National Screening Room

Last Night (1998)

Written, directed and staring "Toronto New Wave" (yes that's a thing) filmmaker Don McKeller, Last Night follows around a dozen or so characters during the last six hours of life on this planet. While the impending cause of the planets doom is never made explicate, we know that it is some kind of stellar phenomena because while the movie covers 6pm to midnight (Toronto time) it never gets dark and one character mentions that he misses "night time". So it's a comet or star or something that has given sufficient notice that everyone knows that the end is defiantly coming, and that there is no way to stop it. While there is some looting and violence for the most part the characters in this film handle impending oblivion in a suitably polite, restrained, Canadian manner, though all must grapple with existential dread in their own ways.

On character Duncan (played by horror director David Cronenberg) an employee of the municipal gas company spends most of his day calling customers and leaving them voicemails, thanking them for using the gas company. The handsome Craig Zwiller (Callum Keith Rennie) has been spending the months leading up to Armageddon working his way through a bucket list of sexual conquests, including his high school French teacher  Mme Carlton (Geneviève Bujold). A Mrs. Wheeler (Robert Maxwell) is intent on holding one last Christmas for her grown children, even though it isn't the holiday season. Patrick Wheeler (McKellar) just wants to die alone, but is interrupted by Sandra (Sandra Oh) a woman whose car was wrecked by vandals and is just trying to get back to her husband before the end.

This movie tackles much of the same territory as the later film Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, so much so that the latter movie could be considered a loose remake. The original film however is defiantly more of an ensemble piece, though Patrick and Sandra's story form the hub from which the other narratives grow. This movie is even more somber then Seeking a Friend, it's melancholy is of greater subtlety. It is also rougher and less polished, feels truer, and is I think is the better movie, even a great picture, though I still rather liked the Steve Carell film. Before seeing this film I heard someone say "well everybody likes Last Night" and took it is a bit of challenge, an "I won't be so easy to win over" but I was, this movie really works, at first its not entirely clear what its trying to be, that gets clearer with time and there is a joy in making connections between these characters and piecing together backstory. It's really an achievement, a beautiful film. ****

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

The new film version of Mary Queen of Scots tales the story of the 16th century Scottish monarch more clearly then the film version of her life I had previously seen, the 1936 John Ford production staring Katharine Hepburn. In part this is because Mary's life didn't meet MPPA standards of morality, and in part because this version is better written and better acted. While promotion for this movie makes it look something like a cat fight between Scotland's Mary (Saorise Ronan) and England's Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) (both actresses are very good here) it's really not, though their rivalry is a central through line this is Mary's story not the pairs, Ms. Ronan gets the heft of the screen time with Margot appearing as needed. It's a fine film, though I never really got to feel that emotionally invested in the proceedings, these characters are not that likable.

As is increasingly common with period pieces non Caucasian actors are sprinkled throughout the film, despite the fact that 16th century Britain was almost exclusively white, there were no African lords and Asian ladies in waiting in the islands royal courts. I am of mixed mind on this trend, I'm not necessarily opposed, especially when the film is done in a rather stylized manner, however with the degree of period verisimilitude this movie was generally going for, racial diversity in casting did take me out of the moment and felt a little distracting. Also Mary seemed unusually understanding of alternative life styles for a 16th century Catholic. I feel like I should be giving Mary Queen of Scots ***1/2, it was really well done, however watching the thing it really did feel more like a ***.

The Balled of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Balled of Buster Scruggs asks the question, what if Roy Rodgers were incredibly violent? Or rather that is what it's first segment, also titled "The Balled of Buster Scruggs" asks as this newest Coen Brothers film is as an anthology of short western stories. So this is a retro genera picture done in a retro format, perfect for the Coen's. The brothers enjoy playing amongst the western conventions and types, giving them their own signature twists. The tone, and to a lesser extend the quality is varied, ranging from the Loony Toons craziness of Tim Blake Nelson's Buster Scruggs, to "Meal Ticket", which goes rather dark and features Liam Neeson as a traveling impresario and Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley from the Harry Potter films) as a limbless artist who can recite Shakespeare, The Bible, and Lincoln by hart. Tom Waits is a wonderfully grizzled old prospector in "All Gold Canyon", "The Mortal Remains" boasts a great small cast and some very enjoyable dialogue, while James Franco in "Near Algodones" anchors the films weakest segment, which still features an enjoyable turn by Stephen Root as an isolated banker. By far my favorite of the six vignettes is "The Gal Who Got Rattled" featuring Zoe Kazan, it is so old fashioned and sweet it could almost have been done as an episode of the vintage TV series Wagon Train, which was also a western anthology program. This is really one of the best films of the year, every once in a while a movie comes around that scratches an itch you didn't know needed scratching until you've seen it. I really hope that the films producer NetFlix gets to do more anthology work with the Coen's, I'd love to get something like this every few years from them. **** 

