The Father (2020)

Dementia is a terrible thing to live with, both for those suffering from it and those who love them. Most films I've seen which address it take the point of view of those observing the patient. Zeller sets up his story of a man living with dementia from the point of view of that man himself. The film puts us in his shoes. We experience the people around him acting differently in each scene, appearing differently, telling him different versions of events. It is uncomfortably jarring, disorienting, and truly terrifying, and perhaps the closet we get as an audience to what it feels like for that person.

Zeller's approach is delicate and gentle. He just lets the inconsistencies, the confusion, wash over us. It isn't harshly dramatic, no thunderous score to scare us, or "gotcha" moments to drive the point home. It is just the lack of clarity and reason which gets under our skin and so effectively so.

Hopkins and Coleman are both wonderful, each playing their role subtly without the need for scenery chewing or big dramatic moments. Instead they, like the film, just emote and relate to each other... and not relate to each other. Both handle the difficult perspectives quite masterfully making it all come together. 

The Father is striking for it for how honest it feels and just how much it brings us into a world where little makes sense and nothing remains constant. 

The Father

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Coleman, Rufus Sewel, Imogen Poots, Olivia Williams, Mark Gatiss

Director: Florian Zeller

Writers: Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller

 

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2020)

The first Shaun the Sheep movie was a surprise delight, madcap screwball comedy that had me laughing out loud throughout. Farmageddon is funny and about as charming as the first, but I just didn't find myself laughing quite as hard. Still it's great to see actual stop motion animation brought to life so vividly.

The Aardman folks still know what they are doing. After their very disappointing Early Man in 2018, this is a bit of return to form, creating a truly entertaining film, even if it doesn't quite capture the magic of the original. Still the story is tight and enjoyable and has that sort of tale that works for pretty much everyone. Little kids (and I mean little) could enjoy it for its fluffy visuals and slapstick, older kids can enjoy the wackiness. And adults can enjoy its just truly sweet and funny story. Honestly I didn't laugh as hard as I did for the previous film, but I still chuckled, quite a bit. 

And as a fan of animation, seeing real stop motion is a treat. With these guys and Laika still putting out good stuff, I have hope for the future. I would like to see them put out something a little more outstanding soon, but this reminded me of just what I enjoy in their work. 

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Starring: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Amalia Vitale

Directors: Richard Phelan, Will Becher

Writers: Mark Burton, Jon Brown

 

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

There are moments in My Octopus Teacher where film maker and diver Foster talks so lovingly about the octopus he met in the kelp forest that it is reminiscent of the way people talk about their pets. It may feel a bit off putting at first but that's what is fascinating about My Octopus Teacher - it forces you to consider that we may have the ability to see other animals in the ways we see dogs and cats, and that our relationships to animals and the natural world is a construct. 

Octopuses (the correct pluralization) are weird, to us anyway who are used to other sorts of animals. What this film does is help us see past the weirdness and into a way of appreciating this species for what it is, an intelligent, potentially playful and caring, creature who, yes, is also a predator. But aren't we all? It is easy to see Foster's relationship, especially as he tears up over it, as strange but it really is not that different from the relationships we have with other animals. We're just not used to seeing it with non-mammals. 

And My Octopus Teacher is also beautiful to watch. The kelp forest where the titular creature lives is gorgeous and the camera captures it so wonderfully. My Octopus Teacher is a thing of beauty to watch and gives us a new appreciation of the beaut of octopuses themselves. It is hard not to just get completely wrapped up in this delightful little story of connection. 

My Octopus Teacher

Starring: Craig Foster, Octopus

Directors: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed

 

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

When Justice League was released in 2017, I liked it. Was it the move I wanted? No. Was I disappointed that it wasn't the tone of, and true follow up to, BvS that I was hoping it would be? Yes. Was I frustrated with the sillier tone and jokes like the "thirsty" joke or the "probing" joke? Sure was. But did that mean I had to hate it? No. At the time I wasn't aware of just how toxic Joss Whedon was so for me it just felt like what we got was just another Marvel like superhero movie that I could enjoy on that level. Only it meant a bit more to me because it was the first real live action take on these characters. That meant something to me, these characters that meant something to me. It wasn't terrible (despite what Snyder fans want to believe) but it wasn't what it could be or should have been. It was an "Avengers" movie, and I enjoyed it for what it was. 

