemistry and immense screen presence of the two leads to work in his favour. He films is with a moody but subtle and straight forward approach. The source material it's based on gets a bit to convoluted and coincidental keeping me from loving it absolutely, but I was able to look past that for the sheer richness of the actors in their roles. And the con itself is delicious even if it is a bit much.

Some rather smart popcorn entertainment featuring actors who are at the top of their game. Who wouldn't want to fall for that?

The Good Liar
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Russell Tovey, Jim Carter
Director: Bill Condon
Writer: Jeffrey Hatcher

Last Christmas (2019)

Last Christmas is basically a big screen version of one of those Hallmark holiday movies. It's corny, predictable, and unrealistic featuring safely beautiful actors whose chemistry is questionable at best. But I don't care. I still really enjoyed it.

Written by Oscar winning screenwriter Emma Thompson (who also does a fun, if campy, supporting turn in the film) and directed by Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters director Paul Feig, Last Christmas comes with more pedigree than it should. I went in expecting it might exceed it's genre's conventions however I quickly began to see that it wasn't going to. This is a full on celebration of cheesy holiday films rarely ever being more. This is for that audience and if you don't like those movies you won't like Last Christmas. If you do you can enjoy what turns out to be a rather funny film even if it is a bit silly.

Thompson's wit comes through a number of times. I couldn't help but find myself laughing. And with the film's twist, which I won't spoil, the film is less about falling in love solves all your problems, that the trailers make it appear. Also there is a bit of social commentary throughout as the film comments on anti-immigrant sentiment in the UK and the world. In these ways it ends up being more than just your usual holiday romcom.

The title comes from the fact the film uses the music of George Michael as a theme. I'm a huge fan so this added to the pleasure of the film for me, especially that he made a new song for the film before he died. However the film's choices of music often seem odd. The songs are sprinkled through with little to no relevance to the plot. Perhaps they were chosen more for their musical feel because most of the time the lyrics have nothing to do with where the plot is at narratively. This took me out of the film a bit, but once I had already realized the film was going to be schmaltzy it mattered less.

So if you want one of those light holiday feel good films, this one turns out to be a good one. You'll laugh, maybe you'll cry (I didn't). But just don't expect it to be much more than that. A little bit more, but not much.

Last Christmas
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yoeh, Emma Thompson
Director: Paul Feig
Writers: Emma Thompson, Bryony Kimmings

Playing With Fire (2019)

Here's the awful truth no one wants to admit. John Cena is just not funny. Building a family friendly comedy around him and the need for him to have some sort of sense of humour or charisma is a big mistake, and Playing With Fire is the proof of that mistake. the film has a silly ridiculous story, overflowing the kind of forced schmaltziness which just doesn't feel real no matter how they spin it, is choppily edited within an inch of its life so nothing (especially the humour) flows nicely, and is pretty damn boring. Everything that you don't want in a film.

The worse part is seeing actual funny actors slum their way through this disaster of a movie.

Our kids deserve better entertainment than this and their parents shouldn't have to suffer through this crap.

Playing With Fire
Starring: John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo, Brianna Hilderbrand, Judy Greer, Denis Haysbert
Director: Andy Fickman
Writers: Dan Ewen, Matt Lieberman

Doctor Sleep (2019)

The Shining is one of my favourite movies ever. It is also one of the only films that truly scares me... a film on a pretty short list. It's not the ghosts which get under my skin. For me what is so terrifying about The Shining is its story of abuse and alcoholism, and the way abusive men justify their violence in their minds and to each other. The legacy of that abuse is how it continues to affect us long after it happens, how it haunts us. Those are the ghosts. The story of what happened to Danny Torrance in that film doesn't end. It is something he will have to live with. The end of a horror movie usually tries to convince us those left are now safe, at least for now. But we know in the case of domestic violence, it will haunt them for a long time. Enter the sequel. As any horror fan knows, the haunting will continue into the next film. As victims of abuse know the horrors can continue for years.

