GREEN BOOK  4.0***

by saying this is the BEST movie I have seen this year !!!!

I love it when directors who are usually identified with one type of film break  out of that cycle do something radically different. Such is the case with writer/director Peter Farrelly who is  known for mostly doing gross out, or raunchy and immature comedies such as the Dumb and Dumber( very dumb movie) and There’s Something About Mary (which I liked a lot) doing a 180. This time around, with Green Book, Farrelly takes a true story and helps write the screenplay and directs. The film  has just as much humor, better humor, as the films he would normally do, but here he elevates his style by giving the film a timely message of friendship and acceptance.  

Green Book is based on a true story about a black concert pianist (played by Mahershala Ali) who tours the American Deep South in the early 1960's, and takes along a rough-and-tumble Italian bar bouncer as his driver/fixer (played by Viggo Mortensen). The driver (Viggo) begins the tour as a northern racist who takes the eight week assignment because he needs quick cash. The pianist (Ali) starts the tour as a lonely and pompous uppity concert pianist unable to fully navigate the white world where his music is highly valued, and equally uncomfortable in black-America. The couldn't be more different if they tried.  Through the film we see the two characters slowly find each other and themselves as they subtly bond, and we feel the connection as a real friendship blossoms. One of the things I liked best is the movie teaches tolerance as much by example without preaching at you.. It all unfolds through a myriad of natural moments between two great actors and a strong supporting cast. 

The title of the film  (“Green Book”) comes from a once essential tour book for African Americans that listed hotels and other businesses willing to serve black customers, in a shameful era when American blacks were legally equal to whites but discrimination in the South remained grossly overt.  

This is a wonderful film about putting prejudices aside and seeing goodness within your fellow man and learning to appreciate that. This road trip truly reshapes the two characters in marvelous ways. This is an absolutely an outstansing film that made me laugh more than any other film this year and at the same time warmed my heart  while shocking me by the deplorable racist attitudes and actions of the 60's.  It  shows how far we still need to move ahead as a society.

The performances by the two leads are I think the two best male performances I have seen this year and the characters are so wonderfully vibrant and full of emotions, personality and life all thanks to a meticulously researched screenplay based on a true story. A film of this type of quality does not come along too often, so I suggest you see it while you can and do not be surprised to see  Oscar nominations and even wins coming from it

. One of the best films of this year.

Sara and I re-watched “Field of Dreams” (1989) and once again  were swept away by this magical fantasy story. This is about as close as it comes to a perfect movie. In fact it is my #1 Sports movie in that genre. While the sport is baseball, you don’t have to be a baseball fan to love it. It’s really more about dreams and redemption of the best kind.

Here’s my review:

FIELD OF DREAMS  4.0***

    I truly believe that every once in a blue moon, a film comes along which contains a remarkable sense of wonder coupled with the power of dreams. The title says it all: "Field of Dreams” which has become an American classic. This film  reaffirms that dreams can come true and people can be saved by what they  believe in. And to top it all off, baseball is its subject. The great American pastime takes on a mystical quality that adds to the magic of the story

Kevin Costner plays Ray Kinsella, an Iowa corn farmer who seems to be stranded in his life.  One day, while roaming aimlessly through his cornfield, he hears a unknown voice speak to him saying the words that have become synonymous with the film itself, "If you build it, he will come." He is compelled by the strange message and comes to believe that the words mean he is to build a baseball diamond in his cornfield, and he sets out to do just that, and indeed does one heck of a great job.  Nothing comes of it until one night somebody in a 1920's baseball uniform turns up on the baseball diamond ready to play baseball. This happens to be the great Shoeless Joe Jackson who is dead but has come back to play the game he was banned from playing.  Other Baseball greats soon join him to play. When the voice continues, Ray seeks out a reclusive author played by James Earl Jones to help him understand the meaning of the messages and the purpose for his baseball diamond. For Ray it’s a journey of self-discovery with some truly beautiful moments.

It's not just  the film/story that delivers, it's also the actors who make this delightful tale come to life. Kevin Costner is surrounded by other great actors in Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan and Burt Lancaster, and he wisely lets these actors dominate the scenes that he shares with them . However, Costner is the glue that binds the whole film together … his is a very engaging performance for which he should have gotten more recognition.

"Field of Dreams" is one of the most fascinating films I've seen, and one of the best. I was deeply moved like Costner and Jones were by the miraculous incidents put in front of them. Anybody who likes a “feel good” film like “It’s a Wonderful Life” will also fall in love with this movie .  