Swimming (2000)

This film is very indie, and very early 2000's. It's funny how the presence of cell phones in movies used to be what you'd notice, now it's there absence that draws attention. The movie star's Lauren Ambrose, just before the start of Six Feet Under (my third favorite TV show of all time). Frankie Wheeler (Ambrose) is a year or so out of high school and working for her brother at the family restaurant on Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There is ennui and a bisexual love triangle. Ambrose and the films refreshing tone, like a slow summers day makes this movie work. I enjoyed it more then I though I would. ***

Vox Lux (2018)

In Latin Vox Lux translates roughly as "voice of light", this is an ironic title. The films full title Vox Lux: A 21st Century Portrait captures things better, though one could easily substitute the word "tragedy" for  "portrait" because that is what this movie is, a tragedy in the almost Shakespearian sense, if Shakespeare were to write a play about Brittney Spears.

***Some Spoilers***

This is the story of Statin Island native Celeste Montgomery, who as a 13 year old returns to her eight grade class after the holiday break in January of 2000 and is caught in a Columbine like school shooting. To save lives Celeste begs the troubled Cullen Active to let her classmates go and she will stay with him, when Cullen asks what they will do when the others go Celeste replies that they will pray, upon hearing this Cullen opens fire. Celeste is hit in the neck but survives, weeks later she and her sister perform a song of mourning they wrote at a memorial service, this song strikes a national nerve and by September 11th of the following year she has a full album under her belt and is on course for pop stardom.

The movie then flashes forward to 2017, there is another tragedy, a shooting at a beach resort in Croatia, the terrorists dawning masks like those featured in a music video from Celeste's first album, she handles this event with far less grace. In the succeeding years Celeste has become a mess, having a child as teenager, a troubled marriage that ended in divorce, a pattern of substance abuse, at one point resulting in a serious hit and run with an innocent pedestrian. Knowing she can no longer be a fit parent her daughter goes to live with Celeste's older sister Eleanor (Stacy Martin, nicely understated) who has her own resentments, but keeps them better contained.

Celeste is no longer the sweet innocent she once was, she is in fact something of a monster, for while the school shooting did not destroy her, celebrity may have. A powerful story, so attuned to our times. Natalie Portman gives an excellent performance, expect an Oscar nod for this, she's delusional, acts out, shifts emotions rapidly, and always feels she must be performing, even to those long tired of her act. As great as Ms. Portman's work is one should defiantly keep an eye on Raffey Cassidy who plays the young Celeste, here performance is not as "big" as Natalie's, but it's subtle and in some ways more powerful. Writer/director Brady Corbet really gives us something different in this, and there's a number of little compositional and editing flourishes to the thing that I really enjoyed. Quite a movie, you'll keep thinking about it after it's over. ****

The Train Robbers (1973)

John Wayne leads some civil war veterans, a reformed thief, and a couple of hired guns in pursuit of some lost gold, with Ann-Margret as the widow woman who knows the way to the treasure. For the most part a very standard, unexceptional western, only the ending elicited from me an audible "Boo". *1/2

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Early press for this second Fantastic Beasts film was not particularly kind, so I went in with lowered expectations, which ironically paid off because this was better then I had thought it would be. For the first two quarters of the film I was "nah", the 3rd quarter "well maybe", and the final "didn't see that coming". Not as enjoyable over all as the first film (which I wish I had watched again shortly before seeing this to bring me back up to speed), this movie defiantly grew one me though it was only at the end that I could appreciate the surprisingly subtle set up of its close. ***

The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

The notorious Star Wars Holiday Special, well for its 40th anniversary this year I finally watched it. One can understand on an intellectual level from its reputation that this is bad, but you can never know just how bad until you watch it. Surprisingly long non subtitled stretches of Wookie speak, Harvey Korman in drag, Bea Arthur singing, it's all there, including the three leads of the original film just trying to get the dang thing over with. Most remarkable of all is that having seen it, CBS still elected to put it on in prime time. If you like Star Wars, or if you like 1970's variety television, you will still probably not like The Star Wars Holiday Special. * 1/2 (the half star being for the shear ludicrous novelty of it.)