You see these characters and this team had meant something to me for a long time. As a child I was obsessed with reruns of the Super Friends, the ones I watched set Darkseid and his Apocalypse crew as the villains. When I got older and began reading comics it was  Crisis On Infinite Earths, Legends, The Dark Knight Returns, John Byrne's Man of Steel, Watchmen, The New Teen Titans, Cosmic Odyssey that I binged, comics that were set very firmly in a comic book world with these characters but had them wrestling with very adult questions that weren't black and white, weren't simple. As both a fan of super hero comics, and a budding cinemaphile I wanted to see superhero movies that could capture that. While I loved films like Superman the Movie, Burton's Batman, the X-men films and The Dark Knight Trilogy none of them did that. They were either too campy or too real world. I wanted to find the magic mix I found in the comic books on the big screen and it wasn't until Snyder's Watchmen, Man of Steel and BvS as well as Jenkins' Wonder Woman that I truly found that. And I wanted more. 

This is where Zack Snyder's Justice League steps in, truly becoming the full fledged, no holds barred, epic that I've always thought could be possible, a full on big screen adaptation of the comic stories that I loved and continued to love. a true translation of the combination of the child like fantastic and the adult ruminations that pull me in. It doesn't shy away from the fantastic, the impossible, that superhero stories are rich with but it also doesn't shy away from telling an adult, complicated story which wrestles with our very real world struggles. The challenges of what it means to be a hero in a world where right and wrong are not clear and where there are consequences to actions that affect different people in different ways. The struggles of bringing diverse people together who don't all share the same barriers. Striving for freedom against hegemony, against domination. What do we owe each other as human beings? I want my action adventure stories to play with these ideas and not just tell the classic hero arc. 

I understand why the studio system which produces our blockbuster mass entertainment was worried a movie like this wouldn't land the same way the adventure stories about heroes overcoming villains do. Stories like this ask of us as an audience so much more. Wanting to tell the kind of story told in the theatrical cut is just, well, easier. Anyone can walk in, watch it for a couple hours, be entertained. We laugh we cry and we go home happy. Isn't that what we all want? But watching something like this, something with a layered, complex narrative, something that asks us difficult questions, something that we need to invest the time into.... well that's not for everyone. That's not escapism.  

I've always appreciated films that take the time they need to tell their story and by taking the time Snyder is able to tell a very complete story. There is time to truly delve into each chapter, give all the characters the time for us to connect with them. There is time to tell the sort of epic - in the true sense of the word - grand storytelling that comic books have been telling for generations and that we rarely see on the big screen, with The Lord of the Rings being the closest recent example I can think of. Snyder can begin with the consequences of a world where a Superman has lived and then died, the ways his characters choose to live in that world and what they do with what they have, spending time with each character to bring us into who they truly are. He builds the growing threat, not just a monster who wants to kill half the universe, but one who wants to dominate all life. Step by step he shows how divided peoples aren't able to effectively stand against that threat. Then he works through how we come together, and all the barriers broken to do that. Until the coming together is what saves us. The point is he can actually work through that arc so that it is meaningful and satisfying while developing a roster of characters who have to interact. 

But all that being said, this film is also a damn good action movie. The Amazons battle. Wonder Woman battling terrorists in the way only she can. The invasion of Atlantis. The team's first awkward fight against Steppenwolf... and the rematch. Superman's return. The Speedforce rescue! I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. For all the talk of Snyder's DC movies being "dark" there is great humour throughout, there are scenes of real human connection. Without having to rush characters can honestly connect, action sequences can play out thoroughly, multiple storylines can play out and merge into a cohesive whole. This is an eloquent mix of action and character development. There is truly the time to build through all this movie needs to be. 

And that's where the gap from 2017 til 2021 really comes in. The cinematic world is changing and streaming may allow for a new form of cinema to truly shine. As we learn to binge we can accept longer forms of story telling, even in one shot movie format not just television style episodic narratives. In many ways, this movie may not have really been possible before. And I am excited to see what possibilities for story telling are out there with future films of all types, but especially for the "comic book movie," a genre which is based on a style of story telling that can be drawn out (no pun intended). 

