2021 In Review

 My standard best of year list as well as some other things for a planed podcast

Best films of 2021

Licorice Pizza 

The Card Counter 

Last Night in Soho

The French Dispatch

West Side Story 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye 

Dune 

Pig 

Spencer

Don't Look Up

Honorable Mention: 

The Little Things, Nobody, Cruella, In the Heights, The Dig

Worst films of 2021: Coming 2 America, Godzilla vs. Kong, Witnesses, Black Widow 

Favorite Movie we watched on the podcast this year: The Exorcist. Network, Tree of Life. The Little Things

The worst: Mixed Nuts

Some favorites from previous years that I saw for the first time this year: 

Wildfire (2019) Paul Schrader Hardcore (1979) Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist *Father Marrin * (2005) Whitt Stillman movies;  Barcelona  (1994) and The Metropolitan (1990) Ragtime - Milos Formen (1981) (E L Doctrow novel) Paul Thomas Anderson Boogie Nights (1997) Hard Eight (1996) Awakings (1990) The Taking of Pelham, One, Two, Three (1974)

Starship Troopers (1997)

Books, I tended to read a lot of things in double feature this year: 

The Tea Pot Dome Scandle: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country by Laton McCartney and The Inside Story of the Harding Tragedy by Harry Daugherty.

Frank J. Cannon: Saint, Senator, Scoundrel by Val Holley and Under the Prophet in Utah by Frank J. Cannon. 

Axioms End and Truth of the Divine by Lindsey Ellis 

His Very Best: Jimmy Carter a Life by Johnathan Alter 

Being the Ricardos (2021)

 I had little interest in this Lucy and Desi bio-pic until I learned of the involvement of Aaron Sorkin. 'Becoming the Ricardos' is set amidst a turbulent week of production on 'I Love Lucy', in which Lucy is accused of being a communist by Walter Winchell, Desi is accused of having an affair by Confidential Magazine, and a way of dealing with Lucy's pregnancy must be found at a time in which such subject matter was (in hindsight, rather perplexingly) verboten on television. The film also contains flash backs on the title couples relationship over the years. 

Nicole Kidman, a somewhat controversial casting choice for Lucy does an excellent job, Javier Bardem is also very good in a part that's a natural fit for him. Fine supporting work by J. K. Simons, Nina Arianda, Alia Shawkat and Tony Hale in the most against type performance I've seen him in. Sorkin's writing is solid, there is some really good stuff in here, though he's not exactly stretching, his direction is for the most part a little bland. One does wonder why make this story now as the Ricardo's have largely faded from the collective memory of Millennials and is likely absent from that of Gen Z, but maybe that's the reason to make it. ***

Magnolia (1999)

 Just two days before watching this movie I was having a conversation with a friend in which it was commented on how much I tend to like Paul Thomas Anderson films, and I do though he can be something of an acquired taste. In fact 'Magnolia' the last of the directors features films I had not yet seen turned out to be the only one I didn't like. 

Now I liked parts of it, the Philip Seymore Hoffman/ Jason Robards storyline, much of the performances by Tom Cruse, Julian Moore, Philip Baker Hall, John C. Riley. There are wonderfully creative prolog sequences, and late in the film one of the most WTF things I've ever seen in a movie, and I love being surprised. Also the theme of the movie is the life bending effects of child abuse, and it's hard not to get behind a film that calls that out. 

However the film is overlong and heavy handed, a very late 90's flavor of the cynical come maudlin. An Atlmanesque melodrama, a 'Crash' like soap opera. Less then the sum of it's parts, the cumulative effect is a sledge hammer where a chisel is needed. William H. Macey and the all the game show stuff, didn't work for me. An overly ambitious, dated mixed bag, but at least it's interesting, risk taking, and contains some fine performances. **1/2

Licorice Pizza (2021)

'Licorice Pizza' is a deceptively sweet coming of age movie/love story. Set in 1973 Encino, California the film is Paul Thomas Anderson's tribute to the world of his earliest memories, in that sense a kind of rough equivalent to Quinton Tarantino's 'One Upon a Time in Hollywood'. 

The moment Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, a frequent collaborator of Anderson's) sees Alana Kaye (indie singer Alana Haim) he is smitten, and despite her being 25 and he only 15 he will contrive anyway imaginable for the two spend time together, from chaperoning to joint business ventures.