Slap Shot (1977)

A take on the inspiring sports movie, or more exactly a twisted, and rather entertaining satire on it. Slap Shot stars Paul Newman as Reggie 'Reg' Dunlop aging coach/ player on the Charlestown Chiefs, a losing rust belt minor league hockey team. When the local mill announces that it is closing 'Reg' decides he must do whatever it takes to up the Chiefs win record in the hopes that its mysterious owner will sell them rather then fold it. 'Reg' misleads his players, taunts other teams into misbehaver, and gets his side to engage in a lot of fighting and unethical play, and it turns out the worse they behave the better they do. In the end they do not so much inspire their hard luck town, as they give it an outlet for its rage. Funny, and very profane for its time, so much so I would be curious about watching a TV edit of this to see how it works. "The Hansen Brothers" are a unique contribution to film. Directed quite capably by the great George Roy Hill, who also helmed some of Newman's biggest hits like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. Interestingly the ruckus male centered screenplay was written by a woman, Nancy Dowd. ***1/2

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

A sort of companion peace to Cool Running's which tells another quirky underdog story from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Michael "Eddie" Edwards was not the most natural of athletes, but he was persistent, and through shear effort, and the exploitation of holes in the British rules, became the first person in the UK to compete in Olympic ski jumping since 1928. Taron Egerton plays Eddie as a likable odd duck, and Hugh Jackman plays his coach, and that performance is fictionalized so much that the film makers don't feel comfortable using the mans real name. This movie has most of the bench marks of an inspiring family sports film, though I couldn't help but notice an unusual amount of sex humor, but rendered vague enough that younger viewers shouldn't pick up on it. ***

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Creed II (2018)

In Creed II aka Rocky VIII Adonis Creed goes up against Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago who killed Creed's pops in Rocky IV. You'd think we'd be well beyond the saturation point on these movies by now but dang it the formula still works, our hero must battles his demons outside the ring to win within it, and it feels good when he does. I really like Tessa Thompson, she is one of the most welcome new faces on film in the last five years. Sylvester Stallone can also still bring on the charm. All that being said I don't think there is any pressing need for a Creed III, I feel Adonis' arc is mostly closed, but maybe wait a decade and there might be more to say. ***

A Quiet Place (2018)

A Quiet Place, along with Heredity holds the distinction of being one of 2018's "smart horror movies". While I have not seen Heredity and can not speak to its merits first hand, I would say that A Quiet Place holds less in common with 2017's much praised "smart horror movie" Get Out, then it does with the work M. Night Shymalan, particularly Signs and The Happening. John Krasinski directed the film, co-wrote the screenplay, and stars opposite his real life wife Emily Blunt, as parents trying to keep their children safe after the world is invaded by vicious sightless monsters (probably aliens but this is never made explicit) who track their pray by sound. One of the reason's Krasinski's clan the Abbotts manage to survive is likely because their oldest child Regan (Millicent Simmonds, a young deaf actress who is quite good, and I hope she can continue to find parts in the future) can not hear and the family can communicate easily by sign language.

Hold up in a well appointed farm in what is apparently upstate New York, 400 something days after the start of the invasion, the family awaits the birth of their fourth child, the third child having been killed in the opening minutes of the movie. Babies cry, cry's attract the monsters, so various elaborate precautions are being taken to deal with that reality. There is also some strain in the family, principally on the part of Regan who blames herself for her siblings death. Arguably not much happens in this movie until rather late in its running time, the film is largely about mood, largely about the absence of sound. I of course saw this at home so my experience did not benefit from seeing it with an audience, and I am sure that in early crowded showings the tension in the theater was palpable. Unfortunately that tension did not quite translate into a home viewing, but this is still a strong film, its variations on apocalyptic scenarios sufficiently satisfying for its 90 minute length. I also want to congratulate Krasinski for making a film that can not be followed by only half watching and playing on ones phone, a big movie watching pet peeve of mine. ***1/2

Four Christmases (2008)

Four Christmases turns ten this year and there is a reason that it hasn't become a Christmas classic, it's not very good. The story of a couple (Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon) who for years have meticulously avoided spending Christmas with their four divorced parents, but weather conditions cancel their flight to Fiji so they might as well get the ritual over with. This movie maybe could have been fun, but for the most part it is not. A couple of Vince Vaughn's line readings made me laugh, but over all the humor is surprisingly gross and unfunny. This film starts with Vaughn and Witherspoon engaged in pre intercourse role play, which has to be a first for a Christmas movie outside of porn. Also these characters and their families are all supposed to live in and around San Francisco, but most of them are very much 'red state' people and do not fit with their supposed surroundings. *1/2

Christopher Robin (2018)

Considering Disney's recent propensity for live action adaptations of its animated properties, and given the historic success of the Winnie the Pooh franchise for the company, a film like Christopher Robin was perhaps inevitable. They had a clever enough spin to explore as well by featuring a grown up Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor, giving the part a reasonable go) and taking the classic characters out of The Hundred Acer Wood and into mid century London.