What we've heard as rumor is true. This film weaves Cyborg's truly moving story throughout. It is an arc exploring numerous intersections of race, disability, and family. For this story to be all be excised from the theatrical cut was a terrible decision, one likely rooted in systemic racism and ableism which assumes what a movie audience will pay to see... and what they won't. But this story is the heart of the movie, a story about identity, about family, about choosing to become who we can be and having that restored is a blessing. There are other moments too which feel more grown up, filled with more gravitas than the previous version, like Martha and Lois' scene, Barry's visit to his dad. For those of us who have invested our lives in reading stories about these characters, seeing these so human moments brought to life is remarkable. 

This cut of this film feels for many, and feels for me, like a movie made specifically for me. It speaks to something very personal for me. I don't care if it's not for everyone. Sometimes art comes along that just is right for you and this is it for me. This is a film that I feel I've been waiting for for much longer than just 3 years, and I'm glad it has finally arrived and will always be available for me. 

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavell, Ezra Miller, Jason Mamoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Zheng Kai, Jeremy Irons, Ciaran Hinds, Diane Lane, J.K. Simmons, Heard, Ray Porter, Billy Crudup, Joe Morton,  Kiersey Clemons, Peter Guiness, Harry Lennox, Jared Leto, Joe Mangianiello, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Russel Crowe, Kevin Costner, Marc McClure
Director: Zach Snyder
Writers: Chris Terrio 

 

Crip Camp (2020)

When you begin watching Crip Camp it inspires the sorts of inspiration porn feelings one gets when watching media about children with disabilities and you think this is going to be that sort of film that uses the experience of disabled people to make average people feel good. But the title should have given something away. This film is more subversive of that. It starts out lulling you into that sort of sensibility only to tell a very different story. 

The filmmakers follow this group of young people, whose first taste of community, of belonging was forged in a camp made for and made by people with disabilities, into their adulthood where they not only transformed their own lives from what their society deemed was appropriate for them, but they transformed their nation. This group of people ended up becoming activists who fought to advance civil rights legislation and were quite successful. 

Crip Camp explores the intersections of marginalization in how the disabled activists find themselves allying themselves with queer and racialized activists as well, coming to see how the struggled overlap. As Crip Camp moves forward through its archival footage format and modern interviews, we come to see the connection between how young people finding a place where they can be truly who they are and build the connections of community can lead to creating a different world for them as adults. 

Crip Camp

Writers/Directors: Nicole Newnham, James Lebrecht

 

Time (2020)

Fox Rich is a force of nature and Bradley's film captures not only her spirit but focuses us on uncomfortable truths which could revolutionize the way we think about legal and justice issues. This is this is the story of how the American justice system lets down the guilty and how that makes the country worse for all of us. 

So many stories that challenge the system problems of the legal system are focused on "innocent" people. For many of us it is only in this context that we can see how dangerous injustice is. What is remarkable about Time is the way it doesn't couch its critique in notions of the wrongly accused. Instead it asks us to look at the humanity of the guilty and how the way we punish people spills out into the rest of the community. 

Bradley skillfully focuses her gaze not only on Rich but on her family and embeds us with them on their journey for justice. It is powerful and moving and for many, hopefully it will be a game changer. Bradley's work is strong enough that it just might. 

Time

Writer/Director: Garrett Bradley

 

Another Round (2020)

Vinterberg's charming and slightly sad film Another Round explores the melancholy of aging in Western cultures which celebrate the vibrancy of youth, as well as our love of alcohol and what it brings to us... and what it takes from us. The film quite nicely manages to balance humour with sorrow telling a story that isn't what we think it might be. We're used to seeing films about alcoholics, but that's what what this is. This is about a more universal relationship between our culture and alcohol. 

I found the ease with which alcohol was present quite interesting, especially in comparison with how other drugs are treated culturally and with films. Another Round shows us just how easy it is to integrate drinking into our day to day routine, even when this isn't a story about addiction or alcoholism. Instead it is about our cultural dependency on this very specific drug, a drug we have laced into our everyday activities. The film isn't a condemnation but explores what alcohol can bring positively as well as what it might steal from us. The film isn't about "hitting bottom," it is a far more nuanced and complicated look at our relationship with alcohol. 