This is a DO NOT MISS movie.

Rating: PG

First MAN   2.8***

               Ryan Gosling and director Damien Chazelle ( La La Land and Whiplash) reteam for a mostly understated  dramatic account of Neil Armstrong (Gosling) and his life during the 1960s. The film presents more of an intimate focus on the man and his family  and his sacrifices rather than a “rah rah" retelling of the space race. Much screen time is devoted to Armstrong and his wife Janet (Claire Foy), including dealing with tragedy (the death of his 3 year old daughter to brain cancer and the harsh realities of the dangers of being an astronaut ( as movingly shown by the scene of Armstrong painfully telling his sons that he may never come back from his moon mission).

Any  discussion of this movie  brings up a comparison to The Right Stuff,  Apollo 13 and Gravity. Those were space movies. On the other hand, First Man is a movie set partially in space. Specifically, it's a family drama - an intimate and personal portrait of a man and his family.  As for the space scenes, they are spectacular and better than most movies before it. They aren't sexy or glamorous. They’re realistic in a way I don't think I've seen before and all the more powerful for it. I strongly believe this movie captures what it feels  like to actually ride in those small claustrophobic space vehicles in a way that’s not  been done before.

Nonetheless , the movie was somewhat of a letdown for me for given reasons.The focus is on the man, Neil Armstrong, who was a  great hero but as a man he was reticent, withdrawn and a man of few words. This does not make for good drama. And there is also the fact that everyone knows how it turns out.... he’s the first man to walk on the Moon and return safely . So all the dangerous events he encounters beforehand, though quite well done, are not very suspenseful because we know he survives . Finally the movie is too long ( 2 hr & 21 min) and whatever tension could have been generated is sucked out by the time it’s over.

 Overall I  liked the movie for what it is; a well-made biopic of a fascinatingly courageous  man with awesome scenes in space.

THE GREEN MILE 4.0***

               Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) directs his second film and second, and in my opinion, one of the best Stephen King adaptations with The Green Mile. The film centers on Death Row at a Southern penitentiary known as 'the green mile' due to the dark green floor. The time is 1935 during the post-depression. Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) is the head guard on the Green Mile when the towering new inmate John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), convicted of murdering two young girls, is brought into custody. Despite his huge figure and supposed horrific crimes, Coffey seems to be of a more gentle nature, like that of a child, not a child killer. After some time Edgecomb starts to notice miraculous things coming from Coffey, leading to questions about whether Coffey could be capable of the terrible things to which he has been convicted

Director Darabont doesn’t rush this film, which clocks in at three hours  which is not a bad thing because it allows the characters to be developed and the story to build. Darabont delivers precision in his direction and manages to immerse the audience in the death row setting, using the flashback device to ease into the story. Plenty going on during the film including some vile horrible characters, both guard and convict, as well as many acts kindness and generosity.

The acting throughout this film is awesome with Tom Hanks leading the way, allowing the film to flow smoothly, keeping the audience listening and watching which is definitely needed due to the length of the movie. Michael Clarke Duncan perfectly portrays the friendly giant John Coffey, successfully giving off a combination of innocence and mystery. Furthermore, the supporting cast, which includes Sam Rockwell, David Morse and James Cromwell, is also excellent. In fact this is one of the best ensemble casts you’ll find in a movie.

This movie is a triumph as an incredible story and an incredible movie that tells the story. It’s a beautiful emotional film that is perfectly done.

Rated R for violence (the electric chair executions are quite realistic and graphic ) and language and some sex-related material (very mild) |

 

My Cousin Vinny”. (1992) 4.0****

Another “oldie but goodie ”that is one of Sara & my all-time favorites !! It is in my top 15 of legal movies .... actually #3.

Joe Pesci’ character  is called upon by his Nephew to defend him & his friend from a charge of robbery/murder in Alabama... rural Alabama. His character has a legal degree thru night school and passed the bar exam ... not the 1st time ... not the 3rd time .. but it took 6 times !!! And he had not yet had a trial civil or criminal  yet he is being called upon to defend the 2 boys in a capital murder trial .

The Director was a lawyer & insisted that all the trial scenes/legal matters be correct & accurate .... and were to the extent that the American Bar Association ranks this movie #3 in their top 25 legal movies.