Gary is a child actor starting to age out of peak castability, as with many characters in Paul Thomas Anderson's work he is a natural born hustler, always looking for money making opportunities, here ranging from water beds to pinball machines. 

His background in film allows for brushing against fictionalized version of real celebrates of the time, including a Lucile Ball type (Christine Ebersole) and Bradly Cooper as Jon Peters, a real life hair dresser, film producer, and famed lady's man whose been married to both Leslie Ann Warren and Pamela Anderson, as well as a decade long relationship with Barbara Streisand. I particularly enjoyed Tom Waits as a Sam Peckinpah type director and Sean Penn as a William Holden type star, I wouldn't of thought Penn could be made to look so much like Holden. 

The film buts against the 1970's more generally, everything from the arb oil embargo to closeted gay politicians, but the relationship between Gary and Alana is that timeless, awkward yearning kind, and Hoffman and Haim are wonderful, fully capable of anchoring the film in what is each of their screen debuts. 

Episodic in structure but thoroughly charming, very evocative of its time and place and of course boasting a wonderful period sound track. One of the best films of the year. ****

It's A Wonderful World (1939)

 Seven years before staring in the unforgettable "It's a Wonderful Life", Jimmy Stewart stared in the forgettable "It's A Wonderful World", appearing opposite top billed Claudette Colbert. The two play a PI and poetess respectively who end up on the lamb trying to prove a drunken millionaire innocent of killing his mistress. A screw ball comedy, but awful slow for one, though Colbert tries to make up for that by being unusually manic, which I found a trifle off-putting. Stewart seemed to still be getting his sea legs as an actor, though this is actually the same year as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" so it's probably the script, and maybe direction. **

Little Women (1994)

 This is the second version of 'Little Women' I've seen, the first of course being Greta Gerwig's 2019 version, which I still prefer but the charm is certainly here as well. I think the Wynona Ryder / Gabriel Byrne romance may work a little better then the Soarise Ronan/ Guy who left little impression paring. ***1/2

Hard Eight (1997)

 With 'The Card Counter' I thought I'd already seen my smart story about 'an older gambler taking a troubled young man under his wing' movie for the year. Interestingly both these films are helmed by writer/directors named Paul, the first Paul Schrader, and the second 'Hard Eight' by Paul Thomas Anderson in his first feature film. There is so much raw talent on display in 'Hard Eight', and while it at times resembles the early work of Quinton Tarantino (an appropriate comparison often made), Anderson gives his work a subtler more reflective tone. Featuring Sam Jackson (Tarantino again), John C. Riley and Gwyneth Paltrow, the stand out performance is given by Philip Baker Hall, then in his mid 60's and arguably the best part he's ever been given, Richard Nixon excepted. Though I had not known this going into the movie, it turns out it's also a kind of a Christmas film, in addition to being a worthy character study of the marginalized, a signature theme of Paul Thomas's work. ****

Better Watch Out (2017)

 A kind of Christmas home invasion movie 'Better Watch Out' sets its self up to be one thing, and then turns out to be something rather different. I loved that, so I won't say much beyond how much I enjoyed how cleaver and unexpected this movie turned out to be. ***

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

'Spider-Man: No Way Home ' is yet another Marvel spectacle movie, but it is saved by somehow managing to feel low key. The cross over palooza's we've gotten from the studio over the last 10 years have lessened the impact of seeing characters cross franchise, but this movie takes that concept (and via it's recently introduced multi-verse) allows us to again see characters we haven't seen in some time, and thought we never would again. You know it was good to see them. The plot is sufficient, and there are a few significant cannon events that will surly play an important role later on, but the small interpersonal dialogue moments make the movie. I have issues with certain plot elements, especially the resolution that seems to hold up to scrutiny even less then the average comic book story line, still I had a good time. *** 

The Night Before (2015)

 Long time friend's Seth Rogan, Anthony Mackie, and Joseph Gordan Leavitt decide to observe a tradition one last time and spend Christmas Eve out on the town in Manhattan. Hijinks ensue, they all learn something that helps them grow, and drug dealing angel Micheal Shannon finally gets his wings. Slightly less gross out then the average Rogan comedy, I think because Gordan Leavitt's there. One or two really funny scenes, but mostly its just fine. **

Remember the Night (1940)