At the centre of all this is a strong yet understated performance by Mads Mikkelsen who never plays "drunk" but manages to very convincingly portray a desolate man who reaching for joy and vibrancy through drinking, often succeeding while also crashing and burning. Again the contrast with the typical alcoholism story with this makes this take refreshing and fascinating in ways we haven't seen before. 

And as the film reaches its rather ambiguous conclusion it forces us to reflect on the ways our culture makes us rely on alcohol, the ways we embrace it, and the ways it costs us. 

Another Round

Starring: Mads Mikkelsen

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

Writers: Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg

 

Jump, Darling (2021)

Jump, Darling is both a debut and a swan song. It features one of the final performances of Oscar winning actor Chloris Leachman and a strong break out of young actor Thomas Duplessie. Both can be proud of the work they do here. Leachman is graceful, subtle, and riveting as a woman choosing how she spends the last years of her life while Duplessie is gregarious, vulnerable, and does some of the best drag you'll see as her hot mess of a grandson. The two performances are bookends to careers that hold a great deal of promise. 

The film itself is a bit jagged, often told in a patchwork manner that doesn't always flow nicely. There are moments when what happens really isn't clear. But despite some of the narrative clunkiness it is the performances at the centre of this story which make it all watchable. 

Duplessie's drag is fantastic, more classic tragedy than camp. His queen is lost and sad and the performance is an expression of that. He's not the magical queer offering salvation to the straights around him. He's a lost soul desperate for redemption, which he finds no where near where he is looking for it, but in his connection to the legacy of his grandmother. I love that the film doesn't attempt to solve any of their problems. Really their journey isn't the kind where suddenly everything is better. Both get to a place of a bit more satisfaction but there isn't the kind of convenient self-actualization that often happens in this kind of narrative. Instead we just get to see two people help each other along a little bit. 

So while Jump, Darling lacks some consistency, the two leads make up for in the honesty of their connection and their roles. It truly is a wonderful send off for the classic actor and a strong debut for a young actor just starting out. 

Jump, Darling

Starring: Cloris Leachman, Thomas Duplessie, Linda Kash, Jayne Eastwood

Writer/Director: Phil Connell

 

Cherry (2021)

I've always said film is a visual medium and for me good films tell their story in a way that is as visually interesting as the story. But the second part of that is that there needs to be the story. So while there are films that are disappointing because they lack a visual punch, others let us down by not offering us a very interesting story. I guess it should come as no surprise that a film from the directors of Avengers End Game would be all spectacle with little of depth to the story. 

The story in Cherry has potential and there is a story here that could be interesting, but Cherry is a film that languishes in its cliches, in ideas of what a movie about a solider is supposed to be. It's a critique of militarism that revels in its military images, almost fetishizing them. Not only does this water down any message that it might have, but it steals focus away from what story there was. But there really isn't a lot of story here. Cherry flirts with interesting ideas about the nature of what draws people into the military but always feels like it stops short of getting really into it as it instead focuses on well timed slo-motion or clever camera angles. 

Tom Holland has had a hard go of trying to find a project that can show off what a good actor he really is. Whether it's The Devil All the Time or The Current War, his films just haven't done him justice. Cherry is much of the same. He's good with what he's asked to do, but what he's asked to do is sort of an imitation of other soldier's pain movies. He almost makes it work but the film stops him from making it. 

For me the Russo's show so much potential but have yet to make a movie that doesn't feel assembly line.
Cherry isn't changing that yet but there are many more films in their future and Cherry isn't terrible. It's just exceedingly average and seems like it is so interested in making us go "wow look at that" that it stops short of creating anything new narratively, simply relying on the crutch of other, better, movies that have come before. 

Cherry

Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo, Jack Reynor, Michael Rispoli, Forrest Goodluck, Michael Gandolfini, Damon Waynes Jr. 