The film starts with a young Christopher's "going away party" with his animal friends before heading off to boarding school at around the age of 10 or so. This farewell is followed by a well done montage of the ensuing years in Christopher's life. Shortly after going off to boarding school his father dies, he continues school, then presumably college, starts a career, meets a girl (Hayley Atwell), marries her, must leave his pregnant wife to serve in World War II, comes home to his wife and a four year old daughter he's never meet, and then resumes his career.

The main body of the story picks up around 1952, his daughter (who we see turning three in 1944) is now around 11 and played by Bronte Carmichael. Christopher is working as an efficiency expert at a luggage manufacturer in London, he is under a lot of stress and is trying to find ways to cut cost sufficiently to save that company at a time when luggage sales have apparently fallen off. His task is important, he is trying to save peoples jobs, but this also means missing a weekend at his childhood home with his wife and daughter to stay in the city and work. This perhaps is what triggers his breakdown.

Christopher is visited by Pooh in a park outside his townhouse, debates his own sanity for a bit, and then must take the silly old bear back to Sussex and The Wood to find his missing friends. After reuniting his childhood gang and saving them from the imagined menace of heffalumps and woozles, Christopher then must rush back to London, only without his knowledge Tigger had mislaid some important papers, so then its up to Pooh, the gang, and daughter Madeline to speed them back to London and save the day.

This is that standard story of 'father works too much and must remember what its like to be a kid again' a favored Disney trope the most prominent example of which is probably Mary Poppins. Though the tale is rendered with some ambiguity and childlike sense of wonder, it is also the story of a man who experiences a psychotic break, and takes his family with him down the rabbit hole, in more ways then one. Or at least that's one explanation, otherwise I suppose Christopher could have spent his formative years with 6 mobile talking stuffed animals and similarly communicative, and apparently ageless, rabbit and owl. Or you could save yourself the trouble and not think about it too hard.

It's a sweet enough film, watchable, and very devoted to its source material. Thankfully things never get too manic, Pooh and company should maintain a certain English decorum associated with the time and place of their creation, and not be making pop culture references, I don't think I could have stood that. I didn't like this movie as much as I'd wanted to, but I could appreciate it, restrained, good hearted, forgivably simplistic. Also on some level Brad Garrett's voicing of Eeyore feels like what his entire life has been building towards. **1/2

The Front Runner (2018)

Director Jason Reitman's new movie The Front Runner is adapted from political journalist Matt Bai's 2014 book All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid. While it would be difficult to say precisely when American journalism "went tabloid" the week of May 3rd 1987 is as good a date as any and better then most. That was the week that the Miami Herald published a story that the then democratic front runner for president, former Colorado senator Gary Hart was having an extra material affair. The vary next day the name of the alleged mistress (to this day both parities contend that there was no affair) was then 29 year old pharmaceutical rep, model and sometimes actress (screen credits include episodes of Miami Vice and One Life to Live) Donna Rice. In short order Hart's campaign folded and he dropped out of the race.

There are a lot of interesting ideas and issues raised by this story worth exploring, however Reitman's film never feels much beyond surficial in its treatment. I don't feel like I learned much of anything new from this movie, or that it prompted any thoughts I hadn't had before, save maybe one. A point is made in the film that initial poll results after the scandal broke indicated that around 60% of Americans didn't think a politicians extra material escapades had any real bearing on their fitness for office. This seems a fairly consistent number, a majority of Americans don't seem to care much about presidential level adultery, and that has held for both Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, an odd bipartisan consensus.

A reasonably educated understanding of history will bear out that presidential infidelity seems to have little effect on job performance. Mostly forgotten presidents like Warren Harding and James Garfield were known adulterers, while Franklin Roosevelt was essentially a practicing polygamist while successfully prosecuting the second world war. The positives and negatives of any given president aside, I don't know quite what to make of American tolerance of executive level fornication, when you hold that next to this nations famed puritanical streak. While The Front Runner lionizes Hart too much, he did seem to have the makings of a potentially very talented president, that road not taken is intriguing to think about. While Hugh Jackman gives a fine performance in the lead, too much of this film felt procedural, ritualistic, in form spot on, but in substance, shallow, lacking in insight and so arguably in purpose. The same might be said for the whole Hart affair. **1/2

A New Leaf (1971)

I don't recall having ever heard of this movie before, but when a source I trust recommend it as one of the funniest movies they'd seen in the last year I gave it a go. After watching A New Leaf I couldn't help but wonder why isn't this movie better known. A critical darling at the time it came out, Gene Siskel had it at #2 on his list of best movies that year, A New Leaf did mediocre business then, but has become something of a cult classic, though a lesser know one, with time.