 'Remember the Night' has a mediocre first half, but really pulls it off in the second half. Screenplay by Preston Sturges, staring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred McMurry pre 'Double Indemnity'. He's a lawyer, she's a shoplifter he is prosecuting, feeling bad that she will be in prison over Christmas before the trail can resume, he pays her bail and ends up taking her to Indiana to spend Christmas with his family (which has to violate the law, crossing states lines, and eventually they even go into Canada). McMurry's family is charming, but on the way there they make a stop to visit Stanwycks estranged mom, and she completely explains why her character is the way she is. Parts of this are really well done and endearing, parts really aren't, I can see why Sturges decided he needed to start directing his own work. If you watch this be prepared for one of the most racist man servant characters you've ever seen. ***

West Side Story (2021)

What to say about 'West Side Story'?  I've had really mixed feelings on Steven Spielberg's remake of the 1961 Oscar winning movie musical, which in turn was based on the 1957 Tony winning stage musical, which in turn was based on Shakespeare's legendary play 'Romeo and Juliet'.  In my opinion 1961's West Side Story just may the best movie musical of all time, it has a timeless story, great choreography, wonderful cast, every song lands and many are great. There is no way Spielberg could make something more iconic, and he didn't. 

What Spielberg did do is added more context, moved some songs around, fleshed things out via long time collaborator Tony Kushner's screenplay, did things visually you couldn't have done in the 1960's, and tried to make the story better resonate with todays audiences. This was a parietal success. 

The story is already a tragedy universal in nature, two people who love each other kept apart by circumstance. 'Isn't it a shame these two good kids couldn't get together', that works any place and time. Spielberg's film takes that universality and manages to make it feel less universal, not so much something that could happen any place and any time, but something whose happing is supper specific to the time and place in which it is set. 

This is an angrier, more political film, which does not end on the cautiously hopeful coda of the first movie, but feels like the contemporary document it is, lamenting a promise not fully fulfilled. At times the realism of the sets feels off given the musical numbers being played out on them, and Ansel Elgort is to put it simply no Richard Beymer. 

In the films favor is Rachel Zegler, whose just lovely and talented and unlike the equally adorable Natalie Wood didn't need to be dubbed (in fact much of the original cast was dubbed as well). Much of the new material added by Kushner actually works, the character of Tony gets a stronger arc, the absence of parents in the picture plays better, there is more of a sense of menace to the proceedings, especially near the end. Having Rita Moreno return to this property six decades on and casting her as a voice of reason was wonderful. Even converting the character of 'Anybody' from a tom boy type to more of an overt transman works, and much better then I thought it could. 

It is the power of the music that carries both films, they do a great job with it here, it was often quite moving. Spielberg dose a fine job mounting the production numbers, and though I prefer the musical staging in the original feature, this is a septuagenarian doing his first musical, and doing a quality job at it. 

So my biggest problems with this film have to do with subtext, and may not even register with most viewers. The new West Side Story is still one of the best films I've seen all year, but like 'In The Heights' which came out this summer, doesn't feel like it entirely knows what it wants to be as film musical. ***1/2 

Don't Look Up (2021)

 In 2006 a film came out called 'American Dreamz', a broad satire about a George W. Bush like president whose falling approval numbers prompts him to agree to guest host an 'American Idol' type reality show, and the contestant/ terrorist sleeper agent assigned to kill him when he does. While far from a great film that movie captured something so true about the state of our nation at that time, the inane celebrity culture, silly reality television, uninspiring political leadership, and counter productive foreign policy, that it made me feel a little nauseous. 'Don't Look Up' on the other hand, made me want to throw up. 

Adam McKay's new movie dark comedy is about the nations reaction to an approaching comet, whose certain impact would spell the destruction of the human race. While technologically the challenge of destroying the comet before impact seems within our grasp, as a society we may have become too divided and dysfunctional to summon the collective will to do so. 

Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio play the scientists who respectively discover and chart the course of the comet, while Rob Morgan is the government scientist who first takes them seriously. The trio fly to Washington to the meet the nations Palin/Trump like president Meryl Streep and her toddy son / chief of staff Jonah Hill, who basically tell them that for political reasons it's not a good time for a life threating comet, so we'll have scientists we trust more double check your math and get back to you. 