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Writers: Angela Russo-Otstot, Jessica Goldberg 

Greenland (2020)

I love a good disaster movie. When Greenland was first being released I wrote it off as likely not falling into the "good" category. Butler has become king of the B-movies and the director is behind the "...Has Fallen" series so I didn't think there was much promise here. But Greenland, while not being brilliant or anything, ends up being a lot better than promised. 

Instead of focusing on famous places being destroyed and spectacular special effects, Greenland spends way more time on the human toll. There is a certain amount of things blowing up but that's not the focus of the film. What makes Greenland satisfying is how they spend time really dealing with how people would react during a crisis. So many of these sorts of films don't, or handle these things so poorly. Greenland does a pretty decent job. In fact, a little warning, as the film gets into its Lord of the Flies plots it gets a little on the intense side. 

Now that's said I will say the film isn't perfect. There are a lot of coincidences that feel unreal and plot points that are a bit silly. But it really isn't what I expected it to be. Butler and Baccarin are both strong enough actors to make the film resonate emotionally and the plot holes aren't so bad as to ruin the experience. While it remains popcorny and disposable it's also not dumb enough to annoy. The ending feels a bit rushed and unearned but it is what one would expect. 

Greenland

Starring: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Scott Glenn, David Denman, Hope Davis, Andrew Bachelor

Director: Ric Roman Waugh

Writer: Chris Sparling 

 

Land (2021)

Robin Wright is a force of nature as an actor and her debut directing effort shows she has great potential here as well. While the story is rather thin and predictable, she beautifully captures the raw emotion of the character's journey and gives one hell of a performance. Also she takes advantage of her beautiful visual palette of the landscape she has set her film in. 

Land is the story of loss and a woman creating her own life for better or worse. She may or may not be making healthy choices but that is her path to forge. And although the film lets her find some connection it remains steadfast in the idea that her path is not for anyone else to decide. 

Wright is, as always, amazing to watch as a woman dealing with immeasurable grief. As a performer she puts it all out there. As a director she keeps it simple, straight forward, allowing us to just see the character. I don't mean that pejoratively at all, in fact the clarity of it adds to its power. 

The script is rather mundane and predictable. She and Bachir have amazing chemistry and together they bring more on an energy to the story than it likely would have otherwise. Their singing of Tears For Fears is a joy amongst all the pain. But again Wright just keeps her story tight, not running over an hour and half, and that is likely for the best. There isn't a lot here but Wright manages to make what is there powerful enough. 

Cause what works for Land is its simplicity, its beauty and this doesn't need to be stretched out of indulgent. She gives us just what we need. I have always loved watching her and now I want to see what else she will direct for us to watch. 

Land

Starring: Robin Wright, Demian Bachir

Director: Robin Wright

Writers: Jesse Chatham, Erin Dignam

 

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

Raya and the Last Dragon is a straight up fantasy adventure story. Unlike what one thinks of as a traditional Disney Animated movie Raya is not a musical and lacking a love story (well.... sort of), this swords and sorcery flick is fairly epic in its world building filled with kingdoms and battles, monsters and dragons. It evokes classics non-Disney classics like The Last Unicorn and brings in anime elements. It is a real branching out for the Disney Studios.  

Raya could have easily been a much longer movie but it very efficiently fits its "history lessons" into its story so that everyone can know what is going on and why while also filling each moment with action, character development, and visual effects to rival the biggest blockbusters. Even though some of this feels like characters voicing exposition, the film makers have made it all feel organic to the story which is a big part of why this works. There is a whole lot of story here, I mean a whole lot, and yet it works even with its rather average run time. Raya could have been even more epic but the film makers have struck just the right balance to fit everything in, including their moral of the story. 

And the action is top notch. Not surprising this is from one of the directors of Big Hero 6, another Disney Animated film which focused on an action plot. Sure this is about a Disney Princess but she is a warrior first and the film gives us great action sequences which keep you on the edge of your seat. But what made it truly enjoyable for me was how the film didn't feel like it was structured around moving from one action set piece to another, a problem a lot of action films have, instead each felt organic in the story and helped moved the plot itself forward. Which creates an interesting irony as the film's moral is about ending conflict.