Sequels are an interesting challenge. How do you continue a story already told so well without being subsumed in the wake of that story, especially one so legendary? It is an impossible task. But the story of Danny living with his father's legacy is an interesting opportunity. And it turns out Doctor Sleep is more than a worthy attempt, it is a true success.

I was impressed with B-movie director Mike Flanagan's take of Stephen King's Gerald's Game. It wasn't an easy thing to adapt and Flanagan found a good way to do it that worked well. It appears not to be a fluke. Flanagan has done something remarkable here. He has not only made a compelling horror movie which is downright scary in its own right, he has also made a sequel to a classic film which both feels well connected to that film but also branches out on its own becoming it's own story. One doesn't need to have seen The Shining to get this movie, but the story in The Shining is continued here in a satisfying and worthwhile way. It reminded me of Rogue One, in how having seen The Shining enriches the experience of this film and having watched Doctor Sleep enriches the experience of seeing The Shining.

As with The Shining, Doctor Sleep sets its exploration of horrible abuse in the realm of the supernatural. As with any good genre film, the fantastic elements are just a way of exploring real world pain. This film captures the same energy as its predecessor in that way, helping us feel the experience of long term trauma through a spooky story. And it is spooky, no horrifying, not for the squeamish. There is a torture and murder of a child about 1/3 of the way through which is deeply upsetting. As it should be. I am often frustrated by horror movies which try to down play just how terrible the acts depicted are. Doctor Sleep embraces that and uses it to explore the horrors the story is truly fascinated with.

As the film reaches its conclusion we find ourselves back at the Overlook Hotel and Danny is forced to face the choices his father was faced with. Does he make a different choice as the bartender pours him a drink? That is the question we are posed, if we are victims of abuse, will we continue making the choices which destroy us, which destroyed our parents? Or can we carve a new path. Doctor Sleep is a fascinating portrait of that problem. And there is so much about this that works best as being part of a sequel and not just an original story but one based on something we've all experienced before. It is the pairing of this story with the other which makes its themes so compelling, so rich.

There is a great deal to digest and think about here and it's all wrapped up in a thriller package.That's what I want in a genre movie.

I revisited the Director's Cut when it was released the following year. Sometimes alternate cuts are just more of what we saw. Sometimes they are a completely different movie. But in this case I found it to be just the perfect mix. It is the story and film richly filled out before time constraints forced it to be compressed a bit. I found Doctor Sleep very good the first time, but with the Director's Cut I found it to be truly powerful.

Doctor Sleep
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Carl Lumbly, Zan McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Cliff Curtis, Jacob Tremblay, Henry Thomas
Writer/Director: Mike Flanagan

The King (2019)

The story of Shakespeare's Henry V is a good one. Actor/writer Joel Edgerton and director/writer David Michod recognize this in their re-imagining of the story. There is talk it is based on the full Henriad but really it focuses on the events of the final play. It isn't really about the historical king, but in taking the Bard's famous epic and characters, specifically Shakespeare's creation Falstaff, and telling it anew. Reworkings of Shakespeare's plays into modern language can be a problem (it's like remaking something by taking the best parts out) but it turns out this take ended up being interesting enough.

This version paints Hal as a peace builder who is thwarted in his good intentions at every turn, whether it's his father's greedy ambitions, the French dauphin's insane cruelty, or the sheer arrogance and stubbornness of the armies he comes across, peace is unattainable without him asserting his hand. He has a guide to turn to, the remarkably astute Falstaff, another wild re-imagining of a character. Not only is Falstaff not a buffoon, but his past with Hal isn't as debauched as we're used to seeing. Instead he is the father figure Hal never had, a moral compass in a world that wants to make him into a conqueror.