The story is hilarious and yet an excellent trial movie ... so good that I think law schools should require law students to watch it . The humor is primarily generated by and between Pesci and his fiancé played by Marisa Tomei who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.  They are both from New Jersey & speak heavy “ Jersey”. Their scenes range from a “debate” about a leaking spigot, her defense of not killing a “dearr” ( deer) and the matter of her biological clock  for having babies ticking away ... and on & on !

You really should see this movie...I guarantee that you will like it !!!

A SIMPLE FAVOR 3.5***

     I came into this movie not knowing what to expect. If you've seen thrillers like Gone Girl you get the general gist of this movie.   What  I was not ready for was the excellent blending of comedy into such a gripping suspense thriller. Between Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively there are  plenty of laughs to go around especially when both share the screen time together. Their chemistry is stunning.  

Anna Kendrick plays Stephanie, an uptight  single mom who, when not doting on her cute son, keeps up a cooking/crafts VLOG ( a “vlog” is a video log of a person’s thoughts, opinions or interest usually collected on YouTube) with a tiny audience. One day, while picking up her son at school, she encounters  a mom of a different kind, played to BASIC INSTINCT perfection by Blake Lively. A case study in dead-eyed assertiveness, her Emily oozes strong-willed fashionista while Stephanie has her  meek but sweet passive-aggressive down pat. Quicker than you can say, "Play Date!" the women bond at Emily's gorgeous home over martinis and swapped stories about their wicked pasts.  

After being asked  "a simple favor" by  Emily  to pick up her son from school, Emily’s then total disappearance sends  Stephanie into a spiral of mystery, passion, and shocking discoveries. Stephanie does all she can to find Emily, taking such Nancy Drew action steps as scanning through microfiche at the library and snooping around Emily's office at a NY Fashion Design empire.  As she searches for clues, Stephanie learns that neither she nor anybody else knew Emily very well at all.

Take every trashy supermarket novel and Lifetime Network movie imaginable, stew them together into a pot, and you've got yourself Director Paul Feig's ( did “Bridesmaids”, “Heat” and “Spy” ) newest film. That's not a bad thing at all, though, thanks to Feig's strong direction and a wickedly talented cast led by the always phenomenal Anna Kendrick. Kendrick's    (especially when comedic) is right on point with every single line, mannerism, and endearing little fumble she makes, It's easily one of the most fun performances of the year. Lively's performance is also outstanding. Some people think she only has opportunities because she is married to Ryan Reynolds. But she is quite talented as well as gorgeous.

Overall the movie was a lot of fun and as well as a puzzler. The plot maintains its twists and turns as you would expect in a mystery/thriller and and at the same time delivers many funny quips and laughs that don’t feel overused or out of place. 

Rated R (for sexual content and language and some  nude images, drug use and violence.

OPERATION FINALE   2.5****

          Hollywood loves a true story, especially the kind most of us have either forgotten or never heard of. “Operation Finale” fits squarely into this field considering it’s a recognizable true event.

Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), a Nazi SS Lieutenant Colonel was the logistical mastermind of the holocaust. A powerful Nazi who, unlike his colleagues (Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels), survived World War II,  escaped Germany and  fled to Austria, then Argentina. His whereabouts remained a mystery until one day in 1960, when a chance encounter between his nephew Klaus  and a German Jew . Word soon gets to the Israeli Mossad ( similar to our CIA) director who dispatches a team to Buenos Aires. Their mission is to find Eichmann and bring him back to Israel to stand trial. The group  is led by Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac).  If they succeed, Jews the world over will experience some relief from the years of unspeakable atrocities.  It's a compelling premise, all the more so for being real.  

Why, then, don't we connect with it on screen as much as we might? The answer may lie within a simple plot point. For reasons for which the film does not elaborate, the Israeli air force refuses to fly into Argentina to extract Eichmann. This leaves El Al, the nation's commercial airliner. But El Al won't risk such a venture without a signed note from Eichmann consenting to his departure. Thus, a large portion of the film details the Mossad's efforts to convince Eichmann-perhaps gently, perhaps not-so gently to consent to such a seemingly absurd action.

It is in this waiting that the movie loses steam.  Also it is quite difficult to generate tension when we know the outcome. We know they get Eichmann to Israel for trial.

 A slow script cannot hide Kingsley's  magnetic creepy portrayal of the reclusive and manipulative Eichmann, nor Isaac's complex, restrained passion as the team’s leader.  

Operation Finale is the kind of film you see once, admire and appreciate, and probably don't see again. In fact that is reality for probably 90% of movies, even the good ones.