With only 6 1/2 months to go before the impact there is no time to wait, so Lawrence and DiCaprio agree to go on a popular morning show to sound the alarm, where they are overshadowed by the breaking relationship drama of an Ariana Grande type singer played by Ariana Grande. 

The mechanisms of public and government response are slow to get going, but get going they do until the stopping of the impending destruction of the human race comes to be perceived as a partisan political issue, and then things break down again. One asks ones self if a society this short sighted is worth saving. 

The intended metaphor here is for climate change, but it also works for Covid and other things. The celebrity culture and reality television world of 'American Dreamz' 2006 is supplemented 15 years later with the world of social media, and a hyper partisanship that has fractured that celebrity cultural along lines of political identity. On 'the left' the celebs are of little substance, on 'the right' they are the same, but also hold high office and the fate of humanity in their hands.

While taking mild shots at the left this film is not bi-partisan, it's primary focus is on the right, and some times it gets mean, but it's not without a point, the reality denial on the right far, far outpaces in magnitude that on the left. This of course is a point that when you make it, you retrench that denial on the other side, so while the seeming message of the film is we all need to take reality more seriously, it doesn't help that cause, so as consolation gives the left  permission to laugh about how screwed we are. 

The old saying that comedy is tragedy plus time has it's inverse, tragedy is comedy when the time runs out. ***1/2

 

The Gloria's (2020)

 'The Glorias' is a bio-pic of feminist icon Gloria Steinem, it's directed by Julie Taymor so it's kind of arty, including sequences where the four actresses who play Ms. Steinem at various ages talk to each other on a bus, at first I didn't think this worked but it grew on me. Alicia Vikander and Julian Moore play the adult Gloria's. I was familiar with the vague outline of Ms. Steinem's life (who I saw speak live once) but I learned things here, particularly about her early life. Towards the end the movie devolves into something of check list, we've got to touch on X,Y & Z, so the character building is fairly minimal because the film has so much ground to cover. Still there remains a place for such survey course bio-pics, there is something comforting about them. ***

Last Christmas (2019)

 'Last Christmas' he gave you his heart Emilia Clarke, I mean literally you have his heart inside you, your new boyfriends a ghost, that's why he keeps disappearing and none of your friends have meet him. Yes this lousy inverted remake of 'Return to Me' takes George Michaels words literally. This film thought it could coast off of your adorableness Ms. Clarke, well it can't. Also Emma Thompsons Yugoslavian accent is just terrible, like this movie. * 

Last Night in Soho (2021)

Edger Wright started out his directing career making genera send ups like 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' before moving on to comic adaptations like 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World' and the screenplays for 'The Adventures of Tintin' and 'Ant-Man'. In 2017 Wright wrote and directed 'Baby Driver' an original heist movie that was more action film then comedy. With 'Last Night in Soho' we see Wright's further evolution, making a psychological thriller that owes much to such 60's films as 'Repulsion' (1965), 'Peeping Tom' (1960) and 'Carnivals of Souls' (1962).  

The 60's homages are very much intentional and appropriate to this film, which is not only partially set in that decade but contains appearances by period beauty's Rita Tushingham, Margaret Nolan and Diana Rigg, the last two in their final film roles. The story concerns a contemporary young woman with a family history of mental illness (Thomasin McKenzie) who moves from her home in rural Cornwall to pursue her dream of studying design at the esteemed London College of Fashion. Personality conflicts with her roommate lead the young woman to seek lodgings off campus, and she rents a room in an old house from an elderly Diana Rigg. 

It is in that room that she starts having vivid dreams of an aspiring young singer back in the mid 60's (Anya Taylor-Joy), and at first these are largely of a rose colored nostalgic heugh, the film has large gorgeous period sets, one even outdoors running for seeming blocks. This vicarious life imparts a new vivacity to Thomasin's generally quite bearing, but then things in the dream world start to get really dark, and we see the underbelly of mod swinging London, and the ways it could exploit young women, ending with images of Taylor-Joy covered in blood. Our leads efforts to now solve a more then half century old murder is given new menace when she believes she see's the killer still alive in the form of Terrance Stamp.