You see Raya sets conflict as the real antagonist. It is a fantasy battle epic that is all about ending battles. The real villain here is discord, and it is only through ending the fighting that the battles are won. It is a prescient and important story about disparate people coming together, about trust, and about loss. The film honours this by the way it structures its battle scenes, each constructed to bring people together instead of for one to defeat the other. 

I mentioned that Raya is visually spectacular and that's true. The film makers have worked a very real magic into their movie, one that would be best experienced on the big screen. Colourful and kinetic, scene after scene of this film are just spectacular to watch. Raya is just a joy to watch throughout. Released in the peak of home streaming releases, Raya evokes an era of Imax screenings. 

I want to focus on how much the film owns its relationship between two of the primary characters, Raya and her childhood frenemy Namaari. This point might be a bit of a spoiler so stop reading until you've seen it. The film crafts their relationship in a way that is unmistakably a romantic plot. Taking some flack in the past for not giving Elsa a girlfriend, Disney seems to be skating the idea of having a queer protagonist. I think it is hard to watch this and deny the energy between the two leads. The film conveniently leaves out a heterosexual romance for Raya and there is nothing wrong (in fact it is refreshing) with a film not giving a romance to its lead. But I can't say I feel that's what's happening here. Sure it would have been wonderful for Disney to have Raya kiss Namaari at the end as we know that's what would have happened if Namaari had been a guy, but the fact the film embraces this nuance so blatantly is a real sign that one day there will be a same sex kiss in a Disney film other than in the Pixar short Out. 

Raya and the Last Dragon

Starring: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong, Alan Tudyk

Directors: Don Hall, Carlos Lopez Estrada

Writers: Qui Nguyen, Adele Lim

 

Coming 2 America (2021)

Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of the original Coming to America. Absurdist comedy rarely works for me. So I didn't go into this film with any nostalgia. However I have enjoyed Murphy's later career and his last collaboration with this director (My Name is Dolomite) was very good. So I thought maybe they could do something good with reviving this premise. I mean look at this cast.

But even from the beginning of the film, I couldn't believe how bad it was. Even if you can ignore the way the film plays a sexual assault for laughs and then needlessly bases its whole plot on it, you have to admit it wasn't necessary to go with that story point other than to milk it for laughs that are really gross. Prince Akeem could have had a dalliance 30 years ago but they chose not to... heaven knows why. Especially because the movie then spends all its time on cliched plots about jealousy, being who you really are, and sexism. All done with the insight of a 3 year old on those issues.

Then there is how this A-list cast, filled with award winners, camping around the sets like they're in some sort of SNL skit. They each look like they are about to bust out laughing at any minute, like even they don't take the story they are doing seriously. There are amazing talented people in this film, some seriously funny people in this movie, barely ever being funny, mostly just phoning in silly. 

In this post-Black Panther world, the idea of Zamundo being an African post-colonialist utopia has so much potential, and there are so many opportunities for cultural comparative humour but the film focuses on titty jokes and walking through its paint by numbers plot beats. I know this sort of thing will appeal to lots of people it is just the opposite of what I find funny, and more often than not it was cringey. 

At least there was a fun musical mash up of Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue, and Gladys Knight, that might have been the only part of the film I smiled during. 

Coming 2 America

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracey Morgan, Kiki Layne, Wesley Snipes, Nomzamo Mbatha, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Louis Armstrong, Morgan Freeman, Trevor Noah

Director: Craig Brewer

Writers: Kenya Barris, Barry W Blaustein, David Sheffield 

The United States Vs. BIllie Holiday (2021)

I remember the first time I heard Strange Fruit. I was in college and it was Nina Simone's version. But it shook me in a way I didn't know music could. Clearly I'm not alone in that. The United States Vs. Billie Holiday frames this biopic of the famous singer, the singer responsible for making the song as famous as it is, around her relationship with this song, and the song's relationship with her country.  

Director Lee Daniels has as style that speaks to me. There is a garishness to it, a queer boldness that makes mainstream film criticism uncomfortable. His work is often unfairly described as "a mess" or some other excuse for just not getting it. He doesn't shy away from this audeacity here and it fits with this story, framing the singer's journey as one outside of normative communities that both idealized her and tore her down. Daniels (and screenwriter Parks) makes a beautiful film to watch that considers all the complications and intersections of race, sexuality, and gender in this life of this icon. It is a film worthy of her legacy. It will make the establishment uncomfortable, like she did. 

