Movies, Movies, Movies

Did I mention that I have spent a LOT of time in planes over the last month?  In addition to the three books, listed in the review below, I was able to watch some 12 films while airborne.  Here are my takes.

"If Beale Street Could Talk".  One of the few award films I didn't get a preview of (the other was "Roma"), this is a very quiet, atmospheric film, which is simply a touching, poignant love story.  There isn't a lot of plot, nor dialogue, but the lasting looks between our ill-fated couple (played beautifully by KiKi Layne and Stephen James) are the draw here.  Set in the late 1960s (I think) the city around them creates both a cocoon for the couple, as well as danger.  It was great to watch but was oddly not memorable.  Two weeks later I had to look up the film to remember some key points.

"Eighth Grade".  What's better than an angsty teen?  A movie about an angsty teen!  Elsie Fisher gets major nods here for looking into the camera with such openness and lack of guile that you really buy the idea that this is real life happening in front of you.  It's pretty close.  Without Hollywood flourishes and soundtracks, this simply becomes a tale of a teen girl trying to fit in.  It is touching, funny and sad, with Elsie's character being just annoying enough to seem real but not so annoying as to make you want to slap her.  Kudos also to Josh Hamilton for being the well-meaning dad trying to navigate the hormone filled waters to be a support, or anchor, for his drifting daughter.  Brava, bravo all around.

"Oceans 8".  No better or worse than any of the other Oceans films.  If you have seen one you have pretty much seen them all.  Entertaining fare which is not going to stay with you in any shape or way after the credits roll.

 "Deadpool 2" and "Ant-Man & the Wasp".  I review these together because they are both sequels of films I enjoyed and they both represent a trend in Marvel which I really, really like (started by Joss Whedon on "The Avengers", perhaps?)  The trend is this -- snarky, silly, mouthy, funny, not-taking-themselves too seriously.  Yes, there are big explosions and (in Deadpool anyway), slow-mo sequences of blood and brain matter shooting across the camera lens, but there is also breaking of the fourth wall, snappy comebacks you have to replay to catch and a general sense that these films are what they are supposed to be, entertainment.  Enjoyed them greatly.  Paul Rudd ain't hard on the eyes, either.

"Spiderman, Into the Spiderverse".  Interestingly enough this animated feature follows the trends I mentioned above (in a far more family friendly way, no blood spatter) and really got to me.  An animated feature with an accompanying book (not sure whether the movie or book came first or if they were created together), this one has laugh-out-loud funny moments, social commentary and a Peter Parker worth his weight in gold.  Lead character Miles Morales is drawn beautifully and as his world explodes you see the grief and struggle in every moment.  Commendable also is his relation with his dad, which is rare in teen films but needed so much.  Yes, there is a big battle but there is a lot of growth on the part of Miles along the way and at least one twist surprised me.  Best animated feature I've seen in a long, long time.

"Fantastic Beasts:  The Crimes of Grindelwald".  I really liked the first Fantastic Beasts film.  They introduced a whole new world (New York, 1920s) and Eddy Redmayne was adorable as the awkward, sweet monster-whisperer, Newt Scamander.  I'm not sure why, exactly, I disliked this second film so much.  Yes, I watched it on a plane so there were distractions, and yes, I've come to dislike Johnny Depp as much as I previously liked him, but the film in general seemed all over the place with huge events and little through-line.  I could watch it again at home to see if I still can't follow it, but probably won't.

"The Greatest Showman".  Many (many many) people I know saw this for no other reason than to see Hugh Jackman.  Not a bad thing.  It was ... interesting, if not brilliant.  The musical score was the big standout and I may buy the whole thing just because it was that good.  Much like "Moulin Rouge" the score and particular visuals were more compelling than the whole.  Like musicals of the past the book here was weak, and that was unfortunate.  You can't help but want a deeper look into this man, this story, but the musical setting prohibits that with characters leaping into song the minute things get interesting.  It's not bad.  I enjoyed it.  But it left me with a lingering feeling that I needed to read a book on the man, because, in the end, he was no Hugh Jackman.

"Book Club".  This film gets props for treating older actors as real people with real hearts and desires, who aren't content to sit around playing grandparents and watching their private parts get dusty.  It starts with lust and ends with love, but in the end it's just a romantic comedy rather than anything with any kind of depth and meaning.  I will say though, I've never been particularly attracted to Don Johnson ... until now.  Oy, mama.

"Christopher Robin".  This great little film is strong on many parts, from casting to script to animation.  It was not a box office hit, however, and I can see why.  The first issue is the audience -- it isn't really for kids.  But the adults who would get it would dismiss it as a kind of "Mary Poppins" foolery.  Which is ironic, because that is exactly the kind of adult Christopher Robin turns into.  The truth is that the film is hard to watch.  It's The Giving Tree all over again.  Christopher Robin was a sweet little boy with wonderful friends and then life "happens" and he grows up and becomes a work-obsessed adult.  His treatment of Winnie is painful throughout the film and maybe that's why it is so hard to watch, because it shows us all how we forget the important things in life when we are focusing on what we think are the important things of life.  It's a touching film which produced a single tear here and there.  It's also one that we should all watch, to remind ourselves of the importance of doing nothing.

"Smallfoot".  Any animated film has a certain appeal.  They are fun, often warm and fuzzy, sometimes touching.  "Smallfoot" entertained on a mild level but didn't, for the most part, succeed.  Main character Migo is struggling against the philosophy/religion of his village and believes, against all doctrine, that something more exists out there.  When he discovers it, things do not go as planned.  The heavy-hitting moralism portrayed here drags down the plot and the sugary ending seemed too perfect for our complicated times.  The music and songs were fairly forgettable.  They had some nice elements here, and, again, didn't mind spending time watching it on a plane, but not what it could have been.

"What Women Want".  Yup, it's a really old film and no, I never really saw it.  With a remake of sorts out now ("What Men Want") it was worth seeing.  There is humor and Mel Gibson, who I'm not a particular fan of, is pretty good.  Ashley Johnson was perfect as the ignored daughter and Helen Hunt, well, I just love Helen Hunt.  The film is generally entertaining, walking that line between downright silly and a little insightful.  I was only flummoxed a bit by the end, which didn't seem to fit, or work, just right.  I'm not sure what a good ending would have been but maybe if they didn't have the two main characters hook up there might have been a cleaner solution?  Not sure.  Will have to see the new film and make a comparison.