The film stars Walter Matthau as Henry Graham, a trust fund baby now around 40, who is shocked to find that he has mishandled his inheritance and spent all his money. Lacking skills and terrified of loaming poverty, he embarks on a quest to find a bride upon whose money he can live. He finds one in Henrietta Lowell, played by Elaine May, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film, very unusual for the time. Henrietta is a botany professor specializing in ferns, and herself the lone inheritor of her family fortune. Henrietta is shy, awkward, and extremely clumsy, and Henry thinks her a perfect mark for his plans, and she is, but he doesn't anticipate the complications that are to follow.

A very dry comedy Walter Matthau is perfect in this, cast against type as a high born eastern seaboard elite, he develops a character that is both very funny and very different from anything else I've seen him do. If all you watched of this movie was Matthau's facial expressions throughout, you'd be thoroughly entertained. May does a great job in her various roles in front and behind the camera, and the supporting cast is suitably off kilter. In many ways this feels like the sort of film that Hal Ashby would make, though a little cleaner. I may have to get my own copy of this one. ****

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Back in 2002 there was a little film that put an ethnic spin on the romantic comedy genera and road that to record breaking success at the box office ($368.7 million gross world wide on a $5 million dollar budget). That film of course was My Big Fat Greek Wedding, it's not so secret ingredient, Greeks. More then a decade and a half later another film has road genera ethnic novelty to great box office heights, so far $237.9 million on a $30 million budget. This film of course is Crazy Rich Asians, and its hook is being a fantasy-fulfillment- romantic-comedy about Asians, principally of the crazy rich variety.

Based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians is the story of Asian-American economics professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) to attend his best friends wedding and meet his family. To her, but not the audiences, surprise Nick's family is crazy rich, to the point where Nick is a celebrity in Asia of the most eligible bachelor verity, fortunately he turns out to a real nice and shockingly grounded guy. Now one must put aside the fact that a smart women like Rachel would doubtless have at least googled her boyfriend in the year she is said to have been with him, because the conceit of the film demands it and again this is a wish fulfillment movie. A 'what if the person I legitimately love was secretly super rich as well, therefore I can get to enjoy a lavish lifestyle without having to deal with a sense of guilt that I might only be with this person because of their money' fantasy.

The chemistry between the two leads work, there is a nice arc to the piece, beautiful, lavish sets and locations, a workable secondary story, and a large supporting cast full of likable characters, including recent pop culture arrival Awkwafina as comic relief. I left the film feeling, for the most part, that I really enjoyed these people and I'd like to see them again, and their is legitimate talk of sequel so that's certainly a possibility. It's shocking to think that this is the first major Hollywood film with a majority Asian cast and a contemporary setting since The Joy Luck Club, and that was literally 25 years ago. So this is more novel then it should be and it would be nice to see more of an Asian American cinema in the 21st century. Crazy Rich Asians is a very enjoyable movie, it's smart, funny, well made, heart felt, first rate stuff, and refreshingly different, this will almost certainly by on my top ten list at the end of the year. ****

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

I was curious about Bohemian Rhapsody, I thought at the very least the music was sure to be good, but a lot of the early reviews for the films were fairly middling. Subsequently everyone I knew who had actually seen it was pretty enthusiastic about it, so I went. Other then his music I knew very little about Freddie  Mercury before the film came out, I knew he was gay, he died of AIDS, and really liked cats. I did not know that he had been (common law) married, I did not know his ethnic background nor that he was a Zoroastrian, this in interesting information.

The movie is kind of cookie cutter, it follows the 'tortured genius' tropes so common to musical biopics, because they are apparently so common to our 'musical geniuses'. However the stakes don't feel overstated, you go to a movie like this because you want to see the musician you like go through their redemptive journey and hear their music. Rami Malek gives a strong performance as Freddie, with logically the real Freddie being dubbed in for the singing. The supporting cast is good, including Malek's real life girlfriend Lucy Boynton (adorable) as Freddie's long time girlfriend and "love of his life" Mary Austin. There is even a cameo role for Mike Meyers as a skeptical record executive who doesn't think that "Bohemian Rhapsody" will ever be the kind of song people bang their heads to in the car.

What the film benefits most from is having a terrific and very logical ending point, Queens performance at Live Aid in 1985, meticulously recreated down to the placement of the Pepsi cups on Mercury's piano. That whole sequence, which must go on around 20 minutes, is what makes the movie worth seeing on a big screen. Bohemian Rhapsody is not innovative like the song from which it takes its name, but it is a satisfying film watching experience. ***