So this is the world we are living in and director Michod, whose The Rover was one of my favourite films of 2014, shoots a beautiful film. His Hal now grown into King Henry, is a tragic noble figure who's reign is goodness as long as he keeps control. Timothee Chalamet plays him pained and serious throughout. He loses his youth, his father figure, and his idealism, becoming the hard ruler he resisted most of this life. Edgerton plays Falstaff as the wise rogue, never quite accepted, yet who becomes a noble martyr whose life is given so the king can rise to his noble place. This offers quite a bit of interesting moments to see this story play out so differently. It remains a good story and the strength of the cast makes it fun to watch. Although the one part I couldn't handle was Robert Pattinson's brat prince Dauphin whose sadism is never quite explained well enough to buy it, especially with the accent he adopts.

Wisely the film doesn't try to be Henry V. Henry's Agincourt speech is practically nothing for example. Instead The King is its own story, one which takes the basics and reinvents them insto something new. This is likely not up to creating a legacy like its source but entertaining enough to be a good story. I found it a bit discouraging while Henry V tries to be the opposite. But perhaps there is something more honest in that.

The King
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson, Sean Harris, Lily-Rose Depp, Ben Mendelsohn, Dean-Charles Chapman
Director: David Michod
Writers: Joel Edgerton, David Michod

Harriet (2019)

We've come to an age where we judge a film before we see it, assuming we can know what it is saying. There is a thing going around from people who haven't seen this film that critiques it as offering forgiveness by Harriet Tubman of her white slave keeper. Nothing could be further from the truth when you see this movie. There is no forgiveness presented in that scene. In fact it is a scene of triumph of a woman over a man who has no power over her. Yet people made up their minds.

Harriet takes the approach to tell Tubman's story by setting her as superhero. In this age of comic book blockbusters, Harriet situates her as a superhero and this is her origin story. It's a hard presentation to find fault with. Few examples of heroism in history are as palpable. Tubman certainly was a hero. So the metaphor is a good one.

But like (most) superhero stories, little nuance is offered. Tubman's story here is told rather matter of factly and her role in history is completely made by her and her own will. The film even imbues her with superpowers which might be a little much for audiences to swallow. This isn't a complicated film like 12 Years a Slave. It is a lionization of a (certainly deserving) historical figure. And it is a lovely one. But what it is not is film which centres white people or villainizes black people who found a way to carve out a survival in the age of slavery despite what some critics are saying. It is just a film which wants to celebrate a woman who offered so much to so many. There is no crime in that.

The film succeeds mostly on two pieces; star Cynthia Erivo's rich and operatic performance, and the director's and cinematographer's beautiful work. The narrative might be straight forward and not overly complex and the same can be said for Erivo's work here. Subtlety isn't her approach. Her Harriet is superhero and is as grand as that requires. She makes Harriet the hero the film needs her to be and she is robust and remarkable to watch. She's glorious. As is the world she is shot in. Everything looks so lovely from the costumes to the countryside. This is in the tradition of the hero's story used to create the culture we want to have.

Yet some people don't want that culture so they misread the film's intentions and try to shut down the work of a black woman film maker. It's too bad because we have something to celebrate here as a film and a story.

Harriet
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, Janelle Monae, Jennifer Nettles
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Writers: Gregory Allen Howard, Kasi Lemmons

Terminator Dark Fate (2019)

There seems to be a popular critique floating around that folks like to apply to sequels. It is about being scornful of how a sequel copies the original film (or films) as if that shows a lack of originality. I think that critique misses the mark (and perhaps is unoriginal itself). It ignores many of the reasons sequels get made and what kinds of stories they may want and need to tell. While I agree there is a danger in just remaking and repackaging the exact same ideas in a sequel, I think that happens more in reboots and remakes than it does is sequels. But I think there is something truly engaging about a film that takes the themes, tropes, plot points, and symbols, re-imagines them to tell a new story, and gives us something that we recognize but subverts the original assumptions.

I think Terminator Dark Fate is that movie.