Promotional art for this film, movie posters, the soundtrack album, have been rendered in a very 1960'style, and the movie itself takes elements from the films of the era and successfully rearranges them to create something that feels quite fresh, even while remaining quite rooted in something old. This is definitely a film I will want to re-watch with added focus on the way it was structed, I'll be curious to see how well certain plot elements hold up under increased scrutiny, but as mood piece and evocation of a previous era this movie really works. The fact that it doesn't give the era of it's focus an essay pass, choosing to dwell on just the comforting nostalgia of the past and ignoring the periods blemishes, is very much an asset the movies favor. A really fun and sometimes unexpected theater experience that had a smile of appreciation on my face through much of it. ***1/2 

 For Your Consideration Podcast 

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

 Filmed largely around the Heber City, Utah area 'Silent Night, Deadly Night' is a slasher film about a repressed Catholic embarking on a killing spree in a Santa suit. When scanning through review blurbs on 'Rotten Tomato's' one comment that caught my eye is that this film has a very distinct sense of identity vis-a-vie the other slasher films of it's era. This is true, the film is very distinct in it's vision, technically well executed, and actually subversive, something most slasher films only play at being. For me it was a little too subversive, going far beyond the realms of good taste, it felt rather mean, though the films Christmas theme song "The Warm Side of the Door" is first rate 80's schmaltz. *1/2 

Damaged Lives (1933)

'Damaged Lives' was produced for a Canadian health board, though attracted purulent interest south of the boarder. It's the story of a man who has an affair and then passes syphilis onto his wife and unborn baby. Helmed by famed B movie autor Edger G. Ulmer, the film has a few rather effective visuals, and the director makes the best movie he possibly could off the awkward script, so I kind of respect it. **

A Merry Friggin Christmas (2014)

'A Merry Friggin Christmas' was among Robin Williams last films, released after he died. In addition to Williams the film has a reasonably strong cast, Candice Bergen, Joel McHale, Lauren Graham, Oliver Platt, though the only one who really made me laugh was Clark Duke. Sad really, anemic 'Christmas Vacation' / 'Bad Santa' hybrid. *1/2 

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

 Based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Morton Freedgood, 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three' is the story of the hijacking and ransom of a New York City subway car. From that brief description what you'd probably expect from a film version is an action movie, and that is to a fair degree what you get with the 2009 remake.  However the original 1974 production was more a 'crisis situation procedural'. It was really fun to watch, I love the whole gritty 1970's New York astatic, I loved the pacing, unlike the remake the original was not in a hurry, in fact it seemed to take place in roughly real time. 

A fine cast, Walter Matthau, Martin Balsam, Robert Shaw. Both film versions were main stream releases, but the base intelligence level of a wide release film from the mid 70's to that of the late aughts, night and day, the first film is so much more mature. 

While there is something to say for Tony Scott not going for a straight remake, (leads Washington and Travolta give reasonably committed performances), it's more of a variation on a theme, it just doesn't have the substance of the original, it's flashy, hollow, disposable. While no doubt it was not helped by my beginning the remake roughly 90 minutes after finishing the original, I have no desire to see 2009's Pelham again, but 1974's One Two Three I would welcome repeat viewing. 

1974: ***1/2

2009: *1/2 

Mixed Nuts (1994)

 It's hard to believe that this was Nora Ephron's follow up to 'Sleepless in Seattle', it's such a misfire. Based on a French film 'Mixed Nuts' involves various eccentrics, principally associated with a suicide prevention hotline, which is on the verge of eviction from it's Venice Beach location at Christmas time. This movie seems dependent on the idea that a lot of manic energy means it must be funny, this did not prove true. A talent bomb if ever there was one, this film has a large cast of names, Steve Martin, Rita Wilson, Madeline Kahn, Gary Shandling, Juilette Lewis, Adam Sandler, Robert Kline, even Liev Schreiber in his film debut, in a part that hasn't aged particularly well. Just a disaster, an unfunny tone def comedy, just really, really bad. * 

Paradise Hawaiian Style (1966)

 In 'Paradise Hawaiian Style' Elvis and a buddy start a helicopter charter service, there are various misadventures and Elvis predictably has girl trouble, he's dating four at the same time, with his eyes on a fifth. Likable in the easy going manner of much of 'The Kings' film output. It's neat to see the Polynesian Cultural Center as it would have appeared in the mid 60's. One minor compliant, when Elvis needed a solution to financing trouble why didn't he just sing, I mean he's constantly singing, putting on free shows. Monetize Elvis, monetize. **