Day makes a glorious turn. She hasn't done much film work before this but she breaks out with a wonderful, brave, and complicated performance. Her performances as a singer in the film are also remarkable, producing a new song, the incredibly gorgeous Tigress & Tweed, and tributes to Holiday's classics, which are all so beautifully rendered. The film uses music so well. All of Me is also placed and referenced so perfectly in this narrative. But the film holds a special place for Strange Fruit, a place it rightfully deserves. 

Bold and riveting, which accurately describes both the film and the lead performance, The United States Vs. Billie Holiday is a treat for the eyes and the ears. 

The United State Vs. Billie Holiday

Starring: Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Natasha Lyonne, Garrett Hedlund, Leslie Jordan, Da'Vine Joy Randolf, Rob Morgan, Miss Lawrence, Evan Ross, Tyler James Williams, Tone Bell

Director: Lee Daniels 

Writer: Susan-Lori Parks

 

To Catch a Thief (1955) REWATCH

As part of my year of rewatching Hitchcock's filmography I revisited To Catch a Thief, one of the director's "romantic" films, for Valentines Day. With hardly any thriller elements at all and a focus on the banter between the characters, Thief is a departure for the film maker despite how well he had crafted romantic elements in his more typical films. But I kept waiting for the film to catch me and it never was able to. I struggled to get into the story or care about the characters. By the end I had to admit that this is not one of my favourites of his films. 

One thing I've been noticing is Hitchcock's ease with clever romantic banter and developing chemistry between his leads. So it came as quite a surprise that I felt Grant and Kelly had so little connection. I never once felt their chemistry, never once felt the pull to see them get together. And since the film is mostly built around that arc, it didn't leave a lot more to get interested in. For two actors I generally enjoy seeing on screen, here they left me feeling rather flat. 

The idea for the story really isn't bad, but the story kept getting detoured for the romance that just wasn't there. The whole catching of the thief plot felt sidelined and never invested us enough to make it work. So for me neither the romance nor the mystery worked. 

I'm not saying it was terrible, but it just didn't engage me enough to care. While I have been gaining a new appreciation for many of the director's work, this one still misses the mark for me. 

To Catch a Thief

Starring: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writer: John Michael Hayes

 

I Care a Lot (2021)

The term "dark comedy" gets thrown around a lot but I Care a Lot fits the bill. Funny in a way that is both uncomfortable and enlightening, this story of a con artist exploiting elderly people by becoming their legal guardian is bitter and biting. The script hits some pretty prescient beats about the ways people will allow themselves to exploit each other. I Care a Lot is dark because of the way it explores the worst of people, average people, not necessarily villains but perhaps the way regular people become villains.  

It's a great idea however Blakeson never quite finds the style needed to tell his story so it feels a little on the made-for-TV side of things. Sometimes it feels like Blakesone is more interested in making his point than crafting an artful tale. The story sometimes veers farther into satire than I appreciated, and would have benefited from a more stylistic approach. But what makes it all work is its cast. From Pike (deliciously malicious) to Weist (glorious) to Dinklage (captivating) to everyone. To watch them tell this story is exciting, even when the story is a bit egregious. 

One thing I liked is the way the film works in its queer protagonist without ever making the film about that. It is an incidental part of her character, never used to villainize her. Other characters are part of diverse groups as well and those never inform their characters. Everyone is allowed to be, and still be nasty. 

So there is a bit of ups and downs with this film. Despite the film's plot weaknesses, the exploration of cruelty is fascinating. I Care a Lot's wonderfully unlikeable characters in their battle of wills can be fun even when it feels a bit silly, and the oscillates towards being more serious in a way that never quite connects. But the strong performances make it a watchable adventure that will gives you something to ruminate on beyond the credits rolling. 

I Care a Lot 

Starring: Rosamund Pike, Dianne Weist, Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzalez, Chris Messina, Alicia Witt, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Damian Young

Writer/Director: J Blakeson