Like The Force Awakens before it,  Dark Fate fully embraces it is a chapter in a beloved serial narrative, and takes the story ideas from the previous chapters to rework them offering us something new. It isn't a rehashing, it's a revisiting and re-imagining. Like the way a concerto moves through movements, pulling themes from the earlier parts to evolve them into new ways of hearing them, Dark Fate has taken the plot points the characters the themes of T1 and T2 and told a new story with them. In truth T2, considered by many (including me) to be one of the best sequels ever made) did this too. It recycled the ideas of the first film, subverted our expectations about them, and gave us a story structured on the first film that took us to new heights. Dark Fate may not be quite as successful overall but it still follows this tradition and does so better than the previous Terminator sequels did.

While I have enjoyed each of the Terminator sequels in their own way (except T3, that's my line I can't cross) I do think this is the first to truly capture what worked in the original 2 films. The end of T2 is about making your own fate and this is the first time we see a present which isn't dictated by the future. They won, we just find out, quite logically, the humanity not faced with killer robots still finds ways to destroy themselves. In this age of climate change denial this theme is important. Also we now take a story which was about a woman's role being a mother to a man and tell a story about a woman herself being a hero. We also have the story of closed boarders and refugees infused into the tale. Dark Fate brings us something very new in the structure of a Terminator movie.

There was a scene early on which I wasn't sure about at the time, but the more I think about it the more I think it was important to the kind of story this needed to be. And it impacted me in a way I hadn't expected. T2 infused a real sense of emotional weight into the franchise which other films (like T3) have truly struggled to maintain. Here it was back.

Dark Fate isn't perfect. There are things about it I felt could have been better. And as with any time travel movie the story starts not to make sense if you think about it too much. But there was enough here to make me embrace it and give me some new found energy for this story and these characters.

Terminator Dark Fate
Starring: Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Luna
Director: Tim Miller
Writers: David Goyer, Justin Rhodes, Billy Ray

Motherless Brooklyn (2019)

A great gumshoe tale is irresistible, and these tales have a history of speaking up for the "little guy," as they would have said, or "the marginalized" as we would say today. Motherless Brooklyn takes up that torch and runs with it in our modern way. This story centres a neurodivergent man and has him uncovering structural racism and the way white men wield power because they believe they are entitled to. And it is all wrapped up in a fun, gripping old school P.I mystery.

The only critique I've really heard of the film is its length. This is often coded in words like "pacing." But watching Motherless Brooklyn I was never bored, no scene felt superfluous, I remained engaged and excited each step of the way. Are our attention spans so diminished by the streaming ability to pause movies that we can't sit through 144 minutes of a good story without complaining. Motherless Brooklyn takes the time it needs to tell its story, and it is a good one. Let it be told to you.

Ed Notron takes on the triple threat job of writing, directing and starring in this adaption of a novel. His direction and writing is mostly rudimentary but sufficient. As I said the film doesn't drag and just lets its story be told. There might not be a lot remarkable about that part of his work although it is admirable that it just as good as it needs to be. But then there is his performance, not surprising I know, that is what makes the film. His Lionel is a revelation. He never plays his character for laughs, instead painting a full portrait of a man whose difference is his superpower, not an obstacle to overcome.

And he's not alone. Alex Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Willem Dafoe, Michael K Williams, Cherry Jones, Bobby Cannavale, are all great. He's assembled a true ensemble here to support his central figure.

So Motherless Brooklyn is the whole package; a great story filled with great performances with an underlying message of compassion and justice. Just the kind of film I enjoy seeing.

Motherless Brooklyn
Starring: Edward Norton, Alex Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Willem Dafoe, Michael K Williams, Cherry Jones, Bobby Cannavale, Bruce Willis, Leslie Mann
Writer/Director: Edward Norton

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Sometimes there are parts of a movie that take you out of what could have been a truly remarkable experience and make you ask why. It eats away until it's hard to appreciate all that is going on. As Jojo Rabbit presented its bold approach something kept nagging at me which kept me from truly getting into it.

Jojo Rabbit starts out quite fearlessly as indulgent satire. Its gleeful mocking of nazis is quite rapturous and infectious. Who doesn't like to laugh at nazis? From Sam Rockwell and Rebel Wilson's parodies to director Waititi's full on spoofing of Hitler the film presents at first as complete mockery and while there is something truly attractive about mocking nazis, especially in this age where so many are trying to argue some nazis are "good people," there is only so much mocking accomplishes. I understand the point of view of critics who see making light of nazism at all to be reckless and there is validity to that. I did find Rabbit's attempts to be well meaning and mostly successful, if not as visionary or groundbreaking as the film is being sold. I mean it's been done before.

But then the film introduces its main plot, the story of a young boy who has embraced his nation's culture and biases yet starts to have those values and assumptions challenged. When he discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home to keep her safe the film turns down a different path. This story too starts off very broad but has a more rounded, complete narrative. It's very touching even if director Waititi keeps it punctuated with full on laughs throughout. The story of resisters hiding Jews is a commonly told story so Jojo isn't breaking much new ground here either. But stories of resistance and breaking down prejudice are always welcome. The film stays on the lighter side (think Life is Beautiful) but near the end does get to the point where it starts to scratch the surface of just how dark this sort of racist culture could be. But it is still just a scratch. Eventually it finds a hopeful (and hopefully not dismissive) way to wrap up its story. I think this is where the movie could really find its heart and centre. But as it wraps up one theme returned which once again pulled me out of the story.

To explain this I'll jump back to the beginning of the film, to the more satirical part, where we are shown that Rockwell's nazi youth camp leader character is gay and in love with (well "love" might be a stretch for all we see) Alfe Allen's nazi character. But this being lampoon, this quality in the characters is played for laughs. They have "hilarious" moments where their sexuality is being exploited for jokes. The irony of a nazi being gay at a time when gays were being put into concentration camps, appears somewhat lost on the film. The audience is to laugh at him for his gay-like qualities. It isn't referenced often but it is obvious when it does. For a film which is so blatantly about criticizing prejudice to queer code a villain, or use his sexuality as a source of humour is really quite disgusting and disappointing. Especially framed as a youth leader, since really we need audiences to see gay men as seeking out rolls as youth leaders?? Ugh.

All of this then takes us to the ending where the film tries to make up for a this a bit where it give Rockwell's character a moment of heroics where he saves (no Jews by the way) the German kid he has come to admire, as if he wasn't such a bad nazi. It doesn't completely exonerate him or give him an out, but it makes us not hate him quite so much. And it happens just as the film has built to a rather touching conclusion. It isn't that the character is gay that's the character's sexuality is played for both laughs and for derision. The film's last minute attempt to make him less vile (on the scale of vile nazis) doesn't quite fix this issue.

So while there was so much about Jojo Rabbit I liked I kept getting pulled into these feelings of how the film throws queer folks under the bus. There was never a need to make this character gay. The plot doesn't need him to be part of a persecuted minority to follow his character arc. The director has gone on the record trying to make it seem virtuous to include gay characters in his narrative but I think that straight director has completely missed the mark here. I believe there are ways a gay character could have been used in this film which didn't play into generalized homophobia in the film's audience. I'm not sure the film is truly as groundbreaking on any of its issues as its been presented; movies make fun of nazis all the time and stories of resisters hiding Jews from nazis has been told many times, perhaps much better.

Still I liked Jojo Rabbit. It's funny. It is inspiring. Young actors Roman Griffith Davis and Thomasin McKenzie are truly engaging to watch. As light entertainment I think it mostly works without being insulting to the memory of the holocaust. I just wish I could have liked it more if it hadn't gone down this weird queer-coding road.

Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Starring: Taika Waititi, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfe Allen, Sam Rockwell
Writer/Director: Taika Waititi